Chapter 86

Chapter 85: The Result of the Second Unexpected Match

Zuo Lengshan, however, had a different feeling. He only felt that Song Qingshu's palm techniques were becoming more and more fluid. He was wary that if this stalemate continued, the other party might really be able to integrate several vastly different palm techniques.

Moreover, with a slight desire to surpass Song Qingshu, he had just defeated Chongxu with one sword. If he could win against him, the prestige of the Songshan Sect and himself would soar to new heights. Thinking of this, Zuo Lengshan's heart stirred. He risked a great loss of internal energy, gathered the Cold Ice True Qi at his fingertips, and slowly pointed towards the opponent.

Song Qingshu's heart tightened. He knew this was Zuo Lengshan's ultimate move, the Cold Ice True Qi. However, he wanted to test his own Sunlight True Qi, so he did not dodge and punched forward.

When their fists and fingers met, the two, who had been moving as fast as lightning, suddenly stabilized. To the others on the Jade Emperor Peak, Zuo Lengshan's face was becoming increasingly pale, and the stone slabs under his feet were freezing with a thin layer of frost. Song Qingshu, on the other hand, had a solemn expression, with a faint red glow on his face.

"Minister, will Young Master Song be alright?" Seeing that Zuo Lengshan could freeze the stone slabs, Duolong was terrified and couldn't help but worry about Song Qingshu.

But Jiumozhi smiled reassuringly, "Supervisor Duolong, you can rest assured. In a high-level internal energy competition, the difference between victory and defeat is often very slight. This Zuo Alliance Leader has not yet reached the realm of perfect control, leading to the leakage of internal energy. On the other hand, Young Master Song's internal energy is condensed and not easily released, deep and heavy. In at most the time of a stick of incense, Zuo Lengshan will surely lose."

Hearing Jiumozhi's comments, Zuo Lengshan was startled. He often deliberately let the Cold Ice True Qi leak to attract admiration and respect from his disciples, but in the eyes of true experts, it was so inadequate. Filled with shame and anger, he couldn't catch his breath, and immediately felt the scorching internal energy of the opponent surge towards him.

The people of Mount Tai saw Zuo Lengshan spew a mouthful of blood, retreat several dozen feet, and clench his teeth, clearly severely injured.

Song Qingshu calmed the chaotic internal energy in his body and smiled faintly, "The first match is ours." He turned and walked back.

Seeing Song Qingshu win, Jiumozhi felt that this competition was almost certain to be in their favor. He laughed loudly, stepped forward, and stood in the center, looking around at the heroes, "Minister of the Great Qing, the Great Wheel Vajra King of Tubo, Jiumozhi, has long heard of the many experts in Central Plains and has come to learn."

The people on the Jade Emperor Peak were all alarmed, but they couldn't think of anyone who could defeat him. The universally recognized highest martial arts expert, the Golden Snake King, admitted that he had only a fifty-fifty chance against him. They all decided to keep him hidden as a secret weapon. Considering that they had already lost one match, choosing the person for the second match became a difficult problem.

"Amitabha! I have long heard that the Vajra King is proficient in the seventy-two special skills of Shaolin Temple. This old monk is not talented, but I dare to come and learn." A Buddhist chant, and Fangzheng Master slowly walked to the center.

"Excellent Lion's Roar!" Jiumozhi's eyes lit up, feeling that in terms of pure internal energy, the other party seemed to be on par with him.

"Rumors say that our temple's Master Xuanbei was defeated and killed by you at the Body Precept Temple in Dali. May I ask, Vajra King, is this true?" Fangzheng Master raised his head and stared intently at Jiumozhi.

Killing Master Xuanbei with his signature skill, the Formless Seizing Finger, was one of Jiumozhi's proudest battles. However, considering the political impact, he vaguely replied, "That monk did not master the Formless Seizing Finger. It's not surprising that he lost to this poor monk. As for who killed him later, this poor monk cannot know."

Hearing that he did not clearly deny it, the people in the arena were stunned. Fangzheng's eyes narrowed, and he slowly said, "This old monk will use the Thousand-Hand Tathagata Palm to learn about your so-called seventy-two special skills of Shaolin Temple."

Saying this, he lightly slapped out a palm. The move was ordinary, but halfway through, it suddenly wavered, instantly turning one palm into two, two into four, four into eight, eight into sixteen, and then into thirty-two, with unpredictable changes. Each palm, when struck, would split into several directions, making the palm technique fantastically unpredictable.

Jiumozhi admired the complexity of the palm technique, which did not dissipate the power of each palm, truly bringing the Thousand-Hand Tathagata Palm to its peak. He thought for a moment and raised his hand. His right index and middle fingers lightly touched, forming a flower-picking gesture, and he gently flicked three times at the opponent.

The many disciples on the mountain, who were of lower rank, saw his three flicks as extremely ordinary, completely unable to compare with the momentum of Fangzheng's Thousand-Hand Tathagata Palm, and they all booed.

However, the various sect leaders and other experts saw that Jiumozhi was indeed using the authentic Flower-Picking Finger of Shaolin Temple. In a blink, the palm prints in front of Fangzheng were scattered by more than half, and the booing stopped abruptly.

"Minister, what excellent martial arts! Hahaha!" Duolong, seeing this, felt reassured and couldn't help but cheer for him.

Song Qingshu smiled slightly, thinking that Duolong was indeed a straightforward and enthusiastic man, endearingly naive.

Seeing the palm shadows scattered, Fangzheng's expression tightened, and he swept his palms outward, restoring the scattered palm shadows. However, the momentum of the advance inevitably slowed down.

Jiumozhi took the opportunity to attack, breaking through the palm with his fingers. Intending to show off, he used various Shaolin special skills: the Many-Leaves Finger, the Great Wisdom Indeterminate Finger, the Troubles-Removing Finger, the Formless Seizing Finger... The various Shaolin special skills were endless, dazzling the people in the arena. They thought that this foreign monk, who claimed to be proficient in the seventy-two special skills of Shaolin Temple, was indeed not to be underestimated.

Fangzheng Master, who had deeply studied the Muscle Changing Sutra and whose internal energy had reached a profound level, used the authentic Thousand-Hand Tathagata Palm. Although he gradually fell into a disadvantage, he could still hold his ground. The people saw his exquisite palm technique, which had repeatedly turned danger into safety, and secretly cheered.

After a fierce attack, Jiumozhi had already figured out the other party's strength. He knew that within ten moves, he could determine the winner. Thinking that his various special skills had already been impressive enough, he was about to launch a fierce attack to end the battle when his expression suddenly changed. He quickly jumped out of the battle circle and said to the other party with a sullen face, "Master's Muscle Changing Sutra is indeed exquisite. This poor monk admires you. Let's call this match a draw."

This unexpected turn of events caught everyone in the arena off guard. Fangzheng Master was clearly on the defensive, and it seemed he couldn't hold out much longer. No one expected Jiumozhi to suddenly propose a draw.

Fangzheng was also puzzled and was about to ask, but Jiumozhi turned and walked off the stage without a word. Considering that this battle was crucial to the survival of the Songshan Sect, Fangzheng sighed and tacitly accepted the situation.

The people of Mount Tai cheered, thinking that the two strongest opponents had already fought, and the third match was sure to be won. According to the pre-arranged rules, if it was a draw, it would still count as a win for the Songshan Sect.

Seeing the jubilant attitude of the other side, Duolong was very puzzled and asked Jiumozhi, "Minister, why did you...?"

Jiumozhi's face was dark, and he did not respond.

Song Qingshu thought for a moment and said softly, "Buddhism seeks to save the world, while martial arts are about killing. The two are diametrically opposed. Each of the seventy-two special skills of Shaolin Temple can harm vital points and take lives, being fierce and ruthless, greatly violating the natural order. Therefore, each special skill must be balanced by corresponding compassionate Buddhism. Otherwise, the malevolent energy will deeply penetrate the organs, becoming more hidden and deeper, more dangerous than any external poison..."

This scene was similar to the battle between Ren Woxing and Zuo Lengshan. Thinking of the original story where Jiumozhi went mad, Song Qingshu guessed the reason.

Hearing his words, Jiumozhi's eyes first flashed with a fierce look, then turned blank. He was a person of deep Buddhist knowledge and gradually understood.

"It's time for the third match." Yuan Chengzhi slowly walked out of the crowd, looking at the three of them with a smile.

Seeing the distinctive Golden Snake Sword on his back, Duolong's face turned pale.

Previously, Duolong and Wei Xiaobao had planned that Jiumozhi and Song Qingshu would win two matches, and he could directly admit defeat without any problem. But who knew that Jiumozhi would have an accident, and this match would decide the success or failure of the mission!

In the entire Qing Dynasty's officialdom, if there was one person who made all officials tremble, it was the Golden Snake King of Shandong.

In recent years, the Qing army's high-ranking generals and officials who had died under Yuan Chengzhi's Golden Snake Sword numbered at least eighty, and possibly a hundred. Combined with several victories over the Qing army, the Golden Snake Camp in Shandong had grown in influence, becoming one of Emperor Kangxi's three major concerns. The other two were the unpredictable Pingxi King Wu Sangui at Shanhaiguan and the Prince Baoqing, who held troops in Shengjing and coveted the throne.

Duolong thought that if it didn't affect the big picture, admitting defeat on the stage wouldn't matter. But knowing the importance of the matter, if he didn't even fight and directly admitted defeat to Yuan Chengzhi, a major rebel, he would surely not be spared by the Emperor upon returning to the capital, and his life would be over...

He wanted to fight, but he knew his martial arts were far inferior to Yuan Chengzhi's. Moreover, Yuan Chengzhi hated the Qing Dynasty to the bone and was notoriously ruthless towards Qing officials. If he went on stage, he would likely lose his life on the Jade Emperor Peak... Duolong was in a dilemma.

Jiumozhi was secretly regulating the chaotic internal energy in his body and had no time to pay attention to the scene. Song Qingshu sighed, knowing that today's matter was beyond his control, and turned to advise, "Supervisor Duolong, you should just admit defeat. After all, life is more important. I and the Vajra King will explain to the Emperor, as the Vajra King had a reason this time, and I was too overconfident, not considering the match with Chongxu..."

"You are whispering there. Have you decided? If you don't come up, just admit defeat. Otherwise, we will keep waiting." A Taoist of the Yu generation from the Songshan Sect mocked.

Song Qingshu was angry, but he knew that they were in the wrong and couldn't refute it. Seeing Duolong's face turn pale, he knew that Duolong wanted to fight, but as a modern person, Song Qingshu didn't value human life so cheaply and was about to admit defeat, "The third match, we admit..."

At this moment, a cold voice came from behind, "The third match is mine."

Song Qingshu turned around in surprise and saw a red-clothed youth with a feminine appearance standing behind him. Who else could it be but Dongfang Bubai?

"Who is this cross-dresser?"

"Who knows? He looks so frail, he's definitely no match for the Golden Snake King."

...

Hearing the doubts of his disciples, the various sect leaders also looked at each other, and even the most knowledgeable Fangzheng Master could not identify this suddenly appearing handsome young man.

It turned out that Dongfang Bubai had not left the Blackwood Cliff for decades, so it was natural that few people in the martial world had seen his true face.

Unlike the others, Yuan Chengzhi's internal and external martial arts were profound. Chapter 86: The Fall

Previously, Duolong and Wei Xiaobao had planned that Jiumozhi and Song Qingshu would win two matches, and he could directly admit defeat without any problem. But who knew that Jiumozhi would have an accident, and this match would decide the success or failure of the mission!

In the entire Qing Dynasty's officialdom, if there was one person who made all officials tremble, it was the Golden Snake King of Shandong.

In recent years, the Qing army's high-ranking generals and officials who had died under Yuan Chengzhi's Golden Snake Sword numbered at least eighty, and possibly a hundred. Combined with several victories over the Qing army, the Golden Snake Camp in Shandong had grown in influence, becoming one of Emperor Kangxi's three major concerns. The other two were the unpredictable Pingxi King Wu Sangui at Shanhaiguan and the Prince Baoqing, who held troops in Shengjing and coveted the throne.

Duolong