Gao Wu: Ten years of sparring experience, one move and the world knows him.

Chapter 177 The Witch Lord
Upon hearing Zhao Rui's words, all the Qingcheng True Persons lowered their eyes and remained silent.

"Is it inconvenient to tell us?"

Zhao Rui asked, "Understandingly."

Master Weichen closed his eyes slightly and then spoke up: "Now that the two factions have joined forces, there is naturally no need to hide it. However, it is somewhat shameful to talk about this matter."

"What does this mean?"

Zhao Rui and the other man asked, puzzled.

“We, the people of all these factions, and even the people of Guixu in Central Asia, are in fact just stray dogs, people who have fled far away.”

Master Weichen sighed deeply, his tone filled with desolation and helplessness.

"How can this be?"

Yu Zhengnan exclaimed in surprise, thinking that he must have misheard.

The sects are full of experts. Not to mention anything else, a single expert at the Dharma Aspect Realm can reach the pinnacle of the world.

Not to mention the countless experts among the Guixu people.

"But what could be the reason?"

"Fellow Daoist should know about the incident five hundred years ago when our ancestors ventured into the Ruins of Return... In fact, at that time, the Ruins of Return were nothing but a desolate wasteland. After several hundred years of development, they gradually began to improve..."

"Unfortunately, more than a hundred years ago, there was internal strife in Guixu. Some of the powerful figures of Guixu were defeated and fled south. The enemy swept in, and we fought back for a long time..."

"Fortunately, a hundred years ago, Heaven left a sliver of hope, and a rift reappeared at the border between the Ruins of Guixu and Blue Star..."

"The enemy's forces are fierce. We and the defeated army of Guixu have no choice but to each seek an opportunity to communicate with Blue Star and make preparations in advance..."

After hearing what Master Weichen said, Zhao Rui was at a loss for words.

No wonder that although these sects made some noise after their return, it was ultimately too bland.

Moreover, the imperial court's return and acceptance of them was all too smooth and low-key.

The two had already had a deep emotional connection.

Now, the curtain is gradually being drawn back, exposing the formidable strength of the Guixu Martial Arts to the public eye.

Perhaps, both openly and secretly, their struggle against Cangwuzi has become a move in their game.

"How should Qingcheng Mountain position itself now?"

Zhao Rui doesn't want to get too involved in complicated matters; improving his strength is always his first priority, giving him more say.

All he wants to know now is how Qingcheng Mountain should develop next, or to put it more bluntly, whether the crisis has affected Qingcheng Mountain.

"The Ruins of Guixu are vast, and I imagine they have little interest in the tiny Blue Star. With the defeated army of Guixu holding the line, we'll have some peaceful days ahead."

"It's dust," Wei Chen said leisurely.

Zhao Rui nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

The following day, Zhao Rui and Yu Zhengnan drew a new plot of land on the right side of the Qingcheng Sect's side hall and set up the location of the Qingcheng Sword Sect's Taoist temple according to the old model.

After that, we just need to wait for the construction to be completed before we can move in.

Things are always changing; only stability can lead to long-term development.

After discussing the matter of merging factions, Zhao Rui bid farewell to Yu Zhengnan and drifted away.

His target is the heartland of Central China!
As the sun rises in the early morning chill, clouds and mist swirl around Mount Song, where trees grow lush and green. Occasionally, a devout person can be seen prostrating on the ground, bowing to the Buddha, either to make a wish or to fulfill a vow.

It was quite lively.

As the most renowned sect, its popularity and prosperity are the envy of all other sects combined.

"Look! A virtuous monk is manifesting the Dharma! Quickly kowtow!"

Suddenly, someone in the crowd heading up the mountain pointed towards the summit and exclaimed excitedly.

The pilgrims and tourists all looked up at the direction he was pointing.

In the distance, above the Shaolin Temple, a faint phantom of Buddha appeared. This phantom was majestic and radiant, with a faint golden light emanating from it.

"Amitabha!"

The worshippers and believers knelt down and kowtowed, pleading for Buddha's intervention and protection.

An unusual wave of people kowtowing appeared along the entire mountain road.

There were hundreds of people in the procession, and it was a magnificent sight to look down from above.

"How pathetic that you people would mistake a mere manifestation of the Dharma for a miracle!"

At this moment, a clear, melodious female voice spoke with disdain.

The sound was clear, crisp, and pleasant, as if it were resonating in everyone's ears.

It reached everyone's ears clearly.

This also includes the monks on the mountain.

The monk guarding the incense burner at the mountain gate gave a wink to the disciple behind him.

The disciple then quickly darted into the temple.

"How could you talk such nonsense? If Buddha knew, he would be angry with you."

A devout pilgrim looked in the direction of the voice and saw that the speaker was a graceful woman dressed in simple and elegant clothes, who looked quite beautiful and refined.

The newfound goodwill of the worshipper prompted him to quickly offer her some words of advice.

"Oh, I don't believe in Buddhism, I believe in the totem demon!"

The woman chuckled, and with a swift movement, appeared beside a man.

Why aren't you kneeling?

The woman raised a slight brow with her beautiful eyes.

"I'm free!"

"……What's the meaning?"

"It's nothing. We're just passing acquaintances. You go about your business, and I'll do mine. Goodbye!"

After finishing his sentence, the man walked straight up the mountain.

"You don't want to talk to me?"

The woman narrowed her eyes slightly, but instead of looking for the man again, she also started walking up the mountain.

The two of them then headed towards the Shaolin Temple gate, one in front of the other.

The monk on the mountain, seeing the two people so abruptly appearing on the mountain path, knew immediately that "unwelcome guests" had arrived.

He hurried over to meet her.

He put his palms together and said, "It is an honor for our temple that you two have come from afar. May I ask whether you have come to worship Buddha or to find someone?"

"I'm here for tourism! No need to be so polite, venerable monk."

After speaking, the man avoided the monk who was in charge of receiving guests, smiled faintly, and walked into the temple.

This is clearly to show that they are not there to cause trouble.

The monk in charge of receiving guests wasn't stupid; seeing this, he looked at the woman again.

"I'm here for tourism too."

"May the Buddha be merciful and open the door of convenience. If you two are thirsty or tired, there are places to rest in the temple..."

The guest monk had a warm smile on his plump face.

"Thanks!"

The man thanked him and stepped into the temple.

The Shaolin Temple, with its thousand-year history, is a first-class ancient temple. However, it has long since disappeared into the annals of history due to wars.

The temples we see today are all built by later generations in imitation of ancient sites.

The entire temple is quite large and solemn, with the main hall and other buildings standing tall and majestic, fully displaying the grandeur of Buddhism.

The courtyard was filled with the smoke of incense, the sound of chanting sutras rose and fell, and crowds thronged, creating a lively atmosphere.

The man strolled leisurely through the temple, occasionally glancing at the statues and reading the scriptures.

"It's quite different from the Shaolin I remember from my past life. It seems to have a much stronger commercial feel."

The man shook his head slightly and muttered to himself.

Judging from what he said, this person must be Zhao Rui.

He originally thought that after the return of Guixu Shaolin, Shaolin Temple should, like Qingcheng and Emei, reduce the disturbance from ordinary pilgrims.

Unexpectedly, Shaolin not only did not "restrain" itself, but instead used martial arts masters to create the appearance of Buddha, increasing the solemn atmosphere.

This is used to attract devout worshippers.

This was truly unexpected for Zhao Rui.

But that's none of his business; he'll just take a look around Shaolin Temple first.

Treat it as a trip.

Just as he was leisurely becoming a tourist, wandering around with the crowd, the woman who had appeared earlier was stopped by several monks. "Female benefactor, why have you frozen my junior brother!"

The monk said with a cold expression.

"Who told him to spy on me!"

The woman casually remarked, not even glancing at the monks, but instead touching the statues on the wall with great interest.

His posture was very relaxed.

“Female benefactor, this is our Shaolin Temple. You possess extraordinary skills, so we cannot allow you to wander around at will.”

"Oh, then how come he can just wander around like that?"

The woman casually pointed to another courtyard, where Zhao Rui had just peeked out.

The monk looked in the direction of the voice, quickly turned around, and said, "He's a tourist!"

"..."

The woman rolled her eyes and said, "I'm a tourist too."

"He didn't make a move."

"It's really noisy!"

The woman grew impatient, and her eyes suddenly sharpened. She saw that the monks' bodies froze, and they were instantly immobilized by pressure points.

How could someone who was called in to keep an eye on a woman be an incompetent person?

As a result, these people were frozen in place with just a glance, whether it was because she was too fast or because she used some kind of evil magic.

The tourists walking around were completely unaware of these strange phenomena and continued to enjoy the scenery of Shaolin Temple.

"It's so boring."

The woman was in a bad mood. She glanced at Zhao Rui and saw that he was still leisurely strolling around. In a flash, she was in front of him.

With a gentle wave of her hand, an invisible stream of true energy swept towards his body.

"Holy crap, are you sick in the head?!"

Zhao Rui quickly used his stepping technique to dodge far away, then leaped seven or eight meters away, looked at the woman warily, and spat out.

"what?"

The woman exclaimed in surprise, clearly not expecting Zhao Rui to dodge her attack.

"I underestimated you; you've got some skills after all."

"Did I provoke you?"

"Who told you to ruin my mood!"

"Damn it, you're seriously ill. This is Shaolin's territory, why don't you go and cause them trouble!"

"I'm here to cause trouble for the monk. I don't like the look of you, so I'll just beat you up."

The woman raised her head slightly, her face full of arrogance and self-confidence.

"I'm too lazy to care about you!"

Just as Zhao Rui was about to leave, he suddenly felt a suffocating sense of pressure emanating from the sky above the corridor.

Then, a robe instantly transformed into a giant cloth bag, directly covering the area.

"Amitabha. Esteemed benefactors, this humble monk has been rude!"

Just then, the surroundings cleared up, and the sound of chanting filled the air. All the tourists instantly seemed to have lost their souls and left the area far away.

Only the three people under the robe remained.

Zhao Rui looked closely and saw that the person who came was an old monk with a wrinkled face and huge ears. He was not the same one he had met once before on Mount Emei.

"Are you from the Hui generation of Shaolin?"

The girl asked a question.

"This old monk, Huikong, greets the female benefactor. Your martial arts are superb. May I ask what brings you to Shaolin? If Shaolin can help, we will certainly do so without hesitation."

"I just came to take a look. I heard that your Shaolin Temple is the most powerful in this area."

The woman said calmly.

"Martial arts have no limits. Who dares to say they are invincible? My Shaolin is just a martial arts sect with shallow skills. We are no match for the powerful and powerful Guixu Witch Lord."

"Oh? As expected of the leader of the Central Plains martial arts world, your insight is truly remarkable."

"Wouldn't it be a bit presumptuous for the Witch Lord to come all this way?"

"It's not reckless. In this world, I can come and go as I please. Do you perhaps want to start a war?"

"Since that's the case, then may I ask why the Witch Master has come here?"

The old monk lowered his eyebrows slightly and raised them, his imposing aura gathering but not dissipating, clearly not as relaxed and at ease as he appeared when speaking.

"Just wandering around! If you monks weren't so blind, I wouldn't bother showing myself."

"In that case, it would be presumptuous of Shaolin. We hope that the Witch Master will have a pleasant journey!"

The old monk Huikong put his palms together and said, clearly hoping that the woman would leave as soon as possible.

"Hmm, I didn't expect Shaolin to be so easy to talk to. My brother even warned me to be careful of you bald monks."

"Alright, since you've been so obedient, I'll take this man with me. You're not allowed to interfere."

After the woman finished speaking, she pointed at Zhao Rui and a mocking smile appeared on her lips.

That means, look, who said I wouldn't dare mess with the Shaolin Temple?

The Shaolin Temple is afraid of me.

Zhao Rui's expression stiffened upon hearing this; he really has a knack for attracting negativity.

This woman is truly insane; you can't understand her thoughts using common sense.

He couldn't be bothered to expect the Shaolin monks to uphold justice, so he darted away in a flash.

Huikong quickly removed his kasaya and Dharma image, which was a way of indirectly helping Zhao Rui. Of course, he also hoped that Zhao Rui would take this woman and leave Shaolin as far away as possible.

"Want to run!"

The woman snorted coldly and quickly chased after him.

Although Zhao Rui didn't know how skilled this woman was, he knew she was not someone to be trifled with because the old monk addressed her as the "Return to the Void Witch Lord".

Only someone with nothing better to do would fight with a woman like that.

Zhao Rui opened all the acupoints in his body, unleashing his full power. After leaving the temple, he leaped off the cliff, using the terrain to his advantage to quickly evade danger.

The woman chased after him relentlessly, her speed no less than his.

Moreover, judging from her composed demeanor, it seems she still has energy to spare.

Is a dog catching a mouse just for fun?
Zhao Rui was furious. Since he got the system, he had never been played like this before.

He's getting faster and faster.

Later on, he was basically flying through the air, and his lightness skill had reached its peak.

But the woman remained calm and unhurried, even commenting on Zhao Rui's light-footed skills.

"Your skill is quite impressive, but how come your aerial maneuvering is so poor?"

"Oh my, you're just using your inner energy to levitate? You must have some serious inner energy."

"It's faster to run on the ground, is it because you're afraid of stepping on the flowers and grass because you're too strong! Hehe!"

The woman laughed so hard she almost fell over, but it didn't affect her speed at all; she rushed towards Zhao Rui like lightning.

Zhao Rui felt a chill run down his spine. Although he was annoyed by the woman's words, the issue she raised was worth pondering.

Zhao Rui's current martial arts skills, apart from the Step-Fighting Step which is incredibly powerful and can be combined with the power of the Dharma Aspect, are all lightness skills that are below the Grandmaster level.

The main method involves using internal force to reduce body weight, while simultaneously utilizing the power of footwork to increase speed, thus enabling the user to walk in mid-air.

Later, although he learned the "Charming Maiden Formless Heavenly Demon Technique" and was able to create clones at lightning speed, that was only when he was circulating the technique.

When it comes to actually traveling, we still follow the same old route.

A thought suddenly occurred to Zhao Rui, and his past martial arts techniques flashed through his mind like a slideshow.

I bow my head and return to the primordial beginning; all things are originally nameless.

Nine Abyss Wind Marrow Cracked, Burning the Three Lights Infant

Jade fragments fell from the purple sky, star remains condensed into soldiers.

The gods weep, their robes rusted and green; the Great Way resounds in vain!
Zhao Rui pointed a finger into the air, and a sword light streaked across the sky. His figure flashed, and he vanished from the woman's sight in an instant.

In the blink of an eye, he had already moved like a long sword, soaring through the air.

"This……"

The woman's pretty face froze for a moment, then she lightly stamped her foot and spat, "What a clever little thief."

After saying that, he transformed into a streak of light and chased after them at lightning speed.

(End of this chapter)