A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 271 The Wind Rises in Tianshan
On the way back, Ni Qingfeng opened the wooden box he had obtained from Song Ruofeng and saw the purple lightning bolt, his expression turning slightly cold.

"Senior brothers and sisters, look!"

Seeing the purple lightning bolt held between Ni Qingfeng's fingers, Shen Henian and Li Dengping were both shocked. This thing was a powerful weapon. If the people from the Nine Immortals Sect had taken it out just now, they would have been caught off guard and would have been seriously injured even if they didn't die.

"Luckily we acted quickly enough, otherwise things could have been very different." Shen Henian suddenly broke out in a cold sweat and said with some lingering fear.

"Where would the Nine Immortals Sect find the financial resources to purchase such precious items? It's only because someone is backing them up."

Li Dengping snorted coldly. This top-quality Purple Light Thunderbolt cannot be bought with money alone; one must also have a certain status in the martial arts world. Currently, the only one that can get Tianlei Hall to sell this item is Zhongxin Hall. This Shangguan Yun is really impatient. He doesn't have time for himself, and he won't let Tianshan Sect rest either. He is truly despicable and shameless.

"Anyway, the Nine Immortals Sect has been destroyed, which serves as a warning to the sects that follow. If the other side is smart, our Tianshan Sect will have some peaceful days for at least the next month."

Ni Qingfeng put away the Purple Light Thunderbolt and said to Shen Henian, "Second Senior Brother, we must not relax our vigilance. As long as the other side does not cause any trouble, let them do as they please. Our Tianshan Sect's only opponent has always been the Zhongxin Hall. Too much killing will easily draw criticism."

Shen Henian agreed with this statement, saying, "Fourth Junior Brother is right. Zhongxin Hall is busy with other matters and cannot attend to us for the time being. Now that the Nine Immortals Sect is practically defunct, only our Tianshan Sect is dominant in the Western Regions. This is a great opportunity to consolidate our strength. Although a month is a bit short, it is enough to strengthen our foundation."

At this moment, Shen Henian also felt a surge of ambition. He was in charge of the sect's daily affairs, and the expansion of the sect's power was something that couldn't be bypassed by him. With the Nine Immortals Sect destroyed, besides a large portion of the benefits being taken over by the sect, the rest would naturally fall into his hands.

"Fourth Junior Brother, I will handle all matters within the sect properly and there won't be any problems. As for expanding our power, I should inform the Sect Leader in advance."

"Of course. With Second Senior Brother's words, I am relieved. Let's hurry back to the mountain. Senior Brother is waiting for news."

The three of them rode at full speed, traveling day and night. After two days of travel, they finally returned to the foot of Tianshan Mountain at dusk. Without stopping, they immediately went up the mountain and explained the situation in detail. Xue Wanshan nodded with satisfaction.

"You have done a great job, Second Junior Brother. I will entrust you with the entire matter of taking over the Nine Immortals Sect."

"I will certainly live up to the expectations of my senior brother, the sect leader."

Shen Henian's face lit up with joy, and he immediately agreed to come down. Seeing that the sect leader had no other instructions, he said a few more words and then left the main hall.

"Senior Brother Sect Leader, this Purple Light Thunderbolt came from the Nine Immortals Sect. It is useless for me to keep it. I should put it into the storehouse instead."

Ni Qingfeng handed the wooden box containing the purple lightning bolt to Xue Wanshan. Upon hearing this, the latter's eyes flickered slightly. He reached out and took the box, opened it, glanced at it briefly, then closed the lid and placed it on the table.

"Destroying the Nine Immortals Sect serves as a reminder to all sects that the Tianshan Sect is not one to be bullied. However, we must be wary of the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect behind the Tang Sect. Meng Baichuan is treacherous and cunning, yet his cultivation is unfathomable, especially his poison attacks, which are arguably unmatched in the world."

Upon hearing his senior brother mention Meng Baichuan, Li Dengping's expression changed slightly. This man had been famous for thirty years, and with his martial arts skills, he had harmed countless young and beautiful girls. If it weren't for the Black and White Heroes intervening and keeping him in line for ten years, who knows what the martial arts world would be like now.

"Junior Brother knows a bit about Meng Baichuan. He has always been fond of romance and poetry, especially after being taught a lesson by Master Lu and his wife ten years ago. He has stopped going out into the martial arts world, and even the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect, which he founded, quickly declined. Now only a few disciples are holding the sect together. Judging from this information, Meng Baichuan doesn't seem like someone who would like to cause trouble."

“Junior brother is right, but Meng Baichuan has always put profit first. The deaths of Tang Sen and Tang Yong may not mean much to him, but the appearance of the Dragon Ball will surely make him eager to make a move. I suspect that Meng Baichuan obtained a Dragon Ball from the Chamu Clan back then, which is why his cultivation improved so quickly and he wiped out the entire Wuling Sect in less than half a year.”

Xue Wanshan looked solemn. The leader of the Wuling Sect was a top-notch expert, but in the end, he was left with no trace of his body, and all 172 members of the sect died from poisoning.

"Meng Baichuan's whereabouts are uncertain, so we still need to be on guard. However, we must be cautious about Zhongxintang, which is on the surface."

“Junior brother is right, especially after the Nine Immortals Sect was destroyed. Although we haven’t completely broken ties with them yet, both sides are well aware of the situation. It’s hard to guarantee that Zhongxin Hall won’t use any more tricks.”

"When soldiers come, we will block them; when water comes, we will dam it. If Shangguan Yun thinks he can use his status as the leader of the martial arts alliance to bully the Tianshan Sect, he has miscalculated."

Ni Qingfeng sneered. Zhongxintang was considered the most powerful in the Central Plains, but Tianshan was located in a remote area. With its geographical advantage, it could easily neutralize those advantages. The strength of the two sides' leaders was about the same. If the other side did not want to fight to the death, the matter would probably end inconclusively.

"This was bound to happen sooner or later. Tianshan is not the same as it used to be. Tianjiao and the others' sword formation is gradually getting on track, and the other disciples are also practicing diligently. With the four of us and the elders, it's still uncertain who will emerge victorious."

In the past, Xue Wanshan might have compromised, but now his fourth junior brother's cultivation level far surpasses his own, and with the disciples in the sect striving for excellence, if he doesn't fight back, the only option left is to be swallowed up by Zhongxin Hall.

“Zhongxintang can win over helpers, and we can also try to win over allies. Senior brother, Fuyun Temple in Taihang Mountain is a potential target.”

"Fuyun Temple? Master Zihe?"

Upon hearing this, Xue Wanshan's eyes lit up. Although Fuyun Temple was not well-known and had few disciples, Master Zihe was a master. With his help, he could share some of the pressure. The only question was how to persuade him.

"Master Zihe is already old, and Fuyun Temple is also facing a shortage of young talents. If you appeal to his emotions and reason with him now, and give him a Heavenly Heart Pill and promise to take care of Fuyun Temple, I believe Master Zihe will not refuse."

Upon hearing Ni Qingfeng's words, Li Dengping first frowned, thinking that this was taking advantage of a favor. However, upon further reflection, she realized that this might not be such a bad thing. At present, Fuyun Temple was at a critical juncture of life and death, either to be swallowed up by Zhongxin Hall or to fall apart.

If they could be sheltered under the protection of the Tianshan Sect, Master Zihe, as long as he was clear-headed, should know that it was a sure-fire way to make money.

"Yes, I already have a plan for this."

Seeing that Xue Wanshan had been persuaded, Ni Qingfeng nodded to Li Dengping, who returned his gaze. Just as the two were about to leave, seeing that their senior brother had no further instructions, Xue Wanshan called out to Ni Qingfeng, saying, "Tianjiao and the others are practicing their sword formation. If you have time, Fourth Junior Brother, please go to the back mountain and give them some pointers."

"Understood."

Ni Qingfeng bowed to Xue Wanshan and left the main hall with Li Dengping. After exchanging a few words outside the hall, Ni Qingfeng turned back to his residence. He closed his eyes to rest for an hour, then took a bath and ate before going to the back mountain.

At this moment, on a flat area behind the mountain, Fu Tianjiao and her seven companions were practicing a sword formation. Sword lights crisscrossed, and cold stars flashed. The seven people constantly changed positions. With a deep shout, the seven people swung their swords forward at the same time, and a sword aura struck a huge rock in the distance. With a loud bang, the huge rock was shattered into pieces by the sword aura.

"it is good!"

Ni Qingfeng praised him, and Fu Tianjiao and the others were all delighted to see their martial uncle appear. They immediately stepped forward to pay their respects.

"Uncle Master."

"In just two days, your sword formation has already reached a high level. In another half month, your energy will surely be fully integrated, and its power will increase several times over."

"We still owe everything to our Martial Uncle. Without his help, Tianjiao and her fellow disciples would not have such good fortune today."

Fu Tianjiao sheathed her sword and looked at her fourth senior uncle with admiration. As the sect leader's eldest disciple, Xue Wanshan naturally wouldn't hide the matter of the Heavenly Heart Pill from her. That's how Fu Tianjiao learned how much effort her junior uncle had put in behind the scenes.

"It's all thanks to your hard work, otherwise my efforts would have been in vain. Come, let your uncle give you some pointers and see if there are any flaws in this sword formation."

As he spoke, Ni Qingfeng drew his long sword and looked at Fu Tianjiao and the other seven with a fighting spirit.

Upon seeing this, Fu Tianjiao and her six companions all bowed respectfully, then drew their swords and took their positions. At Fu Tianjiao's command, they launched a coordinated attack.

Just as Ni Qingfeng and the seven others were exchanging blows, the Tang Clan group arrived at the burned-down inn. Looking at the ruins and some mutilated corpses in front of them, Tang Clan's Third Elder Tang En and Fourth Elder Tang De both had frosty expressions.

"Elder, the corpses have been cleared. The corpses of all the high-ranking members of the Nine Immortals Sect are here, along with more than thirty disciples who were killed by a single sword strike to the throat."

Tang En waved for his disciple to leave, then walked to the pile of corpses on the ground. Looking at the charred remains of the body, with the broken sword still in its hand, Tang En squatted down and examined it for a moment. He sighed inwardly, confirming that this was indeed Song Ruofeng's body.

"I never imagined that the dignified leader of the Nine Immortals Sect would die like this. The Nine Immortals Sect is finished."

Tang En stood up and sighed, "Fourth brother, who do you think did this?" "To be able to kill all the experts of the Nine Immortals Sect, their strength must be considerable. This place is not far from Tianshan. I suspect it was the Tianshan Sect that did it."

"Just as I thought, the Tianshan Sect is indeed a ruthless character. They wiped out an entire family without saying a word. However, the Jiuxian Sect also deserved its fate. They acted as the vanguard of the Zhongxin Hall to test and pressure Tianshan. Fortunately, we arrived a few days late, otherwise there would have been several more corpses here."

"Third Brother, what should we do now? Should we still go to Tianshan?"

"Can't you see? This is a warning from the Tianshan Sect. If we take another step forward, this will be the result. Forget it, let's retreat for now and discuss it again when we get news from the Zhongxin Hall. The Nine Immortals Sect has been destroyed. Our little Tang Sect can't withstand the wrath of the Tianshan Sect."

"Yes."

Tang De responded meekly.

"By the way, is there any news about the people sent to find Uncle Meng?"

"Not yet. Uncle Meng is always elusive, so finding him won't be easy. However, I've already told them to search in those secluded places as much as possible, and they'll report back immediately if they have any news."

"Hmm, Uncle Meng has a fondness for beautiful women. He might be enjoying himself somewhere. Let's go, this place is really unlucky."

Tang En clapped his hands, watched the swirling sand, and turned to leave. Tang De, seeing this, immediately called his disciples to follow Tang En and leave together.

Five days later, a storm swept through the martial arts world. First, the Nine Immortals Sect was destroyed, and then the Tianshan Sect stepped forward to support a direct descendant of the sect to become the sect leader, thus becoming a branch of the Tianshan Sect. The eyes of the martial arts world immediately turned to the Tianshan Sect.

The Tianshan Sect had already been brought to the forefront because of the Dragon Ball, and now that it had destroyed the Nine Immortals Sect, some people with ulterior motives had temporarily given up the idea of ​​causing trouble for the Tianshan Sect.

Inside the Zhongxin Hall, Shangguan Yun looked at the report presented by his subordinates with a calm expression.

Waving his hand to dismiss his disciples, Yue Sha said to Shangguan Yun in a deep voice, "Hall Master, it seems that the Tianshan Sect has some ideas. They want to wipe out one sect first as a warning to others. Now, the Tang Sect and a number of smaller sects have stopped advancing. Hall Master, should we put some pressure on them and let them go and challenge the Tianshan Sect?"

"No need. These small sects are all driven by profit and shy away from difficulties. Forcing them will only make them resentful. Without a leader, they won't really put in the effort."

"It is truly surprising that the Tianshan Sect was able to destroy the Nine Immortals Sect so easily. It seems that we underestimated the strength of the Tianshan Sect. This sect will be an obstacle to the Zhongxin Hall's dominance of the martial arts world!"

"Master, we've already seized a good portion of Diancang Sect's territory. Should we send some people to cause trouble for Tianshan Sect? If the Nine Immortals Sect is destroyed, we'll lose sight of Tianshan Sect."

"There's no rush. Apart from a branch in our territory, the Tianshan Sect's rest of its forces are all in Tianshan. If we destroy that branch, we'll be breaking off relations, and things might not end well."

Although Shangguan Yun was also heartbroken by the destruction of the Nine Immortals Sect, in his mind, the loss of an unimportant piece on the chessboard would not affect the overall situation. As long as he grasped the general trend, he could trap and kill his opponent.

"Pass down the order: have your men speed things up and crush the Diancang Sect within a month. Those who perform exceptionally well will be richly rewarded by this hall master!"

"Yes, Hall Master."

Upon hearing this, the Sun and Moon Duo descended and turned to leave the hall.

"Tianshan Sect, humph!"

Shangguan Yun got up and walked towards the back hall. After passing through many mechanisms, he arrived at a secret room. Upon entering the secret room, he saw a dazzling golden light. In the center of the secret room was a half-person-high altar, with two dragon pearls floating on the altar.

"Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball, I will soon reunite you brothers."

Shangguan Yun stared intently at the two dragon pearls. Back then, he and his group of eight had wiped out the Chamu tribe. The Wanjian Sect Master, Shenbing, and the Qiankun Sect Master, Wuming, were killed. Lei Zhenzi was killed by his scheme. In the ensuing chaos, he obtained the two dragon pearls. After getting the dragon pearls, he felt his internal energy was about to explode, so he quickly left and found a secluded valley. After cultivating for several days, he finally calmed down.

Originally intending to investigate the Chamu tribe again, Shangguan Yun unexpectedly discovered that Xue Wanshan had arrived with a group of disciples. To avoid a confrontation, Shangguan Yun had no choice but to leave. More than ten years have passed in the blink of an eye. Now that the Dragon Pearl has reappeared in the world, Shangguan Yun's ambition to dominate the martial arts world continues to grow under the influence of the Dragon Pearl.

After cultivating with the Dragon Pearl in the secret chamber for several hours, Shangguan Yun walked out of the chamber looking radiant. Just then, a subordinate came to report that his daughter, Shangguan Feiyan, had run away from home.

"Does Miss have anyone accompanying her for protection?"

Shangguan Yun gave his only daughter everything she wanted. In other families, the mother is kind and the father is strict, but in his family, it was the other way around.

"Elder Ri has already sent eight brothers to hide in the shadows and send messages to the main altar from time to time."

Upon hearing Ri Sha's arrangement, Shangguan Yun nodded. Fei Yan had been under the protection of Zhongxin Hall since childhood and had never seen the dangers of the martial world. This was a good opportunity for her to gain experience and broaden her horizons.

"As long as there is no danger to their lives, there is no need to expose the person accompanying them. Go down."

"Yes, Hall Master."

The disciple bowed again and then left. A moment later, the Sun and Moon Demons entered. The Moon Demon said to Shangguan Yun, "Hall Master, a message has come back from Autumn Water Manor."

As he spoke, he handed over a slip of paper. Upon hearing this, Shangguan Yun raised an eyebrow, immediately becoming interested. He took the paper, read it, and chuckled softly before casually tossing it into the brazier.

"Qiu Tangbai was a man of great reputation, but I never expected him to end up like this. Right now, I don't have time to deal with him. Ri Sha, have someone keep a close eye on Qiu Shui Manor. Once the Tian Shan Sect matter is settled, we will immediately take action against Qiu Shui Manor."

"My subordinate understands."

A month passed quickly, and Zhongxintang had almost completely absorbed Diancang Sect. Shangguan Yun immediately mustered his forces and headed towards Tianshan.

As soon as Zhongxintang made this move, some sects immediately became active. Led by Tangmen, dozens of sects, large and small, from both the righteous and evil factions arrived at Tianshan first to send their visiting cards.

Inside the main hall of Tianshan, Xue Wanshan looked at the visiting cards on the table and said calmly, "It's kind of them to have endured for so long, and they've finally come."

"Huashan Sect, Chanyin Temple, Kunlun Sect, Beggars' Sect, Hell Gate, Divine Fire Sect, Tang Sect, Golden Camel Ridge, Green Moon Sect, Poison Scorpion Sect, Flying Knife Sect... Almost all the well-known sects in the martial arts world are represented. What a grand lineup!"

Shen Henian's face was very ugly. Among these sects, there were many who came to watch the show. They knew they couldn't get the Dragon Ball, so they might as well follow the big sects and pick up the scraps. Once the Tianshan Sect declined, these despicable things would be like wild beasts that smelled blood, and they would have no choice but to take a bite.

"The Huashan sect and others are of little importance; they only sent second-generation disciples. The other smaller sects are weak and powerless, unlikely to amount to much. As for the Hell Gate and the Divine Fire Sect, it seems they haven't learned their lesson from last time."

Ni Qingfeng snorted coldly, his face frosty.

Upon hearing this, Xue Wanshan said, "It's better to guide than to block. Let them go up the mountain in an orderly manner. Whatever tricks they have up their sleeves, our Tianshan Sect will take them on. Second Junior Brother, during this time, those sects must not be allowed to take the opportunity to cause trouble. Anyone who violates this rule will be killed!"

"Yes, senior brother."

Shen Henian immediately agreed.

"Fourth Junior Brother, you and Third Junior Sister will go down the mountain together and invite all fellow cultivators to come up the mountain. Each group should have five people. Anyone who does not comply will be sent down the mountain immediately."

Upon hearing this, Ni Qingfeng and Li Dengping immediately agreed, bowed, and turned to leave the main hall. The two of them, along with more than ten disciples, headed down the mountain.

(End of this chapter)