Film and Television World Life Record

Without shedding some blood to deter ambitious individuals within the sect, Ren Yingying's position as the leader would not be secure.

Black Cliff is located in Hebei Province. Traveling east from Hengshan Mountain, one arrives at Pingding Prefecture in less than a day. About forty li northwest of Pingding Prefecture, the mountain rocks are as red as blood, and there is a long beach with a rapid current. That is the famous Orangutan Beach.

Further north lies Blackwood Cliff, a desolate and treacherous place with rugged mountains and swift-flowing waters. To enter Blackwood Cliff, one must traverse a stone path about five feet wide and seven miles long, flanked by sheer cliffs. At least several hundred members of the Demonic Cult guard both sides of the path, making it heavily fortified.

Beyond this stone path lies a small lake, where believers patrol and return at all times.

Across the lake stands a towering, solitary cliff, the headquarters of Blackwood Cliff. There is no road leading directly to the top; the only way to reach it is by using a winch and a bamboo basket.

Given the terrain and the formidable defenses, it's safe to say that attempting to breach this place is utterly wishful thinking.

The fact that the Demonic Sect can still live in peace despite its evil deeds in the martial arts world is inseparable from the easily defensible and difficult-to-attack terrain of Blackwood Cliff, in addition to other complex reasons.

This doesn't resemble a martial arts sect; it's more like a large military camp. Indeed, letting the Demonic Cult roam the martial world is a waste of their talents. They are better suited to expanding their territory overseas.

When Li Mu and Ren Yingying arrived at Blackwood Cliff, more than half of the followers supported and defected to them. Only two or three ambitious and unrepentant individuals remained, causing almost no significant disturbance. With Li Mu nailing the rebellious elder to the stone wall with a single sword strike, there were no further obstacles for Ren Yingying to ascend to the position of sect leader.

At the summit of Blackwood Cliff stands a magnificent palace, before which rises a massive white marble archway bearing four large golden characters: "Blessing All Living Beings."

Sunlight streamed in from the east, illuminating the four large golden characters "泽被苍生" (blessing all living beings), which shone with dazzling golden light.

To enter the main hall, one must pass through a long corridor, no more than thirty feet wide but three hundred feet deep, which appears narrow and oppressive, with some figures carved on the stone walls on both sides.

Stepping out of the corridor, a vast hall suddenly opened up before me. At the far end of the hall, high up, was a large screen. In front of the screen was a tall bronze pedestal. On either side of the pedestal were two lines of large characters: the right side read "Wen Cheng Wu De" (文成武德), and the left side read "Ren Yi Ying Ming" (仁义英明). Above, on the horizontal plaque, were four large red characters: "Ri Yue Guang Ming" (日月光明).

This is naturally the throne of the Demonic Sect Leader!

Under Li Mu's gaze, Ren Yingying slowly but firmly sat down, followed by a deafening roar.

"Your subordinate pays respects to the Master. May the Master be accomplished in both literature and martial arts, and may his reign last for a thousand years, unifying the martial world."

As soon as the sound rang out, everyone below immediately knelt down.

These are words they probably say all the time, and they come out fluently and naturally now.

Ren Yingying waved her sleeve and said, "Please rise, everyone."

……

After a series of ceremonies, Ren Yingying officially ascended to the throne of the Demonic Sect Leader.

Li Mu was quite curious about Blackwood Cliff, especially the legendary inner treasury, which was supposedly personally managed by the sect leader. Not to mention the countless rare treasures inside, the martial arts manuals collected by successive sect leaders alone would drive many martial arts practitioners crazy.

For example, the Demonic Cult once attacked Wudang Mountain and stole a copy of the Tai Chi Classics by Zhang Sanfeng and the Zhenwu Sword he wore in his youth. From then on, Tai Chi fell into the hands of the Demonic Cult, was put into the inner treasury, and was collected by successive leaders of the cult.

Furthermore, during the centuries-long war between the righteous and demonic factions, many martial arts techniques passed down through the righteous path were seized by the demonic sects. Of course, this didn't necessarily mean stealing the manuals; rather, they captured a group of righteous disciples, subjected them to severe torture, and reconstructed the complete manuals by comparing their techniques with each other's.

Just like the Five Sacred Mountains stone carvings in the cave on the Cliff of Contemplation in Mount Hua, why are the ten elders of the Demonic Sect so proficient in the Five Sacred Mountains Sword Technique? To say that they learned all the exquisite sword techniques of the Five Sacred Mountains Sword Sect just by fighting once, and even drew the sword manual and the solution on the stone wall, is too far-fetched.

If all ten elders of the Demonic Sect possessed such unparalleled talent, they would have unified the martial world long ago; why would they need to engage in duels?

The truth is that the Demonic Sect possessed these sword techniques. Before the duel, the ten elders of the Demonic Sect had already learned these sword techniques, studied them diligently, and even devised corresponding countermeasures.

This is why they were able to leave behind not only accurate sword manuals but also methods to break the curse in the secret cave of the Cliff of Contemplation.

Now, many years have passed, and many martial arts techniques have actually been lost by the righteous path. On the contrary, these martial arts techniques are still preserved in the inner treasury of the demonic sect.

Li Mu couldn't help but be curious about this.

Chapter 579 The Secret Treasury

The location of the inner treasury is quite secluded, in Dongfang Bubai's former residence.

This residence is also secluded, but now that Ren Yingying is the leader, none of that matters.

Several attendants in purple robes led Li Mu and Ren Yingying through a long corridor to a small stone house in the garden.

Gently push the wall; it's movable, revealing a door inside.

The iron gate opened, revealing a tunnel with oil lamps lit on both sides. The group descended the tunnel.

After turning a few corners, the view suddenly opened up, revealing the daylight. Li Mu was suddenly greeted by a fragrant scent of flowers, and before him lay an exquisitely beautiful little garden. Red plum blossoms, green bamboo, pine trees, and cypress trees were arranged with great artistry, and several pairs of mandarin ducks swam leisurely in the pond, while four white cranes stood by the pond.

Passing by a cluster of artificial hills, a large flowerbed is filled with deep red and pink roses, vying for beauty in a riot of colors.

Several attendants in purple robes led the two to their destination and then stepped aside to stand by.

Li Mu said, "I never expected that Blackwood Cliff would have such a beautiful view."

Ren Yingying turned her head and smiled at him, "If you like, we can live here from now on."

Li Mu smiled faintly: "I like it, but it will get boring if I stay here for too long."

Ren Yingying said in a gentle tone, "I can teach you music. You didn't learn it well last time in The Smiling, Proud Wanderer. I'll teach you properly in the future."

Then, changing his tone, he said, "If we get tired of living here, we can go wander around the martial arts world or go overseas."

"Do you agree?"

Seeing Ren Yingying's intense gaze, Li Mu nodded helplessly: "I'll listen to you."

The two wandered around and entered an elegant little house. As soon as they entered, they smelled a strong floral fragrance. A painting of ladies, depicting three beautiful women, hung in the room.

"Could this be where Dongfang Bubai lives?" Li Mu thought to himself.

The two wandered around and found that apart from the strong scent of cosmetics and the expensive items, this residence was no different from others.

Naturally, Li Mu also found the location of the inner treasury, which was personally managed by the leader of the Demonic Sect, and obtained the key.

However, he did not go in immediately. The residence would undergo renovations in the coming period, because although it was beautiful, it was too effeminate.

Not only Li Mu couldn't stand it, but even Ren Yingying couldn't stand the overly strong feminine atmosphere here.

In addition, the Demonic Sect has suffered heavy losses, with most of its leaders gone, and it is showing signs of falling apart. Although Ren Yingying stopped this trend after becoming the sect leader, it will obviously take a considerable amount of time to reorganize the sect and stabilize it.

……

When Li Mu stepped into this place again, it was more than two months later. With his military support, Ren Yingying carried out a major overhaul of the sect's affairs. The vast demonic sect forces that had spread throughout the Ming Dynasty finally stabilized and returned to the right track.

The Naval Battle Hall, one of the twelve halls of the Demonic Cult, was also dispatched to Luzon Island to scout ahead, gather information, and begin large-scale shipbuilding.

This will lay a solid foundation for future overseas expansion plans.

The residence has been completely renovated into a Jiangnan garden style. The land, covering several dozen acres, is decorated quite elegantly, and several new fine houses have been built as residences.

After the Demonic Sect got back on track, Ren Yingying was able to handle the affairs of the sect on her own, and Li Mu no longer needed to put in too much effort. His attention finally returned to the inner treasury.

When he first opened the inner vault, he found that it was not very big, only about the size of two or three rooms, but the things stored inside surprised even Li Mu, who was very knowledgeable.

Several boxes containing an estimated 100,000 taels of gold, along with a pile of obviously extremely valuable jewelry and jade artifacts, were haphazardly piled in a corner, covered in a layer of dust, indicating that they were not valued.

The rest, apart from some odd little gadgets, consisted of rows of bookshelves and weapon racks.

The first thing you see at the entrance is a bookshelf labeled "Sword Techniques". Li Mu picked up a book at random and was slightly surprised by the title. It was "Yangwu Sword", one of the Five Swords of Mount Hua. He flipped through the manual and found that although there were some flaws, it was indeed the Yangwu Sword Technique of Mount Hua.

Li Mu pulled out another book and was surprised again; it was the Taishan Sect's ultimate technique, "Five Great Swords."

Mount Tai has an ancient pine tree, said to be the "Five Grand Master Pine" bestowed with titles during the Qin Dynasty. Its gnarled branches extend outwards, and its verdant green leaves provide shade. The founder of the Taishan School, Master Dongling, once comprehended a sword technique from this tree, which he called the "Five Grand Master Sword."

This sword technique is simple yet contains unexpected variations. It is one of the most famous sword techniques of the Taishan School, and I didn't expect to find it here.

Li Mu then picked up a few more books from the side and looked them over. "The Eighteen Bends of Mount Tai," "How is Mount Tai?", "Seven Stars Falling from the Sky"...

The Eighteen Bends of Mount Tai are said to have been created by a renowned master of the Mount Tai School. He observed that the eighteen bends below the three gates of Mount Tai were extremely winding and treacherous, with turns every five steps and roundabouts every ten. Therefore, he incorporated the terrain into his swordsmanship. As the Eighteen Bends of Mount Tai ascend higher and become more dangerous, the sword techniques in this style have become increasingly ruthless.

The renowned "How to Be Mount Tai" goes without saying; it is the most profound of the Mount Tai sword techniques.

This sword technique is so unusual that its essence lies not in the sword moves of the right hand, but in the calculations of the left hand. It involves calculating the enemy's location, martial arts school, body length, weapon size, and even the height of the sunlight, among other things. The calculations are extremely complex, but once the calculations are accurate, the sword strike will hit its mark every time.

As I read through the books one by one, I discovered that two of them contained sword techniques that had been lost to the Taishan School.

Li Mu picked up another book, which turned out to be the "Hengshan Five Divine Swords" sword manual, which had been lost by the Hengshan School for a long time. Li Mu had already learned this sword technique in the secret cave of Siguo Cliff, and Master Mo Da had also found this lost masterpiece.

No wonder the elders of the Demonic Sect could carve the sword manual on the stone wall; they truly possessed it. It's no wonder that many years later, the Hengshan Sect's own unique martial arts were lost, only to be rediscovered through the sword manual they carved.

Unsurprisingly, the Hengshan School's Returning Wind and Falling Goose Sword, the Ever-Changing Hengshan Cloud and Mist Thirteen Styles... are all here, and there are even a few Hengshan sword techniques that have been lost.

Li Mu continued reading and found that the Songshan Sect's Great Songyang Divine Sword, the Hengshan Sect's Myriad Flower Sword Technique, the Huashan Sect's Iron Wire Sword Style, the Gale Swift Sword, and the lost Qingfeng Thirteen Styles... could all be found here.

Li Mu lightly tapped the sword manuals and found eleven lost sword techniques from the Five Mountains Sword Sect.

However, even so, the sword techniques of the Five Mountains Sword Sect only occupy a part of this bookshelf labeled with sword techniques. The rest consists of many common sword techniques from the martial arts world, as well as some sword techniques from small sects that have disappeared.

There are also some that are actually famous sword techniques from various schools of martial arts, such as Emei, Wudang, and Shaolin. You can find quite a few sword techniques from each school here.

No wonder the Demonic Sect has become the public enemy of the martial arts world. With so many martial arts manuals that no sect would ever pass on to outsiders, which sect could stand it?

After a quick look at the sword techniques, we moved on to the knife techniques, hidden weapons, and fist techniques.

On the bookshelf storing boxing techniques, not only were many Shaolin Temple's unique skills on display, but unsurprisingly, Zhang Sanfeng's handwritten Tai Chi classics were also prominently featured.

Then there's another bookshelf storing internal cultivation techniques. Aside from a few legendary martial arts manuals from major sects, like the Yi Jin Jing, Wudang Chunyang Gong, and Zixia Shen Gong, most other techniques are collected here. Li Mu even found Huashan's secret internal cultivation method, Baoyuan Gong. Needless to say, internal cultivation methods from the other sects of the Five Sacred Mountains are also here. It's hard to know whether to be happy or worried.

No wonder Dongfang Bubai's martial arts skills were so high; it wasn't just because of his exceptional talent and his mastery of the Sunflower Manual. The abundance of martial arts manuals here, serving as a source of nourishment, was also a significant factor.

The last bookshelf was filled with miscellaneous books, including not only some strange and unusual techniques, but also some rare and lost books, many of which were priceless.

At the very end, there was a small drawer on the bookshelf. With so many martial arts manuals already displayed, what else needed to be kept in a drawer?

Could it be…? Li Mu slowly opened the drawer, and as expected, the words “Sunflower Manual” came into view. It was actually the Sunflower Manual that Dongfang Bubai cultivated.

Li Mu casually flipped through it. He had read the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual before. Although there were some differences in the content of the two manuals, their training philosophies were similar.

After putting down the Sunflower Manual, Li Mu noticed a hidden compartment in the drawer, which piqued his interest. After searching for a while, he found it indeed. Inside were several tattered pieces of silk, with faint writing on them.

Li Mu carefully unfolded a piece of silk that was more than half tattered. The blurry handwriting on it came into view. The handwriting was delicate and powerful, and it seemed to have been written by a woman. However, the content surprised Li Mu greatly.