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Novel: [The Primordial Law]
Volume 6: [Battle for the True Inheritance]
Chapter 39 (580): [Unexpected Event]
(39th of Volume 6)
Translator: Shadow Knight AK
Editor: Shadow Knight AK
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When Li Weiyi arrived at the Teleportation Hall, all members of the Shaoyang Division were already assembled.
The atmosphere was heavy and unnatural.
The air seemed to have solidified, some gazes were dark and brooding, while others burned with barely suppressed fury.
In this oppressive atmosphere, even the sound of Li Weiyi's footsteps felt like an intrusion.
This tension wasn't limited to Mo Duanfeng and Bai Chuan, who stood at the head of the group.
Even Tang Wanzhou, standing to the side, had eyes as sharp as swords, radiating a chilling light.
Realizing that his tardiness wasn't the cause, but rather some unforeseen crisis, Li Weiyi quietly slipped into the crowd and glanced at Liu Ye beside him.
Liu Ye whispered through telepathy, "Tu Mian Gou has disappeared!"
"What?"
Li Weiyi's heart lurched.
The news seemed absurd, like something out of a fairy tale.
Having grown accustomed to secret meetings without Tu Mian Gou, he hadn't even noticed the missing member when he entered.
The most crucial figure in this operation - the Taiyin Sect's Hai Envoy - had vanished at the critical moment.
Li Weiyi had anticipated countless potential setbacks, but he never imagined the tethered sheep would simply bolt.
Xu Daoqing, who had been responsible for monitoring Tu Mian Gou, wore a grave expression.
"It's my fault. I failed in my duty. I accept any punishment."
"No, it's my fault. I was the one watching him at the time," Zhao Tang, the scholar, sighed deeply, "Let the military regulations be followed! I accept any punishment."
"Is this the time to assign blame?" Tang Wanzhou interjected, "The priority is to bring him back."
"Every available Sentinel Spirit has already been deployed," she continued, "The Cave Void Camp retains a drop of his blood, which can trace his faint Qi signature. He won't escape."
The Pipa Maiden, clad in the white robes of the Shaoyang Guard and wearing a golden mask that concealed the lower half of her face, had a jade-like mark of crimson-purple thunder and lightning etched between her snow-white brows. Yet her eyes, brimming with tenderness, held a captivating allure.
Born into the Demonic Path, she rarely spoke and maintained a distant relationship with everyone.
Even Li Weiyi didn't know her true name.
With her pipa strapped to her back and long hair cascading down to her thighs, the Pipa Maiden possessed a striking figure and an aura of formidable power beneath her sinister charm.
Her cultivation was exceptionally profound.
The fullness of her breasts rivaled only Qing Zijin's, whose disproportionately large chest clashed with his slender frame and refined features.
After hearing Liu Ye's telepathic explanation, Li Weiyi quickly grasped the sequence of events.
According to Mo Duanfeng and Bai Chuan's plan, the Shaoyang Division was to enter the Void Ruins Ancient Kingdom from near the Rainforest Living Realm.
Tu Mian Gou would then relay this information to Chu Yutian, luring him and the Taiyin Sect into the trap.
The two men would follow secretly, waiting for Chu Yutian to take the bait and reveal himself before striking him down.
As planned, Tu Mian Gou had indeed transmitted the message.
But now he had vanished!
This morning, Xu Daoqing had gone to Yuyu City to purchase supplies, leaving Scholar Zhao Tang to keep watch.
Everything seemed normal until departure time.
Zhao Tang, who had been guarding outside Tu Mian Gou's Cave Abode, repeatedly called out but received no response.
He then broke through the Formation and rushed inside, only to find the cave empty.
Zhao Tang felt deeply guilty.
"He couldn't have escaped more than six hours ago! At noon, I even entered the cave to chat with him about some secret lore of the Void Ruins Ancient Kingdom."
"He must have sensed something amiss during your conversation, realized he'd been exposed, and fled," Chi Haohan growled.
Zhao Tang desperately tried to recall every word he had spoken, fearing he had indeed made a fatal mistake.
His heart ached with the knowledge that he had caused a major disaster.
All their previous preparations and strategies had come to naught.
Mo Duanfeng struggled to suppress his fury, refusing to let it erupt.
"Chu Yutian is using the power of the Void Ruins Ancient Kingdom to quickly break free from his fourth Immortal Shackle. If we don't eliminate him swiftly, once he achieves a breakthrough and attains Great Immortal... may the heavens have mercy on you all."
Wherever there are people, there are hierarchies.
Until now, only the Third Realm Martial-Mystic Cultivators present had held any real authority.
Each of them was immensely powerful, far surpassing the others.
Among them, Mo Duanfeng, Bai Chuan, and Tang Wanzhou wielded the greatest influence.
The youngest members, including Li Weiyi, remained silent and obedient, daring not to interrupt.
Their opinions carried no weight; to the Third Realm experts, they were no different from children.
But the current crisis presented a rare opportunity to assert themselves.
Chang Yujian spoke first: "This might actually be a blessing in disguise! The Void Ruins Ancient Kingdom is vast and boundless, stretching over ten thousand li from north to south, with borderlines spanning hundreds of thousands of li."
"We can now change our entry points. If Chu Yutian doesn't know where we're entering from, a dozen of us scattered across the kingdom will be like a dozen drops of water in the ocean."
"We're here to seek opportunities for cultivation, not to wage war. Why must we first engage the Taiyin Sect in a decisive battle? Shouldn't we also eliminate potential threats like the Demon Kingdom and Demon Race? After all, they also possess Void Divine Tokens."
Li Weiyi added, "I opposed the initial plan as well. Correcting course now is actually a good thing."
Bai Chuan and the Pipa Maiden stood together, their gazes drifting dismissively toward Chang Yujian and Li Weiyi.
Initially inclined to ignore them, Bai Chuan ultimately couldn't resist saying, "Cultivation realms dictate different perspectives. As First Realm cultivators, you can't contribute meaningfully to this level of conflict, nor would you gain any benefits. That's why you're reluctant to take risks."
"Avoiding risks means you can comfortably enjoy the advantages of entering the Void Ruins Ancient Kingdom our protection."
"But resolving the Chu Yutian problem is the responsibility of us stronger cultivators. If Chu Yutian finds us first within the Void Ruins Ancient Kingdom, it's our burden to handle, not yours."
"Mo Duanfeng and I signed Military Pledges when we left the Great Void Camp and Ancestor Dragon Camp, vowing to execute Chu Yutian. Are we doing this for ourselves? No, we're helping the Sentinel Spirit Army reclaim the honor your Cave Void Camp lost."
The entire Teleportation Hall fell silent.
Li Weiyi and Chang Yujian exchanged a glance, the latter shaking his head subtly.
Mo Duanfeng turned to Tang Wanzhou.
"Holy Commander, what do you say? Tu Mian Gou can't escape. Even if he does, he doesn't know about Bai Chuan and me, and he won't have time to warn Chu Yutian. We should stick to the original plan: enter the Void Ruins Ancient Kingdom through the Rainforest Living Realm, lie in wait, and crush the enemy in one swift strike."
Bai Chuan withdrew his gaze from Li Weiyi and Chang Yujian, regaining his composure and poise.
"If we don't eliminate Chu Yutian first, we'll be under constant tension and pressure in the Void Ruins Ancient Kingdom. Our cultivation will be half as effective."
Tang Wanzhou surveyed the Shaoyang Guard in the hall, noticing that over the past three days, some had already begun to subtly align themselves with Mo Duanfeng and Bai Chuan.
She abruptly stood up, her voice ringing with unyielding authority.
"Since you two asked for my decision, then I'll make it!"
"We're changing the plan. We'll choose a new entry point into the Void Ruins Ancient Kingdom. This location will remain undisclosed until the moment we move. Everyone, follow me. We won't give the enemy any chance to anticipate our movements."
Mo Duanfeng and Bai Chuan's brows furrowed, their chests heaving with suppressed anger.
Helpless, they seethed inwardly, cursing the Cave Void Camp as a bunch of incompetent fools for letting a Tai Yin Envoy escape right under their noses.
Executing the original plan now would indeed be far too risky, making it difficult for them to insist.
The group waited in the Teleportation Hall for two days.
Tang Wanzhou forbade anyone from leaving.
Communication talismans arrived continuously, but none brought news of Tu Mian Gou's capture.
Mo Duanfeng and Bai Chuan sat on chairs, closing their eyes to meditate, but gradually found it impossible to maintain their composure.
Mo Duanfeng slammed his hand on the table: "Holy Commander, it's not that my composure is lacking, but we truly can't afford to wait any longer. If we delay further, Chu Yutian will achieve a breakthrough within the Void Ruins Ancient Kingdom. A single realm's difference is a world apart. How much longer must we wait? If your Shaoyang Division lacks the courage to act, fine - hand over the Void Divine Token to us. We'll handle it ourselves."
Li Weiyi could see the immense pressure Tang Wanzhou was under, forced to endure Mo Duanfeng and Bai Chuan's demands while also bearing responsibility for the lives of all the Shaoyang Guards.
Though normally decisive and swift in action, she now displayed extraordinary caution and patience.
"Let's wait a little longer," Tang Wanzhou said, standing at the Teleportation Hall entrance as if awaiting someone.
Tu Nanfeng and Yuan Jingsan, the new recruit instructors from the Cave Void Camp, arrived at the Teleportation Hall.
Tang Wanzhou immediately stepped forward to greet them with a bow.
After exchanging formalities, Tang Wanzhou turned toward the Space Teleportation Formation.
"Everyone, let's depart."
"Whoosh!"
The glow of the teleportation formation faded.
Li Weiyi stepped off the platform with the others, surveying their surroundings. The scene was familiar - it was the main outpost they always passed through on their way to the Ye City Outpost for guard duty.
"Instructor Tu, we'll leave this place in your hands. Our movements are top secret," Tang Wanzhou said.
Tu Nanfeng nodded slightly.
For the next period, he would remain stationed at the main outpost, ensuring no one leaked the Shaoyang Division's movements.
Though he couldn't help but feel the Holy Commander was being overly cautious!
Led by Tang Wanzhou, Mo Duanfeng, and Bai Chuan, the group mounted their Fallen Soul Beasts and officially entered the pitch-black, icy Nether Realm of the Dead, setting off toward the southern border of the Void Ruins Ancient Kingdom, tens of thousands of miles away.
Yuan Jingsan, a Fourth Stage Holy Spirit5 Master, brought up the rear, tasked by Tang Wanzhou with concealing the group's tracks.
Three days later, the party finally sighted the legendary Wither-Flourish Zone.
Endless darkness, desolate mountains, and crimson earth stretching as far as the eye could see - not a trace of life remained.
In the distance, a gray-white cloud of Qi stretched from east to west.
From the ground, it stretched to the sky. Within, the Cloud Mist churned ceaselessly, emitting a faint radiance that evoked a sense of grandeur and awe.
At the head of the group, Tang Wanzhou didn't immediately retrieve her Void Divine Token to enter the Wither-Flourish Zone.
Instead, she continued moving to the right.
Li Weiyi rode a camel-shaped Soul Beast, having been drawing runes in the Teleportation Hall and continuing to refine them even after entering the Nether Realm.
Everyone felt he was overly anxious, burdened by excessive pressure.
Some speculated that Bai Chuan's earlier remarks had bruised his ego, leaving him shaken and resorting to last-minute cramming.
Chang Yujian, riding his own Soul Beast, caught up to Li Weiyi and rode alongside him.
Seeing him finish drawing a talisman and put it away, Chang Yujian smiled and transmitted a mental message: "You're not actually letting Bai Chuan get to you, are you?"
"What do you mean?" Li Weiyi asked, curious.
Chang Yujian replied, "In terms of innate talent, neither of us is inferior to him. All we lack is time. Entering the Void Ruins Ancient Kingdom is our chance to catch up. I've sworn to challenge him the moment we emerge, at least to fight him to a draw."
Li Weiyi hadn't expected Chang Yujian to bring up this matter, having dismissed it entirely.
He chuckled, "You've got the spirit, you'll definitely succeed."
Chang Yujian gestured for Li Weiyi to look ahead.
Following Chang Yujian's gaze, Li Weiyi saw Bai Chuan and the Pipa Maiden walking side-by-side, enveloped in Spiritual Qi, chatting and laughing intimately.
On the other side, Lu Qing and Qiu Cheng trailed half a step behind Mo Duanfeng, as if humbly seeking guidance on cultivation.
Chang Yujian transmitted his thoughts: "See? Everyone's looking for a backer."
Li Weiyi feigned ignorance: "No, they're just having normal conversations and making connections. The Pipa Maiden's cultivation is probably on par with Daoist Xu's - one of the top cultivators in the Shaoyang Guard. Why would she need Bai Chuan as a backer?"
Chang Yujian sighed, "Brother Weiyi, are you really this naive, or are you just pretending? Just because they're both in the Immortal Realm doesn't make them equal Great Powers. Just because they're both in the Third Realm doesn't mean they're on equal footing. Believe me, even if they're both in the Third Realm, if Chu Yutian ordered any Tai Yin Envoy to kneel, that envoy would have no choice but to obey."
"You must understand, as long as your opponent possesses the power to kill you, and you lack the ability to escape, retaliate, or threaten them, the power dynamic between you is no different from that of master and slave."
"The status of Immortal Realm Martial-Mystic Cultivators stems from our inherent value. As members of the Sentinel Spirit Army, we hold the power to resist the Taiyin Sect and the Nether Realm of the Dead. This value grants us our status, and no one dares to move against us lightly."
"I am Chang Yujian, a Heavenly Pride of the Chang Clan, and you have the Grand Palace Master backing you. These are the invisible forces that deter our enemies. As long as we don't provoke trouble, we're essentially clad in armor that even Transcendents might struggle to pierce."
"But within the Void Ruins Ancient Kingdom, these values and deterrents will be greatly diminished. We'll have to rely solely on our own strength to face the myriad dangers. Everything will change!"
Li Weiyi nodded thoughtfully: "Brother Chang, why haven't you sought a powerful backer?"
Chang Yujian smiled enigmatically and remained silent.
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END OF CHAPTER
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