Chapter 11
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Within the Nine Palace Sect, there was specialized training in thievery. Sun Bin possessed extraordinary Qigong and an innate talent for thievery. Before encountering You Mengzhe, he had already reached a high level of mastery. Dual cultivating with You Mengzhe helped him overcome his bottleneck, and he made significant progress. From treading on water in the past, he evolved to stand on the surface without sinking. At this moment, he was about to engage in a fight with Zhao Feihong. A black shadow darted around, employing a myriad of bizarre techniques, creating a dazzling and bewildering spectacle. Sometimes, he appeared in one place and left an illusory image in another.
“Phantom body!” someone exclaimed.
However, Zhao Feihong understood the principle of adapting to constant change. His eyes reflected the vast expanse of the lake and the clear sky. Then, he gripped a long staff with one hand and waved it into the air.
At that moment, everyone watching held their breath. Sun Bin finally revealed his physical form. He used the staff to flip himself in mid-air, and his two daggers came down, resulting in a resounding clash of weapons.
At that moment, You Mengzhe, who was spectating, felt his heart jump to his throat.
Sun Bin finally revealed his physical form, pressing the end of his staff. With a powerful leap in mid-air, he executed a somersault, and both his daggers descended, resulting in yet another resounding clash of weapons.
“Roar!” Zhao Feihong let out a thunderous shout, causing a ringing in everyone’s ears. He immediately swung his staff from the arena to the lake’s surface, creating a deafening three-meter-high white wave that stretched for a significant distance!
“Wow!” You Mengzhe couldn’t help but exclaim in amazement.
Sun Bin’s first attack missed its mark. He then tapped lightly on Zhao Feihong’s long staff with one foot, using it as a pivot, and flipped in mid-air. As he soared through the air, he gracefully spun around, and his left foot lightly stepped on the back of his right foot, propelling him upwards with even greater force.
“Cloud Ascender!” Someone with sharp eyes immediately recognized Sun Bin’s signature move and shouted it out.
As Sun Bin leaped into the air, he was halfway through his jump. Then, his right foot lightly tapped the back of his left foot, propelling him even higher. Before his momentum could wane, his left foot tapped the back of his right foot, and then his right foot tapped the back of his left foot, allowing him to swiftly reach a height of ten zhang (a traditional Chinese measurement of about 3.3 meters) in the blink of an eye.
The entire arena erupted in astonishment in that instant. You Mengzhe, wide-eyed and almost dropping his jaw, exclaimed, “What kind of divine technique is this?”
“The legendary Cloud Ascender,” the wandering martial artist wearing a bamboo hat raised his chin and said, “You see, by tapping the left foot’s tip on the right foot’s back and vice versa, one can keep ascending higher and higher.”
“Can it really be done like this?” You Mengzhe found it hard to believe. “Is there such a martial art in the world? If he keeps tapping like that, won’t he fly into the sky? No, something must be amiss here!”
The wandering martial artist wearing a bamboo hat explained, “Hmm, it’s said that people who practiced this technique in the past all disappeared. They had a habit of tapping like that, and before they knew it, they were in the sky. That’s why this technique became lost to history.”
While they were speaking, Sun Bin had already become a small black dot in the sky. Then, he shouted loudly in mid-air, “…”
“What?!” Everyone on the ground couldn’t help but crane their necks and shout in response.
Sun Bin: “…..Grandfather…”
You Mengzhe strained to hear what Sun Bin was shouting, but Sun Bin’s Cloud Ascender had taken him too high. His voice dispersed in the wind, making it impossible to distinguish the words clearly.
Immediately after, Sun Bin, with the force of a hundred zhang high in the sky, plummeted straight towards the center of the lake!
Sun Bin spun rapidly in the air, scattering countless dazzling concealed weapons that shone like a million pieces of gold. Amidst the shower of copper coins, Zhao Feihong, gripping his steel staff, let out a furious roar. He swiftly turned in place, spiraling the staff’s head to intercept the chaotic barrage of copper coins.
The numerous copper coin darts piled up in one spot, with a small red light in the middle.
“It’s a Thunderfire Bomb!” You Mengzhe’s pupils suddenly contracted. In a flash of insight, he remembered the concealed weapon that Sun Bin had stolen from the Thunderbolt Hall.
You Mengzhe’s conjecture was spot on. The red light nestled amidst the array of Qiankun Star River copper coin darts was indeed the Supreme Celestial Sky-Annihilating Deity of Nine Realms Scattering Blossoms with Thunderous Destruction Technique, capable of piercing the heavens and annihilating the land, a treasured concealed weapon of the Thunderclap Hall. There was only one such weapon, a masterpiece created by the founder of the Thunderbolt Hall, Lei Jiutian, who had traveled to the Western Regions to obtain the essence of ten-thousand-year-old black oil and refined it into the most precious relic of the sect, using the purest Wujin powder.
Once the Thunder Bomb exploded, it would undoubtedly obliterate the arena in the center of the lake along with everyone around Mirror Lake, leaving nothing but ashes and bones in its wake!
Zhang Yuanshan, who was spectating, had an immediate change in expression. He wanted to rush onto the stage but hesitated and stopped in his tracks.
Alliance Master Zhao Feihong, closed his eyes for a moment and then reopened them. He lightly spun his seven-foot iron staff, and the energy at the tip of the staff intertwined with the rapidly spinning Thunder Bomb. He swiftly moved it aside.
This move, blending hardness with softness, had already reached the pinnacle of martial arts, mastering the essence of combining the two in perfect harmony!
Everyone held their breath as Zhao Feihong’s iron staff, adhering to the Thunder Bomb, spun in the air, first one rotation, then another, gradually erasing the downward momentum of the bomb. Then, he swiftly turned and, with his palm, captured that red light in a fraction of a millimeter.
A shower of copper coins dissipated, and Zhao Feihong held the Thunder Bomb in his left hand while his right hand gripped the steel staff. He struck a feinting blow towards Sun Bin, who was approaching. Under the impact of the staff’s energy, Sun Bin spat out blood and was sent flying backward.
Zhao Feihong proclaimed loudly, “The Thunderbolt Hall’s lost treasure will be returned to its original owner.”
For a brief moment, the lake was silent. Then, everyone erupted in wild cheers, their voices hoarse and their enthusiasm even greater than when Sun Bin had been displaying his skills earlier.
You Mengzhe felt an immense sense of unease, witnessing Sun Bin’s defeat. He feared that things might not turn out well for him this time.
“Is there a way to save him?” You Mengzhe inquired.
Yu Wenhong, aware of You Mengzhe’s concern for Sun Bin, said, “I’ll give it a try.”
You Mengzhe held his breath, and he saw Sun Bin tap on the water’s surface once more. Blood trailed from the corner of his mouth as he propelled himself towards Zhao Feihong, disregarding his own safety and even drawing out a dagger, showing his determination to go down with his opponent!
“Ah!” Others cried out in fear. Zhao Feihong swung his staff in mid-air once again. At the same time, Yu Wenhong bent slightly, curling and then extending his fingers into a fist several times, about to rush to the rescue.
However, in the next moment, the wandering martial artist wearing a bamboo hat casually said, “I’ll stop Zhao Feihong; you save that young man.”
The voice was all too familiar, and You Mengzhe was taken aback, exclaiming, “Father!”
You Gutian took off his bamboo hat, gave it a quick shake, and then hurriedly moved forward, shouting, “Let’s do it!”
In the blink of an eye, a sudden turn of events occurred. The bamboo hat, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound, shot towards Zhao Feihong. A vast burst of energy arrived before the hat. Zhao Feihong, realizing he had a new opponent, had no choice but to abandon his attack on Sun Bin. He used his staff horizontally to block the incoming bamboo hat and immediately performed a “Iron Bridge” maneuver, evading the hat. Then, he roared and used his staff to defend against the adversary, quickly moving backward!
You Gutian was suspended in mid-air, his black hair fluttering, and he drew his sword!
With a swift strike, their weapons clashed with a resounding “ding,” the sound resembling the roar of a dragon, echoing through the surrounding mountains.
The bamboo hat whirled and landed on the hand of an Orthodox female disciple by the lakeside. She was terrified and let out a loud, high-pitched scream, saying, “His bamboo hat! The bamboo hat of the Demonic Sect——!”
With this brief interruption, Yu Wenhong had already intercepted Sun Bin. He pointed at the vital points on Sun Bin’s body with one hand and grabbed his wrist with the other, pulling him back and then leaping back to the lakeside, crossing the bamboo bridge.
The spectators were in an uproar.
“Who are you?” someone on the platform shouted. “You’ve got some nerve!”
“I can change my name but not my nature,” You Gutian calmly stated. “I am the leader of the Demonic Sect from the Dingjun Peak of Yuheng Mountain. I am You Gutian, the one who defeated Xinghe.”
Suddenly, the densely packed crowd erupted in panicked shouts. No one paid any attention to where Sun Bin had been taken. Everyone drew their weapons, fearfully watching the man in the black veil robe standing at the center of the platform.
Zhao Feihong said coldly, “Demonic Sect Leader has come in person. What brings you here?”
You Gutian, realizing his attack was in vain, sheathed his sword and a sinister smile played on his lips as he stood there with his hands behind his back.
“I heard that the descendants of the Orthodox sects were participating in a martial arts challenge here, so I thought I’d come to check it out,” You Gutian said, “and see my son as well.”
The spectators were both angered and amused, thinking that You Gutian was taunting Zhao Feihong and taking advantage of him. Only You Mengzhe, watching from the sidelines, understood that You Gutian had indeed come to see him. He wanted to call out “Father” but was afraid it might cause trouble.
Zhao Feihong narrowed his eyes, raised his long staff, and placed it behind his back. He calmly said, “I have scheduled a joint operation with fellow martial artists to eradicate your Demonic Sect on the fifteenth of August next year. With my numbers against your few, engaging in a drawn-out battle would be unsporting. Let’s meet at the summit of Mount Yuheng another day for a one-on-one match. For now, since there’s no immediate conflict, how about we have a drink and see how things go?”
You Gutian replied nonchalantly, “No need. My son, don’t go causing trouble everywhere. Have your fun and then come back to be with your old man.”
While that statement was undoubtedly directed at You Mengzhe, the others interpreted it as a taunt towards Zhao Feihong. As soon as You Gutian finished speaking, he vanished from the platform, only to reappear on the wooden bridge. With another quick flash, he arrived at the lakeside, casually picked up his bamboo hat from the hand of an Orthodox female disciple, and placed it on his head with a wicked smile.
The female disciple let out a desperate scream and collapsed, unconscious.
You Gutian waved his sleeve, and no one dared to stop him. Thousands of people could only watch helplessly as he disappeared into the mountains and forests.
“Hurry,” You Mengzhe saw that You Gutian had diverted everyone’s attention, knowing that the next moment they needed to find Sun Bin, so he immediately hoisted Sun Bin’s arm and carried him on his back. He then employed his modest Qigong to begin their escape.
“Over there!”
“Get him!”
As You Mengzhe began to run, someone noticed them. He shouted while running, “Think of a plan, Uncle!”
Yu Wenhong ran ahead, then turned around and shouted to the pursuers behind You Mengzhe, “You’re dead…”
You Mengzhe replied, “Just say ‘get lost’!”
Yu Wenhong: “Get lost.”
The pursuing men behind them let out a shout, and five or six of them were sent flying by a powerful palm strike. You Mengzhe continued running down the mountain path, heading towards the riverbank.
This location was downstream from the Han River. The pursuing men, witnessing Yu Wenhong’s incredible skills, saw that those who were touched by him either spat blood or were sent flying. No one dared to continue the pursuit, and they all halted their steps on the mountain path.
Zhang Yuanshan, his black robe billowing, pursued them to the mountainside but stopped there. He watched You Mengzhe on the riverbank but chose not to continue the pursuit.
Huge shoutout to @_nyanmaru_ on Discord for commissioning this! The chapter will be posted regularly, show your support for Ciacia at Kofi.
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