Republic of China: From Street Performer to War God in a Chaotic Era

"Bang!"

A sea of ​​fire instantly spread across the main courtyard of the Hu family in Qinglong Village.

In an instant, the entire Hu family was thrown into chaos. People were filled with fear, and chickens and dogs scattered in panic.

"Tear him apart, devour his lifeblood."

Dozens of servants and maids, possessed by a fox demon, with bloodshot eyes and wildly growing nails, lunged at the stage to kill.

Faced with such a chaotic display of demons, an ordinary martial artist who had just entered the Ming Jin realm would be terrified, his limbs would go weak, and his liver and gallbladder would shatter, simply from the overwhelming, foul, and demonic aura.

But Lu Guan stood motionless amidst the firelight, not even raising an eyebrow.

"A bunch of beasts in human skin, do they even deserve to call themselves immortals?"

He snorted coldly and planted his feet firmly on the bluestone slab. His Great Completion Ming Jin Qi and blood surged forth.

"boom!"

A wave of pure yang energy swept outwards from him.

The four or five servants at the forefront screamed as soon as they came into contact with this energy, as if they had been doused with boiling oil.

"die!"

Lu Guan charged straight into the crowd, unleashing a simple yet powerful punch.

"Snapped!"

The burly servant at the very front had his chest caved in by the punch.

A terrifying burst of energy shot straight through his sternum and down his back. With a "whoosh," his clothes ripped open, and a gush of black blood mixed with fragments of internal organs gushed out.

The burly man didn't even have time to scream before he was sent flying backward, knocking over three or four of his companions behind him.

"Snap, snap!"

Lu Guan moved like a ghost, weaving through the crowd.

With a single chopping palm strike, he shattered a maid's shoulder blade and cervical spine.

With a shove of the shoulder and a drop of the elbow, he sent the butler, who was attacking from the side, flying several feet away, his internal organs smashed into a bloody pulp.

With his powerful Qi and blood, combined with his "dragon tendons and tiger bones" bone structure, he was tireless and went on a killing spree!

Wherever they went, none could withstand their attacks.

Limbs and severed arms flew about in the firelight.

"roar--"

Suddenly, a tiger's roar echoed through the courtyard.

Lu Guan's fist was imbued with the fierce intent of a tiger.

Those demons who usually act arrogantly and domineeringly felt an instinctive tremor from the depths of their souls when they encountered the supreme yang energy of the king of beasts.

"Guards, kill him!"

Hu Sanyuan, who had retreated to the steps of the central hall, was furious as he watched his cannon fodder fall like wheat being harvested.

"Swish, swish, swish."

At his command, four dark figures swooped down from under the eaves of the Hu family's inner hall.

This is the true foundation of the Hu family.

Four top-tier guards who have also reached the Great Perfection of Ming Jin!

They weren't wearing the ordinary blue robes of servants, but rather specially made soft leather armor.

The four figures moved in unison, forming a four-corner encirclement, each wielding a hundred-refined steel blade that gleamed coldly.

"Boy, daring to cause trouble in Qinglong Manor, do you really think you're some kind of heavenly warrior descended to earth?"

The lead guard grinned maliciously, his inner strength surging forth as he thrust his steel knife straight at Lu Guan's head.

The other three cooperated extremely well, blocking Lu Guan's lower body and his left and right escape routes respectively.

The combined attack of four masters at the peak of the Ming Jin realm was such a formidable force that even the most talented martial arts prodigies trapped within would perish on the spot if they were not careful.

"Good timing."

Lu Guan stomped his foot hard, and the bluestone slab instantly cracked into countless pieces.

Using the violent force of the earthquake, he advanced instead of retreating.

The four men wielded their cold, sharp blades, slashing down!

But Lu Guan didn't bother to confront the blade head-on.

Using the unpredictable nature of the "Thirteen Shadow Movements," his movements were even three times faster than the slashing poisoned blade.

The leading guard only saw a blur before his eyes, and before the blade could fall, Lu Guan had already forcefully squeezed into his inner gate.

Bajiquan is inherently a close-quarters combat style, a true master of close-quarters fighting.

Bajiquan's single-style killing move... Fierce Tiger Climbs the Mountain!

"roar."

The fighting spirit was boiling.

Lu Guan's right fist slammed into the soft leather armor on the chest of the leading guard, from bottom to top.

"Bang!"

The specially made soft armor instantly shattered into pieces.

The guard's sternum caved inward into a deep pit, his internal organs were shattered, and he flew backward several meters, smashing through the mahogany door of the main hall. He was dead beyond any doubt.

Sold out instantly!

Another instant sell-out!

The sinister smiles on the faces of the other three Ming Jin guards, who were preparing to surround him, instantly froze.

With one punch, he turned a master of the same level of Ming Jin (a martial arts technique) into a pulp.

What the hell kind of monster is this?!

"It's your turn."

Lu Guan said coldly.

Using the momentum of his forward charge, his elbow struck like a heavy hammer, delivering a powerful backhand "sinking elbow" that slammed into the top of the left guard's head.

The man's skull shattered, and red and white substances splattered all over the ground.

Immediately afterwards, Lu Guan twisted his body and delivered a sweeping kick, breaking both legs of the guard on the right.

In the short span of three breaths, three of the four Ming Jin masters who had reached the Great Perfection stage were dead and one was crippled!

The remaining fox demon puppets in the courtyard were terrified at the sight. Even the fox spirits that drove them wavered in the face of the slaughter and began to retreat unconsciously.

……

Outside the village, wind and snow were raging.

On the official road of Qinglong Village, stood a one-eyed old man wearing a tattered sheepskin coat.

The old man, leaning on a cane adorned with bells made of human bones, watched the flames shooting into the sky above the Hu family mansion and muttered to himself.

"How could it have been exposed? How could it have been exposed?"

"Just a little bit more... the fairy's magic array only needs a few more hours of incense offerings to completely take root in Jinmenwei."

"Boom!"

Just as the old man was heartbroken, the roar of a motor suddenly came from the end of the official road.

Two blinding beams of truck headlights tore through the curtain of wind and snow.

Immediately afterwards, one military truck after another, bearing the insignia of the Governor's Mansion, rolled over the snow and stopped outside Qinglong Village.

"Disembark and form ranks."

"Surround Qinglong Village like an iron barrel, and don't let a single fly out."

Feng Changshan, wearing a yellow woolen military overcoat, jumped off the lead vehicle.

Hundreds of fully armed soldiers, carrying Hanyang rifles, poured off the vehicle.

Two Maxim heavy machine guns were also carried down, their muzzles pointed directly at the gate of the village.

In addition, dozens of martial arts school disciples, including Zhao Linchuan and Su Ruoxue, who were forcibly conscripted overnight, followed closely behind.

The orders they received were extremely brief.

A Fox Gate stronghold outside the city has been discovered on the outskirts. Kill them on sight, dead or alive!

"The Governor's Mansion, the Military Equipment Department?!"

The one-eyed old man looked at the dark, imposing army, and his heart sank to the bottom. But then he bit his tongue, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the bone cane in his hand.

"If you want to destroy my Hu Clan branch, you'll have to get past this old man first."

The old man suddenly sprang up, and the bone bell on his cane emitted a strange ringing sound.

A plume of black smoke billowed from his body, transforming into countless vengeful fox spirits that rushed straight towards the governor's camp.

"Hmph, those pretentious charlatans from beyond the Great Wall dare to act so recklessly within the Great Wall."

Feng Changshan snorted coldly and waved his hand.

"Everyone, charge in! Kill every single one of them who's breathing inside!"

"That old devil, I'll crush him myself."

Having said that, Feng Changshan channeled his inner energy. His iron palms, facing the countless vengeful spirits, charged alone towards the old man.

"kill!"

With the order from their superior, the soldiers and martial arts students, their eyes red with rage, grabbed their guns and knives, kicked open the gates of Qinglong Manor, and rushed in like wolves and tigers.

The main courtyard of the Hu family was now awash in blood.

Hearing the sudden shouts of battle outside the manor, Lu Guan frowned slightly.

"Feng Changshan is fast enough; the main force of the Governor's Mansion has finally arrived."

He snapped the neck of a servant who was trying to sneak up on him, and looked up towards the main hall.

Just then, seven or eight figures dressed in gray cotton-padded coats suddenly emerged from the moon gate in the backyard of the Hu family.

These people were different from the servants who carried knives; they were all carrying homemade guns!

"Open fire! Kill that kid in the short-sleeved shirt!"

A fox cultivator who looked like a manager screamed shrilly.

Lu Guan's pupils contracted sharply, and alarm bells rang in his mind.

He is a martial artist, a top genius of the Great Completion of Ming Jin. He can shatter the bones of a Ming Jin master with a single punch and intimidate demons with the intent of his fist.

But... he was still made of flesh and blood!

At this critical juncture, firearms are the true grim reapers on the battlefield.

Even a master of internal strength would die if attacked simultaneously by a dozen or so homemade spears at close range!

"On the main battlefield, I'm no longer needed as bait."

Lu Guan's mind worked extremely fast.

The warlord's regular troops and Maxim machine guns were about to raze the front yard; there was no need for him to stay here and get shot.

Moreover, he ventured into this demon's lair alone, not just to play the hero.

This Fox Clan has been plundering the people's wealth for so many years, who knows how many rare treasures and spiritual skins they have hidden away.

If you don't take advantage of the chaos now to fish and reap the benefits, when will you?

"Bang, bang, bang!"

The homemade guns opened fire, and large swaths of iron pellets swept towards the ruins of the stage.

However, the moment the gunshot rang out, Lu Guan's body twisted slightly.

The Thirteen Styles of Shadow Walking, the third style... Shadow Passes Without a Trace!

Using the towering flames as a guide, Lu Guan pushed this superb movement technique, which originated from shadow puppetry, to its limit.

The iron shot from the homemade gun pierced through the afterimage he left behind, riddling the brick wall behind him with holes, but failed to touch even a single hem of his clothing.

Where are they?!

The foreman who fired the shot stared wide-eyed, as if he had seen a ghost.

In mid-air, Lu Guan's fingers had already reached into his robes and pressed down on the strange image of the [Fox Spirit].

"Borrowing a face to possess another!"

Minor supernatural power... Leaving no trace in the snow!

Lu Guan twisted in mid-air, lightly touched a wooden pillar with his toes, and then jumped over the high courtyard wall, disappearing directly into the backyard of the Hu family.

"Bang bang bang—"

Gunshots rang out from the front yard, mingling with the shouts of the warlord's men.

But this is no longer relevant to Lu Guan.

……

The Hu family's backyard was particularly gloomy.

Everywhere you look there are artificial hills and withered, century-old trees.

Guided by his "spiritual senses," Lu Guan swiftly traversed the night.

The treasure of this Hu Clan branch would never be placed in an obvious place; it would surely be hidden in the sacrificial site where the yin energy is heaviest.

Soon, his gaze settled on a hidden iron gate at the base of the artificial hill in the back garden.

"The smell of incense and blood is so strong..."

Lu Guan approached the iron gate, channeled his inner strength, and gripped the edge of the gate with both hands.

"Crunch...click".

The iron gate, weighing several hundred kilograms, was ripped from its hinges by his brute force and thrown aside.

A strong smell of fox odor wafted over.

Lu Guan followed the stone steps into the cellar.

The cellar was surprisingly large, with dim, yellowish butter candles burning on the walls.

Deep inside, a tall altar was erected.

On the altar, a half-person-high wooden sculpture of a fox spirit is enshrined.

The fox spirit's eyes were inlaid with the finest rubies, its gaze intense, as if it were staring at every intruder.

However, Lu Guan's gaze did not linger on the fox spirit statue.

His gaze lingered on the offering table covered with yellow satin in front of the fox spirit statue.

In the center of the offering table, there was a thick book bound with withered human skin.

The booklet exuded a sinister aura, clearly a rare and secret manual containing information on dark and evil arts.

And beneath that booklet, pressed down...

It was half a dried hide that smelled of a weasel!

"Open the Heavenly Gate... Cross Seal"

Lu Guan's breathing quickened slightly.

This was the very spirit skin that the unfortunate "yellow rat" stole from a certain temple, sold at the ghost market, and ultimately brought about his death.

Putting aside the book of human skin belonging to the evil cultivators of the Fox Clan, this half of a great demon's skin, stained with a hundred years of incense offerings, could definitely be used to create a strange form no less than that of a Fox Demon if it were included in the [Creation Stage]!

This treacherous journey was worthwhile!

Lu Guan strode forward and reached out to grab the booklet and the tattered yellow leather on the offering table.

"Slap, slap, slap."

Suddenly, applause rang out in the cellar.

Immediately afterwards, a male voice, filled with gritted teeth, came from behind Lu Guan.

"Young Master Lu, what a shrewd plan, what cunning methods you've employed..."

"This drama of using someone else to do the dirty work and snatching chestnuts from the fire is so well-done that I can't help but want to give you a standing ovation."

Without turning his head, Lu Guan rolled up the human skin book and the dried skin together into his sleeve and put it in his bosom.

Only after he had done all this did he turn around.

The cellar entrance through the broken iron gate.

Before anyone knew it, a tall, slender figure had appeared.

The man wore a moon-white silk robe that stood out conspicuously in the darkness, and his face was so handsome it was almost otherworldly.

A dot of cinnabar was placed between his eyebrows.

In fact, the manager of Juyinglou had once described to him the person who had used underhanded tactics, and Lu Guan suddenly realized what was going on.

"So this is the real person."

The young man looked at Lu Guan and sighed slightly.

"Our Fox Clan spent over half a year setting up a scheme in Tianjin, expending countless efforts to cultivate this hidden incense offering place..."

"To think that a lowly peasant like you could attract the warlord's vicious dogs and ruin everything!"

The young man suddenly spread his arms wide, and an aura far exceeding that of an ordinary martial arts master instantly filled the entire cellar.

Blood began to seep from the cinnabar mark between his eyebrows.

"Tonight, I will capture you alive, tear you apart, and burn your soul and spirit in the sky for a hundred years to quell the hatred in my heart."

Upon hearing this, Lu Guan's expression remained completely unchanged.

"You talk too much nonsense."

"You want my life? Let's see if you, you beast in human skin, have any teeth left!"

He stomped his right foot down hard, and the bluestone bricks instantly turned into dust, rushing towards the blue stone.