Chapter 112: The Fall of the Zhao Family

"Meridian Opening?"

Ba Ba Wanli's voice was deep and resonant like a bell. The Divine Weapon Valley disciples on the surrounding walls and rooftops all changed color at those two words.

"That old bastard?!"

Sha Sha Pingying sprang to his feet with a whoosh, as if facing a formidable enemy.

Li Yuan couldn't help but clench his long-handled gourd hammer, his heart filled with astonishment.

Martial artists in the Hidden Dragon Prefecture were countless, but the vast majority reached Body Transformation as their absolute limit—this had to do with talent, innate constitution, and even more so with Wu Gong.

To reach the great completion of Body Transformation and transform one's strength into Qi required Qi Gong.

Yet mid- and lower-grade martial arts stopped at the great circulation of internal force, possessing no method for transforming strength into Qi at all.

In other words, this Zhao family—or rather, the Zhao family head—actually possessed a top-grade martial art!

"I misjudged Han Han Chuijun…"

In the night wind, the black-jacketed elder's face twitched, his heart aching terribly: "How dare he? How dare he?!"

He knew Han Han Chuijun was ruthless and vicious, having annihilated countless families over the decades—the number one killing star of Divine Weapon Valley.

But how could those other powers and families compare to his Zhao family?

His Zhao family had attached itself to Divine Weapon Valley for generations—how many disciples and old acquaintances were there among the Outer Gate, Inner Gate, and Divine Guard Army?

"You've actually mastered the Bai Shen Fa?"

The Divine Weapon Valley disciples were greatly shocked. Only Ba Ba Wanli remained ashen-faced as iron, slowly raising the giant hammer in his palm:

"Master was right. We should have moved years earlier…"

Whooo—

The black-jacketed elder slowly raised his head. Suddenly, the scent of incense and offerings filled the air. His heart was shocked and furious, yet his eyes were utterly cold:

"Too late, though!"

Boom!

Before the sound faded, Ba Ba Wanli had already pushed off with his feet. The crack of shattering flagstones rang out—

The giant hammer, trailing a whooshing sound of tearing air, came crashing down from above straight toward the black-jacketed elder's face:

"Not too late either!"

One word of disagreement, and he struck without hesitation.

Ba Ba Wanli charged forward with wild ferocity, his speed and momentum like a fierce dragon. Even a hundred meters away, Li Yuan seemed able to feel that wildly unbridled aura.

He didn't believe anyone would dare take this hammer head-on with flesh and blood, and indeed the black-jacketed elder took a step back.

Just one step—and his body seemed to lose all weight, blown about by the hammer's force like a stalk of straw.

Drifting backward—over a hundred meters?!

Utterly decisive, he turned and fled.

"Huh?!"

Li Yuan's eyelid twitched sharply. He found it unbelievable: "Such speed?!"

"Divine Foot Scripture!"

Ba Ba Wanli roared like thunder:

"You can't escape!"

His feet exploded with force, as if the entire courtyard trembled. Qi and blood erupted together.

His already extreme speed surged by who knows how much more. The long-handled giant hammer dragged behind him and swung forward—

The massive hammer head shot out with a bang, trailing an iron chain over ten meters long, in hot pursuit of the black-jacketed elder.

A meteor hammer too?!

"The Soldier's Path Combat Killing Hammer—truly ferocious!"

In the night wind, the black-jacketed elder retreated again and again. No matter how much unwillingness and fury burned in his heart, he had no intention of lingering.

Granted, he had achieved Meridian Opening, but he hadn't exchanged blows with anyone for twenty or thirty years. Facing a freakishly talented Body Transformation martial artist like Ba Ba Wanli, he reckoned that even victory would cost him considerable effort.

Once delayed, once the Divine Guard Army noticed, he feared he wouldn't be able to leave even if he wanted to.

"Thud!"

As the heavy hammer struck the ground, the iron chain rattled loudly. Ba Ba Wanli's speed surged another third, leaping up over ten meters—

The gnarled muscles and bones across his body swelled explosively. Dragging the iron chain, he swung the hammer head and smashed it out once more.

"Ba Ba Wanli, Han Han Chuijun, Divine Weapon Valley…"

In the night wind came a thud—

A muffled crash. The black-jacketed elder hit the ground, then suddenly darted over the courtyard wall.

The two Divine Weapon Valley disciples blocking him crashed to the ground with two dull thuds.

He glanced back with venomous hatred, his eyes blood-red. Ignoring the raging Ba Ba Wanli, he turned and fled.

With the Divine Foot Scripture mastered, even Han Han Chuijun himself couldn't hope to stop him.

"You can't leave!"

Suddenly, a voice rang out in the night wind. The black-jacketed elder whipped his head around, only to see atop the mast of a six-story building facing the street, a black-clad woman standing with bow in hand.

"Qiu Qiu Changying!"

The black-jacketed elder's eyes nearly split with rage. He urgently mobilized his internal Qi, erupting his qi and blood, but it was still too late.

The next instant, he felt a piercing pain in his chest—front to back, clean through. His inner armor along with his breastbone, heart, and spine all vanished into the night.

"You, you…"

He struggled as he fell, only then hearing the thunder-like shriek of the arrow tearing through the air.

"What a fast arrow!"

On the eaves, Li Yuan felt a chill run down his spine — that arrow had actually broken the sound barrier?

What material was that bow made of?!

Watching the cold-faced woman standing atop the mast, the disciples of the Divine Weapon Valley inside and outside the Zhao family compound all felt a chill in their hearts.

Some disciples could not help but bow and salute: "Senior Sister Qiu…"

That black-clad woman was none other than the current second-ranked true disciple of Divine Weapon Valley, the senior sister of Spear God Peak, the great-granddaughter of Spear Head Qiu Qiu Zhengxiong — Qiu Qiu Changying!

Famous throughout Zhe Long Fucheng for her Li Chen Nine Yin Spear and Zhui Hun Yang Jian Fa, among the current true disciples she ranked only below the young Valley Master 'Shi Hong.

"Qiu Qiu Changying!"

Ba Ba Wanli landed with a thud, his breathing heavy: "Your family's old man has been harboring thieves of the Tongxieshen Sect!"

"Watch your mouth. Do you want to die?"

Across a long street, Qiu Qiu Changying's voice still carried over, sharp as her arrows:

"The Zhao family has been secretly colluding with the Xieshen Sect. My great-grandfather had long since noticed. He had intended to use the chance to track down the people behind them and wipe out the Xieshen Sect in one sweep — but you ruined it completely!"

"Go to your mother…"

Bang!

The arrow missed, its burst of Qi thunderous.

Ba Ba Wanli blocked it sideways with his hammer, his face darkening — Qiu Qiu Changying had already drifted far away.

"Little wench!"

Ba Ba Wanli's face couldn't quite save face, so he turned back toward the Zhao family compound, hammer in hand.

On the eaves, Li Yuan was still somewhat savoring it.

"That really opened my eyes."

Li Yuan muttered to himself.

Since he had begun learning martial arts on his own, he had rarely crossed hands with anyone, let alone seen any true experts.

Tonight's battle was quite meaningful to him — whether Ba Ba Wanli's fierce hammer technique, Qiu Qiu Changying's Zhui Hun arrows, or the black-robed old man's 'Shen Zu Jing had all been an eye-opener.

"How many forms did Ba Ba Wanli change? How many did Old Han change?"

Li Yuan's heart stirred. This battle had struck him hard, and it had also let him truly feel the gap between himself and the top experts of Fucheng.

"Even a sneak attack wouldn't be enough…"

After weighing it briefly, Li Yuan had to admit his trump cards were still a bit few.

Still, having seen Qiu Qiu Changying's archery, his thoughts stirred again — that woman was far better at sneak attacks than he was…

"Gotta find a way to borrow weapons…"

Li Yuan's eyes grew hot for that woman's great bow, and Ba Ba Wanli's hammer.

Letting his thoughts wander, he figured the weapons of the other true-disciple senior brothers and sisters were probably all rare treasures as well.

Too bad, borrowing them wouldn't be easy.

"Mm… it's not impossible either. Weapons get damaged, and they have to be repaired, right?"

Li Yuan murmured to himself.

He had long noticed that Ba Ba Wanli's heavy hammer was somewhat damaged…

Hoo~

Li Yuan rushed down the wall at a quick pace, but clearly someone was faster — Sha Sha Pingying had already finished searching the bodies.

"This old fellow actually didn't bring anything?"

Holding a tattered inner armor, Sha Sha Pingying's face was full of boredom. Seeing Li Yuan's interest, he casually tossed it to him:

"Don't look at me. All captured goods have to be turned in. Without the Valley Master's word, no one dares pocket a single copper."

"A third-tier inner armor!"

Li Yuan weighed it in his hand, very tempted, yet pretended not to care and tossed it back:

"Broken like this, repairing it would be really hard…"

"That woman's arrows were just too fierce — even a third-tier inner armor couldn't block them. No wonder Eighth Senior Brother doesn't want to provoke her…"

Sha Sha Pingying shook his head.

The two chatted for a while before slowly returning to the Zhao family compound. The other disciples had already detained the Zhao family's Retainer and maidservants.

Ba Ba Wanli's heavy hammer was ferocious — a graze meant death, a touch meant shattering. Everyone present was either alive or in pieces; there were no wounded.

Wait, that wasn't right either — the two senior brothers and sisters who had blocked the black-robed old man's escape route Suffered heavy injuries. Had they not been wearing inner armor, they would have died on the spot.

"All goods and valuables, after collection and tally, pile them at the gate and wait for the junior brothers of the Divine Guard Army to come take them over."

Ba Ba Wanli had already circled the compound once, and amid his heavy hammer's wild smashing, he had also discovered a secret passage:

"Leave half the people here to wait. The rest of you, into the secret passage to chase down the fish that slipped through the net!"

The secret passage was narrow — he really couldn't fit in…

"Li Yuan, stay!"

Sha Sha Pingying dove into the secret passage, his face full of envy. Li Yuan bowed slightly, his manners impeccable: "Senior Brother."

Before such a giant of a man, three meters tall, Li Yuan even felt some pressure — his height was utterly crushed.

"Ape arms, wasp waist, tiger back, bear waist, snake waist, python sinew… your nine forms are really evenly born."

Ba Ba Wanli looked down, sizing up this junior brother:

"This damn heavens really play favorites. What you were born with, Laozi only managed to gather by the time I was fifty…"

Gathered all nine forms by fifty?

Then this Senior Brother's changed forms probably didn't reach thirteen?

Li Yuan did some quick math in his head, but merely lowered his head without replying. He could sense this Senior Brother's ill will, but fortunately, he wasn't hiding it.

"This great master hates pretty boys like you the most!"

Ba Ba Wanli made no attempt to hide his displeasure.

His Nine Forms were different from everyone else's; the transformation of his physique was too extreme.

So much so that, though he was nearly sixty, he still hadn't found a woman who could match him.

"..."

Li Yuan didn't know whether to laugh or cry; he never expected to be called a pretty boy one day, though he could somewhat understand Ba Ba Wanli's thinking.

This inhuman physique was certainly a huge benefit for martial training, but beyond that, it was all drawbacks.

Every aspect of daily life was a problem, and as for taking a wife and having children — don't even think about it, at the very least, a human woman wouldn't do...

"What are you laughing at?"

"N-no, not laughing."

"You dare laugh at me?"

"Really not laughing!"

Li Yuan's face was dead serious, and he realized this fierce-brother fellow was actually not difficult to get along with.

His wits matched his over-developed limbs; in just a few sentences, he had fobbed him off and also picked up quite a bit of information.

"There aren't many Zhao family members left; Master never left any survivors when he struck."

Ba Ba Wanli sulked, especially when he saw the few delicate and lovely maidservants who had been captured, which made him even more depressed:

"Damn it, that old thing must be over a hundred, right?"

"Eighth Senior Brother, these maidservants are the courtesan queens of Hundred Flowers Pavilion — Shi Yan, Xian Yi, Rong Dai..."

"Scram!"

That disciple nearly got kicked and scurried off, his face covered in cold sweat.

"Ah!"

Ba Ba Wanli stamped his feet in frustration, let out a long howl toward the sky, and sulkily picked up his hammers and left:

"You all keep watch — I'm going to find someone to fight!"