The Legend of the Condor Heroes: From Being Expelled from Peach Blossom Island

Chapter 568 Jade Maiden Heart Sutra Sword Technique
Jin Yong's martial arts novels have a unique characteristic: apart from the Yue Maiden Sword which is not even mentioned in the fourteen-character couplet, the status of swordsmanship and swordsmen is not actually high in the other fourteen martial arts novels.

In other martial arts novels, there are often several top swordsmen, and in fantasy and immortal novels, there are bound to be sword immortals.

Swordsmen and sword immortals are often proud and aloof, unyielding and often dressed in white, with a dashing and cold appearance and an otherworldly and independent temperament.

Either he had no sword in his hand but a sword in his heart, or he could break through all laws with a single sword and become a celestial being. Later, he simply started playing with swords, or he could open the gates of heaven with a single sword.

In general, swordsmen or sword immortals may not be the main characters in novels, but they often have a very important role, their martial arts skills are bound to be extremely high, their prestige is extraordinary, and their image is so vivid that it is almost a stereotype.

Guo Degang once said: "His sword is cold, he is cold, his heart is cold, his blood is cold. That's it, this guy is frozen." He was actually talking about this kind of stereotype.

In Gu Long's novels, there is Ximen Chuixue, who is almost the most classic representative of this stereotype. In Huang Yi's novels, Lang Fanyun, who is the swordsman of the rain and clouds, has more distinctive characteristics. It is rare to find a character who is ugly but deeply affectionate.

However, these swordsmen's combat prowess must also be off the charts. Even if they are not the strongest in the world, they can almost all challenge opponents of higher levels. As the saying goes, one against one is a match for those above the heavens. In short, they are beings that no one dares to provoke easily.

However, in the world of martial arts novels with the highest combat power, such as Tian Long Ba Bu, Legend of the Condor Heroes, Condor Heroes, and even Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber, there are almost no powerful swordsmen or sword techniques.

Zhuo Bufan, known as the Sword God in Tianlong, was regarded as a powerful figure in the Thirty-Six Islands and Seventy-Two Caves as a patron against the Heavenly Child Granny the moment he unleashed his sword. He appeared with the demeanor of a master, but in the end, he turned out to be nothing but a nobody.

Another swordsman with good skills was Murong Fu. The Longcheng Sword Technique was known as the best. Murong Fu rarely used it, but when he used it, he encountered the Six Meridians Divine Sword and was immediately beaten so badly that he almost drew his sword and committed suicide.

As for the Six Meridian Divine Sword, it is ultimately a finger technique, only the finger strength is so great that it can penetrate stone and gold, making it comparable to a sharp weapon.

The same applies to The Legend of the Condor Heroes. The signature skills of the Five Greats are not actually swordsmanship. Wang Chongyang can use a sword, but his strongest martial art is the Innate Skill.

Huang Yaoshi transformed the Fallen Flower Divine Sword into a palm technique. The Jade Flute Sword Technique is called a sword technique, but in reality it is a fusion of sword techniques, the Judge's Pen, acupoint striking, and other weapons. The Jade Flute has no sharp edge, and it strikes various acupoints on the opponent's body.

The other three masters, Western Poison, Northern Beggar, and Southern Emperor, simply never use swords.

In the novel *The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber*, it is actually the Emei Sect that primarily uses swords. However, if Abbess Miejue did not have the Heaven Sword, there would be countless masters who could defeat her.

Among the Seven Heroes of Wudang, only the sixth and seventh brothers always had their swords with them. Zhang Cuishan, as Zhang Sanfeng's most talented disciple, simply used the Judge's Pen.

After The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber, the martial arts in Jin Yong's wuxia world began to decline significantly, while the use of swords became more and more important, and many swordsmen and sects emerged.

Especially in The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, after the Five Mountains Sword Sects emerged, it seemed to be the golden age of swordsmanship. Unfortunately, Dongfang Bubai alone suppressed all swordsmen in the world, making them unable to hold their heads high.

In short, in Lao Jin's eyes, those who use swords in the martial arts world are probably not that powerful. In the early stages, they focus on internal strength, and only when their internal strength is insufficient do they switch to weapons.

However, there are four exceptions to sword techniques in Jin Yong's martial arts world. The first is the Yue Maiden Sword. This novel is not long, but the Yue Maiden is the most magical. She can break through three thousand armors with one sword, which is comparable to a fantasy world. However, the Yue Maiden Sword was lost after that. Han Xiaoying's bankrupt version of the Yue Maiden Sword is at most a third-rate technique.

Secondly, there is the Sword Demon Dugu Qiubai, an existence almost entirely independent of the Jin Yong martial arts world. If Yang Guo hadn't encountered that giant eagle, the world would have had no idea that such a powerful and prestigious figure existed.

But just how powerful was Dugu Qiubai? How could he contend with the heroes of Hebei at the age of thirty, how could he wield a heavy sword without an edge at the age of forty, a skill that seemed effortless yet profound, and how could he roam the world with such power, or how could he use grass, wood, ash, and stone as swords at the age of sixty, gradually progressing to a state where having no sword was better than having one?

He spoke very impressively, and everyone thought he must be a super master. However, from beginning to end, it was just a self-indulgent suicide note left by Dugu Qiubai. He boasted a lot, but there was no evidence to support it.

Between the timeline of Tianlong and the timeline of Legend of the Condor Heroes, there was a period of nearly a century. If we calculate the time, Dugu Qiubai's life trajectory must have been within this range. However, such a powerful figure fought with people everywhere in order to practice his sword skills, seeking defeat but failing to find one. He must have provoked quite a few people at that time.

After Yang Guo obtained the Xuan Tie Heavy Sword, he inquired with the elders of the martial arts world about why no one knew of Dugu Qiubai, who could so easily attract people to fight and whose name was so memorable.

The third is the Dugu Nine Swords from The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, which is suspected to be a sword technique created by Yang Guo by borrowing from Dugu Qiubai. It can be considered the pinnacle of swordsmanship, but its true power is questionable.

Over several worlds, the decline in martial arts prowess has become so severe. It's powerful in The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, but when it encounters Dongfang Bubai, it takes several people working together. In the end, they only managed to kill Dongfang Bubai by using his lover as leverage.

It remains to be seen how effective this sword technique would be in the era of Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils or The Legend of the Condor Heroes.

The Yue Maiden Sword is unverifiable, the Sword Demon Dugu is a fictional character, and the Dugu Nine Swords seem to be out of sync. Aside from these three, in the world of The Return of the Condor Heroes, where martial arts power has not been completely downgraded, the only sword technique that shines brightly upon its appearance and can be challenged beyond one's level is the Jade Maiden Pure Heart Sword Technique.

The two sets of sword techniques complement each other. The Quanzhen Sword Technique has a very high concept and contains profound Taoist principles, while the Jade Maiden Sword Technique embodies all of Lin Chaoying's feelings for Wang Chongyang. It is full of affection and righteousness within the Taoist principles, and it has the flavor of "only by being extremely emotional can one be extremely skilled in swordsmanship".

As long as the two swordsmen are of one mind and can compensate for each other's weaknesses, they can ignore the difference in their skill level and face the strongest people in the world.

Yang Guo and Xiaolongnü first used the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra Sword Technique at the Heroes' Gathering at Dasanguan Pass. At that time, Xiaolongnü was probably a first-rate fighter, Yang Guo was second-rate, and the Golden Wheel Monk was a true top-level master.

However, once the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra Sword Technique was unleashed, no matter how powerful or profound the Golden Wheel Monk's Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill was, he was forced to retreat step by step. Often, before he could even finish his moves, he would be silenced by the sword's edge.

According to Wu Chengyu's standards, this also incorporates the subtlety of the sword into the sword technique. What's even more special is that as long as the two people are of one mind, even if they haven't reached the level of subtlety themselves, they can still exert the power of subtlety.

Therefore, in Wu Chengyu's view, the Yue Nu Sword and the Jade Maiden Heart Sword Technique, which are not too mysterious, are actually the number one sword techniques in the Jin Yong martial arts world.

Li Mochou was no ordinary person. In The Return of the Condor Heroes, she was tormented by love, turning extreme love into hatred and becoming twisted in nature. She did not learn the most profound martial arts in the Ancient Tomb Sect.

However, relying on the Five Poisons Secret Techniques she obtained from an unknown source, as well as the basic martial arts techniques found in the ancient tomb, she became a female demon who killed people at will for many years, attracting the joint siege of major forces in the martial arts world, and no one could subdue her.

Even when she encountered Huang Yaoshi, she was able to escape unscathed. It must be said that, given that her martial arts skills were not particularly strong, in addition to her quick wit, she was also ruthless enough. This woman's talent and aptitude were outstanding in The Return of the Condor Heroes.

Now, with Wu Chengyu's support, he not only taught her part of the Nine Yin Manual, but also guided her to finally learn the Jade Maiden Heart Sword Technique. She has already achieved first-class top-notch skills just by leaving the mountain, and her future is limitless.

Seeing that the old man in Taoist robes was at the top level from the start, Li Mochou knew that she had encountered the strongest master since she came out of the mountains. However, with the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra Sword Technique, she was not afraid at all, but was eager to try.

At this moment, a great battle was about to break out. The old man in Taoist robes was incredibly powerful as soon as he made his move. Under the midday sun, the heat rising from the official road made the dust float like light smoke.

The old man let out a low shout, his voice like a thunderclap from a clear sky. He took a step forward, and the soil on the official road beneath his feet exploded. He was sent flying like a boulder, his right palm carrying a gale that crushed rocks, heading straight for Li Mochou's central palace.

It was his Taoist martial art, "Pushing Mountains and Filling Seas," which he had mastered for decades. Before his palm even arrived, the domineering and unparalleled force had already torn through the air, emitting a piercing howl. It swept over with dust, pressing down so hard that even the branches and leaves of several old trees by the roadside trembled slightly, rustling restlessly. Li Mochou remained calm, her yellow robe fluttering. Her toes lightly touched the withered grass, and her figure stood proudly still under the pressure of the old man's palm, like a painting suspended in the wind.

Faced with the old man's heavy, restrained palm strike and the faint rumbling of thunder, a cold smile curved her lips.

As the palm that could split rocks and shatter gold approached, Li Mochou's figure suddenly blurred, like a willow catkin swept by the wind, drifting back about ten feet.

The powerful palm strike missed its target, and with a loud bang, a crater the size of a bowl exploded where she had just stood, sending shards of rock flying and dust billowing everywhere.

The old man's palm strike missed its mark, the force of which was difficult to retract. His left palm instinctively shot out again, unleashing the "Mountain-Shaking Style" that followed like a shadow, striking the spot where Li Mochou stood once more with even greater force. The palm wind howled, swirling up broken stones and weeds on the ground, devouring the yellow figure like a raging dragon.

Li Mochou's slender waist swayed like a willow branch in the wind, and her feet seemed untouched by dust as she slid away from the overwhelming palm force once again!

At the same time, she flicked her wrists, and two cold lights, like silver snakes emerging from their holes, suddenly tore through the billowing smoke and the fierce palm wind.

The two swords clashed and flew back and forth. The left hand used the "Wandering the World" technique from the Quanzhen Swordplay, slashing straight down, while the right hand used the "Flowers Before the Moon" technique from the Jade Maiden Swordplay, thrusting out with a slanted sword. The two swords responded to each other, and the blades trembled slightly.

The sword's momentum was both grand and majestic, yet light and graceful; the tip of the sword, however, was venomous and cunning, aiming straight for the old man's vital acupoints on his lower back and ribs, moving so fast that only a chilling glint could be seen.

Alarm bells rang in the old man's heart. He never expected that this demoness's movements were so unpredictable and her swordsmanship so strange and ruthless.

What's even stranger is that the two longswords could move in unison when they trembled, as if there was an invisible thin line connecting them, and his palm force was forcibly severed in this tremor.

He forcibly withdrew thirty percent of the force he had unleashed from his palm to protect himself, almost causing his blood to surge within him. At the same time, he twisted his waist and turned to the side, narrowly avoiding the two venomous sword blades. With two sharp hissing sounds, the fierce sword energy still tore through the wide sleeves of his gray robe.

Li Mochou pressed her advantage relentlessly. With a sharp shout, her twin swords moved like shadows, instantly spreading out a silvery light curtain that trapped the old man within.

She spun around, her yellow dress unfurling like a lotus leaf, but her swordplay became increasingly unpredictable and cunning. Each strike was like a gazelle leaping over a cliff, leaving no trace, always aiming at the moment when the old man's old strength was exhausted and his new strength had not yet arisen.

The Jade Maiden's Pure Heart Sword Technique, with its moves like the cold moon peeping at people, the cranes crying by the pond, and the plum blossoms under the moon, is like a fairy from the moon palace dancing on the yellow dust. The icy moon hangs in the sky, and the clear light spreads across the ground, making her seem like a celestial being.

The old man possessed profound skills capable of splitting stone tablets and cleaving rivers, and his palm techniques were known for their ancient simplicity. However, he was not particularly quick-witted in the face of an enemy, and at this moment, he was tightly entangled by the twin swords that weaved through flowers and willows and penetrated every nook and cranny.

He roared repeatedly, his palms flying, unleashing a barrage of powerful strikes like crashing waves, earth-shattering and awe-inspiring. However, Li Mochou's agility and lightness of movement had reached a state of perfection. Every time, at the critical moment, she would dart and weave like a ghost through the gaps in the overwhelming palm strikes.

Each time the palm strike missed its mark, it left behind shocking deep pits on the official road, causing the distant trees to rustle and shed leaves.

The old man, despite his divine strength, was like a giant elephant swatting at mosquitoes—futile and futile. Instead, he was forced to tread on thorns by the vicious sword, and several more bloodstains appeared on his gray robe. Though shallow, they were excruciatingly painful.

"Witch!" The old man's hair and beard bristled, his anger finally overshadowing the tranquility he had cultivated for decades.

He took a deep breath, his chest bulging, his bones cracking, and his already powerful internal energy suddenly surged several times over. A visible vortex of qi erupted from him, instantly freezing the surrounding air like an iron plate, causing the airflow to swirl and sand and stones to fly.

Li Mochou felt her twin swords suddenly become a hundred times heavier, as if they were piercing into an incredibly viscous deep sea, making progress difficult. She knew something was wrong; this old scoundrel was finally going to disregard everything and unleash his life's cultivation for that thunderous strike.

The old man's palms were as red as fire, carrying a terrifying strike with the power of his life's cultivation. He no longer cared about the changes in moves, but instead used the purest and most ruthless "Primordial Qi" style to unleash a thunderous attack. This palm strike was as powerful as a mountain collapsing and a tsunami crashing down, aiming to completely crush and evaporate everything in front of him!
A fierce glint flashed in Li Mochou's eyes. She wanted to avoid his sharp edge, but she found that her figure was being locked in by this palm strike, and her lightness skill was useless.

The old man's palm strike was the culmination of his life's work. With all his might, he subtly touched the threshold of subtlety, taking into account Li Mochou's attempts to dodge and respond, which is why Li Mochou felt she had no way to avoid it.

Li Mochou has always been a straightforward person who never backs down. Since she couldn't dodge, she steeled her heart and instead of retreating, she met the opponent's fierce and unparalleled palm force head-on. She crossed her two swords in front of her chest, the tips of the swords gleaming coldly, and unleashed six sword strikes in an instant.

The left hand uses three moves from the Quanzhen Swordplay: Roaming the Northern Desert, Raising the Sails and Holding the Oars, and Dividing the Moon's Radiance.

The three sword techniques of the Jade Maiden Swordplay in the right hand are: Painted Eyebrows with Colorful Brush, Parting Flowers and Swaying Willows, and Heart-to-Heart with Silk Belts.

The six swords were drawn simultaneously, forming the three major killing moves of the Jade Maiden Heart Sword Technique: Raising the tray to eyebrow level, light sip and drink, and cold moon peeping at people.

Using the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra Sword Technique alone, his mind was as fast as lightning, and his sword speed far exceeded that of the two swords combined. As fast as thunder, he unleashed all three combined moves in the blink of an eye.

Although the sword moves were fast, the sword intent, which was extremely emotional, became tender and poignant. The extremely sharp sword momentum suddenly disappeared from the naked eye, and was replaced by an increasingly intense tremor of the two swords.

The invisible thread between the two swords expanded at this moment, forming a seemingly incredibly viscous sword net.

The old man unleashed a palm strike with all his might, intending to finish the battle in one fell swoop. However, the powerful and fierce palm force seemed to gradually dissipate upon contact with the sword net.

The three killing moves were unleashed as a triple sword net, one after another, seemingly resonating with the old man's power. The sword net and palm force canceled each other out simultaneously, like thin snow meeting the blazing sun, leaving no trace.

The old man's originally sharp eyes were also bewildered. He had never imagined that there would be such a mysterious sword technique in this world. Startled, he inevitably slowed down and was attacked by Li Mochou's twin swords. Although he tried his best to dodge, a cross-shaped sword mark was still drawn on his chest, deep enough to see the bone.

The old man quickly retreated, pressing several acupoints on his chest to stop the bleeding, and dared not attack again for a moment.

Li Mochou's skill was still shallow. Although her three sword strikes were profound, they had exhausted her power, forcing her to stop temporarily and recover her inner strength.

A standoff ensued, with the crazy woman watching from the sidelines once again shouting in dissatisfaction.

“Ghost slave, my father made you stay by my side to serve me, not to be a useless person who can’t even beat a little girl.”

And you lot, what are you standing there like idiots for? Is this some kind of martial arts contest between outlaws? Why don't you all join forces and take them down?

"In this scorching sun, how long are you going to make me stand here? After you've captured those three, I need to get to Suzhou to see my beloved. If you delay my reunion with him, don't blame me for breaking your arms and legs and hanging you up to be roasted to death."

As soon as she finished speaking, the surrounding subordinates attacked again. Li Mochou was being watched by the old man and was powerless to help. It was clear that Huang Rong and Qu Yun were about to fall into the enemy's hands.

(End of this chapter)