Chapter 591: Must Kill!

Wuu~

The duel arena dissolved into streaks of light, scattering into the wind and snow.

"Divine Palace Realm..."

Li Yuan raised his eyes toward the mountain peak; through layers of mist and clouds, he could vaguely see Wan Wan Zhuliu standing with a sword propped against him, his expression indifferent.

All temple entrants rated 'Excellent' by the Eight Directions Temple may ascend directly to the peak of Eight Directions Mountain and are implicitly protected by the Eight Directions Temple.

【... It is said... Only those with supreme will to kill can receive the Eight Directions Temple's inheritance... Those without an Excellent rating do not enter the gaze of the Gate Guardian, nor receive the Eight Directions Temple's protection... (Sixteenth Tier)】

Over three years, Li Yuan had heard no little about the Eight Directions Temple's rules, and this was also why he refused Dong Dong Ershisan's offer.

An Excellent-rated temple entrant is not comparable to the previous Thousand Eyes; even in a battle between peers of the same realm, one would mostly be unable to kill them.

As the Gate Guardian of the Eastern Region, Dong Dong Ershisan's purpose was nothing more than to select the best among the excellent in various ways, choosing the one he deemed most qualified to be the Eastern Region Envoy, or perhaps the Lord of the Eastern Temple.

"Compared to me, who seeks shortcuts, Wan Wan Zhuliu, who dared to gamble most of his lifespan for a chance, is clearly more favored by Dong Dong Ershisan and possesses more 'potential of the Insect King'..."

Regarding this, Li Yuan's heart was clear as snow; he could feel that Dong Dong Ershisan held greater expectations for him, perhaps including the thought of using Wan Wan Zhuliu to temper himself.

But he was too lazy to bother.

The Eight Directions Temple certainly offers many blessings, but its rules are even more numerous; for him, Tian Shi Yuan was undoubtedly a far more boundless expanse.

"Once this Daoist gathers a few sets of high-tier control combinations... higher-tier five-animal flesh and blood, the Bestowal of the Azure Heaven..."

Expectation rose in Li Yuan's heart.

"But before leaving..."

After his thoughts wandered for a long time, disregarding the gaze coming from the peak, Li Yuan pinched the Eight Directions Temple token and vanished from this Fang Mi Jing.

"I must slaughter that surnamed Wan!"

Hoo-hoo~

Clouds and mist churned; a human-headed strange bird flapped its wings, cautiously approaching Dong Dong Ershisan, who sat cross-legged at the cliff's edge:

"Young Master Dong Ershisan, why bother? That lad is at least of Demon-God level talent..."

"Having talent but no perseverance, even with the stature of a Demon-God, he is unfit for great use."

Watching Li Yuan's vanishing back, Dong Dong Ershisan sighed: "I wonder when we will find the person the Master needs..."

"It will be difficult."

The human-headed strange bird landed on his shoulder, appearing quite calm:

"It was already hard to find one while the Master was still here, let alone now? Alas, are Ying Ying Xuantian and Feng Feng Qingcang truly no good?"

"There is some hope?"

Dong Dong Ershisan looked somewhat melancholy.

"That lad is at least of Demon-God level talent, and his years are few; he is far stronger than that one outside. What exactly are you thinking?"

The human-headed strange bird couldn't hold back.

It had strong objections to Li Yuan; that rascal had dared to choke its neck, which it still held a grudge over, but compared to Wan Wan Zhuliu, it favored the former more.

A short-lived ghost who barely earned an Excellent rating only by burning his lifespan limit—how could he compare to a Demon-God level genius not yet thirty years old?

And...

'That lad's combat and killing prowess isn't bad either? Inside the Dao Soldier Tower... wait, Young Master Dong Ershisan was still in slumber before!'

The human-headed strange bird suddenly shivered.

"Have we not seen many Demon-God level geniuses?"

Dong Dong Ershisan's gaze fell upon blocks of strange stones; the forest-like strange stones on the peak represented countless temple entrants who had summited Eight Directions Mountain over tens of thousands of years.

What is revealed here is only those still alive; those who perished number many times more.

Among them were not lacking Demon-God level geniuses, but truly few could enter the temple to become Eastern Region Envoys, let alone the Lord of the Eastern Temple.

"To inherit the Master's will, talent may be indispensable, but talent alone is not enough..."

Letting out a long breath, Dong Dong Ershisan gathered his thoughts; he raised a hand and pressed lightly, and the clouds and mist on the peak dispersed.

"I..."

The human-headed strange bird wanted to say something.

On the other side of the cliff, Wan Wan Zhuliu clasped his hands and bowed:

"Junior Wan Wan Zhuliu pays his respects to the elder."

"My name is Dong Dong Ershisan."

As Dong Dong Ershisan spoke, a strange stone like a coiled dragon wrapping around a long sword rose nearby; its inscriptions flowed, just like the stone stele at the mountain's foot.

"Those with an Excellent rating may ascend directly to the peak, but the path of cultivation has no shortcuts; what do you think?"

"The junior deeply agrees."

Wan Wan Zhuliu was not surprised, nor did he object.

"Hmm."

Dong Dong Ershisan's expression softened slightly; compared to that slippery lad, the one before him was far more pleasing to the eye:

"Your lifespan is less than fifty years remaining; ascending the mountain must be steady, yet also swift... If you can enter the temple within fifty years, this old man might select a longevity-enhancing spiritual medicine for you."

"Thank you, elder."

Wan Wan Zhuliu responded, but his gaze followed the blocks of strange stones on the peak toward the small temple at the end, its door half-open:

"May I ask, elder, how does one enter the temple after ascending the mountain?"

"Enter the temple along the path."

Dong Dong Ershisan raised a hand; the blocks of strange stones on the peak began to emit dazzling light; under the weaving of these various lights,

Those strange stones seemed as if they were coming to life, trembling gently, even breathing in and out divine light.

"These strange stones..."

Wan Wan Zhuliu's gaze darkened slightly.

In his perception, the strange stones shrouded in swirling divine light were surging with extremely intense martial will—some erratic, some cold, some domineering, some restrained.

Their aura was held back and not released, yet it already made him feel immense pressure.

"These are the challengers from the Eastern Region who climbed to this peak before you!"

Dong Dong Ershisan answered calmly.

Wan Wan Zhuliu focused his perception and immediately spotted the strange stone that resembled a dragon or a whale, coiled with Lei Ting:

The Stele of Li Yuan.

"Demons and Gods..."

Wan Wan Zhuliu felt a slight shock in his heart; within this forest of strange stones, there were actually quite a few with Demons and Gods-level endowments, and moreover, that realm...

【The Stele of Feng Feng Qingcang (13,236)】

【Eastern Region, Challenger】

【Bloodline: Human Race】

【Physique: Blazing Sun Divine Body】【Realm: Nine Heavens of the Dharma Ring】

【Talent Potential: Demons and Gods Level】

【Divine Endowment Potential: Supreme Grade】

【Dharma Ring: Great Sun Patrolling the Sky, Star River Weeping Blood】

【Nine Images Jin Dan, Nine Phases Dharma Ring...】

"Master of the Martial Immortal Sect, Feng Feng Qingcang!"

Wan Wan Zhuliu's gaze sharpened; with just one glance, he knew the master of this strange stone shaped like the blazing sun was the master of the cave heaven spoken of by Huang Longzi.

One of the few powerful figures in Tian Shi Yuan...

"Cross this path of strange stones, and you may enter the temple."

Dong Dong Ershisan flicked his sleeve, and the divine light atop the mountain dimmed, leaving only the last ten stones still flashing with light:

"Climbing the mountain need not be rushed; since you have come, you might as well try. If you can defeat five, hmm, three of the masters of these strange stones while at the same realm, then there is no need to climb the mountain further."

After looking at each one in turn...

"Are you willing?"

Feeling Dong Dong Ershisan's indifferent gaze, Wan Wan Zhuliu immediately clasped his hands:

"This junior is willing."

"Good!"

Dong Dong Ershisan nodded slightly, his expression softening a bit; under his gaze, the light of those ten strange stones became even more dazzling:

"You may choose freely!"

"Ying Ying Xuantian, Feng Feng Qingcang, Fa Wusha..."

Every time his gaze swept over a strange stone, Wan Wan Zhuliu's eyelid twitched; until he saw the last one, his eyes turned deep and dark:

"Li Yuan!"

"Hehe~"

The human-headed strange bird sneered, but before it could mock, it was glanced at by Dong Dong Ershisan and sheepishly lowered its head.

"When Li Yuan left for the temple, he had just formed Ru Dao Jing..."

Dong Dong Ershisan remained expressionless; he merely flicked a finger, and the divine light atop the mountain instantly blazed fiercely, enveloping both Wan Wan Zhuliu and that dragon-kun-like strange stone.

Buzz~

Various lights intertwined and flowed before his eyes.

Moments later, Wan Wan Zhuliu frowned slightly, forcing himself to endure the discomfort of his realm being suppressed to Ru Dao Jing, and raised his eyes to look.

This was a wilderness; for hundreds or thousands of li in every direction, there were mountains and rivers but no signs of human habitation.

A single glance revealed only a young Taoist walking slowly from the distance.

He carried a massive hammer on his shoulder, his face calm as water; with every step, cyan true qi circled around him, occasionally flashing with lightning.

"This brat..."

Wan Wan Zhuliu's gaze sharpened; the long blade at his waist suddenly emitted a trembling sound, his eyelid twitched, and in the next instant, he heard a 'Boom!'

The shadow of the hammer came down, covering the sky and earth!

Buzz~

Under the night sky, smoke and dust still lingered among the Longhu Mountains.

Behind the main peak of Dragon Gate, Li Yuan gazed far into the distance, faintly still sensing the gunpowder smoke after the great battle.

A single glance revealed even broken small mountains and forests of trees snapped in half.

"As you predicted, the thousand-eyed old thief indeed took the opportunity to sneak in, intending to snatch away that Qi Qi Benchu, but with the backup move left by Senior Qin, the person was still saved."

Nie Xianshan stroked his long beard, not without exclaiming: "Senior Qin's methods are astonishing; two Great Sun Heaven-Monitoring Mirrors were enough to beat those two old thieves into a wretched state..."

Speaking of last night's battle, the old Taoist Nie was quite excited.

To this, Li Yuan was not surprised, merely asking:

"Where is Senior Qin?"

"While those two old thieves were fighting fiercely with the Dharma Image left by Senior Qin, Senior Qin acted decisively, shattered the spiritual images of those two, and then pursued them..."

The Pure Yang Sword on Nie Xianshan's back let out a trembling hum, and he felt rather regretful—he had been half a beat slower than Long Xi Xiang, so he could only stay behind to guard the mountain gate.

……

When the sky was fully bright, Pang Pang Wenlong finally returned.

"Senior?"

Sensing Pang Pang Wenlong's aura, Li Li Yuanzhong put away the Dragon Tiger Nourishing Life Furnace and hurried forward to greet him.

"The task was not fully accomplished."

In the small courtyard, Pang Pang Wenlong shook out his sleeves, a cold smile on his face:

"Those two old fellows left contingencies and fled into You Jing, but after taking a strike from this old man, even if they didn't die, they were gravely wounded."

While he spoke, Long Xi Xiang and Long Long Yingchan came over one after another.

"How did it go on your end?"

Hearing the question, Li Li Yuanzhong recounted the matter of Wan Wan Zhuliu entering the temple to challenge him.

"An Excellent rating?"

Upon hearing that Wan Wan Zhuliu had been rated Excellent within the Eight Directions Temple, every one of them frowned.

"The 'Incense Fire Blood-Tempering' ritual?"

Even Pang Pang Wenlong could not help raising his brows, clapping his hands in admiration: "What a Wan Wan Zhuliu—ruthless enough, ruthless enough!"

"Indeed ruthless enough."

Li Li Yuanzhong found it hard to disagree.

Given his own temperament, he could never in this lifetime bring himself to do something that burned away most of his lifespan.

"If it fails, it's death."

Pang Pang Wenlong sighed with some feeling.

Even after breaking free of the Eight Directions Temple's shackles, the lifespan of one at the He Yi Jing Fa Jie was no more than a thousand years—and he had given up most of it in one stroke.

If he could not obtain a life-extending medicine within the Eight Directions Temple, then death was certain.

"Mm…"

Pang Pang Wenlong paced back and forth in thought, and the others did not disturb him. Li Li Yuanzhong turned and went inside to brew a pot of tea, pouring cups for everyone.

Before a single pot of tea was finished, the group had already reached a consensus:

Wan Wan Zhuliu must be killed!

(End of chapter)