Chapter 286: Huo Gong Toutuo Falls into the Crocodile Pit
Terrifying killing intent surged towards Ouyang Feng like molten lava.
In a flash of lightning, Ouyang Feng retracted his force, stomped his feet, and his large sleeves whistled through the air, creating a piercing wind. He leaped into the air, spun like swift wind returning snow, and landed several zhang away.
Huang Yaoshi felt the toad stance’s forward force from Ouyang Feng, who had landed on his back, pressing down like Mount Tai. His vision suddenly darkened, and his bones cracked. He held his breath, stepped on Bagua, walked Liuhe, and his figure flickered like a ghost, like a wisp of smoke, evading Huo Gong Toutuo’s counterattack.
Huo Gong Toutuo’s counterattack missed. He retreated several zhang with a swish, flicked his monk’s sleeve, and looked at Zhou Yan with a sinister smile.
Ouyang Feng secretly thought, “What a pity.”
“Father, how are you?” Huang Rong cried out urgently as she landed beside Huang Yaoshi.
How could Huang Yaoshi reveal his internal injury to Huang Rong?
“Rong’er, don’t worry, I’m fine.” Huang Yaoshi’s voice fell as he looked at Ouyang Feng with a cold smile, “Brother Feng, your reputation as the Western Venom is indeed well-deserved, truly ruthless.”
Ouyang Feng laughed heartily, “I just wanted to get closer to Brother Yao.”
“Then I shall see how your martial arts have improved, Brother Feng?”
“Easily said.”
After saying these two words, Ouyang Feng stared at Huang Yaoshi and slowly crouched down.
Huang Yaoshi then exhaled turbid qi, inhaled lightly, and forcefully suppressed the surging blood qi. His feet were planted in the position of Eastern Wood.
Huo Gong Toutuo smiled sinisterly and said to Zhou Yan, “Boy, did you kill my two disciples?”
Zhou Yan knew Huo Gong Toutuo was referring to Baoxiang and Bao Lei. He chuckled lowly, “Master will know when he sees them.”
“Haha, this arrogance is comparable to my own back then.” Huo Gong Toutuo took two steps, and his figure transformed into a bright yellow afterimage. His entire body seemed to swell up. The wind and thunder from his kasaya sounded like a red-hot iron rod being plunged into ice water, whistling piercingly.
The moonlight seemed to be shaking. Pressure and qi energy surged towards Zhou Yan like tides. At this moment, the Qingfeng Sword let out a clear hum, and the bursting cold light, like streaks of light, circled towards Huo Gong Toutuo.
The sword blade sliced through the air, making a piercing tearing sound. The “One Sword, Seven Stars” derived from Quanzhen Swordplay was unleashed. The sword momentum was fierce and rapid, with almost no gaps between each move. Suddenly, it was like a light curtain falling towards Huo Gong Toutuo.
In an instant, the sword’s light curtain collided with the kasaya woven with gold and silver threads. The continuous clanging of metal sounded like a dense barrage of firecrackers, with sparks flying everywhere.
Several figures arrived at this moment, moving swiftly. Gongsun Zhi’s pupils contracted; among the newcomers was Qiu Qianchi.
Yanbo Diaosou laughed heartily, “Little Gongsun, you didn’t expect this, did you?”
“Capture them,” Gongsun Zhi said with a grim expression.
Before the disciples of the valley could make a move, Ni Mo Xing cackled, “You old man are very arrogant, I’ll learn your high moves.”
“I couldn’t ask for more.” The fishing rod trembled like waves in Yanbo Diaosou’s hand, shaking out a phantom that fell towards Ni Mo Xing.
Ouyang Ke’s folding fan snapped open with a swish, and he smiled at Yang Miaozhen, “I’ll learn…”
With a “swish,” the explosive and domineering spear, like splitting waves and cutting through surf, pierced through several zhang of space, heading straight for Ouyang Ke’s location. Yang Miaozhen had no time for Ouyang Ke’s nonsense.
Liu Qingzhou observed briefly. He saw Yin Kexi’s disabled arm and Helian Chuncheng’s youth. Gongsun Zhi was about the same age as him. He said, “I’ll spar with you.”
Gongsun Zhi snorted coldly. The gold knife and black sword in his hand clashed with a “clang.” He flicked his wrist and thrust three swords in rapid succession, one towards Liu Qingzhou’s head, one towards his left neck, and one towards his right neck.
Liu Qingzhou was also a master of fast swordplay. He used the “Thousand Swallows Returning” from Hengshan’s Returning Wind and Falling Geese Sword. His longsword moved from bottom to top, as if swallows were circling in the air. With three “clang” sounds, Liu Qingzhou, having parried Gongsun Zhi’s three swords, flicked his wrist and unleashed the “Yueyang Three Drunks,” its sword flowers flashing brilliantly like intersecting lightning, falling towards the Valley Master of Unfeeling.
Baoshu thought that since he had already fallen out with Huang Yaoshi, it would be best to capture Huang Rong first. He slowly walked out and said to Huang Rong, “This humble monk Baoshu will learn the peerless skills of Peach Blossom Island.”
Huang Rong’s martial arts were more than sufficient for ordinary opponents, and she could contend with Helian Chuncheng and others. However, she was not skilled enough to match Baoshu’s cultivation, which was far superior. Nevertheless, her insight was not bad.
She saw that his physique was burly, and his fingers and palms were as hard as refined metal, with a faint green hue, a sign that his claw techniques had reached the Realm of Transformation.
She smiled sweetly and said, “Great Monk, I am no match for you, there’s no need to fight.”
Baoshu was stunned, finding himself in a dilemma.
Qiu Qianchi also saw that the opponent’s cultivation was the most exquisite among everyone present, second only to Huang Yaoshi and the others, and Zhou Yan. She said, “I’ll spar with you.”
“Good!” Baoshu took a step forward as if his feet were not touching the ground. The Great Strength Vajra Finger descended towards Qiu Qianchi.
Huang Rong became the person with nothing to do.
Helian Chuncheng and Yin Kexi would not attack Huang Rong unless Huang Yaoshi was killed.
Huang Rong knew that her father and Ouyang Feng were evenly matched in cultivation. She looked towards Zhou Yan’s direction.
Their fight had already spread outwards with rumbling sounds.
Under the silver moonlight, the scene of evasion and pursuit was astonishing. Zhou Yan, who was using Quanzhen’s Golden Goose Skill, moved with extreme grace and fluidity, like an eagle spreading its wings or a giant crane riding the wind, descending towards the bamboo forest. Behind him, Huo Gong Toutuo’s kasaya billowed, his entire body seeming to turn into an illusion, constantly closing the distance.
“Boy, whether you go to heaven or earth, you cannot escape this Buddha’s Five Finger Mountain,” Huo Gong Toutuo cackled sinisterly.
Zhou Yan, who had landed in the bamboo forest, drew his Qingfeng Sword with a swish. With “crackling” sounds, bamboo trees fell one after another. Clear sword light burst forth, and the bamboo broke into pieces.
As Zhou Yan spun, he kicked all the bamboo towards Huo Gong Toutuo.
Huo Gong Toutuo’s internal energy, imbued in his kasaya, shattered the incoming bamboo arrows like a storm, and then he charged into the bamboo forest.
Bamboo trees flew up one by one, then were smashed to pieces. Zhou Yan and Huo Gong Toutuo, two figures, pushed through the bamboo forest and arrived among the scale-like stone houses.
“Boy, you’re cornered.” Huo Gong Toutuo’s kasaya flew out with a swish. He held a corner of the kasaya, and as the Toutuo swung it, the kasaya, like a giant yellow dragon, lunged towards Zhou Yan. The Qingfeng Sword instantly coiled like a roaming dragon, piercing into the kasaya. Suddenly, Huo Gong Toutuo’s palm emerged from beneath the kasaya, batting away the longsword. A palm force, fierce as a surging tidal wave, struck towards Zhou Yan.
“Great Strength Vajra Palm.”
“You have some insight.”
Zhou Yan bent his legs slightly, crossed his swords to his sides, and pushed out his right palm with “Kanglong Regret.”
A muffled “bang” exploded in the air, and surging qi energy scattered wildly. Zhou Yan retreated step by step, his body hitting the wooden door of the stone house behind him.
Dust swirled, the wooden door flew open, and Zhou Yan was forced back into the room.
“That’s Master’s Pill Room,” Fan Yi Weng said from afar, his expression changing.
…
The moonlight and candlelight illuminated the interior scene in great detail. On the tables and in the cabinets were rows of medicine bottles, and on the wall hung countless bundles of herbs. To the west stood three pill furnaces side by side.
Zhou Yan poured his strength into his legs, using the Thousand Jin Drop technique, but his body moved rapidly through the Pill Room, stomping on the floor. Suddenly, his expression lit up. His profound internal force circulated through his meridians and surged out through the major acupoints of his palm and fingers along the Shaoyang hand channel, pouring into the Qingfeng Sword. He flicked his wrist, and in an instant, he thrust the sword into the ground several times with a “swish, swish,” then stomped his right foot on the floor, exerting force and shaking it.
“Boy, take your life,” Huo Gong Toutuo’s tall and thin figure appeared at the entrance of the Pill Room amidst a sinister laugh.
Zhou Yan inserted his sword backhand. The Qingfeng Sword slid into its sheath with a swish. He flipped over behind a pill furnace and pushed out with both hands.
With a “clang,” the pill furnace lifted off the ground and hurtled towards Huo Gong Toutuo.
“Well done!” Huo Gong Toutuo slapped out a palm with his left hand, a move from the Prajna Palm called “Subduing Heretics.” The pill furnace, coming horizontally, spun halfway in the air and fell with a “smack.” For a moment, pill ash filled the air, making it impossible to see.
Huo Gong Toutuo’s monk’s sleeves, propelled by his internal energy, were like two iron fans spread open, waving rapidly, scattering the dust, and pushing forward like a war chariot.
“Boy, you’ve exhausted your tricks,” Huo Gong Toutuo smiled sinisterly. As he advanced, his palms suddenly drew arcs, pushing forward fiercely. The Great Strength Vajra Palm force, like raging waves and a reversed ocean, surged forth with a roar.
“Who says so?” Zhou Yan met palm with palm, move after move, unleashing several techniques from the Subduing Dragon Eighteen Palms. He built an invisible wall of qi with a torrential force, impressively resisting Huo Gong Toutuo’s palm force.
With a loud “boom,” the air swirled into a vortex, churning and surging.
Zhou Yan was sent flying backward, crashing onto an incense burner, with blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. Huo Gong Toutuo took a step back, then stabilized himself and laughed as he advanced. Suddenly, with a “snap,” Huo Gong Toutuo felt the ground beneath his feet soften. He seemed to have stepped into empty space. The ground had suddenly collapsed. Huo Gong Toutuo, who had sunk, cried out, “Not good!” and quickly circulated his true qi, his body suddenly shooting upwards.
A pill furnace fell from above.
Huo Gong Toutuo shielded his head with both palms. With a loud “bang,” he was smashed and fell straight down.
“Ah…”
Huo Gong Toutuo felt himself falling straight down. After tens of zhang, he still hadn’t landed. The hair on his body stood on end, and he thought he was surely going to die.
Before his thoughts could settle, with a “plop,” Huo Gong Toutuo plunged into the water.
“Amitabha,” Huo Gong Toutuo’s shock turned to joy. He thought, “Buddha bless me,” and surfaced, paddling his hands. He felt the air carrying a fishy scent.
What is this smell? Huo Gong Toutuo wondered. Suddenly, there was a rapid splashing sound to his left and behind him. He flipped his right palm and suddenly pressed against a large, cold, rough object, like scales.
Huo Gong Toutuo was terrified. What was this thing?
In the darkness, a crocodile suddenly emerged, opening its bloody maw and biting towards Huo Gong Toutuo.
…
“Little thief, this Buddha is not done with you,” Huo Gong Toutuo’s roar echoed from the deep underground pool. Zhou Yan, who had calmed his breathing and was squatting, looking down into the abyss, smiled.
This was originally where Qiu Qianchi was imprisoned in the Divine Condor Jianghu.
Not long ago, Zhou Yan cleverly asked Qiu Qianchi for the location of the Pill Room, which was his backup plan.
It was originally prepared for Ouyang Feng, but Huo Gong Toutuo fell in instead.
Serves him right.
He got up and left the Pill Room.
