Free Web NovelChapter 304: Chapter 304: Ten Extremes Martial Arts
"The Sword Burial Abyss today..."
He frowned slightly, his voice low. "The Evil Qi is unusually agitated. Our previous observations clearly indicated that the tide would be at its lowest today."
Cui Yu stared at the Evil Qi twisting and rising from the depths like a Flood Dragon and mused, "Perhaps a Divine Sword, dormant for many years, has reawakened, causing the Evil Qi at the bottom of the abyss to boil."
Bi Yuan unconsciously rubbed the Sect Leader’s Jade Order at his waist, his mind uneasy. He shook his head slightly. ’Perhaps I’m just overthinking things.’
「At the bottom of the abyss.」
The immense Sword Intent churning within Dugu Jiu’s body suddenly stagnated, and an imperceptible flicker passed through his murky eyes.
The Sword Intent, which had been spreading like a raging tide, slowly receded like an ebbing one, returning to its dormant state within his withered body.
Xu Yunfan’s tense muscles relaxed slightly, surprise flashing in his eyes. ’This old monster actually held back at the critical moment?’
His gaze swept over Dugu Jiu’s hands, so emaciated they resembled withered bones, and he suddenly realized something.
Three hundred years of barely clinging to life had long since riddled his body with decay. That momentary release of Sword Intent had probably caused cracks to appear in the Secret Techniques that were keeping him alive.
A web of dark, bluish-black veins surfaced on the back of Dugu Jiu’s hand. It was obvious his body was struggling to withstand the flow of Sword Qi.
Dugu Jiu paid no mind to Xu Yunfan’s gaze. He raised his hand, watched the dark, bluish veins on its back slowly fade, and let out a sudden sigh.
"All men are mortal. Where can one find true Longevity?"
He looked up at Xu Yunfan and said in a low voice, "I’ve heard of you. You’ve become quite famous in the Taoist Sect recently. Since you were chosen by that boy, Bi Yuan, you must have something extraordinary about you. When the Celestial Demon descends, you might represent our only sliver of hope."
A slight change came over Xu Yunfan’s expression.
’This Dugu Jiu... he knows everything.’
Seeing Xu Yunfan’s guarded posture, the corners of Dugu Jiu’s withered mouth curled into a meaningful smile. "Go on. Choose your Divine Weapon. In the endless abyss below, three Divine Weapons have the potential to become Tier Eight Divine Weapons..."
Before his voice had even faded, his murky eyes grew as deep as the abyss. His voice, hoarse with the weight of ages, continued, "The Jiuyao Sect’s Nine Luminaries Swallowing Qi Technique, the Sword Pavilion’s Empty Clarity Sword Washing Technique, the Mituo Temple’s Yijing Marrow Cleansing Skill, the Profound Daoist Sect’s Dragon and Tiger Pill Skill, the Taoist Sect’s Pure Yang Qi Skill... I have the complete versions of them all."
Dugu Jiu’s slightly stooped figure slowly straightened up.
"Back then, I sought to walk the path of Ten Thousand Laws Return to the Stream. I sat in meditation in the Sword Tomb for a century, forging a hundred scriptures in a single crucible. In the end, I attained a flawless body, reached the Realm of Perfection, and accomplished the Circulation of Heaven and Earth..."
Dugu Jiu’s voice was like the scraping of a Rusted Sword—old and withered, yet it carried a sanctity that pierced through the ages. freewebnovёl.ƈom
"Are you willing to learn? The Circulation of Heaven and Earth, the Ten Thousand Laws Return to the Ruins, and achieve the Ten Extremes Martial Arts?"
Xu Yunfan asked, "How does it compare to the Taoist Sect’s Golden Locking Jade Twelve Formulas?"
His Adam’s apple bobbed, and his heart pounded in his chest.
"The Golden Locking Jade Twelve Formulas?" Dugu Jiu’s face twisted with contempt. "A mere Life-locking and Life-extension technique dares to be compared to the Martial Dao I forged from a hundred scriptures?
"My Martial Dao has taken the martial path of the human body to its absolute peak. Forged from a hundred scriptures and comprehended over a century, it has touched the very pinnacle of the Martial Dao."
After a pause, Dugu Jiu’s gaze burned as he continued, "If you use the Ten Extremes Martial Arts to condense your True Qi, you will have a good chance of shattering the limits of the Ninth Realm and stepping into the Land Immortal Realm."
BANG!
The stone ground spiderwebbed with cracks as Xu Yunfan’s knees slammed into it, kicking up a cloud of dust.
The kneel was so sudden that even Dugu Jiu’s murky pupils trembled slightly. He saw Xu Yunfan press his forehead to the sword-scarred ground, his spine held as straight as a javelin.
"Senior, I am willing to learn!"
"...Hahaha!"
Dugu Jiu was stunned for a moment, then his laughter boomed, causing the Evil Qi at the bottom of the abyss to surge and roil.
"Good! Good! Good!"
Dugu Jiu regarded Xu Yunfan with a look of pure admiration.
"Most Martial Artists in this world are obsessed with saving face, but you... you’ve shown me something different."
As his words faded, Xu Yunfan looked up to see Dugu Jiu’s figure dissipate like a flash of sword light. The Evil Qi in the abyss subsided, leaving behind only a scroll of Exotic Beast Hide with dark golden patterns lying before him.
Xu Yunfan got to his feet and called out a few times.
"Senior? Senior!"
Receiving no response, Xu Yunfan felt a pang of relief, but his spirits were not particularly high.
Dugu Jiu was a capricious man, but from what was known of his life, he was utterly selfish. For him to so generously offer the Ten Extremes Martial Arts, a technique he had worked so hard to create, he absolutely had an ulterior motive.
’A pity...’
Xu Yunfan couldn’t help but glance at his Attribute Panel.
If it weren’t for his Attribute Panel, he wouldn’t touch this Ten Extremes Martial Arts, no matter how grandly Dugu Jiu described it.
He unrolled the scroll. Outlined in Cinnabar were ten diagrams of the human meridians. Beside each diagram, obscure ancient characters recorded the essentials for each realm of the Ten Extremes Martial Arts, from the "Body Tempering Extreme Realm" to the "Circulation of Heaven and Earth." The final page was even marked with the words "Land Immortal," the brushstrokes as sharp as sword carvings—clearly a later addition by Dugu Jiu.
However, this "Land Immortal" part was merely Dugu Jiu’s own speculation; whether it was true remained to be seen.
’You have obtained Ten Extremes Martial Arts (Gold).’ freewēbnoveℓ.com
Seeing the message float into his vision, Xu Yunfan’s spirits lifted. He truly hadn’t expected Dugu Jiu to be so straightforward and actually give him this peerless Divine Skill.
But this only made Xu Yunfan more cautious. In the future, he would have to be exceedingly careful when dealing with Dugu Jiu. For the man to act like this, his ambitions must be vast.
He couldn’t fathom the man’s intentions.
Xu Yunfan subconsciously touched his chest.
Unfortunately, Yuu Congling’s Extreme Dao Relic Shell had fallen silent ever since it spoke those few words inside the White Jade Palace in the Little Heaven and Earth Secret Realm. Otherwise, he might have had a chance to ask it about this.
After a quick scan of the Ten Extremes Martial Arts, another message popped up on the Attribute Panel in his vision.
’You have hastily scanned the Ten Extremes Martial Arts and learned nothing.’
’It works!’
But now wasn’t the time to practice this Cultivation Technique. Securing a Divine Weapon was more important.
Xu Yunfan shot down into the bottomless abyss. Along the way, he faintly heard Dugu Jiu’s sigh drifting from the depths of the Evil Qi: "To a Celestial Demon, devouring a martial warrior is as tasteless as chewing wax. Only an Extreme Daoist can, in turn, feast on its marrow. Practice hard, boy. You don’t want to become just another dish on the menu when the Celestial Demon descends..."
The words sent a chill down his spine, further convincing him that Dugu Jiu knew far more secrets about the Celestial Demon.
Moving like a bolt of lightning, Xu Yunfan passed through layers of churning Evil Qi and finally reached the deepest part of the abyss.
The sight before him made his breath catch in his throat. Four Divine Weapons floated within a dark purple vortex of Evil Qi, each radiating a completely different aura of power, as if awaiting their fated master.
One was a long, dark purple staff. Fine Thunder Patterns coiled around its shaft, seeming to slither slowly as if alive.
Its head was carved into a ferocious dragon’s head, mouth slightly agape as if it could swallow and spit Celestial Thunder.
The butt of the staff was engraved with the ancient word "Thunderstrike," and faint arcs of electricity danced around it.
