Chapter 530: Two Hundred Years Later, There Are Actually Successors

Duan Rong flew out from the dense forest like a great eagle, ascending into the high sky. It was already night.

The mountain wind blowing from the valley swayed the treetops like waves, making a rustling sound.

A bright moon hung high in the sky, its silver radiance spilling over the entire valley.

Duan Rong's gaze shifted, and he flew toward the deep valley where Lv Yinlin lived in seclusion.

He traveled by Wind Riding, night wind filling his sleeves, silver radiance covering his body; after about half a stick of incense's time, he landed in a certain mountain hollow.

In the pitch-black night, Duan Rong walked into the Deadwood Forest beneath that mountain hollow.

In the Deadwood Forest, the moonlight shone on the thin mist, possessing a strange sense of beauty.

Duan Rong took out the Array Ruler for the Deadwood Forest, sensed the direction, then passed through the thin mist and walked toward a certain direction.

Because of the guidance of the Array Ruler, he quickly walked out of the Deadwood Forest and arrived at the mouth of the deep valley.

Duan Rong put away the Array Ruler and looked up, seeing moonlight slanting from the high cliff walls into the deep valley. Inside the deep valley, it formed a strange sight of being half-bright and half-dark...

He walked slowly into the deep valley, raising his eyes to glance at Lv Yinlin's Cave Abode.

Duan Rong felt it seemed somewhat presumptuous to disturb Lv Yinlin so late, so he decided to pay his respects tomorrow.

That Phosphor Crystal Powder was more difficult to melt than he had imagined; otherwise, he would not have been delayed until now. He had originally thought he could reach this deep valley by dusk.

Duan Rong sighed softly and walked toward his own Cave Abode.

He had just reached the entrance of his Cave Abode when a voice suddenly rang out above his head without warning.

"Come here and see me!"

That voice was like a peal of thunder, suddenly exploding above his head, giving him a start.

That was clearly Lv Yinlin's voice; Duan Rong could detect a certain anger in Lv Yinlin's voice.

He turned around, cut diagonally across the half-bright, half-dark valley, and walked toward Lv Yinlin's Cave Abode.

When he walked to a place more than a zhang away from Lv Yinlin's Cave Abode, a voice eerily drifted from behind him.

"Over here!"

Duan Rong's footsteps faltered, and he turned around to see a figure clearly sitting in the shadow of an ancient pine tree at the boundary of light and dark in the deep valley.

A few scattered points of silver radiance passed through the sparse branches and leaves, spilling onto the smaller part of Lv Yinlin's right shoulder...

Duan Rong's heart stirred; he was very certain that when he had passed that ancient pine tree just now, no one was sitting under the tree, but at this moment, Lv Yinlin was sitting right by that Stone Table.

In the shadows, he could not see Lv Yinlin's expression at all.

Duan Rong walked a few quick steps, knelt on one knee and cupped his hands not far before the ancient pine tree, and said in a deep voice, "Duan Rong pays respects to the Ancestor!"

There was silence under the ancient pine tree. After a long while, Lv Yinlin's voice sounded eerily. "Duan Rong, Chu Wushang said you walked out of the Wanxiang Cave in three days. Is this so?"

Duan Rong said, "It is exactly as Mr. Chu said."

Lv Yinlin was silent for another moment, and only after a while did he say, "Three days?! That is quite fast!"

Duan Rong could hear the sarcasm and dissatisfaction implied in Lv Yinlin's words; he remained kneeling there, merely silent.

After another moment, Lv Yinlin suddenly asked, "Duan Rong, do you know why I locked you in the Wanxiang Cave?"

Duan Rong replied with a calm tone, "Under the disciple's Blade Radiance, there were over a hundred types of miscellaneous Artistic Conception flickering. The Ancestor locked the disciple in the Wanxiang Cave to let the disciple refine and merge those miscellaneous Artistic Conceptions into one."

It would have been better if Duan Rong had not spoken; seeing him state it so clearly and plainly, Lv Yinlin's anger grew even greater, and he questioned, "Since you knew, why did you leave the Wanxiang Cave in three days?!"

"Because the disciple has already refined and merged those miscellaneous Artistic Conceptions into one."

Duan Rong's expression was calm, kneeling halfway in the moonlight that divided light and shadow; the moonlight shone on him, making him half-bright and half-dark, like a ghost of the dark night.

Lv Yinlin stared at Duan Rong for a long time in the shadow of the ancient pine tree before suddenly asking, "If I did not hear wrong, brat, you just said that you only used three days to refine and merge over a hundred types of miscellaneous Artistic Conceptions into one?"

Duan Rong said, "Yes! The disciple dares not deceive the Ancestor!"

In the shadow of the ancient pine tree, Lv Yinlin's expression was uncertain. He absolutely did not believe that Duan Rong could refine and merge over a hundred types of miscellaneous Artistic Conceptions into one in only three days. It wasn't like cooking porridge; how could it be that fast?!

However, what point would there be for Duan Rong to tell such a big lie to his face at this time?

"Good!" Lv Yinlin said, "Show me!"

"Yes!"

Duan Rong cupped his hands and stood up, retreating to a zhang away from the ancient pine tree; the silver radiance of the slanting moon shone quite brightly on that area.

In the tree shadow, Lv Yinlin's brows furrowed slightly, and he couldn't help but ask, "Brat, where is your weapon?"

Duan Rong stood in a patch of moonlight and struck a starting pose, but his hands were empty, holding no weapon; Lv Yinlin was naturally curious.

"Ancestor!"

"The eighteen types of weapons are all burdens and encumbrances!"

"This is what the disciple realized within the Wanxiang Cave! A person's own hands are the most powerful divine weapons between heaven and earth!"

Duan Rong flipped his hands, and the Phosphor Silk Gloves he had refined inside the cave were already on his hands; in the moonlight, they could be seen flashing with a white, shimmering cold light.

Duan Rong's figure moved with the agility of a rabbit and the swiftness of a falcon, flashing and shifting in the moonlight; his white, shimmering hands were at times using blade techniques, at times sword techniques, at times Capture, at times spear techniques, at times axe techniques...

Ten thousand changes, miscellaneous yet unified...

Palms slashing as blades!

Hands piercing like spears!

Fists forming as hammers!

A pair of hands was actually demonstrating ten thousand methods; hundreds of martial arts, all at his fingertips...

Lv Yinlin sat in the shadow of the ancient pine tree, his breathing involuntarily faltering. "This is!?"

Lv Yinlin stared intently at Duan Rong's hands, which were constantly flipping and changing in the moonlight; without realizing it, he had already stood up, walking dazedly out of the ancient pine tree's shadow and standing in that patch of moonlight.

What Duan Rong was demonstrating to Lv Yinlin at this moment not only exceeded his experience but even exceeded his imagination.

He had let Duan Rong refine and merge over a hundred types of miscellaneous Artistic Conceptions into one in the Wanxiang Cave, with the original intention of having Duan Rong use one Artistic Conception to absorb and dissolve those miscellaneous, flickering Artistic Conceptions.

That is to say, only one Artistic Conception would remain in the end!

But Duan Rong, at this moment, had actually taken those hundred-plus Artistic Conceptions and, while they ran parallel without contradiction, integrated them into one entity!?

"How can this be done?!" Lv Yinlin's face was full of astonishment; he truly could not comprehend it.

While Lv Yinlin was still in shock, IntentLight suddenly erupted from Duan Rong's hands!

And that IntentLight, the moment it erupted, spread rapidly, only stopping when it reached Duan Rong's elbows.

Within Duan Rong's Spirit Sea, at the brow of his Clear Glass Body, the swirling cloud mass had bright light flickering within it, and the form of the cloud mass was changing incessantly.

That cloud mass would at times turn into a Sword; no sooner had the cloud sword condensed than it would suddenly become a blade, and no sooner had the cloud blade appeared than it had already turned into a cloud spear, shifting unpredictably, dazzling the eyes...

As Duan Rong practiced, his heart suddenly became clear and transparent!

He had entered the Kongming Realm!

He had always used the Kongming Realm as an excuse for his comprehension of Artistic Conception before advancing to the Qi Cyclone, but the original body actually did possess the Kongming Realm.

It was just that the Kongming Realm was inherently very unreliable; no one knew when it would be triggered.

Just at this moment, Duan Rong had triggered the Kongming Realm without any warning!

The moment he entered the Kongming Realm, his entire aura changed abruptly!

Standing beside that ancient pine, Lv Yinlin, who was watching Duan Rong demonstrate his Artistic Conception, also had his gaze fixated!

In that instant, Duan Rong suddenly seemed to have merged into one with the surrounding environment; the moonlight, the deep valley, the breeze, and his person suddenly formed a harmonious, unified field of energy.

It was as if in that moment, Duan Rong was no longer a person who had walked into the deep valley, but rather he was a part of the deep valley itself; he was naturally there!

Moreover, in that moment, the cloud mass of Artistic Conception at the brow of the Clear Glass Body within Duan Rong's Spirit Sea also underwent a change.

It no longer transformed into cloud swords, cloud blades, or cloud spears... instead, it turned into a person!

It was a blurred human figure, at the brow of the Clear Glass Body, mimicking Duan Rong's movements exactly, leaping and shifting, flashing and dodging...

Duan Rong suddenly had an illusion that he himself had become a weapon the likes of which had never existed in heaven or earth!

Not his hands, but his entire self!

The IntentLight flickering on Duan Rong's arms suddenly erupted, like a prairie fire, crossing his waist and hips, and in a single breath, it spread over his entire body!

Lv Yinlin watched this bizarre scene in astonishment!

Even though he had lived for over a thousand years!

This scene was not only something he had never seen before, but something he had never even heard of!

At this moment, Duan Rong's entire body was flashing with IntentLight!

Lv Yinlin's usually steady body could not help but tremble!

Duan Rong's eyes were clear, but devoid of any light of thought.

Lv Yinlin could tell that Duan Rong was currently in an unconscious state.

"Is it the Kongming Realm!?" Lv Yinlin's expression moved.

But within only a few breaths, Duan Rong had already retreated from the Kongming Realm. The IntentLight that had spread over his entire body quickly faded, returning once again to the vicinity of his elbows.

Duan Rong suddenly came to his senses and stood there blankly.

He stared blankly at the IntentLight flickering on the Phosphor Silk Gloves on his hands, recalling the few breaths of sensation from within that Kongming Realm just now.

At that time, he had an illusion that he himself was a weapon!

Not his hands!

But himself!

Duan Rong's eyes suddenly shone like stars!

"Yes! Since the hands can be weapons! Why can the body not be a weapon?!"

"Duan Rong! Duan Rong! You truly only see the trees, but not the forest!"

Duan Rong muttered to himself, then suddenly his figure rose and fell once more, and he began to perform again, a hundred different martial arts, one after another!

As Duan Rong performed, that IntentLight slowly spread once again; although it was not like the prairie fire from before, it was slowly burning outward...

Duan Rong acted as if no one else were around; at this moment, he had forgotten that Lv Yinlin was right there, watching him practice!

He was completely immersed in the deduction of martial arts!

Lv Yinlin stood there, seeing through Duan Rong's state as clearly as fire!

At this moment, in Duan Rong's eyes, there shone a light of deep contemplation; clearly, he had gained some insight from triggering the Kongming Realm just now!

Fearing he might disturb Duan Rong, Lv Yinlin silently retreated back into the depths of the tree shadows, standing in the deep shade, gazing at Duan Rong.

Lv Yinlin had to admit that before tonight, he had still underestimated Duan Rong!

In the moonlight, Duan Rong's eyes were as clear as autumn water and sparkling like stars; when the IntentLight spread to below his neck, it finally stopped there, and for a full stick of incense's time, it did not advance even an inch further.

Lv Yinlin, in the shadow of the ancient pine, felt somewhat depressed; Duan Rong had clearly encountered some kind of bottleneck.

Although Lv Yinlin was a cultivator of the Nascent Soul Realm and could be considered the most top-tier existence in Jiuzhou, he could not offer guidance on the bottleneck Duan Rong had encountered.

Not only him, but Lv Yinlin felt that perhaps no one in the Jiuzhou Continent could guide Duan Rong.

Because no one had ever comprehended over a hundred complex Artistic Conceptions and been able to make them run in parallel without conflict, integrating them into one.

The passage of time is long, and one cannot see the ancients who came before!

Just at this moment, the IntentLight that had stopped below Duan Rong's neck for nearly a stick of incense and had not spread further, suddenly pushed forward by an inch.

Watching the flicker of that IntentLight, Lv Yinlin's pupils in the tree shadows shrank slightly!

Although an inch was small, its significance was extraordinary; he knew that Duan Rong had already crossed the bottleneck!

Lv Yinlin could not help but step out of the tree shadows again, and just at this moment, the IntentLight that had been spreading slowly suddenly surged, and within a few breaths, it enveloped Duan Rong's entire body!

At this moment, within Duan Rong's Spirit Sea, at the brow of the Clear Glass Body, the cloud mass of Artistic Conception turned into a human figure once again!

Duan Rong suddenly let out a long howl toward the sky!

The howl was like the cry of an ape and the roar of a lion!

His moves had changed!

The hundred martial arts between his hands had already vanished!

His moves were no longer sharp, no longer fierce, no longer tricky, but light as the wind, gentle as water!

His hands brushed lightly, his waist and hips moved slowly, his body leaned slightly backward...

He was actually like someone dancing under the moonlight...

But Lv Yinlin, not far away, was shocked again and again; he knew that those seemingly gentle gestures, with every light brush, were fatal killing moves!

Under the Laws, the most peak killing moves!

Below the Dongming Realm, no one can receive them!

After a few light leaps, Duan Rong suddenly stopped and stood with his hands gathered; at this moment, his mind was clear as water!

Lv Yinlin was in a great mood watching and called out, "Kid, is there any more? Don't hold back, let this old man have another look!"

Lv Yinlin's Divine Sense had long since penetrated Duan Rong; inside his lapels, there were still dozens of flying needles hidden!

He really wanted to witness it!

Duan Rong stood with his hands gathered, and hearing these words from Lv Yinlin, he smiled slightly and said, "Ancestor, then this disciple will offend you!"

Lv Yinlin said, "Don't dawdle!"

Duan Rong suddenly moved his body, and beside his hand wearing the Phosphor Silk Gloves, a Plum Blossom Afterimage suddenly bloomed!

A Phosphor Crystal Flying Needle shot out from the Plum Blossom Afterimage; in the moonlight, a flash of white light shot silently toward Lv Yinlin, fast as a ghost!

Duan Rong's figure flickered left and right, and one after another, Plum Blossom Afterimages bloomed beside his white, glistening hands. Under the moonlight, it was as if Mei Ying were blooming amidst the icicles.

One by one, the Phosphor Crystal Flying Needles shot toward Lv Yinlin from various angles and directions; in just one breath, Duan Rong flickered like a ghost, shooting out a full thirty-plus Phosphor Crystal Flying Needles.

Moreover, these thirty-plus needles were shot out one by one, and the angle and direction of every single one were different!

Thirty-plus flying needles densely shrouded Lv Yinlin!

But right in front of him, those thirty-plus Phosphor Crystal Flying Needles suddenly stalled, all of them suspended there without any warning!

It was as if they had been suddenly frozen there by someone in space and time.

Lv Yinlin looked at the thirty-plus white, glistening flying needles suspended before him and couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Good skill!"

"Kid, this old man has nothing left to teach you!"

"With this diligent practice, within three years, you will surely enter the Dongming Realm!"

After Lv Yinlin finished speaking, he turned and left, walking toward his own Cave Abode.

And where he had departed from, those thirty-plus flying needles were still suspended there, motionless.

Lv Yinlin walked into his Cave Abode; he had lived for over a thousand years and hadn't been this happy in a long time.

He said Duan Rong would enter the Dongming Realm within three years, but that was actually the most conservative estimate; if it were faster, one year was not entirely impossible.

In terms of understanding Artistic Conception, Duan Rong was already almost the number one person under the Laws!

With this level of attainment, he would have no obstacles in advancing to Dongming!

Even if he achieved Dongming within three years, he would only be twenty-something years old!

A twenty-something-year-old Dongming Realm!

What kind of concept is that!

Even he himself, back in the day, was over fifty when he advanced to the Dongming Realm! And he was already the top talent in this world!

On the surface, one is over fifty and one is twenty-something; it seems like a difference of only thirty-plus years!

In fact, it is far more than that!

To advance to Dongming, one must first walk step by step from the Inner Breath Realm, the Qi Refining Realm, and the Qi Cyclone Realm! The accumulation of many realms is all a matter of grinding work!

Just over a month ago, he had only just formed his Qi Cyclone, and now the Dongming Realm is already in sight!

This cultivation speed of Duan Rong's made Lv Yinlin think of Master Lingji of the Dharma Image Sect once again!

Back then, Master Lingji formed his Vital Energy Cyclone at eighteen and reached Enlightenment at twenty-one! He had already been exclaimed by Nine Provinces as a celestial being!

Lv Yinlin actually felt that Duan Rong wouldn't need three years to advance to Enlightenment, but it was only because of the precedent of Master Lingji that he gave the number of three years!

"Master Lingji, over two hundred years ago, reached Enlightenment in three years, shocking Nine Provinces for a time! I never thought that two hundred years later, there would actually be a successor!"

"If this child also advances to that Original Spirit Realm one day..."

Lv Yinlin thought of this and couldn't help but smile slightly, muttering to himself: "If that really happens, then this Jiuzhou Continent will be lively indeed!"

(End of this chapter)