"Old man Sword, how about we join forces? Once those two arrive, it'll be hard to divide between these two women. You can have the one with the sword, and I can have the other one, how about that?" Thunder Venerable moved his left arm, which had been injured by the sword, and it had almost fully recovered. With a flash of lightning, his hands were covered in lightning.
"Gentlemen, such a beauty should be enjoyed by yourself, lest you incur the wrath of the crowd!"
"Damn it, even the old ghost Huang Quan has arrived!" Lei Zun Zhe gritted his teeth slightly, and then heard a strange laugh with a slightly sinister tone.
"If the abbot doesn't appear, neither of us will be able to leave today!" Medusa said in a deep voice as she watched a dark light burst forth from the foot of the mountain.
"Look at the sky!" Yun Yun smiled slightly and pointed to the sky.
Medusa raised her jade-like chin and saw that the violent energy tides in the sky had actually stabilized, and the entire sky was now a fiery red, like a summer sunset.
Upon seeing this unusual phenomenon, her heart immediately calmed down.
This time, another Dou Zun appeared, the Pavilion Master of Huangquan Pavilion, Huangquan Venerable. He was dressed in a black robe, his face was pale, and there was a hint of gloom between his brows. His eyes were black and white, which looked quite strange.
"Why hasn't Venerable Feng arrived yet? Has he abandoned his good disciple, Mu Qingfeng?"
"Huh!" The Sword Master suddenly looked up at the sky and said, "The energy tide has actually stabilized?"
Venerable Huangquan laughed and said, "The four of us have explored the Tianmu Mountains together. The energy tides are unpredictable, so it's not surprising that they can remain stable for a while!"
"But something feels off... The power of heaven and earth is something even we Dou Zun find hard to withstand!"
Just then, a sound like a dragon's roar suddenly came from the foot of the mountain.
"This old guy is clearly the fastest, but he always likes to be the last one to arrive!" The Sword Master turned his gaze back from the sky.
Just as the Sword Venerable finished speaking, a sharp blue wind howled in, then stopped, and an old man stepped out from within it.
"Lord Wind, you've finally arrived!"
The Four Directions Pavilion and the Four Venerable Ones have actually gathered in the Tianmu Mountains.
Chapter 165 Preparing for Seclusion
The Four Directions Pavilion became a renowned power in the Central Plains precisely because it had a Dou Zun expert in charge.
Although it cannot compare with the Soul Palace and the Pill Tower, and is far inferior to the hidden ancient eight clans and the three demonic beast clans, it is not to be underestimated among the forces in the Central Plains.
The Four Directions Pavilion is neither a sect nor an alliance, but in many ways they are closely connected, while the competition between them is extremely fierce.
The strongest among them is still the "Wind Venerable," who reached the highest level last, a four-star Dou Zun, the founder of the Starfall Pavilion, and currently the acting pavilion master. Jiang Liu can hardly recall many specific details in Doupo, but he knows the "Starfall Pavilion" very well.
The former Pavilion Master is none other than Yao Chen, the old man in the protagonist Xiao Yan's ring, and also a close friend of the "Wind Venerable." If Xiao Yan were to arrive in Zhongzhou, this would be the first person he would seek out.
This "Wind Venerable" wore a green robe, with long hair cascading over his shoulders, giving him a carefree air. His appearance was not ordinary; even in his old age, one could still discern a hint of handsomeness. Presumably, he must have been quite good-looking in his youth. Among the four Venerables, judging solely from appearance, he was superior. Moreover, perhaps because he cultivated wind-attribute battle qi, his aura was somewhat ethereal and unpredictable, giving him an eerie and unfathomable feel.
The Thunder Venerable of the Wind and Thunder Pavilion and the Sword Venerable of the Myriad Swords Pavilion are evenly matched, both being three-star Dou Zun. Only the Yellow Spring Venerable of the Yellow Springs Pavilion is slightly weaker, being a two-star Dou Zun. Moreover, this Yellow Spring Venerable was defeated by the Wind Venerable in a hundred rounds, harboring resentment. He is ruthless and domineering by nature, and will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. His relationship with the Wind Venerable is extremely hostile.
"I do not wish for a fifth major power to emerge in the northern region of Central China."
With the four Venerable Ones gathered, Venerable Thunder spoke in a deep voice.
"This is what we agreed upon. The Four Directions Pavilion cannot have a fifth force. We don't need many of these. I want that sword, and you shouldn't compete with me for it!" The Sword Venerable said, his eyes burning as he looked at the Azure Ox Sword in Yun Yun's hand.
The Venerable Yellow Springs looked at Medusa with a wicked smile and said, "Then let's capture these two women first, and we can discuss what we get later!"
"Venerable Wind, what do you say?" Seeing that Venerable Wind remained unmoved, Venerable Thunder spoke again.
Since arriving here, Venerable Wind had been looking up at the sky. When Venerable Thunder asked him a question, he looked away, but his eyes were filled with deep solemnity.
"I don't want to get involved in this mess!" Venerable Feng said calmly, then clasped his hands in a fist salute to Medusa: "Ladies, if it's convenient, please release my disciple Mu Qingfeng, and I will immediately descend the mountain."
"What?"
"Venerable Wind, what is the meaning of this?"
"It's been years since I last saw you, and you've only gotten more timid," Venerable Yellow Springs said sarcastically.
Venerable Feng looked at the sky again, the fiery clouds growing ever more magnificent, seemingly about to envelop the entire Tianmu Mountain Range: "It's not that I've become timid, but... the powerful being who can cause such a phenomenon is not someone we can afford to offend!"
Lei Zunzhe narrowed his eyes and said in a deep voice, "You mean, this energy tide has been stabilized by someone? How is that possible? Controlling this power of heaven and earth is difficult even for a half-saint! Unless it's a Dou Sheng... but how is that possible?"
Lei Zun Zhe stared at the two Medusa women and asked sternly, "Who is your master?"
Just then, a green figure flew out from the fiery clouds—it was none other than "Little Fairy Doctor," now dressed in green. She landed slowly in front of Medusa on a cloud of auspicious seven colors.
"My two elder sisters, I'll handle these people!"
"A little girl who hasn't even reached the level of a Battle King, what arrogance! I refuse to believe you can do anything to me!" Venerable Huangquan laughed loudly, but...
He then let out a sinister laugh, and gusts of eerie wind swept in.
The man in green made a hand seal, and instantly, the surrounding wind and clouds surged, and the mist filled the air, but it was as if flames were rising.
"What kind of mist is this? Such potent fire poison, but it won't harm me... Behold my Yellow Springs Yin Wind!"
"Sisters, let's go!" The woman in green, watching the four Venerables disappear into the red mist, pulled Medusa and Yun Yun along, saying, "Don't worry, they won't be able to break in anytime soon. The Abbot said this is the Twelve Heavenly Capitals Formation, combined with a concocted fiery poison cloud. Anyone below the Dou Zong level who gets trapped will be burned to ashes within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Even Dou Zong will die from the fire poison. They are Dou Zun, and although they can withstand the fire poison, if the formation cannot be broken, they will be trapped like in a maze, unable to escape. Oh, this protective formation is called the Heavenly Capitals Fiery Fire Formation. The Abbot has decided that this place will be our sect's founding site. The Abbot has given this mountain range a new name: Hidden Dragon Mountain. Can you guess what our sect's name will be?"
The woman in green finished speaking in one breath, then left everyone in suspense.
"What is it?" Medusa asked curiously.
"Hidden Dragon Temple! But why is it called a temple? What about a Taoist temple? My two sisters, you've been with the abbot for so long, do you know anything about it?" The woman in green clearly couldn't hide her thoughts and asked with suspicion.
Yun Yun waved her hand and said, "How would I know? However, the word 'Dao' is mentioned many times in the cultivation methods we practice. It is the ultimate principle of heaven and earth. To attain the Dao is to become a Dou Sheng or a Dou Di..."
As they were talking, they arrived at the crater, but they still hadn't figured out what the "Taoist temple" and "Taoist priests" were.
Jiang Liu stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the fiery clouds filling the sky. Behind him, everyone stood silently. After a long while, Jiang Liu turned around and said, “I will be going into seclusion for a period of time, perhaps a year or two. I will use the four Venerables of the Four Directions Pavilion to establish my authority and deter those who dare to challenge me. You should start developing from this Hidden Dragon Mountain. Medusa and Yun Yun, the two of you working together are not afraid of Dou Zun. However, I still have nine words of advice for you: build high walls, store up ample grain, and delay declaring yourself king. This Central Continent is a deep place. Do not provoke the eight ancient clans or the three demonic beast clans. Keep your distance from the Soul Palace and the Pill Tower. First, establish a foothold in the northern part of the Central Continent, gradually devour and assimilate the Four Directions Pavilion, and then make further plans after I emerge from seclusion.”
"Yes!" Medusa, as the queen of her race, and Yun Yun, as the sect leader, were both more familiar with establishing and developing their power than Jiang Liu, so Jiang Liu didn't need to say anything more.
"Koga!"
"exist."
Jiang Liu patted him on the shoulder and said, "I'm going into seclusion and need a lot of Soul Gathering and Body Refining Pills. Your job is to restore these pills as much as possible. Send in seven pills every month. No matter how effective they are, I only need seven. You can manage the rest of the time yourself."
Gu He nodded and said, "I will certainly live up to the abbot's expectations!"
"Alright! Green Robe, I'll entrust the operation of this Heavenly Blazing Fire Formation to you. You possess the Calamity Poison Body, so there are virtually no bottlenecks in cultivating the Hundred Poisons True Scripture. You can refine those magical treasures according to the scripture, but I'll give you a piece of advice: don't bite off more than you can chew; choose only one or two. As for the way of refining Gu, you should feed the insects with the kingly way, focusing on sincerity and righteousness, like a mother pregnant, like a child clinging to her child. I hope that when I emerge from seclusion, you will have achieved something!"
"If the mother is pregnant, if the child is attached!" Green-clothed woman pondered the eight words, feeling that they contained profound meaning.
"Azure Scales!"
The little maid had a very low profile, always following behind Medusa. When Jiang Liu called her name, she stammered in alarm, "Yes...yes!"
"If you wish to cultivate, then follow Medusa and cultivate the Aries True Explanation!"
After Jiang Liu finished speaking, he looked at the fiery clouds again and said, "Yun Yun, the person I asked you to keep an eye on is closely connected with Venerable Feng. If he goes to Zhongzhou, he will definitely come looking for Venerable Feng. Keep an eye on him, but don't get into any conflicts with him. Just keep an eye on him. Alright, I'm going to meet the Grand Venerables of the Four Directions Pavilion and see how capable they are..."
Chapter 166 The Eight Directions Tremble
"Lord Lei, since you cultivate thunder-attribute battle qi, then take my Nine Heavens Thunder!"
As the crimson clouds dispersed, just as Thunder Venerable was about to break free of the formation, a rumbling thunderclap sounded, and the sky shifted, gathering a terrifying cloud of lightning. In an instant, lightning flashed, and an incredibly thick and ferocious lightning serpent struck straight down!
Lei Zunzhe roared, his thunder-attribute battle qi surging out wildly, lightning flashing on his body, forming a bolt of lightning that shot straight upwards, attempting to break the critical situation of being struck by lightning.
In an instant, lightning filled an area of several meters in radius, from which piercing screams echoed. As the lightning subsided, it became clear that the Thunder Venerable was completely charred black, emitting wisps of acrid smoke. His hair was a tangled mess, like a bird's nest, and his silver robe, embroidered with lightning patterns, was tattered and riddled with holes. He looked like a pitiful refugee who had just escaped a fire, or a beggar who had been brutally beaten by his companions!
escape!
Lei Zun Zhe glanced at Jian Zun Zhe not far away, his soul nearly leaving his body, and the only thought in his mind was "escape," with no other thought arising.
At this moment, an invisible sword seemed to appear around the Sword Venerable, slicing him apart with the cruel punishment of slow slicing. However, the Sword Venerable was no weakling; his body was enveloped in spatial power, and a single sword thrust could only penetrate an inch. But even a Dou Zun would suffer greatly from a hundred swords piercing his body.
Dou Zun's vitality was strong enough. Jiang Liu's "Invisible Sword" cut him a full 108 times, leaving him riddled with holes. With each step he took, a bloody mark was left under his feet, but he was still fleeing at a speed no less than Lei Zun Zhe.
Jiang Liu looked at "Wind Venerable" again, his usually calm face now showing immense horror. He wanted to escape, but his feet felt as if they weighed a ton. Knowing that he was going to be killed and there was no way to escape, he saw that Jiang Liu hadn't killed the others, so he gave a bitter smile, stopped, and watched the three of them flee in a sorry state.
"Are you the Venerable of the Yellow Springs? Behold my Haotian Mirror..."
In an instant, a strong white light burst out from the mirror, shooting straight at Venerable Yellow Springs like a searchlight.
This person cultivated a sinister fighting spirit technique. When this extremely powerful and yang immortal artifact shone upon him, he screamed in agony as if he had been kicked in the balls. In just three seconds, most of his Yellow Spring Fighting Spirit was evaporated, causing his cultivation level to drop. It was uncertain whether he could recover to the Dou Zun realm.
Why didn't you run away?
The three men fled, severely injured. Jiang Liu did not pursue them, but landed and looked at Venerable Feng, saying...
Venerable Feng gave a wry smile and said, "I came for my disciple's safety. Now that my disciple has not been rescued, there is no reason for me to leave. Moreover, since you did not kill them, you will not make things difficult for me."
"You've observed things quite carefully; you're a clever person. My Qianlong Sect wants to establish itself in the Northern Region of Zhongzhou. Injuring them is a way to set an example, but we can't afford to offend you all. Take your disciple with you! Tell those three that if they want your disciple back, they'll have to pay ransom. Medusa, see them out!"
Watching Venerable Feng lead his disciples away, Yun Yun smiled and said, "Master, you have a good method. This person left unharmed and was personally escorted out by Medusa. This will surely create a rift between him and the other three. The alliance of these four will collapse on its own."
"From this day forward, the name of Qianlong Temple will spread with the four of you. You and Medusa should be careful! Let's see what kind of storm you can stir up in the northern region of Zhongzhou."
With that, Jiang Liu headed towards the volcano, leaped into the air, and landed on the lava. He used his sword to carve out a platform inside the mountain and began to focus on cultivating and improving his cultivation level.
The eighth-grade technique of the Dan Ding Liu, "Feather Cauldron Cloud Essence," is a cultivation method that unlocks acquired talents. Jiang Liu has refined four cauldron bodies, the strongest of which is the "Burning Heaven Flame Sun Cauldron Body" that has absorbed three different flames. As for the metal-attribute "Heavenly Profound Hao Gold Cauldron Body," Jiang Liu has not yet found a metal-attribute material sufficient to unlock it.
He took out all kinds of metal materials from the storage space, then used a strange fire to calcify them and absorb a trace of the metal energy.
With all the materials used up, Jiang Liu shook his head helplessly. Holding the invisible sword across his lap, he stroked its blade and hesitated, saying, "It's truly heartbreaking! It's such a waste to destroy a top-grade spiritual weapon flying sword. However, if I can't forge the Heavenly Profound Golden Cauldron Body, I can't achieve the unity of the five elements, I can't reach perfection, I can't quickly raise my cultivation to the peak of Refining Essence into Qi, and therefore I can't break through to the Earth Immortal realm..."
"A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush; if it's ruined, so be it!"
A yellowish-green flame rose from his palm, continuously forging the sword's body. The formless sword body was forged from Taiyi refined gold, which was originally a low-grade material. When Jiang Liu's strange fire forged it, its essence overflowed, and two golden liquids, resembling small snakes, entered the body through the nostrils.
The invisible sword instantly turned into a lumpy mess. Having obtained the two strands of Taiyi refined gold energy, Jiang Liu felt that the "Heavenly Profound Golden Cauldron Body" could be forged with hope.
Jiang Liu suddenly opened his eyes, his face full of joy. This was not only because his cultivation had reached the ninth level of Refining Essence into Qi, but also because his acquired physical talent, the Cauldron Body, had finally been perfected.
The ninth level of Refining Essence into Qi is followed by becoming an Earth Immortal. Jiang Liu has experience in cultivating a second primordial spirit, and even more so, he possesses the "Soul Gathering and Form Refining Pill" replicated by Gu He.
But this seclusion lasted for three years. In the world of cultivation, time knows no bounds; one seclusion, one emergence, and three years had passed in the blink of an eye.
...
At this time, the Tianmu Mountains have changed dramatically, but the Qianlong Mountain in the center remains the same as it was three years ago.
Inside Qianlong City outside the mountains, a beautiful young woman stood beside Yun Yun; she was none other than Nalan Yanran, Xiao Yan's divorced fiancée.
"Master, when will I be able to cultivate the White Sun True Explanation and the Sword Control Technique?"
Yun Yun gazed at the northern mountains and shook her head, saying, "Yanran, if the Abbot doesn't speak, Master can't teach you. Don't you even care about this high-level Earth-rank combat technique?"