Xuanjian Xianzu

Chapter 1335 Letter of Credentials
That being said…

The old man pondered for a long time before finally saying:

"I heard about the matter at Dalingchuan yesterday, and it doesn't seem like good news. There's still no news from the grotto-heaven. Sanyi is highly skilled in Taoism, possesses astonishing wisdom, and cultivates the Lesser Yin. We should have asked him about this... but unfortunately, he's been captured..."

Upon hearing this, Lü Fu knew that the other party was subtly criticizing him—the Lü family held a prominent position and generally knew more than they did, especially since he had only just emerged from the grotto-heaven. He sighed and said:

"Good news... bad news... although Master Wen has the ability to judge, I feel I can't see it clearly..."

He dared not mention Dalingchuan, and instead said:

"This path of immortality, the path of immortality, is where people travel through the mountains, seeking to understand the scriptures, hence the name 'path of immortality.' Ultimately, it has an end, but... aside from those who witness the profound mysteries firsthand, only a handful of people truly attain it, and the majority die seeking the Dao..."

"But if one possesses unparalleled talent and can reach that final step, claiming the Great Luo throne, then the path ahead is merely a few narrow routes..."

He said seriously:

"Seeking proof in the void, promoting the Great Dao, and heading beyond the heavens... Seeking proof in the void is something Qingxuan often does. You and I both know this lord's abilities, and he has indeed accomplished it... As for instructing a few disciples, it's nothing more than those things, nothing to be surprised about. After all, they have already reached the pinnacle of the Immortal Path, emulating the ancestor of this path, establishing temples and palaces, and picking up the glory of the past..."

Although his words were cryptic, they startled Master Wen, causing his heart to pound. He then looked at Lü Fu and said:
"In my opinion, whenever a peerless immortal appears, all the sects under heaven change their names and surnames in order to survive. What we care about is their ideals and their unwillingness to have a Thunder Palace anymore. Now that we see the will of Heaven is clear, it's not such a bad thing."

"But on the last point, my elders' intentions were unclear."

He paused and sighed:
"After all, that person was born under the Earth element."

Master Wen pondered for a moment, seemingly realizing a possibility, and his expression changed drastically. Lü Fu continued:

"Throughout history, the number of great figures who have traveled far and wide has been the smallest! Even the renowned Master Xu Xiang of my Dao is said to have traveled back and forth many times, hesitating and indecisive—you should consider this: my Daoist master once built a tower for Immortal Lord Shao Yang while still in his Golden Core form, at which time his cultivation was already extremely high. Later, when Immortal Lord Shao Yang passed away, and the Second Master Shao Yang Shao Da ascended to the Dao and even became an immortal, we could still hear His congratulations..."

These words were of great significance, especially coming from Lü Fu, the most orthodox successor of the Tu De lineage. The old master Wen was filled with trepidation:
'What does this mean? Does it mean He won't leave easily?'

Needless to say, the wishes of all the True Lords in the world are clear. Although Luo Xia doesn't often take action, when he does, he is exceptionally domineering. With such a powerful figure looming over them, those who are not on good terms with him are extremely unwilling. Even their own people have to be patient and endure it. But if they are unwilling to leave...

His face remained blank, his hands clasped together, as if in relief or repentance for his sins, and he said:

"That would be wonderful!"

Lü Fu shook his head and sighed:

"These are just some of my elders' foolish opinions. They were just disappointed in me. I listened to them for a while, and then they kicked me out and told me to go somewhere far away. That's how I ended up here with my elders."

After probing this point, Master Wen finally understood where his troubles came from.

'So there's this connection... I thought with his Daoist heart, he wouldn't be so easily offended by such idle gossip. He's probably worried because he suspects the Lü family is prepared to discard him!'

The two of them kept their words to themselves, but Lü Fu paced back and forth in the courtyard, seemingly with countless thoughts swirling in his mind. Wen Zhenren noticed his inner turmoil and, after a long while, said:
"The ancestors of the Lü family once worshipped Qingxuan, making them extraordinary. They also possess the foundation of a profound spiritual treasure. In the grand scheme of things, Mingyang would never make things difficult for you..."

Lü Fudao:
"No matter how great the names of the two Lü brothers are, since they failed in their pursuit of the Dao and their descendants are incompetent, what prestige can they still have!"

As the last word fell, the two men's expressions changed drastically. The lamps in the entire hall went out at the same time, and the hall began to shake violently. The ground shook violently, and sharp whistling sounds filled their ears, as if they were about to pierce through their ears!
'Om! '

In an instant, the two supernatural beings raised their heads together and saw that the blue sky was already filled with thick gray clouds. The light gray flames were like a malignant sore, flickering with vicious light, suppressing the blue sky, which was extremely astonishing!

"'Combined Fire'?!"

The two exchanged a glance, and Master Wen's expression changed drastically. Lü Fu's face turned pale instantly, and before he could even pull up his sleeves, he clenched his two fingers together, pinched and pushed...

Before he could even begin to calculate, all the light that had enveloped the sky had faded, and the brilliant gold shone through the great formation, illuminating his bloodless face.

Two golden lights shone from the raging gray shadows. The man's black robes had long since transformed into a ferocious helmet, a long halberd stood behind him, and the golden axe in his hand was filled with brilliant light.

Like a god.

Lu Fu was stunned, while the old master Wen's heart sank to the bottom. His chin trembled slightly, and his white beard swayed like willow catkins in the wind. The old man said:
"Fellow Daoist Lü..."

Lu Fu stood frozen in place, the heavens and earth trembling once more, before he snapped out of his daze, turned his head, and saw the bitter face of Elder Wen:
"Fellow Daoist Lü... is your fate intertwined with the Bright Sun?"

In that instant, Lü Fulian couldn't even manage a bitter smile. His first reaction was to pull out a talisman from his storage bag, and a chill instantly ran through his heart.

'Walk! '

"Let's leave immediately before the formation breaks!"

If Li Zhouwei were to capture him alive again, Lu Fu dared not even think about what the public opinion in the county would be like!
But just as his supernatural powers were about to permeate the talisman, Lü Fu looked at the old man beside him and suddenly hesitated.

'Can they really escape?'

'He's already a Great Master!'

The old man beside him stroked his beard, his mind equally in turmoil.

Kakuyama Fumishi can't escape!

But in that instant, seeing the blazing fire flickering on his own formation, the old man could no longer care about those around him. He had no choice but to step forward and use his supernatural powers, saying:

"But the King of Wei is right in front of us! Please, have mercy!"

But his "Horn Wood" divine power had barely touched the formation when ten thousand bolts of heavenly lightning descended from the sky, like a dense downpour, crashing onto the great formation with a tremendous force!
【Thunderbolt Breaking Formation Wedge】!
In an instant, lightning clashed with the horn-shaped wood, striking the fire. Black flames surged, and the divine powers of heaven and earth gave him no chance to speak. The old man raised his head and saw only the towering, earth-shattering axe.

【Huayang Wang Yue】.

The four divine powers of King Wei illuminated the sky like a god. This object displayed a completely different appearance, like a mountain descending from the sky. The gold that spanned the sky divided all colors in two. Without hesitation or pause, it crashed down!

Li Zhouwei came over by surprise, so why would I talk to him?
"Boom!"

A violent wail rang out from the great formation. However, the earth veins of Jiaoshan were powerful, and the formation was quite powerful. Under the intertwining of fire and lightning, it was able to maintain its strength even after being hit by the full force of the human white qilin!
At the same instant, the clanging sound of a sword being drawn rang out.

The sky was gloomy, and blood fell like rain.

In that instant, all the light and color of the great array were condensed in this radiance. Under the old master's stiff gaze, a person behind the King of Wei stepped out.

Qiao Wenliu had no grudge against him and seemed indifferent at the moment. With a gentle lift, the gourd in his hand had already appeared on the formation and was within arm's reach.

【Shendan Purple Gourd】.

A stream of extremely dark light poured out from the gourd's mouth, three feet long and a palm's width, extremely vicious, like some kind of deadly poison, and splashed onto the concave part of the formation.

【Dan Yin Xing Yan Chi Fu】.

Take a break!

This black aura possessed immense power. Just as the great formation was about to run out of fuel, it flickered for a moment, finally causing the formation to tremble. The long axe was raised again, ready to descend from the sky!

The old man's mind was completely blank.

'Such a display of force?'

How long can this formation last?

He Wendao didn't even dare to go out and show his face!

But at this moment, Liu Changdie had his eyes closed for a long time, his hands clasped together, pressing the [Mysterious Treasury Request Letter] between his palms, and the [Huaijiang Map] floated in front of him.

His eyes were golden, and he spoke each word clearly:
"Please store this away, it will cost money from the treasury!"

The brilliance of supernatural power gathered between his palms. In just a moment, the True Man Kujin released his hands. The scroll that had been floating in front of him and the magical treasure that had been between his palms disappeared. He turned around and waved his sleeves, and his empty hands actually took something out of his sleeves!

This object was actually a small drum, covered with intricate patterns. It looked unremarkable, but a circle of gold silk was tied around it, flowing like a waterfall. Each silk ribbon had a small stick about the length of an arm tied to it, one gold and one silver, both shining brightly and captivating the soul.

Liu Changdie looked down and was stunned for a moment.

He wasn't the only one stunned.

Qiao Wenliu's expression changed drastically. He subconsciously wanted to step back, but stopped himself. Even the bright sun in the sky seemed to freeze for a moment, and all eyes were focused on the small drum.

'This is…'

Li Zhouwei was actually quite familiar with it; the object in front of him was 90% similar to the one he had seen years ago. But he never imagined that he would see it again, and that it would be in the hands of his own people, in the hands of Liu Changdie!
This item is inextricably linked to its name.

Qi Lanyan.

Without the slightest hesitation, the King of Wei unleashed his long battle-axe in an instant!
Qiao Wenliu was almost jumping up, but he suppressed the astonishment and bewilderment that surged within him like a collapsing mountain and a tsunami, and exclaimed in horror:
'What the hell is this…'

'【Annihilation Thunder Drum】!'

'The Drum of Thunder!'

Li Zhouwei never intended for Liu Changdie to be the main force in conquering Jiaoshan. He was confident in his abilities, especially since the Yuanbian Master had explained things in detail beforehand, which he understood. He was simply trying it out and seeing the results.

At this moment, Liu Changdie reacted extremely quickly, grabbing the golden staff with lightning speed, pouring all his supernatural powers into it, and smashing it hard onto the small drum surface!
"Boom!"

A familiar golden light rippled outwards, sweeping across the sky!

The already crumbling formation finally shattered before the thunder and the blades. Large swaths of azure light fell down, pulverized into dense azure mist in the thunder, and the crisp sound of array platforms shattering echoed across the sky.

The great formation was destroyed in an instant!
The golden light, spreading like waves, instantly froze the old master's rising figure in place. Its momentum did not diminish, forcing out a person who was fleeing in a disheveled state in the distance, and domineeringly fixing him in the sky, not allowing him to break free in the slightest!

Liu Changdie was stunned for a moment, feeling the supernatural power being frantically drained from his body. He seemed not to have expected the power to be so great. As if afraid that he would miss the opportunity to enjoy himself, his face turned slightly red. He quickly picked up the silver stick and smashed it down with great effort again.

"Boom!"

The old man in the air suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. Silver lightning crackled across his face, pulling him back to reality from the stagnation brought about by the Xuan Lei Ba Dao divine power. It seemed that only now did the old man's blank mind recognize the thing in the sky.

'【Annihilation Thunder Drum】? Or some other Thunder Drum?'

'Qi Lanyan...left his things in the south? How could that be?'

Before his blood had even evaporated completely in the air, someone had already walked through the sky amidst the thunder, stepping on the fluctuating light of the Lesser Yin, his voice tinged with laughter, saying:

"Old Master, be careful!"

The golden light emanating from Wen Daoping's body had not completely faded, constantly interfering with his actions. He could only laboriously manipulate the magical artifact, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw another golden light rising in the western sky.

'Lu Fu, Lu Fu...you've really become a jinx!'

His heart was filled with bitterness, but the person on the other side of the world was even more bitter than him!
Lu Fu stood once again in the pitch-black night, gazing at the golden sunset lying prostrate on the ground on the horizon. The flickering golden and silver lightning intertwined around him, making him stand there in a daze.

'Where did this mysterious lightning come from? How could there possibly be mysterious lightning?'

He, Lü Fu, used talismans, deliberately waiting for the moment the great formation shattered to escape. Although Li Zhouwei's men were all focused on attacking the great formation and could easily take advantage of the chaos, a mysterious lightning bolt inexplicably struck and immobilized him!
'One of the Twenty-Four Thunder Drums... How could there possibly be a Xuan-level treasure of this caliber!'

'It can't possibly be that Qi Lanyan has been resurrected and joined the Li family! Even in the wildest fantasies, nothing is that far-fetched!'

For a fleeting moment, he even had a sliver of self-doubt:
'Could it be... that I am truly destined to be cursed by the Bright Sun?'

But faced with the even more terrifying bright sunlight than before, he felt powerless—Li Zhouwei was able to capture him alive when he was at the Three Divine Powers stage, and now that he is the Great Master of Bright Sun, what could possibly happen?
He raised his head, his face full of bitterness, bowed deeply, and said:
"Greetings, King Wei."

Li Zhouwei, on the other hand, found it quite interesting.

Even without Liu Changdie's stroke of genius, Li Zhouwei, who was always on guard against the escape, certainly wouldn't have let Lü Fu get away; it would just have taken a little more time…

'This person... is truly unlucky...'

Lu Fu was already filled with shame and indignation, and stood there in silence. But then he saw the young man in front of him laugh and shake his head. The darkness retreated rapidly and all of it was withdrawn into his body.

"Master Lü, you may leave!"

Lu Fu stared at him blankly. The King of Wei's golden eyes were bright and piercing, and he looked at him with a smile.

"The Lü family still owes me a favor. Today, I will protect the reputation of you and the Lü family. From now on, it will depend on the Lü family and you."