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Novel: [The Primordial Law]
Volume 2: [Jiuli Insect Valley]
Chapter 41 (68): [The Abbot's Dao Domain]
(41st of Volume 2)
Translator: Shadow Knight AK
Editor: Shadow Knight AK
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Li Weiyi carefully examined the two star maps adorning the giant stone tomb door.
Silver and yellow gemstones, imbued with divine radiance, were embedded in the stone. Their material was unknown, but their sheer number and dense arrangement created a truly vast, starry expanse.
He compared the "Milky Way" on the door to the night sky he remembered, searching for familiar constellations like Orion and the Big Dipper to find the answer he desperately sought.
But he couldn't discern it.
Instead, the more he looked, the more dizzy he felt, his eyelids growing heavier.
Clearly, the star maps contained ancient and potent Psychic (Telekinesis) Power, far more than mere decorative embellishments.
Senior Stone Coffin noticed his condition and immediately warned, "Don't stare for too long. These star maps are extraordinary, connected to the Jiu Li God and the Jiu Li Clan's most ancient secrets."
Li Weiyi snapped back to his senses and quickly averted his gaze.
Truly worthy of being the Jiu Li Clan's Ancestral Realm. Nothing here was simple or ordinary. If he hadn't had Master Coffin and the Nine Sovereigns Banner, he would have died a dozen times over by now!
Following Senior Stone Coffin's instructions, Li Weiyi systematically channeled his spiritual power into the gemstones embedded in the tomb door.
"Be careful," Senior Stone Coffin warned gravely, "Don't make a single mistake. The two star maps on the Tomb of the Azure King's door contain over ten thousand Spiritual Light Formation Inscriptions. Once triggered, we'll be reduced to nothingness."
Li Weiyi immediately held his breath, trying to keep his hand steady.
The more Spiritual Light Formation Inscriptions a formation contained, the more powerful it would be.
A hundred Inscriptions could protect a village, a thousand could defend a city.
A single thousand-inscriptions formation could safeguard an entire city.
Formation deployment wasn't merely a matter of piling up Inscriptions. Each Inscription was fixed, likely the culmination of a formation master's lifetime of study.
Ten thousand Spiritual Light Formation Inscriptions guarding a tomb...
No matter how many grave robbers came, they would all meet their end.
As Li Weiyi carefully channeled his spiritual power, he couldn't help but ask, "I'm curious. Logically, since Azure (Cang) King is the ancestor of the Cangli Tribe, he shouldn't want his descendants disturbing his eternal rest. Shouldn't the formation inscriptions on this tomb door be impossible for anyone to decipher?"
Before Li Weiyi could finish speaking, Senior Stone Coffin said, "It took me a hundred years to decipher it completely."
Li Weiyi remained silent.
Senior Stone Coffin knew what Li Weiyi was thinking - probably praising him for being such a "so damn filial son" - so he explained, "I was forced to do it!"
"The Nether Realm World has been ravaged by world-ending wars multiple times, not just the one a thousand years ago. The Jiu Li Clan has a long history, and during these wars, parts of our cultivation Law were destroyed, especially the content beyond the Immortal Realm, which is now severely incomplete."
"As the Chief of the Jiu Li Clan a thousand years ago, I wanted to restore it and also find my own path to immortality. So, I opened several ancestral tombs in the Ancestral Realm, searching for the original chapters of the Law. But after centuries of fruitless searching, I found nothing!"
"Finally, I tried to break into the Jiu Li Divine Mountain and disturb the tomb of the Jiu Li God, but I nearly perished there."
Senior Stone Coffin knew Li Weiyi had likely already guessed his identity, so he stopped hiding it.
Li Weiyi was secretly shocked by Master Coffin's power in life. His lifespan had been incredibly long. Spirit Tablet Master and Master Guan were probably not far behind.
No wonder the three of them hadn't completely died even after reaching this state.
No wonder they had been reluctant to reveal their identities.
The contrast between their former power and glory and their current state - a wisp of a soul flickering like a dying candle in the wind - was too great for them to bear.
They didn't want their old friends or future descendants to know.
Moreover, if their identities were exposed, they and Li Weiyi would be in extreme danger.
"Alright!"
Activating the final silver gem, Li Weiyi quickly retreated two steps.
The ground trembled, and a thunderous roar echoed through the air.
Complex, rune-like patterns, shaken loose from the stone door's surface, began to glow faintly.
The two heavy stone doors slowly creaked open.
"Woooo!"
Inside, darkness swirled, and a bone-chilling wind poured out, like icy blades slicing through the skin.
Faintly, from the depths of the darkness, came a strange wailing - a mournful, ear-splitting sound that seemed to emanate from the depths of hell.
Li Weiyi's expression shifted.
He swallowed nervously and said, "Master Coffin... I have a feeling... something's not right."
Senior Stone Coffin remained confident.
"Don't be afraid! The tomb has been sealed for a thousand years. Now that it has an opening, the wind naturally stirs the artifacts within, causing these strange noises. I cleared out all the dangers from the Tomb of the Azure King a thousand years ago. Just treat it like coming home."
Li Weiyi, still half-believing, tightened his grip on the Nine Sovereigns Banner and stepped through the tomb gate.
"Boom!"
The five-foot-thick, over a hundred-foot-tall tomb gate slammed shut instantly.
The nine skull heads atop the Nine Sovereigns Banner pulsed with energy, causing its nine white streamers and inscribed scriptures to glow faintly, illuminating the vast, pitch-black tomb passage where not even his fingers were visible.
The ground was paved with smooth jade stones, and the walls were made of hard rock embedded with metallic particles.
The tomb passage's ceiling, level with the stone gate, was also over a hundred feet high, creating a sense of grandeur that dwarfed the imperial tombs of Earth, which now seemed like slums in comparison.
Senior Stone Coffin spoke in a casual, relaxed tone: "Now do you believe me? There's no danger here. Everything is peaceful and serene. I used to live here... for several years..."
Before he could finish speaking, a strange female laughter echoed from the depths of the tomb passage's darkness - both alluring and chillingly sinister.
The layered echoes amplified the sound, threatening to scare the Three Souls and Seven Spirits right out of one's body.
Li Weiyi's muscles tensed as he stared intently into the dark tomb passage ahead.
Taking a deep breath, he glanced at the Stone Coffin resting on his shoulder: "That laughter... it's so clear... it can't be the wind, can it?"
Senior Stone Coffin remained silent for a moment before replying, "Perhaps it's just a hallucination."
"Thud-thud!"
Footsteps echoed through the darkness.
Then, a pink mist billowed from the depths of the tomb passage, shot through with wisps of white light.
A tall, slender figure of breathtaking beauty emerged from the mist, her face obscured, but her long, jade-white legs were clearly visible. Her long hair flowed behind her, and countless petals accompanied her every step.
If Li Weiyi had encountered such a sight elsewhere, he would have found it pleasing to the eye and been tempted to linger.
But here, it sent a chill down his spine.
He turned to flee, only to find the tomb door sealed shut.
The voice from the Stone Coffin suddenly sounded uncertain: "It seems something has gone wrong... Use the Nine Sovereigns Banner. It can ward off evil... Just try to capture her. See if you can seal her inside..."
The enchanting laughter emanating from the exquisite figure ahead suddenly transformed into a shrill, monstrous shriek, like a vengeful ghost or a demonic fiend. Blood mist, shimmering veils, and petals, along with her terrifyingly distorted form, hurtled toward Li Weiyi at the base of the tomb door with unnatural speed, her arms outstretched.
Li Weiyi channeled all his spiritual power into the Nine Sovereigns Banner.
"Whoosh!"
The radiance emanating from the banner's nine white streamers surged, illuminating the tomb passage as bright as day. The light dispersed the blood mist and shimmering veils, colliding head-on with the exquisite figure.
With a thunderous roar, powerful shockwaves and waves of light reverberated through the passage.
The exquisite figure seemed to be suppressed by the Nine Sovereigns Banner.
With a pained scream, and she fled swiftly into the depths of the dark tomb passage.
Li Weiyi exhaled deeply, relieved that the Nine Sovereigns Banner truly possessed the power to ward off evil. He said with lingering trepidation, "Master Coffin, let's get out of here quickly. I feel like I could really use another two years of training before coming back."
"Take fifty steps forward," Senior Stone Coffin said suddenly, as if he had just realized something.
Li Weiyi still dared to take fifty steps.
After carefully walking fifty steps, he stopped. Without Senior Stone Coffin's instructions, his gaze was already fixed on a mural on the left stone wall of the passage.
The mural depicted a sea and a lake.
Standing by the lake was a young woman of peerless beauty, clad in green gauze and feathered robes. Her figure was graceful and slender, her legs long and straight, rendered with lifelike detail.
Senior Stone Coffin said, "I painted this mural when I lived here. I added a trace of her demon blood to the pigments. What we encountered just now was likely the Painting Spirit of this mural. A thousand years ago, a careless act nearly led to disaster..."
"Fortunately, she's still very weak..."
From within the Dao Ancestor's Tai Chi Fish, Senior Spirit Tablet's cold, deep voice echoed: "No wonder you often disappeared for years at a time back then. You were here, painting a demon. Don't think I don't know who she is - Xia Jin, the Demon of Qixia Lake, the most beautiful woman in Qixia."
Master Guan's voice chimed in, always eager to stir things up: "I know Xia Jin well. She truly deserves the title of 'most beautiful woman.' If she were still alive, she'd undoubtedly be one of the Demon Kings of the Lingxiao Realm by now. Wei Yi, after you leave, please ask around for Master Guan. I want to rekindle my relationship with her."
Senior Stone Coffin immediately explained, "It's just a mural! You all participated in the Demon Calamity back then. We collected a lot of demon blood during that battle. Living here, I just painted it out of boredom!"
"Old Coffin, why are you talking so incoherently?" Master Guan chuckled.
Senior Stone Coffin replied, "The mural in the tomb passage isn't the only one I painted. I've painted every Malevolent Demon whose blood I collected... Could they have all spawned Painting Spirits?"
Li Weiyi fell silent.
Senior Spirit Tablet said, "Wei Yi, don't fear these Painting Spirits. Just use your sword to scrape off the mural, and the spirits will naturally dissipate."
"Right!"
Li Weiyi's heart raced with anxiety, so he acted decisively, immediately drawing the Yellow Dragon Sword.
Deep within the dark tomb passage, the stunning figure seemed to sense danger and charged out again, riding a crimson mist of light.
Accompanying her was a Saber-Toothed Giant Ape Demon, towering several dozen feet tall with four arms. Both spirits were fiercely hostile, determined to stop Li Weiyi from destroying the mural.
"Clang! Clang!"
Two sword strikes landed.
A deep sword mark in the shape of a cross landed on the mural, sending fragments of stone and dust flying.
The exquisite figure vanished in a scream, reduced to ash and smoke.
"Awooo!"
The Saber-Toothed Giant Ape Demon roared, its voice shaking the tomb passage. It clenched its fists and swung its arms at Li Weiyi, its attack fierce but merely possessing a powerful aura, its strength less than that of Tang Yan from the Five Seas Realm.
Li Weiyi didn't meet the demon head-on. He executed the Clear Void Cicada-Chasing Step, slipping beneath it.
Moving at top speed, he charged deeper into the tomb passage.
After a dozen steps, he spotted the mural depicting the four-armed Saber-Toothed Giant Ape.
"Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Two sword strikes shattered the mural.
The Saber-Toothed Giant Ape Demon, which had pursued him, let out a frustrated roar before dissipating like smoke and dust.
Li Weiyi continued forward, destroying seventeen murals - whether they had spawned Painting Spirits or not - with two sword strikes each, until he reached the end of the tomb passage.
Carrying the coffin, he emerged from the passage into a vast, open area.
The light emanating from the Nine Sovereigns Banner couldn't penetrate the darkness here. The air was frigid, like entering an ice cellar.
Looking up, Li Weiyi saw only pitch darkness above, with no visible ceiling.
After walking for fifteen minutes through this vast open area, a circular formation of giant stones appeared ahead. The formation was a hundred meters in diameter, with each stone several times taller than Li Weiyi himself, making it a truly awe-inspiring sight.
However, the formation was severely damaged, with many stones toppled to the ground, disrupting its original structure.
"Master Coffin, did you create this too?" Li Weiyi exclaimed, deeply impressed by the stone formation's complexity, though he couldn't guess its purpose.
Senior Stone Coffin replied, "This formation has always existed within the Tomb of the Azure King. It has nothing to do with me."
"The stone used to build it is quite unique. I've never seen such material in the Lingxiao. Realm. I studied it for a while, but didn't get very far. Let's not worry about it for now. We should first go to the Heaven-Law and Earth Spring to retrieve the Insect Egg. We'll take the hidden passage on the right."
The Heaven-Law Earth Spring is a spring originated from heaven and earth, similar to the spring within a Martial-Mystic Cultivator's body. It draws Law from the surrounding environment, transforming it into spiritual Qi that flows out continuously. Large Heaven-Law and Earth Springs can transform the surrounding area into a Dao Domain, like the one in Jiu Li City.
The Heaven-Law and Earth Spring in the Tomb of the Azure King was naturally no match for the one in Jiu Li City, merely a small spring.
Li Weiyi emerged from the hidden passage and saw the Heaven-Law and Earth Spring in the distance.
The spring, no larger than a bowl, floated several meters above the ground. Yet it was incredibly mystical, not only gushing forth thick, visible spiritual Qi but also spewing out tiny particles of light that illuminated the darkness, creating a vast, ethereal space like a celestial realm.
Moreover, the sound of flowing water could be heard.
Beneath the spring, the Abbot's Dao Domain had formed, where the dense spiritual Qi condensed into a thick mist, creating a miniature Dao Domain.
From dozens of meters away, Li Weiyi activated his Breathing Technique.
Instantly, his Heavenly Spirit trembled slightly, and the solid barrier of his Seventh Spring felt like a thin membrane, as if it could be pierced with a gentle touch.
"The spiritual Qi here is incredibly dense. No wonder everyone is vying for a spot at the Jiu Li Dao Academy. Cultivating in a Dao Domain would undoubtedly double one's cultivation speed," Li Weiyi marveled.
Senior Stone Coffin said, "This Heaven-Law and Earth Spring seems to have grown larger, already forming an Abbot's Dao Domain. The Insect Nest is placed on the stone altar directly beneath the spring."
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END OF CHAPTER
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