Chapter 268: Chapter 268: Shock
Bi Sheng concentrated, observing him carefully for a good while before speaking, a hint of disbelief in his voice.
"Golden marrow mercury paste, a Jade Bone Chime, Tendons Like Coiling Dragon, Blood Like Molten Gold, Breath Thunder Sound, Fang Hidden in Pores, Three Jiao Sword, Marrow Sea Generating Gang..."
The more Bi Sheng looked, the more shocked he became. ’Just how many Ultimate Skills did this kid practice to cultivate such a presence?’
Not only was his Horizontal Training as if he were made of Refined Steel, but his Blood Qi was practically boiling like molten gold. The still-roiling Blood Qi steaming from his body actually condensed into red Cloud Patterns on the surface of his Dragon Scale Armor. As the Armor Leaves opened and closed with his breath, the image of a Flood Dragon coiling around a mountain faintly appeared.
Bi Sheng’s gaze was like lightning, discerning that the Armor had already fused with Xu Yunfan’s flesh and blood. The edges of the Dragon Scale Armor Leaves shimmered with a dark golden light, greedily absorbing their master’s surging Blood Qi and feeding back an even fiercer Evil Qi.
Meanwhile, the Red Fire Dragon-Swallowing Mace slung across his back refused to remain dormant. The red patterns on the mace’s body flickered in and out of existence with the pulsing of its master’s qi and blood, as if it were a living creature breathing in Earth Fire.
Bi Sheng was deeply moved. He could clearly sense a ferocious aura lying dormant within the mace, resonating with the new Powerful Qi in Xu Yunfan’s marrow sea. This was the Anomaly that had developed after he forcibly merged the Red Flood Dragon Mountain Coiling Strength and the Triple Jiao Sword Nurturing Technique.
Every inch of his muscle and bone hid a sharp edge, and the chime of a sword seemed to ring with every breath he took.
’How long has it been? Three years? Or was it two...?’
Bi Sheng’s fingertips unconsciously dug into his palm, his back as taut as an iron string beneath his Daoist robes.
He clearly remembered when he had first met this kid in the Eight Hundred Li Barren River. Back then, he was just a crude martial artist who had reached Great Mastery of Skin Cultivation. His stance was fierce, but he hadn’t even touched the threshold of the sinew and bone pass.
He had once sneered that the kid’s foundation was as mixed as gravel, and that reaching the sinew and bone realm in this lifetime would be a blessing from his ancestors. Who could have imagined that this piece of gravel he had declared would be ground to dust had now been forged into a piece of Meteorite Iron capable of cleaving the heavens!
The Bone Marrow Cleansing Realm!
Bi Sheng’s throat bobbed as if he had just swallowed a piece of red-hot charcoal.
This realm was a watershed in the Martial Dao. Countless True Inheritors from famous sects toiled for decades, yet remained stuck before the Blood Exchange Pass, unable to advance. But the person before him had already forged the Grandmaster-level phenomena of "golden marrow mercury paste" and "Jade Bone Chime."
What was even more terrifying was the foundation built from a mixture of the Red Flood Dragon Mountain Coiling Strength, the Triple Jiao Sword Nurturing Technique, and the Yijing Marrow Cleansing Skill.
Xu Yunfan’s expression was tense. The more this old Daoist looked at him, the brighter his gaze became, to the point that even the colorless altar they stood on seemed to grow a little brighter.
His eyes quickly scanned his surroundings, identifying escape routes. His muscles began to tense and relax in an almost imperceptible rhythm, and the Blood Qi in his body remained agitated without the slightest sign of calming.
He had been able to fight above his rank back in the Blood Exchange realm. Now that he had entered the Bone Marrow Cleansing Realm and had several top-tier Martial Arts at his disposal, even if he couldn’t win a direct confrontation, he should at least be able to escape.
Beside them, Lin Qingxuan saw Bi Sheng’s unblinking, "man-eating" gaze and couldn’t help but tremble slightly. "M-Master, what’s wrong with you?!"
Bi Sheng quickly snapped back to his senses, realizing he had lost his composure.
Seeing Xu Yunfan’s slightly spooked appearance, he couldn’t help but chuckle, a few threads of regret rising in his heart.
He blamed himself for finding it too troublesome back then; carrying an extra person while riding the wind would have consumed thirty percent more True Qi. If he had brought Xu Yunfan back with him, he definitely would have given himself a huge surprise.
"Don’t be alarmed, Xu the Kid. You just came out of that Secret Realm, didn’t you?"
Bi Sheng stroked his beard with a smile, making a placating gesture with a hand as withered as a pine branch to show he had no hostile intent.
But the muscles in Xu Yunfan’s back only tensed further.
’This old Daoist seems kind and benevolent, but his eyes hold a needle-sharp scrutiny.’
His right hand hung naturally at his side, his thumb and forefinger rubbing together unconsciously. Outwardly, however, he cupped his fist in a salute. "Senior has sharp eyes. This junior was trapped in the Secret Realm for a long time. I happened to see an exit crack open to the south, so I boldly made a break for it."
"Oh?" Bi Sheng’s white eyebrows rose slightly. "Near that exit... were there any Anomalies?"
"Dark clouds pressed down from above, the Earth Veins churned, and black cracks appeared all over the Little Heaven and Earth Secret Realm, as if it were about to collapse."
’I absolutely cannot reveal the matter of the blood sacrifice at the White Jade Palace right now. Otherwise, Bi Sheng will definitely find a way to control me. This is the Taoist Sect’s home turf, after all. Even though it’s just Bi Sheng here now, with a single shout, he could summon at least three Supreme Elders.’
The Taoist Sect was one of the Six Great Sects not just because it was the leader of the Daoist Sects, but also because its members were masters of endurance and longevity.
Every single Supreme Elder of the Taoist Sect was a Nine Realms Qi Cultivation Supreme Grandmaster. Without exception, they all endured the long years, refining their Cultivation Techniques until they finally transformed their Strength into Qi after turning a hundred, cultivating a strand of True Qi to achieve Nine Realms Qi Cultivation.
Although the Bi Sheng before him wasn’t the Taoist Sect Leader, he was extremely famous throughout the Great Zhou Martial World. He had cultivated diligently for two sexagenary cycles to reach Nine Realms Qi Cultivation, and upon leaving the sect, he had immediately defeated the Sect Leaders of two top-tier Sects.
So he changed the subject. "This junior fled in a hurry. I only vaguely saw the Blood Qi of many Demon Fiends shattering, and a clear radiance shooting toward the center of the Secret Realm."
At these words, Bi Sheng’s expression tightened slightly.
At this moment, Lin Qingxuan, who was standing to the side, also picked up the Profound Celestial Mirror from the ground and quickly walked over to Bi Sheng.
"Master, just now I activated the Profound Celestial Mirror to reflect the Secret Realm. It looks like the Secret Realm is mostly destroyed."
Her expression was slightly excited.
"The mirror showed that the entire Secret Realm has begun to collapse, but something is holding the central area stable."
At this, Lin Qingxuan glanced at Xu Yunfan with some annoyance and pouted. "I was about to zoom in to get a closer look, but he suddenly popped out and interrupted me."
Xu Yunfan silently glanced at Lin Qingxuan. The girl was only about sixteen years old, yet she wielded the famous Profound Celestial Mirror. She was definitely no simple character.
As a Foundry Hall Disciple from the Celestial Craft Cave who also possessed the Celestial Craft Forging Technique, Xu Yunfan had naturally heard of the Profound Celestial Mirror’s reputation.
It was very likely a Tier Eight Divine Weapon. When the Profound Celestial Mirror shone, the reflected light of the sun and moon could easily melt flesh and bone, but its greater power lay in divination and foresight.
It was also widely acknowledged in the Great Zhou Martial World as the companion artifact of a Land Immortal from two thousand years ago.
’For this young girl to be able to wield the Profound Celestial Mirror so freely...’
’...she must have been chosen by the Profound Celestial Mirror as its master.’
Thinking this, Xu Yunfan’s eyes narrowed slightly. This girl was probably far more important than even the Taoist Sect’s current Daoist Child.
"Take it away, quickly! This old man can’t take it!"
Seeing Lin Qingxuan holding the Profound Celestial Mirror out in front of him, Bi Sheng waved his hands repeatedly and took a few steps back.
He had suffered a great loss because of it before, so he was naturally on guard.
Lin Qingxuan said, "Oh," then turned to glance at Xu Yunfan, whose expression was as cold and impassive as if he had facial paralysis. She pouted, then hugged the Profound Celestial Mirror and trotted over to a nearby tea table, sat down, and began to drink tea by herself.
Just as Bi Sheng’s knuckles were unconsciously tapping the longsword at his waist, he suddenly heard a light chuckle from his side. "Since the Little Heaven and Earth has already shattered, even if the White Jade Palace is the anchor, it should be able to hold out for some time."
Every muscle in Xu Yunfan’s body instantly tensed. The voice had come from no more than three zhang away, yet its arrival was as silent and sudden as morning mist creeping over a stone.
He whipped his head around, only to see an old Daoist in a wide-sleeved crane-feather cloak standing at the edge of the altar with his hands behind his back. His feet hadn’t disturbed a single speck of dust.
