Chapter 930: The world is both vast and tiny

The Dragon-Elephant Wu Sheng!

Who under heaven has not heard his name?

Inside the courtyard, a group of white-robed disciples from the Profound Heaven Sect gathered, their faces flushed with excitement.

"Master, is this true? The Dragon-Elephant Wu Sheng intends to come to Datong Prefecture to listen to the sutras?"

"At yesterday's elegant gathering, I heard Abbot Master Di Xian say that the Imperial Court has been invited, and there was a reply in early the third month stating that he would lead the team for the Dragon-Elephant Wu Sheng."

"Wow!"

The younger ones clamored noisily.

If Liang Qu could be called a rising legend, a hidden dragon in the abyss, then Zhang Longxiang was already a dragon soaring in the sky!

Zhang Longxiang's original name was Zhang Xiang, a man from Qi Prefecture.

His father, Zhang Duan, started from nothing, making his fortune with a single flying dragon. He bought over a hundred mu of fertile land for the family and had a little surplus wealth, but due to his early toil and struggle, he developed a hidden illness and passed away at home at the age of thirty-eight.

At that time, Zhang Xiang was just fifteen, in the golden age of cultivation. He resolutely observed mourning for his father for three years, only beginning his cultivation path at eighteen. Having achieved some small success, at twenty-three, he joined the military, serving under the grandson of the Duke of Nanyang, Lü Yiyun.

For two years, he remained unknown, with no outstanding achievements, until a strange event occurred when Zhang Xiang left the army upon his mother's death.

Lü Yiyun actually sent his personal guards to offer condolences.

The guards, puzzled, asked: "Many soldiers have died or suffered family losses; the General has never sent inquiries, why offer condolences to him alone?"

The reply was: "This man is brave and fierce, and possesses ambition and integrity. He will surely attain wealth and honor on his own; how can he be treated as a lowly person?"

From then on,

The unknown man stood out.

The Dragon-Elephant Wu Sheng officially began his path to fame!

Three years behind his peers, his cultivation surpassed theirs by thirty years. For any martial art, he mastered it within three months; for any fist or foot technique, he understood it in less than half a day. He gained insights from bloody battles, and his colleagues in the army respected him. At twenty-eight, he entered the Hunting Tiger Realm, his methods grew stronger, and he often challenged enemies on the borders, repeatedly performing heroic deeds and even calculating the elimination of Perfected Form experts.

The Ancestor Emperor heard of his life story and had someone weigh his destiny, knowing he was a Great Pillar Divine Mountain, an Owl God seizing food. He personally bestowed a name upon him, adding a 'Dragon' character between his names, and thus he became known as Zhang Longxiang!

A golden scale is not a creature of the pond; once it meets the wind and clouds, it turns into a dragon.

Zhang Longxiang, soaring into the sky!

At thirty-two, he entered the Perfected Form Realm; at thirty-four, he became a Jiang Zongshi.

With a year of no war, he returned to Qi Prefecture, first defeating the Qi Prefecture Jiang Zongshi Xu Tuo. Half a year later, he traced the river upstream, repeatedly challenging famous Perfected Form experts, winning every battle. At thirty-seven, he had defeated countless famous experts across thirty-six prefectures and seventy-two states, transforming into a Heaven-Man. People said he stepped across both banks of the Sha River!

He had been in the Perfected Form Realm for nearly a decade.

In one stroke, he defeated three Heaven-Man experts, thwarting the Northern Court's encirclement conspiracy. At forty, the age of no confusion, he entered the Ethereal Dragon Realm and became a Wu Sheng!

The magnificent Dragon-Elephant, how glorious is he?

Seeing him today, how could one not be happy?

The juniors cheered and jumped, looking forward to seeing the true face of the Dragon-Elephant Wu Sheng.

The elders pondered.

The Northern Court harassed them year after year, and the false dragon in the Southern Frontier was gaining great momentum.

Did the Imperial Court sending such a "double great red stick" imply a warning to the Hanging Temple?

This thought flashed and vanished.

Last year's sensational Baron Xingyi, Liang Qu, was the Emperor's favorite, and he was also entangled with the Hanging Temple, sharing a close relationship.

Even more, it was rumored that his bones and muscles were extraordinary, and he practiced the Hanging Temple's non-transferable secret—the Indestructible Golden Body.

Even lay disciples didn't have that treatment!

Today's Liang Qu vaguely had the intention of succeeding the Dragon-Elephant, becoming the next "double great red stick" in the Imperial Court. In such troubled times, the Court would certainly not let the two have an unprovoked conflict; the talk of a warning was out of the question.

It wasn't a warning...

Could there be some hidden matter?

Apart from the True Orthodox Profound Heaven Sect, other major sects also reacted.

Pavilions and towers were all noisy.

Louguan Terrace.

Emerald green tea leaves unfurled.

Young Daoist priests gathered around a stove in a small courtyard, boiling tea, chatting and sighing.

"The Imperial Court is truly full of talent. If it's a real warning, I wonder if Master Mingwang can withstand it?"

"It shouldn't be a warning. I see that Liang Qu's momentum is also fierce, rising from nothing, with countless great achievements. He is not like the likes of Bai Guangyi. One new, one old; one south, one north; it is clearly a relay. Since Baron Xingyi is on good terms with Master Mingwang, the Court will certainly not let them clash. If they really didn't want to see them get along, they would divide and conquer, but that should be when Liang Qu enters the Saint Realm and is on equal footing. A warning should involve someone else."

"Eh, first there was Master Mingwang, then there is Liang Qu of Great Shun. Why do all the powerful people go to learn those Buddhist things instead of coming to our Louguan Terrace?"

"Baron Xingyi has learned ours. One internal, one external. The external is the Buddhist Golden Body, and the internal is our Daoist method." The soap-robed youth lifted his hem and sat down to hold his tea.

"Ah? How so?"

"Third Cao Shixiong, tell us." "Yes, tell us, we haven't heard of this."

Everyone sat up one after another.

Third Cao Shixiong put down his teacup.

"In the past, the Old Daoist Master bestowed the 'Wan Sheng Holding the Origin' to the Duke of Wei, Xu Youguang. Xu Youguang passed it to his son, Xu Wenzhu, and Xu Wenzhu passed it to his personal guard. That guard's name was Yang Dongxiong, and his direct disciple is Baron Xingyi."

"Ha, there's such a thing?"

"Yes! Last time I went to the Imperial Capital, I heard Uncle Blue from the Imperial Observatory say that when the Northern Court's barbarian Great Black Heaven opened its eyes, Baron Xingyi defeated it cleanly with one move of his great spear. He used the 'Wan Sheng Holding the Origin' third realm, the Immortal technique imprinted by preserving the spirit."

Hiss!

The young Daoists were greatly shocked.

There was such a thing?

Third Cao Shixiong held his forehead: "It's helpless to say. Once the Buddhist Golden Body is used, everyone knows its origin. The 'Wan Sheng Holding the Origin' is not easily recognizable, and its use varies from person to person. If I hadn't heard the elders mention its origin, I wouldn't have known at all."

The world is both vast and tiny.

Suddenly, someone slapped their thigh hard.

"In that case, Baron Xingyi is one of our own! Our Louguan Terrace has a twenty-two-year-old Perfected Form expert!"

"Exactly!"

"We should ask Uncle Ge for some silver, so when Baron Xingyi arrives, we can host a banquet to entertain him!"

"Makes sense! Ask for money! Host a banquet! We can't push away our own people!"

Cheers erupted in the courtyard.

Liang Qu did not know that someone was seriously discussing his composition and nature, dividing his affiliation like slicing a piece of meat.

He was currently laughing, holding Guan Congjian's neck.

"Old Guan, why are you here too?"

"Master, I am a lay disciple of the Hanging Temple, of course I have to come to listen to the sutras. I took a month-long leave!" Guan Congjian said, biting into a large pig trotter, speaking vaguely.

"No, I understand you going to Datong Prefecture, but why are you in Huangzhou?"

Datong Prefecture is north of Huangzhou, not far away. One just needs to exit the Huai River into the tributary Ba Water and head north all the way.

With the Xu family there, and the Eldest Cao Shixiong he hadn't seen in years also agreeing to come to Huangzhou, it was reasonable for Liang Qu and the others to rest in Huangzhou and visit relatives for a few days. Where did Guan Congjian get relatives?

"Lichan said she wanted to buy some socks. It's very hot outside, and they were sold out everywhere else, so I accompanied her here, um!" Guan Congjian said as a matter of course, and then was covered by a hand.

Zong Lichan gave an awkward smile.

Liang Qu was amused and immediately understood the connection.

Seriously speaking, coming to Huangzhou today, it was much more prosperous than a few years ago. Countless merchants stopped here, and many tourists heading north also shopped here.

"Tomorrow the Xu family is hosting a banquet to celebrate for me, are you coming?"

"Coming!"

"Fine! You guys go shopping first."

Liang Qu and Long Yao held hands and left.

"Why did you cover my mouth?"

Zong Lichan didn't speak, rubbing all the oil from her palm onto Guan Congjian's clothes.

Huangzhou was lively for five or six days.

Liang Qu dispelled the strangeness with his long-lost Eldest Cao Shixiong, celebrated his Perfected Form Realm for three days, and trained a group of Xu family brats for twelve hours, who kept bragging that their brother was more powerful, only to switch to becoming Baron Xingyi's followers.

Sails billowed.

The Xu family stayed home to accompany their parents, preparing to pick them up when Liang Qu and the others returned from Datong Prefecture.

Guan Congjian logically returned the rented boat and moved onto Liang Qu's ship.

Fortunately, the imperially bestowed treasure ship was large enough that the addition of Eldest Cao Shixiong and Guan Congjian's group didn't make it appear crowded.

April 21st.

The emerald treasure ship crashed through the waves, riding the wind into Datong Prefecture!

Only then did Liang Qu realize.

The Hanging Temple.

It really is hanging!

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 931 =====

(End of chapter)