Chapter 571: The Rules of the Eight Directions Temple

This old fellow...

Li Yuan stood holding the hammer, his blood qi still undispersed; a single glance revealed Dong Dong Ershisan standing on the spectator platform, and the human-headed strange bird squatting on his shoulder.

As if knowing Li Yuan was looking at him, the old man turned his wooden face to look back, his voice neither high nor low, yet loud enough for everyone present to hear clearly:

"Anyone entering the temple may contest the identity of the Temple Opener!"

"..."

Li Yuan felt speechless inwardly, yet was not too surprised.

His hesitation in using that Spirit Puppet Heart earlier had been due to this very consideration.

In his guess, these Gate-keeping Puppets must have been left by some unknown supreme grand master to preside over the trial and select the successor, making them difficult for anyone to command.

Now it seemed, that was indeed the case.

Even if he had taken the Spirit Puppet Heart to awaken him, there seemed to be no special treatment...

"Gu Gu Shentong!"

Just as Li Yuan was inwardly cursing, the Master of Qian Yan Fa could no longer hold back; his cloak billowed, revealing long hair and eyes within, as if enraged to the extreme:

"You dare insult me!"

Boom!

Sound waves echoed, Master Master Baili trembled, rolling up surging air waves.

Visible to the naked eye, blood light flashed around him, transforming into a temple with flourishing incense; the deity statue within the temple raised its head, a thousand magical eyes opened wide, erupting with crimson blood light that wove across the arena, forming a substantial Da Shou Yin reaching for Dong Dong Ershisan:

"Get down!"

The Master of Qian Yan Fa was enraged to the extreme.

Who was he?

And what was that brat?

Even though his true body had perished, leaving only a remnant god, how could he be thrown into the arena to contend with another ant under the gaze of a crowd of ants?

This was simply an utter humiliation.

Buzz~

Facing the Master of Qian Yan Fa's furious attack, Dong Dong Ershisan did not even blink; an invisible aura descended with him, like the most severe cold current, instantly freezing the Da Shou Yin in mid-air.

"Death-seeking!"

The human-headed strange bird chuckled mockingly but could not help glancing at Li Yuan; this brat was cunning, clutching the Spirit Puppet Heart without letting go, and decisively awakened Master Dong Ershisan the moment trouble arose.

He probably never intended to give it to himself from the start...

Crack!

The Master of Qian Yan Fa let out a muffled groan as the Da Shou Yin shattered into powder; the anger on his face froze, yet he still looked coldly at Dong Dong Ershisan:

"You are not Gu Gu Shentong..."

As if seeing through something, his eyes narrowed slightly, and the killing intent on his body instantly dropped several levels.

"My name is Dong Dong Ershisan."

On the spectator platform, Dong Dong Ershisan showed neither joy nor anger; he simply flicked a finger, and two stone tablets rose in the arena.

【Li Yuan's Tablet】

【Thousand Eyes' Tablet】

On the spectator platform, Long Yunchan and others came to their senses, looking at the arena with expressions of surprise, anger, and tension.

No one expected that this old ghost of Thousand Eyes would actually try to seize Li Yuan's identity as Temple Opener, and might even succeed...

"The Temple Opener has just entered the Dao, while this old ghost has achieved Great Unity; does this even count as a challenge?"

Long Yunchan pinched his long eyebrows, his true qi surging.

"How does it not count?"

Dong Dong Ershisan glanced at him.

"Only when realms are similar does it count as a challenge; with such a vast gap, how can it be called a challenge?"

As soon as Long Yunchan spoke, Fang Fang Sanyun immediately followed up, and the others all spoke up in turn.

They now understood to some extent what being the Temple Opener meant; if that identity were seized by that old ghost of Thousand Eyes, it would be greatly unfavorable for them.

"A vast gap?"

Dong Dong Ershisan remained noncommittal.

"You said anyone entering the temple has the qualification to contest?"

Long Yunchan had already stood up, staring tightly at Dong Dong Ershisan, but unfortunately, this old fellow's wooden expression showed no change whatsoever:

"Then, may I, Long, descend to contest as well?"

"Only one person may challenge every ten years."

Dong Dong Ershisan shook his head, paid no further attention to the few on the spectator platform, and instead looked at the two in the arena.

Wooo~

In that instant, not only Li Yuan, but even the Master of Qian Yan Fa felt their breath catch; an invisible aura rolled in from all directions, like a tide engulfing them.

"Are you certain you wish to challenge?"

Feeling Dong Dong Ershisan's gaze, the Master of Qian Yan Fa had calmed down; although everything before him deviated from the intelligence he had received, at this point, he had no reason to retreat.

"Correct."

The Master of Qian Yan Fa gripped the Wind God Token; by now, he could no longer sense the presence of the Wind God.

"Hmm."

Dong Dong Ershisan nodded and said:

"My Lord left rules: anyone entering the temple, regardless of the quality of their talent or the height of their bone age, has the qualification to contest the Temple Opener and the opportunity to enter the temple!"

Dong Dong Ershisan's voice echoed through the arena. The Thousand-Eye Dharma Lord couldn't help but let out a muffled groan, the lifelike wonders around him trembling for an instant, blurring, crushed back to the Entry-DAO realm by that invisible pressure.

"You want to fight someone of the same rank?"

The Thousand-Eye Dharma Lord's gaze chilled slightly, but he didn't really care. Even though he now had only a wisp of his divine spirit remaining, he would never pay attention to some native junior.

What tricks could a junior of merely twenty or so in bone age have, even with Star-Sky-grade talent?

Hum~

Li Yuan's expression eased slightly as he looked at the stone stele rising before him. Dong Dong Ershisan's voice echoed at the same time:

"Eastern Region's Li Yuan, Entry-DAO Earth-Fiend, bone age twenty-seven… Assessment… Excellent!"

"Hm?"

Listening to that cold voice, the Thousand-Eye Dharma Lord suppressed the fury in his heart, a vague unease stirring within.

Li Yuan seemed to have anticipated something as well. His taut body relaxed somewhat, and the look he cast toward his opponent gained a few shades of strangeness:

"That spirit puppet's heart doesn't seem to have been wasted either…"

"Thousand-Eye… Assessment: Good (Lower)!"

Dong Dong Ershisan paused slightly, his gaze falling on the Thousand-Eye Dharma Lord, and said indifferently:

"…According to the rules!"

"You must reverse three ranks and win before you may take his place!"

"What?!"

The Thousand-Eye Dharma Lord finally changed color, but only had time to change color. The pressure that had been spreading like a tide around them suddenly began to boil.

He felt as if a heavy iron coat had been draped over him. In less than an instant, he had already fallen back to the Entry-DAO realm, and couldn't stop falling further!

The blurred wonders around him vanished, the true qi piercing through his body shattered, and then he felt his very bones and blood drained in an instant, his organs seeming to collapse inward…

"This…"

Amid the shocked or joyful gazes of Li Yuan, Long Long Yingchan, and others, the Thousand-Eye Dharma Lord's aura plummeted again and again. In the span of a moment, it had actually fallen to the Meridian-Opening realm!

"Reverse three ranks and win?!"

The Thousand-Eye Dharma Lord's face had grown unsightly to the extreme. The cloak draped over him was mostly shattered, and the pairs of dharma eyes that had already closed could not be opened again.

Under the invisible pressure emanating from the Eight Directions Temple, he felt a weakness he had never known before!

"Reverse three ranks…"

On the viewing platform, Long Long Yingchan clapped his hands and laughed heartily, while others wore looks of pity.

Blood-Exchanging Great Completion reversing and slaying an Entry-DAO cultivator was rare throughout the ages but not unheard of, yet a Meridian-Opening cultivator slaying an Entry-DAO one was unprecedented since time immemorial!

"That old ghost was assessed as Good and still has to reverse three ranks… I'm assessed as Inferior, so how many do I have to reverse? Seven? Eight…"

Others' thoughts drifted, and just thinking about it made their scalps tingle.

This Dong Dong Ershisan spoke of how any talent level was acceptable, seemingly leaving a path open, but in fact, this was a dead end!

Unless one was also assessed as Excellent, there was simply no possibility of seizing the Temple-Opener's identity…

"This is allowed too?"

Li Yuan's expression was subtle. He had already prepared himself for a bitter fight, never expecting this rule.

But thinking about it, it didn't seem strange.

The Eight Directions Temple's demands on the Temple-Opener were so high; there was no reason it would let someone be replaced easily. And if someone truly could reverse several ranks and prevail, then talent and bone age would indeed no longer matter.

"This rule isn't bad."

Li Yuan twirled his heavy hammer and looked at the greenish-black-faced Thousand-Eye Dharma Lord. Although he had prepared himself for a bitter fight, if he could crush the enemy, who would willingly fight bitterly?

Regarding this deity suspected of coming from beyond the heavens, he was truly quite wary in his heart.

But with a gap of three ranks, let alone this half-ruined deity, even the legendary Primordial God King, he would dare to clash with!

"Ancient Divine Ability…"

The Thousand-Eye Dharma Lord withdrew his gaze and looked at the young Daoist approaching with hammer in hand. His face slowly calmed, and he simply watched quietly, as if to imprint him into the depths of his eyes:

"Li Yuan!"

Boom!

What answered him was the thunderbolt-like sound of the heavy hammer tearing through the air.

A lion catching a rabbit still uses its full strength!

Before the enemy died, Daoist Li had no intention of wasting a single word. He activated the Soldier-Controlling Record, surged forward with hammer in hand, and pale-blue true qi pulsed and spread, transforming into a dragon-kun soaring from the abyss,

flooding half the martial arena with a thunderous roar!

……

Rumble!

In the arena, dust billowed, and layers of pale-blue true qi spread like waves and tides.

On the viewing platform, the crowd wore varied expressions.

This duel concluded with Li Yuan's heavy hammer strike. The enormous gap of three ranks made the bout utterly unremarkable.

When the dust in the arena cleared, the Thousand-Eye Dharma Lord was no longer there. Li Yuan's full-powered heavy hammer hadn't even sensed any resistance; the battle was already over.

However, although this duel was easy, the gains were tremendous.

"Clang~"

A clear, dragon-like sword hum reverberated outward.

With a beckoning gesture from Li Yuan, a crimson-gold longsword had already landed in his palm:

【Chang Hong Yi Qi Sword (Eleventh Rank)】

【…Star Core… Rending-Sea Star Core… Sword Qi…??? …】

【Control Condition One: Absolute-Grade Sword Art at Completion, Spirit Sword Form, Pure Yang Sword Qi】 (The Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing's spirit has not acknowledged a master)

【Control Effect One: Eleventh-Tier (Mysterious Color): Sword Dao Talent, Cultivation Talent, Sun-Piercing Long Rainbow, Sword Qi】

【Control Condition Two:???】

【Control Effect Two:???】

Long Rainbow Sword, acquired!

Wiping the smear of dark-red blood from the blade with two fingers, Li Yuan gave it a light flick; the sword's hum surged and roiled, the sword spirit seeming to wail yet also as if rejoicing.

【Long Rainbow Qi Sword: Bonded】

"That old ghost…"

Twirling the divine sword lightly, Li Yuan's face showed little joy — not because the battle had been won easily, but because that old ghost had died too fast, too fast to be normal.

All flash and no substance?

Or does he have some other hidden move…

His inner vigilance did not stop Li Yuan from sweeping the battlefield; aside from the Long Rainbow Qi Sword, there was that Wind God Token, and a fist-sized small cauldron radiating a dense glow of incense and fire.

Hum~

Almost the instant Li Yuan picked up that small cauldron, the light and shadows around him flickered and shifted, and in the next instant he was already back atop Eight Directions Mountain.

Not far off, Dong Dong Ershisan sat cross-legged on a strange rock.