Chapter 279

Zhou Yuanya and Ding Luoxing were the leaders of the Wuxian Sect, but the sect was located in a remote area, and their fame was limited beyond the mountains.

Anyone who underestimated them would suffer greatly鈥�

When the Qingcheng Shuangjun first came to prominence, they were no less formidable than the Seven Heroes of Wudang, and were among the most outstanding young men of their generation!

Their martial arts style was also unique. In other schools, such as Emei, there is a strict sequence of what students learn when they first start, what they learn when they advance, and what they learn when they become proficient.

From the beginning of their training, Qingcheng disciples spend their entire lives learning just one set of 鈥淪ongfeng Swordsmanship鈥� techniques. However, even this single set of swordsmanship techniques can be performed in very different ways by disciples of different levels.

This shows the depth and breadth of the excellence of this swordsmanship.

In particular, the Qingcheng Shuangjun have practiced swordsmanship together since childhood, growing up to become knights-errant side by side, and even married the same wife. They are truly inseparable day and night. How well they know the various methods of advancing and retreating, of following one another? It is as if they have internalized them to the bone. If you talk about the depth of their tacit understanding, it is difficult for ordinary twins to match it.

Therefore, a simple change in tactics by the two of them actually sealed off all of Ye Guhong’s room for evasion. If it were any other martial artist, they would have been screaming for surrender, and would have been in a situation of broken limbs immediately.

However, Ye Guhong was unruffled, and just as a soaring crane, he leapt two zhang upwards, and the two flashes of sword light both missed.

The Qingcheng Shuangjun were also quick to react. As they shouted in unison, Zhou Yuanya turned from right to left, and Ding Luoxing from left to right. Their feet pounded, their left hands clasped, and they leapt up at the same time. The two of them spun rapidly in the air, as if the two swords had merged into a drill, and they chased after Ye Guhong.

Ye Guhong was slightly startled. The combined technique of the two opponents was truly fierce and amazing. It seemed that no matter how he somersaulted in midair, the two swords of his opponents would turn and become a lethal strike.

At the critical moment, Ye Guhong once again summoned his inner energy, lifted his left foot, and kicked upward with a burst of energy. Before his body could fall, he lightly tapped his right foot, using the energy of his kick to float upward and leap more than ten feet into the air.

This scene made Long Kongkong, White Snake and the others stare in amazement.

Hua Wu behind them even exclaimed, 鈥淓mei’s light martial arts are so highly developed!鈥�

It turned out that since arriving in this world, Ye Guhong had practiced martial arts that he could never have imagined in his previous life. Out of boredom, he suddenly remembered a famous martial arts joke from his previous life:

“Can you fly by stepping on your right foot with your left foot, and then stepping on your left foot with your right foot, over and over again?鈥�

In fact, this idea was not originally conceived by martial arts writers.

In the Qing Dynasty, there was a strange book called 鈥淭he Flowers in the Mirror鈥�. In it, the protagonist Tang Ao, by chance, took the natural treasure 鈥渓eap-taking grass鈥� and gained the ability to leap several zhangs and stand in midair. His companion Lin Zhiyang then taught him, 鈥淚f you stand in midair, step on your right foot with your left foot and leap, repeating the cycle, can you not go to heaven?鈥�

Tang Ao thought this was very reasonable and, with a step on his left foot, immediately fell鈥�

This episode was probably the inspiration for that martial arts master.

Ye Guhong had studied modern science and understood the principle very well. It was just a matter of external force and internal force 鈥� this internal force was not the same as that internal force, but meant that the object exerting the force and the object receiving the force were in the same system.

For example, if someone lifts you up by the hair, that is external force. If you pull your own hair, no matter how strong the force, it is difficult to lift yourself up. This is because internal force cannot change the state of your own motion.

When Ye Guhong had perfected his internal strength to the point where he could release it externally, he discovered a way to make it more effective. He kicked out a burst of internal strength, which, since it had left his body, naturally became an external force.

When he hit the ground with his foot, the force of the rebound was born. To put it plainly, it was the same general principle as Xiao Feiyang’s initially using the Split-the-Sky Palm to propel the boat.

The so-called martial arts theory is nothing more than the words 鈥済ong鈥� and 鈥測ong鈥�. Gong refers to the method, and yong refers to the application.

His method is considered one way of application. In the slang of the martial arts world, it is called a 鈥渕ethod鈥�. This method is unprecedented, and Hua Wu and the others could not figure out the cause and effect at the moment, so they exclaimed in surprise, saying that it was only the unique and brilliant light skill of the Emei Sect.

His leap immediately opened the distance between him and the two Qingcheng masters. The two men’s upward momentum could not be sustained and they could only fall. Ye Guhong, however, swung his palm and sent a palm force into the void behind him. His body rotated horizontally and he charged out towards the cliff, reaching out to grab the rope.

Who knew that Long Kongkong reacted quickly. When Ye Guhong pushed his palm and moved his body, she released a golden light. Ye Guhong saw clearly that it was a sharp cone, covered in pure gold and made in the shape of a small snake, with a curved body and a sharp, straight tail.

The golden snake cone was only three inches long, but the gold was heavy, and Long Kongkong had a unique way of shooting the cone, so it came with extraordinary force, snapping the rope before Ye Guhong could grab it, and breaking it.

Ye Kuhong was now beyond the cliff, with no way to help himself. He wrapped his left arm tightly around Zhou Yanzi and gripped the short remaining end of the rope with his right hand. With a little help, he somersaulted back onto the cliff.

These changes, though tedious to describe, actually happened in the blink of an eye. As soon as the two Qingcheng brothers set foot on the ground, they saw Ye Guhong, unable to escape, fall behind them. They couldn’t contain their joy and turned around to stab with one sword. The two swords were one high and one low. Halfway through the attack, the lower sword was raised and the higher one stabbed down.

Ye Guhong was not flustered. He flashed his right hand at his waist, and a purple light suddenly emerged from the sheath of his sword.

Ye Guhong’s sword technique was not a special Emei skill, but a masterstroke of Taiji Sword passed down by Zhang Zhenren.

This style of swordsmanship focuses on defence rather than attack. He had taught himself this technique and had never used it in battle, but he had never stopped practising it in private and his understanding of it had gradually deepened.

He was in possession of the Demon of the Sword’s Jade Book, which advocated a defensive style of swordsmanship that could defeat any technique in the world. However, if it came to an offensive style, the Jade Book of the Demon of the Sword might be the best, but purely in terms of defence, it was hard to match this Tai Chi Sword technique, which, once unleashed, would never end.

Ye Guhong was unable to escape, and he was ashamed and annoyed. He thought to himself, 鈥淚t was already rude of the Dragon Sect leader to catch me when my master was pinning my acupressure points. Now she’s blocking my escape. Does she really think she can catch me? I might as well sweep through Wuxian Ridge and surprise these women who think I’m some kind of prize!

But he is armed with all kinds of extraordinary skills, such as the Sword Demon Jade Book, the Dragon-Subduing Palm Technique, and even various other Emei techniques, most of which are fierce and aggressive. If there is a melee, and there are many opponents, he may not be able to stop in time.

The people of the Wuxian Sect were on friendly terms with him, and although Long Kongkong and White Snake were rude in bringing him here, they did not mean to kill him after all. If you really talk about it, it was still a good thing. Therefore, Ye Guhong was also embarrassed to really kill, and he specially used this Taichi Sword technique, deliberately defending instead of attacking, to make the opponent know that it was difficult to retreat.

A master is known by the way he extends his hand. Seeing the sword circle he drew, Long Kongkong sensed an unfathomable and indescribable charm, and hurriedly warned, 鈥淢asters Ye and Kong, Ye’s swordplay is unfathomable.

Be careful!鈥� His warning aroused the pride of the Qingcheng twins, who thought at the same time, 鈥淚f we’re talking about unfathomable, which swordplay in the world can compare to our Qingcheng Songfeng? This kid’s palm techniques are certainly superb, and his internal strength is also outstanding, but when it comes to swordsmanship, we are more than ten years older than him. Could it be that all those years of hard training have been for nothing?

So Shuangjun shouted in unison, and they thrust out their swords together. First they thrust and pulled together, then you thrust and I pulled, and then you pulled and I thrust. They were truly heroic and full of mutual understanding, and it made Lingchan’s eyes water to watch.

Ye Guhong, however, remained unhurried, drawing one sword circle after another, his mind gradually becoming as still as water. He thought to himself: As the Jiuyang Xuan Gong says, 鈥淟et him be strong if he is strong, let the breeze blow over the hill, let him be stubborn if he is stubborn, let the bright moon shine over the great river!鈥� It seems that Zhang Zhenren’s Tai Chi Divine Skill also has many ideas derived from this. Indeed, the supreme method often leads to the same result no matter the path.

Unconsciously, his understanding of swordsmanship had deepened.

However, the more freely he played here, the more the Qingcheng Shuangjun frowned. It turned out that Ye Guhong’s Snake Bone Sword, with each circle drawn, seemed to weave a silk thread in midair, wrapping around the two men’s long swords. Gradually, the silk thread became more and more numerous, as if the silk thread had been spun into cloth, wrapping the two men’s swords in layer after layer. The way the two men used their swords should have become faster and faster, but the cloth became thicker and thicker, heavier and heavier, and the weight of the long sword in their hands seemed to keep increasing.

After fifty moves, the sword felt like it weighed dozens of catties. Every thrust required the concentration of his entire body, and if he was not careful, the Snake Bone Sword would spin out of control.

However, although the martial arts of the Qingcheng Shuangjun were extraordinary, in truth they were only just entering the first rank. Compared to the five鏁ｄ汉 of the Mingjiao back then, they were probably even slightly weaker. If Ye Kuhong had not been so absorbed in his own insights at the moment, he would have already lost.

Even so, after sixty moves, the two men could not help but be drawn into Ye Guhong’s sword circle. It looked as if the three of them were drawing circles with their swords at the same time, which was extremely comical to watch. However, they were all familiar with the martial arts of the Qingcheng Shuangjun, and could sense the terror within.

Long Kongkong beckoned Mang Shen over and whispered, 鈥淢ang Shen, you go to the armory and fetch my snake staff and golden snake sword.鈥� Mang Shen went as he was told.

Long Kongkong then said, 鈥淲hite Snake, you replace the two masters!鈥�

White Snake said, 鈥淵es!鈥�

She reached down to her waist and drew out a bright, flexible sword. She cried out, 鈥淵e Lang, your swordplay is similar to the Golden Snake Coiling Silk Sword of our sect. I’ll come and learn from your mastery.鈥�

After saying this, she rubbed her body and charged upwards. She shook her soft sword in her hand, and it seemed to be a live snake as it slithered into the sword circle.

Ye Guhong did not say a word. He exerted a little strength in his hand, and the two Qingcheng Shuangjun exclaimed in unison. Both swords were knocked out of his hands by Ye Guhong, and they fell far away down the cliff. The two of them blushed and retreated from the battle.

Ye Guhong was already fighting with White Snake. The two of them used soft swords, one using circular motions to create a continuous aura, while the other used arcs to desperately try to break through the aura and fight at top speed. They fought for more than twenty rounds in an instant.

Ye Guhong nodded to himself: this woman’s swordsmanship is truly extraordinary. In the martial arts world, apart from the senior masters, it seems that only the young disciple Monk Hongye can match him. No wonder she dared to break into Emei alone.

But when he thought about this woman stealing someone from Emei, he couldn’t help but feel angry. He thought to himself: if I don’t let her have a hard time today, people will really think that Emei has no one!

He changed the style of his swordplay to the Golden Summit Nine Styles.

Bai Snake had seen this style of swordplay before and knew that it was the Emei Sect’s greatest secret technique. She immediately laughed, 鈥淵e Lang, I’m not even your wife yet, and you’re already being so gentle with me? You’re not using your powerful swordplay, are you afraid of hurting me?鈥�

Ye Guhong said with a sneer, 鈥淣one of the various swordsmanship of Emei is not formidable. Today, I want you to know that even if every disciple of Emei knows the swordsmanship, it is still beyond your reach, little white snake.鈥�

After saying this, he increased the pressure on his hands, and suddenly the sword light flashed, and the air was overflowing with energy.

His martial arts had already reached a high level by this point, and the power of these martial arts had also increased significantly when used in the past. The white snake was suddenly at a loss for what to do, and realized that Emei swordplay was truly extraordinary.

At this time, three golden rays shot over, sinking fast. Ye Guhong did not dare to be negligent, and used the move 鈥淪amadhi Freedom鈥� to wrap it down, but it was the golden snake cone released by Long Kongkong. Long Kongkong then said, 鈥淒isciple, change swords!鈥�

The white snake immediately withdrew its soft sword and turned around, grasping it in her hand, where she now held a strange-shaped sword.

After exchanging the sword, the white snake’s demeanor also turned solemn. She looked at Ye Guhong and said, 鈥淭his sword is the treasure that protects our religion, and it is never used lightly. It goes best with the Golden Snake Coiling Silk Sword Technique. Ye Guhong, don’t be careless.鈥�

Ye Guhong looked intently and saw that the sword in her hand was resplendent with gold, and it looked as if it was a living golden snake. There was a bloody mark on the sword, emitting a strange greenish-yellow glow.

He also saw that the snake’s tail was hooked into the hilt, the snake’s head was the tip of the sword, and the snake’s tongue was forked. Judging from its shape, it could be used to stab, hook and lock the enemy’s weapon, and it could be used to injure the enemy by thrusting diagonally or pulling back. It was much more complicated than ordinary swords.

He remembered the swordplay that the white snake had just used. Some of the moves didn’t seem very skillful, but if this snake-shaped sword used them, they seemed to complement each other. No wonder the white snake had specifically warned him to be careful.

Ye Guhong’s eyes flicked over the white snake’s fair wrist and he laughed, 鈥淭hank you for your kind warning. If you’re that good, just go ahead and show me.鈥�

The white snake angrily said, 鈥淒on’t you think you can underestimate me just because you had the upper hand earlier!鈥�

After saying this, she lunged at him, attacking with every move. Ye Guhong simply switched to the Yue N眉 swordplay to counter. White Snake recognized this as the introductory swordplay of Emei, and she screamed in anger, her attacks becoming even more vicious.

However, after only a few exchanges, White Snake felt that something was wrong. The swordplay used by Ye Guhong was much more crude than the Tai Chi Sword and the Golden Summit Nine Styles used before, and yet she found it incredibly difficult to deal with it. She was killed step by step and could not execute any of the brilliant killing moves in her own swordplay.

Hua Wu, Ling Dan, and even Bai Wu were all dumbfounded. After all, Long Kong Kong had extraordinary eyesight. After watching for a while, he whispered, 鈥淣o wonder this young man has reached such a level in martial arts. With such astonishing talent, he is a genius at martial arts!鈥�

It turned out that this Yue N眉 Sword was the first set of swordsmanship that Ye Guhong learned after becoming Ye Mojie’s disciple. After becoming proficient, Ye Mojie tried to pass on new swordsmanship to him several times, but Ye Guhong politely declined, focusing instead on understanding the essence of this swordsmanship. Gradually, he eliminated the tricks added by later generations and restored the version of killing that had once been popular in the military, which amazed Ye Mojie.

Now, after more than ten years, his martial arts training and vision have increased significantly, and he can see more and more of the breadth and depth of the Yuevijian. Now that he uses it again, it seems similar to the swordplay performed by other Emei disciples, but in fact, the internal meaning is completely different.

His moves may seem superficial, but each one has the same quality as the 鈥淏uddha’s Light鈥� palm technique, which is impossible to avoid.

With each sword stroke he used, White Snake could only parry with her sword, where could she perform the subtle changes of the Golden Snake Coiling and Serpenting Sword?

After a few exchanges of this kind of head-on collision, White Snake was already sweating profusely.

Ye Guhong had just looked at White Snake’s wrists and saw that the veins were clearly visible, which meant that she had obviously exerted herself to lift the sword. Thinking about the weight of the Golden Snake Needle that Long Kongkong had sent out, he immediately guessed that this snake-shaped sword was most likely made of a mixture of gold and other metals, and was therefore extremely heavy.

Therefore, he deliberately used the Yue N眉 Sword, which had not been seen for a long time, but with the intention of competing with her. Sure enough, after three moves and two styles, he forced White Snake to be at a loss.

Long Kongkong saw Ye Guhong’s thoughts and knew that White Snake was already doomed to defeat. He whispered to Hua Wu, 鈥淕o and get Jin Zhu to come, and let White Snake get ready. If I can’t defeat him either, I’ll set up a formation.鈥�

In a daze, Hua Wu and Ling Chan watched as Long Kong Kong took the steel staff from the hands of the python god and strode forward, saying, 鈥淲hite Snake concedes defeat. Ye Kuhong, I will fight you. If you win, you may leave the mountain at will!鈥�

Ye Guhong laughed heartily, and the Snake Bone Sword vibrated with power. White Snake let out a cry of alarm, and she fell backwards uncontrollably, but was stopped by Ling Chan, who whispered in her ear.

Ye Guhong looked at Long Kongkong, and saw that she had a slender figure, and was holding a long, thick steel rod in a menacing manner. She nodded to herself: this woman’s martial arts skills are indeed far superior to her apprentice.