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

Yun Changkong was initially very interested in the power of the "Nine Swords of Dugu", but when he had this idea, he was surprised and thought about it carefully.

While the "Nine Swords of Dugu" was indeed created by Dugu Qiubai by combining the essence of martial arts from all over the world, it is only by complementing the essence of "no moves are better than moves" that it can become an invincible martial art.

Otherwise, how could the "Nine Swords of Dugu" alone be said to be able to defeat all martial arts in the world?
Yun Changkong learned the "Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms" and the "Five Elements and Eight Trigrams" from Shi Huolong and the Purple-Robed Dragon King, and was well-versed in the principles of the I Ching.

I had long seen that Linghu Chong's "Nine Swords of Dugu" was based on the principles of the I Ching.

The moves are based on the principles of the I Ching, such as the Yin-Yang changes and directional deductions of "Gui Mei", "Wu Wang", and "Tong Ren". This not only defines the rules of movement and direction transformation, but also plans the optimal attack trajectory of the longsword. It also contains the Yin-Yang changes of internal force. Therefore, many top masters cannot withstand a single sword strike from "Dugu Nine Swords". This is why Linghu Chong, who was powerless in his hands, was able to blind fifteen people with a single move.

The reason why the "anticipating the enemy's moves" of the Dugu Nine Swords and the "anticipating the enemy's moves" of the "Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms" are based on predicting trends by subtle signs is that this concept comes from the changes in the "I Ching".

The state of "no moves are better than moves" aligns with the essence of the I Ching principle, "When things reach an extreme, they change; when they change, they become accessible." Both involve breaking free from established frameworks and adjusting cognition and behavior in accordance with the laws of change, neither rigidly adhering to conventions nor blindly following trends. This is precisely the key to the "Nine Swords of Dugu's" ability to decipher all martial arts techniques.

Thinking of this, Yun Changkong drew out his jade flute. The reason he wanted to create a martial art that could injure people with music was to control the opponent, pull them into his rhythm, and make them unable to act independently, so that they could be manipulated at will.

Yun Changkong suddenly stood up, straightened his body, took a step to the left, faced the "Tongren" position, stepped on the "Beidou Tianquan" position, lowered his left hand, pointing diagonally to the "Dayou" position; and pointed horizontally to the "Ge" and "Ding" positions with his right hand.

This stance corresponds to the hexagram positions in the I Ching, symbolizing authority, stability, and foundation, and contains the meaning of "establishing destiny in the right position." The feet also contain the Big Dipper formation, which states that "if the head is struck, the tail will arrive; if the tail is struck, the head will arrive; if the middle is struck, both head and tail will arrive."

With this stance, even if experts of similar strength attacked from all directions, Yun Changkong wouldn't be immediately subdued, nor would he be surrounded and unable to escape. As for those weaker than himself, it would be even less of a problem.

Yun Changkong concentrated and reflected on what he had learned in his life. He used the flute as a sword and moved slowly. It looked easy, but it was actually full of profound mysteries.

Within this movement and change lies nine transformations, seamlessly integrating fierce attacks with tight defense, and capable of instantaneous shifts, turning the real into the illusory, and the illusory into the real.

This move was only in its initial form, but Yun Changkong's internal energy had already flowed slowly with the movement, spontaneously circulating throughout his body. This elevated his spirit and energy to a new level.

This is extremely valuable!
Yun Changkong felt great. Suddenly, the jade flutes danced, making a whistling sound. There were seven or eight of them, like a group of snakes stretching and contracting. Yun Changkong had no idea which was real and which was illusory.

Yun Changkong practiced this move until dawn, as it had evolved into three hundred variations. It was so fluid and seemingly clumsy yet incredibly skillful that it made him break out in a light sweat.

This is clearly the result of overusing one's brain.

Creating martial arts techniques is always much more difficult than learning them.

At this moment, Yun Changkong understood that the Dugu Nine Swords and the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms were like his soldiers, the innate principles of Yi were the military strategy, and he was the commander.

However, once on the battlefield, it's certainly not acceptable to disregard military strategy and give orders haphazardly, but it's equally unacceptable to rigidly adhere to military strategy without following it; the "donkey cart drifting" incident is a prime example. Therefore, even among generals who are well-versed in military texts, truly great generals are so rare. Others may also win battles, but that doesn't change the fact that they are all mediocre.

Yun Changkong stood on the mountaintop, watching the rising sun, placed the jade flute to his lips, and began to play "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer".

He possessed profound inner strength, controlled his breathing with ease, and mastered the nuances of the melody's dynamics.

However, he wanted to incorporate martial arts into his music, but he couldn't use his internal energy to injure people at will, and he also couldn't practice in crowded places.

You want to ask why?
His music is so poignant and sorrowful that it would probably make anyone who listens to it feel like they're pouring their heart and soul into it.

From then on, Yun Changkong became obsessed with martial arts, sometimes burying his head in deep thought, sometimes beaming with excitement, and sometimes gesturing wildly.

During the day he would play "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer," but he dared not play it at night because his internal strength was too profound, and he used it to cultivate his internal energy. The sound of his flute was deep and solid, and even if he was on a high mountain, he was afraid that ordinary people like woodcutters would hear it and he would pretend to be a ghost, harming the innocent.

That night, just as he was sitting in meditation like an old monk, a man in black quietly floated over and stood not far away, staring at him.

The newcomer was covered by a large black robe, and even his face was hidden by the cloak. Not only could his true appearance not be seen, but it was also impossible to tell whether he was a man or a woman.

The man stood in the shadows for a long time, until he seemed to have become one with the darkness, before slowly drawing a sword. He drew the sword very gently, and even covered it with his sleeve, as if afraid of revealing its gleam.

He walked forward step by step without making a sound. When he was only a few feet away from Yun Changkong, he suddenly pushed off with both legs and flew towards Yun Changkong like a whirlwind. The sword in his hand was also hidden in his sleeve and aimed at Yun Changkong's vital heart.

This looks like he's about to pierce his heart with a sword.

Anyone else would probably have succeeded.

But this is the vast sky.

No matter how fast or silent his sword strike was, Yun Changkong could still feel the sharpness and killing intent emanating from it. In the nick of time, Yun Changkong clasped his hands together, trapping the sword between them.
Just as Yun Changkong was about to activate the "Arhat Subduing Demon Skill," he smelled a faint fragrance in his nose. It felt both familiar and strange to him.

With a thought, he flashed his sword. When the man was caught by his sword, his wrist went numb from the shock. Instead of continuing the fight, he pushed his sword away and used the recoil to retreat rapidly.

Yun Changkong laughed and said, "So eager?"

Just as he was about to throw his sword, he suddenly heard a soft sound from his left, and saw a man in black flick his sleeve, a beam of light appearing in the moonlight as it enveloped him.

Yun Changkong was a man of exceptional insight. Even in the darkness, he could tell that these were hundreds of tiny needles. Not daring to be careless, he swung his sword to meet the rain of needles.

In an instant, the rain of needles vanished without a trace.

Yun Changkong deflected the hidden weapon, and upon turning around, he found that the person who launched the weapon was nowhere to be seen, and the person who drew the sword had also vanished without a trace.

Suddenly, Yun Changkong understood their scheme: one was trying to assassinate him, and the other, sensing danger, was using flying needles to stop him.

The two of them struck and left without any entanglement. If it weren't for the fine needles on the left and right, it would seem like a dream!

"These two are no less skilled than top-tier martial artists, and their attacks are ruthless. If they fail to strike, they immediately flee. Could they be legendary assassins?"

Yun Changkong had been traveling for a long time and had seen all kinds of people, but he had never seen an assassin before, so he immediately became interested.

Out of caution, he followed the principle of not pursuing a cornered enemy and did not give chase, but he was also determined not to leave.

He wanted to see how many waves of assassins this guy could send.

This is Yun Changkong, seemingly cautious and timid, but actually possessing a strong adventurous spirit.

The two men in black remained silent, using their lightness skills to quickly float away, and soon arrived at a house in Luoyang City.

The two floated to a secluded house with a half-open window, and without touching the window at all, they floated inside one after the other.

It turned out to be a young lady's boudoir. Was there a dressing table inside?

As soon as their feet touched the ground, their cloaks and black robes fell away, revealing flowing hair and graceful figures.

It turns out that these two ruthless men in black were actually women, and very beautiful women at that.

The two women were both tall, and their long robes made it impossible to tell whether they were male or female.

"Holy Maiden, could you have left without me?"

With that sweet, coquettish voice appearing, it was naturally Lan Fenghuang.

The Holy Maiden glanced at her: "Who said they were afraid I'd be killed and wanted to see me? Now you're making fun of me? Look at my hands."

Seeing that Ren Yingying's jade-like right hand was now completely red, Lan Fenghuang smiled and said, "You're right. Come, let me massage your wrist." As she spoke, she began to massage Ren Yingying's wrist.

Ren Yingying smiled and said, "I hate bullies who prey on women the most. This isn't about helping you, but I didn't expect this guy to be so patient. He must have known about us all along, waiting for us to take the bait. He's so cunning, you'd better be careful in the future."

Lan Fenghuang nodded and said, "Yes, we waited for an hour and thought he had entered a meditative state. We even tried to suppress our breathing and make no sound, but he could still sense us. This person's martial arts skills are truly astonishing."

Ren Yingying smiled and glanced at her, knowing that Lan Fenghuang meant that the person was skilled in martial arts, not cunning. She slowly said, "But you're right, this person probably killed the three great protectors of the Songshan Sect, and that's far from the full extent of his strength."

Lan Fenghuang laughed and said, "The more powerful he is, the happier I am. But those who receive your orders are probably in trouble! Aren't you afraid they'll be killed?" She seemed quite puzzled.

Ren Yingying said, "They are different from you. Those people are all peripheral members of our sect. They seem to obey me, but in reality, they all have their own agendas."

Yun Changkong has great insight. He said that these people are not truly loyal to me. It is only because I am still useful to the cult that I can bring them the antidote for the 'Three Corpse Brain God Pill'.

But this time when I returned to Blackwood Cliff, I felt really uneasy.

"Because at this time, it's inappropriate for me to go back. Uncle Dongfang must think this great master is related to me, and that's why he's testing me."

Lan Fenghuang said, "Then can't we not go back?" "How can we?" Ren Yingying looked bitter: "Everyone says my father is dead, but some people say he might not be dead."

I must get to the bottom of this. If I openly disobey Uncle Dongfang's orders now, and he, instigated by Yang Lianting, removes me from my position as Holy Maiden, then my father's fate will likely remain a mystery forever.

Lan Fenghuang sighed: "Your uncle's death was indeed bizarre, and there are hardly any loyal people left in your sect."

Ren Yingying sighed, "This is the world of martial arts. The winner is king and the loser is a thief. Now no one in the sect dares to mention my father's name, as if he, the former sect leader, never existed!"

Lan Fenghuang said, "Yingying, why don't you bring Long Yun Changkong? This man seems to be as hard as stone, but he is actually kind-hearted. He didn't directly try to kill you, and when we used a trick, he didn't fall for it and chase after us. He is obviously extremely calm and collected. If he could go to Blackwood Cliff with you, your safety would be guaranteed!"

Ren Yingying rolled her eyes at her and said, "So what if he's good at martial arts? He looks down on me like that. It's fine for me to use him, but if I bow down to him, how can I face anyone in the future?"

Although Ren Yingying is young, she has been carefully taught by masters such as Ren Woxing and Dongfang Bubai since childhood. Although her internal strength is not high, she is cunning and insidious in her moves and is best at winning by surprise. Her martial arts skills have long been among the top-notch.

At least in Ren Woxing's eyes, his daughter was someone who could rival Ning Zhongze.

However, after exchanging only one move with Yun Changkong, she felt she couldn't budge him an inch. If Lan Fenghuang hadn't immediately used the "Sandstorm" technique to shoot out silver needles to intercept him, she would have been captured alive. She couldn't help but feel a little annoyed.

Ren Yingying used to think that she was the best among the younger generation in the martial arts world, but now that there are such people in the world, she feels that she is too mediocre!
Three more days passed, and Yun Changkong was quite disappointed when the assassin did not appear. He had just created a sword technique and was feeling somewhat tired.

He sat down against a large pine tree, intending to take a nap. In his drowsy state, a thought suddenly struck him.

Yun Changkong, confident in his profound skills, usually paid little attention to anything else. However, he was exceptionally sensitive to killing intent. He immediately opened his eyes and laughed, "Since you've come, why hide?"

He spoke, but there was no response for a long time.

Yun Changkong reached out from his sleeve, and with a mere flick of his wrist, a pine cone appeared in his hand. He said loudly, "You've got some patience. If you've got the guts, then don't come out!"

With a gentle flick, the pine cone flew like lightning, shooting straight into the bushes more than ten feet away.

With a clang, a flash of light, and the rustling of grass and trees, a long sword shot into the sky.

A figure leaped up, turned, and ran.

Yun Changkong sneered, "You think you can escape?" With a swift kick, a pebble struck the man's Huantiao acupoint with lightning speed.
The man cried out "Ouch!" and fell to his knees.

Yun Changkong said, "Friend, please tell me your name. That way, when I go to the King of Hell, I can settle accounts with him!"

The man turned to look at Yun Changkong and said in a trembling voice, "I am just an unknown person, and you probably don't even know me."

Seeing that he was a strong and muscular man, yet his face was filled with fear, Yun Changkong felt contempt for him.

This man never expected that with his skill, someone could knock his longsword away from more than ten feet away with a single flick of the wrist. His arm still felt numb and he couldn't recover; it was fear from the bottom of his heart.

Yun Changkong's cold voice rang out: "I was going to strike your shoulder, and you managed to block one of my attacks, which is quite remarkable. But you've shown murderous intent towards me. Can you tell me why?"

A look of horror flashed in the big man's eyes. Did he know what he was thinking?
The Buddhist sect possesses the "telepathy," and Yun Changkong is a master of the most advanced Buddhist skill. Although he dares not claim to be able to read other people's minds completely, he is incredibly effective at detecting murderous intent.

In short, it's possible for someone to plot against me, but it's absolutely impossible for them to plot against her with murderous intent.

Therefore, the clouds in the sky do not care about trivial details.

Knowing he had no way out, the man became more resolute and said, "Kill me if you want!"

Yun Changkong laughed and said, "Friend, why are you doing this?"

The burly man gritted his teeth and glared angrily, but remained silent.

Yun Changkong smiled slightly, stood up, and walked leisurely towards the man, saying gently, "Friend, what is your name?"

The burly man said, "Zhao Jie."

Yun Changkong said with a friendly expression, "Zhao Jie, what a nice name, but I've never heard of him before. Are you trying to fool me, Brother Zhao?"

Zhao Jie said, "A true man never changes his name or surname!"

Yun Changkong nodded and asked, "Where do you work?"

Zhao Jie coldly replied, "No comment."

Yun Changkong did not get angry, but smiled and said, "Do you really have to make me do this to you?"

Zhao Jie coldly replied, "I came here under orders and dared not fail to do my utmost. Now that I'm in your hands, I have no choice but to die. If you want to torture me, hehe, what haven't you seen, go ahead and do whatever you want. If I even flinch, I'm not a true hero."

Yun Changkong laughed and said, "That's great! I just love tough guys like Brother Zhao." As he spoke, he lightly tapped with his right index and middle fingers.

Zhao Jie immediately felt a surge of heat, like knives, cutting through his body.

He had been tormented for a long time and had a strong resistance. He could endure it at first, but after a while, his entire internal organs felt like they were being burned. You can't understand that kind of pain unless you've been burned in the fire several times!

Zhao Jie screamed, "Yun Changkong, you bastard, if you have the guts, kill your grandfather! What's the point of torturing people..."

Yun Changkong remained unmoved and said, "Go ahead and curse. The louder you curse, the happier I'll be!"

Zhao Jie had intended to provoke him into killing someone in a fit of rage, but to his surprise, the other man's expression didn't change at all. He could only plead, "Great Hero Yun, you are the greatest hero in the world. Please do me a good deed and kill me. I will be grateful to you even in death..." At this point, he couldn't help but let out another miserable wail.

His body writhed and convulsed, and his screams were extremely shrill.

Yun Changkong sighed inwardly, "This doesn't seem like an assassin. Whose subordinate is this, so loyal? The Songshan Sect, or the Demonic Sect?"

Thinking it over, he gave him another slap to ease his pain, and said coldly, "Zhao Jie, I want to ask you who you take orders from. If you don't want to answer, fine. I'll just ask you, how did you know I was here?"

Zhao Jie was surprised and doubtful that he had suddenly become so agreeable. After a long while, he said, "My master is all-powerful. If he wants to find you, he will naturally be able to."

"My lord? With extraordinary powers?" Yun Changkong asked solemnly, "Is she the Holy Maiden?"

Zhao Jie was taken aback, then suddenly exclaimed, "No, no!"

Yun Changkong laughed loudly, looking up at the sky, and said, "Very well, go ahead!"

Zhao Jie, who had been tortured to the point of near death and was still shaken, was even more surprised by these words and blurted out, "Really?"

Yun Changkong said, "Why would I need to lie to you?"

Zhao Jie hesitated, then said, "You're letting me go because you want to follow me and find the person behind it all, right?"

Yun Changkong laughed and said, "You're quite clever!"

Zhao Jie said angrily, "This person has a lot of influence. Now the entire martial arts world is looking for you, including many experts who want to take your life..." As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted them, but it was too late to take them back.

Yun Changkong thought to himself, "Judging from his expression, he doesn't seem to be lying. It must be that little wench, Ren Yingying! Damn it, this is never going to end!" He then said, "Judging from your expression, it must be that the Holy Maiden wants to kill me? Since you've already betrayed her, where is she now?"

Zhao Jie, already terrified by his slip of the tongue, retorted angrily, "You, surnamed Yun, I've already committed a grave offense by saying those words. What more do you want!"

Yun Changkong laughed and said, "I have a very good relationship with the Holy Maiden. How could she kill me? I think you are talking nonsense and trying to make her hate you! Alright, you can leave now."

Zhao Jie was a little incredulous that he had let him go so easily. He turned over and stood up, stunned.

Yun Changkong said coldly, "What? Don't you want to leave?"

Zhao Jie was startled, fearing that he might change his mind again, so he didn't even dare to say anything polite and hurriedly ran away.

After he left, Yun Changkong did not chase after him.

Knowing the man's deep fear of his lord and anticipating his extreme caution in pursuing him, he decided to let him run a little further first. (End of Chapter)