Chapter 315: Duel with the Evil King, The Birth of the He Clan Jade

The Great Virtuous Holy Monk's body trembled, a complex expression flashing in his eyes, before he sighed softly: "The Imperial Tutor has mistaken me for someone else. There is only the monk Dade here, no Evil King Shi Zhixuan, and certainly no Pei Ju of Hebei."

Yu Liancheng looked at the Great Virtuous Holy Monk with burning eyes, lowered his flowing sleeves, and said indifferently: "The Evil King who shakes both the black and white paths, the Pei Ju who orchestrated the Western Regions—are you actually afraid to even admit your own identity?"

Indeed, the Great Virtuous Holy Monk before him was none other than the Evil King Shi Zhixuan, and also Pei Ju of Hebei.

Among the two sects and six paths of the Demonic Sect, only this schizophrenic Evil King could play the Great Virtuous Holy Monk without a single flaw.

Upon hearing this, the Great Virtuous Holy Monk sighed again: "What if I admit it? What if I don't? Whether it is Shi Zhixuan or Pei Ju, both are heinous criminals. Once revealed, it will stir up a storm of blood, and these common people will suffer, with countless deaths and injuries. How can the Imperial Tutor feel at ease letting such a monstrous sinner work under you?"

The current Shi Zhixuan was dominated by his benevolent personality, and because the "Undying Seal Technique" was deeply influenced by Buddhist principles, coupled with the surrounding environment, he had transformed into a compassionate holy monk with profound Buddhist knowledge.

Yu Liancheng chuckled coldly: "Suffering and countless deaths? That is too alarmist. I would like to hear what 'sins' Shi Zhixuan has committed."

The Great Virtuous Holy Monk pressed his palms together and said: "In those years, Shi Zhixuan disguised himself as Pei Ju and was ordered to manage the Western Regions. In the fourth year of Daye, he induced the Tiele to attack the Tuyuhun, causing the Tuyuhun to suffer the ravages of war, leaving countless commoners in misery. In the fifth year of Daye, he lobbied the Emperor to send troops to conquer the Tuyuhun, causing the Tuyuhun to suffer the ravages of war once again, losing a thousand miles of territory."

Yu Liancheng clapped his hands and laughed: "Oh, what other 'sins' does he have? The Holy Monk might as well tell me all of them."

The Great Virtuous Holy Monk frowned, seemingly displeased by the other's indifferent attitude, and said slowly: "This person also plotted to split the Turkic people, causing the Turkic to divide into eastern and western parts, fighting each other incessantly. Countless Turkic people died in this rebellion."

The smile on Yu Liancheng's face grew wider, and he praised: "Good strategy. Shi Zhixuan is indeed a talent, employing the tactics of vertical and horizontal alliances to expand territory. He also divided the Turkic and struck a heavy blow against foreign barbarians. Having achieved such extraordinary merits, he deserves to be remembered in history."

The Great Virtuous Holy Monk showed a look of compassion: "All living beings are equal. Although the Turkic, Tuyuhun, and others are foreign tribes, their lives cannot be treated lightly, let alone the innocent commoners."

Yu Liancheng sneered: "The Holy Monk believes all living beings are equal, but the Turkic and others are a nation of soldiers who frequently raid the commoners of the Central Plains, looting property and causing countless tragedies. Even the children and women benefit from this; they are by no means innocent, but rather deserve their fate."

The Great Virtuous Holy Monk frowned even tighter. Seeing that the other did not take the lives of the people outside the borders seriously, he changed the subject: "Then what of the innocent commoners of the Central Plains? This move by Shi Zhixuan will undoubtedly anger the foreign tribes. Once the various tribes outside the borders unite to attack the Central Plains, the people will be displaced and the land will be devastated. How can the Imperial Tutor bear it?"

"Hahaha." Yu Liancheng laughed toward the sky, attracting the attention of the surrounding monks and pilgrims. After laughing for a long while, he said slowly.

"It is not that I cannot bear it, but that the Turkic and other foreign nations have wolfish ambitions and have long coveted the beautiful landscape of the Central Plains. Once our national strength weakens, they will surely lead troops to invade, repeating the tragedy of the Five Barbarians' chaos, leaving the land reeking of blood. It is better to punish and divide them early, or even destroy their nations and clans, so that the people of the Central Plains can be spared the suffering of war and displacement."

The Great Virtuous Holy Monk looked closely at Yu Liancheng, his deep gaze scanning him from head to toe, as if he were trying to get to know this person all over again.

Yu Liancheng chuckled: "Has the Evil King made a decision? Will you work for me? Rest assured, I am a good friend of Qingxuan; even if you refuse me, I will never take your life."

The moment he heard the two words "Qingxuan," the Great Virtuous Holy Monk's body trembled. The look of compassion on his face dissipated completely, and a sense of desolation and free-spiritedness appeared about him.

Shi Zhixuan let out a long breath, his eyes softening as he said: "The Imperial Tutor has met Qingxuan?"

Yu Liancheng nodded and said leisurely: "I once met Qingxuan in Dongping and heard her play the flute; the sound lingered for three days, the echoes never fading."

Shi Zhixuan was silent for a moment and said: "Is... Qingxuan well?"

A gentle smile appeared on Yu Liancheng's face, as if reminiscing: "Qingxuan is very well. She seems like a fairy from heaven, keeping her distance from everyone, indifferent and cold. In reality, she is a little girl who loves to cry and make a fuss, lively, clever, and mischievous."

Shi Zhixuan half-closed his eyes, shooting out a terrifying divine light, and said: "Are the Imperial Tutor and Qingxuan very close? You are so familiar with her."

"Qingxuan and I have only met once, but we have already fallen in love and pledged our lives to each other." Yu Liancheng shrugged and said casually: "By the way, she also gifted me the 'Immortal Seal Scroll' to look at, hoping that I could make up for the flaws in the technique and let the Evil King recover to normal sooner."

"She gave the Immortal Seal Scroll to you?!"

Upon hearing the four words "Immortal Seal Scroll," Shi Zhixuan raised his eyebrows, his eyes changing violently—sometimes gentle, sometimes cold, sometimes scholarly, and finally turning cold and evil.

He stared at Yu Liancheng without blinking, a cold, sinister smile spreading across the corners of his mouth, creating an incredibly abrupt disconnect from his previous two personas: "Heh, if I am not mistaken, you forcibly took the 'Immortal Seal Scroll' from Qingxuan's hands just to deal with me."

"The Evil King truly uses the heart of a villain to measure the belly of a gentleman. To deal with you, why would I need the 'Immortal Seal Scroll'?" Yu Liancheng shook his head: "Alright, can the Evil King give me an answer? Will you work under me?"

"Heh, what a big tone." The Evil King sneered, his cold, heartless eyes fixed on Yu Liancheng's: "You, a mere greenhorn, what virtue or ability do you have to deserve my allegiance?"

Yu Liancheng said indifferently: "If the Evil King only judges people by age, then I am truly extremely disappointed."

"Heroes emerge from the youth; one should not judge by age. That is indeed my fault."

Shi Zhixuan was startled, then shook his head: "But you serve as the Imperial Tutor of the Great Sui, wanting to go against the trend of the world to continue the destiny for the Sui—that is like a mantis trying to stop a chariot. I have no interest in wasting time with you for nothing."

After giving Yu Liancheng a deep look with his cold, heartless eyes, he turned to leave.

"Evil King, walk slowly. Let me see you off." Yu Liancheng laughed and reached out to grab Shi Zhixuan's shoulder.

This grab had no fierce offensive power, yet it was incomparably fast; those in the world who could dodge it could be counted on one's fingers.

However, Yu Liancheng's grab felt as if it had no physical substance; he had merely grabbed an afterimage.

At the same time, a palm filled with demonic power struck out from the void, the palm movement ethereal and agile, silent and soundless, pressing toward Yu Liancheng's back.

"The Evil King has good movement techniques!"

Yet Yu Liancheng seemed to have anticipated it; he twisted his body, flipped his palm, and brought two fingers together, thrusting them out like a sword.

Palm and fingers collided; there was no earth-shattering momentum, nor any force escaping like a gale. Everything appeared calm and light; the palm force and finger force consumed each other, merging thunder and stillness together.

Shi Zhixuan frowned, and his movement technique unfolded again, as if he had disappeared into the void, and as if his figure were everywhere.

This was precisely the peerless light-body technique the Evil King relied on to save his life—the Phantom Demon Body Technique.

The Evil King had fought Ning Daoqi three times; the first two were draws, and although he lost the third, he still escaped gracefully.

The Four Great Holy Monks of Buddhism had also joined forces to hunt down Shi Zhixuan, determined to reclaim his martial arts. Despite three sieges, he still escaped while wounded, and the Phantom Demon Body Technique could be said to have contributed greatly.

Purely in terms of light-body techniques, Shi Zhixuan could almost be considered the best in the world.

The wonderful use of the "Phantom Demon Body Technique" was, of course, not just for escaping; it was also a great weapon for killing enemies in actual combat. Not only could it easily dodge the opponent's attacks, but it could also launch incredibly bizarre offensives.

"Do you want to compare movement techniques?" Yu Liancheng smiled lightly, his sleeves fluttering, and his entire person turned into a sky full of afterimages.

The figures of the two were fast to the extreme, already difficult for the naked eye to capture, as they engaged in an incredible battle within the Great Hero Treasure Hall.

Suddenly, gusts of wind and fierce gales swirled in the treasure hall, and the air seemed to be squeezed by a force of ten thousand jun, producing a continuous series of air explosions. The windows rattled, the entire hall seemed to tremble, and offerings and cushions were rolled up toward the sky by an invisible hand, dancing in the air before "bang," exploding and scattering.

"Eh, has the Buddha manifested?" Several monks discovered the anomaly, but their eyes could not capture the figures of Yu Liancheng and Shi Zhixuan, and they did not know what was happening.

A bolder monk walked into the Great Hero Treasure Hall, but as soon as his foot stepped inside, he was sent flying back with a scream.

The other monks were scared half to death, and the surrounding pilgrims also screamed and retreated one after another.

This was a battle of the world's absolute peak, but unfortunately, no true expert witnessed it, otherwise it would surely have spread throughout the Edo.

The figures of Yu Liancheng and Shi Zhixuan flew and changed, like ghosts, reaching the limits of the incredible.

At the same time, both their hands unleashed lightning-fast offensives, every move mysterious and peerless, reaching the pinnacle. And when they fought, there was no danger of thunder, hiding endless danger within the calm. It was like a calm water surface, already concealing undercurrents.

In the blink of an eye, the two had exchanged fifty moves.

But in these fifty moves, there had not been a single collision.

As for the reason, it was very simple.

Every time Shi Zhixuan executed a move halfway, he found that Yu Liancheng had already intercepted his path, pinning down all his variations.

Therefore, Shi Zhixuan had no choice but to change his moves.

Yet even now, fifty moves had passed, and there had still not been a single true exchange.

A look of astonishment flashed in Shi Zhixuan's eyes; he was now certain that Yu Liancheng had indeed seen the "Immortal Seal Scroll" and had conducted an in-depth study and understanding of it.

He was proficient in the unique arts of both the Demon sect's "Flower Faction" and "Patching Heaven Pavilion," and the Undying Seal Technique happened to integrate the unique arts of both these factions, representing the essence of his martial arts. It was precisely because the opponent had thoroughly studied the Undying Seal Technique that he could restrain his attacks time and again.

Constantly launching moves, withdrawing moves, and changing moves... the rapid consumption of True Qi had caused cold sweat to seep from the back of this supreme Demon sect expert, but he was worthy of being the Demon sect's most famous Evil King, maintaining a state of mind as still as an ancient well, secretly accumulating True Qi, waiting only to grasp a sliver of opportunity to unleash a fierce, fatal blow.

The two exchanged another dozen or so moves, and Yu Liancheng finally took the initiative to attack, slamming a fist toward Shi Zhixuan's chest.

Shi Zhixuan's eyes shot out electric light; instead of dodging or blocking, he struck out with a palm with fluid ease, aiming for Yu Liancheng's chest, intending to trade blow for blow and both suffer injuries.

At this moment, Shi Zhixuan pushed the Undying Seal Technique to its limit.

The reason the "Undying Seal Technique" contains the word "Undying" is because it can transform the "deadly Qi" of an enemy's attack into life-giving Qi that is beneficial to oneself.

Even though after Bi Xiuxin died, Shi Zhixuan suffered a mental breakdown and his martial arts developed flaws, making the Undying Seal Technique not as powerful as it once was, it could still easily transform the two Qi of life and death.

It was precisely because of this that Shi Zhixuan never feared being besieged, nor did he worry about trading injury for injury with others.

Yet for some reason, at the very instant he was about to trade injury for injury, an ominous premonition suddenly arose in Shi Zhixuan's heart.

But by now, there was no way back; he could only drive his palm force with even greater effort.

Bang! Bang!

Two muffled sounds rang out simultaneously.

This was the first time the two had actually struck each other, each hitting the other's chest.

Shi Zhixuan's palm force crashed into Yu Liancheng like waves, suddenly fierce and scorching, then suddenly yin-soft and cold; such strange and rapid transformations could only be achieved by the Immortal Seal Scroll, which fused the two extremes of life and death.

But despite the palm force pouring in, Yu Liancheng's figure remained motionless, as steady as a mountain.

Instead, Shi Zhixuan's figure trembled, a mouthful of fresh blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, and he staggered back two steps; he simply could not neutralize the opponent's internal energy.

After casting a look of astonishment at Yu Liancheng, Shi Zhixuan smashed through a window, his figure as swift as a fleeting shadow, flashing away at high speed. In an instant, he was already a hundred feet away.

Yu Liancheng stood with his hands behind his back, watching the other flee, and seemed to mutter to himself: "For the sake of Qingxuan, I will spare you this once; I hope you will be more sensible next time."

Imperial Palace.

In the drill ground.

Two graceful figures were exchanging blows; one woman had fluttering ribbons and a myriad of postures, while the other woman had a long sword like flowing light, petite and exquisite.

It was Wanwan and Dugu Feng.

"Shi Feixuan has entered the world, and she has brought the ancient treasure, the He's Jade."

On the high platform, Yu Liancheng put down the silk cloth, seemingly watching the two women spar, but a playful look appeared in his eyes.

According to the latest news, Shi Feixuan, hailed as the most outstanding successor of the Cihang Jingzhai in hundreds of years, had already stepped into the capital, heading straight for Luoyang, another major city of the Great Sui, and was carrying the precious He's Jade.

The Cihang Jingzhai and the Jingnian Chan Sect are known as the two great holy lands of the martial arts world, implicitly the leaders of the righteous path. Whenever the Central Plains are in troubled times, they send disciples to seek the true Son of Heaven to restore order to the world.

Now that Shi Feixuan has stepped into the Edo carrying the "He's Jade," her intentions are self-evident.

"Edo rumors say that the He's Jade and the Yang Gong Treasury, if one obtains either, can pacify the world; the warlords and rebels will have their hands full now." Yu Liancheng drank a cup of wine and muttered to himself: "There is still more than half a month until the Yang Gong Treasury opens, plenty of time. Once I retrieve the He's Jade, I will return to Daxing and wipe out the Demon sect experts in one fell swoop."