Chapter 29: Breaking the Unrivaled, Destroying the Slanted Ones

  Shu Tangmen has a long history, said to have been established in the late Shu Han period. Almost everyone in the Jianghu knows that the disciples of Tangmen are famous for their two absolute skills: poison and hidden weapons. If you provoke them, it's as if you've already stepped into the Yama Temple with one foot.

  However, it was able to occupy the central Shu region and stand firm for hundreds of years through the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties. Could the Tang Gate have only two skills, poison and hidden weapons? According to the Jianghu intelligence broker "Golden Tooth", there are 36 kinds of extraordinary skills in the Tang Gate, each of which is enough to make a name for itself in the Jianghu. In addition to the 36 extraordinary skills, there is also the so-called "Four Instruments of the Town", namely "Killing, Sword, Hidden, and Poison". The two great skills of killing and sword have never appeared in the Jianghu, and their true power is unknown to anyone.

  However, the Tang family, despite its illustrious reputation in Jianghu, was still just a powerful family rooted in Shu. Since ancient times, the poor do not contend with the rich, and the rich do not contend with officials. No matter how great the power of the Tang family was, could it surpass that of the imperial relatives, one of the eight founding generals of the Great Sui Dynasty, Duke Tang of the State of Li, Li Yuan? Therefore, from a certain perspective, the idea of killing off all witnesses, including Li Shentong, in order to eliminate future troubles, might not be entirely wrong.

  Twin blades flashed out, tearing through the sky and leaving only a piece of silence in their wake. Because Dong Xie's move was so swift, it had already surpassed the speed at which sound could reach one's ears. With just this single slash, there were not many people left in the martial arts world who could narrowly escape. And even fewer could withstand what came next. Previously, Yang Shao and Ming Yue had not revealed any of their martial skills, so Dong Xie was confident that he could absolutely behead his target with a single knife!

  Unfortunately, things don't always go as planned. A pair of palms didn't dodge or evade, but instead merged together with a loud "Dang" sound, forming the shape of the Kan hexagram. The two clear sounds were like striking iron against stone, and the strange double scythes made from the western region's Wujin metal did not even move their opponent's palm, but instead caused their tiger mouth to ache in pain. Both arms simultaneously shook upwards, revealing a huge opening.

  This shock was not a small matter, and in an instant, the east and west were shocked. However, being in mid-air, it was already too late to change moves or breathe. In the midst of chaos, without thinking, he subconsciously activated his Xuan Gong to protect his body, preparing to withstand the enemy's counterattack. Unexpectedly, the black shadow in front of him lightly swayed, and the person they wanted to kill, unexpectedly walked straight through the middle of the two brothers! Like an arrow off the string, it shot directly towards Li Shentong and Tang Siwen on the street!

  In the vast ocean of knowledge, the first word that comes to mind is: Master!

  The second word that emerged is: Danger!

  Without any hesitation, the two Tangmen guards spun around and threw out the strange door sickles in their hands. The two dark lights chased after the wind, rapidly spinning with fierce momentum, adding to the Wujin Xuanfeng's sharpness and the two men's lifelong internal energy training, making it unstoppable and unbeatable. Fan Qinghui's eyes narrowed, her sword fingers accumulating energy under her sleeve, ready to strike, but at the moment of release, a few threads of hesitation still flashed across her brow, and in the end, she did not make a move.

  But this rescue effort, even if it were to be implemented, would be entirely superfluous for the black shadow. In a flash of lightning, the diving momentum suddenly and violently turned upwards. The black shadow rotated half a circle in mid-air with an extremely strange posture, arched its back, straightened its body, and kicked both feet downwards, precisely kicking at the junction where the handles and blades of the two Qimen weapons met. A dark light flickered, followed by a sudden explosion of eerie wails, changing direction to slash Tang Shengwen's back. Tang Shengwen didn't have eyes in the back of his head, nor did he see the series of changes that occurred behind him. In the blink of an eye, strange things happened, and not even half a thread of reaction time was left. All that could be heard was the "thud" of flesh being pierced, as both scythes simultaneously chopped into Tang Shengwen's shoulders.

  Blood gushed out, and severe pain attacked his heart. Tang Sengwen, who was punching Li Shentong wildly, suddenly stopped, and for two or three moments, he was completely stunned, seemingly still not understanding what had happened. But immediately after that, he burst out with a thunderous roar that shook the heavens.

  In a state of desperation, the Pure Yang Unmatched Skill was pushed to an unprecedented realm. The fierce yang fire raged and shot out in all directions, even scorching the air within three feet into a blurry mess. His muscles tensed up to be as hard as iron, and the two black gold sickles not only couldn't penetrate another half inch, but were instead repelled by his powerful internal energy, flying out and shooting straight into the clouds. Dongfang Bubai, who had rushed over to provide assistance, didn't even have time to retrieve his own weapon, and stared at him in shock, exclaiming: "Ten Days Return to Heart, Unite Yang!"

  No sooner had the words fallen than Yang Huo suddenly collapsed, unable to utter another word. With a loud thud, the tall and sturdy Tang Suwen fell to the ground like a lump of mud. Dong Xue and Xi Du rushed up to check on him, and upon examination, they found that although his breathing was extremely weak, his pulse was still stable, and he had only fainted due to exhaustion, without any danger to his life, nor was it a coincidence that he had escaped the fatal calamity at this critical moment.

  Two huge boulders in their hearts finally landed safely, Dong Xie and Xi Du's faces were gloomy and solemn, gazing coldly ahead. Suddenly, a black figure steadily descended to the ground, surprisingly it was that young singer who had been ignored by the two brothers from start to finish. The two exchanged a glance, silently thinking in unison: "Misjudged." Although they felt slightly regretful, neither of them had any intention of retreating.

  The Eastern Slant's "All-Encompassing Slash" and the Western Lonely's "Unparalleled Twin Blades", both being listed as one of the top-tier techniques among the Thirty-Six Extraordinary Skills of the Tang Clan, when used in conjunction, their power becomes even more formidable. Furthermore, the Eastern Slant and the Western Lonely were originally twin brothers, with a deep understanding of each other's thoughts. Therefore, for twenty years, they roamed Sichuan without encountering any significant setbacks. The two became arrogant and extremely self-conceited. Although they had intended to kill earlier, Yang Zhao's internal energy was retracted, not revealing even the slightest hint of his martial prowess. When the sickle knives were unleashed, although they were ruthless and severe, they only used fifty percent of their strength. If they were to use their full strength, then even if Yang Zhao proved to be extremely troublesome, the two still had confidence that they could behead him.

  What about the others? Two delicate and weak little girls, one of whom has already been beaten to a pulp, and a young master who is also badly injured. If even these three people can't be handled, then it's better to just retire from the martial arts world and go home to live out the rest of their days in peace.

  All sorts of thoughts flashed through his mind, but it was all just a matter of a twinkling of an eye. Tang Dong's body leaned forward slightly. He let out two dry laughs and said: "This little brother has quite the impressive skills. My two brothers haven't left Shu in over a decade, and yet we've both become frogs at the bottom of a well. May I ask your esteemed surname and given name?"

  Yang Zhao placed one hand on Li Shentong's back, slowly channeling his internal energy to help him recover. After all, he had received a great favor from Li and should repay it many times over. A debt of gratitude should be repaid tenfold, and a grudge a hundredfold. Li Shentong had been playing the fool for so long, eating his fill of white rice every day. Now that Yang was helping him out with just a slight effort, it wasn't too much to ask.

  Just then, Tang Dong asked in a slanted tone, "What's your name?" Yang Zhao looked up, grinning from ear to ear, and said, "My humble surname is Yang. I don't dare claim greatness, just a single character - Yu. Gentlemen, tonight's affair was just a misunderstanding. Do we need to take it as far as killing each other? Why not take a step back, go home, wash up with some hot water, and get a good night's sleep? By tomorrow morning, let's just forget about tonight's events like they were a dream. Wouldn't that be a win-win situation for everyone?"

  "Haha, indeed a good suggestion!" Tang Dong said with a sinister tone and a strange smile: "Lao Du, what do you think?"

  Tang Xi said in a low voice: "It's settled then. Lao Xie, go help Shao Men's master get up, let's go."

  Tang Dong Xie snapped his fingers and carelessly inserted the black gold sickle into his waistband. He turned around, back to Yang Zhao, bent down, and reached out to support Tang Si Wen. Just as he took half a step with his right leg, this slanted person suddenly twisted and swung, sliding seven steps close to the ground, exactly turning to Yang Zhao's right side. "Slanting Edge" - "Slanting Volume Frosty Edge", from bottom to top, swiftly slashing out. Cunning, poisonous, and fierce, all blended together in one move, truly difficult to defend against.

  Golden light flashed, and the shape of the Qian hexagram suddenly appeared in the palm of his hand. The young master sneered and shouted: "I've been waiting for this move for a long time!" He flipped his palm and slapped it down quickly, using the orthodox to drive away the slanted. Slanted and biased blade, how can it rival the majestic and upright master? "Hng!" A strange voice shook with anger, the Qian Tian Ji palm force advanced straight ahead, sweeping away the black gold sickle knife, and struck Tang Dong's chest with a slap.

  No sooner had his palm touched the enemy's chest than this slanting man suddenly became like a bent bamboo, violently bowing and rebounding from slant to straight, dodging the fatal blow in an almost impossible situation. He reversed his sickle handle and swung it back to slash Yang Zhao's nape, laughing loudly: "Young fellow, your eyesight is too poor. Since you can't hit me, you deserve to suffer a bit."

  "Evil cult, what dog crap!" Yang Zhao's palm missed its mark and immediately changed tactics. With a sudden step forward and sinking body, he used his mantis-style hooking finger to reverse his arm and strike upwards, "ting" - firmly clamping down on the front three inches of the sickle's blade. His right palm emitted a water-based energy from the Kan hexagram, and with a gentle push, sent Li Shentong flying away, who was only getting in the way. Seizing the opportunity, he used his palm back to slap Tang Dongzhe's crown.

  The wind howled, and the sharp blade cut through the air. Tang Xi was in a predicament, but he didn't make a sound as he swung his horizontal knife to sever the neck, perfectly executing the plan to surround Wei and rescue Zhao. Yang Zhao hadn't learned any protective qigong techniques, so naturally, he didn't dare try to block the sickle's slash with his bare body. In desperation, Xie had no choice but to give up pinning down Tang Dongxie, instead using the Mantis Stance to deflect and parry. "Thud!" A dull sound echoed, accompanied by Tang Dongxie's blood-curdling scream that was even more ear-piercing than a pig being slaughtered. This slanting man's left hand hung limply down, although he managed to dodge the heavenly strike just in time, his shoulder had become the scapegoat and was now dislocated.

  Brothers connected at heart, Dong Xie was injured, and Xi Du shouted loudly, "Old Xie, how are you?" Tang Dong Xie gritted his teeth and said, "I won't die. This son of a turtle, his hands are very hard." Old Du, shoulder to shoulder. The black gold sickle knife shone again, advancing and retreating, left and right, the "Zhui Xie" knife technique was fully displayed, complex and intricate, with endless strange moves. Tang Xi Du rushed up at the same time, using the "Wu Shuang Blade" to assist from the side. In an instant, he transformed into two, two into four, four into eight, layer upon layer of attacks pouring in from all sides, it was as if "all shadows were injured", overwhelming the few with the many.

  These two strange men, in terms of actual skills, not only couldn't compare to Yan Qinghui, but also weren't as good as the Tianzhu monk. However, their moves and footwork were all mysterious and unpredictable, and every attack was unexpected. If one wasn't careful, they could be defeated at any moment. Yang Zhao concentrated his spirit, using the Xiantian Bagua steps to advance and retreat; his right palm chopped, slapped, blocked, and parried, with the four trigrams of Kan, Gen, Zhen, and Xun alternating in a linked sequence, protecting himself as solidly as gold soup. His left hand used the mantis claw finger hook to grab at their throats, tearing tendons and cracking bones, each move fierce and ruthless. Although he was empty-handed, he never let the two strange men gain even half an advantage.

  It's just that Tang Dong's slanted invitation style is cunning and difficult to defend against, but after all, he only has one sickle. However, Tang Xi's movements are strange and unpredictable, with emptiness and substance giving birth to each other, and in the blink of an eye, he can appear in front of or behind you, making it seem like there are seven or eight people attacking at once. Yang Zhao continuously launched fierce attacks, but they all only hit afterimages, and because he couldn't retract his moves in time, he was slashed three times by two black gold sickles on his back and forearm. Even though he only suffered flesh wounds that didn't damage his tendons or bones, he still ended up at a disadvantage.

  The heavenly sword communicates with the spirit, tempering the mind. In the face of a great enemy, Yang Zhao becomes even more calm and composed despite being at a disadvantage. He calmly welcomes the battle while carefully observing Tang Xi's solo technique. It seems like he is swaying gently in the wind, his movements unpredictable. Suddenly, inspiration strikes, and he exclaims: "Using reality to create illusion, above false below true! I understand now." His two hands simultaneously employ the Li Huo hexagram, with scissor-like hand movements intersecting and hooking, rapidly attacking the lower plate.

  Tang Dong's face changed greatly, and just as he was about to swing the Wujin sickle to chop Yang Zhao's calf, he quickly withdrew his blade and chopped at the ground. "Dang!" With the help of the reaction force, he slid back diagonally, shouting: "Old Solo, he saw through you!" Before his voice had fallen, Tang Xi Solo angrily roared and kicked off the ground with one foot, barely faster than the pursuing Hu Xian's swift slash by half a moment.

  With feet instead of hands, water and fire are incompatible! The second hexagram appears simultaneously with Li Kan, and Yang Zhao, who seems to have exhausted all his momentum, suddenly gains new power as if he had a rocket booster under his feet. The gap that was opened in half an instant becomes meaningless in the blink of an eye. Little King Wang crashes into Tang Xi's belly, and the two people shoot out straight, "Boom!" They crash through the wall of Jin Guan Lou and insert themselves directly into the main hall inside.

  Tang Dongxi shouted "Lao Du!" and chased after him without hesitation. Under the lamp light, Tang Xidu was seen to be struck by Yang Zhao's unmatched blow, his eyes were dazed, and threads of blood seeped out from his mouth and nose at the same time, and his sickle fell to the ground, losing all ability to resist. Yang Zhao shook his head, stood up, lifted his right foot, aimed at Tang Xidu's leg, and was about to step on it.

  Tang Xi had only one leg to begin with, and if Yang Zhao were to crush it again, his entire body would be crippled. Tang Dong's face turned pale as he flew out in a hurry, his black gold sickle knife "Divided into the Right and Left" slicing upwards from below, aimed at Yang Zhao's inverted axe, shouting: "Stop!"

  "Jumping into the net? How nice." Yang Zhao sneered coldly, and with a swift motion, "Crack!" - Tang Xi's heel bone was crushed to powder. His right palm, "Mountain Stance", slapped down to block the sickle's blade, and in one smooth motion, he stepped forward, his iron bridge finger striking downwards like a praying mantis breaking a cartwheel. Tang Dong's mind was thrown into chaos, how could he still dodge or resist?

  The bone cracked crisply and cleanly. After his left hand was dislocated, Tang Dong's right scapula was also split into pieces, unable to hold his own weapon. The black gold sickle "Dangdang" fell to the ground, ending this fierce battle with a more pleasant sound - the sound of metal.

  ——————

  I don't know if readers of this book have any friends from Sichuan? If so, I hope you can provide some vicious Sichuan insults to add a bit of local flavor...

  The number of black votes for this book has increased again, and I'm depressed. The design of this is really awkward. If you don't like it, just don't read it, why bother voting black... Thanks to all the friends who voted red and collected! Screw those who voted black!