An unexpected encounter with the sleeping Little Dragon Girl leads to the annihilation of the Quanzh

"Just who is this Lin Ye? He's incredibly ruthless!"

"Brutal? I think it's domineering! Those old Taoist priests of the Quanzhen Sect, relying on being the number one sect in the world, always look down on everyone else. They deserve this calamity!"

"But... he is now the marshal of our Great Song Dynasty! A ruthless killer who commands our army, no matter how I think about it, it makes my skin crawl."

The argument raged on in the hall.

Some people think Lin Ye is a savior, a god descended to earth, and worship him to the point of prostration.

Some people, however, felt that he was a more terrifying threat than the Mongols, a powder keg that could explode at any moment, and were filled with fear and vigilance towards him.

Guo Jing sat in the main seat, listening silently to the argument without saying a word.

His mind was in even greater turmoil.

He discovered that his pride in "benevolence and morality" seemed so pale and powerless in the face of Lin Ye's absolute power.

He couldn't understand it, and he couldn't accept it.

"Brother Jing," Huang Rong saw his struggle and whispered in his ear, "There's no use in us guessing here."

Guo Jing raised his head and looked at Huang Rong.

Huang Rong's eyes were clear and firm.

"We have to meet him," she said. "Only by seeing him in person can we know what kind of person he really is, and decide how we should get along with him in the future."

As Guo Jing looked at Huang Rong, the confusion in his heart was gradually replaced by a sense of determination.

Yes.

Running away won't solve the problem.

Whether he is a god or a demon, he is already standing there.

As a citizen of the Song Dynasty and a role model for the martial arts world, I can no longer sit idly by.

He had to go see him.

Ask him face-to-face what he was doing all this for.

"Okay." Guo Jing nodded, and struggled to get up from the bed.

Although his body was still very weak, his back was ramrod straight.

"Rong'er, prepare the horses."

"Let's go to Diaoyu City!"

East China Sea, Peach Blossom Island.

The island is covered in blooming peach blossoms, their petals falling like rain, creating a scene resembling a fairyland.

But in front of a bamboo house deep in the peach blossom forest, the atmosphere was somewhat oppressive.

Huang Yaoshi, dressed in a blue robe, stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the surging sea before him without uttering a word.

He wore a human skin mask, obscuring his face. But from his tightly pursed lips, it was clear that he was not in a good mood.

Behind him, Cheng Ying and Lu Wushuang stood by, not daring to breathe.

Their master has been standing here for a whole day.

Since the news of Guo Jing's serious injury at Diaoyu City came back several months ago, Huang Yaoshi has been in a very bad mood.

Although Guo Jing was a foolish son-in-law whom Huang Yaoshi looked down upon, he was still his daughter's husband. Moreover, Guo Jing guarded Xiangyang for the country and its people, and although Huang Yaoshi didn't say it, he actually admired him quite a bit.

Now that Guo Jing has fallen, Xiangyang is in danger, and the Song Dynasty is in danger. As his father-in-law, he is naturally not happy.

He even considered whether he should go to Xiangyang himself.

But given his personality, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

Huang Yaoshi, he has always acted according to his own whims. When has it ever been his turn to abide by those worldly rules and serve the country and its people?

So he could only sulk here.

"Master, please have some tea." Cheng Ying carefully handed him a cup of freshly brewed Biluochun tea.

Huang Yaoshi didn't turn around, but simply said, "Let it go."

Just then, a mute servant rushed in from outside the peach blossom grove. He ran up to Huang Yaoshi, gesturing wildly as he pulled a letter from his pocket.

Huang Yaoshi frowned and took the letter from the mute servant.

The envelope had no signature, only a small skull drawn in vermilion.

This is a top-level secret message sent back by his spies stationed in the Jiangnan region.

Could it be that the Mongols have made some big move again?

Huang Yaoshi tore open the envelope, took out the letter, and began to read it quickly.

He only glanced at it, and his body trembled violently.

His eyes, hidden behind the mask, widened instantly.

Cheng Ying and Lu Wushuang both watched him nervously. They had never seen their master so distraught.

What exactly was written in the letter?

Huang Yaoshi continued reading.

His breathing gradually became rapid.

His hand holding the letter even began to tremble slightly.

Cheng Ying and Lu Wushuang's hearts were in their throats.

What kind of news could shock Huang Yaoshi, the Eastern Heretic, to such an extent?

Finally, Huang Yaoshi finished reading the entire letter.

He slowly put down the letter, raised his head, and looked at the distant sea once more.

An eerie silence fell over the bamboo house.

A long, long time passed.

"Oh……"

A soft laugh came from beneath Huang Yaoshi's mask.

Then, the laughter grew louder and louder.

"Hehe...haha...hahahaha!!"

Huang Yaoshi suddenly burst into laughter!

That laughter was full of joy, full of unrestrained passion, and full of indescribable excitement!

He laughed as he clapped his hands vigorously.

"Good! Good! Good!!"

"That felt great! That really felt great!!"

"Well done! Brilliantly executed! Absolutely fantastic!!"

Cheng Ying and Lu Wushuang were completely dumbfounded.

Their master... has he gone mad?

One second he was gloomy and depressed, how come he's so happy in the blink of an eye?

"Master...Master?" Lu Wushuang, being a little bolder, couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "What...what did it say in the letter?"

Huang Yaoshi stopped laughing, turned around, and took off his mask.

Beneath the mask was a handsome, lean face, yet with a hint of wickedness.

At this moment, his face was filled with excitement and admiration.

"What did you write?" Huang Yaoshi waved the letter in his hand, his eyes shining. "I wrote about something that I, Huang Yaoshi, have always wanted to do but never dared to, and it's a really fun story that I found incredibly exciting!"

He looked at his two bewildered apprentices and explained with a smile, "The siege of Diaoyu City is over!"

"What? It's healed?" Cheng Ying and Lu Wushuang were both surprised and delighted. "Has Hero Guo's injury healed? Or has the imperial court sent reinforcements?"

"Guo Jing?" Huang Yaoshi curled his lip in disdain. "Even if he wasn't injured, he couldn't have done something like that."

"Reinforcements? What decent reinforcements could those incompetent officials in the imperial court possibly have?"

"It's one person." Huang Yaoshi held up a finger, his eyes gleaming with an unusual light. "A young man named Lin Ye."

"He walked alone, without even a sword, to the front of the Mongol army of 300,000."

"He first raised his finger, and it deflected tens of thousands of Mongol arrows, killing tens of thousands of archers."

"Then, he waved his hand again, and a flash of black light appeared, instantly cleaving the entire 100,000-strong Mongol vanguard cavalry in two!"

Huang Yaoshi spoke vividly, spitting as he spoke, as if he had been there himself.

Cheng Ying and Lu Wushuang were stunned, their mouths agape, wide enough to fit an egg.

They felt that their master might have really gone mad.

What kind of nonsense is this?

With a wave of his hand, 100,000 iron cavalrymen vanished?

Even if it were a made-up story, you wouldn't dare to make it up like this, would you?

"Master, you...you're not joking, are you?" Lu Wushuang stammered.

"A joke?" Huang Yaoshi's eyes widened. "When have I, Huang Laoxie, ever joked with you like this?"

"The letter also said that the Mongol Khan named Möngke was so terrified by Lin Ye's few words that he immediately drew his sword and attacked his own men! The remaining 200,000 troops fled in panic, faster than rabbits!"

"The most interesting thing, guess what it is?" Huang Yaoshi kept everyone in suspense.

"What is it?" Cheng Ying and Lu Wushuang asked instinctively.

"This Lin Ye is the ruthless man who slaughtered the Quanzhen Sect of Zhongnan Mountain not long ago!"

"Those old fogies of the Quanzhen Sect, who call themselves the number one sect in the world, held some kind of 'Jiazi Demon-Slaying Assembly' to try and eliminate us. And what happened? We were killed by one person alone, from the mountain gate to the summit. The six masters of Quanzhen died on the spot, and thousands of martial artists turned into a bloody mist!"

At this point, Huang Yaoshi couldn't help but slap his thigh and burst into laughter.

"I'm dying of laughter! Absolutely dying of laughter! Those hypocrites, always spouting about morality and righteousness, and what happened? A young man crushed them all like ants! Karma! This is damn karma!"

He was of the same generation as Wang Chongyang of the Quanzhen Sect. He had long been disgusted by the sanctimonious facade of the Quanzhen Sect.

He was happier than if he had celebrated the New Year when he heard that the Quanzhen Sect had been wiped out.

Cheng Ying and Lu Wushuang have completely lost their ability to think.

They felt that the information they heard today was more bizarre than the entire past ten years combined.

A demon who annihilated the Quanzhen Sect suddenly became a hero who saved the Song Dynasty?

Moreover, they used such divine methods?

What's wrong with this world?

"Interesting, very interesting!" Huang Yaoshi carefully folded the letter and put it in his pocket, his excitement only increasing.

"I, Huang Yaoshi, proudly call myself the Eastern Heretic. I have lived a life of unorthodoxy, disregarding all the rules and regulations of the world. I believe that no one in this world is more wicked or more arrogant than me."

"I never expected to hear about such a person today!"

"He treats human life like dirt, and kills people like slaughtering dogs; he is a demon."

"But he also single-handedly saved countless people and turned the tide; this is God."

"God and demon as one, doing as one pleases—this is true freedom and unbridled joy, unbound by worldly constraints!"

Huang Yaoshi's eyes were filled with admiration and... a hint of longing.

He suddenly realized that his title of "Eastern Heretic" was nothing compared to others, it was like children playing house.

"No, I have to go and meet him!" Huang Yaoshi slapped his thigh and made a decision.

"Master, where are you going?"

"To Diaoyu City! To Lin'an! Anywhere! I must find this brat named Lin Ye!" Huang Yaoshi's eyes gleamed with an unprecedented light. "I want to see what kind of extraordinary person, capable of such earth-shattering deeds, truly is!"

"I also want to ask him, how does it feel to fight those Taoist priests from the Quanzhen Sect?"

"Maybe we can even have a drink together!"

After saying this, Huang Yaoshi could no longer contain himself. He laughed loudly, and with a flicker of his body, he disappeared into the depths of the peach blossom forest like a wisp of green smoke.

Only Cheng Ying and Lu Wushuang were left, bewildered in the wind.

They exchanged a glance, and both saw a hint of worry in each other's eyes.

Master... he's not really going to become sworn brothers with that demon, is he?

Dushan, Nanyang.

The mountains are steep and rarely visited by people.

In a secluded valley, a waterfall cascades down like a white ribbon, its roar echoing through the air.

Beside the deep pool beneath the waterfall, a tall, one-armed young man dressed in coarse linen clothes sat cross-legged.

Although he only had one arm, a broad, heavy black iron sword hung at his waist. The sword had no blade and looked like a rough iron bar, yet it exuded a chillingly heavy aura.

Beside him crouched a gigantic, hideously ugly eagle.

The giant eagle's eyes were unusually bright; it quietly watched its companion, like a loyal guardian.

It was Yang Guo, the "Condor Hero," who lived in seclusion here, along with his eagle brother.

Since parting ways with Xiaolongnu at the bottom of the Valley of Heartbreak and making a sixteen-year promise, Yang Guo, accompanied by his eagle companion, has traveled far and wide, upholding justice and chivalry.

He killed corrupt officials, eliminated local tyrants, rescued loyal and virtuous people, and fought against the Mongols.

Over the course of more than a decade, he traveled all over China. His name gradually spread throughout the country.

However, he always acted mysteriously and never showed his true face. The world only knew of a highly skilled martial artist named "The Condor Hero" who was accompanied by a giant eagle, but no one knew his true identity.

At this moment, Yang Guo is cultivating.

He closed his eyes, feeling the immense pressure from the waterfall's impact. His internal energy circulated within him again and again, gradually merging with the heavy black iron sword.

Over the years, under the guidance of Brother Diao, he has come to understand the essence of the heavy sword.

True skill lies in simplicity, and a heavy sword has no edge.

His swordsmanship has surpassed all the exquisite techniques in the world, reaching a state of returning to simplicity.

He was confident that he could now fight even the Five Greats of yesteryear.

However, today, his mind was somewhat unsettled.

Just yesterday, he heard some news from a caravan he had rescued from Mongolian scouts.

One piece of news that still leaves him unsettled.

The great victory at Diaoyu Fortress.

A marshal named Lin Ye single-handedly defeated Möngke's army of 300,000.

The people in the caravan described the battle in glowing terms.

What does it mean to scatter beans to create soldiers, or to summon wind and rain?

What? One sword can kill 100,000? That terrified Möngke Khan.

At first, Yang Guo dismissed it as mere exaggeration from the common people and laughed it off.

He himself is a top expert, and he knows very well where the limits of human power lie.

Let alone killing 100,000, even 10,000 or 1,000 would be a force that no single person could withstand.

However, the people in the caravan spoke with absolute certainty. Moreover, they mentioned a particular detail.

Marshal Lin Ye was always accompanied by a woman dressed in white, as beautiful as a fairy.

The two of them were inseparable, like a divine couple.

Hearing the words "fairy in white" and "divine couple," Yang Guo felt a sharp pain in his heart.

He thought of his aunt, Little Dragon Girl.

His aunt, also dressed in white, seemed otherworldly.

If she were still alive, they would be the most enviable couple in the eyes of the world.

"well……"

Yang Guo sighed and withdrew from his cultivation.

He opened his eyes and looked at the surging waterfall in front of him, his eyes filled with longing and loneliness.

"Brother Eagle, do you think what that person said could be true?" Yang Guo stroked the giant eagle's feathers and asked softly.

The giant eagle let out a low cry and nuzzled Yang Guo's arm with its head, as if to comfort him.

"Could one person really defeat an army of 300,000?" Yang Guo muttered to himself. "If such a person truly existed, just how high would his martial arts skills have to be?"

He thought of his adoptive father, Ouyang Feng, the Western Poison. He thought of his mentor, Hong Qigong, the Northern Beggar. He thought of Huang Yaoshi, the Eastern Heretic, Master Yideng, the Southern Emperor, and Wang Chongyang, the Central Divine.

These people are all at the pinnacle of martial arts.

But Yang Guo knew that even they could never do such a thing.

"Lin Ye..." Yang Guo repeated the name again.

He suddenly remembered something else.

Another old story, also related to this name, that has been deliberately forgotten by people in the martial arts world.

Zhongnan Mountain, home to the Quanzhen School of Taoism.

Yang Guo spent his childhood in the Quanzhen Sect.

That was a period he didn't want to recall, a time filled with bullying and humiliation.

He hated the Taoist priests of the Quanzhen School, hated their hypocrisy, and hated their sanctimonious appearance.

Later, he heard that the Quanzhen Sect had been wiped out at a so-called "Demon Extermination Conference".

The person in charge seems to be named Lin Ye.

When Yang Guo heard this news, he only had two words in his mind.

Live it!

He even felt a sense of relief.

Now, these two pieces of news are linked together.

A ruthless man who could annihilate the Quanzhen Sect transformed into a marshal who saved the Song Dynasty.

This made Yang Guo feel a sense of absurdity, and... a sense of curiosity.

He wanted to know what kind of person Lin Ye was.

Is he a ruthless killer?

Or is he a chivalrous hero with the world in his heart?

Or perhaps both?

Yang Guo's personality was inherently unruly and unrestrained by worldly etiquette.

Unlike Guo Jing, he doesn't always distinguish between right and wrong.

In his view, whether a person is good or bad should not be judged by who he killed, but by why he killed.

He killed the Taoist priest of the Quanzhen Sect, and Yang Guo thought it was a good thing.

He killed 100,000 Mongol soldiers, and Yang Guo thought he did an even better job!

From this perspective, Lin Ye seems to be a kindred spirit.

"Brother Condor, what do you think? Should we go take a look?" Yang Guo stood up and dusted himself off.

The giant eagle let out a high-pitched cry and spread its enormous wings, appearing somewhat impatient.

Yang Guo smiled.

"Okay! Let's go take a look!"

"I want to see what Lin Ye, who has turned the world upside down, really looks like!"

"I also want to see if the white-clad fairy beside him is... really as beautiful as they say, like a celestial being."

As he finished speaking, Yang Guo's voice lowered.

The image of that aloof, moon-like figure, yet one that haunted his dreams, resurfaced in his mind.

"Auntie, in three years...in three years, I will be able to see you."

Yang Guo took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the longing in his heart.

He flipped over and leaped onto the broad back of the giant eagle.

"Brother Eagle, let's go!"

The giant eagle let out a long cry, flapped its wings, whipped up a gust of wind, and soared into the sky.

The man and the eagle transformed into a black dot and disappeared into the clouds.

Their destination was Diaoyu City.

This place, which became famous throughout the world because of Lin Ye, is like a giant vortex, attracting the attention of all the world's top experts.

An unprecedented storm is brewing.

When the great victory at Diaoyu City and the legend of "Immortal Marshal" Lin Ye spread like wildfire throughout the country.

The whole world was plunged into a strange, complex emotion, a mixture of ecstasy, shock, fear, and worship.

For ordinary people, this is undoubtedly great news.

They knew the Mongols' brutality. They didn't treat the Song people as human beings; they were demons who would massacre entire cities at any time.

Now, a divine being descended from the heavens and drove the demon away.

What else is there to say?

Bow! We must bow to the death!

In an instant, from Lin'an to Sichuan, from Huaihe River to Jinghu, countless towns and villages spontaneously erected longevity tablets and shrines for Lin Ye.

Those skillful craftsmen even carved a statue of Lin Ye based on the storyteller's description.

The statues of Lin Ye mostly depict him as having three heads and six arms, riding on wheels of wind and fire, and wielding lightning in a majestic manner.

The "Marshal's wives" beside him were invariably portrayed as the Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden or Guanyin Bodhisattva, holy and beautiful.

People carrying incense, candles, and fruit flocked to these simple temples, kneeling in devout worship.

They do not seek promotion or wealth, nor do they desire to live a long and healthy life.

They only ask for one thing.

"May the divine marshal bless our Great Song Dynasty, granting it peace and prosperity, and an end to war!"

"Please, divine marshal, slaughter all those Mongol barbarians!"

For a time, Lin Ye's temples and monasteries were more popular than any other Buddhist or Taoist temple in the world.

This caused a sense of panic and...jealousy among the monks in the temples and the Taoist priests in the Taoist temples.

They spent their entire lives chanting scriptures and cultivating the Tao.

In the end, it turns out that it's not as good as someone just waving goodbye?

God, this is so unfair!

Unlike the simple joy of ordinary people, the martial arts world was in complete uproar.

Countless sects and martial arts practitioners are arguing endlessly about this matter.

The headquarters of the Beggars' Sect.

The newly appointed gang leader, Yelü Qi, was surrounded by a group of elders, who were arguing so much that he was having a terrible headache.

"Chief! This Lin Ye has slaughtered the Quanzhen Sect and indiscriminately killed innocent people. He is the worst of the worst! Our Beggars' Sect is the number one sect in the world. We should act on behalf of Heaven and eliminate this demon!" An elder with a strong character said indignantly.

"Nonsense!" another elder immediately retorted. "He's now the Grand Marshal of the Army, appointed by the imperial court! He's a great hero who saved hundreds of thousands of people! You want to get rid of him? Are you trying to rebel?"

"A hero? A ruthless killer who doesn't even blink an eye deserves to be called a hero? He can kill 100,000 Mongols today, and he can kill 100,000 of our Song people tomorrow! This kind of person is a scourge!"

"That's still better than being killed by the Mongols! Are you out of your mind? With a formidable enemy at hand, we should unite all forces we can! Even Master Guo has fallen; now, besides this divine marshal, who can stop the Mongols?"

"I……"

"Enough!" Yelü Qi slammed his hand on the table, interrupting their argument.

Although he was young, as Guo Jing's son-in-law and married Guo Fu, he still held considerable prestige within the Beggars' Sect.

"Elders, please stop arguing," Yelü Qi said in a deep voice. "My father-in-law and mother-in-law have already set off for Diaoyu City to meet this Marshal Lin."

"Until they send us their message, we, the Beggars' Sect, will observe the situation and refrain from any rash actions."

Yelü Qi's decision calmed all the elders down.

Yes, with Guo Jing and Huang Rong involved, this matter will surely be resolved.

They are the pillars of the martial arts world, and everyone trusts their words.

Besides prestigious sects like the Beggars' Sect, there were mostly second- or third-rate sects and lone wandering martial artists.