Chapter 7

The disciples of the Emei Sect, who were guarding the mountain gate, all rushed down, each holding a bright sword and a lantern. The town's headman was also awakened by the commotion, and such a large-scale event must have meant something significant had happened to the Emei Sect.

The old headman led several young and strong men of his clan, also holding lanterns, to greet them.

The leading Emei disciple, upon seeing the headman, bowed and said, "Headman Liu, our Emei Sect was attacked by bandits tonight, and several people have died. We are not sure if there have been any suspicious individuals in town recently. As this matter is serious, we need to conduct a search. We hope for your understanding."

Though he spoke of understanding, the bright swords in their hands left no room for opposition. The headman could not object as the Emei Sect members began searching house by house.

Inns and guesthouses became the focus of the search. The waiters and innkeepers were questioned as the Emei Sect members broke in.

The Tongfu Inn, where Li She was staying, was naturally also swarmed by the Emei Sect members. Seeing the situation, it was clear that something major had happened to the Emei Sect. Headman Liu whispered to the leading Emei disciple, "Master Chen, what has happened to your sect? If the bandits have taken lives, should we report it to the authorities?"

The leading Emei disciple sneered and said loudly, "Hmph! The affairs of the Emei Sect are not for the Yuan Dynasty's officials to meddle with. Headman Liu, you need not worry. The Emei Sect is a prestigious and righteous sect. The person who attacked us is surely a demon from the Cult of Devils. We will not let him off easily."

At this moment, the disciple in charge of the search brought the innkeeper of the Tongfu Inn over, reporting a discovery. The innkeeper, seeing the bright swords of the Emei Sect members, spilled out the information about the martial hero who had inquired about the Emei Sect.

The leading Emei disciple, after hearing this, frowned and asked, "Is that person still in the inn?"

"Um, that big, dark man left the inn and rode away before the Emei heroes arrived. It's been about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea," the innkeeper replied.

"Hmph, it must be that bandit. What does he look like?" the Emei disciple surnamed Chen asked.

"That big, dark man is eight feet tall, broad-shouldered, and has a beard. He wears a black hood. Oh, and he has a long scar from his eye to his mouth," the innkeeper recalled.

"It must be that bandit. Why else would he leave so quickly before we arrived? Everyone, chase after him and meet up with Brother Xu. Let's go together." The Emei disciples rushed out of town in a group.

Li She, who had achieved great mastery of the Nine Yang Divine Skill, had his senses heightened to a level beyond ordinary people. Hiding in Room No. 2 of the Heavenly Character, Li She naturally heard the conversation outside. He peeked out and, seeing that the Emei Sect members had left, climbed onto the roof and retrieved the package he had hidden under the eaves.

After the commotion, the moon in the sky gradually disappeared, and the morning light shone into Room No. 2 of the Heavenly Character. Li She, using the light, began to examine his gains from the Emei Sect.

The "Nine Yang Divine Skill of Emei," "Guo Xiang's Notes," "Buddha Light Illuminates All," "Falling Petal Divine Sword Palm," "Beggar's Staff Technique," and some land deeds of the Emei Sect.

Seeing these secret manuals, Li She almost shouted in excitement. However, after flipping through them, he felt like cursing.

Not only was the "Nine Yang Divine Skill of Emei" less comprehensive than the original version he had, but the "Falling Petal Divine Sword Palm" and "Beggar's Staff Technique" only had a few diagrams. These scattered techniques were based on Guo Xiang's memory, without any internal energy cultivation methods or complete techniques. It seemed that even in her youth, Guo Xiang was not a model student. She ignored the skills of Peach Blossom Island and thought it was great to be known as a "Little Evil of the East." She freely associated with martial artists, relying on the fame of her god-brother Yang Guo and her grandfather Huang Yaoshi, so no one dared to bully her. However, after the deaths of Guo Jing and Huang Rong in the defense of Xiangyang, everything changed.

Although some righteous sects and martial artists respected Guo Xiang for her parents' contributions to the country and the people, after founding her own sect, Guo Xiang realized the insufficiency of her skills. Otherwise, she would not have relied on the "Nine Yang Divine Skill" that Jueyuan recited before his death to establish the Emei Sect.

Fortunately, Guo Xiang had a strong family background. She had been influenced by the skills of Peach Blossom Island, and though she lacked sufficient internal energy to fully utilize the "Falling Petal Divine Sword Palm," she used her intelligence to transform the versatile "Falling Petal Divine Sword Palm" into the Emei Sword Technique.

The only original creation was "Buddha Light Illuminates All." This palm technique was created by Guo Xiang after she learned the "Nine Yang Divine Skill" and was inspired by the "Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms." It was a method of concentrating internal energy into one palm and releasing it explosively.

In simple terms, it involved concentrating all internal energy into one palm and releasing it all at once. When performed by Master Extermination, it was like attaching a small bomb to the enemy's body and detonating it at close range. The scorching Nine Yang True Qi would instantly enter the enemy's body, and ordinary internal energy could not resist it. Even a skilled martial artist could not withstand the destructive power of the Nine Yang True Qi.

However, when facing Zhang Wuji in the Ming Sect, it was a different story. Master Extermination had the intent to kill, and that palm, whether it hit any part of the enemy's body, would be fatal, especially when it hit the chest. But tragically, the counterfeit "Nine Yang Divine Skill of Emei" met the genuine "Nine Yang Divine Skill" of Zhang Wuji. The Nine Yang True Qi was completely absorbed by Zhang Wuji. If Master Extermination had used a different technique, Zhang Wuji would have been dead for sure.

But in Li She's hands, "Buddha Light Illuminates All" was different. With the genuine "Nine Yang Divine Skill," concentrating all internal energy into one palm and releasing it all at once, the scorching Nine Yang True Qi would enter the enemy's body with even more astonishing power, like pressing a grenade to the enemy's body and detonating it.

After flipping through the secret manuals, Li She took out a lighter and burned them all. "At least it's a consolation prize," Li She thought.

The "Falling Petal Divine Sword Palm" and "Beggar's Staff Technique" only had fragments of techniques, which were not useful. He had no time to perfect them. "Guo Xiang's Notes" contained some of her martial arts insights, which were somewhat useful. The only truly satisfactory one was "Buddha Light Illuminates All."

The next day, Li She, dressed as a scholar, checked out of the inn and left Emei. He headed for the next target, the Kunlun Sect. After all, the "Seven Injuries Fist" was a technique that could even kill the Shaolin monk Kung Jian with his "Indestructible Body of the Buddha." Although Xie Xun had used a trick, the power of the technique was undeniable.

The Emei disciples searched but did not find the big, dark man the innkeeper described, and they began to doubt.

When such a major event happened to the Emei Sect, Master Extermination would surely be furious upon her return. The Emei disciples who were left behind would suffer. Not only had two disciples died, but the secret compartment in Master Extermination's meditation room had been stolen. Although they did not know what was stolen, whatever was hidden in the compartment by the master must have been very important.

Therefore, the Emei Sect members divided into ten groups to search.

"Senior Brother, what was stolen from the master's meditation room? Was it a martial arts secret manual of our Emei Sect? Is the thief Li from the Cult of Devils? Why haven't we heard of him in the martial world?"

"It must be a demon from the Cult of Devils. Otherwise, why would he attack us and steal from us during the six major sects' siege of the Cult of Devils' Bright Peak?" the Emei disciples speculated.

At this time, Li She was already on his way to the Kunlun Sect. He calculated that five months had passed, and he had six months left. He needed to obtain the "Seven Injuries Fist" secret manual within a month, and then he would have to deal with the Shaolin Temple, the biggest challenge. According to the plot, after the six major sects failed to besiege the Cult of Devils' Bright Peak and retreated, they were ambushed in the desert by experts led by Zhao Min. At this time, the Cult of Devils was being attacked by second-rate sects like the Beggar Sect, and Zhang Wuji, the new leader, led the Cult of Devils to retreat to a secret passage to rest and recuperate. They emerged a month later.

At this time, the newly appointed leader of the Cult of Devils, Zhang Wuji, would send Yin Liting to the Shaolin Temple. However, all the monks of the Shaolin Temple had been taken away by Zhao Min. Then, Zhang Wuji, the world's favorite, would drive away Zhao Min's ambush at the Shaolin Temple and head to Wudang to save Zhang Sanfeng. At this time, the Shaolin Temple was in a vacuum. Imagine, the Shaolin Temple, the source of all martial arts, with its seventy-two supreme techniques, which even experts like Xiao Yuan Shan, Murong Bo, and Jiu Mo Zhi coveted. How could Li She let this opportunity pass?