A Scroll of Infinite Glory

Chapter 133 I'll Persuade You to Drink a Cup of Wine

Top-tier masters cultivate their inner energy to the point of being as hard as steel. With every gesture, their inner energy surges forth. Even if they face a hail of arrows or a charge of iron cavalry alone, they can remain unharmed. As long as their inner energy remains intact, their bodies are even harder than meteorites falling from the sky.

However, when facing an opponent of similar skill level, few people would choose to meet the opponent's weapon bare-handed. Instead, they would choose to use skillful moves to block or deflect the weapon.

Because between opponents of the same level, it is difficult to establish a fixed gap in the strength of their true qi and internal energy. The use of certain special moves and emotional fluctuations can cause the true qi, which seems to have been used to its fullest extent, to increase again in a short period of time.

If you catch an enemy's weapon with your bare hands, you might have a slight advantage in internal force on the first move and successfully drive them back. However, on the second move, if you hastily exert your strength, your opponent might unleash a powerful attack and turn the tables, gaining a slight advantage over you.

At that time, when skin comes into direct contact with the weapon, there is no time to react. You will be sliced ​​open and bones broken, losing any chance to turn the tide.

But today, King Meng is not thinking about these things.

With his right hand still pressing down on Han Wengong's spear shaft, he saw the staff and knife coming at him, reached out with his left hand to grab the bamboo staff, and raised his right foot to kick the blade directly.

Bang! ! !

The three internal forces from the gun, staff, and knife propelled his body backward, but he used his hands to pull and twist, intertwining the gun shaft and bamboo staff together, the part that made contact in the middle twisting like a pretzel.

The bamboo joints burst open, and the bamboo strips twisted tightly with the curved black steel.

Meng Wanghou loosened his grip and changed his move, striking with lightning speed from above at the point where the two weapons were intertwined.

First, a palm print the size of half a person was slapped into the ground from a distance. Then, the two weapons were released from their hands at the same time, falling in a cross shape and sinking deep into the soil, dividing the palm print into four parts.

Taking advantage of the fact that the opponent had lost his weapon, Meng Wanghou completely ignored the two men who were ambushing him. With one big stride, his figure moved straight ahead at incredible speed, and he pushed Han Wengong with his palm.

Han Wengong opened his sleeve, flipped his wrist, and raised his real weapon.

Previously, Han Yu said that the spear was originally the flag spear of the southwestern army, and this statement was not untrue.

While such a flag-spear might command authority and exude authority in the military, it's questionable how suitable it is for actual combat. This mere spear, forged a hundred times, is of inferior quality to even the swords or daggers carried by some second-rate martial artists.

When Han Yu brought out this spear, it was merely on a whim. His participation in battle in his later years also had a sense of reminiscence. His true weapon, however, was a pen.

The penholder is about a foot and a half long, dark blue, and it is unknown what material it is made of, but it looks extremely heavy. The pen tip is about the size of a baby's clenched fist, and the three-inch wolf hair is grayish, with only a little bit of thick black ink at the tip.

After he pulled the pen out of his sleeve, he used the proper pen-holding posture: his index and middle fingers hooked together, his ring and little fingers pressed against the pen barrel from the inside, his thumb pressed firmly, his palm was hollow, his wrist was flat, and the pen barrel was straight.

The action of lifting the pen just happened to deflect Meng Wanghou's palm upwards and outwards, but it only barely managed to deflect Han Wengong's body.

An incredibly swift palm strike erupted from beside him, striking the river behind him and sending a series of water columns shooting up from the bank toward the center of the river, with white spray and mist bursting out.

When Meng Wanghou's palm strike missed, he swayed his shoulder and instantly unleashed thirty-six unpredictable palm shadows with both arms.

Among these palm strikes, those coming from above often have five fingers spread wide, like waves crashing.

Attacking from the center was a palm strike as sharp as a sword, with a flying fish piercing through.

Attacks coming from the lower part of the body, near the abdomen and waist, are like snakes lurking deep in the ground, with an arc-shaped trajectory that is sharp and insidious.

The Yuandao Qigong practiced by Han Yu was created by a Confucian master who had devoted his life to studying the classics. It was said to be based on the classics, verified by the laws, and examined by the laws of the state.

In terms of attack power, he is only mediocre among top-tier masters. However, if others want to defeat him, it is as difficult as trying to cut off plum blossoms with a sword when facing his powerful and subtle qigong brush technique.

He gracefully stepped back, his left hand moving as if stroking a sleeve and spreading paper, while his right hand moved with continuous strokes, circling, dotting, hooking, and slashing.

He then unleashed a series of exquisite moves that were not only calligraphy, grammar, and martial arts techniques: "Extracting the essence and grasping the profound," "Burning the midnight oil," "Broadening the mind and expanding the scope," "Crying out in hunger and cold," "Savoring the essence and appreciating the beauty," and "Leaving things idle and scattered."

With a large brush, between the gaps of Meng Wanghou's continuous palm prints, he repeatedly drew circles and strokes, blocking the most difficult point to exert force, causing all attacks to slip past him.

As Han Wengong retreated, he moved far away from the shore and onto the water. The deflected palm strikes, like streaks of dim blue light, bombarded the water, creating wave after wave of towering water columns.

With one step back and one step forward, the two figures walked on water, their true energy overflowing. They could leap out by touching the waves with their toes, running at lightning speed all the way to near the center of the river, without getting a single wet spot on their bodies.

However, just as Han Wengong stepped onto the water's surface once more, the circulation of his inner energy experienced a slight, almost imperceptible stagnation, and a wet patch quickly spread across the gray-white sole of his shoe.

Although he still managed to retreat, he did not retreat as easily, quickly, or as far as before.

Han Wengong remained calm and composed, but inwardly he sighed and laughed: After all, he is already this old, how could he be unable to withstand the chaos of the world so quickly?

When first learning Meng Wanghou's "Four Seas Chaos Hand," it's best to find a pool or waterfall, or even go to the seaside to face the waves and practice your palm strikes to develop powerful palm force. However, once you reach the level of a first-class master and have perfected this martial art, the "Four Seas" in the palm technique takes on another layer of meaning.

It refers to the Yin Meridian Sea, Yang Meridian Sea, Blood Source Marrow Sea, and Brain Sea in the human body.

The cranial cavity and brain are well-known and need no further explanation. The two points of Yin and Yang meridians refer to the Ren and Du meridians. The source of blood and marrow refers to the bone marrow and vital energy that flows from the spine to the limbs.

After mastering the Four Seas Chaos Hand technique, when engaging in combat with an enemy, as long as there is contact with the opponent's true energy, even if the opponent's defense is not broken, it will gradually induce an imbalance of the "Four Seas," leading to an outbreak of internal poison.

The concept of internal poison is mysterious and profound. It does not refer to ordinary poisons that invade from the outside world, but rather to certain things that are inherent in the mortal body, or even things that are engraved in the blood and instincts and passed down from generation to generation.

For example, when people encounter an extremely terrifying attack, their limbs may stiffen and they may be unable to move, making it impossible for them to dodge in time; after being exposed to excessive cold, they may lose their rationality and discard their clothes; when emotions are intense, their perception of pain may be weakened, leading them to enter more dangerous situations; after a long period of hunger, they may not feel hunger, and in the process of digesting themselves and experiencing internal bleeding, they may feel warm... and so on, the examples are countless.

The human body, being fragile, contains countless "internal toxins" that can be fatal if imbalanced.

When the internal poison caused by the "Four Seas in Turmoil" technique truly erupts, it will cause the five internal organs to melt, the brain to boil, the skin to turn cold and red, and the person to die with a smile on their face.

But Han Wengong was not in a hurry. He was still some distance away from that inevitable death, and he had already achieved his goal of delaying his opponent.

Looking out over the shore, the situation has completely reversed.

Regarding Luoyang, Gu Lanxiang, Chen Shouzhen, An Feiyu who used the Activation Contract outside the arena to launch various surprise attacks, and Nangong Lei and others who could barely play a restraining role.

Bai Bujian, the infamous flower thief who once ruined the reputation of a noblewoman from the Cui family of Qinghe and managed to escape with his life, and the Mountain Wolf, who was known for killing three thousand people a day in the mountains and who challenged and slaughtered every martial arts school he encountered in the Lingnan area, soon followed in Luo Yin's footsteps.

Bai Bujian was momentarily blocked by An Feiyu's Air Eagle while he was escaping. Guan Luoyang caught up and kicked him in the back of the head. Shan Zhonglang's left arm was broken by Guan Luoyang. Chen Shouzhen blocked the long sword, and Gu Lanxiang smashed his forehead with a stick.

Only Bu Suanzi saw the opportunity too early, and his martial arts were slightly better than the three guardians' level. He escaped too quickly, and Guan Luoyang and the others were unable to stop him.

At this moment, everyone charged toward the water.

Guan Luoyang's soaring blue shadow, Chen Shouzheng's light ripples on the water, Gu Lanxiang's violent splashing of water, and even the momentum of Nangong Lei and others following closely behind.

This seemed to finally alert and awaken Meng Wanghou, who was single-mindedly focused on killing Han Wengong.

With his back to those people, only Han Wengong could clearly notice the slight change in his eyes.

Unexpectedly, he suddenly stopped but did not run away. Instead, he asked a question.

"You predicted I would be angered by you?"

"Most of the direct descendants of the Demonic Sect have some flaws that they absolutely refuse to ignore. However, they don't pay any attention to these flaws, nor can they be used to their advantage by ordinary people."

Han Wengong was happy to stall for time by saying a few more words, saying, "Fortunately, I happen to be the kind of person who has some weight in your eyes."

Back then, the direct descendants of the Demonic Sect were all selected from the mountains of the Six Zhao regions from a young age. They received instruction from masters in those dangerous and remote places, were taciturn and isolated, and were trained in strict, even abusive, martial arts until they were allowed to leave the mountains after reaching adulthood.

Their teachers would impart martial arts and miscellaneous skills, teaching them by example to subdue and intimidate others, but they would not pay attention to their character. Therefore, once these people went out into the outside world, they easily became unrestrained, trampled on etiquette and law, and fell into evil.

Those who are trained in this way are not only highly talented, but also have extraordinary perseverance and endurance. Once they are in danger, they have many ingenious ideas that are hard for righteous people to predict.

They are certainly outstanding, but among fellow members of the Demonic Cult, this "outstanding" is too similar. No matter how unconventional they may appear to the outside world, they will ultimately be categorized by the public into the entire group of "Demonic Cult" and broadly labeled as disciples of the Demonic Cult.

Han Yu studied this subject for a long time and discovered that these people were actually pursuing their own sense of independent existence in an almost pathological way. In order to highlight their uniqueness, they would even risk creating some quirks for themselves.

Meng Wanghou was an elder of the Demonic Sect and later the Fire Luo Envoy. Neither of these were identities that could be openly and legitimately held within the Tang Dynasty. Yet, he preferred the lavish pomp and circumstance of a king or nobleman, and this was precisely the reason behind it.

Han Yu's attempt to provoke Meng Wanghou by deliberately mistaking someone else was indeed clumsy. If anyone else had done something similar, they would not have been able to elicit any strong reaction from Meng Wanghou.

But this old man was, after all, the commander-in-chief who conquered the southwest back then, and he just happened to be an "old friend" whose martial arts skills were not so high as to be terrifying, but not too low either.

Meng Wanghou understood, and his aura became even more subdued. The light in his eyes, the strands of hair at his temples, and the hem of his long robe all seemed to freeze.

Beneath his feet transformed into polished, mirror-like floor tiles, cold and smooth, reflecting the starry dome of the main hall, inlaid with countless pearls.

At the end of the main hall are layers of stone steps carved with the patterns of dragons and their nine sons, leading straight to the top, where a throne resembling a rock bed stands.

Behind the throne, there seemed to be many stalagmites clustered together, or perhaps a seven-headed venomous dragon, its necks twisted and stiff, looking down over the hall.

There was someone on the throne, a deep, enigmatic figure stroking a sword, whose features were obscured by the viewer.

"Xiuyang, you are very lucky and talented, but you haven't made any progress in a long time."

"My subordinates are indulging in too much pleasure."

Meng Wanghou heard his own voice, tinged with a hint of unexpected fear.

He imagined himself hunched over, back bent, too afraid to look up.

"No, there's nothing wrong with enjoying yourself, but your happiness is too monotonous, and it's deliberately contrived to maintain your image. This kind of joy isn't pure enough!"

"Joy should be a purely natural thing. Go do something else, find out what is truly joyful besides torturing beautiful women, wasting fine wines and delicacies, and squandering gold, silver and horses."

Ding! !

The figure stroking the sword lightly flicked its scabbard and sang, "Flying light, flying light, I offer you a cup of wine. I know not the height of the blue sky, nor the thickness of the yellow earth, I only see the cold moon and the warm sun, which come to scorch human life."

"Eating bear makes one fat, eating frogs makes one thin. Where is the divine lord? Where is Taiyi...?"

Ding! ! !

The song has faded into the distance, and all things are shattered.

The rays of the setting sun pierced through the shattered dome, causing all the fragments of the ground, walls, and pearls to vanish at an accelerated pace.

The water was still beneath Meng Wanghou's feet, and Han Wengong was still before him. Han Wengong's reply still lingered in his ears.

"Wandering immortals on earth, startled dragons... Poems..."

He mumbled incoherently, the words indistinct, before taking a deep breath.

This breath flowed out from the eight extraordinary meridians, the dantian, the Ren and Du meridians, and the gaps between hundreds of bones and blood vessels throughout the body, causing the muscles and bones of the whole body to relax.

Meng Wanghou blew this breath forward.

Han Yu was on high alert, never the slightest bit careless. He raised his hand to write a stroke, gathering all his strength, but suddenly the wind around him intensified, and everything in front of him rushed away.

boom!!!!

A figure glided across the water, and a huge curtain of water rose with a roar, stretching from the center of the river to the shore.

Snapped--

The soles of my shoes touched the damp bank.

Han Wengong staggered, taking one step back, then another, swaying back and forth. He didn't know how many steps he had taken before he was able to steady himself. He clutched his chest and spat out blood.

In the middle of the river, exhausted, King Meng fell into the water, the surface reaching his chest, and a wave surged up and slapped his face.

He opened his eyes, letting the river water wash into them, and then, with his body upright, slowly rose from the water.

He raised his hand and blocked Guan Luoyang with a palm strike.

(End of this chapter)