Arhats Subduing Demons: Starting with The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber

Chapter 14 The elusive one
Whether it was due to his training, clouded senses, or a guilty conscience, Yun Changkong's palm strike was incredibly powerful, with a whistling wind that swept across the surrounding area.

But then he felt a "snap" and a chill on his wrist. Yun Changkong was protected by the "Arhat Subduing Demon Skill" and did not feel pain, but being hit in one go was equivalent to losing a move, so he couldn't help but be a little flustered.

At the same time, he suddenly felt a strong gust of wind rushing towards his back, which was extremely piercing. However, as he clapped his hands, his toes touched the ground, and his body shot forward like an arrow, leaping more than ten feet. He spun around and turned around. What he saw made his heart skip a beat.

Just then, a person stood a few feet away. It was the woman in yellow who had appeared as elusive as a ghost. She wore a yellow dress with a three-inch-wide white silk belt around her waist. Her two slender, snow-white hands were placed on her abdomen. Her clothes fluttered in the mountain wind. She stood quietly where Yun Changkong had landed, as if she had never moved.

Yun Changkong was surprised to see that the woman had arrived silently, and he had no idea when she had come up behind him. If he hadn't smelled the fragrance, he probably wouldn't have known either. He thought to himself, "In my previous life, I read in The Condor Heroes that the lightness skill of the Ancient Tomb was the best in the world. This is truly amazing!"

The thought of being caught red-handed practicing someone else's martial arts sent a chill down his spine, but he remained completely calm and said indifferently, "Miss, haven't you heard of people scaring each other to death?"

The woman in yellow saw his piercing eyes, like cold stars in the night. After her initial fear, she immediately became radiant and secretly admired his courage, but remained indifferent and did not respond.

Just now, Chang Kong had been keeping his back to the other party, partly because he was afraid of seeing their face and being recognized. Now that he had been caught red-handed, he decided to take a closer look at their appearance.

His internal strength was astonishing, and with the help of the moonlight, he could see very clearly.

The woman's skin was as white as snow, and her beauty was beyond compare. However, her face was cold and indifferent, and she appeared to be about twenty-four or twenty-five years old. Her two cold, electric eyes seemed to be fixed on her with a fierce and menacing gaze. Yet, she was still dressed in the attire of an unmarried woman.

Yun Changkong couldn't help but think, "The woman in the ancient tomb is pure and abstinent, and has the art of preserving her youth. She looks to be in her twenties, maybe even in her thirties or forties. Sigh, it would be such a waste for such a beauty to never marry and die in the ancient tomb."

Chang Kong didn't think he was a lecher; rather, he felt that the flowers were blooming so beautifully that not appreciating them would make him seem unromantic.

Despite being stared at by the man, the woman in yellow showed no embarrassment. She remained standing quietly, her clear eyes fixed on Chang Kong's face without blinking or moving an inch.

This is a very unusual phenomenon.

Anyone with experience in this area knows that when young men and women make eye contact, one of them will always look away.

Even if both parties are experienced and bold veterans in the dating game, they cannot persist once the partners are different.

For example, a man can stare at a woman of ordinary family background, appearance, and status, but if he encounters a beautiful woman or a high-ranking official, he absolutely cannot do that.

The same applies to women; she can calmly treat ordinary men, but she can't look directly at a "tall, rich, and handsome" man.

But these two were both unusual individuals, so they just stared at each other quietly.

After a long while, even Yun Changkong, who was thick-skinned, considered himself unparalleled in the world, and possessed profound internal strength, felt a little embarrassed and uneasy. He clasped his hands and said, "Miss, what is the reason for you to peek at me practicing martial arts?"

He would never admit to stealing the other person's martial arts skills. Knowing his mistakes and correcting them is his basic quality, so turning the tables is his standard practice.

Upon hearing this, the girl in yellow smiled slightly, but the smile vanished in an instant, replaced by an icy expression. She coldly said, "You stole my martial arts; aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"

Yun Changkong shook his head: "If you want to kill me, then rely on your own skills. If I am not as skilled as others, then I have no worries. But as for the claim that I stole your martial arts, that makes no sense."

"So, you didn't steal my martial arts skills?" The woman stared at Chang Kong, her gaze growing colder.

Chang Kong said, "The martial arts of the world have developed to the point where they are intertwined and mutually reinforcing. The reason why those martial arts masters are called masters is because they can be unconventional, original, and ingenious. Before that, they must have studied and absorbed the martial arts of others. Some were taught by others, and some were learned by observing others. Did they all get the consent of the person involved when they were comprehending the martial arts? I'm afraid not."

The woman in yellow remained silent for a while, then nodded slightly and said calmly, "That makes some sense!"

He smiled slightly and said, "It turns out that another martial arts master has emerged in the martial arts world at such a young age. You are truly pioneering a new era in martial arts. I am truly sorry for my disrespect."

Yun Changkong said, "Now my martial arts are no match for yours, so I am naturally no longer a martial arts master. Who else can surpass me in the future?"

The woman thought her words would surely make him feel ashamed, but to her surprise, he still didn't take it seriously and even retorted.

If it were a real young man, he would have felt deeply hurt by the woman in yellow's words, but Yun Changkong didn't care about such mild and innocuous sarcasm.

The woman frowned slightly and snorted, "So you're not a martial arts master just because you can't beat me? You're right. I'll let it slide today because of your father; you were just secretly learning martial arts. But if you dare do it again, it won't be so simple." She turned to leave. Yun Changkong raised his eyebrows and asked, "What does my father have to do with this?"

The woman said with a frosty expression, "If your father hadn't been a renowned martial arts hero in Shanxi and Shaanxi, who rallied heroes from all walks of life to drive out the Tartars, how could I have allowed you to stay in Zhongnan Mountain for four years? If it were anyone else, this place would have become their burial ground long ago!"

Her voice was delicate and melodious, yet she uttered such domineering words, which had a unique charm.

Yun Changkong, however, was not particularly afraid. He thought to himself, "This woman doesn't just stay at home; she's probably out and about every day! She might have been spying on me for a long time. How can I let her play mysterious? Wouldn't I be at a disadvantage?" He cupped his hands and said, "It seems that you are indeed a descendant of the Condor Hero!"

For the first time, the woman in yellow showed surprise on her face, her brows furrowed, and she said, "I live in seclusion deep in the mountains and never see outsiders. How did you know that?"

Her beautiful eyes shone like stars as she stared intently at the sky, her clothes and hair moving without any wind.

Yun Changkong, on guard, said, "In the past, the great hero Yang was unparalleled in martial arts, and his chivalrous name shook the martial world. He personally killed Mongke, and everyone in the martial world knew about him and admired him."

I happen to be one of them. When I was a child, I was determined to take him as my role model, so I inquired about his deeds from many sources. I learned that Master Yang first joined the Quanzhen Sect and then joined the Ancient Tomb Sect, which is why I kept pestering my father to come to Zhongnan Mountain for refuge.

Alas, the Quanzhen Sect has now vanished. In this Zhongnan Mountain, to be able to get so close to me without my noticing, I think there is no one else besides a descendant of the great hero Yang!

Seeing his calm expression, the woman in yellow knew that his words came from the heart. She smiled and said, "Thank you for praising my ancestor. Your martial arts are not very good, but your internal strength is truly profound and profound. I suppose you come from the Shaolin School. May I ask what it is?"

Yun Changkong asked in surprise, "How did you know?"

The woman in the yellow shirt smiled but remained silent.

Chang Kong was quite surprised. This "Arhat Subduing Demon Divine Skill" should not have appeared at this time. If she had spied on him, he had never talked about the secrets of the divine skill with his father and grandmother. Furthermore, if Yang Guo had communicated with Shaolin masters, the "Arhat Subduing Demon Divine Skill" had never been seen after its creation. He should have never even heard of it. How could this woman know about it?
At this time, Yun Changkong only had a rudimentary understanding of the principles of martial arts. When he encountered difficulties in martial arts, he naturally developed a desire to explore them.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he exclaimed, "Miss, you're right. This is indeed a Shaolin internal skill called the Arhat Subduing Demon Skill."

It is important to understand that the foundation of all martial arts lies in internal strength.
Internal strength lies in breathing.

Like when Chang Kong learned women's light-body skills, it was only because light-body skills are about coordinating footwork and breathing.

With Yun Changkong's internal strength at this level, and possessing the core Buddhist skills of Shaolin Temple, as long as he knew the footwork and adjusted his breathing accordingly, it would be no problem at all.

As for the simple moves just now, he used the enemy's attack and the woman in yellow's counterattack to figure out what felt comfortable to him, and thus he could roughly deduce the opponent's method of exerting force.

This principle is like drinking water; only the person drinking knows whether it's hot or cold.

The woman in yellow initially saw his surprised expression, but after a few breaths, she became calm, knowing that he had figured out the reason. She said, "Everyone knows that Shaolin Temple is full of masters and its seventy-two skills are famous throughout the world. However, Shaolin Temple has been famous for nearly a thousand years, and it does not only have seventy-two skills. If someone suddenly uses a strange martial art that is unknown to the outside world, it is not surprising at all."

"I'm just curious, at such a young age, how could you have mastered this divine skill to such a high level? My pressure point striking and palm strikes were all unique techniques, and you grasped the knack after only watching once. It's probably all thanks to this skill."

Although the woman in yellow lived in seclusion deep in the mountains, Yang Guo alone possessed the skills of several great masters, including the Central Divine, Lin Chaoying, Huang Shang, the Eastern Heretic, the Western Poison, the Northern Beggar, and the Sword Demon Dugu Qiubai. He had also witnessed the unique skills of Guo Jing, the Duan family of Dali, Qiu Qianren with Iron Palm, and Jinlun, the unparalleled master of the Tantric sect.

Later, he went to Shaolin Temple to discuss martial arts and philosophy, and became friends with Master Wuse, the head of the Arhat Hall. His extraordinary encounters in martial arts were simply outrageous.

Therefore, the sheer abundance of martial arts knowledge in the Ancient Tomb is unparalleled in the world. Thanks to the accumulated knowledge of her predecessors, the woman in yellow, though confined to her home, possesses a vast understanding of martial arts that far surpasses that of those who frequently roam the martial world!

The "Arhat Subduing Demon Skill" has not appeared in the world, but it is the essential divine skill of Shaolin Temple, and it follows the same principle as Shaolin kung fu. It is just more complex and profound.

Yun Changkong laughed and said, "The young lady's guess is quite right. In fact, Shaolin Temple has a wealth of martial arts knowledge, accumulated over thousands of years. For someone as young as you to know everything in the world without ever leaving home is truly remarkable. Shaolin and Wudang are nothing to mention. It's such a pity..." He shook his head with a regretful expression.

Yun Changkong realized that he had deduced the breathing method just now based on the moves, so it was not surprising that the woman in yellow, who had some understanding of Shaolin martial arts, would guess that the "Arhat Subduing Demon Skill" was a Shaolin skill.

(End of this chapter)