A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 141 Divine Skill Repels the Enemy

The sword's edge slashed into the smoke and dust, and a series of crisp sounds were heard, as if heavy objects had fallen to the ground. Yin Zhong's eyes were sharp, and he saw the scene inside clearly.

Amidst the smoke and dust, the dozen or so blood puppets charging at the forefront were cut in half at the waist. A white light condensed at the severed point and did not dissipate. The blood puppets tried to return to their original positions, but to no avail, and soon their bodies were scattered all over the ground.

The blood-red bones instantly began to decay, and wisps of blood energy rose and merged into the blood-red clouds above.

Seeing this, Yin Zhong's eyes sharpened, and he wielded his longsword mercilessly. Wherever streaks of white light flashed, the blood puppets were powerless to stop him, clearing a space. Yin Zhong's actions enraged the blood puppets, and with a scream from behind, a portion of the blood puppets split off to deal with Yin Zhong.

As the smoke cleared, everyone's eyes widened in shock at the sight before them. They saw Yin Zhong surrounded by blood puppets, and they rushed forward with their weapons. Meanwhile, the Supreme Daoist who was healing them set up protective light shields for them.

Upon sensing the life force, the Blood Puppet army's eyes blazed with emerald fire. With a roar like a wild beast, they charged towards the crowd. In just one clash, the martial arts side gained the upper hand, and the Blood Puppet vanguard was quickly routed. Half an hour later, the ground was covered with a thick layer of dry bones, which crumbled into dust with a single step.

After a fierce battle, Yin Zhong's side was also severely depleted of their true energy. Almost everyone was pale-faced, leaning on their weapons, watching the blood puppets gradually retreat.

"These blood puppets were merely a probe, yet they've already cost us so much. If they were to launch a full-scale attack, who knows how many of us would survive?"

The burly man with the bushy beard still had some strength left, though his breathing was a little unsteady, and his eyes grew brighter and brighter.

"Why worry about so much? Killing one is enough, killing two is a bonus, and eliminating a few more can relieve some pressure on others."

The burly man with the thick beard nodded upon hearing this and said, "That's right."

On the other side, Yin Zhong wiped the dust off his longsword. Despite the fierce battle, his true energy was not yet exhausted.

Looking at the appearance of the others, Yin Zhong's heart sank. The blood puppets were endless, but they were all just mortals. If they continued to fight like this, they would always be the ones who suffered losses.

"Although there are elixirs to compensate, it's not a long-term solution. I wonder if Master Wei has any way to prevent that blood energy from flowing into the blood cloud?"

The blood puppets rely on the blood cloud above their heads. As long as the blood cloud doesn't dissipate, the blood puppets will return in less than half an hour, which is extremely shocking to them.

No matter how hard you try to kill them, if you eventually find that you've done nothing, your fighting spirit will inevitably plummet. Once morale is lost, it will be extremely fatal to the entire battlefield. Although only a few people have noticed it now, as time goes by, this situation will become impossible to hide.

On the city wall, Wei Feng and his two companions were trying to dispel the blood-red clouds in the sky.

"Senior brother, we can't dispel it with our own strength," Meng Yu said, as he urged the beast souls to stir up the blood clouds. However, apart from the Ink Scale Dragon Fish, the other beast souls couldn't withstand it and were tainted with too much bloody energy, so they had to return to the white jade fan to recuperate.

"This blood cloud is the breeding ground for blood puppets. If it is dispelled, the blood puppets will continue to emerge. No matter how powerful Master Yin and the others are, they will not be able to withstand the large number of blood puppets."

Wei Feng was well aware that he and his men would not let Xue Yun off the hook, but if they did not put up any resistance, the situation would only get worse.

"Now we can only hope that the people from the Zhenwu Hall arrive as soon as possible."

Wei Feng channeled his true energy and activated several blood talismans. The talismans shone brightly like fire. With a command, rockets shot towards the blood cloud. However, compared to the blood cloud that blotted out the sky, these rockets were insignificant. They rushed into the blood cloud, but apart from breaking a few small holes and burning a small piece of the blood cloud, they did nothing else.

Above the blood-red cloud, there was a moment of silence, followed by a wisp of blood-red smoke rolling towards Wei Feng.

Upon seeing this, Meng Yu and Wang Xiao exclaimed in surprise. The black-scaled dragon fish swung its tail, raised its head, and hovered above Wei Feng. The blood-red tornadoes were blocked, while the scales on the dragon fish fell off one after another, and it cried out in agony.

Imperial Edict

Wang Xiao cast a hand seal towards the "Flaming Cauldron" that was suspended in mid-air. A red light spread out from the cauldron, enveloping the three people and the beast. Then, with a command, the crimson light gathered and transformed into a crimson wind. Under Wang Xiao's control, it collided with the blood-red smoke. With a loud explosion, the two raging storms dissipated. The blood cloud was unharmed, but Wang Xiao was struck as if by a heavy blow and fell to the ground.

"Junior Brother"

Meng Yu unleashed three whirlwinds from his white jade fan. The dragon fish forcibly broke free from the blood cloud, its body trembled, and its scales emitted several beams of dark light that shot towards the blood cloud, temporarily halting its attack.

At the same time, Wei Feng's eyes narrowed, and the longsword behind him was drawn from its sheath with a clang, spinning and radiating a brilliant light. Then, thousands of sword shadows shot out, forming a huge sword disc that circled the sky, slowly drawing in the blood clouds. With each rotation, it tore apart a piece of the blood clouds.

The three of them exerted their full strength, but it only temporarily slowed down the blood cloud. In just a short while, a bright red light flashed within the blood cloud, and a towering blood pillar landed in front of the gate of Jiushan City. Blood shadows flew everywhere inside, and blood puppets emerged one by one, launching a second wave of attacks.

Seeing the blood puppets return with renewed force, Yin Zhong stood up, gripped his longsword, and the others also stood up.

"It's a pity that only half of my true energy has been restored. If I had had more time, I might have been able to hold out longer."

The burly man with a bushy beard raised his giant axe high, exuding awe-inspiring power. His tiger-like eyes were fixed on the blood puppet charging towards him. Just as the blood puppet rushed into the defensive circle, Yin Zhong shouted and took the lead in meeting it head-on.

With a single sword strike, Yin Zhong cleaved the Blood Puppet in two. Like a tiger among sheep, he was unstoppable. The Blood Puppets seemed to know that he was a formidable opponent, and whenever they encountered Yin Zhong, they would immediately self-destruct. The shockwaves forced Yin Zhong to temporarily halt his attacks, and while he was entangled in this situation, the martial artists were at a disadvantage.

Previously, the martial arts practitioners had the upper hand due to their abundant true energy and protective aura. Now, having lost both advantages and with the mutation of the blood puppet, the strength of both sides has increased while that of the other has decreased, making the outcome obvious.

Several warriors, barely able to recover their strength, were killed on the spot by the blood puppets, their flesh and blood and vital energy being completely absorbed. A disciple of the Supreme Path, enraged, attacked and killed several blood puppets, but was himself pierced through the body by one of them and fell to the ground dead.

As time passed, the battle became stalemate. Yin Zhong's side fought with increasing courage and determination, but ultimately they were outnumbered. After several hours, except for a few highly skilled individuals, most of the martial artists were killed in action, and even the disciples of the Supreme Path suffered heavy losses.

Just as the blood puppets surrounded the remaining dozen or so people, a dragon's roar suddenly came from not far away. While everyone was in shock, the blood puppets were smashed apart by a dragon-shaped aura. Their bodies were instantly torn to pieces, and even their blood aura failed to merge into the sky. They died completely and their souls were annihilated.

The dragon-shaped aura swirled and danced, pushing away all the blood puppets. Those at the front were shattered into pieces, which scattered and fell to the ground. Everyone present was shocked by this sight.

"This is Master Yin," a young man holding a sword said excitedly.

The others snapped out of their daze, their spirits lifted, and they mustered their remaining strength to charge forward again, clearing out the remaining blood puppets.

The blood puppet suffered heavy losses, and the blood clouds above rippled and rolled around. The originally dazzling blood pillar began to become unpredictable. The dragon-shaped aura stretched out its body, grabbed the blood pillar with its claws, and pulled hard, causing the blood pillar to explode and scatter in all directions.

With their source gone, the blood puppets were greatly reduced in number and posed no threat to anyone present. In just a few breaths, the blood puppets at the city gate were cleared away, with only the blood cloud above their heads still lingering.

The dragon-shaped aura soared forward, carrying clouds, and rushed towards the blood cloud. With a loud bang, a large hole was smashed in the blood cloud, and the blood yang light shone in again. Wei Feng and the other two, who were confronting the blood cloud, exchanged glances and released a series of hand seals.

Everyone saw a cluster of emerald flames suddenly appear beneath the blood cloud, continuously scorching it. Combined with the dragon-shaped aura, the blood cloud was at a disadvantage for the first time. The dragon aura tore at the blood cloud, and the emerald flames burned it to ashes. The two worked together seamlessly, and soon a large area of ​​blood cloud disappeared completely.

Seeing that the situation was not right, the blood cloud seemed to have a spirit, gathering the remaining cloud energy and quickly leaving. At the same time as the blood cloud retreated, the dragon energy fell downwards, the cloud energy dissipated, revealing Yin Zhong's figure, but he was already unconscious.

"Master," Tie Zheng hurriedly stepped forward, checked his breath, and found that he was exhausted of true energy. He immediately fed him a pill, dissolved it in it, carried it on his back, and turned to head towards his residence.

The crowd quickly made way for them, and under the escort of the guards, they soon disappeared from sight.

"Master Yin must have used forbidden techniques, otherwise he wouldn't have done this."

Upon hearing this, the burly man with a bushy beard said in a deep voice, "Gentlemen, although Blood Cloud has been repelled by Manor Lord Yin and the three Daoist priests, we cannot let our guard down."

"Brother Wen is right. We only have a few people left now. If the Blood Puppet attacks again, we will not be able to withstand it."

"Esteemed Daoists, would it be possible to set up some simple early warning formations? In case the Blood Puppet launches a sneak attack, we will be able to know quickly."

Upon hearing Sheng's words, everyone immediately agreed. Although they were not afraid of death, they did not want to be ambushed by the Blood Puppet without knowing why, as such a death would be too humiliating.

"This is simple, Master Wen. Leave it to us."

Wushangdao disciple Zheng Jin immediately took on the task. Previously, those of them who were proficient in formations had been providing assistance from the rear and had not personally engaged in combat, so they were all safe.

"Then I'll have to trouble you all, fellow Daoists. I need to go and see Master Yin."

Wen Sheng thanked him and then left. The others exchanged glances and followed him to Yin Zhong's residence. "Senior brother, let's..."

"Let's set up the formation first. There are three senior brothers, including Senior Brother Wei, with Master Yin's help, so there shouldn't be any problems."

After speaking, Zheng Jin, along with his junior brother, set up several simple small formations on the city gate. These formations had no offensive or defensive capabilities, but breaking them would definitely make a sound, serving as a warning to them.

In the secluded courtyard, after examining Yin Zhong's injuries, Wei Feng said to Tie Zheng beside him, "Master Yin's vital energy has been severely depleted. Even if he takes pills, he won't wake up for a while. However, his life is not in danger, so Captain Tie, there's no need to worry."

Upon hearing this, Tie Zheng felt relieved, as long as the manor lord was alright. However, he was still heavy-hearted. The manor lord was originally the leader of the martial arts world, and now he was unconscious. If the Blood Puppet attacked again, how would they fight back?

"Team Leader, Lord Wang and Hero Wen are here," came the voice of Tie Wei from outside the door. Tie Zheng glanced at Wei Feng, who shook his head slightly. Tie Zheng understood what was going on, walked out of the room, and looked at Wang Hao, Wen Sheng, and the others who were coming over.

"Team Leader Tie, I wonder how Master Yin is doing?" Wang Hao asked anxiously as Tie Zheng came out.

The others all looked worried, after all, Yin Zhong was the main force against the blood puppets, and they had no confidence in dealing with them if he was missing.

"Thank you for your concern, City Lord. Daoist Wei has examined the Master and found that his true energy is severely depleted and he needs time to recover. In the meantime, I can only entrust this to you all. Once the Master awakens, I will certainly inform you all."

Upon hearing Tie Zheng's words, Wang Hao and Wen Sheng both felt a chill in their hearts. The thing they feared most had happened. Although they had expected it beforehand, that Yin Zhong had used forbidden techniques to force back the Blood Cloud, it was still hard to accept when it was actually confirmed.

"If that's the case, then please take good care of Master Yin, Master Wei. Leave the rest to us."

Seeing that the city lord seemed dazed, Wen Sheng immediately replied.

Tie Zheng gave him a serious look, clasped his hands in a salute, and went back to his room.

“Lord Wang, we can’t count on Master Yin for the time being, so we must be even more careful. I have already asked Daoist Zheng to set up some warning formations, and I would also appreciate it if Lord Wang could send some men to guard them as well.”

“That’s only right,” Wang Hao replied immediately.
Just as everyone was leaving the courtyard, the city lord's trusted confidant suddenly rushed over. Upon seeing Wang Hao, he excitedly exclaimed, "City Lord, the members of the True Martial Hall have arrived!"

Wang Hao said urgently, "Take me there quickly," and then said a humble greeting to Wen Sheng before leaving with his entourage.

Zhenwu Hall

Wen Sheng's eyes lit up, and he immediately followed behind Wang Hao, ready to go and take a look.

At the inner city gate, Elder Zheng and Elder Zhao were waiting with a group of disciples. Soon they saw a man dressed as an official leading a group of people over quickly, with a smile on his face.

"Gentlemen, you have come from afar. I apologize for my neglect. Please, gentlemen..."

Wang Hao was completely unpretentious and warmly greeted Elders Zheng and Zhao. The two elders, having long been accustomed to worldly affairs, immediately adopted an arrogant demeanor. Upon seeing this, Wang Hao became even more respectful.

After giving a few instructions to the disciples behind him, Zheng and Zhao followed Wang Hao into the city. Elder Zhao glanced at Wen Sheng before looking away.

"What an astonishing aura!"

Wen Sheng felt his hair stand on end and was terrified when Elder Zhao glanced at him. In the current Nine Mountain City, only Yin Zhong could rival this man.

"Are all the people from the True Martial Hall this powerful? No wonder they could easily defeat the Blood Puppet of Lianyun Prefecture. I never knew before I saw it."

Watching the people from the Zhenwu Hall leave, he pondered for a moment and then followed them. Now that Master Yin was unconscious, the decision on how to proceed was still up to these people.

Inside the city lord's mansion, Wang Hao introduced martial arts talents to Elder Zheng and the other man, specifically mentioning Wen Sheng's name. Wen Sheng immediately stood up and clasped his hands in a salute.

"Greetings, esteemed seniors."

Elder Zheng glanced at him and said, "Your true energy is damaged, you should recuperate properly. I have a bottle of Rejuvenation Pills here, please accept them if you don't mind."

Elder Zheng took out a jade bottle from his backpack and handed it to his disciple, who then passed it on to Wen Sheng. The latter accepted the bottle and thanked him again.

"Elder Zhao, distribute those Returning to True Immortality Elixirs to all fellow cultivators."

Upon hearing this, Elder Zhao nodded and gestured to his disciples, distributing more than ten bottles of pills to everyone present, who all expressed their gratitude with proper etiquette.

Seeing this, Wang Hao said, "Two esteemed gentlemen, would you be so kind as to take a look at Master Yin?"

If we could awaken Yin Zhong, that would be ideal, as it would make dealing with the Blood Puppet much easier afterward.

"Oh, is this Master Yin of the Imperial Sword Manor?" Elder Zheng had heard Elder Gu mention him before, saying that Master Yin was no ordinary person and that it was best not to get into a conflict with him.

"Indeed, Master Yin fell into a coma after using a forbidden technique to repel the Blood Cloud, and we are all helpless."

At this point, Wang Hao's face also showed sorrow, "If anything were to happen to Master Yin, I, Wang, would have no face to live on in this world."

"Lord of the city, there is no need to be so pessimistic. Let this old man go and take a look."

Upon hearing this, Wang Hao was overjoyed and immediately led the two to Yin Zhong's residence. After explaining their purpose, Tie Zheng straightened his expression, said nothing superfluous, and respectfully bowed to Elder Zheng and the other man.

After Elder Zheng and Elder Zhao pushed open the door and entered, they saw Wei Feng healing Yin Zhong. After a moment, Wei Feng opened his eyes and was startled when he saw the two people who came in. After sensing their auras, Wei Feng immediately bowed.

"Greetings to both seniors"

"Okay, you can go out now. I need to check on Master Yin's injuries."

Upon hearing this, Wei Feng bowed again, stepped back, and closed the door.

"That young man was from the Supreme Dao Sect; he's quite accomplished despite his young age."

Elder Zhao could tell at a glance that Wei Feng's aura was no weaker than that of the elite disciples of the True Martial Hall. If it were when the Crimson Blood Demon Lord was still around, Wei Feng's cultivation would have far surpassed those disciples.

"Regardless of anything else, we just need to do what our superior instructed."

After Elder Zheng examined his pulse, he found no other symptoms besides qi and blood deficiency. He reached into the jade bottle, took out a Guiyuan Pill, and put it into his mouth to help him digest it. After a while, Elder Zheng examined his pulse again and frowned deeply.

"Strange, the pills should be effective, so why are they having no effect at all?"

"How is it?" Elder Zhao asked, his heart sinking as he looked at Elder Zheng's furrowed brow.

"It's hard to say. The pills have had no effect on him. He can only wake up on his own. It's really strange."

Elder Zheng withdrew his hand, stroked his beard, and pondered.

"Since we can't figure it out, let's be honest. Our most important task right now is to defend Jiushan City. Didn't Elder Gu send a message earlier saying that the Venerable One has emerged from seclusion and is sending people here?"

"Okay, I'll go tell Lord Wang first. You take your disciples and set up the array stones."

Elder Zhao nodded, and then the two walked out of the room. Seeing them emerge, Wang Hao anxiously asked, "Two esteemed gentlemen, may I ask where Master Yin is?"

"This old man is incompetent and cannot diagnose Master Yin's condition, but Master Yin's life is not in danger, so you can all rest assured. Also, City Lord, we need to set up a magic array at the city gate, so I came to inform you."

(End of this chapter)