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Novel: [The Primordial Law]
Volume 3: [Qiu Prefecture Lantern Festival]
Chapter 73 (217): [Deserved Punishment]
(73rd of Volume 3)
Translator: Shadow Knight AK
Editor: Shadow Knight AK
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With the Imperial Court shifting its focus to North City and East City, the Sui Sect naturally couldn't remain in South City, fearing retaliation from the Jiu Li Tribe and the Zuoqiu Clan.
They relocated to North City, about three miles from the Governor's Manor, becoming one of the outer forces guarding the manor.
As dusk fell, a thunderous boom shook the ground.
A deafening roar erupted from the direction of the Governor's Manor, and countless bolts of lightning shot into the sky, startling all the Martial-Mystic Cultivators and residents in the city. They knew another faction had clashed with the Imperial Court.
Imperial Court Martial-Mystic Cultivators hidden throughout the city transformed into afterimages, swiftly darting toward the scene.
"It's Thunder Law Profound Ice, Snow Sword Tang Court's Martial-Mystic Cultivators are launching a feint attack on the Governor's Manor! Let's move - it's our turn!"
Li Weiyi, disguised as Yang Zhiyong and wearing clothes stained with Yang Zhiyong's blood, lay unconscious in a carriage, feigning severe injuries. Yang Yun drove the carriage at breakneck speed toward the Sui Sect's stronghold.
Remaining unconscious was the best way to avoid interacting with the Sui Sect's Martial-Mystic Cultivators and prevent any exposure of his disguise.
The four-courtyard compound where the Sui Sect's headquarters was located stood at a crossroads overlooking a river, a street, and a bridge.
The Formation had already been activated, with layers of shimmering light veiling the interior. Formation Scriptures drifted through the air, obscuring the view within.
"Boom!"
A speeding carriage, crushing through the snow, screeched to a halt outside the Sui Sect's compound.
Yang Yun leaped out, scrambling to his feet as he shouted, "Quick, open the Formation Art! It's me, Yang Yun! We escaped! Seventh Uncle is gravely wounded and needs immediate medical attention!"
Bai Shu, concealed in a narrow alley across the river, watched intently, fearing Yang Yun might take unnecessary risks.
After a long moment, a three-foot-wide gap opened in the Formation's shimmering veil, and Yang Yue, the second-most powerful member of the Sui Sect's younger generation, emerged.
Bai Shu's expression shifted.
Yang Yue hadn't gone to the Governor's Manor. This meant Li Weiyi's situation had become even more perilous.
Seeing Yang Yue, Yang Yun burst into tears of joy.
As previously agreed, he said, "The Snow Sword Tang Court launched a full-scale attack on the Governor's Manor, and Martial-Mystic Cultivators from the Jiu Li Tribe joined the attack. Seventh Uncle and I finally seized our chance to escape. He fought his way out, but... his injuries were too severe. He's unconscious."
Bai Shu and Li Weiyi were fortunate that Yang Yun's acting skills were good. Yang Yue didn't suspect a thing and didn't even bother to check the critically injured and unconscious "Yang Zhiyong" in the carriage before letting them into the stronghold.
Layers of Formation light curtains closed behind them.
Yang Yun was still pondering how to subtly expose Li Weiyi when, as the carriage entered the main gate, his complexion instantly changed. His vision darkened, and his legs grew weak.
Before him, the ground inside the gate was awash in blood, littered with the corpses of young Martial-Mystic Cultivators from the Sui Sect.
Nailed to the screen wall was a single figure.
The water in the pond had turned crimson.
A Sui Sect Martial-Mystic Cultivator from the Third Realm of the Five Seas Realm, still clinging to life, raised his head.
Seeing Yang Yun, he croaked, "Run... run quickly..."
"Pfft!"
Ahead, Yang Yue casually plucked a broken spear from the ground and drove it through the back of the dying man's head, pinning his skull to the ground, never to rise again.
From start to finish, Yang Yue's expression remained unchanged.
Behind the screen wall, the second and third courtyards were filled with the sounds of battle, the clash of weapons, and desperate cries.
Layer upon layer of Formation barriers kept the outside world from knowing the hellish scene unfolding within.
Yang Yun turned to flee...
A cold smile curled Yang Yue's lips.
He spread his fingers in the air, and five streams of Spiritual Qi Mist surged forth, coiling around Yang Yun and dragging him back.
Yang Yun was seized by the neck, utterly helpless. His voice trembled with terror as he choked out, "Uncle Yue... why?"
"Who's your uncle? Kid, you just came back at the wrong time."
Without checking on the severely injured and unconscious "Yang Zhiyong" in the carriage, Yang Yue lifted Yang Yun like a chick and carried him toward the inner courtyard.
"Damn it, another fake Uncle Yue," Yang Yun thought, tears welling up in his eyes. He cursed his terrible luck for always running into ruthless characters. He knew this time he was doomed.
"Tell Yang Qingxi I've captured her brother! If she doesn't want this brat to die, she'll hand over the goods obediently."
Yang Yue's voice echoed from deep within the courtyard.
Silence fell over the scene.
In the carriage, Li Weiyi sat bolt upright, his eyes wide with shock.
Clearly, some faction had struck the Sui Sect first.
But who?
And why?
Was it for Yang Qingxi's Dragon Seed Ticket?
Li Weiyi activated the Nightwalker's Garment's stealth power, concealing his aura as much as possible as he cautiously exited the carriage.
Seeing the scene of corpses strewn across the ground, he immediately dismissed his earlier thought.
This was clearly a massacre aimed at wiping out the Sui Sect's younger generation!
For a single Dragon Seed Ticket, was such brutality truly necessary?
The Sui Sect's three-courtyard compound spanned two acres, paved with stone slabs and featuring a martial training ground.
Countless figures moved within the courtyard, their formations shimmering with brilliant light.
Peering through the latticed windows, Li Weiyi's expression shifted repeatedly.
On the training ground, more than a dozen young Sui Sect Martial-Mystic Cultivators in the Five Seas Realm were kneeling on the ground, suppressed by the Left Attendant of the Young Venerable, who emanated a powerful aura of Law.
The Right Attendant had transformed into Yang Yue's likeness, tossing Yang Yun aside to roll beside the kneeling Sui Sect Martial-Mystic Cultivators.
The real Yang Yue, his limbs pierced and his skin flayed, had been reduced to a bloody, mangled mess. He writhed on the ground in agony, his screams chilling to the bone.
Besides the Left and Right Attendants, two Great Spiritual Masters from the San Chen Palace, both in the Calamity Fire Realm, were currently dismantling the formation protecting the fourth courtyard.
They dared not use the Thunder Law Profound Ice, fearing it would create too much commotion.
Suddenly, Li Weiyi spotted a figure that struck terror into the hearts of every young Martial-Mystic Cultivator in Qiu Prefecture City.
The figure wore a liquid silver mask, its form ethereal and indistinct, its aura terrifying beyond measure.
It was Yu Zi, the top expert under the Young Venerable.
He ranked second in the Southern Territory First-Tier, even higher than Zuoqiu Ting.
Li Weiyi had never met Yu Zi before, but his aura and distinctive appearance were instantly recognizable. Moreover, Yu Zi was accompanied by Chen Wenwu.
After a single glance, Li Weiyi quickly averted his gaze, fearing Yu Zi might sense his presence.
Yu Zi smiled faintly: "Wenwu, Yang Qingxi doesn't seem overly concerned about her brother's life or death."
Chen Wenwu replied, "If her brother dies, her mother can always bear another child. It's not a big deal."
"That makes sense!"
Yu Zi had lost patience.
They were too close to the Governor's Manor and needed to finish this quickly.
In a voice as gentle and melodious as a woman's, he said, "Yang Qingxi, hand over the Dragon Seed Ticket and five chests of Yongquan Coins. The remaining members of the Sui Sect will be spared."
Inside the formation in the fourth courtyard, only Yang Qingxi, eleven young Martial-Mystic Cultivators from the Sui Sect, and a Great Spiritual Master remained, still holding their ground.
Their eyes burned with hatred and killing intent, showing no sign of compromise.
Without warning, the bandits had suddenly stormed in, slaughtering everyone they encountered with bloodthirsty ferocity.
Nearly seventy percent of the Sui Sect's young Five Seas Realm Martial-Mystic Cultivators were killed in an instant.
This hatred, this grudge, is irreconcilable.
Yang Qingxi had a bloody hole just below her left collarbone, pierced by Yu Zi's finger.
Blood soaked through her clothes, impossible to staunch. A strange Demon Clan Spiritual Qi had invaded her wound, wreaking havoc within her Meridian Veins.
If Yu Zi truly kept his word, she would naturally be willing to compromise.
But she knew all too well that once she partially opened the formation and handed over the items, he would seize the opportunity to break through the defenses.
Then she would be a lamb led to the slaughter!
'Stall for time.'
Yang Qingxi had heard the booming sounds from the Governor's Manor earlier. A battle had likely erupted there, and the Sui Sect's abnormal situation would surely be noticed by the Imperial Court soon.
So she feigned ignorance: "May I ask, Master, what do you mean by 'five chests of Yongquan Coins'? Are you asking the Sui Sect to gather five chests of wealth to buy our lives?"
Yu Zi chuckled: "If you keep playing dumb, everyone outside will die! By the Banks of the Bing Juze Lake, on the Waterborne Arena, you were the one who stole Li Weiyi's five chests of Yongquan Coins. Some things can't be hidden, like the unique aura contained within your Spiritual Qi."
Bitterness filled Yang Qingxi's eyes, regret etched across her face. A wave of self-reproach surged within her.
"So, the Sui Sect's disaster today is entirely because of those five chests of Yongquan Coins?"
"Not entirely!" Yu Zi said, "The fundamental reason is that the Sui Sect abandoned the Far Western Ashlands and chose to side with the Imperial Court."
Naturally, the Far Western Ashlands were furious with the Sui Sect.
It was the Sui Sect's withdrawal and retreat that had caused the sudden shift in the Li Prefecture war, leaving them unable to conquer the Jiu Li Tribe.
This had a devastating impact on the entire Southern Territory.
"Pfft!"
The Left Attendant punched a young Sui Sect Martial-Mystic Cultivator, killing him instantly. The man's head fell into his own stomach.
The Left Attendant sneered, "Miss Yang, still trying to stall for time? If you don't hand over the Dragon Seed Tickets and Yongquan Coins soon, these dozen kneeling fools won't be enough to satisfy my bloodlust."
"So it really was her who stole my money."
Li Weiyi felt no pity for the Sui Sect. If it weren't for Yang Qingxi's greed, Yu Zi probably wouldn't have bothered with her at all - or at least, wouldn't have bothered to act personally.
Knowing they couldn't linger here, Li Weiyi realized that Yang Yun, in the face of death, would certainly betray him.
Just as Li Weiyi was about to use his Thunder Law Profound Ice to blast a hole in the Sui Sect stronghold's Formation, he turned and saw a room draped in white mourning cloth.
In the center of the room stood a blood-red coffin.
There was no need to guess; it undoubtedly contained Yang Qingchan's remains.
Driven by an inexplicable impulse, Li Weiyi decided to confirm whether Yang Qingchan was truly dead.
He used his invisibility and teleportation techniques to slip into the room, appearing amidst the scattered white paper money.
The blood-red coffin was about ten feet long, a perfectly rectangular pillar made of blood-red mud.
Embedded within the mud was a strange, semi-illusory white substance that had solidified into ancient, mysterious white characters, covering the entire coffin. Just by looking at it, one could tell it was extraordinary.
The material and shape were too bizarre.
Li Weiyi dared not act rashly. He first communicated with Master Coffin and Spirit Tablet Master using his Mental Power.
Master Coffin said, "This is an Otherworldly Coffin, called a Living Coffin. When a deceased person from another realm senses their time is near, they will enter the coffin in advance."
"The coffin is filled with Formations. Once the lid is sealed from the inside and the Formations are activated, grave robbers cannot open it from the outside!"
"However, the Sui Sect, having followed the Jiu Li Tribe for many years, should have mastered advanced coffin-opening techniques. This coffin has already been opened, and any treasures inside have long been taken."
"Using an Otherworldly Coffin to hold the remains of a loved one has been a tradition in the Jiu Li Tribe since ancient times. It's not unusual."
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END OF CHAPTER
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