The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

Not only did Mongol troops occupy the city, but the city was also filled with a tense atmosphere.

As a border region between the Mongol Yuan Dynasty and the Song Dynasty, Wudang was theoretically within the territory of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty. However, due to the influence of the Wudang Sect, the officials of Wudang County were all lay disciples of Wudang and were almost unaffected by the Mongol Yuan Dynasty. Even when the Mongol army went to attack Xiangyang, they would not go near Wudang.

However, now...

"It seems that the Mongol Yuan dynasty really intends to move south!" Chu Luren, combining what Guo Juxia had said earlier, had already made his judgment.

Indeed, under normal circumstances, the Mongol Yuan dynasty would not want to provoke Wudang, after all, it was a grandmaster who carried on the legacy of the past and opened up the future, with thousands of disciples wielding swords, and its followers were scattered all over the world.

As long as Wudang doesn't directly raise the banner of rebellion, the Mongol Yuan dynasty doesn't want to cause trouble.

However, if the Mongol Yuan dynasty were to truly advance south, especially if it decided to advance south from Xiangyang, Wudang would become an essential target for elimination.

Otherwise, how can you fight a war with a sword hanging over your backside while you're on the front lines?

Fortunately, the Chu Lu people did not enter Wudang County, but went straight to Wudang Mountain...

The journey was relatively peaceful, with the Mongols showing no intention of launching a full-scale attack. However, they frequently encountered Wudang disciples stationed along the mountain paths, indicating that the Wudang sect was now on edge.

Chu Luren's visit proceeded without hindrance—Chu Luren was already very familiar with Wudang, and Song Yuanqiao had previously instructed that if they met Chu Luren, they should be invited to come up the mountain.

When Chu Luren saw Song Yuanqiao, his heart skipped a beat.

The Wudang sect leader also looked somewhat worried. It seemed that... the situation was more critical than Chu Luren had imagined.

Are these Mongols perhaps trying to see if Zhang Zhenren can take on all of their tens of thousands of Mongol soldiers?

"Sect Leader Song, what are those Mongols trying to do? Where is Master Zhang?" Chu Luren asked hurriedly, disregarding formalities.

"Ah, it's a long story..." Song Yuanqiao didn't hide anything from Chu Luren.

Chapter 665 Sneak Attack

Master Zhang was ambushed...

When Chu Luren first heard it, he could hardly believe it.

In the original work, Zhao Min's master, the monk Gangxiang, used the alias Kongxiang and impersonated a Shaolin monk to ambush Zhang Sanfeng—that's unbelievable enough!

In the vast martial arts world, even someone with such high martial prowess, especially Master Zhang who is at the pinnacle of strength in the Knock Heaven Gate, could still be ambushed?

Chu Luren felt he didn't know where to begin if he wanted to launch a sneak attack on Zhang Zhenren. After practicing the true Tai Chi, Chu Luren knew very well that Zhang Zhenren must also possess a protective Tai Chi force...

Seeing Chu Luren's surprised expression, Song Yuanqiao looked at him with a mix of helplessness and complaint—don't you know why you were successfully ambushed?

Chu Luren thought about it for a moment and understood!

It's likely that Zhang Zhenren wasn't in peak condition after his duel with Master Dugu, so...

"Alas, it was my and Junior Brother Zhang's carelessness! Seven days ago, when Junior Brother Zhang and I returned and met with Master, we learned that Master had defeated Senior Dugu. At that time, although Master's energy had weakened considerably, his spirit was full, and he was even pleased to have benefited from the battle..." At this point, Song Yuanqiao became somewhat guilty again.

after all……

Dugu Qiubai is dead!

Although this was his own problem, his body was already on the verge of life and death. According to his master, when he used his last move, his body could not withstand it and collapsed on its own.

Because he was brought back to life by borrowing the life essence of a dragon, Dugu Qiubai's body rapidly decayed, and now... only a cenotaph remains.

Song Yuanqiao and Zhang Songxi naturally believed what their master said, but ultimately there were no witnesses, and who knew what Chu Luren would think?

What if the Chu Lu people think—that my teacher Dugu died after his duel with your master, and there is no body yet… did you ambush him and destroy the evidence?

This is also why Song Yuanqiao dared not complain!

Fortunately, Chu Luren and Wudang have always had a close relationship; otherwise, if they had started to cause trouble, they might have been extorted.

Even the Chu Lu people were worried about whether the other party would believe this claim...

Seeing the strange look on Song Yuanqiao's face, Chu Luren took the initiative to comfort him: "When we were in Jiangling, Master Dugu had already told me about the martial arts competition in a dream. Master Dugu... lost in the last half move, right? Although Master Dugu had some regrets about that half move, he still left satisfied."

Song Yuanqiao was stunned—a dream? Wasn't Senior Dugu a master of swordsmanship? How come he had even more fancy skills than those who cultivated Taoism and Zen?

Of course, "dream transmission" is just one interpretation. In reality, it represents the sublimation of Dugu Qiubai's sword intent and sword heart. At that time, Chu Luren was in the Dao Embryo state, and the Dao Embryo's spiritual sense was easily touched by this.

However, upon hearing Chu Luren say this, Song Yuanqiao breathed a sigh of relief.

They then started talking about what happened seven days ago...

On the very day that Song Yuanqiao and Zhang Songxi returned, three days after the final showdown.

"Again," Chu Luren was very familiar with, Shaolin monks came to visit—of course, this time not to ask for help, but under the pretext of "giving an explanation" to Wudang.

Shaolin's previous responses were met with dissatisfaction from Wudang.

This time, the other party immediately claimed that they had discovered suspicious points in the death of "Senior Brother Kongjian," and stated that they had captured Cheng Kun and learned that Cheng Kun was indeed involved in the matter of Yu Daiyan back then. That's why they came to apologize to Master Zhang...

As for why we came secretly?

That's not hard to guess. Given Shaolin's reputation for respect, they certainly wouldn't come to apologize in a grand manner!

Sending a high-ranking monk of the Kong generation alone was clearly intended to both prevent the matter from becoming widely known and to demonstrate respect for Wudang—Song Yuanqiao and Zhang Songxi had no doubts about this, which was very much in line with Shaolin's "persona".

After meeting Master Zhang, this fake Kongxiang bowed deeply to him with his palms together, his face full of an expression of "misfortune for the family".

Master Zhang was honest and didn't let him kneel down. He stepped forward to help him up, but at that moment, he was ambushed by the other party with a powerful palm strike!

Although the attackers were killed by Zhang Zhenren, his injuries worsened as a result.

"My master said that the fake Shaolin monk was probably a member of the Tantric sect, but he had indeed cultivated some Zen internal energy, so even he didn't see it at first. It wasn't until the other party launched a sneak attack that the Zen internal energy in his body disappeared, revealing the fierce and ferocious nature of the Tantric sect," Song Yuanqiao said dejectedly.

"Esoteric Buddhism... Could it be someone from the Prince of Ruyang's mansion?"

Hearing Chu Luren's words, Song Yuanqiao was puzzled as to why Chu Luren would think that way: "No, since he is a master of Tantric Buddhism, he is very likely a member of the lineage of the Golden Wheel Dharma King. I have heard that among the Dharma King's protectors, there is one who cultivates the Snow Mountain Great Handprint of Tantric Buddhism, which is similar to the Zen 'One Strike, Two Separations Palm,' which concentrates all the body's power into one palm..."

It's most likely this person! Logically, among the Dharma protectors under the Golden Wheel Monk, his position is second only to Sangjie, yet... he's willing to be a death-defying warrior!

In the Mahamudra practice of Tantric Buddhism, the Snow Mountain Mahamudra emphasizes explosive power, like the force of an avalanche, which is a "release" after accumulation.

Like the Shaolin "One Strike, Two Separations Palm," after striking, one's internal energy dissipates for several breaths...

Using this tactic of ambushing someone in enemy territory, whether successful or not, is a dead end!

Chu Luren suddenly realized what was going on—this also echoed what Zhao Min had said earlier: the Golden Wheel Monk and the Prince of Ruyang were not on the same side.

During the Mongol Yuan Dynasty, the Golden Wheel Monk strongly advocated for southward expansion, while the Prince of Ruyang wanted to advance eastward...

Moreover, since he is a master of Tantric Buddhism, he must be Jinlun's subordinate!

If it weren't for the duel with Dugu Qiubai, which had only been three days, even if this palm strike had landed on Zhang Zhenren, it might not have been able to break through his protective Tai Chi energy.

Even if it were just a martial arts match, and Master Zhang hadn't been affected and had focused on recuperating for three days, he wouldn't have suffered any serious injuries!

Unfortunately, after the duel, Zhang Zhenren was also touched by Dugu Qiubai's "sharpness." His three-day seclusion was not entirely for recuperating from his injuries, but also for changing his own internal energy...

That was the moment when the protective Tai Chi force was most neglected!

"How is Master Zhang's injury? Do the Mongols know?" Chu Luren asked hurriedly.

After hesitating for a moment, Song Yuanqiao said, "Master's injuries are not light. It will take at least several months to recover to the point where he can fight without any problems. Moreover, on the night Master was ambushed, a master of the Tantric sect secretly 'visited' Wudang. Neither my junior brother Zhang nor I noticed. It was Master who scared the other party away! It is very likely... that it was the Golden Wheel Monk himself."

In other words, Zhang Zhenren was not completely powerless to fight back, but he was not exactly "unharmed" either. It was very likely that the more he fought back, the more serious his injuries would become.

However, since they were able to frighten away the Golden Wheel Monk, it becomes clear why the Mongols only approached the mountain but did not take any concrete action.

Just then, a Wudang disciple, ignoring the conversation between the two, barged in: "Sect Master! The Tartars down the mountain have sent a challenge..."

Chapter 666 Challenge

"A challenge?" Song Yuanqiao was so angry he almost plucked out two hairs from his beard.

Have you no shame?

First, a sneak attack; then, a midnight probe; and now, they're pretending to be open and aboveboard, issuing a challenge?

After taking the "challenge letter" handed to him by the young disciple, tearing open the envelope and looking at it, Song Yuanqiao's face turned even more ashen.

If it were Yu Er or Mo Qi, Chu Luren might have gone straight over to take a look, but since it was Song Yuanqiao, Chu Luren didn't act rashly and honestly asked, "Sect Leader Song, what is it written?"

"Sigh!" Song Yuanqiao sighed and handed the challenge letter back to Chu Luren.

As expected, it was the Mongol Yuan Dynasty's National Preceptor, the Golden Wheel Dharma King, who personally arrived!

It's obvious at a glance that this challenge letter was written and polished by someone else, and it's most likely written by a Han Chinese.

The first half is rather uninformative; it basically states that the Golden Wheel Monk greatly admires Zhang Zhenren, and although Buddhism and Taoism have different beliefs, the Golden Wheel Monk, as the National Preceptor of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty, is willing to invite Wudang to exchange ideas...

Then, in the middle section, he expresses pity for the suffering of the people and denounces the Song court's tyranny—in short, the Mongol Yuan dynasty wants to act on behalf of Heaven and march south to destroy the Song dynasty, hoping that Wudang will not go against Heaven's will.

Finally, and most importantly, they kept saying they "didn't want too many casualties at Wudang," and therefore wanted to make a gentleman's agreement.

Tomorrow at noon, the Golden Wheel Monk will ascend Wudang Mountain to fight Zhang Zhenren!

If Master Zhang wins, the Mongol Yuan army will retreat; if the Golden Wheel Monk wins, Wudang Mountain will be closed for ten years...

As for not agreeing?

They didn't even ask whether they would agree or not; they were ready to attack if they didn't agree.

“Master Zhang is now…” Chu Luren looked at Song Yuanqiao with concern.

Song Yuanqiao shook his head.

Judging from the fact that when the person suspected to be Jinlun came to Wudang to investigate that night, Zhang Zhenren was able to frighten him away, so he should not be completely unable to fight. Otherwise, Jinlun Fawang would not have bothered to challenge him to a duel. Wouldn't it have been more convenient to just send a large army up the mountain?

Wudang Mountain isn't some dangerous place like Lingjiu Palace or Black Cliff...

Clearly, the Golden Wheel Monk still harbored fear of Master Zhang, which is why he wanted to use a contest to force Wudang Mountain to close down.

However, it is indeed best for Master Zhang not to make a move now, otherwise it would be very dangerous, or rather... he might not be able to make a move at all, but at least he could escape!

That's why the other party was wary...

The Mongol Yuan dynasty clearly did not want to see Wudang abandon its stronghold and flee, just like the Quanzhen Sect in the original work. It would be best to force Wudang to close its mountain in place!

At that time, this will not only be a matter for Wudang alone, but can also be used to restrain other branches of the Wudang lineage.

As for ten years from now, the situation should be settled by now—either the Song Dynasty has been destroyed, the Mongol Yuan Dynasty has been successfully extended, and Tibetan Buddhism has gained a foothold, or the dynasty itself has collapsed.

"It seems that this Golden Wheel Monk is certain that Master Zhang won't make a move..." Chu Luren sighed.

Song Yuanqiao has already sent someone to inform Zhang Songxi. Now, apart from the paralyzed Yu Daiyan, the only Seven Heroes on the mountain are Song Yuanqiao and Zhang Songxi. Moreover, Zhang Songxi is known to be resourceful, so Song Yuanqiao is naturally willing to discuss things with him.

Unfortunately, the Golden Wheel Monk directly scheduled the meeting for tomorrow, and didn't even need Wudang's reply. Judging from this, he was going to lead his men up the mountain tomorrow.