The world of martial arts, the immortal swordsman in the mortal realm.

Chapter 160-175, Li Mi is doomed! The Queen of Darkness has arrived!

The pillars of the waterside pavilion broke, the four walls shattered, and the entire roof and the four people inside were crushed down.

The masked man in black slammed his iron rod down heavily on the floor, causing it to crack open. He then fell into the hole in the floor and landed with a thud in the river below the pavilion.

Dugu Feng's sword flashed upwards, piercing a large hole in the roof that had crashed down, and he leaped outside—he couldn't chase them into the river, as there were still many people watching him, and at least two pairs of eyes made Dugu Feng feel quite pressured.

There might even be experts lurking underwater, just like a few days ago when she ambushed Wen Caiting and other elders of the Demonic Sect.

The masked man in black with the iron rod escaped through water, while the masked man in black who had punched Lu Chen unleashed a barrage of punches before the rooftop completely crashed down, sending more than a dozen heavy and solid long-range punches hurtling towards Lu Chen like cannonballs.

Just as the falling roof was about to touch his head, he threw a punch upwards, shattering half of the roof into countless fragments.

Lu Chen had already turned around and was facing the masked man in black. His right hand pointed and thrust repeatedly, and sharp sword energies shot out, colliding with the fist force in mid-air.

A deafening series of airbursts rang out.

The shattered sword energy and fist force swept wildly in all directions, and the other half of the roof was also cut and bombarded into pieces.

The tables and chairs were smashed to pieces, and the floor was riddled with holes of all sizes, revealing long, narrow, straight cracks.

Seeing that Lu Chen had easily deflected all his punches, the masked man in black's eyes changed slightly. He knew that it would be difficult to defeat Lu Chen in a one-on-one fight, and there were too many people secretly watching. He did not want to suffer a mutual defeat with Lu Chen and become a stepping stone for someone else. He immediately retreated.

Lu Chen sensed the faint feeling of being watched in the surrounding darkness, but did not give chase. He simply stared at the masked man in black who had retreated to the river, stepping on a broken plank and speeding away like surfing, and slowly said:

"Think it through. You ruined my newly renovated waterside pavilion. If you just leave like this, I'll destroy the grand dream of the person behind you."

The masked man in black paused slightly, but did not stop, and swiftly floated away on the wooden planks.

Dugu Feng leaped to Lu Chen's side and said:

"Both of them are highly skilled in martial arts, especially the masked man in black who uses his fists; he is definitely a top-tier, veteran master."

Lu Chen said calmly:
"Chao Gongcuo of the Seven Kill Fist. He thought I wouldn't recognize him just because he's wearing a mask."

Chao Gongcuo, the master of the Seven Kill Fist, was a veteran grandmaster of the South China Sea School, a contemporary of Grandmaster Ning Daoqi, and his Seven Kill Fist was incredibly powerful.

He once fought Ning Daoqi in a duel on the Leizhou Peninsula. He was defeated by Ning Daoqi's ultimate technique, "Eight Strikes of the Scattered Hands," by only one move. He is regarded as one of the most outstanding veteran masters below the three grandmasters.

Lu Chen had never met Chao Gongcuo, nor had he ever experienced the Seven Kill Fist.

But he knew that Chao Gongcuo, the master of the Seven Kill Fist, was in Luoyang.

Li Mi's father had been kind to Chao Gongcuo.

At Li Mi's invitation, Chao Gongcuo has secretly led the masters of the South China Sea School out of seclusion to assist Li Mi.

Although he did not openly appear in Luoyang, he must have already secretly infiltrated Luoyang to assist Li in his scheme.

The black-clad masked man's cold, murderous, and fierce punch from a distance was even more powerful than Qu Ao's claw attack.

Who else could deliver such a powerful punch besides Chao Gongcuo?

Dugu Feng clicked her tongue in amazement:
"It was Chao Gongcuo? The person I fought must be Mei Tian, ​​the only other master of the South China Sea Sect besides Chao Gongcuo, who can be considered a master with the Qi Mei staff! But Chao Gongcuo is a pure martial artist and has no need for the He Shi Bi jade. Why would he come looking for trouble with you?"

Lu Chen said calmly:
"Naturally, it's for Li Mi."

"what?"

Dugu Feng was a little surprised:
"Li Mi dares to provoke you?"

Li Mi did indeed need the He Shi Bi jade to strengthen his own "mandate of heaven and legitimacy".

If he could even obtain the He Shi Bi jade, it might greatly offset the negative impact of his murder of Zhai Rang.

The problem is, how could Li Mi, a regional warlord, dare to provoke Lu Chen at this crucial moment in his campaign to capture Luoyang?

Lu Chen smiled:
"Li Mi wouldn't dare. This time it's probably just a matter of trying his luck, like shooting a few times even if there's no guarantee of success. What if he gets lucky and manages to snatch it?"

"Therefore, both Chao Gongcuo and Mei Tian wore masks. When their first attack failed, they immediately withdrew to avoid revealing their identities during a prolonged battle."

"But Li Mi didn't know I had special intelligence channels, and he also didn't know that I could be quite vengeful at times..."

Perhaps in Li Mi's view, with Chao Gongcuo's martial arts skills, joining forces with Mei Tian, ​​the second-best martial artist of the South China Sea School, one of them could fight Lu Chen while the other could launch a sneak attack. Theoretically, they had a chance to defeat Lu Chen and obtain the He Shi Bi without revealing their identities.

However, Dugu Feng's martial arts skills exceeded Chao Gongcuo and the other man's expectations. With just one sword, she managed to stop Mei Tian.

Having lost the opportunity for a sneak attack, Chao Gongcuo could only attempt a direct assault. When that failed, he had no choice but to immediately withdraw and leave.

Lu Chen couldn't defeat Chao Gongcuo anytime soon, after all, this old guy was a veteran master who could make Ning Daoqi use the "Eight Strikes of the Freehand Technique".

With too many people secretly watching, Lu Chen simply let him go. After all, the monk can run away but the temple can't. Lu Chen had already remembered the grudge of destroying the waterside pavilion, and Li Mi could wait for him on the battlefield.

He wanted to trample Li Mi underfoot on Li Mi's most triumphant battlefield, only then could he avenge the destruction of his waterside pavilion.

This is a brand new waterside pavilion that was only repaired two days ago!
Standing amidst the ruins of the waterside pavilion.

Lu Chen looked around, sensing the subtle, yet persistent, gazes he was receiving, and slowly said:

"The He Shi Bi jade is in my hands. Come and take it if you want it. But you all should think carefully. If I find out your identities... the fate of the Garuda army will serve as a warning."

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried far and wide, and people across the waterside pavilion and on the other side of the Luo River could hear it clearly.

Lu Chen's "Heart Sword" keenly sensed that many of the prying gazes became hesitant and wavering, and within a short moment, many of them dispersed.

There was no way around it; news of Lu Chen's battle to seize the He Shi Bi at Jing Nian Temple had already spread, and many people knew that even without using his true energy, he possessed unparalleled divine power and an indestructible body.

Many people speculate that Lu Chen can ignore attacks below a certain level. As long as the power of the attack does not reach a certain limit, then no matter how many people surround him, it will be meaningless.

As for where this limit lies...

Not everyone dares to test this.

If the test fails and angers him, the fate of the Garuda army will serve as a cautionary tale.

Therefore, even though Lu Chen's martial arts skills are not as good as those of a Grandmaster, he is more terrifying than a Grandmaster when it comes to military affairs.

Now that Lu Chen had spoken, any forces with self-awareness, no matter how much they coveted the He Shi Bi jade, dared not harbor any more illusions and wisely retreated.

Those few who didn't leave immediately no longer dared to harbor any covetous thoughts; they simply wanted to stay and watch the excitement.

Only a very few forces, confident in their top experts capable of breaching Lu Chen's defenses, still covet him.

In that case, Lu Chen directly named them:
"Is the Queen of Yin still waiting for someone else to take the lead for the Yin Gui Sect and wear me down? Unfortunately, the Queen of Yin's wishful thinking is probably not going to work out."

After a while of silence.

A faint sigh drifted from afar.

The sigh was soft and melodious, yet contained a hint of sorrow. It was like an invisible hand gripping one's heart, giving rise to a sense of grief, desolation, and even a feeling of utter despair. One's fighting spirit seemed to dissipate under the weight of this sigh.

It was the "Heavenly Demon Sound." Moreover, it was the "Heavenly Demon Sound" that the Yin Queen had activated.

Even Dugu Feng felt a ripple in his heart upon hearing this sigh, and his mood inexplicably became unpleasant.

There is a sense of emptiness and bewilderment, as if one has lost something precious but does not know exactly what it is. The original high morale is also somewhat worn down, and the momentum is dampened.

At this time.

Lu Chen suddenly gently grasped her hand.

The warmth of his palm instantly gave Dugu Feng a feeling of "losing and finding", and his spirits lifted.

Immediately, a surge of spiritual energy expanded from Lu Chen's body, enveloping Dugu Feng within it.

Under the cover of spiritual power, the influence of the Heavenly Demon Sound quickly subsided.

Dugu Feng regained her high spirits, glanced at Lu Chen beside her, took a deep breath, focused her mind, and held her sword intent high in her heart, no longer easily affected by external forces.

Lu Chen remained completely unmoved by the "Heavenly Demon Sound," only looking in the direction from which the sigh came, and said calmly:

"Why bother with these petty tricks, Empress Yin? Let me, Lu, experience firsthand the Heavenly Demon Art that has secured Empress Yin's position as the number one expert in the contemporary demonic sect!"

Before Shi Zhixuan recovered from his schizophrenia, Empress Zhu Yuyan was the number one expert in the Demonic Sect, and even the schizophrenic Shi Zhixuan could only be ranked second.

Another soft sigh followed.

This time, however, it did not contain any bewitching or demonic sounds.

With a soft sigh, a large ship slowly drifted from the opposite bank toward the waterside pavilion. At the bow of the ship stood a tall, slender woman in white, her hair piled high, her face veiled by a heavy veil, revealing only a pair of deep black eyes.

It was none other than the infamous "Empress of the Underworld," Zhu Yuyan, whose name struck fear into countless hearts!

Wanwan stood obediently beside Zhu Yuyan. Behind the master and disciple stood Wen Caiting, Elder Yun, Elder Xia, Shangguan Long, the Silver Demoness Danmei, and a monk and a nun whom they had never seen before.

The monk and nun should be the "evil monk" Fanan and the "beautiful nun" Changzhen.

The Yin Gui Sect, whose members are often active outside and whose identities are no longer secret, has now come out in full force.

Even Wen Caiting, who had a severe psychological trauma from Lu Chen, dared to step forward because Zhu Yuyan was backing her up.

However, there was still some fear in her eyes when she looked at Lu Chen.

"This is quite a spectacle..."

Seeing the grand display of the Yin Gui Sect, Dugu Feng not only did not flinch, but her fighting spirit grew even stronger.

Lu Chen remained expressionless and slowly asked:
"Where is Qu Ao? Has even a grandmaster started to hide his true colors?"

Zhu Yuyan gazed at Lu Chen, her voice soft and sweet:

“Young Master Lu has quite the courage, truly a peerless genius daring to oppose Cihang Jingzhai and Jingnian Zen Temple. I am not here today necessarily to fight Young Master Lu to the death. If Young Master Lu is willing to join my Yin Gui Sect with the He Shi Bi, I can promise that all the grudges between Young Master Lu and my Yin Gui Sect will be wiped clean, and your status in the Yin Gui Sect will be second only to mine.”

Although Bian Bufu was her junior brother, people in the Demonic Sect were all very pragmatic.

If she could give up the blood feud with Bian Bufu in exchange for the participation of Lu Chen, a peerless genius with a promising future who dares to oppose Cihang Jingzhai, then Empress Yin would be more than willing.

Lu Chen chuckled to himself:

"The Queen's conditions are far too insincere."

Dugu Feng nodded in agreement:
“That’s right. Why should my brother Lu be ranked below the Empress Yin? Even without the He Shi Bi, if my brother Lu himself joined the Demonic Sect, he should at least be the Evil Emperor, ranking above the Empress Yin.”

Upon hearing this, the members of the Yin Gui Sect all changed color. If it weren't for Empress Yin standing in front of them, they would have already started cursing.

Zhu Yuyan remained calm and composed, and said leisurely:

"If Young Master Lu could cultivate the 'Great Art of Planting Demons in the Heart of the Dao' and become the Holy Emperor of my Holy Sect, ranking above me, what's wrong with that? It's a pity that Young Master Lu's martial arts are not of the Holy Sect's style..."

"Then there's nothing to discuss." Lu Chen said calmly, "Whatever the Empress wants, let's settle this with our skills."

Zhu Yuyan gave Lu Chen a deep look and sighed softly:
"If possible, I truly do not wish to meet Young Master Lu with swords drawn..."

As soon as she finished speaking, Wanwan beside her, and Wen Caiting, Elder Yun, Elder Xia, Shangguan Long, Danmei, the evil monk Fanan, and the beautiful nun Changzhen behind her all flew out and attacked Lu Chen.

Well, it wasn't all of them attacking Lu Chen.

Like Wen Caiting, who unconsciously set her sights on Dugu Feng.

Dugu Fengqing shouted:
"Well done!"

With a flash of sword light and a sudden gust of wind, the roaring sword wind not only caught Wen Caiting, but also engulfed Wanwan.

Dugu Feng had long wanted to have a good showdown with Wanwan. Last night, Wanwan sneaked into the Lu residence, seemingly intending to poison Lu Chen's bedsheets. Dugu Feng caught her red-handed, but she escaped after only a few moves, much to Dugu Feng's disappointment.

Today's battle is bound to be a fierce one. Wanwan will not run away easily, so let's have a good fight!
Dugu Feng, alone with her sword, intercepted Wen Caiting and Wanwan, while the remaining people continued to pounce on Lu Chen.

But at that moment, two columns of water suddenly erupted from the Luo River below, and two figures burst out of the water. One swung his sword, unleashing a beam of clear yellow light that aimed directly at Elder Yun. The other unleashed a spiraling fist strike, blasting towards Elder Xia from a distance.

It was Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling.

Another long bamboo pole drifted swiftly downstream from upstream, and on the pole stood a graceful figure carrying an ancient sword—it was none other than Shi Feixuan.

She encountered Wanwan on the road and guessed that the Yin Gui Sect was going to forcibly seize the He Shi Bi tonight. Although she lost the sword fight and the He Shi Bi had been put into Lu Chen's control, she was absolutely unwilling for the He Shi Bi to fall into the hands of the Yin Gui Sect. Therefore, she decisively turned back and arrived just in time for the great battle.

Clang!
Amidst the clang of swords, the Colorless Sword unleashed a fleeting, dreamlike light, intercepting Shangguan Long and Danmei.

When Wanwan saw Shi Feixuan join the battle, she smiled and joined forces with Wen Caiting to force Dugu Feng away. Then she turned around to attack Shi Feixuan with Shangguan Long and Danmei.

But Dugu Feng relentlessly pursued, using his increasingly sharp and exquisite swordsmanship to cleverly encircle Wen Caiting, forcing her to move with him, while chasing after Wanwan.

Soon, a situation arose in which Dugu Feng and Shi Feixuan joined forces to fight against Wanwan, Wen Caiting, Shangguan Long, and Danmei.

The battlefield was on the surface of the Luo River.

A group of experts leaped and bounded across the river on small boats, bamboo poles, and broken pillars and debris from the shattered pavilion, making it appear as if they were fighting on water, treating the water as land.

The many masters of the Yin Gui Sect were intercepted by Dugu Feng and Kou Zhong, Xu Ziling, and Shi Feixuan, who came to help. The situation where a group of masters were besieging Lu Chen suddenly turned into only the evil monk Fanan and the beautiful nun Changzhen.

These two were elite disciples of the Yin Gui Sect, both of whom were renowned masters in the martial arts world.

However, his martial arts skills are still far inferior to those of the elders.

Suddenly, the elders who were the main force of the attack were all stopped, leaving only the two elite disciples, who were originally just there to offer some encouragement, to face Lu Chen. Fa Nan and Chang Zhen's hearts skipped a beat, and their expressions changed drastically.

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(End of this chapter)