A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 8 Annihilation
The next day at 9 PM, Gu Xu arrived at the inn where Wu Xia was staying and met up with the others. After carefully checking everything again and finding nothing missing, Gu Xu led everyone to the outside of the Vajra Temple.

The Vajra Temple was as brightly lit as ever. "I came here once before, and there was nothing changed. We are well prepared and there shouldn't be any problems," Gu Xu said. He was determined to obtain the "Black Jade Rejuvenating Ointment" and would not allow any unexpected changes to occur.

Yu Lianzhou and the others were also taking this matter very seriously; no amount of caution was too much when it came to this matter.

"Follow the previous plan, Gu Xu, you lead the disciples to deal with those small fry, while your senior uncles and I will handle those two troublesome monks. We must finish this quickly," Yu Lianzhou instructed Gu Xu. Without further hesitation, he led Zhang Songxi and the others, leaping over the high wall.

With a soft creak, the temple gate slowly opened, and the disciples, led by Gu Xu, silently sneaked into the temple. They then found hidden places to hide, preparing to encircle the temple.

Yu Lianzhou and the others headed straight for the back of the main hall. If they could avoid fighting, that would be best. If they had to resort to violence, they would have to resolve the situation swiftly and decisively.

Abbot Gangling of the Vajra Sect was resting in his room when he suddenly opened his eyes. He heard a faint sound of footsteps approaching him. Gangling was no ordinary person, having survived in such a poor place. Knowing that an enemy had broken in, he quickly got up and dressed.

He then picked up the vajra beside him, pushed open the door, and saw three masked people, each holding a long sword, in the moonlit courtyard.

Gang Ling remained calm and shouted a loud Buddhist chant, "Laymen, what brings you here so late at night?" He knew the visitors were up to no good, so he used his inner strength to shout, hoping his fellow disciples would arrive as soon as possible.

Yu Lianzhou and the other two didn't waste any words with him and immediately drew their swords to attack. Gang Ling felt even more uneasy when he saw this. The newcomers had attacked so ruthlessly without saying a word, so it seemed that they had something big to plan. After making up his mind, he also swung his vajra and fought with the three of them. Gang Ling was very confident in his physical strength training, but he never expected that after a few moves, he would be at a disadvantage and have several sword wounds on his body. If this continued, he would only face death.

In order to finish the battle quickly, Yu Lianzhou and the others set up the "True Martial Seven Intercept Formation". The three of them working together were equivalent to six masters. Even if Gangling's external martial arts skills were high, he would be worn down to death. Not to mention the bone-chilling sword energy that kept surging from all directions.

Just as Gang Ling was being entangled by Yu Lianzhou and the others, Gang Xiang led his disciples to come to his rescue. He had heard his senior brother's voice before, and judging from his tone, his senior brother was probably no match for him.

Just as Gang Xiang was about to head to the back hall, a masked man jumped out and thrust his sword at him without saying a word. Gang Xiang realized that the man was no ordinary person, so he focused his strength in his palm and, while dealing with the attack, told his disciples to continue forward, "Go to the back and help the abbot."

Upon hearing this, the disciples continued walking, but before they had gone far, they were caught off guard by a group of masked men who appeared out of nowhere. Two people died on the spot, and four others were seriously injured and fell to the ground, causing chaos in the process.

Gang Xiang, who was locked in combat with Zhang Songxi, was furious upon witnessing this scene. The masked leader was sharp-eyed and ruthless. His three disciples, whose martial arts were second only to his own, were killed on the spot in a single exchange, a sight that sent chills down the spines of onlookers.

Gu Xu saw that his fourth uncle and the two had already started fighting. He had previously told his senior uncle about the martial arts styles that the two were good at, so he had a clear target and asked Zhang Songxi to deal with them. If they could not determine a winner in a short time, then he would have achieved his goal.

A moment later, the Wudang disciples had gained the upper hand. Seeing this, Gu Xu instructed the leading disciple, Qiu Rang, to take good care of the others, while he himself drew his sword to help Zhang Songxi.

Gang Xiang and Zhang Songxi were evenly matched in martial arts, and they fought back and forth from the start. Gang Xiang originally wanted to rely on his Vajra Palm to break Zhang Songxi's longsword and get away as soon as possible, but the other party seemed to have seen through his thoughts. He swung his sword and moved away, and the sword momentum was endless, so Gang Xiang had no chance at all.

The two were locked in fierce combat when Gang Xiang suddenly felt a chilling sword aura rushing towards him. Before the sword even arrived, the killing intent was already there. Without time to think, he unleashed a fierce attack with his right hand, forcing Zhang Songxi back. He then used his palms to protect himself. There was a sound of a sharp weapon slicing through flesh, followed by a scream. Gang Xiang's left palm was a bloody mess, all five fingers severed, and he fell to the ground.

Knowing that Gu Xu had helped him and that his opponent's fighting strength had been greatly weakened, Zhang Songxi would not let this opportunity pass. He seized the opportunity and used the Thirteen Swords of the Divine Gate to immediately cripple Gang Xiang's other hand, and then sealed his acupoints.

Gu Xu sheathed his sword, looked at Gang Xiang lying on the ground, and then at the one-sided situation. "This matter is considered resolved satisfactorily. Now it depends on how things go on Master Uncle's side." Yu Lianzhou and the other two formed a battle formation, greatly increasing their combat power. After exchanging several blows, Gang Ling lost the initiative and could only rely on his Vajra Body to passively defend. In less than a quarter of an hour, he had more than ten sword wounds of varying depths on his body, bleeding profusely and panting heavily. He could barely hold his Vajra Pestle and it fell to the side. Seeing that their opponent was exhausted, Yu Lianzhou and the other two attacked for a while longer. Only after realizing that their opponent was truly powerless to fight back did they stop.

As soon as the formation was broken, Gang Ling fell to the ground. Yu Lianzhou stepped forward and grabbed him, asking, "Where is the 'Black Jade Broken Heart Ointment'?" Gang Xiang, who was already exhausted, changed his expression upon hearing this and said in a deep breath, "This is a secret healing medicine of our sect. It has never been passed on to outsiders. Where did you hear about it?"

His words were tantamount to an admission of guilt. Yu Lianzhou was overjoyed upon hearing this, as it seemed that the medicine could indeed cure his third brother. "You don't need to trick us or investigate how we know. As long as you give me the 'Black Jade Broken Heart Ointment,' we can spare your life. Otherwise, blame my ruthless sword." With that, he drew his sword and pressed it against the throat, causing the latter to break out in a cold sweat.

"Heroes, please hold your hands! I'll hand it over, I'll hand it over! Please have mercy!" Gang Ling didn't want to lose his life. No matter how good the medicine was, it wasn't as valuable as his own life. It was useless to have medicine if you couldn't use it.

Upon revealing the location of the hidden medicine, Yu Lianzhou and the others, fearing a possible ambush, took out a green pill and stuffed it into Gangling's mouth. "This is the 'Heartbreak Pill,' which tastes sweet, but if there is no antidote within fifteen minutes, you will die from heartburn and intestinal rupture. You should think carefully," Gangling said, his face ashen.

He had indeed intended to trap them with hidden arrows, but he hadn't expected the three of them to be so cautious even in this situation. They were extremely careful. Despite cursing them inwardly, he had no choice but to go to his room to get the medicine for the sake of his own life.

Yu Lianzhou and the other two watched Gang Ling enter the room, not worried about him escaping. After a while, Gang Xiang came out carrying a wooden box. "Three heroes, this is the 'Black Jade Broken Heart Ointment' and the prescription. Can you let this humble man go now?"

Yu Lianzhou took the wooden box, first looked at the prescription, then examined its appearance, color, and taste, which were exactly as Gu Xu had described. He nodded and said, "It is indeed this thing." Upon seeing Gu Xu's assessment, he was secretly surprised. "This person really knows a lot about this medicine. Fortunately, I didn't fool him. But who exactly are they? And judging from their martial arts style, they seem to be from a Central Plains sect. Moreover, their formation is extraordinary, containing the mysteries of Yin and Yang."

Thinking of this, Gang Ling had a bold conjecture in his mind: "My third junior brother attacked Yu Daiyan of Wudang before, crippling him. Only the 'Black Jade Broken Rejuvenation Ointment' can cure him. Could it be someone from the Wudang Sect?" Gang Ling thought more and more, but he didn't show it on his face, still with a gloomy expression.

However, after obtaining the medicine, Yu Lianzhou had already decided to kill this person. In Gang Ling's terrified eyes, a sharp sword light flashed, and then he lost consciousness.

"We've got the medicine. Let's hurry and meet up with Fourth Brother Gu Xu and the others." Yu Lianzhou didn't want to stay here any longer and couldn't wait to return to Wudang Mountain. When the three of them arrived at the front hall, they saw corpses lying all over the ground, but none of them were Wudang disciples.

When Gu Xu saw the wooden box in Yu Lianzhou's hand, he knew that the medicine had been obtained. Without further hesitation, he pierced Gang Xiang's heart with his sword. The others also carefully checked and confirmed that no one in the entire family was alive.

Yu Lianzhou then instructed everyone to gather the corpses into a pile, put down the prepared kerosene and saltpeter, and throw down torches. A raging fire quickly engulfed the temple.

The Vajra Temple occupies a separate area, so there is no concern about harming others. After a while, seeing that the fire was out of control, the group quietly returned to the inn.

"Nephew, take a look and see if this medicine is correct," Yu Lianzhou opened the wooden box and asked Gu Xu to check it carefully. After Gu Xu checked it, he said, "The prescription is correct, and this is indeed 'Black Jade Broken Heart Ointment.' Master's body can be saved." Upon hearing this, Yu Lianzhou and the others could not hide their joy.

Gu Xu was happy that things had been resolved smoothly and his master was on the verge of recovery. Moreover, with the prescription, Wudang would also be able to refine such a precious medicine in the future.

Holding the wooden box, Yu Lianzhou was so excited he could hardly contain himself. He said, "Nephew, we're going back to Wudang Mountain first thing tomorrow morning. Do you want to come with us?"

Gu Xu, thinking that the matter of the Nine Yang Manual was still unresolved, replied, "This disciple has not been traveling for very long and plans to explore further. It will take a few months to half a year before this disciple returns to the mountain."

(End of this chapter)