I Have the Martial Arts Heavenly Eye in the Storm Riders

A tavern in a small town about a mile from Lion King Castle.

Huai Kong sat alone by the window, pouring himself a drink. Although he was in the bustling city, it was as if there was an invisible barrier around him, shutting out the noise.

There was only a pot of wine in front of him, and the two small dishes of snacks were almost untouched. However, his gaze was always looking past the window and onto the distant mountain range that was shrouded in a hazy mist by the wind and snow.

The tavern was quite crowded.

There were passing merchants, porters carrying loads, and a few northern men wearing short fur coats, all talking in hushed tones about the coronation ceremony at Lion King's Castle.

Some say that the young and impetuous Iron Lion Man might not be able to control the situation;

Some say that although Kitano Yushi has injured his arm, his ferocity remains, and anyone who dares to come looking for death at this time will have to leave their life behind.

These words fell into Huai Kong's ears without missing a single one.

He acted as if he hadn't heard, continuing to drink his wine sip by sip, his expression calm to the point of indifference.

The waiter had seen that he was spending lavishly and had wanted to come over and say a few words.

But when they got closer, they were intimidated by his aura of coldness that kept strangers at bay, and they didn't dare to speak. They simply filled the wine pot and retreated awkwardly.

Huai Kong gazed out the window toward Lion King Castle, his expression calm, lost in thought.

Kitano Yushi's kneeling and those words still weigh heavily on his heart.

He had made a promise to the dying man.

The challenge has been issued, and the show has begun.

He already had a plan in mind for the next step.

Despite his calculations, the increasingly intense murderous aura emanating from Lion King's Fortress still made him feel a vague unease.

Suddenly, a chilling sense of crisis enveloped my entire body!

"Who?!"

Huai Kong reacted extremely quickly, his right palm suddenly flipping up as he shouted:

"Emptying my heart with the sun and moon in vain!"

As soon as the palm strike was launched, the fierce gust of wind that was originally aimed at his back was deflected by half an inch.

"boom!"

With a loud crash, the walls of the tavern collapsed instantly.

Tables and chairs crashed to the ground, patrons screamed and scattered in all directions, and the innkeeper crouched behind the counter with his head in his hands. The entire tavern was instantly thrown into chaos.

Amidst the swirling dust and smoke, a figure dressed in brocade robes and wearing a ferocious bronze mask stealthily approached like a ghost.

The man moved with the agility of a dragon, seemingly changing positions several times in mid-air with each step, making it impossible for anyone to pinpoint where he was coming from.

Huai Kong only felt a flash of golden light before his eyes, and the next instant, an extremely powerful gust of wind was already pressing against his back.

A faint golden aura emanated from the masked man, like dragon scales covering his body, radiant yet not dazzling, but pressing down on people's chests and making them feel suffocated.

The protective dragon energy flowed continuously, with each dragon-shaped energy path linked to the next, exuding both domineering power and a touch of the unpredictable.

"A dragon emerges from the abyss!"

The masked man let out a cold shout, his leg movements suddenly shifting between real and feint, two dragon shadows swiftly striking down towards Huai Kong.

Huai Kong used his right palm to deflect the force and his left palm to defend, shouting sharply:

"Sinking Yuan Breaks Through the Void!"

With a muffled thud, the two forces collided head-on, and Huai Kong was still shaken back three steps, the wooden planks beneath his feet cracking inch by inch.

He felt a chill run down his back, as if he had instantly fallen into an ice cave. Not daring to be careless, he suddenly spun around and swept the black iron sword box out.

"clang!"

The dragon's shadow crashed heavily into the sword case, sparks flying everywhere.

The masked man missed his first attack, then twisted his body and slid away close to the sweeping momentum of the empty sword box. He then pushed off with one foot and pounced again like an angry dragon turning around.

His retreat and advance were incredibly fast. Several customers in the tavern who hadn't yet escaped saw only a blur of golden shadows before their eyes, unable to distinguish people, let alone discern the moves.

The masked man sneered, his movements as agile as a dragon, his leg stance changed again, and his aura suddenly pressed down.

"Two dragons vying for a pearl!"

In an instant, two dragon-shaped shadows spiraled up, and the area within several feet seemed to be covered by that dragon's might.

Two legs struck simultaneously, sweeping towards Huai Kong. The table was overturned, the floor tiles cracked, and an oppressive feeling pressed down on Huai Kong's chest.

Huai Kong changed positions three times in a row, but was still firmly suppressed by the two dragon-shaped energies.

"The Primordial Sky Revolves!"

Huai Kong spun around with his feet, his right palm making a circle, forcefully deflecting the leg force that was pressing down on his face to the side.

boom!

Half of the wine rack was shattered on the spot by the force of the leg that had veered off course, and jars and pots were smashed all over the ground, the aroma of wine mixed with dust and ash spreading everywhere.

But the emptiness in my heart only made it feel heavier.

He originally practiced the Breaking Void Technique, which is known for its ability to deflect and guide force, and is skilled at dismantling people's hard energy.

The masked man before them possessed an astonishingly powerful and unstoppable inner strength, like a living dragon coiled around his body.

"Even the most outstanding disciple of the Iron Gate is nothing special."

The masked man laughed loudly, his eyes filled with arrogance.

Huai Kong's gaze suddenly turned cold.

The other party not only targeted him, but also knew everything about his background, so this was definitely not a spur-of-the-moment attack.

He said coldly:

"Hiding your head and showing your tail, yet daring to act tough?"

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the masked man continued to attack, his leg movements suddenly shifting between feints and real strikes, forcing Huai Kong to adjust his posture once again.

Huai Kong raised his right palm and coldly shouted:

"Borrow flowers to pay homage to Buddha!"

To neutralize the incoming force while simultaneously resisting the opponent's attack.

The opponent's momentum had not diminished. Huai Kong paused for a moment to adjust his breathing, then shouted again:

"Sinking Yuan Breaks the Moon!"

He slowly exerted force with his left palm, the edge of his palm like an axe, and chopped straight down at the ribs of the masked man.

The edge of his palm was like an axe, cleaving straight down the ribs of the masked man.

The masked man was prepared; with a twist of his waist, he dodged half a foot away, like a dragon circling a pillar.

The palm brushed past the hem of her clothes, failing to make a proper contact.

The masked man's demeanor changed drastically in the next instant.

He suddenly changed his tactics, and his aura suddenly surged.

"Three dragons descend upon the world!"

Once this move is unleashed, layers of dragon-shaped energy surge forth, with triple leg strikes pressing down like a raging dragon, each strike faster than the last.

Before the strong wind had even truly arrived, Huai Kong's aura was already being forced to shrink inch by inch, as if an invisible giant mountain had suddenly pressed down on his chest.

His pupils contracted sharply, and he only had time to hold the black iron sword case horizontally in front of his chest while shouting:

"Release your efforts and return to emptiness!"

"clang--!"

The finger struck the sword case, producing a loud, booming sound, and a terrifying impact erupted instantly.

He felt a tremendous force strike him, and his whole body flew out like a cannonball, crashing through the back wall of the tavern and falling heavily onto the street.

"puff!"

Huai Kong spat out a mouthful of blood, his face instantly turning pale. He struggled to raise his head, only to see the masked man looking down at him, his eyes behind the mask revealing arrogance and haughtiness.

"To survive my Three Dragons Descending from the Earth move, you are quite fortunate."

As he spoke, the wind made his mask tremble slightly, revealing his cold and sharp features.

Although that moment was only a flash, it was enough to make people feel its domineering sharpness.

Huai Kong pressed his chest, took a slow breath, and felt a strong, metallic taste rising in his throat.

If the black iron sword box hadn't blocked that attack for him, it wouldn't have been the wall that was pierced, but his chest.

He forcefully suppressed his surging blood and qi, and his right hand was already pressed on the mechanism of the black iron sword box behind him.

"Click..."

A sickeningly loud mechanical click rang out, and an extremely ferocious and terrifying aura, as if from an ancient beast, seeped out through the gaps in the sword case, sending chills down one's spine.

Several packhorses that hadn't managed to escape far from the street seemed to be suddenly startled, neighing and frantically breaking their reins, tumbling and crawling as they rushed out of the alley.

The masked man's arrogant gaze suddenly sharpened, as if he had sensed a deadly threat.

"Hmm? What kind of weapon is this...?"

He took a deep look at the sword box behind Huai Kong, and for the first time, a genuine sense of apprehension appeared in his eyes.

Huai Kong didn't answer, but stared intently at him, pressing the mechanism under his hand down a little more.

The masked man snorted coldly.

"You're lucky. Today was just a test; I'll spare your life for now."

Before he finished speaking, his figure blurred, and like a roc spreading its wings, he soared onto the roof and disappeared into the vast snowstorm in a few leaps.

Huai Kong stared in the direction where the person had disappeared, his heart filled with turmoil.

"Who exactly is this person?"

"Such astonishing cultivation level is definitely not that of an unknown person!"

The moment this thought crossed his mind, he felt a sharp pain in his chest. The extremely yang and domineering dragon-shaped energy within him seemed to be suddenly awakened, rushing wildly along his meridians, scorching his internal organs as if they were being rolled in fire.

"Cough cough..."

He coughed up another mouthful of blood, his face turning even paler.

"Such domineering and supremely yang power..." Huai Kong muttered through gritted teeth.

"If we don't suppress it as soon as possible, we might really be doomed here."

He dared not linger. He mustered his inner energy, slung the black iron sword case over his shoulder, and staggered away from the town, heading towards the distant mountains.

In the secret chamber of Lion King Castle, a deafening roar suddenly erupted, shaking the entire Lion Tower.

"father--!!!"

Iron Lion Man knelt before the cold stone bed, his eyes bloodshot, tears blurring his vision.

On the stone bed, Kitano Lion lay quietly, lifeless, his eyes wide open, unable to close in death, with black blood faintly flowing from his seven orifices, clearly indicating that he had died from the severance of his meridians.

There were no other sounds in the secret room except for the Iron Lion Man's hoarse breathing, one breath after another, like a wounded beast grinding its teeth in the dark.

The severed right arm had been forcibly reattached to the side, but it was merely for show.

Kitano Yushi's face turned ashen, his brow furrowed in a deep frown, clearly showing that he was still holding on until the very end, unable to swallow his resentment.

"Who is it?!"

"Who killed my father?!"

The Iron Lion Man roared to the sky, his voice like the mournful cry of a cuckoo, enough to bring tears to anyone's eyes.

"I will come to collect the Lion King's head in three days..."

Huai Kong's cold voice still seemed to echo in my ears.

Iron Lion Man suddenly raised his head, his eyes blazing with overwhelming hatred and murderous intent.

"Huai Kong!!!"

"It's you! It must be you!"

"You actually dared to kill my father!"

"This hatred is irreconcilable!"

"I, Iron Lion Man, swear that I will tear you to pieces and grind your bones to dust!!"

He practically squeezed out each word through gritted teeth, and by the end, his voice was hoarse.

Actually, he wasn't without other thoughts in his mind.

He still vividly remembers the scene of the white figure suddenly appearing in the building.

But once the person died, and the hatred subsided, the first thing that surfaced in his mind was Huai Kong's words, "Three days later, I will come to take the Lion King's head."

These words were like a hook, firmly gripping all his anger, making him unwilling to even think about anything else.

Just then, a spy stumbled into the secret room, knelt down, and reported:

"Report... Report to Young Master! We've... discovered Huai Kong's whereabouts!"

"Where is he?!"

Iron Lion Man suddenly turned around, grabbed the scout by the collar, and lifted him up, his face contorted like a demon.

The scout, lifted off the ground, his face turning purple, still replied in a trembling voice:

"In...in a secluded valley ten miles away...he...he seems to be injured and is meditating to heal his wounds..."

"Fine! Fine! Fine!" The Iron Lion Man laughed in fury, his laughter chilling and piercing.

"Injured? Looks like even the heavens are after you!"

He abruptly threw the scout to the ground, strode outside, and shouted sternly:

"Pass down the order! Assemble all disciples! Bring all the lions!"

"I will slaughter that valley! To avenge the old lord!!"

Ten miles away, in a secluded valley, Huai Kong sat cross-legged on a boulder, his eyes closed, white steam rising from his head.

After some time of adjustment, the Supreme Yang True Dragon Qi in his body was barely suppressed, but it would take some time to completely expel it.

The valley was not large, surrounded by jagged rocks and withered, dark trees. When the cold wind blew in, the whole valley echoed with a mournful, ghostly sound.

The black iron sword case on Huai Kong's back leaned against the stone, like a ferocious beast lying still, sinking into this deathly silence along with him.

He had intended to use this night to lock in the dragon-shaped true energy first, and then slowly force it out, but after only two cycles, he felt a tightness in his chest.

The opponent's internal force was too domineering and intense, almost like a living thing coiled in the meridians, and it was impossible to completely dissipate it in a short time.

Suddenly, a deafening roar that shook the earth shattered the tranquility of the valley.

"roar--!"

Accompanied by countless deafening roars of lions, a large number of people surged into the valley like a tide, instantly surrounding Huai Kong.

The leader, clad in crimson-gold armor, with clenched fists, rode the majestic "Lion King of Beasts"—it was none other than Iron Lion Man!

Behind him, hundreds of Lion King Fort disciples held sharp blades, exuding murderous intent, while dozens of large male lions bared their teeth and roared repeatedly.

"Empty Embrace!!"

The Iron Lion Man stared intently at Huai Kong on the boulder, his eyes filled with boundless hatred. He suddenly pointed his right hand...

"The hatred for the murderer of one's father is irreconcilable!"

"Give me your life!!"

Huai Kong slowly opened his eyes; though his face was pale, his gaze remained cold.

He glanced at the Iron Lion Man, then at the mountain pass surrounded by the restless, growling lions, and his heart calmed down.

What was bound to happen has finally happened.

"Wait!"

At the critical moment, a figure suddenly flew from the entrance of the valley and landed steadily in front of Huai Kong, blocking the path of the Iron Lion Man.

The newcomer was a burly man with a resolute face and beast-like eyes; he was none other than the leader of the Unique Sect, Wu Er.

Upon seeing that it was him, the Iron Lion Man's expression darkened even further.

"No one else?!" The iron-lion man frowned, his killing intent intensifying.

"You utterly worthless scoundrel, how dare you meddle in the affairs of my Lion King's Castle?"

"Get out of my way! Or I'll kill you too!"

Wu Er didn't even glance at him, but turned her head to stare at Huai Kong and said:

"They say you killed Kitano Yushi, I don't believe it."

Huai Kong glanced at Wu Er, who was blocking his way, and his eyes flickered slightly.

Although this person was defeated by him in the past, he was a straightforward person who was principled and loyal to his friends.

If it were anyone else, they would have run far away long ago upon seeing him in such a desperate situation, but Wu Er actually dared to barge in all by himself.

"There must be another reason for this," Wu Er said in a deep voice. "Tell me."

Huai Kong paused for a moment.

That night, when Kitano Yushi knelt in the wind and snow, he wasn't asking for him to clear his name or clean up the mess. He just wanted to make that hatred real, to make Iron Lion Man believe it, and to make everyone in Lion King's Castle believe it.

Only when they believe will the Iron Lion Man be forced to grow up and truly secure his position.

Although Wu Er didn't understand what was going on, he could tell that there was something hidden in Huai Kong's silence, and couldn't help but take half a step forward.

"Huai Kong, stop pretending to be mute like a stone!"

"Whether you killed him or not, you tell me!"

Huai Kong took a deep breath, suppressing the injuries in his body, and slowly stood up, pushing Wu Er away.

"There's no misunderstanding." Huai Kong's voice was cold and calm, clearly echoing throughout the entire valley.

"I did kill Kitano Yushi."

"What?!" Wu Er stared at Huai Kong in disbelief.

"You...you're insane? Why are you admitting it?"

"A life for a life, and the consequences of one's actions are undeniable," Huai Kong said calmly.

"Since I've done it, there's nothing I'm ashamed to admit."

Wu Er stared at him, his chest heaving violently, as if he wanted to punch him in the face to wake him up.

But he had dealt with Huai Kong before, and the more he knew this, the more he realized that this man was not the kind of person who would recklessly risk his life just to show off.

Just as he was about to ask again, the Iron Lion Man burst into laughter in anger.

"Good! What a fine display of courage and responsibility!" The Iron Lion Man laughed in fury, his laughter filled with malice and resentment.

"Since you've chosen to die, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

"Golden Lion! Silver Lion! Kill that meddlesome Wu Er!"

"yes!"

The two elders, Jin and Yin, responded to the call and rushed out like lightning, attacking Wu Er from the left and right respectively.

"Hmph! You think you can be afraid of me!"

Wu Er was also aroused, and he used his hand as a sword, unleashing a fierce sword strike in an instant.