Chapter 79: Natural Enemy (4)

Moyong Jun extended a formal greeting to the assembly.

"I am deeply grateful to the leaders of all the factions who have gathered here despite my sudden invocation of the Grand Assembly Warrant. Although some could not make it due to their busy schedules, I will send them letters of thanks separately."

The gathering was indeed a splendid one.

From the Nine Great Sects, the abbots of Shaolin, Wudang, Huashan, Zhongnan, and Qingcheng were present. From the Seven Great Families, the heads of the Moyong, Zhuge, Nan Gong, and Peng families attended.

These were the leaders of the righteous martial world gathered near Rongzhong Mountain in Hubei Province. While other sect leaders could not attend due to the distance or their busy schedules, it was still a considerable number for such a short notice.

"And."

Moyong Jun's eyes turned to the abbots of Shaolin and Wudang.

"Since these two are here, we can consider all the Nine Great Sects to be present."

Taishan Beidou, the Northern Venerable Shaolin.

Yuanwu Xianshan, the Southern Venerable Wudang.

These were the titans of the righteous martial world, known as the Northern Venerable Shaolin and the Southern Venerable Wudang. With their participation, it was no exaggeration to say that all the leaders of the righteous martial world were present.

"You have all traveled far. I am truly surprised. I never thought that the head of the Moyong family would invoke the Grand Assembly Warrant."

"Indeed. In fact, the one who most frequently invokes the Grand Assembly Warrant is the head of the Longtou Sect. Since he is not here, he must be very busy."

They exchanged words with a light-hearted tone.

Moyong Jun smiled.

"I did not intend to invoke the Grand Assembly Warrant for trivial matters, but the gravity of the situation left me no choice."

The faces of the people present hardened.

Moyong Jun had mentioned the "situation," a word that carried a sense of great crisis.

The abbot of Shaolin asked.

"Amitabha. If the matter is so serious and urgent, perhaps we should postpone the formalities for now."

He was suggesting they get to the main topic. Moyong Jun also hoped for this.

"Agreed. Since the leaders of all the factions are busy, I will proceed directly to the matter at hand."

"Agreed."

"However, before we begin, I must inform you that those gathered here will need to make a significant decision for the future of the righteous martial world."

"Hmm?"

"I believe that this matter is serious enough to officially dissolve a faction, or to declare a group as a public enemy of the martial world."

The leaders' eyes widened.

A public enemy of the martial world means a common enemy of the entire martial community.

If a person is declared a public enemy, the entire righteous martial world will mobilize to capture them. If a faction is declared a public enemy, it must be immediately dissolved.

Of course, they would not surrender or dissolve willingly.

But if that happens, the only outcome is destruction. Being declared a public enemy means that the faction is deemed worthy of annihilation.

It means there is no excuse for their actions. Therefore, the four characters "public enemy of the martial world" are a source of fear for everyone in the righteous martial world.

The head of the Wudang Sect asked cautiously.

"Which faction are you referring to? Or, which sect has committed such a grave sin?"

"Those present here must be aware of the recent significant changes in the Henan martial world."

The head of the Peng family, located far from Henan in Hebei Province, tilted his head.

"Henan martial world? The Henan where Shaolin and Ming families are located?"

"That's correct."

Moyong Jun's eyes sparkled.

"The main force I want to discuss today is the Nine Great Families."

* * *

'Impressive.'

Rumble.

The white tiger qi rose spontaneously. The black tortoise qi stirred with a blue hue.

Sssss.

The wall-breaking true qi from his dantian surged through his body in an instant.

Even the power of the wall-breaking true qi could not calm the two divine qi. The tense and sharp auras were making the qi waves in the Lianhuo Hall rough.

'They are fake, but to have mastered them to this extent...'

The head of the Nine Great Families, Ming Tian.

Even from a distance of thirty zhang, the moment he spotted Ming Tian, the two divine qi began to react wildly.

This was the true anger of the genuine qi towards the fake, and the tension towards the surprisingly powerful aura, even though it was fake.

'It's the Vermilion Bird qi. And it's very clear.'

Indeed, it was the Vermilion Bird qi.

But it was also not the Vermilion Bird qi.

The Vermilion Bird qi he knew was like the sun, filled with radiant fire qi, a divine king of the flying heavens.

The Vermilion Bird qi that Ming Tian had mastered was different.

The qi itself was greatly distorted, like a fallen half-god of fire who had lost his divinity. The fire qi, while the same, seemed overly narrow and dangerous.

The qi of the two young men who came with Ming Xue was on a different level.

Because they had mastered it more deeply, the power was stronger, but the damage was more severe.

'But his skills are undoubtedly formidable.'

Lian Huozheng smiled.

'He will be a good opponent.'

And if things go well...

"Are you Lian Huozheng?"

Ming Tian's lips twitched. Something clearly did not sit well with him.

"To have the nerve to show up here, are you so desperate to die?"

"Indeed, why didn't you come when you were supposed to?"

"What?!"

"Didn't you hear? Or did you not even tell them? You seem to have unreliable subordinates."

Ming Tian's eyes flared with killing intent.

Flash!

A terrifying gaze shot across the thirty zhang distance, as if it could cut a person to death with just a look.

Lian Huozheng's eyes also flashed.

'As expected.'

By sensing Ming Tian's gaze and the dangerous killing intent, Lian Huozheng realized that he was a more dangerous opponent than he had anticipated.

The problem was the madness in his eyes.

'It's certain. The Vermilion Bird qi has invaded the upper dantian.'

The Four Divine Beasts represent the four directions. Being divine creatures, their qi is inherently difficult for a human body to contain.

Just as a wrong medicine can turn into poison, the Four Divine Beasts' qi is so divine that it can harm a person. A complete understanding of the true qi and gradual cultivation are essential.

Lian Huozheng's ability to handle the black tortoise and white tiger so skillfully was entirely due to his enlightenment during the Black Darkness Sect era. Having fully mastered the Four Divine Beasts' martial arts, he could safely use them without gradual cultivation.

However, Ming Tian was different.

Not just Ming Tian, but all fifty experts had only superficially mastered the Four Divine Beasts' martial arts.

They had refined the distorted qi without a complete understanding, leaving no room for both body and mind to remain intact.

Boom!

Lian Huozheng's foot shook the earth.

"No need for long words, right?"

"..."

"Come. I'll split your head open."

Ming Tian was speechless. He was so angry that he almost laughed.

"Do you think I've kept you alive out of fear?"

"If you want me to come, I'll come. No need for so many words."

"That guy?!"

His manner of speaking was far from ordinary.

Despite his rapidly rising anger, he felt it was for the best. After all, his family had been suffering from rumors because of this one person.

He was already on his way to destroy the Lian family. Now, there was nothing to hold back.

Ming Tian roared.

"Someone, bring that brat here! I will tear his head off with my own hands!"

As soon as he finished speaking, one of the martial artists kicked the stirrup of his horse.

Boom!

A powerful leap into the sky. It was a free and graceful movement, yet with a strange heaviness.

Lian Huozheng's eyes gleamed.

'White Tiger!'

Boom!

Ming Luo, who landed three zhang in front of Lian Huozheng, said coldly.

"How dare you speak such nonsense to the head of the family. I will break your limbs."

Crack!

Ming Luo charged forward.

His speed was incredible. It was as if he had become a gust of wind.

It was a breathtaking technique, but to Lian Huozheng, the flaws and weaknesses in the technique were clearly visible.

Boom!

Ming Luo's eyes widened.

Just as he was about to strike with the Qilin Claw, his opponent had already slipped into his guard. He had penetrated the blind spot of the Qilin Form with such natural ease.

Crack!

"Ah!"

Lian Huozheng's left hand grabbed his wrist.

"Utter chaos."

His hand contained the black tortoise qi.

Boom!

"Aaaah!"

Ming Luo's wrist exploded as if hit by a powerful explosive. Lian Huozheng had unleashed the three-layered turtle wall from the Northern Heaven Twelve Walls. Ming Luo's hand, filled with aggressive qi, was crushed by the explosive counterforce.

Lian Huozheng raised his axe.

"Learn to walk before you run in your next life."

"An...!"

Smash!

The axe that split Ming Luo's skull continued to pierce through to his chest.

Lian Huozheng kicked Ming Luo's chest.

Bang!

The flying corpse rolled on the ground and stopped in front of the horse. The stopped corpse continued to twitch.

A moment of silence fell.

Even Ming Tian was surprised as he looked at Lian Huozheng.

'What is this guy?'

The four swordsmen he had brought were all formidable experts. With their mastery of the Four Great Skills, they were far beyond the level of young talents.

He had selected the best among the swordsmen, yet how many moves did it take for them to be killed?

Lian Huozheng wiped the blood from his axe with his sleeve.

"Did you think that bringing these guys would end everything at the main house?"

"What, what did you say?!"

"Good reaction. As I suspected, I was right."

Sssss!

The wall-breaking true qi enveloped the axe blade, evaporating the remaining blood with its powerful energy.

A terrifying killing intent filled Lian Huozheng's eyes.

"Even in the intertwined past, you remain a persistent enemy."

Before the regression, the Ming family had destroyed the Lian family.

After the regression, to prevent the destruction, he had single-handedly attacked the Ming family. But he could not bear the brief respite and had sent troops to attack the main house again.

It was a deeply entangled enmity. Initially, there was no righteousness, but now, all his patience was gone.

Boom!

With a powerful step, explosive killing intent surged from Lian Huozheng's body.

"I will make you pay for your arrogance today."

Ming Tian shouted.

"Kill him!"

Crack!

Over a dozen swordsmen charged at Lian Huozheng.

Their movements were lightning-fast. Even the most formidable expert would have gasped at such an attack.

Lian Huozheng's eyes emitted the black and white divine qi of the black tortoise and white tiger.

'Here!'

Crack!

Lingering just out of reach of the swordsmen's attacks.

Ten peak experts' swords and blades were evaded with a single movement. Everyone watching was stunned.

But he was not just evading their attacks.

The black tortoise's substitution, the Lingui Divine Skill.

The white tiger's substitution, the Qilin Divine Skill.

He read their attack lines and stepped forward with the White Tiger Dominance Step, targeting their weakest points.

Boom! Boom!

One step forward, one fatal blow.

Lian Huozheng's axe created the fangs of a mountain tiger and the claws of a beast king.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Three swordsmen, caught in the Tiger King's Nine Walls Technique, were torn apart.

"Ah!"

"Keep attacking!"

Crack!

The remaining seven swordsmen attacked again, but Lian Huozheng was already gone.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

It was a ruthless advance, a powerful charge.

Seven experts were left behind as Lian Huozheng advanced like a storm, the dozens of experts in front of him seeming to be sucked into his path.

He swung his axe with all his might.

Boom!

The Four Divine Generals' Technique pierced through the enemy ranks head-on.