Chapter 456 - 224: This Sword Looks a Bit Familiar (2)

At these words, the men in black were stunned, their gazes turning cold as they looked at Zhao Rui.

"You think you have us in the bag?"

Yanxing snapped, his cold eyes filled with an anger born from being underestimated.

"Amitabha Buddha. It seems I have misjudged. In that case, we at Shaolin cannot allow Zhao Zhenren to see us as a joke. Namo Amitabha Buddha. Uncle Huai Xiang, I must trouble you."

Zen Master Huikong’s Buddha’s Voice rang out, causing the distant temple bells to hum in resonance.

"Sigh."

A sigh suddenly echoed from the direction of the Great Hero Hall, followed by an explosive burst of profound True Qi. Its sheer power was so immense it horrified everyone present.

"Amitabha Buddha. I have practiced Suffering Zen Forgetting Machines for thirty years and have never involved myself in worldly affairs. Nephew, why must you force my hand?"

The voice emanated from the Great Hero Hall, and in the next instant, a figure slowly walked over, seeming to arrive with the sound itself.

By the time the last syllable of his sentence reached their ears, the figure had already appeared before them.

He was an old Monk with a withered frame, his hair and beard completely white.

The old Monk’s Kasaya was patched and mended, washed so many times it had faded to white, looking as though it might disintegrate at any moment.

"Greetings, Uncle Huai Xiang! Shaolin has been invaded by a powerful enemy. We ask that Uncle Master show great compassion, suppress these demons, and protect the glory of Shaolin."

"Amitabha Buddha!"

The old monk Huai Xiang chanted the Buddha’s name softly and said no more. He stood motionless in mid-air like a wooden statue, his gaze quietly sweeping over the men in black opposite him.

As Yanxing’s eyes met his, his Divine Soul suddenly trembled. An invisible Demon-Suppressing Zen Sound began to chant Buddhist Mystic Words in his sea of consciousness.

Yanxing shuddered violently. He quickly bit the tip of his tongue, forcefully expelling the Buddhist Meditation from his mind.

"Don’t look into his eyes!"

Yanxing shouted frantically, but he was a beat too late. Several men in black had already fallen under the Zen Sound’s spell, plummeting from the sky like wooden statues.

"Son of a bitch! These Shaolin bald donkeys are so damn treacherous."

Yanxing and several other conscious men in black hurriedly shot downward, grabbing their comrades and halting their fall.

The members of the other sects who witnessed this scene could only look at each other in dismay.

Who would have thought that these men in black, whom they had been fighting for half a day, would nearly be dashed to pieces just from a single glance from the old Shaolin Monk?

"Shaolin’s strength is truly extraordinary."

A sense of vigilance involuntarily rose in everyone’s hearts.

Unlike them, Zhao Rui felt nothing but excitement and envy as he watched.

’This is a pretty good Martial Art.’

Within the Martial Dao, Spirit Soul Skills were most formidable, with Buddhist Zen Sounds and Demonic Thoughts being the most adept at bewitching the mind and soul.

Zhao Rui already possessed the Heavenly Demon Illusionary Sound Technique. If he could also learn this Buddhist Zen Sound, he could unleash both Buddhist and Demonic sounds at once. Good and evil, evil and good, all combined into one... the very thought of it was thrillingly powerful.

"Withdraw!"

After steadying his men, Yanxing knew that today’s efforts had been for naught. With a low shout, his figure flickered and shot directly away from the Shaolin Temple.

This time, they had not only failed to account for Zhao Rui’s appearance and underestimated his power, but they had also underestimated the strength of the Shaolin Monks.

’These Central Plains people are all crafty old bastards. Hiding such a powerful old monk away for thirty years... they’re truly masters of forbearance.’

’I just wonder if there are any others like him.’

But whether there were or not, by revealing their hidden card, Shaolin had made its decision.

They had no choice but to make a decision; the Great Zhou was already knocking at their door.

This battle between the Great Zhou and the Central Plains Martial Arts world was now inevitable.

Following Yanxing’s escape, the other men in black also executed their Supreme Lightness Skills and fled into the distance.

"Uncle Master?"

Zen Master Huikong glanced at his Uncle Master, the old monk Huai Xiang, but saw no intention of him making another move.

He couldn’t help but roar:

"Pursue them! Don’t let them escape."

With that, he took the lead, chasing after Yanxing.

The members of the other sects didn’t remain idle either. They formed pairs, picked a target among the men in black, and gave chase.

These men in black were all Dharma Realm masters. An ordinary expert from the Central Plains Sects could not easily subdue one.

Zhao Rui swept his gaze across the scene, his eyes lingering on the old monk Huai Xiang for half a second longer. Then, his figure flickered, and he pursued one of the fleeing men in black.

Once everyone had left, the old monk Huai Xiang hurriedly descended from the sky. He suddenly sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes, and exhaled. A stream of turbid Qi shot out, stretching a full ten feet and lingering in the air.

’This Zen Sound Secret Skill... I’ve gone astray in my practice after all.’

Huai Xiang shook his head slightly, remaining silent.

「Several kilometers away.」

Amidst the rolling, endless peaks of Songshan, two figures sped along, one chasing the other.

"Hui Kong, are you trying to completely fall out with our Great Zhou?"

Yanxing shouted as he raced forward.

"Since when does the Great Snow Mountain Ming King Palace represent the Great Zhou?"

Hui Kong’s eyes narrowed, and he couldn’t help but increase his speed.

"You think I’m afraid of you?"

Seeing that Hui Kong was the only one pursuing him, Yanxing’s heart turned ruthless. He spun around and attacked Zen Master Huikong directly.

"Great Compassion and Great Mercy Thousand Leaf Hand!"

Hui Kong’s hands moved like a Bodhisattva’s, forming various Hand Formulas. He conjured hundreds of illusory arms, using his Infinite Divine Techniques to cast a Heaven and Earth Net directly in the path of Yanxing’s attack.

But Yanxing was no pushover. He unleashed his Snowy Frost Palm to its absolute limit. With a strike of his palm, the very space around him froze over.

In an instant, the chilling intent manifested as a Domain Power composed of solid ice.

The two were equal in Power, each possessing profound Martial Arts. This clash was different from their earlier exchange at Shaolin.

Back then, Yanxing had mostly used Shaolin Martial Arts, and their fight was more like a simple exchange of countering techniques.

But now, both were using their signature techniques, clearly intending to fight to the death.

’It’s a shame I don’t have the manual for this Thousand Leaf Hand, or I’d never let you act so arrogantly.’

The Great Compassion and Great Mercy Thousand Leaf Hand was an extremely powerful Palm Technique with astonishing might.

Even Yanxing’s Ice Palm Force, clashing with it from a distance, couldn’t overcome it.

Their battle raged on, unleashing a storm of Powerful Qi that shattered rocks and devastated the surrounding forest.

Seeing that his prolonged assault was fruitless, Yanxing grew anxious. He executed a feint and once again tried to flee into the distance.

Just then, a figure in black shot up from below, launching an attack on Hui Kong.

Hui Kong was greatly alarmed and hastily used the Great Compassion and Great Mercy Thousand Leaf Hand to block the attack.

Yanxing saw that his companion had arrived and was overjoyed. He turned and struck at Hui Kong, preparing to join forces with the newcomer to take Hui Kong down first.

At the very least, they had to force him to retreat.

Hui Kong never expected another man in black to be hiding below. He broke out in a cold sweat and focused a hundred percent of his spirit on fighting the two of them.

The three of them fought for less than half an hour, exchanging thousands of blows in rapid succession. Hui Kong’s techniques were no longer limited to the Thousand Leaves Palm; one moment he would use the Kasaya Demon Suppression Skill, the next the Dorayaki Finger, and then other Shaolin Martial Arts.

In this fight, he had to use almost every skill he had learned in his entire life.

But the two men before him were his equals in strength, and for a time, he couldn’t find an opportunity to disengage.

Just when he thought his doom was inevitable, he suddenly noticed the second man in black shudder, as if he’d been injured.

’Kick a man when he’s down.’

Overjoyed, Hui Kong aimed every one of his following attacks at his opponent’s vital points.

After a few exchanges, he landed a palm strike on the man’s chest, sending him plummeting to the ground.

However, he didn’t get away unscathed. Yanxing seized the opportunity to strike his shoulder with a palm, injuring him as well.

"Withdraw!"

Having landed his blow, Yanxing swiftly descended, grabbed his companion’s clothes, and sped away into the distance.

Seeing this, Hui Kong hesitated for a moment. Clutching his shoulder, he circulated his Inner Strength to dissolve Yanxing’s Ice Palm Force. He did not give chase, but instead turned and returned to the Shaolin Temple.

Meanwhile, after rescuing the man in black, Yanxing carried him over a hundred kilometers away before finally slowing his pace.

"It’s a good thing you arrived when you did. Otherwise, if that old monk Hui Kong had tied me down until his reinforcements arrived, I would have been trapped."

Yanxing said with a hint of emotion.

This time, under the orders of the Ming King, he had led a portion of the sect’s True Dharma Masters, crossing mountains and rivers and traveling thousands of miles to the Central Plains Martial Arts world.

Their purpose was to intimidate the restless Central Plains Martial Arts world.

Perhaps the long period of peace had made them forget the mighty power of the Great Zhou, leading them to foolishly attempt the impossible.

"Actually, it doesn’t really matter whether we escaped or not."

The man in black glanced at Yanxing and spoke leisurely.

At these words, Yanxing broke out in a cold sweat. He hastily took a step back, his expression wary as he stared at the man in black.