[Wuxia] Chasing After the Beauties of Jin Yong's Novels (The Romantic Swordsman) (Complete) - 25

The first part of the Fallen Dragon World, Chapter 107: Duan Zhengchun's Death, Ruan Xingzhu's Collection

2.

The fishermen, Chu Wanli and Zhu Danchen, both changed color drastically and hurriedly shouted,

"Master, run! The great villain is coming!"

At this moment, a man walked briskly along the lakeside path. Wu Long saw that this man had a square face, was in his forties or fifties, and had a majestic appearance, but his light robes and loose belt gave him a rather dashing air. This middle-aged man was Duan Zhengchun, the Crown Prince of Dali. In his youth, he traveled throughout the Central Plains, indulging in amorous pursuits and leaving many lovers. In fact, it was common for wealthy families to have multiple wives and concubines, and it was also normal for Duan Zhengchun, as a prince, to have many concubines. However, his Duan family came from a martial arts family in the Central Plains, and although they were emperors in Dali, they always followed their ancestral teachings in all their daily lives and dared not forget their roots and become excessively extravagant. Duan Zhengchun's first wife, Dao Baifeng, was the daughter of a Baiyi chieftain in Yunnan. The Duan family's marriage alliance with her was intended to win over the Baiyi and solidify their imperial position. At that time, the Han Chinese population in Yunnan was small, and without the support of the Baiyi, the Duan family's throne would be unstable. The Baiyi people traditionally practiced monogamy, and Dao Baifeng, having been of noble birth, forbade Duan Zhengchun from taking a second wife. She was so indignant at his constant philandering that she became a Daoist nun. Duan Zhengchun had romantic relationships with several women, including Qin Hongmian (mother of Mu Wanqing), Gan Baobao (wife of Zhong Wanchou), and Ruan Xingzhu (mother of Azi).

This time, Duan Zhengchun, acting on his elder brother's orders, went to Shenjie Temple in Luliang Prefecture to investigate the murder of Master Xuanbei of Shaolin Temple. He discovered many suspicious points and concluded it wasn't necessarily the work of the Murong clan of Gusu. After waiting for over half a month without any high-ranking monks arriving from Shaolin Temple, he, along with the three high officials Fan Hua, Hua Hegen, Ba Tianshi, and the four imperial guards, traveled to the Central Plains to investigate the truth. Taking the opportunity, he visited Ruan Xingzhu, who was living in seclusion by Xiaojing Lake. These days, they were inseparable, living a blissful life. Duan Zhengchun rekindled his romance with his former lover by Xiaojing Lake, while the three high officials and four imperial guards provided protection. Little did they know that their archenemy would unexpectedly come knocking.

Wu Long noticed a woman beside him. She wore a light green, form-fitting water-colored dress that accentuated her slender waist. One of her large, dark eyes sparkled like stars, brimming with life and incredibly expressive, as if it could speak volumes. She was about thirty-five or thirty-six years old, with a delicate, almost mocking smile at the corners of her mouth. However, the woman before him, Ruan Xingzhu, looked no more than twenty-three or twenty-four. She was strikingly beautiful, with captivating charm, a stunning face, high, firm breasts, a slender waist, and fair skin. Every inch of her body exuded an alluring, mature femininity.

Her hair was tied back, with a few strands cascading down her temples like waterfalls. She had a round face, arched eyebrows, bright, almond-shaped eyes, rosy lips, and white teeth. Her fair skin and noble bearing made her appear elegant and graceful, with a captivating charm. Her shapely arms and full legs radiated a compelling, mature vitality. Her high, firm breasts seemed unable to bear the restraint and were about to burst out of her clothes.

Wu Long's heart skipped a beat,

"Could she be Ruan Xingzhu? She really is a beauty. No wonder she has two sisters, A Zi and A Zhu."

Duan Zhengchun said, "My family is unfortunate to have such a wicked person. Since we have met here, we can't avoid it. We have no choice but to deal with him!"

Zhu Danchen said, "It is the duty of ministers to defend against enemies and eliminate evil. My lord should prioritize the country and return to Dali as soon as possible to avoid worrying the emperor. My lord, we cannot act rashly today. If my lord makes even the slightest mistake, how can we face the emperor when we return to Dali? We will only have to commit suicide together!"

"None of you are leaving today."

Duan Yanqing's strange ventriloquism sounded. Duan Zhengchun learned from Zhu Danchen that Qiao Feng was known as "Northern Qiao Feng" and that Wu Long was now famous in the martial arts world. These two were now his son's friends, so they would not stand by and watch him die. Therefore, he was not afraid. Although the opposing side was missing Ye Erniang and Yun Zhonghe, the addition of four other men actually made them two more, and judging from their approaching momentum, their martial arts were not weak. He remained unafraid. He didn't know Wu Long's martial arts skills, but he trusted the reputation of Qiao Feng. Stepping out from under the protection of the two guards and three dukes, he smiled slightly at Duan Yanqing and said,

"My Dali Duan family's own affairs have to be settled within the territory of the Great Song Dynasty? Heh, how laughable!"

Duan Yanqing also sized up their group. Seeing Wu Long, he remembered him, and his eyes narrowed slightly. He hadn't expected to encounter this strange fellow here. Last time, the four of them had fought one person, and they had only managed to injure him through trickery. He had thought the man would need at least a year to recover, but they had met again in just over a month. His gaze then fell on Qiao Feng, but he couldn't discern his strength either. He was even more curious, wondering where Duan Zhengchun had found such a master. Suddenly, a man behind Qiao Feng glanced at him, leaned close, and whispered a few words in Qiao Feng's ear, his face showing fear. Upon hearing this, Qiao Feng was even more alarmed, his gaze towards Qiao Feng filled with not only curiosity but also worry and confusion. It seemed that the man recognized Qiao Feng and had revealed Qiao Feng's identity to Duan Yanqing.

In this way, Wu Long's side gained the upper hand in terms of strength. However, Duan Yanqing had his own trump card and did not give up easily. The whispered conversation was overheard by Yue Laosan, who looked at Qiao Feng and said, "Are you the Beggar Clan leader known as 'Northern Qiao Feng'? Come, come, I, Yue Laosan, will fight you first and see if it's real or fake!" With that, he drew his alligator scissors from behind him, slashed them a few times, and then strode out towards Qiao Feng. Seeing that Yue Laosan had already shouted, Duan Yanqing knew it was too late to stop him, so he let him go. He also wanted to let him test whether Qiao Feng's martial arts were as powerful as rumored.

Qiao Feng also stepped forward at this time, cupped his hands to Yue Laosan, and said, "I have now changed my surname to Xiao and am no longer called Feng. I am also no longer the leader of the Beggars' Sect. However, since you are so interested, I would like to learn a few of your skills!"

"Very well!" Yue Laosan shouted, and with a leap, he lunged forward, wielding alligator scissors, aiming to stab Qiao Feng in the chest. Qiao Feng was not only highly skilled in martial arts, but also had extremely keen eyesight. He had already seen through Yue Laosan's strength, but seeing that Yue Laosan was using such an unusual weapon, he also wanted to see it for himself. Therefore, he did not fight back, but dodged and moved around to see how Yue Laosan's weapon techniques were. Yue Laosan wielded his weapon with swift thrusts, jabs, scissors, and parries, creating a whooshing sound as he spoke, yet he couldn't even touch a single hem of Qiao Feng's clothing. Before ten moves had even been completed, seeing that Qiao Feng hadn't retaliated, he shouted, "Why aren't you fighting back? Looks like you're a fake, only good at dodging!"

Qiao Feng, seeing that although he seemed a bit simple-minded, was straightforward and honest, liked his personality and wasn't annoyed. Seeing him finish speaking, he chuckled, "Alright, I'm going to make my move now, you'd better watch out!" With that, he sidestepped Yue Laosan's scissor strike, then swiftly grabbed with one hand, forming a claw. Before Yue Laosan could even see clearly, his wrist holding the scissors was grabbed, and before he could react, he was thrown to the ground, tumbling several times. Yue Laosan rolled a few times, dissipating the force, and then easily got to his feet. Staring at Qiao Feng with his small, beady eyes, he said, "Good, you really have a skill. It seems you're genuine! Let's go again!" With that, he gripped the alligator scissors with both hands, twisted them in half, and then lunged at Qiao Feng again. Seeing the weapon's surprising use, Qiao Feng dodged a few more moves, but after less than ten, he retaliated. He kicked Qiao Feng in the chest, sending him tumbling through the air before crashing to the ground. But this guy was relentless; he got up again and charged at Qiao Feng. This time, however, Duan Yanqing blocked him with his staff, giving him a sidelong glance. Qiao Feng reluctantly sheathed his weapon and retreated.

"Are you truly Qiao Feng of the North?" Duan Yanqing asked, using his unique ventriloquism.

"Indeed, it is I!" Qiao Feng replied, bowing.

"Then why does Hero Xiao interfere in the affairs of my Duan family?" Duan Yanqing had just heard him say that he had changed his surname to Qiao and that he was no longer the leader of the Beggars' Clan, so he addressed him as Hero Xiao Feng.

"Family matters?" Qiao Feng was unaware of the relationship between Duan Yanqing and Duan Zhengchun, so he was somewhat puzzled and hesitated to answer. Just then, a soft sigh rang out, followed by a somewhat lazy voice: "Duan Yanqing, are you still dreaming of being emperor? If you had any brains at all, you'd know it's impossible. I really don't know what you're thinking; you don't seem like an idiot!"

Qiao Feng recognized the voice immediately as his second brother, Wu Long's. Before he could turn around, he heard footsteps, and Wu Long had already walked over and stood beside him. Hearing this, Duan Yanqing turned to look at Wu Long, his eyes turning cold, and shouted, "It's you again, you brat! You were lucky to survive last time, but you still have to meddle. This time, I certainly won't let you off easily!"

"Tch, do you think I need your mercy? Come at me!"

Wu Long said nonchalantly. "Hmph!" Duan Yanqing snorted coldly, raised his staff, and with a hiss, a righteous and imposing finger force shot out from the tip of the staff, aiming directly at Wu Long's Tianchi acupoint on his chest. This finger force, delivered with the staff as a finger, was the Duan family's One-Yang Finger technique. Duan Zhengchun saw it clearly and knew it perfectly well; just by watching him use it, he could tell that the level of Duan Yanqing's One-Yang Finger was higher than his own. Worried that Wu Long wouldn't be able to withstand it, he quickly warned him, "Nephew, be careful! This is One-Yang

Finger!" Wu Long, however, remained completely unconcerned. When the finger force was close enough, he raised his hand and lightly waved it across his chest, neutralizing the force. At the same time, as he flicked his little finger, a flick of the finger technique was returned, also aimed at Duan Yanqing's Tianchi acupoint on his chest—a reciprocal act of striking back.

When using a copper coin or a pebble, the Flicking Finger Technique is incredibly powerful and domineering. However, when using true energy, the flicking force is subtle, silent, and formless. Although its destructive power is far less than using a stone, it is still comparable to top-tier martial arts techniques. Therefore, he only realized the force when it reached his chest. Startled, he realized it was too late to block and quickly dodged. However, the person behind him was unaware of the situation. As soon as he dodged, the person wondered what was happening, then felt a chill in his chest; he had been struck on the Youmen acupoint and was unable to move.

This person was the one who had pointed out Qiao Feng to Duan Yanqing earlier. After speaking, he stood behind Duan Yanqing, about half a body length ahead of him. Although the Tianchi and Youmen acupoints were not on the same level, they were roughly the same height, and he was slightly taller than Duan Yanqing. As Duan Yanqing dodged, the finger-flicking technique struck his Youmen acupoint precisely—a truly fortunate coincidence.

Duan Yanqing dodged Wu Long's silent finger-flicking technique, but remembered the person standing behind him. A quick glance revealed that the person had been struck without any resistance, causing him great alarm. Despite his shock, he didn't hesitate. Steadying himself, he unleashed another One-Yang Finger technique. This time, Wu Long didn't wait for his One-Yang Finger to reach him, retaliating with a finger-flick. The two forces collided in mid-air. The impact caused Duan Yanqing to stagger, his iron staff taking a half-step back. His face remained expressionless; however, his deadpan expression, with its stiff muscles, made any reaction a miracle. In contrast, Wu Long remained completely still, not even his clothes swaying, standing as leisurely as ever, a smile on his face. This clash of finger strength was utterly devoid of any fancy moves, a direct confrontation, and the difference in their skill levels was immediately apparent.

Although Duan Yanqing was crippled in both legs, he was at a disadvantage compared to Wu Long, whose legs were intact. To others, it might seem that Wu Long had the advantage of having intact legs. However, Duan Yanqing knew his own limitations and knew that his skill was inferior to his opponent's. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel surprised. Last time, their skill levels were roughly equal, but he had to resort to trickery because Wu Long's physical strength was so formidable. But now, Wu Long's skill had improved by leaps and bounds, far surpassing his own. How could he not be astonished? However, he hadn't used his full strength in this strike, only half of it. Yet, he also sensed that Wu Long hadn't used his full strength either, and he couldn't fathom the depth of Wu Long's skill. Intrigued, he added another 20% of his strength and struck again. This time, he still used an iron staff as a substitute for a finger, but after shooting it out, he immediately retracted the staff and plunged it into the hard ground. Freeing his hand, he pressed down with his thumb and immediately followed with another finger. He shot out this finger, then retracted his thumb, raised his index finger, and shot out yet another. These three fingers, one after another, were closely connected, in different directions, and each carried a different force. It was up to Wu Long to see how he

would neutralize them. Upon seeing Duan Yanqing's three fingers, Duan Zhengchun, who was watching from the sidelines, couldn't help but change his expression drastically. He also practiced the One-Finger Divine Skill and could see the power of Duan Yanqing's three fingers. Although Wu Long had just easily neutralized Duan Yanqing's finger strike, seeing this, he was still very worried for Wu Long. The three dukes of Dali and the guards Chu Wanli and Zhu Danchen, though they hadn't practiced the One-Finger Divine Skill, were quite knowledgeable about it as subjects of the Duan family. Therefore, seeing Duan Yanqing unleash three consecutive fingers, their expressions changed drastically. Ruan Xingzhu, however, showed little change; she didn't understand it. Duan Yanqing's group, on the other hand, were filled with amazement and praise, all showing joy, believing Wu Long was about to be injured by Duan Yanqing. Yue Laosan even shouted loudly to cheer on Duan Yanqing. Only the leading Taoist priest had a grave expression, with worry in his eyes.

Wu Long, watching Duan Yanqing shoot out three fingers in succession, hearing the rapid "whoosh" of the three One-Finger Divine Skills cutting through the air, still stood smiling, his expression unchanged. Watching the three bursts of One Yang Finger power pierce the air, creating ripples in the surrounding atmosphere, he lightly raised his hand, hooking his thumb around his little finger, ring finger, and middle finger, and then flicking them out one by one. Each flick released a silent burst of finger-flicking power, leaving no visible change in the air it passed through, meeting Duan Yanqing's three fingers one by one. The three pairs of finger powers collided silently in the air, the force of the collision rippling outwards. With his focused martial vision, he could see the air spreading rapidly outwards like ripples from the point of impact. This was a phenomenon he had discovered shortly after absorbing the He Shi Bi jade—the ability to see with the naked eye the changes caused by the friction and collision of energy with the air.

The collision of the three pairs of finger powers created three waves of energy that rapidly spread outwards. These three waves then converged and collided in the center, creating many more chaotic smaller waves, causing the three smaller waves to clash and spread even faster, arriving in the blink of an eye. Wu Long watched as the three almost invisible energy waves rushed towards him, yet he didn't bother to block them. The three energy waves were automatically neutralized by the Beiming Divine Art upon entering his body, returning to his internal energy. Therefore, he was completely unharmed by the backlash and remained standing calmly. Duan Yanqing, on the other hand, couldn't do the same. He could only try to block each wave, and as they collided, he was forced back three and a half steps before regaining his footing, his internal energy surging. Just as he regained his footing, the aftershocks of three more energy waves colliding in the middle followed. These smaller energy waves, though weak, still forced him back a step.

"Trying to kill me? Looks like you don't have the ability!" Wu Long chuckled at Duan Yanqing, then raised his hand and shot out another finger.

Duan Yanqing stood silently, calming the turbulent energy within him. Before things had fully calmed down, Wu Long fired another finger after finishing his sentence. Having just tested him, Duan Yanqing now fully understood that Wu Long's skill surpassed his own, and therefore dared not clash head-on with Wu Long's Finger Flicking Technique again. Sensing the subtle change in the air before him, he quickly sidestepped, simultaneously raising his staff to counter with a finger strike. Wu Long parried that finger strike with another, then fired another after him. Duan Yanqing dodged and fired again, retaliating. Wu Long caught it with yet another finger, then fired another after him. Back and forth, Duan Yanqing always dodged Wu Long's Finger Flicking Technique before retaliating, while Wu Long remained stationary. When Duan Yanqing fired a finger, he blocked it with one finger and retaliated with another. After seven or eight fingers, Wu Long began to feel impatient; this back-and-forth was becoming tedious. So, after blocking Duan Yanqing's One-Finger Divine Skill with his next finger, the counterattack was no longer a single finger, but eight in succession. Four fingers shot towards four major acupoints in front of him, while the other four shot into empty spaces beside him, blocking his dodge.

Seeing this situation, Duan Yanqing knew that dodging was no longer an option. He used one staff to support his body by tapping the ground, while the other staff danced rapidly in front of him, creating a blur of black light. The staff shadows were dazzling, and the energy overflowed, deflecting the four fingers that Wu Long had shot at him. The other four fingers, since he didn't move, were ineffective and shot into empty spaces. After a rapid dance of his staff, he withdrew the staff shadows, and with a burst of force, the staff that had tapped the ground leaped towards Wu Long. Midway, he swung the staff, smashing it down from above onto the top of Wu Long's head.

Seeing Wu Long leap towards him, a playful smile suddenly appeared on his face. He then raised both hands and flicked out eight fingers in quick succession. However, none of these eight fingers carried any force. Duan Yanqing, unaware of this, knew that such an empty flick was naturally silent, and the force of the finger flick was also inherently silent. Both shared this characteristic, making them extremely difficult to distinguish. Duan Yanqing had already suffered enough from Wu Long's silent finger flick, and was now a frightened bird. He had no time to distinguish whether Wu Long's eight fingers were real or feinted. Upon seeing Wu Long's eight fingers flick out, he was startled and quickly twisted his body, turning away diagonally.

"Hahaha!" Seeing that Duan Yanqing truly believed it and hurriedly dodged, Wu Long couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Boy, how dare you bully this old man!" Duan Yan wasn't stupid. Hearing Wu Long's laughter, he immediately realized what was going on. With a roar using ventriloquism, he tapped the ground with his staffs and rushed towards him. Those nearby, seeing the two of them laughing and exchanging words, and deducing what was happening, also figured it out. Thinking back to what had just happened, they couldn't help but laugh. Duan Zhengchun, Qiao Feng, and the others only smiled, and few of them laughed out loud. Duan Yanqing, however, had very ugly expressions. Only Yue Laosan, that simple-minded fellow, couldn't understand and kept asking others what was going on.

"Hey, let me finish laughing first!" Seeing Duan Yanqing chasing after him in a fit of rage, Wu Long, unable to laugh in time, quickly dodged with his Lingbo Weibu (a martial arts technique). Enraged, Duan Yanqing unleashed a barrage of attacks, each move more intense than the last, his dark staff shadows surrounding Wu Long, yet none of them managed to touch a single corner of Wu Long's clothes.

The Taoist priest on Duan Yanqing's side frowned slightly and sighed as he watched the two entangled figures. Suddenly, he turned to Qiao Feng, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "I have long admired the reputation of Hero Qiao. Meeting you today is truly an honor. However, encountering an opponent like Hero Qiao makes me very eager to learn. I humbly request that Hero Qiao generously impart a few moves to me!"

Qiao Feng, who had been watching Wu Long and Duan Yanqing fight, turned around upon hearing the Taoist priest's words, returned the cupped hands, and smiled, "I have long heard of the esteemed name of Daoist Nine Wings. However, I have never had the chance to meet you. Today, by chance, I have been eager to learn from you. Since you have already brought it up, I humbly accept!"

"Oh, Hero Qiao actually knows me?" The Daoist Nine Wings asked, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

"I don't recognize him, I only judged from the lightness skill you displayed when you arrived!" Qiao Feng replied with a smile, then added, "You are known as 'Thunder Shakes the Nine Heavens,' your lightness skill is indeed extremely superb, I admire you greatly!"

"Hero Qiao's eyesight is indeed excellent!" The Nine-Winged Daoist also replied with a smile, then humbly said, "It's just a small skill, Hero Qiao is too kind!" Although he said "too kind," there was a hint of pride on his face.

Qiao Feng did not reply, but simply cupped his fists and said, "Please, Daoist!"

The Nine-Winged Daoist's eyes flashed again, he took two steps forward, and took out two weapons from his body. The one in his left hand was a thick iron plaque cast from cast iron, decorated with patterns of flying birds and fierce beasts. This large iron plaque looked quite heavy, but in his hands it was as light as a card, light and effortless. Judging from this alone, Qiao Feng could tell that the Nine-Winged Daoist was indeed a skilled martial artist. Looking further into his right hand, he saw a lightning-shaped, curved, pointed cone, which Qiao Feng immediately recognized as his famous weapon, the Thunder God's Shield. The Nine-Winged Daoist took out these two weapons, took two steps forward, then cupped his hands together in a gesture of respect towards Qiao Feng, saying, "Greetings!" He then held the weapons upright, stared at Qiao Feng for a moment, and then shouted, leaping high into the air with his toes, his right hand wielding the Thunder God's Shield, propelled by his weight and momentum, slamming it down. Before the shield even arrived, a sharp gust of wind preceded it.

Qiao Feng thought to himself, "Indeed, a great reputation is well-deserved!" He also shouted, dodging the attack, and with a light tap of his toes, unleashed a downward strike, the "Azure Dragon Emerging from the Water." Seeing the power of Qiao Feng's attack, the Nine-Winged Daoist's expression changed. He used his left iron plaque to block the attack, while his right Thunder God Shield changed position and still struck downwards.

Qiao Feng, seeing the iron plaque block, did not change his move. Watching the Thunder God Shield thrust downwards, he did not block or dodge, his palm strike uninterrupted, carrying immense force as he struck back. With a loud "bang," palm and plaque collided. The Nine-Winged Daoist felt a powerful force surge up his left hand holding the plaque, only dissipating at his shoulder. His left arm was already numb from the shock, and he was involuntarily thrown upwards by Qiao Feng's palm strike. As he flew upwards, the Thunder God Shield's downward thrust could no longer harm Qiao Feng. But after flying upwards, he turned in mid-air and then pressed down again with force. Qiao Feng, however, was also thrown back to the ground by the recoil. This time, seeing the Nine-Winged Daoist's figure pressing down from mid-air, he no longer leaped to attack, but took a step back, waiting for the figure to land before making his move.

This Nine-Winged Daoist was known as "Thunder Shakes the Nine Heavens," a name that referred not only to his title but also to his martial arts. His martial arts utilized his extremely high level of lightness skill, leaping high into the air and using his weight and inertia to exert downward pressure on his enemies. If a person has one unit of force on the ground, then falling from a great height using their weight will have two or even three times the force. This also depends on the height and angle of the fall, as well as the method of exerting force. Slight differences will result in different amounts of force. This Nine-Winged Daoist had thoroughly studied this art, mastering all these methods. Using this powerful technique, he had defeated countless masters whose own strength was superior to his own. So now that he was facing Qiao Feng, although he knew how powerful Qiao Feng was and had witnessed it, he still had confidence in himself. Qiao Feng, however, couldn't get used to his fighting style, so he mainly focused on defense, only counterattacking when he saw an opening. For a time, the two were evenly matched.

Of the six people Duan Yanqing had brought, besides himself, the Nine-Winged Daoist was the most skilled. Therefore, when Duan Yanqing wasn't around, the Nine-Winged Daoist gave orders. But now that both of them were engaged in the fight, the remaining three plus one who had been immobilized by pressure points were left unattended. Yue Laosan was the most restless. Seeing that his two leaders were already fighting and he was left unattended, he couldn't stay any longer. He spotted Duan Zhengchun and, remembering he was his son's disciple, felt a surge of anger. He shouted, "Duan Zhengchun, I'll cut you up!" and charged forward, wielding his scissors. The remaining two, hearing his roar, rushed out, exchanged a glance, and then grabbed their weapons and followed. Only one remained, his pressure points sealed by Wu Long's Finger Flicking Divine Skill. Several had tried to undo the spell, but to no avail, leaving him standing there, stunned.

On the Dali side, the three dukes and two guards, hearing Yue Laosan's shout, were not about to let him charge. Chu Wanli swung his steel fishing rod and met him head-on. Zhu Danchen, Ba Tianshi, and Hua Hegeng followed closely behind, while Fan Hua stayed behind to protect Duan Zhengchun. The two sides clashed, and a chaotic brawl ensued.

[Duan Zhengchun isn't dead yet? Damn, he'll definitely die in the next chapter.] In the

first part of the Fallen Dragon World, Chapter 108, Duan Zhengchun dies and Ruan Xingzhu is recruited.

Duan Yanqing was furious and, disregarding his defense, unleashed his full power to shoot a finger at Wu Long's eyes. Wu Long, naturally aware of the power of the "One-Finger Divine Skill," would not try to block it head-on, nor could he cultivate his eyes to the point of indestructibility. However, he kept chasing Duan Yanqing, using his momentum to lunge forward, trying to dodge to the side. But how could he stop in time? He had no choice but to close his eyes, use all his strength, and concentrate his power in his palm to block Duan Yanqing's "One-Finger Divine Skill" with his palm force.

As soon as he touched Duan Yanqing's fingers, he felt two streams of heat surge up from his palm, flowing rapidly up his arm along the Taiyin Lung Meridian. Wu Long was shocked:

"Although I can only circulate 70% of my true energy due to internal injuries, I am still superior to my opponent, and my body is extremely strong. But Duan Yanqing's One-Finger Divine Skill has still invaded my meridians so quickly?"

Caught off guard, Wu Long was attacked from the side by Duan Yanqing. The internal force of the "One-Finger Divine Skill" immediately broke through Wu Long's defense and reached the "Quchi" acupoint under his jaw in the blink of an eye. The "Quchi" acupoint is located under the jaw and is the meeting point of the three Yin meridians of the hand and the Ren meridian. It is extremely important. If Duan Yanqing's "One-Finger Divine Skill" breaks through Wu Long's "Quchi" acupoint, it will immediately split into two paths. One path will go down along the Ren meridian, and the other path will go down along the Lung Meridian of Hand-Taiyin from the lungs to the heart. Both paths will go straight down to the Dantian. At that time, even if a great immortal came, he would not be able to save him. However, Wu Long possessed the peerless skill Beiming and neutralized the force of the "One-Finger Divine Skill" in just a few breaths.

Wu Long did not know that the "One-Finger Divine Skill" was very different from the martial arts of the Central Plains. The martial arts of the Central Plains emphasized using Qi to generate power and using power to generate force. However, although the "One-Finger Divine Skill" of the Dali Clan also emphasized using Qi to generate power, it was different from the martial arts of the Central Plains in that it used Qi to generate force directly.

Unlike other martial arts in the Central Plains, where internal energy is cultivated in the dantian and then used to propel palm or fist techniques, the internal energy in "One-Finger Divine Skill" is perfectly coordinated with the moves. This is because the internal energy of "One-Finger Divine Skill" is not condensed into a ball of true energy, but rather forms a line or thread of true energy. In ordinary martial arts, even when using all internal energy, most finger techniques can only retain 40-50% of their internal energy in the finger. However, "One-Finger Divine Skill" is different. The internal energy of "One-Finger Divine Skill" is a single line within the body. When the finger is released, the internal energy can flow out along the entire finger. "One-Finger Divine Skill" can utilize all of the internal energy within the body. The person making the move does not need to condense their energy before striking, which is why "One-Finger Divine Skill" does not require condensing energy when the finger is released; the internal energy flows out as a single line.

The origin of "One-Finger Divine Skill" is unknown, but its cultivation method is extremely daring. It involves forming a thread-like stream of internal energy within the body, which, while capable of injuring with a single strike and skipping the step of condensing energy, is incredibly damaging to the practitioner. Imagine a single, extremely powerful stream of internal energy surging and leaping through the body; the damage to the meridians would be immense. Masters of "One-Finger Divine Skill" often find their bodies failing by their forties, forced to cultivate inner peace and tranquility. Furthermore, given the strong Buddhist faith in Dali, many "One-Finger Divine Skill" masters at this stage often become monks, partly to escape worldly concerns and partly to seek Buddhist enlightenment. To neutralize the excessive Yang energy within his body and prevent it from harming him, this was the real reason why the ruler of Dali, who practiced the "One-Finger Divine Skill," often abdicated and became a monk.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Duan Zhengchun's robes suddenly flew off. Wu Long knew he was secretly channeling his internal energy. Duan Yanqing planted two steel staffs into the ground, which surprisingly penetrated three feet deep. Countless stones were buried beneath the lake, yet this old ghost's internal energy was so powerful. Wu Long dared not underestimate him and secretly channeled his full power!

A gust of wind swirled around Duan Yanqing, drawn by his internal energy, forming a vortex around him. Standing within this vortex, Duan Yanqing appeared quite ethereal. The steel staffs he planted were precisely to... He relied on the strength he had gained from supporting himself on the ground. Leaning heavily against his staff, his hair and beard bristled, his face turning crimson, growing ever redder until it seemed about to bleed. Suddenly, with a deafening roar, he unleashed a palm strike at Wu Long with overwhelming force.

Wu Long, however, had already used his internal energy to subtly manipulate the "Shifting Stars" technique, locking down the energy within a five-zhang radius. In this area, anyone who exerted force would have it reflected back at them, unless their internal energy was stronger than Wu Long's. Duan Yanqing's palm strike, before it even reached its midpoint, was locked down by Wu Long's energy. Wu Long used "Shifting Stars" to guide Duan Yanqing's palm force into a circle, then from the right. He then struck back with the force Duan Yanqing had just unleashed. "Go!"

Duan Yanqing was startled. Before he could understand what was happening, he felt an extremely familiar force crashing towards him. He could only use all his strength to resist that force. Just as that force disappeared, an extremely powerful force rushed up from behind. It was even stronger than the force he had exerted.

At this moment, his new strength had just been exhausted and his old strength had not yet been generated. He was at his weakest. Seeing this force rushing towards him, he had no way to dodge. He could only close his eyes and wait for death!

Just as he was filled with regret and despair, waiting for death, Wu Long suddenly said, "Duan Yanqing, if you are willing to let go of your obsession, stop dreaming of the Dali throne, and stop plotting against the current Duan family, I might consider sparing your life!" After all, Duan Yanqing was Duan Yu's biological father. Although he was not afraid of the consequences of killing him, if he could spare his life and resolve the matter satisfactorily, that would be the best outcome. "

Hmph, that throne was originally mine. It was taken away by those traitorous officials. Naturally, I will take it back from them!" "Duan Yanqing snorted angrily without hesitation.

"But do you think you can seize the throne with these methods?" Wu Long retorted disdainfully, continuing, "Do you remember what I told you last time, or have you calmed down and thought about it carefully? If you have any brains left, you should be able to understand the reasoning behind it. Not to mention that you can't seize the throne with such methods, even if you did, so what? Not a single subject in the country would be willing to submit to you. What's the point of being an emperor then?"

Duan Yanqing remained silent. Wu Long's words last time had dealt him a heavy blow, and how could he not have thought about it carefully? Although he had considered the consequences, he was still unwilling. Moreover, this was his only wish since his legs were crippled, and it was not something he could easily give up. Wu Long looked at the expression in his eyes and realized that he had wavered, but he was still unwilling. And it was not easy for someone to let go of his long-held obsession.

"Do you really have to resort to this last trick?" Wu Long considered using Duan Yu's background to persuade Duan Yanqing to give up, but he was unsure whether revealing it so early was a good or bad idea, and was hesitant. He pondered, feeling conflicted, unsure whether to tell Duan Yanqing that splitting into two forces during battle was a major taboo, even for those with superior martial arts skills. Fortunately, Duan Yanqing was also deep in thought, considering Wu Long's words, and didn't notice. Moreover, his internal energy was almost depleted, so even if he shook off Wu Long, he wouldn't pose much of a threat.

Actually, the Duan family's affairs had nothing to do with Wu Long, but Wu Long and Duan Yu were very close, and several of Duan Zhengchun's daughters had become his wives, and he had even taken in several of Duan Zhengchun's lovers. He felt he had to help him in some way. While Wu Long was still hesitating, Duan Yanqing suddenly made up his mind and said:

"Death is death! Do you think I'd beg for mercy from you, brat!" He had carefully considered Wu

Long's words, realizing that since he had no hope of reclaiming the Dali throne and his dreams were shattered, what was the point of clinging to life? Even if he agreed to Wu Long's request and was spared, he had countless enemies, and with less than twenty percent of his original strength remaining, how could he possibly protect himself? Even if he feigned agreement with Wu Long, he would be powerless to make any further plans. In despair, he resolved to die.

However, after this period of hesitation, Wu Long could no longer bring himself to kill Duan Yanqing. In this short time, although he still hadn't made up his mind, he had thought of a compromise. That was, as long as Duan Yanqing posed no further threat to the current Dali Duan family, sparing his life was acceptable. Now that two of the Four Evils were gone, only the simple-minded Yue Laosan remained, which meant that Yue Laosan's power was already considerable. Reduce.

Although there's still the Western Xia Yipintang as backup, Yipintang isn't his own and won't completely obey his commands. However, it's best to restrict this guy's freedom, which means imprisoning him for life. If Duan Yanqing doesn't even have freedom, how can he have the ability to cause trouble? He's already decided on the place of imprisonment: Tianlong Temple, which is actually the ancestral hall of the Dali Duan clan. Duan Yanqing is a disciple of the Duan clan, so becoming a monk at Tianlong Temple is perfectly in accordance with the rules. Moreover, Tianlong Temple has many experts; guarding Duan Yanqing, whose power is now almost gone, is no problem at all. Perhaps Duan Yanqing will even become disillusioned and renounce the world, truly devoting all his energy to studying Buddhism! If that happens, everyone will be happy. Even if Duan Yu learns about his origins later, he'll be more likely to accept his biological father, who has been reformed by Buddhism.

He pressed Duan Yanqing's acupoints and was about to turn to watch the battle beside him when he suddenly heard a loud "boom." Looking towards the sound, he saw on the left side of the battlefield that Qiao Feng and the Nine-Winged Daoist were both leaping high into the air. However, Qiao Feng's leap was more than half a body height higher than the Nine-Winged Daoist, who was known for his lightness skills. He was striking down from mid-air, using the force of his weight and inertia to slam his palm into the Nine-Winged Daoist's iron plaque. The palm and plaque collided, and the heavy iron plaque could not withstand the force of Qiao Feng's palm strike, shattering into pieces that scattered in all directions. The Nine-Winged Daoist could not withstand it either, and was already knocked heavily downwards by the palm strike. In mid-air, he spat out a mouthful of blood, staining his chest clothes red. With a "thud," he was thrown onto the hard ground below like a dead fish, kicking up a cloud of dust. With another thud, he coughed up another mouthful of blood. His face was ashen, and after lying on the ground for a while, catching his breath, he struggled to his feet, swaying unsteadily.

It turned out that through his fight with the Nine-Winged Daoist, Qiao Feng had found a way to deal with him: aerial combat against aerial combat. The higher the Daoist leaped, the higher Qiao Feng would leap himself, hovering above him and striking from a greater height. So, taking advantage of the Nine-Winged Daoist's rebound from their exchange of blows, Qiao Feng followed suit, leaping high and unleashing a powerful strike from the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, specifically the "Flying Dragon in the Sky" move. The sheer force of the blow, combined with the greater height, caused the Daoist to cough up blood, shatter his iron plaque, and be severely injured.

The two most skilled martial artists on the side, Duan Yanqing, had already been knocked to the ground by Wu Long, while the Nine-Winged Daoist, already injured and coughing up blood from Qiao Feng's attack, could barely stand, let alone fight back. Of the remaining four, one had already become Duan Yanqing's scapegoat, taking the hit from Wu Long's "Finger of Flowers" technique and becoming immobilized. Of the remaining three, Yue Laosan was being attacked by Chu Wanli and Zhu Danchen, the battle still undecided. Of the remaining two, the strangely dressed, tall man, seemingly from the Western Xia Kingdom, was fighting the short Ba Tianshi. The third, wielding a knife, was exchanging blows with Hua Hegen. Both of these men were at a disadvantage, mostly on the defensive against Ba Tianshi and Hua Hegen's attacks.

Wu Long carried Duan Yanqing to Duan Zhengchun's side and placed him on the ground. Duan Zhengchun and Fan Hua quickly came forward to thank him. Qiao Feng, seeing the Nine-Winged Daoist bow, also approached, and Duan and Fan thanked him in return. Wu Long and Qiao Feng exchanged a few words of modesty with the two men before steer the conversation towards how to deal with Duan Yanqing, then offered their suggestions to Duan Zhengchun.

"This is an excellent suggestion!" Duan Zhengchun nodded after listening. He then sighed, glanced at Duan Yanqing, who had been knocked unconscious by Wu Long, and said, "After all, he's family. Crown Prince Yanqing is also my and my brother's cousin. Given my brother's benevolence, he would never kill him! This is the best solution!"

Suddenly, a scream rang out. Everyone looked and saw that the man fighting Hua Hegen had been caught off guard and slashed across the left shoulder by Hua Hegen's blade. Blood flashed, and defeat was imminent. A short while later, another scream rang out. The man's hand had been slashed by Hua Hegen. In pain, he loosened his grip, and the steel blade clattered to the ground. Hua Hegen then kicked him in the chest, sending him flying. Meanwhile, the tall, burly Western Xia man fighting Ba Tianshi had already seen that Duan Yanqing, the leader, was subdued, and the Nine-Winged Daoist was no longer able to fight. Already anxious, seeing another companion defeated caused him to panic and his moves falter. Ba Tianshi circled behind him and struck him in the back with a palm strike. With a "plop," he spat out a mouthful of blood and fell forward to the ground. Fearing Ba Tianshi would continue his attack, he immediately rolled twice on the ground and tumbled away. When he got up, he saw that Ba Tianshi had not pursued him but had retreated back to Duan Zhengchun's side. On the other side, after Hua Hegen cut down the knife-wielding man, he saw that Chu Wanli and Zhu Danchen were struggling to defeat Yue Laosan, so he went to help them, and the three of them joined forces to fight Yue Laosan.

At this point, the battle was nearing its end, with only this last part remaining. Yue Laosan was able to handle Chu Wanli and Zhu Danchen alone, but now with the addition of Hua Hegen, whose martial arts were not much inferior to his own, he immediately began to struggle and was caught off guard. Before long, Chu Wanli struck his left arm with a fishing rod, while Zhu Danchen pierced his right ribs with his judge's pen. Hua Hegen, who was holding onto Chu Wanli's two crocodile-mouth scissors, seized the opportunity to parry them away. He then abandoned his single-edged sword, tightly gripping Chu Wanli's wrists, causing him to release the scissors in pain and drop them to the ground. Yue Laosan roared, pulling back his arms and dragging Hua Hegen along with him, then bent down and rammed his head into Chu Wanli's chest. Hua Hegen, pulled by Chu Wanli, quickly released Chu Wanli's wrists, turned around and went behind him, grabbing Chu Wanli's shoulders and forcefully dislocating his arms with two soft "cracks," rendering them unusable and hanging limply at his sides. He merely groaned, then with a twist of his waist, he freed himself from the pen still stuck in Zhu Danchen's waist. Swinging his two unusable arms, he turned around and kicked Hua Hegen.

Zhu Danchen, caught off guard by Yue Laosan's sudden twist despite the pain, lost his grip on the judge's pen, which he pulled out, sending a spray of blood flying. Yue Laosan turned to the left, and Zhu Danchen quickly turned to the right, their faces meeting again. Zhu Danchen swung his right judge's pen, aiming for Yue Laosan's heart. Yue Laosan's arms were temporarily crippled and unusable, so he couldn't raise them to block. He was also focused on turning to seek revenge on Hua Hegen, who had crippled his arms, and hadn't anticipated Zhu Danchen's equally sudden turn and attack. Unable to defend or dodge, he could only watch helplessly as the pen pierced his heart without missing its mark. A sharp pain shot through his chest. He glanced at Zhu Danchen in disbelief, then his pupils dilated, his breathing stopped, and he collapsed backward—dead.

Wu Long looked at Yue Laosan's still-open-eyed corpse lying on the ground, hot blood gushing from a bloody hole in his chest, and couldn't help but think, "What a pity!" Although Yue Laosan was a villain, his personality was quite endearing. Wu Long had quite liked this character when he read the book. Seeing him die like this was indeed a pity. However, his reputation as a villain wasn't for nothing; he killed without blinking an eye, taking lives at the slightest provocation. His death was somewhat deserved. Moreover, this kind of death was better than dying at the hands of his own boss, Duan Yanqing, in the original book. He sighed softly and turned to look at Qiao Feng, only to see him also looking at Yue Laosan's corpse, his eyes also filled with regret. In contrast, the Nine-Winged Daoist and the other two showed no grief over Yue Laosan's death, only worry on their faces, fearing they might suffer the same fate, as their lives were now in the hands of the other man. The Nine-Winged Daoist glanced at Yue Laosan's corpse, then walked towards Duan Zhengchun. Since being injured and getting up after being beaten by Qiao Feng, he had remained silent, simply standing there to meditate and heal his injuries. After some time, he had recovered somewhat and could now walk with difficulty. As soon as he left, the two men behind him followed, their wounded bodies close together. The one with the knife wound had already received medicine and simple bandaging, while the Western Xia man, though also suffering from internal injuries, had much less severe ones than the Nine-Winged Daoist and was not seriously injured.

"Your Highness Duan, I am Jiu Yi, and my brother Yanqing and I currently serve the Western Xia First-Class Hall. We came here today at the invitation of my brother Yanqing to lend a hand. Now we have suffered a crushing defeat; my brother Yanqing has been captured, and Yue Laosan is dead. We, the defeated, have nothing to say, but leave it to Your Highness to decide!"

Jiu Yi Daoist stopped three steps in front of Duan Zhengchun, cupped his hands, and spoke, his face indeed showing a willingness to submit to any punishment. However, since he invoked the name of the Western Xia First-Class Hall, he was hoping that Duan Zhengchun would release them for the sake of the Western Xia Kingdom. Although he knew that Qiao Feng's reputation in the martial arts world far surpassed Duan Zhengchun's, he also knew that Duan Zhengchun was ultimately in charge here, and that it was Duan Zhengchun who had invited them to seek revenge at the invitation of Duan Yanqing. Therefore, it should be Duan Zhengchun who made the decision regarding their punishment; Qiao Feng was merely helping out and had no authority.

"What do you two nephews think we should do?" Duan Zhengchun glanced at the Nine-Winged Daoist, then turned to Qiao Feng and Wu Long beside him and asked in a low voice. Today's matter depended entirely on these two to resolve, so he naturally wanted to consider their opinions.

Wu Long glanced at Qiao Feng, who was also looking at him, his eyes indicating that he should speak first. After all, he was more familiar with Duan Zhengchun, while Qiao Feng was meeting Duan Zhengchun for the first time today, and was quite reserved, having previously regarded him as an enemy. Therefore, he felt it inappropriate to speak carelessly. Wu Long understood his meaning, smiled at him, and then whispered to Duan Zhengchun, "I think we should release them!"

It wasn't that he was being overly sentimental; these people simply couldn't cause him any trouble. "That's what I think too!" Qiao Feng replied, echoing Wu Long's sentiment, seeing Duan Zhengchun looking at him again. Actually, he felt it didn't matter what, but since Wu Long had said to release them, he couldn't express his objection, and besides, he was also inclined to spare their lives.

For a moment, they all fell silent, each lost in their own troubles. Just then, a faint voice rang out:

"Duan Yanqing, Nine-Winged Daoist, you two are truly useless. Killing a mere Duan Zhengchun is so troublesome. Fine, let me do it myself."

Suddenly, an incomparably white palm strike shot out from a distance of ten zhang, its target Duan Zhengchun. The speed of the palm strike was simply too fast. Duan Zhengchun was, after all, a first-rate expert. In this life-or-death moment, he quickly moved his position. The terrifying palm strike, like a white rainbow piercing the sun, grazed past his ear. Before he could even feel relieved, he heard Ruan Xingzhu scream. Then, he felt as if a giant boulder had crushed his back. All his bones were instantly shattered, and blood gushed out under the terrifying pressure.

"No—"

Ruan Xingzhu and several of Duan Zhengchun's confidants screamed. Everything happened too fast. Wu Long hadn't even reacted. He could only see that the white energy, as agile as a human arm, curved and struck Duan Zhengchun in the back. Could there really be a palm strike that could curve? Wu Long was initially stunned, then reacted and exclaimed,

"White Rainbow Palm!" Just then, everyone's vision blurred, and a white figure appeared before them. This person was elusive, appearing and disappearing, their white clothes contrasting against the snow-covered ground, making them indistinct. "

Li Qiushui !" Wu Long recognized the person clearly; she was a slender, graceful woman dressed in light white robes, her face veiled by a white gauze. He thought to himself, when the woman in white said with some surprise, "I didn't expect you to know my White Rainbow Palm Technique?" Wu Long replied, "Of course I know, you're from the Free and Unfettered Sect." "No—" Ruan Xingzhu screamed in anguish as she held Duan Zhengchun's corpse. The other retainers also cried out in anguish. Wu Long's heart sank; he knew Duan Zhengchun was dead. He hadn't expected such a ruthless star to suddenly appear. Wu Long had thought the history of Tianlong would continue as before, but Li Qiushui had appeared so early and killed Duan Zhengchun. What was her purpose? "I didn't expect anyone else to know about the Free and Unfettered Sect. Are you a disciple of the Free and Unfettered Sect?" Li Qiushui's eyes flickered as she glanced at Wu Long, a gentle smile playing on her lips. She scrutinized him briefly. He had heard her voice many times before; just hearing such a gentle voice made one want to cherish and protect her! However, she was gentle on the surface but ruthless at heart. Thinking back to when Li Qiushui and Wuyazi were enjoying themselves in the Wuliang Mountains of Dali, it was only because Wuyazi had carved a beautiful jade statue of a fairy in a cave and ignored her all day that she became enraged. She went out and found many handsome young men, flirting with them in front of Wuyazi. Afterwards, she killed each of these men she had been with and sank them to the bottom of the lake. Such methods were truly ruthless, even more so than Ruan Xingzhu's. The saying goes, "A night without a wife is a hundred days of kindness," but considering she could kill those young men she had been with, her cruelty is evident. Thinking of this, she suddenly remembered Madam Wang of Mantuo Manor, who was also Li Qiushui's daughter, and couldn't help but sigh, "Like mother, like daughter; the mother is ruthless, and the daughter is even more ruthless." Thinking of this, her gaze towards Li Qiushui changed; she now saw her as a beautiful but venomous woman. Wait, could it be because of this that she killed Duan Zhengchun? Just then, Wu Long noticed Duan Zhengchun's six retainers, their eyes blazing with fury, lunging at Li Qiushui, clearly seeking revenge. Wu Long quickly shouted, "Wait!" But the six ignored him, gritting their teeth as they charged forward, determined to tear Li Qiushui to pieces. However, the difference in their martial arts skills was too great; it was merely suicide. Sure enough, Li Qiushui sent all six flying in just a few exchanges. Zhu Changchen flew towards Qiao Feng, who quickly spun around with both hands, generating a gentle force that caught him. But just then, he suddenly felt a sharp gust of wind behind him. He immediately circulated all his internal energy to his back. As a slender hand pressed against Qiao Feng's back, he coughed up a mouthful of blood. His body was sent flying ten meters away by the palm strike. After launching this sneak attack, Li Qiushui made no further moves, simply standing there quietly, watching Qiao Feng being sent flying! Upon landing, Qiao Feng coughed up another mouthful of blood. Ignoring the need to heal his injuries, Qiao Feng was furious. With his martial arts prowess, if it weren't for the sneak attack, Li Qiushui, despite her superior skill, would never have been able to injure him in a single exchange. It would have taken at least a hundred moves for them to determine a winner. Li Qiushui stood there calmly, her robes fluttering in the breeze, ethereal and graceful. Seeing Qiao Feng's angry and wary expression, she couldn't help but chuckle: "Hehe! Young man, there's no need to be nervous! My attack just now was merely to test your skills!" " With Qiao Feng's experience in the martial world, how could he believe him? Although he managed to circulate all his internal energy to defend against the attack, he was still inevitably injured. Fortunately, his injuries weren't serious; he could recover simply by using his internal energy to clear the blocked meridians. Right now, he was focusing all his energy on healing, so he couldn't speak. Seemingly sensing Qiao Feng's condition, Li Qiushui smiled and said, 'Young man, please focus on healing. We can talk about it later!' 'You vixen! Take this!' " " As he spoke, Qiao Feng lightly touched the ground, instantly covering a distance of 10 meters. He unleashed a double palm strike, 'Regretful Dragon,' fiercely attacking Li Qiushui. His exceptionally gifted physique allowed him to recover far beyond that of ordinary people, and the resilience of his meridians was incredibly strong. Therefore, in just a moment, his previous injuries had healed. Li Qiushui, though astonished by Qiao Feng's recovery ability, paid no heed to his attack. Without any visible movement, she easily dodged Qiao Feng's two full-force palm strikes. Simultaneously, taking advantage of the moment when Qiao Feng's attack was weakened, she closed in and struck down at his dantian. If Li Qiushui's palm had landed, Qiao Feng's entire martial arts would have been completely destroyed." Her foundation was crippled! But Li Qiushui had seriously underestimated Qiao Feng. The essence of the "Regretful Dragon" technique was that of every ten parts of the force exerted, twenty parts remained within the body. So, just as Li Qiushui was about to strike Qiao Feng, to her astonishment, Qiao Feng abruptly withdrew his palms, meeting Li Qiushui's slender, jade-like hands. Caught off guard, Li Qiushui's move was already exhausted, leaving her no time to change tactics or dodge. She could only channel all her inner strength to meet Qiao Feng's palm strike head-on! "Pfft~~~" Due to the sudden change in her move, Li Qiushui hadn't been able to gather her full inner strength. Under Qiao Feng's full-force "Regretful Dragon" palm strikes, she was immediately struck and coughed up blood, staining her white veil crimson. However, her reaction was incredibly swift, giving Qiao Feng no chance to attack again. After being struck, she immediately retreated. After catching her breath, Li Qiushui chuckled lightly, seemingly unperturbed, "There are probably fewer than a handful of people in the world who can hurt me. This young man has quite the palm strike!"

Although she was smiling, the chilling killing intent in her words was palpable. Wu Long hadn't wanted to be her enemy, after all, her busy schedule was a result of his own martial arts training. But now, it seemed he had no choice but to fight. With that thought, he flicked his left hand, unleashing two scorching blade energies towards Li Qiushui's sleeve. His right hand was raised to his chest, guarding against her right palm strike. Li Qiushui couldn't fathom Wu Long's strength and had already secretly overestimated him. But seeing Wu Long unleash two sharp blade energies in one move, she couldn't help but be startled, realizing she had underestimated him. Without time to think, her left sleeve abruptly stopped, and she struck out with a palm strike to block Wu Long's two blade energies. Her right palm strike remained unchanged, continuing straight out.

Although her left hand only delivered one palm strike, it contained three layers of force. She feared that one strike wouldn't be enough to stop Wu Long's two scorching sword energies, so she unleashed three. If one strike blocked them, all the better; the remaining two could then be used to counterattack Wu Long. The same logic applied to two strikes, but if one or two couldn't stop them, three should be enough to neutralize them. If even three couldn't neutralize them, then she could only blame herself for underestimating him. Fortunately, she wasn't wrong this time. With a few hissing sounds, Wu Long's two scorching sword energies were indeed neutralized after breaking through the three strikes in her palm. She maintained her right palm stance and struck forward. Wu Long also struck out, their hands meeting in a palm strike.

Li Qiushui held back her internal energy, waiting for the impact to solidify before releasing it forcefully. Wu Long's palm strike, however, contained no internal energy at all; he simply received the force of Li Qiushui's palm strike. However, he had secretly prepared using the Northern Darkness Divine Art, and when Li Qiushui struck, he absorbed the entire force. He channeled the powerful impact of Li Qiushui's palm strike through his Ren and Du meridians twice, dissipating the initial force and assimilating it into his own internal energy. Simultaneously, the suction force of Li Qiushui's palm strike suddenly intensified, attempting to absorb all of Li Qiushui's internal energy.

Li Qiushui, however, realized that her palm strike had entered Wu Long's body without leaving a trace, like a mud ox sinking into the sea. She immediately sensed something was wrong. Her expression changed, and she exclaimed, "Northern Darkness Divine Art!" At the same time, the crystal dagger hidden in her right sleeve suddenly slid out, swiftly stabbing towards Wu Long's right wrist. Fearing he would use his left hand to block, she unleashed the "Cold Sleeve Acupoint Sweep," her left sleeve sweeping across all the acupoints on his chest.

Wu Long didn't believe he could succeed in one move, so although he had inflicted a hidden loss on Li Qiushui, he remained cautious. His right palm absorbed Li Qiushui's right palm, but before he could absorb her internal energy, he suddenly felt a cold, sharp force piercing his wrist. A quick glance revealed a flash of light—the crystal dagger hidden in Li Qiushui's sleeve had slid out and was aimed directly at his wrist. Before he could block with his left hand, Li Qiushui's left sleeve launched several attacks. He had no choice but to hastily withdraw his right palm, simultaneously taking two steps back. His right hand slashed through the air, unleashing four scorching blade energies. He followed with a horizontal slash, releasing four more in quick succession. The vertical and horizontal strikes formed a net of blades.

Li Qiushui dared not meet them head-on, dodging them and then circling around them. These steps looked familiar; Wu Long recognized them at a glance as the Lingbo Weibu (Lingbo Steps). Li Qiushui bypassed the net of blades and struck out with her palm. Wu Long unleashed a scorching blade of energy to strike her palm strike, but to his surprise, it missed. The palm strike curved mid-air and aimed at his right rib.

"The White Rainbow Palm Force, so flexible, it's truly impressive!" Wu Long was startled, immediately recognizing the technique behind Li Qiushui's palm strike. As the palm approached, he channeled his scorching blade energy into his palm, using it as a blade to shatter the White Rainbow Palm Force. Just as he shattered it, he felt another palm strike coming from behind. He turned and shattered it, only to be met by yet another. Before he could even shatter this one, three more, some straight and some curved, followed, making it truly impossible to defend against.

Li Qiushui immediately followed up with three palm strikes, then flashed towards Ruan Xingzhu, who was standing six or seven zhang away, clutching Duan Zhengchun's corpse and lost in thought. He laughed,

"Today I've unexpectedly encountered two young talents with such high martial arts skills; I'm quite pleased. I didn't expect you to possess the Northern Darkness Divine Art; no wonder you know about the Free and Unfettered Sect. I have no intention of making enemies of you; I'll kill this bitch first."

Even if Ruan Xingzhu were in a state of grief and unable to react, even if he were fully conscious, ten of him would be no match for Li Qiushui. Wu Long dodged Li Qiushui's three palm strikes and, leaving a trail of afterimages, swiftly moved forward. While still in mid-air, he flicked his right finger four times, the force of the flicks already penetrating his fingertips, striking a major acupoint on Li Qiushui's back. This flicking force was silent and stealthy, perfect for a sneak attack, making it impossible to defend against.

However, Li Qiushui had anticipated his intervention and was therefore prepared. Although his four fingers moved silently, Li Qiushui had already noticed them. As soon as he attacked, she used her Lingbo Weibu (a martial arts technique) to dodge, then unleashed two more palm strikes at Ruan Xingzhu. Ruan Xingzhu reacted quickly, barely managing to dodge one, but was still struck in the chest by the terrifying force, instantly vomiting blood and fainting. Li Qiushui leaped forward, intending to capture Ruan Xingzhu first. Then, she could use Ruan Xingzhu to threaten Wu Long.

Wu Long saw through her intentions and wouldn't allow her to succeed. He unleashed his full power with his Storm Step Technique, and in the blink of an eye, he appeared before Ruan Xingzhu, leaving a trail of afterimages and a cloud of dust in his wake, deflecting a white rainbow palm strike from her side with his scorching blade energy. Then, mimicking Li Qiushui's elusive movements as she moved from left to right using the Lingbo Weibu technique, he unleashed a barrage of palm strikes, employing the Lieyang Blade Technique. Scorching blade energy shot forth, covering a semi-circular fan-shaped area in front of him, sometimes straight, sometimes horizontal, sometimes diagonal, with the distance between each strike barely allowing a person to pass sideways. Such a large-scale, dense attack was absolutely impenetrable, no matter how exquisitely Li Qiushui's Lingbo Weibu technique was executed.

Sure enough, upon seeing this vast net of blades approaching, Li Qiushui's expression changed drastically. Although her face was veiled by a white gauze, Wu Long couldn't see her expression, but he could see the shock in her eyes. She dared not advance any further, hastily stopping and retreating rapidly. The blade energy pursued relentlessly; she didn't know how far it would dissipate. With a light touch of her toes, she leaped more than two zhang high, dodging the net of blades.

Seeing Li Qiushui in mid-air, Wu Long swung his right hand, unleashing three more scorching blade energies. Li Qiushui, suspended in mid-air, had nowhere to dodge. Seeing these three scorching blade energies slashing horizontally from above, middle, and below, her expression changed again. She took a deep breath, and the crystal dagger slid out from her right sleeve. With a surge of internal energy, a foot-long white sword beam emerged from the dagger with a "whoosh." She swung the three swords in quick succession, deflecting the three scorching blade energies that had already reached her.

Wu Long remembered that only the Sword God Zhuo Bufan in the original book had mastered sword beams, but unexpectedly, Li Qiushui had also mastered them. Slightly surprised, he then thought that if someone at Zhuo Bufan's level could master them, it wouldn't be difficult for Li Qiushui with her skills. Moreover, the sword beam on her sword was over a foot long, far superior to Zhuo Bufan's half-foot beam. With a single block, he could neutralize the scorching blade energy condensed from his own true qi, demonstrating that its power was comparable to the scorching blade energy itself. Having thought this through, he saw Li Qiushui land. He moved swiftly, leaving a trail of afterimages as he pounced on Li Qiushui. He channeled the scorching blade energy into his palm, unleashing a three-foot-long blade of energy that slashed down at Li Qiushui.

Li Qiushui blocked with her sword, and with a "bang," the energies collided, and their weapons bounced away. Wu Long had been preparing for this attack, and with the absorption and counter-force of the Northern Darkness Divine Art, he didn't retreat an inch in this direct clash. Li Qiushui, however, had just landed and her breathing hadn't yet settled when she hastily took the hit. The force of Wu Long's scorching blade energy surged upwards along her arm, and she quickly used the momentum to retreat. She retreated three or four steps before finally neutralizing the force within her arm. After deflecting the force, she immediately retreated two steps, anticipating Wu Long's relentless attacks and giving her no chance to breathe. She used this opportunity to counterattack. Sure enough, Wu Long, having neutralized the recoil with his Northern Darkness Divine Art, immediately pursued her with a large stride, slashing diagonally.

Li Qiushui had anticipated this and remained calm. Seizing the weakness in his attack, she flicked her crystal dagger, returning the blow. After deflecting his scorching blade energy, she immediately thrust her sword towards his chest. Before the dagger's tip even reached him, a sharp "whoosh" sounded, and the sword's edge shot out another foot. This sudden extension exceeded the original distance between the sword's tip and Wu Long's chest. Wu Long, who had intended to block her attack at its original length, was caught off guard. A sharp, piercing light pierced his skin. Startled, his face changed drastically, and he quickly fell backward, barely dodging the attack.

Li Qiushui had intended this move to be unexpected and surely kill him, or at least severely injure him. Unexpectedly, he reacted incredibly quickly. She thought to herself, "What a pity," and hurriedly swung her hand downwards, intending to cut him in two from the abdomen.

Wu Long barely dodged her sword strike. Before she could launch another attack, he quickly pushed off the ground and slid backward. Fearing Li Qiushui would pursue him relentlessly, he swung his right hand, sending two scorching blade energies flying towards her. Li Qiushui, who was about to give chase, could only block his two strikes. Seeing Wu Long seize the opportunity to straighten up and charge forward with a horizontal slash, she used her Lingbo Weibu (a martial arts technique) to circle around him and aim her sword for his left rib. Wu Long also used Lingbo Weibu to prevent her from circling to his side, always facing her head-on, and countered with his scorching blade energy. Having suffered a blow, he carefully guarded against the changing length of the sword energy on her dagger.

The two clashed, their swords exchanging blows, "bang bang bang!" Wu Long feared that Li Qiushui would use the same trick again, sacrificing himself to kill Ruan Xingzhu, so he dared not relax his guard, his attacks becoming increasingly rapid and dense. Under his relentless, storm-like attacks, Li Qiushui had no chance of escape. She could only brace herself and fight back, countering each move with ingenious tactics. Furthermore, the unpredictable, ever-changing light from her dagger made it truly difficult to defend against. She also frequently unleashed powerful palm strikes from the sides or behind, making it extremely difficult for him to cope. He could only intensify his offensive, preventing her from freeing her hands to strike.

After a dozen or so exchanges, Wu Long began to imitate her, also varying the length of his scorching blade energy. Sometimes he would even withdraw his scorching blade energy and use close-quarters combat techniques, which also made it difficult for her to handle. The two used the Lingbo Weibu (a martial arts technique) on their feet, their figures flashing, sometimes separating, sometimes joining together. Suddenly here, suddenly there. Before long, the dust on the ground was stirred up by the energy they generated, swirling and circling around them. The snowflakes gathered more and more, and after the two fought for over a hundred moves, all that remained was a white blur. From the outside, it looked like a giant, constantly rolling snowball.

With a thud, the snowball split apart, and Li Qiushui stood at a distance, asking,

"May I ask your esteemed name, young man? And from whom do you come? Why are you so proficient in the martial arts of my Xiaoyao Sect? I'm very curious; who could possibly have taught such a young master as you?"

Wu Long looked up in the direction of the voice and smiled, "My name is Li Qiushui, and my teacher calls himself Xiaoyao Wuya! Moreover, the martial arts I practice are not what you've described. My internal energy cultivation is the Beiming Divine Art, my palm technique is the Tianshan Six Yang Palm, and my lightness skill is the Lingbo Weibu."

As he said this, Wu Long thought bitterly: Who knows more than a transmigrator like me? Hmph, you old monster, you're really overestimating yourself!

Upon hearing Wu Long's words, Li Qiushui could no longer remain calm. She coldly said, "Boy, I don't know where you learned all this, but you're absolutely dead! From this day forward, you will be relentlessly hunted down by me until one of us dies!" With that, she vanished.

Wu Long felt more wronged than Dou E, having been inexplicably fought and now being relentlessly pursued—a relentless pursuit to the death!

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