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

As Yun Changkong spoke, the dark, cold sword had already pierced a foot into his throat.

Yun Changkong remained unperturbed, slightly twisting his body, and Jiang Feihong's longsword whizzed past his neck.

But Jiang Feihong changed his move extremely quickly, slashing horizontally with his longsword. With a clang, Yun Changkong's index and middle fingers had already caught the tip of the sword. Jiang Feihong's sword strike was immediately blocked.

Yilin suddenly exclaimed, "Brother, he is a master of the Diancang Sect, we must not underestimate him!"

As he spoke, Jiang Feihong thrust his left sword into Yun Changkong's left side.

Yun Changkong seemed to have a spring attached to him, and with a "whoosh," he sprang back more than ten feet, laughed loudly, and said, "Brother Jiang, if you want to fight, I will certainly accompany you, but what exactly is your purpose? You should give me an explanation."

Jiang Feihong said coldly, "You are a renowned figure in the martial arts world, yet you are a lecherous scoundrel. Today, I will rid the martial arts world of this great scourge!"

Yi Lin looked flustered and said urgently, "Senior Jiang, please don't wrong him!"

"Injustice?" Jiang Feihong said coldly, "I'm not blind!"

His gleaming longsword pierced towards Yun Changkong with lightning speed.

Yun Changkong chuckled and said, "Brother Jiang, it seems you are unaware of this. I have always had a fondness for beautiful women. Whether it's lust or despicable behavior, I don't care. However, Phoenix is ​​a remarkable woman of our time. Who is her soulmate? Do you need to elaborate, brother?"

Yun Changkong didn't know who Jiang Feihong was at first, but when Yilin told him that he was a master of the Diancang Sect, he remembered that Zuo Lengchan had told him about Jiang Feihong of the Diancang Sect who was deeply in love with Lan Fenghuang but could not get her.

As Yun Changkong spoke, Jiang Feihong had already launched dozens of sword attacks, but the swords swept around Yun Changkong without ever touching a single piece of his clothing.

Jiang Feihong was even angrier. Her long sword moved gracefully and nimbly, attacking Yun Changkong with each move. The sword energy was hazy, desolate yet elegant.

Seeing Jiang Feihong's sword strikes so fast, like flowing light and flying rainbows, with one move after another, Yilin was dazzled and almost breathless. She didn't know how many swords she had attacked, but every move missed and was fruitless. This made Yilin feel that Yun Changkong was not made of flesh and blood, but floated like a cloud.

Although Yun Changkong only defended and did not attack, he secretly praised, "The Diancang Sword Technique is indeed extraordinary." He said, "Brother Jiang's sword moves are very elegant. It is truly rare to find such swordsmanship in the martial arts world."

He turned around and was already behind Jiang Feihong, laughing loudly, "But Brother Jiang, if it's for the sake of the phoenix, there's really no need for us to go to such lengths!"

Jiang Feihong had already realized that Yun Changkong's martial arts skills were truly high; even if he practiced for another thirty years, he still wouldn't be able to take someone's head.

He felt a tremor in his heart, but he was also a well-known figure in the martial arts world. He paused for a moment and said coldly, "You surnamed Yun, today's matter is my business, Jiang Feihong's business, and has nothing to do with anyone else!"

It should be noted that although martial arts schools are led by Shaolin and Wudang, they do not specialize in swordsmanship.

Among all the sword techniques in the world, the Diancang School stands out and is famous in southern Yunnan. Like the Five Sacred Mountains Sword School, Emei, Kunlun and other schools, it has its own unique secrets in sword techniques.

Moreover, Jiang Feihong was an outstanding master of the Diancang Sect in recent years, with first-rate swordsmanship and internal strength, and he was also handsome. However, he took a fancy to Lan Fenghuang and wanted to marry her, but Lan Fenghuang refused outright, saying that she was the leader of the Five Immortals Sect and would never marry. She had been longing for him for ten years.

But to everyone's surprise, the affair between Lan Fenghuang and Yun Changkong became the talk of the martial arts world. Lan Fenghuang not only called him "elder brother," but Yun Changkong even said that Lan Fenghuang was his wife.

Fortunately, Yun Changkong was not only highly skilled in martial arts but also had a great reputation. Many people said that he was the number one master in the world. Although Jiang Feihong was jealous and resentful, she could barely accept it.

If it were some unknown martial arts figure, he probably would have drawn his sword and committed suicide on the spot.

She had just arrived in the Central Plains from Yunnan, but when she saw Yun Changkong, she saw him showering Yilin with sweet words and clearly saw him as a philanderer who was not worthy of Lan Fenghuang. This made her so angry that she wanted to kill him.

However, he was too embarrassed to say that he was standing up for Lan Fenghuang, and he was even more afraid that Lan Fenghuang would be unhappy if she found out. Therefore, he would make things difficult for Yun Changkong, but at the same time, he would distance himself from Lan Fenghuang.

"Brother Jiang, that's enough. You've already scolded and hit him, so let's stop now!" Yun Changkong was good-tempered and could understand what it felt like for a goddess who couldn't have him to please someone else, so he didn't make things difficult for him.

However, Jiang Feihong was troubled by love, but she was very talented. She used her swordsmanship to the extreme, each sword strike faster than the last, attacking Yun Changkong with all her might. Gradually, her inner strength condensed, and her sword energy crisscrossed. Yilin hurriedly retreated, afraid of being injured by the surging sword energy.

Even with his good temper, Yun Changkong still had a fiery temper. Seeing that Jiang Feihong seemed somewhat unaware of his own limitations, pointing his finger at the other's wrist, he then thought that knocking away his weapon would be too much of a blow to his pride. Midway through the attack, he twisted his palm and pressed down against Jiang Feihong's sword blade.

With a "hum," a clear sound pierced the ears.

Jiang Feihong felt herself caught in a turbulent vortex, unable to control her own body, and was spun more than ten feet away.

Even so, once his feet touched the ground, he couldn't stop. He used his longsword to slash the ground, creating sparks more than ten feet long on the bluestone bricks before finally stopping.

Yun Changkong stood there with his hands in his sleeves, his expression indifferent, as if he had never moved.

Jiang Feihong bowed his head and said, "Your martial arts are indeed superb. I am extremely impressed!"

It is well known that Jiang Feihong is known as the "Willow Leaf Sword" because his swordsmanship is superb and everyone in the martial arts world knows him. Therefore, even a junior like Yilin knows his name.

Furthermore, given his extremely arrogant nature and his complete lack of affection for Yun Changkong, the fact that he uttered such a statement must have been heartfelt.

"The Diancang Sword Technique lives up to its reputation." Yun Changkong smiled slightly. "I have already experienced Brother Jiang's unique skills, and they are indeed impressive. That's enough." With that, he turned and walked towards Yilin.

Jiang Feihong suddenly raised her eyes and snorted fiercely, "Let me tell you, I, Jiang, do not have your amazing skills, but I have a fierce and proud spirit. I am here only to tell the world that a playboy like you, Yun Changkong, is not worthy of any good woman, let alone the leader of the Lan sect!"

He channeled all his inner strength into that shout, the sound reverberating across the surrounding area, causing the mountains to tremble. The words had barely left his lips when, with a swift twist of his arm and a sweeping motion, he slashed at his own throat, his technique incredibly fast.

Before the echo had even faded, the person had already fallen into a pool of blood.

Yi Lin was taken aback, never expecting this person to have such a fierce temperament. She was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly called out, "Senior Jiang!" She rushed over, lifted Jiang Feihong's body, and found that he had already died, his eyes wide open in death.

Yun Changkong slowly turned around. Even though he possessed profound knowledge and unparalleled martial arts skills, seeing this scene caused him to be extremely confused for a moment.

Conflicts and killings are commonplace in the martial arts world.

Back then, Yun Changkong single-handedly annihilated thousands on the Han River with his sword, turning the river red with blood and leaving corpses floating in the water. But it was unimaginable that this martial arts master would commit suicide.

Because there's a saying in the martial arts world, "As long as the sword is there, the person is there; if the sword dies, the person dies," Yun Changkong couldn't even knock the sword away from his opponent. Yet he still committed suicide. One can't help but sigh inwardly, "Yunnan has many romantic souls!"

Yilin was greatly puzzled and murmured, "Why? Why is this happening?"

Yun Changkong sighed, "He's too extreme. People are fond of women, which is why there's the saying 'a gentleman seeks out a beautiful and graceful lady.'"

The attraction and affection between a man and a woman is innate and natural. The key and most important factor is shared interests and mutual affection.

As for other things, such as power, literary talent, martial arts skills, wealth, and favors, they are merely the starting point for mutual attraction.

This Willow Leaf Swordsman seems to have achieved early success and is used to smooth sailing. He thinks that if he likes someone, that person should accept him.

If the person who doesn't accept you accepts someone else, it's an insult to you. This is actually falling into the trap of love, a kind of obsession you don't even realize!

Jiang Feihong was handsome and dashing, born into a prestigious family, and countless women were attracted to him. However, he regarded them all as worthless, and was only devoted to Lan Fenghuang.

But this love affair turned into an endless sea of ​​suffering, tormenting his soul for ten years.

Many people, especially those in the Yunnan martial arts world, knew about this. They were extremely dissatisfied with Lan Fenghuang's choice of Yun Changkong.

But even his most prized swordsmanship seemed like that of a three-year-old child in front of him. Jiang Feihong was truly heartbroken and had no face to live in this world, so he chose to end his life and be done with it all.

Yilin was stunned for a long time after hearing Yun Changkong's words, thinking to herself, "I know that Brother Linghu only has Junior Sister Yue in his heart. But why haven't I thought about committing suicide?"

She thought about it for a long time and realized that she didn't seem to love Linghu Chong that much, at least not as much as Jiang Feihong loved Lan Fenghuang.

Thinking of this, Yilin sighed, "Brother Yun, we should take care of the deceased."

Yun Changkong said, "Of course!"

They picked up Jiang Feihong's body and found a cave on Feilai Peak. They placed the body inside, then picked up a large rock and used it to block the cave entrance.

By then, the sun had already set, and the blood-red afterglow added to the desolate atmosphere.

Jiang Feihong's move left Yun Changkong feeling completely confused. His attitude towards Lan Fenghuang was very different from his attitude towards Ren Yingying and Yilin.

Firstly, Lan Fenghuang was too bold. She kissed him the first time they met and directly expressed her feelings. Yun Changkong also made it clear that he had a wife, but she didn't care. So why not just take it as a casual fling?
Besides, as Lan Fenghuang said, the Five Poisons Sect Leader's refusal to marry is something he considers purely insane; saving unfortunate women is his duty.

Who knew she had such a devoted suitor? He was even willing to risk his life for her; compared to him, Jiang Feihong's love for Lan Fenghuang far surpassed his own!
He thought of Zhao Min, the Purple-Robed Dragon King, and Zhou Zhiruo, his sworn enemy, and...

Honestly, what good is a scumbag like me to anyone? Why did I even try to win her heart?

Thinking about this, Yun Changkong suddenly felt that he should shave his head and become a monk, or tie his hair up and become a Taoist, so as not to harm others anymore.

Seeing Yun Changkong's uncertain expression, Yilin assumed he was still bothered by something between Lan Fenghuang and Jiang Feihong. She pursed her lips and said softly, "Brother Yun, don't take this to heart. There's nothing between Sect Leader Lan and Senior Jiang, otherwise he wouldn't have committed suicide."

Yun Changkong looked up at her, a hint of warmth flashing in his eyes, and said, "I'm not that petty. I just wanted to take you around to see the scenery of West Lake, but I never expected you to see me in this shameful state."

Yilin paused, her heart softening. She shook her head and said, "I don't care about these things. You're not that bad. As a Buddhist disciple, I am also..." She lowered her eyelashes, not daring to look up again.

Yun Changkong sighed and thought to himself, "This girl is really clever. Although she admires Linghu Chong, she is also very considerate of him. However, she keeps her feelings to herself, which is also a hardship for her. Linghu Chong married Ren Yingying and even passed on the leadership of Hengshan Sect to her. With her personality, how can she be the leader?"
Linghu Chong, you're so good to Ren Yingying, but you're a real dog to her!

Yilin sighed softly again: "Brother Yun, I miss Master, I..."

Yun Changkong laughed and said, "Alright, following someone with such a bad reputation as me is not a good idea. What if one day Master Dingyi uses her longsword on me? That would be bad. It's better to hand you over to her."

Yi Lin was somewhat surprised that Yun Changkong agreed so readily, and asked, "Shall we go back to Hengshan?"

Yun Changkong said coldly, "We may not be able to see your master if we return to Hengshan. We should go to the only place we can pass through to enter Fujian."

Yilin's lips moved a few times, as if she wanted to say something, but she held back and didn't say anything.

Yun Changkong had already walked forward, and Yilin hurriedly followed, but her mind was in turmoil. She felt that Yun Changkong's expression had been off, and it seemed that her relationship with him had undergone a subtle change. Or perhaps, his feelings for her had also changed.

Otherwise, why would he change his mind and take me to see my master?

When Yilin thought of this, she stopped and whispered, "Brother Yun, I don't think you're that bad. My father loved my mother so much back then... He was even willing to become a monk for her... But after he had me, when he saw a beautiful woman, he... he couldn't help but look at her and make some teasing remarks, which made my mother angry."

She mustered all her courage to say those words, and her face turned bright red with embarrassment.

Yun Changkong turned around, looked at her with extremely gentle eyes, and said, "Not bad, you are exceptionally beautiful. I liked you at first sight, but I have actually been married before, and more than once."

You are innocent and pure, like a fairy from heaven. Letting you go is like letting you fall into depravity. I also feel that I am bad, but I just can't change.

This has indeed implicated many women. Only today, with Jiang Feihong's death, do I realize how desecrating I have been towards love—it's utterly shameful!

In that instant, in Yilin's eyes, Yun Changkong was no longer the invincible and powerful number one martial arts master, but just an ordinary man with a face full of disappointment and despondency.

The disparity in their martial arts skills and reputation vanished from Yilin's mind in an instant.

Yilin felt that she had been studying Buddhism and chanting scriptures since she was a child, all for the purpose of helping others. He was also her savior, and she felt obligated to help him rekindle his passionate feelings. She smiled and said, "Brother Yun, when I see my master, I will tell her... tell her my intention to return to secular life, and see if she..." She hurriedly ran away.

She didn't finish her sentence, but it subtly revealed her true feelings.

Yun Changkong's heart skipped a beat again, and he slowly said, "Yilin, everything in this world is just a fleeting encounter, something that comes and goes as fate dictates. Our hearts are actually in turmoil, and that's why..."

Yilin stopped in her tracks and said, "Brother Yun, I know what it means to be trapped by love."

Yun Changkong smiled slightly, knowing that she had tasted the bitterness of unrequited love for Linghu Chong, so what else was there to say?

Without saying another word, the two headed towards Xianxia Ridge.

This is because it is a necessary route from Zhejiang to Fujian via the Xianxia Ancient Road.

In the original storyline, Linghu Chong assisted the Hengshan Sect at Xianxia Ridge, successfully defeating the Songshan Sect masters who were impersonating the Demonic Sect.

However, with his own intrusion, Zuo Lengchan descended Mount Song, and Yue Buqun rushed to Fujian, while Linghu Chong was still in the West Lake prison, not even having mastered the Star Absorbing Skill. Therefore, in order to prevent any unnecessary complications, he had to stop them.

Yilin didn't know why Yun Changkong wanted to go to Xianxia Ridge, but she trusted him.

This is Yun Changkong's most fatal flaw when it comes to women.

Even though these women had all sorts of grievances against him, they all trusted him implicitly, without exception.

Yun Changkong bought two horses on the way, and the two rode off at a leisurely pace, heading south. By this time, they had entered the Xianxia Ridge Mountains. The mountain paths were rugged, the grass was lush, and a warm breeze was blowing.

Around noon, they stopped at an inn. The innkeeper was extremely hospitable; before the two could even dismount, he came out with a smile and said, "Sirs, please come in?"

Yun Changkong took out a few taels of silver from his pocket and tossed them to the waiter, saying, "Feed the horse some hay and give it some water!"

The waiter responded and went to fetch the horse.

The two entered the inn, and Yun Changkong asked the innkeeper to slaughter a chicken, order a pot of tea, and some vegetarian dishes.

The shopkeeper had just plucked the chicken feathers clean and hadn't even put it in the pot when he heard the sound of horses' hooves. A moment later, three men walked in.

To Yun Changkong's left was a large, stout man, around forty years old, with a short beard. In the center was a thin, elderly man with dark skin and piercing eyes. To his right was an elderly man with drooping eyebrows and an upturned mouth.

With just one glance, Yun Changkong could tell that all three were experts.

The three men glanced at Yun Changkong and Yilin, but since Yilin wasn't wearing a monk's robe and the two of them were wearing bamboo hats pulled low, and they had no weapons on them, they didn't pay them much attention.

The old man said, "Shopkeeper, cook us two chickens, and if you have beef, cut two plates." He spoke with a Central Plains accent.

The shopkeeper said, "Oh dear, this is difficult. We only have this one chicken left, and this customer has already ordered it. We don't have any beef, but how about steaming two catties of cured pork?"

The fat man frowned and said, "Damn it, after traveling all day, we've found such a run-down place!"

The thin old man said, "Third brother, just shut up. We're lucky to have a place to eat!"

The fat man snorted, and although he was unhappy, he stopped cursing.

The waiter brought over the wine, and the group began to drink.

Soon, the chicken was put into the pot, and its aroma filled the air.

Suddenly, a creaking sound was heard outside the door, and several rickshaws were pushed to the front of the shop. Five porters, their chests bare, walked into the shop.

Look at that truck, it's loaded with bags of salt, it's quite heavy.

The five people sat down at a wooden table near the door, and one of them said, "Bring us whatever chicken, duck, beef, or anything else you have in the shop!"

Upon hearing this, Yun Changkong noticed that the person's accent also had a Henan flavor. He thought to himself, "We're both from Henan, what a coincidence!"

The shopkeeper laughed and said, "If I had known business would be this good today, I would have bought a few more chickens at the market the other day. I'm sorry, there was only one chicken left, so I gave it to those two customers."

The man suddenly shouted, "Kid, what are you still eating? You've run into some bastards from the Demonic Sect, why aren't you running for your life?"

Yilin was suddenly startled. The fat man slammed his hand on the table, stood up, and shouted, "You brat, what did you say?"

The porter said angrily, "You bastards of the Demonic Sect, do you think you can fool us by disguising yourselves? You sneaked off to Fujian, weren't you after the Evil-Slaying Sword Manual?"

He fired off a barrage of questions, like a mad tiger glaring at the three men.

The gaunt old man glanced at them, snorted, and said in a deep voice, "So you're all friends from the underworld, looking for us..."

Before he could finish speaking, his figure suddenly swayed, clapped twice, and struck the two porters in the chest with both palms. The two men collapsed without uttering a sound.

Yilin was taken aback. She couldn't figure out what technique the old man was using, yet his attack was so swift.

Yun Changkong, however, frowned, vaguely sensing that something was amiss.

At this moment, the innkeeper walked shakily to the old man and pleaded, "Gentlemen, this inn is all my possessions. Please go elsewhere to fight. This inn really can't afford to suffer any more trouble!" Just as he was bowing and making obeisance, a flash of light suddenly appeared, and he stabbed at the old man.

The old man remained expressionless, dodged the shop owner, and shouted, "You scoundrel, how dare you do this!" As he spoke, he rushed behind the porters and struck down two more of them with both palms.

Yun Changkong thought to himself, "A palm strike that kills instantly upon contact? Is this some kind of act against me?"

Then the shopkeeper said, "These treacherous villains of the Demonic Cult deserve to be killed by everyone!" With a flash of cold light, the dagger in his hand stabbed at the old man again.

Just then, a rough male voice came from outside the door: "Damn it, you treacherous dogs of the Demonic Cult, all of you get out here!"

Yilin responded with surprise, turned her head and saw that more than twenty people carrying weapons had emerged from the woods and were rushing towards the inn.

The old man cursed, "You little bastard, all you know is how to win by sheer numbers!" He swayed and disappeared into the back room.

The other two followed closely behind, and then there were a series of whooshing and thudding sounds as various hidden weapons were embedded in the door frame.

Several more men brandished their weapons and chased after them, the sounds of gunfire echoing throughout the room.

A 40-year-old man with a ruddy complexion and a bald head spat a mouthful of phlegm on the ground and cursed, "Damn it, the demonic cultists have no other skills, but they can run away fast."

Everyone laughed.

The man who spoke first continued, "That Dongfang Bibai claims to be the best in the world, but he's been hiding in Blackwood Cliff for years, making him impossible to meet. Last time I heard that the Holy Maiden, that wicked old woman..."

The man was speaking with great enthusiasm when suddenly, with a whoosh, he let out a miserable groan and fell backward.

Those around were taken aback: "Brother Li..."

While they were fighting, Yun Changkong and Yilin hid to the side. Yun Changkong even pretended to be very scared, his body trembling. Yilin found it even more amusing and, despite trying to suppress it, her body was shaking.

A quick glance revealed that the man had a hidden dart in his mouth, black blood was flowing from the corner of his mouth, and his face was pale, indicating that the dart was highly poisoned.

An old man shouted sternly, "You bastards of the Demonic Sect, get out here right now!"

His words were rough and his voice was like thunder, causing Yun Changkong to cry out in surprise. Everyone saw him with his head down, his body trembling.

The old man snorted and said, "The Demonic Sect has launched a full-scale invasion of Fujian, killing and robbing. Why aren't you leaving?"

Yun Changkong nodded hurriedly and said, "Yes, yes, the Demonic Sect is killing and robbing people, hurry up and leave!" He grabbed Yilin and ran out of the inn.

When he tried to mount the horse, he couldn't manage it even after a couple of attempts, which made everyone burst into laughter.

Yun Changkong finally managed to mount his horse and hurriedly urged it to go.

After running for several miles, Yilin looked around and said, "Brother, those people are strange!"

Yun Changkong said, "It's not strange, it's a conspiracy!" (End of Chapter)