Longevity by Grinding Skills

Chapter 438: Chapter 438: True Monarch Entanglement

"The *True Martial Demon Suppressing Scripture* is all-encompassing, not merely a set of slaughter skills."

Xu Yunfan’s voice rang with the clarity of striking metal under the starlight. "Its Fist Technique can channel the Beidou Star Power to manifest the Black Tortoise True Form. Its Palm Technique is in harmony with the Four Symbols Transformation. The Yhu Step can connect with the Earth Veins, and its Sword Technique points directly to the Taiyin Soul Slaying Path. The True Martial Demon-Slaying Sword Technique could even be considered a path of the Immortal Sword Dao."

As he spoke, a wisp of Magical Power danced between his fingers. It evolved with his explanation, at one moment forming the Demon Suppression Seal of an entwined turtle and snake, and the next, shifting into the Inference Disc of the Twenty-Eight Constellations Reincarnation.

The old masters saw clearly that hidden within the starlight were Cloud Mist Talismans to obscure the Celestial Secret, and Gang Evil Patterns that could trigger Thunder Fire.

"The True Martial Dao is a balance of the hard and the soft."

Xu Yunfan suddenly brought his fingers together into a sword-sign, and his Magical Power instantly condensed into a three-foot cyan blade. "The hard can be used for Demon Subduing and protecting the Dao, while the soft can be used to nourish Vitality."

With a flick, the blade dissolved into a shower of sweet dew. A series of crisp snaps, like new shoots sprouting from dry branches, echoed from the crowd’s decaying joints.

By the time he had finished his lecture and answered everyone’s questions, the moon was already high in the sky.

Instead of returning to his grotto-abode, Xu Yunfan summoned a streak of Escape Light and shot straight toward Hundred Peaks Mount.

As the Escape Light streaked past the seventy-two spiritual waterfalls, it startled the patrolling Spiritual Cranes, which scattered to get out of its way.

Daoist Master Hundred Peaks was on the summit refining the Ten Thousand Mountains True Form Map. When he saw the Black Tortoise Escape Light cleaving through the air toward him, he sent out a wisp of his Divine Sense. As he received the message announcing an urgent report, his eyes flickered. He was fairly certain he already knew the purpose of this visit.

The spell-sign Daoist Master Hundred Peaks was forming with his fingers had yet to dissipate as the Ten Thousand Mountains True Form Map slowly furled itself in mid-air.

He lifted his gaze to Xu Yunfan, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. "Junior Brother Xu, for you to visit so late at night... has something happened?"

’This old fox. Even if he couldn’t divine the reason, he could certainly guess.’

Xu Yunfan cursed inwardly, then bowed with his hands clasped. "Senior Brother Chu, I was ambushed by a Foundation Establishment Cultivator from our Primordial Sect in the Divine Martial Realm."

He flipped his palm and summoned the Black Banner. The residual Blood Evil Qi on its surface instantly filled the hall. Thousands of vengeful souls and evil demons writhed ceaselessly across the banner’s face, causing clouds of Black Qi to billow forth.

Seeing this, a hint of approval appeared on Chu Chengnan’s, the Daoist Master Hundred Peaks’, face. ’This Junior Brother Xu is incredibly adaptable. How many days has it been, and he’s already refined a Ten Thousand Souls Banner.’

’Just as a disciple of our Primordial Sect should be.’

’If the True Monarch hadn’t divined his origins and confirmed he was truly a native of the Divine Martial Realm, I would have thought he was the reincarnation of some Foundation Establishment Daoist Master from a Demon Sect.’

’After all, the materials for a Ten Thousand Souls Banner are hard to come by. If refined properly, it could one day become a Spiritual Treasure capable of blotting out the very sun and sky.’

’Nearly every disciple of the Primordial Sect tries to find a way to refine one.’

’We’re all from the Primordial Sect; this sort of thing is commonplace.’

Xu Yunfan’s expression remained impassive. He gave the Black Banner a shake, swiftly retracting the Black Qi while simultaneously releasing a few wisps of the Purple Robe Daoist Master’s aura.

This was all that was left of him; Xu Yunfan had ground his bones to dust and scattered the ashes.

Sensing the wisps of aura, Daoist Master Hundred Peaks frowned slightly. A three-inch golden ray suddenly shot out from his fingertip.

He looked at Xu Yunfan.

After receiving a nod from Xu Yunfan, the golden ray coiled around the Black Banner like a nimble snake, sketching out seven ferocious demonic faces on its surface.

"Something’s not right... There’s something hidden in this..."

As if he had realized something, Daoist Master Hundred Peaks abruptly stopped speaking and simply sneered.

"What a fine ’Shifting Flower and Grafting Wood’ technique!"

He formed a hand seal and cast a Sound Insulation Restriction, then laid down several more Prohibition Arrays. Once he was certain they were completely isolated and that the Celestial Secret could not pry, he asked, "Tell me in detail. Did that Foundation Establishment Cultivator use any special cultivation techniques?"

With a flicker of his Divine Sense, Xu Yunfan made the scene of the battle materialize from within the Black Banner. "When that man activated the Blood River Array, he crushed a Jade Pendant carved with a Twin Lotus."

This was true. When the Purple Robe Daoist Master had accused the True Monarch of harming him, the Jade Pendant in his hand had shattered.

"Twin Lotus?!"

Daoist Master Hundred Peaks’ expression turned grave.

He took a deep breath, and three Golden Talismans flew from his sleeve, spontaneously combusting in mid-air. "This must be reported to the True Monarch at once! This is beyond our ability to handle. It seems the other party is finally making their move."

Xu Yunfan’s eyes flickered. ’Daoist Master Hundred Peaks’ reaction is enough to prove he knows that someone has invaded the Divine Martial Realm.’

’This is a test, and also my pledge of loyalty.’

A Golden Talisman flew from Daoist Master Hundred Peaks’s sleeve. "This matter must be reported to True Monarch Qing Yuan at once!"

The instant the Golden Talisman burned to ash, the sea of clouds covering the mountain peak suddenly parted.

A stream of Pure Qi descended from the highest heavens, coalescing in the air into the illusory image of jade steps leading up to a palace entrance.

The moment Xu Yunfan stepped onto the jade stairs, his surroundings changed abruptly. He now found himself in the Pure Source Immortal Palace, which floated above the sea of clouds.

Looking up, he saw a glazed plaque above the Immortal Palace, inscribed with the title: ’Pure Source, Wondrous Way, and the Mandate of the Mysterious Vault True Monarch’.

The pure light of heaven and earth flowed over the glazed tiles of the Immortal Palace’s main hall.

A green-robed Daoist seated in the center of the hall slowly opened his eyes. A cinnabar dot between his brows pulsed with light, causing the entire hall to flicker between bright and dim.

Following Daoist Master Hundred Peaks into the Immortal Palace, Xu Yunfan dared not show the slightest disrespect.

"This disciple pays his respects to True Monarch Qing Yuan."

As Xu Yunfan performed the formal greeting, he noticed The Fortune-Carrying Lamp on the True Monarch’s desk—a lamp said to have burned for three thousand years without being extinguished. At this moment, its flame was a flickering mixture of green and black.

’A Celestial Secret Treasure!’

Xu Yunfan’s heart trembled. The flame burning within the lamp was anything but ordinary. A single, fleeting glance was enough to fill his mind with a sense of boundless profundity.

True Monarch Qing Yuan gave a slight nod.

"Tell me about the ambush in detail."

Just as Xu Yunfan mentioned the Foundation Establishment Cultivator he had refined into the Blood Banner, the clear ring of a Jade Chime suddenly echoed through the hall.

A Grotto Profound Mirror flew out of the True Monarch’s sleeve, and its light shone upon the Blood Banner, revealing every last trace of its residual Evil Qi in minute detail.

"This isn’t the style of the Primordial Demon Sect. It’s a rather clumsy deception."

Then, as if a thought occurred to him, he chuckled. "In fact, it looks like it was left for us to find on purpose."

True Monarch Qing Yuan’s smile grew colder.

He formed a spell-sign to guide the mirror’s light, and the ambient Pure Qi swirling near the hall’s ceiling began to rotate in response.

"The Celestial Secret is being obscured..."

Suddenly, spiderweb-like cracks spread across the mirror’s surface.

Xu Yunfan’s pupils contracted. He clearly saw half of a woman’s face flash within the cracks—the cinnabar dot between her brows was identical to True Monarch Qing Yuan’s.

"So it is her."

A complicated look crossed True Monarch Qing Yuan’s face. He sighed, and with a wave of his sleeve, the Treasure Mirror was repaired. "That bitch Nine Abysses is using the Reincarnation Mirror to disrupt the Celestial Secret again."

Seeing the confused look on Xu Yunfan’s face, the True Monarch said meaningfully, "Do you know why my Daoist title contains the word ’Mandate’?"

Daoist Master Hundred Peaks, standing to the side, said nothing. He was clearly aware of the inside story.

"Back then, Nine Abysses and I studied the *Taiyi Jinhua Principle* together, harmonizing our Dragon and Tiger Yin Yang. It was supposed to be a simple, mutually beneficial Dual Cultivation, but she insisted on refining that blasted Marriage Book."

After that one resentful sentence, True Monarch Qing Yuan cut himself off, his expression full of impatience.

Xu Yunfan, of course, did not dare to interrupt. This was a private matter, but that one short sentence was enough to set his mind racing with speculation.

Nine Abysses.

There was only one person in the Primordial Sect with that title: the Nine Abyss Profound Evil Cave Ming True Monarch.

The thought of a romantic entanglement between two True Monarchs was so absurd he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

In the next instant, an irresistible torrent of the Pure Qi of heaven and earth poured into Xu Yunfan’s crown in an act of Empowerment. The True Martial Magical Power in his Qi Sea instantly began to boil, and the Black Tortoise Illusion behind him actually manifested a physical form.

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