In Emei, start by obtaining golden attributes.

Chapter 163 Smoke and Vine Boiling Heart Powder

Almost the instant the smoke obscured everyone, a sharp whistling sound pierced the air and headed straight for Gu Shaoan's vitals.

His killing intent was concentrated and his target was clear. If he said that he wasn't coming for him, even Gu Shaoan himself wouldn't believe it.

The moment his feet touched the cold ground, Gu Shaoan's mind raced as he tried to guess the identity of the enemy lurking in the shadows.

However, before he could think about it further, the piercing buzzing sound tore through the smoke screen again and entered his ears.

This time, it was definitely not a hidden weapon.

The dense buzzing sound was like the simultaneous flapping of wings of a dozen highly venomous wasps, rushing towards him with a sinister and cunning gust of wind.

Gu Shaoan's eyes sharpened, and he didn't hesitate at all.

The powerful and profound true energy within his body surged like a raging river, and his right wrist suddenly rotated.

The Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms - Dragon Appears in the Field

"Ang~"

Three solid, domineering, pale golden dragon-shaped energies roared and condensed around him, swirling and protecting Gu Shaoan in the center, with a low dragon's roar faintly echoing in the air.

In the next instant, more than a dozen shadowy figures suddenly burst out from the smoke, crashing into the three swirling dragon-shaped energy energies like shooting stars.

There were more than a dozen sharp, poisoned plum blossom darts with finely serrated edges.

However, as these plum blossom darts struck the surging energy around Gu Shaoan, they seemed to plunge into a muddy dragon field, and the penetrating power they originally contained, as well as the penetrating force after spinning rapidly, were instantly dispersed by the energy around Gu Shaoan.

Just as the plum blossom darts paused, Gu Shaoan's right hand, with its five fingers moving as if plucking flowers and leaves, traced a series of mysterious trajectories in the air that were difficult to discern with the naked eye, his movements light and swift.

As his true energy surged, the dozen or so plum blossom darts in front of Gu Shaoan, which had just been stuck by the "Dragon Appears in the Field" energy and had not yet fallen, seemed to be infused with new kinetic energy. They suddenly changed direction and shot back along the trajectory of their attack at a terrifying speed several times faster than when they came.

At the same time, Gu Shaoan moved like a shadow, closely following the direction in which the plum blossom darts flew backward.

At this very moment, on the official road outside the post station, amidst the thick smoke, a man held a knife in one hand, and in his other left hand, three plum blossom darts were wedged between his thumb and forefinger.

The man looked to be in his forties, with an ordinary face, but there was a sinister look between his brows, which made him clearly not a kind person.

He was dressed in a gray-white outfit, and even his hair and shoes were dyed gray-white, giving the impression that he blended into the surrounding smoke.

What is noteworthy is that the sword in the man's hand is not the style of the long swords in the Great Wei Dynasty, but rather a Japanese sword unique to the small country of Japan.

"Ok?"

Just then, a faint sound of something cutting through the air suddenly reached his ears.

Sensing the increasingly clear sound of something cutting through the air as it hurtled towards him, the middle-aged man was startled.

"Such a quick reaction?"

While feeling surprised, the man suddenly slashed forward with his katana.

"Ding!"

The moment the Japanese sword sliced ​​through the smoke, a plum blossom dart instantly caught the middle-aged man's eye.

"My hidden weapon?"

The thought flashed through his mind, a spark flew, and a dull metallic clang instantly reached the man's ears.

However, the middle-aged man's expression changed drastically the moment he heard the voice.

It wasn't that there was something wrong with the sound, but rather that he clearly felt two special forces flowing into the Japanese sword in his hand through the plum blossom dart.

One of them was the unique force he used when he used hidden weapons before.

The other one carried an unparalleled, fierce, and extremely yang force.

Caught off guard, the middle-aged man was forced to take a step back by the sudden double force.

Before he could even get his footing, a series of whooshing sounds followed closely behind.

The middle-aged man disregarded everything else and immediately brandished his Japanese sword.

As the sharp blade flashed, a rapid, intense clanging sound of metal clashing against metal rang out.

Each time the blade collided with the plum blossom darts flying back, the middle-aged man felt as if he were being struck by a hundred-pound hammer returning at the same high speed.

The two forces contained within the plum blossom dart caused the middle-aged man to push the figure hidden in the mist backward uncontrollably with each block.

When all the plum blossom darts were blocked, the middle-aged man's tiger's mouth trembled violently, his arm went numb and sore, and his blood and qi churned in his chest.

"No, this guy is completely unaffected by the poison."

"Ang~"

Before the middle-aged man could catch his breath and suppress the surging blood and qi within him, a dragon's roar, accompanied by a terrifying shockwave, appeared in front of him.

The surrounding smoke dissipated rapidly, like snow being poured over boiling water.

This resulted in an area nearly two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters) around the site being completely free of smoke.

Without the smoke obscuring his view, the middle-aged man saw Gu Shaoan, and Gu Shaoan's gaze also fell on him.

Their eyes met, and the middle-aged man's pupils suddenly shrank to pinpoints.

Seeing Gu Shaoan rapidly approaching, without thinking, the plum blossom dart in her hand transformed into a shadow and swung towards Gu Shaoan with the momentum of her wrist.

Faced with the three plum blossom darts rushing towards him, Gu Shaoan didn't even lift his eyelids.

He gently raised his left hand, which was holding the Heaven-Slaying Sword, and the sleeve of his left arm swayed as if blown by a breeze.

In an instant, his true essence burst forth, causing a surge of extremely heavy and viscous force to appear in front of Gu Shaoan.

The moment the three plum blossom darts touched the edge of this special force, they were as if they had crashed into a transparent muddy swamp. The force that was spinning and rushing forward was instantly absorbed and dissolved, and even the sound became muffled and short. Then they fell powerlessly to the dust.

Gu Shaoan's figure remained motionless throughout, like a willow catkin drifting in the wind, and as the plum blossom dart fell to the ground, he ghost-like closed the distance by another ten feet.

At the same time, Gu Shaoan's right palm, which had been poised for a long time, finally moved.

Her five fingers were long and slender like jade, yet at this moment they contained a terrifying power capable of shattering mountains and splitting the earth. She raised her palm seemingly casually and pressed it down lightly on the middle-aged man's crown.

This palm strike carried an indescribable "momentum." In the gray-clad man's perception, everything in the world seemed to disappear, leaving only that fair, jade-like palm.

As the large hand in front of him became clearer, the middle-aged man felt as if his aura was locked, giving him the feeling that no matter how he dodged, the large hand would inevitably fall and gently stroke his head.

Just as Gu Shaoan's right hand was about to land on the middle-aged man's head, Gu Shaoan's expression changed slightly, and he suddenly let out a cold snort. His right palm paused slightly as it fell, and the "Great Shift of Heaven and Earth" technique, which he had broken through to the fourth level half a month ago, instantly flowed to its limit. The powerful true essence burst out of his body, forming a swirling vortex of energy within three feet of him!

"Huh! Huh!"

Just as the energy filled Gu Shaoan's body, two faint, almost imperceptible shadows shot out from the smoke.

Almost instantly, he rushed in front of Gu Shaoan and plunged into the special energy gathered around Gu Shaoan by the "Great Shift of Heaven and Earth".

However, they were two long needles as thin as spider silk.

The needle was over three inches long and emitted a nauseating, eerie odor that was a mixture of sweet floral scents and rotten, sweet-smelling smells.

The scent was extremely faint, yet it entered Gu Shaoan's sensitive nose the instant it appeared.

The moment he smelled the scent, Gu Shaoan immediately recognized what was coated on the two long needles.

Heavenly Silk Ink Essence.

It is a deadly poison that can kill instantly upon contact with blood, and even a Qi Condensation Realm martial artist would find it difficult to survive for more than ten breaths after being poisoned.

However, just as the two long needles struck Gu Shaoan's internal energy, Gu Shaoan was surprised to find that the two long needles did not have their contained energy transferred away by the special energy around him, unlike the plum blossom darts before.

On the contrary, the force on the long needle was not drawn away the moment it touched the energy around him; it only caused the needle to slow down a little.

Upon witnessing this, Gu Shaoan narrowed his eyes slightly.

Is it made of special materials?

There are countless unique minerals in the world.

Just as there is Xuan Tie in Gu Shaoan's hand that can unleash sword energy by injecting true essence, there are also some special ores that can break through the protective energy barrier.

By crafting it into concealed weapons, these weapons can carry the condensed true essence of qi, allowing them to strike enemies and thus increase their lethality.

The Tang Clan of Sichuan also relied on this kind of hidden weapon to intimidate top-tier martial arts masters.

However, such minerals that can carry the effect of breaking through the protective energy are extremely rare. Even if the Tang Sect spends a lot of manpower and resources to search for them every year, they may not be able to find a single one even after several years.

Gu Shaoan hadn't expected that the guy who ambushed him this time would even use hidden weapons made of such special minerals. If it were an ordinary Qi Condensation cultivator, these two long needles made of special minerals would be enough to tear through the condensed energy of such a cultivator.

Unfortunately, Gu Shaoan's skill was too profound.

Moreover, what gathers around him is not just true essence, but a special energy gathered by using the fourth level of the perfected "Great Shift of Heaven and Earth".

Even long needles made from this special ore could hardly tear through these powerful energies.

Realizing the problem, Gu Shaoan reacted extremely quickly, retracting his right hand rapidly, rotating his wrist in a counter-clockwise rotation, and then suddenly pressing down.

As the path of true energy within his body changed, the special energy surrounding Gu Shaoan also changed accordingly.

Under the pull of these energies, the two long needles that had just rushed towards Gu Shaoan's left waist and lumbar spine were suddenly pulled towards the ground as if by a force.

It was precisely because of this necessitation of dodging and defense that the middle-aged man in front of Gu Shaoan found an opportunity.

His true energy surged wildly, and he raised the Japanese sword in his right hand high above his head, maintaining a two-handed sword-wielding posture.

At the same time, Gu Shaoan also felt as if his aura was being locked.

Just as Gu Shaoan was about to land, the middle-aged man let out a low growl and his shoulders sank.

A terrifying shockwave suddenly erupted from the middle-aged man's body.

As the shockwave swept towards Gu Shaoan, the man's body also shot out, the Japanese sword above his head fell fiercely, the sword light was like a sky full of stars, and the sky full of sword shadows mixed with several sword energies containing completely different forces rushed towards Gu Shaoan.

The domineering attack, carrying a murderous intent capable of severing everything, suddenly tore through the air and slashed down towards Gu Shaoan.

His sharp swordsmanship could be described as fast, ruthless, and deadly.

Faced with the middle-aged man's lightning-fast blade, Gu Shaoan quickly rotated his hand and then suddenly pressed down.

The energy gathered around his body by the "Great Shift of Heaven and Earth" surged again.

The moment the blade was about to strike, the middle-aged man was astonished to find that his domineering and terrifying blade energy, the instant it touched Gu Shaoan's body, was like a whirlpool in deep water. The domineering and unparalleled power was pulled by an unimaginable force containing the mysteries of space, pulling, disintegrating, and shifting.

"Hiss, hiss, hiss,"

The ear-piercing sound of tearing cloth echoed from the ground on both sides of Gu Shaoan's body and behind him.

All the sword energy and force in the middle-aged man's all-out move were forcibly separated into more than a dozen sharp, scattered energy energies by Gu Shaoan using the "Great Shift of Heaven and Earth" technique. They grazed Gu Shaoan's clothes like out-of-control lightning and landed behind him.

The ground behind Gu Shaoan was plowed with knife marks that were two zhang long and three inches deep.

"how is this possible?"

Seeing Gu Shaoan, whose clothes were fluttering in the lingering wind but remained calm and composed, without a speck of dust on him, the middle-aged man's eyes widened, his expression as if he had seen a ghost.

But Gu Shaoan had no intention of answering his question.

In the instant his body leaned forward, Gu Shaoan's right hand had already grasped the Heaven-Slaying Sword.

"Zheng!"

The unique, melodious sword cry that echoed as the blade was drawn resounded. A cold light, like autumn water, flashed past the middle-aged man's eyes, like a rainbow piercing the sun across the sky, or like the Milky Way in the heavens, carrying a chilling light as it fell fiercely.

As the sword flashed, the middle-aged man couldn't see the trajectory of Gu Shaoan's sword strike at all. Instinctively, he held his Japanese sword horizontally above his head, trying to use it to block the sword light that was pouring down like the Milky Way from the sky.

As the sword fell, the Yitian Sword, enveloped in true essence and energy, severed the raised blade of the middle-aged man almost without hindrance, and then swiftly cut down on his right arm.

"what!"

The moment his right arm was severed, blood gushed from the neat wound on the middle-aged man's right arm, causing him to let out a scream of agony.

Having successfully landed a blow, Gu Shaoan's movements did not stop.

Just as Gu Shaoan's figure had already passed him like a ghost, Gu Shaoan lightly touched the ground with his right foot, and in that instant, he...
In the instant he turned around, his body became as heavy as a mountain, and his sword abruptly shifted and pressed down.

With a slight twist of his wrist, he used the momentum of his body's rotation to raise the blade of the Heaven-Slaying Sword, its cold edge slicing precisely across the middle-aged man's right knee joint.

They severed his right leg.

With his right leg severed, the middle-aged man's body felt as if its support had been removed. With his severed arm and limbs gushing blood, he collapsed heavily to the ground, screaming in agony.

The air around the post station seemed to freeze under the continuous and shrill screams.

Just as Gu Shaoan sheathed his sword, and before the middle-aged man's scream had completely faded away...

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh."

Several sharp, venomous whistles, like venomous snakes pouncing on their prey, emanated from the smoke on both sides.

"No end!"

Faced with these sharp, piercing sounds, Gu Shaoan cursed inwardly while still using the "Great Shift of Heaven and Earth" technique to protect his body with his inner energy.

"No, these hidden weapons aren't aimed at me."

However, just as these whooshing sounds approached again, Gu Shaoan raised an eyebrow and keenly sensed that something was wrong.

As his thoughts raced, Gu Shaoan stepped forward, pressed down with one palm, and once again used the "Dragon Appearing in the Field" move from the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, intending to protect the middle-aged man.

However, Gu Shaoan reacted a beat too slow. Even though he came up with a solution immediately, a shadowy figure still shot into the waist of the middle-aged man on the ground from the left.

"Uh~"

Almost the instant the hidden weapon pierced his body, the man's scream abruptly ceased.

Gu Shaoan looked down and saw that the man's lips and face were turning bluish-black at a visible speed.

Even the wounds on the severed limbs and arms turned bluish-black in just two breaths.

The middle-aged man struggled to raise his head and open his mouth, as if he wanted to look at Gu Shaoan and say something.

But before he could even lift his head, it fell limply to the ground.

"Seeing things turn against them, they immediately silenced everyone. How could they be so ruthless?"

After glancing at the middle-aged man, Gu Shaoan looked around.

As he concentrated, Gu Shaoan seemed to sense something. He raised his right hand, and a copper coin shot towards a certain spot with terrifying force.

"what!"

Immediately afterwards, a scream came from somewhere in the thick fog.

But even though Gu Shaoan had focused his mind, he still couldn't hear a second sound from within the thick fog.

A few breaths later, the thick smoke around them began to dissipate rapidly.

Without the obstruction of the surrounding smoke, Abbess Miejue and the others immediately moved to Gu Shaoan's side.

Abbess Miejue immediately asked, "Are you alright?"

After Gu Shaoan shook his head in acknowledgment, his gaze then fell on Abbess Miejue and the others.

When his gaze fell upon the few pink spots appearing on the noses of Abbess Miejue and the others, Gu Shaoan frowned.

"Junior sister, go and ask the waiter to bring you a pot of warm water. Remember, you cannot continue to use your internal energy, lest the poison worsen."

Upon hearing this, Yang Yan's eyes narrowed, and after nodding, she immediately turned and ran towards the post station.

Abbess Miejue looked at Gu Shaoan.

Knowing what Abbess Miejue meant, Gu Shaoan nodded slightly and said, "I was in the carriage just now, and I was a little late in noticing. The poison that the two Poison Boys released has already been inhaled by you."

Gu Shaoan didn't take a deep breath and continued, "Although it's not an ordinary poison, I happen to know the antidote."

Upon hearing this, Song Yuanqiao and the others immediately felt relieved.

Zhang Songxi asked, "What are the signs of poisoning? Should I go check if any of the Wudang disciples have been poisoned as well?"

Gu Shaoan replied, "This poison is called Yanluo Feixin San, which is made by mixing the roots and stems of Zhiluo grass with thirty-seven kinds of medicines."

Zhang Wuji added, "I've also seen this poison in medical books. People who are poisoned by it experience a surge of qi and blood, feeling as if their blood is being scalded by boiling water. Their internal strength and true essence are also suppressed. In the early stages, the most obvious signs are pink spots on the sides of the nose and the Jingming acupoint. Further on, the face turns rosy."

Upon hearing this, the group looked at each other and indeed saw some pink spots about the size of a little finger around each other's noses.

Such subtle characteristics would be difficult for even Abbess Miejue and Song Yuanqiao, who were so close, to realize that the other party had been poisoned unless they had prior knowledge of them.

　The next chapter will be at 7:30!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)