Starting from the Tiger Demon Yaksha, the demon immortality

Chapter 186, Section 185: Undercurrents Surge, Puning's Challenge
"Junior Brother Zhaohu, how have you been?"

At the entrance of Tiangu Temple, Dezheng led the heads of the Arhat Hall and the Dharma Academy to welcome the delegation from Huishan Temple.

The latter group was very simple in composition. It consisted of only a strong, middle-aged monk leading two younger monks.

The former was Zhao Hu, the junior brother of Zhao Yang, the abbot of Huishan Temple, who was known as the "Tiger Hill Master".

If Li Cunxiao were here, he would recognize the two as Pu Xing and Puning, whom he had met once before.

“Junior Brother Decong is still in the alchemy room and cannot come to greet me from afar. You know him.”

Abbot Dezheng spoke in a relaxed and casual tone, speaking frankly and without any formality, clearly indicating that he was familiar with the other party.

The tall monk, who looked to be only in his forties, smiled knowingly upon hearing this.

"Of course I know Senior Brother De Cong's temperament. I saw it when he came to ask for pills last time."

"But if it weren't for that kind of undivided focus, how could one refine a top-grade pill? It doesn't matter."

As the group chatted and laughed as they entered the temple, the monks of Tiangu Temple on both sides of the road mostly cast curious glances their way.

However, Dezheng did not organize any large-scale gathering, so everyone simply watched Dezheng and Zhaohu's figures disappear into the depths of the temple.

Once the figure disappeared, they began to discuss it.

"Uncle-Master Dezheng, where are Senior Brother Yuanguang and Junior Brother Li?"

Puning silently observed for a long time, but still couldn't find the figure, so he couldn't help but speak up.

"Oh? My junior disciple Puning has broken through to the Yellow Court realm. His progress is quite rapid."

Dezheng smiled slightly.

“Yuan Guang has recently gained some insights and is trying to refine the first vertebra of his spine.”

Zhao Hu and Pu Xing were both moved by what they heard, especially the latter, who, like Yuan Guang, had already emerged from meditation and was trying to reach the sixth realm.

For them, breaking through the ladder is not difficult; it's just a matter of sooner or later.

However, as the current leading figures of their respective sects, they inevitably make comparisons in secret.

Upon hearing this, Pu Xing was naturally quite moved.

"I've also heard of that junior apprentice Li Cunxiao. After returning from Puning last time, he felt ashamed and became even more courageous, and he's been thinking about coming back to exchange skills and learn from me."

Zhao Hu was also quite curious. Puning was already considered quite outstanding among the younger generation of Huishan Temple, and his Immovable Black Dragon Sword had recently broken through to the Great Perfection realm.

At his age, this is truly remarkable.

He was naturally very interested in the outstanding person who could defeat Puning.

“Li Cunxiao, huh? In that case, I’ll call him over and let my junior brother give him some pointers.”

Dezheng's expression became somewhat subtle upon hearing this.

Although during this period, the other party was basically handed over to Qi Ci for training in a semi-public manner, and usually just practiced alchemy in the alchemy room.

However, from the few words Qi Ci occasionally mentioned, he also knew that Li Cunxiao's growth rate was terrifying.

Dezheng didn't know how much Puning had improved in the past two months, but judging from the strength of his aura, he was at most at the level of Huangting Xiaocheng.

"A friendly spar? But don't make Puning doubt himself; that would be a grave sin for this humble monk."

Puning was unaware that the old monk had already decided that he was going to suffer, and happily agreed upon hearing this.

Zhao Hu and Pu Xing noticed the subtle change in each other's expressions, but they didn't pay too much attention to it.

Tiangu Temple and Huishan Temple were on good terms, and their disciples would spar, sometimes winning and sometimes losing, but these were all minor matters.

They came because they had something more important to do.

Upon arriving at the abbot's meditation room, Puxing and Puning voluntarily remained in the small courtyard at the entrance, with only the two of them entering the room.

With a wave of his sleeve, Dezheng unleashed a stream of azure true energy, which then transformed into an invisible breeze that gently blew through the room.

"Junior Brother Zhaohu, you can speak frankly now."

"Senior Brother Dezheng's cultivation is becoming increasingly profound," Zhao Hu praised first, then his expression turned serious.

"Huang Chao and the Ming Cult's forces have joined forces and captured Xuzhou. Tens of thousands of troops are already heading towards Songzhou."

Dezheng's expression immediately turned serious. "Is the news true?"

"That's true. It was the head of the Zheng family in Xingyang who specifically told me this."

Dezheng understood upon hearing this.

Ever since he defeated the Ming Cult's vanguard, he had been keeping a close eye on their actions.

To put it simply, this chaotic army robbed civilians and acted like bandits, leaving families broken apart wherever they went.

Ironically, due to the seductive doctrines, ordinary people are often sold out without even realizing it.

For the sake of stability in Songzhou, Bai Xiangshan had long ago colluded with Dezheng, and was determined to be irreconcilably opposed to the Ming Cult.

However, with the current chaos of war, gathering information is more difficult than ever before.

In the past, one could catch snippets of information by observing the comings and goings of caravans.

Nowadays, there are separatist forces of all sizes everywhere. Some local tyrants have built fortresses to defend their territories, making it difficult for outsiders to infiltrate.

Tiangu Temple is, after all, a Buddhist temple. It can still manage to gather enough monks who eat vegetarian food and chant Buddhist scriptures, but where would it get so many well-trained spies?
Therefore, in terms of gathering information, they are certainly not as good as the long-established Zheng family of Xingyang.

"So, Junior Brother, you've come to discuss joining forces to defend the city?"

Zhao Hu nodded, "Not bad."

"Huang Chao and the Ming Cult's army are as ferocious as beasts, and have committed many acts of massacring cities. Senior Brother Zhaoyang has made up his mind."

"Even if we disregard the holy emperor on the throne in Xijing, we must consider the millions of people in Bianzhou and keep the rebel army at bay outside the gates of Songzhou!"

Dezheng nodded in agreement and had no objection.

Heading west from Xuzhou, one passes through Songzhou, Bianzhou, and Zhengzhou, before reaching Luoyang, the eastern capital.

Unless Huang Chao and the Ming Cult's army are willing to detour through Caozhou, north of Songzhou, Songzhou is an unavoidable gateway.

However, with tens of thousands of troops on the march, feeding the people and horses, taking detours would only add to the burden, and the daily consumption of food and fodder would be a huge expense.

Therefore, it is quite possible that the other side chose to drive straight in from Songzhou.

"Senior Brother Dezheng, there is actually another question I would like to ask you."

Zhao Hu's expression held a hint of probing. "I've heard that the 'Laughing Buddha' senior is in Songzhou."

Dezheng's eyes flickered, and he was about to speak when the two of them suddenly stopped and looked towards the door.

The next moment, Puning's shocked voice came from outside the door:
"The Great Completion of the Yellow Court Classic?!"

A quarter of an hour ago.

Li Cunxiao followed behind a young novice monk, pondering as he walked.

Just now, Dezheng sent someone to summon him, and he came as promised.

"There have been no religious ceremonies or festivals recently, so the people from Huishan Temple came at this time."

Zhao Yang, the abbot of Huishan Temple, is a master of martial arts as renowned as De Zheng of Tiangu Temple.

Throughout the entire Henan Province, the only ones who could rival or even defeat these two were Zheng Lang, the head of the Zheng family of Xingyang, and Zhu Quanzhong, the Prince of Liang, who was practically half the ruler of Henan Province.

Strangely enough, while the Ming Cult was stirring up trouble in Henan Province, Zhu Quanzhong's Xuanwu Army and Yicheng Army remained inactive.

According to news from the past few months, Zhu Quanzhong's troops only arrive late, after the Ming Cult and Huang Chao have already wreaked havoc.

"Could it be that they're using someone else to do their dirty work? To eliminate dissidents?"

"The Ming Cult and Huang Chao are committing all sorts of evil deeds. Will Zhu Quanzhong come again to save the people from their suffering and restore order?"

Li Cunxiao thought about it more and more and it seemed very possible. Of the sixteen circuits in the world, apart from the capital circuit which gathered the essence of the Qin Dynasty, the Henan circuit and the Jiangnan circuit were the most prosperous.

Compared to the latter, Henan Province had a much larger territory, stretching from the heart of the empire all the way to the coast of the East China Sea.

This is why Zhu Quanzhong, the Prince of Liang, was the most powerful among the many regional warlords. However, he also had vast territories, numerous wealthy local tyrants, and was hampered by established families like the Zheng family of Xingyang.

To date, Zhu Quanzhong has only managed to consolidate the central and northeastern parts of Henan Province, roughly three-quarters of the entire province's power.

The remaining quarter in the southwest, however, remained unconquered due to its proximity to Luoyang, the eastern capital, and the covert interference of the central government. "The court isn't stupid. If they allow Zhu Quanzhong to capture Zhengzhou and Bianzhou, then to march on Luoyang, he only needs to go down the Tongji Canal—wouldn't that be incredibly easy?"

"If the Eastern Capital is controlled, how can the Western Capital possibly escape unscathed?"

Lost in thought, Li Cunxiao found himself outside the meditation room.

Before even getting close, a surge of fighting spirit rushed into his senses.

"Senior Brother Puning? Senior Brother Puxing?"

Before he could finish speaking, Puning had already stepped forward quickly, about to say something, when a hint of doubt suddenly appeared on his enthusiastic face.

Pu Xing's cultivation level was higher than his junior brother's. The moment he saw Li Cunxiao, he felt a chill run down his spine, which greatly shocked him.

'Junior Brother Li's presence actually makes me feel a slight threat?'

He was already at the perfect form, just one step away from being able to refine his spine like Yuan Guang and step onto the ladder to heaven.

Even a master of the Yellow Court technique at its peak could be easily defeated by him.

At the True Form Realm, humans and demons merge, resulting in a significant increase in combat power.

Therefore, it would be incredible if he felt even the slightest threat.

While Pu Xing was still in a daze, Puning was already impatient.

"Junior Brother Li, we agreed last time that we would spar again after you advance to the Yellow Court level."

"I see that my junior brother is full of energy and spirit; there's no time like the present, let's do it now."

"Brother Puning," Li Cunxiao said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

This person is truly a pure soul, with only swords and martial arts in his heart, and he is not disliked.

But now he has already achieved the Great Perfection of the Yellow Court, and the Nine Meridians are fully connected. Even someone like Yuanjue, who has accumulated years of Yellow Court perfection, must submit to him.

Judging from the other party's appearance, he is at most at the level of Huangting Xiaocheng.

If we were to fight, it would likely damage our relationship.
"Junior Brother Li, it's good to teach him a lesson."

Pu Xing snapped out of his daze, seemingly understanding something, and gave him a deep look.

"Lessons? What lessons?"

Puning was completely confused, but Li Cunxiao, seeing that Pu Xing had already said so, no longer declined.

He took a few steps back, put his hands in a boxing stance, and his posture was very relaxed.

"Senior Brother Puning, please."

He doesn't even need to use magic weapons? Has his strength already surpassed Puning's by so much?

Pu Xing was taken aback, while Puning was somewhat annoyed upon seeing this:
"Junior Brother Li, aren't you going to draw your sword?"

Li Cunxiao thought to himself, "If I draw my sword, you'll probably have to be carried out."

But before he could explain, Puning's hand gripped the hilt of his sword, and his expression calmed down.

Once he grasped the sword, he wouldn't think about anything else.

Whether Li Cunxiao was being arrogant or using reverse psychology, it didn't matter.

Everything will be decided in the sword!

Clang~~~~
The silver blade flashed as it was drawn, accompanied by a long, deep, clear murmur.

In the short distance of ten steps, with each step Puning took, the pattern of the giant dragon on the ring-pommel sword would light up a little more.

After taking ten steps, Puning's presence had vanished without a trace, leaving only the long sword, its dark true energy clinging to it, resembling a black dragon soaring through the air.

It wasn't a big event, but it occupied all of my vision, making it impossible to look away even for a moment.

In his eyes, there was only the glint of swords;
All I could hear was the roar of the dragon!
"Junior Brother's Immovable Black Dragon Sword is not far from perfection."

Pu Xing secretly admired his junior brother, who was the most outstanding swordsman in Huishan Temple in decades.

He is single-minded in his sword and martial arts. Although he may sometimes seem out of touch with human relationships, his heart for swordsmanship is honed to an extremely pure state.

Kurikara the Great Dragon is the dragon coiled around the sword in the hand of Acala.

Its immense power to subdue heretics and conquer all things goes without saying, but more importantly, it lies in "immovability".

As still as a mountain, my mind remains unmoved, and so does the sword in my hand.

Once issued, it cannot be changed unless the swordsman dies!
Puning's sword strike clearly demonstrated that he had grasped the essence of the Immovable Black Dragon Sword.

Pu Xing was even more curious at this moment: how would Li Cunxiao deal with this move without using magic weapons?
"What a sharp sword, what a focused sword."

As Li Cunxiao watched the sword light approaching, another force seemed to rise from the earth, imprisoning him in place and forcing him to face this deadly sword strike.

However, he didn't need to hide.

The True Qi of Flame Flowed out from his hands, and as he drew circles and intertwined, a silver wheel appeared in front of Li Cunxiao.

The moment the silver wheel appeared, everything before Puning's eyes changed.

Just a moment ago, I was facing a single person, but in the blink of an eye, that person vanished.

The black dragon, baring its fangs and claws, pounced, only to find itself surrounded by a vast ocean, upon which lay three magnificent continents.

Above the continent, there seem to be inverted mountain peaks reaching towards the sky.

It's like a small boat that has ventured into an endless ocean.

The power that was originally united as one instantly disintegrated and became lost.

"Ding"

The blade made a crisp sound when it touched the palm.

Puning stared at the "black dragon" subdued in Li Cunxiao's palms, his brain seemingly turned into a lump of mush.

"True Qi Released Externally. Yellow Court Great Completion?!"

how come?
how come? !

"Junior Brother Li, you really are something else."

Pu Xing looked at his stunned junior brother and couldn't help but smile bitterly.

After two months apart, Puning opened three meridians, averaging one meridian every twenty days, which is already quite fast.

However, the opponent had achieved the Great Perfection of the Yellow Court, and had at least opened up seven main meridians, which directly doubled the speed.

'Now look what happened. I wanted to teach them a lesson, but it seems it will leave a lasting negative impression.'

Pu Xing composed himself and stepped forward to pat Puning on the shoulder.

The latter blankly sheathed his sword, then his face flushed slightly as if he had thought of something.

Although he lost the last Hungry Ghost Festival, he considered himself to have met his match.

After returning, he practiced swordsmanship and internal energy even more diligently, not to avenge his defeat, but to prepare for another exhilarating battle.

But that sword strike just now shattered his wishful thinking.

He launched a full-force attack, but his opponent easily broke through it.

The technique itself wasn't particularly sophisticated, but the surging, powerful inner energy possessed a simple beauty that left one with no excuse.

"Senior Brother Puning."

Li Cunxiao wanted to comfort him, but in the end he gave up.

He directly crushed his opponent with his cultivation level, and the outcome was clear.

Given Puning's personality, saying polite words at this moment would only embarrass him.

"Your temple has produced a great talent!"

The door to the meditation room suddenly opened, and Zhao Hu stepped out with an appreciative look on his face. The three people outside hurriedly bowed.

However, the middle-aged monk's gaze lingered only on Li Cunxiao. Turning back to Dezheng, he smiled knowingly.
"But Senior Brother Dezheng, this fist technique doesn't seem to be the true teaching of Tiangu Temple?"

(End of this chapter)