HAGLTP Chapter 45

Xiao Lu admired the expressions of surprise and doubt on everyone’s faces, finally returning his gaze to Feng Yazheng.

Feng Yazheng still exuded the demeanor of a master: “What crime can be added without a reason?”

“The entire martial world is puzzled about where this demonic sect comes from. Its origins are untraceable, its movements a mystery, and its techniques unique. Every time it strikes, it directly targets the weaknesses of various sects,” Xiao Lu said.

“Every force that has tried to trace the demonic sect afterward must share the same doubts, right?”

Many leaders of various sects nodded in agreement, their faces still composed.

Xiao Lu continued, “But if we think about it differently, everything becomes much clearer.”

“The so-called demonic sect was initially an internal force within the Central Plains, merely disguised as a righteous sect to serve as a cover.”

“At this point, do your demonic sect members still need to hide among the crowd?”

“You’re talking nonsense!” the master of Floating Cloud Temple shouted angrily.

“You demonic scoundrel, first poisoning the future pillars of the righteous path, then slandering Master Feng, and now you even want to incite infighting among us in the Central Plains. Your heart deserves to be punished!”

Immediately, several righteous sect leaders echoed:

“Everyone, we cannot let him continue to deceive the masses!”

“Let’s all rush forward and capture these thieves!”

In an instant, the members of these sects drew their weapons, pointing them at the Snow Wheel Sect.

“Don’t be hasty.” Xiao Lu chuckled lightly, “Not long ago, my good disciple happened to witness a secret meeting, which included people dressed in demonic sect attire, as well as… some masked individuals from the Central Plains.”

He had already dropped several bombshells earlier, and now some members of the sects couldn’t help but glance at each other, fearing that one of them was a hidden member of the demonic sect.

“Words alone are not enough; you can’t shake the hearts of the people of the Central Plains with mere rumors,” the master of Floating Cloud Temple said.

“Therefore, I sprinkled tracking medicine on their path,” Mo Xue spoke up.

He then took out a jade box from the sleeve of a disciple beside him. Upon opening it, a group of tiny butterflies, no bigger than a thumb, fluttered inside.

“The medicine is colorless and tasteless to humans, but it cannot escape the notice of the Seeking Wind Butterflies, and it will remain in the human body for about three months. We will know who was present that day as soon as they take a test.”

A swarm of red butterflies danced gracefully before quietly landing on several shoulders: the master of Miao Yan Sect, the head of Seeking Wind Pavilion, the Crane Elder… and the master of Floating Cloud Temple, all of whom were present and leading the charge against the Snow Wheel Sect.

Everyone suddenly realized.

However, the first to jump out and attack the Snow Wheel Sect was not among them.

He was just a simpleton.

Realizing this, the already severely injured master of the Unknown Blade Sect couldn’t help but spit out blood again and fainted.

“Master Lu… your eldest disciple is also dead, right? You said he was the one to inherit your position as the sect leader,” the president of the Light and Admiration Society, sitting next to the master of Floating Cloud Temple, said with uncertainty.

“I know this old man,” the silent Wei Di suddenly spoke, “Master Lu has an illegitimate son, found three years ago, who is nominally his little disciple.”

“This little disciple has good talent and is well-loved, but he always clashes with the eldest senior brother.”

At this, everyone’s expressions turned strange. Just moments ago, Master Lu was still grieving for his eldest disciple’s death, but now it seemed out of place.

Feng Yazheng waved his sleeve: “It’s just that your Snow Wheel Sect has secretly manipulated things.”

Xiao Lu: “You keep saying you want evidence, but when I provide it, you don’t believe it. Do all old people like you act so capriciously?”

“However, I’m not here to reason with you. After saying so much, I’m tired. I heard that Master Feng has a kind heart and is not skilled in martial arts, so how about—”

A red shadow suddenly rushed towards Feng Yazheng: “May I ask for your guidance?”

The crowd barely saw Xiao Lu’s movement; they only saw a red afterimage that seemed to turn into the wind, swiftly rushing forward, seemingly about to strike Feng Yazheng dead on the spot.

Several disguised members of the righteous sect were immediately alarmed, trying to intervene, but Xiao Lu’s speed was too fast, and in the blink of an eye, he was in front of Feng Yazheng, leaving them unable to reach him.

At that moment, Feng Yazheng, who had always been regarded as unskilled in combat, moved.

He had to move.

Otherwise, he would truly die.

Feng Yazheng raised both palms towards the incoming red shadow, meeting Xiao Lu’s palms.

In an instant, a surge of energy rapidly expanded from the two as the ground’s hard stone slabs could not withstand the powerful impact, shattering into pieces. The fragments, along with the residual energy, scattered like hidden weapons across the area.

The power of the world’s top masters, even if just the residual force, was enough to pierce through stone pillars.

At this moment, everyone could not protect themselves. The skilled masters and elders of the sects used their abilities to shield their disciples.

But the Unknown Blade Sect, whose master had already fainted, was in dire straits. They had only brought one elder, and even if he danced with his blade, it was still a bit too much for him to handle alone.

Seeing the fragments about to hit the disciples of their sect, the elder felt a chill in his heart. They had come with elite disciples this time; if something were to happen…

He glanced at the master who had been shoved under the table. Master, why are you so foolish as to let someone else take the hit?!

At this critical moment, a white figure, accompanied by a moon-white sword light, suddenly appeared, the sword light like a silk thread, enveloping the nearly hopeless disciples, blocking the rain of stones.

“Mo Xue…” the elder looked at the newcomer in astonishment.

Mo Xue, with an expression as usual, sheathed his sword and said not a word, not even a glance more. But the act of selflessly protecting them in a moment of crisis was undeniably genuine.

Then, disciples of the Snow Wheel Sect came to assist their master.

The elder couldn’t help but sigh: “The hearts of people…”

“I think the Snow Wheel Sect is quite good,” his disciple said, “Look how beautiful their clothes are, their martial arts are also impressive, much better than ours, and the people are kind.”

“Exactly, good-looking people can’t be bad!” a disciple beside him echoed.

The elder’s sentiment got stuck in his throat, unable to escape.

He was furious, what a bunch of simpletons! Are good people judged by their looks?!

Xiao Lu and Feng Yazheng exchanged blows, skipping the probing steps and directly pushing the battle into a heated state.

“Bai Lu…” Feng Yazheng’s usually solemn face showed a hint of ferocity.

His long-planned scheme to eliminate dissent and unify the martial world was completely disrupted by this fellow!

However, the emergence of the Snow Wheel Sect saved him a lot of effort.

Feng Yazheng had been the master of the aloof Liuli Medicine King Valley for nearly a hundred years. Although he had acted secretly, he had little ambition for unifying the martial world; having a transcendent position in the Medicine King Valley was already enough.

But he was nearing death.

Even after taking the Three Yuan Pill, which granted him surging internal energy and a healthy, long life, life has its limits. At eighty, he began to fear this limit, and now at one hundred and eighteen, he felt he was on the edge of that limit, ready to fall at any moment.

What good is longevity? He was unwilling to step into death like this.

He thought of the Wei family, the miraculous pills, the extraordinary medical skills, the mysterious origins. He remembered that Wei’s father once said after a drink that they originally had many branches; just the Wei family hid such treasures, what about the other branches?

Unfortunately, despite searching high and low, he could not find any news related to the Wei family, which made him increasingly anxious, even regretting his past actions.

He had killed too quickly; he should have left a little behind to torture them, forcing them to reveal more.

Feng Yazheng couldn’t help but recall events from thirty years ago.

Thirty years ago, he had used the hand of the demonic sect to strike hard against the major sects pressing down on him, allowing the Liuli Medicine King Valley to leap to a first-rate force with a transcendent status. And now, he wanted to control the entire martial world, unearth the secrets buried by the Wei family, and conveniently eliminate the Snow Wheel Sect, which had recently attempted to compete with the Medicine King Valley.

As for the people who would be sacrificed in this plan? The blood of the innocent was never in his consideration.

Everything was going smoothly until Bai Lu appeared at the martial arts conference.

To seek revenge for the blood feud of the Wei family.

In that moment, Feng Yazheng felt more joy than the panic of being exposed; it was as if he had stumbled upon something he had been searching for tirelessly.

The martial arts conference? It was no longer that important.

Taking advantage of the gap after exchanging blows with Xiao Lu, Feng Yazheng took out a pitch-black flute from his sleeve, placed it to his lips, and blew. The sharp and strange sound of the flute, infused with internal energy, spread far and wide.

“Those present today, either surrender or die!”

As long as those who knew the secret kept quiet, then his secret would forever remain a secret.

With the order given, the hidden disciples of the demonic sect moved.

“Junior brother…”

“Junior sister, what are you…”

“Master… why…”

One body after another fell, and even the Liuli Medicine King Valley was no exception. Although Feng Yazheng had secretly developed the demonic sect’s power, only a portion of the Medicine King Valley’s members were from the demonic sect; on the surface, it was still a righteous sect.

Receiving the signal from the flute, a group of black-clad demonic sect members descended from the sky, beginning to slaughter the people in the arena alongside the hidden disciples of the demonic sect.

The blood spread, adding color to this chaos.

At the forefront was a man with honey-colored skin, deep features, and curly brown hair, wielding twin blades, exuding a wolf-like ferocity. His name was Naga, the boss in the original plot, the ostensible leader of the demonic sect.

At this point, the demonic sect had completely torn off its mask, determined to take full control of the martial world in the Central Plains.

Naga acted decisively and ruthlessly, his twin blades mercilessly cleaving through anyone who obstructed him, leaving a trail of blood in his wake.

His target was clear— the Snow Wheel Sect.

Feng Yazheng was responsible for capturing Xiao Lu, while he was in charge of controlling the rest of the Snow Wheel Sect members, ensuring they would not resist and could be used as leverage against Xiao Lu if necessary.

Just like the Wei family back then.

Naga slaughtered his way toward the Snow Wheel Sect, a cruel smile on his lips, envisioning the white color stained with blood, falling into the dust as the best ending.

The slaughtering knife was already raised when, at that moment, a figure in white appeared before him.

Handsome and radiant, like the bright moon, exuding a warmth that was incongruous with the current scene, like a sword carved from beautiful jade, appearing completely non-threatening, yet no one dared to underestimate this beauty.

Mo Xue smiled as he drew his long sword: “Stop.”

Naga’s eyes were filled with killing intent: “Then I’ll start with you.”

The blade and sword light instantly intertwined.

·

Xiao Lu and Feng Yazheng exchanged blows, having already left the venue.

The bamboo shadows swayed, and two figures, one red and one yellow, gracefully traversed the bamboo forest, their toes lightly stepping on the bamboo leaves.

The scene appeared ethereal like a fairy, yet it was a life-and-death struggle.

If there were a ranking of martial prowess in this world, these two half-step cultivators had clearly reached the pinnacle.

But precisely because of this, their battle allowed for not a single mistake.

Feng Yazheng had taken the Three Yuan Pill and accumulated a hundred years of martial arts experience. Not only was his internal energy robust, but his combat experience was also extremely rich. When Xiao Lu sparred with him, he had to be fully focused; even a moment’s distraction could lead to a direct hit to his vital points.

Feng Yazheng swung a palm, stirring the bamboo leaves in the forest.

The bamboo leaves were delicate, but under the influence of internal energy, they transformed into countless blades flying towards Xiao Lu.

Xiao Lu’s sleeve flared, and surging internal energy gathered on the wind of his palm, slightly altering the direction of the incoming bamboo leaves. The dense rain of bamboo leaves flew into the forest, instantly cutting down a large area of bamboo, creating a significant gap in the green sea of bamboo.

“Hahahaha—”

Feng Yazheng laughed wildly, showing none of the previous composure of a master: “I am already the number one master in the world; the former leader of the martial arts alliance was merely a puppet I personally controlled. You, child, seem to have gained some fortune, but compared to me, you are still too tender, not worth mentioning!”

He unleashed several more palms, and the bamboo leaves in the forest seemed to become his weapons, obediently attacking Xiao Lu frantically, leaving Xiao Lu with almost no opportunity to close in.

The bamboo shadows came down like a storm, enveloping Xiao Lu from above.

The figure in red lightly tapped his toes and gracefully darted to the right, instantly covering three zhang.

“Trying to escape? You can’t get away,” Feng Yazheng pursued relentlessly.

“Don’t be too arrogant; after pretending to be a grand master for most of your life, to falter at this final moment is rather inappropriate.”

“Enough nonsense, obediently hand over the hidden secrets of the Wei family!”

Feng Yazheng’s heart was ablaze; he had already attained power, status, wealth, fame, and the ability to stir the winds and clouds. Everything that worldly people pursued could no longer move him.

Only longevity!

Xiao Lu used lightness skills to traverse the forest, raising his hand to break off a bamboo branch from a nearby bamboo, swinging it a couple of times, feeling that the grip was quite good.

“Want to see the secrets of the Wei family? I can show you something fresh.”

The red-clad beauty turned the branch into a sword, lightly tapping her toes as she approached Feng Yazheng.

The sky was filled with bamboo leaves like rain, but the bamboo branch in Xiao Lu’s hand was like a sharp wind, slicing through the torrential rain.

Clearly just a soft bamboo branch, in his hand it bore the might of thunder, showing no sign of weakness, but rather an aloof and imposing sword intent.

Since the sword manual had been acquired, how could it be that only the cheap disciple practiced it? As the master, he naturally had to master the sword technique to maintain the pride of his mentor.

On ordinary days, he and Mo Xue were each other’s opponents.

Feng Yazheng’s arrogant expression faded.

He had immersed himself in martial arts for over a hundred years, his vision had long become extremely sharp, and he could see at a glance that this sword intent was no ordinary thing, even though the opponent merely held a bamboo branch.

He seemed to have seen a similar sword intent before.

Over twenty years ago, a young man had attacked him at night, with profound internal energy and sharp sword skills. But that young man had too little experience in the martial world, like a blank sheet of paper, and was soon severely injured by him, fleeing without a trace.

That night, the sword intent used by that person bore some resemblance to the one before him, but it lacked the chilling feeling that made his back shiver.

But clearly, Bai Lu was even younger; how had he managed to achieve such decisiveness and ruthlessness as if he had fought through blood and fire?

Soon, Feng Yazheng had no more time for extra thoughts.

The bamboo branch in Xiao Lu’s hand, carrying the might of thunder, had already broken through the barrier woven from bamboo leaves, closing in on him in an instant.

In close proximity, the power of the sword technique was even greater.

The imposing sword intent descended like a storm, forcing him to muster all his spirit to respond.

The rhythm of this duel in the bamboo forest suddenly accelerated.

The two figures were reduced to mere afterimages.

Gradually, Feng Yazheng began to feel overwhelmed; after all, he was a hundred-year-old man. Even if he had half-stepped into the path of immortality, his body was still that of a mortal.

Moreover, the scoundrel before him showed no respect for the elderly, ruthlessly attacking the hundred-year-old man.

Xiao Lu naturally noticed his change; a meaningful smile curled on his red lips: “Master Feng, this power that doesn’t belong to you, does it feel easy to use?”

Feng Yazheng did not respond; he did not understand why the other party suddenly brought this up.

“This internal energy is not yours, and the true meaning of the medicine is completely contrary to your path.”

“I suppose over the years, Master Feng has spent quite a bit of time trying to make up for the shortcomings in martial arts, but unfortunately, there are still many flaws.”

Feng Yazheng frowned: “Don’t talk nonsense.”

“Don’t believe it?” Xiao Lu flicked the bamboo branch, aiming for Feng Yazheng’s shoulder’s Yunmen acupoint.

Feng Yazheng suddenly felt a surge of energy rushing into his body, directly causing his solid protective energy to fluctuate.

Xiao Lu did not stop; the bamboo branch pointed at his Tianxi, Youze, Shimen…

With each flick of the bamboo branch, Feng Yazheng’s internal energy would violently fluctuate.

These were all weak points in Feng Yazheng’s internal energy operation; ordinary martial artists might not notice them. But Xiao Lu, like him, had already reached the pinnacle of power in this world, and these flaws were glaringly obvious to him.

The flaws all over his body were continuously attacked by Xiao Lu, and Feng Yazheng was horrified. He tried to gather his energy to counterattack, but every time he was about to gather strength, he was brutally crushed by Xiao Lu.

He had roamed the martial world for many years and had not experienced this feeling of being utterly powerless for a long time.

How could this be…

Xiao Lu’s bamboo branch struck Feng Yazheng’s chest at the Tan Zhong acupoint.

“Poof—” Feng Yazheng’s blood surged, and he immediately spat out a mouthful of blood.

He staggered back several steps, finally leaning against the bamboo forest, temporarily stabilizing his form, coughing incessantly.

His neatly arranged white hair was now disheveled, his fine yellow robe covered in dust, a bloodstain on his chest, no longer showing the lofty demeanor of a master.

In the depths of the bamboo grove, the bamboo shadows swayed.

“A deceased friend entrusted me to ask Master Feng for something—”

Xiao Lu walked leisurely, holding the bamboo branch, the bright red hem of his clothes fluttering in the wind, his exquisite appearance against the backdrop of the dark green bamboo sea seemed like a celestial being.

But in Feng Yazheng’s eyes, he appeared as a hellish figure.