Chapter 587: Sunrise over Dragon and Tiger, Myriad and Li

What kind of monster?!

In an instant, Qi Qi Benchu felt his heart and spirit turn cold; an indescribable, terrifying aura made him tremble and shiver as if he had fallen into an icy abyss.

He wanted to cry out for help, but not a single word would come out; he could only watch helplessly as the cloaked figure slowly approached, an icy finger pressing against his brow.

"Is this the one you spoke of?"

Terror surged in Qi Qi Benchu's heart. Under the gaze of the black-robed figure, wisps of silver light drifted out from beneath the cloak,

and in the blink of an eye transformed into an old man whose features were woven from silver light, his expression cold and grim:

"He doesn't seem to be anything special."

"A divine object conceals its own light; without the Dharma Eye, it is hard to see its true form, let alone a person born from the marvel of the Eight Directions Temple?"

As he spoke, Qian Yan Fa Zhu suddenly withdrew his finger. Yun Yun Yeshan's brows rose as he noticed the blood seeping from the tip of the former's finger:

"It pricked you?"

"Worthy indeed of a hero born from the marvel — his fortune has yet to surge forth, yet already a superior spirit treasure has acknowledged him as master. A pity, though — it's only a broken sword."

Qian Yan Fa Zhu flicked his finger, and that drop of blood flowed back in reverse. He looked Qi Qi Benchu up and down, causing the latter's face to go deathly pale.

"Oh?"

Yun Yun Yeshan's gaze shifted slightly. The hand he had raised suddenly dropped, and strands of sword light burst forth from within Qi Qi Benchu's body, weaving together like a bronze bell and enveloping him within:

"This sword light... it seems to be the Shan Xuan Sect Tongtian Sword of the Xuanchan Academy?"

Yun Yun Yeshan was startled.

The Xuanchan Academy likewise ranked among the five great Grotto-heavens of Tian Shi Yuan; in both power and reputation it was in no way inferior to the Venom Dragon Academy. Moreover, unlike the Venom Dragon Academy, which solely venerated the Venom Dragon God, the Xuanchan Academy, besides its primary deity, had also enshrined a great many other gods.

This Shan Xuan Sect Tongtian Sword was a spirit sword unique to that academy, its features distinctive and its fame resounded far and wide.

"A broken sword — there's no need to pay it much mind."

Qian Yan Fa Zhu paid it little heed, examining through the barrier of sword light: "An unsummoned broken sword has at most the strength of a single strike.

This Seat can draw the sword out. You must seize this body at the fastest speed possible and notify the Qian Emperor to make the offering. Within this boy is hidden the gate of the Eight Directions Temple; with but a little incense and prayer, his fortune can be stirred to surge forth..."

"And then?"

Qian Yan Fa Zhu's gaze never left Qi Qi Benchu; that single finger-touch just now had gathered His immense will:

"We can split off half of Li Yuan's fortune, and when we challenge him afterward, there will be no need to cross three realms..."

"Hm?!"

Before the casual half-sentence was even finished, Qian Yan Fa Zhu's voice suddenly cut off; beneath the cloak, his thousand Dharma Eyes were all twitching violently:

"It's you!"

Yun Yun Yeshan stood at his side, seemingly having already turned his head back. He merely gazed at the purple-robed old man standing with his hands clasped behind his back in the courtyard, his expression solemn, his voice low:

"Qin Yun!"

Killing intent flickered in his eyes, yet he did not seem overly surprised; only the silver light weaving around his body flickered ever more intensely, like lightning.

"Qin Yun?"

The black cloak stirred without a seam, and Qian Yan Fa Zhu let out a cold laugh:

"He is Pang Pang Wenlong!"

Pang Pang Wenlong!

For an instant, Yun Yun Yeshan's body flickered in and out of visibility, shock flashing through his eyes.

"You... even the Heavenly Fire failed to burn you to death?!"

Over a thousand years ago, he had personally seen this Pang Pang Wenlong burned to ash by Heavenly Fire — fire from the Eight Directions Temple's Sun of Heaven — which he himself would not dare touch in the slightest.

How could he have endured it?

"Qian Yan, Yun Mo — the two of you have come together?"

Pang Pang Wenlong stood with his hands clasped behind his back. He paid no heed to the shock and disbelief of the two, merely glancing them over lightly, a hint of a smile even surfacing on his face:

"Good. Very good."

Concise and to the point, his breath thundered like thunder!

The instant Pang Pang Wenlong's voice exploded through the courtyard, the vision of the three — Qi Qi Benchu included — went white,

as if a great sun had suddenly burst forth before their eyes with all its light and heat.

"Strike fast and finish it!"

As the dazzling divine light burst forth, Yun Yun Yeshan heard Qian Yan Fa Zhu's low transmitted message. He snapped back to his senses, transformed into a streak of light, and shot toward the dazed Qi Qi Benchu.

His reaction speed was undeniably fast, but he grasped only at empty air; the streak of light tore through the house, and all he saw was the air-trail left by a flying sword tearing through the void at extreme speed.

"Nie Xianshan!"

Yun Yun Yeshan's face went green, his fury splitting the night sky like thunder: "You're seeking death!"

"Your grand-daddy is right here — if you've got the guts, come and get me!"

In the night, Nie Xianshan rode his sword through the air, one hand clutching Qi Qi Benchu like a quail. He glanced back with a cold laugh, but did not slow down in the slightest.

Having missed in one strike, Yun Yun Yeshan's face was dark as water, yet he did not give chase. Instead, he raised his hand and crushed a bronze mirror, urging the Qian Emperor and the others beyond Qianshan to perform the great sacrifice.

Then he turned a cold gaze toward the Dragon and Tiger Mountains. Though he had contingencies for this mission's failure, he could not suppress the killing intent surging within him:

"They should die — every last one of them!"

Boom!

Silver light, like a ribbon, tore through a hundred li of the night sky; its momentum was tremendous, yet at this moment it did not stand out much.

No other reason — in the night sky at this moment, a great sun burning fiercely rose high, radiating dazzling light and heat,

enveloping the Dragon and Tiger Mountains and even Mount Hengshan City within its glow.

In an instant, the black of night turned to the white of day. On the mountains, off the mountains, inside the city, outside the city — no one knew how many were startled awake by the divine light, looking up in shock, every one of them aghast.

"These old-timers are still fierce!"

After a few rises and falls, several hundred li away, Nie Xianshan could still feel that overwhelmingly intense martial Dao will, and the light of that great sun spirit image seemed capable of scorching him still.

Clicking his tongue in awe, Nie Xianshan halted his flying sword and looked back into the distance:

"Sure enough, I can't win…"

The night was bright as day; a purple figure stood atop the cluster of peaks, a crimson sun hanging high behind him. Bathed in that crimson sun's light, his silhouette resembled an ancient giant god, his shadow blanketing the mountains and rivers.

Facing him was a familiar 'divine shadow' that even ordinary commoners could recognize.

Solemn and majestic in bearing, with a thousand dharma eyes.

Boom!

Rumble!

In the night sky, rolling thunder crashed, the cluster of peaks seethed, countless birds and beasts fled in panic, and the many disciples of Dragon Tiger Temple had long since rushed into the tunnels and mountain streams.

"It's like the heavens are collapsing!"

In the mountain stream, the crowd scattered in all directions. Liang Liang Ashui nimbly dodged the tumbling boulders, his face pale and turning blue.

He had once witnessed a Grandmaster battle, and that scene had left an indelible impression; even years later, the memory remained fresh.

But compared to the scene before his eyes now, that one fell short by far, far too much.

Those two mighty figures clashing in the night sky were like the gods and demons of legend; with every gesture, the celestial phenomena shifted, night turned to day, dark clouds gathered, and thunder rolled on and on.

Separated by who knew how many tens or hundreds of li, the eruption of their qi alone triggered landslides and ground collapses across a vast area — truly terrifying beyond words.

"Run!"

"Retreat at once, do not watch the battle!"

"Those who don't wish to die, into the tunnels now!"

Inner disciples of Dragon Tiger Temple were roaring in the mountains. In truth, apart from a mere handful like Long Long Xinglie, the vast majority of disciples had no intention of watching the fight at all.

"A clash of Supreme rank!"

Dragon Gate's main peak was shrouded in a layer of mist. Long Xi Xiang gripped the Jiang Mo Chu in hand, a Vajra shadow flickering behind him, riding an elephant as he circled the dragon.

As for someone coming to launch a surprise attack on Dragon Tiger Temple, neither Long Xi Xiang nor Nie Xianshan found it strange. In fact, the reason they did not permanently station themselves at the Eight Directions Temple was not because of insufficient incense offerings.

Rather, they wanted to use that person born from the wondrous sight as bait to fish for a big fish.

They just hadn't expected to hook two at once.

"Hoo!"

Long Xi Xiang slowly turned around. Beneath the night, silver light burst forth, transforming into a strange dragon beast with the features of a serpent-dragon and a pair of wings.

"A legendary Strange Demon?"

Long Xi Xiang narrowed his eyes. With just one glance, he knew this demon's might far surpassed his own — likewise of the Supreme Grandmaster caliber.

"Roar!"

The dragon beast took to the sky, bellowing furiously.

Even with the crimson sun's light blazing in the night sky ahead, the people and beasts within Dragon Tiger's mountain range who had not yet fled were still greatly terrified; many even prostrated themselves on the ground, overawed by the pressure of the qi.

Can't win…

With but a single thought, Long Xi Xiang extinguished his own desire to fight: "Forget it, this old man has never been fond of combat in his life…"

Hum~

As the dragon beast roared, he had already decisively drawn a crimson copper mirror from his bosom and hurled it out with a flick of his hand.

It was precisely the Great Sun Heaven-Surveying Mirror left behind by Pang Pang Wenlong.

These nine spirit treasures, forged by Pang Pang Wenlong with the strength of an entire nation, could contain and unleash one of his great sun golden spirit images in a critical moment!

With a trump card in hand, only a fool would fight you to the death!

……

Hum~

The instant Yun Yun Yeshan crushed that copper mirror, in the Divine Capital a thousand mountains away, the Qian Emperor's face changed, and he looked up at Huang Huang Longzi.

'Did it succeed?'

With a turn of his mind, Huang Huang Longzi flicked his long sleeves, and the grand ritual long in preparation was immediately set in motion.

Only, unlike the previous time, now within the encirclement of thirty-three Yun Xiang Ding, there was only Wan Wan Zhuliu, his saber resting across his knees.

Beneath the starry night, Wan Wan Zhuliu sat in meditation for a long time. The instant the grand ritual activated, he pressed his hand on his saber and rose, bowing toward the Qian Emperor, whose expression was none too pleasant.

He did not care whether the Qian Yan Fa Master and that Yun Yun Yeshan had succeeded; he had waited here for many days for the sole purpose of adjusting his condition to its absolute peak.

"The time has come."

A breath of turbid air expelled, Wan Wan Zhuliu slowly closed his eyes.

In a flash, he had already vanished from within the imperial city.

"Li Yuan!"

……

In the first trial upon entering the temple, Li Yuan encountered the strongest foe of his life. Even after exhausting every means and fighting bitterly through thirty or forty bouts in succession, he could neither win nor lose.

"Off by one move again — I never should have entered the temple in peak condition."

After once more narrowly retreating to a draw and falling back onto the meteorite, Li Yuan let out a long breath and looked at the 'himself' standing in the distance with hammer in hand, feeling quite a headache.

The 'himself' opposite was at the Ru Dao Jing Fa Jie, transforming into myriad forms, with the innate gifts of gods and demons, possessing the strength of his strongest mastery combination — including the 'Rending Sea Mysterious Whale' and 'Dragon Tiger Nurturing Furnace' — and would not harm himself through prolonged sword mastery.

"Tough to handle."

Li Yuan sighed.

He would rather fight Wan Wan Zhuliu or Pang Pang Wenlong than fight himself — especially the 'himself' born from the Eight Directions Temple, who was extremely battle-experienced and almost never made a mistake.

In a sense, this was himself in his current extreme state.

More importantly, the one opposite was not afraid of death…

"Fighting a deathmatch with 'yourself' is a bit foolish, but using that version of yourself as a mirror, the improvement is considerable."

After a moment of breathing exercises, Li Yuan stood up. The slight irritation from fighting so long without result had already been suppressed, and he gripped his hammer, ready to step forward and fight.

"Li Yuan!"

Suddenly, a voice exploded beside his ear.

Li Yuan frowned slightly as Dong Dong Ershisan's voice echoed out:

"Temple entrant Wan Wan Zhuliu, challenging temple opener Li Yuan!"

(End of chapter)