Sword drawn from the constellations, poison as its edge.

Chapter 270 The Application of Transforming Power (Part 2)

In Duan Yu's mind, the Northern Darkness Divine Skill, though not particularly righteous, was invincible and had never failed once activated.

Now that he has experienced several major battles, his reaction time is much faster than before. Realizing that his close-range strategy was flawed, he immediately used the Northern Darkness Technique, which can barely be considered as quick response.

However, as soon as the divine skill was activated, it absorbed Ding Chunqiu's internal energy into its body. Suddenly, it felt a numbness in the meridians of its arm, and lost all sensation. After a brief moment of stalemate, its own powerful internal energy suddenly flowed back, continuously pouring into Ding Chunqiu's body.

Duan Yu was shocked and instinctively tried to let go, but Ding Chunqiu would not allow him to escape. His hand was like an iron claw, holding Duan Yu tightly and not letting go. At the same time, he threw away the soft silk rope and raised his hand to slap Duan Yu's forehead.

At this moment, Jiang Mingzhe was unaware that Duan Yu's Northern Darkness Divine Skill had failed. Seeing that Ding Chunqiu was about to kill him, he was so anxious that he couldn't think straight and used a wrist-pecking move, with three fingers like hooks, to attack Ding Chunqiu's pulse point.

Unexpectedly, Ding Chunqiu's move was intended to lure him into making a move. He immediately flipped his wrist and used a wrist-entangling technique to grab Jiang Mingzhe's wrist in the opposite direction. The two centipede claws of master and disciple met each other, and in an instant, their fingers were intertwined, like a large clump of centipedes tearing each other apart.

The two grabbed each other's hands, and Jiang Mingzhe, like Duan Yu, immediately activated the Northern Darkness Divine Skill without hesitation.

Ding Chunqiu revealed a look of wild joy and used the Dissolving Power Technique without any restraint.

Ding Chunqiu was renowned throughout the martial arts world, and his fame was based on this "Dissolving Power Technique"!
According to Xue Muhua's research in the original work, this skill uses highly poisonous substances to temper internal energy. When fighting, the highly poisonous internal energy is transmitted into the opponent's meridians. After the meridians are paralyzed and damaged, the internal energy cannot be circulated, and the feeling is as if it has been dissolved.

However, in Jiang Mingzhe's opinion, although Xue Muhua was a great doctor, his talent in martial arts was really limited. How accurate could he be in predicting Ding Chunqiu's cultivation level?

Based on Jiang Mingzhe's understanding of the Xingxiu Sect's martial arts and the Beiming Divine Skill, combined with the contents of the Xingxiu Tribulation Crossing Scripture, it can be roughly determined that Ding Chunqiu's Dissolving Power Technique is based on the incomplete Longevity and Everlasting Spring Skill, with the addition of the Beiming Divine Skill's innovative idea of ​​refining various acupoints to disperse and conceal power, absorbing the energy from the deadly poison to stimulate his own potential, internally cultivating power, and externally nourishing his physical body.

Therefore, Ding Chunqiu, despite his advanced age and white hair, had rosy and supple skin without a single wrinkle, which was enough to show his strong vitality.

However, this skill relies too much on external forces and requires constant melting and tempering of poisons to suppress the ever-increasing amount of deadly poison in the body. It can be described as fighting poison with poison, which is indeed effective and powerful, but it also has great hidden dangers. Compared with those top-level divine skills, it inevitably pales in comparison.

As for the poisonous internal energy that paralyzes the meridians, the seemingly miraculous use of "dissolving power" is, in Jiang Mingzhe's opinion, merely an insignificant addition when cultivating this skill.

After all, with Ding Chunqiu's skills, whether it's fists, weapons, hidden weapons, or poisons, he's second to none. If he really wanted to kill someone, the Three Laughs Free and Easy Powder would probably be more effective than the Dissolving Power Technique.

However, for martial artists, the feeling of having their painstakingly cultivated internal energy dissipated is too terrifying, which is why the "Dissipating Power Technique" is so infamous.

Of course, these were all Jiang Mingzhe's previous thoughts. Now that he was personally facing Old Ding's Dissolving Power Technique, he realized that his previous thoughts were ultimately too shallow and that he had underestimated this unparalleled evil sect grandmaster!
He activated his Northern Darkness Divine Art, experiencing exactly the same sensations as Duan Yu—

As soon as Ding Chunqiu's internal energy was absorbed, the meridians in his entire arm immediately became numb. Then, his own internal energy surged back and was absorbed into Ding Chunqiu's body.

Jiang Mingzhe's expression changed drastically, and he instantly realized: the ability of the Dissolving Power Technique to paralyze the meridians and prevent people from circulating their internal energy was not just an extra feature, but a masterpiece created by Old Monster Ding with painstaking effort, specifically to counter the Northern Darkness Divine Art!

It's unknown how long Old Monster Ding racked his brains before finally coming up with this method. The moment the Northern Darkness Divine Art absorbed the opponent's power, he paralyzed the opponent's meridians, as if artificially creating a vacuum, breaking the original balance of the Northern Darkness Divine Art, causing it to instantly reverse, and instead causing his own power to flow out uncontrollably.

Unfortunately, Ding Chunqiu himself had also practiced the Lesser Formless Skill, which was similar to the Chemical Transformation Technique of the Northern Darkness Divine Skill. Based on this internal force, he did not care about the nature of the internal force that was being absorbed.

Simply put, his Huagong Dafa (Dissolving Power Technique) is not particularly effective against others, but it is an insurmountable natural enemy for the successor of the Beiming Divine Art!

Once Jiang Mingzhe understood this, he immediately realized why Ding Chunqiu displayed an internal strength level far exceeding that in the original work when he clashed palms with Azi!
"You absorbed your master Wuyazi's internal energy!" Jiang Mingzhe exclaimed subconsciously.

Seeing that he had been exposed, Ding Chunqiu laughed loudly, his expression extremely arrogant: "Hahahaha, boy Jiang is indeed clever! I racked my brains to come up with this divine skill, originally because I was afraid that old ghost had some hidden tricks, and that someone would come to take revenge on me after practicing the Northern Darkness Technique. But I did not expect that although the old ghost was completely crippled, he was still hanging on by a thread and did not die. Hahahaha, he looked down on me before, but in the end he gave me more than seventy years of pure internal energy for nothing!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Li Qiushui's hoarse shouts and curses immediately came from the large, swirling cloud of black smoke not far away: "You admit it? You bastard, it really was you who did the killing!"

Ding Chunqiu snorted coldly and said arrogantly, "I didn't admit it before, but you were convinced it was me, weren't you? I should thank you. If you hadn't stopped me from chasing him back then, how could I have gotten his internal energy for nothing? No, no, no, I should not only thank you, I should practically kowtow to you!"

"The Northern Darkness Manual that these two lads found in Wuliang Mountain, you deliberately left it there, didn't you? Hahahaha, these two lads are quite diligent, I wonder how many people they've absorbed. Their internal energy is much stronger than that old ghost's. Once I've drained these two dry, even if the Grandmaster were to be resurrected, he would still be no match for me!"

Li Qiushui angrily cursed, "Shameless! Shameless! Quick, stop the mechanism! Let's all join forces and kill this scoundrel!"

Ding Chunqiu, hearing her rant, beamed with delight: "Come on, come on, even if you all come at me, what do I, the Immortal Venerable, have to fear?"

At this moment, the black smoke began to rotate slowly, indicating that someone inside was about to shut down the mechanism and break out.

Then came Duan Zhengchun's weak voice: "Old monster Xingxiu, you dare to hurt my child! The Duan family of Dali will fight you to the death!"

Ding Chunqiu laughed loudly: "The Duan family of Dali? What are you spouting, you traitorous scoundrel? My brother Yanqing's Duan family is the real Duan family! Besides..."

He chuckled maliciously and said, "I won't kill your son. I'll absorb all his internal energy and force him to write down the secret manual of the Northern Darkness Divine Art from memory, so that it can be passed on to the world. In the future, everyone can absorb each other's internal energy, and whoever absorbs the most will be the most powerful. Isn't that better than suffering through meditation and cultivation?"

The remaining members of the Eight Friends of Hangu Pass roared in unison, "How dare you! Our sect's unique skills are not to be treated with such contempt!"

Ding Chunqiu laughed heartily, "How could you good-for-nothings like me possibly imagine my grandeur? I am not like my old ghost master who is obsessed with women. I will show you all who the most outstanding successor of the Free and Unfettered Sect is!"

Jiang Mingzhe secretly admired him, thinking that if one disregarded one's stance, Ding Chunqiu was indeed quite remarkable!

Despite the fact that everyone is against the Northern Darkness Divine Art, if given the chance to learn it, who wouldn't rush to learn it? The martial arts world would be in chaos, like a breeding ground for poisonous insects. Ding Chunqiu, relying on his Dissolving Power Technique, would reap huge rewards and become the supreme ruler of the martial arts world with ease.

In an attempt to lure Jiang Mingzhe into a trap, Ding Chunqiu abandoned the Soft Silk Rope. Azi didn't hold back and quickly pulled it over, twisting it into a ball and gathering it up. Soon after, she saw that Jiang Mingzhe and Duan Yu were pale-faced, as if they had suffered a great loss.

Without thinking twice, she rushed forward to save the person. Ding Chunqiu had no time to spare and shouted, "Grand Preceptor, help me!" Kumārajīva swayed and stood in front of Azi, slashing out with a flaming blade. Azi unleashed an icy palm strike. The two palm strikes, one fiery and one icy, immediately turned into a cloud of white mist.

Kumārajīva laughed loudly, "What powerful palm strikes! Miss Azi, take a few more moves from this humble monk!"

He tested Azi's powerful internal strength and decided not to fight her head-on. He spread his body and instantly created layers of palm shadows with his palms, which was the Swift Palm from the Seventy-Two Shaolin Arts.

Azi was overwhelmed by the sights and cried out. Without thinking, she unleashed a fierce palm strike. Kumārajīva easily dodged it and struck Azi's shoulder with a thud. Although Azi was not injured thanks to her powerful internal strength, she was still knocked over by the blow.

Just as Kumārajīva was about to step forward to deliver a finishing blow, he suddenly heard two whooshing sounds, reached out and grabbed two short arrows, and laughed, "Does Miss Mu also want to fight this humble monk?"

Mu Wanqing's face was as cold as ice as she hissed, "Prepare to die!"

They drew their longswords and charged forward. Zhong Ling and A Bi exchanged a glance and each drew their weapons to fight back.

Kumārajīva dealt with the girls effortlessly, dodging two attacks. With a flick of his finger, Abi's longsword broke. Her slender arm could not withstand the remaining force, and she was thrown backward, flying with her body and falling in a sorry state.

Zhong Ling cried out, "Abi, run!" A blade slashed from the side, but Kumārajīva flicked his sleeve, and the blade bent and twisted, flying out with a whoosh.

Zhong Ling's tiger's mouth was split open, and her body was also pulled off a staggering fall. Kumārajīva flicked his sleeve and struck Zhong Ling's back.

His move was the Shaolin's ultimate technique, the Kasaya Subduing Demon Skill. It looked like a light, fluttering sleeve, but when the true energy reached it, it was no less powerful than a sledgehammer or an iron whip. If it struck, even if Zhong Ling didn't die, her bones would be broken and her tendons would be torn.

Mu Wanqing had been caught off guard by her previous move and was unable to provide timely assistance. Just as Kumārajīva's large sleeve was about to fall, a thin iron staff suddenly appeared from the side, blocking and circling the attack for Zhong Ling.

Zhong Ling knew she had escaped death and was terrified, but she moved quickly, just like her pet ferret, and rolled away on the spot.

Kumārajīva's face darkened. He casually forced Mu Wanqing back with a palm strike, then turned to look at her and said unhappily, "Benefactor Duan, what do you mean by this?"

On Duan Yanqing's severed arm, a thin iron staff was tightly bound, and another staff was held in his only intact hand. It was this hand that had just made the move to save Zhong Ling.

Duan Yanqing's face was ashen, and he mumbled in ventriloquism, "I don't care what you do to others, but this little girl surnamed Zhong has done me a favor. If you hurt her, I will kill you."

Zhong Ling got up, covered in dust, blinked, and remembered when Duan Yanqing had broken his arm and was slowly crawling out. She couldn't bear to see him like that, so she threw him his crutch. And at his request, she mustered up her courage and tied a crutch to his amputated arm.

Duan Yanqing then left a message saying that Zhong Wanchou had betrayed him and killed Ye Erniang. He originally intended to return and kill them all after recovering from his injuries, but out of respect for Zhong Ling, he would let this blood debt go.

She thought that she had repaid Duan Yanqing for the insignificant favor of tying his cane to his head, but she never expected that after so long, Duan Yanqing would actually challenge Kumārajīva to his face for her sake.

Although Zhong Ling was a tea enthusiast, she was not a bad person at heart. She couldn't help but say, "Brother Duan, you don't need to help me like this. Although you are skilled in martial arts, you only have one hand left. You can't beat this Tibetan monk."

Duan Yanqing rolled his eyes and said coldly, "Who said I wanted to fight him? As long as he doesn't attack you, we are friends, not enemies, so naturally we won't fight."

Zhong Ling said pitifully, "Then what if he kills Wooden Man, Zi Ya Tou, or A Bi? They are my good sisters. If something happens to them, I will be heartbroken and unable to live."

Duan Yanqing said impatiently, "If you want to die, I will naturally grant your wish. If the Grand Preceptor wants to kill others, killing a million people is none of my business."

Zhong Ling asked doubtfully, "You're really heartless. Would you have softened a bit when killing one million and one people?"

Duan Yanqing said coldly, "This world is full of heartless scoundrels; it would be better if they were all killed."

Zhong Ling hurriedly said, "I'm not heartless..."

Before she could finish speaking, Kumārajīva interrupted her, saying, "Little girl, stop talking so much nonsense. Are you trying to stall for time until the people hiding in the black smoke formation come out?"

Zhong Ling was stunned for a moment, then laughed sheepishly, "Oh dear, you, the great monk, figured it out."

Duan Yanqing coldly said, "The woman surnamed Li is injured and can't defeat the Imperial Preceptor. Duan Zhengchun is also seriously injured. The others are not only injured but also useless. What good would it do if they came out?"

Li Qiushui retorted angrily, "Even a tiger fallen into the plains is bullied by dogs. How dare a cripple look down on me, Li Qiushui?"

Everyone looked over instinctively and saw that the black smoke had dissipated, and Li Qiushui, whose white clothes were stained with a lot of blood, flew over like a cloud reflecting the setting sun.

Behind her, a guard supported Duan Zhengchun. The remaining five of the Eight Friends of Hangu Pass were all injured, and Kang Guangling, who was the most skilled in martial arts, could not even stand up.

The five men had particularly strange expressions, clearly indicating that they already knew Li Qiushui's true identity. However, she had gone mad after seeing Wuyazi die, and in several fierce battles, she had fought recklessly, disregarding her own life. Seeing that she still had deep feelings for their ancestor, the five men were too embarrassed to bring up the past.

Kumārajīva shouted, "You're at your last gasp, yet you dare to be so arrogant? Brother Duan, I'm leaving this to you! I'll go and take down those people over there."

After saying that, he leaped up and blocked Li Qiushui's path to fight. Li Qiushui's injuries seemed to be quite serious, but her attacks were still extremely fierce.

Duan Yanqing looked at the women and said in a low voice, "You should all step back. This kind of battle is not something you can interfere with..."

Before she could finish speaking, Azi rubbed her shoulder and got up, shouting, "I don't believe it! I can't beat Xiao Ding, I can't beat Kumārajīva, but how could I possibly be unable to beat you, you big cripple?"

(End of this chapter)