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

Chapter 544 Iron-Armed Monk
Three days after Ding Chunqiu's disguise, turmoil suddenly arose in the martial arts world!
Many people who fled from Zhongnan Mountain brought out the news, causing a great stir, all saying that the old immortal had died at the ancestral temple of Quanzhen.

The man who stabbed the old immortal descended from the sky, dressed in a flowing white robe, and was incomparably handsome.

With a single strike, he killed forty-seven elite members of the Xingxiu Sect. Ding Chunqiu was also overconfident, managing to withstand more than a dozen sword strikes before finally being knocked out by a palm strike.

Many people were puzzled after hearing this: "What does 'leaking air' mean?"

The messenger sneered, grabbed a steamed bun, and slapped it hard. The filling flew out, and when he lifted his hand, only the bun skin remained.

"This is a leak!"

"Ouch! You've been beaten down to skin and bones?"

"Of course!"

When this news spread like wildfire, it delighted many people who had a deep grudge against the Xingxiu Sect. There were quite a few who set off firecrackers and held banquets everywhere.

This shows that the martial arts world of the Central Plains has long been plagued by the influence of the stars.

After much inquiry, everyone learned that the man in white was surnamed Ren and named Shaoyang.

Those in the martial arts world called him the "Sword God," and once the nickname spread, his fame spread throughout the world, and everyone admired him.

Of course, the disgruntled Zhuo Jianshen in Fujian was a story for another time.

These messages circulated for three days.

Suddenly another major event broke out!

Legend has it that the “Food-Eating Demonic Cult,” which had dominated the Jiangnan region for many years, was slaughtered by a woman in red!

Once this matter came to light, it immediately silenced the martial arts community.

Upon further inquiry, it was learned that the woman in red, wielding two swords, had been slaughtering over a hundred Zoroastrian masters from dawn till dusk, and had also looted the sect's treasures, even distributing them to the poor.

Immediately, discussions resounded throughout the country, with everyone marveling at the ferocity of the woman in red.

Two days after the winter solstice of the ninth year of the Yuan You era, Hongxiu decisively defeated the Zoroastrian sect.

Someone appeared before the iron gate of the secret room at some unknown time.

He was tall and thin, with a handsome face. He wore a blue cloth robe and an academic cap, and held a book in his hand. He looked calm and composed, like a schoolteacher.

But ordinary school teachers would never, and could never, come here.

The man in the green robe walked to the inscription on the red sleeve, stretched out his five thin, angular fingers, and gently touched it.

His movements were steady and focused, his gaze fixed on the characters, as if he had forgotten himself.

After a long while, the man in the green robe lowered his hand and sighed, "What formidable demonic energy!"

At this moment, a captain walked up from behind, cupped his hands in a fist and bowed, and said, "Huang Jiandiao, the information has been verified."

The man in the green robe lowered his hand, his gaze falling on the smiling face with its inscription, and said softly, "Speak."

"The 'vegetable-eating incident' resulted in 116 deaths and injuries among the Demonic Cult. An examination of the wounds revealed..." The captain's throat went dry as he spoke, and he involuntarily swallowed.

The man in the green robe asked, "What did you find?"

"Ninety-six people were found; they were all maimed and torn to pieces with a single slash!"

"One cut?" the man in the green robe muttered, the words engraved on the iron gate flashing in his mind. A mix of emotions welled up inside him. He nodded. "Anything else?"

"Fang La, the bandit leader of the 'Eating Vegetables' Demonic Cult, led Fang Jie, Wang Yin, and Shi Bao, gathered the remaining members, and headed west."

The man in the green robe's face darkened. He formed a hand seal with his left hand, paced back and forth, and made up his mind: "Their target is Kunlun Bright Peak. Send men to intercept them!"

"Yes!"

"Any other news?"

"Rumors have spread that Yu Linglong is in Ren Shaoyang's hands."

"Who spread it?"

"Fang La's subordinates."

The man in the green robe felt a pang of anxiety and muttered to himself, "Why would Fang La provoke the Sword God?" He turned to look at the captain, who also looked bewildered, and shook his head. "It seems no one can figure this out." He turned and walked away with his hands behind his back. "Let's go."

"Huang Jiandiao, shall we go to Zhongnan Mountain?"

"No." The man in the green robe looked down at the book in his hand and said casually, "Let's chase after the woman in red."

“But the ‘Jade Exquisite’ is a secret treasure of the Free and Unfettered Sect. Wu Xingyun and Li Qiushui are both vying for it. If they gather here, I’m afraid the entire Central Plains will be thrown into chaos.”

“There won’t be any chaos!” The man in the green robe looked up at him, his gaze calm. “Zong Ze, with Marshal Jin in charge of Zhongnan Mountain, there won’t be any trouble. The woman in red acts without any rules, robbing the rich to help the poor, and her harm is even greater than open violence. This kind of demonic energy is not the way of the Central Plains, and I fear it will cause a great upheaval.”

When Zong Ze was looked at, he felt his temples throbbing and his whole body was covered in sweat. He clasped his hands in a fist and replied, "Yes!"

The man in the green robe smiled and said, "Let's go."

Before the laughter subsided, the figure dissipated, transforming into nine ghostly shadows, overlapping each other like green snakes wagging their tails, before disappearing without a trace.

Zong Ze sighed: "This Huang Jiandiao is really strange. He has Taoist qigong skills, but his movements are eerie and unpredictable, making him hard to understand."

With each step, the passageway trembled and then disappeared into the distance.
-
The winter sky was clear, and the weather was fine and sunny. At the foot of the northern slope of Shaoshi Mountain, there was a hillside covered with dense bamboo.

An ugly monk dressed in a blue robe was sweeping fallen leaves with a broom.

But after peeking around and looking left and right, he suddenly bent his knees and squatted down, focusing his energy in his dantian, and swung his broom in mid-air.

"Hoohoo!"

A gust of scorching wind spread out, and the bamboo leaves on the ground were ignited by the sudden burst of fire.

The fire spread out like a red carpet, but in the blink of an eye, the bamboo leaves disappeared, leaving only sparks that swirled into the air.

"Ha, Master Ding'an's method is really effective!" The little monk stood up and laughed. "Sweeping is so much faster now." He scratched his head. "Later, I'll help the old master in the scripture pavilion sweep too! He's getting old, and the winter sun is good, so he should get some more sunshine."

The monk turned to look at the Five Breasts Peak, only to see steep peaks and winding stone paths between them, with a cluster of temples looming in the distance.

"My eyesight has improved too!"

The monk stood on the slope for a while, gazing at the dark mountains, and said with a chuckle. Suddenly, a muffled thunderous sound came from behind him. The monk clutched his stomach, looking embarrassed, and said, "Of course, my appetite has grown too!"

He dared not delay, and with a few leaps, he sped off like the wind, heading straight for the Shaolin Temple.

Upon entering the temple, we headed straight for the Sutra Repository. Just then, a Buddhist bell rang out, its sound reverberating through the mountains and valleys, its lingering resonance echoing long afterward.

The young monk's mind cleared instantly, and he couldn't help but turn around to look.

Under an ancient tree outside the library, an old monk was quietly sweeping the floor.

The young monk asked in surprise, "Master, why are you up so early?"

The old monk was overjoyed to see him, grinning and saying, "I'm getting old, I need less sleep." His teeth were closely packed and very white.

The little monk chuckled along, adding to his grotesque expression: "Master, your teeth are really good! Apart from Master Ding'an, I've never seen such good teeth!"

Upon hearing this, the old monk beamed with joy: "Is that the 'Iron-Armed Monk'?"

“Yes, yes!” The little monk nodded repeatedly, then patted his head in annoyance. “Master Ding’an probably hasn’t gotten up yet. I have to go get him some food!” He then looked at the old monk and said, “Master, could you get me some too?”

"no, I'm fine."

The old monk waved his hands repeatedly, thought for a moment, then took out two dark cornbread buns from his pocket and said with a smile, "This old monk will be fine with these."

This cornbread is three parts flour and seven parts bran; let alone an old monk, even a strong laborer would find it difficult to swallow.

Seeing this, the young monk secretly took out a bamboo shoot from his robes and handed it to him, whispering, "Master, cornbread is hard to swallow. Cut this winter bamboo shoot into strips, add some salt, and it'll be a perfect accompaniment to your meal!"

Seeing this, the old monk did not refuse, but just looked at him and laughed.

The young monk asked curiously, "Master, what are you laughing at?"

The old monk said with a smile, "Xuzhu, you are very good."

"Huh? Master, you say so, and Master Ding'an says so too." Xu Zhu stroked his bald head with some confusion. "Am I really that good?"

"Haha, serve 'Iron-Armed Monk' well during the day, and come to this old monk at night. I will teach you the method of using force."

"Ah, is that alright?" Xu Zhu frowned. "Master Ding'an taught me a set of fitness boxing."

"Oh?" the old monk asked with a smile, "What kind of fist?"

Xu Zhu took a deep breath, suddenly revealed an innocent smile, slightly lowered his stance, and slowly delivered a punch.

The punch was thrown with a dull thud, and the force of the wind pressed down slowly like a stone wall.

The old monk exclaimed "Eh!" and stepped forward to stand in front of Xu Zhu. Strangely, the unparalleled force that approached him dissipated in the blink of an eye, like a gentle breeze.

Even his robe sleeves remained completely still.

Xu Zhu threw a punch and suddenly shouted, "Oh dear, I have to go get my food, I'm off now, Master!" He immediately rushed towards the kitchen.

"With a heart like a child, innocent and carefree, seeing the world's affairs with open eyes, embracing both Buddhism and Taoism." The old monk's figure flashed by, but his soft laughter seemed to linger. "Truly excellent."

When Xu Zhu came running back with a bucket of mixed grain porridge and a few steamed buns, he found that the old monk had disappeared. He muttered to himself, "He's gone again. It's always like this."

He stopped worrying about it and headed towards the scripture pavilion.

Meanwhile, on the second floor of the Sutra Repository, a lama dressed in a yellow robe, his face radiant and seemingly glowing, was excitedly flipping through the secret manuals.

"Ha, the Burning Wood Sword Technique!"

"Oh dear, the Great Compassionate Vajra Palm!"

"Oh? Five Elements Fist! Hiss, why does it feel so eerie!"

The lama looked at the books and took them, stuffing several secret manuals into his arms. He was so excited that he seemed oblivious to the world around him.

However, what he didn't know was that someone was lying lazily on the roof beam.

"It's strange, why am I always hungry? And why do I feel weak all over and lethargic, not wanting to move?"

Ding An turned to look at the stairwell, his face full of dejection: "When is that little bald monk Xu Zhu going to bring the food?"

(End of this chapter)