Chapter 301: Subduing the Demon Dragon God Form

How many strikes can I withstand this time?

Before the bronze tower, Li Yuan rubbed his fists, feeling the urgency of someone who had studied hard in silence for days and was about to face an exam.

Over these few months, that unknown Blade Master had replaced Old Han as the strongest imaginary foe in his heart.

Li Daoist had no obsession with being invincible at the same realm, but after being repeatedly beaten up, he had bottled up some resentment in his heart.

Buzz~

The words on the stone stele rolled:

"One strike, one question; ten strikes, one Spirit Pill."

Simple and direct, with prices clearly marked.

Li Yuan nodded inwardly; he liked this kind of clear pricing. Without hesitation, he reached out, grasped the long Handle-heavy hammer formed by the drifting True Qi, and stepped toward the giant bronze tower.

In the past twenty-plus days, he had cultivated Tiger Form Tongshen and the other two pillar arts to Great Perfection; the number of forms he had transformed into reached eighty-seven, his Qi channels expanded from twelve to twenty-six, Dragon Zen Vajra Sutra approached the Fifth Layer, and Dragon-Tiger Hun Tian Hammer had reached the edge of Great Perfection in the Seventh Layer.

He considered his progress great, and now was naturally the time to verify it.

Hoo!

As he stepped forward, his inner Qi surged behind him; accompanied by the faint sound of thunder, a ferocious Thunder Dragon slowly appeared, coiling behind him and coldly extending its head.

Tiger, Python, Snake—three supreme secret pillar arts, all at Great Perfection.

The spiritual form condensed was unlike the ordinary; this Thunder Dragon, which integrated the strengths of a hundred beasts, had become even more refined.

"This Thunder Dragon..."

Atop the bronze tower, the woman in white robes frowned slightly; her vision was naturally excellent, and upon careful observation, she vaguely felt this Thunder Dragon had a familiar flavor.

It seemed to carry the scent of her own 'Dragon Demon Heart Sutra'?

Buzz!

Stepping into the invisible barrier, as the sound of surging water rose, Li Yuan already held the hammer horizontally before him, the Thunder Dragon covering his body like water.

Boom!

The blade light was like a tide, its intent like thunder.

Even after experiencing it many times, Li Yuan still felt a chill in his heart, a terrifying illusion that the mountain of blades was collapsing and he would be shattered into pieces at any moment.

"Truly fierce!"

A casual strike was already extremely exquisite, unparalleled in speed, possessing both blade Qi and blade intent, at least at the level of Great Perfection in a supreme martial art.

Li Yuan sighed inwardly, lightly tapped his foot, moved like a snake to dodge the rolling blade light, and smashed back with a reverse hammer strike.

After fighting many times, he had become somewhat familiar with the techniques of this unknown Blade Master.

Clang~

Inside the dim tower, it seemed to brighten greatly.

Li Yuan's hammer strike failed; his figure retreated violently. Before his eyes, the blade light was like a white silk, tearing through the vast air currents, like a long rainbow piercing the sun, rushing straight at his face like a falling meteor.

This strike was not only fast, but also agile.

It was not a single straight slash, but constantly moving and changing; it looked like one strike, yet also like countless lightning bolts smashing down.

"Whoa!"

Li Yuan's wrist trembled; the Thunder Dragon covering his body like water suddenly shot up, ferocious beyond measure, and crashed straight into the blade light.

Clang clang clang~

The Thunder Dragon erupted; formed from inner Qi, it collided with the blade light yet produced a loud sound of clashing metal, and even sparks burst forth on its body, which seemed as substantial as a real dragon.

"Roar!"

The Thunder Dragon roared, its body thrashing; its claws, teeth, and dragon tail were each like a supreme martial art, forcibly blocking all the blade light that filled the sky from the outside.

After integrating eighty-seven forms, the Hundred-Beast Thunder Dragon seemed to have undergone a transformation; though nearly thirty meters away from Li Yuan, it remained incredibly agile and ferocious.

It had clearly broken through the limit of Qi reaching three zhang!

Boom!

Boom!

Lei Guang and blade light intertwined.

Atop the bronze tower, light and shadow shifted in the white-robed woman's eyes; she took the clash inside the tower into her sight and calculated Li Yuan's progress from it:

"It should be thirty-two strikes!"

In less than a single month, jumping from twelve strikes to thirty-two; this progress was truly considerable, and even the woman in white robes was somewhat shaken.

"This fellow's initial performance was merely passable, but this progress is truly very fast."

A talent of the Eternal Era... the woman in white robes murmured inwardly.

Injuries at the Divine Realm are the most difficult to heal; the blade wounds left by Wan Wan Zhuliu were once considered 'certain death upon being struck' over the past several decades.

She was so, Long Xi Xiang was so, other Grand Masters injured by it, and even the Great Grand Masters who perished were so.

If this fellow can truly 'draw the blade', then...

Boom!

Inside the bronze tower, booming sounds echoed repeatedly.

One strike, ten strikes, twenty strikes...

Li Yuan exhausted all his means, but as he approached thirty strikes, he was still killed until he was drenched in sweat, and the Hundred-Beast Thunder Dragon shattered multiple times.

If his Qi channels had not risen to twenty-six, the battle would have almost ended already.

Clang!

A loud explosion rang out.

Li Yuan felt unable to stand steadily; his whole body was split and sent flying off the ground, and before he could land, that strike capable of covering the five senses came again.

"On my own, I truly cannot withstand thirty strikes."

In the midst of the gloom, Li Yuan sighed but did not lose heart:

"Command, Thunder Dragon Heaven Hammer!"

Of these thirty strikes, he had only unleashed three hammers below the level of divine weapons, still holding back.

Boom!

The darkness covering the five senses seemed to tear open a corner.

Li Yuan opened his eyes; apart from the Sea-Splitting Black Whale Hammer, the six heavy hammers within the Weapon Register blazed with light.

With a loud "Bang," Li Yuan crashed heavily to the ground, dodging that sharp strike which obscured the five senses; the long-handled giant hammer in his palm vanished instantly.

Driven by immense power, in a single instant, he broke through the area sealed by the blade light, smashing straight toward the blade master shrouded in divine light, whose face remained unseen!

"Hm?!"

This sudden explosion startled the white-robed woman atop the bronze tower; this hammer was clearly aimed at mutual destruction.

This hammer was, in fact, a thunderous strike Li Yuan launched at the perfect moment, targeting the blade master's sword technique and fighting style.

"Pfft!"

Only a dull thud was heard; Li Yuan stumbled backward, his hand suddenly empty. Looking up, he saw a massive dragon claw slowly vanish behind the blade master; the heavy hammer he had unleashed with all his might had been crushed by that very claw!

Woosh~

Li Yuan shook his arm, suddenly feeling his scalp go numb.

In the gloom, he heard the "clatter" of armor colliding, or perhaps the eerie sound of dragon scales scraping against the ground.

In the darkness behind the blade master, he saw a pair of indifferent, cold dragon eyes.

"Pfft!"

When he opened his eyes again, Li Yuan's face was pale; he gagged repeatedly, feeling as though he had been crushed and chewed to pieces.

"Such a figure makes a successful sneak attack almost impossible."

In the room, Li Yuan wiped a cold sweat, then stroked the sleeping little tiger cub a few times before closing his eyes and entering the Bronze Tower Divine Realm once more.

"Thirty-two strikes."

Light flickered on the stone tablet, words flowing: "With full effort, you could withstand over fifty strikes!"

Li Yuan's heart stirred, and he asked.

Buzz~

Words flowed across the stone tablet:

"Next."

Tsk, I knew it.

Wasting one question didn't make Li Yuan feel regret; after all, there were still over thirty remaining.

However, Li Yuan did not intend to ask them all at once; he currently had no such many doubts, so naturally, he would save them for emergencies.

After asking a few questions about meridians, organ refinement, and marrow refining with blood substitution, he regrouped and charged into the Bronze Tower again.

This time, he abandoned the plan to sneak attack, activated three Thunder Dragon Heaven Hammers, fought with full effort, and when they finally shattered, he endured fifty-one strikes!

"Again!"

Li Yuan felt no fatigue and charged into the Bronze Tower once more.

This time, he no longer pursued how many strikes he could endure; instead, he used this rare grand master as a sparring partner to hone his martial arts and verify his various guesses.

Once, twice, three or four times...

"Hah!"

As dawn approached, the exhausted Li Yuan finally fell asleep; being shattered again and again had left him mentally and physically drained.

Just before sleeping, he saw words on the stone tablet:

"Eighteen li north of Hundred Beast Mountain lies a hidden cave; twenty zhang inside the mountain wall is an abandoned cave dwelling, containing several spiritual pills and some spiritual rice."

Hundred Beast Mountain again?

Li Yuan fell into a deep sleep.

Buzz!

Watching Li Yuan depart, the white-robed woman atop the bronze tower lowered her head; at the tip of the bronze tower, where the giant blade had pierced through, new cracks appeared.

"Fifty-one strikes."

Xu Xu, the gentle breeze blew her skirt; the white-robed woman paced atop the tower, pondering in her heart.

In this world, those of the same realm who can withstand Wan Wan Zhuliu's single strike are no ordinary folk; fifty-one strikes means at least a genius of the peerless grade.

But to surpass him, even a talent of the eternal grade might not be enough.

"Only beyond three hundred strikes is mutual destruction even possible..."

The white-robed woman frowned.

Wan Wan Zhuliu's blade intent becomes more terrifying the further it goes; even in her prime, fighting with full effort, she barely reached one hundred and seventy-plus moves; three hundred moves...

By the time he woke, the sun was high.

When Li Yuan opened his eyes, the little mouse was gone; he stretched his limbs, cooked a meal for himself—spiritual rice with eggs—and instantly banished the fatigue of the previous night.

"Dragon God Form."

At the dining table, Li Yuan recalled last night's fierce battle.

He truly could not find words to describe the overwhelming strength of that unknown blade master; from a few strikes to dozens, he had improved greatly, yet could not see the limit on the other side.

Like an abyss, the more he advanced, the more terrifying and fearsome it seemed.

"Could this person truly be Wan Wan Zhuliu?"

This thought flashed through Li Yuan's mind, but he shook his head; whether it was him or not, he could not defeat him for now.

"After comprehending the Profound Whale Diagram, can I win?"

Daoist Li muttered to himself; having been repeatedly crushed to death, he truly harbored some trauma.

He felt his chances of victory were slim if he merely endured blow after blow, and it was extremely inconvenient; what if he broke through to the Organ Refining realm one day and had to start over from scratch?

After all, the Bronze Tower Master had said it varied from person to person.

"If I could launch a surprise attack..."

Li Yuan pondered seriously.

He felt that if he could shatter that Dragon God Form, then a surprise attack might not be impossible.

"Hmm..."

While mulling it over, Li Yuan opened the 'Long Xiang Heliu'.

He was preparing to fuse this Zhun Shen Gong-level Form-Shifting combination into the 'Profound Whale Diagram' as well.