Me and countless me.

Chapter 533 The Fierce Battle Is About to Begin

The journey to Shaolin Temple was quite troublesome, mainly because many people had heard about Qiao Feng and came to attack. In addition, Xiao Yuanshan's martial arts had been crippled by Li Ke, so he could not withstand a high-intensity journey. However, during this time, Qiao Feng had already confirmed that this person was his father.

After all, the two not only share almost identical hobbies, but also have various similarities. In fact, Xiao Yuanshan is almost an older version of Qiao Feng.

The key is--

"Do I really have to go back to Shaolin Temple to verify all of this?"

After spending three months to reach Shaolin Temple, Qiao Feng sat at the foot of the mountain, sensing the various martial arts figures around him and the temples on Mount Song. He couldn't help but ask Li Ke a question.

Li Ke shook his head, because it was inappropriate for someone like Qiao Feng to hesitate at this time. His intelligence network had already told him that almost everyone of importance in the martial arts world was heading towards Shaolin Temple on Mount Song, all to verify Qiao Feng's true identity.

However, the reason for coming here depends on each individual's circumstances.

Some came to help Qiao Feng, while others came to kill Qiao Feng, this Khitan dog, to gain fame.

Those who roam the martial world are all for a name, so even if they received favors from Qiao Feng in the past, they would risk their lives to climb the social ladder. Even the Murong family is heading here, and the leaders of the most prominent sects in the area have also arrived.

Even if he had the status of a duke to protect Qiao Feng, these people who had nothing but martial arts skills and their own lives would still want to try their luck. Moreover, in the eyes of these martial arts practitioners who didn't have a clear understanding of the power of the government, Qiao Feng had committed a major crime at Juxian Manor, which even a duke couldn't protect him from. They simply didn't understand the value of his status as a member of the imperial family.

They also had no idea the significance of his engagement to the princess when he was only eight years old.

The prestige of this identity meant that he had never had to worry about anything or care about anything in his previous life. As long as he was alive, he could enjoy many things that even emperors would find difficult to enjoy.

If Emperor Zhezong of Song and his successor Emperor Huizong of Song, Wanyan Gou, hadn't been so utterly incompetent, he wouldn't have gone on to rebel.

Therefore, at this moment, for Qiao Feng, there is only forward movement, no retreat.

If he can repel this wave, then he will still be a hero, a chivalrous person who doesn't care about his background and only wants to bring peace to the world.

If he were to retreat here, he would be seen in the martial arts world as a Khitan spy who sought to poison the Song Dynasty, a villain who had bewitched this Duke, and a lackey of the imperial court.

So Li Ke patted Qiao Feng on the shoulder.

"Some things must eventually come to an end, Qiao Feng. Only by settling these grudges can we accept everything. Moreover, the tragedy at Juxian Manor must be cleared of our names."

Li Ke paused for a moment, then looked at the surrounding woods and laughed.

"Besides, my troubles are by no means small either."

As Li Ke finished speaking,

"Qiao Feng, you Khitan villain, prepare to die!"

One after another, neatly arranged teams of 'jianghu figures' clad in armor and riding warhorses suddenly burst out of the woods, carrying official crossbows. In an instant, hundreds of arrows shot towards Li Ke and Qiao Feng!

Even two crossbow bolts were fired instantly, the two- or three-meter-long arrows carrying tremendous force as they pierced towards where Li Ke and Qiao Feng were!

Qiao Feng gasped as he watched this scene, for the weapons of these people who rushed out were undoubtedly made of fine steel, and they were fully armored except for the fact that they were not infantrymen. Moreover, their spear formation and cavalry were perfectly coordinated, and even he could not break through them quickly!

Most importantly, those rapidly approaching arrows were incredibly precious to martial artists; countless arrowheads were made from refined iron powerful enough to pierce through true qi! And all the crossbow bolts fired were covered with such arrowheads!
He immediately shouted to warn Li Ke to be careful!
"Brother Li, be careful! These arrows are specifically designed to counter arrows imbued with true qi!"

The moment Qiao Feng shouted, he unleashed the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, sending several dragon-shaped phantoms crashing into the rain of arrows. However, the effect was minimal, as the arrows pierced through his released true energy in an instant. Although the speed was reduced and many arrows were deflected, most of them still flew towards them!

This made Qiao Feng realize instantly that the crossbowmen and soldiers in front of him had all cultivated internal energy techniques, and it was clear at a glance that they were masters who cultivated both internal and external skills! Therefore, not only were the crossbow bolts in their hands extremely powerful, but they were also imbued with an extremely explosive true energy, making their destructive power far exceed that of the Beggar Clan's internal energy technique that he had practiced!
His eyes widened instantly, because the manpower and resources required for this attack alone were enough for him to rebuild another gang! Li Ke, however, wasn't surprised at all; in fact, he thought—

mean.

"Your masterminds are a bit stingy. You've made so much money, but you can't even spare some explosives or some heavy-duty cannons?"

With a wave of his folding fan, a gust of wind formed by his inner force instantly swept in all directions! A tornado flew out from his fan in an instant, and the power of the Wind God's Wrath was instantly formed. The arrows that swept in were directly caught by the tornado and did not harm him or the carriage behind him at all.

Upon seeing this scene, the leader of the 'martial arts figures' immediately sensed something was amiss, because the information he had received indicated that the young duke had only practiced martial arts for a few days, and that Qiao Feng and others had probably yielded to him. However, he did not expect that the duke would actually possess genuine talent and skill!

So he quickly shouted and changed formation, and one after another, armored knights charged towards Li Ke without hesitation. The man and horse became one, and the man's true energy and the horse's true energy merged together and then linked together. So although there were only a dozen or so riders, their charging momentum was like a mountain collapsing!
Qiao Feng believed that even if he wanted to kill all of these dozen or so knights, it would take him a lot of effort and he might even get injured. Li Ke also became more serious, but just as he was about to get serious, a beautiful figure landed next to Li Ke.

"Brother Li, let me do it!"

Murong Guang landed instantly, clasped his hands together, and dense stripes appeared on his body. Three stars once again flashed in his eyes!

The moment she landed, the mountains shook, diverting some of Li Ke's attention. She then saw the cracks that Murong Guang had created on the ground because she hadn't controlled her strength properly!
"Ripple Immortal Technique! Myriad Manifestations!"

Murong Guang's body suddenly shone with ripples of light, and the next moment all the surrounding flowers, plants and trees moved, charging directly towards the knights under her powerful ripples!
Even branches that were originally only as thick as a human arm instantly grew into more resilient branches, as thick as a water bucket and as flexible as a python, after absorbing Murong Guang's true energy and ripples!

The branches suddenly blocked the knights' path and tried to entangle their horses' hooves.

The lead knight drew his longsword from his back, severing countless tree branches charging towards him with a single strike. Then, he swung the longsword and cleaved the wall of tree roots in front of him.

Instantly, countless tree debris flew out, directly opening a path! Seeing this, Li Ke nodded.

"That's more like it. In this strange world, the government is indeed the strongest force in the entire martial arts world!"

These knights cultivate a mental technique that allows them to connect their inner energy. A thousand knights are united as one, and each of them possesses considerable skill in both internal and external martial arts. Although ordinary soldiers do not have this privilege, these men, who are clearly personal guards, are undoubtedly a nightmare for ordinary martial artists.

For martial arts practitioners, armor-piercing arrows are expensive, but for the government, they are just numbers. For martial arts practitioners, armor and weapons are expensive and illegal, but for generals and truly wealthy families, having them is fine, and they are even legal armor and weapons!

Li Ke even noticed that the armor these people wore had the ability to defend against true qi!

However, because of this, ordinary soldiers have become more and more like filler soldiers.

"Moreover, the infighting is fierce. Such a knight was used to assassinate me just because I didn't share the profits with them in business. What a waste."

Li Ke sighed, but showed no intention of making a move, because Murong Guang was adjusting his breathing, which caused the mountains to collapse and the earth to crack.

If Wang Yuyan is Mount Heng, Mu Wanqing is Mount Hua, Zhong Ling is Mount Song, A'Zhu is Mount Heng, and A'Zi is Mount Xiang, then at this moment, Murong Guang is undoubtedly Mount Himalayas!

Therefore, as a gentleman, he must be a brave warrior who remains calm even when Mount Tai collapses before him!
"drink!"

Murong Guang slammed his hands together, and the ground in front of the knights suddenly sprang to life. A towering tree burst forth from the earth, not only sending them flying, but its sharp trunk also carried extremely strong ripples of power, directly melting through their armor, piercing through their metal skin, and then penetrating their bodies!

Only the leading general was tightly bound by several tree trunks several meters thick, and the true energy in his body was constantly being carried away by the ripples flowing on the trees, making him completely unable to put up any resistance!

It was all over, because the crossbowmen behind them were also submerged by countless trees and were all controlled by Murong Guang using that powerful ripple!

But Li Ke patted Murong Guang on the shoulder and shook his head.

"They won't survive."

The moment he finished speaking, the captured soldiers showed expressions of terror on their faces, and before they could even utter a word of surrender, they collapsed with blood streaming from their mouths!
The general looked at Murong Guang, who was standing next to Li Ke, with black blood constantly spilling from the corner of his mouth, but he was also grinning maliciously.

"This person truly possesses the body of an immortal! An ageless and immortal being! Young Duke! You are doomed!"

After he finished speaking, he spat out blood and collapsed onto the tree trunk, while Murong Guang was horrified!

"Such knights, such soldiers, died so easily?"

She couldn't understand it at all, because the quality and ability these soldiers displayed were something the Murong family could only dream of, and she knew very well how much it would cost to raise such an elite force.

These are not soldiers who can be raised simply by feeding them meat every day. They need someone to carefully teach them martial arts, provide them with wives, land and property, and take care of their families to become warriors. Even when she displayed her overwhelming power, these soldiers still attacked them without any hesitation. Even when they were controlled, they were thinking about how to escape and attack her!

"That's why I said that the Murong family and most people in the martial arts world simply don't understand the powerful and wealthy."

Li Ke picked up a crossbow bolt that was clearly made in an official workshop but had no serial number. He was already certain that the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Ministry of Personnel were coming to cause him trouble.

As for the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Justice?
Li Ke hadn't offended the Ministry of Justice much, but he still had to maintain a neutral stance, so he didn't pay much attention, since many of his businesses did indeed violate the laws of the Song Dynasty.

He could accept the Ministry of Justice taking action against him.

And the Ministry of Rites?
From the very beginning, Li Ke felt that the Ministry of Rites had definitely taken action and was absolutely the biggest driving force behind it!
They regarded Li Ke as an enemy, wishing they could eat his flesh and drink his blood, because he had also gotten involved in maritime trade and had specifically supported the capital garrison for the emperor.

After all, the Ministry of Rites' biggest business was tribute and maritime trade. They even went so far as to call radishes ginseng and sell them to the Japanese on a large scale, which led to the Japanese translation of radish as ginseng.

Li Ke managed to carve out a large portion of such exorbitant profits using modern ships and with the emperor's support. The Ministry of Rites had long regarded him as an enemy.

Previously, they all operated within official territory, so their rivalry was peaceful but not violent. Now that he's outside the official circles, he's entered the martial arts world on his own, so even if he dies, it will only be a matter of江湖 (jianghu, the martial arts world) feuds.

So why wouldn't Li Ke, dressed in a white dragonfish outfit, and so publicly announce his action plan?

What he cared about most was what the other party said, because it was obvious that if even a third-rate general could see that Murong Guang's body had become that of an immortal being, then many people in the court probably already knew, and the emperor was definitely the most greedy person when it came to immortality.

Therefore, Li Ke had no doubt that the trouble he was about to face would be far greater than that of Qiao Feng.

Therefore, Li Ke shook his fan, looked at A Zi who was as timid as a quail, and chuckled.

“Azi, I will allow you to study that iron mask, but you must be a desperate person, and... you must practice this technique.”

He planned to create an immortal body that wasn't as powerful as Murong Guang's to conceal Murong Guang's special abilities. He also wanted to see if, given how far the story had progressed, A Zi could still encounter You Tanzhi, the young master of Juxian Manor who had now been destroyed!
But it was at this very moment—

"You're actually alive!"

Murong Fu, who was on his way, bumped into Kumārajīva, who had just removed the bandages from his body, and You Tanzhi, who had become a poisoner!

Thus, another great battle is about to unfold.

(End of this chapter)