Chapter 71: The Eighth and Ninth Earthly Fiend Arts!

"Very well."

Under the glow of the candlelight, no expression could be discerned on Suo Helie's cold, rigid face:

"Since that is the case, I shall await the good news. Once the information on the remaining people born in the Yinyinnian Yinyue Yiri is confirmed, it will be sent here as quickly as possible."

Chen Chuanying bowed slightly and said respectfully:

"Many thanks, Protector Suo. Once the Dharma Artifact is refined, we will notify you immediately."

Suo Helie nodded, said nothing more, and turned to leave.

The three of them, led by Chen Chuanying, personally exited the cellar to see him off.

"Who would have thought that a dignified Supervisor of the Jingwu Division would actually take the initiative to help us sect members refine a Dharma Artifact just to capture a criminal?"

At the main entrance, after watching the other party's carriage drive far away, the Youxian Temple Elder Qin Zekun, who was standing to the side, spoke with a hint of irony:

"Temple Master, this Jin man is unscrupulous in his methods. We must be on guard against him to avoid being discarded like a worn-out shoe once he has no more use for us."

"No matter. If not for relying on him, it would truly be difficult to find the remaining people born in the Yinyinnian Yinyue Yiri."

Chen Chuanying said softly with a touch of emotion:

"Elder Yu, rest assured. I am not without foundations at court. Furthermore, once the Spirit-Startling Bell is complete, holding it will make me comparable to a Sixth Realm high-gong mage. Even if he, Suo Helie, wants to discard us like a worn-out shoe, he would need the ability to do so."

The Daoist Yu standing to the side, however, was full of misgivings:

"Temple Master, we still haven't figured out which lineage or what level of Daoist Arts that Qingyike is wielding. Although the Spirit-Startling Bell is a Dharma Artifact recorded in our temple's secret canon, no one knows if it will possess the power described therein once refined. If we are to deal with Qingyike..."

Chen Chuanying smiled indifferently:

"No need to worry. What is stated in the classics is absolutely true, with no falsehoods. In fact, many years ago, Youxian Temple did possess a Spirit-Startling Bell, and it displayed extraordinary power, which is why I am refining this artifact again."

"What? There was once a Spirit-Startling Bell?"

Daoist Yu was slightly startled:

"Why have I never seen it?"

To the side, the senior Elder Qin Zekun, who was already nearly sixty, chuckled:

"Of course you wouldn't know, because I was still a mere child then. That Spirit-Startling Bell was nurtured by the heart and spirit of several generations of Temple Masters; it was considered our temple's guardian Dharma Artifact, and its power was truly extraordinary."

Youxian Temple had always been thinly populated, with all its disciples numbering no more than a dozen. As a newly promoted Elder, Daoist Yu was unaware of these inside details and asked curiously:

"I wonder what battle achievements this Dharma Artifact had?"

Temple Master Chen Chuanying said with emotion:

"Fifty years ago, during the Tianli Sect uprising, they gathered a mob in Tianjing to attack the Imperial City. The twenty-first generation Temple Master of our Youxian Temple deeply resented the Jin Dynasty for having previously destroyed our mountains and temples, nearly wiping out the Youxian Temple lineage, so he secretly participated to fish in troubled waters.

He took advantage of the chaos to sneak into the Jin Dynasty's Scripture Repository, where countless classics from previous dynasties were stored, including our Youxian Temple's complete 'Xuanwei Discussion on the Heart Sutra'. However, just as he was searching for the classics, a Shamanism wizard stationed at the Scripture Repository discovered him.

Those qualified to guard the Cangjingdian were all supreme experts. That Shaman wizard was at the peak of the Seventh Realm, and his strength and methods were extraordinary. Although our Temple Master's strength was inferior, he held a great killing weapon like the Spirit-Startling Bell. Upon unleashing it, he wounded the wizard on the spot and retreated calmly."

"Wounded a top-tier Seventh Realm expert?"

Daoist Yu was even more suspicious and couldn't help but glance at the woman being used to refine the Dharma Artifact within the formation:

"Since we already have such a powerful Dharma Artifact, why must we refine a new one and damage our hidden virtue?"

Refining this so-called Spirit-Startling Bell requires nailing the hands and feet of people born in the Yinyinnian Yinyue Yiri, cutting out their tongues, and gouging out their eyes, leaving them in a state of extreme pain, fear, and despair, so that it can be refined with blood.

Although he did not care much for the lives of ordinary people, he still had reservations about such near-evil methods, feeling that it harmed the harmony of Heaven and damaged his hidden virtue.

Chen Chuanying sighed helplessly:

"Is it not because more than twenty years ago, the previous Temple Master was conscripted by the Jin Dynasty to attack the capital of the Shengping Heavenly Kingdom? That was an era when Firearms and Cannons began to show their might. In the siege, ten thousand guns fired in unison and ten thousand cannons roared; countless sect experts perished. Although the previous Temple Master held a powerful Dharma Artifact like the Spirit-Startling Bell, he could not be impervious to swords and guns or possess a diamond-hard body.

In that battle, not only did he die on the battlefield, but the Spirit-Startling Bell was also completely destroyed by someone, causing the accumulated heritage of our Youxian Temple to be wiped out in one fell swoop. After I succeeded as Temple Master, I had the intention to refine this Dharma Artifact again, but the materials alone took over ten years to collect, and the forty-nine people born in the Yinyinnian Yinyue Yiri were found intermittently, only reaching half the number. If not for the help of this Suo Helie, I don't know how many more years it would have taken to have a chance to refine it."

"So that's how it is..."

Not expecting such hidden circumstances, Daoist Yu was enlightened and said with slight excitement:

"If that is the case, then relying on this bell to capture and kill Qingyike should be as easy as turning over one's hand!"

"That is not necessarily the case."

Chen Chuanying smiled faintly:

"The Spirit-Startling Bell held by that ancestor fifty years ago had been refined for decades. This Spirit-Startling Bell of ours is newly refined, so its power is naturally far inferior, but it should be no problem to deal with a single Qingyike."

"Alright, time is pressing. Enough idle talk, let us continue!"

Naturally, he was unaware of these surging undercurrents.

Lu Yuan, who had committed several major cases in succession, had by this time already returned safely to Boxiyuan.

He acted as if nothing had happened, washing up and practicing his Martial Arts early in the morning as usual. However, this storm was exceptionally vast, and the news spread rapidly; by noon, the news had reached Boxiyuan.

"Jin Taihong is dead?"

In Boxiyuan, after Li Junxian learned of it, he was first surprised, then filled with emotion and praise:

"He deserved to die. This man sold opium and should have died long ago. If not for my old injuries and my regressing Martial Arts, I would have been tempted to assassinate this man myself..."

As the manager of Boxiyuan, although his status was transcendent, he was still a member of the Qinglong Gang. He knew quite a bit about their mortal enemy, the Money Gang, and had long heard of the Money Gang leader Jin Taihong's opium-selling activities, which he detested extremely.

However, due to his age and past experiences, he was no longer as intolerant of evil as he was in his youth, and his physical condition did not allow him to challenge a genuine Fifth Realm great expert, so he could only let it go.

"It is indeed a good killing. And that Assistant Prefect Zhang Taiming, who colluded with and protected him—his head was also hung at Caishikou. The common people south of the city are all overjoyed. There are even families deeply poisoned by opium who want to build a living shrine for Qingyike."

Xu Dahu, who brought this news and had now become the Hall Master of the Qinglong Gang's North Hall, said with awe:

"Master, you don't know, but just now the Gang Leader summoned all of us Hall Masters and Protectors, and strictly ordered us to restrain our subordinates. He absolutely forbids anyone from committing crimes or bullying the common people. Anyone found violating this will be punished with the 'three knives and six holes' penalty. This is truly..."

Xu Erhu listened, feeling both amused and shocked:

"Our Gang Leader Pang Qinglong is, after all, a Fifth Tier Refining Blood Martial Artist, a famous great expert. Is he actually afraid of Qingyike?"

Pang Qinglong was the second-generation leader of the Qinglong Gang. When he first took over the gang, the Qinglong Gang was just an obscure little gang of laborers huddling together for warmth. It was through his own hands that he carved out such a massive family business.

This man was of the same generation as Jin Taihong and also had a good personal friendship with Li Junxian. Li Junxian couldn't help but laugh:

"Gang Leader Pang is just afraid of being targeted by Qingyike. Although he has no major moral failings and his gang's porter and carriage businesses provide food for many poor people, a gang becomes a mixed bag once it grows large. There are always some treacherous villains using his name as a banner. It is normal for him to be worried..."

The master and disciple marveled at the news, while Lu Yuan, standing to the side, listened quietly, occasionally chiming in, though he seemed somewhat distracted.

Because at this very moment, as the news spread, he could feel a massive amount of Luck Power gathering in the dark.

The scale was far higher than any time he had acted before; in just half a day, it had already increased by fifty or sixty units!

He pondered slightly and could only attribute the reason to the fact that the stunt he pulled this time was big enough, or that destroying the gang, disposing of the opium, and executing the evil ringleaders had a greater impact on the fates of thousands, thus bringing about such an effect.

Regardless, this was a good thing.

Time followed.

After speaking for a while, the master and disciple dispersed.

Lu Yuan stayed safely in Boxiyuan, just sitting and waiting to watch the Qi Luck gather.

The massive storm grew more intense; ten thousand people spread the word, and the news swept through the entire Fengyang Prefecture within a day, causing an unprecedented sensation.

Ordinary commoners, because the scourge of opium had been wiped out and due to the deaths of the evil ringleader Jin Taihong, his son, and the Vice Prefect Zhang Taiming, reacted extremely enthusiastically; countless people went joyfully to Caishikou in the south of the city to see the three heads hanging there.

That's right, because of the terrifying deterrent power of Qingyike today, no one in the Jingwu Division dared to take down those three heads, and Suo Helie, for reasons unknown, showed his tacit approval.

Duyuan Li Zhenguang also assumed his direct superior was afraid of Qingyike and could only order his subordinates to cordon off Caishikou and cover the three hideous, high-hanging heads with black cloth.

This action naturally disappointed all the commoners who went to watch the excitement, but even so, as the news spread from person to person, the power and prestige of the name Qingyike reached an unprecedented level.

Lu Yuan stayed in Boxiyuan and did nothing, yet he felt a large amount of Qi Luck continuously gathering from the void; on that day alone, the Qi Luck Power he harvested directly broke through the one-hundred mark.

On the second day, although the news had already spread throughout the city, the deterrent effect of the heads hanging at Caishikou remained deeply rooted in people's hearts, and he still gained about fifty units of Qi Luck.

By the third day, there was no one who did not know what Qingyike had done; public expectation seemed to have reached its limit, and the gathering of Qi Luck gradually ceased.

And by this time, the Qi Luck Lu Yuan had harvested had reached a staggering 180 units!

Adding what he had originally accumulated, his total Qi Luck suddenly broke through the 200-unit mark!

On the evening of this third day.

In his own room, feeling that the Qi Luck descending from the void had basically vanished, Lu Yuan's eyes shone brightly as he communicated with the Heavenly Book:

【Qi Luck Power】: 248 units

"I can light up two Earthly Fiend Arts."

Seeing this number, he did not hesitate and silently recited in his heart:

"Light up, Sword Technique!"

Hum.

The Heavenly Book bloomed with vast golden light, and a large number of characters upon it flew into his heart like spirit snakes, after which a massive and complex stream of information flooded his mind.

It was the all-encompassing general outline of worldly Sword Technique, as well as the methods of the Primordial Spirit controlling the sword through divine refinement, controlling the sword with Qi, controlling the sword with the spirit, and the unity of Qi and spirit.

The amount of information was simply too vast.

After digesting it for a long time, Lu Yuan slowly opened his eyes, his gaze faintly revealing an indescribable sharpness.

【Sword Technique】: Sword Heart Clear and Bright, mastering the general outline of worldly sword techniques, also including the method of Primordial Spirit sword control; where the white light rises, it kills invisibly.

Undoubtedly, 【Sword Technique】 belongs to the category of close-quarters combat skills in the early stages.

The so-called general outline of sword techniques and Sword Heart Clear and Bright mean that the practitioner can take in everything like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea, encompassing everything, and can understand, master, and create all sword techniques without a teacher, turning them into their own.

Just like now, in Lu Yuan's mind, the various complex chants and sword moves of the 【Wind Thunder Death-Defying Sword】 surfaced spontaneously, making him feel an inexplicable sense of extreme familiarity, clarity, and an itch to practice.

Faintly understanding something, he couldn't wait to push the door open, go into the courtyard, pick up the iron sword in the corner, and start practicing immediately.

Clang!

He saw his sword light pouring out, mastered without a teacher; the flashing blade moved like a dragon or snake, whipping up a sharp whistle.

Just on the first pass, Lu Yuan practiced all the moves of the "Wind Thunder Death-Defying Sword" unhurriedly and smoothly.

However, after the first pass, he seemed to have suddenly seen the light and gained much; as he struck again, the sword shadows flew like a gale and rain, causing the entire courtyard to echo with sword whistles and bright cold light!

The second pass, the third pass, the fourth pass!

Lu Yuan's sword style became faster and faster, the whistling sound grew louder, and the flashing sword light became more and more grim; at the same time, his figure moved rapidly, stirring up sharp sword whistles, and the sharp Qi energy crisscrossed and cut like a raging storm!

In the end, the grim cold light surged like a wave, actually flashing and rushing to form a curtain of sword light; the sword light was so cruel and grim that it was hard to look at directly!

The "Wind Thunder Death-Defying Sword," which he had only just learned, was no longer just barely mastered, but had become thoroughly integrated, as if he had practiced it for several years!

Whoosh!

The tidal sword light in the courtyard ceased, and Lu Yuan, with heat rising from his body, stopped his movements, his eyes filled with brilliant colors.

Under the effect of 【Sword Technique】 Sword Heart Clear and Bright, he seemed to have directly become a sword genius, easily mastering this highly difficult "Wind Thunder Death-Defying Sword."

This level of mastery would take even those with outstanding sword talent several years to achieve, yet he succeeded after practicing it only a few times; if he practiced for another ten days or half a month, he might even catch up to Lin Xingchao, who had passed down this sword technique!

"Now, I won't be afraid even if my Dharma Power is exhausted."

Lu Yuan put away the sword, feeling extremely satisfied.

Currently, his cultivation and Dharma Power were still a constraint for him; once his Dharma Power was exhausted during a fight, he could only run away. He also lacked adaptability when facing martial arts experts at the level of Jin Taihong or even higher.

But 【Sword Technique】 consumes very little Dharma Power in the early stages, relying mainly on physical fitness, giving him an additional conventional means of combat that he could use regardless of his persona or his public identity.

At this thought.

Lu Yuan returned to his room, feeling content:

"There are still over a hundred units of Qi Luck left; for the next Earthly Fiend Art..."

With over a hundred units of Qi Luck remaining, he could light up another Earthly Fiend Art. He weighed his options slightly and set his sights on 【Boiling Stones】 and 【Pill Manipulation】.

Cultivation and Dharma Power are the foundation of everything; the ordinary pills on the market have limited effects, so it is very necessary to accelerate cultivation through the Earthly Fiend Art of refining external pills.

As for the problem of a furnace and a place... he had already thought of a solution; he only needed to rent a courtyard in a remote part of the city and find a way to get a furnace to attempt alchemy.

And both 【Boiling Stones】 and 【Pill Manipulation】 are techniques for refining external pills; it just depends on which one he chooses now.

【Boiling Stones】 uses gold, jade, minerals, and the like to refine external pills, while 【Pill Manipulation】 uses the essence of plants and trees to refine pills.

Lu Yuan weighed it slightly and found that 【Boiling Stones】 was more suitable for his current self.

Because compared to 【Pill Manipulation】, 【Boiling Stones】 has two advantages: first, the raw materials for refining are easier to collect, and second, the refining methods and conditions are relatively lower.

The disadvantage is that the great pills refined from plants and trees via Pill Manipulation have a mild medicinal property, which many ordinary people can take;

However, the metal and stone external elixir refined through stone-boiling has a violent medicinal nature and must be refined and assimilated in conjunction with the Food Consumption Technique; ordinary people who eat it will only die suddenly.

Yet Lu Yuan possesses the Food Consumption Technique, so this is not a drawback at all; having made a decision in his heart, he immediately moved his mind:

"Illuminate, stone-boiling!"

(End of chapter)