A Battle of Self-Forgetfulness

"She's the old clan chief, and also your 'grandmother,' so of course we can't use too much violence."

Si Ming understood for a moment and said, "Actually, you're afraid others will have a prejudice against you, right? Fine, taking down one is disrespectful to the elderly, taking down two is also disrespectful to the elderly. Anyway, I don't care what the Si Clan thinks of me, so I'll take down this one myself."

Si Jingzhi looked coldly at Si Ming and said, "You're not my grandson at all, but an accomplice hired by my granddaughter. There's no need to keep pretending now."

Si Ming casually replied, "How do you know I'm not? Maybe I'm just naturally cold-hearted and heartless?"

Si Jingzhi, "Hmph, of course I know. Back then, I was the one who used the Withered Meridian Needle' on my grandson, making it impossible for him to cultivate Internal Cultivation anymore."

Si Shuiyun was surprised to hear such a secret, but then she thought it didn't matter anymore. Anyway, Si Ming had already done what he needed to do, so it didn't matter if his identity was exposed. Once the young lady officially took over as the clan leader, all the troubles would be minor.

Just as she was thinking this, she turned her head and saw that Si Ming had a look of disbelief on his face, as if he had discovered an incredible, earth-shattering secret.

Chapter 321 The Struggle of Selflessness

The sudden turn of events caught not only Si Jingzhi and her group off guard, but also Si Huamu. She had initially thought it was a trap set by Si Jingyu's people, a ruse to frame her, and was prepared for a fight to the death. However, the other party turned around and confronted the old clan leader—not just with words, but with real force. If this were a matter of imperial politics, it would be tantamount to purging the court of corrupt officials.

The Si Clan has never experienced an internal strife of this scale in the past hundred years. It has mostly been political struggles. Even if they lose, they are only stripped of their power and reduced to ordinary clansmen. There is no bloodshed. But now, although no one has shed blood, more than twenty people have had their bones broken. These are all elders who are prominent figures in the clan and hold real power.

"My niece is truly a woman of great courage and resourcefulness. I wouldn't even dare to think of such a plan, yet she dared to put it into action, and she wasn't even on-site directing it. Is that confidence or sheer recklessness?"

Si Huamu watched with great pleasure, but she had no intention of helping Si Jingzhi, even though she was her biological mother.

Aristocratic Clan ties are inherently weak among aristocratic families. Furthermore, Si Jingzhi never hides his contempt for his eldest daughter, often telling others that she is incompetent. This infuriates Si Huamu. Not to mention that the loss of the clan leader position was due to Si Jingzhi's suggestion. It's already a small favor that she didn't intend to kick him while he was down.

"It's true what they say, fortunes Hexi every thirty years. When you thought your second sister had given birth to a good daughter and decided to pass the clan chiefship to her, did you ever imagine this day would come?"

Si Huamu, wholeheartedly approved of Si Jingyu's actions, but rationally felt that since it was the opponent's plan, it should be opposed. Unable to weigh the options, she consulted Si Yuewen, whom she had already gained the trust of.

Without hesitation, Si Yuewen said, "Lord Mu, there are many suspicious points in this matter. If it was all the young clan leader's scheme, why would she go to such lengths to frame us first? If that person was bribed by the old clan leader, are we supposed to repay evil with kindness?"

Si Huamu pondered for a moment, realizing that there were indeed many things she couldn't understand in this series of events. Since she wasn't particularly good at analyzing and summarizing information, she simply asked, "What do you think we should do?"

Si Yuewen said, "Since it's a murky pool, why should we get involved? We can just sit back and watch the tigers fight. Although the old patriarch's faction is currently in a decline, even a centipede with a hundred legs won't die easily. If they fight to the death, they can probably take a few down with them. And no matter which side is injured, we can benefit from it."

"That makes sense. Then we'll sit back and watch them fight it out."

Si Huamu was unaware that the moment she made her decision, the demise of the old patriarch's faction was already sealed. The mainstream faction of the Si Clan consisted of her and the patriarch's factions, which together made up 70% of all the clan members. The rest were neutral factions who chose to protect themselves, with the old patriarch's faction making up 10% of that. Once Si Huamu chose to stand by and watch, the old patriarch's faction could no longer cause any trouble.

When Si Yuewen saw that Si Huamu had agreed to her proposal, she smiled slightly. At this moment, her mission as an inside agent was finally accomplished. Back then, the young clan leader had asked her to join Si Huamu, help her devise strategies, and even sometimes take the initiative to reveal information, all in order to divide up the clan members.

The total number of the Si Clan is limited. With more people siding with Si Huamu, less is left for the old patriarch. When the two major forces, whose total numbers exceed half, simultaneously reject the old patriarch, her fate is sealed.

Next, let's see the battle between the young clan leader and Miss Huaruo. If the young clan leader wins, I will return with great merit. If Miss Huaruo wins, then staying and becoming a trusted advisor seems like a good option...

Everyone has their own plans. Even as a pawn, one might have the idea of stepping out of the game and becoming a player. Si Yuewen and Si Huamu suddenly noticed a strange phenomenon in the world, with the surrounding Spiritual Qi changing drastically. They quickly turned their attention to the lotus arena and discovered that the battle was nearing its end and the winner was about to be decided, and in the most intense way.

"They actually used their ultimate move! Oh no! Quick, prepare to save them!"

Si Huaruo and Si Jingyu's fighting spirit had reached its peak, and the battle had entered its climax. With their minds fully focused, even though they noticed the commotion on the shore, they dared not be distracted in the slightest. The only thing reflected in their vision was each other's figures, and there was no room for anything else.

"Meridian-Shattering Goosefoot Heart Palm!"

Si Jingyu unleashes a sinister and malevolent force. Although it makes no sound, the terrifying power within is beyond the comprehension of outsiders.

Si Huaruo already knew from Si Ming that the other party had cultivated a martial arts manual called "The True Scripture of Sinful Punishment". Although she did not understand the specific moves, she knew the characteristics of the moves and could prescribe the right medicine. Instead of retreating, she stepped forward and struck the other party's chest with her elbow like a spear.

Si Jingyu snorted, her chest suddenly contracting inward. Her sinister palm strike transformed into a gentle wave, pushing towards Si Huaruo's forearm. The force bending her arm was a result of her combining the martial arts from the "True Scripture of Sinful Punishment" and the "Water Moon Precious Mirror" into one, allowing her to switch between them at will and seamlessly connect them—a breakthrough she achieved after her decisive battle with Shi Muyan.

Their palms and elbows collided, releasing all their force silently, but both men frowned and retreated, enduring their injuries.

Si Huaruo was injured by the force of the Meridian-Shattering Goosefoot Heart Palm, and felt as if the meridians in her arm had been twisted into a pretzel, making it impossible for her to circulate her True Qi.

Si Jingyu suffered a backlash from the Counter-Wave Ice Firmament, her entire palm was frostbitten and covered with a layer of white frost. In contrast, her Countercurrent Divine Gang was not activated because its power was dissipated.

"Marrow-Extracting Spirit-Tormenting Claw!"

Si Jingyu did not let up her attack. She took a breath to adjust her internal energy, and immediately spread her five fingers like claws, curving inward to bite Si Huaruo's arm. At the same time, she used her right hand to activate the vortex force and wrap it around Si Huaruo's shoulder joint.

She combined two completely different martial arts styles, one sinister and ruthless, the other gentle and tender, slashing and chopping with grappling techniques, making it impossible to defend against. Si Huaruo could not withstand it and had no choice but to flee. She used her lightness skill to leap off the lotus stone platform and sped across the lake on the lotus leaves.

Slowed down by the internal chill, Si Jingyu moved somewhat sluggishly and couldn't catch up. He sarcastically remarked, "You were all fierce and aggressive before we started, like a leopard, but after we started, you fled like a coward. Is this the tactic you spoke of that could defeat me? Or am I wrong, and you're actually trying to wear me down and secure a draw? Indeed, compared to your previous defeats, a draw is a rare breakthrough for you."

"Stop being narcissistic. I did this just to lure you out of the ring."

Before she finished speaking, Si Huaruo turned and launched a counterattack. Her hands moved, and her True Qi was transformed into divine power. However, she did not summon gods or use the divine tree. Instead, she attached herself to the surface of her body. Her hands moved like long sleeves, and she raised one foot. She raised her eyebrows and braced herself to receive Si Jingyu's palm and claw attacks head-on, completely dissolving the sinister and evil energy. She no longer felt any pain.

"Yinkang Great Dance!"

Si Jingyu immediately recognized the dance technique used by the other party. Yinkang was an ancient emperor in mythology, after Flame Emperor Shennong. The ancients said, "In the beginning of Yinkang, there was much stagnation and accumulation, the waterways were blocked and could not flow, the people's spirit was depressed and stagnant, their muscles and bones were stiff and unable to move, so he created dance to promote their spirit."

In short, the Yinkang created a health-preserving dance based on the principles of waterway dredging, which can help the clan members to loosen their muscles and bones and invigorate their vital energy. This dance is the Yinkang Great Dance.

Using health-preserving martial arts to counter the "True Scripture of Sinful Punishment" and replenish what is lost is the solution Si Ming came up with. He has recently been learning from the strengths of various schools and practicing martial arts intensively, absorbing a great deal of martial arts knowledge. It is not difficult for him to crack a martial art that he has seen through.

As a practitioner of the "True Scripture of Sinful Punishment," Si Jingyu never imagined that this martial art could be broken by a mere health-preserving Cultivation Method. It truly doesn't live up to its formidable reputation for ferocity...

Suddenly, she realized what was going on. The "True Scripture of Sinful Punishment" was not an evil technique, but a legitimate one from the Xuanmen sect. Evil techniques would naturally become even more vicious when they encountered weak and easily bullied health cultivation Cultivation Method, but legitimate Xuanmen sects would be benevolent when they encountered good.

Then, she immediately understood why the other party had led her to the lake. Breaking the Yinkang Great Dance was very simple: it was a direct and forceful attack. Although the Si Clan's martial arts were mainly based on soft techniques, they were not without any forceful techniques. However, the stronger the attack, the more it required external support. She was currently walking on lotus leaves, and it was already difficult to maintain her balance and avoid falling into the lake. To think that she could stomp her feet to generate power was simply wishful thinking.

"It's rare that you've actually used your brain, but relying solely on your Lineage's martial arts skills, you'll never be able to defeat me."

Even though Si Jingyu himself had never practiced the martial arts in his Lineage, he had seen others use them and was extremely familiar with them, so he naturally knew how to break through the barriers.

"As you wish, Nine Luminaries Sacred Radiance!"