Chapter 76

The clouds grew darker and denser, like a heavy black blanket pressing down on people's heads. Ling Xiao looked up at the night sky, where not a single star or moonlight could be seen. At that moment, he wished more than anything that five words would float out from the clouds! It's no big deal!

"Your extensive knowledge has shocked me again! I'm really curious, how did the Bao Long Clan's intelligence network manage to find out about the Indestructible Golden Body? Could it be that your branch of Ling Ling has some hidden strength that no one knows about?" Ling Ling Gong teased, looking at Ling Xiao. The faint golden glow surrounding him in the night made him look like a giant light bulb, which made Ling Xiao inwardly complain that no wonder this guy was always single; he was clearly illuminating others while burning himself!

Ling Xiao chuckled and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve. "I'm really sorry to have startled you! However, my greatest hobby is to let my enemies die in frustration out of ignorance! Do you think I would tell you?"

"Based on my understanding of you, you wouldn't!"

"Then why ask?"

Ling Ling Gong retracted the aura shield and sighed. "I've been潜伏in the Great Ming for many years and considered myself to be well-informed about everything in the palace. But I've never been able to figure you out!"

Ling Xiao was slightly surprised. "Why? I think I'm a pretty simple and straightforward person!"

Ling Ling Gong laughed in exasperation. "How simple are you! When you first appeared, you already caught my attention. How many people can escape from the training camp of the Jinyiwei? After learning about your martial arts potential, even though Ling Ling Fa took you as his disciple, I didn't pay much attention because I didn't think you posed a threat." He paused and continued, "This was probably my biggest mistake in recent years. If your martial arts potential were truly insignificant, how could you have comprehended the Sword Intent? A child not yet of age to hold a weapon can be so patient and enduring! I believe even Ling Ling Fa doesn't know this!"

He shook his head. "The most incomprehensible thing about you is your relationship with Ling Ling Fa! Having experienced the coldness and warmth of the world from a young age, how could you so easily develop feelings for someone? Yet, the whole city knew how much confidence you had in Ling Ling Fa! I can't understand it. If it wasn't out of emotional attachment, what made you believe that Ling Ling Fa would definitely rise to power? Could it be that Ling Ling Fa has been hiding something too?"

Ling Xiao looked at Ling Ling Gong's puzzled expression and thought to himself, "So, I'm the kind of man who's hard to figure out. Should I exaggerate about Ling Ling Fa to scare him a bit?"

Ling Ling Gong didn't wait for Ling Xiao's response and continued, "Then, the capricious Emperor left the palace! This was a perfect opportunity, but it was ruined by two people I never would have imagined!"

"Oh! You mean that incident! Actually, it was my master who begged me to accompany him. I really didn't mean to go against you!" Ling Xiao shrugged, feigning helplessness.

Ling Ling Gong smiled. "Later, when I was on my way back, I tried to salvage the plan using the Flying Knife Sect, but you and your master detected it! Now, thinking back, the so-called divine weapon you had must have been the dagger filled with Sword Intent!"

Ling Xiao nodded without denying. "Speaking of which, I have some guesses too."

"Oh? Tell me!" Ling Ling Gong said with interest.

Ling Xiao thought for a moment and slowly said, "How long you've been潜伏in the Great Ming isn't important, but you certainly know this city well. However, you didn't collude much with the court officials out of fear of exposure, otherwise, how could you have hidden from the other members of the Bao Long Clan?"

"You guessed it right. The Bao Long Clan has no simple characters, like Ling Ling Fa, who has always been underestimated!"

Ling Xiao chuckled. "Thank you for the compliment. You've been by the Emperor's side for many years but never made a move. I don't know the reason, but I assume there must be something you fear. So, when the Emperor, a homebody, left the palace, you couldn't wait to act!"

Ling Xiao continued, seeing that Ling Ling Gong neither confirmed nor denied, "Ling Ling Xi and Ling Ling Cai were probably killed by you, right? At the time, the Emperor was in charge of the Jinshan Sect, and I don't think his wife and son could have killed two of the Bao Long Clan's top experts and so many guards!"

Ling Ling Gong said proudly, "I was involved, but they weren't killed by me. I just took them by surprise, tearing off Ling Ling Xi's leg and breaking Ling Ling Cai's arm! The final blow was delivered by that foolish mother and son!"

Ling Xiao raised an eyebrow in amazement. "The Bao Long Clan truly has many experts! Even with your strength, you had to rely on surprise to ensure victory!" He then changed the subject thoughtfully, "But what I'm more interested in is why you didn't act yourself. You didn't dare to assassinate the Emperor in the palace, and outside, you relied on other forces. Even killing Ling Ling Xi and Ling Ling Cai had to be done by others. More puzzlingly, when Ling Ling Fa challenged you on the roof, you actually followed him up! Weren't you just handing the Emperor's life over to the Emperor of Wu Xiang?"

Ling Xiao then said with a serious expression, "I don't know about others, but if I had been潜伏for so long, I would never entrust such a crucial task to someone else! Therefore, I have a rather absurd theory. Although it seems unreasonable, when you eliminate all the impossibilities, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth! You can't kill the Emperor or anyone from the Bao Long Clan with your own hands!"

Ling Ling Gong's eyes were filled with an unprecedented intensity of killing intent, his face stern, but a small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Impressive! You can deduce the truth to this extent without knowing anything! However, you are not a member of the Bao Long Clan, are you?" He walked towards Ling Xiao, step by step, slowly and steadily, gradually compressing Ling Xiao's space.

"Damn! What's the rush? Let's chat a bit more!" Ling Xiao smiled bitterly and took a step back. Ling Ling Gong was right; he wasn't officially a member of the Bao Long Clan. It seemed his plan to stall for time until Ling Ling Fa came to his aid was over, but he wasn't without gains. At least, it strengthened his resolve to ask Ling Ling Fa about the truth later! If Ling Ling Fa tried to evade him, he would tell his master's wife about the time Ling Ling Fa showed him those naughty books!

Ling Xiao listened helplessly to the sounds below and looked into the distance. Baihu and Wuqing hadn't arrived yet. He sighed, feeling frustrated. If he had known that Ye Gucheng had no connection to Ling Ling Gong, he would have called Lu Xiaofeng and Zhuge Zhengyi!

Ling Ling Gong had already activated the Indestructible Golden Body, a faint golden glow enveloping his body, and his arms moved naturally, seemingly gathering sparks as they swung!

"Hey? A UFO!" Ling Xiao pointed at the sky behind Ling Ling Gong, his face full of surprise.

Ling Ling Gong didn't care about his tricks, stopped, and turned back, his face showing a strange expression.

There was indeed something in the sky, but it wasn't a UFO. It was a large Kongming lantern hanging from an iron chain. As the lantern rose, the chain gradually straightened and stopped with a slight tremor. This indicated that the other end of the chain was tied to a heavy object.

Although he didn't understand the meaning, he knew it must be Ling Ling Fa's doing. Ling Ling Gong coldly snorted and continued walking towards Ling Xiao, not believing that a lantern could harm him!

Ling Xiao's eyebrows almost met. The appearance of the Kongming lantern meant that Ling Ling Fa was out of options! The Five Thunder Strike was the final trump card! Because of its unpredictability, not only was it uncertain how long the iron chain could hold the Emperor of Wu Xiang, but also the timing of the lightning was a problem, and how could they be sure the lightning would hit the lantern?

"Is next year's today going to be our memorial day? That's too ominous! I haven't even seen the final battle on the Forbidden City's peak, and I haven't used the imperial decree for the Emperor's arranged marriage. Most importantly, I'm still a virgin!"

Ling Xiao's old leader from his previous life often said that there is no such thing as despair; the heavens always leave a glimmer of hope in the most desperate situations, and it's up to you to find it. Perhaps the heavens were moved by his troubled heart, but Ling Xiao truly saw a glimmer of hope!

"Your fist is very shiny! It doesn't look like the Bronze Statue Technique." Ling Xiao smiled bitterly, making small talk.

Ling Ling Gong continued walking, a cruel smile on his lips. "The Bronze Statue Technique is just a cover to hide my identity, as the previous Ling Ling Gong used it. As for the true boxing technique I use, you claim to know everything, so guess!"

Ling Xiao laughed, his gloomy expression vanishing. "From what you're saying, the previous Ling Ling Gong probably had no connection to Shaolin, and the Bronze Statue Technique is a common technique! And seeing how hard you've trained the Indestructible Golden Body, your boxing technique is obvious!"

Ling Ling Gong's brows furrowed. "You really know!"

"Of course!"

Before he finished speaking, Ling Xiao suddenly roared and charged at Ling Ling Gong with a broken sword, as if he had gone mad!

Ling Ling Gong, though surprised, remained calm, looking at Ling Xiao mockingly. "Hmph! A cornered beast, driven to madness by despair!"

Sparks appeared in the night sky, gradually converging into a whirlwind of flames. The whirlwind shrank and condensed on his right fist, as if the fist was wrapped in a fiery cloak. It was a spectacular sight, almost like a special effect, and it reminded Ling Xiao of the Phoenix Wing Heaven Soaring technique!

The fiery fist, carrying a terrifying aura of destruction, rushed towards Ling Xiao, who made a puzzling move.

His arm bent, palm facing forward, the other hand gripping the broken sword. Was he trying to trade injuries?

Boom! Crack!

The aura and sparks erupted wildly, the roof tiles being torn off and blown away. The sound of a broken bone mixed in, sounding so tragic.

Cold sweat immediately appeared on Ling Xiao's forehead, his left arm hanging limply as if it no longer existed. But he didn't retreat a step. Facing Ling Ling Gong, who still wore a mocking smile, he raised the broken sword!

Clang!

The broken sword was predictably deflected, even breaking a piece of the blade.

"Ha ha ha ha! Out of tricks, you're bound to lose!" Ling Ling Gong roared, retracting his right fist and wrapping his left fist in flames, aiming for Ling Xiao's head.

"Ha ha!"

The laugh was light, eerie, but Ling Ling Gong could tell he was genuinely happy! Why was he laughing? He was puzzled, suspicious, and felt intense pain!

"Ahh!"

A piercing scream echoed through the universe, heard by Baihu and Wuqing two streets away, and even more clearly by Ling Ling Fa in the hall! This scream was a signal to everyone, "I'm a legend, I can win!"

Ling Ling Gong staggered back a few steps and fell to the ground, while Ling Xiao, with his left arm hanging, slowly advanced, looking at Ling Ling Gong with disdain.

"You... how could you know!" Ling Ling Gong's face was as white as paper, blood gushing from his mouth.

Ling Xiao looked down at his numb left arm, still maintaining a victorious smile. "You mean the weakness of the Indestructible Golden Body? How to put it? It was told to me by Wu Ming and Bu Jingyun."

"Wu Ming? How could he know? Who is Bu Jingyun?" Ling Ling Gong was terrified for the first time, as his greatest secret was revealed, and this person was trying to kill him!

Ling Xiao was taken aback. There really was a Wu Ming! But why didn't he know Bu Jingyun? Despite his confusion, he continued, "My Sword Intent isn't strong enough. If Ye Gucheng were to wield the sword, I believe your shell would have shattered long ago! So, I had to resort to a secondary plan, luring you to expose the weakness under your left armpit. If I couldn't pierce your shell, I could at least pierce your weakness! You used your right fist to break my arm, and then your left fist to hit my face! As for how I knew about the weakness, ha ha, who made you practice the Indestructible Golden Body and the Three Killing Fists?"

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