Chapter 735: The Origins of the Shi Li; Qin Qian Battles Li Yuan (Combined Chapter)

Yuhuan Zhen has come to visit?

"Is it again about that Demon Refining Ground?"

Li Yuan's heart stirred, and he went out to greet her.

Outside the grotto-heaven, when Yuhuan Zhen caught sight of Li Yuan, her heart gave a start:

"Junior Brother Li has already forged the Longhu Longhu Dadan?"

A little over thirty years, from entering the Dao to the Longhu Longhu Dadan — this speed was far faster than she had anticipated.

Especially after ascending to the peak of the Sword Realm, Li Yuan had been classified among the 'Foundation Faction' — as the name implied, cultivators who valued foundation over realm.

His foundation was solid, yet his cultivation speed was also this fast?

"A fortunate success."

Li Yuan smiled and invited Yuhuan Zhen inside.

This small grotto-heaven already had quite a bit of grandeur to it.

Streams of spiritual spring water gathered into rivers, irrigating a thousand mu of spiritual fields, and among the mountain ranges, spiritual beasts had already taken roost.

But for 'the Li big landlord,' this hardly counted as a family estate; letting Li Yi and Li Er manage it was merely to keep the grotto-heaven from looking too monotonous.

In the bamboo tower, Li Er had already brewed the spiritual tea.

"Junior Brother Li is a heaven-sent prodigy; no wonder he earned the Master's regard."

Yuhuan Zhen lifted her teacup, her gaze carrying a measure of complexity: "Congratulations, Junior Brother, on achieving the Longhu Longhu Dadan."

In just a little over thirty years, this Junior Brother who once had to tread carefully before her had already surpassed Yu Yu Wangxian, becoming the foremost among the true-inheritor sequence of this generation.

The weight of ascending to the peak of the Sword Realm was far too heavy.

That he could become a true inheritor of the 'Fu' generation was already an acknowledged matter among the disciples of Mount Mount Dongxuan; rather, it was she who had made almost no progress in over thirty years, and would most likely have to vie for the next generation's true-inheritor seat…

"Many thanks, Senior Sister."

Li Yuan also lifted his teacup and took a sip: "Senior Sister's coming — is there some important matter?"

"Mm…"

Yuhuan Zhen chose her words carefully: "Since Junior Brother has already forged the Longhu Longhu Dadan, the Refine-Demon Immortal-Slaying Sword must have reached the time for sword-sacrifice and sharpening. May I ask whether you've found a place for the sword-sacrifice?"

"The Longhu Longhu Dadan has just been formed and still needs to be stabilized, but indeed, I haven't yet found a place for the sword-sacrifice."

Li Yuan knew what she had come for, and set down his teacup:

"Senior Sister need not hesitate — speak plainly."

"Does Junior Brother still remember the Demon Refining Ground I once told you about?"

Yuhuan Zhen got straight to the point.

"I still recall how Senior Sister, with a flick of her finger, shifted us across tens of millions of li — it left Junior Brother awestruck as if in the presence of a celestial being."

Li Yuan picked up the teapot and poured tea for her.

"…Junior Brother, don't tease me."

Yuhuan Zhen's head swelled at the mere mention of it.

Li Yuan smiled: "Might Senior Sister speak of that Demon Refining Ground?"

"That Demon Refining Ground is called Shi Li Fa Jie — a small realm on the verge of collapse. It seems because the world is about to return to ruin, in recent years no one knows how many evil spirits and strange beasts it has spawned."

Seeing that Li Yuan had not refused outright, Yuhuan Zhen's heart leaped with joy, and she hastened to lay out every piece of intelligence she knew.

Li Yuan held his tea and listened quietly.

What Yuhuan Zhen said was more or less the same as what he had gathered before; in terms of detail, his own collection was actually more thorough.

"Legend has it that Shi Li Fa Jie has ten great variant ferocious beasts — the realm's name comes from them. But later, after the realm was opened up by the Dao Sect, these ten great beasts were never born again, until now that the realm is on the verge of collapse…"

Yuhuan Zhen was very candid, recounting everything she knew.

The one she had chosen was a variant beast among the Shi Li named 'Geng.'

"The Shi Li?"

Li Yuan gently turned his teacup, and the corresponding intelligence surfaced in his mind.

That Yong'an Fuxiu Daoren of Shizun Mountain was also a man of great sincerity; although he had not agreed to go himself, he had still sent over a scroll of intelligence on Shi Li Fa Jie.

He had read through it before, and it contained information on the Shi Li.

These were ten variant beasts born only when calamities and fortunes aligned — extremely rare, and top-grade materials for refining treasures and refining laws. Yong'an Fuxiu Daoren sought one named 'Chu.'

By his own account, it was for the sword-sacrifice refinement of the 'Immortal-Slaying Gourd.'

"To be frank with Junior Brother, over these decades I have hired people to explore this realm many times, but the gains have been meager. A few teams of cultivators did glimpse the Shi Li, yet were unable to capture them."

Yuhuan Zhen was somewhat helpless.

If not for the fact that Shi Li Fa Jie was on the verge of perishing — the moment one touched the law-realm, it would quake — she would have charged in alone decades ago.

"This matter — allow Junior Brother to mull it over a day or two. The Longhu Longhu Dadan has just been formed and still needs to be stabilized."

Li Yuan did not agree outright.

"Cultivation comes first — that is as it should be."

Yuhuan Zhen said no more, and rose to take her leave.

Li Yuan saw her out, returned to his room, and opened the Tongshi Orb to contact Wu Wu Yunlong. Not long after, a beam of light rose, and a hearty voice rang out:

"Long have I heard of Daoist Li's great name; meeting you today, you truly are dashing and elegant, a seed of the cultivation Dao!"

"Senior is too kind."

Li Yuan cupped his fist in return.

In the light-screen was a heroic-looking Daoist clad in a Chi Se Fa robe, with a red-skinned gourd hanging at his waist — seemingly the Immortal-Slaying Gourd, passed down to only one person per generation on Shizun Mountain.

He was sizing up Yong'an Fuxiu Daoren, and the latter was sizing him up; seeing his qi steady and perfectly harmonized, the latter was somewhat surprised:

"Daoist Li — you've forged the Longhu Longhu Dadan?"

"A few days ago I happened upon a trace of opportunity and, by good fortune, achieved success."

Lei Yuan didn't mind. He had just formed his Great Pill, so his aura was different from usual; any cultivator with broad experience could tell at a glance.

Daoist Yong'an naturally praised him effusively, then promptly got down to business:

"Fellow Daoist Lei, are you perhaps interested in going to that Shi Li Fa Jie?"

"I'm merely a little curious about that realm. Having just formed my Great Pill, though, it's not a good time for me to leave the mountain."

Lei Yuan left himself some room.

In fact, he had no intention of leaving the mountain at all. Instead, he planned to dispatch his Ying Mo Shen down the mountain for a trip, capture a Shi Li to sacrifice to his sword, and take care of a couple of trades along the way.

"In that case…"

Daoist Yong'an nodded, indicating he would answer whatever was asked.

Lei Yuan didn't stand on ceremony either, asking his many questions one by one, while Daoist Yong'an answered them all.

"The number of people eyeing this Shi Li Fa Jie is probably not small."

After a long while, Lei Yuan put away the communication sphere, turning the matter over in his mind.

What Daoist Yong'an knew was clearly far more than what True Person Yuhuan had known.

These Shi Li were born in response to fortune and tribulation, suspected to be connected to the will of the realm's heavens — that was Daoist Yong'an's account. Lei Yuan himself guessed that this will of the realm's heavens was probably the 'Heavenly Heart.'

"Before the Dao Sect opened up Shi Li Fa Jie, it had never produced a Dao Sovereign either; it could only be considered a minor realm. The Heavenly Heart of this realm may be of little use to a Dao Sovereign, but for great cultivators, its usefulness would be enormous."

"Named Shi Li on the surface, but in truth aimed at the Heavenly Heart?"

Lei Yuan's thoughts churned. He felt it was worth a try. After all, his Ying Mo Shen was idle anyway, and the Lei Chi he had accumulated over more than twenty years was nearly overflowing.

"If there really is a Heavenly Heart, I'm not unable to throw in a stake!"

At the turn of a thought, Lei Yuan reached out to sense his Ying Mo Shen; the latter was still on the road to the Sword God Tomb.

……

Whooo~

Opening Gui Xu was dim and dark, with almost no light.

A wisp of black shadow threaded through the gloom, like a drop of water into the sea, drawing no attention at all.

The Ying Mo Shen was hurrying on its way.

Under the concealment of the demonic shadow, the Nine-Smoke Veil was driven to its utmost, and its speed was quite fast.

"My speed is far slower than Senior Brother Master Fufa's, and that's only because he deliberately slowed down to bring me along. Otherwise, he'd be ten thousand times faster than me, at the very least…"

Lei Yuan took up residence in his Ying Mo Shen, using Ying Mo Fa's magic power to drive the Nine-Smoke Veil.

His main body's cultivation was at the fourth realm, and the Ying Mo Shen's accumulated energy was even more abundant, so it naturally stepped into the fourth realm as well. This Nine-Smoke Veil—a Jin De Shang Pin spiritual treasure with only a basic divine restriction—was naturally driven with ease.

In an instant, it could shift clouds nine times, teleporting nearly three hundred thousand li.

Yet when Daoist Master Fufa drove it casually, in an instant it could leap ten thousand times, and a hundred million li was but a snap of the fingers.

"The gap between realms is like a chasm."

Lei Yuan muttered to himself, forcefully driving the Nine-Smoke Veil, racing at top speed toward the Sword God Tomb. At the same time, he split his attention to observe the dim lands of Opening Gui Xu; if he came across an odd place of low grade, he wouldn't mind taking a detour.

Half a year later, the Ying Mo Shen arrived at the Sword God Continent, tossed that wisp of aura into the Sword Realm, then promptly turned and left, returning to Mount Mount Dongxuan.

……

"Bang~"

A figure tumbled out of the Sword Realm, then promptly covered its face and fled.

In the void of the Sword Realm, the Tai Shan Xuan Tong Tian Sword watched coldly. It was a Dharma-Haven cultivator who had used a secret treasure to suppress his realm; the sword had driven him out of the Sword Realm.

The reason it was only a beating was out of deference to that Lord Lord Tianyu, a Dao Sovereign. Otherwise, given its temperament, it would have surely traced back along the sword and severed his Dharma-Haven.

"A Mu Mu Xiantian Sword Dao Holy Body is hard to find…"

The Tai Shan Xuan Tong Tian Sword sighed.

In these past twenty-some years, the number of cultivators climbing the Sword Realm was greater than in the past million years. Though the vast majority had no real potential, there were also quite a few outstanding prodigies among them.

Take that Qin Qian, for instance — he possessed a Spacetime Divine Body, was skilled in both law and martial arts, and had an exceptional talent for combat. Eight times in all, he had fought his way to the eleventh layer of the Sword Realm, which even drew a sideways glance from the sword.

But he was not a Mu Mu Xiantian Sword Dao Holy Body.

"If I were to choose him, why not choose Lei Yuan?"

The Tai Shan Xuan Tong Tian Sword looked toward the eleventh layer of the Sword Realm. Qin Qian was making his ninth assault on that layer; he seemed to have cultivated a body-tempering Gu Gu Shentong, and had successively defeated the Young Sword Sovereign and the Middle-Aged Sword Sovereign.

"A Spacetime Holy Body, and yet he cultivates a body-tempering Gu Gu Shentong?"

Seeing this scene, the Tai Shan Xuan Tong Tian Sword frowned inwardly.

The Spacetime Holy Body corresponds to the Great Dao of Void. All laws are void yet real, real yet void; fixing the void and breaking realms gives it an innate advantage. By no means should he be cultivating any body-tempering Gu Gu Shentong.

This was even more awkward than that Lei Yuan in a Daoist robe yet wielding a hammer…

"Buzz~"

Just then, the Tai Shan Xuan Tong Tian Sword's heart stirred. Following the sound, it looked and saw a wisp of aura coming from the Sword Realm's entrance, and in a flash, it shot straight toward the twelfth layer of the Sword Realm.

"This is — Lei Yuan's aura?"

At the turn of a thought, the Tai Shan Xuan Tong Tian Sword had already blocked itself in front of that aura. With a slight sensing, it had already reacted:

"His cultivation has made tremendous progress again?"

Cursing inwardly, the Tai Shan Xuan Tong Tian Sword still did not sever this aura. The Dao Sovereign's beloved disciple — it truly could not afford to provoke him.

However…

"This kid surpassed that Qin Qian by far twenty years ago, and now he's made tremendous progress again. This…"

Watching that aura sink into the twelfth layer of the Sword Realm, the Tai Shan Xuan Tong Tian Sword felt a touch of melancholy in its heart.

If, within a hundred years, no one could surpass that Lei Yuan, would it really have to call that kid its master?

……

"Xu Xu Xunyi has finally fought his way into the eleventh floor — his cultivation has greatly advanced!"

"His Divine Palace was already complete long ago; without breaking through to a new realm, where would any great advancement come from? He merely spent over twenty years refining a single Gu Gu Shentong, that's all."

"Qin Qian has lost again!"

Outside the Sword Realm, a great number of cultivators were watching the battle, not lacking among them some Image-Preserving Lords.

Under the gaze of the crowd, Qin Qian and Xu Xu Xunyi, who had successively charged into the eleventh floor of the Sword Realm, were defeated one after another — the former fell to the hands of the old Sword Monarch, while the latter narrowly lost to that young Sword Monarch.

"Can't beat him…"

Outside the Sword Realm, Qin Qian staggered a few steps; that sword had nearly split his Divine Realm open, and despite his profound foundation, he was somewhat unable to withstand it.

Because he had already suffered nine consecutive defeats.

"I've refined the 'Nine Transformations of Ying Ying Xuantian,' and my physical body is no inferior to that of an ordinary cultivator of the Fourth realm, yet I still can't block this sword. How is it that Li Yuan's 'Eight Wastes Prison-Suppression' can withstand it?"

Returning to the small courtyard, Qin Qian could only barely swallow a single spiritual pill, his heart filled with shock and doubt.

The Nine Transformations of Ying Ying Xuantian that he had learned came from the 'Lord Ying Ying Xuantian of Ying Ying Xuantian' of the 'Immortal Yang Great Realm'; it was said that that Lord had clashed with Lord Lord Tianyu many times and was his mortal enemy.