Chapter 233: Support from the Divine Weapon Valley (Combined Chapter)

One hundred and thirty li east of Dechang Prefecture lies a stretch of rolling mountains, with broad, level roads at their base leading to the docks and the prefecture city.

About a li up the mountain path, halfway up the slope, stand two symmetrical clusters of buildings, many places still bearing the scars of the great battle, where numerous craftsmen and disciples of the Divine Weapon Valley are at work on repairs.

Another li further on lies the inner gate, with a lake and dense forest on one side and a sheer cliff on the other.

Whooosh~

The cold wind swept past the cliff face, scattering the thick smoke from the weapon-forging grounds.

The clanging of hammer on metal could be heard from a great distance.

In the forging grounds, furnace after furnace burned fiercely. Niu Jun and the other former disciples of the Weapon-Forging Valley hammered iron, hauled materials, or repaired weapons; over a month had passed, and things were already on the right track.

Bang!

Bang!

The heavy hammer rose and fell. Through the smoke, Li Yuan forged, showing no apparent exertion; every strike sent up great showers of sparks, and the very ground seemed to tremble.

He was wholly focused, only his arm rising and falling, his body as steady as a mountain, absorbing every ounce of the rebound from each blow.

That force traveled through his whole body, making his pores dilate, spreading along the meridians to every sinew, bone, muscle, and even his organs and viscera…

This was the Tiger Leopard Thunder Sound.

Six menial disciples attended at his side, feeding in spirit-wood charcoal or working the bellows.

Hoo!

After a long while, Li Yuan set down the forging hammer, drew the glowing red iron from the furnace, and quenched it.

"The fire's not hot enough. This place can't compare to the Weapon-Forging Valley."

One superior-grade piece of a famous sword was forged, and Li Yuan hadn't even broken a sweat. He threw on his outer garment and shook his head slightly — if not for the fire being so much cooler, he would have finished it two days earlier.

"The fire's not hot enough, there's no cold-pool water for quenching, and a lot of people aren't used to it either."

It wasn't only Li Yuan who was uncomfortable; every disciple of the Weapon-Forging Valley had spent this period adapting to what was, comparatively speaking, a far harsher environment.

"Across the nineteen provinces of the realm, there aren't many forging grounds that can match the Earth-Fire Cold Pool…"

Lei Lei Jingchuan leaned on his crutch, directing from the side, quite pleased: "Effortless mastery, as easy as plucking something from your hand. It won't be long before you can independently forge extreme-grade famous weapons!"

"This disciple's cultivation of the Armor-Spirit Art is still somewhat lacking."

Li Yuan wasn't being modest.

The essence of the weapon-forging method lay in the Armor-Spirit Art — using blood to commune with the spirit, using Qi to nurture the spirit — which was far more difficult than forging and hammering.

"There's no need to rush the Armor-Spirit Art. At your current age, to have such attainments is already on par with the founder."

Lei Lei Jingchuan's injuries still hadn't healed; his voice lacked strength.

"You're flattering me far too much, old man."

Li Yuan gave a wry smile. Compared to Old Jing's occasional venomous tongue, Old Lei truly held him in high regard.

"So long as you know your own measure, this old man won't say more."

Lei Lei Jingchuan cast a lingering look at the furnace and forging hammer, then reached out his hand. Li Yuan hurried to support him up, and couldn't help sighing inwardly.

Lei Lei Jingchuan and the other man's injuries were severe. Over the past month, they had used countless pills and summoned countless renowned physicians, and could barely manage to walk with a crutch — the injury had reached the spine.

"Counting the days, you'll be leaving soon. Let's the two of us go have a few cups."

Lei Lei Jingchuan smiled: "Consider it a farewell drink."

"Done."

Li Yuan naturally wouldn't refuse, and supported Old Lei back to a small courtyard not far away.

In the courtyard, Jing Jing Shuhu lay in a rocking chair, basking in the sun with lazy contentment. Seeing the two come in, he didn't even look up, just squinted:

"Oh, and is this the Dragon-Tiger inner-gate disciple, the master's protégé, Li Yuan, the young hero Li?"

Li Yuan's tolerance for his venomous tongue was still insufficient. He faltered briefly before managing a smile: "…There's still a jar of Hundred-Grass Wine left — I've come to offer it to you, haven't I?"

"Hundred-Grass Wine?"

Jing Jing Shuhu opened his eyes, braced himself on the chair, and slowly sat up:

"Only one jar left?"

"This jar, I secretly held back, otherwise it would have been drunk by Master long ago."

Outside the courtyard, Liu Zheng carried a jar of Hundred-Grass Wine, while Wang Wang Peiyao carried an assortment of dishes to go with the wine. The two set down the wine and food, bowed, and withdrew.

"We'll have to be sparing with it."

Li Yuan moved the two immobile old men, chairs and all, to the table, poured wine for them, and recounted the events that had taken place inside and outside Dechang Prefecture over these past days.

"By the way, where is that Miss Yu?"

Lei Lei Jingchuan liked strong liquor, but he was also quite fond of the sweetness of Hundred-Grass Wine, and drank cup after cup.

"Senior Sister Yu left long ago."

Li Yuan poured wine for the two men.

On the third day after the battle of West Bear Mountain, Yu Yu Xuanji had already arrived riding a flood-dragon horse. She first inquired into the circumstances of Chi Yan Fa's appearance, then offered a few words of advice, and departed in haste.

Li Yuan naturally knew she had come for the sake of his bargain-bin master.

"Fine wine indeed."

Jing Jing Shuhu drank cup after cup. He even suppressed his inner Qi, and before long was somewhat tipsy.

He suddenly looked up: "That Miss Yu has both talent and background — a fine match."

Li Yuan: "…"

"Just drink your wine!"

Lei Lei Jingchuan glared at him.

"Drinking, drinking."

Li Yuan drank a few cups along with them, shaking his head inwardly all the while.

After the news spread that he had joined Longhu Temple, people from all walks of life, from Inner Sect Elders down to families of all sizes in Fucheng, came to propose marriage from time to time.

Some even spared no expense, asking for no title, seeking only a single night of spring.

After a jar of wine was finished, Jing Jing Shuhu fell into a deep sleep.

Lei Jingqing coughed lightly: "About Elder Qiu's daughter..."

"Stop right there, old sir."

Li Yuan immediately felt a headache coming on.

As an unregistered wild Daoist Priest, he certainly had no objection to marriage, but he couldn't withstand such forced matchmaking.

"With your innate talent and bone structure, not having ten or eight children would truly be a waste..."

Lei Jingqing sounded somewhat regretful, yet said nothing more; he had merely mentioned it at someone's request.

"Why don't you have ten or eight children, old sir? Your bone structure isn't bad either."

Li Yuan retorted.

Those who have cultivated to the Great Perfection of Unblocking the Meridians cannot have poor bone structure.

"Looking for a beating!"

Lei Jingqing struck with his cane, and Li Yuan hurriedly begged for mercy.

【Hundred-Year Wild Ox Bow (Fifth Tier)】

After sending the two back to their room, Li Yuan immediately spotted the precious bow hanging on the wall, and on the table, a letter left by Jing Jing Shuhu, along with a secret manual.

"The Soul-Chasing Arrow is a Wu Gong not passed outside the Qiu family; no one outside the Qiu disciples may learn it. This 'Chuan Lin Yang Jian Fa', though only of the Middle Grade, has its unique merits..."

On the letter was Jing Jing Shuhu's handwriting:

"Longhu Temple is a sacred site of the Wu Lin, yet it is a mix of good and bad. You must be extremely careful when you go there; do not panic in the face of trouble... If things go awry, take this token to 'Qiu Feng Guan', it may be of some use."

Lifting the secret manual, he found a silver token inside, bearing a cat's face.

"... Star-Picking Tower, Huizhou branch, is that right?"

Silently tucking the token and letter into his robes, hoisting the Wild Ox Bow onto his back, Li Yuan bowed deeply to the two sleeping in the room, then turned and left.

Li Yuan closed the courtyard gate, exchanged a glance with Yu Jin and the other veteran soldiers protecting him from the shadows, then slowly departed.

"Longhu Longhu Dadan is one of the most famous healing pills in the world; beyond enhancing martial power and nourishing the body, it is said to possess the ability to regenerate severed limbs..."

Li Yuan turned these thoughts over in his mind.

Old Lei and Old Jing's injuries were severe; ordinary pills would be useless, but as the number one Diyidan Sect under heaven, Longhu Temple must possess holy healing medicines.

"And there is also Master Wang."

Li Yuan formed a plan; seeing it was still early, he went one by one to visit Elder Ku Yue, Qiu Qiu Zhengxiong, Long Yin, Feng Feng Zhongyi, and others.

He stayed the longest with Feng Feng Zhongyi, mainly entrusting him with the care of his second brother's family.

Longhu Temple is tens of thousands of li away from Gao Liu County.

Finally, as the sky began to darken, he arrived at a bamboo grove. Upon entering, he saw the shimmering five-colored radiance not far away; Gong Gong Yangyu sat cross-legged, a long blade before his knees humming with a sharp ring.

"Five-Color Void-Piercing Blade."

Li Yuan stopped, watching as the five colors flowed; after the long blade trembled for a long time, it actually rose into the air, darting through the bamboo grove like a flying dagger.

Its speed was extremely fast, its sharpness extraordinary, yet in all its weaving and shifting, it did not cut even a single bamboo leaf.

"True Qi guiding the blade."

Li Yuan's gaze sharpened slightly.

In his perception, the long blade was gathered with profound True Qi; simultaneously, the spiritual nature of this supreme-grade famous blade was also sufficient; only through the resonance of the two could True Qi guide the blade.

Hiss!

After circling several times, the long blade landed before Gong Gong Yangyu.

"The essence of the Five-Color Void-Piercing Blade lies not in the five colors, nor in the five weapons, but in the character 'Void'."

Gong Gong Yangyu rose to his full height; the long blade moved around him as if alive, emitting a cold, bone-piercing blade light capable of cutting gold and jade.

"If you had not joined Longhu Temple this time, this supreme art would have been passed to you."

Looking at the bowing youth in the bamboo grove, Gong Gong Yangyu felt somewhat complex in his heart; over these six months, he had once doubted his own judgment.

He had originally thought this boy would achieve Great Perfection of Body Transformation within eight years, and Great Perfection of Unblocking the Meridians within fifteen years.

He never expected that in merely three years, he had already achieved Great Perfection of Body Transformation, possessing all forms, capable of reversing and attacking those who had Unblocked the Meridians, surpassing even himself at that age.

"Thank you, Valley Master, for your regard."

Li Yuan bowed: "Though this disciple has joined Longhu Temple, I am still a true transmission of the Divine Weapon Valley, a disciple of the Hammer Weapon Hall."

"Just keep this in mind; do not mention these words to outsiders."

Gong Gong Yangyu's expression softened slightly, and he beckoned him to come closer.

Li Yuan stepped forward slowly, only to see various items on the stone table beside him: secret manuals, silver and gold notes, porcelain bottles containing pills, and a piece of 【Dark Cicada Silk Armor (Fifth Tier)】.

And also, an account book?

"You came from our Divine Weapon Valley; this identity must be recognized by both Longhu Temple and fellow martial artists of the Jianghu. This has always been the case for those from other sects joining the Bairudao Sect."

Gong Gong Yangyu said.

Li Yuan nodded; this was naturally to be expected.

In fact, the intricate web of relationships between sects under heaven also stems from this.

A person who disregards their own sect of origin would not be valued within the Bairudao Sect either.

As Gong Gong Yangyu spoke, Li Yuan's peripheral vision swept over the stone table, and he was startled; gold and silver notes of a thousand taels each formed a thick stack.

'So generous?!'

Li Yuan was somewhat speechless, instantly understanding the 'generosity' Old Han had spoken of.

"The lands of Mount Hengshan and Sizhou contain countless martial artists, numbering in the tens of millions. As one of the Five Great Dao Sects, Longhu Temple is a sacred site of the martial path in the hearts of innumerable practitioners, a true towering tree."

"A towering tree with abundant branches and leaves; the vines clinging to it are beyond count. The lands of Dao City are a mix of dragons and snakes, where various powers are deeply entrenched and intertwined..."

Lord Master Gongyang Yu had clearly invested heavily, handing Liang Liang Ashui a thick scroll of the Juan Sect containing intelligence on Dao City and even Longhu Temple.

"To dwell in Longhu is no easy feat."

Liang Liang Ashui flipped through it casually, saw those words, and understood Lord Master Gongyang Yu's meaning.

Too many vines cling to Longhu Temple, that towering tree, making competition fierce; someone without roots like him, lacking the support of a sect behind him, would find it hard not to be dragged into the fray.

"Longhu's inner sect disciples have four recommendation slots every three years: one for outer sect disciples and three for menial disciples... How do you plan to arrange these slots?"

Lord Master Gongyang Yu asked.

"Currently, there are only Liu Zheng and Wang Wang Peiyao."

Liang Liang Ashui replied.

In this past month, many had sought him out wanting the slots in his hand; he had also asked many people, but the only ones finally confirmed were Liu Zheng and Wang Wang Peiyao.

Over three years have passed, and the two have only reached the peak of Body Tempering, but running the shop and handling various chores does not require high-level Wu Gong.

As for Yue Yue Yunjin, Wu Ming, and Liang Liang Ashui, though they longed for it, they had tactfully expressed a desire to wait a few years...

"The remaining slots..."

"Senior Uncle, you make the decision."

Liang Liang Ashui naturally understood his meaning: "The recommendation slots for every three years henceforth will all be decided by Senior Uncle..."

"It is not I who decides, but the Sect."

Lord Master Gongyang Yu was satisfied internally but corrected his words and stated the arrangement:

"Your Senior Sister Qiu has excellent talent and can be an outer sect disciple; as for the other menial disciple... hmm, how about Fang Fang Yunxiu?"

"Senior Sister Fang?"

Liang Liang Ashui was slightly stunned: "I asked her before, but she..."

"In recent years, she has been rushing about outside, achieving great merit. I have already allowed her niece to enter the Sect to learn martial arts; with no worries left behind, she will naturally be willing to go."

Lord Master Gongyang Yu smiled slightly.

Liang Liang Ashui agreed readily, but he would not truly arrange things recklessly; if the disciples sent to Longhu Temple were not of one mind with Liang Liang Ashui, sending them would be of little use and even harmful.

"This disciple naturally has no problem."

"Hmm, as for three years from now... hmm, when you depart in a few days, I will send someone to accompany you; the personnel for the slots of the third, sixth, and ninth years will also go with you, providing some assistance."

Good heavens, they are already arranging slots nine years in advance?

Liang Liang Ashui was speechless, naturally having no problem, but he glanced at the items on the table.

"Living in Dao City is not easy; after I discussed it with several Elders, these items on the table are prepared for you. Henceforth, every three years, there will be a share, though naturally, future shares should not be this substantial."

Lord Master Gongyang Yu spoke, and at the same time took a porcelain bottle and a stack of silver notes from his sleeve.

"Thank you, Senior Uncle; thank you, Sect, for your cultivation."

Liang Liang Ashui's face was filled with gratitude, coming from the heart.

He inspected and counted them.

Besides a fifth-rank inner armor, there were one hundred 'Soul-Returning Small Pills' valued at ninety thousand taels of silver; other pills for increasing blood, strengthening bones, transforming tendons, replenishing essence, healing wounds, and so on, each numbered three hundred, all of excellent quality, totaling no less than one hundred thousand taels of silver.

Afterwards, there were several 'Soul-Calming' and 'Spirit-Nourishing' pills, and several spiritual incenses.

Thirty gold notes, totaling thirty thousand taels of gold; two hundred silver notes, totaling two hundred thousand taels of silver; and ten taels of refined gold, equivalent to four hundred thousand taels of silver.

"A grand gesture!"

Even with Liang Liang Ashui's steady temperament, his heart trembled at this moment.

The windfalls he had gained over these years, added together, were far from this amount!

"Too rich!"

Liang Liang Ashui knew the Sect was wealthy, but he had underestimated the riches of these major sects that hold an entire prefecture.

Setting aside other things, the tax revenue of a prefecture with ten million people, even if only one or two percent, is a huge number, let alone the hundred industries within the city and the fields, mines, horse ranches, and so on outside the city.

However, he felt that the reason Lord Master Gongyang Yu made such a grand gesture was related to the destruction of Qianjun Cave; the wealth accumulated over a thousand years by a prefecture-level sect...

"The materials for promoting the 'Army-Commanding Talisman' to the seventh rank are now more than half gathered!"

Liang Liang Ashui dazed for a while until this thought popped up, instantly calming down, with the surprise vanishing by more than half.

"With this foundation, even if you go to Longhu Temple, you can practice Wu Gong steadily, without being dragged into messy affairs due to silver or pills."

Seeing Liang Liang Ashui was greatly shocked, Lord Master Gongyang Yu stroked his long beard; this heavy gift was something he added himself after discussion, aiming for exactly this effect.

With this young man's talent and comprehension, and with a Grandmaster as backing, if given three years later, it would not have such a shocking impact.

Friendships and relationships also need maintenance.

"Thank you, Senior Uncle!"

Liang Liang Ashui thanked him sincerely and finally understood why this Senior Uncle had been able to suppress Old Han for so many years.

A steady and generous boss; whoever it was, they would surely be satisfied in their heart.

"These are the secret manuals for the 'Farewell Dust Spear', 'Heavenly Cicada Sword Art', and 'Void-Striding Blade'. Memorize them in these few days, then burn them."

Lord Master Gongyang Yu said:

"Except for the 'Five-Color Void-Striding' which I cannot teach you, if you have other needs, you may also state them together."

"This..."

Liang Liang Ashui rubbed his hands.

Before coming, he had thought of asking for the moon, but now he truly found it hard to speak up; this gift was too generous...

Seeing his hesitation, Lord Master Gongyang Yu did not mind; having obtained nearly half the assets of Qianjun Cave, he spoke with great authority:

"Speak freely."

"Disciple... this gift is already generous enough, what other need could the disciple possibly have?"

Li Yuan chose his words carefully:

"It's just that Dechang Zhi Dao City is quite far away, and the round trip isn't easy. The disciple feels that the portion due three years from now could perhaps..."

"Hm?!"

Lord Master Gongyang Yu's eyes went wide.

Ten thousand catties of cold iron, three hundred thousand taels of silver, ten thousand taels of gold, one thousand taels of red gold, and twenty taels of refined gold.

The materials needed to advance the Soldier-Forging Register seven ranks were seven or eight times more than those needed for the sixth-rank advancement.

But by the time he walked out of the bamboo grove, Li Yuan had already gathered enough.

"Far too generous!"

Back in his small courtyard, Li Yuan was still feeling a bit dizzy. The excessive request he himself had found hard to voice, Lord Master Gongyang Yu had actually agreed to—generously, beyond imagination.

"Just how deep do the Divine Weapon Valley's reserves run?"

Sensing the stockpile within the Soldier-Forging space, Li Yuan sighed inwardly: "No wonder the friction between the imperial court and the sects grows ever more intense—the stakes really are enormous."

Such a vast fortune—his second brother couldn't scrape it together chopping wood for a hundred thousand years—but Lord Master Gongyang Yu didn't seem to feel the pinch at all. The depth of a great sect's reserves could be glimpsed from this alone.

If Divine Weapon Valley was already like this, what of the Huai Dragon Palace?

And the Dragon Tiger Temple, which possessed an entire Dao—how vast must its reserves be?

Inside the room, Li Yuan was worked up for quite a while, and had no choice but to run through several sets of the Soldier Body Form to calm his mind.

"Huff!"

After a good while, Li Yuan finally settled his heart.

"The materials for advancement are enough, but converting such a large batch of banknotes into silver would cause quite a stir..."

Lying on the bed in his clothes, Li Yuan squinted. This was the only minor trouble, but it was only a minor trouble.

"The Soldier-Forging Register is about to reach seven ranks, yet I still don't have many six-rank weapons, let alone seven-rank ones..."

With eyes closed, Li Yuan took stock of his reserves once more.

After the body transformation, his appetite had greatly increased, and the daily consumption of pills had greatly increased as well, but Lord Master Gongyang Yu's gift would be enough for him to eat for two or three years no matter what.

That was even accounting for the cultivation of the 'Ten Thousand Blades Spirit Dragon Body.'

"What changes will come after the Soldier-Forging Register reaches seven ranks?... And the Heaven-Bestowed Register—mm, the Five Sacrificial Beasts' blood, I should also prepare some Five Sacrificial Beasts' meat. Whether it works or not, I have to try..."

After taking stock several times with his eyes closed, Li Yuan's mind shifted, and he began visualization.

Over a month passed, and the visualized spirit-self in the spirit-self land grew increasingly lifelike.

"Absolute-Art level horizontal training..."

Blade after blade struck the spirit-self, illusory and real by turns. The medicinal power Li Yuan had swallowed began to burn violently, his body trembling of its own accord, sinew and bone grinding.

He had entered the cultivation of the Ten Thousand Blades Spirit Dragon Body.

Over the next few days, Li Yuan still practiced martial arts daily. Apart from visiting a number of old acquaintances, he spent his time exchanging silver, gold, red gold, and so on in batches throughout the city.

The hardest to come by, refined gold, Lord Master Gongyang Yu had given in full; the rest was merely a matter of exchange.

But a transaction of several hundred thousand taels of silver was truly rather large. Li Yuan didn't want to cause too much of a stir—a man about to travel far exchanging for huge amounts of ready silver would be far too conspicuous.

Since the Dragon Tiger Banquet, every move he made was watched by many. Li Yuan was very careful.

"Huff!"

"Inhale!"

Several days later, at night, Li Yuan sat cross-legged in stillness inside the room.

Doors and windows tightly shut, the candle flame long since blown out. In the dimness, Li Yuan's body trembled ceaselessly, as if being hacked at by blades and swords without pause—now twitching, now convulsing, now with internal Qi surging.

Among all manner of Wu Gong, horizontal training was the rarest. Besides being Ku Gong, it was also because horizontal training was extremely difficult to practice.

"Roar!"

At a certain moment, Li Yuan activated the 【Ten Thousand Blades Spirit Dragon Form Diagram (Fifth Rank)】 within his Soldier-Forging. In a daze, he heard an angry dragon's long cry.

In the place of spirit-light, a sea of clouds seemed to appear, illusory and real by turns. A spirit dragon, majestic and ferocious, pierced through by all manner of weapons, weaved through the sea of clouds.

Countless blades and swords pierced the dragon's body. It roared in fury, savage and violent.

Clang!

As if an instant, as if an eternity, accompanied by a piercing clash of weapons, Li Yuan instantly withdrew from the visualization state.

"Absolute-Art level horizontal training is harder to begin than Old Han's Hundred Beasts Thunder Dragon—no, that's not right. The Thunder Dragon was easy to begin because I had gathered all the required forms... mm, all Absolute Arts are hard to cultivate."

Li Yuan opened his eyes. The room was very dark, but it didn't affect him.

He slowly rose, stretched his arms, and felt the skin and membrane over his whole body growing ever tighter. As he exerted force, his meridians and blood vessels tensed like bowstrings—at a glance, like dragon scales.

"A single superior Wu Gong at its initial stage surpasses a lesser Wu Gong at minor completion. The Absolute-Art level horizontal training at its initial stage has already surpassed the Seven Star Horizontal Training Body at major completion!"

Li Yuan sensed the changes in his body.

Without practicing horizontal training, and without relying on internal Qi, even a body-transformation martial artist couldn't resist blades and swords. Flesh cannot withstand metal—it was common sense.

"Mm, it's a bit like donning a layer of heavy armor..."

Li Yuan took out a long sword—the Autumn Water Sword, an upper-grade sharp-edge weapon. With a light pinch of his fingers, he gradually increased the force until even the blade's edge was dented by his grip. Only then did he feel a faint sting.

He looked at his finger—there was only a faint white line, and a tiny bit of blood.

"Not bad."

Li Yuan was inwardly satisfied. He hadn't expected the Ten Thousand Blades Spirit Dragon's initial stage to already be able to resist sharp-edge weapons.

"To become invulnerable to blade and spear, there's still a long way to go..."

After loosening up his muscles and bones, Li Yuan took a few pills, pushed open the window, and saw the sky already paling to a fish-belly white, the mountain shrouded in a hazy mist with only wisps of cooking smoke rising.

"Time to go."

……

……

"A banquet of a thousand tables, widely inviting fellow cultivators…"

At a window seat on the thirteenth floor of Wangjiang Tower, Yue Chongtian looked down upon the city awakening from its silence and gave a soft sigh:

"Dechang Prefecture has completely changed hands."

The full story of the battle at West Xiong Mountain was not deliberately leaked by the Divine Weapon Valley, but those with eyes naturally knew that night, the one who perished was not only Huang Fu Kun—the Huizhou Hall Master of the Wutang, Shen Tu Hong, had also vanished without a trace.

"That old fellow Gong Gong Yangyu, he's too good at hiding!"

Zhang Jing's expression was very unsightly. Before the Divine Weapon Valley arrived, Fire Dragon Temple had been quietly splitting Dechang Prefecture with Thousand Jun Cave, but now naturally that was no longer the case.

Not only had their original sphere of influence been compressed to a level comparable to the Iron Sword Sect, they had also been forced to pay out a large sum of gold and silver.

This was an apology…

"Marrow Refining."

Yue Chongtian's eyes flickered.

His talent and bone constitution were both excellent, but the Marrow Refining realm was still far from him. A Marrow Refining warrior, even within the Bianzaidao Sect, could serve as an elder; compared to a prefecture, they would be an absolute top expert.

Yue Chongtian turned a thought over in his mind, then looked toward Zhang Jing:

"Elder Zhang, has that Weichutang Master sent any word since?"

"No."

Zhang Jing furrowed his brow, feeling quite a bit of regret and helplessness within.

The reason they had targeted the Divine Weapon Valley was largely because of that Chu Shan Xuan Kong, the Weichutang Master, but now that person had gone silent, leaving him rather stuck.

Not only had they offended the Divine Weapon Valley, they had also offended that Li Yuan who had entered a Grandmaster's tutelage…

"This…"

Yue Chongtian's expression was also not good. Before and after the banquet, Fire Dragon Temple had paid out a large sum of gold and silver as apology—that silver should have been his.

"Sect Master!"

Suddenly, footsteps came from outside the door.

Zhang Jing frowned: "Enter!"

A short, stout middle-aged man strode in quickly and handed a letter to Zhang Jing.

"What is this?"

Yue Chongtian and the other exchanged a glance.

"You may go."

After dismissing the middle-aged man, Zhang Jing opened the letter.

"What?!"

With only a single glance, Zhang Jing's hand trembled, somewhat horrified:

"It was the Star-Plucking Tower Master who assassinated Your Majesty?!"

"What?"

Yue Chongtian's heart gave a jolt.

"The Star-Plucking Tower again!"

After reading the letter, Zhang Jing's expression turned rather ugly.

"Elder Zhang?"

"The imperial court has issued a notice to the realm: the assassin of Your Majesty is the Star-Plucking Tower Master. The court and countryside are shaken. The Star-Plucking Tower is wanted. All sects, large and small, upon receiving the order, must cooperate in exterminating every Star-Plucking Tower assassin…"

Zhang Jing's expression was not good. He swept a sidelong glance and saw that Yue Chongtian's expression was also not good:

"You don't mean…?"

"…Elder Zhang, you too?"

The two stared at each other, both falling silent, then tacitly skipped over the topic.

"The Star-Plucking Tower goes against the heavens; any man may punish them."

Zhang Jing said in a low voice: "It's just that our Sect Master has newly passed, and we lack the strength…"

Yue Chongtian nodded: "This disciple should also set off for Dragon Tiger Temple."

The two exchanged a glance, then each went their own way.