A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 124 Lang Rong's Defeat and Escape

"How could Yin Zhong have Ji Ming's Blood Luo Heavenly Instrument?" Lang Rong's face was extremely ugly. If Ji Ming died at Yin Zhong's hands as he had expected, things would be even worse.

Ji Ming's cultivation level was not inferior to his own, and with the addition of the Blood Luo Heavenly Instrument, he was bound to lose.

"No, we have to get out of here right now."

Although Lang Rong was burning with rage after all his men were killed, he did not lose his mind. He struggled to open his protective light shield to temporarily slow down the blood-red erosion. With a roar, he slashed his halberd vertically, and a crescent-shaped green light swept towards the group of attackers.

Seeing this, Wei Feng suppressed his thoughts, his long sword spinning like a wheel as it flew towards the halberd. The two clashed, Wei Feng's face paled, and he took two steps back, while Lang Rong, shrouded in blood-red light, remained as steady as Mount Tai.

"Senior brother," Meng Yu and Wang Xiao supported Wei Feng on either side. The latter waved his hand slightly to indicate that he was alright. After Wei Feng gave a few instructions, the three of them led the remaining disciples and rushed forward again.

Meng Fan and the remaining Iron Guards stood aside and did not move. In terms of individual cultivation, the Iron Guards were far inferior to the Supreme Daoists. To prevent them from holding back, Meng Fan had someone assist them from the side.

Seeing Lang Rong and Wei Feng clash, Yin Zhong, who was in mid-air, had a flash of insight. He quickly activated the Blood Luo Heavenly Instrument, and countless blood lines wrapped around Lang Rong. Soon, they broke through his protective light shield and headed towards his body.

With a halberd cleaving the bloodline, an attack arrived. Lang Rong was overwhelmed and had several shallow wounds on his body. Although they were nothing to him, the consequences were serious. The bloodline, smelling the blood, glowed even brighter and flew toward Lang Rong's wounds.

"Junior brothers, attack Lang Rong's wound!" Wei Feng transmitted his voice, his longsword becoming even sharper. Several beams of white light struck Lang Rong's wound directly, causing blood to flow freely. Meanwhile, several blood lines beside him seemed to possess sentience, swiftly burrowing into his wound as Lang Rong blocked the attacks of the other blood lines and the disciples of the Supreme Dao.

"Not good!" Lang Rong's expression changed. He forced back the attack and managed to catch his breath. He reached out and dug out a large chunk of flesh. He threw it away casually, but before it hit the ground, it turned into ashes and scattered away.

"So decisive," Yin Zhong secretly praised. Once the Blood Luo Heavenly Instrument burrows into flesh and blood, it can devour a person in no time. Lang Rong clearly knows how powerful it is.

"However, I, Yin, will not give you a chance to escape." Seeing that Lang Rong was already severely injured, Yin Zhong immediately manipulated his magic weapon with one hand and unleashed several palm strikes with the other, all of which hit Lang Rong's body. The already seriously injured Lang Rong was further aggravated. Before he could react, two long swords passed by him and pierced his body.

"Junior brother, retreat quickly!"

Wei Feng shouted, but the two disciples of the Supreme Dao were still immersed in the joy of stabbing Lang Rong. Before they could turn around, they felt a chill on their necks, and everything went black. Their bodies were separated.

Lang Rong, now in his true form, withdrew his blood-stained wolf claws and looked at the remaining people with imposing arrogance. He roared, and a strong wind swept across, forcing everyone to squint and their protective auras to twist and turn.

Several Iron Guards and disciples of the Supreme Path were sucked in by Lang Rong. They screamed a few times and then fell silent. Lang Rong's cruel face swept over everyone present, and his wolf-like eyes looked up at Yin Zhong.

"You beast, die!" Yin Zhong roared, and the Blood Luo Heavenly Instrument in his hand shone brightly, enveloping Lang Rong's entire body. Strands of blood kept seeping into his wounds, and in no time, he was wrapped up in a ball of blood.

Just as Meng Fan thought the wolf demon was dead, a streak of blood-red light suddenly flashed out from the blood sphere. The blood-red light was like a rainbow, stretching across the sky, and the phantom of a giant wolf flashed by.

"Not good, it's the Blood Escape Technique!" Wei Feng pointed, and a beam of dark light shot towards the giant wolf phantom, but it passed right through it. The giant wolf phantom shattered like a bubble and then disappeared. However, a magical artifact fell down and was caught by Wei Feng.

After retrieving the magical artifact, Wei Feng's face was gloomy. Although Lang Rong had spent decades of his cultivation to use a secret technique, he had ultimately spared Lang Rong's life. If the roots were not cut, there could be trouble in the future.

Seeing this, Yin Zhong was not disappointed. Lang Rong's physical body had been destroyed, and he had also secretly placed a trap in his soul. If he didn't come out in the future, that would be fine, but if he did, he would definitely be doomed.

"Master Wei, this magical artifact is the central control point for the bewitching smoke."

“That’s right, Lang Rong is severely injured and has no ability to take charge. Master Yin, please wait a moment, I need to dispel the bewitching smoke.”

Wei Feng gripped the magic weapon, unleashed his true energy, and rings of light shot towards the sky, then converged in one place, instantly revealing a hole in the sky. The magic weapon rose upwards, and the yellow smoke in the distance was quickly sucked into it like rivers flowing into the sea. After the last wisp of yellow smoke dissipated, the hole disappeared, and the magic weapon shattered.

"Thank you for your help, Daoist Master. I am deeply grateful." Regardless of the circumstances, the other party had ultimately saved Shenglong Town, and Yin Zhong bowed respectfully.

"Master Yin, there's no need for such formalities. I had my own plans, but unfortunately, I failed to destroy his soul. It was truly a case of failing at the last hurdle."

Wei Feng was heartbroken to see four members of the Wushangdao sect lose this time. These were his future core members, and he couldn't afford to suffer such losses. If too many were lost, how would he compete with He Fang and Qiu Zirang in the future?

"Master Yin, could you please hand over these wolf demon corpses to me? I won't let you suffer a loss; I'm willing to exchange them for talismans. Is that alright?"

The remaining wolf demon corpses can be used to refine magical artifacts and talismans, which can somewhat make up for the losses.

"You flatter me, Daoist Master. I, Yin, agree."

These wolf demons are filled with demonic energy, which is of no use to Yin Zhong. It would be better to exchange them for something more useful, study it thoroughly, and perhaps equip it on the Iron Guard.

Yin Zhong nodded to the Iron Guard Captain, who understood and beckoned the Iron Guard to hand over his wolf carcass to Wei Feng.

"There are sixteen talismans inside, each with its own mysteries. The instructions for their use are written on them. Master Yin, we'll meet again someday," Wei Feng said, handing a brocade pouch to Yin Zhong.

Yin Zhong nodded upon hearing this and said, "Daoist Master, we shall meet again if fate allows." He then led his iron guards and carried the dead man away.

"Senior brother, how come Yin Zhong has the Blood Luo Heavenly Instrument? Isn't that Ji Ming's magic weapon? Could it be that he has already lost his life at Yin Zhong's hands?" Meng Yu said as he watched Yin Zhong and the others leave.

"Indeed, inform the chief about the Blood Luo Celestial Instrument as soon as possible."

Unexpectedly, he ended up benefiting instead. However, our mission can be considered complete. Lang Rong has become a spendthrift. After eliminating the false gods, we can proceed to the next step.”

"Senior brother, Yin Zhong's cultivation is far superior to ours. If he discovers our weakness, we might not be able to defeat him. If we reveal a flaw, it will be difficult to explain to the chief."

"It's alright, we just need to educate the people while eliminating the false gods."

At this point, Wei Feng smiled confidently and said, "The people are already terrified by the demons, so helping them at this time will be twice as effective."

"Brother, what a brilliant plan!" Meng Yu exclaimed admiringly.

After carefully collecting the wolf carcass, Wei Feng led the group away quickly, heading west.

Three hundred miles away in the Mingxiu Valley, Gu Xu was talking to Muramasa.

"The Taoist priest said he wanted to teach the village children so they could learn from you," Muramasa said with delight.

Muramasa knew Gu Xu's abilities. After he appeared that night, he wanted to ask him for a favor, but he didn't want to say it, so he didn't say anything more. He didn't expect that the other party would take the initiative to make this request today. How could he not be happy?

"The world has changed. All sorts of demons and monsters have come out. It is fate that I have met you. Therefore, I will stay for seven days to teach you some skills so that you will have the ability to protect yourselves in the future."

"Master, you are so kind. I thank you in advance." Upon hearing this, Muramasa immediately bowed deeply. Such a great favor could not be repaid with anything.

"I have stated beforehand that I do not accept disciples, but only impart knowledge. After seven days, no matter how much they have learned, I will no longer inquire about their progress."

"I will follow the Taoist priest's arrangements in everything."

The next day, the village chief immediately brought all the children in the village to Gu Xu. After giving them a few instructions, he left them there, and food and drink were delivered to them. Other villagers were strictly forbidden from coming to this place by the village chief.

Seven days later, Gu Xu passed on his swordsmanship, rune techniques, and array formation skills.

"From now on, only by letting these children read more books can they deeply understand the mysteries within," Gu Xu said, then handed a stack of bamboo slips to Muramasa, which contained the most basic introductory characters.

"Thank you so much, Daoist Master. On behalf of the entire village, I am deeply grateful."

The village chief led all the villagers to kneel down and pay their respects. Seeing this, Gu Xu waved his sleeve to help them up, and then his figure flashed and disappeared.

"These children are key to our village's prosperity. No one is allowed to harm them, or don't blame me for being ruthless."

Upon hearing the village head's words, the villagers repeatedly said they dared not, for everyone knew that the Taoist priest was incredibly powerful and that these children, having received his teachings, would surely have a bright future. No one wanted to sabotage it.

After leaving the village, Gu Xu hurried on his way. The last place of Yin Sha was in the Ni Li Ze in the north, which was also a place where the miasma of Tianhua Prefecture was pervasive.

With his newly mastered Thousand-Mile Soaring Technique, Gu Xu arrived at a place shrouded in mist in less than half a day. The mist was gray, red, and black, and it also had a rotten smell.

An ordinary person would faint immediately from just one breath of it, and if they stayed there for a long time, their body would be continuously eroded and turned into a pile of mud.

"This miasma is truly formidable." In just a few breaths, Gu Xu discovered that a layer of the protective aura around him had been eroded away. With a thought, the protective aura expanded again, and Gu Xu stepped onto the muddy ground. Some white bones floated in the swamp, and some poisonous creatures crawled around, which was terrifying.

The deeper one goes into the Muddy Swamp, the denser the miasma becomes, almost to the point of being liquid. When it drips onto the swamp, it breeds endless poisons.

After a moment, Gu Xu stopped and looked at the swamp in front of him. This place was different from the outside. The miasma here was seven-colored and constantly flowing. Every time it changed color, a wisp of Yin energy from the ground would be drawn out and merge into the miasma, becoming part of it. This cycle repeated itself.

Gu Xu reached out and summoned a wisp of miasma beside him. He focused his gaze on it for a moment, then flicked his finger, sending a stream of pure Yang energy onto it. The miasma instantly burned away.

"It seems that the power of the Heavenly Sun is still needed to completely eliminate the miasma."

This miasma is most averse to pure yang fire. Even if Gu Xu exhausts all his true energy, he can probably only treat the symptoms, not the root cause. As long as the yin energy underground remains undetected, this miasma will eventually return to its original state.

After observing for a moment, a flash of golden light appeared, and Gu Xu left Nili Marsh.

"I remember the bamboo slips on weapon crafting mentioned a magical artifact called the Samadhi True Yang Pearl, which is perfect for this purpose. By setting up the True Fire Blazing Sun Array with this pearl, this malevolent and yin energy can be eliminated."

Gu Xu devised a plan, leaped and darted about, and after a long time, finally found a volcano crater, a place perfect for him to refine magical artifacts.

Pingshan Prefecture, the territory of the demon race
Deep within a secret cave, there was an altar with five jade tablets, one large and four small, emitting a faint, clear light. Suddenly, the light on one of the tablets dimmed rapidly, like a candle flickering in the wind, about to go out.

Upon seeing this, the guarding demon's expression changed drastically. Just as he was about to go out to report, a stream of pure energy suddenly poured into the jade tablet, causing its light to brighten considerably.

"Go and summon the Tiger Lord," a gentle voice rang in the little demon's ear. The little demon's heart trembled. It was the voice of the Green Mountain Lord. After bowing respectfully, the little demon quickly went to inform the Tiger Lord.

A moment later, a burly man with tiger stripes walked in, bowed deeply to the man, and said, "Greetings, Lord Qingshan."

"Lang Rong is seriously injured and is currently at Liuluan Ridge in Tianhua Prefecture. Go there personally and bring back his soul. Don't concern yourself with anything else."

"Subordinates obey orders"

After a while, Tiger Lord sensed that Green Mountain Lord's divine sense had left, stood up, looked at Lang Rong's life tablet with its light flickering, and sighed inwardly.

Lang Rong is really careless in his actions. I warned him to be careful before, and now he's met his match.

Tiger King emerged from the cave, gave a few instructions, and then rode his escape light straight towards Tianhua Prefecture.

Meanwhile, in a cave somewhere in Tianhua Prefecture, the Supreme Dao Master Si Ningdao also received a report from Wei Feng.

"Yin Zhong obtained Ji Ming's Blood Luo Heavenly Instrument; could it be that this demonic cultivator had already laid a trap in Tianhua Prefecture?"

Knowing that this was no ordinary occasion, Ning Dao immediately went to see Dao Master Qi Feng.

"That's interesting. The demonic path has gotten involved with Yin Zhong, so it seems he's also a troublemaker. However, most of the demonic cultivators' energy is currently focused on Nanling Prefecture, so we don't need to confront them right now. We just need to take care of Tianhua Prefecture. I'll deal with them when I have more time."

"By the way, how's the collection of soldier spirits going? Don't let it delay the grand plan."

Upon hearing this, Ning Dao replied earnestly, "Master, Qiu Zirang and He Fang are currently collecting materials in Xiyuan Prefecture. According to reports, they have already collected most of them, and the mission should be completed in a few more months."

"Very good. Once the soldiers' spirits are complete, the grand plan of education can be fully implemented. This matter concerns the survival of the Supreme Path, so you must take good care of it and ensure that nothing goes wrong."

"This disciple understands, Dao Master, please rest assured."

"Okay, go down," Qi Feng waved his hand, and Ning Dao bowed again before backing out.

Five hundred years is enough.

Tianhua Prefecture, Yujian Manor
Yin Zhong was studying the talismans that Wei Feng had exchanged in the secret room. Among them was a sword talisman, which was extremely powerful and could penetrate a small mountain. However, its weakness was also obvious: it required a long time to accumulate power, otherwise its power would be greatly reduced.

"This talisman is quite interesting."

Yin Zhong held the sword talisman carefully, sensing its intricacies. After a moment, he put it away.

Just as Yin Zhong was studying the runes, the butler's voice came from outside, saying that Meng Fan had arrived.

"Please come in, Brother Meng."

The butler said yes, bowed to Meng Fan, who nodded and pushed open the door.

"Brother Meng, the yamen is under control." Ever since Chief Wang died, the yamen has been in chaos. Fortunately, Meng Fan stepped forward, and with the Imperial Sword Manor behind him, no one else dared to utter a word even if they were dissatisfied.

"It's all thanks to Brother Yin. The situation at the yamen is fine now. Although the danger of the bewitching smoke has been averted, we can't let our guard down. I heard that the people who inhaled the bewitching smoke have erected a memorial tablet and worship it regularly. Brother Yin, what do you think?"

Meng Fan handed the memorial tablet to Yin Zhong, who took it with a solemn expression. He saw that it was inscribed with the four seal characters "Lord of Wolf Mountain" and was shrouded in a strange aura.

"This isn't a proper memorial tablet; it must be related to the wolf demon from before. Brother Meng, anyone who has such a tablet in their home must destroy it, or who knows what the consequences will be."

The wolf demon's soul has escaped, and it will surely return one day. This thing must be completely eradicated, because it might one day rise from these things and commit further atrocities.

"Brother Yin, you are thinking the same thing as me. Before I came, I sent people to search house to house, but the yamen is short-handed. Could you please lend a hand?"

"This matter should be investigated. I will immediately send a team of Iron Guards from the Iron Righteous Sect to accompany Brother Meng on the search."

"In that case, thank you very much, Brother Yin." Meng Fan bowed deeply. In the end, he realized that his foundation was still too shallow. Now that he had the support of Yujian Manor, he could sort things out with the government in a few years.

A thousand miles southeast of Shenglong Town, in a quiet valley, Wei Feng was leading his people to besiege the demon race, with Hei Quan leading the charge.

"A black snake demon dares to steal a divine position; she truly doesn't know her own mortality."

Wei Feng flicked the blood off his sword and coldly stared at the heavily wounded Hei Quan opposite him.

"Bah! You scoundrels from the Supreme Path! Why did you have to show your face only after you've regained your divine position? You're truly a hypocrite. Even my demon race has to admit defeat!" Hei Quan's taunts immediately enraged the members of the Supreme Path.

"Even on the verge of death, you wretched creature still dares to act arrogantly. It just so happens that my treasure fan is missing a beast soul, so I'll use you to fill the gap."

At Wei Feng's signal, Meng Yu opened his folding fan, and four beastly figures appeared, baring their fangs and claws, roaring wildly at the Black Spring.

"Everyone else, kill all those snake demons and bring me the ancestral tablets," Wei Feng ordered. Wang Xiao and the others then lined up in four directions, surrounding the few remaining snake demons.

Hei Quan coldly stared at Meng Yu and Wei Feng. As the four beast shadows pounced at the same time, Hei Quan spun around and transformed into a black mist that suddenly appeared. Two red lamps lit up in the mist and shone on the beast shadows. The lamps hissed and the four beast shadows froze.

"Junior brother, be careful of his red eyes," Wei Feng said in a deep voice upon seeing this.

"Don't worry, senior brother," Meng Yu said, raising a talisman into the air and casting a soft, clear light. The crimson light shone on it, but only caused a ripple, failing to break through the barrier.

Meng Yu then waved his folding fan repeatedly, sending gusts of wind towards the black mist. In just a few breaths, the mist dissipated, and the Black Spring revealed its true form.

A giant black-scaled serpent, over ten feet long, opened its mouth wide, spewing out poisonous mist that forced the disciples of the Supreme Dao to retreat. Its crimson eyes were fixed on Meng Yu and his companion.

"Sculpture Skills"

Upon closer examination, Meng Yu discovered that Hei Quan was all bark and no bite. He had been hit by his senior brother's three lightning shuttles and then by the poisonous fire of the Fiery Fusion Cauldron. He was now at his last gasp.

The Nine Nether White Jade Fan hovered in the air and waved, with the beast shadows and giant snakes fighting together, and wind blades attacking from time to time. In addition, with the flying shuttle in Wei Feng's hand, Hei Quan suddenly felt a great increase in pressure.

After a brief exchange, another piece of flesh was torn from Black Spring, causing it unbearable pain. It immediately shrank its size and spat out a cloud of poisonous mist. Amidst the billowing smoke and dust, Black Spring tried to escape, but before it could get away, two sharp beams, one white and one black, struck Black Spring's vital spot simultaneously.

A scream rang out, the smoke cleared, and a black snake was seen pinned to the ground by a lightning bolt and a bone-piercing needle, its life ending.

(End of this chapter)