Holy Dynasty Year 472, September 29th — auspicious for offerings, praying for blessings, seeking offspring, bathing; avoid moving house, entering a ho, installing doors, constructing beams, and burial.
On this day, a ballad began to spread throughout the Martial World.
The ballad goes: The autumn wind whisks away, not sparing life in the Martial World... Songshan’s Sect Leader Zuo and Shaolin’s Zen Master Fang Yuan, attempting to overpower and display might against Dongfang Qi, yet a gust of Black Wind blows through; the cold from Zuo engulfs Master Fang. Cold, cold, cold, that autumn wind is chilling... As the autumn wind chills, Black Wind Fury arises... Dongfang’s tomorrow remains unvanquished...
After the ballad erged.
The Martial World was astounded!
The "Black Wind" referred to in the ballad is none other than Black Wind Village Chief, Jiang Dali.
The line "the cold from Zuo engulfs Master Fang" humorously included the nas Zuo Lengchan and Fang Yuan, suggesting that as Zuo Lengchan had grown cold, Master Fang Yuan had also perished.
The final line "Dongfang’s tomorrow remains unvanquished" indicates Dongfang Bubai, and "tomorrow" refers to the Sun and Moon Divine Sect.
It implied that Zuo Lengchan and Fang Yuan tead up to confront Dongfang Bubai, but they both t their demise, while Dongfang Bubai and the Sun and Moon Divine Sect survived, rising up as surely as the sun will rise the next day.
The ballad spread far and wide with incredible speed, and not only was the Jianghu Forum for Players rocked by it, but the entire Martial World was thoroughly shocked!
Three Religions and Nine Sects, all the Great Sects, even the Holy Dynasty, their many intelligence networks sprang into action, all stirred by a single event—the death of Five Mountains Sword Sects Alliance Hierarch Zuo Lengchan, and Fang Yuan, the abbot and senior brother from a Shaolin branch temple.
Sect Leader Zuo Lengchan, such a figure, might not be ranked in the entire Mixed Martial Arts World.
But in one region, he had considerable influence.
Songshan Sect was not any minor sect, capable, in Feng Qingyang’s absence, of suppressing Huashan Sect and remaining a major power.
The sect leader of such a sect had fallen at the hands of a minor figure, the robber leader of Black Wind Village, Jiang Dali.
The tragic and almost codic nature of this outco truly shook the Martial World.
The na of Black Wind Village Chief Jiang Dali, like a hurricane, once again travelled through various channels, reaching the ears of all sects, small and large, up to the Holy Dynasty.
Aside from Zuo Lengchan, the death of Fang Yuan, the abbot’s senior brother from the Shaolin branch, also caused considerable shock in the Martial World.
After all, Shaolin is known as a Martial Arts Grandmaster.
The saying "All Martial Arts Under Heaven Stem from Shaolin" is not unfounded.
Many sect forces were secretly apprehensive of the audaciousness of Black Wind Village Chief, who had even forced a Shaolin High Monk to his death.
On that day, the attention of all the Great Sects was on the Five Mountains Sword Sects and Shaolin.
They waited to see how the situation would further unfold.
So people in the Martial World were shocked by the formidable strength of Black Wind Village Chief Jiang Dali but also lanted, thinking this robber leader, although formidable, might be a flash in the pan like a Green Forest King, likely to die soon.
Even if he didn’t die soon, it was possible he would be captured by Shaolin experts and taken to Shaolin for repentance.
Over the years, many evil demons and villains had plagued the Martial World.
Many of them had been subdued and transford by Shaolin High Monks, who then took them to Shaolin to ordain as monks and repent.
A robber leader like Jiang Dali who had forced the death of Fang Yuan, a high monk from the Shaolin branch temple.
It wouldn’t be long before a high expert from the Shaolin Arhat Hall would set out to punish Black Wind Village.
And aside from Shaolin, the entire Five Mountains Sword Sects would likely bear no good will toward Black Wind Village.
Fortunately, as the Alliance Hierarch, Zuo Lengchan had committed too many foul deeds in the past, causing the other Four Sword Sects misery and embarrassnt.
Thus, after the death of Zuo Lengchan, aside from Songshan’s unanimous declaration to avenge their loss, only the hypocrite Yue Buqun from Huashan Sect voiced condemnation, suggesting that if Songshan Sect was confident in seeking revenge, Huashan Sect would be the first to step forward in support, and so on.
Huashan Sect players, upon hearing their sect leader’s statent, were all abuzz on the Jianghu Forum.
So players thought there was no need to have a life-and-death struggle with Black Wind Village Chief.
If Zuo Lengchan couldn’t handle Black Wind Village Chief, unless the reclusive Grandmaster Feng Qingyang of their sword sect erged, even Yue Buqun, that cross-dressing weakling of a sect leader, would probably not withstand a few punches from Black Wind Village Chief, they reasoned.
There were also excited players from the Qi Sect asserting that the Qi Sect was tough enough for a large-scale power struggle, to demonstrate the strength of Huashan’s Qi Sect disciples in the Martial World.
If they could capture Black Wind Village Chief, a Big Boss, they could gain both fa and fortune, and so on.
Such a declaration of war also imdiately provoked the players of Black Wind Village on the Jianghu Forum to clamor for punishnt.
Before the two forces even clashed, players from both sides had already turned the forum into a battleground of insults.
All kinds of unique, vulgar phrases like "ashes mixed with als," "coffin surfing," "hearse drifting," "septic tank explosions" and more were wildly spamd on the forums, drawing other sect players to co and watch, causing quite a scene.
"Huashan... Huashan’s heritage and Martial Arts are indeed formidable, but Yue Buqun, who has yet to reach his peak strength, is naive to think of ssing with my Black Wind Village.
Yue Buqun likely has a thieving heart that hasn’t died, still coveting Dongfang Bubai’s Sunflower Treasure Book," thought Jiang Dali after reading the forum feud between Huashan’s players and those from Black Wind Village.
It wasn’t that he was arrogant.
The body of Zuo Lengchan hadn’t even gone stiff yet.
Even if Yue Buqun ca for him now, unless the hypocrite imdiately employed the movent technique from the Evil Extinguishing Sword Manual to flee, he wouldn’t be a match to Jiang Dali’s hamring.
But if half a year passed, by then Yue Buqun might beco much stronger, a cut above the rest, yet by that ti Jiang would also have grown stronger.
Hence, for Jiang Dali, Yue Buqun’s provocation was totally insignificant.
In his past life, he had been a disciple of Huashan, deeply researching the Life-taking Linked Three Immortal Swords, and he knew that the most formidable part of Huashan was not Yue Buqun, but Feng Qingyang who mastered the Dugu Nine Swords and Linghu Chong, who was forced to defect from Huashan.
"For the sake of ensuring Dongfang Bubai properly recovers from the poison wound, I’ve fought with Songshan Sect and Shaolin, and I haven’t gained enough benefits either. What a huge loss! These losses, once Dongfang Bubai has fully recovered, I’ll claim it all back with interest."
Jiang Dali lounged comfortably in a large wooden tub, continuously emanating billowing Nine Yang Marrying Robe True Qi, which kept the water temperature inside the tub at a constant level.
Moreover, the hot water churned by his Inner Qi, continuously rolling over his burly body, washing away the sweat and bloodstains left over from the recent fight.
Two disciples from the Deaf and Mute Sect served him trepidatiously from beyond the screen, feeling the robust and manly aura emanating from behind it. They could barely breathe, sweating profusely, ready to heed any call to service.
Jiang Dali’s muscular arm rested on the edge of the tub, his fingers occasionally tapping on the wood producing a "thump thump" sound, as he casually flipped through a leather-bound scroll.
This scroll was the only secret manual he had acquired from the deceased Zuo Lengchan — the Human-rank Ultimate Skill, "Ice True Qi."
Although this ntal thod was only Human-rank, it was an ultimate skill after all, capable of cultivating a different species of Internal Energy. In terms of value and power, it was not inferior to many Earthly Rank Martial Arts and could be considered a rare treasure.
Unfortunately, for Jiang Dali, who had already learned the Nine Yang Divine Skill and Marriage Dress Divine Skill, it wasn’t very useful.
Both the Nine Yang Divine Skill and the Marriage Dress Divine Skill followed the dominant and overbearing Yang path.
Although the Ice True Qi could also take a forceful path, it did not align with the Yang nature.
Even though the Nine Yang Divine Skill could achieve a balance of Yin and Yang after Returning to Nature, obviously a Heavenly Rank Absolute Skill wasn’t quite suitable for blending with a Human-rank ultimate skill.
Thus, at that mont, Jiang Dali was just flipping through the scroll, using his clever brain to unravel valuable insights to absorb, saving them for future integration into his own concept of "Great Strength Martial Arts."
Having finished leafing through "Ice True Qi," Jiang Dali casually tossed the secret manual aside.
He had already designated a fate for this Inner Strength secret manual: to place it in the scripture pavilion of Black Wind Village, making it available for Players who wished to study it in exchange for village contribution points.
Even though by providing such a manual to Players without studying it himself ant they wouldn’t contribute Cultivation or Potential Points back to him, the move was still necessary to maintain the core attractiveness and future strength of the village.
Every act of "concession," however, was to better harvest later, and Jiang Dali had already thought of many new ways to reap the benefits, which he planned to implent boldly upon his return.
He looked towards the panel.
The panel featured multiple notifications, with two of them standing out like eye-catching and glorious battle achievents.
"By slaying the Gang Qi Realm Alliance Hierarch of the Five Mountains Sword Sects, Zuo Lengchan of the Songshan Sect, and defeating an enemy above your level, you receive 300 Potential Points, 300 Cultivation Points, and 4000 reputation in the martial world."
"You have beco the enemy of the Five Mountains Sword Sects; your relationship is now hostile. You have beco the archenemy of the Songshan Sect; your relationship is now deadly."
"By forcing Fang Yuan to take his own life, you have invoked the displeasure of Shaolin, becoming an unwelco person there; your relationship is now cool."
"Your reputation has advanced to the stage of ’Ferocious Spirit and Evil Fiend.’ Everyone in the Martial World will know your na, whether in the Black or White paths. You have officially been filed as a high-risk individual by the Holy Dynasty’s Six Gates, Embroidered Uniform Guard, and East and West Factories. Whenever you appear in any prefecture under the Holy Dynasty’s rule, you will imdiately catch the attention of these organizations’ experts. However, as long as you do not commit any radical acts that could cause misunderstandings, your reputation as a ’Ferocious Spirit and Evil Fiend’ should deter most from recklessly moving against you. You have beco the newly risen Green Forest King within the bandits! People in the martial world will recognize your status, and you have gained 1000 Cultivation Points and 2000 Potential Points."
Since Fang Yuan’s death was a suicide and not directly at the hands of Jiang Dali, he did not gain any benefits from it.
Nevertheless, Jiang Dali felt no regret.
Even had he personally killed Fang Yuan, he would have gained but a small amount of Cultivation and Potential Points, possibly at the cost of his reputation in the martial world.
Moreover, Fang Yuan had a very low profile within Shaolin, not even as well-known as his junior brother Fang Zheng, let alone compared to the "reputation baby" Zuo Lengchan, who was adept at cultivating his own fa.
Therefore, Jiang Dali estimated that by killing Fang Yuan, there would be no other benefits besides the imnse satisfaction it would provide.
With Fang Yuan’s suicide preserving many Shaolin disciples, Shaolin was rely displeased rather than being furiously vengeful, as the outside world had speculated.
Jiang Dali guessed that this was likely because of the words Fang Yuan spoke before his death.
An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind; it is best to spare those who can be spared.
It was Fang Yuan who had been unyielding first, leading to his chosen suicide to atone for his mistakes.
His junior brother, Fang Zheng, likely understood this, which is why, in the end, he chose not to rekindle the battle.
"My reputation has risen again, and these past two days, the whole of Hui Prefecture is practically under my control. Once I return, I can also ascend in power," Jiang Dali pondered as he stood up from the tub.
Water droplets cascaded off his formidable body, built like a tiger’s back and bear’s waist.
The two quick-witted Deaf and Mute Sect disciples imdiately entered, keeping their eyes averted while offering clothes to serve him.
"Thump thump!"
At that mont, a knock ca from the door.
An excited voice of a Player disciple carried through.
"Respected Black Wind Village Chief, you instructed us to inform you as soon as Dongfang Sect Leader is healed. Our master says Dongfang Sect Leader is now cured!"
"Oh!?"
Jiang Dali’s body shook with excitent, he also received the panel notification and burst into joyful laughter.
Splash—!
He leapt out of the tub, grabbed his clothes in one swoop draping them over his sturdy body, scattering droplets as he walked briskly towards the door, laughing heartily.
"Excellent! Lead to see Dongfang Bubai and your master at once!"
He had just left the house, laughing, when he suddenly felt a prickling sensation all over his body, and his ears caught a distant "ing" sound, like a subsonic wave tearing through his mind, causing his expression to change slightly...
...
...
(Rushed to write this last Chapter before 12 o’clock, cast your monthly ticket!!)
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