I, the military god of the Tang Dynasty, have risen since I destroyed the Turks

Chapter 788 Undercurrent
The mountain wind whistled through the pine forest, making a mournful sound, as if foretelling some ominous premonition.

Li Kan and Li Zheng had long since disappeared into the depths of the dense forest, but their sharp killing intent seemed to still linger in everyone's hearts. Guo Jing's right arm wound had been simply bandaged by Xiaolongnu with a plain handkerchief, the bloodstains appearing a dark color under the moonlight.

“Great Hero Guo, please follow this old Taoist priest up the mountain to heal your wounds.” Wang Chongyang gestured for him to come, his wide Taoist robe fluttering in the wind.

Just as Guo Jing was about to reply, he suddenly frowned and swiftly shielded Yang Guo behind him with his left hand. Almost simultaneously, a rustling sound came from the forest, and more than ten men in black appeared silently on both sides of the mountain path, each holding a strangely shaped weapon that glowed with blue light.

"As expected, there was an ambush!" Gongsun Zhi unfolded his folding fan with a "whoosh," and the silver needles hidden in the fan ribs gleamed coldly in the moonlight.

Wang Chongyang's expression remained unchanged; he merely sighed softly, "It seems the two Benefactors Li haven't gone far."

One of the men in black stepped forward, removing his mask; it was none other than Li Kan, who had returned. A cold smile played on his lips: "Master Wang has a good eye. But this time, we've brought a treasure bestowed by 'that great one.'"

As he spoke, he took out an ebony box from his robes, its surface covered with strange runes. Li Kan pressed a button on a mechanism on the box, and the lid popped open with a "click," releasing a foul stench that immediately filled the air.

Wang Chongyang's expression changed drastically: "Five Poisons Heart-Corroding Powder? You're actually colluding with the Five Poisons Sect of the Western Regions!"

Upon hearing this, Guo Jing immediately held his breath and gestured for Yang Guo and the others to do the same. But it was too late. The two closest Quanzhen disciples suddenly clutched their throats, their faces turning pale as they collapsed to the ground.

"Despicable!" Qiu Chuji roared, drawing his longsword and pointing the tip directly at Li Kan's throat. However, his movements suddenly slowed down, and he staggered to one knee after only completing half of his sword move.

Li Kan laughed loudly: "Wang Chongyang, do you really think we'll retreat so easily? Today, Zhongnan Mountain will be your burial ground!"

Wang Chongyang's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and his wide Taoist robe fluttered without wind. He formed hand seals, chanted incantations, and a faint golden halo suddenly emanated from his body.

"Innate罡气!" Li Zheng exclaimed, "Retreat quickly!"

But it was too late. Wang Chongyang pushed out with both palms, and an invisible wall of energy spread outwards from him. The men in black were struck as if by lightning, spitting blood and flying backwards. The poison box in Li Kan's hand shattered with a "crack," and the poison powder splashed back onto his own face.

"Ah!" Li Kan screamed, clutching his face as his skin began to fester at a visible rate.

Seeing this, Li Zheng hurriedly took out a porcelain bottle from his pocket and sprinkled the medicinal powder inside onto Li Kan's face. The ulceration stopped slightly, but Li Kan's face was already unrecognizable.

"Go!" Li Zheng picked up his brother and leaped into the forest. Seeing this, the other men in black also retreated.

Wang Chongyang did not pursue, but immediately turned around to check on his disciples' injuries. Guo Jing also forced himself to use his internal energy to expel the poison from the two poisoned Quanzhen disciples.

"Master, we..." Qiu Chuji's face turned purple, and he fainted before he could finish speaking.

Wang Chongyang took out a white jade bottle from his sleeve and poured out a few emerald green pills: "Take these quickly; they will temporarily alleviate the poisoning."

Yang Guo helped feed the poisoned person the medicine, but his finger accidentally touched a little poison powder, and he immediately felt a stinging pain. Xiaolongnu reacted quickly, grabbing his wrist and taking out a piece of cold jade from her waist to gently wipe the wound.

"Is this the Cold Jade of the Ancient Tomb Sect?" Wang Chongyang glanced at the crystal-clear jade and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

Xiaolongnu nodded slightly, saying nothing more. Wherever the cold jade passed, the bruises on Yang Guo's hands quickly faded.

Seeing this, Guo Jing breathed a sigh of relief: "Fortunately, Miss Long is here."

Wang Chongyang glanced thoughtfully at Xiaolongnu, then at Yang Guo, and suddenly asked, "And this young friend is..."

"This is Yang Guo, the son of my sworn brother Yang Kang," Guo Jing introduced simply, his tone tinged with complexity.

Upon hearing this, a glint flashed in Wang Chongyang's eyes. He was about to say something when his expression suddenly changed, and he abruptly turned to look at the mountaintop: "Not good! Something has happened at Chongyang Palace!" Everyone followed his gaze and saw flames shooting into the sky in the direction of Chongyang Palace, with faint sounds of shouting and fighting coming from within.

"A diversionary tactic!" Guo Jing suddenly realized. "Their target was actually Chongyang Palace!"

Without further hesitation, Wang Chongyang was already several feet away in a flash: "Great Hero Guo is injured, please follow me. This old Taoist will go ahead!"

Before he finished speaking, his figure had already disappeared into the night. Guo Jing, suppressing his pain, said to Xiaolongnu, "Miss Long, please take care of Guo'er and the injured Taoist priests. Valley Master Gongsun, would you be willing to accompany me?"

Gongsun Zhi closed his folding fan and, unusually serious, said, "I will certainly be of service."

Just as the three were about to set off, Yang Guo suddenly tugged at Guo Jing's sleeve: "Uncle Guo, I'm going too!"

"No!" Guo Jing refused decisively. "It's too dangerous."

“But…” Yang Guo was about to argue when Xiaolongnu gently pressed his shoulder: “Guo’er, listen to your Uncle Guo.”

Yang Guo bit his lip in frustration, only to see Guo Jing and Gongsun Zhi using their lightness skills to leap towards the mountaintop. He watched their departing figures, his fists clenched until they turned white.

"You want to become stronger?" Little Dragon Girl suddenly asked.

Yang Guo nodded emphatically.

Little Dragon Girl gazed at the flames engulfing Chongyang Palace and said softly, "Then we must learn to wait for the right opportunity. Reckless courage will only lead to a wasted life."

Yang Guo paused, seemingly lost in thought.

The battle raged fiercely before Chongyang Palace. Dozens of men in black were besieging the Quanzhen disciples. The palace gates had been breached, and many wounded lay scattered across the plaza in front of the main hall.

Wang Chongyang descended like a god, killing three men in black who were besieging Ma Yu with a single palm strike. He looked around and discovered that among the enemies were various evil masters, including monks from the Western Regions and sorcerers from Miao territory.

"Form the Big Dipper Formation!" Wang Chongyang commanded, and the surviving Seven Masters of Quanzhen immediately took their positions and formed the formation. Seven longswords formed a net of swords under the moonlight, temporarily stabilizing the formation.

Just then, a sinister voice came from the darkness: "Wang Chongyang, it's been many years. How have you been?"

Wang Chongyang looked in the direction of the sound and saw a gaunt old monk wearing a blood-red cassock slowly walk out. Half of the old monk's face was covered with terrifying scars, and his only remaining eye gleamed with an eerie green light.

"The Blood-Clad Monk!" Wang Chongyang's pupils contracted. "You're still alive!"

"Thanks to you," the old monk grinned, revealing a mouthful of black teeth, "I've taken a trip to the underworld and come back specifically to thank you."

It turns out that this blood-robed monk was a demon whose martial arts were crippled by Wang Chongyang thirty years ago. Unexpectedly, he is not only alive, but his power is even greater than before.

The blood-robed monk suddenly attacked, a bloody shadow flashed by, and two Quanzhen disciples screamed and fell to the ground, each with a bloody hole in their chest.

"Stop!" Wang Chongyang roared, unleashing his full power of the Innate Skill to fight the Blood-Clad Monk.

The two exchanged blows with lightning speed, having already exchanged over a hundred moves in the blink of an eye. The Blood-Clad Monk's martial arts style was unpredictable and insidious, each move deadly. Although Wang Chongyang possessed profound skill, he had exhausted himself earlier and was finding it difficult to gain the upper hand.

(End of this chapter)