Chapter 198: One Man Holds the Pass, Ten Thousand Cannot Advance
The wind blew through the mountains and fields, the sunlight serene.
Ouyang Feng and Zhou Yan stopped speaking.
But the internal battle within their hearts twisted and turned, crossing a thousand rapids.
Ouyang Feng disdained to inquire about Hong Qigong’s whereabouts from Zhou Yan, or whether he would come to Zhongnan Mountain. He mused that this brat’s martial arts were probably not weaker than Ke’er’s now, making him a troublemaker. This was a rare opportunity, and he was determined to eliminate him this time.
How could Zhou Yan not know the Western Venom’s intentions? Not only did he want to be the number one under heaven, but he also wanted to pave the way for Ouyang Ke. In the Legend of the Condor Heroes Jianghu, Guo Jing’s martial arts were improving daily. Ouyang Feng had harbored murderous intent several times, but Guo Jing had narrowly escaped by chance. The Western Venom seeking out Lin Chaoying’s maid was likely for the Ancient Tomb’s bee-handling techniques.
White Camel Mountain’s snake-handling techniques were unparalleled in the world. At Iron Spear Temple, even the Eastern Heretic had resigned himself to his fate, only to be rescued by Ke Zhen’e, who was familiar with the terrain, along with Huang Yaoshi, Qiu Chuji, and others.
Although snake-handling techniques were unique, they were ultimately no match for the Jade Bee’s swift arrival and departure like a gust of wind.
Ouyang Feng was a suspicious person. If he and Li Mochou combined their swords, they might not be able to guard the tomb entrance. Under psychological pressure, he likely wouldn’t dare to venture deep.
Each had their own plans, and Lin Chaoying’s maid emerged from the Ancient Tomb.
It was a woman’s nature to fear snakes.
Seeing the densely packed, upturned heads of various snakes and insects, she felt her hair stand on end and her limbs grow cold.
Ouyang Feng’s voice, sharp as iron striking iron, rang out: “My nephew is fond of the girl. White Camel Mountain Villa would not disgrace any sect in this world. Your bees cannot harm me, but you cannot deal with snakes and insects. I shall ask again, will you allow the young girl to marry him?”
Zhou Yan chuckled: “I fear you are still thinking of how to obtain the bee-handling and bee-controlling techniques, and are also coveting swordplay.”
This brat was cunning, his schemes as deep as a Crown Prince’s. Ouyang Feng smiled grimly.
With a “clang,” Li Mochou’s longsword was drawn. She said, “I would rather become a Taoist nun than cast a glance at this rake. You are, after all, one of the top renowned figures in the world, yet you resort to force. How shameless!”
When Li Mochou said she would rather become a Taoist nun, Zhou Yan’s mind wandered, and he couldn’t help but chuckle.
Lin Chaoying’s maid’s expression turned cold. “Even if I have to perish with you, I will not let you succeed.”
“Good!”
Ouyang Feng’s single word “Good” seemed to linger on his lips. His white robes suddenly billowed like surging clouds, his movements indistinguishable. He had already swept forward like a whirlwind.
A streak of brilliant green sword light suddenly exploded within Ouyang Feng’s line of sight.
How could Zhou Yan not know Ouyang Feng’s nature?
Fortunately, he had learned the Ancient Tomb’s lightness skill. Although there was still a considerable gap from perfect mastery, his ability to shift form and position within a few feet was already incomparable to the Quanzhen Sect’s “Golden Goose Skill.”
Li Mochou had not expected the martial arts master Ouyang Feng to attack with the force of thunder the moment he moved. She reacted too slowly, but seeing Zhou Yan draw his sword, the tacit understanding developed over several days of their two swords combining, and her concern for Zhou Yan, made her instinctively unleash a sword strike.
In the past, when Zhou Yan and Li Mochou fought together, Zhou Yan, having watched Li Mochou practice her swordplay, would strike later, combining their swords. This was not the case now. Zhou Yan made his move, and Li Mochou, skilled in Quanzhen Swordplay, acted according to his intent, her moves seamlessly matching his.
One used “Wandering the World” from Quanzhen Swordplay, while the other used a move of the same name from Jade Maiden Swordplay. The former was a powerful technique of Quanzhen Swordplay, while the latter was a treacherous style of Jade Maiden Swordplay. When their two swords combined, their power increased astonishingly.
Ouyang Feng let out a low chuckle, his sleeves like opened iron fans smashing towards the two longswords.
Zhou Yan thought that if he were hit, Li Mochou’s sword would surely be knocked from her hand. He launched an attack from top to bottom, simulating the scene of an ice wheel hanging in the sky and clear light spreading across the ground. Li Mochou immediately responded, her single sword trembling as she swung and slashed back and forth.
Ouyang Feng’s iron sleeves missed. He secretly thought that this brat was using Quanzhen Swordplay, but the swordplay the maid was using was unfamiliar. The combination of their two swords, with their greatly increased power, was indeed something worth studying.
As Ouyang Feng thought this, the internal energy infused into his sleeves instantly dissipated. He used the “Instant Thousand Li” agility, and his figure suddenly disappeared before Zhou Yan’s eyes, solidifying on Li Mochou’s flank.
Li Mochou retreated rapidly, Ouyang Feng advanced agilely. Zhou Yan stepped forward, his longsword flicking and thrusting forward, its sword light brilliant as lightning, forming a crystal-clear arc. Li Mochou stepped forward, her longsword flashing in the air, sweeping from right to left in a circular arc. Their two swords combined, forming a circle of light that tightly encircled Ouyang Feng.
“Eh?”
Ouyang Feng was surprised. He felt that this move was like the union of yin and yang, exquisitely profound and difficult to break. His body suddenly floated back, leaping out of the circle of light and circling around to Li Mochou’s rear.
He had naturally seen that Li Mochou was the weaker one in their two-sword combination.
In the blink of an eye, Zhou Yan twisted his waist and stepped forward, his sword thrusting at Ouyang Feng. Suddenly, another burst of white light flew up. Green light and white light intertwined, and the two swords once again enveloped him.
In this exchange, the green and white sword lights, graceful as a startling swan, like a roaming dragon, moved east and west, gathered and scattered, rolling and tumbling, yet like mercury pouring onto the ground, they were inescapable.
Dozens of moves passed in the blink of an eye.
“Good swordplay.” Ouyang Feng, with his master’s demeanor, praised them without reservation, but his attacks became even more ferocious. His figure weaved and circled between the two longswords, advancing and retreating with purpose. Suddenly, his sleeves became as hard as iron plates, and a heavy, powerful wind pressed towards Zhou Yan. He seized an opening with his right hand and swiftly grasped Li Mochou’s sword-wielding wrist.
Li Mochou’s sword stance had just changed when Ouyang Feng instantly changed his claw to a fist. His arm seemed boneless, and he suddenly struck at her left shoulder. This was precisely Ouyang Feng’s painstakingly created “Spirit Snake Fist.”
“Mochou, be careful!” Lin Chaoying’s maid cried out in alarm, shooting out two Jade Bee Needles.
Zhou Yan’s sword stance suddenly lowered, its power like a bursting silver vase, an iron cavalry charging out, thrusting forward like a mad charge. The momentum that shattered all resistance made even Ouyang Feng feel a chill.
The three figures separated in an instant. Ouyang Feng’s fist wind swept Li Mochou away, and she suddenly flew backward. With “swish, swish” sounds, Ouyang Feng’s long sleeve was shredded by Zhou Yan’s sword light.
The Jade Bee Needles shot by Lin Chaoying’s maid were swept away by Ouyang Feng’s right sleeve.
“Go!”
Lin Chaoying’s maid’s Ancient Tomb lightness skill was far superior to Li Mochou’s. Her figure, ethereal and illusory, spun and swept, catching Li Mochou and disappearing into the Ancient Tomb.
Under the bright autumn sunlight, Zhou Yan thrust out his sword, seven sword lights blooming like plum blossoms. Ouyang Feng’s figure paused, and he took the opportunity to retreat into the Ancient Tomb.
Ouyang Feng glanced at his bare left arm, his eyes filled with killing intent, and pressed forward.
Zhou Yan’s expression was calm, and he retreated several steps.
His composure immediately made Ouyang Feng suspicious, and he stopped. His mind flashed with Lin Chaoying’s maid’s words, “I would rather perish together than let you succeed,” and then with Zhou Yan’s method of throwing lime.
He looked at the Ancient Tomb. The surrounding walls were built with bluestone blocks, tightly fitted. The interior was dark, its depth unknown.
Ouyang Feng suddenly let out a cold laugh and retreated from the Ancient Tomb.
“Uncle, how is it?” Ouyang Ke hurried over. Helian Chuncheng, Ni Mo Xing, Sha Tongtian, and others who had been hiding in the distance, fearing the Jade Bee attack, all walked over.
Ouyang Feng said, “This tomb passage is deep and winding, likely with dangerous mechanisms. Let us first use poisonous snakes to injure them.”
“Uncle has a good idea.” Ouyang Ke was overjoyed.
Ouyang Feng immediately took out a bamboo flute to summon snakes. The snakes swarmed towards the Ancient Tomb like a tide.
…
In the darkness, there was a rustling sound. Li Mochou, whose shoulder was red and swollen from Ouyang Feng’s fist wind, was terrified. “The snakes are here.”
Just as she was about to light a lamp, she suddenly heard Zhou Yan say, “No!”
A figure flashed at the tomb entrance. Li Mochou saw Zhou Yan’s longsword dancing like the wind. With several “clang, clang” sounds, hidden weapons were blocked by the Qingfeng Sword and fell onto the stone wall, sparking a trail of fire.
Hou Tonghai’s arrogant voice rang out: “Little thief, prepare to be bitten by ten thousand snakes.”
“What should we do?” Li Mochou asked anxiously.
“The snakes will avoid me. You and Elder retreat further, then light the lamps and kill the snakes. Do you have any snake-repelling medicine?”
“Yes!”
“Sprinkle it all over the passage.”
The entrance to the Ancient Tomb could only accommodate one person at a time. Li Mochou spoke from behind Zhou Yan, and Lin Chaoying’s maid was behind her disciple. The two retreated, one after the other.
Zhou Yan amplified his senses. In an instant, he swung his longsword, and more than ten poisonous snakes were cut in half. He used his hearing to identify sounds and unleashed the Hengshan Five Gods Sword. The sword light became suddenly dense, like pulling silk, like cocooning, and in a short time, not a single poisonous snake passed through.
The Hengshan Five Gods Sword was light and agile, most suitable for killing snakes at this moment, but it was impossible to achieve complete blockage. Therefore, some snakes still swam past Zhou Yan’s sides and into the Ancient Tomb. Fortunately, Li Mochou and the others had another layer of defense, and they all had pills from the Five Venoms Sect, making them immune to snake venom.
What worried Zhou Yan was how many poisonous snakes Ouyang Feng would drive in. If they came continuously, the Ancient Tomb would become a snake’s den.
Fortunately, after several waves, no more poisonous snakes poured in.
At the tomb entrance, figures flickered. Three escorts from the Changfeng Escort Agency led the way, moving cautiously one after another.
…
The air was filled with a strong smell of blood.
The escorts, protected by their sabers, advanced as if treading on thin ice. Suddenly, they stepped on dead snakes on the ground.
“Snakes!”
Zhou Yan, pressed against the stone wall, moved swiftly. The Qingfeng Sword thrust forward and then retracted. With a “cough, cough,” the escort, whose throat had been pierced, struggled to speak. The saber in his hand fell to the ground as he clutched his throat and collapsed.
“Go, that brat is still alive.”
The escort in the middle swung his saber and retreated rapidly. The Qingfeng Sword, which had attacked silently in the darkness, pierced his chest without a sound.
The last escort turned and fled.
With a “thump,” a tearing sensation spread through his body. The escort grunted and fell face down. An arrow shaft trembled slightly in his back.
Zhou Yan stepped over the two corpses and walked forward, pulled out the long arrow, and disappeared into the darkness-shrouded Ancient Tomb.
…
The campfire crackled and burned.
Two campfires, one large and one small, surrounded by Ouyang Feng and his nephew, Helian Chuncheng, Ni Mo Xing, and Sha Tongtian.
Ni Mo Xing said resentfully, “That thief is actually unharmed. If we had lit torches, we would have been targets for arrows, but if we go in the dark, we can’t guard against hidden attacks.”
“The main problem is that the passage is narrow, and we can’t maneuver freely,” said Helian Chuncheng.
Ouyang Ke was unconcerned about the death of the three escorts. He laughed, “It doesn’t matter. There are plenty of poisonous snakes on Zhongnan Mountain. Let’s catch more, drive them in, and then arrange for people to use hidden weapons. Wouldn’t that make them unable to attend to both matters?”
“Young Master Ouyang has a good idea. I’ll go in and kill that brat,” Hou Tonghai said with a wide grin.
