A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 402 Huangfu Seeks Revenge
"Qianxing, how's your 'One Sword Across Worlds' technique coming along?"

"The sword that separates worlds is extremely profound. This disciple is dull-witted and has only grasped the basics so far."

Upon hearing Ren Qianxing's words, Guan Yutian was delighted. The reason why this sword technique, which transcends time, is difficult to master is twofold: firstly, because of its evil nature, and secondly, because it requires the practitioner's qi and intention to be in harmony. It was quite unexpected that Qianxing could reach such a level in such a short time.

"Continue your cultivation of 'One Sword Separates Worlds,' and you must master it to perfection within three months. Only in this way can you increase your chances of winning the Frost Sword. By the way, I remember there is a Snow Lotus from the Heavenly Mountain in the treasure vault. Take this Snow Lotus later and take a piece while practicing your sword to keep your mind clear."

"Yes."

After speaking with Guan Yutian for a while, Ren Qianxing, seeing that Guan Yutian had no further instructions, bowed and left the main hall. He took out the Tianshan Snow Lotus from the treasure vault, returned to his residence, wrote a letter, summoned his confidant, and asked him to deliver the letter to Bai Yanluo.

The confidant straightened his face and immediately obeyed. After the confidant left, Ren Qianxing finished dealing with the matters that had accumulated in his hands. After dinner, he took his long sword and went to the back mountain of the Supreme Alliance.

The torches illuminated an area of ​​about ten feet. Swords flashed and whistled through the air. As figures moved, the scattered sword light suddenly condensed into a beam and stabbed at the giant rock in front of them. With a flash of red light, the hard rock was instantly cut in two, leaving a smooth and clean cut.

"What domineering swordsmanship."

Just as Ren Qianxing was feeling smug about his improved swordsmanship, a voice rang in his ears. A cold glint flashed in his eyes, and following the sound, he saw a tall, slender figure emerge from the darkness. In the firelight, Ren Qianxing recognized the newcomer, gave a cold snort, and with a snap, sheathed his sword. He said coldly to the newcomer, "Grand Protector, why do you have time to come here so late at night? Spying on others practicing martial arts is a major taboo in the martial arts world. Grand Protector, you are in charge of the sect's punishments and disciplines. Are you perhaps breaking the law?"

Hearing Ren Qianxing's words, Jian Yin remained expressionless, took a few steps forward, looked at Ren Qianxing and said, "It was just a chance encounter, not spying, but it was an unexpected surprise. This sword technique is extremely evil, so Hall Master Ren must be careful."

After saying a few words, Jian Yin turned and walked away without waiting for Ren Qianxing's reply. Ren Qianxing was displeased at this. Watching Jian Yin leave, he shook his sword sheath and unleashed a sharp sword aura that shot straight towards Jian Yin. The latter looked disdainful and continued to walk forward slowly and calmly. The sword aura arrived in the blink of an eye, but it shattered abruptly a foot away from Jian Yin. The scattered energy caused the fires in the four braziers to roar loudly, and it took several breaths for them to return to normal.

"What exactly is the origin of this Arrow Concealment?"

Ren Qianxing watched Jian Yin disappear into the distance with a gloomy expression. Although he had only used 60% of his power in that move, it was still something that ordinary experts could not withstand. Moreover, judging from Jian Yin's nonchalant attitude, the opponent probably hadn't even used 30% of his strength.

"This person will be an obstacle to my taking control of the Supreme Alliance!"

Ren Qianxing had already considered the Supreme Alliance as his own. Now, the Vermilion Bird and Black Tortoise Halls within the alliance had suffered considerable damage, and the two hall masters were seriously injured. The Azure Dragon Hall had been sidelined by his White Tiger Hall. It could be said that no one could compete with him for the position of alliance leader. Apart from the hidden trump cards in his master's hands, the Supreme Alliance could be said to be under his control.

Once Master obtains the treasure of the Chess of Life and Death, this small Supreme Alliance will certainly not be taken seriously, and I can take the opportunity to rise to power. The origin of Arrow Shadow is a mystery, and since he is also Master's person, he will definitely be swept out.

On the other side, after leaving the back mountain, Arrow Hidden returned to his residence, carefully read through the letter sent by Ryūshū, and then destroyed it.

"Liao Rushen has already obtained two blank books of heaven, and the last one is in the hands of the Wine Immortal, who is in the Sword Forging City. Liao Rushen is probably in a difficult situation now."

Previously, Liao Rushen had promised Guan Yutian that he would hand over the three volumes of the Heavenly Numbers within two months. Now, there was less than half a month left before the handover time, and he wanted to see what tricks Liao Rushen could come up with this time.

In a small town a few miles away from the Supreme Alliance, in a manor in the southeast corner, Bai Yanluo watched the disciples of the Supreme Alliance leave. Looking at the letter in his hand, he opened it, his eyes narrowed slightly, and after a moment of contemplation, Bai Yanluo turned around and wrote down the information briefly. He then immediately sent it to Rushen via carrier pigeon.

"With Guan Yutian in seclusion, life at Eagle Fortress is getting harder and harder."

Bai Yanluo sighed. Although joining the Supreme Alliance saved Cangying Fortress, Ren Qianxing was the person who hated their way of doing things the most. Although he was polite on the surface, his underhanded suppression made Bai Yanluo very unhappy. If it weren't for the leader's repeated instructions not to have a conflict with Ren Qianxing, he would definitely have run into him.

"Hopefully the leader can return soon. If things continue like this, Eagle Fortress simply cannot hold on any longer."

Over the past month, the supplies sent by the Supreme Alliance have been decreasing. The food and drink for the dozens of people in the Eagle Fortress are a considerable expense. In addition, to maintain combat strength, they need to train frequently, and their gold and silver are being consumed rapidly. The most critical issue is that people in the martial arts world no longer dare to entrust Eagle Fortress with their affairs. The reason is that the first-class sects, led by Sword Casting City, and more than a dozen second-class sects have issued a statement that any sect that has any connection with Eagle Fortress will be attacked by all the sects once it is discovered.

"Third Master, someone has come from outside and says they have something to ask of you."

Just as Bai Yanluo was troubled, he heard his disciple's voice outside. Bai Yanluo's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he hurriedly went out of the room, asked the disciple a question, and then quickly came to the living room. When he saw the unfamiliar figure, Bai Yanluo clasped his hands in a salute.

"May I ask your name, and what business do you have with me?"

The person turned around, and it turned out to be Lian Chixue. She glanced at Bai Yanluo and said in a low voice, "I don't need to know your name. This is the rule of Cangying Fortress. Has the Third Master been idle for too long and forgotten his own rules?"

Lian Chixue scoffed, but Bai Yanluo was not annoyed and replied, "What you say is true, sir. I was being rude."

"This is a commissioned task. Third Master, please take a look and see if you can complete it."

Lian Chixue handed Bai Yanluo a slip of paper. The latter took it, glanced at it, his pupils contracted slightly, his expression changed, and he took a deep breath, looking at Lian Chixue and saying, "I will do this. What is the time limit? What is the reward?"

Upon hearing this, Lian Chixue said, "Two months. This is a deposit of five hundred taels of gold. After the matter is completed, another three thousand taels of gold will be offered."

Lian Chixue took out a gold note and handed it to Bai Yanluo. The latter looked at the pattern on the gold note and knew that it belonged to the Sihai Trading Company. The Sihai Trading Company was the number one trading company in the martial arts world. Its business covered the Five Sacred Mountains and the Four Seas, and it made a fortune every day. It had branches in various cities.

"Okay, it's a deal."

Bai Yanluo made the decision immediately and had the contract delivered. After the two of them affixed their seals, each received a copy of the contract. Bai Yanluo looked at the names on the seals, his eyes flickering slightly.

"Farewell!"

Lian Chixue clasped his hands in a salute, then turned and left.

"Someone is coming."

Bai Yanluo called out to the outside, and a bald middle-aged man walked in, clasped his hands in a salute to Bai Yanluo, and said in a solemn voice, "Second Master, what are your orders?"

"Pass on my order: summon Black Hawk, White Bear, Lone Wolf, and Red Serpent to me immediately."

"Yes!"

The bald middle-aged man immediately responded, bowed again, and turned to leave. Not long after, he returned with three men and one woman. Leading them was a tall, slender, fair-skinned, and refined young man—White Bear, one of the six remaining experts of Eagle Fortress. To his left was a thin, wiry middle-aged man with a hooked nose and sharp eyes, holding an eagle-headed longsword. To White Bear's right was a plain-looking young man with black hair and piercing eyes. The last was a seductive, femme fatale dressed in red, a red whip gleaming at her waist.

"Second Master, is there some business you want us to do by calling us all here today?"

After exchanging greetings with Bai Yanluo, the four members of the White Bear Clan got straight to the point.

“That’s right, and it’s a big deal. If it goes through, the reward will be three thousand taels of gold.”

Upon hearing Bai Yanluo's words, the eyes of the four members of the White Bear Clan lit up, their greed almost impossible to conceal. They had been with Eagle Fortress for three to ten years, and had taken on many missions, but this was the first time they had encountered such a large order.

The white bear was shocked, but quickly calmed down, took a deep breath, looked at Bai Yanluo, and said in a deep voice, "The reward is so generous, it seems that this business is not easy to do. No wonder the second leader asked the four of us to come together. What kind of business is it?"

The other three also came to their senses one after another. After hearing what Bai Xiong said, they all looked at Bai Yanluo, who calmly took out the contract and handed it to Bai Xiong.

"Killed the Wine Immortal, Huangfu Changhen, Xiaoyao Lang, severely injured the White Tiger Hall Director Qianxing, Sword-Forging City Young Master Jianxiong, and Death Heart Sect Liu Yiyi."

After reading the list, Bai Xiong couldn't help but gasp. None of the people on the list were easy to deal with. Ren Qianxing and Jian Xiong were both successors of two major sects. Not to mention that they had guards around them, their martial arts skills alone would make it difficult for them to easily defeat them. Jiu Zhongxian was the leader of the Three Heroes of the Wind and Dust, and his Overlord Fist was renowned throughout the martial arts world. Huangfu Changhen's Thousand-Mile Whip Thunder was a unique skill of the Tianji Sect. As for the remaining Xiaoyao Lang, Yan Cangfeng, and Liu Yiyi, they were either from prominent backgrounds or were martial arts heroes. None of them were easy to mess with.

"Second Master, who commissioned this business? If it weren't for this contract, I would have thought someone was deliberately driving Eagle Fortress to its doom. This is practically impossible." White Bear placed the contract on the table and said with a solemn expression.

The other three were also extremely shocked. No wonder such a task was rewarded with three thousand taels of gold. In their opinion, they wouldn't think it was too much even if the reward were doubled.

"Isn't it already quite obvious on the seal below? It's someone from the Sea Shark Palace."

Upon hearing Bai Yanluo's words, Bai Xiong looked at the shark-shaped mark and Lian Chixue's name covered by ink, and his heart sank.

"Even after the destruction of the Sea Shark Palace, he still tries to disrupt the situation. Helian Ba ​​is becoming more and more unscrupulous. Second Master, we must do this deal, but we need to mobilize all our forces."

White Bear looked at White Yama with a solemn expression. Eagle Fortress is not what it used to be. First, it suffered heavy losses in the battle of Thunder Valley, and even the third leader, Blood Sword, was killed there. Later, due to the surprise attack on Sword Forging City, all twelve experts were killed. Not long ago, in the battle of Moonlight Island, several more people died. Now there are not many people who can be used. Including the four of them, there are only about twenty people at most.

"That's enough, that's enough. As long as you complete even one task, you'll get a reward. Try to complete all the tasks. With these three thousand taels of gold, you can rebuild Eagle Fortress soon."

Upon hearing this, the polar bear pondered for a moment and tentatively asked, "Second Master, what about the First Master?"

"I will speak to the boss about this myself. You all need to get your manpower ready as soon as possible, and we will begin operations in three days. You can discuss the specific plans yourselves; I will only look at the results."

"Yes!"

After the four men stood up and bowed to Bai Yanluo, they quickly left. After the four men left, the bald, burly man who had been silent walked to Bai Yanluo's side and said in a deep voice, "Second Master, this matter is very difficult. It would be better to inform the First Master. Better safe than sorry. The people on the list are not simple characters."

The bald, burly man knew that Eagle Fortress was already extremely weak. If this deal went wrong, Eagle Fortress would be destroyed. Once Eagle Fortress was no longer of any use, the Supreme Alliance would definitely abandon them and perhaps use the few remaining members as vanguards to attack Sword Forging City.

"That makes sense. Quickly send a message to the chief via carrier pigeon, explaining the situation in detail."

"Yes, I obey."

The bald, burly man responded and turned to leave.

In a beautiful valley a hundred miles northwest of the Supreme Alliance, Liao Rushen read the letter in his hand, then casually crushed it, and the wind blew it away.

Ren Qianxing's straightforward nature was indeed at odds with mine; all my scheming was rendered useless in his presence.

"Although I have obtained the two volumes of the Heavenly Count, they are useless without the volume by the Wine Immortal."

Liao Rushen took out two pieces of white silk of the same size from his bosom and laid them on the ground, but the top piece was missing.

"The Immortal of Wine has vanished without a trace. Where should we go to search for him?"

Liao Rushen wanted to use divination to find out the whereabouts of the Immortal of Wine, but the hexagrams he obtained twice in a row were reversed, and he could not see anything at all. Moreover, if one had not obtained any information after divining the same thing more than three times, one should not divination again, otherwise one would suffer divine retribution. This was a rule passed down through generations of the Tianji Sect. Although Liao Rushen looked down on the Tianji Sect, he was very secretive about this rule. The reason was that when he wanted to divine a third time, he had a vague feeling that doing so would bring disaster.

"Guan Yutian has lost his patience. Fine, let's leave this last time to fate."

Liao Ru Shen silently channeled his inner energy, took out three copper coins, and tossed them upwards. The coins flipped and clattered to the ground, revealing the hexagram of Three Yangs.

"The three yang converge in the far north, a place where the yang energy is at its peak. It is also in the north. Only the Sword Forging City could be there. The Immortal of Wine is actually in the Sword Forging City."

Liao Rushen was puzzled and looked at the copper coins on the ground. He muttered to himself, "When yang reaches its extreme, yin is born. In this perilous situation, I am facing a bloody disaster. Could it be Huangfu Changhen?"

Aside from Huangfu Changhen, Liao Rushen couldn't think of anyone else who harbored such murderous intent towards him. Just then, Liao Rushen suddenly felt a chill, as if a pair of eyes were fixed on him.

"not good!"

At the same time, just as Ru Shen cast his divination, less than a few miles away from this valley, Huangfu Changhen looked at the constantly flashing copper coins in his hand, and a beam of light pointed directly at the valley where Ru Shen was.

"found it!"

A cold glint flashed in Huangfu Changhen's eyes, and he rushed off in the direction the beam of light was pointing.

(End of this chapter)