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Novel: [The Primordial Law]
Volume 4: [Shuangsheng Dao Sect (Twin Rice Sect)]
Chapter 86 (341): [Snow Falls All Over the City]
(86th of Volume 4)
Translator: Shadow Knight AK
Editor: Shadow Knight AK
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The Hidden Lord turned to Li Weiyi, a smile in his eyes, "I know you have many questions. This Vice Commander Zhou before you is a Hidden One from the previous sixty-year cycle, tasked with infiltrating the Imperial Court."
Li Weiyi's tension completely dissolved. He clasped his hands in a respectful bow.
"Greetings, Elder Zhou!"
Hidden Ones from the previous sixty-year cycle were all Hidden Elders.
Hidden Ones from the cycle before that were known as Grand Elders.
Zhou Bida forced a stiff smile, clearly a serious man by nature.
Li Weiyi asked, "Did my Disguise Technique have a flaw? How did the Hidden Lord know it was me?"
The Hidden Lord smiled at him.
Li Weiyi understood, "So, she told you?"
He was referring, of course, to Yao Qingxuan.
The Hidden Lord's presence here made Yao Qingxuan's identity self-evident.
"She didn't dare speak directly. I deduced it myself."
The Hidden Lord sighed, "In her position, the slightest misstep could lead to annihilation. You carry the Death Spirit Fire she planted within you. And to gain the trust of the Twin Rice Sect's upper echelons, she has a similar, even more profound restraint on her own body. Every word she speaks, every action she takes, could be sensed."
Li Weiyi finally understood why Yao Qingxuan, despite being a Hidden Elder, had always been cold towards him. She could only protect him through subtle means.
Li Weiyi had her as a protector at the Twin Rice Sect's Cultivation Headquarters.
But she had no such backing. She had to rely on herself, walking on thin ice, facing even more terrifying enemies.
"Isn't she in great danger?" Li Weiyi asked, deeply concerned.
Without Yao Qingxuan's protection, he would have suffered untold torment after being captured by the Twin Rice Sect. His fate wouldn't have been much better than Tuoba Butuo's, even with his value in cultivating Golden Rice.
The Hidden Lord replied, "Who isn't in danger? I risked everything by coming to South Yan Pass myself. The Twin Rice Sect has grand ambitions, aiming to overthrow the entire Lingxiao Realm. When that happens, there will be nowhere to hide. If the strong refuse to take responsibility, refuse to risk their lives in search of a path to survival, and instead rely on others, we'll all perish in our selfish pursuits."
"There's nothing we can do! In truth, she should have been the Hidden Lord, and I should have gone to the Twin Rice Cult. That was the original plan... Sigh..."
As he spoke, the Hidden Lord's emotions threatened to overwhelm him.
He paused for a moment before continuing, "Where's the item?"
Li Weiyi took out the foot-square iron box and placed it on the long table in the pavilion.
The Hidden Lord dispelled the talismanic runes on the box, opened the lid, and a crimson radiance spilled out.
The first layer contained a fist-sized fruit, its fragrance rich and its crystalline surface radiant.
"A Vermilion Cloud Fruit, a treasure said to extend life by thirty years," Li Weiyi recognized it.
Zhou Bida said, "This was my request to the Twin Rice Sect. With thirty more years of life, my chances of breaking through to Immortal Realm would be greater."
Without even glancing at the Vermilion Cloud Fruit, the Hidden Lord swiftly opened the second layer.
Golden light erupted, revealing an Immortality Golden Pill the size of a newborn's fist, countless scriptures swirling across its surface.
An Immortality Golden Pill, not an Immortality Pill, is a golden pill cultivated by Martial-Mystic Cultivators in the Immortal Realm.
Fusing a Dao Fruit into a golden pill marks the breakthrough to the Immortal Realm.
The Hidden Lord tossed the Immortal Golden Pill aside and began frantically searching, even peeling back the layers of the iron box one by one: "It's not here... Why isn't it here?"
"What are you looking for, Hidden Lord?" Li Weiyi asked.
The Hidden Lord replied, "Her sending you to South Yan Pass served two purposes: to remove you from Headquarters and grant you freedom. Secondly, she must have tasked you with bringing out something of utmost importance, something we desperately need. What else did she give you?"
"No, before she left, she only gave me this iron box... If there's anything else..."
Li Weiyi took out the golden smiling Buddha mask and handed it to the Hidden Lord.
"But she gave me this mask long ago!"
The Hidden Lord immediately channeled his Spiritual Light (Lingguang) into the mask, causing it to erupt in blinding light. Upon closer inspection, intricate formations and array scripts appeared within the mask, dense and profound.
"This is it!"
The Hidden Lord exhaled deeply, quickly memorizing the patterns and imprinting them into his mind.
"Some of these can only be deciphered by someone from the Zuoqiu Clan. Without these formations and Formation Scriptures, attacking the Twin Rice Sect's Cultivation Headquarters would result in a casualty ratio of at least five to one. Such losses are unsustainable for any side."
After memorizing everything, the Hidden Lord erased the formations and Formation Scriptures from the mask and returned it to Li Weiyi.
"Did she leave any message for you?"
Li Weiyi desperately wanted to avoid saying it, knowing it meant Yao Qingxuan might die at the Twin Rice Sect's Cultivation Headquarters.
But this was undoubtedly her own choice, and the thought filled him with unbearable sorrow.
Li Weiyi sat down heavily, his face grim.
"Corpse Cultivation Rice is real."
Yao Qingxuan hadn't explicitly said it, but that was the clear implication.
The Hidden Lord and Zhou Bida's expressions changed drastically, despite their earlier suspicions.
Having it confirmed was an entirely different matter.
They knew this wasn't the first time Corpse Cultivation Rice had appeared. The last time, it had wiped out an entire Living Realm, transforming its inhabitants into a world of Ricefolk.
The Hidden Lord's voice was parched as he asked, "When will the rice fill the world?"
"In three months... but she said not to take it too seriously. The Twin Rice Sect will try to delay it as much as possible." Li Weiyi immediately added, "Oh, right! By then, the Twin Rice Sect and the Demon Clan will join forces to attack Lingxiao City."
He then recounted what he had witnessed in Thunder Mausoleum (Leiling) City, revealing that the Demon Clan had also allied with some factions from the Nether Realm of the Dead.
Both the Hidden Lord and Zhou Bida had weathered countless storms, but they were stunned by Li Weiyi's revelations. They held their breath, their hearts pounding like thunder.
"Three months... Is time already so critical?" Zhou Bida asked.
The Hidden Lord clenched his fists, "Every faction in the world would love to see the Demon Clan tear Yu Yaozi into a thousand pieces, just as they'd love for Yu Yaozi to slaughter the Demon Clan. The Demon Clan and the Twin Rice Sect are too clever in their strategy. When they attack Lingxiao City, the world will cheer and stand aside, waiting for them to destroy each other."
"I suspect that if I sent this news back to the Zuoqiu Clan, it would backfire," Hidden Lord said.
Li Weiyi asked, "Would the Zuoqiu Clan really sit back and watch the Demon Clan and Twin Rice Sect fight each other?"
"Who knows?" Hidden Lord replied, his voice agitated, "Right now, the Zuoqiu Clan and the Snow Sword Tang Court have joined forces with various factions to attack the Underground Immortal Mansion. But their hearts aren't united; everyone fears casualties. If the news gets out, they might all lay down their arms and let the Demon Clan, Twin Rice Sect, and Imperial Court fight it out first. No matter. Let's return and discuss this later."
Zhou Bida said, "Leave the thirty Imperial Court Cultivators Luansheng Linyou controls to me. I'll report them to the Phoenix Terrace."
"Oh, and one more thing," Li Weiyi added.
"Yang Shenjing and Xu Fodu are the Twin Rice Sect's two Vice Palace Masters. Is there any chance we could topple the Sui Sect first?"
Hidden Lord replied, "Easier said than done. The Sui Sect is incredibly powerful now, deeply trusted by the Second Palace Master. Moreover, they're retainers of the Jiu Li Tribe, with impeccable backgrounds."
"The Imperial Court is rotten to the core, consumed by infighting and chaos," Zhou Bida said, "Any news that leaks out will be dismissed as factional squabbling."
Hidden Lord pulled Li Weiyi, preparing to take him back to Li Prefecture, far from the eye of the storm.
Li Weiyi suddenly remembered something.
"Elder Zhou, are your family members still held by the Twin Rice Sect?"
Zhou Bida's eyes clouded with grief: "Rest assured, I can distinguish right from wrong in matters of great importance. I won't let them control me. If they harm my family, I'll join them in death."
The Hidden Lord said, "Old Zhou, the Hidden Sect will do everything we can to rescue them."
Li Weiyi quickly clarified, "That's not what I meant! Elder Zhou, I believe that safeguarding the nation and family is a man's responsibility, as is the bond with his children. Who is holding them captive, and where are they?"
Zhou Bida shook his head, his eyes reddening: "I don't know! The one behind this isn't someone from our Hidden Sect, but another faction within the Twin Rice Sect - perhaps the Yang Shenjing you mentioned."
Li Weiyi turned to the Hidden Lord.
"When I left, she said she was going to South Yan Pass to find the Prefect Elder, who is in charge of all matters there. I think she was hinting that Elder Zhou's family could be found through the Prefect Elder. I want to try!"
The Hidden Lord stared intently at Li Weiyi, "Do you think the Heretical Sect is keeping secrets from her and guarding against her for no reason? Do you think you're safe? Ah, well, I've never been able to dissuade you. I'll wait for you outside the city for half a day at most. Old Zhou, do you think our Divine Hidden One is up to the task?"
"Unqualified as a Divine Hidden One."
Zhou Bida's face was filled with gratitude. He carefully packed the Vermilion Cloud Fruit and Immortal Golden Pill into a box and handed it to Li Weiyi.
"But a Divine Hidden One with a human heart is someone we'd gladly risk our lives for. Please accept this - don't refuse. I beg you!"
Li Weiyi wasn't one to dither. He accepted the iron box and made a solemn promise: "The Hidden Sect will never abandon any of the Hidden Ones, including their families."
.....
The Hidden Lord, carrying a great secret that could determine the fate of countless lives, refused to take risks and immediately left the city.
Li Weiyi, on the other hand, disguised himself once more and headed for the Twin Rice Sect's base in South Yan Pass.
Guanlan Pavilion, a brothel.
Many beautiful Ricefolk women were sold into brothels, where they faced tragic fates.
Ironically, this made brothels perfect havens for Twin Rice Sect's Cultivators to gather information and establish bases.
Li Weiyi had just found Guanlan Pavilion, gazing at the magnificent and imposing garden architecture before him.
"Boom!"
South Yan Pass shook violently. Spiritual Qi ripples spread across the city, activating layers of formation light screens.
The ripples contained the Spiritual Qi of an Immortal.
Snow blanketed the entire city, each flake as large as a goose feather.
Li Weiyi looked up at the fourth-tier city above and realized the battle was coming from the direction of Zhou Manor.
The sound of battle struck Li Weiyi like a thunderbolt, causing his heart to skip a beat.
His mind filled with the question: "Why?"
Without hesitation, he turned and fled, hurrying toward the city gate.
Inside Zhou Manor, large sections of the buildings had collapsed, and the defensive formations had shattered - the manor had been breached from the outside.
"Too late!"
Yao Qian, clad in his Junior Minister's official robe, stood tall and handsome as jade. He enveloped all of South Yan Pass within his Dao Heart Manifestation, carefully sensing every passerby, with special attention to the city gate.
His Intent wasn't yet strong enough to lock onto every individual; he had to rely on luck.
Standing around him were two rows of Phoenix Terrace female officials, all possessing Pure Immortal Physiques and powerful cultivation.
On the other side, Zhou Bida's chest had been pierced through, leaving a bowl-sized bloody hole.
Blood flowed from his seven orifices, but his vitality was strong, and he hadn't yet died, writhing in agony.
The Old Ancestor of the Sheng Clan released threads of Spiritual Light (Lingguang) from his brow, which burrowed into Zhou Bida's skull, attempting Soul Retrieval to search for memories.
"You... won't... succeed..."
Zhou Bida roared hoarsely, gathering his remaining strength to erupt from the bottom of the crater.
He threw a punch at the Old Ancestor of the Sheng Clan, the fist's energy domineering and profound, causing the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi of the entire Zhou Manor to boil.
The Old Ancestor's expression changed drastically, and he immediately retreated.
"Boom!"
Yao Qian descended from the sky, stomping Zhou Bida's head into bloody pulp. Another crater formed in the ground as his voice echoed out: "Close the city gates. Impose a citywide lockdown."
A Phoenix Terrace female official asked, "What if the Heretical Sect's contact has already left the city?"
"Sect Leader of the Sui Sect will personally intervene. Even if it's an Immortal Realm cultivator, they will die without a doubt," Yao Qian replied calmly.
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END OF CHAPTER
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