A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 23 Cloud surge
Hao Mi and Bu Tai had just arrived at the cave entrance when they were stopped by Song Yuanqiao and his group of four. They had no choice but to stop. Hao Mi and Bu Tai exchanged a glance and took out their weapons to attack first.

Although their skills are superior to those of He Taichong and his ilk, it is still very difficult for them to deal with the True Martial Seven Intercept Formation composed of four people.

Bu Tai held the pressure point stake, and Hao Mi held a pair of judge's pens. With their combined strength, Song Yuanqiao and the others felt the gale hitting their bodies. Knowing that their opponents were no ordinary people, they became even more vigilant, otherwise, they would suffer the consequences of their formation being destroyed and their lives being lost.

Song Yuanqiao gave a shout, and the four of them circled around to form a formation. In order to play to their strengths and avoid their weaknesses, Song Yuanqiao kept the distance between them and prevented his opponents from getting close. The four long swords gleamed coldly, and the sword energy pressed down on the Hejian Duo.

Bu Tai and Hao Mi, who were in the formation, were indeed experienced and could tell that the formation was getting stronger and stronger. If they could not break it at the beginning, it would become more and more difficult in the end.

Bu Tai discovered that Song Yuanqiao was the strongest among the four, and immediately made a decision. He swiftly struck Song Yuanqiao's right chest with his acupoint striking tool, while simultaneously using his left hand to strike Song Yuanqiao's Tanzhong acupoint with One Finger Zen. Meanwhile, Hao Mi's two judge's pens intertwined to create streaks of black light, attacking Mo Shenggu, who was the weakest in terms of skill. The two of them chose the right path, one strong and one weak opponent.

Seeing Bu Tai attacking with two weapons at once, Song Yuanqiao immediately swung his longsword horizontally, while simultaneously unleashing a powerful strike with his left palm, his finger strength colliding with his palm. Both sides felt that their opponent was extraordinary. Seeing that his first attack had failed and that he was now facing a simultaneous attack from both swords, Bu Tai hurriedly defended himself and blocked the wave of attacks.

Hao Mi thought that Mo Shenggu would not be able to withstand three moves under his fierce attack, but he did not expect that Mo Shenggu's swordsmanship was extraordinary. He blocked three fatal attacks in succession with his exquisite moves. Although he was a little embarrassed, he still held firm at the core of the formation. With Yin Liting assisting him from the side, the two were locked in a stalemate for a time.

The two sides exchanged more than ten blows, each pushing their skills to the limit. The strong winds scattered, dust flew everywhere, and pieces of broken stone fell from the cave walls from time to time.

During the fierce battle, Bu Tai and Hao Mi suddenly heard several screams from behind. Their expressions changed drastically. Yue Chuan and his five companions hadn't even held them off for a quarter of an hour. If Gu Xu came to their aid, they would surely be doomed. Their minds wavered slightly, and the sword light outside intensified. Bu Tai and Hao Mi disregarded their injuries and endured several sword strikes. Bu Tai let out a long shout and used his One-Finger Zen technique to throw the pressure point peg at Mo Shenggu. Seeing this, Hao Mi spun the Judge's Pen with both hands, spinning it faster and faster, and finally shot it swiftly towards Yin Liting's chest, hoping to create an opening between the two. As the weapon flew from his hand, he leaped towards Yin and Mo to escape.

Seeing their opponent's weapon flying at them, and judging from the sound, it was imbued with considerable power, Yin Liting and Mo Shenggu realized they couldn't withstand it. They quickly withdrew and changed their formation.

Seeing Yin Liting and Mo Shenggu dodge, Bu Taihao's eyes lit up with joy, but just as he was about to escape, suddenly his vision blurred and two cold sword lights shot straight at him. It was Song Yuanqiao and Yu Lianzhou who blocked his way.

The opportunity was fleeting, and the two were forced back into the formation once again. To make matters worse, they had lost their weapons and their fighting strength was reduced by more than half. They heard footsteps coming from outside, and their faces turned deathly pale.

Knowing they were doomed, the two still fought back stubbornly, showing no intention of begging for mercy. Their attacks were ruthless and merciless. In Song Yuanqiao's eyes, this was nothing more than a desperate struggle. Gu Xu joined the fray to help, and with the combined efforts of the five, the wounds on the Hejian Duo increased. Half a moment later, Bu Tai and Hao Mi let out a miserable laugh and fell to the ground, having fought to their deaths.

"The Hejian Duo truly lived up to their reputation. If it weren't for your intervention, Gu Xu, we probably wouldn't have been able to take them down so quickly. It's just a pity that fame and fortune blinded them, leading to this tragic end. By the way, how are things on your end?" Song Yuanqiao sighed.

"Kunlun He Taichong and his wife have been imprisoned, Yue Chuan is seriously injured and dead, and the others have been killed by my nephew. Wudang needs their blood to warn those who come after them not to treat Wudang's rules as a joke." Gu Xu had no good feelings towards these people. Kunlun Sect was still somewhat useful, which was why he didn't kill them all. The rest of them deserved to die.

Wudang had already sent out invitations, but it still couldn't stop these scoundrels. Their deaths today were their own fault, and they didn't want to leave any trouble for the future, allowing those wandering martial artists to harass Wudang.

After listening to Gu Xu's words, Song Yuanqiao was very satisfied with his actions. It was no pity to kill those who were without sects or factions. However, he had not expected that the Kunlun Sect would also come.

"Uncle-Master, in my humble opinion, I'm afraid the Kunlun Sect has been used as a stepping stone." Although Gu Xu didn't explicitly name which sect, Song Yuanqiao knew it was Shaolin who was behind it.

“Uncle Master, do you remember Cheng Kun, the ‘Hun Yuan Thunderbolt Hand’ I mentioned to you before? A disciple reported that Cheng Kun, who goes by the alias Yuan Zhen, is down the mountain. This plan must have been his idea, and his purpose is to find out our strengths and weaknesses.”

Song Yuanqiao suddenly realized that Gu Xu had once said that Cheng Kun had already surrendered to the Prince of Ruyang's mansion, and that his fifth brother had made a move when he returned to the mountain. "Gu Xu, do you think Cheng Kun might take advantage of the martial arts tournament to collude with the Tartars and set up an ambush?"

Gu Xu pondered for a moment and said, "Actually, if Cheng Kun really colluded with the Tartars, it would actually help us. After all, the Ming Cult wouldn't sit idly by. If that's the case, it would be a good opportunity to resolve both public and private grudges at the same time."

The Ming Cult has mobilized all its elite forces to welcome Xie Xun back, and it is certain that it has deployed heavy troops along the way. If the Tartars dare to appear, they will be attacked from both sides. Once the Ruyang Prince's Mansion suffers a heavy blow, the entire Yuan court will be shaken and unable to suppress the Jianghu (martial arts world). The anti-Yuan uprisings in various places will also continue to shake its foundation.

Song Yuanqiao nodded in agreement and changed the subject, saying, "It's still early before dawn, so we can't let our guard down. There's always someone else coming up the mountain. I'm sorry to trouble you so much." Tomorrow is the date of the conference, and we absolutely cannot afford any mistakes.

Gu Xu accepted the order and left, while Song Yuanqiao and the other three returned to the cave.

It was already late in the morning. On the pitch-black Chenguang Cliff, there was only the sound of the wind rustling through the leaves. Gu Xu was still sitting on the big rock in meditation. So much time had passed, and no one from the foot of the mountain had come up. It seemed that they had realized that Chenguang Cliff was a giant beast's mouth, ready to devour all those who would come.

The bright moonlight seemed unable to reach this place. As time passed, the east began to lighten, but it was quickly covered by layers of thick dark clouds. The light that was about to emerge was swallowed up. The dark clouds filled the entire sky and soon covered the sky above Wudang Mountain. Everyone on and off the mountain knew that a rainstorm was coming soon and the martial arts tournament was about to begin.

Gu Xu felt the cool breeze blowing and looked at the thick clouds above his head. The wind was blowing and the clouds were gathering, which was quite fitting for the occasion.

"After this incident, I should also go into seclusion to cultivate the martial arts taught by the founder, and strive to master them as soon as possible, so as to leave a legacy for Wudang."

With a loud rumble, thunder and lightning flashed, and soon a torrential downpour began, the continuous rain curtain shrouding Wudang Mountain in a hazy mist.

The harsh weather did not deter the enthusiastic martial arts practitioners. Led by the Shaolin School, elders from various schools braved the rain to climb the mountain. Along the way, they were continuously received by Wudang disciples, who were respectful and neither arrogant nor humble.

"From these third-generation disciples, we can see the profound foundation of Wudang. Apart from Shaolin, the other four sects are probably hard to compare with it." The old man from Mount Hua was full of envy. He could tell that the disciples he was receiving were all highly skilled. In his own sect, they would be trained as direct disciples. But in Wudang, they could only do some reception work.

"Senior brother, Wudang's development has already threatened Shaolin. They will definitely try every means to suppress it. However, in my opinion, Shaolin will probably repeat the same mistakes. Not to mention Master Zhang and the Seven Heroes of Wudang, even that Master Gu Xu is beyond their comprehension. This time, the Three Elders of Shaolin will definitely suffer a great loss. We should wait and see and not get involved." The tall elder understood what the short old man was saying. Xian Yutong's scandal had ruined the reputation of the Huashan Sect. If it weren't for the sect's strong foundation, it would probably have already fallen into internal strife and disintegrated. This time, participating in the martial arts conference was more about currying favor with the Wudang Sect.

"Master Miejue of the Emei Sect is truly blessed to have a marriage alliance with Wudang. In the future, she will surely be able to leverage Wudang's influence to elevate Emei to a higher level," the two whispered.

Cheng Kun's face had been grim ever since he went up the mountain. Two groups of people had gone up the mountain last night, and not one of them had come down. You have to know that the Kunlun Sect Leader and the Hejian Duo were top-notch masters. He himself didn't dare to say that he could definitely defeat one of them. Looking at these Wudang disciples, their eyes were sharp and their martial arts were obviously not bad. If the disciples were so powerful, what about their master? He glanced at the Three Elders and thought to himself that this trip to Wudang was probably not going to be good. Fortunately, he still had a backup plan.

The torrential rain made the mountain path even more difficult to traverse, and it took the group a full hour to finally reach the summit and arrive outside the Zixiao Palace. They found that a tent had been erected in the square, with a martial arts arena in the center and tables and chairs neatly arranged around it.

When each faction entered, they took out their invitations. Cheng Xu took out a brush, dipped it in medicine, and brushed it onto the cover of the invitation. If writing appeared, it was genuine.

Seeing this, the various factions admired Wudang's meticulousness even more.

"Why won't you let me in?" Zong Weixia, who had already entered, turned around upon hearing the question and saw a thin man arguing loudly with Cheng Xu, his face full of displeasure. Cheng Xu said calmly, "Your invitation is fake. You can't go in."

The skinny man persisted, insisting on barging in. Cheng Xu tried to reason with him, asking him to come down the mountain. The skinny man, thinking him weak and easily bullied, attacked him directly, intending to teach him a lesson. Cheng Xu remained calm, reached out with both hands, grabbed his arms, and with a sharp shake, a crisp sound was heard. The skinny man fell to the ground in pain and was carried away by the Wudang disciples.

Zong Weixia recognized the thin man, whose name was Bai Lang. Although his skill was mediocre, his hand skills were not weak. Unexpectedly, he was crippled by a third-generation disciple.

Zong Weixia shook his head inwardly.

Seeing Bai Lang's fate, the others dared not act recklessly. Cheng Xuhui, who had the fake invitation, politely invited him to come down the mountain.

After a lot of preparation, all the sects had taken their seats, except for the Wudang sect members who had not yet arrived.

Rain fell like beads, and after a while, Song Yuanqiao and the others finally appeared. Some people saw that Xie Xun, the Golden Lion King, was also among them, holding the Dragon-Slaying Saber. Suddenly, all sorts of noises arose.

Du'e softly chanted a Buddhist prayer, silencing all other sounds, and for a moment everyone felt their ears ringing.

"Such profound internal strength," the old man couldn't help but glance at the Shaolin seats.

Song Yuanqiao and his group quickly arrived at the square and announced loudly, "Thank you all for traveling a long way to Wudang. I, Song Yuanqiao, express my gratitude. The main purpose of this gathering is for Wudang to act as a peacemaker and resolve the grievances between the various sects and Xie Xun, the Golden-Haired Lion King. Anyone who has a grudge against him is welcome to participate..."

After Song Yuanqiao finished speaking, the arena fell silent for a moment. Then, Zong Weixia of the Kongtong Sect took the lead and stepped onto the dueling platform, angrily cursing Xie Xun: "You villain, you stole the Seven Wounds Fist Manual and killed six Kongtong disciples. Now I will avenge them. Take this!" Xie Xun remained silent upon hearing this, handed the Dragon Slaying Saber to Gu Xu, and slowly stepped onto the dueling platform.

When Zong Weixia saw Xie Xun come up, he threw a punch straight down, the force of which cut through the air. He used all his strength, and the crowd below the stage stared wide-eyed. Xie Xun, however, did not move at all, letting Zong Weixia's fist hit him. Blood spilled from his mouth. Zong Weixia was stunned, and the crowd below the stage was even more confused.

Withdrawing his fist, Zong Weixia frowned and said, "Why didn't you fight back? Am I not worth your time?"

Xie Xun said in a hoarse voice, "I have done too many evil things in my life, and now it is time to pay for my sins. It is only right that the people of the Kongtong Sect want to seek justice. It is my own fault, and it is only right that I die at the hands of Master Zong."

"Since you're so eager to die, I, Zong, will naturally show no mercy. Since you've secretly learned the Seven Injury Fist, then I'll kill you with it." A fierce glint flashed in Zong Weixia's eyes, and amidst the chaotic fist shadows, Xie Xun was struck seven times in succession, blood spurting continuously, before finally collapsing on the stage.

Zong Weixia gasped, "You villain, consider the seven punches I delivered as compensation. Now that your heart meridian is shattered, you won't live more than seven days. I've finally avenged you, hahaha!" After saying this, he coughed up blood and fainted. Tang Wenliang quickly went up on stage and checked on him, finding him to be nothing more than exhausted.

Tang Wenliang's expression was complicated. Now that Xie Xun had been beaten so badly by his senior brother, he could finally vent his anger. The feud between the Kongtong Sect and him could be considered wiped clean. After carrying Zong Weixia off the stage, the old man from Mount Hua asked in a low voice, "Brother Tang, is Master Zong alright?" Tang Wenliang shook his head.

The first match was so brutal that it was unexpected, and Xie Xun showed no fighting spirit, which left everyone somewhat at a loss. However, it seems that the Shaolin Sect can no longer sit idly by.

Seeing that Xie Xun had been beaten half to death, Cheng Kun was afraid that other sects would take advantage of him, so he ordered Kong Ru to let Shaolin show up, lest they end up with nothing, which would be a losing proposition.

Kongru came to Du'e's side and whispered, "Uncle-Master, Xie Xun is now severely injured. I know that the three uncles are unwilling to take advantage of his misfortune. However, those who achieve great things do not concern themselves with trivial matters. As long as we can avenge Brother Kongjian, what does the reputation of Shaolin matter?" Kongru brought up Kongjian's death, not afraid that the three uncles would not agree to step in.

Sure enough, before Du'e could speak, Du'nan and Du'jie were moved. Du'nan glanced at Du'e and said, "Senior brother, since we are already old and frail and don't have much time left to live, we might as well resolve this matter before we leave, which can also be considered as comforting the spirit of our nephew Kongjian in heaven."

Kong Jian was an outstanding disciple whom the three of them had cultivated together, hoping that he would carry forward the Shaolin lineage in the future. Unexpectedly, he died at the hands of Xie Xun, and all their efforts were in vain. How could the three of them not be angry? Moreover, because of Yang Dingtian of the Ming Cult, the three of them had no goodwill towards the Ming Cult.

Du'e paused in his prayer beads, made a decision, slowly stood up, and walked towards the stage. Du Jie and Du Nan also stood up and followed.

The moment the three moved, everyone's attention was drawn to them. Gu Xu's eyes flashed as he looked at Song Yuanqiao, who nodded slightly.

(End of this chapter)