The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

Yin and Yang clashed, and there was no way to hold back or dissipate the force. As the loser, Le Hou felt two mixed forces of Yin and Yang from his palms, accompanied by a backlash, sweeping through his arms and meridians throughout his body!

The broken bones and tendons in both arms are minor matters; external medicine can cure them. However, due to the backlash from the Yin-Yang Palm technique, even if they are saved, they will be mostly crippled.

The Six Yang Palms of Tianshan was a palm technique of the Xiaoyao Sect that Chu Luren had long ago obtained, but he had not been able to integrate it because he had not found a suitable martial art.

While you might not be able to master the basic form, you can train the "Dream God" on your own without needing to equip badges!

In addition, Meng Shen's internal strength is now quite high. More importantly, he can unleash his full power at any time without any loss. Moreover, his meridians have extremely strong endurance and his burst efficiency is also extremely high.

Le Hou's scream startled the others, who had been stunned by Chu Luren's boastful words...

At the same time, Chu Luren suddenly drew his sword—wanting to prove his top-tier strength in today's battle, at least... he had to take on all the Songshan Taibao present one-on-one!

Chapter 167 One Against Six

Enlightenment requires the consumption of "fusion fragments".

Unless there is danger or something extremely important, Chu Luren, who is already quite capable of fighting even without enlightenment, will not easily use the enlightenment mode to fight.

For example, killing gray bats and owls is clearly not a very important matter...

However, intimidating the Songshan Sect was something Chu Luren had planned long ago, and it was considered very "important," and... if not handled properly, it could be very "dangerous"!

Zuo Lengchan of the Songshan Sect is second to none among the Five Mountains Sword Sects, excluding old monsters like Feng Qingyang and Mu Renqing who are indifferent to worldly affairs.

In the original work, Zuo Lengchan even had a record of defeating Ren Woxing—although the victory was not honorable. Ren Woxing had first fought Fang Zheng, who was truly evenly matched with Zuo Lengchan. In addition, Zuo Lengchan's Frost True Qi restrained Ren Woxing, especially in their first encounter, which had an unexpected effect. However... in any case, the fact that Zuo Lengchan could defeat Ren Woxing once already made him a top-tier player.

In other words, Chu Luren wasn't confident in his ability to "enlighten the Dream God," and if he couldn't win, it would be a huge loss for him to consume the "fusion fragments."

Having repeatedly clashed with each other, even though Chu Luren and the Songshan Sect didn't harbor any deep-seated hatred, they were already on the receiving end of a hostile relationship...

Especially since Chu Luren is also planning to protect Lin Pingzhi on this trip, it is imperative to deter the Songshan Sect!

Only by intimidating the Songshan Sect and preventing Zuo Lengchan from easily provoking him can he avoid even greater waste in the future. Given Zuo Lengchan's current situation and purpose, as long as a lone wolf like Chu Luren demonstrates top-tier strength, Zuo Lengchan will not necessarily fight him to the death.

At this moment, Chu Luren first unleashed a burst of power under the "Enlightenment of the Dream God," directly using the "Six Yang Palms of Tianshan" to severely injure "Great Yin Yang Hand" Le Hou. Then, he drew his sword and leaped into the air...

Without the Songshan Sect needing to say anything polite, Chu Luren's sword light directly encircled the leading Thirteen Protectors, and even the Songshan Sect's disciple who was standing nearby.

"Since the Songshan Sect thinks I am a heretic, then there's no need to talk about rules. Let's all attack together!" Chu Luren had already spoken for them.

The Five Sacred Mountains' Divine Sword!

It can be described as the condensed result of the collective wisdom and efficient exchange of martial arts will among all the "founding masters" in the history of the Five Mountains Sword Sect, and with the sincere corrections of the ten elders of the Sun Moon Divine Sect!

Among all the "techniques" mastered by Chu Luren, this is undoubtedly the best. In terms of technique alone, it has surpassed several unique skills of the Xiaoyao Sect.

At the same time, the difficulty of cultivation is also completely maxed out, and it can be said that it can only be cultivated in theory—the more people create a martial art, the easier it is to achieve this.

At this moment, Chu Luren drew his sword, as if wind, rain, clouds and mist had gathered, and the surroundings were both hazy and full of hidden killing intent!

This attack drew all the masters of the Songshan Sect into its swordplay, with Ding Mian, Lu Bai, and Tang Ying'e at the forefront bearing the brunt...

This move, "Clouds Rise and Clouds Gather," subtly incorporates the Five Sacred Mountains Sword Techniques, which are as real and illusory as "Thirteen Styles of Ever-Changing Clouds and Mist," "Heavenly Pillar Clouds," and "White Clouds Emerging from the Peaks."

The moment it was unleashed, accompanied by the still-lingering snow and the faintly peeking morning sun, it added even more to the atmosphere.

Chu Luren is still far from comprehending the power of the "True Understanding of the Five Sacred Mountains," and... the "True Understanding of the Five Sacred Mountains" contains more than one kind of power.

At this moment, Chu Luren's attack was purely an application of internal energy. Even so, it was both dazzling and hazy, yet also filled with murderous intent. The first three people caught in the cloud and rain were the first to react and drew their swords to meet the attack.

The latter, Stendhal, was not among the Thirteen Protectors, but rather a disciple of Zuo Lengchan. His reaction speed and martial arts skills were significantly inferior; amidst the passion, he felt a chill run through his entire body…

It's colder than snow.

The raindrop-like sword energy quickly seeped into his body, seemingly gentle, yet it felt as if it were threading a needle through his meridians!

Stendar screamed and staggered backward.

The other three members of the Thirteen Outer Sect, surnamed Zhao, Zhang, and Sima, who had been protecting Shi Dengda, were also unable to save him at this moment and hastily drew their swords to fight...

"Junior disciples, step back!" Lu Bai hurriedly shouted.

One concern is the risk of casualties, and since they don't form a sword formation, if there are too many of them, they will restrain and hinder each other. It's better to limit it to only six of the Thirteen Protectors. As for Le Hou, he's practically useless now.

Just as the six people gradually regained their footing and were about to encircle each other, amidst the clouds, rain, wind, and snow, Chu Luren's sword style changed. Although it was a soft sword, he used the method of using softness to overcome hardness and hiding needles in cotton. His whole body seemed to be enveloped by an invisible huge ball of energy. No matter how the swords slashed and thrust, the ball of energy would either dent or bulge, but it could not be broken. Instead, Chu Luren would counterattack from time to time!

It is the fusion of all the defensive and force-dissipating sword techniques from the Five Sacred Mountains Swordplay that forms the "Mountains Encircle Waters" style, and the "Where There Are Immortals, There Is Spirit" style that conceals offense within defense...

The Dream God state doesn't help much in comprehending "momentum," but Chu Luren can still use the momentum he has already comprehended—these two moves are respectively compatible with "Peacock Spreading its Tail" and "Flowers in Full Bloom," so they are naturally easier to use!

In addition, with its ability to move freely through the void, it seemed to handle the attack from six people with ease.

"The thief's internal strength is weak. Use a powerful sword technique to force him to fight head-on!" Lu Bai was the first to react and quickly called out.

As soon as the words were spoken, the six men changed their sword stance. At the same time, Linghu Chong and Lin Pingzhi, who were confronting Cong Buqi and Cheng Buyou, couldn't help but shout, "The six senior uncles and elder brothers of Songshan have such great skills! Their coordination is so perfect. I wonder when Songshan acquired a combined sword formation? Has Senior Brother heard of it?"

"Perhaps it's something that Leader Zuo came up with for the first time."

Although they knew the two were mocking the Songshan Sect, and that six against one was causing the Songshan disciples to glare angrily, the six involved parties pretended not to hear and had no time to refute.

At this moment, Ding Mian, Lu Bai, and Tang Ying'e unleashed the "Eternal Dragon" technique, sweeping across Chu Luren's neck, waist, chest, and abdomen. Meanwhile, the other three soared into the air, thrusting their "Jade Dragon from Beyond the Heavens" at Chu Luren...

Both sword techniques are renowned for their grand and imposing style within the Songshan swordplay. When used together, Chu Luren, though not without a way to dodge, would inevitably be at a disadvantage if he retreated to his lower body to evade.

"what!"

Just then, Chu Luren exhaled and suddenly his whole body radiated a golden light, which not only enveloped his entire body but also the "Gentle Breeze Accompanying the Moon" in his hand!

The sword, originally a soft sword called "Gentle Breeze Accompanying the Moon," now appeared wider and thicker under the golden light. Moreover, a section of golden light extended about a quarter of the blade's length behind the hilt, making it look like a golden giant ape wielding a short, thick stick.

It was the "Free and Easy Immortal Ape True Qi" that was now being fully activated and entering the burst mode. This was present in the "Purple Cloud Skill," but Mu Renqing's "Primordial Chaos Skill" took it a step further, bringing out the "burst" nature to its fullest extent, sacrificing some durability.

The "Free and Easy Immortal Ape Scripture" goes a step further, not only drastically depleting internal energy but also mental energy. It involves indulging the mind and easily leads to getting "hysterical" as the fight progresses.

However, this is not a problem for the "Dream God". The "Dream God" lasts only because of the difference in internal energy between the main body and the Dream God. As long as the Dream God can manifest, the internal energy will always be "endless". As for the state of mind... the dream consciousness itself is much calmer than the consciousness when awake!

Chapter 168 Great Victory

In a dilapidated temple near Luoyang, facing the fierce attack of the six great protectors of the Songshan Sect, Chu Luren actually forced a head-on confrontation, using brute force to overcome brute force and gain the upper hand!

As the "giant ape" wielded its weapon, it seemed to transform a sword into a staff and a staff into a sword. With a single move, "Five Mountains Overturned," it directly thwarted the combined fierce attack of the Six Protectors of Songshan!

Then, Chu Luren faced six opponents alone, yet remained fearless. Instead, he took the initiative, launching attack after attack, forcing the six from Songshan to retreat step by step, instantly shattering their combined strength...

In a one-on-one fight, none of the six bodyguards of Songshan are weaker than the six immortals of Peach Valley, especially Ding Mian and Lu Bai, who are definitely superior to the six immortals of Peach Valley in a one-on-one fight. However, if the six of them join forces, the six immortals of Peach Valley will definitely be able to win decisively.

After all, although the six from Songshan were fellow disciples, their relationships varied in closeness and distance. They were only relatively familiar with each other and didn't have any high-level skills like "sword formations." It was already good if the six of them could exert the strength of four and a half people when they made a move. How could they compare to the Peach Valley Six Immortals, who were good at group battles?

When Chu Luren had an epiphany about the Dream God, he was able to suppress the Six Immortals of Peach Valley, forcing them to rely solely on their cultivation techniques. Naturally, he was also able to defeat the Six Protectors of Mount Song!

Chu Luren then forced Lu Bai open with his sword, and with his left hand also wrapped in golden light, he stepped forward and unleashed another move, the Tianshan Six Yang Palm. If the strike landed, the Thirteen Protectors would likely lose another member.

But at that moment, the restless Shenshan Shangren made his move, grabbing Lu Bai from behind with his left hand and swinging him backward, while his right fist was clenched and extended forward—it was the "Tiger Subduing Fist," one of the temple's most treasured martial arts techniques.

The names are quite ordinary. Shaolin has Shaolin Tiger-Taming Fist, and Wudang has Wudang Tiger-Taming Fist. However, Qingliang Temple's Tiger-Taming Fist and Demon-Taming Swordplay are the two major external martial arts of the temple, so they must have their own mysteries.

Master Shenshan is over seventy years old, but he is obsessed with martial arts and diligent in maintaining his health. With both internal and external cultivation, his muscles and bones have not deteriorated much. Unless he fights for a long time, he does not look old. Moreover, he has been practicing martial arts since his early years. He inherited the position of abbot in his youth and has been practicing the Qingliang Temple's "Xinyi Qi Hunyuan Gong" for almost sixty years. His internal strength is profound, but his external skills are a bit weak. This is why Master Shenshan is so eager to learn about Shaolin.

Although the divine mountain was rescuing people at this moment, it had actually been prepared in advance and was secretly gathering its strength. Chu Luren was holding a sword in his right hand and striking with his palm in his left hand, which could not be considered as using his full strength.

The abbot of the sacred mountain possessed a solemn aura. With a single punch, the phantom of his kasaya even appeared around him, clearly indicating that he had pushed his Buddhist internal energy to its limit...

As their fists and palms collided, two sounds rang out: one muffled like a night drum and the other bright like a morning bell. Chu Luren took five or six steps back, while Shenshan stopped half a step behind!

However, Chu Luren's meridians trembled after the head-on clash, but he returned to normal with a few breaths. Shen Shan, on the other hand, had a flushed face and his Adam's apple bobbed, indicating that his internal organs were trembling. He endured the pain, even if it meant his injuries would worsen, rather than spit out blood.

In terms of pure internal strength, Chu Luren would be no match for Shenshan. However, in a contest of fists and palms, it's not just about who has the higher internal strength. Chu Luren's Tianshan Six Yang Palm is far superior to the Tiger Subduing Fist. This time, a single palm strike contains both Yin and Yang true energy, which are intertwined...

Shenshan felt as if he had been crushed by a millstone, which then spun like a top and drilled into his meridians. Although he quickly suppressed it with his internal energy, he did suffer some minor internal injuries.

"Is Wutai Mountain unable to bear the loneliness?" Chu Luren's voice trembled in his Immortal Ape Mode.

It wasn't a trembling "vibration," but rather a "vibration" that seemed to have an electronic music effect added.

Shenshan had caught his breath and put Lu Bai down, saying, "Amitabha, Benefactor Chu has misunderstood. This humble monk could not bear to see the Songshan Sect and Benefactor Chu turn against each other because of a small misunderstanding."

The frame is biased!

However, with his pull, Chu Luren temporarily reverted to his immortal ape form, and the people from Songshan remained on guard from a distance.

Shenshan certainly didn't want to get involved in the mess of the Sun Moon Sect. The only point of common interest between him and the Songshan Sect was "VS Shaolin Temple".

However, for the sake of future cooperation, Shenshan had no choice but to step in and mediate. The Chu Lu people would certainly not give him face, and he probably wouldn't fight to the death.

Chu Luren's original plan was to cripple two or three people to establish his authority, without necessarily becoming irreconcilable enemies with the Songshan Sect...

Firstly, it's to control the level of hatred. Secondly... if Chu Luren really goes on a killing spree, those present will likely go beyond just watching the show; the scale will probably reach the point where one or two more are crippled, and the advantage is completely established.

Just as Chu Luren said before the battle—"After today's battle, I, Chu, will surely be ranked on the Heavenly Ranking next year."

Although the Songshan Sect is a righteous sect, especially with the backing of the Heavenly Ranking, since Chu Luren is not universally recognized as an evil sect, the fact that they deliberately provoked Chu Luren meant that the few experts from Songshan who were either killed or crippled would only elicit praise from bystanders who admired Chu Luren's prowess.

However, if the Songshan Sect were to retreat voluntarily, and Chu Luren were to pursue and exterminate them, there was a risk of being expelled from the righteous path—that's the advantage of a sect over a lone wolf.

No matter how domineering the Songshan Sect is now, its reputation for eliminating demons and protecting the righteous path, or rather, its accumulated relationships in the martial arts world, still remain.

Just like the character Miejue in the original work, many people in the martial arts world complained about her stubbornness and ruthlessness, and had many criticisms, especially since she ultimately sought her own death... However, when Miejue really died, apart from those who had real grudges, most righteous people still remembered their old friendship.

Based on what Chu Luren has seen and heard, in the martial arts world, the essence of so-called "remembering old feelings" is that "reputation" is far more important than "good or evil" itself.

Moreover, it's not necessarily that these righteous masters have actually done many good deeds; seven-tenths of their "reputation" comes from their deep connections in the martial arts world!

In contrast, a lone wolf like Chu Luren has a shallow network of relationships and is therefore less recognized. If the Songshan Sect were to kill him, it wouldn't make much of a splash in terms of chivalry... At most, Qiao Feng and Duan Yu would go to Songshan to seek justice.

Since Chu Luren still wants to "enter the Heavenly Ranking", he naturally hasn't made any plans to deal with the Songshan Sect in the current situation.

Although only Lehou has been crippled and Shidenda is just an extra, since Shenshan has spoken, the Chu Lu people have also decided to "quit their fire".

"Misunderstanding? Ha, in that case, I really need to go and ask Zuo Lengchan one of these days if it's a misunderstanding!" Chu Luren said with a disdainful tone.

Now that the Chu Lu people have the upper hand, they can naturally make harsh remarks, and also leave a pretext—if there is a real opportunity in the future, the Chu Lu people can take advantage of today's grudge to go to Mount Song to "settle things over".

As for what kind of "opportunity"?

First, the Songshan Sect brought this upon itself, for example, by organizing the Five Sacred Mountains Alliance Conference, which then alienated many people. Second, it occurred when the Chu Lu people's "prestige" was at its peak...

Chu Luren is a lone wolf, and Yan Nantian was also a lone wolf sixteen years ago, but there is a fundamental difference between them.

If it were Yan Nantian back then, and the Songshan Sect dared to provoke them, Yan Nantian would have slaughtered them all, and the martial arts world would only criticize the Songshan Sect for being ungrateful.

As for now, the Chu Lu people have already achieved their goal.

"The Songshan Sect... awaits your arrival!"