Sword drawn from the constellations, poison as its edge.

Chapter 218 Demonic Thoughts Abound
After Xuan Sheng finished speaking, he roared and unleashed a series of punches, followed by a low sweeping kick from below.

This monk was around forty years old, considered young and strong among the Xuan generation, and also the most fierce in temperament. His Shaolin Divine Fist was incredibly powerful, and he had always been highly valued by Abbot Xuanci.

Jiang Mingzhe neither dodged nor yielded, but also threw out two punches. With two loud bangs, Xuan Sheng's whole body trembled, and he staggered backward. His sweeping kick was broken without him even trying.

Before he could regain his footing, Jiang Mingzhe rushed forward and threw a punch.

Xuan Sheng knew that his strength and speed were inferior to Jiang Mingzhe's, so he dared not take the punch head-on. He swung his left arm slightly upward and took the opportunity to dodge the punch by leaning to the side. His right palm cut towards Jiang Mingzhe's elbow, which was a wonderful move from the Eight Strikes of Divine Palm.

His approach was exactly the same as Xiao Yuanshan's tactic of trading distance for time.

Jiang Mingzhe glanced at the monk and thought that his left hand was slightly outstretched. Once it blocked my forearm, he would immediately use the momentum of his body to flip my wrist and grab it. Although his right palm was fierce, he hadn't finished his move. He was waiting for me to use my other hand to parry so that he could slash my throat. If I didn't parry and dodged, he would turn his palm vertically and give me a hot chest push...

At this moment, Jiang Mingzhe's eyesight and mental acuity were extremely sharp. He instantly deduced the various hidden countermeasures in Xuan Sheng's moves. His punch suddenly stopped, and he twisted his wrist to pull it out, turning the Toad Fist into a Centipede Claw.

His punch was powerful and fast, and no one expected that he could stop so suddenly, transitioning from extreme motion to extreme stillness, from fist technique to grappling, without a trace of malice.

Xuan Sheng's left arm swung in vain, and before his right palm could strike, his wrist was grabbed by Jiang Mingzhe. He was taken aback and was about to struggle when his inner strength suddenly burst out.

This sudden change terrified Xuan Sheng even more than being killed by Jiang Mingzhe's punch.

"Dissolving Power Technique!"

Xuan Sheng, his face filled with terror, cried out, "You are the Starry Constellation Monster! You are the Starry Constellation Monster!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Mingzhe burst into laughter. He subtly compressed his vocal cords with his internal energy, making his voice deep and bold: "Hahahaha, Old Monster Xingxiu? Do you Shaolin Temple and Old Monster Xingxiu have some kind of deep-seated grudge?"

After saying that, he reached out with his right hand and grabbed Xuan Sheng's left hand that was striking horizontally. He then started to absorb the energy with both hands at the same time, instantly doubling the speed of Xuan Sheng's internal force.

Seeing the situation was dire, Xuan Kui shouted, "Quickly, save Xuan Sheng!"

Xuan Kui, Xuan Nian, and Xuan Jing pounced fiercely, their six old hands moving with lightning speed. They simultaneously grabbed twelve acupoints on Jiang Mingzhe's body and exerted their strength to seal his acupoints. However, when their internal force was released, it was as if a mud ox had entered the sea, leaving no effect whatsoever.

The three monks realized something was wrong, but by the time they tried to stop using their internal energy, it was too late.
Jiang Mingzhe's acupoints seemed to transform into a bottomless vortex, drawing the three monks' internal energy uncontrollably into it. The three monks struggled desperately, but their hands seemed to be attached to Jiang Mingzhe's body, and they could not break free.
Suddenly, an old monk appeared from the crowd, appearing in front of him in a flash. With a single, gleaming blade, he swiftly slashed at Jiang Mingzhe's neck.

Although he drew his knife quickly, Jiang Mingzhe saw it clearly. With a step and a sideways movement, the three monks who were holding him and Xuan Sheng, whom he had grabbed, shouted in unison and were involuntarily shaken. Xuan Sheng's head was delivered right into the blade.

Fortunately, this old monk was not Xuan Tong, nor did he practice the Breaking the Precepts Sword Technique. Startled, he immediately drew his sword, his figure blurred, and he snatched the sword close to Xuan Sheng, lightly striking out with a palm strike.

Jiang Mingzhe sneered, released Xuan Sheng with his left hand, and also unleashed a silent palm strike. The two palms collided, and the old monk struck out with an extremely yin and soft palm force. Jiang Mingzhe also responded with yin and soft internal force, and both neutralized the force. Before the old monk could withdraw his palm, Jiang Mingzhe immediately switched to the Absorbing Power Technique. Unexpectedly, the old monk's palm strike was ineffective, and he immediately tightened his internal force, leaving his body empty and unwilling to withstand any force.

Jiang Mingzhe was slightly surprised that he couldn't be stopped by the old monk's breath. Taking advantage of this, the old monk swung his arm and leaped away, exclaiming in astonishment, "This isn't the Dissolving Power Technique! What kind of evil skill is this?"

Before he finished speaking, Jiang Mingzhe flicked his wrist, hurled the monk Xuansheng up, and lashed him out like a whip.

In this situation, if the old monk dared to dodge, Xuan Nian beside him would immediately suffer.

The poor old monk was caught off guard and could only reach out and embrace Xuan Sheng. A surge of soft, yin-like internal energy welled up from his chest, dissolving the great force Xuan Sheng carried. He then kicked out from below, trying to seize the opportunity to take Xuan Sheng back.

Jiang Mingzhe laughed loudly, "If you don't believe me, try using your internal energy!"

The old monk was startled, suddenly feeling an extremely powerful suction force coming from the part where Xuan Sheng was touching him!

He was careless for a moment, and it was too late to control his internal energy. The soft internal energy he had cultivated for many years flowed out of his body like a bird returning to its nest, and was absorbed by Jiang Mingzhe through Xuan Sheng.

The force of that kick also softened, and Jiang Mingzhe slightly kicked his knee, taking the kick head-on without caring at all.

In an instant, the five senior monks of the Xuan generation were all drawn to Jiang Mingzhe. The surrounding monks could no longer care about anything else and rushed forward to save him with a shout.

A mad glint flashed in Jiang Mingzhe's eyes as he shouted, "Good! Come on, let's all come together!"

He twisted his body and turned his steps, gradually increasing the speed over three or five steps, spinning rapidly. Five old monks around him spun with him, both feet leaving the ground, and he crashed into the crowd with Jiang Mingzhe.

The Shaolin monks, unaware of the danger, grabbed the five old monks and tried to pull them apart. In the blink of an eye, each of the five old monks had three to five people clinging to them.

These dozen or so people were all experts among the Hui generation. As soon as they started fighting, they sensed something was wrong. Streams of internal energy were frantically poured into the bodies of the five old monks, only to be absorbed by Jiang Mingzhe.

As Jiang Mingzhe inhaled deeply, he simultaneously activated the Transformation Technique to rapidly convert the powerful internal energy. Just as he was busy doing so, he suddenly heard a thunderous shout: "Don't you dare hurt my master!"

The voice sounded very familiar. Jiang Mingzhe turned his head and saw a masked man leap out from the wall on the left. He thrust out a palm with his palm in front and his foot behind, and his whole body was like a huge crossbow bolt shot out of a crossbow, rushing towards him at an astonishing speed.

When the burly man leaped out, he was at least thirteen or fourteen zhang away from Jiang Mingzhe. But as soon as he struck out with his palm, he swept across ten zhang in the blink of an eye. He then struck out with another palm in mid-air, pushing the front palm with the back palm. The two palm forces combined into one, and the speed suddenly increased again.

Such an astonishing palm strike was incredibly fast in Jiang Mingzhe's eyes. He had been focused on the monks around him, but unexpectedly, a powerful outsider appeared. He was greatly surprised and wanted to use the monks as a protective shield, but it was too late.

However, he reacted extremely quickly. He simply stopped absorbing the internal energy, let out a loud shout, and the internal energy that he had just absorbed and had not yet transformed burst out of his body, scattering more than twenty monks around him. He stomped his foot and soared into the sky, unleashing a powerful "Crushing Pestle and Splitting Mountain" move.

A muffled boom followed, and a powerful shockwave, visible to the naked eye, rippled out from the point where their fists and palms clashed. It was like a storm rising from the ground, sending the monks on the ground tumbling about, and even knocking down many Shaolin monks standing a short distance away. The two combatants were locked in a stalemate in mid-air for a moment, then the masked man let out a muffled groan, his burly figure flying backward. He landed more than ten steps back before barely managing to regain his footing, spitting out a mouthful of blood onto his mask.

Jiang Mingzhe landed with a thud, his feet shattering the stone slabs, his calves digging deep into the ground, and his face turning deathly pale.

The burly man looked at Jiang Mingzhe with shock in his eyes, then ripped off his mask and hissed, "Who are you, sir, hiding your face and causing such a massacre at Shaolin Temple?"

Jiang Mingzhe pressed down with both palms to suppress the boiling energy and chaotic internal force, looked at his opponent, and said helplessly, "Hehe... I've long heard of the fame of the Twenty-Eight Subduing Dragon Palms, and it truly lives up to its name!"

"Dragon Subduing Palm? You...you're Xiao Feng?"

The old monk holding the knife propped himself up, his expression a mixture of surprise and delight.

The visitor was none other than Xiao Feng, whom everyone had been searching for!
Xiao Feng glanced at Jiang Mingzhe with apprehension, then stepped forward to help the old monk up and said in a low voice, "Master, it's me! I haven't visited you for many years, and I never expected to see you again under such circumstances."

When Jiang Mingzhe heard him call him "Master," he suddenly realized what was happening.

He realized that this old monk was Xuanku, which explained why Xiao Feng risked everything to save him.

Then Xuan Ku said, "There are rumors in the martial arts world that you are coming to Shaolin Temple to avenge your parents and kill Abbot Xuan Ci. Is this true?"

Xiao Feng said firmly, "Absolutely not! Master, this is a villain trying to harm me."

He helped Xuanku to his feet, his sharp eyes sweeping around: "Esteemed monks, please hear me out. Someone previously presented me with letters from Chief Wang of the Beggars' Sect and the Abbot of Shaolin Temple, accusing me of being a Khitan. In my grief, I came to your temple to seek confirmation from the Abbot, hoping against hope. I had no other intentions!"

The monks' expressions varied; some seemed to believe it, while others sneered. Xiao Feng didn't care and continued, "I only learned halfway there that someone was spreading rumors, attracting countless heroes from all over the country to make things difficult for me. I had no other choice but to disguise myself and hide in the shadows to find those who wanted to harm me, but unexpectedly..."

He looked at Jiang Mingzhe, meaning that he hadn't expected such a person to suddenly appear, forcing him to show himself and take action.

None of the monks spoke.

Jiang Mingzhe sneered, then suddenly shouted, "Xiao Feng, I believe what you say!"

Xiao Feng was taken aback. He thought to himself, "Although my words are all true, they are just words without proof. Even the people of Shaolin Temple did not believe me. How could this demon-like figure believe me?"
Jiang Mingzhe said loudly, "In order to save your master, you decisively abandoned your original plan. This shows that you are a loyal and righteous hero. People like you are the most courageous and responsible. How could you lie in public?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Feng felt a surge of warmth in his heart. He thought to himself that although this person was ruthless, his insight and magnanimity made him a true confidant.

He clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Thank you for trusting me! I can tell that your martial arts are superb, and you must not be an unknown person. I just don't know why you can't show your true face?"

Xuan Sheng struggled to his feet and roared, "A demon like him hiding his true identity is perfectly fitting. What else is there to say about a ruthless killer with such evil methods?"

Among the monks who had just been drained, Xuan Sheng was drained the longest. Although someone helped him share the burden, he still lost more than 80% of his internal energy. Moreover, no matter how he tried to circulate his energy, he could not recover. He was truly severely injured, his foundation was damaged, and his hatred was overwhelming.

Jiang Mingzhe chuckled and said, "You monks are really laughable. You've traveled the martial world, haven't you ever killed anyone? Although I smashed your mountain gate, the only one I actually killed was an old monk, and another old monk wanted to die. How did that make him a demon?"

At this moment, a voice imbued with profound internal strength rang out: "Amitabha! We practice martial arts only to uphold justice, and we kill to eliminate evil! Shaolin disciples roam the martial world with the aim of upholding justice. How can your actions of indiscriminately killing good people and causing harm to the common people be compared?"

The fear and apprehension on the faces of the Shaolin monks vanished instantly, as if they had found their anchor. They dispersed, bowed, and clasped their hands together, saying in unison, "Welcome, Abbot."

Then, from the Vajra Hall, an elderly monk in a magnificent robe, exuding an imposing aura, led the way, surrounded by dozens of other elderly and middle-aged monks, as they marched out in a grand procession.

Jiang Mingzhe stared at the old monk in the center for a moment, realizing that this person was Abbot Xuanci of Shaolin Temple. Then he saw his old acquaintance Xuanbei next to him and thought, "Oh dear, wasn't Murong Bo supposed to ambush him at the foot of Shaoshi Mountain? Could it be that he failed?"
Upon seeing his senior brother, Xuan Sheng was like a lost puppy seeing its owner. He stumbled over, grabbed his sleeve, and cried out, "Abbot, this demon possesses evil magic! He's drained so much of my inner strength..."

Jiang Mingzhe scoffed, "Nonsense! You bald monk, your martial arts are mediocre. How could you possibly have a lot of internal energy to absorb? Abbot Xuanci, you are a dignified abbot, so you must have profound internal energy. Why don't you let me absorb some and see if you have a lot?"

Xuan Ci frowned, pulled Xuan Sheng over, placed his hand on Xuan Sheng's Dazhui acupoint, probed his internal energy to observe for a moment, his face already as cold as frost, and said coldly: "Northern Darkness Divine Art! Which master of the Free and Unfettered Sect are you?"

Jiang Mingzhe was taken aback, thinking that this monk was indeed worthy of being the abbot of Shaolin. In the vast martial arts world, there were very few people who knew the name of the Xiaoyao Sect, yet he knew it too, and even knew about the Beiming Divine Skill.

He couldn't help but praise, "Old monk, you are indeed very knowledgeable..."

Xuan Sheng exclaimed, "Senior brother, what is the Northern Darkness Divine Art? Isn't it the Dissolving Power Technique?"

Xuan Ci slowly shook his head and said, "The Northern Darkness Divine Art can absorb other people's internal energy for its own use. Although the Dissolving Power Technique is vicious, compared with the Northern Darkness Divine Art, it is like comparing a pearl to a fish eye!"

As soon as the words were spoken, all the monks exclaimed in surprise. Even the most shrewd and composed monks of the Xuan generation couldn't help but gasp.

Xuan Bei frowned and said, "How could such a vicious martial art exist in this world? Senior brother, if this person escapes today, he will surely wreak havoc on the martial world!"

Another old monk immediately said, "That's right! Such martial arts are the natural enemy of all martial artists in the world, and should not exist in this world!"

Xuan Ci nodded and looked at Xiao Feng: "Layman Xiao, I know your purpose for coming. I will give you an explanation later. However, the person in front of you is an unparalleled demon. I ask you, Layman Xiao, to help us eliminate this demon."

Before Xiao Feng could answer, Jiang Mingzhe threw his head back and laughed loudly: "Hahahaha, how interesting! You kill people, and that's eliminating demons and protecting the righteous, while I kill people, and that's bringing disaster to the world, right? Bald monk Xuanci, let me ask you a question: those Khitans who were surrounded and killed by you all thirty years ago outside Yanmen Pass, especially that woman who didn't even know martial arts, were they demons or bandits? When you, the great monk Xuanci, killed her, was that eliminating demons or protecting the righteous?"

(End of this chapter)