207: ear

"My Huashan Sect is too small to accommodate so many people. Since you are unwilling to believe what Yue says, there is no need to ask further. After all, you do not believe what I say anyway."

Ning Yuan flicked his sleeves and said indifferently.

"This..." The crowd exchanged glances.

At this moment, Great Master Fang Zheng of Shaolin stepped forward. "amitabha, Benefactor Yue, we meet again."

Fang Zheng performed a Buddhist salute and continued, "To tell you the truth, Great Master Miaodi, the previous abbot of my Shaolin, went to Xia Ke Island over thirty years ago and has had no news since. As Benefactor Yue and the Black and White Swords are the only three people to have left Xia Ke Island alive, we have no choice but to come and ask for details."

"I wonder if Benefactor Yue could invite the Black and White Swords out?" Fang Zheng said meticulously.

"Yes, we want to ask the Black and White Swords." Upon hearing this, the others' eyes lit up, and they chimed in one after another.

Yue Buqun was an old fox; nothing useful could be asked here, but the Black and White Swords were different.

Moreover, by comparing the answers obtained from several people, it would be easier to understand the truth of the matter.

"It is truly a pity. Shi Qing, the Master of Xuan Su Manor, was severely injured on Xia Ke Island. Only now, after treatment, has his condition improved, yet he cannot withstand any agitation."

"Since you all cannot trust what I say, you should not have come to Huashan today." Ning Yuan said indifferently.

This made everyone present look embarrassed.

Because explicitly asking to question the Black and White Swords was indeed a clear sign of doubting Yue Buqun's words.

Therefore, the other party's attitude was quite normal.

Facing Ning Yuan's unfriendly gaze, many people averted their eyes and lowered their heads.

Even the people from Shaolin and Wudang did not dare to continue questioning for the time being.

After all, the current Yue Buqun was not the Yue Buqun of the past; he was not only the Huashan Sect Leader but also the Five Mountains Alliance Chief.

Furthermore, he was an existence capable of rivaling the Demon Sect Head, Dongfang Bubai.

He was not someone they could afford to provoke.

Although the other party belonged to the Righteous Path and was not as bloodthirsty as the Demon Sect, seeing Yue Buqun's cold face still made people feel a sense of dread.

Yet, there were still those unafraid of death who stood out. "Headmaster Yue, we only want to know the truth of the matter. Why does Alliance Leader Yue make excuses? Could it be that there is truly a hidden story within this?"

Ning Yuan's eyes flickered, and he said indifferently, "I have already said that this is the full truth of the matter. If you do not believe it, there is nothing I can do. But if you dare to spread rumors to slander Yue's reputation, then my Five Mountains Sword Sect is not to be trifled with."

"Yue is not Zuo Lengchan; I do not like to commit acts of extermination, nor do I like to implicate the innocent. However, if someone insists on splashing dirty water on Yue, then Yue's methods will never be more merciful than Zuo Lengchan's."

"Great Master Fang Zheng, even Buddha has the wrath of the Vajra, don't you agree?" Ning Yuan's gaze fell upon Fang Zheng.

"This..." The abbot was stunned and could not find words.

Then, without waiting for anyone else to speak, Ning Yuan suddenly beckoned. A long sword at the waist of a Disciple behind him flew out of its scabbard. Ning Yuan grasped the hilt and, with a casual stroke, a magnificent Sword Qi slashed out diagonally.

With a 'boom', a deep impression was carved into the distant cliff.

This mark was not only carved into the mountain but also into everyone's hearts.

"This, this..." Everyone present turned pale. They widened their eyes, gazing at the distant cliff face in shock.

Such magnificent Sword Qi was simply unheard of and unseen.

Moreover, a casual strike could leave such a deep mark from nearly a hundred zhang away. If this were to land on a person...

I fear that everyone present would be finished in a single strike. Those who could dodge this strike could be counted on one's fingers.

That's right, dodge, not block. Most would be decapitated under this sword.

Such power directly intimidated everyone present. Because no one had ever seen such terrifying power.

"I fear even Dongfang Bubai might..." Some had witnessed the terror of Dongfang Bubai, but at this moment, they could not help but say such words. This shows the immense pressure Ning Yuan brought upon everyone.

Even Shaolin's Fang Zheng and Wudang's Chongxu had solemn expressions at this moment. The more powerful one was, the more one could feel the power and terror of this strike.

"Is this something human power can achieve?" Many people were puzzled, and their gazes toward Ning Yuan contained a bit more fear.

Such strength completely exceeded the scope of understanding, making them feel increasingly estranged.

"Everyone, is there anything else you wish to say?" Ning Yuan looked down at the crowd, and the whole place was silent. A moment later, everyone left one after another.

Things having reached this point, no one dared to continue pressing. Their strength was clearly unequal; the weak simply had no qualification to force the strong.

Even if they wanted to use moral blackmail, it was clear that if they were too rude, the other party did not need to abide by such things. After all, everyone was a person of the Jianghu, and everything was based on strength.

...

"What's he acting so arrogant about? Isn't it just that he's strong? Can he do whatever he wants just because he's strong?" After descending the mountain, someone finally spoke up indignantly, expressing their dissatisfaction.

"Exactly. He is the leader of the Righteous Path, yet he threatens us, showing absolutely no demeanor of a Righteous Path leader. Being so strong and overbearing, even worse than Zuo Lengchan, and no different from the Demon Sect's Dongfang Bubai. I think the pressure in the Jianghu from now on will likely be even greater than when Zuo Lengchan was alive."

Many people showed expressions of righteous indignation. But they only dared to speak after descending the mountain; no one dared to speak up to his face while on the mountain. Clearly, they were all intimidated at the time.

"This Yue Buqun dares not let us see the Black and White Swords. I think there must be something fishy about this; there must be a hidden story regarding Xia Ke Island." Suddenly, someone said.

"That's right. He must be afraid that we would learn some unknown things from the Black and White Swords, which is why he is so adamant."

"There must be a great secret in this, a secret that cannot see the light of day."

"We must find a way to figure all of this out." Many people showed determined expressions, and many among them had flickering gazes.

"The strength that Yue Buqun displayed seems even stronger than rumors suggested. Could it be that he obtained something from Xia Ke Island?" Suddenly, someone said. As soon as these words were spoken, it immediately caused many people to turn and look.

"I've long heard that Xia Ke Island has divine techniques, peerless skills, and Divine Pills and medicines, which is why so many Seniors rushed to go there in the past. Now that Yue Buqun has returned from Xia Ke Island, his cultivation has greatly advanced. Could it be that he obtained the divine techniques on the island, which is why he has such strength today?" Someone voiced their guess.

This, on the contrary, made many people look enlightened and nod involuntarily.

"That makes sense. Before, rumors in the Jianghu said that Yue Buqun and the Demon Sect Head Dongfang Bubai were evenly matched, but the power displayed by that sword strike today is probably something even Dongfang Bubai cannot match."

"Now that he is the only one who returned with the Xuan Su Manor Couple, perhaps all the benefits of Xia Ke Island were obtained by him alone." Someone said with certainty.

"I think it's even possible that in order to enjoy the divine techniques alone, he murdered the Sect Heads and experts of other major Schools on the island. That is why, after returning, he kept his mouth shut and would not let us confront the Xuan Su Manor Couple, fearing that we would learn of the evil deeds he committed."

"That makes sense; this is the only possibility now. My Sect Head also went for the Xia Ke Island divine techniques. Reasonably speaking, our Tieyi School should have a share. We cannot let Yue Buqun enjoy the divine techniques alone; he must hand over the peerless skills!" A burly man stood out and said loudly.

"Yes, hand over the peerless skills! We major Schools should all have a share of such divine techniques; he must hand them over!" Upon hearing this, the others' eyes lit up one after another.

The Seniors died, so be it, but the benefits cannot be lacking. A peerless skill that could make so many people rush forward must be powerful. This can be seen from the power Yue Buqun displayed with that one sword strike.

Blinded by greed, some had already ignored the strength Yue Buqun displayed. After all, divine techniques stir the heart. In the Jianghu, a single divine technique or peerless skill is enough to trigger a Jianghu upheaval.

"But Yue Buqun's martial arts are very strong now; I fear even the Demon Sect Head might not be his match. Just with us, how can we make him hand over the Cultivation Technique?" However, someone reacted and asked worriedly.

"Hmph, what are you afraid of? Does he, Yue Buqun, dare to kill us?"

"We have gathered people from dozens of Schools here. If Yue Buqun dares to do such a thing, that would be cutting himself off from the Jianghu and cutting himself off from the Righteous Path; he should be condemned by the world!" Someone raised their arm and shouted, filled with righteous indignation.

"That's right, we are not afraid of him. As the leader of the Righteous Path, Yue Buqun should uphold the principles of the Righteous Path. Now, we suspect that he murdered the experts and Sect Heads of our major Schools and want him to give an explanation, not covet any peerless skills." There were also clever people who changed the approach in a few words.

"Let's go back up to Huashan now." Some were already impatient.

If they were asked to go to Huashan alone to confront Yue Buqun, they would still be afraid and dare not. But if so many people went together, then there would be no fear at all. After all, could Yue Buqun kill them all?

As long as he dared not kill them, then he would not dare to kill even one; this was their confidence. Of course, if they were facing the Demon Sect Head Dongfang Bubai, they would absolutely not dare to do this, because people of the Demon Sect do not talk about martial virtue and really dare to kill.

Although Yue Buqun's strength might be stronger than Dongfang Bubai's, as a person of the Righteous Path, he would have many invisible constraints that would restrict his behavior.

"Great Master Fang Zheng, Daoist Chongxu, what do you two think?" Someone looked at the people from Shaolin and Wudang. After all, these were the leaders of the Righteous Path and the strongest among everyone present.

"amitabha, although Benefactor Yue's words were somewhat vague, there must be an inside story, and perhaps it is not as everyone thinks. Everyone must not break out into conflict with him." Although Fang Zheng did not want to get involved, for the sake of the matter regarding the previous Shaolin Abbot, he had no choice and had to ask clearly.

And Daoist Chongxu was the same. After all, a Senior from his sect was trapped on Xia Ke Island, life or death unknown. If he did not clear up this matter, it would be a loss of face and contrary to reason.

"We have just descended the mountain; going up now will likely not get us the answers we want. It is better to wait a few days, wait for comrades from other Schools to arrive, and then go up the mountain together." Chongxu said.

Although the others were very anxious upon hearing this, they had to agree. In the current situation, having more people might indeed be able to bring pressure on the other party.

"Daoist Chongxu's words make sense. That Yue Buqun now thinks highly of himself, relying on his strength to be tyrannical and overbearing. Facing our reasonable and well-grounded requests, he is unwilling to say even half a word more. It is truly infuriating."

"I think he is now even more overbearing than Zuo Lengchan was back then. In the future, he will surely be a great threat to the Martial Forest and should be guarded against as early as possible." The crowd discussed heatedly, all expressing their dissatisfaction with Ning Yuan.

Meanwhile, on the mountain, Ning Yuan had no time to pay attention to these trivial matters. Because he felt that he was about to have a Breakthrough again.

On Si Guo Cliff, Ning Yuan sat cross-legged. "Last time it was the eye aperture; this time, I shall refine the ear aperture."

"After refining the eye aperture, not only has my vision increased, allowing for subtle observation, but I can also slow down the movements of others and see through their flaws. I wonder what kind of Divine Ability this ear aperture will bring me." Ning Yuan was full of anticipation.

With the blessing of dozens of times the Comprehension Ability, and with the path of the Cultivation Technique already clear, Ning Yuan's Breakthrough could be said to have eliminated various hidden dangers.

This is what happens when one looks back from a certain height; the obtained Cultivation Technique has long since been checked for gaps and patched, making it more perfect than simply creating a technique.

He concentrated and mobilized the True Qi in the major acupoints of his body, pouring it into his ears. As a continuous stream of True Qi surged into his ears, Ning Yuan only felt his ears burning.

He did not know how much time had passed when suddenly a cool sensation was born within his ears. The next moment, Ning Yuan's brain felt clear, and then countless noisy sounds entered his ears.

All kinds of subtle insect chirps, bird calls, and faint human voices coming from an unknown distance entered his ears, as if someone were whispering.

"This Yue Buqun won't let us see the Black and White Swords. It must be that the Black and White Swords couple knows some secret and he's afraid it will be leaked. Now we will sneak up the mountain, find the Black and White Swords, and force the reason out of them."

"That's right, that Shi Qing is already crippled, just a useless person. If we make a move, it will be easy to capture. As long as we take down Shi Qing, that Ice and Snow Divine Sword will be afraid to act rashly, and she will answer whatever we ask, won't she?"

"Those people are all too timid. They want benefits but dare not easily show their heads. Have you not heard that wealth is sought in danger!"

Listening to the faint sounds coming to his ears, he frowned and opened his eyes, narrowing them. He looked into the distance, but gained nothing.

"As expected, they are not nearby. But it seems someone has already snuck into Huashan. Hmph, it seems if I don't take action, they really think I am made of clay." Ning Yuan sneered.

He closed his eyes, his heart was clear, and the various noises disappeared, quickly helping Ning Yuan lock onto the source of the sound.

"Found you!" Ning Yuan suddenly opened his eyes and immediately went down the mountain.

After refining the ear aperture, it not only enhanced Ning Yuan's hearing, allowing him to hear subtle sounds from a kilometer away. It also allowed him to discard any noise and listen to what he wanted to hear.

Listening in all directions is not just talk.

"Every time an aperture is opened, it's like obtaining a Divine Ability. This dao entry realm is truly magical!" Ning Yuan sighed inwardly. Such an ability is by no means something that martial arts can possess. After dao entry, even if one has not yet been reborn, one already possesses these various wonders.