The Duel

Upon hearing the word "hegemon," the expression on Ning Qingyu's face grew even uglier.

In this world, where could one find a martial arts hegemon locked inside a cage?

Look at the Shaolin Temple, the Wudang Sect, and the Sun Moon Divine Cult; which of their spheres of influence did not span several provinces, and whose reach did not extend across the entire Great Ming?

What did the Mount Hua Sect have?

The eight-hundred-mile fertile land of Guanzhong was already a thing of the past. If not for the Five Mountains Alliance used to bolster their reputation, the Mount Hua Sect would be nothing more than a local sect.

In terms of financial resources, the gap was even wider. Never mind comparing themselves to the Shaolin Temple or the Wudang Sect; they could not even match some of the wealthier first-rate sects.

For instance, the Emei, Tang Sect, and Qingcheng in the Shu Region, while far inferior to the Mount Hua Sect in strength, possessed wealth far exceeding theirs.

As for Jiangnan, it went without saying; any martial arts faction that spanned several prefectures was wealthier than Mount Hua. Even within the Five Mountains Alliance, the Mount Tai Sect was richer than the Mount Hua Sect.

Of course, having money did not necessarily mean having strength.

Jiangnan's economy was the most prosperous, and its martial arts sects were the wealthiest. Yet, despite possessing the most abundant resources, they produced the lowest proportion of top-tier experts.

On the contrary, the northern martial arts world, with its slightly weaker economic foundation, produced talent in droves; the overall landscape of the Great Ming martial arts world had always been strong in the north and weak in the south.

Perhaps influenced by the flourishing literary culture of Jiangnan, the great clans of the south preferred sending their descendants to academies rather than martial arts sects.

The influence of southern martial arts sects in their local areas was equally lackluster, as the power of the imperial court was far more dominant. Many martial arts gangs had to defer to the officials; the idea of gathering thousands of men for a bloody battle like in the north was unthinkable.

Living in this world of "the strong prey upon the weak," seeing factions weaker than themselves living in luxury, the Mount Hua Sect naturally had its own ambitions.

"Does the Great Master himself believe those words?"

"I shall spare you the nonsense, Ning Qingyu. Out of respect for your temple, our Mount Hua Sect is willing to make concessions: as long as the local factions of Luoyang relinquish half the city, we shall return to Guanzhong immediately."

This was the truth; Ning Qingyu's expectations had been greatly lowered. He no longer fantasized about uniting the Five Mountains to span the north and south of the Great River.

As long as they could take half of Luoyang, echo the Mount Heng Sect from afar, and extend their reach into Jiangnan to claim a share of the spoils, it would be enough.

Regrettably, the truth is often not believed. Master Ben Chen merely shook his head: "Luoyang is out of the question. Perhaps Donor Ning might consider Ningxia, Yulin, or Shangdang; this old monk can guarantee that our Shaolin will never obstruct you."

Hearing this answer, not only did Ning Qingyu's face change drastically, but the two elders beside him, Yue and Feng, were also burning with rage. Elder Feng, unable to contain himself, spoke first:

"Master, do not treat us as fools. The Northwest is destitute, and Ningxia and Yulin are key military towns of the Nine Frontiers, teeming with the imperial court's heavy troops—there is no room for our Mount Hua to intervene there.

Shangdang is no better; the main force of the Ten Elders of the Demonic Cult is still waiting there. Even if we were to head north, we would go through Luoyang into Hedong; why would we run off to Shangdang?

If your temple truly has sincerity, ceding Hanzhong Prefecture would suffice. Our Mount Hua Sect has no great ambition; we merely wish to obtain what matches our strength..."

Ben Chen also felt a headache coming on. Given the Mount Hua Sect's peculiar geographical location, he could not find any bait to offer them, even if he wanted to use profit to lure them.

The Shaolin Temple naturally did not care about a mere Hanzhong Prefecture; since it was not their own territory, there was no heartache to speak of.

The problem was that once Mount Hua controlled Hanzhong, it would be fine if they headed south into Huguang, as the Wudang Sect would naturally teach them a lesson. But if the Mount Hua Sect pushed west, could the martial arts world of the Shu Region withstand it?

If the sects of the Shu Region could not hold them back, would the Shaolin Temple intervene or not?

If they intervened, it would lead to the current situation, or perhaps something even more troublesome; if they did not, the Mount Hua Sect, having taken the Shu Region, would truly have the capital to contend with the Shaolin Temple.

"I have long heard that Donor Ning's martial arts are peerless. If you can break our temple's Vajra Subjugation Array, then this old monk will make the decision for the martial arts peers of Luoyang."

It was clear that Ben Chen did not want to reach this point; if not for being forced into a corner, the Shaolin Temple would not want to directly clash with Mount Hua right now.

The Mount Hua Sect was currently in its prime; if they suffered this loss, they would certainly seek revenge at the first opportunity. Having such an enemy at their side would give the Shaolin Temple a headache.

"Master, you must be joking! Three top-tier experts joining forces is already invincible under heaven, let alone when paired with your temple's renowned Vajra Subjugation Array."

Before Ning Qingyu could answer, Elder Yue chose to refuse first.

Although he had confidence in his sect leader's cultivation, confidence was not meant to be used this way. Fighting three against one, especially against an array, was clearly bullying.

Having been flatly refused, the atmosphere suddenly became awkward. Such a duel was indeed unfair, and Ben Chen could not deny it.

"Wait, I accept. However, Master, if you wish to use the Vajra Subjugation Array as a wager, this stake is not enough!"

"Sect Leader, this..."

Ning Qingyu interrupted him.

"Say no more, I have my own plans."

The three monks exchanged glances, their stance unified in an instant.

"Very well, as Sect Leader Ning wishes. If you break the Vajra Subjugation Array, besides Luoyang, we will not interfere with your sect's operations in Hanzhong."

It was not that they would not interfere, but that they lacked the ability to do so.

If a ruthless person capable of breaking the Vajra Subjugation Array truly appeared, the Shaolin Temple would have to back down, at least because the forces they had gathered in Luoyang could not contain such a threat.

Having obtained a satisfactory result, Ning Qingyu laughed heartily: "Three Masters, please."

Before he had even finished speaking, his sword was already thrust out, as if he intended to catch the three of them off guard.

Suddenly, three iron chains flew out, meeting Ning Qingyu head-on. If this sword strike were to land, he could certainly take one of them down, but Ning Qingyu himself would be struck by the chains and lose his life.

At the critical moment, Ning Qingyu leaped into the air and decisively retreated from the combat circle.

The situation on the field changed instantly; Ning Qingyu, who had been on the offensive, kept dodging and weaving, refusing to engage the three of them in direct combat.

With one fleeing and three in pursuit, the Vajra Subjugation Array could naturally not be formed. Moreover, the cumbersome iron chains clearly affected the speed of the three monks, making it impossible for them to keep up with Ning Qingyu's pace.

An old monk shouted in anger: "Donor Ning, by dodging like this, are you intending to give up on breaking the array?"

Ning Qingyu was not angered by the rebuke.

"You jest, Masters. Am I not currently doing my utmost to break the formation? I am well aware that I am no match for the three of you, given your formidable martial arts.

However, this matter concerns the future grand plan of my Mount Hua Sect and the expectations of our fellow martial artists in Guanzhong, so I have no choice but to give it my best effort.

There is no need for you to be anxious, Masters. I estimate that in another two or three days, I will be completely exhausted and forced to concede."

Upon hearing this answer, the expressions of the three men changed drastically. Whether Ning Qingyu could actually hold out for two or three days was unknown, but they certainly could not.

While their cultivation levels were all in the same realm and their martial arts were among the best in the pugilistic world, they could not overcome the fact that all three of them were nearing ninety years of age.

Even without engaging in combat, simply enduring for two or three days without food or drink would be enough to push their bodies to the breaking point.