Chapter 216: Chapter 191: King Ming’s Ninth Grandson_1
Lu Yan could only block with his sword, and after the collision, he was continuously pushed backward.
"Senior, it’s a misunderstanding."
Lu Yan shouted.
"You entered the forbidden area of Kunwu Mountain, stealing the Immortal Bone, and you speak of misunderstanding?"
The old man sneered, strode forward, and continued to attack Lu Yan.
He struck out with his palm, creating dozens more shadows of palm imprints, blocking all of Lu Yan’s paths of retreat and forcing him to confront him. As a result, Lu Yan could not fully exploit his advantage in movement technique.
Boom!
The two exchanged blows again, but this time, Lu Yan’s body barely wavered at all.
The opponent, clearly, had withheld part of his strength without using his full power.
Then he struck out with his palm again towards Lu Yan.
Lu Yan continued to block with his sword.
"Senior, the entire region of Lingdong is currently suffering under the tyranny of Martial Spirits. I retrieved the Immortal Bone just to deal with the Martial Spirits. Surely, as a human Martial Cultivator, you would not want to see Lingdong turn into a wasteland of death?"
Lu Yan roared.
Hearing this, the old man’s eyes flashed brightly, but he did not stop, and continued to attack Lu Yan.
The two fought with incredible speed, exchanging dozens of moves in the blink of an eye.
Clang!
After repelling Lu Yan with the final blow, the old man did not continue to attack.
"Enough, we’ll stop here. I’ve sufficiently gauged your measure."
The old man said, his eyes flashed with a keen light as he firmly fixed his gaze on Lu Yan, as if he was staring at a rare treasure.
Lu Yan felt his scalp tingle under his gaze, but he held onto his sword defensively, slowly retreating, putting some distance between them, but didn’t turn around to run away.
He was clear that the old man was extremely speedy and highly cultivated. His speed was above his, and if he were to be pursued, even running wouldn’t help.
"Senior, what are you testing for?" Lu Yan asked.
"Naturally, I was testing your cultivation level, to see how much ’bone strength’ you’ve actually mastered. Never would have expected that from the small region of Lingdong comes a figure like you."
"Young man, you’re not a Grandmaster, you’re just a Martial Marquis, right?"
The old man stated.
"What makes you say so?"
Lu Yan did not directly admit it.
"Bone strength and inner strength, one is mighty and dominant, the other is flexible; they seem very similar and difficult to distinguish, but there are differences."
"An ordinary Grandmaster might not be able to distinguish, but your strength can’t be hidden from me. What you’re using is ’bone strength’, not ’inner strength’."
"Moreover, you’re practising the top martial arts, but even if it’s the top ’bone strength’, it’s impossible to have such battle power. Therefore, you possess an Innate Martial Body and the ’bone strength’ within your body exceeds ten paths. Is what I said correct?"
The old man spoke leisurely.
Lu Yan fell silent, feeling alarm within his heart. The old man’s words were almost spot on.
So, was he just testing me earlier?
After a moment of silence, Lu Yan revealed a smile and bowed, saying, "Senior truly has keen insight, sharp vision; nothing can escape your notice, I admire you."
"Senior, you refrained from killing me. If there’s anything you need help with, I would not hesitate to help even if it means going through fire and water."
A real man knows when to be tough and when to be flexible.
It’s clear that he can’t win today’s fight, but seeing the opponent seems to have no intention of killing, Lu Yan quickly climbed up the ladder, first calming him down.
The old man revealed a smile.
Everyone likes to hear flattery.
He’s spent many years among alien beasts, where would he hear such flattery? The words seemed to be quite effective, he said: "Old man, I indeed have a task where I need your help, but this task... it’s beneficial for both of us without any harm."
"Senior, please say, forget one task, even if it’s ten tasks I won’t refuse."
Lu Yan decided that no matter what conditions the other party puts forward, he would first agree.
First, appease the opponent, then look for an opportunity to escape is the best strategy.
"Do you know where I come from?"
The old man didn’t raise any conditions, instead he asked.
Lu Yan shook his head; he was indeed curious.
Kunwu Mountain is known as the paradise of alien beasts, commanded by the ten great Beast Kings.
How could a human Martial Cultivator be here, and the beast kings even seem to listen to this old man’s orders?
The old man’s cultivation level was around the third-level Grandmaster, which was not enough to suppress these Beast Kings with cultivation alone.
In Kunwu mountain, in a real fight, the old man might not be the opponent of the Red Golden Ape.
"I come from the Mansion of King Ming." The old man slowly spoke.
"Mansion of King Ming? The Mansion of King Ming that commands three provinces?"
Lu Yan exclaimed in surprise.
Very surprised.
"Of course, under the heavens, there is only one Mansion of King Ming."
The old man solemnly said.
Lu Yan was overjoyed.
"Senior, it’s said that King Ming detests Martial Spirits very much, and would surely kill them upon seeing them. Now, the six prefectures of Lingdong are being devastated by the cruelty of the Martial Spirits, everywhere is in chaos, bodies are strewn about, do you have any way of conveying this message to the Mansion of King Ming, requesting His Highness King Ming to send masters to eliminate the Martial Spirits?" Lu Yan bowed and said.
Unfortunately, the old man lightly shook his head and said with a bitter smile, "If I were able to contact the Mansion of King Ming at will, I wouldn’t have needed your help."
"Senior, why is this so?"
Lu Yan asked.
"To be precise, Kunwu Mountain does not belong to me, but to my master. He, my revered teacher, is the ninth grandson of King Ming. He committed a sin and was banished to Lingdong, a remote area. Kunwu Mountain is his bestowed land. He was forbidden to return to the King Ming’s mansion for his lifetime, and it’s already been a hundred years."
"As my master’s only direct disciple, naturally, I have to follow him and reside on Kunwu Mountain."
The elderly man explained.
"I see, no wonder the large cla.ns outside Lingdong didn’t occupy this level-three Blood Land Vein of Kunwu Mountain when the Moling Mountain Range wasn’t disturbed by monsters. So, this is the reason."
"Even if it is a land bestowed on the banished ninth grandson of King Ming, who dares to occupy it? It’s probably only the feudal lords of Lingdong’s six counties that are bold enough to attack Kunwu Mountain due to their ignorance."
Lu Yan pondered.
"The Innate Martial Body is naturally gifted, incredible. Although there are two major barriers at the initial stage, namely the Martial Marquis barrier and the Grandmaster barrier, which are extremely difficult to overcome. Once you overcome them, you can fly as high as you want. The future breakthrough of Grandmaster shackles and the cultivation of the True Body and True Vigor are much easier than ordinary people. The level will be higher."
"Especially, the Qi-blood that is ten times stronger than ordinary people, which is a huge hurdle, is rare in the world. The higher the future achievements you can achieve, the more all the major forces will cherish it as a treasure. If I can recommend an Innate Martial Body with such capability to the Mansion of King Ming, King Ming would likely pardon my master’s crime. And I could possibly return to the Mansion of King Ming."
The elder continued to explain, shaking slightly with anticipation as he spoke.
"Senior, are you considering recommending me for the Mansion of King Ming?"
Lu Yan asked.
"Yes, indeed. The Mansion of King Ming is one of the strongest forces in Da Chu. It has countless resources and martial arts. If you can enter it, it will be beneficial for you in every way. What do you think?"
The elder stated.
"I’d be more than willing. However, my family is currently on the brink of life and death due to the cruelty of the Martial Spirit. I cannot neglect them. Also, as the Martial Spirit is currently controlling the monsters and blocking the passage in Moling Mountain, I can’t leave Lingdong’s six counties even if I want to go to the Mansion of King Ming."
Lu Yan sighed.
"What’s the current situation in Lingdong’s six counties? Tell me all the details."
The elder asked.
Lu Yan cheered up and immediately detailed the current situation in Lingdong’s six counties.
"The Spirit Sect? So, it is the Spirit Sect. The world is in chaos, demons are rampant, even the once extinguished Spirit Sect has revived."
The elder was visibly affected after hearing this.
"Senior, why don’t we join hands to eliminate the Martial Spirit first, clear the route between Lingdong’s six counties and the outside world before going to the Mansion of King Ming?"
Moreover, King Ming has a deep hatred for the Martial Spirit. If you succeed in killing it, isn’t that a great accomplishment? Won’t it make your return to the Mansion of King Ming a sure thing?"
Lu Yan suggested.
The elder was moved by his words.
Lu Yan’s reasoning made sense.
If the Spirit Sect unifies Lingdong’s six counties, they will definitely target Kunwu Mountain next.
If even the place they have to fall back on is lost, how can they talk about going to the Mansion of King Ming?
Moreover, eliminating the Martial Spirit is indeed a great accomplishment in the Mansion of King Ming.
"Alright, I agree to join hands with you. Do you have any plans?"
The elder asked.
"Although the Martial Spirit employs strange means and has strong vitality, it’s not impossible to eliminate it. The most difficult part is that they have infiltrated each of the major clans, rendering it impossible to discern who among them is the Martial Spirit and who isn’t. If we can expose these people and we join the forces of all the clans of Lingdong, it won’t be difficult to annihilate them."
Lu Yan said.
"There isn’t exactly no way to find out who the Martial Spirit is."
The elder said.
Lu Yan’s eyes lightened up, "Senior, do you have a solution?"
"The Martial Spirit, it fears the fragrance of good and evil, immortals. When the Immortal Bone is shown, the Martial Spirit can be suppressed and won’t reveal themselves. However, when the Demon Bone is shown, the Martial Spirit can’t help but expose their craving for the Demon Bone and cause a ruckus. The Martial Cultivator communicating with the Martial Spirit will find it hard to suppress and will be exposed."
"Therefore, as long as there are Demon Bones, they won’t be able to hide."
The elder explained.
Suddenly, Lu Yan remembered the night of the big battle between the Liu Family and the Wu Family.
When the North Wild Twin Stars took out a piece of black bone and stimulated the energy of the black bone, the Martial Spirit within the ancestor of the Liu Family couldn’t suppress it and rushed towards it.
So that was the reason.
"Zhao Tiansheng of Lingwang City’s Zhao Clan possesses a piece of Demon Bone. If you can break their siege and get the Zhao Clan to bring out the Demon Bone and take it to all the other clans, it won’t be difficult to expose the Martial Spirit."
The elder claimed.
Lu Yan was overjoyed, "Senior, are you willing to go to Lingwang City and break the siege of the Zhao Clan?"
The elder nodded, "Zhao Tiansheng, the master of the Zhao Clan, has some connections with me. He even borrowed the Immortal Horn from me a few years ago and promised to give me some treasures, which he hasn’t yet fulfilled. I was just planning to go and ask for them. Additionally, the Immortal Horn can subdue the alien beasts. It wouldn’t be difficult to repel the alien beast."
"Thank you, sir. With this, Lingdong is saved."
Lu Yan bowed in gratitude.
He didn’t believe the elder was lying to him.
Because there was no need.
If the elder had any treacherous intentions to kill him, there was no need to resort to this. The elder’s own strength, along with the Red-Gold Ape and various Alien Beast Kings, would be sufficient to kill Lu Yan.
"Senior, I wonder what the cultivation level of your master is. If he could join us as well, our chances would be much greater."
Lu Yan questioned.
Unexpectedly, the elder sighed slightly and shook his head, "My master is getting old, nearing the end of his lifespan. His hidden injuries have acted up. He closed up to heal his wounds ten years ago, and he has never left seclusion since then. I... I’m afraid..."
Lu Yan understood the implication.
Closing up for ten years without leaving, it mostly means that he has fallen.
"This is why the servants my master kept were getting restless. There were even traitors amongst them who leaked the secrets of Kunwu Mountain. Otherwise, years ago, there wouldn’t have been a Spirit Demon attacking Kunwu Mountain, and the Martial Spirit wouldn’t have infiltrated Kunwu Mountain to steal the Immortal Bone. Later on, in my fury, I killed all those servants."
At this moment, the elder seemed to have thought of something. A glint of light flashed in his eyes, and he secretly motioned the Red-Gold Ape behind Lu Yan to block his retreat path.
