The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

If my master is free this year, or refuses to cooperate with Chu Luren, then when the people of the Thirty-Six Caves and Seventy-Two Islands hold another Grand Assembly of Ten Thousand Immortals, they might invite me for that reason...

After confirming that Xuanhuangzi was completely convinced that he had a grudge against Tianshan Tonglao, Chu Luren left Qiulong Cave.

"Chu Lang, have you found that Xuanhuangzi?" Lianxing asked, seeing that Chu Luren had returned so quickly.

"Ah, found it. Sure enough, my senior uncle has been in a bad mood lately... Alright, let's continue our journey towards Misty Peak of Tianshan. When we pass by the oasis town, you guys wait for me there. Otherwise, given my senior uncle's temperament, who knows what he might do," Chu Luren said, half-jokingly.

The main purpose was to confuse Liu Sheng Piaoxu.

In fact, this place is already sparsely populated, and people can only occasionally settle down in small oasis towns. The connection between Liusheng Piaoxu and Hulong Manor has also been severed.

Similarly, the Chu Lu people no longer had the "Qunyu Courtyard" to gather information...

Half a month later, Chu Luren had already arrived at Misty Peak. Although the terrain was indeed easy to defend and difficult to attack, and unless one had exceptional lightness skills, one could only pass through by taking the iron chain road, it was obviously not a problem for Chu Luren.

"How dare you! Who dares to trespass into Lingjiu Palace?"

When Chu Luren reached the summit, he deliberately revealed himself in front of the buildings. Immediately, four women in black robes and cloaks flew over, occupied the four cardinal directions, and surrounded Chu Luren with their swords drawn.

This is clearly much more malicious than simply refusing entry.

“Ladies, you are mistaken. I deliberately revealed myself, so how can that be considered trespassing?” Chu Luren slightly twirled the suona at his waist.

However, these girls were clearly ignorant and remained unmoved by the Chu Lu people's suona.

But it doesn't matter, Chu Luren already sensed... that someone recognized him!

"So it's the Red and White Tai Sui? But Lingjiu Palace doesn't receive outsiders, especially men. Even if it's Tai Sui, don't make a mistake!"

Just then, another woman in black walked over. Unlike the other four, she was not young and was already in her forties or fifties.

This person knew some things about the "outside world," but even knowing that Chu Luren was involved, he still kept a straight face and ordered him to leave, which shows the arrogance of the Lingjiu Palace disciples.

“Ordinary men are naturally not welcome by Granny Tong, but… in a way, I am Granny Tong’s junior disciple. This time, my master sent me to discuss important matters with my senior master,” Chu Luren said calmly.

"The Venerable One's grand-nephew?" The middle-aged woman was taken aback upon hearing this, as she had not expected such a remark.

After all, Lingjiu Palace was notoriously isolated from the outside world. Even Granny Yu, the leader of the Haotian Department, only knew about Chu Luren and had no idea about the Zhenlong Chess Game. She certainly wouldn't have guessed his relationship with the Xiaoyao Sect or Lingjiu Palace.

In fact, no one in Lingjiu Palace knew the Venerable Master's origins. Instead, they regarded the Child Granny as a deity—a deity is a deity, how could she have any origins?

However, since Chu Luren, who was quite famous in the martial arts world, said this and even requested to see Tong Lao, Granny Yu did not dare to make a decision on her own.

"I wonder... do you have any proof?" Granny Yu's tone softened considerably.

Upon hearing this, the four maids from the Haotian tribe around him also lowered their swords involuntarily, not daring to point them at Chu Luren...

Although they all harbored hatred towards men due to their own experiences, or under the influence of Tong Lao's teachings and the Lingjiu Palace's sect culture, however...

There are quite a few maids in the palace who are nominally disciples of the Child Granny, but in the end they are all maids and cannot be considered disciples!

If Chu Luren is indeed Tong Lao's grand-nephew, then he cannot be regarded as an ordinary man, but rather as "the Venerable Lord's grand-nephew".

Upon hearing this, Chu Luren immediately took the ring of the Xiaoyao Sect leader and threw it at Granny Yu using the Tianshan Plum Blossom Hand technique—of course, he didn't use any internal force at all, only a bit of divine essence.

“Show this to my master, and he will know immediately,” Chu Luren said mysteriously.

Upon seeing Chu Luren casually display the profound martial arts of Lingjiu Palace, Granny Yu immediately had no doubts. After catching the ring, she hurriedly said, "Please wait here for a moment, Master Chu. This old woman will go and report to the Lord!"

Chu Luren gestured for them to enter, and before turning around, Granny Yu gave the other four women a look. The four women quickly sheathed their swords—although they were still wary of Chu Luren, their hostility had greatly diminished.

In fact, Chu Luren had hesitated before, wondering whether to visit secretly or openly. In the end, Chu Luren chose the latter.

After all, if the Child Granny hadn't dispelled her powers and had secretly gone in only to be discovered, it would likely have caused a misunderstanding.

If he were to visit openly and honestly, even if Tong Lao hadn't lost her powers, Chu Luren could immediately hand over the sect leader's ring to Tong Lao and tearfully recount that after Wu Yazi was rescued, he cried every night and called out "Senior Sister" in his dreams... That's why he came to find his "Senior Sister" for his master's sake!

Sect Leader? What sect leader? What qualifications do I have to be the sect leader of the Free and Unfettered Sect? Of course, I'll ask my senior uncle to take the position...

Could this old woman really kill him?

Chapter 578 Lingjiu Palace

"Young Master Chu, the Lord invites you!" When Granny Yu came out again, she invited Chu Luren into Lingjiu Palace and headed towards the main peak. As she spoke, she returned the sect leader's ring to Chu Luren.

Chu Luren followed Granny Yu inside with a calm and collected demeanor, but she was still unsure of what her master's situation was.

In Chu Luren's original plan, if they avoided meeting them, especially if they returned the sect leader's ring, it would mean that his master had already lost his power and was no longer in Lingjiu Palace, and that these palace maids were just pretending to be calm.

But... what kind of operation is it to return the ring to oneself, only to bring oneself into this situation?

Could it be that they were planning to ambush and kill me?

It's unlikely!

If their master wasn't around, these women certainly wouldn't dare to lay a hand on someone who claimed to be Tong Lao's niece. But if their master was still here... there's no reason for them to attack without first asking about Wu Ya Zi's situation.

Especially if the old woman was going to take action, there was no reason for her to return the ring first and lure him in; she should have been more direct.

Chu Luren chatted with Granny Yu for a few more minutes on the way, but Granny Yu naturally wouldn't reveal any secrets; however, her words were indeed very respectful.

Upon arriving at the inner courtyard of Lingjiu Palace, one is immediately struck by the sight of women dressed in robes of nine colors: black, red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, purple, and white. These colors likely correspond to the nine heavens and nine departments.

Seeing Chu Luren, a man, heading towards the main hall under Granny Yu's guidance, many of the maids from the Nine Heavens and Nine Departments showed expressions of surprise. However, because Granny Yu was there, no one questioned it.

Nine Heavens, Nine Departments, with Haotian as the head, and Granny Yu is the leader of Haotian's department, basically the head steward of Lingjiu Palace.

"Huh?" Chu Luren suddenly noticed that a burly man whose style was completely out of place with the others was being lectured by several disciples of Lingjiu Palace, who were behaving like grandsons, with him smiling and bowing.

"Are there other people in Lingjiu Palace?" Chu Luren asked as he passed by.

Granny Yu didn't want to say much, but seeing that Chu Luren had asked, she couldn't avoid answering, so she said, "They're just some good-for-nothing servants of the Lord outside... Little Wu, for Young Master Chu's sake, I'll let it go this time. Take the things and get out of here!"

Although the words were blunt, "Little Crow" beamed with joy upon hearing them and said, "Yes, yes! Thank you, Grandma Yu, thank you, Young Master Chu!"

After saying this, he was overjoyed. When the maid who had scolded him earlier handed him a small bottle, he was even more delighted and bowed down to retreat.

Chu Luren shook his head inwardly upon hearing this—whether it was the Life and Death Talisman, the Three Corpse Brain God Pill, or the Leopard Embryo Yi Jing Pill, it seemed that no one who used such things had a good ending.

The people of the Thirty-Six Caves and Seventy-Two Islands, though fearful of Lingjiu Palace, are also like venomous snakes lurking in the shadows, ready to strike at any moment...

However, since it was ultimately a matter for Lingjiu Palace, Chu Luren didn't think much about it—as long as Tong Lao survived the ninety days of dissipating her power, how the people of the Thirty-Six Caves and Seventy-Two Islands were dealt with was none of Chu Luren's business.

Anyway, the "whitest" among them are just some half-gray, half-black江湖客 (jianghu ke, a term referring to people who are skilled but not virtuous), and if they get beaten up, they can only say that they are not skilled enough.

Soon they passed several more iron chain bridges—the Lingjiu Palace complex wasn't just on one peak, but on several adjacent peaks, all connected by iron chain bridges.

It was many times larger than what Wu Yazi and Chu Luren had mentioned. After all, the Xiaoyao Sect originally consisted of only a handful of people and obviously didn't need such a large mountain gate.

It seems that the Child Granny has expanded Lingjiu Palace quite a bit over the decades.

Soon they arrived at the main peak of Misty Peak. Granny Yu led Chu Luren to a grand hall carved out of the mountainside. The interior was not only a hidden world, but also beautifully decorated and spacious. It was also brightly lit with a large number of lamps—somewhat similar to... the Sect Leader's aesthetic, both of them exuding a domineering aura!

Chu Luren also knew that the reason for decorating the mountainside instead of building a separate palace was mainly because this was the original location of the Xiaoyao Sect's mountain gate. Perhaps Tong Lao was nostalgic and that's why she always kept the main hall here.

At this moment, in the main seat, a light gauze curtain draped over the jade bed and chair behind, and one could vaguely see a graceful woman reclining on it.

"Junior disciple Chu Luren greets senior master." Chu Luren stepped forward and bowed deeply.

But in his heart, he was wondering—is this person really his senior master? Shouldn't he only have the body of an eight or nine-year-old? Could it be that his internal energy hasn't dissipated yet?

In the original work, Tong Lao always looked like she was eight or nine years old. However, in the world of martial arts, Master Wu Ya Zi said that with "Senior Sister's" abilities, as long as she was not fighting with all her might, she could use her bone-shrinking skills to barely maintain a state close to that of a young girl.

Just like Lianxing's hands and feet usually show no abnormalities...

Lianxing is strongest when her limbs are intact during a fight. She can only gradually lose her best condition when she is injured or her internal energy is depleted. As for Tonglao, her virginity is her strongest, and her girlish appearance is just a disguise.

For a moment, Chu Luren was unsure whether this person was impersonating him or whether his senior master was truly alright.

"Hmm, get up... It wasn't your heartless master who sent you to find Grandma, was it?" The figure behind the veil spoke in a somewhat hoarse... and indeed aged voice.

Moreover, the words she spoke certainly didn't sound like something a maid from Lingjiu Palace would dare to say.

"Uncle-Master, you may not know this, but more than thirty years ago, my master was ambushed by that scoundrel Ding Chunqiu. His meridians were severed, and he was paralyzed in Leigu Mountain. He only saw the light of day again in the last two years..." Chu Luren began to play the victim for Wuyazi.

"Hehehe, serves him right! He's in such a miserable state, yet he still refuses to beg me. Don't you think he deserves it?" The hoarse voice scolded, somewhat agitated.

Chu Luren naturally dared not follow up with these words and criticize Wu Yazi. Instead, he said, "Men always like good-looking appearances and are also concerned about their image."

"Superficial! What's so good about those sluts who only know how to seduce people?" the hoarse voice roared.

"Master Uncle is wise." Chu Luren gave a decisive thumbs up.

The figure behind the veil paused for a moment, then said, "So what did Master call you here for?"

"My master was worried that my uncle might harm you, so... he sent me to remind you to be careful." Chu Luren didn't dare to say directly that he had come to "rescue" you.

"Hmph, I'm perfectly fine, your master should worry about his old bones!" the hoarse voice said rudely.

Chu Luren did not reveal Wu Yazi's true intentions. After all, if Tong Lao had not yet lost her power, but discovered that Chu Luren knew she could lose her power, it was not impossible that she would decide to silence her.

The old woman was eccentric. In the original work, Wu Yazi even told Xu Zhu to learn martial arts, but he didn't mention going to find the old woman. There must be a reason for this.

However, Chu Luren still felt something was amiss, so he tentatively asked, "My master feels he is not capable of being the head of the Xiaoyao Sect, and I am also lacking in talent and learning. I wonder what my senior master thinks?"

As Chu Luren spoke, he took out the thumb ring again.

The figure behind the veil remained silent for a moment upon hearing this, before saying, "This is no longer the Xiaoyao Sect, so I have no intention of leaving!"

Hearing this, Chu Luren became even more suspicious...

Chapter 579 Testing

"Let's go back! Grandma is tired."

"Uncle-Master, please forgive me. My master's intention is that if you accept the position of sect leader, I will then send you the 'Free and Unfettered Wind Control Technique,' the 'Northern Darkness Divine Art,' and the 'Lesser Formless Art.' If you are unwilling, I would like to ask you to bestow upon me the 'Eternal Youth and Longevity Art,' so that the Free and Unfettered Sect's lineage can be preserved intact." Chu Luren felt increasingly uneasy and mustered his courage to ask this question.

After all, in the original work, Tong Lao still had some obsession with the ring on the finger of the leader of the Xiaoyao Sect, and... according to what Wu Yazi said to Chu Luren, once Tong Lao learned that Chu Luren was the new leader, she probably wouldn't be completely indifferent to "Xiaoyao Yufeng".

So Chu Luren asked another question—if Tong Lao gets angry and doesn't lose her power, then at worst… he'll just give her the "Free and Easy Wind Riding" manual!

If even the Old Woman Tong dares not accept this, then Chu Luren will have even more reason to doubt her condition.

The old woman had transformed the "Eternal Youth and Longevity Technique" into the "Eight Desolations and Six Directions, I Alone Am Supreme Technique," and Chu Luren felt that she wouldn't hand it over so easily.

Of the three major internal skills of the Xiaoyao Sect under the secret "Xiaoyao Yufeng", only "Tianchangdijiu Bulao Changchun Gong" is currently available. Chu Luren has not practiced it yet, and even Wuyazi does not know its technique. After all, his sect leader is not that strong, and he is also embarrassed to meet Tonglao.

"Xiao Yu, take him to rest." The hoarse voice didn't convey any decision.

"Then I'll take my leave for now," Chu Luren said, glancing up at the figure in the light veil. Seeing that the other person had closed their eyes to rest, he left the mountainside first.

They didn't immediately push too hard...

Just after Chu Luren left, "Tong Lao" immediately got off the jade bed chair with some fear, revealing a short figure behind her.