A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 289 Attack on the Return Journey
"Back then, Master Feng of the Iron Spear Sect single-handedly wiped out the Twelve Revolving Fortresses with just his spear. Since then, his fame has soared and he has been renowned throughout the martial arts world. Looking at this mottled iron spear, with its cold gleam, one can still see the demeanor of Master Feng."

The founder of the Iron Spear Sect, Feng Guoyun, was originally a martial artist. Later, for some unknown reason, he willingly gave up his position and went into seclusion in the mountains, coming to live in seclusion on Cuiping Mountain. However, this place was occupied by the Twelve Huihuan Fortresses back then. The Twelve Huihuan Fortresses were local tyrants, and the area within a hundred miles of Cuiping Mountain was their territory. However, their behavior was even more rampant than that of the evil sects.

Burning, killing, and looting were commonplace, but what was even more hateful was human trafficking and committing all sorts of heinous acts, causing widespread resentment. Later, Feng Guoyun took advantage of the night to go up the mountain and killed all twelve leaders in one night, and then slowly established the Iron Spear Sect's reputation.

"We, the younger generation, admire the demeanor of our ancestor. Punishing evil and promoting good, eliminating violence and maintaining peace is the tenet of our Iron Spear Sect. Hero Ni, please." Chen Ji gestured and led Ni Qingfeng past the stone tablet. After walking for a while, they saw several rows of houses in front of them, the tallest of which was no more than three stories, and most of them were one or two stories.

A group of men carrying long spears bowed when they saw Chen Ji return. Chen Ji waved and led Ni Qingfeng forward until they reached a tall wooden house.

"Master Ni, please come in."

As he spoke, Chen Ji pushed open the door, and Ni Qingfeng immediately stepped inside. Chen Ji then gave an order to the others behind him before entering the room and closing the door behind him.

The wooden house was not dark at all; on the contrary, it was very bright. Ni Qingfeng looked around and saw that the empty room was filled with neatly arranged, glittering light stones. At a rough count, there were at least thirty of them, the largest being the size of a fist and the smallest the size of a walnut.

"Sunstone, Sect Leader Chen, what a generous gift!" Ni Qingfeng praised. To him, the sunstone was no different from an ordinary stone, but to others, it was a priceless treasure.

"Master Ni, you flatter me. In my opinion, this thing only saves money on candles and is of no use whatsoever for martial arts practice. If you like it, please feel free to take it."

"No need for that, Sect Leader Chen. I'm sure you understand why I've come here."

"Chen understands."

"Very well, then I will speak frankly. Is there someone behind the conflict between the Iron Spear Sect and our sect, or is it all Chen Sect Leader's own idea?"

Ni Qingfeng looked at Chen Ji with calm eyes. The latter stared at him for a long time before looking away. He took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "I had no choice but to do this. However, I have absolutely no intention of being an enemy of the Tianshan Sect. In our several encounters, I have never had any intention of killing anyone."

"That's natural. Otherwise, I wouldn't have come to pay my respects in person, but instead led my disciples to fight my way up here. Sect Leader Chen, I don't want to know the reason behind this. I just want to confirm one thing: is the person behind this Qiu Shui Manor's young master Qiu Ruofeng?"

Upon hearing this name, Chen Ji's heart skipped a beat, his expression changed drastically, and he looked at Ni Qingfeng opposite him with a look of horror, saying in a hoarse voice, "Master Ni is indeed extremely intelligent. I originally thought you would place your suspicions on Shangguan Yun of Zhongxin Hall."

Ni Qingfeng said, "I know Shangguan Yun's character. He won't act rashly without absolute certainty. If the Iron Spear Sect incident was indeed instigated by Shangguan Yun, it would undoubtedly mean that the two factions are going to clash ahead of schedule. This would be a thankless task for Zhongxin Hall."

"Qiu Ruofeng is quite capable to sow discord between the two factions in such a short time. However, in the end, it is still because he is not strong enough. He insists on using these dirty tricks behind the scenes. Even if Qiushui Manor is not destroyed in Qiutangbai, it will be destroyed by Qiu Ruofeng."

Ni Qingfeng glanced at Chen Ji, who had a sorrowful expression, and said solemnly, "Sect Leader Chen, let this matter end here. Qiu Ruofeng's side will be handled by our Tianshan Sect. I hope you will take care of yourself."

After saying this, Ni Qingfeng got up to leave. Upon seeing this, Chen Ji immediately stood up and said loudly, "Master Ni, please wait. Qiu Ruofeng cannot be harmed, otherwise my Iron Spear Sect will be wiped out in an instant. Please have mercy, Daoist Master."

After saying this, Chen Ji knelt down on one knee in front of Ni Qingfeng. Ni Qingfeng was slightly startled and immediately helped him up.

"Sect Leader Chen, do you have something on Qiu Ruofeng?"

What exactly was the leverage that allowed someone with ordinary martial arts skills to subdue a sect leader?

Chen Ji nodded upon hearing this, gave a wry smile, and said, "Now that things have come to this, I will not hide it from you, Daoist. There is a huge amount of iron ore hidden in Cuiping Mountain. Qiu Ruofeng got the information from somewhere and sent me a letter, telling me to take action against the Tianshan Sect, or else he would report the news of the iron ore to the government."

After hearing this, Ni Qingfeng finally understood that iron ore had always been an important resource for the imperial court. If they knew that Cuiping Mountain contained iron ore, they would definitely send a large army to invade. Although the Iron Spear Sect was a martial arts sect, it could not stop the imperial court. The Iron Spear Sect's decades of foundation would be destroyed in an instant.

“If this matter is exposed, it is certain that the Iron Spear Sect’s foundation will be lost. Even more dangerous is the possibility that the imperial court will kill us to silence us. I am afraid of harming the innocent, so I have no choice but to do this.”

Upon hearing this, Ni Qingfeng looked at Chen Ji and asked, "Your senior brother died without cause. Were you involved in this?"

“He deserves to die. He was thinking of refining iron ore to expand the sect’s strength. This was simply courting death. If I hadn’t discovered it in time, silenced him, and taken the opportunity of taking over as sect leader to clean up the sect, the news would probably have spread down the mountain by now. I am the only one in the sect who knows about the iron ore.”

"Sect Leader Chen, I cannot believe your one-sided account. I must see for myself before we can discuss this further. Is that alright?"

Ni Qingfeng would not be swayed by Chen Ji's few words. After a moment of contemplation, Chen Ji said solemnly, "I trust Master Ni. Please come with me."

Chen Ji straightened his back, walked to a wooden frame inlaid with sunstone, and gently pried it open. With a click, the entrance to a secret room appeared in Ni Qingfeng's eyes.

“Master Ni, this is the entrance to the iron mine.”

Chen Ji went in first, and Ni Qingfeng followed. After entering, Ni Qingfeng discovered that the sides of the passage were also irregularly inlaid with sunstones, but they were not large, only the size of soybeans. The two followed the passage, and in less than a moment, they felt that the space in front of them suddenly opened up. After exiting the passage, Ni Qingfeng saw pits about three feet deep in front of him.

Inside the pit, there were countless dark red stones buried. Ni Qingfeng immediately recognized them as hematite, and of excellent quality at that. A cursory glance suggested that even with full-scale mining, it would take ten years to extract this iron ore.

"Sect Leader Chen, a common man is innocent, but he is guilty of possessing a treasure. This iron ore is a hot potato. No wonder Qiu Ruofeng is so fearless. However, since I already know about this matter, I cannot sit idly by. Sect Leader Chen, I need you to write a letter yourself, to write down Qiu Ruofeng's threats against you. I have a use for it."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ji glanced at Ni Qingfeng and asked, "Master Ni, are you absolutely certain you can resolve this matter?"

"While it may not be entirely accurate, it is about 80%. If Sect Leader Chen trusts me, then please do not ask any more questions. Otherwise, the deeper you get involved, the harder it will be to extricate yourself. It is better to pretend to be confused."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ji was immediately alarmed. He hurriedly said, "I naturally trust the Daoist Master. I will write a letter immediately. Please return to your room and rest for a while."

Ni Qingfeng readily agreed, and the two returned along the same route. Chen Ji had tea and snacks served, while he pondered for a while, wielding his brush and quickly filling several pages with writing. After reviewing the writing, he handed it to Ni Qingfeng.

"Sect Leader Chen wrote in great detail. With this letter as proof, and with my guarantee, this matter will surely be resolved smoothly. However, to prevent Qiu Ruofeng from seeing through our scheme, the conflict between the Iron Spear Sect and our sect cannot stop these next few days. On the contrary, we must make it even more intense. Does Sect Leader Chen understand?"

"Chen understands."

Ni Qingfeng put the letter away and said to Chen Ji, "It will take at least three days, and at most seven days, to give Sect Leader Chen an explanation for this matter. I will take my leave now."

"With Master Ni's words, I am relieved and will not keep you any longer."

The sooner this matter is resolved, the better; otherwise, who knows what other changes might occur in the future.

Chen Ji escorted Ni Qingfeng all the way to the foot of the mountain, watched him leave, and then returned to the mountain.

Ni Qingfeng descended Cuiping Mountain and returned to the nearest Tianshan branch. He gave his name, presented his sect leader's token, and soon a white-haired Taoist priest emerged from within.

"Greetings, Elder Ni."

"It turns out that Elder He is guarding this place. I won't go in. I have something I need your help to investigate. The information and portrait of the person I'm looking for are on paper. Please have me keep an eye out for them."

Upon hearing this, Elder He's expression immediately turned serious. He took the paper that Ni Qingfeng handed him, read it carefully, and said solemnly, "Junior Brother, rest assured, I will have the branch disciples keep a close watch when they go out, and send back to Tianshan as soon as there is any news."

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Senior Brother."

Elder He originally intended for Ni Qingfeng to rest here for the night, but Ni Qingfeng had important matters to attend to and politely declined his offer. After changing to a fast horse, he headed from the branch headquarters towards Tianshan.

...The group from Zhongxin Hall traveled eastward along the official road. Because of Zhongxin Hall's reputation, the journey was very quiet, but Shangguan Yun had a feeling that a storm was brewing.

"Master, there has been no unusual activity within a mile or so of the surrounding area, and I have arranged for shifts to be on duty."

"We should still be careful. I have a feeling something is going to happen tonight. We need to keep everyone on high alert and make sure there are no oversights."

"Yes, I will do it immediately."

Shangguan Yun approached the magnificent carriage and said to it, "Madam, Feiyan, come down and have something to eat. We'll have to camp out tonight."

As soon as she finished speaking, the curtain was lifted, and Shangguan Feiyan came out. After getting out of the car, she helped He Yanrong down.

"Father, what did you make? It smells so good!" Shangguan Feiyan's nose twitched as she smelled a fragrance, and her eyes lit up immediately.

"It's your favorite roasted pigeon, and charcoal-grilled mutton."

"Roasted pigeon is my favorite, and mutton is Mom's favorite. Mom, let's go try it quickly. If Dad can cook it himself, it must taste really good."

Shangguan Feiyan took He Yanrong's hand and led him to the fire. Looking at the pigeons and mutton dripping with oil on the fire, Shangguan Feiyan kept swallowing her saliva.

Seeing this, Shangguan Yun took a knife from the person next to him, cut off a piece of the nearly cooked food, and handed it to Shangguan Feiyan first.

"Taste it."

Then, with another slice, he cut off a piece of roasted mutton, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and handed it to He Yanrong. The latter took it and slowly savored it. Seeing that she had eaten, Shangguan Yun also cut off a piece. Just as he was about to put it in his mouth, his heart suddenly skipped a beat, and he hurriedly turned to the side. He saw a flashing, cold arrow fly past Shangguan Yun's chest.

Shangguan Yun's eyes flashed with anger, and he threw the cleaver in his hand in the direction from which the arrow had come. A scream was heard, and then there was silence.

"Father, mother."

Shangguan Feiyan hid next to He Yanrong, who shielded her tightly, her eyes fixed on Shangguan Yun.

"I don't know who the enemy is, Madam. Please take good care of Feiyan."

"Sun and Moon".

At Shangguan Yun's command, the Sun and Moon Duo led several people towards the direction of the flying arrow. Soon after, the body of a masked man in black was carried over. The Sun Duo removed the mask, revealing an unfamiliar face to everyone.

"The hall master is from the Diancang Sect."

Ri Sha picked up a longsword in the style of Diancang and presented it to Shangguan Yun. The latter glanced at it and then looked away.

How many remnants of Diancang are left?

"There is only one important figure, Huo Ying, and the number of ordinary disciples is around thirty."

"Hmph, their moment of mercy back then has led them to seek revenge on me in the end. Since that's the case, then I, the hall master, will send them on their way."

Back then, when Zhongxintang dealt with Diancang Sect, Shangguan Yun was wary of Xuanwu Shangren because of his disappearance. In addition, the sect leader at the time had a tough attitude and was determined not to back down, which caused Zhongxintang a lot of trouble. That's why they didn't pursue them relentlessly.

Now, Shangguan Yun felt that his skills had greatly improved, and he was not afraid at all even if Xuanwu appeared.

He Yanrong glanced at the corpse and saw a faint red light flickering in the corpse's dantian. Her expression changed immediately, and she shouted "Get back!" She then pulled Shangguan Feiyan away to a distance. The others did not understand what she meant, but Shangguan Yun and the Sun and Moon Twin Fiends immediately retreated several feet. A few others were a step slower, but fortunately they also retreated about ten feet away.

The others weren't so lucky. When they heard the sound, they hesitated for a moment, but it was too late to retreat. Suddenly, the corpse of the Diancang disciple exploded, and streams of crimson flames shot towards the onlookers. Anyone hit by the flames screamed in agony, and in a few moments, their bodies burst into flames, turning into a pile of charred remains in a few breaths.

"It's ghost fire!"

With a flick of his sleeve, Shangguan Yun unleashed a gust of wind that swept over several of his less seriously injured subordinates. The force of the wind extinguished the ghostly fire.

The Sun and Moon Duo each saved one person, while the remaining six all perished.

Although the name "Ghost Spirit Fire" contains the word "fire," it is actually a poison, a vicious weapon unique to the Tang Clan. This thing can only be used inside a dead body. Once the poison enters the body and is touched, it will explode on the spot, and even a top-notch expert will be killed on the spot if caught off guard.

If He Yanrong hadn't discovered the abnormality in the corpse's dantian in time, the Zhongxintang people would have suffered heavy losses.

"May the sun and moon protect the lady and young lady!"

Shangguan Yun knew that once the Ghost Spirit Fire appeared, those people in the shadows would seize the opportunity to attack. Sure enough, just as he finished speaking, arrows flew from all directions. Upon seeing this, Shangguan Yun raised his true energy and immediately created a protective shield, blocking all the incoming arrows.

"Guard the young lady well."

He Yanrong spoke in a deep voice, then rushed out of the protective barrier. A flash of cold light appeared in his hand as he threw darts toward the direction from which the arrows were coming.

He Yanrong's unexpected move caught the opponent off guard, and the number of arrows fired became noticeably sparser. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Shangguan Yun channeled his true energy, let out a deep shout, and unleashed a barrage of palm energy in all directions. The sound of palm energy tearing through the air was deafening, followed by screams of agony.

Following the sound, Shangguan Yun used his lightness skill to leap several feet in the blink of an eye and arrived in the shadows. He killed three men holding bows and arrows with a single palm strike. Just as he was about to attack the other two, a chilling aura suddenly came from outside. He dodged to the side, and a sword aura splashed on the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Looking up in the moonlight, Shangguan Yun saw three figures standing on the treetops. In the middle was an old man in a green robe holding a long sword. The sword tip twitched slightly, indicating that he was the one who had just attacked. The other two also held weapons. All three stared at Shangguan Yun with unfriendly expressions.

"This hall master doesn't like to talk with his head held high. All of you, get down here."

As he spoke, Shangguan Yun drew his right hand into a claw and pulled at the three of them. A powerful suction force surged toward them. Huo Ying and the other two immediately leaped down. Then, two sword energies and a palm strike met the suction force. With a bang, the two forces canceled each other out. Huo Ying and the other two swayed slightly, but Shangguan Yun remained as still as a mountain, standing calmly with his hands behind his back.

"Huo Ying of Diancang Sect, Li Lu of Wanjian Sect, Zhong Xing of Qiankun Sect, I spared your lives back then, but instead of hiding, you blatantly appeared here. It seems you're really tired of living."

Hearing Shangguan Yun's cold words, Huo Ying said, "Shangguan Yun, you are in dire straits today. As long as we kill you, Zhongxin Hall will collapse and we can avenge the massacre of our family."

As soon as Huo Ying finished speaking, his figure moved instantly. The long sword in his hand shone brightly, and the gleaming blade shot out thousands of cold stars, which condensed into three streams and stabbed towards Shangguan Yun's three vital acupoints: "Shanzhong", "Shencang", and "Lingxu". This move was the "Dianluo Sanxing" of the Diancang School, which was the essence of Diancang swordsmanship. Huo Ying had been practicing swordsmanship for more than forty years, and his use of this move was even more exquisite.

However, Shangguan Yun had once competed in martial arts with Master Xuanwu and had quite a bit of experience with this "Three Stars Pointing Down". He immediately flicked his sleeve, creating a wisp of air, and then refined it with his true energy and flung it outwards. A gust of wind appeared out of nowhere and swirled around the three sword lights. The three sword lights were simultaneously drawn by the wind, and their sword moves were deflected by a few points, failing to achieve their goal.

Just as Huo Ying made his move, Li Lu and Zhong Xing also attacked simultaneously, one with a sword and the other with a palm strike, targeting Shangguan Yun's left and right sides respectively. Li Lu's first move was the Wanjian Sect's signature sword technique, "Spring Echoes to Startle the Sky Sword." The buzzing sword sound resounded through the sky, like a spring flowing into a deep valley, or a star streaking across the sky. Its sound was melodious and pleasant, and its momentum was swift and unparalleled.

Zhong Xing of the Qiankun Sect, on the other hand, combined Yin and Yang in his palm strike, two completely different palm forces, yet perfectly integrated, displaying both blue and red colors, and aimed at Shangguan Yun's head. This was the Qiankun Sect's ultimate technique, the "Two Elements Yin-Yang Palm." If struck by this palm, anything in the palm could be ground into powder in an instant.

(End of this chapter)