A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 366 A Thunderclap
Thunder Valley, Five Scholar Trees Pavilion

It was dusk. Huangfu Changhen looked at the pavilion illuminated by candlelight in the distance, where a person sat alone. He walked briskly towards it.

Hearing footsteps, the man in the pavilion turned around and saw Huangfu Changhen. A flash of joy crossed his face. He stood up, cupped his hands in greeting from afar, and said, "Mr. Huangfu has indeed kept his promise. I have prepared some simple wine. Please."

Huangfu Changhen looked at the somewhat familiar face, thought for a moment, and then said in a deep voice, "So it's you. You were lucky to escape back then, but I didn't expect you to come to my door now."

As he spoke, he cautiously walked toward the pavilion. Huangfu Changhen stretched out his senses and noticed that there were no fewer than five people lurking around the pavilion, but he showed a disdainful expression on his face.

"Mr. Huangfu, you truly have a good memory. I was originally going to help you recall a few things, but now I've saved myself a lot of trouble. I've returned here today not for any other reason than to learn from your Thousand-Mile Thunder Whip technique once again. I wonder if you would do me the honor of teaching me?"

Blood Lord, carrying a cup of wine, stepped out of the pavilion. The two were only a few feet apart. After Blood Lord finished speaking, the wine cup in his hand shot swiftly toward Huangfu Changhen. The latter remained unmoved and did not even flinch. However, the wine cup exploded in mid-air, and the wine in the cup was thrown back. Blood Lord's eyes sharpened, and with a flick of his hand, a flash of crimson light appeared. Before the wine could reach him, it was evaporated by his palm energy. However, a wisp of white mist in mid-air remained condensed and did not dissipate.

"It's been many years. Your Cinnabar Palm has improved quite a bit. I wonder how many people you've harmed to achieve your current success. Since you've met me today, I'll rid the martial world of this scourge. Let's make our move. I want to see just how far you've progressed with your Blood-Dripping Sword Technique."

Huangfu Changhen flicked his sleeve, and the white mist was blasted away by the force of the energy. Blood Lord was not surprised but delighted, and felt reassured.

"It seems that Mr. Huangfu will not have the chance to drink this cup of wine today. But rest assured, after I take your life, I will cut off your head and soak it in the wine jar. After a few years, the wine will be sweet and delicious, with an irresistible aroma."

Although Blood Lord had a smile on his face, what he said was extremely cruel. A flash of crimson light appeared, and a cold glint was aimed straight at Huangfu Changhen. The latter was not flustered. He dodged and the cold glint missed. Blood Lord reached out and grabbed the long sword back into his hand. With a flash of crimson light, he slashed horizontally. Huangfu Changhen lowered his body. The sword light flashed across his face, and a bloody smell lingered.

Blood Lord's two attacks were dodged by Huangfu Changhen, but he was not discouraged. With a flick of his longsword, sparks of red light flew, directly blocking Huangfu Changhen's retreat, leaving only an empty space behind him. However, this time Huangfu Changhen did not retreat but advanced. Black energy surged in his hands, and he unleashed dozens of palm shadows, dazzling the eyes. The cold light pierced straight through, shattering the palm shadows and extinguishing the sword light as well. But as Huangfu Changhen continued to bombard, and the palm shadows surged forward, the few remaining red lights were instantly engulfed. The palm shadows continued their momentum, heading straight for Blood Lord.

"Black Evil Palm!"

Blood Lord's expression changed slightly, and the longsword in his hand suddenly sank. Before he could think further, a flash of crimson light appeared on his face, the sword suddenly shone brightly, and his wrist flicked rapidly. Streaks of sword light shot out, rushing into the black mist formed by the palm shadow. The crimson and black light flickered uncertainly. After a few breaths of stalemate, Blood Lord groaned and took half a step back. Just then, a jet-black whip shot out from the black mist, like a black dragon, baring its fangs and claws. It spun in the air, about to entangle Blood Lord. Blood Lord immediately lifted his body upwards, but Huangfu Changhen seemed to have anticipated this move. With a flick of his whip, the whip head, which had been pointing straight ahead, raised its head like a dragon raising its head, the whip body straightening, and followed Blood Lord into the air.

This move is the "Returning Dragon" from the Thousand Mile Whip Thunder. When the opponent escapes from the predicament, they are easily caught off guard and may relax their defenses. If this move hits, the opponent will be crippled at best and die at worst. However, Huangfu Changhen knows that the Blood Lord will not fall for it so easily, but his purpose is not limited to this.

As Huangfu Changhen had predicted, upon seeing the Returning Dragon Summoning Technique, Blood Lord leaped into the sky. With a loud shout, he reversed his body, wielding his longsword to meet the long whip. The tip of the sword shone brightly red, and he struck the whip's head with his sword. A powerful and righteous force surged from it, almost breaking through Blood Lord's true qi defense. Using the momentum of the strike, Blood Lord flipped over and landed some distance away. In an instant, a barrage of arrows rained down on Huangfu Changhen.

At this moment, Huangfu Changhen was already on guard when Xue Jun broke the Returning Dragon with a risky move. With a flick of his wrist, he quickly retracted his whip. Just then, a rain of arrows suddenly shot towards him. Under the moonlight, the arrowheads seemed to shimmer with blue light. Huangfu Changhen knew that these arrows were coated with a deadly poison. He immediately dodged, but the rain of arrows was too dense. Moreover, Xue Jun had already cleared the area, leaving no place to hide except for a pavilion.

"That pavilion must have been tampered with by this person, but we won't let him take the bait if we don't let our guard down."

Huangfu Changhen quickly changed his mind and used his lightness skill to rush towards the pavilion. When Xue Jun saw Huangfu Changhen's actions, he felt slightly relieved. Even if Huangfu Changhen knew that there was a trap in the pavilion, so what? He still obediently delivered himself to the door.

"Keep firing arrows."

Blood Lord gave a faint sound, and the rain of arrows behind him grew stronger rather than weaker. The arrowheads struck the pavilion, sparks flying. After Huangfu Changhen reached the pavilion, he reached out and flicked his hand. His black whip, inconspicuous in the night, swept across, and screams of agony came from outside. The rain of arrows became sparse, and after a few breaths, it finally stopped. Just then, Blood Lord's triumphant voice came from outside.

"Mr. Huangfu, how does this Western Regions Soul-Destroying Powder taste?"

Upon hearing this, Huangfu Changhen's expression changed. He silently circulated his internal energy and immediately realized something was wrong. His internal energy had become sluggish and difficult to circulate, accompanied by a feeling of dizziness.

"The Flower of Death!"

Huangfu Changhen didn't know about this substance, but judging from its name, it must be an extremely vicious poison. However, despite his best efforts to guard against it, he still couldn't figure out when he was poisoned.

"Mr. Huangfu, are you wondering when you were poisoned? Let me tell you, this poison is colorless and odorless, and it was hidden in the wine. If you hadn't broken the wine cup, how could I have used the Cinnabar Palm to refine this poison and let you be poisoned?"

Blood Lord's explanation made Huangfu Changhen realize that Blood Lord was indeed treacherous and cunning. Knowing that he would not accept the wine cup, he did the opposite.

"Despicable and shameless! Didn't you want to test your martial arts skills with me? Why did you resort to such low-down moves? Did you know you were no match for me but were unwilling to admit defeat, so you came up with such a treacherous method? You are a renowned figure in the martial arts world, yet you still act so despicably. No wonder you can't amount to anything and can only hide behind others."

While making sarcastic remarks to buy himself time, Huangfu Changhen secretly used his detoxification method to slowly draw out the toxins from his body.

Hearing these mocking words, Xue Jun was not angry at all. Instead, he took a few steps forward with a light smile and stared at Huangfu Changhen, saying, "Huangfu Changhen, don't think about stalling for time. Once this Soul-Destroying Flower enters the body, it can instantly permeate the true energy. The more you try to resist it, the faster it dissipates. The more you try to resolve it, the more it erodes. I have a deal with you. If Mr. Huangfu agrees, I will offer you the antidote with both hands."

"What deal?"

Huangfu Changhen silently activated the refining method in the Wuji Heart Sutra. Under the refinement of pure true qi, the wisps of toxins were continuously drawn out of his body, gradually condensing into a ball, which was enveloped by true qi.

"Dreamlike Boundless!" Blood Lord's eyes flashed with a sharp light as he looked at Huangfu Changhen and said solemnly.

As soon as Xue Jun finished speaking, Huangfu Changhen felt relieved. Sure enough, this person was after the Dreamlike Limitless Heart Sutra. It seemed that Liao Rushen was behind it all. For more than twenty years, Liao Rushen had never given up on this idea.

"Just how much benefit did Liaoru God give you that made it worth risking your lives here?"

Upon hearing this, Blood Lord's alarm bells rang loudly. Looking at Huangfu Changhen's withered and bloodshot face, Blood Lord knew something was wrong. He quickly flashed away and simultaneously sent out a signal. Five figures flew out from around the pavilion, each wielding a weapon and attacking Huangfu Changhen. The five of them coordinated perfectly, engaging in close combat with short weapons while providing long weapons as backup. Five cold lights flashed in the night, aiming straight for Huangfu Changhen. Upon seeing this, the latter snorted coldly, a flash of crimson light on his face, and he spat out a ball of crimson light that shot through the air and exploded. Drops of crimson blood landed on the five people in quick succession. Caught off guard, the five were immediately poisoned and cried out in pain. However, after only a few breaths, they fell silent.

Seeing that five skilled fighters had died so easily, Blood Lord felt a chill in his heart, and an expression of disbelief appeared on his face.

"How could you not be poisoned!"

"No, I was indeed poisoned, but I managed to neutralize it. Blood Lord, the moonlight is perfect tonight, and Huangfu Changhen is here to send you on your way."

As soon as he finished speaking, Huangfu Changhen's hand flashed with black light, and a jet-black whip carrying immense force attacked Blood Lord. The latter dared not meet it head-on and tried to dodge, but unexpectedly, another whip suddenly attacked from the left. Blood Lord was shocked and hurriedly drew his sword to block, but was knocked back by the powerful force of the whip. Before he could regain his balance, the previous whip spun back, and the sound of wind and thunder exploded on the whip tip, tearing through the air. Blood Lord tried to escape, but was knocked down by another whip. Under the double blow, the sword circles that Blood Lord swung his sword were broken one by one. Just as the last sword circle was broken, Huangfu Changhen's eyes flashed, and the two whips locked Blood Lord's body from the left and right at the same time. He swung them up and then pulled them down, and Blood Lord's body was thrown heavily to the ground. When he landed, he was already on the verge of death.

Before Blood Lord could catch his breath, Huangfu Changhen put away one long whip, while the other remained taut like a spear. He pointed it in mid-air and sealed Blood Lord's acupoints, temporarily immobilizing him. "I'll keep it; you might be able to use it again when dealing with Rushen."

Huangfu Changhen put away his whip, threw the corpses into the lake one by one, cleaned up the traces, grabbed the Blood Lord's corpse, and returned to his residence.

At the same time, Gu Xu, in his guise as Qingxu, and Xiaoyao Lang appeared twenty miles away from Jinglei Valley. Xiaoyao Lang handed the roasted rabbit meat to Gu Qingxu.

"Master, try my cooking. When my master used to take me out, he often praised my barbecue skills. He said that if I hadn't followed him to learn martial arts, I could have opened a small restaurant and lived a simple and peaceful life."

As he spoke, Xiaoyao Lang placed another prepared wild rabbit on the fire to roast. The oil dripped down from the fire, making the flames even stronger, and a fragrant aroma immediately spread.

Gu Xu took the rabbit meat and began to eat it slowly and methodically. The taste was indeed good; the meat was tender and juicy, and the cooking time was just right.

"Although the Overlord Fist taught to you by the Immortal of Wine is a first-class martial art, it has a flaw: without the aid of Overlord Wine, it can only be considered second-class. And the Overlord Wine is extremely difficult to refine, which can easily affect your progress."

After finishing a rabbit leg, Qingxu looked at Xiaoyaolang. He could guess what the boy was thinking, but since they had met, it was fate. He could teach him a few moves.

"What the Taoist priest said is very true. My master also often said that this Overlord Wine has obvious flaws. It can be said that it is both the Overlord Wine that makes us and the Overlord Wine that makes us fail. I have been practicing the Overlord Fist for three years, but I have only just begun to understand it. Even with the help of the Overlord Wine, I can only unleash one-tenth of its power."

Xiaoyao Lang sighed, turning the roasted rabbit in his hands as he answered Qingxu's question.

"The Overlord Fist, which relies on external forces, is ultimately inferior. Well, I suppose we have some kind of fate. I can't just eat this rabbit meat for nothing. I do have a boxing technique here, and it would be a waste to keep it. If you can carry it forward, it will prevent this martial art from being buried."

"This set of fist techniques is called the Great Subduing Demon Fist. It was created by a Taoist master. It is steady and powerful, with exquisite moves. Under the cover of the fist's power, no opponent can withstand it. When practiced to a very high level, it can destroy mountains and uproot peaks. Watch carefully, I will only demonstrate it once."

As soon as Qingxu finished speaking, Xiaoyaolang immediately put down the roasted rabbit in his hand and stared intently at Qingxu as he performed the Great Subduing Demon Fist. Qingxu's graceful figure was extremely agile, but his fist force was exceptionally fierce. Wherever the fist wind blew, grass and trees were destroyed. A righteous and masculine aura rushed over, which was completely different from the traditional feminine style of Taoism.

"Good boxing skills!"

Xiaoyao Lang secretly praised it. Although this fist technique only had a dozen or so moves, each move was exquisite and unparalleled. Adding a move would be too much, and removing a move would be too little. It seemed that all the essence of the fist technique was contained in it. The Taoist master who created this move must have been a great master who was unparalleled throughout history.

Qingxu withdrew his fist and stood still, asking Xiaoyaolang, who had a blank look in his eyes.

"How much do you remember?"

"This junior is dull-witted and can only remember 60%." Xiaoyao Lang's face showed a slight shame. His master often praised him as a martial arts prodigy who was rare in a hundred years and could easily learn any martial art. However, this set of fist techniques was too exquisite. He could not digest all of it at once and could only forcibly imprint the remaining few parts into his mind.

"Being able to remember 60% is already quite good."

Qingxu was somewhat surprised to hear this. It would be remarkable for an ordinary person to remember 30%, but for this carefree young man to remember 60% was exceptional intelligence.

"This fist technique requires constant practice. It is quite similar to your Overlord Fist. Before you master the Overlord Fist, this fist technique is enough to save your life."

"Thank you very much, senior. I am deeply grateful. Daoist, if my master were to ask about this fist technique..."

"To tell you the truth, I did not take you as my disciple, but only taught you martial arts. The Immortal of Wine would not be so stingy."

Upon hearing this, Xiaoyao Lang felt relieved. He knew his master's temperament. Although he was arrogant, he respected those of high moral character. If it were someone else teaching martial arts, his master might go to their door. But if it was a Taoist priest, there probably wouldn't be any problem.

"This place is not far from Thunderclap Valley. If you rest for the night, you will arrive early tomorrow morning."

After Qingxu closed his eyes to rest, Xiaoyaolang added a few more pieces of firewood to the campfire and sprinkled some medicine powder to repel snakes and insects around. After glancing at Qingxu, he quietly went to the outer room and began to practice the Great Subduing Demon Fist according to the moves he had memorized.

The night passed quickly. Xiaoyao Lang wiped the sweat from his face. Although he had only slightly mastered the Great Subduing Demon Fist that night, he felt a very obvious change in his body. In particular, his true energy no longer dissipated but condensed into a ball, and his eyes were bright. He could see things very clearly even a mile away.

"Senior, you're awake. There's nothing else to eat in these mountains, only some wild fruits. They taste pretty good, senior. Please try some."

Xiaoyao Lang took out some wild fruit that he had washed clean with stream water from his arms and handed it to Qingxu. The latter reached out and took it, crunched it down, and after a few bites, only left a pit, which he threw into the grass. Looking at the rising sun on the horizon, Qingxu stood up and said, "The timing is just right, let's continue on our way."

After speaking, Qingxu took the lead, and Xiaoyaolang, seeing this, hurriedly cleaned up the ashes, took a few quick steps, and led the donkey to catch up with Qingxu.

Not long after the two left, Bai Yanluo and his group arrived. Looking at the ashes ahead, Bai Yanluo narrowed his eyes and gave an order to the people behind him. They immediately nodded in agreement, turned their horses around, and headed towards Thunderclap Valley along a small path. Bai Yanluo continued to lead the rest of his men in pursuit.

In Thunder Valley, after washing up and eating, Huangfu Changhen felt uneasy. He meditated for a while, but the strange feeling in his heart still lingered. Just then, a melodious bell rang out from outside. Huangfu Changhen's heart sank. He walked out of his residence and looked out of the valley. Soon, two people and a donkey came into his view. He ignored the young man, but he noticed the white-robed Taoist beside him. Huangfu Changhen only needed one glance to realize that this person's aura was unfathomable, like a bottomless pit. Huangfu Changhen was startled.

"Who exactly is this person? What has happened in the martial arts world that has produced such a figure?"

Huangfu Changhen thought for a moment and realized that what was coming couldn't be avoided, so he might as well take the initiative.

"What brings you two to my Thunderclap Valley?"

Huangfu Changhen quickly took a few steps and stopped about two feet away from each other, and asked.

"I have come for the dreamlike and boundless."

(End of this chapter)