"Tianshou Dao... ..."
"My voice was particularly weak, ensuring that only Siyan could hear it."
Si Yan's eyes narrowed, and a thin sheen of sweat gathered on her brow, causing her to hesitate and dare not speak.
The coldness intensified, and the heart became heavier.
As Tian Shou Dao Ren walked forward at a leisurely pace, he was getting closer to the place where I and Si Yan were situated...
The lock on the Qi energy vanished.
"I am too weak, weak enough that he cannot sense my presence."
But Tian Shou Dao Ren... still knows I'm hiding here!
"You go... quickly!"
Beads of sweat the size of beans dripped down from my cheeks, and I urged Si Yan.
Yet, she maintained a tense expression and showed no signs of wanting to leave.
"Go already!"
My heart was filled with anxiety, but I dared not let my voice carry.
"Liu, zi, yu!"
The deep, sonorous voice came from below, not loud, yet echoing and lingering in the ears.
A sense of loss and weightlessness in the heart.
"Come out." The voice was exceptionally calm, as if an ancient well without waves.
My eyelids kept fluttering, my hand clutched and then released.
Tian Shou Dao Ren came to a stop at a certain location.
Exactly the location of the old immortal's remains.
He seemed to be bowing his head to look at the remains.
"We must leave... together!"
Si Yan's voice was lower still.
"We can't leave... You can still go fetch help, tell Master Brother..." My voice grew even weaker.
"It's too late. They won't spare your life."
Si Yan is usually cooperative, but at this crucial moment, she seemed to stubbornly defy my instructions...
"Hahaha, it's not surprising that even old me considers you a promising young one."
"Burn my appearance, reveal the secrets of Tian Shou Dao's secluded place, shatter the bone of Sha Suo, making even old me suffer greatly."
"Hmm, I didn't expect that someone from the Liu family would steal external martial arts. You've used the thunder from the Sìguān Mountain smoothly enough, but your cultivation is insufficient, which is why it has depleted your lifespan."
"Tian Shou Dao will be your final destination, and you will be the last disciple that old man takes on."
"Liu, zi, yu!"
"Hurry up and come out to kowtow and become a disciple of old man!"
Tian Shou Dao Ren's voice became louder, echoing endlessly in the mountain!
My face turned pale, and I was even more frightened in my heart.
Apprentice?
This is too absurd.
But reality lies before us, Tian Shou Dao Ren... is indeed going to take a disciple.
Si Yan's face pale slightly, and she suddenly grasped my wrist, clutching it tightly without letting go.
I can see the panic in her eyes.
Is she afraid I will waver?
"Liu Zi Yu, why have you not appeared yet?"
"I understand the Qiang people. If you learn two martial arts, they will definitely not be tolerated by your tribe."
"Entering the door of Tian Shou Dao's secluded place, you will receive guidance from old man. I won't just let you master that lightning law. Moreover, I will ignore its consumption on your lifespan."
"Tian Shou Dao has a large amount of Tian Gong Spring. Your path in cultivation will be wide and open."
"Even, old man can break the precedent and teach you a few more secret techniques!"
"If you don't come out, this fortune, old man will take it back, and moreover, old man will be angry!"
"Old man will ask you one last time, Liu Zi Yu, are you willing to become a disciple!?"
Tian Shou Dao Ren's voice became heavier, transitioning from the previous calmness to become forceful, as if he was getting angry!
I barely managed to prop myself up.
Becoming a disciple is certainly impossible, and there's no way to hide anymore...
"I will delay time for you to fetch help. Look at Si Yan, there's a trace of defeat on my face."
"No... Tian Shou Dao's secluded place... will definitely find a way to restrain you... just like they control Sun Zhuo, they will find your Achilles' heel... " Si Yan gritted her teeth and said, "We can't turn our backs, even if it's a ruse! We must escape!"
Her voice subtly grew a little louder.
Of course, this slight change in volume is not enough for Tian Shou Dao Ren to hear.
The next moment, a cold snort was heard!
It seemed Tian Shou Dao Ren had lost patience!
"If you can't become my disciple, then become my enemy..."
The cold, harsh words echoed in the ears like thunder!
However, before he could finish speaking, his words were overridden by a very sonorous, upright and peaceful voice!
"Outside paths, demons and evildoers, how dare you claim to accept me as a disciple of the Liu family!"
"It is known that..."
"Heaven is round and the earth is square, there are nine decrees!"
"Nine swords to remove celestial disasters, nine swords to remove earthly disasters, and nine swords to remove ghostly disasters!"
"Cutting all demons, wraiths and small kings, breaking all evil things, secular world will be at peace. I shall decree in the name of the Emperor Jade!"
The sonorous, upright and peaceful voice instantly turned into a resounding incantation.
The night sky shone with streaks of light.
Streams of swords emerged from the direction of the mountain, racing towards Tian Shou Dao Ren's body!
My head was buzzing, Si Yan's face changed dramatically, her beautiful eyes filled with horror.
Tian Shou Dao Ren moved.
He suddenly turned around, and with a quick flick of the broom in his hand, he drew it towards the sky!
The broom immediately exploded into fragments, scattered and falling to the ground!
However, he did not retreat. With a violent twirl of his hand sleeve, those sword-like objects, like flowing light, were actually caught in his ample sleeves.
Another throw!
The swords whizzed back down the mountain!
Tian Shou Dao Ren carried his hands behind his back, and his body slightly straightened.
My breathing became more labored...
The fact that Tian Shou Dao Ren came here in the first place was already absurd enough, something I found hard to understand.
However, after all, I injured him by disguising myself as Liu Zi Yu and caused damage to the foundation of Tian Shou Dao Ren's secluded place. He was justified in coming to Jiang Huang City.
But why... would people from Liu's family come from the mountain?
What a coincidence, that just as Tian Shou Dao Ren was shouting about taking a disciple, a member of Liu's family's Taoists overheard...
Could it be, that person coming from the mountain is actually Liu Zi Yu?
Soon, I dismissed that thought.
I am still clear about Liu Zi Yu's abilities. Although I wasn't a match for him at the time, it was also when I was just starting to learn Taoist arts.
When we were in Chihu Village, they followed behind us one step at a time and only found the remains of Elder Five. Even because Lao Gong set up a spell, Chihu Village became Xiu Xiu Village. When Liu Zi Yu and the bearded Taoist Elder came out, they had to pay a considerable price. The bearded Taoist Elder lost an arm.
This already shows that his strength is not too strong and it's unlikely that he would dare to directly attack Tian Shou Dao Ren!
For a moment, the mountain slope became extremely quiet.
Tian Shou Dao Ren did not make any new moves.
Below the mountain slope, there were no new swords being shot.
However, there were new shadows appearing.
They're not one by one!
They turned out to be... four!
I recognized one of the shadows even from a distance, not because of its appearance.
In fact, I couldn't see Tian Shou Dao Ren's face clearly even from a distance, the distance was still too far. It was because of his features.
I could recognize that shadow as well because of its features.
He has only one arm and a face covered with black whiskers. It must be the bearded Taoist!
The other three shadows, one is young, the other two are old.
However, even though they were old, their spines showed no sign of bending. One of them was wearing a helmet.
It's a helmet similar to Zheng Ren's, with a mask that hangs down from the hat, covering the face.
The other person has no ornaments on his head, but his long beard flutters, and there are three hilts of swords sticking out from his back!
"Heaven blesses our Dao, we have traveled a long way to Jiang Huang, only to see the village shrouded in dark clouds, filled with malevolent qi and a surge of heavenly thunder summoned by compatriots."
"But I never expected that I would run into you!"
"Tian Shou Dao Ren!"
It was the man with the sword who spoke in a clear and resounding voice.
Though old, his voice was full of vitality, not at all like an elderly person. It was more like that of a middle-aged man!
Tian Shou Dao Ren suddenly burst into laughter: "Hahaha! I didn't expect that in this day and age, the Liu family would start stealing Taoist arts as well!"
"You Qiang people are almost evolving into a different species."
"Liu Zi Yu, I am increasingly admiring you. Are you using this to lure old man into a trap?"
Tian Shou Dao Ren turned his head, looking towards the mountain, the direction where we were hiding.
"You this demon Taoist, your ravings are nonsense. When have I ever had a connection with you? When have I needed you to appreciate me?" Another voice, tinged with resentment, echoed through the mountains!
It was the voice of the youngest among the four!
The bearded Taoist has come.
That person was none other than Liu Zi Yu!
