We're practicing all martial arts, so why did you switch to easy mode?

Chapter 166: Merit from the "Pure Yuan Scripture," Bloodbath with Hong Deqing
Snapped!
Iron palms, swift as the wind, rained down from all directions, striking the Moon Worshiping Thief so hard he screamed and ran wildly, seeing stars.

"Damn it, why do you keep hitting my face?!" Baiyue Dao couldn't help but curse.

Although Su Chen's moves didn't inflict much damage on him, they deeply hurt his pride.

He had never been so humiliated!
The enraged Moon Thief was completely oblivious to the surprise in Su Chen's eyes.

He had intended to knock the other person unconscious with those slaps, but things didn't go as planned.

Each slap was clearly more powerful than the last, and the final slap used ninety percent of its strength, but the other person didn't seem to experience any abnormality other than pain.

Su Chen was somewhat skeptical. He raised his arm, mustered all his strength, and was about to make a move.

"Stop, all you want is the secret manual, right? I'll give it to you."

After saying that, Bai Yuedao rubbed his cheek with one hand and took out a secret manual from his pocket with the other, casually tossing it to Su Chen.

Su Chen's gaze lingered on the manual for only a moment before he stopped paying attention.

He had barely turned his gaze back to the Moon Worshiping Thief when the guy seized the opportunity to slip away.

Seeing this, Su Chen followed after them as if the wind were blowing.

"Ugh, this guy is even more troublesome than those lackeys of the Dragon Guard!"

The scene was recreated, and Baiyue Dao went berserk as he watched Su Chen mysteriously reappear every time he tried to shake him off.

His speed was clearly superior to Su Chen's, and he should have been able to easily shake off the other party, but every time, this annoying guy would reappear not long after.

It drove him to the brink of insanity!
"Hoohoo!"

After running for an unknown amount of time, Baiyue Dao's speed slowed down. After a night of running, his internal energy was almost completely exhausted.

It was too late to run anymore.

"I give up, bro, what exactly are you trying to do?"

Not long after they rested, Su Chen appeared before them, his face full of bitterness, and he asked numbly.

"Secret manual".

Su Chen uttered two words, staring at Baiyue Dao with a half-smile.

Upon hearing this, Baiyue Dao immediately flew into a rage: "I already gave you the manual, but you didn't want it yourself."

“That’s fake,” Su Chen replied calmly.

"Nonsense." Bai Yuedao's eyes darted around nervously as he said, "It's true."

"Would you be so foolish as to give the real secret manual to someone else?" Su Chen asked rhetorically.

"Of course not, ptooey, ptooey, why are you insulting me in a roundabout way?" Baiyue Dao quickly realized what was going on and said with dissatisfaction.

Then, his eyes darted around, and he pointed to the steel knife at his waist: "Didn't you just say this steel knife was yours? Now I'm giving it back to you, and we're even, how about it?"

As she spoke, she gazed expectantly at Su Chen, her face full of sincerity.

Su Chen gave Baiyue Dao a deep look and nodded slightly: "Alright!"

Upon hearing this, Baiyue Dao's face lit up with joy, and he quickly got up and took the steel knife from his waist.

But just then, a dark shadow appeared in front of him in the blink of an eye, and as soon as he looked up, everything went black.

"You lack martial ethics!"

After leaving behind a single sentence, Baiyue Dao collapsed with a thud.

As the sky began to lighten and the sun rose slowly in the east, casting its first rays of light upon the earth.

In a secluded courtyard, Su Chen, who was resting with his eyes closed, noticed the movement of the Moon Worshiping Thieves and slowly opened his eyes.

Ying Ying Ying.

Baiyue Dao's eyes were closed, his face was kind, as if he was having a sweet dream, and his mouth was making smacking noises.

Suddenly, he was kicked like a stray dog ​​on the roadside; his body jerked and shuddered several times before he abruptly opened his eyes.

"You, you didn't stay up all night watching over me, did you?"

Realizing he was bound hand and foot, Baiyue Dao struggled for a moment before calming down and turning his gaze to Su Chen.

Su Chen didn't speak, but Bai Yuedao was immediately moved: "Waaah, you're so good to me, I'm so touched. I can't help but want to hug you, but could you please untie the ropes for me first?"

Ignoring the talkative Moon Thief, Su Chen got up and stretched. To deal with a chatterbox, you have to wait until he finishes speaking before you speak.

As expected, Baiyue Dao saw that Su Chen had no intention of paying attention to him, and continued to chatter on and on.

In the end, whether from exhaustion or thirst, he finally quieted down.

However, Su Chen still ignored him and turned to leave the courtyard. Upon seeing this, Bai Yue Dao started firing his cannons again.

In less than half an incense stick's time, Su Chen returned with rice porridge and steamed buns, sat in the courtyard, and began to eat by himself.

Upon seeing Su Chen, Bai Yue Dao awkwardly shut up. He had thought Su Chen would leave him a portion, but he ended up eating it all.

Tolerable or unbearable!
"Hey, hey, hey, where's mine?" Baiyue Dao couldn't hold back any longer. After cursing for so long, he was both hungry and thirsty.

Su Chen smiled after hearing this: "Weren't you just scolding me pretty harshly? I don't think you need to eat."

"Brother, don't go, don't go! Let's be frank, what do you want?"

Baiyue Dao knew exactly what Su Chen was thinking, so he took the initiative to ask.

Su Chen smiled slightly, walked up to him, and asked, "What secret manual were you fighting over last night?"

"No way, you don't even know what secret manual we're fighting over, and you've already arrested me? That's going too far..." Bai Yue Dao was dumbfounded, his words flowing like a torrent.

Seeing Su Chen stand up, he quickly changed the subject: "Alright, it won't hurt to tell you."

Su Chen did not respond, but looked at him calmly.

Baiyue Dao seemed like a completely different person, his words extremely brief: "This secret manual is called the 'Pure Yuan Scripture,' and it is a longevity cultivation technique."

Su Chen was still a little unaccustomed to the Moon Worshiping Thief's sudden change in temperament, who explained things clearly in just a few words.

"What is longevity merit?" Su Chen asked thoughtfully.

"You don't even know this..."

Bai Yuedao made a sarcastic remark, but feeling Su Chen's sharp gaze, he quickly replied, "Shou Gong is a technique that increases lifespan."

As soon as he finished speaking, Baiyue Dao suddenly felt a burning gaze fall on him, which vanished in an instant.

He looked around and finally his gaze fell on Su Chen. But seeing that Su Chen seemed to be doing nothing wrong, he thought it was just his imagination and couldn't help but feel admiration.

This is the first man to remain unmoved upon hearing about Shou Gong!

He subconsciously felt a sense of kinship, but he was completely unaware that he had emphasized the word 'man'.

“Write it down from memory, and I’ll let you go.”

It must be said that Su Chen was tempted when he heard about this technique, and he immediately stated his conditions.

Yesterday he had searched the entire Baiyue Thief's territory but had not found this longevity technique, so he guessed that the other party must have memorized it.

"How about you release me first, and then I'll write it down for you from memory?" Upon hearing this, Baiyue Dao subconsciously started negotiating.

Upon hearing this, Su Chen's gaze sharpened, his piercing eyes landing on Bai Yue Dao, making Bai Yue Dao feel uneasy.

"Okay, I'll recite it from memory." Bai Yuedao's expression changed, and after thinking for a while, he nodded.

Su Chen nodded, untied him, and took out the brush, ink, paper, inkstone, and breakfast that he had prepared beforehand.

Baiyue Dao was clearly starving. He wolfed down his rice porridge and steamed buns. Only after he was full did he come to his desk.

The moment he picked up the wolf-hair brush, his aura changed, becoming refined, gentle, and as warm as jade.

He wrote with divine inspiration, as if he had recited it countless times from memory, and soon filled several blank sheets of paper.

"You've finished the dictation."

Half an hour later, Baiyue Dao put down his wolf-hair brush, tidied up all the papers, and handed them to Su Chen.

Su Chen took the paper and looked at the Moon Worshiping Thief with suspicion.

He couldn't help but suspect that the Moon Thief's memorization speed was simply too fast; even copying books wasn't this fast.

At this speed, who knows whether what is written from memory is true or false?

"Can you let me leave now?"

Seeing that Su Chen remained silent, Bai Yue Dao sat down and poured himself a cup of tea.

"and many more."

Su Chen replied casually, then looked down at the content written by Bai Yuedao.

There was a lot of content, over a hundred pages, but Su Chen read it very quickly, even though he could read ten pages at a glance.

As he flipped through the contents, Baiyue Dao was sizing up Su Chen, a hint of curiosity in his eyes.

This guy doesn't seem worried at all that he'll escape; it seems he must have some special means to find him.

Last night's events had already aroused his suspicions, and seeing Su Chen like this now only strengthened his belief that the other party had left something on him, which was why they were able to keep finding him.

"It's really true?!"

After a short while, Su Chen finished reading all the contents. Suddenly, the name of a cultivation technique appeared on the panel, which surprised him greatly.

He hadn't expected that Baiyue Dao would actually write down the real manual without any pretense. "Finished checking?" Noticing Su Chen's unusual behavior, Baiyue Dao stood up and said, "This Longevity Technique is actually exaggerated. Those with long lifespans don't need it, and those at their lifespan limit can't use it. It's far less powerful than the legends say. I only discovered this after I obtained it."

Su Chen didn't answer, but gave Bai Yuedao a deep look before saying, "You can leave now."

"Why don't you leave?"

Su Chen: “???”

After a while, Su Chen left.

According to Baiyuedao, the house was quite nice, and he planned to stay there for a long time, so he rented it.

Su Chen did not refuse, took the money and left. Anyway, he had many other empty rooms like these, which he rented in advance in case of emergency.

Leaving the town, Su Chen headed towards Fengbei City.

……

In the mountains and forests.

Hong Demin and the other two gathered together, all with grim expressions.

"did not find!"

After receiving news that the Dragon Guard had captured the Moon Worshiping Thief, the three rushed over without stopping.

After searching all night, they not only failed to find the Moon Worshiping Thief, but also failed to spot the Dragon Guards.

Physical fatigue is secondary; it's this feeling of being so close that it's unbearable.

If they weren't worried about being discovered by other forces, the three of them would have already turned the surrounding mountains and forests upside down with the Xuan Shui Sect disciples.

With only three people left, facing this vast and desolate wilderness, finding the Moon Worshiping Thief is as difficult as ascending to heaven.

Hong Demin glanced at the sky and sighed softly, "It's getting late, let's go back."

"You guys go back first, I'll look for it one last time." Hong Deqing shook his head, unwilling to give up.

Upon hearing this, Hong Demin did not try to dissuade him, but nodded and said, "Yes, if we find it, we will send a signal in advance."

"Okay!" Hong Deqing nodded and watched the two leave.

This time, he didn't plan to search in the mountains and forests, but instead prepared to search along the roads leading to various cities.

The closest city to him was Fengbei City, and there was a road leading to it not far away. Without hesitation, he turned and left.

There weren't many people on the official road, and Hong Deqing didn't find anyone unusual under his sweeping gaze.

After walking for a while, seeing that he was about to leave the territory of Fengbei City, Hong Deqing stopped and decided to turn back.

"Ok?"

But at that moment, he suddenly saw a figure walking out from the path not far away.

The other person was dressed in black, which immediately caught his attention.

Hong Deqing stared at the man in black for a long time, his eyes filled with a hint of scrutiny.

He didn't speak until the man in black brushed past him and walked away into the distance, then he turned his gaze away.

"Why would someone from the Hong family be here?"

Su Chen only breathed a sigh of relief after that burning gaze disappeared. He had recognized Hong Deqing's identity when they met.

The other party seemed to be looking for someone, and after observing Su Chen for a while, they stopped paying attention.

"Let's hurry back."

Dispelling the random thoughts in his mind, Su Chen quickened his pace.

"stop."

But before he had taken more than a few steps, a figure suddenly appeared in front of him. Upon seeing the person, Su Chen's pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.

Hong Deqing looked Su Chen up and down and asked, "Why are you walking so fast?"

"What do you want to do?" Su Chen took a half step back, his face showing vigilance.

"Are you a villager from nearby?" Hong Deqing didn't answer Su Chen's question, but instead continued to ask.

Su Chen nodded, feigning fear: "You, you don't come any closer, or I'll report you to the authorities."

Hong Deqing narrowed his eyes and asked, "You seem very afraid of me?"

"No, but bandits are rampant these days, who knows if you are..." Su Chen said suspiciously.

Seeing that he couldn't get any information from him, Hong Deqing waved his hand impatiently and said, "Get lost."

Upon hearing this, Su Chen felt a great weight lifted from his shoulders.

But after taking a few more steps, a voice suddenly came from behind: "Wait, I think you have something in your arms, let me see!"

After speaking, Hong Deqing took a step forward, stretched out his palm, and curled his five fingers, trying to grab Su Chen.

"Ok?"

As his hand reached into the air, Hong Deqing's gaze suddenly sharpened. Watching Su Chen's departing figure, a cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

He leaped into the air, covering more than ten meters in the blink of an eye, and quickly caught up with Su Chen.

"How can this old guy be so fast!"

Su Chen glanced at Hong Deqing behind him and his heart sank as the distance between them continued to shrink.

A few breaths later, Hong Deqing came up behind Su Chen, stretched out his arm, and suddenly grabbed Su Chen.

A sudden whistling sound reached his ears, making Su Chen's expression turn serious.

He moved, clenching his fists tightly, his body surging with energy that flowed across the surface of his arms.

With a single punch, crackling sounds filled the air as the immense force transformed into a streak of energy, hurtling towards Hong Deqing.

Upon seeing such a fierce attack, a strange light flashed in Hong Deqing's eyes, but there was no trace of panic on his face.

He trembled his arm slightly, and a strange power rippled outwards, forming a layer of azure armor on his arm.

With a backhand tremor, he not only blocked Su Chen's powerful attack but also deflected it back, causing it to erode into Su Chen's body.

A strange energy surged into his body instantly; although it was only a wisp, it was extremely destructive.

Almost instantly, Su Chen's internal organs suffered varying degrees of damage.

This situation shocked Su Chen. He never expected that he would be completely suppressed by his opponent in just one exchange.

Without time to think, taking advantage of the fact that Hong Deqing hadn't made a move, Su Chen quickly mobilized the energy within his body to suppress the power and temporarily stop its rampage.

However, the internal injuries did not improve.

He took a few steps back and stared at Hong Deqing. The other man seemed surprised that Su Chen had recovered so quickly and chuckled, "It seems you have more than one secret."

Before he finished speaking, Hong Deqing transformed into a blur and rushed towards him.

After the exchange, Su Chen dared not confront him head-on, so he turned and ran away without hesitation.

He knew he couldn't run for long, but this place was too far from other towns. Once Hong Deqing stopped him, he wouldn't be able to escape even if he wanted to.

Therefore, he could only travel as quickly as possible. Once he reached a nearby town, he could blend into the crowd. With his skill in disguise, Hong Deqing would have no way of finding him.

The most urgent task is to delay as much time as possible.

After running for a short while, Su Chen felt a chill run down his spine again. He suddenly turned around and whispered, "Hidden blade in sleeve!"

With a sharp slash, a blade of light rose up, piercing the sky and drawing a dazzling river of blades at the horizon. With an unparalleled and fierce momentum, it slashed down as if splitting the sky in two.

"what?"

The blinding blade light struck Hong Deqing's pupils with the force of thunder, and a look of horror instantly crept into his calm eyes.

call out!
The lightning-fast strike still failed to hit the powerful Hong Deqing, but it bought Su Chen some time, widening the distance between him and Hong Deqing.

Watching Su Chen run away at breakneck speed, Hong Deqing's face was ashen, and he became even more certain that Su Chen was the Moon Worshiping Thief he had been searching for.

With a soft hum, he lightly touched the ground with his toes and disappeared at the end of the road in the blink of an eye.

Su Chen used his fastest speed ever, but still couldn't shake off Hong Deqing.

As the other person drew closer and closer, a look of anxiety crept onto his face.

A hidden knife is effective the first time, but its effectiveness will be greatly reduced the second time, and the other party will not fall for it a second time.

Even so, Su Chen had no other choice at the moment, and he gripped the goose feather knife tightly.

He would occasionally glance back at Hong Deqing, who was getting closer, waiting for the opportunity to use his sword-drawing technique once again.

call out!
"Ok?"

Just as Su Chen was about to make his move, Hong Deqing suddenly stopped. Following his gaze, a burst of fireworks shot into the sky and exploded not far away.

"It's Demin and his group!"

Upon seeing the signal, Hong Deqing's expression changed slightly, and he quickly realized that he had chased the wrong person.

With a cold snort, he turned and left without saying another word, leaving Su Chen slightly bewildered.

Watching Hong Deqing's disappearing figure, Su Chen secretly breathed a sigh of relief and immediately headed towards Fengbei City without hesitation.

(End of this chapter)