A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 143 Losing troops and generals
Tianhua Prefecture, Jiushan City

Half a year passed in the blink of an eye. During this time, the Blood Puppet would attack from time to time. Although each attack was unsuccessful, Jiushan City still suffered losses.

Because the formation is mainly used to deal with the Blood Cloud, it is closed when dealing with ordinary Blood Puppets in order to accumulate formation power, requiring martial arts practitioners to personally engage in combat, during which some people died.

If it weren't for the continuous stream of heroes and warriors rushing to help from the rear, this plan alone would have been enough to wear down Jiushan City to death.

Inside the city lord's mansion, Wang Hao was talking with Elder Zheng and others.

"Elder Zheng, I entrust everything to you," Wang Hao stood up and bowed solemnly.

"Lord, there's no need for that. We've come to help, and we'll certainly do our best. The blood puppets have only recently retreated, and they shouldn't reappear anytime soon. We also need to comfort the wounded as soon as possible. That's where the Lord needs to step in."

In recent battles, the Blood Puppet faction suffered heavy defeats because the True Martial Hall and the Supreme Path sent people to help them one after another. However, dozens of people on their side were also injured, most of whom were martial arts practitioners.

"Wang realized"

Just as the two were talking, the city lord's confidant suddenly knocked on the door and said excitedly, "City lord, Master Yin has woken up."

Upon hearing this, Wang Hao's spirits lifted, and he stood up. He then looked at Elder Zheng, whose eyes lit up. Elder Zheng rose, stroked his beard, and said, "Good! With Master Yin awake, we've gained a great asset. City Lord, why don't we go see Master Yin first?"

“That’s how it should be.” Wang Hao suppressed his excitement, pushed open the door, and led Elder Zheng and the others to Yin Zhong’s villa.

At this moment, Tie Zheng was standing guard outside the door. When he saw Wang Hao and the others coming over, he immediately clasped his hands in a salute.

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

"The master of the manor has just woken up, and Master Wei is currently examining him inside."

"Hmm, Elder Zheng and I will go in and take a look. I wonder if it's convenient?"

"You flatter me, Lord City Lord. Please."
Tie Zheng knew that Elder Zheng was much more capable than Daoist Wei, and that having him check on things might put his mind at ease. So he immediately reached out and pushed open the door, inviting the two of them in, while the others were still kept outside.

Elder Zheng went into the room first and smelled a faint medicinal fragrance. Upon closer inspection, he saw Wei Feng serving a bowl of medicine to Yin Zhong. Although Yin Zhong looked normal, there was a hint of fatigue between his brows. After drinking the medicine in one gulp, Yin Zhong frowned even more.

Hearing the sound, Yin Zhong looked up and saw Wang Hao and an unfamiliar old man. At first glance, they seemed ordinary, but their auras were in no way weaker than his own.

"Senior, City Lord Wang, you've arrived!" Wei Feng hurriedly stood up and bowed upon seeing the two approaching. Elder Zheng nodded in return.

Lord Wang then asked, "Daoist Wei, is Master Yin's health seriously compromised?"

"I don't see anything wrong with it. I just prepared a medicine to strengthen the body's foundation and nourish the vital energy. Senior, please take a look."

Elder Zheng nodded upon hearing this. Wei Feng stepped aside and, seeing the puzzled look on Yin Zhong's face, explained, "Master Yin, this is Senior Zheng from the True Martial Hall. He has come to Jiushan City to provide assistance on imperial orders."

Wei Feng's brief statement clearly explained Elder Zheng's background. Yin Zhong's expression softened, and he rose slightly, saying solemnly, "So you are an expert from the True Martial Hall. I have been impolite."

"Master Yin, please don't stand on ceremony. Let me check your health."

Yin Zhong extended his wrist, and Elder Zheng took his pulse, examined him closely with his eyes closed, and soon withdrew his right hand, looking at Yin Zhong with a surprised expression.

"senior?"

Seeing Elder Zheng's surprised expression, Wei Feng felt a pang of anxiety and asked softly.

"Master Yin possesses a profound and powerful strength, an inherent righteousness that is truly extraordinary."

Upon hearing this, Elder Zheng composed himself, stroked his beard, and said, "Master Yin's internal organs are fine. He just needs to rest for a few days and take some tonics."

Hearing Elder Zheng's words, Yin Zhong felt relieved. As long as there were no hidden dangers in his body, it was fine. He knew that this was because he had overused the Dragon God Technique.

"Lord Wang, let Master Yin rest and recuperate. Let's go out."

Elder Zheng glanced at Wei Feng and nodded to him. The latter understood and stayed for the time being.

Outside the gate, Tie Zheng was overjoyed to learn that the manor lord was in good health. After Elder Zheng reminded him, Tie Zheng immediately sent people to guard the villa and prevent unauthorized people from visiting.

"Elder Zheng, what exactly is going on with Yin Zhong? You seemed a bit off just now."

Seeing that there was no one else around, Elder Zhao finally couldn't help but ask.

"It's strange, really. There's a faint dragon aura within Yin Zhong's body, which seems somewhat similar to the Dragon God Technique, a secret art passed down in the Long family."

"What?! Dragon God Technique!"

Elder Zhao was greatly surprised upon hearing this. Such superior martial arts were never taught to outsiders, and could only be granted to direct descendants of the clan. Yin Zhong was not a member of the Long clan, so how could he have cultivated the Dragon God Skill?

"There must be some mistake."

Elder Zheng pondered for a moment upon hearing this, then said uncertainly, "Perhaps I've misjudged. If I haven't, Yin Zhong has too many secrets. There's no point in saying more. As long as we know he's on our side, there's nothing to worry about."

After a pause, Elder Zheng looked at Elder Zhao and said, "The most important thing now is those blood puppets. The blood cloud has disappeared, but the blood puppets still come to harass us every few days. The formation can't be activated all the time, so we can only keep fighting them."

At this point, Elder Zheng sighed deeply. These blood puppets were relentless in their killing, which was truly a headache.

"At worst, we can just stand our ground and confront them. Even without the help of a higher power, we're not without the ability to fight back."

"I hope so. Have Elder Sun and the others given any instructions?"

Several months ago, Elder Sun and his group finally arrived and helped them defeat the Blood Puppet and eliminate a Blood General, bringing them peace for several days.

"Elder Sun is aloof and arrogant. Apart from his previous actions, he has spent the rest of his time in seclusion, seemingly researching some supernatural powers and spells."

"Hmm, perhaps Elder Gu has some unspoken concerns. If that's the case, then we must still shoulder the responsibility of guarding the area and must not be negligent."

"Don't worry, our disciples are all guarding these array nodes, so there won't be any problems."

The two talked as they walked, and soon arrived at the top of the city wall.

As the "Nine-fold True Gourd" floating in the air emitted a hazy light, and the blood mist that had been condensed on the gourd gradually dissipated, Elder Zheng nodded to himself. This magic artifact had gradually dissipated the blood evil energy that had been absorbed into the gourd through the power of the earth's veins.

"This magical artifact is truly extraordinary. I wish the Venerable One could forge a few more," Elder Zhao remarked unconsciously.

"Be careful what you say," Elder Zheng said with a dark expression. Elder Zhao realized he had spoken out of turn and immediately shut his mouth.

"This magical artifact took countless hours of effort from the Venerable One to forge; it's not as easy as you think. Moreover, ultimately, a magical artifact still needs a person to control it; otherwise, it's just an inanimate object. Elder Zhao, please don't do that again."

Elder Zhao nodded upon hearing this, "Elder Zheng is quite right; I misspoke."

"Judging from this magical artifact, it will probably only take a few days to completely eliminate the blood evil. This is much faster than simply using our true energy to dissolve it."

Previously, when they were clearing out the Blood Puppet in Lianyunzhou, they took turns using their true energy to dispel the blood evil in the gourd. Not only did it take nine days, but if they stopped, the blood evil energy would return to its original state. Therefore, whenever they cleaned up a place, it would take several months before they could take action again.

"That's true, but the power of the earth's veins also has its limits. According to my calculations, if Blood Cloud launches several more attacks like this, the power of the earth's veins can only last for a maximum of four years."

Has it really come to this?

Although Elder Zhao knew that the earth veins of Jiushan City were severely damaged, he did not expect that it would not even last ten years.

“That is the truth, Elder Zhao, please take a look.” Elder Zheng approached the array platform, and with a flick of his hand, the stone platform rippled like water, turning into mercury, with golden and red light spots shining inside, displaying the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams. Among the twelve points on the outer perimeter, several golden light spots were gradually turning red.

"It seems that when the array broke before, the array power was not properly channeled, which allowed the blood-fiend energy to corrupt the earth's veins. If it hadn't been activated and sealed off on the spot, there would have been a solution. But now, in order to set up this array, the array points have been reactivated, and this blood-fiend energy, like a malignant tumor, has begun to invade along with the spiritual energy."

Elder Zhao's expression changed slightly as he looked at the scene on the stone platform. He said in a deep voice, "Four years is the best-case scenario. If things get worse, even two years might be a pipe dream."

"What's even more serious is that even if we survive four years, all the earth vein energy within a hundred miles of Jiushan City will dissipate completely, turning it into a desolate wasteland. Without hundreds of years of recuperation, there's simply no possibility of recovery."

"Elder Zhao should understand the choice between a prefecture and a city."

Elder Zheng flicked his right palm, and the stone platform immediately returned to its original state.

"Perhaps the reason the Supreme One has hesitated to act is because that Blood God has not yet reached perfection; even if he is eliminated now, he will rise from the ashes."

Elder Zhao's eyes flickered slightly upon hearing this, and he guessed that perhaps Elder Zheng had hit the nail on the head.

Another month passed. That night, Elder Zheng, who was guarding the city wall, was suddenly struck by a thought. He looked to the west and saw a red cloud rushing towards them.

"They're here again, just like before."

Elder Zheng snapped his fingers and struck a bronze bell beside him. The bell rang three times in succession, its clear and melodious sound spreading throughout the city, heard by everyone.

"It's the alarm bell ringing, the Blood Puppet is here again." Wei Feng and the other two's expressions changed slightly. They hurriedly led the disciples of the Supreme Path to the city gate, while the elders and disciples of the True Martial Hall guarded their positions, ready to activate the array power in case of emergency.

"Where are Elder Zheng and the others?" Yin Zhong asked Tie Zheng beside him as he put on his armor, picked up his sword, and asked.

"Master, Elder Zheng and the others should be on the city wall setting up the formation. Judging from the fierce approach of these blood clouds, a fierce battle is bound to follow."

"To the city gate"

Upon hearing this, Yin Zhong immediately led his Iron Guard to the city gate. In less than half a quarter of an hour, over a thousand elite troops had gathered there. In addition to the disciples of the Supreme Path and the True Martial Hall, there were hundreds of other martial arts practitioners. With Yin Zhong added to the force, their strength was several times greater than before.

"Master Yin has arrived."

"Master Yin"

Upon seeing Yin Zhong appear, some martial arts practitioners bowed respectfully, their attitude extremely courteous. After all, they had survived because of Yin Zhong's extraordinary power, and no amount of gratitude for saving their lives was too much.

"Greetings, everyone," Yin Zhong greeted them with a smile and a fist salute. After exchanging a few pleasantries, he came to Wei Feng and the other two. Looking at the red glow in the distance, all four of them looked rather grim.

"Master Wei, this blood cloud is even stronger than before. I wonder if this formation can withstand it?" Yin Zhong was very worried. If even the experts from the True Martial Hall and the Supreme Dao were defeated, he didn't know what to do.

"Don't worry, Master Yin. The elders of the True Martial Hall are highly skilled, and with the magical artifacts bestowed by that person, dealing with these lackeys shouldn't be difficult. The only thing to worry about is whether the Blood God will secretly intervene."

The Blood God hadn't shown himself during the previous attacks, so why was he making such a big show of it this time? Who knows what kind of scheme he might have up his sleeve?

"We'll deal with whatever comes our way. If the Blood God appears, someone will handle him. However, in my opinion, the Blood God won't show himself so soon."

An aged voice rang in the ears of Yin Zhong and the other three. Yin Zhong turned around and saw an old man in coarse cloth, with white hair, a thin figure, and bright eyes. He carried a tiger-head longsword on his back, its cold light shining through the scabbard, exuding a chilling aura.

"Greetings, senior."

Wei Feng and the other two knew that this old man was one of the elders of the Zhenwu Hall, and only knew that his surname was Sun. When Yin Zhong saw this, he also clasped his hands in a salute, and Elder Sun returned the salute.

"Master Yin, I have long admired your name. It is an honor to meet you. I am Sun Liang, currently an elder of the Zhenwu Hall. Greetings."

"So it's Elder Sun of the True Martial Hall. I was mistaken. Please forgive me."

Upon hearing Elder Sun's words, Yin Zhong's eyes lit up, and he asked Elder Sun, "Elder Sun just said that the Blood God will be dealt with by someone, could it be...?"

Although he hadn't finished speaking, seeing Elder Sun's unfathomable smile, Yin Zhong felt reassured and immediately shut his mouth.

Just then, a golden light flashed above Jiushan City, and the city's protective formation was fully activated. A red cloud descended from above the city like Mount Tai pressing down. As the golden light shone, runes rose into the air, forming golden chains that plunged into the blood cloud.

The blood cloud that had been pressing down suddenly stopped moving. As everyone looked over, the chains flashed red light, and a burst of golden flames suddenly burned within the blood cloud, quickly burning open several large holes and revealing a sky full of starlight.

The martial arts practitioners were all excited at the sight, but Elder Sun and the others had solemn expressions. The Demon-Refining Golden Flame had appeared before, and the Blood Cloud faction had suffered losses from it, so they would not be unprepared.

As he pondered, he saw the blood cloud churning, and the gap that had been burned was rapidly closing up. Moreover, the power of blood evil trapped the Demon Refining Golden Flame within it, and in just a few breaths, all the golden flames were extinguished.

“This blood cloud is getting more and more powerful,” Elder Zheng said, seeing that the golden flames could not defeat the enemy. He pointed at the treasure gourd, and the gourd moved slightly. A chilling aura was transmitted from the chains into the blood cloud.

The frosty aura and the bloodthirsty power were locked in a fierce struggle, but the formation was supported by the earth's veins, its power flowing endlessly, gradually freezing the bloodthirsty power. Not only that, the frosty power continued to spread towards the edge of the blood cloud. If the blood cloud had no other means, it could seal the entire area in no time.

"Young friends, be on guard!"

Elder Sun sensed a tremendous force rising within the blood cloud. If the array's power were to become entangled here, the city gate's defenses would be at their weakest, and those blood puppets would certainly not let this opportunity pass.

Wei Feng and his two companions each held a weapon in their hands, while Yin Zhong gave an order to everyone present and kept his eyes fixed on the outside of the city gate.

The blood-red clouds in the sky were being eroded by the power of frost, and just as they were about to be frozen, a sudden explosion occurred. The blood-red clouds exploded, the chains were torn apart, and the power of bloodlust scattered everywhere. With a gust of wind, they transformed into blood puppets, which swooped down under the command of the Blood General. Blades of light slashed at the golden light shield, creating ripples.

"Now that the blood cloud has dissipated, there's no need to maintain the formation's power. Everyone, let's move in."

Yin Zhong shouted and led the Iron Guard into battle. The rest of the men followed behind him and charged toward the Blood Puppet.

Just as Yin Zhong and the others were about to engage in battle, the golden light shield suddenly retracted, and all the blood puppets in the sky were knocked down by the force of the array. A few unlucky ones were dealt with on the spot by the disciples of the True Martial Hall.

Elder Sun ignored the henchmen, his eyes fixed on a Blood General. In a flash, his long sword was drawn from its sheath, a flash of cold light, and a bright sword light struck the Blood General.

Caught off guard, Xue Jiang's blood aura trembled and thinned, clearly indicating that the attack had severely injured it. Seeing that the opportunity was too good to pass up, Elder Sun charged forward aggressively, giving his opponent no chance to catch his breath.

The other two Blood Generals were entangled by Yin Zhong and Elder Zhao, and they also gained the upper hand. If it weren't for the fact that Blood Generals are difficult to kill, they would have been killed long ago.

Without the Blood General's command, the Blood Puppets were like headless flies, their formation scattered. Against the well-trained sect disciples and martial arts elites, they were quickly routed.

Yin Zhong was incredibly powerful. With a single sword strike, the blood general's head was severed from his body in the blink of an eye. However, because his blood was still alive, his head was trying to return to its original position, but Yin Zhong pierced it with his sword and pinned it firmly to the ground. With a surge of true energy, he shattered it into pieces. Half of his body was also burned by the talisman fire and turned to ashes in an instant.

After eliminating his opponent, Yin Zhong scanned his surroundings, spotted a target, and moved swiftly and nimbly. With each strike, a blood puppet was killed.

The blood puppet fighting Elder Sun was extremely frustrated. So far, it had been in Elder Sun's rhythm, with one set of sword techniques being used and another seamlessly following. Every time it pierced Elder Sun's body, it would weaken him a bit.

"呲"

Another flash of sword light appeared, and Xue Jiang's right arm was severed. Before it could be picked up, it was suppressed by a talisman and vanished in a short while.

After Elder Sun threw out the Annihilation Talisman, his longsword immediately left his hand, swirling and hovering in the air. The dazzling sword light spread like rain, and the invisible sword energy passed through the Blood General's body. The Blood General struggled desperately, but he was still no match for the supernatural power. In less than half a moment, he was shot into a cloud of blood mist, which was then swept away by the sword energy and completely wiped out.

Just as Elder Sun was dealing with the Blood General, Elder Zhao chopped off the Blood General's head with his beast-headed golden sword. A purple flame spontaneously appeared at the cut, burning from the outside in. In less than half a breath, it had already vanished into thin air. Elder Zhao, who was standing to the side, was also frightened.

He was overjoyed. So this beast-headed golden knife had such a function. He had thought it was not as good as the "Nine-Turning True Gourd", but now it seemed that he had misjudged it.

With Blood General dead, the Blood Puppets were no match for him. With everyone working together, the Blood Puppets were rendered powerless after half an hour. Just as Yin Zhong eliminated the last Blood Puppets, a pair of enormous blood-red eyes suddenly appeared in the sky.

(End of this chapter)