Chapter 603: The Weight of Gods and Demons

"Yellow Dragon Master?"

Li Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly, a trace of surprise stirring in his heart.

He hadn't managed to lure Wan Wan Zhuliu up yet, and Yellow Dragon Master had come first?

Yellow Dragon Master read his wariness but paid it little heed, merely tilting his black umbrella slightly: "Daoist Li is attempting to pluck a marvel, yes?"

"Indeed."

Li Yuan's expression unchanged, he switched his palm-control combination: "What guidance does the National Preceptor have for me?"

"In the presence of Daoist Li, how would this poor Daoist dare speak of guidance?"

Separated by roughly a li, Yellow Dragon Master waved a hand, though in truth he too was sizing up the Daoist sitting quietly on the cliff. He felt only that the man's aura was calm and weighty, as if he had merged with the cliff beneath him and the blizzard raging above into a single whole.

"Regarding the plucking of marvels and the combination of divine patterns, this poor Daoist does indeed have some insights…"

Yellow Dragon Master's voice was gentle, not the least scattered even through the wind and snow: "Unfortunately, they don't apply to a heaven-gifted talent like Daoist Li. Feel free to listen as you wish…"

At this point, he gave a light cough, as if choosing his words.

This old fellow…

Li Yuan's brow furrowed slightly, a strange feeling stirring in his chest.

He was waiting for Old Long Head and the others — did this old fellow truly intend to speak?

"Before plucking marvels and condensing a spirit-phase divine realm, one must first understand what the essence of heaven-and-earth marvels is, and where the meaning of divine-pattern combinations lies…"

Yellow Dragon Master deliberated for a moment, then began to speak.

Whoosh!

Just then, a sharp sound of something tearing through the air exploded. In the next instant, Yellow Dragon Master's figure had already shifted dozens of times through the blizzard, evading the razor-sharp sword light that was shattering the wind and snow all around.

"Yellow Dragon Master?"

The flying sword had whistled in first; only after that did Nie Xianshan land upon the cliff. The old Daoist's face was murderous, his sword-brows arched:

"You actually dare come alone to my Dragon Tiger Temple? What enormous nerve!"

Boom!

Rumble rumble!

Nie Xianshan struck with killing intent, his momentum tremendous.

Li Yuan raised his brows and looked. He saw sword-light weaving and crossing like dragons and tigers coiled and prowling, shaking a hundred li. The blizzard itself was shredded by the sword-light; the wind paused for a long moment, and only the sound of tearing air spread outward like muffled thunder.

After breaking through the Heavenly Gang with the Dragon Tiger Pure Yang Sword, when it came to sheer killing-edge ferocity, Nie Xianshan was even above the present Long Xi Xiang.

Yet beneath such ferocious attacks, Yellow Dragon Master showed not the slightest panic. Holding his umbrella in one hand, he shifted among the sky-filled sword-light; even when the sword-light wove into a net, it only ever grazed past his shoulder.

"There's the shadow of a dharma art…"

Li Yuan's eyes were very bright. The moment Nie Xianshan struck, he had already switched his palm-control combination again, and with the five senses enhanced by his bone ornament, he perceived it all with extreme clarity.

Old Daoist Nie's flying sword was ferocious — if it had been him, he could only have barely blocked it with the augmentation of the Sea-Suppressing Mystic Tortoise Shell. But Yellow Dragon Master was a different matter.

His figure seemed to dissolve into the wind and snow, which was clearly far more than mere lightness skill and body technique.

"Hold your hand a moment!"

While dodging and shifting, Yellow Dragon Master even had the leisure to speak: "This poor Daoist has come with absolutely no ill intent, but rather has a great matter to discuss with all of you…"

"Hmph!"

Nie Xianshan's long brows arched, and just as he was about to erupt, Long Xi Xiang and Long Long Yingchan — half a step slower — had already arrived. The former stamped his foot, about to erupt as well, but the latter frowned and held him back:

"Hold!"

Daoist Lord Long spoke in a deep voice, calling Nie Xianshan to a stop.

"Senior brother?"

With a beckoning gesture from Nie Xianshan, the sword-light that had filled the sky coalesced into a single longsword that fell into his palm.

"May I ask what business brings you to our Dragon Tiger Temple?"

Long Long Yingchan pinched his long brows, his heart tightening slightly.

His eye was naturally extremely sharp. From a single distant glance he knew that this Yellow Dragon Master's lightness skill was no less than his own, and even held a few more mysteries beyond his.

"Daoist Nie's flying sword is indeed ferocious — a pity he doesn't grasp the true method of flying swords, otherwise this poor Daoist would already be buried in this great blizzard."

Lightly turning his black umbrella to suppress the howling air currents, Yellow Dragon Master smiled faintly, then offered everyone a fresh Daoist bow before speaking in earnest:

"I won't hide it from you, fellow Daoists — this poor Daoist has indeed come with several matters to discuss with you all…"

As he spoke, he paused briefly, glancing at the people on the cliff's edge. Seeing their faces dark as water yet none of them taking the initiative to ask, he continued:

"Do you all know that in as few as several decades, or as many as a hundred years, the Eight Directions Temple will truly open?"

As he spoke, he kept watching the few men opposite. Seeing their expressions unchanged, he was not surprised: "When the Eight Directions Temple opens, heavenly fire will burn the world — you must have heard of this from my incompetent junior sister, yes?" "What are you trying to say?"

Nie Xianshan cut in, somewhat impatient.

Cut off, Yellow Dragon Master was not annoyed, merely saying calmly: "Naturally, to cooperate with all of you."

"Cooperate?"

Long Long Yingchan pressed down on Nie Xianshan's arm, his expression flat: "If this old Daoist remembers correctly, the National Preceptor appointed by His Majesty the Qian Emperor several years ago was you, was it not?"

"Correct!"

Yellow Dragon Master nodded.

"If that is so, what do you mean by cooperating with us?"

Long Long Yingchan gave a cold laugh.

"To tell the truth, this poor Daoist had indeed never originally thought of cooperating with you all."

Yellow Dragon Master sighed: "Compared to the imperial court, the local sects are after all too loosely organized — whether in doing things or gathering resources, they simply cannot compare with the imperial court."

As he looked over each of them one by one/p>

"Heh~"

Nie Xianshan let out a cold laugh: "What a lot of nonsense."

"Cough!"

Long Long Yingchan frowned and picked up the thread of conversation:

"From the sound of it, you've changed your mind?"

Unlike the murderous look on Old Daoist Nie, he was wary, but not at all averse to dealing with these visitors from beyond the heavens.

"Correct."

Huang Huang Longzi nodded, and without waiting for the reason to be asked, his gaze had already fallen on Li Yuan.

"Hmm?"

Long Xi Xiang frowned.

"Stop beating around the bush!"

Nie Xianshan gripped his long sword tightly, already quite impatient.

"Compared to the imperial court backed by the Cloud Demon Clan, even with that powerful cultivator who has achieved the Great Sun Spirit Form, you lot have no real chance of victory, it's just that…"

Huang Huang Longzi paid no heed to Nie Xianshan; in fact, aside from exchanging a few glances with Long Long Yingchan, most of his attention was on Li Yuan:

"The weight of a God-Demon grade talent is simply too heavy."

"Hmm?"

Bai Mei's white brows trembled; he keenly detected the envy in Huang Huang Longzi's tone, and even a trace of awe.

Coming for me?

Li Yuan raised an eyebrow, half-believing, half-doubting.

"You gentlemen have been in one place for a long time, so there are some things you don't understand."

Huang Huang Longzi deliberated for a moment, mainly picking out words these natives could understand:

"In Tian Shi Yuan, the talents of all living beings are divided, from bottom to top, into seven grades… the weight of a God-Demon grade talent, in a certain sense, is no less than that of a living star nurturing ten billion lives, perhaps even greater…"

"A living star…"

Long Long Yingchan and the other two exchanged glances.

Over the three years, the three of them had gone to deal with that spirit tortoise and Red Practice plenty of times, and had some understanding of Tian Shi Yuan, but understanding is not comprehension.

Take living stars, for instance…

Huang Huang Longzi did not explain further, only looking at Li Yuan: "…you only need to know that, with Daoist Li's talent and gift, even among the Five Great Grotto-Heavens, he would be more than qualified to contend for the position of Dao Child!"

(End of chapter)