A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 359 One Sword Kills the Enemy

Within the forbidden area of ​​the Heartless Gate, Helian Ba ​​was trapped by the Qin Sound Stone Array. The bamboo leaves, like sharp blades, transformed into serpents under the control of the Qin Sound, tearing at him. Although Helian Ba ​​knew that the Qin Sound was the key to breaking the array, the power of this Seven Absolute Qin Sound lay in the fact that it was based on human emotions and desires. As long as the opponent could not be emotionless and desireless, he would be controlled by it. The more he struggled, the faster he was eroded by the Qin Sound, until he finally died from exhaustion.

However, Helian Ba ​​secretly felt fortunate. After all, the music was uncontrolled. As long as he could endure listening to the whole melody, he could find the flaw in it.

Thinking of this, Helian Ba ​​let out a deep shout and unleashed a palm strike, shattering the rocks that were crashing towards him. At the same time, he also scattered the bamboo leaf dragon snake. With this moment of respite, shadows flickered around Helian Ba's body, and phantoms flew out from his body, heading in all directions of the stone formation.

"Senior sister, Helian Ba ​​is going to use his clone shadow to test the formation."

"Don't panic. This Chaotic Stone Bewitching Formation is not so easy to break. As long as the music continues, the formation will be constantly changing. The most important task now is to prevent the music from stopping. If we can hold out for half an hour, Helian Ba's true energy will be exhausted."

Senior Sister Sun watched from afar as Helian Ba ​​and his phantom clones charged left and right, leaping up and down within the stone formation, but no matter what they did, they could not break through the blockade of the stone formation and the bamboo leaf blades.

"The Seven Wonders of the Qin music left by our master should last for half an hour without any problem, but Helian Ba ​​is, after all, a master on par with our master. Senior sister, I am a little worried."

Senior Sister Sun's expression remained unchanged upon hearing this. She addressed her fellow junior sisters, saying, "Have you all forgotten the Seven Absolutes Zither that Master once taught us? One person's strength may be weak, but when everyone works together, it becomes a formidable force. We currently have the advantage of terrain and popular support. I refuse to believe that we cannot defeat Helian Ba. Fellow junior sisters, let's go."

After saying this, Senior Sister Sun turned around and walked towards the direction from which the music was coming from, and the others hurriedly followed.

Just as Senior Sister Sun and her group were preparing to amplify the power of the zither music, Helian Ba, who was in the middle of the formation, became somewhat impatient. The stone formation and the bamboo leaf blades were fine; they could be dispersed with a wave of his hand. However, the omnipresent Seven Wonders Zither music pierced his mind. The melody was sometimes high-pitched and sometimes low. In order to prevent himself from being trapped in the quagmire of the zither music, Helian Ba ​​had no choice but to circulate his true energy in accordance with the music. As a result, the stone formation and the bamboo leaf blades closed in by another three feet, and the space he could move around became smaller and smaller.

Not only that, because his main body was too busy to attend to anything else, the phantom clones he released were also destroyed one after another under the wear and tear of the array's power. Helian Ba ​​realized that the situation was becoming increasingly unfavorable, and his face turned terribly gloomy. With a furious palm strike, he shattered the bamboo leaf flying blades that were attacking into dust, and half of the rock was also shaken into pieces.

Just then, Helian Ba's face lit up with joy. The Seven Absolute Melodies had finally produced a tune he recognized. His figure instantly transformed into four clones, each hand gathering power. In the gap between the next melody, Helian Ba's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and eight split palm strikes attacked in all directions. Helian Ba ​​thought the formation would surely be broken, but at that moment, the melody rang out again, filling the time gap. The stone formation started operating rapidly again, and the eight split palm strikes hit the rocks with several booming sounds. Apart from shaking off some broken stones, they did not break the formation.

"Damn it!"

Helian Ba's expression changed as he watched the rocky bamboo leaves attack again. He moved nimbly and forced the killing move away, but his four clones were not so lucky. The bamboo leaf serpent spun in the air, and two clones were immediately shattered, while the other two clones were destroyed by the pressure of the rocks.

"The Death Heart Sect is indeed quite capable. I was careless. Although the music just now filled the time gap, it also interfered with the original Seven Absolutes music. Perhaps we can start from there."

Helian Ba ​​was indeed meticulous, and in a short time he saw through the flaws in the formation. Although the help from Senior Sister Sun and others made up for the loopholes in the formation, it also weakened the original power of the formation. With the superposition of several zither sounds, the operation of the formation inevitably became slightly hindered. This was not a big problem for ordinary experts, but against a top expert like Helian Ba, this flaw was extremely fatal.

Fearing a repeat of the previous situation, Helian Ba, at the cost of expending more than half of his true energy, tested the area several times before finally confirming that the loophole was irreparable. He then shouted and unleashed a powerful Distracting Palm with his right hand. With his full strength amplified, the obstructing rocks and bamboo leaves shattered, and the zither music that had been echoing in the air paused slightly. Helian Ba's face lit up with joy, and he moved swiftly, stepping out of the stone formation. Just as he left the formation, the zither music rang out again. Helian Ba ​​sneered and ran in the direction of the music.

"The formation has been broken. Let's see what other tricks you have up your sleeve!"

Helian Ba ​​stopped and looked at Senior Sister Sun and the others with a cold gaze. Then he looked at the strange rock shaped like an ancient zither, with seven strings of different colors inlaid on it. At this moment, under the breeze, it continuously played the Seven Wonders of the Zither.

"Good baby!"

Upon seeing this object, Helian Ba ​​was immediately filled with greed. This thing could produce the Seven Wonders of the Qin. If he had it in his hands, he would immediately have an extra bargaining chip, and he would be more confident in dealing with Guan Yutian in the future.

“You villain, you have trespassed into my Heartless Gate. My master will never let you go.”

A female disciple spoke out indignantly, but before she could finish speaking, a dart pierced her chest, and she collapsed to the ground, dead.

"Junior Sister!" Senior Sister Sun cried out in grief and indignation, her eyes bloodshot as she glared at Helian Ba ​​and shouted sharply, "Helian Ba, you!"

The other female disciples drew their swords and pointed them at Helian Ba. The moment Helian Ba ​​broke the formation, the ancient zithers in their hands all snapped in two. Now they had no choice but to face the enemy head-on.

"Those who obey me will prosper, those who defy me will perish. Reveal the location of the treasury and you may be spared your lives; otherwise, this will be your fate."

Helian Ba ​​had no intention of showing any mercy to women, and his tone was very forceful.

Upon hearing this, Senior Sister Sun straightened up and said with a resolute gaze, "Dream on!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Senior Sister Sun drew her longsword and swiftly stabbed Helian Ba ​​in the heart with a move called "Heart Like Dead Ashes." At the same time, the other three also responded, with four cold sword lights sealing four vital points on Helian Ba's body. Helian Ba, however, showed disdain and remained motionless. He simply raised his right hand slightly and swung it forward. A powerful palm energy, like a solid stone wall, struck the four longswords. Several clanging sounds of metal clashing were heard, followed by an unfathomable force that penetrated their bodies. The three cried out in agony as their bodies were thrown heavily to the ground, their chances of survival slim.

Only Senior Sister Sun was severely injured because Helian Ba ​​deliberately held back. However, her condition was not good either. Helian Ba ​​slowly walked up to Senior Sister Sun, sealed her acupoints from a distance, half-squatted down, grabbed Senior Sister Sun's collar, pulled her up, stared at her intently, and said coldly, "Tell me the location of the treasury, and I will spare your life. Otherwise, the Death Heart Sect will be reduced to ruins!"

"You villain, you'll die a horrible death!"

Senior Sister Sun stared blankly at Helian Ba, then spat out a mouthful of foul blood. Helian Ba ​​blocked with his left hand, and then struck her squarely in the chest with a distraction palm strike. Senior Sister Sun's internal organs were shattered, and her eyes widened in disbelief as she died.

"Since you won't tell me, then I'll go find it myself."

Helian Ba ​​arrived before the ancient zither-shaped rock. The Seven Wonders zither music was still playing, but its power had greatly diminished due to the depletion of its reserves. Helian Ba ​​raised his palm into a knife and slashed at the bottom of the ancient zither-shaped rock. But at that moment, a sudden change occurred. The ancient zither-shaped rock sensed the approaching force and shattered on the spot. Helian Ba ​​looked at the broken stones with a gloomy expression and returned along the way he came without saying a word.

After returning to the main hall, Helian Ba ​​toppled all the sculptures and plowed the ground, but found no secret rooms or passages. Several hours later, Helian Ba ​​searched all the houses of the Death Heart Sect, but still could not find the storehouse. In a fit of anger, he set the Death Heart Sect on fire. Watching the thick smoke rise, Helian Ba ​​finally felt a little better.

"What I cannot have, let it disappear forever."

Abbess Sixin never imagined that her long journey would bring such a calamity to the Sixin Sect.

In the Sword Forging City, Jian Xiong looked at the letter in his hand without changing his expression. He waved to his subordinate, who bowed again and then turned and left the side hall.

"What exactly is Guan Yutian planning by having Ren Qianxing retrieve the Bloodstained Sword?"

Jianxiong didn't believe that Guan Yutian was only after the Bloodstained Sword. Moreover, the person he sent was his only personal disciple, which was of great importance. He still needed to inform his father about this matter.

After thinking it over, Jianxiong took the letter, left the side hall, and headed straight for the main hall. When he arrived outside the hall, he saw six sword-wielding guards standing there motionless. When they saw Jianxiong coming, one of the guards looked over.

"Young City Lord, the City Lord is currently in seclusion and no one is allowed to disturb him."

The guard's tone was completely emotionless, like that of a machine devoid of feeling. Jianxiong replied, "I have urgent business with the city lord; please inform him."
Jianxiong was very respectful to the guards. Although these six men were not as high-ranking as the Four Swordsmen, their martial arts skills were in no way inferior to theirs. Moreover, these six men only respected the position and not the person. In other words, they only obeyed the orders of the current city lord and could ignore the orders of others.

"The city lord has already issued an order that during the seclusion period, all matters shall be handled by the young city lord. Young city lord, please return." After saying this, the guard returned to his position. Jian Xiong took a deep breath, pondered for a while, and then turned to leave. Since that was the case, he would have no choice but to discuss it with Daoist Gu Xu.

Originally, Jianxiong did not want to trouble Gu Xu with everything. Firstly, it would delay Gu Xu's cultivation, and secondly, she did not want to over-exploit the relationship between Gu Xu and the Sword Casting City. After all, such relationships tend to weaken with use. Jianxiong did not plan to seek Gu Xu's advice unless it was a critical moment. However, this matter was now beyond her ability and she needed someone to give her some guidance.

After bowing to the main hall, Jianxiong turned and walked towards Gu Xu's residence. A moment later, he arrived outside Gu Xu's courtyard. Because Gu Xu did not like outsiders to serve him, there were no guards or maids in the courtyard. Just as Jianxiong was about to knock on the door knocker with his right hand, he heard a creak, and the two doors opened. A warm voice came from inside.

"Come in, come to the main hall."

Upon hearing this, Jianxiong immediately strode inside. The door closed automatically again, and Jianxiong, familiar with the way, arrived at the main hall. As soon as he entered, he saw Gu Xu brewing tea.

"senior."

Jianxiong quickly took a few steps, bowed respectfully to Gu Xu, and Gu Xu nodded slightly, gestured to the side, and said "Sit." Jianxiong then sat down on a wooden chair next to him.

"Young City Lord, you must have encountered some difficulties here today, whether related to martial arts or worldly affairs."

Gu Xu picked up the teapot, poured two cups of tea, kept one for himself, and with a flick of his wrist, the other cup filled with tea floated toward Jian Xiong. Upon seeing this, Jian Xiong immediately reached out and guided the cup with his true energy, which enveloped the teacup. With a pull and a release, he steadily placed the teacup on the table.

"Senior's calculations are indeed accurate. I have come today for a mundane matter, and it is my fault for disturbing you."

"tell me the story."

Gu Xu picked up his teacup, took a sip of tea, and said calmly.

Before going into seclusion, the Sword Master entrusted Sword Forging City to Gu Xu. In terms of specific operations, Gu Xu let Jian Xiong handle things herself, only giving her general guidance. This was the first time in a long time that she had come to him for advice on mundane matters.

"Senior, this is a letter from the Supreme Alliance. Please take a look."

Jianxiong took the letter from his sleeve and handed it to Gu Xu with both hands. Gu Xu took it, read it carefully, and then placed it on the table. He looked at Jianxiong and said, "Are you worried that Guan Yutian sent Ren Qianxing here for another purpose?"

"As the senior said, Guan Yutian is a man of deep cunning. He was willing to send his personal disciple to Sword Forging City just for a Bloodstained Sword from many years ago. There must be a purpose behind this. Although I have confidence in Sword Forging City, I am afraid that the other party will sabotage us in the dark. If that happens, we will be put on the defensive. If we can figure out their purpose, we can attack them with a clear objective."

"This matter is simple. Since the other party has come openly and honestly, you might as well do a good job of showing proper courtesy. If the other party really has any plans, they will definitely reveal their true colors in time. With the city's defenses fully open and key locations heavily guarded, they will not be able to pull any tricks."

Upon hearing Gu Xu's words, Jian Xiong frowned. Judging from the intelligence he had received, Ren Qianxing was no easy opponent. The Chongshan Sword Sect and Yulin Temple, renowned throughout the Southeast martial arts world, were breached by this man in just a few days, while the Supreme Alliance suffered minimal losses. This made Jian Xiong wary.

“Senior, this seems a bit too conservative.” Jianxiong didn’t want the city to become oppressive and its residents’ normal lives to be affected by Ren Qianxing alone.

"It's a bit conservative, but it's the safest method for you. I have another plan, which is that after Ren Qianxing arrives at Sword Forging City, the young city lord can make sure he can't use his fists for the time being."

Gu Xu admired Jian Xiong's ambitious ideas, but his actions were somewhat dangerous. He had seen Ren Qianxing before; in the Supreme Alliance, he was second only to Guan Yutian. Ordinary sect leaders were no match for him. Although Jian Xiong had received his guidance, his foundation was still somewhat shallow. He might be able to hold his own against Ren Qianxing for a short time with his exquisite swordsmanship, but in the long run, he would undoubtedly be defeated.

"It would be feasible for this junior to have a match with Ren Qianxing. It would also be a good opportunity to test Ren Qianxing's skills and prevent this junior from being ignorant and narrow-minded. I would appreciate it if you could watch the match, senior."

Jianxiong agreed after only a moment's thought. He had already mastered the third level of the Dragon Riding Slash over the past few days and needed a master to spar with. The Taoist priest's skill was too strong, and the others were slightly weaker, making it difficult to force him to unleash his full strength. Ren Qianxing was a suitable candidate.

"If that's the case, then young city lord, please make your preparations well. Judging by the time, Ren Qianxing will arrive at Sword Forging City in about five or six days."

Gu Xu neither agreed nor disagreed with Jian Xiong's choice, since he was safe in Sword Forging City anyway.

"Senior, I'll take my leave now."

Jianxiong breathed a sigh of relief, stood up, bowed to Gu Xu, turned and left the main hall, returning to the side hall to continue handling city affairs.

On the Guanliang Road, Ren Qianxing rode his horse at full speed. A few miles ahead was Jinxiu City, where the Supreme Alliance had secretly set up a branch. After traveling for several days, he could rest a little, recover his strength, and replenish his food and water.

Just as they were running, Ren Qianxing suddenly grabbed the reins, and the horse neighed, raised its front legs high, and then slammed them down, kicking up a cloud of dust, before coming to a stop.

Ren Qianxing shouted at the empty road, "Who are you hiding here? Come out!"

As soon as he finished speaking, five figures jumped out from the bushes on both sides of the road. There were Taoists and Buddhists, men and women. Looking at the monk in the center holding a vajra, Ren Qianxing snorted coldly and said, "Yuan Guang, you were lucky to escape that day, and I let you go. Today you are courting death."

Meeting Ren Qianxing's cold gaze, the monk Yuanguang chanted a Buddhist prayer and said in a deep voice, "Ren Qianxing, the 120 souls of Yulin Temple have been waiting for far too long. Today, this humble monk specially sends you to the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss."

Yuan Guang was the chief guardian deity of Yulin Temple. On the day Ren Qianxing led five hundred allies to attack Yulin Temple, he first poisoned the water source, causing most of the monks in the temple to be poisoned and their fighting strength to be reduced. Later, he used fire to burn down most of the temple. After a fierce battle, of the five hundred monks of Yulin Temple, except for more than three hundred who were captured, the rest were all killed on the spot. In particular, the abbot and all the abbots died at the hands of Ren Qianxing.

If the abbot hadn't risked his life to stop Ren Qianxing, Yuan Guang wouldn't have had a chance to escape.

"Zen Master, why bother talking so much with this villain? With the five of us gathered together today, Ren Qianxing has no chance of escaping!"

A middle-aged Taoist priest holding a long sword stared at Ren Qianxing with a sinister look. Ren Qianxing looked at the Taoist robe on the man's body and remembered that this man should be a member of the Chongshan Sword Sect, but he should not be an important figure.

Looking at the sky, Ren Qianxing dismounted, drew his sword, and stepped forward. He looked at the five men and said, "I'm in a hurry and don't have time for one-on-one duels. Let's all come at once."

Upon hearing Ren Qianxing's words, Monk Yuanguang's eyes widened, and he roared angrily. He leaped forward and unleashed a powerful "Vajra Subduing Demons" strike with his vajra pestle towards Ren Qianxing. At the same time, the Taoist from the Chongshan Sword Sect also moved swiftly, his sword flashing, and delivered a "Chasing Stars and Catching the Moon" strike straight at Ren Qianxing's brow.

Seeing this, the other three did not attack Ren Qianxing. Instead, they each held a chain and stood on one side, forming a triangular blockade to block Ren Qianxing's retreat.

"They dare to show off such moves; they really don't know what's good for them."

Before he destroyed the two sects, Ren Qianxing might have been a little unaccustomed to these two moves. However, after seizing the secret manuals of the two sects and receiving Guan Yutian's detailed explanation of their moves, Ren Qianxing found that these two seemingly powerful killing moves were full of flaws.

The sword light accompanied the dragon's roar. With a flash of sword light, a crimson light appeared. In the midst of the astonishment, the Vajra Pestle broke in two. A line of blood ran straight down from between his eyebrows. He slightly raised his eyelids and made a few hoarse sounds. With two loud clangs, Yuan Guang's body fell to the ground along with the two pieces of the Vajra Pestle.

(End of this chapter)