Chapter 542: Divine Silkworm Nine Transformations

The Divine Silkworm Ritual echoed across the land; even within the Dragon Tiger Temple, Li Yuan could hear his fellow disciples whispering about it—its impact was clearly immense, leaving him momentarily worried!

But in truth, the impact was not great at all.

On the fourth evening after returning to the sect, he met the Silkworm Daoist and the Bald Monk in the small temple; both elder masters showed no sign of resentment, their demeanor identical to their last meeting—warm and sincere.

"Half a year has passed, Young Master Li, and your brilliance has surpassed even your former self—truly enviable, old Daoist that I am."

In the small temple, the Silkworm Daoist smiled kindly, showing no surprise whatsoever—only a look of expected certainty.

The Bald Monk was more reserved; he glanced at the old Daoist, then curled and extended his fingers, shaping true qi into glowing characters midair: "A genius of astonishing caliber, a visage of heavenly radiance!"

"You old bald monk!"

The Silkworm Daoist's smile froze, staring at the fellow with unmistakable astonishment.

"Elder masters, you flatter me too much!"

The two elders were too effusive—their praise made Li Yuan's back prickle with goosebumps.

Pah.

Li Yuan removed the reinforcement of the Black Tortoise Armor; his shoulder sank, and Nie Xianshan's tone turned sharp: "You've been back for so long—and still haven't paid me a visit?"

"Am I, Nie Mou, unworthy of your attention?"

"Elder Uncle!"

Li Yuan sighed, before he could explain, Long Xi already frowned and interrupted: "I forbade him from going."

"What? You fear I'll harm him?"

Nie Xianshan erupted in fury, his divine sword clanging behind him: "A mere prophecy? Do you think I'd believe such nonsense? Do you take me for some fool from the martial world?"

"That's not certain."

Long Xi snorted coldly.

"Rascal."

Nie Xianshan flew into a rage!

Glancing at the two men feigning argument, the Silkworm Daoist and the Bald Monk exchanged a look—both utterly speechless.

These two scoundrels clearly had hidden meanings in their words.

"The imperial court cannot be trusted—let alone its so-called prophecies?"

The Silkworm Daoist cleared his throat, knowing it was his turn to speak; the Bald Monk nodded in agreement.

"Elder masters speak truly!"

Nie Xianshan calmed his anger and invited the two to sit; by then, Li Yuan had already brewed a pot of tea and poured for all four elders.

As they conversed, he observed silently, aided by the bone ornaments of the Command Seal, faintly perceiving the spiritual realms of these four Grand Masters—and the elusive divine patterns within them.

Among the four, the most intricate divine pattern belonged to the Silkworm Daoist; in Li Yuan's perception, the old Daoist resembled a towering ancient tree,

its branches and leaves luxuriant.

Yet within it lay countless transformations.

The simplest was the Bald Monk—like a single golden bell,

silent and restrained, yet ready at any moment to unleash a world-shaking sound.

"Dragon Master, you truly have great fortune."

The Silkworm Daoist watched, unable to hide his admiration and envy.

"I feel the same."

Long Xi found this remark deeply pleasing—even though he knew the elder was being deliberately flattering, he couldn't help agreeing with it inwardly.

Nie Xianshan pulled at his lip: "Enough pleasantries. Let's get to the matter."

Long Xi was in high spirits; he sipped his tea, then turned to Li Yuan and gave a barely perceptible nod.

"Old Dragon's handling things efficiently."

Li Yuan understood his meaning at once; his heart eased, and he bowed deeply to the two elder masters.

"Elder masters—who shall begin?"

Li Yuan would never be so foolish as to ask about payment; since Old Dragon had brought them, the terms were surely already settled—asking would be impolite.

Li Yuan certainly wouldn't be foolish enough to ask the price; since Old Dragon Head brought them here, he must have already settled the fee—asking now would seem rude!

The Silkworm Daoist glanced at the Bald Monk; the monk was already looking at him.

Last time, it was the old Daoist's turn—this time, let it be him again.

Without hesitation, the Silkworm Daoist swept his sleeve; true qi spread as his spiritual realm unfolded: "All of you, enter together."

The Silkworm Daoist didn't hesitate; with a sweep of his wide sleeves, his true qi spread out and the Divine Realm unfolded: "Gentlemen, please enter together."

The familiar spiritual realm fluctuation spread; Li Yuan made no resistance, allowing the energy to envelop him—and in the next instant, he stood within the Silkworm Daoist's spiritual realm.

Cloud seas churned; ancient trees towered.

Li Yuan looked around—he still stood atop a single leaf, roughly a yard across; all directions were filled with leaves of the same size, and that divine blade pierced straight through the entire tree.

Compared to his last visit, the towering ancient tree now bore more yellowed, withered leaves—many had already fallen, drifting away on the wind.

This elder master truly endures!

A quick glance made Li Yuan gasp.

Last time, he'd seen no divine patterns—only guessed the old Daoist's injury wasn't too severe. Now, he saw clearly: the divine blade's aura had already infected the very foundation of this spiritual realm.

Faint black mist clung to the inner divine patterns.

Faint black mist cloaked the internal divine patterns!

A sword's cry rang out; Nie Xianshan, Long Xi, and the Bald Monk entered the realm, standing on nearby leaves.

A sword's cry rang out as Nie Xianshan, Long Xi Xiang, and the Bald Monk entered the Divine Realm, standing atop nearby leaves.

As if sensing their arrival, the divine blade that had nearly split the tree in two trembled, its black mist swirling and coalescing into a blurred figure.

Standing high above, leaning on the blade.

"Wan Zhuliu."

An invisible aura descended; all present changed expression. Nie Xianshan snorted coldly; the other three grew solemn.

"Elder's Divine Silkworm Nine Transformations are truly remarkable!"

Li Yuan broke the silence: "I've heard the Divine Silkworm Nine Transformations require nine witherings and nine revivals—each transformation must embody a divine beast form?"

Li Yuan broke the silence: "I've heard the Divine Silkworm undergoes nine witherings and nine revivals—each transformation requires manifesting the form of a divine beast?"

The Silkworm Daoist collected his thoughts and nodded: "To perfect the Divine Silkworm Nine Transformations, one must complete nine witherings and nine revivals, fusing nine divine beast forms into one. Alas, my talent is limited; after two hundred years of cultivation, I've only achieved eight cycles—never reached perfection."

"Elder, you flatter yourself. Your talent is peerless—my master once said that among his generation, you held the deepest realm and highest attainment."

Feeling the familiar blade intent, Long Xi felt deep admiration.

"Far from it."

The old Daoist chuckled bitterly: "If I truly had the highest attainment, how could Wan Zhuliu have wounded me—and left me clinging to life for decades?"

The old Daoist chuckled bitterly: "If I truly held the highest cultivation among us, how could I have been wounded by Wan Zhuliu and clung to life for decades?"

The Bald Monk tapped the air with a finger.

"Had you achieved nine witherings and nine revivals—even without fusing them—you'd have been beyond Wan Zhuliu's reach."

"Facts are facts—why speculate?"

The Silkworm Daoist sighed: "Wan Zhuliu is truly a once-in-a-millennium genius. Even if I faced him again, I'd still lose."

With that, he waved his hand, dropping the subject, and turned to the divine blade above: "Last time, Wan Zhuliu descended through the Demon-Slaying Blade's intent. Now he resides in the Eight Directions Temple—no matter his power, he cannot descend again."

With that, he waved his hand, dropping the subject, and turned his gaze upward to the Divine Blade: "Last time, Wan Zhuliu descended through the Subduing Demon Blade's intent—now he resides within the Eight Directions Temple; even with boundless power, he cannot descend again!"

The blade-formed figure gazed down indifferently; even from afar, the blade's cry surged like tides—each resonance caused more leaves to fall.

Li Yuan was deeply interested in the Divine Silkworm Nine Transformations—or the eight divine forms the Silkworm Daoist had mastered—but now was not the time to press further.

He immediately stilled his thoughts and switched his dominant Command Seal combination to the "Star-Picking Hammer," "Nourishing Furnace," and "Black Tortoise Armor"—his strongest current setup.

In the Star-Picking Tower, he had used this combination to smash Wan Zhuliu's blade intent with seven hammer strikes, removing the blade from Wang Wenyuan's chest.

Now, he had added an eighth-rank spiritual boot and an eighth-rank divine armor.

"Young Master Li."

Turning back, the Silkworm Daoist bowed deeply.

"I am in your debt."

"I shall give my utmost!"

Li Yuan returned the bow, lifting the heavy hammer formed from the Silkworm Daoist's true qi.

"Don't hold back."

At that moment, Long Xi's voice echoed in Li Yuan's mind: "Finish quickly—give everything."

At that moment, Long Xi Xiang's voice echoed in Li Yuan's mind: "Strike swiftly, expend all strength."

Li Yuan paused, then lightly tapped his foot, moving with the wind—in an instant, he shot upward hundreds of meters.

"Give everything!"

Li Yuan's gaze swept over the four elders; he stilled his thoughts and activated the Command Seal.

Hum~

In that instant, nine great stars appeared in Li Yuan's eyes; all Command Seal effects instantly amplified him—and before the gaze of the four Grand Masters, he swung the hammer.

"Hmm?"

Li Yuan's aura shifted in an instant—but the four present were Grand Masters; they sensed it simultaneously.

"Hm?"

Li Yuan's qi fluctuation lasted only an instant, yet the four present were of such realms that they sensed it nearly simultaneously!

"This kid?"

The Daoist of the Heavenly Silkworm's gaze sharpened!

This was his spiritual realm—he saw far more clearly than anyone else present!

In that instant, the shift in qi felt to him like a small bird unfolding its wings, transforming instantly into a legendary Golden-Winged Great Peng Bird.

How violent was this shift in qi? Was it not more than earth-shattering?

Whooshing~

The blade-light surged like tides, roaring with the sound of crashing waves!

In the instant Li Yuan surged forward, the blade master perched atop the treetop reacted at once—he drew his blade and slashed out a visible river of blade-light!

Sensing a grave threat, black mist surged behind him like a skyward curtain, emitting a low, rumbling dragon's roar—it was the Demon-Subduing Dragon God Form!

A technique normally reserved only after a hundred exchanges, now forced out in a single glance.

Boom.

Clusters of qi explosions erupted behind Li Yuan!

With all his might channeling the Command of Weapons Scroll, he became a true sun-piercing rainbow—less than a blink, he had pierced through the river of blade-light, his hammer like a Thunder Dragon, its monstrous, savage dragon head gaping wide!

Ready to swallow the blade master whole!

Li Yuan, having drawn his blade many times before, had memorized every move of this blade master's style—this hammer strike's force, speed, and angle were designed solely to force him into a direct clash.

And indeed, it unfolded exactly as he predicted!

In the instant the river of blade-light was pierced, the blade master drew his blade again and slashed—behind him, the night-black darkness erupted as the Demon-Subduing Dragon God Form surged forth, letting out a piercing, terrifying dragon roar!

The Dragon God Form, subduing the blade.

This kid is too reckless.

Not just Long Xi, even Nie Xianshan's face changed—he instinctively drew his sword, ready to intervene!

This kid is even more reckless than Long Xi—does he really think he can settle victory in a single strike?

Boom.

Blade met hammer!

The Daoist of the Heavenly Silkworm felt his vision darken—his spiritual realm seemed engulfed by night, then torn apart by blinding lightning!

Bang.

A sound like the heavens collapsing exploded?

"What is this?"

Long Xi had just leapt up when invisible qi pressure slammed him down—he saw air currents howling like a hurricane, countless leaves ripped from the trees!

He saw black fissures forming—this already fragile spiritual realm was showing signs of tearing apart!

Whoosh.

All four moved as one, soaring into the air against the rolling storm of Gang wind!

Above the treetops, the colossal blade that had pierced the spiritual realm trembled—then shattered piece by piece!

The young Li Yuan, hammer in hand, had pierced through the blade-river, endured the first strike of the Demon-Subduing Form, and with the most savage posture, crushed the blade master into dust.

In a single strike, victory was decided.