A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 57 Night Attack
Having lost his mind, Xuanjizi's swordsmanship became even more ruthless, and any martial arts practitioners who stood in his way were either killed or seriously injured.

Seeing his state, those who were capable dared not provoke him, while those who were not could only flee for their lives.

"Xuanjizi, stop!" Abbess Rusu shouted angrily, her sword piercing through the air and temporarily blocking Xuanjizi's attack.

“Junior sister, since we can’t avoid it, why don’t we take the initiative and see who else is behind us?” Murong Zhong said to Jiang Yuyan after glancing at the two people fighting.

“What Senior Brother says makes sense. Let’s hurry up. I’m afraid Abbess Rusu won’t last long,” Jiang Yuyan replied. She took the lead and lightly leaped down, her long sword flying down. Murong Zhong and the other two followed closely behind.

After fighting Xuanjizi for more than ten rounds, Master Rusu was already at a disadvantage. In fact, the two were not much different in skill, but Xuanjizi had the help of a powerful medicine, which stimulated his potential and forced Master Rusu to retreat continuously.

"Not good!" Master Rusu's robes were stained with blood. Xuanjizi thrust his sword at her. Just when her life was in danger, a flash of sword light deflected Xuanjizi's sword, and Master Rusu managed to avoid a fatal blow.

"Miss Jiang!" Master Rusu looked closely and recognized Jiang Yuyan, whom she had seen before. She heard two angry shouts and Murong Zhong and the other two arrived. With the combined efforts of the three, Xuanjizi was like a dragon trapped in shallow water. Although he was powerful, he was ultimately able to stop them.

“Amitabha, the Murong family is indeed full of hidden talents. These three are no ordinary people,” Master Zhichan said, staggering as he approached.

"Master, how are your injuries?" Abbess Rusu asked anxiously, looking at Zhichan, whose face was completely pale.

"This old monk is still holding on, but it seems that Master Xuanjizi has been poisoned, otherwise he wouldn't be like this. How is Master Jiang doing?" Zhi Chan suspected that it was Jiang Biehe's fault. How could things be coincidental? First, Master Yuanyang inexplicably went into a qi deviation, and then Master Xuanjizi went mad from poisoning. It all seemed strange.

"I've arranged for someone to look after Master Jiang, so he should be fine. But as for Sect Leader Xuanjizi, sigh..."

"Amitabha, Abbess, I am seriously injured and unable to fight. Abbess, you may go and lend a hand to Young Hero Murong and the other two. As for anything else, let's wait until Sect Leader Xuanjizi regains consciousness."

"Alright," Master Rusu said, looking at the four people fighting in the arena. She dismissed some onlookers, drew her long sword, and prepared to join the battle. Just as she was about to move, she suddenly heard Master Zhichan shout in alarm, "Master, watch out behind you!"

Master Rusu subconsciously turned around and saw a masked man in black walking through the air. She then felt a sharp pain in her chest and was sent flying by a powerful palm strike, her face ashen.

After clearing the obstacles, the man in black immediately gave a signal, and many masked men rushed in from outside Bieyun Mountain Residence, hacking at anyone they saw. In an instant, screams of agony filled the air, and blood flowed like a river. Bieyun Mountain Residence seemed to have become a living hell.

Seeing this, Jiang Yuyan and the other two intensified their attacks and finally killed Xuanjizi on the ground.

Looking at the three men in black with their hands behind their backs, each holding a sword, the men in black glanced at them and waved their hands. Immediately, six men rushed forward. Jiang Yuyan thought that these six men were all skilled, but they were still slightly insufficient to deal with the three of them.

"Senior brother, we don't need to get entangled with them. We should get away as soon as possible," Jiang Yuyan whispered, and Murong Zhong and the other nodded.

The six men split into three groups and each entangled Jiang Yuyan and her two companions. However, as soon as they clashed, they were suppressed. The man in black's eyes flashed with anger, and he was about to take action himself, but his body immediately dodged. The spot where he had been standing turned into a deep pit.

Jiang Biehe turned around and saw that it was Yan Nantian. Startled, he immediately ran away. Yan Nantian watched Jiang Biehe run away, called out to Xiaoyuer, and the two of them immediately chased after him.

The three left one after the other and disappeared from everyone's sight.

Jiang Yuyan's swordplay was light and agile, with dense sword energy constantly striking her opponents. In no time, both of them were covered in wounds, and with two screams of agony, they collapsed to the ground, clutching their necks, and died.

Meanwhile, Murong Zhong and his companion on the other side also successively defeated their opponents.

"Junior sister, are you alright?"

"It's alright, senior brother, let's stabilize the situation first," Jiang Yuyan said, looking at the large number of masked men.

Although Jiang Biehe has left, those masked men are still fighting with martial arts practitioners, and only a handful of them are still unharmed.

The three men each sought out the leader, and with the combined efforts of the group, they finally managed to drive back the masked men at a great cost.

Qu Youyi and the others shuddered at the sight of Jiang Yuyan and her two companions, who were all menacing. After saying a few more words, they took their leave.

"Master," Jiang Yuyan helped up the unconscious Master Rusu, placed her hands on her back, and channeled her inner energy into her. After a while, Master Rusu woke up.

“Miss Jiang, it’s you,” Master Rusu said with difficulty.

"Master, you are seriously injured. You should rest for a while and must not get angry." Jiang Yuyan had just examined her and found that her meridians were severely damaged. If she did not take good care of herself, she would probably lose all her martial arts skills.

"Alas, I am ashamed. Where are Sect Leader Xuanji and Master Zhichan?" Master Rusu did not see the two of them and had a bad feeling.

"Master, Sect Leader Xuanjizi has been killed by us, and Master Zhichan is now missing. He has most likely been captured by those masked men." In fact, it's not just Master Zhichan; nine out of ten renowned masters have disappeared.

"A calamity for the martial world!" Upon hearing this, Abbess Rusu felt her blood surge, her face turned pale, and she spat out a mouthful of blood. Grabbing Jiang Yuyan's hand, she hurriedly asked, "Where is Hero Jiang?"

"Master Jiang has also disappeared without a trace." Looking at Master Rusu's appearance, Jiang Yuyan dared not tell her the truth, otherwise her life would truly be in danger.

“Master, those masked men have retreated. I had my senior brother send a letter to Murong Manor. We’ll discuss it further when the manor lord arrives,” Jiang Yuyan said, seeing that Master Rusu remained silent. She then helped her up and led her to the inner courtyard.

"Senior brother, where exactly will Jiang Biehe take those people?"

"I suspect they were taken to the Tower of Death," Murong Zhong affirmed.

"The Tower of Death?" Jiang Yuyan had never heard of this place before.

"I've heard Master mention that the Death Tower was used by Liu Xi to imprison martial arts masters so he could practice his Absorption Technique. However, its location is extremely mysterious, and outsiders can't find it at all." "Then, Senior Brother, do you have a way to find it?"

Jiang Yuyan was quick-witted; since her senior brother had mentioned the Death Tower, he must have a backup plan.

"When we arrived, my master gave me a token, saying that if I wanted to ask something, I should go to Hongye Zhai and ask, and I would surely get the answer."

Murong Zhong took out a jade token from his bosom. The front was engraved with the words "Red Leaf" and the back was a maple leaf.

“Brother, this matter seems to be quite complicated. The Eastern Depot is involved. We should be careful,” Murong Zheng warned.

“You’re right, brother. If I’m not mistaken, there must be an ambush down the mountain,” Murong Zhong thought. He felt that since the Eastern Depot had put in so much effort, they would not leave it at that.

"Junior sister, you and I will stay on the mountain for now, and I will go and inquire," Murong Zhong said decisively. After giving a few instructions, he ran down the mountain under the moonlight.

Murong Zhong concealed his presence and secretly descended the mountain. Sure enough, he saw signs of a fight halfway down the mountain. There were also a few people hiding in the woods ahead. Judging from their aura, they were just some low-ranking soldiers and not a threat. However, not wanting to cause trouble, he carefully avoided them.

In the hazy moonlight, Murong Zhong arrived at a brightly lit pavilion, with the words "Red Leaves" written on two lanterns in front of the door.

A knock sounded at the door, and an elderly man with white hair came out. He looked at Murong Zhong with a puzzled expression and asked, "What is it, young master?"

"Coming to ask for news"

"Then please come again tomorrow, young master. This place is already..." The old man said politely, seeing that he was dressed very elegantly. But when he saw Murong Zhong take out the token, his expression changed drastically. He interrupted him and respectfully invited him in.

"Young master, what is it you wish to ask? I am the manager here," the old man said, offering him a cup of fine tea. Murong Zhong took a sip and said to him, "I was asked by someone to ask me for all information about the Tower of Death."

The old man's expression changed drastically, but he quickly regained his composure. "Please wait a moment, young master," he said before leaving, leaving Murong Zhong alone.

Murong didn't have to wait long before the old man placed a scroll on the table.

"Young master, these are all the files of the Tower of Death. Please take a look."

Murong Zhong took it and soon learned that the Tower of Death was actually in a dilapidated temple ten miles outside the capital.

"I apologize for disturbing you, but I need to take this internal structure diagram with me," Murong Zhong said, putting the most valuable mechanism diagram into his pocket.

"Young master, please take it." The old man had already anticipated this outcome before taking it out, so he wasn't surprised.

"Thank you very much, sir. I'm so sorry to bother you so late at night. Farewell," Murong Zhong said, bowing respectfully before quickly leaving.

"We must tell the master about this immediately; the Red Leaf Order has appeared in the world."

The old man was a veteran of the Red Leaf Pavilion, with extensive experience and the deep trust of Old Red Leaf. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been sent to such an important area to gather intelligence. He knew the importance of the Red Leaf Token.

The old man wrote down all the news he had recently received on a piece of paper and sent it out by carrier pigeon.

Upon receiving the news, Murong Zhong immediately returned to the mountain. After walking for half an hour, he stopped in a wasteland. He turned around and called out to the empty place, "You have all followed me all this way; it must have been hard for you."

As soon as he finished speaking, five figures leaped down from the tree, and at the same time, a barrage of hidden weapons flew towards him. Murong Zhong drew his sword to parry, and as he swept away all the hidden weapons, the five suddenly accelerated. Three of them attacked Murong Zhong's chest, calf, and wrist, while the other two released grappling hooks.

Murong Zhong was secretly alarmed. "These five people have such fast lightness skills." Before he could think further, Murong Zhong suddenly rushed upwards. This unexpected move caused the five people's encirclement to fail. Moreover, Murong Zhong used the upward momentum to swoop down and thrust his sword fiercely, instantly killing one of the people holding a hook.

The four men ignored their dead comrade and charged forward relentlessly. This time, to prevent Murong Zhong from using his lightness skill, the man holding the hook remained still.

After exchanging several blows with the three, Murong Zhong found the situation extremely troublesome. The three men's martial arts were almost all unpredictable and treacherous, making them impossible to defend against. Moreover, they seemed to have taken some kind of secret drug, and their killing intent was running high.

Just as the battle was raging, a young man in white rushed in with a sword. He first pierced through the black-clad man holding a grappling hook with his sword, and then picked off the two men holding long knives. Murong Zhong was slightly taken aback by the young man, but quickly came to his senses.

With only one opponent left to deal with, Murong Zhong found it easy to handle, and within four or five moves, he had slain his opponent with his sword.

Looking at the three people still fighting in the arena, Murong Zhong noticed that the white-robed youth had a clear advantage, so he was in no hurry to make a move.

"Looking at these martial arts moves, they seem to resemble the skills of the Yihua Palace that Master once mentioned." Murong Zhong had been instructed by Gu Xu, who demonstrated the martial arts of various schools and explained how to counter them. That's why Murong Zhong had some recollection of them.

The white-clad youth's swordplay grew faster and faster, shifting between thrusting, pointing, slashing, and swirling. The two men seemed to have figured out his moves, and they attacked separately, one above and one below, their swords crisscrossing. The youth's face revealed a cold smile, and as he thrust, he suddenly changed his move, from thrusting to slashing, from bottom to top. The two men couldn't dodge in time, and the sword sliced ​​their bodies in half, shattering them into four pieces scattered on the ground.

"Piercing through the clouds," Murong Zhong exclaimed in surprise, no longer doubting the young man's origins.

"Horizontal Wall Piercing Clouds" is the most difficult move to master in the Yihua Palace swordplay, and it is a unique skill for dealing with encirclement.

Practicing this move requires not only exceptional talent but also mastery of calculation techniques. The key is to finish off the opponent before they can kill you, and the timing must be absolutely perfect.

Murong Zhong watched the young man sheath his sword, and as he was about to leave, he hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Thank you for helping me out, young master. My name is Murong Zhong. May I ask your name?"

"Hua Wuque"

(End of this chapter)