Chapter 432: Able to Bend and Stretch: The True Man

With a barrage of frenzied bombardment, the entire Underworld trembled; under such power, how could Zhao Wuyang's small body possibly withstand it?

Fortunately, the howl of the White-Headed Hou came at the right moment; although Shanglu remained floating in mid-air sitting cross-legged, the mechanisms stopped at this time.

As the dust and mist dispersed, Zhao Wuyang was still standing there perfectly fine; blocking in front of him was Zhanli, who was pinching the Bolan Buqing Jue.

Lingxiang once said that although Zhanli was of the Demon Race, his talent was excellent, even surpassing Hanyang, so she never held anything back when teaching him skills.

If it had been Lingxiang's dharma shield, this attack from Shanglu would have been broken countless times over, yet Zhanli had only been practicing for a little over two years and had managed to resist it head-on, which showed how high his natural talent was.

Moreover, Lingxiang did not understand Martial Dao and only knew the 'what' without knowing the 'why', so most of Zhanli's kung fu was cultivated by himself; Lingxiang merely provided some methods.

Seeing that the two were safe and sound, Shanglu's expression did not change; with a flip of his hand seals, those mechanisms began to disassemble and change again.

Seeing this, Zhanli narrowed his eyes, recalling the time when Lingxiang had first brought him into the palace.

At that time, Zhanli was full of stubbornness and was not yet convinced by the young Lingxiang, and since he understood nothing, Lingxiang had to engage him in actual combat every time she forced a lesson upon him.

Having struggled and crawled through the marketplace, he had his own set of ways to survive, but in Lingxiang's hands, it was as if he were being toyed with, and he could never resist her.

Later, Zhanli was finally convinced and devoted himself to practicing under Lingxiang, and only then did Lingxiang speak to him gently and reason with him.

Later, the sparring partner was changed to Adao; at first, he could never beat him, but after two months of dedicated practice, Adao was no longer a match for Zhanli.

After getting along for a long time, Zhanli was quite accommodating to Adao, who always insisted on being the senior brother, but how could the opponent always be such a little fellow?

"If you can't beat them, then just find a way to run away." Hearing Zhanli's confusion, Lingxiang looked indifferent.

"Run?" Zhanli was extremely surprised. "A real man, how can there be any reason to retreat? Wouldn't that be a shame to humanity?"

"What's wrong with being a real man? Does a real man not have obstacles he can't overcome?" Lingxiang smiled brightly.

"The world says that 'not being corrupted', 'not being moved', and 'not bending' are the marks of a real man, but how many people can truly achieve these simple six characters?"

"Everything has times when it cannot be controlled; avoidance is not a shameful act, it is just ordinary, so what is there to be ashamed of?"

"The green hills remain, the firewood persists; the winter is long, but the end of the year can be reached."

"There is a saying that a gentleman's revenge is not too late even after ten years; in my view, only those who can endure a moment of pride to plan for the future can be called a 'real man'."

After listening to Lingxiang's words, Zhanli fell into deep thought, ruminating for a long time before asking again: "But if the opponent encountered is too strong and it is impossible to escape, what should be done? For example... General Dingyou?"

"Dingyou" was Shanglu's title.

"You can't outrun Shanglu?" Lingxiang looked puzzled.

Shanglu looked so clumsy, how fast could he run?

"It's not about whether I can outrun him or not, it's a question of whether I can run at all..." Zhanli said irritably.

This master of his is really...

How should I put it? Quite simple-minded...

"Hmm... that is a problem." Lingxiang pondered for a moment. "Why not teach you a new technique today? Although it is not my specialty, if it is you, I believe you will surely achieve some success."

Zhanli rolled his eyes secretly: A new technique? Which time did a new technique not just cover the basics, leaving the rest to be figured out by himself? Since she says she isn't good at it, couldn't she teach something she is good at?

She really is quite simple-minded...

But what Lingxiang is good at is not something ordinary people can easily learn.

"Zhanli! Zhanli!" Seeing Zhanli distracted, Zhao Wuyang called out urgently.

With a powerful enemy in front, how could he have the energy to let his mind wander?

Zhanli turned his head abruptly: "If this continues, it will be endless; if we don't take down Shanglu directly, we will only end up exhausted and eventually defeated."

"Do you have a good plan?" Zhao Wuyang suddenly felt that Zhanli must have been thinking of a way just now. "I have a move, but I have never used it in practice; I don't know if it will work, but since we have no other options right now, we might as well give it a try—it's better than just wearing ourselves out like this." Zhanli hesitated. "It's just that..."

"Just what?" Watching Shanglu's mechanisms piecing together one by one, Zhao Wuyang's eyes turned red with anxiety.

It was already a burning emergency, what was there to hesitate about? Whatever move he had, he should just use it!

"I don't have full confidence; if there is no one to stall and help, I'm afraid it might not succeed."

The mark on Zhao Wuyang's body was fading more and more, and his face was full of fatigue; he was clearly holding on by force.

The sound of the mechanisms had stopped, and what stood before them were twelve mechanical men, each clad in armor and holding weapons, exuding a murderous aura.

The twelve were of different sizes; the largest was five zhang long and six feet wide, and the smallest was three zhang high.

But regardless of their size, compared to Zhao Wuyang and Zhanli, they were all behemoths.

And these twelve stood in their own positions, forming an array, looking very imposing.

Zhao Wuyang really didn't understand how such small mechanisms could be pieced together into such large figures, and twelve of them at that.

Please... do... bookmark 6... 9... books....!

"Be careful, it is the Twelve Bronze Men Array of the Earthly Branches," Zhanli warned.

Lingxiang often said, "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be in danger in a hundred battles." Being prepared was never wrong, so long ago, she had let Zhanli and Adao secretly investigate news about the Demon Realm, which naturally included the background of various Demon Generals.

Many years ago, the Demon Race had fought a battle with Fengdu, and Shanglu had used this move to wipe out three thousand Underworld soldiers single-handedly; after the battle, his fame resounded throughout the Demon Realm.

Lingxiang recognized this array at a glance; it was rumored that this method was entrusted to the First Emperor by an Immortal Dao practitioner in a dream to suppress the demons, ghosts, and monsters in the human world; she hadn't expected Shanglu to have learned it.

Zhao Wuyang didn't seem to take this to heart: "If it is just to stall, my meager strength might be enough."

Zhanli looked surprised but did not delve into it; he just glanced at Zhao Wuyang and then flashed away.

On the battlefield, there is no room for the slightest hesitation.

Shanglu did not care; in his eyes, these two were nothing more than ants. He just moved his fingers slightly, and the twelve mechanical men charged straight at Zhao Wuyang.

The heavy footsteps shook the ground, but Zhao Wuyang put away his Soft Sword at this moment, took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and joined his hands in a seal.

The events of three years ago changed everyone; in these three years, everyone had been searching for something—be it an answer, a sustenance, or a breakthrough of the self.

The people around him were all moving forward; there was no reason for him to stand still.

Three years ago, Zhao Wuyang was helpless and trapped in a city, but this time, he would never retreat.

Only the sound of breathing was clearly audible in his ears; between breaths, everything around him seemed to become silent. A stream of Qi overflowed from Zhao Wuyang's body, restrained and heavy, blowing his hair tips.

Just as the massive mechanical men were seven steps away, Zhao Wuyang opened his eyes abruptly; the sun, moon, and stars were all within his pupils.

A chessboard suddenly spread out under his feet, but there were no vertical or horizontal lines, only small dots laid out within; the stars of the heavens appeared in response, scattered like stars on a board, a brilliant mirage, and the position where Zhao Wuyang stood was the Tianyuan.

Before Qianyuan Zhenren went into seclusion, he had instructed Zhao Wuyang to practice internal observation often, to peer into the inner realm and observe the Dao, the purpose of which was to let him properly utilize the power of the ancient Firmament.

And Zhao Wuyang also kept his master's teachings firmly in mind, never slacking for three years, which was how he came to comprehend this move.

It was just that Zhao Wuyang had never actually used this move before, and he had no idea how effective it would truly be.

But the arrow was on the string and had to be released!

Zhao Wuyang raised his arm high, then, as if placing a piece on a board, shouted aloud: "With my body I fix the Heavenly Origin, holding the piece to suppress the universe!"