Starting from the world of martial arts in the Condor Heroes, practicing martial arts across the hea

The sweet juice of chilled watermelon dripped down his fingertips. Jiang Nan casually wiped his hands with a handkerchief, his gaze fixed on the two figures locked in combat in front of the Tomb of the Living Dead. Melon seed shells and watermelon rinds were scattered all over the bamboo platform. The true energy barrier steadily isolated the surrounding movements, and there were also trees and vines to cover the area in front. Even the two people fighting below did not notice that there was a bystander who was intently watching the show.

The two women clashed, unleashing the same martial arts techniques of the Ancient Tomb Sect. Their movements were elegant and graceful, yet each strike targeted vital points without mercy. Jiang Nan was secretly astonished by their fierce, injury-for-injury exchange. The Ancient Tomb Sect truly had no weaklings; each one was ruthless towards themselves and others.

Li Mochou's pale yellow Taoist robe billowed in the wind, her long hair disheveled by the gust. The once fearsome Red Serpent Fairy, who inspired terror in the martial world, still displayed her ruthless and fierce moves, but her eyes betrayed an unconcealable anxiety. Having roamed the martial world for over a decade, she had taken countless lives and developed a natural instinct for killing. Yet today, facing her junior sister with whom she had studied martial arts since childhood, the familiar techniques and shared internal energy made her attacks increasingly difficult to execute.

Little Dragon Girl stood amidst green grass and blooming flowers in a simple white dress, her face remaining calm and indifferent throughout. Silver ropes and golden bells danced and twirled in her hands, the silver bells ringing softly in the ears. Her seemingly gentle and soft moves contained a long and profound inner strength, with a continuous source of power.

Just now, Li Mochou's "Magu Presents Longevity" strike aimed straight at Xiaolongnu's chin. Xiaolongnu's "Xizi Holding Heart" punch was equally forceful. Just as two heavy punches were about to land on each other simultaneously, at the critical moment, the silver rope and golden bell on Xiaolongnu's wrist suddenly trembled, and the white silk ribbon suddenly lengthened, wrapping around Li Mochou's sleeves. Using the pulling force, she lightly floated back several feet, barely deflecting the head-on attack.

Li Mochou's force missed its mark, but she used the momentum to take a half-step forward. Her anger surged instantly, and she suddenly waved her whisk in mid-air, unleashing a shower of white silk threads. She spread out her Heavenly Net and Earthly Net techniques, her figure like willow catkins dancing in the sky, blocking all of Xiaolongnu's escape routes from all directions.

"Junior sister, you know how to dodge!" Li Mochou's voice was icy, carrying years of pent-up resentment. "Back then, Master was biased, keeping the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra exclusively for you. If you know what's good for you today, obediently hand over the manual, and out of consideration for our shared sect, I will spare you the slightest harm. If you insist on resisting, don't blame your senior sister for disregarding our past friendship!"

Xiaolongnu lowered her eyes and straightened the silver ribbon wrapped around her wrist. Her clear, cold voice was calm and even: "Senior sister, I have already made myself clear. If you want to learn the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra, the only way is to return to the Ancient Tomb and swear a solemn oath never to leave the sect. I will then pass on the entire sutra to you. There is no other way."

"Back to the Ancient Tomb?" Li Mochou chuckled softly, as if she had heard the biggest joke in the world. Her laughter was filled with sorrow and madness. "Never seeing the sunlight, trapped in a deathly silent tomb for my entire life, severing all emotions and desires—this cage, I fought tooth and nail to break free from back then, and now you want me to go back? Little Dragon Girl, you're deliberately toying with me!"

Before she finished speaking, Li Mochou suddenly quickened her pace, unleashing a series of powerful punches. She alternated between Luoshen Lingbo and Hongxian Daohe, each move pressing relentlessly, leaving no room for respite. The silken tips of her whisk concealed deadly poison, instantly withering and turning the flowers and plants black in her wake. The insidious and poisonous techniques of the Five Poisons Palm were clearly revealed within them.

  

Xiaolongnu remained calm and composed, using her silver rope and golden bell to parry left and right, her long sleeves fluttering to deflect the attack of the whisk. She executed the Heavenly Net Formation with fluid grace, her figure elusive and unpredictable. Combining the martial arts principles of the incomplete Nine Yin Manual, she always managed to narrowly avoid the poisonous whisk. Occasionally, she would find an opening and deliver a beautiful fist technique, with the Red Dust Night Flight and Wenji Returning to Han advancing layer by layer, her soft palm force stacking up, forcing Li Mochou to frequently retreat and defend.

Jiangnan, standing on the bamboo platform, took a large bite of watermelon. The cool sweetness suppressed the summer heat. As he chewed, he muttered his comments: "Li Mochou lost because her inner demons were too strong. Her mind was full of obsessions and resentment, which made her internal energy flow sluggish. Her moves were hasty and left no way out. She used her moves until they were worn out and did not know how to stop. Xiaolongnu has no distracting thoughts and her mind is clear. The internal energy of the Ancient Tomb Sect is based on the principle of purifying the mind and reducing desires. The difference between the two is obvious."

His words were absolutely true. Li Mochou's internal energy foundation was originally solid; in her early years of learning martial arts, her talent even surpassed that of Xiaolongnu. However, ever since she broke free from her master for Lu Zhanyuan, she had been immersed in heartbreak and resentment for many years. Her inner demons eroded her meridians day and night, and she also cultivated poisonous internal energy techniques. Her internal energy had long since gone astray, with cold and violent energy accumulating in her body. The more she fought and became enraged, the more obstructed her true energy flow became. On the other hand, Xiaolongnu lived in the Ancient Tomb, her mind free from external distractions. She meditated and cultivated daily, and her Jade Maiden internal energy was perfect and pure, with a long and lasting aftereffect. In a prolonged battle, her advantage would only become more and more obvious.

After another hundred or so exchanges, Li Mochou's attacks gradually weakened, her breathing became slightly rapid, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, soaking the back of her Taoist robe. She had roamed the martial world countless times, rarely engaging in such prolonged combat. In the past, ordinary martial arts masters would fall to her whisk and Five Poison Palm within thirty moves, or simply be no match for her and would have fled for their lives. But today, facing Xiaolongnu, the two were evenly matched. All her usual insidious methods were completely neutralized by her, leaving her with a wealth of deadly moves that she could not use.

After several failed attacks, Li Mochou's anxiety grew stronger, and a fierce glint appeared in her eyes. She abruptly withdrew her palm strikes from her fight with Xiaolongnu, feinted with her right hand using her whisk to distract Xiaolongnu's gaze, and quietly slipped her left hand into her bosom, concealing three Ice Soul Silver Needles at her fingertips. Taking advantage of the cover from her attacks, she flicked her wrist, sending the silver needles, accompanied by a gust of wind, straight at Xiaolongnu's eyes.

"Here comes the dirty trick!" Jiang Nan, standing on the bamboo platform, perked up, forgetting even to eat his melon seeds, his eyes glued to the action. The Ice Soul Silver Needle was extremely poisonous; once it touched the skin, it would instantly cause festering. It was Li Mochou's trump card, and ordinary people would have no time to defend against it.

Little Dragon Girl was familiar with all of her senior sister's methods. Seeing that the whisk's moves were weak and ineffective, alarm bells instantly rang in her heart. She quickly shifted to the side with her Heavenly Net Formation, and at the same time swung the silver rope and golden bell. Two white ribbons quickly crossed and wrapped around her in front of her. With three crisp "ding, ding, ding" sounds, all three Ice Soul Silver Needles were blocked by the silver ribbons and fell to the ground, whereupon wisps of black smoke rose from the soil.

When her attack missed, Li Mochou was shocked. She never expected that Xiaolongnu could predict her hidden silver needles so accurately. Before she could take out the needles again, Xiaolongnu had already closed in by taking advantage of the gap in blocking the silver needles. With a light touch of her fingertips, she used the "Zhaojun Goes Beyond the Great Wall" technique to strike the meridians in Li Mochou's forearm.

Li Mochou hastily raised her arm to block, but the meridians in her wrist were struck by the fingertips, causing her entire arm to instantly become numb and weak. Her whisk almost flew out of her hand, and she staggered back several steps.

In a mere instant, the difference in skill was immediately apparent.

Li Mochou steadied herself, looked down at her slightly trembling right hand, and felt a mixture of shock and anger, a wave of powerlessness washing over her. She knew perfectly well that in a one-on-one fight today, she was no match for Xiaolongnu.

In terms of internal energy cultivation, she was plagued by inner demons and her true energy was stagnant. Although her internal strength was profound, it was far less pure and enduring than that of Xiaolongnü. In terms of dismantling techniques, the two came from the same school, and Xiaolongnü was familiar with all of her moves. Her insidious hidden weapons and grappling techniques were all countered. In terms of physical foundation, they both practiced the Heavenly Net Formation. Xiaolongnü had a peaceful state of mind, her movements were graceful and agile, and her stamina far surpassed that of her, who had been fighting for many years and whose qi and blood were depleted.

We can't win a fight.

Li Mochou's gaze swept around. The back mountain of the Quanzhen Sect in Zhongnan Mountain was a forbidden area, and ordinary Taoists dared not enter it without permission. However, this place was not far from the residence of the Seven Masters of Quanzhen. If the fighting continued to escalate and attracted Quanzhen masters, given her current stalemate with Xiaolongnu, she would only be attacked from both sides, making her situation even more dangerous.

She came alone this time, without Hong Lingbo or Lu Wushuang, without any help from anyone. Finding someone to take advantage of the chaos and act as a scapegoat was out of the question. Should she go back down the mountain the way she came? With Xiaolongnu guarding the entrance to the ancient tomb, if she turned to retreat, Xiaolongnu would inevitably rush forward to block and entangle her. She was already mostly exhausted; fighting her way down the mountain would only deplete all her inner strength, leaving her completely vulnerable.

There's nowhere to run now.

The predicament left Li Mochou trapped. Beneath her pale yellow Taoist robe, her body was slightly tense, her fingertips clenched until they turned white, and her eyes were filled with resentment, unwillingness, and panic. The usually decisive and ruthless Red Serpent Fairy was now in a state of predicament.

Jiangnan, watching from the bamboo platform, was thoroughly engrossed. He put down the watermelon in his hand, picked up a few peanuts, and peeled them, muttering to himself, "This is getting interesting. A direct attack won't win, a retreat won't escape, she's isolated and helpless, restricted on all sides. Let's see how she plans to break this deadlock. Will she humble herself and beg for the secret manual, or will she take a desperate gamble, or will she find another unorthodox method to exploit Little Dragon Girl's weaknesses?"

He knew that Xiaolongnü was aloof and seemingly cold-hearted, but in reality, she still harbored feelings of camaraderie among her fellow disciples. During the fight, she had held back at every turn, each move merely forcing Li Mochou back, never intending to kill her. If Li Mochou had turned and left then, Xiaolongnü might not have stopped her. However, Li Mochou's obsession was deeply ingrained; she believed the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra rightfully belonged to her, and she might not be willing to yield or show weakness, nor would she necessarily trust Xiaolongnü.

Li Mochou remained silent for a long while, her whisk slowly falling, her fierce killing intent mostly subsiding, though the resentment in her eyes remained. She looked up at Xiaolongnu, who stood calmly before the Ancient Tomb, her tone tinged with restraint: "Junior sister, we are fellow disciples, having spent years together in the Ancient Tomb since childhood. Do you really want to force your senior sister to her death like this? The Jade Maiden Heart Sutra is useless to you. You live in the tomb, needing no travel or fighting in the martial world. This ultimate skill is more suitable for me. You might as well give it to me. From now on, I will never set foot on Zhongnan Mountain again, and I will never trouble you again. This deal is entirely beneficial to you."

Xiaolongnu gently shook her head, her silver rope and golden bell dangling at her side. Her voice remained clear, cold, and firm: "The sect rules are engraved on the walls of the stone chamber. Back then, Master set an ironclad rule: the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra can only be passed on to the current head of the Ancient Tomb Sect, and only those who guard the tomb for life can practice it. Senior Sister, you are still attached to worldly love and desire, and your obsession is hard to let go. Even if I give you the secret manual, you are plagued by inner demons, and your current internal energy is already cold and yin. Forcing yourself to practice it will only cause your meridians to burst and you to suffer a qi deviation, harming your own life. I cannot harm you."

When Li Mochou heard these words, she thought that Xiaolongnu was deliberately making excuses and hiding her true feelings. The grievances and resentments that had been suppressed for many years surged up again, and the anger that had just been suppressed resurfaced.

"Possessing demonic possession? That's just an excuse for not handing over the manual!" Li Mochou's voice rose slightly, and her aura turned chilling once more. "Back then, my master was extremely biased, only favoring you and leaving you with all the top martial arts techniques. I've cultivated diligently for years but have ended up empty-handed. Why should I? Today, I will definitely obtain the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra!"

After speaking, she said no more and once again swung her whisk and rushed forward. However, this time her attack was no longer as swift and fierce as before. Her moves were more hurried and chaotic, clearly because her internal energy was becoming increasingly unstable due to her anxious and flustered state of mind.

Seeing that Li Mochou remained obstinate, Xiaolongnu stopped defending and unleashed her silver rope and golden bell. She quietly circulated her Jade Maiden Heart Sutra internal energy, her palm winds gentle yet extremely pulling, pressing forward step by step. In just over twenty moves, she once again forced Li Mochou to the bottom of the ancient tomb's stone steps, her back pressed against the cold stone wall, with no room to retreat or dodge.

Li Mochou's back was pressed against the stone wall. In front of her was Xiaolongnu, whose moves were relentless and watertight. Behind her was the unfathomable Tomb of the Living Dead, which she vowed never to return to. She was truly trapped in a desperate situation with a powerful enemy in front of her and no way to retreat.

If I fight, I will lose most of my internal energy, and my moves will be countered at every turn. If I fight for another hundred moves, I will surely be defeated. If I run, there will be no gaps to escape in any direction. As soon as I turn around, I will be entangled by the silver rope and golden bell, and I can only passively take the beating. If I find a scapegoat, my disciples and followers are not around. Otherwise... the Quanzhen Sect down the mountain would not stand up for me. It would be good if they did not take the opportunity to kill me.

Unable to fight back or escape, Li Mochou was trapped alone on the narrow stone steps. Her fingers gripped the handle of her whisk tightly, her knuckles turning white, her heart filled with a mix of emotions. The uneventful years of learning martial arts at the Ancient Tomb during her youth, the heart-fluttering joy when she first met Lu Zhanyuan, the excruciating pain after being betrayed, the madness of slaughtering innocent families while wandering the martial world, and the resentment and bitterness that had haunted her day and night for many years—all these scenes flashed through her mind rapidly, making her unstable and her thoughts in complete chaos.

In her entire life, she gambled her sect, her future, and half a lifetime, only to gain nothing but a fleeting illusion. Now, the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra, which she had longed for, was within her grasp, yet she was being stubbornly blocked by her fellow disciple. Despite the skills she had honed through killing, she was utterly powerless against her opponent. This sense of helplessness was almost crushing her taut heartstrings.

Jiangnan finished peeling a handful of peanuts on the bamboo platform, casually tossed one into his mouth, and looked at Li Mochou, who was caught in a dilemma on the stone steps. He slowly muttered to himself, "If only I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have done it in the first place. If I hadn't been so focused on Lu Zhanyuan back then, refusing to calmly guard the tomb and cultivate my inner strength, and hadn't been able to see through the illusions of the mortal world, developing such an overwhelming obsession, I wouldn't be in such a predicament today. Pitiful as she may be, she has countless blood debts on her hands, and her actions are extreme and bloodthirsty. She is undeniably hateful."

Jiang Nan knew perfectly well that Li Mochou's current state was half due to the inner demons bred from a heartbreak in her youth, and half due to her own obsessive and ruthless nature. Back then, He Yuanjun had no grudge against her, yet she was brutally massacred because of the single word "Yuan," with innocent children and the elderly dying tragically. Such ruthless acts of venting anger on the innocent could not be whitewashed by any heartbreak. The Ancient Tomb Sect was founded on love, deeply understanding the harm that love can cause, and established the rule of ruthlessness and abstinence from desire, originally intended to protect its disciples. However, Li Mochou only saw the constraints of the rules, failing to see the deeper meaning of avoiding obsessive attachment, stubbornly walking her own path to her current predicament.

It's hard to say whether it's right or wrong, it's just a pity!

Xiaolongnu stopped her attack, concealing her silver rope and golden bell in her sleeve. She stood three zhang away from Li Mochou, who was leaning against the stone wall, and did not press her advantage. Instead, she spoke calmly, "Senior sister, I will give you one more chance. Let go of your obsessions, make a solemn vow to return to the Ancient Tomb, and never set foot in the mortal world again. I will immediately teach you the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra, and the two of us, as sisters, will guard the tomb together, let go of all past grudges, and live peacefully."

These words were a considerable concession, full of the last bit of affection between fellow disciples. The Ancient Tomb was desolate and lonely, and Xiaolongnu had been alone for many years. In her heart, she actually longed for someone to accompany her. If Li Mochou was willing to let go of her inner demons and return, it would be a good thing for her.

But this concession was seen by Li Mochou as nothing more than a trap to force her back into the cage. She looked up at the deep entrance of the ancient tomb. The thought of the life in the tomb, where there was no sunlight all year round and no human warmth, brought back the pain and torment she had endured when she broke free from her sect. Without thinking, she refused sharply.

"Impossible for me to return to the Ancient Tomb!" A glint of madness flashed in Li Mochou's eyes. Looking around at her trapped situation with no way out, she frantically searched for a way to escape. "Little Dragon Girl, don't even think about forcing me to submit! Just because I can't defeat you in a one-on-one fight today doesn't mean I don't have another way to get the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra!"

Xiaolongnu frowned slightly, a hint of confusion flashing in her cool eyes: "There's no one around here, and you can't beat me. You're all alone, what other options do you have?"

A sinister smile curled at the corner of Li Mochou's lips as her gaze fell on Xiaolongnu's unguarded white dress, and a vicious scheme began to take shape in her mind.

Seeing her sly smile from the bamboo platform, Jiangnan perked up. He leaned forward slightly, bracing himself against the edge of the platform as he watched the scene closely: "Oh, looks like she's going to resort to underhanded tricks. If she can't beat them, she'll try to take it by force, so she's going to use her weakness to blackmail them. As expected of the Red Serpent Fairy, she'll come up with any means to get the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra."

Li Mochou slowly raised the whisk in her hand, no longer attacking Xiaolongnu. Her gaze turned to the tightly closed stone door of the ancient tomb, and she spoke in a sinister tone: "Junior sister, if you refuse to hand over the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra obediently, then I will have to find another way. This Tomb of the Living Dead is your place of refuge. The stone chambers inside contain relics of past masters, and are filled with all kinds of traps and mechanisms. I may not be able to defeat you today, but I can wear you down here. You go out every day to meditate and collect dew, and tend to the Jade Bed. I will guard the mountain gate. If you go out, I will fight you. If you stay inside, I will find a way to damage the outer mechanisms of the ancient tomb. If I accidentally ignite the saltpeter in the tomb and damage the Jade Bed, this ancient tomb with its thousand-year heritage will be destroyed in an instant. I don't think that's the situation you want to see."

Xiaolongnu's expression changed slightly upon hearing this. The Ancient Tomb was her only home, and the Jade Bed was crucial for cultivating her internal energy. The countless mechanisms and scriptures within the tomb were all inherited from her sect, and they could not be damaged in the slightest. Li Mochou's threat had precisely struck at her weak point.

"Senior Sister, how can you be so unreasonable?" Xiaolongnu's tone held a subtle change, no longer the completely indifferent one she had been moments before. "The Ancient Tomb is the foundation of our sect, the place where we grew up. It has nothing to do with the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra. Why are you taking your anger out on the tomb?"

"Now that things have come to this, I have nowhere else to go, so I can't care about anything else." Li Mochou leaned against the stone wall, a slight smile playing on her lips, her eyes filled with a desperate, madness. "If I fight, I can't beat you; if I run, I can't escape your clutches anytime soon. Since we're caught in this dilemma, let's just stay here and fight. As long as you don't hand over the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra, I'll guard the gates of the Ancient Tomb and keep you in constant turmoil. The Quanzhen Taoists won't dare interfere in the Ancient Tomb's private affairs, and no one else will come here. In the end, you'll be the one who suffers."

She now fully understood her predicament: a direct confrontation would lead to defeat, retreat would result in entanglement, and with no one to turn to for help, she could only use the ancient tomb, which Xiaolongnü cared about most, as leverage to force the other party to compromise and make concessions. She couldn't win in a fight, nor could she escape. Since a direct approach was not feasible, she could only resort to a stalemate and coercion to force Xiaolongnü to hand over the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra, which she longed for.

Xiaolongnu stood silently, her white dress swaying gently in the mountain breeze. Her cool eyes fell on her stubborn senior sister before her, her heart filled with conflicting emotions. On one side were the inviolable ironclad rules of her sect, a matter of life and death; on the other was the ancient tomb and homeland that had been passed down for generations and could not be damaged. She was also caught in the middle by the remaining bonds of camaraderie with her fellow disciples. She was caught in a dilemma, unable to move forward or backward.

Jiangnan finished the last piece of chilled watermelon on the bamboo platform, casually setting the rind aside as he silently weighed the situation. Li Mochou's blackmail seemed to have the upper hand, but in reality, she was still trapped in a deadlock. A prolonged stalemate would be extremely draining. Xiaolongnu, with her pure and detached nature, could endure loneliness, while Li Mochou, with her restless nature and deep-seated obsessions, would inevitably be the first to succumb. However, in the short term, Xiaolongnu was indeed constrained by the Ancient Tomb's weakness and couldn't completely dispel Li Mochou in the near future.

A mountain breeze swept across the back of Zhongnan Mountain, rustling the grass and trees. Two figures, one in yellow and one in white, stood facing each other before the entrance to the ancient tomb. One was consumed by an overwhelming obsession, trapped in a desperate situation where neither could be defeated nor escaped, resorting to ruthless tactics of coercion and stalemate; the other adhered to the rules of their sect, concerned for the safety of the ancient tomb, caught in a dilemma with no way to choose.

Jiangnan leaned back in his bamboo recliner, picked up a handful of melon seeds and slowly cracked them open, watching the two locked in a stalemate, eagerly anticipating the main drama to come. This was merely an appetizer; would Li Mochou's desperate blackmail succeed? What method would Xiaolongnu devise to resolve this fraternal standoff? Yang Guo and Granny Sun were still in the Ancient Tomb; how would the situation turn after Hong Lingbo and Lu Wushuang arrived on the mountain? A grand drama of love, resentment, obsession, and martial arts was only just beginning its middle section.

Sunlight falls on the verdant forests of Zhongnan Mountain. On the bamboo platform, idlers watch the show while eating melons. The Red-Lian Fairy is caught between a rock and a hard place at the entrance of the ancient tomb. The successor of the ancient tomb is in a dilemma. This forbidden area in the back mountain of Zhongnan Mountain is now turbulent. The once quiet and desolate Tomb of the Living Dead is now in an intractable stalemate because of a Jade Maiden Heart Sutra and half a lifetime of love and hate.