A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 401 Sword Master's Wrath

Three days later, in Sword Forging City, upon learning that the Twin Heroes of the Mysterious Sword had died at the hands of the Sea Shark Palace, the Sword Master was furious.

The Xuanjian Duo were among the most skilled martial artists in the Sword Forging City. Their deaths were a heavy blow to the Sword Master. The letter in his hand was reduced to ashes, and the Sword Master's face was filled with rage.

Seeing this, Jianxiong hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward and said to Jianzun, "Father, Helian Ba ​​was severely injured by Guan Yutian's Mighty Dragon Palm. It will take at least a month to fully recover. Elders Zhou and Song are both highly skilled and cautious. How could they have been so easily defeated at the Sea Shark Palace? There must be something fishy going on."

Jianxiong's words were not entirely unfounded. Among the Sea Shark Palace, only Helian Ba ​​was capable of overpowering Zhou and Song, but he was seriously injured. Even if the remaining disciples and followers of the Sea Shark Palace attacked all at once, they would not be able to completely overwhelm the two of them.

"The letter mentioned that Helian Ba ​​had cultivated the Heavenly Will Four Symbols Technique. If it weren't for the wine pills prepared by Daoist Gu Xu, the Immortal of Wine would probably have followed in the footsteps of the two elders. According to the Immortal of Wine's description, this divine skill, which is said to be the most righteous skill in the world, is actually like an evil magic that specifically absorbs internal energy."

Sword Master was also shocked when he said this. Although he had never seen the Heavenly Will Four Symbols Technique before, he thought that it was created by Sword Ancestor and must be a righteous technique. Why did it become so evil in the hands of Helian Ba?

“Father, the Heavenly Will Four Symbols Technique is undoubtedly a righteous cultivation method. It just depends on whether the practitioner is acting righteously. I heard from Daoist Gu Xu that Brother Yan’s Wind God’s Wrath is a majestic and righteous technique with divine power. It is quite different from the evil thing you said. Father, should we invite Brother Yan and Daoist Gu Xu over to ask for their guidance?”

After listening to Jianxiong's words, Jianzun pondered for a moment, ignoring Jianxiong's address to Yan Cangfeng. Since arriving in Sword Casting City, he had only seen Yan Cangfeng a handful of times. This was partly due to his own status, and partly to let Yan Cangfeng experience the atmosphere of Sword Casting City and lower his guard as soon as possible, so that he could proceed to the next step.

Several months have passed, and by now it should have had some effect. So the Sword Master instructed the Sword Hero, "Hero, go and tell Yan Cangfeng that I have invited him to a banquet at the Water Pavilion tomorrow."

"Yes!"

Upon hearing this, Jianxiong immediately responded and descended. Seeing that the Sword Master had no further instructions, Jianxiong bowed again and turned to leave the Sword Hall.

Not long after Jianxiong left, Longjianshi rushed over with a letter in his hand. Jianzun frowned as he looked at him and asked, "What happened?"

"Lord of the city, an urgent report has arrived from the Sea Shark Palace." The Dragon Sword Envoy presented the urgent report with both hands. Upon hearing this, the Sword Master's heart sank. He reached out and snatched the report in his hand. After reading it, the Sword Master's face turned gloomy and extremely ugly.

"What a Helian Ba! He truly deserves to be called a great hero. He gave up such a vast fortune just like that. Liu Yi and his men are utterly useless. They didn't even know when the people from the Sea Shark Palace left. What use are they!"

Sword Master threw away the message and roared at the empty space. As the Lord of Sword Forging City, he had suffered such a great loss at the hands of Helian Ba. He had lost all face. He was afraid that Guan Yutian would ridicule him if he found out.

"Dragon Sword Master, pass on my sword order: once anyone from the Sea Shark Palace is discovered, their lives or deaths will be disregarded. Also, you will personally lead a group to Moonlight Island to deliver a message, instructing Liu Yi and the others to continue guarding the island. They are not to leave without my orders."

"Yes, Your subordinate obeys." The Dragon Sword Envoy bowed again and turned to leave the main hall.

Sword Master was truly enraged this time. It now seemed that his alliance with Helian Ba ​​was a huge joke. The Supreme Alliance had only been temporarily repelled, but his ally had stabbed him in the back. Now that Sea Shark Palace was destroyed, Sword Casting City would have to bear the wrath of the Supreme Alliance.

Thinking of this, a fierce glint flashed in the Sword Master's eyes. He originally wanted to use the power of the Sea Shark Palace to entangle the Supreme Alliance and buy time for Sword Casting City, but now it has backfired. The Sea Shark Palace has been eliminated, which has made Sword Casting City's situation awkward.

"We need to have a talk with the Taoist priest."

Sword Master sighed inwardly, regretting that he hadn't listened to the Taoist priest's advice. If he had listened to the Taoist priest's suggestion and hadn't occupied Moonlight Island, none of this would have happened.

After leaving the Sword Palace, Sword Master arrived at Gu Xu's residence with ease, but as soon as he reached the door, he found Sword Master was also outside.

After inquiring, the Sword Master learned that Yan Cangfeng had actually sought guidance from the Taoist priest.

Sword Master's senses were much sharper than Sword Hero's, and being very close to the courtyard, he could clearly hear the sounds of wooden weapons clashing coming from inside.

As time passed, Sword Master noticed that the sounds in the courtyard were getting quieter and quieter. He tidied his appearance and waited for a while. Then, the servants who had been sent to serve opened the courtyard gate. After the servants bowed, Sword Master and Sword Hero walked inside together. When they arrived at the backyard, they saw that the competition between the two sides had reached its end. After Sword Master and his daughter arrived at the arena, Gu Xu pointed his longsword and struck Yan Cangfeng's wrist. The latter felt a tingling and numb sensation and felt a slight pain. The wooden sword in his hand fell to the ground.

"Master, I have lost."

Yan Zangfeng picked up the wooden sword from the ground and gave Gu Xu a sword salute. The latter nodded and held the long sword upside down, saying calmly, "Your Flying Swallow Sword Technique is not bad, but its upper limit is too low. Even if you master it, your achievements will be limited."

At this point, Gu Xu, seeing Yan Zangfeng's earnest request for guidance, pointed out several flaws in Yan Zangfeng's swordsmanship. Yan Zangfeng firmly memorized these weaknesses. Just as Yan Zangfeng was about to leave, Gu Xu gave him a wink. Upon seeing this, the latter turned around and saw that Sword Master and Sword Hero were standing about ten feet away from them.

"Lord of the city, young lord of the city."

Yan Zangfeng put down his longsword, took a few quick steps, and bowed to the two men. The Sword Master nodded slightly, while the Sword Hero gave a deep bow. The Sword Master, seemingly unaware of their presence, walked directly toward Gu Xu.

"Master, your swordsmanship is exquisite. I am ashamed to admit that I am not as good as you."

Sword Master saw it clearly just now. If Gu Xu had used a sharp sword, Yan Zangfeng's arm would have been useless. Moreover, if he wasn't mistaken, the Taoist priest's sword was aimed at the "Shenmen" acupoint.

"I am sorry to make you laugh, City Lord. This is a sword technique passed down by my sect, called the 'Thirteen Swords of the Divine Gate,' which is specifically designed to strike the opponent's Divine Gate acupoint."

"So it belongs to the Daoist's sect. No wonder it's so exquisite. Although Sword Forging City is known for collecting all kinds of sword techniques and secret manuals from all over the world, there are only a handful that can compare to this move."

This is not Sword Master boasting. Most of the sword manuals collected by Sword Forging City are second- or third-rate. Only about a hundred are truly valuable. Among them, there are many extreme sword moves that take an unorthodox approach. After removing these, there are only a few dozen left. And among these few dozen, in terms of exquisiteness, only the "Spiritual Pivot Sword Scripture", "Returning Yang Sword", and "Flying Dragon Sword Manual" are truly remarkable.

"You flatter me, City Lord," Gu Xu said modestly, planting his wooden sword in the ground. Seeing the gloom in the Sword Master's eyes, Gu Xu asked, "Judging from your expression, City Lord, has something unfortunate happened in the city?"

Upon hearing this, Sword Master sighed. Seeing this, Gu Xu gestured, and the two walked towards the stone table. Just as Yan Cangfeng was about to leave, Sword Master called out to him, "Nephew, come along too."

Upon hearing this, Yan Zangfeng's eyes flashed, and he followed the Sword Master. The Sword Hero beside him also followed. After the four of them sat down in order, the Sword Master, without waiting for Gu Xu to ask any more questions, recounted the matter in detail.

Before Gu Xu could say anything after Sword Master finished speaking, Yan Zangfeng suddenly stood up, looking at Sword Master with a frosty expression, and said coldly, "The city lord is saying that Helian Ba ​​has cultivated the Heavenly Will Four Symbols Technique. That is absolutely impossible. In the current martial arts world, apart from me, only Abbot Qu'e of Juechan Temple has cultivated it."

Upon hearing Yan Zangfeng's words, Gu Xu waved for him to sit down, pondered for a moment, and said, "Zangfeng, now that things have come to this, I will not hide anything from you. On the day you arrived at Sword Casting City, Juechan Temple had already been destroyed, and Quechan Temple was also destroyed. The murderer has not been found. Now that the city lord has said this, the murderer is very likely to be Helian Ba."

"what!"

Yan Zangfeng exclaimed in shock, his face filled with disbelief. Juechan Temple had been destroyed and Zen Master Qu'e had died. How could this be? But looking at the Taoist priest and the city lord, Yan Zangfeng had no choice but to believe it.

"Master, although Helian Ba's martial arts are high, it is unlikely that he can destroy Juechan Temple. There must be someone helping him."

Yan Zangfeng suppressed his grief, calmed down, and began to analyze the situation. He had seen the Zen Master fight Helian Ba. Although the Zen Master could not gain the upper hand, if he risked his life, even Helian Ba ​​would not come out on top. Moreover, there were several other experts in Juechan Temple.

Gu Xu nodded upon hearing this and said, "Cang Feng, you are right. According to our previous investigation, someone did fight alongside Helian Ba, and this person's martial arts skills are extremely high, no weaker than Helian Ba's."

"Master, have you been able to find out who it is?"

"Although the person who made the move tried his best to conceal his skills, judging from the traces left at the scene, it was the martial arts of the Tianji Sect. In the current martial arts world, apart from Mr. Huangfu, the only other successor of the Tianji Sect is your uncle, Liao Rushen."

The Sword Master looked at Yan Zangfeng and slowly uttered a name. Yan Zangfeng's expression remained unchanged upon hearing this, but his heart was in turmoil. How could his uncle...?

“At the time of the incident, Mr. Huangfu was still in Thunder Valley, so it couldn’t have been him. Moreover, Liao Rushen has always been very mysterious and his whereabouts are unpredictable. Based on this, it is highly likely that he was the one who made the move.”

"Ah."

Upon hearing this, Yan Zangfeng gave a wry smile, shook his head, and sat motionless to the side. Seeing this, Jianxiong poured him a glass of water.

"Master, Helian Ba's cultivation of the Heavenly Will Four Symbols Technique has clearly gone astray. This technique is extremely harmful. I wonder if you have any countermeasures?"

Sword Master himself was not afraid of Helian Ba, but his disciples were no match for him. He was uneasy if such a scourge was not dealt with even once.

Upon hearing this, Gu Xu pondered for a moment and said to the Sword Master, "My strength is ultimately limited. To capture the thief, we must first capture the king. The city lord can send people to search for Helian Ba's whereabouts. If there are any clues, I will personally go there."

Upon hearing this, the Sword Master was overjoyed. Since the Daoist had taken action, it must be foolproof. However, upon further reflection, he realized that Helian Ba ​​was hiding and would probably not be found in a short time. Moreover, there were less than four months left until the day the Frost Sword was born. If the Daoist left Sword Forging City at that time, it would inevitably leave the city empty. If he was not careful, the Frost Sword would be lost, and he could not bear that responsibility.

"Master, if Helian Ba ​​is never found, and the Frost Sword is about to reappear, what if you get involved? What about Guan Yutian's side..."

Upon hearing this, Gu Xu chuckled and said to the Sword Master, "City Lord, there's no need to worry. I have my own plans. I will not leave Sword Forging City before the Frost Sword is born."

Sword Master was slightly taken aback. The Daoist had just said he would take action personally, but now he said he wouldn't leave the city. Wasn't that a contradiction? Gu Xu seemed to see Sword Master's doubts, smiled faintly, and his body shimmered with light. To the astonishment of the three, a figure very similar to Gu Xu appeared before them.

"Master, this is!"

Sword Master was shocked. The moment this Taoist appeared, his aura was almost identical to Gu Xu's. The only difference was that the Taoist's shadow that had split off had a cold expression on its face. Just one look was enough to make one feel a chill in their heart.

"This is a primordial spirit that I cultivated after achieving great success. Its strength is no different from mine. With it making a move, Helian Ba ​​will have no chance of escaping."

Sword Master stared intently at the indifferent Daoist figure, his heart filled with joy. The Daoist was truly unassuming, always managing to surprise him at crucial moments. With that in mind, he could finally put his mind at ease.

At the same time, Ren Qianxing also received news from the Sea Shark Palace within the Supreme Alliance. After reading it, a glint flashed in Ren Qianxing's eyes. The alliance between Sword Casting City and Sea Shark Palace had indeed increased the pressure on the Supreme Alliance. Now that the alliance between the two factions had collapsed, it was great news for the Supreme Alliance.

After carefully putting away the flying letter, Ren Qianxing headed towards the Supreme Hall. Once inside, after Guan Yutian had completed his Qi circulation, Ren Qianxing quickly handed the flying letter to him. After reading it, Guan Yutian exclaimed "Good!" several times and looked at Ren Qianxing, praising him, "Qianxing, you are indeed the lucky star of the Supreme Alliance. You have only been in charge of the Supreme Alliance for a month, and you have already brought me such good news. However, although the Sea Shark Palace has been destroyed, Helian Ba ​​is a cunning old man who must have already prepared a backup plan."

Ren Qianxing replied, "That's what I think too. However, the Sea Shark Palace has been severely weakened by this incident. We only need to kill Helian Ba ​​to completely wipe the Sea Shark Palace out of the martial arts world."

What are your plans regarding this matter?

Guan Yutian tossed the flying letter aside and looked at Ren Qianxing, who already had a plan in mind and immediately revealed his intentions.

“Master, the Xuanjian Twin Heroes died at the hands of Helian Ba. The Sword Casting City will only be more anxious than us. What I mean is that we should not put too much energy into this. Developing ourselves first is the right thing to do. The Supreme Alliance wants to unify the martial world, and the Sword Casting City is the biggest threat. Moreover, the day when the Frost Sword will be born is approaching. It is really not advisable to disperse our strength.”

Guan Yutian nodded upon hearing this. Sword Casting City was indeed the only sect that could rival the Supreme Alliance at present. Moreover, Gu Xu Daoist in the city was also a variable. Although his side had Jian Yin, they were not necessarily guaranteed to win. It was foreseeable that the day the Frost Sword was born would be a bloody battle. Without the advantage of terrain, Supreme Alliance could only overwhelm the opponent with numbers.

"You can handle the specifics yourself. Also, send someone to contact Ru Shen. After so much time, the Heavenly Book should be coming to fruition by now."

"Yes."

(End of this chapter)