Chapter 201: Dragon Tiger Temple's Old Ancestor (Combined Chapter)

"Don't let Eighty-Thousand Li escape!"

In the dense forest of the Divine Weapon Mountain Range, Eighty-Thousand Li sprinted at full speed, charging headlong, every tree, plant, and rock in his path smashed to pieces on impact.

Soon, the tremors faded, and one figure after another darted through the dense forest, scattering in pursuit toward the distance.

"Bad luck, bad luck!"

In a mountain stream, Eighty-Thousand Li, curled up, had a dark expression.

For the past two-plus months, every time he showed himself, he was hunted down—every single time he appeared, he was hunted down.

No matter how he hid himself, the moment anyone laid eyes on him, they recognized him at once, which had made him curse his inhuman build more than once.

"Laozi must master the Yin Dragon Bone-Shrinking Art!"

In the mountain stream, Eighty-Thousand Li burrowed into a thick layer of dead leaves, gritting his teeth as he once again began practicing the bone-shrinking art.

Over the past thirty or forty years, he had practiced countless bone-shrinking arts, and quite a few of them he had already brought to Grand Completion.

If not for that, his frame would long since have broken past twelve feet.

"Yin Dragon Bone-Shrinking Art!"

From beneath the dead leaves came the occasional high or low sound of joints grinding; after who knows how long, Eighty-Thousand Li painfully poked his head out.

His whole body was covered in sweat streaked with blood, his face an ashen white, looking for all the world as though he had lost too much blood.

But all he wanted was to burst out laughing.

Minor Completion of the Yin Dragon Bone-Shrinking Art delighted him even more than Grand Completion of the Soldier Dao Combat Slaying Hammer.

"I—I finally, finally succeeded!"

Eighty-Thousand Li stood up, feeling how much looser his clothes were, and nearly couldn't hold back a flood of old tears.

After more than forty years, his height had once again returned to nine feet three inches—still not short—but combined with those few bone-shrinking arts, he was confident he could compress his height down to eight feet!

That was already the height of a normal person.

Crack-crack-crack~

Without the slightest delay, Eighty-Thousand Li forced himself to endure the searing pain of bones grinding, shrinking again and again, until he could shrink no further—by which point his entire body had shrunk several sizes.

Swish-swish-swish~

Above the mountain stream, figures darted over; one landed up top and, at a single glance, spotted the blood-streaked Eighty-Thousand Li:

"Brother, have you seen that Eighty-Thousand Li?"

"N-no, I haven't."

Eighty-Thousand Li pinched his voice, his heart wild with joy—none of this lot had recognized him!

"That beast is born with divine strength, his Wu Gong is extremely high—if you run into him, do not strike alone."

The man up top gave a warning, then hurried off.

Eighty-Thousand Li responded a few times, adjusting to the changes from shrinking and shortening, and only after a long while crawled out of the mountain stream.

Under the night sky, the Divine Weapon Mountain Range flickered with firelight from time to time; in the distance, he could see the location of the Divine Weapon Valley sect gate,

as well as the Sleeping Dragon Fucheng in the night.

"Into the city!"

The instant he saw Sleeping Dragon Fucheng, Eighty-Thousand Li's head suddenly went *buzz*, and he couldn't help but think of the Hundred Flowers List, of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion…

Swish!

Eighty-Thousand Li yanked off his waist sash, took one look, and was instantly overjoyed: "Smaller, it's smaller!"

After a few laughs, Eighty-Thousand Li immediately forgot the hardships of being hunted for over two months; he turned on his heel and headed briskly toward Sleeping Dragon Fucheng, deciding to let them live two more days.

Sleeping Dragon Prefecture—its city gates had one that stayed open even at night, and there were quite a few travelers coming and going.

Eighty-Thousand Li blended into the crowd. Though he was still more than a head taller than the average person, he felt good—even the scenery he'd grown used to seeing day after day seemed to come alive.

"Ba Wanli!"

Suddenly, his shoulder dipped slightly; before he could turn his head, someone had already pulled him into a nearby alley.

"Master?"

In the alley, Han Han Chuijun looked Eighty-Thousand Li up and down, somewhat startled: "You've mastered the Yin Dragon Bone-Shrinking Art?"

The Yin Dragon Bone-Shrinking Art was something he had traded out of the Star-Plucking Tower for Eighty-Thousand Li's sake—a top-grade horizontal-training art, difficult to learn and difficult to master.

He had estimated that, given Eighty-Thousand Li's build, it would take at least several more years before he could master this bone-shrinking art.

"Mastered it!"

Eighty-Thousand Li's nose stung, and he nearly shed tears—over these past few decades, bone-shrinking had become his obsession.

"Good, good, good."

Han Han Chuijun patted his shoulder, also somewhat gratified—he knew of Eighty-Thousand Li's obsession.

"Master, what are you—?"

Eighty-Thousand Li came back to himself, warily scanning his surroundings: "The Xieshen Sect and the Huailong Palace people are both hunting you, Master—why have you come to Sleeping Dragon Prefecture?"

"This matter has to be settled one way or another."

Han Han Chuijun's gaze was calm; he had already been in Fucheng for over half a month.

"Settled?"

Eighty-Thousand Li's heart jolted: "You're going to make a move against Huailong Palace, Master?"

Huailong Palace was the lord of Huizhou; over a thousand years ago its strength might have been roughly on par with Divine Weapon Valley, but now it had far surpassed them.

Its sect was full of experts, far beyond what the current Divine Weapon Valley could compare to.

"Don't keep thinking about fighting and killing!"

Han Han Chuijun glared.

"……"

Ba Ba Wanli was instantly at a loss for words.

"What the Huai Dragon Palace and the Xieshen Sect did was all for the Sea-Splitting Mysterious Whale Hammer. That hammer isn't in our hands — explaining that clearly should be enough."

Han Han Chuijun said in a low voice.

"H-how do we explain that?"

Ba Ba Wanli was slightly taken aback: "Do you know who that Li Li Yuanba is?"

"I don't."

Han Han Chuijun shook his head.

"Then?"

"This master is preparing to go find Dragon Tiger Temple."

Han Han Chuijun did not conceal it.

"Dragon Tiger Temple?"

Ba Ba Wanli's heart skipped a beat: "The people of Dragon Tiger Temple aren't easy to approach…"

Of the nineteen provinces under heaven, Dragon Tiger claims four — a true colossus. Apart from the Sea-Splitting Mysterious Whale Hammer, Huizhou had almost nothing that could catch their attention.

"Even if they're not easy to approach, we still must approach them."

Han Han Chuijun said no more. After giving Ba Ba Wanli a few instructions, he left in quick steps and vanished into the crowd.

Ba Ba Wanli was worried at heart, but could only press down his thoughts. He cast one lingering glance toward where the Hundred Flowers Pavilion stood, then turned and left the city.

……

Southeast of Fucheng, Dragon-Hibernation Prefecture, a very small courtyard.

Whoo, whoo~

In the small courtyard, beneath a great tree, Yu Yu Xuanfeng slowly practiced his fists. His body rose and fell, the forms of tiger, leopard, horse, and ox all contained within a single frame.

Not a single movement looked the least bit violent, yet there was a sense of rounded, natural harmony.

Whoo~

The night wind came drifting in. His form shifted slightly, moving as fleetingly as the wind, but before a few instants had passed, his body stiffened and the currents of air around him had already dispersed.

"Form is the outward display; spirit is the soul of form. Your wind form and tiger form possess only their shapes, but lack their spirit. How can you speak of unifying all forms? How can you speak of the wind-tiger form?"

Beneath the eaves, Yu Yu Xuanji crossed her arms over her chest, frowning slightly:

"Before this trip back to Huishan, if you can't cultivate the wind-tiger form, you might as well open your meridians early."

"Absolutely not!"

Yu Yu Xuanfeng clenched his teeth, roused himself once more to practice the wind-tiger form. But this time it went even worse than before — in no time at all, he had stumbled and fallen to the ground.

"If your comprehension isn't good, it just isn't good."

Yu Yu Xuanji cast him a cold glance. The latter was unconvinced at heart: "Comprehension, comprehension — without comprehension, can one not practice martial arts?"

Yu Yu Xuanfeng was deeply indignant in his heart: "I've heard that Han Han Chuijun of the Divine Weapon Valley — after seventy years of bitter cultivation, he finally achieved Yi Bai Xing. When shifting forms, he could kill a Viscera-Refining cultivator!"

"Han Han Chuijun?"

Yu Yu Xuanji looked at her own younger brother as if she were looking at some kind of idiot: "You actually want to compare yourself with someone who has achieved Yi Bai Xing?"

There is a saying that form-shifting is hard at first and easy afterward, but that absolutely does not include Yi Bai Xing. To possess all forms must inevitably grow harder the further one goes.

To possess all forms is absolutely not something effort alone can achieve — without great comprehension and great boldness, it cannot be done.

Among the tens of thousands of disciples of Dragon Tiger Temple, those who possessed all forms could be counted on one hand.

"He only has a dragon-form bone structure — he's not even as good as me!"

Yu Yu Xuanfeng grew increasingly indignant in his heart, but he quickly shut his mouth — the courtyard gate was being knocked on.

"Who is it?"

Yu Yu Xuanji's expression tightened slightly. It was only four or five zhang away, yet she hadn't sensed a thing — someone had already approached the main gate?

"Yu Xuanji, invite him in."

At that moment, a voice came from within the study.

"Yes!"

Yu Yu Xuanji's expression grew solemn. She hurried to open the door, only to see an old man wearing a ghost-face mask standing outside.

"Han Han Chuijun?"

Yu Yu Xuanji's gaze sharpened. One who had achieved Yi Bai Xing — in all of Huizhou today, there was only this single person. His fame was so great that even she felt it thunder in her ears.

"Han Han Chuijun?!"

Yu Yu Xuanfeng, who had been practicing his fists, cried out in surprise and hurried over.

Form-shifting, meridian-opening.

Han Han Chuijun cast a glance at the two in the courtyard, and felt a slight stirring of emotion in his heart. The disciples of Dragon Tiger Temple truly could not be compared with those of the lower sects.

These two were merely inner and outer disciples of Dragon Tiger Temple, yet among the current generation of the Divine Weapon Valley, only Ba Ba Wanli and a few others could compare.

"Senior Han, please."

Yu Yu Xuanji glared at her own younger brother, and invited Han Han Chuijun inside.

"Brother Gong's fine disciples are truly remarkable."

Han Han Chuijun offered a word of praise, and walked slowly toward the lit study. Yu Yu Xuanji and the other watched from the courtyard, slightly startled at heart.

This man actually knew their master?

"Brother Han is too kind with his praise."

Inside the study, Gong Gong Jiuchuan was bent over his desk writing something. Only now did he raise his head, and looking at Han Han Chuijun whose hair and beard had already turned white, he felt a touch of sentiment:

"After parting for more than forty years, we have both grown old and withered."

"Brother Gong is in the prime of his years. The one grown old and withered is only Han."

Han Han Chuijun raised his hand and closed the door.

"Brother Han, have you come for a reason?"

Gong Gong Jiuchuan closed the scroll. He and Han Han Chuijun and Jing Jing Shuhu had known each other for over forty years and had once traveled together in the Imperial Capital.

"I cannot hide it from Brother Gong."

Han Han Chuijun was not polite; he pulled a chair over and sat down casually, then picked up a cup of tea:

"The Huailong Palace, under the pretext of the emergence of the Split-Sea Black Whale Hammer, is secretly colluding with the Xieshen Sect, intending to surround and annihilate our Divine Weapon Valley. I, Han, have come to seek justice."

"... As far as I know, in these two months, the dead and wounded from those two families outnumber those of your Divine Weapon Valley."

Gong Gong Jiuchuan poured himself a cup of tea: "Moreover, it may not be a pretext."

"Our Divine Weapon Valley has sought the Split-Sea Black Whale Hammer for fourteen hundred years. If there were truly that affinity, why would we have to wait until now?"

Han Han Chuijun protested loudly.

"The Split-Sea Black Whale Hammer emerged this year. This is intelligence from the Xieshen Sect's main headquarters; I know the truth of its veracity."

Gong Gong Jiuchuan shook his head:

"Over a month ago, I borrowed a Fire-Averting Pearl and descended to the bottom of the pool. I found the fire veins exhausted and the cold pool turning warm. This proves the Split-Sea Black Whale Hammer has already departed."

In more than two months, he had walked every corner of the entire cold pool and found nothing. This precisely proves the Xieshen Sect's intelligence is not false.

Otherwise, with the Xieshen Sect's Thousand Spirit Sacrifice ritual in place, they would not have failed to find even a trace.

"Wh-what? The Split-Sea Black Whale Hammer..."

Han Han Chuijun's body trembled; he seemed somewhat dazed, his tone full of loss and unwillingness:

"I thought it was just rumor. I never expected the Split-Sea Black Whale Hammer had truly accepted a master... Pitiful that my Divine Weapon Valley has sought weapons for generations, only to find it was all a joke."

"Hmm?"

Gong Gong Jiuchuan frowned slightly; this old fellow was getting better at pretending.

"Show him out!"

Gong Gong Jiuchuan lifted his teacup, expressionless.

"Wait."

Han Han Chuijun put down his teacup: "Brother Gong, the Dragon-Tiger Temple has always stayed out of the fighting and struggles between provincial sects. I, Han, do not wish to make you break that rule."

"Oh?"

Gong Gong Jiuchuan grew wary. When Han Han Chuijun spoke like this, it generally meant something even more difficult was waiting for him.

Although they had been apart for decades, he still knew this old thing to some extent.

"The Xieshen Sect's eight branch headquarters plus the branch hall masters are in the shadows, while the Huailong Palace is in the open. My Divine Weapon Valley will likely find it hard to escape unscathed; perhaps our entire sect will be wiped out..."

Han Han Chuijun sighed:

"Brother Gong, we are Mo Ni friends. Could you bear to see the thousand-year legacy of my Divine Weapon Valley end in this generation?"

"..."

The old fellow was still so shameless, even bringing up that they were Mo Ni friends.

"The legacy that ended was the Thousand-Weight Cave, wasn't it?"

Gong Gong Jiuchuan lifted his teacup, his expression even more blank:

"If you have something to say, say it directly."

"Speaking of which, I, Han, have a few disciples whose root bones and talents are acceptable..."

"Stop!"

Gong Gong Jiuchuan put down his teacup and sighed too: "Brother Han, regarding the Huailong Palace, I will send a letter ordering them to investigate whether their disciples have any connection with the Xieshen Sect. How does that sound?"

"Thank you, Brother Gong!"

Han Han Chuijun stood up straight, bowed slightly, and took his leave.

'This old fellow.'

Watching Han Han Chuijun depart, Gong Gong Jiuchuan shook his head inwardly.

"Master."

Yu Yu Xuanji entered the room and bowed slightly: "Will you really send a letter to the Huailong Palace?"

"Yan Yan Qingyuan has gotten too close to the Xieshen Sect. It is time to give him a warning."

Gong Gong Jiuchuan looked at her:

"You need not concern yourself with these matters. I have something else I need you to do."

"Hmm?"

Yu Yu Xuanji was slightly stunned: "Just give your orders, old master."

"This matter..."

Gong Gong Jiuchuan took a letter from his robe, his brows tightly furrowed: "This is a secret letter sent by your Great-Uncle Long via a Golden-Feathered Eagle..."

"Great-Uncle Long?"

Yu Yu Xuanji's heart trembled: "Does Great-Uncle Long also have an interest in the Split-Sea Black Whale Hammer? Isn't he... foolish..."

"Silence!"

Gong Gong Jiuchuan glared at her: "Are you not afraid your Great-Uncle Long hid a True Qi formation within the letter?"

Yu Yu Xuanji's body shivered, and her face turned somewhat pale.

That Great-Uncle Long of hers had already been able to project True Qi into form across a hundred li before he even achieved 'Rejuvenation'.

"You must have reverence for the Ancestors."

Gong Gong Jiuchuan flicked the letter toward her with his hand:

"Take the letter, find the person, go quickly and return quickly. There must be no failure."

"Yes!"

Yu Yu Xuanji took the letter, bowed, and stepped out of the door. She tore it open, glanced at it, and found the beginning filled with a long string of useless nonsense.

And the final sentence...

"Recommending someone to inherit the legacy of the Junior Sect Master's Granduncle?"

Yu Yu Xuanji raised her eyebrows.

Who exactly is Long Xi Xiang?

Listed on the Divine List, the current Dragon-Tiger Great Chan Master, the youngest junior brother of Long Yingchan, and the Laozu Sect of the Dragon-Tiger Temple.

How could a speck of land like the Zhe Long Prefecture have someone capable of inheriting his legacy?

"A toad yawning—what a huge mouth!"

Mount Fajiu Mountain is full of treacherous peaks, often hundreds of zhang high. With high mountains and dense forests, wild beasts frequently appear, and the bandits hiding within number more than just one or two groups; it is absolutely no safe place.

Yet this mountain, together with Dechang and Zhe Long Prefectures, means that although the mountain roads are difficult to traverse, there are still no shortage of escort agencies and merchant caravans.

Upon entering the mountain, Fang Fang Bao Luo affiliated with an escort agency. Coincidentally, it was the very small escort agency that Li Yuan and Gao Liu County had returned with.

"The Dingyuan Escort Agency does not conduct business honestly. This small escort agency suffered a disaster before; had we not lent a hand, they would likely have been wiped out."

Inside the jolting carriage, Fang Fang Bao Luo sat cross-legged, recounting the big and small events of these past days.

During the month Li Yuan quietly practiced martial arts in Gao Liu, he traveled back and forth over a thousand li, contacting disciples from all paths and pursuing the remnants of the Qiankun Cave, keeping him very busy.

"Has the Dingyuan Escort Agency's secret escort mission finished?"

Li Yuan lifted the carriage curtain; on both sides, the mountains were high and the forests dense, with the howls of wild beasts occasionally reaching his ears.

"Mostly finished; at the very least, this small escort agency should no longer be involved."

Fang Fang Bao Luo kept a calm mind. His injuries were not shallow; if not for fear of leaving hidden internal damage, he would hardly have wanted to ride in this small escort agency's carriage.

"Senior Brother Fang, please focus on healing your injuries."

After the two conversed for a while, Li Yuan, not wishing to disturb Fang Fang Bao Luo's healing, stood up and disembarked from the carriage.

Compared to the start of the journey, this escort caravan had lost more than half its members, but those remaining were quite capable, and the carriage speed was not slow.

Liu Zheng, Wang Wang Peiyao, Yue Yue Yunjin, and others blended into the crowd, unremarkable.

Li Yuan climbed onto a cargo carriage without a canopy and began reviewing the intelligence Fang Fang Bao Luo had left for him.

Over these past two months, the Zhe Long Prefecture had seen sudden changes in the wind and clouds, with constant events, big and small.

Among them, the movements of the Huai Long Palace and the Xieshen Sect were the most significant.

Huang Fu Kun gathered experts from the eight branch halls of Huizhou and intercepted and attempted to kill experts from the Divine Weapon Valley, including Han Han Chuijun, several times.

Yan Yan Qingyuan, a true disciple of the Huai Long Palace, took the initiative to summon the Divine Weapon Valley, ordering Gong Gong Yangyu to appear before him.

Under the pursuit and interception of these two major powers, the situation of the Divine Weapon Valley was quite difficult, as evidenced by the fact that even Han Han Chuijun was injured several times.

"Xieshen Sect, Huai Long Palace."

Li Yuan felt a slight chill in his heart; these two major powers clearly intended to seize the Sea-Splitting Black Whale Hammer at all costs.

In comparison, although the Dragon-Tiger Temple had also lost many disciples, there was no major commotion.

Yet even so, the Divine Weapon Valley could not withstand such pursuit and interception. Had Han Han Chuijun not voluntarily stepped forward, those intercepted and killed would likely have been more than just a few groups of disciples.

"Unless Li Li Yuanba appears from elsewhere..."

Li Yuan muttered to himself. He clearly knew the method to break the deadlock: as long as Li Li Yuanba, who possessed the Sea-Splitting Black Whale Hammer, appeared from elsewhere.

Naturally, this would attract a vast number of eyes, allowing the Divine Weapon Valley to break free from the pursuit and interception.

But what he needed to consider was how to make Li Li Yuanba appear without truly putting himself in danger...

"I hope Master Wang Lao is reliable."

Thinking of Wang Wang Wenyuan, Li Yuan's mouth corner could not help but twitch slightly.

When leaving Gao Liu County, he had asked about the matter of the 'Dragon-Tiger Hun Tian Hammer,' and Wang Wang Wenyuan's reply was light and casual, yet he sensed something strange in it.

"What do you mean, 'I have a friend residing in the Dragon-Tiger Temple'?"

Rubbing his temples, Li Yuan bitterly smiled in his heart, feeling that this Master Wang Lao was truly somewhat unreliable.

What is the Dragon-Tiger Hun Tian Hammer?

It is a supreme supreme art, a true secret not passed down in sects of prefecture and province level.

Even within the Bianzaidao Sect, only elders and true disciples are qualified to receive such secrets.

What friend would pass such a thing to others based on a single sentence from you?

"Unless that friend of his is the legendary Grandmaster of the Divine List, Long Yingchan..."

Li Yuan muttered in his heart.

Many in the world pursue fame and profit; those keen on compiling various lists are not limited to the Yunshu Lou alone.

Even the imperial court issues various lists to the world, each time causing waves of disturbance in the Jianghu.

But the vast majority of these lists have very short lifespans; within a few years, they are replaced by new ones and forgotten by people.

Only the 'Divine List' has been issued for over a thousand years without being replaced by a new list, and its dissemination is extremely wide, pursued by countless people of the Jianghu.

Listed upon it are the most supreme experts of the world over the past few centuries, Grandmasters at the level of Earthly Immortals.

"What if it really is?"

Li Yuan thought again and felt it unlikely; even if Wang Wang Wenyuan truly owed such a person a favor, how could he possibly expend it on himself?

The reason the list is called the Divine List is because the Jianghu universally agrees that those listed upon it are no longer ordinary humans.

A favor from an Earthly Immortal...

"Huff!"

Li Yuan leaned against the cargo crate and suppressed his scattered thoughts.

He was busy—learning the Ten Thousand Blades Spirit Dragon Body, preparing to transform Qi with the Thousand Jun Qi Gong, and studying the Worship of the Gods Method; he simply had no mind for idle contemplation.

He squinted slightly, sensing the Rending Sea Black Whale Hammer; during the journey, he had fought over a dozen battles within it.

The few guarding the final three hundred steps were truly no ordinary people; even in equal-rank combat, defeating them was extremely difficult.

Swish!

After a long while, Li Yuan opened his eyes, slightly fatigued.

"These last five, each has transformed at least thirty forms, and all their Wu Gong have reached Zhi Hua Jing… no wonder they are figures remembered for a thousand years."

Li Yuan felt a headache coming on.

In the Five Great Dynasties' nineteen provinces, martial artists numbered in the countless; over a thousand years of history, the number of experts was incalculable.

Who among those who still bear their names after a millennium could possibly be an ordinary person?

"Within a short time, it's unlikely I can reach the mountain's peak."

Li Yuan calculated in his mind.

He still had thirteen Fundamental Diagrams; ten came from Gao Liu County, utterly unremarkable, and three were forms of spirit beasts.

In addition, he had four already perfected Lower-Grade Wu Gong: Mang Niu Gong, Yào Step, Eagle Claw Grappling Hands, and Bai Lu Ascending Technique.

He estimated that within a year, he could transform seventeen more forms.

"As long as that ghost-faced man isn't Old Han, at most a year, I'll reach the mountain's peak and pass the Second Trial!"

Li Yuan's heart eased slightly; the Spirit Fox Sword Method's Fundamental Diagram was nearing the time to reshape his root bones.

Wu!

As Li Yuan was calculating, a commotion came from ahead.

He looked up and saw dozens of bandits wielding swords and knives suddenly surging from both sides of the mountain path.

Their leader was an old man with black face and long beard; he held a long sword, his features cold and stern, blocking the escort caravan.

The caravan stirred; Luo Luo Renshu and others within the crowd grew alert.

"Liu Liu Fuen!"

The old man shouted loudly; several escort captains from the caravan stepped forward to meet him.

Soon after, the bandits on both sides dispersed; the leader weighed the money bag in his hand, then turned and left.

Afterwards, the caravan began going person by person to collect a one-tael silver toll.

"Younger brother, don't stir up trouble."

From the carriage, Fang Fang Bao Luo poked her head out, her face pale, warning Li Yuan.

"I understand."

Li Yuan nodded and handed over the silver.

Escorting had its rules; later along the mountain road, similar incidents occurred several more times, accumulating to five taels of silver per person in tolls.

Liu Liu Fuen was an old hand at escorting; after negotiating all along, no weapons were drawn, easing the minds of the traveling merchant groups.

When silver could solve the problem, no one wanted to truly draw blades—whether the escort caravan or the mountain bandits.