The Villain's Counterattack

Chao Gong was defeated in a confused and extremely miserable way.

Dugu Feng said that he had nine swords, nine swords that belonged to him, but he had only completed five of them. However, it was these five swords that caused Chao Gongcuo to be seriously injured and dying.

Chao Gongcuo's defeat was very unfair. Dugu Feng's first sword had a huge flaw, which was that it took a very long time to build up strength. It was a fatal skill that could only be used under specific circumstances. It was also her most powerful sword. It can be said that after this sword, if Chao Gongcuo was unharmed, Dugu Feng could only admit defeat.

But this sword, although seemingly slow, is actually as powerful as a landslide and the earth splitting, and it is unstoppable. Once it is launched, the opponent will basically have no choice but to fight hard if he does not escape in advance. And from this sword, not to mention Chao Gongcuo, even Ning Daoqi, Yijian Master Fu Cailin, and Wu Zun Bi Xuan would not be able to remain unscathed.

This sword not only condensed all of Dugu Feng's energy and spirit, but also the momentum she had accumulated from defeating hundreds of young masters in the past month. It was a complete grandmaster-level attack that directly severely injured Chao Gongcuo.

Afterwards, Dugu Feng used his half-remaining strength to perform four skillful sword moves, beating the seriously injured Chao Gongcuo half to death.

In the end, if Mei Xun had not taken the initiative to leave when he saw the situation was not good, Chao Gongcuo might have been beaten to death by Dugu Feng. Even so, the severity of Chao Gongcuo's injuries was still shocking, and at the same time, people had a new understanding of the strength of the eldest daughter of the Dugu family.

Although they all saw through Dugu Feng's strategy, the successful person should not be blamed. On the contrary, it was precisely because Dugu Feng defeated the veteran master Chao Gongcuo that not only the Prince's Palace, the Tiance Palace, and the King of Qi, but also the Tang Emperor Li Yuan praised her highly. That night, an imperial edict was delivered, and the minister who delivered the edict secretly conveyed Li Yuan's meaning: Please ask Dugu Feng to take action to stop the Buddha's summons.

Of course, as the emperor, Li Yuan naturally could not express it so directly. He just asked a few questions through the minister who delivered the imperial edict.

How strong is Dugu Feng now, and how far is he from becoming a grandmaster?

She is unrivaled among the younger generation, so what’s next?

What does she still lack in order to become a Grand Master?

If she could seize all the momentum that Yin Zhao Fozi has accumulated over the past month, how confident would she be in becoming a Grand Master?

The minister who delivered the imperial edict took the opportunity to reveal a little about Chao Gongcuo's original plan, and praised Dugu Feng a few words, praising her for her youth and potential. At the age of less than 30, she defeated Chao Gongcuo, the immortal of the South China Sea who had been famous for sixty years and was almost invincible as a grandmaster of martial arts.

But is Dugu Feng so easily bewitched?

If it were the Dugu Feng from the original novel, there might be a 30% chance, but as a disciple of Xiaoyaozi (Yang Xuyan), she'd witnessed far more Grandmasters than Li Tang had ever known. Not to mention the Sword Master Fu Cailin, the Wanderer Ning Daoqi, the Duke of Chu Yang Xuangan, the Evil King Shi Zhixuan, the Queen of Yin Zhu Yuyan, the Medicine King Miaoying Zhenren, the world's foremost craftsman Lu Miaozi, and the great Confucian Wang Tong. Above them all, there was also Nun Luchen and the enigmatic Master Xiaoyaozi.

Invincible under the Grand Master?

Let alone Grandmaster strength, even if Master suppressed his strength to that of a Senior Grandmaster, or even a novice Grandmaster, he would still be able to beat him miserably. He wouldn't give me the opportunity to smoothly display his unique skills. Master has mastered everything he knows, crushing him in all aspects: strength, Qi, skills, spirit, and realm.

The minister who delivered the imperial edict praised him as the number one person under the Grand Master. Was Dugu Feng happy?

She was not sentimental at all, because she knew clearly that there were two people who had not yet been promoted to Grandmaster but could easily suppress her. They were her master's wife Shi Qingxuan and the Demon Sect's Saint Maiden Kankan, who might also be her second master's wife.

Shi Qingxuan's identity is almost an open secret to the top leaders of Liaodong, and the relationship between Kankan and the Duke of Liao is mostly known to those who are close to Yang Xuyan, especially his three female disciples.

Yang Xuyan's original intention was to let them give up. After all, both Shi Qingxuan and Kankan were the most beautiful among the most beautiful. Not to mention their extraordinary talents, their martial arts skills were even at the level of a half-step grandmaster. They could be promoted to a grandmaster at any time, which made the two female disciples other than Dugu Feng despair.

Shan Wanjing and Shang Xiuxun both have good backgrounds. One of their mothers is Madam Dongming and the other has a father named Lu Miaozi. However, they are still far behind Shi Qingxuan and Kankan.

The two girls were quite diligent in their training, but now they were only at the beginning of the Grandmaster stage. Their fighting power could barely be compared with the bottom-ranked Senior Grandmaster, let alone the Half-Step Grandmaster. Even the slightly stronger Senior Grandmaster was stronger than them.

It is precisely because of the existence of Shi Qingxuan and Kankan that Dugu Feng can better understand himself. He said very directly that if there is a fair fight, he is very likely not a match for Yin Zhao Buddhist. In order to defend himself and the achievements of Buddhism and ensure that he can become a grandmaster, he will certainly not be as careless as Chao Gongcuo.

Challenging Yin Zhao's disciples was too risky. If he failed, his own momentum would be cut short. Even if he succeeded, the chance of becoming a Grand Master immediately would be less than 30%. Instead, he would offend the Buddhist sect, which would not be worth the loss.

However, the minister who delivered the imperial edict disagreed. Instead, he vowed that if she lost, she would be able to become a Buddhist disciple and make friends with the Buddhist sect. If she won, she would have the support of the noble families. Even if she could not be promoted to a grandmaster immediately, she would not be able to escape the level of a half-step grandmaster. Then, whether she joined Li Tang or returned to Liaodong, she would be safe.

Inside the Chang'an Palace, Li Yuan looked out the hall gate and suddenly sighed softly, "I never imagined that Old Chao would be defeated, and defeated so miserably and completely. Dugu Feng, what a top master of the younger generation!"

Is Dugu Feng really the best master of the younger generation?

In fact, everyone knows that there is a man whose strength is comparable to that of a grandmaster, but he is in a high position, a local governor, and is feared by all the rebels who want to be kings and emperors in the world.

That was Yang Xuyan, the Duke of Liao. At the age of 18, he was able to fight against the master of Yijian, Fu Cailin. He suppressed Goguryeo with the territory of Liaodong County and made it unable to raise its head. Later, he roamed across the grasslands and even the Turkic army had to retreat.

Dugu Feng has been stationed in Liaodong as an adult and can be considered a native of Liaodong. However, she is also a representative of the younger generation of Dugu Feng, so her identity is a little complicated.

Li Yuan pushed her out to challenge Fuzi Yinzhao, but he actually had many ulterior motives in mind. A few days ago, Shi Feixuan finally came to Chang'an City, but she did not show up in public. Instead, she hid in a temple outside the city. After carefully observing Fuzi Yinzhao's strength over the past two days, she secretly entered the palace to meet him.

She did not object to Chao Gongcuo's actions, but she did not expect Chao Gongcuo to fail. Afterwards, she rushed into the palace again and recommended Dugu Feng to challenge Fozi Yinzhao.

It's not that Shi Feixuan doesn't want a great master to appear in Buddhism, but the prerequisite is that the master must be under the control of Cihang Jingzhai. Various signs show that the four great monks have begun to alienate Cihang Jingzhai. If they push forward a young great master who can become the core cornerstone, Cihang Jingzhai's position as the leader of the righteous path will no longer exist.

Yes, it’s not a challenge, but the immediate loss of this status.

This was exactly what Cihang Jingzhai could not accept, at least that was what Shi Feixuan heard in the letter from the master (forged by Kankan). Shi Feixuan herself was also quite conflicted, but she quickly adjusted her attitude and decided to act according to the master's instructions.

The reason for choosing Dugu Feng may be to sow discord between Liaodong and Buddhism. If Dugu Feng succeeds, he will inevitably become enemies with Buddhism, and Liaodong will inevitably be dragged into the quagmire. If he fails, Dugu Feng will be seriously injured, and Liaodong will also lose a great general in a short period of time. Why not do it?