A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 320 Attacking the Tianshan Mountains
Tianshan Sect, Hongyi Hall

Hearing Shen Henian's confident words, everyone couldn't help but speculate. They thought that the Tianshan Sect had a long history, and its ancestors must have left behind some tricks. Upon hearing this, Bi Yusheng's eyes flickered slightly. He clasped his hands in a salute to Xue Wanshan and said solemnly, "Sect Leader Xue, please forgive my rudeness. I just heard what Daoist Shen said. Your sect seems to have some plans. I wonder if you could explain them to us? If there is anything I can do to help you, I will certainly do my best."

The Black and White Heroes and the leaders of the other sects all turned their gazes to Xue Wanshan. Upon seeing this, the latter nodded slightly and waved to Shen Henian. Shen Henian bowed and slowly walked to the front of the crowd. Facing their gazes, Shen Henian said with great spirit, "Our sect has already mastered the Thunderclap Sword Formation. I would not believe you if I simply said that this formation is extraordinary. Therefore, I invite all the sect leaders to come to the square to see for yourselves the power of the Thunderclap Sword Formation."

After Shen Henian finished speaking, he looked at Xue Wanshan at the head of the table. The latter nodded, and Shen Henian gestured to the crowd and walked out of the hall first. Bi Yusheng was the first to follow, followed by the Black and White Heroes and others. Soon, only Xue Wanshan, Li Dengping, Xia Zhengfang, Guo Rui of the Double Gun Sect, and Yin Songyue, the leader of the Liubo Sect, remained in the hall.

"Gentlemen, let's go take a look together."

Xue Wanshan got up and walked outside, with Li Dengping following behind. The others exchanged glances, all wanting to see what was so special about the Thunderclap Sword Formation that made the Tianshan Sect place such high hopes on it.

On the plaza, Bi Yusheng and the others saw thirty-six sword-wielding Tianshan disciples standing solemnly, both men and women. Each of them was heroic and spirited, and those who saw them for the first time were all shocked, especially those sects that had suffered greatly at the hands of the Zhongxin Hall.

"The Tianshan Sect is indeed a powerful force. These thirty-six disciples alone are all formidable in the martial arts world. In particular, the top twelve are almost all as capable as the head of a sect. Anyone who gets one of them can live a worry-free life for decades."

The speaker couldn't help but feel envious, and the others nodded in agreement. If these elite disciples were in their sects, they would have been groomed as the next sect leader long ago. Unlike the Tianshan Sect, which just casually produced them. Moreover, they discovered that the renowned Seven Heroes of Tianshan were not among them. This meant that these elite disciples only belonged to the second tier.

"Although the Tianshan Sect was a powerful force in the Western Regions more than ten years ago, it was not as prosperous as it is today. Indeed, times have changed and the name of a great sect is well-deserved."

Bi Yusheng and the Black and White Heroes observed even more meticulously. The thirty-six disciples had long, steady auras and gleaming eyes, clearly indicating that their foundations were extremely solid. Given time, they would surely become the foundation of the Tianshan Sect. If they could survive the battle with Zhongxin Hall, they would definitely advance further in their cultivation. Although they might not be born with innate talent, they would certainly not lack top-tier experts. In the long run, Tianshan would surely become the number one sect in the martial arts world.

Shen Henian walked slowly to the square and gave a few instructions to Pei Duan, who was at the head of the group. The latter bowed respectfully and immediately led his men to set up the formation. The speed was swift, and in just a few breaths, everyone on the high platform saw a magnificent sword formation formed in the square. Although the longswords were not drawn, everyone could feel a soaring sword energy that tore through the clouds and swept across the universe. The bone-chilling coldness made those with weaker skills shudder and involuntarily gather their true energy to slowly dispel the discomfort.

Shen Henian returned to the high platform outside the hall and saw Xue Wanshan leading his men out. After bowing, Xue Wanshan flicked his whisk and said to him, "Junior brother, we can begin."

Shen Henian agreed and turned to the crowd, saying, "I wonder if anyone is willing to try this sword formation on themselves?"

Most people knew they couldn't possibly fight against the sword formation when it was set up, so they turned their attention to Bi Yusheng, the Black and White Heroes, and Yin Songyue of the Liubo Sect.

"My skills are too shallow for me to join in this fun."

Seeing that Yin Songyue refused so decisively, the crowd didn't show much contempt. Instead, they turned their attention to Bi Yusheng and the Black and White Duo, hoping that the three of them would step in.

"Your Excellency and I were injured in our previous fight with Master Xuanchi, so it is not advisable for you to fight. Please allow me, Bi, to try out this Thunderclap Sword Formation."

Bi Yusheng straightened his expression, opened his folding fan, fanned himself a few times, bowed to everyone, and walked towards the square. Soon he arrived in front of the sword formation. Pei Duan and the others saw that it was Bi Yusheng testing his moves, and they all bowed respectfully.

"Senior, please forgive me later."

"It's alright, go ahead and do your thing, let me see what's so special about this sword formation."

Bi Yusheng chuckled and nodded to Pei Duan. The latter straightened up and looked at Shen Henian on the high platform. As Shen Henian's hand fell, Bi Yusheng's expression immediately became serious, and his eyes turned indifferent. Seeing this, the others also calmed their minds and suppressed their emotional fluctuations to the extreme. Bi Yusheng also noticed the sudden change in the aura opposite him. It was originally like cotton wool, but now it was like an iron plate that could not be penetrated. When he casually struck, he could not even get three feet away from Pei Duan. He could not help but take him seriously.

The crowd on the high platform in the distance watched Bi Yusheng clash with the sword formation intently. For a full quarter of an hour, neither side made a move. Some impatient people asked in confusion, "Why hasn't Mr. Bi made a move yet?"

"It's not that we're not going to make a move, but rather that both sides have already made their moves. Now it's a battle of wills, and if one side loses, the situation could become quite unfavorable."

This was the first time Yin Songyue had ever seen the Thunderclap Sword Formation. He had seen the Seven Absolute Swords of Tianshan before, but that sword formation seemed unremarkable to him, with nothing particularly outstanding. However, the Thunderclap Sword Formation gave him a sense of righteousness and majesty as soon as it appeared, as if all evil things would be exposed. The more complicated one's mind was, the easier it was to be restrained by this formation.

To the average person, it was merely a matter of the two sides staring at each other. However, to Xue Wanshan and the others, a long dragon of sword energy, shrouded in lightning, appeared in the sky above the plaza. The thirty-six disciples were positioned at key points along the dragon, their auras linked together, confronting the azure cloud of light formed by Bi Yusheng's aura. The sword energy and the cloud collided frequently, either shattering the sword energy or dissipating the cloud. After a brief standoff, Bi Yusheng's aura became slightly unstable. At the dragon's head, Pei Duan, the head of the hall, flashed a sharp light in his eyes and shouted. The dragon bared its fangs and claws, raised its head forward, and coiled its body, directly entangling the cloud of light. With a slight twist, the cloud of light shattered instantly.

As for the onlookers, apart from a few who could see the trick, the rest only saw Bi Yusheng take a step back, his expression solemn, and wave his folding fan repeatedly, sending gentle gusts of wind towards Pei Duan and the others.

Seeing this, Pei Duan and the others remained calm. At the same time, twelve longswords were drawn, their cold light flashing and their dark glow emanating from them. With just a single cross, the sword light flashed, and the gusts of wind were instantly torn apart, disappearing into thin air before they could even reach them.

Having seized the opportunity, Pei Duan and the others naturally did not confine themselves to defense. The twelve men at the forefront moved their longswords in unison, twelve cold lights attacking Bi Yusheng. Upon seeing this, the latter's expression changed immediately. Sensing the sharp sword light, he trembled involuntarily and took a step back, trying to avoid the sharp edge. However, just as Bi Yusheng retreated, the longswords of the twenty-four men behind him were drawn simultaneously. The sword lights crisscrossed, not attacking Bi Yusheng, but rather, like a dragon's tail, they swept out, blocking his retreat. By the time Bi Yusheng reacted, he was horrified to find himself trapped in the middle of the sword formation.

The first activation of the Thunderclap Sword Formation shocked the spectators on the high platform. In their eyes, Bi Yusheng's actions were not wrong, but because of this, he lost the initiative and was locked in the sword formation. The Black and White Heroes also frowned. The couple were both skilled swordsmen, but if they were to face this sword formation, their only options besides fighting head-on would be to temporarily avoid its sharp edge and wait for an opportunity to strike.

"Mr. Bi was at a disadvantage in the sword battle just now. With the balance of power shifting, his moves became slightly conservative. As a result, he fell into the trap of the sword formation. This sword formation must be forcibly suppressed from the beginning. Otherwise, once the disciples' energy is closely linked, they will become an inseparable whole. Dealing with one person is equivalent to dealing with thirty-six people at the same time. In the martial arts world, there are probably no more than a handful of people who can defeat these thirty-six experts in a short time."

Hearing her husband's words, Lü Fengming nodded in agreement. Looking at Bi Yusheng, who was gradually losing ground, she said in a deep voice, "Mr. Bi is about to use his true skills."

Hearing this, everyone perked up and looked toward the square. They saw two huge orbs of light, one blue and one white, colliding with each other. The blue light floated like clouds, while the white light was sharp and condensed like swords. The two sides clashed and fought, but the white light had the upper hand overall. The sword net composed of thirty-six longswords shrank from three zhang to two zhang, and then from two zhang to one zhang.

Bi Yusheng used his movement technique to shift and move around, but found that the space he could move in was getting smaller and smaller. Seeing the cold sword light all around, Bi Yusheng took a deep breath, his face flashed with blue light, and he flipped his wrist. The folding fan in his hand immediately stirred up a series of raging storms, which swept in all directions like a blue dragon, constantly colliding with the long dragon of sword light around him.

The onlookers outside saw the cyan light suddenly shrink and then expand. The aggressive white sword energy dragon paused, and then the cyan light exploded. Streaks of wind tore through the first few sword light barriers and rushed towards the center of the sword formation.

"It is Mr. Bi's signature move, the Twelve Styles of Clear Mist."

Guo Rui looked at the nine cyan gusts of wind and showed excitement. Back then, Bi Yusheng used this move to subdue the nine major sects and gain a great reputation. This move has no killing power, but once the opponent is caught in this raging storm, they will not be able to break free for a short time unless Bi Yusheng personally removes it or the opponent breaks through with superior power.

"Master Shen, can your sect's sword formation withstand Mr. Bi's attack?"

Lu Aotian knew that even at his peak, he would be wary of this move, and he couldn't help but worry about the power of the Tianshan Sword Formation. "Don't worry, Master Lu, the Thunderclap Sword Formation has only just started operating, and its power has only reached less than 30%. Although Mr. Bi's move is powerful, it is impossible for it to destroy the sword formation."

Shen Henian responded calmly to Lu Aotian's words.

"Oh."

Not only Lu Aotian, but everyone else was also shocked when they heard this. The fact that the sword formation could suppress Bi Yusheng had already opened their eyes and they had to admit the power of the formation. But they did not expect that this was just an appetizer.

Bi Yusheng's Azure Mist Twelve Styles whistled past his ears, breaking through several layers of the sword formation's defenses. Just as the last barrier was about to be breached, Pei Duan remained calm, sheathing his longsword and holding it upside down. The other eleven people followed suit, and before the attack even arrived, the twelve had already retreated to the rear. The twelve people in the middle then stood at the dragon's head, holding the sword.

Led by Yue Langfeng, the twelve people looked at the azure storm that was so close at hand. They shouted in unison, stepped into the Seven Star Step, and their longswords shone with a bright light. The twelve sword lights condensed into a beam and shot straight towards the storm. The sword light flashed for a moment, and the onlookers felt a sharp pain between their brows and involuntarily closed their eyes. When they opened their eyes, they were shocked to find that the nine storms had been swept away by a single sword.

"It's really great."

Those watching from the outside were already awestruck by the power of the sword formation, but Bi Yusheng, who was inside the formation, felt his hair stand on end. His Azure Mist move was like a thin sheet of paper under that sword light. If the sword light hadn't deflected for a moment, he would have been in a very sorry state, even if he wasn't injured. Moreover, he could feel that the power of this sword formation had not yet reached its limit.

"This sword formation is enough to hold off Shangguan Yun for a while, and during this time, with the combined strength of myself, the Black and White Heroes, and others, we can wipe out Shangguan Yun's vassals. It's truly a stroke of luck."

Thinking of this, Biyu gave up the idea of ​​continuing to fight the sword formation. She moved nimbly, used the Nine Palaces Illusion technique, and then waved her folding fan, unleashing streams of energy that momentarily halted the sword energy that was about to be unleashed. Then, her body rose into the air like an arrow, leaping more than ten feet away from the range of the sword formation.

Pei Duan was startled when he saw Bi Yusheng escape the sword formation. Just as he was about to continue operating the sword formation, Shen Henian's voice came from afar.

"Halt!"

Upon hearing this, Pei Duan and the others stopped in their tracks and slowly calmed their auras. After a few breaths, the thirty-six people withdrew from the array. Pei Duan stepped forward and bowed to Bi Yusheng, who was not far away, saying, "Thank you, Mr. Bi, for showing mercy."

If Biyu had used his hidden weapon to escape earlier, even if they hadn't been injured, it would have created a flaw in their sword formation, which would have been a fatal mistake in their battle against Zhongxin Hall.

Shen Henian stepped down from the platform, waved to Pei Duan and the others, and they all dispersed.

"Mr. Bi, you just entered the battle. Did you gain any insights?"

"Their sword formation is quite good. The only flaw is that the range of their sword aura is too low. A height of about ten feet is easy for a first-class master. Once discovered, they can attack from the inside and outside, and the sword formation will be destroyed before it can exert its due power. However, this flaw is not a big deal for now. As long as they practice diligently, they will make up for this shortcoming sooner or later."

After Bi Yusheng finished speaking, seeing Shen Henian's completely unsurprised expression, he paused in his fanning motion and tentatively asked, "Master Shen, could it be that this flaw was intentionally left unresolved?"

Shen Henian said, "The Thunderclap Sword Formation is inherently extremely strong and yang. If it is stretched too tight, it can easily cause internal instability. Therefore, this gap plays a role in balancing yin and yang. However, Pei Duan and the others do not know the key to this, which is why they are somewhat unstable."

Shen Henian had previously discussed with Xue Wanshan whether to tell Pei Duan and the others about this key point, but Xue Wanshan rejected the idea. The Thunderclap Sword Formation was originally meant to be executed in one go, and the opponent would not be stopped until the attack was completely destroyed. If Pei Duan and the others knew that there was a way to retreat, the momentum would inevitably be greatly diminished, which would not be of any benefit to the sword formation itself.

"I see. I was just showing off my limited skills before an expert. Master Shen, please rest assured, I will keep my mouth shut. With this sword formation, I now believe that your sect can stand against Zhongxin Hall."

If Biyu Sheng had four points of expectation for the Tianshan Sect before, after seeing this sword formation, that expectation has risen to six points.

“Mr. Bi, let’s go back to the main hall and continue our previous discussion.”

Shen Henian gestured, and the two walked side by side toward the main hall.

Everyone was already stunned by the power of the Thunderclap Sword Formation. Although Bi Yusheng managed to escape, he was trapped for a full half hour. Even if we reduce the time for Shangguan Yun, it would still be enough for them to do many things. Perhaps they could really defeat Zhongxin Hall under the leadership of Tianshan Sect.

"Gentlemen, the sword formation is more powerful than this, but its destructive power is extremely strong at the end. It will never be used unless absolutely necessary. Even if Shangguan Yun himself came, he could be severely injured!"

After Shen Henian finished speaking, no one had any more doubts and they all expressed that under the leadership of the Tianshan Sect, they would surely be able to quell the turmoil in the martial arts world.

Just as the hall was filled with peace, a burst of crimson flames suddenly erupted in the sky outside, shining brightly in the afterglow of the setting sun.

"Not good, it's Crimson Flame! Enemies are coming up the mountain!" The moment Shen Henian saw Crimson Flame, his expression changed drastically. He hurriedly looked at Xue Wanshan, who had already stood up, his face slightly grave.

Upon seeing this, the Black and White Heroes and the others also jumped up in surprise and looked at Xue Wanshan and his two companions.

"Second junior brother, third junior sister, come with me."

Xue Wanshan gave an order to Shen and Li, and before anyone could react, he moved swiftly, rushing out of the hall like a wisp of wind. Shen and Li immediately followed. Seeing this, Bi Yusheng stopped Guo Rui and the others, while he, along with the Black and White Heroes and Yin Songyue, headed towards Chi Yan's location.

The three were quite fast, and in just a few breaths they arrived outside the mountain gate. There, Shangguan Yun led more than a dozen masked men in black robes, standing calmly in front of Xue Wanshan and the others. When he saw Bi Yusheng and the other two appear, he showed a hint of disdain.

"Sect Leader Xue, it's been a long time. Your skills have improved. However, with Ni Qingfeng in seclusion, how many moves can you withstand from me?"

Xue Wanshan looked at Shangguan Yun, flicked his whisk, and said in a deep voice, "I am willing to die for the Dao. As the head of Tianshan Sect, I have long been aware of this. Hall Master Shangguan, we are not on the same path and cannot work together. Today, a battle is inevitable. We have known each other for twenty years, so let me learn from your superior skills."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xue Wanshan flicked his whisk forward, and it swept out like a silver ribbon, with thousands of silver threads dotting the surface with a cold light. It was like a silver star flying by, carrying immense force. If it hit someone, they would be smashed into a pile of mangled flesh in an instant.

(End of this chapter)