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Novel: [The Primordial Law]
Volume 4: [Shuangsheng Dao Sect (Twin Rice Sect)]
Chapter 143 (398): [The Manifest Will of Heaven]
(143rd of Volume 4)
Translator: Shadow Knight AK
Editor: Shadow Knight AK
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New Year's Eve.
Tonight, as people kept vigil through the night, every street and alley blazed with light and echoed with festive clamor.
The demons who had escaped from the Six Thoughts Zen Temple's dungeon were swiftly surrounded and slain by the Imperial Court's armies, preventing any widespread chaos.
The decree to capture the Demon Child specifically targeted Martial-Mystic Cultivators below the Immortal Realm, leaving the vast majority of the city's residents completely unaware of the truth.
They maintained unwavering faith in Lingxiao Palace, confident that everything was under control.
After all, the City-Protecting Formation and the Great Nine Heavens Cloud Formation had been activated before.
Even if the sky were to collapse, the Transcendent and Immortal Realm powerhouses would shoulder the burden, shielding the common folk from the storm.
This deep-rooted confidence had been cultivated over millennia, its foundations unshakable.
"Whoosh!"
Yao Qian's imposing figure materialized atop a six-story, eaves-curved pavilion.
Twin pillars of spiritual energy erupted from his eyes as he activated a profound ocular technique.
His gaze swept across the grid-like streets below, scrutinizing every pedestrian, carriage, and dwelling.
A black carriage slowly rolled past on the street beneath him.
An Xianjing's fingers, as she manipulated her prayer beads, emitted a faint radiance that enveloped the carriage in an illusion.
Even if the illusion were pierced, observers would only see a family of three.
Once they had traveled a sufficient distance, the illusion dissipated.
Yao Qingxuan's appearance in Lingxiao City confirmed that Tuoba Butuo had delivered the blood-sealed letter a month prior, finally easing Li Weiyi's long-held anxiety.
But why had they only arrived now, a full month later?
And how would he explain his actions in Lingxiao City?
Li Weiyi covertly observed An Xianjing's face.
Today, her appearance was neither the transcendent beauty of her Pure Immortal Physique nor the hideous ferocity she sometimes displayed.
Instead, she possessed the fair skin and above-average features of an ordinary mortal.
Her outward appearance offered no clue to her inner state.
An Xianjing's eyes, usually eternally serene, had been fixed on Li Weiyi with a cold, unwavering gaze since he entered the carriage.
This woman was far more than a mere Buddhist cultivator; her temperament was volatile, and she might strike out at any moment.
With his guilty conscience, it would have been strange if Li Weiyi felt no pressure.
Outside, the streets erupted with the crackle of firecrackers, joyous laughter, and the thunderous beat of drums and gongs, all celebrating the passing of the old year and welcoming the new.
Inside the carriage, however, the atmosphere was as frigid and silent as an ice cellar, eerily still.
An Xianjing finally spoke, her voice cutting through the silence: "Shouldn't you be pleased to see us? Yet you seem deeply uneasy, even afraid. What are you hiding?"
Li Weiyi steeled his resolve and responded with silence.
Seeing his defiance, the cold glint in An Xianjing's eyes intensified: "Throw him out. Leave him to Yao Qian."
Yao Qingxuan raised her arm, her slender left hand unfurling, spiritual energy swirling around her fingertips.
Li Weiyi immediately said, "If Palace Master An and Master had appeared before me a month ago, I would have been overjoyed. I would have rushed to invite you both to the Heavenly Pavilion, treating you to the most exquisite dishes and finest wines, serving tea and pouring wine, massaging your shoulders and backs. But you only appeared after a month had passed. How could I possibly be happy? How could I not be anxious?"
Seated to the right, leaning against the carriage wall, Yao Qingxuan exuded a faint fragrance.
She withdrew her hand into her wide, red cloud-patterned sleeve, her long hair framing her face, her eyes icy.
"Are you blaming us for not rushing to your rescue the moment we received your blood-written plea for help?"
"How dare I! You are both esteemed figures of the Divine Sect. I'm just a junior - how could I harbor such presumptuous thoughts?" Li Weiyi sat rigidly, avoiding eye contact, his demeanor betraying hidden anxieties.
An Xianjing said, "You still have emotions? Since you escaped Southern Yan Pass, why did you come to Lingxiao City? Give me a reasonable explanation!"
Li Weiyi had already prepared his response: "If not Lingxiao City, where else would I go? Back to Headquarters? I'd rather not die on the road."
"If you can't provide a reasonable explanation, I can't plead on your behalf," Yao Qingxuan sighed softly.
Li Weiyi fell silent, a complex mix of emotions swirling in his eyes. After a few breaths, he finally spoke, "Perhaps... I've fallen in love. Seeing Jiang Ning again at Southern Yan Pass, especially when she was with Xie Chucai, filled me with an indescribable anguish. I knew that if I didn't come to Lingxiao City, I might lose her forever, and I would regret it for the rest of my life."
Li Weiyi's actions in Lingxiao City had been almost entirely intertwined with Jiang Ning and Xie Chucai.
Moreover, rumors about him and Jiang Ning had circulated since the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival.
This was the most logical explanation!
An Xianjing's gaze darkened: "You've become so irrational over a woman?"
"During the final battle at Six Thoughts Zen Temple, how many of your trump cards did you expose? Wasn't the lesson of the Ancestor Field being destroyed severe enough? All for Jiang Ning? You've utterly disappointed me!" Yao Qingxuan's tone turned stern.
Li Weiyi had long suspected that the two women had been at Six Thoughts Zen Temple.
When he and Tai Shiyu drove away in their carriage, they had likely been following closely behind.
Li Weiyi said, "Master..."
"Don't call me Master!" Yao Qingxuan snapped, "That word feels like thorns in my back, especially after what happened beneath the Six Demon Mountains at Six Thoughts Zen Temple. You may have acted heroically, but I was terrified. Did she even leave with you in the end? If I hadn't intervened, could you really have escaped Yao Qian's grasp?"
Yao Qingxuan's fury was largely genuine.
Whether as the Divine Son of the Twin Rice Cult or the Jiu Li Divine Hidden One, Li Weiyi's actions this time were utterly incomprehensible.
Unaware of the Twin Rice Cult's deep ties to the Demon Kingdom, Li Weiyi decided to probe: "Of course I know I've become entangled in a dangerous game. If it were just about Jiang Ning, I wouldn't have acted so rashly."
He then recounted the entire story of the Mother-Child Spring and the Ghost Infant incident.
Noticing An Yao and Yao Qingxuan listening intently, their faces etched with shock, Li Weiyi realized he had struck a nerve.
He continued indignantly: "The Demon Kingdom's methods are utterly despicable! For over twenty years, how many women in the Lingxiao Life Realm have drunk from the Mother-Child Spring?"
"They were all innocent, yet now they're being transformed into creatures neither human nor ghost. Those children - some still infants, others just three or five years old, some in the prime of their youth - what crime had they committed? In an instant, they're all turned into Ghost Infants, devouring human hearts and livers, becoming monsters."
"I've been to the Imperial Ancestral Temple's prison and witnessed the hellish scenes there."
"Once dignified and beautiful, they were mothers, daughters, women with dreams and aspirations. Now they're all caged monsters. Those not confined tear each other apart, even cannibalizing other Ghost Mothers."
"You haven't seen what I've seen. You can't possibly understand how I feel."
"I know war is cruel, and people will stop at nothing to win. You two must think the same, right?"
"But I can't do it!"
"What I despise most is targeting women and children with such brutality. It's utterly without any moral boundaries!"
"Bang!"
Li Weiyi, his emotions surging, abruptly stood up in the carriage, his eyes bloodshot, veins bulging, and fist slamming heavily against the wall.
"You have no boundaries, but I do! If I had to choose a hundred times over, I would still challenge Xie Chucai to a duel. I regret not killing him now!"
"If Palace Master An and Master believe I've done wrong, they can kill me. But I will never bow my head. I've done nothing wrong. I don't care how war is waged, but women and children must be treated as human beings. Heaven's justice is clear: karma will prevail. You can deceive people, but you can't deceive your own heart, nor can you deceive heaven and earth!"
Silence fell over the carriage.
An Xianjing, who had been staring intently into Li Weiyi's eyes, now lowered her gaze to the Buddhist prayer beads in her hand, occasionally lifting her eyelids slightly to observe his stubborn, impassioned demeanor.
Yao Qingxuan spoke first: "In your heart, are your Master and Palace Master An truly so despicable?"
Li Weiyi remained silent.
"Sit down," An Xianjing commanded sharply, her tone softening considerably, "What do you mean we have no bottom line? Are you the only one with morals, the only righteous, virtuous, and saintly one? A saintly fool who doesn't value his own life?"
Li Weiyi sat back down, his gaze steady as he met her eyes, "I merely spoke my mind plainly, saying exactly what I thought."
"Speaking your mind gives you the right to falsely accuse your Master and this Palace Master?" An Xianjing retorted, "Your audacity knows no bounds."
Li Weiyi sat calmly upright: "I know the Divine Sect and the Demon Kingdom are collaborating. Given my grave mistake, I assume Palace Master An intends to offer me as a tribute to some high-ranking demon lord."
"You are the Divine Son of the Divine Sect, the eldest disciple of Venerable Nan," An Xianjing replied, "No sect would ever sacrifice its own prodigy to be slaughtered by outsiders."
Li Weiyi stared at her, stunned.
Yao Qingxuan added, "We risked everything to come to Lingxiao City. While it wasn't solely for you, you were at least thirty to forty percent of the reason. Yet you greeted us with a torrent of accusations. Had anyone else dared such insolence, they would have been reduced to ashes long ago!"
Li Weiyi smiled: "Palace Master An won't kill me?"
An Xianjing replied, "The Divine Sect and the Demon Kingdom do indeed cooperate, but I was truly unaware of the Mother-Child Spring affair. You said Luan Sheng Lin You leaked the information to you and has been guiding you toward the Six Thoughts Zen Temple, correct?"
Li Weiyi nodded.
An Xianjing asked, "Do you know why he did this?"
"He wanted to use me as a pawn to kill someone," Li Weiyi answered.
An Xianjing explained, "Firstly, he wanted to use you to provoke conflict between the Demon Kingdom and the Divine Sect. Secondly, he wanted to expose the Demon Kingdom's forces, forcing Third Palace Master and the other Lingxiao City powerhouses to engage in a major battle with the Demon Kingdom. This would deplete the Imperial Court's strength and reduce Lingxiao City to a desolate wasteland."
"With this, the Monster Race could reap the benefits, seizing the opportune moment to invade the Cloud Heaven (Yuntian) Immortal Plain. The Divine Sect would then be forced to act prematurely."
"In short, Luan Sheng Lin You is one of the few opponents among the younger generation who can match you. He possesses exceptional intelligence and understands your character, knowing you would inevitably take the bait."
"If we let him succeed, the Monster Race will seize absolute control of the war."
Li Weiyi said, "Someone within the Divine Sect leaked my identity to Luan Sheng Lin You."
"That's your problem! The younger generation is your opponent - deal with them yourself."
An Xianjing continued, "I wanted to tell you that the Divine Sect, the Demon Kingdom, the Monster Race, and even some factions within the Nether Realm of the Dead are all cooperating. Yet each secretly schemes to push the others into the water first, hoping they'll bear the brunt of Lingxiao Palace's initial assault, minimizing their own losses and maximizing their postwar gains."
"The Monster Race wants the Demon Kingdom to provoke Lingxiao Palace into attacking first, forcing the Three Palaces to act. They also aim to expose the Divine Sect, drawing the Imperial Court and the major sects into a full-scale war."
"We're not different. We want the Monster Race to strike first, and the Demon Kingdom to clash with Lingxiao Palace."
"At the Six Thoughts Zen Temple, why did the Demon Kingdom's representative compromise with the Third Palace Master, giving the Lingxiao Life Realm a chance to hunt down the Demon Child? Did you see through the hidden motives?"
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END OF CHAPTER
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