Chapter 54

(Second update of the day, please give me your free daily votes and new readers, please add to your favorites!)

The official road was very quiet, with dense, ancient forests on both sides, their gnarled branches resembling giant pythons, giving a sense of gloom and eeriness, as if they were the lairs of demons and monsters.

Su Qinnian stood still, the wide and long official road around him silent, the sunlight shining down, creating a scene that seemed eternal and timeless.

"Did you notice me long ago?"

A figure emerged from the nearby wilderness and ancient forest, towering and robust, standing at about seven feet and eight inches tall, nearly a foot taller than the still underage Su Qinnian. He stood like an iron stake, his gnarled muscles exuding a formidable aura even before he spoke.

Su Qinnian looked at the young man, who was almost of age, with narrow eyes that were hard to see clearly. However, a sharp light flickered from the slits, accompanied by a cold gleam, conveying a sense of condescension and arrogance, unmasked and clearly visible even from a distance of over ten yards.

"Zhou Qin, from the outer courtyard of Huangya Peak."

The young man spoke with a cold tone, introducing himself, and then continued, "I think you understand why I'm here. You've been too presumptuous. When Senior Brother Guyuehe invited you, many outer courtyard disciples would have been overjoyed. Yet, you dared to refuse, treating Senior Brother Gu's hospitality with contempt. I'm also curious how you managed to turn those two useless ones. But I don't have time for idle talk. Follow me, don't have any thoughts, and don't say the word 'no.' Otherwise, there are many kinds of pain in this world that leave no visible marks. You can try if you want."

After speaking, Zhou Qin stood there with his hands behind his back, his face calm, but the cold light in his eyes grew stronger, as if he was ready to strike with a thunderous blow the moment Su Qinnian refused.

Su Qinnian looked at him without speaking, and Zhou Qin felt suspicious. Could this young man be all bark and no bite, now too afraid to even speak? This made him very uncomfortable. The inheritance of Qingyang Peak was incredibly precious. Five hundred years ago, during its peak, it was unmatched among the various peaks and ridges. Whether it was the *Qingyang Sword* or the *Qianli Yuanheng Step*, both were unparalleled martial arts, rare in the world. Otherwise, it wouldn't have attracted the attention of several peak masters, and even the Golden Light Immortal would have clashed with the legendary Ling Shen Sword, Qingyang.

But in the end, the inheritance was obtained by these three Su Qinnians. Although the message from Tianzhu Peak said it was the verbal command of the sect leader Ning Changdao, Zhou Qin learned through some secret channels that it was the one in the Golden Summit Grand Hall who made the decision. He felt speechless. That person, who was perfectly balanced and all-encompassing, with the fate of the world in his hands, had no personal bias. It was likely just a casual remark, but it almost deprived them, the outer courtyard disciples who had practiced hard for years, of all their opportunities.

Such incidents were recorded in the Wu Dang sect's historical records. Most of those who obtained such good fortune did not live long, and their inheritances were quickly taken away, causing losses to Wu Dang. Very few achieved anything significant.

Even in their generation, a death row inmate from Xianyao Valley could obtain the inheritance of a lineage. In Zhou Qin's view, this was against Wu Dang's rules. A death row inmate from Xianyao Valley, who had not yet reached the Foundation Establishment stage, was not considered a Wu Dang disciple and could be taken away by the Ministry of Justice at any time.

Such a person would only cause Wu Dang's secret techniques to leak out, and if they fell into the hands of the demon race, they could be studied and used to counter Wu Dang's martial arts, leading to disaster in future battles.

"Dog-like creature, showing off in front of me."

Suddenly, a voice rang out, calm and without any warning, pulling Zhou Qin's thoughts back. He was stunned for a moment, but then his face darkened as he looked at Su Qinnian, hardly believing that these words came from the young man.

"Very well, some pain needs to be endured. I will make you understand what it means to invite disaster by your own words!"

Whoosh!

Before Zhou Qin finished speaking, he leaped forward like a wild horse leaping over a cliff, jumping two or three yards high and seven or eight yards forward, reaching Su Qinnian in an instant.

The fifth move of the Turtle Snake Fist, Hidden Currents!

This punch was the ultimate expression of softness in the seven moves of the Turtle Snake Fist, extremely yang but containing yin, with a force as continuous as the undercurrents of the sea. It was said that at its peak, it could penetrate any opening and destroy anything, with few able to resist it.

The air was pushed, and when Zhou Qin punched, the air rippled, creating waves. Behind him, a fiery red horse with hooves like bowls descended into the world. Before the punch even arrived, an invisible aura enveloped Su Qinnian, making the air around him slightly stagnant.

Thud! Thud!

From within Zhou Qin's body, a sound like the beating of war drums echoed, a clear sign of the resonance of his tendons and bones, which only appeared after reaching the sixth level of the Turtle Snake Art.

"Come on!"

Su Qinnian's eyes were sharp. He charged forward without any pretense, the ancient and沧桑的气机在他身上流转，他如同一头沉睡中苏醒的千年老龟，身形微转，背部略弓，就这样撞了过去。

龟蛇撞山！

这是龟蛇拳的第三式，此时在周秦的眼中，眼前的苏乞年似乎消失不见，取而代之的是一头足有一丈高的古老神龟，神龟转身，龟甲上刻着八卦坎离，龟背如山峦起伏，朝他碾压而来。

“龟蛇撞山，入神得髓！”

周秦惊呼，背脊上的汗毛瞬间竖起，但苏乞年的速度太快了，整个背部如金似铁，就这样撞在了他的拳头上。

咔嚓！

一声脆响，周秦惨叫一声，紧接着，苏乞年的背部长驱直入，靠在了他的怀里。

砰！

那铁桩般壮硕的身影像稻草一样横飞出去，连同那降临的烈马虚影，也四分五裂，破碎成光雨。

苏乞年止步，看向匍匐在地的周秦，大口咳血，胸骨塌陷，不知断了几根肋骨，但这些都不值得他同情。如果不是武当戒律禁止同门相残，如果不是他心存光明，读书人内心正直，今天绝不会如此善了。

双目微阖，苏乞年也不管那周秦，刚刚一拳打出，却是前所未有的淋漓酣畅。果然，唯有生死之间才能突飞猛进。昨夜一战，此时他借助感悟那明觉小和尚如乾坤在握的大力金刚掌，体会那掌峰起落之间的霸道和刚猛，终于在继龟蛇拳第四式盘风坐水后，再次将第三式龟蛇撞山推至大成巅峰的第四境，入神得髓。

半盏茶过去。

周秦勉强止住了血，他的一条手臂扭曲，筋骨在那刚猛力道下断裂得七七八八，此时满脸惊恐，看向前方那双目微阖，风淡云轻的少年。现在，他终于明白，从逍遥谷中传出来的那些流言并不假，甚至大大低估了。这根本不是一个血性尽失，甚至韬光养晦的乞儿，而是一头真正蛰伏，蓄劲积淀的龙龟。

吼！

忽然有腥风扑面而来，浓烈的妖煞之气伴随着一声厉吼，如雷音震耳。

周秦面色如金纸，再次咳血，勉强提起的一丝精神几乎被再次震散，紧接着，就看到一根根带血的獠牙，长长的鬃毛如血，比铜铃还大的暗红色眸子，刹那间近在咫尺。

妖兽！血睛狮子！

周秦的心跳似乎在这一刻停止了，瞬息之间，除了绝望再无其他，往日种种，都似乎在这一瞬间呼啸而过，他仿佛看到了地府的大门敞开，勾魂的冰冷锁链已经落到了他的肩头。

锵！

一声刀鸣，一道刀光如煌煌大日高悬，光明驱散黑暗，神圣净化邪祟，地府被逼入深渊，一个少年立在天穹之上，黑发扬起，眸光澄澈且明净。

至此，周秦有足够的理由相信，这一幕将永远铭刻在他的心灵深处。（第二更送上，求每日免费推荐票，求新书友收藏！）