“Then let’s go in and take a look, and see what’s so special about this legendary scripture pavilion in the martial arts world,” Cai Yan said with a smile.
Then, they went straight in. As soon as the door opened, a strong smell of blood wafted out. There were also many bloodstains on the ground and walls, clearly indicating that the monks guarding this place had probably already gone to the Western Paradise to pay homage to the Buddha.
"Not bad, interesting. Shaolin has a lot of books. In many aspects, it is even richer than the imperial palace's collection." Looking at the endless books in front of her and the statistics in her hand, Cai Yan said with a smile.
...
Before he knew it, another two hours had passed. It was probably around midnight. During those two hours, Lin Yang even had a hot pot meal and a bottle of fine wine. Afterwards, he rested for a while, feeling quite at ease.
"The time has come, let's set off."
After saying that, Lin Yang walked ahead and came to a place covered with vines. Then, he arrived at a large locust tree. This large locust tree was very conspicuous and was found immediately.
"This is it," Lin Yang said with a sigh of relief. Then, he found a very ordinary stone on the ground, and with a gentle rotation, a hole as tall as a person appeared.
A quarter of an hour later, Lin Yang, the leader, appeared at the other end of the secret passage. Soon, the remaining soldiers appeared behind him, forming a hundred-man square formation.
"These martial arts practitioners are lawless, indiscriminately killing innocent people, and colluding with local powerful families. They are the most malignant of all. Soldiers, follow me and charge!"
Kill, kill, kill
Accompanied by shouts of battle, the Dragon Guards surged towards the precipice like a tidal wave. Lin Yang had no intention of hiding; with so many people, concealment was impossible. Therefore, rather than cautiously remaining silent, it was better to openly charge forward.
"What do we do? The corrupt officials are attacking, and we're surrounded." This is what a chivalrous swordsman, terrified by the attack, said.
"What's there to be afraid of? Just fight them! Even if you lose your head, it'll just be a scar the size of a bowl!" This was the words of a brave warrior who grew bolder with each battle, shirtless.
"Using yourself, along with eighty top-tier experts, as bait is truly a grand gesture. I must say, it seems my vision was too limited in the past," Old Knife Handle, also known as Mu Daoren, said calmly.
Look at others, they easily devised schemes to capture more than 80% of the martial arts masters. And me? I've worked hard for thirty years, and my goal is just to become the leader of Wudang Sect.
"Not bad, not bad, this is really interesting. This matter is getting more and more interesting." The old man stroked his beard and smiled, completely disregarding the government troops.
"Looks like I need to play dead," Sikong Zhaixing said, scratching his head.
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Chapter Thirty-Eight: Heavenly Emperor, Dao Ancestor, Demon Lord!
Since the Battle of the Cliff ended, life has become increasingly difficult for those in the martial arts world.
First, over 80% of the top-tier experts, driven by greed and the secret scroll of the Martial Ancestor, all came to the edge of the cliff. They were then completely surrounded and killed by the Supreme Taoist of the Imperial Preceptor's Mansion.
In that battle, Abbot Dabei of Shaolin Temple died.
The Emei Sect Leader, Dugu Yihe, died in battle.
The leader of the Kunlun Sect died in battle.
The leader of the Huashan Sect died in battle.
The leader of the Beggars' Sect died in battle.
Master Shi Yan, the leader of Wudang Sect, died in battle.
Ye Gucheng, the Lord of Baiyun City, suffered an even more tragic fate, as his right arm was severed.
Gong Jiu, the former heir of the Taiping King, died in battle.
Hua Manlou was captured, and Sikong Zhaixing, who was pretending to be dead, was seen through by Lin Yang at a glance. He had no chance to escape and was captured on the spot.
It can be said that after the First World War, a large portion of the legendary martial arts techniques in the martial arts world were lost. After all, those who died in battle were either sect leaders or elders. Most of them possessed extraordinary skills, and their deaths naturally led to their loss.
It can be said that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the overall level of martial arts prowess in the martial arts world will likely drop by a whole level in twenty years.
However, these weren't the most surprising things. What was even more astonishing was that, right during the Battle of the Cliff, the Second Master of the Imperial Preceptor's Mansion, Shi A, directly destroyed Wudang's stronghold, and the entire Wudang Mountain was occupied by the imperial court. Of course, Shaolin Temple was also wiped out by the Third Master.
Just when people in the martial arts world thought the imperial court would take action against all martial artists, something unexpected happened.
A new Shaolin Temple emerged, supposedly with the help of the imperial court. It eliminated the false monks, reformed them, and brought them back to life. It is said that from then on, every abbot of Shaolin Temple would hold the rank of a third-grade National Guardian Master.
Of course, at the same time, Shaolin could not refuse the various orders from the Imperial Preceptor's Mansion. In an instant, Shaolin, one of the mainstays of the martial arts world, submitted.
Meanwhile, the newly appointed leader of Wudang claimed that he had a dream at night in which he saw the founder of the sect, Zhang Sanfeng, and received his orders. He then directly submitted a memorial to the emperor to show his obedience. The emperor was pleased and bestowed upon him the title of Zheng Sanpin Zhenguo Zhenren (正三品镇国真人). From then on, the Wudang sect was brought under the control of the imperial court.
Following this, the top-tier sects such as Huashan, Kunlun, Beggars' Sect, Diancang, and Emei, after experiencing internal struggles and sect divisions, all submitted to the imperial court. As for their leaders, they were all granted the title of Fourth-Rank Protector of the Nation.
After gaining complete control over these major martial arts sects, martial artists in the Jianghu (martial arts world) faced a choice.
The first option is to do nothing and wait for the Imperial Preceptor's Mansion to investigate.
It is said that no one with a blood debt can escape punishment. Moreover, even if you have never killed anyone since entering the martial world, haven't you broken the law? Even if you have truly done nothing against the laws of the dynasty, can't you still be falsely accused? Therefore, this path is actually very dangerous.
The second option is to proactively align oneself with the imperial court.
You will carefully report all the big and small things you've done over the years. Afterwards, all past offenses will be wiped clean. In any case, the court won't cause you any trouble because of this. However, whether your enemies will seek revenge is not something the court is considering.
At the same time, different positions would be granted based on individual martial arts skills. For example, a top-tier master who was willing to serve the imperial court would immediately be granted the rank of Imperial Guard General, a sixth-grade official. Of course, this position was merely a nominal one.
The third option is to leave the Ming Dynasty.
In reality, they were going to seek refuge with the former top three on the Heavenly Ranking, now the three Grandmasters. The Wood Daoist, Jade Rakshasa, and the Little Old Man had already truly broken through to the third tier, the Grandmaster realm, with the help of the Martial Ancestor's secret scroll.
After breaking through his mental strength, he could easily break through the defenses of an army, even if he were to fight against a thousand men. Such a martial artist was beyond the capabilities of any army. Afterwards, the three of them left the Ming Dynasty.
The old man arrived in Japan and Southeast Asia. Based on the three volumes of the Martial Ancestor's secret scrolls, he established the Heavenly Gate and proclaimed himself the Heavenly Emperor.
Mu Daoren arrived in the south, specifically in the Lingnan region, and established a Daoist sect based on the three volumes of the Martial Ancestor's Secret Scrolls, calling himself the Dao Ancestor.
Yu Luosha led the remnants of the Demonic Cult to the northern grasslands, where they established the Demonic Sect based on the three volumes of the Martial Ancestor's Secret Scroll, and proclaimed themselves the Demon Lord.