In Emei, start by obtaining golden attributes.

Chapter 113 The Leader of the Sun Moon Cult
The Great Songyang Palm, when used by him, was originally a fierce palm force that was forcibly twisted into a cold, vicious, and bone-corroding palm force.

Moreover, the trajectory of these palm strikes was unpredictable, a mix of real and illusory, and carried a nauseating, fishy stench, a fusion of insidious palm techniques and poisonous arts.

Their moves are even more sinister, avoiding direct confrontation and instead resorting to unorthodox methods, such as poisonous claws, heart-ripping, and throat-locking, using every possible means.

Zhou Zhiruo had never seen such insidious and despicable moves before, and had no choice but to raise her sword and deal with them hastily.

Even though she wielded her sword with the grace of willow branches in the wind, and tried her best to dodge and weave, she was still forced to retreat repeatedly by the omnipresent palm winds and poisonous claws.

After just a dozen or so breaths, fine beads of sweat appeared on her delicate face.

On the rooftop, Gu Shaoan's gaze fell upon the two women who were at a disadvantage. He remained calm and showed no surprise whatsoever.

The two women have been exchanging blows for the past three years, mostly through friendly sparring.

The rest of the time was spent with Gu Shaoan, Abbess Juechen, and Abbess Miejue.

But the battles and fights between martial artists are never as simple as casual sparring.

In addition, due to certain habits during martial arts training, practitioners' martial arts moves may have some non-standard aspects.

If you can practice diligently and adjust accordingly, you will naturally be fine.

However, if you can't adjust, then these non-standard parts of your moves may become your weaknesses.

Zhou Zhiruo and Yang Yan both made the same mistake.

Moreover, the issue of their fighting styles had been mentioned by Gu Shaoan, Abbess Juechen, and Abbess Miejue.

Even so, the two still left some issues unresolved.

This was undoubtedly adding insult to injury. Several times, Deng Bagong and Sha Tianjiang found opportunities to attack, and their attacks almost landed on the two women, startling them so much that they broke out in a cold sweat.

This is why Gu Shaoan brought the two of them with him this time.

Often, you can't teach someone by just one person, but you can learn something by just one demonstration.

Only by fighting against an enemy who is truly stronger than the two women can they realize some of their own problems through battle.

After a hundred moves, seeing that the two women were about to give up, Gu Shaoan suddenly circulated his internal energy, and his voice entered the ears of Zhou Zhiruo and Yang Yan one after the other.

The moment Gu Shaoan's voice reached their ears, Yang Yan and Zhou Zhiruo, without a second thought, followed Gu Shaoan's instructions and abruptly changed their moves.

Before long, Deng Bagong and Sha Tianjiang both sensed that the two men in front of them had changed their moves and fighting style.

Facing Deng Bagong's long whip, Yang Yan not only did not retreat, but when her internal energy was pushed to its limit, she took the initiative to rush into the intertwined whip shadows as her feet crossed.

Agility and speed were on full display in Yang Yan's movements.

Each change of direction created a fleeting, ethereal afterimage, like a dragon swimming in water, deftly slipping into the weakest gap in the airflow amidst the dense whip-like shadows.

Although Deng Bagong was a martial artist who had returned to the innate realm, he had never witnessed Yang Yan's agile and swift movements.

Even with the whip's shadows like a net, Yang Yan always managed to evade them with a subtle and skillful maneuver.

When the distance between the two was only one zhang, a cold light suddenly appeared, and the clear sound of the sword drowned out the whistling of the whip.

The sword tip, as sharp as a cold star, moved with the speed of a poisonous dragon emerging from its cave, piercing through the myriad whip shadows and aiming for Deng Bagong's wrist holding the whip.

But the next instant, with a slight flick of Deng Bagong's wrist, a whip flashed toward Yang Yan's face.

"I knew it wouldn't be that easy!"

Yang Yan frowned, muttering to herself as she raised her wrist, changing her sword move from a straight thrust to an upward swing.

"clang!"

A deafening clang of metal clashing.

Deng Bagong's wrist trembled violently as he felt an extremely pure and condensed force, as fine as a needle, drilling wildly through the whip, causing his long whip to freeze for a moment.

It carried an unparalleled penetrating power! If his internal strength had not been equally profound and his whip technique not so smooth and skillful, he would have been directly knocked off his hand by this sword, and the storm formed by the black gold whip would have been momentarily halted.

This scene caused Deng Bagong's expression to change slightly. He once again activated his inner strength, and the whip shadow reappeared. He no longer pursued the grandeur of the previous one, but instead moved like a whip weaving through flowers and trees. The tip of the whip brought with it a series of vicious whimpers, and it cunningly targeted Yang Yan's major acupoints. The attack changed from a broad approach to a specific point, becoming even more ruthless and precise!

Yang Yan brandished her longsword, her body moving with it. Sometimes she pointed her sword at the point where the whip's force would strike, and sometimes she used the "Sunset Sword Technique" to deflect the force from the whip the moment her sword touched it.

This combination of footwork and exquisite swordsmanship allowed them to withstand the frenzied attacks of Deng Bagong, a martial artist who had returned to the Innate Realm, and prevented the previous continuous retreat from defeat.

Unlike Yang Yan, Zhou Zhiruo was not recklessly aggressive; instead, she was calm and composed, like the moon reflected in a cold river.

Her steps seemed slow but were actually fast, each step like a lotus blossom, graceful and agile.

As she twisted and turned, her slender waist and long limbs displayed astonishing flexibility, as if made of water, always managing to avoid the direct attack of the insidious palm wind with minimal movement at the last second.

Her sword tip, as light as a willow catkin, seemed weak and powerless, yet it met Sha Tianjiang's powerful and fierce claw shadow head-on.

"Chuck! Chuck! Chuck!"

Amid a series of soft whooshing sounds, the sword tip struck the Neiguan, Shenmen, and Daling acupoints on Sha Tianjiang's wrist with extreme precision at an incredibly delicate angle.

Each time the sword tip fell, it struck precisely the weak point just before his claw power erupted, like puncturing an inflating balloon with a needle!
Sha Tianjiang felt a tingling numbness in the tendons of his wrist. Despite the fierce claw strike, it felt as if he had struck a flexible, slippery wall of water. Seven-tenths of his strength was instantly dissipated, and three-tenths was interrupted by the tingling numbness from the tricky sword tip, leaving his movements scattered and disorganized.

His cunning and ruthless claw attacks were repeatedly broken by this seemingly weak but actually incredibly precise sword technique, leaving him powerless and extremely frustrated!

Seeing that Sha Tianjiang's offensive was momentarily halted by Liu Xu's gentle strength, Zhou Zhiruo's eyes suddenly narrowed! Her originally light and elusive sword intent suddenly became extremely condensed and heavy.

She bent slightly, like a leopard gathering its strength, and the long sword in her hand burst forth with a blazing white light, no longer a drifting willow catkin.

Instead, it transformed into a heavy afterglow falling rapidly from the sky, its swordplay upright and dignified, yet carrying an unstoppable, magnificent, and awe-inspiring force, as if it were about to collide with the earth.

"laugh"

With a sharp whooshing sound, the longsword went straight for Sha Tianjiang's chest and abdomen. Before the sword even arrived, the compressed and condensed wind-breaking force rushed towards him.

Sha Tianjiang was horrified! He never expected that this gentle young girl's swordsmanship could be so fierce, completely impossible to neutralize with soft force! In haste, he gathered his true energy and condensed it in his right palm, striking the longsword.

As their swords clashed, Sha Tianjiang took a step back, while Zhou Zhiruo leaped into the air, spinning lightly to dissipate the force from the blade.

When he landed steadily, he lightly touched the ground with his toes, floated forward, and once again attacked Sha Tianjiang with his sword.

The sword slammed into Sha Tianjiang's crossed arms! A violent force exploded outwards!

In just a few exchanges, both Deng Bagong and Sha Tianjiang felt that the two little girls in front of them had undergone a great change in both their moves and the rhythm of the battle.

"How could things have changed so much?"

Startled, Deng Bagong seemed to realize something and quickly turned his head to glance at Gu Shaoan on the roof.

When she noticed Gu Shaoan's lips moving slightly as if he were talking to himself, she immediately understood why Zhou Zhiruo's fighting style had changed so drastically during her battle with Yang Yan.

It was clearly Gu Shaoan on the rooftop giving instructions from the shadows.

"It's this guy."

Faced with this scene, Deng Bagong couldn't help but curse inwardly.

Before he could think further, Yang Yan, who was standing in front of him, attacked again, her sword flashing like a streak of light, forcing Deng Bagong to forcefully regain his composure and continue to fight.

At first, the two women could only keep making moves under Gu Shaoan's guidance.

However, after fifty moves, Gu Shaoan only needed to offer a few words of advice at crucial moments.

After a hundred moves, Yang Yan and Zhou Zhiruo's fighting styles had changed significantly.

When Zhou Zhiruo swung her sword, it had already taken on a new look.

Sometimes it is light and ethereal like willow catkins drifting in the wind, and sometimes it is heavy and condensed like the sun setting in the west.

The "Willow Catkin Sword Technique" and the "Sunset Sword Technique" alternated in Zhou Zhiruo's hands. Sometimes she used softness to overcome hardness and neutralize its vicious moves, and sometimes she used force to overcome skill and suppress its fierce power.

Between offense and defense, Zhou Zhiruo's defense was impenetrable, like snow covering a mountain. Sha Tianjiang's vicious and relentless attacks could not force her to retreat even a step.

Yang Yan used her movements to the extreme. When she moved and dodged, Deng Bagong's whip shadow was always a step slower, and he could not touch Yang Yan at all. Instead, he had to be on guard against Yang Yan rushing in front of him at any time.

Dust swirled in the courtyard, and the last rays of the setting sun cast interlacing shadows.

The flickering light and shadow projected the intensely intertwined figures of the four people onto the wall, creating a dramatic and ever-changing spectacle, much like a shadow puppet show!
"Whoosh, whoosh"

Just then, two whooshing sounds suddenly appeared.

Deng Bagong and Sha Tianjiang, who were about to make their move, felt a chill and no longer wanted to retreat.

"Hiss" "Hiss"

Almost the instant the two retreated, two copper coins had somehow already been inserted into the spot where they had just been standing, embedded more than halfway in.

At the same time, Gu Shaoan's voice slowly rang out from the rooftop.

"Take a half-hour break, then continue."

Hearing Gu Shaoan's words, Yang Yan and Zhou Zhiruo immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Then, without caring about anything else, they returned to the chairs on the side, took out the Rejuvenation Pill, swallowed it, and began to regulate their breathing.

Gu Shaoan had an extremely clear understanding of the two men's internal strength.

After the continuous battles, Yang Yan and Zhou Zhiruo's internal energy had indeed been almost completely depleted.

If this continues, their internal energy will be completely depleted in just a few moves.

Compared to Yang Yan and Zhou Zhiruo's relaxed state, Deng Bagong and Sha Tianjiang's hearts remained heavy.

The two weren't stupid; by now, they could clearly see that the young man on the rooftop wanted them to be sparring partners for the two girls below.

Sha Tianjiang, still shaken by Gu Shaoan's earlier attack, couldn't help but speak up: "If you want us to be the sparring partners for the two young ladies, just say so. It's a small matter, why would we refuse? Why do it like this?"

While seemingly asking a question, the words actually carried a hint of probing.

This time, when faced with Sha Tianjiang's question, Gu Shaoan did not ignore it. Instead, he looked down at Sha Tianjiang and slowly said, "Are you teaching me how to do things?"

Upon hearing this, Sha Tianjiang felt a chill run down his spine and quickly replied, "I dare not."

In response, Gu Shaoan said calmly, "Now that you know my purpose, then cooperate well. If the two of you can win the battle, you can leave or stay as you please."

As he spoke, Gu Shaoan glanced at the sky and saw that only a faint glimmer of light remained on the horizon. Gu Shaoan's fingertips twitched slightly.

The copper coin spun rapidly, instantly separating several bound Songshan Sect disciples on the ground before landing on them, releasing the pressure points that had been struck on these disciples.

"It's getting late, please trouble you to light the lamps."

After the Songshan disciples who had been untied and had their acupoints released stood up, they first looked at Gu Shaoan, and then at Sha Tianjiang and Deng Bagong.

After the two nodded in acknowledgment, he turned and walked quickly toward the inner courtyard.

Before long, several people came out carrying some lanterns and candles.

It was also as these disciples of Mount Song were lighting lamps that Deng Bagong looked at Sha Tianjiang beside him and gave him a slight nod, as if asking Sha Tianjiang what to do next.

Sha Tianjiang gave a wry smile and gently shook his head in acknowledgment.

Seeing this, Deng Bagong could only stand still, feeling that he had offended Tai Sui this year and had very bad luck.

For no reason at all, they suffered such a misfortune, encountering such a prodigy who came out to train and even sought out their Songshan Sect as a sparring partner.

Unfortunately, the sect leader and other elders are not present, leaving the three of them at the mercy of others.

Gu Shaoan did not stop the two from their little actions, and continued to sit quietly against the eaves, but his gaze would occasionally look in a certain direction.

Soon, it got completely dark, but the front yard was brightly lit by dozens of lanterns hanging high in the yard.

Once Yang Yan and Zhou Zhiruo finished their meditation, the battle began once again.

They faced off a total of four times.

As Zhou Zhiruo and Yang Yan fought against Deng Bagong and Sha Tianjiang, their moves became increasingly sophisticated.

He was a completely different person compared to when the battle began.

Watching the two women fight below, Gu Shaoan couldn't help but nod slightly.

As someone who has been with the two women day and night for the past three years, Gu Shaoan is naturally aware of their strength.

The "return to the innate state" is merely the transformation of internal energy into true qi caused by opening up the eight extraordinary meridians and the two bridges of heaven and earth. It simply means that true qi can leave the body and even has additional means such as transmitting sound through true qi.

This does not mean that the quality of true qi of a martial artist who has returned to the innate state is necessarily stronger than that of internal force.

What truly determines a person's strength is the purity of their own skill, the martial arts they have practiced, and their level of control over those skills.

In terms of the power and sophistication of martial arts, not to mention the "Emei Nine Yang True Scripture" created by Gu Shaoan by combining two types of Nine Yang Skills, the "Sunset Sword Technique" and "Three Appearances of the Divine Dragon" alone are beyond the reach of the Songshan Sect.

In addition, Zhou Zhiruo and Yang Yan have made great progress in martial arts over the past three years. Although their strength is still far behind Zuo Lengchan's, it is not to the point that they are completely powerless against Deng Bagong and other so-called Songshan Taibao.

Otherwise, Gu Shaoan wouldn't have thought of having Zhou Zhiruo and Yang Yan fight against the people from the Songshan Sect.

The only pity is that Gu Shaoan's initial idea was to let the two of them do these things on their own without him showing up.

However, due to the change in the number of people from the Songshan Sect, they had no choice but to show themselves.

This made Deng Bagong noticeably more hesitant and timid when he fought Sha Tianjiang in the following instances, and the training effect was not as good as when he was ruthless the first time.

Therefore, after the fourth sparring session ended, Gu Shaoan did not let the two continue. Instead, he put his hand on Zhao Sihai's back, who had been standing there like a wooden statue for two hours.

As he was slapped away, a gentle force also released Zhao Sihai's pressure points.

With his acupoints released and his power and body back under control, Zhao Sihai quickly spun around in the air a few times to steady himself and land in the courtyard.

Gu Shaoan gave a shout, and after Zhou Zhiruo and Yang Yan walked out of the mansion gate, he jumped down and left together.

Only then did the three of them finally breathe a long sigh of relief.

However, before the three could completely relax, figures suddenly rushed into the front yard like shadows in the night.

Soon, screams of agony echoed from the front yard.

Gu Shaoan paused slightly before stepping out of the street corner, then continued forward.

However, when the three of them turned into another, quieter long street next door, the shadows cast by the eaves on both sides were deeper and thicker.

Just then, Gu Shaoan suddenly stopped, and then slowly said, "Your Excellency and the people around you have been secretly watching me for nearly four hours. Are you planning to keep watching me in the dark like this?"

Upon hearing the voice, Zhou Zhiruo and Yang Yan, who were standing nearby, were initially taken aback, but quickly realized what was happening.

He looked around warily.

"Clap clap~"

The next second, a clapping sound suddenly rang out in the quiet street.

Immediately afterwards, a soft and melodious female voice slowly rang out in the street.

"Since you noticed something was wrong so early on, yet you've remained calm until now, young brother, you truly deserve to be a disciple of the Emei Sect. To be so composed at such a young age is truly admirable."

As soon as the words were spoken, two figures slowly emerged from the shadows in the middle of the street, exposed to the moonlight.

Under the bright moonlight, Gu Shaoan immediately recognized one of them at a glance. It was the middle-aged woman who had been guarding the second-floor staircase at Dengyun Tower during the day.

The person next to him had a long, steady breath, clearly indicating a good foundation in internal strength.

Just as the two stepped out, a figure flashed through the air like a ghost, possessing a bewitching beauty under the bright moonlight.

As he passed the two figures emerging from the shadows, his body suddenly bent downwards before landing steadily.

The speed was so fast that it was not like ordinary light-footed skills that allowed one to leap through the air; rather, it was more like being pulled by an invisible thread and flying through the air.

Under the moonlight, Gu Shaoan and the other two were able to see the person who had suddenly appeared.

She wore an extremely bright and dazzling red robe, the fabric of which was smooth and supple, and the wide sleeves fluttered lightly in the night breeze.

The night breeze also carried a hint of rouge from the person who came.

She did not tie her hair up; her long, black hair was loose, with a few strands slipping over her shoulders, showing her feminine grace.

However, when the three of them looked at each other, both Zhou Zhiruo and Yang Yan showed a bit of surprise.

The reason was that the woman dressed in a long red robe, whose demeanor was gentle and graceful, actually had a man's face.

Gu Shaoan's gaze instantly settled on the man's smooth, mirror-like neck, which had no prominent Adam's apple!

Combined with that incredible, ghostly, thread-like movement, that unique red dress, and that face that deliberately erased male characteristics and was covered in makeup, how could Gu Shaoan not guess the other party's identity?

Dongfang Bai, leader of the Sun Moon Cult.

　Because it's a crossover martial arts story, the name Dongfang Bubai is too flamboyant and it's impossible for him to have survived to this day. He wouldn't be alive even if he died a hundred times over. So, his original name, Dongfang Bai, is used!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)