Free Web NovelChapter 1158: Chapter 157: Tailai
The wind was gentle, and the sun was bright, with a clear sky.
At the foot of Hao Mountain, outside the Ten Mile Town, over ten thousand martial artists gathered.
Emei Sect, Kongtong Sect, Hengshan Sect, Songshan Sect, Taishan Sect, Wudang Sect, Beggar Gang, Shaolin...
All reputable sects with known names,
as well as some martial world factions,
such as Divine Fist Sect, Golden Dagger Stronghold, and Giant Whale Gang, sent representatives here to participate in the Martial Arts Assembly.
South Ridge Swordsman, Mobei Hero, Northwestern Horse Gang, Maritime Ship Gang,
various gallant knights, with weapons at their waists or backs,
either standing on the compact yellow soil,
or seated under makeshift wine tents,
looking at the tall arena at the center of the crowd.
"Vice Leader Bai of the Sea Sand Gang’s Xuanwu Branch, out!
Linghu Chong of Huashan Sect, wins!"
With the referee’s loud announcement,
a middle-aged figure in blue clothes was thrown off the arena, flipped in mid-air, and landed slightly unsteadily on the ground.
And the victor on the arena, a young hero with a rectangular face, sword-like eyebrows, and thin lips, smiled slightly, sheathed his sword, and politely clasped his hands at his opponent, "Vice Leader Bai, thank you for letting me win."
"Good!"
The surrounding martial artists cheered loudly,
Today is the second day of the official Martial Arts Assembly, the arena battles have evolved from the youthful heroes and heroines wielding swords the day before,
into battles between representatives of the major sects, which are far more exciting.
The Martial Arts Assembly was established by giants like the Beggar Gang, Shaolin, and Wudang over a hundred years ago,
The original purpose was to quell the endless vendetta and bloodshed in the martial world,
to select a nominal Martial Arts Alliance Hierarch to mediate the disputes between various factions in the martial world.
However, as time passed, the imperial court became dim-witted and impotent, the officials turned dark and corrupt, and instability reigned in the mortal world,
also made martial artists who break the law with their martial arts restless,
The current Martial Arts Assembly seems more like a place for coordinating disputes and distributing benefits—
The purposes of learning martial arts are many, securing livelihood, self-preservation, satisfying ambition, wielding power, acquiring silver and beauties to enjoy luxurious life...
Those who purely seek to strengthen the body and extend longevity are few.
Fist is power, with power comes the search for profit, all major sects, through relatively civilized battles, select the Martial Arts Alliance Hierarch,
and categorize sects into first, second, and third classes, to distribute benefits.
Recruit disciples, collect followers;
Escort caravans, guard silver shipments;
Purchase land, hire tenants;
Watch homes, hunt criminals;
Even smuggle salt, iron, and tobacco, colluding with officials.
The bustling world is driven by profit, and so are the martial artists,
Previously they resolved things through vendetta and bloodshed, but now, through arena battles in the Martial Arts Assembly, they "civilizedly" negotiate, the defeat retire gracefully, the victors receive the benefits.
Of course, civilization is only relative,
real weapons are used on the arena, participants must sign a life and death agreement.
"Young Hero Linghu has remarkable martial arts!"
"Young Hero Linghu has splendid swordplay!"
"Young Hero Linghu’s Huashan Swordplay is agile and ingenious, akin to a pair of swallows dancing among the willows in spring, moving up and down, left and right, turning as desired, the swordplay is exquisite, reaching the realm of perfection!"
Varieties of praise rang out below the arena, the white-clothed young hero Linghu Chong on the arena slightly shyly and sincerely nodded and clasped his hands in thanks before sheathing his sword and walking towards the direction of the Huashan Sword Sect to the east of the arena.
Linghu Chong is twenty-five this year, outstanding in appearance, with profound swordplay. He is not only the brightest disciple of the Huashan Sect, but also possesses a chivalrous heart, being honest and sincere, bold yet suave, with countless friends and confidants in the martial world, thus drawing such an applause from the audience below.
Thinking about how he had just pretended to use a move "Welcoming Pine Guest", deceived the opponent’s blade to cut sideways, and then followed with a move "White Rainbow Piercing the Sun", directly aiming at the opponent’s heart, forcing them to retreat and fly off the arena,
Linghu Chong couldn’t help but smile a bit, quickening his steps to a modest and elegant, upright middle-aged man, "Master, your disciple didn’t let you down."
The middle-aged man, named Yue Buqun, is the head of the Huashan Sect, proficient in the Purple Mist Divine Skill, with formidable martial arts, humble yet powerful, known in the martial world as the "Gentleman Sword",
and the two beautiful women beside him are Yue Buqun’s wife Ning Zhongze, and Yue Buqun’s daughter Yue Lingshan.
"Chong’er, your hand is red; let your teacher examine it."
Ning Zhongze saw the red mark on Linghu Chong’s hand back, stepping forward to inspect it with concern.
"It was just struck by Vice Leader Bai’s sword hilt, it’s nothing serious."
Linghu Chong explained with a smile, lifting his head to meet Yue Lingshan’s eyes, emotions silently sparking between them.
Linghu Chong lost his parents at an early age, adopted by Yue Buqun as the sect’s lead disciple, and grew up with Yue Lingshan, not only senior and junior brothers but childhood sweethearts, innocent and close,
naturally brewing affection between them from daily interactions.
"Ahem,"
Yue Buqun seemed to notice the exchange of glances between them, lightly coughing, "Chong’er, hurry and meet the senior."
Linghu Chong turned to look, noticing a divine-like, sword-wielding, green-robed Taoist standing beside Yue Buqun, none other than the head of the Qingcheng Sect, Yu Canghai.
Linghu Chong, as the lead disciple of Huashan, was naturally taken to meet the leaders of the major sects, but Yu Canghai looked gloomily downcast today, with gray at his temples, seemingly aged by twenty years, thus momentarily going unrecognized.
"Junior Linghu Chong pays respects to Master Yu."
Linghu Chong quickly clasped his hands in salute, but Yu Canghai merely waved his hand gloomily, continuing to whisper with Yue Buqun, "Master Yue, I hope you consider the matter of the Five Peak Sword Sect..."
Just as the two began their quiet conversation,
The arena once more quickly held the next battle,
Between the Wudang young hero and a Songshan disciple.
The combat on the second day of the Martial Arts Assembly was far more exciting than before,
The Wudang young hero’s swordplay was unpredictable, soft, and winding,
The Songshan disciple’s Songshan swordplay had a daunting aura, resembling long spears and halberds,
Both shifted and maneuvered, presenting a vibrant fight, drawing continuous applause from those below the stage.
However——
Boom!
A loud bang shattered the audience’s focus on the swords,
A shadow fell from the sky, crashing straight down onto the arena center, sending the two young heroes battling above flying out, rolling and landing on the compact yellow soil below the stage.
Who?!
As the dust cleared on the stage, the stunned audience finally saw the face of the shadow.
It was a tall and imposing man,
Kneeling on one knee,
Dressed in entirely pitch-black, exquisitely tailored armor, with a cloak at his back, wearing a helmet with two pointed horns, revealing only his chiseled and sharp lips,
A silver belt hung around his waist, with a black bat-shaped symbol embedded in the middle.
Rather than appearing as a gallant knight dressed in night clothes, he seemed more like a bizarrely dressed figure disguised as a bat demon.
Silence fell upon the scene,
Judging from the trajectory of his arrival, he clearly fell straight from the sky,
Yet no one present could discern his lightness skill’s path.
Madman?
Fool?
Or perhaps a Demon Cult member imitating the former Ming Cult’s Green-winged Bat King Wei Yixiao?
Sure, here is the translation:
Does he not know that there are over ten thousand gallant knights from the Martial World gathered here,
not to mention a martial arts fanatic,
even if Green-winged Bat King Wei Yixiao were resurrected, he couldn’t escape from here.
The two young heroes who were sent flying afar slowly stood up in suspicion and uncertainty,
while the sole remaining judge on the stage deeply frowned, and asked in a low voice: "May I ask, sir, for storming into the Martial Arts Tournament, what is your identity, and what is your purpose?"
"..."
The robust man dressed like a Bat Demon, or should we say, Lin Yu Lin Pingzhi, slowly stood up, articulating clearly, hoarse and deep,
"Admiring Batman."
Batman?
The crowd below the stage was startled and puzzled, having never heard of this name in the martial world, even the Hundred Flowers Valley didn’t have a surname Bai?
Moreover, what does admiration mean?
Could this strange guest on stage be a young hero crazily admiring the maiden Batman, searching for her trace at the Martial Arts Tournament?
"..."
The middle-aged judge on the stage mused for a moment, exchanged a glance with the leaders of Songshan, Hengshan, Shaolin Sect below,
received an indication of approval, then looked at the Bat Demon Batman, speaking in a deep voice: "Sir, this is where the Martial Arts Tournament is being held,
if you have an invitation, please clarify your identity and participate in the duels according to the order.
If you have no invitation and no recommendation from sect elders, then forgive us for not being able to accommodate..."
"Madness is like gravity,"
The man claiming to be Batman slowly got up from the ground, hoarse, "All I need to do, is gently push."
"Hmm?"
The judge squinted his eyes slightly, speaking somewhat aggressively: "Sir, you are being disrespectful to me?"
Batman still ignored him, raising his chin and looking around, gazing down at the countless gallant knights of the Martial World, murmured, "Each of you bears guilt, committing different sins, I decide who is right, and who shall slumber. In the endless night, silence your mouths, the only grace is that everyone standing before me is guilty..."
Batman’s chant-like soliloquy shocked the crowd below, leaving them slightly uneasy,
the judge on stage was also shocked, low shouted: "I have always treated you with courtesy, but you have repeatedly ignored me,
it seems, you do not put me, Swift Thunder Hand Wen Tailai, in your eyes!
Ha!"
Wen Tailai shouted loudly, swinging his arms heavily, his fists clenched tightly,
his uniform suddenly burst open, revealing the robust and scarred muscular body underneath.
"Swift Thunder Hand Wen Tailai! It’s him!"
A gasp arose from beneath the stage,
Wen Tailai was a renowned master in Mobei for many years, unmatched across Mobei with a single swift thunder hand, until he retired from the martial world ten years ago, never to show his face again,
unexpectedly coming to host and participate in the Martial Arts Tournament.
But thinking about it, every four years the Martial Arts Tournament hosts ten days of consecutive duels,
participants of the stage include gallant knights and heroines yearning for fame in the martial world,
as well as fierce bandits and heroes who have committed countless murders and bloodshed,
with weapons that have no eyes, even though the principle is that "martial arts should value harmony,"
it can easily escalate to real fire and bloodshed on stage,
naturally requiring veteran masters to disguise and impersonate as judges to prevent excessive slaughter on stage.
"Hey!"
Wen Tailai, whose shirt exploded, struck out with a palm, his palm wind like lightning, momentum like a rainbow.
One fist,
only needing one fist,
the Bat Demon guest claiming to be Batman used a seemingly ordinary straight punch, hitting Wen Tailai’s face,
the latter flew backward without resistance, hitting the ground,
two teeth scattering, his face a bloody mess.
This!
The crowd below the stage widened their eyes, Swift Thunder Hand Wen Tailai’s palm was as fast as lightning, ordinary masters would absolutely not react, only able to dodge sideways,
yet Batman on stage effortlessly crushed Wen Tailai’s attack.
Bang!
On the north side of the stage, a wooden table was snapped by a hard palm hit; the leader of the Songshan Sect, Zuo Lengchan, who was discussing with the Beggar Gang’s deputy leader Ma Dayuan and Shaolin Sect’s Abbot Xuan Ci, stood up with an iron blue face, glaring angrily at Batman.
Everyone knows, Songshan Sect is exceptionally powerful and numerous,
with the past Beggar Gang leader Hong Qigong, Eastern Heretic Doctor Huang, Western Poison Ouyang Feng, Southern Emperor Duan Zhixing, Central Divinity Wang Chongyang gradually disappearing into seclusion,
with Shaolin Sect, Beggar Gang, and Wudang dwindling,
Songshan Sect becomes the most flourishing.
And Zuo Lengchan is the hottest candidate likely to become the Martial Arts Alliance Hierarch this year.
At this moment, the appearance of a Bat Demon visitor naturally made him furious and enraged,
immediately stepping forward half a step, using a high shout infused with deep inner strength, coldly saying: "Sir, you are making trouble and disrupting the order of my tournament, injuring my friend Wen Tailai,
what exactly is your purpose? Quickly confess!"
In the instant the word "confess" left his mouth, Zuo Lengchan stomped the ground, his figure flickered up, instantly appearing on stage, left hand spreading outward, right hand longsword sweeping right, performing one of the seventeen Songshan Sword Techniques, "Mountain Comes into View".
The crowd below has watched quite a few of the Songshan Sword Sect disciples’ stage duels these days, some moves can be recognized,
yet the sword technique used personally by Zuo Lengchan compared to his disciples, is tens of hundreds of times stronger,
faster than lightning, graceful as startled swans,
one sword pierced,
unexpectedly making some high martial arts individuals below,
suddenly break out in infinite cold sweat behind their backs,
as if just witnessing this sword, they felt as if their chest was pierced through by the blade.
Clang!
A sharp metallic sound rang on the stage,
Zuo Lengchan’s eyes widened, along with the crowd below, incredulously watching the scene ahead—
the Batman clad in a bat-wing cloak, clasped his palms together on his chest, firmly gripping Zuo Lengchan’s longsword, without even changing the position of his feet.
Zuo Lengchan’s heart skipped suddenly, from a distance of more than a meter, he could clearly see the eyes beneath the bat mask,
those were eyes devoid of any emotion,
no warmth, no kindness, not even a trace of numbness.
It was as if Zuo Lengchan did not exist before him at all.
Even the former Sect Hierarch of the Sun Moon Cult, who ran rampant and made all sects wary, never viewed him with such eyes.
Yet Zuo Lengchan, after all, is a leader of a sword sect, though surprised and angry, advanced instead of retreating, summoning profound inner strength from his dantian, stomping bricks underfoot, tightly gripping the sword and stabbing forward.
Sand—
Batman’s palm, and the sword blade rubbed against each other, bursting with dazzling sparks,
this unruly Bat Demon finally stepped back several steps with the sword blade.
However, these few steps back were not dodging, but retreating and waiting.
Block!!!
Batman’s left chest heart was pierced by Zuo Lengchan’s sword tip, yet no matter how much force the latter applied, no matter how much inner strength, he could not penetrate Batman’s seemingly thin layer of breastplate.
"This is Kevlar material from DuPont Company in the extreme west, full name poly-para-phenyleneterephthalamide."
Batman stared directly into Zuo Lengchan’s eyes, indifferently saying: "You lost, fairly so."
