Chapter 677
Demolition
A martial arts resounding cry pierced the heavens and earth, as if someone had drawn an invisible sword from the sky. The clanging sound of the sword being drawn overwhelmed the mountain wind, the pine trees, and the snow that had remained unmelted for thousands of years on Changbai Mountain.
The thick fog above Tianchi Lake was momentarily stunned by the sound, then surged violently, as if a colossal creature was turning over in the fog.
Almost simultaneously, the Wumiao Mountain people who were patrolling the mountain stopped and silently watched the thick fog above Tianchi Lake. Some of them had their torches flickering in the wind, while others had the scabbards on their shoulders humming softly.
Many people never have the chance to hear the sound of martial arts in their entire lives. This sound is only passed down orally in the martial arts world, and has almost become a legend. When storytellers in the martial arts world tell this story, they always add an embellishment, saying "the heavens and earth change color, and even ghosts and gods are terrified," but no one can say for sure how terrified they are.
The people of Wumiao Mountain have a chance; the day they cultivate their swordsmanship will surely bring forth the voice of martial arts.
But the headmaster became famous too early. He entered the Innate Realm at the age of twelve, the Seeking the Path at the age of sixteen, and the Divine Path at the age of twenty-one... The headmaster is now over 150 years old. When he was twelve years old and raising his sword, even the oldest person in the Martial Temple had not yet been born.
The young people in the Martial Temple had only heard about "how the abbot attained enlightenment" from their grandmasters, and they had heard it so many times that their ears were calloused, but they had never heard that voice with their own ears.
Some say that on the day the abbot reached the Divine Realm, there was a sound of martial arts. On that day, the clouds parted and the sun shone through Changbai Mountain, and a flock of geese flew south, circling above Tianchi Lake.
The cries of geese and the clatter of swords mingled together, making it impossible to distinguish which sound came from the bird and which from the sword.
Some say that martial artists can gain enlightenment upon hearing the sound of martial arts, and that living beings who can seize the opportunity to hear the sound of martial arts can gain understanding of human nature and cultivate the Great Dao. The great blue ox of the Huangshan Daoist Temple obtained the opportunity for its disciple to enter the Divine Dao Realm, and its spirituality was fully awakened after hearing the sound of martial arts nearby.
That big blue ox was originally just a stupid thing that pulled a millstone, but overnight it became enlightened and stopped eating grass and started stealing elixirs and incense from the Huangshan Taoist Temple.
The Huangshan Taoist court wanted to kill him, but Zhang Li stopped them and took him down the mountain to hide and steal food.
Previously, when the Wu Temple Mountain Man patrolled the mountain, he thought Wu Kezhi was making a mountain out of a molehill, after all, there was nothing to steal on this Heavenly Pool, just a few dozen dilapidated thatched huts.
The thatched hut's roof was covered in moss, the walls were cracked, letting in drafts in winter and rain in summer. The threshold of the hut where the headmaster himself lived was worn out from being worn down, yet it hadn't been replaced. It was only last year, when Old Man Yao stayed there, that he couldn't bear to see it anymore and asked Liang Mao'er to cut down some trees from the mountain to repair it.
The man from Wumiao Mountain didn't take breaking through the mountain gate seriously, since he really had nothing to lose.
But the moment the martial arts chant rang out, everyone's expression changed. They rushed to the edge of the cliff, looking down at the flowing thick fog, but still couldn't see what was happening in the lake.
At this moment, Uncle Changsheng stood there muttering, "The divine weapons at the bottom of the lake all possess spirit. How could he take the sword and nurture it? What about the sword master's intent? Why not kill him... Why only kill me?"
"This is of utmost importance! The successor of the sword lineage is in the Martial Temple. We absolutely cannot let him escape. Kill his accomplices first!" Aunt Qiubai grabbed a kitchen knife and rushed toward the sound of footsteps.
Uncle Changsheng cursed and took off after him, shouting as he ran, "Slow down, I can't see you anymore!"
But when the two broke through the thick fog, there was no one in sight. Only broken branches and footprints in the soft snow disappeared crookedly into the deeper fog.
Aunt Qiubai turned around and glared at Uncle Changsheng: "It's all your fault for stalling for time, otherwise how could the thief have gotten away so easily?"
Uncle Changsheng ignored the rebukes and instead squatted down, poking at the footprints in the snow with his finger, lost in thought: "Don't you find it strange? It is said that when a sword seed is cultivated, there will be a martial arts sound. Doesn't that mean that this thief has just come to my martial temple and has just completed his cultivation? It's too audacious for an ordinary person to come to the mountain gate."
Aunt Qiu Bai pondered, "Perhaps it's because the master is teaching his disciple, and the disciple hasn't yet forged the sword seed, but the master is a formidable character."
Uncle Changsheng was completely baffled: "No matter how powerful he is, can he be more powerful than the headmaster? How dare he come to the Martial Temple to die?"
Aunt Qiu Bai said with certainty, "Perhaps the news that the Sword Seed Sect has appeared in Ning Dynasty is something they did intentionally, with the aim of luring the sect leader away from the mountain and tricking him into going to Ning Dynasty."
Uncle Changsheng suddenly realized, "That makes sense. But even if those petty scoundrels steal the sword, it's useless. Wu Kezhi is probably going to have Luo Yunlin use a talisman array to close the mountain gate; they won't be able to escape..."
However, at that moment, something seemed to break through the lake water and rise straight up, stirring the flowing fog even faster.
A clear sound exploded in the sky, but this time it was not the sound of swords being drawn, but more like someone blowing hard on a flute, instantly generating a murderous aura.
Chang Sheng stopped talking and stared blankly at the night sky.
The flute music echoed back and forth between the sixteen giant peaks of Tianchi Lake, one note after another, like hundreds of flutes playing at the same time.
Chang Sheng murmured, "The second martial arts resonance... wait, how can there be two martial arts resonances?! And what's with this flute sound? Has anyone mentioned that the martial arts resonance has other sounds?"
……
……
In the thick fog, Old Ears, clutching the dark clouds, trudged along the cliff face, his steps uneven.
The first martial arts sound echoed through the mountains, causing the snow on the pine branches to fall in a rustling sound.
He walked triumphantly along the cliff edge: "See? I told you they couldn't catch us! If they could catch us in a place like the Martial Temple, where would I put my old face?"
The dark cloud let out a weak meow: "Put me down..."
Old Ears chuckled: "You admire me too? No need, no need, this is nothing. Just savor that martial arts sound. You're the only little animal by this Heavenly Pool, this opportunity has all fallen on you."
Wu Yun rolled his eyes: "You always have a response to every question..." "You ask me, between Chen Ji and Headmaster Lu Yang, who is better?" Old Ears shook his head: "Chen Ji is far from it. Headmaster Lu Yang entered the Innate Realm at the age of twelve and entered the Seeking Dao Realm at the age of sixteen..."
Dark Cloud nearly went berserk: "Who asked you?!"
Just then, a second martial arts resounding sound echoed throughout the heavens and earth. The old man suddenly stopped in his tracks: "A second sound? How could there be a second sound? Has he entered the Divine Dao Realm? No, no, no!"
When the first martial arts sound rang out, the old ears hadn't even registered it yet. It wasn't until the second sound that they realized something was wrong. Not to mention the second sound, even the first sound shouldn't have been heard.
He came to the edge of the cliff and listened thoughtfully to the flute music in the sky. Just then, a force suddenly broke through the lake and soared upwards, exploding in the sky with the sound of a bell.
The bronze bell rang loudly, suddenly halting the flow of the thick fog and setting things in order.
Old Ears looked up at the night sky and muttered, "That's the third time. Good heavens, how can there be so many martial arts sounds?"
Suddenly, Wuyun meowed and asked, "Now, compared to Lu Yang, who is better?"
Old Ears muttered again, "Yes, it's time to go, or something bad will happen."
On the other side, Wu Kezhi stood on the shore facing the wind. The sound of the bell made the Jishan Blade hum, and not only Jishan, but all the weapons within a ten-mile radius hummed and trembled.
Thick fog swirled around him, yet he remained motionless, like a knife stuck in a rock.
Dozens of people from Wumiao Mountain chattered amongst themselves behind Wu Kezhi: "The third martial arts resonance?"
Someone chimed in, "How could there be three martial arts sounds? Could it be that some madman took in three disciples at once, and all three disciples nurtured sword seeds together?"
"That doesn't make sense either. Why is the sound of martial arts different from what others are saying? It sounds like both a flute and a bell?"
However, before everyone could reach a conclusion, a fierce wind suddenly arose on the lake, swirling the thick fog wildly and forming a whirlpool above the vast Heavenly Lake.
Within the whirlpool, another force burst forth from the lake, creating a thunderous booming sound in the night sky, the continuous booming causing the lake water to ripple.
"Fourth tone!"
"It's the fourth martial arts resonance!"
Before the drumbeats had ceased, golden light shone from the bottom of the lake, piercing through the thin mist and shooting straight into the sky.
In the night sky, the sound of chime bells could be heard.
The five notes of Gong, Shang, Jiao, Zhi, and Yu resonated together, arranging themselves into a musical movement that no one had ever heard before. The movement was solemn and grand, as if it were the elegant music played by the ancient emperors when they offered sacrifices to heaven.
"This is the fifth martial arts ringing sound already, when will it end?" Uncle Changsheng and Aunt Qiubai ran back and asked loudly, "Wu Kezhi, what the hell is going on?"
Wu Kezhi said softly, "A sound as clear as metal and as melodious as jade, with all five tones present, this is a martial arts sound that only existed in ancient times..."
Before he could finish speaking, a rumbling sound suddenly came from down the mountain, and everyone looked behind them: "What was that sound?"
"Hoofbeats." Wu Kezhi's expression turned serious: "This is bad. The birds and beasts in Changbai Mountain have been attracted by this martial arts sound. They want to come up the mountain to drink from the Heavenly Pool. Luo Yunlin, quickly use the talisman array to seal the mountain."
In the crowd, a young man opened his mouth and said, "Too late..."
Hundreds of hooves and feet pounded on the snow and bare branches, creating a deep, rolling thud. Countless pairs of eyes lit up in the darkness, densely packed together.
Before long, the first bear broke through the thick fog and appeared in the firelight, followed by a herd of wild boars.
Bears, wild boars, roe deer, and sika deer from Changbai Mountain came in droves through the snow, rushing up Tianchi Lake in herds and crashing into dozens of thatched huts belonging to the people of Wumiao Mountain, causing them to collapse.
Thatch flew into the sky, wooden beams were trampled into pieces, the stove was overturned, and the iron pot clattered and rolled on the ground.
Chang Sheng wailed, "My house! My pot! This isn't just stealing my house, it's tearing down my martial temple! I'll never forgive these thieves!"
Amidst the howls, a tiger descended from the ridge, its steps leisurely and unhurried. Where it passed, roe deer and deer automatically parted to make way, and even bears lowered their heads.
When Wu Miaoshan looked up again, he saw flocks of birds flying over the mountain ridge, including crows, jays, owls, eagles, and golden eagles, circling to the sound of the chime bells.
Birds and beasts came to the Heavenly Pool, each keeping to itself and bowing their heads to drink.
Aunt Qiubai panicked and prepared to rush into the lake: "The talisman array has been broken, and these birds and beasts are all in disarray. They might let the thief escape. We must not let him leave alive."
Wu Kezhi raised his hand to stop her, his gaze fixed on the thick fog in the center of the lake pierced by golden light: "I'll go."
Having said that, he leaped into the Heavenly Pool, gripping the hilt of the Silent Mountain Blade, and thrust it towards the center of the lake like an arrow. (End of Chapter)