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

As the sound of hooves drew closer, Yun Changkong and Linghu Chong both recognized that four riders were approaching. Soon they galloped into the town, their horses galloping at full speed, the horseshoes striking the bluestone slabs with a clanging sound.

One man shouted, "Listen up, you fat sheep of Twenty-Eight Shops! The King of Huangfeng Village in Luanshigang has ordered that all men, women, old and young, stand outside the gate. Those who are outside will not be killed, and those who do not come out will have their heads chopped off!" He continued shouting and running around.

Linghu Chong stared at the back of the riders on horseback, a look of surprise on his face. A thought flashed through his mind: "What he said was indeed wrong. Judging from the demeanor of these four men on horseback, they are clearly skilled in martial arts. How could such figures be among the lowly henchmen of a bandit's den?"

Yun Changkong laughed and said, "Now that our online friends have arrived, as a military officer of the imperial court, shouldn't you be busy suppressing the bandits?"

Linghu Chong said, both amused and exasperated, "These court officials are utterly absurd. If it were me, the general, I could take on a thousand men single-handedly, and these petty thieves would be routed at the mere sight of me!"

The thought of playing a trick on the general filled him with immense joy.

Yun Changkong chuckled to himself, thinking, "If an official isn't absurd, then he's not an official. But you're not exactly upright either!"

Linghu Chong suddenly became serious and said, "If they are from the Songshan Sect, then with the knowledge of Abbess Dingjing and the fact that she has been allied with the Songshan Sect for many years, why does she seem to know nothing about them and instead regard them as members of the Demonic Sect!"

Yun Changkong said, "Zuo Lengchan is ambitious and wants to dominate the martial arts world. This has been his ambition for a long time. However, the Songshan Sect is a prestigious and righteous sect, so it is not appropriate for him to do such a thing. Therefore, he has recruited many unorthodox and extraordinary people. Do you think the masters of the Songshan Sect are just the Thirteen Protectors?"

Linghu Chong suddenly remembered something and said, "Could it be that the dozen or so masters who attacked my Huashan Sect at the Medicine King Temple were all under Zuo Lengchan's command?"

Yun Changkong said, "You just realized that?"

Linghu Chong had never known the origins of the fifteen men he had blinded outside the Medicine King Temple that night. While imprisoned at Plum Manor, he had been pondering these questions. Now, upon hearing Yun Changkong's words, his expression changed, and he said, "Heh heh, so those people who asked my master for the Evil-Slaying Sword Manual were making grand pronouncements, but in reality, it was Zuo Lengchan who coveted the Evil-Slaying Sword Manual!"

At this point, his mind was uneasy: "Ah, if Zuo Lengchan is tempted by the Evil-Slaying Sword Manual, wouldn't my master, mistress, and junior sister be in great danger?"

Linghu Chong frowned and said, "We met at Wubagang that day. Now that he has left Songshan, I'm afraid that he will follow my master and the others to Fujian. Brother Yun, I'll take my leave now!"

Yun Changkong laughed loudly and said, "What, are you abandoning the Hengshan Sect for the sake of the Huashan Sect?"

Linghu Chong remained silent for a long time, then exhaled a long breath and said, "With a great hero like you here, the Hengshan Sect can naturally be protected."

“You’re mistaken!” Yun Changkong shook his head: “I’m not some hero or a great man, I’m just doing this for fun.”

My reason for targeting the Songshan Sect is that their methods are far from honorable, and it has nothing to do with anything else.

Besides, even if I wanted to, I might not be able to protect everyone on my own. After all, this town is so big, and I don't even know how many people from the Songshan Sect are here!
Yun Changkong remembered that in the original story, even with Linghu Chong's all-out protection of the Hengshan disciples, Abbess Dingjing still fought to the death. He figured he would suffer the same fate in her place. After all, neither of them had the ability to be in a clone.

Linghu Chong stood up and looked around the town. He saw that the streets were in a mess, there was not a single person in sight, and there was no sound. The silence was terrifying. He muttered to himself, "It's one thing for Zuo Lengchan to target my Huashan Sect for the Evil-Slaying Sword Manual, but why did he choose to attack the Hengshan Sect? They are just a group of nuns. This man is truly heartless and incomprehensible!"

Yun Changkong shook his head and said, "Whether it's the Huashan Sect or the Hengshan Sect, Zuo Lengchan's goal is not to destroy them, but to create a dangerous situation so that they agree with the idea of ​​merging the Five Mountains Sects. Therefore, he will not directly kill them unless he has no other choice and there is no turning back. Otherwise, which of the Five Mountains Sword Sects could withstand a blow from the Songshan Sect? Did you really think you could protect the Huashan Sect at the Medicine King Temple?"

These words sent chills down Linghu Chong's spine. Although he was intelligent, he hadn't had time to properly consider many of the subtle details. Now, thinking back, Yun Changkong was absolutely right. That day, after blinding more than a dozen people, he was already completely exhausted, yet Tang Ying'e and the others from the Songshan Sect actually led their men to retreat.

Linghu turned to Yun Changkong and said, "Alright, let's fight these villains. Before it gets dark and the Hengshan Sect arrives, let's have a few drinks first."

Yun Changkong said, "Compared to drinking, I'd rather satisfy my hunger."

"it is good!"

At this moment, the manager of Xiankeju, along with his first wife, second wife, third concubine, waiter, and cook, had all run away, leaving the two of them to clean up the mess themselves. After getting the wine, they found ham, fermented bean curd, and some pastries.

Yun Changkong started eating.

Linghu Chong, however, was preoccupied with his own thoughts. He simply drank, pouring himself a bowl of wine, drinking it, then pouring another bowl, and so on for three bowls before finally eating some snacks.

As darkness fell, Yun Changkong wiped his mouth and said, "A dark and windy night is perfect for murder and arson!"

Linghu Chong chuckled and said in a strange voice, "Damn it, watch this great general display his might, and this little thief will kowtow and beg for mercy!" He stood up, slung his knife over his shoulder, and staggered out of the shop. He walked south for more than ten zhang and saw a large locust tree with lush branches and leaves next to a local temple. He immediately leaped up onto it.

Linghu Chong's lightness skill was not particularly good, but the level of lightness skill depends entirely on the strength of internal energy. He had gathered some of the internal energy of masters such as the Six Immortals of Peach Valley, Monk Bujie, Master Fang Sheng, and Yun Changkong. At this moment, his internal energy was abundant, and with a light leap, he was much higher than the top of the locust tree. He slowly landed on the branches and sat down on the highest horizontal branch.

Seeing that he was heading south, Yun Changkong headed north.

He walked with his sleeves billowing in the wind, his steps leisurely, wearing a crown of stars and moon on his head. After a while, he focused his energy and listened to the sounds around him, but there was not a sound.

With a light step, he leaped onto the roof of a house, but looking down through the rows of buildings, he saw nothing.

Yun Changkong thought to himself, "I should remain still while they move. If they don't move, they will naturally make no sound. Once they do move, they will definitely not escape my notice."

With that thought in mind, Yun Changkong sat half-reclined on the rooftop, closing his eyes to rest.

After a while, he suddenly heard a voice. Yun Changkong focused his energy and listened. He heard a woman say, "The customs of Fujian are really strange. As soon as it gets dark, every household goes to sleep."

This is the nun named Yihe.

Then a delicate female voice was heard saying, "Master, is it so peaceful here that we can leave our doors unlocked at night?"

Yun Changkong thought to himself, "They still came. Hmm, Yilin is too honest. She might have said all my crazy things. Dingjing, that old nun, will probably scold me and doubt my intentions."

Then he thought, "It's so hard to be an honest person. If I say I'm helping Yilin, you'll definitely say I'm lustful. If I don't say anything, you'll definitely say I have ulterior motives!"

Originally, Yun Changkong thought that these nuns should turn back immediately. However, Abbess Dingjing was once a powerful figure in the martial arts world and had accomplished many remarkable feats. If she were to back down because of a few words she had heard, the Hengshan Sect would lose face.

Secondly, she wouldn't be afraid if she were alone, but she would have to protect all the Hengshan disciples.

The Hengshan Sect and various nunneries in the martial arts world were in contact with each other, so they planned to take their disciples to Wuxiang Nunnery in Fuzhou for shelter.

As for whether it was someone from the Demonic Sect or a trick by the Songshan Sect, only personal verification will ultimately suffice.

Looking around at the darkness and silence, Abbess Dingjing frowned and said, "This place is strange. Perhaps the enemy is planning to ambush us here. Let's find a place to rest, eat something, and meditate to regulate our breathing, just in case."

The disciples replied, "Yes."

The Hengshan disciples dispersed to both sides, cautiously making their way into the town.

The people left in a hurry, so they didn't close their doors, but inside it was pitch black, without any light. This strange phenomenon made Abbess Dingjing wonder: "Yilin said that those people would gather at Twenty-Eight Shops. I wonder if those people deliberately revealed this to create a false impression, or if it was really the case, and I, this old nun, have misunderstood Yun Changkong's intentions?"

The group turned a corner on the street and saw a white cloth sign in front of an inn with the four large characters "Xianju Inn" written on it. Master Dingjing stopped in her tracks, and the Hengshan disciples all stopped in their tracks.

A lay female disciple named Zheng E immediately stepped forward and knocked on the door. After a moment, she knocked a few more times, but after a long time, no one answered the door.

Zheng E called out again, "Uncle shopkeeper, please open the door." Her voice was clear and bright, and as someone who practiced martial arts, it could carry quite far, so it was heard even across several courtyards.

However, no one in the inn responded, which seemed quite abrupt.

Yihe stepped forward to listen and said, "Master, there is no one here."

Master Dingjing had been listening intently to the sounds around her, and seeing that the entire town was completely silent, without even the sound of dogs barking, she couldn't help but shiver. She thought to herself, "It seems that there is indeed something strange about these Twenty-Eight Shops. It doesn't matter if I die, but what will happen to these disciples?!"

As Yun Changkong watched the Hengshan disciples walk forward, he was about to follow when his ears trembled. He heard the sound of clothes fluttering. He turned around and saw two masked men in black landing on the roof.

The roof resembled a large "人" (person) character. With the ridge as the boundary, Yun Changkong was on the left, half-sitting and half-lying down, while several masked men were on the right, half-squatting and half-standing. Therefore, Yun Changkong could see the people above their chests and abdomens.

The man in black was caught off guard by the presence of someone on the rooftop, and preoccupied with the Hengshan Sect, so he failed to notice Yun Changkong.

At this moment, the two men in black whispered to each other, and one of them said, "Don't kill them yet. Capture these lambs first, and then negotiate with the old sheep."

Yun Changkong thought to himself, "It's true that a flock of sheep has come, but there's also a tiger, no, two tigers. Let's see if you catch the sheep or the tiger eats the man."

Yun Changkong held his breath, as still as a dead tree, his heartbeat stopped, and the two of them had no idea that someone was hiding next to them.

Just then, a woman's voice suddenly came from the northeast: "Help! Help!"

In the utter silence, the shrill sound seemed particularly mournful.

Yun Changkong thought to himself, "The Buddhist disciples of the Hengshan Sect are so compassionate that they are doing evil. How can we not investigate?" He quietly slipped out of the house and ran over.

Sure enough, Abbess Dingjing recognized the voice as not belonging to her sect. She stared intently at the northeast corner, but there was no movement. However, how could a nun stand idly by when her life was in danger? Yiqing said, "Master, let's go take a look!"

Master Dingjing said, "You all retreat into the inn and don't separate. I'll go take a look!" She drew her long sword and ran towards the northeast.

Yun Changkong also saw her. He wanted to remind her to go back and protect the Hengshan Sect, but seeing the heroic spirit in her movements, he thought to himself, "This old nun is old but shrewd, unlike anyone else."

After he debuted, he met many martial arts masters and powerful figures. Knowing that these people with profound martial arts skills had extremely firm wills and did not easily believe what others said, he did not pay much attention to them.

When Abbess Dingjing arrived at the front of the house, she saw that it was dark inside and said, "Which master is inside? Dingjing from Hengshan requests an audience!"

Master Dingjing, being a highly skilled person, knew that the intrusion into the residence was her own fault, so she spoke politely and focused intently on the movements from all directions.

Yun Changkong, however, was unconcerned. He hid on a beam under the eaves and peeked through the window. Although there were no lights inside, the moonlight shone through the window and he saw seven or eight men standing against the wall and a woman standing in the middle of the room.

Hearing Abbess Dingjing speak, she exchanged glances with the others, then suddenly screamed, "Help! Help! Someone's been killed!"

Yun Changkong only saw her profile, but she appeared to be around forty years old, with youthful eyes and brows, and didn't look like a respectable person.

Knowing full well that she was in a dangerous situation, Master Dingjing heard a woman inside the house crying for help. Without bothering to assess the situation, she kicked the wooden door with her foot.

Suddenly, a loud bang was heard, and the wooden door swung open.

However, Abbess Dingjing was no ordinary person after all. As she kicked the wooden door, she also dodged to the right.

The woman suddenly leaped forward, her left hand waving a roughly four-foot-square piece of blue cloth. Master Dingjing, fearing a trap, quickly twisted her body to dodge, but then smelled a fragrance and felt a wave of dizziness.
But this happened in an instant. She took a breath, circulated it in her dantian, and immediately felt invigorated. She then swung her sword backhand and, with a hiss, tore open the blue cloth.

The woman was taken aback when the incense failed to work. The nun Dingjing suddenly kicked out with her left foot, striking the woman squarely in the abdomen. The woman cried out and flew out.

Master Dingjing retreated swiftly, her feet touching the side of the wall as she climbed onto the roof. There, she discovered a dark shadow at the eaves.

She pointed her longsword and shouted, "Who are you, esteemed master?"

At this moment, seven people rushed out of the house, climbed onto the roof, and surrounded her.

Yun Changkong could tell from the way Abbess Dingjing dodged and weaved that this nun's internal strength and martial arts were extraordinary. The Hengshan Sect's great reputation in the martial arts world was well-deserved.

Master Dingjing's heart sank, and she cried out, "Who are you people? Hiding yourselves like this, do you really want to dominate the martial arts world?"

The seven people simply surrounded her without saying a word.

Master Dingjing, realizing that her disciples were in danger, noticed that the two people standing at the west end were both around fifty years old. Her facial muscles stiffened, revealing no emotion whatsoever, clearly indicating that they were wearing masks.

She exhaled and shouted, "Good, take this!" She thrust her sword toward the chest of the man in the northwest corner.

Surrounded by enemies, Abbess Dingjing knew that her sword strike could not truly hit him; it was merely a feint.

The man anticipated this was a feint and neither dodged nor evaded. Master Dingjing immediately shifted from the feint to a real attack, thrusting straight forward. Two men then simultaneously raised their spears, each aiming for Master Dingjing's shoulders.

Master Dingjing recognized the danger and moved swiftly like the wind, but unexpectedly, a strong wind pressed down from above, and an iron plate was already pressing down.

Master Dingjing spun her longsword in a circle, and with a whoosh, thrust it toward an old man to her left.

The old man flicked his wrist and grabbed her longsword.

His palms were jet black, like metal, and Master Dingjing was horrified, quickly changing her stance.

With one thing in mind and the other in disarray, someone took advantage of the situation and thrust a long sword toward his heart.

In just a few moves, Abbess Dingjing had already exchanged blows with five of the seven enemies. She realized that all five were formidable fighters. If it were a one-on-one fight, or even two against one, she would not be afraid and could even have a 70-80% chance of winning. However, with all seven attacking at once, the slightest opening would be immediately filled by the others, leaving her in a situation where she could only take hits and had no chance to retaliate.
I thought to myself, "I've heard of most of the famous figures in the Demonic Sect, and I'm well aware of their martial arts styles and weapons. But I have absolutely no idea who these seven are. Could it be that these many mysterious masters were recruited by the Songshan Sect?"

Seeing that Abbess Dingjing was fighting seven opponents alone, and that she could hold out for a short time but would surely perish in the long run, Yun Changkong noticed her rapid breathing and immediately shouted, "Shameless!"

The deep shout, delivered from the diaphragm, resonated in everyone's ears, startling them so much that they paused and turned around.

They were all taken aback when they saw a man in blue robes appear on the rooftop.

Yun Changkong said coldly, "Seven people bullying an old, frail nun—is there no law? Is there no justice?"

Master Dingjing coughed lightly and said, "This old nun is Dingjing of Hengshan!"

Yun Changkong stepped forward and walked towards Abbess Dingjing, saying, "Abbess, rest assured, I know the truth of the matter. These wicked members of the Demonic Sect are utterly depraved. Now that I, Yun Changkong, have encountered them, I will not stand idly by. Please take your leave first..."

Before he could finish speaking, the man with the steel gloves on his hands burst into laughter: "Yun Changkong, you have a close relationship with my sect's Holy Maiden. Are you going to get involved in this matter again?"

Yun Changkong thought to himself, "Still pretending, fine, I'll pretend I don't know either." He said coldly, "After entering the martial world, I heard of the Demonic Sect's despicable and ruthless reputation. Seeing it today, I can confirm it's true." He took a step forward, reaching for the man's heart.

The man hurriedly swung his arm to block, but the other six drew their weapons simultaneously. Yun Changkong neither dodged nor evaded, but casually swung his hand. With a loud thud, the man holding the iron plaque screamed and flew off the roof.

The old man suddenly grabbed Yun Changkong's arm, his sharp fingers whistling through the air with a piercing sound, extremely fierce.

As Yun Changkong saw the sharp, long, and jet-black steel claw suddenly attack, he reached out with his left hand, activated the "Great Shift of Heaven and Earth," grabbed the old man's right hand, and pulled him back. With a hiss, the old man lost control and the claw pierced into the old man's heart.

Master Dingjing's martial arts and internal strength are both top-notch. She was only at a disadvantage because the other party outnumbered her. Now that Yun Changkong has made a move, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to clear her name. If she does not show her power, wouldn't she be looked down upon?
He immediately brandished his longsword and launched three swift attacks at the man whose face seemed to be that of a living person, while simultaneously demanding in a stern voice, "Speak? Are you disciples of the Songshan Sect?"

The man was startled and unconsciously took a step back.

Unexpectedly, Yun Changkong turned around and unleashed a palm strike.
That man was also very skilled in martial arts and quick to react. As soon as he saw Yun Changkong raise his palm to strike, even though the two were seven or eight feet apart and the palm could not possibly hit him, he was still prepared and gathered his strength to meet the attack with his own palm.

But then a loud "crack" was heard, and the man's upper body suddenly leaned backward, his spine breaking at the waist, leaving him in two pieces. Everyone was horrified.

The old man with the iron claws shouted, "The wind is blowing hard!"

Yun Changkong laughed and said, "Want to retreat?"

Another palm strike was delivered, and just then, a sudden gust of wind swept in from above, its speed unparalleled.

Yun Changkong looked up and saw a burly man in black, his face covered by a black cloth, rushing towards him. Abbess Dingjing also felt a cold palm strike suddenly coming towards her. Startled, she shouted, "Who are you?"

This move was incredibly fierce and was one of the Hengshan Sect's signature techniques. However, the man simply shifted his body slightly to the side, dodging the longsword, and his palm strike remained unbiased, still striking Yun Changkong directly.

In that instant, Yun Changkong felt a sudden gust of cold wind and a surge of internal energy. He lowered his body slightly and channeled all his strength into his right palm to meet the attack.

With a loud bang, the opponent was sent flying into the air, somersaulting several times. Yun Changkong also retreated three steps, shattering the roof tiles as he stepped on them. His last kick pierced through the roof before he stepped into empty air.

Just as Yun Changkong and the man in black clashed, the other men in black leaped off the roof and retreated to the south.

As Yun Changkong retreated, he also felt a chill on his arm. He had exchanged blows with the Xuanming Elders in the past and had also witnessed Hei Baizi's Xuan Tian Finger, but compared to this cold palm force, it was far inferior.

As soon as the burly man in black landed, he sped off southward with incredible speed. Yun Changkong thought to himself, "What formidable Frost Qi! No wonder Zuo Lengchan's martial arts are so strong and his internal strength so profound, earning him the reputation of being astonishing the world."

He knew that in the original story, Zuo Lengchan intended to shock everyone at the merging factions' conference with his astonishing divine skills.

Being designated by the Creator as "shocking and unconventional" is an indisputable position. Unfortunately, he encountered Yue Buqun, a gentleman, who first secretly attacked him with a poisoned needle hidden in his palm, and then used a fake Evil-Repelling Sword Manual to distract him. Otherwise, even if Yue Buqun could win, it would not have been easy for him!

When Abbess Dingjing saw that these people had retreated, she was filled with doubt and shouted, "Where do you think you're going!" Just as she was about to draw her sword to give chase, a flash of white light appeared and a dense rain of hidden weapons shot towards her.

This batch of hidden weapons was launched with great speed and density. Abbess Dingjing swiftly swung her longsword, and a series of loud clanging sounds rang out as all the hidden weapons were knocked down.

Although she was no novice, with such an obstruction, those people could no longer be seen.

Yun Changkong said, "Master, don't pursue a desperate enemy!"

Suddenly someone called out, "Master Dingjing, don't panic, friends from the Songshan Sect are here."

In an instant, more than ten men dressed in yellow robes rushed out from the nearby house. The leader was none other than Zhong Zhen, the "Nine-Bend Sword" Taibao of the Songshan Sect. He shouted, "Chase the Demonic Cult traitors!"

The crowd responded and moved.

Master Dingjing said coldly, "Senior Brother Zhong, the other side has no shortage of capable people. It's best not to trouble your sect."

Zhong Zhen said, "How can we shrink back in the face of difficulties!" He then shouted to the crowd, "Junior Brother Gao, you go!" The people turned around and left, chasing after him.

Zhong Zhen pondered for a moment, then turned around and said, "Master Dingjing's Myriad Flowers Sword Technique is indeed exquisite. No wonder even the Seven Star Envoys of the Demonic Sect couldn't do anything about it. I admire you!"

Yun Changkong thought to himself, "He's really good at acting."

Master Dingjing sheathed her sword, slowly turned around, clasped her hands together in a gesture of respect to Yun Changkong, and said, "I have long admired your great name. Seeing you today, I can attest that your martial arts are truly unparalleled and breathtaking."

Yun Changkong said, "You flatter me! Your swordsmanship is exquisite and your life is heroic. This is the first time I have ever witnessed such a thing."

It turned out that Abbess Dingjing had just contemplated suicide, but upon hearing his words, her expression softened considerably, and she asked, "What advice do you have for me on this trip?"

Yun Changkong shook his head and said, "I..." Just as he was about to speak, he thought of Yilin and the others, jumped off the roof and said, "Master, hurry back to the inn!"

As soon as he said this, Yun Changkong turned the corner of the long street and disappeared.

He came and went in a flash, leaving Abbess Dingjing full of surprise and doubt, thinking, "This is really a strange person!" She turned her gaze and looked coldly at Zhong Zhen.

Zhong Zhen smiled and said, "Master, I was ordered by the sect leader to bring people to Fujian to stop the Demonic Sect from seizing the Evil-Slaying Sword Manual. I didn't expect to meet you, Master. But why are you alone?"

Abbess Dingjing coldly said, "The Demonic Sect? Is it really the Demonic Sect? I've been traveling the martial world for decades, how come I've never heard of any Seven Star Messengers from the Demonic Sect?"

Zhong Zhen smiled wryly: "Master, the demonic sect is full of cunning and treacherous schemes. Even someone as cunning as Liu Zhengfeng couldn't resist the temptation. More recently, Linghu Chong, the eldest disciple of the Gentleman Sword Sect of the Huashan Sect, disobeyed his master's orders for a demonic sect demoness."

Furthermore, Yun Changkong possesses extraordinary martial arts skills, yet no one knows his origins. It's not surprising that some members of the Demonic Sect are unaware of his background, is it?

Master Dingjing grunted in response, then frowned and remained silent.

Suddenly, footsteps were heard, and the Songshan Sect members had returned. Zhong Zhen asked, "How is it?"

Gao Kexin said with a bitter face, "The evil cultists are indeed very cunning; they disappear as soon as they turn a corner."

"Incompetent!" Zhong Zhen shouted. "So many of us, and we let the Demonic Sect escape!"

Master Dingjing waved her hand and said, "Senior Brother Zhong, please calm down. These people are all scoundrels who can't stand the light of day. It's a waste of the talents of the heroes and heroines of the Songshan Sect. It wouldn't be honorable to capture them!"

They strode towards the inn.

These words made everyone from the Songshan Sect look extremely displeased.

Zhong Zhen hurriedly followed, saying, "Master, let's discuss how to deal with the Demonic Sect!" (End of Chapter)