The court lackeys of the eight-hour workday

Chapter 614 Two Skulls
After recognizing Zhang Sanfeng, Ji Tianrui stopped making moves. The pure and immense Tai Chi energy that was constantly rotating was so powerful that it chilled her to the bone. Any attack in that direction would be pulverized and then reflected back at a speed invisible to the naked eye, piercing through everything in its path.

This is the profound and wondrous observation of the True Man Zhang Sanfeng.

【Two Elements】.

The most powerful divine power throughout history, an impenetrable barrier that no human can break through, a circle that can neutralize all moves, a jewel standing atop the pinnacle of martial arts.

Ji Tianrui stared for a long time, and then remained silent for a long time as well.

Releasing Sanfeng was one of her purposes in coming to the Ise Grand Shrine. Now that she has seen Sanfeng in person, she feels no joy whatsoever.

Because she noticed something.

That circle wasn't perfect.

It lacked divine intent, and even true energy. Although its power was so immense and pure that it chilled her to the bone, it was nothing more than power... There was no illusion of stillness, no true form, and not even a trace of true energy could be seen.

Ji Tianrui stood silently for a long time before finally letting out a soft sigh, clasping her hands together, bowing slightly, and paying her respects to the figure in front of her.

But he didn't speak.

Because she knew that no matter what she said, the martial arts master would no longer hear her or respond.

In the preceding years, Ji Tianrui had already filled in most of the truth about Shintoism. The only missing part was the period after Zhang Sanfeng's eastward journey.

Now, she has finally pieced together the truth.

Two hundred years ago, the Taoist master Zhang Sanfeng crossed the sea to the east, broke through the Ise Grand Shrine, and arrived at the doorstep of the old man Kawakami.

The two fought a fierce battle.

No matter who wins or loses.

The difference in their cultivation levels prevented Zhangren Heshang from defeating Zhangren Heshang; however, Zhangren Heshang was also unable to break through Zhangren Heshang's [Two Forms].

But Master Sanfeng knew that he absolutely could not let the old man on the river go.

To reach a realm beyond the heavens and man, one needs to influence the general trend of the world. Kawakami Jojin has been managing Shintoism for a thousand years, and he may not be far from taking the final step.

If Zhang Sanfeng destroys Shintoism, then Kawakami will return to the Central Plains and repeat the Shintoism's actions there; but if he doesn't touch Shintoism, Kawakami may quickly achieve a state above the Celestial level.

Even in the best-case scenario, if he destroyed Shintoism and shattered all of Kawakami Tomohito's plans upon returning to the Central Plains... there was one problem he couldn't solve.

life.

When he crossed the sea to the east, Master Zhang Sanfeng had already completed the Jiazi Exorcism, was over a hundred years old, and was nearing the end of his lifespan.

Emperor Jianwen's cultivation method was given to him by the Old Man of the River. He must have also used the method of prolonging life by borrowing the life force of the gods and humans, and thus lived from the Warring States period to the present day... However, Master Sanfeng would never use crooked methods to prolong his life. After he died, the Old Man of the River would come out and continue to promote his plan.

Of course, Master Sanfeng had another option.

Stirring up the winds and clouds, achieving a status above all others.

But Zhang Sanfeng was too powerful and his foundation was too deep. This meant that if he wanted to become a god, he would have to turn the world upside down.

If this matter is destined to be unresolved in his hands.

At the very least, we must halt the plans of the old man from the river.

We must at least buy time for future generations to grow up.

No one knows how long it took Master Sanfeng to make this decision; perhaps it took a long time, or perhaps it was just a fleeting thought.

But in the end, he made his choice.

Abandon the true and constant.

Abandon the silent illumination.

Abandon Mount Sumeru.

Abandon the diamond. Abandon the meson.

He poured everything into the Yin and Yang, creating a Taiji that was unbreakable both inside and outside, enough to trap the old man on the river.

This is the truth.

Ji Tianrui breathed a sigh of relief.

Having not eaten or regulated his breathing for two hundred years, Master Sanfeng poured all his essence, energy, and spirit into the Yin and Yang, suppressing the old man on the river within the circle he created.

Ji Tianrui couldn't imagine how terrifying the life cultivation of Master Sanfeng was. Relying solely on his own profound accumulation, he had managed to operate the Tai Chi Fist, which could suppress the old man on the river, for two hundred years.

Ji Tianrui turned her gaze to the feet of Master Sanfeng.

That's where Master Sanfeng was suppressed.

The old man on the river should be there.

The distance was no more than ten zhang.

The fact that Master Sanfeng is still practicing Tai Chi means that Mr. Heshang has not escaped. To this day, he is still being suppressed by Master Sanfeng and cannot break free.

But this has led to new contradictions.

Emperor Jianwen obtained his martial arts techniques from the River Elder, and the marriage between Yang Lixuan and the Miao King was also his doing. In other words, the River Elder was in the Central Plains for at least a hundred years, from the founding of the Great Shuo Kingdom to Yang Lixuan's death.

Then the problem is coming.

Since the old man on the river did not escape, who guided Yang Lixuan to combine Gu techniques and give birth to Ji Tianrui?

Who gave the cultivation technique to Emperor Jianwen?

Who discovered Ji Tianrui's infiltration and called for the Grand Master to stop her?
The answer is at hand.

Ji Tianrui slowly took a step forward, shortening the distance between herself and Master Sanfeng. Seeing that Master Sanfeng did not attack, she cautiously approached, eventually standing less than ten feet away from him.

After two hundred years of depletion, the current Master Sanfeng is nothing but an empty shell, devoid of consciousness and impossible to awaken.

But Ji Tianrui knew what to do.

She slowly raised her hand, shifted her feet, and assumed a loose boxing stance.

Tai Chi.

The authentic and direct lineage of Tai Chi.

After the battle at the Imperial Mausoleum, the retainers who obtained the incomplete copy of the Jizhao martial arts manual fled one after another. Among them, seven were known in the martial arts world as the "Seven Killers." After one of them was killed by Yongjie, three others went to Wudang. Two of them got lost in the back mountains of Wudang, and only one escaped (see Chapter 1 "Demon Man" of "Yingzhou Sea Traveler").

That was Ji Tianrui's work.

The escaped retainer brought her back Tai Chi, a technique from the Celestial Realm.

"Wuji... rises from the ashes."

Ji Tianrui slowly performed the first movement of Tai Chi. She had been studying Tai Chi for several years. This movement had a long and powerful force, and the yin and yang were in harmony. Even if the Martial God himself performed it, it would not be more perfect.

Sure enough, as she used Tai Chi, the perfect round flesh in front of her visibly shrank by one point, and the suppression that had lasted for two hundred years continued to weaken. When Ji Tianrui withdrew her fist, only an extremely thin wisp remained, but it did not completely dissipate.

This was Zhang Sanfeng's consideration. He feared that future generations might not understand the terror of the River Elder and rush forward rashly. Therefore, he only slightly restrained his strength. If the River Elder wanted to escape, he could rely on his remaining instincts to rebuild the Yin and Yang.

But that was enough for Ji Tianrui to see things clearly.

She slowly stepped forward and stared intently at the feet of Master Sanfeng.

There was a huge, deep pit, large enough to hold a person. The walls were smooth, as if they had been compressed by a tremendous force, and their hardness was probably no less than that of pig iron.

When Ji Tianrui saw the scene at the bottom of the pit, her expression changed drastically!
Following her gaze, at the bottom of the pit was a pile of bones and rotten clothes, and in the pile of bones, one could see two skulls!
(End of this chapter)