Cruel Jianghu

At dawn, as the first light touched the eastern horizon, Chaoyang Peak was already packed with people.

The previous few days had been the Mount Hua Sect showcasing its own prowess, but now the moment for universal participation had finally arrived. Regardless of the pretext for convening the Martial Arts Assembly, duels were an inevitable part of the proceedings.

Jianghu feuds and conflicts of interest could all be resolved at the assembly. If they could talk it out, they would; if they couldn't, they would settle their differences on the ring.

Compared to two factions clashing with blades drawn and blood flowing like a river among their disciples, deciding victory or defeat through ring duels was significantly more civilized.

In the presence of so many fellow martial artists, unless it was an irreconcilable life-or-death grudge, everyone generally exercised restraint.

As for whether they would resort to underhanded tactics afterward, that was another matter entirely; at the very least, the "upright and honorable sects" maintained the appearance of adhering to Jianghu etiquette.

"Gao Jun'an, you bastard, get out here! Twenty years ago you seized the foundation of my White Cloud Mountain, and today I am going to settle this with you once and for all!"

A man with a white headscarf, his frame slightly hunched and his age appearing to be around fifty or sixty, leaped onto the ring, cursing as he walked.

Looking from afar, one could vaguely see the scars on his face, which, paired with his ferocious expression, were truly terrifying.

"Chen Jihua, I, the Iron-Armed Divine Dragon, have a clear conscience. Back then, your White Cloud Mountain acted against the natural order, and I was merely acting on behalf of Heaven. Many fellow martial artists and esteemed seniors of the Wulin served as witnesses."

"I never expected that a moment of soft-heartedness would allow a fish to slip through the net like you. After hiding for so many years, instead of being grateful for the grace of being spared, you have now emerged to stir up trouble again."

"Enough. Since you are so eager to seek death, I shall grant your wish."

Though he appeared nonchalant and seemingly unbothered, the sharp-eyed Li Mu still detected the panic in this Iron-Armed Divine Dragon hero.

After all, this was an enemy who had been in hiding for twenty years, and now that he had shown up so brazenly, it would be hard to believe he hadn't made preparations.

In any other setting, this Iron-Armed Divine Dragon hero would likely have summoned his disciples to swarm the man. Unfortunately, this was the Martial Arts Assembly, and for the sake of his own reputation, he had no choice but to face the challenge personally.

"White Crane Spreads Its Wings!"

"Martial Might Stabilizes the Universe!"

"Crane Cries to the Nine Heavens!"

"Fist Dominates the World!"

Both were first-rate experts, and Gao Jun'an, the Iron-Armed Divine Dragon, was even half a realm higher, but he could not withstand Chen Jihua's suicidal style of trading injury for injury and life for life.

The scene was exceptionally intense; even the ring, constructed from bluestone, was now pitted and scarred, with cracks even appearing along the edges.

If the subsequent duels were all this intense, Li Mu suspected the ring would retire prematurely before the assembly even concluded.

Suddenly, Chen Jihua's aura surged, rising directly from the mid-stage of the first-rate realm to its peak, vaguely touching the threshold of the supreme realm.

"Heavenly Demon Dissolution Technique!"

A scream from the crowd left the entire venue deathly silent, as if something momentous had occurred.

Although Li Mu did not know what the "Heavenly Demon Dissolution Technique" was, he could tell from the expressions of those around him that this martial art was surely extraordinary.

With his near-zero experience in the Jianghu, Li Mu could only turn his gaze toward Zhou Qingyun, hoping to get an answer from his master.

"The Heavenly Demon Dissolution Technique is a supreme skill of the Western Demonic Cult. It can gather the essence and energy of the human body to temporarily boost one's internal power. Regardless of whether they kill their enemy, the user will undoubtedly die within a quarter of an hour after employing it."

"It is just that this technique was lost a hundred years ago. I did not expect it to reappear in the Jianghu today. It seems this Jianghu is about to become turbulent once again."

Hearing "undoubtedly die," Li Mu instantly lost interest in the Heavenly Demon Dissolution Technique. No matter how immense its power, he would respectfully decline such a suicidal martial art.

As for his master's lament about the "turbulent Jianghu," Li Mu didn't take it to heart at all. If the sky fell, the tall ones would hold it up first; the Mount Hua Sect in its prime was more than capable of handling any Jianghu upheaval.

After a pause, Li Mu asked curiously, "Master, which faction is the Western Demonic Cult? Why has this disciple never heard of them?"

The Jianghu was vast, so naturally, it couldn't just consist of the few martial arts factions described in the original story. Not having a presence in the main narrative did not mean they didn't exist.

For instance: the Emei, Tang Sect, Dragon Sect, and Four Directions Hall in Shu; the Kongtong, Kunlun, Tianshan, and Blood Blade Sect in the Western Regions...

Li Mu had heard of no fewer than forty first-rate Jianghu factions. While these sects might not match the strength of the Mount Hua Sect, they were not much inferior to the other four major sects.

Glancing at the ring, Zhou Qingyun explained calmly, "It is normal that you haven't heard of them. The Western Demonic Cult is primarily active in the Western Regions and rarely involves itself in the Central Plains Jianghu."

"Thirty years ago, an incident occurred in the Western Regions that triggered a war between the righteous and the evil. The Western Demonic Cult was nearly wiped out, and the few survivors who escaped went into hiding."

The Jianghu was forgetful; after not walking the path for decades, one would naturally be forgotten. Moreover, the Western Demonic Cult only acted as local tyrants in the Western Regions, so they never had much of a reputation in the Central Plains to begin with.

Li Mu did not continue to probe; a Jianghu faction that had been nearly wiped out could not pique his interest, even if they had once been formidable.

After dodging and weaving to waste a quarter of an hour, Chen Jihua spat out a mouthful of vital blood and collapsed to the ground, unable to rise again.

The victor, the Iron-Armed Divine Dragon, did not fare much better; multiple wounds on his body were bleeding, and he swayed unsteadily, as if he might collapse at any moment.

"In the end, I still won!"

No sooner had the words left his lips than Gao Jun'an suddenly felt a wave of dizziness. He used all his remaining strength to gasp, "Poison... you are truly despicable!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he collapsed to the ground.

"Master!"

"Master!"

Accompanied by the weeping and shouting from beneath the ring, the Iron-Armed Divine Dragon Gao Jun'an ended his glorious life. As for the victor, Chen Jihua, he found strength from somewhere, suddenly stood up, and let out a burst of wild laughter, muttering incessantly:

"Despicable!"

"Hahaha..."

Faint shouts for revenge could be heard from the crowd, likely coming from Gao Jun'an's disciples, though they were being held back by others.

The many renowned martial arts masters present showed no reaction; even those who were Gao Jun'an's closest friends in daily life merely let out a silent sigh, as if all of this were only natural.

Revenge was out of the question; everyone could see that Chen Jihua was already experiencing his final burst of vitality. To go up and risk one's life against a dying man would be an act of sheer stupidity.

This was only the beginning. As the arena battles continued, people were constantly falling, and others were constantly leaping up to take their places.

Where grievances remain, the fighting never ends.

The brutal arena battles left many of the young Huashan disciples deathly pale, and some of the female disciples even burst into tears on the spot.

At this moment, Li Mu suddenly understood the sect's painstaking efforts. If one wishes to survive better in this cruel world, one must first recognize the cruelty of the martial arts world and then learn to adapt.