A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 60 Breaking the Tower
As they expected, Iron Granny originally intended to watch the four of them perish on the top of the tower, but she was shocked to find that they had broken through two formations in a short period of time. To test their martial arts skills, she sent out her carefully trained assassins.

These assassins were elites secretly trained by Liu Xi. They were fed various precious medicines from a young age, making them physically superior. In addition, their minds had been controlled with a mind-controlling potion. Apart from Liu Xi and those he had ordered, they could only kill anyone else they encountered.

"Once the suicide squad appears, you're in for a world of hurt."

"Senior brother, don't their expressions resemble those of the former Sect Leader Xuanjizi?" Jiang Yuyan said, looking at the assassins who were less than ten feet away from them.

"That's right, it seems this is Liu Xi's trump card," Murong Zhong judged from their auras. They had ample internal strength and were well-organized, unlike ordinary martial arts masters.

"Junior sister, Brother Yu, Brother Hua, these people seem to know military formations. Be careful not to get surrounded," Murong Zhong warned, then immediately rushed forward, intending to disrupt their formation before they finished setting up.

Jiang Yuyan and the other two followed suit.

Just as the four attacked, a melodious flute sound suddenly appeared in everyone's ears, and they calmed themselves down and defended their positions.

Upon hearing the flute, the assassins' eyes instantly turned bloodshot, and they raised their spears and broadswords high. The team of assassins split into four groups of three, each ready to fight.

The three assassins surrounding Jiang Yuyan were all armed with long spears, their spears whistling through the air, displaying formidable power. Jiang Yuyan used the Jade Maiden Sword Technique, her dense attacks being the perfect nemesis of such fierce attacks. Before the spears could even reach them, the three assassins were forced to retreat repeatedly by the sword energy.

"These three have identical martial arts styles, and it seems they have more tricks up their sleeves. We must finish this quickly," Jiang Yuyan decided inwardly. She used the Jade Maiden Sword Technique with her right hand, gave a soft shout, and a white streak flew out from her left sleeve, quickly wrapping around the two spears. Before the two could react, it was already taking their lives.

Jiang Yuyan flicked her wrist, and a burst of silver needles shot out from the white ribbon, blinding the two assassins. Then, a sword flashed across the sky, and a line of blood appeared at the throats of the two men.

After dealing with the two, the other person continued to attack desperately. Jiang Yuyan used both her strength and gentleness to trap the opponent, and finally used her white silk to lock the weapon and her long sword to take the life.

After resting for a while, Jiang Yuyan checked the situation of the other three. Hua Wuque was in a strong position and had already dealt with two of them. Murong Zhong was also temporarily unharmed. Only Xiao Yu'er was in a bad situation, as three assassins had him firmly trapped.

Jiang Yuyan pondered for a moment, then ignored Xiaoyuer and Hua Wuque and joined Murong Zhong's battle. With Jiang Yuyan's help, Murong Zhong's pressure was greatly reduced. With the two of them working together, the three of them were no match for them and died instantly.

"Senior brother, Brother Yu is in danger. Go help him first."

Jiang Yuyan had her own reasons for not helping Xiaoyuer at the beginning. She wanted to free up her own forces first, expand her advantage, and then help the weaker side. This way, she wouldn't get into a stalemate or fall into someone else's trap.

It should be noted that our four players do not have the home advantage. If the game drags on for too long, the opponent's sheer numbers could easily trap and kill us.

As for Hua Wuque, although Jiang Yuyan did not know him well, judging from his temperament, he must be a very proud person. If she rashly offered her help, it would probably backfire.

The two immediately went to help Xiaoyuer, while Hua Wuque also killed the last assassin with his sword. He glanced at Jiang Yuyan and the other two and rushed over as well.

Xiaoyuer was able to maneuver at first thanks to his lightness skill, but once they forcibly sealed off the space and set up their formation, his lightness skill became useless. If it weren't for the fire phosphorus pack he carried with him, he would probably have been seriously injured by now.

"Bang!" One of the assassins was blown to the same spot by the fire phosphorus packs. His body could no longer hold on and he collapsed to the ground. However, Xiaoyuer was also slashed on the arm by a gunshot, and blood was flowing non-stop.

"Brother Yu!" Murong Zhong exclaimed. Jiang Yuyan flicked her white silk ribbon, holding back one assassin while Hua Wuque stopped the other.

"It's just a minor injury," Xiaoyuer said, taking out some hemostatic medicine from her pocket and applying it to the wound. The bleeding stopped in no time.

"Little Fish, are you alright?" Jiang Yuyan asked with concern as she sheathed her weapon.

Although Hua Wuque remained silent, worry was evident in his eyes.

"It's alright, look, the bleeding has stopped," Xiaoyuer said with a smile.

"It's good that you're alright. There's still a long way to go, and we'll probably be facing the Tower Master soon." Murong Zhong looked at the blueprints in his hand. They were currently on the fourth floor. The bottom two floors were used to imprison prisoners, and the third floor was the key.

With Murong Zhong supporting Xiaoyuer, and Jiang Yuyan and Hua Wuque bringing up the rear, they quickly arrived at the third floor, guided by the map.

This third floor was different from the others; it was brightly lit, which made the four people's eyes feel slightly uncomfortable. After they adjusted, they heard a series of unpleasant laughs. Hua Wuque looked at the group of people who appeared in front of him, his eyes sharpened, and he drew his sword.

"I never expected that you youngsters would make it this far. I, this old woman, will have to entertain you personally."

Iron Granny harbored resentment in her heart. Those assassins had suffered heavy losses, and once the Grand Eunuch found out, she would certainly not have a good outcome. Now, she could only make amends by keeping these four men. To this end, she did not hesitate to do three favors, asking Cold River Fisherman, Black Stone Master, and Impermanent Scholar to help her.

Jiang Yuyan looked at the four people in front of her. Each of them had a long and steady breath and sharp eyes, which were incomparable to those assassins.

After the impermanent scholar appeared, a fierce glint flashed in Hua Wuque's eyes.

This fickle scholar was ranked first on the list of those to be killed by the Yihua Palace. He was the most sinister and vicious, and he defiled innocent women. However, he was cautious by nature and had considerable martial arts skills, which is why Lulu of the Yihua Palace failed to kill him. Unexpectedly, he defected to Liu Xi.

“Miss Jiang, Brother Murong, that pale-faced scholar is quite skilled, and be careful of the hidden weapons in his folding fan. The one in black is Master Black Stone, whose external martial arts are as solid as a rock. As for the other two, I don’t recognize them.”

"The one holding the fishing rod is the Old Fisherman of the Cold River, fishing alone on the cold river, his sharp hook deadly; the one holding the iron rod, who calls herself an old woman, should be the Iron Granny Master told us about. Her iron rod has magnetic properties, so everyone be careful." Murong Zhong had traveled with Gu Xu for many years and was naturally very knowledgeable. These people were all top-tier masters of the evil path. Although he wasn't afraid, there was still one wounded soldier, and a fierce battle was likely to follow.

"Old hag, that girl is quite pretty, I'll handle her," said the impermanent scholar, waving a folding fan, his handsome face revealing a lustful expression.

"I have no objection to my wife. Let's finish this quickly. I'll take care of that handsome young man."

After saying that, he swung the stick at Hua Wuque. Only then did the latter realize that the iron stick was magnetic and dared not draw his sword easily. He used the scabbard as a sword, and for a moment they were deadlocked.

The impermanent scholar strolled towards Jiang Yuyan, spewing vulgarities. Jiang Yuyan's face was frosty. With a sharp shout, she drew her blade, and a bright sword light shot straight towards her.

Before the sword even touched him, a chilling aura rushed towards him. The impermanent scholar dropped his relaxed demeanor, closed his folding fan, and stepped back.

Murong Zhong watched the approaching Black Stone Master, his heart sinking. If the two of them attacked together, he would have no worries. But now, the Cold River Fisherman was clearly watching him closely. If he were to lose focus even slightly, not only would Little Fish's life be in danger, but he himself would also be in grave peril.

If I am defeated by my opponent, my junior sister and brother Hua will likely face a four-on-one attack, and the situation will become even worse.

"Brother Murong, you don't need to worry about me. I think I still have some ability to protect myself. You should be careful." Xiaoyuer knew that he was the biggest weakness, but judging from Hanjiang Diaosou's weapon, he should be good at long-range attacks. In that case, he might not have to worry so much.

"Brother Yu, be careful," Murong Zhong said, his eyes growing sharper as he watched the approaching Black Stone Man. He immediately pointed his sword at his opponent.

The three sides clashed, and the scene immediately became chaotic. Little Fish watched the Old Fisherman of the Cold River warily, but the latter remained calm and composed, swaying his fishing rod from side to side. No one knew when he would make his move.

"I say, sir, the fishing rod you're using isn't very good quality. It's so thin, if you catch a big fish, it'll break. If you ask me, you should get a purple bamboo fishing rod. It's sturdy and durable, and it's also beautiful and elegant. People can tell at a glance that you have refined taste."

Little Fish deliberately tried to provoke the Old Fisherman of the Cold River, but the other party remained unmoved.

"Why isn't the old man speaking? Is he mute? That's wonderful! I'm a doctor. No matter how difficult or complicated the illness, I can cure it for you. No charge if I can't cure it."

……

The old fisherman on the cold river was fine listening to the little fish's rambling, but the old woman on the iron side couldn't stand it.

"Shut up!" Iron Granny roared. Taking advantage of her momentary distraction, Hua Wuque drew his sword and thrust it forward. But Iron Granny reacted quickly, crossing two iron rods to protect herself. The sword was magnetically attracted to her, and Hua Wuque used force to shake the blade off the iron rods.

Jiang Yuyan sparred with the impermanent scholar and found that his skill was only average, but his lightness skill had some origin.

"Little beauty, follow me and you'll enjoy endless wealth and glory. Why bother with fighting and killing?" The impermanent scholar parried Jiang Yuyan's longsword and teased her.

Unexpectedly, his expression changed drastically the next moment, and he hurriedly withdrew, but it was too late. A white streak swept out like a long river, sealing off the surroundings. Then, a flying sword, as fast as lightning, pierced through the Impermanent Scholar, along with his fan.

The sudden turn of events caught Iron Granny and the others off guard. Cold River Fisherman, who had been watching from the sidelines, saw the death of the Impermanent Scholar and immediately took action. A fishhook, like a soul-snatching rope, came toward Jiang Yuyan.

"Junior sister, be careful!" Murong Zhong shouted upon seeing this, while Black Stone Master seized the opportunity to grab Murong Zhong's longsword, twisting it into a lump of iron with a forceful pull.

Murong Zhong abandoned his sword and turned his palm back to strike with his soft palm. Murong Zhong and Black Stone Master were both forced back and coughed up blood.

Jiang Yuyan heard a whistling sound. With a forceful pull, the white ribbon coiled back and wrapped around the incoming flying hook. Both sides exerted force simultaneously, creating a tug-of-war-like situation.

Hua Wuque kept trying to make contact with the Iron Granny's magnetic iron rod with his longsword. The more he struggled, the more he felt that the longsword in his hand was gradually out of control, and his face became solemn. Iron Granny, on the other hand, was full of confidence. She had become attached to the magnetism of the iron rod, so the longsword was practically useless.

Hua Wuque felt the time was about right. The longsword, attracted by the magnetic force, fixed its gaze on the Iron Granny. With the addition of the magnetic force, Hua Wuque released the longsword, which he had infused with his inner strength. To the Iron Granny's disbelief, the longsword pierced through her body, pinning her alive to the stone wall.

"Iron Lady!" the old fisherman shouted angrily, stirring his fishing rod in his hand, which, like a ring, tightened around the white ribbon and tore it to pieces. Jiang Yuyan, now without her weapon, hurriedly used her lightness skill to escape from the cage.

He hesitated on the dark face of the Black Stone Master, then without a word, he abandoned Murong Zhong and fled quickly. But just as he was about to disappear from everyone's sight, a miserable scream was heard, and then he fell silent.

Jiang Yuyan, Hua Wuque, and Murong Zhong were on high alert, thinking that some powerful figure had arrived. Even Hanjiang Diaosou thought that reinforcements had arrived. However, when the figure appeared, Jiang Yuyan and Murong Zhong exclaimed with delight, "Master!"

The newcomer was Gu Xu. Seeing that the four were unharmed, Gu Xu was relieved. He nodded to Murong Zhong and Jiang Yuyan, and then faced the Cold River Fisherman.

When the old fisherman saw that the newcomer had easily taken the life of the Black Stone Master, he was terrified. He knew that his martial arts skills were only about the same as the Black Stone Master's, and since the newcomer could kill the Black Stone Master, he naturally wouldn't take him seriously.

"Escape," was the only thought in the old fisherman's mind.

But as he turned to run away, a finger strike as sharp as a flowing flame pierced his heart, leaving the wound charred black.

"The power of this Flowing Flame Finger is quite decent."

(End of this chapter)