A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 327 Harboring Differences
Inside the main hall of Tianshan, Shi Huan stared intently at the emerald-green pill in his hand. Noticing the gazes of those around him, he coughed lightly and put the Rejuvenation Pill back into the porcelain bottle.

Those who smelled the fragrance of the elixir immediately looked regretful. Just now, a light inhale of the emanating fragrance had given them a jolt of energy. If they had swallowed it, it would surely have increased their cultivation. They watched with reluctance as Shi Huan put away the porcelain bottle, then glanced at Xue Wanshan at the head of the table and immediately showed a look of regret.

Previously, Xue Wanshan let the various sects decide for themselves. In order to preserve their strength, these small sects did not spare any manpower. If they had known about the Rejuvenation Pill, they would have fought tooth and nail for a spot. Now it's too late to say anything.

After distributing the pills, Shen Henian glanced at everyone present. As he expected, almost 40% of the sect leaders had greed in their eyes. If they weren't in Tianshan, they would probably be fighting each other right now.

"Everyone, this Rejuvenation Pill is not easy to refine. Each person can only have one. Do not use it unless absolutely necessary."

Although Shen Henian felt a pang of regret, he had no choice but to do so in order to get them to show their true abilities. After explaining the effects of the Rejuvenation Pill, Shi Huan and Old Master Hou's eyes flickered slightly.

"If we can refine this Rejuvenation Pill, it will also enhance our foundation."

Shi Huan had already made up his mind that he would avoid taking action during this surprise attack on Zhongxin Hall if possible. With Xue Wanshan and the others around, the mission was almost a certainty, and he might even be able to save the Rejuvenation Pill.

Old Master Hou, standing nearby, was making the same calculation: as long as he didn't face the Sun and Moon Duo, his life would be safe.

Lin Xiu of the Shangjing Sect toyed with the porcelain bottle in her hand, smiled knowingly, and then casually put it away. Shui Yue of the Yuewu Sect, on the other hand, had a calm expression that revealed nothing.

Bi Yusheng and Lu Aotian exchanged a glance, all three of them with solemn expressions. They were all seasoned veterans of the martial arts world, and although Shi Huan and the others had concealed their true intentions well, they had exposed themselves to them.

"What exactly is Sect Leader Xue planning? Is he trying to take this opportunity to eliminate dissidents?"

Bi Yusheng gently waved his folding fan, looking at Xue Wanshan, who was smiling at the head of the table. The latter seemed to notice him and nodded slightly in response to his gaze. Bi Yusheng felt a little relieved, but upon further thought, he felt that judging from Xue Wanshan's style of doing things, this move was somewhat counterproductive. After all, no matter how incompetent Shi Huan and the other two were, at least their achievements were still respectable. Each person would have more strength, and at this critical juncture, Xue Wanshan would never do something that would dig his own grave.

"Sect Leader Xue, we will be descending the mountain tomorrow, so we should head back and make preparations."

Shi Huan stood up and bowed to Xue Wanshan. The others followed suit. Xue Wanshan nodded and said, "Please, everyone."

Xue Wanshan gave Shen Henian a wink, and the latter hurriedly stepped down from the stage. He gestured to Shi Huan and the others, leading them outside the hall. They traveled south to a courtyard covering several acres with rows of pavilions. This place was originally a place to entertain guests, consisting of just a few simple houses. Later, Xue Wanshan ordered it to be extensively renovated, which is how it became what it is today.

"Gentlemen, this is Qingxin Courtyard. Please rest here for the time being. Please forgive the simplicity. If you need anything, please ask the disciples outside the courtyard."

Shi Huan and the others saw that the courtyard had a unique design and a quiet and elegant environment. Although it lacked the grandeur of a wealthy household, it was meticulously arranged in every aspect. Just by looking at the exterior decorations, they could tell that it had been carefully arranged. There was no question of it being simple or crude.

"Master Shen, you are too kind. We were just stray dogs, and we are already extremely grateful to your esteemed sect for taking us in today. This time, you have done so much, which makes us feel ashamed."

Shi Huan showered Shen Henian with compliments, but the latter, though outwardly calm, was inwardly disgusted. After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Shen Henian left first. Shi Huan watched Shen Henian's retreating figure, his smile vanished, replaced by a cold gaze.

"Shen Henian, humph!"

Although Shi Huanbie's martial arts skills were average among the crowd, he was very sensitive to auras. In particular, he had a unique ability to sense the good or evil of the other person based on their aura. Just now, he clearly sensed a faint malice from Shen Henian.

After Shen Henian turned and left Qingxin Courtyard, his aura returned to normal. Looking in the direction of Qingxin Courtyard, Shen Henian flicked his sleeves and headed towards Hongyi Hall. When he returned to the main hall, Xue Wanshan was having tea and talking with Biyusheng and Lu Aotian and his wife. When he saw Shen Henian return, Xue Wanshan nodded to him.

"Senior brother, Sect Leader Shi and the others have been settled in Qingxin Courtyard to rest. I have already asked Pei Duan and others to guard them there, so nothing will go wrong."

Upon hearing this, Xue Wanshan said, "Junior brother did a good job. Shi Huan and the others have impure intentions. If we don't take precautions, they will really think that our Tianshan Sect is weak and easy to bully. Junior brother, did you test him?"

“Junior brother, I deliberately released that malice. If nothing unexpected happens, Shi Huan should have already noticed. Senior brother, Shi Huan is a man…”

Although Shen Henian disliked Shi Huan, he only wanted to teach him a lesson. However, seeing his senior brother's attitude, it was clear that he wanted to kill him. This made him very uncomfortable. After all, in his impression, his senior brother had always been kind and generous and did not easily commit murder.

"Master Shen, you may not know this, but I just learned that Shi Huan had already secretly joined the Zhongxin Hall. No one in the entire sect knew this. He went to great lengths to infiltrate the Tianshan Alliance. If we hadn't been discovered by accident, we would have been deceived as well."

Bi Yusheng's face was also very ugly at this moment. He had unjustly called himself the All-Knowing Scholar, yet he had not even noticed that Shi Huan had defected to Zhongxin Hall. It was a resounding slap in the face.

"Who delivered the message? Is the information reliable?" Shen Henian blurted out.

“The message was sent by my son Lu Yi, and there is another person who corroborates it,” Lu Aotian said to Shen Henian.

Just after Lu Aotian finished speaking, a familiar figure appeared in Shen Henian's eyes.

"Huo Ying!"

Shen Henian's eyes narrowed as he watched the old man in black robes carrying a sword slowly emerge from behind the curtain of the rear hall. This man was none other than Huo Ying, the chief elder of the Diancang Sect who had been missing for a long time.

Huo Ying hurried a few steps, stopped beside Shen Henian, bowed respectfully to Xue Wanshan, and then clasped his hands in a salute to Bi Yusheng and the others.

"Greetings, Master Xue, Mr. Bi, you and your wife, and Master Shen."

"Elder Huo, rumors have it that you are not..."

Shen Henian looked Huo Ying up and down briefly, confirming that it was indeed him, before snapping out of his daze and looking at Huo Ying with a hint of doubt, asking.

According to what he had heard, this person, along with Li Lu of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect and Zhong Xing of the Qiankun Sect, besieged Shangguan Yun, but was defeated and died. Why is he now here unharmed?

"It's a long story. In the battle a long time ago, we were indeed defeated, and only I, Huo, was left hanging by a thread. If it weren't for Young Hero Lu's help, I would have perished as well." Huo Ying briefly recounted his previous experience. Even now, recalling that tragic scene, he still felt lingering fear.

"I see. Elder Huo, you heard Master Lu mention Shi Huan earlier, but you don't know about him?"

After listening to Huo Ying's account, Shen Henian felt relieved and then asked about Shi Huan's defection to Zhongxintang.

"After the Blue Shadow Sect was breached by the Zhongxin Hall, it suffered extremely heavy losses. However, after some investigation by Huo and Young Hero Lu, we discovered that all the high-ranking members of the sect who died were at odds with Shi Huan. Moreover, based on the traces left at the scene, Huo judged that the Blue Shadow Sect was breached by the Zhongxin Hall with almost no power to resist."

After Huo Ying finished speaking, Shen Henian quickly realized something was wrong. It was not surprising that there was a power imbalance within the sect, but Lan Ying Sect was second only to Qiu Shui Manor in strength in Jiangnan. Even if it was at its worst, it shouldn't have suffered such a crushing defeat. Moreover, it was such a coincidence that Shi Huan was not at the sect with a group of disciples. Coupled with some previous doubts, Shen Henian was already 70% convinced.

"In addition, the most direct evidence that Shi Huan has joined Zhongxin Hall is that Shangguan Yun has already planted the Dragon Demon in his body."

Huo Ying stretched his left hand out from his sleeve, and everyone saw that his left arm from the forearm down had become thin and black, like a demonic claw.

"I originally intended to kill Shi Huan and had the upper hand, but just as I was about to stab him in the throat, a dark red aura emerged from his body. I couldn't dodge in time and had to use all my strength to strike him with my palm, which is why I ended up like this. If it weren't for Young Master Lu severing my tendons in time, I would have lost half of my body."

Xue Wanshan stared solemnly at Huo Ying's left arm. He reached out and inhaled, and a wisp of crimson-black energy flew out from the left arm. Everyone's expression changed upon seeing this. Just then, after swirling for a few breaths, the crimson-black energy tried to return to the left arm, but Xue Wanshan's eyes sharpened, and he shouted. His true energy circulated, and a righteous force surged down, enveloping the crimson-black energy.

Everyone looked over and saw a ball of white light, in which a wisp of crimson-black energy was struggling left and right. The white light ball kept shrinking, and after a short while, it had become the size of a fist. The crimson-black energy inside gradually stopped struggling. Finally, with a few soft hissing sounds, the white light ball finally refined the crimson-black energy.

Xue Wanshan took a deep breath and sighed, "It really is the power of the Dragon Fiend, and this Dragon Fiend is much stronger than the one on Fellow Daoist Xuanwu. Just this little bit has consumed one-tenth of my true energy. If it were a few more bits, I would be powerless to help."

After the dragon's aura left his body, Huo Ying was horrified to find that his thin, dark arm was gradually becoming fuller and regaining its color at a speed visible to the naked eye. He was immediately grateful to Xue Wanshan. At this moment, when he suddenly heard Xue Wanshan mention the name Xuanwu, he was immediately shocked. Then, he looked at Xue Wanshan with a little expectation and asked excitedly, "Sect Leader Xue, could Senior Brother Xuanwu be in Tianshan?"

Huo Ying could not help but be excited at this moment. The Diancang Sect was now only a name, and he was the only one left. If something happened to him, the century-old foundation of Diancang would disappear in his hands. How could he face the ancestors after his death?

Now that he heard that Senior Brother Xuanwu was still alive, with his reputation and martial arts skills, the two of them working together might be able to rebuild the mountain gate and restore its former glory. Thinking of this, Huo Ying could hardly contain himself.

“Fellow Daoist Xuanwu is indeed in Tianshan, but he is currently recuperating. Second Junior Brother, you should take Elder Huo there.”

"Yes, Senior Brother Sect Leader." Shen Henian responded and gestured to Huo Ying, saying, "Elder Huo, please follow me."

Upon hearing this, Huo Ying first bowed respectfully to Xue Wanshan, and then said to Shen Henian, "Thank you for your trouble, Daoist Shen."

The two left the main hall one after the other.

"Sect Leader Xue, Shi Huan must not be allowed to live. However, I think we should use a counter-strategy. Since Shi Huan is trying so hard to get involved, we should let him go until we find out his purpose. We can use him at the right time and perhaps achieve a surprise effect."

Bi Yusheng's eyes gleamed with a sharp light. Xue Wanshan and Lu Aotian looked at him with great interest, waiting for him to continue.

“Our initial target was the Sun and Moon Duo and Jiang Che and the others, but we can slightly change our plan. We only need to eliminate the Sun and Moon Duo, but we can still make the same public statement as before. What do you all think?”

Upon hearing this, Xue Wanshan stroked his beard and pondered. Lu Aotian and his wife also began to think. If they only dealt with the Sun and Moon Duo, it would certainly save a lot of effort. However, mobilizing so many people just to kill these two would be a waste of their talents.

Lu Aotian looked up at Xue Wanshan at the head of the table. The specifics of what to do depended on the opinion of this Tianshan Sect Leader.

“What Mr. Bi said makes sense, but in this way, just to get rid of the sun and moon, we are making a lot of trouble. If we can successfully eliminate the sun and moon, we will still have time to spare, and we can do as much as we can.”

After speaking, Xue Wanshan looked at Biyusheng, who clapped his hands with his folding fan and said, "Is that so? What do you two think?"

My husband and I have no objection.

In any case, Lu Aotian and his wife were confident that they could defeat everyone except Shangguan Yun.

After discussing it further, Bi Yusheng and the others left. Xue Wanshan sat in his seat, deep in thought. Although Shangguan Yun was seriously injured and had fled far away, he had the Dragon Pearl with him. Would he recover quickly? This made Xue Wanshan somewhat uncertain.

Just as he was deep in thought, he suddenly heard a commotion outside. Upon seeing this, Xue Wanshan immediately stepped down the steps and walked out of the main hall. Several gatekeepers bowed to him, and Xue Wanshan waved for them to step aside. He looked solemnly at a dense cloud of multicolored light in the sky not far away. The cloud of light spread rapidly and in the blink of an eye, it had spread to the sky above the main hall of Tianshan.

"Master!"

Just as Xue Wanshan was secretly surprised, Tu suddenly saw Fu Tianjiao rushing excitedly from outside the mountain gate.

"What happened?"

After Xue Wanshan waited for Fu Tianjiao to come to him and calmed his breathing slightly, he began to ask her questions.

“Master, Fourth Uncle has woken up. This strange phenomenon is coming from Fourth Uncle.” Fu Tianjiao replied with a shocked expression.

"what!"

Upon hearing that Ni Qingfeng had woken up, Xue Wanshan immediately used his lightness skill to rush towards the outside of the mountain gate without saying a word.

Xue Wanshan was fast; in the blink of an eye, he had arrived outside the mountain gate and, without stopping, headed straight for the mountaintop on the side.

(End of this chapter)