Three Towers Game

Chapter 353 Shaoshi Mountain Version: The Final Battle at Bright Summit

Shaolin.

Just like Wen Xishu's previous life, Shaolin is still called Shaolin, and Shaoshi Mountain is still Shaoshi Mountain.

This place holds many people's yearning for martial arts, as the saying goes, "All martial arts under heaven originated from Shaolin."

But corruption here is happening much faster than in Wen Xishu's previous life.

In Wen Xishu's previous life, the Shaolin Temple was corrupt and decadent, but at least it was in modern times. However, the Shaolin Temple here seems to correspond to the Song Dynasty, where it was already incredibly greedy.

The Four Heavenly Kings and the Eighteen Arhats all had potbellies.

Although the monks with sticks and fists all showed considerable skill, they were all quite bloated and overweight.

When these monks become excessively fat, even their kind and benevolent smiles can reveal a hint of lewdness.

The entire Shaoshi Mountain was filled with the scent of pine, a testament to its flourishing incense offerings. However, the number of pilgrims coming and going was limited.

When a restaurant has few customers, but its decor, style, and ingredients are all top-notch... it may not be making money from regular customers.

The martial arts heroes soon appeared at Shaoshi Mountain.

After the Beggars' Clan, formerly known as the number one gang in the world, took the lead, many other gangs with chivalrous hearts who wanted to fight against the Martial Arts Alliance also prepared to go.

These include Wudang, Emei, Kongtong, Huashan, Hengshan...

Some well-known martial arts heroes carefully managed their own gangs after Ye Jianxin went into seclusion, trying their best to avoid conflicts with the martial arts alliance.

But now, the young hero Liu Jianxin and the Beggar Clan leader Xiao Jianglong have given them hope for the restoration of order in this martial arts world.

As long as there is hope, these former major sects are willing to contribute their strength.

Along their journey, Liu Jianxin and Xiao Jianglong encountered many villains from the Martial Arts Alliance.

There were even two or three fierce battles.

Liu Jianxin had several thoughts about whether he should betray Xiao Jianglong and surrender to join the Martial Arts Alliance.

But after Xiao Jianglong repeatedly broke through the encirclement and defeated the enemy, his first question was always:

"Brother, are you hurt?"

He never hesitated to use his inner energy; even after defeating a powerful enemy, he immediately began to use his inner energy to heal Liu Jianxin.

This kind of care is like that of a real older brother, and also like that of a father.

This left Liu Jianxin speechless. How could there be someone who could be so easily kind to others? How could the world be so naive?

But gradually, he accepted some things. On the way to Shaoshi Mountain, he began to habitually cooperate with Xiao Jianglong to defeat the enemy.

Of course, he kept telling himself...

"Only the strong have the right to talk about good and evil. I have not endorsed Xiao Jianglong. It's just that he is stronger, nothing more."

Liu Jianxin seems to always harbor a layer of... malice towards the world that doesn't belong to someone his age.

Upon arriving at Shaolin, many heroes already knew the story of the chivalrous Liu Jianxin, who defeated Murong Xing in the battle of Xingzilin and wiped out a long-standing band of outlaws on his first foray into the martial world.

Along the way, he and Xiao Jianglong thwarted many scoundrels from the martial arts alliance.

Everyone looked at Liu Jianxin with shining eyes. The leaders of several major sects even extended olive branches to Liu Jianxin, saying that as long as he was willing to come, they would even set aside their sect prejudices and teach him their sect's martial arts.

Because of the Martial Arts Alliance, these people have long lost the chivalrous spirit of helping those in need they once had. In order to survive, they have all become cautious and timid.

But deep down, they still yearn for chivalry and long for the martial world to return to its former state when Ye Jianxin was around.

So they still came.

Therefore, they all have great respect for Liu Jianxin, a rising star in the entertainment industry.

Liu Jianxin did indeed feel the admiring gazes of everyone.

This made him somewhat uneasy and uneasy. It took him a while to understand why he was uneasy.

It's because he knows how despicable he is, and he knows that he... is completely unworthy of these people's admiration.

Of course, such emotions did not trouble Liu Jianxin.

On Mount Shaoshi, after the former abbot Xuanxin was defeated by a group of martial monks, the new abbot Xuanyong took charge of the overall situation.

Soon, a gathering of heroes appeared in the plaza outside the main hall. Abbot Xuan Yong said:

"Thank you to all the heroes of the world for coming to my Shaolin Temple to discuss the martial arts conference. At this conference, we will select a true leader of the martial arts world to lead us in overthrowing the rule of the Martial Arts Alliance and restoring order to the martial arts world."

"Everyone must be tired from your journey. After you have rested well today, the martial arts tournament will begin tomorrow. As the name suggests, the martial arts tournament will be inseparable from the discussion of martial arts."

"We will select a person with both virtue and martial prowess as the leader of the martial arts world through a duel."

Abbot Xuan Yong's words drew cheers and approval from the crowd.

In any case, a leader in the martial arts world can be a eccentric person who values ​​swordsmanship over physical prowess, but he absolutely cannot be someone who is bad at martial arts.

Upon hearing this, Liu Jianxin realized it had nothing to do with him. His broken sword technique was unreliable, sometimes effective and sometimes not, just like the Six Symbols Formless Sword of the Dali Duan family.

My own cultivation is also quite shallow; becoming a martial arts leader is out of the question. I might as well encourage Xiao Jianglong to take over the role of martial arts leader.

Xiao Jianglong's strength is probably on par with the top fighters from Wudang, Shaolin, and Emei. However, Xiao Jianglong has a high combat intelligence, becoming stronger with each battle and rising to prominence against stronger opponents.

At dusk, Abbot Xuan Yong of Shaolin Temple recounted how he subdued Xuan Xin and Shaolin's determination to break away from the Martial Alliance.

The heroes were full of admiration, for it is the principle of destruction before construction and the ability to correct mistakes.

But Liu Jianxin thought with disdain, "You're all fat and look like future Buddhas. Is the incense from Shaolin Temple really that nourishing? Isn't this just greed?"
Liu Jianxin did not touch the vegetarian meal served that night.

Naturally, some people had the same thought as Liu Jianxin, but seeing that the Shaolin monks were fine with it, and that many major sects had methods for testing for poison, confirming that it was indeed non-toxic, everyone felt reassured and drank it as well.

Liu Jianxin thought to himself, "Having done this much, there shouldn't be any problems."

When you're hungry, you'll convince yourself that there's no problem with food. But if you're starving, everything will look like food.

But Liu Jianxin never ate it.

This time, the voice in my mind was in line with what Liu Jianxin had thought.

You suspect the food might be poisoned, but the martial arts masters won't believe you so easily. They've exhausted all methods but haven't detected anything unusual. However, out of caution, you decide not to eat the food.

Liu Jianxin actually wanted to eat some later.

But every time he had this thought, he would immediately stop himself as he swallowed. Partly because the voice in his mind would repeat itself.

On the other hand, he himself was someone who habitually used sleeping pills.

However, it seems he was overthinking it; the martial arts heroes were unharmed. After finishing their meal, they were all even more energetic and vigorous.

It seems there won't be any problems with the martial arts tournament. Shaolin has indeed not caused any trouble.

That was his thought, but soon, overnight, things took an unexpected turn.

"Report! The Azure Dragon Society, a subordinate force of the Martial Alliance, is approaching Shaoshi Mountain with a large force!"

"Report! A large force from the Golden Phoenix Rain Pavilion, a subordinate force of the Martial Alliance, is approaching Shaoshi Mountain!"

"Report! The Six-Fingered Demon of the Qin, carrying the Heavenly Demon Qin, is approaching Shaoshi Mountain at full speed!"

"Report! The Ming Cult, a subordinate force of the Martial Alliance, is approaching Shaoshi Mountain with a large number of troops!"

A gathering of heroes led to a chaotic dance of demons.

Everyone was shocked, but what surprised them even more was that their whole bodies were sore and weak, and they couldn't muster any strength at all.

Even Xiao Jianglong, who was most likely to become the leader of the martial arts world, was unable to gather his palm power.

"Is Heaven going to destroy us?" The heroes wailed outside the main hall.

Only the Shaolin monks seemed unaffected, continuing to set up the arena.

Soon, Abbot Xuanyong said:
"It seems that none of you are feeling well. Amitabha, this martial arts tournament cannot be delayed. Since you are all unwell, I will have to ask others to participate."

At this point, everyone realized that they had been tricked by Shaolin.

Xiao Jianglong roared and forcefully gathered his palm power, unleashing a domineering and powerful palm technique. Abbot Xuan Yong retreated several steps before he could barely block the palm with his kasaya skill.

The senior monk was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat. He knew that the pine resin of Shaolin Temple was not poisonous, nor was the vegetarian food. However, the incense smoke, when combined with the vegetarian food, was poisonous.

If the Shaolin disciples hadn't collectively induced vomiting last night, they would also be feeling weak and sore today, just like ordinary people.

Even so, the abbot of Shaolin Temple almost couldn't withstand Xiao Jianglong's palm strike, which shows how fierce it was.

"Benefactor Xiao's palm technique is unparalleled in the world. It's a pity that today you will all be buried in my Shaolin Temple!"

Seeing that Xiao Jianglong was exhausted and panting heavily, Xuan Yong finally became certain that Xiao Jianglong was at his last gasp.

Outside the main hall, everyone was incapacitated.

Meanwhile, the forces of the Martial Arts Alliance gradually arrived.

The Demon of the Qin, the world's number one assassin, one of the four top masters of the Azure Dragon Society's Twelve Towers and the Golden Phoenix Drizzle Tower...

Demons danced wildly and gathered at Shaolin.

The leader of the Azure Dragon Society was a man named Gongsun Yu, who wore a bronze mask and coldly said:
"Gentlemen, how could this martial arts tournament be complete without members of our Martial Arts Alliance?"

"I won't make things difficult for you all. Next, we'll each send out six people to compete on the stage. The winner will defend their spot, and the loser will leave. Whoever runs out of contestants first will be considered the loser, shall we?"

Gongsun Yu's martial arts skills are said to be comparable to Xiao Jianglong's, placing him among the top tier of martial artists. Of course, he can't compare to the number one villain in the martial arts world—Wen Xishu. However, with the current heroes powerless, why would they need Wen Xishu's intervention?

Clearly, this martial arts tournament was a conspiracy.

Liu Jianxin complained again:
"Chivalry, justice, morality... are just self-imposed limitations imposed on humanity. In this world, everyone should be evil, and I would rather betray others than be betrayed by them."

"Ha, what kind of chivalrous world is this? Logically speaking, it doesn't exist! This kind of world is just children playing house."

Liu Jianxin was both surprised and delighted.

Surprisingly, all the martial arts heroes had lost their fighting ability. The martial arts alliance had only sent a portion of its forces. If they hadn't lost their fighting ability, the martial arts heroes could have actually defeated these people.

The good news is... he hasn't lost his fighting ability.

He could sneak away to the Martial Arts Alliance. After all, in everyone's eyes, those who have lost their strength and are poisoned are the true heroes of the martial arts world.

Those who were not poisoned were members of the Martial Alliance.

All I need to do is quietly escape when they're fighting.

"To hell with justice, to hell with overthrowing tyranny... The whole world is the same, this world will always be a mess, won't it?"

In Liu Jianxin's mind, he kept repeating this to himself.

He also quietly began to back away.

But at that moment, he suddenly heard a voice.

No, to be precise, there were several voices.

"Young Master Liu, you're not poisoned? That's wonderful!" said the Emei Sect Leader.

“Brother, I will fight them alongside the other sect leaders. We will do everything in our power to draw their attention. You can escape in the chaos,” Xiao Jianglong said.

"Yes, it's our fault for being foolish today, thinking that Shaolin could turn over a new leaf and return to the way it was when Ye Jianxin was there. We... were too yearning for that era, and we deserved to be deceived. But this martial world cannot be without a future," said the Fifth Sect Leader.

“Yes… it’s not that we don’t know, it’s not that we haven’t thought about it, but if we back down, there will be no chance to gather again in the future,” said the Huashan Sect Leader.

Xiao Jianglong's voice came again:
"Brother, I will probably die here today. Don't seek revenge for me. Instead, quietly practice your skills and become stronger! With your talent, you will definitely have the opportunity to change the atmosphere of the martial arts world in the future."

"Take advantage of the chaos to escape; don't be reckless."

The sound is transmitted into the secret.

These guys had no internal energy left, but they still fought with all their might, using their last breath to tell themselves...

Don't be stubborn, don't force yourself, don't seek revenge for them, just live.

Liu Jianxin thought so too: Of course I'm going to run, do I need you guys to tell me?

But then he suddenly felt...

It's a little strange.

My feet felt like they were filled with lead, and it was very difficult to lift them.

He began to slowly understand some things.

These people were aware of the possibility of being deceived and manipulated. Deep down, they weren't solely driven by the idea of ​​"fighting with all their might."

It's not that they don't know how to escape.

They simply longed for this world to return to its proper state. Relationships between people shouldn't be all about scheming. It wasn't that they couldn't scheme, but rather that they knew such a world was far too corrupt.

Just like right now, what they hope to do is what they want to do.

Let's escape while the chaos is still going on.

This is certainly a good thing. If you fools are willing to cover for me, then my chances of escaping are much higher.

This is excellent, it couldn't be better...

But Liu Jianxin suddenly laughed self-deprecatingly.

He felt like he had become stupid.

He began to recall the scenes in his mind of Xiao Jianglong constantly rescuing him these past few days, and he began to recall the admiration that the heroes had shown him yesterday.

What they admired was not wisdom, but courage.

Liu Jianxin really wanted to slap himself.

What are you thinking? What's it to me? Living is the only thing that matters. To hell with human ideals, to hell with righteousness and chivalry.

He instantly put on a facade of sadness, wanting to say something polite.

But the next second, Xiao Jianglong shouted and, with his last bit of strength, stepped forward like a hero.

"Come! I, Xiao, will fight you scum today!"

Liu Jianxin turned around abruptly and saw Xiao Jianglong's tall figure standing opposite a group of fat monks and a group of demons with strange clothes and weapons, lonely yet great!

At that moment, he felt his legs become heavier.

There are far too many people who want to kill Xiao Jianglong and curry favor with Wen Xishu, the great demon of the martial arts alliance.

The first one to take the stage was Abbot Xuan Yong.

Just now, Xiao Jianglong's palm strike had frightened Xuan Yong so much that he broke out in a cold sweat, but now, Xuan Yong's Mighty Vajra Palm could take Xiao Jianglong's life!

Xiao Jianglong lived up to his reputation as a tough guy, forcibly gathering his true strength and meeting palm to palm.

With his internal energy almost depleted, Xiao Jianglong was nearly sent flying off the stage.

He coughed up a mouthful of blood, but showed no fear, only self-deprecation:

"It is my fault for being so foolish that I was hurt by a villain like you today."

His expression was resolute; he was ready to fight the abbot to the death once again at this moment.

It was at this moment that Liu Jianxin heard the telepathic message.

"Let's go! Brother, let's go!"

Without a doubt, Xiao Jianglong's death will attract everyone's attention.

At this moment, Liu Jianxin also realized that there was no longer that annoying "Sword Spirit Voice" that forced him to make decisions.

He can leave at any time.

But unfortunately, he just couldn't walk.

Xiao Jianglong's actions along the way were as foolish as an old man trying to change everything single-handedly in an apocalypse.

He couldn't believe that such a person truly existed in this world—foolish, yet pure.

At this point, Liu Jianxin also made a decision that "lowered his intelligence".

"Damn it, I want to leave too, do I need you to tell me? If you don't tell me, I'll leave without a care in the world!"

He inwardly cursed these chivalrous figures for their gossip and for disrupting his resolve.

But what he actually said was a sentence filled with anger:

Hey! Blade Spirit!

Not long ago, Liu Jianxin thought the sword spirit was outrageous and always suspected it was someone's prank. But now, he can't care about that anymore.

He always remembered those words: "You can call me by shouting 'Hey, Blade & Soul!'"

He felt it wasn't necessary; he would never put himself in danger while roaming the martial world. He was different from those who only knew how to play the game of martial arts.

But now, he has no choice but to turn to the Blade Spirit for help.

Because he was surprised to discover that, deep down, he didn't want Xiao Jianglong to die.

The heroes fell silent.

Even the demons were stunned for a second.

What the heck? Hey? Blade & Soul?
Is this kid crazy? What is he doing? Is he joking?
A burst of laughter erupted, and even the assembled heroes turned ashen-faced, for Liu Jianxin's shout had essentially placed him under a precarious wall.

How could this child be so stupid! Why doesn't he run away? As long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood to burn. Why bother being so reckless here?

Liu Jianxin also felt that this moment was somewhat familiar.

It's like a long, long time ago, in some distant time and space, when he decided to help someone and uttered a certain line, which drew laughter from everyone.

He felt a strange sense of panic. But the next second, the voice finally answered him. The sword spirit hadn't abandoned him!

[Received! Congratulations on your first act of chivalry. Forget everything, pick up your sword, and let's have a good fight today!]

As the Unpredictable Sword was drawn, Liu Jianxin, as if possessed, jumped onto the arena and stood in front of Xiao Jianglong, protecting him behind him.

"Brother, it's my turn to protect you now."

Suddenly, the Impermanence Sword emitted a clear, ringing sound. Liu Jianxin looked at the abbot before him, and at the thousands of troops outside the arena. He briefly regretted his impulsive actions.
But it was really brief, fleeting, and then he was no longer afraid or terrified.

At this moment, sword energy and heroic spirit surged together, and he roared like Xiao Jianglong:

"Come and fight!"

(End of this chapter)