Chapter 533: Fire Head-Monk, Dragon-Slaying Blade

Li Yan heard this and looked into the distance.

He saw the newcomer's figure was unusually tall, a head taller than Sha Lifei, his muscles knotted, his Daoist robe filthy and with many holes burned through it.

The most eye-catching thing was his hair.

The other party had a head of dark red hair, tied up casually with a hairband, disheveled and loose.

This hair color was rare, as if dyed with filthy blood.

His features were deep, and it seemed he had a bit of Hu (foreign) ancestry.

Seeing this, Li Yan secretly grew vigilant.

He had already guessed who this person was...

But the two were only a hundred meters apart, yet he hadn't discovered the other party's approach at all, which could only be for two reasons:

First, the other party's cultivation was too high and used secret arts.

Second, he was carrying a national sacrificial artifact.

Sure enough, Ling Yunzi smiled and introduced, "Young hero Li, this is Master Fire Head-Monk; hearing you had arrived, he came personally to meet you..."

"Don't say it so nicely!"

Before he finished speaking, the Fire Head-Monk strode over, his sharp eagle eyes sizing up Li Yan, and said in a deep voice, "I've been waiting for you on the mountain for a long time; why did you only come now?"

It wasn't because Mount Qingcheng was a bit chaotic before...

Li Yan cursed inwardly, but his face carried a trace of apology as he said, "There were some things on the road that delayed me; I've long wanted to come and pay a visit."

"Mm."

This Fire Head-Monk seemed not to understand human feelings at all, too lazy to say polite words, and said coldly, "I came only to ask you one thing: who forged that blade of yours?"

So it was for this reason.

Li Yan heard this, and his heart chilled.

His Dust-Severing Blade was forged by a master living in seclusion on Mount Hua.

Although he didn't know the other party's name to this day, when he was in Ezhou, Master Lu from Zezhou Prefecture had seen his blade and praised it endlessly, saying the means were even above his own.

This master was living in seclusion under an assumed name, perhaps having some hidden bitterness.

Thinking of this, Li Yan shook his head directly. "Apologies, I promised someone else that I would not leak this matter."

"Hmph!"

Hearing this, the Fire Head-Monk's eyes were full of murderous intent. "None of that; I know you people—nothing but not seeing the rabbit and not releasing the hawk. Speak, what conditions do you want?"

"Heavenly spiritual treasures, or dharma artifacts?"

As he spoke, he took another step forward.

At this proximity, Li Yan immediately noticed the abnormality.

The other party was tall and carried a fierce aura like a wild beast. Moreover, he didn't know what method he practiced, but his whole body carried a heat, like a large furnace.

It was Gang Strength!

Li Yan's back muscles immediately tightened.

He already had some understanding of Gang Strength.

After holding the elixir, the whole body's will and physical strength were unified, carrying boxing intent between waves, and could trigger gang-sha energy attacks.

Fearless of ordinary supernatural arts, its lethality was also astonishing.

He didn't expect this artifact-refining master to also be a martial arts expert.

Li Yan took two steps back, his eyes also growing cold, his Soul-Hooking Rope ready to be activated at any time, and he said in a deep voice, "I can't say, I just can't say. I respect you as a senior, don't play this game with me!"

"You two, don't..."

Ling Yunzi was having a headache watching this and hurriedly tried to stop them.

Li Yan was a distinguished guest personally arranged by the sect leader.

The Fire Head-Monk was an artifact-refining master who was quite respected on the mountain.

How did they start making a scene without saying a word?

No matter who got hurt, it would be a big trouble for him.

Who would have thought that the Fire Head-Monk wouldn't pay him any mind, but stared fixedly at Li Yan, remained silent for a long time, and then said, "Fine, you can be considered a man."

"I only wanted to know, is he... still alive?"

As he spoke, he withdrew his momentum and carried a trace of expectation.

Li Yan narrowed his eyes and nodded.

"That's good."

The Fire Head-Monk breathed a sigh of relief, turned, and left. "Follow me, let's go see your precious blade; no one else is to follow."

This series of actions was simply inexplicable.

Li Yan pondered for a moment, shook his head slightly at Wang Daoxuan to signal him not to worry, and then followed closely.

Seemingly hearing his footsteps, the Fire Head-Monk suddenly accelerated.

The other party walked with a square step, his tattered Daoist robe sleeves fluttering, snow splashing under his feet; it looked like ordinary walking, but the speed was astonishingly fast.

Li Yan narrowed his eyes, and dark energy exploded under his feet as well.

The two, one in front and one behind, soon disappeared from the sight of the others.

This Fire Head-Monk seemed to be intentionally testing Li Yan.

Every time Li Yan got close, the Fire Head-Monk would accelerate again, his foot strength exploding, accompanied by a thumping sound, snow splashing, and even the surrounding icicles shattering.

This was purely physical strength.

Li Yan wasn't surprised that the other party could do this.

The Fire Head-Monk himself was extremely strong and had already reached Gang Strength; if he exploded, he was afraid that even the current Wu Ba would be pressed into submission.

But comparing body movement wasn't just about strength.

The other party was just relying on pure strength, and his figure was huge.

Li Yan's figure was agile, and he gradually closed the distance.

"Hahaha... interesting!"

The Fire Head-Monk in front let out a loud laugh, suddenly formed a seal, his footwork began to change, a fierce wind roared around him, and he suddenly leaped into the air.

The other party jumped and hopped, as if he had completely lost weight, his figure agile, directly deviating from the mountain road, and galloping and leaping on the steep cliffs covered in snow and ice.

The feeling he gave was exactly like a spirit deer.

Riding-Stilts Method!

Seeing this, Li Yan's pupils suddenly contracted.

The most famous thing about Mount Qingcheng was undoubtedly the Riding-Stilts Method, rumored to be left behind by ancient immortals like Guangchengzi and Ning Fengzi.

It was not only a land-flying technique but also the method of a Cheng Jianxian.

Legend has it that there were three types: Dragon Stilts, Tiger Stilts, and Deer Stilts.

Before Li Yan came, he had specifically inquired about it.

The so-called Dragon Stilts: refining the body into Qi, merging with the Dao, and feet producing clouds. Those who practice this, the Dao-serving scholars, wish to travel to the cave heavens and blessed lands, and all evil spirits and monsters dare not approach.

This was the means of an immortal in legend, and it had long been lost.

Perhaps it was also related to the changes in the gang-sha energy between heaven and earth.

Just like the desolate scenes in the *Classic of Mountains and Seas* were no more, today's practitioners could no longer use the Dragon Stilts technique.

The Tiger Stilts: the mother of wind, the son of water; using it for three years, the tiger itself rides the wind back and forth, like wind moving fallen leaves flying in the air, gathering to form a shape, scattering to become wind, mixing with the positive yang energy of heaven and earth.

This method was the most superior technique of Mount Qingcheng.

Legend has it that the Cheng Jianxian Cheng practiced this technique, and combined with the Flying Sword technique, he could rank in the top three among the Ten Great Masters of the Central Plains.

And the Fire Head-Monk before him was using Deer Stilts.

The Deer Stilts: the constant. It can help Dao-serving scholars travel a thousand miles a day, and those who encounter deer can pick spiritual mushrooms, knowing their direction and distance...

Compared to ordinary escape arts, it was much faster.

Li Yan had no choice but to pull out a paper horse, tie it quickly to his leg, form a dharma seal, and perform the Northern Emperor God-Walking Technique to barely keep up.

The two, one in front and one behind, were like fierce winds sweeping across the mountain range.

If someone were looking from high above, they would see two figures passing through the mountains, ignoring dense forests and dangerous gullies, accompanied by fierce winds, and the snow falling along their path, looking exactly like two snow dragons.

This, however, caused trouble.

Ling Yunzi had specifically avoided many places when leading Li Yan up the mountain, but now they passed directly through, and the hook-token constantly produced responses.

Not only that, Li Yan also noticed many prying eyes.

This guy's brain isn't normal!

Li Yan cursed inwardly, pretending not to see. Fortunately, Mount Qingcheng was eight hundred miles long, and the practitioners on the mountain were mostly concentrated in palace temples and altars, or places where the innate gang-sha energy was abundant.

After crossing two mountains, the watching eyes gradually became fewer.

Not long after, they arrived at the back mountains.

They saw that the route was full of gullies and cliffs, with winter streams, flowing water under the ice, and collapsed ancient plank roads, the terrain dangerous, and the light growing dim.

Swish!

After running for a long time, the Fire Head-Monk suddenly stopped.

Li Yan also pulled off the paper horse and landed on the ground.

He saw a mountain valley before him, one side of the mountain range collapsed, forming a canyon, and the other side surrounded by mountains on three sides, like a winnowing basket.

The surrounding mountains were steep, with only one small path leading to the outside world.

In the mountain valley, there were thatched huts, farmland, and a huge high furnace and blacksmith workshop, surrounded by accumulated snow, the furnace fire not yet extinguished.

The Fire Head-Monk turned his back to Li Yan and suddenly sighed.

"He is my senior brother..."

(Please... collect...!)

"When we were young, we always wanted to compete for superiority, but now it has become tasteless; it's good that he's alive."

"If you happen to meet him in the future, tell him for me that I always competed with him back then because I was jealous of his talent."

So that's it...

Li Yan suddenly realized, but his expression remained unchanged.

It is said that you can know a person's face but not their heart.

Anyway, he had already made up his mind; since he had already promised not to leak the whereabouts of the senior on Mount Hua, then no matter what the other party said, he wouldn't reveal a single word.

On the other side, after the Fire Head-Monk finished saying this, he didn't mention it again, but strode into the room and brought out a wooden box.

After opening it, a long blade was placed inside.

The handle was dark gold, forged from an unknown metal, as if a dragon were coiling around it, teeth and claws bared to form a swallow-mouth, the scales fine and dense, which could be used to prevent slipping.

And the blade was ink-jade-like, with fine horn-like grain patterns; if looked at closely, those patterns were all even smaller branch-like thunder patterns.

It was the dragon horn he had obtained after slaying the dragon.

What made Li Yan strange was that the blade, regardless of shape or size, was exactly the same as his Dust-Severing Blade.

"Dragon horns have five colors, corresponding to the five Qi, and this horn belongs to metal and water, and has thunder patterns. I heard you are skilled in thunder arts, so it's just right..."

The Fire Head-Monk explained, and seemingly noticing his strange expression, he snorted coldly directly: "Feng Feng Shixiong brother used the bone-measuring method; this is my sect's secret method, most suitable for you. If I were to change it randomly, wouldn't that be painting a snake and adding feet!"

Li Yan hurriedly cupped his hands. "Feng Feng Shixiong is right."

"Bring me that blade of yours!" the Fire Head-Monk ordered again.

Li Yan didn't talk nonsense, took off the Dust-Severing Blade, and offered it with both hands.

Clang!

The Fire Head-Monk drew the blade, looked at it carefully, and nodded. "A good blade, used thunder-struck head-mountain copper essence, the material is average, but senior brother has exerted it to the limit; truly a precious blade that hasn't aged!"

With that, he turned the handle and saw the Twelve Yuan Chen copper coins, and his brows immediately furrowed. "Using this method, your cultivation was still far behind back then, right?"

"At that time, my cultivation was at the Second Floor, and my thunder arts were not yet refined."

Li Yan cupped his hands respectfully and answered truthfully.

"Oh?"

The Fire Head-Monk was somewhat surprised and glanced at Li Yan. "This blade was forged last year; you do have some talent, not disgracing senior brother's means."

As he spoke, he pondered for a moment. "Originally, I wanted to be more stable, but with your aptitude, I'm afraid it won't be many years."

"Do you dare to gamble?"

Li Yan frowned. "I ask that senior please speak plainly."

The Fire Head-Monk said in a deep voice, "Using Twelve Yuan Chen coins to store thunder arts is a shortcut. When your cultivation is weak, it can be a surprise move, but when facing a strong enemy, it becomes a chicken rib."

"This dragon horn can naturally store thunder, but rather than using it for storage, it's better to use the overlapping method to amplify it."

"Forged with my secret method, when using the blade to perform thunder arts, it can make the thunder energy echo and overlap, gathering on the blade edge, with greater power."

"But everything has its gains and losses; using this method consumes quite a bit of thunder energy, and the higher the cultivation, the greater the power."

"When facing an enemy in battle, if you exhaust your strength and cannot use thunder arts, then this blade can only rely on the dragon's might, only slightly stronger than an ordinary dharma artifact..."

"Of course, there is another choice, which is the middle path; the power of the dharma artifact remains unchanged, and it can also be a treasure of a small sect."

After hearing his explanation, Li Yan finally understood.

These were two choices: conservative and radical.

If it were an ordinary person, they would likely choose the conservative plan; after all, thunder arts were difficult to begin with, so how could they be used for a long time?

But Li Yan was different.

He had the Soul-Hooking Thunder Rope, and if he completed the tasks issued by the Thunder Mansion, he could also obtain Divine Lei Gang, allowing him to perform it continuously.

The radical method was instead more suitable for him.

"Please, senior, exert your full effort!"

Thinking of this, Li Yan chose the first one without hesitation.

"Good!"

The Fire Head-Monk nodded. "Originally, it could be quenched and refined today, but according to your choice, it will take a few more days."

Then he picked up the Dust-Severing Blade again. "This thunder-struck head-mountain copper essence is also rare; it can be used to forge a scabbard, to nourish it often. Come find me in five days."

With that, he turned and entered the thatched hut without looking back.

Li Yan cupped his hands and turned to leave.

He could already see that this Fire Head-Monk had a strange temper and was a bit difficult to deal with; he had been able to say so much to him mostly because of his senior brother.

Although he felt empty without his weapon, things had reached this point, and it was not good to say anything more.

Mount Qingcheng naturally had its rules.

He was an outsider after all; when he came, he could use the Fire Head-Monk as an excuse to walk alone, but if he used the God-Walking Technique, it would be not giving Qingcheng face, so he could only walk honestly along the mountain path.

Even with his extraordinary foot speed, it took him a full hour to return to Chaoyang Cave.

"Young hero Li, are you alright?"

Ling Yunzi, who had been waiting for a long time, hurriedly stepped forward to ask.

"I'm fine, Master Fire Head-Monk is helping me refine the artifact."

Li Yan didn't say much else.

"That's good."

Ling Yunzi breathed a sigh of relief and pondered, "According to the sect leader's arrangement, originally we were going to find Master Fire Head-Monk today, and tomorrow I would take you to Laojun Temple to pay a visit to the ancestor Juechenzi."

"Since that's the case, let's go today."

Hearing this, Li Yan was somewhat embarrassed. "Visiting on short notice, isn't it inappropriate?"

To tell the truth, he was somewhat fearful in his heart.

The Northern Emperor School had too fierce a reputation; if they really wanted to force him to join, to serve

"No matter."

Ling Yunzi smiled, "Grandmaster Juechenzi has already given instructions that I may bring you over directly."

"That works too."

Li Yan had no choice but to nod in agreement.

Laojun Temple is at the highest point of Mount Qingcheng, the summit of Peng Zu Peak. Traveling from Zhaoyang Cave, one cannot avoid crossing mountains and ridges.

On the way, Li Yan finally couldn't help but ask, "The Beidi Sect is also considered a major Daoist sect; has it really declined to this point?"

Ling Yunzi shook his head, "Grandmaster Juechenzi is not purely Beidi, but of the Earth Deity Sect."

"This lineage was founded by the 30th Generation Sai Tian Shi Zhang Jixian, based on the Daoist methods of the Beidi Sect, and venerates the North Pole Ziwei Great Emperor."

As he spoke, he hesitated for a moment and whispered, "If there is an opportunity, Li Li Shaoxia, it would be best to agree. This lineage possesses marvelous arts for suppressing fortune."

Li Yan was startled, "What marvelous arts?"

Ling Yunzi looked around and whispered an explanation, "The disciple who inherited the dharma from Sai Tian Shi Zhang Jixian was Sai Tian Shi Sa."

"This lineage is not only skilled in thunder methods but can also summon Wen Lingguan to act as a dharma protector!"

(End of chapter)