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Novel: [The Primordial Law]
Volume 2: [Jiuli Insect Valley]
Chapter 104 (132): [The Ten Directions of the Qi Sea]
(104th of Volume 2)
Translator: Shadow Knight AK
Editor: Shadow Knight AK
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"You mean..."
Zuoqiu Lanlan understood what he was implying, her eyes filled with disbelief.
She shook her head: "No, that's impossible. Sima Qin is a man of great integrity and noble character. He wouldn't do such a thing."
"Perhaps he isn't that kind of person yet, still bound by his conscience. But once he comes to his senses, he'll definitely kill us to silence us. His extraordinary innate talent, coupled with the seven Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors, and our own weakness and vulnerability..."
Zuoqiu Baiming continued, "If you were in his position, wouldn't you kill us to silence us? And what about the Heavenflame Blade and the Immortal Soil? Wouldn't those tempt him at all?"
Zuoqiu Lanlan suddenly realized something, her face turning pale: "He's won a complete victory in this battle. He's sure to seize a vast amount of spoils. If he takes us back down the mountain, he'll have to share the credit with us. But if he kills us, it's just a matter of swinging his blade a few more times."
Zuoqiu Baiming nodded: "If we can't go back. Thirty-Three Li Mountain will be our burial ground."
"If we flee now, and there might still be a chance," Zuoqiu Lanlan said.
"We can't escape! And if we try to flee now, it might just provoke him to kill us to silence us," Zuoqiu Baiming countered.
Zuoqiu Lanlan said, "Perhaps... we're being too cynical..."
Zuoqiu Baiming replied, "If we want to survive, we must prepare for the worst. Lanlan, you possess a Pure Immortal Physique and exceptional beauty. If you were to offer yourself willingly, you might be able to stabilize him. Sima Qin is clearly a greenhorn obsessed with the Martial Path. If we can make him lose himself in that, he might temporarily forget about killing us to silence us. By the time he descends the mountain, it will be too late for regrets."
"Ah... Brother Che's body is still warm..."
Zuoqiu Lanlan gasped, unable to believe he would say such a thing. How could someone who had once been so proud suddenly become so utterly without principles?
"Then let's just die together!" Zuoqiu Baiming sighed.
....
Deep within the mist-shrouded Giant Stone Statue Forest, the sound of camel bells grew deafening as lightning crisscrossed the sky.
Li Weiyi had exhausted all his means.
Finally, he unleashed the lightning from the Black Iron Seal, reducing Chen Song to a charred husk.
He then began searching the corpse.
"As expected of the team leader. He's carrying three Mid-Grade Spiritual Artifacts. The San Chen Palace really spared no expense."
Li Weiyi found an intact Boundary Pouch in Chen Song's embrace. He used his Spiritual Qi to open it and pulled out seventeen Crimson Haze Herbs.
"So many? Excellent!"
Li Weiyi was overjoyed.
After thoroughly searching Chen Song's body, he tossed the corpse off the cliff to destroy the evidence and prevent exposure of the Evil Camel Bell and Black Iron Seal.
As for the Seven Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors, he didn't care. Zuoqiu Ting already knew about them anyway.
Next, he methodically searched the other corpses, discovering a wealth of Crimson Haze Herbs, Golden Springs, and Spiritual Artifacts.
Unfortunately, he found no Immortal Soil, the most precious treasure of all.
Li Weiyi returned the Seven Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors to his Insect Tube and, with a triumphant air, returned to the Giant Stone Statue Forest. This single haul alone was enough to make him the richest man in the Five Seas Realm.
He secretly pondered whether to strike again.
Once he left Thirty-Three Li Mountain, Li Prefecture would be teeming with experts.
He wouldn't be able to act so brazenly anymore.
Upon his return, Li Weiyi immediately returned the Heavenflame Blade.
Zuoqiu Baiming, sitting on the ground as if disaster had struck, hastily said, "I'm as good as crippled now, unable to fight. The Heavenflame Blade would be most valuable in the hands of Brother Sima. After all, Xue Qi and that Heavenly Cliff Fox Demon are still in the mountains. What if we run into them?"
"That's a good point!"
"I've already cleared everything up in this area. Let's go. We'll head down the mountain now."
Li Weiyi didn't want to waste any more words. He hoisted Shang Zhi's corpse onto his back.
Noticing Zuoqiu Lanlan's troubled expression, he reminded her, "Madam Tian, let's go. You carry Senior Brother Baiming!"
"We're leaving the mountain now?" Zuoqiu Lanlan asked softly, avoiding his gaze.
"Why not?" Li Weiyi felt puzzled. Did she still want to continue searching for Immortal Soil?
Zuoqiu Lanlan watched his back as he carried the corpse down the mountain, silently exhaling a sigh of relief. It seemed she had been harboring petty suspicions. If he truly meant them harm, why wouldn't he have struck by now?
The two descended the mountain quickly, soon reaching Three-Li Mountain.
Li Weiyi inwardly calculated: Having brought them this far, they should be safe!
Now, how to separate them without arousing suspicion?
He didn't dare face Zuoqiu Ting and planned to leave Thirty-Three Li Mountain by a different route.
Zuoqiu Lanlan and Zuoqiu Baiming, following behind, grew increasingly tense as they descended the mountain, terrified that "Sima Qin" would realize something and suddenly turn on them.
Just as their nerves were stretched taut with anxiety, Li Weiyi abruptly stopped, slowly turning around to reveal a smile that struck them as utterly sinister.
"We're safe enough here," he said, "You two go ahead. I have something to take care of."
With that, he stepped back, clearing a path.
Zuoqiu Lanlan's face drained of all color as she shook her head vehemently.
Zuoqiu Baiming forced a dry laugh.
"What is it? Lanlan could lend a hand."
Zuoqiu Lanlan nodded eagerly.
Li Weiyi had already prepared his explanation: "If the Sui Sect and Heavenly Cliff Ridge people come down the mountain, they'll have to pass through here. I plan to lie in wait, seize the opportunity, and take them out. I can handle it alone. There's no need for you two to stay."
Li Weiyi's words served two purposes: to get rid of them and to make another quick fortune.
Zuoqiu Lanlan and Zuoqiu Baiming stared at him, too terrified to take a step forward.
"Sima Qin's" behavior was utterly abnormal. If he was hunting the Sui Sect and Heavenly Cliff Ridge, why would he send them away?
It was too deliberate!
Realizing his mistake, Li Weiyi quickly handed over the Heavenflame Blade: "It's time this returned to its rightful owner!"
Zuoqiu Baiming hesitated to accept the knife, suspecting it was a test - or perhaps a sign that the other man was still undecided about killing them. Sometimes, a person's morality - their good and evil - hinges on a single thought.
Perhaps it was when he received the knife, or perhaps it was as they descended the mountain.
Zuoqiu Baiming forced a nervous smile.
"Brother Sima saved our lives. We have nothing to repay your kindness, so we offer you this knife as a token of our gratitude!"
Li Weiyi was taken aback. His impression of Zuoqiu Baiming shifted instantly.
The man might be arrogant, but his clear sense of right and wrong was rare. Who doesn't have flaws in their character?
Having already saved them, Li Weiyi accepted the gift without hesitation, his smile genuine: "I think you're all too tense. We're very close to the foot of the mountain now. There's nothing to fear. Madam Tian, please!"
Zuoqiu Lanlan set Zuoqiu Baiming down and looked at Li Weiyi with sincere eyes: "We share an irreconcilable hatred with the Sui Sect and the Heavenly Cliff Sect. I, too, must avenge this grudge. We are teammates, advancing and retreating together, sharing life and death."
Zuoqiu Baiming added, "That's right. With this bond of shared life and death, even after we descend the mountain, we will guard Brother Sima's secret with our lives, never revealing a single word."
"Senior Brother Baiming, your injuries..."
"It's nothing. No need to rush treatment."
Li Weiyi frowned deeply.
'I still can't shake them off?'
'Could Zuoqiu Baiming really be this loyal?'
'Had I truly misunderstood him before?'
"Alright, the Immortal Mist Clouds will disperse in a day. I expect Xue Qi and the others won't descend the mountain until tomorrow. You two focus on recovering. I'll go rest over there for a bit."
Li Weiyi, carrying Shang Zhi's corpse on his back, walked away. He planned to use this time to consume the Five Seas Pill, open his first Qi Sea, and attempt to break through to the Five Seas Realm.
Once he descended the mountain, he might encounter any kind of expert. If he could officially enter the Five Seas Realm, he wouldn't transform into a Dragon, but at least he'd have the freedom of the open sky and sea.
Reaching a stream, Li Weiyi set down the corpse and cautiously watched Zuoqiu Baiming and Zuoqiu Ting in the distance, ensuring they wouldn't detect the spatial power of the Buddha's Relic.
He possessed three treasures to aid his breakthrough to the Five Seas Realm: the Five Seas Pill, the Crimson Haze Herbs, and the Buddha's Relic.
However, he wanted to try using his own strength first.
The most crucial step in breaking through to the Five Seas Realm was opening the first Qi Sea.
The Qi Sea functions like a furnace, capable of refining Spiritual Qi. Spiritual Power surges from the acupoints, is channeled to the Qi Sea for storage, and refined into purer, higher-grade Spiritual Qi.
When used to execute martial techniques or activate Spiritual Artifacts, its power far surpasses that of Surging Spring Realm Martial-Mystic Cultivators.
Li Weiyi sat cross-legged, practicing his Breathing Technique, gradually entering a state of serene naturalness.
'In this world, only I exist.'
'The outside world vanished.'
Master Guan had taught him the method for breaking through to the Five Seas Realm long ago; it wasn't overly complex.
The Ten Springs within his body surged one after another, sending Spiritual Power into the one hundred and twenty Meridian Veins, where it circulated throughout his body.
After several cycles, Li Weiyi used the Breakthrough Method to guide the process.
The first Meridian Vein split off a branch, connecting to the first lung lobe.
Then, the second Meridian Vein split off a branch.
The third Meridian Vein split off a branch...
This was a slow and exhausting process.
Each Meridian Vein had to split off a branch to connect to the future Qi Sea.
These branches were called String Bridges, like the strings of a zither connecting the Qi Sea to the Meridian Veins.
If any of these String Bridges were severed, all previous efforts would be wasted.
Therefore, many Martial-Mystic Cultivators consumed Five Seas Pills before attempting to break through, to provide ample energy and Spiritual Power support.
Moreover, Five Seas Pills contained the power to refine the lung lobes, making it easier to open the Qi Sea.
.....
In the distance.
Zuoqiu Baiming glanced at Li Weiyi and used Spiritual Qi to transmit his thoughts: "He appears to be meditating, but he's actually examining his heart. The next day will be excruciating! Life and death hang on his every thought."
"We're very close to the foot of the mountain. If we tried to escape, it would take only an instant," Zuoqiu Lanlan said.
Zuoqiu Baiming sneered: "With his cultivation, and with you? Why do you think he's sitting so far away? If he were resting normally, wouldn't he be right beside us? He's testing us. If we flee, it will reveal our guilt. Then he can kill us without a shred of remorse. For someone of his character, breaking through the moral barrier requires a justification."
"Senior Brother, are you overthinking this? I don't think Sima Qin is that kind of person," Zuoqiu Lanlan said.
Zuoqiu Baiming retorted angrily, "Haven't we paid enough for thinking too shallowly? Don't underestimate human nature! You only have one life. You just don't want to make the sacrifice, do you? I see you practically worship him - you're about to declare him a saint!"
"I..."
Zuoqiu Lanlan's heart twisted in agony, plunging her into endless torment.
.....
Li Weiyi completed the construction of the one hundred and twenty Branch Meridian Bridges, his energy severely depleted. He couldn't help but feel anxious.
If his Breakthrough failed, he would have to wait another year.
"Let's begin!"
The Ten Springs within him surged wildly, Spiritual Power flowing at maximum speed into the one hundred and twenty String Bridges. Each bridge followed a different path, converging like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea, directly toward the central lung lobe.
At that moment, Li Weiyi's breathing became incredibly long and deep. The surrounding air currents swirled, and the branches and leaves of the trees swayed gently.
An unprecedented surge of intense pain and swelling erupted in his lungs, as if his chest were about to explode.
"Boom! Boom..."
The lung lobe pulsed rapidly and violently, like a heart beating at a frenzied pace.
"Boom!"
His body shuddered violently.
All his Spiritual Power found a release, pouring into the Innate World within his lung lobe, causing it to expand rapidly.
"The Qi Sea has opened!"
Li Weiyi immediately swallowed a Five Seas Pill and a Crimson Haze Herb, simultaneously activating the spatial power of the Buddha's Relic to further expand the Innate World within his lung lobe.
He knew that the size of each Martial-Mystic Cultivator's first Qi Sea varied greatly.
The larger the Qi Sea, the greater the advantage.
Martial-Mystic Cultivators who broke through to the Five Seas Realm with Seven Springs typically had a first Qi Sea of only one fang. Those who broke through with Eight Springs Breaking Five Seas could reach two fang.
Martial-Mystic Cultivators who broke through with Nine Springs started with a Qi Sea of at least three fang.
At the same cultivation level, the difference in the density of Spiritual Qi among Martial-Mystic Cultivators could be several times over. The disparity in combat power was clear.
Three breaths later, Li Weiyi's first Qi Sea reached one fang.
Seven breaths later, it reached two fang.
.....
After a quarter of an hour, the Qi Sea had expanded to seven fang.
The expansion rate slowed, becoming increasingly difficult.
This was because the larger the Innate World's space, the thinner the Spiritual Qi within it became.
Li Weiyi had been continuously channeling his Spiritual Power to convert it, but it was far from enough.
For a Martial-Mystic Cultivator in the First Realm of the Five Seas Realm, the process from Breakthrough to fully filling their Qi Sea with Spiritual Qi and then completely tempering it often took several months.
Just as Li Weiyi was giving his all to break through to the eighth fang, a pair of soft, delicate arms suddenly wrapped around his neck.
Someone sat in his lap, a fragrant scent filling his nostrils, their body warm and yielding against him.
"What's going on?"
Li Weiyi had already deployed his Seven Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors as guardians.
How could someone have gotten so close to him?
He couldn't afford to be distracted and continued his attack on the eighth square meter of his Qi Sea.
"Bang!"
Li Weiyi vaguely sensed someone strike the woman in his lap, knocking her unconscious.
Curiosity piqued, he also breathed a silent sigh of relief before focusing all his energy on his Qi Sea.
An hour later, the Qi Sea's size stabilized at ten fang.
Gradually, his consciousness fully returned to the outside world, and he opened his eyes. Zuoqiu Lanlan lay unconscious in his arms, her clothes disheveled, giving the impression of a setup.
If anyone had seen this, not even jumping into the Sui River could wash away the stain on his reputation.
Yin Ershi San, a massive figure, and a slender figure wearing Fallen Spirit Skin sat on a stone several meters away, engaged in a secret conversation.
When they saw him open his eyes, both immediately turned to look at him.
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END OF CHAPTER
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