Legend of Zhan Zhao

Chapter 48 The Song-Liao War

Chapter 48 The Song-Liao War
"'Venerable Wan Jue'?"

This name had appeared in Guo Huai's words before.

The Grand Eunuch at the time described him as "the best in the world, with unparalleled divine skills, and Empress Xiao's reliance on him. Wealth and honor are within his grasp."

Guo Huai was not a typical martial artist; his perspective leaned towards the imperial court, so the evaluation may be exaggerated.

But now that Jiewen and Madam Gu have said the same thing, it is clear that it is a consensus between the martial arts world and the imperial court.

Seeing that both Zhan Zhao and Lian Caiyun were surprised to varying degrees, Jie Wen gave an example: "'Baiyulou' ranks the world's most powerful martial arts, dividing them into seven categories: sword, knife, spear, staff, fist, palm, esoteric arts, lightness skill, and mental techniques, each with its own list. 'Wanjue Venerable' created seven martial arts and ranked in the top ten of all seven lists at the same time."

"what?"

Even the colorful clouds were moved.

Anyone who creates their own martial arts and can rank among the top fifty in the seven lists of Baiyutang has the potential to become a grandmaster. In fact, as long as they don't die prematurely, most of them will eventually become martial arts grandmasters.

As a result, now one person is ranked in the top ten in all seven categories?

'The Ten Thousand Annihilation Series, right...'

Zhan Zhao had previously focused on the Sword Dao Ranking, but he still glanced at it briefly in front of the Baiyulou in Jiangnan.

Among the top ten of the seven lists, there is indeed one name that stands out from the others.

The Ten Thousand Absolute Sword, the Ten Thousand Absolute Saber, the Ten Thousand Absolute Spear, the Ten Thousand Absolute Palm, the Ten Thousand Absolute Transformation, the Ten Thousand Absolute Steps, and the Ten Thousand Absolute Heart Method.

A simple and unpretentious way of naming.

A blatant display of wealth.

"This person is truly a genius of unparalleled talent, a prodigy of destiny!"

Jie Wen continued, "If it weren't for that, more than twenty years ago, Empress Xiao of Liao wouldn't have dared to lead her son, with 300,000 troops and hardly any provisions, to attack the capital of our Great Song Dynasty."

Lian Caiyun was shocked: "Just this one person? No matter how strong his martial arts are, he can't possibly fight against an army of thousands, can he?"

"Indeed not, but the Liao Kingdom doesn't need 'Venerable Wanjue' to fight against thousands of troops alone. As long as he assassinates the king, kills the emperor, or attacks the generals, how many can stop him?"

Jie Wen said, "Moreover, it wasn't just 'Venerable Wan Jue'. At that time, 'Wan Jue Palace' dominated the north, with countless experts under its command, including more than a dozen grandmasters. Only with the assistance of such a martial arts force could the Liao army break through the defenses and advance unimpeded."

Zhan Zhao declared, "The martial arts world of the Central Plains is ready to fight!"

This was not a question, and Jiewen nodded emphatically:

"The Khitans have mobilized the entire nation to invade the south, aiming to destroy the Han Chinese dynasty. How can the martial arts world of the Central Plains stand idly by?"

"All those from all factions drew their swords and rose up; martial arts practitioners from all over the world gathered, vowing to fight to the death!"

"Not to mention that my Great Xiangguo Temple, Lao Jun Temple, Hidden Sword Manor, Xianxia Sect, and Great Banner Sect all produce masters..."

"Even the Xiaoyao Sect of Tianshan, the Qingcheng Sect of Sichuan, and the Five Immortals Sect of Miao territory have all come to lend their support!"

That year, neither Zhan Zhao nor Lian Caiyun were born yet, but they were also very curious: "How is the battle going?"

Jie Wen remained silent for a long time, his eyes filled with grief, and slowly said, "That battle was too brutal!"

"The previous abbot of our temple, and the previous head of Laozi Temple, passed away on the spot; the leader of the Qingcheng Sect lost his cultivation; and Wuxiazi of the Xiaoyao Sect lost his cultivation."

"You should know that these four were the four strongest grandmasters in the righteous martial arts world at that time!"

"Furthermore, all seven of the Hidden Sword Manor's most powerful swords were broken, and the old master of Hidden Sword Manor returned spitting blood, passing away from illness within a year;"

"Those who survived from the Xianxia Sect and the Daqi Sect were all seriously injured and have yet to recover their strength. The former has been closed off for more than a decade, and the latter is no longer the head of the escort alliance that once commanded the respect of all escorts!"

"The Five Immortals Sect was originally called the 'Five Poisons Sect,' but in this battle, the sect leader and the Holy Maiden both died, and three of the Five Immortals Envoys perished. The only two survivors carried the coffin back. All the sects respected this heroic act and from then on, they all respectfully called it the 'Five Immortals Sect,' never again mentioning the stigma of the Five Poisons..."

Lian Caiyun's face turned pale as she listened, and she murmured, "So many experts have lost their lives?"

Zhan Zhao then asked in a deep voice, "What about 'Wanjue Palace'?"

Jie Wen said, "Such sacrifices have naturally cost the once invincible 'Wanjue Palace' dearly. Four of the five Venerables have died, countless elite troops have been killed or wounded, and the 'Wanjue Venerable' himself has been severely injured and forced to retreat..."

"More than half of the masters from both the Song and Liao dynasties were killed or wounded; blood flowed like rivers!"

He sighed deeply.

Back then, the Great Xiangguo Temple had a number of martial arts masters, from the abbot to the head of the four academies. This made it a truly top-notch Buddhist temple.

After this battle, the temple was severely weakened. To this day, only the abbot and the head monk of Guanyin Temple, the "Master of Vows," are considered martial arts masters. Only then does Shaolin Temple dare to disobey its rules, and many other temples in other places also take actions that are outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant.

Nation War! Nation War!

Zhan Zhao was both shocked and fascinated.

As a man, who wouldn't want to experience the scene of facing the enemy with a sword in times of national crisis after mastering martial arts?
However, considering the situation of the Song Dynasty, it seems there is no need to worry about not having opportunities later.

Composing himself, Zhan Zhao asked, "And then?"

Jie Wen said, "Seeing that both sides are suffering heavy losses, our Great Song is not confident in keeping the Liao 300,000 iron cavalry. Empress Dowager Xiao of Liao is no longer as confident as she was at the beginning, and is worried about being trapped in the Central Plains. Therefore, the two countries have made an alliance and formally ended the war."

"However, the conflict in the martial arts world will never end. The various sects of the Central Plains and Wanjue Palace have long been sworn enemies. It's either you die or I die." "Moreover, in that battle, so many grandmasters lost their lives, but 'Venerable Wanjue' was only seriously injured. With his martial arts skills, he will surely recover one day. When he returns to the south, who can stop him?"

Zhan Zhao asked, "How was that resolved?"

Jie Wen bowed respectfully to Madam Gu, saying, "Fortunately, 'Heavenly Heart Flying Immortal' intervened."

"Twenty years ago, the four swordsmen challenged the 'Venerable Ten Thousand Absolutes' to a duel at the Broken Soul Cliff, thirty miles north of Yanmen Pass, to settle their score!"

Zhan Zhao asked, "Who won?"

Madam Gu said, "I don't know."

Jiewen added: "So many people wanted to watch that battle, even the humble monk who was just starting out went, but on that day there was only sword energy everywhere, and it was impossible to get close to the top of the Broken Soul Cliff."

"When we actually went up there, it was completely deserted."

"Both 'Venerable Wan Jue' and 'Celestial Immortal Tian Xin' have disappeared."

"Since that battle, no one in the martial arts world has ever seen them again."

"The Liao people are searching for 'Venerable Master Wanjue' like madmen, and have sent out countless spies. Our Song martial arts world is also searching for the whereabouts of 'Heavenly Heart Immortal,' but so far there have been no results."

Upon hearing this, Zhan Zhao immediately understood the conversation between Su Wuqing and Madam Gu in front of the Six Doors.

Madam Gu said that the Six Doors should search for her father's whereabouts, even just his clothes, and Su Wuqing apologized.

This refers to Gu Menglai, the "Heart Swordsman," who disappeared during the battle at Broken Soul Cliff twenty years ago and has not been seen since, neither alive nor dead.

At the same time, he was secretly amazed.

its not right!
If "Tianxin Feixian" disappeared along with "Wanjue Zunzhe" twenty years ago, then who was the Daoist who taught him swordsmanship?
He is only fifteen years old.

Ten years ago, the Wine Master appeared and began to teach martial arts.

He always thought this person was Yun Qingxiao, the "Swordsman".

Later, I wondered if it was Yi Feng, the "Flying Swordsman" who loved wine as much as life itself?
After all, the news we heard at the time was that these four sword masters had gone missing.

His disappearance could also mean he's gone into seclusion, appearing in the world as a wandering drunkard, which is also normal.

I never expected her to disappear like this...

'Luckily, I didn't reveal my lineage, otherwise I'd have to explain how I learned the Six Lines Formless Sword Qi...'

Just as Zhan Zhao was pondering, Jie Wen continued, "After the war between Song and Liao, the 'Wan Jue Palace' was no longer what it used to be. It only relied on the remaining power of the 'Wan Jue Venerable' to intimidate all sides. Once this person disappeared, the 'Wan Jue Palace' immediately fell into internal strife, and its various departments were torn apart. It was soon replaced by the 'Tianlong Sect'."

"However, even though the 'Eight Heavenly Dragons' are still very powerful now, they are far inferior to the 'Ten Thousand Absolutes Palace' at its peak, and they have not been able to unify all the martial arts forces within the Liao Kingdom."

“For example, the ‘Blackwater Palace’ is a force that split off from the ‘Ten Thousand Absolutes Palace’. It inherited the fist and palm techniques and strange martial arts of the ‘Ten Thousand Absolutes Venerable’ and should not be underestimated!”

Zhan Zhao snapped out of his daze and asked, "Is the Miao merchant who sold the 'Peace-Pressure Poison' and secretly used mental techniques a member of the Blackwater Palace?"

Madam Gu said, "Father once demonstrated the true energy of the 'Ten Thousand Annihilation Palm,' and what I just saw bears some resemblance..."

The implication was that she thought it looked like it, but couldn't be sure.

Jie Wen asked solemnly, "If the murderer is truly 'Zhong Kui,' could this person be a Liao person in disguise?"

But upon closer reflection, it doesn't make sense.

When the Liao people came to Song territory, they arrested people at birthday banquets in various places under the pretext of exorcising ghosts. What was that all about?

Zhan Zhao remained silent, lost in thought.

Madam Gu said directly, "I am sworn enemies with the Liao people. Once this person's identity is confirmed, I will kill him."

Jiewen put his hands together and said, "Thank you, benefactor Gu."

With the help of such a powerful figure, it would be a win-win situation for Daxiangguo Temple.

The alliance is now finalized.

Madam Gu turned to leave.

Lian Caiyun glanced at Zhan Zhao, her bright eyes sparkling, and whispered a few words to her master's wife.

Madam Gu glanced at her disciple and instructed, "If anything comes up, Caiyun, please come to your temple."

Lian Caiyun answered crisply, "Yes."

Daxiangguo Temple is no ordinary temple; women often come and go, and those from the martial arts world need not shy away from it.

Hearing this, he became vigilant.

He could clearly see who this female benefactor was looking at.