The words were on the tip of his tongue, but Lu Yuan still casually brushed the question aside.
The less anyone knew about matters related to the Great Dao Seed, the better.
Over the next ten days, Lu Yuan did nothing but practice martial arts and gather news about Iron Dragon Stockade. He even went around the area near the stockade many times, familiarizing himself with the terrain.
Ten days passed in the blink of an eye.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~~~
In the courtyard, Lu Yuan darted and weaved, leaving a trail of afterimages behind him. He sprang like a pill bouncing, streaked like a shooting star, and the air around him whirled and burst with a roar, like thunderous energy.
This was what the Dragon Swimming Step looked like when cultivated to its peak.
At this level, even the gusts of wind stirred up by his steps and turns—without his body striking anything—could knock ordinary people off their feet within several feet.
If Bai Hailong came back to life and saw an outsider master the Bai Family's secret footwork to such a degree, he would surely be struck dumb.
Lu Yuan's talent had now become that of a true genius. After breaking through to Blood Qi Like an Ox, his progress in martial arts was no longer as terrifying as before, but it was still absurdly fast.
Over these ten days, he had cultivated both the Dragon Swimming Step and Lightning Blade to the pinnacle of perfection.
He had also begun to form some ideas about combining Lightning Blade with Great Gale Saber Technique.
He was confident that if he could pull it off, this new saber technique would certainly be a middle-grade art.
Night gave way, and the sun rose.
Lu Yuan opened his eyes and sat up, letting out a soft breath. "The Dragon Elephant Longevity Art has broken through again!"
After a period of hard cultivation, the Dragon Elephant Longevity Art had reached the Transcendent level, and his lifespan had increased by quite a lot.
[Name: Lu Yuan] [Age: 17] [Talent: Genius] [Lifespan: 159 (34 years remaining)] [Arts: Ox Demon Fist (Pinnacle of Perfection 100%), Great Gale Saber Technique (Pinnacle of Perfection 100%), Dragon Elephant Longevity Art (Transcendent 1%), Seven Star Dragon Swimming Steps (Pinnacle of Perfection 100%), Lightning Blade (Pinnacle of Perfection 100%)]
When he opened his status panel, his lifespan had already reached 159 years, with 34 years remaining.
"Not bad. I don't need to worry about my lifespan anymore."
Lu Yuan was very satisfied.
"The Peerless Prodigy level is still far beyond me. I definitely won't reach it anytime soon. I wonder if cultivating the Dragon Elephant Longevity Art to perfection will build up enough lifespan for me to advance from Genius to Peerless Prodigy."
It had taken eighty years of lifespan to improve from High-grade Talent to Genius.
Advancing from Genius to Peerless Prodigy would take at least two hundred years, if not more.
After breakfast, Lu Yuan left the county town and headed straight for Black Dang Mountain.
By now, he knew all there was to know about Iron Dragon Stockade.
Iron Dragon Stockade stood on Black Dang Mountain and had three leaders. The Second Boss, Long Ying, and the Third Boss, Li Jing, both had the strength of Blood Qi Like an Ox, while the First Boss, Yi Zheng, was of unknown strength.
Lu Yuan estimated that Yi Zheng had reached at least Four Blood Changes. It was possible he had even reached Five Blood Changes.
Besides the three leaders, Black Dang Mountain also had a strategist named Tang Gui, much like a Dog-head Strategist. He was said to be quite clever, and had once been a Xiucai. After failing the exams several times, he had angrily taken to the hills and become a bandit.
There were two villages near Iron Dragon Stockade that colluded with the bandits and served as their lookouts. The two paths leading up the mountain both passed through the villages, so if anything stirred, the stockade would hear about it at once and have time to prepare.
Lu Yuan lay low at the foot of Black Dang Mountain until the afternoon, when he heard a jumble of footsteps. He peered into the distance and saw a massive force of over ten thousand people charging toward Iron Dragon Stockade.
Almost all of them wore white.
A force of over ten thousand could hardly go unnoticed. When a villager spotted them, he took off running toward the mountain to raise the alarm.
"Helm Master, should we...?"
A man drew his bow to its full curve and asked a burly fellow on horseback.
"Kill them all! If even one survives, you'll answer for it!"
The voice scraped like cold metal, sending a shiver through everyone.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Three arrows flew over a hundred meters and pinned three villagers running up the mountain to the ground.
"Hahaha! The Helm Master gave the order—kill them all!"
"We've been pent up for ages, our balls are going stale! Let's have a little fun first!"
The Taiping Sect followers had already been itching for action. The moment Helm Master Li Zongming gave the order, they swarmed out like locusts and descended on the village.
"Ahhh! Spare me! Please don't kill me!"
"Fight them! Those beasts!"
"You beasts! Let go of my daughter!"
"You killed my wife and children—I'll fight you to the death!"
"You bastard! I'll kill you!"
Under the Taiping Sect followers' massacre and looting, this village of just over a hundred households was plunged into utter ruin.
Every man was killed. The women were either killed outright or violated before being murdered.
In no time, the village ran with blood and echoed with endless screams, becoming a living hell.
From afar, Lu Yuan watched the Taiping Sect followers slaughter and plunder, fury and shock warring in his heart. His fists clenched, and his heart turned cold. He had already guessed the Taiping Sect was a heretical cult, but he had never imagined it could be even more evil than he thought—that it would dare commit the atrocity of wiping out an entire village.
Great Sheng might have been in decline, but it was still a colossal power.
How dare the Taiping Sect wipe out a village?
Unless the Taiping Sect had already made all the preparations for a rebellion.
Fury swelled in Lu Yuan's chest, yet it was as though ten thousand years of ice pressed down on the flames. He didn't foolishly rush out, thinking he could stop the Taiping Sect's slaughter by himself.
Never mind how many experts they had. With over ten thousand of them, their spit alone could drown him.
In less than half an hour, the entire village had been slaughtered. Then it was set ablaze, its flames turning half the sky red.
The immense force of over ten thousand surged toward Black Dang Mountain. They had not even reached Iron Dragon Stockade before the bandits were alerted. The bandits blanched and hurriedly organized their defenses.
"Helm Master, Iron Dragon Stockade has well-built fortifications. It'll be difficult to attack."
A strategist beside Li Zongming spoke in a low voice:
"If we're talking pure strength, we have the overwhelming advantage. But Yi Zheng is skilled at training troops, and his men advance and retreat in good order. We're certainly no match for Iron Dragon Stockade in formation. Even the authorities have suffered heavy losses in several attempts to suppress them."
"Yi Zheng is certainly a capable man. If he were willing to join us, the Holy Cult would naturally give him an important position."
A cold smile curled the corner of Li Zongming's mouth.
"Unfortunately, he doesn't know what's good for him and refuses to hand over the Secret Key. Since he won't accept the wine of respect, then he can drink the wine of punishment!"
The strategist's eyelid twitched. Curiosity scratched at his heart like a cat.
He was an exceptionally curious man. He had heard Li Zongming mention the word "Secret Key" several times, and it was clear Li Zongming attached great importance to it.
As far as he knew, the Holy Cult didn't even know the Secret Key existed. Li Zongming had mobilized the followers to attack Iron Dragon Stockade on his own.
If the Holy Cult's higher-ups found out that Li Zongming, a Helm Master, had dared to mobilize over ten thousand followers for personal business, at best he'd be stripped of his position; at worst, he'd be crippled.
Before you continue