Seeing four of his men fall to the ground, You Huanduo’s expression slightly changed, and he praised with a frown: “Excellent swordsmanship!”
This move fully captured the essence of sword techniques. Not only did it return to simplicity, but it also seemed to anticipate the enemy’s actions in advance. It appeared ordinary and simple, yet carried an indescribable subtlety, ranking among the most extraordinary sword techniques he had ever encountered.
No wonder, despite lacking true internal energy, he could blind four of his skilled subordinates with a single strike, rendering them as helpless as ordinary men without martial arts skills!
However, no matter how exquisite a sword technique might be, without internal energy to support it, it would eventually be like water without a source or a tree without roots. You Huanduo only needed to ignore the variations, attack straightforwardly, and overwhelm his opponent purely with his Kuangsha Divine Skill and profound internal energy, not giving him any chance to get close. From afar, he could either kill him with palm strikes or with the force of his palm techniques; what use would his swordsmanship be then?
“Hmph, I finally managed to confirm that your martial arts have been destroyed. Let’s see how you summon heavenly lightning now!” Having achieved his goal, You Huanduo jumped down from his horse, his feet tapping rapidly like gusts of wind as he dashed toward Meng Qi.
Meng Qi did not attempt to flee. Within a relatively short distance, You Huanduo’s sprinting ability far surpassed that of a fine horse. Recklessly running away would merely expose his back to the enemy.
Internally, Meng Qi felt somewhat uneasy. His “Dugu Jiujian” had finally entered the threshold after numerous trials, but he had only preliminarily grasped the first few forms. He had not yet mastered the techniques for countering palm attacks or qi attacks. Facing You Huanduo, a master of palm techniques with formidable internal energy and no internal power of his own, he had little confidence.
Nonetheless, at such a life-or-death moment, he had no choice but to fight! You Huanduo would not spare him even if he begged.
“Haha, little bald monk, today let’s see how you will turn defeat into victory!” You Huanduo mocked joyfully from afar, “Or shall we find out whether my Kuangsha Divine Skill is more powerful or your swordsmanship is superior?”
He was certain Meng Qi had no internal energy left and planned to use brute force to counter skill, relying on his unchanging internal energy to handle any situation!
Thinking about how he would finally eliminate the little bald monk who had killed An Guoxie and Yuan Mengzhi and conquered the Evil Ridge, his heart burned with excitement. After accomplishing this feat, the old master would surely not withhold praise and rewards. Perhaps he would even have the opportunity to learn one of the Eighteen Soul-Stealing Palms techniques.
His usual appearance of a gloomy, honest, and simple farmer was merely a facade. Without ruthlessness, how could he command respect from his fierce subordinates? As a former expert ranked among the top, the leader of the seventy-two bandits who had repeatedly defeated strong enemies, how could he lack arrogance?
Watching You Huanduo drawing closer, Meng Qi held his sword across his chest, his spirit and willpower focused inwardly. He embraced the Primordial Unity, eliminated distracting thoughts, and prepared to fight desperately using Dugu Jiujian and Divine Steps.
At this moment, he forgot about the future, the danger, his supposedly destroyed martial arts, and everything around him. In his eyes, only You Huanduo’s steps and movements remained, each being broken down and reduced to their most fundamental components.
In this self-forgetful state, Meng Qi suddenly felt something “crack” inside him, and a warm current rose from his dantian, quickly flowing throughout his entire body.
The Golden Bell Shield began to rise from the first gate and quickly reached the fifth gate’s perfection. In an instant, Meng Qi’s internal energy was fully restored!
Faced with this unexpected situation, Meng Qi was both surprised and astonished. He immediately understood something, his eyes seeming to mist over, and he murmured to himself:
“Master…”
…
At the Yumen Pass, Xuan Bei entered Kong Jian’s room.
“Master’s senior apprentice, disciple has already sent Zhen Ding to the Wuliang dock,” Xuan Bei said solemnly as he bowed.
Kong Jian’s white eyebrows slightly moved, and he asked in confusion: “Did you not entrust Zhen Ding to a sect close to our temple?”
Because the horse bandits might be lurking nearby, although no signs had been detected yet, precautions were necessary. Therefore, after sending Zhen Ding to Wuliang, he could not simply leave him there. He must be entrusted to a sect close to or affiliated with Shaolin to ensure his safe passage to the heartland of Central China, far away from the horse bandits, thus fulfilling his duty.
The reason he hadn’t mentioned it earlier was because Xuan Bei, who had always protected Zhen Ding, was the one delivering him. Kong Jian assumed he would make proper arrangements.
Suddenly, Xuan Bei knelt on the ground, his voice filled with pain: “Master’s senior apprentice, disciple is guilty.”
“Xuan Bei, what crime have you committed?” Kong Jian slightly frowned.
Xuan Bei raised his head, his expression melancholy, his facial muscles slightly distorted: “Since joining Shaolin, although I have always been devoted to Buddhism, I have never been able to completely abandon my old habits from the martial arts world. Today, I couldn’t bear it and did not destroy Zhen Ding’s martial arts skills, only slightly sealing them. As long as he concentrates his spirit and intent, they will naturally recover. Please, Master’s senior apprentice, punish me.”
“You know that doing this will result in you being denied the opportunity to cultivate in the upper levels of the Relic Pagoda,” Kong Jian did not get angry but sighed, “So why do you insist on protecting Zhen Ding repeatedly? It has already exceeded normal master-disciple affection. What is the real reason?”
Xuan Bei took a deep breath, a faint smile appearing on his face: “Although my entire family was killed, I had a younger sister who, out of youthful recklessness, voluntarily became a concubine to the Su family in the capital city and was disowned by my father, thus escaping that disaster. I have investigated, and she died three years ago. Zhen Ding is her son.”
“And, and…” Xuan Bei’s expression suddenly became dazed, as if recalling or imagining something, his eyes filled with tender affection, “If my two children had not died, they would be about his age now, with the same appearance.”
Kong Jian sighed deeply: “You are also a fool in love.”
…
As his martial arts were restored, Meng Qi no longer felt the slightest anxiety. With his current strength, even in the central plains, if he couldn’t defeat You Huanduo, could he not at least escape?
Moreover, this fellow still believed that his martial arts had truly been destroyed by his master!
He suppressed the turmoil within, reached out his right hand, grasped the hilt, and with a sharp “rip,” tore away the cloth binding. He drew out a dark-red Jiedao, its blade wreathed in white vapor, radiating intense heat.
You Huanduo was not surprised by Meng Qi’s act of drawing the knife. All previous battle records indicated that the little bald monk’s blade techniques surpassed his swordplay. At the very least, he had mastered one of the external blade techniques, which was incomparably superior to the sword technique he had just demonstrated. However, without internal energy, what could he use to activate the blade’s intent? Even if he exhausted all variations, it would merely be at the level of opening an acupoint, not even matching the sword technique he had previously displayed!
He did not mock Meng Qi for losing his composure in a desperate situation and making the wrong choice, because Meng Qi had wielded the sword with his left hand and the saber with his right, which was not contradictory. Thus, he believed Meng Qi was displaying signs of desperation.
But without internal energy, what use was desperation?
He did not step into the striking range of the saber or sword, merely grazing the edge as he delivered a palm strike. The scorching wind was stifling, as if it would evaporate Meng Qi’s blood, leaving him no opportunity to counter with intricate techniques.
As You Huanduo struck with his palm, Meng Qi activated the Golden Bell Shield, endured the palm wind, and his internally condensed essence, energy, and spirit suddenly erupted, unleashing the Red Sun Subduing Evil Dao!
A streak of unassuming yet not dim knife light lit up in You Huanduo’s pupils, reminding him of a weak and feeble resistance.
With a single palm strike, the little bald monk would perish, winning the old master’s favor and gaining the secret techniques. Then he would step into the external realm, master the Eighteen Soul-Stealing Palms, slay Ze Luoju and Yanshiche, assassinate the old master, marry Yanshiche’s daughter, inherit the Halley, wage wars across the land, unify the territories near the Hanhai and Zangshen Desert, and reach the pinnacle of his life.
This vision felt so real because it arose directly from the depths of his heart. You Huanduo was entranced, immersed in it.
Suddenly, his throat ached, his breathing stopped, and he regained his senses, only to see the dark-red Jiedao slashing toward his neck.
An external Dao technique?
Hadn’t his martial arts been destroyed? What was he using to activate the Dao Yi?
You Huanduo was both shocked and furious, but he dared not delay even for a moment. His neck bones cracked, twisting like a snake, and he leaned sideways along the direction of the blade strike. At the same time, his right hand grabbed the blade, even as blood gushed out and white bones were exposed, not daring to tremble even slightly.
His strength was still above An Guoxie’s!
At this moment, he finally noticed Meng Qi’s skin glowing with a dark golden hue, carrying an aura of solemn purity.
Damn! His martial arts hadn’t been destroyed!
This is bad; he’s fallen for the bald monk’s trickery!
As a cautious and intelligent person, his first thought at this moment was that he had been tricked, followed by the thought of summoning heavenly lightning.
Meng Qi, having landed the first strike, showed no mercy. Seizing You Huanduo’s vulnerability, he raised his long sword with his left hand, employing both Dugu Jiujian and the Yama Scroll!
—Dugu Jiujian itself had no specific forms; during an attack, as long as the path was followed and the timing was not delayed, any hidden changes were acceptable.
A purely refined sword light shone, as if emerging from death itself, arriving ahead of time, directly piercing toward You Huanduo’s slanted forehead!
At the same time, Meng Qi’s forehead felt swollen, his spirit sharpened into a spear, striking fiercely.
After grabbing the Red Sun Subduing Evil Dao, You Huanduo’s years of combat instincts made him immediately sense the danger of death. Without hesitation, his entire body’s bones softened, and with cracking sounds, his entire body turned into a pile of “mud.” Although his head suddenly felt dizzy, it allowed Meng Qi’s sword light to pass by his ear, slicing off half of his ear!
You Huanduo gritted his teeth against the intense pain, using his hands and feet together, “sliding” out of Meng Qi’s sword and Dao range in one motion. Then, his bones supported him as he turned to flee!
He feared this was a trap set by the Shaolin monks and was also afraid that Meng Qi would summon heavenly lightning. Moreover, he had been startled by the consecutive attacks, so he dared not fight to the death and only wanted to escape.
Activating the Kuangsha Divine Skill, he ran as fast as a gust of wind, while Meng Qi used the Wind God Legs to closely pursue. He still had one or two uses of the Yama Scroll and could unleash the A-nan Breaking the Precepts Dao Technique again. If he didn’t seize the opportunity to kill You Huanduo while he was panicking, it would be hard to quell his anger!
You Huanduo sprinted wildly to the riverside, ready to jump into the water and escape far away, when suddenly a clear and refined sword light came from a passenger boat, identical to the one Meng Qi had previously used, yet even more deadly, terrifying, and relentless!
As the sword light dissipated, he continued to run wildly, but after a few steps, he suddenly stumbled forward, his blood staining the ground.
A bright young girl in a yellow dress gently stroked her long sword, smiling as she looked at the approaching Meng Qi: “The Kuangsha Divine Skill is nothing special.”
Meng Qi was both surprised and delighted: “Zhiwei, how did you get here?”
“After descending the mountain for travel, I thought if you hadn’t succeeded, you would probably be captured by An Guoxie and taken to Halley. So, I headed north and west, planning to confront him. I didn’t expect to meet you here,” Jiang Zhiwei glanced at You Huanduo, “What happened?”
Meng Qi roughly recounted the events, finally turning to face the Yumen Pass, kneeling and bowing deeply from the heart, his voice filled with sorrow: “Master, your unworthy disciple only wishes to repay you in the future!”
Jiang Zhiwei quietly watched him complete this act, sighed softly, and comforted him: “There’s no right or wrong in this matter; it’s simply that you and the Buddhist philosophy are incompatible. No one can be blamed. If this had happened in my Xijian Pavilion, it would merely result in copying some sutras and refining one’s mind.”
“Master Xuan Bei is not someone who hides things. If you are with me, it will be quite noticeable, and the enforcement monks might detect us. It would be better for you to go to Brother Zhang or Brother Qi’s place, stay there peacefully for a year or half, grow taller, and mature in appearance before coming out to wander the martial arts world again.”
Meng Qi nodded slightly, agreeing with Jiang Zhiwei’s opinion. Then he took out the black fur and asked Jiang Zhiwei to appraise it, but unfortunately found nothing. Afterwards, the two searched You Huanduo’s body, only finding a bag of gems and silver coins, nothing else.
Since he already had considerable wealth, Meng Qi didn’t care much about these possessions and directly handed them to Jiang Zhiwei.
“Alright, I can use the extra travel money,” Jiang Zhiwei didn’t refuse, accepting generously. However, fearing that the Shaolin monks might pursue them, she didn’t want to delay Meng Qi’s time and smiled as she bid him farewell: “From afar just now, I saw that your swordsmanship has greatly improved. Next time, we should have a match.”
Meng Qi, relieved of his burdens, resolved firmly in his heart to repay his master. With nothing else troubling him in the main world, he laughed heartily and turned to leave, humming: “A laugh echoing across the sea, the tides surging on both banks…”
Jiang Zhiwei watched his retreating figure, unable to help smiling: “Where did that rustic folk song come from…”
“Tides washing away the mundane world’s sorrows, how much do we know…” Far away, Meng Qi’s figure disappeared, his song still faintly lingering.
Jiang Zhiwei turned her head and muttered: “If you listen carefully, it actually has quite a poetic feeling…”
…
In the capital, the headquarters of the Six Fan Gate.
Outside the square was wide, with several screens on which yellow papers were pasted.
Many idle townspeople gathered around, curious to see if there were any changes to the Heaven, Earth, and Human Rankings today.
Before long, an officer from the Six Gates came out and walked over to the Human Ranking board. He swiftly tore off the previous notices and pasted up new ones.
“Such a big change?” Many people were astonished. Could it be that someone suddenly rose to prominence, causing the rankings of the others to shift dramatically?
The top nine rankings remained unchanged, only some additional achievements were added. When it came to the tenth place, someone exclaimed: “Jiang Zhiwei of Xijian Pavilion, known as the ‘Sword Immortal,’ and ‘Beautiful Yama,’ defeated ‘Sunlight Evil Sword’ Kang Dahai… and with one sword strike, killed ‘Standing Yama’ You Huanduo, ranking tenth in the Human Rankings…”
“It’s normal for her to rise. It is said that many disciples of Xijian Pavilion who went out on journeys returned to the mountain and admitted that they couldn’t match Jiang Zhiwei, their junior apprentice sister. Now that she has officially descended the mountain to travel the martial world, her ranking naturally surged.” Another person explained.
“That makes sense.” No one had objections to Jiang Zhiwei’s rise in ranking.
One by one, yellow papers were pasted up, mostly familiar names, and people didn’t say much until the thirty-third place, where someone exclaimed in surprise: “Who is Zhen Ding?”
All eyes turned to the yellow paper, where it was written: “Name: Self-proclaimed Xiao Meng (formerly known by the Buddhist name Zhen Ding).”
Martial Arts: Opened four Qiao, achieved the fifth or sixth level of the Golden Bell Shield, proficient in both sword and Dao techniques with both left and right hands. His swordsmanship is exquisite, and his Dao Fa embodies the true essence of the first form of the A-nan Breaking the Precepts Dao Fa. He possesses the ability to summon heavenly lightning.
“Feats: Battled and killed ‘White-Headed Vulture’ An Guoxie, summoned a bolt of heavenly lightning to slay ‘Jade Hand’ Yuan Mengzhi, conquered the Evil Ridge, and directly repelled ‘Standing Yama’ You Huanduo.”
“Ranking: Thirty-third.”
Nicknames: Thunder Blade Mad Monk (Dao Kuang Seng), “Furious Vajra (Jin Gang)”.
“Identity: A former Shaolin disciple.”
[End of Volume Two]
Volume Three: A Hall of Drunken Beauties
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Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage