Chapter 538: Who Exactly Is Li Yuan? (Make-up Chapter 10)

Han Han Chuijun heard a tremendous crash, the earth seeming to shake violently; the next instant, he felt a vicious wind rushing toward his face, and just as he instinctively activated the Hundred Beasts Thunder Dragon, his shoulder suddenly grew heavy!

Then, fierce winds churned all around, the world spinning!

When he suddenly came back to his senses, he saw gale-force winds howling, clouds and mist swirling, and he had already reached a height of a thousand zhang; beneath him, a plume hawk spread its wings and let out a high-pitched cry!

"Tower Master!"

Han Han Chuijun reacted very quickly and adapted extremely well; he immediately pressed lightly on his mask, then bowed with a solemn expression to the white-robed woman on the eagle's back.

"Mm."

Qin Li Shixian didn't even turn her head!

Her true qi radiated outward, wrapping the grey hawk beneath her; when the hawk beat its wings, bolstered by her true qi, it was like a flying sword tearing through the void, its speed reaching an extreme!

"Tower Master, Li Yuan has already been gone five and a half days, we can't catch up!

"

Beside her, Wang Wang Wenyuan gave a light cough, his expression helpless, but seemingly long accustomed to it!

"Shut your mouth."

Qin Li Shixian was very annoyed, glaring at him: "Taking this Tower Master's spirit pills to curry favor for yourself, Old Wang, this Tower Master still underestimated you."

Wang Wang Wenyuan only felt weary at heart—how, after all these years flashing by, had she not grown a single bit more considerate?

"What look is that in your eyes?"

Qin Li Shixian was greatly angered; her perception was very keen!

Wang Wang Wenyuan sighed:

"Tower Master, do you know who Li Yuan is?"

"?"

Qin Li Shixian was stumped by the question: "What, did you leave your brain at home when you left in such a hurry?"

"Li Yuan, a man from Gao Liu County, signed an indenture at sixteen to be an apprentice at a Weapon-Forging Shop; two years later he was accepted into Divine Weapon Valley under Han Han Chuijun, distinguished by outstanding root bone and exceptional talent in weapon forging, and became a true disciple.

"

"

Wang Wang Wenyuan answered his own question in a stiff, formal manner: "Later, through this old man's recommendation, he was accepted under Long Xi Xiang, first becoming a true disciple, then the Dao Child of Dragon Gate—a peerless figure!"

"Do I need you to tell me that?"

Qin Li Shixian was already irritable; hearing him prattle on, her temper flared again!

"Tower Master, that is the Li Yuan of before!"

Wang Wang Wenyuan shook his head inwardly, abandoning the idea of letting her figure it out herself,

and said in a deep voice:

"The current Li Yuan is the only person in ten thousand years to be permitted by the Eight Directions Temple to open the temple—this is something the old Tower Master, the Dragon Demon Ancestor, all the great masters throughout the ages, and even the Supreme Great Masters never managed to accomplish."

At this point, he paused slightly: "Such a person—do you truly dare to forcibly keep him, Tower Master?"

"Mm?"

Qin Li Shixian greatly disliked his lecturing; she wanted to say what was there to be afraid of, but swallowed the words at her lips, yet still cast him a sidelong glance: "And then?"

"Before Li Yuan left, he pulled out the blade from my chest for me!"

Wang Wang Wenyuan pressed his chest, and in a daze seemed to recall what he had witnessed that day, his heart involuntarily convulsing violently.

Qin Li Shixian wasn't surprised, but thinking of the price she herself had paid to pull out a blade back then, she felt a dull ache in her chest!

"Blood for blood, hammer for blade!"

Wang Wang Wenyuan took a deep breath, still finding it beyond words to describe the shock: "Only seven hammers, merely seven hammers, and that intent of the blade was blasted into dust by him."

"Seven hammers?"

Even though Qin Li Shixian had long anticipated it, hearing these words, she too felt her heart jolt: "Seven hammers?"

"Correct!"

Wang Wang Wenyuan was about to speak when he felt a chill at his brow; Qin Li Shixian tapped a finger at his brow, her will rising, and through the lingering qi on his body, she performed the Thousand-Li Soul Lock!

Hum!

Wang Wang Wenyuan dropped onto the eagle's back; Qin Li Shixian, meanwhile, closed her eyes and concentrated, and in a daze she saw true qi surging, a heavy hammer hanging across the sky, which with the force of crushing withered wood and rotting stumps, directly tore apart that rolling, tide-like river of blade light!

"Pfft."

The light and shadow dissipated; Wang Wang Wenyuan's face was full of exhaustion, but Qin Li Shixian turned away, pressing her own twitching eyelid, momentarily speechless!

Wan Wan Zhuliu, who had achieved Great Completion of Blood Exchange, had the ability to rival a Grandmaster of the next generation—the foremost figure in a thousand years, an outstanding hero who pressed down upon all the Grandmasters of his time!

Seven hammers!

"How long has it been…"

Qin Li Shixian's mind surged:

"It must be the Eight Directions Temple, it must be the Eight Directions

Temple." The plume hawk beneath her trembled, and its already extreme speed surged another ten percent, as if startled!

Beside them, Han Han Chuijun kept his eyes lowered and his manner obedient; of course he could tell the two were discussing Li Yuan. Though he didn't quite understand things like blade intent, he could sense the Star-Plucking Tower Master's shock!

"This kid!"

As Han Han Chuijun was mulling this over in his heart, his peripheral vision caught a flash of dazzling golden light!

Qin Li Shixian took out a bronze mirror from her bosom, focused her mind and poured true qi into it, writing characters on the bronze mirror: "Old man, Li Yuan has come out."

Whooosh!

The plume hawk spread its wings, soaring through the sea of clouds!

"This little tiger cub actually really ran off."

Li Yuan's face was dark, brooding; he had searched the Dinglong Mountain Range for a full three days, yet stubbornly failed to find the aura he had left on the little tiger cub!

"As expected, raising spirit beasts is not that simple—no wonder it takes several generations!"

Li Yuan sighed and gently stroked the plume eagle beneath him!

This plume eagle, raised by the Star-Plucking Tower, had a wingspan of over three zhang, a sturdy physique, feathers like blades and swords, and could snatch tigers and leopards dead in a single dive—top-grade even among spirit birds.

Especially rare was that this plume eagle had rudimentary qi meridians within its body; though it possessed no true qi of its own, it could withstand the infusion of a small amount of true qi, boosting flight speed and endurance!

"Once I break through the Entry Dao Barrier, I'll come back for this little bastard!"

Li Yuan steadied himself, urged his true qi, and the plume eagle beneath him let out a long cry as its speed surged; meanwhile, he himself entered focused meditation, not wasting the journey on martial training!

The plume eagle followed the great canal of Pingjiang, and several days later, Li Yuan opened his eyes; with a slight focus, he already saw Mount Hengshan city in the extreme distance, as well as the Dragon and Tiger mountains!

"Land."

Li Yuan urged the plume eagle to the ground, flicked a spirit pill to it, then put on his human-skin mask himself and followed the flow of people into Mount Hengshan

city!

He had been off the mountain less than a year in total, and Mount Hengshan city had not changed much—only that the jianghu folk brandishing sabers and showing off swords were far fewer, though it was still quite bustling!

"Has the Spirit-Spying Sacrifice still spread?"

Li Yuan's brow furrowed slightly; the moment he entered the city, a rich scent of incense and offerings rose from the place of spiritual light—though not fierce, it was a steady stream, clearly indicating many people in the city were discussing him!

After entering the city, he first went to his elder brother and sister-in-law's residence; as expected, the people were gone and the place was empty. From the chatter of passersby, he learned that his brother and sister-in-law had vanished abruptly a few days prior, and no one knew their whereabouts!

"Is it Li Yue?"

Thinking of that elder brother, Li Yuan's brow creased slightly, then he turned and went to the Weapon-Forge Shop!

After a separation of half a year, the Weapon-Forge Shop had not changed much; the shops along the street still did brisk business, with people coming and going, and within the Weapon-Forge Shop, the sound of hammering iron could faintly be heard!

Glancing from afar, Li Yuan naturally did not seek anyone to announce him; with a flash of his figure, he had already entered the Weapon-Forge Shop. Scanning the place a few times, he did not see Liu Zheng or Wang Wang Peiyao, but did see Lei Lei Jingchuan and Jing Jing Shuhu!

Before going down the mountain, he had asked the two old men to quietly look after the Weapon-Forge Shop's business a bit; he hadn't expected them to actually move right into the Weapon-Forge Shop?

"The two old men are in good spirits—seems the Spirit-Spying Sacrifice didn't affect them!"

Not disturbing the two sunbathing in the courtyard, Li Yuan took one look and quietly withdrew, returning to Dragon Tiger Temple!

Dragon Tiger Temple!

Dragon Gate rear mountain, the small temple!

Beneath the already-withered old tree, Nie Xianshan and Long Xi Xiang sat facing each other playing chess!

"Sigh!"

Nie Xianshan could not help but sigh: "I don't know if there's any danger in that Eight Directions Temple. And Li Shixiong too—a dignified Dao Lord actually

insists on risking himself in person."

"Play chess!"

Long Xi Xiang turned a deaf ear; he had heard similar words not a hundred times, but certainly several dozen, and merely urged him to make his move!

"You certainly can keep your composure!"

Nie Xianshan placed a piece, and also slightly steadied himself: "That bastard brat Li Yuan, only caring about seizing his own fortune, has simply forgotten the two of us."

"Enough."

Long Xi Xiang's brow furrowed!

"Enough what, enough?

"

Nie Xianshan was not afraid of him, and glanced at him sidelong: "What? In the prophecy that brat even killed this old man—am I still not allowed to say a couple of words about him?"

"You actually believe that too?

"

Long Xi Xiang raised his hand and swept the chessboard aside, then flung his sleeve and returned to the temple!

Nie Xianshan was not annoyed either; he set the chessboard back up properly. Just then a disciple arrived at the door: "Two Martial Uncle Ancestors, the Green Dragon Pavilion's Heavenly Silkworm True Person and the Xinyi Sect's Pockmarked Monk have sent us to report that they wish to take leave…"

"They're leaving already?"

Nie Xianshan's brow furrowed slightly as he looked toward Long Xi Xiang burning incense inside the small temple: "These two seniors wish to leave—shall we go see them off?"

"Not going."

Long Xi Xiang's low voice came from within the temple!

"Mm!"

Nie Xianshan knew his mood was unsettled, and did not quibble with him; after setting the chessboard right, he turned and left!

"Eight Directions Temple!"

In the small temple, Long Xi Xiang offered incense to the ancestors one by one; as Nie Xianshan had guessed, his mood was truly unsettled!

Earlier, when discussing the quota in the Divine Capital, he had nearly come to blows with Long Long Yingchan, and in the end still failed to seize the quota; including Daoist Feng Yuanqing, none of them agreed to let him enter the temple!

In a fit of anger, he had returned to the mountain before the sacrifice!

He hoped, as they had said, that the one who opened the temple could not act rashly, otherwise…

Long Xi Xiang let out a long breath and inserted the last three sticks of incense; suddenly, as if sensing something, he turned his head, only to see a yellow-faced man had walked up to the temple gate!

"You…"

Long Xi Xiang's eyelid twitched; then with a sweep of his great sleeve, wisps of white mist rose up, shrouding the entire small temple within!

"Master!

"

Li Yuan walked into the temple and bowed: "This disciple has returned!"

"How did you get out?"

Long Xi Xiang's face darkened slightly: "The four of them couldn't even protect you?"

"You mean the Dao Lords and the others?"

Li Zhou hurriedly explained that he had not met them!

"Then you..."

"This disciple heard the imperial court's prophecy and was filled with dread; I have come specifically to beg your forgiveness, Master. Please, do not believe it!"

"Speak human!"

Long Xi Xiang glared at him.

"Do you think I would believe such ghostly talk?"

"Your eyes are as bright as torches; of course, the imperial court's petty tricks cannot deceive you!"

Li Zhou flattered his way into the temple, yet felt a wave of relief; he truly feared Old Dragon Head would misunderstand!

"I do not believe it, but others might not!"

Long Xi Xiang handed a stick of incense to Li Zhou:

"Speak. What brings you back to the mountain this time?"

"I knew I could not hide it from you!"

"

After offering incense to each of the Patriarchs, before Old Dragon Head, Li Zhou held nothing back and spoke concisely: "Spirit Pills!"