Courtyard House: A System Connecting Two Worlds, Resources for the Nation

With a slight shift of his body, Kumārajīva dodged Master Kurō's attack, which the latter did not pursue. However, everyone frowned and stared intently at Kumārajīva.

However, Kumārajīva did not look at Master Kurō, but instead turned his gaze to Zhou Feng.

"May I ask who this young hero is from? He's probably not a disciple of the Dali Duan family, is he?"

With his experience and insight, Kumārajīva could naturally see that the palm strike Zhou Feng had just delivered to him was completely devoid of any skill and was simply driven by his own powerful internal energy.

This is quite strange. Young people like Zhou Feng, who only have internal energy but no martial arts skills and whose way of exerting force is extremely crude, are very rare in the martial arts world.

After all, to cultivate such profound internal strength at such a young age, one must have practiced top-level internal skills and must have a top-level sect behind them; both are indispensable.

But if he had such a powerful backer, how could he be completely ignorant of martial arts and rely solely on his bare hands to fight?

Zhou Feng curled his lip at Kumārajīva: "Trying to find out my background? You're dreaming. Let me put it this way, even if I told you, you would never have heard of it, much less have ever been there."

Zhou Feng was not lying to Kumārajīva.

Otherwise, if you just tell him that you live on Fuxing Road in Beiping City, China, he might actually be able to find you.

Kumārajīva nodded without saying anything more.

Since Zhou Feng was unwilling to reveal his origins, there was no need for him to dwell on it. He simply sighed and said, "Since you are not a member of the Dali Duan family, why do you concern yourself with the affairs between this humble monk and the Dali Duan family?"

"Like you, I've been entrusted with a task and must be loyal to it! King Duan asked me to help, and since I agreed, I will naturally help him to the end!"

Duan Zhengming nodded in agreement, adding, "Young Master Zhou has always had a chivalrous heart. Ye Erniang, Yue Laosan, and Yun Zhonghe, three of the Four Evils, have all died at Young Master Zhou's hands. If the Ming King wants to forcibly abduct me today, Young Master Zhou will naturally not stand idly by."

His words were also meant to build momentum for Zhou Feng, since it would be too difficult for Zhou Feng, at his age, to intimidate Kumārajīva.

However, listing Zhou Feng's achievements would make Kumārajīva more or less hesitant to act rashly.

Upon hearing their words, Kumārajīva's expression indeed became more serious.

He had never fought against the Four Evils, but the fact that they had been able to remain in the martial arts world for decades without ever showing their faces under that name speaks volumes about their martial arts prowess!

Zhou Feng was able to kill three of them single-handedly, so perhaps he has some secret martial arts techniques that he hasn't used yet!

He is currently at Tianlong Temple. If something goes wrong, it will be difficult for him to leave.

Just as everyone was still locked in a stalemate, Kumārajīva suddenly struck again, grabbing Duan Zhengming's right wrist.

The four monks, Benyin, Benxiang, Benguan, and Bencan, took a step forward at the same time, their robes fluttering and creating a gust of wind, but they did not dare to make a move rashly.

Duan Zhengming's forehead was also beaded with sweat. The moment he was grabbed, he used his internal energy to frantically attack the acupoints, but after seven attempts, it did nothing but worsen the pain in his wrists.

Zhou Feng sighed, somewhat speechless.

Is this guy trying to stir up trouble?

Someone just attacked you, but he saw it clearly and saved you. Shouldn't you be more careful?

They actually managed to get him to make a second move and arrest him again!

What were they thinking?

"What is the meaning of Your Majesty's actions? Does he intend to commit robbery at my Tianlong Temple?"

Abbot Benyin spoke in a deep voice, his body tense, his internal energy mobilized, ready to strike at any moment.

Kumārajīva's expression remained unchanged, and a slight smile even appeared at the corner of his mouth.

He reached out and grabbed Duan Zhengming, pulling him back a step. The internal force of the Flaming Blade emanated from his other hand, subtly covering the vital points on Duan Zhengming's back.

"What is the purpose of your detention of my Tianlong Temple monks?"

A flicker of anger flashed in Master Kurong's eyes as he stared at Kumārajīva, who burst into laughter: "This is no ordinary monk from Tianlong Temple, is he? I once accompanied the King on a visit to the Dali Kingdom. Isn't this the Emperor Baoding of Dali?"

"Whether he is an emperor or a monk is not important. He used to be an emperor, but now he has entered Tianlong Temple as a monk, with the Dharma name Benchen. Even if he were to go on a journey with the Great Wheel King, it wouldn't matter."

Hearing Master Kurong's feignedly relaxed tone, Kumārajīva's smile deepened: "Since this person has already become a monk at Tianlong Temple, then let him accompany this humble monk on a journey to Tibet. Being able to pay homage to the Tibetan king would also strengthen the diplomatic relations between our two countries. You masters are all compassionate; surely you wouldn't allow Emperor Baoding to suffer at my hands for the sake of a mere martial arts manual?"

At this moment, the monk Bencan's fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He tried to move forward, but Benguan reached out and pressed down on his shoulder.

At this distance, with their martial arts skills, rescuing Duan Zhengming from Kumārajīva's grasp would be an impossible task.

The atmosphere in the Muni Hall froze instantly, with both sides locked in a stalemate, but Zhou Feng sneered from the side.

He knew the solution to this problem perfectly well, even though others might not have known it.

Duan Yu had already used it in the original work, so he could just copy it now. After all, his understanding and application of the Beiming Divine Art far surpassed that of Duan Yu at this point in the original work!

"Hey, Ash, you're going a bit too far!"

Zhou Feng spoke casually, which surprised Kumārajīva.

He had never heard of the name Xiao Zhi before. After all, people in official circles would care about his status as the Tibetan National Preceptor, while people in the martial arts world would fear his martial prowess and would not dare to be so presumptuous with him.

But Zhou Feng took advantage of the moment when Duan Zhengming was stunned, and used his Lingbo Weibu footwork to arrive at Duan Zhengming's side in an instant.

His right hand was placed directly on Duan Zhengming's shoulder. A warm suction force seeped into Duan Zhengming's meridians from the Jianjing acupoint. Along his meridians, it instantly touched the internal force of the Flaming Blade that Kumārajīva had poured into his right wrist.

Unlike Duan Yu's unpredictable Beiming Divine Skill, Zhou Feng's intentional manipulation allowed the Absorption Technique of the Beiming Divine Skill to operate at full power through Duan Zhengming's meridians.

Kumārajīva, who had been holding Duan Zhengming's wrist, suddenly changed his expression. He could clearly feel that his internal energy was being tightly bound and he had no chance to break free!

"What...what is your relationship with the Starry Sky Immortal?"

Kumārajīva's voice trembled slightly. He had intended to pull his hand away from Duan Zhengming's wrist, but the suction force extended along Duan Zhengming's meridians, making it impossible for him to break free.

"You're the one who has anything to do with Ding Chunqiu! Your whole family has something to do with Ding Chunqiu!"

Upon hearing Kumārajīva's words, Zhou Feng immediately began to curse.

The Xiaoyao Sect is so arrogant, with the Empress Dowager of Western Xia and the Lingjiu Palace of Tianshan. Even Wuyazi has many disciples and grand-disciples. Why don't they know how to make their martial arts famous in the martial arts world?

It's clearly the purest Taoist mental cultivation method, the Beiming Divine Skill, yet every person he meets mistakes him for a disciple of the Xingxiu Sect. It's not even that embarrassing!

"Xiao Zhi! If I were you, I'd back down right now, or you can imagine how serious the consequences would be."

Zhou Feng tilted his head and raised an eyebrow at Kumārajīva, but the latter showed no intention of replying.

At this moment, Kumārajīva devoted all his energy to controlling his internal energy.

The Flaming Blade internal energy within him was the foundation he had cultivated for so many years. Although it was being absorbed by Zhou Feng, he could still slow down the rate if he concentrated on resisting.

A few seconds later, it wasn't Kumārajīva who couldn't take it anymore, but Duan Zhengming, who was standing between the two.

The two internal forces pulled at his meridians, causing him excruciating pain. If this action hadn't entangled Kumārajīva, allowing him to use his internal forces to protect his meridians, he would probably be in even more pain now.

Seeing that the struggle between the two was causing more and more noise in his body, Duan Zhengming quickly manipulated his restored internal energy to directly confront the direction of their attacks.

As the two forces clashed, Duan Zhengming was blasted away from the middle, thus escaping Kumārajīva's control by sheer coincidence.

As soon as the suction force of the Northern Darkness Divine Art disappeared, Kumārajīva hurriedly retreated several meters, his face showing a hint of surprise: "I never expected that this Young Master Zhou, who talks about upholding justice, would secretly befriend that Old Immortal Xingxiu and study the Dissolving Power Technique! Truly, you can know a person's face but not their heart!"

"Xiao Zhi, you wouldn't believe me if I said you were ignorant. Who is that Ding Chunqiu? I've learned orthodox Taoist martial arts, the Beiming Divine Skill of the Xiaoyao Sect! How could that Ding Chunqiu possibly mess with that divine skill?"

"The Carefree Sect... the Northern Darkness Divine Art..."

Kumārajīva muttered to himself twice, then nodded vigorously.

He was a martial arts fanatic, so he was naturally overjoyed to learn of such a hidden sect and such a divine skill manual.

As for whether Zhou Feng would lie to him, Kumārajīva had his own way of judging people. Although Zhou Feng was definitely hiding something, he did not lie to him.

"Your Majesty, you are mistaken! In our view, that old monster from the Star Constellation Sect used poison and ambushes, resorting to any means necessary, utterly despicable and shameless. Young Master Zhou, on the other hand, is a gentleman of exceptional character; how can he be compared to him?"

Zhou Feng had just acted on his behalf, so Duan Zhengming naturally had to stand up and speak up for Zhou Feng.

Moreover, Duan Zhengming's words about a sneak attack might also be a rebuke of Kumārajīva's despicable act of attacking him.

"Since you all say so, then this humble monk will take his leave!"

With his gaze sweeping over Zhou Feng and Duan Zhengming, Kumārajīva suddenly extended his hand from under his sleeve, unleashing several flaming blade attacks at the same time.

"Insolence!" "Rudeness!"

The people in the Muni Hall shouted and attacked at the same time, preparing to deal with Kumārajīva's flaming blade. However, the latter laughed and used his lightness skill to escape from here.

After all, he has lost some of his internal energy, and even if he stays here to fight desperately, he will lose more often than he wins.

However, those who took the attack did not notice that Kumārajīva's other hand, hidden beneath his sleeve, was constantly twitching.

The next second, Bencan, Benxiang, and the others swayed and coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Zhou Feng was somewhat envious of such martial arts skills. If they could be combined with sustained power, it wouldn't be difficult for one person to form an army!

Just as Kumārajīva was about to leave, the latter suddenly turned in mid-air and headed straight for Zhou Feng.

He didn't intend to harm Zhou Feng, but was very curious about how the other party could accumulate such internal strength at such a young age, and must have practiced some extremely magical techniques.

Since he couldn't get the Six Meridians Divine Sword, Xiao Zhi didn't want to leave empty-handed. He decided to bring Zhou Feng along, hoping to find out what kind of divine skill Zhou Feng practiced.

Just as Kumārajīva was about to touch Zhou Feng, a sudden warning signal arose in his mind, and he almost instinctively took a step back.

Bang!

Where he was standing, a trajectory suddenly appeared out of thin air, and then a crater was blasted into the ground, with bricks and stones flying everywhere.

A muffled thud suddenly came from outside the walled courtyard; it was Qin Ming, who had already found a sniping position.

Kumārajīva's kung fu skills are undoubtedly top-notch, and his reputation in the Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils is second to none. How could outsiders feel at ease knowing that Zhou Feng was fighting this guy?

Sure enough, after Qin Ming set up his sniper rifle, he found that Kumārajīva was about to attack Zhou Feng. Under such circumstances, how could he not fire?

"What kind of hidden weapon is this?"

Kumārajīva glanced at the pit on the ground with some lingering panic.

He had seen powerful hidden weapons, and he had also seen hidden weapons that appeared and disappeared unpredictably, but this was the first time he had ever seen a hidden weapon that was so fast that even his eyes couldn't keep up with it!

"It's not convenient to tell the King of Light what kind of hidden weapon it is, but the King of Light has seen its power. Would you like to try it again?"

Zhou Feng raised his chin and smiled at Kumārajīva.

Within seven steps, a person is fast; beyond seven steps, a gun is fast.

Although seven steps is still a bit short, given the current distance between Qin Ming and Kumārajīva, he can maximize the power of the sniper rifle!

Even because the bullets travel at speeds exceeding the speed of sound, Qin Ming's ability to conceal his gunfire is also ensured.

"Although Young Master Zhou's hidden weapons are exceptionally powerful, this humble monk still wishes to experience them firsthand!"

As he spoke, Kumārajīva's gaze turned to Qin Ming outside Tianlong Temple, and he used his lightness skill to fly over there.

Zhou Feng quickly followed after him using the Lingbo Weibu technique.

Qin Ming aimed his sniper rifle without the slightest panic, and Xiao Zhi's figure remained perfectly centered in the scope.

Just as Kumārajīva was about to reach his position, perhaps out of caution, he did not rush forward directly, but instead unleashed three flaming blades of energy towards Qin Ming.

"Bang bang bang!"

Seeing his opponent unleash three sword energies with his internal force, Qin Ming also used his rapid-fire technique to fire three shots in quick succession, each shot hitting the sword energy of the Flaming Blade.

The three blades of energy shattered simultaneously in mid-air due to the airflow generated by the spinning bullet, and one of the bullets even passed through the blade energy and headed straight for Kumārajīva's chest.

The latter hurriedly dodged, but it was too late. He could only turn slightly to the side as the bullet grazed his shoulder, taking away a piece of flesh.

The gushing blood immediately stained half of Kumārajīva's monk's robe.

"Young Master Zhou's weapon is indeed exquisite; I admire it. I will remember what happened today!"

Despite the excruciating pain, Kumārajīva clasped his hands together, greeted Zhou Feng, and then immediately used his lightness skill to leave into the distance.

But what he didn't know was that firing those three shots was Qin Ming's limit.

Although the QBU-201 reduced the size by about 70% compared to the traditional structure, after those three shots, his shoulder socket was probably contused with soft tissue!