Chapter 147

Chen Zheng suddenly sprang up, his iron fist carrying boundless tyranny, slicing through a piercing airflow as he blasted toward the black-robed old man on the roof.

The black-robed old man's robe fluttered; his withered hands lightly rose to meet Chen Zheng's incoming iron fist, without fierce collision or earth-shaking roar—only an eerie silence.

At the moment of palm and fist contact, Chen Zheng actually fell straight down from the roof, while the black-clad person stood like an immovable Wisdom King on the roof, from blocking the fist to repelling Chen Zheng, his feet never moved even a fraction.

I and Pangzi helped Chen Zheng up from the ground; blood already trickled from the corner of his mouth. This made me secretly shocked at the black-clad person's strength—judging by Chen Zheng's injuries, it was not merely from internal martial arts; besides internal force, there was also a trace of Daoist martial arts.

"Useless, no matter how much you struggle, it's just in vain. Give me that thing, your wife is destined to become my Nine Heaven Slave." The black-robed person walked over casually, his voice hoarse like that of a dying old man, his words weak and feeble.

Though he looked no different from a sickly old man, no one here dared to underestimate him; given his identity as an Insect Master plus that eerie strength, it was enough for me and Pangzi to exert our full effort to deal with him.

Chen Zheng ignored his injuries, slowly rose to his feet, staring at the black-clad person and said: "All of this is your design!"

The black-robed old man slowly shook his head, replying to Chen Zheng with a tone slightly contemptuous: "Now you still want to ask?"

Chen Zheng's emotions were somewhat unsettled, even saying he was not calm; beneath his calm tone lay suppressed surging killing intent.

"Why? I treated you as a senior officer, obeyed your every word, gave you a hundred generations of wealth, only hoping you could save my wife. And you, why repay kindness with enmity, why harm my wife?" Chen Zheng's eyes gradually turned red, as if mad.

The black-robed old man sighed leisurely: "All of this is merely a transaction. You willingly let me use you—who else can you blame?"

Then he seemed to glance at me and Pangzi, for I felt that chilling meaning; even though his whole body was shrouded in black robes, I could still affirm he had just looked at us.

"The world is a furnace, people are pawns. I have always liked to stand outside the chessboard, grasping the development of the situation, yet I never expected to be forced out by you two juniors today—truly impressive, truly impressive!"

Even though forced out, his tone still carried a carefree, lofty arrogance, as if he didn't regard me and Pangzi at all.

I could almost certainly say this black-robed old man is someone with quirks—like a mall, or those high-ranking figures of the Warring States period: clearly possessing absolute power to overwhelm everything, yet he prefers to stay hidden and inactive, secretly manipulating the whole situation from behind the scenes, never showing his face from start to finish, yet ending up laughing last and gaining the most in the whole campaign. Ordinary people like us cannot see through it, but in their eyes, this is an endless pleasure.

Behind this desire for control and manipulation lies a distorted humanity—liking to stand high, watching banners dance on the chessboard, countless pieces slaughtering each other due to his maneuvers, blood flowing like rivers. Meanwhile, the chess-player outside the board gains only greater pleasure from the boundless slaughter.

Such people, no matter which dynasty or position they hold, are not to be underestimated. Behind their strategizing lies absolute wisdom. Of course, describing such a person with wisdom alone is inappropriate. If one's ambition, insight, and planning ability are placed in a favorable light, he is wisdom; if placed in the opposite light, he can only be called scheming, or perhaps a pervert with heaven-defying IQ.

The black-robed old man before us is absolutely such a heaven-defying pervert. Whether his disciples or himself, their cultivation is not trivial. Moreover, besides mastery of insect raising and poison, he seems also proficient in the talisman martial arts and formations of various other schools.

I slowly stepped forward, looking at him and smiling lightly: "Actually, just by being alive, you are already inside the chessboard. We cultivators all consider ourselves outside the chessboard. Yet the fact is, when you regard yourself as an outsider watching the pieces fight inside the board, your position is actually just another……chessboard."

As I spoke the last word, I suddenly sprang up, directly striking him with Yin Lightning Point Strike.

At the same time, Pangzi also sprang up, using Huaguang Martial Arts Five Thunder God Strike to coordinate with me in a left-right pincer attack.

Even when Chen Zheng made his move, I had realized the terror of this black-robed old man's strength. Even though Chen Zheng, to prolong Dong Yumin's life, had weakened qi and blood and was not as formidable as before, he was still an internal master not to be ignored.

Being able to force Chen Zheng back in a single round shows his strength can be glimpsed. Therefore, I decisively chose a sneak attack—while talking to him to distract his attention, then striking decisively when he was off guard.

But the next second, I realized I was wrong, terribly wrong.

I and Pangzi attacked him from left and right; he extended two hands like old dry wood to meet us. When our palms met, my heart instantly surged with a shocking, sea-overturning dread.

The feeling transmitted from my palms was exactly like my Yin Shan Sect's Yin Lightning Point Strike—tyrannical yet carrying an eerie chill, absolutely the Yin Lightning Point Strike of my Yin Shan Sect. Meanwhile, Pangzi stared at him in disbelief: "How do you know Huaguang Sect's Five Thunder God Strike?"

In that instant of exchange, he actually employed martial arts from two schools.

If it were only Huaguang Sect's martial arts, it would still be understandable. Huaguang Dharma Teaching is one of the most widely spread folk teachings in Guangdong and Guangxi, with countless Huaguang disciples. Moreover, many are direct descendants of the Chen, Li, and Wang families; it's no surprise that old masters passed these skills down to their disciples.

But this black-robed old man not only knows Huaguang Sect's Five Thunder God Strike, he is also deeply versed in my Yin Shan Sect's Yin Lightning Point Strike. Yin Shan Sect has declined since the Republic of China era; its arts have scattered, and its martial arts have long been lost. Even my master Li Feng, as a direct successor, has only managed to grasp a few rare martial arts.

Master Li Feng once told me that even people of his era who deeply understood Yin Shan martial arts could be counted on one's fingers. Following that reasoning, this fellow must be from the same generation as my master. In an instant, my and Pangzi's gazes at him revealed undisguised shock.

"Pfft——" At that side, Pangzi's face suddenly flushed red, and he spat out a mouthful of bright red blood. In that instant of clash, the black-clad old man overwhelmed Pangzi with absolute strength; the backlash of his Five Thunder God Strike also injured Pangzi.

Five Thunder God Strike differs from point strikes and mysterious strikes; even if point and mysterious strikes are tyrannical, if detected in time there is still hope. But God Strike, besides being supremely tyrannical, directly destroys a person's five viscera and six bowels, causing the struck to lose all vitality in an instant; an ordinary person receiving this strike would surely die within a breath.

Watching Pangzi spit out a mouthful of blood, on the verge of collapse, I hurriedly struggled to rise to check on him. Yet before I could fully stand, a sharp pain transmitted through my body.

Gradually, my shoulders, heart, and vital points on my limbs all transmitted a stabbing pain; within the pain there was also a bone-chilling cold that penetrated to the heart, making me feel as if fallen into an ice cellar, my whole body trembling uncontrollably.

The power of Yin Lightning Point Strike also gradually appeared on my body; if not resolved in a short time, I will soon be frozen to death alive.

There is always a solution to a curse, unless it is a ruthless method that cuts off all retreat; otherwise there will be a dispelling method. Although Yin Lightning Point Strike and Five Thunder God Strike are tyrannical, they are not yet ruthless methods that cut off retreat. So besides knowing how to dispel them, I and Pangzi also know the dispelling method. Moreover, as cultivators, our bodies are far stronger than ordinary people's; we won't die immediately after being hit by a technique like ordinary people would. Thus we have enough time to dispel the curse.

The black cannon old man remained motionless, just quietly watching us dispel the technique, not obstructing us, nor intending to pursue victory.

To outsiders this scene looks strange, even me and Pangzi are utterly puzzled. Given the chance to put the enemy in a deathly situation, why would he so easily give it up?

But when I chanted the incantation and formed the hand seal to dispel the Yin Lightning Point Strike on my body, something strange soon happened. The yin cold feeling inside my body did not diminish with the dispelling method; instead it grew bit by bit—in other words, the dispelling method had lost its effect, I simply could not dispel his Yin Lightning Point Strike.

"Clang——clang" As I and Pangzi sat cross-legged on the ground, exerting all our strength to dispel the technique, Little Fat clenched his chubby fists and charged at the black-robed old man.

I anxiously worried in my heart, but my injuries prevented me from diverting attention; I could only watch helplessly as Little Fat was blown backward by the black-robed old man's assault.

"Little Fat——" Watching Little Fat fly backward, I finally could not help but cry out in alarm. Yet at that very moment of distraction, the yin energy inside my body surged like a tide, spreading over me. I was corroded by yin qi, completely losing the ability to resist. I fell to the ground like an addict in withdrawal, clutching my shoulders, curling my knees, trembling all over.

Seeing the black-robed old man had no intention of pursuing Little Fat after victory, my anxious heart finally eased a little. However, at this moment the situation is still grim—Chen Zheng is injured, and Pangzi and I have lost our fighting strength.

Who else can resist this black-robed old man?

I could only despairingly watch the black-robed old man slowly approach Chen Zheng. I have no doubt about his ability; he will surely extract that thing from Chen Zheng's mouth. If an Insect Master is determined to torment a person, he can certainly make life worse than death.

Perhaps after extracting that thing's whereabouts, he will refine Dong Yumin into a Nine Heaven Woman that makes all Daoists under heaven tremble at the mere mention. Or perhaps tonight, Pangzi and I will die miserably inside this courtyard, never even getting a chance to watch him refine the Nine Heaven Woman.

The sky is dim and gloomy, just like my heart—a vast darkness with no light, no hope.