Chapter 3

The Longyuan River, surging ceaselessly, with its vast and magnificent waves stretching endlessly, seems as if there were truly a dragon lurking at its bottom.

This is an important river within the borders of the Dali Kingdom, extending for thousands of miles, its waters vast and turbulent, crashing against the shores as it flows past the province of Longyuan, which is named after this river.

Night.

From a distance, the Longyuan River looks like a giant black dragon coiled on the earth, majestic and grand, fully displaying the glory of water.

The bright moon moves through the lotus clouds, and the night wind rustles through the reeds, adding a touch of beauty to the scene.

However, a hundred miles upstream from Longyuan Province, on a sandy beach, a middle-aged man in dark golden clothing, tall and robust, was running and leaping, faster than the fastest cheetah.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

His speed was so great that his body tore the air, creating a long trail of air waves that surged and crackled like the surging river.

Even the fastest thousand-mile horse could not match his speed.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

As the middle-aged man in dark golden clothing ran, suddenly torches ignited on the riverbank ahead, and figures moved! Then the sound of countless crossbows firing whistled through the air.

"Feihe Crossbow!"

Facing the rain of arrows, the middle-aged man's brows furrowed slightly, and he crouched down, sticking to the sand like a piece of paper, easily evading the crossbow bolts.

"Bai Haizhan, you can't run. Hand over the Nine Apertures Golden Pill and the Dragon Lurking in the Yellow Springs Map! Join our Fang family, and not only will your death be spared, but you will also enjoy wealth and honor. With your body cultivated to the tenth level of divine transformation, our Fang family will treat you as a distinguished guest!"

The torches illuminated the area, and hundreds of people immediately surrounded the middle-aged man named Bai Haizhan.

One of the leaders stood with his hands behind his back, exuding a commanding presence. He wore splendid clothing, with silver hair and a face that bore the marks of a life well-lived. His eyes were particularly bright, reflecting the moonlight like precious gems.

"Fang family of Longyuan, Fang Zeshan!"

Bai Haizhan stood still, looking at the leader, then surveyed the surroundings. He noticed that the hundreds of people surrounding him were all full of strength, divided into several groups. The inner layer consisted of warriors with gleaming swords, the outer layer of warriors with crossbows, and the outermost layer of people holding torches, sealing off the area.

The crossbow warriors had crossbows carved with a milky white, majestic crane, and the arrows shot from the crane's mouth.

These crossbows had an extremely long range and powerful penetration, and were true weapons passed down from the Yuhua Sect to the Fang family of Longyuan Province.

"Indeed, it is me."

Fang Zeshan smiled. "I didn't expect Mr. Bai Haizhan to recognize me."

"Your brother, Fang Zetao, is the governor of Longyuan, a high-ranking official. The Fang family is deeply favored by the emperor of Dali. Since I came to your territory, how could I not familiarize myself with the people here? But you actually know that I have the Nine Apertures Golden Pill and the Dragon Lurking in the Yellow Springs Map. It seems you received this information from the Yuhua Sect." Bai Haizhan, though surrounded, was not at all concerned, speaking calmly.

"Our Fang family's ancestor was a disciple of the Yuhua Sect. We are here waiting for Mr. Bai Haizhan because of a message from the Yuhua Sect." Fang Zeshan moved, stepping forward, his joints trembling slightly, as if playing a soothing melody.

"You, Bai Haizhan, found the Dragon Lurking in the Yellow Springs Map and the Nine Apertures Golden Pill in the ancient tomb of the Yellow Springs Mountain. Others may not know, but the Yuhua Sect knows clearly."

"The Nine Apertures Golden Pill can help one attain the realm of divine power. The Dragon Lurking in the Yellow Springs Map contains a great treasure. Do you think the Fang family has ulterior motives?" Bai Haizhan smiled.

"Silence! The Dragon Lurking in the Yellow Springs Map will be presented to the emperor. The Nine Apertures Golden Pill will allow our Fang family to produce a master of divine power, greatly enhancing our status in the court." Fang Zeshan suddenly shouted, "It seems you, Bai Haizhan, are unwilling to hand over these two items. Then I will have to take them from your corpse!"

"Is that so!"

Bai Haizhan's eyes narrowed, and a fierce light shot out from the slits. With a roar, his body charged forward, his clothes flapping, moving like a fish or a dragon. In just a few steps, he was directly in front of Fang Zeshan, leaving no time for his subordinates to react.

Cock-a-doodle-doo, cock-a-doodle-doo......

Fang Zeshan felt the air around him being squeezed out, forming a brief vacuum. Then a massive fist grew larger in his vision, about to explode his skull.

The power of the punch was fierce.

"Crane Dance in the Sky!" At the critical moment, Fang Zeshan finally revealed his exceptional strength. His back muscles tensed, and he moved like a crane spreading its wings, becoming light and agile, dodging the punch with the wind.

"Good, the Crane Longevity Fist. You have cultivated to the ninth level of physical enlightenment, but you are still no match for me! Call your brother, Fang Zetao!" Bai Haizhan, without pausing, charged into the crowd.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

A guard's head was shattered, and he fell dead on the spot. Five guards had their temples pierced by his fingers, blood gushing out. Then ten guards were sent flying by his ghostly movements, their internal organs ruptured as if hit by a thousand-pound cart.

Cultivating the body to the tenth level of divine transformation, even five horses could not tear it apart, showing the immense strength and robustness of his body, making him a formidable weapon.

In an instant, the hundreds of people surrounding him were broken through by Bai Haizhan.

"Fang Zeshan, you dared to block me. I will remember your head and come back to take your life later." Bai Haizhan broke through the encirclement and left.

The remaining guards fired their "Feihe Crossbows," but the arrows were blocked by his dark golden clothing, unable to penetrate.

Clearly, his dark golden clothing was a treasure, impervious to blades.

With a treasure protecting his body and the strength of five horses, who in the world could stop him?

"Fang Haizhan, since you came, why are you in such a hurry to leave?" At this moment, a voice as ethereal as mist and clouds echoed.

"Who!"

Bai Haizhan stopped, motionless, his spirit focused, sensing the surroundings.

Then, in his field of vision, a woman in white appeared, with skin like congealed fat, eyebrows like a crescent moon, and a body of jade and ice, walking gracefully from under the moon by the river.

She seemed like a fairy from the moon palace!

Or like a princess from the dragon palace of the Longyuan River!

The world became clean, filled with a sacred aura.

When this woman in white appeared, the guards stood solemnly: "Miss!"

Fang Zeshan also stopped: "Qingxue, why have you returned?"

This woman in white was the eldest daughter of the Fang family, Fang Qingxue.

"Uncle, I just returned from the Yuhua Sect." Fang Qingxue nodded to Fang Zeshan, "I will handle this matter."

"Handle it? What a big mouth!" Bai Haizhan looked at Fang Qingxue, suddenly raised his hand, and a dark light shot out.

The dark light was a palm-sized flying wheel, with sharp saw teeth on both sides.

This was Bai Haizhan's secret weapon, the "Black Slaughter Wheel," made of tungsten steel. With the strength of the fifth level of divine transformation, it could penetrate any expert within three hundred steps.

This was Bai Haizhan's sure-kill move, and he was confident that even an expert of the same level would not escape death!

However, an unusual change occurred.

The "Black Slaughter Wheel" stopped three feet from Fang Qingxue, as if an invisible force around her body had frozen everything.

Zzz, zzz, zzz......

A dense web of electric threads, glowing with crystal light, appeared around Fang Qingxue. Everyone present felt a powerful electric current, their bodies tingling, skin and hair standing on end.

The electric current struck the tungsten steel "Black Slaughter Wheel," which melted like a candle, falling onto the sand, the high temperature of the molten metal causing smoke to rise.

The electric web around her body, capable of melting metal!

This power was not that of a mortal, but of a deity!

"Ahh! The realm of divine power! You have entered the realm of divine power! At such a young age, you have achieved such a level, a talent that will shock the world! The Fang family will dominate the world! The Yuhua Sect has produced another genius!" Bai Haizhan shouted in shock and fled.

When the body is cultivated to its limit, the strong physique and the heart pumping large amounts of nutrients to the brain gradually develop potential. Through special cultivation methods, this potential becomes a mysterious power, allowing one to control lightning, fire, fly through the air, and wield swords to kill, among other things that ordinary people cannot do.

This is the realm of divine power!

In the world, there are many martial arts experts, but those who reach the realm of divine power are one in ten thousand.

The realm of divine power, once entered, is a barrier between heaven and earth.

Although Bai Haizhan had cultivated his body to the extreme level of divine transformation, breaking through to the realm of divine power was as difficult as ascending to heaven.

Against an expert who had entered the realm of divine power, Bai Haizhan could only flee.

"Purple Lightning Yin Thunder Blade..."

Seeing Bai Haizhan flee, in a few breaths, he was almost out of sight. Fang Qingxue, in her white robe, let out a low, long chant, and with a flick of her finger, a fist-sized purple lightning ball formed in her hand, spinning rapidly. She then struck it out, transforming it into six blade-like beams that cut through the air for a thousand steps.

The powerful electric current raced past, setting the reeds by the river on fire.

Boom!

There was no chance to dodge.

Bai Haizhan's entire body was hit, and a burnt smell filled the air. The treasure clothing that could resist blades was torn by the intense electric current.

Splash!

He ran and fell into the surging Longyuan River.

"Life force extinguished, what use is escape?" Fang Qingxue took a step, and her body floated in the air, walking on the river surface, the surging waves flowing beneath her feet. She saw where Bai Haizhan had fallen into the water and reached out with one hand.

A powerful suction force emanated from her palm, and the river water was drawn up into the sky, forming a thick column. Bai Haizhan's body was caught in the water column.

"The Dragon Lurking in the Yellow Springs Map!" Fang Qingxue looked at Bai Haizhan's body and flicked her finger again. An ancient scroll and a palm-sized metal box were drawn by her power.

Just as these two treasures were about to fall into Fang Qingxue's hands, a sudden change occurred. The ancient scroll, upon contact with her power, began to vibrate and unfolded.

The background of the scroll was dark, deep, and dim, like the Yellow Springs. In it, a dragon was vaguely seen, half asleep and half awake.

The dragon opened its eyes, wrapped around Bai Haizhan, and dived into the river, disappearing in an instant.

"Apparently, the Dragon Lurking in the Yellow Springs Map cannot be touched by power. Upon receiving my power, it awakened a bit of its strength! Truly a mysterious ancient treasure." Fang Qingxue mused, looking at the river, where there was no trace left.

The dragon had entered the water, moving a thousand miles in an instant, impossible to catch up.

"Qingxue, you have cultivated to the realm of divine power! Our Fang family has finally produced a master of divine power after a hundred years!" Fang Zeshan was extremely excited, though Bai Haizhan had escaped, he was still overjoyed.

"Uncle, send orders to search along the way. Search the upstream and downstream of the Longyuan River within our province. Bai Haizhan was hit by my Purple Lightning Yin Thunder Blade, and his life force is nearly gone. The Dragon Lurking in the Yellow Springs Map only absorbed a bit of my power, triggering its hidden array, but it is not a major issue. I will return it to the Yuhua Sect's leader."

Fang Qingxue spoke calmly, "I will return to see my father."

As she spoke, this shocking woman who had cultivated to the realm of divine power glided through the air like a fairy crane, disappearing from everyone's sight.

"Pass the order, all county and provincial officials must mobilize their people to search the entire area!" Fang Zeshan issued the command.

The head of the Fang family was the governor of Longyuan Province, a high-ranking official with the highest authority over the province's military, political, and civilian affairs. The order was carried out swiftly, and no one dared to disobey.

Hey! Hey! Hey!

The night passed, and it was already morning. After finishing his work, Fang Han quietly hid in the reeds by the Longyuan River outside the city, practicing the strength-building techniques he had secretly learned, performing various movements to strengthen his body.

After being whipped by the second miss, Fang Qingwei, and receiving silver, Fang Han trained even harder.

He tied sandbags to his limbs, running, jumping, and rolling, striving to make his limbs and waist strong and powerful.

As for the "Crane Longevity Fist" practiced by the core disciples of the Fang family every morning, he had memorized the movements but did not practice them.

He understood that he must first strengthen his limbs and waist to have enough flexibility before practicing the techniques. Otherwise, it would be ineffective, as any technique without strength is just a hollow form.

Nourishing the body, strengthening the body, and practicing techniques—these three steps must be followed in order.

Punch after punch, sweat splashed, sparkling in the morning light of the reeds.

Ouch!

Suddenly, Fang Han hit a makeshift sandbag, and after several hundred strikes, he felt stars in his vision, his head buzzing, and his body exhausted to the limit.

Then, his legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the sandy reeds.

"It's still not enough. Although I have improved my life with five taels of silver, I cannot compare to the core disciples of the Fang family. They eat bird's nest, deer antler, ginseng, and black chicken every day. My five taels of silver only allow me to eat meat occasionally, and it is impossible to perform such intense training every day."

Lying on the sand, Fang Han sighed.

These days, he had secretly learned martial arts and trained, with some small improvements, but he was far from matching the Fang family's disciples. After all, the foundation of nourishing the body was too different.

At this rate, he would never be able to cultivate his body to the level of divine power.

"Entering servitude, studying cannot lead to success. Martial arts cannot be cultivated. Am I destined to