Chapter 319: Chapter 319: Finish the Fight and Walk Away

What exactly happened, let Wei Zhenzhen ask; Bai Lang just listened on the side. In fact, Bai Lang already had a guess: most likely the Yin Gui Sect went to explore the Silent Meditation Zen Courtyard and then capsized. Bai Lang wasn't surprised at all by this; he estimated that many demonic sects have capsized, and the Yin Gui Sect only had one person discovered by him, so they could know a little.

Sure enough, after Bai Qing'er cleared her mind she also wanted to speak out—otherwise she couldn't calm down completely; what she saw and heard needed someone to verify, otherwise her shattered worldview might never find an anchor and she would truly become mad. From her intermittent words, Bai Lang understood the situation, and of course Wei Zhenzhen was terrified and could only settle down because Bai Lang was present.

Basically it's like a ghost story; this time the Yin Gui Sect's Zhu Yuyan and Wan Wan didn't go in, but Dan Mei, Bai Qing'er, and other Yin Gui Sect experts did, along with some martial artists who had joined the Yin Gui Sect. They were fully prepared, and several of them were linked together with ropes woven from heavenly silkworm silk. After Bai Qing'er entered, she didn't feel anything; the Silent Meditation Zen Courtyard was just a bit too spacious.

Originally the Silent Meditation Zen Courtyard housed over a thousand monk soldiers, the Four Great Vajras, Venerable Liao Kong and the Four Great Holy Monks, but since that day those people vanished without a trace—of course the Yin Gui Sect knew the danger, and the martial artists who entered before them also confirmed the place was extremely perilous. Thus they kept delving deeper into the courtyard; the courtyard was indeed spacious and bright, with no winding passages.

The central axis was the Buddha Hall, seven Great Buddha Halls, and at the far end a Bronze Hall; on the left and right were Bell Tower, Drum Tower, and several Buddha Halls, while behind were rows of monk dormitories for the monk soldiers, with a dining hall and kitchen inside. All these places were laid out straight, without any curve. Outside the abbot's small private room was a tiny rock garden, only half a room in size but exquisitely crafted.

The Yin Gui Sect members who entered were searching for anything unusual, but they didn't know why, as they walked, people started disappearing; after passing through a Buddha Hall, one of the rope‑linked people inexplicably vanished. The rope hadn't broken, and the loop was still there, only the person was gone. It seemed no one noticed at the moment, and when they realized it again, that was the situation.

After this happened, Dan Mei immediately ordered a retreat, and Bai Qing'er was naturally among them— they had only passed through one Buddha Hall, so why did they scatter when they turned to run back? There was clearly only one main road, yet the central axis vanished and they drifted apart. When Bai Qing'er reached this point she trembled all over; she couldn't say what she encountered next—because when she came to her senses, it was Bai Lang shaking her awake with tiger‑like authority.

What did she meet? Perhaps hypnosis could ask? But Bai Lang doesn't have that ability and doesn't really care— that ruined Silent Meditation Zen Courtyard is his scar; as long as that thing remains, he will forever be in some kind of injury, a backlash of the world, and only when he leaves will it heal. For Bai Lang this is certainly unlucky, but it doesn't diminish his combat ability— a wounded fierce tiger is even more terrifying.

Bai Qing'er also didn't know where the Yin Gui Sect experts who didn't go in had gone; she couldn't find the Yin Queen Zhu Yuyan, nor could she find senior sister Wan Wan, so this woman could be said to be homeless now. Bai Lang also made a probing move; Bai Qing'er's true Qi was twisted into a mess, and her martial arts naturally showed bizarre symptoms—that her senses and the techniques she used were completely mismatched.

A palm strike would turn into a flying kick, and another palm strike would become a head hammer; if a sword were in the hand, the sword would be thrust out with the toe… yet all this seemed quite normal. "Twisted," Bai Lang judged, and it would improve after a while, but Bai Qing'er's martial arts inevitably carried a high‑level Illusion Technique— stronger than the Heavenly Demon Technique, perhaps this is the true remnant of the Heavenly Demon.

What future could Bai Qing'er have? "None; she would have died of old age before any change could occur," Bai Lang chuckled to himself. Recovering a single life is already good; haven't you seen that all her fellow sect companions met unknown ends?

At this time, the world's attention was on two battles: the Xiaoguo Army versus the Wagang Stronghold, and whether the Twin Dragon Army could stop the massive army of the Ogre King Zhu Can. Just before the battles began, Bai Lang was preparing to leave Luoyang. He intended to search the grassland for that Bi Xuan for a bout—if any master were easier to find, it would probably be Bi Xuan. Anyway, once on the grassland he would just hunt Turkic people, and after killing enough, the Turkic War God Bi Xuan would naturally appear.

At this time, eighteen riders followed him; these people declined all recruitment offers, insisting on staying behind Bai Lang. As a reward for their loyalty, Bai Lang personally refined their martial skills daily. In terms of Internal Force cultivation, what Bai Lang originally taught them was already a fine outward‑to‑in technique, and the art he knew has already spread, at least in the Henan Circuit and within Luoyang city, many have learned it.

This provides a way out for those without connections to master martial artists; as long as they work hard and don't slack off, they will always gain something— cultivating Internal Force isn't difficult.

But reaching the current level of the eighteen riders is not that easy; Bai Lang custom‑made for them a follow‑up striking technique— a skill simplified from his Golden Bell Shield, which strengthens defense through rhythmic strikes, essentially achieving the effect of an Iron Cloth Shirt— blades can wound without killing. Injuries that would normally be fatal, like severed limbs, become moderate wounds with large cuts; to cut off their limbs in one blow would require a divine sword or siege weapon.

Their strength naturally grew, and Bai Lang thought they could at least charge alongside him. So that day Bai Lang took his leave from Wang Shichong; the old Wang could only nod in agreement. He gave Bai Lang a sturdy yet light four‑wheel carriage, plenty of grain and gold and silver, saying, "Since that's the case, someone will break through the Wagang army for you and then leave; this delay is negligible." After seeing the robust, lightweight carriage, Bai Lang was quite satisfied and prepared to fight a battle for the old Wang.

Wang Shichong may be a scoundrel destined to fall, but he treated Bai Lang fairly well. Bai Lang had also intended to help him as a way to even the score, and now it seems perfect to intervene after the Wagang and Xiaoguo armies finish fighting, thereby repaying Wang Shichong's favor.