A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 412 Conquer
Black Spirit Daoist's gaze locked onto the carriage, his hands secretly gathering power. Seeing the disciples gathering again, he snorted coldly, lightly stomped his foot, and instantly a wave of energy surged forth, forcing everyone back. Then, a flash of cold light appeared in his hand, and several white bone spikes shot into the carriage with a whoosh. His figure floated, and he flew into the air. A powerful palm strike came straight down, the energy sweeping across the carriage. The carriage couldn't hold on any longer and shattered with a few cracking sounds. As wood chips flew everywhere, Black Spirit Daoist's expression suddenly changed slightly. He quickly dodged the incoming white bone spikes, and with a light touch of his foot, he stood on the horse's head.

"What a brilliant move, 'Turbulent Waves Rise and Dragonfly Skims the Water.' You haven't neglected your martial arts all these years, Black Spirit. I, the Alliance Leader, will give you a chance. If you are willing to submit to my Supreme Alliance, I will spare your life."

The hood of the carriage was shattered, but Guan Yutian remained seated inside, his hands resting on his knees, his expression dignified, his eyes like cold lightning as he stared at the Black Spirit Taoist.

"Heh, I've always been unrestrained and can't stand being bound. I'm not worthy of Alliance Leader Guan's kindness. If Alliance Leader Guan is willing to hand over the Nine Dragon Stone, I'll leave immediately."

Black Spirit Taoist was also unwilling to confront Guan Yutian directly, but the Nine Dragon Stone concerned his life and death, and he could not back down. If he could persuade him with words, that would be best; otherwise, he would have no choice but to resort to force.

"So you want the Nine Dragon Stone. Everyone wants to possess this divine object, and I, the Alliance Leader, am no exception. This is not something you can have your hands on. For the sake of our relationship, leave quickly, and I will let bygones be bygones. If you continue to cause trouble, don't blame me for being impolite."

Guan Yutian's cold words displeased Hei Ling Dao Ren, who immediately replied in a low voice, "Since Alliance Leader Guan says so, then let's settle this with our skills. Let me see how far you've progressed with your Mighty Dragon Divine Palm."

As the commotion behind him gradually subsided, the Black Spirit Daoist knew that delay would lead to unforeseen changes. He immediately flipped his wrist, and the sword at his waist rang out of its sheath. He held it in his hand and swiftly pierced the two gates of Guan Yutian's Divine Palace and Chongfu Palace with a streak of light. Even before the sword arrived, its sharp edge made Guan Yutian's expression turn solemn.

"The Golden-Slaying Sword Technique".

Guan Yutian, disdainful of the origin of the broken sword technique, leaped from the carriage, flipped his right palm, and unleashed a dragon-shaped palm strike that hurtled towards the sword light. When the palm strike collided with the sword light, a golden light flashed, fiercely tearing through the palm strike. The force was still strong, heading straight for Guan Yutian's face. Upon seeing this, the latter's expression changed slightly. He neither dodged nor avoided, and an aura appeared around his body, knocking the sword light away with a clang.

Looking at the aura that appeared around Guan Yutian, the Black Spirit Taoist smiled. His sword technique had broken Guan Yutian's Mighty Dragon Palm and forced him to use a defensive move. His Golden-Slaying Sword, which he had practiced for many years, had indeed not disappointed him.

Energetic, Black Spirit Daoist pressed his advantage, his figure flashing and his sword light flashing as he surrounded Guan Yutian from all sides. Although Guan Yutian was protected by an aura, Black Spirit Daoist was confident in his swordsmanship. Especially after seeing more and more sword marks on the aura, Black Spirit Daoist's movements became even faster and more fierce, leaving Guan Yutian with no chance to fight back.

"wrong!"

A moment later, Black Spirit Daoist immediately sensed something was wrong. He knew Guan Yutian's temperament well; even when fighting, he always prioritized attack. This time, his behavior was so abnormal, it was as if he had become a completely different person.

Thinking of this, Black Spirit Daoist paused in his actions and carefully observed Guan Yutian opposite him. He saw that Guan Yutian smiled slightly at him and took the initiative to dispel his protective aura. Black Spirit Daoist's sense of unease intensified upon seeing this. Just then, a dragon's roar suddenly sounded from behind. Black Spirit Daoist turned his head and saw a domineering figure standing in front of the carriage, staring at him with icy eyes.

"drink!"

Without time to think, the Black Spirit Taoist threw a hidden weapon with his left hand, which flew towards "Guan Yutian" whom he had been fighting. He slashed three times with his longsword in his right hand. The three light blades first shattered the incoming Mighty Dragon Palm Qi, and the remaining sword power continued to rush forward, but was crushed by Guan Yutian with one hand.

Just as Guan Yutian wiped away the three sword lights, Hei Ling Dao Ren also broke free. Looking at the gradually dissipating "Guan Yutian," Hei Ling Dao Ren was shocked. To be able to disguise an illusion as if it were a real person, Guan Yutian's martial arts had reached such a level.

The more Black Spirit Taoist thought about it, the more alarmed he became. Judging from the exchange just now, Guan Yutian had not used his full strength. If Guan Yutian had suddenly attacked him while he was fighting the phantom, he would have been seriously injured even if he did not die.

"I admire Alliance Leader Guan's martial arts skills. However, even so, I still maintain that if you hand over the Nine Dragon Stone to me, this unnecessary struggle can be avoided. Otherwise, although I am no match for Alliance Leader Guan, I will not be able to protect the heads of your sect."

Black Spirit Taoist held his longsword upside down, his eyes fixed on Guan Yutian, the threat in his words obvious. Upon hearing this, the latter chuckled a few times, then his expression turned cold, and he said in a calm tone, "You have no right to bargain with this alliance leader now."

Before Hei Ling could reply, Guan Yutian's hand swung down, unleashing a series of mighty dragon palm strikes. The earth-shaking dragon roars echoed throughout the mountain path, followed by a sweeping sound wave and surging air currents. The surging true energy rushed straight towards Hei Ling, whose expression changed drastically upon seeing this. Looking at the overwhelming air currents and the several palm strikes hidden within them, he immediately focused his attention, raised his longsword high with both hands, and as true energy continuously poured in, clear and melodious sword cries echoed in his ears. Then, a sword light shot straight out, slashing through the air towards the air currents and palm strikes.

Black Spirit Taoist also suffered a significant loss of true energy from using this move. He hurriedly swallowed several Qi-replenishing pills, and his true energy gradually began to recover.

This move, "The Beginning of Heaven and Earth," is the highest level of the Golden-Slaying Sword Technique. In theory, as long as one has enough true energy, one can annihilate everything. To ensure absolute success, Black Spirit Daoist used most of his true energy on this move. The sword move did not disappoint Black Spirit Daoist's expectations. The sword light flashed and disappeared, and the energy wave and palm force first paused, then exploded with a loud bang, blasting out clouds of smoke and turbid air, which covered the entire mountain path. The residual force of the dissipated energy wave also shook the two sides who were fighting in the distance apart.

Seeing that things were not going well, Han Jiang Sou, Qing Gou Lao Guai, and Cai Yun Xian forcibly forced their opponents back. Then, they used their lightness skills to retreat and quickly moved to the side. Zhu Long and the others did not dare to make any rash moves. Han Jiang Sou and the other two were fast, but those low-level figures were in a terrible situation.

Already at a disadvantage in terms of numbers and quality, this latest development widened the gap between the two sides even further. The Supreme Alliance side was well-trained, with groups of three or five forming a tight band, and the residual force was quickly neutralized. On the other hand, none of the low-level figures escaped, and all were injured to varying degrees.

As the residual force dissipated, the Supreme Alliance, holding a significant advantage, quickly surrounded their opponents. In just a few breaths of fighting, seven more people died, and the remaining members suffered further casualties, clearly on the verge of collapse.

Han Jiangsou stared in terror at the deafening explosion coming from afar, his body trembling uncontrollably. He turned to look at Qing Gou Laoguai and Cai Yunxian, who were equally terrified. Han Jiangsou took a deep breath and forced himself to remain calm, saying, "Gentlemen, let's not get involved."

Upon hearing this, Old Monster Qing Gou immediately said, "That's right. We've already obtained the Qi-Nourishing Pill, so don't be greedy. Whoever wants to take the Nine Dragon Stone can go. Farewell, sir."

Old Monster Qinggou bowed to Old Man Hanjiang and Fairy Caiyun, sheathed his weapon, and disappeared into the depths of the forest in a few leaps, vanishing without a trace in the blink of an eye. Old Man Hanjiang and Fairy Caiyun exchanged a glance, said "please" to each other, and then left.

With the departure of the three old monsters, Qing Gou, those lowly figures were no longer a threat. In a short time, more than thirty people had already lost their lives, and the remaining dozen or so were dwindling rapidly. Black Spirit Daoist swept his sleeve, instantly shifting the turbid air before him. Seeing the figure standing within the air, Black Spirit Daoist's heart sank. He moved swiftly, closing in on Guan Yutian in a few flashes. Guan Yutian, his eyes piercing through the turbid air, clearly saw the direction of Black Spirit Daoist's sword. His right hand formed a claw, his fingers glowing with a ghostly light, as he reached for the blade. The sword, powerful enough to cut through gold and jade, was firmly grasped by Guan Yutian. With a slight exertion, the sword seemed unable to bear the weight, emitting a mournful sound. Black Spirit Daoist's expression changed.

His own sword was forged from black iron, making it incredibly sharp. Ordinary weapons would either break or be chipped when they encountered it. He was already surprised that Guan Yutian was fighting with his bare hands, but now he saw him holding the sword with his bare hands without any damage, which made him even more horrified.

Guan Yutian had no idea what the Black Spirit Taoist was thinking. Almost all of the Black Spirit's martial arts skills lay in his swordsmanship. If his weapon was destroyed, his combat power would be reduced by at least half. This would greatly increase the chances of capturing him alive.

With a snap, Guan Yutian used force to break the Xuan Tie sword in half, and casually threw it towards Hei Ling Dao Ren. The latter hurriedly used his broken sword to deflect it, and the half-sword stuck into the mountain wall next to him with a clang. Then, a cold light shot out from his sleeve, and a bunch of white bone spikes shot towards Guan Yutian.

The latter sneered at the sight, and an aura appeared around him. The bone spikes that hit it were either deflected or shattered, leaving a pile of debris on the ground. On the other side, the Black Spirit Taoist looked at the half-sword in his hand, his expression gloomy and uncertain. He kept thinking about countermeasures. After pondering for a while, reason finally prevailed. He used his lightness skill and took advantage of Guan Yutian's inattention to leave quickly.

But just as he was about to flee the battlefield, a barrage of arrows suddenly appeared, blocking his path. The Black Spirit Daoist swept away the arrows with his broken sword. Looking at the neatly arranged arrow formation in the turbid air, he felt a chill and increased his speed instead of decreasing it. As a martial artist, he naturally knew the power of these crossbow bolts. No matter how high your martial arts skills were, as long as you had not reached the Innate Realm, you would be subject to these crossbow bolts.

Black Spirit Taoist's hidden weapon reappeared in his sleeve, but it was blocked by steel shields as he approached the arrow corps. At the same time, the arrow corps hidden behind him launched another attack. Black Spirit Taoist hurriedly activated his protective aura, using his broken sword to sweep away the flying arrows while fleeing in another direction.

"Black Spirit, you can't go anywhere. You'd better surrender obediently, and then I, the Alliance Leader, might spare your life."

Guan Yutian strode over, stood with his hands behind his back, and blocked his retreat. Hei Ling sneered and said in a deep voice, "Guan Yutian, although I can't hurt you, you should pay the price if you want to take me down. That way, when you get to Sword Forging City, how much combat power will you be able to exert?"

Upon hearing Black Spirit Daoist's words, Guan Yutian chuckled, glanced at him, and said calmly, "You think you can take me on?"

Before he could finish speaking, Black Spirit Daoist saw a figure flash before his eyes and hurriedly swung his sword forward. Just then, two arrows shot from the distance. Black Spirit Daoist flipped over again to dodge the attack, but before he could land, a palm strike landed squarely on his back. He groaned and staggered. Before he could catch his breath, the two arrows that had been flying away turned back around.

Before Black Spirit Taoist could react, he let out a miserable cry as both of his arms were pierced by flying arrows. The immense force of the arrows carried him to the mountain wall, and the broken sword in his hand fell to the ground. Black Spirit Taoist looked at Guan Yutian who was walking over, and his eyes darkened. Just who was this divine archer? Why would someone with such strength willingly submit to Guan Yutian?

Guan Yutian reached out and picked up the broken sword. With a flick of his finger, he cut a gash, and blood flowed out immediately.

"A fine sword, but anything that would be detrimental to this leader, no matter how good, must be destroyed." As he spoke, Guan Yutian reached out and grasped the sword's edge. A flash of crimson light, and the half-sword quickly melted away, leaving only the hilt lying forlornly on the ground.

Guan Yutian used his fingers to seal the acupoints of the Black Dragon Spirit Daoist. In his horrified expression, he fed him the Bewitching Heart Pill refined by the Thousand-Handed Poison King. He pressed down on the Black Dragon Spirit Daoist's head, ignoring the Black Dragon Spirit Daoist's struggles. He circulated his true energy, and after about half an hour, the medicinal power slowly spread, and the Black Dragon Spirit's eyes turned green.

"Very good. With an expert like you as the vanguard, our Supreme Alliance has another trump card. It's truly a stroke of luck."

Guan Yutian laughed heartily. If more experts like Hei Ling Dao Ren came, the chances of winning the Ling Shuang Sword would be much better.

"Alliance Leader, all those involved in the attack, except for Hanjiang Sou, Qinggou Old Monster, and Caiyun Immortal, have been killed."

Zhu Long glanced at the Black Spirit Taoist pinned to the mountain wall, his shock barely concealed. This Black Spirit Taoist was no ordinary person; he had always been known as the number one figure in the evil sects. However, even such a person couldn't withstand more than a few moves from the Alliance Leader. Thinking of this, Zhu Long's respect for Guan Yutian increased even more.

“The three of them are insignificant. It’s getting late, so let’s rest here and wait for Qianxing. Oh, and take Hei Ling down and put her in the tent next to me.”

Guan Yutian gave the order, and Zhu Tong immediately obeyed. Seeing that Guan Yutian had no further instructions, Zhu Tong went to prepare.

"This person is controlled by the Alliance Leader's Mind-Bending Pill, but can only exert less than half of his combat power. He is no match for ordinary experts, but against an expert like Jian Xiong, it would be good enough if he could remain undefeated. Moreover, he has to replenish his energy with medicine pills from time to time. Once he makes a move, he can only maintain it for half an hour. Is it really worth it?"

Jian Yin had no objection to Guan Yutian using the Bewitching Pill to control Hei Ling, since Hei Ling was nothing more than a loser in his eyes.

“We must use all available resources. Sword Forging City is not comparable to Sea Shark Palace. We can handle Sword Master and Gu Xu, but the struggle among the people below is crucial. I am not worried about Qian Xing; he is more than capable of dealing with Sword Hero. However, Zhu Lang and Xue Jian have only been barely restored by the Nine Dragon Stone. Their martial arts can only be maintained at a balance. Otherwise, once it is broken, all the injuries accumulated before will be returned.”

"So that's how it is. The Nine Dragon Stone didn't repair their bodies at all; it just covered up their injuries and created an illusion."

Jian Yin suddenly realized why he had noticed that the two people's auras were somewhat strange, sometimes strong and sometimes weak, fluctuating unpredictably.

"Judging by the time, Qianxing should have reached the Gate of Despair by now. I hope he won't disappoint me this time."

One mile away from the Gate of Heartbreak, in the Pavilion of Heartbreak, Liu Yiyi sat upright like a bell. On the stone table in front of her was a seven-stringed zither, and in the incense burner beside her was a lit incense stick. The smoke swirled around, and the fragrance was refreshing. The sound of the zither drifted from near to far, reaching the ears of Ren Qianxing and the others who were walking in this direction.

(End of this chapter)