A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 163 Time Flies Like Water
Lianyungang, Zhenwu Temple

After Gu Xu finished his month-long seclusion, he opened his eyes.

These past few days, by practicing the Yin-Yang spiritual objects, the Yin and Yang energies within my body have become increasingly refined. The deeper my foundation, the further I will go in the future.

"If the quality isn't good enough, then make up for it with quantity. In the future, we should also assign some tasks to those below them to prevent them from just blindly practicing hard."

After putting away the remaining spiritual items, Gu Xu had a sudden thought and sent a message to Elder Gu. Soon after, the latter arrived in the hall. After paying his respects, Gu Xu asked him if any major events had occurred recently.

"Reporting to Your Excellency, everything is peaceful and calm in Lianyun Prefecture, but a major incident has recently occurred in Tianhua Prefecture."

"tell me the story."

"The capital of Qi State in Tianhua Prefecture is currently erecting a golden statue for worship, which looks exactly like the golden statue of the Dragon King in Anle City. The golden statue of the Dragon King in Anle City was plotted by the demon race. There must be some connection between the two."

Upon learning of this matter, Elder Gu immediately dispatched people to investigate. The results came quickly, revealing that the demon race was involved. He dared not act rashly and waited for Gu Xu to emerge from seclusion before reporting back to him.

"In addition, Wei Feng and the other two from the Supreme Dao have also arrived in the capital of Qi and are spreading the teachings. The two sides fought each other a month ago, but for some reason, nothing came of it. I guess that the two sides must have been evenly matched, so they divided the task: one side built incense and golden statues, and the other side spread the Daoist magic and supernatural powers."

Upon hearing this, Gu Xu looked at Elder Gu and exclaimed, "Elder Gu is absolutely right. To understand something so clearly and thoroughly, you must have put in a lot of effort. You've truly worked hard."

Upon hearing Gu Xu's praise, Elder Gu said excitedly, "Serving the Venerable One is what I should do; I don't deserve the word 'hardship'."

“While I was away, you managed the Zhenwu Hall very well, and I have seen it all. This Spirit Gathering Pill will help your current cultivation progress, so please accept it.”

As he spoke, Gu Xu took out a green jade bottle, used his true energy to float it, and landed it in front of Elder Gu. Upon seeing this, Elder Gu immediately bowed down.

"Thank you for the gift, Your Excellency. I am unworthy of it." Elder Gu raised his hands high, and the jade bottle landed steadily in his right palm, feeling only a slight weight.

"This Spirit Gathering Pill is made from over a hundred kinds of precious herbs. Its medicinal power is extremely strong. Given your cultivation level, you will need to circulate it for three months. I also have something else to do. It's not a long-term solution for the disciples to just sit in seclusion and cultivate diligently. I'll have the elders lead them to travel to the other states and collect some rare materials that are not available in Lianyun State."

"You may distribute these Qi-boosting pills, talismans, and weapons as you see fit. If you manage to collect any rare items, I will reward you handsomely."

"Your subordinate obeys." Elder Gu looked at the floating object, bowed respectfully, and then swept his sleeves to collect the object.

Seeing that Gu Xu had nothing else to say, Elder Gu slowly left the main hall and then headed towards Zhenwu Square.

"Go and invite Elder Zheng, Elder Zhao, Elder Ma, and Elder Wang over. Tell them I have something important to discuss with them," Elder Gu instructed his servants, who immediately left.

After a short while, Elder Zheng and the others arrived one after another. After bowing to Elder Gu, Elder Zhao asked first, "Elder Gu, you called us over, saying you had something important to discuss. What is it?" The others also looked over.

Elder Gu calmly replied, "Just now, the Supreme One issued a decree, stating that the elders of the sect should lead their accomplished disciples to various parts of the Nine Provinces to travel, explore mountains and rivers, and broaden their horizons..."

Elder Gu recounted the events that had transpired, and after he finished, Elder Zheng nodded.

"Your Excellency's method is truly excellent. These disciples of the sect have traveled too little and have limited knowledge. If they were released one day, who knows how many jokes they would make. Your Excellency's foresight is remarkable, and I cannot wait any longer."

"Elder Gu, what arrangements can you make?" Elder Ma asked.

Currently, there are over a hundred disciples in the sect who have cultivated to the Meridian Opening Realm, and half of them are already at the critical juncture, just waiting for an opportunity to break through. Traveling is a good way to achieve this, but it still needs to be properly arranged.

Upon hearing this, Elder Gu said, "All disciples in the sect who have cultivated to the Meridian Opening Realm will be released this time. The arrangements are written here. Please take a look."

As he spoke, Elder Gu handed four sheets of yellow paper to the four people. After reading them, the four nodded slightly, indicating that they had no objections.

Elder Gu swept his sleeve, and a burst of spiritual light shone brightly before them. Everyone narrowed their eyes and looked closely. They saw bottles of pills, as well as talismans, weapons, and other items, which were clearly not ordinary.

"These are protective items bestowed upon you and your disciples by the Supreme One. I hope you will not fail to appreciate the Supreme One's good intentions."

Upon hearing this, the elders immediately stood up, bowed respectfully towards the Zhenwu Hall, and then each collected a portion of the items, overwhelmed with excitement.

"With these things, if we still can't get things done, we old folks will have no face to see the Venerable One. Elder Gu, you can rest assured that we will do our best to complete the tasks entrusted to us by the Venerable One."

Elder Gu stroked his beard and smiled, "Then I wish you all a safe journey."

Seeing that Elder Gu had no further instructions, everyone took their leave and departed.

A few days later, the elders, each with a group of disciples, went to the other states.

After Elder Gu reported back to Gu Xu, he also went into seclusion, and the entire Qingcha Peak suddenly became deserted. Apart from some junior disciples exchanging martial arts, there was nothing else going on.

Time flies, and four years have passed in the blink of an eye. Now, after experiencing the calamity of bloodshed, the land of Kyushu has begun to slowly recover. Although there are still occasional battles, they are not large in scale, and overall it is relatively peaceful.

Far away in Tianhua Prefecture, the Imperial Sword Manor was bustling with activity. Since Yin Zhong received the help of the Blood Python several years ago, not only have his injuries been mostly healed, but his cultivation has also made further progress.

Therefore, he expanded his power extensively, not only bringing the entire area within a hundred miles of Shenglong Town under his control, but also leaving branch offices in several other nearby cities.

As things stand, the government office in Shenglong Town is now merely a name without substance, but Meng Fan doesn't care. He knew this day would come after Yin Zhong returned alive from Jiushan City.

“Rising Dragon Town truly lives up to its name; a hidden dragon has emerged from it.”

Looking at the newly revitalized Imperial Sword Manor, Meng Fan sighed inwardly, then composed himself and led his trusted confidants to the gate.

"Master Meng."

When the butler saw Meng Fan arrive with gifts, he immediately came over, clasped his hands in a respectful greeting, and maintained the same attitude as before.

"Manager Li."

Meng Fan returned the greeting, presented the gift to Steward Li, and had it accepted. Steward Li then said to Meng Fan, "The Master said that if you, Master Meng, were to come, please come to the study for a chat."

Meng Fan was taken aback upon hearing this, then said, "Then I'll have to trouble Steward Li."

"No trouble, no trouble."

Chief Steward Li chuckled and ordered a guard to escort Meng Fan to the study, while others took care of the entourage.

Meng Fan followed the Iron Guard to a separate room. Looking at the four Iron Guards standing outside the study, Meng Fan felt a chill. These four Iron Guards had long, deep breaths, piercing eyes, and upright postures. They were among the top experts outside.

The accompanying guards stepped forward and said a few words. Then the four men stepped aside. The guards gestured to Meng Fan, who nodded and pushed open the door to enter the study.

"Master Yin." Meng Fan greeted Yin Zhong with a fist and palm salute.

"Brother Meng, please have a seat."

Meng Fan nodded and sat down to the side. Yin Zhong put down his brush, washed his hands, and sat down.

"I invited Brother Meng here today because there is something I want to discuss."

“Please speak frankly, Master Yin. I will do my best to cooperate.”

Yin Zhong smiled and said, "Brother Meng also knows that Yujian Manor has been gradually integrating the surrounding forces, striving to build a stable and peaceful living environment. Now the time is ripe, but it still needs to obtain official recognition. I can only trouble Brother Meng with this matter."

Although the Imperial Sword Manor is now very powerful, and the Qi Kingdom may not necessarily send troops to cause trouble, the Imperial Sword Manor still has to abide by the rules. It cannot allow anyone to find fault with it, otherwise its authority will be questionable and ultimately not good.

After hearing Yin Zhong's words, Meng Fan's mind stirred, and he immediately realized the key point. He then said, "This is a small matter, so leave it to me."

"Then thank you very much, Brother Meng. If things go well, the government can send some people to Yujian Manor for training. How much skill they can learn depends on themselves."

Upon hearing this, Meng Fan was overjoyed, realizing that Yin Zhong was indirectly giving the government a benefit.

"It seems this matter must be handled well." Seeing Meng Fan's thoughtful expression, Yin Zhong felt relieved, thinking that he was probably confident about the outcome.

Ever since learning about the great calamity of heaven and earth from Gu Xu, Yin Zhong felt immense pressure. After much deliberation, he still took this step. He originally wanted to live an ordinary life, but now it seems like a pipe dream. He didn't care about getting involved himself, but the key was his family.

"Qing'er is still young, we need to make plans for him as soon as possible."

Yin Zhong and Meng Fan discussed the matter at length until the butler's voice could be heard from outside.

"Master, the city magistrates have all arrived; you should go now."

"understood."

Yin Zhong nodded to Meng Fan, who stood up, bowed, and then left the study. A short while later, Yin Zhong also left the study and went to the main hall.

"The owner of the village!"

When the city officials saw Yin Zhong arrive, they immediately stood up and bowed. Yin Zhong gestured for them to sit down, and they all sat down after he took his seat.

"The reason I have summoned you here today is to discuss the arrangement of the formation. I wonder if you have completed the exploration of the earth vein nodes in the city?"

The middle-aged man at the head of the group stood up, clasped his hands in a fist salute to Yin Zhong, and said, "Master, the earth vein nodes of Si'an City have been explored. There are a total of thirteen nodes. This is the earth vein map of the city."

As he spoke, the middle-aged man took out a piece of brown paper from his pocket and presented it to him with both hands.

Yin Zhong nodded, and Butler Li immediately took it and presented it to Yin Zhong. When the latter opened it, he saw thirteen red dots marked on the latitude and longitude lines, which were very eye-catching.

"Si'an City is moving very fast. City Lord Liu, you have put in a lot of effort. Steward Li, bestow those three Crimson Fire Talismans upon City Lord Liu."

"Yes, Master." Steward Li clapped his hands behind him, and a guard came out carrying a wooden box. Steward Li handed the box to Lord Liu, who was immediately excited and bowed deeply after receiving it.

"Thank you for the reward, City Lord!"

Lord Liu gripped the wooden box tightly, his heart burning with excitement. This Crimson Fire Talisman was a unique offensive technique of the Imperial Sword Manor, extremely powerful. Lord Liu had once been fortunate enough to witness its power, when a mountain peak was cleaved in two.

How could Lord Liu not be excited by receiving three Crimson Fire Talismans at once? With these talismans, even with his mediocre cultivation, he could still threaten those top-tier experts.

Seeing that City Lord Liu had obtained the Crimson Fire Talisman, the other city lords were all envious.

Looking at the expressions of the people below, Yin Zhong pretended not to see them. The first person to complete the task would receive the best reward, and the rest, no matter what the reason, would not receive the same treatment.

The other city lords were envious, but not too jealous. After all, their own lord's cultivation level was there, and if he did good deeds in the future, they wouldn't have to worry about not receiving good rewards.

Thinking of this, the other city lords presented the already drawn geomantic maps, and Yin Zhong nodded repeatedly after looking at them one by one.

“You have all done a great job. With this ley line map as a reference, setting up defensive formations will be much simpler in the future. However, no one except you few is allowed to know the location of these ley line nodes. If you do well, I, the manor lord, will certainly reward you.”

At this point, Yin Zhong's tone turned stern, "If this matter is leaked, no matter who it is, you will all have to bear the consequences yourselves!"

Upon hearing this, everyone stood up and said in unison, "Your subordinates will obey the Master's orders."

Upon hearing this, Yin Zhong softened his tone and said solemnly, "In that case, three months from now, the six cities will begin to deploy their formations together. There must be no mistakes during this period!"

"Yes!"

After a brief discussion, everyone left, leaving only Steward Li and Yin Zhong in the main hall.

"Butler, have there been any unusual developments in Anle City lately?"

The Dragon King Temple in Anle City suddenly appeared and spread to Tianhua Prefecture and several other prefectures with a sweeping momentum. The custom of burning incense and offering sacrifices suddenly became very popular, and some towns have been affected and have begun to worship the so-called "Dragon King".

"According to the scouts, the Dragon King Temple has become very low-key since four years ago. Master Fu has not appeared for a long time. There are only a few Taoists without cultivation in the Dragon King Temple. Although the incense is still burning brightly, it is far less popular than before."

Upon hearing this, Yin Zhong frowned. This matter was indeed strange. He had previously visited the Dragon King Temple and met the so-called Dragon King. Although his aura was pure, there was a lingering turbidity that he could not shake off. After further investigation, Yin Zhong was quite certain that the so-called Dragon King was actually a monster in disguise.

"The demon race has vanished, and the Supreme Daoist disciples have also disappeared. The world has truly changed. What has become of Yongding City and Jiyuan City?"

"Like Anle City, both cities have a constant stream of incense offerings, but they are much more low-key." Looking at Yin Zhong's expression, the steward continued, "On the other hand, the capital of Qi is becoming increasingly prosperous. Within a hundred miles around, there are golden statues of the Dragon King being worshipped. It seems that all the incense offerings from Anle City have been attracted there. Master, there must be something strange about this."

Yin Zhong nodded, then shook his head and said, "We can't worry about those things now. Let's take care of our own affairs first. By the way, it's time to deal with the miasma in the Soul-Severing Forest. Have Tie Zheng come to me."

The butler acknowledged and left the main hall. A short while later, Tie Zheng arrived, clad in full armor.

"Master, what brings you here?"

"Take this to the Blood Luo Heavenly Instrument. Place it on the altar outside the formation, ignite the talisman with your true energy, and retrieve it after the formation dissipates."

As he spoke, Yin Zhong reached out and took the two beams of light, one red and one gold, which landed in front of Tie Zheng. Tie Zheng did not ask any questions, carefully put them away, bowed, and then turned and left the main hall, leading a team of iron guards towards the Soul-Severing Forest.

Hundreds of miles away from Shenglong Town, in Juhe Mountain, the elders of the Long clan simultaneously gazed at the faint dragon shadow on the back mountain.

"In just a few years, the patriarch has mastered the Dragon God Technique to such a high level. The rise of the Dragon Clan is now promising. I will have face to face my ancestors in the future."

Elder Long Hai looked at the dragon shadow with a sense of satisfaction, stroking his beard and sighing.

"Although the chaos has just subsided, Daoist Gu Xu sent a message that the most intense calamity will occur in five hundred years. If the Long clan cannot accumulate strength and relies solely on the help of outsiders, it is destined not to last long. Fortunately, Heaven has not forsaken our Long clan!"

"Yes, it's true that the patriarch is exceptionally talented, but the precious treasures sent by Daoist Gu Xu also played a crucial role, especially the Absolute Dust Elixir, which expelled the turbid qi from his body and nurtured the pure qi of heaven, allowing the patriarch to break through the realm barrier and reach the pinnacle of the Innate Realm in one go."

The elders were all talking excitedly when suddenly the dragon shadow in the sky slowly dissipated, and a figure landed on a hill. The group exchanged glances and quickly moved, arriving at Long Yu's side in no time.

Sensing that astonishing aura, Long Hai took a deep breath and clasped his hands in a salute.

"Congratulations, Patriarch, on mastering your divine skill!"

"Congratulations, Patriarch, on mastering your divine skill!"

Long Yu turned around, looked at everyone, and said calmly, "Elders, there's no need for such formalities. My success in cultivation is a testament to Heaven's mercy on the Long clan. After several years of recuperation, the Long clan has finally recovered some of its vitality. Elder Long Hai, has there been any news from Daoist Gu Xu?"

"Reporting to the patriarch, Daoist Gu Xu left a message in that jade talisman on the day you went into seclusion. The jade talisman is here."

As he spoke, Long Hai presented a jade talisman to Long Yu, who accepted it but did not look at it immediately. Instead, he said to the others, "The Long Clan's residence is no longer suitable here; we need to find another place."

Long Yu's breakthrough caused a significant dissipation of the earth's energy, and coupled with the impact of the calamity, the spiritual energy gathered from the mountain veins was no longer sufficient to sustain the Long clan.

"Yes." Long Hai immediately accepted the order. They had considered this beforehand, since the Long clan was not detached from the world, but rather engaged in it.

Seeing that the patriarch had no further instructions, everyone left immediately. After everyone left, Long Yu took out the jade talisman, activated his true energy, and the jade talisman emitted a bright white light, floating in front of Long Yu.

A screen of light unfolded in front of Long Yu, revealing Gu Xu's figure inside.

"Greetings, Master Gu Xu."

Although Long Yu knew this was a photo taken earlier, he still maintained a proper attitude.

Gu Xuliu spoke a few words to Long Yu, who nodded repeatedly. Finally, his expression became very solemn. A moment later, the jade talisman's light faded and fell into Long Yu's hand.

"I never imagined that such a calamity would come. No wonder Master Gu Xu has laid out so many plans. If my Long clan cannot recover its strength, it will surely be reduced to ashes in the great calamity. It seems that we must hurry up and improve our overall strength."

(End of this chapter)