Chapter 270: Hand Sound, Heavenly Sound, Advancement

For a full day, Li Yuan did not leave the house, huddled inside, repeatedly attempting and exploring this new talisman.

"Hoo!"

Li Yuan rubbed his wrist; a thick stack of paper had already accumulated on the table, filled with various messages.

After his spiritual power increased, his memory surged greatly, but naturally, writing it down was still safer.

"The value of Listening Sound is related to the people and things involved in the message; the higher the status, the higher the Wu Gong, the higher the value."

"The Listening Sound Talisman has great randomness, but the sounds heard come from within a certain range centered on me; this range seems to grow larger the more incense is used..."

"Seeking the obscure and exploring the mysterious, listening to the sounds of all things; what I can listen to is not limited to humans, not even limited to living beings?"

"The medium needed for Listening Sound is a rare treasure, not limited to incense; it's just that currently, I only have incense..."

After storing the written messages into the Hand of Soldiers space, under the oil lamp, Li Yuan rubbed his temples, his face thoughtful, summarizing the patterns.

He had no mind to explore the principle of the Hand Sound Talisman for now, but as he recalled and pondered, he suddenly thought of the Xieshen Sect.

"Could the divination of that Xieshen Sect be based on a similar principle? Incense sacrifice, Xieshen guidance?"

Li Yuan guessed in his heart; after a long while, he let out a long breath, closed his eyes slightly, and entered the Hand of Soldiers space again.

On the wooden talisman with sheep-skin patterns, a faint Bai Guang glowed; within the Bai Guang, a trace of blue was faintly visible:

"Listening to First Realm sounds two hundred times, the Hand Sound Talisman can advance."

The advancement of the Hand Sound Talisman was far more intuitive than the Hand of Soldiers Talisman, appearing much simpler; one only needed to continuously listen to the sounds of heaven and earth to advance.

In less than a single day, the Hand Sound Talisman could already advance.

"The Heavenly Sound, which can be heard only once every ten years, should theoretically be used as early as possible; only after use does the cooldown begin..."

Li Yuan hesitated little; before the Hand Sound Talisman advanced, he naturally had to use this opportunity.

What if the cooldown reset after advancement?

"Use it!"

Li Yuan was very decisive; with a thought, he had already chosen to activate this opportunity to listen to the sounds of heaven and earth.

Buzz!

Light burst forth from the wooden talisman.

Li Yuan offered no resistance, allowing that light to envelop him; a tremulous roar, from who knew where, exploded within his heart.

In an instant, he felt his sea of spirit churn; countless kinds of noise intertwined and transformed within his mind, extremely noisy.

At first, Li Yuan still wanted to resist, but the instant that noise sounded, that thought vanished.

Too loud.

In just a moment, Daoist Li felt as if he were about to explode.

Boom!

One instant later, the countless noises vanished; before Li Yuan could regain his senses, a massive, surging force suddenly pushed him upward.

Buzz!

Li Yuan unconsciously jumped out; he stared around in shock, seeing only his physical body still sitting under the oil lamp,

while he himself, like a leaf swept up by a gale, drifted helplessly beyond the clouds.

Houses, bamboo forests, hills, mountain peaks...

Shooting straight up into the clouds in an instant, the violent transformation of light and shadow around him made Li Yuan feel somewhat dizzy.

"Spirit and soul separated from the body?"

This thought popped into Li Yuan's mind.

For the Dachengzhi Sect realm of Blood Replacement, the first step is spirit and soul separated from the body!

Countless Zhun Sect masters throughout history had been trapped and died at this step, yet he had actually achieved it?

Li Yuan was both surprised and delighted, but before the thought in his heart could flash by, the next instant, the light and shadow around ceased flowing.

Li Yuan looked around; he seemed truly transformed into a cold wind, drifting among a range of hills; occasionally birds brushed past him, yet none detected his presence.

"What place is this?"

As Li Yuan pondered in his heart with confusion, suddenly he was startled; he looked up and saw, amidst churning clouds and mist,

a dragon head, ferocious and vicious, yet somewhat majestic and sacred, poking out!

A green dragon soared within the clouds.

"?! "

This green-black giant dragon was nearly a hundred meters long; its scales were like the finest armor, emitting a cold hue.

Yet Li Yuan saw a trace of crimson red!

【Cangqing Qiu Dragon Armor (Ninth Realm)】

【???】

【???】

Ninth Realm divine armor!

Li Yuan, existing in some unknown state, stared in shock; yet the scene that followed next shook his heart even more.

"Ao!"

In the clouds, the green dragon let out a long cry; its sound shook Master Master Baili after Master Master Baili; the sea of clouds was torn apart by the sound waves, echoing extremely far.

Then, the green dragon dove, like a green lightning bolt; in a flash, it had traversed a hundred li of land,

transforming into a middle-aged man clad in green armor, with a tall and slender physique.

That middle-aged man wore a purple-gold crown, standing with hands at his sides atop the mountain peaks; his body was mighty and powerful; every inch of muscle and bone line seemed born specifically for battle.

Cold and powerful.

From an unknown distance, Li Yuan felt his spirit tremble.

Man transforms into dragon, dragon transforms into man!

Even though Old Han had long spoken of it, that a Grandmaster of the Blood-Refinement Perfection can transform into a spiritual beast, the shock of witnessing it firsthand was evidently far greater.

Especially this middle-aged man; a hundred-meter-long dragon one instant, the next, he had already transformed into human form.

"Who is this person?"

As the thought flashed through Li Yuan's mind, he heard the middle-aged man's name.

Amidst the clouds, firelight flickered; a spiritual bird, wreathed in flames and resembling an eagle or a crane, flew in with wings beating:

"Brother Chi Zhuiyang arrives quite early!"

The spiritual bird descended from the clouds, transforming into a young man in white robes with a handsome face.

Chi Zhuiyang?

Chi Chi Zhuiyang!

Li Yuan's heart jolted; he was not unfamiliar with this name. On the Heroes List of Yunshu Tower, this person ranked second.

The most supreme powerhouse beneath the Earthly Immortal, merely a hair's breadth away from the Grandmaster realm.

"Second on the Heroes List, Chi Chi Zhuiyang, Cangqing Qiu Dragon Armor... Supreme Grandmaster, Supreme-grade Divine Armor..."

Li Yuan felt somewhat dazed; he discovered he had also drifted to that mountain peak, not far from Chi Chi Zhuiyang, yet the latter noticed nothing.

He breathed a sigh of relief, then turned his gaze to that jade-like handsome young man in white.

"Murong Qing!"

One who could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Chi Chi Zhuiyang was evidently no ordinary person.

Murong Qing, the fifth on the Heroes List; though he wore no Divine Armor, the Divine Sword he held was, in fact, also a Supreme-grade Divine Weapon:

【Divine Fire Phoenix-Form Sword (Ninth Tier)】

"These two..."

Li Yuan was somewhat astonished; this listening heavenly sound actually involved two Supreme Grandmasters?

And somewhat curious, what did these two intend by gathering together...

"Master Qin Shi has been silent for over a year; even if not dead, he is likely severely injured!"

Chi Chi Zhuiyang's gaze was deep and dark.

"The Star-Picking Tower dispatched twelve 'Heaven' assassins to assassinate the border governors across the imperial court; the Jingping Bureau has mobilized in force..."

Murong Qing added a sentence.

"Inside the Star-Picking Tower, it must be empty! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"

"Only by obtaining the Eight Directions Tower can we break free from all this..."

The two Supreme Grandmasters exchanged a glance; their gazes were like solid matter, making Li Yuan feel somewhat blinded; the aura of these two was too terrifying.

"Old Dragon Head, in his prime, was fifth on the Heroes List; these two..."

Li Yuan focused, listening to the two's conversation; his thoughts scattered, yet he felt some surprise and doubt: did these two intend to strike the Star-Picking Tower?

"Calculating the time, it is about right."

On the mountain peak, the two paused for a moment; Chi Chi Zhuiyang murmured to himself, then Yu Yu Xuanji stepped forward.

Murong Qing smiled slightly, then stepped toward the cliff.

Buzz~

Li Yuan instinctively drifted along, feeling as though he had penetrated a thin, almost imperceptible film.

Then, the mountains and sea of clouds before his eyes vanished entirely, replaced by an endless expanse of land.

And a Gao Ta towering upon the land, so magnificent it seemed impossible for this era.

Piercing the earth to reach the heavens!

Li Yuan looked up; this tower was hundreds or thousands of stories high; he could not see its end in a single glance, seeing only ancient characters on the tower body as large as mountains.

And that blindingly bright dark radiance; this was, in fact, a Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing:

【Eight Directions Tower (Eleventh Tier)】

【???】

【???】

Good heavens!

Supreme Grandmaster, Divine Sword, Divine Armor, Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing; seeing so many things in such a short moment, Li Yuan felt somewhat dazzled and bewildered.

"The Eight Directions Tower!"

Gazing up at the Gao Ta, Chi Chi Zhuiyang murmured to himself, a startling light flashing in his eyes:

"With Master Qin Shi absent, today, who can stop me?!"

Crack!

Like thunder falling within the mountains.

Chi Chi Zhuiyang took a step, transforming into a hundred-meter-long dragon; while emitting a thunderous dragon roar, he lunged toward the location of the Eight Directions Temple.

Murong Qing smiled, pressed his hand to his sword, and walked forward.

"These two..."

Before Li Yuan could regain his senses, he heard thunder echoing everywhere; it was a barrage of giant arrows shooting forth from the ground!

The giant arrows pierced the air, enveloping Chi Chi Zhuiyang; beneath the Eight Directions Tower, figures appeared one by one, some ascending the sky, some letting out long roars.

They met the attacking Chi Chi Zhuiyang and Murong Qing.

"Chi Chi Zhuiyang, Murong Qing! You two traitors, dare you come to the Star-Picking Tower to act recklessly?!"

Crack~

Accompanied by a roar, the scene before him shattered completely; the cries of battle, the sounds of clashing, and the figures of those fighting vanished instantly.

Li Yuan drifted away involuntarily; in a fleeting glance, he saw dozens of Zhaixing Lou assassins wearing masks.

'That ghost mask...'

Buzz!

In that fleeting glance, Li Yuan had already come to his senses; he gasped for air, feeling as though he were drowning.

'It wasn't an illusion; after my spirit soul left my body just now, my breathing stopped... If my breath hadn't been so long, I might have suffocated?'

After panting for a while, Li Yuan sensed the Wooden Talisman and heard that dull, rigid voice:

【Beneath the Eight Directions Tower, the battle is fierce, fighting over a Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing...】

【Within the Eight Directions Tower, there seems to be a world-shocking great secret...】

【The Eight Directions Tower seems to favor those who possess multiple forms, especially at the hour of Zi on the eighth day of the eighth lunar month each year...】

【Ten Thousand Beasts Sit in Forgetfulness, Dragon Demon Heart Sutra...】

The characters on the Wooden Talisman flowed like water; ordinary information was only one line, but this Heavenly Sound Listening was Shi Shi Zuzu over a thousand characters long.

Li Yuan initially recited it silently, then decisively took out paper and brush, recording it quickly.

After a while, the voice vanished, and Li Yuan had finished writing the last character.

"Hah!"

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Li Yuan shook the paper with ink still wet; his writing was very messy, but it did not hinder reading.

On it were the key points he had summarized.

'The Eight Directions Tower is in Zhaixing Lou; the Master of Zhaixing Lou is named Qin Li Shixian... Chi Chi Zhuiyang and the other two covet the Eight Directions Tower; someone angrily denounced those two as traitors...'

'The Dragon Demon Heart Sutra seems to be in the Eight Directions Tower; what great secret does this Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing contain? Riddle people, right?'

'This tower tends to favor those who possess Yi Duo Xing...'

Li Yuan put down the paper, his brows slightly furrowed; in that fleeting glance, he hadn't seen much, but it seemed...

'Old Han won't be there too, will he?'

The more Li Yuan thought about it, the more likely it seemed; the letter left by Han Han Chuijun had implicitly mentioned he was going to seek the Dragon Demon Heart Sutra.

Since this peerless Mo Gong was in the Eight Directions Tower, then Old Han was naturally very likely there too...

'Zhaixing Lou is after all the number one assassin organization under heaven; even if it is empty... Chi Chi Zhuiyang and the other two's target is the Eight Directions Tower, so there shouldn't be any problem.'

Li Yuan felt somewhat worried in his heart.

'Old Han isn't a fool; there shouldn't, there shouldn't be any problem, right?'

Li Yuan rubbed his face; the information contained in this Heavenly Sound was too much, and he vaguely felt this news was very important to him:

'The eighth day of the eighth month, this time point...'

After recording all the key points, Li Yuan put away the paper only after a while; by then, his spirit was already very exhausted.

But he still forced himself to sense the Palm Sound Talisman:

'Promote!'

Buzz!

Accompanied by a buzzing sound, Li Yuan heard that loud boom again.

The promotion of the Palm Sound Talisman was no different from the Palm Weapon Talisman; after a few breaths, the promotion was already complete:

【Second-Rank Palm Sound Talisman】

【Number of Heavenly Sounds that can be listened to: Once every five years (Available)】

【Unlocked: Listening Talisman (Second-Rank)】

【Listen to Second-Rank Sounds two hundred times to promote to Third-Rank】

'Once every ten years became once every five years... Reset the cooldown? Good, luckily I used it early, otherwise I would have wasted an opportunity.'

Li Yuan relaxed in his heart, didn't bother to sense what changes occurred after the Palm Sound Talisman promoted to Second-Rank, and fell asleep immediately.

This sleep, Li Yuan slept very long; when he woke, the sun was already high.

He stretched his muscles and bones, discovering his spiritual power had increased significantly; was it because his spirit soul had left his body?

'The stage of spirit soul leaving the body, I have passed it early?'

Li Yuan turned the thought in his heart; this counted as an unexpected joy.

'Eight Directions Tower, Zhaixing Lou...'

Sitting on the bed, he recalled the sights seen while listening to the Heavenly Sound to deepen his memory, feeling somewhat moved in his heart.

The impact of the Zhaixing Lou Master assassinating the king and attacking the throne was still spreading and had already reached Zhaixing Lou.

'The impact of this matter is huge; no wonder the Dao Masters and Hall Masters haven't returned for so long; the furious imperial court is also terrifying.'

Li Yuan stood up.

For a long time, he had no impression of the imperial court, mainly because its presence was not high.

But as the common ruler of the world, even nominally, the imperial court's power was still above the Dao Sects; in other words,

'The imperial court is the number one sect under heaven, right?'

Sighing in his heart, Li Yuan pushed open the door; the little mouse 'squeaked' and pounced over; it had been hung up for half a day yesterday.

'...'

Li Yuan then remembered, hurriedly apologized, comforted it, and took out a top-grade Yuan-Returning Pill as compensation.

'Hasn't that little tiger cub returned yet?'

Putting down the little mouse, Li Yuan frowned slightly; in the two hundred listening sessions yesterday, many mentioned Hundred Beasts Mountain.

It was said that Hundred Beasts Mountain had been quite turbulent lately...

'Could it be this little one?'

A thought sprang to Li Yuan's mind; the more he thought, the more likely it seemed. Though the tiger cub was small, its strength was no weak thing.

He glanced at the little rat; the latter darted back into the wall hole in a flash. A moment later, it burst out again, furious and chattering wildly.

"..."

Li Yuan closed the courtyard gate, took the hammer in hand, and headed for Pure Yang Peak.