Chapter 78

This clear, ringing sound obviously came from someone young. As the words fell, a blue shadow shot in from outside the door, bent in midair, and landed lightly in the field.

The newcomer was not only swift in movement but also had a beautiful posture; his lightness skill was astonishingly high. Only after his feet landed did the crowd see clearly that he was a handsome, elegant youth in blue clothing, appearing about sixteen or seventeen years old.

Everyone was shocked; how could such a youngster possess such lightness skill? Where did he come from? Sitting aside, Hong Lingbo blurted out, 'Heavenly Net and Earthly Trap!'

The youth, having his lightness skill named by Hong Lingbo, turned his gaze, not having time to ask, when he heard Zhao Zhijing shout harshly: 'Yang Guo, you little beast, what are you doing here?'

All the Daoists were startled.

Yang Guo had lived in the Chongyang Palace for several months; other Daoists had seen him a little, but his defection had been over two years ago. He had grown from a thirteen- or fourteen-year-old child into a tall youth. Only upon hearing Zhao Zhijing's scolding and taking a closer look did they confirm he was indeed the traitor who had fled the sect.

With so many people present, Zhao Zhijing's ability to instantly recognize Yang Guo was not due to his keen eyesight.

But because last night Yang Guo had pointed his long sword at his throat, forcing him to swear an oath; this bone-deep humiliation had occurred less than a day ago.

Yang Guo said with a false smile: 'Old Taoist priest, we are no longer master and disciple; do not bring disgrace upon yourself!'

Feng Yi knew that this master and disciple were practically enemies; upon meeting they called each other 'little beast' and 'old Taoist priest', which was not surprising, yet he never imagined that Yang Guo would come here to speak up for him. Shouldn't he be keeping company with the injured Xiao Longnv in the ancient tomb? Last night Yang Guo and Xiao Longnv practiced the internal energy from the Jade Maiden Heart Technique among the flowers; Xiao Longnv had already reached the seventh section, he the sixth. Who would have thought that, affected by Zhao Zhijing and Zhen Zhibing, Xiao Longnv suffered severe injuries and vomited blood.

Yang Guo used the martial arts from the Jade Maiden Heart Classic to force Zhao Zhijing and Zhen Zhibing to swear not to leak this matter, then took Xiao Longnv back to the ancient tomb to heal her wounds.

Who would have thought that upon waking, he found Xiao Longnv pointing her sword at his throat, for she wished to honor her promise to Granny Sun: 'Take good care of him.'

Because Xiao Longnv felt her injuries were grave and unlikely to heal, she reasoned that if she died she could not care for Yang Guo, so she must take him with her to continue caring for him even in the underworld.

This act of Xiao Longnv terrified Yang Guo, whose will to live surged unprecedentedly; naturally he rebelled against his master and sought to flee.

But after thinking it over, he immediately regretted it; let his master kill him if she wished, since she was the only one who treated him well, so he went down the mountain to gather medicine for Xiao Longnv.

He had no money, so he stole and snatched some from the pharmacy; after his mother's death, he had grown accustomed to such deeds.

However, on his way back up the mountain, he happened to see Zhao Zhijing and others advancing with a menacing aura; his curiosity stirred, so he followed them.

Seeing them preparing to form the Big Dipper Heavenly Gang array to deal with the disabled Feng Yi, Yang Guo could not help recalling how Granny Sun had once brought him to the Chongyang Palace to deliver medicine, only to be besieged by the 'Big Dipper Heavenly Gang' formation, after which Granny Sun was struck down by Hao Datong.

Instantly, his indignation and fighting spirit flared, his chivalrous nature aroused, prompting him to jump out to help Feng Yi—even though Feng Yi did not need help.

But he did not know.

Precisely because he did not know, this is the valuable spirit of chivalry.

Zhao Zhijing was slightly stunned by Yang Guo's remark 'old Taoist priest, do not bring disgrace upon yourself'; recalling how last night his own martial arts seemed wholly under Yang Guo's control, being struck with no power to retaliate, in just two years this person's martial prowess had become worlds apart.

Fortunately, only Zhen Zhibing and Xiao Longnv knew of this; he immediately sneered, 'So you're relying on your superior skill to make things difficult for my Quanzhen Sect?'

Yang Guo shook his head and said, 'Today I have pressing matters; we'll settle our accounts another day—I came only to watch the excitement.'

Speaking, he glanced at Feng Yi, then looked around and smiled: 'The Quanzhen Sect's fame resounds throughout the world—earlier there was the heroic deed of bullying orphans and widows, later the act of brave men joining forces to deal with a disabled person; having encountered this, I ought to observe it well.'

Otherwise, when spreading the word, one would fail to depict it vividly and instead label an upright, chivalrous sect as a wicked cult that murders the old, weak, and disabled—please, continue as you are!'

Having said that, he stepped aside.

These words left Zhao Zhijing's face alternating between dark and bright; the other Quanzhen disciples, except Lu Qingdu, all lowered their heads, sheathed their swords, and dared not meet Yang Guo's gaze, apparently feeling ashamed.

They naturally knew that, having once fought Granny Sun—a frail old woman—and a child with the combined strength of many, and now dealing with the disabled Feng Yi, it was indeed not glorious; if spread abroad, it would be ill‑spoken of!

An elderly Daoist took two steps forward and whispered, 'Senior Brother Zhao, this matter should still be reported to Uncle Qiu for his instruction.'

The speaker was a disciple of Hao Datong, who knew that Granny Sun's death resulted from her first ambushing the master and then being inferior in skill.

Such a matter, placed in the martial world, would leave no one able to find fault with it.

But the master himself felt that he had killed a neighbor of several decades by accident, and this weighed constantly on his mind.

Now Yang Guo has publicly exposed him; he is still Guo Jing's nephew. Given Guo Jing's standing and connections in the martial world, involving the Quanzhen Sect's reputation, this is a major matter.

He merely happened to be pulled along by Zhao Zhijing, who said an unknown nobody was provoking the sect and had come to lend a hand; dragging Yang Guo into it, however, makes it a major affair.

Several other disciples also turned their gaze to Zhao Zhijing, evidently sharing the same view, except Lu Qingdu, who continued to stare hatefully at Yang Guo.

Yang Guo said coldly, 'Lu, you little Taoist priest, what are you staring at? Haven't you been beaten enough yet?'

Lu Qingdu shouted, 'Yang Guo, you are merely a disciple of the Ancient Tomb Sect, yet as a traitor what right do you have to flaunt your might here?'

Master, will you not uphold justice for your disciple!'

The disciple of Hao Datong said to Yang Guo, 'Yang Guo, today's affair has nothing to do with you; do not come to muddy the waters.'

Actually, most Quanzhen disciples are decent people; bullying Yang Guo is merely the act of a few individuals, and those isolated actions are not unrelated to Yang Guo's own nature.

Speaking of Lu Qingdu dealing with Yang Guo, from his perspective he was not wrong.

When Guo Jing went up the mountain that day, Master Zhao Zhijing captured a little brat, claiming he was a member of the heterodox cult, and told you to keep an eye on him.

Lu Qingdu was merely a junior disciple; naturally he dared not defy his master's order, so he bound Yang Guo without scolding or beating him. To escape, Yang Guo said he needed to relieve himself, and Lu Qingdu also untied the rope.

Who would have thought that Yang Guo would then slam the chamber pot onto him, and with his sword threaten him, nearly causing him to be burned to death by fire!

Guo Jing's storming the mountain was a misunderstanding; a great figure could laugh it off, but in Lu Qingdu's eyes, what had he done wrong?

He merely followed orders, acting with goodwill by letting the child use the toilet, only to receive a chamber pot, swords, and fire‑smoke burns in return!

Such an incident, no matter who it happens to, who could simply laugh it off? Feng Yi understood this point, which is why he had not previously dealt a heavy blow to Lu Qingdu.

Yang Guo exploited that sliver of kindness in Lu Qingdu to get the better of him; having caught his breath, how could he not seek revenge? Feng Yi asked himself, if he were in Lu Qingdu's place, perhaps in a fit of rage he would have killed him, let alone merely beaten him.

Moreover, Feng Yi had once been in the position of such a minor figure like Lu Qingdu, and thus knew well that they had little freedom to choose.

To obey orders was merely his means of survival.

But Zhao Zhijing's coming here today was not really to vent for Lu Qingdu; it was only because Zhen Zhibing appeared, having rebuked his disciples and then spoken soft words to Feng Yi.

Thus he wanted to use Feng Yi to establish his prestige, to demonstrate the other's incapacity, so as to become the chief disciple and later succeed as head of the Quanzhen Sect.

Now, if he were to slink away merely because of a few words from his own wayward disciple, would that not be seeking honor and suffering disgrace?

Just as before, when he faced Guo Jing with a mighty aura and ended up embarrassed and disgraced, what difference is there? Affairs in the world cannot be repeated! Having thought this, Zhao Zhijing glared at Yang Guo and barked, 'You brat who has not yet shed your babyishness, do you know the rules of the martial world?'

Yang Guo replied scornfully, 'What rules? Besieging old people, children, and the disabled? Heh heh, is this what Wang Chongyang taught?'

He harbored a fierce hatred for the Quanzhen Sect, and from Xiao Longnv's mouth he had heard some unfounded tales about Wang Chongyang and Lin Chaoying—such as 'the Ancestor Wang Chongyang, number one under heaven'—which were merely the defeats of the Ancestor's grandmother's underlings; he spoke of this without holding back.

The Quanzhen disciples' eyes instantly turned red.

Feng Yi and Hong Lingbo merely exchanged a glance, neither affirming nor denying.

But Yang Guo felt quite pleased with himself.

He felt that the Quanzhen Sect, up and down, was letting him down.

Thinking of Qiu Chuji's treatment of Yang Guo, he also recalled how back then he passed on martial arts to Yang Kang, yet allowed him to live in luxury in the prince's mansion, ultimately making a grave mistake. He thought: "Since ancient times, strict teachers produce outstanding disciples, and the rod yields filial sons. This time, with Guo'er, I must enforce strict discipline, lest I repeat his father's error."

At the moment of bowing as disciple, he then gave him a stern lecture in harsh words, urging him to endure hardship, to obey the master's teachings in all things, and not to be the slightest bit negligent.

However Yang Guo did not know what kind of person his father was; in his mind he imagined a great hero. Moreover, seeing the Quanzhen Sect's disciples beaten by Guo Jing to the point of Falling Flowers Flowing Water, and seeing Qiu Chuji and others thrown into panic by Huo Du's evil gang, relying entirely on Guo Jing's rescue, he concluded that these Daoists' abilities were all mediocre.

He had no respect for Qiu Chuji, let alone for his master Zhao Zhijing.

The first day he put on a stern face and told lies, just as he did when wandering alone in the market and dealing with Guo Jing and Huang Rong.

But Guo Jing felt guilty toward him, Huang Rong, out of consideration for Guo Jing's face, did not hold it against him; Zhao Zhijing, however, owed him nothing, and when questioned, he responded with defiance, even shouting insults, and bit off his finger.

At that time, the master-disciple bond was valued above all; in the martial world, a master and disciple were like father and son, so a master would have a disciple executed, and the disciple often dared not resist.

Zhao Zhijing was capable of leading the Big Dipper Heavenly Gang Grand Formation to resist external enemies; if successful, the chief disciple's position would be assured, but because he dealt with Guo Jing he suffered a crushing defeat, earning the seniors' comment that he acted rashly and was unfit for great responsibility.

He also felt grief and indignation, because Guo Jing and Yang Guo going up the mountain to strike the stone tablet was the signal for gathering of evil heretics.

He thought he was not wrong either!

You can't just say someone is someone and then expect them to be that person, can you?

Furthermore, Yang Guo's unteachable nature and grave wickedness, combined with Zhao Zhijing's narrow-mindedness and his single-minded pursuit of fame and profit, made it inevitable that he would seek revenge on Yang Guo; Yang Guo himself was a stubborn, fierce, and reckless character, and having suffered unjust treatment, he naturally would resist.

Therefore, Yang Guo's defection, strictly speaking, was merely a case of fate playing tricks, worldly affairs being unpredictable and character determining outcome—just human nature.

Zhao Zhijing knew the advantage of words; since he could neither out-argue nor defeat Yang Guo in combat, he turned to Feng Yi and said, 'Sir, do you have the guts to cause trouble, or are you afraid of my Big Dipper Heavenly Gang Formation, seeking shelter behind a brat?'

'Shelter?' Feng Yi gave an arrogant smile and said, 'If the Seven Masters of Quanzhen said that, it would be fine, but judging by you few pieces of trash, don't you feel he saved you?'

Yang Guo stared, surprised that he himself was already arrogant enough; now he had met someone ten times more arrogant than himself, after all he had seen the Big Dipper Formation, which was truly formidable—even Granny Sun was no match for it.

This young man, leaning on a cane and dragging a lame leg, where does he get such audacity? Zhao Zhijing, furious, let out a cold laugh and said, 'Good!' He glared at Yang Guo and shouted, 'People don't appreciate your kindness, you little bastard, get out of my way, or else come and break into my Big Dipper Formation!' Yang Guo, naturally proud yet regretting his lack of a father, seeing Zhao Zhijing, a defeated underling, who constantly cursed him as a little beast and a little bastard, this fiercely aroused his reckless and wanton nature.

He raised his sword eyebrows, glanced around, pointed at the crowd, and said, 'You people have once mocked me, struck me, and some even besieged Granny Sun and me; you all owe me, and today I will settle the score!'

He said he would strike and did so, his body swaying as he executed a Heavenly Net Earthly Net style, his hands fluttering as he lunged at Zhao Zhijing.

He knew Zhao Zhijing was the leader of this group and the one he hated most, so he decided to strike him first.

Hong Lingbo saw Yang Guo's move, swift as lightning and his skill extraordinary, and could not help but applaud silently.

Feng Yi, however, called out, 'Young Hero Yang, step back; let me handle this!'

From Yang Guo's movements, Feng Yi could see that he was absolutely no match for the Big Dipper Heavenly Gang Formation.

Who would have expected Yang Guo to ignore him and continue his attack; Zhao Zhijing saw Yang Guo's double palms coming, neither dodging nor blocking, suddenly launching two palms from left and right, their force fierce—if Yang Guo did not resist, he would either injure Zhao Zhijing or be beaten to death.

Yang Guo raised both palms to block.

Pa— the three palms met, Yang Guo's body retreated three steps, he expelled a large mouthful of turbid qi, secretly wondering, thinking: 'These two are my peers; how can they possess such power?'

Yang Guo had stayed in the Quanzhen Sect for several months; even though he could not name his peers, he knew how to clash palm to palm with them, and he had barely managed to block.

And yet last night, masters like Zhao Zhijing and Zhen Zhibing were not his opponents—how could this not be astonishing?

Yang Guo's nature was fiercely hot; having decided, he floated sideways, a swift palm striking straight at someone's abdomen.

That person did not move, then two palms struck from left and right; Yang Guo's lightness skill was excellent, he sidestepped to avoid them, but two more palms came from the front.

Yang Guo was startled, retreated slightly, and swung his palm in a diagonal chop, not expecting Zhao Zhijing to shout loudly, leap forward, and thrust his palm out, releasing a surging wave of palm force.

Yang Guo tilted his body, lifted his palm, and grabbed for his wrist.

Yang Guo had practiced the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra, which required him to be thoroughly familiar with every technique of the Quanzhen Sect; this move—first pull, then push—was intended to throw him out, and it had been effective against Zhen Zhibing the previous night, and would work against Zhao Zhijing as well.

Who would have thought that upon grabbing Zhao Zhijing's wrist, he would feel a dark energy surge from the opponent's wrist, making Yang Guo's arm sore and numb, causing him to stumble backward; suddenly two palms struck, Yang Guo, without needing to look back, already knew the opponent's technique, so he spun his body to dodge one palm, but the other swept across his forehead.

Yang Guo couldn't help but feel dazed, shocked, and greatly alarmed, thinking: 'What on earth is going on?'

Zhao Zhijing gave a cold snort and said, 'Little bastard, do you think learning a bit of heretical side-path martial arts makes you invincible? The Quanzhen Sect's Xuanmen martial arts are the orthodox of all martial arts; today I will let you see just how formidable they are!'

Yang Guo was originally feeling afraid, but he was also proud and stubborn, especially when facing Zhao Zhijing; he steeled himself, thinking darkly: 'Besides death, nothing is a big deal; even if you all join forces and beat me to death, what then?'

He shouted loudly, 'Old foghorn, who can't brag? Nonsense about orthodox martial arts!' and lunged forward again.

At this point, Yang Guo had not trained long; his skills were actually still far inferior to Zhao Zhijing and Zhen Zhibing, and when facing practitioners of other schools whose skills were comparable to his, he would inevitably lose in one-on-one combat.

Only Lin Chaoying, who created the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra years ago and researched methods to counter Quanzhen martial arts, had each move and style perfectly interlocking; yet after she created it she never used it, so Quanzhen disciples never knew that there existed a martial art that could counter their own sect.

Yang Guo suddenly employed it last night, catching Zhao Zhijing and Zhen Zhibing off guard, which is why they were defeated.

Precisely because of this, Yang Guo gauged their abilities, understood his own skill, seeing that these few people's martial arts were far inferior to Zhao Zhijing's, he believed he alone could subdue them, giving rise to his spirit of taking on seven opponents single‑handedly and overpowering the strong.

Yet he fundamentally did not grasp the fearsome nature of the Big Dipper Heavenly Gang Formation; only now did he realize that, even if he fully understood the opponent's martial arts, facing seven men acting in concert would be useless.

This formation is the Quanzhen Sect's highest martial art; Wang Zhongyang once expended countless efforts on it. In small scale it allows joint combat, scaling up to large formations usable in battle arrays.

The Big Dipper's seven stars are Tian Shu, Tian Xuan, Tian Ji, Tian Quan, forming the blade; Yu Heng, Kai Yang, Yao Guang, forming the handle. Among the seven stars, Tian Quan is the dimmest, yet it lies at the junction of blade and handle, the most crucial point, therefore assigned to the strongest of the seven; in the handle, Yu Heng takes the main role, assigned to the second‑strongest.

When the enemy attacks, the front‑most bearer of the impact need not exert effort to block; instead, the companions beside him launch side‑strike counterattacks, making it as if one person possessed the skills of several, truly unstoppable.

When the seven execute it, front and back respond in unison, activating the formation; the seven act as one, and when mastered to perfection, the seven experts combined can truly be said invincible under heaven.

Back then the Quanzhen Seven Masters used this formation to fight the Eastern Heretic Huang Yaoshi, battling from deep night until dawn; even experts like the Western Poison Ouyang Feng, merely as spectators, were secretly alarmed, not hesitating to first sneak‑attack to break the formation, then scheme against Huang Yaoshi, showing the formation's tremendous power.

A few years ago Guo Jing could easily break the formation, simply because he understood its profound secrets, enabling him to drive the slave with the master, binding the Big Dipper Formation's hands and feet so it could not be deployed freely.

Also because those Daoists have not yet mastered this formation; if it were led by Ma Yu, Qiu Chuji and the like, the enemy would certainly not be able to easily seize the leading position.

Although Yang Guo had fully inherited Xiao Longnv's true teachings and his skill famed for speed, once the Big Dipper Heavenly Gang Formation is activated, the seven techniques mesh perfectly; Zhao Zhijing, occupying the Tian Quan position, each of his attacking moves merely fuels the formation's dissolution, while the formation's offensive pressure remains unceasing.

No matter how Yang Guo varied his techniques, his palms met only empty air, his fists came to nothing, and he grew impatient.

The Quanzhen Daoists, however, were unhurried, front and back responding in kind—when the front was struck, the rear replied; when the rear was struck, the front replied; when the waist was struck, both front and rear replied—firmly trapping him within the formation.

After fewer than twenty exchanges, Yang Guo felt he had nowhere to exert his strength, his movements could not be unleashed, and he was suppressed everywhere.

He wanted to break out of the encirclement, but could not open even a sliver of a gap, while the seven seemed wary, afraid to strike, for otherwise Yang Guo would have been dead long ago.

Feng Yi had been silently watching Yang Guo and the Quanzhen Daoists fight; although he understood more than Yang Guo and had long known the formation's fearsome power, he had not imagined it could be this formidable.

Of course, if he entered the formation, he could break it with sheer force.

But these few do not represent the formation's upper limit; if one's internal strength cannot overwhelm the seven acting together, the formation cannot be broken.

For now he could only watch silently, but seeing Yang Guo seemingly at the end of his rope, he suddenly called out, 'Young Hero Yang, catch the sword!'

Feng Yi waved his hand, sending Hong Lingbo's long sword flying into the dueling arena, and Zhao Zhijing said coldly: "Good!"

The seven Daoists did not stop him; Yang Guo straightened his body, caught the sword in hand, made a beautiful sword flourish, gave Feng Yi a forced smile, and asked: "May I ask your esteemed surname?"

Feng Yi casually replied: "No need for formalities, my surname is Feng!"

Yang Guo laughed: "Thank you, Brother Feng, for lending the sword; I am deeply grateful."

Feng Yi waved his hand and said: "Yang Brother, no need for courtesy; your stepping forward shows your chivalrous spirit, and I also wish to glimpse the mysteries of the Heavenly Gang Big Dipper Formation, so I will gladly lend this sword."

Feng Yi spoke plainly about it; Yang Guo, also having endured the world's contempt, hearing him call him Young Hero Yang and Yang brother, his heroic spirit surged, he pointed his sword at Zhao Zhi Jing and shouted, "Draw your sword!"

Seeing the two exchange questions and answers, Zhao Zhi Jing felt they were like-minded, his hatred grew deeper, and he coldly said, "With your meager Dao cultivation, do you even qualify? Master Feng, you might as well come together; perhaps you can make us draw our swords!"

Feng Yi chuckled and remained silent.

Yang Guo was both furious and startled, for he hoped the opponent would draw his sword.

Because Yang Guo had fought Zhao and Zhen bare-handed the previous night, easily winning and even taking their weapons.

However, when he employed sword techniques, the two used palm methods; although he had weapons in both hands while they were bare-handed, he could not catch them off guard as he had in their first clash.

Yang Guo was extremely clever, but failing to gain the upper hand, he returned to the ancient tomb and quickly grasped this principle.

Simply because Lin Chaoying only sought to surpass Wang Zhongyang; using a sharp sword to counter fleshly palms would be unmartial and cause her to lose her standing, so she deemed it not worth the effort—thus the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra sword art contains no techniques to counter the Quanzhen School's fist and foot methods.

Moreover, Zhao and Zhen's abilities were far superior, and they joined forces to seek an invincible position; Yang Guo had no opening to exploit, and later gradually fell into a disadvantage.

Zhao Zhi Jing's palm power was heavy and unrelenting, pressing against his sword; had Zhen Zhi Bing not held back, he would have already been utterly defeated.

Now Yang Guo has a long sword; he hopes the Daoist will also draw his sword, perhaps to catch the opponent off guard—but the opponent does not draw his sword, and Yang Guo instead feels somewhat anxious.

Zhao Zhi Jing, confident of victory, immediately shouted, "You little beast, if you know what's good for you, step aside at once; out of respect for Senior Guo, could I still beat you to death?"

Yang Guo grew even angrier and shouted, "Don't mention my Uncle Guo! You old Taoist scoundrel bully me only because you lost to him and can't do anything about it, so you just take out your anger on me; if you have the ability, why don't you go find him?"

Zhao Zhi Jing, having heard him utter his greatest hatred, immediately turned his face dark as iron and solemnly said, "You beast, stubborn and insensible, today I will offend Senior Guo and incur my master's punishment, yet I will kill you!" With a clang, his long sword left the sheath, pointing straight at his chest; his left palm lashed out with a gust, mighty and fierce.

He indeed now harbored murderous intent toward Yang Guo.

Yang Guo brandished his long sword and immediately launched into the Jade Maiden Sword Technique; his body spun wildly in the formation, his form agile, sword shadows flying.

The founder of the Ancient Tomb Sect was indeed a woman, and the disciples of the next two generations were all women, naturally gentle but lacking in vigor; the postures Xiao Longnv taught Yang Guo all carried a touch of graceful charm.

Yang Guo naturally shed the feminine demeanor, becoming ethereal and agile.

The six Quanzhen Daoists, following Zhao Zhi Jing drawing his sword, also drew theirs; white light flashed among the eight, pleasing to the eye.

The Ancient Tomb Sect's lightness skill is unmatched in the world; its sword technique is unpredictable and ever‑changing; Yang Guo slashed repeatedly—swift as lightning, quick as starlight, marvelously unpredictable—successively countering the opponent's sword technique and launching counterattacks that threatened several vital points of Zhao Zhi Jing; had it not been for the nearby Daoist coming to his aid, he would have been defeated again.

The Daoists all felt shocked and awed, wondering how Yang Guo could understand their own sword techniques so well, as if he truly had precognition, having already fully grasped the Quanzhen sword technique; had the seven not formed a formation and supported each other, they would have suffered a crushing defeat.

Although the Big Dipper formation's shape remained intact, seeing his own sword technique being countered everywhere, Zhao Zhi Jing grew ever more startled; after breaking a few moves, he suddenly had an epiphany and shouted, "Everyone, sheathe your swords and fight with fists and palms!"

Several long swords were immediately sheathed; one person placed his left hand on another's shoulder; Yang Guo felt a chill in his heart, dared not lose focus, and continually urged his body technique and sword technique, hoping to escape the formation.

However, the seven combined their strength, using only palm power to shake his long sword loose; Yang Guo ended up panting, drenched in sweat, unable to even hold his sword.

Feng Yi found it strange and muttered, "What's going on?"

Hong Lingbo asked, "What's wrong?"

Feng Yi stroked his chin and said, "Yang Guo's sword technique looks marvelously vicious and naturally counters the Quanzhen sword technique; why does he fall short at the crucial moment?"

(End of chapter)