Chapter 224: Chapter 199 Preparing for the Final Battle_1
Having worn out iron shoes in fruitless searching, unexpectedly the whole effort was not in vain.
Lu Yan failed to find the Grandmaster Martial Chef from the Ding Family, but unexpectedly he ran into Guan Shan, which cheered Lu Yan up for a moment.
On the road, whenever Lu Yan had spare time, he would eat Dried Martial Food and practice martial arts to enhance his bone strength.
The peak of Martial Marquis Level Five was getting closer and closer.
Soon after, Blood Kill returned, circling in the air and cawing, as if communicating with Guan Shan.
Anyway, Lu Yan couldn’t understand at all what Blood Kill was trying to express.
He couldn’t help but admire Guan Shan.
A Master in Martial Arts who was very skillful in Martial Chef with the ability to speak to animals, truly a jack of all trades.
Living obscurely in six counties of Lingdong, what a pity.
"Blood Kill said that people from the Zhao Clan have arrived at Kunwu Mountain."
Said Guan Shan.
"Lu Yan, if you want to practice, ride on Blood Kill first, it is a good way to practice martial arts."
Guan Shan paused for a moment before suggesting.
Lu Yan nodded, leaped into the air, and landed on Blood Kill’s back.
Practicing martial arts while riding was inconvenient.
Shortly after Lu Yan and the others left Changfeng City, the Spirit Sect also received news.
They concluded that Lu Yan and the others were gathering at Kunwu Mountain to join forces against them, so they sent a team of a hundred martial soldiers from the Qiu Family to occupy Changfeng City.
Blood Slaughter caught up with Lu Yan and the others and reported the situation. Lu Yan let out a sigh of relief when he heard this.
After they left, as expected, the Spirit Sect didn’t pay much attention to Changfeng City.
In this way, the risk of exposing the Hidden Blood Land Vein was quite small for the time being.
Nine days later, they led their martial army into Kunwu Mountain, and Lu Yan also met the three Grandmasters of the Zhao Clan.
Only three out of the ten Grandmasters of the Zhao Clan survived.
Two were second-rank Masters, and one was a first-level Master.
They were Zhao Tianyang, Zhao Tianxing, and Zhao Tianmu.
All three of them looked haggard and filled with melancholy. When they saw Lu Yan and the others, they let out a faint smile and greeted Wei Changkong, Li Xingchen, and the others.
They were shocked and impressed when they learned of Lu Yan’s prowess from Wei Changkong.
"Gentlemen, do you have any top-ranked Body Refining Martial Arts? I have a deep interest in Body Refining Martial Cultivation and I am currently meeting a bottleneck, I would like to find a few Body Refining Martial Arts for reference," Lu Yan started.
He had long coveted the Divine Jiao Body of the Zhao Clan.
"We rushed to leave when the city was broken. Most of the martial arts were left in Lingwang City, and only a few were brought out. We only have one body refining martial art, which is the Divine Jiao Body. Brother Lu, if you need it, feel free to take it," Zhao Tianyang, the second-rank Grandmaster said.
The Divine Jiao Body was highly valued by the Zhao Clan in the past and only the finest of the Zhao Clan were granted permission to study it. They never lent it out. Even the martial arts they obtained from hunting demons in exchange for battle achievements did not include the Divine Jiao Body.
But times have changed.
Lingwang City has fallen and the lands of Lingdong are now uncertain. Holding onto a few martial arts no longer makes sense. If they could lend them out in exchange for strengthening their own strength, it would be for the best.
Lu Yan was elated but kept a straight face. "Alright, I will study it as a reference, perhaps it will be useful."
Before long, Zhao Tianyang handed over the Divine Intent Diagram and secret book of the Divine Jiao Body to Lu Yan.
Later on, Lu Yan met many other members of the Zhao Clan.
More than a hundred people from the Zhao Clan managed to escape this time and they were all on Kunwu Mountain.
To his surprise, Lu Yan found Zhao Sirong.
Zhao Sirong was fine.
Lu Yan was relieved.
The person he cared about the most in the Zhao Clan was Zhao Sirong. Since he learned that Lingwang City had fallen, he had been worried about her. Now that he saw she was fine, a burden was lifted off his mind.
Zhao Sirong, with red-rimmed eyes and a haggard face, trembled slightly when she saw Lu Yan and looked at him in a daze.
"Sirong, what happened? Can’t you recognize me?"
Lu Yan walked over and said with a smile.
Lu Yan hadn’t changed his appearance, so he looked as he normally does. However, when he left Lingwang City, he had revealed his true face to Zhao Sirong.
Suddenly, Zhao Sirong flung herself into Lu Yan’s arms, hugging him tightly.
Lu Yan was rigid, not knowing where to place his hands.
"Lu Ren, no, Lu Yan, my father... my father was killed by the demon trying to protect me...and my mother...they...huu huu."
Zhao Sirong, always valiant and heroic, wept bitterly in Lu Yan’s embrace, the tears soaking Lu Yan’s clothes.
Lu Yan slowly dropped his hands and held Zhao Sirong by her shoulders, comforting her, but he didn’t say a word.
After a long while, Zhao Sirong left Lu Yan’s embrace. With red-rimmed eyes and a blush on her cheeks, she wiped away the tears on Lu Yan’s chest with her sleeve, saying, "I’m sorry, I made your clothes wet."
"It’s okay, as long as you’re not hurt."
"What did you say?"
"I said, it’s okay as long as you’re fine."
...
In the heart of Kunwu Mountain, there were many stone houses, initially built for servants.
Sitting around a stone table were Lu Yan, Guan Shan, Wei Changkong, Li Xingchen, Zhao Tianyang, Zhao Tianxing and Zhao Tianmu. They were discussing the current situation.
"Now, the Tuoba Clan, Wei Family, and Zheng Family have been successively destroyed. The Fang Family in Qingfeng County and the Bai Family in Da’an County, most likely infiltrated by the Martial Spirit, have taken control of most territories in Lingdong. Next, they will surely sweep the Martial Marquis clans and then attack Zijing County. Finally, they will join forces to siege Kunwu Mountain."
Zhao Tianyang took out a map of the six counties of Lingdong and analyzed in detail.
"Judging from the number of experts revealed by the Spirit Sect, we are far from being opponents. We must draw in more experts. The Ding Family and Lin Family of Zijing County have not yet moved, most likely they have not been infiltrated. If we could bring them in, our strength would be greatly enhanced,"
Said Wei Changkong.
"Lingwang City is not far from the Lin Family. After the Spirit Sect broke Lingwang City, they will most likely send troops directly to the Lin Family. I wonder if it’s too late. As for the Ding Family, they haven’t been attacked yet, they might still have a chance,"
Said Guan Shan.
"Both Ding Family and Lin Family are well acquainted with me, I will personally take a trip to tell them the urgency of the situation, urging them to evacuate and then reconvene here at Kunwu Mountain," I said.
"Brother Guan, may I borrow the Bloody Eagle for this task?"
Zhao Tianyang looked towards Guan Shan as he asked.
"Of course, let’s do it this way," Guan Shan affirmed.
"I will set off immediately," said Zhao Tianyang.
Shortly after, Zhao Tianyang rode off on the Blood Kill, disappearing into the horizon.
Others also left one after another to make preparations, leaving only Lu Yan and Guan Shan.
"Lu Yan, have the ingredients for cooking the Ink Jade Heart Bead and the Phoenix Blood Heart Protective Soup been gathered? If there’s anything missing, just let me know. We still have Phoenix Blood Worms and Heart Orbs in abundance at Kunwu mountain." Guan Shan asked.
"...Yes," Lu Yan replied, nodding his head. His heart was filled with a sense of awe. He had once fought tooth and nail for the Phoenix Blood Worms and Heart Orbs, but now they were readily available. If he’d known this before, he wouldn’t have gone through all that trouble.
"Senior, do you have any Immortal Bones left that you could give me?" Lu Yan asked.
The Nine Tribulations Blade avatar that he lost last time had not been recovered, and both his Bull Demon Body and his newly acquired Divine Jiao Body needed improvements. Relying on Martial Food alone was far too slow.
And the Immortal Bone, having tasted its benefits once, he couldn’t help but crave for more.
"Didn’t you take a piece last time? Why do you need another?" Guan Shan asked.
"The one I got last time is used up," Lu Yan explained.
Guan Shan looked at Lu Yan skeptically.
A piece of Immortal Bone, just used up like that?
How could that be possible?
"Last time when all the major Feudal Lords entered Kunwu Mountain, three pieces of Immortal Bones were stolen, I’ve always suspected that it was Martial Spirits who did it, but now it seems....." Guan Shan hesitated.
"No, definitely not, senior, don’t overthink it. I never set foot in Kunwu Mountain last time. I, Lu Yan, swear that I haven’t stepped into Kunwu Mountain last time and if I lie, May Heaven Strike Me Down." Lu Yan assured solemnly.
Boom!
Suddenly, a thunderous sound echoed in the sky.
Lu Yan was startled.
In his previous life, while arguing with someone online, he made uncountable vows that never came to fruition. Could it be that in this world, such vows could become reality?
Fortunately, it was merely a false alarm. It was just the usual thunderstorm.
Seeing how earnestly Lu Yan was, Guan Shan didn’t dig further. He said, "When my master discovered a piece of Immortal Corpse in Kunwu Mountain, he didn’t obtain much Immortal Bone. Now, there are only three pieces left with me. If we encounter Martial Spirits in the future and need to use Immortal Bone, I can spare only one piece for you. Use it sparingly."
"Thank you, senior," Lu Yan responded happily, with a grateful bow.
Soon, Guan Shan handed over to Lu Yan an Immortal Bone that was about the same size as the one he received before.
Similarly, Lu Yan brought the Phoenix Blood Worm and Heart Orb as well as the assistive Spiritual Medicine.
Guan Shan then began the preparation of the food.
Lu Yan entered a stone room, locking the door behind him. He consumed a piece of Level Three Martial Food, subsequently started cultivating the Nine Tribulations Blade, refining his consumption, and improving his Bone Strength.
It was naturally the Level Three Martial Food given by Guan Shan.
Among the six counties of Lingdong, only Kunwu Mountain had Level Three Martial Food.
In the past, when the grandmasters of the major Feudal Lords needed to consume Level Three Martial Food, they would travel outside Lingdong to purchase it.
Now, due to the uprising of devils and demons, the pathways to the outside world had been sealed. The grandmasters of the major Feudal Lords could only consume Level Two Martial Food.
Level Three Martial Food was used by grandmasters for enhancing their cultivation. As for Lu Yan, who was only at the Martial Marquis level, the consumption of Level Three Martial Food, in combination with the Unity of Man and Martial Arts aspect of the Nine Tribulations Blade, greatly enhanced the effectiveness and speed of his cultivation.
When he wasn’t cultivating, Lu Yan would take out the Divine Jiao Body and try to comprehend it.
Time flew, and half a month passed.
Lu Yan had successfully comprehended both the Divine Jiao Body and Chasing Wind and Moon to initial completion, and had even managed to form Martial Arts avatars.
Meanwhile, Zhao Tianyang had returned, and accompanying him were numerous experts from the Ding Family.
The Ding Family, in the six counties of Lingdong, was second only to the Zhao Clan among the Feudal Lords.
They were a family of Martial Chefs, with every generation boasting a Martial Chef Grandmaster, and in this generation, there were a total of six grandmasters.
Two were Second-rank Masters, and four were First-level Masters.
Even though they were not as powerful as the Zhao Clan, they still surpassed other clans with master-level experts.
In addition to grandmasters, there were more than eighty Martial Marquis who came to Kunwu Mountain as well.
As for the Martial Generals, due to their slow speed, apart from a few elite soldiers who dispersed and arrived at Kunwu Mountain, the others were dismissed on the spot.
The arrival of the Ding Family significantly bolstered the strength of Kunwu Mountain.
Unfortunately, no one from the Lin family arrived. Zhao Tianyang was one step late, and their clan had already been overrun by the Spirit Sect.
Inside the stone house.
Lu Yan held an Immortal Bone in his hand.
"The effects are really astonishing when Level Three Martial Food is paired with Top Martial Arts. In just half a month, my cultivation level has reached the peak of Martial Marquis Level Five, and I am just waiting for the Phoenix Blood Heart Protective Soup and Ink Jade Heart Bead cooked by Senior Guan Shan to start challenging the realm of Master," Lu Yan mused.
"Calculating the time, it should only be a few more days until the food is ready."
"First, I must enhance my Nine Tribulations Blade and several Martial Arts to the Unity of Man and Martial Arts."
With a thought in mind, the Dao Book Illusion appeared, ’swallowing’ the Immortal Bone.
