The Demon King, reborn in Japan as a monk

Ning Zhongze nodded.

"Leaving aside whether I have that idea or not, even if I did, what can a half-crippled garrison, a local Jinyiwei, do? I estimate that besides helping Huashan cover up some of their operations and making Huashan's news more accurate, they can't do anything else." After a pause, Yue Buqun continued, "Moreover, the Eastern and Western Depots of the imperial court are not just for show, and the civil official group... In short, as long as Liang Fa and Shi Daizi don't leave Shanzhou and step onto the big stage in the capital, they won't attract the attention or scrutiny of the government as long as they don't cause any trouble themselves."

"That's good." Ning Zhongze breathed a long sigh of relief.

"So, what are your plans next, Senior Brother?"

"Practice your skills diligently, spend quality time with you, teach Lingshan and Chong'er well, then keep an eye on the developments in the martial world, wait for the right opportunity, and restore the reputation of our Huashan Sect to its former level as one of the six major sects. This is what I need to do next," Yue Buqun said after thinking for a moment.

After all, his martial arts skills were already unmatched. Although only he himself knew this, his confidence was undeniable. The bloodshed and violence of the martial world did not interest him much.

The Smiling, Proud Wanderer isn't about turning the world upside down. Although there are female warriors, apart from Ning Zhongze by his side and Lan Fenghuang, whom he has already slept with, only Ren Yingying has a good reputation.

But he arrived too early; the story hadn't even begun. Linghu Chong was only 16, at least four years away from his age of around 20 in the original novel when he began his adventures. If it were Ren Yingying, she would probably only be thirteen or fourteen, about the same age as Qu Feiyan, the granddaughter of Qu Yang, when Liu Zhengfeng retired from the martial arts world in the original novel. It was really not an easy age to start with.

Liu Zhengfeng's daughter, Liu Qing, is another example.

Beyond that, Yue Buqun couldn't think of any other woman with a name.

So instead of pondering such matters, it would be better to stay on the mountain with Ning Zhongze, and incidentally fulfill Yue Buqun's obsession with becoming a demon—to glorify Mount Hua. Then, when the time is right, he can shatter the void and leave the world of The Smiling, Proud Wanderer.

Yes, Ishihara Akira's initial plan is to break through the void and ascend to immortality, to see what strange and wonderful worlds he can go to after ascending from the world of Swordsman.

Anyway, he's just a distracted thought, so it doesn't matter if he dies, unlike before when he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to go back after ascending and that it would affect his other plans.

……

And so, Yue Buqun settled down on Mount Hua. Every day, he would either instruct Linghu Chong on how to practice swordsmanship, how to break down sword moves, and not to rigidly adhere to routines, because such swordsmanship would be a dead frame and would not make one a so-called master. He would also accompany Ning Zhongze in dual cultivation, enhancing Ning Zhongze's cultivation through the interaction of the demonic seed and the immortal embryo, and incidentally guiding her on the specific cultivation method of the Cihang Sword Manual.

She had worked extremely hard, so in just one month, Ning Zhongze, who already had a good level of cultivation, broke through to the Innate Realm, which had become extinct in the world of The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, under Yue Buqun's guidance.

Under Ning Zhongze's hands-on guidance, Yue Lingshan successfully entered the routine practice stage, which can be considered as barely entering the Cihang Sword Manual.

Arranged by Yue Buqun, Lao Denuo was sent to investigate the movements of the martial arts world.

The reason is quite simple. On the very day Yue Buqun was reforming Linghu Chong, he had already completed the reform of Lao Denuo. He didn't fabricate much; he simply made Lao Denuo believe that he was an orphan adopted by Yue Buqun and the Huashan Sect from a young age, and that when he came of age, he was arranged to go to the Songshan Sect as an undercover agent, eventually becoming Zuo Lengchan's disciple and being arranged by Zuo Lengchan to infiltrate Huashan...

So, while he appears to be an undercover agent for Mount Song, he is actually a legitimate disciple of Mount Hua. Therefore, there is no need to worry about his loyalty, and we can confidently arrange for him to take over the Mount Hua sect's intelligence system.

To reinforce this understanding, Yue Buqun even taught him part of the key techniques of the Zixia Divine Skill, the top internal skill among the Nine Skills of Mount Hua, making him even more loyal to Mount Hua and to him, the Mount Hua leader who had shown him great favor.

Of course, in order to ensure that all Huashan disciples had responsibilities and did not waste their time, when Yue Buqun arranged for Lao Denuo to take charge of the intelligence network, he also arranged for his junior disciple Ying Bailuo to be by Lao Denuo's side so that he could take care of him. This was in case Lao Denuo suddenly passed away one day and there was no qualified successor, which would hinder the operation of the Huashan Sect's intelligence system.

As for Lu Dayou...

After thinking it over, Yue Buqun decided to send him to Gao Genming's side to help Gao Genming manage the Huashan business.

At this point, apart from Yue Buqun and his wife, Yue Lingshan, and their disciple Linghu Chong, only a few female disciples under Ning Zhongze and some servants who took care of their daily lives remained on Mount Hua.

For a while, Mount Hua became much quieter...

……

"Master, this is the latest intelligence from the martial arts world." Laudenuo handed a piece of intelligence to Yue Buqun.

Chapter 677 The Secret Meeting at Mount Song

The intelligence is still largely focused on the Sunflower Manual.

For example, the one at the very top describes the Songshan Sect's "Wind and Rain Returning to the Mountain Path".

Fortunately, the Songshan Sect reacted quickly upon receiving the news, sending disciples to provide timely assistance. Otherwise, given the small stature of Lu Bai and his companions, they might not have been able to withstand the increasingly fierce attacks from the experts vying for the prize.

Even so, when Lu Bai and his group passed through Dengfeng, they were still ambushed by the Demonic Sect. The disciples suffered heavy casualties, and Lu Bai himself almost died. He barely survived thanks to the protection of Zhao Sihai and Zhang Jingchao, but the price was not small. Zhao Sihai's head was smashed by Tong Baixiong, the leader of the Wind and Thunder Hall of the Demonic Sect, Zhang Jingchao was blinded by Jia Bu, the Yellow-Faced Venerable of the Azure Dragon Hall, and Lu Bai himself lost an arm in the melee.

Of course, things weren't much better for the Demonic Sect. Tong Baixiong was seriously injured by Zhao Sihai, who was fighting desperately. Bao Dachu, one of the elders who came with them, had his leg cut off, and Qin Weibang also flew away coughing up blood. Whether he suffered internal injuries or external injuries is unknown.

Countless other disciples were killed or wounded, making it the most brutal battle in recent years between the Demonic Sect and the Five Mountains Sword Sect.

The demonic cult then ceased its activities.

Of course, this was only on the surface. In reality, the Demonic Sect was constantly gathering its forces at the foot of Mount Song. However, it had not received any orders from Blackwood Cliff, and it lacked a master capable of controlling the situation. Furthermore, this was the main base of the Songshan Sect, and the Shaolin Temple was nearby, so it did not rush in to attack the Songshan Sect's gate.

And not long after, with the sudden news of Ren Woxing's return to power spreading from the Yangtze River and the Two Lakes region, the previously tense atmosphere suddenly eased—

For the Demonic Sect, the existence of its former leader, Ren Woxing, was far more important than the loss of the Sunflower Manual to outsiders. Therefore, with the news and the defection of some branches in the south, the danger to the Songshan Sect was actually alleviated considerably.

However, the Demonic Sect did not completely withdraw its forces ambushing near the Songshan Sect. Instead, it left one branch of its forces to continue blocking the Songshan Sect members and teach them a lesson. Then, it transferred the rest of its forces back to Blackwood Cliff to guard its headquarters in preparation for the possible arrival of Ren Woxing and his men.

"Continue to keep an eye on the Songshan Sect. If possible, try to win over some of its disciples. I need to know Zuo Lengchan's attitude towards the Sunflower Manual." Yue Buqun looked up at Lao Denuo and instructed him after reading the intelligence report Lao Denuo had sent him.

“Yes,” Laudenau replied.

"In addition, send more people to the Qinling Mountains. I need to know the exact movements of the Sword Sect disciples." After thinking for a moment, Yue Buqun stopped Lao Denuo, who was about to leave, and gave him instructions again.

"Yes."

Afterwards, Laudenuo bowed to Yue Buqun, who had not spoken again, and turned to leave the room.

……

Meanwhile, inside the council hall of the Songshan Sect.

"Is this the Sunflower Manual? It really is a heretical sect!" Zuo Lengchan looked at the eight large characters that clearly stated the meaning of the manual at the beginning—"To practice this skill, one must first castrate oneself"—and his expression changed slightly.

"No wonder Dongfang Bubai has been showing his face less and less since becoming the leader of the Demonic Sect. It seems that it is not because of any earth-shattering conspiracy, but because the Sunflower Manual has caused changes in his body, which is why he has to show himself less in public, so as not to reveal his flaws and let the higher-ups of the Demonic Sect see the problem!"

"However, this is an opportunity! It would be quite interesting if the people of the martial arts world and the demonic sects knew that the number one expert they feared and respected was actually a eunuch."

Thinking of this, Zuo Lengchan's eyes flickered.

But those are all plans for the future. For now, let's take a look at the manual in our hands and see if there are any key points that we can learn from.

As for practicing the Sunflower Manual?

He wasn't a madman like Dongfang Bubai, so he had no interest in becoming neither male nor female just to be invincible.

Besides, he hasn't been forced to that point yet, so even if he wants to cultivate, he'll wait until he's arranged other things before doing so.

"As expected of the divine skill that allowed Dongfang Bubai to dominate the martial arts world for over a decade, not only is its concept far-reaching, but its utilization of meridians and acupoints is also far beyond what ordinary martial arts can match. It truly deserves to be called a supreme divine skill!"

It's a pity that the training requirements are too demanding; otherwise, Zuo Lengchan would have liked to switch to this domineering martial art immediately.

"Someone come here!" After a long while, Zuo Lengchan called out to the outside.

"Sect Leader," a disciple from the Songshan Sect greeted as he entered.

"Go and invite the Vice Sect Leader, your Uncle Ding, Uncle Fei, and Uncle Le over," Zuo Lengchan instructed.

"Yes."

The disciple then left.

In a short while, Ding Mian, a tall and robust man with the typical appearance of a Shandong man, Fei Bin, who had a dignified posture and exuded a sense of killing intent, giving the impression of a seasoned warrior, Le Hou, who was broad and fat but had an arrogant face, and Tang Ying'e, the deputy head of the Songshan Sect, entered the main hall one after another. After exchanging greetings, they sat down on the chairs on both sides.

"I wonder what you need to tell us, Senior Brother?" asked the portly Yue Hou.

"This is the Sunflower Manual that Junior Brother Lu went through so much trouble to bring back. You guys can pass it around and take a look," Zuo Lengchan said, not bothering to hide anything and directly taking out the manual.

"Well, then we junior brothers won't stand on ceremony." Le Hou and the others exchanged glances, but ultimately couldn't suppress their longing and curiosity for the new martial arts, so they didn't say anything to refuse. After hesitating for a moment, they all responded.

Then Ding Mian stepped forward, took the manual, and began to look through it.

As expected, I was also startled by the eight large characters in the opening title.

Then came Tang Ying'e, Fei Bin, Le Hou...

"As expected, it's an unorthodox sect. Even their martial arts are so deviant. They truly live up to their reputation as a demonic cult." Ding Mian, who was the first to finish reading the manual, commented with a solemn expression.

"Indeed, who would have thought that the number one martial arts master who has dominated the martial arts world for more than a decade would actually be a eunuch?" Fei Bin exclaimed.

"Senior brother called us over, was it just to see the secret manual?" Tang Ying'e asked, a hint of something in his mind.

"I plan to secretly spread the news that Dongfang Bubai is a eunuch," Zuo Lengchan said without mincing words, revealing his thoughts.

"Great idea!" Tang Ying'e's eyes lit up instantly upon hearing this, and he loudly echoed.

"Wouldn't that just benefit Ren Woxing?" Le Hou asked hesitantly.

"Compared to Dongfang Bubai, whose martial arts are somewhat unpredictable, the threat posed by Ren Woxing and his Star Absorbing Skill is insignificant to me," Zuo Lengchan interjected. "Moreover, even if the members of the Demonic Sect know that Dongfang Bubai is a eunuch, they may not be able to shake his rule. Therefore, this internal strife within the Demonic Sect is unavoidable. Now, we just need to see how large this internal strife is and whether there are any areas that we can exploit."

Chapter 678 Sword Sect

Just as the martial arts world was in an uproar over the news that Dongfang Bubai was a eunuch, Yue Buqun, having obtained accurate information about the whereabouts of the Sword Sect disciples, arrived at the Qinling Mountains.

"Who goes there!" a disciple guarding the mountain shouted.

Then, two disciples jumped out of the woods, looking warily at Yue Buqun, whose temperament and appearance had become increasingly extraordinary and otherworldly due to his cultivation of the Dao Heart Demon Technique, guarding against his possible actions.

"You are disciples of the Sword Sect, right? Send someone inside to announce that Yue Buqun from Mount Hua has come to pay a visit." Yue Buqun, with one hand holding his sword and the other behind his back, spoke to his disciples with the air of a grandmaster.

"Mount Hua, Yue Buqun?" Upon hearing this, the two Sword Sect disciples exchanged a glance, both seeing the shock in their companion's eyes. They then exchanged another look, and the younger-looking disciple went into the woods to the Sword Sect's encampment to deliver the news of Yue Buqun's arrival.

Yue Buqun didn't disturb them, standing there with a smile on his face, waiting for the Sword Sect disciples to arrive.

Moreover, they moved very quickly. In just a moment, with a rustling sound of leaves falling through the forest, several Sword Sect disciples stood in front of Yue Buqun again.

"Yue Buqun, what are you doing here?" The leader of the group, a man who looked to be in his thirties but appeared even more weathered due to his exposure to the elements or other reasons, demanded with a hostile expression.

"Junior Brother Cheng, I've come as the head of the Huashan Sect to invite you to return with me," Yue Buqun said calmly.

"Inviting us back? You're willing to give up your position as sect leader?" Junior Brother Cheng Buyou asked with a sneer.

"I can relinquish the position of sect leader, but only if one of you can take it back from me. Otherwise... it would be better for you junior brothers to behave yourselves," Yue Buqun replied confidently.

"Hmph, I'd like to see where you get the confidence to come here alone and shamelessly say you'll take us back." After saying that, Cheng Buyou didn't waste any more words. He drew his Huashan standard-issue sword with a "snap" and then kicked off the ground, charging straight at Yue Buqun.

Yue Buqun remained composed, maintaining his masterful demeanor. He simply took out his hand, which had been behind his back, and flicked it lightly at the tip of Cheng Buyou's sword, which was thrust at him. Cheng Buyou was as if struck by a powerful attack, unable to hold onto his sword any longer. It flew out of his hand, slicing through the air and landing on the ground more than ten feet away.

Then, Yue Buqun stretched out his hand and stopped in front of Cheng Buyou, whose face looked somewhat dazed.

"How is this possible?" Cheng Buyou muttered to himself, looking as if his worldview had been shattered.

"My predecessors have long said that the Sword Sect's sword techniques are easy to master quickly, but lack staying power and require internal energy as the primary source. Therefore, in the first ten years, your Sword Sect members may be more skilled, but after another ten years, they will be evenly matched with my Qi Sect members, and after another ten years, my Qi Sect members will definitely be superior. Now, I am simply presenting this reality to you." Yue Buqun withdrew his palm, calmly adopting the demeanor of a senior expert.

"Did Sect Leader Yue come here just to mock us?" Just as Cheng Buyou's expression darkened, another voice came from behind the Sword Sect disciple.

Then, the Sword Sect disciples parted, revealing the figures of the two newcomers.

It was none other than Feng Buping and Cong Buqi, two experts from the Sword Sect.