Arhats Subduing Demons: Starting with The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber

Chapter 133 A guilty conscience
Yun Changkong had exchanged blows with Venerable Jiu and had already determined that Venerable Jiu's skill was slightly inferior to his own. This palm technique was half yin and half yang, both yin and yang, truly wondrous, but he was confident of victory. However, he was not facing a Tibetan monk, nor did he have anyone to fairly test his martial arts skills against.

Just as Venerable Kumarajiva withdrew, Mahāpha arrived with both palms simultaneously, like a dragon emerging from the sea, rushing towards them. His palms were faintly red, and he was using the esoteric Buddhist technique of "Mahamudra".

Yun Changkong felt a gust of hot wind rush towards him and couldn't help but praise it. His sleeves fluttered, and a strong wind swept out.

The palm strike met the attack mid-air, and Mohanfa staggered back three steps, his blood and qi churning.

Yun Changkong laughed and said, "The place isn't right today, so let's just have some fun."

The Venerable Jiu shouted, "Ami Ami Hong!" As he spoke, he thrust out with both palms, his powerful and unparalleled palm force striking Yun Changkong's heart.

If this were anywhere else, Yun Changkong would have to fight them head-on to see how strong their internal energy was. But he knew there were many experts here, and once they clashed, his back would be unprotected, making him vulnerable to ambush, just like Zhang Wuji.

He spun around and dodged again, his left hand reaching out to hook at Venerable Jiu's wrist pulse point. Venerable Jiu's move was quick as well; his left hand sank down, striking at Yun Changkong's abdomen.

Little did anyone know that Yun Changkong's capture was just a feint. Halfway through the grab, he suddenly changed to the "playing the zither" style of the "Dragon Claw Hand" and grabbed the forearm of the Venerable Jiu.

The moment the "Dragon Claw Hand" made contact, Venerable Jiu felt the force, sharp as a steel cone, penetrate his meridians. He hurriedly used his internal energy to neutralize it, his face turning bright red. He had no time to think about hitting anyone.

The two exchanged blows in one fluid motion, like flowing water and lightning. Yun Changkong grabbed Jiu Zunzhe's arm, intending to throw him away, but Mohan Sheng Mohanfa unleashed four palms simultaneously, pushing Jiu Zunzhe's back.

Yun Changkong immediately felt a surge of internal energy rushing towards him like a tide, overwhelming and unstoppable. He knew this was a combined internal energy technique, where the three of them merged their internal energies into one, making victory difficult. He quickly retreated two steps, his right hand supporting the bottom of his sword sheath.

"Qiang!"

The long sword sprang from its sheath behind him, and Yun Changkong moved with the ease of a spring, floating in the air. With the sword in hand, a cold light slashed towards the neck of the Venerable Jiu.

Seeing the sword wind coming, Venerable Jiu turned his body to the side, avoiding a vital point. He suddenly shrank his whole body. He was already short, and at this moment he rolled into a ball like a cat, sliding down the sword in the sky.

At the same time, Mohammad took down a cloth bag, spread it out in all directions, like a sail that had caught a lot of wind. He held one end, while Mohammad held the other end, and they covered the sky with clouds.

Yun Changkong's sword flashed out like lightning, stabbing out with a hissing sound. Unexpectedly, the cloth bag was soft and could not withstand any force. The cloth bag closed and wrapped around Changkong's sword. He felt a strong force pulling him backward.

At this moment, Venerable Kuru's golden robe also flew out, like a yellow cloud covering the sky.

Yun Changkong hadn't expected these old bald men to be so powerful. In an instant, his robes billowed, and with a flick of his wrist, he struck out with his left palm at Venerable Jiu. The palm strike was like thunder, filling the room with wind, and possessed the force of an earthquake.

Mohan Sheng Mohan Fajun felt a surge of heat flow through his palms, rushing straight into his meridians. He felt a sweet taste in his throat, and a mouthful of blood welled up in his mouth. He quickly shook off the cloth bag.

The Venerable Jiu was the strongest in martial arts, but Yun Changkong's palm strike was the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, which was extremely fierce. Before the cassock could cover Yun Changkong, it swept towards him instead. When he turned around, he couldn't help but feel a huge tremor all over his body.

Knowing that the "Arhat Subduing Demon Skill" is all-encompassing, it can naturally be transmitted through a cloth bag or a cassock. At this moment, Yun Changkong seized the initiative, his eagle-like gaze striking like lightning, and pounced towards Prince Ruyang.

Prince Ruyang immediately got up and dodged.

Wang Baobao also knew something was wrong, but Yun Changkong was a master of martial arts. Before they could react, the tip of his sword was already pressed against the heart of the Prince of Ruyang.

"Father?"

"Your Majesty!"

As the crowd was about to pounce, Prince Ruyang waved his hand, and the crowd retreated.

Prince Ruyang gazed at the sky and said with a wry smile, "Are you trying to tell me that you can kill me anytime you want?"

Yun Changkong said, "It is indeed difficult to persuade the prince, but you can observe the situation further and not lead your troops to suppress the rebels, otherwise it may become a reality today."

The Prince of Ruyang's eyes flashed with a sharp light as he said, "No need to look. You're right. A common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime. Even though I have no intention of rebelling, His Majesty believes I have the ability to rebel. Now that things have come to this, if you pledge allegiance to me, I will certainly not treat you unfairly."

Yun Changkong shook his head and said, "I have no intention of getting involved in military and national affairs, let alone surrendering to the Mongols."

Wang Baobao said sharply, "If you have no intention of coming, why did you come?" Yun Changkong frowned and slowly said, "I came for two reasons: first, because of Minmin, and second, to reduce the number of deaths. This is certainly for the benefit of the Han people, but it will also benefit you Mongols. Would you be satisfied if we were beaten to a pulp and fled back to Mongolia like stray dogs?"

Wang Baobao's anger flared: "This arrogant southern barbarian is so self-righteous! I refuse to believe that our Mongols will be driven back to the grasslands!" He suppressed his anger and forced a smile through gritted teeth: "You are a master of martial arts, but when it comes to military strategy, I'm afraid it's not your forte!"

Yun Changkong ignored him, bowed to the Prince of Ruyang, turned around, and strode out the door.

The Prince of Ruyang gave him a deep look and said, "Without a proper name and proper words, what is my daughter?"

Yun Changkong coldly said, "Minmin is a heroine among women, unlike ordinary people. She can also strategize and dominate the world. Her knowledge and abilities are not necessarily inferior to yours!"

As he spoke, his sleeves fluttered in the wind, soaring upwards like a large bird. With a twist and a leap, he seemed to float like a wild goose in the clouds, spinning rapidly in the air. A long rope flew out from his sleeve, entangled a large tree more than ten feet away, and he disappeared as if he were flying through the air.

The long rope in Yun Changkong's hand was only as thick as his little finger, and no one could see it in the darkness. Everyone thought it was as if a god had descended to earth!

The Mongol soldiers were dumbfounded, while the Venerable Kujatasatru's yellow robe billowed without wind as he murmured, "How is this possible? How can such a person exist in this world?"

Wang Baobao let out a long sigh and said, "Master should understand our predicament now, otherwise why would we have invited you all this way?"

"Your Highness is too kind," Venerable Jiu sighed, pressing his palms together. "We have disappointed Your Highness!"

The Prince of Ruyang's eyes flashed, and he laughed heartily, "There are hundreds of millions of people in the world, and at most there are no more than ten people with his skills. There is no need to belittle yourself!"

Mohanfa put his palms together and said, "Your Highness, this humble monk does not believe that there are ten people in the world with such skills as him. At most, there may be only one or two. He is just trying to scare Your Highness."

Wang Baobao looked at Prince Ruyang: "Father?"

The Prince of Ruyang said, "Come with me." The two went to the inner room.

……

The night was cool and still. Yun Changkong left the palace and ran on the rooftops. He had already explained the situation to Prince Ruyang, but he was still not sure if he could persuade Wang Baobao and his son to retreat to Mongolia.

If they had retreated to Mongolia, the expulsion of the Tartars and the restoration of China would have been much easier, and many fewer people would have died.

As Yun Changkong was leaving the capital and heading towards the ancient temple where Zhao Min was staying, suddenly, a clear and melodious zither rang out, as if ice had just broken, sending a chill down his spine. Yun Changkong slowed his pace.

He listened intently, and a beautiful melody drifted over from afar. Yun Changkong's heart pounded. The tune was strangely familiar. He thought to himself, "The woman in yellow? Why isn't she running? What are she waiting for?"

If you were to ask who Yun Changkong fears most in the world, it would be the woman in yellow. This has nothing to do with the level of martial arts skills; it's simply because he feels guilty.

As Yun Changkong turned to leave, two dark figures suddenly fell from a large tree like flying birds.

"Hero Yun, take care!"

Yun Changkong's eyes flashed, and he saw that the two women's lightness skills were extremely good. When he saw their appearance in the moonlight, he secretly thought that this was bad. This was the yellow-clad maid he had seen a few years ago. He said, "You are Miss Xiaoling and Miss Xiaohong. What are you doing here? Could it be that Miss Yang is also here...?" He looked around as he spoke.

Xiao Ling said with a charming smile, "That's a long story. My daughter is waiting for you."

Yun Changkong hesitated for a moment, then said, "Since Miss Yang has come down the mountain, she must have something important to do. I'd better not disturb her."

Xiao Hong sneered, "Your relationship with my young lady is quite unusual, so how is it an obstacle?"

Yun Changkong's face flushed. He thought of how he had told the woman in yellow that he wanted to take responsibility for her and marry her.

But now? He's married Zhao Min, how dare he face anyone?

Xiao Ling said, "This humble servant will step forward and lead the way for Hero Yun." She then took a step forward.

(End of this chapter)