Enemies Attack

In the rear mountains of Mount Hua, Wang Ming sat cross-legged on a bare, large rock, cultivating the Purple Haze Divine Skill. During this period, with the aid of copious amounts of elixirs, Wang Ming had finally managed to restore his accumulated true qi to its original level.

Wang Ming wasn't just practicing internal arts; he had also honed the Illusion Sword and Thousand Flowers Scatter Money techniques he'd brought from his previous world.

The Illusion Sword could be considered the strongest swordplay in the "First Under Heaven" world. Duan Tianya had once said that purely in terms of swordsmanship, Nemuri Kyōshirō surpassed Zhu Wushi.

The Illusion Sword was originally a martial art from the Central Plains, which was why Nemuri Kyōshirō had taught it to Duan Tianya.

After practicing the Illusion Sword, Wang Ming truly understood this swordplay.

This swordplay was one that emphasized speed. Only with high speed could afterimages be produced.

At the same time, the most crucial element was environmental cooperation, specifically sunlight. Therefore, the sword used must be smooth as a mirror.

A significant portion of the Illusion Sword's mental cultivation method was dedicated to explaining how to calculate the angles between sunlight, the sword's surface, and the opponent's eyes to achieve temporary blinding.

The actual moves of the Illusion Sword were very simple, but the mental cultivation was key. When using the Illusion Sword, one could achieve instantaneous bursts of movement and hand speed.

To put it plainly, this swordplay involved a series of calculations to injure the opponent's eyes, causing temporary blindness, followed by an explosive burst of speed to instantly kill them.

The characteristics of this swordplay felt somewhat similar to the Evil Warding Swordplay, as both were techniques that enhanced speed.

It was only after practicing Thousand Flowers Scatter Money that Wang Ming realized it demanded a relatively high level of internal force and control.

The hallmark of this martial art was that it could often only be used once, especially in battles of equal footing. Each use would consume more than half of one's true qi. The remaining energy wasn't for a second use but to escape if the enemy wasn't dead.

Wang Ming suspected that the reason "Wuchen Gongzi" needed beauties to carry him, besides showing off, was to conceal his depleted internal energy.

For those with weak internal energy, using Thousand Flowers Scatter Money was no better than scattering sand; at least sand could irritate the eyes.

Those who were hit by this move were generally doomed. With dozens of wounds all over their body, how could they be saved?

It was like the wounds inflicted by a shotgun.

Although this move was called "Scatter Money," what Shangguan Haitang and the others scattered weren't copper coins, but specially made small metal pieces. Copper coins would work too, but it was impossible to fire hundreds of hidden weapons at once, and they were also inconvenient to carry.

Wang Ming couldn't afford to have custom hidden weapons made, so he carried copper coins on him.

Wang Ming heard someone passing by his training spot and opened his eyes. He saw Lu Dayou rushing towards Siguo Cliff.

"Junior Brother! What's the hurry? Is something wrong?" Wang Ming asked.

"Master! Mistress is back," Lu Dayou said, startled by Wang Ming's voice, and then calmed himself.

"Then you don't need to be so flustered, do you?"

"Something's happened. The Mount Tai, Mount Song, and Mount Heng sects have come to challenge us, saying they want to seize the position of sect leader," Lu Dayou reported.

Upon hearing this, Wang Ming recalled that this was when the Sword Sect was making its move. He immediately rushed to the main hall of Mount Hua, ready to help.

When Wang Ming arrived at the main hall, he saw that a fight had already broken out. He then walked towards Yue Buqun.

As he approached, he saw a stern-looking old man in his fifties or sixties, with a face full of malice, locked in combat with Linghu Chong. This must be Feng Buping.

Wang Ming glanced at the people around. There were quite a few from Mount Song, Mount Heng, and Mount Tai. Zuo Lengchan was determined to take over the Mount Hua Sect!

Feng Buping's swordplay from the Sword Sect was fast and urgent, remarkably strange and perilous. His internal energy cultivation was quite average. Linghu Chong had exchanged so many moves with him, yet the bamboo stick of the broom Linghu Chong was holding hadn't even been broken.

All he could offer was his swordplay. Although his swordplay was exquisite, it still didn't escape the framework of Mount Hua Swordplay. These were all found in the secret cave on Siguo Cliff of Mount Hua, but Feng Buping's execution was more agile.

Just as Wang Ming was silently mourning for Feng Buping in his heart, he was defeated on the field. Linghu Chong unleashed the Sword Breaking Stance, and Feng Buping was instantly defeated.

Feng Buping, being defeated by a junior in front of everyone, lost a great deal of face. Seeing the triumphant Linghu Chong on the field, Feng Buping instantly lost his composure and suddenly launched a sneak attack on Linghu Chong.

Just as he was about to strike Linghu Chong, a figure appeared before him. Before Feng Buping could react, he was sent flying several yards by a powerful surge of internal energy, landing right beside Cheng Buyou.

"You despicable scoundrel, how dare you sneak attack my brother!" Cheng Buyou drew his long sword and charged onto the field.

"How utterly shameless! Feng Buping was defeated by Senior Brother, and you spared his life, yet you still resorted to a sneak attack from behind. Is this the virtue of a Sword Sect disciple? I have never seen such a thick-skinned and shameless person!"

Cheng Buyou immediately felt a bit embarrassed, but thinking of his junior brother on the ground, he became unreasonable and attacked with his sword.

The person who emerged was naturally Wang Ming. He knew Feng Buping's character, so he had been paying attention to his movements to prevent a sneak attack from behind.

Facing the attacking Cheng Buyou, Wang Ming knew this person's swordsmanship was superb. To surpass him in swordsmanship, he would have to use the countermeasures from the secret cave on Siguo Cliff and the Nine Swords of Dugu. But revealing these would only cause trouble and unnecessary suspicion.

"You say the Master doesn't teach his disciples well. Today, I will show you the ultimate skill of the Qi Sect."

Wang Ming's face was instantly covered in purple energy. His standard Mount Hua longsword clashed with Cheng Buyou's sword and was immediately firmly attached to it. No matter how Cheng Buyou struggled, he couldn't separate his sword.

Wang Ming, having cultivated the Purple Haze Divine Skill, was stronger than Cheng Buyou. This was a naked suppression of cultivation techniques.

Wang Ming was still a notch below Yue Buqun.

He lacked the accumulation of time; after all, Old Yue's age was a factor.

"Purple Haze Divine Skill?"

Ning Zhongze, seeing the purple energy on Wang Ming's face, was instantly startled and exchanged a look with Yue Buqun.

Wang Ming's sword, covered in Purple Haze true qi, churned with Cheng Buyou's sword. In an instant, Cheng Buyou's sword broke into seven or eight pieces and fell to the ground.

"Ah!" Seeing his broken sword on the ground filled Cheng Buyou with fear, and he couldn't help but let out a cry.

Wang Ming wasn't one to stand idly after winning. He struck towards Cheng Buyou's face. Cheng Buyou immediately turned and dodged by crouching, but before he could stand up, Wang Ming had already sealed his acupoints, rendering him immobile.

Wang Ming took a few more steps forward and also sealed the acupoints of Feng Buping, who was lying on the ground earlier. He had held back his palm strike, and Feng Buping was only lightly injured. Carrying the two men, one in each hand, he brought them back towards the Mount Hua disciples.

"Lu, find a place to take them and keep a close eye on them."

Lu Dayou was quite surprised today to see his senior brother Wang Ming, who was usually so low-key and unremarkable, display such divine might and defeat the enemies from the Sword Sect. However, he suppressed the turmoil in his heart and, taking the two people with him, went to escort the Sword Sect members to their confinement.

"Hold on! You can't take this person away. Yue Buqun, your actions are unbecoming of a gentleman!" Lu Bai suddenly jumped out, demanding the person from Yue Buqun.

Wang Ming interjected before Yue Buqun could respond.

"How could my master do anything unbecoming of a gentleman? These two senior uncles from the Sword Sect were injured during our sparring match. Master, being benevolent, has taken them in to recuperate on the mountain. Is there anything wrong with that?"

"You're twisting words. If you don't release them today, don't blame my sword for disagreeing." Lu Bai held up his sword and stepped in front of Wang Ming, threatening him.

Seeing this, Wang Ming smiled slightly. He looked at Lu Bai before him, and with his hand filled with Purple Haze True Qi, he dodged the sword's tip, grabbed the blade, and gave it a powerful shake. This standard-issue Songshan greatsword met the same fate as Cheng Buyou's sword. Then, before Lu Bai could even react in surprise, Wang Ming struck him with a palm, sending him flying several yards away. He landed on the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"Now that your sword agrees, do you have any other objections?"

Lu Bai was helped up by his disciples. He spat out another mouthful of blood. His injuries weren't critical, but his pride was deeply wounded.

"Hahaha!!! The disciples of the Mount Hua Sect are all more formidable than their master. I think this sect leader, Yue Buqun, might as well step down. As a master, he's so... useless."

Before Lu Bai could finish speaking, Wang Ming kicked the broken sword tip he had just shattered towards Lu Bai.

Lu Bai was already injured and, on top of that, he hadn't expected Wang Ming to act so unpredictably. In the martial arts world, it was common for losers to still try and save face with a few harsh words. However, Wang Ming had directly attacked without following any established protocol. As a result, a broken sword blade was firmly embedded in his right shoulder, bleeding profusely.

"You're still trying to sow discord at a time like this. My master is a gentleman and can tolerate your rudeness, not holding it against you. But that doesn't mean I can be as magnanimous."

Wang Ming cut him off. In the original storyline, Linghu Chong had been tricked by this very Lu Bai's words. Yue Buqun was a man who cared greatly about his reputation, and Wang Ming didn't want to be implicated.

"You win, we admit defeat. Let's go!"

Lu Bai, thoroughly humiliated, called his disciples and left Mount Hua.