Chapter 389: The Fourth Listening

Hum~

On the Listening Wood Register, all manner of ghostly lights flickered, the characters shifting ceaselessly like a waterfall.

"They say, a thousand years ago, a great upheaval broke out in the Divine Capital. The chaos began within the imperial palace, and at one point heavenly fire rained from the sky, nearly reducing the palace to ruins. The historical records note that the Star-Plucking Tower's assassination of the king began from that moment — a thousand years now…"

"Within the Azure Dragon Pavilion there is a single life-extending pill, coveted by many yet rarely circulated. The divine thief Mo Mo Yinke plotted for over a decade, lying dormant within the Azure Dragon Pavilion, waiting to steal it when Tian Tian Shezi descended the mountain to take part in the Various Dao Martial Exhibition…"

"Imperial Censor Li Yun of the imperial court laid out ten great crimes of the Martial King of Zhen, throwing Yinchaotang into an uproar…"

"A minor clerk in a border town of Youzhou, owing to outstanding talent, was taken as a disciple by Pei Pei Xingkong of the One Qi Mountain Manor…"

……

Before sleep, Li Yuan listened as usual — it had already become his bedtime habit.

Picking and choosing from among them, he had managed to dig out quite a bit of useful intelligence.

"A life-extending pill!"

Li Yuan was startled; this was the first time he had ever heard of such a pill, and moreover, a divine thief had appeared who was even bolder than Brother Brother Sikong.

"To infiltrate the Azure Dragon Pavilion for over a decade — that takes considerable nerve and skill. No wonder he ranks in the top three on the Divine Thief Board."

Li Yuan had long since memorized the Divine Thief Board, so naturally he knew of Mo Mo Yinke — a top-tier divine thief, ranked far higher than Brother Brother Sikong.

At once, he committed the matter to memory.

Hum~

Wisps of incense drifted and sank into the Listening Wood Register, though most were first-tier.

During this period, Liu Zheng had gathered quite a few incense burners. Though there were no high-tier incense offerings, first and second tier were plentiful — more than enough to supply his listening.

"The famed constable Jin Jin Zhu Feng of the Pacification Bureau tracked for thousands of li and discovered traces of the divine thief Brother Brother Sikong. At the critical moment, the divine thief Yun Zheyue stepped in to help…"

Good heavens.

Li Yuan's spirits jolted — after a full month, he had actually heard a follow-up.

"If he escapes this, Brother Brother Sikong's ranking on the Divine Thief Board can rise quite a bit more."

The intelligence from the Listening Wood Register was highly random; it took Li Yuan over a month before he heard any news about Brother Brother Sikong again.

Compared with his own uneventful life, this divine thief certainly lived a colorful one — battling fellow thieves, battling famed constables, shifting and weaving across thousands of li.

"Too little useful intelligence."

Li Yuan digested it for a while. Over so many days, he had barely used any fourth-tier incense — truly reluctant to part with it.

"Use up the chance to Listen to the Heavenly Sound."

Last night Li Yuan had already been thinking of using it; delayed by a day, he had still decided to use it.

After all, the advancement of the Palm Sound Register did not rank highly in his mind — two hundred strands of fourth-tier incense, he truly could not bear to spend them.

"Listen to the Heavenly Sound."

Hum~

Within the Soldier-Space, light flared suddenly.

Li Yuan only felt his body grow light; in a drifting instant, his spirit left his body, passed through the roof, and along a track in the unseen, floated like a wisp of yin wind.

In but an instant, Li Yuan felt he had already reached above the sea of clouds. He looked down — the Dragon-Tiger mountain range was already far beyond sight.

Whoosh~

Then, he felt the light and shadows around him interweave, enveloping him within.

……

Clang—

He did not know how long had passed before Li Yuan heard a muffled bell toll, and only then did he come back to himself from his daze.

"This place is…"

Li Yuan looked around and found he had landed atop a high platform, where clouds and mist rolled and the wind stirred the banners.

"Beyond the heavens, the heavens rise without end; the sun, moon, and stars revolve. The mountains, rivers, sun, and moon move. Beyond men there are men — which mountain stands the highest…"

Li Yuan glanced at the drifting banners, walked to the railing, and looked down.

He saw a cloud ladder coiling around the high platform like a dragon, winding for who knew how many zhang. Beneath the clouds lay a mighty city.

Palaces clustered in groups, all manner of buildings arranged in orderly fashion, spreading outward from this high platform as their center for who knew how far. Looking down from above, one could not even see the end.

"This is… the Divine Capital of the Dayun?"

Li Yuan's heart skipped a beat. He raised his head to look up and saw a wooden plaque hung high, inscribed with the three characters 'Star-Gazing Platform,' each stroke vigorous and forceful, like coiled dragons crouching.

"The Dayun Star-Gazing Platform!"

Li Yuan's gaze merely swept past it, already drawn by something suspended even higher.

It was a dark-yellow bronze bell.

The bronze bell was enormous — large enough to cover a whole room. Its surface was covered in mottled marks, as if caused by wind and rain, yet also like various blurred, mysterious patterns.

The moment he raised his eyes to look, Li Yuan felt a sensation of weight, grandeur, and solidity rush toward him.

【Great Sun Jin Lin Bell (Eleventh Tier)】

【???】

【???】

Li Yuan's body moved like the wind, drifting over ten meters before the flash of that dark-gold light swept past his eyes.

This bell was unmistakably one of the four Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing of the imperial court — a legendary, dynasty-guarding heavy treasure obtained in his later years by the Dayun Grand Ancestor Pang Pang Wenlong, passed down generation after generation!

"Just hanging there like that."

Li Yuan's eyes grew hot with desire, but his current state was wrong — drifting, unsupported — and he could not get close, as if bound by an invisible force.

"The bell sound I heard earlier came from this bell, didn't it?"

Li Yuan landed on the high platform. The imperial court's hand was lavish — atop this wooden platform at least three thousand meters high, the area was well over a hundred meters across,

Like a colossal pillar holding up the sky, it stood in the very center of the Imperial City, in the very center of the Divine Capital, possessing a certain flavor of suppressing fortune.

"Someone is coming."

Li Yuan surveyed the surroundings, mainly the Imperial City beneath the high platform; in a short while, he heard the sound of breaking the air. He focused his spirit and looked.

He saw several figures leap from the ground, climbing upward at extreme speed; in a short while, they had jumped onto the high platform.

There were seven in total, three men and four women, dressed in splendor, some carrying long swords on their backs, some with empty hands; the only thing they shared was that silver hair.

"How strange. Pang Pang Wenlong had black hair and black eyes; how come every single descendant has silver hair?"

Li Yuan recalled Pang Pang Wenlong he had seen while listening before; on the figures before him, not a single trace should be visible.

"Ninth Brother, this time it is your turn to strike the bell."

The youngest woman urged with a light laugh; the eldest youth frowned slightly:

"Striking the Jin Lin Bell once consumes most of my true qi. Let us wait for the others."

"Who knows when they will arrive? If you won't strike it, I will!"

That woman was impatient. She lightly tapped her foot, already soaring over a hundred meters up. She raised her hand and clenched her fist; firelight burst forth. True qi transformed into a fire phoenix, piercing through the remaining distance and striking the bronze bell:

"Jin Lin Gate, this princess is here!"

"Dang!"

The mighty bell sound resounded; dazzling Jin Guang flowed down like a waterfall.

In the blink of an eye, the seven people on the high platform vanished. Li Yuan moved forward to follow, but as the Jin Guang dispersed, he still stood in place.

"..."

I can't get in.

Li Yuan suddenly felt speechless; he had wanted to follow and take a look.

"It seems the sound to be heard this time is not inside the bell..."

Li Yuan felt slightly disappointed. He wandered around the high platform; in a short while, several more people ascended the platform; after a while, several more came.

Back and forth, six groups of people arrived. Their ages varied from young to old; the only thing they shared was that silver hair.

"They all say the imperial family has few descendants; isn't this quite a lot?"

After the sixth group entered, Li Yuan waited for a long while before one person finally arrived.

That was a middle-aged man in black robes with a strange appearance and a beautiful bearing. His hair was tied back, his wide sleeves fluttering. Hmm, black hair.

【Falling Star White Tiger Sword (Ninth Rank)】

【???】

【???】

A supreme divine weapon!

The light of the weapon was dazzling, yet just like the previous times, only its name could be seen, not its information. Li Yuan did not mind.

Looking him up and down, he had already recognized this middle-aged man's identity.

"Grandmaster of the Shenbangda Sect, Master of the Imperial Observatory, Imperial Preceptor of the Court, Wu Wu Yingxing!"

As this thought flashed through Li Yuan's mind, he saw that Imperial Preceptor bow slightly toward him. It made his heart tremble in fright; only then did he realize this was not a bow to himself.

"Your Majesty!"

Wu Wu Yingxing bowed in greeting.

The Qian Emperor?

Li Yuan turned around. A tall middle-aged man stood leaning against the railing, as if looking down upon the Imperial City.

"The Emperor."

Li Yuan perked up. Combining his past and present lives, this was the first time he had seen such a profession. He immediately moved to the side to observe.

Yellow robes and silver hair; a dragon-shaped vertical mark on his brow. He possessed a rather imposing aura that commanded respect without anger.

Hmm, no divine weapon.

Master Li Dao made this assessment in his heart.

"Master Wu, is there any news regarding that Back-Loading Palace Spirit Turtle?"

The Qian Emperor asked.

"Replying to Your Majesty, that old turtle seems to possess a strange treasure. It is difficult to discern its movements. We can only vaguely know its general direction; it should be heading toward the Northern Sea."

Wu Wu Yingxing answered: "A few days ago, the King of Zhenwu sent a letter inquiring."

Back-Loading Palace Spirit Turtle?

Li Yuan immediately focused his spirit to listen.

"Northern Sea."

The Qian Emperor repeated: "Master Wu, if I recall correctly, in the lands of the Northern Sea, there is a sea dragon that has attained spirit?"

"The Azure Dragon of the Northern Sea. It is said to have vanished for many years. Does Your Majesty believe this old turtle is heading north to capture this dragon?"

Wu Wu Yingxing frowned slightly.

'Azure Dragon of the Northern Sea?'

Li Yuan heard something familiar. Previously, to find the origin of the little tiger cub, he had flipped through many books regarding spiritual beasts.

Yun Shu Lou classified spiritual beasts into three ranks, yet the Azure Dragon of the Northern Sea was not among them. This was the existence of a Divine Beast. It was said that a Grandmaster had once died in its mouth...

"I have seen an ancient book mention that spiritual beasts of this rank are most favored by Outer Gods. Perhaps that old turtle intends to use this as an Offering to cross the Nine Layers of Gales in the Sky..."

The Qian Emperor spoke.

"An ancient book?"

Wu Wu Yingxing's heart stirred slightly: "I do not know which ancient book Your Majesty refers to."

"Master Wu has been in seclusion for eight years, so you would not know. Three years ago, I already broke through the final trial of the Jin Lin Gate..."

With a flick of his sleeve, Emperor Qian produced an ancient beast-skin tome:

"This ancient book is the reward."

Li Yuan leaned in close and at once spotted the familiar Rift Sea Divine Script; the gist seemed to be 'Sacrifice to the Gods… Chapter'?

"The reward for the final trial…"

Li Yuan had no time to marvel that this Emperor of Dayun had actually broken through the final trial; at extreme speed he committed to memory every character of Rift Sea Divine Script on the first page that he did not recognize.

Then he sidled up to Wu Wu Yingxing, following along as he turned the pages, and regardless of what was written, he memorized it all.

But, regrettably, he did not get through many pages.

"Outer Gods, blood sacrifice…"

Wu Wu Yingxing casually flipped through a few pages then closed the book, his brows knitting: "Does Your Majesty believe the records in this ancient tome to be true?"

"Beyond man there is man, beyond heaven there is heaven, beyond gods there are gods — it is hardly surprising."

Emperor Qian glanced calmly at Wu Wu Yingxing:

"Does Master Wu perhaps forget that Thousand Spirit Dharma Lord?"

"The Heaven Beyond Heavens is, after all, vague and elusive."

Wu Wu Yingxing shook his head:

"This minister has used Mi Fa to observe the stars; at times I can even see through the Nine Layers of Gang Wind Heaven, but apart from scattered stars, I have never seen any Heaven Beyond Heavens, let alone land or sea."

Emperor Qian did not rebut, only with some regret:

"A pity — the depths of Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing can only be reached by breaking through the final trial; otherwise I would surely have brought Master Wu to take a look…"

"What exactly lies in the deepest part of Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing?"

Wu Wu Yingxing inquired.

"Hard to say."

Emperor Qian shook his head.

Wu Wu Yingxing's brows knit slightly as he pressed: "Does it have to do with the Eight Directions Temple? Are there records concerning the Heaven Beyond Heavens?"

"Yes, and no."

Emperor Qian's words were deliberately ambiguous; he did not seem to wish to speak plainly, and after a perfunctory remark, he changed the subject:

"Master Wu, apart from the Dragon-Tiger Longevity Furnace, is there any other method in this world that can wash away one's cultivation?"

"Wash away cultivation?"

To say nothing of Wu Wu Yingxing, even Li Yuan was startled.

Although he could not discern this Emperor Qian's cultivation, the fact that he could break through the final trial of a ruined sect meant he was at the very least a top-tier Grandmaster of Tian Gang Jing.

This…

"Your Majesty, what is this about?"

Wu Wu Yingxing was somewhat taken aback; the eight-odd years he had spent in closed-door cultivation seemed to have brought many changes, and the Emperor Qian before him had become someone he could no longer fully read.

"Because of the deepest part of Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing?"

"Mm."

Emperor Qian nodded, without concealing it:

"The Eight Directions Temple does indeed exist in this world, but it is hard to reach. Wan Wan Zhuliu wishes to master multiple Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing and forcibly break through the restrictions, but I feel we should proceed by the rules."

"The rules?"

Wu Wu Yingxing grew ever more puzzled: "What rules?"

"The rules of the trial."

Emperor Qian did not answer further.

Wu Wu Yingxing pondered briefly, then replied: "It is said that the Chang Hong Yi Qi Sword has a similar method, but reportedly it carries aftereffects…"

Crack—

Li Yuan had been listening intently when he suddenly heard a splitting sound; in less than an instant, the light and shadows before his eyes had already scattered into fragments.

……

……

Whoosh!

As if plummeting from the clouds into an abyss in a single instant, the Intense weightlessness left even Li Yuan somewhat unwell.

Inside the room, he took several deep breaths before recovering from his discomfort; the little tiger cub raised its head and glanced at him, vaguely sensing something was off, yet unable to pinpoint what was wrong.

"Rules… what rules?"

Li Yuan felt somewhat dazed.

This time, the intelligence gleaned from listening to the Heavenly Sound was too vast; he spent a good while digesting it, ensuring nothing was missed, before finally closing his eyes and sensing the Listening-Wood Slip.

Upon it, all manner of text interwove, and a wooden, mechanical voice echoed in his ears:

【Upon the Dayun Star-Gazing Platform hangs a great Sun-Jin Lin Bell; every month or several months, members of the imperial clan enter it for trial, a practice continued for nearly a thousand years now…】

【In the deepest part of Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing, there is rumored to be something connected to the Eight Directions Temple… someone longs for it deeply, willing to pay a tremendous price for it…】

【Silver hair, dragon patterns — the imperial clan's offspring are few; each generation sees many die young, yet without exception they are martial prodigies…】

【The Burden-Bearing Palace Dragon-Tortoise appears to be searching for something…】

Both the Dragon-Tiger Longevity Furnace and the Chang Hong Yi Qi Sword possess the might to dismantle cultivation and re-cultivate…

……

All manner of text flowed and shifted.

Li Yuan cross-checked against the intelligence he had heard earlier, and was quite moved within.

Just who is Emperor Qian?

Even without counting his status and position, being able to pass the Jin Lin Gate's final trial by any means whatsoever makes him at least a supreme grandmaster, or even a powerhouse of the great grandmaster level.

"The rules that allow him to have his cultivation broken and rebuilt... the rules of the trial..."

Li Yuan murmured to himself, suddenly recalling the Dragon Demon Daoist he had seen while listening to Lingyin, and a realization dawned in his heart:

"Talent?!"