A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 452 Tribulation Qi
Sword Forging City, outside the city gate
More than a dozen sects joined forces, numbering about a thousand people, and directly blocked the gate of Sword Forging City. At this moment, people were still attacking the city. The loud bangs shook the ground and filled the air with dust. On the city gate, Jian Xiong looked at the flags fluttering below with a frosty expression. Among the colorful flags were the names of sects such as "South Sea Sect", "Jade Goddess Palace", "Shennong Sect", and "Happy Gang".

“Young City Lord, if you do not open the city gates, you may be able to bear the consequences once we breach them. For the sake of Sword Master, we will spare your life if you open the city gates and will not make things difficult for you.”

Song Wuwei, the leader of the South China Sea Sect, looked at Jian Xiong on the city gate with a righteous expression and shouted loudly.

The red-faced burly man beside him looked disdainful. This old scoundrel Song was treacherous. The group had agreed that once the city gates were breached, everyone associated with Sword Forging City would be slaughtered. Now he was playing the merciful card. It was utterly hypocritical. However, since it was all for their own good, Baicaojun stood quietly to the side with his arms crossed, waiting to watch the show.

Upon hearing this, Jianxiong showed no anger on his face. He gave Song Wuwei and the other three a deep look, then turned and went down the city wall. He came to a temporary tent where the Three Heroes of the Wind and Dust, Yao Yuansheng, Liu Yiyi, Xiaoyao Lang, and several elders of the Sword Forging City were sitting around a table. When they saw Jianxiong coming, they all stood up.

"Seniors, with the strength of Sword Forging City, it wouldn't be difficult to hold off this rabble, but the losses would be incalculable. Do any of you seniors have any strategies to repel the enemy?"

As he spoke, Jianxiong turned his gaze to the Three Heroes of the Wind and Dust and Yao Yuansheng. Jiu Zhongxian, with the most violent temper and having received great favors from Zhujian City, immediately spoke up: "If the young city lord agrees, I, Jiu Zhongxian, will leave the city tonight and go to the enemy camp to kill Song Wuwei and the others. Without these people leading the way, this rabble is just a disorganized mess and will not amount to anything. We can then defeat them one by one."

Logically speaking, this should be a good idea, but Yao Yuansheng objected to it.

"If things go smoothly, not to mention how to escape, the Immortal of Wine can indeed kill Song Wuwei and the others. However, given Song Wuwei's intelligence, how could he not have anticipated this possibility? The Immortal of Wine may not succeed on this trip, and instead fall into the enemy's trap, losing his life in vain. If this really happens, it will be extremely disadvantageous to Sword Casting City, while it may increase the enemy's morale."

After Yao Yuansheng's explanation, Jiu Zhongxian, who had been looking grim, realized what was going on and immediately fell silent, watching everyone offer their suggestions.

"Senior Yao, please speak frankly. If you have something to say, we can discuss it together."

Seeing Yao Yuansheng's hesitant expression, Jianxiong's heart stirred. He clasped his hands in a salute to Yao Yuansheng, and the others also turned their gazes towards him. Upon seeing this, the latter straightened his expression, stood up, bowed to everyone, and looked at them with a firm gaze, saying in a deep voice: "Since that's the case, I will speak frankly. If we want to resolve this crisis with the least cost, the only way is to use poison!"

Upon hearing Yao Yuansheng's words, apart from Jianxiong, only Sai Huatuo remained unmoved. Everyone else was deeply moved, as the word "poisoning" was far too sensitive for martial arts practitioners.

"Although this method is somewhat insidious, great things are not bound by trivialities. All of you seniors are renowned figures in the martial arts world. Even if poisoning is to be used, it should not be done by you seniors."

Liu Yiyi broke the silence first, her resounding words drawing everyone's attention, and Xiaoyao Lang, standing to the side, also chimed in in agreement.

“Yiyi is right. I’m partly responsible for the poisoning. Sword Forging City absolutely cannot be harmed. Otherwise, how will we explain ourselves when the city lord and the others return? Besides, although we killed many people in the previous battles, Sword Forging City also suffered some damage. If this stalemate continues, the enemy’s endless strength will be enough to crush us. Only by taking drastic measures can we frighten them and prevent them from having any covetous thoughts.”

Although Jianyang and the others agreed with his words, they still had to see what the young city lord thought. Jianyang looked at Jianxiong and saw that her expression was slightly serious, her brows were furrowed, and she looked conflicted. Jianyang immediately understood what was going on.

"Mr. Yao, if poisoning is to be used, could a poison that does not kill but leaves the person helpless, thus avoiding the karma of being killed?"

"Yes, such poisons are common in the martial arts world. However, ordinary poisons are hard to hide from the eyes of Master Baicao, but my 'Soul-Softening and Tendon-Relaxing Powder' is colorless and odorless. If it is mixed into the air and water, it will be very difficult to detect."

Yao Yuansheng took off the medicine pouch from his back, placed it on the table, opened it, and took out a dark, half-inch-tall porcelain bottle. Jian Xiong stared at the porcelain bottle, his eyes flashing with a sharp light. Just then, the voice of the Dragon Sword Envoy suddenly came from outside.

"What happened?"

Jianxiong looked at the disheveled Longjianshi, who had burn marks on his body, and felt a chill in his heart. The others noticed the same thing, exchanged glances, and their expressions were equally grim. They sat in their seats, waiting for Longjianshi's reply.

"Young City Lord, the people outside have already started attacking the city with oil arrows. Several disciples have unfortunately died, and several others are seriously injured and unconscious. Although those people have been temporarily repelled, it is expected that the subsequent attacks will be even more intense. I hope that the Young City Lord will make a decision as soon as possible."

"I understand, you go down first."

Jianxiong waved his hand, and Long Jianshi said yes and stepped back. After Long Jianshi left, Jianxiong turned around and bowed solemnly to Yao Yuansheng, saying in a serious voice, "Please give me this medicine, Senior Yao. The current situation can no longer be delayed. Sword Casting City must not be destroyed by such a rabble. Tonight, I will take a few elders to the enemy camp and put this medicine in their drinking water."

"No!"

Before Jianyang and the others could object, the Three Heroes of the Wind and Dust and Yao Yuansheng were the first to object. Yao Yuansheng, in particular, reached out and put away the "Soothing and Softening Powder," glaring angrily at Jianxiong, who looked helpless.

“Young City Lord must not leave the city. If anything happens, none of us can bear the consequences. Furthermore, the defense of this city depends entirely on Young City Lord. We are all martial arts novices and are not very familiar with this matter. If a loophole appears because of this, the consequences will be unimaginable. It is better to let me and a few elders go.”

Sai Huatuo then spoke up, also opposing Jianxiong leaving the city. Jiu Zhongxian and Sai Xishi nodded in agreement. Everyone present except Jianxiong could leave the city. If anything happened to them, it would be too late for everyone to regret it. Jianxiong was about to say something more, but Jianyang stopped him.

“Young City Lord, you are now the backbone of Sword Forging City. You must not do such a risky thing. We old men don’t have many years left to live. Leave such dangerous things to us. It can be considered as contributing our last bit of strength to Sword Forging City.”

Upon hearing Jian Yang's words, Jian Xiong immediately fell silent. At the same time, Liu Yiyi, Xiaoyao Lang, and the others also rushed to join in.

"What are you juniors doing causing trouble here? What will happen if you all go to the young city lord's side? This matter is settled. Wine Immortal, Yao Yuansheng, you and Sai Xishi, Yiyi, stay here. This old man and the elders go. I'm telling you, Old Poison, hurry up and distribute the medicine to me. Don't hide it."

Sai Huatuo made the final decision, extending his hand to Yao Yuansheng. The latter snorted coldly, "I am most familiar with this thing. I absolutely cannot be absent from this trip. This matter is settled. Young City Lord, we will sneak out of the city at midnight tonight. When the red signal is raised, it will be the time to launch a counterattack. At that time, I will point out the location of Song Wuwei and the other three. We must eliminate them first."

Upon hearing this, Jianxiong bowed respectfully to Sai Huatuo and the others. Although Jiu Zhongxian and Sai Xishi had a thousand words in their hearts, they swallowed them back and simply nodded to Sai Huatuo. "Don't worry."

Three miles outside Sword Forging City, tents were set up haphazardly. Inside the tent in the very center, Song Wuwei, the leader of the South Sea Sect, Baicaojun, the leader of the Shennong Sect, Hua Qianying, the master of the Jade Goddess Palace, Gou Xun, the leader of the Happy Gang, and the leaders of more than ten other sects were sitting together, discussing how to break through Sword Forging City.

"If you ask me, we should use fire bombs. Although these things are quite valuable, once we've breached Sword Forging City, this loss is nothing. It's better to save those junior disciples from going to their deaths, as that would be a losing proposition."

The speaker was Gou Xun. He had a dark complexion and rugged features, but his narrow eyes ruined his heroic appearance, giving him a sinister air that made him seem unapproachable at first glance.

Gou Xun was speaking because the Kuaihuo Gang had suffered heavy losses during this forced siege, and with the hundreds of disciples lost earlier, their foundations were severely damaged. This forced him to find another way to break through the city gates as soon as possible and plunder the valuables, otherwise the resentment of the elders in the gang would be difficult to suppress.

"Chief Gou makes it sound so easy. Each of these fire bombs costs tens of thousands of taels of silver, and it would take dozens or even hundreds of them to break through the city gate, which is forged from a hundred-fold refined steel. This amount of money is considerable. Why don't you pay for it first, Chief Gou, and then we can allocate a portion of it to your gang once we have captured Sword Forging City?"

Bai Cao Jun snorted coldly, clearly disapproving of the move. Gou Xun's expression also turned cold upon hearing this. Noticing the whispers among the people, his face darkened further. Just as he was about to speak in rebuttal, Song Wuwei glanced at him, surveyed the entire room, and said calmly, "Although fire thunderbolts are valuable, they are the best siege weapons. Before coming here, I, Song, had already purchased thirty of them, and they will come in handy this time."

"Oh, since Sect Leader Song has such a powerful weapon, then quickly bring it out. The most urgent task is to break through the city gate."

No one was foolish enough to ask Song Wuwei why he was only taking out the Fire Thunder now.

Upon hearing this, Hua Qianying, the Palace Master of the Jade Goddess Palace, immediately brightened up. Her charming smile made the leaders present tremble with fear, and they hurriedly steadied themselves to avoid embarrassing themselves on the spot.

"The thirty fire thunderbolts can all be handed over to the three factions, but the previous agreement needs to be changed. Apart from taking 20% ​​of the treasures in the city, I, Song, will take 30% of the rest. What do you all think?"

As soon as Song Wuwei finished speaking, Baicaojun and the others exchanged glances. Although they knew this was Song Wuwei's scheme, they had no choice but to comply. Time was of the essence, and the sooner they seized the opportunity, the fewer variables there would be. Who knew when Sword Master and the others would return? If they happened to arrive at the same time, wouldn't that be suicide? Once they succeeded, they would be scattered in all directions, and even if they wanted to cause trouble, it would probably not be easy for them.

"We'll do as Headmaster Song says."

After discussing with Baicaojun, Gou Xun, and Hua Qianying, they all agreed. As for the other sects, they had no reason to object. Upon seeing this, Song Wuwei immediately smiled with satisfaction. He clapped his hands, and three disciples from the South Sea Sect walked into the tent, each carrying a wooden box.

"These are the thirty fire bombs. Please use them with caution."

He instructed his disciple to place the wooden boxes on the table, then with a flick of his sleeve, he opened one of the boxes. Inside, ten fire bombs sealed with wax balls were neatly arranged. Even with the wax balls sealing them, the pungent, acrid smell was still clearly audible.

"Alright, with these fire bombs, it's not impossible to breach a corner of the city gate. However, Sect Leader Song, Sword Forging City isn't going to be a passive victim. Tonight is of utmost importance; we absolutely cannot let their people break in."

After Baicaojun and the other two accepted the Fire Thunder Seed, Gou Xun thought about what had happened that day and couldn't help but feel worried.

Although Sword Forging City hadn't used this tactic before, casualties have started to appear there today, forcing them to consider this possibility. After all, rumors suggest that the young city lord is quite vindictive, and a nighttime raid to maintain morale isn't out of the question.

"You can rest assured about that. I have already asked Baicaojun to sprinkle poison powder around the perimeter and set up hidden traps. Although it cannot completely stop them, it can serve as a warning so that we can be prepared. Moreover, I am also eager for them to launch a sneak attack. If we can capture a few alive, they will be of great use."

Gou Xun glanced at Bai Cao Jun and, as expected, saw the mockery in his eyes. His anger flared up immediately. Hua Qianying, who was standing nearby, quickly tugged at Gou Xun's sleeve, and the latter calmed down.

"Alright, if you have nothing else, you may go back first. We will break through the city gates early tomorrow morning. This Sword Forging City is known as the number one holy land in the martial arts world. It has a profound foundation, and I am sure that the treasures hidden inside will not disappoint us."

Everyone smiled upon hearing this. They were willing to come with the four sects for this very reason. Even a small amount would be enough to elevate their sect's strength to a new level.

Just as Sword Forging City was facing a crisis, Gu Xu had already brought Sword Master and others to Sword Forging City using escape techniques. With a flash of light, the figures of the group appeared in the Sword Hall. Sword Master landed on his feet and finally felt at ease. He really didn't want to experience that flying sensation a second time.

"The Taoist's escape technique is truly unparalleled. The Chess King Cave is thousands of miles away from the Sword Casting City, but he arrived in no time. He can come and go freely in the vast world."

Sword Master exclaimed in surprise and couldn't help but admire him. Huangfu Changhen and the other two also nodded in agreement. Such a technique could no longer be considered a martial art but a celestial art. With this technique alone, who in the world could stop him?

"The aura of war is gathering in Sword Forging City; it seems they've encountered trouble."

Gu Xu stared into the void, then looked outwards. He saw flags fluttering outside Sword Forging City, and billowing turbid air gathering in the sky, like a long black serpent stretching its body, hissing and spitting its tongue. Beyond it were hideous worms, emitting a repulsive turbid light that swallowed up the last rays of the setting sun.

With a flick of his sleeve, a water mirror appeared inside the Sword Hall, reflecting the scenes that Gu Xu had just witnessed.

"Is this a calamity aura?"

(End of this chapter)