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Novel: [The Primordial Law]
Volume 6: [Battle for the True Inheritance]
Chapter 20 (561): [Assassination]
(20th of Volume 6)
Translator: Shadow Knight AK
Editor: Shadow Knight AK
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What was this place?
Not just a ferry crossing, but a hastily constructed small city, its buildings packed tightly together, alleyways a chaotic maze, and goods piled everywhere.
Even in the dead of night, at the hour of Chou (1-3 AM), the place blazed with light and buzzed with activity.
Laborers and caravans swarmed the streets, transporting goods.
Offshore, masts rose like a dense forest, filling the harbor with ships of all kinds.
Li Weiyi relied on his senses to navigate the labyrinthine streets, searching for Tang Wanzhou by sheer luck.
He pondered where she might be hiding - among the buildings or on one of the ships.
'Qin Zhengyang is not only a master of cultivation but also extremely cautious. He's even crafted puppets.'
'The ferry crossing is undoubtedly crawling with Tai Yin Sect spies. Any sign of trouble, and they'll immediately signal Qin Zhengyang to retreat.'
'How will Tang Wanzhou escape after the assassination?'
'Hiding back on Dragon Island would expose her identity.'
'She'll likely flee through the water - south or east?'
Li Weiyi hurried through the ferry crossing, covering every corner without finding any trace of her.
Er Feng couldn't detect her Vital Energy either.
Li Weiyi stopped, thinking, 'Perhaps she's not even here at West Ferry. Maybe she's at the Rice Mother Tower, monitoring the Rice Palace True Disciple's movements. If I follow the True Disciple, won't I eventually find Qin Zhengyang?'
The aroma of food drifted to Li Weiyi's nose, drawing his gaze to the seaside tavern at the ferry crossing.
It was already the Yin hour (3-5 AM), and steam billowed from within as breakfast preparations were underway.
Laborers from the Lingxiao Life Realm and Rainforest Habitat, their cultivation realms still low, hurried in and out.
After their morning meal, they would begin another day of toil.
Since it was still early, Li Weiyi decided to eat first.
He entered the tavern, climbed to the second floor, and settled at a table facing the sea.
Gazing at the dense forest of sails on the horizon, he savored the cool sea breeze and steaming buns, his mind gradually calming.
On the horizon, a massive black warship sliced through the waves, approaching from the west.
"Clang!"
Simultaneously, several carriages bearing distinctive banners emerged from the depths of Dragon Island, arriving discreetly at the ferry crossing.
They halted at the shore, yet no one disembarked.
Li Weiyi's eyes narrowed as he studied the distant warship.
Something felt off.
"Wait," he muttered, frowning, "Isn't it already the Shangyuan (Lantern) Festival after midnight? Could their exchange be happening not tonight, but at dawn?"
The realization struck him like a thunderclap, instantly extinguishing his appetite.
Time had suddenly become desperately urgent.
The black warship cleaved through the waves, slowly maneuvering into the harbor.
From one of the carriages parked at the shore, a graceful figure in azure robes emerged.
Veiled and moving swiftly, she hurried toward the warship and boarded silently.
From a hundred zhang away, Li Weiyi recognized the figure as either Yang Qingxi or Yang Qingchan.
He immediately dispatched the Seventh Phoenix, instructing them, "Don't get too close to the carriages."
Li Weiyi worried that Yang Shenjing might have replaced the Rice Palace's True Disciple for the trade.
Such dirty work was perfectly suited for the Sui Sect.
'I hope Tang Wanzhou sensed the danger and has already retreated.'
After settling his bill, Li Weiyi grabbed a handful of chopsticks, concealed them in his sleeve, and descended the stairs. He mingled with the laborers, approaching the ship.
The Seventh Phoenix returned.
"The entire ship is shrouded in a Formation. We can't get inside, so we don't know what's happening inside."
Li Weiyi forced himself to remain calm, blending in with the laborers while secretly observing his surroundings.
He couldn't confirm whether Tang Wanzhou had arrived or when she might appear.
"Whoosh!"
The Formation opened, and a slender, green-clad figure emerged, descending the ship's ladder.
Taking advantage of the brief opening in the ship's Formation, Er Feng immediately sniffed the air.
"It's Yang Qingchan! Old Li, the only Vital Energy signature on board is that Chou Envoy Xie Wumian you mentioned. Wait, there's another one - it's very similar to the Envoy Zhongwu!"
"Very similar? That must be Qin Zhengyang's puppet! But wait, Qin Zhengyang clearly stated he would personally retrieve the Tai Yin Seal. Why wouldn't he be here? Unless..."
Li Weiyi realized that this ship was likely just a decoy, a mere facade.
It might even be a trap.
There was a second rendezvous point.
Qin Zhengyang's true form must be hidden nearby, perhaps concealed aboard one of the ships in the harbor.
"I have to find a way to warn Tang Wanzhou,"
Li Weiyi thought, quickly distancing himself from the black warship. He scanned the dense cluster of ships, but found no clues.
Retreating to a hidden spot behind a building, he immediately activated his Puppet Technique.
"Lin!"
The chopsticks in his hand clattered to the ground, enveloped in Spiritual Light, and rapidly transformed into dozens of six-foot-tall bamboo humanoid puppets.
Before Li Weiyi could act, a thunderous voice boomed through the night sky: "By order of the Calamity Crossing Temple, we are here to apprehend the heretics of the Tai Yin Sect. All bystanders must evacuate immediately!"
The announcement froze the Martial-Mystic Cultivators at the ferry crossing, followed by a chorus of panicked cries as they scrambled to flee.
"Run! The Calamity Crossing Temple and the Tai Yin Sect are about to clash!"
"If a Transcendent battle erupts, even the aftershocks could destroy the entire ferry crossing! We'll all be buried alive!"
Rumors of the assassination attempt on Zhuang Shiyan had spread like wildfire in recent days, fueling widespread terror.
Li Weiyi pinpointed the direction of the voice, recognizing it as Tang Wanzhou's.
She must have sensed something amiss and was trying to lure the enemy out of hiding.
Without hesitation, Li Weiyi commanded his dozens of bamboo humanoid puppets to surge into the crowd, creating even greater chaos.
The bamboo humanoid puppets shouted in unison, "Activate the Formations immediately! Don't let the Tai Yin Sect heretics escape the ferry crossing! We must capture them all in one fell swoop!"
"The Envoy Zhongwu Qin Zhengyang and Chou Envoy Xie Wumian have arrived. The Rice Palace provided us with detailed intelligence."
"Yang Shenjing is the one meeting with the Tai Yin Sect. That old bastard is trying to defect to the Nether Realm of the Dead!"
....
The ferry crossing erupted into chaos, with shouts and cries shaking the heavens.
Bamboo humanoid puppets charged directly at the black warships and carriages, exploding with thunderous booms.
On the warship, Xie Wumian couldn't discern truth from falsehood.
He only knew that the secret rendezvous - its time and location - had been entrusted solely to Rice Palace's True Disciple.
He immediately suspected Rice Palace's True Disciple of using the Calamity Crossing Temple to eliminate them.
Once the Formations activated, their deaths would be inevitable, with no escape possible.
Soon, Li Weiyi saw Xie Wumian and Qin Zhengyang's puppets leap from the black warship into the sea, transforming into a silver river that fled westward.
"Well done, Rice Palace's True Disciple!" Xie Wumian's venomous voice echoed across the waves, "If I die on Dragon Island today, you won't live to see another sunrise!"
Several miles away, Qin Zhengyang, who was about to meet Rice Palace's True Disciple, heard Xie Wumian's urgent warning.
Realizing something had gone wrong, he abandoned all caution, revealing his presence and Vital Energy as he immediately fled.
The cold wind howled fiercely.
Tang Wanzhou stood atop the highest peak near West Ferry, clad in her purple Governor's Official Robe.
She donned a mask to conceal her Vital Energy, her pupils turning white as she watched Qin Zhengyang abandon his ship and flee across the sea.
"Finally, you've shown yourself!"
"Whoosh!"
She transformed into a Purple Mist Light Cluster and vanished from the mountaintop.
In the next instant, she reappeared miles away, hovering above the sea.
Sensing the disturbance, Qin Zhengyang glanced back, his expression darkening.
He accelerated his escape, pushing his Dao Technique to its limits, each stride covering several miles.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
The Purple Mist Light Cluster flashed three times in succession, Tang Wanzhou materializing dozens of yards directly ahead of Qin Zhengyang, blocking his path.
To a master of the Immortal Realm, this distance was practically point-blank.
Qin Zhengyang's body surged with scorching Spiritual Qi as he unleashed the Heavenly Sun Earthly Yin Fist.
He couldn't afford to be entangled; he had to escape swiftly.
His Qi Sea was injured, preventing him from using the fifth layer of the technique.
He was currently using the fourth layer.
Tang Wanzhou remained motionless, her gaze locked on her opponent.
From the insignia on her chest, a white Mist Dragon Soul erupted.
The dragon's roar reverberated across the sea, summoning towering waves.
"Boom!"
Qin Zhengyang's fist strike, overwhelmingly powerful, shattered the Dragon Soul into soul mist.
"So that's all you've got? You're only at the second realm? You're practically begging for death!"
Qin Zhengyang breathed a sigh of relief, relieved it wasn't a Great Immortal Realm expert.
But just as his fist was about to land on Tang Wanzhou, crimson flames erupted from the embroidered patch on the Governor's Official Robe.
"Sizzle-boom!"
The crimson flames exploded instantly, engulfing the entire sea in a sea of fire.
Li Weiyi, having just rushed out of West Ferry, witnessed the scene from afar.
The crimson flames blanketed an area spanning several dozen kilometers, boiling the seawater and lingering for an extended period.
"It's the Golden Crow Flame... She must have collected it earlier and stored it in the hidden space within the patch."
"The Dragon Soul was just a feint to paralyze the enemy; the Golden Crow Flame is her true killing move."
On the sea surface, amidst the fiery inferno, Tang Wanzhou was thrown back by the shockwave of Qin Zhengyang's fist strike.
Blood spurted from her mouth and nose, as if she had been struck by a divine iron mountain.
The sound of cracking bones echoed within her body, and her vision blurred.
Luring an enemy into a trap always comes at a price.
The moment she regained her footing, she lunged forward, her fingers forming a sword-like gesture, aiming directly for Qin Zhengyang's forehead.
Qin Zhengyang had been sent flying by the Golden Crow Flame, his body instantly engulfed in flames.
His skin melted, oozing bloody fluid, his entire face twisted into a grotesque, charred mask.
Agony coursed through him, fueling his rage.
Sensing Tang Wanzhou's approach, he roared, "You think you can defeat me with fire? I am Envoy Zhongwu, Qin Zhengyang, whose very cultivation is rooted in fire! You've miscalculated!"
The circular mark on Qin Zhengyang's forehead blazed crimson, ready to activate a Secret Technique.
A searing pain erupted from his chest's Qi Sea, tearing at his injuries and disrupting the Secret Technique's activation.
"Thump!"
Tang Wanzhou's finger-sword struck his forehead, but contrary to expectations, it didn't pierce his skull.
Qin Zhengyang, an experienced fighter, seized her wrist and flung her away.
As he hurled her aside, he struck her with a palm strike, bellowing, "With your... cultivation..."
Qin Zhengyang realized his lips and throat had gone stiff and numb, making speech difficult.
His body felt petrified, utterly immobile.
It was when Qin Zhengyang struck out with his palm at Tang Wanzhou that Tang Wanzhou, instead of dodging, countered with a gentle tap on his shoulder, affixing the Immobilization Talisman to him.
"Pfft!"
Tang Wanzhou, who had been sent flying, endured her injuries and surged back with lightning speed.
Using her arm as a blade, she severed Qin Zhengyang's head.
The bloodied head soared dozens of feet before crashing into the sea, sending a massive splash into the air.
Without time to search for any Secret Treasures Qin Zhengyang might have carried, Tang Wanzhou immediately stored the entire torso in her Boundary Pouch.
Then, activating the Governor's Official Robe, she vanished into a Space Evasion, heading south.
Having witnessed the entire battle, Lu Jingchen immediately drove away, returning to Dragon City.
Yang Shenjing stood on the cliff overlooking the sea, watching the rapidly fleeing figure.
"Who is this audacious fool? To openly assassinate a Tai Yin Envoy of the Tai Yin Sect - and one of their two most powerful!"
Nearby, a carriage nestled among waist-high weeds. From within came a melodious voice: "Whoever she is, since she framed the Rice Palace, she must be captured. And she stole what belongs to me!"
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END OF CHAPTER
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