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Novel: [The Primordial Law]
Volume 2: [Jiuli Insect Valley]
Chapter 4 (31): [Spending the Night at Yao Pass]
(4th of Volume 2)
Translator: Shadow Knight AK
Editor: Shadow Knight AK
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Li Weiyi was determined to end the battle swiftly, so he unleashed his full power.
After catching up to the Ape-like Aberrant, he unleashed a flurry of palm strikes, each accompanied by a whistling wind, intending to crush his opponent with sheer force.
He's only opened one Spring...
Just push through and crush him with overwhelming force.
The Ape-like Aberrant dared not meet Li Weiyi's attacks head-on, instead raised his spine bow to defend.
He sensed that the young man before him had opened more than Three Springs, possibly even Four. With the enhancement of his Silver Silk Gloves magic artifact, he might even be able to withstand a few blows from a Five Springs Martial-Mystic Cultivator.
At the Four Springs level, one could already make a magic artifact shimmer with silver light, suggesting it was likely not a low-grade artifact.
A magic artifact in the Spring Opening (Surge) Realm?
Who exactly is this kid?
The Ape-like Aberrant racked his brain, but couldn't figure it out. After enduring several palm strikes, his spine bow shattered inch by inch, blood gushed from his hands, and his internal organs felt like they were about to burst.
He decisively turned to flee.
Li Weiyi couldn't let him escape.
He had to silence him.
Catching up, he formed his hand into a sword and unleashed Taiyi Sea-Splitting Strike.
A silver palm sword slashed across the Ape-like Aberrant's back, severing his spine.
The massive body crashed to the ground with a resounding "thump."
"Thump!"
Li Weiyi followed up with another palm strike, shattering his skull.
Only after confirming the Ape-like Aberrant's death did Li Weiyi quickly returned to retrieve the Yellow Dragon Sword, and wrap it in cloth.
Zhao Zhizhuo hurried forward to express his gratitude: "May I ask the Young Benefactor's name? Zhao Zhizhuo of the Cangli Tribe will forever remember your kindness."
"Old man, you should hurry and fetch reinforcements. That's the most urgent matter right now," Li Weiyi said.
Zhao Zhizhuo's face was ashen, his eyes filled with anxiety and worry. Enduring the excruciating pain from his wound, he pleaded, "Old one has an unseemly request... Could the Young Benefactor see this through to the end? In my current condition, I fear I'll collapse from my horse within a few dozen miles if I travel alone."
The iron arrow's destructive power was immense, tearing through a large swath of flesh and damaging his bones.
Li Weiyi was reluctant to get involved, fearing future retribution from Shi Jiuzhai.
However, he realized that the people from the Bronze Ship would need a place to settle down and survive once they disembarked. If he could resolve this matter now, it might be worth the risk.
Li Weiyi had ridden horses before, but he wasn't particularly skilled.
Still, after opening the two spring eyes in his feet, his body had become extraordinary.
Riding a horse was now effortless.
The three of them shared a single mount.
Zhao Zhizhuo lay prone in front, while Gao Huan clung tightly to Li Weiyi's waist from behind.
Fortunately, the horse beneath them was a sturdy steed that had drunk the blood of a Zouwu, a mythical beast. Its bones were tough, its muscles firm, and its body was covered in tiger stripes.
It was far larger and more powerful than ordinary horses. Even carrying three people, it still galloped like the wind, capable of covering a thousand miles in a single day.
.....
Yaoguan City, located nearly three hundred miles from Burial Immortal Town, had a population of over two hundred thousand.
Unlike walled cities, it lacked city walls, gates, and moats, resembling more a large, freely accessible market town.
The entire city sprawled like a giant pancake across the fertile plains west of the Shui River, with its western edge reaching the towering peaks of Mang Mountain.
It was already night.
Ghostfire-like flames flickered from the bone lanterns lining the streets.
Li Weiyi and Gao Huan were staying at the Yaohua Pavilion, the third-largest inn in the city.
After a hot bath, they enjoyed not only a bowl of soup noodles but also a dozen other delicious dishes.
Earlier that afternoon, upon entering the city, Zhao Zhizhuo immediately rushed to the City Lord's Mansion to seek help.
Soon, a thunderous roar of a hundred beasts echoed from Mang Mountain. Some Martial-Mystic Cultivators rode flying beasts with wingspans of dozens of meters, while others rode fantastical giant beasts resembling tigers, elephants, or rhinoceroses.
All were rushing toward Burial Immortal Town.
The scene was truly magnificent.
Li Province (Lizhou) was the territory of the Cang Li Clan, and it had enjoyed centuries of peace. Such a dire event had never occurred before.
Though the various Jiuli tribes had their own conflicts and rivalries, in times of true crisis, every tribe would undoubtedly rush to aid one another.
The Cang Li Clan had intermarried for generations, their bonds as close as bone and sinew.
Zhao Zhizhuo finally arrived at the Yaohua Pavilion.
Overwhelmed with gratitude for Li Weiyi, he wanted to kneel, but was firmly supported and prevented from doing so.
Dressed in gray-white cloth robes, he appeared to be in his late sixties or early seventies, with frosted temples. Yet his muscles were still strong, suggesting he must have been tall and imposing in his youth.
"If not for the Young Benefactor's righteous intervention, our Cangli Tribe would have suffered devastating casualties. The Young Clan Leader will personally come to express our gratitude tomorrow. At that time, Young Benefactor, please don't hesitate to state any requests you may have."
Zhao Zhizhuo's shoulder had been cleaned, bandaged, and treated with some special secret medicine.
"They have already been rescued?" Li Weiyi asked anxiously, eager to return to the Bronze Ship. He was deeply concerned about whether the battle at Burial Immortal Town had ended.
Zhao Zhizhuo nodded: "The Young Clan Leader and his men haven't reached Yaoguan yet, but word has come back that the Buddha's Salvation (Fodu) Bandits have retreated."
"Buddha's Salvation (Fodu) Bandits?"
Li Weiyi was puzzled.
Weren't the people led by Shi Jiuzhai the Earth Wolf King's Army?
Zhao Zhizhuo already knew that the two men before him were not Buddha's Salvation (Fodu) Bandits, but refugees who had fled to Li Province and mistakenly worn the same monk's robes, leading to the misunderstanding.
Li Weiyi had already told him this while they were still on horseback.
In these chaotic times, refugees were fleeing everywhere. Countless refugees had sought refuge in Li Province to escape the turmoil.
Zhao Zhizhuo, deeply indebted to Li Weiyi for saving his life, trusted him implicitly.
Zhao Zhizhuo's eyes burned with resentment and anger. His chest heaved violently, triggering his old ailment. He spoke in a labored, wheezing voice: "The Southern Man, the Northern Di, the Eastern Yi, and the Western Rong. Among the several states in our southern border, the most detested and feared are the Three Great Barbarian Bandits: Xu Fodu of Coffin Mountain, Yuwen Yan of Night City, and Shi Naer, the Earth Wolf King."
"They say Li Province is ruled by the Cang Li Clan, which is why it has remained peaceful for centuries."
"But who knows how much the Cang Li Clan has endured to maintain this peace? Every year, they must send Coffin Mountain vast tributes and wealth. That's why the Buddha's Salvation (Fodu) Bandits under Xu Fodu only engage in small-scale looting and extortion within Li Province, never provoking large-scale conflicts."
"The Buddha's Salvation Bandits' recent brutality and bloodshed is highly unusual. I can't fathom their motives."
Li Weiyi's mind raced with thoughts. He asked, "What about the Earth Wolf King's Army?"
Zhao Zhizhuo replied, "The Earth Wolf King's forces aren't in Li Province. They have nothing to do with us."
"Old Zhao, have you heard of Shi Jiuzhai?" Li Weiyi asked.
Zhao Zhizhuo's expression tightened: "Shi Jiuzhai is no ordinary man. He's the adopted son of Shi Naer, one of the Ten Great Dharma Kings of the Earth Wolf King's Army. He only rose to prominence in the last twenty years, but he's already listed in the "Jiazi Chronicles"."
"Young Benefactor, why are you asking about him?"
Li Weiyi had always sensed a deep fear in Zhao Zhizhuo towards the Three Great Barbarian Bandits, as if even the Cang Li Clan had to pay tribute to them.
He dared not speak the truth!
Revealing it would surely thrust him into the eye of the storm, and there was no guarantee the Cangli Tribe could protect him.
He might even become a pawn in a power struggle between major factions.
Keep a low profile, keep a low profile.
Getting involved this far was already dangerous enough.
"I've long heard of his great name, like thunder in my ears," Li Weiyi quickly changed the subject, "Old Zhao, could you first answer some of my cultivation questions? I've been practicing on my own all this time, and there's so much I don't understand."
"You managed to reach the Three Springs, even the Four Springs, through self-practice?" Zhao Zhizhuo looked at the Silver Silk Gloves on Li Weiyi's hand, and realizing something, he cautioned earnestly, "Young Benefactor, I won't pry into where you obtained this magic artifact, but never activate it in front of others lightly. 'A man without fault is innocent, but possessing a treasure makes him guilty.' Remember that."
Li Weiyi could sense Zhao Zhizhuo's sincerity. Touched, he asked, "Are magic artifacts really that precious?"
Zhao Zhizhuo finally believed the young man before him had been practicing blindly all this time, likely knowing very little about the Martial arts.
"Let me put it this way: if I weren't old and my ambition had not faded, seeing your magic artifact would have likely made my heart race with envy. This isn't about repaying kindness with malice; it's about the overwhelming temptation. It's human nature."
"In other words, if a Celestial Immortal-like beauty were to strip naked and walk down the street without any means of self-defense, any danger she encountered would be entirely her own fault. No one could be blamed."
"I understand!" Li Weiyi removed his Silver Silk Gloves and hid them away, "Mr. Zhao, please keep this a secret."
Zhao Zhizhuo immediately assured him he would, then added, "Young Benefactor, please don't take my words to heart. I've always been blunt. In this world, there aren't many truly good people or truly evil ones. Most people are simply afraid to be too good or too bad."
"Rest assured, even if I had encountered you in my youth, I would never have repaid kindness with malice. It's just that after eating for decades and seeing so much, I couldn't help but offer a few words of advice."
"Thank you!"
Afterward, Li Weiyi asked Zhao Zhizhuo for guidance on cultivation-related matters.
Suddenly, the outside world erupted in commotion.
The tranquil night was shattered by the sound of wind tearing through the air and the roars of beasts.
'The Cang Li Tribe's forces have returned!'
Zhao Zhizhuo immediately excused himself to greet the Young Clan Leader.
Before leaving, he asked Li Weiyi if he wanted to join him.
Li Weiyi naturally declined.
Tonight, the Cangli Tribe's dignitaries would be occupied, making it an unsuitable time for a meeting.
Moreover, such a formal encounter would have endless repercussions.
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END OF CHAPTER
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