Chapter 409: Vajra Indestructible Body

"Huff!"

Having placed his bet, Great Ming Chan Master let out a long breath; his restless thoughts only now settled down. He raised his eyes to look at the towering pagoda before him, his gaze flickering: "Dragon Tiger Nurturing Furnace."

"Waiting right here!"

Tossing down a line, under the stunned and bewildered gazes of the crowd, Great Ming Chan Master lightly shook his kasaya, strode forward, and walked into the Dragon Tiger Pagoda!

A wave, faint yet present, spread outward!

The instant he stepped into the pagoda, Great Ming Chan Master felt an invisible, colossal force rolling toward him like a tide, bearing an incomparably overwhelming pressure!

"No wonder Senior Brother didn't dare come in!"

After taking only one step, Great Ming Chan Master's aura plummeted sharply by a large margin; his Divine Realm and Spirit Phase were simultaneously subjected to tremendous pressure, dropping from Heavenly Gang down to Earth Sha!

Sighing inwardly, he did not stop. He took another step forward, and his aura dropped again—this time even more violently, plunging from Earth Sha straight down to Marrow Refining!

A tremendous sense of emptiness welled up in his heart. Great Ming Chan Master closed his eyes, feeling his body grow thin and frail, his true qi circulating poorly, and unable to interact with the outside world!

His Divine Embryo and Spirit Phase were as if shrouded by a thin veil, unable to perceive anything!

"Fearsome, truly fearsome!"

Great Ming Chan Master opened his eyes. As the gloom and mist before him dispersed, he had shockingly dropped down to Marrow Refining Great Completion!

Before his eyes was a martial arena paved with yellow earth, with weapon racks on both sides. Right at the center, a youth in a Daoist robe, his figure tall and straight, stood holding a hammer: "This junior, Li Yuan, greets Great Ming Chan Master!"

"Li Yuan!"

Great Ming Chan Master sized up this youngster who had caused him to lose so badly, a flash of astonishment crossing his eyes!

Unlike the fleeting glimpse outside the pagoda, now this youngster, hammer in hand, stood in a loose, slouching stance, yet gave him a feeling of a Buddha facing all four directions—utterly without flaw!

"Liao Kong did not lose unjustly, did not lose unjustly…"

"Please, Chan Master, grant me your instruction."

Li Yuan held his hammer and bowed!

"Good…"

Great Ming Chan Master gave a slight nod. The next instant, he felt mysterious light surge before his eyes like a tide, as if a bolt of lightning exploded right in front of him: "Mm?"

Clean, decisive!

Li Yuan kept the Dragon Dao Lord's instructions firmly in mind. His stride was like a dragon's, his heavy hammer swept sideways like a bolt of lightning sprung loose. In the blink of an eye, his Mysterious Whale true qi had been driven to its absolute limit!

"Roar."

Great Ming Chan Master's heart jolted. The reverberating sound of that true qi had actually made him daze for a moment. Though it was only an imperceptible instant, in the midst of combat, it naturally appeared exceedingly dangerous!

Boom.

The heavy hammer struck the ground, shockwaves surging!

After throwing that hammer, Li Yuan felt his wrist jolt, a flash of astonishment crossing his eyes. He instinctively paused for a beat!

But he saw that amid the rolling dust, the old monk had his palms pressed together. Layer upon layer of Jin Guang spread outward centered on him, weaving into rings behind his back. Neither dodging nor evading, he had taken this hammer of Li Yuan's head-on!

"Vajra Indestructible?"

Li Yuan raised an eyebrow. This was another divine Wu Gong of the Xinyi Sect; among all the horizontal-training Wu Gongs under heaven, it could rank in the top three!

The old monk has no martial virtue.

Li Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly!

The Dragon Tiger Pagoda had indeed suppressed his true qi, true gang, and spirit phase, but this body of horizontal training was still a Grandmaster-level horizontal training!

"Good hammer, good hammer."

Great Ming Chan Master was visibly moved. He picked at his ear, bared his teeth in a grin: "This old monk isn't much of a fighter. Apart from our sect's Buddha-I-Stand-Alone Art, I've only cultivated this body of horizontal training. Little friend, just go all out and strike. If within ten hammers you can't break through this old monk's Golden Body, then…"

Before his words had finished, Li Yuan had already erupted. His legs exploded with force, and in a flash he vaulted high into the air. His heavy hammer whirled around his body like a tornado, kicking up great clouds of dust and shockwaves!

"Long Chan Vajra, Dragon Tiger Hun Tian, Nine-Appearing Cloud Dragon, Long Xiang Heliu… seems to also carry a few traces of Dragon Elephant Vajra Heaven. No wonder Liao Kong was defeated so swiftly!!"

Golden light wove around his body like layer upon layer of an iron curtain. Great Ming Chan Master pressed his palms together, somewhat astonished, yet also slightly disappointed: "If that's all there is, you may not necessarily be able to root out Wan Wan Zhuliu's saber intent…"

Golden light surged like tides, layer upon layer weaving together. At first glance, it was as if countless golden bells were nested over his body one by one. The strength of this horizontal training made even Li Yuan unable to help feeling astonished!

Monk Liao Kong's horizontal training was already extremely powerful, but compared to this old monk, it fell far short!

"Thunder Dragon Jun Tian Hammer."

Li Yuan's heart turned slightly ruthless. He had already activated three Thunder Dragon Jun Tian Hammers. Thirty thousand jun of colossal force added to his body, and the speed that was already nearing its limit surged once more.

Divine-level horizontal training was indeed overwhelmingly strong, but at the Marrow Refining tier, Li Yuan was confident he could break through it. However, to end the fight quickly, he naturally had to go all out!

You don't keep martial virtue, then neither will I!

"Mm?."

Great Ming Chan Master keenly sensed the change in an instant. He suddenly looked up, and even his eyelid couldn't help but twitch!

This hammer was still the Hun Tian Hammer, but this force—boom!

The next instant, the entire martial arena paved with yellow earth trembled, as if about to be flipped over entirely by the colossal force!

"Too hard."

After the hammer struck, Li Yuan borrowed the rebound force and landed far away!

The gale blew the dust away, revealing the scene within!

The tide-like Jin Guang dimmed. The old monk was like a nail, driven deep into the ground. Centered on him, the earth within a hundred-meter radius was completely torn apart. Dust and sand fell from the sky, pattering like rain!

"He can even take this."

Li Yuan was somewhat horrified. Thirty thousand jun of colossal force combined with his own true qi and physique—this hammer, he was confident, could blast apart even Wan Wan Zhuliu of the same tier!

This old monk…

In the deep pit, the old monk dug at his ear, feeling his brain buzz, his vision flickering between black and red, his whole person somewhat dizzy!

A Marrow Refining martial artist could deliver such a heavy hammer—the old monk felt his qi and blood churning, as if he'd seen a ghost. This hammer, only he could take it; any other Grandmaster caught off guard would have been smashed dead in one strike!

"This tough to beat."

Seeing the old monk crawl out from underground, the golden light behind him dim but not yet extinguished, Li Yuan's eyes lit up!

He had never seen such a fine target!

"Again!"

With a great shout, Li Yuan leapt from the ground, like a bolt of lightning streaking across a hundred meters, charging at extreme speed, the heavy hammer crashing down once more like a mountain!

"…wait…"

The Great Ming Chan Master, dazed for a moment, came back to his senses, his face drastically changing. Forgetting the ten-hammer agreement, his legs trembled and he darted away!

But Li Yuan's speed was far faster than his. This hammer followed like a shadow, falling heavily as the old monk's eyes widened in shock!

"Wait…"

Boom.

The great hammer smashed into the ground, the golden light and the earth shattering together!

With thirty thousand jun of force behind it, Li Yuan had no need for fine control. The heavy hammer struck the ground, and large clouds of dust and rubble rose up like a curtain!

Like tide and wave, they filled the deep crater left by the hammerhead!

"He can take even this?"

Shaking his stinging palm, Li Yuan was shocked!

This old monk's physique was outrageously strong — he had taken this hammer too!

"S-stop, stop!"

Seeing Li Yuan raise the hammer again, the old monk, nearly buried alive, let out a bellow and, wrapped in his tattered kasaya, scrambled aside in a sorry state!

His chest heaved, his two arms swung unnaturally, his old face deathly pale, and his two limp arms were a fiery red.

"Brother Long, you—you aren't trying to kill this poor monk, are you?"

The Great Ming Monk's heart was filled with dread — not only because that hammer was unreasonably heavy, but also because of the Yang Sheng Lu!

In that instant, he had struggled with all his might, but whether divine realm or spirit phase, it was as if they had vanished completely — no matter how he tried to summon them, there was no response!

In other words, he had nearly been beaten to death by that hammer!

"What are you saying, Chan Master?"

The Dragon Dao Master's voice rang out at the right moment: "Any more hammers?"

"Seven hammers!"

Li Yuan raised his hammer, feeling a touch of regret!

If not for needing to finish this deal quickly, he would have used every kind of hammer technique on him. The feel of hammer striking flesh was far too satisfying!

"…Enough, enough!"

Shaking his arms, reconnecting the broken bones, the Great Ming Chan Master wiped the cold sweat from his face, and finally truly understood why his senior brother had not come!

Having one's realm suppressed to this extent was simply like handing one's life over to someone else!

"I wonder if my humble disciple's methods meet your standards?"

A wisp of cloud drifted down, Long Long Yingchan pinched his long brows as he asked!

The Great Ming Chan Master's face twitched, yet he still forced out a smile: "Your disciple's talent and Wu Gong are no less than Wan Wan Zhuliu of old. This old monk is utterly impressed — congratulations, Brother Long, on having a worthy successor."

There was some flattery in his words, but his suspended heart finally settled. Though his internal organs had been displaced by the beating, based on those three hammers alone, this boy was qualified to draw his blade! At the very least, qualified to perish together!

"Chan Master, you flatter me!"

The Dragon Dao Master maintained his composure, smiled and raised his hand, sending the Great Ming Chan Master out of the Dragon Tiger Pagoda!

"How was it?"

Long Long Yingchan glanced at Li Yuan!

"Truly worthy of a divine-gong-level horizontal training!"

Li Yuan was quite impressed. The heavy hammer was adept at breaking armor and horizontal training, yet the old monk could still take three of his hammers head-on — with other weapons, it would likely be very hard to breach his defense!

"The Yang Sheng Lu can suppress realm, but cannot suppress his physique. If he really is at the Organ Refining stage, the second hammer would have killed him without question!"

Long Long Yingchan had grown quite familiar with Li Yuan's fighting style!

His "hide first, then strike" approach had some similarity to his own. The difference was that he himself concealed his strength before striking — when still, he remains still; when he moves, it must be a killing blow!

If he really were at Organ Refining, he wouldn't dare stand still and take my hammer!

Li Yuan's interest in this horizontal training art grew greatly!

"That is true!"

Long Long Yingchan saw what he was thinking and said with a wry smile: "The Diamond Indestructible Body is a secret divine gong of the Xinyi Sect, and one must first cultivate the Buddha-I-Alone-Revered Gong to even begin learning it!"

"Then forget it!"

Li Yuan immediately gave up the idea — the aftereffects of the Buddha-I-Alone-Revered Gong were truly too severe!

"Though Dragon-Elephant Diamond Heaven is not a divine-level horizontal training, if you cultivate it to Great Perfection, it will be no inferior to this Diamond Indestructible Body!"

The Dragon Dao Master was in a good mood and offered Li Yuan a few pointers: "The old monk's physique is strong, but you need not be too astonished. Once you undergo Blood Exchange, you will understand!"

"Mm?"

Li Yuan's heart stirred — he had heard similar words from Old Long Head before!

"The benefits of many supreme arts cannot be truly appreciated until Blood Exchange, especially horizontal training… well, you're not far off anyway, experience it yourself!"

The Dragon Dao Master waved his hand and sent him out of the Dragon Tiger Pagoda!

Long Long Yingchan had hidden himself too deeply!

Before leaving the pagoda, the Great Ming Chan Master's heart was still somewhat dazed. Hearing about it was no match for seeing it firsthand — only now did he truly appreciate Liao Kong's feelings!

A heavy hammer like that, in a clash of the same realm, would truly wound at a graze and kill upon contact!

"Liao Kong said he took thirteen hammers?"

Before stepping out of the pagoda gate, the Great Ming Chan Master straightened his kasaya, then slowly walked out!

By this time the sky had already gone dark, and outside the tower there were still only those scattered few people. Seeing Great Ming Chan Master come out, the expressions of the crowd all shifted somewhat!

"Not breaking into the tower?"

Lin Kai glanced at the stone stele, which showed no movement, and his mind began to wander—surely this one couldn't have failed to get past even the first floor, could he?

"Martial Uncle?"

Seeing that Great Ming Chan Master's kasaya was already torn, the group of great monks of the Xinyi Sect were instantly alarmed!

"We'll talk when we get back!"

Great Ming Chan Master's emotions had already calmed. He glanced at the odds on the wooden placard—Li Yuan one, placard one—and now in his heart he truly had no more doubts!

Among those of the same rank in the Wudadao Sect, probably no one could beat this kid.

"Not good… with this kid blocking the way, Long Long Xinglie's first place is rock-solid. Everyone else can only fight for third…"

The old monk's eyelid twitched, and he felt a deep malice—could it be that Long Long Yingchan opened this gambling den precisely to target them?

"Blood Exchange!"

Walking along the mountain path, the night breeze blowing Xu Xu, Li Yuan's mind churned with all manner of information regarding marrow refining and blood exchange!

This was the final realm before entering the Dao; a martial artist's physical body here reached its own limit, and the benefits of his reshaping of forms would truly manifest after the blood exchange!

On this point, Old Han, Old Long Tou, Long Dao Zhu, or the explanations in the ancient books he had flipped through in the library were all in agreement!

"Form-changing is not the beginning of becoming non-human; only when blood exchange reaches great completion is the body truly non-human!"

Regarding this, Li Yuan felt some anticipation in his heart, and at the same time some doubt!

The saying that once blood exchange reaches great completion, the bone structure can no longer be altered—both Old Han and Long Dao Zhu acknowledged it!

But according to Long Dao Zhu's account, before Wan Wan Zhuliu's blood exchange reached great completion, he had altered a thousand forms… then what about the Dragon Demon Daoist? Surely he couldn't have altered the forms of ten thousand beasts before entering the Dao, could he?

Li Yuan voiced his doubt: "Or is it that that Dragon Demon Heart Scripture has a way to circumvent this limitation?"

Speculating in his heart, Li Yuan returned to the small courtyard. He glanced at the small temple opposite—no lights were on—Old Long Tou seemed to have gone to sleep!

Closing the courtyard gate, Li Yuan washed up a bit. Before he could return to his room, he heard a faint gust of wind, and the little tiger cub that had been gone for several days darted back into the room in a flash!

"This little fellow seems to have grown quite a bit."

Li Yuan followed into the room and took a careful look, discovering that this little fellow had indeed grown a full size larger, and its fur had also become increasingly lustrous, as if it had eaten some great tonic!

"Whoosh."

The little tiger cub glared at him, its gaze seeming much fiercer!

"Not bad, not bad!"

Li Yuan instantly felt his mood greatly improve. Though he missed that two-winged Lei Quan, he cared even more about this little fellow!

Born with two wings, and already this fierce in its infancy—this must be a top-grade spirit beast. Once grown, who knows, it might compare to legendary spirit beasts like the Northern Sea Cang Long or the Qianshan Qianshan Qilin—absolute top-tier spirit beasts!

"Woof."

The little tiger cub lay on the windowsill, seeming utterly exhausted. In no time at all, the sound of snoring came forth!

"Mm, tomorrow I'll go see that two-winged Lei Quan!"

Letting out a breath, Li Yuan sat cross-legged and entered meditation, with mind-Visualization, circulating true Qi, comprehending the Treasure Refining Art, Wind Tiger Cloud Dragon, and so on all proceeding simultaneously!

After his talent was stacked to the Cover-the-World level, the Wu Gong he had learned was more, yet on the contrary he was not so busy!

As dawn was about to break, Li Yuan lay down to sleep. In that half-asleep, half-awake state, he sensed a familiar fluctuation, and in a daze, he gave a start: