Chapter 20 - Mere Grandmasters

On top of Mount Song, figures intermingled in a fierce and bloody battle.

“Zuo Lengchan, your ambitions are boundless, trying to absorb the Four Sects. We will never agree!” Yue Buqun roared.

He didn’t expect that Zuo Lengchan to have no shame left.

They had just arrived on the mountain, barely started discussing matters when Zuo Lengchan began to make his moves. Yue Buqun and the others had hesitated for just a moment, and he struck. He severely injured Daoist Tianmen with a single palm, behaving no differently from the martial villains!

Zuo Lengchan sneered, “Ambitions? Do you know why the Five Mountain Sword Sects can’t rise in the Ming Dynasty? It’s because of people like you who hold us back! Today, I will restore order and bring the Five Mountain Sword Sects back on to the right path. Under my leadership, the Five Mountain Sword Sects will undoubtedly become the true martial arts sanctuary of the Ming Dynasty!”

He struck with a palm, and frigid qi filled the air, freezing two disciples of the Four Sects into ice sculptures.

“All of you, as long as you’re willing to submit to me, I will pardon you this and the past transgressions. In the future, I will treat everyone equally,” Yue Buqun said with a stern expression.

Yue Buqun’s face turned solemn as he retreated quickly. He quickly retrieved a signal arrow from his pocket and ignited it with his internal energy. The arrow shot into the sky with a sharp noise, its bright light shimmering against the horizon.

Just as Yue Buqun heaved a sigh of relief, Zuo Lengchan’s lips curled into a cold smile.

“Yue Buqun, it seems you have come prepared?” Yue Buqun’s heart skipped a beat, Zuo Lengchan’s expression seemed to imply that he had known all along.

But at this moment, Yue Buqun didn’t care about that.

The disciples of the Four Sects gathered together, resisting with all their might. The battle raged on, Four Sects disciples falling in the blood-soaked ground. Some surrendered, wielding their weapons, and turned against their former comrades.

Finally, Song Yuanqiao’s loud shout came from a distance, “Master Yue, do not panic, we’re here!”

A group of twenty people flew in from afar, agile and powerful. At the very least, they were all at the Innate realm, with seven of them being at the Master realm!

Zuo Lengchan’s expression turned grim.

He had learned that Wudang was coming to their aid, but he had never expected the strength of Wudang’s seven heroes to be so formidable.

Wudang’s disciples rushed into the battlefield, tearing a gap in the encirclement of Mount Song. The addition of seven Masters gave the Four Sects a moment of respite. Yue Buqun and the others were almost on the verge of tears; their saviors had finally arrived.

The two peak-level Masters, Song Yuanqiao and Zhang Cuishan, joined forces with Yue Buqun and the others to confront Zuo Lengchan.

Although Zuo Lengchan was a Grandmaster, being surrounded by so many Masters left him with no room for escape. He could only watch as disciples of Mount Song gradually fell back at a disadvantage.

Wudang’s reinforcements were incredibly powerful.

Each one had a high realm, and their combat abilities were astonishing.

However, Zuo Lengchan, even while being a Grandmaster, felt tremendous pressure under the combined assault of the seven Masters. He especially hesitated to directly confront the majestic sword energy emitted by Song Yuanqiao and Zhang Cuishan, so he had to evade and avoid a head-on confrontation.

“Well, well, well! Impressive, this is the Infinite Azure Dragon Sword, the supreme skill of Wudang. Today, I, Zuo, have truly learned something!” Zuo Lengchan said with a mocking tone, but his eyes were fuming with anger.

He had learned that Wudang was coming to their aid, but he had never expected the Seven Heroes to be so formidable.

Zuo Lengchan struck with a palm, and frigid qi seemed to freeze the void, forcing everyone back.

Disciples of Mount Song and Wudang, Mount Hua, and other sects faced off against each other. Zuo Lengchan wore an extremely gloomy expression.

“Song Yuanqiao, this is our internal matter among the Five Mountain Sword Sects. Why is Wudang interfering?” he asked. “Retreat now, and I will let bygones be bygones. In the future, we can treat each other equally,” Zuo Lengchan tried to persuade Wudang’s disciples to leave.

This bone was not easy to chew.

“Internal matter? You’re oppressing people with your power. Your no different than a demon. What internal familial matter is this? Our Wudang stands with the Four Sects. If we act, no one in the martial world will say a word!” Yu Dainan sneered.

This statement left Zuo Lengchan even more resentful. He realized that Yue Buqun and the others had joined Wudang, becoming a vassal of Wudang.

“Well then! Yue Buqun, you’ve become Wudang’s lapdog. I wondered why the Seven Heroes of Wudang would come out in full force. So that’s the reason!” Zuo Lengchan’s anger grew.

“You people who don’t know any better are willing to be Wudang’s dogs instead of helping me rebuild the glory of the Five Mountain Sword Sects. In that case, you will all die today!” Zuo Lengchan’s rage continued to escalate the more he continued to talk. His eyes were bloodshot. He felt that he had been humiliated and wanted to chop Yue Buqun and others into pieces.

“As for you, don’t think that I don’t dare to touch you because of Zhang Sanfeng. Today, you will all die!” he declared.

“Ren Woxing*, let’s attack together!” he shouted.

Following his words, a burst of raucous laughter erupted from the distance.

“Zuo Lengchan, I’ve always said that there’s no reasoning with these old-fashioned people. We can just kill them directly. Why bother with words? After this, you will be the leader of the Five Mountain Sword Sects, and I will be the leader of the Sun Moon Holy Cult. With our combined forces, we will have a place in the Ming Dynasty!”

Immediately after, a group of black-clad martial artists rushed out from behind the Mount Song Sect. They brandished their swords and had a ferocious aura. Among them, the leader’s aura was particularly overwhelming, equal to Zuo Lengchan.

A Grandmaster!

The second Grandmaster, Ren Woxing!

Yue Buqun and the others were shocked, their faces filled with despair. Facing one Grandmaster was already a struggle, but facing two Grandmasters meant certain death.

In this moment of crisis, everything became clear.

Zuo Lengchan had formed an alliance with Ren Woxing and secretly practiced the Cosmic Absorption Power under Ren Woxing’s guidance. Together, they captured and absorbed the inner energy of martial artists from the martial world. This had allowed them to break through to the Grandmaster level, with the condition being that Zuo Lengchan would assist Ren Woxing in regaining control of the Sun Moon Holy Cult.

Daoist Tianmen’s eyes were filled with disbelief. He shouted angrily, “Zuo Lengchan, you’ve truly gone mad! You’ve colluded with members of the Demonic cult and secretly practiced the Cosmic Absorbing Power! No wonder so many people have gone missing within the Five Sects’ territories recently. No wonder your aura is so unstable. You didn’t genuinely become a Grandmaster; you forcefully broke through!”

Zuo Lengchan’s expression turned even darker as he glanced at them one by one.

“So what if it’s a forced breakthrough? It’s enough to deal with people like you!” Zuo Lengchan retorted.

Ren Woxing stood on the side, wearing a mocking smile, his arms crossed, like a cat playing with mice.

The Qi of the two grandmasters filled the void, bringing an overwhelming sense of pressure. It was much more than just one plus one, and Yue Buqun and the others immediately felt a sense of despair. With one grandmaster, they might still have a chance to resist and break through the encirclement, but facing two grandmasters, it was almost certain death.

At that moment, the members of the Four Sects all wore expressions of loss and despair. Their eyes were filled with hopelessness.

“Master Song, it’s our fault for not gathering the right intelligence. We’ve brought trouble upon you,” Ning Zhong apologized in a low voice. She understood that Song Yuanqiao and the others had done their best.

“When the fight starts, if you can escape, please do so quickly. With Ren Woxing openly appearing here, they won’t spare your subordinates. If you manage to return to Wudang, let Master Zhang avenge us in the future,” she pleaded earnestly.

However, Song Yuanqiao responded with a faint smile, “Miss Ning, there’s no need to be disheartened. They are just two Grandmasters. My junior brother is still waiting for the Daoist texts and scriptures you promised.”

Everyone was astonished. Yue Buqun and the others subconsciously turned their heads, their eyes filled with anticipation.

Zuo Lengchan and Ren Woxing sneered, “Such petty tricks!”

In the next moment, Mo Shenggu emerged from the group. He pinched a jade talisman from his chest, looking somewhat reluctant. Then, he gazed coldly at Zuo Lengchan and Ren Woxing and shouted loudly, “Mere Grandmasters! Taste my junior brother’s divine skill!”

“Wood Element Azure Dragon Sword Qi!!!”

Notes:

*Ren Woxing (任我行) is a character from the wuxia novel “The Smiling, Proud Wanderer” by Jin Yong. He is the highly feared leader of the Sun Moon Holy Cult and an expert in martial arts, politics, and manipulation. Ren Woxing mastered the Cosmic Absorbing Power (吸星大法), a dreaded ability that allows the practitioner to drain and absorb an opponent’s inner energy.