A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 330 The Conspiracy Has Been Revealed
Outside Zhongxin Hall, the morning bell and evening drum launched a powerful attack. Under the sonic assault, the disciples of Zhongxin Hall were routed. Just then, a scorching palm strike suddenly attacked the morning bell. Upon seeing this, the bell's face turned ashen. With a wave of her hand, she sent a burst of energy into the bronze bell beside her. A buzzing sound rang out, and a powerful sonic wave surged like ripples on water, continuously rushing towards the palm strike. The palm strike paused slightly, but it was broken by the sonic wave after only half a breath. The bell's sound continued its relentless attack towards the Sun Demon.

Sensing the intense killing intent, Ri Sha felt a chill and waved his hand to signal his disciples to stay far away. His aura surged, and a red cloud of light slowly appeared behind him, the scorching heat distorting the surrounding area within a few feet.

"This is the Crimson Sun Divine Skill. Elder Ri has actually mastered this skill to such a high level. It is truly admirable."

Jiang Che looked excitedly at the crimson clouds floating around Ri Sha, then exchanged a glance with Qiu Wang, and the three of them moved in unison to temporarily stop Mu Gu.

"Go away!"

Seeing that Ri Sha was going all out, Mu Gu was worried that Chen Zhong would be no match for him, so he immediately rushed to help. However, he was forced back by Jiang Che and the other two. Their actions further enraged Mu Gu, and he immediately unleashed a flurry of palm strikes, leaving a series of palm prints on the large drum. The thunderous drumbeats continuously assaulted the minds of Jiang Che and the other two.

"Oh no, stay calm and don't let the sound waves get in."

Upon hearing this sound, Jiang Che's expression changed instantly. He hurriedly activated his protective aura, and Qiu and Wang responded simultaneously. The three of them connected their protective auras and desperately resisted Mu Gu's sonic waves. The sonic waves crashed against the auras like a tidal wave, one after another. The auras shimmered and circulated, dissipating the force. Although their strengths were roughly equal, Mu Gu had the aid of the Heavenly Scorpion Demonic Sound, making it impossible for Jiang Che and the other two to perfectly defend themselves. When their focus relaxed slightly, a loophole appeared in the protective auras, and Mu Gu seized the opportunity.

Seeing that the protective aura had faltered, Mu Gu immediately struck the drum with his palm again. An even more muffled drumbeat suddenly rang out. Jiang Che and the other two's protective auras could only last for a few breaths before collapsing in response. The three of them were also thrown away by the aftershocks of the drumbeat, all suffering internal injuries.

"Master's wife!"

Mu Gu originally intended to finish off the three of them, but suddenly saw Chen Zhong being forced into a disadvantageous position by Ri Sha not far away. Immediately, he abandoned Jiang Che and the other two and unleashed another demonic sound towards Ri Sha, who was struggling to raise his palm. Ri Sha had hoped to severely injure Chen Zhong with this move, but upon seeing Mu Gu's attack, he turned around and counterattacked. The palm energy and sound waves collided, instantly causing a surge of air and sand to rise, obscuring everyone's vision.

"Elder, be careful!"

Upon hearing this sound, Ri Sha immediately became alert. Without thinking, he channeled his energy into his hands, and a crimson light shield rose around him. Just as he released the shield, two sound waves collided with it one after the other, instantly breaking a gap in the solid shield. Strands of cold wind rushed in. Ri Sha was startled and hurriedly circulated his true energy to close the gap again.

"Morning bell, evening drum, do you know the consequences of provoking the Hall of Loyalty and Faith? If you know what's good for you, leave now, or this elder will make you wish you were dead!"

Ri Sha swept away the dust in front of him with a wave of his sleeve. He saw that several feet away, Chen Zhong and Mu Gu stood beside the bronze bell and drum, their palms poised to strike. Their target was the gate of Zhongxin Hall. If the gate were damaged by the two, it would undoubtedly be a disgrace to Zhongxin Hall, which Ri Sha could not tolerate under any circumstances.

Hearing Ri Sha's cold voice, Chen Zhong Mu Gu remained noncommittal. Chen Zhong gently tapped the bronze bell with her slender hand, producing a soft sound, and looked at Ri Sha, slowly saying, "Where is Yue Sha? Let him come out. You alone are no match for the two of us."

Morning Bell and Evening Drum had already found out that Shangguan Yun was not in the hall, otherwise they would not have taken this opportunity to come. This trip was only for one person. If they had this person in their hands, they could force Shangguan Yun to take out the Dragon Pearl.

"Do I even need my brothers to deal with you? You're asking for death!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Yue Sha's eyes flashed with cold light, his right hand flashed with red light, and he leaped forward, covering more than ten feet in the blink of an eye. His fierce palm energy rushed straight towards Chen Zhong and Mu Gu.

Of course, Ri Sha knew that Yue Sha had important matters to attend to; otherwise, he would have already come out to help. He glanced at the injured Jiang Che and the other two, knowing that they couldn't be of much help for the time being.

“If Shangguan Yunruo arrives, the two of us might be a little wary, but how much strength can you exert on your own?”

As Chen Zhong and Mu Gu watched the charging Ri Sha, they simultaneously pressed their palms onto the bells and drums. A buzzing sound rang out, and the surrounding void gradually distorted. A powerful sound wave converged into an invisible river, rolling back and forth, carrying with it a chilling demonic sound that captivated the mind. It met the blazing sun palm energy with a single impact. The blazing sun palm energy was shattered in one move. The scorpion demonic sound spread around, and all the Zhongxin Hall disciples scattered around heard this sound and howled in pain, their faces contorted with rage. Those with weaker skills collapsed to the ground. When Ri Sha saw the surging demonic sound, he roared, and a flash of crimson light appeared around him, blocking all the demonic sound that was rushing towards him. However, in doing so, he was also trapped here.

The demonic power continued its relentless march, bypassing the Sun Demon and striking the main gate of Zhongxin Hall squarely. With several loud booms, the two main gates were instantly shattered into pieces, revealing the interior of Zhongxin Hall.

"Sanlang, let's go!"

The morning bell gave a soft shout to the evening drum, and the two immediately set up the bell and drum and headed straight for the Zhongxin Hall. At this moment, Ri Sha was doing his best to resist the invasion of the aftershocks of the demonic sound and could not free up his hands, so he could only watch helplessly as the two broke into the Zhongxin Hall.

Just as the morning bell and evening drum landed on the square, the evening drum's expression changed slightly. It moved instantly, blocking the morning bell. It slapped the drum surface with its large hand, and the sound waves spread out, blocking the rain of arrows coming from afar. The morning bell also reacted at this moment. It quickly played the bronze bell with its delicate hand, and together with the drum, the Scorpion Demon Sound was played again. In a short while, the power of the rain of arrows gradually slowed down and finally disappeared completely.

"The Zhongxin Hall is indeed quite capable. If we hadn't mastered the Scorpion Demon Sound, we probably wouldn't even be as good as the Sun and Moon Twin Fiends based on our skills alone."

Chen Zhong took a few breaths, his face flushed, and coughed lightly. Mu Gu, upon hearing this, immediately looked anxious.

"Master's wife, once I subdue Shangguan Yun's wife, I will make him hand over the Dragon Pearl. With the Dragon Pearl, your injuries will be healed."

After Mu Gu finished speaking, he looked at Chen Zhong with a firm gaze. Chen Zhong felt a warmth in his heart upon seeing this, but he knew his own body was nearing its end. He was only willing to come with Mu Gu now so as not to disappoint him. Rather than fighting and killing here, he would rather find a beautiful place with clear waters and green mountains and live a good life for a while. Even if he died, it would be worth it.

"Alright, Master's wife, please wait."

Just as the two continued to move forward, Yue Sha led a group of men to meet them.

“The Hall of Loyalty and Integrity is not a place that just anyone can enter. Now that you two have come here, if you don’t leave something behind, I will have no way to explain to the Hall Master.”

Yue Sha stared coldly at Chen Zhong and Mu Gu, then waved his right hand forward. Four figures leaped into the air, each wielding a weapon, and attacked Chen Zhong and Mu Gu. Upon seeing this, Mu Gu immediately stepped forward, swept his right palm, and a fierce gust of wind shot straight into the sky, carrying immense force like a tidal wave, rushing towards the four people.

"What a brilliant whirlwind palm technique."

Although Yue Sha praised her, his hands moved quickly. While Mu Gu was dealing with the four people, Yue Sha led the remaining three straight to Chen Zhong. Yue Sha had already seen that Chen Zhong was injured and could not force her to use her power. If he could capture her, Mu Gu would be defeated without being defeated.

"Don't think about it!"

Mu Gu's expression changed as he watched Chen Zhong fight the four members of Yue Sha. He swept away their attacks with a palm strike, then struck the drum with his palm, sending a sonic wave straight at Yue Sha. Sensing the threat behind him, Yue Sha quickly dodged to the side. This movement gave Chen Zhong a chance to catch her breath. Ignoring her injuries, Chen Zhong forcefully activated the Heavenly Scorpion Demonic Sound. The sound of bells rang out, and the demonic sound pierced the ears. Of the four who attacked her, apart from Yue Sha, the other three suffered varying degrees of injury. One of them, only seeking victory, attacked without holding back. Caught off guard, the demonic sound pierced through his defenses and penetrated his lungs and liver. His body froze, and before he could even let out a scream, he suddenly exploded, scattering into a shower of blood and flesh, instantly turning a patch of white ground crimson, and a bloody smell spread.

"Master's wife!"

Looking at the pale-faced Chen Zhong, Mu Gu was filled with rage and hatred. He swung his palm, sending waves of sound straight at the four people who were attacking him. However, these four were all well-known experts in the Zhongxin Hall. Having just witnessed the tragic state of their comrade, they were already on guard. Therefore, Mu Gu's move did not succeed. Nevertheless, the four were still wary and quickly dodged away.

Seeing the man die a gruesome death, Yue Sha was instantly enraged. A flash of frost appeared on his hand, and seeing Chen Zhong severely injured, he and Yu pressed forward, their chilling palm energy penetrating to the bone. A sword and a saber attacked from both sides, and Chen Zhong felt an unprecedented pressure. Just as the palm energy and weapons were about to strike, Yue Sha suddenly turned and struck with his own palm, directly colliding with the incoming sound wave. After a three-breath stalemate, Yue Sha withdrew his palm energy, and his face immediately turned solemn as he looked at the small cut on his palm.

Seeing Mu Gu rushing towards him, Yue Sha waved to the other two beside him. Upon seeing this, the two raised their weapons and attacked Chen Zhong again. However, although these two were also experts, the pressure on Chen Zhong was not as great as before. The three of them quickly became entangled in a fierce battle.

"Pity."

Yue Sha sighed as he looked at Mu Gu. To master a simple martial art like the Whirlwind Palm to such a high level requires unwavering perseverance. Given time, he would surely shine in the martial arts world. But unfortunately, Yue Sha would never let someone who tarnished the reputation of Zhongxin Hall leave alive.

Seeing Yue Sha blocking his way, Mu Gu didn't say a word. He put his index and middle fingers together and struck the large drum held in his left hand heavily. An invisible sound wave reverberated through the void, and the ground trembled slightly. A glint flashed in Yue Sha's eyes, and he shouted. Frosty white energy condensed in his palm, and he charged forward. The frost-cold power of his strike slowed the incoming sound wave, and his momentum did not diminish as he charged directly at the large drum.

Yue Sha knew that Mu Gu's skills were almost half superior to Tian Xie Mo Yin's, and Tian Xie Mo Yin required a specially made drum to function. This time, he intentionally destroyed that drum, making it much easier to deal with Mu Gu.

Although Mu Gu had an honest appearance, he was not a fool. Seeing that Yue Sha's target was aimed directly at the drum, he knew exactly what Yue Sha was up to. He snorted coldly, raised his hand, and a whirlwind of energy swirled around him, shaped like a sharp cone, and pierced straight through. However, at that moment, four sharp energies suddenly came from behind. Just as the whirlwind cone was about to collide with the frost energy, it was intercepted by the sharp energy first. The frost energy, now unobstructed, proceeded unimpeded and invaded Mu Gu's front.

"not good!"

Mu Gu's expression changed slightly. It was too late to make a move now. He then used his left hand to lift it upwards, narrowly forcing away the frost. However, the fact that the drum was freed from Mu Gu's hand was also within Yue Sha's consideration.

"Do it!"

Seeing the opportunity, Yue Sha flashed a sharp light and moved instantly, stopping Mu Gu, who was about to fly over to collect the drum. The other four people shouted in unison from four directions, and four bursts of energy struck the drum at the same time, but the drum failed to break in one blow. Yue Sha's expression changed slightly when he saw this. Just as he was about to risk injury to make a move, he suddenly had a thought and stopped his attack, continuing to entangle Mu Gu.

The drum failed to be broken as desired, and the four prepared to attack simultaneously again. However, at this moment, a scorching palm energy suddenly came from afar, like a pillar of flame, rushing straight towards them. It easily tore through the drum surface and pierced through the back. With a ripple of flame, the drum exploded and turned to ashes in mid-air.

"Elder Ri."

When the four men saw that the one who made the move was Ri Sha, they hurriedly greeted him. Ri Sha nodded slightly, looked at Mu Gu who was fighting with Yue Sha, and then looked at Chen Zhong who was struggling. After a moment of contemplation, he abandoned Chen Zhong and ran towards Mu Gu.

Seeing that Sun Fiend had gone to help Moon Fiend, the four exchanged a glance and then joined the battle to besiege Morning Bell. With these four joining, Morning Bell was under even greater pressure. Within a few breaths, he had three knife wounds, two sword marks, and a fist mark on his body. His originally pale face turned deathly white, without a trace of blood, and the death aura around him grew stronger, making him teeter on the verge of collapse.

"Damn it!"

After his weapon was destroyed, Mu Gu sensed something was wrong. Seeing his master's wife in such a terrible state, he decided it was best to retreat. The Moon Fiend was already difficult to deal with, and with the Sun Fiend added to the mix, they were even more difficult to handle. Seeing that the two attacks were as one, Mu Gu's face grew increasingly gloomy. With two loud thuds of fists and palms hitting flesh, the Moon and Sun Fiends were immediately shocked. Even if Mu Gu was at his worst, he should at least be able to block one of them. Why was he the one to suffer this attack?

To their surprise, Mu Gu, risking injury, took advantage of the moment when the two were distracted and instantly broke away from the battle. Looking at Chen Zhong, who was covered in blood, Mu Gu roared and raised his hand. With a terrified look in one of their eyes, the palm print grew larger and larger, hitting him squarely on the forehead and shattering him to pieces. Mu Gu then wrapped his long sleeves around Chen Zhong and prepared to break out of the encirclement.

"Stop him!"

At this moment, the Sun and Moon Duo also came to their senses. Seeing Mu Gu's actions, they immediately shouted, and the other five rushed towards Mu Gu. Just as the five gradually surrounded him, Mu Gu, who was rushing around, smiled coldly, took out an exquisite small drum from his pocket, poured his true energy into it, and threw it at the bronze bell that was left in place. The two collided and exploded at the same time, and a deafening sound wave spread rapidly in all directions.

"not good!"

The expressions of the Sun and Moon Duo changed drastically. Without time to think, they immediately clasped their palms together. A red and white light shield enveloped them, and sonic waves splashed against it, creating ripples like water. Although the Sun and Moon Duo managed to open their protective shields in time and were unharmed, the other five were not so lucky.

The two at the front were the first to be blasted to pieces by the sonic shockwave. Their flesh and blood were scattered by the shockwave before they could even disperse. The other three groaned as they were sent flying backward and crashed heavily to the ground. Their internal organs were all injured in different ways and it would take several months to recover.

When Mugu threw out the small drum, he had already fled far away with the heavily injured Chenzhong, leaving only a mess in Zhongxin Hall. When Jiang Che and his two companions arrived outside, they were shocked to see the huge crater left in the square and the wailing of their subordinates.

Jiang Che and Qiu Wang stepped forward and saw that the faces of the two elders, Riyue and Sun, were extremely grim.

"The losses are so enormous, not a single one of the Morning Bell and Evening Drum has survived. If the Hall Master returns, how are we supposed to explain this!"

"Chen Zhong is seriously injured and can't have gone far. Jiang Che, Commander Qiu, and Commander Wang, each of you take thirty men and search the area within ten miles of Zhongxin Hall thoroughly. If you find any trace of the two, do not act rashly, but immediately send out a signal." Yue Sha pondered for a while before giving the order.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Che and the other two immediately agreed and went to make arrangements. Just after the three left, Yue Sha was surprised to find He Yanrong there. Upon seeing her, Ri Yue Shuang Sha hurriedly stepped forward to pay their respects.

"I was unaware of Madam's arrival; it was my fault. May I ask how Madam's health is?"

"What the hell happened? Why did Chen Zhong Mu Gu come to Zhongxin Hall to cause trouble for no reason?"

In He Yanrong's eyes, although the Morning Bell and Evening Drum had always been called heretical, they had not done anything immoral before. They were simply different from the ideals upheld by some righteous people. It was only because the righteous were powerful that they were labeled as heretical. He Yanrong had always looked down on this approach and instead felt great sympathy for the relationship between Evening Drum and Morning Bell.

"The hall master had some conflict with these two people on Mount Tian. This time, these two people took advantage of the hall master's absence to cause trouble for Zhongxin Hall. However, I have already handled this matter properly, so Madam need not worry too much."

Yue Sha spoke flawlessly, but He Yanrong snorted inwardly. Since the other party was unwilling to explain, she didn't need to make a fool of herself. If it weren't for the commotion earlier, she would still be carefully preparing the medicinal pills.

"It's a mess, you two deal with it yourselves." He Yanrong glanced at the two of them, then turned and walked towards her residence.

Just as Zhongxintang was being attacked by Chenzhong and Mugu, Xue Wanshan and his group of nine had already descended from Tianshan Mountain. Ni Qingfeng secretly followed them all the way. After traveling for several days, Xue Wanshan and the others stayed at an inn to rest.

In the dead of night, Shi Huan put on a set of night clothes, quietly pushed open the door, saw that the candles on both sides had been extinguished, and felt the steady breathing inside. Shi Huan tiptoed out of the inn and ran for several miles until he came to a flat grassland. There, a familiar figure was waiting for him.

"Hall Master!"

(End of this chapter)