Volume 1: Wild Beasts, Changes Begin Chapter 8: Death of Transmission
"You're fine."
The black-robed man lost three of his companions, but he didn't seem to care at this moment. He just said, "The leader of your Beggars' Sect was first hit by the Three Smiles Free Powder, and died of the poison after ten moves. I was feeling sorry that I couldn't see which one was better between my Mysterious Nether Palm and the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms. You gave me this opportunity again."
"If you want to answer this question, you might as well seek death yourself!" Fengma Niu's hair was flying, and strong air currents came around him in waves. The palms that were competing with the man in black suddenly separated.
The wind and shadows were confused, and in a flash the two of them exchanged three exquisite palm techniques. The three consecutive palm strikes were like three huge firecrackers exploding on the ground.
The thick dust on the ground spread out of the ruined temple like waves caused by a huge rock falling into the water. The stone tiles on the ground were clean and new, cold to the touch, and even the feet of the two men were covered with a thin layer of white frost.
When they clashed for the third time, the man in black suddenly shouted coldly and took a step forward.
The four palms of the two men were stuck together tightly, and the four arms were stretched straight. Fengma Niu was pushed directly by him to slide backwards on the ground, and the stone bricks were pressed with a slightly dented mark by the soles of his shoes.
Boom! Boom!
Fengma Niu's face flushed, and his back hit the incense burner, which was also knocked away by him. Then his back hit the statue in the temple.
A statue weighing more than a thousand pounds was hit and shook noticeably, and the mottled colored plastic on its surface peeled off a lot.
An unpleasant creaking sound came from the base of the statue, and the whole statue began to tilt. It had no way to move back, and its arms gradually bent.
The black-clothed man's face was as cold as iron, and his hands were wielding the Mysterious Nether Palm, which could freeze a living person like ice, but at this moment, he felt a burning sensation in his heart.
The Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms is known as the best external palm power in the world, and is sometimes simply called the best palm in the world. If the Mysterious Nether Palm can kill the last practitioner of the Dragon Subduing Palm today...
"Hey!"
The spring thunder burst out like wind and horse and ox tongue, his long gray hair stood up, and his hands were pushed forward.
The man in black only felt that there were three consecutive powerful energies attacking from the opponent's body, like waves crashing against the shore, or like a heavy black iron hammer smashing into a thick ice surface.
Feng Ma Niu continued to roar angrily and pushed the man in black all the way back, smashing the door frame and half of the wall. The two men rushed out of the ruined temple amid the scattered bricks.
A leaf just happened to fall next to the two of them and suddenly shattered before it actually touched their bodies.
Fang Yunhan and Zhao Dapeng, who were in the temple, only heard a loud, even "grand" collision sound from outside, as well as a raindrop-like explosion sound.
After the loud noise, Fengma Niu rushed into the temple, picking up one in each hand, and ran towards the direction of Yueyang City.
Outside the ruined temple, the man in black had a face as green as a demon, standing stiffly without moving. Behind him, a tree as thick as an ordinary person's embrace fell to the ground.
Where the tree trunk was broken, about two feet high of the trunk was completely shattered into wood chips, which scattered on the ground within a radius of eight or nine meters behind the man in black, and the wood chips formed a fan shape.
After a full quarter of an hour, the blue color on the black-clothed man's face gradually faded away, and he exhaled a breath with a bloody smell.
Eight men and women in different clothes gathered from the forest one after another. When they saw the three corpses in the ruined temple, their faces changed.
A man holding an axe asked in surprise, "That old Beggar Gang guy was able to kill three independent men?"
"There are others who are helping us." The man in black robe put his palms into his sleeves again, and when he saw them setting out to chase him, he said, "No need to chase him. He left a moment ago and should have rushed back to the Beggars' Sect by now. I received news not long ago that people from Shaolin and Wudang have also arrived. There is no point in chasing him anymore."
The middle-aged man carrying a pair of swords frowned and said, "Black Magic King, this operation is led by you, the five scattered people, and the ten elders are all dispatched. Previously, three elders and one scattered person were killed on Junshan Island, and now three more scattered people have died here in succession, but we still haven't got the treasure map. How can we explain this to the leader?"
"Shaolin and Wudang have already gotten involved. We should ask the leader for instructions on how to deal with this matter. I will naturally take full responsibility, so you don't have to worry too much."
The man in black spoke coldly, turned his head and looked at the three corpses, but remained silent for a moment before saying, "See them off first."
There were nine people in total. They dragged the three bodies together, formed a circle, made gestures with their hands like flying flames, and chanted in unison.
"Burn my remains, the holy fire blazes. What joy is there in life, what pain is there in death? To do good and to eliminate evil is the only way to light. Joy, happiness, sorrow, and sadness, all return to dust."
"Have pity on us, the people of this world, for we have so many worries!"
…
The dilapidated temple was about ten miles away from Yueyang City. Fengma Niu was carrying two people on his hands and running all the way. His speed was almost faster than that of a galloping horse. He did not stop until he reached the branch of the Beggar Gang in Yueyang City.
The disciples of the Yueyang branch all went to deal with matters on Junshan Island, so the place was empty at this time.
After Feng Ma Niu entered the lobby, he loosened his grip and the two men fell to the ground.
Both of them had regained some strength at this time, and they quickly turned over and turned their heads to look, and an astonishing scene came into view.
Feng Ma Niu's face was as red as fire, three times redder than Guan Erye in the portrait. The wrinkles on his face seemed to disappear against this skin color, making him look truly majestic.
However, at this moment, beads , and there was even visible white smoke rising from between the messy hair, like a pot of boiling water.
The old man's clothes were soaked with sweat in the blink of an eye, and water drops kept falling to the ground.
The Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms can be said to be the pinnacle of external martial arts. After being practiced to perfection, it is truly indestructible. Although the moves are limited, each move is extremely powerful.
During the Northern Song Dynasty, the leader of the Beggars' Sect, Qiao Feng, challenged all the heroes in the world to a duel. Very few people could withstand more than three or two of his moves. He was so powerful that all the heroes were helpless.
At that time, there were a total of "Twenty-Eight Dragon Subduing Palms". Later, Qiao Feng and his sworn brother Xu Zhu simplified them, taking the essence and making them more powerful, and changed them into the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, which have stronger power.
This palm technique was passed down to Hong Qigong during the Southern Song Dynasty. He performed it on the top of Mount Huashan when he was debating swordplay with contemporary masters such as Wang Chongyang and Huang Yaoshi. Wang Chongyang and others all praised it.
Unfortunately, this set of palm techniques, which is the most masculine in the world, can sometimes be extremely dangerous to the practitioner. If the moves are not pure and the strength is not familiar, when practicing this set of palm techniques, it is very likely that the internal force will injure the meridians, and in serious cases, it will lead to hemiplegia or even paralysis.
Feng Ma Niu escaped from the siege at the Junshan headquarters and fled for a night. He was already seriously injured. He used the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms to kill Hua Dongmei and force the black-robed man to retreat, but his heart meridian was broken and he was at the end of his rope. There was nothing he could do to save him.
Although Fang Yunhan didn't know the reason, he could see that Fengma Niu's current condition was definitely not normal. It was probably his last breath and he would die suddenly in the next second.
Zhao Dapeng stood up tremblingly: "Elder, you..."
Fengma Niu's Adam's apple moved, and he said sternly, "Shut up and watch what I'm going to do next. If you miss a single move, I'll break both of your legs."
He slapped Zhao Dapeng to the ground, and without caring that Fang Yunhan was standing beside him, he turned around and started practicing.
After practicing the palm technique, Feng Ma Niu looked at Zhao Dapeng angrily and said, "Have you remembered it?"
Zhao Dapeng had a premonition in his heart. His hands trembled slightly, but he responded loudly: "Remember!"
There are only fifteen movements in total, and even the limbs have things that need attention. At this time, Zhao Dapeng can remember them clearly with his full concentration.
Fengma Niu's head drooped for a moment, as if he needed to take a deep breath before he could muster the strength to raise his head again. He said, "You have followed the leader for ten years, and you have listened to his instructions on those mantras. These movements are only auxiliary, and the strength is the essence. As long as you practice repeatedly with those mantras, you will always be able to experience the changes in strength. It's a pity that there are only fifteen palms."
Zhao Dapeng was filled with gratitude, but unexpectedly the old man in front of him suddenly grabbed his head with his hands. His five fingers were as sharp as knives, pressing on his skull so hard that it hurt.
"Zhao Dapeng, disciple of the Beggars' Sect, let me ask you, are you willing to abide by the way of chivalry, remain unmoved by external things, and not bring disgrace upon the Beggars' Sect, and take over the position of leader until your death?"
Fang Yunhan could see clearly from the side that Fengma Niu's body had begun to tremble and he was almost unable to stand, but the hand that was holding Zhao Dapeng's head was as solid as a rock.
Fang Yunhan had no doubt that as long as the old man noticed any hesitation on Zhao Dapeng's part, his head would immediately be smashed into a ball of smashed watermelon under that palm.
But Zhao Dapeng didn't hesitate at all.
"I, Zhao Dapeng, swear here. I will work for the Beggars' Sect for my entire life, kill all of their enemies, and never violate chivalry or lose my reputation. If I fail in even one thing, I wish to be torn into pieces and never reincarnate!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the restraints on his head suddenly loosened, and the old man who had been so majestic just now fell down in front of him.
Zhao Dapeng's eyes were filled with tears and he quickly helped him up.
Feng Ma Niu's eyes seemed to be looking at the people coming and going on the street outside the lobby, which was gradually becoming lively. The courtyard in front of the hall, the green grass, yellow mud and sparrows had never been so vivid and clear at a moment, and yet it was irretrievably dim.
The old man, whose eyes were dark and who knew he had lost all consciousness, heard his own voice, intermittent, as if it came from far away.
"Treasure map... Treasure map, even Shaolin and Wudang may not be able to withstand it... But it cannot be destroyed, no one will believe it... You have to send it to the capital, give it to Lord Yang Shiqi, for our Beggars' Sect..."
The sound became lower and lower, and Fengma Niu felt as if he could not even feel his tongue.
He didn't know why, but he suddenly felt funny.
Fang Yunhan watched the old man gradually become silent, and watched Zhao Dapeng gritting his teeth and shedding tears, and he couldn't help but sigh.
The sun has risen and roosters can be heard crowing in the city.
"Beggars' Gang!"
The old and rotten corpse suddenly stood up, and the two young men were shocked.
Fengma Niu was not dead yet. An unquestionable enthusiasm was rising from the old man's body, like the sun jumping into the sky.
"Beggars' Gang!"
The old man walked out of the lobby with a smile on his face, walked towards the grass, and walked towards the door. He seemed to be going to a belated appointment, and his voice was joyful and high-pitched.
"I~Beggars~Clan~"
The sound rose higher and higher, then stopped abruptly.
Fengma Niu stepped out of the threshold, faced the rising sun, and stopped moving.
Zhao Dapeng sat down with tears in his eyes and lowered his head. Fang Yunhan walked forward quickly and stretched out his hand to feel his breath.
Fengma Niu's body was as light as a stick of firewood. When he touched her, she fell into his arms, still smiling.
The sounds of cocks crowing gradually grew louder, rising and falling, the light of the rising sun gradually grew stronger, and the world became bright.
Fang Yunhan was stunned, with the red sun reflected in his eyes, and he closed Fengma Niu's eyes with one hand.
The old man died at sunrise.
Is this the world of martial arts?
Not really... disappointing.
