The Villain's Counterattack

"You do know." The gray-robed man stared intently at the sweeping monk. The latter looked up at the sky, a hint of nostalgia playing on the corner of his mouth as he sighed and said, "I've always known. She never hid it from me from the beginning. Free and easy, free and easy, who in the world can be so free and easy?"

"Xiaoyaozi, the founder of the Xiaoyao Sect, was the ruler of a fallen nation. He dedicated his life to restoring his kingdom, but never enjoyed freedom. Upon reaching adulthood, he began practicing martial arts, sacrificing countless skills to achieve such prowess that they would shock the heavens and earth. He toiled for half his life, ultimately achieving nothing and dying in depression. Even his own daughter refused to forgive him before his death. His end was truly tragic."

"The second-generation leader, Wuyazi, is handsome and highly gifted. True to his title, he possesses a life full of boundless wisdom, and his knowledge is boundless. His endless thirst for knowledge and desire to study know no bounds. Even more remarkable is his mastery of all things. Your father, though renowned for his skill and knowledge, is only truly knowledgeable in martial arts. Compared to Wuyazi, he is a drop in the ocean."

The Sweeping Monk spoke eloquently, presenting to everyone an almost perfect image of a man of great talent, elegant demeanor, and handsome face. Everyone was especially shocked when they heard that he had collected almost all the representative martial arts of various sects.

"But even geniuses have their weaknesses. He didn't understand human nature, or rather, he wasn't willing or willing to devote his energy to studying it. Ultimately, because he neglected his beloved wife, he brought disaster upon himself. He was ambushed by his own disciples and fell off a cliff." The Sweeping Monk shook his head gently. "Now that I think about it, he must have been lucky to survive. Seeing that he hasn't appeared since then, it's clear that even if he didn't die, he was only half dead. He's not Xiaoyaozi, and he doesn't have the ability to ride the wind freely. Even Xiaoyaozi never truly rode the wind freely."

Hearing the words "Xiaoyao Yufeng", the man in gray was obviously shocked, but the others were paying attention to the martial arts collected by Wuyazi.

The gray-clothed man interjected, "Senior Wuyazi was knocked off a cliff by the second disciple and rescued by the eldest disciple. He was severely injured and paralyzed on one side of his body. He had no choice but to live in seclusion in the mountains. For thirty years, he never stopped studying martial arts, determined to create the best martial arts in the world, until I found him."

The Sweeping Monk looked at him deeply, then suddenly realized, "So that's how it is. From birth to death, and from death to birth, thirty years of silence and thirty years of accumulation, Xiaoyao Sect's martial arts as a container, and the world's martial arts as firewood, thus achieving a breakthrough and becoming a Grandmaster in one fell swoop. The Xiaoyao Sect possesses countless books of knowledge, and his eldest disciple is also a versatile person who resembles the master. If his grandson can earn the nickname of the best doctor in the world, how much more so his own disciple."

"So, you used the One Finger Zen to heal his thirty-year-old injury, but the One Finger Zen takes a huge toll on one's own body when used to treat illnesses and save lives. You took the opportunity to use up all your internal energy, and then turned to practice Xiaoyao Sect's martial arts, breaking through the barriers and reaching where you are today. You and Wuyazi have achieved mutual success, how wonderful, how wonderful!" The Sweeping Monk's words made everyone turn their attention to the Duan family father and son. Duan Zhengchun was shocked, and at this moment he finally understood who the man in gray was.

"So that's how it is. Six Meridians Divine Sword and One Yang Finger—aside from the Tianlong Temple, you're the only one who possesses these two martial arts. No wonder, no wonder~" Duan Zhengchun's voice gradually rose from low to excited. Suddenly, he remembered what he had said before: the Gusu Murong clan, descendants of the royal family of the Great Yan Kingdom of the Xianbei Dynasty, had now occupied Goryeo, swallowed up the Liao Kingdom, and marched their army into the Song Dynasty, unstoppable. This man was the head of the Gusu Murong clan, and also his son-in-law. Surely...

The Sweeping Monk had talked about the "martial arts obstacles" and "knowledge obstacles" before, which were difficult for ordinary people to overcome. When he suddenly heard that in addition to the Sweeping Monk himself, there were two other people who had broken through, he couldn't help but be shocked. But when he thought about how this person had fought against heroes all over the world and remained undefeated, he felt relieved.

"Breaking through the barriers of knowledge and understanding is by no means easy, and the prerequisite for breaking through is the appearance of the barriers of knowledge and understanding. Constructing the barriers of knowledge and understanding requires extremely profound knowledge. Otherwise, the so-called breaking through is nothing more than the moon in the mirror and the flower in the water, which cannot form the foundation for breaking through the realm, and it is impossible to break through to the Grandmaster realm." The Sweeping Monk couldn't help but explain when he saw everyone eager to try.

"There are only a handful of people in the world with such a strong foundation. However, it must be said that although Xiaoyaozi failed, he left behind several remarkable disciples. His eldest disciple, the Palace Master of Lingjiu Palace, Tianshan Tonglao, is trapped in Tianshan. Although his martial arts cultivation is not as good as that of his second disciple Wuyazi, he is still considered the best of the best. The Xiaoyao Sect's martial arts are second only to the late Xiaoyaozi. If anyone could break through the barrier of seeing, I would think this person is the last one who could."

"Xiaoyaozi's eldest daughter is also very talented. She has also learned a lot from Wuyazi. Her martial arts skills are extremely high and few in the world can match her. However, her mind is unstable. Since joining Xixia and becoming a concubine, she has become even more immersed in the trivialities of the world. Her desire for martial arts has gradually faded. What a pity, what a pity~"

The Sweeping Monk continued, "Xiaoyaozi planned to conquer the world, but ultimately failed. He was originally a brilliant scholar, unrivaled in poetry and painting. However, despite becoming emperor, he was not proficient in government affairs. After his country was destroyed and his family was ruined, he devoted himself to restoring his country, but how could he succeed? His plans for the world were met with setbacks at every turn, and he ultimately died in depression."

"Before his death, he sent his eldest daughter to the Xixia Imperial Palace to become an imperial concubine, and married his youngest daughter to the Gusu Murong clan, hoping that they could work together to overthrow the Song Dynasty. Even if restoration was impossible, he could still avenge his father's grievances. However, his eldest daughter had a bad heart and had long since forgotten the hatred of her family and country. Although his youngest daughter had a good heart, she was like her father, indecisive, kind, and innocent. Ultimately, she died of depression after her husband's death."

"Free and unrestrained, free and unrestrained, how many people can finally achieve that?!" The sweeping monk sighed. The gray-robed man looked at him strangely and asked, "Old man, is this considered revealing your identity?"

The sweeping monk looked at the man in gray and said calmly, "Do you think I'm the king of the fallen country, Xiaoyaozi?"

"No!" the gray-clothed man said firmly, "I thought you were the husband of Senior Xiaoyaozi's youngest daughter, the head of the Murong family who passed away over forty years ago!"

"The Murong family is descended from the royal family of the Xianbei people of the Great Yan State. Their mission is to restore the Great Yan State, and their ancestors have dedicated their lives to this end. However, the Xianbei people valued martial arts, and the Murong family's ancestral teachings urge their descendants to diligently study and practice. As the traditions have been passed down from generation to generation, the Murong family's martial arts heritage has become increasingly rich. It wasn't until Xiaoyaozi's youngest daughter married into the Murong family that she injected a powerful force into the family, leading to the current generation of family members' martial arts advancing by leaps and bounds, their realm constantly rising, and thus encountering an extremely dangerous martial arts obstacle."

The gray-robed man gave him a deep look and said, "Martial arts obstacles are extremely dangerous, but also extremely difficult to overcome. It took countless difficulties to overcome them. You went astray in your practice and fell into a state of suspended animation, but were saved by a Shaolin sutra guardian of the previous generation. From then on, you lived in seclusion in Shaolin, and with the help of the countless Buddhist heritage in the Sutra Library, you overcame the martial arts obstacles and eventually became a great master."

"But you owe your success to Buddhist texts, and your failure to them. When you achieved your goal, you discovered your wife had passed away, and your son began the arduous journey of restoring his kingdom. You witnessed the decline of the Xiaoyao Sect, trapped in the shackles of Buddhism, unable to extricate yourself, slowly withdrawing into a solid shell." The gray-robed man's voice was full of temptation: "Common people are like dust, and so are emperors. If Great Yan is not restored, it is empty, and if it is restored, it is also empty."

The Sweeping Monk's eyes went hazy for a moment, and just at that moment the man in gray shouted, "When you're at the end of your rope, you'll always find a way out. There's no such thing as an insurmountable obstacle in this world. As long as you firmly believe in your ability to succeed and work tirelessly, there's hope for success. The moon in the mirror and the flowers in the water are only superficial. The moon is always there, and so are the flowers. If you don't wake up now, when will you?"

Everyone shuddered and suddenly realized that they had been confused by the words of the gray-clothed man and almost fell into a maze. The sweeping monk's eyes suddenly shot out two sharp rays of light, and he exhaled a breath of foul air. The foul air turned into a three-foot-long air sword and flew out more than ten feet before dissipating.

"Over forty years have passed like a dream. I've forgotten the past, dimmed the affections of family, abandoned my ambitions, and cooled my passion." The Sweeping Monk looked up into the distance and said quietly, "Looking back, everything has changed."

The gray-robed man pulled the veil off his face, knelt on the ground, and said respectfully, "Congratulations, Grandpa, on regaining your lucidity. Your grandson, Murong Fu, respectfully invites you to come out of seclusion, reorganize Buddhism, and become the first president of the Great Yan State Buddhist Academy!"

The Sweeping Monk looked at him deeply, remained silent for a long time, and finally sighed and said, "My child, martial arts begins with the body and ends with the spirit. Breaking through the obstacles to martial arts is of vital importance. Once you take this step, there will be no regrets. If you waver from one thing to another, you will destroy your foundation. Grandpa, there is no turning back."

The gray-clothed man, Murong Fu, laughed heartily and said, "All martial arts problems, aside from innate physical limitations, stem from insufficient realm. If one's realm is strong enough, martial arts become a tool for self-control. Otherwise, martial arts become a puppet controlled by one's own power. Ordinary martial artists may not understand this, but if one cannot comprehend the Grandmaster realm, one cannot break through it. Only a Grandmaster can see through it and control it step by step. Grandpa has gone astray."

"Grandson doesn't want grandpa to abandon Buddhism, but to believe in Buddhism, practice Buddhism, and become a Buddha!" ​​Murong Fu's words made everyone present tremble.

“Become a Buddha?!!!”

"Believe in Buddhism, cultivate Buddhism, and become a Buddha?" the sweeping monk muttered to himself. After a moment, his aura continued to rise, and his eyes shone with a compelling light as he stared at Murong Fu. Murong Fu slapped his forehead helplessly and sighed, "Sure enough, in the end, everything in this world comes down to who has the better martial arts skills and the stronger fists."