Sword drawn from the constellations, poison as its edge.

Chapter 226 Northern Darkness Demon Art
Xuan Ci looked astonished.

The young monk was filled with fear and anxiety, almost bursting into tears: "The incense scar on my buttocks, I always thought it was a sign of my affinity with Buddhism, something I was born with. Could it be... could it be..."

Because of the Arhat Formation earlier, everyone in the arena had stopped fighting. However, Xuan Du recognized this young monk and said loudly, "Amitabha, Xu Zhu, don't listen to the demon's temptation and deception. That scar on your face was something you were born with."

Xuan Du was a very kind and gentle person. When Xu Zhu was sixteen years old, he was ordered to serve him for eight months. He loved and respected this grandmaster uncle very much. Hearing what he said, he immediately burst into laughter through his tears: "Grandmaster uncle must be right. It's all because my cultivation is not good enough. I was almost tricked by the demon."

By this time, many masters had entered Shaolin Temple one after another. They were shocked to see that the temple gate had been destroyed. They were even more shocked to see the poisoned monks scattered all over the square.

These people were all sharp-eared and sharp-eyed, and they heard Jiang Mingzhe's words clearly. They were not quite convinced at first, but when they heard Xuzhu speak and saw Xuandu coaxing Xuzhu like a child, their expressions became strange.

But since they came to help, they naturally sided with Shaolin.

Immediately someone shouted, "That's right, there's a child near my house who has a natural Big Dipper pattern on his chest, so it's not surprising that he has a scar."

Xuan Ci nodded gratefully: "Thank you for speaking up for justice, Brother Zhuge."

This man was a famous slingshot expert from Hebei, known as the "Divine Slingshot Master Zhuge Zhong," and was a close friend of Xuan Sheng from Shaolin. Upon hearing Xuan Ci's words, he laughed and said, "I'm just telling the truth. It's just that some people are too ignorant and make a fuss over nothing."

The other heroes all agreed, "That's right, that's right."

Before the words were finished, a loud laugh rang out: "Hahahaha, you bunch of idiots! Pull down that little monk's pants and take a look! There are twenty-seven incense scars on his back, arranged in groups of nine, like they were measured with a ruler. Can you find someone who was born with scars like that?"

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw a burly man in black standing proudly in the Vajra Hall, shouting: "You old thief Xuanci, do you still want to pretend to be a virtuous monk in front of the whole world? Ye Erniang was a perfectly good girl back then, but you thieving bald monk seduced her. You met her every day in Ziyun Cave, and you even hired Granny Qiao to deliver her baby. You thieving bald monk, I saw all the positions you used. Are you still going to deny it today?"

Xuan Ci turned around abruptly and exclaimed, "It's you! You! You really didn't die!"

Xiao Yuanshan gritted his teeth and snarled, "If I don't avenge this blood feud, I'll crawl back even if I have to go to the underworld!"

Xiao Feng was both surprised and delighted, and shouted, "Father, I'm here!"

Xiao Yuanshan looked at Xiao Feng, his expression excited. With a long roar, he leaped down from the hall and swaggered through the group of Shaolin monks to Xiao Feng's side. His eyes were red as he said, "Good child, it must be your mother's spirit in heaven that has allowed my father and I to be reunited!"

Tears streamed down Xiao Feng's face as he bowed deeply. Xiao Yuanshan lifted him up and held him tightly in his arms, saying, "Good child, once your father has avenged his father, I will take you to offer incense to your mother. She will surely be delighted."

Xiao Feng nodded repeatedly, when he suddenly heard Xuan Ku say from not far away, "Disciple, when will this cycle of revenge end? Although the abbot made a great mistake back then, it was not intentional. Your sworn brother has already killed your two junior brothers, Xuan Can and Xuan Tong. Why don't you ask him to release Xuan Bei and Xuan Jue, and then we can all sit down and talk it over slowly, okay?"

Xuan Ci suddenly realized what was going on and quickly said, "Junior Brother Xuan Ku is right. Jiang, release my two junior brothers. If you have something to say, just say it in front of all the heroes of the world. I am willing to pay for Madam Xiao's life, but the grievances have their perpetrators and the debtors have their debtors. This matter has nothing to do with my two junior brothers."

Jiang Mingzhe said without hesitation, "Old monk, you're not going to gain anything by trying to outwit me. If you had admitted your mistakes and paid with your life thirty years ago, none of this would have happened today. These monks are all in cahoots with you. What are you talking about, these so-called enemies and creditors? You can have them, but I'll pay you back after I've absorbed all my inner strength!"

Upon hearing this, Xuan Sheng rushed forward, shouting, "Everyone, this Jiang is a demon of the Xingxiu Sect! He practices an extremely terrifying evil art that can absorb other people's internal energy for his own use. If this man doesn't die, the martial world will never have peace!" Shen Yin also shouted, "That's right! That pretty boy also knows this evil art. He absorbed most of my internal energy."

Thinking of how her decades of hard-earned internal strength had been used to benefit others, Shenyin could no longer control her emotions and burst into tears in front of everyone.

Everyone's expression changed instantly, and several people couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice, "He really is a demon! Such evil arts must never be allowed to remain in the world!"

Duan Yu's face turned pale upon hearing this.

Jiang Mingzhe, however, paid no attention to the crowd's attitude. His eyes flashed like lightning as he looked around arrogantly and laughed, "Swords, fists, palms, hidden weapons, and poisons—all these are used to kill. My martial art is the truly compassionate one. Although it absorbs people's internal energy, it spares their lives. The reason you think it's an evil art is because you're worried about me absorbing your internal energy. But if you don't provoke me, why would I absorb your energy for no reason? If that's the case, you should be targeting the Shaolin Temple. If they used their Seventy-Two Arts, they wouldn't even be able to save anyone's life. Isn't that even more evil than my martial art?"

Xiao Yuanshan looked on with great envy and said in surprise, "I was wondering how you could hold on until now. It turns out you can absorb other people's internal energy and turn it into your own. Then, shouldn't you naturally learn my Thunderous Divine Might Technique?"

Jiang Mingzhe nodded and smiled, about to speak, when Zhuge Zhong, the Divine Bullet, with sharp eyes, shouted sharply, "Demon, didn't you say you only absorb internal energy and don't kill people? Then how do you explain these two masters?"

Jiang Mingzhe looked down and was shocked to see that the two monks, Xuanbei and Xuanjue, in his hands looked as if they had been dehydrated and had become thinner. They were blinking at him, their breaths were weak, and they couldn't even speak.

"This this……"

Jiang Mingzhe was puzzled when he suddenly realized that what was flowing continuously from his palm was no longer internal force, but a lively and vibrant energy.

Moreover, this energy is not stored in acupoints or absorbed into the chest like the internal energy that is absorbed; instead, it naturally diffuses and dissipates throughout the body.

It is known that the Northern Darkness Divine Skill absorbs a person's internal energy. Once it is exhausted, there is nothing left to absorb. The feeling of "absorbing empty energy" is very strong, just like drinking water with a straw and still sucking on the straw after you have finished drinking the water.

Even if you continue to absorb the energy, it will be in vain.

However, he had never felt this emptiness while carrying the two monks and arguing with Xuanci. He thought it was because the two monks had deep internal strength and were resistant to being sucked in. Only now did he realize that absorbing the Northern Darkness Divine Art had caused a change.

He frowned and carefully sensed it. As he continued to absorb the vibrant energy, the skin of the two monks, Xuanbei and Xuanjue, became looser and looser, their bodies lighter and lighter, and their breaths weaker and weaker.

A terrifying thought involuntarily surfaced in my mind—

After I activate this so-called Divine Might Technique and then use the Northern Darkness Divine Technique, after absorbing all the internal energy, it will continue to absorb people's... life force?

Jiang Mingzhe's face turned pale. He suddenly remembered an old movie he had seen before, in which Ren Woxing used the Star Absorbing Technique to suck a living person into a ball of flesh!

Startled, he waved his hand, leaving Xuanbei and Xuanjue far behind. Looking at their noticeably thinner bodies, he felt nauseous, as if he had devoured their flesh and blood.

He thought to himself, on the verge of tears: "I turned Lingbo Weibu into Lingbo Dubu back then, and now I've turned the perfectly good Beiming Divine Art into the Beiming Demonic Art?"
(End of this chapter)