Playing with fantasy beasts in the martial arts world

Chapter 126 Battle of Xiangyang

The effects of the skill fruit were immediately apparent upon entering Yang Guo's stomach. A green light emanated from his body, but the reaction was much stronger than when Qi Shaoshang ate it. The green light merged with his true energy, forming a verdant protective aura that enveloped him. At the site of Yang Guo's severed arm, his clothes tore open, and tendrils of flesh spread and grew, indicating that the severed limb was rapidly regenerating.

Clearly, this is not simply the effect of a Grass-type skill fruit, but rather the effect of Yang Guo's own true energy.

Skill fruits can forcibly impart certain attributes, and when these attributes are integrated into a martial artist's true energy, it is equivalent to changing the nature of the true energy.

Yang Guo's true energy was originally without any attribute, but after being altered by the skill fruit, his enormous amount of true energy acquired the grass attribute, possessing miraculous effects such as healing injuries, restoring the body, and even replenishing the entire body.

In a sense, the skill fruit is a key that unlocks Yang Guo's own human treasure trove.

If someone eats a Grass-type fruit but lacks sufficient power, they would need a lot of time to regenerate a severed limb, or their power might not even be enough to support such a feat.

Cold sweat beaded on Yang Guo's forehead, and the veins on his neck throbbed like little mice. The pain made even this tough man groan, but his eyes shone brightly, even bursting with an incomparably dazzling joy.

With his skill, he could have let his missing arm grow back naturally in just two or three days, but he couldn't wait... not even a moment longer!
He seized this glimmer of opportunity and hope, determined to hold onto it tightly, afraid it would slip away.

He wanted to immediately, instantly, and without delay restore his severed arm so that when he met Xiaolongnu again, he could present a complete version of himself to her.

Finally, the granulation tissue spread and grew to the palm of his hand. Even with Yang Guo's abundant true energy, he could no longer withstand it, and the growth of the granulation tissue became difficult to maintain.

Cha Nan conspicuously handed over the fragments of Paru ore, placing them in Yang Guo's other palm.

As a result, the energy of these Paru mineral fragments was quickly drained, and they became dry, while Yang Guo's palm successfully grew back.

When the last finger was fully restored, Yang Guo clenched his still somewhat limp and weak hand, and looked up at Cha Nan: "I owe you one, and I will definitely repay you when I have the chance. Whatever you want me to do, as long as it doesn't hurt Aunt, Uncle Guo, or Aunt Guo, I will not refuse!"

This promise is incredibly important!

It's important to understand that Yang Guo's condition for being allowed to join the family was simply not to harm his closest relatives. If Cha Nan asked him to kill someone, even a good person, or to do something against his moral conscience, he would still comply.

Of course, Cha Nan wouldn't be so bored as to use such a promise in this kind of situation.

This simply shows that Yang Guo's promise was very serious, so serious that it could even violate some of his current principles of conduct.

Of course, this is also Yang Guo. He himself did not take worldly etiquette and law too seriously. In essence, he and Huang Yaoshi are the same kind of people. The reason why he went to do chivalrous deeds was not only to find the whereabouts of Xiaolongnu, but also because he was influenced by Guo Jing.

It can be said that Yang Guo's way of dealing with people is often in a state of confusion and uncertainty. Which side he leans towards depends on the influence of those close to him.

If it weren't for Guo Jing, it wouldn't be surprising if Yang Guo had become a demon.

"Also, my swordsmanship is not bad, and my lightness skill is also good... My martial arts talent should not be bad either. I will teach you martial arts in the future and help you deduce leg techniques!" As he spoke, the smile on Yang Guo's face spread out and gradually turned into a series of hearty and undisguised laughs.

Cha Nan was naturally very happy to hear this.

Yang Guo's martial arts talent is self-evident, and his family background is extremely wealthy. It can be said that he has a grasp of the unique skills of four of the Five Greats of the past. In addition, he has also studied the martial arts of the Ancient Tomb Sect, the martial arts of the Nine Yin Manual, and the sword theory of Dugu Qiubai in great depth. With his help in tailoring martial arts to his own, Cha Nan's dream of mastering leg techniques has clearly taken another step closer.

Ask yourself, how many people in the entire martial arts world have received such treatment as Cha Nan, with two grandmasters in succession customizing martial arts techniques for him?

“Brother Yang, you’re too kind! We’re brothers, why say such things? Your arm is just healed, so it’s not suitable for you to drink. In a few days… in a few days, let’s have a good drink together. I also have a good brother, a good elder brother, to introduce to you, Brother Yang!” Cha Nan said.

He planned to introduce Xiao Feng to Yang Guo. In the future, Cha Nan might not have time to frequently contact Xiao Feng for work behind enemy lines. Yang Guo was a very good candidate. He was skilled in martial arts, intelligent, and had a giant eagle as a mount, making him highly mobile. In addition, the Condor Hero had met many people from all walks of life in the martial arts world, who could provide a lot of help for Xiao Feng's work behind enemy lines.

"Good! Good! Good brother!" Yang Guo patted Cha Nan's shoulder, his eyes reddening.

This was a rare instance of him showing such emotional vulnerability.

Although they couldn't drink alcohol, Cha Nan still had a good meal with Yang Guo.

There is no shortage of wheat or mutton in Xiangyang now, so the staple food is mutton buns, accompanied by some stir-fried wild vegetables and charcoal-grilled game, which can be considered quite a feast.

During their meal, Cha Nan and Yang Guo called Guo Xiang, Guo Fu, and Guo Polu over. Guo Fu formally apologized to Yang Guo once again, and Yang Guo accepted the apology and reconciled with his younger self.

This event marks a formal thaw in Yang Guo's relationship with the Guo family, ending the awkwardness of their previous relationship where they wanted to get closer but were afraid of hurting each other.

Less than two days later, the Mongol army launched a sudden general offensive!

This attack was neither a probing attack nor one of holding back; the Mongol army went all out from the very beginning.

Rows of catapults continued to hurl boulders stained with oil, while the charging slave soldiers had already reached the vicinity of the city wall and began to climb it using ladders and grappling hooks.

The last group of spies lurking in Xiangyang City not only emerged again to cause trouble everywhere, but also the martial arts masters bribed by the Mongols began to use each other's strength to fly up the city walls and fight with the heroes defending the city.

This is already treating martial arts practitioners like battlefield supplies, which is not cost-effective. On the battlefield, swords and arrows are dense and indiscriminate. Under a dense attack, a single spear thrust from a lowly soldier could kill a master of innate cultivation.

This is tantamount to throwing a carefully selected elite special forces unit into the meat grinder of the main battlefield to be wasted. No matter how you look at it, it's not worth it.

But this also shows the attitude of the Mongol Khan Möngke: in this battle, he must take Xiangyang, even if it means heavy losses and depleting his resources.

Standing atop the high arrow tower, Yang Bamei waved her command flag, directing the Xiangyang defenders on the city wall to change formation. Using a relatively simple sword and shield formation, they cut the invaders who were rushing up the city wall apart and then strangled them.

Qi Shaoshang also led the heroes of the martial arts world who came to Xiangyang's aid to confront the bandits of the Mongol side, engaging in a life-or-death struggle.

The Golden Wheel Monk and Guo Jing naturally clashed again, a mutually beneficial choice for both sides. Because for powerful figures like them, once they charged into the ranks of ordinary people, they were like gods of war descending upon the world, inflicting heavy losses on their opponents.

Besides the battle between Jinlun Fawang and Guo Jing, Kuaihuo Wang and Yang Guo were also fighting in the same place, and even started fighting first. It was clear that they wanted to settle the score this time.

Yang Guo was cunning. Although his right arm had clearly recovered, he still couldn't use it at full strength. Yet, he still let his sleeve hang down, pretending to be one-armed. He clearly wanted to hide it as a killing move, to deliver a ruthless blow to the King of Joy at the crucial moment.

Such flexible adaptability is just like Yang Guo... He wasn't burdened by his reputation as a chivalrous hero!
Besides the Golden Wheel Monk and the Happy King, the Mongolian side also had a Grandmaster.

That was also a monk, but he was not from the same lineage as the Golden Wheel Dharma King, which was reflected in the difference in their clothing.

The Golden Wheel Dharma King's attire was mainly yellow and black, with some details and decorations that were quite luxurious, closely resembling the image of traditional aristocratic monks in Tantric Buddhism.

The monk before them was simply wearing a plain red robe, without gold thread, jewelry, or ornate prayer beads, and even his dark feet were bare.

If it weren't for his bright, star-like eyes, one could easily mistake him for an ordinary ascetic.

As he crossed the battlefield, he took a step and lightly flew onto the city wall, whereupon Huang Yaoshi from Xiangyang took the initiative to greet him.

Now he's the only one left to take the lead, because, on the surface, there's no fourth grandmaster-level expert from Xiangyang who can fight.

Cha Nan, who was also on the battlefield and had killed several Mongol soldiers with his sword, was astonished by the number of grandmasters who had appeared on the Mongol side after a quick count.

Bai Sun, Liang Xiao, Jin Lun, Kuaihuo Wang, and this unknown monk in front of us—that makes five grandmasters.

This number is quite astonishing!

In the past, at the peak of the martial arts world, there were only a handful of grandmasters, even after searching the Central Plains, overseas, and the Western Regions.

If we include the grandmasters from Xiangyang, the number of grandmasters gathered on this battlefield exceeds five fingers.

"Father!" Seeing Huang Yaoshi take the initiative to fight, Huang Rong's expression changed slightly, and she turned her head to look at Cha Nan.

She knew that Cha Nan had met a senior expert from the Beggars' Sect outside the city, namely Qiao Feng, the ninth leader of the Beggars' Sect.

If he could summon that person to help, Huang Yaoshi would only need to deal with a few moves and hold out until reinforcements arrived.

Huang Yaoshi swept his sleeves aside and said coldly, "Rong'er! Step back! You have things you should be doing."

"Father's martial arts skills, even though he's getting old, are not necessarily going to be defeated!"

Even though Huang Yaoshi said those words, the fact that he said them already showed that he was old!

The only one who doesn't rely on physical strength in old age, who can still slay younger masters at eighty and still overwhelm the entire martial arts world at one hundred, is Zhang Sanfeng.

Given Huang Yaoshi's temperament, he wouldn't have said such a thing unless he truly lacked confidence and had even a 20% chance of winning.

After all, for Lao Huang, death was acceptable, but losing face was not!
"Amitabha!"

"Brother Yao's heroic spirit has stirred up some worldly desires in this old monk. How about I accompany you on your journey?" A voice rang out, and a flash of light appeared, revealing another old monk with a deeply lined face on the city wall.

Huang Rong exclaimed in surprise, "Master Yideng!"

Who else could this newcomer be but the last remaining member of the Five Masters?

Although Master Yideng did not show any intention to join forces with Huang Yaoshi to surround the middle-aged monk, the presence of such a powerful expert in the fray was itself a threat.

Besides, if Huang Yaoshi were in danger, would Master Yideng just stand by and watch?

It's important to understand that the relationships between the Five Greats are actually quite complex.

Even before the conflict between Guo Jing, Huang Rong, and Ouyang Ke, Hong Qigong, the Northern Beggar, and Ouyang Feng, the Western Poison, had a fairly good relationship.

Master Yideng and Huang Yaoshi were old friends and confidants.

Huang Yaoshi did not respond to Master Yideng's words, but he clearly acquiesced to his good intentions.

He looked at the monk in front of him and asked, "Are you Phagpa?"

The monk clasped his hands together and said, "I am Phagpa!"

“No way! I’ve met another Phagpa! He’s much stronger than you…” As he said this, a genuine hint of fear appeared in Huang Yaoshi’s eyes.

Anyone who could leave such an impression on him must be extremely terrifying and powerful.

Upon hearing this, the monk said, "He is the future me, but I am not the past him, just as Buddha is Shakyamuni, but Shakyamuni is not necessarily Buddha."

　I wrote 10,000 words in three chapters today, so tiring... my cervical spondylosis has flared up! When will the average daily subscriptions reach 400...?! It's so hard! So incredibly hard!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)