Among the thirteen strongholds of Hengyun in Mingfeng Mountain, the most powerful is Feiyu Stronghold of Beima Mountain. The chief of Feiyu Stronghold is named Yuan Chaolong. In his early years, he was a rich young man who loved martial arts and acted impulsively. Because of his youthful vigor, he accidentally killed someone in a gambling match and was pursued by the government, which led him to become an outlaw.
Yuan Chaolong did not join a major martial arts sect like the Golden Blade Sect or the Five Elements Blade. He studied under a minor, unorthodox martial arts sect. Because of his exceptional talent, he managed to transform his sect's mediocre saber techniques into a formidable style, defeating numerous powerful enemies. He was known in the martial arts world as " One Blade, Certain Death ".
At the height of his fame, he was almost on par with Xie San, the " Wind-Soaring Blade " of the Hu Ma Gang outside the Great Wall, and was known as the number one or two best knife users inside and outside the Great Wall.
This Chief Yuan was quite skilled with the sword. He gathered a group of men on Back Horse Mountain, became the king of the mountain, and was a powerful and influential force. With his swordsmanship, he quickly gained power and became the strongest force among the Thirteen Hengyun Strongholds.
On the other hand, in Longhe County, He Zhongheng, with the help of Qi Baiyi, first eliminated Head Constable Liu, then seized the evidence of Magistrate Ge's corruption and abuse of power, and then destroyed the Gambling Gang among the three gangs and nine factions. After a thorough rectification, he brought the gangs in Longhe County to their knees...
Of course, this was largely due to the advice and strategies devised by Qi Baiyi and the steward He Fusheng behind the scenes; otherwise, with He Zhongheng's limited intelligence, he might not have been able to outmaneuver these local bullies.
In He Ping's plan, the first step was to disrupt the underworld situation in Longhe County. Taking advantage of the successive setbacks and turmoil of the " Gambling Gang," " Wine Gang," and " Fishing Gang," he would plant his " Dark Stake " in the main streets and markets of the county, including teahouses, restaurants, brothels, and carriage shops, to control the entire situation from the inside out.
The second step is to capture the Thirteen Hengyun Strongholds, eliminate the banditry that has plagued Phoenix Cry Mountain for so long, and replace them all with our own troops.
In this way, within a few years, he could remotely control the entire situation in Longhe County from the inside out. This was his forte: usurping power and taking over others' territory.
According to He Ping's plan, the He Family's power was like a poisonous insect, secretly growing under the guise of the powerful Longhe County, expanding itself through parasitism. The Three Gangs and Nine Societies and the Thirteen Hengyun Strongholds became a mere facade, and outsiders would never guess what was hidden beneath it...
What Qi Baiyi didn't expect was that the plan to take down the remaining forces of the Tongyun Thirteen Villages did not go smoothly. The reason for this was that, apart from Yuan Chaolong being a tough nut to crack, the main reason was that there was a master of magic in Feiyu Village of Beima Mountain.
"Is there a magical being hiding in Feiyu Village, Beima Mountain, this bandit stronghold?"
Upon hearing this, a hint of doubt flashed in He Ping's eyes.
"What kind of Law Technique did that person you saw use?"
"I don't know the specifics, but I heard from those who were wounded and retreated during the attack on the stronghold that the strange man had a bead that could spew out a cloud of yellow smoke, and if you were inside the smoke, you couldn't see anything. Besides that, he also knew two powerful evil arts..."
Qi Baiyi then elaborated on the explanation.
During their attack on Feiyu Village on Beima Mountain, they had already obtained a lot of intelligence through "Sky-Soaring Leopard" Sha Wuhou, who acted as an inside agent, and successively captured four mountain strongholds. Before, when He Ping left, he also left Qi Baiyi with hundreds of corpse puppets and some nitrated explosives. Using the corpse puppets and explosives, it was not too difficult to attack ordinary mountain strongholds.
Just as they were preparing to storm Flying Feather Stronghold, they encountered a strange person who knew Law Technique. This person hid in the yellow smoke to conceal his figure and summoned several zombies with iron-blue skin. Not only were they impervious to swords and spears, but they could also leap around and injure people.
What's most impressive is that he also possesses a powerful Evil Method. No Evil Method knows how he casts it, but all that's known is that if anyone tries to get close to him, it's as if they're being manipulated by an invisible boulder, and their entire body will be crushed into a meat patty.
"Wait a minute..." Upon hearing this, He Ping immediately pressed him for an answer, "You mean, if we just try to get close, that person will cast a spell and crush us into a pile of flesh, is that right?"
"That's it! What kind of Evil Method is this, so powerful?"
Qi Baiyi still felt a chill run down her spine when she recalled it.
"If what you say is true, there are several similar techniques, but it sounds very much like a Buddhist Divine Ability called ' Stone-Driving Mind Art '!"
He Ping closed his eyes and pondered for a while, a vague guess forming in his mind.
" Stone-Driving Mind Art?"
Qi Baiyi muttered to himself.
"Buddhists are skilled in mantras that manipulate invisible mental power. It is said that in the past, during the Great Xian Dynasty, there was a powerful monk named Shanwuwei in incantations and was quite well-known at the time."
One day, he was traveling far from home and stayed at a temple. Many scholars who were traveling to take the imperial examinations and seeking lodging there heard of his arrival and went to talk to the monk. Because of his Shanwuwei fame, the conversation naturally revolved around his Law Technique abilities.
One of the scholars asked him bluntly, "I've heard that you, Master, are skilled in incantations. Surely you can kill people with incantations, right?"
Upon hearing this, Shanwuwei laughed and shook his head, saying, "This humble monk never kills. However, if you want to know whether incantations can kill, that's not a difficult question."
Seeing the fear in the scholar's eyes, the monk, intending to intimidate him, continued, "However, killing is a Parajika offense, and this humble monk will not do it."
"If killing people isn't an option, then killing a tiny insect should be easy, right?"
Another scholar nearby chimed in curiously.
"Oh, not bad."
Just as Shanwuwei was replying, five or six toads were hopping around in the temple.
The scholar immediately pointed and asked, "Can you kill one of them?"
"Of course I can, I can kill it, but..."
Shanwuwei somewhat embarrassed.
Is there a problem?
The young scholar felt that the senior monk was making excuses, and his tone became somewhat urgent.
Shanwuwei sighed.
"My benefactor, you are unaware of the truth. I can indeed kill that toad, but once killed, I cannot revive it. To kill a life of no use is to create evil..."
"Please, Master, please perform a spell."
"Just one application is enough."
The scholars in the temple all gathered around him, pleading with him for help.
Shanwuwei looked around and saw that everyone's eyes were shining brightly. He knew that if he didn't use his magic to kill the toad today, things would probably not end well.
Perhaps, people didn't care whether he really knew magic or not, but their curiosity had drawn them into his life.
It's likely that for the scholars present, it wouldn't matter much if he continued to make excuses and didn't perform the ritual on the spot. On the contrary, it would leave them with something to say afterward, "That monk named Shanwuwei has no real ability; he's all talk and no action."
Shanwuwei sighed, inwardly lamenting that he was burdened by his reputation. He shook his head and muttered, "You people are truly a sinner."
Now that things have come to this, if we don't take action, it will make us look like we're afraid of trouble.
With this thought in mind, he stretched out two fingers to pick up a newly green willow leaf hanging from the eaves, casually plucked a leaf, tossed it aside, and muttered something under his breath.
The willow leaf flew into the air, fluttering down and landing on a toad.
In an instant, the toad was smashed to pieces and died, its flesh and internal organs flying everywhere.
"Young master, is this spell that kills a toad by plucking a leaf the so-called ' Stone-Driving Mind Art '?"
Qi Baiyi finally understood. Could it be that the person hiding in Feiyu Village on Beima Mountain was actually a monk who was proficient in incantations?
"There's no trace of Buddhism left in the Great You Realm. I don't think it's necessarily a monk or anything like that; perhaps it's someone who has practiced Buddhist methods..."
He Ping pondered for a moment, then felt a sense of unease.
"The ability to injure people from a distance without using willow leaves as a medium by cultivating the 'Stone Manipulation Technique' is no simple feat. For a Daoist master of this caliber to become a bandit in Feiyu Village on Beima Mountain is definitely unusual."
After a few thoughts raced through his mind, he took out two items and handed them to Qi Baiyi.
"This is?"
Qi Baiyi saw the two palm-sized objects that He Ping handed over and discovered that they were an extremely exquisite axe and a broadsword. They looked like two precious instruments of torture, and the material seemed to be bone, but they felt as smooth as jade to the touch.
"This axe and this knife are two new treasures I acquired. Take them. When that strange man from the Back Horse Mountain Stronghold reappears, just say 'Treasures, please turn around,' and you'll have the two treasures to fly out and injure the enemy."
He Ping handed to Qi Baiyi were the renowned " Prime Evil Axe " and " Great Resentment Blade " of the Purple Armor Hall. These two Law Artifact were actually one, and their power was extraordinary when used.
Originally, outsiders who wanted to use the magical Law Artifact of the Purple Armor Hall needed to wash away the restrictions and spells on them and then brand them with their own mark. However, he obtained the < Seed Demon Technique > technique and learned many powerful methods, including one that was specifically designed to defile other people's magical Law Artifact by implanting a demonic seed into them, thus gaining control over them.
He Ping had already obtained the demon seeds of the " Resentful Demon " and the " Death Demon " and had long since refined the two demon seeds. In recent days, when he practiced various techniques, he injected the two demon seeds into them. After the Prime Evil Axe and the Great Resentment Blade were injected with the demon seeds, they could injure the enemy on their own without his mind controlling them.
Qi Baiyi was overjoyed. He took the two Law Artifact, " Primal Evil " and " Great Villainy," bowed deeply to him, and then turned and left.
He Ping ignored it, continuing to drink tea and admire the snow, not intending to worry about the matter any further. After all, even Qi Baiyi couldn't handle a mere band of bandits from the Thirteen Hengyun Strongholds in Phoenix Cry Mountain; why would he, as their master, have to personally intervene? What was the point of keeping such a subordinate then...?