Chapter 471: What are you hiding from?

Boom!

In the night sky, it sounded as though a sudden thunderclap had exploded. "Mm?!"

Inside the carriage, Li Yuan's heart jolted. He heard only the steeds let out long whinnies; the horses of the convoy seemed to have been badly startled, and men and beasts tumbled together in chaos.

Li Yuan flashed out, pressed down on the flood-dragon steed pulling the carriage, and focused his gaze into the distance. He saw only light erupting at the far horizon, like a thunderbolt tearing the night curtain apart.

"Neigh!"

In the night sky it sounded as though a dragon's cry rang out, carrying for over a dozen li, still deafening to the ear.

"What happened?"

Liaokong, Wan Chuan and the rest were all horrified, glancing around them!

They saw only, in the far distance above Heishuicheng, a terrifying surge of public energy erupt in an instant, ring after ring of ripples spreading outward in every direction, raising gust after gust of hurricane!

It seemed as though one white and one crimson, two azure dragons spiraled straight up into the clouds, tearing the night curtain apart!

"Someone is fighting that Chi He Lian."

Li Yuan's heart turned cold. Even from nearly twenty li away, he could feel a gust of overwhelming force rushing toward his face, sharp and domineering!

"Go."

Junior Brother Li, go.

Li Yuan was still guessing in his heart, when over there, Liaokong and Wan Chuan had already leapt up in frantic haste, one shouting at the top of his lungs, the other already tearing off down the road?

The two were both old hands of the jianghu; toward this kind of excitement, they had always kept a respectful distance!

"Wait…"

Li Yuan swept his gaze swiftly over the convoy. He had not yet found his cat, but the moment he lingered, the distant sound of a tremendous collision had already rolled in!

"Go." Wan Chuan, hauling Brother Qiao Tianhe along, had already vanished into the night curtain!

The great monks of Xinyi Sect also retreated one after another!

The excitement of a Grand Master—unless one's own Dao Lord was also present—was simply not something they could afford to watch!

"Li…" Liaokong retreated in haste and turned, only to see Li Yuan's figure flash; in another flash he was already before him, and with yet another flash he had flung him far behind!

Boom.

In the night curtain, wind dragons coiled backward; outside Heishuicheng, sand and stones flew in every direction!

From the distant mountain forest, Li Yuan came back to himself and gazed afar. He saw only crimson and white interweaving through the night curtain, terrifying blasts of Qi spreading out layer upon layer!

This was a collision at the Grand Master level. Though not as terrifying as the indistinct feeling he had before, when several Dao Lords had set the Heaven-Traversing Divine Weapons in motion, it was still a world-shaking collision utterly beyond their reach at present!

The collision of Qi blasts radiated for over a dozen li; as they rolled and crisscrossed, for a hundred li around all were startled!

Like a divine marvel!

"A Grand Master!"

The world-shaking collision gradually receded into the distance, but in the mountain forest, the great monks of Xinyi Sect were still shaken to the core!

Li Yuan pinched his fingers; his heart could not help but pound again and again, and he could not help but feel some doubt and suspicion!

That crimson light should have come from some Chi He Lian of the Poison Dragon Academy,

but then who did the white light come from?

In this little Heishuicheng, two Grand Masters had actually been hiding!

Wiping the cold sweat from his brow, Wan Chuan still felt his legs trembling. A collision at the Grand Master level—let alone joining in, even being caught in the edge of it would cost one one's life!

"I dare to bet this unknown Grand Master must have been tracking that outsider from beyond the heavens long ago."

It was only now that Monk Liaokong had calmed his heart, and he began to guess: "It must be that during the day she let slip her trail, and this Grand Master set his sights on her; that is why there is this battle?"

The mountain forest was utterly silent; no one answered. The other great monks of Xinyi Sect were also all slightly pale-faced; no one's gambling nature was greater than his!

"In any case, this place is no place to linger."

Wan Chuan had no mind at all for guessing; he only wanted to leave at once, the farther the better!

The rest also deeply agreed. Only Li Yuan's brows were tightly knit—with such a great commotion, he had stubbornly failed to find that little tiger cub of his!

Instead, the little mouse was hiding in his sleeve, trembling all over!

"Retreat first!"

Seeing that the others' desire to leave was very strong, Li Yuan could only

agree, feeling that given the little tiger cub's speed and vigilance, it should not have been caught in the edge of it!

"Go!"

The group reached an agreement,

They could not even bother with the carriages; they unhitched the flood-dragon steeds one by one and fled through the night. Before dawn they had already put several hundred li behind them!

"Crazy woman."

Among the mountain ranges, Qi explosions thundered, rolling outward and spreading. A crimson long dragon flung its head back and let out a long howl toward the sky, uttering a sound of furious rage!

Like a substantive spirit-form crimson dragon, between the two horns on the dragon's head, Chi He Lian held a black umbrella, her hair in disarray. Fury and indignation surged in her heart, and she felt utterly wronged!

If she had not been unwilling to expose herself beneath the moonlight, how could she have been pushed to such a state by a mere native?

"An outsider from beyond the heavens—no more than this."

Chi He Lian was shocked and furious, but Qin Li Shixian felt incomparably exhilarated. The pent-up frustration of several years seemed to have vented by more than half. Her spear art combined the transformations of yin and yang; between its great, sweeping movements there were also countless subtle wonders within. Once deployed, it was truly like a divine dragon dancing in the dragon's place, churning the winds and clouds across the sky, forcing that crimson dragon to roar again and again!

But though she spoke with contempt, in her heart she felt considerable astonishment!

She had admittedly not exerted her full strength, but the outsider from beyond the heavens likewise had not. What puzzled her even more was that even at this point, this outsider from beyond the heavens still would not let go of that black umbrella!

"Strange…"

Qin Li Shixian cast a glance at the night sky, doubt lingering in her heart, and the movements of her hands could not help but slowed by half a beat!

Hum—! With that momentary pause, Chi He Lian spread her five fingers wide; rolling true Qi interwove, transforming into a crimson Great Hand Seal the size of roughly a mu!

It blocked the long spear's direct thrust, and from beneath that airtight spear art she wrested herself free!

Boom— Qi force erupted outward!

Having shattered that strike of Da Shou Yin, Qin Li Shixian pulled back her long spear, venting most of her pent-up frustration; her mood improved considerably!

And over on that end, beneath the black canopy, Chi He Lian's face was several shades darker than the canopy itself!

Her chest heaving violently, she nearly wanted to toss aside the black umbrella and go up to suppress and kill this crazy woman!

"What are you dodging?"

Qin Li Shixian looked at the large umbrella in her hand, somewhat suspicious!

"Are you interrogating me?"

The crimson dragon beneath Chi He Lian's feet seemed to be burning, radiating a dangerous aura. During the day, she had sensed this person's presence, which was why she only felt the bones and let that group of people leave!

She never expected that once night fell, they would come knocking at her door!

Qin Li Shixian's long spear in hand hummed with a clang, and behind her, faintly, the sound of dragon roars and tiger howls arose. She simply stared at that black umbrella: "I want to try

shattering that umbrella of yours…"

"Hmm?"

Chi He Lian's heart tightened slightly, her Qi force receding quite a bit, and her tone was no longer so aggressive: "If the Tower Master has something to say, just say it. You and I have no past grievances and no recent enmity—why must we meet and immediately resort to fighting and killing?"

She did not truly believe the person before her could do anything to her, but if they really fought, this umbrella she would definitely not be able to keep…

"Is that so?"

Qin Li Shixian raised an eyebrow. The more Chi He Lian acted like this, the more curious she became!

Although she had not cultivated the Great Sun Dharma Eye, her spiritual perception was equally sharp. She could sense that within this black-clad woman's bones, there was a flavor of

despising everything!

This kind of person, normally speaking, unless beaten into submission, there was no way to have a normal conversation!

Yet she never expected that merely mentioning the black umbrella would immediately change her attitude. This umbrella…

"The Tower Master's Wu Gong is world-shocking; this little woman is thoroughly impressed. If you have any questions, I will surely tell all I know, holding nothing back!" Chi He Lian pressed down the irritation in her heart and said softly!

Since she said so, Qin Li Shixian did not hold back: "Why is it that you never let this umbrella leave your hand?"

"This…"

Chi He Lian frowned slightly: "The Tower Master stopped me, just for this one

matter?"

"This is one of them!"

Qin Li Shixian slowly raised her long spear; the spear-glow swallowed the leaves, flickering with an icy sheen!

"This matter alone cannot be spoken aloud!"

Chi He Lian slowly spoke: "Does the Tower Master have any other questions?"

"Cannot be spoken aloud?"

Qin Li Shixian's brows knit. Her spiritual perception was very sharp, and she could faintly

sense that the person before her truly had something unspeakable hidden!

Her peripheral vision swept across the night sky—no clouds veiled the moon, the night sky was very bright, four

great moons hung high, and the stars shone brilliantly!

Surely it can't be that she's avoiding moonlight? Then what about daytime? Sunlight? Seeing her lost in thought, Chi He Lian's heart tightened slightly, and she hurriedly changed the subject: "This is not a place for idle chat. How about we find a place

to sit down, sip some tea, and chat in detail?"

A battle between Grandmasters radiates far and wide!

Within a hundred li, and even farther away, people sensed it. Before dawn, Li Yuan and the others saw people rushing from afar toward Heishuicheng!

Seeing this, the group finally breathed a sigh of relief!

At Li Yuan's suggestion, the group found a small town nearby to rest, and at the same time released a plume hawk to transmit the events of yesterday back to the sect!

Whether it was two Grandmasters battling at night, or visitors from beyond the heavens, both were earth-shattering great events—spread abroad, they would be enough to shake the entire martial world!

Li Yuan did not go to seek out the hidden agents of the Dragon Chant Hall, but after settling in,

in the room of the inn, he summoned that wisp of true Qi from the Old Dragon Head!

A Grandmaster's true Qi, contending with Heaven and Earth, becomes Gang Qi, capable of manifesting a form thousands of li away, yet it cannot move as nimbly and freely as the true body!

Yesterday's battle—if it had been Long Xi Xiang's true self here, he would surely have sensed it long ago. But this wisp of true Qi, before encountering any Qi mechanism that threatened Li Yuan, remained in a state of dormancy!

Hmm— faint Bai Guang interwove and flickered!

A figure of Long Xi Xiang, a chi tall, sat cross-legged, listening to Li Yuan recount the events of last night. Unlike the latter's shock and speculation, his heart was undisturbed!

"That Tower Master Qin was far too reckless." Long Xi Xiang shook his head inwardly!

He had still wanted to contact his own senior brother, and the Daoist Masters of the other houses, to secretly capture this person from beyond the heavens alive. With this interruption, it was likely going to be very difficult now!

"Master, do you perhaps know something?"

Li Yuan keenly sensed something was off—the Old Dragon Head was far too calm!

"Mm!"

Long Xi Xiang nodded: "If this old man's guess is not wrong, the one who struck last night must surely be the Tower Master of Star-Plucking Tower!"

"The Tower Master of Star-Plucking Tower?"

Li Yuan's heart jolted slightly. He had harbored similar speculation before—after all, the Grandmasters of Tianxiada Sect altogether numbered only so many!

"That Tower Master is still following me?"

"Mm!"

Long Xi Xiang did not conceal it, but out of respect for that senior, he also did not say much!

After all, no matter how one looked at it, this brought no harm to Li Yuan!

A Grandmaster-level protector—even the Great Fortune Imperial Court had only the Dry Emperor alone who possessed one!

"You..."

Li Yuan wanted to ask for clarification, but Long Xi Xiang merely waved a hand,

transforming into true qi and returning to the Azure Dragon Kasaya!

"Master of the Star-Picking Tower!"

Inside the room, Li Yuan pondered for a while; though he did not think it a bad thing, every time he thought of such an unparalleled expert capable of assassinating kings and regicides hiding beside him, it still left him restless!

"Hah."

After a long while, Li Yuan finally suppressed the agitation in his heart!

Before nightfall, he went out to eat a meal, exchanged greetings with Liao Kong and the others, then returned to his room, suppressed his thoughts, stood in meditation, and altered his bone structure!

During the two-plus months of traveling, the Bai Xing Dan within him had almost all been digested, and the mastery and alteration of the several divine weapons had also reached their conclusion!