Martial Arts Crossover: My Wife is the Top Scholar

Chapter 383 Slaying the Demon King, Thirteen Thugs Pay for Their Blood Debt

After passing through Dasanguan Pass, the group rode at full speed and arrived at Zibai Mountain in the evening. After crossing Ziguan Ridge, a majestic ancient city stood far away on the mountainside.

This ancient city is Wuyang City, founded 150 years ago. It was originally just a manor, which was gradually fortified into a fortress by successive family heads.

There is a moat at the foot of the mountain and eight dangerous passes.

Dongbao, Xizhen, Nanzhai, and Beicheng were essentially local militias and fortified villages, no different from places like Zhujiazhuang and Zengtoushi; they were banding together for warmth in a chaotic world.

The four families, though not particularly advanced in martial arts or strong in organization, managed to hold their own for 150 years during the chaotic Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. This was all thanks to their family traditions and mutual support.

One hit made it four hits.

Unfortunately, all four factions are easy to defend and difficult to attack. As long as the attacked faction defends its own territory and waits for the other three factions to come to its aid, it can encircle and annihilate the attackers.

The only drawback is that this tactic works very well in times of chaos. In times of peace, young people have not experienced war and have no sense of camaraderie.

There is no second place in martial arts.

Even though there are four companies listed side by side, there are still first, second, third, and fourth.

If Wuyang City hadn't been attacked, the young people from the four factions would probably have already competed for the leadership.

It was already night.

The entire mountain was pitch black, with occasional shouts of battle escaping the air. Yuanbao's eyes gleamed with a sinister light as it rubbed against Li Zhaoting's feet. Not long after, two fast horses galloped from afar, seemingly heading out to seek reinforcements.

Kuang Wuji rode forward and stopped the two men: "What brings you two traveling so late at night? What is the situation in Wuyang City? Where is the Demoness?"

One of them sneered, "None of your business! I have important business to attend to, don't delay me!"

Huang Tianxing shouted angrily, "Yang Sihai, you don't recognize Kuang Wuji, but don't you recognize me?"

"Who dares to call themselves that in front of me... It turns out to be the old lord of Huang Fortress! I've been waiting for you, sir. The North City is now..."

Yang Sihai slapped himself in the face, then complained to Huang Tianxing, tears streaming down his face: "The Demoness has been besieging the North City for several days. Almost all the elders of the North City have been killed, and some have been turned into medicine. The city lord is seriously injured and had no choice but to ask us to rush out and ask for reinforcements. Please, Lord Huang, come into the city as soon as possible."

Kuang Wuji scratched the back of his head: "You're really being ridiculous. Why didn't you bring a token when you asked for help? If you had, I would have recognized you at a glance."

Yang Sihai explained, "Please forgive me, Uncle Kuang, the token is with one of the brothers; I didn't bring it with me."

Kuang Wuji asked, "How many people came out?"

Yang Sihai said, "There were sixteen brothers. We split into eight groups of two. Unfortunately, only the two of us managed to break through the encirclement. That damned old devil!"

Li Zhaoting sneered: "In the chaos of war, we're too busy charging forward to even have time to check on the other brothers. You have sharp eyes! You saw all eight directions of breakout clearly."

Kuang Wuji quickly followed up, saying, "Yang Sihai, you have good eyesight, but your brain isn't quite there. What kind of token is there in Beicheng? I made it up!"

Huang Tianxing stroked his beard: "The disciples of Beicheng all know that I am proud and arrogant and refuse to admit that I am old. When they address me, they only call me Lord Huang and never use the word 'old'."

Feng Suzhen sneered: "You must be sent by the Demoness or the Demon Lord to lure me into a trap! You have three flaws in one sentence. It's a miracle you're still alive with such a stupid brain."

Li Zhaoting pointed at Wuyang City: "The fact that you two tried to lure us into an ambush means that Wuyang City's outer defenses have completely fallen, the outer city has been breached, and at most only a barbican remains. It seems the situation is truly dangerous."

Feng Suzhen added: "You subconsciously uttered the words 'Old Demon,' which means you are a subordinate of the Demoness, and the one who arranged the defenses outside is 'Demon' Xue Hubei."

Yang Sihai was shocked and dumbfounded. He never imagined that his carefully crafted lie would be so easily exposed, with every word revealing its flaws.

"You...you..."

"Show your true colors!"

Li Zhaoting flicked his finger and unleashed two sword energies.

Yang Sihai's disguise mask was destroyed inch by inch.

"Confess or be torn to pieces!"

"You...who are you?"

"Li Zhaoting! If you confess honestly, I might spare your life. Otherwise, you know what I'm capable of! To live or to die, you must make a serious choice."

"This humble one...this humble one chooses to live! Master Li's analysis is absolutely correct. Wuyang City now only has an inner city left. Zhou Baiyu is barely surviving in the inner city, while Xue Hubei has set up an ambush in the outer city. As long as Master Huang leads his men to the city wall, they will be ambushed in a series of traps."

"If you want to live, lead the way!"

"Master Li, I...I..."

"You want to bargain with me? Don't take my leniency as a bargaining chip for your recklessness. I only promised to spare your life. I didn't say I wouldn't cripple your martial arts or cut off your hands and feet. If you want to live, there is only one way. You lead the way and lure Xue Hubei out."

"Master Li, you are a renowned hero, while I am but a nobody. Given your status, Master Li would surely not make things difficult for a lowly scoundrel like me!"

Yang Sihai gritted his teeth and walked ahead.

Li Zhaoting quickly made arrangements, and several figures quietly left, leaving only the men of Dongbao behind. Li Zhaoting mingled in the crowd and crept up the mountain in the dark towards the city gate.

Do the whole show.

To make the act more convincing, the demon deliberately arranged two waves of sneak attacks. More than half an hour later, the group arrived outside Wuyang City, where a decrepit old man was standing on the city gate tower.

Upon seeing Huang Tianxing, the old man brandished his steel crutch and commanded, "Down! Down now!"

Before he finished speaking, dozens of men in black appeared, splashing boiling oil and excrement, and launching rockets. Caught off guard, Yang Sihai was doused with boiling oil and hit by rockets, his body bursting into flames.

Huang Tianxing and the others retreated in an orderly fashion. Xue Hubei's carefully arranged trap only killed his own people. Li Zhaoting took a step, twisted his waist, and leaped into the air, nimbly dodging the arrows. He reached the city gate tower in a few steps.

Xue Hubei sneered, "Who are you?"

"Kill your people!"

Li Zhaoting formed a sword with his fingers and a glint of light with his fingertips.

Xue Hubei was over seventy years old this year. He had a gray goatee, was old and hunchbacked, and had a thin and withered body. The steel crutch in his hand was thick and heavy, weighing eighty pounds.

The steel crutch, weighing over 80 pounds, is no less powerful than the Overlord Spear. Once wielded, it is indestructible, capable of breaking anything, overturning rivers and seas, and destroying the heavens and the earth.

When Xue Hubei was young, he studied martial arts at Shaolin Temple and became proficient in the Shaolin Subduing Demon Staff Technique. He did not specialize in a single martial art, but only practiced one move, just like the Japanese swordsmanship. He devoted his life to practicing one ultimate technique, and his moves were so refined and pure that he could smash a house with a light and effortless blast of his iron staff.

Xue Hubei looked at Li Zhaoting with disdain.

Two mere fingers, flesh and blood, are no different from paper in front of the steel crutch. Xue Hubei stood on one leg, his toes touching the ground, spinning like a top, creating a whirlwind around him.

The steel crutches then spun at high speed!
This is the move that Xue Hubei has painstakingly cultivated throughout his life.

—Sweep through the enemy ranks!
The most basic moves with sticks, clubs, and canes.

The most basic stance in martial arts.

All martial artists can sweep through armies, but there is only one martial artist in the world like Xue Hubei who has spent sixty years honing a single move, perfecting it to the highest level of skill and refinement.

Li Zhaoting had to admit that Xue Hubei's mastery of the "Sweeping Through a Thousand Armies" move surpassed Wang Shenglan's, allowing his body to spin rapidly and continuously amplify the power of his staff technique.

"Rotation" is everything to Xue Hu Bei.

Lightness skill, defense, martial arts, and internal energy are all based on rotation, making him the king of rotation in the martial arts world.

Gain unparalleled power through rotation, continuously stacking the power of your moves, and use the whirlwind created by the rotation to deflect enemy attacks. Whether for offense or defense, as long as you spin, the steel staff can destroy everything.

Li Zhaoting drew his sword!
The Purple Rose Soft Sword was suddenly drawn!

A long purple dragon appeared in mid-air.

Xue Hubei was startled. He recognized the sword as the Purple Star Soft Sword and Li Zhaoting's identity at a glance. Knowing that his martial arts were far inferior to Li Zhaoting's, he couldn't help but feel a bit scared. His fear slowed his movements slightly. Li Zhaoting swung his sword and thrust it at Xue Hubei.

There was no force applied to the wrist.

The sword's edge is light and airy, precisely because it uses softness to overcome hardness.

The Purple Rose Soft Sword traced an extremely beautiful arc, grazing the edge of the fine steel crutch as it slashed downwards. If Xue Hubei hadn't changed his move, eight of his fingers would have been severed.

Xue Hubei had cultivated diligently for sixty years, and had long since mastered the "Sweeping Through a Thousand Armies" move to perfection, using it at will. He spun in the opposite direction, deflecting the Purple Star Soft Sword. Just as he was about to spin again, he discovered that the Purple Star Soft Sword had precisely pierced the opening in his chest. A flash of purple light, and blood spurted out.

Xue Hubei's left leg was severed by the Ziwei Soft Sword.

But the moment the sword pierced his torso, Li Zhaoting swiftly changed his move, plunging down like a waterfall, splitting Mount Hua with force, and then followed up with a move called "Black Bird Slicing Sand." This sword was so fast that Xue Hubei didn't even feel the pain of his left leg leaving his body. His body fell to the ground with a thud, followed by his left palm striking the ground.

Xue Hubei, who had fallen to the ground, flew up backwards and spun around like a helicopter. He desperately smashed with his steel crutch, fighting Li Zhaoting to the death.

Li Zhaoting swept his sword horizontally, and the sword's edge flashed again!

"Crack!"

Xue Hu Bei's right leg flew into the air.

Half of his body collapsed limply to the ground.

Li Zhaoting said, "Xue Hubei, this is to repay you on behalf of Wuqing. You haven't forgotten, have you?"

"Heartless...how could you..."

A deep sense of horror flashed in Xue Hubei's eyes.

Xue Hubei submits to a powerful and skilled figure, and together with twelve evil and heretical individuals, forms the Thirteen Villains, committing countless massacres.

Every time, it resulted in the extermination of entire families, with rivers of blood flowing.

Since the crime was committed 28 years ago, there has only been one survivor, and that person is... Ruthless.

Survival is both a blessing and a curse.

With both legs severed at the knees and his meridians damaged, he was unable to practice martial arts. If it weren't for Guan Qi's empowerment, he would probably only be able to study esoteric arts or specialize in cultivating immortality.

The thirteen villains always committed their crimes masked, using a secret martial art passed down by their lord that had been lost for decades or even centuries. They could not use their own martial arts, nor could they reveal their identities.

Xue Hubei never expected that Li Zhaoting knew he was one of the thirteen villains. If he followed the clues and investigated everyone thoroughly, it would cause upheaval.

Xue Hu said angrily, "Li Zhaoting! Wuqing is not related to you at all, you don't need to stand up for him!"

Li Zhaoting sneered: "We're friends!"

"You fucking have friends all over the world!"

"That's absolutely right! I have friends all over the world! Those who follow the righteous path receive much help, which is why everything goes smoothly for me. You bastard, you don't have a single friend. Those who stray from the righteous path find themselves isolated, and you deserve your current predicament!"

"It's not your turn to teach me a lesson!"

"What I mean is, haven't you noticed that the Medicine Man isn't here, the Demoness isn't here, and you're no different from Lei Xiaoqu and Chunyu Yang—you've all been abandoned!"

"Li Zhaoting, I'll fight you to the death!"

Xue Hubei was over seventy years old. His legs had been severed, and blood was gushing out. He felt faint, but he knew he couldn't faint. With his last breath, he leaped up.

The steel crutch was aimed at Li Zhaoting's ear.

Sweep through the enemy ranks.

Undeterred, they swept through the enemy ranks.

Li Zhaoting drew his sword.

The Purple Star Sword!
The light of the heart upholds righteousness and defends the Way!
Green Chain Sword!
Blood will be shed wherever they go, to slay demons and vanquish evil!
A flash of purple and green sword light passed by, and the steel crutch was cut in two by the Purple Star Soft Sword. The Green Rope Sword pierced into Xue Hubei's dantian and qi sea, and the green sword light burst out with a roar!
"boom!"

A green orb of light rose into the night sky.

Xue Hu died with his eyes wide open in grief, turning into ashes.

……

Huang Tianxing led his men to rescue the experts from the North City.

Ji Yaohua blended into the crowd.

Li Zhaoting and Feng Suzhen are not here.

Ji Yaohua gritted her teeth, made up her mind, a resolute glint flashed in her eyes, and she waved her hand to shoot out flying needles.

With a series of whooshing sounds, Huang Tianxing and the others were all hit, their acupoints sealed by flying needles.

Kuang Wuji exclaimed in surprise, "Miss Ji, why did you ambush us? Were you bribed?"

Huang Tianxing said with a wry smile, "We're doomed! Ji Yaohua wasn't bribed; she's the Demoness!"

Ji Yaohua sneered: "Wrong, wrong, wrong! I am not the infamous witch, I am a female knight-errant!"

Huang Tianxing said with a bitter expression, "You're right! You've tricked the demon gods, demon immortals, and demon lords to their deaths. In the whole world, only a few of us know that you are the Demon Maiden. Once you turn us into medicine people, no one will know that you are the Demon Maiden."

"Well said, go on!"

Ji Yaohua sealed their acupoints, took out pills from her bosom, and silently calculated the dosage.

Huang Tianxing said, "You will tell Master Li that we were ambushed and wiped out. After Master Li rescues you, he will definitely give you many benefits to express his guilt and prove that you are a heroine from a prestigious family."

Kuang Wuji interjected, "Master Li might marry you. With your looks, you'd be suitable as a concubine. Marrying a concubine is all about beauty; that's exactly what they mean by 'marrying someone for their looks'!"

Ji Yaohua said coldly, "Is Li Zhaoting some kind of rare treasure? He's an arrogant bastard! He's been with me the whole way, and he's never even given me a second glance! I'm going to make Li Zhaoting utterly disgraced and lick my toes!"

Kuang Wuji chuckled strangely: "This kind of statement... I remember that the Beggars' Sect's internal strife stemmed from Madam Ma's belief that she was so beautiful that she could make all men submit, but only Master Xiao looked down on her and treated her as nothing."

Huang Tianxing said, "If we're talking about stunning beauty, there's a special standard in the martial arts world: whether someone is good enough to be disfigured by Shi Guanyin. Shi Guanyin is stunningly beautiful, and her greatest pride in life is her beauty. If she encounters a beauty from a humble family who is more beautiful than her, she will force that person to be disfigured!"

Kuang Wuji added, "You're not from a wealthy family, and you weren't disfigured, which means your beauty is on par with Madam Ma's, and your personality is similar too!"

The two men were naturally bold and knew they couldn't escape death, so they simply gave up and indulged in some verbal sparring before they died.

Ideally, Ji Yaohua should be provoked into killing them, dismembering them into eight pieces. To create a medicine man, the martial artist's body must be intact; dismembered corpses cannot be used.

Ji Yaohua sneered: "You two bastards! I won't kill you, but I will turn you into medicine people, make you kill your parents, wives, concubines, and children, make you wipe out Dongbao, and make you regret it for the rest of your lives!"

Huang Tianxing sneered: "Nonsense! Drug-using people have no self-awareness and cannot recover. If we cannot regain our rationality, what is there to regret?"

Kuang Wuji looked at Ji Yaohua with disdain: "A woman blinded by jealousy has long lost the ability to think calmly. Demoness is a madwoman now!"

Ji Yaohua's face turned pale and then red: "I turned Kuang Wuji into a medicine man so you could kill Huang Tianxing! I really am a madwoman; my own pleasure is the most important thing!"

Qi Hongju asked, "For the sake of our sisterhood for a few days, give me the truth: is it really impossible for the drug-treated person to recover? Is there really no chance?"

Ji Yaohua said, "The damage is irreversible!"

"Since that's the case, do you have any last words?"

Feng Suzhen appeared quietly in the distance.

(End of this chapter)