Chapter 134: Bamboo Hat, Hemp Robe, War-Drum Hammer

Crack!

A thunderbolt split the night sky, and heavy rain came pouring down. The inner island of the Divine Weapon Valley was shrouded in mist, visibility extremely low.

"Before opening the meridians, one must break the body's limits three times. Each time the limit is broken, one's physical strength will surge.

"Nurture Strength, Internal Vigor, and Form Transformation."

The rain fell like a curtain. Li Li Yuanzhong wove through it, his heart calm.

This was the conclusion he reached after poring through the library and comparing notes with Ba Ba Wanli and Fang Fang Bao Luo.

Though he had been quite far from the battle by the Grand Canal, he had gained quite a lot from it.

"Among the three True Disciples, Senior Brother has extraordinary talent, a physique beyond human, and the greatest strength. Qiu Qiu Changying has the lightest body, and Senior Brother Fang has the most exquisite hammer techniques…"

Li Li Yuanzhong's thoughts raced.

Even if he now gathered eleven forms and achieved Internal Vigor, he still wouldn't dare claim certainty of defeating those three, even with the boost of the Soldier-Rearing Register.

But, with the Supreme Six Harmony Boots, he was confident he could advance or retreat as he pleased, unless Ding Zhi's lightness skill could surpass Qiu Qiu Changying's.

Crack!

In the heavy rain, Li Li Yuanzhong slipped out of the Hammer Hall, evading the night guards, and headed toward the mountain peak where Ding Zhi was.

In the Soldier-Rearing Register, four great hammers gleamed.

"Pure Steel Six-Edged Hammer, Master-Forged Hammer, Fine Steel Wind-Tiger Pestle, Hundred-Refined Wind-Breaking Hammer, and, the Supreme Six Harmony Boots!"

One forging hammer, three heavy weapons, one pair of boots—Li Li Yuanzhong quickly took stock.

Twenty Soldier-Control effects, most of them combat-related—this was the most complete Soldier-Control combination he had assembled so far.

The set prepared for his other identity was incomplete; it could handle a few inner disciples, but against a True Disciple, he naturally couldn't afford carelessness.

"Too bad the Soldier-Control conditions for the Mixed Gold Great Xiyi Hammer can't be met for now; otherwise, I could have a few more points of certainty."

Thanks to the permissions of a True Disciple, Li Li Yuanzhong was very familiar with most places on the inner island of the Divine Weapon Valley,

and he had pretty much figured out where the sentries were and where the patrols went.

Apart from the sect's main hall and those few forbidden grounds, there really wasn't much defense elsewhere.

More importantly, none of the sect's several Grand Elders were present.

"With my current physique and strength, if twenty Soldier-Control effects stack and erupt, how much of Senior Brother's hammer power do I have?"

Li Li Yuanzhong muttered to himself.

He even felt that at full burst, he might be able to kill Ding Zhi, the fourth True Disciple of this generation, in a straight fight.

However…

"To be safe, it's best to ambush!"

In the night rain, Li Li Yuanzhong had long lost the nervousness of his first time, and he gazed toward the small mountain where Ding Zhi was.

Whoosh!

The boost of the Supreme Six Harmony Boots was a bit weaker than the stacking of the previous five pairs of boots, but the boost was still tremendous.

With each rise and fall, Li Li Yuanzhong seemed to merge into the wind and rain, moving fast and leaving not the slightest sound.

Moving with the wind and rain, Li Li Yuanzhong faintly saw the swaying lamplight and human figures on the mountain.

Whooosh~

Mist steamed, wind howled, thunder exploded. Li Li Yuanzhong paused to observe, searching for the right angle and moment.

He couldn't be bothered to know why Ding Zhi was making trouble for him; he only knew that trouble wouldn't disappear if left unsolved,

and would only grow bigger.

……

Squeak squeak~

In the small courtyard, Ding Zhi stood with his hands behind his back. A pretty woman held an umbrella for him, her eyes full of curiosity as she looked at the large vat in the courtyard.

"This fish looks just like it's been cooked—it's quite scary."

The woman covered her mouth with one hand.

In the iron vat, a snake-like red fish thrashed violently, its tail slapping and producing loud *bang bang* sounds.

The water in the vat bubbled as if boiling, with gurgling bubbles rising.

"The Scarlet Dragon Fish lives at the bottom of cold pools, near fire veins. Its environmental demands are extremely high—it can only survive alternating extreme cold and extreme heat."

Ding Zhi, in a white robe unstained by any mud or water, looked at the big fish in the iron vat and frowned slightly:

"It's going to die."

."

Ding Zhi shook his head and flicked a few pills in. If the Scarlet Fire Spirit Fish couldn't be killed and cooked fresh, its flavor would be hard to preserve.

It might also affect its efficacy.

"Ah? In just a few days, it's going to die? The Young Valley Master hasn't returned yet!"

The woman felt a bit heartache: "Three hundred taels of gold notes."

"Keeping it alive for a few more days shouldn't be a problem."

Ding Zhi also felt a pang of heartache; this Scarlet Spirit Fish cost him one top-grade Replenishing Origin Pill every day.

"Replenishing Origin Pills cost quite a bit of silver too."

The woman was still heartache-stricken: "What happens if this fish dies?"

"It wouldn't be too bad, but it might no longer be able to alter the root bone."

Ding Zhi spoke as he tossed a few more pills into the vat. Seeing it calm down, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The reason the Scarlet Spirit Fish was more expensive than the Spirit-Preserving Lesser Return Pill wasn't just because it tasted good and could replenish blood and qi.

It was also because it seemed to contain the blood of a flood dragon, with a subtle effect of altering the root bone, and the altered root bone might take on the form of a flood dragon.

"Th-then be careful with it."

The woman startled. She knew perfectly well her husband had bought this fish to gift to the young valley master, Shi Hong.

Shi Hong was born with mediocre root-bones, and over all these years had remained obsessed with altering his root-bones…

"A Flood Dragon root-bone."

Ding Zhi murmured.

If it weren't for currying favor with Shi Hong, he'd have wanted to keep it for himself to eat.

Among all forms, the mortal form is the worst, the spirit-beast form slightly better, and the best is naturally the form of Heaven and Earth.

But the superiority of these three forms is not absolute either—the Flood Dragon form, whether mortal beast or spirit beast, is always a top-grade form.

The Flood Dragon is called the Lesser Dragon form—one such form is worth six.

Once the spirit fish had fully calmed, the two of them finally returned to the house.

The woman laid out a table of food and drink, poured him wine, massaged his shoulders, and said softly:

"I hear Elder Han of Hammer Bingtang has been paying high prices for spirit beasts of this kind for years?"

"Han Han Chuijun!"

Ding Zhi's face darkened.

The woman sensed something was off and quickly changed the subject: "Master, that boy really did accept our gold draft, hasn't come these past few days…"

"A country bumpkin who doesn't know the rules—naturally someone will teach him slowly in the future. A mere inner-disciple, what does that amount to?"

Ding Zhi lifted his wine cup, his eyes slightly cold:

"But that Li Yuan…"

That day, forced to wait several hours at Linjiang Tower, fury had already flared in his heart.

"That's a true disciple under Elder Han, and with a Dragon-form root-bone—y-you mustn't provoke him."

The woman was a little fearful.

"What do you know?"

Ding Zhi slammed his cup down heavily: "Han Han Chuijun has been pressing our families for sixty years and still hasn't been worn down—add another Li Yuan on top of that…"

Just thinking about it made his heart go cold.

He wasn't Shi Hong; he didn't possess that peerless comprehension, and his dread of a Dragon-form root-bone ran all the deeper.

"Master."

The woman's hands trembled a little—just from looking at Ding Zhi's expression, she knew he had already conceived killing intent.

Ding Zhi turned the wine cup in his hand, his eyes flickering: "We have to find a way to force him down the mountain…"

"Squeak squeak!"

At that moment, the Red Dragon Fish's cries came again from San Yuan Wai, very urgent.

"Even the Body-Supplementing Pill can't keep it alive?"

Ding Zhi frowned and glanced at the woman.

The woman hadn't finished her meal, but obediently rose, took a few pills, grabbed an umbrella, and went out the door.

Splash-Whoosh~

In the iron vat, the water churned loudly as the Red Dragon Fish thrashed about wildly.

The woman was somewhat afraid of this snake-like fish, so she tossed the pills in from a distance; only when she saw the fish stop struggling did she turn around.

But before she could get back to the house, there was another commotion behind her.

"Master? This fish isn't about to die, is it?"

"I'll go take a look!"

Ding Zhi set down his wine cup, took the umbrella, and walked toward the iron vat—only to find the cries

had vanished, and the Red Dragon Fish floated on the water's surface, motionless.

"Really dead?!"

Ding Zhi's heart clenched. He strode forward—and suddenly his body shuddered, feeling as though he had been pinned by countless blade edges.

"Not good!"

The instant Ding Zhi violently retreated, he heard an explosive boom—the great iron vat shattered with a crash.

A black shadow, arriving later but striking first, lunged at him with a horrifying speed. In the blink of an eye,

he felt a gale rushing at his face, and a great hammer, a full head bigger than his own, was already thrust before his eyes!

"So fast?!"

Ding Zhi's eyelids twitched wildly. This person's concealment methods weren't brilliant, but this speed was too fast—far too fast.

"Ah!"

With nowhere left to retreat, Ding Zhi let out a wild roar. His violent inner Qi blasted his sleeves and umbrella to shreds,

and his twin palms, one before the other, struck sideways at that great hammer.

At that moment, he didn't even have time to regret that his long sword was away from his body—summoning every ounce of strength, he tried to block this hammer-blow.

Boom!!

Inside the house, the woman heard the noise and, before she could turn around, felt her vision blur.

A human figure crashed through wind and rain, sent flying backward to smash through the half-closed room door, the wine table, the altar, the vase…

Even the wall!

And that person was…

"Master!"

The woman shrieked and instinctively fled backward.

"Sword!"

In the dust and mud, Ding Zhi coughed up a great mouthful of blood; from that collision, his chest cavity had nearly been smashed to pieces.

He paid the price of a broken arm to block that hammer blow, which rivaled the weight of eighty thousand li.

"Ah!"

The woman screamed and fled backward.

Ding Zhi spat blood and lunged for his sword. His movements were undeniably swift, but before he could rise, he heard a tiger's roar of a hammer-blow.

"A Body-Forging martial artist really can take a beating!"

Li Yuan strode in pursuit, his speed extreme.

He held back nothing at all; that surging hammer-blow had already mobilized every enhancement he had, and he reckoned that even a row of iron men could be smashed into iron pancakes.

Yet that Ding Zhi had only lost an arm?

"You!"

Ding Zhi dodged, his eyes full of shock and fury, and made out the face of his attacker.

It was a sallow, emaciated middle-aged man, unremarkable in appearance, and certainly no one he knew.

"Who are you?!"

The hammer-blow drowned out Ding Zhi's roar, which was in turn drowned out by the thunder in the night sky.

One hammer missed, so another hammer followed!

Striding forward and swinging the hammer, shattering houses, Li Yuan vented his force.

This was his first time wielding the Six Directions Boots in combat with another, and he was suddenly startled to realize that the extreme speed this pair of boots enhanced was no less an improvement to his strength than the Pure Steel Six-Ridged Hammer.

Speed, too, is violence!

"Who exactly are you?"

Ding Zhi's expression was wretched, his white robes stained black with filth and blood.

He dodged again and again, trying to retrieve his sword, but could not get anywhere near it.

That assassin's speed was too fast—more ferocious than Qiu Qiu Changying's.

"Ah!"

At last, another hammer-blow landed. Ding Zhi's chest cavity instantly caved in, and he vomited a great mouthful of backflowing blood. His eyes bulged wide, bloodshot, as if about to burst.

He finally stopped fleeing. Summoning his remaining strength, he swung his broken arm, and as his inner Qi surged forth, Li Yuan seemed to hear a crane's cry!

It was not just seeming.

Ding Zhi's long wail was like a crane's cry; his tendons, bones, and membranes all trembled violently, and especially his back bulged high,

as if a pair of fleshy wings were about to sprout.

"Body-Forging killing move!"

Li Yuan neither retreated nor dodged. He exhaled like thunder, summoned all his qi, blood, and inner force to the utmost, and activated the four great heavy weapons of the Palm-Arm Register,

the short, heavy hammer in his palm slamming down hard.

"You?!"

Ding Zhi's long wail cut off abruptly, his eyes filled with utter disbelief.

He had actually not sensed any inner Qi...

The one who had come to kill him

was actually an Internal-Forging martial artist?!

Boom!

Hammer fell, hammer rose; Li Yuan utterly ignored the searing pain coursing through his body and brought the hammer down once more.

Under this hammer-blow, Ding Zhi's protective inner force and inner armor shattered completely, his organs and flesh spreading across the ground along with them!

"Master!"

The shriek from inside the house was piercing.

Li Yuan turned his head abruptly, baring a savage grin. The woman let out an "Eek!" and her eyes rolled white; she fainted on the spot.

"Unless she's a fool, she'll never forget this face!"

Li Yuan spun around swiftly, ransacking everything inside the house—along with Ding Zhi and the woman—clean, then picked up the Red Dragon Fish.

He pressed down his bamboo hat and vanished into the curtain of rain.