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Novel: [The Primordial Law]
Volume 2: [Jiuli Insect Valley]
Chapter 74 (101): [The Ancestral Field's Two Sides]
(74th of Volume 2)
Translator: Shadow Knight AK
Editor: Shadow Knight AK
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"Old Zhao, it's not right to gossip behind people's backs. Besides, I go by Sima Qin now," Li Weiyi said with a smile.
Zhao Zhizhuo's expression was serious and earnest.
"This Miss Yin is truly a dangerous woman. Otherwise, why would I be in such a hurry to find you? You're too young and inexperienced. I fear you might misjudge her due to her peerless beauty, which would be fatal!"
He knew Li Weiyi was mature and steady, but throughout history, countless heroes had fallen at the beauty's gate.
Li Weiyi sat at the table and poured two cups of tea, "Isn't she just the granddaughter of the Yao Li Tribe's Clan Chief? What else could there be to her?"
In his mind, he recalled the strange changes he'd witnessed in Yaoyin within the Ashen Domain.
The resounding cry that erupted from her body, driving back even six incredibly powerful Cinder Spirits, was truly astonishing.
Zhao Zhizhuo sat down, cradling his teacup.
"To be precise, she's the granddaughter of Yao Jingfeng, the Clan Chief of the Yao Li Tribe. Yao Jingfeng had five sons and one daughter. His daughter, Miss Yin's mother, possessed a Pure Immortal Physique. In our time, her beauty was unmatched, earning her the title of Li Prefecture's number one beauty. Wherever she went, cities emptied and streets fell silent, with countless admirers vying for a glimpse of her face."
At this point, Zhao Zhizhuo's eyes lit up with a nostalgic glow. He chuckled, "To be honest, Old Zhao was once completely captivated by her. But... you see, my innate talent wasn't too bad, right? I broke through to the Five Seas Realm at twenty-three and soared from there. By forty-one, I had opened all five Qi Seas. Yet back then, I couldn't even stand within ten feet of Yao Qingxuan."
"I'm a man of self-awareness. I knew I had no chance with a woman like Yao Qingxuan. So, I chose to leave, focus on cultivation, and stop asking about her."
"Just as I had achieved some success in my cultivation and was preparing to leave the Cangli Tribe to make a name for myself, I heard the devastating news of her death. I was heartbroken. How could such a peerlessly beautiful woman, favored by the heavens, whose cultivation and innate talent surpassed mine tenfold, suddenly wither in her prime?"
"After questioning many old acquaintances, I finally learned the truth."
"The matter caused a sensation throughout Li Prefecture at the time, with everyone laughing at the Yao Li Tribe. Some said Yao Qingxuan was shameless, secretly consorting with a great demon and becoming pregnant, only to be abandoned."
"Others claimed she was captured by the great demon and forced to submit."
"Sometimes, words can be more terrifying than physical violence. Rumors spread like wildfire, each more vile than the last, determined to crush the once-revered Heavenly Daughter into the dust, leaving her no path to survival."
"They say she took her own life on a night when the snow lay three feet deep, driven to despair by the relentless torrent of gossip."
"Even then, those who had once envied her innate talent or sought her affection in vain couldn't resist adding their mockery. They sneered, claiming that only the truth could truly kill a person, and if the rumors were false, she wouldn't have taken them to heart."
Zhao Zhizhuo exhaled a long, turbid breath, his anger barely contained. The memory still pained him deeply.
"In my eyes," he said, his voice thick with emotion, "the young Yao Qingxuan was the embodiment of perfection - her spirit lofty, her will unyielding, her smile capable of toppling kingdoms, her swordplay imbued with divine grace. I could never have imagined such a tragic end for her. I had always believed she would live forever, that she would achieve immortality and ascend to godhood."
Li Weiyi asked, "Did Yaoyin's father ever appear?"
Zhao Zhizhuo snorted: "If he had, Yao Qingxuan wouldn't have died. Though I hate to believe it, the rumors might hold a grain of truth."
"These are all just hearsay," Li Weiyi replied.
"The true story is likely known only to a handful of people, perhaps even just Yaoyin's own mother."
Zhao Zhizhuo nodded: "When Miss Yin was still a child, the Clan Chief of the Yao Li Tribe entrusted her to his fourth son, claiming she was his daughter. But as Miss Yin grew older, she increasingly resembled her mother. How could the truth remain hidden?"
Li Weiyi immediately understood.
"I fear she must endure all kinds of ridicule and mockery."
"I'm not sure about that. By then, I was already a cripple. A few months ago, I overheard Third Miss and Fourth Miss gossiping together. They said Miss Yin had inherited her father's demonic ferocity and ruthlessness, killing her own cousin. They also claimed she sometimes transformed into a demon, losing her sanity and slaughtering innocents. In the Yao Li Tribe, she's loathed by everyone except the Clan Chief, who still protects her," Zhao Zhizhuo said.
Li Weiyi found it difficult to reconcile the Yaoyin Zhao Zhizhuo described with the Yaoyin he knew.
He snorted, "Li Ling needs to curb her habit of spreading rumors."
Then he added, "Old Zhao, are you afraid of Yaoyin's father?"
Zhao Zhizhuo's expression changed. He lowered his voice: "Legend says her father is a top-tier demon from the Ashen Domain of the west. Even the Clan Chief of the Yao Li Tribe dares not seek revenge, forced to swallow his pride."
"You're getting too close to her. It's not a good idea. It will bring you unnecessary trouble. After all, even in the Yao Li Tribe, she barely has a place to stand."
"Alright, I understand. I'll keep that in mind."
Li Weiyi suddenly asked, "Do you have a Blood Crystal? Never mind, I doubt you could afford one anyway. I happen to have one here. Take it and use it for now."
He produced a pigeon-egg-sized Blood Crystal from his sleeve and placed it on the table.
This Blood Crystal was worth eighty thousand silver coins. Li Weiyi had purchased it before entering the Azure King's Tomb, intending to use it to subdue the tomb's strange insects, but he never had the opportunity.
The Blood Crystal's function was to heal damaged lungs. Only after the lungs were restored could they support the Qi Sea.
Zhao Zhizhuo sensed Li Weiyi's genuine desire to help him recover his cultivation. He understood that this act of great kindness transcended mere friendship or assistance.
Li Weiyi was essentially buying his life.
Without a word, Zhao Zhizhuo clasped his hands, bowed deeply to Li Weiyi, and then took the Blood Crystal.
Li Weiyi asked, "How long will it take to heal the first lung lobe?"
"Three days should be sufficient," Zhao Zhizhuo replied.
"Come find me again once you've healed."
After Zhao Zhizhuo left, Li Weiyi fell into deep thought. Dealing with Qi Shanshan, or rather, the Zen Hai Guanwu, required meticulous preparation.
After all, She was the number one cultivator in the Lingxiao Realm a thousand years ago!
He released seven Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors, cut off a pound of Purple Cistanche, and placed it on the table. Li Weiyi instructed them to guard the cabin and not let anyone enter.
The Seven Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperor's physical bodies were incredibly robust. After eating a bellyful of soil and rocks in the Ashen Domain, they forcibly digested it without any ill effects.
Over the past two days, after consuming two pounds of Purple Cistanche, their bodies finally began to change.
The outer layer of their backs, adorned with iridescent wings, grew slightly longer, radiating a brighter, more divine glow.
However, the inner layer of membranous wings clearly needed more Precious Medicine to develop further.
They were currently in the midst of their transformation.
"Whoosh!"
Li Weiyi released a stream of Spiritual Mental Power from his forehead, activating the Dao Ancestor's Tai Chi Fish.
He entered the Blood Mud Space.
"Master Guan, why is the Ancestral Field's Qi Sea only about two cubic meters in size? How much Spiritual Qi can it even store?" Li Weiyi asked, puzzled.
After a moment, Master Guan's voice echoed from the depths of the earth: "The Fengfu Acupoint and the Ancestral Field are living, internally generated worlds - true treasures. Their true value won't become apparent until your cultivation reaches the fifth stage of the Five Seas Realm."
"When first opened, every Martial-Mystic Cultivator's Fengfu Acupoint is small, capable of storing only enough Spiritual Qi to unleash a single martial technique."
"The size of the Ancestral Field, however, varies! Most people's Ancestral Fields are only about a square foot in size, enough to store the Spiritual Qi needed to unleash a dozen or so martial techniques."
"Of course, someone like Yang Shenjing, the Hundred Meridians Pure Silver Immortal Physique you fought, could unleash dozens of moves in the Nine Springs Realm. I'd guess his Ancestral Field is several times larger than that of an ordinary Supreme Being."
Li Weiyi had been silently calculating: "Most Nine Springs Supremes have Ancestral Fields only a foot square. Doesn't that mean mine is dozens of times larger? Could I unleash hundreds or even thousands of moves? When I think about it that way, it doesn't seem so small after all."
Master Guan fell silent for a long time before finally saying, "Large? Of course, it's large. After all, the first Qi Sea of most Seven Springs Martial-Mystic Cultivators in the Five Seas Realm is barely a foot square, even smaller than your Ancestral Field."
Li Weiyi asked, "Does that mean I'm already equivalent to a first-level Five Seas Realm Martial-Mystic Cultivator?"
"Of course not," Master Guan replied, "The quality of a Five Seas Realm Martial-Mystic Cultivator's Spiritual Qi is far superior to that of a Surging Spring Realm cultivator, and the energy intensity is vastly different. There's also battle intent, which significantly boosts combat power."
Li Weiyi realized, "So, I'm still far from being a match for a first-level Five Seas Realm Martial-Mystic Cultivator?"
Master Guan was stumped. His Martial Path system seemed to have collapsed.
"Well... not exactly. Even without those powerful Spiritual Artifacts, your current combat strength surpasses that of any first-stage cultivator in the Seven Springs Five Seas Realm."
Then, in a fit of exasperation, he demanded, "When you were at the Eighth Spring, you fought several first-stage Gang Leaders from the Changlin Gang. Didn't you make your own assessment then?"
Li Weiyi had never seen Master Guan lose his temper before.
"I didn't have a clear judgment. They were all first-stage Five Seas Realm cultivators, but the difference in combat strength was too vast!"
"Vast, of course it's vast! Go summarize your experiences in actual combat," Master Guan said, speechless and unwilling to continue the conversation.
Li Weiyi secretly concluded that Master Guan's Martial Path cultivation was likely very high, but his mental state and temper left something to be desired.
The thirty-meter-long Jade Boat Spiritual Artifact remained suspended in the Blood Mud Space, constantly radiating a pure white glow.
Li Weiyi channeled his Spiritual Qi to activate it, but no matter how much he poured in, it vanished without a trace. The Jade Boat remained completely unchanged.
Master Coffin said, "This is a governor-level powerhouse's personal transport. It can traverse the Lingxiao Realm with ease, covering ten thousand miles a day is nothing. You're not strong enough to activate it yet."
"What realm do I need to reach?"
Li Weiyi was captivated by the Jade Boat.
The thought of soaring through the sky and traversing the earth in it filled him with exhilarating joy, enough to make all Martial-Mystic Cultivators in the world envious.
Master Coffin replied, "You'll need to reach at least the peak of the Five Seas Realm."
"The fifth stage of the Five Seas Realm?" Li Weiyi asked.
"That's right!" Master Coffin confirmed.
"Once you open your fifth Qi Sea, you can begin cultivating the Fengfu Acupoint and Ancestral Field, expanding these two living, internal worlds to their limits. It's even possible they could transform into two Qi Seas larger than your fifth one. Only then will the true advantages of Eight Springs Martial-Mystic Cultivators and Nine Springs Martial-Mystic Cultivators truly become apparent."
Li Weiyi chuckled: "So, it's like having a sixth and seventh Qi Sea?"
"Exactly," Master Coffin said.
Li Weiyi continued, "If there's such a thing as a living internal world, then there must also be dead ones, right?"
Master Coffin said, "The five Qi Seas in the lung lobes are like dead inner worlds. Once opened, they will forever remain the same size."
"Then I must cultivate the Tenth Spring Divine Gate even more diligently. That way, when I reach the Five Seas Realm, I'll have eight Qi Seas."
Li Weiyi grew increasingly excited, his fighting spirit soaring. He immediately sat cross-legged, practicing the Jade Void Breathing Technique, focusing all his senses on the Divine Gate Point in his navel.
When attacking other acupoints, Li Weiyi could sense the barrier between his body and the world, which he would gradually erode with the Breathing Technique until it thinned and finally broke, opening the Heaven-Human Channel.
But when he focused his senses on the Divine Gate Point, he found only dead silence.
He compared the barrier of other acupoints to a thin wall that would echo hollowly when struck.
But the Divine Gate Point felt solid, with no chance of breaking through.
"I have fifty-five Golden Veins protecting me. If striking won't work, I'll just smash it open. Repeated strikes will eventually break through."
By "smashing," he meant using the Spring-Breaking Needle.
After hearing this, even the three Masters were startled.
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END OF CHAPTER
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