The Return of the Condor Heroes: Starting with a Suicide Note and Conquering All Realms

The official road outside Yangzhou city.

The snow on the ground was knee-deep.

Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling supported each other, walking forward with uneven steps.

The two men's tattered winter clothes were frozen solid, making a rustling sound as they walked.

Kou Zhong clutched his chest tightly with his right hand.

The book "The Secret of Longevity" was hidden there, pasted against the flesh.

"Young Master Ling, is that gray-robed man a human or a ghost?"

Kou Zhong's teeth chattered, and he exhaled a puff of white breath. "From three zhang away, he blasted the Black Demon God of the Yuwen Clan to pieces with a single finger. When did Yangzhou City produce such a ruthless character?"

Xu Ziling dragged his injured right leg, his face pale.

"It doesn't matter if he's human or ghost. He spared our lives so he could use us as tools."

Xu Ziling, panting heavily, said, "That line, 'Wash your neck and wait for me,' clearly indicates that we're targeting Yuwen Huaji. Bringing the book to Jiangdu is like delivering a declaration of war to him."

Kou Zhong touched his chest and grinned coldly.

"God has mercy! That old dog Yuwen Huaji killed my whole family, and now someone wants to take him down. I'll risk my life to get this job done."

Ahead stood a dilapidated City God Temple. Half of its roof had collapsed. A faint light shone through the half-open, broken wooden door.

The two exchanged a glance, gripped the broken wooden sticks in their hands, and approached quietly. Kou Zhong kicked open the wooden door.

A bonfire was burning inside the temple.

A woman sat by the fire.

She was dressed in white, her beauty surpassing even the snow's whitest. She possessed a striking, aloof beauty.

A long sword rested across his lap.

The sword sheath is simple and unadorned.

The woman raised her head.

His gaze fell on the two dragons.

The temperature inside the temple plummeted.

The flames of the campfire were forced downwards by an invisible chill.

Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling felt their scalps tingle.

Having spent many years mingling in the streets, Shuanglong has an intuition for danger.

This woman's murderous aura was ten times stronger than that of the Yuwen Clan's Black-Clad Guards.

"Get out," the woman said. Her voice was cold and commanding.

Fu Junzhuo, an assassin from Goguryeo.

Kou Zhong swallowed hard and pulled Xu Ziling back.

Suddenly, Fu Junzhuo's eyes narrowed.

Fu Junzhuo cultivates the Nine Profound Great Law, giving her keen senses.

A subtle yet pure Taoist spiritual energy emanated from Kou Zhong's chest.

This spiritual energy also contained a trace of burning heat that made Fu Junzhuo's heart pound.

"Stop." Fu Junzhuo stood up. Her longsword, though not yet drawn, already locked onto the two of them. "Hand over what you're carrying."

Kou Zhong leaned against the broken door, gripping the wooden stick tightly.

"Big sister, my brother and I are beggars, we only have a few lice on us."

Fu Junzhuo didn't waste any words.

Fu Junzhuo took a step forward.

In an instant, he covered a distance of two zhang and appeared in front of Kou Zhong.

He reached out with his right hand and grabbed Kou Zhong's collar.

Too fast.

Kou Zhong had no time to react.

"Big sister! You'll get yourself killed if you take this!"

Xu Ziling roared, "This is a death warrant that the gray-robed immortal specifically ordered to be delivered to Yuwen Huaji!"

Fu Junzhuo paused slightly. "A gray-robed immortal?" she sneered, her eyes filled with disdain. "The martial arts world of the Central Plains is full of charlatans. I will personally kill Yuwen Huaji, and I want this book too."

Fu Junzhuo formed a claw with her right hand, and the true energy of the Nine Profound Great Law burst forth from her body. A powerful suction force was generated out of thin air.

"Sizzle!"

The tattered clothes on Kou Zhong's chest were torn apart by his inner energy. The "Longevity Manual," drawn by the energy, flew from Kou Zhong's chest and landed in Fu Junzhuo's palm. Kou Zhong's expression changed drastically.

Fu Junzhuo looked at the ancient book that had fallen into her palm, a hint of joy flashing in her eyes.

The moment Fu Junzhuo's fingers touched the cover of "The Longevity Manual," a sudden change occurred.

A wisp of dark red energy lurking deep within the pages of the book suddenly awakened. This was a trace of the Word Spirit - Monarch Flame Seed left on the "Longevity Manual" when Lin Yuan forcibly suppressed the fragments of the Demon-Suppressing Sword at the bottom of the dry well.

There was no warning.

There was no clash of true qi.

The compressed high temperature caused the pages of the book to explode with a roar.

The air inside the temple was instantly sucked out.

The firewood in the campfire, without coming into contact with any sparks, spontaneously combusted into ashes under the high temperature.

Fu Junzhuo's Nine Profound Protective Qi completely collapsed the moment it came into contact with the dark red flame.

The chilling true energy was forcibly ignited and turned into fuel.

"what!"

Fu Junzhuo let out a cry of pain.

Fu Junzhuo abruptly withdrew her hand.

The Longevity Manual lost its support and fell to the ground.

Fu Junzhuo retreated five steps.

His back slammed heavily against the base of the statue.

Fu Junzhuo looked down at her right hand.

My palm was charred black.

The skin and flesh were carbonized by the high temperature.

The true energy in his meridians was burned intermittently, and he couldn't even muster the strength to grip the sword.

Fu Junzhuo raised her head and stared intently at the intact copy of "The Longevity Manual" on the ground, her eyes twitching.

This is not internal energy.

Even Bi Xuan, a martial arts master who cultivated the "Blazing Sun Technique" in the martial arts world of the Tang Dynasty, could not compress his true energy to this extent.

This force was tyrannical and domineering, treating the Nine Profound Great Law as nothing, and launched a dimensional reduction attack.

This was merely a lingering trace of its original scent clinging to the book.

What kind of monster is this?

Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling were pressed against the wall, their mouths agape. The two dragons witnessed this cold, aloof master, who hadn't even held the book properly before being scalded backward and coughing up blood.

The gray-robed immortal was terrifying beyond belief.

"Where is the gray-robed man you mentioned?"

Fu Junzhuo's voice trembled as she forcefully suppressed the surging blood in her veins.

"He told us to go to Jiangdu to find Yuwen Huaji."

Kou Zhong straightened his back, full of confidence, and said, "Let Yuwen Huaji wash his neck and wait."

Fu Junzhuo remained silent. Her purpose in coming to the Central Plains was to assassinate Yang Guang and Yuwen Huaji. Now, an unknown powerful figure had suddenly appeared, targeting the Yuwen clan. The enemy of my enemy can be used.

Fu Junzhuo glanced at the "Longevity Manual" on the ground. She dared not touch it again. Fu Junzhuo drew her longsword, used the tip to pick up the book, and tossed it into Kou Zhong's arms.

"Lead the way." Fu Junzhuo sheathed her sword. "I'll escort you to Jiangdu. I want to see when such a figure has emerged in the Central Plains."

Jiangdu.

Imperial Palace.

The main hall was brightly lit.

Yuwen Huaji, dressed in a magnificent brocade robe, stood with his hands behind his back in the center of the hall. He was tall and had a sinister face.

Two guards carried a stretcher into the main hall.

Zhang Shihe lay on a stretcher.

He was completely wrapped in white cloth.

Blood and yellowish water seeped from the white cloth.

Zhang Shihe was panting heavily, taking in more air than exhaling.

Yuwen Huaji walked to the stretcher and looked down at Zhang Shihe.

"Steward...the Longevity Formula...we didn't get it..." Zhang Shihe's voice was hoarse, his body trembling uncontrollably. "A gray-robed youth...shattered the wall from a distance...fire...such terrifying fire..."

Yuwen Huaji frowned.

Yuwen Huaji reached out and lifted the white cloth covering Zhang Shihe's chest. His flesh was a bloody mess. Extensive burns. The edges of the wounds were charred.

Yuwen Huaji sneered.

Put down the white cloth.

"Setting fire from a distance? Nonsense." Yuwen Huaji turned around and walked to the main seat. "The Ice Profound Force is a peerless skill, how could it be broken by mere ordinary fire? This person must have used the fierce fire oil from the Western Regions, or some kind of strange poison that can generate high temperatures instantly, in combination with hidden weapons to injure people."

The martial arts system of the Tang Dynasty limited Yuwen Huaji's imagination. Yuwen Huaji did not believe that anyone could create such destruction using only internal energy. Even the three grandmasters could not do it.

"Where are those two thieves?" Yuwen Huaji sat down, his gaze cold and sharp.

"They ran away...towards Jiangdu..." Zhang Shihe answered haltingly.

"How dare you! You stole from my Yuwen clan and still dare to run to Jiangdu." Yuwen Huaji narrowed his eyes and clenched his fist.

Yuwen Huaji stood up and strode out of the hall. "Send the order: set up checkpoints and defenses thirty li outside Jiangdu City. Deploy three thousand elite armored soldiers to block all official roads."

Yuwen Huaji drew his sword. The blade emanated a chilling aura. "No matter what trick that gray-robed youth is using, daring to provoke the Yuwen clan, I'll make sure he dies a gruesome death."

The next day, at noon.

Ten miles outside Jiangdu City, at Luoyan Slope. The wind and snow had stopped. The sky was overcast. Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling walked ahead. Fu Junzhuo lagged three steps behind, her eyes scanning the surroundings warily.

Fu Junzhuo's right hand was wrapped in thick bandages, her sword held in her left. Ahead lay a vast snowfield. Suddenly, the ground began to tremble. Snowflakes fell in a soft rustling sound. The tremors grew louder and louder, eventually becoming a deep, rumbling roar.

Kou Zhong stopped, his face turning pale. At the edge of the snowfield, a black line appeared. The black line rapidly expanded. It was a densely packed army of armored soldiers. Three thousand elite Xiaoguo soldiers. Infantrymen carried shields, their spears forming a forest. Armed light cavalry flanked them.

The army was disciplined and exuded a chilling aura. The dark, dense troops spread out in a fan shape, surrounding Luoyan Slope. Their retreat was blocked.

Fu Junzhuo stepped forward, shielding the two dragons behind her. She gripped her sword hilt tightly with her left hand. In the center of the army formation, a chariot drawn by eight horses slowly emerged. Yuwen Huaji was not on the chariot.

"Look at the sky!" Xu Ziling suddenly shouted.

Fu Junzhuo looked up. In mid-air, a figure walked through the snow.

Yuwen Huaji did not rely on any external aids. He used the falling snowflakes for leverage, gliding through the air.

He unleashed his full power of Ice Profound Energy. The surrounding air suddenly cooled down. The water vapor in mid-air was instantly frozen, turning into ice blades that surrounded Yuwen Huaji.

Yuwen Huaji landed in front of the army formation, less than ten zhang away from Fu Junzhuo and the other two. The moment he landed, the snow beneath his feet froze into a hard layer of ice, which quickly spread outwards.

"A Rakshasa woman from Goguryeo?" Yuwen Huaji's gaze swept over Fu Junzhuo, finally settling on the "Longevity Manual" in Kou Zhong's arms. Yuwen Huaji let out a cold laugh.

"I thought he was some important figure. Turns out he just found a Goryeo assassin as his backer." Yuwen Huaji raised his right hand, a chill gathering in his palm. "Where's that gray-robed brat who played with gunpowder illusions? Tell him to come out and face his death."

Kou Zhong gritted his teeth, refusing to back down. Fu Junzhuo's eyes were icy cold. Fu Junzhuo knew this was a dead end. Even in her prime, she couldn't escape the combined might of three thousand armored soldiers and Yuwen Huaji, let alone now that her right hand was crippled.

In the midst of this deathly silence, a series of crisp footsteps suddenly echoed from the withered woods on the right side of Luoyan Slope.

"Click. Click."

The sound of footsteps crushing the snow.

Unhurried and steady.

Three thousand armored soldiers turned their heads in unison.

He turned the spear around, aiming it at the trees. Yuwen Huaji narrowed his eyes, the coldness in his palm intensifying.

A boy in a gray cloth robe emerged from the edge of the woods.

His hands were clasped behind his back. His Taoist robe was dry, without a single snowflake on it.

Lin Yuan's eyes were devoid of emotion.

Only a pair of pure gold vertical pupils radiated an oppressive aura under the gloomy skylight.

Lin Yuan stopped in his tracks.

Lin Yuan didn't look at the three thousand armored soldiers, nor at Fu Junzhuo and the Twin Dragons.

Lin Yuan's gaze fell on Yuwen Huaji's face.

"You are Yuwen Huaji," Lin Yuan said. His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly drowned out the wind and carried throughout the entire snowfield.

Yuwen Huaji snorted coldly, about to reply.

Lin Yuan raised his right hand.

"Is your neck clean?"