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Novel: [The Primordial Law]
Volume 2: [Jiuli Insect Valley]
Chapter 49 (76): [The Twenty-Fourth Hidden One (Yin Ershi Si)]
(49th of Volume 2)
Translator: Shadow Knight AK
Editor: Shadow Knight AK
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Li Weiyi was startled awake, his entire body instantly alert.
He reached out and felt more bodies and limbs nearby.
He realized he was no longer in the carriage and was likely already on the way to the Hidden Sect.
But he couldn't see or hear anything, leaving him completely disoriented.
How long had he been asleep?
Suddenly, someone patted his head. The bottom edge of the black cloth bag loosened with a swoosh.
His hearing returned, and the sound of water lapping against a boat filled his ears.
Li Weiyi immediately removed the bag.
Before him stretched a golden, hazy mist.
Beneath him lay a flat boat over ten meters long, packed tightly with twenty or thirty young men and women.
Most of them had already removed their bags, while others were still taking them off.
The crowd's mental fortitude was remarkable. Those who had made it this far were no ordinary individuals.
After a brief moment of chaos, they quickly straightened up and surveyed their surroundings.
Only one pair of gem-like azure eyes glared at Li Weiyi, her teeth clenched, her red lips trembling, and her hands clenched into fists on her lap.
This was the leg that had just slammed into Li Weiyi's chest, causing sharp pain. She was seated right next to him.
The boat was too cramped to move.
As soon as she had boarded, this scoundrel had grabbed her leg and pinned her down, leaving her completely helpless.
His cultivation was incredibly high. Each time she tried to break free, he only pulled harder, until her thighs ached, her calves cramped, as if her legs didn't belong to herself at all.
This was definitely intentional.
Which tribe had chosen this person?
How could they be so despicable?
Li Weiyi glanced at her, surprised.
A Pure Immortal Physique?
Which tribe had invested so heavily?
Didn't they know that only one person sent to the Hidden Sect each year survived?
Yao Yin, chosen by the Yao Li Clan of Jiuli, was only fifteen years old. She had already opened her Seventh Springs, and as a Pure Immortal Physique, her future was limitless.
She possessed the flawless skin typical of Pure Immortal Physiques, every inch of her body sculpted like crystal-clear immortal jade, radiating a faint white glow. Pure Immortal Physiques were renowned for their beauty, far surpassing mortal standards.
Yao Yin carried that ethereal aura, even her hair shimmering with an otherworldly luster.
Li Weiyi felt the chill in the other person's gaze and remembered his earlier groping after waking up.
How could he not realize who he'd been touching?
For a moment, he felt so embarrassed that he wanted to jump ship. It was too embarrassing. He quickly apologized: "I'm so sorry. I'd just woken up and my senses were still clouded... Anyway, please forgive me!"
After apologizing, Li Weiyi couldn't bear to face her any longer. He turned away and reached for his Yellow Dragon Sword and insect pouch.
Both were still strapped to his back.
The insect pouch had been opened, but the seven Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors inside clearly hadn't been recognized, so they were all still safely inside.
Li Weiyi glanced toward the bow of the ship and saw a tall, muscular man sitting cross-legged there, facing forward. His back was as majestic as a mountain, and the dark red cloak draped over his shoulders swayed in the wind, radiating an aura of imperial authority.
Golden smoke billowed from a bronze lamp beside the man. The lamp's golden light shone brightly, illuminating the darkness of the underground river.
Li Weiyi saw Li Qing.
Li Qing's calm eyes also fell on him, a sharp glint flashing through his pupils before he quickly turned away.
In that single glance, Li Weiyi deduced much: "He knows that the Earthwolf King's Army sent me!"
"But when I boarded the boat, he was already wearing a black cloth bag. This means the mysterious old man must have removed it while I was asleep, deliberately making him remember me."
"There might be another reason why I slept so deeply."
"Why must he remember me? Is it to have him kill me in the Hidden Sect?"
Li Weiyi didn't want to get involved in the power struggle between the Earthwolf King's Army, the Jiu Li Clan, and the Coffin Mountain elite - it was beyond his control.
For now, he had to be cautious and remain wary of Li Qing.
The flatboat drifted along a wide underground river.
The man seated cross-legged at the bow emanated wisps of spiritual Qi, controlling the oars remotely.
The black-robed girl who removed the black cloth bags from their heads stood as straight as a spear. She seemed no older than sixteen or seventeen.
As the black cloth bag was removed from the final young man's head, the black-robed girl stood at the stern of the boat, her sword at her back. Her voice was clear and crisp: "We are now sailing through the underground dark river leading to the Jiu Li Hidden Sect. All of you have shown remarkable composure, neither panicking nor cowering in fear."
"But I must make this clear: the underground world is ruled by the Insect Race. We must remain as quiet as possible."
"Gugugu!"
At that moment, a chorus of insect calls erupted from the riverbank.
In the darkness, countless pairs of red eyes lit up.
The black-robed girl said, "There's no need to worry too much. The lamp on the boat is burning the pupal shell of a Commander-Level Strange rare Insect, the Tiger-Striped Golden Cicada. Ordinary insect swarms won't attack us."
Soldier Level, General Level, Commander Level...
Soldier and General Levels are known as Ferocious Insects.
Only Commander Level insects can be called Strange rare Insects.
A single adult Commander-Level Strange Insect can threaten a Dao Seed Realm Martial-Mystic Cultivator.
"Let me introduce myself. I arrived here two years ago, becoming a Hidden One two years earlier. I entered the Hidden Sect in the twenty-fourth year of this Sixty-Year Cycle, so you can simply call me Hidden Twenty-Four (Yin Ershisi)." The black-robed girl said.
The young men and women on the boat now looked at the black-robed girl with newfound respect and awe.
This is someone who survived to the very end among a group of candidates!
And she's even younger than many on this ship.
This isn't an ordinary person!
The black-robed girl continued, "This year's candidates are more than twice as strong as last year's. There are those who have opened the Nine Springs, those with Pure Immortal Physiques, and four who have opened the Eighth Spring. It seems that now that the Jiu Li Clan's successor has been decided, all the tribes know the Hidden One will soon follow suit with their own selection, and they're all vying for a chance."
"You all dared to come to the Hidden Sect, so you must know how brutal it is, right? Only one person survives each year to become the Hidden One. Only the Hidden One is eligible to compete for the Hidden One title, and all who fail become Hidden Servants of the current Sixty-Year Cycle's Hidden One."
"Brutal? It's utterly ruthless. But the cultivation resources and environment of the Hidden Sect are unmatched anywhere else."
"Two years ago, at fourteen, I entered the Hidden Sect with Seven Springs Opened. Now, two years later, I've opened the Nine Springs and entered the Five Seas just eight days ago. With my talent, I could never have opened the Nine Springs or broken through to the Five Seas Realm so quickly outside the Hidden Sect. This is the true power of the Hidden Sect!"
A sixteen-year-old at the Ninth Spring, Five Seas Realm?
That's monstrous!
How many of the Jiu Li Clan's publicly recognized prodigies could compare to her?
Li Qing, who considered himself the most talented in the Jiu Li Clan and only truly respected Cang Li, was deeply shaken. He asked, "May I ask, Hidden Twenty-Four, are you the fastest Hidden One to break through the Nine Springs and reach the Five Seas Realm?"
The black-clad Hidden Twenty-Four's eyes flashed with a hint of mockery: "I can only tell you that every Hidden One must attempt to break through the Nine Springs. All resources will be provided, all relevant texts are freely available, and a Hidden One from the previous Sixty-Year Cycle who advanced to Elder will assist you."
A wave of murmurs swept through the ship.
Must attempt to break through the Nine Springs?
Yao Yin asked, "What if we fail?"
"Then you remain in the Spring Surge Realm until you open the Ninth Spring before entering the Five Seas," Hidden Twenty-Four replied.
Yao Yin said, "Forcing the Ninth Spring is extremely dangerous. Forcing it can be fatal."
"Do you think no one has died already? My name is Hidden (Yin) Twenty-Four, but of the Hidden Ones who came before me in this Sixty-Year Cycle, only seventeen are still alive."
Hidden (Yin) Twenty-Four continued, "Without a strong heart and an unwavering belief in either victory or death, I doubt you would have been on this ship. The Hidden Sect is cruel because it is the Jiu Li Clan's last line of defense. If we are not cruel now, our enemies will show no mercy to our people in the future."
"I'm really curious to see who among you will become the last Hidden (Yin) Twenty-Six standing."
"It will definitely be me," declared a young man who had opened his Eight Springs.
Li Qing chuckled: "Wait until you've broken the Nine Springs before you say that!"
Hidden (Yin) Twenty-Four said, "Having a strong cultivation doesn't guarantee you'll be the final winner. Half of those present are children who have opened their Fourth or Fifth Springs. They are more adaptable and will grow faster and more steadily under the Hidden (Yin) Sect's Cultivation. Who knows, someone among them might surpass you in the future."
Li Weiyi had long realized this.
Perhaps the the Hidden (Yin) Sect's' true intention was to have the nine tribes send these half-grown children who had opened their Fourth or Fifth Springs and already possessed independent thought.
In contrast, the older, higher-cultivation individuals like them were deliberately sent by their tribes, who mistakenly believed that greater cultivation would increase their chances of becoming Hidden Ones or even Divine Hidden Ones.
"Splash!"
The underground river's current suddenly surged, and the boat's speed accelerated dramatically.
Large waves crashed over the side, soaking Li Weiyi.
He wiped his face, his hand coming away crimson. He brought his hand to his nose and sniffed: "The water in this underground river... it's the same as the Blood Sea's water."
Yao Yin, who had nearly fallen into his arms earlier due to the sudden surge of water, snorted softly, "How ignorant! Beneath the Lingxiao Realm lies a vast network of blood rivers, interconnected and branching out into expansive river valleys, mining districts, insect realms, and demon lairs. Above is one world, and below is another."
"The Earthwolf King's Army, one of the three most notorious barbarian bandits in the Southern Territory, once hid in this underground world. Otherwise, they would have been wiped out long ago by the Lingxiao Palace."
By the golden light of the copper lamp, Li Weiyi saw numerous tributaries of the blood river along the way.
The underground network was truly a labyrinth, a maze of crisscrossing passages.
He wondered how the people at the bow managed to navigate the correct path.
For the next few days, the boat continued its rapid descent, plunging deeper into the earth.
Along the way, they passed a vast underground Blood Sea, spanning over two hundred miles wide.
There was no food prepared on board, but Hidden (Yin) Twenty-Four distributed a hundred-year-old precious herb to each person, which after consumption could stave off hunger for several days.
Li Weiyi calculated that just these few dozen precious herbs were worth tens of millions of Copper Coins. The Hidden Sect was incredibly wealthy. He wondered if this was an annual offering from the Nine Great Tribes or if the Hidden Sect cultivated its own resources.
On the sixth day, the boat's speed finally slowed as it entered a narrow tributary of the underground river.
As they entered, the group was attacked by a piercing chirping cicadas that felt like a blade piercing their minds.
"Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Two beams of golden light erupted from the pitch-black cave walls, coalescing into tiger shadows that appeared to be two massive golden tigers crouching on the stone surface.
But upon closer inspection, they realized the tiger shadows were actually two palm-sized golden cicadas.
The man sitting cross-legged at the bow of the boat finally rose to his feet, wearing a metal mask.
"There's no need to panic. These are the two Tiger-Striped Golden Cicadas guarding the passage to the Jiu Li Insect Valley. I am the Hidden One from the previous Sixty-Year Cycle. You may now refer to me as Hidden (Yin) Lord."
Two Commander-Level Strange Insects guarding the entrance to the passage?
This Lord Yin (Hidden Lord) seemed formidable indeed.
Li Weiyi's understanding of the Yin (Hidden) Sect's strength deepened instantly. The Earthwolf King's Army would suffer a crushing defeat if they dared to provoke the Jiu Li Hidden Sect.
A clan with a thousand-year heritage was clearly far more complex than it appeared on the surface.
The boat continued its journey, and light gradually emerged from the depths.
A radiance of various colors.
After passing through an ancient stone gate, their vision widened, and a fragrant aroma of vegetation filled the air.
A vast underground river valley unfolded before them, bordered by a river that resembled a red ribbon.
The valley was shrouded in a misty haze.
This wasn't true fog, but rather a vaporized form of spiritual Qi similar to that found in the Dao Domain.
"There must be an enormous Heaven-Law Earth Spring here!"
Li Weiyi's heart chilled as he gazed into the valley. The ground was covered with glowing plants of vibrant hues - red, purple, and every color imaginable.
In the distance, luminous trees as tall as a forest towered over the landscape.
Beside the underground blood river stood numerous stone steles, some inscribed with characters, others with scriptures, and still others with diagrams of human-shaped combat stances.
Far off, etched into the towering cliff face, four ancient and colossal characters radiated unparalleled divinity, drawing everyone's gaze.
The boat came to a halt.
The Lord Yin (Hidden Lord) was the first to disembark, followed closely by Hidden (Yin) Twenty-Four.
After the twenty-six youths, men, women, and children disembarked, they were all led to the foot of the cliff face.
The Lord Yin (Hidden Lord) spoke in a deep, resonant voice: "The four characters 'Jiu Li Insect Valley' on this cliff were carved by the Jiu Li God. All who enter this valley must bow before them. Whoever can comprehend the Combat Technique Intent left behind by the Jiu Li God in these characters will be granted direct entry into the ranks of the Hidden Ones."
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END OF CHAPTER
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