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Novel: [The Primordial Law]
Volume 4: [Shuangsheng Dao Sect (Twin Rice Sect)]
Chapter 24 (279): [Snow Sword Tang Court's Camp]
(24th of Volume 4)
Translator: Shadow Knight AK
Editor: Shadow Knight AK
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Shi Liuyu, his heart pounding in terror, plummeted from mid-air and quickly joined Shi Jiuzhai and Shi Qiqing.
The three men nervously gazed at the terrifying figure radiating an imposing aura in the distance.
"How could it be her?" Shi Qiqing said with trepidation.
"The North Wind doesn't know spring comes late, snow crushes the Fourteen Prefectures of the Southern Territory. What a terrifying sword intent. Liu Se, how many strikes can you withstand?" Shi Jiuzhai asked in a low voice.
Shi Liuyu ignored him, his nerves frayed. He desperately wanted to burrow underground and flee. Given his reputation, there was a good chance the young lord of the Northern Territory would cleave him in two with a single sword strike.
Tang Wanzhou glanced indifferently at the three men in the distance, sheathed his sword, and walked past Li Weiyi.
"Right on time. We'll enter the Underground Immortal Mansion tomorrow morning."
Several Dao Seed Realm Martial-Mystic Cultivators from the Northern Territory charged toward the corpses of Yingji, Shang Lie, and the other demonic beasts.
Demonic beasts of this level were treasures from head to toe, especially their Dao Lotuses, Dao Fruits, and Spiritual Artifacts.
.....
Qifeng Ancient Prefecture City, located just a hundred miles from the entrance to the Underground Immortal Mansion, was teeming with powerful cultivators.
Under the cover of night, numerous encampments dotted the wilderness surrounding the city, like scattered patches of light veiled by the shimmering curtain of Formations.
Outside the Snow Sword Tang Court's barracks, Formation Flags stood tall, and a multitude of Exotic Beasts lay sprawled on the ground.
A patrol of elite soldiers clad in Spiritual Artifact armor marched through the camp.
Tuoba Butuo personally escorted Qin Qian to the stronghold of several True Inheritance Disciples from the Thundercloud Sect. Upon his return, he went to Li Weiyi's room.
Li Weiyi sat on a chair by the bed, his injuries stabilized, color returning to his face. He subtly probed Tuoba Butuo about Tang Wanzhou's urgent desire to re-explore the Underground Immortal Mansion.
In reality, he wanted to gauge the mission's danger level.
Tuoba Butuo replied, "In the past six months, the Young Lord has entered the Underground Immortal Mansion five times, spending most of his time within."
"Young Lord's trip to Qiu Prefecture City served three purposes: to purchase resources and supplies, to visit the Transcendent of the Confucian Dao from the Zuoqiu Clan, and to find a skilled Insect Tamer. You are one of our top candidates."
Li Weiyi said, "The Northern Wan Yan Clan is renowned throughout the world for their mastery of Insect Control."
"The Northern Wanyan Clan and the Southern Jiuli Tribe are both renowned masters of insect control."
Tuoba Butuo forced a wry smile and continued, "I won't hide anything from you. The Young Lord's mission and the place he intends to go are extremely dangerous. The Wanyan Clan's Commander-Grade Strange Insects have suffered heavy losses. However, the Insect Tamers themselves have mostly survived, as the Young Lord values their lives greatly."
"Insects can be replaced. But Spiritual Master-level Insect Tamers are treasures."
Li Weiyi had already anticipated this. If the situation weren't dire, a proud figure like Tang Wanzhou wouldn't have bothered meeting a Five Seas Realm Martial-Mystic Cultivator like him.
Li Weiyi asked, "Brother Tuoba, have you ever been inside the Underground Immortal Mansion?"
Tuoba Butuo nodded: "I've only been in once, for about half a month. My gains were minimal. Most of my time was spent in Qifeng Ancient Prefecture City, comprehending the Dragon Clan Heavenly Emperor's Martial-Mystic Dao within the Dragon Seed, and cultivating. I didn't want to fall behind my peers who were also Seed Dao Martial-Mystic Cultivators. But this time, I'll be accompanying you to ensure your safety."
"Is there really Millennial Essence Herbs with a five-thousand-year age inside the Underground Immortal Mansion?" Li Weiyi pressed, placing great importance on this.
Since Commander-Grade Strange Insects had repeatedly perished within the Underground Immortal Mansion, how could Li Weiyi not worry about Little Seven's safety?
If they could quickly reach the Dao Seed Realm, their ability to protect themselves would naturally increase dramatically.
Tuoba Butuo said, "I can't say about five-thousand-year-old Essence Herbs, but I've seen three-thousand-year-old ones firsthand. They were unearthed by a Dao Seed Realm expert from the Imperial Court who had been missing for decades. The medicinal fragrance was so potent that it couldn't be contained even by a Boundary Pouch, and many powerful figures pursued him."
"Our Snow Sword Tang Court has also unearthed some Millennial Essence Herbs, including one that reached two thousand six hundred years in age."
"The most valuable treasures in the Underground Immortal Mansion, however, aren't the Millennial Essence Herbs or the fragments of Spirit Platform Blazing Star Stone. They are the Dao Techniques, Spiritual Codices, and Spiritual Artifacts left behind by the Ancient Bhagavata Sect."
Li Weiyi hadn't yet reached the Dao Seed Realm and wasn't particularly interested in Dao Techniques and Spiritual Codices.
Besides, once he found Zen Hai Guanwu and his three Masters, wouldn't he have access to plenty of them?
Li Weiyi thought of another important matter.
"I hear the Twin Rice Sect has become quite active lately?"
Tuoba Butuo's stern face, cast in silver, grew cold: "In the past, Evil Gods wouldn't dare show themselves. But after eleven years of war, the Major Powers are exhausted and have suffered heavy losses. The Demon Clan's invasion further weakened the Transcendent realm, with many dead or injured and forced into seclusion for recovery. Now, they've finally emerged to stir up trouble."
"Another reason is that the proportion of Ren Dao Martial-Mystic Cultivators under the banner of the Major Powers has surged recently, providing opportunities for the Twin Rice Sect to infiltrate, manipulate, and subvert them, creating a confusing situation where friend and foe are indistinguishable."
Li Weiyi wanted to say, "Could it be because the Major Powers have exploited the Ren Dao too harshly and failed to treat them with sufficient respect, making it easy for the Twin Rice Sect to recruit them as followers?"
But these thoughts remained unspoken.
To voice them would only lead to a pointless argument.
"Young Master Tuoba, Young Master Li, the Young Lord requests your presence!"
A military expert in full armor arrived to deliver the message.
Li Weiyi and Tuoba Butuo followed him to Tang Wanzhou's tent.
Inside, the tent was brightly lit, filled with dozens of Martial-Mystic Path experts, most clad in armor. Among them were Pure Immortal Physique cultivators and Aberrant Humanoids.
Tang Wanzhou sat at the head of the table.
After introducing Li Weiyi to the assembly, he began making arrangements: "Tomorrow, we depart precisely at 7:45 AM, taking the eighth route. I will lead the vanguard, with Tuoba Shenhe and Tang Hu bringing up the rear."
"Any Precious Medicine, Essence Herb, or Spirit Platform Blazing Star Stones we find along the way will be kept by the finder."
"Each faction may copy a set of the Dao Techniques and Spiritual Codices. The Snow Sword Tang Court will receive the original copies."
"Other treasures, such as wealth, will be distributed based on merit."
"Once we enter the Underground Immortal Mansion, I will reveal the true purpose of this expedition."
....
After Tang Wanzhou finished speaking, the crowd dispersed.
He kept five people behind, including Li Weiyi.
All five were Spiritual Power cultivators. Three were extremely old, with snow-white hair but spirited demeanors and profound Spiritual Power cultivation.
Through their conversation, Li Weiyi learned that two of the elders were top-tier Spiritual Masters over a century old, renowned throughout the Northern Territory for their mastery of Spiritual Power artifacts used to combat Dead Spirits.
The other two were Insect Tamers. One was a middle-aged woman from the Wanyan Clan.
To Li Weiyi's surprise, the remaining elder had been recruited by Tang Wanzhou from the Jiu Li Tribe.
"Young Li, I am Shan Ze, the Jiu Li Tribe's Shanli Tribe's foremost Spiritual Power cultivator. I spent over forty years cultivating at the Divine Temple. It's a great pleasure to finally meet you, the tribe's legendary young prodigy."
Shan Ze had a round face and short stature, leaning on a wooden staff and covered in insect pouches.
Li Weiyi knew that besides the Jiu Li Divine Hall, the Shanli Tribe was the most skilled in Insect Control within the Jiu Li Tribe.
For Shan Ze to claim the title of the Shanli Tribe's top Spiritual Power cultivator was no small feat. His status was so high he could stand on equal footing with the tribe's Clan Chief.
Tang Wanzhou's influence was truly remarkable.
Li Weiyi exchanged pleasantries with Shan Ze.
Tang Wanzhou said, "The five of you will follow me tomorrow, responsible for clearing the path. As long as you give your all and don't slack off, I promise you'll receive more treasures from the Underground Immortal Mansion than any other Martial-Mystic Cultivator."
"Go prepare now. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."
The four men took their leave one after another, leaving Li Weiyi alone.
Tang Wanzhou stood with his hands clasped behind his back, studying the maps of the Underground Immortal Mansion and Fu Prefecture that he had sketched on the table.
"Your injuries are severe, you're the youngest, and your cultivation is the lowest. Tuoba Butuo will be responsible for protecting you. Is there anything else?"
She looked up at Li Weiyi.
Li Weiyi remained expressionless: "Young Lord, you said we could ask for anything we needed... I do have a small request. I heard that one of the demonic beasts we killed earlier contained a Dao Lotus?"
Tang Wanzhou stared at him for a long moment before calling out to the soldiers waiting outside the tent: "Bring the newly acquired Dao Lotus."
"You're still cultivating Qi? It's been over half a year, and your Wind Mansion still isn't full?" she suddenly became interested.
"Just a little more!"
Li Weiyi could use the Spatial Power of the Buddha's Relic to inject a Dao Fruit into his Wind Mansion, but he struggled to control it precisely. That's why he had been hesitant to act.
Li Weiyi was different.
The Dao Lotus he released emitted only about ten thousand cubic meters of Spiritual Qi.
Li Weiyi believed that expanding his Wind Mansion by another ten thousand cubic meters wouldn't be too risky.
Of course, he was eager to complete his Sixth Sea cultivation as soon as possible and then move on to the Seventh Sea.
Master Guan had told him that reaching the Seventh Sea would make it much easier to defeat Dao Seed Realm Martial-Mystic Cultivators at the second level.
Once the Seventh Sea was fully cultivated, he could begin Seed Dao cultivation and attempt to break through to the Dao Seed Realm.
After all, the Eighth Sea Divine Abyss didn't require cultivation; it expanded infinitely on its own. The Spiritual Power accumulated within it was already in liquid form, amounting to a full cubic meter - a treasure Li Weiyi had been reluctant to use.
He suspected the Divine Abyss might also be suitable for Seed Dao cultivation, with the liquid Spiritual Power nourishing the Dao Seed. He'd discussed this with his three Masters, but they couldn't say for sure.
After all, the Divine Abyss had always been just a legend.
Before long, the Jade Box containing the Dao Lotus was delivered to his tent.
This Dao Lotus had been cultivated by the Candle Shadow Crow King and had just been harvested, still carrying the scent of blood and demonic qi.
"Thank you, Young Lord! After absorbing the Spiritual Qi from this Dao Lotus, I will return it immediately," Li Weiyi said, clasping his hands in a respectful bow.
Even after releasing its Spiritual Qi, the Dao Lotus retained significant value for alchemy, making it a treasure for Dao Seed Realm Martial-Mystic Cultivators seeking to improve their cultivation.
Tang Wanzhou asked, "Have you already begun cultivating Spatial Dao Techniques?"
"No!" Li Weiyi replied.
She smiled: "Then how did you manage to insert the Dao Lotus into your Wind Mansion and retrieve it so quickly? The Wind Mansion isn't like an Ancestral Field, which is relatively easy to connect to the outside world."
Li Weiyi fell silent, struggling to find an explanation.
"Everyone has their secrets. Don't dwell on it. If you don't want to say, then don't."
Tang Wanzhou continued, "I'm telling you this because I've already achieved basic mastery of Spatial Dao Techniques and can help you. You don't need to risk doing it yourself. Are you afraid I'll discover how many Golden Meridians you have? Or is something else bothering you?"
Li Weiyi smiled calmly: "With Young Lord's cultivation and strength, if you truly wanted to uncover someone's secrets, why would you waste so much breath? Thank you for your offer of assistance, Young Lord!"
Any further refusal would seem too deliberate.
Tang Wanzhou held the Dao Lotus in one hand and pinched his fingers with the other, probing Li Weiyi's Wind Mansion.
He was immediately startled!
Li Weiyi's Wind Mansion had already expanded to over twenty thousand cubic meters... and he hadn't even reached full cultivation yet?
For ordinary Martial-Mystic Cultivators with the Hundred Meridians Pure Silver Immortal Physique, breaking through ten thousand cubic meters in their Wind Mansion was considered a benchmark.
Over time, this became one of the criteria for judging whether someone was a Inheritor-level genius.
If a Wind Mansion failed to reach ten thousand cubic meters, it was considered that the cultivator was already falling behind in the Five Seas Realm.
They would be removed from the ranks of Inheritors.
Inheritors are held to extremely high standards at each realm. Leading in the Surging Spring Realm doesn't guarantee eternal dominance.
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END OF CHAPTER
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