Chapter 254
The five Huamen Tigers were ashen-faced.
In this round of fierce fighting between the two sides, Huaxuanmen used long weapons to force Ye Guhong to jump up, and then used short weapons and strange short weapons to take advantage of the situation to attack. Even if the school could not kill him, it would at least leave one or two wounds. Who knew that Ye Guhong was able to respond freely, kicking and hitting with his staff, instantly killing one person and seriously injuring another.
The disciple who used a single sword was fine, as he rolled over and got back up, while the one who used a double sword was kicked in the face and is still lying on the ground, vomiting all over himself, obviously unable to fight anymore.
Especially when Ye Guhong used the iron rod, it was like a rushlight, or a dancing bamboo pole, there was nothing remotely like a wolf. The Five Tigers of the Hua School naturally knew that what they had just seen was all an act.
Zhou Jueyi took some responsibility and shouted, 鈥淔our junior brothers, let’s work together to force him back, while the rest of us help from the outside. Let’s all fight with him.鈥�
He finished speaking and performed a sword dance, charging in with a diagonal stab.
Li Juecheng swung his瀹ｈ姳鏂� around, jumped and spun, and chopped hard in the face.
Wang Juexing let his rope darts whizz around, waiting for the right moment.
Hu Jue Tian’s two tiger hooks came out at the same time, locking the shoulders and the ankles.
Hou Jue Ya pounced from behind, his two iron claws stabbing like drills into the back.
The remaining ten or so people circled quickly, either far or near, their long weapons and short blades poised and ready.
Ye Guhong stood still, his body filled with the energy of the Nine Yang Mysterious Technique, which was surging like boiling water. He swung his iron staff horizontally to block the axe, then swung it around to fend off the double hooks and single sword. He leaned slightly to the side, and the staff tip swept away the iron claws. He ducked his head to avoid the rope dart.
When he turned around and swept the iron staff, Li Juecheng was forced to leap backwards, and then he pounded back. The tip of the staff pierced under his armpit. Hu Juechen, who was about to attack his back, hurriedly blocked with the double hooks, and was shaken back three steps. He turned around and swung the staff with one arm, forcing Hou Jueya and Zhou Jueyi to retreat…
The sound of weapons clashing was incessant as they swung. Ye Guhong stood alone in the center, bringing the Fumo staff technique to full effect. Sometimes when the enemy attacked too closely and the staff technique itself did not have enough moves to deal with it, he would casually use spear techniques, sword techniques, boxing techniques, palm techniques…all kinds of moves.
After fifty or sixty rounds of fierce fighting, and the tragic deaths of four or five more disciples of the Huaquan School under the iron staff, Ye Kuhong, who had used up most of his various techniques, gradually felt a kind of enlightenment in his heart.
He had seen an inscription on a stone at the place where the Demon of the Sword had buried his sword many years ago, which said, 鈥淎ll things can be swords: plants, trees, bamboo, and stones.鈥� At the time, he had thought that this was the ultimate state, but now he thought back, the Demon of the Sword had spent his whole life using swords, and in the end, he had been stuck with the sword itself. Perhaps the true ultimate state was…
Grass, trees, bamboo and stones are grass, trees, bamboo and stones!
It is like the iron staff in one’s palm, which can also be used like a sword. It can be used like a palm or a spear, but the iron staff is thick, so no matter how agile it is, it is ultimately not as good as a long sword. No matter how fast it moves, it is impossible to compare to two palms.
Therefore, a staff is a staff. It can certainly be used like a sword to slash and stab, and like a palm to push and pat, but it is not used as a sword and transformed into a palm. Rather, it is used in the same way as a sword or a palm, combined with the characteristics of the staff itself, and transformed into a staff!
By analogy, a spear is a spear, a palm is a palm, and a sword is a sword. Although it can be used in the same way as everything else, it must not violate its own nature.
For example, the principle of the iron rod is that it is heavy and mighty, and can split mountains and rocks. Then…it is not the iron rod that evolves into all things, but rather all things that merge into the iron rod!
If the rod in your hands is an iron rod, then all kinds of weapons and moves are iron rods. If the rod in your hands is made of wood, grass, bamboo or stone, then all kinds of weapons and moves are made of wood, grass, bamboo or stone.
As his mind was full of inspiration, the staff technique in his hands gradually changed, sometimes ancient and awkward, sometimes mighty, sometimes fierce, sometimes majestic…
Before he knew it, the strange moves that had come so easily before no longer appeared. He performed the moves of the Demon Suppression Staff Technique itself, but each move seemed to be correct yet also incorrect.
For example, in the move 鈥淜ing Qin Whips the Mountain鈥�, Ye Guhong used it three times, each time with a different body movement and technique. However, if an expert were to watch, they would have no doubt that each time it was indeed the King Qin Whips the Mountain.
Mie Jie blinked, showing surprise. After watching for a while, his surprise turned to admiration, and after a little longer, his admiration turned to joy. A smile could not help but appear on his face. Suddenly, he looked up at the sky and said to himself, 鈥淎mitabha, will I also become a Zhang Zhenren from Emei?鈥�
Then he heard Ye Guhong let out a clear whistle. Endless shadows of the staff suddenly appeared in all directions, containing the 36 strokes of the staff technique for subduing demons, all in a continuous flow that lasted for a long time.
Amidst the shadow of the staff, all you could hear was the sound of cries of agony. After a few breaths, the shadow of the staff suddenly stopped, and the crowd of onlookers were in an uproar.
They saw that all the disciples of the Hua Quan School were dead, except for the five Hua Men Tigers, who were still alive, but had lost both arms, both legs, and the lower back. The other two had lost one arm and one leg each, and were either lying or sitting, their eyes full of madness and horror.
Ye Guhong looked down for a moment, organizing the truth he had just realized. He let out a long breath, and then looked back up at the men, smiling, 鈥淵ou are worthy of being the Five Tiger Generals. With such a cane technique, you have avoided the vital points. Well, judging by your appearance, it is difficult for you to continue to trouble me at Emei. In order to thank you for helping me perform martial arts, I will spare your lives.鈥�
The five men were in tears, but they did not dare to say a word. They either walked with difficulty or crawled, the scene was extremely miserable.
The five men’s apprentices, who had not fought in the battle, helped each other up, and with great difficulty plucked up the courage to come forward, helped up their respective masters, and returned to Cangzhou in silence.
Even the banner of the Huaquan School fell to the ground, and no one thought to take it with them.
After this battle, the Five Tigers of Huaquan all became disabled, and the power of the Huaquan School naturally fell by leaps and bounds. The five brothers resented and blamed each other, and their friendship was also ruined. They also developed hostility towards each other’s disciples.
Since then, the Huaquan Sect has split into five factions: the Yizi, Chengzi, Xingzi, Tianzi, and Yazi factions. Sect members roam the rivers and lakes, saying only, 鈥淚’m from the Yizi faction, I’m from the Chengzi faction,鈥� and never mentioning the Huaquan Sect at all. This is a story for another time, but there’s no need to go into it here.
Ye Guhong suddenly realized a new realm of martial arts at the battlefront, and was pleased within his heart. The anger of being blocked and surrounded and killed was also dissipated by a large extent.
He slung the iron staff over his shoulder and looked at Peng the Madman, grinning, 鈥淚 still have some fighting spirit left! Fatty, let me show you how good I am with the madman’s staff!鈥�
Peng the Madman and him locked eyes, and after lowering his head in silence for a moment, he suddenly turned back and said, 鈥淲hose knife is sharp enough? May I borrow it?鈥�
The other martial arts masters were taken aback, thinking that the Tazu Sect had a set of formations, and the Huaquan Sect also had a combined weapons technique, but they never expected that the leader of the Madman’s Cudgel Sect would be the best at knife skills.
Immediately, several people drew their knives and handed them to him.
Peng the Madman chose the shortest one, held it in his hand, and shouted, 鈥淵e Guhong, look carefully!鈥�
He then ran the blade across his scalp, and with a swish, a stream of hair floated down, and in an instant, he was bald.
Peng the Madman threw the short sword back to its owner, reached out and wiped his scalp, and shouted, 鈥淢y fellow practitioners are all witnesses, today, the Cangzhou School of Madman’s Staff is officially disbanded.鈥�
He said, picked up the staff, turned around and broke his own flagpole with a single blow. He threw the staff away, put his hands together and said, 鈥淎mitabha! Peng Madman has renounced the world and returned to the world. There is no more Peng Madman in the world, only Shaolin monk Yuanfeng!鈥�
Only then did he dare to look at Ye Guhong and say with a glare, 鈥淗mph, it’s not that I’m afraid of you! I’m going back to Shaolin Temple now and beg my master to let me return to the fold. You wait until I’ve mastered Shaolin’s most powerful skills, then we’ll see who’s the best! If you kill me now, it means you’re afraid of me in the future and you’ll lose face for Emei Sect. Hmph, I’m leaving now.”
With that, he picked up his feet and left. In no time at all, he was gone without a trace, leaving behind the disciples of the Mad Monk Cudgel. They looked at each other, dumbfounded and at a loss.
Ye Guhong was also stunned by his actions. After a while, he came back to his senses and praised him with a thumbs-up, 鈥淭alent!鈥�
He then looked at the head of Yin’s Pistol and laughed, 鈥淥ld man, you see that no young people want to come forward. You don’t have to let them. Why don’t you set an example and teach me a lesson? I can compete with you in the art of the pistol.鈥�
The old man trembled all over, and with a face of great effort, he said, 鈥淎t my age, I have long since seen the swordplay and the sound of drums and horns fade away… You, Ye, are a disciple of a famous school, so I presume you understand the importance of respecting the elderly and caring for the young. Oops! I remember, I haven’t taken my medicine today. Oops, this is a big deal, so I’ll take my leave now!鈥�
With a wave of his hand, he led dozens of people from the Yin Hand Sect and turned to leave. After walking for five or six zhang, he even started running. His movements were so nimble that he looked even more vigorous in his old age.