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

The clouds disappeared from the sky.

"Clang!"

Yu Canghai drew his sword from its sheath with his right hand, and the sword light flashed like a bolt of lightning as it cleaved down onto a chair.

With a "whoosh," a wooden chair was cleaved in two by a single sword strike.

Yu Canghai released the anger that had been building up in his chest, gently stroking the spine of the sword with his fingertips, and pondered for a long time.

The situation was so bizarre that neither the Huashan disciples nor Lin Pingzhi dared to breathe.

Even Master Dingyi and He Sanqi were fully engaged in internal energy cultivation and on high alert.

It should be noted that the Qingcheng Sect, from Yu Canghai onwards, has always been arrogant and self-important in the martial arts world, which has caused resentment among many people.

The title "Heroes and Outstanding Figures, Four Beauties of Qingcheng" speaks volumes.

Furthermore, since they chose the Fuwei Escort Agency, people in the martial arts world are always eager to see a good show. Everyone said that Yu Canghai was after the "Evil-Repelling Sword Manual," and the news spread like wildfire. This act was despicable, and now that he had been made a fool of himself in public, everyone felt a sense of satisfaction.

But they knew even better that Yu Canghai was seething with anger and resentment, which he might vent on himself or others.

Even though Abbess Dingyi of Baiyun Temple on Mount Heng had a fiery temper and was not afraid of Yu Canghai, she did not want to provoke him at this moment.

Yu Canghai then truly realized how vast and wondrous the world was, that a mere twenty-year-old could possess martial arts skills far surpass his own, the head of a sect that had dominated the martial arts world for decades.

He understood that Yun Changkong meant to tell him that if he didn't see the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual by tomorrow, the Qingcheng Sect members could forget about returning to Qingcheng Mountain.

In his eyes, unless one was an idiot, who in the martial arts world wouldn't want to possess the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual and become the overlord of the martial arts world?
So Yun Changkong seemed to have given two options, but in reality, asking for money was just a cover-up, since he specifically emphasized that not a single penny would be acceptable!
That means giving him all the gold and silver he obtained from the Fuwei Escort Agency. Whether it's a small amount or a small share, isn't it all up to him?
Therefore, he was just making excuses for the "Evil-Repelling Sword Manual"!

Yu Canghai originally intended to force the Lin family out of the escort agency. If they wanted to escape, they would either carry the "Evil-Repelling Sword Manual" with them or hide it at home and not have time to take it with them. He would then find the manual, study it carefully, and integrate its secrets into the martial arts of the Qingcheng School. In that case, he would dominate the martial arts world and make a name for himself.

But after the disciple captured the Lin family of three and searched them, he found nothing but silver.

Although Lin Zhennan's martial arts skills were mediocre, he had served as the chief镖头 (bodyguard/escort) of the world's largest镖局 (escort agency) for twenty years, making him adept at navigating social situations. He knew that revealing the location of the Evil-Slaying Sword Manual would mean the death of his wife, son, and heir. Therefore, even after enduring torture from the Qingcheng Sect all the way from Fujian, he insisted that the Evil-Slaying Sword Manual of his Lin family was the one he knew, and nothing else.

Therefore, Yu Canghai never obtained the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual, but this "nameless" person clearly doesn't believe it. How can this be clarified?
Besides bringing the Lin couple to him so he can ask them himself, what other options are there?
But does that mean I have to hand over the Lin family couple who risked their son's life?
But if we don't hand him over, how can the disciples prevent such an elusive master from causing trouble for the Qingcheng Sect?
Does this mean that all the disciples I've trained will lose their lives here?

Yu Canghai pondered for a long time but couldn't come up with a good solution. However, when he saw the cold-faced Abbess Dingyi, he thought to himself, "This is Hengshan City. I was invited by the Hengshan Sect, so I have to give them an explanation!" With a flick of his sleeve, he strode out of the teahouse.

The Qingcheng Sect disciple made two quick noises, removed the two door panels of the teahouse, carried the bodies of Fang Renzhi and Jia Renda, and hurriedly followed his master away.

Once everyone had disappeared from sight, Yue Lingshan patted her chest and said in a trembling voice, "Who exactly was that person? I didn't expect their martial arts to be so formidable! Even Abbot Yu couldn't gain the upper hand!"

The crowd remained silent, thinking, "Did they not gain anything? They suffered a huge loss!"

When the old nun saw He Sanqi, she said, "Have you figured out anything about this young man?"

He Sanqi shook his head and said, "Master, what brings you here in the rain?"

He was an old acquaintance of Abbess Dingyi, the head of Baiyun Temple of Hengshan Sect. Seeing that Yun Changkong's martial arts skills were exceptionally high and rarely seen in the world, even with his extensive experience traveling around the country, he had no clue what to do.

The nun slowly said, "Perhaps Yu Canghai has some clues, but this Taoist priest suffered a loss in silence and is unwilling to say more."

Little did Yu Canghai know that he had exchanged several blows with Yun Changkong without noticing anything amiss.

It should be noted that Yun Changkong's previous moves were all based on the Arhat Subduing Demon Skill, and those who met him could still detect traces of Shaolin Kung Fu.

However, as Yun Changkong explored more and more, his martial arts skills became extremely profound. He then returned to simplicity and gradually developed his own unique style.

Therefore, the traces of Shaolin internal energy were not so clear. Moreover, when he exchanged palm strikes with Yu Canghai, he didn't even use 30% of his strength, so Yu Canghai naturally couldn't get a feel for it.

Suddenly, Abbess Dingyi turned to look at the Huashan disciples and shouted, "Where is Linghu Chong?"

Laudenuo bowed and said, "Senior Brother has not yet arrived. Is there anything you need me to do?"

Master Dingyi snorted coldly and said, "Linghu Chong abducted my disciple Yilin at Huiyan Tower in Hengyang and got her drunk. What orders do you expect me to give?"

The Huashan disciples were all shocked. Yue Lingshan exclaimed, "Uncle-Master Dingyi, my senior brother absolutely cannot do such a thing!"

Master Dingyi frowned, flicked her sleeve, and grabbed Yue Lingshan's arm, saying, "Tian Song Daoist of the Taishan Sect saw this with his own eyes. They left from Huiyan Tower this morning, and my disciple hasn't returned yet. Do you think Tian Song Daoist would lie? I'm going to drag you to Yue Buqun to settle this matter!"

Upon hearing this, the Huashan disciples all thought, "Our senior brother is usually unrestrained and loves to drink. Could it be that he really got drunk and abducted the nuns from the Hengshan Sect?"
Isn't this tarnishing the reputation of monks and nuns?
This is a serious violation of the sect rules! If Master finds out, he'll beat him to death!

Just then, two more people came running up from the street with oil-paper umbrellas, calling out, "Is this the nun from the Hengshan Sect?"

Dingyi said, "I wouldn't dare. I am Dingyi of Hengshan. Who are you, sir?"

The two men rushed over and introduced themselves. It turned out that they were Xiang Danian and Mi Weiyi, disciples of Liu Zhengfeng, who had come to invite them to a banquet at the Liu family's residence.

Master Dingyi originally intended to find disciples of the Huashan Sect, but upon learning that they were hosting a banquet and wouldn't leave out the Huashan Sect, she immediately agreed and, pulling Yue Lingshan along, went ahead to join them.

The disciples of the Liu family invited He Sanqi along with them.

After the group left, Lin Pingzhi came out of the tavern. He had originally hoped to meet some martial arts heroes to rescue his parents, and when he saw Yun Changkong, he thought he had found a savior.

He thought Yun Changkong loved money, and since he had a lot of gold and silver, he could ask him to save his parents. But then he thought that although this man was highly skilled in martial arts, he was only interested in profit, asking for money and sword manuals, and he didn't know anything about him.

He looked up at the sky and saw that the rain was getting heavier and heavier, as if it was going to swallow him up. He was completely at a loss.

Are there really no good people in the martial arts world?
A sect leader wants the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual, and this young master also wants the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual.

Lin Pingzhi sighed, but now he understood. Liu Zhengfeng was going to hold a ceremony to celebrate his retirement from martial arts, and people from all walks of life in the martial arts world would be there to congratulate him. The Qingcheng Sect would definitely be there, so he thought, "I might as well go with them and sneak into Liu's mansion. If I can get a chance to rescue my parents, that would be good." Seeing the crowd turn the corner, he followed them.

……

Upon seeing the old nun arrive, Yun Changkong knew it was Abbess Dingyi. He didn't care about being shameless towards the Huashan Sect, Qingcheng Sect, or Lin Pingzhi. After all, everyone was shameless!
However, he still had some dignity in front of Abbess Dingyi, so he had no choice but to leave immediately.

After all, his goal has been achieved.

Yun Changkong, with his hidden chivalrous spirit, felt indignant about the fates of Lin Pingzhi, Yue Lingshan, and others, and thus did what he could to help.

First, tell Lin Pingzhi and Yue Lingshan: These days, people are all driven by self-interest; don't believe there are any truly good people out there.

As for whether one can comprehend it, that depends on fate.

Secondly, it is to save the lives of Lin Zhennan and his wife, and prevent them from being killed by the Qingcheng Sect.

After all, in the original story, Yu Canghai, without obtaining the Evil-Slaying Sword Manual, undermined Lin Zhennan's lifeline by severing his heart meridian, and Yue Buqun only saved a dead man.

As for their future fate, that's up to fate.

Yun Changkong approaches everything with a detached and indifferent attitude. This is his way of cultivating himself, which allows him to avoid many worldly troubles. He would never put his own neck in someone else's hands.

Yun Changkong let out a long breath, but out of the corner of his eye, a familiar figure flashed past the alley entrance.

"Huh?" Yun Changkong's heart stirred, and he silently shot towards that figure.

Yun Changkong leaped over the eaves and jumped down. Suddenly, he turned and saw a nun holding an oil-paper umbrella and wearing a loose monk's robe, walking gracefully along the way.

Seeing him, Yun Changkong felt much better. With a sway of his body, he twisted and turned in a strange way and arrived in front of her.

Yilin was taken aback and immediately took five steps back, placing her left hand in front of her chest. This retreat and block already contained elements of Hengshan martial arts.

Yun Changkong smiled and said, "Little Master, how have you been?"

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Yilin was both surprised and delighted. "It's you, Nameless Hero!" she exclaimed, taking two steps forward.

Yun Changkong saw that Yilin's clear, bright eyes were extremely beautiful, as if they could speak, as beautiful as a poem or a painting.

Although Yun Changkong had seen countless women and possessed profound internal strength, he couldn't help but feel a stirring in his heart. He thought to himself, "Teasing a little nun wouldn't be bad!" He then asked, "Why did you only just arrive in Hengshan City? Did you come alone?"

Yilin said softly, "I, I, I came with Senior Brother Linghu." She then lowered her head.

Seeing her so shy, Yun Changkong laughed and said, "What's wrong? Linghu Chong saved you, and now you're deeply in love with him?" He seemed a little disappointed.

Damn it, I saved the damsel in distress too!
But then I thought, Linghu Chong got stabbed while saving someone, and now I'm the one who gets stabbed.

In the young nun's eyes, the relative importance of each was quite obvious. Yilin was a nun, her emotional life still a blank slate, but she could still sense the faint disappointment in Yun Changkong's voice. She composed herself and said, "Nameless Hero..."

Yun Changkong waved his hand and said, "Don't call me a hero. I hate being called a hero."

Yilin asked, puzzled, "Martial arts practitioners all like to be called heroes, why don't you like it?"

Yun Changkong laughed and said, "If I weren't a great hero, I could repay your life-saving grace by making you my wife. If I were a great hero, would I still think like this?"

Upon hearing this, Yilin's face flushed red, tears instantly streaming down her face. She choked out, "I am a nun, how could you say such a thing?"

Yun Chang snorted and said, "Why can't I say that? Do you dare to say you don't want to be Linghu Chong's wife?"

"He only saved you, didn't he? But I also spared you from Tian Boguang's humiliation. According to the stories in those novels, shouldn't the girls say, 'My lord, I have no way to repay your life-saving grace, so I can only offer myself to you'?"

"Pfft—" Yilin was so angry with him that she almost cried, but when she heard what he said, she found it extremely funny, and a blush appeared on her face, making her look quite beautiful.

Yun Changkong chuckled inwardly and said, "Little Master Yilin, I don't know why either. I felt a little uncomfortable when you mentioned Linghu Chong, which is why I wanted you to leave the monastic life and become my wife. Why is that? Has Buddha or Bodhisattva told you?"

Yilin whispered, "How could Buddha and Bodhisattva know such things!"

Yun Changkong asked, "Then do you know?"

Yilin shook her head.

Suddenly, a soft laugh came from not far behind Yilin: "Hehe!" A pair of idiots, this is called jealousy, what don't you know!

Yi Lin was suddenly startled to realize that it was Qu Feiyan. She was immediately embarrassed, glanced at Yun Changkong, walked past him, and ran away quickly.

Yun Changkong couldn't help but chuckle. He was just teasing the little nun, since she had already developed worldly desires. But then Qu Feiyan disturbed her.

He had lost interest, shook his head, and turned to leave, but before he could take a step, he heard Qu Feiyan say, "Hey, how can you treat a girl like that? You'll be a bachelor for life if you keep doing this!"

Upon hearing this, Yun Changkong laughed and said, "You dare to laugh at me? Be careful, I'll spank you!" He then swayed and chased after him.

But when he chased after her, he couldn't find Qu Feiyan anywhere.

Qu Feiyan's voice came from a rooftop: "Hehe, I'm here! Catch me! Hehehe!" Then came another burst of clear, sweet laughter.

Yun Changkong laughed and said, "You scared away the wife I had planned to marry. I'm going to catch you. How about you give me a wife in return?"

Qu Feiyan laughed and said, "If you can catch up with me, I'll give you a wife in return!"

Yun Changkong laughed and said, "You keep your word?"

Qu Feiyan laughed and said, "My word is my bond!"

Yun Changkong laughed heartily, having nothing better to do than have fun, and leaped into the air.

Two figures swooped across the roof like large birds.

Yun Changkong was taken aback.

What a great speed.

However, their speed piqued Yun Changkong's interest, and he leaped over several eaves in one breath. Just as he was about to catch up, the two suddenly got off the roof and disappeared into the alley.

If it were an enemy, he could naturally kick the tiles or strike them with his palm, but Yun Changkong was unwilling and simply followed along.

And so, several figures flashed across the night sky, sometimes up, sometimes down, sometimes left, sometimes right, passing through countless rooftops and alleyways, until the two disappeared into a doorway.

Yun Changkong had no idea where they were taking him. As he pondered this, he noticed various sounds coming from the houses around the alley, especially the exaggerated laughter of a woman.

Yun Changkong walked a few steps along the alley and saw a door wide open. Amidst laughter, several richly dressed men walked out.

Yun Changkong stopped in his tracks, the smell of alcohol mixed with the scent of perfume wafting into his nose.

This is clearly a brothel.

Qu Feiyan disappeared right in front of the door that had just closed.

Just then, a clear voice called out from the doorway: "Hey! I said, are you coming in or not?"

Yun Changkong smiled and shook his head. This girl was really clever and mischievous, actually leading people to a brothel.

He leaped over the wall, the shadows of the trees swaying, and suddenly, with a whoosh, a golden blade cut through the wind.

Yun Changkong's martial arts skills were so high that his strength preceded his intention. Often, before his mind even moved, his hand had already struck out. With a casual slap of his left palm, he would hit the wrist of the person holding the sword. With a swift tremor, a sharp light flew out and stuck to the tree trunk.

At the same time, he struck out with his right hand. As soon as the hand hit his body, he felt a strange sensation and quickly withdrew his force.

But then Qu Feiyan let out a scream and was thrown eight feet away.

"Feifei! You're being ridiculous!"

An old man in black strode out.

Qu Feiyan scolded, "Grandpa, I was just playing around, how is that being ridiculous?"

The old man scolded, "All you ever do is play around! You almost lost your life, do you know that?" He pinched her fair and delicate face with his finger and said, "If this young hero hadn't shown mercy, would you still be here? Hurry up and prepare some wine and food!"

Qu Feiyan pouted and said, "Your granddaughter was bullied, and instead of standing up for me, you're cursing at people?" She glared at Yun Changkong and then ran off.

The old man cupped his hands in a fist salute to Yun Changkong and said, "Please don't take offense, young hero. I have something I'd like to ask you, which is why I brought you here. Please come inside and we can talk."

Yun Changkong looked at his right hand and said, "I was rude to your granddaughter just now, but you still need to discipline her strictly."

Yun Changkong's palm strike just now landed on a particularly elastic spot on Qu Feiyan.

The old man chuckled, "Young hero, you're right. But people of the martial world don't stand on ceremony. What you just did was unintentional. Don't worry about it, please!"

He led the way, turning through two winding corridors, until they arrived at a brightly lit small hall. The old man said, "Young hero, please change your clothes first!"

Yun Changkong said, "No need!"

The old man, not wanting to refuse, was about to invite Yun Changkong to sit down when he suddenly clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Young hero, what profound internal strength you possess!"

It turned out that the rain was very heavy at the time, but Yun Changkong circulated his internal energy, which repelled the rainwater, preventing it from falling on him and keeping his clothes dry. However, this was far too shocking.

Yun Changkong shook his head and said, "I was just lucky!" He sat down and asked, "Why did you go to all this trouble to lure me here?"

The old man paused for a moment, then asked, "Young hero, you said this morning that you would retire from the world and become a lamb to the slaughter. I would like to ask you what you mean by that?"

Yun Changkong laughed and said, "What advice could I possibly have? I'm just stating a fact."

The old man was startled and asked, "Are you referring to the people in the city?"

Yun Changkong laughed and said, "Since you're so interested, who are you?"

The old man pondered for a moment and asked, "May I ask which sect you belong to, young hero, and who your master is?"

Yun Changkong asked, "May I ask which sect you belong to, and who your master is?"

The old man laughed heartily and said, "My master has long since passed away, so let's not talk about him. As for this lineage, I dare to say something, but I'm afraid you wouldn't dare to listen!"

Yun Changkong smiled and said, "People are afraid of scary things. If you don't tell me, how will I know if I'm afraid or not?"

The old man nodded and said, "Alright, are you afraid of the Sun Moon Cult?"

Yun Changkong asked, "Are you Dongfang Bubai, the leader of the Sun Moon Sect?"

The old man was taken aback and said, "No!"

Yun Changkong said calmly, "Then where do I have to be afraid?"

The old man laughed heartily and said, "I am Qu Yang, a Dharma Protector Elder of the Sun Moon Divine Sect!" (End of Chapter)