Swords emerge from Mount Hua, sweeping across the heavens from the world of Swordsman.

"Master's words are too exaggerated."

“That’s no exaggeration at all!” Dingyi glared at her: “Your Uncle Yue saved you, so you should naturally keep that kindness in your heart.”

However, as a senior and highly respected figure, he won't ask for anything in return, so don't overthink it.

"If you truly wish to repay someone, I will find a way to do so. You just need to focus on reciting scriptures and practicing your skills."

"Oh!" Yilin responded sullenly, not quite understanding what her master meant, but she couldn't help but glance in Yue Zhuoqun's direction.

The scene of Zhuo Qun, the master of Hengshan Zhongyue, descending from the sky to save her from the jaws of death left an indelible impression on her.

"Don't look around, your Uncle Yue will think you're impolite!" Ding Yi, who had a headache, could only use such words to scare her.

Yi Lin shrank back and turned her gaze back to the battle in the arena, no longer daring to steal glances at Yue Zhuoqun.

The battle on the field had reached a point where the outcome was about to be decided, or more accurately, the point where Ning Zhongze was preparing to end the battle.

She spread her arms, and the spiraling energy split into two streams, one enveloping Xushan Daoist's palm and the other enveloping Mu Gaofeng's wooden staff.

She pulled her hands together, instantly redirecting the two attacks aimed at her.

Xushan Daoist's Yin-Yang Grinding Palm struck Mu Gaofeng's hunchback, while Mu Gaofeng's wooden staff smashed into Xushan Daoist's shoulder.

Bang!

puff~

Xushan Daoist's left shoulder was smashed to pieces, and his body was thrown seven or eight meters away before crashing heavily to the ground.

The high, hunched back of the wooden peak was broken, and foul-smelling liquid splattered everywhere.

"You die!"

Mu Gaofeng roared and used his internal force to spray the liquid at Ning Zhongze.

It turns out that there was a hidden secret behind his hunchback: a poison sac filled with highly toxic liquid was concealed under his clothes.

The poison sac was accidentally ruptured by Taoist Xushan, who then used the opportunity to spray the venom at Ning Zhongze.

A look of disgust flashed in Ning Zhongze's eyes. Before the venom could reach her, she activated the "Shifting Flowers and Jade" technique again, forcibly condensing the venom into a ball in mid-air.

puff~

With a flick of his hand, the venomous spores flew back and landed squarely on Mu Gaofeng's face.

"Ah~"

Mu Gaofeng screamed and frantically wiped his face with his hands, tearing off rotten flesh, a horrifying sight.

"The...the antidote!"

He reached into his pocket, pulled out a bottle, and was about to tilt his head back and drink it.

Ning Zhongze was not about to let him succeed, and she raised her hand and struck out with a palm strike out of thin air.

Bang!

Mu Gaofeng's chest collapsed, and he fell straight to the ground, dying instantly.

Chapter 41 Proclaiming the Imperial Edict and Secret Orders

Seeing Mu Gaofeng fall to the ground and die tragically, Ning Zhongze took a few steps back in disgust, fearing that the venom would get on her.

The people in the hall weren't so concerned; they were more astonished by her technique.

That palm strike from afar actually killed Mu Gaofeng on the spot; this immense skill was already beyond that of most of them.

I used to hear the saying "Unrivaled, unmatched, Ning's sword," but today I learned that Ning Zhongze's fist and palm skills were equally unfathomable.

He couldn't help but glance at the Huashan Sect's camp, secretly wondering just how high Yue Zhuoqun's martial arts skills must be.

There are also Feng Buping, Cheng Buyou, and Cong Buqi, who are also well-known figures in the martial arts world for many years.

The Huashan Sect has remained silent for ten years, but when it does speak out, it is astonishing!

Ning Zhongze then slowly walked towards Xushan Daoist.

He was struck by Mu Gaofeng's cane, which shattered his left shoulder bone, but his life was not in danger.

He was completely terrified by Ning Zhongze's martial arts skills. Seeing her approaching, he instinctively shrank back and cried out in panic:

"Brother Liu, I'm here to witness your retirement from the martial arts world. You can't let her kill me."

Liu Zhengfeng frowned, feeling annoyed.

What a load of crap, he's clearly here to seek revenge on Senior Brother Yue.

Now that his life is in danger, he suddenly thinks of himself?

“Brother Xushan, if you are truly here to attend the ceremony, I, Liu, will naturally speak up for you.”

But you've openly stated your intention to seek revenge against the Huashan Sect, which turns this into a feud between your two families, and I really can't interfere!

"I'm not going to seek revenge anymore. I'm not going to take this revenge. Please help me persuade Lady Ning." Master Xushan shook his intact arm frantically.

Ning Zhongze caused him such a huge loss, how dare he continue to clamor for revenge!

"Heh, now you say you won't seek revenge, but who knows if you'll go back on your word later."

Upon hearing this, Abbess Dingyi scoffed, "If you can even befriend a shameless person like Mu Gaofeng, I'm afraid your own reputation isn't very high either."

Not only Ning Zhongze, but she also didn't have a good impression of this old Taoist priest, since he had made up stories about her beloved disciple.

"I...I promise I will never cause trouble for the Huashan Sect again."

“Verbal guarantees aren’t very convincing. I think it would be better to pass on your Kongtong Sect martial arts to Senior Brother Yue. That would be more persuasive.”

Yu Canghai couldn't help but chime in.

Having gotten caught in the rain myself, I also wanted to tear off someone else's umbrella.

Unfortunately, his suggestion was not accepted by the people present, since most of them were honest people.

Each school and sect regards its own martial arts as its lifeblood. To seize another's treasured martial arts is no less than killing someone's parents or stealing someone's wife, and is a great taboo in the martial arts world.

The head of the Taishan Sect, Daoist Tianmen, thought for a moment and said:

“Junior Brother Yue, how about this? We will all be witnesses and spare Daoist Xushan’s life.”

If he ever disobeys us, the Five Mountains Sword Sect will unite to punish him.

May I ask?

Yue Zhuoqun thought for a moment and nodded: "Since Senior Brother Tianmen has said so, I will give face to my fellow martial arts practitioners."

"Junior sister, please spare his life for now!"

Xushan Daoist was nothing more than a clown, and the Huashan Sect had already achieved its goal of establishing its authority, so they couldn't be bothered to care too much.

"Hmph! You're lucky!" Ning Zhongze glared at Xushan Daoist before turning around and sitting down next to Yue Zhuoqun.

"Someone, take Sect Leader Xushan away for bandaging."

Seeing this, Liu Zhengfeng waved to his disciples, then cupped his hands and smiled:

"Fellow practitioners, I have prepared guest rooms. You can all have a good rest for the night."

The "Golden Basin Handwashing Ceremony" will officially begin tomorrow at noon. All are cordially invited to attend.

……

The next day, the gates of the Liu residence opened early, and a steady stream of martial arts guests poured in.

There are countless prominent figures among them, such as Zhang Jin'ao, the vice leader of the Beggars' Sect; Xia Laoquan, the master of the Six Harmonies Sect; He Sanqi of Yandang Mountain; and Pan Hou, the leader of the Sea Sand Gang.

If you include those who came to join the fun without receiving an invitation, the number would be as high as six or seven hundred.

This can definitely be considered a grand gathering of martial arts practitioners.

Some of these江湖客 (jianghu ke, people from all walks of life) knew each other, while others had only heard of their reputations but had never met them. Now, they gathered together, introducing and greeting each other, and the room became noisy.

When Yue Zhuoqun, Abbess Dingyi, and Taoist Tianmen arrived, they couldn't help but frown.

There were some people they really looked down on.

Among them are many like Mu Gaofeng, who have a great reputation but whose actions are not in accordance with chivalry and justice, and are therefore unreliable and shady characters.

Fortunately, Liu Zhengfeng knew the importance of the matter and divided the guests into two groups, one inside and one outside.

Those from prestigious and respectable families went directly into the inner area and took their seats, which made things much quieter.

At noon, firecrackers exploded outside the gate, accompanied by the loud sounds of gongs and other musical instruments.

The wandering martial artists who had been chatting and gossiping then stopped talking and found seats to sit down.

Immediately afterwards, Liu Zhengfeng, dressed in a brand-new long robe, strode out of the main hall. Everyone thought he was going to give a speech announcing his retirement, but instead he walked quickly toward the door, his face filled with excitement.

"Strange, aren't all the prominent figures in the martial arts world already here? Who is he going to greet?"

"Could it be Zuo Lengchan of the Songshan Sect?"

"They could also be heroes from Shaolin or Wudang!"

People whispered among themselves, speculating.

To everyone's astonishment, a grand eunuch dressed in a red python robe walked in through the gate, followed by a group of Eastern Depot agents carrying swords.