A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 431 Battle
Guan Yutian and Helian Ba ​​joined forces, attacking Gu Xu together. Gu Xu glanced at the shadowy clones surrounding him, then looked away. Seeing the approaching Dragon Palm and sharp sword energy, he remained still, flicked his sleeve, and a wisp of azure wind suddenly appeared. The strong wind swept away, absorbing the Dragon Palm energy and sword energy. Just as the palm energy and sword energy disappeared, Helian Ba ​​suddenly moved. More than a dozen shadowy clones attacked simultaneously, each palm strike like a roaring tiger, carrying a fierce wind as it struck Gu Xu.

Helian Ba ​​seized the opportunity perfectly. If it were a skilled opponent like Sword Master, he might have been caught off guard and fallen into a disadvantageous position due to the sudden attack of this palm. However, the opponent in front of him was far beyond his expectations. The dozen or so palm strikes that were about to hit him were seen to have stopped about three feet away. Upon seeing this, Helian Ba's expression changed drastically. He moved away from his original position in a flash. However, he had only moved for half a breath when all the stopped palm strikes were returned. His clones and shadowy figures were all scattered. Under the pull of the energy, Helian Ba ​​also groaned. If he hadn't reacted quickly, he would have been more than just slightly injured.

Seeing Helian Ba ​​suffer a setback, Guan Yutian's eyes flashed with a fierce light. The soft sword in his hand gleamed with a ghostly light, biting at Gu Xu like a venomous tongue. At the same time, a crimson light suddenly appeared on his left hand, and he struck out with all his might. Dozens of blood skeletons echoed with mournful cries and quickly flew in all directions. A sinister and eerie aura instantly filled the entire sword-forging pool.

Several other battlefields were also immediately affected. Master Sixin was controlling the Seven Absolutes Zither to suppress Fu Xiao and Changyangzi. Just as she was about to kill them with one move, she suddenly felt a strange force coming towards her. Turning around, she saw a bloody haze rapidly spreading towards her. In the blink of an eye, it was less than four feet in size. Sensing the cold and bloody power within it, Master Sixin's expression changed. She looked in the direction of Guan Yutian and couldn't help but wonder. Guan Yutian had always cultivated righteous and masculine martial arts. When did he learn such vicious and evil techniques?

Judging from the state of this evil magic, quite a few spirits have died at Guan Yutian's hands. If it is allowed to run rampant, those junior disciples will become its prey. Thinking of this, Abbess Sixin was furious. She flicked her hand, and powerful sound waves spread outward, constantly fighting against the blood haze. While she was distracted, Changyangzi and Fu Xiao were under less pressure. They also saw the blood haze, exchanged a glance, and then attacked Abbess Sixin again. This time, Changyangzi took the lead, wielding a silver whisk with ease, and gusts of wind swept towards Abbess Sixin. Fu Xiao, on the other hand, launched dozens of hidden weapons, attacking Abbess Sixin's vital points.

While resisting the dissipation and blood haze, Abbess Sixin also had to spare some energy to fight off the two attackers. In just a short while, white vapor began to rise from the top of her head, and her face turned flushed, clearly indicating that her internal energy was severely depleted. Upon seeing this, Changyangzi and Fu Xiao were delighted and attacked again with their whisks and longswords. With a clang, Changyangzi's whisk finally struck the Seven Absolutes Zither, but the profound power of truth on the strings also caused his blood and qi to surge, and he staggered back several steps. Many of the silver threads on his whisk also fell off, becoming much thinner.

And

As Master Sixin raised her zither, her true energy surged forth, repelling Changyangzi. Just then, Fu Xiao's Pearl Jade Sword arrived. With a flash of light, the sword severed a zither string with a hiss. Master Sixin's eyes sharpened, and she spun her seven-stringed zither. Her delicate hand grabbed the broken string, and she threw it forward. With a clang, the string pierced through the Pearl Jade Sword, its momentum undiminished, heading straight for Fu Xiao's face.

When Fu Xiao saw the Pearl Jade Sword broken, his heart suddenly trembled. Looking at the rapidly approaching zither string, he didn't have time to think. He quickly turned his wrist, and the sword swirled around the string, directly wrapping it around his finger. With a forceful pull, the string immediately taut. Master Si Xin snorted coldly, and with a flick of her delicate hand, the taut string vibrated slightly, and a surge of energy flowed from the string to the Pearl Jade Sword.

With a few soft snapping sounds, Fu Xiao felt a sudden lightness in his hand. The jade sword had been twisted into several pieces by the strings of the zither, clattering as it fell to the ground. Only a blade less than four inches long remained in his hand.

"not good."

Fu Xiao's expression changed. With a flick of his sleeve, the broken blades on the ground were swept into the air. He used his broken sword to deflect them one by one, using them as hidden weapons to shoot towards Master Sixin. At the same time, Changyangzi, who had calmed his blood and qi, attacked again. His whisk was like a broom, sweeping towards Master Sixin. The whistling wind made Master Sixin's face turn serious. She hurriedly withdrew, and with a swift stroke, the strings of her zither snapped. As she moved, she was caught off guard when the suppressed blood haze surged up again, engulfing Master Sixin in the blink of an eye. Fu Xiao's broken blade rushed into it and disappeared in the blink of an eye. Changyangzi was also caught off guard. His whisk was stained with blood haze. He hurriedly withdrew it, but it was too late. The silver whisk, made of silkworm silk, turned yellow at a visible speed, and then turned into a black clump of residue. When the wind blew it away, only a bare jade handle remained, which looked quite comical.

"Retreat quickly, go get the Frostbite Sword!"

Fu Xiao reacted quickly. Seeing that Master Si Xin was trapped in the blood haze, he looked around and saw Guan Yutian and Helian Ba ​​dealing with Gu Xu, Huangfu Changhen fighting Ren Qianxing and Mu Songzi alone, Zhao Qian being besieged by the four sword masters, and the two ghosts of the Southern Cave fighting with Yan Cangfeng.

For a moment, apart from the Sword Master who was still healing and the Sword Hero who was unconscious, everyone else was held back. When Fu Xiao shouted, Changyangzi immediately used his lightness skill to leave. Fu Xiao glanced at the blood haze again, and without hesitation, headed straight for the five-colored aura. The two moved quickly and soon arrived in front of the aura. Looking at the eight beast-shaped jade tablets floating in the air, Fu Xiao used his broken sword to unleash a sharp sword light, but the sword light disappeared without a trace when it landed on the aura. Just as Fu Xiao was puzzled, Changyangzi's expression changed, and he reached out and grabbed Fu Xiao, immediately leaving the spot.

Just after the two left, a sharp sword light shot out from within the protective barrier, piercing a small hole in the bluestone slab, with wisps of sword energy lingering around it.

"What kind of formation is this?!"

Fu Xiao was shocked. If Changyangzi hadn't pulled him up, this sword energy would have seriously injured him. This was the first time he had ever seen a formation that could redirect attack power.

"I don't know. This formation is very strange. Don't attack it rashly."

Changyangzi gripped the jade hilt tightly, his expression extremely solemn. Looking through the protective barrier at the Ling Shuang Sword inside, his greed was almost impossible to conceal.

"This formation was evolved by Gu Xu from a formation called 'Strange Beast Transformation Formation'. Any attack that lands on it, as long as it does not exceed the formation's limit, can absorb the external force. It can even use its energy to draw in and absorb our true energy, increasing the formation's power."

Just as Fu Xiao and his companion were observing the formation and pondering how to break it, Liao Rushen's figure landed in front of them. When Changyangzi saw him appear, his pupils contracted slightly, and he was on guard when he heard the information revealed by Liao Rushen. His eyes flashed, and he said in a deep voice, "Liao Rushen, can you break this formation?"

Upon hearing this, Fu Xiao, who was standing to the side, also turned his gaze over.

Upon hearing this, Liao Rushen pondered and said, "Although this formation is slightly different from the Mythical Beast Transformation Formation, it is still derived from it, so the principle is the same. However, breaking this formation will require a considerable price, and there is also the risk to one's life."

Upon hearing this, Changyangzi asked, "What is the method to break the formation?"

What they lack most now is time. Breaking the formation as soon as possible is the priority, and they can bear the slight cost.

"The formation can only be broken by contaminating the eight jade tablets with a blood sacrifice, and then focusing on one of them. However, the blood sacrifice comes at a heavy price, and the person being sacrificed will suffer great pain. But if the jade tablets can be contaminated within three quarters of an hour, one may be able to save their life."

After Liao Rushen finished speaking, Changyangzi remained silent, while Fu Xiao's eyes flickered slightly. He stepped forward and looked at Liao Rushen, saying, "Liao Rushen, you proposed this method, so you must have already prepared for it."

"Heh, isn't there a ready-made one for the blood sacrifice?" Liao Rushen pointed to the unconscious Jianxiong in the distance.

Changyangzi and the other looked in that direction, and both of their expressions changed drastically. They turned back, and Changyangzi looked at Liao Rushen with hostility and said in a deep voice, "Liao Rushen, this boy cannot be used as a blood sacrifice, otherwise the Sword Master will not let this go."

Fu Xiao seemed to be deep in thought. Now that they had broken ties with Sword Casting City, it would be a great mistake not to take this opportunity to eliminate them completely.

“Master Changyang, what you said is quite right. Anyway, we have already clashed with Sword Casting City and killed many disciples. One more Sword Hero is nothing. As long as we get the Frost Sword, why should Sword Venerable have anything to fear?”

After Fu Xiao finished speaking, Changyangzi pondered for a long time, finally sighed, and then nodded to Fu Xiao and Liao Rushen in agreement.

"I would be grateful if you two could protect me."

Liao Rushen was overjoyed to see Changyangzi agree. He instantly moved to Jianxiong's side, grabbed him, and rushed back. But at that moment, a melodious zither tune suddenly rang out, and Liao Rushen paused. At the same time, a black whip shot out from the side and wrapped around him. "Liu Yiyi, Xiaoyao Lang."

Liao Rushen dodged to the side with a somersault, looked at the bright-eyed woman holding a seven-stringed zither and the young man in tight-fitting clothes holding a black whip, snorted coldly, and waved his right feather fan, sending a gust of wind towards the two of them.

At the same time, he kept moving and ran back quickly, but before he had run far, a burly figure descended from the sky and a sword light slashed towards Liao Rushen. Liao Rushen was immediately alarmed. There was no time to change his move. He raised his fan to block, and with a clang, a burst of powerful true energy was transmitted through the fan. Liao Rushen could not withstand the force and was knocked back several steps. He finally exhaled a breath of turbid air. Before he could regain his balance, the zither and whip attacked again.

Liao Rushen kept his mind focused, his feather fan spinning to deflect Xiaoyao Lang's whip. He stepped through the Nine Palaces to dodge Jian Yang's Scorching Sun Sword Technique. After a dozen or so moves, Liao Rushen finally managed to turn the tide. His attacks became three parts defense and seven parts offense, with most of the offense aimed at Xiaoyao Lang and Liu Yiyi.

Liu Yiyi's skill was slightly inferior. Although she had unique skills, she had not reached the level of her master. If it weren't for Xiaoyao Lang's repeated assistance with the Great Subduing Demon Fist taught by Gu Xu, Liu Yiyi would have been seriously injured and collapsed by Liao Rushen.

With a bang, Xiaoyao Lang caught Ru Shen's Shattering Palm with a punch. His body was sent flying, and he groaned, spitting out blood. However, Ru Shen was also not in good shape. That Great Subduing Demon Fist was extremely righteous. If Xiaoyao Lang had not been still weak, this would not have been a minor injury.

Having landed a successful blow, Liao Rushen sensed the bone-chilling cold coming from behind him. His eyes flashed, and he immediately used the sword on his back to block the sword. Sure enough, the bone-chilling cold dissipated immediately. Seeing that the opportunity was not to be missed, Liao Rushen swept his feather fan backward, and a blade of energy slashed towards Jian Yang.

Jian Yang's thrust was blocked by Liao Rushen with his sword, and seeing the opponent's attack coming again, he hurriedly swung his sword horizontally. The sword light and the qi blades flashed and collided. The qi force surged back, and Jian Yang's wrist went sore. Before he could calm his surging blood and qi, he saw several more qi blades shooting towards him. Just then, a sound wave rushed over and the qi blades were instantly neutralized.

Liao Rushen glanced coldly at Liu Yiyi, said nothing, and led Jian Xiong to rush towards Ling Shuangjian's location.

"Go away!"

Jianyang spoke quickly and took the lead with his sword, while Liu Yiyi came to Xiaoyaolang's side.

"My carefree lover, how are you?"

"It's nothing, just some minor injuries. Hurry up and catch up with Ru Shen; the young city lord is still in his hands."

After regaining some of his strength, Xiaoyao Lang called out to Liu Yiyi, flicked his whip, and immediately chased after her. Just as Liu Yiyi was about to follow, she suddenly noticed a swirling cloud of blood not far away, and from within the cloud came the familiar sound of a zither.

"Master!"

Liu Yiyi's expression changed, and she hurriedly ran towards that direction. Arriving outside the blood haze, she quickly plucked a string of sonic waves, which continuously impacted the blood haze. At the same time, the nun Si Xin inside the blood haze also noticed Liu Yiyi. Immediately, her zither music became more powerful, gradually merging with the music outside. Under the attack of the two identical zither musics, the blood haze was instantly broken apart. Then, a song of conquest and knowledge began to play, and the broken blood haze gradually thinned. When the last song ended, the blood haze had completely disappeared.

"Master."

Seeing the disheveled nun, Liu Yiyi immediately stepped forward to support her.

"Yiyi."

Master Sixin was extremely relieved to see that Liu Yiyi was unharmed. Just as the master and disciple were talking, a sudden explosion came and a rolling wave of air instantly filled most of the sword-refining pool.

"This is!"

Everyone looked toward the sound of the explosion and saw three figures standing on a stone pillar amidst the billowing dust. Except for Gu Xu, who looked calm and spotless, Guan Yutian and Helian Ba ​​both looked disheveled. Guan Yutian's sleeve was missing halfway, his hair ornament was broken, his hair was disheveled, his face was ferocious, and the blood dripping from his arm made him look like a vengeful ghost.

Helian Ba ​​was in no better shape; his face was ashen, and his protective armor had been slashed open by a sharp blade, with blood dripping down and quickly staining his feet crimson.

Gu Xu looked at the two seriously injured people and snorted coldly. He then looked at Liao Rushen, who was running away, and Jian Xiong on his back. His figure moved instantly and he appeared in front of Liao Rushen in the blink of an eye. The latter's expression changed instantly when he saw this and he struck out with a palm. However, the Shattering Palm landed half a foot away from Gu Xu and was like a breeze, without causing any ripples.

"puff."

Liao Rushen felt a blur before his eyes, a loosening in his back, then a sharp pain in his chest, and his body flew backward, leaving a trail of blood in his wake.

Gu Xu looked at the unconscious Jian Xiong, reached out and waved his hand. After a few breaths, Jian Xiong slowly woke up.

"Taoist Priest!"

Jianxiong seemed to be having a very long dream. Looking at Master Guxu in front of him, he seemed to want to ask something.

"Go to your father's place, it's too dangerous here." Before Jianxiong could react, his body was lifted into the air and caught by a gust of wind. After landing, he regained his senses, looked at Zhao Qian who was fighting fiercely with the four sword envoys, picked up a long sword from the wall, and swiftly thrust it forward.

After rescuing Jianxiong, Gu Xu gave a cold look at Mu Songzi, the two ghosts of Nanku, Fu Xiao, and Changyangzi. Then, in a flash, he stood on the stone pillar again, with his hands behind his back, looking at the two people opposite him.

"call."

When Changyangzi and the others saw Gu Xu leave, they all suppressed their shock and took a deep breath. This Liao Rushen had not been able to block even one move. Guan Yutian and Helian Ba ​​were also at a disadvantage. Just how powerful was this Daoist Gu Xu?
(End of this chapter)