The Clay Bodhisattva

The Five Happy Sons circled Ding Ning for more than ten rounds, but seeing that he remained unmoved, they could endure it no longer. The five shared a single mind, and all five weapons struck together, targeting Ding Ning's vital points.

Ding Ning's eyes widened. With a peculiar motion, he drew the Mountain Cutting Saber. The saber swept through the air at an absolute speed, flashing with blade light. A rapid series of weapon clashes rang out—"Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang"—and the weapons in the Five Happy Sons' hands were all severed in a single move.

Taking advantage of the momentum, Ding Ning pressed forward with a step and swung the Mountain Cutting Saber again!

Long Xiu sensed a thick aura of death enveloping his entire body and hurriedly retreated. The other Five Happy Sons reacted a little too slowly and were struck by the blade one after another.

Where the blade light struck, there appeared a fine red line of blood. It gradually thickened until the wounds were completely torn open. Under that blow, the Five Happy Sons lost hands and feet.

Long Xiu truly could not believe that such fast saberplay existed in this world. His five-man group had been defeated in only two moves!

But he had no time to think. Ding Ning had already leaped after him again.

Long Xiu was over thirty and had been famous for many years. In all his life, when had he ever been so wretched in a fight? And what was more, his opponent was such a young boy. Rage surged through his heart.

In his fury, Long Xiu no longer wished to evade. He infused his right hand with inner force and met Ding Ning with his famed killing move—Hidden Dragon Dagger Revealed!

Long Xiu spun like a whirlwind. In midair, he resembled a phantom dragon, the broken sword serving as its head, its sharp sword light thrusting straight at Ding Ning.

Ding Ning was delighted at the sight. What he feared was Long Xiu avoiding the fight and leaving him unable to catch up. Now that Long Xiu had chosen to clash head-on, things had gone exactly as he wished.

The force of the Mountain Cutting Saber rose once more. Ding Ning swore to cut Long Xiu down with his next move.

Unexpectedly, a sudden change occurred. An arrow that had lain in wait for a long time in the darkness of the dense forest shot through the air. Coordinating with Long Xiu's attack, it instantly reversed the situation!

It was none other than the famous Feng Wu Arrow of Long Xiu's wife, Feng Wu!

"Watch out!"

The hidden arrow came with ferocious force and instantly reached within inches of Ding Ning's face. He could not evade it, and the danger was extreme.

At that critical moment, a giant saber nearly as tall as a person descended through the air. Its power not only knocked the hidden arrow away but also forced Long Xiu back.

It was Shen Hu Chan's Ananda Saber!

"Five against one, and you still resorted to hidden arrows. Can't you afford to lose?"

Faced with Shen Hu Chan's questioning, Long Xiu's face shifted between green and white. He was speechless.

Just as everyone's attention focused on Ding Ning, Shen Hu Chan, and Long Xiu, the Bronze Cauldron inexplicably moved on its own and began sinking into the ground.

Fire Monkey's movements were connected to the Clay Bodhisattva's whereabouts, so nothing could be allowed to go wrong. Qin Shuang lunged forward, channeled his strength through both hands, and firmly seized the two handles of the Bronze Cauldron.

However, the force dragging it down was enormous, and Qin Shuang could not overcome it for the moment.

There's someone beneath the cauldron!

A thought struck Qin Shuang. He suddenly let go, disregarding the Bronze Cauldron as it was dragged underground. Heavenly Frost Qi circulated through him, and his fists glowed icy blue. He slammed one fist into the ground, causing the earth itself to tremble.

"Bang!" That strike contained the full ten layers of inner force of Heavenly Frost Fist!

The force of the punch spread outward, countershocking the Bronze Cauldron and the two people pulling it, sending all of them flying out of the ground.

The "Tunnel-Digging Rat," Luo Zheng, and the "Burrow Rat," Luo Ning—the Cave Rats!

The two were skilled at digging through earth and traveling underground. In the martial world, they specialized in petty thievery. This time, having set their sights on Fire Monkey but not daring to seize it by force, they had deliberately dug a tunnel, intending to take advantage of everyone's carelessness and steal it.

Yet no one had time to pay attention to the Cave Rats now. After the struggle just moments ago, the Bronze Cauldron had been forced from both sides, causing its lid to fly open. A monkey covered in crimson fur as soft as flame burst out of the cauldron.

Fire Monkey had actually escaped!

The slaughter carried out by the Dragon Guard had already intimidated the various martial artists hiding in the darkness.

But now that Fire Monkey had suddenly appeared before them, it stirred the greed in everyone's hearts. They all rushed forward to seize it, and the scene instantly descended into chaos.

Amid the turmoil, a worried cry of "Fire!" drew Qin Shuang's attention. It had been blurted out by the little granddaughter accompanying the Old Woodcutter.

Qin Shuang had no time to think. A sudden rain of arrows shot in from all directions. The people fighting in the center were caught off guard, and countless of them were struck by arrows and fell to the ground.

Within the dense forest, another expert who had lain hidden for a long time seized the opportunity and suddenly attacked.

He leaped out like a bolt of thunder. Everyone present felt an awe-inspiring pressure bearing down on them.

The newcomer soared into the air, his legs casting layer upon layer of shadows like dancing dragons. His force was vast and surging, whipping up a gale that smashed the trees. It was the strongest killing move of Dragon Subduing Divine Leg—Arrogant Dragon Regrets!

Several muffled thunderclaps erupted with brilliant bursts of force, injuring and forcing back the people surrounding Fire Monkey.

Taking advantage of the momentum, the newcomer grabbed Fire Monkey. Using the counterforce, he leaped several times and flew far away.

Ding Ning and the others were about to pursue him when Qin Shuang stopped them with a word.

The Dragon Guard was organized according to military structure, so its rules were naturally strict as well. Since Qin Shuang, the Squad Leader, had spoken, everyone obeyed.

After the others had all chased after Fire Monkey and disappeared, Qin Shuang slowly explained under the puzzled gazes of the crowd, "We wanted to seize Fire Monkey only to find the Clay Bodhisattula's whereabouts. Now that we've found the Clay Bodhisattva himself, why would we still need to fight over Fire Monkey?"

Qin Shuang did not wait for anyone to ask more questions. He strode over to the Old Woodcutter. "Senior, since I've seen through you, there's no need to keep hiding."

The Old Woodcutter wiped his face with one hand and removed a human-skin mask, saying awkwardly, "Heh heh, young hero, you certainly have a sharp eye!"

Qin Shuang smiled faintly and rubbed the little girl's head beside the Clay Bodhisattva. "The girl was innocent and carefree. When she saw Fire Monkey in danger, she instinctively cried out in concern. Otherwise, I would never have guessed that the renowned Clay Bodhisattva was far away yet right before my eyes."

The Clay Bodhisattva smiled helplessly along with him.

"Senior, I have come under the emperor's orders to invite you to the palace for a meeting. Please cooperate and do not make things difficult for us." Qin Shuang bowed to the Clay Bodhisattva.

"Since the current emperor wishes to see me, there is nowhere in this vast world for me to hide. I'll go with you," the Clay Bodhisattva said resignedly.

Qin Shuang nodded slightly. The Clay Bodhisattva's willingness to cooperate would benefit them during the journey back.

He looked around and discovered that many of his subordinates had suffered arrow wounds and were bandaging them. After counting carefully, he found that more than ten people had been injured. Chen Bu Ding, Feng Bu Ba, Hao Hao, Li Fu Sheng, and Destroy Ghost God had suffered the most serious wounds, affecting their ability to move.

"Did you discover anything?" Qin Shuang asked Shen Hu Chan, who had the richest experience in the martial world.

"The arrows left no clues, but judging from the attacker's skills and martial arts, he should be from Peerless City!" Shen Hu Chan replied.

"I don't want 'should be.' Can you confirm it?" Qin Shuang was dissatisfied with the vague answer and pressed him again.

Shen Hu Chan pondered for a moment before saying decisively, "Dragon Subduing Divine Leg. I'm certain!"

"Good. Immediately send word for Mu Wan Qing and Wang Dong to bring two squads over and join us." Qin Shuang's expression turned grim as he made the decision without hesitation. "Peerless City ambushed the Dragon Guard. Anyone who openly defies Great Shang's imperial authority will be charged with treason and executed without mercy!"