Traveling the Heavens in Thunderbolt

Chapter 33 Tianjin Bridge
Since the Siege of Yanmen, Ling Donglai's reputation has spread throughout the martial arts world. People know that he defeated Bi Xuan, the martial arts master from outside the Great Wall, and replaced him to become the new martial arts master.

Discussions about Ling Donglai have never stopped since he defeated Bi Xuan. Some say that he defeated the three great masters at the age of only thirty, and that he may very likely reach the legendary state of Shattering the Void in the future; there have been discussions about his origin of the Tianshi Dao, which has once again brought the Tianshi Dao to the forefront of the martial arts world; some people also wonder what kind of Taoist skills he has cultivated that has enabled him to have such skills at such a young age.

What people are talking about more is him and Ning Daoqi, a "wanderer" from the same Taoist sect. Who can be called the number one in Taoism? Some people think it is Ning Daoqi, because he has been famous for a long time and has the support of Buddhism.

Some people also think that it was Ling Donglai, because he defeated Bi Xuan at Yanmen Pass, and in the past Bi Xuan and Ning Daoqi had fought to a draw.

However, these questions will be answered soon.

Just one month after the siege of Yanmen Pass ended, the newly promoted Grand Master Ling Donglai posted a challenge to the "free man" Ning Daoqi, and set a decisive battle on Tianjin Bridge in Luoyang seven days later to decide who would be the true number one in Taoism in the future.

For a while, the focus of the martial arts world was all on Luoyang.

The Buddhist forces behind Ning Daoqi have stepped up their operations, hoping to further expand the reputation of Buddhism in this battle, thereby providing additional support for future events.

The Taoist forces also appeared at this time to cheer for Ling Donglai, hoping that he could defeat Ning Daoqi, who had become a thug of Buddhism, and regain the honor that Taoism deserves.

The various sects of the Demonic Sect will just watch the fire from the other side of the river, and no matter who wins or loses, they can all reap the benefits.

And just like that, the turbulent battle of Luoyang began.

On the day of the scheduled battle, a beautiful sun rose in the sky.

Before the two parties arrived, the area around Tianjin Bridge was already crowded with people waiting for this grand event.

These people almost include all the forces in the Central Earth today. The four major families sent their own direct descendants, Taoist sects such as Louguandao sent their inner disciples, and Buddhist sects such as Cihang Jingzhai's abbot Fan Qinghui brought his disciple Feixuan, and Jingnian Zen Temple's abbot Liaokong brought the four Vajra to watch the battle. On the other hand, the leader of the demonic Yinkui sect Zhu Yuyan brought her disciple Kankan and the elders of the sect also came here (at this time Li Gong was nominally in seclusion to practice the "Purple Blood Method").

When Cihang Jingzhai meets the Yinkui Sect, conflict is inevitable.

The protagonist Cheng Qian, the young master of the Li clan, is currently drinking tea and watching a play in a restaurant, watching this martial arts event that he planned. Sitting next to him are Dugu Sheng and Dugu Feng of the host Dugu clan, and not far away sit Yu Wenhuaji of the Yuwen clan and Song Zhi and Song Shidao of the Song clan.

Dugu Sheng saw Li Jiancheng looking at the dispute between Yinkui Sect and Cihang Jingzhai downstairs in the distance without panicking, and his Qi cultivation skills were very good. He was worthy of being the future heir of the Li family, but it was a pity that he did not like to practice martial arts since he was a child, which was far worse than his second brother Li Shimin.

I heard that his second brother, Li Shimin, had personally gone to rescue His Majesty a month ago and had performed well on the battlefield. I'm afraid there will be another fight between the two.

Just as Dugu Sheng's thoughts were drifting further and further away, Cheng Qian suddenly spoke up to pull him back, "Who do you think will win this duel, Mr. Dugu?"

Dugu Sheng quickly came back to his senses and said, "Since the young master asked, I will show my humility. Ning Daoqi is the number one martial artist in the Central Plains and has been practicing martial arts in seclusion for many years. It is hard to judge how advanced his martial arts skills are. But Ling Donglai, as a newly promoted martial arts grandmaster, defeated Bi Xuan before he was thirty. Although I don't know if it was a fluke, his strength is unquestionable. But I don't know if he can have the same luck as before to defeat Ning Daoqi."

As soon as these words were spoken, they won the approval of the people from the four major families around except Cheng Qian.

Because Ling Donglai won the battle with Bi Xuan at Yanmen Pass, but people would think that although he was a martial arts expert, he won by cheating. Bi Xuan and the Khan, the only two people who knew the whole story, naturally would not publicize it in order to protect the Turks.

"It seems that Mr. Dugu is not optimistic about Ling Dong coming, but I am more optimistic about him. How about we make a bet?"

Cheng Qian had just finished speaking and Dugu Sheng hadn't responded yet.

Suddenly, two figures appeared from the sky, they were the protagonists of today.

Among them, an old man with a tall hat and a wide belt came from the sky. He had five long beards, an elegant and simple face, and was wearing a thick brocade robe. His figure, which was already taller than that of ordinary people, seemed even more majestic like a mountain, and he had a rather otherworldly and elegant temperament. He was none other than Ning Daoqi, the number one man in the Middle-earth today.

In contrast, Ling Donglai's arrival seemed unremarkable. Although his face was as white as jade, his skin was crystal clear, and he looked like an immortal, he always gave people the feeling that he was too young and not as good as Ning Daoqi.

As the two of them were sizing each other up, the people off the field were also sizing up the two protagonists on the field today.

Fan Qinghui made up her mind the first time she saw Ling Donglai. After this battle, she must recruit him into the Buddhist sect, because Ling Donglai's victory over Bi Xuan has proved his talent and understanding of the martial arts realm. If he is given some time, he will definitely catch up with or even surpass Ning Daoqi in the future. If he can make him owe her a favor before he grows up, it will definitely be helpful for future matters.

When Zhu Yuyan saw Ling Donglai, she knew that this battle would not end so easily, because the elusive aura in him was something she had only seen in her eldest disciple Li Gong.

The two men confronted each other for a long time, and Ning Daoqi spoke first, "I see that your realm is not lower than mine. You and I are both Taoists. Why bother fighting with a semi-retired person like me?" Ning Daoqi's words showed the courage of a Taoist grandmaster, and expressed his desire not to seek fame and fortune, and not to engage in internal strife in the Taoist sect.

But Ling Donglai said: "You don't know, ever since you helped the Buddhist sect hunt down the "Evil King" Shi Zhixuan three times, this battle between you and me was destined. It's just because of the long-cherished wish of the master, I have to help it to achieve it."

This statement shows that this battle is inevitable, because Ning Daoqi, as a Taoist, always helps the Buddhists, causing the decline of Taoism. Now Ling Donglai, as a Taoist, must protect the reputation of Taoism.

Hearing this, Ning Daoqi knew that he had to fight Ling Donglai to determine the winner. This matter had become a battle for the orthodoxy of Taoism rather than a personal grudge.

This battle is irreversible. Whether I win or lose, I am afraid I will have nothing to do with Taoism from now on.

If he wins, he will be helping the Buddhist sect to suppress the younger generations of Taoism. From then on, no Taoist sect will respect a person who suppresses his younger generations in order to help outsiders as a spiritual leader.

If he loses, the position of the first person in Taoism will automatically be transferred to Ling Donglai. Naturally, no one will respect a person who has abdicated as a leader.

Thinking of this, Ning Daoqi already understood that it was his actions in recent years that seriously caused dissatisfaction among the Taoist high-ranking officials. It was simply because no one could replace him before, so the Taoist high-ranking officials tolerated him many times.

However, Ling Donglai's rise made the Taoist leaders no longer able to tolerate the existence of a "number one Taoist" who had turned to Buddhism, so they wanted to take this opportunity to completely eliminate his influence in Taoism.

Ning Daoqi, who wanted to figure out the trick, couldn't help but sigh and said, "If that's the case, then come on."

(End of this chapter)