Chapter 150 — The Heavenly Lord of the Northern Desert

Libationer Bashan's eye was merciless; whatever shortcoming Ling Yuxiu had, he saw it at a glance, then ordered her to correct it, making her drill it over and over again. It was the first time Ling Yuxiu had endured such hardship.

In the past she had been shrewd and capable, but that came of a royal upbringing; as for the martial arts and divine powers, she had never been so devoted to them. This time Libationer Bashan ground her fundamentals hard, making her cultivate and drill diligently, so as to bring out the power of the Nine Dragons Emperor's Art. The Nine Dragons Emperor's Art was the very finest art of the imperial house.

Improved by the imperial court, and joined to the fact that the imperial city stood upon the place where nine dragons converge, with the qi of the nine dragons coiling about the imperial city, it worked wonders for Ling Yuxiu and the other children of the imperial line, yielding twice the result for half the effort.

Ling Yuxiu's cultivation of vital essence was not low; what she lacked was a solid foundation.

After a dozen days or so, Libationer Bashan had polished her until she seemed a different person, her strength rising by leaps and bounds. "The Nine Dragons Emperor's Art is in itself an art of magic and divine powers, and the strength of magic and divine powers lies in their explosive force—the Flame Art, for instance.

" Libationer Bashan pointed a finger, and a ball of fire flew out, shooting more than a hundred zhang. The fireball was only the size of a fist, but it burst all at once, the blazing flames swelling thousands of times over, blasting the grassland for a dozen zhang around into ruin. The ground was scorched black, and at the center of the blast there were even traces of stone melted by the fire. "The Nine Dragons Emperor's Art has reached great depth in the way of magic.

Some say the school of magic and the school of combat technique are two extremes, but between magic and combat there is no such extremity; on the contrary, the two can be joined. " Libationer Bashan borrowed the great iron hammer from Ling Yuxiu and said, "Watch closely, Princess. Junior Brother, come and trade blows with me.

" Shen Mu's vital essence burst forth; the Chubao Sword left its sheath, and he thrust at Libationer Bashan. Libationer Bashan swung the hammer—the great iron hammer that Shen Mu had given Ling Yuxiu—and now the hammer's head blazed with leaping flames as it clashed with the Chubao Sword.

Boom— A violent explosion burst from the hammer's head and blasted the Chubao Sword away.

Flames blazed all around Libationer Bashan; only the patch of ground beneath his feet was still lush green grass. Ling Yuxiu was startled, then at once saw the crux of it: Libationer Bashan had hidden the Flame Art within the great iron hammer; the Chubao Sword struck the hammer, the Flame Art burst forth, and the sword was blown away.

Shen Mu's vital essence became threads that coiled around the Chubao Sword; the blade flashed and he came at Libationer Bashan to kill.

The two were some distance apart.

Libationer Bashan swung the iron hammer, whirling it high and low, and every stroke just happened to block the Chubao Sword; then came boom after boom of explosions, waves of fire rolling, terrifying beyond measure.

Ling Yuxiu's heart pounded. What Libationer Bashan was showing her was a method of battle she had never imagined, a perfect union of combat technique and magic, overbearing beyond compare!

Shen Mu's Chubao Sword was blasted away again and again, and in his heart he could not but admire him.

Libationer Bashan had first studied under Zaifu, the Heavenly Blade, then entered Jingping to learn magic, and in the end had carved out a road of his own! In wielding magic and combat technique as he did, Libationer Bashan had pointed out a road for Shen Mu as well!

The name of Martial Emperor was well deserved! To fuse two different ways of cultivation into one—even if Libationer Bashan's ability fell short of Zaifu's, he could still be called a grand master of his generation!

Libationer Bashan put away his hammer technique and returned the red-hot iron hammer to Ling Yuxiu. "I trained in the blade, but I could not reach the ultimate realm as my honored master did, so I had no choice but to open another path. My master's blade could cleave heaven and earth, split the firmament, break any magic or divine power in the world with a single stroke.

I cannot.

So when the Imperial Preceptor of Jingping made his reforms, I entered the Grand Academy to study magic and divine powers, seeking a breakthrough.

Princess Yuxiu, with the Nine Dragons Emperor's Art as your foundation, my road is the best one for you. " Ling Yuxiu was wholly won over.

She asked for guidance in earnest, and when Libationer Bashan made her drill her fundamentals again, she had no complaint. Shen Mu could not resist the temptation either and sought instruction from Libationer Bashan, who of course told all he knew and held nothing back; even Snow Fox and the azure ox reaped no small benefit. They pressed deep into the grasslands, practicing the merging of combat and magic along the way. Ling Yuxiu had already grasped the rudiments of the technique, and she and Shen Mu fought fiercely, both of them drenched in sweat. When they rested, Shen Mu took out a perfumed handkerchief to wipe his sweat. Ling Yuxiu laughed.

"Erudite of the Grand Academy, let me wipe it for you. " So saying, she snatched it from his hand and dabbed gently at his forehead.

Shen Mu saw that there were beads of sweat on her forehead too. "You are sweating as well.

Let me wipe it for you. " Blushing, Ling Yuxiu handed him the handkerchief.

Suddenly Libationer Bashan's face changed greatly; he raised both hands and thrust them forward, crying, "Sheer Cliff Heavenly Dipper! "