Shared talent: Please, countless versions of me!

The Heaven-Slaying Sword was incredibly sharp, leaving white marks in the air with each swing. Yin Tianzheng moved with agility, dodging Abbess Miejue's sword and trying to seize it several times. Without the Heaven-Slaying Sword, Abbess Miejue was like a toothless tiger, her threat greatly reduced!

Abbess Miejue also understood her problem. She knew it after Zhang Sanfeng took her sword. She immediately tried to distance herself from Yin Tianzheng so that he would not have a chance to take the sword. The two chased and dodged each other, and for a time neither could do anything to the other.

The disciples of Emei dared not interfere in their sect leader's battle, for fear of being accidentally injured by the aftershocks of the fight.

Taking this opportunity, Zhou Zhiruo saw Zhang Wuji standing with the Seven Heroes of Wudang, and her eyes lit up immediately. She thought to herself, "It really is him! I didn't dare to acknowledge him before because he was standing with the demoness, but now that he's standing with the Seven Heroes of Wudang, I think my master won't object to me communicating with him!"

Zhang Wuji also saw Zhou Zhiruo, and her sweet appearance and graceful figure immediately caught his eye.

However, Zhang Wuji's feelings for Zhou Zhiruo at this point are not romantic; rather, they are out of gratitude for her saving his life. He sees Zhou Zhiruo as his benefactor, only this benefactor is rather beautiful.

Neither of them spoke up due to their status. After the Seven Heroes of Wudang dealt with the Five Wanderers, they noticed that Zhang Shan's companions seemed to be waiting for him to speak.

Seeing that most of the people had arrived, Zhang Shan immediately channeled his inner strength and shouted, "Stop! I, Zhang Shan, have something to say that concerns your lives and the future of the Central Plains!"

Chapter 331 The Supreme Martial Arts Master

"You think you can just stop like that? Who do you think you are?!" Kongtong Zong Weixia sneered, and with a flick of his fists, he charged towards Zhang Shan.

Zhang Shan's gaze turned cold. These people from the Kongtong Sect were truly courting death, daring to throw a punch at him. But that was fine too, as he needed someone to establish his authority. These people hadn't seen much of his fight with Yin Tianzheng, so they probably didn't know his strength.

He moved like a phantom, his fists like cannonballs. With a simple and unadorned punch, he struck Zong Weixia in the back, sending the latter flying backward and lying motionless on the ground.

All the martial arts masters were stunned by this move and dared not act rashly for a moment, because no one knew whether Zhang Shanxi's next punch would hit them.

Yin Tianzheng also took the opportunity to get rid of Abbess Miejue and return to the Ming Cult's camp.

At this moment, the five major sects and the Ming Cult stood at the front and back of the mountain road, while the Wudang group stood in the middle of the two sides. Zhang Shan spoke up: "It seems that everyone has calmed down."

Shaolin monk Yuanyin clasped his hands together and said, "Young friend, what is the reason for this? We came to Bright Peak to destroy the Demonic Sect, but now you are blocking our way. There must be an explanation."

All eyes were on Zhang Shan, not only out of respect for Zhang Sanfeng, but also because of Zhang Shan's strength.

The fact that a single punch could render Zong Weixia unable to rise again was something everyone present knew they could never do.

Zhang Shan said, "The Ming Cult's high-ranking members have all been defeated by my Wudang. We have already defeated them. According to my original plan, the Ming Cult should now be a pile of corpses."

The members of the five major sects nodded slightly. They had arrived a step too late. The Ming Cult had indeed been defeated by Wudang, and that was a fact. They had nothing to say about it.

"Then why didn't I kill them?" Zhang Shan's gaze swept over everyone, and without beating around the bush, he said directly, "Because I discovered that our entire operation was secretly orchestrated by the imperial court. What we are doing now is merely helping the Mongol Yuan dynasty eliminate unstable factors!"

"What! You're saying the imperial court is behind this!" Abbess Miejue immediately became anxious. She had contributed a lot to the alliance of the six major sects this time. Now that Zhang Shan was saying this, wasn't he implying that she, Miejue, was a lackey of the imperial court? How could she remain calm!

"Master, please don't be hasty. I'm not saying you're a lackey of the court; you've just been used." Zhang Shan knew Abbess Miejue's temperament; if he didn't appease the old nun first, there would be no way to have a proper conversation later. Hearing his explanation, the expressions of those present softened slightly. Huashan Xianyu Tong said impatiently, "You say she was used? Then you must know who the real mastermind is, right? Tell me quickly! Daring to mock the six major sects, I will make him pay the price."

“I don’t know who that person is either, but the imperial court’s people are indeed not far away.” Zhang Shan flicked his finger, and a pebble suddenly flew out, hitting a certain spot on the cliff.

Bang!

With a soft sound, everyone saw a figure covering their head and running away.

Without Zhang Shan saying anything, Zhang Wuji leaped up, his Wudang Ladder Cloud Leap already mastered to perfection, and in the blink of an eye, he crossed the cliff several hundred meters high and captured the man with one hand!

"What amazing lightness skill!" Everyone was shocked by Zhang Wuji's martial arts. They never expected that Wudang, besides Zhang Shan, had another young man with remarkable strength. They couldn't help but sigh that Wudang was truly lucky. With its founder still alive, there were successors. In the next hundred years, Wudang would probably reach a new level.

Zhang Wuji returned with a servant boy dressed in Mongolian clothing, whose identity was self-evident.

Abbess Miejue was furious. She never expected that the battle between her and the Ming Cult had been right under the nose of the imperial court without her noticing. If Zhang Shan hadn't discovered it, she and the Ming Cult experts would have ended up with mutual destruction. If the imperial court had sent troops, all the experts from the six major sects would probably have been wiped out here!

laugh!

With a flash of sword light, the imperial spy was cut in two.

No one stopped them. They all looked at Zhang Shan. Abbess Miejue said, "Now that you've stepped forward, you must have your own plans."

“That’s right.” Zhang Shan nodded and smiled at everyone, “Gentlemen, those gathered here now can be said to be the most outstanding group of people in the entire Central Plains martial arts world. Why don’t we take this opportunity to select a martial arts supreme, gather the strength of our Central Plains martial arts world together to fight against the tyrannical Yuan, and restore peace to the people of the Central Plains!”

"Kid, you don't mean to think you can become the supreme martial arts master, do you?" Xianyu Tong sneered. "Even Song Yuanqiao wouldn't be convinced, let alone a little brat like you who hasn't even grown a beard yet?"

"Then let me learn from the Huashan Sect Leader's skills!" Zhang Shan looked at Xianyu Tong, his powerful internal energy surging around his body and finally converging at his fingertips. With a single finger, a sword aura shot straight towards Xianyu Tong!

Bang!

Xianyu Tong's expression changed drastically. He never expected Zhang Shan to make a direct move, and the opponent's internal energy was so profound that he could not only release his internal energy from his fingertips, but also concentrate it without dispersing it, and instantly hit his chest!

puff!

Xianyu Tong spat out a mouthful of blood. He couldn't even withstand a single blow from Zhang Shan, let alone exchange a blow with him!

"You flatter me!" Zhang Shan clasped his hands in greeting, but didn't even glance at the other party. He looked at Emei and Shaolin, as these two were the main focus.

Two elderly men of varying heights from the Huashan Sect came to Xianyu Tong's side, examined his injuries, and breathed a sigh of relief upon finding only superficial wounds. They then turned to Zhang Shan, cupped their fists, and said, "Thank you for your mercy, Young Hero Zhang. We of Huashan have no objection to Young Hero Zhang becoming the Supreme Martial Artist!"

Seeing this, the people from Kongtong quickly nodded in agreement, indicating that they had no objections. Of course, their own leader had been defeated in one punch, what else could they say?

Abbess Miejue hesitated for a moment but did not make a move. Zhang Shan was young and strong. He was the first to break through the encirclement with Wudang. Now that he had defeated Kongtong and Huashan, he had gained prestige. As a nun, she would naturally not compete with Zhang Shan for the position of the supreme martial arts master.

The Shaolin side shared the same idea. Master Kongxing said, "Amitabha, monks should not get involved in these matters. By the way, I wonder if Young Hero Zhang has seen my Shaolin Master Yuanzhen? He has been missing for several days."

"Then thank you very much, Master Kongxing, for your kindness." Zhang Shan cupped his hands, but did not answer Yuanzhen's question. Who was Yuanzhen? He didn't know this person at all.

Things went much more smoothly than Zhang Shan had expected. He had thought he would have to beat all five major sects with his fists before they would submit, but now things had gone much more smoothly.

Zhang Shan turned to look at the Ming Cult, where the White-Browed Eagle King stepped forward, cupped his fists, and said to Zhang Shan, "Acting Leader of the Ming Cult, Yin Tianzheng, respectfully wishes Supreme Zhang a speedy victory!"

Zhang Shan smiled and said, "Good! Since everyone in the martial arts world is giving me face, from this moment on, Zhang Shan is the supreme ruler of the martial arts world. Let us all work together to drive the Mongols out of the Central Plains!"

"Good!" Yin Tianzheng said, "Our Ming Cult has already captured many cities from the Yuan army. Now, with the leadership of the Supreme Lord, we will surely be able to defeat the Yuan army even more easily and drive them out of the Central Plains!"

“That’s right! As long as the Alliance Leader gives the order, we will gather all our forces and await the Alliance Leader’s command at any time!” Yang Xiao said.

Zhang Shan nodded in satisfaction. Looking at the team of less than a thousand people in front of him, he raised his voice and said, "Gentlemen, gather your forces. Our first battle is to deal with the person who plotted against us!"

~

Bright Peak, the headquarters of the Ming Cult.

People from the Five Elements Flag and the Six Major Sects were all here. Whether they were wounded or still able to move, they all looked at the person standing on the high platform.

Zhang Shan, having changed out of his blood-stained clothes and donned a black outfit, looked down at the crowd and proclaimed loudly, "I am Zhang Shan. With the patronage of all you martial arts masters, I have become the supreme martial arts master of this generation. I am not one for empty words, but I assure my brothers today that as long as I live, the martial arts world of the Central Plains will never again fight amongst ourselves. We have only one enemy: the Mongols! We will drive these foreign invaders out of the Central Plains and restore peace to our land!"

"Zhang Zhizun!"

The crowd cheered and waved their flags in a very respectful manner. In this chaotic world, it is not easy to find someone willing to take the lead. Moreover, it seems that Zhang Shan has already persuaded the six major sects and the Ming Cult, so his title as the supreme martial arts master is well-deserved, and no one dares to object.

Zhang Shan gestured for Yang Xiao to speak, saying, "Yang Xiao, you are in charge of arranging for the wounded to receive treatment. If my estimate is correct, the imperial court will begin its operations in five days at most. We must prepare for battle before they do."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Yang Xiao clasped his hands in a fist salute.

“Wei Yixiao! You are quick on your feet. Go and scout out the enemy's situation. Once the Yuan army makes a move, come back immediately to report.”

"Yes!"

……

Zhang Shan made all the arrangements, and Wei Yixiao left Bright Peak that day to go down the mountain to gather information. Yang Xiao and Zhang Wuji led people to apply medicine and bandage the wounded. Although not everyone could use the medicine, everyone received a few acupuncture needles from Zhang Wuji.

"Have you heard? Chen Youliang led the Beggars' Sect to surrender to the Yuan Dynasty. Now all those beggars are Yuan's lackeys!"

"I heard that Huang Rong, the leader of the Beggars' Sect, and Guo Jing and his wife died in Xiangyang without surrendering. Now Chen Youliang is actually willing to risk his life for the Yuan Dynasty. He's a beast!"

"I also heard that the incident involving the Six Major Sects and Bright Peak was instigated by Chen Youliang, who wanted to help the imperial court annihilate our Central Plains martial arts world in one fell swoop! But no matter how much they planned, they never expected that our Great Hero Zhang of the Central Plains would overpower all the heroes and become the supreme master of the martial arts world, thus ruining all their conspiracy!"

Three days have passed since Zhang Shan became the supreme martial arts master. In these three days, the news of his ascension to the top has spread throughout the martial arts world, along with Chen Youliang's infamy.

Inside the room, Zhang Shan thought to himself, "Everyone says that the Beggars' Sect is the fastest at transmitting messages in the world. I wonder how Chen Youliang is feeling right now?"

In the original story, Chen Youliang caused Mo Shenggu's death and, after the six major sects left, instigated smaller sects in the martial arts world to cause trouble for the Ming Cult. He even managed to scheme against Zhang Wuji once after Zhang Wuji had mastered his divine skills. Naturally, Zhang Shan would not let such an opponent get away with it.

They immediately summoned Yin Yewang, who was also Yin Tianzheng's son and Zhang Wuji's uncle.

"Your Majesty!" Yin Yewang clasped his hands and knelt before Zhang Shan.

"Yin Yewang, pass down the order: Chen Youliang is a dog of the Mongols, and all men and women of the Jianghu should kill him!"

"Yes!"

This matter is nothing more than a matter of a word. Yin Yewang can simply have his men send messages by carrier pigeon, without wasting their manpower, and it will not affect their current deployment in the slightest.

After Yin Yewang left, Yin Tianzheng and Abbess Miejue entered together. The two clasped their hands in greeting, and Yin Tianzheng said, "Your Majesty, the brothers have regained some strength. We can begin our deployment!"

Abbess Miejue also spoke up: "Your Majesty, our six major sects are ready to deploy and kill the enemy at any time!"

"In this battle, the enemy outnumbers us, so we cannot fight head-on. The formation can only be used in the final decisive stage." Zhang Shan looked at Yin Tianzheng and asked, "Elder Yin, how much strength does our Earth Element Flag still have among the Five Elements Flags?"

"This... the Tu Xingqi suffered heavy losses in the previous battle, and now only about fifty brothers remain," Yin Tianzheng said. In the previous battle, the Tu Xingqi encountered Emei and Wudang and were killed by these two sects, but Yin Tianzheng would never say such a thing now.

Zhang Shan frowned slightly: "Are the tunnel traps left behind still there?"

“Those are all still here. Although they have been used, they are all reusable.” Yin Tianzheng said, “Could it be that the Supreme One intends to use these tunnel traps to wear down the enemy first? But we are outnumbered, and I’m afraid we can’t outlast them.”

Zhang Shan knew his side was at a disadvantage, so he naturally wouldn't use such a foolish move to exchange numbers. He said, "Follow me."

The two were puzzled, but they followed Zhang Shan to a courtyard.

The Wudang people were all busy at work. At their feet was a cloth bag with something that looked like a fuse on it, which was tied tightly with several ropes.

"What is this?" the two asked, puzzled.

When Song Yuanqiao saw Zhang Shan leading his men over, he frowned and came to Zhang Shan's side, saying, "Your Majesty, do we really have to use these things? How about we use wooden barrels instead? They're less powerful, but at least they won't harm the natural order."

Song Yuanqiao had witnessed the power of this explosive charge before. It was something Zhang Shan had concocted last year. Zhang Shan had used up a lot of gunpowder for it. Fortunately, Wudang had a long tradition of alchemy and had stored up some gunpowder over the decades, otherwise it really wouldn't have been enough for him.

"Don't worry, Uncle-Master, it won't harm anyone." Zhang Shan stepped forward and picked up a bundle of explosives, pressing the flames firmly into the center with layers of burlap. Once detonated, its power would be far greater than the current barrel dynamite. Most importantly, this thing would save a lot of gunpowder! A huge amount!

He approached the two men with the explosive charge and explained to their puzzled looks, "This is an improved version of the explosive charge. Don't let its small size fool you; it's much more powerful than barrel dynamite!"

Looking at the explosive charge in Zhang Shan's hand, Yin Tianzheng asked in confusion, "Supreme... what is barrel explosive?"

In this day and age, people's use of firearms is still limited to those giant cannons the size of a bowl.

These cannons weren't filled with gunpowder shells that would explode when fired; current technology can't produce that kind of thing.

Modern cannons are all around 20 centimeters in diameter and vary in length, but without exception, the rear half is filled with gunpowder and a solid iron block is placed in front. The impact force generated by igniting the gunpowder blasts the iron block out, creating destructive power.

The same principle applies to the single-shot muskets used by nobles today.

"Barrel explosives are a type of bomb that isn't very powerful but produces a lot of smoke, like this..."

Zhang Shan patiently explained the function of the explosive charge to them. After a long while, Yin Tianzheng clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Isn't this the Yuan army's thunderbolt?!"

Chapter 332 Wuji, you need to step up!

"Thunderclap?" Zhang Shan looked puzzled and asked Song Yuanqiao, "Senior Uncle, what is this Thunderclap?"