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

Yilin remained silent for a while before saying, "They mentioned the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual. I've heard my master say that it's a family-inherited sword technique of the Fuwei Escort Agency in Fujian. What is their intention in doing this?"

Yun Changkong said, "Xianxia Ridge is located at the junction of Zhejiang, Fujian and Jiangxi provinces. It is a necessary land route from Zhejiang to Fujian. They just want to use travelers and merchants to spread the word that the Demonic Sect is stealing the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual into Fujian."

"Then it would be perfectly logical for the Hengshan Sect and the Huashan Sect to be destroyed by the demonic sect in Fujian."

Upon hearing this, Yilin's heart pounded, and she said in a trembling voice, "Are you saying this is a conspiracy by the Songshan Sect against our Hengshan and Huashan Sects?"

Yun Changkong nodded and said, "Zuo Lengchan is, after all, the head of a prestigious sect. Although he is ruthless, he will try to completely absolve himself of the responsibility for the murder and leave no grounds for criticism, so as not to damage the reputation of the Songshan Sect."

Yilin said with deep concern, "Master Zuo is a grandmaster of his generation, renowned throughout the martial arts world. He is considered one of the three great masters of the righteous sects in the world, along with the abbot of Shaolin and the leader of Wudang. My master and senior uncles all respect him very much. So why is he doing this? Is it really because of the Five Mountains Alliance that he is going to turn against his fellow practitioners? Wouldn't this be doing good for the demonic sect? Can he really keep this from the heroes of the world?"

Yun Changkong once exposed Zuo Lengchan's conspiracy in Hengshan City, but the Five Mountains Sword Sect was swayed by their alliance, and Yun Changkong's temperament was extraordinary, his martial arts skills were unfathomable, and his origins and motives were unknown to everyone, so this one-sided story was not convincing.

Thirdly, even if a few experts know the truth of the matter, Zuo Lengchan does not present the facts but only speculates. The intricacies of this matter are quite different.

Just like now, when the news spread that the Demonic Cult had entered Fujian to steal the Evil-Slaying Sword Manual, some people naturally didn't believe it, but others were just afraid of the worst-case scenario.

The nuns of the Hengshan School are a case in point.

Although they were nuns, they were most enthusiastic about justice in the martial arts world. Zuo Lengchan grasped this point. Yilin also knew that if her master and senior sister received this news, they would not sit idly by, which is why she was so worried.

"Heroes of the world?" Yun Changkong smiled and said, "There are many who bear the name of heroes, but how many are true heroes?"
When Liu Zhengfeng's family suffered misfortune, there were quite a few people around, weren't there? Apart from your master, Abbess Dingyi, who spoke out for justice, weren't the others all just standing by and watching?

As for like-minded people, well, only those who share the same idea are like-minded people. So, those who agree with the unification of the Five Mountains are like-minded people of Zuo Lengchan.

The Huashan Sect never objected to the unification of the Five Sacred Mountains. Even if some members of the Taishan and Hengshan Sects opposed it, Zuo Lengchan had ways to resolve the issue.

Only you women make things difficult for him. If the Hengshan Sect is truly wiped out in Fujian, even if others suspect the Songshan Sect was behind it, they will still say the Demonic Sect is ruthless and vicious. No one will hold the Songshan Sect accountable for the sake of you who are already dead!

In the original story, the three masters of Hengshan died. Master Dingjing died at the hands of the Songshan Sect, and Dingxian and Dingyi died from Yue Buqun's needles. Everyone thought it was Zuo Lengchan's doing, but no one dared to hold him accountable. Why?

So what if you can't afford to mess with them!
Yilin recalled the events of Hengshan City in the past. Wasn't that exactly the case? In terms of martial prowess, how could the disciples of the Songshan Sect, led by the three great protectors, compare with more than two thousand martial arts heroes?
But the result was that, without Yun Changkong, Liu Zhengfeng's family would have been wiped out.

Thinking of this, Yilin almost burst into tears. She quickly turned to the side of the road, forcibly holding back her tears, and said, "Then, brother, we shouldn't go south. We should go and inform the martial arts world, so that the martial arts community will not be fooled."

Yun Changkong shook his head and said, "Some things are hard to convince people with just our words if we can't see them with our own eyes. If we continue south, even if there are any conspiracies targeting your sect, they will take advantage of this Immortal Cloud Ancient Road. We can just wait and see."

"Okay!" Yilin agreed when she heard him say that.

The two of them had been prevented from eating a meal due to the disturbance, but there were water bottles and food bags hanging by the saddle, so they weren't worried about going hungry. Besides, Xianxia Ridge was sparsely populated, but there was plenty of prey. It was only because Yilin was a nun that she was somewhat particular about her diet.

After traveling several more miles, the mountain path became even steeper, with towering peaks on both sides, leaving only a narrow path in the middle. Not only could two horses not ride side by side, but even two pedestrians could not walk side by side.

Yun Changkong sighed, "It is said that the Xianxia Ancient Road was opened up by Huang Chao with great power. It is truly unimaginable that this road can connect the mountains."

Yilin said, "If you come to our Hengshan Mountain, you'll see the five hundred li straight road of Hengling. The project is even more massive!"

Yun Changkong said, "Yes, everyone wants power and wants to become emperor. Aren't all the turmoil and conspiracies in the martial world for the sake of authority?"

Yilin and Yun Changkong dismounted, led their horses, and climbed up the slope. As they approached the top, they saw steep mountains on both sides, dense forests, and extremely treacherous terrain. Yun Changkong looked around and said, "This must have been a battlefield in ancient times."

Yilin asked, "What do you mean?"

Yun Changkong pointed to both sides and said, "If we ambush them on these two sides, and then cut off their retreat when they enter the narrow passage, even if the enemy has thousands of men on this mountain path, they will be unable to maneuver and will be trapped like turtles in a jar. Just like now, if we stand at this pass, it will be a case of one man blocking the way and ten thousand men cannot pass!"

Upon seeing the terrain, Yilin exclaimed in surprise, "Yes, it would be bad if someone were to ambush us here."

Yun Changkong laughed and said, "We'll wait around here. I'll be a bandit king who robs people on the road for a day."

Yilin also found it very amusing and whispered, "If I steal with you, my master will beat me to death."

Yun Changkong laughed and said, "I'm the thief. I wouldn't dare let you be the thief. If I did, even without anyone else, the sisters of your sect would think I've ruined a kind and innocent fairy. They would all want to eat me up."

Yilin chuckled: "Then you can rest assured, my fellow disciples and I are all vegetarians, we don't eat meat."

The two chatted and laughed, tied the horse to a tree and let it graze. Yun Changkong found a cave, which was in the middle of nowhere, so he had no choice but to spend the night there.

"I'll go find some hay!"

Yilin hurriedly ran out. She felt that she couldn't rely on Yun Changkong for everything; she also wanted to be a useful person.

Yun Changkong leaned quietly against the tree, watching Yilin busy herself.

Deep within her clear eyes, there seemed to be... a suppressed smile, a feeling of contentment in her heart.

Yilin laid out the cave, then untied the water bucket from her horse and volunteered to find water nearby.

Yun Changkong laughed and said, "I'll go. You start the fire."

With his keen hearing, finding a water source was a simple matter for him. He took the bucket and quickly fetched a bucket of water.

Yilin stoked the campfire until it blazed brightly and said with a smile, "Big brother, I've picked some wild vegetables, look." She then quickly began washing the vegetables.

Yun Changkong was shocked as he looked at her capable and skillful demeanor.

Yilin's eyes were clear and bright, like two springs. Her pretty face was stunningly beautiful in the firelight, as everyone knew. But she also possessed such a powerful survival ability that belonged to the mortal world, which was truly remarkable.

As night fell, a crescent moon quietly rose into the sky.

The two of them roasted the wheat cakes they had brought over the fire, and Yilin used an iron pot to cook a steaming hot wild vegetable soup. Yun Changkong added some calming herbs to it.

The campfire crackled softly as it burned, and sparks occasionally flew, releasing the aroma of soup mixed with the unique scent of calming herbs, which filled the night air.

The moonlight was bright, casting a hazy glow around them, making them feel as if they were in a dream. The two of them exchanged a few random words.

Yilin felt drowsy and sleepy, her expression languid and endearing. She murmured, "Big brother, I'm so sleepy, I should... go to sleep now..."

She was exhausted from her journey, and soon lay down and fell into a deep sleep.

Yun Changkong, however, was lost in thought, seemingly pondering something.

After a while, Yun Changkong also felt a little tired and was about to close his eyes when he saw Yilin turn over slightly and murmur, "Please, Brother Yun, don't kill anyone, please..."

She was clearly talking in her sleep, and upon hearing this, Yun Changkong felt a sudden pang of sorrow. Even in her dream, she was telling herself not to kill, revealing the deep-seated fear she harbored for herself. In an instant, his lingering thoughts vanished, and he finally drifted off to sleep.

For the remaining days, Yun Changkong spoke less with Yilin and spent most of his time carefully studying the "Purifying the Mind and Subduing Demons Sutra" he had obtained from Lingyin Temple.

He once stayed at Wanghai Temple in Shanxi, where he always had Buddhist scriptures in his hands. He was extremely knowledgeable about Buddhist texts and found them to be profound and extensive. The true meaning of the "Purifying the Mind and Subduing Demons Sutra" and the "Arhat Subduing Demons Skill" seemed to match perfectly.

During this time, when Yilin spoke to him, he would respond; when she didn't speak, he wouldn't speak.

Yilin stared at him with her beautiful eyes, sometimes filled with tenderness, sometimes with sorrow, and it was unclear what she was thinking.

Several more days passed, and Yilin grew increasingly anxious. If Yun Changkong was wrong, how could she repay her master's years of nurturing kindness? So she questioned Yun Changkong.

Yun Changkong simply said, "No need to rush, everything is preordained!"

That evening, Yilin was gazing at the night sky in a daze when she suddenly saw Yun Changkong stand up. She quickly asked, "What's wrong?"

Yun Changkong said, "You stay here, I'll go take a look." He moved like the wind and drifted towards the pass.

He had extremely sharp hearing and could tell that people were coming from the north mountain path, their footsteps were light and quick, and there were quite a few of them.

Yun Changkong leaped up and in the blink of an eye, he had reached the hillside, where he saw a group of people climbing uphill.

Under the starlight, the group was dressed in black, with the leader moving with exceptional speed and wearing a yellow belt around his waist. This attire was that of an elder of the Sun Moon Cult.

The remaining thirty or so people, of varying heights, followed silently behind. Yun Changkong stood with his hands behind his back, staring straight ahead, thinking, "Should I deal with them here, or wait until the Hengshan Sect arrives?"

He naturally knew that it would be most advantageous for him to take action when the Hengshan Sect was in dire straits, but he felt that it would be unnecessary to cause any harm to a group of nuns, and he had no intention of doing them any favors in return.

With this in mind, a decision was reached.

This group of people were all unorthodox individuals recruited by the Songshan Sect. Knowing that the Hengshan Sect was about to arrive, they laid an ambush in advance.

Once they reached the hillside, before the old man could give any orders, a loud crash was heard, and a boulder fell onto the mountain path.

Everyone was startled, thinking, "We came to ambush them, how did we end up being ambushed ourselves?"

The old man in black at the head of the group swayed and leaped several feet away. He saw a person sitting on the blue stone at the exit of the mountain pass, with a large hat covering his face.

The old man took a few steps forward, clasped his hands in a fist and smiled, "Friend, the road leads to heaven, everyone should go their own way, why are you blocking the whole way?"

His voice was old, and he was the same gaunt old man that Yun Changkong had seen at the inn before.

Yun Changkong said in a sinister tone, "I am General Chongtian!"

He spoke with great force, and his voice sounded very different from usual.

Everyone was stunned.

"General Chongtian, are you Huang Chao?" the old man sneered. "It seems you're deliberately trying to cause trouble for us, friend?"

Yun Changkong said, "This road was opened by my General Huang. People are just being fair, so it's not unreasonable for me to ask for some toll money, is it?"

The crowd thought to themselves, "This man has such a big mouth! He dares to ask us for tolls."

If they were on flat ground, so many of them would have rushed up long ago, hacking and slashing from all directions. But this mountain path was very narrow, and there was no other way but for one person to charge straight up.

Even if two people charged together, they wouldn't be able to maneuver effectively. Therefore, in this place, a thousand troops would be useless; we must defeat this one-man stronghold.

At this moment, a monk shouted angrily, "You want money? Here you go!" He leaped forward with a somersault, his toes touching the rock blocking the path, and in mid-air, his staff slammed down towards Yun Changkong's head.
This staff is one of the weapons of Buddhism. The handle is less than ten feet long and more than eight feet long. One end is shaped like a half-crescent moon, and the other end is flat. The two ends are heavy and light, which seems very awkward to hold. However, in the hands of an expert, it is extremely powerful.

With a single strike of his staff, the ascetic unleashed a powerful gust of wind that swept across an area of ​​several feet, pressing down with tremendous force.

However, Yun Changkong neither dodged nor avoided; instead, he flipped his right palm and met the attack head-on.

The monk seemed completely unprepared for such a reckless person. With a snap, his palm and staff collided, and Yun Changkong pulled his right hand inward while striking out with his left palm.

With another "smack," the monk felt a powerful force slam into him. He somersaulted and crashed into the rock with a bang. His skull shattered, blood splattered across his face, and he lay motionless without uttering a sound.

With a flick of his right hand, Yun Changkong planted his heavy Zen staff, weighing dozens of kilograms, into the mountain path, where it stood silently in the night.

Looking up from below, everyone could see clearly that it all happened in the blink of an eye, and they were all horrified.

Yun Changkong looked around and said, "Aren't you going to offer tribute to the master? Do you expect me to do it myself?"

The old man in black gleamed with a sharp light in his eyes and said coldly, "Your martial arts are extraordinary, but listen to my advice: this is not a place to wade into. You should turn back."

Yun Changkong smiled faintly and said, "Anyone can talk big. If you have the guts, come on up. If I can't take you down within three moves, I'll turn around and leave. Otherwise, you won't be able to get up this mountain without a hundred taels of gold."

The old man said, "Alright, but you should at least give me some clarification. I'll ask you this: do you know who I am, or have you seen me before?"

Yun Changkong said, "Why are you talking so much nonsense!"

The old man knew he had encountered a formidable opponent, but having spent many years roaming the martial world and fought countless masters, he was not afraid. He was furious and, with a swift movement, pounced on Yun Changkong, shouting, "If that's the case, let me see just how capable you are!"

With a flick of his left hand, a palm strike sent a powerful force flying straight at the straw hat worn by Yun Changkong.

Seeing the power of his palm strike, Yun Changkong laughed and said, "No wonder you dare to be associated with the Demonic Sect, you actually have some skill!"

Both men unleashed a single, even palm strike, their palm techniques remaining largely unchanged, clearly indicating that they intended to test their palm strength from the outset.

With a bang, the two palms collided, and with a loud crash, the old man was forced back several steps by the palm strike. He stepped onto a stone, steadied himself, exhaled a long breath, and said, "Just who are you, sir? To be able to withstand my palm strike, you are definitely not an unknown person."

Yun Changkong was unwilling to reveal his full strength to others. This person was indeed extraordinary to be able to withstand a palm strike with 30% of his strength, and was at the level of a first-class expert in this world. He said, "Old man, your cultivation is hard-earned. You should go home and enjoy your grandchildren."

The old man snorted, then suddenly bent down and leaped up, his right palm slamming down towards Yun Changkong with a "whoosh".

But his left hand was even faster, streaks of dark light shooting out like lightning.

Seeing the arrowhead's bluish-green color, clearly coated with deadly poison, Yun Changkong laughed and said, "Playing with hidden weapons?"

He concentrated his inner energy and swung his left palm out. A powerful palm force sent all the hidden weapons flying back, and he flicked a finger with his left hand.

With a series of hissing sounds, the hidden arrows shot back. The old man had not expected Yun Changkong to have such profound internal strength, but he was also quite capable. He withdrew his palm force and hurriedly blocked them. In mid-air, the three hidden arrows were all knocked against the stone wall with a "clang clang clang". As soon as his feet touched the ground, he felt a gust of wind and his left knee hurt, so he knelt down.

The old man braced himself with his right hand and somersaulted backward in a disheveled manner. Yun Changkong did not chase after him, but said, "I have struck your extraordinary meridian acupoint, Crane's Crest. In seven days, this leg of yours will go from numb and stiff to ulcerated."

The old man took a deep breath and felt that the Heding acupoint was blocked. He angrily said, "Who are you trying to fool!" He hurriedly used the Pushing Palace Passing Acupoint Technique to massage the area.

Yun Changkong laughed and said, "I've already told you. Whether you believe it or not is up to you. If you become disabled in the future, then you can just not regret it."

The old man thought to himself, "With his martial arts skills, he shouldn't be easily swayed by empty words. There must be something strange going on!" He clasped his hands and said, "I admit defeat. What advice do you have for me? Please speak plainly."

Yun Changkong laughed and said, "That's easy. Now, gather your strength and loudly state your name, origin, and purpose of this trip, and I will solve this problem for you!"

The old man in black massaged the acupoints for a while, then stood up and said coldly, "We've spent most of our lives wandering the martial world, and we've never encountered anything like this. If this becomes public knowledge, we'll have no face to stand in the martial world!"

His words, though spoken in a plain and simple manner, were filled with desolation and bitterness.

Yun Changkong sighed: "Is there no room for negotiation?"

The old man in black said, "I can release the pressure points you struck, but I cannot heal the meridians that were injured by your internal force penetrating my muscles. Your skill is superb, and I am ashamed to admit that I am inferior to you. But in the martial world, loyalty is the most important thing. If one is entrusted with a task and cannot be loyal to it, then living is no different from being dead or crippled."

Yun Changkong smiled and said, "I dislike forcing people to do things against their will. Please, then."

The old man waved his hand: "Step back!"

Everyone turned around and walked down the mountain.

The old man in black clasped his hands in a fist salute to Yun Changkong: "Please allow me to explain my defeat clearly, sir."

Yun Changkong sighed and said, "I ask you questions, but you don't answer. But if you want to ask me, fine, I'm easy to talk to, my surname is Yun!"

The old man in black suddenly realized what was going on, took two steps back, and blurted out, "You are Yun Changkong!"

These words struck like a bolt from the blue, leaving everyone stunned and speechless.

Yun Changkong smiled faintly.

Yilin, hidden in the bushes, saw everything clearly, but she never imagined that the name Yun Changkong would have such astonishing power.

The old man in black looked ashen-faced, looked up at the sky, and murmured, "Since you have come all this way to wait here, what is there that you don't understand?" He then glanced deeply at Yilin and silently turned away.

Unexpectedly, Yun Changkong added, "If you can find someone who cultivates the Yin internal energy and have them perform bloodletting for you, the injury will heal without medicine."

The man was greatly surprised and frowned, asking, "Why?"

Yun Changkong said, "If I were to break your promise for my own gain, how would I be any different from the people you serve?"

The old man in black suddenly turned around, knelt down before Yun Changkong, and said, "My two brothers and I have roamed the martial world for decades, and have even dominated the northern Hebei region. We've seen countless heroes and valiant figures, but such a grand and imposing manner from you is truly unprecedented. I, Zhao, am deeply honored to have lost to you!" He rose and strode away. (End of Chapter)