A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 172 Fire Crow Master
Elder Gong had thought Yin Jun would listen, but to her surprise, the latter didn't care to listen to her nonsense at all. He glanced at her coldly, slowly raised his long sword, and looked at his terrified face reflected on the blade. Elder Gong felt a chill on her neck and then fell to the ground.

A moment later, all the disciples of Tianqin Mountain were either captured or killed.

"Second Uncle, I learned from a disciple that all the elite disciples of Tianqin Mountain have disappeared. It seems that Liu Xuanwei sent them away. Moreover, there is a Taoist priest here as a guest. Presumably, this person is Liu Xuanwei's helper."

Yin Tianqi briefly recounted the information he had gathered. Yin Jun nodded upon hearing this, his gaze drifting towards the distant pavilion. For some reason, he felt uneasy.

Just then, a loud bang was heard, and the exquisite pavilion was instantly shattered. Flying shards of stone and wood shot in all directions, many of them heading towards Yin Jun.

Upon seeing this, Yin Jun immediately stepped forward, using all his strength to create an invisible shield that blocked out all the external forces. The Iron Guards also formed a battle formation to withstand the wave of energy.

After a dozen or so breaths, feeling that the air currents and dust outside had subsided, Yin Jun removed his protective shield and swept away the dust in front of him with a wave of his sleeve. He saw a huge crater in front of him, and above the crater, a figure was standing in mid-air.

Seemingly noticing Yin Jun's gaze, the figure turned around, revealing its true face.

When Yin Jun saw the person's true face, his pupils contracted slightly. This person was actually Liu Xuanwei, but her aura was very strange, like pure pool water stained with dust. Although she was incredibly powerful, she couldn't distinguish between purity and turbidity, and she was not a righteous person.

"Father, how did Liu Xuanwei end up like this?"

Yin Tianhe looked ahead with complicated eyes. Liu Xuanwei's originally flawless face was now covered with flame-shaped marks, and her black hair had turned white, making her look very strange, like a demoness.

“Liu Xuanwei must have cultivated the Bloodthirsty Demon Art, otherwise she wouldn’t have turned out like this. Moreover, it seems that she has cultivated this demon art quite smoothly. Back then, Daoist Huoyang had this kind of fire cloud pattern on his face.”

Yin Jun looked grave. Only Liu Xuanwei was there; the mysterious Taoist priest was nowhere to be found. The disappearance of such a variable was not a good thing for him.

"Second uncle, look."

Yin Tianqi's expression suddenly changed, and he pointed to where Liu Xuanwei was. Yin Jun looked closely and saw that thin lines of blood were constantly emerging from the pit in the ruins, converging towards Liu Xuanwei's body, as if a huge blood cocoon was enveloping her.

"Bloodthirsty Demon Art, Tianqi, Tianhe, you two wait here, don't go forward."

After giving instructions, Yin Jun immediately leaped into the air and quickly arrived at a distance of about ten feet from Liu Xuanwei. Without slowing down, he unleashed a white sword light towards the blood cocoon. Liu Xuanwei, who was inside the blood cocoon, had bloodshot eyes and suddenly burst out with aura. She forcibly absorbed the blood energy into her body.

Seeing the incoming sword light, Liu Xuanwei's eyes showed disdain. She reached out and grabbed it, and a blood claw directly gripped the sword light. With a forceful pull, the sword light shattered into points of light.

Seeing that Liu Xuanwei had broken his killing move so easily, Yin Jun's heart sank. The martial arts that Liu Xuanwei had just used had no trace of Tianqin Mountain, which made him very suspicious that Liu Xuanwei was already dead and that the person standing in front of him was just a puppet.

"I've heard that Daoist Huoyang's lineage possesses the art of blood puppets. May I ask what your relationship is with Daoist Huoyang?"

Yin Jun stood on a rock, his gaze fixed on Liu Xuanwei opposite him. Although he was speaking to Liu Xuanwei, he was actually addressing the person behind her.

"Yin Jun, you killed my disciples and elders, and destroyed my sect. Tianqin Mountain will never let you get away with this! Die!"

Liu Xuanwei's white hair fluttered, the fiery cloud pattern on her face suddenly lit up, and her figure moved with lightning speed, her five fingers forming a claw as she grabbed at Yin Jun's chest.

"Humph!

In the midst of the dodge, he slashed upwards with his longsword, aiming for Liu Xuanwei. Then, before Liu Xuanwei could react, he turned and swung his sword back, unleashing seven invisible sword energies that flew towards seven vital acupoints on Liu Xuanwei's body.

Yin Jun used the "Seven Stars Falling Shadows" technique to seal the meridians through which Liu Xuanwei circulates her true energy. If successful, it would render her powerless and prevent her from being controlled by others.

Seven invisible sword energies enveloped Liu Xuanwei from all directions. Upon seeing this, a red light flashed in her eyes, and she stretched out her ten fingers and quickly flicked them. One after another, invisible sound blades met the sword energies. In less than half a breath, the sword energies were submerged by the sound blades.

"The Seven Deadly Melodies of the Qin"

Yin Jun's eyes turned cold. He never expected that Liu Xuanwei, who was being manipulated, could actually cultivate to the final level of the Seven Fiends Zither Music. It was truly ironic. When she was alive, she had spent so much effort but failed to master it. Now that she was dead, she had unexpectedly mastered it. It was truly a cruel twist of fate.

"If you had the Heavenly Evil Zither in your hand, I might have been wary of you when you played the Seven Fiends Zither Melody. But now that you have lost the Heavenly Evil Zither, how can you fight me?"

Yin Jun's figure instantly split into seven phantoms, each wielding a long sword, and simultaneously used "Seven Stars Falling Shadows" from all directions. Sword energy crisscrossed in mid-air, flying back and forth. Although Liu Xuanwei tried her best to resist, she was outnumbered and soon her body was covered with wounds of all sizes, and her aura weakened instantly.

Just as Yin Jun was about to defeat his enemy in one move, Liu Xuanwei suddenly rushed towards Yin Tianqi and the others, carrying her heavily injured body.

Upon seeing this, Yin Jun's expression changed drastically, and he suddenly increased his speed, shouting to Yin Tianqi and the others, "Tianqi, Tianhe, get out of the way!"

Yin Tianqi and his companion looked at Liu Xuanwei who was getting closer and closer, their expressions solemn. Just as they were about to retreat after hearing Yin Jun's words, Yin Tianqi suddenly dodged. A string of a zither flew from a distance. Seeing that it had failed to kill Yin Tianqi, it quickly left. In that short delay, Liu Xuanwei was already within arm's reach.

"You little beasts, if I kill you, won't that old bastard Yin Hao suffer terribly!"

Looking at Yin Tianqi in front of her, Liu Xuanwei felt a surge of pleasure. She grinned maliciously, turned her hands into claws, and pounced on Yin Tianqi and Yin Tianhe.

Just then, the Iron Guards formed a battle formation, surrounding Yin Tianqi and his companion. When Liu Xuanwei's claws touched the formation, she felt a surge of immense power, causing her to falter.

In that instant, Yin Jun was able to kill her. Caught off guard, Liu Xuanwei's pupils shrank in shock. She looked down at her chest and saw a sharp blade piercing through it. Just as she tried to grab the blade, a white light flashed, and Liu Xuanwei's body was instantly torn to pieces, scattering into a rain of blood.

"Tianqi and Tianhe, are you alright?"

"Second Uncle, I'm fine."

"Father, someone attacked Tianqi just now. Judging from the technique, it should be Yuzheng from Tianqin Mountain."

Yin Tianhe still feels a chill when he thinks about it now. If Tianqi hadn't reacted quickly, he would have been seriously injured, if not killed.

"This person is not a concern; the important one is that mysterious Taoist priest."

Yin Jun stared intently at one spot, then launched several hidden weapons. With a few crisp sounds, a figure appeared there, none other than the Fire Crow Master. His aura was elusive, like a cloud drifting in the wind, making him difficult to detect. If Yin Jun hadn't noticed something amiss and tested him, he might not have been able to find this person.

"Second Master Yin is indeed skilled, even able to kill a master like Liu Xuanwei. I admire you. However, in this way, Tianqin Mountain has broken ties with Yujian Manor. I wonder how your manor will deal with those disciples who escaped?"

The malicious words of Master Huoya made Yin Tianqi and the others look solemn. Although they did not take those elite disciples seriously, the various forces of Yujian Manor might not be able to defend against them. In that case, they would suffer more losses in the end.

"I am grateful for your kind invitation. May I ask your name?"

Yin Jun spoke calmly, and his composed expression made Master Huoya frown. He then sneered, thinking that the other party was just pretending to be calm. Upon hearing Yin Jun's words, Master Huoya waved his whisk and said loudly, "I am Huoya, a direct descendant of Ancestor Huoyang. Master Yin, speaking of which, our ancestors have a history."

"There's no real connection, but we do have quite a few grudges. Since you are a disciple of Daoist Huoyang, there's nothing more to say. The trouble caused by Tianqin Mountain earlier must have been your idea."

Upon hearing this, Venerable Fire Crow nodded and readily admitted, "Indeed, it is I. It is a pity that the bunch of good-for-nothings from Tianqin Mountain ultimately failed to accomplish anything and wasted my spiritual pills."

At this point, Venerable Fire Crow smiled and said, "Second Master Yin, how about we make a deal? If your manor can lend the Blood Ruyi temporarily, I will not take action against these juniors. What do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Yin Jun's expression changed drastically. Yin Tianqi and the others were even more horrified to discover that the place where they were standing had instantly turned into a bloody wasteland with strange patterns. Just as they were about to leave, they found their bodies went limp and they collapsed to the ground, as if their true energy had been drained away.

"Blood Spirit Array!"

Seeing this, Yin Jun pointed his long sword at Huoya Shangren, his face frosty and his eyes sharp.

"Second Master Yin has a good eye. It is indeed the Blood Spirit Array. As long as Second Master Yin lends the Blood Ruyi temporarily, I guarantee that Young Master Yin and the others will be safe and sound. Otherwise, if there is a delay of even one day, I will absorb the flesh and blood of one person to practice my skills. What do you think, Second Master Yin? Will you make this deal or not?"

Yin Jun inwardly blamed himself for not noticing that the other party had secretly set up such an evil formation. This Blood Spirit Formation was extremely vicious. Once trapped by this formation, unless one broke through with absolute strength, one would be trapped inside, with one's life and death entirely in the hands of the master, and the death would be extremely tragic.

Back then, Daoist Huoyang used the Blood Devouring Demon Art and the Blood Spirit Array to commit all sorts of evil deeds, killing dozens of sects. He was notorious for his wickedness. Yin Jun was not confident that he could prevent Daoist Huoya from killing everyone in the array before eliminating him.

Yin Jun hesitated, looking at the other party's cunning expression. After struggling for a moment, he sheathed his long sword and said in a deep voice, "The Blood Ruyi is the manor's most precious treasure. It is not something I can decide. Daoist, you need to give me some time."

"A month is enough time for Second Master Yin to travel back and forth. If it exceeds this period, I cannot guarantee the life or death of those in the formation. I urge Second Master Yin and Master Yin to make a decision as soon as possible."

Master Huoya wasn't afraid of any tricks Yin Hao and Yin Jun might play. As long as Yin Tianqi and Yin Tianhe were in his hands, the initiative was in his own hands.

Yin Jun glanced at Yin Tianqi and the others who were unconscious in the formation, and said in a deep voice, "Then it's settled. However, if I find that you break your promise, don't blame us for destroying you all!"

"Don't worry, Second Master Yin, I have that much integrity. During this time, I guarantee that I won't harm a single hair on the head of the young master or young master Tianhe." Yin Jun gave him a deep look, then turned and left.

After Yin Jun left, Master Huoya breathed a sigh of relief. Maintaining the formation while dealing with Yin Jun had taken a toll on his energy. Looking at the superior blood food in the formation, Master Huoya suppressed his desires.

"These people still have great uses, and we cannot be shortsighted. If I can get the help of Xue Ruyi, my Blood Devouring Divine Skill will reach a higher level, and then restoring the reputation of my sect will be a piece of cake."

"That fool Liu Xuanwei thought she had a backup plan in the forbidden area, but little did she know that I had already seen through it. It is thanks to a superior puppet like you that I was able to buy time and set up the Blood Spirit Array."

"Since Your Excellency's wishes have come true, shouldn't you also fulfill your promise to me?"

Just as Venerable Fire Crow was deep in thought, a gentle voice entered his ears.

"Elder Yu, I underestimated you. The least famous elder of Tianqin Mountain is actually the number one expert of Tianqin Mountain. I suppose Liu Xuanwei and the others were also part of your scheme?"

When Master Huoya saw Yu Zheng appear with her ordinary face, he felt a little appreciation for her.

Upon hearing this, Yu Zheng said calmly, "If it weren't for the Venerable's intention and the Mountain Lord's willingness, no matter how much I planned, I would not have succeeded. In the end, it was all due to selfish desires. Now that the Venerable is about to achieve success, shouldn't he pass on the Bloodthirsty Divine Art to me?"

"Take it."

Without hesitation, Master Huoya tossed the secret manual that he had originally given to Liu Xuanwei to Yu Zheng. The latter hurriedly and carefully caught it with her true energy, glanced at it a few times, and then smiled and said, "Master, until we meet again."

With that, he quickly left and headed out of Tianqin Mountain.

"Heh, if you hadn't cultivated the Bloodthirsty Divine Art, I might not have been able to subdue you so easily. But once you cultivate this art, you'll be a lamb to the slaughter, hahaha."

Master Fire Crow burst into laughter. This Bloodthirsty Divine Art is like raising a Gu worm; in the end, only the most powerful one will survive. This is why Master Fire Crow doesn't care about such a superior martial art at all. The more people who cultivate it, the more beneficial it is to him.

However, this technique has a hidden danger: after reaching the final level, if one wants to devour other practitioners of this technique, one must first find a magical artifact brimming with blood energy, disperse all one's power into it, and then use the method of reversal to retract the blood energy. Only by releasing and retracting can one break through the barrier and truly achieve blood devouring.

"Back then, Ancestor Huoyang was stuck on this very hurdle and couldn't get past it, which is why he set his sights on the Blood Jade. He never expected that he would lose his life in one fell swoop and his cultivation would be scattered to the mortal world. I must not follow in Ancestor Huoyang's footsteps. Let the younger generation of disciples complete the work that Ancestor Huoyang failed to do."

After leaving Tianqin Mountain, Yin Jun traveled day and night and returned to Yujian Manor ten days later. He had sent a message by carrier pigeon on the way, so his brother must have already received the news.

"Second Master, the Master is waiting for you in the main hall."

Although Yin Hao has already passed the mantle to Yin Tianqi, he has not yet relinquished his authority and responsibilities, so Steward Li still addresses him as the Master of the Manor.

Yin Jun didn't care about these details and hurriedly went to the main hall. When he entered, he saw Yin Hao talking with Yin Zheng and others.

When Yin Jun returned, Yin Hao nodded to him and asked him to sit down.

"Grand Uncle, thank you for your trouble. Leave the rest to us juniors."

Upon hearing this, Yin Mang stroked his beard and said, "With you, Jun'er, and Tianqi here, we old folks have nothing to worry about. Now that the matter is settled, we should go back to continue our quiet cultivation."

As they spoke, Yin Mang and the others got up and left, with Yin Hao and Yin Jun bowing respectfully to each other.

A while after Yin Mang and the others left, Yin Jun looked at Yin Hao and said in a deep voice, "Brother, Tian Qi and the others..."

“I already know about this, and I won’t hide it from you. The Blood Ruyi is not in the manor right now. Long Bo, the young master of Longze Manor, borrowed the Blood Ruyi temporarily with the Four Treasures, and it hasn’t been returned yet.”

"What should we do? That Fire Crow Taoist only gave us a month. If we don't see the Blood Ruyi, Tianqi and the others will be in danger."

"This is simple. If there isn't a real one, surely there are fake ones. To ensure the safety of the Blood Ruyi, I already ordered people to make several identical fake Blood Ruyi."

"But I'm afraid we can't hide it from that Fire Crow Taoist." Yin Jun was a little worried. After all, Fire Crow Taoist knew about the Blood Ruyi and must also know some details. Once he found something was wrong, he would definitely turn against him.

"This will require the help of our ancestor. He personally made this Blood Ruyi. If he can conceal these fake Blood Ruyi, it will surely fool that Fire Crow Taoist."

Yin Hao had already come up with a solution, and Yin Jun couldn't help but admire him upon hearing it.

"Brother had already made plans, so I worried for nothing."

"I'll go pay my respects to the ancestor first. After I've succeeded, I'll go with you to see that Fire Crow Daoist. He claims to be a disciple of Fire Yang Daoist, but this whole thing seems rather strange."

"Is your brother worried that there might be someone else behind this person?"

"This is just a guess. Although Yue Tang has memorized the Bloodthirsty Demon Art left in the library, it is impossible for such a person to be created with just this fragment. There may be some clues. Let's not talk about this for now. I'm going to see the ancestor. You've been running back and forth. Go back to your room and rest."

"Yes."

Yin Jun returned to his room to rest, while Yin Hao brought several fake Blood Ruyi to the underground city. After explaining his purpose to Yin Zhong, Yin Zhong immediately refined several Blood Ruyi and selected the best one to give to Yin Hao.

"Thank you for your help, Ancestor."

Yin Zhong waved his hand, then closed his eyes to rest. Seeing this, Yin Hao wisely withdrew.

The next day, Yin Hao and Yin Jun packed their things quickly and rode fast horses, taking eight days to finally reach Tianqin Mountain.

"As expected of Second Master Yin, I have been waiting for you for a long time. This must be Master Yin Hao of Yujian Manor. I have heard so much about you. I am very grateful."

After Yin Jun and his companion stepped into Tianqin Mountain, Master Huoya activated the mechanism left outside the mountain, which allowed him to wait for them in advance.

"Master, I have already delivered the Blood Ruyi. I wonder how my son, my nephew, and I were that day?"

Yin Hao tore open the package and took out the wooden box containing the Blood Ruyi. He only opened a small opening, and a brilliant crimson light shone in front of him.

Upon seeing this, a flash of greed crossed the Fire Crow Master's eyes. He immediately replied, "Don't worry, Master Yin, no one in your manor has been harmed."

As he spoke, he swept his whisk, and the trees and rocks beside him collapsed to the side, revealing an exquisite cage. Yin Tianqi and Yin Tianhe were trapped inside, while the iron guards were tied to the cage with ropes.

"Father, Second Uncle."

Although Yin Tianqi had not suffered any physical pain for the past ten days, he had been tormented by the thieving Taoist priest who had given him a muscle-weakening powder, leaving him unable to muster any strength.

Yin Tianhe was in much better condition. After all, he had experienced many hardships while wandering the martial world. However, the inability to use his true energy was a source of great frustration for him.

"When you venture out in the future, you should still explore those strange formations more often. This time, we suffered a great loss."

Seeing that the two were in good spirits, Yin Hao and his companion were immediately relieved. Yin Hao asked the Fire Crow Master, "How would you like to exchange them?"

"I must first obtain the Blood Ruyi, and then I will certainly release the people. However, to show my sincerity, those Iron Guards can be returned to your estate first."

To alleviate some of the pressure, Master Huoya readily released the guards, since they were just extras; the key was Yin Tianqi and his companion.

When the guards returned, they all looked at Yin Hao with guilty expressions. The latter didn't say anything, but just waved his hand, telling them to step aside.

“If that is the case, then I am relieved. You may have the Blood Ruyi first, but if you break your promise, I will definitely mobilize the entire martial arts world to pursue and recover it.”

Yin Hao wasn't afraid of any tricks the other side might play. With his brother and himself here, there were practically no people in the martial arts world who could deal with them.

With that, Yin Hao placed the box containing the blood-red ruyi on the flat ground between them.

Seeing this, Venerable Fire Crow smiled knowingly, reached out and grabbed, several streams of red true energy wrapped around the wooden box, and with a strong pull, the wooden box landed in his hand. Yin Jun's eyes narrowed slightly at this skill.

(End of this chapter)