External Incarnation

Less than a year after the Empress Dowager arranged her backup plan, changes had already occurred in the Great Han imperial palace.

Divine Lord Zhenyuan would certainly not participate in the internal power struggles within the royal family, and this was not among the many promises he made to the Empress Dowager.

But he really had to protect that unused large furnace in the back hall.

In the rear hall of Anle Palace, Divine Lord Zhenyuan raised the long sleeves of his Law Treasure.

You want to fight me?

The Dao Lord, standing in mid-air, looked down, his face now showing a hint of grimness.

"I will keep my promise to others, and I hope Fellow Daoist Lu will not put me in a difficult position!"

Divine Lord Zhenyuan spoke politely, but he clearly wouldn't give up on a task just because of a few words from others.

If he is defeated by Daojun, then there is nothing more to say.

If Daojun is defeated, he will simply back down and will not pursue him relentlessly.

"Good, good, good," Daojun nodded and smiled, "This boring Three Realms has finally become a bit interesting, no longer just a bunch of cowards!"

"I've heard that your throwing knives injure the souls of those struck, and almost no one survives," Divine Lord Zhenyuan said cautiously. "If I failed to stop in time, please forgive me!"

"Oh, it seems you're not so afraid of my throwing knives!"

Daojun was slightly surprised.

Being reckless is one thing, but knowing his capabilities and still daring to react in this way, the other party was clearly prepared.

Although he hadn't returned to the Western Kunlun Holy Land for a long time, he had heard of the name Divine Lord Zhenyuan.

From the information Daojun knew, he knew that the other party was a human cultivator who learned everything very quickly and could also endure the loneliness of cultivation.

Learning anything quickly signifies a significant advancement in spiritual practice, while enduring loneliness means being able to avoid unexpected death or other unforeseen circumstances, thus greatly increasing the probability of reaching the final stage of spiritual cultivation.

These are two very simple standards for monks, but few can meet them.

Heavenly materials and earthly treasures I also want; if you use them, I won't have them anymore. Cultivation cannot be separated from the struggle for interests, which means that cultivators are destined to step into conflict.

However, Divine Lord Zhenyuan was fortunate to live in a good era. The Heavenly Court had already fallen and was not embroiled in large-scale conflicts. The Kunlun Sacred Land needed young and powerful individuals to replenish its ranks and prevent future troubles. Various rules and conditions that were once unattainable were greatly relaxed, allowing Divine Lord Zhenyuan to cultivate smoothly.

Daojun slightly bent his fingers, and a wisp of black light entered his palm.

Whether someone possesses genuine skill or is merely a pedantic academic who relies on rigid, formulaic techniques, can be discerned simply by having him demonstrate his abilities.

Daojun did not unleash any powerful weapons; the black light was held in his palm. He simply blew on it, and the black light shook its head and turned, instantly transforming into a giant black python with its mouth wide open, devouring Divine Lord Zhenyuan.

However, the expected magical resistance did not occur. Daojun only saw Divine Lord Zhenyuan, three zhang away, flick his left sleeve, and his black python had vanished without a trace.

When Divine Lord Zhenyuan waved his right sleeve, Daojun felt a scene of darkness and confusion appear before his eyes.

"He actually got the first move!"

Daojun was merely testing the waters; he had no idea of the power of such a powerful Law Treasure.

"He possesses the power to manipulate the heavens and combines it with the techniques of creating a miniature Mount Sumeru within a mustard seed; his Law Treasure can even hold living people!"

Divine Lord Zhenyuan's method isn't exactly new; some treasures that attract people also possess this ability. However, the opponent's attack is so fluid and seamless that there's no need for any Law Treasure activation. Even Daojun was caught off guard.

Without needing to think, Daojun knew that the opponent would inevitably follow up with a powerful sleeve movement and a grasping motion, thus defeating the enemy with a single sleeve strike.

In a split second of thought, Daojun's body instantly transformed into a sharp blade that emitted black light.

The sharp blades flew out, but the impact of the collision did not come as expected; instead, it was soft and difficult to penetrate.

"Not good!"

Only then did Daojun's heart begin to ache.

Normal Law Treasure can be broken by sharp objects, but Divine Lord Zhenyuan's Law Treasure uses the principle of overcoming strength with softness, making it difficult for swords and blades to penetrate.

To break through from within, perhaps only an overwhelming conflagration of flames could possibly burn down the enemy's sleeves.

As the sword flew out, the Daoist felt the world churning within his sleeve, and a large hand reached out from outside.

An overwhelming pressure of restraint came over him, and his body almost came to a standstill.

"Hey!"

The blade, spitting out black light, transformed; the Dao Lord had become countless fist-sized, highly venomous bats.

"You can hold out for a while even if you transform into a sharp blade within my sleeve, but once you're scattered, you're bound to collapse!"

Countless bats flew around wildly, accompanied by a series of popping sounds like explosions.

Divine Lord Zhenyuan's voice clearly carried a hint of surprise.

With a flick of the sleeve, a swarm of highly venomous bats were brought back into the light of day, many of which had already turned to ash within the sleeve.

"I've severed most of your bat form from your body; it's no longer complete. Now, please!"

There were no more than a hundred highly poisonous bats in the main hall. Divine Lord Zhenyuan cupped his hands, indicating that this was all he could do when he stopped, and that he could not allow Daojun to escape unscathed.

"Impressive skill!"

A highly venomous bat spoke, and then, with a sway, Daojun's body reappeared, floating three feet off the ground in the air.

Compared to before, Daojun only lost half of his green robe; his body was otherwise unharmed.

This made Divine Lord Zhenyuan's eyelids twitch, and he raised his sleeves again.

Having proven myself wrong, I naturally won't pursue the matter further!

Seeing that Divine Lord Zhenyuan was about to flick his sleeve again, Daojun's face twitched slightly.

He floated back a few steps, indicating his retreat, and then began to speak, which made the Divine Lord Zhenyuan was on high alert, relax a little.

"You left yourself an out when you made your move, so I'm giving you a heads-up," the Daoist said, cupping his hands in greeting. "This Nine Dragon Cauldron is most likely related to the Nine Cauldrons that the Emperor Qin was searching for. If I can't take it away today, someone else will surely come looking for it in the future!"

"Oh?"

Divine Lord Zhenyuan was slightly surprised, and then glanced at the tall Nine Dragon Cauldron. He didn't expect that anyone would be vying for this Pill Furnace.

"Nine Spirits Primal Sage said he wanted to come and take a look. His strength is not as good as yours. If he wants to see, just let him. Anyway, he's just curious," Daojun said.

"Who else?" Divine Lord Zhenyuan asked cautiously.

"The Immortal Court takes this matter very seriously, but who will come to retrieve the Nine Dragon Cauldrons is uncertain, and I can't control that. Besides, what about your identity..."

Daojun shook his head, indicating that he did not know.

He came openly mentioning his intention to obtain the Nine Dragon Cauldron, and he left with the same composure after his failure.

He recounted the information he knew and then gave a warning to Divine Lord Zhenyuan.

As soon as he touched his brow, Daojun's body vanished in an instant, leaving only half of his green robe lying on the ground.

"What an amazing avatar!"

Only after confirming that Daojun had left did Divine Lord Zhenyuan step forward a few steps.

He picked up the blue robe, examined it closely, and then let out a deep sigh of relief.

An external avatar differs from the original body, with significant differences in cultivation level, Law Power, and Law Treasure.

Although the Dao Lord appeared to be defeated by him, the opponent's avatar could easily kill others, and the avatar could be used as bait while the main body could sit in the rear and deliver the fatal blow. The wonder of this combination is beyond description.

Divine Lord Zhenyuan was 50% confident he could catch the legendary Immortal-Slaying Flying Knife, but if caught off guard, there was at least a 90% chance he would be killed.

This made him somewhat glad that Daojun had been careless, and that the other party was not one to speak carelessly; if he said he wouldn't bother them anymore, he wouldn't.

But whenever he thought about Daojun mentioning that other people were coming, and that it involved the rules for cultivators from the Western Kunlun Holy Land Southern Jambudvipa Continent, as well as the entanglement between the Heavenly Court and the Immortal Court, Divine Lord Zhenyuan felt a headache coming on.

"By the way, we can keep that young Daoist priest Li out in the open to shield us, which will save me from getting into trouble!"

After pacing back and forth several times, Divine Lord Zhenyuan felt that he needed to quickly recruit Li Shaojun, this fake, and put him in the open with Zhuang Qingdi and the others so that he could move forward and backward freely.