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Novel: [The Primordial Law]
Volume 2: [Jiuli Insect Valley]
Chapter 55 (82): [Yao Yin's Assassination]
(55th of Volume 2)
Translator: Shadow Knight AK
Editor: Shadow Knight AK
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After leaving the Blood Mud Space, Li Weiyi couldn't shake the words of his Spirit Tablet Master from his mind.
"What changes will occur on Shaoyang Star when your Psychic (Telekinesis) Power breaks through again?"
For the next three days, Li Weiyi avoided strenuous activity. He focused on consuming medicinal cuisine to aid his recovery and spent time in the Blood Forest cultivating his Psychic (Telekinesis) Power through Devouring Light to Nourish Fire.
Trial Takers returned one after another. Li Weiyi didn't know how many had perished in this first trial, but the Medicinal Cuisine Hall was noticeably quieter than before.
Seeing Yaoyin emerge from the stone gate, Li Weiyi quickly rose to leave.
"You... wait a moment!"
Yaoyin feigned composure and indifference, her hands clasped behind her back as she entered the Blood Forest, keeping a distance of about ten feet: "In the spider cave, why didn't you kill me?"
This was the first time he'd seen her in three days. Li Weiyi replied, "When we entered the cave, didn't we agree to eliminate the other competitors first? I was simply fulfilling my promise."
With that, Li Weiyi hurried away toward the Medicinal Cuisine Hall.
Yaoyin clearly didn't believe his answer. She quickly followed, maintaining a distance of at least ten feet, "Fine, let's leave it at that! I will repay the favor I owe you."
"Repay the favor?" Li Weiyi asked.
Yaoyin exuded the arrogance common to all Martial-Mystic Cultivators with a Pure Immortal Physique: "You're the one who fed me the Cistanche Precious Medicine, aren't you? I've turned misfortune into fortune. In the past three days, I've already broken through to the Eighth Spring. Among all the competitors, only that Nine Springs Supreme is slightly troublesome."
"Very well, I'll eliminate all the other competitors and leave you for last."
"Last to kill?" Li Weiyi asked.
Yaoyin's expression turned stern: "There's no other choice. When the time comes, I'll give you a fair duel."
Li Weiyi nodded, secretly vowing to give her the same opportunity.
"By the way! What exactly happened in the Spider Cave? Why were you covered in ice cracks?" Li Weiyi asked casually.
To his surprise, Yaoyin's mind was consumed by the words "covered in ice cracks." Unpleasant images flooded her thoughts, and her good mood vanished instantly. Her eyes turned cold and distant.
"Shameless! It seems Yin Ershi Si was right after all."
Yaoyin snorted, channeling her Spiritual Power to quicken her pace and distance herself from him. She no longer wanted to walk alongside him.
Li Weiyi stood frozen in place, utterly bewildered. He had no idea which word had offended her. He muttered to himself, "It's her problem, definitely not mine. Hmm... What exactly did Yin Ershi Si say? How can a Hidden One be so gossipy?"
When they arrived at the Medicinal Cuisine Hall, Li Weiyi and Yaoyin sat as far apart as possible.
The surviving Trial Takers arrived one after another, totaling eighteen people, all present.
They had gathered so punctually because today's Medicinal Cuisine was exceptionally rich, a reward for everyone who had passed the trial.
"Eight people died in the first trial. It seems that even without resorting to mutual slaughter, surviving until the final month won't be easy," a Mortal Martial-Mystic Cultivator who had achieved Eighth Spring Opening said with a cautionary tone.
Among the four Eighth Spring Martial-Mystic Cultivators, one had died, leaving only three.
The Tiger-like Aberrant Humanoid Eighth Spring Martial-Mystic Cultivator licked his lips and sneered, "If we eliminate all the competition early, we won't even need to participate in the trials. We can just declare victory."
The Mortal Martial-Mystic Cultivator's expression darkened, knowing he was no match for the other. Defeat meant death.
After finishing the Medicinal Cuisine, Yaoyin suddenly lunged forward like lightning. Her speed was astonishing, and the Spiritual Artifact dagger in her hand aimed straight for Li Qing's throat.
There was no warning.
Even Li Weiyi was stunned.
He never expected that the Tiger-like Aberrant Humanoid Eighth Spring Martial-Mystic Cultivator, who had been making threats all along, wouldn't make the first move.
Instead, the seemingly frail and delicate Yaoyin had become the first to publicly attack a competitor.
Clearly caught off guard, Li Qing could only react hastily.
"Swish!"
The dagger narrowly missed Li Qing's neck, leaving a bloody scratch on his chin.
He had come within a hair's breadth of being killed in a single strike.
"Good! Since you're courting death, I'll send this Pure Immortal Physique out of the competition early."
Li Qing touched his chin, his hand covered in blood. After the initial shock, a murderous glint flashed in his eyes. He drew his sword and slashed out.
Yaoyin had intended to exploit her superior agility and Li Qing's ignorance of her breakthrough to catch him off guard and eliminate her strongest rival.
A month earlier, during Li Qing's fight with Yin Jiu, she had observed that his agility was his weakness.
But she hadn't expected him to overcome this weakness in just a month. The body technique he had used to evade her assassination attempt had clearly reached the Heavenly Dao and Law Harmony level.
"Swish! Swish!"
Their body techniques were both exquisite and peerless. They burst out of the Medicinal Cuisine Hall and appeared on the plaza below the Psychic (Telekinetic) Stone Wall.
In an instant, countless shadows flickered, and spiritual artifacts clashed repeatedly.
It was common knowledge that a Pure Immortal Physique possessed monstrous combat strength, capable of fighting opponents a realm above their own.
The Eighth Spring Opening Tiger-like Aberrant Humanoid watched the battle intently. "What a pity! So close to a successful assassination."
Though he feigned regret, a relieved smile spread across his face.
Li Weiyi said, "Go and lend her a hand. Perhaps you can drive away the Nine Springs Supreme."
"And then what? She'll come after me next," the Eighth Spring Opening Tiger-like Aberrant Humanoid Martial-Mystic Cultivator wasn't stupid. He knew who the real enemy was at this stage.
"Pfft!"
Li Qing unleashed a Heavenly Dao and Law Harmony-level sword technique. A piercing sword chime filled the air as his sword shattered Yaoyin's Heavenly Wind Palm Technique in a single strike.
The sword pierced through her palm, exiting through the back of her hand. Yaoyin gritted her teeth, enduring the excruciating pain.
She immediately yanked her bloodied hand away and vanished into the Purple Bamboo Forest in a flash of movement.
"Just after breaking through to the Eighth Spring, you dare to ambush me? Aren't you being a bit too hasty?"
Li Qing roared in anger, but instead of pursuing her, he raised his bloodstained sword and turned his murderous gaze upon the crowd behind him. His eyes locked onto Li Weiyi in particular.
He had sensed Li Weiyi's Spiritual Qi fluctuations just as he was about to press his advantage and kill Yaoyin.
He knew Li Weiyi was no ordinary person.
The Earth Wolf King's Army had specifically sent him to monitor Li Qing.
But in the current situation, only one of them could survive.
Li Qing was certain Li Weiyi had been planning to follow Yaoyin's example and launch a sneak attack.
With her Pure Immortal Physique wounded, Yaoyin was sure to be hunted by every Eighth Spring Opening Martial-Mystic Cultivator.
But before that, Li Qing was worried they would unite and take him down first.
After careful consideration, Li Qing decided not to immediately pursue the fleeing "defeated foe" who couldn't escape.
Instead, he chose to intimidate the "pack of wolves" who were already circling, eager to strike.
"Yin Ershi Si, Yin Ershi Wu," Li Qing shouted to the two Hidden Ones standing at the edge of the square, "That Pure Immortal Physique has dared to attack me. Can I kill her at any moment now?"
Yin Ershi Wu replied, "Any low-level cultivator who strikes first forfeits their right to protection. If you wish to kill her, we will no longer intervene."
Li Qing's gaze swept across all the Eighth Spring Opening Martial-Mystic Cultivators, including Li Weiyi.
"Did you all hear that? You only have one life. Before you strike, it's best to weigh your strength carefully."
Li Weiyi had truly wanted to attack earlier, but he held back, realizing he still had some doubts that needed to be verified privately with Li Qing.
"If I challenge the Psychic (Telekinetic) Mural, can they ambush me?" Li Qing asked, intending to add another layer of deterrence.
Yin Ershi Si replied, "Of course not."
"Good!"
Li Qing strode toward the Psychic (Telekinetic) Stone Wall and pressed his hand against it.
"Whoosh!"
The half-illusory, half-real form of Yin Jiu emerged from the stone wall, wielding a massive axe and attacking Li Qing.
With a thunderous boom, the axe clashed against Li Qing's longsword.
Li Qing was knocked back four yards, his face instantly paling, his sword-wielding hand trembling uncontrollably. Facing Yin Jiu's second axe strike, he immediately activated the Heavenly Dao and Law Fusion Body Technique to dodge.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
....
Li Weiyi watched the battlefield, where a man and his shadow clashed, and nodded slightly.
Li Qing has improved so much in just one month!
A month ago, a single exchange had sent his sword flying, leaving him utterly defenseless against Yin Jiu.
Li Qing had endured seven blows before his sword finally fell, immediately conceding defeat.
Yin Ershi Wu was stunned.
"How could he have improved so drastically? Even I can only withstand four blows from Yin Jiu now."
Yin Ershi Si's eyes also widened in admiration: "Someone who can become a Nine Springs Supreme outside the Nine Springs Trial is naturally no simple matter."
Yin Ershi San arrived, his massive frame appearing beside them: "He obtained a great opportunity during the Nine Springs Trial. His Meridian Veins is probably close to becoming a Full Silver Vein. In another month at most, once he achieves Full Silver Vein, he'll truly be invincible among this group."
"But he still can't possibly defeat Yin Jiu! Yin Jiu is at the Peak of Mortality, possessing a hundred Silver Vein Marks," Yin Ershi Wu countered.
The newcomer's strength put pressure even on Yin Ershi Si, and her gaze unconsciously flickered towards Li Weiyi.
Li Qing picked up his fallen sword, his gaze sweeping over the stunned Eighth Spring Martial-Mystic Cultivators. Then, following the lingering aura of Yaoyin, he vanished into the Purple Bamboo Forest.
One Martial-Mystic Cultivator, utterly dejected, said bitterly, "What's the point of continuing this trial for us? I feel like the spot for Yin Ershi Liu (Twenty-Sixth Hidden One) is already set in stone!"
A Tiger-like Aberrant Humanoid Eighth Spring Martial-Mystic Cultivator suggested, "Why don't we all team up and take him down first?"
"Team up? Just us? We might have stood a chance if we had teamed up with the Pure Immortal Physique before she lost a hand. But now, with only one hand, her combat power probably isn't much stronger than yours."
...
Li Weiyi walked across the square, glancing at the distant red Psychic (Telekinetic) Stone Wall. Not wanting to further demoralize the pitiful group of cultivators, he decided to find Li Qing first.
Li Qing activated his Law technique and followed the Blood River downstream.
"Where do you think you can run? Once you pass this valley, Fierce Insects infest every corner."
After pursuing for over twenty miles, Li Qing suddenly slowed his pace. Three underground river tributaries branched ahead.
His gaze locked onto the narrowest underground river entrance on the far right, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"That fragrance on you has been giving away your location the whole time. How can you escape? You wouldn't dare venture deep inside. You must be hiding near the entrance. The Fierce Insects within would devour your flesh bit by bit, the agony akin to slow slicing, a fate worse than death."
"Come out. Dying by my sword is far more merciful than being devoured by those insects."
Hidden in the shadows of the cave entrance, Yaoyin tore off a strip of cloth from her clothes. Gritting her teeth, she trembled as she wrapped the bleeding wound on her palm, the pain causing beads of sweat to erupt on her forehead.
When Li Qing's Spiritual Artifact sword pierced her palm, the sword had been imbued with Spiritual Qi, preventing the wound from healing quickly.
"Yaoyin, don't be afraid... We're all going to die eventually... Don't be afraid. You lost, yes, but didn't you prepare for this before coming to the Hidden Sect? You're not afraid... You're not! Fight!"
Leaning against the stone wall, she sat on the ground, her chest heaving. She struggled to overcome her fear of Li Qing, striving to regain her fighting spirit and condition as quickly as possible.
Just as she mustered the courage to charge out, a familiar voice suddenly echoed from outside.
"Li Qing, it's time we had a proper conversation about what happened between us."
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END OF CHAPTER
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