Chapter 380: Divine Art, Long Xi Xiang Golden Elephant Vajra Heaven

Buzz~

Like a heavy hammer striking a giant bell, a sudden gale erupted atop the solitary peak; visible sound waves spread in layers, piercing the clouds and echoing among the mountain ranges.

Beneath the Green Pine, Long Xi Xiang sat cross-legged; the old tree behind him rustled loudly, while two beams of pure light spread and intertwined behind him.

Gold and white intertwined into a cloud map, like a layer of sky covering the entire solitary peak; within the cloud map, a green dragon coiled and a white elephant trumpeted.

A pure and vast aura rushed toward him, making Li Yuan's heart race; it felt like standing on the edge of a ten-thousand-foot cliff, with a terrifying sense of imminent shattering.

"Long Xi Xiang Golden Elephant Vajra Heaven!"

Li Yuan's spirit trembled.

Within this cloud map, he felt power as vast and surging as the ocean; amidst the churning clouds and mist lay an indescribable charm.

Just like a supreme "Divine Art True Form Map."

"Long Xi Xiang Golden Elephant Vajra Heaven takes the dragon and elephant as form, the vajra as spirit, emphasizing pure yang and utmost rigidity, vast and boundless..."

Beneath the Green Pine, Long Xi Xiang explained the general outline and subtle points of this divine art.

As he spoke, the cloud map behind him changed shape accordingly, combining images and text.

"Roar!"

A dragon's cry echoed through the mountains and rivers; a green dragon within the cloud map thrust its head out, with whiskers at least seven or eight meters long hanging down.

Observing at such close range, Li Yuan detected no trace of falsehood; he could even feel the vigorous, surging blood and life force on this green dragon before him.

"The human body has limits, while the power of heaven and earth is infinite. The spiritual aspect is the beginning for us martial artists, moving from the limited human form to the infinite heaven and earth, from finite to infinite!"

Beneath the old tree, Long Xi Xiang paused slightly: "You cultivate an ultimate-level body-hardening art and have altered your forms; your physique is already no inferior to disciples of the Yiyou Sect who have mastered Blood Transformation..."

"Why not extend your hand and try; this is the power of my green dragon."

"Yes."

Li Yuan nodded without hesitation, reached out and grabbed the two dragon whiskers; they felt cool to the touch with the texture of whiskers and hair, leaving him somewhat amazed.

"Got a good grip?"

Hearing the voice, Li Yuan sank his waist and settled his hips, gathered true qi to the fullest, and tightened both hands:

"Got it... Swish!"

Before he could finish speaking, Li Yuan's eyelids twitched; his feet immediately left the ground. It felt as if he had grabbed two pillars holding up the sky; in a blink, he was whisked into mid-air.

"Aaaah!"

The green dragon roared long, soaring through the sea of clouds.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Holding the dragon whiskers, Li Yuan felt like a lone boat on the vast sea amidst a violent storm, or like a straw in a tornado, swaying with the wind.

Forget holding back the green dragon; even just gripping these two whiskers was already difficult.

This dragon moved several times in an instant; though its speed was not as great as Nie Xianshan's pure yang sword form, it far exceeded his current speed.

Is this the weight of a terrestrial immortal?!

The sea of clouds churned; riding the dragon, Li Yuan was shaken. This was the first time he had felt the power of a terrestrial immortal at such close range.

"How much strength does this green dragon have?"

Snapping back to reality, Li Yuan flipped onto the dragon's head and grabbed a dragon horn. Knowing the old dragon's intentions, he naturally would not waste his kindness.

He stomped his foot; the Black Whale true qi surged out, transforming into a thunder dragon coiling around his body.

"Roar!"

The green dragon beneath him seemed to sense something; it shook its head and swished its tail. Li Yuan almost lost his footing; even with full power unleashed, his strength compared to a terrestrial immortal was like the difference between clouds and mud.

"Is that all the strength you have?"

From atop the solitary peak, Long Xi Xiang's voice came: "Bring out the force you used for that hammer strike!"

"Alright!"

Hearing the voice, Li Yuan did not refuse; he swung with all his might to stabilize his stance, then summoned the remaining seven weapons besides the Sea-Splitting Black Whale Hammer.

Whoosh!

Immense force erupted; thirty thousand hooks of force pressed upon him. Li Yuan felt his feet sink; the unprepared green

dragon let out a long cry.

It suddenly dropped one or two feet; though it stabilized its stance quickly, it had been shaken by him.

"Again!"

Grabbing the dragon horn with one hand, Li Yuan, unwilling to yield, immediately activated the Sea-Splitting Black Whale Hammer.

"Aaaah!"

From atop the solitary peak, Long Xi Xiang sensed something; his gaze sharpened as he saw the green dragon, as if it had lost its center of gravity, suddenly sink from mid-air by perhaps thirty or fifty zhang.

"Roar!"

The green dragon, startled, shook itself; Li Yuan felt his body jerk and was forcibly flung back to the solitary peak. He landed with a dull, massive crash, sending earth and stones flying.

"This green dragon's strength is too great."

Li Yuan's face was filled with amazement; not only was the strength immense, but there truly was no hint of emptiness. Even activating the Sea-Splitting Black Whale Hammer failed to suppress this green dragon.

Of course, this was related to his inability to fully receive the blessing of the Star-Shifting power.

"If I could fully receive the blessing of the Sea-Splitting Black Whale Hammer, could I drag it down from the sky with one pull?"

Li Yuan's thoughts wandered; Long Xi Xiang was also somewhat distracted.

In his view, when Li Yuan drew his sword inside the Bronze Tower, the hammer strike he unleashed possessed the power of a Grandmaster; yet experiencing it firsthand, he realized he had underestimated it.

This instantaneous explosive force...

Long Xi Xiang was quite surprised and doubtful. This was his divine realm; last time he was severely injured, that was one thing, but how could he, this time at such close range, fail to detect the aura of the Black Whale Hammer?

"Or is hiding the inherent trait of the Black Whale Hammer, similar to how the Life-Nourishing Furnace refines pills?"

With a shift of his thoughts, Long Xi Xiang lost the mood for testing, gave a light cough, and said:

"Human strength has its limits... ahem, using the human body to master a spirit phase, to shake the very force of heaven and earth with it—this is the cultivation one undertakes after entering the Dao. You should have some grasp of it already?"

"Many thanks for your guidance, Master."

Li Yuan was quite excited. Flying by sword was inelegant, but riding a dragon to fly would do just as well.

He had no sword-shaped combination, but the Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing's external manifestation could transform into a thunder dragon.

"Mm."

Long Xi Xiang no longer wished to quiz Li Yuan; he realized that the set of pointers his own master had used to guide him back in the day was somewhat outdated.

The azure dragon descended, and his heart sank a beat...

"You already have the foundation of Long Xiang Heliu. Long Xiang Jin Gang Tian you will be able to cultivate to Dao Di Yi Zhong very soon. Add to that the Long Chan Jin Gang Sutra and the Longhu Longhu Dadan you have already cultivated to Great Perfection, and reaching Zhi San Chong is only a matter of time."

"How many layers does Long Xiang Jin Gang Tian have?"

"Seven."

Absolute arts and divine skills both only have seven layers?

Li Yuan's heart stirred, and he asked again: "Master, from the way you speak, does Long Xiang Jin Gang Tian have some connection with other absolute arts?"

"Any one divine skill encompasses a host of absolute arts. To cultivate it to the seventh-layer Great Perfection, one must cultivate them all in tandem."

Long Xi Xiang nodded and said:

"Of the seven great absolute arts, you have already mastered three. After that, you will still need to touch upon the three absolute arts of Great Might Heavenly Dragon Phase, Mighty Dragon Divine Palm, and Ancient Spirit Elephant Nine-Form Hammer. However, before entering the Dao, you can at most cultivate to the third layer, so there's no need to rush."

Hum~

Long Xi Xiang's rear cloud diagram abruptly folded together and vanished into his body. Then, with a flick of his finger, a wisp of gold-and-white interwoven light sank into Li Yuan's core:

"Long Xiang Jin Gang Tian comprises four forms: Azure Dragon in the Sky, White Elephant Descending, Dragon-Elephant Combined Strike, and Heaven Collapse... ponder them carefully. If there's anything you don't understand, come ask me again."

Li Yuan was somewhat dazed; within that wisp of Bai Guang there seemed to be contained all manner of light and shadow, and a single glance left him a touch entranced.

"Go on."

Hearing the voice, Li Yuan bowed in salute: "This disciple takes his leave."

Afterwards, he departed the divine realm with his harvest.

Hum~

Li Yuan had barely taken his first step away when, on the very next, a wisp of cloud and mist drifted apart, and Long Yingchan arrived atop the lonely peak.

"How did it go?"

Long Xi Xiang asked.

"This Tower Lord Qin is indeed a heaven-blessed prodigy."

Long Yingchan was full of praise.

"Mm?"

Long Xi Xiang frowned: "The Star-Plucking Tower's Long Long Modadan transmission lineage has been passed down for a thousand years. Whether she's heaven-blessed or not, what difference does it make?"

"What this old man means is, only when one keeps house does one learn how dear the firewood, rice, oil, and salt are..."

"Speak plainly!"

Long Xi Xiang couldn't be bothered to listen to his rambling.

"She has agreed to give Li Yuan everything she promised, in full. In addition, there are three Long Long Modadan as payment for lodging and shelter, and she has also pledged to act on our behalf twice, plus a hundred-year share of incense offerings from a province..."

The Dragon Dao Lord was beaming, in excellent spirits:

"Furthermore, the latter half of the Azure Dragon Scripture in our scripture library can also be handed over to us..."

"Is this Tower Lord Qin really that easy to talk to?"

Long Xi Xiang was somewhat astonished.

"That's not all."

Long Yingchan smiled faintly: "Besides, she also agreed to one more thing—granting Li Yuan entry into the Eight Directions Tower, and the chance to commence the True Transmission Trial."

"Mm?!"

Long Xi Xiang's heart jolted. He rose to his feet instinctively, looking somewhat incredulous: "She—she even permitted entry into the Eight Directions Tower?!"

The Eight Directions Tower is the Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing passed down generation after generation by the Star-Plucking Tower, and like the Dragon-Tiger Longevity Furnace, it has been masterless for many years.

This is the very foundation of the Star-Plucking Tower—this...

"Not right!"

After his shock, Long Xi Xiang frowned and shook his head: "If it were you, would you agree to such terms?"

This could no longer be explained by mere generosity.

"She agreed."

Long Yingchan did not diminish his smile.

"Not right, very not right."

Long Xi Xiang's brows knit tightly. Measuring others by himself, he absolutely would not allow an outsider sect's person to enter the Longevity Gate for trial—especially knowing of Li Yuan's epoch-defying talent.

An epoch-defying talent can do more than just open the True Transmission Trial; it also carries the qualification to become a Dao Child and fully grasp the Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing!

"Unless she has already fully grasped the Eight Directions Tower, she would absolutely not be so generous..."

"If she had fully grasped it, she wouldn't have been injured to such a state either..."

Long Yingchan paused briefly:

"She has conditions as well."

"What conditions."

"You and I must, at an opportune moment, make a move once."

"Anything else?"

"Besides, she only allows Li Yuan alone to enter the Eight Directions Tower.

"That's all?"

"That's all."

The two exchanged question and answer; the Dragon Dao Lord was all smiles, but Long Xi Xiang always felt something was off:

"Could she be plotting against Li Yuan?"

Long Xi Xiang was somewhat wary, after all even his own senior brothers wanted to poach his people.

Long Long Yingchan was instantly at a loss for words — fearing your own senior brothers would poach is one thing, but other sects too?

"She wouldn't dare."

Long Long Yingchan had thought it through: "First, Li Yuan has no reason to defect from the sect; second, he has no reason to choose Star-Plucking Tower either."

"That's true enough."

Long Xi Xiang's brow eased; he thought it over and felt he could accept it.

"Regardless, this deal is not a loss."

The smile never left Long Long Yingchan's face. Long Xi Xiang only knew to fear people stealing away his disciple, but he saw much further.

This year, those who came to Wan Wan Zhuliu to do the deed of the house stone were not just the Dragon-named ones, nor just this one who needed the bridge market.

"Celestial Silkworm Daoist, Lai Tou Fa Jie... by rights, shouldn't be dead yet, right?"

"The divine art is truly vast and profound!"

Coming out of the small temple, the sky was already bright. Li Yuan was immersed in this divine art; the more he mulled it over, the more his heart trembled with awe.

He hadn't yet learned the divine art, but the various methods recorded within made his spirit sway.

The old dragon head had passed on to him the complete Dragon Elephant Vajra Heaven, which contained not only how to condense the Dragon Elephant Vajra Aspect, the four great killing moves, and visualization methods,

but also included various methods for operating the spirit aspect, as well as his personal insights.

"The treatment of a Dao Child—

Ah."

True lineage disciples, if they had merit, could be taught the divine art, but it wouldn't be the complete divine art.

"Thousand Soul Lock, Spirit Aspect Transformation, True Gang Condensation, Remote Materialization..."

Li Yuan's heart surged. These methods he had long yearned for, like miracles, had now fallen into his hands, making him walk with a slight float.

He only regretted he hadn't cultivated the spirit aspect, but his heart was already itching.

"The old monk is taking advantage of the situation!"

In the room, the little tiger cub gnashed her teeth with a click. She hated most dealing with these old, cunning types.

After a round of talk, she had unknowingly been led around, and in a daze had bled heavily, receiving in exchange only one Long Hu Longhu Dadan.

"Being able to pull out this blade is not a loss either."

After a good while, the little tiger cub finally calmed down. To her, what were these incense offerings and Long Long Modadan?

As long as she took that kid Li away, that would be a huge profit.

A once-in-an-age prodigy, rare across the ages; and beyond that, the ability to pull out Wan Wan Zhuliu's blade intent made her all the more precious.

Under heaven, those suffering from Wan Wan Zhuliu's blade intent — she could flick a claw and count out a dozen or more, all old fellows rich enough to rival a nation.

"Got to think of a way; this kid won't cast the bait without seeing the rabbit, hard to fool..."

On the windowsill, the little tiger cub squinted her eyes and felt the headache again. With her physique, it could hurt for half a day — that old bald donkey surely came to beat her to death, didn't he?

"Long Long Yingchan, if I don't cover your bald head with bumps, this tower lord won't be called Qin Li Shixian!"

Muttering to herself, the little tiger cub gnashed her teeth for a good while. Without evidence, she still knew who to seek revenge on.

"Hah!"

A moment later, her aura suddenly subsided. Outside the San Yuan Wai, Li Yuan slowly walked back.

"That bump still hasn't gone down?"

The moment he returned to the room, Li Yuan saw the big bump on the little tiger cub's head — now red turning purple, painful just to look at.

"Who did it?"

Li Yuan thought and thought, but couldn't figure out who would ambush a cat — that Bronze Tower lord?

"Take some medicine."

Daoist Li wouldn't waste this chance to bond with the little cub. He held great expectations for this little fellow; he hadn't even gone to pick the spirit beast the sect had promised him.

With a swipe of a paw she pushed the pill away, the little tiger cub was somewhat irritable, but after thinking, she still opened her mouth and swallowed the pill, then glared at him.

Li Yuan withdrew his hand without a trace.

Still had to nurture it slowly. If not, should he first go to Hundred Beasts Mountain to get the one the sect promised him?

Muttering to himself, Li Yuan closed the door, sat cross-legged, and was already immersed in the divine art the old dragon head had passed on to him.