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Novel: [The Primordial Law]
Volume 3: [Qiu Prefecture Lantern Festival]
Chapter 44 (188): [The Hidden Lord arrives in the Diligent Garden]
(44th of Volume 3)
Translator: Shadow Knight AK
Editor: Shadow Knight AK
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"Whoosh!"
Shi Shishi rushed over, skidding to a halt in the alleyway. Seeing Li Weiyi alive and well, he was stunned.
"Brother Wei Yi, Yang Yue said Yang Qingxi was going to kill you personally. How are you still alive? Did you use your looks to charm her?"
Yang Yue was the second most powerful member of the younger generation in the Sui Sect, his strength comparable to Yang Zhiyong's.
The person Shi Shishi had just fought was him.
"We did used the looks, but it wasn't me - it was Zuoqiu Ting. Yang Qingxi admitted she couldn't handle it and fled!" Li Weiyi replied.
Shi Shishi suddenly understood: "No wonder Yang Yue stopped fighting halfway through and ran off. It was because Zuoqiu the Handsome arrived, forcing him to call it quits early."
Li Weiyi could only force a bitter smile.
Right now, all he could do was joke around; he had no energy left to chase after them and reclaim her flowing stream.
The three of them, not wanting to attract further trouble, quickly returned to South City.
As for Yang Qingxi and the Sui Sect, Li Weiyi actually hoped Zuoqiu Ting wouldn't finish them off so easily.
This grudge, he vowed, he would settle personally.
Shi Shishi claimed his injuries were too severe and he needed to return to the Wolf's Den to sleep.
Li Weiyi, grateful for the favor, promised to repay him handsomely.
They agreed on a bold plan to capture Yang Qingxi before the end of the year, and then the three of them parted ways.
Li Weiyi and Yin Shiyi returned to Diligent Garden late at night.
They saw a tall, imposing figure standing by the lake with his hands clasped behind his back, his presence as majestic as a mountain.
The two exchanged a glance and immediately stepped forward to pay their respects.
"Greetings, Hidden Lord."
The Hidden Lord, wearing a metal mask, remained silent for a long moment before sighing: "I regret sending you to Qiu Prefecture City. This city has become a dangerous place, even for us old folks. We don't know what will happen next, and we can't even intervene. Who did you encounter?"
"The Sui Sect," Li Weiyi replied.
"Yang Qingxi," Yin Shiyi added.
A cold glint flashed in the Hidden Lord's eyes: "Cang Li has truly disappointed me. Yang Qingxi and the Sui Sect should fear him like a tiger, yet they've become so arrogant."
"Jiu Li Clan Martial-Mystic Cultivators are spreading rumors that he's in closed-door cultivation, gathering his Qi to reach the Seventh Sea's Perfection state before New Year's Eve and challenge the Young Venerable," Yin Shiyi said.
Cang Li was the youngest among all the top Inheritors, lacking several years of accumulated experience.
Before the Burial Immortal Town anomaly, his battle outside Jiu Li City had only been a draw with Long Ting. Yet just a few months later, he had already defeated him.
Months later, no one knew how much Cang Li's combat strength had increased under the influence of the Immortal Haze-tainted Herbs.
As for Dao Lotuses and Dao Fruits, someone of his status and position would never lack them.
The Hidden Lord was extremely displeased with Cang Li: "His closed-door cultivation was leaked. His strength was leaked. His purpose was leaked. A true powerhouse shouldn't be in such a state. There's no need to even challenge him; he's already utterly defeated."
"Wei Yi, where did you obtain the Battle Technique Intent of the Jiu Li Gods?"
Yin Shiyi's eyes widened instantly, as if he'd misheard or was hallucinating.
Li Weiyi replied, "Thirty-Three Li Mountain!"
Then, following his prepared explanation, he recounted the story of the Silver Coffin and the place suspected to be the burial site of the Jiu Li Gods.
"Yingzhou met Xuanyuan, buried with the Blood Moon Spring."
The Hidden Lord repeated the line, his entire being trembling with excitement.
He sighed deeply: "Wei Yi, you shouldn't have kept this from me in that Immortal Realm space in Burial Immortal Town. If you had told me earlier, I would have risked my life to venture into Thirty-Three Li Mountain. Now, entering Burial Immortal Town is as difficult as climbing to the heavens!"
Li Weiyi said, "I didn't intentionally hide it. The truth is, I didn't know the Jiu Li Gods' Battle Technique Intent had attached itself to the Silver-Boned Celestial Clan's skeletal remains at the time. Even this inscription was only later confirmed to be the Jiu Li Gods' handwriting."
Hidden Lord didn't doubt him.
After all, Li Weiyi had offered the Silver Coffin and the Jiu Li Gods' Battle Technique Intent for all Hidden Ones in the Hidden Sect to study.
Few among the Jiu Li Clan itself could have done the same.
Yin Shiyi finally spoke up, his voice weak: "The Jiu Li Gods' Battle Technique Intent... it's really been revealed?"
Li Weiyi casually replied, "Yes, Yaoyin has already obtained one. Any Hidden One in the Hidden Sect who acknowledges me as the Divine Hidden One can try to obtain it. Whether they succeed depends entirely on their own abilities."
"You've always been my only choice for the Divine Hidden One. I'm completely convinced. Why didn't you tell me about such a major event? I'm absolutely loyal to the Hidden Sect and the Divine Hidden One," Yin Shiyi said.
Li Weiyi replied, "That's why I told you first!"
"What?" Yin Shiyi asked.
Li Weiyi said, "Don't you remember? At the Hidden One gathering that day, as we were leaving, I told you I had something important to discuss with you. You said to wait for my message."
"Is this all there is to it?"
"Of course! With so many people present, how could I say it outright? I truly wanted you to be the first to try it."
"I could kill myself right now!" Yin Shiyi clenched his fist, raised it halfway, then looked up longingly, "Is there still a chance?"
Li Weiyi pointed him in a direction.
"My dear Divine Hidden One brother, leave capturing Yang Qingxi to me. Next time there's something important to discuss, I'll be the first to arrive, even if it means crossing mountains of blades and seas of fire!" Yin Shiyi vanished in a flash, as if fearing that if he hesitated for a moment longer, the Jiu Li Gods' Battle Technique Intent would disappear.
By the lake, the silence was so profound one could hear the snow falling.
Hidden Lord finally turned around, all his sharpness gone, and said gently, "Yin Shi San said you want to apply for a Millennium Essence Pill? And one with an Ice Attribute?"
"I can exchange it with a spiritual artifact..." Li Weiyi began.
"Shut up. The Jiu Li Gods' Battle Technique Intent alone is worth countless Millennium Essence Pills. Wei Yi, the Chief was right about you. Among the younger generation of Lingxiao today, I haven't found anyone whose talent and character can compare to yours."
Hidden Lord took out a foot-long ice jade medicine box from his Cosmic Pouch and handed it over.
Li Weiyi quickly accepted it, as if it were a priceless treasure.
With this Millennium Essence Pill and Xihe's help, the Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperor's growth to five or even six inches was imminent.
By then...
"Has Yin Shi reported the matter of the Dao Lotus to Lord Yin Jun?" Li Weiyi seized the opportunity to maximize his gains, knowing that even character had its price.
"It hasn't reached my level yet. At your current cultivation level, you have no need for a Dao Lotus."
Hidden Lord then advised, "Possessing a treasure of such magnitude isn't necessarily a good thing. It must align with your cultivation level. Otherwise, it could bring disaster."
"Third Realm," Li Weiyi replied.
Hidden Lord said, "Exactly! At the Third Realm, you can still use Qi-Enhancing Pills to cultivate your Qi Sea, temper your spiritual Qi, and refine your Battle Technique Intent and Martial-Mystic Techniques. This is the path of steady progress, not hasty advancement..."
"By the way, what realm did you say you were in?"
"The Third Realm?"
By the final "Third Realm," even Hidden Lord's composure wavered, his voice becoming noticeably sharper and more strained.
Li Weiyi nodded, sighing, "There's no other way. With my third Qi Sea measuring over three hundred cubic meters, how long will it take to reach full cultivation using only Qi-Enhancing Pills?"
Hidden Lord thought he was joking and tapped his fingertip against Li Weiyi's chest, sending a surge of spiritual Qi into his body.
After a long moment, the Hidden Lord withdrew his finger and paced back and forth in the snow, lost in thought.
He stopped and said, "Wait for me a few days. I'll handle everything in Qiu Prefecture City and then leave with you."
"Once the Sui Sect pledges allegiance to the Imperial Court, they'll surely retreat swiftly. Any other faction hoping to succeed will find it harder than climbing to heaven. Compared to Qiu Prefecture City now, Li Province is actually safer."
Li Weiyi shook his head: "I'm not leaving!"
The Hidden Lord laid out the stakes: "If you die in Qiu Prefecture City, how will I explain this to the Chief? What's the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival compared to you? You are a True Dragon, the future Martial Dao Emperor."
Li Weiyi replied, "Since ancient times, every Martial Dao Emperor has clawed their way out of a Corpse Mountain and Blood Sea. They've grown through conflict, honed their minds, and constantly corrected themselves. Without such trials, how can one become a true Emperor? In the end, they'll likely fade into obscurity!"
"An Emperor isn't forged in the Spring Surge Realm or the Five Seas Realm. It's a constant struggle at every stage, a fight for supremacy. Otherwise, even the finest foundation today will be surpassed tomorrow."
The Hidden Lord never imagined he'd be lectured by a mere child, yet found himself unable to refute the boy's words.
"If you don't leave, then neither will I!" the Hidden Lord declared.
Li Weiyi was taken aback.
"..."
The Hidden Lord continued, "Since you're pursuing speed in Qi accumulation, a Dao Fruit is faster than a Dao Lotus. I'll arrange this. I'll have one delivered to you tomorrow."
'Dao Lotus: Enhances Qi by 10,000 folds.'
'Dao Fruit: Enhances Qi by tens of thousands of folds.'
During his earlier examination, the Hidden Lord had discovered Li Weiyi using Immortal Soil to reshape his lungs. He knew that once Li Weiyi's Qi accumulation reached completion, he would be ready to attempt a breakthrough.
"How about another Dao Lotus?" Li Weiyi asked.
The Hidden Lord frowned: "What do you need another Dao Lotus for?"
"I owe Shi Shishi a favor. I'm giving it to him,"
Li Weiyi replied honestly, without making up any excuses.
The Hidden Lord was speechless: "Do you think Dao Lotuses are as common as cabbages? Their rarity far surpasses your imagination. They are truly the foundation of a clan's heritage."
"If it weren't for him today, I might not have made it back!"
Li Weiyi's words were, of course, an exaggeration. His Guardian Wife would never have truly abandoned him. But Shi Shishi hadn't considered that Li Weiyi had a Guardian Wife when he intervened.
The Hidden Lord knew Li Weiyi was taking advantage of the situation, using the Hidden Sect's resources to repay his debt.
"Alright, since you've asked, this lord cannot refuse you. I will send someone in your name to deliver the Dao Lotus to the Wolf's Den. But you must agree to one condition!" the Hidden Lord said.
Li Weiyi asked, "You're not going to make me leave Qiu Prefecture City again, are you?"
"If you don't want to leave, how could I extinguish your fighting spirit? But if you fail to obtain an invitation, you are forbidden from participating in the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival. Can you agree to this?" the Hidden Lord asked.
Even without an invitation, Li Weiyi could still assist Martial-Mystic Cultivators who had obtained one.
Once he participated, it would mean slaughter would descend upon him.
Li Weiyi relaxed, smiling as he replied, "What's the point of participating if I can't get an invitation?"
The Hidden Lord nodded in satisfaction, secretly chuckling. Even if Li Weiyi's cultivation speed was extraordinary, he could only hope to break through another realm before the end of the year. The Fourth Stage of the Five Seas Realm was still a long way from obtaining an invitation.
"Where is Li Ling?" he finally asked, voicing the question he had most wanted to ask, yet had been most hesitant to.
He feared Li Ling had already met with misfortune.
Li Weiyi knew this matter had certainly been reported to the higher-ups and had already prepared his response: "Is Yin Jun asking about the Dead Spirit residing within her, suspected to be the Zen Hai Guanwu?"
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END OF CHAPTER
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