Chapter 886: [Paid Cooperation] (Part 1)

Bu Wu stood behind him like a ghost; although he couldn't see Hu Xiaotian's movements, Hu Xiaotian's actions also couldn't escape his eyes. This kid acts with enough resolve and decisiveness; even without his appearance, those two couldn't kill Hu Xiaotian, and in the end they couldn't avoid such a fate. He whispered, "Their internal energy was sucked away by you!"

Hu Xiaotian's heart startled, he feigned calm and said, "What do you mean?"

Bu Wu said, "Yuan Kong's miserable cries that night could not escape my ears; I just didn't expect that old bald thief to be here as well."

Hu Xiaotian then understood: that night, when he and Yuan Kong fought with their lives, Bu Wu had been eavesdropping in the dark the whole time. The reason he didn't show himself was the appearance of the mysterious old monk Kongjian; even with Bu Wu's ability, he still dared not appear and confront Kongjian directly, showing how profound and unfathomable Kongjian's martial arts are. Over these six days and nights, he and Qi Dainei have never faced Bu Wu's threat, likely because Bu Wu was also worried that the monk Kongjian remained hidden in Riftcloud Valley.

Hu Xiaotian said warily, "What do you want?" His internal energy flowed naturally, his power gathered ready to unleash; if Bu Wu dared to harm him, the only option would be to risk his life.

Bu Wu said, "You are also a rare talent seen once in a century; Yuan Kong's internal energy shocks ancient and modern times, unmatched under heaven. I never expected you could absorb his internal energy completely without your meridians bursting. If I'm not mistaken, the upper part of the Great Void Law has fallen into your hands."

At this point, Hu Xiaotian saw no need to hide; he nodded and said, "I don't even know what cultivation method I've been practicing; I only found out when Yuan Kong tried to absorb my energy."

Bu Wu asked, "Do you know what the final result of cultivating the Great Void Law will be?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "Going berserk from cultivation deviation, meridians burst and death."

Bu Wu nodded and said: "Correct! The more internal energy absorbed, the stronger the heterogeneous true qi stored in the dantian, the closer the calamity approaches; Yuan Kong could be considered fortunate despite misfortune. If you hadn't absorbed his internal energy, his life wouldn't last three months; but you drained his energy, gaining the strongest internal art under heaven, yet unfortunately your lifespan won't exceed three months, in my view. Your internal energy surpasses Yuan Kong's, yet your foundation cannot compare with his, so you might not even last a month."

Hu Xiaotian's heart sank, knowing Bu Wu's words were no empty alarm; his past cultivation of the Great Void Law was still shallow, so he needn't worry about cultivation deviation for now, but he had suddenly absorbed Yuan Kong's powerful internal energy. It was as if a ferocious tiger had taken up residence in his dantian; that tiger could strike back at any moment.

Bu Wu said, "No one in the world can save your life, for your internal energy has reached the peak of acquired strength; only an innate master could help you."

Hu Xiaotian thought of Yuan Mu, but Master Yuan Mu is not an innate master either. Could it be that only Master Kongjian can help me?

Bu Wu said, "Kongjian faced the wall for three years yet still hasn't reached the innate realm; the so-called innate is merely a lie fabricated by Heavenly Dragon Temple to intimidate the world."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Everyone has a time to die; it's merely a matter of sooner or later."

Bu Wu sneered, "Death doesn't necessarily bring liberation; I've been trapped for thirty years. Not only have I not severed my will to live, but the desire to survive grows stronger each day. I know a way to save you!"

Hu Xiaotian looked at Bu Wu's ugly face and naturally didn't believe he was so kind-hearted.

Bu Wu said, "Are you willing to cooperate with me?"

Hu Xiaotian chuckled.

Bu Wu said, "What are you laughing at? What's funny?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "Your martial arts are peerless; what can't you do yourself? Why rely on others?" He realized Bu Wu must have an ulterior motive. Cooperating with such a person is like dancing with a wolf; he might not gain any advantage.

Bu Wu sighed, "I stay in Heavenly Dragon Temple out of helplessness; I made a mistake in cultivation, causing my meridians to disorder, so every six months I must have them tidy my internal energy for me."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Come to think of it, they treat you fairly well."

Bu Wu gritted his teeth, "Because they owe me far too much!"

Hu Xiaotian knew Bu Wu's nature was fickle; not wanting to provoke his anger further, he whispered, "How do you want to cooperate?"

Bu Wu said, "If you want to live, the only way is to cultivate the Heavenly Demon Disintegration to disperse the heterogeneous true qi in your body; although this will ruin your martial arts, it can preserve your life."

Are you willing to teach me?

Bu Wu shook his head, "I don't know that skill, but the Tianlong Temple Sutra Pavilion stores this secret manual."

Hu Xiaotian said, "You mean I should go to the Sutra Pavilion and steal this secret manual?"

Bu Wu sneered, "Exactly!"

Hu Xiaotian shook his head, "I don't have that ability!"

Bu Wu said, "In the past you didn't, but now you might. Sneaking into the Sutra Pavilion to steal the secret manual doesn't require you to do it yourself; you only need to, on the day I act, create chaos in the Universal Worthy Court to draw the attention of Heavenly Dragon Temple's monks, and then I will personally infiltrate the Sutra Pavilion."

Hu Xiaotian said, "How do I know you're not lying to me?" He secretly thought, Bu Wu has been trapped in Heavenly Dragon Temple for thirty years without leaving; perhaps he's grown tired of this life and decided to go all-in. With my bright future, why should I risk it with him? But on second thought, if Bu Wu's words are true, I fear I can't even last a month—what future does a dying person have?

Bu Wu coldly said, "Do you have a choice? If you refuse, I will spread the news of your cultivation of the Great Void Law, and you will become a public enemy of the martial world."

Hu Xiaotian's heart chilled, he chuckled and said, "For someone with only a few days left to live, what is there to fear?"

Bu Wu added, "Moreover, this time it poses no harm to you; you just need to create chaos in the Universal Worthy Court, fabricate the appearance of someone assassinating the emperor, then all the masters of Heavenly Dragon Temple will swarm out, and when everyone's attention is focused on the Universal Worthy Court, I will have a chance to strike."

Hu Xiaotian said, "If you obtain the item and flee alone, what then? Who would I go to for the secret manual?"

Bu Wu snapped, "I've always been a man of my word; the Heavenly Demon Disintegration is a technique to disperse one's cultivation, and even if I obtained it, it would be useless to me."

Hu Xiaotian said, "What exactly do you want?"

Bu Wu hesitated a moment, then said, "Formless Divine Skill!"

Hu Xiaotian's heart skipped a beat; isn't Formless Divine Skill stored in the imperial palace's Cangshuge? Why does Bu Wu say it's still in the Sutra Pavilion? This possibility cannot be ruled out; initially Li Yuncong taught me a set of Great Void Law, yet he deceived me into thinking it was Formless Divine Skill, and perhaps the true Formless Divine Skill he never possessed.

Hu Xiaotian said, "But I've heard that the true Formless Divine Skill has always been kept in the imperial palace's Cangshuge."

Bu Wu gave a grim laugh, "That's just a false rumor deliberately spread by those bald thieves of Heavenly Dragon Temple; the temple's treasure, how could it be casually lost? When the imperial court suppressed Heavenly Dragon Temple, they indeed obtained a part of the Formless Divine Skill, but it was far from the original; the original has always been kept in the hands of Heavenly Dragon Temple's monks."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Have you ever heard of someone deriving a martial art from Formless Divine Skill that surpasses its origin, like green out of Lan surpasses Lan?"

Bu Wu said, "You mean the Uninterrupted Secret? The Uninterrupted Secret indeed evolved from Formless Divine Skill. However, I doubt that 'green out of Lan surpasses Lan' holds true, and moreover that skill is not suitable for men to cultivate."

Hu Xiaotian began to worry about Ji Feihua's safety; now Ji Feihua can threaten Bu Wu only with a copy of the Uninterrupted Secret. If Bu Wu no longer values the Uninterrupted Secret, might he turn against Ji Feihua?

Bu Wu said, "If you refuse to help me, I will also reveal the whereabouts of whichever friend of yours is in the well." A sinister smile crept onto his face, believing he had already grasped Hu Xiaotian's weakness.

Hu Xiaotian said, "Aren't you afraid of Master Kongjian?"

Bu Wu said, "He pays no attention to worldly affairs; his sole aim is to become a Buddha, no different from a clay idol—what does it matter?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "I want to consult with that friend of mine."

Bu Wu said, "Good! Let's go see him now!"

Ji Feihua hadn't expected Hu Xiaotian to go and return, and this time he actually came together with Bu Wu, six days apart. His condition remained unchanged; he sat silently in the underground cavern, looking at Bu Wu and saying, "You seem to have violated our agreement."

Bu Wu said, "It's him who wants to see you!"

Ji Feihua gazed at Hu Xiaotian, his eyes showing some puzzlement; he didn't understand why, after narrowly escaping his predicament, Hu Xiaotian would go back again.

Bu Wu said, "Don't let me disturb your talk; I'll wait outside!" After saying that, his body flickered and he had already vanished outside the cavern.

Hu Xiaotian worried that this guy might be eavesdropping, so he went out to check; seeing no trace of Bu Wu outside, he returned to Ji Feihua's side and quietly recounted everything Bu Wu had just said about seeking him.

Ji Feihua furrowed his brows: "No wonder Bu Wu has been acting odd these past days; it turns out Yuan Kong had been helping him regulate his meridians all along. Since you injured Yuan Kong, he's not far from his limit either."

Hu Xiaotian transmitted mentally: "I'm worried he might act against you."

Ji Feihua shook his head: "He won't harm me for now!"

Hu Xiaotian didn't know why Ji Feihua spoke with such certainty; perhaps he and Bu Wu share some unknown relationship.

Ji Feihua said: "If he makes up his mind, practicing the Uninterrupted Secret Technique could certainly solve his troubles."

Hu Xiaotian naturally understood what it meant to make up his mind; to cultivate divine skill, he would brandish a knife and castrate himself. Bu Wu would surely not want to become a eunuch either, so he left the easily obtainable Uninterrupted Secret Technique, which is easy to cultivate, but he was unwilling to let this opportunity slip. He whispered: "He had me create chaos in the Universal Virtue Hall, so he could sneak into the Scripture Pavilion and steal the Formless Divine Skill."

Ji Feihua said: "How could the Scripture Pavilion be a place just anyone can barge into? Even if his martial arts are peerless, he may not be able to come and go freely."

Hu Xiaotian said: "You mean he might be deceiving?"

Ji Feihua said: "Whether he is deceiving you or not, you can only stake this once. If you don't cooperate with him, he will expose the fact that you have mastered the Void Grand Method. Do you know what the consequences would be?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Nothing more than everyone under heaven rising up to attack him."

Ji Feihua said: "Yuan Kong was trapped in the rear mountain of Heavenly Dragon Temple for thirty years because he cultivated the Void Grand Method. You not only cultivated the Void Grand Method but also sucked away Yuan Kong's power. Do you think those monks of Heavenly Dragon Temple will let you off?"

Two updates delivered, today's writing was somewhat unsmooth; although it was Three More, it was especially laborious. If there are any shortcomings, please feel free to point them out; Zhangyu will do his best to adjust.

By the way, I'm asking for a few monthly tickets; I originally wanted to rush forward, to touch the chrysanthemum ahead, but today's ticket numbers are embarrassing, I'm rather unable to take care of myself, my butt's on fire! (To be continued~^~)