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Novel: [The Primordial Law]
Volume 3: [Qiu Prefecture Lantern Festival]
Chapter 40 (184): [The True Opponent]
(40th of Volume 3)
Translator: Shadow Knight AK
Editor: Shadow Knight AK
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"Roar!"
With a long roar, the Yellow Dragon Sword blazed with light, like a yellow sun bursting forth within the Imperial Pavilion.
Behind Li Weiyi, a two-zhang-tall Battle Technique Intent figure naturally materialized with each slash of his sword.
This figure was entirely different from the Battle Technique Intent cultivated through the Heaven-Turning Palm Seal; it was another ancient Immortal.
It was the Battle Technique Intent cultivated through the "Taiyi Opens the Sea."
"Shatter!"
The Spiritual Qi palm seal descending upon Li Weiyi was cleaved apart by his sword. The sword qi transformed into a Yellow Dragon that soared through the air, shattering the Imperial Pavilion's window before dissipating into sword qi, drawing gasps from countless Martial-Mystic Cultivators on the fourth floor.
They had never imagined that while the Inheritors below were locked in combat, Martial-Mystic Cultivators above were also engaged in battle.
A flicker of surprise crossed Qian Yanzhen's eyes.
He let out a soft "Good!" and, with a movement like a horizontal shift, swiftly charged toward Li Weiyi.
Everyone in the Imperial Pavilion understood that if Li Weiyi were captured, they would all be silenced.
However, if they helped Li Weiyi escape, Qian Yanzhen's motive for killing them would vanish.
He would undoubtedly flee immediately to avoid being hunted down by the Imperial Court's experts.
In a battle between masters, analysis and judgment happen in an instant.
The outcome of life and death often hinges on whether a crucial decision is correct.
"You want to borrow my brother Wei Yi's skin? Have you asked the Dharma King Shishi?"
Shi Shishi's chubby, innocent face suddenly sharpened. His eyes turned piercing, and Spiritual Qi erupted from his body like an explosion, filling every inch of the Imperial Pavilion.
Qian Yanzhen clearly hadn't expected a gluttonous teenager of sixteen or seventeen to unleash such a torrent of Spiritual Qi in an instant.
That he had cultivated to the Sixth Sea and was a Nine Springs Supreme were secondary concerns.
What truly troubled Qian Yanzhen was the layered, overlapping power fluctuations emanating from Shi Shishi's fist as it shot forward like a meteor.
In the same realm, Mortals could only hope to contend with a Pure Immortal Physique by relying on higher-grade Spiritual artifacts, a superior Battle Technique Intent, or purer Spiritual Qi.
Each of these was incredibly difficult to achieve. A Pure Immortal Physique would never allow a Mortal Martial-Mystic Cultivator in the same realm to surpass them in these areas, constantly striving to overcome their own weaknesses.
Shi Shishi's current technique was a Fist Dao Martial-Mystic Technique designed specifically for Pure Immortal Physique Martial-Mystic Cultivators of the same realm.
It unleashed a burst of amplified power in an instant. If he could land a single crippling blow, he would have a chance of victory.
Without this technique, he was merely a Nine Springs Mortal in terms of combat strength.
By unleashing this move, he aimed to overcome his disadvantage and strike upward.
Of course, such explosive Martial-Mystic Techniques were incredibly difficult to cultivate and demanded specific Meridian Vein distribution within the body, making them unattainable for those without exceptional talent.
Qian Yanzhen couldn't ignore the ferocious punch hurtling toward him. Continuing his pursuit of Li Weiyi would mean taking the full force of the blow, which, even with his cultivation, would leave him severely injured.
"Two misjudgments, and this is the consequence," Qian Yanzhen sighed, turning to extend his five fingers. With a technique as profound as if he were gathering heaven and earth into his palm, he precisely and flawlessly grasped Shi Shishi's fist.
"Boom!"
The opposing forces of the clash not only sent Qi Wangshu and Zuoqiu Baiyuan crashing against the walls of the Imperial Pavilion, shattering tables and chairs, but also caused the entire Bright Moon Seven Stars Pavilion to tremble slightly, activating the seven-layered Formation.
Shi Shishi screamed out in agony, having never faced such a terrifying enemy before.
To have his Soaring Fist broken in such a manner - how could he possibly fight on?
"Clang!"
A sharp sword clang pierced the air behind him.
To Qian Yanzhen's utter surprise, it happened again - a third misjudgment.
By the time he heard the sword clang...
Li Weiyi, instead of fleeing, had returned in a flash, his sword already plunged into Qian Yanzhen's back.
The blade had pierced in an inch, but could advance no further.
A tidal wave of Spiritual Qi, accompanied by countless sparks, erupted from Qian Yanzhen's body, sending Li Weiyi flying backward.
Shi Shishi, struck by a palm strike, was sent crashing to the ground, blood gushing from his seven orifices.
Having misjudged three times in a row and still surviving, Qian Yanzhen knew it was only due to his far superior cultivation. If these two had been a realm higher, he would have been severely wounded by now.
Just as Qian Yanzhen was about to strike down Shi Shishi and subdue Li Weiyi, a pain unlike anything he had ever experienced - a pain that struck straight to his soul spirit - shot through his back.
"This... the sword... it's not right..."
A sword thrust only an inch deep wouldn't normally harm an Ember Spirit.
But now, where the sword had pierced, sparks of Ember energy gushed out like spurting blood, impossible to staunch.
The human skin on its back instantly burned to ash, revealing the Ember Spirit's true form.
Li Weiyi and Shi Shishi seized this rare opportunity.
One hoisted Qi Wangshu, the other cradled Zuoqiu Baiyuan, and they charged toward the wide window behind the table, leaping into the Bing Juze.
This was the fastest escape route!
The staircase was already jammed, and fleeing that way risked being caught by Qian Yanzhen.
Moreover, there was no guarantee that other Ember Spirits or demons from the Far Western Ashlands weren't lurking within the pavilion.
Qian Yanzhen was fully focused on healing his wounds and refining the strange sword qi that had invaded his body. He could only watch helplessly as the two men escaped, engraving Li Weiyi's name and the sword that unleashed Yellow Dragon Sword Qi into his memory.
That sword, which seemed to counter Ember Spirits, was far too dangerous.
The drop from the Fourth Pavilion to the sea below was over thirty meters.
As they plummeted through the howling wind, Li Weiyi heard a dragon's roar in the distance and looked toward the sound.
In the distance, on the sea near the shore, a colossal azure dragon formed from Battle Technique Intent snaked through the water.
Clouds of Spiritual Qi enveloped it, as if capable of overturning the seas and raising towering waves.
It was locked in a fierce battle with a powerful cultivator.
Before Li Weiyi could make out his opponent, his body plunged into the water with a splash, sinking into the frigid depths.
.....
Lu Cangsheng heard the Thundercloud Sect disciples' screams echoing across the sea.
He immediately abandoned his attempt to subdue Ming Niansheng, summoning the wind and riding lightning to rush toward the Bing Juze.
The Long Dian held the top spot in the Eastern Territory's rankings. His cultivation was so profound that Long Ting had no chance of turning the tables on the Thundercloud Sect disciples.
Clearly, something had gone terribly wrong.
Long Ting was fleeing eastward along the coastline of the Bing Juze.
But at this moment, not a single trace of Long Ting could be seen. Only the Long Dian remained, pouring out Spiritual Qi and Battle Technique Intent with all his power.
Standing atop an Azure Dragon, his body radiating Immortal Light, he was locked in a desperate battle at sea against an unseen, peerless foe.
The water was the Long Dian's domain, his most advantageous battlefield.
But when Lu Cangsheng arrived, he gasped in astonishment, realizing the Long Dian was completely outmatched and being forced to retreat: "How could this be... How could someone from the younger generation possess such power?"
He searched for the seven or eight Thundercloud Sect disciples he had sent out, but not even a single corpse remained.
"Truly worthy of being the Eastern Territory's number one Dragon Immortal. Your strength is impressive, but lacking a Dragon Bone and with an insufficient Dragon Soul, your power is ultimately superficial."
Luan Sheng Lin You, his tall and elegant figure radiating an air of nobility, emerged from the sea. His robes were peculiar, resembling a cloak of starlight. Reflected in the water, they shimmered and sparkled, casting the vast expanse of the sea in a celestial glow.
After half a day of fighting, their enemy finally revealed himself.
"My bones are Dragon Bones. My soul is a Dragon Soul. Who is truly hollow and superficial? We'll find out in battle."
The Long Dian met his gaze with arrogant defiance. Blood surged through his veins, and scale-like patterns appeared on his arms. From his Ancestral Field in his abdomen, a bronze battle spear weighing 120,000 jin shot forth.
He knew this would be the most arduous and crucial battle of his cultivation journey. The flow of Spiritual Qi within him reached an unprecedented intensity.
Luan Sheng Lin You's long hair shifted between silver and white, and the waves beneath his feet grew higher and higher.
Finally, he stood with his hands clasped behind his back, like a mountain peak, and glanced at Lu Cangsheng, who had fallen a step behind: "The Thirty-Six Thunder Annihilation Formation, the Battle Technique Intent of the Thunder Gods. What a pity!"
"What's so regrettable?" Lu Cangsheng replied calmly.
Though separated by several miles, their voices carried clearly to each other's ears.
The waves and wind on the sea seemed to still.
"If your Thunder Annihilation Formation had reached seventy-two layers, I would have considered you a worthy opponent today. But as it stands, you're still far short," Luan Sheng Lin You said.
Lu Cangsheng forced a bitter smile: "In the history of the Thundercloud Sect, every cultivator who mastered the seventy-two layers of the Thunder Annihilation Formation was a Sage from the Immortal Realm. I'm only at the Five Seas stage!"
"Then you two should fight together!" Luan Sheng Lin You said.
Hearing this, both Long Dian and Lu Cangsheng's eyelids twitched. They felt humiliated, and the flames of battle within them burned even fiercer.
The Martial-Mystic Cultivators watching from the Bright Moon Seven Stars Pavilion in the distance were stunned by Luan Sheng Lin You's audacity.
No one from the younger generation could stand against two Inheritors joining forces, let alone the two strongest in the Eastern Territory.
"Boom!"
Lu Cangsheng hovered several meters above the sea. Lightning veins appeared in the flesh at the end of his eyebrows, and his pupils transformed into swirling vortexes of thunder and lightning, radiating an unparalleled sharpness. His battle intent soared into the heavens.
He raised both hands toward the sky.
Instantly, the wind and clouds shifted.
Thirty-six pillars of lightning and the Battle Technique Intent of the Thunder God's Battle Technique materialized above the sea.
Thunder rumbled incessantly, and lightning bolts, like sinuous snakes, shot across the water's surface toward Luan Sheng Lin You.
The entire sea area was illuminated.
"Roar!"
Long Dian roared, emitting a long, drawn-out dragon's roar. His hair surged upward toward the sky. He rode the waves forward, his bronze war spear slashing through the water, the wake spreading toward the water-wave mountain peak beneath Luan Sheng Lin You's feet.
Dominating the battlefield, his gaze swept across ten thousand miles.
His aura was so fierce, it seemed to cleave the Bing Juze itself.
Luan Sheng Lin You took a step forward.
The towering mountain of waves beneath his feet followed his Spiritual Qi, arching over them like a crescent moon eclipsing the clear sky, burying the two figures beneath its crest.
Long Dian and Lu Cangsheng looked up.
The water curtain above them, illuminated by Luan Sheng Lin You's robes, shimmered like a true starry sky, suddenly crashing down upon them.
The Thunder Gods' Battle Technique Intent raised its arms, attempting to hold up the falling cosmos.
Lu Cangsheng, wielding the thirty-six Thunder Annihilation Formations, joined forces with Long Dian, who had just unleashed a devastating blow with his spear.
Together, they unleashed their full Spiritual Qi and employed their life's worth of Martial-Mystic Technique, charging head-on at the figure that had brought them such immense pressure.
"Boom!"
Their energies clashed, and the mountain of waves exploded in the collision of three supreme powers. The Azure Dragon and the Thunder Gods' Battle Technique Intent both shattered.
Long Dian and Lu Cangsheng were sent flying backward, blood streaming from their mouths and noses.
Luan Sheng Lin You, however, had already soared over their heads like a silver streak, slicing through the sea's surface.
He approached the Bright Moon Seven Stars Pavilion, then suddenly shot upward like a pillar of light, coming to a halt in midair, level with the Seventh Pavilion.
"Ge Xiantong, you are qualified to be my true opponent!"
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END OF CHAPTER
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