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Novel: [The Primordial Law]
Volume 4: [Shuangsheng Dao Sect (Twin Rice Sect)]
Chapter 104 (359): [Meeting with Hidden Two]
(104th of Volume 4)
Translator: Shadow Knight AK
Editor: Shadow Knight AK
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Half an hour later, Li Weiyi met with Hidden Two on the top floor of a crimson tower in the inner hall of the Coffin Sea Pavilion in Pale Moon Square.
The Coffin Sea Pavilion belonged to the Coffin Sea Merchant Guild, a subsidiary of the Jiu Li Hidden Sect.
Seeing that it was truly Li Weiyi, Hidden Two let out a long sigh of relief and clasped his hands together, bowing in a circle.
"Thank the heavens, and may the immortal spirits protect you! Divine Hidden One, everyone was so worried about your safety. Seeing you safe and sound puts my mind at ease!"
Li Weiyi sat down at the table and poured himself a cup of tea: "Has everyone arrived in Lingxiao City?"
Hidden Two was responsible for the Jiu Li Hidden Sect's secular affairs.
"Most have already arrived, and the rest are still on their way. They'll definitely be here before the first day of the twelfth lunar month," Hidden Two replied.
Li Weiyi frowned: "We have fewer than ten Dao Seed Realm Hidden Ones from this Jiazi cycle. Why are they moving so slowly?"
Hidden Two was taken aback: "The Divine Hidden One's order was for all Hidden Ones at or above the Dao Seed Realm, not just those from our Jiazi cycle. After I sent the message back to Jiu Li Insect Valley, the Forty-Fifth Supreme Elder replied that the Ancient Hidden Ones are difficult to summon, but the Hidden Elders from the previous Jiazi cycle should all be arriving."
The Forty-Fifth Supreme Elder was the one guarding the entrance to the Jiu Li Hidden Sect from Jiu Li City, and he was also the Hidden One from the forty-fifth year of the previous Jiazi cycle.
Li Weiyi paused for a moment: "Don't the Hidden Elders usually take orders from the Hidden Lord?"
"If the Hidden Lord meets with an accident, the Divine Hidden One takes command. This has been the rule of the Hidden Sect for generations!" Hidden Two explained.
Li Weiyi took a sip of tea, feeling the pressure on his shoulders increase. Having summoned them here, he was now responsible for their safety.
He asked, "Still no definite news about the Hidden Lord?"
Hidden Two shook his head and sighed.
"The Hidden Sect is doing everything it can to investigate and gather information, but the Imperial Court has tightly suppressed news of what happened outside South Yan Pass. Not only has the Hidden Lord disappeared, but Yang Shenjing hasn't been seen since. All we can say for now is that the lack of definite news is the best news we could hope for."
"Why has the Divine Hidden One summoned so many experts to Lingxiao City? Is it related to the Demon Clan or the Heretical Sect?"
Li Weiyi looked at him in surprise.
Hidden Two then recounted how Zuoqiu Hongting, Cang Li, and Hidden Nine had rescued Qi Xiao.
After listening, Li Weiyi finally smiled.
"Zuoqiu Hongting's judgment is spot-on. The Zuoqiu Clan must not act rashly for now. If we alert our enemies, the consequences could be disastrous."
"She's come to Lingxiao City!" Hidden Two said.
Li Weiyi's eyes widened in disbelief: "What for? Doesn't she know how dangerous Lingxiao City is right now? With her innate talent, so many people would kill her for it."
Hidden Two chuckled: "She's the Divine Hidden One of the Zuoqiu Clan's current generation. Clearly, she's come with the Zuoqiu Hidden Sect's schemes."
Li Weiyi asked, "Where is she?"
Hidden Two spread his hands: "This Young Emperor keeps her whereabouts secret and rarely reveals her true face. Who knows where she is?"
Li Weiyi knew their engagement was merely a political show forced by the circumstances at the time.
The betrothal could be dissolved at any moment and was not to be taken seriously.
Li Weiyi took out a Boundary Pouch and placed it on the table.
"Use the Yongquan Coins inside to repay the Hidden Sect fifty thousand. Buy me Millennial Essence Herbs with the rest."
Hidden Two opened the Boundary Pouch to inspect it, secretly shocked. It contained nearly two million Yongquan Coins.
The Hidden Sect is responsible for half the cost of cultivation resources purchased by Divine Hidden Ones.
In other words, even if Hidden Two recovered 500,000 Yongquan Coins, he would still need to spend another 1.5 million Yongquan Coins, totaling 3 million Yongquan Coins, to buy Millennial Essence Herbs for Li Weiyi.
Anyone else would be tearing their hair out over this.
Suddenly, Li Weiyi asked, "Has Yin Wu come to Lingxiao City?"
Hidden Two put away his Boundary Pouch.
"Yin Wu and several Dharma Kings from the Earth Wolf King's Army arrived two days ago! Now that the Human Clan has achieved internal reconciliation and the Immortal Martial Edict is in effect, they're swaggering into the city, stirring up trouble everywhere. They're probably challenging the Ninefold Dao Image Diagram right now!"
Li Weiyi asked, "What's the Ninefold Dao Image Diagram?"
Hidden Two replied, "You just entered the city today, right? Challenging the Ninefold Dao Image Diagram has become the hottest topic in Lingxiao City lately. Even the Third Palace Master issued a decree, summoning all Jiazi Register experts from across the land to jointly attack Lingxiao City. He guaranteed their safety regardless of their faction, and promised a generous reward for anyone who could break through a single layer of the diagram."
Li Weiyi's curiosity was piqued: "What's so special about this Ninefold Dao Image Diagram?"
Hidden Two said, "This matter begins with the number one Dao Seed Realm expert from the Calamity Crossing Temple. He came to the Lingxiao Realm to challenge Tang Wanzhou."
"But upon arrival, he learned that Tang Wanzhou had fallen into an Underground Immortal Mansion a year prior. His name had even vanished from the Jiazi Register, suggesting he had likely perished."
"This number one expert then proceeded to humiliate Lingxiao City, defeating five of the Ten Prodigies without a single one lasting three moves. He boasted that the Lingxiao Realm had declined, no longer resembling its former glory, and that its people were nothing more than chickens and dogs. His arrogant words ignited widespread fury. Even Martial-Mystic Cultivators from the Sixth and Seventh Heavens challenged him in anger."
"As you can imagine, the results were predictable. He simply waved his hand, like brushing away dust, and crushed them all."
"Naturally, some refused to accept defeat, claiming that they could defeat him in the same realm. They dismissed the Calamity Crossing Temple as nothing special, insisting that the Lingxiao Realm was teeming with hidden talents."
"The Calamity Crossing Temple's number one expert, prepared for such challenges, seized the opportunity to produce the Ninefold Dao Image Diagram he had brought with him. This is a profound Spiritual Artifact, containing the Dao images of the Calamity Crossing Temple's top expert from each of the nine Dao Seed Realm levels."
"The first person claimed he didn't want to bully the Lingxiao Realm. The nine figures in the Ninefold Dao Image Diagram represent the strongest Martial-Mystic Cultivators in each realm of the Calamity Crossing Temple's current generation, not the strongest in history. He said that if a Martial-Mystic Cultivator from the Lingxiao Realm could break through three of the nine figures, he would retract his words and apologize."
Li Weiyi asked, "How many have been broken through so far?"
Hidden Two forced a bitter smile: "Not a single one! The best record belongs to Xingyuenu, the Third Palace Master's disciple, who challenged the figure representing the Sixth Heaven of the Dao Seed Realm. She didn't challenge the Dao Image itself, but the figure's actual person - Xie Chucai, the Calamity Crossing Temple's Heavenly Pride who has already become famous throughout the world. She managed to withstand seven strikes."
"Xie Chucai said he only used half his power out of respect for Feather Immortal. Otherwise, he could have killed her within three moves."
This wasn't an exaggeration at all.
Tai Shi Bai had once remarked that no one in the Lingxiao Realm, at the same cultivation level, could withstand even a single strike from Xie Chucai and remain standing.
Xingyuenu's ability to endure several moves was already quite impressive.
Li Weiyi asked, "Ge Xiantong didn't make a move?"
Hidden Two replied, "Ge Xiantong and his disciples just returned from Cultivation at the Calamity Crossing Temple. Even if they challenged and won, the number one expert would simply claim it was all thanks to the temple. He'd say that without the temple's help in strengthening your foundations, you'd be nothing."
"Right now, the reputation of all Martial-Mystic Cultivators in the Lingxiao Realm is on the line. Even Dharma Kings like Yin Wu and Shi Liuyu are itching for a fight."
Li Weiyi handed Xu Xiangu's ledger to Hidden Two, instructing him to dispatch Hidden Ones to investigate the Twin Rice Sect strongholds listed.
He hoped they could trace the clues and uncover the sect's high-ranking members in Lingxiao City.
"Deploy all Hidden Sect members, focusing on the Twin Rice Sect and the Demon Clan. Gather all information and compile it for me by the Hidden Ones' gathering three days from now. Remember, don't alert the enemy."
After discussing the location of the Hidden Ones' gathering on the first day of the twelfth lunar month, Li Weiyi prepared to leave.
"If an emergency arises, where can I find you?" Hidden Two asked.
Li Weiyi replied, "Go to the Tai Shi Clan and ask for Zuo Ning. Also, have Yin Wu and the Six Desires Dharma King keep an eye on the Cloud Pavilion District where the Tai Shi Clan resides, focusing on Long Xiangcen. The Six Desires Dharma King has a natural talent for this."
In Lingxiao City and the Tai Shi Clan's territory, Li Weiyi dared not leave Seventh Phoenix outside for long, fearing discovery by Immortal Realm Giants or Holy Spiritual Masters.
After leaving the Coffin Sea Pavilion, Li Weiyi casually entered a large merchant guild to purchase various top-grade talisman-making materials.
Over the next three days, he planned to enter the Cocoon of Time to thoroughly study the Divine Swiftness Talisman and the Body-Fixing Talisman.
Emerging from the merchant guild in the afternoon, the slanting sunlight cast long shadows.
"Rustle!"
A bone-chilling gust of Yin wind swept through the bustling street.
A layer of white frost formed on the ground.
Shop banners flapped violently, and goods from stalls and various displays were blown into the air.
An eerie, piercing baby's laughter echoed through the entire district, its location constantly shifting.
Sensing danger, Li Weiyi looked ahead to the stone pillar archway. There, a purple-black Ghost Mist surged through the archway like an ominous cloud, blotting out the sky and enveloping the city.
In an instant, the once-heavenly Lingxiao City transformed into a sinister Ghost Domain.
"Another Ghost Infant has appeared! Quick, take shelter inside and activate the Formation!"
"Look at the archway! It's the Ghost Mother!"
"This Ghost Mother has such a powerful aura. Whose daughter is she?"
"I've seen her before. She's Song Qingli, the proud daughter of the West Sea Royal Manor, a female official of the Qilin Terrace, and one of the Third Palace Master's disciples."
.....
Li Weiyi narrowed his eyes, spotting a figure standing atop the archway a hundred paces away.
The woman had disheveled hair, her white robes stained with blood, and a constant stream of purplish-black Ghost Mist pouring from her body.
It was like a drop of ink spreading through water, corrupting the entire world.
"So this is the Ghost Mother, transformed by the Mother-Child Spring?"
Suddenly, a chilling baby's laughter echoed from Li Weiyi's right side.
It was crystal clear, as if the baby were chuckling right beside his ear.
Even Li Weiyi, renowned for his skill and courage, was startled.
He quickly dodged.
A scream pierced the air.
A young boy, perhaps thirteen or fourteen years old, convulsed violently just three paces away from Li Weiyi.
"Swish!"
A foot-tall Ghost Infant, with a green face and fangs, leaped from the boy's arms, landing on his shoulder.
It clutched a bloody mass in its tiny hands, gnawing at it before using the momentum to leap onto the nearby eaves.
The boy's blood pooled on the ground.
With a thud, he collapsed backward onto the ground.
Li Weiyi realized the boy's chest cavity had been completely devoured.
On the eaves, the Ghost Infant clutched a human heart in its hands.
"Swish!"
A gust of wind sliced through the air as the Ghost Infant lunged directly at Li Weiyi.
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END OF CHAPTER
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