Elderly Martial Saint: Sixty Times the Cultivation Speed ​​at the Start

I've been back from the deserted village for two days.

In the courtyard, Yi Yang stood by the well, his feet on the blue bricks, his knees slightly bent, his back straight, and his arms slowly extended.

The Wood element in the Birth Stage.

Qi and blood originate from the dantian, pass through the waist and spine, run through the shoulder blades, and flow into the limbs. The skeleton of the Bone Forging Realm supports this qi, much like a river channel drawing water; wherever it goes, warmth follows.

After completing one round of practice, the panel in front of Yi Yang displayed: [Yi Wood Health Preservation Technique, Level 4: (6420/30000)]

As Yi Yang's long breath subsided, her mind was still racing.

The day after he returned, he ran into Zhang Li and Zhu Yuanshan at the Sky Patrol Office.

Zhang Li's face was more pained than usual, clearly indicating that he was not at peace. Zhu Yuanshan, on the other hand, remained relatively calm, though his voice was terribly hoarse when he spoke, probably because he hadn't slept well the night before.

When the three of them met eyes, they all let out a long sigh of relief.

It seems that all three are alive.

Seeing the three of them gather, Zhang Li patted his chest and cursed, "I've been guarding the west side of the village all night, and I haven't seen a single one of those evil cultists. I haven't even gotten a single point of credit. When I saw the big commotion coming from the direction of the Thundercloud Martial Arts School disciples' attack, I thought you were all dead."

Zhu Yuanshan chimed in, "I was in the east of the village too. Later, I heard an explosion coming from the ancestral hall, and I was so scared that I almost threw away my knife and ran away."

Yi Yang simply said "lucky to be alive," and the three of them tacitly agreed not to discuss it further. They clearly knew that everyone had fled after the ancestral hall collapsed, but it was a sensitive matter to discuss, so they didn't say anything more. Everything was left unsaid.

But there was some news that Zhang Li couldn't keep to himself, and he said to the two of them in a sly tone, "Did you know? Song Wu from Lei Yun Martial Arts School is dead."

Zhang Li lowered his voice, his face still showing shock, and said, "I heard that the martial arts school disciples rode back to Yunlin County overnight, but some of the patrol officers saw that only four of them left; one is missing."

Yi Yang feigned surprise and asked, "Song Wu? The one with the third level of Qi and Blood?"

"That's for sure." Zhu Yuanshan rubbed his hands together, his fingers trembling involuntarily. "Three levels of Qi and Blood, gone in an instant. What kind of monster is hiding in that ancestral hall?"

Yi Yang shook his head and sighed.

His acting was superb, yet he remained completely unmoved.

He didn't tell the two the truth about what happened in the ancestral hall. The deacon was at the fourth level of Qi and Blood perfection, and after swallowing the Blood Essence Pill, he became even more powerful. The entire desolate village was a meticulously designed killing trap.

Someone leaked the information.

The intelligence said that the area had a maximum of level three Qi and Blood, but in reality, there was a level four monster crouching there.

Those members of the Nine Heretical Cults are also bait.

Wang Gongqin waited from beginning to end, waiting for the people from Lei Yun Martial Arts School to rush in, waiting for them to kill all the henchmen, waiting for the best time when the blood energy dissipated, before starting to refine the pills.

As for who tipped him off, and who passed the news that Lei Yun Martial Arts School was going to the deserted village to the Nine Evil Sect, that remains unknown.

Yi Yang didn't say anything, and Zhang Li and Zhu Yuanshan couldn't guess this either. They had never been inside the ancestral hall, couldn't see the blood array in the backyard, and couldn't smell the evil aura.

The fewer people who know about it, the longer they live.

In the past two days, the Sky Patrol Division only allowed the three of them to rest, without questioning or interrogating them.

It's too quiet.

The silence was unnatural, but it was likely the calm before the storm.

After completing the final round of stance training, Yi Yang relaxed his posture, letting his arms hang down, his energy and blood slowly returning to normal. The thin layer of sweat on his forehead was dried by the wind, leaving a cool sensation.

Just then, there were three knocks on the gate.

Take your time, at a steady pace, with even intervals.

It's not Jiang Yuexin; that girl hasn't left the house yet today.

It wasn't Yang Hui either; she was still selling steamed buns at the east end of town, and Yi Yang had paid for the stall to set it up for her. Yang Hui absolutely refused to eat and stay for free, but Yi Yang didn't stop her. He gave her the capital to keep her busy, so she wouldn't get bored at home.

There was more than one person outside the door.

Yi Yang released his hearing and took three sets of breaths.

A heavy, brute-force foot, exuding an uncontrollable ferocity, stomps on the ground heel first, making a loud noise with each step.

A fine, even breath, the sound of the scabbard touching the belt was very soft.

Group 3...

Yi Yang's pupils constricted slightly.

The third set of breaths was long and deep, with a strong resonance in the chest cavity. Each breath carried a subtle vibration, much like the distant sound of bells.

This is not the aura that someone in the Qi and Blood Realm should have.

At least six levels of Qi and Blood.

Yi Yang rotated his wrist, pressing his Bone Forging Realm Qi and Blood deeper into the bone crevices, leaving only a thin layer of Qi and Blood on the surface, which should be present at the second level.

"Yuexin." He turned and called into the house, his voice deliberately sounding old and hoarse. "Go back to your room and stay there. Don't come out."

Jiang Yuexin peeked half her head out of the room. Seeing that Yi Yang looked normal, she moved her lips but didn't ask any more questions. She turned around and went into the inner room, closing the door behind her.

Yi Yang shook the creases off his old blue shirt and dragged his feet to open the door.

The door opened.

Tang Hao stood at the front, his black clothes bulging, a half-smile on his face that made people feel uneasy, his eyes filled with probing and coldness.

Behind him stood a young guard in his late twenties, with a narrow face and thin lips. He wore a bronze badge from the Martial Law Hall at his waist and had calluses on the back of his hands. Judging from his attire, Yi Yang believed he was Fang Yu, a guard from the Martial Law Hall.

The treacherous snake that Zhao Gang had warned about.

Fang Yu's gaze swept over Yi Yang, from his white hair to his cloth shoes, his scrutiny laced with provocation, making no attempt to conceal it.

There was another person standing beside the two of them.

He was in his fifties or sixties, wearing a blue robe, with a square face and graying temples. He wasn't particularly tall, but the air in the entire alley seemed to sink a little as soon as he stood there.

Yi Yang's internal organs trembled slightly at that moment.

It wasn't fear. It was instinct telling him that the person in front of him was on a completely different level from any of the opponents he had encountered before.

"Uncle Yi," Tang Hao said casually, as if he were just dropping by to borrow something, "Excuse me, I have something to ask you at the company."

Upon seeing the three arrive, Yi Yang took a half step back and hunched over even lower.

"You're too kind, Chief Guard Tang. Would you like to come in?"

"No need, it's just a few words." Tang Hao strode into the courtyard, with Fang Yu following behind, his eyes scanning the surroundings, looking at the corners of the walls, the eaves, and the water tanks, just like a search party for a criminal.

The man in the green robe was the last to enter. He didn't look around; he simply stood under the locust tree with his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed on Yi Yang's face.

His gaze wasn't fierce, but it carried a strong sense of disregard, as if Yi Yang wasn't worth his attention.

But Yi Yang sensed a sense of oppression amidst this friendliness, so thick it was almost overwhelming, like a mountain pressing down on his head.

Tang Hao cleared his throat and said seriously, "You know about what happened in the deserted village. The disciples of Lei Yun Martial Arts School recounted what happened after they returned, and there were some inconsistencies in their accounts."

Yi Yang nodded, his face full of honesty, and asked, "Wrong? How is it wrong?"

Tang Hao took two steps forward, his boots crunching over the blue bricks.

"The intelligence was flawed. The tip-off said that the demon was at most at the third level of Qi and Blood, but he actually reached the fourth level of perfection. This resulted in the death of Song Wu, a disciple of the Thundercloud Martial Arts School, and the other four were also seriously injured."

He paused, glancing at Yi Yang's face out of the corner of his eye, and said, "When we went to investigate the informant afterward, he had already fled, and his hideout had been burned to the ground."

Yi Yang frowned in agreement.

"They ran away?"

"It's spotless, not even a handful of ashes left." Tang Hao's tone was somber. "What does that mean? Someone tipped off the Nine Evils beforehand, betraying our operation."

Yi Yang took a breath, his expression perfectly conveying lingering fear.

"Well... the three of us patrol leaders will stay on the outer perimeter, just in case that demon runs this way..."

"So we need to investigate," Tang Hao interrupted him. "Although the three patrol captains didn't directly participate in the battle, everyone involved in this matter needs to be investigated."

He turned to the side and raised his hand towards the man in the green robe.

"This is Master Mu of Lei Yun Martial Arts Academy, Zhan Zhi's master. Master Mu takes the matter of his disciple being harmed very seriously and has personally come forward to assist in the investigation."

Mu Fenghai.

Qi and blood are in six stages, undergoing marrow cleansing and blood replacement.

One of the most powerful martial artists in Yunlin County.

Yi Yang was on edge, but he put on a flattered expression and bowed deeply.

"Master Mu, your presence is an honor; I have been rude to you."

Mu Fenghai nodded slightly but did not speak.

Tang Hao continued, "There's one more thing: the identity of that Nine Evil Cult deacon has been found out."

Yi Yang pricked up his ears.

"Wang Gongqin".

When Tang Hao uttered the name, even Fang Yu's expression tightened. "This person was originally a disciple of Jinyang Temple in Suining Prefecture, Qingzhou, but was later expelled from the sect. Before leaving, he stole an extremely valuable item from his master."

Jinyang Temple.

That's no ordinary sect; it's a powerful sect that ranks among the top four in Suining Prefecture.

"I didn't expect this person to join the Nine Evil Cult after being expelled." Tang Hao clicked his tongue, then changed the subject. "This concerns Jin Yang Temple, so it's quite significant. Therefore, we need to question everyone involved, one by one."

Yi Yang nodded, looking completely cooperative.

Just then, the man in the green robe who had been silent under the locust tree suddenly spoke.

"While you were patrolling the outskirts of the deserted village—"

The sound wasn't loud.

But every word that came out of Mu Fenghai's mouth was accompanied by a layer of vibration that was invisible to the naked eye, flowing into Yi Yang's ears through the air and then drilling into his brain.

"—Have you ever entered the ancestral hall in an abandoned village?"

boom.

A buzzing sound exploded in Yi Yang's mind.

The sound wasn't something you could hear with your ears; it reverberated directly into your internal organs. His lungs felt pressed, his heart skipped a beat, his stomach churned, and a powerful urge surged up from his throat, forcing him to open his mouth and confess everything.

Thunderous Mantra.

The signature martial art of Lei Yun Martial Arts School.

Using internal energy to create sound waves to intimidate the opponent's consciousness, martial artists below the sixth level of Qi and Blood cannot withstand this move at all. They will be pried open without realizing it and will spill all the words in their hearts.

Yi Yang's internal organs were trembling violently.

But just as that impulse was about to burst through his throat, the internal energy of his five internal organs started to circulate on its own.

The heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys—five internal organs—simultaneously generate heat. A very thin layer of internal essence seeps from the walls of these organs, enveloping, dissolving, and erasing the shockwave.

The buzzing subsided.

He regained his senses.

It happened in no more than two breaths.

But Yi Yang did not reveal his true state of mind.

He deliberately swayed backward, his eyes unfocused, his pupils dilated, and his lips slightly parted—this was the expected reaction after being struck by the Thunderous Mantra. An old man at the second level of Qi and Blood could not possibly withstand this attack.

"I...I got scared after seeing the commotion at the ancestral hall..."

Yi Yang's voice was weak and his tone was intermittent, almost like he was speaking in a dream.

"They ran...running south of the village...didn't see anything...ran straight back to town."

Mu Fenghai stared at him for five or six breaths.

Those eyes were neither angry nor happy, as calm as a lake, yet they seemed to see right through people.

Finally, Mu Fenghai withdrew his gaze.

"No problem."

He said this in a very calm tone and turned to look at Tang Hao.

"An elderly person with both qi and blood deficiency can't withstand this move of mine. He's telling the truth."

Tang Hao's half-smile returned, and he nodded hastily.

"Master Mu's Thunder Sound Mantra is very famous in the city. Not to mention those at the second level of Qi and Blood, even those at the fourth level of Qi and Blood might not be able to withstand it."

Fang Yu echoed him, his voice respectful to the point of being obsequious.

"I admire the esteemed reputation of the museum owner."

Yi Yang remained in a daze, her eyelids half-closed, her body swaying slightly.

Mu Fenghai no longer looked at him.

The three turned and walked towards the courtyard gate.

As he reached the door, Fang Yu suddenly turned back.

He glanced at Yi Yang.

There was no respect or politeness in that glance, only a sinister resentment after the prey had slipped through one's fingers.

very short.

It was so short that Tang Hao and Mu Fenghai didn't even notice.

But Yi Yang saw it.

He didn't look back, continuing to act weak from being shocked, leaning against the courtyard wall and panting.

Only after the three people's footsteps completely disappeared at the alley entrance did Yi Yang slowly straighten up.

He stood in the courtyard, the sun shining on the ground in dappled patterns, the locust tree leaves rustling in the wind.

Tang Hao, this snake.

Last time, they used a transfer order to throw him into a deserted village, intending to use the Nine Evil Sect's weapons to kill people. This time, they brought in Mu Fenghai again, using the Thunder Sound Mantra to test him.

On the surface, it's an investigation, but secretly it's a trap for him.

If it doesn't work the first time, or the second time, there will be a third time.

Yi Yang looked down at his hands.

Rough, with gnarled veins, and brick dust from practicing stance training still lingering under his fingernails.

A sixty-year-old's hand.

He's been chopping wood for decades, killed several people, and now he has to act in a play for others.

Yi Yang pulled his hand back into his sleeve, the coldness in his eyes sinking deep into his heart.

Tang Hao. Fang Yu.

It's been added to the books.