A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 301 Successive Deaths
The white-headed eagle met Ni Qingfeng's gaze and looked over with a solemn expression. "Ni Qingfeng, your Tianshan Sect has always been at odds with Zhongxin Hall. Why are you willing to act as Shangguan Yun's henchman this time? It seems that the Tianshan Sect is no different from other martial arts sects. I had previously thought too highly of it."

Hearing the bald eagle's mocking words, Ni Qingfeng said calmly, "Those who walk different paths cannot make plans together. Bald Eagle, you should have known this consequence when you destroyed the Shaolin Temple."

Regardless of the internal workings of Shaolin, it is at least outwardly a righteous sect, and it is currently in seclusion. Bai Tou's disregard for the rules of the martial arts world has almost crossed Shangguan Yun's bottom line. As for the Tianshan Sect, this time they are merely trying to prevent Zhongxin Hall from monopolizing the limelight, and there is no distinction between master and servant or superior and inferior.

"Master Ni, please enlighten me!"

After hearing Ni Qingfeng's words, the white-headed eagle knew that this person would not be easily provoked. So it shouted and its figure moved, and its two palms, full of internal force, struck Ni Qingfeng. A layer of shimmering red light appeared on its palms.

"Red Sand Palm".

Ni Qingfeng narrowed his eyes slightly, neither dodging nor avoiding, and raised his right palm to meet the other two palms. Instantly, the air around the two of them surged, and the trees swayed. The white-headed eagle felt a powerful internal force coming from his palm, and his heart tightened. He gritted his teeth and added three more points of strength, barely managing to resist the surging palm force.

"My Crimson Sand Palm is one of the best palm techniques in the martial arts world, with few that can rival it. What kind of skill did Ni Qingfeng use to be able to reverse my palm force?"

Looking at the composed Ni Qingfeng opposite him, White-Headed Eagle couldn't help but ponder in his heart that ever since he lost a move to Ni Qingfeng in Pansha Town, White-Headed Eagle had devoted most of his energy to this Crimson Sand Palm. In order to improve his skills quickly, he even took an unorthodox approach, using various cruel methods to assist in his cultivation. This is how he was able to master it in just a few years.

After exchanging blows for a while, Ni Qingfeng realized that his opponent's palm force had reached its limit. He then unleashed a burst of palm energy, and a powerful palm strike tore through the Crimson Sand Palm's defense, directly entering his opponent's body. White-headed Eagle's expression changed slightly, and his sleeve trembled as a black light shot out, heading straight for Ni Qingfeng's face. The latter dodged slightly, and the black light struck an ancient tree without missing a beat.

Having gained this respite, the white-headed eagle immediately withdrew its palm strike, retreating several steps with a gloomy expression as it looked at Ni Qingfeng.

"What a vicious hidden weapon."

Ni Qingfeng glanced at the ancient tree that had been hit by the hidden weapon. In just a few breaths, the once lush tree first lost its leaves, then its branches turned yellow and withered, and finally, with a gust of wind, it was blown to the ground like rotten wood.

"I believed that after practicing the Crimson Sand Palm, I was not far off from you, even if I was not as good as you. But now it seems that I underestimated you, Ni Qingfeng. I cannot defeat you, but whether you alone can protect your disciples is still unknown. I will not continue this journey!"

As he spoke, the white-headed eagle flicked its hand, and three mist pills exploded one after another, scattering clouds of mist that quickly enveloped the wide area on the mountainside. Seeing this, Ni Qingfeng waved his sleeve, and an invisible gale swept back and forth, trying to blow away the mist.

However, to Ni Qingfeng's surprise, the fog was very strange. After the strong wind blew, it not only did not dissipate, but also showed signs of expanding. At this moment, Fu Tianjiao and the others also arrived at this place one after another. Looking at the white fog rolling around in front of them, Fu Tianjiao stopped with her long sword, and the Tianshan disciples immediately stopped in their tracks.

"Uncle Master."

"This fog is rather strange; tell the disciples to be careful."

Ni Qingfeng focused his energy in his eyes, piercing through the mist and scanning all directions. To his surprise, he found no traps or mechanisms in the mist, which made Ni Qingfeng think more highly of the White-headed Eagle.

"What is real is made to appear unreal, and what is unreal is made to appear real. The White-headed Eagle has done a good job with this scheme."

After Ni Qingfeng gave Tianjiao a few instructions, Tianjiao immediately had her disciples take out torches, light them, and then closely followed behind Ni Qingfeng. In the mist, a fire dragon could be seen winding and coiling, heading towards the mountaintop.

On the other side, after getting rid of Ni Qingfeng, the white-headed eagle arrived at the Calabash Pass. This place can be said to be the narrowest part of the mountain road on the north side, which can only accommodate one person at a time. It can be described as a place where one man can hold off ten thousand.

The bald eagle used its lightness skill to swiftly pass through the narrow passage. On the other side, it carefully arranged the porcelain bottles containing the "Thousand-Punch Deadly Powder" one by one. Then, it moved far away, flicked a pebble in its hand, and with a whoosh, launched it, shattering the three bottles in succession. The "Thousand-Punch Deadly Powder" hidden inside immediately spread out. Because it was noon, the poison evaporated even faster, sealing off the entire narrow passage in less than half a breath.

"Hehe, Ni Qingfeng, this Thousand Holes Powder will be enough to delay you for a while."

From the very beginning, when the White-Headed Eagle was attacking his side from the Tianshan Sect, he didn't expect to achieve much. His target wasn't Shangguan Yun or Ni Qingfeng, but the other sects that had followed him.

"Master, a message came from Mr. Green Robe: the Black Tiger Sect, the Startled Swallow Sect, the Funiu Sect, and the Iron Palm Sect have joined forces to attack. They have already passed the Three Stone Plates. On the Zhong Sect Master's side, Shangguan Yun is personally leading the team up the mountain, and they are now heading towards the Buluo Gorge."

Upon seeing his master return, Duan Cheng immediately went to greet him and relayed the information he had received earlier.

"Yes, I understand. Duan Cheng, you will temporarily take charge of the northern area. You only need to hold out for half an hour. Once the time is up, head straight to the main altar on the mountaintop. Do not linger in the battle!"

Duan Cheng nodded in agreement, but in his heart he was thinking that with Master Ni around, he wouldn't be able to hold out for even half an hour, let alone half an hour. However, he absolutely could not bargain with his master now, otherwise the consequences would be dire.

Seeing that Duan Cheng readily agreed, the bald eagle nodded in satisfaction, then its figure flashed and headed towards the eastern mountain path.

"So that's what you were planning."

Duan Cheng thought for a moment and immediately understood. However, the act had to be done properly. Hearing the constant stream of news, Duan Cheng knew what was going on. He waved the flag in his hand, and saw huge boulders rolling down from the upper part of the mountainside. If nothing unexpected happened, these boulders should have caused chaos, even if they didn't cause any casualties. However, with Duan Cheng there, although the boulders were rolling towards the Tianshan Sect group, the angles were completely different, almost perfectly avoiding them. This left the Tianshan disciples puzzled.

"Senior sister, the people from Bailing Mountain have such ridiculously high accuracy."

Fu Tianxiang drew her sword, intending to make a move, but found that the boulders were two body lengths away from them. After the rumbling sound, apart from breaking some trees, they were unharmed, and even the Liubo Sect disciples following behind benefited from the accident.

However, Yin Songyue, the leader of the Liubo Sect, had a slight glint in his eyes upon seeing this. He stroked his beard and pondered for a long while before finally chuckling. Shen Henian turned around upon hearing this and asked, "Sect Leader Yin?"

"It's nothing. I just suddenly realized that this White-headed Eagle is supposed to be a master of the evil sect, so why are his subordinates so incompetent? It really puzzles me."

"White-headed Eagle has always been arrogant and conceited, and his subordinates follow suit. They have often done evil deeds by relying on his power. Now that disaster is imminent, White-headed Eagle can hardly protect himself. How much ability does Sect Leader Yin expect from them?"

Shen Henian looked at the mist ahead, his expression turned serious, and he slowly drew his sword, carefully following the person in front of him into the fog.

Seeing this, Yin Songyue called on her disciples to light torches, and soon everyone entered the mist.

Just as the Tianshan Sect and the Liubo Sect were attacking the northern mountain path, a bloody battle was already raging on the eastern mountain path. Several corpses, riddled with arrows, lay scattered across the treacherous path.

Gao Liang, Wang Mengyu, Qian Yi, and Li Xu all looked grim. Just now, their four factions joined forces to attack, but they were forced back by the thousands of arrows from the mountain. If it weren't for the shields they had prepared in advance, they would have lost at least half of their strength this time.

"This place needs to be dealt with quickly. As long as we rush through and reach the mountainside, we can use the trees as cover. Sect Leader Wang, your Jingyan Sect is most skilled in lightness skills. This time, we three sects will buy you time and take down that mountainside as quickly as possible!"

Wang Mengyu nodded in agreement. After a brief discussion, the four of them finalized the details. At Gao Liang's command, the disciples from the four sects proceeded slowly along the mountain path, using their shields in an orderly fashion. The green-robed immortal on the mountaintop saw everything clearly, sneered, and waved his flag. The archers halfway up the mountain were ready, waiting for the order to be given.

A moment later, the four factions were less than a few feet from the mountainside. Gao Liang nodded to Wang Mengyu, glanced at Qian Yi and Li Xu, and gave a deep shout. Suddenly, the disciples of the four factions accelerated their advance, moving forward a considerable distance in just a few breaths. Seeing this, the Green-Robed Immortal lowered his flag, and hundreds of arrows immediately shot out from the mountainside. The sound of arrows whistling through the air was incessant. The impact of the arrows striking the shields greatly increased the pressure on the disciples of the four factions. Some of the weaker ones could not withstand the force and were knocked aside by the arrows, instantly pierced through the heart by the hail of arrows.

"Hold on!"

Gao Liangchi's expression changed slightly. He took out his shield and personally guarded the gap. His movement stabilized the previously chaotic situation. At the same time, Wang Mengyu had calculated the time gap between the arrows. Just as the first wave of arrows was fired, Wang Mengyu quickly got up and led more than a dozen disciples. Like swallows, they flew out from among the crowd in the blink of an eye. With a few leaps, they jumped several feet. Then, screams of agony came from the mountainside.

Upon hearing this, Gao Liang immediately urged the four factions to advance quickly. In a short while, the four factions successfully reached the mountainside. Although more than ten people were killed or injured along the way, Gao Liang could still afford the cost.

"Master Wang, well done."

Gao Liang looked at Wang Mengyu walking gracefully and praised her. However, the latter said with a solemn expression, "Sect Leader Gao, it is not time to relax now. When I killed these archers just now, I unintentionally learned that the one guarding this mountain path was actually that old monster in green robes."

"The Green-Robed Monster?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Liang and the other two's expressions changed slightly, and their tone became serious.

"This old monster is guarding this mountain path, so we have to be extra careful. He is extremely treacherous and cunning, and he puts profit first. No one knows what he might do to achieve his goals."

As soon as Qian Yi finished speaking, the group suddenly felt a violent shaking of the earth. Their expressions changed drastically, and they hurriedly shouted for everyone to scatter. Looking up, they saw boulders rolling down towards them, along with a dense swarm of flying arrows.

Upon seeing this, the disciples of the four factions hurriedly sought places to hide, but in their haste, some were shot dead by flying arrows, while others, in their panic, entered a dead end and were crushed by rolling stones, leaving behind a trail of blood.

The rolling stones and flying arrows lasted for a full quarter of an hour before subsiding, but this whole ordeal resulted in the deaths of more than thirty disciples from the four factions.

“The three of you are close enough now, you can use those fire grenades.”

Gao Liang was seething with anger. Seeing that the two sides were not far apart, he used his ultimate move. He took out two wooden boxes from his package and opened them. Inside, there were neatly arranged layers of black fire bombs the size of pills.

Wang Mengyu turned her head away at the pungent smell, her brows furrowed. Li Xu and Qian Yi, however, stared intently at the fire thunderbolt with shining eyes. This was a valuable item; judging by its quality, it must be a top-grade product from the Thunder Hall. The Black Tiger Sect definitely didn't have the strength or influence to produce such a thing. It must have been given to Gao Liang by Shangguan Yun.

"These are two hundred pieces given to us by Master Shangguan before he left. The four of us will each take fifty. We will use the Fire Thunder Pieces to suppress the enemy's attack and take the opportunity to let our disciples attack."

As he spoke, Gao Liang handed one of the boxes to Qian Yi, while he himself took out fifty fire grenades from another box.

"Sect Leader Wang, this is yours. Our three sects are not as good as your sect in terms of lightness skills, so please lend us your help later."

Wang Mengyu nodded as she took the wooden box from Gao Liang. Meanwhile, Qian Yi and Li Xu had also finished dividing up the fire thunderstones. After discussing it briefly, the four of them didn't waste much time and each led their disciples to rush upwards before the attack from above began.

"It's just looking for death!"

As the Green-Robed Immortal watched the four factions surge forward below, he waved his flag, unleashing a barrage of rolling stones and flying arrows. However, at that moment, the Green-Robed Immortal's eyes narrowed, and his expression changed drastically. Explosions erupted one after another, and a dozen or so fireballs soared up, their target the very spot where the flying arrows had been released. A moment later, a series of explosions and screams echoed through the mountain path.

"Fire Thunder!"

The Green-Robed Immortal's eyes were bloodshot with rage. His opponent had miscalculated by possessing the Fire Thunder Particle. As he watched his carefully laid out defenses crumble under the fierce onslaught of the Fire Thunder Particle, the Green-Robed Immortal couldn't help but feel a sense of retreat. At the same time, he secretly felt fortunate. If his opponent had released this item during their battle, he would have been severely injured, if not killed.

With Huo Leizi leading the way, the four factions quickly rushed towards the mountaintop. Upon seeing this, the Green-Robed Immortal immediately waved his flag, and figures leaped out from all directions on the mountaintop, rushing down the mountain. In less than a quarter of an hour, the four factions clashed in one place, and the sounds of battle echoed through the mountain path.

"Green-robed monster, prepare to die!"

The Green-Robed Immortal heard a deep shout, followed by more than ten fire thunderbolts. Upon seeing this, the Green-Robed Immortal hurriedly dodged, but just as he was dodging to one side, more than a dozen flying swallow darts swirled and shot towards him, shimmering with an eerie blue light under the sunlight.

"Swallows come and go."

Seeing this, the Green-Robed Immortal snorted coldly, a cold light flashed in his hand, and the Soul-Severing Hook appeared in his hand. With a series of swings, he swept away all the Flying Swallow Darts. At the same time, his figure kept leaping, and in a few breaths he had already dodged the range of the Fire Thunder Explosion. Standing on the mountaintop platform, the Green-Robed Immortal coldly looked at the four people who jumped up, three men and one woman.

"Black Heart Master of Black Tiger Gate was quite a figure, so how did you become a lackey of Zhongxin Hall in your generation? If Black Heart Master knew, wouldn't he be so angry that he would vomit blood?"

Looking at Gao Liang, the leader, Green Robe Immortal could easily tell that he came from the Black Tiger Sect, and couldn't help but make a few sarcastic remarks.

Gao Liang remained expressionless upon hearing this. He twirled his broadsword, its gleaming blade flashing with cold light. Without uttering a word, he unleashed a "Horizontal Wall and Steep Clouds" slash, while Wang Mengyu and the other two, each wielding their weapons, surrounded the Green-Robed Old Monster. All four killing moves arrived simultaneously.

Feeling the cold wind rushing from all sides, the Green-Robed Immortal swung his Soul-Severing Hook, shattering the blade with a clang. He ducked to avoid Qian Yi's spiked club, then swung his right palm, sending a gust of bloody palm wind towards Li Xu. The latter withdrew his sword to protect himself, while the Green-Robed Immortal leaped into the air, catching the returning Soul-Severing Hook in his hand. With a deep shout, he poured his inner strength into it, splitting it in two with a crack, one on the left and one on the right, attacking Wang Mengyu and Gao Liang respectively.

With a series of fluid movements, the Green-Robed Immortal not only easily neutralized the four's attacks but also began to take the initiative. Gao Liang remained calm upon seeing this and wielded his broadsword with impenetrable skill. The broken Soul-Severing Hook struck the blade with a clang and was forced back by the internal force contained within it.

Meanwhile, Wang Mengyu, seeing the approaching Soul-Severing Hook, threw two Flying Swallow Darts forward. With two clangs, the Soul-Severing Hook was also knocked away. Seeing the Green-Robed Old Monster lose his weapon, Qian Yi and Li Xu exchanged a glance, then both took to the air, one with a staff and the other with a sword, stabbing at the Green-Robed Old Monster's left and right sides respectively.

But at that moment, Gao Liang's expression suddenly changed drastically, and he exclaimed, "You two, get out of the way!"

Qian Yi and Li Xu were confused, but they quickly realized what was happening. They abandoned their attack on the Green-Robed Old Monster and tried to escape, but they saw the Green-Robed Old Monster grin ferociously. He reached out and sucked the Soul-Severing Hooks that had been scattered in two places back into his hand with a whoosh. With a forward swing, a cold, emerald-green light swept towards the two of them like a bolt of lightning.

Qian Yi and Li Xu's expressions changed instantly, and they hurriedly drew their weapons to protect themselves. However, they had already lost the initiative, and with no foothold in mid-air, they could not exert their full power. With two muffled groans, Qian Yi and Li Xu were knocked down from mid-air. Before they could even stand up, a figure suddenly rushed in, and a crimson palm strike landed squarely on Qian Yi's chest. The latter screamed, and as the white-headed eagle withdrew its right hand, Qian Yi's body instantly split open, his flesh and blood charred as if they had been roasted, emitting a nauseating stench.

"A bald eagle!"

Gao Liang was thrown off balance by the sudden turn of events, but seeing Qian Yi's miserable state, Gao Liang's eyes sharpened, and he hurled two fire grenades at him.

"Little tricks."

The white-headed eagle snorted coldly as it watched the incoming fireballs. With a flick of its sleeve, an invisible gust of wind sent the two fireballs flying directly at Li Xu. The latter, whose blood and qi had just been shaken by the attack and whose breath had not yet recovered, looked at the incoming fireballs with utter horror in its eyes. With two loud bangs, the fireballs instantly blasted him into oblivion.

(End of this chapter)