Devouring Evil Martial Arts, Eliminating Demons from All Heavens

Chapter 453 Nine Stars United, Kunlun Gathering
Since Emperor Gaozong of Tang issued the edict banning marriage, the once powerful Gao family had already shown signs of decline.

Most of the powerful families in the court today are actually military and noble families that rose to prominence after the An Lushan Rebellion.

More than sixty years ago, during the upheaval that led to the reconstruction of the Tang Dynasty, some military families perished, but many others seized the opportunity to advance further.

Military families can also produce civil officials; so much so that for a time, more than 70% of the high-ranking positions in the court belonged to military families.

In both academic and martial arts, the vision and foundation of these scions of noble families from a young age are unmatched by any other family.

When Hai Donglai first proposed the idea of ​​establishing civil and military schools, many aristocratic families, though displeased, did not take it seriously deep down.

The so-called official schools existed as early as the Han Dynasty. Although they could select some outstanding talents, they could only be recruited by aristocratic families. How could they easily shake the foundation of aristocratic families?
They simply thought that Hai Donglai was a man of fierce temperament and strict character, and that he hoped to see more people in the world embark on the path of martial arts training to make him feel at ease.

However, after the Tang Dynasty established numerous civil and military schools, the pool of talent to be selected from the common people was simply too large.

Even if someone is originally the son of a commoner, after going through layers of selection, they will still receive a lot of resources from the official schools, making the external advantages of the sons of aristocratic families smaller and smaller.

With the imperial guards that covered the entire Tang Dynasty as a starting point, the number of official schools established far exceeded the small-scale operations of the Han Dynasty.

There were members of prominent families who secretly cursed and gnashed their teeth in anger.

The disciples trained by those old beasts in the Imperial Guard are not simply those who can read some classic texts and learn a few rigid martial arts moves.

More than sixty years, in the context of ordinary people, is equivalent to three generations.

Many once-powerful families have faded into obscurity, or even been completely eradicated.

The remaining families are all deeply rooted, with many successors, making them exceptionally difficult to shake.

The Pei family of Hedong was one of them.

Chang'an, Pei Residence.

The patriarch, Pei Dongcheng, with a golden crown, black hair, phoenix eyes, an iron face, and a long beard, was grinding ink and writing in his study.

The image of a beautiful woman adding fragrance to the inkstone and her delicate hands grinding ink has always been regarded as elegant by scholars.

When Pei Dongcheng was in his study, he preferred quiet.

Two old servants stood guard outside the door, while solemn bookshelves stood in the study.

There were no maids inside the house.

The ink stick swirls gently in the inkstone, making a soft rustling sound, and gradually shortens.

The ink, which should have been black, was ground into oval swirling patterns resembling silver threads on the inkstone.

If you have sharp eyes, you will see that each silver hair that makes up the vortex pattern is actually a slender, long, and sharpened sword.

Martial arts with heart and soul, business with heart and soul.

A powerful state of mind is enough to generate earth-shattering sword intent.

The eight hundred small swords in this inkstone are all illusions, but each sword truly possesses the power to slay tigers and bears, and to destroy souls and spirits.

Pei Dongcheng grinding ink was, in effect, sharpening a sword.

Suddenly, he sensed something, stopped grinding ink, and took out a three-inch-sized silver-white round mirror from his bosom.

"Another urgent matter?"

Pei Dongcheng squeezed out a little blood with his thumb and pressed it onto the mirror.

As the blood was absorbed by the mirror, his mind sank into it, as if he had entered a dark, misty place.

Eight other figures also appeared here one after another. Each one was blurry, as if shrouded in mist, and only a silhouette could be seen.

Three of them, like Pei Dongcheng, were dressed in ancient attire with tall hats and wide-sleeved robes.

There was another one, with her hair tied in a bun and dressed in a tight-fitting outfit, who didn't seem to have any distinctive features.

Pei Dongcheng had dealt with these people many times and already knew that these four people, like himself, were Tang people.

But there are four others who belong to a different race.

Sogdians, Tibetans, Arabs, and Turks.

People in the Central Plains were accustomed to referring to the various countries in the west, such as Da Qin, collectively as the Western Countries.

Located on a major transportation route between the Tang Dynasty and the West, the Sogdians established numerous oasis cities, where commerce flourished and merchants held high status, engaging in trade between Eastern and Western countries.

There were many Sogdian descendants who migrated to live in the Tang Dynasty. It is said that An Lushan and Shi Siming had some Sogdian blood.

The Nine Luminaries Harmony Mirror was originally a set of rare treasures belonging to the Sogdians.

This set of mirrors has nine faces, and the magical powers they possess are not offensive, but they can communicate at any time across thousands of miles.

Even if you are in the far north, in a lead and mercury mine, or on an unnamed island in the deep sea, it will not affect the operation of the mirror magic.

The Sogdians initially used these mirrors only to cultivate relationships with royalty and nobles in both Eastern and Western countries, facilitating illicit business dealings. However, after being discovered by those with ulterior motives, they took over the use of these mirrors.

The nine people who now possess the mirror are no longer the original owners of the mirror.

Over the years, they have repeatedly plotted and accomplished several major feats that far exceeded the interests of a small caravan.

"The matter of the Mountain King's Divine Drum has become more complicated."

The Tibetan figure spoke first, saying, "When the divine drum arrived in the Nanzhao territory, it was first targeted by several notorious bandits who had heard about it nearby and stirred up a mess."

"When my men caught up with the king of Nanzhao, they learned that the drum had already been acquired by the new king of Nanzhao."

Pei Dongcheng stroked his beard and said, "The new ruler of Nanzhao, Zheng Tianchang?"

"Do not."

The Tibetan figure said, "My men have inquired and found that this man's origins are unknown. It is said that he destroyed Zheng Tianchang's palace in a short time."

"And in full view of everyone, he captured the Fire Tree Monk with a single move and two techniques."

The figures present all shifted slightly in their postures, clearly moved.

Another figure with a tall hat said, "He captured the Fire Tree in one move; his strength is considerable. Can we recruit him?"

Pei Dongcheng glanced at the man.

Having worked together for many years, he had long suspected the identities of these figures in tall hats.

Most likely, they are from the Wu family of Huaixi, the Kong family of Lingnan, and the Li family of Zhaojun.

The one who spoke just now was from the Wu family.

"I'm afraid not."

The Tibetan said, "This man appeared and soon rescued Chengxin. It is said that Chengxin even called him his uncle."

Cheng Xin's stance was known to all nine people present.

Upon hearing this, the Wu family fell silent for a moment.

"Everyone!"

The Arab man spoke in a harsh voice, “You say that Kunlun is the king of all mountains.”

"That's why our organization is called the Kunlun Society."

"But those things I did in the past, though not bad, how could they be worthy of the title of King of Ten Thousand Mountains, who can arbitrarily manipulate all the mountains under heaven?"

The Arab man laughed and said, "Killing Hai Donglai and his conservative forces is imperative."

"They shared the resources that should have been concentrated with the common people, which had a very bad influence. Even in our country, there are now many more noisy insects chirping as a result."

"Only by killing them can we get everything back on track and create an incomparably glorious and noble era."

Of the nine people present, this Arab man's speech and behavior were always the most likely to create a certain fanatical atmosphere.

"Now that another old fogey from the old era has appeared in Nanzhao, what else is there to consider?"

"Of course it is! Cut him off, blow him to pieces, burn him, and make him cease to exist!"

The Wu family chuckled: "That makes sense. However, in order to prevent the current commander of the inner guards from going to meet the Divine Drum, we have already lost a lot of the forces we have secretly cultivated."

"Would this gentleman from the Abbasid Caliphate be willing to personally offer his assistance?"

The Arab man calmly replied, "I have come to Tibet at the invitation of the Mountain King to search for and persuade his remaining followers. This is of utmost importance, and I am afraid I cannot leave yet."

The Wu family members let out a sneer.

Pei Dongcheng stroked his beard and pondered for a moment, then suddenly said, "The overall situation is of paramount importance!"

“I will send another person, though only one, whose strength far surpasses that of Huoshu, and who is better at making decisions on the spot. He can be the leader of this mission.”

The Tibetans were overjoyed: "Is this man skilled with a sword?"

Upon hearing this, Pei Dongcheng knew that these people had indeed guessed his identity.

He nodded and said, "He has fully inherited my teachings, and is only a little less experienced than me in terms of years of refinement."

The Turks, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up.

“Alright, then I will also send one of my cousins, who is pure of heart and has profound boxing skills.”

The Turk said bluntly, "Let's find a place to gather all your people together, with my cousin as your deputy and the Pei family as your leaders."

"Let them meet first, then seize the drum and kill them!"

(End of this chapter)