The underground river inside the tunnel had long dried up. In the distance, rocks had collapsed, blocking the riverbed. The remaining parts were filled with jagged stones, which in the darkness resembled countless evil spirits with bared fangs and claws, making one feel as if they had entered the gates of hell.
Unwilling to expose their position, Zhang Yuanshan refrained from lighting a match, relying solely on the faint light filtering in from outside, his eyes having already opened the Acupoint, to move forward. Fu Zhenzhen tightly held his robe, closely following him. Although her vision was not as sharp as his, she felt an unusual sense of security in this darkness, as though she could fully trust and rely on Zhang Yuanshan.
After bypassing a peculiar rock, Zhang Yuanshan stopped advancing further. Going deeper would make it impossible to detect the sandstorm’s changes in time, causing him to miss the opportunity to strike.
“Shadow Assassin,” gifted with natural night vision, had exchanged for martial arts entirely focused on concealment, invisibility, and assassination. After infiltrating the cave, he moved like a fish in water, silently approaching Zhang Yuanshan and Fu Zhenzhen.
The darkness was heavy, and Shadow Assassin seemed to merge into it, using shadows to hide. Step by step, he closed the distance until he was only a zhang away from Zhang Yuanshan and Fu Zhenzhen.
His right hand rested on the short sword, his body arched, channeling all his strength and true energy into a single point, preparing to strike. His assassination techniques were unadorned and simple, yet remarkably effective.
Zhang Yuanshan tightly gripped the Tengshe sword, assuming a Tai Chi defensive stance. His forehead throbbed as he extended his senses outward, anticipating a sneak attack.
Suddenly, a thought struck him. Without hesitation, he slashed the sword upward in front of Fu Zhenzhen, drawing what seemed like a beautiful circle.
Clang!
The sound of metal striking metal echoed through the tunnel before fading into silence, leaving everything deathly still, as though the previous moment had merely been an illusion.
Zhang Yuanshan’s defensive move had been flawless, offering no opportunity to his enemy. Yet deep down, he felt uneasy because after missing his strike, the opponent vanished into the darkness, hiding who knew where, ready to attack from any direction.
From the brief clash, Zhang Yuanshan sensed that although his opponent might not match his strength, and could be defeated in a direct confrontation, he was certainly a master who had opened four acupoints and was skilled in concealment and assassination. In this environment, the danger was multiplied. Once he revealed any weakness, he would face a deadly attack. He needed to remain fully alert, with his mind highly focused, without the slightest lapse. However, to kill his opponent, he couldn’t even find a shadow.
Zhang Yuanshan understood clearly that maintaining such a state of high concentration would drain him greatly, especially the acupoint at his forehead, which was difficult to sustain. The throbbing pain in his forehead was becoming more pronounced. The longer this dragged on, the more disadvantageous it would be for him unless the sandstorm outside began to subside.
After failing to land a hit, Shadow Assassin immediately retreated, hiding behind another rock, blending into the darkness. He fixed his gaze on the two opposite him, patiently waiting for another opportunity.
As an assassin, he had always been patient. Once, he had lain in ambush in a swamp for seven entire days, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. In the end, the seven-acupoint master who bore a deep grudge against him died with his eyes wide open, staring at the short sword in his throat.
Without patience, one could never become a great assassin!
“Yuanshan, the darkness is against us. I will light a match first,” Fu Zhenzhen’s gentle and sweet voice reached Shadow Assassin’s ears.
Shadow Assassin remained motionless, unimpressed. If a little firelight could reveal his presence, then his concealment skills were truly too weak. True concealment meant hiding within the shadows themselves—that was the essence of Shadow Assassin!
He had once encountered a terrifying master who could harness the power of all things. With a little guidance from that master, he had finally mastered the supreme skill “Shadow Concealment” that he had exchanged for.
“Alright,” Zhang Yuanshan’s voice was low, as if something were in his mouth, or perhaps he was simply too alert to speak freely.
The fire flared up. Fu Zhenzhen’s match illuminated the surroundings, replacing the darkness with dim light. Yet the area remained shadowy, as if enemies lurked everywhere, making little difference from the previous pitch blackness.
…
Qi Zhengyan was hiding relatively far behind, still able to see a bit of sunlight not yet obscured by sand and wind, his heart filled with vigilance.
Cultivating the “Huantian Baogian” required drawing upon strange energies from heaven and earth, so he had a sharper sensitivity to changes in the sky than ordinary acupoint-openers. He vaguely sensed something was wrong, but with the sandstorm blocking his view and the path unclear, he had no immediate solution.
Suddenly, Qi Zhengyan felt the sunlight become unbearably bright and piercing, forcing him to squint instinctively.
At that moment, from the golden brilliance, a figure leaped out, short sword aimed directly at Qi Zhengyan’s throat, as if he had been hiding within the sunlight itself!
Behind Qi Zhengyan, the sand and earth on the ground suddenly swelled like a grave, and another figure leaped out, fingers curved like hooks, gleaming with eerie light.
The arrival of the two Tongyou Envoys from the Evil Sect was so eerie and unexpected!
Both were confident that their target with the “death mask” would perish at their hands. Whether through daylight concealment or earth遁 (earth escape), their techniques transcended ordinary human comprehension, rendering them virtually impossible to defend against.
(Note: “earth遁” is transliterated as “earth escape” with the original Chinese character “遁” retained in parentheses, as it appears to be a specialized term. The phrase “dead face” is rendered as “death mask” for more natural English phrasing while preserving the ominous tone.)
Suddenly, their vision blurred. A burst of white smoke rose from the ground, like clouds descending to earth or mist swirling thickly, obscuring their sight completely.
Where their swords and fingers landed, crimson light danced like lotus blossoms, only to dissipate into empty air!
Could it be that the “dead face” had mastered two Tongyou abilities and was actually a Venerable-level expert?
…
Xia Dandan gripped her matched pair of long and short blades, leaning against a poplar tree, temporarily sheltering from the sandstorm.
Her heart burned with vengeance, yet beneath the might of nature, she could only suppress her emotions and wait for the storm to weaken. In such conditions, neither side could surround and kill the other, and the enemy would also find it hard to move forward even an inch.
Suddenly, a soft giggle reached her ears. Surprised, she turned around and saw a girl in a flowing white dress gracefully emerging from the sandstorm. Despite the fierce wind and dense sand, upon reaching her, they calmed down and dispersed, leaving her path completely untouched by dust.
This girl seemed like a celestial maiden descending from heaven, yet her aura was ethereal and unfathomable, carrying a strange allure that pierced straight into the heart.
Xia Dandan found herself struggling to speak, her voice hoarse as she asked, “Gu Xiaosang?”
Xiaozǐ, also known as Gu Xiaosang, smiled leisurely and said, “The mortal world is full of suffering and worries. Why not return to the Pure Land of Emptiness and share in eternal bliss?”
The surrounding sandstorm slowed, as if the area had suddenly brightened, with faint, ethereal sounds descending from above.
…
Inside the ruined temple of the Devil King, Meng Qi, along with Chen Xiao and Luo You, also noticed the sudden intensification of the sandstorm.
“Good thing we took shelter early,” Chen Xiao happily remarked.
Luo You naturally praised his beautiful senior apprentice sister: “Thanks to Senior Apprentice Sister’s wisdom. Otherwise, in such a massive sandstorm, we’d be completely helpless, maybe even lost in the desert.”
The desert climate was unpredictable, and sandstorms were common. Sudden intensifications were not unheard of, so even though they were in a semi-desert area, the two found it quite natural.
However, Meng Qi frowned and, gripping his Red Sun Subduing Evil Saber, walked over to the dead Evil Sect disciple. This sudden “natural disaster,” this abnormal sandstorm, reminded him of the “Crying Old Man.” Could it be that the Evil Sect’s leader had arrived, just like Gu Kongsan of Fengyun Manor, causing a change in the weather?
Of course, such a weather change definitely lacked the immense power contained within the Crying Old Man’s Sandstorm Skill, nor could it cover a radius of hundreds of li, turning the area into an apocalyptic wasteland threatening total destruction.
While keeping his vigilance high, Meng Qi slightly opened the ancestral acupoint between his eyebrows, extending his consciousness outward, and began inspecting the corpse of the Evil Sect disciple.
The deceased’s skin was pale, his meridians darkened with black qi faintly rising from them. Yet as Meng Qi approached, the dark energy dissipated under the crimson glow of the “Red Sun Subduing Evil Saber.”
“Just now, his ability to hide in shadows approached the supernatural level of external scenery, but his strength was vastly inferior. Moreover, his body was filled with heavy evil energy… How did he acquire such Tongyou abilities?” Meng Qi, from Luo You and Chen Xiao’s earlier exclamations, roughly understood this was what was known as Tongyou abilities. He became even more interested in the power system of this world. If there were no hidden dangers and he could learn it, it would be a valuable trump card to combine with his martial arts and sword techniques.
Earlier, Meng Qi’s slash, derived from “Cutting Away Purity,” had left Luo You and Chen Xiao in awe, dispelling their earlier contempt for him. They grew even more impressed by their master’s foresight in warning them to be cautious of these members of the “Power Gang.”
“Master Zhen Ding, what are you looking at?” Chen Xiao mustered her courage to ask, sensing that her “Wind Escape” ability and accompanying sword techniques were no match for this young monk. Unconsciously, she altered her form of address.
Meng Qi, not wanting to reveal his complete ignorance of Tongyou abilities, raised a single palm and replied, “Amitabha, though killing may protect life and cutting karma is not cutting lives, still, it is a life taken. Alas, what a sin.”
“Master Zhen Ding’s compassion is admirable,” Luo You eloquently replied. “However, Evil Sect practitioners cultivate using demonic energy, losing their humanity, becoming cruel and merciless, with many souls wrongfully killed. Killing one such person saves countless others, a deed surpassing the construction of seven-story pagodas.”
Meng Qi’s response caused Chen Xiao to nod slightly. Although she had also taken lives, she remained essentially kind-hearted, and the death of an opponent would naturally leave her feeling uneasy.
“Master Zhen Ding, with such a compassionate heart, you are destined to become a great monk in the future,” Chen Xiao smiled brightly. “By the way, that sword technique you used earlier…”
As she was about to ask further, Meng Qi’s premonition, gained from his Shape-Shifting Technique, surfaced again. He abruptly turned his head toward the broken window.
A thin tube extended through a hole in the wall, emitting a faint mist.
“Watch out!” Meng Qi shouted, holding his breath and activating the Golden Bell Shield, causing a dark golden glow to flow around his body.
Chen Xiao and Luo You followed Meng Qi’s gaze and were startled once more—it was the poison master who had caused chaos that night!
Meng Qi also recognized the poison master from the opposing side and understood he needed to end the fight quickly. Thus, he raised his Red Sun Subduing Evil Saber and used the Wind God Leg technique, charging toward the window with a thunderous “Deng Deng Deng,” his dark golden skin glowing like an unstoppable war chariot.
He rushed into the mist, the Golden Bell Shield blocking the infiltration. Sidestepping, he used his shoulder and back to slam into the window, sending it flying before leaping outside.
Outside the temple, the wind and sand were fierce, but the ground was covered with slippery snakes, fuzzy spiders, and colorful insects. In their center stood a girl dressed in bright clothes.
Meng Qi did not stop nor use the nimble movements of the Divine Steps. He strode directly into the midst of the poisonous creatures, charging toward the girl.
The snakes raised their heads, the spiders leaped, and the insects flew, all landing on Meng Qi’s body. However, their bites were like striking stone, and one by one, they were repelled.
Meng Qi, this unstoppable “war chariot,” smashed through all obstacles, charging fiercely toward the girl.
Hong Xiu had not expected the little bald monk to fight in such a simple, brutal, and fearless manner. She was momentarily stunned but quickly recovered, snapping her palm shut and releasing the hidden Tang Hua flowers!
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage