A Scroll of Infinite Glory

Chapter 140 Lao Jun Mountain

In that war ten years ago, the righteous side had a total of five grandmasters participating.

Donghai Yinbei died prematurely. At the last moment, the four masters of Taoism, Buddhism, Su, and Cui attacked the headquarters of the Demonic Sect together. Cui Lingfang was killed on the spot by the leader of the Demonic Sect, and Su Xing and the stubborn monk were also seriously injured and on the verge of death.

Only Master Yu Tu fought fiercely for half a day before finally using the Wuwei Divine Sword to pierce through the Demonic Sect Leader's vital point in the heart, killing him.

Although Master Yu Tu's injuries became increasingly severe and he fell seriously ill after returning to the mountain, losing all his power, for the past ten years, he has remained the most renowned figure in the righteous path of the Tang Dynasty.

The guests rushed over, and Lu Pingdong quickly helped the old master down from Xu Boyuan's back. He took the old man's pulse and listened to his heart, finding it weak and his breath faint. He hurriedly said, "Whose internal energy is the most peaceful and gentle, without cold or heat? Quickly, come and pat Master Yu Tu's back to protect his heart!"

The crowd looked around, and a portly merchant, dressed in a long reddish-brown silk robe and wearing a soft-brimmed turban, stepped forward and said, "I'll go."

This man was Qian Wanliang, the head of the wealthiest family in Sichuan and Hunan. He was known for his extravagant spending, his mastery of hidden weapons, and his kind nature. It is said that he practiced the health-preserving qigong created by the Medicine King Master Sun Simiao for twenty or thirty years before he had any experience fighting with others.

When everyone saw it was him, no one objected.

Jiang Jiusi, standing nearby, asked, "Master Huxian, what exactly happened? What incident occurred on Laojun Mountain?!"

Everyone looked at Xu Boyuan.

Even though Master Yu Tu himself had lost all his martial arts skills, his disciples and grand-disciples included many first-rate masters. His direct disciple, Master Tian Fang, had already reached the Grandmaster realm nine years ago and succeeded as the sect leader.

The old master resided on Mount Laojun, a place of near-absolute security, comparable to the imperial palace. It was utterly incomprehensible what could have caused him to be in such a sorry state, forced to be carried on someone's back as if fleeing to the Sword Forging Manor.

Under the spotlight, Xu Boyuan's hands trembled slightly as he took something out of his pocket.

It was a rather heavy black disc, slightly larger than an adult's palm, but with a pentagonal indentation in the center, somewhat like a base for holding an imperial seal.

"On the mountain..."

Just as everyone was about to listen carefully, they saw Xu Boyuan's face suddenly turn pale, his body go limp, and he collapsed.

His eyes were tightly closed, his body seemed to be convulsing, and the skin on the back of his hands had turned unusually pale. He gripped the base of the disc tightly, and the veins on his hands stood out.

Jiang Jiusi wrapped her left arm around his back and pressed her right palm against his chest. She carefully channeled a wisp of her profound inner energy into Xu Boyuan's meridians, and her expression immediately turned grim.

"Master Hu Xian's meridians are in complete disarray, and he is severely injured. He must have run nearly a hundred miles after his injury, crossing mountains and valleys to reach the Sword Forging Manor. His foundation has been greatly damaged, and his dantian is almost dried up..."

No wonder he couldn't even wait for the short time it would take for the manor disciples to announce his arrival; he insisted on forcing his way into the manor.

At that time, he probably only had a little bit of true energy left, squeezed out from who-knows-where, clinging to consciousness, fearing that he would faint outside the manor with Master Yu Tu at any moment.

Now that Master Yu Tu has finally been sent to a safer place, Xu Boyuan's remaining energy and spirit immediately dissipated.

With such severe damage, it would be normal for Xu Boyuan to be unconscious for days and nights. Jiang Jiusi didn't know how to wake him up.

The commotion here has already alerted Wu Pingqiang.

He was, after all, a renowned sword-making master with an extraordinary eye for forging. As soon as he got close, he recognized the origin of the round base in Xu Boyuan's hand and said in a deep voice, "That is... the base of the Five-Colored Seal."

Lu Pingdong glanced at him and exclaimed, "Really?"

"Brother Wu, you're not mistaken."

The speaker was Mo Liuli, an old master from the Guandong region. His face was deeply lined with wrinkles, and he looked like an ancient pine tree. He also had profound knowledge of casting techniques. He said, "I heard that the Five-Colored Seal is made from a naturally formed colored stone from the Wuyi Mountains. That colored stone has a shell, is deep black, and no matter how smooth it is polished, it will not reflect light."

"This base is made of stone shell."

The sect leader Yuan Baigong, standing nearby, said, "Could it be that there's some traitor or internal strife on Lao Jun Mountain? After all, it's impossible for an external enemy to be able to conquer Lao Jun Mountain in one fell swoop, forcing this Taoist priest to carry Master Yu Tu on his back and flee for his life, right?"

As he spoke, his voice gradually lowered and slowed, as if he himself could hardly believe it, and he chuckled twice.

No one responded.

The Wuwei Divine Sword once pierced and killed the leader of the Demonic Sect in the southwest. It fell from the top of the cliff into a bottomless abyss. The sinkholes and caves in the southwest are interconnected with water veins, crisscrossing the mountains. After the Wuwei Divine Sword fell into the water, it was never found again.

When Master Tianfang took over as sect leader, Laojun Mountain only had the Five-Colored Seal as its divine weapon. After becoming a grandmaster, he dismantled this divine weapon and integrated it into his body.

The fact that the base of the Five-Colored Seal is now here intensifies everyone's ominous premonition.

Someone couldn't help but urge Lu Pingdong: "Mr. Lu, quickly think of a way to wake one of them up so that we can know what's going on."

Lu Pingdong glanced at the man with some annoyance and said, "Master Yu Tu has already lost his cultivation, and now he shows signs of mental exhaustion. He's not so easy to cure. Aside from relying on his Qi cultivation techniques and quiet recuperation, no acupuncture or elixirs can be used on him. If something happens to him, are you going to take responsibility?!"

The man who had urged him on was not afraid of him at all. He took another step forward, stepping out from the crowd. His face was purple and he had a thick beard. He was none other than Guilong Jiao Gai, who was also from Chang'an. He said, "I have heard that the Lu family members have made great progress recently. This is all thanks to a precious medicine that the Lu family has developed. Lu Gu'an wants to present a box of it to the palace, but it has not yet been approved by the Imperial Medical Bureau."

"You've been so arrogant since you arrived at Sword Forging Manor, relying on this precious medicine, haven't you? Doesn't Master Yu Tu deserve such a pill from your Lu family?"

Lu Pingdong merely sneered, repeating his previous statement: "If anything were to happen to Master Yu Tu, would you take responsibility?"

Jiao Gai's momentum faltered, and a few words lingered on his lips, but he ultimately dared not respond.

Lu Pingdong, unlike his usual aggressive style, did not relentlessly pursue Jiao Gai. Instead, his gaze shifted to Wu Pingqiang.

"I did bring a magic pill, but I have already paid it to Brother Wu as a deposit. Master Yu Tu is not willing to try it lightly, but this Daoist Hu Xian may be able to withstand the effects of the medicine. It depends on whether Brother Wu is willing to part with it."

Wu Weiyang, who was listening nearby, cursed under his breath for being shameless. He hadn't realized who Xu Boyuan was before, and his rash action almost ruined things. Feeling guilty, he remained silent.

Lu Pingdong's words were truly malicious. Even in this situation, he still couldn't forget about the Wu family's divine weapon. If Wu Pingqiang took out the pills and used them, it would be equivalent to confirming their transaction, and there would be no more objection to the ownership of the divine weapon.

Wu Weiyang then wanted to ask to return the pills to the Lu family.

Jiang Jiusi suddenly said, "The rarer the elixir, the purer its medicinal power. Given Daoist Huxian's current condition, he simply cannot digest it. Making him take the medicine would be like swallowing gold!"

"I'll give it a try."

An Feiyu came up with an idea. He took the bamboo tube, stepped forward, brought it to Xu Boyuan's lips, and gently tapped the bamboo tube with his little finger.

Activate the contract, save the nematode.

The tea brewed by the Rebirth Pearl flowed into Xu Boyuan's mouth on its own. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be composed of countless tiny nematodes.

After entering the throat, the amphetamine gradually retracts its activating power, and the tiny insects are transformed back into a vibrant tea, which then flows down the throat.

Lu Pingdong came over and grabbed Xu Boyuan's wrist, frowning as he said, "It does have some use, but it's not enough to wake him up in a short time."

He then said, seemingly casually, "If we base it on this, it's just right to digest the elixir."

Wu Weiyang was no longer the only one despised by the people around her.

They are from a prestigious family and are renowned experts, yet they still put on such an act.

Wu Pingqiang said firmly, "Master Lu's elixir is truly precious. I will repay you with a secret manual recording his life's forging techniques after I lend him the medicine to save someone today."

These words directly rejected the previous intention to make a deal, and no one dared to say that the proposed reward was unfair.

As soon as he finished speaking, without even looking at Lu Er's expression, he took out the Moon Essence Elixir, bent down, and fed it to Xu Boyuan.

Anfeiyu temporarily put down the bamboo tube so that the pill could enter his mouth.

But unexpectedly, just as the pill slid down Xu Boyuan's throat, it triggered a surge of rebellious energy in his heart and lungs, causing him to spit out a mixture of the pill and some of the Ascension Tea.

Anfeiyu dodged in time, and upon closer inspection, the pill had already smashed into a puddle of medicinal mud on the ground, dissolved beyond recognition in the tea room.

At this crucial moment, this unexpected mishap occurred, and everyone's expression turned grim.

"It's better to take action than to remain still. No matter what changes have occurred on Lao Jun Mountain, we won't come up with any solutions by just staying here in a stalemate."

After observing and pondering for a while, Guan Luoyang spoke with a bold choice that had been somewhat overlooked before: "I might as well go directly to Lao Jun Mountain to investigate."

It wasn't that no one had thought of this approach, but the situation at Laojun Mountain was unclear, and no one dared to easily suggest that they go and investigate on their own.

His words made some people lose face, and Jiao Gai was the first to respond: "Everyone here is a famous person, a righteous hero. How can we let you go into danger alone? I will go with you."

Jiang Jiusi, Chen Shouzhen, and others also said, "Brother Guan..."

"No need to say more, you're all slower than me."

A wisp of green mist rose around Guan Luoyang, and his figure vanished in a flash.

"You can make preparations first, I'll be right back."

Those with better hearing among the crowd showed expressions of surprise.

They could tell that this one sentence, by the time it was finished, had already traveled back from two miles away.

While this lightness skill is certainly remarkable, what is even more astonishing is the enduring strength and profound foundation that allows one to transmit sound leisurely even at extreme speeds.

Jiang Jiusi stopped his steps again. This speed was fine for short distances, and he could manage it easily. But if he continued at this speed, he really couldn't keep up with the journey from here to Laojun Mountain, which involved traversing mountains and valleys.

This is not just a matter of internal strength; the physical strength must also be exceptionally powerful.

The Sword Casting Manor covers a hundred acres and is spacious and grand, but Guan Luoyang could practically leap out of the manor in an instant.

As the hazy phantom faded, he left a footprint on a blue stone in the grass and continued to increase his speed until it reached its maximum limit.

In the Zhou Tian Daoist Temple, the gravity was weakened, and coupled with the faint heat emanating from his light-footed technique, it was as if he was flying at low altitude, skimming past the treetops.

The surrounding scenery was stretched into a hazy band of color under the night sky, rapidly sliding backward. The streams, rivers, horse-drawn carriages traveling in the middle of the night, and inns in the countryside below were all overtaken.

Before long, a vast wilderness appeared before us, with a dirt road running in the middle and wild grass taller than a person on both sides. When the night wind blew, the green waves stretched all the way to the horizon.

There rise many silent peaks, with long corridors with black-tiled eaves, leading up the main peak from the foot of the mountain.

Between several adjacent mountain peaks, palaces and pavilions stretch from the mountainside to the highest point, clinging to the ancient and lush mountains, and transcending the misty clouds.

A few extremely sparse lights were scattered among them, hidden between the palace gates and above the thin clouds and mist.

This is the main peak of the Qinling Mountains, the 800-li Funiu Mountains, a Taoist holy site where Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty ordered Yuchi Jingde to personally supervise the construction of palaces and temples and bestowed the name "Laojun Mountain".

Everything here looks serene, solemn, and beautiful, with almost no trace of battle or destruction.

The tranquil and peaceful scene seemed impossible to reconcile with the seriously injured Taoist priest and the unconscious, disheveled old master with white hair.

Guan Luoyang slowed down at the foot of the mountain, not letting his guard down, and carefully concealed the sound of the wind around him. He also slightly changed the style of the Thousand Illusion Robe, changing the wide sleeves into narrow sleeves.

Like a silent and weightless ghost, he stealthily made his way from the outside of the mountain corridor, his figure flickering through the woods, allowing him to observe everything on the corridor.

As we approached the halfway point of the mountain, figures appeared on duty in the corridor. The Taoist robes they wore were a gradient color from cloud white to sky blue, with the hem being snow white. The higher they went, the dark blue became more intense, reaching a deep, almost black, color at their shoulders.

This is the unique Taoist robe of Laojun Mountain. Starting from this place, there are two disciples like this guarding about every twenty steps, with upright postures like pine trees and extraordinary temperament.

However, after observing several groups of disciples on duty, Guan Luoyang noticed something unusual.

In this world, the initial stages of internal energy cultivation are closely related to breathing. Later, the depth of one's internal energy can also be roughly reflected in one's breathing.

According to Han Yu, elite soldiers who have been trained for more than three years can breathe like a gentle breeze, with a sound so faint that it is almost imperceptible. Each breath takes at least the equivalent of thirty breaths for an ordinary person, which is about ninety seconds.

The internal energy cultivation methods of Taoism and Buddhism, lacking the killing intent of the military, should be more peaceful and mellow.

But when Guan Luoyang listened carefully, the breathing of those people was very obvious, slightly rapid, with some noise, accompanied by a barely perceptible tremor of the muscles around their noses and eyes.

Sure enough, although their posture was completely normal for guard duty, with their arms hanging loosely at their sides and their waists not tilted at all, there was nothing unusual about their appearance.

But they were all acupunctured without even realizing it!

To the eye, they appeared as tall and straight as pine trees, with elegant and slender figures; but to the ear, it sounded as if they were a series of drowsy little pigs, one after another, from bottom to top.

(End of this chapter)