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Novel: [The Primordial Law]
Volume 2: [Jiuli Insect Valley]
Chapter 16 (43): [The Passenger Ship Sets Out for Jiuli City]
(16th of Volume 2)
Translator: Shadow Knight AK
Editor: Shadow Knight AK
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Yan Qingqing burst out of the area covered by the seven streaks of light, determined to quickly defeat Li Weiyi. Her three-foot soft sword sliced through the air, its sword tracing a winding, ethereal path that instilled a sense of inescapable, eerie killing intent.
Li Weiyi knew his opponent had opened the Seven Springs, and he dared not recklessly meet her sword.
He retreated at lightning speed, immediately reaching for the vial of Golden Crow Blood in his pocket.
Yan Qingqing, having gained the upper hand with her first strike, pressed her advantage, giving Li Weiyi no chance to retaliate.
"Swish!"
Before Li Weiyi could pour the Golden Crow Blood onto his Scripture Belt, a storm of sword shadows descended upon him, filling his ears with piercing shrieks. Each sword tip seemed real, poised to pierce him like a sieve.
Without a second thought, he turned and fled.
A razor-sharp sword qi, capable of piercing through flesh, struck his back with a dull thud. But the Ghost Banner draped over him and the Corpse Garment Soft Armor beneath it absorbed the blow, leaving him unharmed.
"Trying to escape?"
Yan Qingqing, aware of his defensive spiritual artifact, felt a surge of envy and hatred. She raised her sword and pursued him.
Li Weiyi alternately employed the "Clear Void Cicada-Chasing Step Technique" from the Twelve Dispersed Techniques of the Chan Sect, his movements like phantoms, his steps overlapping. At other times, he executed "Yellow Dragon Ascending to Heaven," soaring through the air to effortlessly leap over the coffin mounds that resembled small mountains.
Without using the Scripture Belt, Li Weiyi's speed was nearly on par with Yan Qingqing, who had opened Seven Springs.
"I've already killed one and pinned down another. I should have more than completed my mission, right? If Li Ling can take down that donkey-faced man quickly, we might have a chance to eliminate all threats today."
Li Weiyi had gained a better understanding of his own strength. At least in terms of speed, he wasn't intimidated by Yan Qingqing, a so-called peak-level Martial-Mystic Cultivator.
"Awooo!"
A deep, resonant wolf howl pierced the silence, echoing across the Coffin Sea and scattering the surrounding night mist.
"Boom! Boom! Boom..."
Heavy, rapid footsteps grew louder, approaching from afar.
Li Weiyi turned to look and saw a five- or six-meter-long Snow Wolf King chasing Li Ling toward them at breakneck speed.
The Snow Wolf King's body was half ethereal, half solid. As it released its frigid aura, a layer of frost instantly formed on the Floating Coffins it ran across.
Fang Tong stood atop the wolf's back, his hands clad in thick, black metal gauntlets.
Each gauntlet weighed over a hundred pounds and was a spiritual heavy weapon, forged from a rare and highly precious dense metal.
Li Weiyi immediately pulled out Golden Crow Blood and poured it onto the Scripture Belt.
Yan Qingqing had already abandoned her pursuit of him and turned to attack Li Ling, who was fleeing toward them. She wanted to see whether the mysterious man would continue running or turn to rescue her.
In an instant, Li Ling found herself in a dangerous situation, trapped between a canine Aberrant Humanoid in front and a wolf behind. Yet her expression remained unchanged as she met Yan Qingqing's thrust with a palm strike.
Her palm strike, infused with spiritual power, struck like an invisible wall of air, causing Yan Qingqing's soft sword to tremble violently.
Yan Qingqing stumbled backward, her eyes wide with disbelief. She couldn't believe she was losing to a Netherlight Guide Spirit Mind Cultivator in a Martial-Mystic (martial law or martial arts) battle.
"Roar!"
The Snow Wolf King lunged forward, its razor-sharp claws poised to tear Li Ling's body to shreds.
"Bang!"
Li Ling met the attack with a palm strike, but she was no match for the beast's power. Her body was flung aside, her entire arm gushing blood. Before she could regain her footing, Fang Tong leaped from the wolf's back and unleashed a fist aimed directly at her head.
Li Ling barely managed to roll away, narrowly dodging the blow, when Yan Qingqing struck again with her sword.
"Clang!"
A flash of yellow light erupted as the two swords clashed.
Yan Qingqing's soft sword bent and swung harmlessly past Li Ling.
Li Weiyi joined her, standing back-to-back, his gaze sweeping across the three enemies surrounding them.
"Your character is far better than I expected," Li Ling said, her face and eyes still cold, but a slight curve lifting the corners of her lips, "You didn't abandon me. You're reliable."
"I simply understand that if we don't kill that Canine Aberrant Humanoid woman today, escaping will be meaningless."
The clash of swords had made Li Weiyi realize that a Seven Springs Opening Martial-Mystic Cultivator wasn't as formidable as he'd believed.
The Aberrant Humanoids' combat prowess was nothing special.
Li Ling said, "Be careful. Legend has it that the Snow Wolf King is Shi Jiuzhai's mount, possessing power and speed far beyond our capabilities. However, it has a fatal weakness: it's not a true wolf, but the soul of a spiritual artifact. I can use Psychic (Telekinesis) Power to deal with it, but it takes time to cast the Beast Scripture."
Li Weiyi glanced at Fang Tong and Yan Qingqing. Facing them alone, he had no confidence whatsoever.
To everyone's surprise, including Li Ling herself, Li Weiyi lifted her onto his back, his arms tightly wrapped around her legs. He then executed the "Clear Void Cicada-Chasing Step Technique", his body moving like a phantom as he dodged Yan Qingqing's sword thrust and charged away.
With the Scripture Belt's enhancement, his speed far surpassed that of a Seven Springs Martial-Mystic Cultivator.
"This time, it was you who carried me. I'm still an unmarried maiden. Isn't this a bit too intimate? What if word gets out..."
Before Li Ling could finish, Li Weiyi interrupted, "The Snow Wolf King is catching up. How long will it take to cast the Beast Scripture?"
The bright spot between Li Ling's eyebrows, like a twinkling star, had already begun to glow. The moment Li Weiyi lifted her onto his back, she had used Psychic (Telekinesis) Power to draw the Beast Scripture in her Third Eye Spirit Realm.
Fang Tong and Yan Qingqing stood atop the Snow Wolf King, their distance from the fleeing pair rapidly closing.
"We can't let her finish casting the Beast Scripture!"
In the next instant, Fang Tong grabbed Yan Qingqing's left wrist, channeling his spiritual power into her arm and throwing her forward with all his power.
Yan Qingqing, floating in mid-air with her long hair billowing, released a surge of spiritual power from her body.
Her soft sword, like an arrow piercing the wind, shot straight down toward Li Ling below.
"I'll borrow your sword for a moment."
Li Ling took the Yellow Dragon Sword from Li Weiyi, soaring gracefully into the air like a fleeting rainbow to meet Yan Qingqing's descending attack. In mid-air, the two women clashed repeatedly, their sword qi slashing in all directions.
"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft..."
When Li Ling landed, the Yellow Dragon Sword was dripping with blood.
When Yan Qingqing landed, she already had four or five bloody holes in her body. Waiting for her was Li Weiyi's Heaven-Turning Palm Seal, long prepared.
This palm strike, imbued with the power of the Silver Silk Gloves, struck her head with a silver flash.
With a loud "Boom," followed by the sound of bones shattering, Yan Qingqing's once-beautiful face instantly contorted and twisted. Her entire head resembled a shattered jar, with blood pouring from not only her seven orifices but also from indistinct, blurred openings.
She fell straight to the ground, lifeless.
Meanwhile, the Snow Wolf King, radiating a frigid aura and brilliant white light, charged forward with lightning speed. The Beast Scripture within Li Ling's Third Eye Spirit Realm had already been completed and flew out from her brow.
"You're courting death!"
Amidst the blinding white light, Fang Tong suddenly charged forward like a god of slaughter. By the time Li Ling was ready to raise her sword to meet him, it was already too late.
A heavy fist, like a cannonball, slammed into Li Ling, sending her flying like a straw in the wind. She coughed up blood and collapsed to the ground, unable to rise again.
At the same moment, the Beast Scripture struck the Snow Wolf King's forehead.
The Snow Wolf King let out a high-pitched, agonizing howl. Its body shrank, its radiant light and frigid aura converging into a single wolf fang, which clattered to the ground.
The sea of coffins fell silent.
Only Li Weiyi and Fang Tong remained standing, four feet apart.
Their eyes locked, each radiating a chilling aura that locked onto the other.
Not far away, Yan Qingqing lay lifeless. Li Ling's clothes were soaked in blood, her life hanging in the balance.
Despite Li Ling's flaws, she was now Li Weiyi's companion in life and death. Seeing her so grievously injured, Li Weiyi's fighting spirit and killing intent surged to their peak.
No words were exchanged.
Fang Tong advanced slowly at first, then quickened his pace.
Li Weiyi had no intention of engaging in a prolonged battle. He immediately retrieved the Evil Camel Bell, infused it with spiritual power, and shook it.
"Clang! Clang!"
The sound grew increasingly deafening.
"Whoosh!"
The Evil Camel Bell flew out, transforming into a colossal camel, half ethereal and half solid. It collided violently with Fang Tong, who was charging forward.
Fang Tong had never imagined his opponent possessed such a powerful spiritual artifact.
His mind was already clouded by the bell's influence, leaving him no time to react. The camel slammed into him, sending him soaring into the air, his bones seemingly shattered.
In the next instant, a thunderous roar echoed through the air.
Li Weiyi, wielding the Black Iron Seal, unleashed a blinding bolt of lightning as thick as a wrist. It snaked through the air, piercing Fang Tong's body.
"Thud!"
When Fang Tong finally crashed to the ground, his entire body was charred black. A bowl-sized hole gaped in his chest, and even in death, he couldn't comprehend where he had failed.
Li Weiyi approached Fang Tong, confirmed he was dead, and then turned to check on Li Ling.
Her injuries were severe, but she was still breathing.
After carefully searching the corpses of Fang Tong, Yan Qingqing, and Xing Wanxing, collecting their treasures, Li Weiyi kicked all three bodies into the Blood Sea.
Then, he cradled the blood-soaked Li Ling in his arms and began walking back.
...
Five days later, when Li Ling finally awoke, she found herself on a ship bound for Jiu Li City.
The vessel was a massive passenger sailing ship, over twenty meters long, departing from Yaoguan and sailing upstream along the Shui River. It had a three-tiered ship's tower and over a hundred cabins.
Li Ling lay on a bed in a spacious cabin on the first level of the ship's tower, wearing a white silk undergarment. Her chest and abdomen were bandaged, having already been treated by a Witch Doctor in Yaoguan.
The old woman guarding her bedside had been hired by Zhao Zhizhuo in Yaoguan.
Upon learning that the Fourth Miss had awakened, he rushed to pay his respects.
After receiving permission, he entered the cabin and recounted how Brother Xie Jin had brought her to Yaoguan, how they had sought treatment from a Shou (Beast) Li Witch Doctor, and how they were now heading to Jiu Li City, with their first stop being the Cangli Tribe.
Li Ling sat up halfway on the bed, a thin, cool blanket draped over her. Her long hair fell naturally around her shoulders as she gazed out the door at the vast river and the hazy mountains in the distance. A serene, sickly, and ethereal beauty emanated from her. She spoke slowly, "Zhao Zhizhuo, forty years ago, during the Mangshan Grand Festival, you ranked first among the Ninety-Nine Heroes. You entered the Five Seas Realm at twenty-three and opened all Five Seas at forty-one. That same year, Yao Qian of the Sui Sect shattered your Springs, breaking your Five Seas. Gentle and refined Yao Qian... he must be a prominent figure in the Jiazi Book by now, wouldn't you say?"
Zhao Zhizhuo first felt bitter shame and guilt, then a flicker of disbelief.
At Fourth Miss's age, how could she remember the entire history of a disgraced man so clearly?
A wave of emotion welled up within him.
This kind of attention, for a man who had been ignored for years after once being glorious, was more deeply moving than any praise or commendation.
He said shamefully, "I was only the top of the Ninety-Nine Heroes, never even making it into the Nine Heroes. Fourth Miss, you've taken this to heart!"
"We will remember everyone who has contributed to the Cangli Tribe."
After a pause, Li Ling asked, "Are they on the ship as well?"
"Fourth Miss means Brother Xie and his companions?" Zhao Zhizhuo replied.
"They're heading to Jiu Li City, which happens to be on our way."
Li Ling said, "He didn't tell you his real name? Never mind, it's not important."
Zhao Zhizhuo paused slightly, then asked, "Should I go tell Brother Xie that you've woken up? He's been quite concerned about your injuries."
"Go ahead," Li Ling said.
As Zhao Zhizhuo left the cabin, he suddenly remembered something. He turned and bowed, asking, "We'll arrive at the Cangli Tribe this evening. Will you disembark and return to the tribe, or will you go straight to Jiu Li City?"
"My brother must have already gone to the Jiu Li Dao Academy, and my parents are managing our businesses in Jiu Li City. I won't return to the tribe for now," Li Ling replied.
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END OF CHAPTER
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