Chapter 567: The Furious Spirit Turtle

Whoosh— Li Yuan of Eight Directions Mountain sat cross-legged at the peak, five hearts facing the heavens!

His body trembled— every inch of his sinew and bone quivered, Qi vibrating and shaking through the fourth step of entering the Dao!

The first three steps he had long since mastered; nearly all his preparations were for this final step!

Spirit incense, spirit pills, palm-imperial combinations… even with so many preparations, the instant his divine soul sank and touched his qi and blood, Li Yuan could not help but let out a muffled grunt!

It was as if a basin of cold water had been poured into boiling hot oil— the searing pain from his divine soul and spirit made the skin of his face twitch violently!

Were it not for his rich experience of enduring pain, this one moment would have nearly caused him to lose control of his divine soul and qi and blood!

Mysterious Whale True Qi, barely suppressing the intense agony, Li Yuan circulated his true qi, using Mysterious Whale True Qi as a membrane to block between his divine soul and qi!

The step of unifying spirit and body cannot be achieved in one stroke; it must use true qi as the balance in the middle, gradually letting the divine soul settle into the flesh!

Even with true qi in the middle, the merging of divine soul and qi and blood is extremely painful— "No wonder so many Zhun Sect masters died at this step."

Li Yuan emptied his mind, feeling the changes within his body; even the subtlest changes reflected in his heart!

The blessing of Zhao Zhao Tianxing-level talent upon his body— he could keenly sense the progress of qi and blood merging with divine soul, and split his attention to multitask! Good— divine soul is yin, qi and blood is yang, the step of unifying spirit and body is like the merging of yin and yang; even with the Mi Fa left by the sages, it is still very difficult."

Regarding this hurdle of spirit entering the Dao, every school and sect has its own Mi Fa; the names differ, but in truth they are much the same!

All are Mi Fa that adjust the balance between qi and blood and divine soul. Similar Mi Fa— Li Yuan had learned not a few. At this moment, with a turn of his thoughts, many Mi Fa surged into his mind!

Before breaking through the Heavenly Gang, divine soul and qi and blood cannot truly unify; but even a false unification is not easy!" And Li Yuan recalled the many Mi Fa. Over these days he had long since memorized them by heart, but he had not chosen any one of them!

These Mi Fa he only used for reference to harmonize yin and yang— he had a "better method"!

"The collision of divine soul and qi and blood is the most dangerous part of this hurdle of entering the Dao; since that is so, simply do not let them collide!"

The benefit of thorough preparation is right here. Enduring the intense pain from within his body, Li Yuan circulated his true qi, threading it between his blood and divine soul!

Like countless tiny tentacles ceaselessly… "stirring yin and yang, churning divine soul and qi and blood." Before the impact of entering the Dao, he had rehearsed in his heart many times; at this moment he was neither flustered nor chaotic, only bit by bit arranging his divine soul and qi and blood into the shape he desired! Metaphor, Book Mountain peak, a gentle breeze Xu Xu— Li Yuan sank into deep meditation— at the bottom of his heart there was a faint, indistinct humming sound!

Within his body, divine soul power flowed like water, qi and blood like fire, but under the influence of true qi the two chased each other, Wan Wan Zhuliu turning, gradually reducing their collision. Amid curling green smoke— Li Yuan's tightly furrowed brow gradually eased. Eight Directions Cave Heaven seemed real, with sun-ring and moon-wheel turning, the difference of day and night. By the extinguished campfire, Long Long Yingchan slowly opened his eyes, just in time to see the dawn break— mountain mists dispersing!

"This True Form Diagram of the Heavenly Dragon is truly no small matter."

Gently rubbing his brow— Long Long Yingchan's eyes still seemed to bear the traces of that True Form Diagram; in his heart rose a measure of regret: "After all, it is somewhat incomplete!"

A sidelong glance swept over the crowd. Long Long Yingchan sighed inwardly. Even knowing that the Weapon Pagoda hides a hidden danger, everyone, including himself, still harbored thoughts about that Weapon Pagoda. Why? This True Form Diagram leads straight to the Divine Palace—it was the thing he most craved!

It is not the vague, mysterious records left by the ancestors; this is something one can follow straight upon the Great Dao!

"Hoo—"

Fang Fang Sanyun forced open his eyes; the turbid breath from his mouth and nose carried a strong scent of smoke and fire. The True Form Diagram he obtained from within the Weapon Pagoda was the Great Sun True Form Diagram!

This scroll of True Form Diagram suited him extremely well. The moment he began to work with it, he felt his cultivation had greatly advanced. Unfortunately, he and the pagoda only reached the fourth level; this True Form Diagram was terribly incomplete!

After daybreak, the people below the mountain all awoke from meditation; looking at each other, they could not help but sigh. The great Dao was right before them, yet they had only obtained partial remnants. Even though the people present were all steady in temperament, they could not avoid a measure of melancholy!

"That Weapon Pagoda," Great Ding Chan Master sighed: "To enter a treasure mountain and return empty-handed— a great regret of man."

Among them, his luck was the worst; the True Form Diagram remnant he obtained did not contain a single 【complete form】. Even with painstaking study, it was hard to enter. The regret was not his alone: the other mortals also looked toward their respective stone steles, even including Ao Cang, who was bound to one side!

Zhou Ying, however, noticed nothing; he was still immersed in the excitement of entering the Eight Directions Temple. Unable to climb the mountain, he stood at its foot gazing from afar, comprehending that Eight Directions Diagram!

Seeing the mortals all looking at the stone steles, Long Long Yingchan slightly frowned: "Li lad said it clearly— that Weapon Pagoda hides a hidden danger. Since we have come out, we cannot enter again!"

No one objected. Regarding the hidden danger of the Weapon Pagoda, they too were wary, yet they had other thoughts: "If one holds that token of his, what then?"

Yuan Qing Daoist gave a cold laugh: "Even if you enter again, how many levels can you climb?" "I—" Fang Fang Sanyun could not retort. Even though he felt his Wu Gong had advanced considerably, he had no confidence he could push higher!

"Only upon entering the temple does one know how vast heaven and earth are. Laughable— we who styled ourselves the absolute peaks of our age, upon entering this legendary place of creation, ran into walls at every turn!"

Great Ding Chan Master was still sighing; the others' expressions also shifted. Unable to climb the mountain, unable to fully comprehend the Eight Directions Diagram, and unable to reach the upper levels of the Weapon Pagoda— for those present, this was a considerable blow. In the outside world, were any of them not absolute peaks of their age, figures acclaimed as the finest of their paths? Yet within this temple they ran into walls everywhere, and even suffered discrimination! Even someone as broad-minded as Yuan Qing Daoist, whenever he looked toward the peak of Eight Directions Mountain, felt some complexity in his heart!

"Gaining a thousand years of life— is that not already a creation?"

Among the crowd, only Yun Yun Xianyu was very satisfied!

She pressed close to Yuan Qing Daoist's side; her hair had already turned black, the marks of years on her face all worn away. After entering the temple, while everyone else was comprehending the True Form Diagram, only she was stirring the vitality within her body to restore her youth!

"Lady Yun speaks rightly. We who have been fortunate enough to enter the temple are already far more fortunate than the vast majority of people throughout the ages!"

Long Long Yingchan could not help but look at her with greater respect. Upon arriving at this legendary place of creation, even he had been dazzled, unable to resist revealing his true strength within the Weapon Pagoda!

And Yun Yun Xianyu, after entering the temple, had appeared very calm: it seemed as if the creations within the Eight Directions Temple were all inferior to Yuan Qing Daoist, who had escaped her tiger's jaws!

"Madam sister-in-law is so broad-minded— Fang Mou is not equal to it."

Fang Fang Sanyun was filled with solemn respect!

Yuan Qing Daoist's face darkened— this wretched thing!

"Having broken the seal of the Eight Directions Temple, we still have eight hundred good years to live— even if we did not obtain other things within this temple, there is still a great chance of advancing to the Divine Palace." After the bottom had been exposed within the Weapon Pagoda, Long Long Yingchan no longer deliberately concealed himself; his speech also gained a measure of sharpness!

"Not bad."

"This is the greatest creation we have obtained from entering the temple this time." "Heh— I still have over eight hundred years, thirty years more than Daoist Long."

The others also found this reasonable and were heartened. Suddenly— a sword-howl exploded— Yuan Qing Daoist sprang up, and the rest all looked toward the distance, only to see a blast of mountain qi shoot into the sky!

"—"

A roar rang out from the void. An old turtle, as if it had been soaking in blood for ages, bellowed as it emerged from the void: "Its shrill, desperate voice echoed through the mountains, its sound shaking far more than a hundred li. The intense emotion in that voice transmitted itself; even Chi He Lian and Ao Cang, whose spiritual senses had been sealed, felt that tangible despair and fury. 'The Burden Hall Spirit Turtle?'"

"Has this old turtle gone mad? Coffin? What— coffin? What coffin?"

Long Long Yingchan and the others were all startled.

But they soon realized— the old turtle's fury was not directed at them. Still, they took strict precautions and kept Ao Cang under watch! "It's all you, old ghost— you lost my coffin! Aaaah!"

"Kill you! I'll kill you!"

Gui Gui Laoxian, who had burrowed out from some unknown void, raged wildly, charging through the mountains; wherever he passed, grass and trees were snapped, and even Lesser Bureau Mountain was smashed apart by the impact!

Fury.

Dust and smoke rolled through the mountains!

"Return my coffin to me!"

Gui Gui Laoxian was beside himself with rage; his mung-bean-sized little eyes were red. That was the divine coffin he had found from countless ancient tombs— the very foundation of his being! For this divine coffin he had severed his Dharma Form and recultivated, and had been hunted for decades by disciples of the Poison Dragon Academy!

But now… "That divine coffin! Where are the people!"

Amidst the rolling dust, the Qian Yan Fa Master dodged and shifted like a phantom. Yet beneath his cloak, a thousand dharma eyes gleamed with cold, sinister light!

Even days later, when he recalled that divine coffin, Master Master Baili still felt a shudder — that divine coffin carried the thick aura of the Origin Divine Dynasty!

To be buried in such a coffin, one must at least be of pure blood, eating... Gui Gui Laoxian was overjoyed, Origin Divine Clan. He found it and let out a furious roar — bone spurs all over his body tore free from his shell like a thousand flying swords, shooting forth in a terrifying barrage!

"Seeking death."

The bone-spur barrage was fierce and vicious — even the Qian Yan Fa Master could not ignore it. In his heart, his patience with this enraged old turtle had reached its limit!

If not for still wanting to capture him and question the origin of that divine coffin, and his wariness of Qin Yun's robe, he would have struck him dead on the spot.

But when a sidelong glance swept past and he saw the crowd below the mountain, his gaze shifted: "Qin Yun is gone?"

Boom — boom!

A second explosion erupted!

The first roar echoed through the distant mountains, sending dust billowing skyward. The second — had already reached the foot of the mountain. The Qian Yan Fa Master crossed hundreds of li in a single step!

Behind him came a thousand bone spurs like flying swords!

"Thousand-Eyed Old Ghost."

"Watch out!"

Long Long Yingchan and the others reacted quickly, but compared to the Qian Yan Fa Master they were still a beat too slow — before that thunderous roar even exploded, that streak of black shadow had already darted up the mountain path!

"Don't even think about it!" Zhou Ying glared wide-eyed and raised his hand — a punch came crashing down like a heavy hammer!

The Qian Yan Fa Master actually took that strike head-on and borrowed its force, shooting forth like an arrow leaving the bowstring — in an instant he had shot up a hundred steps, a hundred li!

Behind him came a thousand bone spurs like flying swords!

"Thousand-Eyed Old Ghost."

"Watch out!"

Long Long Yingchan and the others reacted quickly, but compared to the Qian Yan Fa Master they were still a beat too slow — before that thunderous roar even exploded, that streak of black shadow had already darted up the mountain path!

"Don't even think about it."

Zhou Ying glared wide-eyed and raised his hand — a punch came crashing down like a heavy hammer!

But the Qian Yan Fa Master actually took that strike head-on and borrowed its force, shooting forth like an arrow leaving the bowstring — in an instant he had shot up a hundred steps.