The Legend of the Condor Heroes: From Being Expelled from Peach Blossom Island

Chapter 374 Trading
The old monster ignored Wu Chengyu's question and continued talking to himself.

"My Northern Darkness Divine Skill couldn't absorb a single bit of your internal energy when we fought just now. What kind of martial art do you practice?"

This skill is somewhat similar to that of Wang Chongyang and the old Taoist priest on Zhongnan Mountain. Are you perhaps a member of the Quanzhen Sect? The Quanzhen Sect actually has a young master like you?
"No, your internal energy is somewhat different from theirs. Wang Chongyang's power is too rigid, while the old Taoist's power leans towards the yin and soft. You, on the other hand, are somewhere in between, as if you originated from the same source?"

During their exchange, the old monster did attempt to absorb Wu Chengyu's internal energy several times when their fists and feet clashed. However, the circulation of the five elements within Wu Chengyu's body created a strong resistance to external suction, causing the old monster to fail.

For a hundred years, this old monster has been researching how to restore the freedom of riding the wind. Although his moves are shallow, his understanding of internal energy is profound. He quickly grasped the connection and differences between Wu Chengyu, Wang Chongyang, and the old Taoist priest Zhenxiang, so he can't be considered completely useless.

Wu Chengyu was somewhat smug. He only came to explore the Remnant Dream Palace at night after he had mastered the Innate Skill and perfected the Five Elements. This was because he had absolute confidence in the Innate Skill after its mastery and could directly confront the Northern Darkness Divine Skill. Now it seemed that his previous efforts had not been in vain.

His innate skill has truly reached the same level as all the top divine skills in the metal-type martial arts, such as the Northern Darkness Divine Skill. The only skill that can surpass him is the Free and Unfettered Wind-Riding Skill, which has never truly appeared.

As for the Tai Xuan Jing, it is incredibly mysterious, but the martial arts in Xia Ke Xing are not closely related to the martial arts in other worlds of the Jin system. There is no reference point, so it can be ignored for the time being.

However, he was even more shocked by his discovery. There really were people with little combat experience, average talent, and who hadn't even reached the level of subtle understanding that a top expert should have, yet they were able to directly break through to the innate realm. This was completely illogical. The only explanation was...

Wu Chengyu looked up at the old monster and said, "Back then, Xuzhu obtained all the internal energy of Wuyazi, Li Qiushui, and Wu Xingyun. They were all super masters who had cultivated for nearly a hundred years, and were definitely at the innate level."

Because of this extraordinary encounter, Xu Zhu instantly became a super master of that era, and may even have become the number one master in the world later on.

Now it seems that your ability to directly leapfrog realms and become a Xiantian master is simply following the same path as Xu Zhu. The only possible explanation for this is that you completely absorbed all of Xu Zhu's unparalleled internal energy. Am I right?

The old monster hadn't heard the name Xu Zhu for many years, and there were very few people who still knew who Xu Zhu was. These two words were taboo to her, representing the things she had done that defied the laws of nature back then.

Her face turned deathly pale, her breathing became unsteady, and she stammered.

"Who exactly are you? How could you possibly know about what happened back then? And where did you learn... this name?"

Wu Chengyu narrowed his eyes and looked at the old monster in front of him again. He originally thought that the old monster had lived for a hundred years to have such profound internal strength and thus enter the innate realm. Who would have thought that the truth would be like this.

"Let me guess, I don't know if I'm right."

Back then, the Heavenly Child Granny kidnapped you from the palace and took you to an ice cave, where you were forced to lose your virginity to Xu Zhu.

You are, after all, a princess of a nation, and you have always looked down on the roughnecks of the martial world. Moreover, you are a person who values ​​appearances, so Xu Zhu's looks naturally cannot move you. Losing your virginity to someone you completely despise and look down on will naturally make you resentful and want revenge.

As Li Qiushui's granddaughter, you have been by her side for many years and naturally know everything about the Xiaoyao Sect. You also know that only a portion of the Xiaoyao Sect's martial arts are available in Xixia, so you must be extremely eager to learn about the Xiaoyao Sect's martial arts.

Since your aptitude is average, Li Qiushui did not teach you any martial arts skills.

After Li Qiushui died, Xixia held a marriage contest, and you met Xuzhu again. You learned that he was the leader of the Xiaoyao Sect and the master of the Tianshan Lingjiu Palace. Whether it was for revenge or to obtain the martial arts of the Xiaoyao Sect, you immediately chose to marry him.

Don't bring up losing your virginity. You Tanguts have never cared about that. As far as I know, your grandmother had many male lovers before she married your grandfather Li Yuanhao. You can't possibly wrong yourself just because you lost your virginity.

Even if a princess is promiscuous, countless men who covet wealth and status will want to marry her. Xu Zhu will never be your true choice.

Xu Zhu is naturally dull-witted and loves you to the core, so he doesn't see through your venomous heart at all.

After that, you spent many years in Lingjiu Palace. Xuzhu was completely unguarded with you and allowed you to choose any martial arts technique. You chose the Beiming Divine Art, but with your talent, you were never able to cultivate it to its highest level.

Finally, one day, you set your sights on Xu Zhu. That guy had no suspicion of you. You stayed in Lingjiu Palace for thirty years, during which time you must have found an opportunity to assassinate him. In the end, you absorbed all the internal energy from him into your own body.

That's the combined internal energy of the three elders of the Free and Unfettered Sect over a century, plus the internal energy that Xu Zhu cultivated himself afterward. Such a massive amount of internal energy is simply terrifying. I estimate that you won't be able to absorb it all, but even just a portion of it will be enough for you to eventually reach the Innate Realm.

It is a state that lacks the process, the true understanding of martial arts, and the rigorous training, yet it is still a genuine innate level.

As for the pitiful Xu Zhu, he probably didn't even know why you suddenly attacked him before he died. In the end, you drained him dry, leaving him a gruesome corpse. And both Lingjiu Palace and Xiaoyao Sect were wiped out by your hand.

And that guy you just fought, you mentioned Mei Jian, one of Xu Zhu's four sword attendants, and you even said he was Xu Zhu and Mei Jian's illegitimate child.

Let me make another bold guess: when you were with Xu Zhu, you probably didn't have any children with him, or you never even thought about having a child with him. You came from the Western Xia imperial palace, so you naturally had methods of contraception.

Whether it was to carry on the family line or because he couldn't resist the beauty of the quadruplets, Xu Zhu eventually had a son with Mei Jian.

After you obtained Xu Zhu's internal energy, you should have immediately attacked Xu Zhu's son, even using poison to leave him half-dead, until Mei Jian rescued him.

Now it seems you probably thought they were dead. You never imagined that, years later, Xu Zhu's son would appear before you in this way, trapping you in this Broken Dream Palace.

How should I address you? Meng Gu? Old Princess? Mistress of Lingjiu Palace? Or Venerable Canmeng? You've truly played a grand game. When fortune smiles, heaven and earth lend their strength; when fortune turns, even heroes are powerless. Xu Zhu has suffered terribly because of you.”

It seemed that Wu Chengyu had guessed almost correctly. The old monster's darkest past had been brutally exposed. Her face was deathly pale, and she nearly collapsed to the ground. "You, who exactly are you? How do you know so much? Could it be that you are the reincarnation of Xuzhu, here to seek revenge on me?"

Wu Chengyu pointed to his face and said, "If Xuzhu had looked like me back then, you might have happily married him instead of doing all this. Xuzhu was a monk, and his father was also a monk, but not a lama. How could he have been reincarnated?"

I only learned about the affairs of the Xiaoyao Sect by chance. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. I have no interest in exposing the dark past of a centenarian, and besides, hardly anyone knows about Xuzhu these days.”

"So what exactly do you want to do?"

"I want the martial arts of the Xiaoyao Sect. I have already obtained the lineage of Li Qiushui. You also have the ones from Wuyazi and Wu Xingyun back then."

"Why should I give it to you, just because you guessed some past events? I just don't want to talk about it, but that doesn't mean you can use it to blackmail me."

Aside from the martial arts techniques inscribed on this stone wall, I've hidden all the other martial arts techniques. You'll never find them. Even if I die, I won't let you get what you want.

Besides, if I kill you now, nothing will be revealed.

"But the problem is that you can't kill me. Someone like you, who is a 'natural innate', is actually a pseudo-natural innate. Once you reach that level, everything else is useless."

And you've seen my lightness skill; if I want to run, you'll never catch me.

I'm only in my early twenties, and you're at least a hundred years older than me. Your current physical condition can't be hidden from anyone, and if you keep dragging this out, I can wear you down to death.

Just like what the Western Xia emperor did, your fate now is to be trapped here and die, and you no longer have any palace maids to provide you with internal energy.

Let me think. You have at most one or two months left to live. By then, no matter how high your martial arts skills are, no matter how many divine skills and secret manuals you have mastered, and no matter how much you schemed and killed in the past, the final result will be just a pile of bones here.

Do you think that after you die, the Western Xia emperor will properly handle your funeral arrangements, or he will simply grind your bones to dust?

Are you really willing to accept this ending? I don't know what other plans you have, but as long as you can't get out, it's all just wishful thinking.

All I have to do is make a deal with you.

"What deal?"

"Give me the martial arts manual of the Free and Unfettered Sect, and I will find an opportunity to lend you a hand."

You know my martial arts skills. If you storm the palace again, I'll suddenly appear at the crucial moment and hold off Xu Zhu's son. That way, you'll surely escape. Then you can do whatever you want, I'll get my secret manual, and everyone will be happy.

"Aren't you afraid I'll kill you after I get out?"

"That's a matter for later. Whether you can kill me or not depends on your ability; it has nothing to do with me."

"Shall we leave now?"

"Your injuries have only just been suppressed. You even forced yourself to fight me just now, and you're in a state of heightened agitation. How much chance do you think you have of winning if you storm the palace at this time?"

"Let's set a time, four days from now, at the second watch of the night. You'll storm the palace, and I'll lend you a hand."

"Alright, in that case, you can leave now."

"That won't do. I need a deposit now. If you run away later, where will I get the secret manual from?"

"I can't possibly give you the secret manual right now."

"It's very simple. I already said it's a deposit. I want the Lingjiu Palace's Xiaoyao Zhemei Hand and Tianshan Liuyang Palm manuals."

"No need to dictate it. I'm afraid you'll try something funny. I don't believe you can remember everything. You've lived for over a hundred years, how much could you possibly remember? There should be some secret manual in Lingjiu Palace. Give it to me now, and this matter will be settled."

"How do I know if you'll show yourself again after you get the manual?"

"Then you'll have to take the gamble. You don't have any other choice right now."

　Thank you all for your support on the last day of July.

　　I'm requesting a day off tomorrow to recharge and hopefully be able to update three times a week next month.

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(End of this chapter)