Chapter 241: Sneak Attack

Wang Shichong had already made preparations and was ready to force Jingnian Zen Temple to hand over the Heshi Bi to him.

If Jingnian Zen Temple did not hand over the Heshi Bi, Wang Shichong would not mind bringing hundreds of thousands of troops to encircle Jingnian Zen Temple. After all

, although Jingnian Zen Temple was one of the leaders of the righteous path, there was no great master in Jingnian Zen Temple, and it could not ignore the army.

Even if Jingnian Zen Temple did not want to hand over the Heshi Bi to Wang Shichong, facing hundreds of thousands of troops, they would probably hesitate again and again, and in the end they would have to compromise first.

And Wang Shichong's decision to use hundreds of thousands of troops to intimidate Jingnian Zen Temple had already spread before Wang Shichong had mobilized his troops.

Many forces already knew Wang Shichong's plan.

To prevent the Heshi Bi from falling into Wang Shichong's hands, and even more so to seize it and ultimately conquer the Sui Dynasty, these individuals planned to storm Jingnian Monastery before Wang Shichong's army arrived, seize the Heshi Bi, and then flee with it.

Many people harbored this strategy.

However, due to the suddenness of the attack, many factions were unprepared. Consequently, the number of experts who could actually reach Jingnian Monastery before Wang Shichong's army arrived was relatively small. The number

of experts from a single faction was limited, and some factions didn't even have any experts able to arrive in time.

However, this wasn't crucial; the significant number of factions eyeing the Heshi Bi was enormous.

However, these experts came from many different factions, and many of them were even hostile to each other. Consequently, the scene grew increasingly lively. So

many people swarmed toward Jingnian Monastery

, and the sheer number of experts caused chaos within the monastery.

"I wonder, benefactors, why have you come to my Jingnian Monastery?" an old monk clasped his hands together and addressed the crowd in a neither servile nor overbearing tone.

"Old monk, we all know what's going on. There's no need to waste time. Just hand over the Heshi Bi. While your Jingnian Monastery boasts numerous experts, we have far more. More importantly, Wang Shichong's army of hundreds of thousands could reach Jingnian Monastery in under an hour. If you don't hand over the Heshi Bi, you'll end up facing Wang Shichong's army. You don't want to hand the Heshi Bi over to Wang Shichong, do you?"

These people knew that Jingnian Monastery was not to be trifled with, so if they could obtain the Heshi Bi simply through persuasion, that would be the best.

As for whether Jingnian Monastery actually handed over the Heshi Bi, with so many powerful forces, who would ultimately possess it? We could wait until the Heshi Bi was produced before we could fight for it.

"Amitabha, benefactors, please return. You are not the ones who chose the Heshi Bi." The old monk shook his head.

He remained unmoved by what these people said, even if Wang Shichong's hundreds of thousands of troops were brought to bear.

"Hey, old monk..."

Soon, these people and the monks from Jingnian Monastery started fighting.

While they were fighting, in a secluded corner, an ordinary-looking young monk quietly walked into Jingnian Monastery.

This young monk was, of course, Ye Xiu in disguise.

Jingnian Monastery was, after all, a Buddhist temple, and being a monk would naturally make it easier to move around.

As for Ye Xiu's current appearance, it was indeed that of a monk from Jingnian Monastery.

However, the young monk was already sleeping soundly in a corner, so Ye Xiu didn't worry about being seen.

With this young monk's appearance and the chaos that had already begun to erupt at Jingnian Monastery, Ye Xiu had no problem getting through.

Ye Xiu arrived smoothly outside the brass hall at Jingnian Monastery, where the Heshi Bi was housed.

At this point, Ye Xiu finally encountered an obstacle.

Jingnian Monastery's four Dharma protectors—No Anger, No Ignorance, No Greed, and No Fear—still sat cross-legged outside the brass hall, unfazed by the noise outside.

These four Dharma protectors posed the greatest obstacle to Ye Xiu's entry.

As Ye Xiu arrived outside, the four Dharma protectors simultaneously opened their eyes, their glints gleaming.

Upon seeing that the person entering was a young monk, they froze, only to ask, "What brings you here?" "

Master, there are a lot of ferocious men outside. Master and the others are almost unable to hold out, so I've come to ask for help from you, Master," Ye Xiu said anxiously.

"Amitabha, there's no need to worry about this kind of thing. Just stay here and be at peace..."

The four elder monks, the Four Dharma Protectors of Jingnian Zen Temple, showed no sign of moving.

"But—"

"No need to say more!"

"Okay, okay—" Ye Xiu muttered, a look of embarrassment on his face, and turned to leave.

But just as Ye Xiu was about to turn around, he suddenly leaped up, dashing in front of the Elder Monk Buchen, one of the Four Dharma Protectors, and struck out with a palm. This palm strike was silent, seemingly powerless, yet in reality, it was incredibly vicious and ruthless.

The gentle force of the palm penetrated the monk Buchen's honed Golden Body and struck directly into his internal organs.

Instantly, the monk's internal organs ruptured, and although he survived, he was already incapacitated.

"Bu Chen!"

The three old monks hadn't expected Ye Xiu's sudden attack. After Ye Xiu knocked Bu Chen to the ground, the three old monks finally reacted and launched a joint attack on Ye Xiu.

Although these three old monks were very old, with their eyebrows and beards already graying, their attacks were unusually fierce.

The wind from their palms was fierce and sharp, and before they even touched Ye Xiu, Ye Xiu could already vaguely sense the unusual power of their palms.

Facing the fierce and sharp palm power of the three old monks, Ye Xiu turned his wrist, and his movements seemed even more gentle, even giving the impression that his punches and kicks were completely powerless.

Seeing Ye Xiu's actions, the three old monks were a little surprised, but they didn't stop attacking. Instead, they mobilized their internal Qi with even greater force, making their attacks even more powerful.

However, Ye Xiu's seemingly slow movements just happened to sweep past the wrists of the three men. They then realized that their powerful palm power had somehow changed direction, and their attacks all missed.

As their palms missed, Ye Xiu unleashed a powerful "Grassing Sparrow Tail" attack, striking directly at the rightmost monk, Buwei.

With the same seemingly unhurried, or rather, gentle, slow movements, Buwei twisted his body, ignoring Ye Xiu's attack and attacking his body instead.

The old monk intended to fight injury for injury, life for life.

Of course, it's also possible that Buwei, seeing Ye Xiu's gentle movements, assumed his attacks weren't strong, and that his profound horizontal training skills should be enough to block them.

Seeing this, Ye Xiu sneered inwardly.

Tai Chi may appear slow and gentle, seemingly insignificant, but in reality, its punches are incredibly powerful.

Or perhaps it's more accurate to say that Tai Chi is profound and extensive, created by Zhang Sanfeng, who achieved the Heavenly Man Realm. Its seemingly gentle movements conceal a supremely strong and masculine power. It can seamlessly shift between yin and yang,

shifting between gentle and fierce. When gentle, Tai Chi can be incredibly soft, while when fierce, it rivals the unparalleled power of the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms.

Furthermore, while Tai Chi may appear slow, its instantaneous strikes are lightning-fast, leaving no defense.

Monk Bu Fear felt Ye Xiu's fists were soft and weak, his movements somewhat slow, so he planned to strike first, either killing or injuring him. This would negate any potential special features in Ye Xiu's form. Furthermore, he had the Buddhist Horizontal Training Kung Fu to protect him, even if he were to be noticed.

Unfortunately, Monk Bu Fear underestimated Tai Chi, and Zhang Sanfeng, its creator.

The Buddhist horizontal training kung fu he relied on was no match for Tai Chi, no more so than a piece of paper.

Zhang Sanfeng, after all, grew up in the Shaolin Temple. While he wasn't allowed to practice martial arts, he witnessed a fair amount of Shaolin Kung Fu, particularly the practice of horizontal training, where most monks cultivated exceptionally strong bodies.

After leaving Shaolin, he was hunted for a long time by the temple. The Shaolin Temple's reason for hunting him down was, of course, to prevent the spread of Shaolin martial arts.

During this pursuit, Zhang Sanfeng repeatedly encountered the Shaolin Temple's hard horizontal training kung fu.

Consequently, Zhang Sanfeng created the Wudang Mian Zhang (Mian Zhang) specifically to combat the horizontal training kung fu.

The Wudang Mian Zhang, with its gentle yet penetrating power, was designed as a countermeasure to the Shaolin Temple's horizontal training kung fu.

Later, Zhang Sanfeng compiled his lifelong learning and created Tai Chi Chuan. Tai Chi Chuan naturally inherited Zhang Sanfeng's habits. Even if Zhang Sanfeng didn't do it intentionally, he instinctively incorporated some of the ideas he had developed against the Shaolin Temple's horizontal training techniques into Tai Chi Chuan.

Therefore, when facing Tai Chi Chuan, using other techniques would be fine, but if the opponent used horizontal training techniques, then they would be out of luck, as Tai Chi Chuan was the nemesis of these horizontal training techniques.

Ye Xiu's fist was still nearly twenty centimeters away from Monk Bu Jue, while Monk Bu Jue's fist was only a fist's length away from Ye Xiu's chest.

Monk Bu Jue seemed to almost see Ye Xiu being killed by his punch, his intestines ripped apart. A sinister smile appeared on Monk Bu Jue's face.

But the next moment, the sinister smile on Monk Bu Jue's face suddenly froze.

Ye Xiu's fist suddenly accelerated like lightning, striking the old monk Bu Ju's chest before he could reach him.

"Poof!

" Bu Ju's body felt like a balloon had been punctured, deflated.

The next moment, blood gushed from all seven of his orifices, and he collapsed to the ground, as if his spine had been ripped out.

"Bu Ju!"

The two monks, Bu Chi and Bu Tan, couldn't help but stare wide-eyed, their eyes filled with rage.

It had only been two encounters!

In the first, the old monk Bu Chen was ambushed by Ye Xiu, and it was unclear whether he was dead or alive, but at least he was no longer able to fight.

In the second, the old monk Bu Ju was again knocked to the ground by Ye Xiu's blow, bleeding from all seven orifices, and it was clear that he was no longer alive.

The four of them, as the Four Dharma Protectors of Jingnian Zen Temple, had practically lived together since they assumed their positions in middle age, a period that spanned decades.

Decades of friendship had built up, and the incident with Bu Chen and Bu Ju caused the remaining two old monks, Bu Chi and Bu Tan, to lose their composure. Fuming with rage, they threatened to fight Ye Xiu to the death.

Facing the two monks, Ye Xiu unleashed his ultimate Tai Chi technique.

Bang bang—

Bu Chi and Bu Tan's bodies collapsed to the ground like worn-out sacks.

They were instantly killed by Ye Xiu.

The four old monks, Bu Chi, Bu Tan, Bu Chen, and Bu Ju, were exceptionally powerful, each reaching the eighth level of Grandmaster Realm, the late Grandmaster stage.

It could be said that the Four Dharma Protectors of Jingnian Monastery were a lesser version of the Four Great Saints of Buddhism.

Together, they could chase Shi Zhixuan, who had fallen from Grandmaster status, into a frenzy. And the Four Dharma Protectors of Jingnian Monastery, combined, were powerful enough to deter even a ninth-level Grandmaster.

In a sense, the four of them, combined, could rival even the most elite masters at the ninth level of the Grandmaster Realm.

Unfortunately, they encountered Ye Xiu, a warrior with a more profound and advanced martial arts training, even possessing the aura of a war god.

When Ye Xiu sought to resolve the battle quickly, his attacks were all about killing moves, with no attempt at probing.

In a typical fight, most people would exert 70% to 80% of their strength, reserving 20% to 30% for unexpected situations. This way, they could adapt to any situation and react quickly.

This was the norm in most battles.

However, this time, pressed for time, Ye Xiu abandoned any such unnecessary probing and went straight for a killing move.

Furthermore, Ye Xiu took the initiative with a sneak attack on one of them, knocking down Monk Bu Chen and rendering him ineffective. The four-man formation was naturally broken. The remaining three, lacking Monk Bu Fear, were somewhat vulnerable to defeat.

Whether it was a sneak attack or some other method, Ye Xiu's goal was speed.

Before Jingnian Zen Temple could react, he dispatched the four Dharma Protectors with incredible speed. The entire process, from start to finish, took only a few breaths.

After dispatching the four Dharma Protectors, Ye Xiu quickly rushed to the entrance of the brass hall and quietly pushed the brass door open.

As Ye Xiu pushed the door open a crack, he sensed the Heshi Bi's unique radiation fluctuations, which had been blocked by the brass hall.

The moment the radiation wave descended, Ye Xiu's inner Qi began to shift. Even the energies of the Changsheng Jue (Eternal Life Art) within him nearly malfunctioned. If Ye Xiu hadn't reacted quickly, he might have suffered the symptoms of a trance.

Just as Ye Xiu's Qi was surging, and he was about to become possessed,

a pale hand suddenly appeared before Ye Xiu within the brass hall, rapidly approaching his face.

The hand was pale, without even a trace of calluses. Yet, facing this hand, Ye Xiu felt a wave of alarm. In that instant, every hair on his body stood up, his pores contracted violently, and tiny goose bumps formed on his skin.

Instinctively, Ye Xiu recoiled, dodging the blow with incredible speed.

As Ye Xiu pulled away and listened, he felt every pore in his body dilate, sweat pouring out. In the blink of an eye, his clothes were soaked with sweat, becoming sticky.

The owner of that hand looked like a fair-skinned, harmless young monk.

But Ye Xiu knew this monk was anything but ordinary. If Ye Xiu hadn't just instinctively entered a strange state, dodging the monk's palm strike, he might have been killed.

The timing of that palm strike was incredibly clever.

Ye Xiu had just pushed open the brass hall door when he first encountered the Heshi Bi's radiation, sending his inner Qi surging, nearly to the point of insanity.

In this state, Ye Xiu had no time to react, mentally or otherwise. If Ye Xiu's body had been even slightly slower, he would have been killed by the other party's palm strike.

The young monk saw Ye Xiu dodge his long-planned sneak attack, a flicker of regret in his eyes.

That opportunity only came once.

His long-term proximity to the Heshi Bi had made him somewhat accustomed to its radiant energy, giving him a chance to build up his strength. If he continued to recklessly activate his Qi as he had just now, the Heshi Bi's interference would likely lead him to go mad.

The young monk clasped his hands together and silently chanted a Buddhist mantra. But when he stumbled upon four elderly monks lying on the ground—two already dead, the remaining two in grave condition—the young monk's face suddenly changed, a flicker of anger in his eyes. He then spoke, "Amitabha—"

A strange wave of energy, accompanied by the young monk's voice, penetrated Ye Xiu's body, sending his Qi spiraling out of control again. Without a second thought, he retreated once more.

As the young monk spoke, a strange and terrifying Qi wave emanated from him. At that moment, the young monk seemed to have almost transformed into a Grandmaster.