Chapter 243: Cave Heaven and Blessed Land

??? Li Yuan's body shuddered; the table before him cracked in two with a 'Crack!', his face full of shock.

On the way to Hengshan City, he had guessed more than once where that legendary Dragon-Tiger Nourishing Furnace might be, yet he never expected...

"You?"

Qiu Qiu Changying was somewhat surprised; following his gaze, she saw only the carriage roof.

"... My neck is a bit stiff."

Li Yuan pressed his nape, closed the Juan Sect scroll in his hand, and casually lifted the carriage curtain.

Longhu Temple is half within the city and half on the mountain; now the carriage entered through the mountain gate. This was a wide, straight road leading directly to the foot of Long Mountain, with various buildings and houses lining both sides.

And that streak of dark light came precisely from Long Mountain.

"What is that?"

The driver was a middle-aged man; when Li Yuan lifted the carriage curtain, he reined in the carriage. Seeing him look toward Long Mountain, he smiled and replied:

"To report to Junior Uncle, that is the Longhu Inner Gate."

As he spoke, he jumped down from the carriage: "Between Long and Tiger Mountains, aside from Inner Gate disciples, ordinary disciples may not enter without permission, and carriages may only stop here."

Not far away, at the foot of Long Mountain stood a pavilion where several disciples were conversing and drinking tea. Serving as a boundary, most passing carriages did not go beyond this pavilion.

"The Inner Gate?"

Li Yuan stepped down from the carriage, made no attempt to conceal himself, and curiously surveyed this legendary Long Mountain. The descendant of the flood dragon ridden by Dragon Seal Monk resided within this mountain.

Viewing from afar differs from observing at close range; here, Li Yuan could faintly perceive an aura similar to the Dark Whale Qi, thin and ethereal.

However, over this past year, he had been exposed to Dark Whale Qi almost daily, and given that the dark light was so glaring, he certainly would not mistake it.

'The entire Long Mountain, perhaps even including that Tiger Mountain, lies within the Dragon-Tiger Nourishing Furnace!'

Though separated by a great distance, Li Yuan was almost certain in his heart, and for a moment he was inevitably shaken.

Countless martial artists pursued the Heaven's Luck Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing; mere suspicion forced the Divine Weapon Valley to relocate, nearly wiping out their entire clan, yet the Dragon-Tiger Nourishing Furnace stands here so brazenly?

"Junior Brother."

At this moment, Yan Sansheng also approached, handing over a token:

"This is your token; you will need it for entering and exiting the Inner Gate in the future. Without this token, unauthorized entry into the Inner Gate is a grave crime. Junior Brother, remember this!"

"Thank you, Senior Brother Yan."

Li Yuan took the token; its material differed little from Gong Gong Jiuchuan's previous one, and it was engraved with the character 'Li'.

"It was merely a small favor."

Yan Sansheng smiled, but glanced at the driving disciple: "Old Six, take this..."

"To report to Elder, disciple Qiu Qiu Changying."

"Hmm, take this Junior Sister to register and record her details, following the path recommended by your Junior Uncle Li."

Yan Sansheng instructed.

"Yes!"

That disciple responded with a sound, clasped his hands in salute, Qiu Qiu Changying handed the Juan Sect scroll to Li Yuan, and departed with that disciple.

"Trouble you, Senior Brother Yan."

Li Yuan knew Yan Sansheng was intentionally showing goodwill, but he would not therefore adopt an aloof attitude; he still clasped his hands to express thanks.

"Junior Brother is too formal."

Yan Sansheng's smile grew warmer: "Speaking of which, given Junior Brother's talent, joining the sect should have been a major event. Alas, the Dao Lord and Tiger Lord led the various Hall Masters down the mountain, and since Junior Uncle Long is in seclusion, no one dares disturb him, so..."

Li Yuan's heart stirred slightly; suppressing his curiosity about the Nourishing Furnace, he asked:

"Could it be that incident in the Imperial Capital?"

He had always remembered the Star-Picking Pavilion Master's assassination of the king and attack on the imperial carriage; after all, although he had accepted not a single mission, his relationship with the Star-Picking Pavilion had already become very deep.

Not to mention that eldest brother Li Yue, who had been away for several years, and Old Han and Lord Master Gongyang Yu had long since joined the Star-Picking Pavilion, serving as Gold-Rank Assassins.

"The Star-Picking Pavilion's conduct is far too fierce; repeatedly assassinating kings and attacking imperial carriages. Even a clay figure has three parts of anger, let alone the ruler of a nation?"

Yan Sansheng did not conceal it; mainly, this matter had already spread widely, known not only across the various Daozhou regions but even to sects at the prefecture and commandery levels.

However, what he knew was naturally more detailed.

As the two walked slowly toward the Inner Gate, Yan Sansheng recounted the details.

From the Zhenwu King emerging from seclusion, the Star-Picking Pavilion Master appearing in the Imperial Capital... up to his severe injury and retreat into hiding.

In sequence, it actually involved four Earth Immortals.

The Zhenwu King, the Xieshen Sect Master, and the Hermit Shen Shen Qisheng were all Grand Masters listed on the Divine List; the Zhenwu King was moreover the number one person under heaven, unchanged for decades.

"Fought three Grand Masters in sequence, yet still managed to retreat?"

Li Yuan couldn't help but gasp inwardly; he remembered that in Jianghu rumors, that Zhenwu King wielded the 'Subduing Demons Dragon God Blade'.

"As it concerns Earth Immortals, no one knows exactly how it unfolded."

Yan Sansheng shook his head:

"But that Star-Picking Pavilion Master is also an unparalleled genius; it is said her attainment in the Dragon Demon Heart Sutra rivals that of the Dragon Demon Daoist of years past, and her Wu Gong has long reached a realm of divine mastery."

Yan Sansheng felt some longing, yet also sighed.

His talent was excellent; in years past he had also made a name for himself across the various prefectures, but after refining his marrow, he had made no progress for many years, and even blood replacement remained far off; regarding Grand Masters, he could only feel reverence.

"Rivals the Dragon Demon Daoist?"

That evaluation was extremely high; Li Yuan's mind turned, recalling that the Dragon Demon Daoist was suspected to be the only martial artist in history to have changed ten thousand forms, a legend among legends.

"Elder Yan."

While the two conversed, they arrived beside the pavilion; those several disciples immediately rose to pay respects, their glances constantly sweeping over Li Yuan as they routinely checked his waist token.

Here, Li Yuan's perception was very strong.

Taking this pavilion as the limit, the areas before and behind were almost two different worlds; this Shan Xuan Bing Mi Jing of the Dragon-Tiger Nourishing Furnace covered both Long and Tiger Mountains...

"Truly a grand gesture."

Since arriving at Dragon Tiger Temple, Li Yuan felt his horizons had been broadened considerably—the Divine Weapon-grade mountain gate ahead, the Shan Xuan Bing Mi Jing encompassing the mountain range behind.

From these two points alone, one could see the breadth of spirit of the two supreme Grand Masters who founded Dragon Tiger Temple.

"Mm?"

Taking back his waist token, Yan Yan Sanxing was about to call Li Yuan up the mountain, when suddenly his heart skipped a beat and he looked up toward the mountain.

He saw, along the mountain path, a group of more than ten people descending in formation—some monks, some Daoists, and not a few wearing Daoist robes but with shaved heads, looking very strange.

Li Yuan's attention was also drawn—the leading great Monk was truly eye-catching.

He was broad as a wall, nearly nine feet tall; even a wide Wujin kasaya could not cover his burly, powerful frame, and one could see his skin was full and lustrous, the color like aged ivory.

Warm and heavy.

"Junior Brother Douyue!"

Seeing this great Monk, Yan Yan Sanxing was slightly startled, and the disciples at the foot of the mountain also paid their respects one after another.

Monk Douyue, one of the two vice hall masters of Huntian Hall, the third personal disciple of Great Dragon Hall Master Long Xi Xiang…

"Senior Brother Douyue!"

Li Yuan bowed, slightly startled in his heart.

This great Monk's skin and frame clearly showed he had cultivated the Long Chan Diamond Sutra to an extremely high realm, and had also practiced multiple Body-Hardening arts.

Just standing before him gave a feeling of an imminent mountain collapse, forcing him to raise his spirit.

"Li Yuan."

The great Monk was tall and burly, but his voice was very gentle. He sized up Li Yuan and nodded:

"Although Master didn't give instructions before entering closed-door cultivation, he most likely forgot… I've come to receive you into the sect."

"All matters for Junior Brother Li's entry have been properly arranged."

Yan Yan Sanxing spoke up. He was somewhat in awe of this great Monk, but having entered the sect earlier and having no past grudges, he said with a smile.

"Many thanks, Senior Brother Yan."

Monk Douyue was very courteous, cupping his hands in thanks, before turning back toward the mountain.

Li Yuan glanced at Yan Yan Sanxing; the latter smiled and nodded, and only then did Li Yuan slowly follow.

Before the cool pavilion lay large tracts of buildings, disciples' residences, martial practice grounds, and so on in abundance, while the mountain path was quiet and secluded, with only faint glimpses of temples among the trees.

Hum~

With one step across, Li Yuan truly felt it—a sensation similar to his previous entries and exits of the Shan Xuan Jing Mi Jing—and at the same time, he sensed a faint, elusive ripple.

"After Master clashed across the void with that traitor, he recalled the events of those years, and was so vexed he vomited blood."

On the mountain path, Monk Douyue said softly: "Sometimes, it's actually better for a person to be forgetful. The better the memory, the more worries; the more worries, the shorter the life."

"Uh…"

Li Yuan, who had not yet formally taken a master, gave a wry smile and consciously held his tongue. This great Monk's aura was so heavy he couldn't quite read him.

"I once studied the Long Chan Diamond Sutra. Although I later abandoned it, I still have some insights. If there's anything you don't understand, you may come ask me."

Monk Douyue paid no heed to whether Li Yuan responded or not, continuing to speak on his own.

"Thank you, Senior Brother."

Li Yuan thanked him, his peripheral gaze still surveying his surroundings, his heart truly somewhat shocked.

This Yangsheng Furnace's Mi Jing is somewhat similar to that of the Splitting Sea Shan Xuan Jing Hammer, yet also greatly different. Long Mountain is a real, existing mountain,

and this Mi Jing is rooted in the mountain range, like a hazy mist enveloping it—existing, yet seeming not to exist.

He very much wanted to stop and study it carefully, but the moment was clearly not right, so he could only follow Monk Douyue, walking up the mountain.

Long Mountain was vast, and it was not one mountain but a range, far larger than what he had seen from the city.

From the foot of the mountain to the summit, there were countless temples. Occasionally brushing past people, Li Yuan could sense intense incense offerings, and even detected fifth-tier incense!

"It has nothing to do with the Xieshen Sect, but the incense is real!"

Li Yuan felt the illusion of a mouse stumbling into a rice jar—incense, a Yangsheng Furnace, Divine Weapon supreme arts—his heart churning with stray thoughts for a moment.

The Dragon Tiger Yangsheng Furnace was one thing; he was more curious than covetous. But incense—he truly lacked it.

"In our temple, disciples are divided into menial workers, outer disciples, inner disciples, and true disciples. Among them, there are only six true disciples… Mm, I once was one. After Marrow Exchange, I came to Huntian Hall and became a vice hall master."

Marrow Exchange!

Li Yuan immediately came back to himself—the Dragon Tiger Huntian Hammer was right in Huntian Hall.

"Mm, these thirteen peaks all belong to Huntian Hall. You may build yourself a courtyard among them, or you may ask someone to help."

Monk Douyue paused on the mountain path and pointed to the left.

Thirteen peaks, each like a sword, straight and graceful; in the valleys between them were all manner of plants and trees, and even farmland?

"Many thanks for Senior Brother's instruction; this junior brother will keep it firmly in mind."

"Mm."

Monk Douyue nodded.

Having gone only a few steps down the left-side mountain path, Li Yuan suddenly stopped and looked at a familiar stone tablet among the dense trees.

The stone tablet was grayish-white, over ten meters tall, standing at a fork in the mountain path. At its highest point, two characters were clearly visible: "Dragon List."

"First on the Dragon List: Long Long Xinglie, Marrow Exchange Great Completion!"