A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 135 Preparations from all parties
Lianyungang, Zhenwu Temple, underground secret cave
Gu Xu threw all the blood python's scales and other foreign objects into the furnace, preparing to forge some superior weapons.

"After finishing this matter, it's time to go into seclusion for a while and cultivate my primordial spirit to the third level as soon as possible."

The five elements essence in the secret cave, plus the spiritual items he had obtained, was enough for him to use in seclusion for ten years. As for the affairs outside, he would temporarily entrust them to Elder Gu, and he figured that Elder Gu would not dare to act recklessly.

The Seven-Star Toad squatted beside Gu Xu, making a few croaking noises. Gu Xu flicked his finger, and a pill fell into its mouth. As soon as the pill entered its mouth, the toad immediately stopped making noises and silently circulated the medicinal power.

The black mist on the scales inside the furnace was continuously stripped away and burned away by the pure Yang true fire. After an hour, the dark scales suddenly became as clear and transparent as crystal. Upon seeing this, Gu Xu quickly formed a series of hand seals to fuse them together with many precious materials. As for what kind of weapon it would eventually become, Gu Xu did not insist on it and left it to fate.

Several hours later, the true fire inside the furnace turned from green to white, and the sounds of weapons clashing came from inside the furnace. Gu Xu immediately opened the furnace upon hearing the sounds, and saw beams of multicolored light shining out.

Gu Xu reached out and beckoned, and the weapons obediently rushed over and landed in front of him. These weapons and magical treasures included all kinds of swords, spears, halberds, banners, pagodas, and pots. Although they were far inferior to spiritual treasures like the Soul Purification and Mind Cleansing Mirror, they were still top-grade treasures. If an ordinary person obtained one of them, it would be enough to significantly improve their strength.

With a flick of his sleeve, he categorized and classified them into their respective categories in the secret cave, to be used as a reward for meritorious disciples in the future.

Standing up, Gu Xu vanished into the True Martial Hall. He took out a communication talisman, sent a message to Elder Gu, and then waved his hand to activate all the restrictive formations in the True Martial Hall. He then sat on the cloud platform and began his secluded cultivation.

When Elder Gu received Gu Xu's message, he was discussing matters with some elders. Upon receiving the message, he immediately became solemn and listened quietly. After a while, he put away the jade talisman and sat down.

"Elder Gu, does the Supreme One have something to instruct us on?"

Now these elders have to admire Elder Gu. This old man has a sharp eye and got on good terms with the Supreme One early on. Now he has become a confidant and entrusted with important responsibilities, which makes them very envious.

Therefore, they are eager to make amends and hope to gain the favor of their superiors. Even a few words of guidance would be of immense benefit to them.

"His Majesty has sent word that he will be in seclusion for several years. He has entrusted all matters of the True Martial Hall to me. He hopes that everyone can work together in the coming period to handle all matters of the True Martial Hall well. When His Majesty emerges from seclusion, I will certainly speak highly of you all."

Looking at these people, Elder Gu snorted coldly in his heart. With a flick of his hand, a jade bottle landed in front of everyone. Just as they were wondering what was going on, Elder Gu opened the bottle, and a faint medicinal fragrance quickly spread out, startling everyone present.

"This pill is..."

The mere aroma of the medicine stirred the vital energy within them; if they were to ingest it, it would be enough to elevate their cultivation to a higher level. But this was definitely not something Elder Gu had concocted. Could it be…

Having achieved his goal, Elder Gu put away the pills and, ignoring the envious looks of the crowd, said calmly, "These are the Pure Spirit Pills bestowed upon me by the Venerable One for my thorough handling of the matter. They are of great benefit to improving cultivation. Elders, the Venerable One judges by his actions, not by his personality. Whoever does a good job will have the opportunity to receive the Venerable One's reward."

At this point, everyone became restless. Nothing was more important than improving their cultivation. Wasn't the reason they had previously joined forces with the Crimson Blood Demon Lord precisely to save time collecting spiritual items so they could improve their cultivation?

If even the most casually given rewards are so precious, then if I were to gain your favor, wouldn't there be even better things waiting for me?

Thinking of this, the redness in everyone's eyes slowly faded, and they said to Elder Gu, "Elder Gu, rest assured, we will take good care of the True Martial Hall while the Venerable One is in seclusion."

"You have all worked hard for a period of time. When His Excellency emerges from seclusion, he will surely remember your contributions."

Upon hearing this, everyone's spirits lifted, and they bowed respectfully to Elder Gu.

Tianhua Prefecture, Wenquan Mountain

Two streaks of light flashed, revealing Hu Xuan and Lang Rong. The two used teleportation talismans to go ahead and check the surrounding environment in case of any unforeseen circumstances.

"Tiger, this place is quite nice. It has all the necessary mountains and rivers, and plenty of spiritual energy. It's enough for hundreds of young men to live here."

Since leaving the Refining God Pool, Lang Rong has returned to Tianhua Prefecture with many feelings. If it weren't for the important matter of the demon race, he would definitely have gone back to Yujian Manor to find Yin Zhong.

"Of course, finding this place took me a lot of effort. We shouldn't delay, let's quickly find out the situation within a 500-mile radius. Old Zhu and the others are still waiting for news."

Upon hearing this, Lang Rong nodded, his figure flashed, and he flew towards the southeast, while Hu Xuan headed towards the northwest.

After flying for a while, Hu Xuan had a general understanding of the situation in this place. There were many people living within 500 miles of Wenquan Mountain, and they were quite wealthy, making it a suitable place to develop believers.

Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly noticed a golden light flashing a hundred miles away. Hu Xuan's eyes narrowed slightly; it seemed to be a fluctuation of an array.

After a moment's thought, Hu Xuan decided to go and see for himself.

His figure flashed, and half a moment later, Hu Xuan cautiously arrived at a high and dangerous peak. Standing on it and looking down, all he could see was a hazy blur, which made him even more certain that there was an array concealing the place.

Tiger's eyes widened, and two dark beams of light shone into the valley. It seemed to have touched some kind of restriction. Suddenly, golden light shone brightly in the valley, and a golden light shield appeared. The counterattack of the formation rushed directly towards Tiger Xuan. The latter's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly withdrew, but he was still grazed by the formation's force. Blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, and he left the place with a pale face.

The instant Hu Xuan activated the magic array, an elderly man with white hair on the star platform in the valley below opened his eyes and said in a deep voice, "Someone has activated the magic array of my Long Clan's territory. Send someone to notify Clan Chief Long Yu and Elder Long Hai, and make sure to find this person."

"Yes," a guard below accepted the order and left. He soon arrived at the main hall, reported the news, entered the hall, bowed, and then recounted what had just happened.

Upon hearing this, Long Yu nodded and dismissed him. Then, he turned to Long Hai and said, "Elder, who do you think might be coming to spy? Could it be someone from the Supreme Dao or the Demon Clan?"

In recent years, the Long clan has developed rapidly. Long Yu, in particular, has become stronger day by day thanks to the bamboo slips left by Gu Xu. With the blessing of the Divine Dragon Sword, his strength has become roughly equal to that of Long Hai.

However, our current strength is still insufficient to contend with the Supreme Dao and the Demon Race. If these two forces were to attack, we would likely face annihilation, unless…

"Regardless of who it is, whether intentional or unintentional, Clan Chief, we must intensify our patrols recently. We need to be able to detect any unusual activity in time. I will also go and question the elders guarding the formation."

At this point, Long Hai sighed and said, "The world has changed. Disasters are frequent outside, and the Long clan has not yet recovered its strength. Is this truly a calamity sent to us by heaven?"

Upon hearing this, Long Yu said, "Elder, no matter how the future may change, the Long Clan must not be in chaos. I will be going into seclusion for a period of time to further improve my Dragon God Technique. I will temporarily entrust the affairs of the clan to the elders."

“I will obey the clan leader’s order,” Long Hai immediately stood up and bowed.

Wenquan Mountain

Looking at Hu Xuan, whose face was somewhat pale, Lang Rong asked in confusion, "What happened that caused you to get injured?"

Hu Xuan waved his hand and said, "It was my carelessness. I didn't expect that such a powerful magic array was hidden in that valley."

"A magic array? What exactly is it?" Lang Rong asked in a deep voice.

Hu Xuan then recounted what had happened. After listening, Lang Rong stood up and pondered for a moment. Then, as if he had thought of something, he said to Hu Xuan, "If I'm not mistaken, the people hiding in that valley are either the Tong clan or the Long clan."

Upon hearing this, Hu Xuan's eyes flashed with a glint of light. This was an unexpected delight. No matter which family it was, they all had grudges with the demon race. Now that they had run into each other, they had no choice but to go and have a go. However, when he thought of the task given to him by Lord Qingshan, the light in Hu Xuan's eyes dimmed.

"We will inform Lord Aoyama after we have investigated this matter. We must obey His Majesty's orders and refrain from any rash actions."

"That's true. Time is of the essence now. If we drag this out, it could be detrimental to the clan's grand plan. However, the necessary arrangements cannot be neglected."

"Of course, we'll discuss this further once Zhu Gang and Ying Yin arrive."

After finishing their conversation, Lang Rong and his companion gave a brief account of the surrounding situation. A moment later, Hu Xuan took out a communication jade talisman and sent the message to Zhu Gang, who was on his way.

A thousand miles away from Tianhua Prefecture, Zhu Gang and Ying Yin led hundreds of demon soldiers on their journey. After receiving Hu Xuan's message, the two immediately sped up their pace, striving to reach Wenquan Mountain within three days.

Tianhua Prefecture, the headquarters of the Supreme Dao

Ning Dao took a letter, opened and read it, then set it aside and instructed one of them, "Let them handle this matter. As long as they don't cause too much of a commotion, we don't need to worry about it. The most important thing right now is to refine the thousand Dao soldiers. As for the rest, nothing else matters. Since the demon race wants a share of the pie, let's see who comes out on top."

"Go ahead, just tell the disciples to be careful, but if the other side deliberately provokes us, then there's no need to hold back."

The trusted confidant should confirm this and immediately go to make arrangements.

After a moment's hesitation, Ning Dao turned and walked into the inner hall, intending to inform Dao Lord Qi Feng of the matter. However, before he even reached the secret hall, someone came to deliver a message. "Chief Ning, the Dao Lord is already aware of the details. The remaining matters are entirely entrusted to you. The Dao Lord is going into seclusion to cultivate. This is the Dao Lord's seal; Chief Ning, please keep it safe."

After giving his instructions, the Taoist turned and entered the secret hall. Ning Dao looked at the seal on his hand, bowed to the secret hall, and then left the main hall to go to the Heavenly Soldier Valley where Taoist weapons were forged.

Chief Ning

When Sun Daoren, who was in charge of refining Dao soldiers, saw Ning Dao coming, he hurriedly put down his work, bowed, and then asked, "Does the chief have any instructions for coming here?"

Ning Dao reached out and took out the Dao Lord's Seal, saying to Daoist Sun, "Go to the Heavenly Root Platform."

Heavenly Soldier Valley is a forbidden area of ​​the Supreme Dao. Apart from the Dao Lord and the Chief Inspector, anyone else who wants to enter must obtain a warrant. Heavenly Root Platform is even more important, and no one except the Dao Lord can enter.

Upon seeing Ning Dao produce the Dao Lord's Seal, Daoist Sun was startled, but his attitude immediately became even more respectful, and he said in a respectful voice, "Master, please follow me."

Sun Daoren led the way, and Ning Dao looked at the newly made puppet body with great satisfaction.

These bodies are all made of metal from the Five Elements, and their value far exceeds that of the previous physical Dao soldiers. As a result, the number of Dao soldiers has not increased in recent years, but their quality has been getting better and better. The Dao soldiers on the outer perimeter are of such high quality. I wonder what kind of splendor the ones on the Heavenly Root Platform are like.

After a while, Sun Daoren led Ning Dao to stop at the foot of a high platform. The platform was about several tens of feet high, completely black, covered with runes, and shimmering with mysterious light. An astonishing power seemed to be contained within it, and once released, it would surely be earth-shattering.

"Master, I shall take my leave," Sun Daoren said, bowing as he saw that Ning Dao had no further instructions.

Ning Dao poured his true energy into the seal, and a faint light shone on the stone door in front of him. Half a breath later, the stone door opened, and Ning Dao stepped in. The restriction behind him closed immediately.

After walking up a thousand steps, Ning Dao arrived at a spacious hall. The walls were made of rune stones, making them incredibly sturdy. In the center were four stone coffins covered with runes, each with a blood-red talisman pasted on it.

Ning Dao held the seal and examined it. The runes and blood talisman on the stone coffin glowed slightly before dimming. Ning Dao pushed the stone coffin open, revealing an armored soldier with his eyes closed. He was tall and handsome, and an astonishing aura of killing intent emanated from him.

"So this is the best Dao weapon? It is indeed extraordinary." Ning Dao was hit by the evil energy, and the aura around his body shook for a while before it stabilized.

He opened the other three stone coffins, and inside were also four armored soldiers, their imposing presence slightly inferior to the first, but still an eye-opener for Ning Dao.

"With these four Dao Generals, and by forging another thousand Dao Soldiers, the Supreme Dao might be able to carve out a smooth path amidst the great calamity."

After seeing Dao Jiang, Ning Dao's hand seal flashed, and the stone coffin returned to its original state. The runes on the coffin flickered a few times, intertwining into lines of blood that flowed into the blood talisman. The blood talisman flashed with crimson light, and the entire stone coffin trembled slightly before returning to calm.

After descending from Tiangen Terrace, Ning Dao gave Sun Daoren a few instructions and returned to the main hall, where he sent someone to summon He Fang and Zhou Chen.

"Chief Secretary"

After He Fang and Zhou Chen bowed, Ning Dao said to them, "You two have done a great job collecting the souls of soldiers and promptly reported Qiu Zirang's matter. This is an extra reward for you."

He Fang and Zhou Chen were suddenly faced with six items: two jade slips and four bottles of pills.

"The jade slip contains the subsequent cultivation methods, and the pills will help you replenish your vital energy. Cultivate diligently; you will be of use in the future."

He and Fang took the items, bowed to Ning Dao again, and seeing that he had no further instructions, they immediately withdrew.

"Junior brother, please deliver these two bottles of pills to the families of Junior Brother Guo and Junior Brother Zheng later."

"Yes, Senior Brother, but you're at a crucial stage right now, so you should keep these pills for yourself. My cultivation still needs improvement, so please give them my pills instead."

Zhou Chen pushed the pills He Fang offered back and shook his own pills.

"But……"

Before He Fang could finish speaking, Zhou Chen immediately said, "Senior brother, please don't refuse. This is just a token of my appreciation."

"Very well, thank you very much."

"There's no need for formalities between us, fellow disciples."

Watching the two figures depart, Ning Dao stroked his beard and smiled. These two had not disappointed him; they were people of great loyalty and affection.

"Qiu Zirang is dead. The only remaining chief disciples are He Fang and Wei Feng. I wonder how Wei Feng is doing now."

A valley in Tianhua Prefecture
"Junior brother, close the net!" Wei Feng shouted, and a bolt of lightning shot from his hand, piercing through the lion demon's chest and leaving a trail of blood. The lion demon roared angrily, and the powerful shockwave made the formation unstable. In less than three breaths, it shattered.

Seeing that the formation was broken, the lion demon immediately transformed into a wisp of green smoke and rushed towards the ancestral tablet not far away. However, it had not gone far when a black wind swept by and blocked it outside. Before it could react, it was sucked into a black hole that suddenly appeared.

Wei Feng put away his magic weapon and looked at Meng Yu with a smile, "Congratulations, Junior Brother, on obtaining another beast soul. The power of your magic weapon has increased even further."

"I must thank my senior brother and junior brother for their help; otherwise, dealing with this lion demon would have been truly difficult."

Meng Yu held the Nine Souls White Jade Fan in his hand. He saw that the treasure had a layer of crystal luster, and its radiance was floating. The six beast souls of tiger, leopard, wolf, bear, python and lion were faintly visible on the fan surface, roaring and howling, with extraordinary majesty.

"Junior Brother Wang, quickly take out the Blazing Fusion Cauldron and retrieve the blood energy," Wei Feng ordered. Wang Xiao immediately summoned the cauldron, and a white light enveloped the area within a mile. The blood energy left by the lion demon was absorbed into the cauldron and was completely absorbed in a short while.

"It seems it's still a little short," Wei Feng said, looking at the Fiery Fusion Cauldron that hadn't yet shown any spiritual light.

"It's nothing more than blood and qi. We still have time," Wang Xiao said calmly. He knew his magic weapon well. It was extremely picky. Except for the purest part, the rest of the blood and qi was stored away for his own use.

"Junior brother is right. We found this lion demon in just half a month. Are we worried about not having enough blood to sustain us?"

"Junior Brother Meng is right. Junior Brother Wang, where should we go next?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Xiao released the Spirit Guiding Disc. After injecting his true energy, the pointer spun continuously until it finally stopped in the north, its color turning blood red.

“Senior brother, there is a monster about fifty miles north of here. It looks like a big one,” Wang Xiao said in a deep voice.

This spirit guide uses four colors—red, blue, white, and gray—to determine the danger level of a demon beast. The lion demon hunted today was only blue.

"It came so easily. Let's rest for the night and go again tomorrow. Junior Brother Meng also needs time to process the magic artifact."

Although it was still early, Wei Feng remained cautious. Today's battle had depleted a lot of his true energy, and facing another powerful enemy might bring unpredictable changes.

Meng and Wang immediately agreed. The three of them found a cave, cooked a meal, rested for a night, and after their inner energy was restored, they headed north.

A moment later, the three of them found themselves in front of a large lake, its shimmering surface tinged with a faint blood-red hue, giving it an eerie appearance.

"Senior brother, this place has been exposed to the power of the Blood Sun, so the aquatic creatures must have undergone a mutation. Could this time the demonic beast be a demonic fish?"

"Junior Brother Wang is right, there is indeed a demonic fish at the bottom of this lake, and it is a different kind at that."

Wei Feng withdrew his gaze, swept his sleeve, and a beam of blood-red light shot towards the bottom of the lake. A moment later, a roar came from the bottom of the lake. Under the horrified gazes of Meng Yu and Wang Xiao, a large black fish leaped out of the water, splashing up sprays of water.

The black fish had two horns with lightning patterns on its head, and its body was covered with black and red scales that reflected a ghostly light. It had four claws on its belly, sharp teeth protruding, and two long whiskers swaying back and forth at its mouth. Its two blood-red fish eyes stared at the three of them. Suddenly, it opened its mouth and spat out several frost-covered water arrows that shot towards the three of them.

"Ink-scaled Dragonfish!"

(End of this chapter)