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Novel: [The Primordial Law]
Volume 2: [Jiuli Insect Valley]
Chapter 83 (111): [The Impossible Task]
(83rd of Volume 2)
Translator: Shadow Knight AK
Editor: Shadow Knight AK
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The Nine Li Clan's Mangshan Grand Festival was held every four years. The performance of cultivators from each tribe during the festival determined their allocation of Blood Sea Coffin Retrieval quotas for the next four years.
Otherworldly Coffins were the most coveted resource among the Nine Great Tribes, and their distribution was always uneven.
This system served two purposes: to prevent the Nine Great Tribes from falling into another vicious cycle of internal strife among their elites, which had previously allowed outsiders to profit and led to the rise of traitorous vassals like the Four Great Sects; and to identify true young Heavenly Pride, concentrate resources on nurturing them, and revitalize the new generation, restoring the Ancient Myriad Clans' legendary reputation.
This year's circumstances were unique. Two Nine Springs Supreme cultivators, who had already participated in the Mangshan Grand Festival four years prior, were also part of the group, tasked with protecting the dozen or so young seedlings in their teens.
Both of them were wounded and, along with Yin Ershi Wu and Yaoyin, were fighting off the relentless pursuit of Nine Springs powerhouses led by Yang Yun and Lu Dingsheng.
One of the Nine Springs Supremes of the Nine Li Clan, his left arm severed, retreated while fighting, his voice heavy with concern.
"The battle here is fierce, the killing cries shake the heavens, yet Cang Li and the others haven't returned. Could Yang Yun have been right all along? Are those dog bastards from the Four Great Sects focusing their main forces on the Five Seas Realm?"
Another Nine Springs Supreme of the Nine Li Clan, limping from a leg wound, retorted, "Don't overthink it. Cang Li is the foremost young talent in Li Province. Even the combined might of the Four Great Sects is no match for him."
Yang Yun pursued them, laughing maniacally: "Hahaha! The Four Great Sects are like a rising sun, their power surging with vitality! How can your decaying, corrupt Nine Li Clan possibly compare? Soon, there won't be a Nine Li Clan left in Li Province. The Sui Sect will rule Li Province, and the San Chen Palace will be its second-greatest sect!"
Yaoyin and Yin Ershi Wu remained unmoved by Yang Yun's taunts. They knew the Hidden Sect had long prepared for this, and Yin Jiu and the others must have already secured the path to Burial Immortal Town from the Five Seas Realm.
With their presence, the Four Great Sects would likely pay a generation's worth of casualties if they tried to wipe out the Nine Li Clan's entire generation.
Compared to the battlefield in the Five Seas Realm, Yaoyin and Yin Ershi Wu were far more concerned about Li Weiyi.
Li Weiyi had a clear understanding of his own strength and that of his enemies.
Among the five experts before him, the most dangerous was undoubtedly Wang Daozhen, who had reached the second stage of the Five Seas Realm.
In the Five Seas Realm, each stage represented a world of difference in combat power. Wang Daozhen, hailed as one of the top three prodigies of the Sui Sect's Wang Clan, was certainly not someone who had achieved "Seven Springs Breaking Five Seas."
In the Changlin Gang's mansion, Li Weiyi had taken a palm strike from him and been critically injured, instantly losing all combat ability and becoming a lamb for the slaughter.
Even now, after breaking through to the Nine Springs realm, Li Weiyi knew he was no match for Wang Daozhen in his current state.
The gap in their cultivation realms was simply too vast.
However, Li Weiyi had three crucial advantages in this situation:
First, the Nightwalker's Garment, a High-Grade Spiritual Artifact, granted him invisibility and exceptional speed.
Second, Wang Daozhen had expended a tremendous amount of Spiritual Qi breaking through the formation.
Third, they were close to the Five Seas Realm Boundary, where the mysterious energy that suppressed Five Seas Realm martial artists permeated the air.
Wang Daozhen's combat power would inevitably be significantly diminished.
Aside from Wang Daozhen, the most dangerous opponent was the Sui Sect's Great Spiritual Master. His mastery of runes had nearly cost Li Weiyi his life earlier.
The Five Seas Realm expert from San Chen Palace who had broken the formation alongside Wang Daozhen was no less dangerous than the Sui Sect's Great Spiritual Master. The iron-bound scripture in his hand was clearly no low-grade Spiritual artifact.
As for the remaining Leopard-like Aberrant Humanoid in the Five Seas Realm and the San Chen Palace's Insect Tamer, both were formidable opponents with their own unique strengths.
Under any other circumstances, Li Weiyi would have already fled.
But today, escape was impossible.
Fortunately, the seven Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors were keeping the Leopard-like Aberrant Humanoid and the Great Spiritual Master occupied, giving them a fighting chance. If they could hold off the five enemies long enough for the Nine Li Clan's young Martial-Mystic Cultivators to escape into the Five Seas Realm Boundary, it would count as victory.
"Chen Jingtang! You and Master Liu must kill every Spring Surge Realm Martial-Mystic Cultivator from the Nine Li Clan. Do not let a single one escape into the Five Seas Realm Boundary. Otherwise, we'll all face certain death upon our return. I'll handle that brat myself!"
Wang Daozhen felt immense pressure, fully aware of the consequences of failure.
Without achieving the monumental feat of slaughtering an entire generation of the Nine Li Clan, the four Five Seas Realm Martial-Mystic Cultivators from the Four Great Sects would bear the blame for the death of the Sixth-Generation Great-Grandson of the Demon King. They would inevitably become scapegoats.
Insect Tamer Master Liu manipulated his swarm of Iron-Eating Ants, relentlessly pursuing the young Nine Li Clan Martial-Mystic Cultivators who had lost the protection of the formation's luminous veil.
He chuckled intermittently, relishing the thrill of the hunt.
The Nine Li Clan's thirteen- and fourteen-year-old Martial-Mystic Cultivators were swiftly overtaken by the ravenous swarm.
Their desperate slashes with swords and sabers proved utterly futile. After a few agonizing screams, they were reduced to piles of gnawed bones.
Li Weiyi knew that Gao Huan and Cai Yutong were among those young Martial-Mystic Cultivators.
Against an Insect Tamer, there was only one strategy: strike down the tamer himself as quickly as possible, rather than confronting the swarm directly.
Li Weiyi channeled Spiritual Qi into his Corpse Garment Soft Armor. In an instant, his body was completely enveloped in a swirling cloud of Blood Qi, radiating an eerie, sinister aura. He charged into the swarm, his sword aimed at Master Liu.
The Iron-Eating Ants recoiled in terror from the dense Blood Qi cloud, daring not to attack him.
Wherever his feet landed, the swarm scattered immediately.
"Your opponent is me."
Wang Daozhen pursued Li Weiyi relentlessly, closing the distance with each stride. He swung his Formation-Cracking Whip, which lashed out like a fiery dragon, leaving a brilliant, serpentine trail in its wake.
"Crack!"
The cloud of Blood Qi enveloping Li Weiyi shattered under the lash of the Formation-Cracking Whip.
Li Weiyi's gaze remained locked on Master Liu ahead, refusing to turn and defend.
Relying on the Nightwalker's Garment and Corpse Garment Soft Armor - two Defensive Spiritual Artifacts - he endured the Formation-Cracking Whip's concussive force.
Though it was merely concussive force, his back felt like it had been struck by a brutal punch. A metallic tang rose in his throat, but he swallowed the blood threatening to spill, his momentum undiminished as he surged toward Master Liu.
Wang Daozhen had never encountered such ruthlessness - someone willing to endure his attacks just to kill Master Liu.
This was a completely suicidal fighting style!
Master Liu, fully aware of his opponent's terrifying capabilities, paled drastically. He fled frantically, simultaneously unleashing seven hair-thin Spirit Flame Whip-Swords from between his brows.
"Swish! Swish!"
The Spirit Flame Whip-Swords struck Li Weiyi, but failed to penetrate the Nightwalker's Garment's defenses.
Li Weiyi remained unfazed, his short sword slashing down with savage force.
"Thwack!"
Master Liu's right leg was cleanly severed at the thigh, sending him crashing to the ground.
Blood gushed from the stump as he howled in agony.
Zhuang Yue frowned, utterly perplexed: "He risked injury to seize this opportunity. Why didn't he simply kill the Insect Tamer with a single strike instead of just severing his leg?"
Jiang Ning saw through Li Weiyi's intentions.
"Because he knows exactly what he's trying to achieve. He's not fighting to prove his strength, but to save lives. He aims to use his Surging Spring Realm cultivation to hold back all Five Seas Realm enemies single-handedly."
Zhuang Yue's eyes widened in disbelief.
"That's impossible! With his current cultivation, surviving against five Five Seas Realm Martial-Mystic Cultivators would be as difficult as ascending to heaven."
Zhuang Yue was confident she could defeat the five enemies working together. In fact, if they didn't flee, she was certain she could kill them all. But holding all five back to prevent them from pursuing the two hundred young Nine Li Clan Martial-Mystic Cultivators? She admitted she couldn't possibly achieve that.
Jiang Ning countered, "When there's no overwhelming disparity in cultivation level, combat intelligence and willpower often matter more than raw power. Those moths of his are no ordinary insects - they must be rare insects."
"Seven rare insects?"
Zhuang Yue glanced again at Li Weiyi in the distance, her condescending attitude now replaced by a much more serious expression.
It was well-known that only commander-level insects could be considered rare insects. A fully mature commander-level insect possessed combat power comparable to the Dao Seed Realm.
An Insect Tamer who commanded seven rare insects would undoubtedly hold a high position within the military.
Who would dare underestimate such a force?
Li Weiyi seized the screaming Master Liu and hurled him into the Sui River, not far from Chen Jingtang.
The river water boiled, its surface teeming with bubbles.
Given the physical resilience of an Insect Controller, falling into such scalding water would likely cook them alive in moments.
"Save me... Jingtang, save me..." Master Liu's face twisted in terror as scalding steam rose from the river, his pleas for help directed at Chen Jingtang.
Both men served under the San Chen Palace and were standing within arm's reach. A simple gesture would cost Chen Jingtang no time, making it impossible for him to refuse aid.
Chen Jingtang temporarily abandoned his pursuit of the young Nine Li Clan Martial-Mystic Cultivator, shifting his stance toward the Sui River. Stepping onto a cloud of Spiritual Qi, he appeared above the water's surface, about six meters from the shore.
"Splash!"
Extending a hand, Chen Jingtang lifted Master Liu from the boiling water and turned to retreat.
But then, Li Weiyi descended like a crimson cloud, a short sword piercing downward from its depths.
Forced into an extremely passive position, Chen Jingtang frowned, utterly perplexed.
How could Wang Daozhen, with his cultivation level, fail to restrain even a Spring Surge Realm Martial-Mystic Cultivator?
The cloud of Spiritual Qi beneath Chen Jingtang's feet couldn't sustain him above the water for long, especially while supporting Master Liu.
'He's planned everything in advance! '
'Fortunately, he hasn't broken through to the Five Seas Realm yet. Once he reaches that level, this man will leap through the Dragon Gate and soar to the heavens.'
"Boom! Boom!"
Chen Jingtang's combat prowess was extraordinary. With a single hand, he swung his iron sleeve, clashing three times against Li Weiyi's short sword.
'Damn it! '
Li Weiyi's heart sank. Failing to subdue Chen Jingtang within three moves was a grave setback.
Chen Jingtang was at the first stage of the Five Seas Realm, but he had likely broken through with Nine Springs, making his combat strength far surpass that of someone who had broken through with Eight Springs.
The San Chen Palace's younger generation was brimming with talent, and their foundation was likely comparable to that of the Sui Sect.
"This youth's movement techniques are remarkable! I'm too late!" Wang Daozhen's voice boomed, his heart seething with anger as he stepped into the Sui River and unleashed the Five Elements Ascending Heaven Palm.
His figure split into five, blocking all of Li Weiyi's escape routes back to the shore. The five figures struck simultaneously, their palms converging into a single, devastating blow.
Having anticipated this attack, Li Weiyi channeled Ancestral Field Qi into his Corpse Garment Soft Armor. Blood Qi clouds and crimson scriptures erupted from the armor, swirling around his arms as he met Wang Daozhen's palm strike head-on.
After enduring the full force of the palm, Li Weiyi staggered backward across the water's surface, spitting out the blood he had forced down earlier. His internal injuries worsened.
"A Scripture Artifact!" Wang Daozhen's eyes burned with fury. He strode across the boiling river as if walking on solid ground, his vast Spiritual Qi - characteristic of the second stage of the Five Seas Realm - spreading beneath his feet like billowing smoke.
In an instant, he teleported toward Li Weiyi.
Li Weiyi abandoned direct confrontation, skimming across the river's surface toward the Five Seas Realm Boundary downstream.
Wang Daozhen sensed something amiss and glanced toward the shore.
He saw that most of the young Nine Li Clan Martial-Mystic Cultivators had already fled into the Five Seas Realm Boundary, vanishing into the mist.
"Damn it! Useless trash!"
His curse was cut short by the Leopard-like Aberrant Humanoid Five Seas Realm Martial-Mystic Cultivator's series of agonized screams.
Surrounded by three Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors, six bloody holes pierced his body, leaving him critically wounded and collapsed on the ground, his fate uncertain.
In contrast, the Great Spiritual Master broke free from the encirclement of four Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors. Enveloped in Spiritual Light Flame, he sprinted toward the Five Seas Realm Boundary with astonishing speed.
After reaching the shore, Chen Jingtang dumped Master Liu and raced after him.
The final stage of this life-and-death struggle had begun. Both sides fought desperately, each with their own reasons for doing so.
Over a hundred young Martial-Mystic Cultivators remained outside the Five Seas Realm Boundary.
Li Weiyi stepped onto a cloud of Spiritual Qi above the water, intending to intercept the Great Spiritual Master and Chen Jingtang before they reached the shore.
Behind him, Wang Daozhen's voice rang out: "You can't save them! Half will die before they reach the Five Seas Realm Boundary, and the rest will be dealt with by Yang Yun and the others."
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END OF CHAPTER
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