Chapter 135

The noisy scene of gongs and drums suddenly became silent. Chu Yang's move to break the technique was so clean that it even made people feel creepy.

That was the Lin family's unique technique!

It was broken just like that? Lin Tiannan clenched his fists tightly, his eyes staring fixedly at Chu Yang.

Where did this put his face? In fact, Chu Yang didn't want to be so high-profile, but Xu Changqing was right there, so it was inconvenient for him to use other abilities to save people.

He couldn't keep saying it was a magical treasure given by the Sect Leader, right?

If he said it too much, even if Xu Changqing were stupid, he would feel something was wrong.

Chu Yang took Liu Jinyuan off the stage and shook his head at Xu Changqing, "Senior Brother, clearing up misunderstandings is just our wishful thinking. Let's just drop it. Let's go directly to the Hidden Dragon Cave and leave after dealing with the snake demon."

Xu Changqing nodded. Lin Yueru's unruliness far exceeded his expectations; she didn't even give them a chance to explain.

Liu Jinyuan said with a guilty face, "The fault lies entirely with me. I hope you all will forgive me."

Li Xiaoyao said impatiently, "What does it have to do with you? It's not like you were the one being unreasonable."

Liu Jinyuan still wanted to explain, but Chu Yang reached out to stop him and then shook his head, "Young Master Liu, let's part ways here."

Liu Jinyuan was greatly disappointed and could only sigh toward the sky.

Just as the group was about to leave, Lin Tiannan couldn't sit still and flew down in front of Chu Yang and the others.

With the reputation of Lin Family Manor at stake, how could he let them leave easily?

"This young hero wants to leave after winning the competition? Are you not putting me, Lin Tiannan, in your eyes?"

"Treating my Lin Family Manor as a joke?"

Lin Tiannan looked at them with displeasure.

Xu Changqing cupped his hands in a salute and said in a deep voice, "Senior Lin, my Junior Brother was anxious to save someone and did not intend to disrupt your daughter's martial arts competition. I hope you can understand."

Liu Jinyuan also bowed and saluted, "Uncle-in-law, if it weren't for Mr... Daoist Chu, I would probably have been injured."

"I haven't settled the score with you yet, why are you coming out to be a hero?!" Lin Tiannan felt angry just looking at Liu Jinyuan, "The martial arts competition is a matter of the pugilistic world. Why is a scholar like you joining in the fun? Aren't you deliberately trying to embarrass me?"

Liu Jinyuan waved his hands quickly, "I didn't have that thought! I just really like my cousin..."

Lin Tiannan glared at him, his voice cold, "I've told you many times, the vast foundation of my Lin Family Manor and the position of Martial Arts Alliance Leader can only be inherited by someone with high martial arts skills. You will never have a chance in this life!"

Liu Jinyuan was scolded until he was crestfallen and didn't dare to respond, trembling with anger.

Chu Yang shook his head helplessly. Liu Jinyuan had a good character, but he didn't have much talent on the path of martial arts. If he were in Lin Tiannan's shoes, he wouldn't choose him as a son-in-law either.

"Wait! What did you just call him?"

Lin Tiannan, who had been scolding for a while, suddenly noticed something wrong.

Liu Jinyuan replied gloomily, "This is Daoist Chu... they are disciples of Shushan."

Lin Tiannan was stunned for a moment, then beamed with joy, "The flood destroyed the Dragon King Temple; it turns out we are all one family. I am sworn brothers with your Shushan Sect Leader, the Sword Saint. Surely you must have heard..."

Hearing this, Xu Changqing's expression became solemn, and he said seriously, "Senior Lin, Uncle-Master Sword Saint is the Sect Leader of the Immortal Sword Sect. My Junior Brother and I are disciples of the Shushan Sect. Please be careful with your words..."

Lin Tiannan's laughter came to an abrupt end, and only the word "awkward" remained on his face.

As the sworn brother of the Sword Saint, he knew about the dispute between sword and Qi in Shushan.

It was indeed the flood destroying the Dragon King Temple, but it was the neighbor's Dragon King Temple...

Dancing on someone else's sore spot, even though Lin Tiannan had been in the right before, he couldn't even say a harsh word now.

If it weren't Xu Changqing, any other Shushan disciple would have fought Lin Tiannan.

Lin Tiannan held it in for a long time before saying, "It was my impoliteness. Please don't take it to heart, two little Daoists."

Xu Changqing's tone was not as respectful as before, and he said faintly, "You are an elder and a sworn brother of Uncle-Master Sword Saint, so impoliteness is not the word for it."

"It's just that my Junior Brother is a monk, and he only went on stage because he was anxious to save someone just now. Even if he won against your daughter by luck, it doesn't count. Why not let us juniors leave now?"

Since the other party was a Shushan disciple, it wouldn't be a disgrace even if Lin Yueru lost, and it wouldn't cause Lin Family Manor to lose its reputation in the pugilistic world.

But the move Chu Yang used to break the 【Qi Sword Finger】 really made Lin Tiannan feel amazed. Thinking of this, he hesitated again.

Chu Yang noticed Lin Tiannan's hesitation and smiled, "This junior has a few sword moves I would like to ask you about, Senior. Why not borrow your precious land for a moment? Let's just forget about the martial arts competition for now."

"What does Senior think?"

Lin Tiannan was happy and nodded happily, "That is also fine."

Xu Changqing, who was confused, walked to Chu Yang's side and asked in a low voice, "What is Junior Brother doing?"

Chu Yang said softly, "I broke the Qi Sword Finger and made Lin Tiannan lose face, so I have to return it somehow."

"By the way... see the true Lin family ultimate technique."

Xu Changqing finally realized that Chu Yang was trying to steal Lin Tiannan's martial arts! "Junior Brother, this isn't very good..."

"Senior Brother, the dispute between sword and Qi is imminent. If we lose, we will be the Immortal Sword Sect!"

Mentioning the dispute between sword and Qi, Xu Changqing seemed like a different person, his eyes full of the light of justice, "A junior asking an elder for advice is a matter of course. Junior Brother, no need to worry!"

Facts proved that even a guy who looked thick-browed and big-eyed was black on the inside when cut open.

As Chu Yang and Lin Tiannan went on stage, the martial arts competition to choose a husband transformed into the World's Number One Martial Arts Tournament.

Lin Yueru was ruthlessly driven off the stage by her old father. She was still immersed in the shock of being defeated by Chu Yang in one move, unable to extricate herself, like a walking corpse.

The simp Liu Jinyuan immediately went up to greet her and show concern.

Lin Yueru was annoyed by him and said firmly, "Cousin, we are not on the same path at all. Even if all the men in the world died, I would not be with you."

Liu Jinyuan was petrified on the spot. Compared to Lin Tiannan's disdain, Lin Yueru's attitude was what sentenced him to death.

On the other side, Chu Yang and Lin Tiannan had already started fighting. To show that this was a friendly exchange, neither side used swords, but instead used fingers as swords.

Lin Tiannan naturally used the Qi Sword Finger; as a father, he definitely had to win back the face his daughter lost.

And Chu Yang used the Qi-Breaking Style from the Nine Swords of Dugu to fight the enemy, also mixed with some inexplicable sword techniques.

Both sides were evenly matched.

The onlookers were also very happy, cheering from below. They didn't care whether it was a martial arts competition or a husband-choosing competition today; anyway, it was good to have excitement to watch.

Li Xiaoyao observed their battle carefully. He discovered that the Nine Swords of Dugu in Chu Yang's hands and in his own hands were clearly two completely different sword techniques.

If it were him, he might have already been beaten by Lin Tiannan until he couldn't find north by now.

Chu Yang on the stage was very calm. He seemed to be able to predict Lin Tiannan's moves in advance and could always accurately cut off the other party's offensive.

In contrast, Lin Tiannan's moves gradually became chaotic, and the rhythm of his attack was completely led by Chu Yang.

If he didn't bring out something real, the dignified Martial Arts Alliance Leader would probably lose all his majesty today!

Lin Tiannan also realized this, then his figure flickered, he retreated violently, and condensed all his true essence into his arms and fingertips.

"Seven-Decision Sword Qi!"

The Lin Family Sword Art was divided into three parts: the introductory Qi Sword Finger, the intermediate Seven-Decision Sword Qi, and the great success of the Dragon-Slaying Technique.

It also included common moves like "Sweeping Across a Thousand Armies."

The moment Lin Tiannan performed the Seven-Decision Sword Qi, the trajectory of the true essence in his body had already been captured by Chu Yang's Rinnegan.

With Chu Yang's current martial arts cultivation, it was very simple to replicate it.

Seven terrifying sword Qi tore through the stage, destroying Chu Yang's footing almost in an instant.

Chu Yang leaped into the air, and endless sword Qi erupted from his body, sweeping through the surroundings like a storm.

Since Lin Tiannan brought out the Seven-Decision Sword Qi, Chu Yang also switched to the Return of Ten Thousand Swords to the Ancestor to fight the enemy.

The sword Qi storm not only blocked the seven violent sword Qi but also shook Lin Tiannan back several meters. The stage completely collapsed, leaving only two flagpoles standing alone in place.

Chu Yang and Lin Tiannan landed on the tops of the two flagpoles respectively.

"The younger generation is to be feared!"

Lin Tiannan sighed and looked at him with burning eyes, "The sword technique you used doesn't seem to be the Sword Control Technique of Shushan?"

Chu Yang smiled, "My aptitude is dull, and I have not yet entered the Dao, so I can only practice some superficial kung fu."

Lin Tiannan heard the implication in Chu Yang's words but was not annoyed. He said sarcastically, "Your words are sharp, somewhat like the Sword Saint when he was young. You should have joined the Sword Sect."

Chu Yang said faintly, "Senior is not bad either."

"Good lad, this is the last move, you must be careful."

After saying that, Lin Tiannan performed the Dragon-Slaying Technique. His true essence merged into one, and his aura suddenly became extremely domineering. It didn't look like sword Qi, but more like the killing intent of a battlefield.

"The Dragon-Slaying Technique is based on the Seven-Decision Sword Qi, using killing intent to merge the seven sword Qi into one. Its sword intent is aimed at slaying dragons. So that's it..."

Chu Yang faced the power of the Dragon-Slaying Technique directly and tested the sword with his body without any defense, shocking everyone present.

Lin Tiannan looked horrified. It was too late to withdraw the move, so he could only shout loudly, "Dodge!"

The majestic aura of the Dragon-Slaying Technique submerged Chu Yang and even affected many onlookers, as if a thick wall of air had hit them, and a large number of them fell instantly.

Xu Changqing subconsciously raised his arm to protect himself, but because he was worried about Chu Yang, he hurriedly lowered his hand.

Chu Yang landed safely. His Daoist robe was damaged, but he didn't look injured, which made Xu Changqing breathe a sigh of relief.

"Senior Lin's martial arts are superb. You are worthy of being the Martial Arts Alliance Leader. This junior has lost. I admire you!"

Chu Yang cupped his hands, smiling broadly. Where did he look like he had lost? No one knew that he had gained an ultimate technique no less than Sword Twenty-Three for free, so naturally, they didn't understand why he was happy.

Lin Tiannan, who had regained his face, knew that Chu Yang had intentionally conceded, so he was no longer aggressive.

After saying a few polite words and dismissing the onlookers, he invited the group into Lin Family Manor for a chat.

After sitting down, Lin Tiannan learned the ins and outs of the matter and couldn't help but scold Lin Yueru.

How could the pampered Lin Yueru endure such grievances? She cried and argued with Lin Tiannan a few times before rushing out of the main hall.

Lin Tiannan had a headache about this and smiled awkwardly, "I've let you all see a joke."

"Manor Master Lin, you are too polite." Xu Changqing smiled, "As I just said, we plan to go to the Hidden Dragon Cave to eliminate demons, but it is inconvenient to bring Miss Ling'er. I hope Manor Master Lin can take care of her on our behalf."

Lin Tiannan nodded and said righteously, "Speaking of this Hidden Dragon Cave, it should have been handled by my Lin Family Manor, but I have important matters to attend to, and instead, I'm troubling you all. This little favor should be done."

Xu Changqing breathed a sigh of relief, "In that case, we can leave with peace of mind."

A moment later, Li Xiaoyao and Zhao Ling Er said goodbye reluctantly and left Suzhou City with Chu Yang and the others.

He had already mastered the Sword Control Technique that the Wine Sword Immortal had forcibly passed to him to perfection. Seeing this, Xu Changqing didn't hide his secrets and took the opportunity to teach him the method of flying with a sword.

Anyway, he had already learned it, and the sect rules weren't broken by Xu Changqing and Chu Yang, so there was no psychological burden in teaching it.

Both of them knew how to control swords, so they flew directly with Chu Yang toward the location of the Hidden Dragon Cave.

In an instant.

They had already reached the entrance at the foot of the mountain.

The three of them were just about to go in when Chu Yang suddenly said, "Let's rest for a while. There are many poisonous snakes in the cave. Prepare some realgar before going in."

Li Xiaoyao, who was subduing demons for the first time, was very excited. How could he be willing to stop? He hurriedly said, "Brother Chu, I feel very good now, no need to rest!"

Chu Yang ignored him completely and turned to Xu Changqing, "That snake demon kidnapped many young girls. We must prioritize saving people and treat subduing demons as secondary. We need to act cautiously. Senior Brother, you should talk to him properly!"

Xu Changqing nodded and pulled Li Xiaoyao over to start ideological education. Li Xiaoyao's face immediately fell. Chu Yang took the opportunity to walk to a deserted place and entered the Soul Palace.

In the empty palace, the figure of Magic Chu Yang was still busy.

Since last night, he had been trying to create a Demon-Eating Gu.

He originally thought it would be easy, but he ignored a key point: the Demon-Eating Gu itself possessed spiritual energy. Without spiritual energy, what was produced would just be ordinary Gu insects.

Therefore, the key to production became the mutual transformation of chakra and spiritual energy.

Magic Chu Yang and Naruto Chu Yang were busy all night before producing one experimental specimen. It survived, but there was no guarantee that its efficacy would reach the level of the main body.

Xianxia Chu Yang could only return with the replica of the Demon-Eating Gu to try again.

After a short while, Li Xiaoyao's ideological and moral class was almost over, and he followed behind Xu Changqing dejectedly.

The three of them entered the cave together. Chu Yang used Observation Haki to search for the trapped girls. Although the Hidden Dragon Cave was accessible from all directions, it still did not exceed the detection range of Haki.

"Senior Brother, I can protect myself, but I can't protect Xiaoyao. It's best if you act with him. I'll go to the other side to save people. Let's split into two paths."

After Chu Yang finished speaking, he drilled into the cave entrance, not giving Xu Changqing any time to react.

"Junior Brother!"

Xu Changqing knew that Chu Yang's decision was appropriate. Speed is the essence of war; if the snake demon were alerted, saving people would become difficult.

So he didn't hesitate anymore and quickly entered the cave with Li Xiaoyao.

Chu Yang followed the sound and soon found the snake demon.

The snake demon was about five or six meters tall, with a human upper body and a huge snake tail for a lower body. Its muscles were bulging all over, and it looked full of power from afar.

Beside it was a fox demon that had transformed into human form, with a slender and exquisite figure, and three brown tails exposed at its buttocks.

It was a three-tailed demon fox! The two demons were lingering together.

This snake and fox had at least several hundred years of cultivation. In Chu Yang's view, they were very good experimental subjects!

The fox demon had a keen sense of smell. As soon as Chu Yang appeared, she smelled the scent of a human.

Being cautious by nature, she immediately spat a patch of green poisonous mist in the direction of Chu Yang.

"Since no one is here, I won't be polite to you guys!"

Chu Yang took a step forward, his whole body radiating a faint golden light. Behind him emerged the phenomenon of the sun and moon in the same sky, and every gesture was filled with brilliant starlight.

Original Body of Martial Essence!

Where had the two demons hiding in the mountain gully ever seen such a formation? The two demons were terrified!

Without a word, they ran directly!

Chu Yang reached out and grabbed, 【Universal Pull】 sucked the two demons over. The sun and moon behind him radiated light, fixing them in mid-air, unable to move.

Second Form of the Breathing of Origin! A flash of light appeared in Chu Yang's eyes, and the sun and moon phenomenon behind him gradually transformed into a huge millstone.

The two kinds of light merged together and shone on the two demons, causing them to let out painful wails, their bodies looking as if they were about to be ground away.

Chu Yang hurriedly dispersed the phenomenon, and they were finally able to catch their breath! "Immortal, spare our lives! We husband and wife don't know how we offended the Immortal, and hope the Immortal will forgive us!"

The fox demon had a flexible brain. Seeing that Chu Yang was wearing a Daoist robe and seeing that the situation was bad, she hurriedly begged for mercy, her attitude very fawning.

"Immortal, spare our lives! Immortal, spare our lives!"

The snake demon's IQ was not high, so it could only follow the fox demon and shout.

"I spare you, but have you ever spared those innocent villagers and young girls?"

Chu Yang sneered and threw the Demon-Eating Gu onto the snake demon. The Gu insect, which had been unresponsive, seemed to have its program activated and became restless and excited.

"What is this ghost thing?"

"Ahhhhhhh!!!"

As the Gu insect crawled into the snake demon's body, it began to let out terrifying screams. Fortunately, the Hidden Dragon Cave was large and deep enough that no one could hear its screams.

Just like those innocent villagers! The Demon-Eating Gu first started by eating the demon's essence, then its flesh and blood. With the demon's strong vitality, it wouldn't die in a short time, so this process was very painful.

Seeing the snake demon in such pain, the fox demon immediately tore off her disguise and began to curse Chu Yang.

The angrier they were, the more comfortable Chu Yang felt in his heart.

On the way here, the white bones along the road had shocked him.

"This is what you deserve, no need to thank me!"

"Take your time, it will be your turn in a while!"

Chu Yang revealed a pleasant smile amidst the fox demon's curses.

It was the first time it had seen such a cold-blooded and ruthless human, and all the vicious words were suddenly stuck in its throat, not daring to be spoken.

The snake demon's aura became weaker and weaker, and its screams could no longer be heard.

"Xiaoyao brother, I don't understand what you mean. Aren't people all the same?"

Chu Yang shook his head and laughed, "You are not worthy! Enjoy the pain of this moment. I'll say it again, you deserve it."

The fox demon finally fell into complete despair.

A moment later, only a thin layer of skin remained of the snake demon's huge body. Seeing that the Demon-Eating Gu had eaten enough, Chu Yang sucked it out.

The white surface of the Demon-Eating Gu turned blood-red, and its size was a whole circle larger.

Chu Yang was happy; the result of the cultivation should be a success.

"Seeing you in such a state of being worse off than dead, I will be merciful and send you to see your snake demon husband."

After saying that, Chu Yang threw the Demon-Eating Gu onto the fox demon again. She closed her eyes, willing to accept death.

The whole process did not emit a single wail.

It fulfilled that old saying.

There is no greater sorrow than a dead heart.

The satiated Demon-Eating Gu fell into a deep sleep. Chu Yang put it away, preparing to ask Zhao Ling Er for the method of use after returning.

The Demon-Eating Gu's devouring of demons is an instinct, while the feedback of cultivation and power requires human manipulation.

In the corner, there was a small fox, staring fiercely at Chu Yang.

Chu Yang reached out and sucked it over, then used the Obliviate Spell to wipe its memory, "For the sake of you being young and not having harmed anyone, I will spare you once, but you might harm people in the future."

"I have to take you away and find an opportunity to release you back to Lishushan, where there are all demon races."

The little fox disappeared and was put by Chu Yang into the space of the Undetectable Extension Charm, where living things, such as some magical creatures, could be stored.

After doing this, Chu Yang wandered around and found some Forget-Soul Flowers, and also dug out the snake gall.

These were all good things for refining medicine. After returning to Shushan, he could ask fellow disciples who were good at refining pills for help.

"It's still better in the Xianxia world. You can level up by fighting monsters and get treasures by going into dungeons."

Chu Yang left the Hidden Dragon Cave with satisfaction.

Xu Changqing and Li Xiaoyao had been waiting outside for a long time with the kidnapped girls. The two were just about to return to look for Chu Yang when they saw him walking out with big strides.

"Junior Brother, did you encounter the snake demon?"

"Rest assured, I have already slain those two demons."

"Two?!"

"A snake demon and a fox demon, but the fox demon's cultivation was much worse, just a matter of one sword."

Xu Changqing nodded with satisfaction, "Junior Brother's cultivation has improved again."

Chu Yang smiled, "Thanks to the teachings of Senior Mo and Senior Lin, plus the battle just now, between life and death, I had a breakthrough and have reached the realm of Refining Essence into Qi."

The realm division of Immortal Sword is very ancient and very general, with only four layers.

Refining Essence into Qi, Refining Qi into Spirit, Refining Spirit into Void, Refining Void into Dao.

Among them, Refining Spirit into Void is called the realm of a half-immortal, and Refining Void into Dao is a terrestrial true immortal.

Further up is ascending to the Immortal World.

Most of the top combat power in the human world is in the half-immortal realm of Refining Spirit into Void.

Ninety-nine percent of people will get stuck at the first major hurdle, the "Refining Essence into Qi" realm, which is also what Xu Changqing often muttered about: "My Junior Brother has not yet succeeded in refining Qi."

After successfully Refining Essence into Qi, spiritual energy will be born in the body. If a martial artist enters the Dao through martial arts, spiritual energy will combine with internal strength to form true essence, which is considered a variant of spiritual energy.

It is worth noting that because the realm is general and only has four layers, there will be a disparity in combat power between people in the same realm.

Xu Changqing was both surprised and happy. He rushed to Chu Yang in a few steps and placed a hand on him. After a long while, he said softly, "You really have true essence."

"Junior Brother, once you enter the Dao, the future will be a smooth path. The Sect Leader and the elders will definitely be very happy to know!"

Xu Changqing squeezed Chu Yang's shoulder excitedly, indescribably happy, his eyes shining.

Li Xiaoyao was also happy for Chu Yang. In fact, he had already condensed true essence long ago, but he didn't know whether he should say it, fearing it would affect Chu Yang's state of mind.

The three of them took the girls down the mountain. Not long after, the news spread from ten to a hundred.

Many villagers came to claim their own girls.

For a time, the sound of reunion and crying was endless.

Those villagers who didn't find their families came to Xu Changqing repeatedly to ask, and then stared blankly in the direction of the Hidden Dragon Cave.

Seeing this, Li Xiaoyao felt very uncomfortable and roared in a low voice, "I really should have been with Brother Chu. Only by killing those two demons can I resolve the hatred in my heart!"

Xu Changqing patted him on the shoulder and sighed.

As time passed, most of the villagers had already left, leaving only one lonely girl.

Xu Changqing suggested, "This girl's family hasn't come for a long time. I guess they thought she was buried in the demon cave. Why don't we just send her home."

Chu Yang looked at the girl, a playful smile appearing on the corner of his mouth, "No rush, wait a little longer."

Xu Changqing was a little surprised but still nodded in agreement.

If Junior Brother said so, he must have his reasons!

Not long after, an old man leaning on a cane walked over from a distance, trembling.

"Grandpa!"

The girl threw herself into the old man's arms and cried bitterly.

Xu Changqing smiled and was just about to say something when a sword light shot into the sky beside him!

The heads of the grandfather and granddaughter were rolled up by the sword light and flew high into the air.

Their two pale faces were full of astonishment.

Li Xiaoyao widened his eyes.

Xu Changqing looked at Chu Yang in horror!

(End of chapter)