Chapter 449: Rising Winds and Gathering Clouds

The cold wind howled, bending the grass and trees, as the auras of the two great Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing spread through Mount Hengshan and the Dragon-Tiger mountain range.

Explosions of Qi and the ring of swords transmitted out from the light screen, merging into a single clamor.

Staring at the light screen suspended high above the peaks, both within and beyond the mountain range, Mount Hengshan city fell utterly silent.

Within the light screen, the Thousand-Eye Bodhisattva stood towering upon the earth, divine radiance swirling around it, pressing down the blizzard of wind and snow and the ring of swords.

A hand covered in densely packed eyeballs gripped a sword; the sword was crimson, with a human face faintly visible upon it. Now, the sword was webbed with cracks, trembling faintly, as if it might shatter at any moment.

The ring of swords echoing through the mountain range came from it.

"Thousand-Eye, Sword Spirit Master!"

Somewhere in the Beast Mountain, a black flood dragon nearly a hundred meters long rose from a pool of water; atop its towering dragon head, a little tiger cub looked up.

Recognizing the Thousand-Eye Bodhisattva in the light screen, and the crimson divine sword in its palm that was nearly shattered — that was no sword, but one of the Jiu Da Fa Masters, the Sword Spirit Master.

"These old ghosts still love to gang up on the few. Wei Wei Tianzuo, this kid, isn't bad — fighting two at once and still crippling one. Not too much of a disgrace to the Changhong Sword Sect.

The old man's voice rang in her ear; he paid little attention to the two Fa Masters, but his gaze fell upon the chest of the Thousand-Eye Bodhisattva's spirit image.

A pale golden divine sword was driven straight into its chest; purple-black blood flowed, plating the divine sword with a layer of black.

Yet countless inscriptions could faintly be seen flowing like water, struggling against the flowing purple blood.

"Changhong Yi Lie Sword!"

Qin Li Shixian also saw the divine sword driven into the spirit image's chest: "She wants to seize the Changhong Sword!"

"Something's strange…"

The old man frowned inwardly. It wouldn't be strange for someone to leap out thinking he was dead, but coveting the Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing made him suspicious.

A Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing has a spirit; it recognizes the living, not the dead. Even one who was once its master would find it hard to gain its recognition after death. Though the Xieshen Sect did have rituals to forcibly suppress a Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing, the cost was enormous.

"Strange…"

"Thousand-Eye Bodhisattva, Sword Spirit Master!"

"Ah, the Bodhisattva has descended, the Bodhisattva has descended!"

"Th-that, that one nailed, nailed to the cliff wall — who are those four people?"

After a brief silence, uproar erupted throughout the mountain range, and even within Mount Hengshan city, as if the world itself had been turned upside down.

Among the many gods of Dayun, the Thousand-Eye Bodhisattva received the most abundant incense offerings; Mount Hengshan city was hardly lacking in devotees and believers.

In that instant, upon seeing the Bodhisattva's spirit image, countless believers dropped to their knees one after another, kowtowing in worship.

Far away on Dragon Gate Main Peak, Li Yuan could sense the thick scent of incense offerings.

"That old ghost chose Wei Wei Tianzuo!"

Looking at the light screen, at the old man pierced through the chest and nailed to the cliff wall, Li Yuan's heart trembled.

This was the master of the Changhong Sword Sect, a Grand Master of the Shenbangda Sect, and he wielded the Changhong Yi Xi Sword — even without its recognition, he was still a top-tier expert under heaven.

Such a being had actually shed blood on the spot, his Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing taken from him! The master of a Dao, dead just like that!

"Sword Master!"

In Mount Hengshan city, mournful roars rose one after another.

Xie Xie Tongzhi, Zhao Zhao Yifeng, Pei Jiu, and other elders and true disciples of the Changhong Sword Sect went from stunned silence to shock and horror.

"Sword Master, Sword Master, how could this be, impossible!"

Xie Xie Tongzhi leapt to a high place, staring dumbly at the old man nailed to the cliff wall, his body trembling, his sword humming.

The disciples of the Changhong Sword Sect all cried out in alarm, their faces filled with grief and fury.

"Thousand-Eye, Sword Spirit!"

High in the sky, Fang Fang Sanyun raised his hand and recalled the Huo San Mei Yin; the rolling waves of heat then dispersed.

He strode forward, his body shooting toward the Dragon-Tiger mountain range like a rainbow; from Mount Hengshan city, figure after figure rose into the air and followed closely behind.

Xie Xie Tongzhi and the others were terrified to the extreme, yet they too followed after him.

"Wei Wei Tianzuo is dead."

In the small courtyard, Long Long Yingchan pinched his brow, his face dark as water; Long Xi Xiang and Nie Xianshan also wore grim expressions, their eyes cold and deep.

The grievances and entanglements between Dragon Tiger Temple and the Changhong Sword Sect had lasted for a thousand years, with constant friction between them, yet Wei Wei Tianzuo being ambushed and killed like this still shook them to the core.

The grievances and entanglements between Dragon Tiger Temple and the Changhong Sword Sect had lasted for a thousand years, with constant friction between them, yet Wei Wei Tianzuo being ambushed and killed like this still shook them to the core.

Today it was Wei Wei Tianzuo; tomorrow, it could be them!

"Wei Wei Tianzuo wantonly tore down my temples and slaughtered my devotees. Today, at the earnest plea of my followers, I have slain this beast here!"

Within the light screen, the Thousand-Eye Bodhisattva's spirit image gradually faded, leaving only a voice echoing behind.

Snap! The light screen vanished at once.

Li Yuan put away the Dragon Tiger Nourishing Furnace, not giving that old fellow a chance to harvest incense offerings.

"These old monsters…"

Li Yuan's heart felt heavy.

The master of a Dao dying just like that made him deeply uneasy. If he were targeted — Dragon Tiger Temple, the sect's Heavenly Hall.

This time, truly, elders from the Wudadao Sect, the Green Dragon Pavilion, and the Changhong Sword Sect had all gathered, with all manner of clamor and argument.

Amid the arguing, Li Yuan learned that there was indeed a pact among the Wudadao Sect.

The gist was: if any one Dao Sect had its mountain gate breached by the imperial court and its Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing seized, the remaining four, the Xinyi Sect, and even the various Zhou Sects were to immediately scatter and dissolve.

And the following year, gather in the Divine Capital and rise up together in attack.

The problem was, the one who struck was not the imperial court, but a Fa Master of the Xieshen Sect.

"The Xieshen Sect is itself a deity appointed by the imperial court. The old thief Thousand-Eye ambushed and killed our Sect's Sword Master — it must be the will of the imperial court!"

Xie Xie Tongzhi's face was full of grief and fury.

He spoke passionately of the dire consequences, declaring outright that today it was our Changhong Sword Sect, tomorrow it might well be Dragon Tiger Temple, the Yiqi Mountain Manor, or the San Mei Cave.

At this, some echoed agreement, some objected, but the several Grandmasters only frowned and offered no stance.

"The covenant…"

Li Yuan listened from the side, turning the matter over in his heart.

The covenant among the Wudadao Sect was not a bad one, but he suspected that even if some sect truly were destroyed, the remaining sects might not necessarily honor it.

Breaking into pieces, gathering at the Divine Capital — simple to say, but in practice, one cannot hold back the complexity of the human heart.

"The death of the Sword Master Wei — whether it be the Xieshen Sect or the imperial court — they must give us an answer!"

Long Long Yingchan spoke in a heavy voice, and the great hall instantly fell deathly silent.

"Send word — True Person Feng Yuanqing, True Person Tianshe — come to Dragon Tiger Temple at the fastest speed!"

He looked at Daoist Yuanding and Tian Tian Yingzi; the two answered solemnly.

"Also send word to the imperial court — ask that Emperor Qian what he intends!"

Fang Fang Sanyun's expression was none too pleasant either.

He too had come alone, carrying the Huo San Mei Yin.

If truly ambushed by a Dharma Lord of the Xieshen Sect, his end might well be no better than Wei Wei Tianzuo's.

"Even more so, send word to every sect under heaven!"

Master Master Dading spoke as well; he swept his gaze over those present and said in a heavy voice:

"This old monk shall seal off every temple in all the Daozhou prefectures and counties — slaughter every Xieshen Sect worshipper, and search out the location of their main altar!"

"Agreed!"

"Seal!"

Long Long Yingchan, Long Xi Xiang, and Fang Fang Sanyun exchanged a glance; none objected.

Within the great hall, silence fell at once.

Li Yuan smelled the scent of a storm about to break — a Grandmaster ambushed and slain in the wild could not possibly pass without response.

But clearly Master Master Dading's words left room — sealing temples, not sweeping them clean; the difference between the two was vast.

In the final analysis, those temples had been established by the imperial court.

As for searching out the Xieshen Sect's main altar — if it could be found, the Xieshen Sect would long since have been destroyed, and would not have lasted till today.

But no matter what…

"The storm is about to break."

Recalling the visitor from beyond the heavens he had seen while listening, and the Great Sacrifice at the Eight Directions Temple, Li Yuan felt a certain oppression in his heart.

He only wanted to quietly forge iron and practice Wu Gong, but as a true disciple of Dragon Tiger Temple and a Dao Son of the Great Dragon Gate, if fighting truly broke out, he feared it would be very hard to stay out of it.

"This Daoist is probably going to have to go to the battlefield."

Watching the sect elders and true disciples stirred to fury, Li Yuan's heart tightened slightly, and he could not help but think back to that great cauldron he had seen while listening.

The Xieshen Sect was hardly lacking in incense offerings.

The discussion and argument in the great hall did not wind down until evening, when the sect elders and true disciples dispersed — some sending word, some setting off directly.

Li Yuan listened until the very end; he was kept behind by the Dragon Temple Master, and formally paid respects once more to Master Master Dading and to that San Mei Cave Lord, Fang Fang Sanyun.

At this point Long Long Yingchan flicked a finger; Li Yuan keenly caught the Dragon Temple Master's look, his heart stirred, and he released the Yangsheng Furnace.

The next instant, light and shadow wove into a screen — it was precisely the scene from the mountaintop that day.

The very next instant, light and shadow wove into a curtain — it was that very scene from the snowy peak.

At the sound, several Grandmasters and even old Daoist Nie rose to their feet, gathered before that screen of light, and examined it with solemn expressions.

"This is Danshan Province, Baimai Mountain!"

"The incense-offering aura rises — that Thousand-Eye Dharma Lord lay in ambush here in advance and set up a ritual. Are those two the… Tendon and Bone Vajras?"

"Blood Dragon Sword Form — the Sword Spirit Lord was once the Changhong Sword Master, capable of pinning down a strike of Changhong. Wei Wei Tianzuo could only use his own swordsmanship to fight the two. 'This sword lunatic wouldn't retreat even when he couldn't win — he died a worthy death!'"

A bunch of old fellows, each speaking in turn, reconstructed the entire battle from that single scene alone.

"Wei Wei Tianzuo traveled the world on foot — the Xieshen Sect's ears and eyes could not be deceived as to his whereabouts, so Thousand-Eye set the ambush in advance, and with the Sword Spirit Lord at his side, finally slew him!" Long Long Yingchan pinched his brow; the expressions of the others eased as well.

Dying in battle without retreat — that would not happen to them; and whether they traveled or otherwise, they would tell no one, and could not be ambushed in advance.

"No matter how high your Wu Gong, when you walk the jianghu you must keep a low profile…"

Daoist Li muttered to himself — this lesson from another's crash was all too vivid; he could not help but take it to heart.

"That old ghost Thousand-Eye's wounds have not yet healed — to take fresh wounds just to kill Wei Wei Tianzuo, there must be another reason."

Fang Fang Sanyun's brows knit tightly:

"Fang Mou suspects this matter is also connected to their earlier dispatch of the Blood and Bone Vajras to Dragon Tiger Temple."

"Fang Mou suspects this matter is also connected to when they previously dispatched the Blood and Bone Vajras to Dragon-Tiger Temple."

Long Xi Xiang frowned.

"Wan Wan Zhuliu uses the heroes of the world to hone his blade — that man's sword intent, even those old ghosts of the Xieshen Sect cannot root out."

Glancing at Li Yuan, Fang Fang Sanyun's expression grew heavy:

"The only one whom Wan Wan Zhuliu and the Xieshen Sect would both test is Senior Qin Yun alone."

"Brother Fang's meaning is — that old ghost Thousand-Eye intends to do something, yet worries Senior Qin Yun is not dead, so he sent people to our Dragon Tiger Temple to test the waters?"

Long Long Yingchan naturally understood his meaning.

"What great deed does the Xieshen Sect intend to do?"

The faces of everyone in the hall grew somewhat solemn.

The faces of everyone in the hall had grown somewhat solemn.