Chapter 508: Open, Bafang!

A streak of rainbow light spanned across the Yu Xuanjing Road; its glow was not at all dazzling, yet Zhou Ying beneath the old tree gaped in horror, as though he had seen a ghost!

"You…"

Zhou Ying's body flickered in and out of view, his fingers trembling… his voice stammering, somewhat incoherent.

"Ba—you, you actually—the Bafang Temple is summoning you…"

Terrified beyond measure, Zhou Ying's old face was contorting, the shock in his heart had reached an utterly unsurpassable degree!

Watching that descending rainbow bridge that shifted position with Li Yuan's measured steps, his mind went utterly blank for a moment!

"Bafang Temple."

Since ancient times, countless sages and mighty ones had sought it in vain—the Bafang Temple had thus abruptly manifested before him!

Zhou Ying's spirit surged with agitation, and the entire temple began to shake!

"Senior?"

Li Yuan stepped back… this old man Zhou's twisted form was more terrifying than any fierce ghost, truly somewhat unnerving!

"Ah—"

Zhou Ying let out a great cry and pounced at the light bridge like a madman, but passed straight through it and crashed to the ground with a thud!

Senior!

Seeing him in a state of frenzied madness, Li Yuan had no choice but to stir his true Qi and send out a sound wave to rouse him!

"I—"

Zhou Ying came back to himself in a daze, looked at the rainbow bridge stretching all the way to the ancient temple at the end of the Yu Xuanjing Road, and could not help but shed two streams of old tears!

"The gods have mercy, the gods have mercy—"

After quite a while, he finally turned around; Li Yuan silently stepped back a few paces—this old fellow's aura had become very dangerous!

"Li, Little Friend Li!"

Zhou Ying steadied his heart, bowed deeply to Li Yuan: "If Little Friend has any need of me, Zhou Mou will surely give his full assistance; I only hope Little Friend will take me to see that Bafang Temple."

"Senior is too kind!"

Li Yuan did not dare accept such a great courtesy and could only dodge aside, but Zhou Ying rose and bowed again and again, so he could only helplessly accept the courtesy!

"Senior, why this Bafang Temple has appeared, and how to enter it—truthfully, this junior truly has no clue at all, and dare not rashly agree!"

Li Yuan left himself some room in his words!

"Many thanks, Little Friend!"

Hearing this, Zhou Ying's heart was actually set at ease; had Li Yuan agreed outright, he would instead have felt uneasy!

"Little Friend came to seek me—have you encountered some difficulty?"

"While speaking, Zhou Ying naturally looked toward the middle section of the rainbow bridge, where a strange dragon coiled around the ancient pagoda, savage and ferocious!"

"Beneath that ancient pagoda, strange beasts swarm, and that strange dragon is at their side!"

Li Yuan did not conceal it either—he had come to seek Zhou Ying precisely for this; as the previous generation's Yu Xuanjing Hammer Master, he must certainly have left behind some means!

"In the years when the Yu Xuanjing Gate opened, on this Yu Xuanjing Road, three mighty ones gave their lives, using the Yi Shen Jing to cover the strange land. This second station is Yu Xuanjing Hammer Master Ying Ying Xuanpeng, and that strange dragon was transformed from his spiritual image!"

Zhou Ying also looked toward where the ancient pagoda stood; by the faint light of the rainbow bridge, he could dimly make out the swarms of strange beasts: "Ying Ying Xuanpeng, the former Yu Xuanjing Gate Master—his cultivation had long since transcended the Unity Realm, and he was suspected to have forged a Divine Palace. Even if the Dragon Demon Daoist or the Pure Yang Daoist were alive, they might not necessarily be able to suppress his spiritual image!"

"What does Senior suggest, then?"

Li Yuan watched him; after a bout of madness, Zhou Ying had also calmed down, and was now pacing beneath the old tree!

Zhou Ying looked at the Yu Xuanjing Hand Hammer in Li Yuan's palm, and from the changes in the hammer's aura alone, he vaguely discerned something: "If Zhou Mou is not mistaken, this hammer should have completely acknowledged Little Friend as its master?"

As he spoke, Zhou Ying's heart was truly a mix of feelings—this was what he had pursued all his life, something he had spent boundless effort on yet failed to achieve!

"Yes!"

Li Yuan did not conceal it!

"Worthy of being one of peerless talent, an unrivaled prodigy through the ages—no wonder this Yu Xuanjing Hammer looks down on this old man!"

Zhou Ying sighed, then quickly composed himself, and said: "The Yu Xuanjing Hammer can kill Ying Ying Xuanpeng."

"Then, what should be done?"

Li Yuan was not too surprised either—only a completely acknowledged Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing could be naturally wielded by its weapon master!

Just as the former sect masters had joined forces to slay the Xieshen Sect, in theory, he too could now deliver that world-shaking strike!

But it was only in theory—after all, he had not even completed his blood exchange, and the gap between him and a Grandmaster was truly vast!

"Little Friend has not yet entered the Dao, so the Yu Xuanjing Hammer cannot fully display its power!"

Zhou Ying solemnly bowed: "Zhou Mou is willing to serve as Little Friend's vanguard."

"Many thanks, Senior."

Li Yuan did not stand on ceremony either—he had come precisely to borrow strength; he merely helped Zhou Ying up:

"This junior will do his utmost to help Senior glimpse the Bafang Temple!"

"Many thanks, Little Friend."

Zhou Ying's heart truly could not settle its surging emotions—for over a thousand years, neither dead nor alive, he had waited for this very day!

Li Yuan did not hesitate, and handed the Yu Xuanjing Hammer over!

A completely acknowledged Yu Xuanjing Hammer—even if its weapon master perished—without permission, others would find it difficult to wield it in the slightest!

"The Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing has a spirit; pray lend me your aid."

Zhou Ying first bowed to the hammer, then took that Yu Xuanjing Hand Hammer in both hands; his form flickered for an instant, but quickly steadied—

ied!

"Senior, you—!"

Seeing this scene, Li Yuan could not help but feel some concern—Zhou Ying's condition could hardly be called good!

"It's nothing!"

Zhou Ying pointed at the incense burner inside the temple: "Zhou Mou has been trapped here all because of this temple. So long as the incense offerings don't go out, I remain forever between life and death!"

"In that case, thank you for your trouble, senior!"

Li Yuan hurriedly took out incense and added it into the burner. The burner wasn't picky — even low-grade incense was welcome!

Zhou Ying closed his eyes and nodded. After a moment, he opened them, walked slowly out of the ancient temple: "Little friend, just act as the situation allows. Zhou Mou is off."

"Senior, be careful!"

Li Yuan cupped his hands in a bow, then took a deep breath, took out his heavy hammer, adjusted his palm-control combination, and in his full-strength state at this moment,

walked toward the rainbow light bridge!

Hum!

The light bridge Zhou Ying couldn't touch felt as solid as real ground beneath Li Yuan's feet. He didn't walk too fast, but warily scanned his surroundings!

By the faint glow emanating from the bridge itself, Li Yuan could dimly make out Zhou Ying walking slowly ahead!

With each stride, the bearing of this former master of the Yu Xuanjing Hammer was also slowly climbing, like a volcano dormant for over a thousand years slowly awakening!

Even separated by several li, Li Yuan could feel an immensely powerful pressure. Through the Yu Xuanjing Hammer, he felt it even more keenly!

"Old Zhou's Martial cultivation realm in life must have been no weaker than the Dragon Dao Lord's!"

Li Yuan felt somewhat reassured, but didn't let down his guard. Gripping the Yu Xuanjing Battle Hammer, he followed Zhou Ying at a moderate distance!

Whoosh!

At a certain moment, a muffled boom came from afar!

Li Yuan focused his gaze and saw clearly — it was a strange beast of unknown grade, shaped like a tiger or leopard, that pounced out from the darkness, only to be struck by Zhou Ying's backhand hammer and blasted apart through the air

into pieces!

"A hammer-user values momentum over moves. When force erupts, it pushes through the air — no matter how one dodges, there is absolutely no room to evade!"

From far away, Zhou Ying's voice came!

The next instant, under Li Yuan's gaze, the man leaped up, dazzling golden light blooming around his body. The Yu Xuanjing Hammer moved with him, his Qi radiating in all directions, plunging into the darkness!

Only hisses and roars rose one after another, and from the darkness burst forth great swathes of light, blood, and torn limbs!

"Roar."

Almost at the same time, Li Yuan heard a familiar thunderous roar!

Upon the ancient pagoda, the strange dragon lowered its gaze, then its massive body rose into the air, trailing a wave of Qi like a sea — truly like a azure dragon stirring wind and clouds. In an instant, it had crossed several dozen li, pouncing toward Zhou Ying!

"Well met."

Zhou Ying let out a long howl, the golden light coiling around him pouring into the Yu Xuanjing Hammer like water: "Little friend, run."

Boom.

On the rainbow light bridge, Li Yuan decisively activated all his palm-control weapons, stepped on Cloud Dragon Nine Appearances, and ran with all his might!

Just how fast was Li Yuan now?

In a single rise and fall, he had already crossed several li. The true Qi radiating from his body violently ground against the gale, like a meteor streaking across!

But even at such speed, Li Yuan's heart still chilled. He couldn't help but look back!

He saw only dazzling golden light, as if a great sun had descended — brilliant golden radiance illuminating the entire Zheng Zuo You Jing!

In an instant, Li Yuan's vision went white then black, his eyes aching as if about to split. Only dimly did he glimpse a colossal Yu Xuanjing woven from golden light!

The Yu Xuanjing let out a long cry, like a divine mountain peak, like a great sun bearing down, drowning the furiously roaring strange dragon within!

Boom.

Rumble rumble.

The two great booms before and after exploded almost simultaneously!

Li Yuan's eyelids twitched wildly. He ran at full speed, the little mother dragon's voice shrill to the point of breaking:

"Is this a spirit treasure?"

She cried out in shock, but Li Yuan didn't respond. His speed had already been pushed to the limit, yet in just a few moments, the collision behind had caught up to him!

Crack!

In an instant, the true Qi Li Yuan had radiating outward was ground to powder. The little mother dragon shrieked and transformed into the Mirage Dragon Armor!

But the next moment, she wailed and shrank back to his waist!

Bang!

Li Yuan only felt a sharp pain in his spine. The Mirage Dragon Armor, along with the Crimson Blood Pattern Dragon Armor, had both been pierced through by that terrifying collision from behind!

"This terrifying?"

Li Yuan felt as if he were a lone boat in a raging storm, as if the next moment he would capsize here!

He had once seen several sect masters activate their Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing, but it was far less vivid than what he felt at this moment!

He darted sideways several times, already several dozen li away, but still hadn't fully escaped the collision behind. Even just the aftershock gave him a sense of being utterly unable to dodge!

"Nurturing Furnace."

Li Yuan had long been prepared. With a shift of his mind, the Nurturing Furnace was already like a great cauldron, covering him in midair!

The next moment, he heard only a tremendous bang — the Nurturing Furnace was struck and blasted away!

Boom!

On the rainbow light bridge, the Nurturing Furnace spun and shot forward at high speed!

Through the furnace's mouth, Li Yuan saw a ball of gold-and-black light rising into the air like a mushroom cloud!

As its shockwave spread, within a hundred li everything was a scene of utter destruction!

Strange beasts one after another, strange weapons one after another were all sent flying. Earth Fiends, Heavenly Spirits — none could withstand it at all!

"The Yu Xuanjing Hammer's power is even greater than those Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing."

With a 'dong', the blasted Nurturing Furnace seemed to have struck some invisible barrier!

"Roar."

"You beast, how do you like the taste of my hammer?"

"

A thunderous roar and a long howl echoed from the extreme distance. Then, within the darkness, light burst forth — the Dark Whale Hammer, like a crimson meteor, shot across a hundred li, hurtling straight toward Li Zhou!

"Young friend, that strange dragon has fled with grave injuries — you are safe now."

"

As the hammer landed in his hand, Li Zhou heard Zhou Ying's voice, unable to hide his excitement. He drew a deep breath and bowed toward the darkness!

Then turned around!

In the darkness, ghostly light flickered. Under Li Zhou's gaze, that tightly shut purple great door slowly opened!