Yang Guo: I defied death and reached the heavens in The Return of the Condor Heroes

Shi Mang looked Yin Zhiping up and down.

He was dressed in ordinary short brown clothes, with no sword at his waist, and his face was completely unfamiliar.

He immediately made up his mind:

This kid is probably not a decent person either; he's probably after the secret manual in the ancient tomb.

He slammed his machete heavily on the ground and spoke in a gruff voice:

"We are the Four Fiends of Zhongnan. May I ask how this brother is addressed? Are you also here for the treasures in this tomb?"

Everyone sneaked to the tomb entrance late at night; who wouldn't know who? He didn't bother with empty words or prevarications.

Upon hearing the words "Four Fiends of Zhongnan", Yin Zhiping frowned even more deeply.

He had never heard of this name before, and figured it must be a newly emerged bandit leader entrenched in Zhongnan Mountain.

They even dared to use the name "Zhongnan" and tonight they even trespassed into the forbidden area of ​​the ancient tomb.

He suppressed the surging anger within him, put his hands behind his back, and said coldly:

"I am not a member of the outlaws. Do you think I do not know that this place is the territory of the Quanzhen Sect, and outsiders are not allowed to set foot here easily?"

"I advise you to descend the mountain immediately, lest you bring trouble upon yourselves."

Liu Erxi emerged from the shadows, scoffing, his eyes full of mockery:

"Not a bandit? Then what are you doing in this desolate wilderness in the middle of the night?"

"Did they come to see the scenery?"

He changed the subject, his tone becoming somewhat sarcastic.

"Judging by your attire, you're probably not a Taoist priest from the Quanzhen School, are you?"

"You can come to this Quanzhen Sect territory, so why can't we brothers come? It's ridiculous."

Yin Zhiping's expression changed slightly, but he did not refute Liu Erxi.

He secretly left Chongyang Palace late at night, violating the sect rules, and dared not reveal his Taoist identity.

This silence, in the eyes of the Four Fiends, became a kind of guilty acquiescence.

Shi Mang chuckled, slung his machete over his shoulder, and said in a carefree tone:

"Since you're not a member of the Quanzhen Sect, then we're kindred spirits."

"Brother, let me tell you the truth."

"My four brothers and I heard that the ancient tomb in Zhongnan Mountain contains all the martial arts in the world, so we came here to borrow a few top-notch martial arts manuals."

"I only want the secret manual, I won't take anyone's life."

"If you want a piece of the pie, then it's up to your own abilities; if you don't want to get involved, then get out of the way."

"Let's keep to ourselves and go our separate ways."

When Yin Zhiping heard the words "only want the secret manual", he was first stunned, and then an uncontrollable anger surged up in his heart.

The four claimed they were there to steal the martial arts manuals of the Ancient Tomb Sect.

But the only one living alone in the ancient tomb, wouldn't all the so-called secret manuals be on the Dragon Girl?

They even said they didn't come for Miss Long.

How could a woman as aloof and ethereal as Miss Long allow these few bandits to desecrate and spy on her?

He absolutely cannot stand idly by.

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an barely suppressed sharpness as he spoke in a deep voice:

"Miss Long possesses a noble and virtuous reputation; how dare you lowly commoners presume to covet it?"

"I'll ask you one more time—are you withdrawing or not?"

Chen Cunding peeked half his head out from behind Shi Mang, looking completely bewildered:

"Who is Miss Long? Is she your lover? We're just here to borrow the manual, we don't know any Miss Long."

Yin Zhiping sternly rebuked:

"Shut up! You vile scoundrels, how dare you presume to mention Miss Long's name!"

The smile on Shi Mang's face vanished completely, a fierce glint flashed in his eyes, and he slowly held the machete on his shoulder horizontally in front of him:

"Brother, you're really asking for trouble!"

Before he finished speaking, Yin Zhiping suddenly lunged forward, his right hand forming a sword-like shape, aiming straight for Chen Cunding's throat.

This finger strike was incredibly fast, the wind whistling through the air, and it even carried a hint of the sharp sword intent of the Quanzhen Swordplay.

Although he did not carry a sword, the essence of Quanzhen swordsmanship was already integrated into his every move.

This time, his attack, fueled by anger, was swift and ruthless.

In his view, it was this person who had just slandered Miss Long and deserved to die.

Although Chen Cunding usually seemed dull-witted, he was extremely quick-witted in times of danger. Upon seeing the situation, he instinctively swung the iron hammer in his hand forward with all his might.

The hammer brought up a powerful gust of wind, which, although it did not hit the opponent, forced Yin Zhiping to change his move midway and dodge to the side.

Before Yin Zhiping could turn around and stand still, Liu Erxi's bone-piercing dart flew out from his sleeve, aiming straight for a vital acupoint on his shoulder.

Upon hearing the sound of something cutting through the air, Yin Zhiping quickly gathered his energy and used the Golden Goose Skill to dodge in mid-air.

A dart that pierced through bone grazed past his shoulder, tearing a gash in the fabric, but fortunately it didn't hit any pressure points.

Shi Mang and Hu Xizu stopped watching the show and immediately rushed forward, attacking from both sides.

Shi Mang's machete cleaved down from above, its force heavy and powerful, carrying the momentum of splitting stone and shattering monuments.

Hu Xizu's nine-section whip swept across Yin Zhiping's lower body like a venomous snake emerging from its hole, the tip of the whip making a sharp, piercing sound as it cut through the air.

The two, one strong and the other gentle, surrounded each other from above and below, their cooperation seamless.

Yin Zhiping was startled, not expecting the other party to cooperate so seamlessly.

He quickly gathered his strength and leaped away, escaping from the gap between the blades and whips at an extremely tricky angle.

However, the hem of her clothes was still struck by the nine-section whip, tearing off a piece of cloth.

He staggered slightly when he landed, but there was no fear on his face; instead, he became even more determined.

He took a deep breath, channeled the Quanzhen internal energy cultivation method to its fullest extent, crossed his palms, and assumed the starting stance of the Quanzhen palm technique, determined to face the four bandits bare-handed.

The Four Fiends were all astonished to see that he could still stand firm despite being surrounded and attacked.

Shi Mang let out a low shout:

"Surround him! Don't let him pick them off one by one!"

The four men then spread out and positioned themselves, trapping Yin Zhiping in the center.

Shi Mang launched a frontal assault, his blade heavy and powerful, each strike expansive and imposing.

The blade whistled as it cut through the air, and the bluestone cracked and scattered as it struck, all through brute force.

Yin Zhiping refused to take the blow head-on. He slightly shifted his body and took a step back, relying on the agility of the Golden Goose Skill to dodge to the side.

Once Shi Mang had exhausted his moves, he quickly pressed his fingers against Shi Mang's wrist pulse point, attempting to disarm him.

But Hu Xizu's nine-section whip arrived in an instant, sweeping around his ankle and forcing him to withdraw and retreat.

As soon as he regained his footing, Chen Cunding swung his giant hammer from the side.

The hammer whistled through the air; though heavy, it was powerful and forceful, forcing him to dodge to the side once again.

Taking advantage of the situation, Shi Mang sheathed his sword and regained his footing.

He shook his wrist, which was slightly numb from Yin Zhiping's finger strike, and grinned:

"Good lad, you've got some strength."

Yin Zhiping had no time to respond; his gaze swept quickly over the four people, instantly spotting their flaws.

Shi Mang launched a frontal assault, his blade strikes were powerful and heavy, but his counter-attacks were slow.

Hu Xizu's flanking maneuvers and his agile and cunning whip techniques pose the greatest threat.

Liu Erxi's sneak attacks with cold darts from the outside were harassing to the enemy; though not fatal, they were extremely annoying.

Although Chen Cunding was strong, his movements were slow and clumsy, which was the easiest opening to exploit.

Having made up his mind, he feinted a palm strike at Shi Mang's face, luring Shi Mang to parry with his sword.

But just before his palm touched the blade, he suddenly changed his move, twisting his body and sliding out from Shi Mang's side like a swallow skimming the water, heading straight for Chen Cunding.

He seized the moment when Chen Cunding had just swung his giant hammer, his old strength exhausted and his new strength yet to be generated.

A sharp fingertip of his right hand gathered a powerful force, aiming directly at the Jianjing acupoint.

If this finger strikes, it can cripple the opponent's arm strength in one move.

Chen Cunding was startled when he saw him suddenly lunge at him, and instinctively shrank back to avoid him.

But he was a beat too slow, and Yin Zhiping's finger strike was already right in front of him.

At the critical moment, a cold light flew in from the side!