Starting with the divine power of the Great Vajra, he traversed the heavens.

Chapter 513 The Four Hidden Dragons
Strange winds blow in the cave; when they are small, sand and stones fly; when they are large, they blow people and livestock over.

The group traveled against the wind, facing numerous difficulties.

Zilu and Yan Hui, whose skills were relatively weak, had already turned pale, their lips were turning purple, and their eyebrows and hair were covered with a layer of white frost. They kept sneezing.

Ren Shaoyang glanced at it and laughed, "You can't catch a cold."

The Holy King said, "The Wind Cave is bitterly cold; the only way to recover is to leave the cave and recuperate."

"Why bother?" Ren Shaoyang laughed heartily. "Silk and bamboo instruments are the sounds of man, the myriad orifices are the sounds of the earth, and the wind of heaven is naturally the sounds of heaven!" As he spoke, he casually flicked his hand.

The ancient zither in the Holy King's arms played on its own, emitting a clear sound that forced the winds into a single bundle, which fell onto the surrounding stone walls, producing a strange buzzing sound, as if a thousand drums were vibrating simultaneously.

Zilu heard the drumbeats as loud as a storm, dense and varied, breathtaking and awe-inspiring, and couldn't help but exclaim: "Heavenly Drums!"

The Holy King remained silent, but Yan Hui, seeing that he hadn't said "good," couldn't help but ask, "Your Majesty, what about this drum?"

"Using the zither to transform into a drum, transcending the mundane," the Holy King laughed. "His head is like a green mountain peak, his hands like white raindrops, his skill is exquisite and breathtaking, and moreover..." He hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

"Head like a green mountain peak, hands like white raindrops" is a line from a poem by Song Jing of the Tang Dynasty describing the beating of the Jie drum. It means that when beating the drum, the upper body remains as still as a mountain, while the drumsticks fall like rain.

Using this to describe the sound of drums is already extremely high praise.

Yan sensed something amiss in his tone and asked, "But what?"

The Holy King asked, "Do you still feel cold?"

"cold?"

Yan Hui and Zi Lu were stunned for a moment, and then they found that the howling wind had disappeared without a trace!
Upon closer inspection, one could see the ice layer occasionally breaking off, turning into hundreds of ice shards that surged out. Propelled by some mysterious force, they transformed into a warm spring breeze that brushed against one's face, bringing a truly comfortable feeling.

"Your Majesty, what... what's going on?"

The sage king sighed, “The sound of the drum is extremely yang, capable of summoning wind and thunder. Master Ren transformed the drum with his zither, not by force breaking the law, but by ‘harmonizing with the laws of heaven’ to activate the yang energy of this place, regulate the isolated yin, and reverse the cold and heat. With a single stroke, the laws are changed, truly close to the Dao.”

Zilu and Yan Hui were completely dumbfounded when they heard this.

They simply couldn't understand why the white-robed man could turn the cold wind into rain and harmonize yin and yang with a mere flick of his sleeve.

This is illogical!

The Holy King glanced at them and laughed, "Harmonizing the laws of heaven is a method that goes straight to the core. Logic? It is logic!"

The group walked another hundred or so feet in the dim light. Just as the chill was being replaced by warmth, they suddenly saw a faint light coming from around a bend in the rocks ahead.

After turning the corner, a bright and open view suddenly appeared before me.

The place was very quiet and secluded, with lush green trees and no insects or birds. Only the wind rustling over the water made a soft, clear sound.

There is a stone tablet in front of us with the three characters "Canglong Ridge" written on it.

"We've arrived!" the Holy King said with a smile.

Ren Shaoyang looked up at the cloud-covered sky and said calmly, "They've arrived."

The sound had not yet faded.

Click!
A blinding white bolt of lightning tore through the sky, shattering rocks and scattering clouds!

Just as the power of heaven and earth was at its peak, a figure emerged ghostly from the rubble, his blade flashing like a bolt of lightning, slashing straight down!

Seeing this, the Holy King tossed the Jiao Wei Qin (a type of zither) from his bosom, which was caught by Zilu. With a wave of his hand, a broadsword flew towards Yan Hui from behind his back.

"Drink!"

The Holy King suddenly leaped six feet into the air, and with a "clang," the swords clashed against each other, sparks flying everywhere.

"You've improved!" the newcomer sneered, and swiftly delivered two more slashes.

The Holy King dodged back, but before he could land, two swords flashed towards him.

As the newcomer sang, swords clashed, and in an instant, the two men unleashed their power, causing each other to vibrate violently.

There was a "ding" sound.

The Holy King's expression changed, and he involuntarily took several steps back.

"Ah! Your Majesty!" Zilu and Yan Hui exclaimed in surprise.

The Holy King frowned deeply, his chest held high as he stared at the newcomer.

The man was shirtless, his face was haggard, and his forehead and chest were riddled with countless iron nails, causing him unbearable pain.

This person is named "Bitter Saint," and is one of the Four Generals of Hidden Dragon.

The Bitter Saint roared, "By imperial decree, you descendants of the Azure Dragon who wish to open the dragon's lair will be killed without mercy!"

"Wow!" Hongxiu exclaimed from the side, "How domineering!"

Ding An nodded repeatedly: "His skill is remarkable, and it perfectly counters the Holy King's internal energy!"

The Holy King laughed and said, "Bitter Saint, I am unwilling to be trapped in this corner, and my people cannot be trapped and die here!"

"So what?" the Bitter Saint said coldly, "The Azure Dragon has decreed that the dragon's lair must not be opened!"

The Holy King sighed: "Is there no way to negotiate?"

The Bitter Saint shook his head: "No way!"

The Holy King said, "Then I'm sorry."

The Bitter Saint sneered, "My 'Azure Dragon Technique' is the natural counter to your internal energy. Isn't your unworthy descendant just throwing an egg against a rock?"

With a sweep of the blade, a long gash appeared on the ground.

"Retreat!" Back then, Dongfang Canglong disassembled his life's martial arts essence, "Canglong Jue," and bestowed it upon his four generals. Each of the four generals received the four-character mantra: "Suffering, Gathering, Extinction, and Tao."

This martial art originates from the same source as the Azure Dragon bloodline, yet it counters at every turn, precisely to eradicate any rebellious thoughts in future generations from the very beginning.

Yes, they really go to great lengths to protect themselves from their descendants.

The Holy King was naturally aware of this matter, but he remained calm, raising his eyebrows and saying, "Now that we've come, how can we just back down?"

"Hmph! Stubborn!"

The Bitter Saint snorted coldly and slashed fiercely, aiming straight for the Holy King's face.

A sudden gust of wind whistled overhead, but the Holy King neither dodged nor evaded, his body slightly faltering as he swung his sword to meet the attack. As soon as the swords clashed, he unleashed a move called "Heaven and Earth Spin," instantly spinning on the spot.

The Bitter Saint's blade was weak, its force completely deflected. Just as he was about to change his move, he suddenly saw a rain of swords flying towards him with a "whoosh".

Hongxiu exclaimed, "What exquisite and decisive swordsmanship!"

Ren Shaoyang smiled and waved his sleeve.

This sword technique is of course exquisite, because this sword is not the martial art of the Eastern Azure Dragon Clan, but the "Heavenless Absolute Sword" of the contemporary sword emperor, Mu Yingxiong!
If we were to say who in the world is most familiar with this sword technique, besides Mu Yingxiong himself, it would be Ren Shaoyang.

Twelve years ago in the sword world, he was almost crushed into a pancake by Mu Yingxiong's "Moving Mountain with One Sword" technique!
Bitter Saint dodged left and right, staggering backward, his old face turning pale instantly: "You, this is not the martial art of the Azure Dragon lineage!"

The Holy King said, "Of course not!" He shrank back and appeared in front of the Bitter Saint. "This is my master's swordsmanship!" He laughed loudly, and drew an arc in front of his chest with his long sword, pointing it at him.

This sword strike is solitary and majestic, like a great spear or halberd, wild and unrestrained, it is the "Qi Surges Through Mountains and Rivers" from the Wutian Absolute Sword!
Seeing the fierce attack, Ku Sheng immediately swung his sword to defend himself.

The Holy King smiled slightly, and with a flick of his wrist, the Great Harmony Sword changed its path and thrust forward.

The Bitter Saint dodged the attack and returned the blow.

The Holy King flicked his wrist, causing the Great Harmony Sword to spit out its power unpredictably. With two clangs, it deflected the longsword and plunged straight in.

Ku Sheng never expected his swordsmanship to be so high. Before he could react, he was already struck in the chest by a sword!

"it is good!"

"Won!"

Zilu and Yan Hui clapped and cheered.

Ren Shaoyang looked at the swirling air currents in all directions and shook his head slightly: "It's too early to say."

Just then, a loud clang was heard.

Then he heard the Bitter Saint laugh loudly: "Young man, as long as you use the internal energy of the Azure Dragon lineage, you can't beat me!" As he spoke, he slashed horizontally with his sword again.

The Holy King's face darkened, and he used the momentum to flip backward and retreat.

Zilu was utterly astonished: "Impossible! The Great Harmony Sword is incomparably sharp, no less than a peerless sword, so why can't it pierce this person's skin?"

"Hmph! My 'Severing Bitterness and Locking Tendons' divine skill, even if it's the Great Harmony Divine Sword, what does it matter?"

As soon as the Holy King landed, he immediately spun around, his long sword flashing in the wind as he thrust it towards the vital points on the Bitter Saint's body, shouting loudly, "Again!"

With a series of clangs, sword light flew around the Bitter Saint, but no one knew how many swords he had been hit by, yet not a single one could penetrate his body!
Seeing this, the Holy King thought to himself, "The sword only made a slight thrust before being locked by the horizontal chain, unable to advance an inch." His resentment towards his ancestor grew even stronger, "Damn it, that damned old devil!"

Seeing that the king could not gain any benefit, Zilu rolled his eyes and clasped his hands in a fist and said to Ding'an, "Senior Sword Emperor, there is something I do not understand."

Ding An froze, then pointed to the tip of his nose: "You're asking me?"

"Yes!"

“That’s strange.” Ding’an scratched his head and laughed. “Tell me what you don’t understand.”

Zilu said, "I see that the Bitter Saint possesses formidable martial arts skills, but I wonder how he compares to the Godless One of yesteryear?"

Ding An waved his hand: "Asking me is useless. Back then, it was Shao Yang who finished off that Japanese pirate with two swords. Go find him." As he spoke, he nudged the white-robed man, "Hey, I'm asking you."

Ren Shaoyang smiled, looked at Zilu, and said, "In terms of hardness, the two are equally matched. But as for weaknesses..." He shook his head repeatedly as he spoke.

Zilu's expression brightened, and he quickly stepped forward: "Please teach me, Sword God!"

Ren Shao pointed to the iron nails on the body of the Bitter Saint and casually said, "See those nails?"

Zilu suddenly realized, "This is the Achilles' heel?"

Ren Shaoyang smiled nonchalantly, his fingers forming a sword-like shape as he gently tapped the point where the Bitter Saint's aura flowed.

hum!
Ripples appeared in the air at his fingertips, an invisible rhythm that arrived first after the storm, like the clouds still lingering after a downpour. It precisely disrupted the balance between the iron nails and the meridians within his body.

Bitter Saint Ben leaped into the air with his sword, but his body suddenly stiffened, as if he had been frozen in place.

Then, a series of cracking sounds were heard, and the iron nails all over his body were forced out from the inside by this strange force, shooting out in all directions!
The Bitter Saint froze, and as he landed, preparing to unleash his power to counterattack, he was suddenly struck by a sharp pain all over his body, as if he had fallen into an ice cave. Hot blood gushed from his mouth, and after swaying twice, he collapsed to his knees with a thud.

Upon seeing this, the Holy King was taken aback at first, then turned to look at Ren Shaoyang as he withdrew his index finger, and suddenly realized: "Has the Sword God found his 'disharmony'?"

Ren Shaoyang said, "This person used thirty-six iron nails to seal all the meridians in his body, so he was immune to pain." Looking at the trembling old man kneeling on the ground, he sighed, "Now that the nails have been removed, the pain accumulated throughout his body has erupted at the same time, so he is naturally powerless to resist."

"It's really amazing!"

The Holy King turned his gaze to the Bitter Saint and said, "Bitter Saint, you are loyal to your master, so I will spare your life for now! Once the Hidden Dragon Cave is broken open, you will be free!"

Zilu and Yan Hui nodded silently, and in a flash, they were beside the Bitter Saint. One on each side, they grabbed his elbows and armpits with their five fingers and dragged him out of the cave.

The Bitter Saint stared wide-eyed and opened his mouth, as if he were in a nightmare, unable to wake up, and because of the excruciating pain, he could not struggle at all and could only be carried away like a dead pig.

"Thank you!" The Holy King sheathed his sword, cupped his hands and smiled, "If it weren't for the Sword God's help, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to pass this first trial!"

"What are you thanking me for?" Ren Shaoyang waved his hand, then pointed to the cave ahead and said loudly, "The real test is yet to come!"

(End of this chapter)