Eternal Life Chapter 3

G.o.dly Expert

Long’yuan River, surging without rest, waves cras.h.i.+ng endlessly, a seemingly endless river, as if there were really a dragon secretly hiding in its depths.

This river is one of the Da’li Empire’s most important rivers, and stretches for thousands of miles, the water constantly forming grand waves which then crash into the coast, flowing out from Long’yuan Province. Thus the province was aptly named after the river.

Night.

Looking out into the distance, Long’yuan River seems to be a huge black dragon, coiled with the boundaries of the river giving off a majestic atmosphere, and making the scene breathtaking.

A lucid moon s.h.i.+ning between the lotus-like clouds and the night wind blowing through the clumps of reeds adds to the beautiful atmosphere of the environment.

However, just one hundred li upriver from Long’yuan Province, atop a beach is a tall, burly middle-aged man wearing dark golden clothes. He is unendingly running, jumping, even faster than the fastest cheetah.

“Chi la!” “Chi la!”

His speed, amidst his running, causes his body to rip and tear the surrounding air creating billowing waves, surging and crackling like agitated river water.

Even the fastest thousand li horse is not half as fast as him.

“Sou!” “Sou!” “Sou!”

During his running, suddenly, on the coast in front of him, there is a combustion of fire! His shadow flashes! Finally, there is the sound of many st.u.r.dy bows piercing through the air, a roaring howl.

“Flying Crane Repeating Crossbow”

[TL: Anyone? 飞鹤连弩]

The middle-aged man faces the arrow shower, his eyebrows slanted, he tucks his body and drops towards the ground, like a piece of paper stuck to the ground, and somehow manages to dodge the arrow shower.

“Bai Hai Chan, you can no longer run away. Take out the ‘Nine Aperture Golden Pellet’ and the ‘Map of the Hidden Yellow Dragon Spring’ and give it to us! If you join my Fang Clan, not only will you avoid capital punishment, but you can also live a life of great wealth and prosperity. You who have trained to the tenth level of the mortal realm and are at the boundary between the mortal and divine realm, you would be the guest of honor of my Fang Clan!”

[TL: 九窍金丹, 蛟伏黄泉图 (characters of the two items)]

Under the light of a torch, one could count that about one hundred people had surrounded this middle-aged man called Bai Hai Chan.

Among them, the leader stood, holding his hand amidst his talking, showing full control over the situation with little indifference. He wore magnificent bright clothing, with graying hair at his temples and a facial expression that reflected his experiences of the vast world but with very bright eyes which reflected the moonlight like a gem.

“Long’yang Fang Clan, Fang Ze Shan!”

Bai Hai Chan stood erect, watching the speaking leader, completely surrounded all-around by about a hundred people, each with full power and divided into several waves. Those of the inner wave each held a dazzling sword which seemed to absorb the light essence and were warriors, those of the outer wave each took aim at Bai Hai Chan with their repeating crossbow. As for those at the very back, they held torches and blocked every possible hole in the formation.

Those who held the repeating crossbow, the top of their crossbows were adorned with milky white ivory cranes, with the bolts being shot out of the crane’s mouth.

This type of repeating crossbow had great range and extreme penetrating power, and was a weapon pa.s.sed on by Long’yuan Province Fang Clan’s Yu’hua ancestor.

“Not bad, it truly is me.”

Fang Ze Shan stated with a smile, “I would have never thought that Mr. Bai Hai Chan would actually be able to recognize me.”

“Your brother, Fang Ze Tao, is the governor of Long’yuan, and not a minor official. He is a representative of the Fang clan name, and has received the favoritism of the Da’li Emperor. Since I came to the grounds of the Fang Clan, how could I not first be familiar with the people of the clan? However, to think that you guys know that I have the ‘Nine Aperture Golden Pellet’ and the ‘Map of the Hidden Yellow Dragon Spring,’ it seems as if you have received information from the Yu’hua immortal.” Although Bai Hai Chen was surrounded, he didn’t care in the slightest, and continued talking.

“We did indeed receive the information regarding Mr. Bai Hai Chen from the Yu’hua immortal, as the ancestor of my Fang Clan was a disciple of the Yu’hua immortal.” Fang Ze Shan moved his body, his feet lightly treading forward, his joints quaking, as if he was dancing to some pleasant music.

“Bai Hai Chen, your excursion into the ancient grave of Huang’quan Mountain where you found the ‘Map of the Hidden Yellow Dragon Spring’ and ‘Nine Aperture Golden Pellet’ was not known by other people, but to the Yu’hua immortal, he saw your actions clearly.”

“The ‘Nine Aperture Golden Pellet’ is a medicine that can help one pry into the secrets of the divine realm. As for the ‘Map of the Hidden Yellow Dragon Spring,’ it contains the secrets of a ma.s.sive deposit of treasures. Could it be that the Fang Clan is up to something?” Bai Hai Chen laughed.

“Shut up! My Fang Clan plans to give the ‘Map of the Hidden Yellow Dragon Spring’ to the Emperor to show our loyalty. As for the ‘Nine Aperture Golden Pellet,’ it will allow the Fang Clan to gain a master of the divine realm and greatly increase the power of our family in the imperial court.” Fang Ze Shan continued, “It seems as if you, Bai Hai Chen, don’t want to give away these two things. Then I can only take them from your corpse!”

“Really?!”

Bai Hai Chen suddenly shut his eyes, leaving only a thin slit, Violent Light Burst! Boom! With one fist, the clothes on his body began to flutter and convulse, his body like a fish, like a dragon. A distance of ten li, was covered in an instance, and he appeared in front of Fang Ze Shan. Without even having time to react, Fang Ze Shan was grabbed by Bai Hai Chen.

“Ho ho ho ho ho ho”

Fang Ze Shan only felt the strong compression of the air around him, as if he was stuck in a vacuum, and then he saw the huge fist that was only growing larger, and about to burst his head.

The power of the fist was fierce and violent.

“Crane Dancing in the Open Sky!” Faced with a life or death situation, Fang Ze Shan finally showed his real strength, bracing the muscles on his back, “Shua!” As if he had grown wings (crane wings), his body began to float, going wherever the wind from the strike took him. He immediately dodged out of the punch.

[TL: So the names of the moves and styles sound much better in Chinese…]

“Ah, the Calm Crane Longevity Style. You have managed to train to the ninth level of the mortal realm, and are a spiritual expert. However, you are still no match for me! Go tell your brother Fang Ze Tao to come out!”

Amidst his talking, Bai Hai Chen hadn’t stopped moving, and had charged into the midst of the group of people.

“Peng!” “Peng!” “Peng!” “Peng!” “Peng!” “Peng!”

A person’s skull was directly smashed, dead on the spot. Five others had their temples ripped. Fresh blood seeped into the ground, overall ten people were sent by Bai Hai Chen to fly into the netherworld, and five had their internal organs ruptured, as if they had been hit by a one thousand jin horse chariot.

Those who trained to the tenth level of the mortal realm, G.o.dly transformation, even five horses couldn’t rip their bodies apart, showing their imposing power, their tough bodies. They were simply invincible, a lethal human weapon.

In a flash, Bai Hai Chen had broken through the approximately one hundred people surrounding him.

“Fang Ze Shan, you dare try to stop me! Put your head down, and come take back your ‘life’ in the future.” Bai Hai Chen, after killing those surrounding him, turned around and left.

The remaining guards all shot their Flying Crane Repeating Crossbows, but the arrows which did hit Bai Hai Chen’s body were all blocked by his dark golden clothing, and unable to penetrate.

To think that his dark golden clothing was a treasure which didn’t fear swords nor arrows.

Those that had such a treasure protecting their body combined with their extravagant power, under the sky, was there anyone who could stop them?

At this time, suddenly an ethereal voice rang out of nowhere, like smoke, “Bai Hai Chen, you just came, but are already leaving. What’s the rush?”

[TL: Hard translations…]

“Who!”

Bai Hai Chen stopped, making no motion at all, the energy of water, rocks, and vegetation all condensing into a ball covering all sides.

Then, in the middle of his vision, a lady wearing white clothing appeared – creamy skin, eyebrows curved like the moon, a body as beautiful as jade – coming out of the river under the moon’s light, and slowly walking over.

As if the moon had produced a fairy!

As if the dragon princess of Long’yuan River had appearing from her palace!

The earth and sky were cleansed, and there was a holy taste in the air.

[TL: I don’t think it’s possible to have air taste holy, but you know >.>]

As soon as this white clothed lady appeared, all the officers silently stood up, “First lady!”

[TL: I translated 大小姐 as big little lady which means eldest younger lady, so first lady]

Fang Ze Shang also stopped, “Qing Xue, why would you have come?”

[TL: This name I could translate into English as Clear Snow, but the other names are untranslatable, so I left it as is]

This white clothed female was indeed the first lady of the Fang Clan, Fang Qing Xue.

“Second uncle, I just returned from the Yu’hua immortal.” Fang Qing Xue nodded towards Fang Ze Shan, “This matter, please hand it to me.”

“Asking for it? What arrogance!” Bai Hai Chen watched Fang Qing Xue, then suddenly raised his hand, “Wu Wu Wu, Wu Wu Wu,” a line of dark light flew towards Fang Qing Xue.

This line of dark light was a palm-sized flywheel, its two sides covered with sharp serrated blades.

This was Bai Hai Chen lethal hidden weapon, the “Goblin Crow Wheel.” It was made of tungsten, and had the G.o.dly strength of five horses behind it. When tossed out, within its range of three hundred steps, any master pract.i.tioner would be immediately become mauled upon contact.

This move was Bai Hai Chen’s killer move. His confidence came from knowing that, even if the opponent was the same level as him, they still could not escape death from this move.

However, the unthinkable happened.

The “Goblin Crow Wheel,” upon hitting within three chi of Fang Qing Xue’s body, it suddenly stopped. There was no reason for it to stop. It seemed as if around Fang Qing Xue’s body, there was a circle of invisible force which froze everything.

“Zi Zi, Zi Zi, Zi Zi Zi”

A dense and numbing net of electricity as thin as gossamer, s.h.i.+ning like a crystal, was protecting the area around Fang Qing Xue, causing all the people on the spot to feel an extreme electric current. Each person’s body felt numb, and their hairs all stood up.

The current hit the tungsten “Goblin Crow Wheel,” melting it as if it was a candle. The wheel dropped on the beach, the melting metal causing the sand to begin smoking.

To think that an electric net would be densely surrounding her body! To think that it could melt metal!

This type of power, it wasn’t normal, but divine!

“Ah! Divine power! You’ve entered the Divine realm! This young, and you’ve already trained to this realm, what a genius! The Fang clan will rule over the world! The Yu’hua immortal school’s Yu’hua immortal has trained yet another genius!” Bai Hai Chen roared, completely shocked. He turned around and bolted!

By training the mortal realm to the top, one gains a strong and vigorous body, and causing the heart to pump all nutrients to the brain, allowing the brain to gradually unlock its latent potential. Through special cultivation methods, this latent potential turns into a mysterious magic power, thus allowing one to manipulate thunder, fire, flesh, swords, etc. to kill people. Various methods which are unthinkable by normal people.

This is the secrets of the Divine realm!

Under the sky, there are many martial masters, but those who can train in the secrets of the Divine realm, are one in a million.

The Divine realm’s boundary, upon entering, divides those who are G.o.ds.

Although Bai Hai Chen trained to the pinnacle of the Mortal realm, he was missing the one breakthrough needed to enter the Divine realm. Something that was harder than ascending the sky.

[TL: Ascending the sky is a literal translation of a saying, pretty much just means it’s excessively hard]

Against those master pract.i.tioners who had entered the Divine realm, Bai Hai Chen could only turn tail and run away.

“Purple Yin Electric Thunder Knife”

Watching Bai Hai Chen run away, after a few breaths, he was already almost out of sight. Fang Qing Xue’s white clothes fluttered, a low-sounding chant, she opened her fingers, and a ball of purple lighting about the size of a fist collected in her hand, revolving, then suddenly fiercely shooting out, splitting into six knives, travelling a thousand steps, aiming to behead Bai Hai Chen.

The powerful current violently pa.s.sed by, causing the clumps of reeds by the river to all burn up.

“Hong!”

There was no room for even the slightest movement to try and dodge.

Bai Hai Chen’s entire body was. .h.i.t, resulting in a charred and burnt smell. The golden clothes that could block swords and arrows were also ripped and mangled by the current.

“Hua la!”

His body fell into the midst of the rolling Long’yuan River.

“His life was definitely over, why bother trying to escape?” Fang Qing Xue walked forward, body still in midair, until she reached the top of the river, the rolling waves underneath constantly rolling forward. Upon reaching the spot where Bai Hai Chen fell in, she used her hand to grasp.

A strong force of suction came from her hand, the water being sucked into the air, forming the crude shape of a pillar. Surprisingly, Bai Hai Chen’s body, was in the middle of the pillar.

“‘Map of the Hidden Yellow Dragon Spring!’” Fang Qing Xue looked at Bai Hai Chen’s body, and by raising a finger, caused an ancient picture scroll and a palm-sized gold and iron box, to appear.

These two treasures fell into the hands of Fang Qing Xue, and went through immediate change. Exposed to the nourishment of magic, that ancient scroll suddenly began shaking, “Shua!” and immediately opened.

This picture, the background was pitch-black, seemingly immeasurably deep, and shadowed, like nine springs. In the middle, there is a vague picture of a dragon, as if in deep sleep, or as if wide awake.

[TL: I’m pretty sure this is wrong somewhere… but I can’t figure it out :/sorry if it’s confusing]

This dragon opened its eyes, suddenly rolled up Bai Hai Chen, and then entered the river. After a moment, no trace could be found.

“So apparently this secret dragon yellow spring map cannot be excited by magic, upon receiving my magic, it awakened its power! It is indeed a mysterious ancient divine treasure.”

Fang Qing Xue musingly looked towards the river, no shadow could be seen. The dragon, upon entering the water, had moved one thousand li in a flash, how could one possibly catch up to it?

“Qing Xue, you actually managed to train in the secrets of the Divine realm! In our Fang Clan, a Divine realm expert has finally appeared!” Fang Ze Shan was extremely excited. Although he had almost let Bai Hai Chen run away, in his heart, he was still in ecstasy.

“Second uncle, arrange for people to come down and search following the river. Within the boundaries of Long’yuan Province, have them search up and down the Long’yuan River. Bai Hai Chen was. .h.i.t by my Purple Yin Electric Thunder Knife, his life has already been taken, and he cannot survive much longer. Although that picture absorbed some of my magic, create a large array to contain the dragon and the search will be no problem. Find the picture, and I will be returning to the Yu’hua immortal school to teach.”

Fang Qing Xue lightly said, “I will head off first, and go see father.”

Amidst talking, this stunning lady who had trained to the Divine realm glided away in the sky like a crane disappearing from their line of site.

Fang Ze Shan issued the orders, “Transfer the order down, each district, each government house, each must supply personnel to search the territory!”

The head of the Fang Clan was the governor of Long’yuan Province, a powerful official, and also in control of military forces. The Fang Clan held the greatest authority, and the decrees they pa.s.sed, no one dared to defy.

“Hai!” “Hai!” “Hai!”

The night had pa.s.sed, and the dawn was beginning to creep in, Fang Han, upon finis.h.i.+ng his work, secretly hid in the clumps of reeds outside of the city by the Long’yuan River, and following the training methods he had secretly learned, was never-endingly training, and increasing his strength.

After being whipped by the second lady of the Fang Clan, Fang Qing Wei, and being rewarded, Fang Han became evermore hard working during his training.

Tied to his four limbs were several sandbags, as he continued running, jumping, and tumbling up and down striving to train his limbs and waist to full power.

Every morning the core disciples of the Fang Clan would come out and train the “Calm Crane Longevity Style.” One strike at a time, Fang Han had clearly memorized the strikes in his heart, but he never practiced it.

This was because he realized that first he must train his four limbs and waist to be strong and st.u.r.dy and have enough flexibility. Only then could he train. Otherwise, there would be no effect, all moves would be powerless like an empty basket.

Health, practicing force, martial arts, the three steps. One must train step by step.

One punch at a time, sweat dripping in all directions, under the light of dawn, like gems in the reeds.

[TL: I a.s.sume it’s his sweat]

“Aiyah!”

Suddenly, Fang Han hit the crude sandbag, he consecutively hit a hundred times until he started seeing stars, his head buzzing, body having reached the limit.

Afterwards, his legs felt powerless, “Peng!” He fell and laid on the beach, amongst the reeds.

“Still not enough, these days, although the wu’liang silver has improved daily life, it still cannot be compared to the lives of those Fang Clan core disciples. Every day, they eat bird eggs, deer, ginseng, and chicken. With my wu’liang silver, I can only occasionally eat meat, and it’s thus impossible for me to carry out such vigorous training every day.

Looking up at the sky while lying on his back, Fang Han sighed.

Originally, those days he secretly learned martial arts, secretly training, although there was some effect, it was still incomparable to the disciples of the Fang Clan. After all, the difference between their ability to nourish themselves was too much.

If it continues this way, there would be no way for me to train my body to the fifth realm of G.o.dly strength.

“As a servant, I am already unable to read books. Martial arts there is even less ways for me to train. Is it possible that I will be a servant my entire life? Always without ability to control myself?” Fang Han muttered.

“Hua la!” “Hua la!”

At this time, in the reeds by the river, was the loud sound of water, as if a big fish had jumped and become stranded.

“What happened?” Fang Han forced his body to get up, and walked over, expecting to only to see reeds swirling in an eddy, but to actually see a person floating in the water!

This man, wore dark golden clothing.