Chapter 448: The Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing Sounds the Alarm

Wei Wei Tianzuo! Jin Jin Gang's heart tightened.

Amid the wind and snow, the old man walked with his sword on his back, taking each step barefoot into the accumulated snow—steady, yet swift.

In the blink of an eye, he had crossed several li.

"This old bastard…"

Jin Jin Gang's eyelid twitched wildly. This Wei Wei Tianzuo looked unremarkable, yet in truth seemed fused as one with heaven and earth, his aura like a mountain, like the sea, pressing down on his spirit.

"Gu…"

A sidelong glance—where was Gu Jin Gang? That bastard had already retreated several li.

"Wei Wei Tianzuo…"

Jin Jin Gang cursed inwardly, but suddenly could not speak. Across several li, he felt a divine blade tip pressed against his brow, a bone-piercing cold as if to freeze him solid.

"Lord Qianyan."

Wei Wei Tianzuo raised his head; a glint of light surfaced in his deep-set eye sockets. Through the wind and snow, through Jin Jin Gang's mortal shell, he seemed to see a strange Bodhisattva standing upon the earth.

Like a mountain, like a peak.

She pressed her palms together, her whole body ablaze with dazzling divine light; faintly, countless eyes seemed to be watching him.

"Lord Qianyan, you block this old man—what do you intend?"

"Sword intent reaching the divine."

Amid the wind and snow, Gu Jin Gang crushed great clumps of incense ash. Between presence and absence, the phantom of the Thousand-Eye Bodhisattva descended into the storm.

Gazing calmly at Wei Wei Tianzuo, she stated her purpose: "This one wishes to perform the Grand Rite and would borrow the Changhong Sword for ten years; within that time, it shall surely be returned."

"The Grand Rite? The Changhong Sword?"

Wei Wei Tianzuo turned the words over, neither sorrow nor joy: "What manner of Grand Rite requires the use of the Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing?"

"The Eight Directions Temple."

The Thousand-Eye Bodhisattva answered calmly: "If Lord Wei is willing, you may join this one in attending the Grand Rite and entering the Eight Directions Temple together."

"Eight Directions Temple."

Wei Wei Tianzuo slowly raised his hand; the Chang Sword behind him leapt out with a "zheng" and landed in his palm: "Wei has one question."

"Oh?"

The Thousand-Eye Bodhisattva looked at him.

"Among the Wudadao Sect, why choose this old man alone?"

Wei Wei Tianzuo asked.

"On a whim—Lord Wei was the nearest."

The Thousand-Eye Bodhisattva answered: "Tian Tian Shezi wears armor and travels with Daoist Tiancan; compared to Lord Wei, he is far more troublesome to handle."

The two exchanged questions and answers in calm conversation, without the slightest hint of hostility, while Jin and Gu Jin Gang had already retreated over ten li with the wind and snow, scattering incense ash as they went.

Heaven and earth are a great furnace; spirit finds it hard to endure. Even for them, without a dwelling or incense ash, descending into the mortal world is difficult.

"Wei has one last question."

Wei Wei Tianzuo slowly raised his sword; behind him, light and shadow intertwined, as if a divine blade sang zheng-zheng, about to leave its sheath: "You wouldn't have come to borrow a sword with only these two wastes, would you?"

"Fuck your mother!"

In the distance, Gu Jin Gang raged: "Old thing, you dare look down on this great lord!"

Wei Wei Tianzuo's eyes chilled; a sword-light leapt up, and in an instant pierced through more than ten li of wind and snow, slashing straight down.

"Shit!"

Jin Jin Gang let out a strange cry; his body suddenly swelled, great tendons bursting up like pythons, erupting with tremendous force: "Your mother—don't hide behind Laozi!"

The roar cut off abruptly. Jin Jin Gang's body shuddered and crashed to the ground, his python-like great tendons severed by a single sword.

"Fuck!"

He glared back—Gu Jin Gang had already darted into the incense ash.

"Waste!"

Wei Wei Tianzuo casually slashed out a sword; a faint sword-hum rippled through the wind and snow.

He raised an eyebrow and looked—within the incense ash, sword-light surged like a tide, and a crimson divine sword rose and fell within it: "And this one as well."

"Lord Jianling!"

Wei Wei Tianzuo's eyes blazed suddenly bright.

Of the Xieshen Sect's Jiu Da Fa, apart from Lord Qianling, the remaining eight were all supreme grand masters over the past several thousand years—those whose martial cultivation had reached the extreme, who had broken through the final move, yet had not touched that supreme realm of legend.

Lord Jianling rose to fame three thousand years ago, dominating through the sword. Legend has it that in life, he once wielded the Changhong Sword!

"Lord Wei, hand over the sword."

The sword spoke with a human voice, stirring up sword-light like a tide; as the strands intertwined and clashed, mountains and rivers seemed to flicker within.

"Want the sword?"

Wei Wei Tianzuo shook his sword and howled; in a single stride, dazzling sword-light pierced through the wind and snow, vast as a tide, slashing straight toward the two great Law Lords: "Come take it!"

Around the New Year, heavy snow sealed the river, yet Mount Hengshan City remained extremely bustling.

Markets, temple fairs, lantern festivals and the like were held one after another, showing not the slightest hint of quiet.

In a teahouse, Xie Xie Tongzhi sat quietly sipping tea. Inside, someone was telling stories—still the Tale of Feng Yuanqing. The storyteller was an old man with half-white beard and hair, his skill polished, rendering familiar plots with great cadence, drawing frequent cries of approval.

"Has the Sword Lord not arrived yet?"

Across from Xie Xie Tongzhi sat an old man in blue robes, idly turning his teacup: "A few days ago, Long Long Yingchan convened a meeting of the sects, yet left out both us and the Azure Dragon Pavilion. Once the Sword Lord arrives, we must demand an explanation from him!"

"The Sword Lord may not even come."

Xie Xie Tongzhi shook his head: "The Sword Lord is barefoot measuring the world, seeking the opportunity to break through the final move—that is what truly matters."

"True enough, but I still feel a bit stifled."

The old man set down his teacup.

"The talks are meaningless — whether they happen or not, what difference does it make? Things have gone on this way for over a thousand years. Does the imperial court really dare to make things difficult for the likes of us?"

Xie Xie Tongzhi paid it no mind. In fact, the reason he had come to attend the Various Dao Martial Exhibition was because he had heard Long Xi Xiang did not have long to live.

It was just that, recalling their recent meetings, a shadow inevitably crept over Xie Xie Tongzhi's heart. The old fellow looked to be at death's door, yet half a year had flashed by and he still looked the same.

So much so that he could not help suspecting the old fellow's injuries had already healed.

Especially after the Ink Dragon's death at Dragon Tiger Pagoda, unease grew steadily in his heart.

"The next Various Dao Martial Exhibition is to be held at our place. When the time comes…"

The blue-robed old man gave a cold laugh.

"Speaking of which, Junior Brother Zhao, you are on rather close private terms with Tian Tian Yingzi. Have you seen him these past few days?"

Xie Xie Tongzhi asked.

"Ever since the Ink Dragon died at Dragon Tiger Pagoda, Tian Tian Yingzi has been paying visits to Long Long Yingchan and the others from time to time…"

Zhao Zhao Yifeng frowned slightly: "I had wanted to seek out Tian Tian Yingzi to discuss that Dark Whale Hammer Master Li Li Yuanba, but who would have thought the old fellow refused to see anyone behind closed doors."

"Refused to see anyone…"

Xie Xie Tongzhi's heart tightened slightly. He suddenly sensed something was wrong, and across from him the blue-robed old man's expression also changed.

Boom!

Within Mount Hengshan city, it was as though a sudden thunderclap had exploded.

In a tavern, Brother Zhongli Wang Luan was hosting friends and chatting. Suddenly sensing something amiss, he flung open the window and saw, above the city, a cascade of firelight churning and roiling.

A great seal, woven of three colors and as large as a small mountain, trembled and rotated within the fiery divine light, emitting trembling cries.

"Roar!"

The trembling cry was like a dragon's chant, like a tiger's roar, and in an instant it had spread throughout the entire Mount Hengshan city.

Spreading along with that tremor was a rolling wave of heat, as though a great sun had fallen from the sky, radiating endless light and warmth.

In just a brief moment, the accumulated snow within Mount Hengshan city began to melt.

"Heavenly Fire San Mei Yin!"

Brother Zhongli Wang Luan's pupils contracted. He vaulted through the window, leapt onto the tavern's roof, and saw not far away his own sect's Zhang Sect standing in midair, robes snapping in the wind.

"Master, what is—"

Brother Zhongli Wang Luan bounded forward a few times and drew near Fang Fang Sanyun. "This is a warning!"

Before he could ask, Fang Fang Sanyun had already spoken. His robes were like fire, his face dark as water, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

The Various Dao Martial Exhibition came from the pressure exerted by the imperial court.

With the imperial court's power, and with Dun Tian Zhou, no single one of the Wudadao Sect dared claim it could resist — naturally, they had to unite to oppose it.

This opposition took the form of the five great Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing as its backbone.

Any

one sect's Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing being shaken, the remaining sects would receive warning at the first instant. Only…

Looking toward Dragon Tiger Temple, Fang Fang Sanyun's brow furrowed deeply. Where was the Dragon Tiger Longevity Furnace? "The Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing warning!"

"Someone means to seize a Dao Sect's Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing!"

The revival of the Heavenly Fire San Mei Yin instantly alarmed every Dao Sect elder within and without Mount Hengshan city.

Even the great monks of the Xinyi Sect filed out of the gambling houses one after another, leaping to high places and looking about.

Amid the Dragon Tiger mountain range, Nie Xianshan, who was overseeing the forging of weapons, suddenly looked up, a flash of dread and astonishment in his eyes: "A Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing warning?!"

In the sect's great hall, Long Long Yingchan was discussing something with Long Xi Xiang. Sensing the light of the Heavenly Fire San Mei Yin, both men's expressions changed: "Which sect's Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing is warning?"

The two men started, their faces changing:

"Where is the Dragon Tiger Longevity Furnace?!"

Within Mount Hengshan city, firelight blazed dazzlingly.

Even hundreds of li away, it seemed blinding to the eye.

Dragon Vein main peak, in a small courtyard.

Li Yuan was practicing Xu Tui's stance work when he suddenly sensed something strange. In the distance, firelight surged upward, a great seal as large as a mountain rotated, emitting trembling hums.

"This is… the Heavenly Fire San Mei Yin?"

The San Mei Cave actually dares to activate a Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing within Mount Hengshan city?

Li Yuan's heart gave a jolt. Sensing something was wrong, he decisively swapped out the Dragon Tiger Longevity Furnace.

Almost the instant it emerged from the Weapon-Bearing Space, the Dragon Tiger Longevity Furnace also erupted with dazzling divine light.

The light was blindingly intense. Caught off guard, Li Yuan felt his eyes sting at once, and tears streamed down with a sudden splash.

"What the hell!"

Li Yuan stepped back and rubbed his eyes.

And the Longevity Furnace, after a violent tremor, had transformed into the shadow of a dragon and tiger, soaring into the sky, tearing through wind and snow, and vanishing into the clouds.

Amid the clouds, the dragon-and-tiger shadow flowed and intertwined, then in an instant became a crimson alchemy furnace as large as a small mountain. As it rotated and trembled, flames seemed to burn within it.

"This is… a warning."

Li Yuan's thoughts shifted, and he had already touched upon the Longevity Furnace spirit's ripples.

The next instant, two old monks had already come whistling over. Old Daoist Nie was half a beat slower, but also hurried up.

"This…"

Li Yuan's heart trembled. It was the first time he had seen the three of them look so grim.

"Activate the Longevity Furnace!"

Long Long Yingchan had not yet landed, but his voice had already arrived.

Li Yuan reacted swiftly. At the thought, the Nourishing Life Furnace trembled violently, and dazzling firelight spread out in layers. In the blink of an eye, it had transformed into a colossal silhouette of light above the mountain range and beneath the clouds.

Almost at the same moment, a piercing sword-cry rang out from the curtain of light, echoing across the mountain range and the city.

The sword's cry was like a dragon, surging through the vast sky.