At a high hilltop in the distance, under towering trees, sat three Martial Monks in ditation, the very ones sent by Feng Chengjue to keep watch.
One of these monks, gripping hand seals, his pupils hidden with a sharp gleam.
In his right hand, he ford a fist, with his thumb pressing against the outside of his index finger; his left hand outstretched, with all five fingers pressed together.
This was the "Wisdom Fist Seal," signifying intelligence and strength.
anwhile, at the foot of the distant hill, a flicker of light pierced the darkness, marking the dilapidated temple where Wang Daoxuan and his companions were.
"Elder brother, sothing isn’t right."
The monk utilizing the Eye Divine Power to investigate spoke in a deep voice, "This Tuo Dragon drumming is so fierce, it must be a demon’s doing. That one nad Li Yan, and another person have been bewitched and led away."
The lead Martial Monk, tall with muscles knotted like dragon sinews, upon hearing this picked up a portable shovel and asked, "What about Landlord Tian and his family?"
"They haven’t co out."
"I’m afraid a demon is about to make its move. Let’s get closer. We need to look out for Landlord Tian and his family first; they are the priority."
With that said, the three of them leaped into action.
Coming from the Zen tradition and practicing Martial Arts, their Hidden Energy burst forth from beneath their feet, giving them incredible speed. They swiftly moved through the forest, reaching the vicinity of the dilapidated temple in no ti.
"The people inside are alright."
The temple doors were open, and the monk employing the Eye Divine Power imdiately reported back.
"Let’s just wait for now."
Fearing they might alarm the demon, the three monks could only wait outside.
...
At the sa ti, Li Yan was also beginning to sense that sothing was amiss.
The fog around him was growing thicker by the mont, and even the moonlight had been obscured; he could no longer see his own hand in front of his face.
In such conditions, it seed as if the mist that had previously hovered above had now all settled down.
Could it really be that the Cloud Lord was about to appear?
Li Yan’s shock turned to indecision, and his curiosity deepened even more.
At the sa ti, the sound of the Tuo drum beca louder and louder, resembling the low roar of a dragon or the booming of continuous thunder.
Now completely disoriented, Li Yan could only follow closely behind Lv San.
Splash! Splash! Splash!
He heard the sound of water not far away.
Unknowingly, the two of them had reached the edge of a great lake.
The lake churned with wave upon wave, as if so enormous creature was frolicking in the water.
At this mont, Lv San also ca to a halt.
His consciousness had long been lost; he danced ceaselessly by the shore as if performing a kind of sacrificial ritual.
Neither the two rats nor Little Fox and the hawk were dancing any longer; instead, they were bowing toward the lake.
The sound of the surging waves grew louder and closer.
Li Yan’s hair stood on end, and he couldn’t help but clutch onto his Hook Paper.
He sensed an imnse creature drawing near to the shore.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Heavy footsteps sounded; astonishingly, it was a Tuo Dragon, its size staggering like the front of a locomotive.
The ground trembled slightly with each step it took.
The loud drumming of the Tuo, which originated from its mouth, now that it was closer, caused Li Yan’s head to buzz alarmingly.
Fortunately, the giant Tuo did not approach them but landed on the shore a hundred ters away, seemingly also in homage, continuously roaring.
What shocked Li Yan even more was that this giant Tuo was wearing a set of armor, forged from bronze, verdigris-streaked and very ancient.
Around the neck of the armor, a fragnt of a broken bronze chain dangled, as thick as a man’s thigh.
Armor crafted for a "giant Tuo"?
All that was before him surpassed Li Yan’s imagination.
The drumming of the Tuo continued, and Lv San’s dance grew even more intense.
A thought suddenly sprang to Li Yan’s mind:
According to what Lv San said, the roar of the Tuo chanted the Cloud Lord in Chu Ci. Could this be an ancient Chu ritual to appease the Cloud Lord raised by the ancestors?
Before he could ponder further, a sense of impending danger welled up within him.
Above the distant lake, the clouds tumultuously surged.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Thunder followed, with lightning cracking the sky.
Li Yan’s body grew numb, and his hair stood on end once again.
He had heard of this phenonon before.
It was said to occur just before soone is struck by lightning.
Damn it!
Li Yan swore under his breath and leaped away.
Boom!
A blinding light burst forth, forcing Li Yan to involuntarily shut his eyes, his head ringing, buzzing incessantly.
Tumbling to his feet, Li Yan’s face bore a look of shock.
The spot where he had just stood now bore a huge crater, earth and stone flew about, and so of the rotting wood on the bank had been split, igniting flas.
It was the first ti Li Yan had been so close to a lightning strike.
Glancing across, whether it was Lv San, the giant Tuo, or even Little Fox, the two rats, or the demon gourd kneeling on the ground, none were hard.
The lightning seed to have avoided them all, focusing only on Li Yan.
A sense of enlightennt rose in Li Yan’s mind.
Legend had it that the Cloud Lord also commanded thunder and lightning and was capricious.
This was an ancient ritual to the Cloud Lord.
The Tuo drum chanted in prayer, accompanied by the Witch Dance.
And he, was not a part of this procession.
Just then, Li Yan’s hair stood up once again.
He cursed silently and continued to dodge, moving away from the lakeside.
Boom!
Another thunderclap roared, but Li Yan had preemptively evaded.
As he got up, his expression was grim.
Looking at Lv San, who was still engrossed in his dance on the distant shore, Li Yan bit his lip, quickly retreated, and moved away from the riverbank.
He wasn’t welco here.
If he stayed and interrupted the ritual by accident, causing Lv San to get hurt as well, the loss would far outweigh the gain.
Sure enough, after he left the lakeside, the thunder ceased its assault.
But the thundering did not stop.
Above the lake, the clouds churned frenziedly.
Amid the flashing lightning, Li Yan was astonished to see a whirlpool forming in the mist, within which shadows flickered.
The shadowy outline within the mist seed to form a vision of a grand palace.
Could it be the divine Palace of Longevity of the Cloud Lord?
Yet, that shadow was not solid, but twisted and changed with the lightning and strong winds.
All that was before him made Li Yan feel as though he had fallen into a dream.
But soon, he snapped back to reality, a thought rising in his heart. He imdiately took a horse stance, his hands weaving spells.
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