Liver into a martial arts legend: starting with Embroidered Spring Blade

Chapter 150: Overwhelming All Sects, Single-handedly Subduing Shaolin! [Two Chapters Combined]

Everyone's expression changed, and they vaguely guessed the young man's identity.

Unexpectedly, he actually dared to come to Mount Song in full view of everyone!
Zuo Lengchan's heart sank. He forced himself to stand up, cupped his hands in a salute, and said, "Zuo Lengchan greets Lord Jiang!"

"I thought the Left Sect Leader was going to pretend he'd never seen me before."

Jiang Xuan's expression remained calm as his gaze swept over the numerous martial arts figures present.

Finally, he looked at Zuo Lengchan again.

"Today is a great day for the Five Mountains Alliance, a rare grand event in the martial arts world. I did not wish to spoil your enjoyment, but twenty-two Imperial Guards have been ambushed and killed, and two have been seriously injured. One of them was my personal disciple."

"I'm sure you've all heard about this matter."

"Therefore, I have no choice but to come to Mount Song to demand an explanation."

The crowd looked grave and began to discuss amongst themselves.

Although I knew that the Embroidered Uniform Guard was leaving the capital, I didn't expect that the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard would actually choose this day to go up the mountain.

Moreover, Zuo Lengchan had already dealt with this matter by cleaning up his own ranks and even spent a large amount of money to apologize to the court.

The commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard actually came.

Could it be that there's more to this story than meets the eye?

"Master Jiang!"

Zuo Lengchan's gaze swept over the people behind Jiang Xuan. When he saw Lin Pingzhi, who was coldly staring at him with a sword in hand, his heart sank even further, but he could only grit his teeth and repeat his previous statement:
"In this matter, it was our Songshan Sect that was at fault first, and I, Zuo, dare not deny it."

"But the culprit behind this murder, my junior brother 'Great Songyang Hand' Fei Bin, has already been expelled from the sect by me. I beg you, sir, to show leniency in consideration of my voluntary apology!"

"I, Zuo, once again apologize and confess my guilt to Your Honor!"

Zuo Lengchan bowed deeply, showing his utmost sincerity.

"Amitabha!"

At this moment, Abbot Kongwen of Shaolin Temple also stepped out from the crowd, raised one palm to his chest, uttered a Buddhist chant, and said: "The Left Sect Leader knows his mistakes and can correct them, which is a great virtue. Moreover, the culprit of this case, Benefactor Fei Bin, has already confessed his crimes and been punished. I hope that Benefactor Fei Bin will be lenient and let this matter end here."

Seeing that the monk Kongwen had stepped forward, Zuo Lengchan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

The expressions of the crowd became even more solemn. Shaolin Temple is the pinnacle of the martial arts world, and the Venerable Monk Kongwen is the current abbot of Shaolin Temple. He has been famous for a long time, and his status in the martial arts world is no less than that of many famous grandmasters and martial arts masters.

How this matter will end depends on whether this newly promoted master of the imperial court will give Shaolin Temple any face.

"That's it?"

Jiang Xuan turned his gaze to the monk Kongwen: "You decide?"

Kong Wen frowned slightly and said, "Then what else does the benefactor wish to do?"

"The martial arts world has its own rules, and the imperial court has its own laws."

Jiang Xuan said calmly, "As the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, I am responsible for monitoring the world on behalf of the Emperor and protecting the safety of the Ming Dynasty."

"As long as ordinary people are not affected, I can turn a blind eye to how you martial arts people fight and kill each other."

"But the Songshan Sect's ambush of the Imperial Guards is something the court absolutely cannot tolerate."

Jiang Xuan looked at Zuo Lengchan, his expression turning cold: "Do you think that by killing a few insignificant disciples, shifting the blame onto them, and giving them some gold and silver, I will give you face and settle this matter?"

"What do you take me for?"

Zuo Lengchan kept his head down and gritted his teeth, saying, "I don't understand what you mean, sir."

"It doesn't matter if you don't understand, but I'll make sure you die knowing why!"

Jiang Xuan said coldly, "Pingzhi, the Left Sect Leader has a bad memory. You should recount what happened that day to him again, and let everyone hear what happened, so that no one will think that I am abusing my power and enforcing the law unfairly."

"Yes!"

Lin Pingzhi immediately stepped forward, looking at Zuo Lengchan with resentment, and began to recount the events of the day he was attacked.

Upon hearing this, the crowd erupted in uproar.

Was it really Zuo Lengchan who carried out the ambush and killing of the Embroidered Uniform Guard?

But in order to exonerate himself, he pinned the whole thing on Fei Bin and killed him beforehand to silence him, which was truly ruthless.

Such a decisive nature sent a chill down everyone's spine.

"Well? Is Sect Leader Zuo still going to play dumb?" Jiang Xuan said coldly.

Zuo Lengchan's face was grim. He took a deep breath, looked up at Jiang Xuan, and said, "If you want to take action against my Songshan Mountain, just say so. If you want to frame someone, you can always find a reason!"

Clearly, he intends to go down this path to the bitter end and refuse to admit it no matter what.

Jiang Xuan sneered: "You really won't give up until you're completely cornered!"

"But since I'm here, I'm not here to listen to your sophistry."

"The Great Ming Code: Anyone who kills a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard shall have their entire family exterminated!"

"Even if you weren't the one who did this, this alone is enough for me to destroy your Songshan Mountain!"

After Jiang Xuan finished speaking, he waved his hand and said, "Pingzhi, arrest them. If they dare to resist, kill them without mercy!"

"Yes!"

Lin Pingzhi stood tall and proud, showing no fear even though he was alone. In front of countless people, he walked straight towards Zuo Lengchan.

Seeing his demeanor, everyone couldn't help but admire him secretly, while also feeling sorry for him. Such a talented person, if he hadn't joined the imperial court, would surely have made a name for himself in the martial arts world given time.

Many women were particularly fascinated, including Yue Lingshan, the daughter of Yue Buqun, who stood among the crowd at Mount Hua.

"Wait a minute!"

The monk Kongwen spoke again, standing in front of Zuo Lengchan, and said in a deep voice, "The imperial court and the martial world have never interfered with each other."

"The case has not yet been fully investigated by the benefactor, yet you intend to implicate the Songshan Sect using the laws of the imperial court. This is going a bit too far."

"If we follow the laws of the imperial court in everything, does that mean that if disciples of other sects commit crimes in the future, you will also implicate their sects and exterminate them, just like this time?"

"If we don't follow the laws of the imperial court, are we supposed to follow the rules of the martial arts world?"

Jiang Xuan narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "Moreover, who sets the rules of the martial world?"

"The river is the river of the Ming Dynasty, and the lake is also the lake of the Ming Dynasty."

"Can the rules of the martial world possibly supersede the rules of the imperial court?"

"Kongwen, I respect you as the abbot of Shaolin and a renowned martial arts master, but I advise you to think carefully and not to challenge my patience again and again."

"If Shaolin Temple is going to get involved in this matter, are they prepared to wipe out the entire sect?"

"Amitabha!"

The monk Kongwen solemnly said, "The Buddha said: If I don't go to hell, who will?"

“If you insist on doing this murderous act, even if I am shattered to pieces, I will not stand idly by.”

"Moreover, you have acted unjustly and domineeringly. I believe that not only will I not agree to this, but all the fellow martial artists present here will also not agree to it."

"Not bad!"

Standing in front of the Emei Sect members, Abbess Miejue suddenly spoke up, coldly saying, "Even the imperial court has to rely on evidence and reason when handling cases. The Songshan Sect has already taken the initiative to apologize and apologize. Moreover, the evidence is not yet clear, yet they come up the mountain to arrest people and exterminate entire families. Do they really think that we martial arts sects are easy to bully?"

"That's right!"

"Abbess Miejue is right. The imperial court is acting so domineeringly, we will never allow it!"

"If the entire sect is implicated because of one person's mistake, what if someone in our sect breaks the law in the future? Wouldn't we all be wiped out?"

"Does the imperial court really think we martial arts practitioners have no backbone, arresting whomever they want and wiping out whichever sect they want?!"

Immediately, public sentiment was aroused, and many sects voiced their opposition to Jiang Xuan's arrest.

In fact, they were also aware that there was something fishy about the case, and that the ambush of the Imperial Guards might really have been done by Zuo Lengchan.

But now, this is no longer just a matter for the Songshan Sect, but for the entire martial arts world.

If we back down today, who will stand up for our sect if such a thing happens to us in the future?

Therefore, no matter what, they must protect Zuo Lengchan and force the court to settle this matter.

Seeing that more than half of the people in the room had begun to protest, Ren Yingying and the others' expressions immediately turned serious.

Lu Xiaofeng and the others frowned, moved closer to Jiang Xuan, and whispered, "Sir, perhaps... we should just back down for now. We shouldn't push this too hard."

"retreat?"

Jiang Xuan coldly said, "A bunch of rabble trying to provoke the imperial court's might? That's just wishful thinking!"

Jiang Xuan turned his gaze to the Shaolin monks who had instigated the incident, sneered, and said, "Release the arrows!"

"Yes!" Ren Yingying immediately stepped forward, took out a crossbow, and fired a rocket into the sky.

boom!
Scattered sparks exploded in the sky, creating a dazzling spectacle.

The crowd gradually quieted down, realizing that Jiang Xuan had released the signal arrow. They quickly looked around and down the mountain, but found no sign of a large army coming up. They looked at each other, puzzled by Jiang Xuan's intentions.

But soon, a thunderous roar interrupted their wild guesses.

boom!
In the distance, a violent clap of thunder shook the heavens, as if echoing across the horizon, causing the mountains to rumble and the sound to reverberate.

"These are cannons from the imperial court!"

The crowd quickly realized the source of the sound and immediately panicked, feeling uneasy and incredulous.

Some people were so frightened that they immediately sought shelter.

The imperial court actually dared to take action and use cannons to attack them?

But after a while, no shells were seen flying in from anywhere, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly looked around for the source of the shells.

Suddenly, a monk's expression changed, and he exclaimed in alarm, "It's terrible, Master! It's Shaoshi Mountain! Shaoshi Mountain is on fire!"

The Shaolin monks were startled upon hearing this and turned to look, their faces paling with shock.

Sure enough, in the direction of Shaoshi Mountain, there were faint flashes of fire and wisps of smoke, clearly indicating that Shaoshi Mountain had just been bombarded.

"You... how dare you..."

The monk Kongwen was shocked and furious. He suddenly turned to look at Jiang Xuan, unable to believe that he would actually dare to attack Shaolin Temple.

Jiang Xuan said coldly, "This shot is just a warning. I have a hundred more red-coated cannons down the mountain, specifically for dealing with you."

"If Shaolin Temple continues to be so stubborn, with a single order from me, the entire Shaoshi Mountain will be razed to the ground in an instant!"

"Anyone who doesn't believe me can try again!"

Don't say you weren't warned!

One hundred red-coated cannons?

Upon hearing this number, the other martial arts practitioners in the room turned pale with fright, thinking to themselves that the imperial court had gone mad.

Anyone who's been around has witnessed the power of the imperial cannons.

Let alone a hundred gates, even just half of them would be enough to raze the entire Shaoshi Mountain, and even the entire Song Mountain, to the ground.

At that time, most of them will probably perish in the gunfire.

Is this guy crazy?
He himself was on the mountain; did he intend to take them all down with him?!

Everyone was stunned, trembling in their hearts, and dared not utter another word.

In fact, where would Jiang Xuan get so many red cannons in such a short time? There were only about ten at the foot of the mountain.

The reason for saying this was to intimidate everyone.

However, even just ten cannons would be enough to bombard Shaoshi Mountain.

With ten red cannons firing in unison, absolutely no martial artist below the Grandmaster level would survive.

Whether this ancient temple, with a history of over a thousand years, can be preserved depends on what Shaolin Temple decides to do.

Jiang Xuan stared coldly at the Shaolin monks.

At this moment, the Shaolin monks were also filled with terror. Many of them swallowed hard, trembling as they turned their gazes to the Venerable Kongwen, hesitant to speak: "Abbot..."

The monk Kongwen's face was grim as he stared intently at Jiang Xuan: "Does the benefactor truly intend to make things difficult for Shaolin?"

"Do you think I'm joking?" Jiang Xuan waved his hand and said coldly, "Release the arrows!"

Without hesitation, Ren Yingying immediately raised her crossbow to the sky, intending to fire the second arrow.

"Wait! Hold your hand!"

Everyone's expression changed drastically, and the monk Kongwen hurriedly called for a halt, his voice becoming somewhat shrill, no longer displaying his previous composure and refinement.

Jiang Xuan waved his hand, staring at him with a cold smile.

The monk Kongwen breathed a sigh of relief. After a moment of inner turmoil, he took a few steps back and sighed softly, "Our Shaolin Temple will no longer interfere in this matter."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and raised their hands to wipe away their sweat.

In just a few moments, many people broke out in a cold sweat and were soaked through.

Zuo Lengchan's face turned ashen, and he stumbled and stomped his feet in despair.

From the moment the cannons roared, he knew he was doomed.

No one can save him now.

Indeed, the outcome was exactly as he had expected.

Zuo Lengchan looked up at Lin Pingzhi with a venomous expression and said, "I regret not killing you, you little bastard, that night!"

"Even if I die, I'll drag you down with me!"

Stupid!
Amidst the gasps of the crowd, Zuo Lengchan suddenly drew his sword, leaped into the air, and slashed straight at Lin Pingzhi with the broadsword, which was nearly four fingers wide.

"Ah! Watch out..." someone shouted anxiously.

Lin Pingzhi's gaze was cold and stern. He drew his longsword with a backhand and fearlessly charged forward to meet the attack.

However, his current level of strength is still far inferior to Zuo Lengchan's.

"Ding!"

With just one sword strike, Lin Pingzhi's body trembled, and he was knocked back by Zuo Lengchan's sword, flying backward.

Zuo Lengchan, seizing the opportunity, immediately gave chase, his killing intent palpable, determined not to rest until he had killed Lin Ping.

He knew he was no match for Jiang Xuan, so he wanted to take Lin Pingzhi down with him before Jiang Xuan could react and come to his rescue.

But after Lin Pingzhi blocked his sword, he had already lost the initiative.

hum~
A blinding flash of light ripped through the void, like a bolt from the blue, stunning everyone.

Zuo Lengchan felt a growing sense of crisis, and the hairs on his body stood on end. He looked up in horror and saw the dazzling blade of light getting closer and closer to him.

At the critical moment of life and death, he suddenly awoke and instinctively raised his sword above his head, attempting to block the fatal blow.

Swish!
As the blade flashed, Zuo Lengchan froze, his eyes filled with terror and horror. He remained motionless, still holding his longsword horizontally.

Jiang Xuan reappeared in the arena, backhanded the longsword into the scabbard held by Lan Fenghuang, glanced at Zuo Lengchan, and said coldly, "You're courting death!"

clang-

The next second, the Songyang Divine Sword in Zuo Lengchan's hand suddenly broke in two and fell to the ground.

Immediately, a line of blood bloomed from between his eyebrows, and crimson blood gushed out like a waterfall from the gap. Then the blood line expanded, and Zuo Lengchan was split in two, falling to both sides, with blood and internal organs spilling all over the ground.

The whole place was dead silent.

The crowd was still immersed in the stunning sword light, captivated by the power of the artistic conception contained within it, until they saw Zuo Lengchan fall to the ground, split in two, and were suddenly jolted back to reality.

Then, there was another moment of horrified silence, utter disbelief.

With a single strike, a renowned sect leader who had been famous for many years perished. Even his protective inner energy was shattered by the blade's energy, leaving him utterly powerless to resist!

At this moment, even renowned masters such as Monk Kongwen, Master Fangzheng, Song Yuanqiao, Daoist Chongxu, and Abbess Miejue were all shocked and their hearts trembled.

With their limited perspective, they could naturally see how terrifying this strike was.

It was not only fast, but also almost flawless, containing an extremely violent power of artistic conception.

If it were them, they wouldn't be able to stop it either!

Is this the true power of the 'Overlord Blade'?
"Amitabha!"

After a long while, the Venerable Monk Kongwen and Master Fangzheng were the first to come to their senses. They looked at each other and sighed as they gazed at Zuo Lengchan's bloody corpse, chanting Buddhist mantras at the same time.

The others woke up with a start, their faces turning pale as they lowered their heads. Some swallowed hard, gasping for breath, unable to look Jiang Xuan in the eye.

"Master!"

"Head..."

The people of Songshan cried out in grief and rushed to Zuo Lengchan's body, their expressions filled with sorrow and indignation.

Ding Mian, the "Pagoda-Bearing Hand," suddenly looked up, staring intently at Jiang Xuan. His eyes were bloodshot, and he said with grief and indignation, "The imperial court is going too far! They killed our sect leader and want to destroy our sect. We're going to die anyway, so we might as well fight them! Kill them!"

"Kill them!"

"Avenge the sect leader!"

With a series of angry roars, countless disciples of Mount Song drew their swords and charged out.

Jiang Xuan swept his gaze across the surroundings with disdain and said coldly, "Those who resist will be killed without mercy!"

"kill!"

At a command, many figures suddenly sprang out from the crowd and charged toward Ding Mian and the other core members of Songshan.

Most of these people were dressed in black and carried swords, dressed as martial arts figures. They had obviously been lying in wait among the crowd. Once they made their move, they were swift and ruthless, moving around the battlefield like ghosts. With each strike, they could easily take someone's life.

"Ding!"

Ding Mian had just jumped off the Fengchan Platform when he was blocked by a long sword.

Then, another figure approached like a ghost. Before Ding Mian could react, an iron sword pierced his throat.

"Sword aura? Who are you..." Ding Mian clutched his throat, staggered backward, staring unwillingly at the boy in front of him, and finally collapsed to the ground, his eyes wide open, dying with unfinished business.

"What a fast sword!"

Many martial arts practitioners also noticed the young man holding a piece of iron and couldn't help but turn their heads in surprise, astonished that there was such a powerful expert in the imperial court.

But soon, his attention was drawn to others.

These people were all ruthless, like professional assassins, and every time they struck, they took someone's life.

One of the black-clad, tattooed swordsmen moved like lightning, his sword energy like rain. In an instant, more than a dozen Songshan masters were killed by him, including Lu Bai, the "Crane Hand," and Zhong Zhen, the "Nine-Bend Sword," among the Thirteen Protectors of Songshan.

Everyone has a sword in their throat, and only one sword.

"The Thirteen Deadly Swords? He is Yan Shisan, the 'Deadly Swordsman' of the Northwest!"

"I never expected him to have joined the imperial court!"

Someone exclaimed in surprise, recognizing the tattooed swordsman.

"The Water-Splitting Sword Technique? She's Drizzle, the assassin from 'Black Stone'?"

"Isn't she dead?!"

Another gasp rang out as someone recognized the female swordsman wielding the soft sword. The wounds on those she had killed were as fine as raindrops—this was the signature sword technique of Fine Rain.

Among them was a one-armed swordsman wielding a broken sword, moving with lightning speed. In just a few exchanges, he beheaded Tang Ying'e, the deputy leader of the Songshan Sect and the sixth-ranked member of the Thirteen Protectors.

Some recognized him as the one-armed swordsman who had killed the bandit Feilong in the northwest of Yunzhou two years ago, known in the martial arts world as the "Broken Swordsman".

The more people looked, the more shocked they became, finding it hard to imagine just how many masters the imperial court had recruited.
The master of 'Netherworld' shocked everyone when he first appeared before the people of the martial arts world.

Throughout the entire process, not a single person present dared to offer any assistance; they all watched helplessly as the members of the Songshan Sect were slaughtered.

Half an hour later, the battle gradually subsided.

Of the hundreds of disciples of the Songshan Sect, apart from a few who escaped in the chaos and others who were so terrified that they threw down their weapons and knelt to surrender, the rest were all executed.

Of the Thirteen Protectors of Songshan, only two remained: the White-haired Immortal Bu Chen and the Divine Whip Deng Bagong. From the very beginning, the two, along with a group of disciples, surrendered without resistance, obediently kneeling and begging for mercy.

But by then, no one was laughing at them anymore.

No matter who it is, it's hard to guarantee that they're not afraid of death in this situation.

At this moment, the surviving Bu Chen and others were pale-faced, kneeling on the Fengchan platform, trembling all over, with their heads down and not saying a word.

Jiang Xuan glanced at these people and said indifferently, "Heaven cherishes life, and today is the auspicious day of the merger of the Five Mountains Sword Sects. I do not wish to cause more bloodshed. Let's give Mr. Yue some face and leave a spark for the Songshan Sect. If there are any illegal acts in the future, I will not mind making another trip to Songshan."

Bu Chen and the others said in trembling voices, "Please rest assured, sir, this matter was done by Zuo Lengchan alone. We would never dare to oppose the court again."

Upon hearing his name, Yue Buqun was overjoyed and quickly stepped forward to express his gratitude, saying, "Thank you, sir! From now on, I will definitely discipline my disciples and ensure that such a thing never happens again."

"It better be so!"

Jiang Xuan's gaze swept over the people from all the factions in the arena once again. Wherever his gaze fell, there was a deathly silence, and no one dared to raise their eyes to meet his gaze.

Finally, Jiang Xuan turned his gaze to the top sects such as Shaolin and Wudang, sneered, and said, "Gentlemen, you'd better watch yourselves!"

After saying that, Jiang Xuan waved his hand and left with his men.

The purpose of this trip has been achieved.

How to clean up the mess is Yue Buqun's business.

Including the wealth of the Songshan Sect, Yue Buqun was a smart man, and he would naturally sort it out and send it to the capital.

As for Shaolin, now is not the time to fight to the death with Shaolin Temple; there is no need to push them too hard.

Even the Red Cannon isn't invincible.

If we were to truly destroy Shaoshi Mountain today, the hidden masters and grandmasters of Shaolin Temple would certainly not let it go.

Despite having made many preparations, Jiang Xuan was still not confident that he could deal with these people for the time being.

But one day, he will return to Shaolin Temple.

……

Only after watching the group of "evil stars" depart did the members of each faction breathe a sigh of relief.

Some people swallowed their saliva, while others wiped away their sweat.

But among the thousands of people in the audience, no one spoke first.

In the end, Yue Buqun stepped forward to take charge. He coughed lightly and said, "The dead are dead. Zuo Lengchan attacked the Embroidered Uniform Guard and now he has met this end. It is his own fault. But today, everyone has come for the merger of the Five Mountains Sword Sects. It is not good to let you come in high spirits and leave in disappointment."

Some people chuckled self-deprecatingly: "Can the Five Mountains Sword Sect still be called the Five Mountains Sword Sect today?"

"Why not?"

Yue Buqun said solemnly, "Although Zuo Lengchan is dead, the Songshan Sect still exists. Elder Bu, don't you agree?"

Yue Buqun looked at the survivors, Bu Chen and the others.

The group exchanged glances and then nodded repeatedly: "Sect Leader Yue is right. Our Songshan Sect has no objection to the merger of the Five Sacred Mountains Sects."

Just now, before Jiang Xuan left, he specifically mentioned Yue Buqun's name, and they naturally knew what this meant.

Those who know the current affairs are handsome.

Since the Songshan Sect members have all said this, what else can the others say?
So, after collecting the bodies of Zuo Lengchan and the others, the Five Mountains Alliance Conference continued, with the five sects competing in swordsmanship.

In the end, Yue Buqun, with his powerful Zixia True Qi and Huashan Sword Technique, overwhelmed all the sects and successfully seized the position of leader of the Five Mountains Alliance, thus achieving his wish.

During this time, Feng Qingyang, an elder of the Huashan Sword Sect, also made a personal appearance to support Yue Buqun, causing quite a stir.

The matter of merging the Five Sacred Mountains sects thus came to an end.

From then on, the Five Mountains Sword Sect was removed from the list, and in its place was a brand new first-class force led by Yue Buqun—the Five Mountains Sect!

But most people's minds were not on this matter.

What they are more concerned about is the meaning behind the current court's domineering actions.

After the conference concluded, members of various sects, including Shaolin, Wudang, and Emei, descended the mountain overnight to bid farewell and depart, eager to report back to their respective sects and discuss the matter.

The following day, as news of the events at Mount Song gradually spread, it caused a stir in all directions.

(End of this chapter)