Chapter 320: Shenbing Hall

Hut?

Yu Yu Banzhou, prostrate on the ground, felt a jolt in his heart.

As a Zhoufutang chief of the Xieshen Sect, he naturally knew what a "hut" was—it was a level above "Spirit Child," a path to immortality accessible only to Dharma Kings, the Sect Lord, and those "Venerable Gods."

But instantly, his heart turned cold as he heard Chi Yan Fa Wang's reply:

"What's it to me?!"

In an instant, Yu Yu Banzhou felt as if frozen in ice.

"Hmm?"

Mo Tian lowered his gaze, voice icy: "What did you say?"

"What's it to me?"

The voice of Chi Yan Long Wang was equally cold: "I came here on the Lord's orders to pursue Qin Li Shixian, and incidentally to cover for you while searching for the master of the Liehai Yu Xuanjing Hammer."

Chi Yan Long Wang stood tall; before him, Mo Tian looked like a child. He showed no respect to this "Venerable God":

"What do you think Longhu Temple is? If you want to die, go ahead—I won't join you!"

Crack~

Yu Yu Banzhou's scalp prickled; without thinking, he rolled over and blasted backward out of the courtyard, only to see Chi Yan Fa Wang raise his hand and tear apart the drifting mist.

Within the mist, Mo Tian's face was as dark as water, his eyes swirling with fierce, fiery rage:

"How dare you act presumptuous before this god?!"

"Presumptuous? I joined the Holy Sect at the Lord's invitation to transform myself into a god—not to become any one of your disciples…"

With one claw, Chi Yan Long Wang crushed the gloomy mist before him, his face sneering coldly:

"Presumptuous? You're the one who's presumptuous!"

In the back courtyard, the two faced off, their aura growing darker and more terrifying; Yu Yu Banzhou trembled in fear—he never imagined this Long Wang would show such disrespect to a "Venerable God."

He wanted to turn and flee, but dared not; he could only steel himself and plead: "Long Wang, my lord, do not rage—this is Mount Hengshan City!"

"Longhu Temple!"

Yu Yu Banzhou stamped his foot in desperation—if these two fought here, he didn't know if they'd die, but he himself was certainly doomed.

Huh~

Perhaps his words had an effect; the tense atmosphere in the back courtyard eased somewhat, but both men's faces remained cold.

"Spirit Children are easy to find; huts are hard to come by."

Mo Tian's gaze was icy, yet he suppressed his rage, gazing coldly at Chi Yan Long Wang:

"One Mount Mo Tian Longhu Dadan, in exchange for you acting once—how?"

"Mount Mo Tian Longhu Dadan."

Chi Yan Long Wang's expression softened; this was an elite spirit pill, capable of reshaping one's spiritual form, its value rivaling that of a Longhu Longhu Dadan, and immensely useful to him.

"Where is this hut?"

"Hushan. Li Yuan."

"Li Yuan?"

Chi Yan Long Wang frowned, glancing at Yu Yu Banzhou—he usually slept.

"Li Yuan?"

Yu Yu Banzhou's expression tightened slightly: "Long Wang, Li Yuan is the closing disciple of Long Xi Xiang, the Grand Master of the Great Dragon Gate—he entered the sect a year ago and rose to second place on the Dragon List, the contemporary prodigy of Longhu Temple!"

"Rose to second place on the Dragon List in one year?!"

Chi Yan Long Wang's eyelids twitched violently—he was born in Longhu Temple; he knew full well the weight of those words.

He himself was a genius of unparalleled talent, yet it took him over a decade to reach first place—yet this one reached second in a year…

"Well?"

Mo Tian forced down his fury; if his true body could descend, he would have crushed this insolent disciple with a single palm.

"No."

After a moment of shock, Chi Yan Long Wang shook his head in refusal:

"Knowing Long Long Yingchan as I do, anyone who touches Li Yuan will die without fail!"

"Die without fail?"

Mo Tian narrowed his eyes: "Chi Yan, I've heard your seniority surpasses his…"

"Want to die? Go ahead."

Chi Yan Long Wang raised his hand to cut him off, face icy:

"What do you think Long Long Yingchan is? Even if your false body, clinging to the Nine Sons' Statues, were to descend—how could you possibly provoke him?"

Huh~

Before he finished speaking, he had already vanished into Yu Yu Banzhou's body; the latter felt his true qi gushing out like a dam breaking, his face twisted in agony, and he bowed deeply before taking his leave.

Chi Yan Long Wang feared no such Venerable God—but he himself was terrified to death…

"Huh!"

Stepping out of the ancient temple, Yu Yu Banzhou finally exhaled—he should have broken into a sweat under the blazing sun, yet the wind made him shiver.

"Go!"

At that moment, Yu Yu Banzhou heard a voice whispering—coming from Chi Yan Long Wang.

"Huh?"

Yu Yu Banzhou froze; Chi Yan Long Wang was already urging him:

"Leave the city at once!"

"This…"

Yu Yu Banzhou was a bit bewildered: "Dragon King, what is this?"

"That old ghost must have been dead too long, stupid beyond belief! He never thought about why Long Long Yingchan would throw open the mountain gates?"

The Scarlet Flame Dragon King sneered again and again:

"He actually dares to enter the mountain, heh, that old ghost is done for!"

"This…"

"You don't believe it?"

"This, this subordinate was thinking of notifying the other brothers."

"If you want to die, go right ahead!"

"……"

Yu Yu Banzhou's heart was pounding; he sensed the wariness between this Dragon King's words.

The Dragon King, who had not given Mount Mo Tian's Master the slightest face, actually seemed to carry some fear; that Long Long Yingchan…

"Go!"

The Scarlet Flame Dragon King's voice fell silent.

Yu Yu Banzhou glanced back at Mount Mo Tian Temple, half in doubt, yet still hurried away.

"Hoo~"

In the ancient temple, Mo Tian stared indifferently at Yu Yu Banzhou's departing back; he tilted his ear slightly, as if he had heard something, and his gaze grew colder and more baleful.

"One of the Four Great Dharma Kings, yet so cowardly, and disrespectful to the divine…"

Mo Tian closed his eyes, suppressing the cold intent in his heart:

"The filth in the sect has reached this point, no wonder the incense offerings are few; when… he returns, it's time to cleanse it thoroughly."

……

……

Swoosh swoosh~

In the courtyard, Li Yuan splashed some water on his face; he had originally wanted to go down the mountain to gather with Lord Master Gongyang Yu and the others, but now he had lost the mood.

"Like a haunting ghost that won't go away."

Li Yuan's mood turned somewhat foul.

Since taking control of the Sea-Splitting Mysterious Whale Hammer, his little days had been quite comfortable; whether forging iron or casting weapons, everything was on the rise, yet this bunch of demonic fiends had to jump out again.

"That old ghost's eyes were off; he really must be killed soon."

Recalling that Mount Mo Tian Master, Daoist Li hardened his heart, pondering how best to act when going down the mountain tomorrow.

"With the Dao Lord here, there should be no problem, but to be safe… hmm, I'll borrow Old Dragon Head's kasaya for a use; Senior Brother Douyue can borrow it, so can I."

Having a plan in mind, after noon, Li Yuan picked up that pot of spirit rice and walked toward the small temple opposite.

In the temple, master and disciple swept through a whole big pot of spirit rice like a whirlwind devouring clouds. Afterward, Li Yuan brought up borrowing the kasaya.

"Mm… your reputation is now quite great, it's inevitable that some will take desperate risks; having this kasaya for protection is good."

Old Dragon Head was very generous, didn't even ask the reason; with a wave of his hand, he had already taken out the 【Canglong Kasaya (Tier Seven)】 and handed it to Li Yuan.

"Many thanks, Master."

Old Dragon Head was so straightforward that the prepared excuses Li Yuan had ready were never used; he hurriedly took the kasaya, and the moment it touched his hand, it felt cool and slippery as jade.

This kasaya was an outer armor; worn on the outside, it could not only resist water, fire, blades, and weapons, but also augment one's own true gang qi and true qi.

This was still without recognizing a master; otherwise, like Old Han's Flood Dragon Armor, it could even greatly boost one's own strength and speed.

"Put it on."

Long Xi Xiang wiped his mouth, waited for Li Yuan to slip the kasaya inside his Daoist robe, then rose.

"Master, where are we going?"

Li Yuan's build was well-proportioned; slipping a kasaya inside didn't make him look bulky, and although he felt a Daoist robe paired with a kasaya was a bit odd, he didn't pay it much mind.

A wandering Daoist Priest didn't have so many niceties.

"First to Shenbingtang."

Long Xi Xiang didn't keep him in suspense either.

"Shenbingtang?"

Although he had some guesses before, hearing this, Li Yuan was still slightly excited.

Shenbingtang was the place where divine weapons were kept; the divine weapons left behind by the patriarchs of Dragon Tiger Temple over more than two thousand years were all within it—a forbidden ground among forbidden grounds.

Apart from the Dao Lord and the Sect Master, only the Hall Master, Vice Hall Masters, and True Disciples could enter and exit once every three years; if fated, they could obtain a divine weapon's recognition.

"This is the benefit of climbing the pagoda; this is the treatment of a quasi-True Disciple."

Li Yuan was no fool; he naturally knew what going to Shenbingtang meant.

Dragon Tiger Temple had over a hundred thousand disciples, but each generation had only six True Disciples; the treatment was naturally extremely good—gold, silver, fields, mounts, properties, and the like went without saying.

Benefits such as the chance for a divine weapon to choose its master, spirit pills, spirit rice, cave dwellings, and so on, were enough to make all inner disciples, and even elders and hall masters, green with envy.

Normally, advancement to True Disciple required waiting for the sect's examination in the second half of the year; this was clearly an exceptional reward—advancing to True Disciple ahead of schedule, drawing on True Disciple treatment in advance.

"The Dao Lord is generous!"

Li Yuan's mood improved considerably at once, and he hurried to catch up with Old Dragon Head.

"True Disciples have an annual quota of twenty-five spirit pills; apart from those few types of pills, all can be exchanged."

On the way, Long Xi Xiang transmitted his voice, already naturally treating Li Yuan as a True Disciple, explaining to him the various treatments of a True Disciple.

"Those few types?"

Li Yuan naturally knew he was referring to the several kings of spirit pills, including 'Great Returning Pill,' 'Dragon Pill,' 'Tiger Pill,' and 'Dragon Tiger Great Pill.'

He had been coveting these few types of pills for a long time.

Setting aside the legendary Longhu Longhu Dadan, even a Great Return Pill alone could boost one's true Qi by a Jiazi cycle, making it a perfect match for Yang Jian Tian Yi.

Perhaps one or two pills could temper this true Qi forging art all the way to the ninth refinement, Great Perfection?

"Those few types only open a furnace once every dozen-odd years. If you can hold out and save up your fifteen-year pill quota, you could just barely exchange for one Great Return Pill."

Long Xi Xiang did not bring up Longhu Longhu Dadan.

"That scarce?"

Li Yuan sighed inwardly; Longhu Longhu Dadan was even harder to get than he had imagined.

"One furnace of Longhu Longhu Dadan requires at least thirty-six hundred different herbs aged ten and a hundred years, over a hundred spirit grasses, and the heart's blood of a Flood Dragon King and Tiger King. It does not come easy."

As master and disciple talked, they passed Baicaotang. Long Xi Xiang walked in and out without hindrance; Li Yuan followed him inside, and under the service of a few stewards, exchanged for spirit pills.

"Second on the Dragon Ranking, twenty-five spirit pill quota slots…"

The steward flipped through the register, quite gingerly.

"He is a True Inheritant."

Long Xi Xiang spoke lightly.

"T-True Inheritant?"

The steward was somewhat dumbfounded, but he did not dare question whether it followed the rules. The words of the Grand Dragon Gate Master, naturally, he did not dare disobey; he immediately led Li Yuan into the pill chamber.

"Junior Brother Li, you previously purchased four spirit pills; this year you may still purchase forty-six."

The steward briefed Li Yuan.

The pill chamber was not large, but the herbal fragrance was thick. Listening to the steward's briefing, Li Yuan swept his gaze across the wooden shelves, and soon had a plan:

"Twelve Qi-Boosting Pills, twelve Jade Body Pills, twelve Jin Shendan, and—mm—ten Spirit-Concentrating Pills."

The steward dispatched people to fetch the pills, while he himself took out an abacus and clicked it a few times, then cupped his fist:

"Junior Brother Li, forty-six spirit pills, totaling forty-three thousand taels of gold."

"Truly expensive."

Li Yuan sighed. With over five hundred thousand taels of gold on him, naturally he would not begrudge it.

After all, being frugal, this could last half a year.

"Take care, Junior Brother Li."

After storing the spirit pills into the incense burner of his Weapon-Holding Space, Li Yuan departed under the steward's gaze, and together with Long Xi Xiang outside the door, headed for Shenbingtang.

……

Shenbingtang, situated at the very bottom of Hushan, neighboring Jingtaotang, was heavily guarded—not only did disciples patrol, but a squad of Dragon-Tiger elites was also stationed there.

Openly and in secret, there were at least thirty Divine Crossbows, paired with Armor-Breaking Arrows; even if a Grandmaster forced his way in, he would not escape unscathed.

"Truly heavily guarded."

At the mountain path beneath Shenbingtang, several people had stopped to look on.

"Halt, who goes there!"

Several mountain-guarding disciples raised their long sabers, blocking the group.

"Tokens!"

The group produced their tokens one after another. After the mountain-guarding disciples inspected them, smiles finally appeared:

"Senior Brother Lin, Senior Brother Shan, Senior Brother Wang, what occasion is it today? How come you've all come at once?"

The people at the mountain path were none other than Lin Lin Fangzhui and Shan Hong; besides the two, there was a dashing young man holding a long spear, named Wang Lue, a True Inheritant of Hushan.

Three True Inheritant disciples arriving at once—the mountain-guarding disciples could not help but be somewhat surprised.

"Haven't come in years. Happen to be free lately, so we thought we'd drop by."

The three exchanged glances; it was still Lin Lin Fangzhui who spoke: "Check—how many mountain-entry chances do we each have left?"

True Inheritant disciples may enter Shenbingtang once every three years, but this chance could be accumulated.

"Senior Brother Lin, three times; Senior Brother Shan, four times; Senior Brother Wang, two times."

The disciple checked the records, growing more and more puzzled.

Not once in the past ten years, and now all three come at once?

"I recall that between two mountain entries, there must be at least a month and a half's interval, am I right?"

Shan Hong inquired.

"Senior Brother Shan has a wonderful memory."

The disciple smiled and opened the gate.

The three walked in shoulder to shoulder. When no one was around, Lin Lin Fangzhui glanced at Shan Hong and the other:

"Why have the two senior brothers also chosen today to come here?"

"Whatever Junior Brother Lin is thinking, that's what we're thinking."

Wang Lue cleared his throat lightly and spoke. The three met eyes, then each looked away again.

'It seems they're also afraid of Li Yuan…'

Lin Lin Fangzhui felt an inexplicable sense of relief.

Divine weapons possess spirits and choose their own masters. Normally, if one did not gain a divine weapon's approval on the first visit, afterward—unless earth-shattering changes occurred—it would be very hard to win a divine weapon's favor.

This was also why they had all accumulated quite a number of chances.

Coming here today was naturally not on a whim, but rather to use up all their chances before the sect's examination.

"Let's go, two junior brothers."

On the mountain path, the three harbored different thoughts. It was still Shan Hong who cleared his throat lightly, breaking the silence:

"Divine weapons possess spirits; if they choose a master, they will hum of their own accord. Let us split up and walk."

"Mm."

Lin Lin Fangzhui nodded, taking the lead into the mountain. Dan Hong and the other dispersed in their own directions. Though none of the three held much hope in their hearts, they still clung to some small measure of luck.

……

"The defenses are tight."

Outside Shenbingtang, a disciple guarding the mountain was logging entries. Li Yuan paused to take stock, then, after a moment, took back the token that was handed to him and walked slowly into the mountain forest.