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Novel: [The Primordial Law]
Volume 2: [Jiuli Insect Valley]
Chapter 85 (113): [That Man Has Returned]
(85th of Volume 2)
Translator: Shadow Knight AK
Editor: Shadow Knight AK
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"Thwack! Thwack..."
Four bowstrings vibrated through the fog, accompanying the thunderous hoofbeats.
The white mist churned violently, whipped by a fierce wind.
Four Spiritual arrows, crackling with lightning, whistled through the air, aimed directly at Yin Ershi Wu ahead.
Yin Ershi Wu's agility allowed him to evade all four arrows. But the brief delay cost him his momentum.
From the white mist behind him, a yellow-robed figure in loose monastic robes soared from his mount like a great bird, landing directly in Yin Ershi Wu's path, cutting off his escape.
"Rumble!"
The nine riders behind him swiftly closed in, raising a cloud of dust.
Mounted on massive, powerful warhorses with lion-like heads and blue-green hides - clearly bred from Exotic Beast blood - the riders exuded lethal intent, their Spiritual Qi overflowing. The horses themselves were magnificent, their bodies radiating raw power.
All nine riders were Eighth Spring Martial-Mystic Cultivators, clad in monk's robes.
Five wielded long-handled war blades, while the other four carried bows and arrows.
The most formidable among them was the winged Aberrant Humanoid Martial-Mystic Cultivator blocking Yin Ershi Wu's path - a Supreme Being who had opened the Nine Springs Ancestral Field. Dressed in bright yellow monastic robes, he gripped a heavy Spiritual Artifact war blade.
The Nine Springs Monk-Robed Martial-Mystic Cultivator's wings continued to flutter behind him.
His left hand formed a mudra as he intoned, "Amitabha! Masters of the Five Seas Realm from the Sui Sect and San Chen Palace are guarding the area. If you flee back, the killing intent there will be even greater. Surrender the rare herb, and this humble monk will spare your life. A Buddhist cultivator always keeps his word."
Yin Ershi Wu gripped his sword tightly, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth as he glared around: "Guan Shan's hunger is insatiable. Every year, the Nine Great Tribes offer tribute to the Forbidden One, hoping for peace. Yet these offerings can never satisfy your greed. Now you've even colluded with the Four Great Sects. What, do you want to carve up Li Prefecture too?"
A voice echoed through the mist: "You, a dignified Nine Springs Pure Immortal Physique, why are you talking so much nonsense? What's the point of reasoning with Buddha's Salvation Bandits?"
Li Weiyi emerged from his concealment, his figure standing tall and imposing seven zhang away. Clad in a Nightwalker's Garment, he exuded an air of mystery and danger.
Seeing Li Weiyi, Yin Ershi Wu's face lit up with relief.
"You don't understand," he said, "These ten are elites handpicked from the Iron Arhat Army, and they've consumed the Crimson Haze Elixir, reaching the Eighth Spring Wind Mansion. Each one is a master of battle techniques. Working together, even without an Formation Scriptures, they can overwhelm a Five Seas Realm First Stage expert."
"You can't beat them?"
"I'll handle it."
Li Weiyi took out the Evil Camel Bell, channeling Ancestral Field spiritual energy into it, and shook his wrist.
"Clang! Clang!"
The ringing of the bell transported everyone to a vast, yellow desert.
Li Weiyi's control over the Evil Camel Bell was still imperfect, causing its malevolent energy to strike indiscriminately. The ten Buddha's Salvation Bandits and Yin Ershi Wu felt their minds transform into clanging bells, their consciousness blurring as negative emotions surged uncontrollably.
"Boom!"
A colossal camel, half-phantom, half-real, erupted from the bell. Its hooves pounded the ground as it reared its head high, trampling nine riders of the Iron Arhat Army under its massive weight.
Like a rapidly moving iron mountain, the camel crashed into them, crushing four riders instantly upon impact.
Li Weiyi executed a series of swift movements, his feet gliding like flowing light.
After five rapid shifts in position, he eliminated the remaining five riders with lethal precision.
The entire sequence unfolded seamlessly, taking no more than two breaths.
Yin Ershi Wu and the winged Nine Springs Buddhist cultivator stood frozen, their minds momentarily paralyzed by the overwhelming force.
The Nine Springs Buddhist cultivator gasped, as if witnessing a ghost. He immediately spread his wings, preparing to flee into the sky.
"Now the tables have turned," Yin Ershi Wu remarked, standing barely three meters away.
He stomped his foot, unleashing a surge of Spiritual Qi from his soles that propelled him nine meters into the air. With a swift downward slash of his sword, he forced the cultivator back to the ground.
"I am a disciple of the Mie-Di! Do you Jiu Li Tribe dare to kill me? Do you know the consequences?" the Nine Springs Buddhist Cultivator roared.
Sensing an unprecedented mortal danger, his heart filled with terror. He swung his Spiritual Artifact longsword, clashing with Yin Ershi Wu as he retreated, desperate to escape the bell-wielding god of death.
"So what if you're a disciple of the Mie-Di? He dared to kill even the Demon King's sixth-generation descendant!"
Yin Ershi Wu's combat prowess far surpassed the Nine Springs Buddhist Cultivator's.
After only ten exchanges, he had already inflicted three sword wounds on his opponent.
Li Weiyi, meanwhile, was looting the corpses on the ground, gathering their money pouches.
He naturally didn't overlook the four sets of Spiritual Artifact bows and arrows, storing them all within the Evil Camel Bell's inner space.
Seeing Yin Ershi Wu struggling to subdue the Nine Springs Buddhist Cultivator, Li Weiyi sighed and reluctantly retrieved a set of bows and arrows.
The bow and arrowheads were forged from an ultra-dense metal, making them heavy in the hand.
The bowstring was a single strand of silver wire.
Nocking the arrow, Li Weiyi channeled Spiritual Qi into both the bow and arrow, slowly drawing back the string.
"Hiss!"
The silver glow emanating from the bowstring intensified, while countless worm-like electrical patterns crackled across the arrowhead.
It wasn't easy; even with his physical strength, he couldn't fully draw the bow to its full arc.
But with the Spiritual Qi's augmentation, his arms surged with ten thousand pounds of force. He pulled the bowstring to its full draw and released the arrow.
"Boom!"
The arrow pierced through the Nine Springs Buddhist Cultivator's body, severing him in two. Flesh and blood exploded outward, splattering Yin Ershi Wu's face.
Li Weiyi examined the black treasure bow in his hand, as if he had found a priceless treasure.
"So this is the power of a Spiritual Artifact bow and arrow. I'd say it's enough to threaten even Five Seas Realm Martial-Mystic Cultivators."
Yin Ershi Wu, covered in blood and severely wounded, hurried over: "Spiritual Artifact bows and arrows are inherently more dangerous than other Spiritual Artifacts of the same rank. The four Eight Springs Martial-Mystic Cultivators couldn't even draw it to its full extent, let alone unleash its true power. They were only qualified to wield it because the environment of Burial Immortal Town requires them to possess sufficient strength to harvest rare herbs."
Li Weiyi slung the bow and quiver over his back, his dissatisfaction evident.
"You've already transformed into a Pure Immortal Physique, yet you couldn't crush a mere Nine Springs Aberrant Humanoid? Your performance is deeply disappointing."
"Every Nine Springs Paragon is formidable," Yin Ershi Wu retorted, "Apart from you, who else could defeat one with just a few moves at the same cultivation level? Give me ten more strikes, and I'll surely slay him."
Li Weiyi picked up the Nine Springs Buddhist Cultivator's Spiritual Artifact war blade - a heavy, nearly two-meter-long weapon.
"I don't want excuses. Focus on refining your Battle Techniques in Burial Immortal Town. If you can master ten or eight Heavenly Dao and Law Harmony techniques, killing Martial-Mystic Cultivators of the same realm will be as easy as breathing."
Yin Ershi Wu forced a wry smile, offering no further explanations as he silently endured the reprimand.
Mastering techniques was no easy feat.
At his age, even mastering eight or ten techniques, let alone developing one or two of his own, would be considered the work of a prodigy.
"What about the rare Herbs?" Li Weiyi asked.
Yin Ershi Wu quickly retrieved three wooden boxes containing the Crimson Haze Elixir from his robes. Li Weiyi opened the boxes and examined the contents, his eyes widening in surprise.
"Impressive," he said with a smile, "You managed to gather three Crimson Haze Herbs in just a few days."
"Since the spatial expansion within Burial Immortal Town," Yin Ershi Wu explained, "many rare herbs have emerged, making them much easier to harvest than before. This is why young Martial-Mystic Cultivators from across the Southern Territory, and even from farther regions, have been drawn here."
"Opening the Wind Mansion, Opening the Ancestral Field, the Five Seas Breakthrough, and the transformation into a Pure Immortal Physique - these are all achievements that would command the attention of any major power."
"Of these three herbs, I harvested one myself. The other two I seized from the Buddha's Salvation Bandits."
"Then you deserved to be hunted down," Li Weiyi retorted, "Why steal others' rare herbs?"
"I fought my way through their encirclement, intending to rush back to Yaoguan City to deliver a warning. The elixirs were merely taken as an opportunity presented itself."
Yin Ershi Wu's expression turned grave.
"Although Five Seas Realm experts cannot enter this area, the Four Great Sects have apparently promised some benefits to Out-of-State forces. They've gathered a large number of Surging Spring Realm masters to target us, and many factions are involved. The ten riders of the Buddha's Salvation Bandits are among the most formidable of these forces."
Li Weiyi's expression turned stern.
"Wang Daozhen and the others are likely still guarding the border of the Five Seas Realm. You won't be able to pass. Come, let's fight our way back."
"Boom!"
The two men mounted lion-headed warhorses and galloped downstream along the river.
"These three Crimson Haze Herbs will be safer with me for now. I'll take them back to the Hidden Sect and give them to the Hidden Lord. Without the Hidden Sect's no-expense-spared cultivation, you wouldn't have your Nine Springs Pure Immortal Physique. You should learn to be grateful."
Li Weiyi stowed the wooden box away, then added, "You'd better not breathe a word about the secrets I carry."
Yin Ershi Wu paid little attention to the rare herbs. After all, if Li Weiyi hadn't intervened earlier, whether they could have broken through the encirclement remained a highly uncertain question.
However, Li Weiyi's warning reminded him of the bizarre power unleashed by that bell earlier. A mix of awe and fear surged through his heart, reinforcing his perception of this future Divine Hidden One as utterly unfathomable.
As they rode further downstream, the white mist grew brighter.
Streams of radiant Immortal Haze pierced through the fog, gradually widening their field of vision.
From afar, Li Weiyi could already hear the earth-shattering sounds of battle.
The two lion-headed warhorses charged up a hillside, their reins yanked taut as they skidded to a halt, hooves pawing the air with a neigh.
Li Weiyi channeled Spiritual Power into his eyes, gazing down at the crimson wasteland below.
Dust billowed as hundreds of Martial-Mystic Cultivators clashed in a chaotic melee.
Countless corpses littered the ground, blades clashed, and the radiant glow of Spiritual Artifacts collided in a dazzling display.
The Jiu Li Tribe held a numerical advantage, but their enemies surrounded them on all sides, with the weakest among them being Seven Springs Martial-Mystic Cultivators.
Judging by their attire and formations, the attackers represented over a dozen different factions.
This was an extremely dangerous sign!
'Seeing a single spot reveals the whole picture.'
The Jiu Li Hidden Sect could withstand the rebellion of the Four Great Sects. But if their enemies offered concessions to invite even more factions to this feast of dividing Li Prefecture, the Jiu Li Hidden Sect might not be able to hold out.
Li Weiyi found Cai Yutong and Gao Huan, both Pure Immortal Physique cultivators with relatively short training periods, protected at the center of the formation.
Yaoyin stood alone at the vanguard, single-handedly battling over a dozen Martial-Mystic experts, including four Nine Springs Supreme.
Though her figure was slender and delicate, she radiated boundless energy.
Spiritual Qi coalesced into wind, her robes billowed like banners, and she moved like a whirlwind, each strike claiming the life of a Martial-Mystic Cultivator.
"What a fierce girl! Her combat prowess is astonishing. Could she be a Hundred Meridians Pure Silver Immortal Physique?"
"Even if she is, what does it matter? With our combined strength, we could kill even a Seed of Inheritance."
"Capture her alive! She's a Pure Immortal Physique, with skin like snow and long, straight legs. She's at the perfect age, like a bud about to bloom. Hahaha!"
The four Nine Springs Supremes besieging Yaoyin were no weaklings. They were leaders of Surging Spring Realm forces, their combat skills honed to perfection and their techniques refined through years of experience.
"Yaoyin consumed a rare herb she harvested three days ago, achieving a breakthrough to the Nine Springs Realm. She must possess a Pure Immortal Physique with Hundred Silver Meridians. Though not yet fully silver, her combat prowess already far surpasses mine."
"Thump!"
Yin Ershi Wu slapped his horse's flank with the flat of his sword, spurring it down the mountain in a cloud of dust.
He charged toward the desolate battlefield, shouting, "Si Ma Qin has returned! Si Ma Qin is alive! He is not dead!"
The name "Si Ma Qin" carried immense weight.
Martial-Mystic cultivators from all factions on the wasteland turned to gaze at the black-clad figure on horseback silhouetted against the mountain ridge. Some were shocked and doubtful, others wary and apprehensive.
The young warriors of the Jiu Li Tribe, however, erupted in wild joy, chanting Si Ma Qin's name.
Having faced overwhelming odds, they had fought with grim determination, clinging to the hope of taking down at least one enemy before falling.
But with the return of this man, everything changed.
Their confidence surged, their fighting spirit reignited.
Only Gao Huan, hidden among the crowd, felt a wave of annoyance. This shared name was truly vexing.
'Why couldn't he have chosen any other name but Si Ma Qin?'
"How could he still be alive?" Yang Yun muttered, his frustration growing.
Wang Daozhen had clearly stated that Si Ma Qin was dead, urging them to proceed with the hunt without restraint.
'Could this be a Dead Spirit?'
Li Weiyi nocked an arrow and drew his bow.
"Thump!"
"Thump!"
He fired five arrows in quick succession, each striking a target.
Among the dozen Martial-Mystic Cultivator experts besieging Yaoyin, five suddenly exploded into fragments of flesh and bone.
The arrows' power was overwhelming; a single hit left no intact corpse.
Seeing her attackers halt, Yaoyin finally relaxed, her chest heaving as she gasped for breath. Her jade-like eyes, glistening with tears of joy, turned toward Li Weiyi at the mountain's peak.
She had truly believed Li Weiyi had perished in the Four Great Sects' Five Seas Realm Cultivators' attacks.
"Don't fear him! How strong could he possibly be? A few of you, join me!"
An Out-of-State Nine Springs Pure Immortal Physique, unlike Yang Yun who trembled at the mere mention of "Si Ma Qin," quickly rallied over a dozen Martial-Mystic Cultivators.
Moving with phantom-like speed, they charged up the mountainside.
Their ranks included three Nine Springs Supremes, and the weakest among them were Seven Springs Martial-Mystic Cultivators.
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END OF CHAPTER
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