The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

After learning that Yin Liting was not in any danger, Song Yuanqiao and the others, along with Chu Luren and Yin Yewang, went up Mount Emei.

People came to pay their respects in an endless stream, and many stopped to exchange pleasantries upon seeing the heroes of Wudang and the Chu Lu people.

The entire Emei Mountain trail had now transformed into a large social venue.

Of course, everyone remembered to mourn the extinction, and at least during the greetings, the habitual "three loud laughs" were omitted.

The plans for drinks and banquets... well, they were all arranged at the foot of Mount Emei!

At the entrance of the Emei Sect, two nuns from the Eight Tranquil Sects of Emei were personally receiving those who came to offer their condolences.

Chu Luren then took off his rooster feather cloak and handed it to Ju Jian behind him, so as not to dress too conspicuously and let Emei see him... cough cough, so as not to be misunderstood as gloating!

Upon seeing the arrival of the Wudang Sect Leader and the Righteous Alliance Leader, disciples of the Jing generation quickly led the way for the group.

Although there had been some minor disagreements before, Wudang and Emei ultimately did not fall out.

As for the Righteous Alliance...

Rumors about extinction quickly spread throughout the martial arts world, indeed causing some Emei disciples to have a great prejudice against the Righteous Alliance. However, Emei cannot afford to cause trouble right now!

Moreover, Chu Luren looked mournful and was using the pretext of offering condolences, so no one dared to say anything. On the contrary, because of his status, they had to treat him with even more courtesy.

At this time, the nuns of the Emei Sect were dressed normally, while the lay disciples were dressed in mourning clothes.

Upon arriving at the mourning hall, Chu Luren saw Zhou Zhiruo dressed in mourning attire. Sure enough... the new sect leader was this relatively inexperienced "junior sister".

Fortunately, Ding Minjun, the most troublesome one, had already been crippled by Chu Luren and imprisoned in the back mountain by Miejue. Moreover, with the matter of Xia Ke Island in the present, even though many senior sisters were indeed dissatisfied, no one openly questioned Zhou Zhiruo's position as the sect leader!

Many of her senior and junior sisters admired Zhou Zhiruo greatly because she took the initiative to stand up and accept the title of Second Envoy.

Upon seeing Junior Sister Zhou, Song Qingshu wanted to step forward, but it was not his turn to do so.

In the past, it was fine for the younger disciples to interact with each other, and people of the martial arts world didn't need to be too rigid. However, now that Zhou Zhiruo is the sect leader, they still need to pay attention to etiquette. There's no reason for the younger disciples to go up and exchange pleasantries as soon as they meet.

After being glared at by Uncle Mo, Song Qingshu cowered back in fear.

"Miss Zhou, it seems you have indeed inherited the position of Emei Sect Leader." Chu Luren greeted Zhou Zhiruo with a shake of his head, as if he were saying all the time, "What a pity about Abbess Miejue."

At this moment, Zhou Zhiruo looked truly exhausted and grief-stricken. Although Miejue was usually very strict with her, Zhou Zhiruo respected her master very much, and Miejue did indeed have high hopes for the gentle yet strong-willed Zhou Zhiruo.

"Alliance Leader Chu... has also arrived. Sect Leader Song, Hero Yu..." Zhou Zhiruo, as the sect leader, forced herself to be cheerful and exchanged pleasantries with Chu Luren and the others.

Moreover, given the formality of the occasion, it was natural not to address him as "Brother Chu".

"I never imagined that Abbess Miejue would suffer such a calamity! These two envoys of reward and punishment are truly despicable!" Chu Luren was one of the few who dared to condemn the two envoys of reward and punishment in public.

"I'll offer incense to Abbess Miejue!" Chu Luren formally accepted the incense and candles with both hands.

The younger disciples, such as Song Qingshu and Zhang Wuji, even knelt down to worship Miejue's memorial tablet.

Chu Luren simply bowed, and as he lit the incense, he murmured, "Rest assured, Master, the Emei Sect will always be protected by the Righteous Alliance. We will never let anyone bully us! And next year when we go to Xia Ke Island, I, Chu Luren, will also go. I will take good care of Headmaster Zhou and bring him back safely. You need not worry about anything in heaven. May you ascend to the Western Paradise soon!"

Upon hearing Chu Luren's personal admission that he would also go to Xia Ke Island, many people from other factions in the mourning hall showed a change in expression.

"Alliance Leader Chu is truly righteous!"

"Truly a role model for us all..."

"May Abbess Miejue rest in peace in heaven."

"When we reach Xia Ke Island, my Long Spear Gang is willing to advance and retreat together with Alliance Leader Chu!"

"As expected of Alliance Leader Chu, even though he was here before... cough cough, he still came to pay his respects."

"Of course, who in the martial world doesn't know that Alliance Leader Chu is humble and modest..."

Chapter 656 Entering the Dream

At the funeral hall of the extinction, a group of heroes from the martial arts world who came to pay their respects praised Chu Luren highly.

After all, there were quite a few people present, some of whom had already accepted the invitation and were having a headache about going to Xia Ke Dao, while others had not yet accepted the invitation and were having a headache about whether they could avoid it.

Even if it were Chu Luren, he might not be able to come back after going to Xia Ke Island, but... at least his chances of survival are much higher than theirs. It would be good to have someone willing to lead the way!

"Rest assured, everyone. Since I established this Righteous Alliance, it is to promote the righteous spirit of the martial arts world. The affairs of my fellow martial artists are my affairs. In the future, I will not only go to Xia Ke Island, but I will also come back, and I will bring others back with me!" Chu Luren reassured everyone like a famous martial arts master.

After another round of flattery, Chu Luren interrupted, "Alright, everyone, let's offer incense to Abbess Miejue first."

Wudang and Emei have a close relationship, especially now that Miejue has passed away. The four heroes of Wudang discussed it and finally decided that Yu Lianzhou and Mo Shenggu would stay a few more days to help put on a good show. Emei does have male disciples, but after Miejue became the leader, male disciples were not given important positions. There was no taboo about it.

Song Yuanqiao and Zhang Songxi needed to continue their journey back, which also provided an opportunity to "shake off" their junior disciples and avoid delaying their trip.

Chu Luren naturally... went back with them!

While others were unaware of the reasons why Song Yuanqiao and Zhang Songxi were in such a hurry to return, Chu Luren had a vague guess.

Almost half a year has passed. Could it be... that Dugu Qiubai is going to Wudang Mountain to fight Zhang Zhenren?

After learning that Song Yuanqiao was in a hurry to get on his way, Chu Luren made a special private inquiry—Chu Luren had previously sent a "challenge letter," but did not know the specific date; it was only arranged later.

"Why is Sect Leader Song in such a hurry? Could it be because of the duel between Master Dugu and Master Zhang?" Chu Luren asked in a low voice.

"That's right, Senior Dugu and Master have agreed to a battle on the third day of the third lunar month at the back of Wudang Mountain. Although Master said we don't need to watch, and we wouldn't understand anything even if we did, but..."

This matter was not made public, and regardless of who won or lost, not many people would know.

It is now late February. Several months ago, when Song Yuanqiao and others left Wudang and went to Bright Peak, they had already prepared for the possibility that they would not be able to return before the duel.

Although Master Zhang is quite old, his disciples still have a lot of confidence in him!

but……

The siege of Bright Peak ended faster than expected, so naturally Song Yuanqiao and the others still hoped to get back in time!

So even though they were worried about Yin Liting, they didn't search for him everywhere. Instead, they continued on their way back and only asked Chu Luren when they encountered him.

If it weren't for the killing of Abbess Miejue, the heroes of Wudang would never have made the detour to Emei.

However, since they were already here, it wasn't appropriate for them all to leave together immediately. Otherwise, people might think they were holding a grudge and that the Wudang Sect had already broken off relations with Emei. In that case, it would be a minor matter if people said they were "petty," but more importantly, the situation in Emei would likely become much more dangerous.

The Heaven-Slaying Sword alone could attract many covetous eyes!

Therefore, the four heroes decided to split up. Sect leader Song Yuanqiao and the most resourceful Zhang Songxi returned to Wudang first, while Yu Lianzhou and Mo Shenggu supported Emei while waiting for Yin Liting.

Yin Yewang also left with Zhang Wuji, clearly indicating that the Eagle Sect and Emei were not yet on good enough terms to warrant staying.

Song Yuanqiao did not want to reveal that Zhang Zhenren was going to duel with Dugu Qiubai, so he had no reason to take Zhang Wuji away now. He just told Zhang Wuji to return to Wudang as soon as possible.

Song Yuanqiao, Zhang Songxi, along with Chu Luren and the four sword servants, traveled by water down the river, intending to land in Jiangling, and then head north to Xiangyang and back to Wudang.

This is the fastest way to travel, besides using light-footed skills throughout.

If they were to travel the entire way using only light-footed skills, only Chu Luren among them could withstand it...

In terms of distance, the time was uncertain, with the possibility of making it or not. Moreover, the weather has been uncooperative these past few days, with torrential rains despite it being springtime, and frequent stops due to swollen rivers.

Later, due to both urgency and their superior skills and daring, they disregarded the rain and traveled through the night. During the journey, they even crashed their boat once. Fortunately, everyone was extremely skilled in lightness techniques, especially Chu Luren, who used a soft silk rope to pull the four sword servants back to shore together.

However, by the third day of the third lunar month, the group had only reached the vicinity of Jiangling and landed there in the middle of the night...

Obviously... he won't make it in time for the duel.

During the day, Chu Luren sensed a sword intent coming from the north, though he was in the Dao Embryo state. When he tried to feel it carefully, he couldn't sense anything.

After all, it's still thousands of miles away, so it's normal not to feel it, right?

That night, when they arrived in Jiangling, Song Yuanqiao was puzzled to find that Chu Luren had not come out.

Upon opening the cabin door, they discovered that Chu Luren was in a meditative state and had not yet "woke up"...

This is even stranger!

Is Chu Luren such a careless person?

And... you can enter such a deep meditative state inside a boat?

"What is this, Alliance Leader Chu..." Song Yuanqiao asked the four sword servants who were blocking Chu Luren's way, puzzled.

"Our Lord is in seclusion, Sect Leader Song... please go back first! We'll head to Wudang after our Lord wakes up." Mei Jian didn't actually know what was going on either.

However, since the Lord is in seclusion and has not woken up, they naturally do not allow anyone to approach for the Lord's safety.

"Alliance Leader Chu is exceptionally talented. He must have had some kind of enlightenment. Once Alliance Leader Chu wakes up, please convey to him that... we brothers are waiting to visit him at Wudang." Song Yuanqiao didn't dwell on it much.

By now, the duel between Zhang Zhenren and Dugu Qiubai should have ended, and Song Yuanqiao and Zhang Songxi are eager to return and find out the result.

As for the Chu Lu people...

The "Black Jade Broken-Healing Ointment" is still with him, so Wudang will naturally welcome it!

Why didn't she wake up when someone called her, even though she was in the Dao Embryo state?

The reason is simple, yet also amazing—the Chu Luren was dreaming!

Since comprehending the realm of "Dream God", Chu Luren has not "dreamed" for a long time. After all, the state of Dream God is already a dream consciousness, but Chu Luren's dream consciousness can always remain clear.

In the "Tao Embryo" state, consciousness lacks normal logical thinking, but it is actually "awake," only it is "awake" in comprehending "momentum" and "mind"!

Chu Luren hadn't experienced the state of "dreaming," a state that only occurs when one's consciousness is out of control, for a long time.

However, after Chu Luren entered the Dao Embryo state tonight, he miraculously "dreamed".

And I dreamt of Teacher Dugu...

Chapter 657 Sacrifice

That night, Chu Luren entered a meditative state in the cabin, reaching the "Taoist Embryo State".

The Dao Embryo is different from the Dream God. During the Dao Embryo stage, Chu Luren's surface thinking ceases, and his logical thinking seems to be truly asleep. With a blink of an eye, a day has passed...

However, this time was different. The moment he entered meditation, Chu Luren opened his eyes in surprise.

The four swordsmen who were originally guarding the area were gone, and there was no sense that there were other people on the boat, or even that the river was flowing. The boat just stayed in place.

"A dream?" Chu Luren realized that he was dreaming.

As Chu Luren stepped out of the cabin, he saw a solitary and sharp figure standing at the bow of the ship, like a sword pointing to the sky, waiting for him.

Although his back was to him and Chu Luren hadn't seen him many times, he recognized him immediately!

"Dugu...Teacher?" Although Chu Luren was in a dream state, he still had thoughts and had become familiar with this state since he was a "dream god".

Dugu Qiubai turned around at this moment, and Chu Luren saw that he had a smug smile on his face, but also a hint of lingering satisfaction.