Chapter 173

Crack!

Amid the rain curtain, thunder rumbled and lightning flashed.

Inside the city tower, Shi Hong wiped his long blade; perhaps his movements were too forceful, causing several wounds on his body to split open and bleed.

Qi Ying's Wu Gong was no less than his own; in that battle he suffered heavy injuries, and after arriving in Yunjing County, he fought several more bloody skirmishes, worsening his wounds.

"Bai Shen Zheng Fa."

Shi Hong sheathed his blade, gazed far into the rain curtain, then withdrew his gaze and looked at the blood seeping from his chest, his eyes gradually turning cold and deadly:

"Master, my blood cannot have been spilled in vain, can it?!"

……

Yunjing County covers a vast area, situated beside a canal, with rolling Dashan Mountains on one side; it was originally a military garrison pass.

In the rainy night, armored soldiers patrolled all four city walls, and countless bed-novas were primed and ready.

On the eastern city wall, inside the tower, a small banquet had been set up.

Long Sheng, clad in armor, sat across from a stern old man, aged and with half-grayed hair, yet his gaze was piercingly cold.

He was none other than Long Yin, Grand Commander of the Jia Company of the Divine Guard Army, fourth among the true disciples of the same generation as Han Han Chuijun, and held immense prestige within the Divine Guard Army.

Listening to the rain, Long Sheng poured wine for his uncle, sighing inwardly: "Shi Senior Brother… ah…"

When his uncle began the banquet, he personally went to invite Shi Hong—but alas…

"Shi Hong has talent, and in decisiveness he surpasses Ba Ba Wanli and Qiu Qiu Changying; he is more than sufficient as a young master—but his temper is too narrow."

Long Yin spoke with a metallic ring:

"You've served him loyally for years, yet he still hasn't shown you a single good face—you've yet to switch allegiance, truly lacking in breadth of spirit, unfit for great responsibility."

"Senior Brother Shi has shed blood for the sect; his resentment is understandable."

Long Sheng somewhat understood.

Shi Hong had served as young master for ten years, always bold in battle, always putting the sect's interests first; this time he destroyed the Qianjun Cave and slew two true disciples.

Returning to Zhe Long Mansion, he captured and killed Qi Ying of Sanyuan Weng—his merits were so great, none among the current true disciples could match him.

Yet because the sect produced a divine craftsman, his position was shaken—how could he not be bitter?

"Who hasn't shed blood for the sect?"

Long Yin sneered: "In sixty years, I've fought countless battles, shed ten or twenty times more blood than he—what then?"

Long Sheng smiled bitterly, knowing that Shi Hong's refusal to attend the banquet was the true sign of his uncle's wrath.

Not long ago, he hadn't been this way.

"As young master, one must possess tolerance. Even if Li Yuan hasn't yet challenged him for the position, what if he did? Divine Weapon Valley isn't the private domain of one family!"

Long Yin's gaze swept toward the rain curtain:

"Jing Senior Brother, do you find my words pleasing?"

Swish!

Amid the rain curtain, lightning flashed as Jing Jing Shuhu stepped in slowly, not a single drop of rain on him:

"Who becomes young master has nothing to do with me."

Such a stubborn mouth!

Long Sheng bowed respectfully, but Long Yin was speechless—he knew Jing Jing Shuhu's nature and didn't bother arguing, instead shifting topic:

"How is Duanmu's condition?"

"Wan Ye has fully cultivated his internal organs; though I intervened in time, I gained no advantage—Duanmu's injuries are severe; without the 'Cun Shen Da Fa Huan Dan,' he wouldn't rise from bed for half a year."

Jing Jing Shuhu removed his hood, and Long Sheng's heart jolted: "Grand Elder, your wound…"

"Minor injury."

Jing Jing Shuhu touched his neck, where blood still seeped—clearly he had nearly been beheaded:

"With my hardened body, even if he swung again, what could he do to me?"

Such a stubborn mouth.

Long Sheng was astounded—his head had almost been cut off, and he still talked like this…

"Internal organ cultivation."

Long Yin's eyes flickered: "Even a slight edge in Wu Gong is insurmountable—I wonder how Master Han killed a cultivator of internal organs…"

Two fully cultivated Tongmai, plus a divine archer assisting, still couldn't defeat a cultivator of internal organs—even one with defects.

Long Sheng's expression turned grave; he couldn't even imagine how Han Han Chuijun, in his Yi Xing form, had slain a cultivator of internal organs.

"If I could shift forms as many times as he does, I'd kill a pair of internal organ cultivators whenever they came!"

Jing Jing Shuhu's expression darkened—this was worse than being slapped in the face.

He shouldn't have come to the banquet.

"Jing Senior Brother, please sit."

Long Yin swiftly changed the subject, inviting him to sit and inquired about recent intelligence inside and outside the sect.

"Nothing but the Xieshen Sect and Zhenwu Wutang."

Jing Jing Shuhu lifted his cup, his expression grim:

"According to my knowledge, Meng Zhan secretly followed Su Su Wanxiong last year to meet the Huizhoufentang chief of the Xieshen Sect—Master Master Baili!"

The Xieshen Sect's branch halls spread across the land, with divisions in every Dao, Zhou, and Fu; Master Master Baili was the true authority in Huizhou.

"If Master Master Baili dares to show himself, regardless of Huilong Palace's intentions, they will surely act—no need to worry about that."

Long Yin set down his cup: "I just received intelligence—the Qianjun Cave's main gate has been breached, and the valley lord has completed his mission!"

"So soon?"

Jing Jing Shuhu's gaze sharpened, his expression improving: "Then if Wan Ye doesn't want to die, he must withdraw his troops!"

The Xieshen Sect clung to the Divine Weapon Valley with a death grip because of the Profound Heaven Whale Hammer, but the Sanyuan Wuan, at least on the surface, was not.

"It is a pity there is no evidence of collusion between the Sanyuan Wuan and the Xieshen Sect; otherwise, would it not be satisfying to annihilate them both together?"

Long Yin felt some regret.

For hundreds of years, the Huai Dragon Palace had been suppressing the Four Great Sects, but without sufficient reason to destroy any single one, interference would surely be provoked.

More importantly, they could not, nor dared they, destroy two in a row...

"Let us proceed gradually."

After Jing Jing Shuhu drained his cup of wine and conversed with Long Yin, Long Sheng attended them on the side; shortly after, footsteps approached.

Long Sheng became alert, went out to receive a secret letter handed by a soldier, returned, and delivered it to Long Yin.

"Hmm?"

Long Yin had not paid attention initially, but upon a single glance, his eyes widened: "The Red Dragon Fish King has emerged?!"

"Crack!"

The wine cup in Jing Jing Shuhu's hand instantly shattered; he was stunned first, then immediately stamped his feet and cursed wildly, his voice so loud it drowned out the thunder:

"Wan Ya, you old beast, you have ruined my fish!"

"Wealth that cannot see the light is also a problem."

In the small courtyard of the Bingtang, Li Li Yuanzhong was killing a fish; he carefully peeled off the fish skin intact.

The Red Dragon Fish caught by Liang Liang Ashui and another inner disciple—he gritted his teeth, bought it on loan, and planned to repay it after some time.

"This can forge three inner armors; the remainder can still forge two pairs of gloves; hmm, gloves of the Famous Artifact grade; if sold, two pairs for ten thousand taels of silver would be no problem..."

Li Li Yuanzhong calculated in his heart; the Red Dragon Fish skin was too rare, so selling it was definitely not an option.

But forging the fish skin armor also required other materials to match, especially since he wanted to forge it into a superior-grade Famous Artifact.

"Still poor!"

Li Li Yuanzhong sighed; even with forty or fifty thousand taels of silver in his bosom, he still felt it was not enough.

But he did not hesitate; he had to borrow if necessary; having already paid out so much silver, he would not be content unless he obtained that hammer.

"If I eat so much fish meat, can I form a Serpent Form? A small Serpent Form would do!"

Li Li Yuanzhong put away the fish meat.

A single Red Dragon Fish costs a hundred taels of gold at a time; if not for changing the Serpent Form, he would not have been willing to eat so much.

But he could not be sure if these few hundred jin would be useful.

"If I could catch that Red Dragon Fish King, no, just cut a few hundred jin of meat from it, I estimate that would be enough."

Li Li Yuanzhong thought of that fish king resembling a dragon-serpent, but could only think about it.

Han Han Chuijun and Jing Jing Shuhu had coveted that fish for decades, yet to this day have not obtained even a single scale.

"Eat more,

even if it is just a single small Serpent Form, as long as it barely suffices for me to master the 'Ten Thousand Blades Spirit Dragon Fundamental Diagram'."

Li Li Yuanzhong had coveted this Supreme Art level body-hardening technique for a long time, not only for the Red Fusion Underground Passage and changing the Thirteen Forms.

Rather, once this body-hardening technique was mastered, he would have hope to fully withstand the blessing of the Commanding Talisman.

If truly six fifth-grade heavy hammers blessed his body, let alone Shi Hong, even Old Han, he would dare to clash with him...

"Forget it, Old Han probably cannot be moved."

Thinking of the commotion from the battle between Su Su Wanxiong and Jing Jing Shuhu, Li Li Yuanzhong still abandoned this thought; Old Han was even more fierce than that.

"Changing the Form, Killing, Refining the Organs."

After tidying up the things in the small hut, Li Li Yuanzhong returned to the Weapon Casting Valley.

After the turmoil that day, the blacksmiths of the Weapon Casting Valley had not descended underground for three days; he had not descended either; now, it was already the fifth day.

Descending through the underground passage, many servant disciples were still clearing the collapsed earth and stones; the forging hall was somewhat desolate, with hammer sounds sparse and scattered.

"Where is Old Lei?"

Li Li Yuanzhong glanced around and did not see Lei Lei Jingchuan; looking carefully, he did not even see Niu Jun.

His heart stirred slightly; he walked toward the Red Fusion Cave; before reaching the cave entrance, he heard voices.

Both master and disciple were here.

"Master, please give this disciple another chance; this disciple feels he can still endure..."

Niu Jun's bitter pleading voice came through.

Li Li Yuanzhong walked in and saw Niu Jun, whose whole body was smoking and nearly cooked until oil oozed out, and Old Lei, who was no better off.

The master and disciple, their faces black as a pot bottom, their whole bodies' hair burned completely off, were now soaking in a large vat.

"..."

Li Li Yuanzhong silently picked up the luggage he had just put down, turned around, and returned to his own cave.

Before he could enter, a gray shadow pounced; Li Li Yuanzhong grabbed it, seeing only this little rat squealing wildly, baring its claws and teeth.

He actually saw anger in those mung-bean-sized eyes?

"Squeak squeak squeak~"

Li Li Yuanzhong tossed it aside; this little fellow was still stamping its feet; it darted back and forth, as if trying to express something.

"Are you saying I escaped without taking you?"

Li Li Yuanzhong stroked his chin, guessing half-heartedly; he felt somewhat surprised; this little creature was becoming increasingly spiritual.

It is just...

"You are a field rat; can you not even dig a hole?"

Not even a single inferior Zeng Xue Dan could suppress this little one's anger, so Li Yuan flicked two more over.

"Don't push your luck."

Li Yuan glared, thought for a moment, then took back those two Zeng Xue Dan; the batch of pills Master Master Gongyang had bought from Liu Zheng had not yet been tested for poison.

"Squeak?"

Seeing Li Yuan pull out a large pile of porcelain bottles, the little mouse's anger instantly turned to terror; it turned to flee but was grabbed, then listlessly began testing the medicine.

After moving back to the Sword-Forging Valley, Li Yuan resumed his dull and regular days of arduous cultivation.

Hammering iron, practicing the hammer, attempting to cultivate the Thousand-Quint Qi Art, and while altering his root and bone, he was also exploring the method of the Bai Shen Fa: "Blood Qi Entering the Brain."

He rarely took pills; the flesh of the Red Dragon Fish was enough to replenish him, eating twenty jin daily, his energy extremely vigorous.

During this period, Lei Lei Jingchuan and Niu Jun returned to the Red Fusion Cave from time to time to try, then left covered in smoke.

Various Protectors and Elders of the Inner Island, including the Outer Sect Grand Elder Feng Feng Zhongyi, also came several times, all burning themselves until they were covered in smoke inside the Red Fusion Cave.

Within a few days, the disciples of the Divine Weapon Valley were surprised to discover that all the Protectors and Elders had shaved their heads bald.

Li Yuan immersed himself in dull arduous cultivation, restraining his own impulse to enter the Red Fusion Cave, and accelerated the speed of forging the Red Dragon Fish skin armor.

Sharpening the axe does not delay the woodcutting; he decided to prepare a bit more thoroughly, otherwise, he felt it would be purely self-torture.

Seven days later, the arrival of a piece of news even startled Li Yuan, who was in seclusion.

"The Thousand-Quint Cave's mountain gate has been breached; the Thousand-Quint Cave Master, along with many old veterans of the sect,"

"have all been slaughtered by the Valley Master!"

"A sect with over a thousand years of inheritance, just wiped out like that?"

"The disciples of the Thousand-Quint Cave lie dead and wounded in disarray; no one knows how many are being hunted..."

Li Yuan exited the cave to catch his breath and heard the boiling voices of the blacksmiths inside the forging ground, causing his heart to tremble.

Since the day Lei Lei Jingchuan revealed the secret, he had not doubted Lord Master Gongyang Yu's determination, but he had not expected,"

"that the Thousand-Quint Cave would not even last a year before being wiped out!"

"A sect with over a thousand years of inheritance..."

Li Yuan whistled in his heart.

A single prefecture of the Great Yun region has at least several million households, and up to ten million; in the ancient world of his previous life, it would not have been considered a small country.

The impact of a sect of this magnitude being destroyed is beyond words; the shockwave will surely not be limited to the Zhe Long Prefecture and Huizhou.

It is feared that soon the entire Hengshan Dao, and even other Daozhou regions, will be shaken.

"Great Victory!"

"Great Victory!"

The forging ground was filled with cheers; everyone's faces were full of joy, except for Lei Lei Jingchuan, who touched his bald head with a heavy expression.

"Old Lei's face..."

Li Yuan's thoughts shifted, and his expression tightened slightly; the destruction of the Thousand-Quint Cave would inevitably draw the attention of many forces.

Would the Xieshen Sect not launch their final offensive early?

Lei Lei Jingchuan noticed Li Yuan's gaze, shook his head slightly, then quickly left the underground and headed for the Sect Main Hall.

"Could it be that this news was deliberately spread by the Valley Master? Does he intend to set a trap?"

Hearing the cheers of the crowd, Li Yuan inquired about the specific intelligence, and his heart stirred slightly; this news was too complete.

Moreover, it is said to have already spread throughout the Zhe Long Prefecture...

"The mountain gate is empty, and the sect's elite on expedition are about to return; at this time, if I were the leader of the Xieshen Sect, I would have to act, wouldn't I?"

Li Yuan's eyelids twitched slightly; although this was merely his speculation, he felt it was not impossible.

"No, perhaps the Xieshen Sect simply does not care about the Divine Weapon Valley?"

Returning to the Red Fusion Cave, Li Yuan was still pondering in his heart; he knew very little intelligence and could only speculate at this moment.

"If the Xieshen Sect aims for the Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing, then the reason they are holding back might not be due to fear of the Divine Weapon Valley..."

Li Yuan judged others by himself; he felt that infiltrating the Divine Weapon Valley, or even the Red Fusion Cave, would not be difficult for the experts of the Xieshen Sect.

Finding and obtaining the Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing itself might be the greatest difficulty!

"The Xieshen Sect is likely preparing some method to find, or even obtain, the Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing!"

Li Yuan speculated in his heart; facing the same dilemma of obtaining the Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing, he felt it was very likely!

"The Xieshen Sect's most famous method..."

Li Yuan recalled the Dead Man's Stele he had obtained:

"Blood Sacrifice?"