Zongwu: Aspiring to be the mastermind behind the scenes

Chapter 216 Buddhist Sounds Suppress Demons, A Love Story

"The Demon Blade Yi Jue! I've heard of him before, but I thought he was just trying to gain fame. Seeing him today, I can see he's truly extraordinary!"

"Yes, that kind of maniacal laughter can last for fifteen minutes straight without his throat getting hoarse. Can anyone do that?"

"What the hell! It's not about whether your voice is hoarse or not, it's about human lives! Hundreds of lives!"

What should have been a joyous celebration has been turned into a bloodbath.

Hundreds of corpses lay on the ground, their blood staining the earth.

The area around the blood-red tornado was completely empty.

Fearing death, everyone kept their distance and dared not approach.

Even Wan Sanqian was filled with fear at this moment.

Without people's support, the crimson color within the blood-red tornado gradually faded.

The thousands of fragments of the Demon Blade Thousand Blades, through continuous slaughter, have had their black coating removed, restoring their original color.

At this moment, Guihai Yidao is surrounded by unparalleled beauty.

But this beauty chilled everyone present to the bone.

Before today, the name "Demon Blade Thousand Blades" was simply attributed to the blade's eerie characteristics.

From this day forward, the Demon Blade Thousand Blades, which has been stained with the lives of hundreds of people, will truly be the Demon Blade!

After all, everyone could see that Guihai Yidao was able to kill hundreds of people so easily, and the characteristics of this knife played a significant role in that.

If it were an ordinary blade, it would probably take quite a while to kill him.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Guihai Yidao finally stopped laughing wildly.

He raised the hilt of his sword, pointing it directly at Wan Sanqian.

The Thousand Blade Fragments returned instantly, coalescing on the hilt to form a complete demonic blade, its tip aimed directly at Wan Sanqian.

"not good!"

"Master Wan, run!"

The surrounding crowd shouted, and the Four Ghosts of Xiangxi appeared in front of Wan Sanqian in an instant.

Wan Sanqian felt enveloped by a terrifying killing intent. He wanted to turn around and run away, but his body was stiff, like prey being targeted by a natural enemy, unable to move at all.

The demonic blade was ruthless; it seemed that it would suddenly appear in front of Wan Sanqian at any moment and take his life.

At this critical moment, three figures suddenly appeared in front of the hall.

They were an old man in a Taoist robe, an aged swordsman, and a withered old monk.

The old monk stood in the middle, flanked by two others. Their gazes toward Guihai Yidao were filled with regret, pity, and a touch of nostalgia—a complex mix of emotions.

"Amitabha!"

The old monk said, "You have fallen deeply into demonic possession. I have a passage from the Heart Sutra to offer you, hoping you will gain enlightenment and lay down your demonic blade... When Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva was practicing the profound Prajnaparamita..."

At this very moment, he began reciting the Heart Sutra.

The sound of the Heart Sutra, propelled by true qi, seemed to come from beyond the heavens, reaching Guihai Yidao's ears and causing him to tremble. He suddenly retreated several steps, his face showing pain.

"Hiss! Who is this eminent monk? How could he possess such divine skills?"

"That's Master Liaojie from Shaolin Temple!"

"Does Shaolin Temple truly possess such Buddhist teachings that can subdue the demonic blade?"

"Shut up! Don't disturb Master Liaojie!"

The Shaolin Temple incident has come to an end.

Besides being a renowned high monk, he also had a little-known identity: a close friend of Guihai Bailian, a former master swordsman.

Guihai Bailian also had two other friends: Qilinzi of the Daoist sect and Jian Jingfeng, who was highly skilled in swordsmanship.

At this very moment, the old Taoist priest and the old swordsman stood beside Liao Jie.

Once upon a time, Guihai was corrupted by demonic possession during his Hundred Refinements and wanted to ask three friends for help. However, when the three met, Guihai was immediately corrupted by demonic possession and nearly killed them.

Fortunately, Lu Huanong upheld justice even at the cost of his own family, and his betrayal of Guihai was a testament to his resilience.

After the incident, Lu Huanong became a nun, and her three friends were filled with remorse.

From that time on, Master Liaojie devoted himself to studying the methods of subduing demons.

Today, the three of them were invited to attend the wedding banquet, and unexpectedly they ran into Guihai Yidao, the son of their old friend.

What surprised them even more was that Guihai Yidao had also mastered that hellish sword technique, and even surpassed his master, now wielding a strange demonic sword.

When Guihai unleashed his killing spree, Liaojie tried to stop him.

However, the demon-subduing method he researched had never been truly tested, and Guihai Yidao's current state of demonic possession was clearly far superior to Guihai Bailian's. Therefore, Jian Jingfeng and Qilinzi did not want their friend to step forward.

Fortunately, Master Liaojie persuaded the two and finally made his move at that moment.

Master Liaojie used his profound spiritual realm, combined with the demon-subduing methods he had researched over many years, to recite the Heart Sutra with his true energy, transforming it into the sound of demon-subduing to suppress the three blades of Avici Hell.

This method has never been tested before; this is the first time it has ever been used.

Therefore, Jian Jingfeng and Qilinzi stood guard on either side to prevent Guihai Yidao from attacking.

On the contrary, Master Liaojie had long since disregarded life and death, so he showed no sign of tension whatsoever.

"Uh-huh!"

As the Heart Sutra was chanted, the demonic intent of the Three Blades of Avici Hell was severely suppressed, and he let out a cry of pain.

However, Guihai Yidao's broken mind recovered.

The surrounding crowd was astonished. They never expected that this ferocious demonic blade, which had slaughtered hundreds of people without suffering any damage, would cause such a miserable scream under the influence of the Heart Sutra.

Some people's eyes lit up, and they secretly raised their weapons, seemingly preparing to seize this opportunity to claim the 13,000 bounty.

Meanwhile, Wan Sanqian, who was hiding behind the crowd, also revealed a fierce glint in his eyes.

at this time--

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha……"

A burst of boundless pride, a wild laugh that seemed to look down upon the world, suddenly came from the sky.

Everyone felt a sudden, sharp pain in their head, as if a sledgehammer had struck them.

"...Therefore, Prajna... Hmm?!"

Master Liaojie, who was reciting the Heart Sutra, also encountered such an attack, but his spiritual realm was extremely high, and he easily blocked the laughter.

But the enormous laughter completely drowned out his Heart Sutra, and the spiritual power contained within it utterly shattered the Heart Sutra's demon-subduing effect.

Master Liaojie's expression changed drastically. He looked up and saw a golden boat floating in the sky.

"Gin?"

He wasn't completely oblivious to what was happening around him; he had naturally heard of the spokesperson for this mysterious organization.

A golden figure jumped down from the golden boat.

"As expected of a high-ranking monk from Shaolin Temple, he has mastered such demon-subduing techniques!"

Jin Jiu laughed and said, "However, Gui Hai Yi Dao has finally cultivated the Avici Dao Three Blades to this level. We can't let you dull this sharp blade."

As he spoke, he reached out and patted Guihai Yidao on the shoulder, and Guihai Yidao immediately fainted.

An inexplicable force lifted him up.

"What do you mean? Could it be that Guihai Yidao is a member of your organization?"

"To be precise, before today, it wasn't entirely true. But after today, it certainly will be!"

Master Liaojie frowned.

Although rumors of Gui Haiyi's identity as a secret agent of the Dragon Guard Manor have been circulating recently, they are limited to a small circle. He is unaware of this at the moment.

Jin Jiu, holding Gui Hai Yi Dao, looked at Zhu Wu Shi in the crowd and said, "Thank you, Divine Marquis, for your training of Gui Hai Yi Dao over the years. The organization is very satisfied with this sword."

In addition, I would also like to thank you, Master Wan, for providing this stage today. Otherwise, it would have taken much more effort to develop Guihai Yidao to such a level.

In short... thank you both very much!

He then leaped into the air, carrying Guihai Yidao, and landed on the golden boat.

Its silver wings unfurled, and it soared into the sky.

Below, Zhu Wushi's face was ashen, while Wan Sanqian's face was as black as iron.

"Let's go..."

Zhou Ming said, "It seems that this wedding banquet cannot continue."

Li Xunhuan, A Fei, and the others all nodded.

Then he turned and left.

Countless other wandering swordsmen also departed along with them.

"Although I've seen a great show, I haven't had lunch and I'm feeling a bit hungry. Gentlemen, why don't we meet at a restaurant? It's on me."

"Then thank you very much, Young Master Zhou."

At the dinner table, A-Fei looked puzzled: "I've seen that Demon Blade Yi Jue before, but I never expected him to have such strength. And why do people all call him Gui Hai Yi Dao?"

Zhou Ming glanced at Li Xunhuan and laughed, "This matter is no longer a secret in the current martial arts world. The Demon Blade Yi Jue, whose original name was Guihai Yi Dao, was a spy trained by the Dragon Guard Manor."

"spy?"

"Yes, he transformed into the Demon Blade Yi Jue before, presumably while carrying out a mission for the Dragon Guard Manor."

Li Xunhuan immediately understood.

He is now very clear about the rumors circulating in the martial arts world of the North.

Therefore, the mission that the Dragon Guardian Manor sent Gui Haiyidao to undertake should be to develop the Seven Absolutes Hall and subsequently join that mysterious organization.

However, it seems that the situation is now completely out of the control of the Dragon Guard Manor.

Guihai Yidao had indeed joined that mysterious organization, but some other things had happened to him.

I heard that Shangguan Haitang is Zhu Wushi's adopted daughter.

Guihai Yidao has come here today, clearly intending to steal the bride.

I wonder what kind of story lies between these two...

However, this also means that all the clues Li Xunhuan has been searching for over the past year have clearly pointed to one target.

Zhu ignored it!
There were far too many witnesses to what happened at the wedding banquet.

Even without publication in newspapers like Jianghu Monthly or Southern Journal, the whole thing spread at a speed that no one could have imagined.

Everyone who heard about the matter was extremely curious about the true identity of the Demon Blade Yi Jue, or Gui Hai Yi Dao.

Soon, the kind-hearted and anonymous eunuch of the Eastern Depot revealed Guihai Yidao's true identity.

So the whole world knew that Guihai Yidao was actually a talent cultivated by the Dragon Guard Manor.

Unfortunately, it's probably already a rebellion now.

But... that makes it even more fun.

Soon, people began to wonder if there was any connection between Gui Haiyidao, a spy from the Dragon Guard Manor, and Shangguan Haitang, Zhu Wushi's adopted daughter. Otherwise, why would Gui Haiyidao come to snatch the bride today?

Many people are curious.

However, it's clear that no one will explain the story to them.

Even the helpful Eastern Depot was no exception.

Eh?
Since no one is going to step forward to explain, we'll just have to make something up!
In just a few days, the rumors changed several times and soon evolved into a love story between Guihai Yidao and Shangguan Haitang, who were childhood sweethearts.

"Humph!"

Inside an inn, listening to the idle chatter of two ordinary people at a table not far away, a young swordsman couldn't help but sneer and said, "These fools really believe everything they hear! Guihai Yidao slaughtered hundreds of heroes; he was truly a great demon, and they're actually praising him!"

An elderly man with a weathered face sat opposite them: "The common people are ignorant and unaware of the truth, so don't worry about them!"

For ordinary people, the world of martial arts is too far away.

Death, unless it happens before their eyes, is really just a number.

In comparison, wedding kidnapping and childhood sweetheart romance are clearly more appealing.

Just like in the story of the White Snake, everyone is moved by the White Snake's act of flooding Jinshan Temple to save Xu Xian.

Does anyone care how many casualties were caused during the flooding of Jinshan Temple?
Although the story of Guihai Yidao is true rather than a legend, for ordinary people, it is a story they hear from others, and there is not much difference between legend and truth.

Naturally, I prefer to hear stories that are epic, dramatic, and full of twists and turns.

As for the hundreds of lives lost, they are just like the countless people who were submerged under the flooded Jinshan Temple—merely a backdrop in the story.

But for the young swordsman and the old man beside them, it was a real and heart-wrenching pain.

Because among those hundreds of lives, there was one, the boy's father and the old man's son!

"Grandpa, how's it going over there?"

"Don't worry, the high monks of Shaolin Temple have already agreed to lead the way. When the time comes, our hundreds of forces will unite and surely seek justice for your father!"

"So, Guihai Yidao is definitely dead?!"

Upon hearing this, the old man mumbled something before nodding, "...Hmm..."

Having been in this business for so many years, he naturally knew that things weren't that simple.

Having more people doesn't guarantee that you can get revenge.

To kill Guihai Yidao, you must first find him.

After finding it, you also need to have the strength to kill it.

Otherwise, it would just have added a few thousand more lives.

and……

Thinking back to the comments made by some people when many of the deceased's relatives gathered to discuss the matter yesterday, the old man sighed heavily.

For some, even blood feuds cannot suppress their interests.

Compared to seeking revenge against Guihai, these people were more concerned about whether they could get some compensation from Zhu Wushi and Wan Sanqian.

Thus, even the people on their own side are not united, and they want revenge...

Ugh!
The old man hesitated for a moment, then said, "Grandson, that demonic blade is incredibly powerful. Even a Three Flowers Grandmaster would be no match for it. This matter may not be so easily resolved... Do you understand?"

"I understand, Grandpa."

That's what he said, but the hatred and urgency in the boy's eyes clearly showed that he didn't understand what he meant.

The old man sighed, knowing that at this point, nothing he said would be of any use, so he simply stopped talking.

"Let's go now that we've finished eating."

"Ah."

The grandfather and grandson left the inn.

Two ordinary people at the next table were still chatting enthusiastically about their imagined childhood sweetheart love story.

Just as they were talking about Wan Sanqian's wedding banquet, Gui Haiyidao came to snatch the bride.

Little did they know that right beside them were two people who were personally experiencing the story... or rather... victims!
(End of this chapter)