Chapter 386: Can a Man Live Without a Heart?

Hiss!

Blade-light swept sideways; even from a hundred zhang away, the watching crowd couldn't help but retreat again and again. The blade-light surged like tides, crisscrossing and churning, its momentum tremendous.

"That old fellow is ruthless enough."

Li Yuan's gaze sharpened slightly. He tapped his toe lightly, Cloud Dragon Nine Appearances, and slipped past the blade-light by a hair's breadth.

As he dodged, his left hand rose and shattered a large swath of blade-light. With the Dragon-Mirror Armor and the Blood-Red Dragon Pattern Armor covering his body, he even felt he could take this blade head-on.

Hiss!

Missing with one strike, Yan Yan Chunyang strode forward, blade-qi extending over ten zhang, like a blade-dragon weaving back and forth, killing aura billowing. He went straight for a killing move:

"Die!"

The blade-mark cut into the ground like a swift plow, leaving a gash over thirty meters long on the earth.

"Blood Exchange Great Completion, Dragon God True Qi, Fu Mo Dao Fa, and at least three or more ultimate techniques… no wonder Senior Brother Long fought him to seven draws. He's no ordinary man indeed."

Li Yuan shifted and dodged, occasionally raising his hammer to block. In just a few moves, he had analyzed Yan Yan Chunyang thoroughly.

A Dao-son level figure, bearing two great Wu Gong and two great divine weapons, striking with full force. In the Dragon Tiger Temple of this generation and the last, below Grandmaster, probably no one could beat this man.

But compared to Wan Wan Zhuliu of the same rank, although Yan Yan Chunyang's blade technique was more vicious and domineering, it lacked purity—form without spirit. It looked tremendous, but the gap was actually enormous.

"As for me… if I go all out, can I take him down in a few moves?"

Dodging a blade with a sidestep, Li Yuan's thoughts drifted briefly, but only in passing. He had no desire to activate the Sea-Splitting Mysterious Whale Hammer in front of everyone.

Sensing the gaze of that Ink Dragon—solid as substance—fixed on him, Master Li's heart chilled slightly. He suppressed the Dragon-Mirror Whip, not letting himself bleed too fast.

"Mm… drag it out a few more moves."

Boom!

Blade-light shattered; Yan Yan Chunyang's every move was vicious.

Li Yuan dodged and weaved, using Cloud Dragon Nine Appearances to entangle him. The benefit of his many fierce battles with Wan Wan Zhuliu now showed: no matter how fierce Yan Yan Chunyang's blade technique, he could evade it with ease.

Boom!

Boom!

The sound of blade-humming exploding rang on and on. Centered on Li Yuan and his opponent's clash, it spread a hundred zhang, several hundred zhang; wherever it passed, the earth split, trees snapped, rocks shattered.

The air at the battlefield seemed to have been boiled; mist steamed and wouldn't disperse.

"Junior Brother is actually already this strong?"

Among the crowd, Ba Ba Wanli had the clearest view, but even though he stared wide-eyed, he could only see two figures within the shockwaves—sometimes crossing, sometimes parting.

Forget the moves, he couldn't even make out the specific clashes.

"Junior Brother has already surpassed the Valley Master…"

Fang Fang Bao Luo instinctively glanced at Lord Master Gongyang Yu not far away. At some unknown point, the latter had already snapped off his beard, staring blankly, lost in a daze.

"This kid…"

Twisting his beard, Lord Master Gongyang Yu felt somewhat dazed. He still remembered when the Divine Weapon Valley first opened its gates wide—that green, immature youth who already had a dragon's form but had yet to build inner strength.

In the blink of an eye, only a few years had passed, yet he had already reached this level?

Even with a top-grade divine weapon, this was enough to make one shudder. That Yan Yan Chunyang, as the sole personal disciple of the Town Martial King, had been at Blood Exchange Great Completion for nearly ten years.

Clang~

Blade-light like a waterfall shot straight into the sky.

"This kid's lightness skill is too good. With a top-grade divine weapon on him, killing him would probably take a hundred moves…"

After many blades missed, a fierce glint flashed in Yan Yan Chunyang's eyes. He stomped heavily, black light bursting from his whole body, and in an instant, he was clad in a ferocious Black Dragon Armor:

"Kill!"

Letting out a long howl, Yan Yan Chunyang, armored now, surged in speed. His blade-light grew ever fiercer; a casual slash left a hundred-meter gash that lingered long.

"Already getting impatient?"

Li Yuan shifted, his form transforming nine times. Dodging this blade, he was also feeling out the Fu Mo Dao Fa.

Wan Wan Zhuliu's blade technique possessed both form and spirit; a casual slash left almost no trace of moves. Even if Li Yuan had wanted to spy on it, he couldn't learn it at all. But Yan Yan Chunyang's blade technique was far inferior, allowing him to glimpse the mysteries of this god-tier blade technique.

"Just a little more…"

Yan Yan Chunyang's qi and blood seemed to burn around him, true qi surging like dragons. Like a black thunderbolt, after donning the divine armor, his Wu Gong surged by a large margin.

Yet, to his astonishment, this kid's speed had surged another notch—still by a hair's breadth, just barely evading his blade-light.

"Still a little short…"

After several more missed strikes, Yan Yan Chunyang finally sensed something was wrong. He glanced back at the Ink Dragon standing with hands clasped behind his back in the distance; the latter's brow had also furrowed.

Unlike the slow-to-realize Yan Yan Chunyang, after Li Yuan dodged several times in succession, his expression had already shifted.

"Not just the Dragon-Mirror Whip—two divine weapons. No wonder Long Long Yingchan…"

The Ink Dragon's gaze turned cold as he looked toward Long Long Yingchan, only to see that those three old fellows had at some unknown point gathered together, watching with great interest.

"That kid Li has cultivated the forms of various spirit birds; his lightness skill is excellent. Even though Long Long Xinglie has Xiu Zhi Liu Zhong of Cloud Dragon Nine Appearances, he doesn't have this speed…"

"The Dragon-Mirror Whip is truly a fine thing. With this one divine weapon on him, it's enough to make up the gap between kid Li and that surnamed Yan, even though the latter has two divine weapons."

"Keep a close eye on the Ink Dragon."

The three communicated via transmitted voice. Apart from Nie Xianshan being slightly surprised, Long Long Yingchan and Long Xi Xiang appeared very calm, seemingly unconcerned.

Long Xi Xiang's attention, however, was mostly on the Ink Dragon.

"This kid is used to hiding his abilities."

Seeing blade-light burst forth and Li Yuan retreat again and again, seemingly finding it harder and harder to resist, Long Long Yingchan was inwardly amused, watching with great relish.

This kid may not be bold, but his talent on the martial path is truly astonishing. In every move and stance, between shifts and dodges, his strength is controlled down to the finest detail, and he wields all his Wu Gong at will.

Faintly, he already had a few shades of a Grandmaster's bearing.

"Why is it still just a little short…"

In another instant, another blade slash missed. Yan Yan Chunyang could no longer hold back the fury in his heart. He leapt up, black light flaring all over his body, as a black dragon opened its blood-red eyes:

"Roar!"

In that leap, Yan Yan Chunyang seemed to be burning. Under the flood of true qi, he had already activated the Small Demon-Subduing Saber in his palm.

It was forged by a grand master smith of the imperial court, and tempered by his own master from the Demon-Subduing Dragon God Saber—a divine weapon that matched his saber art and true qi perfectly.

He had never imagined that a junior who had only refined his viscera could entangle him for dozens of exchanges with nothing but a top-grade divine weapon.

"Die!"

Yan Yan Chunyang struck with his full might.

In an instant, the watching crowd felt their vision go black, as if a curtain had been drawn down—darker than night itself, cutting off the moonlight, filled throughout with bone-chilling saber qi.

"That saber strike carries a hint of the First Demon-Subduing Saber."

Sensing that ultimate sharpness, Li Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly. A quick calculation told him this was already the sixty-seventh exchange.

"That's about enough!"

Boom!

The instant Li Yuan's mind moved, the crisscrossing saber light that had sealed off every inch of space for him to dodge or evade came crashing down.

But this time, he had no intention of dodging.

Bang!

Li Yuan tapped lightly with his foot, and the ground within several dozen meters around him trembled and sank as one. Even from a hundred zhang away, the watching crowd felt the earth shudder, their soles tingling and numb.

Borrowing the tremendous rebound, Li Yuan shot straight into the sky, his already formidable true qi flooding into the Demon-Subduing Pestle.

The Ancient Elephant Spirit Dragon Demon-Subduing Pestle was not quite a hammer-type weapon—one end was a pestle, the other a tri-edged spike. Dragon- and elephant-like patterns wove across its surface, Extremely heavy.

Hiss!

The next instant, the Demon-Subduing Pestle shuddered violently. Originally only about a meter long, after that shudder it suddenly stretched several times longer. The tri-edged spike end shimmered with interwoven mystic light,

like a zhang-two spear, stabbing straight into the saber light that came crashing down like a flood from the heavens.

"Not dodging anymore?"

Yan Yan Chunyang sneered inwardly. This strike was delivered with his full might—even if Long Long Xinglie, Shi Shi Qingyi, or Pei Pei Xingkong were here, they would be horrified and could only defend.

"If I kill this man, will Long Long Yingchan… hmm?!"

As the saber came chopping down, a flash of triumph and worry crossed Yan Yan Chunyang's mind—but then, in the next instant, his heart lurched and a chill that pierced his bones rose within him.

"Hmm?!"

Faster than him, Mo Long, who was watching the battle, had already sensed something was wrong. His gaze hardened, fixing on Li Yuan.

Before that leap, this youngster had been clad in the Shell Dragon Armor, strong, agile, and fast, but with a rather green and timid air about him. Yet after he leapt, his aura suddenly changed.

The change was so drastic that not only he, but Long Long Yingchan, Long Xi Xiang, and Nie Xianshan all fixed their eyes on him intently.

That leap was like a fish leaping past the dragon gate—as if a snake had shed its skin to become a dragon, a crawling creature transformed into a great roc.

His whole body burst forth with dazzling radiance, deep as night, yet seeming to contain all manner of brilliance within.

"Not good!"

In that instant, Mo Long's expression changed. But before he could move, he had already caught the gazes of Long Long Yingchan and his martial brothers. Ying Xin had only just shifted his feet when Nie Xianshan's sword-light flared to life.

"Ah!"

A tremendous crisis descended without warning. Yan Yan Chunyang's eyes flooded with blood, turning crimson. His long hair burst free of his crown, every strand standing on end, and the descending saber-light grew heavier and faster.

At the same time, he squeezed every last drop of true qi from within, erupting outward, bursting through his qi channels and blood vessels, and outside the Small Dragon God Armor it took the form of a Dragon God woven from qi, blood, and true qi together.

Boom!

His reaction was undeniably swift, but almost at the same instant, the Ancient Elephant Spirit Dragon Demon-Subduing Pestle in Li Yuan's palm—now resembling a long sword—

knocked aside the Small Demon-Subduing Saber, pierced through the interwoven saber-light, the raging gale and saber qi, the true-gang covering his body, and the ferocious Small Dragon God Armor…

"Crack!"

Yan Yan Chunyang's eyes nearly split from their sockets, his mind and spirit both trembling.

He still had many Wu Gong he had not yet displayed, still had the Demon-Subduing Saber qi in his viscera he had not yet employed, still had…

"Hiss!"

Faster than any thought could turn, a soft sound rang out, followed by a violent explosion of air. Countless clods of earth and sand shot skyward amid the dust.

"Roar!"

From afar came a furious dragon's roar, followed by a great burst of light that died down in an instant.

Mo Long's body, formed from that wisp of true gang, flickered unsteadily. Behind him, Ying Xin was cleaved in two by a sword; black qi billowed out and was scattered by the wind.

"Huff—"

The gale howled. The fury vanished from Mo Long's face, and he stared coldly at the place where the two had fought.

When the dust cleared, Li Yuan stood holding his pestle. The Demon-Subduing Pestle, now like a zhang-two spear, had pierced through the Small Dragon God Armor and pinned the wide-eyed Yan Yan Chunyang, killing him midair.

"He won!"

At the sight of this, the surroundings first fell deathly silent, then erupted into an uproar.

Most people had not actually seen the specifics of the clash—only flashes of figures crossing. But now that the dust had settled, they naturally saw Yan Yan Chunyang, pinned and slain.

"Martial Uncle Li has won!"

"Yan Yan Chunyang was actually slain across cultivation realms?!"

"Junior brother's great victory, a great victory…"

Wan Wan Zhuliu's sole direct disciple, slain before the eyes of all—this was an earth-shaking event by any measure under heaven.

The watching crowd buzzed with discussion and cries of shock, a cacophony of noise rising to the heavens.

Those nearby pressed forward, those farther away also craned ahead—horrified, stunned, terrified—countless gazes sweeping in from every direction.

But all were cowed by a single hum. Nie Xianshan shook the longsword in his palm, driving the crowd back, his gaze still locked dead on Mo Long's figure.

"This armor is truly hard enough…"

Li Yuan's right hand trembled and went numb; on that final leap, he had driven the Thunder Dragon Jun Tian Hammer, and under the push of thirty thousand jun of force, the Ancient Elephant Spirit Dragon Demon-Subduing Pestle delivered the finishing blow, piercing through the Little Dragon Divine Armor.

But the backlash force nearly split his Hukou open.

"Sixty-eight moves… no, if you really count it, Daoist only threw out two moves."

Li Yuan let out a long breath, the two suits of armor on his body shedding one after another, but then his heart gave a sudden lurch, a flash of shock and disbelief crossing his eyes.

"You deserve to die!"

A thunderous roar exploded beside his ears like a thunderclap—Yan Yan Chunyang, whom Li Yuan had pierced through the left chest, was still alive, and let out a sonic roar as he raised both palms,

his true Qi coiling like a dragon, and brought his palms crashing down in the Twin Peaks Pierce the Ears strike.

"He's not dead even now?!"

Li Yuan was startled but not flustered; with a mere flick of his wrist, Yan Yan Chunyang's body instantly shattered into two halves, and with a backhanded whip, he smashed the man's skull to pieces.

Does this old boy's heart grow on the wrong side too?

Do master and disciple both have their hearts on the right side?

"And such a coincidence at that?"

Li Yuan's heart gave a jolt, and he vaguely sensed something was off.

"Hold!"

Almost at the same moment, Ink Dragon's furious shout rang out.

Daoist Li reacted swiftly; without any visible movement, he had already swiftly withdrawn, retreating behind Long Long Yingchan.

In that violent retreat, he had used his full strength, afraid this Ink Dragon might lose his temper and strike him; fortunately, the man only gave a cold shout.

"Accept the loss gracefully."

After Li Yuan withdrew, everyone's gaze fell on the grim-faced young man; after a brief daze, he spoke in a low voice.

As he spoke, his gaze swept over.

Long Long Yingchan lightly patted Li Yuan's shoulder, shielding him behind him:

"What manner of man is the Town Martial King? How could he interfere in a juniors' brawl?"

Ink Dragon's face was expressionless as he looked at Yan Yan Chunyang, who had died without an intact corpse:

"I will take his corpse away."

Glancing at the corpse split in two with its shattered skull, Long Long Yingchan nodded:

"Naturally."

Ink Dragon said nothing more, merely striding forward; his true Qi dispersed like countless palms, gathering up Yan Yan Chunyang's mangled remains and scattered flesh and blood.

Then, without looking back, he vanished into the night.

"All of you, disperse!"

Watching that figure depart into the distance, Nie Xianshan gave a great shout, driving back the crowd of onlookers.

"Master…"

Li Yuan returned the Ancient Elephant Spirit Dragon Demon-Subduing Pestle to Long Xi Xiang; his face still held some bewilderment—people with reversed hearts were not unheard of, but for both master and disciple to have them was rather too much of a coincidence.

And what puzzled him even more was that, given his force, that strike piercing the right chest should have shattered all his internal organs.

"Did he cultivate some secret method to protect his organs? Or is it…"