A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 399 Falling out
Although Zhou Ying was puzzled, he did not show it on his face. After a moment's thought, he said to Lian Chixue, "Since it is Palace Master Helian who invited me, then I will go."

Upon hearing this, Lian Chixue immediately clasped his hands in a salute and said "please." The two then left the room together and arrived at the dock. They boarded a boat and headed east. At that moment, the moon was high in the sky, and its cold, silvery light cast a hazy glow over the nearby Sea Shark Island, which appeared to be draped in a silver veil.

Zhou Ying sat upright in the cabin, but had no intention of appreciating the beautiful scenery. Her mind was still preoccupied with what Helian Ba ​​was planning.

“His internal organs are all damaged. Even with all kinds of miraculous medicines, it is absolutely impossible for him to recover completely within a month.”

Thinking of this, Zhou Ying secretly breathed a sigh of relief. As long as Helian Ba's martial arts had not recovered, she didn't need to be afraid of him.

Slowly closing her eyes, Zhou Ying quietly rested. Seeing this, Lian Chixue's eyes flashed with a sharp light. The boat was moving very fast, and in no time they arrived at Sea Shark Island. Lian Chixue woke Zhou Ying up, and the two of them got off the boat. At this moment, apart from the lit lanterns, there was no one else on the shore.

“Vice Palace Master Lian, why are there no members of your sect guarding this place? If an enemy were to infiltrate, wouldn’t we be completely unaware?”

“Senior, you are overthinking it. There are whirlpools on three sides of Sea Shark Island. Any ship that tries to pass will be torn to shreds. The only remaining spot is the one that Sea Shark Palace guards closely. In fact, when the palace had enough manpower before, there was a team guarding it. But since that battle, we have not had enough manpower, so we had to temporarily abandon this place. Senior, please.”

Lian Chixue disembarked from the boat and explained to Zhou Ying. The latter immediately nodded. This explanation was barely acceptable, but Zhou Ying became more vigilant. No matter how safe this place was, she shouldn't be so relaxed. Either she really didn't care, or it was a deliberate loophole left unaddressed.

Moonlight Island, now occupied by Sword Forging City, serves as a gateway to this place. Despite the alliance between Sword Forging City and Sea Shark Palace, if Helian Ba ​​is not foolish, he will definitely not be lacking in necessary precautions. Putting yourself in Zhou Ying's shoes, you would never entrust your safety to someone else.

Zhou Ying followed Lian Chixue across the stone bridge, up the thousand-step staircase, and finally arrived at a sizable plaza at the top of the mountain. The plaza was now illuminated by several huge braziers, and opposite the plaza stood a magnificent and imposing palace with upturned eaves.

"Vice Palace Master, the Palace Master instructs you to go to the main hall immediately upon your return without prior notice."

Just as Lian Chixue and Zhou Ying reached the main hall, a disciple guarding the hall immediately came forward, first bowing respectfully to Lian Chixue, and then relaying the words Helian Ba ​​had instructed to her.

Lian Chixue nodded upon hearing this, waved for him to step aside, turned to Zhou Ying, and said respectfully, "Senior, Master is waiting inside. Please."

As they spoke, Lian Chixue pushed open the palace door and stepped inside first. Zhou Ying's eyes flickered slightly, and after a moment's hesitation, she also stepped inside. Just as the two entered the palace, the door closed again, and the palace went dark for a moment before gradually brightening up. Zhou Ying unconsciously shielded her eyes from the light, and after her eyes adjusted, she saw that Lian Chixue had disappeared from her side. Zhou Ying's heart sank. Just then, a weak voice rang in Zhou Ying's ears.

Elder Zhou.

Upon hearing this sound, Zhou Ying immediately followed the sound. After only ten steps, he saw a high platform in front of him. On the throne on the platform sat Helian Ba. Beside the throne stood two women. One of them was Lian Chixue, and Zhou Ying did not recognize the other one. However, after a brief observation, he found that the woman had a sinister face and held a weapon in her hand. She did not seem to be a kind person.

"Palace Master Helian, it's been a long time. You look much better."

Zhou Ying gave Helian Ba ​​a slight bow.

"It's just a matter of prolonging its life. Elder Zhou, please sit down. I've specially invited you here tonight because there's something I need your help with."

"Oh, Palace Master Helian, please speak frankly. Sword Casting City and Sea Shark Palace have an alliance. If it is something within my power, I will certainly not refuse."

It's unclear what Helian Ba ​​is planning, and Zhou Ying's reply was also ambiguous.

"This matter can only be accomplished by Elder Zhou. If Elder Zhou can complete this task for me, I will reward Sword Casting City handsomely."

Seemingly ignoring the meaning behind Zhou Ying's words, Helian Ba ​​looked at Zhou Ying with a determined expression. Upon hearing this, the latter frowned, glanced at Helian Ba, and said in a calm voice, "Palace Master Helian, please speak frankly if you have something to say."

"Alright, Elder Zhou is straightforward, so I won't beat around the bush either. Elder Zhou knows that I was seriously injured, and my strength has only recovered to a very limited extent over the past month. Recently, I accidentally obtained a secret manual in the library, which describes how to quickly recover one's strength. It can restore a seriously injured and dying person to full health in as little as three days or half a month."

"Such extraordinary skills! Congratulations, Palace Master Helian. If there is anything you need, please feel free to ask."

Zhou Ying was taken aback upon hearing this. He had never encountered such a profound martial art in all his years of life. However, since Helian Ba ​​had said this, he must have already decided to seek help from the Sword Forging City. Zhou Ying could make the decision on this matter.

"I need the help of Elder Zhou and Elder Song. They need to use their true energy to clear my blocked meridians. To be honest, I have many disciples, but only Chi Xue and Yu'er are decent. However, their skills are too shallow to clear my meridians."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ying's heart sank. Did Helian Ba ​​think she was a three-year-old child? Although his face was pale and his tone was intermittent, Zhou Ying sensed that Helian Ba's weakness was deliberately displayed. In this way, how could Zhou Ying not know that the other party was up to something?

"Palace Master Helian, please forgive my impertinence in asking, what is the name of this secret manual?"

"The Four Symbols of Heavenly Will!"

"What? The Heavenly Will Four Symbols Technique!"

Zhou Ying's expression changed drastically, and she jumped up in surprise. Just then, two hidden weapons shot down from the high platform. Zhou Ying's eyes sharpened, and she swept them away with a flick of her sleeve. At the same time, she ran towards the outside of the hall. But at that moment, a figure blocked Zhou Ying's way. Zhou Ying looked closely and saw that it was Helian Ba. She turned around and saw that Helian Ba ​​was still on the high platform.

"Shadow Clone, you..."

Zhou Ying's expression changed repeatedly. This clone looked exactly like the real person. If you didn't look closely, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference at all. It clearly proved that Helian Ba's injuries had been healed.

"Palace Master Helian has kept this a secret very well. I truly admire him. But with such a plan, does Palace Master Helian think he can keep me here?"

Zhou Ying knew that she would not be able to leave this hall without a fierce battle, so she turned around, stood with her hands behind her back, and looked at Helian Ba ​​who was walking slowly towards her.

"I greatly admire Elder Zhou's skill. We're all going to die anyway, so we can't let this skill go to waste. Let's make our move!"

At Helian Ba's command, Lian Chixue and Bai Yu'er attacked from the left and right, wielding weapons—a longsword and a curved saber, their cold light flashing—as two white streaks of light slashing towards Zhou Ying.

Upon seeing this, Zhou Ying snorted coldly, glanced at the clone demonic figure behind her who had attacked at the same time, and a white light flashed in her hand. A sharp sword light shot backward, and at the same time, her figure flickered to dodge the attacks of Lian Chixue and the other person. She reached out and unleashed a Crimson Flame Palm towards Helian Ba.

The sword light struck the clone demonic figure squarely, instantly scattering it. However, Helian Ba ​​remained unfazed. Seeing the approaching Crimson Flame Palm, he swept his sleeve, sending a fierce gust of wind directly at the Crimson Flame Palm. This wind fueled the flames, instantly increasing the power of the Crimson Flame Palm by three points, and a scorching force suddenly filled half of the palace.

Lian Chixue and Bai Yu'er were slightly weaker and could not withstand the impact of the shockwave. They both dodged far away, but they did not stop there. They continued to throw hidden weapons at Zhou Ying, trying to block her space.

When Zhou Ying saw that Helian Ba ​​was using wind to boost his power, she was first puzzled, then her expression changed drastically. As she hurriedly tried to dodge, a dark light came from both sides. Zhou Ying quickly swung her sword to block, and the clanging sound rang out continuously. After a while, all the hidden weapons were knocked away, but this also caused Zhou Ying to lose her best chance to escape.

At the height of his Crimson Flame Palm strike, Helian Ba ​​simultaneously moved both palms, channeling his power into the palm and splitting it into two streams. Under his control, these streams formed two fire dragons that lunged at Zhou Ying.

"not good!"

Zhou Ying's heart sank. Without time to think, her eyes narrowed, and the longsword in her hand hummed, its blade gleaming with intense light. With a deep shout, she moved swiftly, a crimson sword light flashing like lightning, tearing through the air and ruthlessly cleaving the two fire dragons. The remaining sword energy continued its slash towards Helian Ba. With a hiss, Helian Ba ​​reached out and caught the crimson sword light, his fingers closing to shatter it instantly. The wind god's avatar behind him slowly dissipated, his eyes coldly fixed on the heavily auraed Zhou Ying. As Helian Ba ​​approached, he created phantoms, and when he was less than half a zhang away from Zhou Ying, more than twenty phantoms had already sealed off the area around him.

"So this is what you rely on. Unfortunately, it's no match for the Heavenly Will Four Symbols Technique."

As soon as Helian Ba ​​finished speaking, he unleashed a powerful palm strike towards Zhou Ying. The palm energy was condensed and its force was comparable to that of Helian Ba ​​at his peak. Upon seeing this, Zhou Ying's face immediately turned sorrowful. Despite all her calculations, she had not expected that Helian Ba ​​had actually mastered the "Four Symbols of Heavenly Will Technique." Her seventh-level Dragon Riding Slash had been completely ineffective.

With a "crack," Zhou Ying's longsword was shattered by a palm strike. The palm then struck Zhou Ying's chest, sending him flying like a kite with a broken string. A spray of blood appeared in the air, and before he could land, four hidden weapons pierced his limbs, carrying him away and pinning him to the palace wall.

"Master!"

"Father!"

Lian Chixue and Bai Yu'er rushed over to help Helian Ba ​​up, one on each side, looking at him with concern.

"It's alright, it just consumes too much true energy. Once we absorb Zhou Ying's power, we can force out that last bit of Mighty Dragon Palm power."

Helian Ba ​​waved his hand, signaling the two to release him. Lian Chixue and Bai Yu'er slowly released his arms. Helian Ba ​​took a deep breath, walked up to Zhou Ying, and before Zhou Ying could speak, he reached out and pressed down on his head, circulating the Heavenly Will Four Symbols Technique. A suction force emanated from his palm and immediately poured into Zhou Ying's body. The latter's eyes widened instantly, his face filled with terror. As the suction force increased, his true energy was uncontrollably sucked away. By the time the last trace of true energy was absorbed into Helian Ba's body, Zhou Ying had become a dried-up corpse.

"Congratulations, Master! Congratulations, Master!"

Congratulations, Godfather!

Helian Ba ​​absorbed Zhou Ying's true energy, and in less than a moment, he forced out the most hidden trace of the Mighty Dragon Palm Force from his body. The previously blocked key meridians were also instantly cleared, and his face regained some color.

Taking a deep breath, Helian Ba ​​laughed heartily. This Heavenly Will Four Symbols Technique actually had such wonderful uses. Even without the subsequent mental cultivation techniques and incantations, and even if he couldn't master the last three moves, the method of absorbing the power of others for his own use was enough for him to cultivate the Wind God's Wrath to an unprecedented level.

After offering her congratulations, Lian Chixue asked with slight concern, "Master, killing Zhou Ying will surely invite the Sword Master's revenge. What should we do next?"

The Sea Shark Palace doesn't have the resources to turn against Sword Forging City right now. If it weren't for their master, they wouldn't have taken such a risky move. But now, they can't stay in the Sea Shark Palace any longer.

"Break up the whole group. As long as I am here, the Sea Shark Palace will not fall apart. Yu'er, tomorrow you will take a group of people to continue to lie in wait in the territory of the Supreme Alliance. Without my order, you must not act on your own. Chi Xue, you take the rest of the people to the Death Heart Gate. Firstly, to monitor the Death Heart Gate, and secondly, to make the Sword Forging City have something to worry about. In this way, we can preserve some of our strength."

"Does Master intend to turn the conflict into a covert affair, allowing the Sea Shark Palace to withdraw from this struggle and leaving the battlefield to the Supreme Alliance and Sword Forging City?"

Lian Chixue quickly realized Helian Ba's intention after a moment's thought. The method was good, but although the disciples of the Sea Shark Palace had been through several battles, there were still quite a few left. If they wanted to evacuate, the commotion would not be kept secret from the people of Sword Casting City. Moreover, their elders had not returned for a long time, which would surely attract the attention of the higher-ups.

“Indeed, since my Sea Shark Palace has temporarily lost the power to confront these two factions, we might as well take advantage of the situation and jump out of the quagmire. After these two factions are exhausted, we can come out and clean up the mess and annihilate them in one fell swoop. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?”

"I'm just afraid we won't be able to keep it from Sword Forging City."

“I have no intention of letting them go either. Killing one is the same as killing two. Since we have already broken ties with Sword Forging City, we will not leave any room for maneuver. At this critical moment, even if Sword Master wants to cause trouble, he must deal with the Supreme Alliance first.”

Helian Ba's confident demeanor relieved Lian Chixue and Bai Yu'er. Since their master had said so, he must be quite certain of the outcome.

"Yes, Master."

He waved for the two to leave, then stood outside the hall, looking down at Moonlight Island, which was shrouded in moonlight in the distance. After a moment's thought, he turned and went back into the hall, carefully collected Zhou Ying's body, and then went down the mountain and took a boat to Moonlight Island.

Meanwhile, on Moonlight Island, more than an hour had passed since Zhou Ying left. Seeing that he hadn't arrived yet, Song Yun felt uneasy.

"Could something have gone wrong?"

Upon thinking of this, Song Yun's heart sank. But then he thought again that apart from Helian Ba, no one in the Sea Shark Palace could stop Zhou Ying. Moreover, Helian Ba ​​was currently seriously injured and in seclusion. How much could he recover in a month?

"who!"

Just as Song Yun was pondering, he suddenly noticed a dark shadow flash past the window. Song Yun shouted and rushed outside with his sword. When he arrived in the courtyard, he scanned his surroundings but found nothing unusual. Instead of relaxing his guard, Song Yun became even more vigilant.

With a bang, Song Yun heard the noise and looked closely. He saw a black cloth bag and rushed over. After a moment's hesitation, he swung his sword and slashed it in two, revealing Zhou Ying's corpse inside.

"Brother!"

Seeing Zhou Ying's unrecognizable corpse, Song Yun's expression changed drastically, his face filled with grief. In that moment of distraction, Helian Ba, who was hiding in the shadows, struck him with a distraction palm. Caught off guard, Song Yun was immediately hit in the left shoulder, his shoulder bone shattering instantly. Song Yun cried out in pain, which brought him back to his senses. He swept his longsword across the room, and Helian Ba, seeing this, retreated smoothly. With a flick of his sleeve, the sword light vanished without a trace.

"Helian Ba! You killed Senior Brother Zhou, pay with your life!"

Upon seeing Helian Ba ​​appear, Song Yun quickly pieced together the events and, in a fit of rage, unleashed his "Blazing Sun Sword Technique" to its fullest extent. However, due to Helian Ba's earlier sneak attack, the power of the Blazing Sun Sword Technique was somewhat weakened, only forcing Helian Ba ​​to retreat repeatedly without injuring him at all. Moreover, as time passed, Helian Ba ​​gradually deciphered the patterns of the Blazing Sun Sword Technique.

After several more moves, just as the sword techniques were connected, Helian Ba ​​suddenly attacked, interrupting the flow of the moves with a palm strike. The sword technique paused for a moment, and Helian Ba ​​raised his hand to strike Song Yun's chest. Just when Helian Ba ​​thought victory was in his grasp, he saw Song Yun sneer and suddenly change his sword technique. The Blazing Sun Sword Technique was instantly followed by the "Riding the Dragon Slash". The move was like a dragon emerging from the sea, and the cold light of the long sword shone brightly as it pierced straight into Helian Ba's Tanzhong acupoint.

Sensing the bone-chilling cold, Helian Ba's expression changed slightly. He hurriedly swung his left palm to block, but Song Yun saw through his intention and spat out a flying needle aimed at Helian Ba's brow. Noticing this, Helian Ba ​​withdrew his right palm, gathered his true energy with both palms, and used one to block the flying needle and the other to block the longsword. With a clang, the flying needle was knocked away by the true energy, but the longsword pierced Helian Ba's right palm, and a trickle of blood dripped down from it.

"What a brilliant Dragon Riding Slash! But it ends here!"

Helian Ba ​​gripped Song Yun's longsword with his right hand, and a powerful suction force was transmitted from the sword to Song Yun. The latter's expression changed drastically. He tried to pull the sword away but found that his right hand seemed to be stuck to it and he could not break free.

"not good!"

Song Yun was shocked. What kind of martial arts did Helian Ba ​​learn? How could it be so strange? In just a few breaths, one-tenth of his true energy had been absorbed. If this continued, it would take less than half a moment for Helian Ba ​​to absorb all of his power.

"Elder Song, stop resisting. Elder Zhou's martial arts are even higher than yours, yet he still died at my hands. It's your good fortune to die under the Heavenly Will Four Symbols Technique."

Helian Ba ​​smiled sinisterly, and the suction force in his hand suddenly increased. The long sword let out a mournful cry and was twisted into a pretzel, pulled towards him. Song Yun's body swayed, and his internal energy surged uncontrollably into Helian Ba's body like a flood. Just when Song Yun thought he was doomed, a huge fist force suddenly broke through the air and hit Helian Ba ​​directly.

"Overlord Fist!"

(End of this chapter)