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Novel: [The Primordial Law]
Volume 3: [Qiu Prefecture Lantern Festival]
Chapter 54 (198): [Zuoqiu Hongting]
(54th of Volume 3)
Translator: Shadow Knight AK
Editor: Shadow Knight AK
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Jiang Ning stood up and walked to the vermilion window, her figure exquisitely beautiful.
She murmured, "Five moves to defeat all under heaven! The combat power he displayed is simply too overwhelming... Is he really that desperate for money?"
"Who knows? Some people would risk their lives for it," Zhuang Yue said resentfully.
Jiang Ning suggested, "Why don't you fight him? Bring him a Millennium Essence Herb!"
"I... I'd rather not!" Zhuang Yue knew her straightforward personality would make it impossible for her to pretend.
"Lend the Millennium Essence Herb to Jiang Wuling. Consider it a treat for those seven little ones. As for Zuoqiu Ting, his mind is too venomous. If he truly is using Li Weiyi to seize the Zuoqiu Sect's inheritance, then the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival will be his death knell."
Jiang Ning spoke these chilling words in a voice as pure as a celestial melody.
She knew Zuoqiu Ting's true nature and understood that Li Weiyi was already in grave danger.
The Imperial Court had long decided to crush the Zuoqiu Sect and execute its three Inheritors once the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival began.
Jiang Ning had initially been indifferent to this plan, but now she found herself eagerly anticipating the day's arrival.
With a graceful wave of her slender jade arm, she traced a mesmerizing arc. The fourth Dragon Soul within her Governor's Robe awakened and emerged, its low dragon's roar echoing through the chamber.
....
In the Ancestral Realm of the Zuoqiu Sect, on Taoli (Peach and Plum) Mountain, the Hidden Lord sat beneath an ancient peach tree overlooking a cliff.
A stone table and stools were set before him, accompanied by a pot of "Fragrant Splendor," a thousand-year-old vintage.
The ancient peach tree was so thick that five men could barely encircle it. Its roots, like coiling azure dragons, were deeply embedded in the rock.
The three thousand ancient peach trees here had long absorbed the Spiritual Qi of the Dao Domain, transforming into Spirit Wood.
They bloomed for ten years, bore fruit for ten years, and matured for ten years.
Each Spirit Peach was a precious medicine, capable of prolonging life.
Legend had it that deep within the Ancestral Realm's Dao Domain space, a peach tree cultivated from the pit of the mythical Pan Tao produced Spirit Peaches that reached the level of Millennium Essence Herbs.
However, the space deep within the Ancestral Realm was inaccessible to ordinary people.
It was the tenth year of blooming, and peach blossoms drifted down like snow, creating a breathtaking spectacle.
The view from this vantage point was expansive, encompassing half of Qiu Prefecture City and even the distant azure waters of the Bing Juze Lake.
Seated across from the Hidden Lord was Zuoqiu Ling, the Lingxiao First Commander and current Clan Head of the Zuoqiu Sect.
"Eight-foot frame, sits like a divine mountain, lies like a dark dragon, strides to chase the sun and moon" - this was the world's assessment of the Lingxiao First Commander.
Zuoqiu Ling's physique was more than twice the size of the Hidden Lord's, yet he wasn't an Aberrant Humanoid. He exuded an aura of domineering arrogance.
"Cang Li's brother-in-law, did you spread the news?"
"Are you so afraid the Zuoqiu Sect will steal him away?"
The Hidden Lord and Zuoqiu Ling had been friends for many years, each knowing the other's true nature. Thus, the Hidden Lord didn't wear his metal mask, revealing a refined and scholarly face.
He chuckled: "Rumors of a Zuoqiu Sect son-in-law have already spread. Since you've shown your wolfish ambition first, how could I sit idly by?"
Zuoqiu Ting...
To be precise, Zuoqiu Hongting.
She stood silently a dozen feet away, her body enveloped in a halo of shimmering particles. Her slender form was as graceful as the moon, draped in a loose azure Daoist robe. Her hair, like ink spilled across a canvas, was held back by a wooden hairpin, making her as serene as a secluded orchid on a cliff's edge.
Her Dao combined the strengths of Confucianism, Daoism, and Strategism. Her temperament shifted unpredictably, her eyes sometimes deep and profound, sometimes bright and agile.
The identity of "Zuoqiu Ting" represented only one aspect of her Martial Dao cultivation.
Martial-Mystic Cultivators in the Lingxiao Realm knew only that Thunder Method was an Immortal Technique.
But she knew that both Daoist and Confucian Methods could lead to immortality, reaching the Nine Heavens and transcending life and death.
Zuoqiu Ling said, "Being invincible in five moves against opponents of the same realm is already shocking enough. Ting'er, go tell him to stop while he's ahead. He absolutely cannot hang up that last banner! How much money has he made anyway?"
"I don't know, but it must be an astronomical sum. Even after accounting for my debts, I'm still not as wealthy as he is," Zuoqiu Hongting replied.
Zuoqiu Ling said, "If he keeps this up, he'll provoke widespread resentment."
"He already has," Zuoqiu Hongting said bitterly, "Everyone thinks I'm the one who's made all the money, and that he's just my pawn. It's only now that I've realized I'm actually his pawn, being used and forced to take the blame for him."
Zuoqiu Hongting felt deeply wronged, believing she was the one most thoroughly exploited by Li Weiyi.
The Hidden Lord chuckled: "We're allies, after all! I heard you've made quite a bit yourself. As long as you help him recover his debts, you'll get a 30/70 split. But the Clan Head is right - he absolutely cannot hang up that third banner. Tell him his current record is already enough to secure an invitation."
In truth, the Hidden Lord was also quite helpless. He hadn't expected Li Weiyi to enter the fray in this manner. By the time he received the news, it was too late to stop him.
At the time, rumors of Li Weiyi becoming the Zuoqiu Sect's son-in-law were spreading like wildfire, and the Hidden Lord felt a sense of crisis. He feared that pushing Li Weiyi too hard might drive him to truly join the Zuoqiu Sect.
After Zuoqiu Hongting left, the Hidden Lord and Zuoqiu Ling were still discussing when a high-pitched tiger roar echoed from below the mountain, reverberating through Qiu Prefecture City. The sound startled countless Strange Beasts within the city, causing them to become agitated and restless.
"Excellent! Cang Li has finally completed his cultivation of the Seventh Sea before the New Year, ten days earlier than I anticipated. They should be able to withstand the first wave of attacks at the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival," Zuoqiu Ling said, his expression grave, his mind preoccupied with many concerns.
The Hidden Lord replied, "Ge Xiantong, having received the true teachings of Yu Yaozi, possesses a divinely bestowed Immortal Physique, even though he is physically incomplete. Even in our youth, we would have been no match for him. It will be incredibly difficult for Cang Li to defeat him. The key to victory still lies with Hongting."
"It's a pity that the young man from your Jiu Li Hidden Sect started his cultivation a few years late. Otherwise, today we would have witnessed a three-way standoff between Ge Xiantong, Luan Sheng Lin You, and him - the greatest regret of the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival," Zuoqiu Ling sighed, a hint of helplessness in his voice.
The Hidden Lord inwardly sneered.
If that young man had cultivated for a few more years, Ge Xiantong and Luan Sheng Lin You would be facing imminent disaster today.
'No, I must restrain myself. I cannot let that Zuoqiu fool know that the young man is only at the Third Stage of the Five Seas Realm and has been defying the odds to fight above his level.'
.....
On the third day, Li Weiyi moved the arena to the Bing Juze Lake by the sea, ten miles from the Heavenly Pavilion.
He marked off a coastal area as the battle zone, using the shoreline as the boundary and scattering countless floating logs throughout the sea.
This was done because many Martial-Mystic Cultivators had complained that the arena was too small and slippery.
Now, on the fifth day of the arena challenges, the slogan "Peerless in the Same Realm, Defeating All Foes in Five Moves" echoed through the air.
The beach was packed. Martial-Mystic Cultivators who had lost money naturally wanted to tear Li Weiyi limb from limb. But the other young Martial-Mystic Cultivators were utterly in awe of him, convinced he truly possessed peerless combat power within the same realm.
Mortal Martial-Mystic Cultivators and Aberrant Race Martial-Mystic Cultivators revered him like a god.
Li Weiyi had shown them that even without a Pure Immortal Physique, one could still be invincible within the same realm.
Many young Martial-Mystic Cultivators had come specifically to hear him discuss the Martial Dao and lecture on cultivation, all of them finding his teachings immensely rewarding.
Thus, the reputation of "Young Master Li" became polarized.
Some called him insatiable and cunning.
Others hailed him as a young emperor, a Martial Dao master who weighed all the dragons and phoenixes of the world on a single scale.
On the beach, Qi Wangshu and Zuoqiu Baiyuan were busy as bees, registering challengers and counting the Yongquan Coins, Millennium Essence Herbs, Blood Crystals, spiritual artifacts, and other challenge fees.
Initially, they had been deeply worried, fearing that the slogan "Defeating All Foes in Five Moves" was too risky.
But after Li Weiyi won ten consecutive matches, they cast all their worries aside and focused on counting their winnings.
In just one hour, the various challenge fees they had received amounted to over a million Yongquan Coins, filling five large chests to the brim.
Qi Xiao remained uneasy, constantly patrolling the area. After all, he had a stake in this, and he couldn't afford any losses.
As the Yongquan Coins accumulated and the prize pool grew larger, Zuoqiu Lancheng, the second Inheritor of the Zuoqiu Sect, was invited to oversee the proceedings.
At sea.
"Boom!"
Li Weiyi unleashed what everyone believed to be his signature move, Cihang Enlightenment. With a single finger strike, he cleaved a long gash across the water's surface, sending Lu Wensheng, who had challenged him for the fourth time, spitting blood and plummeting into the sea.
"Ten! Nine! Eight..."
After ten seconds, Lu Wensheng failed to resurface.
Li Weiyi released his Spiritual Qi and personally pulled him from the water, carrying him back to the shore.
This sparked a tidal wave of cheers, with countless young Mortal female cultivators chanting his name, their fervor rivaling that of the Inheritors themselves.
Li Weiyi handed the severely injured Lu Wensheng to the Thunderclap Sect disciples and gestured apologetically to the crowd watching from the shore.
"The arena is too large," he said, "so it's impossible to stop at just a few moves. I had to defeat him completely. Lu Wensheng was too strong; I had to give it my all and couldn't hold back."
"Lao Qi, record a medical expense for the Thunderclap Sect disciples."
"Young Master Li, stop pretending to be sympathetic. From today on, the Thunderclap Sect and you are sworn enemies!" The Thunderclap Sect disciples glared at him fiercely, refusing any medical assistance.
They carried Lu Wensheng away quickly.
Li Weiyi watched their retreating figures and sighed: "Among all the challengers, Lu Wensheng was the wealthiest, practically a nation unto himself. The Thunderclap Sect's foundation surpasses any other sect or clan. It's a shame their disciples' quality is so poor."
"Next!"
Stepping on the water's surface, Li Weiyi leaped back to the central water area where the arena was located, landing on a three-zhang-long circular floating log.
"Zhu Yuzhao of the Western Territory Zhu Clan has come again to experience Young Master Li's Cihang Enlightenment Finger."
Zhu Yuzhao, a Pure Immortal Physique, was exceptionally handsome and elegant.
Dressed in luxurious robes, he held a three-foot jade sword. His eyes sparkled with a smile as he stepped across the waves, each stride covering several zhang.
Li Weiyi's senses were incredibly sharp.
In Zhu Yuzhao's eyes, he detected a dangerous aura.
They had fought once before, and Li Weiyi remembered him as strong, but never had he felt such a sense of danger.
Was the person beneath this skin still Zhu Yuzhao?
Li Weiyi grew wary and shifted his stance to the right.
Zhu Yuzhao's footsteps shifted slightly, yet he maintained his Battle Technique Intent, sealing off all escape routes for Li Weiyi back to the shore.
He chuckled. "Young Master Li's Martial-Mystic cultivation far surpasses that of ordinary mortals. I have a question I hope you can answer."
Li Weiyi was about to veer right and flee to the shore before Zhu Yuzhao could close in.
But just then, Zhu Yuzhao stopped.
It was clear that if Li Weiyi tried to escape or shout for help at this moment, he would be instantly met with a furious barrage of attacks from Zhu Yuzhao.
If Zhu Yuzhao harbored Hidden Ember or Qi Jin within him, and with Li Weiyi only fifty yards from the shore and Zuoqiu Lancheng, the latter would arrive too late to save him.
The worst-case scenario had finally unfolded.
Li Weiyi remained calm. Since his opponent wanted to talk, he would oblige: "Young Master Zhu has traveled far from the Western Territory to be our honored guest in the Southern Territory. I will gladly answer any questions you have, to the best of my ability."
Zhu Yuzhao said, "As a mortal, you've defeated all your peers in five moves - a feat I greatly admire. However, the power unleashed by your Cihang Enlightenment far exceeds what a Fourth Stage Martial-Mystic Cultivator of the Five Seas Realm should be capable of. What's the secret?"
"In other words, how can one unleash the full power of their Martial-Mystic Techniques?"
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END OF CHAPTER
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