Chapter 160: Unrivaled Speed in Divine Weapon Valley

Mmm~

Li Yuan sank his waist and settled his hips, sitting as if sitting yet not quite, his two hands loosely resting to the side, as though a large armchair lay beneath him.

There was no wind in the room, yet his clothes billowed, as if a swarm of tiny mice were constantly running, pushing the fabric high up.

"Hoo!"

"Haa!"

Li Yuan adjusted his breathing, feeling as though he had become a sieve; every pore on his body expanded, all breathing in and out.

With the Inner Strength fully formed, force wove into a net between skin, membranes, and organs, moving with the breath and issuing with the mind.

"Hoo!"

"Haa!"

Li Yuan constantly adjusted his breathing, shifting from the White Ape Six Breathing Method to the Green Snake Breathing Method, then to the Battle-Killing Nine Forms Breathing Method, flowing and changing without cease.

And as the breathing methods changed, the internal force surging through his body responded with corresponding shifts.

White Ape Force, Green Snake Force, Tiger Roar Force...

Fierce, agile, yin-soft, overwhelming, poisonous, domineering... finally, with the Battle-Killing Nine Forms Breathing Method, all gathered into one.

Only when the Inner Strength is fully formed can all these forces achieve their maximum utility; in the words of the Jianghu,

this is called 'Wu Gong has taken hold of the body,' where force never leaves the person whether walking, standing, sitting, or lying down.

Hoo!

? ttkдn? c〇

Li Yuan reached out and grabbed the iron ingot beside him; with a 'puchi' sound, his five fingers sank deep into it, and he expelled his force.

With a 'bang,' the wrought iron ingot exploded instantly, shattering into four pieces and five fragments!

"With the Inner Strength fully formed, the internal force I have cultivated is finally complete! Crushing an iron ingot with bare hands—in my past life, wouldn't that count as a god?"

Li Yuan shook his hand, lit an oil lamp, gathered the shattered iron ingot fragments together, and examined them carefully.

It could be seen that different iron pieces bore different marks.

Some were smooth as if cut by a blade, some pitted and uneven, some torn harshly... these were precisely the explosive effects of different internal forces.

"A casual grab unleashes multiple internal forces at once. Compared to a single internal force, it is indeed far stronger!"

Li Yuan flexed and extended his five fingers, feeling quite satisfied in his heart.

In just over two years, he had completed the path that ordinary martial artists take ten or twenty years to walk, and he had walked it very steadily.

So many pills were not consumed in vain.

"The benefits of multiple internal forces go beyond this..."

Li Yuan closed his eyes and sensed inwardly.

The heightened perception allowed him to vaguely feel the internal force wandering and covering his body—not as separate threads, but intertwined like screw threads.

Multiple internal forces intertwined are far thicker than a single internal force, and their total quantity is also far greater.

This means his skin, membranes, and organs have greater endurance; once the internal force erupts, it will be more violent and more enduring!

The nourishment provided to his physique will also be stronger.

"No wonder the brothers and sisters of the Hammer Bingtang, even those with not-so-good aptitude, are often willing to cultivate multiple different Wu Gong; even if they cannot reach Great Perfection to alter their bone structure, cultivating multiple internal forces is well worth it!"

Li Yuan had experienced the benefits.

The Divine Weapon Valley does not lack Fundamental Diagrams; if one does not pursue Great Perfection for bone structure alteration, pairing Great Completion with a Fundamental Diagram can cultivate other internal forces, which is not difficult for a martial artist with prior experience in cultivating force.

Of course, the best outcome is naturally to achieve both!

"Hoo!"

After sensing for a short while, Li Yuan blew out the candle flame, his eyes shining:

"Hmm, time to collect the debt!"

Loosening his tendons and bones, Li Yuan quickly took out the hemp robe, cloth shoes, and human-skin mask; after a moment's thought, he also took out the Ghost Face Mask.

Facing the mirror, he put them on one by one, while simultaneously sensing the four people—Yu, Jin, Siren, and the others—in the two adjacent rooms.

The enhancement from the Five-Step Snake Skin Belt allowed him to even sense their breathing sounds and their positions...

"Hmm, good."

Li Yuan sized up his reflection in the bronze mirror.

A hemp robe, a Ghost Face Mask on his face, and beneath the mask, a human-skin mask; with this attire, even he himself would not recognize him.

"Hmm... revealing my face unintentionally would be even safer, but then again, it doesn't matter."

Li Yuan grinned; a small mouse under the bed squeaked 'zhi'.

He glanced through the door crack; the night was dark, the wind high, and there was no moon; the only drawback was that it was not raining.

"Let's probe the depths first."

Sun Zan's Wu Gong might not surpass Ding Zhi's, but his identity was sensitive; although his sister had long died of illness and the Valley Master had no heirs, he was still a relative by name.

"My defensive mindset might be too heavy; hmm... being in a foreign land, having some caution is quite normal..."

Thinking this, Li Yuan quickly switched his Zhang Yu.

Three fourth-tier heavy hammers: the Mixed Gold Great Xi Yi Hammer, the Strange Weapon Forging Hammer, and the Thousand-Catties Heavy Hammer forged by himself.

Additionally, there were two pairs of third-tier boots.

"Nineteen Zhang Yu effects!"

Li Yuan sensed the Zhang Bing Lu slightly; this current combination was not extreme; if he replaced both pairs of boots with heavy hammers, his explosive power would increase further.

But even so, it was far more than enough.

Two named-tier hammer weapons both possess the 'Heavy as a Thousand Catties' enhancement!

"One hammer, a hundred thousand catties?"

Li Yuan felt that his physique might not be able to withstand such explosive force.

But, the enemy was equally unable to!

Whoo~

Pushing the door gently, Li Yuan's footsteps were silent, moving with the wind; with just a light tap of his foot, he had already darted out of the courtyard.

Another tap, and he had already passed through the bamboo grove.

The stacking of two pairs of third-grade boots had caused his speed and agility to skyrocket by who knows how much.

The four veteran Divine Guard soldiers in disguise, separated by just one house, did not notice a thing!

"The Divine Weapon Valley isn't skilled in lightfoot techniques."

One rise and fall, landing without a sound, not even leaving a footprint on the un-melted accumulated snow; listening to the whistling wind, feeling the scenery on both sides retreating at extreme speed, Li Yuan felt quite exhilarated.

The boost of two pairs of third-grade boots let him cover over a hundred meters in a single step, and that wasn't even his full explosive speed.

Whoo whoo~

In the night, Li Yuan moved through the shadows, avoiding hidden sentries and visible posts one after another, and patrols of Divine Guards squad after squad,

slowly groping his way toward the Divine Weapon Pavilion.

According to the intelligence on the Star-Plucking Tower stone stele, Sun Zan was addicted to pleasures, his Wu Gong was inferior to Ding Zhi's, but getting close to him was very difficult.

The reason was simple: the Divine Weapon Pavilion was a forbidden ground within the valley, the most heavily guarded place.

It wasn't that he hadn't thought of going outside the valley, but Sun Zan was very wary—he always traveled with sect experts when out, and never spent the night anywhere else.

"There must be a Pulse-Opening veteran in the Divine Weapon Pavilion; if I miss in one strike, I must leave quickly, or I might suffer a loss."

Li Yuan had already replayed it in his mind many times.

He reckoned that even a martial artist at Great Completion of Pulse Opening, if not skilled in lightfoot techniques, couldn't catch up to him; but even if people couldn't catch up, arrows could.

Caution never goes wrong.

Thinking it over in his heart, Li Yuan then, when dark clouds drifted past, moved along with the shadows, and groped his way to the back of the small courtyard where Sun Zan was.

Separated by the back courtyard, Li Yuan could see the gleam of weapons; using this, he quickly locked onto Sun Zan's location.

In the shadows, Li Yuan silently drew out his heavy hammer, wiped it lightly with two fingers, and very patiently groped his way forward.

……

Inside the small courtyard, the lamps were brightly lit; a beautiful, alluring woman had set out a table of wine and dishes.

"Damned bastard!"

Sun Zan flung down his cup; from dusk he had waited until deep into the night, his face turning green, no longer able to suppress the fury in his heart:

"Old thief Duanmu, to actually show this old man no face at all!"

Sun Zan's fury blazed fiercely in his heart.

A few days ago in the great hall, he had been the first to step out and support Duanmu Sheng, but now, he had clearly been pushed aside by that old thief.

Sun Zan, feeling he had been used, was greatly enraged; the beautiful, alluring woman beside him was so frightened she didn't even dare to breathe heavily.

"So what if it's a superior-grade famous weapon? Back then, that Jing Jing Shuhu was also hailed as a weapons-crafting prodigy—didn't he still lose to my brother-in-law?!"

Sun Zan slammed the table heavily, his expression gloomy; after a good while he finally calmed down, drinking wine, the table full of delicacies all tasting like chewing wax.

"If he's not coming, then he's not coming; why get so angry? Anger harms the body."

Only then did the beautiful, alluring woman step forward, pour wine for him, knead his shoulders, and comfort him in soft, gentle words.

"What do you know?"

Sun Zan's brows were tightly knit, his heart vexed: "That old thief Duanmu kept saying personnel could only be dispatched by him, then turned around and let that Li Yuan freely command the menial disciples…"

"Just a few menial disciples; he is a True Transmission after all."

"You understand jack shit!"

Sun Zan's gaze was gloomy: "That old thief Duanmu doesn't give face to just any True Transmission—this means he's going to abandon the Young Valley Master!"

Just one superior-grade famous weapon had caused quite a few people to change their attitude; thinking about it now, Sun Zan even found it hard to bear.

If one can craft superior grade, does that necessarily mean one can become a Divine Craftsman?

"Could that Li Yuan actually snatch away Shi Hong's position as Young Valley Master?"

The beautiful, alluring woman was somewhat puzzled—Shi Hong had been groomed as Young Valley Master a full ten years earlier.

"It's not impossible."

Sun Zan felt somewhat stifled; even he felt that Li Yuan might snatch away Shi Hong's position as Young Valley Master, let alone the others.

"A Divine Craftsman, ah…"

Sun Zan sighed.

The beautiful, alluring woman felt a chill of dread: "Then you were plotting against him before—what if he really does become Valley Master…"

"How would I know this kid also had the talent to become a Divine Craftsman?"

Mentioning this, Sun Zan felt even more aggrieved; last year he had even sounded out his own brother-in-law's opinion, certain that Shi Hong would become Valley Master.

If not for that, he absolutely could not have pledged himself to Shi Hong, running errands for him.

Who could have expected this kid to rise suddenly out of nowhere—good talent, good natural endowments would have been enough, but he actually also had the talent to become a Divine Craftsman.

The weight of a Divine Craftsman is Fen Liang Tai Zhong; even if it's only a possibility, it's enough to make a bunch of Guardian Elders change their stance.

Many years ago, when his brother-in-law had a huge advantage in talent, comprehension, natural endowments, and connections, he had still nearly lost to Jing Jing Shuhu—that alone says everything.

What does that Shi Hong have?

"Th-then, what should we…"

The beautiful, alluring woman was somewhat flustered: "Th-then what if we hold a banquet and invite him over, and apologize to him?"

"Apologize?"

Sun Zan took a swig of wine: "You think that kid is short of a cup of wine?"

"We haven't offended him to death, have we? Can't this be salvaged?"

The beautiful woman did not understand.

"It's too late!"

Sun Zan set down his wine cup, already calmed:

"Even if we haven't offended him, I've bet most of my fortune on Shi Hong. If he loses..."

Just thinking of it made his heart feel as if pierced by a knife; that was the family fortune he had spent decades ruthlessly scraping and hoarding.

"Then, then..."

The beautiful woman no longer knew what to say.

"What are you panicking for?!"

Seeing her like this, Sun Zan immediately felt a bit of disgust: "He is merely of the talent of a Divine Artisan, not yet a Divine Artisan himself. Whether he can become the Young Valley Master is still unknown!"

Hiss~

He rose and closed the door. When he turned back, his face had grown somewhat gloomy and cold:

"The people of the Three Yuan Wud, I suppose, would not wish for another Divine Artisan to emerge within the Valley..."

"You?!"

The beautiful woman's face turned deathly pale: "Conspiring with a hostile sect to harm one's own True Disciple is a capital crime!"

"Nonsense!"

Sun Zan slapped her across the face, producing a crisp sound: "This old man merely leaked his information; where is the conspiracy with the Three Yuan Wud..."

"Good!"

Suddenly, a hoarse voice of approval rang out.

"Who?!"

Sun Zan's face changed drastically. The great door exploded with a 'Bang!', and amidst flying wood shavings, wind and snow immediately rushed in.

Boom!

A tiger's roar exploded, and a wild gale surged up!

Sun Zan had no time to react before he felt a powerful wind howling toward him, and the sky seemed to darken instantly.

A heavy hammer, wrapped in a wild gale, came charging, the sound of an exceptionally strong Qi force bursting like thunder.

A hammer the size of a human head actually produced a sound of breaking the air?!

"Ah!"

Sun Zan let out a strange cry and, without a second thought, retreated violently, reaching for the long blade hanging in the corner.

Whoosh!

Wild winds rolled, the heavy hammer like thunder.

Li Yuan flipped down from the roof, lightning surging beneath his feet. With a single leap, the mighty, irresistible force, combined with the enhancement of the Three heavy mouths, had already climbed to its peak.

One hammer strike, as if a thunderbolt fell from the sky; the wind force it raised alone blew the tables, utensils, wine, and dishes, and even that beautiful woman, scattering them in all directions.

Was it merely fierce?

It was absolutely ferocious!

With one hammer thrown, Li Yuan felt his entire body's bones and tendons crackle and pop, his muscles writhing like pythons.

They could barely withstand this inhuman hammer force.

If he felt this way, Sun Zan, who was the first to bear the brunt, felt as if the sky had collapsed. The long blade was clearly right by his hand, yet seemed as far as the ends of the earth.

The air around him instantly turned solid; his movements became completely distorted and slowed.

Thud!

Sun Zan's eyes bulged with rage, Qi surging around his body to produce a sound like a tiger's roar, exploding violently as he tried to block this hammer strike.

Boom!

Damn it?!

The instant the heavy hammer fell, Sun Zan felt a deafening roar in his mind; his eyes turned blood-red and bulged, as if about to jump out of their sockets.

He had once seen Ba Wan Li strike with a hammer; an inhuman physique plus that heavy hammer were not as fierce as this one strike.

Crack!

Sun Zan screamed in agony; his tensed legs first sank down, then snapped!

This hammer strike was enough to turn him into a meat patty, from top to bottom.

"Ah!"

Sun Zan's eyes seemed ready to split; paying the price of his legs and arms snapping, he barely managed to avoid his chest and abdomen.

But then, the sound of the hammer exploded again.

Exploding together were all the bones, tendons, skin, and flesh of his body, even his internal organs.

"You..."

Shock, rage, and unwillingness turned into a single syllable. Sun Zan hadn't even clearly seen who the attacker was before, under the bombardment of the heavy hammer, he collapsed entirely onto the ground.

Whoosh!

Only at this moment did the raging air wave finally spread out; with a 'Boom', the house collapsed, sending up dust and accumulated snow.

"Who?!"

Separated by one courtyard, a voice of angry rebuke came from within the Divine Weapon Pavilion; immediately, a figure holding a blade rushed out.

There, beneath the collapsed house, a person wearing a ghost-face mask and holding a heavy hammer was frantically searching.

"Ghost Face, Han..."

The veteran soldier who had lunged out instinctively stopped his steps, but then remembered that Han Han Chuijun was still thousands of li away.

"You villain, how dare you!"

After a start of shock, seeing that the thief actually dared to search the corpse in broad daylight, the old soldier instantly flew into a rage.

His speed was extreme; in a single dash he covered over a dozen zhang, his blade-light like a bolt of silk, cleaving straight down.

"Whoosh!"

Li Yuan suddenly raised his head and grinned.

Then, with a heavy stamp of his foot, he burst forth at full speed, leaving the blade-light, the furious roar, and the old soldier far behind.