The Primordial Law

Chapter 551 The Dilemma of the Cave Ruins
Leaving the mountaintop camp, Li Weiyi and Tang Wanzhou walked side by side down the winding stone path of Lingshan Mountain.

Meeting an old friend in a foreign land, especially such a captivating and extraordinary woman, Tang Wanzhou always seemed to possess a spirit that inspired admiration. One could admire her impeccable appearance and her untamed soul.

You get the kind of mood you get from the kind of people you're with.

Li Weiyi felt a sense of expansiveness, with high clouds and distant mists, and a beautiful figure so close at hand. He smiled and said, "I've heard that becoming a disciple of the Emperor brings unimaginable resources and benefits. Not only can one receive guidance from the Emperor of Martial Arts, but one also enjoys the prestige and protection of the Emperor of Martial Arts and the entire Sword Dao Imperial Court. The newly appointed top scholar, the leader of the three Emperor's disciples, will instantly become famous throughout the world once conferred the title. Why did you, Young Master, forgo the Imperial Court's top scholar title and choose to remain hidden in the shadows?"

"There's no such thing as a free lunch."

Given the close relationship between Tang Wanzhou and Li Weiyi, the two naturally had nothing to hide. She said, "The Immortal Dao Dragon Vein was the first to revive in the East Sea, and its influence is significant. The Sword Dao Imperial Court is separated from it by thousands of mountains and rivers, and is also blocked by the territories of the Demon Kingdom, the Crossing Calamity Temple, and the Rice Palace. It is difficult for them to cross these three boundaries and project a large amount of power to the area surrounding the East Sea. This is overstepping their bounds!"

“My father once trained in the Sword Dao Imperial Court and was also a disciple of that Martial Arts Emperor. Counting all the disciples of the Sword Dao Imperial Court from ancient times to the present, my father ranks third in age and strength, which is about the same level as the one who is still alive.”

"After the Immortal Dragon Vein was revived, the Sword Dao Imperial Court dispatched an envoy with a letter from the Emperor to the Lingxiao Realm. The Emperor addressed my father as his third disciple, granting him an unparalleled formal status. He then informed me that he wished to assist the Snow Sword Tang Court in seizing the Lingxiao Realm. He offered to provide money, manpower, and resources as needed."

Li Weiyi asked, "What are the conditions?"

“No conditions were mentioned,” Tang Wanzhou said.

Li Weiyi pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "There's no need to set conditions! If the Lion Camel King really seizes the Lingxiao Realm with the support of the Sword Dao Imperial Court as his third disciple, you will have no choice but to submit to his will. What the Sword Dao Imperial Court needs is simply the right to intervene without going through the Demon Kingdom, the Crossing Calamity Temple, and the Rice Palace. My third disciple is over there, and I have to help him."

Tang Wanzhou walked lightly, like a woman of the wind: "Although the swordsmanship of Xuejian Tangting originated from our own ancestors, my father did indeed receive the grace of being taught and protected during a certain stage of his cultivation. Whether the emperor wants to use us or treat us as pawns, we have no choice but to agree."

Li Wei asked, "Did the Lion Camel King agree?"

"My father declined the offer temporarily because of the return of the Mist Emperor and the Grand Palace Master, and the uncertain situation. However, we later came up with a middle ground plan: to take the seven northern states as our base, seize the former lands of the Lingxiao Hundred States in the Seven Wrongs Plains shrouded in the Netherworld of the Dead, and march eastward toward the East Sea. The restoration of the Netherworld will be handled by the Sword Dao Imperial Court, and we will provide the army," Tang Wanzhou said.

Li Weiyi said, "This is also a good thing. By working together to deal with the Netherworld of the Dead, we don't have to fight amongst ourselves. The Snow Sword Tang Court and the Sword Dao Imperial Court are essentially getting what they need. As long as we conquer twenty states, that would be quite remarkable. If we could conquer the entire Seven Grievances Plain... that would be extraordinary."

Tang Wanzhou stopped and gazed at the misty mountains: "Even the Sword Dao Imperial Court has intervened, which shows that in the next hundred or even several hundred years, Lingxiao Realm and the East Sea will be filled with killing and chaos."

"Given your personality, Young Master, you should like this kind of world, where heroes and villains compete, forging an immortal body in the flames of war, and carving out your own era with your sword. But judging from your tone, you seem full of worry and confusion," Li Weiyi said.

"Is that really the kind of person you see me as?"

Tang Wanzhou glanced at him calmly with her bright, clear eyes, then quickly walked down the mountain.

Li Weiyi immediately followed.

"If it weren't for the Grand Palace Master's use of the Small Field Order to plunge the world into chaos and cause widespread suffering, the Snow Sword Tang Court would never have raised an army. Who doesn't want peace and tranquility? Who enjoys wars and killings where life is a constant struggle for survival?"

Tang Wanzhou continued, "The Mist Emperor has returned! I witnessed her splendor in the Cloud Heaven Immortal Plain. I felt that the Lingxiao Realm would soon return to peace and usher in the next golden age of martial arts. All three hundred states would return and create a glorious nation. It was the revival of the Immortal Dragon Vein that shattered my expectations."

Li Weiyi sensed another side of Tang Wanzhou's heart, a pursuit of beauty and a yearning for peace: "You still haven't told me why you didn't go to the Sword Dao Royal Court, but came to Dongxu Camp instead."

"Because of you!"

Then she added, "Your trip to the Moon Dragon Island outpost with Tang Zhan can't be hidden from me. After the Grand Palace Master is exposed, you will have to leave the Lingxiao Realm. Where else can you go besides the Cave Ruins Camp? For you, the Cave Ruins Camp is the safest place, and the only safe place."

Li Weiyi stared at her bouncing ponytail, inhaling the fragrance of her hair in the wind: "Are you still eyeing the Fusang Divine Tree?"

Tang Wanzhou once said that the Fusang Divine Tree could help her break the Immortality Lock more quickly.

"Not only that, there's also the Cocoon of Time," Tang Wanzhou said with a smile.

Li Weiyi said, "Young Master, you really don't consider yourself an outsider. Even my fiancée, Zuoqiu Hongting, doesn't know these two secrets. I feel very guilty for letting another woman who is both beautiful and talented into the room so easily."

“You brought me in, you didn’t treat me like an outsider. I thought we were already best friends who would share life and death, fellow seekers on the path of martial arts. I rarely consider people as friends, I either consider them as enemies or subordinates.”

Tang Wanzhou continued, "Sometimes you're not decisive enough. Since you feel guilty, follow your heart and call off the engagement! After all, you had another purpose in getting engaged in the first place."

“You are truly my good friend,” Li Weiyi said.

"arrive!"

Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, Tang Wanzhou's expression turned solemn as he walked into the cave.

"Greetings, Spirit of Sentinel."

Four sentries stood guard on either side of the cave.

Li Weiyi followed closely behind and entered the cave, where he saw dozens of coffins.

There were paper money and incense on the ground, all from the new coffin.

Tang Wanzhou said, "After you encountered Xie Wumian and Luo Pingdan, the Dongxu Camp dispatched three waves of forces to intercept and kill them, but all of them perished. Of course, it wasn't just those two they were dealing with; there was also Chu Yutian, the true disciple of the Taiyin Sect." Li Weiyi stared at the coffins before him: "Did you underestimate the enemy's strength?"

Tang Wanzhou shook his head: "Every time we learned of the enemy's whereabouts, the Dongxu Camp would send out several times the strength to deal with them. We wanted to teach the Taiyin Sect a lesson so that they would not cause trouble in the Dongxu Camp's territory, but we were all wiped out and were taught a lesson by them instead."

"Twenty-four sentinels were lost, eight lower-level sentinels of the Longevity Realm were lost, and two Great Longevity Realm cultivators were lost."

"Was the intelligence wrong, or did we fall into a trap?" Li Weiyi said.

Tang Wanzhou said, "Logically speaking, the Dongxu Camp has been operating in the southern part of the Hundred Realms Domain for many years, and its intelligence network is far superior to that of the newly arrived Taiyin Sect. Moreover, the Dongxu Camp's intelligence is not obtained from a single source, but from multiple sources. No matter how powerful the Taiyin Sect is, it is impossible for all its intelligence to be distorted."

"Could it be that there's a problem within the Dongxu Camp? Especially the Ling Shu group, which is responsible for intelligence gathering?" Li Weiyi asked.

Tang Wanzhou said, "If there are internal problems after each failed operation, they will definitely be found out. Dongxu Camp has a variety of reverse investigation measures."

"Four people have already been eliminated from the intelligence system. Including the whistle you brought back, and the fourth-realm Great Immortal disguised in human skin."

"But you think it's just a matter of intelligence? Are all martial artists who can become Sentinels and Sentinel Spirits fools? Would they completely trust intelligence? Moreover, the Sentinel Spirit Army has also infiltrated the Taiyin Sect."

"The enemy is extremely cunning, and their wisdom, courage, and strength are unparalleled."

"These coffins were personally delivered to the Crimson Bright Holy City by him. It was to tell us that he already knew that the new camp of the Cave Ruins Camp was in the Crimson Bright Realm. He also left a message saying, 'Anyone can bully the weak. The Cave Ruins Camp is too unruly. They have lost both substance and face.' He instructed us to keep a good watch in the future and not to go and die again."

"Who?" Li Weiyi asked.

Tang Wanzhou said, "Chu Yutian is the true successor of the Taiyin Sect."

"Is this why the Dongxu Camp established the Shaoyang Division?" Li Weiyi asked.

Tang Wanzhou nodded: "What happened in Chiming Holy City not only reached the other camps of the Sentinel Spirit Army, but also the ears of some rulers of the living world. Some extreme rulers of the living world cursed the Cave Ruins Camp as useless, a bunch of pigs, and wanted to reduce the cultivation resources provided each year."

"This is the consequence of sending the older generation of Great Longevity Immortals to take action. If they succeed, they are justified no matter what. If they fail and are even killed, then a tremendous backlash will follow!"

"The Cave Ruins Camp cannot afford the price of failing again if they send their veteran experts to fight next time."

"We must rely on the younger generation to defeat or even kill Chu Yutian in order to regain our face."

Li Weiyi said, "By using the power of the world to deal with the Dongxu Camp and binding the hands of the older generation of experts in the Dongxu Camp, I have already felt Chu Yutian's power with just this one move. He dared to personally deliver the coffin to the Chiming Holy City, which shows his amazing courage. After delivering the coffin, he was able to escape, which shows his terrifying strength."

Tang Wanzhou said, "Everyone has weaknesses. The weakness of the Cave Ruins Camp is that it was established with the support of various habitats, so it is subject to their control."

"What is Chu Yutian's cultivation level?" Li Weiyi asked.

Tang Wanzhou gently shook his head: "The information we have so far is that he is at the third stage of the Longevity Realm. However, if the two Great Longevity Realm experts from the Cave Ruins Camp died at his hands, then the information may not be true. There is also another piece of information: a month ago, Chu Yutian traveled with the True Disciple of Daogong in Dragon City and bought the Dragon Soul Source Light from him. His cultivation is likely to advance by leaps and bounds again."

"The true teachings of Inamiya?" Li Weiyi asked.

Tang Wanzhou said, "It's not that I have no attachment to life, but rather that it's a new and true teaching."

"Who?" Li Weiwei asked.

Tang Wanzhou said, "I only know that Wu Hongling and the woman in purple have come up empty-handed. Besides Chu Yutian, it is said that Meng Quyi of Zongsheng Academy and Wenren Tinghai, the new top scholar of the Demon Kingdom, have all appeared in Dragon City to buy Dragon Soul Source Light, Phoenix Leaf Fragments, and Immortal Dragon Bones."

Stepping out of the cave, Li Weiyi said, "If the Taiyin Sect already knows about the new camp of Dongxu Camp, wouldn't we be at risk of being attacked by the army of the dead at any time?"

Tang Wanzhou smiled: "How easy is it? First of all, the Sentinel Army has countless outposts in the Netherworld of the Dead. The large-scale gathering of the dead cannot be hidden from our eyes and ears."

"Secondly, the army of the dead just suffered a great loss at the old camp trap of Dongxu Camp because of the intelligence of Taiyin Sect. The two sides may have already had a conflict because of this. Who can guarantee that this is not a second trap?"

"Thirdly, the Crimson Bright Realm has a population of several billion and is a medium to large-sized habitat. It is also adjacent to the Tribulation Crossing Realm. If the army of the dead arrives in large numbers, the human forces in the entire southern part of Yingzhou will be alarmed."

"The power struggle between the Sentinel Army, the Taiyin Sect, the Netherworld of the Dead, and the Human Race's Living Realm is very complex, with each having its own checks and balances, and internal oversight is also layered upon layered."

"With the resurgence of the Immortal Dragon Vein, the Cave Ruins Camp has so many experts that it's impossible for them to hide anywhere. It's just a matter of time before the situation completely spirals out of control. Isn't the struggle between the Living Realm and the Nether Realm the same from ancient times to the present? It has never stopped."

Li Weiyi asked, "Young Master, aren't you going back to the Sentinel Camp?"

"I am now the Chief of the Lesser Yang Division, and I have a lot of freedom," Tang Wanzhou said.

Li Weiyi said, "But you can't keep following me around, can you?"

(End of this chapter)