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

Chapter 87, page 102: Lu Chen isn't human! He's a demon! [Requesting monthly votes!]

"The man surnamed Lu went to Tianzhu Peak, accompanied only by that demoness surnamed Huang. Neither of them brought their swords!"

In the heart of Hengshan Mountain, there is a secluded valley rarely visited by people.

Upon hearing the news brought by a heretical figure, Zuo Lengchan abruptly stood up and said in a deep voice:
"Are you sure he didn't bring a sword?"

The unorthodox person nodded vigorously:
"determine."

Yue Hou, the "Great Yin-Yang Hand" among the Thirteen Protectors, snorted coldly:
"To dare go out without a sword, this guy surnamed Lu seems to have become so arrogant that he doesn't even know who he is!"

Deputy Sect Leader Tang Ying'e smiled and said:

"It is because our sect leader is cautious and has not shown up in Hengshan City that the man surnamed Lu was unaware of our arrival and was so careless."

The group from Songshan did not appear in Hengshan City.

The main concern was that the news might leak out.

Intelligence indicates that Lu Chen has an excellent reputation in Hengshan City and is also on good terms with Ding Yi, Liu Zhengfeng, and Mo Da.

Even Tianmen Daoist and Yue Buqun's attitudes toward Lu Chen seemed quite ambiguous.

Even as the leader of the Five Mountains Alliance, Zuo Lengchan couldn't guarantee that the hearts and minds of the people would be entirely on his side.

The main reason is that Ding Mian and his group's actions were indeed suspicious. Given Mo Da's cunning and Liu Zhengfeng's "ulterior motives," he probably already suspected Ding Mian and his group's secret intentions in sneaking into Hengshan City.

Zuo Lengchan was certain that once he led his men into Hengshan City, even if he concealed his presence and secretly met with the Hengshan Sect, Mo Da or Liu Zhengfeng would immediately inform Lu Chen of his arrival.

Therefore, Zuo Lengchan's group of experts from Songshan did not show up in Hengshan City. Instead, they went directly into the mountains and did not contact any outsiders. They only sent those unorthodox people who were not openly related to the Songshan Sect to disguise themselves and gather information in Hengshan City.

Although the Golden Basin Washing Hands Ceremony ended several days ago, martial arts practitioners from all walks of life have not yet left, and many are still lingering in Hengshan City. This undoubtedly makes it much easier for those unorthodox individuals to mingle among them.

Lu Chen's martial arts are characterized by his stunning sword strike that instantly killed Yu Canghai, his bizarre movement techniques when slaughtering Qingcheng disciples, and the strange phenomenon when he fought Mo Da and Liu Zhengfeng together, where it seemed as if his front and back were both "front"...

Every method that Lu Chen had displayed in public was discovered by those unorthodox individuals.

Zuo Lengchan and a group of Songshan masters and unorthodox martial arts masters also devised many countermeasures against Lu Chen's martial arts.

But no amount of solutions can compare to today's news.

Lu Chen left without his sword!
A swordsman known as the "Divine Sword from Beyond the Heavens," whose swordsmanship is unfathomable, is undoubtedly much less of a threat once he loses his sword!

Zuo Lengchan made a decisive decision:
"Everyone, move out immediately! Surround and kill Lu Chen!"

……

On Tianzhu Peak.

Lu Chen and Huang Rong walked hand in hand on the moss-covered stone steps, heading towards Yanyu Cliff.

“These past few days, whenever we go out, there are always people sneaking around peeking in... nine times out of ten they are Zuo Lengchan’s spies.”

"So you deliberately didn't bring your sword today? To lure out the people spying on you?"

"Hmm. There's no reason to guard against thieves for a thousand days. The sooner we deal with them, the sooner we can have peace of mind. Besides, with my current martial arts skills, unless I'm facing someone like Dongfang Bubai or Feng Qingyang who uses a sword, it doesn't matter whether I use a sword or not."

In the second discussion, the five masters of the highest level, unless facing a master of the same level, are basically fighting bare-handed.

Lu Chen's skill has now reached the level of the Second-Rank Five Masters, and his swordsmanship, nurtured by numerous sword techniques, far surpasses the level of the Second-Rank. He also possesses a deadly sword move that is not of this world.

Therefore, even to be on the safe side, he felt that only Dongfang Bubai and Feng Qingyang, who both wielded swords, were qualified to let him use a sword.

Even Ren Wo-hsing was a bit lacking.

After all, even with Linghu Chong, Xiang Wentian, and Ren Yingying, four against one couldn't defeat Dongfang Bubai, who could casually pick up an embroidery needle. Ren Woxing even had one eye blinded by Dongfang Bubai, which shows how big the gap was between him and Dongfang Bubai.

"Is Dongfang Bubai really that strong?" Huang Rong asked curiously.

Lu Chen nodded: "Truly the best in the world."

Dongfang Bubai was not only incredibly fast, but also extremely skilled.

During the battle at Blackwood Cliff, Linghu Chong had already learned the Star Absorbing Skill and successfully absorbed the six true energies of the Six Immortals of Peach Valley, the two true energies of Monk Bujie, the one true energie of Zixia from Yue Buqun, and the full power of Hei Baizi. He also absorbed a lot of miscellaneous internal energy.

At that time, Linghu Chong's internal strength was already quite profound, enough to rival Yue Buqun, who had been holding back his Zixia Qi Gong for decades.

Despite his profound skill, when he unleashed the full power of the "Nine Swords of Dugu," it was easily deflected by Dongfang Bubai with a needle.

What is the size of an embroidery needle?
What is the size of the longsword?
With just a small embroidery needle, Dongfang Bubai could easily deflect Linghu Chong's full-force sword strike, demonstrating just how profound his skill was.

Lu Chen felt that with his current martial arts skills, he was qualified to open the secret cave at the Cliff of Contemplation.

Even if Feng Qingyang were hiding there, it wouldn't stop him from watching the lost sword techniques of the Five Mountains Sword Sect.

But when facing Dongfang Bubai, he felt he was still not quite confident.

Only after going to the secret cave of Mount Hua, obtaining the lost sword techniques of the Five Mountains Sword Sect, and sparring with Feng Qingyang to gain insight into the mysteries of the Dugu Nine Swords, can one be confident in facing Dongfang Bubai.

"Is Brother Lu Chen going to challenge Dongfang Bubai?"

"Now that I've come to this world, I should at least spar with the number one martial artist in the world and experience the complete 'Sunflower Manual.' Perhaps I can even learn something useful from it. In addition, the Demonic Sect once stole the Tai Chi Classics handwritten by Tai Chi Master Zhang Sanfeng. Those Tai Chi Classics contain the mysteries of Yin and Yang, which should be of great inspiration to my upgrade of the 'Old Man's Fist.' I want to borrow them from Dongfang Bubai to take a look."

"Dongfang Bubai has such a great reputation, but I don't seem to have heard of him doing anything earth-shattering?"

"That's because he has no ambition..."

Perhaps they originally had ambitions.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have tried to seize the position of leader.

But as he practiced the "Sunflower Manual" more and more deeply, he gradually turned into a shut-in who loved handsome men more than power.

The Songshan Sect has the knack for causing trouble because the Demonic Sect is now a disorganized mess. The "acting leader" Yang Lianting has no management skills and only knows how to bully others and exclude dissidents by relying on Dongfang Bubai's favor. He has not put any real pressure on the Five Mountains Sword Sect for many years.

We enjoyed the scenery along the way, chatting as we went, when suddenly a cool breeze blew by and a light drizzle began to fall.

The two had checked the weather forecast before leaving home and, knowing that it might rain, had brought umbrellas.

Lu Chen opened his oil-paper umbrella, and Huang Rong took his arm and leaned against him. The two of them shared an umbrella and strolled through the misty, rain-pattering mountains and forests. They felt that the rain and mist made the mountain scenery even more serene and elegant, like a fairyland.

They lingered in the misty, empty mountains until dusk before turning back down the mountain.

When you come to a place where there is a stone cliff more than three zhang high on the left and a narrow mountain path with dense forest on the right.

Lu Chen suddenly stopped in his tracks.

The rain is still falling.

The drizzle fell on the oil-paper umbrella, making a soft pattering sound, and then gathered into glistening droplets that trickled down the edge of the umbrella.

A light mist, like a veil, drifted with the mountain breeze, spreading along the mountain path and swirling around the two of them.

Lu Chen held an umbrella in one hand and had Huang Rong's slender waist in the other, looking down at the mountain path.

There was a person standing on the mountain path.

Wearing a straw hat, raincoat, and gray cloth robe, he leaned on a cane with both hands.

The man stood in the middle of the mountain path with his head down, as if he were taking a breather.

But when Lu Chen and Huang Rong stopped and looked at him quietly, he slowly raised his head and looked up.

As he looked up, his face, hidden by a bamboo hat, came into Lu Chen and Huang Rong's view. It was a very strange old face.

His face seemed to be completely flat, as if he had no nose, looking like a blank slate.

As dusk approached and the air was shrouded in mist and rain, an ordinary person would likely be startled to see such a strange, blank face, thinking they had encountered a mountain spirit or ghost.

Unfortunately, they couldn't scare Lu Chen and Huang Rong.

Looking at that strange face, Huang Rong's eyes showed only slight surprise, while Lu Chen's lips curled up in a slight smile:
"The Blank Board Killer?"

A strange smile forced a smile onto his blank, old face, and he spoke slowly in a hoarse voice:

"Were you also scared by adults using my name when you were a child?"

The Whiteboard Demon Star is indeed a fierce and malevolent spirit capable of stopping a child's nighttime crying.

When adults in the community discipline a crying child, they often threaten them by saying:
If you cry again, the Whiteboard Demon will come and capture you and eat you up.

The fact that it could be used to stop a child from crying at night shows how cruel this person was.

Lu Chen glanced at the whiteboard blocking the mountain path and said calmly:

"Did Zuo Lengchan invite you to deal with me?"

Now, a hint of surprise flashed in the eyes of the blank-board devil.

His friendship with Zuo Lengchan was unknown to outsiders in the martial arts world.

This kid actually knows this detail; he's definitely got some tricks up his sleeve!
A sinister smile crept across the blank-board demon's face as he said in a chilling tone:
"Didn't your parents teach you that the more you know, the sooner you'll die?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly took off his straw hat and threw it at Lu Chen.

The straw hat spun rapidly, emitting a shrill whistling sound. Midway through its flight, eight thin blades popped out from the edge of the hat with a snap. In the blink of an eye, a piece of rain gear had become a murder weapon.

Just as the Whiteboard Demon threw out his straw hat.

On the top of the more than three-zhang-high stone cliff on the left, three masked men in black suddenly appeared, each holding a large stone and hurling it down at Lu Chen and Huang Rong below.

From the dense forest on the right, countless hidden weapons flew out: throwing knives, iron lotus seeds, steel needles, flying stones... a deluge aimed at Lu Chen and Huang Rong.

Ahead, a fierce wind howled, blades were cold and sharp, and a bamboo hat containing powerful internal energy was placed on top of three large stones, each weighing over two hundred pounds. To the right, a barrage of hidden weapons rained down, blocking their path. At first glance, Lu Chen and Huang Rong seemed to be in dire straits.

however.

On the mountain path, the young boy and girl, nestled under an oil-paper umbrella, their figures appearing somewhat hazy and ethereal in the drizzle, mist, and twilight, showed no reaction whatsoever to this sudden attack.

As if resigned to his fate, he let the bamboo hat spin and slash at him, let the large rocks fall on his head, and let the hidden weapons hit him.

But soon.

The white-clad menacing figure on the mountain path below, the three masked men in black on the cliff top to the left, and the dozen or so men in black firing hidden weapons in the dense forest to the right all stared wide-eyed in shock.

Some people couldn't help but exclaim in surprise:
"how is this possible?"

What did they see?
Under the attack of straw hats, large stones, and hidden weapons, the already ethereal figures of the young man and woman in the drizzle, mist, and hazy twilight completely vanished into nothingness!
The boulder, the straw hat, and the hidden weapon all passed through the two afterimages, only shattering the rain and disturbing the fog!

Just like the two figures they had just seen were merely illusions formed from rain and mist!

"In Hengshan, you need to know some magic tricks... especially in these mountains where it's raining and foggy, and the sky is gradually darkening..."

A soft laugh came from the top of the rocky cliff.

The Whiteboard Demon and the dozen or so men in black in the forest looked up in horror and saw the black-robed youth holding an oil-paper umbrella in one hand and a graceful and beautiful girl in yellow with the other arm around her, appearing behind the three masked men in black on the top of the cliff!

"Otherwise, you won't even know how you died..."

The boy's voice drifted leisurely.

As he spoke, he still held the oil-paper umbrella in one hand and had his arm around the girl in the other.

But it seemed as if another arm had grown from his right shoulder, and with his fingers forming a sword, he made a light slash.

Sa——

There was a sudden rumbling.

The raindrops shattered into powder, creating a dreamlike, crystalline arc that swept across the necks of the three men in black who had just reacted and were about to turn and draw their swords.

puff……

The sound of a sharp blade cutting through flesh rang out.

The three masked men in black froze simultaneously, then fell from the top of the cliff.

While in the air, a spray of blood mist erupted from his neck, staining the surrounding rain and white mist with a faint crimson hue.

Poof!

The three corpses fell onto the mountain path, landing almost exactly where the boy and girl had been.

The Whiteboard Demon Star stared intently at the black-robed youth on the cliff with a solemn expression.

Even with his sharp eyesight, he hadn't been able to see clearly whether the boy's right shoulder had truly grown another arm, or whether some kind of illusion had been created.

In the dense forest, someone cried out in alarm again:
"Did you see that? It seems like he just grew another arm! What kind of sorcery is this?"

"They actually made us surround and kill him... This kid isn't human, he, he's a demon!"

"Shut up!"

The blank-board demon coldly shouted:
"What sorcery? What demons? Nonsense! This is magic! He created an illusion using rain, fog, twilight, and certain props! The Hengshan Sect has plenty of acrobats who can perform magic tricks; it's not surprising that this kid has learned a few!"

What he said is basically correct.

With Lu Chen's current skill level, even if it is raining and the sound of rain interferes with his sight and hearing, how could the ambush of more than 20 people really hide from his eyes and ears?

He had already been preparing this "trick" even when he stopped.

The environment was just right. Dusk was falling, the light was dim, there was rain and fog, and there was a rocky cliff on the left and a dense forest on the right, which was perfect for performing illusions and magic tricks.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the Whiteboard Demon learned his magic tricks from the Hengshan School.

He did indeed draw a lot of inspiration from the "Thirteen Styles of Hundred Transformations and Thousand Illusions in Clouds and Mist," a sword technique that combines magic tricks and the artistic conception of clouds and mist.

That is, bringing Huang Rong along to transform people into living beings, which is a bit more difficult.

But the problem is still not serious.

In just a few words, he had enough time to complete his preparations.

But even if we know it's just a trick or an illusion, so what?
Just like all the audience members who watch magic shows know that magic is fake, but how many of them can see through the secret of magic?
With a chuckle.

Lu Chen and Huang Rong, who were on the top of the cliff, became hazy and illusory in a mountain breeze, and then disappeared like mist.

Only a faint, ethereal voice remained, its direction uncertain and its origin unknown.
"The magic trick begins. Are you... ready... to run for your lives?"

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(End of this chapter)