The Villain's Counterattack

The Songshan Shaolin Martial Arts Conference came suddenly and left quickly, but the impact it brought was absolutely huge, not only to the Central Plains martial arts world, but also to the neighboring countries.

The powerful Liao Dynasty was gone, and the Murong family, which had always been loyal to the Song Dynasty and had made many achievements, turned into rebels. They occupied Goryeo, swallowed up the Liao Dynasty, invaded the Central Plains, and even built a plank road in the open to secretly cross Chencang and occupied Taihu Lake in one fell swoop. A total of four armies swept in from the north and east lines and headed straight for the Song Dynasty capital Bianliang.

However, this time the Central Plains martial arts world did not completely stand on the side of the Song Dynasty. The Beggars' Sect had been acting a bit strange from the beginning, and they were not seen actively running around at all. Now they left silently, and quite a few of them even appeared in the vanguard of the Great Yan Kingdom, accompanying the King of the Southern Court, Xiao Feng.

Shaolin did not announce the closure of the mountain, nor did it organize the Central Plains martial arts heroes to rise up in resistance. Instead, it organized a group of eminent monks to rush to the Great Yan Kingdom (formerly the Liao Kingdom). The leader was the keeper of the Sutra Repository, who was unknown to few people inside Shaolin. The entourage included the new generation of sutra keepers Xiao Yuanshan, the abbot of Shaolin Xuanci, the abbot of Qingliang Temple in Wutai Mountain, Master Shenshan, Master Shenyin, Master Guanxin of Daxiangguo Temple in Kaifeng Prefecture, Master Daoqing of Pudu Temple in Jiangnan, Master Juexian of Donglin Temple in Lushan, Master Rongzhi of Jingying Temple in Chang'an, Tianzhu Zheluoxing and Poloxing.

The man in grey showed up that day and revealed his identity as Murong Bo, the former head of the Murong family. His martial arts skills reached the pinnacle and he defeated all the heroes in the martial arts world. Four top masters, many first-class and super first-class masters were no match for him and even lost to him.

Who would have thought that he actually brought Xiao Yuanshan to the Shaolin Scripture Pavilion and revealed the identity of Shaolin's strongest man, a grandmaster-level strongman, and the mysterious keeper of the Shaolin Scripture Pavilion.

What is even more unbelievable is that this man who guards the scriptures is actually the ancestor of the Murong family, Murong Fu's grandfather, an old master who was reported to have died more than 40 years ago. From this master's mouth, many first-class, super-first-class and even top masters heard several crucial words: Grand Master, Martial Arts Disorder and Xiaoyao Sect.

There are three known grand masters in the world. Two of them are from the Murong family, and one is the leader of the secluded sect Xiaoyao Sect. He is also a relative of the Murong family and even lives in seclusion in Chanhe Villa.

The Eight Friends of Hangu are the fourth generation of the Xiaoyao Sect. Not only are they all top-notch, but each of them has unique skills. They are also well-known in the Central Plains martial arts world. Even the Shaolin monks may respect them a little, but it is shocking that such people are at the bottom of the Xiaoyao Sect in terms of status and ability.

After listening to the Sutra Keeper's talk, everyone gained many new insights into realms and martial arts. When they were enjoying the talk, Murong Fu's thundering Taoist words awakened the Sutra Keeper, allowing him to temporarily break free from the constraints of Buddhism and Buddhist martial arts and recognize himself.

However, he had cultivated Buddhism for over forty years, and through this, he had achieved the Grandmaster's level. Breaking free from these shackles was no easy feat. If he continued to master them step by step, even into old age, he might not be able to achieve it. He truly needed some external force to break the shackles, even if it was just a crack. Afterward, Murong Fu and the Sutra Keeper engaged in a fierce battle that stunned countless people. The mere aftermath of the battle injured Jiumozhi, who had attempted to approach, and he fled in dismay before the battle was over.

Needless to say, the martial arts of the man guarding the scriptures are amazing. As a grandmaster in his eighties, his foundation is absolutely amazing. He also possesses the strengths of both Murong and Shaolin schools. He can use all seventy-two unique skills at will, and he can move the stars and fight to perfection. From the very beginning, he suppressed Murong Fu.

Murong Fu was no ordinary man either. He used the three-in-one skills of Dou Zhuan Xing Yi, Qian Kun Da Nong Shift and Tai Chi to withstand the offensive of the Sutra Guardian for three hundred rounds. Under the strong pressure, he refused to give up and upgraded this new magic skill to the master level. Then he changed his style and took the Lingbo Weibu step to display his strongest martial arts: Xiaoyao Yufeng.

Xiaoyao Yufeng combines the characteristics of Beiming Magical Art, Xiaowuxiang Art, and Liuhe Bahuang Weiwozun Art, and has auxiliary martial arts Tianshan Liuyang Palm, Tianshan Zhemei Hand, and Lingbo Weibu. Especially Tianshan Zhemei Hand integrates all the martial arts in the world into one, which is absolutely amazing for Murong Fu's improvement. He can gradually make up for the disadvantage and even firmly gain the upper hand.

After temporarily losing his martial arts skills while helping Wuyazi recover, Murong Fu's realm was broken, and he made rapid progress until he received the Xiaoyao Yufeng technique from Lingjiu Palace, and naturally entered the Grandmaster realm. However, he was not satisfied with this. He turned back and integrated his learning from a high-level perspective, temporarily abandoning all Buddhist martial arts and focusing on Taoism.

He integrated the family tradition of Dou Zhuan Xing Yi and Ming Cult's Qian Kun Da Neng Yi into Tai Chi magic and created his own Tai Chi Rotating Kung Fu, which was a half-step grandmaster level martial art. However, Murong Fu knew very well that the original realm of Tai Chi magic was very high, but he just didn't understand it enough. This newly created Tai Chi Rotating Kung Fu was his own.

Because it's centered around the Tai Chi Divine Art, this Tai Chi Rotating Art has a very high ceiling, but few people around him can help him. Wuyazi could help him elevate Xiaoyao Yufeng to Grandmaster level, but he wasn't much help with Tai Chi Rotating Art; it wasn't his path. His mother had practiced Tai Chi Divine Art, but her own martial arts level was only at the Grandmaster level, and even among the top masters, she had never reached the pinnacle, so her help to him was limited.

So the old man Sweeping Monk became his greatest helper. His martial arts skills had also reached the pinnacle. As a grandmaster, he was proficient in the 72 Shaolin unique skills, as well as all the martial arts of the Murong family. The same was true for the Star Shift. Experiencing the Star Shift performed by the grandmaster again and again, the help he gave to Murong Fu was unimaginable to others.

Under tremendous pressure, his Tai Chi Rotating Skill broke through to the Grandmaster realm in one fell swoop. After his realm stabilized, he switched to Free and Easy Wind Control, making it clear that he wanted to use this Shaolin Sutra Guardian as a whetstone. The Sweeping Monk was also very happy to be this whetstone for his grandson, and in the end, his defeat made him exceptionally sharp.

Murong Fu won, and his spirit and energy reached a new peak, while the defeat brought a crack in the shackles of martial arts to the Sweeping Monk, causing him some short-term damage, but he saw the possibility of further progress, which was a win-win situation.

However, the Shaolin monks felt somewhat uncomfortable. In their hearts, they actually hoped that the Sweeping Monk could win. If so, Shaolin would not need to make any changes. With an undefeated grandmaster in charge, they could protect themselves even if the Great Yan Kingdom destroyed the Great Song Dynasty.

However, the Sweeping Monk was defeated in the end, so they had to make changes. Under the leadership of the Sweeping Monk, they took the initiative to go to Shangjing, the capital of Dayan State, and strive to occupy a dominant position in the turbulent waves brought about by Buddhism. The Buddhist monks who came to worship the mountain before also had the same idea.

When they saw the Beggars' Sect quietly moving closer to Xiao Feng, they knew that the future of the Song Dynasty was worrying. The two largest forces in the Central Plains martial arts world had both leaned towards the emerging Great Yan Kingdom, and were defeated by it on the northern front. The defense strategy of the previous years had failed, and the enemy had occupied Zhoushan and Taihu Lake from the sea, and was attacking from both sides and heading straight for Bianliang.

They saw no hope for a reversal of fortune for the Song Dynasty. After all, the Song Dynasty had suppressed military officials for too long, leaving only a limited number of capable generals in the court. It was also unclear whether these capable generals would choose the Song emperor over Murong Fu. Murong Fu also had a very good relationship with the four great generals of the Song Dynasty, and his support for the border troops over the years hadn't been in vain.

The heroes of the martial arts world are not all fools. Real fools would not go this far. The attitudes of Shaolin and Beggars' Sect forced them to think more. If they are not careful, their families will be wiped out when they return home. In addition to the attitudes of the two major forces, Shaolin and Beggars' Sect, this situation was also caused by the siege of the Murong family by the wealthy families of the Song Dynasty.

Even the Murong family, a huge martial arts force, was suppressed by the literati and became a terrible state. How could they be fine living under the rule of that group of literati?

Compared with those wealthy families, their cooperation with the Murong family was easier and more enjoyable.

If there was one person in Shaolin who was most pleased with this situation, it was the troubled Abbot Xuanci. Far from accepting punishment and sacrificing his life to preserve Shaolin's reputation, he even held on to his position as abbot. The Sweeping Monk's support silenced the others. After all, as they had said, at this turbulent time, any Buddhist supporter couldn't be easily jeopardized, let alone the abbot of Shaolin, a leading Buddhist sect.

Looking at the entire Shaolin, the most capable person is actually Abbot Xuanci, and none of the Shaolin monks can refute this. Moreover, Xuzhu was appointed as a Buddhist disciple by the Sweeping Monk because he had mastered the Yi Jin Jing. Not only the Shaolin monks, but also the abbot of Qingliang Temple in Wutai Mountain, Master Shenshan, Master Shenyin, Master Guanxin of Daxiangguo Temple in Kaifeng Prefecture, Master Daoqing of Pudu Temple in Jiangnan, Master Juexian of Donglin Temple in Lushan, and Master Rongzhi of Jingying Temple in Chang'an have no reason to refute this.

With the establishment of Buddhism and the flourishing of Buddhist teachings, there must be protectors. The newly revealed Xiaoyao Sect has many powerful Grandmasters and Grandmasters, and judging by the situation, they are definitely going to come out. The conflict between Buddhism and Taoism is no empty talk. The Xiaoyao Sect has provided great assistance to the Murong family and the Great Yan Kingdom, and the rewards will definitely be great. If they are not united, no one can stand up and shoulder the responsibility, and the decline of Buddhism will be inevitable, even if the old man of the Murong family is the guardian of the Shaolin Sutra Library.

If you don't work hard and are not united, how can you stand up?

The Sweeping Monk promised that if Buddhism was established, he would resign from his position as the keeper of the Shaolin Sutra Library and become the keeper of the Buddhist scriptures. The 72 Shaolin unique skills would be included in the Sutra Library of the Buddhist Academy, and all members recognized by the Buddhist Academy could apply to see them based on their contributions.

This immediately touched many people, especially Master Shenshan, a monk who was very ambitious for fame and fortune, and he began to think about becoming the dean of the Buddhist Academy.

Given the strength of the Great Yan State and the abilities of Benefactor Murong Fu, how far could the future of the Great Yan State sweeping across the lands of heaven and earth be? By then, the splendor of the Great Yan State's Buddhist Academy would be unstoppable, impacting not only the Great Song, Western Xia, Dali, and Tubo, but even the Buddhist sects of India and India. This once-in-a-millennium opportunity was one that he absolutely could not miss.

He had lost the battle for the Shaolin abbot position with the bald old man Xuanci, but this time, he would not lose again! The Venerable Shenshan very consciously proposed that the Qingliang Temple on Mount Wutai be incorporated into the Buddhist Academy, offering all the scriptures without reservation. This attracted everyone's attention and made his ambitions more clear.

The young monk Xuzhu was undoubtedly happy. He found his father and mother and became a Buddhist. His mother was by his side during the day (Ye Erniang found a sweeping monk and was enlightened by him to become a female lay Buddhist, serving Buddhists full-time). At night, he accompanied his father in chanting scriptures, and his ugly face was full of smiles.