Starting from Tianlong, Wudu Tianxia

The Shennong Gang knew nothing about the Lingjiu Palace, assuming that all of them dressed like that.

Gao Yuan was able to distinguish the nine heavens and nine departments of Lingjiu Palace mainly because the colors of their clothes were very distinctive. For example, the Yangtian Department was light blue, the Zhutian Department was purple, the Juntian Department was yellow, and the Haotian Department was all emerald green.

Sikong Xuan's face turned purple as a young girl called him "old man": "You are so rude! How dare you run wild in the Shennong Gang..."

Unexpectedly, the old woman was less talkative than him, and simply snorted coldly:

"Lingjiu Palace governs twenty caves and fifty-three islands. What are the Shennong Gang? They defy your orders and act recklessly! Seize them!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a heavy object suddenly flew off the eaves of the main hall with a loud thud and crashed into the center of the courtyard. Several Shennong Gang disciples were unable to dodge in time and were instantly turned into mincemeat.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a giant bronze cauldron.

Sikong Xuan was startled again. He looked up at the roof to see who was hiding there, who could move a huge thing weighing hundreds of kilograms up there and then push it down.

More than fifty Shennong Gang disciples gathered in the courtyard and surrounded him, handing him torches.

On the tripod legs was cast the character "桑" (Sang), in the shape of several small snakes and centipedes, with a mottled patina of copper, making it look like an antique.

"Disrespect for the Holy Envoy is a capital offense!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a wisp of smoke rose from the cauldron, as thin as a thread and as straight as an arrow.

At this moment, the Unjust Taoist had already noticed something amiss and immediately warned, "Retreat at once!"

Before the Shennong Gang disciples in the courtyard could react, they suddenly heard a faint, unusual sound, which was almost indistinguishable in the wind.

A flash of silver light appeared, and hundreds of tiny needles, as fine as cow hair, shot out from all directions through the gaps in the cauldron, clearly indicating that someone inside was operating the mechanism.

The alert disciple immediately fell face-first to the ground.

"Oh no!"

"He was poisoned by a needle."

"What a vicious hidden weapon, damn it!"

"How did you manage to hit me?"

Gao Yuan and his group were far from the central courtyard, and the poisoned needles were only aimed at the people in the courtyard, so they saw it clearly.

In a single glance, he saw that thirty or forty disciples had already been poisoned by the needles.

The Shennong Gang, being experts in pharmacology, saw many poisoned disciples immediately pull out medicine bottles from their pockets and swallow them whole, regardless of whether they were effective or not.

However, after the pills and liquid were taken, the people who were needled showed no signs of improvement. Some jumped around wildly, while others hugged trees and screamed, indicating that the toxicity was extremely potent.

Seeing that more than half of his gang had been lost in just one exchange, Sikong Xuan's expression finally changed.

He made a quick decision: "Capture the old woman, and attack together!"

At Sikong's shout, the four incense masters, Miao Qingmiao, Mu Wufu, Zhong Sheng, and Shi Jian, did not hesitate. They stepped forward with their feet touching the ground and rushed towards the old woman, intending to fight her four against one.

Unexpectedly, four women from the Haotian tribe, standing on the wall, descended from the air and blocked their path in an instant.

With swords and hooks thrusting out and palms and fists cutting through the wind, in just a few moves, the eight girls coordinated their formation and fought to a standstill with Miao Qingmiao and her three companions, even slightly suppressing them.

The Lingjiu Palace stormed in.

Many disciples were poisoned, and the four incense masters were entangled, causing chaos in the Shennong Gang.

Seeing that Zhong Sheng and his group were being held back, the woman protecting the old woman at the door was someone who had fought him to a standstill last time.

Sikong Xuan felt a chill run down his spine.

Following the signal from the Taoist Priest, Sun Ke and Shi Fa also rushed forward.

Unexpectedly, in the chaos, everyone forgot about the Azure Cauldron in the courtyard.

Suddenly, a hissing sound rang out, and a flash of silver light appeared from the side. Another hundred fine needles shot towards the group, while the person who fired the poisoned needles remained inside the cauldron.

"Be careful!"

The two men, alerted by the Taoist priest, stopped in their tracks. They brandished their weapons wildly, dodging and leaping, sending countless needles flying. Several Shennong Gang disciples were inexplicably struck by the needles.

However...

Just as the two regained their footing, several more Lingjiu Palace maids leaped up from the eaves to block them. Although these maids were not as strong as the two men, their moves were skillful and they were not captured by the two men in a few moves.

If they lost their balance while sparring, they would immediately retreat, and then a new woman would take their place; their coordination was simply seamless.

Seeing the stalemate before him, Sikong Xuan exerted his strength and darted out like a gust of wind, aiming to first relieve Zhong Sheng and the others from their predicament.

How could the woman guarding the old woman let him succeed? She twirled her sword and launched it into the air, each strike aimed at his vital points.

When Sikong Xuan and she came into contact, neither of them could do anything to the other.

"Brother Dao, Brother Gao, if we don't fight now, when will we? Help me!"

At this moment, Sikong Xuan no longer cared about saving face. He knew how skilled this woman was in martial arts. If a maid was already like this, one could imagine how skilled the old woman was.

Once the old woman at the gate makes her move, the Shennong Gang will inevitably collapse under immense pressure.

"good!"

Before he asked for help, the Unjust Taoist had already circulated his entire body's energy.

"Clang!"

With his long sword drawn and his feet planted on the Seven Stars, he moved with the speed of a rabbit, appearing as if he had shrunk the earth to an inch in the blink of an eye, and was in front of the old woman in about four breaths.

The old woman remained calm and composed, gently tilting her eagle-headed iron staff at an angle, the staff tip striking the spine of the sword precisely.

The crisp clang caused the Taoist priest's longsword to tilt slightly.

Before the sword could straighten, the old woman took half a step forward and swept her iron staff horizontally, the end of the staff carrying a strong wind as it struck the unruly Taoist in the lower abdomen. The move was fierce and powerful, turning defense into offense.

Upon seeing this, the Unjust Taoist hurriedly sheathed his sword, lowered himself, and retreated hastily, his toes barely touching the ground.

Unexpectedly, the old woman pressed on relentlessly. After exchanging two moves, the unjust Taoist was secretly alarmed. He suddenly shouted and slammed his left hand down, pressing it directly against the old woman's chest.

Seeing this, the old woman also struck out with her palm, and the two palms collided violently in mid-air.

"Bang!"

Their palms clashed, sending a powerful gust of wind flying in all directions.

Everyone saw them fighting fiercely, but they didn't know that the Unjust Taoist was about to use the huge repulsive force to retreat.

Taking advantage of this, his figure swayed and flew through the air!

He unfolded his sleeves, and the whisk slid out and swung, creating a gust of wind that slapped against the ground, generating a backlash that lifted his body and slowly lowered him from mid-air.

The old woman blurted out, "Soaring through the air like a whirlwind, what incredible lightness skill!"

"A mere trifle, I'll make a fool of myself!"

The Unjust Taoist landed safely, and as soon as they exchanged a palm strike, he knew that the old woman's internal strength was still superior to his, and his heart was filled with shock.

He maintained a composed demeanor as he looked at Gao Yuan, who remained standing motionless in the lobby.

He immediately spoke up:

"Brother Gao, that old hag is incredibly fierce. We don't need to bother with any chivalrous talk; let's gang up on her and take her down to save your gang!"

"Hahaha! You filthy Taoist priest, you've insulted the Holy Envoy! You deserve to die a horrible death!"

Before Gao Yuan could respond, the bronze cauldron lid moved, and a figure emerged from inside.

The man was holding a small, cauldron-shaped object in his arms. He was short and comical, looking like a dwarf.

Who are you?

"Alright, alright. Your father's real name is Sangtugong, and he was ordered by the Lord to cooperate with the Holy Envoy to capture you."

Sikong Xuan, who was still exchanging blows with the woman, was startled by what he heard.

It turns out to be the Sangtugong of Bilin Cave in western Sichuan.

They were all Miao and Yao people, and their behavior was very different from that of martial arts practitioners in the Central Plains. They were skilled in poisoning, and people in the martial arts world were quite wary of them. They were even driven by Lingjiu Palace.

The Unfair Taoist's brows furrowed suddenly, and he thought to himself:

Both the Sangtugong of Bilin Cave obeyed their orders, so it seems that what the old woman said earlier—that Lingjiu Palace governs twenty caves and fifty-three islands—was true.

This shows that they wield immense power!

In the central courtyard of the Shennong Gang's headquarters, the sounds of fighting, shouts, and clashing weapons were incessant.

The Lingjiu Palace arrived with overwhelming force, and thirty or forty disciples of the Shennong Gang were poisoned and groaning in pain, unable to fully utilize their numerical advantage.

......