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Novel: [The Primordial Law]
Volume 5: [Seeking Immortality in the Eastern Sea]
Volume 5 (Pinyin): [Dong Hai xun xian]
Chapter 104 (541): [Cave Void (Dongxu) Camp]
(104th of Volume 5)
(END OF VOLUME 5)
Translator: Shadow Knight AK
Editor: Shadow Knight AK
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"This question is... difficult to answer," Li Weiyi said, genuinely unsure how to explain.
Elder Qin immediately understood, nodding: "Don't trouble yourself. It was foolish of this old man to pry. The Grand Palace Master must have imposed a gag order. But next time, at least give us a hint. If we accidentally offend her, we're doomed!"
The Hidden Lord nodded in agreement.
"We seek not merit, but the avoidance of error. Don't let the Snow Sword Tang Court, Zuoqiu Clan, and Thundercloud Sect's current glory fool you. Once the Grand Palace Master achieves her Breakthrough to Heavenly Emperor, they will all bow in submission."
Elder Qin added, "It's good nothing serious happened. The East Sea is too chaotic right now; you must be even more cautious. Weiyi, can we speak privately?"
Li Weiyi thought of the battle corpse in his Boundary Pouch: "I was just about to suggest that."
The two men used their movement techniques to reach the shore.
Twilight deepened, waves crashing against the rocks.
Li Weiyi retrieved the battle corpse from his Boundary Pouch and recounted his experiences in the Nether Realm of the Dead.
Elder Qin immediately examined the corpse on the ground.
"This is an Iron Corpse, refined while still alive. It's definitely the work of the Tai Yin Sect. What a pity - the refinement has completely disfigured his face, and his body is filled with corpse blood, altering his aura beyond recognition. There's no way to identify him. How did you know he was a member of the Sentinel Spirit Army?"
"He swallowed his Spirit Whistle, for some reason," Li Weiyi said, retrieving the whistle from the corpse's abdomen.
Elder Qin immediately took the whistle.
"Excellent! Each Sentinel Spirit's whistle is custom-made. We can trace his identity back at Cave Void Camp. He must have known the Tai Yin Sect planned to infiltrate the camp by peeling off his skin, so he preserved this clue. Good lad, you've done a great service!"
Seeing Elder Qin's lack of urgency or concern, Li Weiyi couldn't help but ask, "Doesn't this mean Cave Void Camp is in grave danger now?"
Li Weiyi couldn't reveal the secret of the Blood-Awakening Corpse technique, but the battle corpse had clearly stated that the Tai Yin Sect intended to overthrow Cave Void Camp.
Elder Qin said, "The Tai Yin Sect was cultivated by the Nether Realm of the Dead specifically to counter the Sentinel Spirit Army. The two sides have clashed countless times and know each other well. This is why we can't reveal the identities of Sentinel Spirits. Once exposed, they become targets for assassination by the Tai Yin Sect."
"If the Cave Void Camp were so easily infiltrated, the Nether Realm of the Dead would have wiped it out long ago."
"During the recent incident in the East Sea, a large number of Sentinel Spirits fell, significantly increasing the risk of exposure. We've abandoned our old camp, using it as bait, and all new recruits are now stationed at the new camp."
Li Weiyi asked, "Sentinel Spirits' identities and movements are supposed to be secret. How could so many have fallen at once?"
Elder Qin's eyes darkened: "You don't need to concern yourself with that. The Sentinel Lord is personally investigating the matter, and the truth will soon come to light. You're not frightened, are you? The Leader has already spoken to the Sentinel Lord about you. You can join the camp at any time."
"Is Master at the Cave Void Camp?" Li Weiyi asked.
Elder Qin replied, "I overheard their conversation. It seems the Leader and the Sentinel Lord were former Sentinel Spirit comrades with a deep bond."
Staying in the Lingxiao Life Realm was no longer an option.
The Sentinel Spirit Army did seem like a good alternative.
Besides, Yu'er's Cursed Monster still needed the Soul-Burning Heavenly Fire to be dispelled.
...
"Yaoyin, I'll come find you at Calamity Crossing Temple. If Zuoqiu Hongting bullies you, tell her my name."
"I'm afraid if I mention your name, she'll beat me even harder. But I won't back down from the True Inheritance competition."
Li Weiyi bid farewell to Hidden Lord, Yaoyin, and Hidden Twenty-Four, declaring he would join Elder Qin to meet the Leader and enter the Nether Realm of the Dead for training.
"Old Li, assign a Hidden Elder to remain on Moon Dragon Island," Li Weiyi requested as he prepared to leave.
Elder Qin had informed him that the Space Teleportation Formation at the Moon Dragon Island outpost was the closest to the Lingxiao Life Realm.
An hour later, Li Weiyi arrived with Elder Qin at the Sentinel Spirit Army outpost on the northern cliff of Moon Dragon Island.
The outpost was a simple structure built from green flagstones, usually manned by a Low-Rank Sentinel Spirit and a handful of Sentinels.
"What's wrong? Regretting your decision? Missing the warmth of soft jade? Afraid of the Nether Realm's cold and misery?" Elder Qin teased, noticing Li Weiyi's subdued mood as he followed behind.
Li Weiyi was pondering how to care for Yu'er.
She was still just a little girl.
Keeping her locked in the Blood Mud Space indefinitely was clearly not an option.
Li Weiyi followed Elder Qin into the white mist behind the outpost.
"What's so special about those two? One's scrawny, the other's fierce. Does every outpost have a Space Teleportation Formation?"
Emerging from the mist, they stood on a flat clearing where a Space Teleportation Formation, twelve meters in diameter, lay before them.
Ancient Immortal Giant Beast blood flowed through the formation's engraved grooves.
"What are you thinking?" Elder Qin asked, "Only a few Imperial Psychic Masters can construct these formations. Each one is priceless; every one destroyed is a loss. Each teleportation consumes vast quantities of Blood Crystals and Ancient Immortal Giant Beast blood - it's incredibly expensive."
Elder Qin placed Blood Crystals into the formation's recessed channels.
"Aside from missions, you need to supply your own Blood Crystals for each use. Just look at me - a round trip costs at least ten million Yongquan Coins. That's enough to buy several mansions!"
"The Cave Void Camp's Space Teleportation Formation network was commissioned from the Mist Heavenly Sovereign long ago. They say a hundred formations were originally built."
"Now, at most ten can be activated. Some have been destroyed, while others remain hidden to prevent their destruction by the Dead Spirits and the Tai Yin Sect."
The Zen Hai Guanwu's mastery of space manipulation and psychic power must be extraordinary.
How else could they have crafted three hundred Governor's Official Robes in a single batch, each imbued with Space Evasion capabilities?
"Alright, come in!"
Elder Qin finished his preparations, a Lingguang radiating from his forehead as he activated the Formation beneath their feet.
"You're not carrying any living beings in your Boundary Pouch, are you? They'll be inspected at the Cave Void Camp."
"Do seven Strange Insects count?" Li Weiyi had anticipated that entering the Cave Void Camp might be as strict as entering the Twin Rice Sect's Cultivation Headquarters, so he had already transferred his important items to the Blood Mud Space.
"Move them outside the Insect Pouch to prevent it from bursting - that would be a terrible loss! There have been precedents of Boundary Pouches shattering during Space Teleportation," Elder Qin warned.
"Whoosh!"
The Formation emitted a brilliant light, followed by powerful spatial fluctuations.
A sensation of weightlessness washed over them.
Li Weiyi closed his eyes, focusing intently on the shifting energies.
This Space Teleportation lasted far longer than the one at the Twin Rice Sect's Cultivation Headquarters.
After about ten breaths, the light at the edges of the Teleportation Formation gradually faded.
Li Weiyi opened his eyes to find Elder Qin already outside the Formation, calling out "A'He" in a drawn-out voice.
He was warmly greeting a woman in her forties sitting nearby, their conversation radiating familiarity and enthusiasm.
The woman, however, didn't seem particularly welcoming.
Her tone was cold and official as she said, "Inspect the Boundary Pouch first, then check the Floating Mirror. Leave a drop of blood before exiting the Teleportation Hall. Who have you brought this time? You're the biggest rule-breaker in the entire Cave Void Camp."
The woman, named Yu He, wore a green robe without any adornments.
She sat upright behind a desk, registering names with a Vermilion Brush.
Her piercing, icy gaze seemed capable of penetrating one's very soul as she fixed her stare on Li Weiyi.
Li Weiyi strongly suspected she had cultivated a secret technique similar to the Heavenly Eye.
He felt deeply uncomfortable, as if she could see right through him.
Elder Qin straightened his back, his chin tilting skyward: "I haven't broken any rules this time. This young man was specifically requested by the Sentinel Lord himself."
Yu He rolled her eyes, clearly unconvinced.
"The Sentinel recruitment period has ended. No amount of influence will change that. The new recruits' trials are already over. Send him back immediately."
Elder Qin, having finally seized a chance to show off, refused to let it go.
He pointed at Li Weiyi: "Those new recruits? Do you believe the combined scores of the top ten in the Sentinel trials could match his alone? Do you know who defeated the Rice Palace's True Disciples? Heh heh!"
Yu He, responsible for intelligence gathering at the Cave Void Camp, thought of someone and turned her gaze back to Li Weiyi, her expression now much more serious.
"The disciple Yu Yaozi took in?"
"Whoosh!"
The Teleportation Formation glowed to life once more.
Dozens of figures materialized on the platform, all clad in Profound Armor.
Men and women stood side by side, nearly half possessing Pure Immortal Physiques.
Each was strikingly young, their essence, qi, and spirit radiating with boundless vitality.
Even with their auras suppressed, Li Weiyi could sense their overwhelming presence.
Silent and solemn, they stepped off the platform and strode toward the Teleportation Hall's exit.
"Whoosh! Whoosh..."
One after another, beams of light descended from the Suspended Celestial Mirror hanging in mid-air.
Li Weiyi spotted Tang Zhan and Song Yulou among them.
Both glanced at him, nodded subtly, and hurried away without a word.
Tang Zhan had clearly already broken through to the Immortal Realm.
"Are they all in the Immortal Realm?" Li Weiyi asked.
Elder Qin nodded: "They are Low-Rank Sentinel Spirits from the First Realm, hailing from the twenty Living Realms surrounding Cave Void Ghost City. What you're seeing is only a portion of this year's Low-Rank Sentinel Spirits, recently returned from their trials in the Nether Realm of the Dead."
Li Weiyi clicked his tongue inwardly.
Thirty-eight individuals had just passed by.
Thirty-eight Immortal Realm Martial-Mystic Cultivators?
In the Sentinel Spirit Army, Dao Seed Realm Martial-Mystic Cultivators typically served as "Sentinels," while only Immortal Realm Martial-Mystic Cultivators could become "Sentinel Spirits."
These ranks were further divided into:
Dao Seed Martial-Mystic Cultivators Rank in Dongxu Cave...
Low-Rank Sentinels
Mid-Rank Sentinels
High-Rank Sentinels
Immortal Realm Martial-Mystic Cultivator's Rank in Dongxu Cave...
Low-Rank Sentinel Spirits
Mid-Rank Sentinel Spirits
High-Rank Sentinel Spirits
Those below the Seventh Heaven of the Dao Seed Realm were all newly enlisted Low-Rank Sentinels.
To become a High-Rank Sentinel, one had to be among the most elite experts in the Dao Seed Realm.
For example, the top ten performers in the new recruit trials could directly ascend to High-Rank Sentinel status.
Other Mid-Rank Sentinels seeking promotion to High-Rank Sentinel status had to accumulate sufficient Merit Points and then pass an extremely challenging High-Rank Sentinel assessment.
Upon learning that Elder Qin had brought "Li Weiyi," Yu He completed the inspection and immediately granted passage, clearly acting on prior instructions from higher authorities.
Li Weiyi retrieved the seven Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors and returned them to his Insect Pouch.
Following Elder Qin, he exited the Teleportation Hall.
Outside, the bright sunlight warmed his skin.
Emerald Spirit Mountains rose in the distance, connected by bridges of swirling clouds and mist.
The air thrummed with dense Spiritual Qi, making it hard to believe they were still within the Nether Realm of the Dead.
Li Weiyi looked up and saw a massive circular mirror suspended in mid-air, casting a beam of light downward.
After being illuminated by the Suspended Celestial Mirror, Elder Qin enveloped Li Weiyi in Spiritual Qi and flew him toward the summit of a Spirit Mountain.
"The Sentinel Lord is absent. Come with me to see the Deputy Watchtower Lord first, then we'll get your gear and process your camp registration."
Li Weiyi glanced back at the Teleportation Hall shrinking below, the mountain ravines, training grounds, and towering halls and pagodas.
"This isn't what I expected. I thought Cave Void Camp would be located within the Nether Realm of the Dead. But it looks more like an immortal mountain paradise."
"How could anyone cultivate in the Nether Realm of the Dead?" Elder Qin retorted, "This new camp is built on the ruins of an ancient sect on the edge of the Crimson Bright Realm, right next to the Nether Realm of the Dead. Otherwise, why would the environment be so refined? I've been advocating for this move for ages. The Crimson Bright Realm is a mid-to-high-tier Living Realm with billions of inhabitants - bustling with activity and business, ah!"
"The Crimson Bright Realm - are we allowed to talk about that?" Li Weiyi asked.
"What secrets would I keep from you?" Elder Qin replied, "But don't go blabbing about it. Only veteran Sentinel Spirits know the exact location of Cave Void Camp."
Li Weiyi finally understood the full weight of the phrase "You're the one who breaks the most rules."
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END OF CHAPTER
(END OF VOLUME 5)
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