Chapter 45: Seeking an Old Friend of Mine

"An old friend?"

The term made Luo Mingxian pause. Due to the unique nature of his divination-based longevity techniques, Yuan Tiangang could be considered one of the longest-living cultivators in modern China. If one excluded those who resorted to improper means to extend their lives, even the "one of" could be removed.

What kind of person could be referred to as an "old friend" by such a man?

Luo Mingxian bowed slightly. "I would like to hear the details."

After a moment of silence, Yuan Tiangang rubbed the chess piece in his hand, a look of reminiscence in his eyes.

"Indeed. Now that I think of it, it has been several hundred years since he left."

He suddenly sighed with a smile. "After several hundred years, his deeds must now be recounted by me for others to remember... Time truly spares no one."

"Was that old friend of yours very famous?" Luo Mingxian asked tentatively.

"To use the word 'famous' to describe him would be far too conservative."

Yuan Tiangang lowered his eyes. "There are truly many words that could describe him. But since I am telling you this now, you may remember him this way..."

"I have seen strong practitioners like the stars in the sky, and he was the brightest among them."

Luo Mingxian was startled. He had been studying under Yuan Tiangang for over a decade, and this was the first time he had heard such high praise from the Grandmaster.

Why would such a person vanish completely from the cultivation world? As the head of the Heavenly Secret Bureau, he oversaw more than eighty percent of the supernatural intelligence in China, yet he had never heard of anyone who deserved such an evaluation from Yuan Tiangang.

Under the gaze of his disciple, who was filled with both confusion and anticipation, Yuan Tiangang slowly placed the chess piece on the board and spoke in a calm tone.

"I first met him over thirteen hundred years ago."

"Not long after Li Chunfeng passed away, I set up a tomb in the mortal world to feign death. From that point on, I shed all the identities I had acquired while walking among men and returned to the world of cultivation."

"After that, I spent two years compiling everything Li Chunfeng had deduced into the 'Tui Bei Tu' and scattered it throughout the cultivation world. It quickly attracted the attention of countless factions, including the largest power at the time—the Jiuli Immortal Alliance."

"The fate of the Immortal Alliance was intertwined with that of the Tang Dynasty. Seeing the turmoil within the Tang, they naturally could not stand idly by. Before long, I received a message from the Alliance asking for a way to break the deadlock."

"Based on Li Chunfeng's posthumous works and my own calculations, I provided several suggestions. One of them was to sever the dragon veins within the territory of the Tang to ensure the dynasty's fortune would not be depleted."

"I submitted this series of methods to the Alliance. Not long after, I received a response stating that they would send a great master specializing in spiritual power to accompany me in the task of severing the dragons."

"That person's name was Zhou Wuqing."

...

November, 671 AD. Yong Prefecture, Tang Dynasty.

In a mountain pavilion, Yuan Tiangang stood to the side, flipping through the pages of the 'Tui Bei Tu' in his hand, appearing deep in thought.

A moment later, the motion of his turning pages suddenly stalled. He looked up, and a figure had appeared before him without him noticing.

"Are you Yuan Tiangang?" the man asked.

Yuan Tiangang shifted his gaze, looking the newcomer up and down.

The man appeared to be a young man in his early twenties, dressed in red and white Taoist robes. His long hair was tied loosely behind his head. At a glance, he was filled with a heroic spirit, truly deserving of the description "spirited and vigorous."

However, for a cultivator, appearance is merely a superficial shell; what truly determines one's impression is the intangible aura.

The moment this man appeared, he exuded a sharp, piercing presence, like a drawn sword, hiding nothing.

"I am."

Yuan Tiangang put down the book and replied, "Judging by the karma on your person, it is multi-layered and unified. I presume you are the esteemed Zhou Wuqing of the Jiuli Immortal Alliance?"

Zhou Wuqing raised an eyebrow slightly, as if the remark had piqued his interest.

"I had heard that those who study divination have sharp eyes. Seeing this now, it is indeed interesting."

He spoke quite casually, and his next sentence jumped straight to the point: "I heard from those in the Alliance that you intend to preserve the Tang Dynasty's fortune and need help severing the dragon veins—how are they to be severed?"

"Severing a dragon vein is no simple task. Doing it alone might be physically and mentally exhausting. Did you not bring anyone else to assist you?"

"No need," Zhou Wuqing shook his head. "More people would only get in my way."

Yuan Tiangang was slightly stunned. Having walked the mortal world for many years, he had seen plenty of pleasantries and had not encountered someone so bold in quite some time.

"Since you say so, I shall say no more. Let us begin now."

As he spoke, Yuan Tiangang put away the book and summoned a folding fan into his hand.

"The place beneath our feet is where the first dragon vein lies."

He closed his eyes slightly, releasing his spiritual sense, and chanted a spell, as if communicating with heaven and earth. A long while later, he suddenly opened his eyes, snapped open his fan, and swept it gently through the air.

A silent breeze flowed past, and a faint dragon's roar, audible only to him, echoed in his ears.

Intangible fortune surged from all parts of the mountains, gathering and manifesting in an instant, transforming into a golden dragon made of energy that coiled atop the peak, as if merging with the surrounding rocks.

The manifestation of fortune is a profound technique of divination, one that cannot be performed without deep cultivation.

"This is the gathering of fortune," Yuan Tiangang said, closing his fan and pointing at the golden dragon. "This dragon is formed by the energy of heaven and earth and is protected by the surrounding feng shui. Ordinary arts cannot easily break its foundation. If you intend to act, you must be careful..."

Before he could finish, he felt a flash of spiritual light beside him. A sword aura, accompanied by flames, slashed out violently, striking the golden dragon's body squarely.

A silent wail rippled out. Amidst the sound of cracking earth and stone, the mountain peak before them split open. The golden dragon was severed in two in mid-air, falling and dissolving into intangible dust.

The entire sequence took only a few breaths. Even Yuan Tiangang had not fully reacted; it took a moment before he slowly turned his head to look at Zhou Wuqing, who stood at his side.

Although the dragon vein was newly formed and far from the strength required to sustain a dynasty, it was nonetheless created by the natural fortune of heaven and earth and was not easily broken.

Yet this man had severed it in a single strike—an act equivalent to destroying a small county. He had seen over ten thousand spiritual cultivators, but those who could compare to the man before him were likely fewer than could be counted on one hand.

It was no wonder he dared to take on the burden of severing the dragon veins alone; the Immortal Alliance truly possessed such a great master.

"You possess remarkable methods; you have truly opened my eyes," Yuan Tiangang said.

Zhou Wuqing responded casually, appearing accustomed to such praise and not taking it to heart. He simply performed a flourish with his sword and sheathed it behind his back.

"Where is the next vein?"

He was indeed a straightforward man.

Yuan Tiangang sighed inwardly while looking up at the firmament. Invoking his divination arts, the vast celestial phenomena transformed into a star-studded chessboard in his eyes. After a moment of calculation, he found the piece he was looking for.

"Eight hundred miles south, within Jing Prefecture."