The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

Sichenke and Heiquanxing, this rooster and dog, are considered relatively weak among the twelve constellations. The reason is simple: fifteen years ago, the previous generation of rooster and dog were killed by Lianxing and Yan Nantian, respectively.

Although Wei Wuyuan has the Twelve Constellation Techniques and new characters like the Rooster and Dog have emerged in recent years, his skill level is still somewhat lacking!

Of course, even so, for ordinary people in the martial arts world, encountering such ominous stars as the Twelve Zodiacs, even the weakest of them, is already extremely unlucky. What difference does it make?

When Wu Biaotou heard Chu Luren reveal the other party's identity, he couldn't help but panic—he had guessed it before, but... in this situation, pretending not to know him would leave room for negotiation.

Pretending not to know them is to ask for a favor from them. Otherwise, if you, Young Master Chu, have already mentioned the names of the Twelve Zodiacs and they still backed away, wouldn't it be rumored that they are afraid of you?

Chu Luren understood this principle, but the two groups among the twelve constellations, as well as evil masters like the Gray Bat and the Owl, could not have met by chance. It was obviously premeditated, so there was no room for negotiation.

"Gray bats and owls are our predecessors; it's just a coincidence that we're on this trip."

"Now that you know we are the Twelve Zodiac Signs, why don't you offer up the sword manual? Perhaps if I'm in a good mood, I might spare your corpses!"

"The red-clad rooster head of the rooster crowed, and the black dog walking the dog spoke in an unfriendly tone."

Chapter 165 Fellow Travelers

"That's strange. Where did you get this information? Brother Lin and Brother Linghu have only been showing off their swordsmanship for half a month, and they've already traveled from Mount Hua to Luoyang... You've already formed a team and are waiting for us?" Chu Luren didn't specifically deny the "Evil-Repelling Sword Technique," which was also what Lin Pingzhi was thinking.

Linghu Chong was in a rather awkward position, but there was no way to force an explanation at this point.

These menacing figures opposite him naturally wouldn't answer. Seeing that Chu Luren's tone was quite relaxed, Gray Bat became even angrier and said, "You brat, are we asking you or you asking us? How dare you mock your bat grandpa?"

Chu Luren had some guesses. In the original work, the fifteen masked masters of the evil sect who attacked the Huashan Sect in the dilapidated temple later joined forces with Zuo Lengchan, forming a total of sixteen blind men, to ambush the Five Mountains Sword Sect in Huashan.

According to the description at the time, fifteen evil sect masters took the initiative to approach Zuo Lengchan, who had been blinded and was living in seclusion on another peak. This shows that there was indeed a connection between the two sides, but the former was not a member of the Songshan Sect.

Zuo Lengchan has a history of hiring evil sects, so the Chu Lu people suspect that they were hired by Zuo Lengchan. With Lao Denuo as an inside man, Lin Pingzhi's location cannot be hidden from Songshan.

Yue Buqun sent Lao Denuo with the intention of taking advantage of the chaos...

Faced with Chu Luren's leisurely questioning, the gray bat and the owl felt that their dignity as robbers had been humiliated.

However, Chu Luren clearly didn't think that way; in the blink of an eye, he had already "fallen asleep"...

When the owl reopened its eyes, it felt that the creature seemed to have suddenly become a bit "dull," while the blind gray bat, which didn't even show its eyes, muttered a warning: "Be careful."

"Just a heads-up... It seems the person who called you here only wants to use you as expendable resources. It doesn't matter if they don't tell me, but don't forget who you'll blame when you get to hell!" Chu Luren said, drawing his sword and retreating.

Chu Luren's "retreat" brought him to a position even further back than Mu Wanqing's.

Without the slightest pause, as he drew his sword, a flash of light appeared, and the "eyebrow-splitting sword energy," designed to harm the eyes, surged forth. To those around him, Chu Luren's sword light resembled welding sparks from a welding torch. Even those with extensive combat experience who wouldn't immediately close their eyes were momentarily blinded by the dazzling light and avoided eye contact.

Of the three groups that were originally surrounding the crowd, everyone except the gray bat was affected—the gray bat was blind, so naturally it was unaffected!

On their side, Lin Pingzhi and Linghu Chong were already facing the enemy from three different directions with Chu Luren, and the others were also keeping their eyes on the enemy. With Chu Luren even taking a step back, they were almost in the center of their own side. Everyone was looking outwards, meaning that the sword energy they were unleashing was only visible from behind, so the impact was minimal...

Noticing that Chu Luren's sudden attack affected the enemies, Linghu Chong and Lin Pingzhi immediately took action. Mu Wanqing, however, was pulled back by Chu Luren before she could even react. The unaffected gray bat also sensed something and immediately extended the iron claws from its specially made gauntlet, attacking Chu Luren's direction.

Pulling Mu Wanqing behind him, Chu Luren used the move "Dark Night and High Wind" to block the gray bat's hook claws. The "Flowers Before the Moon" sword energy that matched this move was best suited for parrying.

However, the owl immediately reacted, drew out a pair of strange double blades, and attacked Chu Luren with only half a move behind!

They were all ruthless thieves who lived on the edge of death; even if they were momentarily blinded, they would react in half a move...

Linghu Chong and Lin Pingzhi were even more flustered as they attacked Si Chenke and Hei Quanxing respectively.

The four men—one dressed in red with a rooster's comb and wielding a knife, the other dressed in yellow with a rooster's breast and wielding a shield, and the other dressed in flowery clothes with a rooster's tail and wielding whips—worked together and were even more troublesome than the likes of Ding Mian and Cheng Buyou.

The seven members of Black Dog Star roared repeatedly as soon as they made a move. With each grasping motion, the sound of their bones rubbing together echoed. Their finger joints were three times stronger, and their nails were not only sharp but also strong, with spindle-shaped tips. Clearly, they had all cultivated special body-strengthening techniques.

Facing the black dog star's wolf claws, Lin Pingzhi vaguely saw the figures of the Six Immortals of Peach Valley again. He pointed his sword in all directions, as if drawing a sky full of stars. Accompanied by the crisp clanging sounds, sparks flew from the collisions on the seven dog claws...

After suffering a setback in front of the Six Immortals of Peach Valley, Lin Pingzhi had been thinking about how to deal with it. Now he encountered a master of external martial arts who was good at hand-to-hand combat and could cooperate with others. He was able to put all his ideas into action!

On the other side, Linghu Chong's swordsmanship also showed subtle changes. Four iron-scaled soft whips with chicken tails lashed out in an intertwined pattern. Although they were well-organized and coordinated, Linghu Chong's hands remained perfectly composed even when the whips were covering him. With each swing of his sword, he always managed to strike the point of impact of the whips at the point where he exerted the most force.

The four iron whips lashed out like angry dragons, dazzling the eye, but Linghu Chong parried and blocked them with a series of "swish, swish, swish," turning them into powerless, sickly earthworms...

Although Chu Luren was facing Gray Bat and Owl, there were only two of them, but their strength was definitely greater than that of the "new generation" chicken and dog, and even greater than the sum of their strength.

However, at this moment, Chu Luren had only entered a dream state and had not yet achieved enlightenment. He completely suppressed the two evil sect masters with just the "Free Immortal Ape Scripture" and the "Love and Passion Sword"!

Now, in his "Dream God" state, Chu Luren has barely stepped into the threshold of a first-class master. He can hold his own against Qiu Chuji and Blood Blade Ancestor—only his stamina is lacking.

Without entering the Dream God state, he is still somewhat inferior, only slightly stronger than Mu Gaofeng and Yu Canghai. Judging from the result of the battle at Jade Maiden Peak, he may even be slightly inferior to Yue Buqun and Feng Buping.

Now that Chu Luren has a plentiful supply of fusion fragments and his Dream God cultivation speed is at the level of a martial arts prodigy, Chu Luren's next plan is to spend a few months consolidating and improving his main body's internal energy to reach the current level of the Dream God. The Dream God will then continue to improve, using the extended duration to gain even greater explosive power...

As for "Enlightenment Dream God", it will eventually consume the fusion fragments - this is the food for Chu Luren to become stronger. Unless it is extremely dangerous or important, it should not be used!

Just then, the sound of horses' hooves pounding in the snow came from outside the temple.

"Are the people in the temple fellow disciples of the Huashan Sect?"

Upon hearing the sound, everyone in the temple picked up a cassette player. The Huashan people, as well as the chickens, dogs, bats, and owls, all stiffened up. Chu Luren remained unmoved, while only the Zhenyuan Escort Agency members showed joy—thinking it was an ally of Huashan among the Five Mountains Sword Sects.

but……

The people who actually came were quite embarrassed; they were none other than Ding Mian and Feng Ping, who had previously left Mount Hua.

Since Yue Buqun was not present, and the person was addressed as Huashan, Linghu Chong answered, "Huashan disciples were escorting the coffin of the Lin family from the Fuwei Escort Agency back home when we encountered bandits. Please forgive our poor performance, fellow cultivators!"

After a series of hoofbeats, the newcomer revealed himself.

By this time, Feng Buping's severed arm had stopped bleeding, but even in the snow's light, his pale face was still visible. Ding Mian and the others arrived at the temple and realized that the Huashan Sect was in trouble, but...

If no one were around, it wouldn't be impossible for everyone to draw their swords and chop up the Huashan Sect members. However, since they were accompanied by people from other sects, they absolutely could not do such a thing. Ding Mian and the other Songshan Taibao looked at each other, all with the same thought in their eyes.

Chapter 166 Bold Words

The Songshan Sect was renowned in the martial arts world. Although they were often treated with suspicion as "thieves," they also received a lot of praise. After leaving Huashan, many other sects along the way accompanied them...

Ultimately, being Shaolin's neighbor puts too much pressure on them; otherwise, the Songshan Sect would have been more popular, at least in Henan.

"Hehe, you are all renowned figures in the martial arts world. Isn't it beneath you to rob a funeral procession?" Ding Mian said to Gray Bat and the others.

This group of evil spirits and heretics also realized that there were too many people, especially since they were a mix of different sects. Under such circumstances, the righteous sects would not stand by and watch them commit violence for the sake of their reputation. The people from Songshan said this simply because they did not want to take action.

“Alright! The reason we’re here is that we’re worried that young Lin Pingzhi might be tricked by the Huashan Sect and reveal his own sword techniques. Lin Zhennan was very kind to us back then, so naturally we can’t stand to see his son being bullied… But since the Five Mountains Sword Sect is going to vouch for him, we’ll give Elder Zuo face too!” Chicken Head said a few polite words and then winked at the other Crowds and Black Dog Star.

"Haha, since it's a misunderstanding, that's easy to explain." Ding Mian looked like we believed him.

The gray bat and the owl remained silent, but also turned and left.

No one else, including Chu Luren, stopped it, especially Linghu Chong and Lin Pingzhi, who showed no sign of letting up.

Songshan Sect...

Do you still have grudges against Chu Luren?

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the Songshan Sect could not possibly join forces with the likes of the Twelve Constellations, so those evil heretics had to leave.

However, after they left, the Songshan Sect was afraid that another conflict would break out. It was precisely because they understood this that no one forced those evil heretics to stay. Otherwise, what if the people of the Songshan Sect were shameless and joined forces with them?

"Many thanks to all the seniors for their righteous help. This will surely become a legendary tale in the martial arts world." Linghu Chong bowed to Ding Mian and offered his thanks.

"Nephew Linghu, don't be so quick to thank me. Why is Chu Luren, who is colluding with the Demonic Sect, with you? Could it be that the Huashan Sect has also fallen into depravity and joined forces with the Demonic Sect?" Ding Mian stared at Chu Luren with a sharp look, then glanced at Linghu Chong, Lin Pingzhi, and other Huashan disciples.

“Uncle Ding is joking. Brother Chu has no connection with the Demonic Sect. Didn’t you already define this matter in front of Master Qiu of Quanzhen Sect when you were at Mount Hua?” Linghu Chong brought up the Quanzhen Sect.

However, Qiu Chuji was not present, so Ding Mian was clearly not buying it: "What a joke! Didn't Chu Luren admit before that the leader and witch of the Demonic Sect taught him evil arts? We only let it go because he was a guest of the Five Mountains Sword Sect!"

"Indeed, now that you've finished being a guest, since you've encountered... Chu Luren here, shouldn't you explain how you colluded with the Demonic Sect?"

"First, Qu Yang and Liu Zhengfeng of the Hengshan Sect came to associate with Huashan. I think this Demonic Sect has a big conspiracy!"

The experts from the Songshan Sect all spoke up, as if they had solid evidence that Chu Luren was colluding with the Sun Moon Sect, or even had already joined the Sun Moon Sect.

Chu Luren remained calm...

Why accompany Lin Pingzhi on this trip?

They were simply worried that the Songshan Sect might target Lin Pingzhi and his group in the Henan area!

If Chu Luren himself attracts the attention of the Songshan Sect and gives them an excuse to interfere, wouldn't that just cause trouble?

The reason why Chu Luren dared to make this trip and believed that he was there to help was because... Chu Luren was confident that he could control the situation!

"First, I am not a member of the Sun Moon Cult..." Chu Luren said calmly.

However, this baseless statement was naturally refuted by the Songshan Sect, who even offered to take him back to Songshan to clarify the matter. But Chu Luren did not speak again until they finished speaking.

Only after the Songshan Sect members had finished speaking did Chu Lu continue, "Secondly, this is nothing more than a personal grudge between me and the Songshan Sect. Apart from the Songshan Sect members, I don't want to see anyone else take action... Master Shenshan, don't you agree?"

“Amitabha, this humble monk only hopes that if Benefactor Chu has been deceived by those of the unorthodox sects, he should turn back as soon as possible. There is nothing I can do to help,” Shenshan said, raising his hands in a gesture of respect.

Unless someone truly rises to the level of one of the Ten Great Villains, or at least someone like Tian Boguang or Yun Zhonghe, they won't be universally condemned. Otherwise, those who are merely considered "heretical" or "evil" won't really amount to much.

Just like He Hongyao, no matter how you look at it, she is not a righteous person. However, when the Five Poisons Sect punished her by making her beg, there was a rule that she "must not accept help from fellow martial arts practitioners" - in other words, if it weren't for this rule, many "fellow martial arts practitioners" would be willing to help her if they saw He Hongyao's situation.

To be hostile simply because someone has "connections with the Sun Moon Cult" is undoubtedly an act of declaring war on the Sun Moon Cult.

This world is too vast, and the Sun Moon Sect is merely one pillar of the evil path, far from being the opposite of all the righteous paths. Therefore, Chu Luren was not afraid from the beginning that the Songshan Sect would use the Sun Moon Sect to smear him...

People from other factions would naturally not concern themselves with such trivial matters. Even if they truly had a grudge against the Sun Moon Sect, they could see that the Songshan Sect had a personal grudge against Chu Luren and was only using the Sun Moon Sect as a pretext.

Before anyone else could speak, Le Hou roared, "Boy! How arrogant you are! Do we need anyone else to deal with a little devil like you?"

As Le Hou spoke, he already assumed the posture of the "Great Yin-Yang Hand," and slapped Chu Luren with one blue and one red palm.

However, taking advantage of the lull before the fight, Chu Luren casually said, "Thirdly, after today's battle... I, Chu, will definitely be ranked on next year's Heavenly Ranking!"

Upon hearing this, everyone present was shocked—he was sure to be on the Heavenly Ranking?

Those who can enter the Heavenly Ranking are either leaders of major sects, masters of martial arts, or have an undeniable reputation for chivalry—of course, the prerequisite is not having a bad reputation under the "Song court's correctness."

Chu Luren didn't belong to any sect. The so-called "Ancient Tomb Sect" was something no one had ever heard of, and... later Chu Luren clarified that he was just an outer sect elder.

Although the Songshan Sect is domineering, it is not an evil sect after all. Its leader, Zuo Lengchan, is still listed on the Heavenly Ranking. His challenge to Songshan has nothing to do with being "unable to hide his chivalrous reputation".

In other words, the Chu Lu people want to use "today's battle" to prove that they are "unparalleled in martial arts".

Ordinary first-rate masters cannot be considered "peerless in martial arts". At least they must be first-rate among first-rate masters or even super first-rate masters, like Yu Lianzhou and Song Yuanqiao of Wudang, or even Yang Xiao of Mingjiao and Zuo Lengchan of Songshan, to be qualified.

The Thirteen Protectors of Mount Song are all skilled martial artists, but none of them are considered top-tier. If they can be used to prove one's "unparalleled martial arts prowess," then there's clearly only one possibility…

Chu Luren's sword, which he had just sheathed, remained still. He then faced Le Hou with both palms. Unlike Le Hou's Yin-Yang Palm Force, which consisted of one blue and one red color, Chu Luren's palms were both radiating golden light.

However... at the very moment the four palms collided, Le Hou sensed that Chu Luren's palm force was also a mix of yin and yang, and that it was deliberately being used in opposite directions to counter his own palm force—in this way, the one who was at a disadvantage would definitely be seriously injured by the backlash of the yin and yang palm forces!

However, even realizing this was useless. Despite giving it his all, Le Hou could only feel an even more intense and overwhelming palm force, far more yin and yang than his own "Great Yin-Yang Palm Force," constantly surging towards his palm.