Chapter 585: Divine and Demon Enter the Temple

Hum~

Streams of light interweave, streaks of auspicious radiance.

The curtain of light hung high above Eight Directions Mountain, the divine script upon it shining with great brilliance, illuminating the Eight Directions Grotto-heavens, drawing sidelong glances from every person below the mountain.

"Divine-Demon grade talent! This kid actually altered ten thousand forms?!"

"Ten thousand forms! After Dragon Demon Daoist, another person has altered ten thousand forms, and in only a little over ten years!"

"Dragon-Phoenix, Absolute, Epoch-Making, World-Shaking, Zhao Tianxing… Divine-Demon grade talent!"

As the sound waves echoed, a brief silence fell beneath Eight Directions Mountain, followed instantly by an uproar.

Everyone present, apart from Han Han Chuijun, was at the very least a figure of the Rudao Sect Master level, and had reaped great harvests within the Eight Directions Temple — how could they not know the weight of Divine-Demon grade talent?

Among the great masters of the present age, how many still possess only Absolute grade talent…

"Ten thousand forms!"

Raising his head to look at that curtain of light dazzling with divine radiance, Han Han Chuijun was somewhat wide-eyed in disbelief, and also felt an inexpressible sense of loss and excitement.

Ever since learning of the existence of Dragon Demon Daoist, for several decades he had cultivated various Wu Gong to alter forms, deeply aware of the difficulty involved, and had never set ten thousand forms as his goal.

Even having cultivated the Dragon Demon Heart Scripture, able to continue altering his form after blood exchange, even having the Bai Xing Dan sent by Li Yuan, his greatest ambition had only been to alter a thousand forms before his life ended.

Yet he never expected…

"Bone age thirty-one, martial practice a little over ten years…"

Daoist Feng Yuanqing narrowed his eyes; the divine script on that curtain of light was somewhat too dazzling.

Since his debut he had been renowned throughout the world for his extraordinary talent, and even with Wan Wan Zhuliu ahead, he had asked himself and found the gap not great.

But this kid…

He was slightly dazed, the back of his hand grew warm — Yun Yun Xianyu gripped his hand.

"Enter the East Temple directly!"

The crowd was shocked into an uproar; only Pang Pang Wenlong felt a surge of excitement in his heart: "So-called trials are only for screening. If one's talent is high enough, then all trials are meaningless…"

Pang Pang Wenlong's eyes were very bright.

His eagerness to follow Li Yuan into the temple was because he had a guess in his heart, and this curtain of light confirmed his earlier guess.

A renewed breakthrough in talent can indeed grant direct entry into the ancient temple!

"East Temple…"

Hearing the deep, resonant voice ringing in his ears, Li Yuan felt a measure of relief in his heart. Although he had had some guesses before, a guess was still a guess.

Seeing his guess confirmed at this moment brought a lightness and joy like a great stone finally falling to the ground.

However…

"My own innate talent is too low. Even after altering ten thousand forms, it still falls within the World-Shaking grade range — it doesn't reach Zhao Tianxing grade, let alone Divine-Demon grade."

Joy in his heart, but Li Yuan was very calm, even feeling a certain inexplicable emotion.

Limited by his own starting point being too low, without the Commander Registry in hand, even if he could alter ten thousand forms, World-Shaking grade would have been his limit.

There was a reason why Tian Shi Yuan and the holy lands and grotto-heavens of other realms cared so much about their disciples' talent.

Altering ten thousand forms with World-Shaking grade talent carries the possibility of touching Divine-Demon grade talent, but those of mid- and lower-grade root bones can only reach World-Shaking grade…

"The gap between talents is very hard to level out. Most of the time, it even grows wider and wider…

After all, the higher the talent, the faster one practices martial arts, the faster one alters forms; the higher the talent…"

Amid the shocked and envious gazes of the crowd below the mountain, Li Yuan's thoughts drifted somewhat, recalling the true epochal prodigies, the Divine-Demon prodigies, of Tian Shi Yuan that the little mother dragon had mentioned.

His Divine-Demon grade talent was stacked on top, but theirs was real!

Fortunately, he had the Ancestor…

Hum~

Streams of light interweaved. Under the crowd's gaze, that curtain of light dispersed, and in the next instant, Li Yuan's figure had vanished from below the mountain.

"A little over ten years, ten thousand forms altered."

Li Yuan was slightly dazed for a moment before he saw Dong Dong Ershisan sitting cross-legged among the strange rocks of the mountain. A fleeting strangeness crossed the face of this seated gate puppet.

"Senior."

Li the Daoist was very proper in his manners. Spirit puppets were neither human nor inhuman, but whether Dong Dong Ershisan or the human-headed strange bird, they were virtually indistinguishable from living people.

"Your speed of altering forms is very fast; you may have some unusual physique."

Dong Dong Ershisan gathered his thoughts, returning to his original indifference: "Not bad, not bad."

Divine-Demon grade talent was naturally extremely high, but it was not enough to astonish him in any particular way. What shocked him was this kid's rate of progress.

When first entering the temple, this kid had altered barely a thousand forms; in just five short years he had somehow made up ten thousand?

This kind of speed, if it occurred in those holy land sects it would be one thing — those great powers had plenty of pills to aid form alteration — but what did this kid have?

"Senior is too kind with your praise."

Li Yuan suppressed the agitation in his heart, holding back from looking at the ancient temple behind the strange rock forest.

Unlike before, after this Dengshan he felt a strong pull from that ancient temple; had his disposition not been steady, he would have nearly lost composure just now.

"Good is good, bad is bad."

Dong Dong Ershisan's face was expressionless. He did not dwell on this with him, but instead pointed at the jagged strange rocks before and behind him:

"These stone steles belong to East-domain challengers who once reached the summit and are still alive today. According to the Master's rules, to enter the East Temple, one must select from among them a dozen or so, and defeat them in battle."

"I previously selected fifteen people for you."

Li Yuan said nothing, only casting a sidelong glance over the few strange rocks he pointed to, the corner of his eye twitching.

It was a strange rock shaped like a full moon, upon which water patterns and dragon patterns were faintly visible. With just a glance, he sensed a will that seemed to be there and yet was not.

In a daze, it was as if he saw a boundless ocean, round moons shining upon the sea, and a azure dragon lying across within the moon.

【Stele of Ying Ying Xuantian (Four Thousand Two Hundred Thirty-Six)】

【Eastern Realm, Challenger】

【Bloodline: Human】

【Physique: Myriad Transformation Sacred Body】

【Realm: Nine Heavens of the Dharma Ring】

【Talent Potential: God-Demon Grade】

【Divine Endowment Potential: Superior-Upper Grade】

【Dharma Ring: The moon rises above the sea, the azure dragon dwells within】

【Nine-Scene Jin Dan, Jiu Xiang Fa Ring…】

「……」

Li Yuan felt a twinge of unease in his heart.

The reason he had not wanted to barge into the temple trial before was largely connected to this stone stele.

Several times when he had wanted to try entering the temple trial, he had been deterred by this stele; monsters of this caliber, he would get a tingling scalp just from one glance before.

These were monsters on the level of Divine Sons and Sacred Sons, even in the era when the Origin Divine Dynasty still existed.

「Your progress is extremely fast, fitting another rule left behind by the Master. You have the qualification to enter the temple directly. I will not block you, nor could I block you. 」

Looking at the silent, lowered-head Li Yuan, Dong Dong Ershisan paused slightly and said:

「But this old man believes you should take the trial route; otherwise, even if you enter the temple, you will have no chance to become this generation's Eastern Realm Walker…」

Eastern Realm Walker?

Li Yuan silently noted down the key points in his words.

He could feel the gaze of this seated-door puppet, wanting him to take the trial route, yet unable to force him, wanting him to speak up voluntarily?

【Heh heh…】

Glancing at that patch of strange rocks, Li Yuan kept his head lowered, his attitude respectful, silent.

「Slaying it out with these prodigies and heroes is itself a kind of fortune. Have you thought it through? 」

Dong Dong Ershisan frowned slightly:

「For us cultivators, how can we forge our own path to godhood without passing through blood and fire? 」

「What you say has reason, but this junior still wishes to enter the temple first. 」

Li Yuan kept his head lowered, impervious to persuasion.

He partially agreed with Dong Dong Ershisan's words; for instance, tempering Wu Gong within this patch of strange Shi Lin was indeed a kind of fortune.

But the difference between challenging before entering the temple and coming back after entering the temple, he still knew.

「…So be it. 」

Dong Dong Ershisan said no more, merely gave a light flick of his long sleeves; with a 'hum', the strange rocks blocking his path trembled and parted to open a road.

「You, take care of yourself. 」

Altering one's root bone to the God-Demon grade is the limit; after reaching this step, unless one has those rare ancient treasures, it becomes hard to alter one's endowment any further.

Even if this kid had heaven-shaking talent in the Dao of Form Transformation, reaching this step was already the limit.

He escaped the hardship of mountain-climbing, avoided the difficulty of entering the temple, but these hardships and difficulties would eventually catch up, unless his talent could still metamorphose…

But…

「How could that be possible? 」

Dong Dong Ershisan shook his head inwardly and cleared the path.

「Many thanks, Senior. 」

Li Yuan bowed, yet did not leave.

Dong Dong Ershisan merely looked at him Longhu Longhu Dandan: 「What do you want to ask? 」

「May I ask, Senior, this Eastern Temple? 」

Li Yuan of course had doubts.

「In the old days, the Master plucked various cosmic wonders, mixed with various heavenly materials and earthly treasures to forge the Eight Direction Temple; the Eastern Temple is one of them. 」

Dong Dong Ershisan answered calmly:

「The Master's inheritance was divided into eight; the eight cave-heavens each bear one part. Becoming the Eastern Realm Walker grants access to a portion…」

「A portion…」

Li Yuan nodded inwardly; this was roughly the same as his earlier guess, but he couldn't help inwardly grumbling that that great power was truly not a generous sort.

【Becoming this so-called Eastern Realm Walker probably won't be easy…】

Li Yuan turned his thoughts inwardly, and simply asked:

「Senior, after entering the temple can one become the Eastern Realm Walker? 」

「No. 」

Dong Dong Ershisan answered quickly: 「One must defeat the other temple entrants. 」

「……」

Li Yuan was genuinely a bit speechless inwardly.

With God-Demon grade endowment, joining any cave-heaven sacred ground in Tian Shi Yuan would let one directly become a true disciple, with the qualification to compete for Divine Son, Dao Child, or Sacred Son, personally guided by the gods.

Yet this lord here, not even half a bit of inheritance given yet.

No wonder he drifted between realms for so many years…

「Entering the temple, Eastern Realm Walker, master of the Eastern Temple… one probably has to defeat the other seven temple masters to obtain this lord's full inheritance? 」

Li Yuan had nearly guessed the subsequent trials, and felt quite a bit of distaste inwardly.

【Old fellow really knows how to nest dolls…】

Silently cursing or not, Dao Ye Li still respectfully thanked Dong Dong Ershisan, waiting until the latter turned and left.

Only then did he take a deep breath and walk along the path toward the ancient temple that glowed with a faint light, as if waiting for him.

……

Whoo, whoo~

A gale wrapped in heavy snow blew the imperial capital white.

Beneath the Star-Gazing Platform, Emperor Qian stood with his hands behind his back, watching the armored soldiers bustle about as they placed the Yun Xiang Ding cauldrons at designated positions.

On the ritual platform, Huang Huang Longzi stood holding a black umbrella, quietly waiting.

After a long while, Emperor Qian turned his head, a smile on his face.

"Your Majesty!"

A tall figure approached at a slow pace. Wan Wan Zhuliu cupped his hands in salute, then glanced at the Qian Yan Fa Master hidden beneath a cloak nearby:

"When does the Grand Rite begin?"

"No rush."

The Qian Yan Fa Master's voice was hoarse; his gaze beneath the cloak swept over everyone present, finally settling on Wan Wan Zhuliu:

"Yun Yun Yeshan — the dwelling you wanted, this Seat has found it."

"Where?"

"Dragon-Tiger Temple."

(End of chapter)