Eternal Night

Chapter 571 Fully Equipped Wu Pifu?

After a hearty meal and drinks, Hong Qigong was so content that he almost started humming a tune.

Although it was just one fish, Huang Rong had bought fruits and vegetables to go with it beforehand. She also prepared four dishes with the fish: spicy fish slices made with Sichuan peppercorns and chili peppers from the Land of Redemption, sashimi made with snow frosty peppers, pearl fish soup, and fish rack wrapped in oil. Each dish was delicious and visually appealing, with the fish meat being delicate and the taste exquisite. In particular, Huang Rong also added seasonings that were not available in this era.

Hong Qigong ate so much that he even wrapped the soup base in a flatbread and ate it all. After finishing, he looked like he could never eat anything else in his life. He was extremely comfortable and happy, but also extremely melancholy and confused.

After a while, seeing Huang Rong row her boat to the shore, Hong Qigong, quite carefree, laughed and said, "So be it, so be it. Today I know that the Celestial Being is alive, that there truly is a heaven beyond heaven in the vast world, and I've also tasted the wonders of this world. Even if this old beggar were to die on the spot, it would be a gain. I suppose the Celestial Being probably just wants to study the martial arts of this world, and doesn't think much of this old beggar's cherished Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms. Today, this old beggar will teach the Celestial Being the complete set of Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms!"

Wu Pifu, who was at the bow of the boat, was taken aback upon hearing this. He clasped his hands in a salute and thought for a moment before saying, "Old man, you are one of the few people I admire in this world. You have spent your life upholding justice and have never wronged an innocent person. You are truly a chivalrous person. Since you have taught me the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms today, I will not be stingy and will teach you the Immortal Martial Arts today!"

Upon hearing this, Hong Qigong waved his hands repeatedly, his face flushed, wanting to decline, but he couldn't resist the urge.

If you were to praise him for anything else, even if you were to call him the best in the world, the leader of the martial arts alliance, or even the emperor, he would be indifferent. But if you were to say that he was chivalrous, righteous, and had never wronged a good person in his life, that would really touch his heart. It was indeed the thing he was most proud of in his life. After hearing this, he felt that only Wu Pifu understood him.

Then they talked about the Martial Arts of Human Immortals, which sounds incredibly impressive!
Being able to possess the title of "immortal" means one cannot be ordinary, especially since this is a martial art from the Great Thousand Worlds brought by a celestial being. Even just hearing a few words about it would make his life truly worthwhile.

It should be noted that although Hong Qigong was chivalrous, he was first and foremost a martial artist, a member of the martial arts world, and possessed his own pride and arrogance. Especially in terms of martial arts, he had a heart that aspired to be the best in the world and yearned for the highest level of martial arts. Otherwise, he would not have needed to participate in the Mount Hua Sword Tournament in order to seize the Nine Yin Manual, the most precious treasure of the martial arts world.

However, in the realm of celestial beings, the martial arts of the immortals are probably many times, many times, greater than the Nine Yin Manual.

For a moment, Hong Qigong's face turned completely red, and he wanted to refuse but couldn't bring himself to say it.

Wu Pifu laughed heartily, feeling quite pleased with himself, and said loudly, "Seventh Master, please don't refuse. I'm used to doing things on a whim, and to meet someone I admire like you, Seventh Master, makes me very happy. Besides..." Wu Pifu shook his head and didn't finish his sentence.
Hong Qigong looked at Huang Rong, puzzled. Huang Rong then said with a somber expression, "Uncle Qigong, you don't know, the outer heavens are not peaceful either. Besides the unified human government where Brother Ant is, there are many other forces, demons and monsters. Even those legendary gods, demons and Buddhas are not all good people. After sending me home, Brother Ant will go on an expedition... I don't know when it will end."

Hong Qigong remained silent for a moment, then sighed and clasped his hands in a fist towards Wu Pifu, saying, "This old beggar is ashamed to accept such a title, but please rest assured, Your Excellency, as long as I, this old beggar, live, I will not allow any villain in the world to harm even a hair on Miss Huang's head. Otherwise, I will be struck by lightning and die a horrible death!"

Wu Pifu remained silent and found an open space to sit down. Hong Qigong naturally followed suit. He did not avoid Huang Rong and explained all the essentials and techniques of the Human Immortal Martial Arts. While speaking, he personally reached out and massaged Hong Qigong's blood and qi, allowing him to feel where the blood and qi were located.

After a long while, Wu Pifu recounted the Azure Python Shedding Skin Technique, the Tiger Demon Bone-Refining Fist, and the Wind and Thunder Howling Technique, and even went into detail about his own cultivation experiences. After finishing, he sighed and said, "This set of Human Immortal Martial Arts is unfathomable. I have only obtained half of the technique. There are still many steps to go through, such as blood exchange and acupoint condensation. At the same time, although this Human Immortal Martial Arts can enhance the essence of the human body, it requires various precious food supplements or rare treasures as resources. Otherwise, if I want to cultivate it, I am afraid I will have to spend ten years slowly grinding away at it. I cannot be impatient."

Unexpectedly, Hong Qigong did not hear the last sentence at all. He had fallen into a state of deep meditation, his hands moved slowly, his body trembled slightly, and his skin trembled slightly. Upon closer inspection, his skin seemed to have turned slightly red.

Not only Hong Qigong, but Huang Rong also kept her eyes closed and silently circulated her blood and qi. Wu Pifu did not disturb her, but simply sat quietly to the side.

A moment later, Huang Rong was the first to wake up. She looked at her hands and feet with surprise, then looked at Wu Pifu. She opened her mouth to speak, but seeing that Hong Qigong was still in meditation, she gave Wu Pifu a sweet smile, moved her seat and sat down next to Wu Pifu to keep him company.

After a long while, Hong Qigong suddenly stood up as if lightning were shooting from his eyes. His bones crackled and popped. If you looked closely, he was at least half an inch taller than before. At the same time, Hong Qigong roared to the sky. His voice was as loud as thunder and carried for dozens of miles in the night. After the roar, he laughed heartily.

"Excellent! Today I have heard of the Great Dao of Heaven and Man and glimpsed the supreme martial arts. It would be worth dying for today!"

After laughing, Hong Qigong looked intently at Wu Pifu and solemnly clasped his hands, saying, "Now this old beggar has no more doubts. Heavenly Lord, watch closely, this is the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms!"

While speaking, Hong Qigong didn't even try to avoid Huang Rong and immediately began to demonstrate the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms. As he demonstrated, he explained all the tricks and challenges. His movements were truly as powerful as a dragon, with surging energy and rolling internal force. With one palm strike, he even broke the sound barrier. Each palm strike was like a dragon. The final move, "Regretful Dragon," actually snapped a large tree in half. Most importantly, the wood shattered into dust at the point of impact, but the cracks were as strong as slag. This move actually unleashed the power of both extreme hardness and softness.

After a set of the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, Hong Qigong stood frozen in place, and then tears streamed down his face. Wu Pifu and Huang Rong both heard him murmuring.

"...So this is the innate realm of martial arts, so this is the principle of the ultimate strength and gentleness in martial arts, to have heard the Great Dao, to have heard the Great Dao..."

At first, the voice was slightly murmuring, but as it spoke the last two sentences, the voice grew louder and louder, until finally it was like rolling thunder.

Huang Rong wanted to offer some words of comfort, but having come from a family of martial artists herself, she knew the joy of hearing the Dao. Even she herself was overjoyed, let alone Hong Qigong, and felt a pang of sadness. Wu Pifu, on the other hand, was preoccupied with recalling the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms. Even though he had only practiced it once, with his current Grandmaster level in martial arts, he immediately grasped its essence. He not only mastered it but also deconstructed its profound martial arts principles, integrating them into his own national martial arts, human immortal martial arts, and immortal martial arts.

After just a brief mental rehearsal, Wu Pifu immediately sensed the difference between this set of Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms and his Tiger Demon Skill, or perhaps the Human Immortal Martial Arts Technique.

This martial art is a physical fighting style specifically designed to utilize internal energy.

In traditional Chinese martial arts, there are different techniques for fighting, techniques for connecting strikes, and techniques for cultivating inner strength. The same applies to the Immortal Martial Arts. These two are of the same lineage, but the internal energy cultivation and fighting techniques of the Immortal Martial Arts are different and completely different.

If internal energy is energy, shaping energy circuits and drawing blood and the free energy of heaven and earth as internal force, then the external skills of immortal martial arts are the utilization rate of this energy. It's like having bullets and explosives, and now being given a gun. With the same internal force, when using the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, the power is at least five times greater than when using a fist or the Heroic Spirit Shattering Blade!
That's more than five times his current strength!

It already possesses the combined power of several independent combat zones, yet its explosive power can be multiplied by another five times. This is simply an exaggerated qualitative leap!
Wu Pifu practiced and felt the technique briefly, then looked at his score. Sure enough, only 100,000 points were deducted. This was the most top-tier external martial art in the metal element, only the Six Meridians Divine Sword could rival it. Even the so-called Dugu Nine Swords was just a technique. In terms of power, the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms was the best in the world... and only 100,000 points!?
(Or rather, I already know and have acquired internal energy, and the points are required for the realization of information, so the more information I know, the fewer points I need to cultivate immortal martial arts?)
Wu Pifu's heart stirred, and he suddenly remembered the many so-called ultimate martial arts techniques in this world, such as the Nine Yin and Nine Yang, the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth, the Six Meridian Divine Sword, and the martial arts of the Free and Unfettered Sect... Right, there is a martial art that, according to the description, is very similar to the Human Immortal Martial Arts. If he could obtain that martial art, he could truly confirm his conjecture!
If he can truly master the Immortal Martial Arts in this world, combining the national martial arts with the Immortal Martial Arts, his combat power can undergo a qualitative change, and who knows, there might still be a glimmer of hope in this battle?

Huang Rong also saw Wu Pifu's surprised expression, and she immediately took his arm and asked, "Brother Pifu, how much has the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms improved your strength?"

Wu Pifu nodded seriously and said, "It has greatly improved me. It is truly extraordinary. If there were other martial arts to prove it, I might actually have a chance to win."

Huang Rong immediately smiled so hard her eyes almost squinted.

Unexpectedly, a cold snort came from not far away, and at the same time, a man in green robes with a golden face and a face like a demon floated down from the treetop, saying as he floated: "Brother Hong, it's been a long time. I didn't expect you to have made such great progress in martial arts. Now that we meet today, would you be interested in discussing martial arts?"

As soon as the voice was heard, Hong Qigong immediately looked over. Huang Rong trembled and burst into tears, crying, "Father? You're Father? What happened to your face?!"

The man in blue snorted, wiped his face with his palm, and a human skin mask was removed, revealing a lean and handsome face.

Huang Rong's tears turned into laughter, and she immediately scolded, "Father, you're scary!"

The newcomer was none other than Huang Yaoshi. He said coldly, "You still remember your father? Let go and come closer!"

Huang Rong immediately released Wu Pifu's arm, but still secretly stuck her tongue out at him.

This is Huang Yaoshi. Wu Pifu confirmed this and looked at Huang Yaoshi. Huang Yaoshi also looked at him, then glanced at the surrounding environment before saying knowingly, "This boy... is Brother Hong's son? He is indeed exceptionally strong..."

Hong Qigong chuckled, offering no explanation, and simply looked at Huang Yaoshi with arrogance.

Huang Yaoshi was about to get angry when Wu Pifu suddenly appeared right in front of him. His vision blurred and he didn't even see what happened. He was immediately shocked. Before he could do anything, Wu Pifu knelt down on both knees.

"Master, please accept my disciple's three bows!"

After saying that, Wu Pifu actually kowtowed three times to Huang Yaoshi in a very proper manner.

Huang Yaoshi unleashed his inner strength, attempting to stop Wu Pifu's inexplicable kneeling, but the moment his inner strength touched Wu Pifu, it vanished without a trace, leaving him only to groan in bewilderment.

"You...uh, um?"

Wu Pifu's bewilderment level continues to rise...

(End of this chapter)