A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 469: Being Recruited
Wei Zhuang drew his fingers across the Shark Tooth sword, uttered a cold voice, and pointed his sword directly at Gai Nie. An astonishing aura suddenly appeared, and the water in the Ink Pool seemed to respond, constantly surging and boiling.

"What an astonishing aura!"

Gao Jianli stared at Wei Zhuang in shock. Although he had long known that Wei Zhuang was exceptionally strong, the sword energy had already formed its own domain even before the sword technique was unleashed. Even if he entered at his peak, he would be defeated in no more than three moves.

"This battle is unavoidable for Gai Nie. How should he deal with it?"

Gao Jianli looked at Gai Nie with slight worry, while the latter slowly walked to the opposite side of Wei Zhuang. The Yuanhong in his hand hummed, as if glass was shattering. With a crack, everyone was shocked to find that the surrounding mountain walls were cracked with varying depths. Small stones were falling down and rolling into the Mo Gui Pool, splashing water. The pool water splashed onto the ground, hissing and emitting white smoke, corroding the ground and creating small holes.

"We must not let the water in the Inkwell overflow, otherwise, everything here will be gone!"

Master Ban's expression changed drastically as he watched the constantly being destroyed Ink Pool. He hurriedly shouted at Gongshu Chou, who was studying the Ink Core.

Gongshu Chou frowned upon hearing the shout. Although the ink core had cracked open, he could not fully understand its mysteries in such a short time.

"Let's deal with the immediate problem first; the Mohists won't escape the Empire's grasp anyway."

After a moment's thought, Gongshu Chou immediately shouted to Master Ban, "Master Ban, if you want to shut down the Ink Rule Pool, come to my side. Otherwise, I will absolutely not hand over this Ink Core to you."

"Impossible, Gongshu Chou! If that's how you think, then I'd rather you all be buried with my Mo family!"

Master Ban rejected Gongshu Chou's proposal without hesitation. The situation was not as urgent as before. With Gai Nie here, the strength of the two sides was not far apart. He was not foolish enough to abandon the entire Mo family for his own safety. Gongshu Chou had made a good plan.

"If that's the case, then let's compromise. I can give you the Ink Core, but you must give me the complete map of the Mechanical City."

Gongshu Chou, settling for second best, turned his attention to the master plan of the mechanisms. Master Ban's expression changed slightly upon hearing this, but then he realized that the Mechanism City was definitely doomed to fall, and the master plan would be useless to him. After a moment's thought, he readily tossed the mechanism plan to Gongshu Chou, who hurriedly took it and smiled after reading it.

"This is the master plan of the mechanism. It is indeed ingenious and ingenious, a masterpiece of nature. What skill!"

While praising it, Gongshu Chou tossed the ink core he was playing with to Master Ban, who hurriedly caught it. Looking at the two who were still clashing with swords in the arena, he felt a little relieved. He turned to give instructions to Master Xu and then quickly ran into the ink core chamber. After arriving in the inner room, he placed the ink core into the groove and activated the mechanism.

Outside, Wei Zhuang and Gai Nie's sword energies clashed continuously. Dark red and deep blue sword energies crisscrossed, cutting through everything around them. Within a radius of several feet, nothing remained. The dissipating sword energy forced those watching the battle to retreat continuously.

Chi Lian looked at Wei Zhuang in the arena with a worried expression. If he were fighting someone else, she wouldn't be so worried. But because his opponent was Gai Nie, the Sword Saint, a title that was hard to come by. Even Chi Lian, who was full of confidence in Wei Zhuang, lost her confidence in this battle.

"You're worried about him."

Bai Feng glanced at her indifferently, but Chi Lian did not respond, her eyes fixed on the arena.

After another ten breaths of fighting, a loud rumble was heard from the ground. In everyone's eyes, the water in the Ink Standard Pool suddenly dropped and disappeared completely in a short while. Then, in another instant, the entire Ink Standard Pool became flat ground.

"I sense your doubt and hesitation from your sword aura. You've forgotten what it means to be a swordsman. This could cost you your life. Where has the once spirited and radiant sword saint gone? Huh?"

Veins bulged on Wei Zhuang's right hand, and a pair of sword eyes stared intently at him. Dark red sword energy suddenly increased, constantly entangled and attacked the deep blue sword energy. After a few breaths, the original 50/50 situation suddenly tilted in Wei Zhuang's favor. Chi Lian breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this, while the Mo family was extremely tense.

"What makes a swordsman a swordsman is his constant progress. If you believe in everything without wavering, you will only become a killing machine. It is not you who wields the sword, but the sword that controls the person. Xiao Zhuang, your swordsmanship has reached its peak, but if you want to take another step forward in the way of the sword, this step is indispensable."

Gai Nie's deep voice not only failed to win Wei Zhuang's approval, but also ignited his anger.

"Senior brother, it seems you consider yourself superior to me in swordsmanship. Then let your junior brother experience just how amazing the swordsmanship of the famous Sword Saint is."

As soon as he finished speaking, the dark red sword energy gathered on Shark Tooth. Wei Zhuang swung his right arm, pushed off the ground with both feet, and charged straight at Gai Nie. Seeing this, Gai Nie held Yuanhong in his hand, pointed forward, and met the attack head-on. The two swords clashed with a clang, and Yuanhong and Shark Tooth came to a stop. The two men's internal energy collided along the swords.

As the first attack began, the two of them were instantly surrounded by sword energy, which was as dense as stars in the sky. The sword energy shot down, and the ground seemed to be crushed, exposing the bare soil. The dissipating energy made everyone present feel short of breath and dizzy.

"If it's so powerful even in a mere test, who knows what it would be like if we really fought? The saying 'Guigu's Twin Swords are unmatched in the world' is quite accurate."

Gao Jianli considered himself to be a skilled swordsman, but compared to these two, his swordsmanship was clearly inferior.

"Although Mr. Gai Nie's Yuanhong is ranked second in the sword manual and is forged based on Canhong, it is indestructible and has an imposing edge. However, Wei Zhuang's Shark Tooth should not be underestimated. This sword is my father's masterpiece and is also known as the Demon Sword. It is hard to say who will win."

Looking at the Shark Tooth sword in Wei Zhuang's hand, Master Xu sighed inwardly. This Shark Tooth sword was originally his father's painstaking work, created so that he could compete with his mother and prove that he was the Mo family's number one swordsmith.

"Besides its sharpness, the greatest threat of Shark Tooth is its row of serrated edges. This is specifically designed to target ordinary longswords. Once locked by these serrated edges, the sword will be destroyed and the person will die. Back then, Wei Zhuang used this sword to kill six famous swordsmen in succession, thus establishing his fearsome reputation."

Big Iron Hammer snorted upon hearing this.

"To pave the way for their own notoriety, they need others to pave the way for them. This is a common tactic of Quicksand, no, it should be the tactic of all assassin organizations."

"It's too late to say anything now. I just hope that Mr. Gai Nie can delay the arrival of the Grand Master and the others in time."

Master Xu was extremely anxious. Although Gai Nie had temporarily held back the Quicksand, Gongshu Chou still had two thousand elite troops watching him closely. If he made a mistake, the Mohist school would be destroyed.

Wei Zhuang shouted, and Shark Tooth pushed Gai Nie backward. Just as they were about to crash into the stone pillar, Gai Nie slightly turned his body, flipped over, and leaped over Wei Zhuang. At the same time, he slashed, and the blade swept towards Wei Zhuang's wrist.

Just as Wei Zhuang and Gai Nie were fighting, dozens of fast horses were galloping towards them from outside the Mechanized City.

The leader was dressed in black, masked, with a hood over his head. His eyes were bright and piercing, and a black longsword hung at his waist. This man was the current leader of the Mohist school.

To his right stood a Taoist priest dressed in a flowing ink-wash robe, his long beard adding to his ethereal charm; this was none other than Xiaoyaozi, the current leader of the Taoist Human Sect. To his left was Zhang Liang, the third-in-command of the Confucian Little Sage Manor.

"The city of mechanical weapons is just ahead. There are several hundred elite troops left outside. Be careful, everyone."

Upon hearing this, the leader nodded to Dao Zhi and then spurred his horse forward at full speed. But just then, a thunderclap suddenly exploded not far away, and everyone stopped in their tracks. When the dust settled, they saw a beautiful woman in red standing in front of them.

"The Grand Master of Fate of the Yin-Yang School!"

Xiaoyaozi's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at Da Siming's ten fingers, which were as black as ink. He immediately guessed that this person's "Yin-Yang Harmony Hand Seal" must have reached a very profound level.

The Grand Master coldly stared at the Grand Commander, snorted, and was about to make a move when he was stopped by Xiaoyaozi. "I will handle things here for now. The situation in the Mechanized City is critical. You should hurry on your way."

Upon hearing Xiaoyaozi's words, the Grand Master nodded to him and was about to lead everyone through when they heard a rustling sound. Turning around, they saw a beautiful young woman twirling leaves with her fingers, creating a green swirling stream. The sound came from this rustling sound.

"The Yin Yang School's Shao Siming has dispatched two elders in succession. The Yin Yang School truly values ​​our Mo family. Now that both elders have arrived, which protector will return this time, Xinghun or Yueshen?"

The Grand Master gripped the reins, looking at the Grand Master of Fate and the Junior Master of Fate, his tone quite calm.

"Do I need the two of you to deal with you? I've heard that the leader of the Mo family has extraordinary martial arts skills. Today I'll see just how extraordinary he is."

As soon as the Grand Master of Fate finished speaking, he formed hand seals, and suddenly streams of crimson and black flames rushed around his body, turning the surrounding area a deep red. A fierce sensation made people feel uncomfortable.

"Yin-Yang Harmony Hand Seal!"

Xiaoyaozi spoke in a deep voice, pointed to his body, and chanted an incantation. Instantly, golden streams of writing flowed like dragons, protecting everyone present, and the oppressive feeling immediately dissipated.

The Great Master of Fate formed a hand seal, and a red Tai Chi pattern suddenly appeared in front of her. As she stepped forward, countless handprints shot towards her from the air, each one extremely ruthless. Upon seeing this, the Giant King swept his sleeve, and his entire body was instantly enveloped in black and white energy. The handprints struck him, causing the black and white energy to continuously disintegrate, but it was extremely resilient. The handprints continued to attack for a while, but still could not harm the Giant King.

"Heh, as expected of the head of the Mo family. If the Yin-Yang Harmony Hand Seal can't deal with you, then let's see this move!"

The Great Master of Fate gathered his true energy, his eyes turned red, and a blood-red skeleton, about the height of two people, slowly emerged behind him. It looked sinister and terrifying. As he continued to make hand gestures, one blood-red skeleton after another circled around the Great Master of Fate, howling and wailing, emitting a shrill scream that shook the hearts of those who heard it.

"Skull Blood Handprint!"

Xiaoyaozi's face was very ugly. This Da Siming had actually mastered this extremely vicious skull blood handprint. You should know that this technique was a forbidden technique in Taoism before. Although it was powerful, it was sealed because it required the blood of living beings as its basis, which was too bloody and violated the laws of nature.

Five hundred years ago, when the Yin-Yang School separated from the Taoism School, they took away most of the forbidden books from the forbidden arts chamber, thus revitalizing the Yin-Yang School.

"Having mastered this technique, who knows how many people he has killed? He truly deserves to die!"

Judging from the two skulls of varying heights behind the Great Master of Fate, one can tell that this person cultivated his skills using human blood, and that achieving such a level is rare, with at least a hundred people possessing such abilities.

The giant looked at the flying blood skull and his expression became slightly solemn. This technique was indeed not as powerful as the Yin-Yang Harmony Hand Seal in terms of individual strength, but it was tricky to attack and had the ability to corrode true energy. If one was not careful, it would cause a lot of trouble if it got on one's body.

Not wanting to get entangled with them any longer, the Grand Master rolled up his sleeves, and with a clang, sword energy shot out from all around, and black and white energy surged rapidly, like spring rain or summer thunder. With a loud bang, the charging blood skull shattered, and the force of the backlash caused the Grand Master's true energy to stagnate, and blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.

"Like a sword, yet not offensive; dark brows, yet without edge!"

The Grand Master wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked at the long sword in the Giant's hand, which was as black as ink, without a blade or edge, and as flat as a ruler.

Shao Siming flew to Da Siming's side, made a hand seal, and a green ribbon formed from the leaves draped over Da Siming's body. Emerald green true energy flowed into her body, helping her calm her turbulent true energy.

"Give Way."

The Grand Master spoke calmly, then put away his dark eyebrows. The Great Master gave the Grand Master a deep look, then shook the mountain wall with his hand, causing two Mo family disciples to fall out. The Grand Master's eyes sharpened at this sight, and just as he was about to make another move, he saw the Great Master grab one in each hand and throw them at him.

After doing this, the Grand Master of Fate and the Junior Master of Fate disappeared in the blink of an eye.

The Grand Master leaped through the air, easily catching the two with a flick of his sleeve. He probed them with his finger and found they still had breaths. Just as he was about to hand them over to the people behind him, he heard Xiaoyaozi warn him to be careful. With a loud bang, the two Mohist disciples were blasted to pieces by a technique hidden within their bodies.

The Grand Master stared grimly at the blood skull mark on his arm. Seeing this, Xiaoyaozi hurriedly came over and pressed on the acupoints on his arm. With his left hand forming a hand seal, a stream of golden true energy slowly entered the blood skull. The color of the blood skull changed from light to dark, and then from dark to light again. After three times, the blood skull was ultimately like water without roots, and was dissolved by Xiaoyaozi using the Purification Profound Method.

"Thank you for your trouble, Mr. Xiaoyao."

Xiaoyaozi said it was nothing, and the Grand Master nodded, expressionlessly mounted his horse, and led the group to continue towards the Mechanical City.

High on a distant cliff, the Moon Goddess asked without turning her head, "Is the matter settled?"

"It's done."

The High Priest replied respectfully.

"Ah."

Inside the Mechanized City, the battle between Gai Nie and Wei Zhuang intensified. The entire Mohe Cave was ravaged beyond recognition, and the spectators were forced into a corner. However, the omnipresent strong winds and sword energy still made it difficult for everyone to breathe.

(End of this chapter)