A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 167: Regeneration of Twists and Turns
Yin Jun returned to his seat and remained silent. The previous lord of the manor, Yin Kai, was his father. He was a charming and romantic man with many female confidantes in the martial arts world, including Yue Tang from Tianqin Mountain.

However, her father only intended to amuse Le Tang, but Le Tang fell in love with him and insisted on marrying no one but Yin Kai. However, her father already had a marriage agreement with the eldest daughter of the Meng family.

The Yin and Meng families have been on good terms for generations. This marriage was arranged by the previous generation. Moreover, the mother is not only beautiful but also of outstanding character. Even the father, who has extremely discerning eyes, could not find a single fault with her.

The couple lived a harmonious and fulfilling life after their marriage. However, three years after her father's marriage, Na Letang suddenly came to visit, causing a commotion. Later, she shocked her mother so much that she almost couldn't give birth to her. She then damaged her health and could no longer have children. She passed away in less than five years.

Although Yue Tang was severely injured by her father's palm strike, she was taken away by a master from Tianqin Mountain. Although she was given extremely generous compensation, the feud between the two families was thus established.

He learned all of this from the older generation after he grew up, and afterwards he had no good feelings towards Tianqin Mountain at all.

Yin Hao was furious as he listened to the elder's words. His father had told him before his death that if the interests of Yujian Manor could be harmed, Tianqin Mountain should be given some leeway. He had not said anything more.

Yin Hao knew that his father had always felt guilty about his mother's death. Although the Meng family didn't say much, they still felt uneasy. Later, the Meng family let the matter drop for the sake of him and his second brother.

"Third Uncle, I will send a letter to Tianqin Mountain to inquire. It would be best if we could get an explanation. If not, we should first wipe out the sects under Tianqin Mountain."

Although Yin Hao's tone was calm, his words were ruthless. It seemed that Tianqin Mountain had crossed the line for Yujian Manor this time.

Upon hearing this, the three elders immediately agreed and then ordered that Old Monster Qiu be taken away and imprisoned.

Seeing that Yin Hao had no further instructions, the elders took their leave. With such an event tonight, preparations would be necessary tomorrow, so there was no need for the manor lord to worry about it.

After watching the clan elder leave, Yin Jun pondered for a moment and then recounted what had just happened.

"Second brother, are you saying that there are two people dressed in white who have appeared here, and their martial arts style is very different from that of many other sects?"

Yin Hao's heart sank. Too many things had happened tonight, but they were still within his expectations. What he wondered was why there had been no prior news about the two people who came later.

"In my opinion, these two don't seem to be on the same side as the people of Tianqin Mountain. Otherwise, if they had made a move, we wouldn't have won so easily."

“What you said, Second Brother, is not impossible. However, at this critical time, any change could lead to unpredictable consequences. Although Imperial Sword Manor is not afraid, it cannot remain passive indefinitely. Pass on my order to have all spies thoroughly investigate and find these two people.”

Yin Hao reached out and took out a jade pendant, which he handed to Yin Jun, who accepted it solemnly.

"Yes, I'll go right away."

Upon hearing this, Yin Jun immediately stood up, clasped his hands in a salute to Yin Hao, and then walked out of the main hall.

Inside the main hall, only Yin Hao remained, resting with his eyes closed. Suddenly, Yin Hao opened his eyes and said to the outside of the hall, "Distinguished guest, you have come from afar. Why don't you come inside for a chat!"

As he spoke, Yin Hao moved swiftly, his palm ready to strike, and he unleashed a powerful blow at an ancient tree outside the hall. The fierce palm wind stirred up a cloud of dust, and the elegantly dressed man hiding behind the tree quickly dodged. With a crisp sound, the ancient tree snapped and the tree shattered. Yin Hao was able to see the man's appearance clearly from the shattered pieces.

The newcomer was tall and handsome, with bright eyes and an extraordinary demeanor. Moreover, his aura was no weaker than his own, and he did not seem like a criminal. Yin Hao immediately slowed down his attack.

"What brings you here so late at night?"

Upon hearing this, Long Bo immediately clasped his hands in a salute and said apologetically, "I am Long Bo. It was truly inappropriate of me to sneak into your manor so late at night. Please forgive me, Master Yin."

When Yin Hao heard Long Bo introduce himself, a glint flashed in his eyes, and he said in a deep voice, "Who is Long Ze to you?"

"It's my father."

Hearing this, Yin Hao felt relieved. No wonder this person had such cultivation at such a young age. It turned out he was from the Long family. This was not surprising, after all, the Long family had always been the most mysterious force in the martial arts world. Even the Imperial Sword Manor had to give them some respect.

"So you're a member of the Long family. Come in and let's talk." Yin Hao glanced at him, waved for the guards to leave, and turned to enter the main hall.

Hearing Yin Hao's softened tone, Long Bo knew that the other party was giving face to the Long family. Without further hesitation, he followed him into the main hall and then said, "Master Yin, I have come for my two brothers. They have come to borrow your manor's Blood Ruyi."

"Blood Ruyi? Two brothers? Could they be two young men dressed in white?"

Upon hearing this, Yin Hao immediately recalled the two people Yin Jun had mentioned earlier.

"Indeed, it is the two young men dressed in white. Does Master Yin know where they went?"

Based on Yin Hao's words, Long Bo deduced that the two must have been discovered and failed, which is why they fled. However, he might be able to find out the direction they went from Yin Hao.

"I don't know where the two of them went, but you just mentioned borrowing the Blood Ruyi. What's that all about?"

This Blood Jade Scepter is a treasure of the Imperial Sword Manor and has never been lent out. The other party's claim of borrowing it is no different from robbery. This matter must be clarified. Moreover, Tianqin Mountain also harbors ill intentions towards the Imperial Sword Manor. Who knows if there is another conspiracy involved?

Long Bo pondered for a moment, then smiled bitterly and said, "Master Yin, this matter involves privacy, so please forgive me for not being able to tell you the truth. However, I can guarantee that it will not be detrimental to your manor. I only need to find the two brothers."

Hearing Long Bo's words, Yin Hao still had some doubts, but the Long family never got involved in martial arts disputes, and they had no conflict of interest with the Imperial Sword Manor. Looking at Long Bo's attire and the long sword hanging at his waist, if he wasn't mistaken, it should be the Heavenly Dragon Sword worn by the young master.

Thinking of this, Yin Hao's mind raced, and he immediately said loudly, "I certainly believe the guarantee of the Long family disciples. If that's the case, I would like to ask my nephew to find your two brothers and not make too much of a commotion. There are many things going on at the manor lately, so I will not keep my nephew any longer."

Upon hearing this, Long Bo immediately stood up, clasped his hands in a salute, and said, "I apologize for disturbing you, Master Yin. I will take my leave now."

Long Bo understood the meaning behind Yin Hao's words. If he couldn't find Tong Zhan and the other person as soon as possible, and they did something to betray Yujian Manor, the Long family might not be able to protect them.

After personally seeing Long Bo off, Yin Hao returned to the main hall, pressed a mechanism on the wall, and took out an exquisite wooden box about half an arm's length long. Upon opening it, he found a blood-red ruyi scepter that shone with crimson light. As soon as it was opened, the entire main hall was bathed in a crimson glow.

"The Blood Ruyi is a peerless treasure. The people of Tianqin Mountain are attracted by its ability to prolong life, which is why they are willing to pay any price to attack it. It seems that Yue Tang has also learned a lot about the wonders of this item from her father."

With a wave of his hand, the light of the Blood Ruyi immediately subsided. After closing the wooden box, Yin Hao took it to Yin Tianqi's room.

After leaving the Imperial Sword Manor, Long Bo took out the Fire Crystal Stone and activated it with his true energy. A beam of light emanated from it, then converged into a line, pointing in a direction. Long Bo looked delighted and followed the light.

As they drew closer, the fire crystal became brighter and brighter. Long Bo knew that Tong Zhan and the other person were not far away. Just then, a fighting sound suddenly rang out in front of them, and the faint sound of a zither could be heard, but the melody was very strange.

Long Bo paused, his expression turned serious, and then he concealed his aura, his figure shifting rapidly as he approached the location of the two sides engaged in battle.

Longbo stood on a large tree, focusing his energy on the fight below.

Tong Zhan and Tong Xin were fighting against four people, while a woman played the guqin behind them, sending waves of sound towards them.

Although the four men were first-rate martial artists, they were no match for Tong Zhan and his companion. However, the two men strictly adhered to the clan rules and could not kill anyone, so they could only unleash less than 70% of their strength. On the other hand, the opponents showed no mercy and every move was deadly.

With the addition of the veiled woman playing the guqin beside them, in a short time, Tong Zhan and his companion were in grave danger, their white clothes stained with blood and their faces covered in sweat.

Tong Zhan forced back the man in green with a sword with a single palm strike, but the blue-clad swordsman behind him had already sliced ​​through his clothes, leaving a trail of blood. Tong Xin was in a slightly better situation; if his elder brother hadn't forbidden him from killing, the two men attacking him would have been dead countless times by now.

Seeing the blue-clad swordsman harm his elder brother, Tong Xin was immediately enraged. Ignoring Tong Zhan's previous instructions, he roared and his aura changed. A violent force different from before caused the green-clad and yellow-clad middle-aged men who were besieging him to suffer from turbulent blood and qi. They retreated repeatedly, only managing to calm their inner qi after being three zhang away from each other.

The two exchanged a glance, both shocked, and even the woman playing the zither nearby gasped in surprise.

Tong Xin moved in an instant. Before the blue-clad swordsman could react, a hand appeared at his throat. His pupils contracted sharply, and he opened his mouth to speak, but with a snap, his neck was broken on the spot.

Tossing aside the man in blue, Tong Xin's bloodshot eyes were fixed on the other man in green. The latter, witnessing Tong Xin's incredible power and the instant death of his comrade, was terrified; his hand gripping his sword trembled uncontrollably. "Tong Xin!"

Seeing this, Tong Zhan knew that his younger brother must have been possessed by a demon, so he immediately shouted to try to wake him up. But his shout made the woman playing the zither's eyes flash.

"Do it!"

Upon hearing the order, the remaining three gritted their teeth and charged forward. Seeing this, Tong Xin was even more furious. The three longswords worked together to weave an impenetrable sword net, but Tong Xin treated it as nothing. With a single palm strike, the three swords broke on the spot. Just as he was about to kill the three, Tong Zhan hurriedly came over, grabbed Tong Xin's hand, and tried to leave.

"Tongxin, come with your big brother!"

Now that our side has the upper hand in the battle, killing three people is a minor matter; the matter of Tong Xin going mad is a major one. I absolutely cannot let my younger brother go berserk.

And it was during this delay that the melody changed, and a drowsy voice entered Tong Xin's ears. Upon hearing the voice, Tong Zhan knew something was wrong. His eyes turned cold as he looked at the veiled woman, and the hand that had been holding Tong Xin was pulled away.

"childlike innocence!"

Tong Zhan was about to step forward when the three men attacked again. This time, Tong Zhan didn't hold back. In just three moves, the three men fell to the ground unconscious. He suddenly leaped forward and pounced on the woman playing the zither. The woman smiled slyly behind her veil and waved her hand. An invisible sound wave rushed towards Tong Zhan, trying to slow him down for half a breath.

"I didn't expect this kid to be such good material for becoming a demon. He'll be perfect as a puppet."

Just as the woman was about to manipulate the child's mind, a sudden palm strike swept in, first breaking the zither, then injuring the woman. As soon as the music stopped, the child, who had been in a daze, immediately regained his clarity.

Seeing that things were going badly, the woman endured her pain and threw out a series of hidden weapons. Then, her figure lightly floated away and fled into the depths of the dense forest.

Long Bo had no intention of chasing after the person. He came to Tong Xin's side, placed one palm against his back, and released his palm force. After a while, Tong Xin's scarlet eyes slowly returned to normal, and his body went limp and he fell into Long Bo's arms.

"Brother Long, what brings you here?"

Tong Zhan exclaimed in surprise. Seeing Tong Xin's appearance, he knew she was alright and was relieved.

"This isn't the place to talk. Let's find somewhere to stay."

Longbo didn't answer, picked up Tongxin, and headed towards the town.

When Long Bo knocked on the inn's door late at night, the innkeeper was quite annoyed. However, after Long Bo tossed down three taels of silver, he immediately beamed with joy and hurriedly prepared two guest rooms for them.

Inside the guest room, after checking Tong Xin's pulse, Tong Zhan said to Long Bo, "Tong Xin is fine, but his internal energy is a little disordered. He'll be fine after a day or two of rest. But Brother Long, what brings you here?"

"I'm here to find you! How dare you come and steal the Blood Jade Scepter from the Imperial Sword Manor! Do you know how formidable the Imperial Sword Manor is? What will your father and elders do if something goes wrong with you?" Long Bo pulled Tong Zhan outside and said with a solemn expression.

"The Blood Jade Scepter has the effect of prolonging life. We are not stealing it, but merely borrowing it. Besides, I am not borrowing it for nothing. Here, this is the extremely precious Fire Dragon Mushroom of Water Moon Cave. This thing is of great benefit to those martial arts practitioners. Even the Imperial Sword Manor has never seen it."

Tong Zhan came to Yujian Manor not unprepared. In addition to the Fire Dragon Mushroom, he had several other treasures, all of which were rare and precious materials, enough to cause a catastrophe in the martial arts world.

"It's not a question of whether to lend it or not, but whether they are willing to lend it. The Blood Jade is their family heirloom, how can they lend it out so easily? Besides, the Imperial Sword Manor is going through a lot of trouble right now. You don't know anything and you just rush in headfirst. There's no guarantee that others won't treat you as an accomplice."

Tong Zhan's eyes lit up upon hearing this. "So those people are the enemies of the Imperial Sword Manor. Isn't that even better? As long as I help them repel the enemy, then we can borrow them, right?"

Long Bo flew into a rage. "You're taking advantage of someone's kindness. Helping others with ulterior motives is despicable. Tong Zhan, pretend I didn't hear that. But if I hear anything like that again, don't blame me for teaching you a lesson!"

The stern reprimand terrified Tong Zhan. He had never seen Brother Long like this before; it was too frightening.

"Let's leave this matter for later. Your father doesn't have much time left, so don't trouble him any further. You're not young anymore, it's time for you to take on responsibilities. As for the matter of the Blood Ruyi, just give up on it. After resting for a day or two, you and Tongxin can go back to Shuiyue Cave."

Seeing Tong Zhan's somewhat awkward expression, Long Bo pondered for a moment, then reached into his pocket and took out an exquisite jade bead that emitted a soft white light.

"Brother, what is this?"

Tong Zhan originally thought that there were already many treasures in Shuiyue Cave, but the thing that appeared now was something he had never seen before, and he felt a warm feeling, which made him feel very comfortable.

"This was given to me by my father. He said it was passed down from our ancestors and has the effect of calming the soul, purifying the mind, and cleansing away worldly dust. Take this back and place it with the clan leader. It should prolong his life for a while."

Long Bo reluctantly handed the item to Tong Zhan, who then came to his senses and immediately shook his head, pushing Long Bo away with both hands.

"Brother, this is too valuable, I cannot accept it."

Tong Zhan knew from Long Bo's words that it was an heirloom that this item was extraordinary and must be a treasure, something he could not possibly accept.

"This is just a temporary loan, not a gift. The clan leader is still waiting for you in the Water Moon Cave. Go back quickly. Give me the Fire Dragon Mushroom, and leave the Blood Ruyi to me for now. Whether it succeeds or not is up to fate."

Upon hearing this, Tong Zhan felt very uncomfortable. He had thought that borrowing the Blood Ruyi would be a simple matter, but he did not expect it to be so complicated. After glancing at Long Bo, Tong Zhan handed the Fire Dragon Mushroom and the four treasures to Long Bo.

Long Bo put the things away and placed the jade bead in Tong Zhan's palm. He then said, "Take good care of Tong Xin. You keep this fire crystal. When Tong Xin wakes up, use your true energy to activate it. The elders will know, and then you can go back. Stay in the inn for now and remember not to wander around. This is not a place for you."

Tong Zhan took the fire crystal and looked up, saying, "Big brother, I'm sorry."

Long Bo was taken aback upon hearing this, then laughed and said, "Between brothers, there's no need to say such things. Just get some rest."

After saying that, he turned around and went back to Tongxin's room. The next day, Tong Zhan found that Long Bo had already left. For some reason, he felt a little uneasy. Looking at Tongxin who was still sleeping, Tong Zhan gave up the idea of ​​going out.

Meanwhile, at the Imperial Sword Manor, although a bloody battle took place last night, it did not affect today's succession ceremony in the slightest.

"Judging from the demeanor of the Imperial Sword Manor, they must have been provoked by yesterday. Do you see the two old men sitting on either side of Manor Master Yin? These two were once very famous. With their twin swords, they took down eighteen evil sects. Even Lin Guhan, who was once considered the number one evil sect, was defeated by them."

"so smart!"

The middle-aged man was shocked. He didn't know these two people because they weren't famous, but Lin Guhan was very famous back then. He almost merged with the evil sects and fought against the entire righteous sects on his own. If he hadn't threatened the interests of the Imperial Sword Manor, he might have occupied half of the martial arts world by now.

"Not only these two, but look at the Iron Guards patrolling around. They are all elites among elites, especially the leaders. They are top-notch experts in the martial arts world. The Imperial Sword Manor is known as the number one sect in the martial arts world. It is indeed not just a name. This foundation is probably only the tip of the iceberg. It is truly enviable."

Leaving aside the people whispering below, the other sect members who had attended the ceremony but hadn't helped the previous night were even more shocked by what they saw. They had thought that although their sect was somewhat inferior to the Imperial Sword Manor, the difference shouldn't be too great, but now it seemed they were completely wrong.

"Yin Mang with the Splitting Light Sword, Yin Rui with the Separating and Joining Sword, Yin Zheng with the Sky-Supporting Palm, and Tie Yun, the former leader of the Iron Guard. It seems that Master Gong was not making a mountain out of a molehill. These people are worth our investment."

The purple-robed elder carefully concealed himself. It was rumored that these four people were dead, but he didn't expect them to still be alive. It seemed that the Imperial Sword Manor really did have a way to prolong life. As long as he helped Tianqin Mountain obtain the Blood Ruyi, he could take the opportunity to obtain the secret to longevity.

In the newly rebuilt pavilion, after exchanging a few pleasantries, Yin Hao took out the Blood Ruyi and passed it to Yin Tianqi. From this moment on, Yin Tianqi became the seventeenth generation master of the Imperial Sword Manor.

Yin Tianqi held the Blood Ruyi aloft. Under the bright sunlight, the object shone brilliantly, dazzling the eyes. Just then, a thin thread suddenly wrapped around the Blood Ruyi, attempting to snatch it away. However, Yin Tianqi was prepared. With a surge of true energy, the Blood Ruyi shone brightly, instantly severing the silkworm thread.

When the thin line appeared, Yin Hao and the others had already scanned the surroundings and quickly identified their enemy.

Just as they were about to make their move, a strange zither melody suddenly came from afar, growing louder as it approached. The eerie sound was like a ghostly chant, filled with a chilling aura, as if the hellish realm was reflecting back on earth. The evil energy was overflowing, causing everyone's internal energy to surge and making them extremely uncomfortable. Everyone present quickly sat cross-legged and circulated their energy to resist, but those with weaker skills had already collapsed and fainted, and even those with higher skills could not offer any assistance.

"The Heavenly Evil Harp!"

(End of this chapter)