Yan Long stood in front of the gate of Longqi Temple with a broadsword in his right hand that was stabbed into the stone steps. He was nearly two meters tall and wore black armor and black pants, revealing his strong arms. His face was weathered, but there was still arrogance between his brows. His long white hair casually draped over his shoulders, making him look like a lion.
He looked to be more than sixty years old, but his physique had surpassed most young people.
The disciples of Longqi Temple stood in rows in front of the small bridge, ready for battle. They were not nervous. Instead, they were excited.
It was time for the Daoist Master to take action again!
Soon, Jiang Changsheng arrived and the disciples quickly made way.
Jiang Changsheng stopped and sized up Yan Long. His true qi was pretty good and he was indeed a hidden expert.
After the death of the Sword Freak, how could ordinary martial artists dare to come up the mountain to challenge him? Those who could come were either top experts or people who were about to die. Evidently, Yan Long satisfied both criteria.
Yan Long was also sizing up Jiang Changsheng and was secretly shocked. This Daoist Master was so young that he looked like a half-grown child. Had he really suppressed half of the martial arts world?
All of a sudden, Yan Long saw Xu Tianji with a broom in his hand and could not help but mock, "The dignified Sect Master of the Guiyuan Divine Sect has been reduced to sweeping the floor."
Xu Tianji said disapprovingly, "Even though I sweep the floor, I'm still alive. You'll die soon, and this broom is to collect your corpse."
The two of them were going tit-for-tat. It was obvious that they had an old grudge.
Yan Long was too lazy to argue with him. He looked at Jiang Changsheng again and said, "Daoist Master Changsheng, attack. Don't hold back. Let me witness the true strength of a martial arts legend. It would be best if I die here."
Jiang Changsheng pulled out the Taihang Sword and smiled. "I can satisfy you."
This person was too old. He would probably die in a few more years, so let's just kill him now.
Yan Long's eyes narrowed as he suddenly raised his saber and slashed. His speed was extremely fast, and as he slashed out, afterimages appeared one after another. It was as if dozens of slashes were slashed out at the same time. Countless saber qi swept towards Jiang Changsheng like a storm. The momentum was so great that it moved all the disciples.
What a powerful saber qi. Compared to the Sword Freak, it was so powerful that it was visible to the naked eye, making people tremble involuntarily.
Jiang Changsheng raised the Taihang Sword, and his speed was even faster. He pointed his sword at Yan Long and with a shake of his wrist, an even more violent sword qi burst out from the blade. It crushed over with an overwhelming force and instantly dispelled the violent saber qi.
"That's… how is that possible!"
Yan Long widened his eyes in fear.
Rumble—
The loud noise of Longqi Mountain shocked the citizens in the city. Countless citizens turned their heads and saw a spectacular scene on the mountaintop. A visible wave of air dispersed the sea of clouds from the mountaintop. The gap was thousands of feet long, as if it was tearing the sky apart.
Such a spectacular scene was breathtaking. The Thirteen Assassins of the Sky Mansion and the Fortune Buddha in the mansion landed on the eaves and looked at Longqi Temple with fear.
"The Daoist Master is getting stronger and stronger…"
Gui Liu muttered to himself. The others had the same thought.
At the top of the mountain, in front of the gate.
The sword qi dissipated, and the wind and clouds were about to stop.
Everyone looked at Yan Long and gasped.
Yan Long had turned into a bloody man. His entire body trembled and with a plop, he fell forward. Blood splattered on the ground and his knife fell to the ground.
Jiang Changsheng said expressionlessly, "Send Senior Yan Long into the Hero's Tomb."
With that said, he turned around and left. All the disciples looked at him in awe. Xu Tianji, Jiang Ziyu, Huang Chuan, Wang Chen and the rest were the same.
In the distance, on the eaves of a house, a white-robed Hua Jianxin slightly lowered her head. Under the mask, she snorted. "You really know how to flaunt your might."
Her voice was full of laughter.
The disciples cheered. They were proud of the Daoist Master's performance.
When he returned to his room, a line of words appeared before Jiang Changsheng's eyes.
"In the 40th year of the Jing Dynasty, Yan Long came to enter the Hero's Tomb. You successfully survived his challenge and survived a calamity. You have obtained the survival reward—Martial Art, Killing God Devil Blade."
Martial art?
It was a little bad, but it was good to have one more martial art. Not only could it be passed down to Longqi Temple, but it could also provide an additional concealment method when facing powerful enemies in the future.
Jiang Changsheng began to inherit the Killing God Devil Blade.
The Killing God Devil Blade was as its name implied. The Killing God Devil Blade was exceptionally domineering. Through killing, it would continuously strengthen the blade aura and even burn one's blood and qi to fuel the blade aura. This was an extreme martial art that could easily shorten one's lifespan, but it might allow one to fight their way out in a hopeless situation.
…
The news of Yan Long being buried in the Hero's Tomb quickly spread throughout the martial arts world. The image of Daoist Master Changsheng once again changed in the hearts of martial artists, and they thought of him transcending the tribulation.
Inhuman!
The name of the Immortal Master Changsheng gradually began to spread. It was because of the transmission from those who believed in Jiang Changsheng. Later on, it was recognized by more and more people. Only by recognizing Jiang Changsheng as an Immortal Master could martial artists obtain a trace of comfort.
It was as if no matter how powerful an expert was, they could not withstand a single blow from Jiang Changsheng. He was too powerful, so powerful that other experts paled in comparison.
About a month after Yan Long perished, Wan Li returned with the disciples, and he brought with him a group of new disciples. There were more than fifty of them, all of whom were orphans.
"Daoist Master, the incantation is too long. When I chanted it previously, I was almost hacked to death. In the end, I discovered that I could cast it as soon as my true qi entered it. Are you joking with me?!"
Wan Li sat in front of Jiang Changsheng and complained bitterly. The others in the courtyard could not help but laugh. Xu Tianji even laughed out loud and mocked Wan Li for being obedient.
Jiang Changsheng said, "If you are sincere, it will work. If it's an emergency, you don't have to do this. You can weigh it yourself."
Wan Li was only complaining. The talismans were really useful. He said excitedly, "It's not just sects who want to buy from us, but Daoist Master, this can develop into a huge business."
Jiang Changsheng shook his head and said, "Isn't the incense money enough for you to earn? How can there be so many talisman papers? I have to cultivate too."
That was the truth. The talisman paper that was imprinted with magic had consumed his spiritual force. If he were to supply it in large quantities, how could he cultivate?
Wan Li scratched his head and did not say anything else. Soon after, he bragged to Jiang Ziyu and Huang Chuan about his experiences in the pugilistic world over the past two years. The two teenagers yearned for it, but good times did not last long. Xu Tianji jumped out to show off midway, and his story was even more exciting, making the two teenagers even more curious.
…
Spring passed and summer came. It was the beginning of July.
Bad news came from the northern region of Great Jing. King Qin, Jiang Yu, and his elites were besieged by 400,000 troops. Two Grandmasters from Ancient Han joined hands and killed 22 generals in a row. Fortunately, King Qin broke out of the encirclement under the escort of Zong Tianwu, but seventy to eighty percent of his army was either dead or injured. Nearly 100,000 soldiers turned into bones and blood flowed like a river.
This army was the elites of King Qin, and they had been invincible in the past. Such a crushing defeat caused the civil and military officials to be terrified.
"Trash! Trash!"
In the throne room, the Seventh Prince, Jiang Yu, roared and trembled in anger.
One of the generals could not help but say, "Your Highness, King Qin has made many contributions. How can there be an invincible army?"
The Seventh Prince, Jiang Yu, glared at him and said, "If King Qin were not greedy for credit, would he be like this?"
He cursed out loud, making the general ashamed and resentful.
Jiang Yuan sat on the dragon throne expressionlessly and did not interrupt.
Right now, the Seventh Prince, Jiang Yu, was already showing signs of usurping the throne. He would not ask Jiang Yuan about many things and would just directly give orders. These signs started when the Seventh Prince, Jiang Yu, re-established his consort and his illegitimate son as the eldest son.
The Seventh Prince, Jiang Yu, calmed himself down and snorted. "Ancient Han has three Grandmasters, and they are so full of themselves. I will invite four experts who are not inferior to Grandmasters to destroy the three Grandmasters of Ancient Han. Let's see if they still dare to be arrogant. Pass down my orders, I am going to personally lead an expedition!"
As soon as he said that, the civil and military officials looked at each other, but no one stopped him. It did not matter even if the Seventh Prince died. In any case, there were enough princes.
On the other side.
In Longqi Temple, Jiang Changsheng was lying on White Dragon. Right now, White Dragon's body was much wider than his shoulders and could be used as a bed. He covered his eyes with the Qilin Horsetail Whisk as if he was taking a nap, but in fact, he was looking at the incense points.
Recently, the number of incense offerings had skyrocketed, exceeding 700 points.
He came to a realization. When Great Jing was in danger, the incense offerings rose quickly. Ordinary people could only pray for the protection of the immortal gods. When Great Jing was safe, ordinary people were busy earning money, surviving, and having hope in life. In such conditions, they would not believe in the immortal gods and the Heavenly Dao.
Of course, the most important thing was that information was being transmitted too slowly. Those who could come to Longqi Temple to burn incense were not commoners. If commoners wanted to understand his magic, they had to rely on the disciples of Longqi Temple to travel around the martial arts world and preach to them.
For the time being, he could not figure out if a person would still give him incense points after he had consumed them during the tribulation. Perhaps among the 700 incense points, there might be those from before. However, the survival system did not provide an explanation so he could only passively accept it.
In any case, the incense points were only icing on the cake and could not become his core support. He still had to prioritize his cultivation.
After he broke through to the sixth level, he did not stop cultivating. According to the rules, the next breakthrough would probably take dozens of years, and this was still the speed after taking into account daily cultivation. If he were to be lazy every few days, it would probably take hundreds of years.
"What? You want to join the army? Stop fooling around. You're only eleven years old. Are you crazy?"
Wang Chen's voice sounded from the side. It turned out that when Jiang Ziyu learned that King Qin had suffered a defeat, he wanted to join the army. However, he respected Jiang Changsheng the most, so he had to ask him for his opinion.
Jiang Ziyu straightened his neck and said, "Even though I am young, my martial arts are not something ordinary soldiers can compare to. Moreover, Ping'an can follow me. Didn't Uncle Tianji say that Ping'an can tear apart a top expert with his bare hands?"
Xu Tianji hastily shouted, "I was exaggerating. It's indeed unbearable for a top expert to stand there and let him hit them, but a top expert would definitely dodge."
Jiang Ziyu glared at him with dissatisfaction. Xu Tianji glared back at him provocatively without backing down. After all, he was once the sect master of a generation.
"Just you wait. One day, I will make the Guiyuan Divine Sect submit to me and let you fight alongside the army," Jiang Ziyu shouted.
Xu Tianji dug his ears and said, "My Little King Wei, unless you become the emperor, even if your father wants to appoint you as the crown prince, how many years will it take for you to ascend the throne? By then, I might have already entered the Hero's Tomb."
The reputation of the Hero's Tomb had spread, and many martial arts experts came to take a look in the name of burning incense. The two tombstones of Sword Freak and Yan Long were enough to make people in the martial arts world yearn for them. Xu Tianji intended to bury himself here in the future so that he would not lose his reputation as the overlord of the martial arts world.
"Alright, Ziyu, don't be anxious. I'll teach you now."
Jiang Changsheng's voice floated over, and Jiang Ziyu immediately ran over and listened attentively.
"If you want to fulfill your ambitions, it's crucial when you appear."
Jiang Changsheng said unhurriedly, "Only when the skyscraper is about to collapse can you turn the tide. That will be when your achievements will be greatest and when you are closest to the throne. If you join the army now, there is a high chance that you will die. Even if you contribute, it will be a small achievement. Just wait a few years. By then, you and Ping'an will have the courage of ten thousand men and can absorb more generals."
Jiang Ziyu frowned. He understood the reason, but he was afraid that he would not be able to wait.
"What if Great Jing suffers a crushing defeat in the next few years?"
"So what if it's defeated? The thirteen prefectures are huge. A defeated dynasty cannot be destroyed in a few years."
"What if Ancient Han kills its way to the capital and the Emperor?"
"Then I'll teach you how to turn the tide."
Jiang Ziyu was shocked by Jiang Changsheng's casual words. What kind of powerful strength did he have to be able to say such confident words that he could not refute?