Astral Martial Arts, Bi Fang

Strike first to gain the upper hand...

As soon as those words were spoken, the three exchanged glances and nodded solemnly. Liu Qi said in a deep voice:

"Brother Lu is right. We can't just sit around and wait for death. The Heavenly Righteousness Society has some informants outside the city. We can have them keep watch on the ritual's movements and report back at once if anything happens!"

Peng Shan rose to his feet and looked at everyone calmly.

"Then that's settled. But we can't wait until they begin. Tell the brothers to ready their weapons. We'll pick a time in the next few days and make our move."

The group discussed matters until nightfall. Before leaving, Peng Shan said to Lu Li:

"Brother Lu, you're traveling with a little girl. You'd better stay out of this. It's far too dangerous."

Lu Li remained calm and smiled. "Brother Peng, there's no need to worry. I have my own plans."

This concerned a Demon Token, and killing the Drooping-Ear Monk would also earn him a superior saber technique. How could he possibly let it go?

"Ah..."

Peng Shan said no more and merely patted Lu Li on the shoulder. At that moment, Yan Dan spoke in a low voice:

"Old Peng, it's time we revealed our preparations."

Lu Li's eyes flickered with mild surprise at those words, while Liu Qi also looked over curiously.

He had always known that the Hidden Heroes Alliance had been preparing to destroy the Thousand-Eyed Bodhisattva Temple, but he did not know the specifics.

Peng Shan nodded, walked to a corner of the courtyard, and moved aside a water jar fully six feet wide, revealing a hidden passage.

"Everyone, please come take a look."

Peng Shan gestured for them to proceed.

Before long, the drunken people had been roused as well, and the group entered one after another.

At the end of the passage was a sealed space resembling a cellar. Lu Li had long sensed it through the Weapon Lord's perception, but upon truly entering it, he discovered that it was far more extensive than it appeared.

When the others saw Peng Shan's "preparations," they were stunned as well.

Inside the cellar, twenty repeating crossbows sat atop a long table, while the walls were covered in concealed weapons such as sleeve arrows and back-mounted arrows.

"This... Brother Peng, are you from the Xunshan Peng Clan?"

Only then did the group notice the clues. Yan Dan, in particular, asked in astonishment.

Peng Shan did not answer, merely smiling faintly.

Seeing this, everyone understood.

The Peng Household had once been a great family of Mechanism Arts. But now, the Xue Household of the Jing Dynasty controlled the right to forge weapons. Forget the Peng Household's expertise in Mechanism Arts—even ordinary blacksmith shops with long-standing inheritances had to endure suppression from the Xue Household.

According to Yan Dan's understanding, the Peng Household's branch families had long since relocated elsewhere, while the main family retained only the male descendants responsible for inheriting its core Mechanism Arts.

The current Peng Household could only be considered fallen, though some of the concealed weapons it produced still enjoyed considerable renown in the martial world.

Upon seeing the repeating crossbows, Lu Li, as a modern man, naturally understood Mechanism Arts differently. What he understood was mechanical power.

If he were asked to make guns and cannons, he might produce some results after several months or a year or two of study.

But the cost was far too high.

He had cultivated for less than a month and already possessed Eighth Layer of Meridian Opening cultivation. If he spent that time on martial arts instead, the power of his attacks a year later would definitely surpass crude firearms and cannons.

Still, in one of the later major versions, mechanical power had also been a central theme.

In the Astral Martial Arts version, people could leave the earth in their physical bodies and reach the stars. A powerful expert discovered crystals within a nearby meteorite that could be absorbed by the human body. After absorbing them, one could gain the ability to control magnetic fields and condense a qi-blood star.

In that version, the unit used to measure a martial artist's strength began at the Stellar Tier.

However, several version iterations still lay between the present and the Astral Martial Arts version. With the current version of martial arts in the martial world, even someone who cultivated martial arts to the utmost limit could not fly.

Only after the Demon Martial Path emerged could Peak Exterior Scenery experts fly to some extent, though they still could not cross the void.

But that did not necessarily mean there was truly no way.

If I light up Bi Fang's illustration, then after reaching the Divine Intent Realm, I can transform inner qi into wings. Combined with Taowu's Intransigent Qi strengthening my body, I might actually be able to cross the void. If I can fly beyond the heavens, obtain those crystals, and awaken the Astral Martial Arts panel...

Lu Li considered the matter.

Even in the ancient era, when inheritances had not yet been severed, Astral Martial Arts practitioners could sweep through everything.

Compared to the flashy mechanics of other versions, the Astral Martial Arts version was all about raw stats.

It was just that he was still very far from the Divine Intent Realm.

Lu Li looked at the repeating crossbows before him, pondering Bi Fang's illustration.

As far as he knew, Bi Fang's Demon Token was in Feng Xuanzi's possession, making it rather difficult to obtain.

Feng Xuanzi did not truly enter the public eye until a state ritual half a year later, when he was appointed Imperial Preceptor and the announcement was made to the entire realm.

If I remember correctly, Feng Xuanzi was preparing to reclaim the Demon Tokens when he became Imperial Preceptor.

While Lu Li's thoughts raced, the people from the Hidden Heroes Alliance, the Righteousness Gang, and the Heavenly Righteousness Society were also discussing matters.

"Since they are forging an Evil Armament, they will surely station heavy troops along the passageway behind the mountain. With these repeating crossbows, our strength will rise greatly."

Yan Dan and the others were somewhat stirred. Repeating crossbows possessed considerable killing power. Without a body-tempering technique, even a Late Meridian Opening martial artist would be injured by a single hit.

As the group finalized the plan, Peng Shan looked toward Lu Li.

"I wonder what Brother Lu thinks?"

Hearing this, Lu Li raised his head. Though he had been considering other matters, he had heard their discussion.

He had already made his plans.

"Tomorrow, we will destroy the Thousand-Eyed Bodhisattva Temple!"

Lu Li's words were concise and decisive.

Hearing Lu Li speak with such certainty, Peng Shan immediately asked:

"Does Brother Li have some brilliant plan?"

Lu Li shook his head slightly.

"What brilliant plan could there be? We charge in, kill all those evildoers, rescue the people, then set fire to the ritual site and the Thousand-Eyed Bodhisattva Temple. Wouldn't that settle it?"

He had made ample preparations for this. Not only had his Heart-Breaking Buddha Body risen to the second layer, but his cultivation had also reached Eighth Layer of Meridian Opening. His strength had undergone a complete transformation.

Leaving aside the Drooping-Ear Monk's Demon Token and the superior saber technique worth obtaining from his head, the monk's Late Meridian Opening qi and blood alone could not be missed.

After the Astral Condensation Realm, cultivation could still be refined through qi and blood. Naturally, the more the better.

"Good, good, good! From the moment I first saw Brother Lu, I knew you were someone worth befriending. Why not become sworn brothers with me today? You can be the Righteousness Gang's deputy leader!"

The one-eyed Yan Dan grew extremely excited upon hearing Lu Li's words.

Lu Li's words were precisely what he wanted to do. As soon as Yan Dan finished speaking, he rose to fetch wine outside, eager to become sworn brothers with Lu Li on the spot.

But before he could stand fully, Peng Shan pressed him back down.

Peng Shan's expression turned somewhat grave.

"Brother Lu, this is no time for jokes. We move tomorrow. If we make even one careless mistake, every brother here may die inside."

Liu Qi and the rest also nodded repeatedly.

Seeing this, Lu Li only smiled lightly. He was already fully confident.