Chapter 486: The World, One Qi Transforms into Three Purities

Night falls.

Moonlight spills down.

Within the borders of Beimang, a prosperous, large city.

Even though night has fallen, it remains noisy and bustling with lanterns hung high; merchants and travelers come and go incessantly, among whom there is no lack of martial artists carrying sabers and swords.

An elderly man with white hair and a white beard, possessing an ethereal, immortal air, is telling fortunes for a wealthy man. It is nothing more than the usual talk of peace at home and living to a ripe old age. After a few sentences, he coaxes the wealthy man into being happy and beaming with smiles. The man takes out a small ingot of silver and hands it to the old man.

"Yuan Qingshan, you are swindling people again."

After the wealthy man leaves, a young child "walks" out from the fortune teller's body.

The child crosses his arms over his chest, his tone sounding old beyond his years. Looking closely, the child's features actually bear a slight resemblance to the fortune teller.

"Fortune telling is just about seeking peace of mind. I speak according to his wishes; he is happy to hear it, and I am happy to receive the money. This is a win-win deal."

The fortune teller says with a chuckle, buying four steamed buns in passing and handing one to the child: "If I had no money, I would go hungry. If I go hungry, you will go hungry too."

"Swindling is wrong." The child gnaws on the bun, saying indistinctly: "Besides, you are the Beimang Imperial Preceptor. If you just showed a little bit of it in front of the officials, wouldn't they be tripping over themselves to offer you fine wine and food?"

"Wrong, I am the Beimang Imperial Preceptor; he is just a fortune teller." Another figure "drifts" out from the fortune teller's body—an elderly Daoist with the bearing of an immortal.

The elderly Daoist wears a smile, holding a horsetail whisk, with a slight beard on his chin. He picks up another bun and stuffs it into his mouth.

"Correct, a fortune teller should just tell fortunes and make a living. If one were to randomly claim to be the Beimang Imperial Preceptor, one would be beaten by the authorities."

A fourth person walks out from the fortune teller's body and picks up the last bun.

The fourth person is a handsome young Daoist, about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, carrying a long sword on his back.

These scenes occurring one after another on the fortune teller's body are strange to the extreme, yet the crowds passing by on the street do not notice a single thing.

Otherwise, they would not only be astonished, but would also discover that these four fellows bear a faint resemblance to one another, as if they were four generations under one roof, or perhaps... the childhood, youth, middle age, and old age stages of a single person. Although their appearances seem vastly different, they are merely separated by ten or twenty years of time.

"The three of you are in cahoots, all bullying me." The child pouts in anger, glaring hatefully at the other three.

The three of them exchange a smile, and the fortune teller rubs his head, chuckling: "Who told you to be the youngest? If we don't bully you, who would we bully?"

"I'm done. Next time I don't want to be the child; I want to be the swordsman, the Imperial Preceptor," the child says with great dissatisfaction.

Roar!!

Just as the four are chatting and laughing, they suddenly hear a faint, sorrowful, and desperate dragon's roar, and cannot help but look toward the direction of Beiliang.

After a long silence, the fortune teller shakes his head and sighs: "The Beiliang True Dragon has fallen. It seems Tuoba Pusa's plan has failed..."

"Murong Tonghuang is indeed a thorny character. Among those who made a move this time were Tuoba Pusa, the Bronze Statue Patriarch, and Sword Qi Close..." the child counts on his fingers with a milky voice.

"Heh, Wang Laoguai has sat firmly as the World's Second for sixty years. Even such a supreme expert lost at the hands of Murong Tonghuang; for them to go and intercept him is simply throwing their lives away," the handsome, sword-carrying man sneers.

"Stealing a chicken only to lose the rice; the Female Emperor will likely be furious. But having provoked such a supreme martial artist, what can she do to him? As long as he doesn't court death by trapping himself in an army formation of thousands, he can come and go as he pleases throughout the world," the elderly Daoist strokes his beard and says.

The four discuss it for a while, then suddenly chuckle in unison. With eyes full of laughter, they look at each other and say in one voice: "However, what does this have to do with me?"

Thereupon, the child, the swordsman, and the Daoist simultaneously turn into a distorted ray of light, merging back into the fortune teller's body.

"Reading books to watch the deer chase, how much is gained in the books, how much is lost in the chase. Asking the Dao facing the green mountains, there is nothing outside the Dao, and there is one thing in the green mountains..."

Amidst the long chant, the old Daoist drifts away.

What a free and easy old Daoist.

The world today is an era of great contention, no less than the Spring and Autumn period, with talented people emerging in large numbers. The romantic figures of the two empires of Beimang and Liyang are too many to count on one's fingers and toes.

But when it comes to being romantic, free, and drifting through the mortal world, this four-fold Daoist Yuan Qingshan is truly one of a kind.

This person is gifted with extraordinary talent, having cultivated the supreme Daoist divine ability: One Qi Transforms into Three Purities.

One of the manifestations is the Qilin Immortal of the Moral Sect, and the other two clones also have their own destinations.

The original body, however, wanders the world, laughing at human affairs; ascending is but a single thought away.

The only attachment in the world is perhaps the disciple he took in Liyang years ago, who has the bearing of an emperor and might one day become the co-lord of the Central Plains.

All of this is done in passing; whether it succeeds or not depends on Heaven's will.

Speaking of which, that Huang Sanjia, who treats all living beings in the world as chess pieces, seems to value that kid somewhat; perhaps he will leave a few moves for him in the future.

Huang Sanjia is a bit annoyed.

Especially when he sees that fellow riding a mule and carrying a wooden sword.

Clearly looking like a complete wreck, yet he always maintains a triumphant air, thinking himself extraordinary.

Especially in front of beautiful women, he puffs out his chest to pretend to be a wealthy young master, and even uses him, Huang Sanjia, as a servant.

Huang Sanjia naturally does not indulge him, often kicking the brat on the backside.

The brat doesn't mind, patting his backside as he gets up, sighing and lamenting about how the servants at home are unruly and rude, asking people not to take offense—his thick-skinned nature is truly rare.

To be able to make Huang Longshi feel annoyed and helpless, this guy is truly one of a kind.

With the mule under his seat, the increasingly "with a wooden sword in hand, the world is mine" Wen Hua says with a cheeky grin: "Huang Laotou, when we reach the Capital, who should I challenge to a duel? Although this young master only has two swords, I still count as an expert. For my first challenge, I can't lose face; I must pick someone formidable."

"Fine, let's go with Murong Tonghuang. I reckon that with the feudatory kings entering the Capital as per custom, that fellow will join in the fun too," Huang Longshi says testily.

Wen Hua almost jumps off the mule, shouting: "Although I, Wen Hua, am a genius swordsman, who challenges the World's First the moment they enter the martial world? Huang Laotou, are you trying to get me killed?!"

Huang Laotou chuckles: "Just as you said, he is the World's First. Whether you win or lose, as long as you challenge him, even if you get beaten into a pig's head, you'll still be in the spotlight. Look at those who challenged Wang Laoguai back then—it was either Deng Taie or Jian Jiu Huang. Which one of them had a small reputation?"

"That makes sense. Huang Laotou, you really are a cunning old monster."

Wen Hua nods thoughtfully, but quickly shudders, shaking his head repeatedly: "No, no. Wang Laoguai doesn't kill people, but Murong Tonghuang kills people, and he kills very fiercely. He even dares to kill imperial princes and feudatory kings. If he's in a bad mood, I, Wen Hua, will die young."

"You only have this much courage." Huang Laotou sneers: "How about Bai Jiangshan of the Dongyue Sword Pool?"

Wen Hua shakes his head again: "Although I don't know who Bai Jiangshan is, I at least know of the Dongyue Sword Pool. Huang Laotou, change to another one—someone who has a certain reputation but whose martial arts aren't too high."

"You brat..."

Huang Laotou has the urge to kick Wen Hua's backside again.

Suddenly, he seems to hear a sorrowful dragon's roar and cannot help but turn his head to look toward the direction of Beimang, seemingly catching sight of the dissipating Luck.

He frowned, his fingers calculating, and he couldn't help but secretly think: "This dissipating Luck feels somewhat familiar; it seems to be that True Dragon raised by Beimang. But that True Dragon is entrenched in the Beimang royal court, surrounded by experts, and possesses the strength of the Entering God Realm itself. Who could slaughter it, to the point where it couldn't even flee..."

The figures of the world's top experts flashed rapidly through his mind: Wang Xianzhi, Deng Taie, Cao Zhangqing... Soon, it settled on a figure of peerless elegance.

"It can't be wrong, it's him."

"That guy entered Beimang, killed Tuoba Pusa's youngest son, and has been close with the Beiliang side, so Tuoba Pusa is determined to get rid of him no matter what. It's no surprise he set up a killing formation and even summoned the Beimang True Dragon. Now it seems the interception mostly failed, and even the True Dragon was slaughtered by someone."

In a flash of thought, Huang Sanjia guessed the general course of events, and at the same time, he felt even more wary of Murong Tonghuang.

This was only because he could also guess that in order to deal with the Murong pair, who were ranked first in the Martial Evaluation, Beimang must have gone all out, sending all their experts, yet they suffered a crushing defeat.

When Huang Longshi's gaze turned to Wen Hua, for some reason, he recalled Yu Liancheng's move with the tray in Xiangguo Lane, as well as what he had said to him.

"Leave a path for others, so you may meet again later."

"This world is the world of the people, not your Huang Sanjia's. As for where it should head, the people of the world should be the ones to decide."

But one of Huang Longshi's wicked hobbies was precisely using people as chess pieces.

And this time, one of his most important purposes for entering the Capital was to force this Wen Hua to make a cruel choice, to see if this kid was truly willing to give up the sword that promised him the achievement of a Land Immortal, to give up his beloved woman, in exchange for a brotherhood forged in just one short year.

"Heh, if I were to stop Setting Seeds just because someone threatened me, I would be looking down on myself, Huang Longshi, too much." Huang Sanjia's expression turned cold, his smile carrying an indescribable cruelty.

Wen Hua, who was just about to find Huang Sanjia to talk, saw this smile and couldn't help but shiver.

He rubbed his eyes, only to find that Huang Sanjia's smile had vanished, leaving only a slight frown on his brow, revealing a look of contemplation.

"Huang Laotou, what are you thinking about?" Wen Hua couldn't help but ask.

Huang Longshi seemed to be talking to himself: "Wang Xianzhi has gone into seclusion. Although he was defeated by Murong Tonghuang, he is by no means the type to admit defeat easily. Back then, he lost to Li Chungang six times in a row before winning on the seventh. This time, I fanned the flames and sent Wang Xianzhi a message. If he comes out of seclusion early and sees that message, he might just go to the Capital, and then things will get lively."

Wen Hua scratched his head, clearly not understanding much of what Huang Sanjia had said.

After Huang Sanjia came back to his senses, he turned his head to look at Wen Hua again and continued the previous topic: "You kid, you can't do this, you can't do that. Let me tell you about a slightly lesser expert—how about Cuihua, the maid of the contemporary Sword Crown Wu Liuding?"

Wen Hua pondered for a moment, feeling that a maid couldn't be that fierce, and patted his chest with great bravado: "Sure, why not? If you're a man, you can't say you can't."

Huang Laotou glanced at him sideways and sneered, full of contempt and disdain.

Wen Hua immediately understood the chill in that laugh, his anger flaring up, and he roared: "So I'm a virgin who hasn't tasted meat, so what!? Looking down on me? Don't you often brag in front of me about how powerful you are? If you have the ability, get me a girl with a slim waist, long legs, and big breasts."

Huang Laotou said calmly: "Fine, I'll find you one, just hope you don't regret it."

Wen Hua widened his eyes and probed: "You're not bluffing me? If this is just talk, be careful, I'll hold a grudge against you for the rest of my life and stick needles in your effigy every day."

Huang Laotou couldn't be bothered to pay attention to this guy who kept pushing his luck and continued to think about Wang Xianzhi's matter.

To deal with Murong Tonghuang, one still has to rely on Wang Xianzhi.

A martial artist against a martial artist.

It's just that I don't know if Wang Xianzhi has come out of seclusion yet?

"Hmm, I have come out of seclusion."

Wudi City, the top floor of the pavilion.

Wang Laoguai, in hemp clothes and hemp shoes, stood by the window, responding slightly to his only female disciple, Lin Ya, behind him. Then he turned his head and cast his gaze toward the vast East Sea.

Under the moonlight, the East Sea was sparkling, with misty vapors rising, adding a touch of ethereal immortal aura.

Wang Xianzhi couldn't help but recall his battle with Murong Tonghuang on the East Sea.

That was truly a terrifying person.

The strength of his cultivation was so formidable that it was nearly flawless.

After the battle on the East Sea, he had constantly reviewed that fight.

But no matter how he reviewed it, there was no possibility of a sure victory, and he even noticed more terrifying details.

—That guy was likely still holding back.

He, Wang Xianzhi, prided himself on not losing to Lv Zu in close-quarters combat back in the day. But that guy's strength was likely already above Lv Zu's. And he was merely a youth, his cultivation far from its peak.

Every time this thought arose, Wang Xianzhi felt a sense of powerlessness.

However, he had also benefited greatly from the East Sea battle, which was why he had remained in seclusion until today.

Now, Wang Xianzhi's strength had also taken a step further.

A powerful opponent could indeed promote the continuous progress of the Martial Dao.

But even so, he still had no certainty of being able to defeat Murong Tonghuang.

There was a slight unwillingness in his heart.

Although he called himself the World's Second, he was not necessarily content with only being the World's Second.

"By the way, Master, some time ago someone sent a letter. The person who delivered it was an ordinary person, but he said the person who told him to deliver it was named Huang Longshi." Lin Ya interrupted Wang Xianzhi's thoughts with a crisp voice.

"Huang Longshi?!" Wang Xianzhi frowned: "Huang Sanjia, Huang Longshi?"

"We questioned the messenger, and his appearance seemed to be Huang Longshi. Therefore, we kept the envelope for Master to handle," Lin Ya said.

"Bring the envelope over," Wang Xianzhi said.

"Yes."

Soon, a very ordinary envelope was delivered into Wang Xianzhi's hands.

Wang Xianzhi opened it casually; with his level of cultivation, there was no such thing as hidden weapons or poison in the world that could harm him.

There was only a sheet of rice paper in the letter, with only a dozen or so characters on it, but Wang Laoguai's expression turned solemn.

Lin Ya saw her master's expression and was secretly curious, but cowed by her master's majesty, she dared not peek.

"This was indeed written by Huang Longshi. I must leave Wudi City for a trip." Wang Xianzhi slowly put down the rice paper, and with a slight exertion of internal energy from his palm, it instantly turned into powder.

"If this trip can be fulfilled as I wish, I will challenge Murong Tonghuang."

Wang Xianzhi looked up at the sky covered in stars, with a bright moon hanging high: "I wonder what that guy is doing now, practicing?"

The moonlight also shone on Murong Tonghuang.

Murong Tonghuang is currently absorbing the Luck left behind by the True Dragon of Northern Mang.

That Heavenly Dragon contained immense Luck within its body; after being pummeled to death by Yu Liancheng, its entire Luck dissipated. Yu Liancheng captured the majority of it, though a small portion still leaked away.

After a long while, Yu Liancheng swallowed all the Luck. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Liuzhu Bodhisattva with a complex expression on her pretty face and asked, "By the way, when I pummeled that True Dragon of Northern Mang to death earlier, what was it you said?"

Liuzhu Bodhisattva kept a cold face and repeated, "Wait, it is already enough."

Yu Liancheng said, "Enough of what?"

"Of course, enough to completely subdue the True Dragon of Northern Mang." Liuzhu Bodhisattva's moth-like brows furrowed slightly, and she asked suspiciously, "Was it not to subdue it that you didn't kill it completely with a single punch?"

"Ah? No, it's not. It's not easy to find a punching bag, so I just wanted to hit it a few more times," Yu Liancheng said very sincerely.

Liuzhu Bodhisattva was speechless. After a long while, she slowly said, "That True Dragon voluntarily spat out its Dragon Pearl, already indicating its submission to you. You only need to engrave runes onto the Dragon Pearl to control its life and death and command it at will." Having said this, she gave a light sigh.

A True Dragon that had reached the peak of the Entering God Realm and was capable of contending with Heavenly Phenomenon experts was just pummeled to death like this; how could one not feel it was a pity?

"So that's how it is." Yu Liancheng was lost in thought: "It turns out I brushed past a 'one-dragon service'; it is indeed a bit of a pity."

Although he said this, there was not much sense of regret in his tone.

While chasing the Heavenly Dragon, Yu Liancheng had given it more than one chance, but unfortunately, the other party was stubborn and refused to listen.

Since that fellow was so intent on courting death, Yu Liancheng could only send it on its way.

What's more, even if a True Dragon's life and death were controlled by him, given its proud nature, it would likely not be so easy to make it submit.

Once a Heavenly Dragon comparable to the Heavenly Phenomenon Realm turned traitor, it might not necessarily cause any harm to him personally, but for the people around him, it would be a devastating blow.

"Fortunately, there is still one Dragon Pearl left; I might be able to raise one myself, who knows."

Yu Liancheng spread his palm; the Dragon Pearl in his hand grew increasingly dim following the death of the Northern Mang True Dragon.

However, when he infused Luck into it, the Dragon Pearl shone brilliantly once more, and the cracks within it gradually mended.

Playing with the Dragon Pearl, Yu Liancheng turned his gaze back to Liuzhu Bodhisattva and smiled, "You helped me this time, so you can make a request of me. As long as it isn't too excessive, I can agree to it."

Liuzhu Bodhisattva was silent for a moment, then suddenly raised her head, her pair of world-weary beautiful eyes blooming with brilliant radiance: "I want you to dual cultivate with me."

Yu Liancheng was startled and looked Liuzhu Bodhisattva up and down for a good while.

This female Dharma King of Lantuo Mountain looked as if she had descended from the nine heavens, unstained by a speck of dust. That beautiful face, bathed in moonlight, appeared even more holy and noble. Her jade feet touched the ground lightly; she wore no shoes or socks, yet they appeared crystal clear, as if carved from fine jade.

Thus, Yu Liancheng said without the slightest hesitation, "Alright, I agree. I am a person who most enjoys helping others, but..."

"But?" Liuzhu Bodhisattva's moth-like brows furrowed slightly.

Yu Liancheng stepped forward and reached out to take Liuzhu Bodhisattva's slender jade hand.

Liuzhu Bodhisattva's delicate body trembled. Although this female Bodhisattva spoke of dual cultivation left and right, in reality, she had lived for decades and had almost never even touched a man's hand.

However, once she thought that the person before her was the dual cultivation partner she had chosen, she took a few light breaths and quickly calmed down.

Then she felt a surge of immense vitality pour into her body, but it was very gentle and warm, making one feel extremely comfortable, just like the gentle caress of a lover's hand.

This surge of vitality quickly healed the minor injuries she had sustained and then surged up to her smooth head.

And so... a mass of hair like clouds grew rapidly, cascading down to her shoulders, black and mirror-like, until the long hair reached her waist, at which point that immense vitality finally dissipated.

"Do you not like my previous appearance?"

Liuzhu Bodhisattva gently stroked her hair with her plain hand, her gaze flickering slightly; her expression seemed no different from before, yet it felt as if it had grown a bit colder.

"No, I like it very much." Yu Liancheng reached out to stroke Liuzhu Bodhisattva's fair, smooth face, his voice also seeming to become gentle, soft as the cool breeze of a midsummer night: "That was beautiful, but too holy, making me afraid to draw near or profane it; how could I then dual cultivate with it?"

"You..." Liuzhu Bodhisattva's pretty face still had no change in expression, yet it was as if a spring breeze had brushed past, melting the frozen river.

Yu Liancheng's hand gently pressed against those soft, delicate lips, and he smiled slightly: "A matter like dual cultivation requires a foundation of affection. This is only our second time meeting; if we were to dual cultivate now, one careless slip could lead to a deviation in cultivation."

Liuzhu Bodhisattva's moth-like brows furrowed slightly; she pushed away Yu Liancheng's hand, her indifferent tone carrying a hint of grievance: "I didn't say we had to dual cultivate right now."

"Although we cannot dual cultivate now, we might as well cultivate a foundation of affection first..." Yu Liancheng smiled slightly and leaned down toward her cheek.

Although he had just experienced a bitter battle and was somewhat exhausted in both body and mind.

But as a valiant and diligent martial artist, he was ready to throw himself into the next battle at any time.

Just as this battle grew increasingly intense, Liuzhu Bodhisattva pushed Yu Liancheng away, a flush of red staining her face that had been as fair as jade.

"Someone is coming; they should be here for you. I will leave first." Having said this, her white-clad figure unfolded and drifted away, giving Yu Liancheng absolutely no chance to hold her back.

Boom—!!

The sound of hooves thundered like rolling thunder; under the illumination of the moonlight, iron cavalry came galloping from afar.

The riders on horseback were fully armed, their auras fierce, their killing intent held in check, their movements uniform; clearly, this was an extremely formidable cavalry, and the Beikui Army on the Guangling River was not even comparable.

And at the very front of the group of riders was none other than the Prince, Xu Fengnian.

Xu Fengnian saw Yu Liancheng from afar, and his eyes lit up. He spurred his horse into a wild gallop, broke away from the cavalry behind him, rushed to Yu Liancheng, and vaulted off his horse.

"Brother Murong, I heard there was movement at the border, and combined with the news the Fushu Chamber gathered today, I guessed it was people from Northern Mang trying to plot against you, so I immediately brought men to rush over. How about it, am I enough of a brother?!" Xu Fengnian patted his chest, his spirit soaring.

"Good, good brother! You are loyal!"

Yu Liancheng gave a thumbs up and patted Xu Fengnian on the shoulder twice.

However, it seemed he used a little too much strength; the first pat made Xu Fengnian hunch over, his bones creaking, and the second pat sent him straight onto his backside on the ground, his whole body feeling as if it were about to fall apart.

"Oops, sorry, sorry. I just finished fighting someone and couldn't quite control my strength." Yu Liancheng hurriedly helped Xu Fengnian up, though it seemed he used a bit too much strength while helping him...