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Novel: [The Primordial Law]
Volume 2: [Jiuli Insect Valley]
Chapter 20 (47): [Those Who Cross the Line Shall Die]
(20th of Volume 2)
Translator: Shadow Knight AK
Editor: Shadow Knight AK
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Li Weiyi, with his vision and hearing far surpassing other Martial-Mystic Cultivators of the same realm, secretly surveyed the streets surrounding the mansion. He indeed spotted several suspicious figures.
It was clear they were already under surveillance.
"We haven't offended anyone. We just moved in, and we're already in such a mess. It seems Jiu Li City isn't a safe haven after all. We just want to survive, to live well. Why is it so difficult?" Qin Ke fretted, unable to sit still.
She hadn't drunk the Golden Crow Blood. Most of the Scientific Expedition Team Members who had, like Lao Liu, had grown enormous bird heads.
Dr. Cai and Gao Huan's transformation into Pure Immortal Physiques was a rare occurrence.
She still cared deeply about her human appearance.
"Survival is the same everywhere. Each place has its own challenges," Zhao Zhizhuo explained to the newcomers, "Any gang that can establish a foothold in the outskirts of Jiu Li City must have a Five Seas Realm expert backing them. We can't afford to provoke them. It wasn't like this before. This Changlin Gang must have some powerful backers to be so audacious. Perhaps we should take advantage of the remaining daylight and retreat into the city for the night? Or just abandon the mansion altogether - it's only rented, after all."
"That's 2,600 silver coins, and only one time payment or nothing."
Li Weiyi sat on the steps under the eaves, continuing, "Besides, they've already targeted us. Why would they let us escape into the city? Fleeing now would only reveal our weakness. They'd think we're easy prey and attack even more brazenly."
Zhao Zhizhuo came up with another plan.
"I could pretend to be buying supplies and sneak into the city to seek an audience with the Young Clan Leader. If he intervenes, the Changlin Gang will surely back down."
"I'm afraid the Changlin Gang is too meticulous to give us that opportunity."
For the safety of everyone in the mansion, Li Weiyi had to compromise, even though he was reluctant to become entangled with the Cangli Tribe. He worried that Zhao Zhizhuo would meet with disaster once he left the mansion.
Zhao Zhizhuo smiled: "My life should have ended in Burial Immortal Town. It was Brother Li who saved me and allowed me to live until now. Now that we're in trouble, we must fight for our survival. Naturally, I won't hesitate. Besides, the Changlin Gang might not be as cautious as you think."
With lives at stake, Li Weiyi put aside his reservations. As he saw Zhao Zhizhuo off, he solemnly declared, "If we survive this ordeal, you will be richly rewarded in the future."
"Master Guan, how exactly do I use this Spring-Breaking Needle?"
Li Weiyi didn't know when the Changlin Gang would strike, nor how powerful their enemies truly were. But reading Water Margin had taught him that surrender was useless - it only led to a worse fate.
The only option was to fight!
Only through fighting could he carve out a foothold.
Only through fighting could he secure a moment of peace.
He desperately needed greater strength. If he could break through and open his Fifth Spring, he might gain some control over the Evil Camel Bell and stand a better chance against the storm that might crash down tonight.
Inside the room he had just finished cleaning, Li Weiyi removed his shirt, sat cross-legged, and opened the Jade Box containing the Spring-Breaking Needles.
The needles were as slender as strands of hair, yet crystal-clear and icy, radiating wisps of cold mist like condensed essence from a Medicinal Spring.
"First, adjust your state to its peak. Once the Spring-Breaking (Puquan) Needle pierces your Central Acupoint, it will rapidly dissolve, its medicinal power softening the barrier, making it easier for you to open your Spring."
"The medicinal energy of a single Spring-Breaking Needle lasts only half an hour... And it's been barely two weeks since you opened your Four Springs. Breaking through to your Fifth Spring will be no easy feat. Be prepared for a challenge."
"Whoosh!"
From the Blue-and-White Bone Urn, a wisp of ethereal soul mist drifted out, coalescing into a half-real, half-illusory hand that plucked up the Spring-Breaking Needle.
After practicing the Breathing Technique, Li Weiyi immediately felt a difference. The Law of Heaven and Earth seemed unusually dense and active, and the flow of Spiritual Power through his forty-eight Meridian Traces quickened slightly.
This was the advantage of living in a Prefectural Giant City - the cultivation environment was unparalleled.
Long-term residence here would undoubtedly accelerate his breakthrough speed.
He soon entered a state of tranquil harmony with nature, focusing all his awareness on the Central Pivot Acupoint at his back. He sought to feel himself, the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy, and the barrier between them.
"Swoosh!"
The Spring-Breaking Needle shot out, striking the Central Pivot Acupoint with perfect precision and sinking into the barrier.
A wave of frigid energy instantly radiated from the acupoint, spreading throughout his body.
Li Weiyi shuddered violently, as if plunged into an icy abyss. His limbs grew numb, as if he had lost all sensation. Only the Spiritual Power within his forty-eight Meridian Veins continued to flow steadily.
No wonder Master Guan had warned that opening the Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Springs carried a certain risk - it was indeed different from the first four.
Fortunately, Master Guan's technique was exceptional, and he had wielded the Spring-Breaking Needle with perfect precision. Had another martial master been so eager to advance, the risk would have been far greater.
As time passed, the barrier noticeably thinned under the combined attacks of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy channeled by the Breathing Technique, Li Weiyi's Blood Qi, Spiritual Power, and the Spring-Breaking Needle.
But even after the needle's medicinal potency was exhausted, the barrier remained unbroken.
"Use the second one," Li Weiyi instructed.
"Use it now? There's no such thing as using them consecutively," Master Guan cautioned, worried about his body's endurance.
Li Weiyi replied, "I don't feel any discomfort. It should be fine."
"That's truly strange! After using the Spring-Breaking Needle, the acupoints usually ache for days, requiring several days to recover. Not even a Pure Immortal Physique could withstand this like you have."
Master Guan muttered this as he pinched up the second Spring-Breaking Needle and injected it.
Half an hour later.
The second Spring-Breaking Needle's medicinal potency was exhausted. Li Weiyi finally felt the pain in his Central Pivot Acupoint, but the barrier still remained, though only a thin layer. With normal cultivation, it would naturally break within a few days.
But Li Weiyi didn't know what tonight held.
He had to break through the Fifth Spring.
"Use the third one," he said, "I can handle it."
"It's not about whether you can handle it or not..."
Master Guan hesitated. Using a third Spring-Breaking Needle left him with no confidence at all.
"Don't worry, I hate playing games with my life. I'm not just putting on a brave face; I genuinely believe the pain in my Central Pivot Acupoint is still manageable," Li Weiyi said.
.....
In another room, Zhao Meng was also practicing the Breathing Technique. Perhaps it was due to the dense Heaven and Earth Law of Jiu Li City, the immense external pressure, or perhaps his accumulated energy had finally reached its limit.
With a single surge, he broke through the acupoint at the sole of his foot, opening the First Spring.
As his Spiritual Power flowed along the Meridian Veins throughout his body, his skin, already slightly golden, began to glow with a golden luster. His crimson-gold hair, like flames, seemed to burn atop his head.
Such physique, such a sight.
Any cultivator unfamiliar with his true strength would likely assume he possessed at least the combat power of a Five Seas Realm cultivator.
.....
As dusk deepened, Qin Ke finished preparing the meal.
But Lao Liu and Lao Guan, waiting anxiously in the courtyard, had no appetite at all. Their gazes darted between the main gate and the house.
After all this time, Zhao Zhizhuo still hadn't returned. It was highly likely something had happened.
The two cultivators, still in seclusion, remained behind closed doors.
When the last sliver of sunset dipped below the hazy Mangshan Mountain Range, the vast mansion was completely swallowed by darkness. No one dared light a lamp. Qin Ke, already timid, huddled silently in a corner, as if any sound could make her tremble.
"Creak!"
Zhao Meng emerged from the main hall's towering three-story door. His body no longer glowed, having returned to its natural state. He grumbled, "This door is too small. Once I make some money, I'm building a huge house with an eight-meter-long bed."
"What are you all doing standing around?"
"Light the lamps! Otherwise, people will think we're afraid!"
At that moment, Li Weiyi pushed open the door as well: "That's right! Even if we're going to die, we'll die in the light. You must all be starving. Sister Qin, go reheat the food. Uncle Liu, Uncle Guan, move the table under the poplar tree and bring the lamps over. We'll eat in the courtyard."
Seeing Li Weiyi's calm and resolute demeanor, Qin Ke and the others were inspired by his courage. Their fear diminished, and they each began to busy themselves.
Zhao Meng sat beneath a tree like a giant Buddha: "Zhao Zhizhuo has surely met with disaster. No one will come to save us tonight. We're on our own."
The dishes on the table were steaming hot, their aroma filling the air.
The four of them sat at separate corners of the table.
Li Weiyi had a good appetite. Despite the searing pain in his Central Pivot Acupoint, he held his bowl and continued to pile it with food. Hearing Zhao Meng's words, he paused briefly: "Then let the Jade Emperor watch over us. Tonight, may the Changlin Gang never let me live. Otherwise, I swear I'll make them pay the most terrible price!"
"When the fighting starts, everyone take shelter inside. Senior Brother, you protect them!"
As night deepened, the bustling sounds of the city faded away. Only the large brothel a hundred paces across the courtyard remained lively, its music, laughter, and shouts carried on the wind.
The layers of protective light gauze rising from the moat and city walls glowed even more brilliantly than during the day.
Li Weiyi sat alone beneath the old Yang tree, a bone lantern hanging from its branches above him.
The Yellow Dragon Sword leaned against the trunk.
.....
On the third floor of a distant brothel, two middle-aged men stood by the window, gazing at the lone lamp and solitary shadow within the dimly lit courtyard.
"To remain so calm in such a situation...remarkable courage," said the tall, thin middle-aged man with a black mole between his eyebrows, "What's that on the table beside him...a Spirit Tablet?"
"Is this meant for us? How arrogant!"
The other middle-aged man, with a thick beard and streaks of white hair at his temples, replied, "Let Master Qi handle this. We'll see what he's truly made of."
....
Hearing the commotion outside, Li Weiyi stopped practicing the Spiritual Cultivation Techniques with Senior Spirit Tablet and turned his gaze toward the open door several yards away.
"I don't like killing innocents. Tonight, I'll use this threshold as the boundary. Anyone who crosses it dies."
"Swish! Swish!"
His words were answered by two arrows flying out of the darkness.
They made almost no sound as they cut through the air, and their speed was astonishing. Clearly, these were no ordinary arrows. If he hadn't broken through the Fifth Spring, his enhanced perception might not have detected them in advance.
Li Weiyi rose from his seat and, as his body flashed, reached out to catch the two black arrows.
Each arrow was a foot long and as thin as wire, yet incredibly hard and strangely heavy, weighing over a pound.
He had studied the Flying Needle Technique.
In an instant, the two black arrows left his hand and pierced through the half-foot-thick courtyard wall with two muffled thuds. Two low groans of agony immediately echoed from the darkness outside, followed by the sound of bodies hitting the ground.
Suddenly...
"Swish!"
A strange rustling sound rose from beneath the ground. The earth became uneven, and wisps of black smoke began to curl up from the soil.
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END OF CHAPTER
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