Chapter 464: A Marvelous Sight Bestows Rebirth

Daoist Li was extremely wealthy.

Thanks to the Longhu Longhu Dadan, over the course of this year he had accumulated quite a batch of spiritual pills.

Bone-Strengthening, Muscle-Transforming, Qi-Supplementing, Wound-Healing, and even quite a few Fasting Pills were stockpiled.

Besides these, he also had two Longhu Longhu Dadan, one Long Dan, one Longhu Yangsheng Dan, and one Da Fa Huan Dan.

"The Long Dan transforms the muscles and meridians, the Da Fa Huan Dan supplements Qi."

Li Yuan mentally took stock — for sending him down the mountain, Dao Master Long had truly put out capital.

Any single one of these kings of spiritual pills was a treasure that even a Hall Master could only purchase one of every fifteen years.

Taking the Da Fa Huan Dan as an example — one Da Fa Huan Dan, by the jianghu rumors, could supplement sixty years of true Qi cultivation, though of course this was somewhat exaggerated.

A martial artist's innate talent differs, the Wu Gong they cultivate differs, and the true Qi they obtain also differs — one cannot simply count by a number of years.

But Li Yuan estimated that this one Da Fa Huan Dan would be enough to push his true Qi to an extremely abundant state.

In other words, once he achieved Great Success in Blood Exchange and took this Da Fa Huan Dan, his true Qi would be sufficient to charge at the threshold of entering the Dao.

A normal martial artist, after achieving Great Success in Blood Exchange, would need at least ten-odd years of breath-regulation and gentle nurturing before having this qualification.

"The provisions for entering the Dao are pretty much enough, right?"

Li Yuan muttered to himself.

Deep down, he did not want to leave the mountain — others might fail to enter the Dao by working behind closed doors, but that did not necessarily mean he would too.

At least, before achieving Great Success in Blood Exchange, he had no bottleneck — he only needed to temper his body step by step and grind his true Qi, and that would be enough.

"Huu!"

"Suck!"

Sitting still and regulating his breath, Li Yuan waited.

Since Dao Master Long did not mention why he was to leave the mountain, then someone would surely come knocking afterward — all he had to do was wait.

Wooo~

The warm medicinal power flowed through his body along with his true Qi, washing and tempering his viscera and meridians, as well as his skeletal frame, which was already like white jade.

Li Yuan, eyes closed, could hear the "ding-ding-dang-dang" sounds of true Qi striking his bones — whether refining viscera or refining marrow, it all required daily washing and tempering.

Hum~

As the night deepened, Li Yuan, who was sitting cross-legged in meditation, suddenly stirred in his heart, faintly perceiving a familiar fluctuation.

"They're here!"

His mind shifted slightly.

Dao Master Long had taken the Longhu Yangsheng Furnace down the mountain, but the Yangsheng Mi Jing remained in the mountains. As its Furnace Master, he could still, through the Mi Jing, monitor the mountain range to a certain extent.

Though the fluctuation from that divine realm was faint, it could not escape him.

"The aura of the Bronze Pagoda divine realm — as expected, it's that Star-Plucking Tower Master…"

Li Yuan's heart settled slightly. He eased his spirit, followed the guidance of that wisp of fluctuation, and entered that Bronze Pagoda divine realm with familiar ease.

Hoo~

He opened his eyes, the faint mist dispersed, and before him was still that familiar Bronze Pagoda.

Compared to last time, this Bronze Pagoda had condensed considerably, without that sense of floating emptiness. When he focused his spirit to sense it, he could faintly see various textures flowing like water on the pagoda's body.

"Eh?"

Li Yuan steadied his spirit slightly and had already spotted the person standing before the pagoda.

It was not the Star-Plucking Tower Master he had seen before, wearing a faceless iron mask, but an elderly man in a purple robe with a stern, dignified countenance.

"This junior is Li Yuan."

Li Yuan cupped his fist: "May I ask who you are?"

The purple-robed elder stroked his long beard and smiled slightly:

"This old man is Qin Yun."

Qin Yun?!

Li Yuan's heart jolted — this name was like thunder to his ears.

The peerless fierce man who had single-handedly held off the nine great dharma-lords of the Xieshen Sect, the foremost person under heaven before Wan Wan Zhuliu.

He was actually still alive?

And moreover, he had found him?

"You…"

"Your Dao Master sold you… ahem, handed you over to this old man."

The purple-robed elder smiled warmly. With a raise of his hand, several stone stools appeared before the pagoda; he sat down himself and gestured for Li Yuan to sit as well.

"Senior, you…"

Li Yuan's thoughts were somewhat in disarray.

This was the legendary peerless fierce man, an existence even Wan Wan Zhuliu had to be wary of — when a being of this level came knocking, it was not necessarily a good thing.

"Long Long Yingchan holds you in high regard. If this old man meant you harm, he certainly would not have handed you over to me."

Qin Yun saw through his thoughts as clearly as if looking at fire, a smile on his face.

"Senior…"

Li Yuan steadied himself:

"May I ask what instructions the senior has for this junior?"

Daoist Li was inwardly cautious. Based on his years of experience coaxing old men, the one before him was probably far more difficult to deal with than that Star-Plucking Tower Master…

"This matter, as they say, is a long story."

Qin Yun considered for a moment.

Li Yuan hurriedly put on an attentive listening posture, gesturing for the elder to take his time.

"Mm, it has to do with the Eight Directions Temple."

Just as expected…

Li Yuan wasn't surprised, but he didn't make a sound either, merely lowering his head slightly.

"The Eight Directions Temple—mm, how should I put it?"

Qin Yun was very particular about how he spoke; different people across from him required different ways of saying things. He thought for a moment, then stood up.

Hum~

Li Yuan looked up, only to see this man raise one hand, and the entire Fang Shen Jing trembled, then the light and shadows shifted.

It was as if another Yi Fang Shen Jing descended, suddenly covering this bronze tower Fang Shen Jing.

Whoo-whoo~

Gale winds howled, clouds and mist rolled and surged.

The trembling of the Fang Shen Jing lasted only a very short time, but the change was extremely tremendous.

"This is…"

The bronze tower had vanished, the surrounding mist gradually dispersed. Li Yuan focused his gaze and saw that all around was a deep, profound night sky, with Daoist Qun Xing twinkling, vast and unfathomable.

"A corner of my Fang Shen Jing."

Qin Yun answered.

Good lord…

Li Yuan looked all around—no mountains, no water, no flowers or grass or trees. As far as the eye could see, there was only the boundless starry sky.

This was the highest-ambition Fang Shen Jing he had seen so far.

Qin Yun pointed at the sky:

"What's in the sky?"

"Uh…"

Li Yuan cast a somewhat suspicious glance at the purple-robed elder; this question gave him an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

He really wanted to ask this man if he, too, had heard the story of Pang Pang Wenlong and the Dragon Demon Daoist, but on second thought, he answered instead:

"Stars."

"What are stars?"

Looking at Li Yuan, Qin Yun had a momentary daze.

"Uh…"

Li Yuan was tongue-tied, not quite knowing how to answer.

What stars were—of course he knew—but he wasn't foolish enough to say anything to this man about stars or celestial bodies. On a turn of thought, he recalled what the Dragon Demon Daoist had said when he was listening to the Heavenly Sound earlier.

"All things are transformed from Qi; all radiance comes from the circulation of Qi. Turbid Qi sinks to form the earth, clear Qi rises to form the sun, moon, and stars…"

This was a very common way of putting it, and Li Yuan answered very cautiously.

"The Three Lights—sun, moon, and stars."

Qin Yun gathered his thoughts and said calmly:

"The sun, moon, and stars are all born from the circulation of Qi—this is the ancients' understanding of the universe. But what if I say that the very ground beneath our feet is also a star?"

Qin Yun knew how to seize the initiative with his opening remarks:

"Do you understand?"

Good lord, I understand that all too well!

Li Yuan looked up, his face full of bewilderment and shock.

What shocked him was that these words sounded very much like what the Dragon Demon Daoist had said.

But on second thought, he felt some sudden clarity—the Dragon Demon Daoist was the patriarch of Star-Plucking Tower, so it was understandable that his words had been passed down.

"Heaven and earth are vast; a life within them is like a speck of dust. And the universe is vast; heaven and earth themselves are also a speck of dust…"

Seeing Li Yuan in this state, Qin Yun was very pleased; back in the day, when he himself heard these words, his reaction had been much the same.

Li Yuan's thoughts wandered for quite a while before he asked:

"You—you want to say what?"

"…"

Even this can't faze him?

Qin Yun was somewhat surprised inwardly—this kid was accepting things a bit too fast.

"Mm, what I want to talk about is the Eight Directions Temple."

Qin Yun shifted the topic: "Do you know about the Eight Directions Temple?"

"This junior knows a little."

Li Yuan lowered his head slightly and spoke of his understanding of the Eight Directions Temple—of course, only the version that circulated in the jianghu.

The "Cosmic Wonder" and "Gods Chasing" and such that the little mother dragon had mentioned, naturally he wouldn't bring up.

"A bit one-sided."

After listening to him finish, Qin Yun said: "The Eight Directions Temple was born within the universe. It is a perilous place, a wonder, much like Huizhou's 'Wind Thunder Valley'…"

He gave a light cough and spoke his understanding of the Eight Directions Temple. What surprised him was that although this kid's face was full of astonishment, his acceptance was astonishing.

Is his state of mind really this solid?

After sizing up the kid a few times, Qin Yun didn't beat around the bush either—if he didn't come up with something real, he probably wouldn't be able to faze this kid:

"Do you know why the imperial court holds grand sacrifices to the Eight Directions Temple?"

"This junior does not know."

Li Yuan finally showed a flicker of interest.

"The Eight Directions Temple is a cosmic wonder and a treacherous place. Its arrival has sealed off this world we inhabit..."

Qin Yun said in a deep voice:

"This seal not only blocks our path to the Realm Beyond the Heavens, but also binds our lifespans!"

"Lifespan?"

Li Yuan's spirit surged.

"We cultivate blood and qi, internal force, true qi, and spirit... Our martial artists' bodies and spirits are far beyond ordinary people's reach. Why then is our lifespan limited to merely two hundred?"

Seeing him moved, Qin Yun stroked his long beard:

"This is the reason why the Grand Masters of ages past have sought the Eight Directions Temple, and also why the imperial court must hold the Great Sacrifice to the Eight Directions Temple."

"So that is how it is."

Li Yuan wore an expression of 'sudden realization', yet his heart could not help but think of the little female dragon; these words matched up.

"Only by entering the Eight Directions Temple can one break the lifespan limit and reach the Realm Beyond!"

As Qin Yun spoke, he paused slightly:

"I sought you out also because of this."

"What do you mean?"

Li Yuan's heart stirred slightly.

"The Eight Directions Temple is ethereal and without trace, yet over thousands of years, some have found this wonder. However, finding it is one thing; entering it is another."

Qin Yun stopped speaking at the right moment.

"Could it be that you think this junior can enter?"

Li Yuan's heart settled slightly. Now that he understood this elder's purpose, he felt much more at ease.

"Perhaps."

Qin Yun offered no further explanation, merely telling him to prepare, descend the mountain in a few days, then raised his hand and sent him out.

Buzz~

The light and shadow shifted accordingly.

The image of the star river gradually dispersed, and the bronze tower reappeared. Qin Li Shixian, clad in white robes, sat before the tower. Seeing him emerge, he asked with some curiosity:

"You've already settled this young man?"

"More or less."

Qin Yun pinched his beard. For him, persuading Long Long Yingchan had already accounted for ninety percent; this young man's opinion was unimportant.

The Dao Master has issued an order; how could the disciples under the sect not obey?

He merely feared this young man might harbor rebellious thoughts, so he sought to chat with him.

"What do you think of this young man?"

Qin Li Shixian was somewhat curious: "Is he the person you are looking for?"

"This young man has good talent, but whether he is the one I seek, I will only know after returning to the tower..."

Qin Yun shook his head.

The Great Sun Dharma Eye can indeed see all kinds of fortune, but after all, he had only sent a wisp of true qi, unable to see through this young man's roots.

Even less could he know whether this young man is the one born of the wonder foretold by the Master...