A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 363 The Illusory Realm of Music
The Mighty Dragon Palm, carrying unparalleled true power, rushed straight towards Abbess Deathheart. Its energy swept across the surrounding area, destroying everything in its path and leaving only a blank space. Abbess Deathheart remained calm upon seeing this. She plucked the strings of her zither with both hands, and the notes transformed into flying blades, which converged into a sword over ten feet long. With a clang, the sword slashed through the air, directly meeting the Mighty Dragon Palm.

The dragon soared high, its roar shaking the heavens. The long sword was sharp, cleaving through the void. The two vast true energies collided, instantly creating a thunderous roar and surging waves of energy. Guan Yutian and Master Sixin both took two steps back in unison, looking at each other with solemn expressions.

After a loud explosion, both the longsword and the divine dragon vanished, leaving only a deep crater about ten feet in diameter at the point of impact, where wisps of malevolent energy lingered for a long time.

"Jue Wang's move is indeed extraordinary, but I, the Alliance Leader, would still like to see it for myself."

Guan Yutian calmed his internal energy, swept away the turbid energy waves in front of him with a wave of his sleeve, and looked at Master Sixin with eager anticipation. Upon hearing this, the latter said in a calm voice: "Since Alliance Leader Guan is so, then this humble nun will not refuse. However, I must remind Alliance Leader Guan that once this decisive move is made, it will be necessary to compete to see who is better. Alliance Leader Guan should be careful."

Master Sixin wasn't lying. After all, she had only mastered the Seven Absolutes Zither's ultimate level of perfection in just one year, and there were still some minor flaws. She reminded him for two reasons. First, she wanted to use Guan Yutian's help to find these weaknesses as soon as possible and perfect the ultimate level of perfection, laying the foundation for cultivating the final level of ruthlessness in the future. Second, she had heard that Guan Yutian was always arrogant, and if anything went wrong, the Supreme Alliance would definitely change, and if the Supreme Alliance was in chaos, the entire martial arts world would suffer.

"You're too kind, Master. Please feel free to make your move. I know what I'm doing."

Guan Yutian's eyes flickered slightly. He slashed his left leg outward and gestured with one hand. Seeing this, Master Sixin took a deep breath, her expression solemn. She pressed her hands on the strings of her zither. The surroundings were empty and desolate, with only a gentle breeze blowing dust down. After a full quarter of an hour, the first note of the zither finally reached Guan Yutian's ears. The moment he heard the first note, Guan Yutian felt his internal energy surge. He quickly circulated his energy to suppress it. Just then, several more notes were played in succession. Guan Yutian's internal energy surged again, and the veins on his hands bulged out like writhing dragons, looking ferocious and terrifying.

"What terrifying music! It can even control the opponent's true energy. If I hadn't been warned beforehand and used my true energy to protect my heart meridian, I would have been in a terrible state after this series of music."

Guan Yutian secretly felt lucky. Although he had long heard of the power of the Seven Absolutes Zither, he thought that after cultivating with the Nine Dragon Stone for several months, his power was far greater than before. Unless Master Sixin cultivated to the final level, the two of them would at most be evenly matched. But now it seems that he had underestimated the power of the Seven Absolutes Zither. No wonder it could restrain the innate qi.

"The golden body is indestructible!"

Sensing that the true energy within his body was surging more and more intensely, Guan Yutian immediately let out a deep shout, and a golden light shield appeared around him. As the golden light flowed, it blocked all the incoming zither music. The zither music hit the golden light shield, as if it were sinking into water, only splashing up ripples before disappearing without a trace.

After the music stopped, Guan Yutian felt his internal energy gradually return to calm, and he felt relieved. He watched as the nun Sixin continued to play calmly outside, a smile on her face.

This "Indestructible Golden Body" is a superior martial art created by Guan Yutian by integrating all external skills. It is divided into twelve levels. Once you reach the state of "Indestructible Golden Body", you will be invulnerable to swords and spears, water and fire, and isolated from all external objects. However, this divine skill is too difficult to master. Guan Yutian's martial arts talent is also extraordinary, but he has only mastered the eleventh level. He cannot master the last level no matter what.

"If I can master this divine skill with the help of the Seven Absolute Zither, and combine it with innate qi, who in the world will be my match?"

Guan Yutian laughed arrogantly, his body radiating golden light, which spread outwards and approached Master Sixin. Upon seeing this, Master Sixin's expression slightly hardened, her hands paused, and then a series of low and eerie zither notes echoed around the surroundings. A cold wind blew, and ghostly chants filled the air, their voices mournful and plaintive. The atmosphere around them suddenly changed. In Guan Yutian's perception, he seemed to have entered a mass grave. All he could see were broken tombstones, rotten coffins, black soil, fluttering ghost banners, and pairs of scarlet eyes that looked terrifying in the darkness.

This state of absolute severance cannot be achieved by those who have comprehended life and death; otherwise, forcing one to comprehend it will only backfire. Back then, Abbess Sixin spent a full ten years comprehending it before she could suddenly achieve enlightenment and enter this state.

The Realm of Absolute Severance is divided into Yin and Yang. Yang is fierce and powerful, crushing the enemy in one fell swoop with overwhelming force. Yin is cunning and gentle, transforming the enemy's thoughts into reality and illusion. If the opponent cannot truly see through the illusion, they will be trapped in it until their true energy is exhausted and their spirit is depleted.

Since Master Sixin was new to this realm, the first thing she comprehended was the Yin Transformation. After using this move, Master Sixin's true energy was greatly depleted, and it would be difficult for her to recover without a month or two of recuperation.

"It all depends on whether Guan Yutian can help me find the flaw. If he can, it will be worth it."

The nun, Heartbroken, glanced at Guan Yutian, who was already trapped in an illusion in the distance, and a glint of light flashed in her eyes.

"Pretend to be a ghost."

Upon seeing the mass grave in the illusion, Guan Yutian sneered disdainfully. As a top figure in the martial arts world, how could he not know that this was an illusion created by the sound of the zither? But knowing it was one thing, and breaking through it was another.

Guan Yutian glanced around and found his internal energy brimming. He activated his Golden Body Indestructible Technique to its fullest extent and strode towards the red-glowing hill. His intuition told him that the place should be the key to breaking the deadlock. However, just as Guan Yutian took two steps, a white soul-summoning banner suddenly shot from the distance. Guan Yutian immediately shifted his position, and the soul-summoning banner sizzled and solidly stuck into the blood-soaked black mud.

Before Guan Yutian could make another move, a whooshing sound came from all directions as several more soul-summoning banners shot towards him. Upon seeing this, Guan Yutian leaped into the air, pressed down with his right hand, and unleashed a powerful palm strike. The banners were immediately shattered and scattered into countless fragments that drifted down from the sky.

"wrong!"

As Guan Yutian landed and prepared to continue, he suddenly felt something was wrong. Then, a bright red light shone from a distant hill, quickly enveloping his entire field of vision. Immediately afterward, the ground trembled, and withered hands emerged from the ground, blood dripping down their sides. The ground cracked open, revealing faces that Guan Yutian recognized very well.

"Ju Lingzi, Wan Xiu, Xie Yuan, Jin Yanzun, Zhao Zhenyi..."

Guan Yutian named them one by one. These people were all leaders of major sects in Jiangnan in their previous lives, but after the rise of the Supreme Alliance, they were all killed by Guan Yutian for refusing to submit to the Supreme Alliance.

"If I can kill you once, I can kill you twice."

Guan Yutian snorted coldly, flipped his hand, and a powerful palm strike was sent toward a burly, black-faced man. This man was none other than Ju Lingzi, whose "Black Stone Body" was unmatched. Guan Yutian's Golden Body Indestructible Technique was inspired by this man. However, when he later wiped out the Ju Ling Sect, Guan Yutian fought him for several hours before finally wearing him down to death. Now he wanted to see how much strength Ju Lingzi still had in this illusion.

Just as the palm strike was about to land, a zither melody rang out. Ju Lingzi opened his eyes and his gaze turned crimson the moment he saw Guan Yutian. He roared and his body suddenly turned pitch black. Without dodging or flinching, he charged straight at Guan Yutian. The mighty dragon palm strike hit him, but it dissipated upon contact, creating a surging wave of energy. Amidst Guan Yutian's indifferent expression, Ju Lingzi's figure burst out, his fist carrying the force of a thousand pounds, aimed straight at Guan Yutian's forehead.

"All show and no substance, nothing but a facade!"

Guan Yutian raised his right hand to block Ju Lingzi's fist, while his left hand moved with lightning speed, bringing three fingers together to stab towards Ju Lingzi's dantian.

With a hiss, Ju Lingzi's dantian was easily torn apart by Guan Yutian, who made it as thin as paper. Guan Yutian's hand emerged from Ju Lingzi's body, and as expected, there was no blood on it. Guan Yutian snorted coldly, withdrew his left hand, and with his right hand, he gathered his strength and struck Ju Lingzi squarely on the forehead. With one strike, Ju Lingzi's eyes became empty, and his body slumped to the ground like a lump of mud.

Just as the giant spirit was destroyed, the nun Sixin outside the illusion turned pale, and her hands, which were playing the zither, paused slightly, but she quickly returned to normal, and the zither music, which was more urgent than ever before, poured into the illusion.

"Just as I expected, all of these people, including Ju Lingzi, are based on the seven emotions and six desires and manipulated by the sound of the zither. This technique is truly ingenious. It's just that Master Sixin's realm is not high enough, otherwise this illusion should be seven parts fake and three parts real."

Guan Yutian had already guessed the solution, but he still needed to test it further. With that in mind, Guan Yutian moved instantly before the other party could make a move, and struck Jin Yanzun with a palm. This person's skill was slightly higher than that of Ju Lingzi. Although his external skills were not strong, his Golden Silk Rain Sword Technique was mastered to perfection.

However, just as Guan Yutian made his move, he suddenly felt the world darken, and a thick, dark cloud covered the sky above, with red light and lightning flashing within, accompanied by thunder and lightning. The already eerie graveyard became even more sinister. Before the Mighty Dragon Palm Qi could reach Jin Yanzun, a zither melody played, and the Mighty Dragon Palm Qi inexplicably dissipated. Guan Yutian paused upon seeing this.

At the same time, red light flashed on the hilltop, and beams of red light fell on Wan Xiu, Xie Yuan, Zhao Zhenyi, and Jin Yanzun. The four opened their eyes, and the red light in their eyes shone brightly. A melody of a zither came from afar and approached. Then, the four split up and stood in four directions in the blink of an eye, surrounding Guan Yutian.

At this moment, dark clouds and lightning covered the sky, and Jin Yanzun surrounded them from all sides. In addition, the sound of the zither disturbed their minds, and the evil chanting was eerie. Guan Yutian's expression also became solemn. He moved his feet lightly and scanned the surroundings. After a few breaths, Guan Yutian found a spot, gathered the power of wind and thunder in his hands, and struck a wind and thunder seal towards Wan Xiu, who was in the east.

Among the four remaining survivors, Wan Xiu was the weakest in terms of martial arts skills in life. Guan Yutian used him to break the deadlock, but Master Si Xin also knew that Wan Xiu's skills were insufficient, so she devoted the most energy to him. Suddenly, a faint light flashed in Wan Xiu's hand, and his iron crutch surged with power, heading towards the Wind and Thunder Seal. Master Si Xin knew that this alone was not enough to counter this move, so she played the zither again. The soul-summoning banners on the mass grave rose into the air with a whoosh, gathered in one place, and shot towards Guan Yutian like sharp arrows.

When the iron crutch collided with the Wind and Thunder Seal, Wan Xiu couldn't withstand the force. His wrist went numb, and the iron crutch, which was wrapped in lightning, was instantly sent flying. When it landed, it was twisted and mangled.

Just as Guan Yutian was about to scatter Wan Xiu with another palm strike, the Soul-Summoning Banner descended from the sky. Upon seeing this, golden light appeared around Guan Yutian, and clanging sounds filled the air. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Guan Yutian rushed forward and arrived three feet in front of Wan Xiu. Just as he was about to strike Wan Xiu's chest with his palm, a long sword flashing with sword light stabbed from the side, as gentle as a spring breeze and as dense as needles.

Guan Yutian knew that Jin Yanzun had arrived. As soon as the golden light around him touched him, a chilling sound rang out. At the same time, Xie Yuan and Zhao Zhenyi, who had been preparing for a while, strung together two chains from north to south, directly blocking Guan Yutian's retreat. Dozens of soul-summoning banners fell from the sky, one after another, their powerful force shaking the protective aura. Guan Yutian's internal energy surged.

Finally, through a series of techniques, Master Sixin forced Guan Yutian into a trap. Now that the opportunity was rare, Master Sixin's zither music became increasingly deep and resonant. Coupled with the eerie atmosphere of the mass grave, the music flowed smoothly and became more and more enjoyable as she played. A mysterious feeling emerged in Master Sixin's heart.

"This time, we will surely be able to solidify the Realm of Absolute Severance!"

The nun's face lit up with joy, and she plucked the strings with swift movements, producing ethereal melodies that seemed to manipulate everything within the illusion.

Seeing that Guan Yutian was bound by chains and his protective aura was becoming increasingly unstable under the constant attacks of the Soul-Summoning Banner, Wan Xiu and Jin Yanzun immediately took action. One of them wielded a sword and slashed wildly, while the other lifted a rock half his height and smashed it towards Guan Yutian.

With a bang, the golden aura surrounding Guan Yutian finally succumbed to the pressure and exploded under the combined assault of the Soul-Summoning Banner and the rock. Wan Xiu was thrown back by the force and instantly shattered into pieces. Just as the golden light exploded, two chains tightened instantly, locking Guan Yutian's body firmly in place. A long sword flashed with golden light, its sword energy piercing the air with a hissing sound, aiming straight for Guan Yutian's chest. If this sword hit a vital spot, Guan Yutian would surely die.

"drink!"

The situation changed instantly. Guan Yutian shouted and his true energy surged. The chains binding his body were slowly stretched open. The nun who was controlling Jin Yanzun noticed the change and immediately focused her energy on Xie Yuan and the other person. With the support of the zither music, the stretched chains were compressed back.

Guan Yutian noticed the change in the chains, his eyes flashing with a sharp light. He released and retracted his true energy, and the chains, unable to prevent Guan Yutian from breaking free, had to retract as well. At this moment, the golden flying sword was only half a zhang away from Guan Yutian. Just then, the expression of the nun Sixin outside changed drastically. She thought to herself that something was wrong and was about to make up for the oversight when a soaring and earth-shaking power emanated from Guan Yutian's body. The two chains were immediately torn apart. Xie Yuan and Zhao Zhenyi had no time to react and were hit by the Mighty Dragon Palm at the same time, turning into a pile of black ash.

At that moment, Jin Yanzun's longsword arrived, but Jin Yanzun's full-force attack was no match for Guan Yutian's full-force burst. Guan Yutian quickly grasped the stabbing longsword with his right hand, and with a slight force, the longsword was broken in two. With a flick of his wrist, Jin Yanzun, who was stunned and did not dodge, was hit in a vital spot by the broken sword. His eyes turned red and disappeared. In the instant he fell to the ground, he turned into a wisp of green smoke and quickly vanished without a trace.

As the five people died one after another, the red light on the hill dimmed considerably. Guan Yutian saw this and moved swiftly, heading straight for the hill. Meanwhile, Abbess Sixin, who was outside, noticed the change in the illusion, sighed, and played the zither again, but the music sounded weak and powerless.

A few more moments passed, and the sound of the zither grew fainter and fainter until it was almost imperceptible. Just as the string snapped, Guan Yutian slowly opened his eyes. His eyes were incredibly deep. He glanced at the nun Sixin not far away, then walked over calmly and walked over. He stopped three feet away, stood with his hands behind his back, and said with an air of superiority, "Nun, I have won this round. However, I will not do anything to you. This Seven Absolutes Zither is exquisite and unparalleled. I, the Alliance Leader, have also benefited greatly from it. If you can cultivate the final state of heartlessness in the future, I, Guan Yutian, will definitely have the opportunity to learn from you again."

After a pause, Guan Yutian looked at Abbess Sixin and said in a deep voice, "The Food God's Abode can be preserved, but Liu Yiyi must leave the territory of the Supreme Alliance. Abbess should understand what I mean."

Upon hearing this, Abbess Sixin felt relieved. Just now, when Guan Yutian broke the illusion, her energy was connected, and she suffered considerable internal injuries. If Guan Yutian had taken the opportunity to attack, she might not have been able to leave him unscathed.

“This humble nun knows, Alliance Leader Guan. Three days from now, Liu Yiyi will no longer appear at the Supreme Alliance. Until we meet again.”

Master Sixin glanced at Guan Yutian, flipped her hand, put the Seven Absolutes Zither into her pouch, slung it over her shoulder, her robes billowing as she turned and headed towards the Food God's Residence. Guan Yutian saw this, flicked his sleeves, glanced at the few people hiding in the distance, snorted coldly, and his figure flickered, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

The members of the Supreme Alliance watched their leader leave, exchanged glances, and then quickly mounted their horses and returned along the same route. For a moment, the area outside the Food God Residence became quiet. If it weren't for the deep pit left in the open space and the destroyed houses around it, it would be hard to imagine that a fierce battle had just taken place.

Inside the Food God's Residence, Liu Yiyi was overjoyed to see Abbess Sixin walk in unharmed. She quickly took a few steps to greet her.

"Senior, are you okay?"

Seeing Liu Yiyi's concerned gaze, Abbess Sixin waved her hand, sat on the bench, and said nonchalantly, "It's nothing, just a minor injury. It will heal soon. Yiyi, Guan Yutian left a message just now."

"What?"

Master Sixin then told Liu Yiyi about Guan Yutian's request. Upon hearing this, Liu Yiyi's expression changed drastically, but after thinking about it again, she realized that leaving the Supreme Alliance might not be a bad choice.

"We must not let Guan Yutian know about the fact that I am hiding my skills in martial arts, otherwise the consequences will be unimaginable. Everything at the Left and Right Food God Residence has been settled in the past few months. It won't cause any major problems if we leave it to Wang Gui and the others. With me gone as a target, and with Qian Xing's influence, there shouldn't be any trouble."

While Liu Yiyi was pondering, Abbess Sixin was also considering how to persuade Liu Yiyi to become her disciple. After much deliberation, Abbess Sixin spoke first, looking intently at Liu Yiyi and asking expectantly, "Yiyi, are you willing to become my disciple?"

Outside Sword Forging City, Ren Qianxing bowed to Jian Xiong, carried the Bloodstained Sword on his back, mounted his horse, and with a flick of his whip, sent the steed galloping away.

"From then on, Sword Forging City was plagued by troubles."

Jianxiong watched Ren Qianxing leave, sighed, turned around and led his subordinates back into the city, heading straight for Gu Xu's residence.

"Daoist Master, Ren Qianxing has already left today. I wonder where Guan Yutian will place his next move?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Xu said calmly, "The Sea Shark Palace, Helian Ba ​​has been acting very recklessly lately. He has taken over all nineteen islands in the southeast, and his strength has increased rapidly. There will definitely be a battle between these two factions soon!"

(End of this chapter)