Jianghu Demolition Squad

Martial Arts Competition Under The Heavens (Part Thirty)

As everyone was about to chase after the figure, Wu Chang blocked the way and said sinisterly, “Don’t be in such a hurry to leave, everyone. It’s been many years, and we haven’t yet expressed our parting sentiments.”

Ren Qingkuang sneered coldly, “You think you can stop us all on your own? Arrogant.”

Jian Mobei was already filled with bitter hatred due to Mo Chenggui’s death and Wei Ran’s crippling injury. He desired nothing more than to personally kill the enemy. Now, seeing Wu Chang, he was both furious and delighted. Furious that this man still had the audacity to show his face, and delighted that he could finally avenge his disciple. Upon hearing Wu Chang’s words, he immediately roared, “Good! Let’s settle our old scores right here!”

Jian Mobei thrust out his sword with a fierce momentum, aiming straight for the vital points.

Wu Chang dodged backward. Seeing someone about to chase after the sword, he said, “I told you, there’s no need to hurry and leave.”

Suddenly, a strange noise erupted from the forest, drawing everyone’s gaze. Their faces changed as they saw shadowy figures blocking the way in the dim woods.

A wave of shock ran through the group, realizing they were surrounded.

It was truly strange; among the twenty to thirty of them, all were martial arts masters, including one of the Four Sages, Jie Qianchou. Surely, they couldn’t be surrounded without their knowledge unless by someone more formidable than Jie Qianchou, which seemed impossible.

These figures had appeared silently, as if out of nowhere.

Yet, hidden among the maple trees, Hua Lian and two others clearly saw everything. These beings made no sound; each was obviously a corpse, devoid of the breath of life!

But to say they were corpses wasn’t entirely accurate either.

They moved as if alive, each with significant martial skills. Only when these walking corpses came close did Hua Lian and the others realize, breaking out in a cold sweat.

Fortunately, they were hidden up in the trees, and the corpses passed right by without a second glance, sparing them from disaster.

Meanwhile, Wu Chang dodged left and right, his focus not on the fight with Jian Mobei. Seeing that the walking corpses had arrived, he laughed, “Elder Jie, I’ve long admired your great reputation. Your visit to Mingjian Manor is quite the surprise. I’ve prepared a generous gift for you. I didn’t plan to bring it out now, but since you’re here, what better time than now?”

As the corpses launched a coordinated attack, the group, though startled, was prepared. These seasoned warriors faced the threat calmly, despite their surprise.

Jun Lin beheaded a corpse with a single stroke, but the headless body continued to move. Jun Lin frowned, “This is clearly a corpse, yet it moves as if alive.”

Jie Qianchou was about to make a move when a corpse blocked his path.

This corpse wore a black long robe, with a gourd hanging at its waist and a long staff in its hand. Its hair was streaked with white. Apart from its pale purple skin and lack of breath, indicating it was a dead person, it had a rather carefree appearance.

Jie Qianchou’s entire body trembled, his eyes suddenly turning crimson as he cried out, “Old… Old Ghost…”

This corpse was none other than Jue Mingzi, a dear friend Jie Qianchou thought had died years ago, his body never recovered.

In front of his lifelong friend, Jie Qianchou felt the cruel sting of how things had irreversibly changed. The reanimated corpse, however, recognized no one in its path; it knew only slaughter. With a swift turn of its staff, it struck directly at Jie Qianchou’s chest.

Jie Qianchou deflected the blow with his palm but felt the tremendous force behind the staff, which pushed him back three steps. Seeing a familiar face in such a state left him heartbroken and furious. He turned his wrath towards Wu Chang, “What sorcery is this? What foul magic have you employed?”

Jian Mobei was already entangled by other corpses. Meanwhile, Wu Chang watched the chaos unfold with detached amusement, his laughter echoing eerily, “Do you appreciate this generous gift, old man?!”

Overcome by grief upon recognizing his old friend in such a monstrous form, Jie Qianchou let out a long, mournful howl that seemed to pierce the heavens.

For years, there had been no news of Jue Mingzi. and although Jie Qianchou had hoped against hope, he had understood the odds were grim. Now, seeing him transformed thus, he was utterly shaken. He didn’t know what had happened to Jue Mingzi and only assumed that he had suffered at the hands of Wu Chang. He hated Wu Chang to the bone, “You will not die a good death!”

Jie Qianchou was intent on taking Wu Chang’s life, but Jue Mingzi’s corpse was blocking the way. Knowing this was no longer his dear friend, but unable to detach emotionally, Jie Qianchou found himself unable to strike. His heart filled with sorrow and anger, he was at a loss for action.

Yun Wangran saw Wu Chang’s wanton arrogance and, unable to contain his fury, let out a mighty roar that cleared the reanimated corpses beside him and charged at Wu Chang.

Although there was a gap in skill between Yun Wangran and Jie Qianchou, he was undoubtedly one of the strongest among this group.

Wu Chang, seeing his reanimated minions unable to stop Yun Wangran, remained calm. Stretching out his hand, his nails sharp and menacing, he taunted, “Let’s have some fun then!”

As the fierce battle raged in the forest, Hua Lian and the others quietly slipped away, following the Fenghou Sword’s thief back to the manor.

The thief arrived and circled around to the main hall of the manor. This main hall had always been where the master of the manor received important guests. Sitting in the main seat was a person. When Hua Lian and the others looked from the shadows, it was Yan Jianyu, who was thought to be injured.

The thief presented the sword in his hand and said, “Priest Wu Chang has already trapped Jie Qianchou and Yan Beili and the others.”

Yan Jianyu took the sword, his laughter cold.

Hua Lian and his companions, observing from the shadows, realized that Yan Jianyu’s injury was an act, part of a larger ploy.

“I’ve played my part,” Yan Jianyu said, his voice cold. “This Manor is teeming with wulin elites, all prime candidates. How many he manages to capture for his Gu experiments and corpse army depends on the effectiveness of his methods.”

“Our current batch of corpse soldiers is fully matured,” the thief reassured him. “Rest assured, Second Young Master Yan. Priest Wu Chang is personally overseeing this operation. Success is guaranteed.”

Yan Jianyu said, “Then it’s time for him to fulfill his promise to me.”

“Priest Wu Chang has prepared seven highly skilled corpse puppets for you to command, Second Young Master Yan,” the thief replied. “Once your personal matters are settled and Yan Beili and the others are subdued, claiming leadership of Mingjian Manor will be a simple matter. The entire Central Plains wulin will be within your grasp.”

The thief presented Yan Jianyu with a small, fragrant pouch. “Carry this with you, and the corpse puppets won’t attack you,” he instructed.

Yan Jianyu took it and tucked it into his robe. The thief stepped aside and bowed, waiting for orders.

Yan Jianyu picked up the sword in his hand and drew it out halfway. The sword blade emitted a strange light, like the shimmering waves on a lake under the moonlight. He gazed at it for a moment and scoffed, “It doesn’t matter if you’re not the best sword in the world,” he murmured. “You’re still powerful enough to help me become the ruler of the wulin.”

With a flick of his sleeve, Yan Jianyu turned and walked away.

Hidden in the shadows, Hua Lian, Yu’er, and Yang Chun listened to Yan Jianyu’s sinister plot with a mixture of shock and disgust.

Yan Jianyu’s ambition knew no bounds. He had shamelessly colluded with a vile sorcerer from Miaojiang, plotting to ensnare the entire gathering of wulin heroes, even betraying his own father and brother in his pursuit of power.

The three of them secretly followed behind Yan Jianyu. Hua Lian said in confusion, “Qing Jiu said that it wasn’t the Fenghou Sword, but the sword’s power seemed even more formidable than the Qinghuan, it’s divine presence undeniable. How can it not be the Fenghou Sword?” While his knowledge of divine swords was limited, and he didn’t fully understand, he trusted Qing Jiu’s words, yet he was confused.

Tang Linzhi frowned and said, “The sword does resemble the Fenghou Sword, but if Qing Jiu says otherwise, it must be Qiushui.” She had always been knowledgeable about weapons. Although she had never seen the Eight Divine Weapons, she had heard Qing Jiu talk about them and could distinguish them.

Among the Eight Divine Weapons, there was one long spear, one jade zither, two divine sabers, and four divine swords. Most of them had already been witnessed by people.

Tang Linzhi said, “Qing Jiu mentioned that among the four divine swords, Fenghou and Qiushui were the most closely related. She explained that only three divine swords were originally forged. When the divine smith made the Qiushui Sword, there was leftover material still molten at the bottom of the furnace, which cooled into another sword on its own — the Fenghou.”

Yang Chun said, “I’ve also heard of the Qiushui. The verse goes, ‘shimmering green waves of autumn water,’ right? If Tang Miss is correct, the power of the Qiushui should be on par with the Fenghou. How come it ranks behind the Aihong Sword?”

Hua Lian sighed softly, “That surely involves later generations. People have strengthened these swords with blood over the years. The more blood they absorb, the sharper they become. While Fenghou and Aihong possess great power, their notoriety for having killed too many makes them less divine and more demonic.”

Yang Chun lowered his head in thought, feeling that it was indeed the case. When the Qiushui Sword was drawn, the sword’s aura was pure and clear, unlike the Aihong, which gave people an uncomfortably cold feeling.

Hua Lian pondered further “When Manor Master Yan mentioned the sword was brought back from Miaojiang by Yan Jianyu, could it be that Yan Jianyu had already conspired with this Wu Chang, plotting all along?”

Yang Chun said angrily, “He knew that Manor Master Yan was unfamiliar with the Fenghou Sword; he dared to use his own father’s trust to deceive them, which is truly shameless. Was there really no one at the great banquet who could recognize the Fenghou Sword? He’s so brazen, it’s really infuriating.”

Hua Lian laughed, “But wasn’t the sword stolen before the heroes in the hall could get a good look at it? Even if they recognized it, what then? It appears Yan Jianyu and Wu Chang staged a play. He pretended to be injured, allowing Wu Chang to steal the sword while everyone was caught off guard, luring the highly skilled martial arts masters to pursue the sword…”

As Hua Lian spoke, his expression grew grim. Pausing, he suddenly exclaimed, “Ah! The hall now mostly has young disciples remaining. Without their leaders, sect masters, and elders, they’re vulnerable. With their martial strength further reduced, isn’t this the perfect time to attack—a cunning plan to draw the tiger away from the mountain!”

Yang Chun was about to argue that the jianghu was full of emerging talents, and with the numbers gathered in the hall, they needn’t fear them. But recalling the terrifying nature of the walking corpses, he found himself unable to voice this thought.

Yang Chun weakly said, “Miss Qing Jiu is still in the banquet hall. Should we go and inform her?”

Hua Lian pondered briefly and said, “No, she can handle this small matter. Right now, it’s important for us to follow Yan Jianyu and see what other schemes he has.”

The three of them continued to follow Yan Jianyu in the shadows. By then, there were many walking corpses on the road that attacked them, and they had to dodge and fight their way along.

Hua Lian noticed that Yan Jianyu was leading those seven walking corpses directly towards the Qixian Palace’s residence. He sensed trouble and urged Tang Linzhi and Yang Chun to quicken their pace and heighten their guard.

Hua Lian feared Yan Jianyu’s jealousy was so great that he was heading there to settle scores with Yu’er. Although it was just a suspicion, he dared not let his guard down.

However, the reality was just as Hua Lian speculated. Yan Jianyu was indeed targeting Yu’er. Fortunately, Hua Lian and the others arrived in time to intercept Yan Jianyu’s hidden weapon.

In front of everyone, Hua Lian exposed Yan Jianyu’s true intentions, accusing him of planning to deliver everyone in the manor to Wu Chang as materials for his experiments. A disciple of Xuhuai Valley immediately retorted, “In your dreams!”

Yan Jianyu sneered and didn’t bother with further discussion; his intention now was solely to kill Yu’er.

Yan Jianyu had always considered himself a dragon among men, a favored son of heaven, holding himself in high regard. He had been eager to showcase his talents at the World Martial Arts Competition, but he never expected Yu’er to appear out of nowhere as a formidable challenger.

This woman he had always looked down upon had beaten him twice, not only besting him in martial contests but also embarrassing him profoundly.

Yan Beili punished him by making him reflect on his actions. Yet his heart was unreconciled, feeling only that Yu’er had won by relying on the supreme martial arts of Jie Qianchou. If he were also a disciple of the Four Sages, he wouldn’t be inferior to Yu’er.

The thought of his underhanded actions and their consequences never crossed his mind.

Seeing that he showed no remorse, Yan Beili had him whipped. However, Yan Jianyu never considered Yan Beili’s intentions, growing resentful towards him for protecting Yu’er instead.

Later, Yan Jianyu secretly overheard a conversation between Yan Beili and Yun Wangran, learning that Yu’er was actually the granddaughter of the old Master of the Yun family, Yun Si. Yan Beili had already made up his mind to pass down the Mingjian Manor to Yu’er.

With this, his resentment only deepened. Yan Jianyu jealousy and hatred grew not only towards Yan Beili but especially towards Yu’er.

He had Wu Chang send someone to poison Yu’er with Gu, but it failed due to Qing Jiu’s extreme vigilance.

Now, with his plans progressing smoothly, he sought to personally end Yu’er’s life, hoping to erase the bitterness in his heart.