Chapter 429: 429
“…More than three hundred li away northeast of Pingxi Prefecture, there stands a lofty and perilous mountain range called the Jade Dragon . Mount Jade Dragon is a mostly deserted area with many rare beasts dwelling within . Facing Mount Qiyun, both mountains resemble a pair of dragons among the clouds . The head and body of Mount Jade Dragon are situated within the Gan Province, overlooking the Gulang Plains . Its tail extends into the center region of Mount Qiyun where the heavenly natural creation ends and fits the saying: ‘One can see the head of the divine dragon but not its tail [1] . The valley at the intersection between Mount Jade Dragon and Mount Qiyun has a gap of less than one li at the narrowest point . The White Stone Pass sits here, as the military strategic location of Northwestern Gan Province…”— Memoirs of Pingxi Prefecture .
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On the 21st day of the second lunar month in the 14th year of the Yuanping reign, the cold winter ended, giving way to the first signs of spring . When the sun rose and its first rays shone on the land, a strange ball of light appeared an isolated valley surrounded by cliffs of a hundred zhang tall in the depths of Mount Jade Dragon . The ball of light was constantly shifting . Tiger roars and gibbon hoots resounded across the valley, startling the gray eagles that dwelled within, causing them to fly away from their nests…
The ball of light was a Dharmic projection, and it was strange due to its constantly shifting shape . At first, the ball of light was the image of a ferocious tiger leaping against the precipitous cliff walls while roaring loudly . In just the blink of an eye, it transformed into an elegantly moving bleating white deer . After a while, the silhouette of a white deer turned into a mighty black bear . The silhouette of the bear then flickered and turned into a golden gibbon with long arms .
The golden gibbon jumped around, darting between the rock crevices . It stretched its long arms and quickly scaled the precipitous cliff walls as though it was moving on flat land . By the time the golden gibbon rushed up to the top of the cliff about a hundred zhang tall, it suddenly jumped down as though it was bungee jumping down the valley . Before hitting the ground, its silhouette then transformed into a crane . Flapping its wings, the crane soared high into the sky elegantly, parting the clouds that shrouded the mountain before it dived into the valley again…
If another martial practitioner saw the scene, he would probably be so shocked that his jaw would drop .
While Dharmic projections were common occurrences in secret techniques, no one had probably seen or even heard of a single technique that could give rise to five Dharmic projections of a tiger, a deer, a bear, a gibbon, and a crane . Such a technique was unprecedented in this world .
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When the white crane was about to land, the Dharmic projection finally disappeared and the silhouette of a person was revealed . That figure was none other than Yan Liqiang who had been away from home for nearly three months .
Yan Liqiang was barefooted and his long hair was fluttering in the wind . Wearing only a pair of shorts, his muscular body plunged into the ground head first like a missile .
The floor of the valley was rapidly expanding in Yan Liqiang’s field of vision . Beneath him was a pool about the size of fifty mu . When he was about to dive into the pool, Yan Liqiang threw his fist out .
The real missile was Yan Liqiang’s fist!
His fist punched through the air so powerfully that it created a vacuum around it . Loud explosive noises that sounded like firecrackers cackled in the air .
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Following the loud noise, a splash of several dozen meters in height was created in the pool, generating violent waves around it . The powerful force that Yan Liqiang brought with him when he plunged into the water like an artillery shell was instantly dissolved by the pool’s water .
In the midst of the flying water droplets, Yan Liqiang’s figure changed direction . He penetrated the pool with his feet first without any hesitation like an arrow .
The water was so clear that the bottom of the pool was visible and it was glowing an eerie blue . Since the water was from the melted snow on the mountain peak in the distance, it was piercingly cold . Even so, Yan Liqiang had long gotten used to its coldness .
The moment Yan Liqiang came into contact with water, he transformed into a fish . With the momentum of his dive, he made a beeline to the pool’s bottom . In just the blink of an eye, he was thirty meters deep into the pond . There, he started practicing his fist technique .
Yan Liqiang’s movements were simple yet powerful . Every punch he threw was like dropping a bomb deep into the pool . Violent undercurrents surged in the calm water and waves rolled on the water surface as though there was a gigantic beast churning in the water .
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As soon Yan Liqiang threw his punch, a Dharmic projection once again appeared around him even though he was underwater . This time, it was neither a human nor an object . There were two impressively lofty words — Eight Extremities!
If those martial arts practitioners from Yan Liqiang’s previous world were here, they would definitely recognize the fist technique he was performing underwater right now . It was none other than the 64th form in the Eight Extremities Fist called the Cannon Fist .
The 64th form, Cannon Fist, really turned Yan Liqiang’s hands into a cannon . Every punch he threw was like firing a round destructive enough to cause landslides . Bursts of waves formed in the pond .
As a famous boxing proverb went, ‘Practicing tai chi brings peace to the country, exercising the eight extremities brings stability to the world . ’ At this very moment, Yan Liqiang could feel the terrifying power of the Eight Extremities Fist technique in his fists .
Before he even finished performing the 64th Form, Cannon Fist, Yan Liqiang’s body was enveloped by a dazzling red light . Despite being underwater, a powerful wave of heavenly energy still came to him as usual . It poured into Yan Liqiang from the crown of his head to the soles of his feet, mutating every cell in his body and injecting more powerful vital force into his body .
This was the 13th Heavenly Bestowment he received ever since he cultivated the Eight Extremities Fist technique .
The Heavenly Bestowment lasted for nearly five minutes . By the time its effects faded, Yan Liqiang’s next punch became even more powerful . It was like the water currents at the bottom of the pool had been cut by a giant axe, creating a vacuum around him for a brief moment .
Yan Liqiang shot into the sky from the bottom of the pond like a missile . He leaped out of the water then firmly landed on a huge rock by the pond .
Yan Liqiang looked at his own hands . While sensing the new wave of powerful energy within his body, a smile slowly appeared on his face . He then tilted his head back and started laughing at the sky . His laughter reverberated throughout the valley, filled with joy and excitement…