Chapter 287: Long Long Yingchan

"The Eight Directions Temple..."

The Daoist holding the black stones followed the old monk's gaze; the sea of clouds churned, the strong wind howled, and as far as the eye could see, only four great suns hung high in the sky, radiating brilliance, seemingly unchanged since ancient times.

Mentioning this place, Nie Xianshan felt a stir in his heart.

The Eight Directions Temple exists only in legend; it is said that over thousands of years it has appeared only a few times, and each time it brought upheaval to heaven and earth, while simultaneously birthing countless opportunities.

From ancient times to the present, the few existing 'Supreme Grand Masters' are all connected to the Eight Directions Temple.

What he missed most were the divine weapons; in legend, all twelve of the Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing are also connected to the Eight Directions Temple.

"I heard Di Qian once entered the Eight Directions Temple and found the Sea-Calming Divine Turtle Shell within?"

Nie Xianshan hesitated, unable to decide where to place his stone.

"Shen Shen Qisheng is not easily deceived; since he has joined the imperial court, it is likely true."

The old monk urged him to place his stone, withdrew his gaze, and his expression was subtle: "Previously, that spiritual turtle on the coast of the Eastern Sea might have come from the Eight Directions Temple."

"That spiritual turtle..."

Nie Xianshan's face filled with disgust: "That beast is more troublesome than those few Beast Gods, yet I do not know how it came to see eye to eye with the Xieshen Sect; truly..."

"It is nothing more than a sacrifice."

Long Long Xinglie pinched the two white eyebrows hanging down to his chin:

"Speaking of which, the ten-year pact we made with that spiritual turtle will be up in just these few years."

"Perhaps three years."

Nie Xianshan added.

The palace-carrying turtle falling from the sky to the coast of the Eastern Sea was eight years ago; at that time, the world trembled, and the Wudadao Sect and the imperial court's experts all swarmed there.

After many fierce battles, that spiritual turtle finally could not prevail, yet the strength of its spiritual armor was hardly inferior to the Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing; the crowd could do nothing to it, and ultimately a ten-year pact was established.

"It fits perfectly with the martial arts tournament of the various Daoist paths; the timing is quite suitable."

Long Long Xinglie nodded: "Whether that spiritual turtle is there or not, we must make the journey then."

"Long Long Xinglie should have gathered the Hundred Forms; if he can cultivate the 'Wind Tiger Cloud Dragon' to Xiu Zhi Liu Zhong within these few years, he might not be unable to suppress the heroes of the world."

Nie Xianshan stroked his long beard; regarding that spiritual turtle, he was most preoccupied.

Inside the palace on the beast's back lay something that attracted him greatly, yet that spiritual turtle was too formidable and absolutely would not allow any Grand Master-level expert to step upon its back.

"Difficult."

Long Long Xinglie casually placed a stone, crushing the black dragon on the chessboard, and narrowed his eyes slightly:

"Long Long Xinglie's talent is not bad, but one cannot say it is unparalleled in the world; he is also a bit young, making it difficult to suppress the heroes of the world; even with the help of Wen Hua and others, I fear it will not succeed."

"Why suppress them? The great hall carried on the turtle's back stretches over ten li; I imagine there are many good treasures."

Nie Xianshan frowned; on the chessboard, he had little chance of victory left: "Speaking of which, that Elephant actually took in a good disciple; an unparalleled talent, how much of a waste to give to him."

Long Long Xinglie frowned slightly and said nothing.

"His obsession is too deep; knowing he cannot defeat Wan Wan Zhuliu, he pins his hopes on his disciple..."

Nie Xianshan sighed:

"That is Wan Wan Zhuliu; how many people throughout history have been able to defeat him?"

"Let him be."

Long Long Xinglie placed another stone: "Do not compete with him for Li Yuan; be careful he will fight you to the death."

"It is just a pity."

Nie Xianshan waved his hand and coughed lightly: "But after returning to the mountain this time, I will choose one person from within the sect to be my disciple; whoever it is, you must not refuse."

"Oh?"

Long Long Xinglie raised his white eyebrows, naturally knowing what he meant: "You dare want the Master of the Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing?"

"Why not dare? This Daoist does not believe anyone can still curse me to death!"

Nie Xianshan snorted coldly.

Regarding the saying that the Master of the Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing brings ruin to family, master, and sect, he had never believed it.

"Then let it be as you wish."

Long Long Xinglie did not care much.

Nie Xianshan abandoned his stones and admitted defeat, his eyes bright:

"Senior Brother, after returning to the mountain this time, I will prepare to forge the weapon."

"Have you gathered enough materials?"

Long Long Xinglie's expression changed somewhat.

The Longhu Temple has passed down for over two thousand years; generation after generation has not lacked Grand Masters and Supreme Grand Masters; divine weapons are indeed rare, but accumulated over such long ages, they are not few in number.

It is just that divine weapons possess spirit and choose their own masters; for martial artists who have not entered the Dao, unless their talent is supreme and their affinity matches, it is difficult to be recognized as master.

However, for Grand Masters, this threshold is lowered greatly; among the Grand Masters of the world, only a handful have failed to be recognized by a divine weapon.

Nie Xianshan is one of them.

"Enough."

Nie Xianshan gritted his teeth.

This was a suppressed anger that had been stuck in his heart for nearly forty years.

For this, he constantly traveled abroad, shuttling through many dangerous places, even going to sea multiple times; the purpose was to gather the heavenly treasures and earthly herbs needed to forge his divine weapon.

"Your request is high, but not everyone dares to take on your job."

Long Long Xinglie did not look favorably on it, but he knew how deep Nie Xianshan's obsession was:

"Mm, for safety's sake, invite several Divine Artisans to discuss before acting."

"Thank you, Senior Brother."

Nie Xianshan's furrowed brow smoothed out.

"Screech!"

At that moment, the golden eagle let out a long cry that echoed through the clouds.

Long Xi Xiang lowered his gaze, his vision seeming to pierce ten thousand meters of sky, and saw a massive city nestled beside mountains and surrounded by water on three sides.

He glanced at it, then let out a light laugh:

"Bold indeed."

Mount Hengshan City.

As the year-end approached, the city grew increasingly lively.

Although Mount Hengshan City had no tradition of a year-end grand market, the period around the year-end was when trade was most prosperous; every restaurant and teahouse was completely full.

"It was said slowly, but happened in an instant; only the sound of thunder echoed, and True Person Yuan Qing stepped through the air, sword pointing at the Snake Demon Daoist..."

"That True Person Yuan Qing was truly a genius of heaven; though he had not yet opened his meridians, relying solely on his Xing Wu Gong, in one battle he actually killed the Snake Demon Daoist whose true qi had penetrated the organs, marrow, and bones, instantly shaking the world with his fame!"

In a small tavern, the rising and falling voice of a storyteller rang out, telling the tale of True Person Yuan Qing.

The tavern was full of drinkers; some drank with their heads down, while others listened to the storytelling.

"Tsk."

In the corner, Lin Lin Chonghu swirled his wine cup: "The storyteller's words are greatly exaggerated, but the deeds of this True Person Yuan Qing are indeed full of twists and turns."

The thrilling Jianghu in the storyteller's mouth seemed to have masters growing out of the ground, impossible to kill off completely.

But in reality, the vast majority of martial artists would not act unless victory was certain; cases of Meridian-Opening killing Xing Wu Gong practitioners were everywhere, but the reverse was very rare.

Let alone Xing Wu Gong killing Marrow-Refining? That was not just rare; there had been hardly any instances in at least two hundred years.

"The Tale of Yuan Qing can spread so widely because it is sufficiently captivating."

Fang Chao put down his wine cup, eating and drinking slowly, and while speaking, transmitted his voice to communicate:

"Is there any news from the Dragon-Tiger Temple?"

"That Monk Dou Yue is truly a figure; it took nearly half a month after Chu Shan Xuan Kong died before news leaked out, and all his disciples and maidservants have been detained and interrogated..."

Lin Lin Chonghu's expression was solemn; he was ten thousand times more unwilling to come to Mount Hengshan City.

Even though Long Xi Xiang had led a group of elders down the mountain, leaving the sect empty, how terrifying was the foundation of the Dao Sect?

"How did he die?"

Fang Chao's expression was calm, as if he had expected it all along.

"It is said he was stabbed by an assassin outside his residence; the specifics are truly without any intelligence."

Lin Lin Chonghu put down his wine cup; upon hearing this news, he had rushed here to report, and he truly wanted to leave immediately.

? ￠o

"Inside the Dragon-Tiger Inner Sect, where the Life-Nurturing Furnace covers the ground, with Long Xi Xiang and Brother Helian Feng stationed there, which assassin dares to go?"

Fang Chao sneered.

The assassin who killed Chu Shan Xuan Kong must have come from the Dragon-Tiger Temple.

Lin Lin Chonghu thought the same, but he did not care; he only frowned tightly: "Who killed Chu Shan Xuan Kong is meaningless; Protector, we should leave quickly."

"Since the Thousand Spirit Stele has entered the Dragon-Tiger Temple, it will inevitably convert one person out; Chu Shan Xuan Kong is dead, so there must be another person there; what obstacle is there?"

Fang Chao rotated his wine cup, smiling without smiling: "You do not think I sent the Thousand Spirit Stele just to convert that Chu Shan Xuan Kong into the sect, do you?"

"Ritual?!"

Lin Lin Chonghu's face changed, his scalp going numb: "Protector, absolutely not!"

Shocked too deeply in his heart, he almost cried out, but seeing Fang Chao's reddened eyes, he felt a chill in his heart.

"I have already prepared the sacrifice; I will launch it tonight; I want to see where that Li Li Yuanba is actually hiding..."

Fang Chao's words suddenly stopped.

Lin Lin Chonghu raised his head; the tavern suddenly darkened; it was a tall, burly Monk with a massive frame.

He wore a kasaya, his skin bronze-colored, standing at the tavern entrance like a wall blocking the light.

"Master Dou Yue!"

Someone in the tavern cried out in surprise, then everything fell silent.

Some looked around; most quietly retreated; some rushed toward the back door, others broke through the windows, and even more smashed through the walls, scattering in a wretched manner.

On the street, merchants and passersby seeing this also scattered, whether old or young, all very practiced.

"Fang Chao!"

At the main gate, Dou Yue's gaze sharpened, looking toward the corner: "You are bold indeed, daring to come to Mount Hengshan City!"

"Speaking of boldness, yours is greater, daring to speak to me like this!"

Fang Chao finished the wine in his cup slowly and leisurely; Lin Lin Chonghu had already stood up as if facing a great enemy, looking around, his heart growing slightly cold.

A gray-clad knife-wielder stared at him through the window.

And besides the two of them, on this street and outside the tavern, there were at least ten Marrow-Refining martial artists!

Bang!

The wine cup in Fang Chao's hand fell, actually producing a deafening explosion:

"Do you even qualify to fight me?"

Boom!

In an instant, this five-story-high tavern trembled and then collapsed with a roar.

"Where is Long Xi Xiang?!"

Fang Chao rose to his full height, streams of true qi swirling around his body, sweeping away large amounts of falling wood, stone, and tiles, his long cry shooting into the sky.

The man also soared into the sky.

"Roar!"

Like thunder issuing from a mountain.

As he shot straight up, Fang Chao's withered, emaciated body instantly swelled to over a zhang in size, his muscles and bones bursting forth like an explosion.

Having worshipped the Four Vajras of Flesh, Blood, Sinew, and Bone, his physical constitution had long reached an unimaginable level; with a single long roar, nearly half of Mount Hengshan City was startled!

"Divine Armor!"

On the long street, Dou Yue's heart trembled, yet his movements showed not the slightest delay; with a single tap of his foot, the entire long street shuddered.

Then, he too shot straight up into the sky.

"Ahh!"

True Qi gushed forth, and the kasaya draped over Dou Yue's body also shimmered with Jin Guang, emitting a dragon's roar that echoed throughout the city district.

"Damn it, they all have Divine Armor!"

On the other side, Han Tong drew his blade and slashed at Lin Lin Chonghu, who was fleeing for his life; he cursed inwardly yet couldn't help feeling envious.

Divine weapons are rare, and Divine Armor even more so; seeing two of them at once, he felt his eyes burn with desire.

"To hell with you!"

Lin Lin Chonghu, scrambling to dodge with his heart pounding like thunder, began to curse loudly.

Let alone him being barely at the Blood Replacement stage; even if he had fully mastered Blood Replacement, how could he possibly defeat Han Tong?

Boom!

In the air, a violent collision sound rang out.

The common people in the nearby city districts scattered in terror; the bold ones looked up at the sky, seeing only a brilliant golden dragon roaring and whipping its tail, colliding in midair with a ferocious, vicious 'Vajra'.

With a single strike, the shadow of the azure dragon dimmed; Dou Yue the Monk felt darkness before his eyes, and his entire body was blasted downward, smashing into the tavern that had already become ruins.

"Good lad, you survived one of my strikes? Then you cannot be allowed to live!"

Having blasted that azure dragon down with a single strike, Fang Chao felt murderous intent surge within him; as his words echoed, he struck out with his palm toward Dou Yue the Monk, simultaneously encompassing the other experts rushing to aid him.

His murderous intent burned fiercely; back when he had fully mastered Blood Replacement, he himself could not have withstood a single strike from a Grandmaster, let alone a Grandmaster clad in Divine Armor?

Hum!

But before that palm could descend, his heart trembled; a chill suddenly descended, as if it intended to freeze him stiff.

He saw Bai Guang shooting toward him from afar, yet this crisis could absolutely not come from Long Xi Xiang, who had been severely injured for decades...

"Ah!"

Lin Lin Chonghu let out a wail of agony, was hacked down by Han Tong, and lay on his back facing the sky, his face utterly drained of color.

It was at this moment that Fang Chao, who had landed atop a wine tower, also raised his head.

Hum!

A tremendous humming sound spread out, echoing for a hundred li and another hundred li.

At the main peak of Dragon Gate, within a bamboo-fenced small courtyard, Li Yuan, startled by Long Xi Xiang's aura, widened his eyes and looked up.

He saw clouds and mist surging over Mount Hengshan like tides and seas; a majestic dragon's eye seemed to flash, and as its claw pressed down, wind and clouds followed.

"Azure Dragon Extends Its Claw!"

Gazing at that dragon claw descending from above, Li Yuan's mind went completely blank.

In a daze, he seemed to see an ancient celestial dragon soaring through the sea of clouds; with a casual claw, it had already surpassed any Wu Gong or supreme martial art.

Reaching out through empty space, as if it intended to seize the entire Mount Hengshan City!