He moved into the woods, where the pines grew tall and dense, their branches crossing and interweaving, leaving hardly any path, making it impossible for most to traverse.
However, for a martial arts master, this was no obstacle; one could use Qinggong, skimming across the treetops. Li Muzhan chose not to ascend, instead weaving through the branches like a fish in water. With his Eye of the Void, he surveyed the surroundings, seeing everything clearly as if it were spread out on his palm.
He swept through the trees like a gust of wind, covering over ten li in an instant. The deeper he went, the thicker the foliage became. A layer of dead leaves, nearly a zhang thick, covered the ground, and moss grew beneath the trees. The light grew dimmer and dimmer, seemingly absorbed entirely by the canopy above, never reaching the forest floor.
A timid person would worry about venomous snakes and insects; this was clearly no place for ordinary folk.
Li Muzhan suddenly stopped, planting himself on a branch fork, looking left and right. His gaze finally settled on the dead leaves ten zhang ahead. He shook his head: "Come out!"
The layer of dead leaves was over a foot thick, like a dense felt mat; concealing a person within would be difficult to detect, especially in the dim light, which offered no visible weaknesses.
Li Muzhan could detect nothing unusual either, relying purely on instinct. After he spoke, the surroundings remained silent; no one leaped out. Li Muzhan shook his head: "Thirty of you dare to set an ambush? Not a small amount of courage!"
As the words left his mouth, there was a dull thud, and the dead leaves exploded upwards, showering down as they settled, revealing thirty masked figures clad in gray standing opposite him.
They stood still, making no move, merely staring intently at Li Muzhan. Their silence carried an indescribable oppressive pressure; though only thirty people, they gave the impression of an immense army.
Li Muzhan frowned but did not rush to attack. He said coolly, "Who exactly are you, and why are you ambushing the Sect Master?"
The lead gray-clad, masked figure gave a cold laugh: "Li Wuji?"
Li Muzhan nodded: "You know me?"
"A fine Li Wuji, truly living up to your reputation. We have long heard of your fame!" the gray-clad figure sneered, shaking his head. "A pity you shouldn't have come here!"
Li Muzhan scrutinized the leading masked figure. His gaze could pierce the gray kerchief. The man possessed a noble bearing, a righteous countenance, appearing to be in his mid-forties. He was powerfully built, with thick, large hands, suggesting his martial prowess lay primarily in his limbs. His temples bulged like nuts, and his eyes shot sparks of lightning, piercing and soul-stirring.
This was a top-tier Grandmaster expert. Even among the disciples of the Cloud-Soaring Sect, he ranked in the upper-middle tier—not to be underestimated. However, to assassinate the Sect Master, he was still clearly inadequate.
Li Muzhan smiled: "I am ordered to guard. Seeing a hidden danger, how could I not eliminate it? You are here to assassinate our Sect Master, aren't you?"
"Indeed. Yi Xingzhi deserves death!" the middle-aged masked man stated coldly.
Li Muzhan shook his head: "I advise you all to abandon this thought. With your martial arts skills, you won't even get near the Sect Master."
"That remains to be seen!" the middle-aged masked man chuckled coldly, his voice sinking: "Summon the Gods!"
The others immediately sprang into action, forming bizarre hand seals while murmuring incantations in low voices. Though each voice was quiet, the twenty voices layered together created a distinct sound—a buzzing like thousands of bees swarming, yet carrying a strange power. The surrounding light seemed to grow even dimmer, accompanied by an eerie chill.
Li Muzhan sighed, but then he felt a vast pressure descending from the sky, like heavy clouds gathering before a storm, pressing down until breathing became difficult.
While ordinary people felt this intensely, Li Muzhan, with his sharper senses, felt the immense pressure resonating from the void, as if born from nothingness—these pressures coalesced into tangible masses of power.
Being proficient in the Great Bright King Sutra, he naturally recognized this phenomenon: these were entities akin to the various deities associated with the Great Bright King, being summoned by the thirty men before him through a secret art.
After death, souls have several destinations: some dissipate into the ether, ceasing to exist; some proceed to the Underworld for reincarnation; some go to the Western Paradise; some ascend to the Immortal Realm; and some, having achieved profound cultivation, find their souls immortal, roaming freely in the mortal world, transcending the cycle of the Five Elements and standing apart.
Each person follows their own destiny; not everyone shares the same fate. As for those immortal beings who roam the world, some of their avatars could be summoned through ancient secret methods and attach themselves to living bodies, borrowing their power to defeat enemies.
What was summoned through the secret method was merely an avatar. A soul differs from a physical body; it is more like energy, capable of manifesting myriad forms and being omnipresent.
Even though only an avatar was summoned, its power surpassed anything ordinary people could match. Li Muzhan watched as their grey garments stretched tight, almost tearing. Fortunately, the fabric looked plain and coarse, yet it possessed extraordinary elasticity, expanding to double its size without tearing.
After stretching, the material slowly contracted, returning to its original shape. By then, their eyes crackled with tangible electric light, as if their gaze alone could kill.
Their aura surged like immense waves crashing on a shore, wave after wave pressing upon him like physical objects. The dead leaves on the ground moved without wind, slowly rolling outward. In moments, a circular clearing formed around them, their feet resting on the inner leaves while the rest fled.
Li Muzhan had refrained from acting, wishing to gauge the true nature of this Divine Possession Art. Feeling their surging, immense power, he nodded. Indeed, it was formidable, no less than his own Great Bright King Sutra.
In this state, their power had increased by more than threefold, making each of them a top-tier Grandmaster. A sudden charge would absolutely threaten the Sect Master’s safety.
Though the Sect Master was powerful, he was not yet a Great Grandmaster. Mass tactics were ineffective against a Great Grandmaster but could severely trouble a Grandmaster. A fierce charge could throw the Cloud-Soaring Sect into disarray.
"Li Wuji, allow us to send you on your way!" the middle-aged masked man roared. The thirty gray-clad figures shot forward like bolts of lightning, blades and swords flashing, palms and fists swinging. Blade energies, sword qi, and the force of punches and palms surged toward him.
Li Muzhan suddenly flickered, vanishing from his original spot and reappearing behind the middle-aged masked man. The latter reacted with extreme speed, immediately driving a punch backward as Li Muzhan materialized.
Bang! Li Muzhan caught the incoming palm strike, feeling a vast, overwhelmingly domineering, yet incredibly pure force surge toward him.
Li Muzhan raised an eyebrow, shifting his stance two steps to dissipate this pure internal energy, inwardly shocked that such refined internal power was nearly capable of breaking the bonds of the Grandmaster realm, reaching the level of a Great Grandmaster.
He was greatly alarmed. If that were true, this situation was troublesome. The internal energy of a Great Grandmaster is qualitatively different from a Grandmaster’s—like water versus ice.
With internal energy this pure, they were virtually invincible below the Great Grandmaster level. He had underestimated them. Once they broke through to the outside, the disciples of the Cloud-Soaring Sect and the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden Sect would suffer.
This Divine Possession Art was truly profound—more potent than the Great Bright King Sutra. However, Li Muzhan understood that using such a technique carried severe consequences; it might even cripple them directly, as such pure internal energy flowing through their meridians would cause fatal damage.
Li Muzhan frowned, contemplating the group, sighing inwardly. Fearlessness is the most dangerous trait, especially when employing the Divine Possession Art. They possessed only brute courage, devoid of any apprehension, capable of anything. Coupled with the secret art of body-bursting self-destruction, they were lethal.
"Again!" the middle-aged masked man roared. The thirty gray-clad figures instantly dispersed, beginning to encircle Li Muzhan from a distance, slowly closing the circle.
Li Muzhan smiled and shook his head: "Who are you people?"
"Enough nonsense. Do you think we would tell you?" the middle-aged masked man sneered, pouncing forward with electrical speed, instantly appearing before Li Muzhan, and driving another punch.
His fist had changed appearance; it was reddish-purple, seemingly enlarged by a size, slamming down like a sledgehammer, yet eerily silent.
Curious about this boxing technique, Li Muzhan lightly pressed out a palm strike. With a dull thud, the middle-aged man was sent flying backward, crashing through four pine trees in a series of bangs before finally stopping.
Li Muzhan remained in place, his robes fluttering as if facing a fierce gale. He slowly retracted his palm, glancing at his palm, and nodded: "Good skill!"
The masked middle-aged man was indeed formidable. Despite employing the Divine Possession Art, he had not lost his sanity. This hammer strike was full of power. Li Muzhan felt the internal energy circulating within his body, trying to rampage, but he drove it back, causing his robes to flutter.
The middle-aged masked man scrambled up from the ground, his face flushed, yet seemingly unharmed. He shot forward again, while the other twenty-nine figures remained poised, surrounding him but not rushing to assist.
Li Muzhan smiled, sweeping his gaze over the group. He noticed they hadn't lost control; their minds were clear. He was inwardly astonished—this Divine Possession Art was indeed far superior to his Great Bright King Sutra.
Once the Great Bright King Sutra was activated, one often fell under the influence of the Great Bright King, becoming cold, ruthless, and filled with burning rage, constantly desiring to kill. If not for his strong spirit, he would have succumbed to the assault and become a murderous maniac.
Even with a strong spirit, he dared not overuse the Great Bright King Sutra. Eventually, he simply abandoned it because it subtly affected his state of mind, causing him to unknowingly become cold-blooded and bloodthirsty.
"Take my punch again!" the middle-aged man struck again, like a hammer hitting stone, his roar sounding like a fierce tiger descending a mountain, his presence terrifying.
Li Muzhan shook his head and smiled, meeting the strike with another palm.
Bang! The middle-aged man recoiled like a rubber ball, flying backward with a continuous series of bangs, crashing through ten trees before finally stopping, having been sent a great distance.
Li Muzhan shook his head. No matter how formidable the internal energy or the boxing technique, he had gauged their strengths and weaknesses with those two exchanges. A Great Grandmaster was not merely about pure internal energy.
Pfft! The middle-aged man struggled for a moment, finally spitting out a jet of blood before collapsing limply, unable to rise again, utterly still.
Li Muzhan smiled and looked toward the others.
Not only was their internal energy surging and tangible, but their spirits were too. Unfortunately, their comprehension was insufficient; they possessed quantity but lacked quality, unable to truly cross into the realm of the Great Grandmaster. They were merely forcibly strong without knowing how to utilize it, wasting their power.
"Let's all go together and finish him!" someone shouted.
The others nodded and ghost-like shot toward Li Muzhan, blades, swords, fists, and kicks coming at once. Li Muzhan flickered, vanishing from his spot and instantly appearing behind one man, then silently delivering a gentle palm strike that killed him instantly.
To eliminate future trouble, he had to kill them all. Otherwise, if they triggered their self-detonation technique, while they might not rush at him, they could target the Sect Master and the others.
His movements were swift. Though these assailants moved like ghosts with incredible speed, he was superior, like a phantom, killing one with every flicker and flash.
In the blink of an eye, only twenty of the thirty remained. Seeing the situation turn dire, they roared, suddenly drawing inward and forming a tight circle, bodies pressed against bodies without a gap.
Li Muzhan paused, momentarily startled by the eerie sight of twenty men forming such a ring. A warning bell rang in his heart, and with another flicker, he vanished.
Bang! A dull, heavy sound echoed. Li Muzhan reappeared ten zhang away, his face etched with shock. An invisible force, like a massive wave, sent him flying backward uncontrollably.
He drifted backward along with the momentum, treading lightly in the air a few steps, and spat out a mouthful of blood—poof. This blood landed on the pine trees below. Instantly, the trees withered, decayed, and aged as if centuries had passed.
Li Muzhan shook his head, finally dissipating this strange and powerful force. This power was not merely internal energy but also a strange mental force, proving truly difficult to handle.
If he hadn't jumped ten zhang away, or if he had been slightly slower and touched their flesh, it would have been disastrous. To neutralize this power required more than internal energy; it needed a special secret method, which unfortunately he did not know.
He perched on a pine treetop and looked back. Centered on the twenty men, everything within a ten-zhang radius had been reduced to dust, flattened and empty.
He smiled bitterly and shook his head. First, the Divine Possession Art, then the body-bursting self-destruction technique—the resulting power was truly terrifying.
If the Sect Master had encountered this, he surely could not have survived. The force of this single attack was too horrifying; had Li Muzhan not escaped, he too would have suffered, possibly being obliterated into oblivion.
He pondered for a moment, then shook his head and returned to the encampment, approaching Yi Xingzhi. Yi Xingzhi was standing beside the sedan chair, speaking gently to Fu Feihong inside.
Seeing Li Muzhan approach, Yi Xingzhi turned his head: "Resolved?"
Li Muzhan nodded.
Yi Xingzhi asked: "How many?"
Li Muzhan replied: "Thirty."
"Only thirty? That's good." Yi Xingzhi nodded.
In his estimation, the assassins would not have been few; over a hundred would have been expected. He had not anticipated only thirty—it greatly exceeded his expectations.
Li Muzhan said: "Sect Master, you had better come and see."
Yi Xingzhi looked at him, seeing the gravity in his expression, and murmured: "Feihong, I'll be right back."
"Go ahead," Fu Feihong said faintly from within the sedan chair.
Li Muzhan cupped his hands and smiled: "Senior, the Sect Master will return shortly!"
Fu Feihong snorted: "Get lost, you brat!"
Li Muzhan chuckled and turned to leave. Yi Xingzhi walked beside him, flanked by two black-clad guards following silently. The four entered the woods.
The four soon reached the destination. Li Muzhan pointed, and Yi Xingzhi stared at the flat, bare circle, frowning deeply.
Listening to Li Muzhan’s explanation, his expression grew increasingly grave.
"Does the Sect Master know their origins?" Li Muzhan asked.
Yi Xingzhi shook his head: "No... Who exactly are these people, so vicious, so inhuman!"
Li Muzhan said: "I wonder if the Sect Master has heard of the Celestial Way Alliance (Tiandao Meng)?"
"Celestial Way Alliance..." Yi Xingzhi thought for a moment, then shook his head.
"I inquired. In Xihua, there is a vanished sect called the Celestial Way Alliance. They are rumored to possess such secret arts," Li Muzhan stated.
The Celestial Way Alliance had remained hidden for a century and was a sect from Xihua. Although Dali and Xihua were neighbors, contact was rare, and communication scarce—it was understandable that the Sect Master did not know them.
"Eh?" Li Muzhan suddenly frowned and flickered away instantly.