12: Chapter 12 Fist Shakes the Black Demon

Wisps of eerie blue cold mist silently seeped up from the gaps between the blue bricks.

At first, it was like the dampness seeping out of a cellar, chilly and cold.

In the blink of an eye, it condensed into frost, clinging to the surface of the bricks and spreading along the gaps.

There were embers from a bonfire in the ancestral hall, but forced by this cold air, most were extinguished with a "hiss," leaving only a few flickering sparks.

Everyone was startled.

"W-what is this..." Qin Wan took two steps back while holding the young girl, her voice trembling.

Granny Xue approached with her cane and squatted down to look closely. Her withered fingers hovered three inches above the cold mist, not daring to touch it, but her expression had already changed: "Yin Evil entering the ground, ominous Aura piercing the sky... It's something dirty from the Earth Veins, drawn out by the blood on the ground."

Before her voice could fade, Liu Three-Knives' cold laugh came from outside again, even colder than the mist:

"Lu Zhao, playing tricks won't save your life. I'll count to three. Open the door and pay the tribute, hand over the antidote—otherwise, I'll tear down this ancestral hall and bury everyone, human or ghost alike!"

"One!"

Dead silence filled the ancestral hall.

Everyone's eyes turned toward Lu Zhao in unison.

Lu Zhao stared at the spreading cold mist. The ominous throbbing in his spiritual platform became increasingly clear, and the resonance from the depths of the cave was almost loud enough to burst his eardrums.

But with a formidable enemy outside and the subterranean mutation still unclear, he weighed the two evils—

He suddenly raised his foot and stomped heavily on the blue bricks!

Nine Yang True Qi erupted from the soles of his feet, and the extreme Yang heat crashed down, scattering all the cold mist within a three-foot radius! The frost on the surface of the bricks melted, revealing their original color.

"We'll deal with the underground matter later." Lu Zhao turned to face the ancestral hall's main door, his voice calm. "First, we deal with the ones outside."

"Two!" Liu Three-Knives' countdown was like a death knell.

Yan Meng gripped his broken spear, Zhong Tiegu lifted his iron staff, and though He Shan's shoulder wound hadn't healed, he still gritted his teeth and notched an arrow scavenged from the black-clad dead soldiers. The dozen or so youths from the War Martial Hall all tensed their bodies.

Lu Zhao, however, waved his hand.

"If the door opens, it'll be a chaotic fight. Liu Three-Knives has more people, and we have many wounded; we can't afford a war of attrition." His gaze swept over everyone. "I'll go meet his deputy—the one who was shooting arrows just now. If I win, it will dampen their morale; if I lose..."

He paused, leaving the sentence unfinished.

But everyone understood. If he lost, the ancestral hall would become their grave.

"I'll go!" He Shan tried to stand.

Lu Zhao pressed down on his shoulder. "Your archery is divine, but close combat isn't your strength. That deputy is at the second layer of Qi Refining, and his blade carries Evil Qi. I am the most suitable."

Having said that, without waiting for further persuasion, he strode to the door and pulled out the bolt.

"Squeak—"

The ancestral hall door slowly opened a crack.

The morning light outside was blinding, mixed with lingering smoke and the smell of blood.

Thirty Black Armor Guards held their blades and reined in their horses, arrayed in formation before them. The horses' hooves trotted lightly, and their armor clattered coldly. Liu Three-Knives sat atop his horse, his triangular eyes narrowed. Seeing the door open, a mocking smirk curled on his lips.

Beside him, the deputy who had just shot the fire arrows dismounted, carrying a thick-backed Ghost-Head Saber, and strode forward. This man was about thirty, with a sallow face and sunken eyes. A faint black mist swirled around him, a clear sign of cultivating the Black Evil Skill.

"Kid, you've got some guts." The deputy's voice was raspy, like sandpaper on iron. "State your name. I don't kill nameless ghosts."

Lu Zhao stepped over the threshold and closed the door behind him.

"Lu Zhao of Yangjiao Ravine."

"Lu Zhao?" The deputy grinned, revealing yellow teeth. "Never heard of you. But since you killed Liu Biao, you must have some skill—pity, it ends here today."

As soon as he finished speaking, his figure suddenly charged forward!

Instead of a straight line, he took three diagonal steps, flickering like a ghost. He dragged the Ghost-Head Saber behind him, its edge scraping the ground and kicking up a trail of sparks. When he reached about ten feet from Lu Zhao, the dragging motion suddenly turned into an upward slash. The blade light was like a bolt of silk, cutting upward diagonally toward Lu Zhao's chest and abdomen!

This strike had no flourishes, only one word: fast!

The saber wind was biting, carrying a cold and fishy evil Aura. Before it even touched him, it made his spine go cold.

Lu Zhao didn't dare take it head-on. He tapped the ground with his toes and drifted backward.

At the same time, he shifted his palms, assuming the opening stance of Wudang Long Fist, "Boy Worships Buddha." His palms emitted a faint force, and with Nine Yang True Qi circulating, he laid down an invisible wall of Qi in front of him.

"Clang!"

The blade struck the Qi wall, unexpectedly producing the sound of clashing metal! The wall shook violently. Lu Zhao felt a bone-chilling Evil Qi pour back through the Meridians of his arm. His entire right arm went numb instantly, as if plunged into an ice cellar!

His heart tightened—this was the difference between the martial artists of this world and True Qi!

In his previous life, Jin Yong's martial arts emphasized Internal Energy being upright and balanced, harmonizing Yin and Yang. Although they also had cold and hot attributes, those were mostly characteristics of the techniques. However, the Evil Qi cultivated by the Black Evil Skill carried a violent, corrosive, and wicked nature. It could not only harm the body but also foul the Meridians and erode one's blood and Qi!

"Heh!" Seeing his strike succeed, the deputy gave a sinister laugh. Without stopping his momentum, he followed up with a horizontal slash!

Lu Zhao forced his True Qi to rise and struck out with his left palm, using the "Cloud Hands" neutralization technique from Tai Chi. His palm stuck to the back of the blade, leading it outward. Simultaneously, he stepped on the ground and used the momentum to spin, narrowly avoiding the blade's edge.

But that cold Evil Qi had already invaded his right arm, making it heavy, stiff, and difficult to Move. The Nine Yang True Qi automatically protected his body, with extreme Yang heat surging through his Meridians to counter the Evil Qi, making a "hissing" sound like cold water dripping into hot oil.

The deputy pressed his advantage relentlessly, his Ghost-Head Saber flying, every strike aimed at Lu Zhao's vitals.

Although his cultivation was only at the second layer of Qi Refining, the Black Evil Skill followed a sinister and ruthless path. His saber Moves were treacherous, specifically targeting the lower body and joints. The Evil Qi permeated the air, completely enveloping Lu Zhao within a three-foot radius.

Lu Zhao was quite unaccustomed at first and could only rely on the steady parries of Wudang Long Fist and the neutralizing techniques of Tai Chi to maneuver, retreating step by step. With every strike he took, his arm grew a bit more numb. The cold Qi was like a maggot on a bone, constantly eroding toward his heart Meridians.

But his Heart-Nature was resilient. The more dangerous it became, the clearer his spiritual platform grew. The Nine Yang Divine Skill Mind-Cultivation Technique operated on its own, with True Qi like a great river surging through his Meridians, gradually neutralizing and dispelling the invading Evil Qi.

After three to five Moves, the numbness in his right arm began to fade.

After ten Moves, he could Move it flexibly.

At the fifteenth Move, Lu Zhao suddenly took a deep breath, and the Purple Qi in his Dantian exploded!

The continuous clashes just now, though troubled by the Evil Qi, allowed the Nine Yang Divine Skill—which excelled at growing stronger through battle—to improve during actual combat. At this moment, as his Qi sensed the environment, it actually broke through a tiny aperture, and the speed of his True Qi circulation surged by thirty percent!

His spirits rose. He planted his feet firmly and stopped retreating.

The deputy was in the middle of a diagonal slash. Seeing Lu Zhao advance instead of retreat, he was overjoyed—this kid was looking for death! He added power to the blade, the black Evil Qi condensing on the edge, faintly emitting the sound of ghostly wailing!

Lu Zhao neither dodged nor avoided it. His right punch shot out from his waist, plain and simple—it was the most basic Move of Wudang Long Fist, the "Straight Punch."

Halfway through the punch, Nine Yang True Qi was fully poured into it. A thin layer of golden-red light actually appeared on the fist, like the first glow of dawn!

"Clang—!"

The fist collided with the flat of the blade, producing a deafening explosion!

A wave of Qi exploded, and dust flew everywhere.

The deputy only felt a searing, immense force coming from the saber, like holding a branding iron. His tiger's mouth split open, and blood splattered! The Ghost-Head Saber was actually knocked out of his hand by this punch, flipping through the air several times before "thwacking" into a dirt wall thirty feet away, the hilt still vibrating incessantly!

He stumbled back and looked down at his hand; his palm was charred black, as if burned by a fierce flame. More terrifyingly, a surge of extreme Yang and rigid True Qi rushed up through the Meridians of his arm. Wherever it passed, the black Evil Qi he had painstakingly cultivated for years dissipated like snow meeting boiling water!

"You... are not a Mortal?!" The deputy looked up in horror, his single eye filled with fear.

Lu Zhao didn't answer. His punch's momentum wasn't exhausted, and he stepped forward to strike again!

This punch went straight for the center, without any trickery, but it was as fast as lightning. The deputy hurriedly raised his arms to block. With a "crack," his arm bone snapped, and the punch's force penetrated his body, slamming into his chest.

"Pfft!"

The deputy spat out a mouthful of black blood, his breastbone caved in. He flew backward like a broken sack, knocking over two Black Armor Guards before slamming heavily onto the ground. After a couple of struggles, he stopped moving.

The field fell into a dead silence.

The mocking expression on Liu Three-Knives' face froze completely.

He saw it clearly—the nature of Lu Zhao's True Qi in that punch was extreme Yang and rigid, the natural nemesis of sinister and evil techniques like the Black Evil Skill! Even more terrifying was this boy's grasp of combat opportunities and his application of Moves; it was seamless, not at all like a village youth, but more like a battle-hardened Grandmaster!

"Good... very good." Liu Three-Knives slowly dismounted, his hand on his saber hilt, killing intent boiling in his eyes. "So you have such a Legacy; no wonder you dare to challenge my Liu Family."

He stepped forward one pace at a time, releasing his Aura at the Peak of the fourth layer of Qi Refining without reservation. Black mist rose around him, several times denser than the deputy's, faintly condensing into a hideous ghostly face that bared its fangs and brandished its claws behind him.

"But with just this bit of skill, it's not enough."

Before he could finish, a cry of alarm suddenly came from inside the ancestral hall!

It was Qin Wan's voice: "Mr. Lu, watch out!"

A warning sign suddenly flared in Lu Zhao's heart. Without time to look back, he pushed off with his toes and lunged forward!

Almost simultaneously, the ground where he had just been standing exploded with a "boom!" Eerie blue cold mist erupted like a fountain, condensing into a giant ice-crystal hand. Its five fingers splayed wide, it clawed down fiercely!

It caught nothing but air.

Having missed its strike, the giant ice-crystal hand slowly retracted into the ground, leaving only a deep pit about ten feet wide. The walls of the pit were covered in frost, and cold air overflowed.

Liu Three-Knives was also startled by this sudden change and took two steps back, staring at the deep pit with an uncertain expression.

That thing underground... actually chose this moment to attack!

The ancestral hall door burst open with a "bang," and Yan Meng, He Shan, and the others rushed out, surrounding Lu Zhao in protection. Everyone looked at the deep pit and gasped.

"This thing... has it targeted us?" Zhong Tiegu's voice was dry.

Lu Zhao took a breath. Although he had narrowly avoided the lunge, the aftershock from the giant ice-crystal hand had still brushed his back. Now, his spine was freezing cold, and the circulation of his blood and Qi was sluggish.

He forced his Nine Yang True Qi to dispel the cold, but his eyes remained fixed on the deep pit.

In his spiritual platform, the ominous throbbing had not subsided; instead, it became increasingly frenzied, as if it had been completely awakened by the stimulation of the extreme Yang Aura from his punch.

"Steward Liu," Lu Zhao suddenly spoke, his voice not loud but clearly reaching Liu Three-Knives' ears. "Do you know the origin of this thing underground?"

Liu Three-Knives' eyes flickered, but he didn't answer.

Lu Zhao continued, "It absorbs the energy of the Earth Veins and condenses Yin Evil into ice. That strike just now already had the power of the Middle Stage of Qi Refining. Today, we are fighting here, and the bloodlust is soaring to the sky; it is exactly the nourishment it likes most. If we wait for it to completely break through the ground..."

He paused.

"Yangjiao Ravine will certainly be destroyed, but the three hundred miles of Black Mountain are connected by Earth Veins. Since it has taken root here, I'm sure Steward Liu knows where its next step will be."

Liu Three-Knives' face darkened.

How could he not know? If such an ominous thing were allowed to grow, it would surely become a disaster for the region. The Black Mountain Liu Family occupied three hundred miles of territory and would be the first to bear the brunt!

But he was unwilling to stop now.

While they were in a stalemate, a long howl suddenly came from the distance!

The howl was raspy and violent, like an injured beast, rolling in from the mountain forest to the west, shaking the leaves so they rustled down.

Everyone looked toward the sound and saw a burly figure treading over the trees. With every rise and fall, he used the treetops for leverage, gliding like a large bird. In a few breaths, he reached the village entrance and landed with a "boom," cracking the ground.

The newcomer was nine feet tall, broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, with a blood-red single eye. He carried a Ghost-Head Saber as wide as a door panel, with blood still wet on the blade. It was the returning Boss Wu!

Coarse cloth was wrapped around his chest and abdomen, but blood was still seeping through, clearly caused by He Shan's crossbow bolt.

But at this moment, his Aura had not diminished; instead, it was even more ferocious. The black Evil Qi around him rose like flames—he had actually broken through to the fourth layer of Qi Refining!

"Liu Three-Knives! Lu Zhao!" Boss Wu's single eye swept the field, his voice like thunder. "Today, we have some scores to settle!"

He pointed the tip of his saber at Lu Zhao: "Little brat, I will make you pay tenfold for the debt of that arrow!"

Then he pointed at Liu Three-Knives: "And you! Colluding with outsiders to scheme against me, do you really think the Funiu Gang is made of mud?!"

Finally, he slammed the blade heavily onto the ground and gave a sinister laugh:

"But before that—"

His single eye turned toward the deep pit in front of the ancestral hall, which was filled with eerie blue cold mist, and he licked his lips.

"The good stuff underground, I'm taking it!"

As soon as Boss Wu finished speaking, he ignored everyone and leaped toward the deep pit! The Ghost-Head Saber carried the force of splitting a mountain as it hacked fiercely toward the lingering cold mist in the pit! The Saber Evil and the Earth Evil collided, and amidst a thunderous roar, a sharp, non-human, non-beast shriek came from the bottom of the pit—that thing had been completely enraged!