Chapter 705: Battle the Five Dragon Immortal Again, Qi Yun Descends the Mountain (Combined Chapter)

Master Master Fufa's heart filled with joy.

This junior martial brother's progress was far faster than he had estimated—by a wide margin.

"Martial brother overpraises."

Li Yuan did not overly humble himself either, but cupped his hands in thanks: "I must also thank martial brother for passing down the Demon Refinement method."

His progress today was inseparable from the Demon Refinement method; without the sustenance of myriad demons, neither Shan Xuan Teng She nor the Nine Great True Forms could have grown so swiftly.

"The Demon Refinement method is but a trifling Wan Wan Zhuli."

Master Master Fufa waved his hand, claiming no credit, and steered the talk back to the Sword God Tomb: "Every grand opening of the Sword God Tomb draws quite a few fellow sect members and like-minded cultivators; even if junior brother doesn't go in, you can still come join the festivities."

"Good."

Li Yuan nodded in assent. He had originally planned to use the Sword God Tomb to make contact with the previous generation of martial brothers, in order to obtain the corresponding controlling artifacts for the Five Extremes Great Scripture.

Of course, he was also extremely interested in the great scripture Master Master Fufa had promised.

"Mm?"

Suddenly, Master Master Fufa's brow furrowed, then Yu Yu Xuanji smoothed out: "Junior brother, we'll chat more after you've got it—another few demons have caught up…"

"Martial brother, please be extremely careful."

Li Yuan did not dare disturb him.

Master Master Fufa then tossed over a copy of "Detailed Explanation of the Sword God Tomb," and promptly closed the light screen.

"Detailed Explanation of the Sword God Tomb."

Li Yuan briefly focused his spirit, received the book, and studied it in detail.

The Sword God Tomb belongs to the category of Opening Gui Xu Death Zones.

The so-called Death Zones are either gestated by Opening Gui Xu itself, or left behind by the fall of powerful beings; they contain creations that even the gods would covet, yet because of the Death Zone itself, one cannot easily obtain them.

The Sword God Tomb belongs to the latter; it was formed from the fall of two Dao Sovereign-level sword Dao powerhouses after an ultimate battle, and is perpetually shrouded beneath a True Sovereign-level sword Dao Gu Gu Shentong.

Because the two Dao Sovereigns were engaged in fierce combat before they fell, any cultivator exceeding the limit who approaches will immediately be slain by the two Dao Sovereigns.

Therefore, cultivators above the Fourth Realm cannot approach at all.

"In other words, at most only Third Realm cultivators can enter…"

Li Yuan read through it word by word.

The booklet also contained intelligence Master Master Fufa had gathered, mostly from cultivators who had previously entered the Sword God Tomb; he stated frankly that the information was a mix of truth and falsehood and required careful discernment.

Beyond that were the various creations contained within the Sword God Tomb.

Spells, Gu divine abilities, divine patterns, flying swords, spirit treasures, spirit beasts, and so on—the list went on; in addition, there were the cultivation grounds of the two Dao Sovereigns, and even Dao Fruits!

"A Death Zone containing the entire fortune of two Dao Sovereigns…"

As he flipped through the booklet, Li Yuan occasionally saw treasures that quite stirred his heart.

If entry was restricted to cultivators below the Fourth Realm, and many cultivators had returned from exploration, it meant this Death Zone was not overly dangerous for low-level cultivators.

"The gathering outside the Sword God Tomb is a must-attend; as for whether to go in…"

Li Yuan had already made his decision in his heart.

Go in!

Wait for Ying Mo Shen to return, then send it ahead to scout the way!

As for himself…

"With my innate talent and Mount Mount Dongxuan to rely on, the true body cultivates in stillness while the Second Primordial Spirit explores the outer domains—that is the most correct path of cultivation!"

Li Yuan restrained his desire; he had a clear plan for himself, and within that plan, safety came first.

Only by living is there a future!

At this thought, all the entanglement in Li Yuan's heart vanished. He was still studying the Detailed Explanation of the Sword God Tomb, but his heart was already without ripples; he merely committed to mind one by one the dangers he might encounter.

Ying Mo Shen's life is also a life!

"Huu~"

A long while later, after committing the entire booklet to memory, Li Yuan's heart stirred slightly, and he suddenly thought of that noble one within the Divine Burial Coffin:

"Nine eras ago, the Origin Divine Dynasty was still at its peak; by all rights, they should have explored the Sword God Tomb too, right?"

……

Hum~

The moment the thought arose, Li Yuan had already entered the Weapon Master Space.

The bronze great coffin still remained behind the Human Tribulation Platform; despite the Dingxin Dingxin Shitai's many expansions, it had never shifted its position.

The instant he saw the great coffin, information about this Dao Treasure surfaced in Li Yuan's eyes.

【Control Conditions: Chaotic Sacred Body, Origin Divine Fetus, Sacred Extremes Dharma Aspect】

"These three control conditions—in theory, as long as I can forge a Golden Core with the Ninefold Reiteration, two of them will be satisfied; as for this Origin Divine Fetus…"

The Scripture Pavilion held countless miscellaneous books and biographies; Li Yuan read almost every day, and naturally included much about the Origin Divine Dynasty, that colossal entity that governed myriad heavens and domains.

There were also records concerning this Origin Divine Fetus.

The Origin Divine Race was an extremely terrifying species; even the birth of an ordinary clansman often required draining the fate of an entire life star.

As for the Origin Divine Fetus, it was said that only one would be born in an entire era—a being who, legend had it, possessed the aptitude of a Divine Emperor!

"Aptitude of a Divine Emperor."

Li Yuan's thoughts were subtle.

He could almost be certain that the Five Dragon Immortal, who had been buried in the river of time by the Divine King Five Dragon Venerable, was an Origin Divine Fetus!

"So innate talent is not everything."

Li Yuan muttered to himself; this noble one, who even needed to find a 'proxy' to break open the coffin, was clearly not one of firm Dao heart.

Still, he expressed understanding on this point.

The divine dynasty's princess, the most noble divine fetus, had not yet grown before encountering such a great catastrophe as the collapse of the divine dynasty and the crumbling of the divine city — it is understandable that her temperament was affected.

After all, the terror of the experts who took part in the battle to overthrow the divine dynasty was something he could not even imagine.

Weighing the matter in his heart, Li Yuan bowed and saluted:

"This junior Li Yuan requests an audience with the senior."

……

Whoo-whoo~

Within the great bronze coffin, the Five Dragon Immortal slept like an infant, occasionally showing faint traces of pain, with even tears flowing down.

The bronze coffin spirit silently watched, just as it had every day through the long ages of burial.

"Here we go again!"

Sensing the disturbance outside the coffin, the bronze coffin spirit gave a cold snort; lest he disturb the Five Dragon Immortal, with a single thought it drew him into the coffin.

"What? Joined the Weitian Dao Sect?"

Eight or nine years was but a blink to the bronze coffin spirit; it only felt this kid was terribly annoying — once he got a benefit he kept coming back — and it secretly resolved to give him a thorough dressing-down.

"I must also thank the senior for your guidance."

Li Yuan was none too willing to deal with this coffin spirit either; he had already realized that the one who had originally helped him refine the Tong Shi Orb was the Five Dragon Immortal, and that this one afterward was the Shen Zang coffin spirit.

"Your fortune is not bad, I must say."

Only then did the bronze coffin spirit give him a proper look: "A god-demon level talent, joining the Weitian Dao Sect… eh? This physique of yours?"

"The Chaotic Sacred Body?!"

Whoo~

Li Yuan felt only the darkness before his eyes churning as an utterly terrifying divine sense swept over him — though it lasted only an instant, it made even his thoughts seem frozen.

"You are actually a Chaotic Body?"

The bronze coffin spirit was quite shaken; even for it, the Chaotic Sacred Body was one of the most supreme physiques beneath the Origin Divine Fetus.

If one could reverse Mu Mu Xiantian, one might well stand shoulder to shoulder with the Origin Divine Fetus!

"Senior…"

Li Yuan was choosing his words carefully, but before he could speak, he felt the light and shadows around him shift. In an instant, the scene before his eyes was brightly lit.

He had been unceremoniously tossed into the Shen Zang Mi Jing.

"Whatever you want to ask, fight first, then talk!"

The bronze coffin spirit dropped these words and gave no further response.

"……"

Li Yuan looked around — blue sky, white clouds, rolling mountains — a rather fine scene.

In fact, ever since his last failed attempt at the trial, the coffin spirit had been none too willing to let him enter this Mi Jing, so much so that entering now stirred in him quite a bit of nostalgia.

Three hundred li away lay Mingquan, the ancient city where he had long resided.

And the palace wreathed in clouds and mist not far off was the dwelling of the Five Dragon Immortal, and also the first of the six trials within the Shen Zang Mi Jing.

"That Five Dragon Immortal bears the Origin Divine Fetus, and her realm is at least the fourth, perhaps even the fifth — even as I am now, I am certainly no match for her…"

Recalling that last battle which could only be called a crushing, Li Yuan did not care for such pointless fighting, but the bronze coffin spirit clearly meant for him to go fight once.

"So be it — I still have 9,999 chances left; one death is just one death."

Li Yuan steadied his heart and walked toward the great hall.

In truth, he held great expectations for the Shen Zang coffin Mi Jing as well; it was simply that this surface-level first trial offered nothing worth harvesting, and the Five Dragon Immortal was truly unbeatable.

Otherwise he would have come more often than anyone.

……

"The Chaotic Sacred Body!"

Amid a stretch of darkness, the bronze coffin spirit sensed something; turning its head, it saw the Five Dragon Immortal open the corner of her eye, and hastened to say:

"Immortal my lord, that kid is going to enter the hall and challenge you!"

"Mm?"

The Five Dragon Immortal's drowsiness vanished in an instant, and her gaze grew sharp:

"I told you, that is not me!"

"Yes, yes, yes — that is merely the you in the honored lord's eyes, not the true you…"

The bronze coffin spirit went along with her words, inwardly grumbling endlessly — if it were the real you, I'd fear you might be counter-slain by this human kid.

That would utterly disgrace the face of the Origin Divine Race.

Thinking this in its heart, on its face it carefully raised a finger and tapped; a curtain of light appeared:

"Immortal my lord, in the time it took you to doze off, this kid has not only Xiu Cheng San Jing, but has also nurtured forth a Chaotic Sacred Body — his progress is truly astonishing…"

"Ah?"

The Five Dragon Immortal was startled, and at once looked toward the curtain of light.

……

"What scoundrel is this?!"

Li Yuan had taken only a few steps when one figure after another leaped forth from outside the palace, their auras fierce.

Years ago, these palace guards had slaughtered him into a wretched state, but now, with a mere flick of his finger, a single drop of Di Shan Xuan Gang Zhong had crossed three hundred li through the air and slain every guard.

These guards were merely ones the Five Dragon Immortal had recruited from this Chonghua Star back when she was fleeing, to throw people off the scent.

"Hoo~"

In a single step, Li Yuan had already arrived within the palace.

Outside the Zhudian, he instinctively glanced at the great lake — but the straw-cloaked old fisherman who might have been an incarnation of a Divine King was no longer by its shore — and the great doors of the palace before him slowly swung open as well.

"Hum~"

An invisible aura flowed out from within the palace; even a single wisp of it made Li Yuan's heart tighten.

In years past he had been an ignorant cultivator of the first realm, unaware what this signified, but now things were different.

"Nine-Scene Jin Dan!"

Li Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly.

When nine strands of golden nature are formed, one may forge a first-grade Jin Dan; the Jin Dan bears scenes, and the Nine-Scene Jin Dan is the pinnacle of the fourth realm, already qualified to nurture a Yi Pin Fa Fa Jie!

"Senior!"

His thoughts turning, Li Yuan felt quite helpless, and without caring whether she would respond, he called out loudly:

"This junior's third realm is not yet complete; even if I had heaven-reaching means, how could I match a fourth-realm pinnacle? If you wish to test me, then let us fight at the third realm instead — what say you?"

In Tian Shi Yuan, there were indeed cultivators of the third realm who struck upward against the fourth, but those were usually heaven-defying prodigies like Lin Yue, slaying ordinary fourth-realm cultivators, and even that was rare.

But who was within this palace?

A suspected Origin Divine Fetus, the Origin Divine Dynasty's princess who had refined a Nine-Scene Jin Dan!

"……"

The voice within the light screen naturally carried into the ancient coffin; the Bronze Coffin Spirit instinctively glanced at its master, and Yu Yu Xuanji gave a slight nod:

"He's right."

"……"

After a brief silence, the Bronze Coffin Spirit shook its head repeatedly: "No, no, this is the will of that esteemed lord; no one can change it, and neither can I! This human boy's cultivation is advancing extremely fast — if you take a few more naps, who knows, he might reach the fourth-realm pinnacle…"

The Bronze Coffin Spirit urged and pleaded desperately, afraid this little ancestor would make things difficult for it.

"This Mi Jing, and the six great prodigies within it, were left by my great-grandfather to hone my means. Because I was at the fourth-realm pinnacle when I was entombed, they too are at the fourth-realm pinnacle…"

Yu Yu Xuanji suddenly spoke, letting out a soft breath.

"You?!"

The Bronze Coffin Spirit was startled.

It saw that what Yu Yu Xuanji exhaled was not a stream of air, but rivers of light, within which divine patterns flowed and interwove into scenes.

These were the scenes of the Jin Dan!

"Hoo~"

Yu Yu Xuanji expelled all nine scenes of her Jin Dan, and the aura on her body plummeted to rock bottom in an instant: "I am now at the third realm; the 'me' within the Mi Jing should also fall back to the third realm, no?"

"You — you've already grasped the wonders of the Divine Fetus?"

Seeing this, the Bronze Coffin Spirit was delighted rather than alarmed; ten thousand dharma and ten thousand scenes reside within a single heart — this was the wondrous use of the Innate Divine Fetus.

"Grasped some of it."

Yu Yu Xuanji said no more, merely gazing at the light screen.

Before the palace, Li Yuan did not receive a response, but his perception was incomparably keen; the instant the aura within the palace shifted, he had already caught it.

"Many thanks, Senior!"

Li Yuan bowed deeply, then walked toward the great hall.

A fourth-realm pinnacle Yu Yu Xuanji — he wouldn't even want to fight her, but at the third-realm pinnacle, he truly did want to weigh the measure of this Origin Dynasty princess!

……

Within the great hall.

Twelve colossal coiling-dragon pillars rose from the ground, supporting a stellar vista that could be called vast; the surrounding space stretched boundlessly, as if larger than the Chonghua Star outside.

At the center of the great hall, Yu Yu Xuanji in a robe of white sat cross-legged, her long hair falling past her shoulders, her aura cold and transcendent.

'How can a person look like this…'

Even seeing Yu Yu Xuanji for the second time, Li Yuan could not help stealing a few more glances.

This woman was simply too perfect; he could not even describe her in words, only feeling his heartbeat quicken unbidden and his fighting intent dulled by quite a few degrees.

Fortunately, Master Li's state of mind was steady; upon sensing something amiss, he immediately cut off the thought, yet also unconsciously shifted his gaze, no longer looking at her directly.

"Chaos Body!"

Yu Yu Xuanji in white rose to her feet, and the starry great hall seemed to suddenly blaze brighter.

Li Yuan even saw within the starry sky all manner of wondrous scenes manifesting; this person's Dao Body was far more terrifying than imagined, even giving him a sense of being the origin of all dharma.

"I possess ninety-nine superior divine patterns, nine top-grade divine patterns…"

Yu Yu Xuanji in white slowly extended her hand; her fingers, crystalline as fine jade, gave a gentle pinch, and Feng Feng Mantian starlight had gathered in her palm, which she pushed lightly forward —

A pillar of light, brimming with the aura of stars to the utmost, had already blasted forth:

"Defeat me!"

Boom!

Li Yuan heard the sound of stars detonating.

As if an ancient, colossal planet had, in a single instant, erupted with all its radiance and might.

Origin Divine Light!

The thought suddenly leapt into Li Yuan's mind; he urged the Sky Peng Dun Fa and shifted several thousand li through the starry sky, only to look up and find that he was still within the shroud of that divine light!

It was as if even the void had been pinned in place by that divine light, impossible to shift away from.

"Hum~"

Without the slightest hesitation, Li Yuan unleashed the Mud Pellet Marvel, and the Mysterious Vine Tree burst from the ground, its branches spreading wide, seeking to shield out the stellar radiance.

Mysterious Vine Tree Demon!

Li Yuan immediately activated his strongest means at present; ten thousands of long vines wove crisscross and intertwined, transforming into a thousand-zhang tree demon that held a colossal shield to guard before him.

"Boom!"

The next instant, the tree demon along with its massive shield was pierced through in one breath, and the phantom of the mystic vine tree behind Li Yuan also collapsed, scattering into a skyful of light motes that were pinched in the palm of a Bai Xi hand.

"Puh!"

From the distant void, Li Yuan stumbled out; in that single moment, the mystic vine scattered — it was as if he had lost a life!

"Buzz~"

He raised his eyes and looked, only to see layer upon layer of light wheels rising behind the white-robed Five Dragon Immortal, ten thousand wondrous sights interweaving, transforming into a divine city that seemed to contain boundless Dao mysteries.

The Origin Divine City!

The divine city was towering, possessing the power to suppress the universe; the moment its shadow appeared, Li Yuan felt his body and spirit sink, as if his magic power could not circulate normally, and the Shan Xuan You Body Protection Shield he had activated burst apart with a 'bang'.

"Ancestor of all arts, the Origin Divine City!"

The white-robed Five Dragon Immortal lightly raised her hand, and the mote of light pinched in her palm drifted and fell behind her.

Yu Yu Xuanji, within that divine city, beams of light bloomed one after another.

Under Li Yuan's incredulous gaze, at one corner of the divine city, a giant tree thrust up from the ground, lush and verdant — unmistakably a mystic vine tree!

"Buzz~"

The white-robed Five Dragon Immortal flicked a finger.

The divine city trembled lightly, then a thousand-zhang tree demon strode forth from within it, gripping a massive shield, letting out an earth-shaking roar.

"... This works too?"

The phantom of the mystic vine reappeared behind Li Yuan; ten thousand vines transformed into tree armor to reinforce his body. He leaped up, and his long-handled heavy hammer in an instant stretched out for thousands of li,

smashing down heavily upon the Five Dragon Immortal.

"Bang~"

The tree demon raised its shield and withstood the heavy hammer, then let out a great roar and shot forth; its speed was extreme, and it unmistakably bore traces of the Sky Peng Dun Fa and the Wu Xing Dun Fa!

"What kind of Dao Body is this?"

Li Yuan's eyelids twitched wildly, and he suddenly thought of Lin Yue and Wu Wu Yunlong.

'So this is what it feels like to have one's Dao Body crushed?'

"Boom!"

Li Yuan leaped up; though shocked by that Five Dragon Immortal's Gu Gu Shentong Dao Body, he refused to believe this tree demon could match him in martial combat!

And just as he had expected, though that tree demon bore many arts upon its body, it lacked his martial blessing.

"Bang~"

In less than thirty exchanges, Li Yuan smashed that tree demon to pieces with one hammer, then Yu Yu Xuanji charged toward the Five Dragon Immortal.

"Again!"

The white-robed Five Dragon Immortal's eyes shone brightly; Yu Yu Xuanji she flicked a finger, and the divine city behind her thundered, and another tree demon came forth to fight.

"?!"

One hammer yielded nothing; Li Yuan was somewhat startled — this tree demon was actually growing stronger through fighting him?

"Again!"

The Five Dragon Immortal flicked another finger, the divine city behind her thundered, and another mystic vine tree thrust up from the ground.

Then, under Li Yuan's horrified gaze, one after another...

He had just hammered that second tree demon to death, yet over a hundred identical tree demons actually walked out of that divine city — some bearing shields, some leaning on hammers, some bare-handed, some carrying long swords on their backs.

"..."

"He's lost!"

In the darkness, the Bronze Coffin Spirit broke the silence; it looked toward the dissipating Li Yuan in the light screen, and felt an inexplicable dread in its heart.

The one within the palace — is it the Five Dragon Immortal?

It is, and yet it isn't!

It was personally buried by the Five Dragon Venerable within the river of time, and knows all too well the purpose for which my lord forged the six heavens of this Shen Zang Mi Jing!

He transformed the Daoized shadows of five mighty beings possessing the aptitude of Divine Emperors into the Illusory Realm, hoping that one day the Five Dragon Immortal could break the Divine Burial Coffin and prove herself a Divine Emperor!

And this first trial's Five Dragon Immortal possessed the bloodline, Gu divine abilities, and cultivation method of the Five Dragon Immortal — only the combat consciousness came from the Five Dragon Venerable!

"... I'll nap for a bit."

The Five Dragon Immortal closed both eyes, utterly disinclined to speak.

"Puh!"

Within the bamboo tower, the burning spirit incense was snuffed out by the surge of qi; Li Yuan opened his eyes, startled to find sweat on his forehead and his back actually soaked through.

"This works too?!"

Recalling the scene of himself being hammered to death by over a hundred tree demons, Li Yuan felt it was absurd in the extreme.

Setting aside what method that Five Dragon Immortal had used to replicate his mystic vine tree demon Ying Mo Shen, the sheer ability to activate over a hundred at once was already excessive.

How immensely deep must that magic power be?

"What the hell — this is Third Realm?!"

Li Yuan froze for quite a while before finally suppressing his surging emotions.

After consecutively defeating Lin Yue, Wu Wu Yunlong, and Huang Yuan, he had thought that even if he wasn't invincible among the Third Realm, he was among the very top tier.

The result...

"Origin Divine Fetus?"

"No, not just the Origin Divine Fetus — there's also that divine light, and the Origin Divine City..."

Li Yuan focused his mind to review that battle just now; after carefully sorting through and analyzing it, he felt he had underestimated this Origin Princess far too much.

"A peak-grade Dao Body, the True Form Diagram of the Origin Divine City, and a perfectly compatible Gu Gu Shentong... and her magic power..."

"Is absolutely not upper-grade!"

Recalling the fluctuations of magic power from the Five Dragon Immortal, Li Yuan's expression was solemn.

It was a composite magic power; in terms of grade, even though he had blended three upper-grade and seven Zhong Pin Fa, it still fell short!

"Top-grade magic power?"

Li Yuan furrowed his brow.

Magic power is only divided into upper, middle, and lower grades, but he believed that the magic power of that Five Dragon Immortal no longer belonged to the upper-grade category.

"If I combine the Wu Di Fa into one, can I compete in grade with her 'Origin Magic Power'?"

His thoughts churned for a long while, but Li Yuan's eyes gradually brightened.

"From now on, I'll use this Five Dragon Immortal as my mirror. If I can defeat her head-on, then my foundation and reserves in the Third Realm will truly be perfect and flawless!"

At this thought, Li Yuan felt no sense of loss from being defeated at all, only his fighting spirit soaring. He saw, after Senior Brother Huang Yuan, yet another guiding lamp.

……

Having decided in his heart to use the Five Dragon Immortal as a mirror to hone his own foundation.

For the next few days, Li Yuan did not go challenge her again, but instead began challenging Huang Yuan once more. He no longer activated the 'Prison-Suppressing Gu Gu Shentong', and began honing himself anew.

Even if the next several hundred battles brought no chance of victory, he would still relish it.

Thus, during the day Li Yuan practiced Xing Gong, refining Fa, body, and demon; at night he visualized the True Form Diagram, challenged Huang Yuan, and honed his combat Fa and his Chaotic Body.

Several days later, Li Yuan made some slight progress again; he had refined the eighth Zhong Pin Fa—the Candle Dragon magic power, which possessed the transformations of yin and yang.

"Hum~"

Feeling the various magic powers circulating and intertwining within his body, Li Yuan slowly opened his eyes.

The Candle Dragon magic power was not among the Five Elements, but relying on the powerful properties of the Chaotic Body, it very easily merged into his own magic power system.

"Still missing the ninth True Form."

Letting out a long breath, Li Yuan did not go practice Xing Gong to refine Fa.

He had Li Yi and Li Er tidy up the bamboo tower and prepare spiritual meals, while he himself rose and left the cave heaven.

Today was the day Qi Yun descended the mountain; they had arranged to gather here for a small get-together.

(End of this chapter)