Chapter 423: If You Want It, Come and Take It

"Master, what exactly is the secret of the holy weapons?" Bai Zhu couldn't help but ask.

"I don't know." The Moon Palace Master shook her head.

The Moon Palace has possessed the Seven-Colored Immortal Veil for many years, yet has not discovered any special secret about it.

"Could it be that the demon monk is spreading false news?" Bai Zhu frowned and said.

The Moon Palace Master revealed a helpless, wry smile beneath her veil: "Even if it's false news, what then?"

Some people simply have such power.

Spreading a heaven-sized lie—even if many suspect it's false, they still have to dance to his tune.

"If it's false news, why would he do that?" Bai Zhu said.

"Perhaps he truly discovered the secret of the nine holy weapons." The Moon Palace Master gently shook the reins in her hand, and the horse began to speed up.

To the Heavenly River Valley, it's just her and the Flower-Child Bai Zhu.

The Moon Palace's situation has already proven that numbers mean nothing in the hands of the demon monk Xuanzang—especially when he doesn't possess the holy weapons.

The Heavenly River Valley is a rather peculiar place.

Though called a valley, it is actually a mountain, but it seems a portion has been dug out at an angle in the middle.

Three sides are sheer cliffs, with jagged, strange rocks.

There are many footholds; descending is not difficult, but ascending requires exceptional lightness skills.

Long ago, this place housed the Heavenly River Sect.

Later it fell into ruin, leaving only a rather spacious stone staircase leading upward, and the ruins inside have basically vanished.

Due to its special location, many martial artists have come here to duel.

Including the Sword Youth—years ago, the place where he challenged the ten greatest masters was right here.

When the Moon Palace Master and the Flower-Child Bai Zhu arrived, the sky was already bright, and many martial artists had gathered near the stone steps.

In small groups, the noise was deafening.

The appearance of the Moon Palace Master and the Flower-Child Bai Zhu caused a stir.

Many came over to chat; the Moon Palace Master merely nodded slightly, while Bai Zhu displayed what it means to be a social butterfly of the martial world.

He could chat with anyone for a few sentences and thus learned the situation.

The demon monk Xuanzang has not yet appeared, and many impatient people have already gone up to check the situation.

Among them are not a few martial arts masters and veterans.

Such as the Dharma Protector of the Azure Frost Sect, the Valley Master of the No-Flower Valley, the Sect Master of the Crimson Lotus School, etc.

Quite renowned—those who can be named number no less than twenty, ensuring the demon monk has set no ambush above.

The Moon Palace is the earliest to arrive among the Four Holy Lands.

The other three Holy Lands have not yet appeared.

The people here have chosen to wait and see, just wanting to join the excitement.

The most obvious is the group gathered over there, where a voice rises and falls as it narrates something.

Bai Zhu listened carefully, then laughed and said to his master before walking over.

At the center of the crowd stood a thin, scholar-dressed old man, his old clothes clean and neat, holding a fan, giving off a faint air of immortal grace.

At this moment, he was narrating the story of the Four-Times Demon Monk.

Though it sounds exaggerated, Bai Zhu felt upon hearing it that this was merely a weakened version of the demon monk.

That fellow needs to team up with his disciples to kill the master of the Misty Rain Tower?

Switch it around—two people wielding holy weapons besieging the demon monk Xuanzang still couldn't defeat him.

The first boast lost to reality.

"Old Scholar!" Bai Zhu shouted, parting the crowd and walking over.

Seeing Bai Zhu, the storyteller smiled and said: "So it's the Flower-Plucking Youth..."

"Get lost! You're the one who plucks flowers!" Bai Zhu laughed and cursed.

This old fellow is a fairly famous storyteller; all kinds of martial affairs, in his mouth, become flowing tales filled with legendary color.

Bai Zhu has interacted with this person many times.

His real name is unknown, so we just call him Old Scholar.

His martial arts are mediocre, but his lightness skills are superb; in his own words, he often needs to enter dangerous places to gather firsthand information.

How could one not run?

"How's your compilation of the One Hundred and Eight Stars of the Martial World going?" Bai Zhu asked.

The storyteller has a dream: to compile the《One Hundred and Eight Stars of the Martial World》, surpass the Weapon Catalog, and leave fame for generations.

"Almost done, almost done." The storyteller laughed.

"Which star did you place the Four-Times Demon Monk under?" Bai Zhu asked.

The storyteller shook his head: "This person is hard to categorize; only after today can I roughly sort him out."

"Shall we go up?" Bai Zhu invited.

"Not in a hurry, not in a hurry—earn some carriage fare." The storyteller laughed, saying: "Wandering the martial world requires money, after all."

Fortunately, the martial heroes are never stingy with money; sometimes they even commission him to specially praise certain people.

Though the storyteller's clothes are somewhat worn, he has no worries about food and clothing—he lives a carefree life.

Enviable.

"Alright, let's go up first." Bai Zhu said, and he and the Moon Palace Master began walking up the stone steps.

A group of martial artists followed behind them.

With a great master appearing above, they can also follow along.

Not two steps taken, and a commotion rose from behind.

Everyone turned their heads, only to see a procession slowly approaching.

In the center was a carriage pulled by sixteen horses arrayed in two rows — to call it a carriage, honestly, is an oversimplification.

One might even say it is a luxurious little house.

Surrounding it clustered a group of men brimming with spirit, uniform in height and dress, gazes like lightning.

On their chests was embroidered a "Zhu" character.

The Heavenly Forbidden Guards of the Zhu Royal House — who sat inside that carriage went without saying.

The carriage halted on the open ground before the stone steps; with a *shua*, a vast "blank zone" instantly cleared around them.

Those able to stand on equal footing with the Zhu Royal House were the ones standing on the stone steps.

The carriage doors opened, and eight burly men emerged.

On their shoulders they bore a soft sedan, not the enclosed kind — hanging beads draped its four sides.

Allowing a clear view of the person within.

It was an old man, clad in incomparably splendid robes, but his hair was sparse, the skin on his face and hands quite slack.

The corners of his mouth and eyes drooped, giving off a "strangers keep out" air.

Especially that pair of eyes — not large, narrow and long, uncommonly sharp, like two knives, making one dare not meet his gaze.

The Zhu Royal House's patriarch, Zhu Chenfu!

Now over eighty years of age.

Besides him on the sedan and the eight sedan-bearers, there was one more person standing at the side.

A lovely young girl, cradling a sword case in her arms.

Needless to say, inside the sword case was Qianqiu Wan'zai, one of the Nine Saint Weapons.

That girl should be Zhu Chenfu's most beloved granddaughter, Zhu Yishou.

This name sounds obviously unlike a woman's name, but beyond doubt it represents Zhu Chenfu's incomparably simple wish.

Zhu Chenfu in the sedan, those gloomy sharp eyes swept across.

The surrounding jianghu folk averted their gazes one after another.

"Let's go." He spoke, voice hoarse.

The eight burly men silently bore the sedan forward; even ascending the stone steps was like walking on flat ground.

One could see the front four, their bodies like shock-absorbing springs constantly rising and falling — clearly their martial arts were not weak either.

Even surpassing most of the jianghu people present, yet they were merely sedan-bearers, and there were those fifty Heavenly Forbidden Guards whose martial arts would only be higher.

Sufficient to see the Zhu Royal House's might.

Zhu Chenfu narrowed his eyes, looking toward the little White Zhi girl and her disciple not far ahead.

After a while his eyelids gradually drooped, as if his energy was flagging.

"This old monster..." The sensation of thorns at his back vanished; Bai Zhu murmured in his heart.

The jianghu publicly acknowledges the strongest is the Falling Petals Sword God, but the one everyone least wants to provoke, deems most dangerous, is Zhu Chenfu.

The Moon Palace master and disciple, the Zhu Royal House figures gradually vanished up the stone steps; the remaining jianghu folk also slowly mounted the steps.

The number of people below the stone steps decreased by two-thirds; just as the rest also prepared to ascend.

Another large batch of people arrived, fifty-odd men; unlike the flowing, agile dress of ordinary jianghu folk, they were armed to the teeth, even wearing half-body armor.

The leader even wore a full-body suit of golden armor, incomparably dashing.

Immovable God King Armor!

After the Moon Palace and Zhu Royal House, the Inherit Heaven Pavilion — enters the scene!

Of the Four Great Holy Lands, three have already appeared.

Only the Flying Sword Gate remains. No doubt, the Flying Sword Gate would not miss this jianghu grand gathering either.

"They're here, they're here! The Sword Young Master has come too!"

The Inherit Heaven Pavilion people had just mounted the steps when shouts rang out from above.

Unlike the other three Holy Lands' people who came up this side via the stone steps, the Sword Young Master came crossing the mountain from the other side.

The jianghu folk below the stone steps surged upward at once, deathly afraid of missing something.

At the very top of the stone steps lay the ruins of the Heavenly River Gate, a fairly spacious open ground with a few broken walls and ruins.

The ground was paved with irregular bluestone slabs, many already cracked; tenacious weeds sprouted from the crevices.

Besides the stone steps they came by, three sides were sheer cliffs — but not the smooth, mirror-like vertical kind; they were sloped, with many protruding footholds.

Some with decent lightness skills occupied those high vantage points for watching the fight.

The three Great Holy Lands each occupied three positions.

The Zhu Royal House and Inherit Heaven Pavilion, numerous in headcount, awe-inspiring in momentum.

The Moon Palace, the two of them, cold and solitary.

The Sword Young Master Ye Yue stood alone on high; this man wore black, sword brows and starry eyes, handsome features, cold temperament.

Three swords strapped on his back, one sword hanging at his waist — living up to the Sword Young Master title.

Basically, everyone in the jianghu who should come has come — except the Hate Heaven Gate, and this event's protagonist, the Four-Degree Demon Monk!

The Hate Heaven Gate, for some reason, has been very quiet lately, completely ignoring the Four-Degree Demon Monk, also ignoring this major affair.

And the Four-Degree Demon Monk...

Waited roughly the time of one incense stick burning; everyone still had not seen him, expressions gradually changing.

Wait a minute!

Everyone recalled a thing or two, and discovered this seemed not to be a challenge invitation at all, but leaked information.

Most importantly, it seems no one said the Fourth Degree Demon Monk would definitely appear!

With such a grand mobilization, if the other party isn't stupid, they'll surely avoid the limelight.

Won't we be stood up?

Could it be the entire jianghu has been wishfully thinking, misunderstanding something?

Just as everyone was puzzled, suddenly most of the jianghu people looked up at the sky.

Only to see several figures plummeting down from the sky!

Mad Arhat Nan Taisheng plummeted down, half-kneeling on the ground, leaving crack after crack in the bluestone slabs, full of power and pressure.

Red Fairy Tang Yuhan, on the other hand, landed with a lithe posture, making one sigh in wonder how she ended up following that demon monk.

Young Master Yulong landed lightly, clothes and long hair fluttering, like a banished immortal.

What drew sidelong glances was not just the three's entrance, but the holy weapons they carried!

Young Master Yulong wore the Black Flame Demon Saber at his waist, Red Fairy held the Coiling Dragon Staff, and as for Mad Arhat, if one didn't misidentify it — the giant hammer on his back was Heaven-Shaking Mountain-Smashing!

Three holy weapons, truly all in the demon monk's hands!

Add in the four great holy lands present today, seven holy weapons gathered together unprecedentedly!

"Amitabha..."

A resonant Buddha's name completely suppressed the discussions that had just risen.

Everyone focused and looked — before Young Master Yulong and the other two, a white-haired man had appeared at some unknown time; no one detected how he appeared, as if he had always been standing there.

"The holy weapons are right here."

Tang Luo's gaze swept over the crowd, carrying a hint of a smile, "Fellow benefactors, do you want them?"

"If you want them, come and take them."