Chapter 250: Black Jade Qianshan Qilin, Dragon Walks Fiercely

"Wan Wan Zhuliu's disciple is coming..."

Inside the cabin, Chi Yan Fa Wang paced slowly, his expression subtle; suddenly he turned to look at Yu Yu Banzhou:

"If I recall correctly, Wan Wan Zhuliu has only one disciple? Is he not afraid that disciple will die on the road to Mount Hengshan?"

"Dragon King, you..."

Yu Yu Banzhou's heart gave a 'thump', and his face immediately turned somewhat pale.

What manner of man is the Zhenwu King?

Ranked twelfth on the Divine List, Zhenwu King Wan Wan Zhuliu sits at the top, an unshakable figure of the world for the past sixty years.

He is the only peerless figure of the current age whose hands have been stained with the blood of a Land Immortal.

"That is the Zhenwu King's disciple; he cannot be touched!"

"Nonsense!"

Chi Yan Fa Wang frowned and interrupted: "When did I ever say I intended to act against his disciple?"

"Then you?"

Yu Yu Banzhou breathed a sigh of relief, cold sweat sliding down his forehead.

Chi Yan Fa Wang clasped his hands behind his back and asked to himself: "The Zhenwu Hall still has three Vice Hall Masters who have not moved, yet Wan Wan Zhuliu specifically sent his own disciple out; what do you think, what is his intent?"

"This... this subordinate does not know..."

Yu Yu Banzhou shook his head; his understanding of this Zhenwu King was limited to legends and intelligence, how could he possibly fathom his thoughts?

"The Longhu Temple has dominated Mount Hengshan for over two thousand years; even if Wan Wan Zhuliu came himself, he might not gain the upper hand, so what use is sending a disciple?"

Chi Yan Fa Wang pondered for a long while, then asked:

"In these few months I have been away, has the Main Sect sent any messages?"

"The Main Sect has given no other instructions; however, this subordinate did inquire and heard that the Sect Master has gone to the coast of the East Sea again, and it is said that Bai Xiang Wang and Eagle King accompanied him..."

Yu Yu Banzhou replied.

"Going to seek that Spirit Turtle carrying the palace again?"

Chi Yan Fa Wang's expression was subtle: "He even brought people along; it seems, since the two divinations failed, the Sect Master is very angry."

"Dragon King, do you mean the Sect Master's journey this time is still to divine the master of the Split-Sea Profound Whale Hammer?"

Yu Yu Banzhou's heart stirred slightly.

"Naturally."

Chi Yan Fa Wang was somewhat playful: "In the world, the means to divine the Heavenly Fortune Profound Weapons are few, yet they are not non-existent; they are simply inaccurate."

"What exactly are the Heavenly Fortune Profound Weapons that even the Sect Master cannot calculate them?"

Seeing that Chi Yan Fa Wang seemed to be in a good mood, Yu Yu Banzhou asked cautiously.

It is widely rumored in the Jianghu that the most exquisite arts of divination in the world reside within the Divine Sect, and he deeply agreed.

Unlike the family techniques in the Jianghu, the divination in their sect is a ritual.

Rituals come from the gods; all sorts of rituals are merely appearances; behind the various incredible things that can be accomplished by performing rituals lies the power of the gods.

Things humans cannot calculate, the gods can.

"All things have spirit, and Heaven and Earth are the same; it is said that these twelve Heavenly Fortune Profound Weapons were nurtured by Heaven and Earth, containing the spirit of Heaven and Earth, thus possessing power that cannot be fathomed."

Chi Yan Fa Wang understood the Heavenly Fortune Profound Weapons quite deeply; he had once been only a hair's breadth away from mastering the Longhu Life-Nourishing Furnace.

But he did not say much, passing over it in one sentence:

"Since it concerns the Heavenly Fortune Profound Weapons, even if the Sect Master performs those several great sacrifices, he cannot calculate anything; but if the 'great sacrifice' is combined with that Spirit Turtle carrying the palace, it may not be so; that Spirit Turtle..."

Yu Yu Banzhou listened intently, but Chi Yan Fa Wang's voice had become so low he could not hear it; looking up, Chi Yan Fa Wang's palm was already on his shoulder.

Only the sound of a 'crack' was heard; Yu Yu Banzhou's face turned deathly pale, and his entire body's true qi poured out.

Chi Yan Fa Wang's flickering figure immediately stabilized considerably; he nodded in satisfaction:

"The Longhu Temple is not a kind place; that Qin Li Shixian must also know this, which is why he fled here... Hmm, do not approach Hengshan City; just transmit this message to the Zhenwu Hall; at that time, someone will naturally go to verify it!"

"Yes!"

Whoosh~

The autumn rain was light; under the blowing wind, it covered the Longhu mountain range, washing away the little remaining heat.

"Refreshing!"

Li Yuan's body shuddered; internal qi erupted, and the wind and rain all over the sky were shaken down outside.

He stepped forward, pushing with one hand to the left and embracing with the other to the right; visible air currents gathered before him; his arms moved as if a great spider were spinning a web, wrapping all the air currents of the entire courtyard within.

Bang!

He separated his hands, and the air currents immediately dispersed, carrying the wind and rain with them.

Li Yuan's movements were not violent, yet every gesture contained immense power; visible to the naked eye, the veins beneath his skin rose like dragons and snakes, forming a layer of iron armor covering his body.

As his tendons and bones expanded throughout his body, the 'whoosh' sound of blood flowing directly penetrated his body, and the sound of his internal qi projecting outward was like a wild wind howling.

"Crack~"

In an instant, a loud explosion sounded from within Li Yuan's body; following that, the fine and continuous sound of bone joints rubbing together merged into a single stream.

"The cultivation progress of the Ten Thousand Blades Spirit Dragon Body has improved significantly..."

Li Yuan slowly settled his stance; he extended both arms; without much effort, rows of scar-like textures resembling cuts from swords and blades appeared on his skin membrane.

Just like the Divine Foot Sutra, this external hardening supreme art is divided into seven levels; every time a level is broken through, additional textures resembling scars appear on the body.

"After entering the initial stage of the Dragon Zen Vajra Sutra, it can actually accelerate the progress of other external hardening Wu Gong; supreme arts created by Grand Masters are indeed extraordinary."

The autumn rain was dense; Li Yuan stood in the rain as if it had little effect on him.

After more than four months of arduous cultivation, mainly nourished by various pills, his internal Qi, though still not profound, could, through circulation, barely withstand wind and rain.

As long as he didn't fight, he felt he could stand in the rain all day without his clothes getting wet.

"Rainwater is fine, but if it were crossbow bolts? Probably not; the internal Qi consumed to block arrows is too great..."

Bathing in the autumn rain, Li Yuan was in high spirits.

Coming to Longhu Temple, aside from

Longhu Temple imposed no real constraints on inner sect disciples either; they received only one or two missions a year, and could even pay others to complete them. Beyond that, even if they shut themselves in every day, no one would care.

He had long grown accustomed to hammering iron, practicing Wu Gong, and meditating daily, even finding joy in it.

"With my current internal Qi, I can already attempt to open the meridians."

Li Yuan extended his hand, catching a few drops of rainwater.

Regarding the various hurdles of meridian cultivation, he was already familiar with them beyond familiarity.

Opening the meridians does not refer to the body's natural channels; rather, based on the dual major circulations of blood and internal force, it delves deep into the physique, sketching out incredibly complex meridian networks among the bones, tendons, skin, flesh, and all four limbs and hundred bones.

Only when the meridian network is perfected is the opening of the meridians considered complete.

Many supreme secret transmissions and killing moves within peerless arts often require reaching this stage to unleash their true power.

For instance, the Divine Foot Sutra, with the foot meridians fully established, can increase speed by another three-tenths when circulating and exploding; the killing moves of the Battle-Hammer, and even the Dragon Zen Vajra Stance and the cultivation of the Ten Thousand Blades Spirit Dragon Body, all require involvement with the Qi meridians.

"Realm is very important; Old Han could fight and kill a master who had perfected the opening of the meridians when he transformed his form back then, but the peerless art was only considered complete once the meridians were opened..."

Li Yuan closed his eyes slightly.

Over the past four months, the Divine Observation Meditation had not broken through, but nourished by the Black Whale Qi, his spiritual power had surged many times over; even without the enhancement of the Five-Step Spirit Snake Skin Belt, he could already achieve a certain degree of internal vision.

Combined with the spiritual enhancement of his Palm Command, the internal vision was quite clear.

Beneath the skin membrane lay two complex circulation networks; blood and internal force, with the waist, abdomen, and heart as their cores, wove and flowed through, resembling two layers of inner armor protecting the bones, tendons, and organs.

"The construction of the Qi meridians relates to the Wu Gong one has learned. To construct my Qi meridians, I have two choices: first, the Hundred Beasts Thunder Dragon; second, the Dragon Zen Vajra Sutra."

Li Yuan muttered to himself.

The Qi meridians need perfection, but not the more perfect the better; the more complex the Qi meridians, the more internal Qi is required as support, thus most

martial artists have a focus.

For example, the Hundred Beasts Thunder Dragon focuses on the spine, while the Battle-Hammer focuses on the two arms and the waist-abdomen.

"Logically, the more complete the Qi meridians, the more Wu Gong one can master..."

Li Yuan made a decision in his heart.

With the Command of Weapons Talisman in hand, it was already destined that he could not specialize in a single Wu Gong; whether it was the Hundred Beasts Thunder Dragon or the Dragon Zen Vajra Sutra, at the very least, he must leave room for the 'Splitting Sea Black Whale Map'.

Under these circumstances, he naturally felt the more comprehensive the better.

"Hmm, more complete is better; otherwise, I always feel there are loopholes... As for the specifics, I still need to ask someone. Alas, my cheap master hasn't emerged from seclusion yet."

Li Yuan stood in the rain for most of the night, practicing various Wu Gong and stances many times over, but not a single clap of thunder came.

"Practicing the Tiger-Leopard Thunder Sound is too troublesome... Perhaps I'll have to make a trip to the 'Health Preservation Mi Jing'."

When Li Yuan opened his eyes, the night rain had stopped, and the horizon was turning fish-belly white.

Hoo~

With a slight shake, he dispersed the dampness all over his body. Li Yuan returned to his room for a nap, and before the sky fully brightened, he put on his clothes, rose, and skillfully prepared food.

On the very day he emerged from the Health Preservation Mi Jing, Li Yuan went to the Internal Affairs Hall and bought back his entire annual quota of three hundred jin of Spirit Rice.

One jin of Spirit Rice cost one tael of gold; the price of Spirit Rice was very high, but Li Yuan felt it was worth the money. The medicinal power of Spirit Rice was rich and gentle, and one could eat a lot of it.

It indirectly increased his Wu Gong progress.

"Squeak~"

Before the roasted corn even left the pot, a little mouse had already poked its head out of a hole in the wall inside the room, drool 'drip-drip-dripping' onto the floor.

On the windowsill, the 'Cat Ancestor' looked at it with disdain, yet couldn't help but look over too, licking its lips in a human-like manner; the scent of the Spirit Rice was too intense.

"Come, taste it all."

In a good mood, Daoist Li took out two small bowls, filled them halfway, and gave one to the cat and one to the mouse.

The little mouse couldn't wait, wishing to dive straight into the bowl, while the little tiger cub merely glanced at him before slowly savoring it.

"Truly a good thing."

Li Yuan squatted outside the door; the Spirit Rice was sweet and delicious, needing no side dishes. After finishing a bowl, warmth spread throughout his body.

"Squeak-squeak~"

The little mouse ate until its belly was round, yet still looked at him expectantly.

"Greedy."

Li Yuan tapped it, then put away the remaining Spirit Rice. The temptation of the Spirit Rice was too great; he feared that if he wasn't careful, this little fellow would eat itself to death.

"Watch the house well."

After giving that instruction, Li Yuan pulled two weapons from the pile of arms stacked in the courtyard and, carrying them, walked toward Pure Vajra Peak.

"Junior Uncle Li has arrived."

"Junior Uncle, is my Autumn Water Sword repaired?"

"Junior Uncle, here is the iron material you needed..."

At Pure Vajra Peak, Li Yuan's forging platform was already surrounded by many people; most were disciples of the Pure Vajra Division coming to observe him hammering iron, while a few had come to have weapons forged or repaired by him.

Li Yuan smiled and responded to each one, refusing no one, and accepted more than a dozen weapons of various types.

There are no weaklings among the inner sect disciples of Longhu; looking at the Palm Command effects of these inner sect disciples' weapons, they were all supreme secret transmissions, even peerless arts.

Covering the twelve divisions of the Dragon Chant and Chaos Heaven Halls.

Clang!

After a casual greeting, Li Yuan immersed himself in smithing.

Over these four months, his attainment in the art of weapon-forging had risen further; though still a touch less seasoned than Old Lei, he was already a master-grade weaponsmith.

The several famed weapons and superior famed weapons he had forged in succession were all fine quality among their grade—otherwise, giving them away free wouldn't have drawn so many people.

Before the forging platform, the flames blazed.

Li Yuan calmed his mind and smithed, repairing all manner of blades. His stamina was abundant, his skill high, and with the added blessing of seven forging hammers of various grades, his motions were fluid and extremely swift.

By day's end, he had not only repaired six or seven weapons

and blades, but had also finished tempering the rare iron stock he had collected.

"Huff!"

As the sun tilted west, Li Yuan slowly set down his forging hammer. Fine beads of sweat instantly welled out all over his body; the medicinal pills and spirit rice he had taken during the day were also fully digested.

"Soldier-Path Battle-Slaughter Hammer, Ancient Elephant Six-Forms Hammer, oh, and the Astonishing Dragon Hammer Art of the Wan Chuan lineage of the Seven Star Palace? To fuse so many hammer arts in one furnace and wield them at will—Junior Brother Li, your talent is truly outstanding!"

Li Yuan wiped his sweat, looked up, and saw the speaker standing outside the forging yard.

'This fellow is really showy!'

Seeing that person's—

The speaker was extremely tall and broad, at least over two meters, his build even and elongated. Pitch-black armor sheathed his body, and even from over a hundred meters away one could feel the burning intensity of his gaze.

Beneath the dusk, he was dazzling as a torch.

"How should this senior brother be addressed?"

Li Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly, but had already guessed the newcomer's identity in his heart.

"Long Long Xinglie."

The tall youth walked over slowly, still sizing up Li Yuan:

"Fusing parts of the Long Chan Vajra Stake into your smithing—smithing as cultivation—Junior Brother Li is diligent indeed."

Dragon Tiger Dao Child, Long Long Xinglie!

This was Li Yuan's—

【Ink Jade Qianshan Qilin Armor (Grade Seven)】

【…A divine armor forged from the 'Thunder-Fire Strange Iron' of the Wind-Thunder Valley, mingled with the bone, flesh, and hide of an Ink Jade Qianshan Qilin. It has been tempered by thunder and fire for a thousand years and nurtured for a century by several Weida Sect-grade martial artists, and has already developed spiritual anomalies…】

【Wielding Requirements: Qianshan Qilin Body, Thirteen Spirit-Form Body, Absolute-Learning-Grade Horizontal Training to Great Completion】

【Wielding Effects: Grade Seven (Pale Gold): Auspicious Beast Qianshan Qilin, Thunderous Might

Grade Six (Yellow): Horizontal Training Talent, Thunder-Fire Immunity, Qianshan Qilin Body】

A divine-weapon-grade armor!

The dazzling Jin Guang left Li Yuan slightly dazed, but he quickly recovered and cupped his hands in salute:

"Li Yuan greets Senior Brother."

Dragon Tiger Monastery produces one generation every sixty years, with only six True Disciples per generation. The status of a True Disciple within the sect is no less than that of a Tangfutang vice hall master, and this one, hailed as the invincible champion of his sixty-year cycle—

his standing was not beneath that of the hall masters of the Jiudatang of Dragon Tiger!