A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 272 Night Raid Fails
At the foot of Tianshan Mountain, the once quiet town has become bustling with noise. In several pavilions, Tang En, the third elder of the Tang Clan, cupped his hands to the sect leaders in front of him and said, "Everyone, we have come to Tianshan Mountain today for the Dragon Ball, but I have something to tell you in advance."

"Elder Tang, please speak frankly."

The speaker was Yue Qianfeng, the leader of the Huashan Sect. He had a ruddy complexion, healthy skin, and bright eyes, and looked to be no more than thirty years old.

The others perked up when they heard Tang En's words. They had heard that Tang Sen and Tang Yong had died at the hands of the Tianshan Sect, and perhaps the Tang Sect knew some secrets that they did not know.

"Everyone is probably familiar with Ni Qingfeng of the Tianshan Sect. His martial arts skills are unfathomable, and he is no less than Xue Wanshan, the leader of the Tianshan Sect. If we want to obtain the Dragon Ball, he is the biggest obstacle."

Upon hearing this, Yue Qianfeng's eyes flashed with a sharp light. He stroked his beard and said, "I've heard that this man's swordsmanship is extremely exquisite. Even the Divine Fire Master fell to his hands. You all must not be careless."

The monk Kumu of Chanyin Temple chanted a Buddhist prayer, “Although this Shenhuo Shangren is cruel, his martial arts skills are first-rate. Even such a person was killed by Ni Qingfeng. It is not too much to be on guard.”

The others nodded in agreement. Apart from Yue Qianfeng and Zen Master Kumu, none of them could rival Shenhuo Shangren. If they wanted to cause trouble for the Tianshan Sect, they should first choose the right target. It was not their style to die needlessly.

"Elder Tang San has mentioned Ni Qingfeng, so he must already have a plan. Why don't you share it so that everyone can discuss it and fill in any gaps?"

Upon hearing Yue Qianfeng's words, Tang En thought to himself that he was an old fox, but he smiled and said, "Sect Leader Yue is right. Our sect has already brought out the Worry-Free Powder. If the other party is ungrateful, we can just throw this out and it will surely make most of the Tianshan disciples lose their fighting power. Then we can use this disciple as a hostage. We are not afraid that Xue Wanshan will not bow down."

"They really are despicable people, only capable of using such low-down tricks."

Seeing Tang En's smug look, Yue Qianfeng frowned. He knew the name of this Worry-Free Powder. It was colorless and odorless. Once inhaled, it would make a person's whole body go limp. There was no antidote, and after three days, the person would be paralyzed.

Upon hearing this, Zen Master Kumu silently chanted a Buddhist prayer. This method was extremely insidious. If it succeeded, that would be fine, but if even one member of the Tianshan Sect escaped, he would be unable to bear the hatred of annihilating his entire clan.

"Of course, this is a last resort. If the Tianshan Sect could hand over the Dragon Pearl readily, the Tang Sect would not have resorted to such methods. What do you all think?"

“Amitabha, although Benefactor Tang’s methods are extreme, they are not without merit. I have no objection. However, Benefactor Tang, you must hand over the antidote for the Worry-Free Powder to us to prevent harm to the innocent.”

The monk Kumu stared intently at Tang En, who, seeing the monk's sallow complexion, smiled nonchalantly and said, "Of course, the Tang Clan has no intention of being enemies with you all. Fourth brother, first distribute the antidote to the sect leaders."

Upon hearing the order, Tang De immediately took out a bulging paper package from his sleeve. After opening it, he found small black pills inside.

"The sect leaders can take this item when they go up the mountain, so that they will not have to fear the Worry-Free Powder."

Tang En gave Tang De a wink, and the latter nodded. He led a disciple to Yue Qianfeng, handed the paper packet to the disciple, took out twelve pills, placed them on a piece of paper, wrapped them up, and handed them to Yue Qianfeng. The latter hesitated for a moment before reaching out to take them.

The following sects, including Chanyin Temple, distributed the antidote according to the number of people. After going around in circles, some pills were still left in the paper package, which Tang De put away again.

Just as Tang De was distributing the antidote, the evil sect members on the other side had also devised a plan: if the Tianshan Sect insisted on not handing over the Dragon Pearl, they would have no choice but to bombard them with the Thunderfire Bomb.

Just as the various factions were plotting their moves, the lookouts spotted the Tianshan Sect group and immediately sent messages to their respective sects.

"Everyone can see clearly that the leaders are Ni Qingfeng and Li Dengping."

The living Yama of Hell's Gate looked at the sword-wielding Taoist in front of him, dressed in a black robe and with extraordinary appearance, and a fierce glint flashed in his eyes.

When Yue Qianfeng, the leader of the Huashan Sect, saw that otherworldly figure, his eyes narrowed slightly, while Zen Master Kumu looked distressed, put his hands together, and silently chanted a Buddhist prayer.

"Greetings, sect leaders. Our senior brother invites you all to come up the mountain for a chat. However, the mountain is small and may not be able to accommodate everyone from all the sects. Therefore, each sect leader can only bring a maximum of five people up the mountain."

Ni Qingfeng glanced at the two factions of good and evil gathered together, his eyes flashing slightly. He exchanged a look with Li Dengping, then immediately stepped forward and bowed.

"Of course, we'll head up the mountain now. Master Ni, please lead the way."

Seeing that no one came forward to speak, Yue Qianfeng stepped forward, closed his folding fan, bowed to Ni Qingfeng, and then turned around and pointed to five disciples who stood behind him.

Seeing Yue Qianfeng's behavior, the others cursed inwardly. Yue Qianfeng was truly hypocritical, saying all the nice things. However, now was not the time to dwell on such matters. It was already difficult enough for the Tianshan Sect to allow them to come up the mountain. If they got too entangled, they might be squeezed out.

Soon the righteous side had chosen their good people. Tang En watched the Hell Gate and the Divine Fire Cult with a look of amusement. These sects were all notorious. Would a few troublemakers come out to provoke them?

To his surprise, Hell Gate and Divine Fire Sect immediately mustered their forces and stood aside. Just when he thought nothing was wrong, Li Kong, the leader of Flying Knife Sect, said, "My Flying Knife Sect has only nine people here. Hero Ni, could you please make an exception and leave a few disciples behind? It is really putting this old man in a difficult position."

Upon hearing Li Kong's words, the others looked at him with amusement. The Flying Knife Sect was quite powerful, especially their flying knife-slashing technique, which was even better than hidden weapons. They had quite a reputation in the Central Plains. However, Li Kong was really arrogant and dared to act recklessly in front of the Tianshan Sect. He was truly courting death.

"Sect Leader Li is joking. If it's five people, then it's five people. It can be fewer, but not more."

Ni Qingfeng looked at the ungrateful fellow in front of him, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes, but he still patiently repeated himself.

"I brought people here to give face to your Tianshan Sect, and you're still here..."

Before Li Kong could finish speaking, everyone saw a flash of sword light, and Li Kong was slit in the throat with a single sword strike. His body fell to the ground, his head and body separated, and blood stained the ground, making the scene instantly bloody.

"Such a fast sword strike."

Yue Qianfeng's eyes narrowed, and he gripped his folding fan tightly. He glanced at Ni Qingfeng, who was calm and composed, and had returned his sword to its sheath. The Huashan Sect Leader felt a deep sense of apprehension towards him.

With the sound of a long sword being sheathed, everyone felt a chill. Li Kong was a martial arts master, known for his speed, yet he died because of this swift sword. It was truly a pity.

"Everyone please."

Li Dengping didn't even glance at Li Kong's corpse. He gestured to the crowd, and they immediately straightened up, bowed, and followed the Tianshan Sect up the mountain in an orderly fashion.

"Your Tianshan Sect killed my master and now you want to just walk away!"

Upon hearing this, everyone paused, but then sped off. Ni Qingfeng nodded to Zhao Kai, who immediately understood and led his six junior brothers over. It's unclear what Zhao Kai said to the Flying Knife Sect disciple, but after a short while, Zhao Kai returned with his men, while the Flying Knife Sect disciple left the mountain dejectedly.

After a smooth journey, Ni Qingfeng and Li Dengping led everyone to Tianshan Mountain and settled them in. They came to the main hall to report to their senior brother, the sect leader, but Shen Henian happened to be absent at the time.

"The Flying Knife Sect has only been around for a little over ten years, and its foundation is very shallow. It all depends on Li Kong's efforts. This man is arrogant and deserves this calamity. Fourth Junior Brother, you did very well."

Upon hearing that Li Kong had died at Ni Qingfeng's hands, Xue Wanshan was first taken aback, then nodded repeatedly.

"Yue Qianfeng of the Huashan Sect, Kumu of the Chanyin Temple, and the Living Yama of the Hell Gate are not worth mentioning. However, the Tang Sect's methods are insidious, so Second Senior Brother must be careful to prevent the disciples from being poisoned and creating a situation where one has to be cautious. Although the disciples have the Hundred Poison Pill to protect them, it is still best to be careful in everything."

Li Dengping agreed, saying, "Junior brother is right. Besides, there are also those evil sects. These people are reckless in their actions. If they act arbitrarily, it will harm the interests of our Tianshan Sect."

Xue Wanshan flicked his whisk, glanced at the two men, and said calmly, "I have already made arrangements for this matter. If they dare to bring out any forbidden items, I will make sure they can't leave Tianshan. Besides, Shangguan Yun will not tolerate such a thing happening, otherwise his position as the leader of the martial arts alliance will be over."

Those forbidden items can exist, but they must never be used openly, otherwise the rules of the martial arts world will be broken, and Shangguan Yun, as the leader of the martial arts alliance, will never watch his interests be harmed.

Ni Qingfeng remained silent upon hearing this, while Li Dengping seemed lost in thought.

Just as the three were discussing inside the hall, Shen Henian entered from outside with a grave expression. "Second Junior Brother, what happened?"

Seeing Shen Henian's unpleasant expression, Xue Wanshan asked gently.

"Senior Brother Sect Leader, our disciples have reported that Shangguan Yun has led his troops to a place a hundred miles outside of Tianshan. Roughly estimated, there are at least twenty or thirty people. At their speed, they will arrive at Tianshan tomorrow. Senior Brother, do you think we should deal with these people first before dealing with Shangguan Yun?"

Shen Henian's idea was to defeat them one by one. Apart from a few people who were worth considering, the rest of these sects were nothing special. Moreover, Tianshan had the advantage of terrain, so dealing with these people would be more than enough.

"No need. We'll wait for Shangguan Yun to arrive tomorrow. Otherwise, how can this good show continue? Second Brother, you must be on high alert and not let those people cause any trouble."

Shen Henian didn't know what his senior brother was up to, but seeing that Ni Qingfeng and Li Dengping remained silent, he didn't insist. After saying a few more words, he got up and left.

Seeing Shen Henian leave, Ni Qingfeng and Li Dengping, seeing that their senior brother had no further instructions, also left.

"Junior brother, do you think our Tianshan Sect can survive this calamity?"

"It shouldn't be difficult to get through this, Senior Sister, you just need to rest assured. Senior Brother Headmaster's cultivation has greatly improved, and he is no weaker than Shangguan Yun. Junior Brother can barely be considered a master, and he can easily fight four opponents. In addition, there are you, Second Senior Brother, and a group of disciples. The overall strength is far beyond what it used to be. Unless Shangguan Yun is determined to destroy everything, the outcome of this matter is already predetermined."

Li Dengping glared at Ni Qingfeng with a hint of annoyance. If this junior brother could barely be considered a master, then she herself probably only had a rudimentary understanding of martial arts. However, after this teasing remark, a smile appeared on Li Dengping's face.

"Yes, the Tianshan Sect is no longer the Tianshan Sect it used to be."

Li Dengping sighed. She had taken a Heavenly Heart Pill and had benefited greatly in the past half month, becoming at least three times stronger than before.

After parting ways with Li Dengping, Ni Qingfeng returned to his residence. After dinner, he continued his meditation practice. Just as the moon began to shine, several figures, unwilling to be left out, headed towards the main hall of Tianshan. The guarding disciples did not notice them at all.

After exchanging a few hand gestures, the masked men leaped and moved with agility, silently bypassing the guards and entering the main hall. However, just as the three of them stepped into the hall, candlelight suddenly ignited in the dark interior, forcing them out of the darkness.

The three men, all dressed in black and masked, were startled by the sight and turned to leave. But a sword light flashed towards them, and they quickly scattered. When they regained their footing, they discovered that the person who had come was none other than Shen Henian.

Shen Henian's face was grim and uncertain. He swung his long sword repeatedly, and cold stars shot out, flashing with light as he attacked the tallest one. Upon seeing this, the man immediately shifted his feet and dodged to the side, while sweeping his right palm horizontally, sending a gust of wind towards Shen Henian.

When the other two saw that Shen Henian was being held up by his accomplices, they immediately ran outside. But as soon as they left the main hall, they saw a group of Tianshan disciples waiting outside with lanterns and weapons.

Inside the hall, Shen Henian leaped into the air, dodging the palm strike. His longsword trembled violently, its clear and melodious sound ringing out continuously. A murderous aura enveloped his opponent, and under the pressure of this aura, the masked man retreated continuously. Just as he was about to step out of the hall, he was forced back by a sword light outside the door. The newcomer revealed himself to be Li Dengping.

"Senior brother, let's finish this quickly."

Li Dengping let out a deep shout and unleashed a set of Tianshan sword techniques. Seeing this, Shen Henian launched a series of rapid attacks, each move more ruthless and faster than the last. The masked man was a skilled martial artist, but facing the greatly improved Shen Henian and Li Dengping, he was struck by several swords in just a few moves.

Meanwhile, the situation outside the hall was even worse. The two men were already inferior to the one inside the hall, and now they were trapped in the Tianshan Sword Formation by Fu Tianjiao and her seven companions. In just a few breaths, Fu Tianjiao pierced their chests with a sword, and they died instantly amidst the flashing swords. The other man relied on his agile movements to move around in the sword formation, but facing the ever-shrinking sword circle, if he had no backup plan, he would eventually be defeated and killed.

The hissing sound of the longsword cutting through the air put the masked man in the hall in an even more precarious situation. He didn't care about revealing his identity at that moment. He reached for his waist and drew a gleaming soft sword.

Shen Henian and Li Dengping's expressions immediately darkened when they saw the soft sword.

"Why doesn't the dignified leader of the Huashan Sect show his true face? Is he perhaps unable to be seen by others?"

Shen Henian spoke coldly, his long sword thrusting forward. When he was within three feet of Yue Qianfeng, his wrist flicked, and the sword light split into seven, forming the shape of the Big Dipper, and stabbed towards Yue Qianfeng's vital points.

This move is the most difficult to master in the Tianshan School of swordsmanship. It is called "Seven Stars Point Kill". It is impossible to master without more than ten years of hard training. Shen Henian has been practicing martial arts for more than forty years. His aptitude can only be considered as above average. He can only barely master it.

Upon seeing this, Yue Qianfeng's expression changed beneath his mask. He immediately turned his sword to protect himself, gripped the tip of the soft sword with his left hand, bent it into a semi-circle, and then let out a deep shout. The soft sword suddenly straightened, and just as the Seven Star Point Kill was about to strike his body, it directly deflected the Tian Shu position, breaking the Seven Star Point Kill instantly.

Before Yue Qianfeng could even catch his breath, Li Dengping's longsword was thrust forward again. Li Dengping's Tianshan Cloud and Water Sword Technique was flawless; although it wasn't particularly offensive, it was extremely difficult to deal with.

"No, we can't let this go on. We need to get away as soon as possible."

Yue Qianfeng was seriously injured. Seeing that his opponent was becoming increasingly difficult to deal with, he immediately reached into his sleeve, took out several miasma bombs, and threw them out. Then, taking advantage of the two's unpreparedness, he immediately ran out of the hall.

As the smoke cleared, Shen Henian and Li Dengping exchanged a glance and headed out of the hall. Just after the two came out, the masked man trapped in the sword formation was also subdued by Fu Tianjiao and the other seven. His mask was removed, and a familiar face was revealed in the candlelight.

"Shang Yizhou, the Divine Traveler".

Seeing this, Shen Henian snorted coldly, walked over, and pointed his finger at Shang Yizhou's body several times, directly breaking his dantian true qi.

"Put him in prison."

Shen Henian gave an order to his disciples, who immediately obeyed and went to carry it out.

"Tianjiao, did you see someone escape from the palace just now?"

"I saw it, but that person was very fast, and I couldn't be distracted. I could only let him escape. Please forgive me, Uncle."

"So what if he escaped? It's not a big deal. That person was seriously injured and probably won't cause any trouble for a while."

Shen Henian and Li Dengping kept their mouths shut and didn't say much to Tianjiao and the others. After telling them to be careful, the two returned to the main hall.

While Yue Qianfeng and his two companions were on their way, Tang En and Tang De from the Tang Clan were also busy. Based on the intelligence they had gathered during the day, they manipulated a poisonous creature to sneak into the kitchen with the Worry-Free Powder. However, when the creature entered the kitchen, it trembled all over and collapsed and died within a few breaths.

"How is this going?"

Tang En and Tang De were shocked to discover that all the poisoners they had sent out had died without exception. They exchanged a glance and felt a chill run down their spines.

Just then, a disciple from Tianshan came to deliver a message, saying that thieves had secretly come up the mountain, and to avoid harming innocent people, everyone was asked not to move around without permission.

Upon hearing this, Tang En and Tang De realized that the Huashan Sect had failed. Recalling what had just happened, the two believed that the Tianshan Sect had already prepared a countermeasure.

"We underestimated the Tianshan Sect. It seems that obtaining the Dragon Ball will not be an easy task."

Tang En had already given up on using poison to prepare the Worry-Free Powder. The message from the Tianshan disciples was a warning to them: if they dared to make any more moves, they shouldn't blame the Tianshan Sect for showing no mercy.

"Shangguan Yun will definitely arrive tomorrow, so let's just take advantage of the chaos."

Tang De glanced at Tang En, who nodded in response, and then they both went to sleep.

The next morning, after eating the food sent by the Tianshan Sect, Tang Entangde led his disciples to the square in front of the main hall of Tianshan, where dozens of rattan chairs had been placed by the Tianshan Sect.

(End of this chapter)