Chapter 223: The Defeated Sky Elder

Fu Minyi, operating in Wuliang Mountain in Dali, orchestrated the Shennong Gang's attack on the Wuliang Sword Sect to uncover the secrets of the Wuliang Jade Wall; after returning to the Sky Eagle Palace and reporting to the Sky Elder, the Sky Elder, upon hearing the description of Wang Yuyan's appearance and attire, descended the mountain and, relying on the Sky Eagle Palace's intelligence, arrived in Suzhou.

With the Sky Elder's methods, entering the Manuo Manor was no difficult task.

At first, the Sky Elder mistook Wang Yuyan for Li Qiushui; after a brief exchange, she found Wang Yuyan's swordplay elegant and unlike any in today's Wu Lin, her internal energy usage utterly distinct from the Xiaoyao Sect; when she saw Wang Yuyan dart to Gu Qing's side, the Sky Elder questioned her—but upon seeing Ding Chunqiu, her fury vanished, her myriad thoughts condensed into a single thread, and the great mystery of her life seemed on the verge of resolution.

Yet that one truth made the Sky Elder tremble with dread, too afraid to touch it.

"No wonder she's Li Qiushui's descendant—she'd think of disguising herself as her grandmother and cavorting with men."

The Sky Elder had confirmed Wang Yuyan as Li Qiushui's descendant; she first hurled insults, then glanced at Gu Qing and said, "Your grandmother has always been shameless and cold-hearted—if she were here and saw this youth so handsome, she'd gladly consent, heart and soul, even roll with him on the bed without shame!"

The Sky Elder felt everything made perfect sense.

Li Qiushui truly was like that.

Hearing this, Wang Yuyan's face flushed crimson; she shoved Gu Qing and spat, "Qingge, kill her!"

At that moment, the many maids of the Manuo Manor arrived and naturally formed the Big Dipper Seven-Star Array.

"Go!"

A blue light flashed; a sharp sword thrust forward.

The Sky Elder walked slowly through the sword array, noting its tight formation—each thrust was followed by seven others, perfectly coordinated; she knew this array was no trivial matter, yet its wielders' cultivation was exceedingly low; she tore into the array with bare hands, and with a series of "clangs," the incoming swords shattered, and in an instant she broke through, rushing toward Wang Yuyan.

Since she was Li Qiushui's descendant, the Sky Elder intended to capture her first, torment her thoroughly, then force her to reveal her grandfather's identity.

Gu Qing stepped before Wang Yuyan, extended his hand straight, and cut into the Sky Elder's Sky Eagle Plucking Plum palm technique; their movements were swift as wind, clean and decisive; within a few exchanges, they had broken over a hundred moves, startling the Sky Elder into leaping back and creating distance from Gu Qing.

Originally, the Sky Elder had looked down on Gu Qing due to his youth, but this exchange revealed his martial arts were refined, his internal energy profound—surpassing even hers.

"All her martial arts come from you?"

The Sky Elder asked in astonishment; she had long withdrawn from the Jianghu and never imagined such exquisite martial arts existed—every move, every technique, she had never seen before.

"Of course."

Gu Qing nodded, gazing at the Sky Elder, and said, "I've been eager to test the Xiaoyao Sect's extraordinary arts."

Recently, within the Manuo Manor, Gu Qing had also studied its martial arts, absorbing useful elements into his own, strengthening his foundation though his cultivation hadn't yet ascended a level; now, standing firmly on the ground, he resembled an imposing mountain; the Sky Elder scanned him left and right, finding no flaw.

"Very well!"

The Sky Elder let out a deep breath, her body flashing like white light as she leapt forward, her palm striking straight for his face.

Gu Qing, wielding the Jiayi Divine Art's true qi, radiated immense energy like a towering peak; seeing this strike, he made no defensive move, but struck first with his fist, gathering power toward the Sky Elder.

The Sky Elder's body was childlike; in hand-to-hand combat, unless facing an opponent with arms as short as a Tyrannosaurus, she usually suffered from shorter reach; Gu Qing's preemptive strike could shatter her before her arms even touched him.

"Good lad!"

Seeing this move, the Sky Elder twisted mid-air, her palm force sweeping forward—CRACK! it struck Gu Qing's face, yet his face seemed shielded by an invisible wall; the palm force scattered harmlessly, leaving Gu Qing unharmed.

This profound internal energy had rendered Gu Qing nearly invulnerable.

"Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!!!"

The Sky Elder had long ruled the world with few rivals; seeing Gu Qing's strange techniques and profound internal energy—unprecedented in every way—she felt a hunter's thrill, eager to test him; her figure flashed, closing in, the Sky Eagle Plucking Plum technique cascading down—palms slashed, fingers stabbed, hands seized and twisted, all changes flowing effortlessly, even as Life-and-Death Talismans slipped unseen; Gu Qing's fist and footwork was simple and direct, appearing as the most common Jianghu techniques, yet embodying the ultimate martial principle: from complexity to simplicity.

This is what the Jianghu means by "transforming the mundane into the miraculous."

"Can moves really be used like this?"

Madame Wang, hearing the commotion, arrived with Qin Hongmian; she understood no deep martial principles, but she could grasp Gu Qing's techniques.

"If you don't have Qingge's internal energy, don't use martial arts this way."

Wang Yuyan's martial skill had grown stronger, and she resented Madame Wang's demands—training Mingyu Gong, needing Gu Qing's help, and more—and in speech, she had grown less respectful.

Why could techniques transform the mundane into the miraculous? In Gu Qing's words, it was all about numbers.

Strong numbers mean strong.

Gu Qing dared to use martial arts this way because his internal energy cultivation surpassed even the Sky Elder's.

"Qingge, Qingge…"

!

Madame Wang sneered, sizing up Wang Yuyan's attire, wanting to call her a little slut—but held her tongue before others.

Wang Yuyan realized her attire resembled what Gu Qing called "erotic"; acceptable in the boudoir, inappropriate before others; she silently activated Mingyu Gong, calming her mind, pretending not to notice Madame Wang's emotions.

"Go! Go!"

In combat, Gu Qing circled his arms, bent his knees, and locked the Sky Elder before him.

This defeat without injury stunned the Sky Elder; her eyes trembled, her cheeks paled; halfway through the fight, she had already sensed she could not win, intending to withdraw for a draw—but Gu Qing had fully captured her.

"Your courtesy."

Gu Qing gazed at the childlike body beneath him, feeling a pang of guilt; he released his hold and gave a slight bow.

"I didn't let you win."

The Sky Elder sighed deeply; atop her mountain, she had studied the Sky Eagle Palace's many Xiaoyao arts, growing ever more refined—yet here, in this mortal world, stood Gu Qing, who had utterly subdued her.

This defeat left her disheartened; her figure flashed to Ding Chunqiu's side, and she slapped him repeatedly, demanding, "Who were those two people's parents—Li Qiushui and whom?"

Ding Chunqiu, if not for his crippled leg from Gu Qing's blow, would have argued—but now he knew the Sky Elder's rage stemmed from sudden defeat; he thought a moment, then answered honestly, "They were the Master and Mistress's."

The Sky Elder had suspected this before, yet the revelation still made her reel.

She had known Wuyangs and Li Qiushui were lovers, but never imagined they had gone so far; tears streamed down her face as she rained blows upon Ding Chunqiu, screaming, "You little beast! You little thief…"

She was beating Ding Chunqiu as if he were Wuyangs.

Ding Chunqiu, leg injured and being furiously beaten, cried out, "Auntie, stop! I've already thrown the Master off the cliff—to avenge you!"

"What?"

At once, the Sky Elder's killing intent crystallized.

(End of Chapter)