A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 418 Entering the City
On the ninth day of the eleventh month, as the sun rose in the sky, a beam of red light shone on the Sword Forging City. The Sword Hall, located in the center of the city, was illuminated by the red light and shone as brightly as a fiery sun.

"The Supreme Alliance sent their invitation two days ago, and judging by the time, it should be here soon."

Inside the Sword Hall, the Sword Master sat at the head of the table, with Gu Xu on his left. Below them were more than ten seats, all of which were filled with people. At a glance, besides the familiar Huangfu Changhen and others, there were more than a dozen unfamiliar faces, both men and women, and they were all quite old.

"According to the information we have received, in addition to the Supreme Alliance, it seems that Helian Ba ​​has also been spotted. Moreover, he came out of the Supreme Alliance's camp. We do not know whether the two factions have joined forces, but no matter what the outcome is, we must be very wary of this person."

The people below also looked solemn upon hearing this. If it were just the Supreme Alliance, their Sword Forging City wouldn't be afraid, but with Helian Ba ​​added, it became a bit tricky. Although the Sea Shark Palace had suffered heavy damage before, the broken ship still had three thousand nails, which could change the course of the battle at a critical moment.

"Xiong'er, tell me the information you've gathered."

Sword Master gave an order to Sword Hero, who was in the first position on the right. The latter immediately stood up and said yes. After bowing to everyone present, he told them the information he had received.

"Besides Ren Qianxing, Zhu Long, Xue Jian, and Jian Yin, Guan Yutian also has Hei Ling Dao Ren, You Fang San Xian, and Nan Ku Er Gui. These are all first-rate experts, and each of them is a cruel and vicious person. In addition, there are also the hidden leaders of Cang Ying Fort, Liao Ru Shen and Bai Yan Luo, as well as more than ten second-rate experts."

"According to the scouts, the three people who appeared at Helian Ba's place were Changyangzi, the master of Changling Cave, Fu Xiao, the leader of Qingpeng Sect, and Zhao Qian, a master of the Red Sand Divine Palm from Sichuan. Together with Helian Ba, they were a formidable force."

Jianxiong paused, glanced at everyone, and continued, "According to the previous arrangement, the city lord will deal with Guan Yutian, the Taoist priest will stop Jianyin, Mr. Huangfu will deal with Rushen, and Abbess Sixin will deal with Helian Ba. As for the other evil sect experts, they will be handed over to the elders. As for the remaining Ren Qianxing, Bai Yanluo, Lian Chixue, Bai Yuer, and others, they will be dealt with by me, Senior Jiuzhongxian, Xiaoyaolang, Miss Yiyi, and Brother Yan."

After Jianxiong finished speaking, the others all nodded in agreement. Although on the surface, the Sword Forging City had fewer experts than the two factions, they should not forget that their side had a peerless expert like Gu Xu. Although they did not know the extent of Jian Yin's skill, they were certain that he would not be a match for Daoist Gu Xu.

"The young city lord has made proper arrangements, but Guan Yutian's side may not follow this arrangement. If they are misaligned, there may be some damage."

"I do not know what instructions you may give me."

Sword Master took Gu Xu's opinion very seriously. Upon hearing that there was an oversight in the arrangement, he immediately asked a question. Everyone else looked at Gu Xu upon seeing this.

They had finalized this arrangement three days ago, but Gu Xu was in seclusion at the time, so he wasn't notified. The Sword Master only told him about it afterward.

"We can use formations to separate them, and then each of you can go find your own opponent. This way, we can be absolutely sure of success."

"Master, although Liao Rushen is of low character, his mastery of Qimen Dunjia is not far from that of my master. All the formations in the world are practically useless to him. Master, could it be that..."

Huangfu Changhen looked at Gu Xu's smiling face and nodded to him. He was overjoyed and asked, "Daoist, could it be that you have already comprehended the highest level of the Dreamlike Limitless?"

Upon hearing this, everyone present was astonished and looked at Gu Xu in disbelief. Of course, they knew the name of the Dreamless Limitless, but since the founding master passed away, the disciples of each generation had been unable to cultivate this martial art to its highest level. As a result, they could not unleash its original power, which made it rank last among the three great martial arts, inferior to the Innate Qi and the Heavenly Will Four Symbols Technique.

However, I was shocked to hear today that Master Gu Xu had mastered it. But then I was overjoyed. It is said that those who have mastered the highest level of the Dreamlike Limitless Realm understand all principles. Most of the formations in the martial arts world today are derived from this book. If a formation is set up based on the knowledge gained from this book, even if the master is as powerful as a god, he will not be able to break it in a short time.

"The formation I have comprehended has no offensive power; it is merely a trapping formation that can separate several people into different places. As long as the formation's power does not dissipate, the formation will not be broken. The source of the formation's power is the magma from the volcanic cave. However, once this formation is set up, I'm afraid most of the volcanic heat will dissipate immediately, and it will be impossible to recover to its peak within three to five years. This will also have an impact on the business of Sword Forging City."

"Master, there's no need to worry. Just do it this way. It will reduce the damage. What do those external things matter? In fact, I'm the one who benefits."

Upon hearing that an array could be used to isolate the enemy and reduce casualties, the Sword Master immediately agreed without hesitation. He was willing to pay any price to obtain the Frost Sword, and he also believed that the Daoist would not allow the Sword Forging City to suffer too much loss, otherwise, even if they won this battle, it would not be the result the Daoist wanted.

"With the Daoist Master taking action, we are naturally at ease. However, we wonder how much true energy the Daoist Master expended in setting up this formation?"

A white-haired old man, sitting to the left of Jianxiong, stroked his beard and looked at Gu Xu, asking in a serious voice.

This old man is the leader of the Nine Heroes Swords of Sword Forging City. In terms of seniority, he is also the uncle of the Sword Venerable. He holds a high position in Sword Forging City. He usually lives in seclusion with a few brothers in Cloud Lake. If the Sword Venerable had not personally invited them, they would still be chatting and fishing.

The Nine Heroes Sword Master knew Gu Xu's abilities. He thought that if he were to expend too much true energy, it would be a loss. After all, he was going to face the Arrow Hidden of the Hou Yi clan. His strength was unknown, but his reputation was great. He would rather be more cautious than be aggressive, so as not to lose a great advantage.

"Although setting up the formation requires a lot of energy, it only requires half of my true energy to activate, which I can handle."

Upon hearing this, the leader of the Nine Heroes Swords immediately nodded and said nothing more.

Just after Gu Xu finished speaking, Huangfu Changhen asked, "Daoist, since the formation can be completed, why should we fight one by one? We can use the advantage of the formation to catch them off guard, concentrate our strength to kill a few people first, and expand our advantage. In this way, the longer we delay, the more we can gain the upper hand."

After Huangfu Changhen finished speaking, a glint flashed in the Sword Master's eyes, while the others remained silent in thought.

“What Mr. Huangfu said makes sense. However, the strength of an array depends on balance. If too many people are concentrated in one place, the enemy may discover the flaws in the array. Therefore, at most, only two people can fight the enemy together. Any more than that will not work.”

"That's enough, young city lord. If that's the case, the arrangement needs to be changed. After the formation is activated, the first ones to deal with are Black Spirit Daoist and Changyangzi. These two are top experts in the evil sect, and they are still strong despite their age. No one knows what trump cards they have. It's best to eliminate them as soon as possible. Next are the Three Wandering Immortals, the Two Ghosts of the Southern Cave, and Fu Xiao and Zhao Qian."

A glint flashed in Jian Yang's eyes as he looked at Jian Xiong and said.

Seeing this, Jianxiong glanced at everyone, and seeing that no one had any objections, he looked at Jianzun. The latter pondered for a moment, and finally said in a deep voice, "Then so be it. This matter is of utmost importance, concerning the life and death of Sword Forging City. You will be responsible for cooperating with the Daoist Master. There must be absolutely no problems."

"Yes!"

Upon hearing this, Jianxiong solemnly agreed, and Gu Xu nodded in agreement as well.

The group discussed until the sun was high in the sky. After dinner, they continued to deduce and plan, finally finalizing many details. Just then, a disciple's voice came from outside the hall, saying that the people from the Supreme Alliance were less than half a mile away from Sword Forging City.

"I'm here quickly. Please wait here for a moment, everyone. I'll be right back. Xiong'er, come with me." After bowing to everyone, the Sword Master led Jian Xiong away from the Sword Hall.

The four sword masters outside the Sword Hall were already fully prepared. Upon seeing the Sword Master emerge, the Dragon Sword Master immediately stepped forward, clasped his hands, and said, "City Lord, everything is ready."

"Well, let's go."

Looking at the fifty people lined up neatly below the steps, each one full of energy and exuding a stern aura, the Sword Master couldn't help but smile with satisfaction. He immediately stepped down the steps, mounted his horse, and, keeping track of the time, slowly made his way towards the city gate.

Meanwhile, on the Supreme Alliance side, under Guan Yutian's command, the group moved steadily forward. In the middle carriage, Guan Yutian took a deep breath and sensed a faint sword aura swirling in the air. A glint of light flashed in his eyes. "Sword Forging City ranks among the top-tier martial arts forces. It truly deserves its reputation as a major sect of this era. It is far superior to the Sea Shark Palace."

That faint sword energy wasn't emitted by a person, but rather was an accumulated sword aura of the Sword Forging City itself. The higher one's cultivation level, the more clearly one could sense it.

"Master, we'll be at Sword Forging City in half a mile. Do you have any instructions?"

"Everything is proceeding according to plan."

"Yes."

Guan Yutian lifted the carriage curtain and looked into the distance. A magnificent city came into view, and above the city was a clear blue sky. A purple-white rainbow shot straight into the sky from the city, which was almost invisible if you didn't look carefully.

"The purple aura has turned white; time is running out." Although Guan Yutian said he didn't take Sword Casting City seriously, it was just for show.

Sword Master was not as foolish as Helian Ba. Because of his rise to power, he almost wiped out all the previous elders and experts, causing the strength of the sect to plummet. He was not so foolish as to let Baili Qu'e almost destroy the Sea Shark Palace by himself, and then let Huangfu Changhen and Xiaoyao Lang enter the palace as if it were empty, directly rescuing the Immortal of Wine.

"The Sword Master's Dragon Riding Slash can't break through my innate qi. If we can capture him, it will be of great benefit to our side. The Seven Absolute Zither is also a bit troublesome. However, even if Helian Ba ​​and the others can't beat him, they can at least keep them occupied for a while."

Guan Yutian didn't tell Helian Ba ​​the truth, so that they would fight to the death, since Helian Ba ​​and the others were people he wanted to eliminate.

"Although Jianyin's martial arts are good, he may not be able to stop Gu Xu."

Guan Yutian was most wary of Gu Xu. According to the information he had gathered, Gu Xu was almost without any weaknesses. Moreover, the fact that Guan Yutian had been easily defeated by Gu Xu twice before had left a shadow in his heart and affected him to some extent.

"The breakthrough lies with Sword Master!"

The group from the Supreme Alliance continued forward, and after a short while, the outline of Sword Forging City came into view. Ren Qianxing pulled on the reins and stopped.

"stop!"

Ren Qianxing paused, raising his sword, and everyone stopped in their tracks.

"Master, the Sword Master is waiting for us at the city gate with his men."

"Oh."

Upon hearing this, Guan Yutian lifted the carriage curtain and stepped out. He went to the front and looked closely. Sure enough, it was the Sword Master. After a moment's thought, he gave an order to Ren Qianxing. The latter was taken aback at first, and then said yes.

"dismount!"

Ren Qianxing shouted, and Zhu Long, Xue Jian, and the others dismounted and followed behind Ren Qianxing, heading towards the city gate with Guan Yutian.

"Father, they're here."

"Hmm, Guan Yutian has learned etiquette quite well."

Sword Master's solemn expression instantly turned into a smile as he saw Guan Yutian approaching. He quickly took a few steps to greet Guan Yutian.

"The official leader."

"Lord of Sword City".

After exchanging greetings and a few pleasantries, Guan Yutian and the Sword Master gestured for Guan Yutian to thank him and walked side by side into the city. Ren Qianxing and the others immediately followed.

After both sides introduced themselves, Sword Master gave Sword Hero a look, and the latter said to Ren Qianxing and the others, "Everyone, please follow me."

"Qianxing, go ahead. Your master and the city lord still have matters to discuss."

As Guan Yutian spoke, he transmitted his voice to Ren Qianxing, saying, "Be careful along the way."

Ren Qianxing said yes and led his men to follow behind Jian Xiong. Jian Zun and Guan Yutian got into the carriage and headed towards the inner city. Ren Qianxing and the others were arranged by Jian Xiong to stay at Qingxin Garden. After giving some instructions, Jian Xiong left with his men.

"The city is quite deserted along the way. It seems that Sword Forging City was prepared in advance and has already evacuated all the people. Sword Master is as cautious as ever, leaving no clues. Old Monster Mu, what do you think?"

In the main hall of Qingxin Garden, Ren Qianxing sat at the head of the table, with Zhu Long and Xue Jian sitting below him, along with three other men of refined and otherworldly appearance and two ugly and strange-looking men.

The one speaking at this moment is the Green Corpse Ghost, one of the two ghosts of the Southern Cave. He has an indigo face, green hair, and white eyes. In his jade-white right hand, he holds a withered vine staff wrapped with strips of cloth that reek of blood, and at the top hangs a gourd with a withered ghost pattern.

The "Old Monster Mu" he mentioned was Mu Jingxian, the leader of the Three Wandering Immortals. He wore a moon-white robe with water patterns, had a ruddy complexion, white hair, and a youthful face. He held a silver whisk in his hand. Upon hearing Qing Shi Gui's words, Mu Jingxian flicked his whisk and said calmly, "Isn't this normal? When people in the martial world fight, it is always the common people who suffer in the end. The Sword Venerable's move once was a case of foresight and prevention. Otherwise, if war broke out, we would act without any scruples, and wouldn't it be the Sword Venerable's interests that would be harmed? How could he not have dealt with it in advance?"

After Mu Jingxian finished speaking, Zhu Long said in a deep voice, "Master Ren, this Qingxin Garden is an isolated place with flat and open surroundings. Standing on high ground, one can see everything in the garden clearly."

"These are all minor matters. The key issue is that the people from Sword Forging City didn't leave anyone behind. Was it intentional or because they were extremely confident?"

"Sword Forging City is not the Sea Shark Palace. After hundreds of years of management by the Sword Clan, it is already impregnable. They would not bother with it."

Hanmei Xian, one of the Three Wandering Immortals, spoke in a low voice, and everyone's expressions became solemn. Ren Qianxing's eyes flashed with a sharp light when he heard this, and he said in a deep voice, "Since that's the case, then tonight we will send a few disciples to test the strength of this Sword Casting City."

(End of this chapter)