Chapter 410: Qin Li Shixian's Attempt to Win Over

The Master of the Star-Picking Tower.

Sensing that familiar fluctuation, Li Yuan's scant sleepiness nearly vanished; he quickly steadied his mind and followed that faint, elusive trail!

Opening his eyes again, Li Yuan saw that familiar bronze tower. Unlike its previous ruined state, this tower seemed to have undergone recasting, giving it a somewhat refreshed appearance!

But compared to before... it was even more blurred!

"The injury hasn't healed yet."

Li Yuan looked around!

Outside the giant tower lay dense forests and valleys. After that divine blade was removed, although the Divine Realm had become much more blurred, the heavy sense of twilight had vanished, replaced by surging vitality!

"Senior."

Li Yuan clasped his hands in greeting!

Before the bronze tower stood an old man with mottled beard and hair, his face still covered by that patternless bronze mask!

"Li Yuan!"

Through the mask, the woman in white robes gazed at Li Yuan, unable to help but feel a bit puzzled in her heart!

She had taken the time to go down the mountain for a trip; all told, it hadn't been more than a few days, yet she discovered this boy's Wu Gong seemed to have made considerable progress again!

Without refining the marrow, he could still improve at such high speed?

If the blade were drawn now, this boy would probably be even more composed...!

Apart from the First Blade of Subduing Demons, this boy might already have surpassed Wan Wan Zhuliu in the cultivation of refining the viscera; the woman in white robes let her thoughts wander slightly!

"Senior, please speak!"

Facing the number one assassin under heaven, Li Yuan felt somewhat constrained in his heart, after all, he had previously handled her quite ruthlessly several times!

"The things I promised you will not be fewer; these days I was merely going to stabilize my injury!"

The woman in white robes modulated her voice, trying her best to maintain the image of a benevolent elder.

"Thank you, Senior!"

Li Yuan could naturally only believe her, while calculating in his heart whether the Master of the Tower had gone and returned for some purpose!

"However, whether it is the Long Long Modadan or a supreme divine weapon, they must be collected at the Star-Picking Tower's main headquarters!"

The map is unfolded, revealing the dagger; this is it!

Li Yuan's vigilance rose in his heart, yet he merely kept his head down and listened!

"I invite you to join the Star-Picking Tower!"

Without beating around the bush, the woman in white robes simply came straight to the point: "As long as you join the Star-Picking Tower, besides the divine weapon, Tian Xia Shen Gong, and Long Long Modadan I promised you, there will be additional fortune bestowed upon you!"

Drawing another big pie in the air again, right? Li Yuan thought bitterly in his heart; your previous big pie hasn't been redeemed yet.

"Join the Star-Picking Tower."

With vigilance in his heart, Li Yuan naturally pretended to ponder before shaking his head and politely refusing.

"Thank you for your kindness, Senior, but this junior currently has no intention of joining the Star-Picking Tower."

"The Star-Picking Tower is not a sect; joining my Star-Picking Tower does not constitute Pan Sect... Your master, Long Xi Xiang, is also a member of my Star-Picking Tower and once held the Heavenly Character!"

The woman in white robes revealed a secret!

As expected...

Li Yuan was not surprised; he had already had similar suspicions before!

After all, the timing when Old Dragon Head was struck by a blade from Wan Wan Zhuliu roughly coincided with the assassination of the king and regicide by the Star-Picking Tower over forty years ago!

"This... my master, that old gentleman, was the Star-Picking Tower's Heavenly Character assassin?"

Seeing the shock and hesitation on Li Yuan's face, the woman in white robes made a bold move in her heart; she knew this boy's nature too well, so she immediately said: "I can transmit the Long Long Modadan Heart Sutra to you."

Good heavens, they are going all out.

Li Yuan's spirit surged; he had great interest in this Tian Xia Shen Gong, an interest mainly stemming from that Long Long Modadan Daoist!

He had listened to the voice four times, and two of those were related to this person!

Enlightening Pang Pang Wenlong, seeking the Eight Directions Temple, Wan Xing, a suspected figure of peerless caliber above the supreme level!

"The Long Long Modadan Heart Sutra is a peerless Tian Xia Shen Gong left by our Star-Picking Tower's Long Long Modadan Ancestral Master; even considering all Tian Xia Shen Gong under heaven, it is worthy of being ranked among the top three!"

Having made a decision in her heart, the woman in white robes no longer hesitated, striving to describe the overwhelming power of this Tian Xia Shen Gong to Li Yuan...

... its formidable aspects...

"This..."

Li Yuan was sparing with words, merely revealing a trace of being moved and hesitation, while guessing the Master of the Tower's intentions in his heart!

"To lure me away, or is there some other purpose?"

"The Dragon Elephant Vajra Sky is indeed formidable, and the Wind Tiger Cloud Dragon is also a peerless Tian Xia Shen Gong, but compared to the Long Long Modadan Heart Sutra, they are still far inferior!"

She even pinpointed Li Yuan's Wu Gong: "The Hundred Beasts Thunder Dragon you cultivate seems to have a bit of the flavor of the Long Long Modadan Heart Sutra, but that is all!"

Li Yuan was somewhat moved; regarding joining the Star-Picking Tower, he was not opposed, because he had already joined the Star-Picking Tower long ago!

However...

"Senior, what benefit is there for you in inviting me into the Star-Picking Tower?"

"Hmm."

With Li Yuan asking this, the woman in white robes was momentarily stunned!

"As Senior said, the Star-Picking Tower is not a sect; this junior has heard that the Star-Picking Tower has always been a single lineage and does not accept disciples from the outside world. You inviting this junior to Ru Sect is merely to have one more assassin?"

Li Yuan was very calm: "Furthermore, this junior is doing very well at the Longhu Temple!"

The Star-Picking Tower is indeed a top-tier power, and there is Old Han, Wang Wang Wenyuan, and my elder brother Li Yue!

But at the Longhu Temple, he has two thick thighs above him and various senior and junior brothers below; if he wants Ling Mi, there is Ling Mi; if he wants Tian Xia Shen Gong, there is Tian Xia Shen Gong; if he wants Ling Dan, there is Ling Dan!

He would have to be mad to go to the Star-Picking Tower to engage in the business of licking blood off a blade!

He only wanted to take back the reward he was owed from this Tower Master, ask about the Bai Shen Zheng Fa, and casually inquire about Old Han's intelligence!

"This…"

The woman in white certainly knew this point as well; this was something she had agonized over for a long time. To openly and legitimately abduct this kid was absolutely no easy matter!

But to make her give up, she was still unwilling!

A once-in-a-millennium talent—in these fifteen hundred years, there had only been a handful in total. If she missed this kid, she didn't know whether she'd encounter another one in this lifetime!

"You…"

The woman in white agonized for quite a while, then still spoke up: "Star-Plucking Tower is not short of assassins. With your talent, joining Star-Plucking Tower wouldn't mean being sent on missions… Hmm, this old man inviting you to join Star-Plucking Tower does indeed have other purposes!"

"I'm willing to hear the details!"

Li Yuan was genuinely a little curious in his heart!

"Do you know of the Eight Directions Temple?"

"Mm."

Li Yuan's spirit gave a jolt—this was the first person to discuss the Eight Directions Temple with him face-to-face… He immediately chimed in: "What is this?"

"Mm! …"

The woman in white struggled to adjust her mindset. In the past when handling matters, when had she ever needed to explain anything to anyone? But at this moment she could only rein in her thoughts!

She recalled a scene from when her grandfather had once instructed her: "How many years can you live?"

"Ah?"

Li Yuan was stunned by the question, then Yu Yu Xuanji shook his head: "I don't know!"

"Ordinary people reach old age at seventy; few pass a hundred. We martial artists, with vigorous qi and blood, pass a hundred still like youths. But even a Grandmaster who has broken through the Heavenly Gang has only a lifespan of two hundred!"

The woman in white paused slightly: "To this day, the only exception is the Bai Shen Fa!"

"This, I have also heard something of!"

Li Yuan nodded. He had read extensively over the years, and some books recorded that in two thousand years, very few had truly exceeded this lifespan, and most were connected to the Xieshen Sect!

He had previously thought Pang Pang Wenlong was an exception, but when listening to the Heavenly Sound and seeing the Dragon Demon Daoist transmit the Bai Shen Fa to him, he realized there was no exception at all!

"The Bai Shen Fa comes from the Eight Directions Temple!"

The woman in white gave her conclusion, very certain.

"Furthermore, the twelve Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing spoken of in the jianghu rumors also come from the Eight Directions Temple!"

"The Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing also come from the Eight Directions Temple?"

Li Yuan timely displayed shock!

"Ancient legend has it that all arts originate from the Eight Directions Temple… It is said that the Eight Directions Temple contains all manner of creation; seek it and gain longevity…"

The woman in white was very direct, stating her purpose!

"This…"

Cough, this old man's invitation for you to join Star-Plucking Tower is also related to the Eight Directions Temple!"

"Does the senior know how to enter Star-Plucking Tower?"

Recalling the Heavenly Sound he had listened to before, Li Yuan's thoughts immediately became active… Could that Eight Directions Pagoda truly lead to the Eight Directions Temple? "I don't know!"

The woman in white stopped her words; this conversation had gone too deep: "If you agree to this old man's invitation, once you reach Star-Plucking Tower, you will know everything!"

"This…"

Li Yuan digested this for quite a while. Regarding the Eight Directions Temple, his interest was strong, but…

"Senior, let's talk about the 'reward' instead!"

Li Yuan politely declined. No matter how good the Eight Directions Temple was, it was still far away on the horizon; he was more interested in benefits he could get his hands on right away!

Behind the mask, the woman in white gnashed her teeth, knowing that soft tactics wouldn't work. But hard tactics… Thinking of that old Monk, she could only temporarily rein in her thoughts and, pinching her nose, said: "This old man is alone abroad; the Long Long Modadan and the supreme divine weapon cannot be given to you for now…"

"What about the divine art?"

Li Yuan reminded her timely.

The woman in white calmed her emotions: "If you don't join Star-Plucking Tower, the Dragon Demon Heart Scripture cannot be transmitted to you. As for Qi Ta Shen Gong, they all have more or less defects."

"Does the senior have the Bai Shen Zheng Fa?"

With the conversation having reached this point, Li Yuan got straight to the point and stated his purpose!

In conversing with this Star-Plucking Tower Master, Daoist Li was cautious and particular!

No Long Long Modadan, no supreme divine weapon, the Dragon Demon Heart Scripture cannot be transmitted… At this point bringing up the Bai Shen Fa, how could you still refuse? "The Bai Shen Zheng Fa!"

The woman in white frowned slightly, somewhat hesitant: "The Bai Shen Zheng Fa is extremely difficult to cultivate; once one makes the slightest misstep, one is extremely prone to qi deviation. Are you truly certain you wish to learn it?"

She could no longer refuse, after all this kid had truly saved her!

"This junior only wishes to broaden his horizons. Thank you for the reminder, senior!"

Li Yuan cupped his hands and lowered his head!

"This… very well!"

The woman in white could only agree to this kid. He appeared slick, but once he had made up his mind, there was no holding him back. She even suspected his sole purpose was the Bai Shen Zheng Fa!

She flicked a finger, and true qi wove itself in the air into a scripture of fully ten thousand characters!

"This is half of the Bai Shen Fa; this old man has only learned half a chapter!"

The woman in white coughed lightly: "If you want the complete Bai Shen Fa, either join the Xieshen Sect, or join Star-Plucking Tower and seek guidance from the Tower Master!"

Li Yuan, immersed in the scripture, couldn't help but glance at her, nearly unable to hold back!

But thinking about it, he still held back; he'd learn this half first!

A moment later, the woman in white kicked him out. Her mood immediately turned very poor, and she somewhat regretted not having shown her hand so early!

"Soft tactics won't work…"