Starting with the divine power of the Great Vajra, he traversed the heavens.

Chapter 169 Night Rain in Bashan
In early autumn, the weather was still very hot.

Shaolin Temple in Songshan.

Abbot's Room.

Master Bitter Gourd strode in and saw that the room was already full of people.

The leaders of many powerful forces, such as the Kunlun Sect, Laoshan Sword Sect, Huaixi Eagle Claw Sect, Lingnan Five Tigers Sect, Qin Family Village, Nangong Family, and Sanjue Manor, all gathered here.

Looking worried.

The Great Compassionate Zen Master remained silent, his face as still as water, as he drank his tea.

Master Bitter Gourd said, "Abbot, Master Mu has already set off to return to Wudang Mountain."

The Great Compassionate Zen Master asked in a gentle voice, "Is Elder Mu feeling any better?"

Master Bitter Gourd smiled bitterly: "Upon hearing that Wudang had been destroyed, Daoist Mu spat out blood, his face turned ashen, and he roared for revenge. I couldn't stop him and was knocked down. When I stood up, Daoist Mu was nowhere to be seen."

The Great Compassionate Zen Master remained silent for a long while, then sighed, "The destruction of Wudang was truly unexpected by everyone. Elder Mu is overwhelmed with grief; I hope nothing untoward has happened to him." He looked at Master Bitter Gourd, "Junior Brother, are you alright?"

Master Bitter Gourd shook his head: "Aside from a slight tightness in my chest, there's nothing seriously wrong."

The Great Compassionate Master lowered his eyes, held a string of prayer beads, and said softly, "That's good."

At this moment, Kunlun Sect Leader Zhenyangzi couldn't help but interject, "Abbot Dabei, ever since Ren Jianshen and his two companions swept through Luoyang and were invincible, the power of the demonic path has grown and they have become increasingly rampant. Now that Wudang has been destroyed, the chaos in the martial world has been established, and the fighting in various parts of the martial world is even greater than before."

"The great situation we have built up over the past century is now in a precarious state."

The Great Compassionate Zen Master glanced at him and said indifferently, "What insightful opinion does Sect Leader Zhenyangzi have? Please speak freely."

Zhenyangzi raised an eyebrow and, amidst the chorus of agreement, cupped his hands and said, "Master, under the leadership of Ren Jianshen and others, the evil path has likely gained momentum again, greatly increasing the possibility of a major war between the righteous and evil paths in the future."

"Now that Wudang has been wiped out, the situation is completely different for us. The best course of action now is not to further disperse our forces, but to achieve our goal in one decisive battle. With Shaolin taking the lead, we should kill the three villains at the foot of Shaoshi Mountain. That is the only right thing to do!"

Upon hearing this, all the sect leaders below nodded in agreement.

"Yes, yes! Recently, several notorious thieves and lechers have emerged near Laoshan, which was truly unimaginable in the past."

"Ren Jianshen and his two companions are too skilled in martial arts and their weapons are too powerful. If we rely on ourselves, what difference is there between us and throwing eggs against rocks?"

"Yes, yes! Now that Wudang is gone, Shaolin is the leader of the righteous path. It should join forces to uphold the banner of righteousness and fight the three villains to the death on Mount Song!"

"That's right, now is not the time for a one-man show! Our small sect is no match for the might of the three fiends."

Hearing this, the many sect leaders were all in an uproar, saying the same thing.

With a calm gaze, the Great Compassionate Zen Master turned his prayer beads and slowly said, "Everyone, please be quiet for a moment."

His voice was neither hurried nor slow, yet it was like a morning bell and evening drum, causing the sect leaders' blood to surge and they all fell silent, looking at the old monk.

The Great Compassionate Zen Master looked out the window and put his hands together in prayer: "The recent turmoil in the martial world is all due to the three evil demons' formidable power and ruthless methods, which are the source of all the chaos."

The old monk calmly surveyed the crowd, then deliberately said, "They are the Three Fiends! Not Ren Jianshen, the Blood-Clad Man, or the Blade Emperor. They are the true demons, the demons who are fighting us to the death!"

Upon hearing this, Zhenyangzi and the others all changed color.

The Great Compassionate Zen Master said, “Since all the sect leaders have the heart to eliminate demons and follow the lead of Shaolin, then this old monk will not shirk his duty.”

"Momordica charantia!"

Master Bitter Gourd stepped forward, clasped his hands together, and said, "Abbot, senior brother."

The Great Compassionate Zen Master said, “A hundred years have passed, and the past is but a passing cloud. My Shaolin still exists in this world, and it is time for a resolution between good and evil.” He looked at Bitter Gourd and said, “Go and call Junior Brother Iron Shoulder. This old monk needs him to deliver a letter.”

"Yes."
-
The autumn rain was falling, and the bluestone ground was already damp.

On the second floor of "Youjian Inn" in Dazhou, Sichuan.

Ren Shaoyang stood with his hands behind his back by the window, looking at the distant Bashan Mountains with some curiosity.

As the saying goes: "In the night rain of Bashan, we talk about the divine sword."

There are seven major background elements in Gu Long's world: the Peng Family Five Tigers' Broken Gate Saber, the Twelve Linked Forts, the Nangong Family, the Xiaoxiang Swordsmen, the Bashan Gu Daoren, the Sichuan Tang Clan, and the Demonic Cult.

When it comes to swordsmanship, one cannot ignore Gu Daoren of Bashan.

The "Forty-Nine Styles of Returning Wind and Willow Sword" has been passed down in the martial arts world for hundreds of years.

They have been traveling for the past few days, from Hubei to Fuzhou, and then from Fuzhou to here.

On a whim, Ren Shaoyang decided to go and see this renowned backdrop.

Thinking of this, Ren Shaoyang turned his head and saw Hongxiu and Ding'an resting their heads on the table, looking rather bored.

"Are you guys hungry?" Ren Shaoyang raised an eyebrow.

"Click!"
Ding An raised his prosthetic hand, and the wooden palm opened, revealing that it was empty.

Hongxiu pointed inside and said sweetly, "It's gone!"

"Alright, alright, I'll go out and buy you some food." Ren Shaoyang shook his head helplessly.

"Hurry up and come back quickly!" Hongxiu shouted, "Otherwise, I'll get so hungry that I'll go down and gnaw on the white donkey."

As soon as these words were spoken, a loud braying came from downstairs, clearly from the white donkey.

Ren Shaoyang smiled helplessly: "Greedy girl, lecherous donkey." He glanced at Ding An, who was grinning foolishly, and said without changing his expression, "There's another foolish donkey next to you." After saying that, he picked up his paper umbrella and went downstairs.

After he walked for a while, Ding'an finally realized what was happening and looked suspiciously towards the door: "Did the cripple just curse at me?"

Hongxiu rolled her eyes at him: "He's insulting me!"

"Oh~!"

Ren Shaoyang went for a walk on the street and bought some duck cakes and some braised food.

The duck cake was a bit sour but soft and chewy, and the braised dishes were also fresh and spicy. Ren Shaoyang ate some, and the rest was mostly eaten by Xiao Jiaohua and Ding'an.

Just as the three of them were eating, the light rain outside intensified, and the lobby downstairs began to fill with people.

These people were almost all martial arts practitioners who carried swords and knives. As soon as they sat down, they began to talk eagerly even before the food and wine were served.

"Did you hear that?"

"What's wrong?"

The two questions that were asked and answered most often by the swindlers in the lobby were these two sentences.

Meanwhile, upstairs, three people were each holding a chilled watermelon and eating it with spoons. Hongxiu stuffed a large spoonful of watermelon into her mouth and muttered, "What are they saying downstairs?"

"I do not know!"

Ding'an spat out watermelon seeds with a "poof poof poof" sound, just like a pea shooter.

Ren Shaoyang took a bite of watermelon and mumbled, "In the end, it's all about us."

At that moment, the sounds continued to come from the lobby downstairs.

"Three villains, three villains!" someone exclaimed, but it was an old man in his eighties. "These three young men appeared out of nowhere and caused bloodshed in the martial world. It's truly terrifying!"

His remark immediately drew a response from the crowd, with someone chiming in, "These three look to be no more than twenty years old, how can they be so strong?"

"Hmph, divine weapons, huh!" a skinny monkey sneered. "If I had a divine sword and a demonic blade in my hand, I would be no less than them!"

"Pah!" the old man spat. "With your pathetic skills, even a divine weapon wouldn't be enough to protect you!"

"The three of them traveled from north to south and from south to north, wiping out the three major sects of Qingcheng, Tangmen, and Wudang, as well as many small and medium-sized forces such as Pili Hall and Huaixi Eagle Claw Sect. Countless masters from both the righteous and evil paths died at their hands."

"That's not all!"

"What's the matter?"

"Half a month ago, Japanese pirates in Fuzhou, under the guise of the 'Three Fiends,' massacred a town, which truly enraged them. Their blood-soaked donkey carts traveled a thousand miles a day and arrived in Fuzhou in a single day. Guess what happened?"

We bet you're going to get beaten up!

The man chuckled awkwardly and continued, "That day, flames soared into the sky forty miles outside Fuzhou, and the ground was littered with the corpses of Japanese pirates, scattered weapons, and blood-stained waves. The Japanese pirates in Fuzhou were almost completely eradicated, and even several wealthy local families were slaughtered for colluding with the pirates!"

"it is good!"

"That's fucking inspiring!"

The bearded man laughed loudly: "Although I can't stand the ruthlessness of the three thugs, I have to say, they did a great job!" He then downed his drink in one gulp.

"Besides that, there's more news."

"Say it!"

A skinny man said, "I also heard that Ye Gucheng was defeated by that 'Butcher'!"

Upon hearing this, the entire room of martial arts practitioners fell silent.

After a long while, someone sighed and said, "Now that the righteous path is declining and evil is rising, chaos is imminent."

"Ha! That's alarmist talk!" the skinny monkey sneered. "Do you think Shaolin is just sitting around doing nothing? My distant uncle works at the Kunlun Sect, and he secretly told me that Shaolin is preparing to fight the Three Fiends to the death!"

"Huh? Really?"

The crowd erupted in uproar and began to ask questions.

The skinny monkey said, "I only heard that the Shaolin Iron Shoulder has already gone down the mountain and is preparing to issue a challenge to the Three Fiends!"

Someone exclaimed, "My God, if it's true, the Shaolin battle will determine who will dominate the martial arts world in the future! This battle will be an unprecedented event in the martial arts world for a thousand years. If I could see it, I would have no regrets even if I died."

"Well"

Ding An ate another spoonful, then pursed his lips: "Crippled man, this melon is small with many seeds, white flesh and thick skin, it's not tasty at all."

"Yes, yes. A melon costs two taels of silver, that's ridiculously expensive! A donkey at Dripping Cliff only costs three taels."

The housekeeper, Hongxiu, scraped away the last bit of fruit pulp and couldn't help but mutter to herself.

"Hey, these days we're lucky to even get a piece of gossip!" Ren Shaoyang scoffed. "Things are valued for their scarcity, you think it's too expensive, and I think it's too expensive too!"

At this moment, there was no sound downstairs; it seemed that these martial arts practitioners had finished their meal and gone their separate ways.

After the three of them finished eating the melon, they went downstairs together and drove the donkey cart towards Bashan.

at the same time.

Nestled among the peaks of the Bashan Mountains, a row of pavilions is carved into the mountainside amidst the mist and clouds, overlooking a deep abyss. A winding path leads faintly to the pavilions.

Inside the pavilion, a Taoist priest stretched out his right hand, his fingers thin, strong, and long, with sharp bones like bamboo branches. He picked up a piece of chestnut cake, put it in his mouth, sipped some hot tea, and slowly exhaled.

This Taoist priest was no more than forty years old. He had a lean and refined appearance, a fair complexion and black beard, and bright, clear eyes.

Suddenly, footsteps came from outside the door.

Lu Xiaofeng and Hua Manlou walked in.

Lu Xiaofeng greeted the Taoist priest with a smile: "Young Taoist Gu, are you having some tea?"

The Taoist priest calmly sipped his tea and said indifferently, "Lu Xiaofeng, every time I see you, you bring me trouble."

Hua Manlou laughed and said, "Little Daoist Gu, am I the troublemaker?"

Little Master Gu smiled slightly: "Of course not Young Master Hua, but Lu Xiaofeng is the biggest trouble."

Lu Xiaofeng sat in the chair and sighed, "This time, I'm in big trouble."

"Another expert?" Gu Daoren's face darkened, and he paused, his hand holding the teacup still. "Who is it?"

"I."

A cold, arrogant voice rang out.

Then came a pleasant fragrance of plum blossoms.

The next moment, a white figure exuding a chilling aura appeared at the doorway.

A pale face, pale hands, a snow-white outer robe, but the sword at his waist was pitch black.

The man stood calmly at the doorway.

Yet the killing intent was so pure.

Little Master Gu put down his teacup and said, slowly and deliberately, "Ximen Chuixue!"

The autumn wind and rain are truly chilling.

Little Gu Daoist turned to look at Lu Xiaofeng, his lips moved, and he inexplicably wanted to curse.

(End of this chapter)