Chapter 189

　　”Wanru…”

　　”Divine Nun!”

　　Xia Yushu, Wang Hongyu, Bai Bufan, and Yuan Fuyao rushed to the edge of the cliff. Seeing Qi Fei, Wang Wanru, and the Snow Mountain Nun who had fallen into the pool and were being sucked into the whirlpool, they all stopped.

　　No matter how you look at it, this pool doesn’t seem quite right.

　　”This looks like the Blood Tiger Pool, everyone please don’t do anything foolish!” Bai Bufan said solemnly.

　　”What do you mean?” Everyone looked at him.

　　Bai Bufan sighed and explained, “There’s a legend at Dachan Temple that hundreds of years ago, there was a blood tiger in Jinding Mountain. It possessed the bloodline of an ancient beast and was extremely ferocious, devouring countless monks and woodcutters. Later, many eminent monks from Dachan Temple, together with masters from various martial arts sects, drove the blood tiger back to Blood Tiger Pool. That Blood Tiger Pool is also very strange; any water that enters it never flows out, and its destination is unknown. Ancient records from Dachan Temple say that Blood Tiger Pool leads to the underworld, and anyone who accidentally enters it is doomed to die, with no chance of survival! I never imagined that Blood Tiger Pool would be here…”

　　At this moment, Wang Hongyu suddenly glared angrily at Yuan Fuyao and shouted, “You bastard, what the hell did you mean just now?!”

　　”What’s wrong with me?” Yuan Fuyao said with a cold smile.

　　Wang Hongyu shoved him and yelled angrily, “You fucking almost killed Wanru just now!”

　　Yuan Fuyao chuckled and said casually, “Brother Wang, you’re overthinking it. I wanted to kill Qi Fei because I had long anticipated that Qi Fei would turn around. As everyone saw, it wasn’t me who killed Wang Wanru; she jumped down on her own.”

　　Wang Hongyu clenched his fists so tightly they cracked, wishing he could kill Yuan Fuyao in the most cruel way possible.

　　”Alright!” Xia Yushu said in a low voice, “We’re all brothers, let’s not embarrass ourselves anymore, it’ll make us a laughing stock!”

　　Bai Bufan chuckled wickedly, “That’s right! No matter what, at least we killed Qi Fei. Although we sacrificed Wang Wanru and the Snow Mountain Nun, it was worth it… Oh, I’m sorry, please accept my condolences, Brother Wang!”

　　Xia Yushu patted Wang Hongyu on the shoulder and said, “Brother Wang, I am also very saddened by Wanru’s death. After all, she was my imperial concubine. Alas!”

　　With a sorrowful expression, he turned around and walked up the mountain.

　　Bai Bufan and Yuan Fuyao followed behind him.

　　Wang Hongyu trembled a few times, watching their backs, a flash of hatred in his eyes. He took a deep breath and followed them.

　　…

　　On a mountain path at the foot of Jinding Mountain.

　　Fang Huaxian, Gu Yinzhang, and the others were still waiting for Leng Shuxue and the others. They waited for most of the night, and just when they couldn’t help but want to go back to check what was going on, suddenly the wind howled and several figures came from the mountain path.

　　Upon closer inspection, everyone realized it was Feng Liyao and the others, and quickly went forward to help them.

　　”Why haven’t you left yet?” Feng Liyao asked Fang Huaxian.

　　Fang Huaxian explained, then asked, “Where are Fei’er and Yu Yao?” She thought Qi Fei and Li Yu Yao should be with Feng Li Yao and the others.

　　Feng Liyao said, “It’s a long story. Fei’er left from somewhere else, and as for Yuyao… she’s not at the Great Zen Temple; she must have gotten lost. Let’s go back to Yunzhou City first and discuss everything further.”

　　”Your Majesty, are you injured?” Yu Youyang noticed that Feng Liyao’s face was a little pale.

　　”Let’s leave here first.” Feng Liyao waved her hand and led the group along the mountain path towards Yunzhou City.

　　Li Yuyao was indeed lost.

　　Although she was heading downhill, Jinding Mountain was extremely rugged and the forest was dense. Once she got lost, it would be difficult to find the mountain path again. She walked through the mountains by the light of the moon, listening to the strange cries that occasionally rang out around her, which made her feel terrified.

　　”You stinky senior brother, you bad senior brother…” Li Yuyao cautiously made her way down the mountain, occasionally complaining about Qi Fei, not knowing what Qi Fei had done to offend her.

　　“You wicked senior brother… why didn’t you come to pick me up! I’m so angry… where am I? Waaah…” Li Yuyao looked around blankly, almost crying.

　　After Feng Liyao and the others descended the mountain and reunited with Gu Gongyin and the others, they finally left—

　　Li Yuyao tumbled down from the dense jungle. The sky was gradually brightening, and the horizon was already tinged with the pale light of dawn. Li Yuyao stood up, looking at the long-unseen mountain path, and was so moved she almost cried!

　　”I made it out! Yay…” Li Yuyao happily patted the dust off her body. Her clothes were almost torn to shreds, and her exquisite and curvaceous figure was vaguely visible.

　　Exhausted, Li Yuyao rested for a while by the roadside, then spotted the road leading to Yunzhou City and continued on her way.

　　Just then, a group of people walked towards them on the mountain path. They were all dressed in black and white Taoist robes and had long swords hanging at their waists. They were clearly members of the nearby Shaoyue Sect.

　　Li Yuyao frowned, lowered her head, and moved to the side.

　　The relationship between the Shaoyue Sect and the Kun Kingdom is not good. They even once helped the Daqian Dynasty to deal with the Kun Kingdom. Now they have become the lackeys of the Daxia Dynasty. They are enemies, not friends. She is alone, so it is best to avoid people from the Shaoyue Sect.

　　The more you try to hide something, the more people tend to pay attention to it. Especially since Li Yuyao’s clothes were torn in many places and she was dirty, yet she had a good figure and a pretty face, she attracted even more attention.

　　These people were none other than the Seven Immortals of Shaoyue. The leader was Zhang Zhen’e. He glanced at Li Yuyao curiously a few times. When he looked away, the second-in-command of the Seven Immortals of Shaoyue suddenly stared at Li Yuyao and said, “Hey, this little girl looks familiar. She seems to be from Kun Kingdom.”

　　”Oh?” Upon hearing this, the group stopped and all looked at Li Yuyao.

　　Upon hearing this, Li Yuyao immediately quickened her pace.

　　This only fueled their suspicions, and they immediately stepped forward to stop her, surrounding her. The third of the Seven True Men of Shaoyue carefully examined her and suddenly said, “Isn’t this the little girl from the Diancang Sect?”

　　”That’s right, it’s her. This little girl is now Feng Liyao’s woman!”

　　”Why is she here alone? Could she have escaped from Golden Peak Mountain?”

　　”That must be it. The sect leader ordered us to go to the Great Zen Temple to provide support, most likely because a battle has already broken out there. I didn’t expect to run into our enemies on the way. This is truly a stroke of luck.”

　　”What did the boss say?”

　　Everyone looked at Zhang Zhen’e.

　　Zhang Zhen stroked his beard, thought for a moment, then reached out and pinched Li Yuyao’s chin, lifting her head. Just as he was about to speak, Li Yuyao slapped his hand away, took a few steps back, and angrily shouted, “What do you want to do?!”

　　Her push immediately displeased Zhang Zhen’e. He snorted coldly and said, “What a little girl! You’ve got quite a temper. I was going to let you off the hook, but since you’re so ungrateful, don’t blame us, Shao Yue Qi Zhen, for being impolite!” With that, he began to draw his sword.

　　”Big Brother,” the second of the Seven True Men of Shaoyue rolled his eyes, looking Li Yuyao up and down, glancing at her buttocks repeatedly, “This little girl is really tender, it would be a waste to kill her directly, it would be better to… do you understand what I mean?”

　　“This…” Zhang Zhen frowned. Although the Shaoyue Sect did not prohibit women, they were in a hurry to get to Jinding Mountain and did not have time for worldly affairs. “I’m afraid that if we delay important matters, it will be difficult to explain to the sect leader.”

　　The others said, “It doesn’t matter,” “It won’t take long,” and “Let’s have some fun.”

　　”Alright.” Seeing that they were in agreement, Zhang Zhen’e stopped insisting. “Since that’s the case, then each of you can have your turn once, but not for too long.” With that, he sheathed his longsword.

　　In an instant, the seven well-dressed middle-aged men transformed into ravenous beasts, rubbing their hands together and surrounding Li Yuyao.

　　”What do you want to do? Get out of my way… Ah! Help…” Li Yuyao understood what they meant immediately. She cried out in alarm and drew her sword to fight back.

　　However, Shao Yue Qi Zhen were all innate masters. Each of them made a move and instantly subdued her, sealing her acupoints. They surrounded her, intending to drag her into the bushes and assault her.

　　Just then, a deep voice came from behind: “Stop.”

　　”Who?” Shao Yueqi turned his head to see who was the fool who wanted to do chivalrous deeds.

　　A black sedan chair was parked on the road, with three old men and an old sedan chair bearer setting it down. These four were none other than the Four Elders of Qiankun.

　　Shao Yueqi recognized the Four Elders of Qiankun and knew they were Xia Yushu’s men. Upon seeing them, he became slightly wary.

　　At this moment, the sedan curtain was lifted, and an elderly man, with a black hood covering his head, walked out. His face was not visible.

　　Shao Yueqi looked at it and realized it wasn’t Xia Yushu, which immediately piqued his curiosity.

　　Although Yuan Fuyao joined the Great Xia Dynasty on behalf of the Shaoyue faction, the Seven True Men of Shaoyue had never met Jiang Yuangong and therefore did not recognize him.

　　”Who are you?” Zhang Zhen’e asked, one hand gripping the hilt of his longsword, ready to strike at any moment.

　　”How dare you! You have no right to speak to our master!” Old Man Dongsheng said coldly.

　　The Seven True Men of Shaoyue were furious upon hearing this. Their Shaoyue Sect was a renowned sect in the martial arts world. Who would dare to look down on them like this? Even Wang Hongyu and Xia Yushu were not allowed to do so. Their sect leader, Yuan Fuyao, treated them with courtesy and great respect!

　　Faced with such humiliation, Shao Yue Qi Zhen could not tolerate it. With a few clangs, he drew his sword and confronted Zhang Zhen’e, who coldly snorted, “How dare you meddle in the affairs of Shao Yue Qi Zhen, and speak so rudely! Today, I’ll teach you a lesson! Form the formation—”

　　The seven men instantly took their positions and set up a sword formation of the Shaoyue Sect, intending to give these people a severe lesson.

　　”You blind fool, even a god can’t save you from your fate!”

　　Seeing that they not only ignored the advice but also dared to be violent towards Jiang Yuangong, the Four Elders of Qiankun immediately took action. Instead of retreating, they advanced and used the “Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiend Demonic Art” to attack Shaoyue Qizhen.

　　In an instant, the two sides started fighting.

　　The Seven True Men of Shaoyue are the pillars of the Shaoyue Sect. Each of them is highly skilled in martial arts and has reached the Innate Realm. They are famous in the martial arts world. Even if they encounter a Heavenly Realm expert, they can fight for a few moves when they join forces.

　　The Four Elders of Qiankun were also of comparable strength, and after exchanging several blows, neither side gained the upper hand. The problem was that Jiang Yuangong was standing behind the Four Elders of Qiankun.

　　Jiang Yuangong flashed forward, leaving a trail of blood and screams in his wake. Before long, the seven Shaoyue Zhen were all killed and lay in pools of blood.

　　Zhang Zhen’e fell to the ground. In the instant he lost consciousness, he saw Jiang Yuangong’s face: blood-red eyes, fangs protruding from his mouth, and an aged face that appeared incredibly mysterious and terrifying. He died without understanding who he had offended.

　　Jiang Yuangong waved his sleeve as if he had done something insignificant, his expression returning to normal. He straightened himself and approached Li Yuyao. The Four Elders of Qiankun stood behind him, each with a blank expression.

　　At this moment, Li Yuyao was already terrified. The battle in front of her was caused by her. The most crucial thing was that both sides in the fight were bad guys, all of them from the Great Xia Dynasty. She couldn’t understand why they would kill each other.

　　However, when she saw Jiang Yuangong walking over, she suddenly remembered that this was the old man she had seen outside Yunzhou City a few days ago.

　　”Little girl, are you alright?” Jiang Yuangong walked up to Li Yuyao and asked in a gentle tone.

　　”It’s your grandpa! Your martial arts skills are amazing!” Only then did Li Yuyao realize that the old man was not a beggar at all, but a top martial arts master. However, she had never heard of such a person in the martial arts world.

　　”Hehe.” Jiang Yuangong’s eyes softened as he smiled. “My martial arts skills are just so-so. Actually, your martial arts skills are too poor. In comparison, I am only slightly better than you.”

　　”Are you… are you a bad person?” Although Li Yuyao did not know that the person in front of her was the Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiend Demon God, seeing him walking with the Four Elders of Qiankun and the other party calling him “Master”, he did not seem like a good person at all.

　　Jiang Yuangong smiled faintly and said, “Youth is wonderful. Good is the source of evil, and evil is the root of good. Bad people are all spoiled by good people. When a person is evil to the extreme, he will understand his true nature and become a Buddha on the spot. Who can truly say what is good and evil in this world?” As he spoke, he looked her up and down, making Li Yuyao very uncomfortable, and her little face turned red.

　　“So alike, so very alike…” Jiang Yuangong finished speaking and then asked, “What’s your name?”

　　“My name is Li Yuyao…” Li Yuyao said bravely. She felt that the other person had no ill intentions at all, but was even very kind. He had a warm aura about him, which gave her a strong sense of security, as if he were a strong support like a father.

　　“Yao Yao…” Jiang Yuangong paused slightly, looking at the little girl in front of him with a strange look, wanting to reach out and touch her head.

　　Li Yuyao felt uneasy under his gaze, took a step back, and said, “Grandpa, you…”

　　Jiang Yuangong withdrew his withered hand and said with a faint smile, “Don’t be afraid, I won’t hurt you. Your martial arts are too poor, it’s hard for you to protect yourself, and you’re too kind-hearted. The world is dangerous, and you could be in danger at any time.”

　　”I…I’m bad at martial arts?” Li Yuyao thought to herself that she was at least a master of innate skill. If it were a one-on-one fight, none of the Seven True Men of Shaoyue could beat her. It was just that there were more of them.

　　Jiang Yuangong said, “You’re terrible, so I plan to teach you martial arts so you’ll have the most basic skills to navigate the martial world.”

　　”Huh? I still have to go to Yunzhou City!” Li Yuyao was completely dumbfounded.

　　Jiang Yuangong didn’t listen to her continue, but simply took her small hand and helped her into the sedan chair. Once Li Yuyao was inside, the Four Elders of Qiankun lifted the sedan chair and sped away into the distance.

　　The four elders of Qiankun carried the sedan chair with incredible speed. Li Yuyao looked at the grass and trees flashing by outside from inside the sedan chair, as if she were flying. Yet the sedan chair was very stable and did not shake at all. She felt as if she were flying inside.

　　After an unknown amount of time, the scenery outside suddenly slowed down, and finally the sedan chair came to a stop. Li Yuyao rubbed her sleepy eyes and stepped out of the sedan chair.

　　She had just taken a peaceful nap in the sedan chair, and now she looked radiant and full of energy.

　　”Where is this?” Li Yuyao noticed several thatched huts in front of her, surrounded by plum, peach and other fruit trees, all covered in flowers, with a fragrant aroma wafting through the air.

　　Looking around, a stream meanders around the left side, and there are low hills on all sides. The environment is quite nice, but there is no other house in sight.

　　The old man from Dongsheng said, “This is the border between Yunzhou and Zhongzhou, the place where our master secluded himself for meditation.”

　　Li Yuyao couldn’t help but ask, “Who is your master?”

　　Before she could finish her question, a dark shadow flashed past, and Jiang Yuangong appeared before her, saying calmly, “Girl, you don’t need to know who I am. Just focus on practicing your martial arts. From today onwards, you will live here. It’s not too late to go down the mountain when you have mastered your skills.”

　　”Come, let me show you where you’ll rest.” The old woman from Beihai kindly took Li Yuyao’s hand and led her into the house.

　　At this moment, Li Yuyao suddenly felt that these people were not as bad as she had imagined. For example, the old woman in front of her was completely different from her fierce appearance before!

　　Since the other party had no intention of harming her, Li Yuyao decided to stay there. She thought that she might be able to influence them and persuade them to abandon evil and do good, and perhaps Kun Kingdom could even gain more assistance from this.

　　For two consecutive days, Li Yuyao wandered around the thatched hut and quickly became familiar with the environment and terrain. The Four Elders of Qiankun accompanied her, ready to answer her every command. They prepared meals for her at mealtimes, but Jiang Yuangong was nowhere to be seen.

　　On the morning of the third day, Jiang Yuangong suddenly returned from outside, carrying a porcelain bowl filled with an unknown liquid.

　　”Grandpa, where have you been? I’ve found a lot of interesting things around here these past two days, like dragonflies, butterflies, bees, and even ant nests…” Li Yuyao walked up happily.

　　Jiang Yuangong laughed and said, “Come on, drink this.”

　　Li Yuyao took the porcelain bowl he handed her and saw that the liquid inside was a dark red color, yet it shimmered with a faint golden light in the sunlight. It had a strange fragrance, but she didn’t know what it was.

　　Li Yuyao thought to herself, if the other party wanted to harm her, why would they need to use poison? Without hesitation, she opened her mouth and drank the liquid inside.

　　It tastes slightly fishy. After the liquid enters the stomach, I suddenly feel a surge of heat in my lower dantian. Warm currents flow from the lower dantian to the meridians throughout my body.

　　”Such powerful true energy!” Li Yuyao was stunned for a moment. She felt that the true energy in her body had suddenly become several times stronger for some reason. Although she had also reached the Innate Realm before, the true energy in her body was only about thirty years’ worth at most. But now that she had reached the peak of the Innate Realm, she had the power of a full sixty years, and the purity of the energy had also improved.

　　Seeing the smile on Jiang Yuangong’s face, Li Yuyao suddenly realized that what he had given her must be some kind of elixir to enhance her power. She was immediately filled with gratitude and knelt down on one knee, saying, “Thank you for your generous gift, Grandpa!”

　　“What a silly girl, hehe…” Jiang Yuangong seemed very happy, and pulled Li Yuyao up with a kind expression. “To master high-level martial arts, you must have profound and pure internal energy as a foundation. However, the cultivation of internal energy cannot be accomplished overnight. Therefore, I can only directly pour internal energy into your body. You just need to cultivate diligently every day, and this internal energy will truly integrate into your body and become your own.”

　　”Grandpa, why are you so kind to me?” Li Yuyao looked at him with gratitude and confusion through her beautiful big eyes.

　　Jiang Yuangong looked into her beautiful eyes, and his expression suddenly faltered. He raised his head and said calmly, “Perhaps it’s fate… I’ve always regarded you as my own child. Alright, now, I will impart to you the supreme divine skill.”

　　Li Yuyao asked curiously, “Does such a martial art as the ‘Supreme Divine Skill’ exist in this world?”

　　Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuangong smiled and said, “There are three kinds of martial arts in this world, which are the most supreme divine skills in the world. They are all born of heaven and earth and cannot be created by human wisdom. Mastering any one of them is enough to make one look down on the world and roam the martial arts world freely.”

　　What kind of martial art is it?

　　”These are the ‘Heavenly Gods and Demons,’ the ‘Wordless Heavenly Book,’ and the ‘Battle God Technique.'”

　　Li Yuyao asked in confusion, “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of it before. I’ve only heard of the four great skills: Wuwei Dao Juan, Cihang Zhenjing, Mingyue Feihuang, and Hongri Zhaotianxia.”

　　Jiang Yuangong said, “The four great skills you mentioned all come from the ‘Book Without Words’. Because they are divided into four, they are not as good as the other two divine skills. Among these three divine skills, the ‘Dutian Shensha’ is about change. It contains the rules of change of all things in the world. After being condensed, it has 108 kinds of changes. Each change is unique. There is no change in the world that can escape from it.”

　　”What about the other two divine skills?”

　　”The Book Without Words controls the power of the sun and moon, the power of the origin of the Heavenly Dao, and the power of the beliefs of all living beings… In short, it controls all existence, whether it exists or not.”

　　”The Battle God Technique focuses on combat. It is a pure technique that proves the Dao through strength, a divine skill that can break all laws with one force. It can powerfully shatter any kind of existence.”

　　Li Yuyao pouted and said with some disdain, “These divine skills sound so powerful, they must be very difficult to cultivate. If I were to master them, I don’t know how long it would take. I don’t really want to cultivate them. I want to go back to Kun Kingdom and enjoy the flowers with my sisters.”

　　Jiang Yuangong hurriedly said, “With my personal guidance, it won’t take too long, at least three months, at most three years… Hmm, as for flower viewing, there are quite a few flowers here…”

　　Li Yuyao continued, “But my sisters aren’t here, and my senior brother is too…”

　　Seeing her wavering mind, Jiang Yuangong said, “No rush, no rush. Once you’ve mastered the divine skill, I’ll have them send you down the mountain. Come, come, let me first teach you the general principles and incantations…”

　　”Grandpa, which of the three great martial arts skills are you going to teach me?”

　　”It is the ‘Dutian Shensha 

　　”But I want to learn the ‘Book Without Words’…”

　　”They’re all the same, equally powerful.”

　　”Alright then, I’ll reluctantly learn it!”

　　”Listen carefully, in the vast chaos, at the very beginning of creation…”

　　…