27: Chapter 27 The Trip to Shaolin

At the battle of Bright Peak, Cheng Kun's conspiracy was completely exposed. He took the heavily injured The Xuanming Elders and, amidst the chaos of the gunpowder explosion, escaped into the night, not daring to stop for even a moment along the way.

He dared not return to the Ruyang Princes Mansion. Although Princess Zhao Min was only in her teens, she was astute, cautious, and quite calculating; after this defeat, she would certainly no longer trust him.

Moreover, Prince Ruyang had always harbored reservations about this monk who had joined halfway. Having lost the Holy Fire Tokens and crippled The Xuanming Elders, returning would only result in his own execution.

After much deliberation, the only retreat left for Cheng Kun was the Shaolin Temple on Mount Song.

He had been lurking in the Shaolin Sect for decades under the identity of Yuan Zhen, having long since secretly recruited a group of martial monks who harbored deep hatred for the Ming Cult, and had laid countless contingency plans within the temple.

As long as he could hide in the Shaolin Sect and rely on the protection of the Buddhist grounds, even Zhang Sanfeng would not dare to easily bring people to storm the mountain gate to hold him accountable.

As long as he was given time to catch his breath, he could once again incite conflict between the Six Major Sects and the Ming Cult, plunging the entire Central Plains Martial Arts World into slaughter once more.

Traveling by night and hiding by day, Cheng Kun finally snuck back to the Shaolin Temple.

Relying on his familiarity with the paths within the temple, he silently hid in a side courtyard of the Discipline Hall at the back of the Shaolin Temple.

To the outside world, he only claimed that he had just returned from wandering, knowing nothing about the events at Bright Peak.

He thought his plan was flawless, unaware that Zhang Sanfeng had already calculated his retreat clearly.

Zhang Sanfeng had snuck into Dadu alone, intending to strike straight at the Ruyang Princes Mansion and sever the backing behind Cheng Kun, but he discovered that the mansion's defenses were lax and all the core experts were absent.

From an intercepted secret letter from the mansion, he learned that Cheng Kun had long since fled Bright Peak and headed in the direction of Mount Song.

Zhang Sanfeng then sent a letter back to the Wudang Sect, asking Yu Lianzhou and Fifth Brother Zhang Cuishan to come down the mountain to meet him, and then they headed straight for the Shaolin Temple on Mount Song.

The three of them were all top-tier lightness skill experts in the Jianghu, and in just a few days, they had arrived at the foot of Mount Song.

Shaolin mountain patrol Disciples had long since discovered their tracks, and upon seeing that the leader was Zhang Sanfeng, they rushed back to the temple to report.

Inside the Shaolin Temple, Abbot Kongwen was discussing matters with his two Junior Brothers, Kongzhi and Kongxing. Upon hearing that Zhang Sanfeng had personally arrived, he was so shocked that the prayer beads in his hand fell to the ground.

"Zhang Sanfeng? He came personally?" Kongzhi stood up abruptly, his face full of shock. "How many people did he bring? Is he going to storm our Shaolin mountain gate?"

"Reporting to the Abbot, there are only three people: Grandmaster Zhang, as well as the Second Hero Yu and the Fifth Hero Zhang from the Seven Heroes of Wudang," the reporting Disciple replied, bowing.

Abbot Kongwen let out a long sigh of relief, but then immediately furrowed his brows.

Zhang Sanfeng coming with only two Disciples was certainly not to stir up trouble; he must have come for Cheng Kun.

"Quick, follow me to the mountain gate to welcome them." Abbot Kongwen did not dare to be the least bit negligent; he immediately stood up and, leading a group of high monks from the Shaolin Arhat Hall and Bodhidharma Hall, marched imposingly to the outside of the mountain gate.

In front of the mountain gate, Zhang Sanfeng was dressed in a moon-white Daoist robe, with Yu Lianzhou and Fifth Brother Zhang Cuishan standing on either side, their aura steady and their gazes sharp.

Seeing Abbot Kongwen arrive with a group of high monks, Zhang Sanfeng nodded slightly.

"Grandmaster Zhang has graced the Shaolin Sect with his presence. This old monk failed to welcome you from afar; please forgive me, please forgive me."

Abbot Kongwen pressed his palms together and bowed deeply to Zhang Sanfeng, his attitude respectful. The Shaolin monks behind him also bowed in unison.

Everyone knew that the hundred-year-old Daoist before them had long since broken through the shackles of martial arts and stepped into the legendary Great Grandmaster Realm.

Currently, no one in the Shaolin Sect could contend with him. Moreover, Cheng Kun's actions meant the Shaolin Sect was in the wrong to begin with.

"Abbot, you are too polite," Zhang Sanfeng said indifferently.

"This old Daoist has come today not to provoke trouble, but for a public case. I hope the Shaolin Sect can provide an explanation to the entire Central Plains Martial Arts World and to the common people of the world."

Abbot Kongwen's heart sank, and he quickly stepped aside to lead the way: "Grandmaster Zhang, please come inside; let us discuss this at the Mahavira Hall."

The group passed through layers of palace halls and arrived at the Mahavira Hall, the core of the Shaolin Temple.

Inside the hall, incense smoke curled, the Eighteen Arhat statues were solemn and majestic, and the Shaolin high monks lined up on both sides. Zhang Sanfeng sat in the guest seat beside the main seat, while Yu Lianzhou and Fifth Brother Zhang Cuishan stood behind him.

As soon as he sat down, Zhang Sanfeng stopped beating around the bush. His gaze swept over the high monks of the Shaolin Sect in the hall, and he said loudly: "This old Daoist has come today for only one person—Yuan Zhen, also known as the Mixed Origin Thunderbolt Hand, Cheng Kun."

This one sentence caused the hall to fall into instant silence.

The Head of the Bodhidharma Hall, Great Master Kongxu, stood up abruptly and shouted angrily: "Grandmaster Zhang! Junior Nephew Yuan Zhen is a high monk of our Shaolin Discipline Hall who has always been cultivating in the temple. How can you slander him out of thin air and say he is Cheng Kun?"

"Slander?" Zhang Sanfeng smiled indifferently and looked at Abbot Kongwen.

"Abbot Kongwen, previously on Wudang Mountain, this old Daoist already informed the various divine monks of Cheng Kun's conspiracy and the evidence thereof. I do not know why there are still people in your esteemed sect who question this?"

The Shaolin monks in the hall were in an uproar.

Most of them only knew Yuan Zhen as a high monk of the Discipline Hall, and never knew he had such an identity.

At this moment, the gazes directed at Kongwen were also full of doubt.

"Amitabha! Grandmaster Zhang, after we returned to the temple, we discovered that Yuan Zhen was no longer in the temple, and we have already sent Disciples out to search for him."

Abbot Kongwen snapped back to reality. He had originally wanted to keep this matter within a small circle to reduce the impact on the Shaolin Sect's reputation, but now it seemed that was no longer possible.

"Abbot Kongwen, according to my knowledge, Yuan Zhen is hiding in the Shaolin Temple at this very moment," Zhang Sanfeng said.

"What? Could such a thing be true?" Kongwen shouted sternly, "Pass down the order: seal all entrances and exits of the entire temple! Even if you have to dig three feet into the ground, you must find Yuan Zhen for me!"

The martial monks of the Bodhidharma Hall and Arhat Hall immediately accepted the order and poured out to conduct a carpet-style search of the entire Shaolin Temple.

Cheng Kun, hiding in the side courtyard of the Discipline Hall, had long since heard the commotion in the temple.

He knew that Zhang Sanfeng had personally arrived, so Abbot Kongwen would certainly no longer be able to protect him; the Shaolin Sect no longer had a place for him to stay.

He immediately changed into the clothes of an ordinary monk and, relying on his familiarity with the paths within the temple, headed towards the back of the Shaolin Temple, wanting to escape from Mount Song via a secret passage.

But just as he exited the secret passage, he saw a figure holding a long sword, standing quietly under the moonlight. It was none other than Yu Lianzhou, who had been waiting there for a long time.

"Cheng Kun, where do you want to go?" Yu Lianzhou's voice was cold. His long sword slowly unsheathed, and the aura of the Grandmaster Realm spread out without reservation, locking onto Cheng Kun's entire body.

Cheng Kun's face changed drastically. He did not expect that Zhang Sanfeng had actually anticipated that he would escape through the secret passage and had already laid an ambush here.

He simply stopped pretending and shouted ferociously with a hideous expression: "Yu Lianzhou, do you really think I am afraid of you?"

As his voice fell, Cheng Kun suddenly struck out with a palm. His Mixed Origin Skill was operating at full power, and the sinister palm wind struck straight at Yu Lianzhou's face.

He was originally an expert at the Innate Peak, half a step into the Grandmaster Realm, and this palm strike, executed in anger, carried the ferocity of mutual destruction.

Yu Lianzhou smiled indifferently, his long sword slanted upwards, and the smooth, unobstructed Sword Intent spread out instantly.

Cheng Kun's palm wind collided with the Sword Intent, like a clay ox entering the sea, and instantly dissipated without a trace.

Yu Lianzhou's figure flickered, approaching Cheng Kun like a ghost. His long sword flipped, and the tip of the sword, carrying a gentle yet overbearing internal energy, instantly struck the major acupoints of Cheng Kun's body.

Cheng Kun was greatly alarmed and hurriedly retreated to defend, but his Moves were passive everywhere in front of Yu Lianzhou's Taiji Sword Technique.

In less than thirty rounds, Cheng Kun's wrists, shoulders, and knees were successively struck by the sword tip. The Meridians all over his body were instantly sealed, the strength in his hands completely dissipated, and he fell to his knees on the ground with a thud.

Yu Lianzhou stepped forward, stepped on his chest, and said coldly: "Cheng Kun, your conspiracies and schemes end here."

He dragged the captured Cheng Kun, turned around, and returned to the Mahavira Hall, throwing him into the hall.

Looking at Cheng Kun, who was bound tightly and looked ashen-faced, Abbot Kongwen was trembling with anger and shouted furiously: "You wicked obstacle! You wicked obstacle! My Shaolin Sect's thousand-year reputation has been destroyed in your hands!"

Zhang Sanfeng sat upright on the chair, looking at Cheng Kun on the ground with cold eyes, without a ripple of emotion.

[Detected that the host has completed the side quest [Capture Cheng Kun], quest completion 100%!]

[Quest Reward: The host obtains the complete collection of Cheng Kun's and Shaolin martial arts, the biggest undercurrent in the Yitian World has been cleared, world Fusion degree increases by another 5%, current total Fusion degree is 85%!]

The System's notification sound rang in his mind.

Zhang Sanfeng slowly stood up, looked at the Shaolin monks in the hall, and spoke slowly: "Tomorrow, we will publicly try this traitor in front of everyone from the Ming Cult and the Shaolin Sect, and end this grudge that has lasted for decades."