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

Chapter 64 Kill
After a series of battles, Yun Changkong's internal energy was greatly depleted. He then used his oar to cross more than twenty zhang on the river, and several rounds of arrows could not harm him. His profound skill and extraordinary martial arts left many people speechless.

Many people couldn't fathom the person before them. Was he a god? A ghost? How could his skill be so high? How could his movements be so wondrous?

Many more Sky Eagle followers understood why Fan Yao and Li Tianyuan, with their status and position, would resort to despicable means to murder Yun Changkong. It was because such figures were not someone that any one person could defeat in a one-on-one fight.

If Yin Tianzheng were to fight him, wouldn't that mean the Eagle Sect would be wiped out of the martial arts world, and his lifelong reputation would be ruined?
Yun Changkong knew that he would only have a chance to win if he boarded the large ship. So he used the story of Fan Yao's unsuccessful pursuit of the Purple-Robed Dragon King to both distract Fan Yao and buy time, and to arouse the curiosity of the Sky Eagle Cult members, making them want to hear more. They even lowered their bows and arrows.

All of this was to build up luck and strength so that he could unleash his full power and leap onto the big ship.

Even a fraction of a second—the difference between lowering and raising the arrows of the Sky Eagle Cult members—could be crucial to victory or defeat.

So from the moment Yun Changkong threw the oar and leaped out from the bow of the boat, to parrying three rounds of arrows and rushing to the bow, all of this, though it sounds long, actually happened in the blink of an eye, and all of it went exactly as he had planned.

However, human strength has its limits, and he ultimately failed to reach the bow of the ship when he was covered by the fourth volley of arrows.

Falling into the river at this moment, although not necessarily resulting in immediate death, would certainly mean certain death.

Li Tianyuan knew that Yun Changkong had high internal strength and that if he was a good swimmer, it wouldn't be impossible for him to escape through the river. He immediately shouted, "Brothers who are good swimmers, get in the water!"

"Whoever kills Yun Changkong will be rewarded with a thousand taels of gold!"

With such a generous reward, brave men are bound to appear. Before Yun Changkong could even fall into the river from the bow of the large ship, which was several meters high, more than fifty burly men on the surrounding small boats, with daggers in their mouths, jumped into the river with a splash.

They fear the clouds over land, but they are truly not afraid of those over water!
They shot him with rockets, trying to force him into the water!
You must understand that Yun Changkong did all this by relying on his dantian qi. When his qi was exhausted and he was in mid-air with no leverage, he couldn't catch his breath. With his internal qi blocked, no matter how high his martial arts skills were, he had no room to perform.

This is similar to falling into the river.

The reason why martial arts masters are stronger than ordinary people lies in their internal strength, and the circulation of internal strength lies in breathing.

Once in the water, one must keep their mouth shut and not breathe. Although those with profound internal strength can hold their breath for a longer time, they still need to surface for air. Others can then kill them on the surface.

In addition, the water is buoyant, unlike on land where you can move freely and easily. The resistance is doubled when wielding weapons or kicking in the water.

That's why people use small daggers or similar weapons when fighting in the water.

However, for martial arts masters, holding their breath and becoming distracted means losing their advantage in speed and strength, which they are usually proud of. Without their strengths, they might not even have time to catch their breath before dying in the water if they encounter someone who is good at swimming.

The headquarters of the Sky Eagle Cult is located in Nanbeihu, surrounded by water on all sides and facing the sea, so one can imagine how good the followers are at swimming.

On land, even a thousand or eight hundred people might not be able to harm Yun Changkong, but in the water, perhaps ten or eight could take care of him.

On land, when outnumbered, one only needs to protect their surroundings. But in the water, they can attack from above or below, not only from the front, back, left, and right. The water resistance is also greater, and their attack speed is much slower. How can one resist?

Long ago, Han Qianye invited Yang Dingtian to a duel at the "Azure Cold Pool." Yang Dingtian's martial arts skills were so high that, apart from Zhang Sanfeng, no one could match him at the time. However, upon hearing this challenge, he had no choice but to accept the challenge with a death wish. This led to the story of Dai Qisi stepping forward, overpowering all the men, and being awarded the title of "Purple-Robed Dragon King."

Fighting in the water is something no martial arts master would want, but Yun Changkong, having reached this point, had no choice but to accept it.

He planned to drown himself in the river after falling in, find an opportunity to escape, and then take revenge later.

No sooner said than done, Yun Changkong, with his extraordinary composure, remained calm despite the danger.

Suddenly, a whooshing sound came from afar.

Although Yun Changkong didn't see them, he could hear the eight arrows being shot at him.

The sound of these eight arrows was so loud that even the numerous arrows from the Sky Eagle Sect couldn't drown it out. Whether it was an extreme coincidence or someone did it on purpose, the eight arrows came straight from under Yun Changkong's feet.

As Yun Changkong landed, all eight arrows were still so accurate; only a top-tier expert could achieve this. He knew in his heart whose work this was!

He had been suspended in mid-air, with nothing to hold onto, when, just as the eight arrows were about to pass beneath his feet, he stomped his feet hard on the arrows and took a deep breath.

His body was falling, but suddenly he soared into the air, rising more than two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters). As he rose, eight arrows fell into the water at the same time, and the rain of arrows from the Sky Eagle Sect missed its target.

The eight arrows that just shot out were too fast, and it was nighttime, so the Sky Eagle Cult members didn't see them clearly. What they saw was Yun Changkong, who was falling, suddenly rising up again in mid-air.

This scene, beyond comprehension, left everyone terrified and utterly horrified!

"Sorcery! Sorcery!"

"Monster! Monster!"

"He's not a human! Not a human!"

The Sky Eagle Cult members gasped in alarm, and Li Tianyuan was also terrified. But Fan Yao knew the truth and shouted, "Don't be afraid, everyone! This is a Mongolian princess helping this traitor! Shoot!"

He snatched another spear and threw it straight at Yun Changkong's face with fierce speed!

Although Yun Changkong used the power of the eight arrows to fly up again, Fan Yao's spear flew towards him. If he blocked it again, even if he had only a breath's time, another round of arrows would inevitably fall from the bow of the ship, and his situation would inevitably be the same as before.

Although Yun Changkong was suddenly attacked, in a flash of thought, he caught sight of the anchor on the bow of the ship. He circulated his internal energy, bent his upper body forward to avoid the spear, and with a flick of his wrist, he bound his long robe into a bundle with his left hand and swung it out to entangle the iron chain.

With a loud shout, he used the momentum to fly up and landed on the bow of the ship.

It sounds slow, but in reality, Yun Changkong was incredibly fast. The Eagle Sect had just fired a volley of arrows, and before they could even draw the bowstring, he had already landed on the ship like a flying general.

Fan Yao sensed something was wrong. With a flick of his wrist, a long sword appeared in his hand, its tip trembling wildly, as he thrust it towards Yun Changkong, who had not yet landed.

Fan Yao's swordsmanship skills surpassed those of Fang Dongbai, the "Eight-Armed Divine Swordsman." His move, "Meteor Chasing the Moon," was truly exquisite.

Yun Changkong swung his longsword, the tip flickering and twisting, "clang clang clang" as it entangled the opponent's longsword with great force.

With a "clang," Fan Yao's longsword broke in two, the broken blade flying out diagonally and piercing the chest of a Sky Eagle Cult member.

Fan Yao felt the immense force transmitted from the sword not only make his arm ache and go numb, but also made his heart feel as if it were being ripped out, making him feel so uncomfortable that he almost vomited.

Fan Yao had been seriously injured by Yun Changkong a few days ago. His injuries had not yet healed, and he knew things were going badly. He stumbled and slipped more than ten feet backward.

At that moment, Li Tianyuan roared, "Attack together!"

Upon seeing this, the Sky Eagle Cult members on the large ship threw down their bows and arrows and drew their weapons. Now that Chang Kong was on the ship, it was no longer possible to unleash a hail of arrows. However, for a moment, not a single one of them dared to go forward.

Is it a ghost or a human?

Yun Changkong exhaled a breath of turbid air and sneered, "It seems that I am destined to be unable to coexist with your Demonic Sect and Sky Eagle Sect?"

Li Tianyuan said, "That's right, they really can't coexist."

Fan Yao said with a dark expression, "Yun Changkong, you are in cahoots with the Mongol princess. Every Han Chinese has the right to kill you!"

Li Tianyuan raised his eyebrows, his eyes gleaming, and shouted, "So many of our brothers died under the Mongol cavalry. Today, killing Yun Changkong to mourn our old friend is the perfect time!"

He only wanted to stop Yun Changkong and Yin Tianzheng from having a fair fight and to protect his senior brother's lifelong reputation, but he spoke in a grand and righteous manner. These words were uttered with internal force and were deafening!

The Sky Eagle Cult members were immediately filled with righteous indignation. Wielding swords and knives, they surged forward. The flash of their blades was as white as snow, and the sound of them cutting through the air could not be drowned out by the surging river.

Yun Changkong laughed loudly: "Today I'll have a good time killing!"

Suddenly, he stabbed his longsword into his waistband, reached out with his left hand, and with a whoosh, grabbed the anchor.

This iron anchor, used to anchor the ship, weighed several hundred kilograms. He lifted it with one hand, and the speed and strength of his movement surprised everyone.

However, when Yun Changkong swung his arm, the iron anchor was not only gleaming with iron hooks, but the gust of wind it stirred up was also unstoppable!
The overwhelming force didn't even touch anyone, but it still made several people stop breathing. As for those who did touch anyone!

"Bang bang bang..." That's when bones break and tendons snap, flying out of the air. If they hit someone, their head would be split open and they'd fall into the river.

Shaolin martial arts are characterized by their fierce and powerful nature, which is why many monks use staffs and shovels. The "Arhat Subduing Demon Skill" is a culmination of Buddhist divine skills, so it is fitting that Yun Changkong wields the iron anchor as a weapon.

With his right hand he swung the anchor and his left hand gripped the iron chain behind it, like a dragon swinging its tail. The sounds of the Sky Eagle Cult members' bones shattering, their skin torn, and falling into the river were deafening.

Yun Changkong had gone berserk; wherever he went, no one could stop him, and people were killed or maimed one after another.

As the saying goes, the difference between Buddha and demon is just a thought away. In reality, if you guard against the demon in your heart, you are a Buddha. But once you encounter something that breaks through your defenses, you become a demon!
Yun Changkong was ambushed and killed hundreds of people today, but he was still afraid. He was now determined to kill everyone, even if it meant his own death. This was already a sign that he was going to become a demon!

They were completely bloodthirsty. With a bang, the mast of the large ship was broken by the anchor and crashed down. The sails caught fire from the torches and burst into flames.

Smoke filled the air, making it difficult to distinguish the members of the Sky Eagle Cult. Yun Changkong, however, paid no heed, thinking that everyone except himself was an enemy, so he could just go all out and slaughter them!
In an instant, swords broke and people fell into the river. Some of those who fell into the water were injured and could not die immediately. They screamed in agony, and blood churned in the river.

Yun Changkong kept shouting, "That was exhilarating! That was exhilarating!"

The more he killed, the colder the Sky Eagle Cult members felt. They felt that this was not human at all. No matter how strong a human is, they can still fight and win. But if it is a ghost or monster, what chance do they have of winning?
Not only did they dare not step forward, but they also scattered backward.

Even the most fearless members of the Skyhawk Cult, witnessing their comrades' brains splattered and intestines ripped out, coupled with the smell of burning flesh, would eventually break them.

Someone shouted, dropped their weapon, and leaped into the small boat. Those who were good swimmers jumped straight into the river!

Fan Yao and Li Tianyuan sensed something was wrong, thinking that if Yun Changkong were allowed to wield his power, things would get out of hand.

"Bring me a whip!" "Bring me an iron chain!"

The two men took the whip from their subordinates, brandished it, and the thin, long iron chain, like a poisonous dragon, swiftly wrapped around the anchor.

Yun Changkong was in high spirits when he suddenly felt a tightness in his hand; the anchor seemed to be caught by a rope.

Then Li Tianyuan shouted, "If we can't kill him today, all of our brothers will have died in vain!"

When the battle reaches its climax, what can overcome fear? It's not ideals or beliefs, but human compassion!

It refers to the feelings between people!
When you witness your comrade-in-arms, with whom you've shared countless days and nights, die a gruesome death, it ignites a powerful surge of courage and righteous indignation. You must avenge him!

At that moment, he could forget all his fear!
Even knowing that death is inevitable, they will still go without hesitation.

This kind of mentality is difficult for most people to empathize with.

But the Sky Eagle Cult members, who were initially terrified, roared angrily and charged towards Yun Changkong with their knives.

Yun Changkong's anchor was pulled back. Seeing the crowd rushing towards him, he shouted and flicked his wrist. Fan Yao and Li Tianyuan felt a surge of powerful force coming from the whip and chain.

With a "bang," the long whip broke into pieces and flew into the air. Li Tianyuan's blood surged, and he took three steps back. When one of his subordinates bumped into him, he lost his balance and tumbled into the river.

Fan Yao reacted quickly, sensing something was wrong. He released the chain and flew backward. However, Yun Changkong flicked the iron anchor in his hand and threw it at the several people rushing towards him. His body floated like a cloud, and he drew his long sword, which moved like lightning as he rushed towards Fan Yao!
The Sky Eagle Cult members formed two human walls, pressing down on Yun Changkong from both sides.

Yun Changkong swung his longsword, and in an instant, he had already delivered twenty-seven consecutive thrusts. Each thrust was divided into three parts. When he thrust out, there was only one move, but with a flick of his wrist, the sword move was divided into three.

This is the most superior sword technique in Quanzhen martial arts, "One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones". It is full of illusions and real attacks. When it is practiced to the highest level, each move is transformed into three moves. When one person fights another, it is equivalent to three people with the same martial arts working together.

With each thrust of Yun Changkong's sword, three people died. After twenty-seven thrusts, a total of fifty-four people fell.

Li Tianyuan, Fan Yao, and the people on a large ship in the distance, seeing that even a hundred followers could not block or stop the sword in the sky, were all terrified: "No wonder Wang Chongyang was once so famous that he shook the world and Mount Hua won the title of the number one in the world. How could anyone stop him?"

Martial arts practitioners all know that Wang Chongyang defeated the four grandmasters of Huashan Sword Tournament: the Eastern Heretic, the Western Poison, the Southern Emperor, and the Northern Beggar. However, they do not know that before the Huashan Sword Tournament, he had angered the Jin ruler by resisting the Jin, who sent dozens of experts to kill him. As a result, he either captured or killed them, and none of them escaped!

Even with Ouyang Feng's high level of martial arts and vicious heart, he only dared to cause trouble after Ouyang Feng's death.

It was Wang Chongyang who single-handedly subdued the world and set the rules!

He said that the ownership of the Nine Yin Manual would be decided in the form of a "battle of swords at Mount Hua," and that was the case; no one dared to object!
Everyone knows that the Nine Yin Manual is in his possession, yet no martial arts practitioners dare to unite and ask him for it!
Many people back then knew that this old Taoist priest had fought his way out of the army, and that his so-called humility and compassion were things that only came with age.

As Yun Changkong killed, he charged toward Fan Yao, his feet seemingly not touching the ground. Fan Yao saw him rushing toward him like a ghost!

Ever since he was knocked down by Yun Changkong's palm strike, his spirits had completely vanished. Seeing Yun Changkong's incredible skill at this moment, he had no desire to continue fighting. He jumped off the large ship and landed on the small boat.

The small boats were now lined up densely, occupying most of the river. Fan Yao didn't stop; with a light leap, he jumped onto another small boat. Yun Changkong shouted, "Fan Yao, didn't you want to kill me? Why are you running?" His figure flashed, and he too landed on the small boat.
The people on the boat immediately raised their weapons to stab, but Yun Changkong blocked with his sword, cutting many weapons in half and sending them crashing into the water!

Yun Changkong had already landed on the small boat, but his feet stomped down, and with a cracking sound, the boat's planks broke.

Using the force of a stomp, Yun Changkong leaped onto another boat and repeated the same maneuver. He was now close to madness, vowing to wash the Yangtze River in blood and slaughter everyone in sight!

He trampled one boat, then ran to another. When the Sky Eagle Cult members intercepted him, he simply swung his longsword and sent it through the air. The opponent either felt a chill in his heart or a pain in his throat, and with no strength left, he collapsed to the ground with a thud.

Soon the boat took on water, and the Sky Eagle Cult members fell into the river one after another, screaming in terror. The river was swift here; even the best swimmers couldn't guarantee their safety.

Fan Yao moved with the speed of a bird, galloping across the boat, while Yun Changkong raced after him, pedaling the boat as he went.
Before long, more than ten boats sank into the river, and the followers fell into the water. The people on the other boats naturally tried their best to stop them, but no matter how many weapons fell, they could not touch a single piece of Chang Kong's clothes. They either died or were knocked into the river by him.

Fan Yao glanced at the sky and saw it closing in on him. There were no more boats left for him to run on.

As soon as Fan Yao boarded the ship, he grabbed two single-edged swords from the followers with both hands, and without turning his head, threw them at Yun Changkong.

Seeing the approaching momentum, Yun Changkong deflected it with his longsword, producing two clangs, and the single blade shot towards Fan Yao instead.

Exhausted from running around, and with the added noise and unhealed internal injuries, Fan Yao dodged and weaved, only to be slashed across his left waist with a hiss, causing blood to gush out immediately.

But Fan Yao's martial arts skills and quick reflexes were also extraordinary. In an instant, he grabbed two more Sky Eagle Cult members and flew into the sky.

He threw the two men with the force of a whirlwind, and Yun Changkong could no longer fight back. He had no choice but to swing his sword and cut the two men into four pieces.

In the blink of an eye, four more people flew in in quick succession.

Seeing Fan Yao use a human as a projectile to strike Yun Changkong from afar, Li Tianyuan shouted, "Fan Yao, you bastard!"

Fan Yao laughed heartily: "Old Li, those who achieve great things don't concern themselves with trifles. As long as the green hills remain, there's no fear of running out of firewood!"

As he spoke, he grabbed people from the boat and threw them into the air.

He wanted to escape, so the fewer people on the boat, the better.

Li Tianyuan's face was pale. Was this the Messenger of Light?
He suddenly understood why the Ming Cult had no leader!
How can a messenger of light be so shameless, yet speak so righteously and disregard all etiquette, using my teachings to help his disciples escape?

In fact, Fan Yao did not consider the disciples of the Sky Eagle Cult to be members of the Ming Cult. Besides, he could kill the leader of the Ming Cult, so what was killing the members of the Sky Eagle Cult?

Taking advantage of the moment, Fan Yao suddenly rowed, shooting out several feet like an arrow. Yun Changkong saw that the river was surging and if he fell into the water, he would surely be swept away by the raging waves.

But he was furious. If Fan Yao got away, how could he swallow this anger?
But at this moment, he was still more than 20 meters away from Fan Yao, and he could not leap over him.

In his desperation, Yun Changkong saw a member of the Sky Eagle Cult nearby, grabbed him by the chest, and threw him away. He then leaped after him.

When he breathed his last and fell from the sky, the person he had thrown out landed right on the river where he had landed. He touched the person's chest with his toes, then leaped up again and landed on Fan Yao's boat.

At this moment, the river was surging and screams were heard. Fan Yao did not hear any sounds, but he heard Li Tianyuan shout: "Watch out behind you!"

Fan Yao turned around and was immediately shocked. He swung his wooden paddle and struck Yun Changkong in the abdomen.

His move was extremely vicious; if Yun Changkong blocked it, he would surely fall into the water. However, Yun Changkong deftly deflected the attack downwards with the flat of his sword.
With a gentle press on the oar and a slight push, he had already leaped over Fan Yao's head. Before his feet even touched the boat, his body was already facing Fan Yao directly.

Yun Changkong pointed his long sword and laughed loudly, "Old thief, guess how you're going to die?"

Fan Yao stomped his foot suddenly, as if he wanted to smash the ship's planks.

Yun Changkong suddenly stepped forward and used the "Gale Sweeping Leaves" move to stab Fan Yao's right leg.

Fan Yao flicked his wooden paddle, and with a "whoosh," it slammed down towards Chang Kong's head: "Kid, let's die together!"

He neither dodged nor evaded his attack.

This fighting style, which involves risking one's life entirely, is no different from the tactics of hooligans and rogues.

Although Fan Yao is the Right Envoy of Light, no one in the Central Plains martial arts world knows his name. They don't care about benevolence and morality at all. Seeing how powerful Chang Kong is, even when he was at his peak, he was no match for him. Now, he just wants to drag Chang Kong down with him.

After all, his attack was reckless and disregarded his own safety. If Yun Changkong were to dodge and block, and he were to land a solid footing, the boat would break, and in this turbulent river, he would inevitably be swept away by the current!
Fan Yao was experienced and his idea was correct. At this moment, the ship was too narrow for Yun Changkong to use many of his amazing martial arts skills, which was the perfect opportunity.

But he was wrong about one thing: Yun Changkong also had a touch of madness!
He's a madman whose martial arts skills are even better than his!
Fan Yao's wooden paddle came crashing down on Yun Changkong's head. Yun Changkong merely turned his head to the side, and the paddle slammed into his right shoulder with a thud. But Changkong lowered his body, and with the force of the blow, his longsword changed from a thrust to a swing.

There was a soft "hiss" sound.

That's the sound of a sharp blade cutting through flesh.

"what--"

Fan Yao let out a scream and fell onto the boat, the sound echoing across the river.

His face was as white as paper, and bright red blood flowed from his genitals like a gushing spring, instantly covering a large area on the boat.

It turned out that both of his legs had been severed at the knees by Chang Kong's sword.

Fan Yao thought that he had hit the opponent with one move, but the opponent would not be injured and the long sword would be powerless. He was sure that he could crush the ship's planks. Little did he know that Yun Changkong used the Quanzhen School of Taoism to transform the illusory into the real and the soft into the hard, and naturally used skillful force to deflect the attack.

Last time, it was Ah Er and Ah San who came together. Their palm and finger strength was too great. Yun Changkong knew that he could not make the illusion real with his own cultivation, so he used the "Arhat Subduing Demon Skill" to resist it.

However, Fan Yao's skill level might not be superior to any of theirs, and his injuries had not yet healed. Yun Changkong easily deflected the force of his blow, and even used the force of the blow to speed up his movements, severing both of Fan Yao's legs in one fell swoop.

The two exchanged blows in the blink of an eye. Those in the distance were too far to see clearly, and they didn't know why Fan Yao was screaming so loudly.

Someone of his skill level shouldn't act like this.

Yun Changkong held his longsword horizontally, drops of blood from its tip falling into the river, and coldly said, "Fan Yao, how would you like to die?"

Suddenly, a few giggles, clear and melodious like silver bells, drifted over from the river. A young girl's voice said, "Since Young Hero Yun can't figure out how this person will die, then leave it to me!"

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(End of this chapter)