The speaker was about thirty years old. He was Xu Chongxiao, a young elder of the Beggars' Sect and the junior brother of Jiang Kuang, the current leader of the Beggars' Sect.
"Does anyone have a good idea?" Jiang Kuang has been very troubled by this matter these past two days. Ever since the Kunlun Sect's twelve-person Hunyuan Sword Formation failed to defeat the couple, the martial arts skills of the two have become increasingly legendary in the martial arts world, with neither of them being inferior to him, the leader of the Beggar Clan.
The key is that this couple is too mysterious and has never been defeated. Many people don't even know how they lost, and no one can figure out their martial arts style or name their martial arts.
"Reporting to the Chief, I believe we can use the Dog-Beating Stick Formation against them. If the Chief personally leads the formation, even if Liang and his two companions are skilled, they will not be able to win!" Elder Zhao said, clasping his hands in a fist salute.
Everyone nodded in agreement. The Dog-Beating Stick Formation was already comparable to Kunlun's Hunyuan Sword Formation, and with a top expert like the gang leader presiding over it, the odds of winning were indeed the highest.
"The opponent only has two people, so how many people should we send?" Jiang Kuang rubbed his temples. He had also thought of this method, but he couldn't decide on the appropriate number of people.
It should be noted that the Hunyuan Sword Formation, consisting of twelve people, was defeated, while the Dog-Beating Stick Formation actually has no requirement for the number of people. As long as the space allows, it is possible for hundreds of people to surround and attack, but that would be too ugly and somewhat unfair.
If they still lose after fighting like this, then the Beggars' Sect will really have no place in the martial arts world. Many sects have also lost, but at least their leaders dared to fight one-on-one, even though most of them didn't know how powerful the couple was before they stepped in.
Moreover, those who lost a one-on-one duel seem to have the right to laugh at the twelve who lost, otherwise the Twelve Sword Immortals of Kunlun wouldn't have gone into seclusion together.
The problem is, even if the Beggars' Sect chooses to fight one-on-one, they will still be ridiculed if they lose. They can't even protect their own sect's secrets. What kind of number one sect in the martial arts world are they?
"Hmph! They're incredibly arrogant. I bet even if we sent a hundred of us, they'd still agree. So why should we be polite? It's not like we invited them here!" Elder Zhao said angrily.
"One hundred people? I'm afraid that regardless of victory or defeat, the Beggars' Sect will become a laughing stock in the martial arts world," Jiang Kuang said with a wry smile.
Elder Xu thought for a moment, "How about the gang leader and a few of us elders go together? If there are fewer than twelve people, surely no one will object?"
"Elder Xu is absolutely right," everyone agreed.
Just then, a dissenting voice rang out, and it turned out to be a sullen child.
"The other side has two players, so we can only field a maximum of two. That's fair! Otherwise, it would be bullying the weak with numbers, and that's not a fair victory!"
Chapter 406 Wang Jiantong
Children's words are innocent, but they are also the least convincing.
At the Beggars' Sect assembly, it's impossible for just any Tom, Dick, or Harry to chime in. The one who just said "it's not a fair victory" is Wang Jiantong, the eleven-year-old disciple of the seventh generation of the Beggars' Sect who helped Jiang Kuang and was being groomed to be the eighth generation leader!
In fact, even without Wang Jiantong saying it, everyone knew perfectly well that the Beggars' Clan, the number one gang in the martial arts world, possessing the two unparalleled martial arts skills of the Twenty-Eight Subduing Dragon Palms and the Dog-Beating Staff Technique, actually had to rely on sheer numbers to win, and against two juniors in their thirties.
To win is dishonorable, to lose is shameful!
But compared to the two great martial arts of the Faith and the Beggars' Sect, what does it matter if the victory is not honorable? It's better than losing!
The Kunlun Sect's Hunyuan Sword Formation is renowned, and even a numerical advantage cannot defeat it. Although Jiang Kuang's martial arts are high, it would be difficult for him to break through the formation and defeat the Twelve Sword Immortals of Kunlun as easily as in the legends.
That mysterious couple who dared to challenge the entire martial arts world are very likely to each be a top master like Jiang Kuang!
Faced with such a formidable enemy, what else can we do but outnumber them? The gang leader might have a 50% chance of winning in a one-on-one fight, but who would dare gamble with the Beggars' Sect's most precious treasure?
It should be known that the Beggars' Sect's unparalleled martial arts are passed down in a single lineage, from the sect leader to the next sect leader. How precious they are!
"Xiao Tong, stop talking nonsense! The other party has come to our door to humiliate our gang and steal our treasures. Even if there are tens of thousands of Beggars' Sect disciples besieging us, let alone a hundred people, what can we do?" Elder Xu scolded.
Wang Jiantong snorted and shouted, "Master's martial arts are unparalleled, he will never lose! Didn't Master once teach me that a martial artist must have pride?"
"Hahaha... Xiao Tong is right. If that couple dares to challenge the Beggars' Sect, I will fight them with all my might!" Jiang Kuang had actually planned to fight one-on-one for a long time, but the Beggars' Sect was not his personal fiefdom.
Everyone admired Jiang Kuang's courage, but if he failed, Jiang Kuang would become a sinner against the Beggars' Sect for all time. Did they really want to hand over the Beggars' Sect's secret techniques to outsiders?
"I believe that the gang leader is a master of martial arts, but there is always an unexpected event. If the gang leader is defeated, how will our sect's unique skills be preserved?"
Elder Xu also had a chance to compete for the position of gang leader, but unfortunately, his junior brother, who was taught by the same master, had mediocre martial arts skills, while Jiang Kuang was already a first-class master before he learned the Twenty-Eight Subduing Dragon Palms and the Dog-Beating Staff Technique.
"If I lose, I would rather die than hand over the Beggars' Sect's ultimate techniques. No matter how much that couple forces you, it won't work. To prevent the martial arts from being lost, I have already written down the secret manual and hidden it. Future generations will find it eventually, but no matter who finds it, no one is allowed to practice it without permission. Only the leader of our sect can do so. Moreover, after learning it, the manual must be burned immediately. Do you all understand?" Jiang Kuang said solemnly.
"We will obey the leader's orders!" The crowd solemnly accepted the command.
After the meeting, Jiang Kuang approached his junior brother Xu Chongxiao and asked, "Junior brother, can I trust you?"
"Senior brother, please give me any instructions. I will do anything, even die for you!" Elder Xu said solemnly.
“Just now at the meeting, I lied to them. What I hid wasn’t some secret manual at all, but rather two great martial arts techniques that I would entrust to two different people for safekeeping, so that if I died, the Beggars’ Sect would not lose its lineage,” Jiang Kuang said solemnly.
Xu Chongxiao suppressed his joy and said, "Don't worry, senior brother. I will do my best to protect our sect's unique skills, even if it costs me my life."
“That’s good, but junior brother, remember one thing: you must not open the window to spy on me until I die and the enemy retreats. Can you do that?” Jiang Kuang asked, staring into Xu Chongxiao’s eyes.
"I can!" Elder Xu said firmly.
...
Ring, ring...
The carriage bells weren't melodious, but they seemed to magically penetrate the minds of the Beggars' Sect members and countless onlookers.
Wu Yazi and Li Qiushui finally arrived at the Beggars' Sect headquarters in Luoyang. The reason for needing a carriage was that there were too many secret manuals, and it was inconvenient to carry them with them.
Now, only four martial arts families remain untouched by Wu Yazi: the Beggars' Sect, Shaolin Temple, Qingcheng Temple, and the Dali Duan Family. The Beggars' Sect and Shaolin Temple are both located in Luoyang and are the leading forces in the martial arts world. Even Wu Yazi has to go all out to deal with them.
"Jiang Kuang, the leader of the Beggars' Sect, has been waiting for you two for a long time. Please come in for a chat!" Jiang Kuang said, clasping his hands in greeting. He felt that these two powerful figures who had fought their way through most of the martial arts world were fully qualified to be on equal footing with him. It would be best if they could resolve things peacefully.
"There's no need for such trouble. The Beggars' Sect leader is extremely busy; let's finish this quickly. I'm sure Chief Jiang is aware of the rules my wife and I have."
If your Beggars' Sect wins, we will introduce ourselves, and you can take any of the secret manuals on the carriage. We can also teach you our unparalleled martial arts skills.
"If you lose, please write down your gang's Dog-Beating Stick Technique and Dragon-Subduing Twenty-Eight Palms techniques and give them to us to take away. Rest assured, my husband will only use them for some research; he will never pass them on or practice them."
Looking at Jiang Kuang, Li Qiushui thought to herself, "What a brave and valiant man! It's said that all the previous leaders of the Beggars' Sect were tough guys, and seeing him today, it's certainly true. But Wu Yazi is still more handsome."
"Alright! Let's finish this quickly! But if I win, I don't want your martial arts skills. I just want all the secret manuals in this carriage burned in public, how about that?" Jiang Kuang looked at the martial arts figures from various sects around him.
"Chief Jiang is truly righteous!"
"Chief Jiang will surely win!"
"Chief Jiang, defeat them!"
...
The martial arts practitioners watching the spectacle were all excited and cheered for Jiang Kuang.
Li Qiushui scoffed, "As expected of the number one gang in the world, you speak with such confidence. But I wonder how your gang plans to compete? If Gang Leader Jiang leads all his brothers to attack, wouldn't my wife and I be doomed to lose?"
"I alone am enough to fight. I won't fight women. Let your husband come over here for a one-on-one battle!" Jiang Kuang said domineeringly.
"Great! I just hope Chief Jiang will be just as quick to give us the martial arts manuals later." Li Qiushui smiled slightly.
Wu Yazi flicked his sleeve and stepped to the center of the arena. "Chief Jiang, please."
Jiang Kuang took a deep breath. "Please!"
Without any politeness or probing, Wu Yazi unleashed a barrage of palm strikes, employing the White Rainbow Palm technique, a unique skill of the Xiaoyao Sect. This palm strike is unpredictable and cunning, and it is also a type of air-splitting palm, capable of injuring people from both near and far without leaving a trace, making it extremely difficult to defend against.
Seeing that his opponent had made a move, Jiang Kuang dared not be careless and quickly leaped up to dodge. At the same time, he unleashed the Twenty-Eight Subduing Dragon Palms, a strike in mid-air. This move was called Flying Dragon in the Sky, and it was also a palm strike that split the air!
Wu Yazi swayed his body, stepping on the sixty-four hexagrams of the I Ching, and used the Lingbo Weibu technique to its fullest extent. While dodging the attack, he instantly arrived in front of Jiang Kuang. At this moment, Jiang Kuang had just landed and had not yet stood firm, so he had no way to avoid it. It was the perfect opportunity to strike!
Tianshan Six Yang Palms! Wu Yazi unleashed a full-force attack with both palms!
Jiang Kuang did not expect his opponent to be so fast. His Flying Dragon in the Sky attack completely missed. However, he was not without options. He used a defensive move called Dragon Appearing in the Field, which seemed to create a solid wall in front of him.
boom!
The two men's four hands collided violently, shocking everyone in the area!
Chapter 407 Never Admit Defeat
Their palms clashed, evenly matched!
Jiang Kuang's eyes widened suddenly. He was at least ten years older than his opponent, yet their skill levels were comparable. What did this mean?
This indicates that the opponent's internal skills are more refined and their internal energy is purer. Could it be the Shaolin Yi Jin Jing?
The contest of palm strength continued, but the next second, Jiang Kuang's expression changed drastically.
Because his internal energy was absorbed by the opponent like a tide!
This was no small matter. Jiang Kuang quickly locked his internal energy and at the same time used his external palm strike to cleverly separate himself from his opponent in an instant.
Wu Yazi was also somewhat surprised, not expecting that the other party would be able to break free so quickly after being hit by the Beiming Divine Art.
Of course, the area that came into contact with this time was not easy to absorb, and the opponent was highly skilled. If you were not careful, you might be injured by the opponent's internal force.
"Bring out your weapon!" Jiang Kuang said, pulling a bright green staff from his back.
"No need!" Wu Yazi circulated the Northern Darkness True Qi within his body and charged forward again.
Jiang Kuang snorted coldly and swung his Dog-Beating Stick at Wu Yazi. It wasn't that he didn't want to use the Twenty-Eight Subduing Dragon Palms, but he was somewhat wary of the opponent's strange martial arts that absorbed internal energy, so he dared not easily touch the opponent's body again.
Waaaaah...
Jiang Kuangwu wielded a dog-beating stick with dazzling skill and powerful movements. His Thirty-Six Styles of Dog-Beating Stick Technique were incredibly varied, with moves whose names were as rustic as could be, but whose power was formidable.
Even though Wu Yazi couldn't completely dodge the attack using Lingbo Weibu, he was protected by Beiming True Qi, so even if he was hit by the Dog-Beating Stick, it wouldn't hurt him at all.
Jiang Kuang was shocked. Even the Dog-Beating Stick Technique was useless against his opponent. He could feel that just as the Dog-Beating Stick was about to touch his opponent, it would be deflected by an invisible force, as if it had slipped.
"This is true qi protecting the body!" Jiang Kuang suddenly realized that even a divine weapon might not be able to cut him with the Dog-Beating Stick. The only way to break this technique was to attack with even stronger true qi.
Wu Yazi smiled slightly. This was a high-end application of the Beiming Divine Art. Simply absorbing other people's internal energy was only the most basic thing. Moreover, the body's ability to withstand it was limited. Absorbing too much might not be a good thing. But if the absorbed internal energy could be used to protect the body with true qi, then there would be no problem at all.
Bang!
Just as Jiang Kuang was contemplating abandoning the Dog-Beating Stick Technique and switching to palm techniques to fight his opponent, his Dog-Beating Stick was unexpectedly grabbed by the other party.
You must know that this Dog-Beating Stick is the token of the Beggars' Sect leader passed down through generations. How could we let anyone take it away?
Jiang Kuang pulled back without thinking, but Wu Yazi had no intention of snatching the Dog-Beating Stick. His goal was to get close and use the Tianshan Six Yang Palm!
Although Jiang Kuang's Dog-Beating Stick Technique could not hit Wu Yazi, it had a wide range of control, making it difficult for Wu Yazi to get close even with his Lingbo Steps.
Now Jiang Kuang couldn't use the Dog-Beating Stick anymore, so he had to throw it to his junior brother Xu Chongxiao behind him, and then raise his palm to meet Wu Yazi in close combat.
Xu Chongxiao caught the dog-beating stick and was excited. Was Jiang Kuang going to pass the position of gang leader to him?
Snap snap snap...
The power of the Northern Darkness Divine Skill lies in its ability to absorb an opponent's internal energy from any acupoint on the body. There are twenty-eight acupoints on the hands alone, and dozens more on the arms. Therefore, when the two were locked in close combat, Jiang Kuang's internal energy would decrease with each contact with his opponent.
Although Jiang Kuang was able to avoid being completely sucked in, he was starting to feel the strain from being sucked in so many times.