A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 313 Failure
Upon seeing the power of the Dragon Pearl on Cha Muxue, Shangguan Yun immediately leaped forward, unleashing a palm strike towards Xuanwu Shangren. Seeing this, Xuanwu Shangren hurriedly pushed Cha Muxue aside, straightened his expression, and his longsword shone with a hazy light. With a deep shout, his sword flashed, crisscrossing and traversing, shattering the palm strike. The remaining sword energy continued its momentum, heading straight for Shangguan Yun.

Xuanwu knew he was no match for Shangguan Yun, and with Cha Muxue by his side, he took advantage of Shangguan Yun's distraction while dealing with the sword energy, grabbed Cha Muxue with his long arm, and used his lightness skill to run away into the distance.

Seeing this, Shangguan Yun snorted coldly. A faint light emanated from his body as he leaped into the air. With a gust of wind from his palm, he shattered all the sword energy. Without stopping, he chased after the direction Xuanwu Shangren had left. Shangguan Yun's lightness skill was remarkable, and with the connection between the dragon pearls, he saw the backs of Xuanwu and the other person in less than half a moment. He sneered and gathered his true energy. The crimson and red colors on his body switched back and forth and finally merged to form a crimson light shield. He reached out and grabbed the light shield, which immediately gathered in his hand. With a strong grip, a ferocious-looking dragon palm energy, about three zhang long, tore through the clouds and rushed straight towards Xuanwu.

"Uncle, the bad guy is catching up."

Upon hearing this, Master Xuanwu abruptly halted his sprint. Turning around, his expression changed instantly. He quickly channeled his inner energy, and with two swishes, Master Xuanwu, carrying Cha Muxue, climbed a large tree. They moved left and right, using the terrain of the forest to constantly change direction. Although the dragon palm energy was incredibly powerful, it was also constantly being depleted. By the time it approached Master Xuanwu within three zhang, its power was less than half of what it had been before, and it was easily cleaved in two by Master Xuanwu's sword.

However, Master Xuanwu felt uneasy. Shangguan Yun never did anything in vain. Such a waste of his true energy must be for some purpose. Thinking of this, Master Xuanwu became vigilant and increased his speed by three points, running swiftly.

“No, that’s not right,” Master Xuanwu’s expression changed as he looked at the somewhat familiar scene before him. This tree had clearly been shattered by the palm strike just now, so why is it now completely intact?

"Uncle, Xue'er feels so bad."

Upon hearing this, Master Xuanwu immediately looked down at Cha Muxue in his arms, his pupils contracted, and he hurriedly stopped. Looking at Cha Muxue, whose face was pale and whose lips were cracked, Xuanwu touched his forehead.

"So hot!"

Xuanwu Shangren's heart sank. Now he understood that this was clearly an illusion created by Shangguan Yun using the power of the Dragon Pearl. He had focused his attention on the palm energy but overlooked Shangguan Yun's Shadow Clone Technique. During the time he was dodging, Shangguan Yun had enough time to create a scene that was indistinguishable from the real thing.

"Xue'er has the Dragon Pearl on her body, so she must have been corrupted." Xuanwu was filled with regret. He pressed his palm against Cha Muxue's back and poured streams of true energy into her body without reservation, barely suppressing the Dragon Pearl's agitation.

"Xuanwu, hand over that child to me, and I, the master of this hall, will spare your life. Otherwise, today is your death day."

Shangguan Yun's voice reached Xuanwu's ears from all directions. Xuanwu listened attentively and noticed that Cha Muxue's body was no longer so hot, and immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

"Shangguan Yun, you are supposed to be the leader of the martial arts alliance, yet you do nothing but these shady things. If you want the Dragon Ball, fine, then come and get it yourself."

Xuanwu bound Cha Muxue to his chest with strips of cloth, held a sword in one hand, looked around, and channeled his inner energy into his wrist, waiting for Shangguan Yun to make a mistake so he could strike with lightning speed.

"Based on the amount of true energy in my body, I only have three chances to take the initiative. If I fail, I will be trapped in a dead end. I don't care if I die, but Xue'er absolutely cannot fall into Shangguan Yun's hands."

Xuanwu knew the importance of Cha Muxue. If it fell into Shangguan Yun's hands, this person already possessed the Dragon Ball and had learned how to control it. At that time, no one in the martial arts world would be his match, and the martial arts world would be plunged into darkness forever.

"Xuanwu, I have been showing you mercy out of consideration for our past relationship. But now that you are so ungrateful, don't blame me for being ruthless. Take this!"

Sounds came from all directions, shaking the entire forest. Leaves fell, quickly covering most of Xuanwu's body. Just then, Xuanwu's eyes suddenly lit up, and his longsword hummed. A bright sword light flashed through the air, neatly cleaving everything in its path in two. Before it even hit the ground, it turned to ashes. The sword light flashed and disappeared. A dark figure appeared in the southeast corner and was horrified by the sword light. When it came to its senses, a red thread was clearly visible from its brow down. With a soft sound, the dark figure split in two, but no blood flowed out, only black ash on the ground.

"The Three Divine Strike Techniques of Divine Light is somewhat impressive, but how many times can you actually use it?"

Shangguan Yun's cold voice echoed in the woods. Xuanwu was panting heavily, looking around with a slightly tired expression. His hand holding the sword was also trembling slightly. This "Three Divine Strike of Divine Light" was a forbidden technique of the Diancang Sect. It was based on one's own life essence and combined with the circulation of true qi. As long as there was still a breath left, it could be used, but at most three strikes.

The first sword strike had already drained Xuanwu of 30% of his life essence, and his true energy was almost completely depleted. Although the sword strike failed to hit Shangguan Yun, breaking the Xuan Ying Three-Part Technique on his body was still worthwhile.

"I have never been afraid of death. But Shangguan Yun, are you willing to risk your life? The great foundation of Zhongxin Hall depends entirely on you. If you are injured, Zhongxin Hall will immediately fall apart, and your ambition to unify the martial arts world will be in vain. Let's see who is not afraid of death."

Master Xuanwu had already disregarded life and death. He had already committed one wrong act in his life, and this was his final journey to atone for his sins. If he could cause some trouble for Shangguan Yun, it would be worth it even if he died.

Just after Master Xuanwu finished speaking, he suddenly felt a heavy pressure coming from all four directions, constantly converging towards the center, trying to crush him. Seeing this, Xuanwu tried to leap back, but two palm energies attacked from the south and north at the same time. His long sword flashed with light, and the sword light dispersed the palm energies, but he had also lost the best time to escape. He lightly touched the ground with his feet and jumped a few times, but he still could not escape the pressure.

With a sigh, Master Xuanwu unleashed the "Three Divine Strike of Splitting Light" once more, this time with even greater power than before. It was as if a layer of jade-like light enveloped Master Xuanwu, radiating a holy and pure aura. Suddenly, the jade-like light shrank, transforming into countless points of light that poured into the longsword. The already gleaming sword instantly shone even brighter, and a seven-inch sword beam extended from the tip. With a deep shout, the longsword swung, and streaks of sword light poured forth like a raging river, like stars falling from the sky, shooting out in all directions from where Master Xuanwu stood.

The sound of air being torn apart was deafening. The heavy force that had been binding Xuanwu Shangren vanished instantly. Not only that, the Three Divine Thorns of Divine Light also shattered the illusion created by Shangguan Yun. With a series of cracking sounds, the forest within a radius of about a mile was completely cleared, leaving only a short wooden stake with a lingering sharp sword aura.

"Excellent swordsmanship!"

Shangguan Yun emerged from the side, looking slightly disheveled. With a casual palm strike, he dispersed a sword aura that Xuanwu Shangren had thrust at him. His eyes were icy as he stared at Xuanwu Shangren, gathering a blinding golden light in his hand. Before Xuanwu could react, he moved in an instant, arriving beside Xuanwu Shangren in the blink of an eye. He gently pushed forward, and a wave of intense heat washed over him, instantly turning the surrounding area into a furnace, as if trying to refine the person in the center.

Master Xuanwu's expression changed drastically. He had seen Shangguan Yun use this move, "Heaven and Earth Copper Furnace," before, but it was even more ferocious and domineering than before, lacking any kingly aura. It seemed that the other party had deliberately omitted it.

"Abandoning the way of the king and pursuing the way of the tyrant, Shangguan Yun, you are indeed quite ambitious."

Master Xuanwu struggled to gather the remaining true energy within his body and circulated it throughout his body. His face suddenly flushed red, and then a series of sword cries rang out in all directions. The resounding sword cries seemed to echo through the heavens, tearing through the clouds and splitting the sky. Shangguan Yun's expression changed slightly upon hearing this, but he was not concerned at all. If it were before he had not yet reached the Innate Realm, he would have had to be somewhat wary. However, now that he had Innate True Energy protecting him, he could not be defeated in one blow and could recover quickly.

Master Xuanwu took a risky move, sacrificing his martial arts skills to unleash the final move of the "Three Divine Thrusts of Dividing Light," the "Sacrifice Sword." This move is indiscriminate; regardless of whether the opponent blocks it or not, the user will be reduced to ashes and their soul will be scattered.

Master Xuanwu untied the ropes binding him and carefully placed the unconscious Cha Muxue aside. A look of tenderness appeared on his face as he murmured, "Xue'er, your uncle can't accompany you to fulfill your wish. Please forgive your uncle." After saying this, Master Xuanwu's expression hardened. He held his sword in his right hand and formed a hand seal with his left. His aura surged, and the golden sphere that attacked him hissed under the pressure of the sword energy. After only a few breaths, the golden sphere had shrunk considerably, while Master Xuanwu's sword energy grew stronger, seemingly capable of covering the entire sky and encompassing all directions. Strands of sword energy crisscrossed, and sword light was born upon sword light, interconnected, waxing and waning. One sword light shot out, and another sword light emerged, seemingly endless, forming a long dragon of sword energy. With a series of sounds, it tore through the golden sphere and rushed towards Shangguan Yun.

Upon seeing this, Shangguan Yun's expression was no longer calm. He hadn't expected that Master Xuanwu would have such a move. This move had already touched upon the secrets of the Innate Realm. If the opponent could survive this battle, he would surely be able to enter the Innate Realm in the future.

"Very well, I, the master of this hall, will crush your pride head-on."

With a deep shout, Shangguan Yun's hair and beard fluttered, and his aura changed, a mysterious aura enveloping his entire body. Although the incoming sword energy dragon was incomparably powerful, its pressure increased sharply after it advanced three feet into Shangguan Yun. The sword light that had gathered also dimmed. After only a few breaths, the head of the dragon had turned grayish-white, and the wisps of sword light seemed to be eroded, turning into countless points of light that scattered down. Moreover, the grayish-white area was also growing larger and larger. With a soft shout from Shangguan Yun, half of the dragon was covered by the grayish-white deathly aura. With a crack, the entire dragon was forcibly cut in two and fell to the ground.

At the same time, a hoarse, mournful cry came from the long sword in Xuanwu Shangren's hand. Xuanwu's ashen face showed sorrow as he watched helplessly as the precious sword that had accompanied him for decades cracked and instantly turned into fragments with a crisp sound, leaving only half of the sword blade in his hand.

"puff."

With his Xuanwu sword technique broken and his longsword snapped, the combined force of his energy caused his already damaged body to collapse. His acupoints gushed blood like fountains, instantly staining his body crimson. He spat out a mouthful of blood into the air, then fell backward, the blood staining his face a deep red, making him look terrifying.

Shangguan Yun swept away the billowing dust with a flick of his sleeve and slowly walked towards Xuanwu. He first glanced at the unconscious Cha Muxue beside him, then looked down at the barely breathing Xuanwu, snorted coldly, and was about to finish him off with a single palm strike. But at that moment, Shangguan Yun suddenly dodged to the side, and a lightning-fast sword light struck. This move was not for killing the enemy, but for saving someone. With a single sword strike, Shangguan Yun was forced back, and two figures appeared one after the other.

"Ni Qingfeng, Cha Mulong!"

Shangguan Yun's eyes flashed, and he reached out to grab Cha Muxue, but Ni Qingfeng was faster. With a flick of his sleeves, he appeared beside Cha Muxue in the blink of an eye. He raised his right palm, and a soft palm met Shangguan Yun's Dividing Gold Palm. When their palm forces collided, both of them were shaken. Ni Qingfeng, holding Cha Muxue in his arms, swept his left palm, and a palm strike that broke through the air attacked Shangguan Yun. The latter, unconcerned, clenched his fist and charged forward. Instantly, the fist wind and palm energy scattered, kicking up a cloud of dust. When the dust settled, Cha Muxue had already been taken far away by Ni Qingfeng.

At the same time, while Shangguan Yun was fighting Ni Qingfeng, Cha Mulong moved swiftly, grabbed Xuanwu Shangren, and fled into the distance. Shangguan Yun watched helplessly as his prey was rescued, and his anger was palpable. He roared and chased after the two in the direction they had fled.

However, to Shangguan Yun's surprise, after only a few breaths of chasing, he saw Ni Qingfeng standing in front of him with a sword, while Cha Mulong and the other two had disappeared without a trace.

“Ni Qingfeng, you have ruined my plans time and time again. You deserve to die. Today, you will not escape from my grasp. I will show you the power of the Dragon Pearl.”

Shangguan Yun knew that Ni Qingfeng's skill was not bad, so he started with the Golden Palm, which was powered by the Dragon Pearl. A huge palm print, mixed with crimson and red colors, swept across. Everything in its path was scorched and instantly turned into charcoal. It was fast and had reached half a zhang away from Ni Qingfeng in a few breaths. The scorching temperature made Ni Qingfeng feel a little uncomfortable. He frowned, his sleeves fluttered, and a pure holy wind responded.

"You're courting death!"

When Shangguan Yun saw that Ni Qingfeng was actually using the force of the wind to fight, he couldn't help but snort coldly. His Golden Palm had been broken by this gale before, so he had injected blazing energy into the Golden Palm. Once it encountered the force of the wind, it would not be weakened in the slightest, but would instead enhance the power of the palm.

As expected, the gale rushed into the palm energy and was swallowed up, its forward speed suddenly increasing. Ni Qingfeng's expression changed slightly upon seeing this, and his figure instantly retreated, leaving a charred mark on the spot where he had been. Ni Qingfeng sensed something strange in the palm energy, pointed his finger, and a burst of frost-white energy shot out, causing the surrounding temperature to drop sharply.

As Ni Qingfeng gave a soft shout, "Ice Soul Cold Light" met the blazing palm wind head-on. One was red, the other white; one was hot, the other cold. The two completely different forces collided, and the surroundings were immediately plunged into the torment of ice and fire. Shangguan Yun felt the coldness coming from the other party and couldn't help but shiver. He took a deep breath and once again used the power of the Dragon Ball. The blazing palm wind danced like a fire dragon, swirling and moving. The defense created by Ice Soul Cold Light began to gradually collapse.

Seeing this, Ni Qingfeng remained calm, pressing his right hand on the hilt of his sword, and a sword aura slowly condensed. Just as Ni Qingfeng was gathering his strength, Shangguan Yun suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, his hair stood on end, and a chilling killing intent instantly enveloped his entire body. Shangguan Yun did not pour the power of the dragon pearls into the fire dragon. Instead, he circulated his true energy and instantly set up dozens of layers of defense around himself. On the shimmering light shield, the three dragon pearl phantoms were arranged in a triangular pattern, emitting a dazzling golden light.

Just as Shangguan Yun finished setting up the defense, the sky suddenly darkened, and a dazzling sword light fell from the sky, carrying the power of wind and thunder. It cleaved through 90% of the defense in an instant. The incomparably sharp sword light and sword energy intertwined, and the remaining light shield only lasted for a few breaths before it shattered one after another. In the end, only the light shield formed by the phantom of the dragon ball was still fighting against the sword light.

Veins bulged on Shangguan Yun's face, and his internal energy was boiling. He had not fully refined the three dragon pearls and could only force them to be used with his internal energy. This time, Ni Qingfeng's God-Slaying Sword was aimed directly at Shangguan Yun, causing the latter to suffer severe depletion of his internal energy.

"Hold on!"

With a deep shout, Shangguan Yun roared furiously, his hair disheveled, his eyes bloodshot, his upper body clothes torn, and red lines covering his entire chest. From a distance, he looked like a blood-soaked man, his body exuding a black and red aura that was terrifying to behold. The three golden dragon pearl phantoms also turned from gold to red, and then to pitch black, constantly eroding the sword light outside.

"He has indeed fallen into demonic possession."

Ni Qingfeng was also weakened after using the God-Slaying Sword, but fortunately he had the True Essence Pill and his main body was supporting him from behind, so he was fine for a while. Looking at the demonized Shangguan Yun, Ni Qingfeng's eyes flashed slightly. He withdrew three-tenths of his strength from his hand, exhaled a breath of turbid air, and swept his sleeve, sending three Heavenly Mountain Divine Lights shooting towards Shangguan Yun one after the other.

Over there, Shangguan Yun was relying on the Dragon Ball to fight against the God-Slaying Sword Light. In just a few more breaths, he would completely wear it down. Suddenly, he noticed that the other party was holding back. Thinking that Ni Qingfeng might have some trick up his sleeve, he made a desperate effort and shattered the last sword light.

Seeing Ni Qingfeng about to flee, Shangguan Yun hurriedly chased after him, but then saw three beams of divine light from Tianshan shooting towards him, causing him to pause in his tracks. By the time he dealt with them, Ni Qingfeng had already disappeared. Shangguan Yun roared angrily, and it took him a while to vent his frustration.

“That child has the Dragon Ball with him; I don’t believe he can run very far.”

Shangguan Yun slowly calmed his internal energy. After meditating for a while and slightly recovering his strength, he used the connection between the Dragon Balls to quickly run in the opposite direction. However, after traveling for half an hour, his expression suddenly turned very ugly, and the connection between the Dragon Balls was broken.

"It must be Cha Mulong and Ni Qingfeng who did this, how hateful!"

Shangguan Yun took a deep breath, pondered for a moment, then turned and walked towards Si'an City. Xuanwu was seriously injured, and to treat him, he needed to sell medicinal herbs, so he would start from there.

(End of this chapter)