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

Chapter 496 The Three Villains Arrive
In the third month of spring, catkins and gossamer threads fall, and wind and rain wash the city of flowers.

Early summer in April is a time of vibrant life.

In Hangzhou, willows sway gently, flowers bloom, and orioles circle overhead.

After several days of rain, the delicate fragrance of wild grass and flowers by the roadside drifted through the streets on the breeze, lingering around the nose.

"Drive~!"

"Drive~!"

Teams of fast horses charged madly toward the city gate, whipping the horses so hard that the roadside weeds were bent over by the wind.

Martial arts practitioners from all over flocked to Hangzhou.

Those with sharp eyes immediately recognized the people's identities, and as they rode past at high speed, they began to discuss among themselves:
"The Undying Blue Gate!"

"There are people from the Xuan Tie Sect at the post station. I heard that the Huai Mie and Huai Kong brothers from Tie Xin Island are also coming."

Someone muttered, "Huai Kong, wielding 'Heavenly Sin,' has recently made quite a name for himself!"

"Yeah, I heard he fought Bu Jingyun to a standstill!"

"Hey?" a man carrying an axe asked, "Didn't Feng and Yun come?"

"They really didn't come. It's said that someone saw them appear in the Western Regions."

"Alas, to miss such an unparalleled battle is a regret for the rest of one's life."

"Stop dawdling, let's go, let's get into the city quickly!"

Hangzhou is a place of great transportation and a gathering place for people from all over the world. But it has never been as bustling as it is now.

The greatest swordsman of all time and the peerless demon wielding the "Great Evil King" challenged each other to a duel at Leifeng Pagoda.

This battle caused a sensation throughout the world and attracted worldwide attention!

Since the news of the decisive battle spread throughout the martial arts world, within just one week, tens of thousands of martial arts practitioners flocked to Hangzhou, pouring into the city like a bustling market.

Among them are no fewer than a thousand famous figures, including the leaders of the ten major sects, more than a dozen powerful warlords who dominated their respective regions, the chief镖头 (chief镖头, head镖师, or chief镖师) of forty or fifty major镖局 (armed escort agencies), and the like, as well as the top gangsters.

Who in the martial arts world would want to miss this earth-shattering battle?
At this time, no one dared to cause trouble in the city. Throwing a brick at random could hit a local hero, and might even offend a powerful figure.

The phrase "dragon coiled, tiger crouching" is no joke.

The Jiangnan region is bustling with activity, with shops, restaurants, and inns lining both sides of the long street. The street is wide enough for eight horse-drawn carriages to travel side by side, and merchants, students, and tourists from all over the country can be seen everywhere. The crowds are so dense that sweat pours down their faces.

At the end of the street, a boy wearing a short jacket, a small hat, and carrying a statue on his back was looking around.

Looking around, more than half of the people on the street were martial arts practitioners.

Long'er sighed softly, "There are so many people." With that, she tightened the rope on her shoulders, carried the statue on her back, and strode away.

When his eyes cleared, his arrogance diminished, replaced by a greater sense of peace. This was because Long'er had just realized that the Buddha who brought him boundless tranquility was actually himself.

So he carried a Buddha statue carved in his own likeness and wandered around.

During his travels in Jiangnan these days, with the sky as his blanket and the earth as his bed, the image of the sword in his heart became even clearer. In the eyes of others, he was like a little madman, a pitiful person.

But who could understand that spending his days with the sword and acting as he pleased were the happiest days of his life?
"Ok?"

Just as he was striding along with his head held high, his attention was suddenly drawn to a large tree beside the road he was about to pass.

Long'er suddenly stopped, her momentum halted, and she turned her head to gaze intently.

Although he was several feet away from the tree, his gaze was like a nail driven into the trunk, and he froze.

People flowed past him like water, but he remained steadfast like a rock in the river.

Was it specially left for me?

He muttered to himself, then slowly walked to the tree and stood still as if in a deep abyss.

The tree suddenly trembled, its leaves rustling down, and a tiny sword mark could be seen on the trunk!

Ka!

The tree slowly cracked from the sword mark, then suddenly fell to the side, revealing a smooth, mirror-like stump with five large characters written on it.

"I'll wait until you grow up!"

Long'er remained silent for a while before saying, "What domineering swordsmanship."

Carving these five deep and vivid characters on the tree stump from the outside in, while maintaining its appearance intact, and then collapsing on its own to reveal the characters when it arrives.

His swordsmanship was so superb, and his strength so outstanding, that it was simply beyond comprehension.

"But it's not difficult."

Long'er smiled faintly, turned around and merged into the crowd, heading straight for Leifeng Pagoda.

The group hurried away, and before long they saw distant mountains like dark eyebrows, the waves of West Lake, the green grass of Su Causeway, and the flowers and trees gradually flourishing.

Amidst the red flowers and green trees, several eaves are faintly visible. Turning past a grove, a pagoda stands before you, its reflection shimmering in the clear, sunny sky.

Long'er stared intently and said, "We've arrived at Leifeng Pagoda!"

The streets here are quite wide, but there are just too many people. A quick glance around reveals martial arts practitioners everywhere. Even boating on West Lake is like being stuffed with dumplings.

Some of the small boats got tangled, and with a "plop," several people fell into the water, causing the crowd on the bridge to burst into laughter.

The whole street was bustling and noisy.

Even though the bridge was packed with people, so crowded that there was no room to stand, they dared not go any further.

Because a white-robed monk stood silently on the bridge.

Countless gazes converged from both sides of the long street and the surface of West Lake. A gust of wind blew across the long street, white robes fluttered, and dust swirled as prayer beads swayed.

The monk with narrow eyes had a face like jade, which seemed to gleam silver in the sunlight. He gazed quietly ahead.

Even when the world's best experts approached, he remained unmoved.

"Amitabha!"

Wu Bei chanted a Buddhist prayer, "Everyone, do not go forward."

At this moment, a man with a sword sneered, "You bald thief, what right do you have to block my way?"

The disciples behind him, all with their hair and beards standing on end, pointed at the monk and cursed him.

The seasoned veterans of the martial arts world, with their considerable experience, frowned: "This person has come too?"

Someone asked loudly, "Who is he?"

The old guard of the martial arts world all love: "The Shadow Sword Sect Master, Liu Yinghan! This man reigns supreme in Shanxi, and his swordsmanship is unparalleled and bizarre!"

"Oh my, it's him!"

At the bridgehead, Liu Yinghan shouted, "Bald monk, get out of the way!"

Wu Bei smiled and said, "No."

"You're asking for it!"

Wu Bei calmly said, "You are not allowed to advance, only to retreat, until the master arrives."

The martial artists from both the North and South present were all incredibly excited by the tense atmosphere.

Liu Yinghan stared wide-eyed and shouted, "Bullshit!" Her voice was like thunder, momentarily drowning out the shouts in the arena.

Brush brush!
Liu Yinghan, along with his disciples, drew their longswords and leaped forward.

A dozen or so men brandished their longswords, thrusting them at the monk's body. Their swordsmanship was unpredictable and varied, like butterflies flitting about, dancing around Wu Bei's body in a complex and dazzling display.

Long'er glanced at it and secretly shook her head, thinking to herself, "The Shadow Sword Sect has a good reputation, but its sword techniques have too many feints and are too focused on tricks and unpredictability, which makes it seem a bit stingy."

The final conclusion was: "It cannot be considered a first-rate swordsmanship."

Wu Bei chanted a Buddhist prayer and laughed, "Esteemed benefactors, do not blame this humble monk for your journey to the Yellow Springs." As he spoke, he weaved through a dozen or so swords.

But Liu Yinghan and the others' longswords fell like snowflakes, and the narrow-eyed monk was immediately beaten and left unable to stand up straight with a few casual palm strikes.

Wu Bei smiled slightly, then clenched his palms, unleashing a powerful burst of energy that pierced the air like a sudden clap of thunder.

Puff puff!
The three disciples stood motionless, their chests gaping open, blood gushing out—their hearts and lungs had been ripped out in an instant!

"Ah!" Liu Yinghan trembled with fear, barely able to hold onto her sword.

Wu Bei saw through their dejected state, raised his hands, and the hearts and lungs of the three men flew out of his hands, heading straight for the throats of the remaining disciples.

Those people cried out in alarm, but they didn't have time to dodge.
With several more "plop" sounds, the disciples' throats ruptured, and they clutched their necks as they tumbled into the water.

Liu Yinghan was so frightened that her face turned pale. Knowing that the monk's martial arts were like those of a ghost or god, she dared not linger any longer and hurriedly sheathed her sword and retreated.

At this moment, Wu Bei's calm voice came: "Benefactor, please continue on your journey."

Liu Yinghan's eyes widened, and before her body could react, her head was shoved into her chest cavity by a large hand!
Click!

Liu Yinghan's burly body instantly shrank into the shape of a monkey, as Wu Bei shattered his bones with his powerful palm strike, causing his internal energy to dissipate.

Wu Bei stared blankly at the flesh and blood in his hand, then casually tossed it into the lake with a splash, staining the water crimson.
Upon seeing this, everyone gasped in shock and were secretly terrified: "This person is merely the servant of the knife thief, yet he possesses such skill. We wonder just how powerful his master is?"

"There were no corpses. They were all killed by this monk and thrown into the lake to feed the fish."

Long'er hid in the crowd, carefully observing Wu Bei, thinking to herself, "This monk's martial arts seem to be from the Mi Yin Temple style. But since the death of Abbot Bu Xu, the Karma Transformation Technique has been lost. Where did he steal it from?"

He frowned: "And this palm technique is so demonic, it's truly a case of taking a risky path and falling into the demonic way."

Long'er was lost in thought.

Suddenly, a small hand patted his shoulder, and a sweet, innocent voice rang out.

"Young man, did you carve the Buddha statue yourself?"

"Who goes there!" Long'er's expression sharpened. Someone was approaching without her noticing, and she turned her head to look.

A petite woman with a round face was looking at her with a smile.

The person who arrived was none other than Hongxiu.

Standing to the side was a burly man in a black robe, with disheveled hair like a lion's mane, thick eyebrows, and large eyes, his face solemn.

Isn't that Ding'an?

Seeing his wary expression, Hongxiu smiled and asked again, "The Buddha statue is nice. Did you carve it?"

Long'er replied solemnly, "Yes."

Hongxiu nodded and smiled, "Excellent swordsmanship, excellent character." As she spoke, she gently patted his shoulder, "You must work hard in your training!" and strode towards the bridgehead.

Ding An nodded to him, and they walked away side by side.

Long'er looked serious, staring intently at the two figures as they walked away, gripping the two swords tightly in her hand: "Ren Hongxiu, Li Ding'an!"

He exhaled and spoke slowly and deliberately.

"Three evil men!"

(End of this chapter)