A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 381 Fishing
Inside the Sea Shark Palace, Helian Ba ​​was dealing with mundane affairs when a disciple suddenly strode in. Helian Ba, without even looking up, asked, "What is it?"

"Reporting to the Palace Master, news has come from the Supreme Alliance that Ren Qianxing, the White Tiger Hall Master, and Sima Tian, ​​the Azure Dragon Hall Master, are preparing to escort the Nine Dragon Stone to the Sword Casting City."

"what!"

Upon hearing this, Helian Ba ​​raised his head, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

"This is a message that has been delivered. Please take a look, Palace Master." Upon seeing this, the disciple immediately presented the note in his hand.

Helian Ba ​​reached out and sniffed the note, which was covered in tiny writing. It revealed that the Supreme Alliance had gathered all the information about them. After reading it, Helian Ba ​​frowned. Why would the Supreme Alliance suddenly send the Nine Dragon Stone to Sword Casting City? Could there be some ulterior motive they were unaware of?

"Sword Casting City is located in the north, thousands of miles away from the Supreme Alliance. They shouldn't have any business dealings. Why is there no reaction from Sword Casting City despite such a big commotion? What are those two old foxes up to?"

Helian Ba ​​was terrified that the two factions would unite, because if that happened, his and the Sea Shark Palace's situation would be in dire straits.

"Things have come up strangely, so it's best to be cautious. Pass on my order to send a secret letter to Yu'er, instructing her to investigate the relationship between the Supreme Alliance and Sword Forging City."

The disciple replied "Yes," and seeing that Helian Ba ​​had no further instructions, he bowed again and turned to leave.

"Guan Yutian, do you really think I would fall for your trick? The Nine Dragon Stone is good, but keeping your life is the most important thing. Besides, it doesn't necessarily have to be my Sea Shark Palace that seizes the Nine Dragon Stone. Those sects that you destroyed will be happy to cause you trouble."

Helian Ba ​​had already seen through Guan Yutian's scheme in a moment of thought. Guan Yutian wanted to use the Nine Dragon Stone as bait to lure him into a trap. Unfortunately, if he hadn't just broken through to the eleventh level of the Shadow Clone Technique, he might not have been able to resist the temptation.

"As for Juechan Temple, that old fox Liao Rushen never does anything without a profit. Sending Yan Zangfeng there must be for some purpose."

Just as Helian Ba ​​was pondering, another disciple entered. After bowing, the disciple compiled the information he had gathered about Juechan Temple over the past few days into a booklet and handed it over.

Helian Ba ​​reached out and took it. It was a thin book with about a dozen pages. When he opened it, the first page had a portrait that he recognized very well. Helian Ba ​​narrowed his eyes and looked down. Below the portrait were the nine characters: "Abbot of Juechan Temple, Zen Master Qu'e".

"So it was you, Baili Qu'e."

Helian Ba's thoughts were stirred up. It was the second year after he took over the Sea Shark Palace. After a purge, the Sea Shark Palace's power was greatly reduced. Just then, Baili Qu'e broke in alone. The remaining experts outside the three gates and four palaces were either killed or severely injured by him. In the end, he was forced to duel with him on the Broken Sky Bridge in front of the Sea Shark Palace. This battle lasted for three days and three nights, and in the end, both sides were severely injured.

Thinking of this, Helian Ba ​​gritted his teeth in hatred. If it weren't for Baili Qu'e, how could the Sea Shark Palace have suffered such a severe blow, allowing the Supreme Alliance to rise so quickly and eventually become a major threat?

The book was extremely thin, and in no time at all, Helian Ba ​​had finished reading it and memorized it thoroughly.

"Baili Qu'e, you've had enough of hiding for these past thirty years, haven't you? This time, I'll make you pay back the humiliation of those years with interest!"

Helian Ba ​​closed the book, his eyes flashing with a sharp look. After a moment of contemplation, he said to the disciple, "Select a team of disciples and have them come down the mountain with me immediately. Also, contact Eagle Fortress and tell them that I have a business deal to do with them."

"Yes."

The disciple bowed and then turned to leave.

“Chi Xue has gone to Sword Casting City, and Yu’er is at the Supreme Alliance. He’s increasingly alone.” He Lianba felt the discomfort of being all alone.

If it weren't for the recent battles with the Supreme Alliance, during which all four sharks perished and many of the three sects' top fighters were also lost, I wouldn't be in such a predicament.

"The most urgent task is to contact Sword Casting City as soon as possible. If the two factions can join forces, Guan Yutian will definitely be more wary."

Juechan Temple, behind the mountain
Following the instructions given by Zen Master Qu'e outside the hall, Yan Zangfeng diligently practiced the first move of the Heavenly Will Four Symbols Technique. However, although "Wind God's Wrath" seemed very easy, it was actually quite difficult to execute. Yan Zangfeng believed that he was quick to learn any martial art, but after several days, he still hadn't figured out the basics of "Wind God's Wrath".

With a powerful palm strike, Yan Cangfeng unleashed a devastating blow, but his strength was excessive and his gentleness insufficient. The rock he struck shattered with a loud bang, scattering broken pieces all over the ground. He withdrew his palm and stood up, letting out a sigh.

"It's still not quite there."

As I had imagined, the stones should have been shaken into roughly the same shape and arranged in a neat and orderly fashion, instead of being so chaotic and disorderly as they are now.

"Conceal your strength."

Master Qu'e walked over, first glancing at the rubble on the ground, then looking at Yan Zangfeng. Upon seeing Master Qu'e approach, the latter quickly stepped forward and bowed.

"Why is the master here?" Although Yan Zangfeng was practicing martial arts in the back mountain, he was not completely ignorant. A young novice monk had inadvertently mentioned that the White Tiger Hall Master of the Supreme Alliance had come here half a month ago, which startled Yan Zangfeng.

He didn't know when it started, but he felt that his relationship with his sworn brother was becoming more and more distant. Now the Supreme Alliance was at its peak, and he, as the only successor of Guan Yutian, was playing the role of executioner.

Hearing that he had come to Juechan Temple, Yan Zangfeng felt a sense of unease. It was because of this that he was so eager to master the Heavenly Will Four Symbols Technique as quickly as possible.

"Zangfeng, the most taboo thing in cultivating the Heavenly Will Four Symbols Technique is having distracting thoughts. If you cannot eliminate distracting thoughts, the more you cultivate, the harder it will be to see the true meaning. In the end, you will only end up with nothing." Zen Master Qu'e could see that Yan Zangfeng was hiding something, so he gave him some pointers.

"Master, I..."

"Let things take their course, Conceal your talents. You have good potential, but you lack experience. So, there are many bamboo trees on the back mountain. Every half month, you should cut down thirty bamboo trees as a form of training."

Master Qu'e stopped Yan Zangfeng from speaking, then pointed to the bamboo forest to the side. Yan Zangfeng looked in the direction of his finger and saw a bamboo forest that seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see. The wind rustled through the bamboo leaves, and the green bamboo sea rolled like waves, bringing a touch of fragrance.

"Yes."

Yan Zangfeng immediately responded and came down.

After giving Yan Zangfeng some more pointers, Zen Master Qu E turned and left. As he was about to sit down for meditation in the Guiyi Hall, his junior brother Qu Nian rushed over in a panic.

"Junior brother, what happened?"

A clear and gentle voice entered Qu Nian's heart, and his anxious heart immediately calmed down. Looking at his senior brother sitting upright on the futon, Qu Nian took a deep breath, then put his hands together and said, "Senior brother, recently some strangers have come to the temple and have been lingering outside. Just now, a few disciples went out to buy things, but they were beaten up."

"How is my disciple?" Zen Master Qu'e's eyes flickered slightly upon hearing this. "He's out of danger and has been settled in the back hall, but it will take at least half a month for him to recover, Senior Brother..."

"Junior brother, don't worry, go check on the injured disciples first."

After Master Qu'e finished speaking, he turned and left the refuge hall. Upon seeing this, Qu Nian hurriedly followed.

In the back hall, four monks lay pale-faced on the bed. Several novices who were taking care of them hurriedly stepped forward to pay their respects when they saw Qu'e and Qu'er appear. Qu Nian waved his hand to tell them to step aside and led Qu'e to the bedside.

Qu E first glanced at the four people, then lifted their outer robes, revealing a faint palm print on their chests with light gray edges. It was hard to see unless you looked closely.

"As expected, it's the Distraction Palm. It's someone from the Sea Shark Palace." After Master Qu E said this, Qu Nian was shocked. He originally thought it was someone from the Supreme Alliance, but he didn't expect it to be someone from the Sea Shark Palace.

"Senior brother, how did Helian Ba ​​find his way here?"

Logically speaking, Juechan Temple was already very low-key, and since it was located within the territory of the Supreme Alliance, Helian Ba ​​should have been somewhat wary. Even if he wanted to deal with Juechan Temple, he shouldn't have been so blatant in injuring these disciples. Not only would it not have any effect, but it would have also aroused their vigilance.

"I don't know what Helian Ba ​​is thinking, but Juechan Temple is no longer a paradise. Junior brother, find some time to move all the monks in the temple who don't know martial arts out, so that they won't be innocently involved in future conflicts."

Qu E looked at Ming Fei and the other three lying on the bed, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes. Did the Sea Shark Palace think he wasn't there? How dare they be so bold! If he didn't teach them a lesson, they would really think he was weak and easy to bully.

"Yes, senior brother."

Qu Nian didn't say much after hearing this. At present, there are no more than a hundred monks in the temple, most of whom are not skilled in martial arts, leaving only twenty or thirty.

"Take good care of Mingfei and the others. Boil three ounces of dragon tongue grass, two ounces of tendon-activating herbs, and three ounces of purple leaf fungus into a medicinal juice. Apply it to their chests. Once the palm prints are clear, wash them off with clean water. Do this three times a day, and they should recover in five days at most."

Fortunately, the person who struck the palm was not fully proficient in the Distraction Palm technique. The evil could still be cured with herbs. If Helian Ba ​​had struck the palm, there would have been no cure.

After Qu'e finished explaining, he turned his prayer beads, turned and left the back hall. Without stopping, he went out of the temple gate and glanced around. In the woods not far away, three obscure auras were waiting to be released. Qu'e snorted coldly and moved instantly, arriving in the woods in the blink of an eye. The three people in the woods were monitoring Juechan Temple. They only felt a blur before their eyes, and a sad-looking, thin monk silently landed in front of them.

With a clang, the weapons were drawn simultaneously, and three cold lights aimed directly at the three vital points of the evil Zen Master. Since these three people were sent by Helian Ba ​​to investigate and monitor Juechan Temple, they were not weak in any aspect. The moment they saw the evil Zen Master, they immediately made their move, wanting to catch him off guard. They knew they were no match for him, and their goal was to take the initiative and buy time for themselves.

"A mere trick; the Sea Shark Palace is truly lacking in talent." Zen Master Qu E raised one hand, uttered a Buddhist chant, and his robe billowed without wind. The three beams of cold light struck the robe, and an unfathomable surge of internal energy flowed back through the weapons. The three men were immediately struck by the internal energy, their faces turning pale, and they staggered back several steps before the strange force within their bodies dissipated.

But before they could make another move, a kasaya flew in, its crimson and yellow robes obscuring the sky and the sun. The three men were momentarily stunned, and before they could react, the evil Zen Master unleashed three palm strikes, hitting the kasaya that enveloped them squarely. Three muffled groans were heard, and as soon as the kasaya was pulled away, the three men were dead, bleeding from all seven orifices.

After swiftly and decisively dealing with the three, Master Qu'e did not linger and instead headed towards several other places he had sensed.

Half a day later, the evil Zen Master returned to the temple, only to find more than a dozen corpses in the woods.

Within the Supreme Alliance, Guan Yutian devised a plan, ordering Ren Qianxing and Sima Tian to take the Nine Dragon Stones to Sword Forging City. In less than half a day, a large group of people emerged from the alliance, with a pile of identical wooden boxes on the central carriage frame, one of which contained the Nine Dragon Stones.

"Master Ren, the purpose of this trip is extremely important. We must not make any mistakes, otherwise we will delay the Alliance Leader's important matter and we will not be able to bear the responsibility."

“Master Sima is right. The journey is long, so it would be better for us to split up and guard the area to maintain vigilance as much as possible.”

"That's fine then. We can take turns guarding the place. Since it was Hall Master Ren who suggested it, how about I take over the night watch?"

After Sima Tian finished speaking, Ren Qianxing objected, saying, "The White Tiger Hall is skilled in night battles, so let me keep watch at night, and the Azure Dragon Hall will keep watch during the day."

Upon hearing Ren Qianxing's words, Sima Tiandao exclaimed "Good!" Although a look of regret appeared on his face, he was overjoyed inside.

"It is precisely because I want you to keep watch at night that I will ask you to explain to the Alliance Leader if something goes wrong while you are guarding the Nine Dragon Stone."

Sima Tian had no intention of returning after this trip. Having witnessed Guan Yutian place the Nine Dragon Stone in the wooden box, Sima Tian was determined to seize it as well. To increase his chances of success, he even passed the message to Helian Ba ​​in advance.

The group walked quickly and arrived at the designated location, Pingyang Road, before nightfall.

Ren Qianxing ordered his men to set up camp, light fires, and cook. The disciples in the alliance were already familiar with this process, and they quickly set up their tents, and the aroma of the food filled the air.

Sima Tian ate absentmindedly from his porcelain bowl, his mind preoccupied with whether the people from the Sea Shark Palace would arrive in time, otherwise his plan would be impossible to complete.

After the meal, the people from the Azure Dragon Hall went to rest, while the people from the White Tiger Hall guarded the carriage. Although their eyes were closed, their vigilance was at its highest.

Ren Qianxing sat cross-legged on the ground, meditating silently. Following the Qi cultivation method his master had taught him, he continuously refined the true Qi within his body. After a while, Ren Qianxing felt much lighter and more relaxed, and he couldn't help but feel happy.

After four days of traveling and stopping, the Supreme Alliance group arrived at Zheyun Mountain. Here, the peaks rise high and converge upwards, and lush trees grow towards the sun, their branches and leaves intertwined, making it difficult for the sun to shine, like a cage.

“Master Ren, we have already entered Zheyun Mountain. We should be on high alert. This is the best place to ambush.”

The moment Sima Tian rode his horse into the mountain path, everything went black. He stared ahead with a solemn expression, then turned to remind Ren Qianxing.

"Thank you for reminding me, Hall Master Sima. However, this place is also a place where the wind gathers and the energy is concentrated, making it suitable as a burial site. With the members of the Sea Shark Palace buried with you, it is worthy of your status as Hall Master of the Azure Dragon Hall. Hall Master Sima, don't you agree?"

Ren Qianxing slowly drew his longsword, looking at Sima Tian with a cold expression. The latter was taken aback at first, then laughed a few times. Meeting Ren Qianxing's cold gaze, he calmed down and said in a deep voice, "When did you find out?"

About a year ago.

"Alright, I have no reason to lose, but Ren Qianxing, you are too arrogant. This place is not about having the most people to win. Everyone, show yourselves."

Sima Tian shouted towards the mountain path, and a dozen or so lights appeared in the dimly lit path. As the lights drew closer, Ren Qianxing looked closely and saw that they were lanterns. The seventeen people carrying the lanterns were all dressed in black, holding long swords, and wearing shark masks of various shapes on their faces.

"Without Helian Ba ​​coming in person, what can these sea shark guards do?"

(End of this chapter)