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Novel: [The Primordial Law]
Volume 4: [Shuangsheng Dao Sect (Twin Rice Sect)]
Chapter 92 (347): [The Trap]
(92nd of Volume 4)
Translator: Shadow Knight AK
Editor: Shadow Knight AK
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Li Weiyi was deep in meditation, desperately trying to stabilize the Fusang Divine Tree Light Shadow and prevent it from dissipating.
At this moment, he was directly absorbing the Golden Crow's radiance, his absorption rate more than ten times faster than usual.
In his Spirit Realm, the Spiritual Light (Lingguang) rapidly intensified.
"Whoosh!"
Waves of light and heat surged over him, each wave stronger than the last.
The robes on Li Weiyi's body, thin as paper, turned to ash.
Only his Governor's Official Robe and Blood Handprint Demon Armor could withstand the onslaught.
His skin burned with searing pain, as if it were melting. Whenever he could no longer bear the heat, the Divine Cauldron Wood he had swallowed would transform into strands of wood essence to replenish his energy.
Half an hour later, the intense heat in the air began to subside, and the light gradually faded.
The surface of the Tanggu Sea returned to calm.
The Fusang Divine Tree Light Shadow enveloping his body had become much more solid.
Li Weiyi opened his eyes, his pupils shimmering with fiery crimson light.
In his Spirit Realm, the golden-red Spiritual Light (Lingguang) had grown brighter and hotter by a fraction.
"If I come to the Tanggu Sea every day to absorb the Golden Crow's radiance, the power of the Golden Crow Flame within my Psychic Power will surely increase further."
"Tomorrow, I can weave a Cocoon of Time on the sea, allowing me to absorb the Golden Crow's radiance for five times longer. I should be able to reach the peak of Four-Star Spiritual Master cultivation soon and qualify to attempt the breakthrough to Five-Star Spiritual Master."
The burning pain in his skin grew more intense.
Li Weiyi was instantly pulled back to the harsh reality. He realized his body was severely burned, his entire frame red. He immediately left the Tanggu Sea.
Back at Old Zhou's Coffin Shop, he stood in the backyard, ankle-deep in snow. He inhaled the cold air, circulating his Spiritual Power to heal his wounds and channeling the wood essence of the Divine Cauldron Wood to refine his tendons and reshape his skin.
"My physical body still isn't strong enough to fully withstand the assault," he mused, "Only when I can stand exposed to the Golden Crow's radiance completely unharmed will my physical body truly have reached mastery."
The backyard was pitch-black and eerily quiet.
Calculating the time, only a day and a night had passed outside.
In other words, this was the third dawn after the Zhou Manor's upheaval.
The streets were blanketed in thick snow.
The curfew remained in effect, and only a few scattered pedestrians braved the cold.
At the mouth of an alley, an old noodle stall had already started its day. The clatter of pots and bowls filled the air, but the three tables set out front remained empty.
It was still too early; the sky was just beginning to lighten with the first hint of dawn.
"Two bowls of noodles, one without scallions, one cooked extra firm. How long will it take?" Li Weiyi asked the young girl tending the stove as he sat down at one of the tables.
"Fifteen minutes!" the girl replied.
"Start cooking first. I'll go to the Money House next door to get some money."
Li Weiyi rose and walked right along the street. Despite the occasional patrol of soldiers, he felt no anxiety. Old Zhou had used his connections to secure him a civilian registration, listing him as his nephew.
Across the street from the noodle stall stood the Vast Sea Bank, one of the Twin Rice Sect's three strongholds in South Yan Pass.
According to Xu Xiangu's ledger, this stronghold housed twelve Martial-Mystic Cultivators, the strongest of whom had reached the second level of the Dao Seed Realm.
Halfway there, Seventh Phoenix flew back and nestled into his sleeve.
With Jiang Xin's identity exposed, Yao Qian would undoubtedly know the betrayal came from the person who had been in contact with Zhou Bida.
If Li Weiyi wanted to destroy the Twin Rice Sect stronghold, he would have to proceed with extreme caution.
Seventh Phoenix could shrink to the size of dust and turn invisible, making her the perfect scout.
Li Weiyi entered the bank, unleashing his Psychic Power field to envelop the entire building. He headed straight for the vault.
Seventh Phoenix had already scouted ahead.
"Sizzle!"
Wielding the Myriad Manifestations Staff-Spear, its spearhead ablaze with Golden Crow Flame, he struck the vault's defensive Formation.
The Formation's light screen trembled, slowly being refined.
"Who's there?"
The disturbance in the Formation woke the Twin Rice Sect's experts within the bank.
Each armed with their Spiritual Artifacts, they rushed toward the source of the commotion.
Without turning around, Li Weiyi unleashed the Evil Camel Bell.
The bell soared through the air, weaving between beams, pillars, doors, windows, and shadows. Its chime was faint, but to those who heard it, it sounded like thunder.
All the evil thoughts in their minds - cruelty, murderous intent, and destructive urges - boiled over, drowning out all other consciousness.
Behind Li Weiyi, a slaughter erupted.
"Bang!"
The Formation barrier shattered, and his spear pierced through the iron door of the underground vault.
Li Weiyi entered the vault and scanned it with his Psychic Power.
All the coins combined totaled five or six hundred thousand Yongquan Coins - a significant sum even to him.
He retrieved his Boundary Pouch, wrapped the iron chests containing the coins in Spiritual Qi, and collected them all.
By the time he emerged from the vault, the slaughter outside was over.
Every Martial-Mystic Cultivator of the Twin Rice Sect lay on the ground. Half were dead, the other half driven mad, their features twisted into grotesque, terrifying masks.
He collected their Boundary Pouches, adding another two hundred thousand Yongquan Coins to his haul.
After eliminating all witnesses, Li Weiyi walked out of the Money House, spotless, and returned to the noodle stall.
Two steaming bowls of hot noodle soup were served.
"Thank you!"
Li Weiyi picked up his chopsticks, cupped the bowl, and took a sip of the soup. He devoured one bowl after another.
The stench of blood from the Money House permeated the air, attracting the attention of patrolling soldiers.
By the time a large army arrived to seal off the street, Li Weiyi had already finished his two bowls of noodles and returned to Old Zhou's Coffin Shop.
As dawn broke, more pedestrians filled the streets.
Old Zhou returned from gathering information, his expression quite agitated.
"Something major indeed happened at the Attendant Hall. The Commander-in-Chief's Office, the Jiang Clan, and the Phoenix Terrace joined forces and spent two days investigating. They unearthed some truly shocking revelations."
"Even the head of the South Yan Pass Attendant Hall's Main Bureau committed suicide to avoid punishment. Some say a top-tier expert infiltrated the Attendant Hall's prison and killed him."
"Now, the three parties are squabbling, each blaming the others to cover up the truth."
"Hahaha! This time, the Phoenix Terrace has lost all face. They falsely accused Vice Commander Zhou of colluding with a Heretical Sect, but it was proven that he remained upright and incorruptible. Even when his family was controlled by the sect, he refused to yield or reveal any of South Yan Pass's defensive information."
Li Weiyi mused inwardly. Controlling his family was merely coercion.
Sending the Vermilion Cloud Fruit and the Immortal Golden Pill was the real temptation.
But the deal never went through, so Zhou Bida naturally never handed over the defensive information. What could they possibly uncover?
At most, they could discover he was a Hidden Elder of the Jiu Li Hidden Sect.
But would the Imperial Court dare to announce it?
Such an announcement, in the current climate where the entire Human Clan must unite against the Demon Clan, would be tantamount to assassinating a Clan Chief-level figure from one of the Jiu Li Tribe's Nine Great Tribes.
If the truth remained hidden, the Jiu Li Tribe and the Jiu Li Hidden Sect might have endured it.
But if it were revealed, it would be a deliberate provocation.
Old Zhou said, "Deputy Commander Zhou died at the hands of Phoenix Terrace, yet the problem lies within the Main Bureau of the Attendant Hall. Now we'll see how Yao Shaoqing handles this. The Commander-in-Chief's Office will undoubtedly take this case all the way to Lingxiao City."
"Have Vice Commander Zhou's family been rescued yet?" Li Weiyi asked anxiously.
Old Zhou nodded: "Young Commander personally went to Thunder Mausoleum City to bring them back. I just visited the Deputy Commander's residence. It's overflowing with people. Soldiers who once served under the Deputy Commander are lined up to pay their respects, filling the entire compound."
Li Weiyi lowered his voice: "If the Deputy Commander was innocent and killed by Yao Shaoqing, this debt cannot be left solely to the Commander-in-Chief's Office to repay. Old Zhou, find a way to gather a group of people and seize this opportunity while everyone is at the Deputy Commander's residence to mourn. We must escalate the situation."
"When the Commander-in-Chief's Office takes this to Lingxiao City, Yao Shaoqing's arrogance and recklessness nearly sparked a mutiny among the troops at South Yan Pass. That is the true crime."
"The question is, do you dare?"
Old Zhou forced a bitter smile: "I'm already half buried in the ground, crippled and scarred. What do I have left to fear? Besides, given the Deputy Commander's kindness to me, what I'm doing is perfectly reasonable. What fault could they find with it? But for you, there's still some risk involved!"
Li Weiyi was blunt: "What I want is to drive Yao Qian away, to leave him overwhelmed and unable to cope. That way, I'll be safer! South Yan Pass is a vital transportation hub. Three days of closure is already the limit. Once the city gates reopen, I won't stay here any longer."
That day, the Deputy Commander's residence was filled with outrage. A large number of soldiers from South Yan Pass marched directly to the Attendant Hall, demanding Yao Qian's execution.
By noon, several thousand City Defense Army troops had gathered, and even disciplined Giant Spirit Army soldiers, including many Five Seas Soldiers, had joined the fray, nearly storming the Attendant Hall.
In the end, Yao Qian and his Phoenix Terrace officials were forced to flee back to the Cloud Heaven (Yuntian) Immortal Plain in disgrace.
Li Weiyi spent the entire day in the Blood Mud Space, opening the Cocoon of Time to cultivate his Psychic Power.
Late that night, he disguised himself as a middle-aged servant and ventured out again, preparing to strike at the Twin Rice Sect's second stronghold.
As usual, Li Weiyi first sent out Seventh Phoenix to scout ahead.
The fact that Li Weiyi was the Fourth Divine Son of the Twin Rice Sect and that he represented Yao Qingxuan in South Yan Pass was no secret.
Yao Qian likely already knew.
After suffering such a heavy loss, there was no way Yao Qian would let it go. Even if he had fled back to the Cloud Heaven (Yuntian) Immortal Plain, he would surely have left behind contingency plans.
Li Weiyi remained unfazed. With Seventh Phoenix, he could gather advance information. If danger arose, he could simply retreat.
After a long wait, Seventh Phoenix still hadn't returned.
Li Weiyi's heart sank slightly. With Seventh Phoenix's miniature size and stealth abilities, even Immortal Realm Giants might not detect it.
Could Yang Shenjing have personally intervened?
Li Weiyi believed that even against the most formidable opponents, if they were merely Surging Spring Realm Martial-Mystic Cultivators, he would never personally engage.
Instead, he would use them to train the Hidden Ones.
A person's energy is finite. For Yang Shenjing, navigating the Imperial Court's transcendent influence, clashing with Immortal Realm Giants from major powers, and cultivating the Dao were his true priorities.
Li Weiyi was no different to him than a Surging Spring Realm Martial-Mystic Cultivator or a mere soldier.
Li Weiyi didn't believe Yang Shenjing had actually arrived.
He tried to put as much distance between them as possible, soaring high into the sky.
Activating his Heavenly Eye, he gazed at the Twin Rice Sect's stronghold in the distance.
After a moment, he saw through the deception: "It's an Illusion Formation! Seventh Phoenix must be trapped inside."
The formation's creator was incredibly skilled, their psychic power rivaling his own.
The Heavenly Eye pierced through layer after layer of illusion, finally revealing the scene within the stronghold's courtyard.
The courtyard was filled with ambushing Martial-Mystic Cultivators. Half of them were women and eunuchs in Phoenix Terrace official robes, while the attic was lined with spiritual artifact bows and crossbows.
Seated in the center of the courtyard, a slender figure in a white official robe came into view.
Due to the angle, Li Weiyi couldn't see her face.
However, he could clearly see that one of the two people standing beside her was Zhuang Yue.
Fortunately, Seventh Phoenix was only lost in the illusion and hadn't been exposed.
The courtyard remained calm and undisturbed.
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END OF CHAPTER
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