Chapter Thirteen: The Horn of the Azure Dragon

  Mu Yuan's Ice Seal of a Thousand Miles was released, and the overcast sky was instantly frozen. The originally formless whirlwind was suddenly frozen in mid-air, forming large transparent crystals. As soon as they were touched by the two people's auras, they shattered into ice crystals and fell to the ground, making a crisp sound!

  "This guy is tough, but he seems to be injured!" The two exchanged blows, probing each other's strengths and weaknesses. Mokugen immediately discovered that his opponent's internal energy was insufficient, and the cold true energy did not seem as endless as the third layer of Qi refining. With a sudden movement, he threw out the remaining few talismans on his hand, transforming them into several green balls, using wood to generate fire and drive away the dark energy in the sky!

  The thin man was dazed by the sudden attack of the light balls, and the ghosts and spirits that had been scattered from his hands were like snow in a hot pot, dispersing in all directions. He felt a great pain in his heart, hastily shook the banner to retrieve the spirits, retreated and stood up, shouting loudly, "Fellow Taoist, please spare my life for now! I am also entrusted by others, not intentionally harming anyone!"

  Mu Yuan smiled with a hint of playfulness on his face, and at this moment, Liu Yuanshan had already rushed over. This refined and elegant prefecture chief saw the two fighting and was already somewhat nervous. Mu Yuan smiled and said to Liu Yuanshan, "Prefect Sir, the demon has been subdued, we are about to leave, I wonder about the reward..."

  Liu Yuanshan hastily said, "Immediately present, immediately present, it's just... not as good as the immortal staying in the mansion for a few days, also let me slightly fulfill the host's courtesy." As he spoke, his eyes kept glancing at the thin man, and his words were filled with anxiety.

  Mu Yuan smiled and said, "No need to be polite, this Taoist friend will naturally leave with us. We still have things to attend to, so we won't stay long."

  Liu Yuanshan hastily got the silver money from the steward, and according to the announcement, he handed over 500 taels of white silver. Mu Yuan weighed the silver ticket in his hand, put it into his sleeve with satisfaction, and naturally couldn't do without spending money when traveling in the mortal world. His cheap master only sent him away, not even giving him any travel expenses, so that he was always struggling to make ends meet, calculating every penny spent. Now, he finally escaped poverty and entered a state of moderate prosperity!

  "Let's go, let's go! Fellow Taoist and I will head to the city. There is a Yellow Stone Wine House there, their dishes are quite good. Let's go there to discuss further!" Mu Yuan pulled Mo Xue along, turning back to say to the thin man in a somewhat careless tone.

  "Hmph!" The thin man hummed in his heart, but he didn't dare to show a hint of dissatisfaction on his face. He thought that if it weren't for the fact that his injuries hadn't healed yet, how could you be so presumptuous in front of him?

  The three of them left the county magistrate's residence and came straight to the Huangshi Wine House. Mu Yuan had never had so much silver on him before, and he was very excited. He called over a waiter and asked for the restaurant's signature dishes, ordering a full table of food. Finally, they also brought up a jar of aged wine lees. They ate with abandon, drinking freely and heartily, feeling extremely joyful.

  "It's different when you have money on your body, Sister Mo. You're not short of silver coins. That cheap master of mine didn't even give me a single copper coin when I came down the mountain. He said that since I've experienced worldly human relationships, I should thoroughly immerse myself in them. Experience the joys and sorrows of ordinary people, only then can I truly transcend! And he also said that if I don't truly experience it, I won't have pure epiphanies. What kind of nonsense is this!" Mu Yuan muttered unclearly with a piece of crispy suckling pig leg meat in his mouth.

  Mo Xue smiled lightly, but suddenly had an epiphany in her heart, and she looked thoughtful. Mu Yuan didn't notice, and instead turned to a thin man who was standing on the side looking uncomfortable, "Fellow Daoist, where are you from? How did you end up like this? Tell me about it."

  A thin man smiled wryly, "I am Chu Yunfei, a disciple of the Xuan Yin Sect. I was also traveling down the mountain, and a few days ago, I heard that a spiritual being had appeared in Jue Long Valley, so I went to join in the excitement. Unexpectedly, I was discovered by two disciples of the Lian Yun Sword Sect, who chased me all the way here to Feng Ming Fu. Luckily, I managed to shake them off, but I was severely injured and dazed. It was then that I met the wife of the county magistrate, who saved my life. She asked for my help, so I lent a small hand, playing a trick on their family's concubine. Originally, I just wanted the county magistrate to drive her out of the house, I didn't mean to harm anyone!"

  Mu Yuan hummed a low sound, picked up another piece of venison and chewed it with relish, looking very satisfied. He said carelessly, "I knew it was just a matter of rivalry in the family, that evil spirit possessed him without malicious intent, let's just forget about it. You mentioned the Absolute Dragon Valley, what exactly is inside?"

  Chu Yunfei said, "I really didn't know about this. I waited in the valley for two days and still hadn't seen any sign of the Lingbao when I was pursued and killed."

  Mu Yuan's mouth curled up in a smile, staring at Chu Yunfei and saying, "The Absolute Dragon Valley is thousands of miles away from here. It's rare for the disciples of the Cloud Sword Sect to be so selfless, exorcising evil and protecting the Tao, leaving behind spiritual objects without taking them, and being willing to sacrifice themselves to chase after their fellow disciples!"

  Chu Yunfei saw a mysterious smile on Mu Yuan's face, and his heart skipped a beat. He said vaguely, "These orthodox disciples usually claim to uphold justice and righteousness, it's nothing unusual!"

  Mo Xue stroked her temples and said with a seemingly intentional yet unintentional tone, "I suppose it's because our Daoist friend obtained something in the valley, that's why they've been followed all the way here!"

  Chu Yunfei was waiting for someone when he saw the iron sword behind Mu Yuan's back move slightly, and Mo Xue's wrist star bangle also emitted a crisp tremolo. His heart skipped a beat as he thought to himself that these two people were so sensitive. He said vaguely, "Actually, it's not a big deal, just took a piece of bone, if you two are interested, take a look." As he spoke, he took out a section of white jade-like pointed bone from his waist pouch and placed it on the table, his eyes flashing.

  Mu Yuan casually picked it up, not caring about the greasiness on his hand. He rubbed this section of bone joints and they became smooth and shiny. After looking at it for a while, he asked in doubt, "It seems to be dragon horn, does Sister Mo recognize it?"

  Mo Xue's eyes carried a hint of blame, she took out a handkerchief and wiped away the greasy stains on top, discerned for a while, then said in a low voice, "Indeed it is the horn of the Azure Dragon. According to legend, the Absolute Dragon Valley was the place where the ancient divine dragon perished, I suppose that's the reason!"

  Mu Yuan swung his head, returning the Qinglong horn to Chu Yunfei. "In that case, we must go and take a look. It's said that dozens of ancient dragon gods were slaughtered by Nezha, the great god of the heavenly realm, and are buried in the Absolute Dragon Valley. This time, the auspicious energy soaring into the sky is definitely related to this. The ancient dragon gods, they're a powerful and domineering race that roams freely throughout the realms. If we can obtain something from them, it will be extremely precious!"

  Chu Yunfei hadn't expected Mu Yuan to actually return, and hastily put him in his sleeve. His eyes shining brightly, "Are the two of you also going to Jue Long Valley? Why don't we travel together?"

  Mo Xue let out a cold snort, "Travel with you? Aren't you afraid of being hunted down by all the sects?"

  Chu Yunfei hastily said, "I happen to have a bit of luck and unintentionally learned the art of changing my appearance, so I won't be a bother to either of you!"

  "Oh?" Mu Yuan heard this and asked with great interest, "This magic is great, why don't you teach me? That long pole of yours, wasn't it also obtained unintentionally?"

  Chu Yunfei looked puzzled and asked, "How did you know?"

  Mu Yuan sneered, "What's so difficult about this? Just now you took action, and although your killing intent is overwhelming and your dark energy is surging, the power of your technique itself has a slight hint of stiffness, which clearly doesn't match with this treasure. It must not have been obtained from within our sect. Otherwise, for the sake of the vengeful spirit on that banner, I wouldn't have let you sit here so easily!"

  Chu Yunfei smiled and said, "Little friend is indeed clever. I obtained this long banner a few years ago when I accidentally entered a cave in the mountains. I found it to be somewhat mysterious, so I've been using it. Normally, I wouldn't kill people or refine treasures. There was a ritual refinement method in the cave, but it required practicing the Tianmo Jiuzhuan technique. Since my Xuan Yin Great Method is not yet complete, I'm afraid that practicing it now would delay my progress and cause conflicts. So, I plan to study it after completing the sixth layer of Dan. This banner also requires the Tianmo Jiuzhuan technique to unleash its power. For now, I can only use some simple techniques with the Xuan Yin Great Method, but temporarily, there's no other way, so I'll have to borrow it!"