Chapter 126: Pleasing the Gods

Voom!

The giant hammer rose and fell, stirring up a gale that made his robes snap and flutter.

Inside the Sword-Casting Valley, Ba Ba Wanli stomped his feet and danced while wielding the hammer, the wild wind kicking up dust everywhere.

"Too fierce!"

Even though he was controlling five forging hammers, Li Yuan still couldn't help but feel his eyelid twitch.

How terrifying was the momentum of this three-meter-tall, broad-shouldered giant swinging the giant hammer so violently?

He even had the illusion of a high-speed train from his past life roaring past right before his eyes; this gale, this hammer sound...

A mere brush would kill you; a direct hit would turn you into minced meat instantly!

"The eldest senior brother has only transformed into Xiong Hu, yet the fusion of form and soul already surpasses ordinary humans; truly, the hammer strikes with the weight of a thousand jun!"

Listening to the whistling of the hammer strikes, Li Yuan's understanding of form transformation deepened.

It was a dual transformation of physique and internal Qi; his body was like a bear or tiger, his Qi like a bear or tiger, his momentum like a bear or tiger.

Added to that was his body-hardening Wu Gong and his innate divine strength.

Thus, every move and every gesture contained immense power that made martial artists of the same realm step back in awe.

"The third among the current true inheritors..."

Li Yuan recalled Qiu Qiu Changying and Shi Hong; even as strong as Ba Ba Wanli was, he was still overshadowed by the two younger individuals.

'Among the ten true inheritors of the Divine Sword Valley, I have the lowest realm...

"Good, good, good!"

Ba Ba Wanli exhaled like thunder, swinging the giant hammer, his face full of relief and joy.

Smack!

Ba Ba Wanli hit Li Yuan's shoulder; with that single pat, Li Yuan's feet instantly sank into the ground, and his shoulders and arms went numb.

"Junior brother, are you alright?"

Ba Ba Wanli patted him and only then realized what he had done; he was startled, but seeing Li Yuan pull his feet out as if nothing had happened, he couldn't help but be surprised:

"Body tempering at its peak, body-hardening at a minor success? Good lad, no wonder you have the Dragon Form bone structure; this rate of progress..."

"Eldest senior brother, you really shouldn't just slap people randomly; with your strength, you could accidentally kill someone with a single pat."

Li Yuan shook his shoulders and arms; even he found it hard to bear, and ordinary people under Ba Ba Wanli's hands would probably be no different from paper-mache.

'No wonder he's nearly sixty and still a bachelor...

"Hahaha, good hammer, good hammer!"

Ba Ba Wanli's surprise came quickly and left just as fast; he turned the Thunder-Drum Mixed-Gold Hammer over in his hands, a smile on his face:

"Junior brother, after you repaired it, this hammer is so smooth to use, it's like it's been replaced with a new one!"

I'd love to replace it with a new one...

Li Yuan complained inwardly; this Thunder-Drum Mixed-Gold Hammer was indeed excellent, and he liked it very much, but alas, it already had an owner.

"This hammer has suffered many collisions and had a few minor issues; during this repair, I casually made some adjustments."

Li Yuan replied.

After fusing hammer techniques with innate talents to enhance himself, his comprehension of hammer arts, hammer weapons, and forging advanced by more than one level.

Even though Ba Ba Wanli's hammer was already a high-grade famous artifact, he could still pick out a whole list of flaws.

This wasn't because the people of the Sword-Casting Valley were incapable; it was purely because the person using the hammer didn't know how to cherish it and hadn't maintained it at all.

"Good brother!"

Ba Ba Wanli, excited, slapped him again.

This time Li Yuan dodged; before, he had wanted to test Ba Ba Wanli's strength, but now he had no such thoughts.

Taking advantage of Ba Ba Wanli's good mood, Li Yuan asked about his recent outing.

"It's not that I can't talk about it."

Ba Ba Wanli looked around; several blacksmiths retreated in fear: "Let Old Fang prepare a table of wine and dishes; we'll talk while we eat."

"That works."

Li Yuan had no objection; the banquet hosted by Sun Zan had made him vaguely sense unease, and he planned to ask Fang Fang Bao Luo about it.

Compared to Ba Ba Wanli, that senior brother Fang was much more steady.

In the bamboo forest, Fang Fang Bao Luo had prepared a huge table of dishes; there were more than ten roasted chickens alone.

Wu Zhiren have huge appetites; after internal strengthening, it becomes especially obvious; one meal can consume the amount an ordinary family eats in three days.

Ba Ba Wanli's appetite is ten times larger than that of martial artists of the same realm; he is truly an elephant among men.

"Come on, junior brother, eat! Don't be polite with your senior brother!"

Ba Ba Wanli ate and drank in huge mouthfuls, urging them on.

Li Yuan held a chicken leg; even though it wasn't his first time seeing Ba Ba Wanli eat, he still couldn't help but whistle in amazement.

He could stuff an entire chicken into his mouth in two bites; he didn't even need to spit out the bones; with a grind of his teeth, he swallowed the skin and bones together.

An ordinary person's large bowl looked like a small, exquisite wine cup in his hands; a ten-jin large jar of wine could be drunk by one person in three or five jars.

"You..."

When Fang Fang Bao Luo arrived with the wine and dishes, he only saw the messy table and felt frustrated in his heart:

"You wretch born from a starving ghost, couldn't you wait for me to have a few bites first?"

"Senior brother Fang."

Li Yuan handed him a chicken leg; he had protected a little bit and hadn't just watched idly.

"If it weren't for the good treatment of true inheritors, you wretch would starve to death long ago."

Fang Fang Bao Luo took the chicken leg, still not appeased.

"Old Fang, you talk too much nonsense. What's wrong with me eating a few bites of your food? Did you forget I saved you twenty-three years ago?"

Ba Ba Wanli widened his eyes.

Fang Fang Bao Luo's calm temper was also provoked into anger: "Why don't you mention how many times I saved you later?"

"Without me saving you, you would have died long ago. How could you save me?"

Ba Ba Wanli wiped his hands and grinned.

"..."

Fang Fang Bao Luo sat down gloomily, shared a few cups of wine with Li Yuan, and only then did his complexion improve:

"I will be angry to death by you sooner or later!"

Seeing he was somewhat angered, Ba Ba Wanli finally shut his mouth, chuckling.

Li Yuan was used to it; after the True Transmission Grand Ceremony, he occasionally gathered with the two, and their relationship had become much closer.

"The Xieshen Sect demons in Yunjing Commandery have been acting repeatedly; this disturbance is huge. It is said that over a thousand pregnant women were blood-sacrificed!"

Hearing Fang Fang Bao Luo's words, Li Yuan's face changed abruptly: "Over a thousand pregnant women were blood-sacrificed?!"

In his past life, relying on his skill in assisting childbirth and inducing labor, he had quite a reputation among the villages and towns.

But the total number of pregnant women and infants he delivered was far less than one-third of this figure.

"Indeed! Those inhuman beasts!"

Fang Fang Bao Luo's face grew grim, and Ba Ba Wanli's breathing became even more rapid: "This time I go, I will smash every single one of them into meat paste!"

Li Yuan was shocked for a long time; he had been somewhat immersed in the comfort of this period. This news woke him up, yet left him puzzled and confused:

"Xieshen Sect, why use humans for blood sacrifice?"

Fang Fang Bao Luo put down his wine cup and sneered coldly: "Naturally, to please those so-called 'gods'."

Li Yuan keenly noticed that Fang Fang Bao Luo said 'gods' rather than 'Xieshen'.

"What gods? They are nothing but evil spirits!"

Ba Ba Wanli slapped the table, nearly shattering the stone table: "I really should smash all the temples!"

"Shut up!"

Fang Fang Bao Luo scolded coldly, then looked at Li Yuan:

"Whether gods exist or not, we do not know, but when those Xieshen Sect disciples perform sacrifices, truly some incredible things happen..."

"Oh?"

Li Yuan's spirit perked up.

His interest in the Baishen Sect was great, not only because the Bai Shen Fa was suspected to grant immortality, but also because of himself.

He had experienced the incredible events of crossing into another world, awakening ancestral wisdom, and receiving the celestial mandate through Ji Ji Tian; if gods truly existed, he would not be surprised.

"There are no gods!"

Ba Ba Wanli slammed the table with a dull thud, his eyes red.

Li Yuan glanced at him.

When Ba Ba Wanli was young, his whole family devoutly believed in the 'Feathered God', but when his family was destroyed, they received not a shred of protection.

Later, when he had mastered Wu Gong, he truly smashed the temples in Fucheng; had it not been for Han Han Chuijun's protection, he would have been arrested by the Zhenwu Hall and thrown into prison.

"The only divine miracles recorded in history are the 'Heavenly Fire like a waterfall descending, annihilating ten thousand armies' recorded by the Great Ancestor, but it is estimated to be later generations' flattery."

Fang Fang Bao Luo did not believe it either, but still emphasized that blood sacrifice was effective:

"Seven hundred years ago, an unparalleled demonic fiend emerged in Yunshan Dao. It is said he pleased the gods by some unknown method..."

"Seven hundred years ago, a peerlessly vicious fiend appeared on Yun Mountain Dao, and it is said he pleased the divine spirits through some unknowable method…"

Li Yuan raised an eyebrow.

Besides practicing Wu Gong, he also liked reading unofficial histories to relax and pass the time, among which were the deeds of 'Fang Fang Xianke'.

It is said that person possessed supreme talent, began practicing Wu Gong only in his twilight years, became famous throughout the world in just twenty years, and even rejuvenated due to the Bai Shen Fa, causing shockwaves in the imperial court and the martial world, before finally being strangled to death.

It is said that evil spirits still haunt the mountain where he died.

"Hmm, Fang Fang Xianke was indeed a real person. Seven hundred years ago, he came to the Divine Weapon Valley to request weapons..."

Fang Fang Bao Luo paused slightly.

"Is there something you cannot say?"

Ba Ba Wanli could not stand his hesitant posture: "That old demon failed to get weapons, was greatly disappointed, and said we insulted our ancestors and were unworthy of the plaque before the mountain gate..."

Wan Li could not stand his coy pretense the most: "That old fiend failed to obtain troops, was greatly disappointed, and said we had humiliated our forebears and wronged the plaque before the mountain gate…"

Fang Bao Luo shook his head: "That's getting too far off. Anyway, for so many years, whoever dares to perform blood sacrifice will be killed by all under heaven!"

"They have lost all conscience; they deserve death."

Li Yuan was in a very bad mood; he was someone who had personally delivered infants and could not tolerate such behavior.

"The blood sacrifice performed by that group of demons should be the 'Thousand Infant Banquet'; the one they pleased should be the Thousand-Eyed Bodhisattva."

"The blood sacrifice that group of demonic cultivators held should have been the 'Thousand Infant Banquet,' and the one they were trying to please should be the Thousand-Eyed Bodhisattva."

Li Yuan frowned, recalling the constant miscarriages of pregnant women in Gao Liu County that day, and his heart grew cold.

His sister-in-law had almost fallen victim to it...

"Is the Thousand-Eyed Bodhisattva not a righteous god officially conferred by the imperial court?"

"The Thousand-Eyed Bodhisattva—isn't that a proper deity canonized by the imperial court?"

Fang Fang Bao Luo did not know how to explain.

"Are gods neither good nor evil?"

"Do gods possess no good or evil?"

Li Yuan roughly knew what he wanted to say.

Great Yun's various Daozhou are dotted with temples; if it were truly an evil god, even if the imperial court permitted it, the martial world would not.

Although he did not know how the imperial court utilized the incense and divine statues, he was very clear that there must be immense benefits behind this.

If the benefits outweigh the drawbacks, it can exist; conversely, the same applies.

"I've digressed."

Ba Ba Wanli fell silent, and Fang Fang Bao Luo was unwilling to speak further, instead saying:

"On our journey, we will each lead a hundred-man Divine Guard squad; we will also take that squad of yours with us. Additionally, many brothers and sisters from the Bingtang will go as well..."

Ba Ba Wanli spoke up at this moment:

"Your shape-shifting is not yet complete; subduing that hundred-man squad will not be easy. On the road, I will help you suppress them!"

"Thank you, eldest senior brother!"

Li Yuan had no objection.

The reason he did not take over that hundred-man squad was also related to this; the skilled hands in the Divine Guard Army were not comparable to the inner sect disciples outside the main hall that day.

The more important reason was that he was very, very busy.

"Master is away for long periods; our Bingtang is also dealing with those few families. Leaving you alone on the mountain, the two of us truly cannot rest easy."

Taking the wine cup Li Yuan handed him, Fang Fang Bao Luo said in a low voice:

"After this, do not stay on the mountain either. Go down the mountain and walk around more; if someone truly with no eyes dares to harbor thoughts about you..."

Ba Ba Wanli raised his head, smiling ferociously:

"If there are any, kill them all clean!"