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Novel: [The Primordial Law]
Volume 2: [Jiuli Insect Valley]
Chapter 47 (74): [Killing Xue Zheng]
(47th of Volume 2)
Translator: Shadow Knight AK
Editor: Shadow Knight AK
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The killing intent and "battle intent" radiating from Shi Jiuzhai at this moment were enough to terrify any Surging Spring Realm Martial-Mystic Cultivator into kneeling in submission.
Li Weiyi strained against this overwhelming pressure, barely able to breathe. Gritting his teeth, he forced out the words: "Even now, how can you be certain my strength isn't enough to help you succeed? I think the Shi shishi Dharma King's judgment is far better than yours."
Shi Jiuzhai was secretly impressed by Li Weiyi's resilience and mental fortitude. His eyes flickered with uncertainty.
"Against a Nine Springs Martial-Mystic Cultivator, how many moves do you think you could last? Could you even escape with your life?"
Li Weiyi had gathered more useful information, "So the Dharma King wants me to deal with a Nine Springs Martial-Mystic Cultivator? That's rather strange. Why can't you handle it yourselves? Is this Nine Springs Martial-Mystic Cultivator in some place you can't reach?"
Shi Jiuzhai realized this young man's mind was sharper than he'd initially thought.
Perhaps he truly could be useful.
"No, you can't deal with him," he corrected, "You're not strong enough for that yet. Just monitor him."
Li Weiyi hardened when he needed to and softened when he should, bowing deeply.
"Dharma Kings, please be more specific. My life is in your hands now. Whatever you ask of me, I will do my utmost to accomplish."
No matter what, preserving his life was the top priority.
Seeing him revert to his old "little wolf cub" demeanor, Shi Jiuzhai's anger completely dissipated. He chuckled: "That's more like it. When you were acting so arrogant just now, I thought Shi Shi had chosen the wrong person."
Shi Shishi said, "Have you heard of the Jiu Li Hidden Sect?"
Li Weiyi nearly lost his composure...
What was going on?
How did they know about the Jiu Li Hidden Sect?
"Never heard of it," Li Weiyi replied, feigning ignorance. After a moment's thought, he shook his head lightly.
Shi Jiuzhai said, "You don't need to have heard of it. We want you to go to the Jiu Li Hidden Sect and do something for us. If you succeed, all of the past grudges will be cleared. Of course, you can refuse, and I'll simply kill you here with a single palm strike. After all, you know things you shouldn't."
Investigating the Jiu Li Hidden Sect was a matter of great importance. How could the Earth Wolf King's Army fully trust the mysterious Elder of the Jiu Li Tribe?
Of course, they wanted to plant one of their own to infiltrate the Jiu Li Hidden Sect.
The mysterious Elder from the Jiu Li Tribe was sending Li Qing, a Nine Springs martial artist, to the Hidden Sect.
Therefore, the Earth Wolf King's Army couldn't choose someone too weak, or Li Qing might eliminate them the moment they entered.
Shi Jiuzhai naturally wouldn't tell Li Weiyi too much: "You only need to do one thing! Survive, find the location of the Jiu Li Hidden Sect, and escape to tell us. Simple enough, right?"
Li Weiyi asked, "But I don't even know how to get to the Jiu Li Hidden Sect."
"Don't worry about that. We have our own arrangements," Shi Jiuzhai said with a smile, "If you succeed, you'll be handsomely rewarded."
"Hahaha!"
A low, drawn-out laugh echoed through the dark forest, chilling and eerie, as if coming from all directions.
"Boom!"
A human-shaped weight plummeted from the sky, crashing into the ground and leaving a shallow crater.
It was a sack, and muffled groans of pain emanated from within.
Shi Shishi chuckled, "Sixth Brother, why are you so late?"
"Whoosh!"
Li Weiyi felt a gust of cold wind sweep past.
Beside the campfire, a gaunt figure, thin as a skeleton, materialized out of thin air.
Shi Liuyu was as thin as a skeleton, with green eyes and green buzz-cut hair, giving him an eerie, chilling aura.
He glanced at Li Weiyi and chuckled darkly.
"Shi Shi, the person you found doesn't seem very impressive. Look at the one I brought - he's hailed as the strongest warrior below the Five Seas Realm in Li Prefecture, a Pure Immortal Physique."
Li Weiyi looked at the sack writhing on the ground, a strange feeling rising within him.
Could it be that he wasn't the only unlucky one tonight?
Shi Shishi untied the sack, revealing Xue Zheng, a Silver Pure Immortal Physique, his face bruised and swollen from the beating.
Xue Zheng, with his superior knowledge, quickly recognized the identities of the three men before him. His face turned deathly pale, and finally, his gaze landed on Li Weiyi.
Shi Shishi said, "Sixth Brother, you're late. We've already spoken with Brother Tian Shu, and he's agreed to go to the Jiu Li Hidden Sect and handle things for us."
Shi Liuyu seemed indifferent, saying lightly, "Just kill him and silence him. It's not a big deal. Do you really think he's a match for Li Qing, the Nine Springs martial artist? If we're sending someone, it should be someone strong."
Li Weiyi knew the Southern Barbarian Raiders' ruthlessness and feared Shi Liuyu might suddenly strike him down. He quickly interjected, "Dharma King, that's not quite right. Xue Zheng is highly renowned in Li Prefecture. Everyone knows he's a disciple of the Sui Sect. Sending him to the Hidden Sect would instantly expose his identity."
Xue Zheng was no fool.
He quickly grasped the situation, realizing that against these barbarian Dharma Kings, he needed to prove his usefulness to survive.
He said, "He is only in the Surging Spring Realm? What's so renowned about that? Forget the older generation; even those listed in the Jiazi Book probably don't even know who Xue Zheng is."
Shi Liuyu nodded: "See? This kind of intelligence is exactly what the Earth Wolf King's Army needs."
Xue Zheng continued, "If you give me a chance to live, I swear to serve the Earth Wolf King's Army to the death. I am the most promising young star of the Xue Clan's younger generation. In the future, I can accomplish much for the three Dharma Kings in Li Prefecture."
Li Weiyi had never imagined Xue Zheng, who usually presented himself as upright and unyielding, would be so desperate and shameless to survive.
Shi Liuyu chuckled: "Excellent, excellent! That's the right attitude! Ninth Brother, Tenth Brother, what do you think? If Xue Zheng can complete this mission, he might become a crucial pawn for us within the Sui Sect."
Seeing Shi Jiuzhai's expression shift, Li Weiyi quickly said, "Xue Zheng has only opened the Eighth Spring. Even with a Pure Immortal Physique, he might not be a match for a Nine Springs martial artist. In fact, he might not even be a match for me!"
Having undergone the Pure Immortal Physique Transformation, Xue Zheng no longer held Li Weiyi in high regard: "Li Weiyi, are you challenging me to a fight?"
"I'm simply trying to show the three Dharma Kings that I'm more deserving," Li Weiyi replied.
Shi Liuyu's green eyes sparkled with amusement: "Things just got interesting!"
"Brother Tian Shu, you're the one I brought here. You can't lose to him," Shi Shishi said, even though he knew Li Weiyi's true name.
Xue Zheng knew Li Weiyi possessed a Black Iron Seal capable of unleashing lightning. He considered revealing this fact but hesitated, fearing the three Dharma Kings of the Earth Wolf King's Army might kill him to silence him once they learned Li Weiyi might be a Successor of the Thundercloud Sect's legacy.
Xue Zheng figured Li Weiyi wouldn't dare expose this secret easily. If he could defeat him within a few moves, Li Weiyi wouldn't even have a chance to use the Black Iron Seal.
To fight for a chance at survival, to fight for their lives.
The two men stood by the stream, their stances set, their gazes locked in a fierce clash.
There was no doubt: tonight, it would be either your death or mine.
Shi Jiuzhai said, "How about we three start a wager? The odds will be nine to one. I'll bet on Xue Zheng."
Shi Liuyu replied, "Ninth Brother, you're the bookmaker. If we're betting, it should be between me and Tenth Brother. Tenth Brother, are you in?"
Shi Shishi knew all too well how formidable the Eight Springs Pure Immortal Physique was. It could certainly rival a Nine Springs Supreme. Moreover, Xue Zheng had a fearsome reputation and extraordinary combat skills. Li Weiyi's chances of winning were slim.
Shi Liuyu suggested, "How about we bet on how many moves your little friend can last against Xue Zheng?"
"Swish! Swish!"
Before the wager could even begin, the two men - one wielding a blade, the other a sword - charged at each other with lightning speed.
Xue Zheng, determined to end the fight quickly, channeled his Wind Palace's spiritual qi into his first strike, unleashing the most powerful attack only an Eighth Spring Martial-Mystic Cultivator could execute.
Li Weiyi dared not reveal too much of his true strength. Facing Xue Zheng's overwhelming blade, he could only focus on dodging.
But evading Heavenly Dao Harmony was already a near-impossible feat. Furthermore, this strike was amplified by the Lesser Qi Sea within the Wind Palace, making it a blow even a Five Seas Realm Martial-Mystic Cultivator would struggle to withstand.
"Whoosh!"
Just as Li Weiyi seemed destined to become Xue Zheng's blade fodder, he moved like a wisp of smoke, slipping sideways out of the blade's aura with mere millimeters to spare.
With a thunderous boom, the incomparably powerful blade aura Xue Zheng unleashed shot out like a wave of light, traveling five yards before exploding the trunk of a tree as thick as a bowl.
'His combat strength has indeed grown stronger than it was a month ago', Li Weiyi thought grimly.
Shi Shishi suddenly rose to his feet, cheering, "Excellent footwork! So you've not only achieved Heavenly Dao Harmony with your swordplay but also with your footwork!"
He had witnessed Li Weiyi execute a Heavenly Dao Harmony sword technique by the Sui River.
The footwork Li Weiyi was using now was naturally the Clear Void Cicada Chase Step, perfected within the Azure King's Tomb.
He mastered it so quickly because he had already practiced the Chan Sect's Twelve Dispersed Hands for over a decade.
Shi Jiuzhai nodded: "For someone of his age, still in the Surging Spring Realm, to have mastered two Heavenly Dao Harmony techniques is truly remarkable. Liuyu, how many did you achieve back then?"
"Six," Shi Liuyu corrected with a cold snort, "Back then, I was only focused on breaking through to the Wind Palace, Ancestral Field, and Five Seas realms. No matter how refined your techniques are, a single realm's difference is enough to crush you completely."
Shi Jiuzhai said, "Regardless, now that Xue Zheng has exhausted his Wind Palace Spiritual Qi, that little wolf cub finally has a sliver of a chance to win. Shi Shi, want to make a bet? The odds are still one to nine?"
Shi Shishi hesitated.
The odds were too good to pass up.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
...
Xue Zheng and Li Weiyi's shadows crisscrossed, their battle escalating from the bank to the stream.
After a dozen exchanges, Li Weiyi, deliberately holding back his strength, found himself completely outmatched.
He retreated continuously, looking increasingly disheveled, strands of hair severed with each strike, his robes torn at the edges.
Shi Jiuzhai observed their fight and noticed that Xue Zheng's movements had become noticeably sluggish after entering the stream.
Meanwhile, Li Weiyi, employing his nimble footwork, could glide across the water's surface, exploiting his advantage to attack Xue Zheng's weakness.
Realizing this, Xue Zheng immediately tried to shift the battle back to the bank.
Even if he had not thought about it, the shallow stream wouldn't have hindered his combat ability too much. But the moment he took a step toward the shore, Li Weiyi seized the opportunity, unleashing his Heavenly Dao Harmony Realm Taiyi Kaihai technique.
"Swish!"
The air split apart, a blade of light seemingly capable of cleaving the entire stream in two.
The qi was razor-sharp, the sword's clang piercing.
Though the blade missed Xue Zheng's leg, the qi struck it, instantly tearing his trousers with a metallic clang.
Had he not possessed a Silver Pure Immortal Physique, with its formidable defense, his leg would have been severely injured.
Even so, he still felt pain in his legs and his center of gravity was unstable.
Once Li Weiyi gained the upper hand, his attacks were like a torrential downpour, each strike faster than the last.
At the same time, he subtly increased his strength, creating the illusion that Xue Zheng's defeat was due to a misjudgment that left him with no chance to recover.
Shi Shishi, caught off guard by this turn of events, immediately declared, "I'll bet! Sixth Brother, I'll bet with you! I'll wager a thousand Yongquan Coins! Ninth Brother, the odds are one to nine, right?"
Shi Jiuzhai stared intently at the duel in the stream: "No, the odds are now three to seven... four to six... five to five..."
In the next instant, Shi Jiuzhai and Shi Liuyu both leaped to their feet almost simultaneously, their eyes wide with disbelief.
In the stream, Li Weiyi had Xue Zheng on the ropes, forcing him to retreat step by step.
Xue Zheng's legs wobbled, his footwork grew increasingly chaotic, and his movements became completely disorganized.
At first, Xue Zheng assumed he was simply outmatched, which was why Li Weiyi's attacks had left him with little chance to counter. But as the battle wore on, he realized something was amiss. He could clearly feel Li Weiyi's strength growing with each strike.
"Damn it, this kid must have broken through to the Ninth Spring..."
Xue Zheng knew he was doomed today.
Desperate, he tried to drag Li Weiyi down with him, shouting, "He's actually-"
"Feng Fu (Wind Palace) Sword, the ultimate strike!"
Li Weiyi deliberately shouted this loudly to drown out Xue Zheng's voice. He unleashed his Heaven Dao Harmony Realm Taiyi Kaihai technique again, striking down from above, his sword landing squarely on Xue Zheng's head.
In the next instant, the Yellow Dragon Sword appeared beneath Xue Zheng's crotch.
A drop of blood dripped from the sword's tip, falling into the stream. It bloomed into a vibrant crimson flower before quickly dissolving.
Li Weiyi turned and walked back, leaving Xue Zheng's corpse split in two behind him. The halves tumbled into the stream, internal organs spilling out. It wasn't entirely silver-like in texture, after all.
"Ten to zero! Old Ten, I gave you a chance, but you're useless! You have no guts for gambling," Shi Jiuzhai sighed.
Shi Shishi's intestines turned green with rage. He rushed to the two halves of Xue Zheng's corpse in the stream, as if he wanted to sew them back together, repair the damage, and make Xue Zheng fight Li Weiyi again.
Li Weiyi had just reached the bank when a figure flashed before him.
Shi Liuyu pressed his gaunt, ghost-like face close to Li Weiyi's, then pressed his finger against the Ancestral Field below his navel, letting out a soft "Hmm."
The next moment, Shi Liuyu's palm landed on Li Weiyi's chest, over his lungs: "The Qi Sea isn't open either. Strange. Could it be that reaching a certain Realm in Martial-Mystic techniques allows mortals to defeat Pure Immortal Physiques at the same cultivation Realm?"
Shi Liuyu's eyes lit up as if he'd discovered a whole new world.
As a Deformed Humanoid, he had always been wary of Pure Immortal Physiques at his level, and he naturally resented their advantage.
Li Weiyi's heart pounded so hard he could barely contain it, terrified that Shi Liuyu would probe his Feng Fu. Fortunately, Shi Liuyu never suspected the authenticity of his Eighth Spring cultivation.
Just as Li Weiyi was secretly breathing a sigh of relief, Shi Liuyu turned away.
Suddenly, without warning, Shi Liuyu spun around like lightning. A complex green rune materialized in his palm as he slammed it into Li Weiyi's chest. Li Weiyi was sent flying backward several meters, crashing heavily to the ground.
For a moment, Li Weiyi choked on his breath, then gasped for air.
His chest throbbed with pain, but more agonizing was a numbing, tingling force that seeped into his body, strand by strand.
After catching his breath, Li Weiyi immediately tore open his collar, but found nothing. He said coldly, "Six Desires Dharma King, what... is the meaning of this?"
Shi Liuyu stood with his hands clasped behind his back, chuckling: "First, congratulations on killing Xue Zheng and earning the right to serve the Earth Wolf King's Army. But you should understand we won't trust you, and you're certainly not doing this willingly. So we need to use some methods to make you willing."
"What I implanted in you is a Six Desires Talisman."
"Don't even think anyone can remove it for you. Each Six Desires Talisman has unique strokes, and only the one who cast it knows the correct method to dispel it. Rest assured, I'll remove it for you when you return from your mission."
Li Weiyi slowly stood up and said, "You might as well have said nothing at all."
Shi Shishi returned carrying Xue Zheng's spiritual artifact battle sword: "I'll vouch for you! If you truly complete your mission and return, not only will Sixth Brother remove the talisman, but I'll also recommend you join the Earth Wolf King's Army. By then, you'll have no place to hide in the Cangli Tribe or Li Prefecture. Every cultivator in the Jiu Li Tribe will want to tear you to shreds."
Shi Jiuzhai added, "If you break through to the Ancestral Field, I'll introduce you to the Heavenly King and make you the eleventh Dharma King."
Shi Jiuzhai's words were half true, half false.
The false part was meant to keep Li Weiyi in line and make him cooperate.
The true part was that if Li Weiyi truly broke through to the Ancestral Field and completed his mission, he would indeed have a chance to become the eleventh Dharma King.
....
Shortly after the four men left, two Elders from the Cangli Tribe, both at the Five Seas Realm, tracked Li Weiyi's footprints to the stream.
Before long, they found Xue Zheng's bisected corpse in a pool downstream.
One Elder exclaimed in shock, "This... could he have done this?"
"We followed his footprints and aura here," the other Elder replied, "It's possible Li Weiyi truly killed Xue Zheng with a single sword strike."
"Then there's only one explanation: everyone underestimated him. Li Weiyi must have broken through to the Ancestral Field and become a Nine Springs Supreme."
"It's hard to say. Let's take Xue Zheng's body back first. The wound still retains traces of aura. The First Commander and Young Clan Leader should be able to determine if it was Li Weiyi's spiritual artifact battle sword that dealt the blow."
"If it truly was a Nine Springs Supreme... it's been thirty years since the Cangli Tribe last produced one, aside from the Young Clan Leader..."
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END OF CHAPTER
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