Chapter 114: Library Tower

Is this old fellow so narcissistic?

After flipping through several pages, Li Yuan felt speechless, skipped all the illustrations entirely, and found the main text was only two pages long.

"The essence of worshipping the God lies in seeking the God!"

"Terrifying people, objects, and scenes in the world can all become Gods; worshipping and bowing to them can strengthen muscles and bones, prolong life, cultivate world-shocking power, and ultimately transform us into Gods!"

"Seek the God, See the God, Depict the God, Revere the God, Transform into the God!"

On those thin two pages, there were roughly several hundred small characters; Li Yuan flipped through them several times in not much time.

"Did this old fellow consider himself a God?"

Li Yuan's expression grew strange, and he felt the terror and strangeness of the Bai Shen Fa even more intensely.

The entire booklet, what he expounded, or rather, what he seduced, could be described in a single sentence.

Worship him as a God.

"The books Master Wang gave me before mentioned worshipping oneself as a God and seeking it within the body. But that was clearly metaphorical; this old fellow wants people to worship him."

Li Yuan flipped back, suppressed his discomfort, and examined the portraits closely; he discovered these portraits did not seem painted with ink, but rather looked like some kind of blood.

What surprised him was that after casually glancing a few times, he actually remembered this old fellow's facial features...

"Sit in meditation and visualize; depict his divine form in your mind; you must understand his life, comprehend his ambitions, and be intimately familiar with his spirit..."

At the end of the booklet was the 'Visualization Method', or rather, the method teaching people how to visualize him in their minds.

"What utter nonsense!"

Li Yuan frowned deeply as he read:

"Is this how one seduces the heart? Would anyone believe it?"

No!

Li Yuan had intended to toss the booklet aside, but suddenly realized something; this booklet was not left for him.

"Zhao Zhao Yunsheng!"

Li Yuan's gaze sharpened slightly.

This booklet was left by that old fellow for Zhao Zhao Yunsheng, the young master of the Zhao family who shared his name and feared him like a tiger.

The two shared the same bloodline and had a natural affinity; it was not just a matter of sharing the same name...

"What does this old fellow want to do? Hypnotize Zhao Zhao Yunsheng to make the latter treat himself as him?"

Li Yuan suddenly felt the booklet was somewhat hot to the touch; he didn't know if this thing could even be cultivated.

But those who practiced this Bai Shen Fa seemed to have none of them remained normal...

"Could he possibly think that if Zhao Zhao Yunsheng studies according to this, he can 'resurrect' himself through the latter?"

Having guessed the old fellow's thoughts, Li Yuan no longer felt it was strange; instead, he found it somewhat ridiculous.

How incredibly ignorant must one be?

Setting aside whether Zhao Zhao Yunsheng could even cultivate this evil thing, even if he did, it absolutely could not be some kind of resurrection.

"Let me look again..."

Li Yuan shook his head inwardly, yet flipped through the booklet from the beginning once more.

In the end, he still felt that the only truly useful things on this booklet were the 'Visualization Method' at the very end, and a few sentences within it.

Seek the God, See the God, Depict the God, Worship the God, Seek the God, Transform into the God...

"I really want to try it."

Li Yuan felt somewhat restless; he glanced at a small mouse in the corner, and the latter squeaked 'Zhi' and darted under the bed.

"..."

Li Yuan pondered for a long time but still did not try anything recklessly; he dared not tamper recklessly with things related to the spirit.

Don't end up cultivating Gu Gu Shentong only to cultivate madness instead.

But that old man in the black robe did break through to Tongmai by means of this method...

"Then what path does Master Wang follow?"

Having been in Fucheng for so many days, Li Yuan had collected quite a few books besides practicing Wu Gong, but up to now, he had not found a single word related to the Baishen Sect.

Even Sha Sha Pingying, who seemed to know the Bai Shen Fa, had never heard of any Baishen Sect doctrines...

"There surely isn't any in the Library Tower either, right?"

A great sect dominating a prefecture with a heritage of over a thousand years could not possibly not know the Bai Shen Fa; Li Yuan felt slightly reassured in his heart and put the item away.

Before understanding it, he would not touch this thing; in fact, he was even somewhat wary of controlling anything related to it.

"Huff!"

After pondering for a long time, Li Yuan lost his desire for sleep, went to the neighboring courtyard to find Liu Zheng, gave him the property deed, and asked him to accept it on his behalf.

Afterwards, taking the small mouse, he called for a carriage and returned to Divine Weapon Valley.

On the road, he heard discussions about the destruction of the Zhao family; some marveled, some were terrified, but the majority were gloating.

Li Yuan overheard a bit; it was mostly sighs and regrets about seeing them build high towers and then seeing the towers collapse.

"The might of Divine Weapon Valley, indeed."

Through the curtain, Li Yuan also saw many government office Runners patrolling the road, among whom were not lacking experts.

"Famous Weapon!"

Li Yuan spotted a middle-aged man dressed as a police captain, wearing a famous weapon long sword at his waist, striding with the wind.

"Ren Ren Jingfei, one of the six police captains of the prefectural government office, an expert in Shape Shifting... he should have shifted into the Tiger Form?"

Having practiced Wu Gong for a long time and learned many Wu Gong, Li Yuan's vision had improved considerably; he could discern things just from a person's walking, sitting, and lying down.

A person, unless deliberately hiding, once they undergo Shape Shifting, must possess relatively distinct characteristics.

"The prefectural government office's power is not small; six patrol captains are six Yi Bai Xing experts, and with the Zhen Wutang, they are far stronger than the six great families."

Li Yuan lowered the curtain, drew no attention, and rode swiftly with the carriage; before noon, he had taken a boat back to the island.

The Chui Bingtang was even colder than before; Li Yuan circled around and met not a single person, so he could only take the waist token left by Han Han Chuijun and head to the Library.

The Library stands between the Chui Bingtang and the Sect Main Hall, next to the Divine Weapon Pavilion, and is the most strictly guarded place on the Inner Island.

Along the mountain path, more than a dozen armored disciples patrolled; under the old tree before the gate, a pair of white-bearded elders played chess.

Li Yuan bowed slightly, did not disturb them, and walked straight in; inside, a fat old man dozed behind a desk; seeing someone arrive, he yawned and spoke indifferently:

"Which hall? Show me the token!"

"Chui Bingtang, Li Yuan."

Li Yuan handed over the token; the fat old man muttered once, then suddenly jolted awake:

"You are Li Yuan?"

The fat old man instantly sobered up, a smile instantly bloomed on his face; he took the token, glanced at it, and handed it back:

"Dragon-Form Root Bone; entering as a True Disciple. True Disciples may browse the Outer Hall at will; as for the Inner Hall, that comes after the True Disciple Ceremony."

"I'll just look around for now."

Li Yuan took back his token and walked into the Library's Outer Hall.

The Library is certainly not entered at will; Outer Sect disciples get only one chance a year; Inner Sect disciples fare slightly better; diligent ones who go out frequently can enter four or five times.

True Disciples, however, face no restrictions and may enter and exit the Outer Hall at will.

What is hard to enter is the Inner Hall; True Disciples get only three chances a year to select secret manuals, and they must be accompanied; they may not move or flip books at random.

"Blade Arts, Sword Arts, Spear Arts, Gun Fa... Footwork, Leaping and Soaring Arts..."

After the entrance lies a long corridor; on both sides stand twenty-odd rooms in symmetrical arrangement; before each room hangs a plaque, making everything clear at a glance.

Li Yuan casually pushed open one door; inside, bookshelves stood in rows, and quite a few disciples walked among them, flipping through books.

"No Fundamental Diagrams; it seems they are all in the Inner Hall."

Li Yuan strolled past room after room, sometimes pausing to step in and circle around, occasionally picking up a few books that interested him to read.

Since he intended to practice Yi Bai Xing, he naturally needed to browse extensively to choose Wu Gong better suited to himself; afterward, he would borrow the Fundamental Diagrams.

Having tasted the sweetness of altering his Root Bone, he naturally would not give up.

"Over a thousand years of heritage is truly immeasurable; Gao Liu County has only a handful of Wu Gong in total; here, even a single bookshelf holds more..."

Li Yuan was somewhat awestruck.

The Outer Hall mostly contains Lower-Grade Wu Gong; these bookshelves also hold similar miscellaneous books and notes, not all of which are Wu Gong secret manuals.

Yet even so, this quantity is enough to be startling.

"White Ape Hammer, Green Snake Spear, Swimming Fish Footwork... except for the Tiger Roar Blade, all Wu Gong of Gao Liu County are in the Outer Hall; the Tiger Roar Blade is probably in the Inner Hall?"

Li Yuan glanced through a few rooms like a horse passing flowers; dusk was nearly here; he came to his senses and quickly walked toward the 'Miscellaneous Books Room'.

"Bai Shen Fa..."

Li Yuan murmured to himself, passed shelf after shelf, and only then caught sight of a relevant ancient scroll in the 'Miscellaneous News Area'.

This ancient scroll was made from unknown beast hide; leaning slightly closer, one could still smell fragrance.

"The Xieshen Sect of the Evil Dao Sects."

The book was dusty; Li Yuan brushed it off, found a chair, sat down, and slowly turned the pages.

"The Xieshen Sect: when it first appeared is unknown; it flourished before the Great Yun established the nation, was supported by the Taizu, and also declined because of the Taizu..."

"Its sect's Xie Fa, 'Bai Shen Fa', has poisoned the world for over a thousand years; repeatedly banned yet never stopped; every few decades it rises again; those who secretly learn this method are often imperial court Wang Hou or Sect Elders..."

"... This method truly has the effect of extending life and longevity; only by practicing this method can one live past the three-hundred-year limit..."

This book was clearly quite old, yet the records concerning it were not many; as for doctrines and the like, not a single word was mentioned.

The one who wrote this book considered Bai Shen Fa to be Xie Fa; later annotators refuted him, claiming Bai Shen Fa is the supreme Zheng Fa, and practicing it can grant immortality.

"There are many annotators... hmm?"

When Li Yuan turned to one page, he froze; among the crowd of annotators, he saw a familiar name.

"What is Zheng and what is Xie? It is just a bunch of fools who cannot find the door; hmm, even Laozi has not entered,

—Han Han Chuijun, who has not yet found the Bai Shen Zheng Fa."

This was the final annotation, but judging by the handwriting, it was likely from several decades ago as well.

"Old Han also searched for Bai Shen Fa; I wonder if he found it later; probably not..."

Li Yuan pondered.

Given Old Han's character, if he had found it and mastered it, he would certainly have returned to annotate, refuting everyone before him.

He didn't, so he didn't find it.

"Hmm... Old Han probably knows quite a bit; when he returns, I can ask him."

Ren Ren Jingfei walked into the Zhao family mansion; the bloodstains on the ground had dried, yet a thick smell of blood still permeated the air.

"The Zhao family's fourth branch, one hundred and seventy-nine people; only a dozen or so are missing; the rest have all become minced meat; the one who struck must be Ba Ba Wanli..."

A government office Runner stepped forward to report, his face slightly pale, as if he too had suffered great fright.

"The Zhao family bullied merchants and monopolized markets for many years; they deserved this retribution."

Ren Ren Jingfei's face was cold, seemingly without much turmoil; he asked, "Where are the people from Zhen Wutang?"

"Hall Master Meng pursued and hunted Su Su Wanxiong and has not returned; Vice Hall Master Lin has taken people to the various places of the Divine Guard Army, but..."

That government office Runner shook his head.

"Clean up, record it in the ledger, and submit it to the Prefect later."

Ren Ren Jingfei glanced around, his eyelids twitching slightly; finally, he turned and left. Several groups of government office Runners, already unwilling to stay, departed in haste.

As night deepened, the Zhao family mansion stood empty and desolate, with no sound of human voices.

Only the cries of night owls and the rustling of grass and trees stirred by the gentle breeze could be heard, making a 'rustle-rustle' sound.

Hiss~

In the night wind, an old man in a gray robe arrived at the Zhao family mansion.

The old man was tall and slender, with a stern face, white eyebrows and hair, and reddish eyes; he scanned the Zhao family mansion, his cheek twitching slightly.

"What a man, Han Han Chuijun!"

Snorting coldly, Su Su Wanxiong turned around as figures swiftly emerged from the night wind.

"First struck by a hammer, then hit by an arrow; the Zhao surname is thoroughly dead."

A blade-wielding disciple bowed to report, his hoarse voice filled with shock and anger:

"Pilot, that, that Dead Man's Stele is gone..."

Su Su Wanxiong's expression was cold; he had already guessed, asking only in a cold voice:

"Who did it?"

"Ba Ba Wanli, Qiu Qiu Changying, and some inner disciples of the Hammer Bingtang; the old folks from the Divine Weapon Valley did not act."

"Useless!"

Su Su Wanxiong could not suppress the fire in his heart: "The Unblocking of Meridians was already complete, yet they were killed by two juniors..."

"Are there no survivors in the Zhao family?"

"Only, only two survived, and they were so terrified their courage was broken; they speak incoherently, without logic."

"Madness is fine; madness is perfect!"

Su Su Wanxiong suppressed the anger in his heart: "Jiang Mei, I entrust these two to you; you must, with the utmost speed, have them cultivate the Bai Shen Fa and summon that Zhao Zhao Yunsheng out..."

"Yes, Pilot."

A slightly charming voice came from the shadows, and then a seductive woman stepped out.

"Divine Weapon Valley!"

Su Su Wanxiong gazed toward the eastern part of the city, snorted coldly, and swept his sleeve before departing.

The annihilation of the Zhao family caused quite a stir in Fucheng, with various discussions and speculations continuing unabated.

But as the Zhao family's assets were divided up, it gradually subsided.

Li Yuan paid little attention; he was very busy.

Although Han Han Chuijun was not present, having connected with Ba Ba Wanli and sought his advice many times, Li Yuan's understanding of Root-Bone Modification deepened.

Changes to oneself from Root-Bone Modification, as obvious as Ba Ba Wanli's, are extremely rare; most people only undergo minor adjustments.

Li Yuan belongs to the majority.

His body shape changed only initially, with ape arms and a wasp waist; afterwards, the modifications were negligible, but his bones and sinews changed noticeably.

Knowing that Root-Bone Modification would not conflict, Li Yuan set his mind at ease and took control of one remaining 'Hei Hu Dao Fa' from the Fundamental Charts obtained in Gao Liu County.

Afterwards, he practiced Wu Gong during the day, attended banquets or modified his root-bone at night, and occasionally went to the Library Tower to borrow other Wu Gong, solidifying his martial arts foundation.

Of course, he occasionally went to the Outer Courtyard Wutang to attend lectures with Wang Wang Peiyao, Yue Yue Yunjin, and others.

With a thousand years of heritage, the Divine Weapon Valley's various martial arts systems are extremely rich, and Li Yuan immersed himself in them.

His understanding of Wu Gong advanced alongside Root-Bone Modification and the nurturing of strength to temper the body.

During this period, Li Yuan also attended many banquets.

He finally decided to cooperate with six small families, including the Zhou family, and the Weapon Forge reopened in Fucheng.

Liu Zheng and Wang Wang Peiyao's martial arts talent was average, but they were quite good at business; relying on Li Yuan's reputation as a direct disciple, they attracted a batch of skilled blacksmiths and stewards.

In less than half a month, it was already taking proper shape.

With the Weapon Forge on track, Li Yuan, who had been spending money until it hurt, finally breathed a sigh of relief; without income, even taking pills felt uneasy.

In the blink of an eye, a month had passed.