Chapter 110 Jointly Destroy the Demonic Cult
"Lu Bai is incompetent and a disgraceful faction."
"Ding Mian is incompetent; it seems I must take up the mantle."
At the summit of Mount Song, on Mount Taishi, within the Junji Zen Temple, Zuo Lengchan stood with his hands behind his back in the center of the main hall, angrily tearing the letter sent by carrier pigeon in his hand to shreds. Only Tang Ying'e stood in attendance, the atmosphere heavy with tension.
"Great, very good."
Zuo Lengchan's voice was not loud, but it made Tang Ying'e feel even more intimidated.
"Five of the Thirteen Protectors went, and three of them were crippled. The mighty Nine-Bend Sword Master Zhong Zhen was so frightened that he didn't even dare to draw his sword."
He turned around, his gaze sharp as a knife:
"Is this how the five of them brought honor to my Songshan Sect?"
"Sect Leader, please calm down," Tang Ying'e said. "Senior Brother Ding and the others have not yet returned, but judging from the current information, there is indeed something strange about Lin Pingzhi's martial arts."
Zuo Lengchan took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and said in a deep voice, "What's strange about this?"
Tang Ying'e walked to the window, gazed at the surging sea of clouds in the distance, and slowly said:
"According to the message sent by carrier pigeon, the martial arts used by Lin Pingzhi when fighting with Senior Brother Ding and the others were completely unrelated to the Lin family's Evil-Repelling Sword Technique. He broke the Great Yin-Yang Hand with a flick of his finger, repelled the Nine-Bend Sword with a single finger, and his palm force was unparalleled. He shattered Senior Brother Yue's arm with a single palm strike, something unheard of in the martial arts world."
"At that time, Master Jin Guang said that this finger-flicking skill was called the 'Finger-Flicking Divine Power'."
He paused, then continued:
"What's even more amazing is that when he later sparred with that mysterious young master Zhang, he was able to manipulate the opponent's palm force out of thin air, causing Jia Kunlun to die at the hands of his own men. Such a divine skill is simply unheard of."
"And from beginning to end, he did not use a sword, nor did he use the Evil-Repelling Sword Technique."
Zuo Lengchan frowned: "Flick of the Finger? The palm strike shifting is like the legendary Great Shift of Heaven and Earth. Could this Lin Pingzhi be related to the Ming Cult?"
"The Great Shift of Heaven and Earth? What an imposing name! It's quite fitting to describe this almost demonic martial art. It truly has the power to change the world and shift the universe. Senior Brother is indeed very knowledgeable." Tang Ying'e exclaimed repeatedly.
He then shook his head. "But didn't the Ming Cult disappear from the Central Plains hundreds of years ago? It's probably long gone."
Zuo Lengchan said, "Junior brother, you may not know this, but the Ming Cult is deeply involved in the founding of the dynasty. It used to be the number one sect in the world, but it was later driven out of the Central Plains. Few people know the reasons for this."
Only then did the so-called Sun Moon Demonic Cult rise to power at Blackwood Cliff in Pingding Prefecture, Hebei. However, the Ming Cult's headquarters remained at Bright Peak in Kunlun in the Western Regions. Although it withdrew from the Central Plains, it was not annihilated; it continued to secretly accumulate strength and still covets the martial arts world of the Central Plains.
"How does our sect leader know so much, while we know nothing about it?"
Zuo Lengchan was silent for a moment: "So that my junior brother may know, the Whiteboard Demon Star recently sent word that the Bright Peak of the Ming Cult intends to join forces with my Songshan Sect to eradicate the Sun Moon Demon Cult."
"Does the Ming Cult have a grudge against the Sun Moon Cult?"
"I only know bits and pieces of what happened hundreds of years ago. As long as you know, junior brother, the hatred between sects and heretics is ten thousand times greater than the fighting between factions." Zuo Lengchan said with a cold expression.
"So you're overthinking it, junior brother. Lin Pingzhi might have other connections. If he were a member of the Ming Cult, he would be a direct disciple of the leader. But since he's protecting Qu Yang, he can't possibly be a member of the Ming Cult."
"But whoever he is, if he dares to ruin the important affairs of my Songshan Sect, he must not be let off." Zuo Lengchan said coldly.
"Senior brother, are you going to cooperate with the Ming Cult?"
"The White-Blank Star, Yan Mingzun, has descended upon the world, and chaos is imminent. It is time for the Ming Cult to save the world. Heh heh, that Ming Cult leader, Piaoranzi, has quite the ambition. But it's too early to talk about this now. We can discuss it when Piaoranzi himself comes to the Central Plains." Zuo Lengchan remained noncommittal.
Zuo Lengchan continued, "To repel external threats, we must first pacify internal strife. The unification of the Five Mountains Sects is of utmost urgency. Although the Handwashing Ceremony was a failure, its objective has been achieved, confirming Liu Zhengfeng's collusion with the Demonic Sect. The Hengshan Sect is no longer a threat. Next, it's Huashan's turn."
Tang Ying'e smiled slightly:
"Senior Brother Sect Leader is wise. Lin Pingzhi is just an accident and cannot change the general trend of our Songshan Sect. Yue Buqun, that hypocrite, actually openly supports the Fuwei Escort Agency and associates with evil forces. What qualifications does he have to be the Sect Leader of Huashan Sect? It's time to make a move."
Outside the palace, night was approaching, and a storm was brewing.
----------------
Dongting Lake, Junshan Island.
"We've arrived at the Junshan headquarters!"
The cheer was like a bucket of ice water poured over her head. Zhang Yuanying's smile vanished instantly. She turned her head sharply and saw that dozens of small boats had suddenly appeared from all around the lake, surrounding the large ship like stars around the moon. The boats were filled with ragged beggars, wielding knives and clubs, exuding a murderous aura.
On the first large ship, a burly old man stood with his hands behind his back, nine cloth bags hanging from his waist. He was none other than Zhang Jin'ao, the vice leader of the Beggars' Sect.
"Hahaha--"
Elder Bai slumped onto the deck, threw his head back, and burst into laughter. He laughed so hard that his whole body trembled and tears welled up in his eyes.
"Miss Zhang, what skill, what cunning!" He panted, his eyes full of mockery. "What a pity, what a pity, you're still a step too late. Junshan is here, Vice Chief Zhang is here, do you think you can leave now?"
Zhang Yuanying's face was grim, and she remained silent.
She had planned everything meticulously, but she hadn't anticipated that the ship would move so fast, nor that Junshan would arrive so quickly.
Shi Potian frowned, walked to Jin Guang Shangren's side, and tapped several points on his body. Jin Guang Shangren shuddered, his sealed acupoints suddenly opened, and he let out a long breath, but still couldn't stand up.
It turns out that she was also poisoned by Zhang Yuanying.
"Amitabha Buddha, thank you, Young Hero Lin."
Shi Potian shook his head to indicate that he didn't need it, and then released the pressure points from Young Master Zhang.
Young Master Zhang smiled wryly and said, "This isn't a problem with my acupoints; it's a result of practicing the exercises incorrectly. It won't get better anytime soon."
Shi Potian nodded. He had already sensed the conflict between Yin and Yang energies within the other person's body when he released the acupoints. If this problem was not resolved, he would still be like a cripple.
Zhang Yuanying quickly came over and gave the antidote to Venerable Jin Guang and Young Master Zhang.
Shi Potian stood at the bow of the boat, looking at the dozens of small boats that were getting closer and closer.
On the large ship ahead, Zhang Jin'ao had already seen the situation on board—the deck was full of Beggar Clan disciples lying on their backs, Elder Bai was slumped on the ground, and there was a young man standing at the bow.
His face darkened.
"Elder Bai, what's going on?"
Elder Bai struggled to get up, but his body was too weak. He could only look up and shout, "Vice Leader, I'm incompetent! I've been poisoned by that girl! She can undo her own poisonings and caught us off guard!"
Zhang Jin'ao's gaze swept towards Zhang Yuanying with lightning speed.
Zhang Yuanying glared back and raised her voice:
"Vice Chief Zhang, your entire ship has been poisoned by me! If you want them to live, let us go! I promise, we'll release them once we're safe! Otherwise, hmph..."
As she spoke, she shook the silver bracelet in her hand.
Zhang Jin'ao remained silent.
He simply watched silently as the boatload of disciples collapsed, then his gaze passed over Zhang Yuanying and landed on Shi Potian:
"Young Master Lin, we meet again. Your victory at the Handwashing Ceremony made you famous throughout the martial world. I witnessed it firsthand and admired you greatly. However, today's matter is a feud between my Beggars' Sect and the Zhang family, and has nothing to do with you. If you wish to leave now, I will not make things difficult for you."
Shi Potian stated bluntly: "I'm taking them with me."
Zhang Jin'ao's smile remained unchanged: "Then there's nothing to discuss."
Zhang Yuanying coldly replied, "Vice Gang Leader Zhang? Your men are in my hands! If you don't let us go, they'll all die!"
Zhang Jin'ao glanced at her and suddenly waved his hand.
Behind them, on dozens of small boats, hundreds of Beggars' Sect disciples shouted in unison, drew their swords and clubs, and exuded a murderous aura.
Then, he addressed Elder Bai and the others:
"Elder Bai, are you afraid of death?"