Chapter 106

As Nie Yun was wondering what was going on, he suddenly felt a wave of intense fatigue wash over him. If it weren’t for his strong will, he probably would have fallen asleep instantly.

“The Legend of the Emperor is definitely a high-level martial arts world. To learn the martial arts in it, it’s impossible to do so as easily as I did when I learned other martial arts before. It seems that my body and mind have reached their limits today, so I can only go back first.”

Nie Yun pinched his thigh hard to keep himself awake.

He walked out of the main hall and hung the cracked lock back up.

The monk who was in charge of the guest had said during the day that no one had come to take care of this place for many years, so Nie Yun was not worried about being found out of the ordinary.

Feeling the overwhelming drowsiness creeping into his mind, Nie Yun dared not delay any longer and quickly rushed to his lodgings. After entering his room, closing the doors and windows, and changing his clothes, Nie Yun could no longer hold on and collapsed onto the bed.

When he woke up again, it was almost noon.

“No wonder no one in Shaolin Temple can cultivate; the pain just from entering can turn anyone into an idiot instantly!”

Nie Yun, realizing that even with the help of the Xuanling Jade Disc, he was still in such a miserable state, felt a wave of fear wash over him. “Hong Kong comics combined with Jin Yong’s works, is this a case of branching out and causing chaos, or a complete fusion? But I remember that in the original comics, cultivating this martial art didn’t seem to require this kind of experience, so it seems that something has changed during the inheritance process.”

Nie Yun dismissed the monks who had come to visit him, then sat cross-legged on the bed and began cultivating the Thunder God’s Swiftness.

In the comic, Li Shimin faced countless life-threatening situations in his quest to master the Six Gods Technique.

However, that was because the cultivation method he practiced was not authentic; it was stolen from India by the Blissful Sect.

Now that Nie Yun has obtained the original and authentic cultivation method, he naturally wouldn’t be as foolish as him to invite heavenly lightning to strike him.

It just so happens that it has been raining these past two days, and the lingering effects of thunder still remain in the air.

Nie Yun focused on his cultivation and soon felt tiny electric currents emanating from his body.

Although these currents are small, they are very flexible to manipulate, and can be transferred or amplified.

Moreover, when they moved around in his body, Nie Yun not only did not feel any discomfort, but also felt that his body was being strengthened.

Suddenly seized by a playful impulse, he manipulated the electric current, letting it travel through his body, from his fingertips and hair to his lips… and finally even reaching the massive dragon between his legs.

“Holy crap!”

A bold idea suddenly popped into Nie Yun’s mind, and he immediately grinned mischievously, “What if I released this electric current while making love and kissing, hehehe…” After playing around for a while, Nie Yun continued his cultivation.

That evening, Nie Yun returned to the main hall. This time, he no longer felt the intense oppressive feeling he had experienced the previous night.

“It seems I’ve passed the test. This will save me some time. I’ll see if I can learn another skill.” Nie Yun breathed a sigh of relief and quickly walked to the center of the stone statue.

After another dizzying sensation, Nie Yun once again found himself in that strange void. This time, he received the inheritances of Guanyin Chaos and Vajra Release.

On the third day, he also learned how to dispel the Arhat’s obliteration and how to extinguish the Bodhisattva’s obliteration.

However, the final and strongest Tathagata Break was not so easy; it took Nie Yun three whole days to receive the complete inheritance.

“This Tathagata Breaker is said to be the strongest among the six gods, and it is indeed extraordinary!” Nie Yun felt the power that seemed capable of splitting mountains and parting seas, and his heart was filled with even more emotion.

However, precisely because of the power of this martial art, he cannot use it at will in battle at present.

According to his calculations, Lei Shenji could only run a maximum of twenty miles, while Guanyin Luan and Pusa Mie could only be used a maximum of five times, and Vajra Jie and Luohan Xie would be used less, only three times before he would be exhausted.

As for the strongest version of Tathagata’s Break, he can only unleash one move now, and it’s an incomplete version.

“The martial arts of the high-level martial arts world really do require a strong internal energy cultivation to support them!”

Nie Yun thought of the Star Absorbing Technique that Ren Woxing had left at Plum Manor, but he rejected the idea as soon as he was tempted.

Although this martial art is famous, it is not very efficient at absorbing internal energy and has too many hidden dangers.

In his heart, what he wanted most was the Northern Darkness Divine Art from the world of Tianlong and the Absorption Technique from the world of the number one under heaven.

“It seems I can only wait until the next world to see if I can find an opportunity, but for now it’s enough.”

Nie Yun suppressed his thoughts, looked up at the six stone statues, and recalled the plot of the comic.

“Li Shimin in this world history must have been the unlucky guy in the comics who watched his beloved woman being gang-raped and dismembered. So, being a saint is not a good thing!”

Recalling that scene that haunted his childhood, Nie Yun became even more determined to take the right approach to his enemies: eliminate them completely, until they are dead.

Despite having the Six Divine Techniques, Nie Yun’s interest in the Shaolin martial arts in the Sutra Pavilion did not diminish.

The Six Gods Technique is now considered one of his trump cards, but the cost of using it is too high, and Nie Yun does not intend to use it unless it is a matter of life and death.

Having come here every night to study the Six Gods Technique these past few days, Nie Yun has gained a clear understanding of the internal security of Shaolin Temple. It’s not the case that the temple is outwardly lax but inwardly tight, a trap he had previously worried about; in fact, it’s genuinely quite sparse.

Centuries of peace and security have inevitably made the monks of this ancient temple somewhat arrogant.

Now that the world is at peace, Shaolin Temple cannot recruit a large number of monks by providing relief to disaster victims. The number of martial monks in the temple is not large, and most of the sect’s strength exists in the form of lay disciples.

This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity was seized by a certain ill-intentioned individual.

“People say that Shaolin martial arts emphasize the fundamentals, and that’s certainly true.”

As Nie Yun perused martial arts classics on the third floor of the Sutra Pavilion, he finally understood why, despite its formidable strength, Shaolin Temple was always overshadowed by other sects when it came to top-tier masters.

The Shaolin Seventy-Two Arts can all be mastered to a high level, making one a master of the martial arts world. However, most of them require a long and painstaking process, and almost none can be mastered quickly.

If you cultivate Shaolin martial arts at a normal pace, you can indeed be invincible, but by then you’ll be half dead. What’s the use of being invincible then?

Most old monks who have cultivated themselves to this age have little interest in wandering around outside.

With so many martial arts skills laid out before Nie Yun, he did not try to acquire them all. As the saying goes, “Many talents may exist, but one is enough.”

Nie Yun didn’t want to turn himself into a martial arts museum, so he simply browsed through all the martial arts and then selected nine: Vajra Palm, One-Slap Two-Scatter Palm, Thousand-Hand Tathagata Palm, Flower-Picking Finger, Flower-Picking Capturing Hand, Dragon-Capturing Hand, Great Shifting Body Technique, Shadow-Following Leg, and Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill.

The Vajra Palm and the One-Slap Two-Scatter Palm are both simple moves with great power and momentum, making them most suitable for Nie Yun’s masculine and domineering internal strength.

In particular, the “One Strike, Two Separations Palm” is only one move, but the palm force can be instantly amplified, and when it is struck out, it is like a raging tide, and one strike can shatter the soul.

In the world of Tian Long Ba Bu, Xuan Ji once used this palm strike to hit Xiao Feng.

Even before the palm strikes landed, Xiao Feng already felt short of breath. After the exchange of blows, he felt completely weak and couldn’t even hold onto A’Zhu.

The Thousand-Hand Tathagata Palm is ever-changing and endlessly varied, which is quite similar to the Guanyin Chaos in the Six Gods Technique. The two can be compared to accelerate the cultivation speed.

The “flower-picking” finger technique is elegant and uses subtle finger strength, making it perfect for showing off and being cunning.

The “Flower-Picking Capture Hand” technique is executed without any trace of martial arts, making it suitable for persuading proud and arrogant beauties.

The Dragon-Capturing Hand technique releases its power outwards, which is similar to the Arhat’s Disarming Technique.

The Great Shift technique allows one to move several feet on flat ground without moving their feet or body, making them extremely agile in confined spaces.

The “Shadow-Following Legs” move is a double-leg combo; as soon as one leg strikes, the second follows closely, making it impossible to defend against. It is perfectly suited to Nie Yun’s long legs.

Moreover, this leg technique can improve the flexibility of the legs and help in practicing light-body techniques.

As for the Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill, that was precisely the purpose of Nie Yun’s visit to Shaolin.

Although it is more difficult to cultivate than the Golden Bell Cover, once mastered, the entire body is indestructible and invincible. Unlike the Golden Bell Cover, which always has a weakness, it allows Nie Yun to unleash greater power when using the Vajra Release.

“With this technique, my last weakness has been overcome.”

After putting away all the martial arts manuals, Nie Yun turned around and looked around. “I’ve got the manuals, and the rain has stopped. Let’s leave a big gift for Shaolin Temple!”

“Senior Brother Sect Leader, that Zuo Lengchan is ambitious and wants to merge the Five Mountains Sword Sects into the Five Mountains Sect. In the past few days, I’ve heard that a large number of underworld bosses have been heading to Mount Song. These people must be Zuo Lengchan’s hidden forces. When the Five Mountains Alliance comes, his strength will greatly increase, and he will definitely force the merger. This will be extremely disadvantageous for our Shaolin!”

Inside the abbot’s hall of Shaolin Temple, Fang Sheng frowned and spoke.

“Junior brother, there is no need to worry. Although Zuo Lengchan is ambitious, he is too aggressive and his foundation is unstable. The other four sects have a long history, especially the Huashan Sect, which was one of the six major sects back then. They will definitely not let Zuo Lengchan succeed.”

Fang Zheng remained calm, showing no sign of worry. “Moreover, Ren Woxing has returned to the martial world, and he will certainly not let this matter rest. We can sit back and watch them fight it out, wait until they are both exhausted, and then step in to mediate and reap the benefits.”

Just then, an urgent voice came from outside the door: “Reporting to the abbot, the Sutra Repository is on fire!”

“What?” Fang Zheng’s calm expression instantly turned to shock. He hurriedly walked out of the room and looked up at the Sutra Repository. There, he saw a sky full of red light and raging flames, which illuminated almost half of the sky.

“Who would dare to be so bold?”

Fang Zheng could tell at a glance that this was no ordinary fire, but rather arson deliberately set by someone.

He immediately leaped towards the Sutra Repository, with Fang Sheng and many disciples following closely behind.

Upon arriving at the scene, they found many monks busily searching for water to extinguish the fire.

However, the flames started from the third floor, making them extremely difficult to extinguish.

“Why don’t you go up and put out the fire?” Fang Zheng grabbed the monk on duty next to him and asked.

“Reporting to the abbot, the stairs leading to the second floor have all been destroyed, and the entrance is completely blocked by wooden frames. We…we really can’t get up there!” the monk said in a terrified voice.

“Senior Brother Sect Leader, this is not the time to pursue the matter. We should quickly arrange for someone to put out the fire!” Fang Sheng said hastily when he saw Fang Zheng’s murderous gaze.

In an era without fire engines or high-pressure water cannons, extinguishing such a large fire was no easy task.

Moreover, all the accessible areas on the second and third floors were completely blocked by wooden frames, and there was nowhere to stand outside. The monks had no choice but to use their lightness skills to jump up and splash water inside.

However, such a small amount of water was of no use against the raging flames.

Fang Zheng looked at the raging flames that showed no signs of abating, and a mouthful of blood rushed to his throat.

The monks eventually stopped, standing there blankly, looking utterly lost and dejected.

Several older monks wept bitterly and kowtowed repeatedly.

This ordeal could destroy the centuries-old heritage of Shaolin Temple.

Just then, a figure suddenly darted out of the flames and quickly fled towards the outside of the temple.

“You scoundrel, don’t run away!” Many monks immediately got up and chased after them, with Fang Zheng and Fang Sheng even releasing all their decades of cultivation.

The man was agile, but not fast, and soon he was surrounded by a group of monks.

The man held a long sword in his hand, and his entire body was covered up, with only his bright eyes showing.

Fang Zheng’s face turned ashen as he roared, “Who are you? Why are you destroying my Shaolin Scripture Pavilion?”

Without uttering a word, the masked man thrust his sword forward.

“court death!”

Seeing that this person dared to resist even when surrounded, Fang Wang was even more furious and immediately used the Thousand Hands Tathagata Palm to pounce on him.

He deeply hated this person at this moment, so instead of gradually pressing forward by turning one into two and two into four, he immediately unleashed sixteen palm strikes, followed by thirty-two.

However, the masked man seemed to be very familiar with this palm technique, easily dodging it, and then started fighting with the Shaolin disciples next to him.

Fang Zheng and Fang Sheng also chased after him, but this man was extremely agile, constantly darting in and out of the crowd, leaving the two Shaolin masters with no way to use their strength.

“ah!”

My hand!

As the sword flashed, crimson blood spurted out, and the air was soon filled with a strong stench of blood.

This man was ruthless and showed no mercy. In just a moment, he injured many monks, five of whom were directly stabbed in vital areas and died instantly.

“Straight to the point? ‘All Mountains Pay Homage to the Ancestor’? Is this the Songshan Sword Technique?!”

Fang Sheng watched clearly from the side. The masked man’s attacks were direct, his sword moves were unrestrained and powerful, upright and imposing, which was the swordsmanship of the Songshan School.

Moreover, judging from his appearance, he clearly possessed a level of skill that could only be achieved after decades of cultivation.

Upon hearing this, the masked man became even more ruthless in his attacks. In a short time, the nearly one hundred monks who had surrounded him were reduced to less than twenty.

Fang Zheng and Fang Sheng were so enraged that their eyes almost bled, and they wished they could kill this man with a single blow.

Seeing that the encirclement had been broken, the masked man did not linger and leaped out of the temple.

Fang Zheng and Fang Sheng were unwilling to let go and quickly gave chase. Seeing that they couldn’t shake him off, the masked man immediately turned around and struck Fang Sheng, who was chasing ahead, with a palm strike.

Fang Sheng had practiced the Prajna Palm for decades and was very confident in his palm power. When he saw the masked man strike with his palm, he immediately gathered all his strength and met the attack head-on without dodging.

With a loud “bang,” the two men’s palms collided head-on.

Fang Sheng’s confidence vanished instantly as he felt a strange internal force seep into his arm through his palm.

His body seemed to be instantly decomposed and eroded by this internal force. In the blink of an eye, his right hand, from his fingers to his elbow, was torn open and bleeding profusely.

“Ah!” Fang Sheng cried out in pain and quickly pulled back.

Upon seeing this, Fang Zheng disregarded the need to continue pursuing the masked man and quickly helped Fang Sheng up from behind.

Having landed a successful blow, the masked man didn’t linger and sped away towards the temple’s exit.

However, this time his speed increased significantly, and he disappeared into the vast night in no time.

“Songshan Sect! Zuo Lengchan!” Fang Zheng gritted his teeth, his face filled with murderous intent. His usual dignified and benevolent expression had vanished, leaving only deep anger.

He turned to look at Fang Sheng, only to see that Fang Sheng’s face was contorted in pain, his left hand tightly gripping his right upper arm, trying to circulate his internal energy to force the force out of his body.

To Fang Sheng’s surprise, this internal force was like a persistent, intractable infection, impossible to remove. He tried his best, but could only slightly slow its upward spread along his arm.

“Senior Brother Sect Leader, this internal energy is extremely strange. No matter how I try to circulate my energy, I cannot expel it from my body.” Helpless, Fang Sheng had no choice but to ask his senior brother for help.

Fang Zheng placed his hand on the back of Fang Sheng’s right hand, but was blasted away by an incredibly strong internal force. Fang Zheng was taken aback and exerted force with his palm again, finally managing to firmly grasp Fang Sheng’s hand.

After examining it for a moment, he shook his head and said, “This internal force is extremely strange, and I cannot expel it. It seems that I can only teach you the Yi Jin Jing, and you can gradually neutralize it with your own strength.”

A hint of surprise flashed in Fang Sheng’s eyes, but he still declined, saying:

“Thank you for your kindness, Senior Brother Headmaster. However, the Yi Jin Jing has been passed down to only the right person and those with the right affinity for it for hundreds of years. Even the most outstanding disciples of our sect will not be taught it if they are not blessed with good fortune. When my master was alive, he did not teach me this scripture either. I suppose this scripture is not meant for me.”

Seeing his forced joy, Fang Zheng sighed inwardly.

If he had a choice, he wouldn’t want to pass on the Yi Jin Jing to his junior brother, whose talent, cultivation, and reputation were no less than his own.

Although the Shaolin School is known as a pure land of Buddhism, there have been quite a few abbots who have lost their leadership positions to their fellow disciples over the centuries.

Where there are people, there is a world of martial arts. This saying is indeed a profound truth. However, Shaolin is currently facing a great calamity. If Fang Sheng cannot recover his strength as soon as possible, his original idea of ​​reaping the benefits will probably fall through.

He smiled and said, “Junior brother, it’s not that I’m unwilling to pass on the Yi Jin Jing to you, but I’m afraid that after you study this superior martial art, you will become obsessed with it and neglect your main practice of Zen meditation. You are naturally stubborn, and you have never been able to understand the profound truth of the three gates of liberation, namely, ‘emptiness, formlessness, and non-action,’ so you cannot break through the barrier of life and death.”

Fang Sheng looked flustered and quickly said respectfully, “Senior Brother’s teachings are correct.” But what he was really thinking was something only he knew.

Having made up his mind, Fang Zheng didn’t say anything more. He immediately arranged for his disciples to handle the aftermath as quickly as possible, while he led Fang Sheng toward the Abbot’s Hall.

The Yi Jin Jing was not kept in the Sutra Repository; it was kept by the abbots of the sect throughout the generations.

By this time, the fire in the library had gradually subsided, not because of effective firefighting, but because most of the combustible items had been burned.

Seeing this tragic scene, Fang Zheng and his companion were heartbroken and secretly resolved to seek revenge against the Songshan Sect.

Upon arriving outside the abbot’s hall, Fang Zheng asked Fang Sheng to wait outside while he went into the room and approached the bed. He grasped the headboard, turned it three times to the left and twice to the right, and then slammed it down forcefully.

A series of clattering sounds rang out, and suddenly two square bricks on the ground in front of the bed flipped up to the left and right, revealing a hidden compartment underneath.

Fang Zheng squatted down, reached into the hidden compartment, and gently twisted it a few times. There was a click, as if something had been activated.

He withdrew his hand, revealing a thin book in his grasp.

Fang Zheng looked at the book, a hint of hesitation flashing in his eyes, but in the end he sighed and walked towards the door.

Upon arriving at the door, one could see Fang Sheng standing straight with his back to the door, seemingly to avoid suspicion of peeping.

Fang Zheng nodded inwardly and stepped forward, saying, “Junior brother, with this Yi Jin Jing, you will surely be able to dispel the evil villain’s strange true energy.”

Fang Sheng, however, seemed not to hear him, remaining standing there motionless and offering no reply.

Fang Zheng felt a sense of foreboding, but before he could react, he felt his hand lighten as the Yi Jin Jing was snatched from behind him.

He quickly turned around, only to see the masked man who had just fought him standing behind him, his eyes filled with blatant mockery.

“You bastard!”

Fang Zheng was furious and pounced on him.

He never expected that this person would dare to show his face after setting a fire, and even snatch the Yi Jin Jing from his hands. This was simply a slap in the face.

The masked man chuckled, and a flash of silver light suddenly appeared beneath his feet, causing him to vanish in an instant.

Fang Zheng was surprised that he was even faster than when he escaped last time. Last time, Fang Zheng could still see his figure, but this time he couldn’t even see his shadow.

“What kind of light-footed skill is this? It feels like lightning!” Fang Zheng stood there dumbfounded, his face showing extreme fear.

As the night wind blew by, the Shaolin monk, who had been in charge of Shaolin for decades and whose internal and external martial arts skills had reached their peak, felt a chill on his back. It turned out that his clothes were soaked with sweat.