A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 319 The Final Battle is Coming
Master Xuanchi stared in horror at Shangguan Yun as he slowly approached, his body trembling uncontrollably. He had never imagined that Shangguan Yun had already entered the Innate Realm. Although he himself was only half a step away from the Innate Realm, that half step was a world of difference.

"Master Shangguan is indeed a hero of his generation. I admire him greatly. If Master Shangguan does not mind, I am willing to submit to you and do my best to serve you."

At this moment, in order to save his life, Master Xuanchi didn't care about face or status. He only hoped that Shangguan Yun would spare his life because he had been obedient enough.

“Those who understand the times are wise; I have seen the sincerity of the Venerable One.”

Shangguan Yun looked at the groveling Xuan Chi Shangren with a calm expression and indifferent tone. This man had only submitted temporarily because he saw the difference in strength between the two sides. If he could not suppress him one day, he would inevitably suffer a backlash. But he would never give him that chance.

Shangguan Yun reached out and grabbed Xuan Chi Shangren, and a powerful suction force immediately enveloped Xuan Chi Shangren. The latter was startled and spontaneously circulated his true energy to resist the suction force. After seeing Shangguan Yun's cold and ruthless eyes, Xuan Chi Shangren's eyes sharpened, and he shouted, his aura surging. The black light of the iron ruler in his hand flickered, directly pushing away the suction force. As he moved, a series of hidden weapons attacked Shangguan Yun, while Xuan Chi Shangren took the opportunity to desperately escape.

Shangguan Yun watched Xuan Chi Shangren flee with disdain, then swept his sleeve horizontally. As the gale blew away the hidden weapons, Xue Dian and Qiu Feng, whose minds were controlled, turned their eyes bloodshot and moved in an instant, chasing after Xuan Chi Shangren. Qiu Feng's lightness skill was already fast, and with Shangguan Yun's support using the power of the Dragon Pearl, after only a few breaths, Qiu Feng slashed diagonally with his sword, directly stopping Xuan Chi Shangren's steps. As the latter paused, Xue Dian's Inverted Yin-Yang Fist struck directly. The sound of the fist wind cutting through the air was heard, and Xuan Chi Shangren's expression changed. He hurriedly dodged to the side. The fist wind missed its target and struck a boulder, directly shattering it into pieces. The scattered stones were supported by the gale, and before they hit the ground, streaks of sword energy shot out, piercing through the stones and attacking Xuan Chi Shangren.

The sword energy was fierce and unparalleled. Master Xuanchi was slightly startled when he saw this, but he did not slow down. He quickly swung the iron ruler in his hand, which transformed into a dense black energy. The sword energy approached within three feet of him and was immediately absorbed by the black energy. With another flick of his wrist, the black energy suddenly shrank, and the absorbed sword energy was returned in full.

This move is called "Do Not Do to Yourself," a defensive technique that can absorb external forces and then return them to the opponent. The effectiveness of this move depends entirely on one's skill level; the deeper one's skill, the greater the power one can unleash.

Master Xuanchi originally thought that this unexpected move would be enough to seriously injure Qiu Feng, but he saw Xue Dian take the lead, clench his fists, and stand in front of Qiu Feng with bloodshot eyes. He roared and punched forward with both fists. A gray-white vortex appeared out of thin air. The sword energy that was sent back hit it squarely, but it seemed to have been eroded for hundreds of years, decaying and peeling off, dispersing into mixed gas.

As Xue Dian blocked the sword energy, Qiu Feng's sword momentum rose again. His body was in mid-air, and the long sword in his hand emitted a dazzling cold light. Reflecting the cold moon in the sky, a beam of white sword light flickered a few times before falling fiercely. Its target was none other than the Xuan Chi Master. When the latter saw Qiu Feng use this move, his expression changed drastically. He hurriedly swung the iron ruler in his hand, and a ball of black energy firmly protected himself. From Shangguan Yun's perspective, it looked as if a white beam of light had fallen on the dark clouds.

"Qiu Feng's Cold Moon Illuminates the Cold, which has reached its peak with the blessing of the Dragon Pearl. If Master Xuanchi takes this move head-on, he will at least suffer a great loss of energy. But that's not enough. Let me, the master of this hall, give you another boost."

Seeing the unconscious Madam Wang, Shangguan Yun's mind stirred. Madam Wang sat up like a puppet, closed her eyes, and plucked the strings of her zither. One after another, the Seven Fiends Zither notes were sent toward the two sides fighting.

At the same time, Xue Dian, having dealt with the sword energy backlash, also gathered his true energy. With a clash of his fists, a powerful burst of energy erupted out. With a loud shout, his body shot towards Xuan Chi Shangren like a swift arrow. Half a foot in front of him, a fist imprint that was almost solidified carried the power of reversing yin and yang and shook the void.

"not good!"

Xuan Chi Shangren, who was fighting against Qiu Feng's Leng Yue Han Zhao, heard the zither music first. His internal energy became disordered and he was almost grazed by the sword light. He hurriedly used his mental incantation to suppress the agitation in his heart. However, the fist force that followed made him very scared. If he was hit by this fist, he would definitely die.

Thinking of this, Master Xuanchi's will to survive erupted. He poured all his true energy into the iron ruler in his hand, and the iron ruler shone with black light, billowing smoke that directly obscured the soaring sword light. Qiu Feng, who was practicing his sword technique, was affected by the impact. His hand lost its balance, revealing an opening. Upon seeing this, Master Xuanchi's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he immediately slammed his palm upward, opening a path. Qiu Feng's mind was controlled, and his reaction was slightly slower. He was struck by the palm, his body swayed, and his sword momentum suddenly weakened. Master Xuanchi suppressed the corrosive sound of the zither, his body swayed, and with a light touch of his toes, he quickly escaped the predicament.

Just as he escaped Qiu Feng's sword light, the sound of the zither followed him like a shadow. The Xuan Chi Master, whose vital energy was greatly depleted, could no longer endure it. He spat out a mouthful of blood and staggered. Before he could catch his breath, Xue Dian's fist also attacked. Although it changed direction halfway and its power was reduced, it was enough to deal with the Xuan Chi Master at this moment. The Xuan Chi Master mustered his strength and used the iron ruler to block in front of him, creating a protective aura. Just as he finished doing this, the fist arrived. With a crack, the protective aura shattered, and the Xuan Chi Master's body flew backward, leaving a trail of blood on the ground.

Master Xuanchi coughed a few times, knelt on one knee, held the iron ruler in his hand, and looked sadly at Xue Dian and Qiu Feng, who were in a daze. He straightened up and said to Shangguan Yun, "Shangguan Yun, even if I die, I will not become your puppet!"

After speaking, Master Xuanchi held the iron ruler upside down, his gaze resolutely piercing towards his chest. But at that moment, a streak of crimson-black light shot out from afar like lightning, striking the iron ruler with a clang. The intense shock caused Master Xuanchi, who was exhausted, to lose his grip on the iron ruler, which flew away. He himself was enveloped by a ball of crimson-black light.

"Only when you are completely in my hands will you be the most valuable item. You will be my most powerful weapon in attacking the Tianshan Sect."

Shangguan Yun walked slowly over, and Xue Dian and Qiu Feng respectfully stepped aside. Looking at Xuan Chi Shangren, who was being constantly eroded by the aura, Shangguan Yun felt calm. With these four people in hand, the Tianshan Sect would be within easy reach.

As a top expert, Master Xuanchi withstood the erosion of the Dragon Pearl for a full quarter of an hour. In the end, his eyes turned red and a fire pattern was imprinted between his eyebrows. After Shangguan Yun retrieved the Dragon Pearl, the fire pattern gradually disappeared.

"It's time to make a trip to Tianshan."

After Shangguan Yun woke up all the martial arts practitioners he had been controlling, he cleaned up the traces and led the group toward Si'an City.

On Mount Tianshan, Ni Qingfeng had been in seclusion for seven days. During this time, many things happened in the martial arts world. Among them, what alarmed the high-ranking members of the Tianshan Sect the most was that Shangguan Yun had found a group of experts from who-knows-where. In just five days, they swept through all the sects in the Western Regions. Now, apart from the Tianshan Sect, the surviving members of the other sects in the Western Regions immediately gathered their remaining forces and rushed to Mount Tianshan, hoping that the Tianshan Sect could uphold justice, eliminate the Zhongxin Hall, and restore peace to the martial arts world.

Inside the main hall of Tianshan, the high-ranking members of the Tianshan Sect and a group of martial arts figures gathered together. Gu Zheng of the Divine Fist Sect stood up and solemnly bowed to Xue Wanshan at the head of the table, saying in a serious voice: "Sect Leader Xue, the only one who can stand up to Zhongxin Hall right now is your Tianshan Sect. As long as you come out to take charge of the overall situation, everyone will definitely obey your orders and fight Zhongxin Hall to the death. It is better than living a life of mere survival."

After Gu Zheng finished speaking, Xia Zhengfang, the leader of the Golden Whip Sect, stood up and said, "Brother Gu, please calm down. We have all gathered at Tianshan to attack Zhongxin Hall. However, we still need to carefully consider how to proceed. Otherwise, we will just be a disorganized mess and will be defeated one by one by Shangguan Yun. In the end, we will not only fail to damage the foundation of Zhongxin Hall, but also weaken our strength."

Since Xia Zhengfang wholeheartedly followed the Tianshan Sect, he has become increasingly convinced that his initial choice was correct. Now, Zhongxin Hall is like a man-eating beast, and his mere two ounces of flesh are nothing but scraps in front of it.

"Sect Leader Xia is right. We must not be too hasty in everything. Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. Sect Leader Guo, you have fought against Zhongxin Hall and others. I wonder how strong they are? And what are the origins of those experts who suddenly appeared?"

Shen Henian flicked his whisk and looked at the one-armed giant on his left. This man was Guo Rui, the leader of the Double Gun Sect whom Ni Qingfeng had seen before. However, at this moment, his face was ashen and his expression was low, as if he had suffered a huge blow.

Hearing Shen Henian's words, Guo Rui raised his eyes and said with a bitter smile, "I thought I had mastered the Zhongping Spear Technique to perfection, but I was no match for those people. Shangguan Yun didn't even show his face. He only sent a middle-aged man with a sword, a disheveled old man, and a dozen masked men. In less than half an hour, they routed the Shuangqiang Sect. The middle-aged man with the sword who fought me had unfathomable skill. Although his swordsmanship was orthodox, it revealed a hint of evil. The Zhongping Spear Technique was like being stuck in a quagmire when it encountered him. In addition, the old man had a strange fist technique. I was at a disadvantage after only ten moves. If it weren't for my disciples desperately stopping me, I would probably be a corpse now, having lost an arm."

After Guo Rui finished speaking, he looked very dejected. His century-old foundation had been lost in a single day, and he himself had almost become a cripple. It was a miracle that he hadn't gone mad.

Upon hearing Guo Rui's words, Shen Henian and the others were shocked. In the martial arts world, apart from the Black and White Heroes, Shangguan Yun, Ni Qingfeng, and Xue Wanshan, almost no one could suppress Guo Rui's Zhongping Spear with just swordsmanship. Just as Shen Henian was deep in thought, Xue Wanshan, who was sitting at the head of the table, suddenly spoke.

"Pingling Sword Sect!"

Everyone was taken aback by these words. Shen Henian's expression darkened; he had actually forgotten about this sect. In his memory, the Pingling Sword Sect had already declined twenty years ago and was now almost extinct in the martial arts world. "Senior brother, have you thought of something?"

Shen Henian turned his gaze to Xue Wanshan. When it comes to martial arts secrets, the sect leader knows the most. The others also looked over, hoping to get some valuable information from this sect leader of Tianshan.

"The swordsman described by Master Guo just now is very similar to the Hidden Killing Sword Technique of the Pingling Sword Sect. The Pingling Sword Sect has recently shown signs of resurgence. The Pingling Sword Master Qiu Feng made a brief appearance and then disappeared in Si'an City. Coincidentally, Shangguan Yun is in Si'an City. Moreover, he previously controlled Xiao Shengbai and others with the Soul-Stealing Technique. This makes me suspicious."

As soon as Xue Wanshan finished speaking, everyone's expression darkened. Shangguan Yun alone was already difficult to deal with, and with the Pingling Sword Master and several other strong individuals, the strength of Zhongxin Hall was even greater than they had estimated.

Just as everyone was silent, Fu Tianjiao walked in from outside and said to Xue Wanshan, "Sect Leader, Mr. Bi and the Black and White Heroes have arrived."

"Please come in quickly!"

Upon hearing this, Xue Wanshan immediately spoke up, and the others also hurriedly stood up. These three were all renowned figures in the martial arts world. If these three could join them, they wouldn't need to fear Shangguan Yun and the others. Thinking of this, Xia Zhengfang and the others swept away their previous gloom and looked at the door with a hint of hope.

Fu Tianjiao responded and walked out of the main hall. Soon after, she led two men and a woman in. When the crowd saw the three of them enter, they all stepped forward to greet them. Bi Yusheng was elegant and composed, with a smile on his face. He calmly returned the greeting with his fan. Regardless of their status, everyone could feel a sense of warmth and comfort.

The Black and White Duo returned the greetings with a bow and a gesture of respect. After some pleasantries, the three walked to Xue Wanshan's side, whereupon he stood up, flicked his whisk, and bowed to the three of them.

"Greetings, all three of you."

"Greetings, Sect Leader Xue."

Xue Wanshan nodded, gestured for the three to sit down, and then everyone took their seats. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Bi Yusheng clasped his hands in a fist salute to Xue Wanshan and said, "Sect Leader Xue, I just heard about the Pingling Sword Master outside, and I have accurate information here."

“Oh, please tell me more, Mr. Bi.” Shen Henian immediately followed up, and everyone’s attention turned to him.

"Qiu Feng, the sword master of Pingling, was indeed captured by Shangguan Yun and was subjected to a soul-stealing technique. Not only the sword master of Pingling, but also Dan Feng, the king of the Seven Fiends Qin, and Xue Dian, the old man of Xingdian, also fell into Shangguan Yun's hands. The most troublesome one is the last one, who is none other than the Xuan Chi Shangren who went into seclusion forty years ago."

As soon as Bi Yusheng finished speaking, the entire hall fell into a deathly silence. Xia Zhengfang was so frightened that his face turned pale. The Sword Master of Pingling, the Seven Fiends Zither, and the Old Man of the Wandering World were already renowned figures with considerable prestige in the martial arts world. If he were to face any one of them, he would surely die. As for the last one, Master Xuanchi...

"Mr. Bi, is this information accurate?" someone asked in a hoarse voice.

The person who asked this question was just hoping for the best. Bi Yusheng's reputation is impeccable, and he would never talk nonsense or spread false information.

"This is absolutely true. My wife and I exchanged a few blows with that Master Xuanchi on our way to Tianshan. It was indeed the lost method of the Ruler of Fixed Ruler. In the whole world, only Master Xuanchi can use the Ruler of Fixed Ruler so skillfully that even my wife and I couldn't gain the upper hand when we joined forces. If it weren't for Mr. Bi's timely arrival, my wife and I would probably have been entangled. Even if Shangguan Yun had appeared, we would not have been able to escape his clutches."

Lu Aotian took over the conversation, and everyone's expressions turned solemn upon hearing this. Upon closer inspection, they noticed that the hems of the Black and White Heroes' clothes were somewhat torn, likely due to large marks left from their previous battle.

"To be able to suppress this virtuous couple, could this Master Xuanchi have already entered the Innate Realm?"

The Black and White Heroes are among the most outstanding martial arts masters in the world. With their combined swordsmanship, they are virtually invincible below the Xiantian level. The only possibility that Master Xuanchi could suppress them is that they are the only ones who can be considered.

"Although he hasn't reached the Innate Realm, he's not far off. Moreover, since he's become Shangguan Yun's puppet, he doesn't care about the cost of his attacks, and his combat power has increased considerably. If this person were to come to Tianshan with Shangguan Yun, apart from Sect Leader Xue and Daoist Ni, almost no one could stop him."

Although Bi Yusheng's words were cruel, none of the people present disagreed. Even Bi Yusheng himself admitted that he was inferior to Master Xuanchi and that his mediocre skills were just a disgrace.

"Sect Leader Xue, I don't know about Daoist Ni of your sect..."

The more Bi Yusheng investigated Ni Qingfeng, the more he realized that this person was unfathomable. On the way here, he also learned from Lu Aotian and his wife about the situation of fighting with Shangguan Yun that day. He had already made a judgment in his heart that this Taoist Ni must have entered the Xiantian realm, otherwise Shangguan Yun would not have been so wary of him and would have taken the initiative to give up the pursuit.

Bi Yusheng's words made everyone's eyes light up. That's right, Zhongxin Hall has Shangguan Yun, Xuanchi Shangren and others, and the Tianshan Alliance is not bad either. Apart from the unfathomable Ni Qingfeng, Xue Wanshan, Bi Yusheng and the Black and White Twins are all top-notch experts. When the two sides fight, it is still unknown who will win.

“Junior Brother Ni has been in seclusion for several days and is now at a critical juncture, so he cannot come.”

Upon seeing this, Shen Henian immediately stepped forward and explained to everyone. Only then did everyone learn that Ni Qingfeng had single-handedly severely injured Shangguan Yun that day, which inspired their admiration and rekindled their hope.

"Master Ni is on the verge of a breakthrough in his cultivation, and we should indeed not disturb him. However, Zhongxin Hall is now poised to launch an attack and will soon come to attack Tianshan. Sect Leader Xue, things have reached a critical moment. We can only hope that we can defend Tianshan, this last piece of paradise."

"Mr. Bi, rest assured, Junior Brother Ni told me earlier that he would emerge from seclusion to face the great enemy with you all, whether it succeeds or not, within a few days or half a month!"

Seeing that everyone was in low spirits, Xue Wanshan gave them a boost. Upon hearing this, Bi Yusheng's eyes flashed, he closed his folding fan, and said in a deep voice, "If we can only hold out for half a month, we can manage with our strength. The problem is that we need to be careful. Shangguan Yun might not play by the rules and launch a surprise attack with a small force. That would be very bad."

“Tianshan is heavily guarded. If Shangguan Yun tries to force his way in with a few men, I can guarantee he will return empty-handed!” Shen Henian said firmly.

(End of this chapter)