The True Lord has arrived

Chapter 15 Extraordinary
Martial arts?!
Zhou Yan was stunned for a moment, subconsciously thinking of the slash Shen Cangming had unleashed when facing the sect leader—

The earth cracked open, and stones pierced through the cracks, impaling the hungry ghosts that Zhou Yan could only deal with by sneak attack. Finally, these stone spikes broke apart and merged into the sword energy.

That blade of energy had an arc length of three meters.

Spinning and flying out, those hungry ghosts that were difficult for Zhou Yan to deal with were turned into pieces as if they had been caught in a meat grinder.

This was already considered a supernatural technique by Zhou Yan.

He felt a surge of excitement, and even the pain from his fight with the thugs vanished. He turned around abruptly, his eyes shining, and said:

"Can I learn?"

Shen Cangming replied, "Mm."

He's still on horseback.

Shen Cangming felt that Zhou Yan's eyes were a bit too dazzling.

After thinking for a moment, he pressed Zhou Yan's head and turned it around.

Zhou Yan was somewhat excited and expectant, but the first thing that came to his mind was Pei Xuanbao's casually unleashed blade energy. If it weren't for Zhao Man's butcher monster's craving for food, he might have died there.

He thought of the terrifying shop owner, Wang Chun, who had sold him out.

In the end, he couldn't explain whether it was out of envy for such power, or because in this bizarre world, in this unstable life, his instinctive yearning for a power that represented security was particularly strong. He said:

"Uncle Shen, was that slash you made in the Monster Market also a martial art?"

Shen Cangming shook his head slightly and said, "That's not it."

Zhou Yan was dumbfounded.

Shen Cangming rode his horse with Zhou Yan on his back, deliberately leaving the town at a very slow pace. When they reached a slightly flatter area, he tied the horse to the side and took out some bean cakes from his pocket to feed the big black horse.

This horse is a military horse.

Being able to carry a full suit of heavy armor and gallop across the battlefield, he expends a lot of energy. The grass in the wild simply cannot meet the daily needs of a warhorse of this caliber, so it is necessary to replenish supplies in towns.

While feeding the horses, Shen Cangming pondered Zhou Yan's question and replied:

"That is the power of the [Mysterious Official]."

"Xuan Guan?"

Zhou Yan didn't understand. Shen Cangming, seeing his expression, knew he didn't understand these esoteric terms. He paused for a moment. The Xingxiuchuan Anren Army had orders that these things were not to be divulged, but now...

Thinking about his current situation, Shen Cangming suddenly felt a sense of self-mockery.

Anren Army is now defunct in name only, so what else is there to hide?

He said, "I wasn't planning to bring this up, but since you brought it up, I can tell you. Different places in this world have all sorts of legends and stories, and many of these places, though separated by thousands of miles, have very similar legends."

"The deities inside are all very similar in ability."

“These characters in folk tales are actually people like us.”

"Since the Yellow Emperor ascended to heaven on a dragon, this lineage has been passed down through generations. Later, in the medieval period, when the Qin Emperor ascended to heaven after consuming an elixir, it marked the beginning of its flourishing..."

Zhou Yan, who was listening with great interest, was caught off guard.

I was stunned when I heard that.

Did the Qin Emperor ascend to heaven?

Deep down, he had a feeling of "Ah, so that's how it is." In a daze, he felt as if he were sitting on a stone, with the years flowing by like a mighty river, then parting completely in front of him, a feeling of overwhelming turmoil.

The First Emperor, wielding his sword, did not witness the setting of the sun, but instead became an ever-shining sun, and so time carved a new tributary at the end of the sword.

He had a premonition, but also felt a faint sense of loss.

What kind of feeling does it give you?
Zhou Yan thought to himself.

They are wanderers who have left home.

More than two thousand years have followed him.

This world is indeed not the history I knew.

Shen Cangming said, "The Qin Emperor burned the books of alchemists throughout the world and inscribed the inheritance of the seven kingdoms on seven stone tablets, which are divided into seven stone tablets: Yishan, Taishan, Langya, Zhifu, Dongguan, Jieshi, and Kuaiji. The original lineage of the Dharma originated from these tablets."

"As for the titles we are given, they can be traced back to when King Wu of Zhou conquered the Shang dynasty, enfeoffed eight hundred vassal states, and established the rites under the Duke of Zhou. In the Rites of Zhou, there was an official system of 'shamans, historians, diviners, and sorcerers.' Since ancient times, the government has referred to people like us as 'mysterious officials.'"

“Even earlier, the water official Gonggong and the fire official Zhurong were the same.”

"Qin has the Black Ice Platform, and our Great Tang has the Mystic Image Bureau. Both are responsible for matters concerning those who possess superhuman powers."

"As for the martial arts world."

"When you meet someone from the Taoist sect, address them as 'Master'; when you meet someone from the Buddhist sect, address them as 'Teacher'."

"Demons and evil spirits often call us 'thieves of the law.' Apart from the orthodox lineages of the world, there are some people who walk the unorthodox path. They have many names, but they are all the same, meaning that they are beings who possess power beyond that of mortals."

After digesting all this, Zhou Yan asked curiously:
"So, are there many such [Mysterious Officials] in Taoist temples and Buddhist monasteries?"

Shen Cangming said:

"No, including ordinary officials and soldiers of the imperial court, as well as those in Buddhist and Taoist sects, ninety-nine percent of the people in the world do not know these things. They just regard them as legends and stories. The world is vast, and there are not that many demons."

Shen Cangming looked at Zhou Yan and saw the young man's longing. Shen Cangming's eyes narrowed, and he said in a deep voice, "If only we could..." He was about to say before we parted, but looking at the excited Zhou Yan, he couldn't say it. He paused for a moment. Although he didn't want the young man to be too dependent on him, he didn't want to be too direct and cold either.

So he said, "If you can achieve something in martial arts within a hundred days, I can teach you how to become a Xuanguan."

"Is that alright, Uncle Shen?"

Shen Cangming said, "I don't know about other lineages, but I do know that the one that suits you right now is the Xuan official position of [Beacon Tower] in the Anxi Army of the Great Tang Dynasty, which is the ninth rank."

"【Beacon Tower】can initially sense the earth's energy. When both feet are on the ground, it can accelerate your own physical recovery and allow you to directly feel the killing intent with your body."

"In battle, one can either guide part of the enemy's attack force into the earth to dissipate it and avoid being seriously injured, or use the earth's veins and energy to deliver an extremely powerful strike."

"Accumulating earth energy allows one to unleash fire power through the interaction of fire and earth, which has a certain degree of restraint against monsters and ghosts."

Rank, lineage, unique abilities.

Moreover, it is a highly systematic whole, hidden within history.

Shen Cangming's introduction opened up a different world for Zhou Yan.

Zhou Yan suddenly thought of the Hungry Ghost Jade Talisman on the jade book. For some reason, he seemed to feel that this Hungry Ghost Jade Talisman was also a similar existence, and that, apart from the [Karmic Fire Hunger Flame], there seemed to be other spells inside the jade talisman.

However, because he lacks something, he cannot turn it on.

Zhou Yan had a vague guess in his heart that the power of the Xuan Guan was what he lacked. So, even though he was itching to know more, he pretended to be just curious and asked:

"Uncle Shen, is the power of the Xuan Guan the same as so-called magical power?"

Shen Cangming said, "That's one way to think about it."

He suddenly stopped talking. Zhou Yan was curious and puzzled. Shen Cangming reached out and took the knife he had picked up from the hungry ghost from Zhou Yan's waist. It was a very thin knife, broken and tattered. It would probably break after a few cuts. Then he looked ahead.

Zhou Yan was very perceptive and looked in that direction as well.

From the waist-high weeds, a rustling sound came from the road, and more than twenty people slowly emerged. Among them were those who had clashed with Zhou Yan earlier. The thug who had suffered a great loss pointed at Zhou Yan and Shen Cangming: "Boss, it's them!"

"They stole our precious sword and now they're robbing us! They're robbing us of our money!"

"Ours!"

The man, a big, strong fellow, cursed him as an idiot and said, "Isn't that horse mine too?! Hey, you out-of-towner, your horse isn't fast enough. If we catch up with you, you're the ones who'll suffer."

“We don’t intend to take your life. You’ve bullied my men. Leave your horse, knife, and money behind, kowtow a few times, and you can get lost.”

More than twenty thugs.

Contemporary regional powers centered around villages and towns are highly exclusive.

Shen Cangming said, "Watch carefully."

He walked forward, carrying a knife in his hand.

The young men exchanged glances and then lunged at Shen Cangming. Shen Cangming stood firmly in front of Zhou Yan, gripped the hilt of his sword with one hand, and used only that broken sword to block the twenty-odd men.

A crisp clanging sound.

Shen Cangming blocked all of his opponent's moves with his sword.

The knives and sticks they held were completely ineffective against the knife.

The broken knife, which was originally like a piece of iron, suddenly exuded a profound and sharp aura.

As Zhou Yanyu circulated the jade scroll, he vaguely sensed that in Shen Cangming's hands, the broken sword seemed to be shrouded in a thin layer of aura, making the sword incredibly hard. With each defensive attack, the pale yellow aura on the blade grew stronger.

It spread until it reached the blade.

buzzing-

The broken knife suddenly whistled.

The burly man leading the attack made his hand numb. Unable to swallow his pride and enraged, he swung a large axe in a wide arc at Shen Cangming. Shen Cangming, however, only had a single sword in his left hand. With a quick backhand motion, he blocked the axe.

A burst of pale yellow light erupted.

Counterattack!

The axe was cleaved in two by this blade!

The blade swung out with unwavering momentum, tearing through the opponent's clothes. Beneath, there was an iron breastplate. As the blade sliced ​​through the iron breastplate, a ray of light suddenly burst forth. Following the direction of the blade's swing, a thunderous boom resounded, and a surge of heat rolled up, transforming into an arc of intense flame that illuminated the area.

More than 20 people were knocked to the ground in one go.

The broken knife trembled in Shen Cangming's hand, and the blood, flames, and flowing light dissipated.

A sense of impending doom hung in the air.

He returned the knife to Zhou Yan.

His speech remained concise and forceful.

"The flint and steel are used to ignite sparks, and the platform is used to mark the dawn and dusk."

"Where a wisp of smoke rises, all sounds are revealed."

"This is the [Beacon Tower]."

(End of this chapter)