Subscribe to the MTL WORLD (@mtlworld1) YouTube Channel.
***********************************
Novel: [The Primordial Law]
Volume 3: [Qiu Prefecture Lantern Festival]
Chapter 1 (145): [The Mist Heavenly Emperor]
(1st of Volume 3)
Translator: Shadow Knight AK
Editor: Shadow Knight AK
***********************************
Amidst the wind and snow atop the mountain range, a chorus of shrill, unpleasant cries like those of night owls echoed through the air.
These were the screams of the "Man-Eating Dusk Bats" summoned by Long Ting, the Dragon Sect Inheritor, through his flute sound.
These were formidable and ferocious Malevolent Demons, each measuring two to three meters long, with broad, fleshy wings, sharp claws, and grotesque humanoid heads.
Having fallen behind in the battle atop the mountain, Long Ting was forced to summon the 'Man-Eating Dusk Bat' swarm to counter Jiang Ning.
The bats' screams filled the air as they fell one after another beneath Jiang Ning's sword, their blood turning into crimson rain that scattered in the wind.
"Boom!"
Long Ting retreated while fighting, his figure darting northward.
The spiritual Qi fluctuations from their clash gradually faded, disappearing into the gloom.
Li Weiyi slowly rose to his feet, gazing at the avalanche-scarred mountain face a hundred yards away, then turning his gaze toward the direction they had fled.
His eyes burned with longing.
Only by reaching such heights in cultivation could one dominate the younger generation and stand above all others.
His gaze fell upon Li Ling beside him, and he could sense the profound difference in her eyes - as if a sixteen-year-old girl had witnessed the vast changes of millennia in a single day.
Li Ling turned to meet his gaze: "Want to talk?"
"If we're talking, I hope we can be honest with each other."
Li Weiyi wasn't intimidated by the invisible aura emanating from her. He steeled his mind, reminding himself that she was no longer the Ancient Heavenly Emperor who once ruled the Lingxiao Palace.
Li Ling gazed at Yun Prefecture, shrouded in endless darkness and deathly silence, her eyes deepening with a profound mystery.
"Have you heard of the Yang Marriage?"
Li Weiyi looked blank and shook his head.
"Don't you have three old Dead Spirits with you? Don't they know either?" Li Ling asked.
Li Weiyi shook his head again.
"Hmph, those three are truly ignorant."
Li Ling used this as a starting point to explain in detail.
"That day, when you fell from Zhuiwei onto the Bronze Ship, you landed right on top of my burial mound and bled profusely. It was the blood flowing from your body that awakened me from my eternal slumber."
"This energy is unique to the bloodline of your Ancient Clan!"
"If it had ended there, I would have merely awakened, like those three old fellows - just another Dead Spirit. My past cultivation experience would have become useless, and I would have been forced to tread the path of Dead Spirit cultivation. The chances of reaching my former heights would have been utterly slim."
"Most Dead Spirits in the Nether Realm grow stronger by devouring each other. Their cultivation Law is learned through this process of consumption, and their wisdom gradually emerges as their cultivation deepens."
"So, instead of the completely unfamiliar path of the Dead Spirits, fraught with uncertainties, I chose the path of Life, which I had already walked before."
"Once truly revived, my bones will regenerate flesh, my Spring and Qi Sea will naturally return, my Dao Seed will easily bear fruit, and the chains of Immortality will have long since been broken... I can return to my peak in a very short time and even forge a stronger, more perfect foundation, allowing me to go even further in the future."
"But to reverse life and death is to defy the Laws of Life and disrupt the order of the Yang Realm."
"The only way is to use the special bloodline of the Ancient Clan descendant and marry back into the Yang Realm."
Li Weiyi was stunned by her words, finding them incomprehensible.
"Marry back into the Yang Realm?"
"Is this a ghost marriage?"
Li Ling remained utterly calm.
"According to ancient records, your Ancient Clan indeed possesses extraordinary abilities, capable of seizing the essence of heaven and earth. As long as one becomes a member of the clan, they can be reborn from death."
Seeing her serious expression, Li Weiyi knew she wasn't joking.
"This is absurd and superstitious!"
"Senior, as the Ancient Heavenly Emperor, how can you believe such nonsense from ancient texts? If marrying a descendant of an ancient clan could truly bring rebirth, wouldn't every Dead Spirit in the world be clamoring to marry into it? Besides, as you said, this violates the order of the Yang Realm and defies the Laws of Life. Who can truly defy the laws of nature?"
"The master of order, law, and rule," Li Ling replied seriously.
Li Weiyi fell silent.
"Legend has it that the ancestors of your ancient clan was extraordinary, and therefore all of his descendants have been blessed with exceptional bloodlines."
Li Ling (Zen Hai Guanwu) continued, "I wasn't sure if Yang marriage actually existed until your guardian wife appeared, and that's when I finally believed the legend."
Li Weiyi fell silent.
The Guardian Wife was indeed bizarre, seemingly inexplicable except through faith in Zen Hai Guanwu.
He asked, "How exactly does the Yang Marriage work? Why did you drag me into the tomb on the Bronze Ship, intending to kill me?"
Li Ling stared at him: "I never intended to kill you. I dragged you into the tomb to complete the Yang Marriage Ritual."
"The Yang Marriage Ritual?" Li Weiyi asked.
Li Ling explained, "It's an exchange of soul spirits. In the tomb, I infused a strand of my soul spirit into your body. Just as I was about to take yours, you broke free, so the ritual was only half-completed."
Li Weiyi recalled the moment in the tomb when his forehead had pressed against Zen Hai Guanwu's skull. He distinctly remembered a chilling force entering his brow.
No wonder Li Ling always managed to find him, pinpointing his location with such accuracy.
No wonder Yanzhou Governor Zhu Qinfeng had mistaken him for someone else - it was because Zen Hai Guanwu's soul spirit's aura lingered within him.
"That's not right!" Li Weiyi shook his head, "On the Bronze Ship, you clearly said you needed a large amount of my blood and soul spirit. If this is a marriage ritual, shouldn't it be fair? Why should I have to give so much more? If you had told me you only needed a wisp of my soul spirit, perhaps all these misunderstandings wouldn't have happened."
Li Ling replied, "I needed a large amount of your blood to grow flesh capable of defying the mortal realm's order, to transform myself back into a living being. As for your soul spirit... it's the same principle. After all, you are a normal being in the Yang Realm, while your Netherworld guardian wife is not."
Li Weiyi felt her words rang hollow, as if she wasn't being entirely honest, withholding the full truth.
But it didn't matter!
There was no way Li Weiyi would surrender a large amount of his blood and soul spirit to her.
Who knew if he'd become her puppet in the future?
Or if she'd hold his life and death in her hands?
Not to mention, she wasn't even sincere about this marriage.
Even if a woman truly wants to marry, she becomes an entirely different person before and after the wedding. The more she gives up before marriage, the more she'll be constrained afterward.
"What if I choose not to give you my blood and soul spirit?"
Li Weiyi, recalling the woman's earlier display of overwhelming power, swallowed the words that had risen to his throat and forced a smile.
"I can't help but feel that this so-called Yang Marriage Ritual is just you relentlessly demanding, never once asking for my consent."
"I understand your perspective. You, the Ancient Heavenly Emperor, a being at the pinnacle of the Lingxiao Realm, once possessed supreme divine abilities - a single finger could plow a thousand miles, a cup could hold the ocean. How could you possibly care about a mere mortal man?"
"Would you care about his wishes?"
" Would you consider his feelings?"
" You don't see him as your Yang Marriage husband, but merely as a tool to revive yourself."
"If you had chosen to communicate from the start, the outcome might have been entirely different."
Li Ling retorted, "If I had asked you from the beginning, would you truly have given me your blood and soul spirit? Would you have trusted my words? Without sufficient understanding, neither of us would have trusted the other."
"You're right. After thousands of years of cultivation, my mindset has changed drastically. It's become difficult for me to empathize with the feelings of a mortal."
"But I can assure you that once the Yang Marriage Ritual is complete, I will take full responsibility for you and protect you for the rest of your life."
"If you don't believe me, you can ask those three old fellows. They should know what kind of person Zen Hai Guanwu is."
Li Ling's gaze fell to Li Weiyi's chest, her eyes fixed on the Buddha's Relic embedded in the Dao Ancestor's Tai Chi Fish. She sensed the fluctuations of the three Dead Spirits within it.
She was able to perceive this because his three Masters had been constantly monitoring the outside world, eavesdropping on their conversation.
Master Guan was agitated, transmitting to Li Weiyi: "Marry her! She's Zen Hai Guanwu! Losing a bit of blood and a soul spirit is nothing. Besides, you already control one of her soul spirits. Just think about it: when you travel the world in the future, saying, 'My wife is Zen Hai Guanwu' - how impressive!"
Spirit Tablet Master said, "Wei Yi, my advice is this: Zen Hai Guanwu's actions from when she awoke on the Bronze Ship to when she possessed Li Ling's body all make sense. She's likely telling the truth."
Master Coffin added, "My information is that Zen Hai Guanwu, at least in her past life, did things that earned my respect. But don't listen to Master Guan. Once you marry her, the karmic consequences will be immense - a bond that lasts a lifetime."
Li Ling's voice was sharp and cold, "Do you three think I can't hear your transmissions? You dare to address Zen Hai Guanwu by her full name? A thousand years ago, when you came to Lingxiao Palace to pay your respects, how did you address me then?"
The three Masters immediately fell silent, no longer speaking.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
The ground trembled.
Snowflakes cascaded down from the mountain peak, accompanied by a torrent of tumbling rocks.
"Roar!"
A thunderous tiger roar pierced the night sky, sending ripples of spiritual Qi energy spreading through the air.
On the snow-covered ridge, powerful cultivators were locked in fierce combat.
Zouwu, now the size of a kitten, was beside himself with excitement. He leaped toward the summit, but Li Ling grabbed his tail and held him upside down.
"That's Cang Li's aura. What's he doing in the Nether Realm of the Dead?"
Li Weiyi once again concealed himself, suppressing his aura and gazing upward.
He could see two bright balls of spiritual Qi energy colliding violently. Cang Li had unleashed the White Tiger Battle Technique Intent, while his opponent radiated dazzling golden light.
Within the golden light, a four-armed creature wielded a formidable High-Grade Spiritual Artifact in each of its hands.
"That should be the Demon Race Inheritor from Heavenly Cliff Ridge, the Wuxin (Heartless) Golden Ape," Li Ling said.
Li Wei nodded. In the entire Southern Territory! Aside from Zuoqiu Ting, only Wuxin Jinyuan (Heartless Golden Ape) could match Cang Li's skill among young cultivators.
This was an extraordinary sign!
If it weren't absolutely necessary, why would these promising young Heavenly Prides all be venturing into the Nether Realm of the Dead? And why would they be making such a commotion? Weren't they afraid of attracting a Dao Seed-level Dead Spirit Fiend?
As if struck by a sudden realization, Li Weiyi and Li Ling exchanged a sharp glance.
"If Yaoguan City and Burial Immortal Town erupt into chaos," Li Weiyi said, "it will inevitably trigger a chain reaction, engulfing all of Li Province in war. For the young Martial-Mystic Cultivators of the Major Powers, escaping Li Province along the edge of the Nether Realm of the Dead might actually be safer."
"That makes sense," Li Ling agreed.
Li Weiyi felt a surge of unease: "The Jiu Li Clan will surely send their outstanding young Martial-Mystic Cultivators out of the Li Province battlefield, and the Four Great Sects will undoubtedly do the same. This mountain range is bound to become incredibly crowded. Senior Zen Hai, how strong are you really? Can you handle this?"
Zen Hai Guanwu's power was formidable, but it seemed unsustainable, more for show than substance. That was why Li Weiyi had asked the question.
"If we complete the Yang Marriage," Li Ling replied, "I can protect you."
Li Weiyi merely smiled noncommittally, "Isn't there another way?"
"Yes, we can hide in Shaoyang Star for a few days and follow them after they pass through," Li Ling suggested.
That was actually a pretty good idea!
Avoiding direct confrontation was the wisest course of action. There was no need to dance on the edge of a blade.
However, Li Weiyi was wary of the saying, "Inviting a god is easy, but sending one away is hard."
He first contacted his Spirit Tablet Master.
"Don't worry, Shaoyang Star is your domain," the Spirit Tablet Master replied tersely, avoiding further explanation to avoid offending Zen Hai Guanwu again.
Li Weiyi and Li Ling quickly descended the mountain on the Nether Realm of the Dead side.
Near the foot of the mountain, in a hidden area, Li Weiyi swiftly carved out a cave and sealed the entrance with a Ghost Banner and earth.
Before activating the Buddha's Relic, he used a black cloth bag that could block sensory perception to contain Zouwu.
"Whoosh!"
Spatial ripples spread, and Li Weiyi and Li Ling vanished into the cave.
Inside, only the Buddha's Relic remained, suspended in mid-air by a Tai Chi Mark.
.....
After Li Weiyi's Psychic Power cultivation reached the Square Inch Bright Flame realm, his Blood Mud Space had expanded to a diameter of over thirty meters.
On the blood-red mud floor, the thirty-meter-long Spiritual Artifact Jade Boat and the Silver Coffin, as large as a connected corridor of rooms, were the most eye-catching features.
Li Ling's gaze was drawn to the Prefectural Governor's Treasure Seal, towering over two meters tall, at the bow of the Spiritual Artifact Jade Boat.
She murmured, "I never expected you to possess such a treasure."
"Whoosh!"
Brilliant auspicious light erupted from Li Ling's body, enveloping her delicate form in a radiant sphere.
The powerful aura of the Ancient Heavenly Emperor surged forth.
Gradually, a stunningly beautiful figure, taller than Li Ling, emerged from the auspicious light. Standing nearly 1.8 meters tall with perfect proportions, she wore a crimson robe of extraordinary quality, her long hair flowing freely, radiating a serene and refined Daoist aura.
Her skin was as white and lustrous as immortal jade, and a delicate flower adorned her brow, making her appear only eighteen or nineteen years old. Despite her youthful appearance, she exuded an aloof, imperious aura that transcended the mortal realm.
Zen Hai Guanwu hadn't deliberately released her aura, but as the Ancient Heavenly Emperor's true form, her mere presence could make ordinary Martial-Mystic Cultivators tremble and kneel in awe.
Li Weiyi employed the Jade Void Breathing Technique to steady his mind, standing three meters away, gazing intently at her.
I couldn't make out her features clearly.
A mysterious energy swirled around her, distorting space and light.
"Whoosh!"
Zen Hai Guanwu, like a crimson-robed Immortal, soared into the air and landed on the bow of the Spiritual Artifact Jade Boat.
Her slender fingers touched the Official Seal.
Ripples of spiritual Qi emanated from her fingertips.
The Official Seal, originally the size of a millstone, rapidly shrank to the size of a fist and settled into her palm.
The Soul Shadows of his three Masters appeared behind Li Weiyi.
Master Guan's Soul Shadow gazed into the distance and murmured, "Marry her! Even if you take a small loss now, you'll gain immense face!"
"Master Guan, you care only about face, not substance?" Li Weiyi shook his head.
After a moment of thought, he called out, "Senior Zen Hai, didn't you say you needed a large quantity of my blood to achieve Flesh Regeneration from Bone? Yet you seem to have already regrown your physical body."
Zen Hai Guanwu stood atop the Jade Boat, resembling an Immortal about to ride the wind away.
Looking down at him from above, she replied, "This body was formed in the Blood Moon Lake within Thirty-Three Li Mountain. It cannot deceive the order of the Yang Realm. Only in that Sea of Bones and on this Shaoyang Star can I truly leave Li Ling's body."
Li Weiyi said, "So, to completely break free from Li Ling's mortal body and truly return to life, to roam freely throughout the universe, you still need a large amount of my blood and soul spirit?"
" Let me be frank with you!"
"Losing a significant amount of blood would certainly weaken me, which I could endure. But handing over a large portion of my soul spirit is something I simply cannot do."
"Even if Senior was once a brilliant and peerless figure in life, I truly don't know you. I have no obligation to pay such a price to help someone I owe nothing to."
Zen Hai Guanwu met Li Weiyi's gaze, seeing no hint of compromise in his eyes: "Is this your final decision? Aren't you afraid of my wrath? How do you think your chances of winning are if you attack me together?"
Li Weiyi replied, "Senior, there's no need to threaten me. Killing me would do you no good. You won't do it."
Master Coffin said, "Mist Heavenly Emperor, he's favored by the Bronze Warship Master and is also the master of the Shaoyang Star. You should understand better than we do what those two forces represent."
Zen Hai Guanwu sighed: "Come up here. I'll speak to you with complete honesty."
Li Weiyi considered this for a moment before leaping onto the Jade Boat.
The two stood facing each other, each re-examining the other, but with vastly different intentions.
A white light shimmered on the Jade Boat, sealing it off from the outside world.
Zen Hai Guanwu finally spoke: "In truth, the Yang Marriage Ritual doesn't necessarily require a large number of your soul spirits. A simple exchange of a single strand from each party would suffice."
"Then why did you make such an outrageous demand?" Li Weiyi asked, puzzled.
Zen Hai Guanwu replied, "Because I don't want to go through the normal Yang Marriage Ritual."
"What is the normal Yang Marriage Ritual?" Li Weiyi inquired.
Zen Hai Guanwu answered in the fewest possible words: "The bridal chamber."
Li Weiyi wasn't a fool. He immediately understood, then couldn't help but laugh and sigh in realization.
"I get it now! For someone like you, with your status and pride, and with a mortal like me as your target... that mental hurdle must be incredibly difficult to overcome, right?"
"Yes, it is," Zen Hai Guanwu admitted, "But do you know why I chose to talk to you face-to-face instead of forcibly taking your blood and soul spirits?"
"Because you're actually... not bad. I can convince myself to accept you."
With the truth revealed, Li Weiyi's mood relaxed considerably. He smiled and said, "I can tell you're forcing yourself. And I don't think you've quite convinced yourself yet."
Zen Hai Guanwu couldn't force a smile: "I know you're also resistant, so I've come up with a rather decent arrangement. We can be nominal husband and wife, but in reality, allies. You help me return to the Yang Realm through marriage, and I'll help you cultivate and protect you. It's mutually beneficial - why not?"
"So, aren't you just another Guardian Wife?" Li Weiyi observed her expression and chuckled, "Actually, if it were just a matter of exchanging a wisp of my soul spirit, I wouldn't be so opposed."
Zen Hai Guanwu's forehead twitched with a black vein. She knew she shouldn't have told him the truth.
Li Weiyi stopped smiling: "Just kidding. I'm not the type to take advantage of someone in a crisis. But I've already made my bottom line clear: I can't give you a large portion of my soul spirit for the Yang Marriage. Besides, are you sure my Guardian Wife will agree?"
Zen Hai Guanwu fell into deep thought.
"You were right earlier - we can be allies. At the very least, there's no need to be enemies. If you force this, you'll suffer backlash. Do you really think you can suppress me forever? My cultivation speed isn't slow."
Li Weiyi leaped off the Jade Boat.
.....
Li Weiyi had ample provisions and had "earned" a large quantity of precious medicine and Immortal Haze-tainted Herbs in Burial Immortal Town. He thus entered closed-door cultivation within the Blood Mud Space.
With the Radiant Flame Pill and the Fusang Divine Tree continuously providing Spirit Light to replenish his Psychic Power, he could sustain the Dao Ancestor's Tai Chi Fish for extended periods.
Half a month later.
Li Weiyi, seated cross-legged atop a massive silver coffin, raised his right arm.
Palm-held Spiritual energy converged, forming a two-meter-wide vortex of spiritual Qi.
Within the vortex, the spiritual Qi condensed into dozens of three-inch-long, needle-thin strands.
"Boom! Boom!"
The dozens of solid spiritual Qi needles struck the distant Jade Boat in rapid succession, producing sharp, metallic clangs that echoed with the power to pierce metal and shatter stone.
Li Weiyi retracted the spiritual Qi back into his body, treasuring it.
After all, he needed to fill his first Qi Sea with spiritual Qi before he could advance to the second stage of the Five Seas Realm.
After half a month of accumulation, he had already filled five portions, and his Qi Sea was now half full.
"spiritual Qi solidifies. At the First Stage of the Five Seas Realm, I've cultivated a second-level Qi Sea."
Li Weiyi was in high spirits. Prolonged consumption of the Radiant Flame Pill had ignited a vibrant Spiritual Light Bright Fire within his Third Eye Spiritual Realm, making him ready to break through to the "Square Inch Bright Flame" stage of Great Spiritual Master cultivation at any moment.
Zen Hai Guanwu, meditating on the Jade Boat, was startled awake by the spiritual Qi Flying Needles Li Weiyi had launched. A curious glint appeared in her eyes, and she sent a palm strike across the distance.
"Whoosh!"
A spiritual Qi handprint, several dozen feet in size, hovered above Li Weiyi's head.
Li Weiyi had sensed it coming. He felt winds surging from all directions, the pressure so immense it felt like the sky was collapsing.
"Heaven-Turning Palm Seal."
He struck a palm toward the heavens, releasing a torrent of spiritual Qi. A divine and colossal golden seal, resembling a millstone, materialized and collided with the handprint Zen Hai Guanwu had unleashed.
With a thunderous roar, both shattered into fragments.
She exclaimed, "Truly worthy of being a Chan Sect supreme technique. Its power is extraordinary. Your spiritual Qi is only at the Second Stage of the Five Seas Realm. Yet, through this palm technique, the divine seal you condensed achieved a level of refinement four or five times that of Second Stage spiritual Qi."
"How about another palm?" Li Weiyi suggested.
Zen Hai Guanwu frowned slightly, too lazy to respond. She continued absorbing the Shaoyang Star's power to nourish her soul.
Li Weiyi stood up.
"I'm serious. During our clash just now, I faintly sensed the presence of Battle Technique Intent. I believe the Heaven-Turning Palm Seal has the potential to cultivate powerful Battle Technique Intent, but it requires exploration through combat."
Zen Hai Guanwu turned to Li Ling: "Go spar with him. Don't hold back."
_______________________
END OF CHAPTER
Subscribe to the MTL WORLD (@mtlworld1) YouTube Channel.
***********************************