Chapter 224: Meeting Hua Wuque Again (Seeking Subscriptions)

Demon-Eliminating Hall.

Just hearing the name, one knows this is a righteous force, taking the maintenance of the righteous path and the slaying of demons and monsters as its own duty.

——At least that is what Yu Liancheng thinks.

And the reason Yu Liancheng established the Demon-Eliminating Hall was mainly to gain prestige and open the Stone Gate.

To date, Yu Liancheng has led or participated in two major events: first, the matter of the Emei Mountain Treasure Map, and second, the case of the Duan Hefei escort silver and Jiang Biehe. Although his reputation has soared, he is still some distance away from opening the Stone Gate.

Of course, if the people of the world knew that three experts of the level of Yan Nantian, Yao Yue, and Lianxing had all successively been defeated at the hands of Yu Liancheng, then that would likely be enough.

It is just a pity that outsiders have no way of knowing about his duels with them, which is a great regret.

Yu Liancheng had originally intended to let Yan Nantian serve as the Deputy Hall Master.

For a hero like Yan Nantian, being able to uphold the righteous path, he surely would not have refused.

It is just a pity that before he could even bring this point up, Yan Nantian had already left.

The Demon-Eliminating Hall does not actually need many people; he plans to establish six "Divine Sword Envoys," and then have the "Divine Sword Envoys" lead the demon-eliminating disciples.

"Xiaoxiannv" Zhang Jing is, of course, one of them.

As for the others, he has slated Jiang Xiaoyu, Hua Wuque, the Evil Gambler...

In this way, only two vacancies remain, which he can consider slowly.

With a peerless expert like Yu Liancheng sitting in command, plus the financial resources of Duan Hefei, the Demon-Eliminating Hall was established quite quickly.

Xiaoxiannv has become busy; this girl has always hated evil as if it were a personal enemy, and every time there is an operation, she is always the first to charge ahead.

And Zhang Jing's martial arts are already quite impressive; having recently received pointers from Yu Liancheng, her martial arts have reached an even higher level. Not to mention the younger generation, even the sect leaders of those famous and prestigious schools are no match for her.

As time passed, the reputation of the Demon-Eliminating Hall gradually expanded.

If this Demon-Eliminating Hall wants to truly resound throughout the world, it still lacks a major event that can shake the Edo.

On this day, Yu Liancheng woke from his afternoon nap, stretched, and beckoned to a disciple of the Demon-Eliminating Hall: "Pass on a message for me: Yu will head to Guishan in seven days to take the head of the leader of the Twelve Zodiacs, 'Wuya' Wei Wuya."

The disciple was stunned, then immediately cupped his fists and said: "Yes."

The Twelve Zodiacs are the most cruel and vicious batch of bandits in the Edo over the past thirty years, each possessing unique skills.

They rarely strike on ordinary days, but if they see something worth taking, the person they have set their sights on can never hope to escape. It is said that in thirty years, the 'Twelve Zodiacs' have only failed once!

That failure, it is said, was at the hands of the "World's Number One Hero" Yan Nantian, which is why they hate him to the bone and fear him to the bone.

In reality, several members of the Twelve Zodiacs have already died at the hands of Yu Liancheng, but it is a pity that others do not know.

Although the Twelve Zodiacs are famous, their martial arts and temperaments vary, and no one submits to anyone else. Only Wei Wuya is able to command them, and they owe more than half of their current reputation to Wei Wuya.

Even the Ten Great Villains are troublesome characters, but upon hearing the three words "Wei Wuya," they would still have a headache for several days; one can imagine how formidable this person is.

And this Wei Wuya, who has the most evil reputation in the world today, disappeared more than ten years ago.

Precisely because of this, with no one to lead them, the Twelve Zodiacs became a scattered mess and have not pulled off any big jobs in recent years.

As for why Wei Wuya disappeared, some say it was because he was injured by the Yihua Palace Master and went into hiding, while others say it was because he wanted to practice a mysterious martial art and thus did not wish to see anyone...

But regardless, people in the Edo must admit that this Wei Wuya is the most difficult, terrifying, and evil person in the current Wulin.

And now, Yu Liancheng has not only announced Wei Wuya's hiding place but also intends to take his head in seven days, immediately drawing the attention of countless people.

In any case, this has become a sensational event in the Wulin.

Yu Liancheng headed to Guishan alone.

Xiaoxiannv was originally very interested in this matter, but Yu Liancheng told her that Wei Wuya is the Rat King and Guishan is a rat's nest, where there are countless little rats, and Xiaoxiannv never mentioned traveling with him again.

Yu Liancheng's lightness skill transcends the mundane, and his internal energy is deep and pure. When exerted with full force, it is by no means inferior to any prized steed. No matter where he wants to go, as long as the direction is clear, it will not take him long.

A stretch of creek water rippled, reflecting the dim sky, with dark clouds gathering as if a torrential rain were about to fall at any moment.

"Help, help!"

Yu Liancheng walked along the creek when a cry of alarm suddenly came from upstream; the voice was crisp—it was a woman's voice.

He raised an eyebrow, a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, and he muttered: "After traveling for several days, am I finally going to encounter something interesting?"

At the end of the creek, a waterfall poured down from the mountain.

Below it was a stone that caught the water source.

The waterfall smashed heavily onto the giant stone, splashing in all directions before falling into the creek.

And now, there was an extra woman on the giant stone.

Her body was almost completely naked. As the waterfall crashed down from the mountain peak, her long, firm legs could not help but spasm from the impact, and her hair, like dark clouds, was spread out on the blue-gray stone.

Although this scene was somewhat tragic to behold, it also held a sinful temptation that would make the vast majority of men flush and lose their composure.

The woman seemed to sense that someone had arrived and called out tremblingly: "Help... help..." Her voice grew weaker and weaker, as if she were saying something, but not a single word could be heard clearly.

Yu Liancheng was not too far and not too close to the woman, a distance of exactly two zhang. But with his lightness skill, he could reach her with a light leap.

Any man in the world, if he possessed lightness skills like his and saw the situation before him, would certainly leap over just like that.

But Yu Liancheng shook his head and sighed: "Snow-Stepping, this is truly a name with great poetic quality, and it is also a very pure and flawless name, yet it is placed upon a lewd and ugly woman like you."

The woman's eyes seemed to open slightly, and her expression flickered faintly.

"Your plan was originally quite good, but it had one major flaw: even if I hadn't recognized you as 'Snow-Stepping' of the Twelve Zodiacs, I would never have been fooled."

Yu Liancheng shook his head: "You are clearly aged and faded, your muscles slack, yet you still insist on trying to seduce me; you really hold my discernment in too low regard."

It turned out that this naked woman was the Horse of the Twelve Zodiacs, who called herself "Snow-Stepping," and was married to the Tiger of the Twelve Zodiacs, "Lord White Mountain," which is why she was also known as the Tiger Wife or Lady Bai.

Seeing that Yu Liancheng had seen through her identity, Lady Bai was startled and was just about to get up and flee when her forehead suddenly felt a pain; she fell backward and lost all consciousness, being washed by the waterfall into the creek and turning into a cold corpse.

Yu Liancheng did not leave; he stood with his hands behind his back and laughed loudly: "The one hiding under the water, you can come out now. Staying in the water for too long is not very good for your health."

On the other side of that giant stone, a person was submerged in the water, with a long, slender build and a pair of large, pointed ears. He had a reed stuck in his mouth, with the other end exposed above the water to breathe.

This person was not Lady Bai's original husband, Baishanjun, but the Rabbit of the Twelve Zodiacs, "Huyaoshi," taking the meaning of "Medicine Falling in the Toad Palace."

The Twelve Zodiacs are led by Wei Wuya, who is able to command the other zodiacs.

Yu Liancheng made it widely known that he intended to take Wei Wuya's life; naturally, Wei Wuya received the news, so he gathered them together to have them deal with Yu Liancheng.

In their plan, that large stone was extremely smooth, and only in the center of the stone was there a concave spot where Lady Bai lay. As soon as Yu Liancheng came to save her, she would only need to give a light push, and he would fall into the water below.

And once a person falls into the water, they inevitably become flustered.

At that time, Bhaisajyaguru, who had long been lying in ambush underwater, would strike, and it would naturally be a simple matter to capture him.

Yet they did not expect that this plan of theirs had been seen through by Yu Liancheng from the very beginning.

Bhaisajyaguru's face revealed a look of terror; although he had not seen how Lady Bai died, he had already seen her corpse and heard Yu Liancheng's words.

"Since you won't come out, I will send you on your way."

Just as Bhaisajyaguru was at a loss for what to do, a soft sigh suddenly rang out.

By the stream, Yu Liancheng shook his head and casually struck out with a palm. The palm force flew out like a long rainbow, suddenly twisting in mid-air, filled with spiritual intent, and slammed into the stretch of water where Bhaisajyaguru was hiding.

Bang!

It was as if a meteorite had fallen from the sky; the surface of the stream exploded with a roar, splashing up waves of water.

A moment later, Bhaisajyaguru's corpse also floated up.

Yu Liancheng's gaze shifted again, looking toward a large tree, and he smiled: "Baishanjun, your wife and your romantic rival are both dead, yet you can still sit still."

After a long while, a person suddenly walked out from behind the tree.

This person wore a colorful brocade robe, his complexion was dark, his face was covered in a thick, iron-like beard, and his eyes were piercingly bright, making one afraid to look directly at him. There was no need to say more; this person was undoubtedly the Tiger of the Twelve Zodiacs, "Baishanjun".

And Baishanjun was actually holding someone hostage.

Although that person had already fainted, he was still handsome and refined, gentle as jade. In this world, who else could possess such a temperament besides that "Young Master Wuxue", Hua Wuque?

That Hua Wuque had fallen into Baishanjun's hands was something Yu Liancheng was not at all surprised by.

Although his martial arts were high and his strategy was not bad, Yihua Palace had taught him to be too rigid and too much of a gentleman. Facing the treacherous and cunning Twelve Zodiacs, it would be difficult for him not to be deceived.

"This brat is a disciple of Yihua Palace; I know you are very close with Yao Yue and Lianxing. Let me go, and I will hand this brat over to you; otherwise..."

Baishanjun's face was sullen; he had no intention of avenging his wife at all, and when he saw Lady Bai's corpse, there was even an indescribable sense of relief.

Of course, these things were not important.

What was important was how to survive.

The martial arts of the person before him were far beyond his expectations. Especially that palm force, which was as Ruyi as it was twisting, yet full of power; even if Yao Yue were compared to him, she would likely be inferior.

"Otherwise what?" Yu Liancheng said indifferently.

"Otherwise, I will kill this brat." Baishanjun's face was ferocious, his murderous aura fully exposed, like a fierce tiger driven into a dead end by a hunter. He had already pinched his fingers onto Hua Wuque's neck; with just a little force, this Young Master Wuxue would lose his life.

"Is that so? I don't believe it."

Just as this sentence fell, Baishanjun only felt a blur before his eyes, as if the sky were turning and the earth was spinning, and the sun and moon had lost their light. He felt a pain in his hand, as if pricked by a needle.

By the time he regained clarity, Hua Wuque had already been snatched away and was lying at Yu Liancheng's feet.

Yu Liancheng was still standing not far away, looking at him with a smile: "I said, I don't believe it."

"You..." Baishanjun's eyes widened fixedly, and he felt a chill surge into his heart.

"Alright, it is time for you to go down and reunite with your wife." Yu Liancheng walked slowly toward Baishanjun; he did not walk fast, but in the blink of an eye, he appeared before Baishanjun.

"Die!" Baishanjun roared, like a fierce tiger's howl.

Knowing that the most critical moment had arrived, he struck out heavily with a fist. This punch whistled with force; it was strong and fierce, as if he had exhausted all his strength and had no energy left to spare.

The martial arts of the Twelve Zodiacs varied in level, and from this one punch alone, one could see that this Baishanjun's martial cultivation far surpassed that of the Yellow Ox, White Sheep, Bhaisajyaguru, and the others. As that punch struck out, the wind from the fist caused the short grass to flatten and the leaves to rustle; its power was peerless.

Yu Liancheng did not move at all, seemingly letting Baishanjun strike him.

Seeing this scene, Baishanjun felt a surge of joy and used his full twelve levels of power to blast toward Yu Liancheng's chest.

However, when this punch hit Yu Liancheng's chest, it made almost no sound at all.

Instead, there was a crisp "Crack!" sound from Baishanjun's fist, as if something had shattered.

Following this, the sound traveled from Baishanjun's fist to his arm, his shoulder, and finally spread throughout his entire body, crackling and popping incessantly like firecrackers.

Baishanjun's eyes widened fixedly, blood spilled from the corners of his mouth, his face turned deathly pale, and he collapsed limply, falling like a pile of mud.

Mud has no bones.

Although Baishanjun had bones, every single one of them had been shattered.

Yu Liancheng sighed softly: "You didn't leave any room for me with this punch, so naturally, you couldn't leave any room for yourself either."

Baishanjun's punch was truly too fierce, too ruthless, and left too little room. When his fist hit Yu Liancheng's body, Yu Liancheng instead redirected this force back onto him; this force spread throughout his entire body, shattering his bones one by one.

Yu Liancheng leaned down again, looked at Hua Wuque, and like lightning, tapped a few of his acupoints.

The moment his acupoints were unsealed, Hua Wuque's eyes opened, bright and spirited, and he struck out with a palm; the palm technique was exquisite and powerful, clearly intending to injure the person before him the moment he moved.

"It's me." Yu Liancheng flicked his sleeve and had already neutralized Hua Wuque's palm technique.

Only then did Hua Wuque realize that the person before him was not the treacherous and cunning Baishanjun and his wife, but Yu Liancheng.

And to the side, there was also Baishanjun's corpse.

A strange look flashed across Hua Wuque's face; he stood up, cupped his hands, and said: "Wuxue greets Grandmaster, many thanks to Grandmaster for the grace of saving my life." He seemed to be polite at all times, giving people the feeling of a spring breeze.

"Hmm... wait." Yu Liancheng nodded, then suddenly sensed something was wrong: "Wait, what did you call me?"

"Grandmaster."

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PS: Begging for subscriptions; still need twenty or thirty average subscriptions to reach 3000 to get the boutique badge.