https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-320-Chapter-319-Heaven-s-Secret-Art-Backup-from-the-Universe-Part-1-/12588682/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-321-Protecting-the-Junior-Shijie-Part-1-/12588706/
Chapter 320: Chapter 319: Heaven's Secret Art - Backup from the Universe (Part 2)
Chapter 320: Chapter 319: Heaven's Secret Art - Backup from the Universe (Part 2)
The Moon Star asked, "Are you out of danger?"
Shen Quibing replied, "On the contrary, I'm almost in a desperate situation, but the terrain here is complex, and I can hide for a while, but I can't get out."
Although his words were calm and showed no sign of panic, there was a hint of regret in his tone: "It looks like I'll be buried here today."
Shen Quibing changed the subject: "I may not be able to get out of here this time, but if anyone has the opportunity, please help me deliver a message to the court. It's true that the remnants of the Sui Dynasty, Yang Yuqi, colluded with the people of the Jiuli tribe. I don't know the details yet, but since you're in the human realm, please be vigilant!
I will be buried in the Earthly Sea today, and I have nothing else to offer in exchange. I can only provide some information about the terrain of the Earthly Sea. Please don't think it's too little."
Monday: "We'll need your insights on the Earthly Sea to figure out a way to help you out of this predicament together."
Tuesday, Shen Quibing's tone sounded happy, but he didn't have high hopes: "Haha, although I don't think I'll make it in time, I'm still glad to hear that from all of you, considering how long we've known each other."
Without further ado, he quickly shared what he knew: "The people surrounding me right now are from the Poli tribe of the Nine Li folk..."
Lei Jun and the others listened intently.
The term 'Nine Li folk' was quite broad, referring to the collective of ninety-one tribes that, according to legends, once united to form a nation known as the Nine Li. After their defeat, only nine tribes remained, retreating into the Earthly Sea to continue their lineage.
The Nine Li tribes were: Tan Li, Wen Li, Wu Li, Guang Li, Ju Li, Lu Li, Po Li, Fu Li, and Pi Li.
Lei Jun was quite curious about these names, as they reminded him of the star names Greed Wolf, Wenqu, Wuqu, Giant Gate, Lu Cun, Broken Army, Left Assistant, and Right Assistant. Some of these names had a more recent history than ancient times.
Perhaps, in the not-too-distant past, the people of the Earthly Sea had interacted with humans, and their separation wasn't as long ago as believed?
However, for now, it was sufficient to distinguish the Nine Li folk, so Lei Jun didn't dwell on it further.
The language of the Nine Li folk differed significantly from that of humans, but ever since the black mist emerged from the Earthly Sea and the Nine Li reappeared, the two groups had been interacting for many years.
The Tang Dynasty had been working tirelessly to decipher the language and written records of the Nine Li, and they had made gradual progress.
Thus, it was confirmed that the Nine Li tribes that had resurfaced through the churning Earthly Sea were the Po Li and Pi Li tribes.
This somewhat explained Lei Jun's earlier doubts about why the Nine Li folk invading the human realm seemed relatively restrained.
Shen Quibing was a straightforward person with little ulterior motives, but he wasn't foolish.
On the contrary, he was a quick learner and open to new ideas.
In addition to his exceptional martial arts talent and profound enlightenment that far surpassed most cultivators, he also had a talent for languages and was one of the Tang Dynasty cultivators in the Southern Wasteland who understood the Nine Li language and writing the most. In fact, he even surpassed many Confucian cultivators in this regard.
Through Shen Quibing's description, Lei Jun and the others felt as though a map was unfolding before them.
The Earthly Sea, one of the nine heavens and ten realms, was vast and expansive.
While it wasn't as vast as the human realm, it was still like an endless ocean.
However, this ocean was dry, a dark and desolate land.
There was no sunlight in the Earthly Sea, and light sources were scarce to the point of nonexistence, with black mist shrouding the area year-round, much like seawater.
Within the "ocean" of black mist, five gigantic peaks stood tall, known as the Five Peaks of the Earthly Sea.
In this inverted world of darkness, seven massive lakes hung upside-down above, known as the Seven Abyssal Lakes.
The Nine Li folk mostly lived around the Five Peaks and the Seven Abyssal Lakes.
"Five plus seven equals twelve, Xiongbo Mountain... So, they are named after Jia Zuo, Shi Wei, Xiong Bo, Teng Jian, Lan Zhu, Bo Qi, Qiang Liang, Zu Ming, Wei Sui, Cuo Duan, Qiong Qi, and Teng Gen, the twelve beasts?" Lei Jun understood.
In ancient times, there was a ritual dance called the Great Nuo, which had long been lost in the Central Plains but was still occasionally practiced in the Southern Wasteland. It was a ritual to exorcise diseases and evil spirits using the twelve divine beasts.
Tuesday, Shen Quibing said, "That's right. Jia Zuo, Shi Wei, Xiong Bo, and Teng Jian are the names of the Five Peaks, while Bo Qi, Qiang Liang, Zu Ming, Wei Sui, Cuo Duan, Qiong Qi, and Teng Gen are the names of the Seven Abyssal Lakes..."
Wednesday, the Water Star, suddenly interrupted Tuesday, Shen Quibing: "Are you currently on Xiongbo Mountain? Do you know how to get to Tengjian Mountain?"
Tuesday, Shen Quibing: "I know the general direction, but is there something special about that place?"
Wednesday, the Water Star: "The Nine Li folk are not entirely harmonious. As far as I know, Tan Li, Wu Li, Guang Li, and Fu Li are allies.
Wen Li, Ju Li, and Lu Li form another alliance.
Po Li and Pi Li are also allies, and they have a deep-rooted feud with Tan Li, Wu Li, Guang Li, and Fu Li. Their relationship is extremely hostile.
I'm not sure about the other places, but the Wu Li tribe often frequents Tengjian Mountain.
They are arch-enemies with the Po Li tribe. Given that you're currently besieged by the Po Li tribe, your best bet is to take advantage of this rivalry."
Thursday, Future Mile, frowned: "Although Wu Li and Po Li are arch-enemies, they are still part of the Nine Li folk. If they encounter us humans..."
Wednesday, the Water Star: "Aside from that, we don't have any other options. Since the situation is already so dangerous, we might as well give it a try."
"You're right!"
Tuesday, Shen Quibing, initially sounded spirited but then sighed: "But I'm already surrounded and can't get out of Xiongbo Mountain."
Lei Jun: "Can you describe your current location in more detail?"
Tuesday, Shen Quibing: "It's a place filled with yin and evil energy, making me feel very uncomfortable."
Lei Jun: "I have a method that involves the interplay of yin and yang, which should be able to trigger the yin tide of the Earthly Sea. The onslaught of the evil tide may temporarily break the Nine Li folk's blockade."
Tuesday, Shen Quibing: "How do we do that?"
Lei Jun: "In that case, I'll just ask directly: what cultivation path do you follow?"
"Martial arts, body refining martial arts."
"Then, with your robust yang blood energy, you should be able to trigger a massive yin tide." Lei Jun explained: "However, there's one problem: you'll lose a lot of blood."
The young warrior hesitated slightly, a rare occurrence for him: "Umm..."
It wasn't that he didn't trust Lei Jun, but as a martial artist, losing blood and getting injured would directly impact his performance. Even if he managed to break through the siege on Xiongbo Mountain, he might not be able to make it to Tengjian Mountain safely afterward.
Moreover, he was facing the Nine Li folk, whose cultivation methods primarily belonged to the shamanic tradition.
Their shamanic arts, including curse spells, voodoo dolls, and blood river witchcraft, could potentially use his blood and flesh against him, either to curse him or to track him down.
Shen Quibing had managed to hold his ground against numerous powerful enemies in the Earthly Sea thanks to his exceptional speed and agility, which surpassed that of most martial artists.
If he lost too much blood or his speed decreased, he would undoubtedly be unable to escape to Tengjian Mountain.
"I have a technique that Tuesday can try to seal his vital energy and prevent further blood loss. Although it will affect his agility, it will be very discreet."
After a moment of contemplation, Thursday, Future Mile, finally spoke up: "I have a technique here called the 'Wither and Flourish,' which can seal your vital energy and prevent blood loss even when you're injured. While it will affect your agility, it will be very subtle.
"Within the enemy's ranks were experts from the Wu Clan's Shen Wu lineage and Zhuo Zhu lineage, completely sealing off the mountain area where Shen Quibi was located.
Therefore, it was now impossible to try and slip away using the Kui Rong technique to conceal one's presence.
However, by first triggering an explosion with Lei Jun's method and then taking advantage of the chaos to escape using the Kui Rong technique, there was a chance.
On Tuesday, Shen Quibi was truly overjoyed. "Great! With these two moves combined, the problem is solved. Thank you all so much!"
Lei Jun and Future Mile, one a Taoist and the other a Buddhist, didn't waste any time and immediately prepared to act.
While Shen Quibi practiced martial arts, it was impossible for him to directly use their methods.
Fortunately, both Lei Jun and Future Mile were exceptionally brilliant and rare talents. They quickly modified their techniques to suit Shen Quibi's situation and conveyed the principles and subtleties of their methods to him through text and graphics.
After that, everyone quietly waited for the outcome, leaving the next steps to Shen Quibi.
Lei Jun took a discreet look.
Shen Quibi had his Thousand-Mile Voice Transmission Talisman.
However, separated by the realms of the human world and the Earthly Sea, Lei Jun couldn't pinpoint Shen Quibi's location using the talisman.
Before long, the star representing Mars (Huwo) in the Tian Shu Universe lit up again.
"Success! I've temporarily shaken them off, but there are still some on my tail," Shen Quibi's voice sounded a bit weak, but he was clearly exhilarated.
Unfortunately, he had lost blood and was injured. Even with the Buddhist Kui Rong technique to seal his qi and blood, he still faced the pursuit of the Nine Li experts.
So, following Wednesday's (Shuiwei) instructions, he made his way toward Tengjian Mountain.
"I'm truly grateful for all your help this time," Shen Quibi said as he hurried along. "If I make it out of this, I'll do my best to bring back some specialties from the Earthly Sea as a token of my gratitude!"
Things turned out to be smoother than expected.
Shen Quibi successfully escaped to Tengjian Mountain, where the Wu Li tribe resided.
After suffering some losses, the Po Li tribe had no choice but to retreat.
Later, not long after his narrow escape, Shen Quibi, bold and fearless, borrowed elite troops from the Wu Li tribe and turned the tables on the Po Li tribe.
"The Nine Li people are indeed a formidable enemy of the Tang Empire, but I want to deal with Yang Yuqi, the remaining descendant of the Sui Dynasty, first," Shen Quibi said. "I've always felt that he's planning something."
After hearing Shen Quibi's further description, Saturday (Fang Yue) and Monday (Yin Yue) fell into deep thought. "Indeed, Yang Yuqi seems to be preparing some kind of Confucian ritual in the Earthly Sea..."
Without any hesitation, Shen Quibi set off with the Wu Li tribe's experts to find Yang Yuqi.
His intuition and decisiveness were correct.
When they found Yang Yuqi, the ritual was already in effect.
With the protection of the Po Li tribe's experts and Yang Yuqi's leadership, the ritual could withstand outside attacks and continue to operate, albeit with difficulty.
Shen Quibi, full of enthusiasm, no longer hesitated to ask for help again.
After hearing Shen Quibi's description of Yang Yuqi's ritual, Saturday and Monday exclaimed in unison, "The Bin Li (Guest Rite)!"
Lei Jun remained silent, listening quietly.
There were five major Confucian rituals: Ji Li (Auspicious Rite), Xiang Li (Funeral Rite), Jun Li (Military Rite), Bin Li (Guest Rite), and Jia Li (Festive Rite).
Among them, the Bin Li was the rite for welcoming and sending off guests.
What was Yang Yuqi trying to achieve by performing the Bin Li with the Nine Li people?
"The Nine Li tribe has long lived in the darkness of the Earthly Sea, and compared to other Wu Clan cultivators, they have robust physiques but have become averse to light. Even in the darkness of night in the human realm, they still feel uncomfortable."
Monday (Yin Yue) spoke slowly, "But if Yang Yuqi uses the Bin Li to create suitable ritual vessels for them, perhaps he can break this convention..."
Even Nine Heavens Realm experts among the Nine Li tribe rarely ventured outside the black mist, regardless of day or night.
What set Yang Yuqi apart was that he was not only an Eight Heavens Realm Confucian cultivator in the human realm but also the most legitimate descendant of the former royal family.
Even though the Sui Dynasty had lost its throne, the Yang family of the Sui court still held a special significance in the human realm.
His Bin Li ritual held a unique significance for the Nine Li tribe.
It was like inviting thieves into one's home.
"Yang Yuqi is indeed a descendant of the former royal family. Would he really do such a thing?" Saturday (Fang Yue) frowned. "Even if it succeeds, it won't restore the glory of the Sui Dynasty."
Lei Jun replied calmly, "He has nothing left to lose. He's a gambler now."
Monday (Yin Yue) said, "We can't let him succeed."
Saturday (Fang Yue) obviously agreed.
He and Monday immediately discussed the matter and provided guidance to Shen Quibi, who was in the Earthly Sea.
As a result, the Bin Li ritual was disrupted.
Yang Yuqi's plan failed.
"He did indeed refine a large number of ritual vessels. Most of them were destroyed, and only three or four remain," Shen Quibi said briefly. "Please remain vigilant against a few Nine Li experts who might try to infiltrate the human realm. I'm going after Yang Yuqi now!"
Before he finished speaking, the star representing Mars (Huwo) dimmed.
Lei Jun and the others exchanged glances under the starlight.
Monday (Yin Yue) said, "Tuesday (Huoyi) has the heart of a child and the will of iron. He's truly a rare talent, and that's why he has gained so much assistance."
Wednesday (Shuiwei) said, "I'm more concerned about what he can bring back."
Saturday (Fang Yue) said, "A gentleman does not seek reciprocity for his kindness. I personally don't need Tuesday to repay me, but I won't oppose it if it becomes a custom. In the future, we can cooperate more closely and assist each other instead of being guarded and suspicious."
Monday (Yin Yue) said, "Indeed, today is another step forward. I hope we can have more similar cooperation in the future."
Lei Jun and Thursday (Weilai Mile) remained silent.
Later that night, Shen Quibi sent back some news while he was busy.
The first piece of news almost made Lei Jun choke:
"Longhu Mountain's Tang Tian Shi, wielding the Tian Shi Sword, is also in the Earthly Sea, engaging in a fierce battle with the chief of the Po Li tribe, Li Yan! The outcome is unclear!"
Li Yan was the Nine Heavens Realm Nine Li Grand Shaman who had killed Ye Liang and the others.
As Lei Jun considered the aftermath of the battle between his sect leader and Li Yan, he soon received a message from Tang Xiaotang.
Using Lei Jun's Heaven's Sight and Earth's Hearing Talisman, Tang Tian Shi sent a message: "Lei Jun, either you or Master Yuan, bring the Tian Shi Seal to me. I can't leave the Earthly Sea for the time being."
Lei Jun asked, "Just the Tian Shi Seal, not the Tian Shi Robe?"
Tang Xiaotang replied, "The Tian Shi Robe is up to you, but I need the Tian Shi Seal."
PS: 7k5 chapters
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