Sword Roaring in the Sky

Chapter 264 The Martial World Has Always Been Like This
The old beggar who came looking for Sun Yanwan was the Execution Elder, one of the four elders of the Northern Beggars' Gang.

The Beggars' Sect has more than ten elders across nine generations, but the four elders hold the highest status. They are respectively the Transmission of Skills, the Punishment of Offenses, the Swordsman, and the Staff Master. In fact, among the four elders throughout history, there have been those whose martial arts skills surpass those of the sect leader.

The Northern Beggars' Gang and the Songyang Sect are very close, otherwise the Songyang Sect would not have entrusted Lu Huangshan of the Northern Beggars' Gang to test Sun Yanwan. When this incident occurred, someone from the Songyang Sect immediately stepped forward.

Since the execution elder himself had come, Sun Yanwan couldn't refuse.

He only took two swords with him, said goodbye to Shi Si, and left the Shi family with the execution elder.

Halfway there, Sun Yanwan asked, "I wonder who has held up Chief Hong and the other elders?"

The execution elder blushed slightly and after a long while said, "He is the old gang leader's younger brother."

Sun Yanwan asked in surprise, "The old gang leader's younger brother?"

The execution elder said in a low voice, "This man's surname is Ba. When he was young, he disliked the name his parents gave him and changed it to Ba Tianmo. He has extremely high martial arts talent. When he was seventeen or eighteen years old, his martial arts skills surpassed those of the old leader. Disliking that the Beggar Clan's martial arts had their limits, he left the Beggar Clan and wandered the world, wanting to learn a martial arts skill that could reach the heavens and the earth."

Sun Yanwan listened with rapt attention and said, "This man is generous and magnanimous; he is quite a character."

The execution elder blushed slightly and said in a low voice, "He just doesn't know how he came to believe the rumors in the martial arts world, convinced that Chief Hong had murdered his brother and stolen the position of Beggar Clan Chief. He came to the Beggar Clan to cause trouble several times, and it was only thanks to the presence of the four elders each time that they were able to subdue him together."

Sun Yanwan exclaimed in surprise, "It's said that Chief Hong is also a Grandmaster, yet this person can actually defeat him..."

The execution elder said awkwardly, "Most of the grandmasters in the martial arts world are just boasting. Chief Hong was worried that he wouldn't be able to convince the public, so he also exaggerated his reputation a little. Chief Hong and the four of us elders are only at the Innate Realm, so we can only resist this person by joining forces."

Sun Yanwan was startled and whispered, "Could this Ba Tianmo be a Grandmaster?"

The execution elder nodded.

Sun Yanwan really wanted to ask: "Was the old gang leader really not murdered by Gang Leader Hong?"

However, he knew that Hong Shentong was a disciple of Ba Tianlong, the former leader of the Northern Beggars' Gang, and the husband of his only beloved daughter, so there was no way he would plot against his father-in-law.

Sun Yanwan suddenly had a thought and asked, "What does Ba Tianmo look like?"

The executioner elder hurriedly said, "He advanced to the Innate Realm very early, but while traveling the world, he collected many martial arts techniques and tried to practice each one. He once suffered a severe qi deviation, causing his martial arts to regress to the third or fourth rank, hence his aged appearance. Because he has practiced the Dragon Elephant Returning to the Source Palm Technique, a direct descendant of our Northern Beggars' Sect, since childhood, his hands are several sizes larger than ordinary people, with large joints. He always carries a yellow wine gourd with him and is extremely fond of food..."

Sun Yanwan had been in frequent contact with the Beggars' Clan lately and discovered that there was no one from the Northern Beggars' Clan. The day he met the old beggar, he asked for roasted rabbit and even gave him a few pages of the Divine Staff Technique.

Neither the gang leader Hong Shentong nor the several ninth-generation elders fit the image of that old beggar.

At that time, the old beggar said: We still need to track down a great enemy and not let him get away, otherwise he will surely harm countless people.

After encountering members of the Beggars' Sect, Sun Yanwan learned that Ma Junwu had a conflict with the Beggars' Sect and assumed that the old beggar was tracking Ma Junwu.

But when the execution elder mentioned Ba Tianmo's appearance, which was exactly the same as that old beggar, the great enemy he was tracking was probably not Ma Junwu, but Hong Shentong, the leader of the Northern Beggars' Gang!
Although Ma Junwu had a conflict with the Beggars' Sect, it's hard to say that he harmed countless people.

Hong Shentong is the leader of the Northern Beggars' Gang, with over 100,000 beggars under his command. If he were truly a bad person, the evil deeds he would commit would be enormous.

Well, Sun Yanwan still believed in Hong Shentong and thought he wouldn't do anything bad.

Suddenly, a thought struck him: "Ma Junwu knows the martial arts of the former dynasty's foremost martial arts family, and Ba Tianmo possesses a fragment of the Ma family's Divine Staff Technique..."

"These two things are probably closely related. It is very likely that Ma Junwu did not obtain some lost secret manual of the Ma family, but found a master who is highly skilled in martial arts and knowledgeable in all schools of thought."

To conserve their energy, both rode fast horses. If they were to use their lightness skills to chase after Ma Junwu, they would likely exhaust their inner energy by the time they caught up. Sun Yanwan returned Dahuang to Qin Cheng, and Black Rabbit was still not brought out. Now, riding the fine horse provided by the Beggars' Sect, they galloped along, with Beggars' Sect disciples constantly appearing ahead to guide them.

Even though the two traveled quickly, it took them more than three days to catch up before they learned that Ma Junwu was having a meal not far ahead.

The execution elder urged Sun Yanwan to hurry up and catch up with the man, but Sun Yanwan refused to pursue him any further. He stayed in place for two hours, meditating and circulating his inner energy. Although the execution elder was extremely anxious, he had been traveling alongside Sun Yanwan for a long time and knew his temperament well. He knew that urging him was useless and could only wait patiently until Sun Yanwan had restored his inner energy to its peak before the two continued on their way.

The execution elder reined in his horse. A Beggar Clan disciple reported that Ma Junwu had just set off and hadn't gone far when he couldn't help but say, "We need to hurry, lest this thief escape."

Sun Yanwan patted the sturdy horse beneath her and asked, "Who else is with him?"

The Beggars' Sect disciple who delivered the message replied, "There's also a young lady!"

He stole a glance at Sun Yanwan's face and saw that he had no expression. He was very impressed and thought to himself, "This Erlang Shen is indeed calm and composed in the face of great events."

Sun Yanwan asked a few more questions before following the execution elder and continuing the pursuit.

This time, less than half an hour later, Sun Yanwan saw a man and a woman riding horses side by side ahead. The man was young and strong, and the woman was also quite pretty, but she had a wild air about her.

The execution elder shouted, "Ma Junwu! Where do you think you're going?"

Seeing that only two people were chasing after him, Ma Junwu reined in his horse, looking rather relaxed.

The executioner was furious. The Beggar Clan expert spurred his horse forward and suddenly unleashed a powerful palm strike.

Ma Junwu, still on the horse, also unleashed a powerful palm strike. As their palms collided, Ma Junwu swayed slightly, while the execution elder let out a muffled groan, clearly having suffered a minor loss.

Instead of joining the attack, Sun Yanwan activated her Earth Listening Technique to observe her surroundings for any other movements.

He usually didn't like to activate this earth-listening technique, since once activated, the world would become too noisy and chaotic. But at this moment, he carefully searched the vicinity and didn't hear any ambushes.

Ma Junwu struck out with one palm, showing no mercy, and then struck out with a second palm. The execution elder activated the Dragon Elephant Returning to the Source Palm Technique, a direct descendant of the Northern Beggars' Sect, and mustered his strength to meet the attack. The two clashed for more than ten palms, and the execution elder gradually lost the upper hand. He shouted, "Sun Erlang, come and help me!"

Sun Yanwan urged her horse forward and said, "Please, Elder of the Execution, step back."

It wasn't that he wanted to maintain his status as a master and was unwilling to join forces with the execution elder to attack Ma Junwu.

Instead, several senior uncles and masters of the Songyang Sect taught that even close friends in the martial arts world should try to make the other party give way when fighting, lest such a good friend have actually been bribed by the enemy and suddenly launch a sneak attack.

Even if one is forced to join forces with someone, the relationship must be extremely close, such as relatives, fellow disciples, or even someone who knows each other inside and out, like the execution elder of the Northern Beggars' Sect. When joining forces, one must be cautious to avoid being caught off guard and losing one's life.

These are the basic moral education principles of various sects; those who refuse to follow them often don't live more than a few years.

The executioner elder received another blow, his heart filled with bitterness. He knew that if he were to withstand several more blows, he would likely vomit blood. He could only shout, "It's up to you now," and turn his horse aside.

Sun Yanwan shouted, "Songyang Sect, Sun Yanwan, I heard you killed my Songyang disciple, do you have anything to say?"

Ma Junwu was slightly surprised, but then an arrogant air appeared on his face as he shouted, "Sun Yanwan, I know you! This matter has nothing to do with you, so don't interfere."

Sun Yanwan laughed and said, "How can you say it has nothing to do with me when a Songyang disciple died?"

"If you have any excuses, please plead for me as soon as possible. I rarely show mercy once I've made a move."

Ma Junwu coldly shouted, "That's right, I killed them! Who let them kill Ran Qiu!" Sun Yanwan was stunned for a moment, then asked, "Who is Ran Qiu?"

Ma Junwu angrily shouted, "Aheng's maid!"

Sun Yanwan then remembered that a maid had indeed died. He was also curious and asked, "What happened at the time? Why did the conflict break out?"

Ma Junwu said sadly, "Ranqiu was just being righteous back then, saying a few words for me, but you Songyang Sect people are being unreasonable and insist on taking her down."

The girl beside her also retorted angrily, "Ranqiu is my maid, it's none of your Songyang Sect's business to deal with her. What's wrong with me protecting my maid?"

Sun Yanwan listened to the two of them talk for a long time, but still couldn't figure out the situation or who was right.
However, his original purpose was not to distinguish this; he simply wanted to confirm that the six disciples of the Songyang Sect had indeed died at the hands of Ma Junwu.

Now that this matter is certain, the rest is simple.

Ma Junwu spoke at length, then asked indignantly, "Tell me, should these Songyang disciples be killed?"

Sun Yanwan laughed and said, "Whether you should have killed him or not, you've already done it. I've come here to take your head and give my sect an explanation."

Ah Heng screamed, "You're our Shi family's son-in-law, why don't you protect us? Why do you insist on joining those filthy beggars?"

Sun Yanwan chuckled, wanting to remind the other party again that she was "Sun Yanwan of the Songyang School," but then shook her head, feeling there was no need to explain, since the other party wouldn't understand anyway.

He shouted, "Take this!"

With both palms out, two palm strikes were launched at Ma Junwu and Aheng respectively.

When Sun Yanwan arrived, she had already thought about it: this woman named Aheng would be a disaster if she stayed!
After all, she had a good relationship with Shi Si and had many opportunities to get close to herself and her future family. If she spared this person, he would hold a grudge and endure it, making it impossible to guard against him. It would be better to kill him as well.

Ma Junwu shouted and unleashed his palm strike from a distance. At the same time, he flicked his sleeve, trying to relieve the pressure on Aheng. However, Sun Yanwan was skilled at multitasking, and could unleash two palm strikes at will. How could he possibly have that ability?

Sun Yanwan was using the power of the Xuanbing Treasure Mirror at this moment. Her palm strike was cold and icy. Ma Junwu managed to take the blow, but his outstretched sleeve was frozen by the power of Sun Yanwan's Xuanbing Treasure Mirror palm strike and shattered instantly. He was unable to share the palm strike with Aheng.

Sun Yanwan had planned to kill, but she had already weighed her options. When she struck at Ma Junwu, she only used 30% of her strength, while using 70% to deal with the woman named Aheng. When the Xuanbing Treasure Mirror fell, Aheng took the blow, her whole body trembled, and a layer of blue aura appeared on her face.

Sun Yanwan knew at a glance that the chill had penetrated to the bone and that the woman was doomed. She then focused her mind and struck out with her second palm, going all out.

Ma Junwu focused his mind and struck back with another palm strike, immediately shivering. He no longer dared to compete with Sun Yanwan in palm power. With a loud shout, he soared into the sky like a great bird, a long spear appearing in his hand. He shook it in the air, like ten thousand pear blossoms blooming all over his body.

Sun Yanwan hadn't practiced the Rainstorm Pear Blossom Spear much, but she had taught it to Li Wanyue and knew the variations of the spear technique inside and out. She thought to herself, "So Ba Tianmo really didn't have the complete manual of the Divine Staff Technique, but only taught me the Rainstorm Pear Blossom Spear, which was widely circulated in the martial arts world."

He was now absolutely certain that Ma Junwu was the successor of Ba Tianmo. As for whether he was a true disciple or someone who simply passed on his martial arts skills and was merely used as a pawn, there was no need to distinguish.

Sun Yanwan unleashed her Three Souls Double-Edged Sword, circling the longsword in front of her as its light condensed into a flawless sword circle, blocking all eighteen shots fired by Ma Junwu in one go.

After exchanging one move, Sun Yanwan roughly judged that although they were both at the Innate level, he should be able to defeat this person in more than thirty moves.

Ma Junwu brandished his long spear, unleashing a flurry of spear flashes as he launched powerful attacks. He also noticed that Ah Heng was acting strangely after receiving a palm strike from Sun Yanwan. He wanted to defeat Sun Yanwan as soon as possible so he could find a way to expel the cold from her body.

However, he didn't have Sun Yanwan's insight and couldn't judge the difference in their martial arts skills. He launched a fierce attack for more than ten moves in one go, but suddenly his true energy became slightly disordered and he couldn't get it up. Only then did he realize with horror that there was a trace of cold energy in his body.

Sun Yanwan activated the Xuanbing Treasure Mirror. With each clash of weapons, a wisp of cold air would be transmitted to him. Although each time it was extremely subtle, it accumulated and eventually settled in Ma Junwu's meridians, causing interference.

After Ma Junwu noticed this, he hurriedly circulated his internal energy to dispel the cold. However, this wisp of cold energy was extremely difficult to dispel. If he had not used martial arts and had stood still for a moment, it would not have been difficult to refine this wisp of cold energy. But if he wanted to refine this wisp of cold energy while fighting with Sun Yanwan, it would have been extremely difficult.

In particular, Sun Yanwan would send an extra wisp of cold air over them every time they clashed.

Ma Junwu wanted to retreat, but Sun Yanwan used the Wind Riding Technique, soaring into the air. Each strike of the Three Souls Two-Edged Sword was magnificent and thunderous, forcing Ma Junwu to use his spear to defend.

After seven or eight moves, Ma Junwu tried to forcefully raise his true energy again, but he almost couldn't. He could only desperately urge it on, and his true energy seemed to be tearing through his meridians. He blocked Sun Yanwan's long sword, but injured his meridians in the process.

Sun Yanwan suddenly sheathed her longsword, held the hilt upside down, and then channeled all her inner strength to strike down with a palm!
Ma Junwu was immediately terrified. He glanced back, gritted his teeth, and struck out with his palm, showing that he had no intention of running away.

After three blows, Ma Junwu felt a chill run through his body. He forced himself to exert his inner energy several times, but the damage to his meridians worsened. Feeling a pang of despair, he shouted, "Sun Yanwan, why are you aiding and abetting evil?"

Sun Yanwan held back her palm strike and said calmly, "I just announced my name. I am Sun Yanwan from Songyang."

"If you don't kill my fellow disciples from Songyang, I will definitely not kill you."

Ma Junwu cried out in anguish, "Did Ranqiu die in vain?"

Sun Yanwan said in a low voice, "If she hadn't encouraged her young lady to go out, and hadn't spoken out of turn in this kind of Jianghu feud, she wouldn't have died."

He had another thought in his heart: "If Aheng hadn't been persuaded by the maid to run away this time, not only would the maid not have died, but her mistress wouldn't have died, and the six Songyang disciples wouldn't have died..."

"Even if she could wait for Shi Si to return to the manor and meet her, just because of Shi Si's status, she would have to give her some face. This face would be enough to make 70 or 80 percent of the martial arts world not dare to provoke her. Even Hong Shentong, the leader of the Northern Beggars' Gang, would hesitate a bit when facing this woman."

Although Sun Yanwan had just advanced to the Innate Realm, his reputation in the martial arts world far surpassed that of Shi Si. After all, he had a history of killing the Northern Yan prince in front of top-tier and grandmaster-level experts, kidnapping the Holy Maiden Yang Diao'er of the Demonic Sect, and successfully escaping with the help of two unparalleled masters joining forces.

In the minds of almost all martial arts practitioners, as long as Sun Yanwan does not die, he will eventually become the next Grandmaster. In fact, these martial arts practitioners are even more confident in his advancement to Grandmaster than Zhang Qingxi is in his destiny.

No one wants to mess with such a future grandmaster.

But precisely because of this one missing aspect, Sun Yanwan had no psychological burden at all. Moreover, he knew that Aheng had once pushed Shi Si's mother, his future mother-in-law, and knew that this woman was cold-hearted, which was why he had the intention to kill her.

Ma Junwu had nothing to say. He forced himself to exert his strength and circled around Sun Yanwan. He no longer dared to fight Sun Yanwan head-on with his palm strikes. He could only hope to win a move or two by relying on his spear technique.

Sun Yanwan focused his mind on wielding his sword, remaining calm and composed. He was confident that he could kill Ma Junwu within a few moves if he launched a forceful attack, but why should he take the risk? With Ma Junwu forcibly channeling his true energy like this, he would surely collapse and die within a dozen or twenty moves, without Sun Yanwan even lifting a finger.

The two clashed weapons, making a clanging sound. Suddenly, there was a thud, and Aheng's body fell off the horse. Her body was already stiff, but now the horse couldn't stand the cold air on its back and moved a little, causing her to fall.

Sun Yanwan raised her voice and said, "Elder of Execution, I'll trouble you to deliver the final blow and bear the blame for killing this woman."

The execution elder, a seasoned veteran, agreed and used his lightness skill to pounce and strike down with a palm.

How powerful is the Dragon Elephant Returning to the Source Palm Technique, a direct descendant of the Beggars' Sect? The Execution Elder was at least at the Innate Realm, and this palm strike immediately caved in Aheng's chest and abdomen, making him look like he was beyond saving.

Ma Jun let out a mournful cry, finally ceasing his pursuit, sheathing his spear, and turning to flee.

He raised his voice and shouted, "Sun Yanwan, once I recover from my injuries, I will surely kill you."

Sun Yanwan couldn't help but say, "You may not be able to escape today."

(End of this chapter)