A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 298 Easily Taking the Enemy's Life
Just after the Tianshan Sect group entered the Xiling branch, the yellow sand in the distance trembled, and a head emerged from it. It glanced at the Tianshan Sect group in the distance, then lowered its body, burrowed into the ground, and followed the yellow sand tunnel to a sand cave.

"Sect Master, the people from Huangsha Sect and Shenhuo Sect have failed. Shao Fei and Liehuo have also been captured. In addition, Shen Henian and Ni Qingfeng from Tianshan Sect, along with the Seven Heroes of Tianshan and more than ten disciples, have arrived at the Zhongxin Hall branch."

Upon hearing this, Sha Tiweng, the leader of the Sand Rat Sect, waved his hand, dismissing his disciple. He then wrote a letter, sealed it with sealing wax, and summoned a trusted disciple, solemnly instructing him: "Deliver this letter to the White-Headed Mountain Master immediately, without fail!"

The disciple immediately responded, took the letter, and headed towards Bailing Mountain through the excavated tunnel. Half an hour later, the disciple emerged from the tunnel, looked at the still distant Bailing Mountain, and immediately used his lightness skill to rush towards it.

After a while, the disciple finally arrived at the foot of the mountain. The disciple guarding the mountain saw the newcomer and immediately stopped him. However, after seeing the token that the disciple took out, his expression changed immediately. He waved to his subordinates to make way for him. The disciple bowed slightly and quickly walked up the mountain.

"Senior brother, how did the White Eagle Token end up in the hands of that Sand Rat Sect disciple?"

"That's not your question. Just guard the mountain path. If anything goes wrong, Senior Brother Duan won't show any mercy."

Upon hearing Senior Brother Duan's name, the disciple immediately showed fear. Everyone on Bailing Mountain knew that, apart from the Mountain Lord, Senior Brother Duan was the one to be most wary of. He was the Mountain Lord's only disciple and second only to the Mountain Lord in martial arts. Moreover, he was ruthless. Several of his senior brothers who had opposed him before had met tragic ends and died without a complete corpse. He did not want to be targeted by this master, so he immediately shut his mouth and obediently patrolled the mountain.

The Sand Rat Sect disciple used the White Eagle Token to clear the way and traveled without hindrance. Just as he was going up the mountain, the news reached the White-Headed Eagle. Upon hearing this, the latter's expression became serious, and he immediately ordered someone to invite the Living Yama, the Green-Robed Immortal, and Zhong Yue of the Polar Sect.

"White-haired one, what brings you here?" The green-robed immortal was in his room refining and absorbing his inner energy when he was suddenly interrupted, and his expression was quite unpleasant.

"The news came from the Sand Rat Clan. This matter must be of great importance, otherwise Shatien wouldn't have taken out the White Eagle Token."

Upon hearing this, the Living Yama was immediately startled. What could be so important that it warranted the use of the White Eagle Token? The Green-Robed Immortal, on the other hand, was puzzled and looked confused.

Zhong Yue, the leader of the Polar Gate, pondered for a long time, then stroked his beard and said, "Something must have happened at the Zhongxin Hall branch, and it must be bad news for us, otherwise Sha Tiweng wouldn't be so anxious."

The white-headed eagle agreed. After the four of them waited in the cave for a while, the Sand Rat Sect disciple was immediately led in. After exchanging greetings, the disciple immediately presented the letter. The white-headed eagle took it, examined it, broke the seal, and read it carefully. His expression immediately changed.

"White-haired man, what exactly happened?"

Seeing the gloomy face of the white-headed eagle, the Living Yama walked up to him. The white-headed eagle handed him the letter. After reading it, the latter's face also turned very ugly. The Green-Robed Immortal and Zhong Yue surrounded him. After only a cursory glance, they felt as if a thunderbolt had struck them.

"The Tianshan Sect has actually sent out such a force; it seems they are determined to annihilate us in one fell swoop."

Living Yama was startled. He had thought that the Tianshan Sect would at most send an elder and a dozen or so disciples, but he did not expect that the Tianshan Sect would have such great courage and not care about the Zhongxin Hall at all.

"Shangguan Yun alone is already very troublesome, but with Ni Qingfeng, the Sun and Moon Duo, and experts like Shen Henian, this battle will be extremely disadvantageous for us."

"Of course I know that, despite all my calculations, I still overlooked the Tianshan Sect. This Sect Leader Xue has also sent out the Seven Heroes of Tianshan, clearly intending to use us as a litmus test. He is truly audacious, but I have to admire him. Now that things have come to this, besides defending our formation and waiting for the enemy, we can only wait for our next move."

The white-headed eagle felt uneasy, but a relaxed expression appeared on its face. Seeing this, the three members of the Living Yama King's group gradually felt at ease.

"Shao Fei and Liehuo have been captured. Zhongxintang will definitely interrogate them about the situation on the mountain. Although they know only a limited amount, we still need to be extra careful."

"These two were originally just a test. Fortunately, they didn't know the specific arrangements. If Zhongxin Hall really listens to what they say, it's actually a good thing. The mechanisms on the mountain have already been rearranged, just waiting for them to step on them."

The bald eagle nodded upon hearing this. He had been operating here for many years and was very familiar with every blade of grass and tree on the mountain. If the other party were to attack, they would have to pay several times the price.

"Go back and tell Master Sha to keep a close watch on the branch headquarters and report back immediately if there is any news."

The bald eagle carefully put away the letter, gave a few instructions to the disciple who had delivered it, and the disciple immediately agreed before turning and leaving.

Several miles away from the Xiling branch, the flag of Zhongxin Hall appeared in the yellow sand. Shangguan Yun gave an order to Yue Sha, who immediately cracked his whip and leaped out first, heading towards the Xiling branch.

"Master, news has come from the rear that the Black Tiger Sect, the Startled Swallow Sect, the Three Talents Sect, the Funiu Sect, the Iron Palm Sect, the Double Gun Sect, and the Flowing Wave Sect have all arrived one after another and should be able to reach the branch headquarters within a day at most."

Ri Sha handed the report to Shangguan Yun, who nodded in satisfaction after reading it.

"They are at least sensible."

Shangguan Yun led his troops to besiege Bailing Mountain this time in order to deal with the White-Headed Eagle, and also to test the loyalty of the various sects under the Zhongxin Hall. It seems that these sects are quite obedient now.

"As the leader of the martial arts alliance, how dare they disobey? I just don't know who the Tianshan Sect will send. Leader, should we take advantage of this siege of Bailing Mountain to attack the Tianshan Sect?"

Upon hearing this, Shangguan Yun's eyes flickered slightly. After pondering for a moment, he said, "The strength of the Tianshan Sect has seriously threatened the Zhongxin Hall. The two sects will inevitably have a battle in the future. Although this time we are working together to suppress the evil sect, if there is an opportunity to weaken its power, I, the hall master, will not let this opportunity pass by. You can decide for yourself."

"Yes, I understand."

Ri Sha understood Shangguan Yun's meaning: he couldn't openly intervene, but if he were to interfere in a battle with the enemy, without solid evidence, the Tianshan Sect would have no choice but to suffer the consequences.

Yue Sha rushed all the way and soon arrived at the branch. When the gatekeeper saw that it was Yue Sha, he immediately stepped forward and bowed.

"Where is your leader? Why is there so much blood here? What happened?"

The cleanup was only done hastily, and some bloodstains were not yet removed. The air was still filled with the smell of blood and burning.

"Reporting to the elder, the sect leader is inside entertaining the heroes of the Tianshan Sect..."

Then the gatekeeper disciple briefly recounted what had happened. Upon hearing this, Yue Sha's expression immediately turned serious. He handed the reins to the disciple and walked towards the branch headquarters.

A quick-thinking disciple immediately sent someone to inform them. Yu Shang, who was talking with Shen Henian and Ni Qingfeng at the moment, was displeased to see the disciple rushing into the room.

"Master, Elder Yue has arrived!"

Upon hearing this, Yu Shang immediately stood up in surprise and bowed apologetically to Shen Henian and Ni Qingfeng, saying, "Please forgive me, Daoists, I must take my leave now."

He then quickly left with his disciples.

Ni Qingfeng watched Yu Shang leave and said to Shen Henian beside him, "Senior brother, Shangguan Yun is here. Let's wait and see."

Shen Henian nodded upon hearing this.

Yu Shang and his disciples had not gone far when they saw Yue Sha walking towards them, so they quickly took a few steps to meet him.

"I apologize for not being able to greet you properly, Elder."

"Chief Yu, there's no need for such formalities. The Hall Master will be arriving soon. Is everyone at the branch ready?"

"Elder, rest assured, your subordinate has already made all the preparations. Elder Yue, Daoist Shen and Daoist Ni from the Tianshan Sect are inside."

Yue Sha glanced at Yu Shang and said calmly, "Welcoming the Hall Master is the most important thing now. Leader Yu, don't lose your composure."

"Yes, yes, I misspoke. I have already summoned the branch's senior leaders and will go out to greet the hall master now."

As they were talking, several high-ranking members of the branch had already received the news and immediately headed over. After exchanging greetings, they followed Yue Sha to the outside of the branch and waited quietly for Shangguan Yun.

A moment later, the banner of Zhongxin Hall appeared in everyone's sight. Soon after, carriages and horses rolled in. Shangguan Yun, who was in the lead, looked at the crowd gathered outside the branch from afar and couldn't help but smile. Half a moment later, Shangguan Yun and his party finally arrived at the entrance of the branch.

As soon as Shangguan Yun dismounted, Yu Shang and the others immediately bowed respectfully and greeted him in unison. Shangguan Yun raised his hand slightly, signaling everyone to rise. Yue Sha then returned to Shangguan Yun's side and briefly recounted the attack on the branch. Shangguan Yun's eyes flickered slightly, and upon hearing that the Tianshan Sect had arrived, his expression immediately became serious.

"Master, it's very windy and dusty here. Please come inside and have a seat."

Shangguan Yun nodded, and Yu Shang led the way as the group slowly entered the branch headquarters.

The Sand Rat Clan, who were monitoring from a distance, saw Shangguan Yun appear and immediately relayed the message to Sha Tiweng. After sorting it out, Sha Tiweng immediately sent someone to deliver the message to Bailing Mountain.

Shangguan Yun and his group quickly arrived at the main hall. Upon seeing Shen Henian and Ni Qingfeng waiting outside, Shangguan Yun immediately took a few quick steps and bowed respectfully to Shen and Ni from afar.

"Master Shen, Master Ni, it's been a long time. How have you both been?"

"Thank you for your concern, Hall Master Shangguan. Since we parted at Tianshan, Hall Master Shangguan's demeanor remains as impressive as ever, which I greatly admire."

Shen Henian bowed and offered a few words of flattery. Ni Qingfeng, who was standing to the side, also bowed, but did not say anything more.

Shangguan Yun didn't mind. After everyone entered the main hall, they sat down. Shangguan Yun sat at the head of the table. After exchanging a few pleasantries, they got down to business.

"Yu Shang, has the situation on Bailing Mountain been thoroughly investigated?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Shang immediately stood up and said to Shangguan Yun, "Reporting to the Hall Master, besides the White-Headed Eagle, there are also the Green-Robed Immortal from the Three Wonders of the Frontier, the Living Yama from the Hell Gate, Zhong Yue from the Polar Gate, Tang En and Tang De from the Tang Clan, and a group of demons from the Eight Mountains and Sixteen Caves on Bailing Mountain, numbering approximately five hundred."
"There are three routes through Bailing Mountain, located in the east, south, and north. The eastern route is the steepest, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. The northern and southern routes are relatively open, but these are also the most heavily fortified areas of Bailing Mountain. In addition, many traps have been planted in the surrounding area of ​​Bailing Mountain..."

Yu Shang had clearly put in a lot of effort, getting a pretty good grasp of the situation on Bailing Mountain, and everyone nodded in agreement.

“Master, I may have overlooked something, but Shao Fei of Huangshamen and Liehuo of Shenhuo Sect, who was captured by Master Ni of Tianshan Sect, may know more detailed information. If you agree, I will bring them up now.”

Upon hearing this, Shangguan Yun nodded to Yu Shang and said, "Then bring the two of them up and try to get some useful information out of them."

Yu Shangdao said yes and turned to leave. A moment later, the two men, who were tightly bound, were brought up. With a thud, they fell to the ground. Looking up at Shangguan Yun at the head of the table and Ni Qingfeng standing expressionless beside him, Liehuo and Shaofei were immediately horrified.

"Shao Fei, Lie Huo, I'm giving you a chance to live. If you two can describe the situation on the mountain in detail, I'll let you live after confirming that it's true. Otherwise, I'll make you disappear into thin air!"

"Master Shangguan, is this really true?"

"With the Taoist masters of the Tianshan Sect here as witnesses, do you still not trust this hall master?"

Upon hearing this, Shao Fei felt reassured. Putting aside the Tianshan Sect, the two words "trust and righteousness" were more valuable than "loyalty and trustworthiness hall".

"Very well, then I will tell you all..."

After a short while, Shao Fei recounted what he knew about the mountain. Everyone understood the situation, and although many of his accounts didn't match Yu Shang's, they weren't too discouraged. After all, there was still Liehuo here.

"Fellow Daoist Liehuo, you may speak now."

Liehuo glanced at Ni Qingfeng, who had spoken, and then at Shao Fei. He then told what he knew, but what he said contradicted what Shao Fei had said. Upon hearing this, Shao Fei's face turned pale, and he looked at Shangguan Yun and Ni Qingfeng with a sorrowful expression.

"It seems that this white-headed eagle does not regard the two of you as his confidants at all. Otherwise, the two of you would not have said such different things. Just take the eastern mountain road as an example. Shao Fei, you said that fire mines and rolling stones were set up, while you said that raging fire was a ground sinkhole and a rain of arrows. How is this hall master supposed to judge?"

Shangguan Yun's calm words terrified Shao Fei, while Lie Huo remained calm and unaffected.

"Master Shangguan, what these two said is not entirely useless. Fire Thunder and the like may really exist, but it is uncertain where they are located. Moreover, according to what I said, White-headed Eagle is deliberately creating a deception. This undoubtedly shows that the forces on the mountain are not enough to fight against us, and can only use some tricks and schemes to shorten the gap between us."

Shen Henian, as expected of a seasoned veteran, quickly pieced together a clear line from the two men's full of loopholes: the number of people on the mountain might not be as many as they thought.

"Master Shen is quite right. If Bai Tou could truly overpower us in strength, he wouldn't have resorted to these tricks. However, even so, conquering Bai Ling Mountain will not be easy."

"It is already late, and the other sects have not yet arrived. We will discuss this further after all the sects have gathered. What do you two Daoist masters think?"

“Master Shangguan’s words are spoken with great care, and I have no objection.”

Shen Henian was unwilling to let the Tianshan disciples die before he had a clear understanding of the situation.

Ni Qingfeng also shook his head. Seeing this, Shangguan Yun nodded and waved his hand to have Shao Fei and Liehuo taken away.

Seeing this, Shen Henian and Ni Qingfeng also got up to say goodbye and returned to their residence. Ni Qingfeng summoned Gu Ming and gave him a few instructions. After nightfall, Ni Qingfeng quietly left the branch and headed towards Bailing Mountain.

The Sand Rat Sect disciples monitoring the Xiling branch had no idea where Ni Qingfeng was. Instead, Ni Qingfeng discovered them. Not wanting to alert them, Ni Qingfeng used his lightness skill and quickly disappeared into the yellow sand.

Meanwhile, on Bailing Mountain, White-Headed Eagle and his companions were discussing how to deal with the siege from Zhongxin Hall and Tianshan Sect. Green-Robed Immortal said, "Shangguan Yun and Ni Qingfeng are extremely difficult to deal with. If things really come to this, White-Headed Eagle, you will have to abandon Bailing Mountain."

"Out with the old, in with the new. If we can exchange a mountain for the lives of Shangguan Yun and Ni Qingfeng, then it will be worth it."

A fierce glint flashed in the bald eagle's eyes. He had already planted explosives in the White Ridge Mountains, enough to blow them to pieces.

"This measure should only be used as a last resort. If it explodes, we'll be too old to keep it a secret from the court. If they investigate, we'll be forced to flee overseas."

The imperial court doesn't care about the fighting in the martial arts world, but explosives are a taboo subject. No matter what sect you belong to, if you possess them, you will die. Don't be fooled by the powerful Zhongxin Hall; it is extremely vulnerable in front of the imperial court.

"This is the last resort. We can only hope that the people we send out can be effective. As long as we kill some of them and create chaos, we can use our geographical advantage to confront them. In time, Shangguan Yun will surely lose patience."

At this point, the white-headed eagle paused, then continued, "Shangguan Yun's alliance with the Tianshan Sect is already loose. The longer it goes on, the greater the losses will be. The various sects come together for profit, and they will also break up for profit. When that time comes, we will distribute the things we stole from Shaolin Temple, which will surely have a decisive effect!"

"A good plan. If it can be done this way, that would be perfect. But what about the Tang Clan..."

The Living Yama also thought the plan was quite good, but the only ones who suffered losses were Tang En and Tang De.

"Tang Entangde is a smart man and he can see the current situation clearly. Besides, we are not refusing to help him take revenge, but the time will be slightly delayed, which does not mean we are breaking our agreement."

Upon hearing this, the Green-Robed Immortal glanced at the White-Headed Eagle but said nothing more. Both the Living Yama and Zhong Yue appeared to be deep in thought.

After a brief discussion, the group returned to their respective residences. The Green-Robed Immortal, carrying the Blood Ginseng, went to the cliff and sat on a stone platform. Under the full moon, he swallowed the Blood Ginseng and absorbed the moonlight. A thin, cold glow surrounded the Green-Robed Immortal, with spots of various colors on it. These were the true energy within his body. With each inhale and exhale, the dense spots of various colors on his body gradually dimmed, and some even disappeared completely.

"This blood ginseng is truly extraordinary."

After the Green-Robed Immortal removed a trace of strange power from his body, he felt much lighter. He swallowed another ginseng root, and just as he was about to continue refining it, he suddenly felt a warning and quickly got up, scanning his surroundings with his eyes.

"Who's there?"

With a flick of his finger, the green-robed immortal sent a burst of energy towards a rock on the cliff. The rock shattered, and no one was found there.

"Could it be that I sensed it wrongly?"

Just as the Green-Robed Immortal was puzzled, he suddenly noticed someone standing behind him. Startled, he hurriedly turned around and struck with his palm, but his palm missed its target. Immediately, he felt a sharp pain in his arm, and blood flowed down his arm, dripping onto the ground.

(End of this chapter)