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Novel: [The Primordial Law]
Volume 4: [Shuangsheng Dao Sect (Twin Rice Sect)]
Chapter 149 (404): [The Dragon-Headed Camel]
(149th of Volume 4)
Translator: Shadow Knight AK
Editor: Shadow Knight AK
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Two monstrous beasts, their auras vast and oppressive, moved like mountains shifting across the landscape.
The Azure Flame Three-Headed Lion, its four paws wreathed in flames, radiated alternating azure and crimson light. Its fiery mane flowed like molten metal, each strand imbued with unfathomable and domineering energy.
Beside it stood a camel of unimaginable size, shrouded in an enigmatic shadow. Its entire body was covered in scales, and a pair of horns, etched with countless arcane runes, adorned its head.
Li Weiyi frowned, initially assuming these were powerful figures from the Monster Race.
However, seeing Tang Wanzhou's composure in the face of such terrifying creatures, he immediately realized they were allies, not enemies.
"Is that a Dragon-Headed Camel?" Li Weiyi asked.
He recalled the Coffin Master's teachings: the Evil Camel Bell could initially summon only a single camel. As the master's cultivation improved, it could summon an entire caravan. Eventually, the camels would transform into the legendary Dragon-Headed Camel.
Before them stood what appeared to be this mythical, ferocious beast.
"It's the old man's mount," Tang Wanzhou explained, gazing at the creature, "He brought it back as a cub from beyond the borders. He's been raising it for nearly a thousand years."
Tang Wanzhou's gaze locked with the figure riding atop the Azure Flame Three-Headed Lion, and the two began communicating telepathically.
Tuoba Butuo, his entire body gleaming like polished silver, darted out from behind the Azure Flame Three-Headed Lion, appearing as small as a bean in comparison.
He waved his hand and shouted joyfully, "Young Lord! Brother Weiyi!"
The two colossal beasts halted a dozen miles away, standing motionless and majestic.
Tuoba Butuo sprinted toward them, his face radiant with delight, his laughter ringing out clearly.
Seeing him so lively and energetic, Li Weiyi's spirits lifted instantly.
He quickly asked why Tuoba Butuo was here.
"Venerable Nan brought Old Qi and me out of the Headquarters. Old Qi has already returned to Qiu Prefecture, and I'll likely be heading back to the Northern Territory soon. Brother Weiyi, don't return to the Underground Immortal Mansion. The Twin Rice Sect will never truly trust us humans; they don't see us as their own kind," Tuoba Butuo said gravely.
Li Weiyi nodded slowly, "What about the Death Spirit Fire in your body?"
"The Lion Tamer King personally intervened and extracted the Death Spirit Fire from me, strand by strand. My soul consciousness suffered some damage, but I believe I can recover it through cultivation," Tuoba Butuo replied, his eyes filled with reverence and admiration.
The Death Spirit Fire within Tuoba Butuo had been planted by a Holy Spiritual Master. It was only natural that a Transcendent like the Lion Tamer King could remove it.
With Tuoba Butuo's exceptional talent as the Tuoba Clan's heir, he had already earned the right to receive personal assistance from a Transcendent.
After all, even a great clan like the Tuoba, with its Transcendent ancestor, produced only one heir every century.
When the Li Clan produced an heir, their Transcendent immediately took the young prodigy under their wing for personal tutelage.
The collective debut at the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival marked the arrival of the Golden Generation of the Lingxiao Life Realm.
This generation was destined to be remembered a thousand years from now, and even ten thousand years later.
In other eras, it was normal for only one or two top-tier heirs to emerge every sixty years, leading the young heroes of the world.
Hearing the name "Lion Tamer King," Li Weiyi's expression turned solemn.
He gazed in astonishment at the two ancient behemoths in the distance, his eyes fixed on the figure atop the lion's back, though he couldn't make out any details.
'Could that be Tang Shituo, the strongest warrior in the Northern Territory?'
The strongest warrior in the Southern Territory was Zuoqiu Xuanming of the Zuoqiu Clan's School of Diplomacy and Strategy, whose legendary combat prowess was said to rival that of the Second Palace Master.
Li Weiyi sighed, "I can't return to the Twin Rice Sect now. I've effectively severed ties with them."
In Lingxiao City, he had thwarted the Demon Kingdom Crown Prince's grand scheme.
The Twin Rice Sect, seeking the Demon Kingdom's support to become the rulers of the Lingxiao Life Realm and establish the Rice Realm, would likely push their so-called Divine Son onto the executioner's block at any moment.
"Excellent!"
Tuoba Butuo clapped his hands loudly, glanced at Tang Wanzhou beside him, and continued, "Come with us to the Northern Territory! See the snow-capped mountains and vast grasslands, witness the passion and valor of our Northern women, experience a different culture, share wine and laughter, and conquer the world together! Wouldn't that be glorious?"
Li Weiyi sighed with a smile, "It's not as simple as packing up and leaving. I'll visit the Northern Territory someday - when I do, I'll expect you to treat me to a feast of meat. But not now."
"You're still going back to the Cloud Heaven (Yuntian) Immortal Plain?" Tang Wanzhou asked, as if seeing right through him.
Li Weiyi paused before replying, "Why would I return to that death trap? I have many comrades in Li Prefecture, and I'm a Divine Hidden One of the Jiu Li Hidden Sect. You know my ties to the Zuoqiu Clan, Young Lord. With so many bonds holding me here, how could I possibly go to the Northern Territory now?"
"Besides, the world war is imminent. Only if the Human Race wins will there be any future possibilities. If we lose... what difference does it make whether I'm in the Southern Territory or the Northern Territory?"
Tang Wanzhou strode toward the two colossal beasts, "Try to persuade him again. He's determined to return to the eye of the storm and throw his life away."
Tuoba Butuo watched as Tang Wanzhou leaped gracefully onto the central head of the Azure Flame Three-Headed Lion, landing squarely on its crown.
He murmured, "The Young Lord has never cared so deeply for anyone. She's always been so carefree and unattached. Come with us. The Northern Territory is far safer than the chaotic Southern Territory. Here, you're surrounded by enemies - the Jiang Clan, Twin Rice Sect, Coffin Mountain, Sui Sect, Night City, San Chen Palace, and the Monster Race. Even if Zuoqiu Hongting is exceptional, can she compare to the Young Lord? The Young Lord just lacks a bit of feminine charm..."
"You've hit the nail on the head!" Li Weiyi clapped him on the shoulder, lowering his voice as well, "If she were called Princess Tangting or Princess Wanwan or something, I'd shamelessly follow her to the Northern Territory and work hard to become her consort. That would be a life worth living. But her title is Young Lord... It would sound terrible if word got out."
Tuoba Butuo stared in disbelief.
'Is that what you're worried about?'
On the back of the Azure Flame Three-Headed Lion, Tang Wanzhou hurled the Nine-Layered Demonic Pagoda.
"Old man, take this and study it! Lend me a Transcendent power."
Standing opposite her, Tang Shituo caught the blood-red pagoda, his eyelids lifting slightly.
"Give it to him?"
"He saved my life. Without him, I would have died in the Underground Immortal Mansion. I must repay this debt," Tang Wanzhou declared.
"Is that the only reason?" Tang Shituo pressed.
"He possesses exceptional talent and will surpass your future achievements," Tang Wanzhou said, "I refuse to let him throw his life away."
"Storing a single technique requires releasing vast amounts of scripture, which drains one's cultivation," Tang Shituo replied, "The world is shrouded in darkness, and war is imminent. I can't afford to lend him my power!"
Tang Shituo removed his dark gray cloak and tossed it to Tang Wanzhou, "This Thousand-Character Artifact cloak is sturdy enough to withstand the Dragon-Headed Camel's full-force strike. Let him store his Innate Dao Technique within it - that should suffice!"
After a while, Tang Wanzhou returned with the neatly folded cloak and handed it to Li Weiyi.
"Activate it with your spiritual energy in times of greatest peril."
Li Weiyi accepted this act of kindness without false modesty.
He then retrieved the Divine Snow Sword from Yao Qingxuan's Cosmic Pouch and returned it to her.
Tang Wanzhou took the Divine Snow Sword and turned to leave, "Beneath the night's cruelest battlefields, danger lurks everywhere, and demons and monsters roam unchecked. Whether north or south, all are driven to the brink. Unyielding warriors wield their swords and blades, fighting without hesitation until dawn breaks. No matter where the battlefield lies, we fight to win, to survive."
Li Weiyi clasped his hands in farewell.
"Though fierce winds may rise, ride the gale and soar ten thousand miles. Young Lord, take care!"
Tuoba Butuo bowed to Li Weiyi in farewell before hurrying to catch up.
A lion and a camel, two colossal beasts, headed north.
Tang Wanzhou stood atop the camel's hump, arms crossed, her ponytail swaying in the wind.
"Spread the word," she commanded, "Let every woman across the land who has drunk from the Mother-Child Spring gather with their children at Fengzhou City. The Snow Sword Tang Clan will eradicate this hidden threat for them."
The muscular figure atop the Azure Flame Three-Headed Lion countered, "Use their strength to seize Fengzhou for the Snow Sword Tang Clan? Fengzhou is Imperial Court territory. Given the current situation, won't such an aggressive move benefit the Monster Race?"
Fengzhou was one of the Imperial Court's eight core provinces.
It was also one of the two provinces in the Northern Territory that the Snow Sword Tang Clan had yet to conquer.
Tang Wanzhou gazed north, "The Monster Race and Demon Kingdom have suffered consecutive defeats at Lingxiao City, their schemes foiled. I predict the decisive battle at Cloud Heaven (Yuntian) Immortal Plain is imminent, far sooner than two months from now.
"If the Western Territory conflict erupts around the Shangyuan Festival, the battle for Lingxiao City will undoubtedly occur in the first lunar month."
"Old man, there's no time left! If we don't seize Fengzhou quickly, it will fall into the hands of the Monster Race first, and the Imperial Court won't be able to hold it."
"We must secure Fengzhou City's myriad formations, the Heavenly Law Earth Spring, and the defensive arrays of the surrounding counties and prefectural cities to establish a foothold. Then, after Lingxiao City falls, we can swiftly advance to the Cloud Heaven (Yuntian) Immortal Plain and engage the Monster Race in a decisive battle."
"Without this forward base, by the time we cross the Misty Grassland southward, the battle will already be over. We'll only face the enemy's full force head-on. We'll be unable to advance and equally unable to retreat."
"Now that we possess the Nine-Layered Demonic Pagoda, we can harness its immense power to take Fengzhou without shedding a drop of blood. Why hesitate?"
"When war erupts in the Western Territory, the Imperial Court will be too preoccupied to defend itself. They'll be forced to rob Peter to pay Paul (take something away from one person to pay another; discharge one debt only to incur another.), retreating and handing Fengzhou over to us, the Snow Sword Tang Clan, to guard the Northern Heavenly Gate in their stead."
The figure atop the Azure Flame Three-Headed Lion replied, "Fine. Your strategies have never failed before. We'll proceed as you say. This battle is a matter of life or death - there's no other path."
"Even if a raging wind rises, I shall ride the wind and cleave ten thousand miles!"
Tang Wanzhou spurred her Dragon-Headed Camel into a frenzied gallop, its speed increasing relentlessly until the two beasts vanished into the swirling snowstorm, disappearing over the northern horizon.
The sky began to lighten with the pale dawn, signaling the arrival of morning.
Li Weiyi failed to locate Zuoqiu Ling and Yao Xingyue.
Unbeknownst to them, the man who had accompanied Tang Wanzhou was Li Weiyi himself, and he had already departed, unwilling to linger in the treacherous Fu Prefecture Plains for fear of exposing his position.
In this dark and chaotic era, concealment was the best means of survival.
From the weakest Surging Spring Realm Martial-Mystic Cultivators to the Transcendent, each possessed their own methods of concealment.
The difference lay in their motives: the former sought survival, while the latter aimed to instill fear.
Li Weiyi turned his attention to finding the refugees who had evacuated from the besieged town, intending to escort them to Yu County before leaving.
Following their trail, he soon located the group about ten miles from where they had separated.
Under the morning sun, over a hundred townspeople - mostly women and children - lay slaughtered across the muddy, snow-covered plains.
Li Weiyi stood frozen, petrified by the sight.
Though the sunlight warmed his skin, he felt no warmth within.
Last night, when they parted, they were still vibrant with life. The man had solemnly assured him there would be no danger on the journey to Yu County.
These children were the ones he had personally rescued, pulling them from that hellish town.
Even though they had been terrified and wept throughout the night, at least their futures held infinite possibilities and hope.
Now, half the corpses on the ground had been torn apart by spiritual energy, while the other half had already decayed into rotting flesh.
Was hell so inescapable?
"Earth Spirit Grey Mist!"
Li Weiyi felt his skin go numb, immediately realizing the townspeople had been poisoned by the Grey Mist from Coffin Mountain, causing their flesh to decompose so rapidly.
He was no longer the man he once was, his cultivation now profound.
With a gritted-teeth roar, he channeled his spiritual energy, forcing the Grey Mist poison from his pores.
Suddenly, an overwhelming sense of danger surged through him.
"Whoosh!"
A terrifying spiral force erupted from the earth, turning the surrounding ten meters into a vortex of mud and pulling him downward.
Li Weiyi spread his arms wide, unleashing his Dao Heart Manifestation.
Spiritual energy surged from his Wind Mansion, resonating with dragon roars, but he didn't summon the Seven-Clawed Flame Heavenly Dragon.
Instead, he broke free from the earth's pull, his body soaring upward at an angle.
"Whoosh!"
A tall, corpulent figure burst through the mud, emerging from the earth in pursuit.
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END OF CHAPTER
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