88: Chapter 88 The Old Ancestor of the Ironclad Sect

The main gates of the county yamen opened with a "creak".

The martial artists still gathered at the entrance of the county yamen turned their heads in unison and saw Clerk Liu walking out from inside.

He was wearing that dark green official robe, his hat was worn squarely, his face had no expression, but his lips were pressed tightly together.

He stood on the steps, glanced at those pale-faced martial artists, and listened to the screams coming from the alleys.

Looking at the county town where he had lived for twenty years, Clerk Liu took a deep breath and said,

"Be quiet."

The martial artists at the entrance of the county yamen all quieted down.

They looked at Clerk Liu's expressionless face.

"The County Magistrate has been missing for many days, and this official is the person in charge of Guanhai County."

Clerk Liu's voice rang out from the steps, drilling into the ears of everyone present.

"This official has already invited the only two Third-turn Martial Artists in Guanhai County, and these two elders have agreed to come out of seclusion to resolve this disaster."

The martial artists at the entrance of the county yamen began to exchange glances.

Looking at those martial artists, Clerk Liu continued,

"These two elders are the ancestors of the Tieyi Sect and have been in seclusion in the north of the city for a long time."

"If it weren't for this official begging them with the lives of the people of Guanhai County, these two elders would never have come out of seclusion."

His voice rose a bit.

"Now, these two elders will come out of seclusion immediately."

"What this official wants you to do is to cooperate well when these two elders make a move."

"Can you do it?"

Since Clerk Liu had said so, the martial artists present naturally nodded one after another.

After all, the help brought by two Third-turn Martial Artists was unquestionable.

Just as Clerk Liu's voice fell, two surging auras of blood burst forth wildly from the direction of the north of the city.

Joy surged onto the faces of the martial artists at the entrance of the county yamen.

Because these two surging auras of blood were impressively the auras of Third-turn Martial Artists!

Clerk Liu was right, those two ancestors of the Tieyi Sect who were always in seclusion had come out of seclusion!

Two blood-aura figures darted over from the north of the city, so fast they could hardly be seen.

Only two streaks of red light could be seen, one heading east and one heading west, drawing two arcs across the sky above the county town, speeding along like two shooting stars.

The red light heading east landed on a rooftop.

Standing on the rooftop was a Second-turn Martial Artist parasitized by an evil entity, the roots in the wound on his neck twisting wildly.

A black flower bloomed beside his wound, emanating swaying black Qi.

He raised his head, his lifeless eyes staring at the falling red light, his mouth wide open in a roar.

A fist reached out from within the red light, directly smashing onto the body of this parasitized martial artist.

"Boom—"

There was no scream, no struggle, only a muffled sound.

That Second-turn Martial Artist was sent flying backward across the rooftop.

Furthermore, while flying backward in mid-air, starting from the top of his head, he shattered all the way down to the soles of his feet.

Bones, flesh, and roots were all shattered into small pieces, and his blood aura was blasted into a patch of red-black mist, slowly dispersing in the afternoon sunlight.

The rooftop was smashed into a large hole, roof tiles shattered all over the ground, several roof beams broke, and dust surged out from the hole.

The red light dissipated completely, and a person stood on the rooftop.

This person had graying hair and a face full of wrinkles, but his back was kept very straight, like an old pine tree.

He wore the robe of the Tieyi Sect, the corners of his robe fluttering loudly in the wind.

This person was precisely the elder brother of the twins who were the ancestors of the Tieyi Sect.

Tie Lanshan.

Tieyi Sect ancestor Tie Lanshan stood on the rooftop, looking at the Second-turn Martial Artist he had shattered.

Broken flesh, shattered bones, and roots reduced to residue were scattered all over the ground.

Thinking it was over, he turned around to leave.

Then he heard a sound, faint and dense.

He lowered his head and saw that the pieces of flesh had begun to move.

The roots reduced to residue grew out again from the small chunks of flesh, entangled those pieces of flesh, and dragged them back piece by piece.

The bits of flesh pieced together into fragments, the fragments into limbs, and the limbs into a still-twitching body.

That body crawled up from the ground, the roots at the wound on its neck twisting, and a black flower blooming on the wound of its neck.

Tie Lanshan did not move.

He stood there, watching that healing body.

Watching the roots grow out again from the powder, watching the black Qi twisting at the edge of the black flower.

His brow furrowed deeply, but his hands were no longer clenched into fists.

He could tell.

This thing could not be killed.

Blast it apart once, and it would piece itself back together;

Blast it apart ten times, and it would still be of no use.

Those roots and the black flower were the true body, while that body was merely a vessel and nourishment.

As long as the roots were still there and the black flower was still there, it could constantly piece itself back together.

Yet his punch just now had no way of shattering the black flower at all.

"This is an evil entity causing chaos!"

Tie Lanshan was truly a Third-turn Martial Artist; he instantly understood why this black flower could not be destroyed.

Since it was an evil entity causing chaos, then this parasitized martial artist could not be slain.

Tie Lanshan's figure stepped forward, landing in front of that still-healing body.

His speed was not fast, but every step was very steady as he stepped on the shattered tiles.

That parasitized martial artist threw a punch at Tie Lanshan.

The Tieyi ancestor did not dodge, raising his arm to block in front of him.

The parasitized martial artist's punch struck his arm, producing the sound of metal clashing and sending sparks flying in all directions.

Tie Lanshan's sleeve was torn open, but not even a white mark was left on his arm.

The ultimate technique of the Tieyi Sect refined the skin, bones, tendons, and flesh, forging oneself into a piece of iron, a wall that could never be penetrated no matter how it was hit.

A Second-turn parasitized martial artist could not break his defense.

With a backhand punch, Tie Lanshan shattered the parasitized martial artist once more, his gaze falling upon the temple across the street.

The temple gates stood wide open, the monks inside had all fled, leaving only a bronze bell hanging in the bell tower.

That bell was very large, fully one and a half persons tall, cast with scriptures and lotus patterns, weighing at least over a thousand catties.

He leaped up to the bell tower, cleaved the rope suspending the bell with a single palm strike, and as the bronze bell fell, he supported the top of the bell with one hand and landed steadily.

The bronze bell weighing over a thousand catties was like a bowl in his hands, feather-light, without shaking or swaying at all.

He walked over to the still-twitching body. The roots lunged at him, scratching against his chest, sending sparks flying without leaving even a trace of a mark.

Tie Lanshan ignored it, flipped his wrist, and inverted the bronze bell, covering the parasitized martial artist beneath it.

The bell walls were thick and the bronze sound was dull. That thing bumped against it a few times inside, causing the bell body to hum, but it remained completely motionless.

The roots stretched out from the gaps along the rim of the bell, twisting and trying to crawl out.

Tie Lanshan squatted down, pressed both palms onto the top of the bell, and with his blood aura surging, the bronze bell sank down another three inches.

The rim of the bell sank into the bluestone slabs, crushing those protruding roots.

A dull crashing sound came from inside the bronze bell, once, and again, and again.

That thing was still inside, still alive, but it couldn't come out at all.

The Tieyi ancestor stood up, patted the dust off his hands, and looked at the bronze bell inverted in the middle of the street.

After looking at it for a moment, he turned around and dashed toward another direction.

The surging blood aura dragged out a long red-light tail behind him, like a comet streaking across the sky.

And that bronze bell was inverted quietly there, like a tomb mound.