Chapter 97: Six Void Force: Net Of Other Forces, Force Concealment
“Song Yinglong, who is inherently evil, my Martial Uncle and brother Yang Lie have suffered at Crouching Tiger Manor.”
After reading the letter, Hong Yuan sighed.
This letter was from Wu Duxiong and briefly discussed recent events.
Upon learning that Wu Duxiong and Yang Lie were at Crouching Tiger Manor, Hong Yuan could not ignore it and wrote to contact them.
In addition, Hong Yuan also sent people to inquire about his second uncle’s whereabouts. However, his second uncle’s movements were mysterious, and it wasn’t until a few days ago that a scout reported back, finding some clues.
As for brothers Yang Erhu and Yang Jinbao, it is unknown if they are still in Xingqing Prefecture. However, with Hong Yuan’s current fame, it is impossible that they have not heard of it.
Since they haven’t returned, perhaps they have experienced a second spring and no longer wish to be under a disciple’s wing, and have started wandering the Jianghu again.
Both of them are seasoned Jianghu veterans, so the chance of them encountering trouble is quite low.
If something truly happened to them, Hong Yuan would be powerless to intervene, and all he could do would be to seek revenge.
Hong Yuan tossed the letter into the fire basin, and a flame immediately erupted. He looked at Xie Yansheng, “Mister Xie, draft a letter to Song Yinglong, using stronger language, telling him to treat my Martial Uncle and brother Yang better.”
Xie Yansheng agreed, and seeing Hong Yuan wave his hand, he quickly bowed and took his leave.
Hong Yuan buried himself in books again.
After confiscating the collections of the Guo family and the Hua family, and receiving offerings from the Grain Transport Gang and the Tao family, the total number of books reached tens of thousands. Even for someone with his photographic memory, it would take more than a day to read them all.
Some ancient classics, preserved for hundreds of years, appeared to be entirely filled with Confucian scholarly verses, but often contained hidden secrets.
And it was precisely these one or two sentences of secret information that Hong Yuan desired, so whenever he had free time, he was unwilling to overlook any book.
After reading for a moment, Hong Yuan felt a gaze upon him. He looked up slightly and saw the green-clad young lady peeking into the study.
“Everyone is gone, come out!”
Soon after, Xu Qingjing walked out with her head bowed, her delicate and beautiful face flushed as if she had drunk wine. She walked with unsteady steps, clutching her clothes, and slowly shuffled out.
“Didn’t you say you were going to serve me? Where did your boldness from back then go?” Hong Yuan chuckled.
“Young Master, Qingjing, Qingjing… I’ll go change my clothes first!” Xu Qingjing’s face turned even redder, and she quickly scurried out of the library.
East City District.
The Wei Family Mansion had been renamed ‘Dragon Steed Mansion’.
In this period, the Iron Wall Guard and the White Scale Guard had also been integrated under Song Yinglong’s iron fist, becoming the ‘Dragon Steed Army’.
Song Yinglong styled himself ‘Great General Dragon Steed’!
At this moment, Song Yinglong was in a secret hall, sitting cross-legged on a cushion, breathing and exhaling, adjusting his spirit. Every so often, he would swallow a few pills.
Ding ding!
A crisp sound came, and Song Yinglong opened his eyes and looked outside the hall.
He had set a rule that when he was cultivating, even if there was official business to report, no one was allowed to call out. They only needed to ring the bronze bell.
“What is it?”
“Reporting to the Great General, a letter has arrived from the Town Sea Alliance…”
The letter quickly reached Song Yinglong’s hands. The content was very brief.
It was roughly that the Martial Uncle and friend of the Alliance Leader of the Town Sea Alliance were guests at Crouching Tiger Manor, which was an honor for Crouching Tiger Manor, and they must be treated with utmost hospitality. Song Yinglong was warned not to be ungrateful.
Poof!
The letter shattered like snowflakes under the surge of force.
Song Yinglong’s face turned ashen.
This was partly due to his old injuries not having healed and his Gang Body still causing subtle backlash, and partly because he was truly angered.
How many years had it been since Song Yinglong had endured such humiliation in such a commanding tone?
Even with the Red Lotus Sect, Song Yinglong, holding the title of ‘Vajra Heavenly King’, one of the Four Heavenly Kings, only did so with the intention of cooperation and utilization.
Even if the Red Lotus Sect Master gave an order detrimental to him, Song Yinglong dared to turn his face on the spot.
But when facing that young man surnamed Hong, Song Yinglong could only suppress the anger in his heart.
What could he do when he was not as strong as the other party?
Originally, by taking Yang Lie as a disciple and controlling Wu Duxiong, he intended to leverage them to control Hong Yuan and gain a ‘Vanguard General’ for his own use.
However, during his first meeting with Hong Yuan, after just one glance, Song Yinglong abandoned this idea.
There was no way. In Hong Yuan, Song Yinglong sensed a similar aura.
A seemingly pure and harmless scoundrel.
It was possible that if he threatened the other party with Yang Lie and Wu Duxiong, the other party would still demand a share of the spoils.
This was very infuriating.
The most hated thing for a cunning and deceitful person was to encounter their own kind. Wu Duxiong and Yang Lie instantly transformed from valuable assets into liabilities.
It was even difficult to dismiss them, because the guests at the manor all knew that Yang Lie had become Song Yinglong’s disciple.
Mister Wuchen landed soundlessly and walked slowly into the hall. He saw the scattered paper scraps on the ground and Song Yinglong’s somber expression, and remained silent.
Song Yinglong’s gaze swept over: “Wu Duxiong and Yang Lie, how are those two doing?”
Mister Wuchen said: “Wu Duxiong is still sparring with the manor guests every day, and his kung fu is progressing rapidly. However, he is a bit difficult to serve, demanding plenty of meat and only good wine…”
He paused, and his expression took on a strange hue: “As for Yang Lie, he has been very close to the Thirteenth Young Lady lately.”
Damn it!
If not for his years of Gang Body cultivation that had instilled in him a calm and steady disposition, Song Yinglong would have wanted to curse loudly.
Even so, his face had already darkened further.
Song Yinglong had no children.
At least, that was what outsiders thought. Whether he had hidden any elsewhere was unknown, but he had taken in more than a dozen adopted sons and daughters.
The young Thirteenth, due to her young age, late entry, and cleverness, was particularly favored by him.
Those dogs from the Tiger Subduing Sect truly clashed with him. It was one thing for them to eat and drink his provisions, but they wanted to mess with his daughter?
Song Yinglong felt a metallic taste surge in his throat. He took a deep breath, suppressed it, and looked at Mister Wuchen: “Contact Miaoyun. I agree to the Red Lotus Sect’s conditions. Taking over the three prefectures is acceptable. However, the main ingredient for the Hundred Poisons Bodhi Gang can be given to me later; I must see the method first.”
…
“Gang Body Profound Nether Arm?!”
Hong Yuan was currently observing a Gang Body secret technique that the Grain Transport Gang had recently acquired. It was not a complete Gang Body technique, but a secret method specifically for cultivating the arms.
The main ingredient was a type of cold iron produced in the extremely northern permafrost. The arm bones were replaced with cold iron, and a certain exotic beast’s marrow fluid was injected to nourish it.
During this process, medical talismans were also required for support; otherwise, it would be impossible to endure.
Upon achieving the Profound Nether Arm, the arms would possess a peculiar cold poison.
When fighting enemies, the casually dispersed cold energy could not only agitate the opponent’s qi and blood, preventing them from condensing their force, but could also invade the opponent’s body through the cold energy, slowing their movements and leaving them at Hong Yuan’s mercy.
“Hmm? Why is this similar to a cold-ice attribute True Skill?”
Hong Yuan’s eyes flickered.
During this period, besides reading and creating, Hong Yuan had not neglected his force cultivation, and was also working on deciphering the ‘Heavenly One True Water Skill’.
Since the ‘Heavenly One True Water Skill’ was an incomplete text, it was slow progress to both figure out its secrets and complete it.
However, Hong Yuan had gradually learned the effects of this skill. Once mastered, it would possess the flowing and changing nature of ‘water’ and also the attribute of ‘coldness’.
There might even be other magical effects, but Hong Yuan had not yet uncovered them.
“Is this Profound Nether Arm achieving the effect of a True Skill in the form of a Gang Body?”
The strange force achieved by a True Skill, originating from force but transcending it, naturally suppressed force martial artists.
Even a Microscopic Level Grandmaster would have their qi and blood circulation affected by the strange force when facing a True Skill expert.
Only by refining pills and taking medicine, and greatly increasing their qi and blood to become so-called Dan Dao masters, could they use their sheer volume to resist the strange force.
“True Skill, Dan Dao, Gang Body… these three paths, although said to be above the microscopic level, have not fundamentally broken free. They are all exploring the limits of the human body, and it is not surprising that there are convergent points.”
Hong Yuan pondered.
In this world, only Body Strengthening and Entering Force had clear cultivation paths. Beyond that, the paths became wild.
The side effects were increasingly severe.
Hong Yuan would naturally not cultivate this Profound Nether Arm. It was stated at the end of the method that even if one succeeded and consumed pills for many years, they could maintain it for at most three years before their hands would be ruined.
And if they were to use it, they would have at most three chances.
Unless Hong Yuan was crazy, he would touch such a method.
He could achieve the effect of a Gang Body by enhancing his root bone.
Hong Yuan put down the booklet and slowly walked out of the library into the courtyard outside.
At some point, light snow began to fall again. Hong Yuan stepped on the accumulated snow, making a ‘swishing’ sound, walking leisurely in the snow.
Upon reaching the center of the courtyard, he assumed a stance and began his stance training.
Compared to the initial Tiger Subduing Stance, it had changed greatly. The ups and downs of the stance training now almost perfectly matched Hong Yuan’s dynamic movements.
Every subtle change in his body was harmonized with the rhythm of his breathing, and various force methods appeared in his mind.
Hong Yuan suddenly took off his shoes and stepped barefoot on the snow. He closed his eyes, even abandoning his spiritual sense perception.
He used his feet to feel the fluctuations of the ground.
The soles of his feet seemed to have become receivers, able to perceive all the subtle changes around him.
From ten paces to fifty paces, gradually extending to over a hundred paces.
Hong Yuan could even feel the ‘sound’ of a tiny snowflake falling to the ground more than a hundred paces away.
This was Earth Vein Listening Force. Originally, it was just a force dissipation technique, but through Hong Yuan’s development, it gained perceptual effects, truly making ‘listening force’ live up to its name.
However, the farthest perceptual distance did not exceed one hundred and fifty paces, but it was already far beyond spiritual sense perception.
This meant that any conspiracy or trap targeting him within this range was direct.
Of course, the distance would be slightly reduced when wearing shoes.
Originally, Hong Yuan possessed eight Microscopic Level forces.
Now he had nine.
During this period, the Town Sea Alliance had found him a technique called ‘Whale Swallowing Repaying Strength’.
This method, to some extent, could also be considered a Spiral Force, but it was more advanced than the Spiral Force Hong Yuan had comprehended himself.
When this force was used in combat, it could automatically attract and absorb the dissipated force of the enemy, strengthening one’s own power.
Hong Yuan, already knowledgeable in Spiral Force, found it not difficult to master Whale Swallowing Repaying Strength.
The level of Whale Swallowing Repaying Strength was not below Flowing Cloud Wuding Strength or Tiger Fiend Mountain Splitting Strength.
By replacing Spiral Force with Whale Swallowing Repaying Strength, it remained eight forces.
Among all the forces Hong Yuan cultivated, Earth Vein Listening Force and Tidal Wave Force were initially a couple of tiers lower.
But now, not only had Earth Vein Listening Force been elevated…
Even Tidal Wave Force had seen its utility greatly increase during this period, as Hong Yuan integrated some of the secrets of Tidal Wave Skill into the force.
In fact, Tidal Wave Skill itself was created by the ancestors of the Grain Transport Gang after obtaining the ‘Heavenly One True Water Skill’, deciphering its secrets, and then absorbing the essence of Tidal Wave Force over several generations.
Although it was still only a rudimentary form of True Skill.
“Diamond Force, Tidal Wave Force, Earth Vein Listening Force, Flowing Cloud Wuding Strength, Tiger Fiend Mountain Splitting Strength, Whale Swallowing Repaying Strength…”
Hong Yuan stood in the snow, a layer of crystalline snowflakes gradually accumulating on his body.
‘Young Master!’ Xu Qingjing had already bathed and changed into clean clothes. She stood prettily in the corridor, not calling out.
She also practiced martial arts, and although she had not even grasped her qi and blood, she could see that Hong Yuan was cultivating and would naturally not disturb him.
Then, her beautiful eyes widened as she saw Hong Yuan suddenly leap into the air, the snowflakes on the ground scattering explosively.
Hong Yuan’s figure soared, agile like a dragon, rising into the sky to a height of nearly ten feet. Vaguely, his force surged, and the sound of wind and thunder spread out.
That sound came from within Hong Yuan’s body.
‘Liver Burst Heart Destruction Force…’
Hong Yuan’s expression was calm as he felt the intense power erupting from within his internal organs, treating this near mutually destructive technique as if it were ordinary.
He suddenly swooped down.
His five fingers were spread open, and faint chirping sounds emanated, followed by continuous ‘chichichi’ sounds.
From the pores of Hong Yuan’s fingers and even his palms, wisps of force transformed into fine needles and shot out.
In an instant, dozens or even hundreds of ‘fine needles’ were fired, forming a net that pierced the air, whistling as they flew five to six feet.
Immediately after, Hong Yuan pressed his palm down. The snow on the ground did not stir, but the area covered by his palm was instantly penetrated by countless tiny holes.
A moment later, the wind blew the snowflakes to cover them again.
“Condensed Needle Force, no! It should be called ‘Body-Piercing Formless Force’ now!”
“With these eight forces as the core, all forces flow…”
Hong Yuan continuously practiced his forces, searching for a certain opportunity.
His physique was powerful, his qi and blood were abundant, and his recovery speed was extremely fast. He used breathing methods to control his qi and blood, always maintaining his full vitality.
All forces in this world are variations of hardness and softness, and the subsequent bestowal of characteristics to achieve so-called ‘strange forces’ is, in Hong Yuan’s opinion, merely tributaries of a great river, destined to merge into the sea.
Hong Yuan’s movements varied from slow to fast, as swift as a gust of wind when fast, and as slow as an old man shuffling when slow, gradually a realization dawned upon him.
The three layers of form transformation for Entering Force martial artists.
From the first layer where force erupts like a dam bursting, uncontrollable, to the microscopic level of ‘force like drawing silk’, the core is ‘control’!
The evolution of force reached its extreme at this point, so the martial artists in this realm developed three other paths.
However, Hong Yuan believed that the microscopic level was not the ultimate form transformation; there was still another layer of transformation, and that feeling was becoming increasingly clear.
The next moment.
In his mind, it was as if a bolt of lightning had split through.
“I see, I’ve understood!”
“It’s transformation. First control, then transformation, integrating all forces into one furnace, turning all methods into one breath.”
A dark floating text appeared before his eyes. Hong Yuan looked at the prompt indicating an increase in comprehension, feeling neither joy nor sorrow, his face very calm.
At the same time, his internal force changed, no longer belonging to any of the eight forces, but possessing the effects of all of them.
He made a grasping motion with his palm, and vaguely, it seemed as if an invisible net had opened. The snowflakes flying in the air within a radius of several dozen feet were all drawn in, and then, as he clenched his fist, they were forcefully repelled.
“Net of Other Forces!”
One of the applications of this newly created ‘Six Void Force’ was to create an invisible force field. When fighting enemies, it would envelop them like a net, and upon contact with the opponent’s force, it would quickly analyze their force manipulation methods and core secrets.
Hong Yuan could achieve this when fighting others in the past with his superb comprehension, but now he could directly probe with force, making it more efficient and convenient.
Besides ‘Net of Other Forces’, there was another application, which Hong Yuan named ‘Force Concealment’, and this was the true marvel of ‘transformation’.
It could absorb the force of the enemy’s attack, regardless of whether it was hard, soft, or spiral, into one’s own body, turning it into a component of ‘Six Void Force’.
“In this way, the more people attack me, the stronger I become. Invincible in group battles? Well, not exactly, stamina will eventually be depleted… I wonder if it works on strange forces?”
