Chapter 537: Leaving the Temple (Combined Chapter)

"Four Dao Lords, two from the imperial court, Huang Huang Longzi… that cloaked man and the white-robed middle-aged man beside him look like Grandmasters as well."

Gazing through the door, Li Yuan guessed that these two were very likely the Thousand-Eyed Dharma Lord and the Xieshen Sect Master Yan Yan Tianxiong?

Fifteen people in total, and Grandmasters alone account for nine of them!

"This is really, wonderful!"

How many Grandmasters are there under heaven?

Counting Old Longtou, Nie Xianshan, and other newly-advanced Grandmasters, as well as those lying in wait like Qin Yun, there wouldn't be more than twenty!

Half of them are right here.

"The imperial court left Wang Jin and Wu Wu Yingxing outside, while the Dao Sect left Old Longtou, Old Daoist Nie, and the heavily wounded Silkworm Daoist and Scabby-Headed Monk…"

Mulling it over slightly, Li Yuan's thoughts began to stir.

As long as he cleared up the misunderstanding, pulled in Old Longtou and Old Daoist Nie, and went to extract the saber intent from the Silkworm Daoist and Scabby-Headed Monk, even if he couldn't walk sideways out there, it would be about the same.

"Mm?"

At this moment, Li Yuan seemed to sense something. Turning his head, he saw two streaks of light wreathed in incense smoke crash in at extreme speed from beyond the invisible temple gate.

Yet they did not appear within the corridor, but rather…

Li Yuan looked through the gate and saw ripples bloom in the void at the foot of the mountain, from which two figures tumbled out—one in a black robe, thin and wiry, the other clutching a large umbrella, looking utterly turtle-like.

"Two more?"

Li Yuan recognized the man gripping the great umbrella at a glance: "Is that the Hall-Bearing Spirit Turtle?"

"It's you!"

"Old Turtle!"

The Grandmasters at the foot of the mountain had already been on guard; startled now, they too spotted Gui Gui Laoxian tumbling into the temple.

Boom!

While the others were still startled, trying to figure out who had arrived, Huang Huang Longzi had already erupted into motion. The Qi behind him wove itself into a dragon form; his five fingers thrust forward like a blue dragon probing with its claw—fierce and overbearing.

"Huang Huang Longzi!"

Gui Gui Laoxian let out a strange cry; his limbs and head vanished, and he took the dragon's claw on his carapace. Spinning like a disc in the air, he broke through and fled.

His speed was extreme—one violent retreat caused ripples to ripple through the void; in a flash he had pulled back a hundred li, dragging gales behind him that kicked up a skyful of dust.

"Still trying to run?"

With one strike failing, Huang Huang Longzi vaulted into the air.

"This man?"

The instant Huang Huang Longzi erupted, Li Yuan seemed to see a blue dragon soaring from the abyss, roaring in fury. The five fingers he had thrust out suddenly drew back, as if gathering all the raging wind into his palm.

Claw became fist; in less than an instant, he had crossed a hundred li—late to strike, first to arrive!

"Yellow Dragon Fist!"

Gui Gui Laoxian was caught utterly off guard, but he tucked in his limbs and head and spun in midair. With a series of clangs, ghastly bone spurs sprang out from beneath his shell, his whole body savage!

Mountains shook, the earth quaked, dust billowed.

Even through the corridor's gate, Li Yuan felt his spirit waver. When a Grandmaster strikes, a divine realm follows—one blow can sever a river for ten li, and it carries a will-power strong enough to distort perception.

"This old turtle's defense is this strong?"

Li Yuan clicked his tongue in surprise.

Huang Huang Longzi's strike was by no means light, but after that one punch, the old turtle merely spun like a disc in the air and shed all the force. Instead, Huang Huang Longzi was struck by those reverse barbs, his flesh torn and bloody.

"Clang!"

Almost the instant Huang Huang Longzi's strike missed, with a sharp ring, a streak of pure light pierced a hundred li of void, slashing sideways at the Hall-Bearing Spirit Turtle.

The one who struck was Shen Shen Qisheng.

It was the divine art of the Changhong Sword Sect—"Flying Sword Art." This sword technique can only be cultivated by those born with a sword-shaped constitution. At its initial stage it merely lifts the sword a hundred paces, but in Shen Shen Qisheng's hands it could slash across a hundred li.

Hiss!

The sword-light swept sideways, splitting the void in two.

Shen Shen Qisheng's sword employed his spirit-form, the "Flying Rainbow Sword." The sword-light rainbowed, dazzlingly fierce to the extreme, yet when it struck the turtle shell it left not the slightest mark.

Instead, the old turtle borrowed the force and leapt another dozen li into the air, looking as if he was about to plunge headlong into the mountain range.

"You've come all this way, why the rush to leave?"

A voice, neither high nor low, echoed. In an instant, heaven and earth darkened; wild winds swept, clouds and fog shrouding a hundred li of sky. Wan Wan Zhuliu vaulted up, the ink-black blue dragon moving with him, pouncing on the black-robed man who had entered with Gui Gui Laoxian and was also fleeing, while he himself spread his five fingers wide and grabbed at Gui Gui Laoxian!

"Roar!"

The dragon's cry exploded.

Sensing the intense crisis behind him, Ao Cang's eyelid twitched wildly. Without a second thought he let out a dragon's roar, and his body shuddered as tremendous force gushed forth.

In an instant, he had transformed into a substantive dark-blue dragon, reversed his head to charge, and collided with the ink-black blue dragon, the two tearing into each other in a frenzy.

"Dragon-God Demon-Subduing Form!"

Li Yuan keenly detected a familiar aura; that dragon form greatly resembled the ink dragon he had fought before, but its energy was far, far more powerful.

The black-clothed man whose flesh had become a blue dragon was by no means weak, yet after a single clash he had already fallen at a disadvantage.

Wan Wan Zhuliu didn't even glance at him; his attention was entirely on the fleeing old turtle.

Boom!

Like a thousand bolts of thunder exploding at once.

The fleeing Gui Gui Laoxian also caught the thick scent of crisis. He poked his head out to look and saw heaven and earth turned black—five fingers radiating a faint white light, plunging down like pillars of heaven.

Sealed and blocked, every angle of evasion cut off.

"Why is Laozi so unlucky?"

Gui Gui Laoxian inwardly cried out in misery, then swiftly retracted his head into his shell. The next moment, he felt his body jolt violently—he had been hoisted bodily into the air.

"Crack, crack, crack—"

Accompanied by a series of teeth-gritting groans, Wan Wan Zhuliu withdrew his palm; a tortoise shell covered in large bone spurs was already gripped in his hand.

But even so, the tortoise shell was still trembling and rotating, the bone spurs grinding.

"He's likely only a single step away from the Divine Palace."

The rumbling still echoed, but at the foot of the mountain things had gone quiet. Huang Huang Longzi's heart gave a jolt; a sidelong glance swept across the scene—apart from the cloaked figure whose face could not be seen, every Grandmaster of the Yiganda Sect looked ill at ease.

Even the Qian Emperor unconsciously tightened his grip on the golden bell in his palm.

"Old Turtle shedding its shell?"

Wan Wan Zhuliu, however, knit his brows. From a hundred li away, the voice of Gui Gui Laoxian came drifting:

"Half-step Divine Palace? So what if it's the true Divine Palace!"

"Wan surnamed fellow, Huang Huang Longzi, and that old shaggy one—your Grandpa Turtle has noted this grudge. Brother Ao, don't panic—if they dare harm you, I will slaughter every last one of their disciples and descendants!"

Li Yuan strained his eyes into the distance and saw a streak of rainbow light sink into the distant mountains, startling up a great flock of birds.

Including Wan Wan Zhuliu, three Grandmasters of the Sanzunda Sect had struck in succession, yet all they had taken was a single piece of tortoise shell?

"With such defense, what place would I dare not go?"

Li Yuan's heart surged with emotion. With the Sea-Suppressing Mystic Tortoise Shell in hand, he reckoned that what this old turtle could do, he himself might well be able to replicate.

"Roar!"

At this moment, the battle between the two colossal creatures in the sky was also reaching its end.

Seeing Gui Gui Laoxian flee without so much as a backward glance, Ao Cang spat out a mouthful of dragon blood and crashed to the ground. Under the gaze of the assembled Grandmasters, he had no choice but to take human form.

"Legend has it that in the North Sea there dwells a sentient spiritual dragon, known to the world as the North Sea Cang Dragon. On the ranking of spiritual beasts past and present, it is ranked second…"

A blob of true qi foam wrapped in dragon blood drifted down before Long Long Yingchan. He caught it in his hand and weighed it; his eyes lit up slightly—this was a top-grade primer.

More than enough for refining a Long Hu Longhu Dadan.

"The Eight Directions Temple truly stirs the heart—even the North Sea Cang Dragon, vanished for years, has shown itself."

Fang Fang Sanyun clicked his tongue in wonder. The Spiritual Beast Ranking encompassed spiritual beasts past and present, but in truth those at the top had long vanished from sight. The North Sea Cang Dragon—he too was seeing it for the first time.

"Huff!"

Ao Cang sat cross-legged, cursing furiously in his heart. That shrinking turtle had not come to his aid, fine—but when fleeing hadn't even given him a shout, so that in a moment's daze he hadn't been able to escape either.

"Spirit Dragon King—no, that's not right. A spiritual beast of this caliber cannot be compared to a mere Beast King. Its flesh, blood, sinew, and bone can all be called heavenly materials and earthly treasures."

"A dragon body of several dozen zhang…"

"The sinew of a thousand-year-old dragon—used to make a bow, it should be top-grade, no?"

At the foot of the mountain, a crowd had gathered. For those present, there were few things in the world that could still pique their curiosity; the North Sea Cang Dragon happened to be one of them.

"Earlier the Listening Sound mentioned that Qin Yun left seclusion to capture the visitor from beyond the heavens. I wonder whether he'll enter the temple…"

In the passage, Li Yuan took out the Spirit Puppet Heart. Before his eyes, a starry sky strewn with points of light instantly appeared, as if a single thought would let him choose any one of them.

"Can this Spirit Puppet Heart actually control a spirit puppet?"

Looking at Dong Dong Ershisan behind him, Li Yuan frowned slightly.

The reason he hadn't chosen a spirit puppet—besides indecision—was that he was also unsure whether this Spirit Puppet Heart would merely awaken a spirit puppet or actually control one.

After all, according to the weapon-light he had seen in the Soldier-Roster, to master this Dongmen Dong Ershisan required not only the Spirit Puppet Heart but also the sixth level of the Treasure-Refining Art.

And based on his experience over the years, the threshold for the Soldier-Roster to master a divine weapon was considerably lower than that for a divine weapon to acknowledge its master.

"The Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing rewarded by the Eight Directions Temple didn't acknowledge a master directly either…"

After much hesitation, Li Yuan still did not act rashly; he knew far too little about spirit puppets.

Looking back past the gate, the Grandmasters below on the mountain path were still discussing something, but the distance was too great—he couldn't hear.

"It's time to go out."

Li Yuan let out a long breath and took out a token. The entries of Gui Gui Laoxian and the other had added another two years to his stay.

Hum—

With a single thought, Li Yuan had vanished from the passage.

Light and shadow flickered around him like ripples. When he opened his eyes again, he was already before Zhou Mou's small temple. Even after being teleported many times, Li Yuan could not help but sigh with feeling.

This thing was truly far too convenient.

Zhou Mou was not in the temple. Li Yuan was in no hurry; he merely lit incense and waited within. A moment later, as if sensing something, fierce winds churned outside the temple, and Zhou Mou hurried in.

"Senior."

Li Yuan cupped his fist in greeting.

"You seem to be in a good mood, my friend?"

Zhou Mou carried a distinct air of having traveled hard. He pulled a map from his breast:

"Please look, my friend."

Li Yuan reached out and took it. He saw that of the twelve marked points on the map, three had already been scouted: "Jin Lin's Path," "Great Wasteland Path," and "Long Rainbow Path."

"Many thanks for your trouble, Senior."

Li Yuan memorized the three marked points, returned the map, and broached the matter he cared about: "I have found a way to let you enter the temple, Senior."

"So soon?"

Zhou Mou was first startled, then his whole person began to tremble as if about to float away. Overcome with emotion, he bowed deeply to the waist:

"You are truly a man of your word, my friend!"

"Don't rush to thank me, Senior. There are still some complications."

Li Yuan told of the imperial court's tailing them into the temple, but Zhou Mou was not surprised—he had witnessed the court members entering the temple during his earlier scouting.

"I won't hide it from you, my friend. Zhou Mou has also been keeping an eye on the Eight Directions Temple, and wished to intercept people outside for you, but just now a dozen or so were traveling together—truly beyond my strength."

Zhou Mou gave a wry smile.

The fifteen of them marched in force, blasting straight through several eerie zones in their path; even without the Dark Whale Hammer in hand, they could not have been stopped, let alone with it.

"Within the Ba Fang Mi Jing there is a realm of its own, but the path into the mountain seems to be only one at present. Senior, entering the temple, you cannot avoid running into them."

Li Yuan voiced his hidden worry: "As for the other passages into the temple."

There must be different passages into the temple in Ba Fang — of this, he could be certain.

Not to mention that the place he had entered was the Eastern Realm; whether there were Western, Southern, and Northern realms, the mere sight when choosing the spirit puppets was enough to prove that even the Eastern Realm had more than one passage into the temple.

After all, these spirit puppets were called "Door-Guardian Puppets" within the Ba Fang Mi Jing.

But alas…

"What has this old man to fear?"

Zhou Ying's heart surged with excitement, looking every bit like a god that would slay any god in its path.

But he quickly calmed down, glancing at the map in his hand: "What has a dead man like me to fear? Still, since I've promised the young friend, I won't give up halfway."

At once, he turned and left, rushing off to the next marked spot with great gusto; Li Yuan couldn't even hold him back.

"Jin Lin, the Great Wastes, Chang Hong."

Li Yuan recalled those three marked spots: "To be safe, it's best to take the Great Wastes Purple-Gold Spear first. This spear is unclaimed and should be the easiest to obtain. As for the other two…"

Settling his mind, Li Yuan did not rush off either, but instead retraced the path of the Dark Whale, and soon, he had returned to the Dark Whale Great Hall.

"The ruins of the Dark Whale Gate appear to be within the Dark Whale Hammer, but in truth they are within the You Jing…"

Glancing at the stone statue before the Dark Gate, Li Yuan returned to the Dark Whale Mountain Gate. From here, focusing his perception, he could faintly sense his dwelling within the Ba Fang Mi Jing.

Since he entered the Mi Jing from here, naturally, exiting would also be from this spot.

"Qin Yun is not here; this is precisely the time to return…"

Hum!

The moment his mind stirred, Li Yuan opened his eyes — he was already back in his room.

Gone for over a month, a thin layer of dust had already settled in the room. Li Yuan swept a glance, and the little mouse in the wall hole had already let out squeaking sounds, excitedly leaping toward him.

"You're the loyal one, at least."

Li Yuan caught the weighty little fellow.

How keen was his perception?

At one glance, he spotted a trail of tiny footprints, from the wall hole to the bed. This little fellow had made the round trip at least a hundred times, and had stayed in the room the whole time, never once going out.

Apart from that, there was nothing else.

That ungrateful little cat had not left a single trace of having returned.

"Squeak—"

The little mouse affectionately licked Li Yuan's fingers. This little fellow was growing ever more sentient; in its bean-sized eyes, it even squeezed out two drops of tears.

"... that's a bit much…."

Li Yuan was caught between laughter and tears. He took out a spirit pill and gave it to the little fellow, yet his heart warmed — at least he hadn't raised it for nothing, unlike that little cat.

Gone from home for over a month without a word — simply outrageous.

Pushing open the door, it was night within the Mi Jing.

Li Yuan keenly sensed someone watching him. With a twist of his body, he had the two men outside the wall pinned to the ground, and went off to find Old Han.

"Who?"

Han Han Chuijun was meditating in his room and rose alertly.

"Old… ahem, Master, it's me."

Li Yuan gave a small cough and pushed the door open to enter.

"You're back?"

Han Han Chuijun didn't think much of it — a man of the jianghu, being gone for a month or so was nothing.

"You didn't know?"

Li Yuan was startled for a moment, then turned back. It had only been a few days; no matter how great the impact of the Spirit-Gazing Sacrifice, it shouldn't be known to everyone.

"Know what?"

Han Han Chuijun sat up straight, lifted a cup of tea, and took a small, careful sip: "Tell me then — over this past month, where did you go without a word?"

"The Ba Fang Mi Jing."

"Ba Fang Pagoda? Hmm, within a pagoda one loses track of time in seclusion… wait!" Han Han Chuijun suddenly raised his head: "You said, the Ba Fang Mi Jing?"

Old Han was no ignoramus.

He had always liked reading the manuscripts of those before him, so naturally he knew the legends of the Ba Fang Mi Jing — but wasn't that just a legend?

"You entered the Ba Fang Mi Jing?"

Han Han Chuijun was more than a little shocked; he did not think Li Yuan was joking with him.

"That's right."

Old Han's shock gave Li Yuan great pleasure. Without ceremony, he picked up a cup of tea and took a couple of sips, then recounted the whole story of entering the temple, from cause to consequence.

"You…"

Han Han Chuijun could sit still no longer. He released his true qi outward, sealing off inside and outside, and listened to Li Yuan's transmitted voice, his expression shifting again and again.

"The Ba Fang Mi Jing, the You Jing, the path of the Dark Whale, Zhou Ying… the imperial court, Wan Wan Zhuliu…"

Listening to Li Yuan's calm narration.

Han Han Chuijun felt somewhat dazed, as if he were listening to a Mr. storyteller opening a tale of legend — no, this was legend itself.

And this lad he had picked up from Gao Liu County town had walked into legend, walking the road to becoming legend, to becoming myth…

"So the Ba Fang Mi Jing truly exists in this world."

Han Han Chuijun's heart trembled unceasingly. Even after draining his tea, he still felt parched; recalling those legends, it was like a dream.

"If you wish to go, this disciple will take you to have a look?"

"This…"

Hearing Li Yuan say so, Han Han Chuijun was quite tempted: "This, can this old man enter as well?"

"Even the imperial court can enter, why couldn't you, Elder?"

If not for the fact that the temple had a pile of Grandmasters inside, Li Yuan would truly have wanted to bring Old Han into the temple to have a look.

"Better forget it."

Han Han Chuijun was very tempted, but still waved his hand in refusal; he had no desire to go wrestle with a group of Masters and Grandmasters.

"Ba Fang Temple, Grandmasters…"

Han Han Chuijun rose and paced, his brows tightly furrowed beneath the mask:

"As you say, the news that you are the Temple Opener may have already spread. Once you leave the temple, there will be some danger."

"Danger there is."

Li Yuan nodded.

If not for seeing a large group of powerful figures enter the temple with his own eyes, and knowing that Qin Yun was not in Ba Fang Mi Jing, he would not necessarily have dared to leave the temple.

"This disciple's leaving the temple this time, apart from coming to see you, is also to see the other people of the sect. My elder brother and sister-in-law are still at Longhu Temple."

Before Han Han Chuijun, Li Yuan did not conceal anything: "Besides, this disciple also needs to purchase a large batch of spiritual pills and other things, for use in closed-door cultivation."

"Spiritual pills, this old man does have some…"

"Keep them, Elder. Longhu Temple is not short on spiritual pills."

After chatting with Old Han for a moment, Li Yuan rose to seek out Wang Wang Wenyuan. The latter had long since risen as well, draped in an outer robe, waiting for him. The two tailed watchers who had been knocked unconscious stood guard in the courtyard.

"Impressive indeed."

Seeing Li Yuan, Wang Wang Wenyuan rose instinctively; once he caught himself, he did not sit back down, but had someone serve tea.

"Many thanks, Master."

Li Yuan picked up the teacup, but only blew on it.

"Temple Opener, Li Yuan!"

Looking at Li Yuan, Wang Wang Wenyuan's expression was complex—shock, curiosity, regret, and a host of other emotions churning in his heart. In the end, he sighed:

"The eagle has been prepared for you. If you wish to leave, then leave."

"Won't you try to keep me?"

Li Yuan was somewhat surprised.

"The Tower Master's letter meant for me to keep you a while, but since you dare show yourself, presumably this old man cannot keep you either. Since that is so, why force you to stay?"

Wang Wang Wenyuan was very candid.

"Master, you're broad-minded."

Li Yuan praised sincerely. He had truly worried earlier that Star-Plucking Tower would not let him go.

"Speaking of which, the Tower Master bore no ill will either, and even had this old man prepare quite a few spiritual pills for you, saying that what she had previously promised was truly not enough, and that these spiritual pills would help make up the difference."

With a flick of his sleeve, Wang Wang Wenyuan produced several dozen Bai Yu porcelain bottles on the table. Just from the bottles alone, one could tell the spiritual pills within must be top-grade.

"Hmm?"

Li Yuan's eyes lit up, and he immediately looked at Wang Wang Wenyuan, reminding him:

"This junior is about to leave. Are you still giving me these spiritual pills?"

"The Tower Master only said to give them to you. As for the rest… she did not say."

Wang Wang Wenyuan stroked his long beard.

"The Tower Master is also a broad-minded person!"

Li Yuan felt a measure of genuine respect.

This Star-Plucking Tower Master, say what you will, truly kept her word—although the remaining seven Long Long Modadan were worth considerably more than the spiritual pills on the table.

"If you are willing, leave a letter so this old man can account for things." Wang Wang Wenyuan coughed lightly and produced paper and brush.

Li Yuan could not refuse. You want to leave, and they have prepared a spiritual eagle for you, and the spiritual pills owed to you are all ready. To leave not even a single letter would truly be a bit inexcusable.

After thinking it over, Li Yuan still wrote swiftly, leaving behind polite phrases such as thanks, having important matters to attend to, and coming to pay respects another time.

"With this, this old man can account for things." Wang Wang Wenyuan was very satisfied, and raised his tea to see the guest off.

Li Yuan tucked away the spiritual pills but did not leave; instead, he looked at Wang Wang Wenyuan's chest:

"Master, that knife wound of yours—might this junior have a look?"

……

……

Early the next morning.

Outside Fang Ta Mi Jing, the plume eagle spread its wings three zhang, let out a long cry, and circled with Li Yuan among the mountain ranges several dozen times before finally carrying Li Yuan, his brows tightly furrowed, off into the sea of clouds.

"A Temple Opener appears only once in ten thousand years."

Watching the plume eagle vanish from sight, Wang Wang Wenyuan pressed a hand to his chest. Compared to yesterday, he was full of vigor, with a great sense of long-standing illness finally lifted:

"Talented, and sly enough…"

"The Tower Master, she…"

After a brief comparison in his heart, Wang Wang Wenyuan shook his head, turned, and went back into the Mi Jing.

Several days later, accompanied by an eagle's cry, Qin Li Shixian returned to the Mi Jing. Not long after, Han Han Chuijun walked out from his room, and his furious voice came from afar:

"What? You let him go? And—and you also gave him the spiritual pills this Tower Master had told you to use to keep him here?"

……

……

Whoosh, whoosh~

The gale howled, clouds and mist churning.

On the eagle's back, Li Yuan released his true Qi outward. He felt no joy at riding the eagle into the sea of clouds, only stared intently down at the Dinglong Mountain Range.

"The cat — really lost!"

Seeing the sky about to go dark again, Li Yuan, who had been searching for a day and two nights, was in the worst possible mood:

"Can't even tame it after all that…"

Unwilling to give up, Li Yuan urged the plume eagle to dive once more, circling around where the Ba Fang Mi Jing lay, searching toward the outer mountains, but in the end, he still left the Dinglong Mountain Range with reluctance.