Chapter 84: “The Six Meridians Divine Sword”

Originally, the six men each unleashed one strand of sword qi from the Liumai Shenjian (“Six Meridians Divine Sword”) to fight against Jiumozhi, and even then, they could still barely hold their ground.

But now that one meridian was missing, flaws inevitably appeared in their formation.

Jiumozhi was already one of the world’s top masters. With just a bit of insight, he instantly understood the situation.

However, since he wished to witness the true power of the Liumai Shenjian, he deliberately pretended not to notice, and continued to maintain the stalemate.

At the center of the great hall, sword qi and blade force clashed.

Such a battle, where forces were exchanged without physical contact, was indeed exceedingly rare.

Fang Han sat calmly at the back of the hall, watching with keen interest, his eyes shimmering with excitement.

Truth be told, although he used Beiming Zhenqi to manifest the first-rank power of the Yiyang Zhi (“One Yang Finger”), his finger force was in fact stronger than what the five masters before him were displaying with their Liumai Shenjian.

But that was only in terms of raw force, born entirely from the overwhelming strength of his inner power.

When it came to finesse, to swordplay itself, he was not its equal.

Moreover, Jiumozhi’s Huoyan Dao (“Flame Blade”) was also extraordinary!

It was, in fact, a martial art of the same type as the Liumai Shenjian—both ultimate techniques that transformed inner energy into an external weapon!

The difference was that the Liumai Shenjian

produced invisible sword qi, while the Huoyan Dao manifested as blazing blade force.

Just as Fang Han was concentrating, a frail and aged voice suddenly reached him:

“Does Benefactor Fang believe that this battle will end in victory for the Great Wheel Ming King, or for our Tianlong Temple?”

Fang Han shifted his gaze slightly. He saw an elderly monk sitting in meditation with his back turned. From this angle, one could vaguely make out his face—thin to the point of skin clinging to bone.

It was Ku Rong, the master of Tianlong Temple!

He had meditated upon the Kuron Changgong (“Withered-Glory Zen Skill”) for decades, cultivating it to the point where half his body seemed withered, and half vibrant with new life—a dual state of decay and renewal!

Fang Han smiled lightly.

“The Great Wheel Ming King will win.”

Since the truth was obvious, Fang Han had no need to twist words.

Master Ku Rong’s tone remained tranquil:

“Indeed, the Great Wheel Ming King’s martial arts are unrivaled. In all the world, few can compare, and my Tianlong Temple cannot withstand him. Yet though we cannot win, we must never submit!”

“Benefactor Fang, would you assist our temple by destroying the Liumai Shenjian Jing (Six Meridians Divine Sword Manual), to cut off his covetous desire?”

Fang Han raised his brows slightly, surprised, and looked at Master Ku Rong with some astonishment.

What does this mean?

He wants me to burn the Six Meridians Sword Manual?

Fang Han’s mind reeled in shock, yet he did not know what Ku Rong truly sensed within.

Kuron Changgong

was a meditative Zen practice. On the surface, it did not display much in terms of inner strength before one reached perfection. But it had one profound aspect: it could faintly perceive the withering or flourishing of life around it.

Of course, such claims were somewhat exaggerated. In reality, it was an elusive sensation—sometimes present, sometimes not.

And yet…

When Ku Rong focused on the young man seated there, what he perceived was beyond words.

That faint yet boundless sensation suddenly caused his heart to pound in fear!

It felt as if the one sitting there was not a man at all!

A phrase suddenly flashed across Ku Rong’s mind:

As deep as the sea!

One could imagine the extent of his inner shock.

And that was not the end of it.

From the moment Jiumozhi had begun fighting against Benyin and the others, that terrifying aura intensified, pressing so heavily that even his Zen discipline nearly faltered.

In that moment, Ku Rong knew without doubt that this young benefactor possessed an unimaginably vast and terrifying inner power!

How could someone so young have cultivated his inner strength to such heights?

How could his energy be so fearsome, so boundless!?

The thought defied imagination.

But once he realized this truth, Ku Rong began to ponder carefully how best to proceed.

In the end, he decided to entrust the fate of the Liumai Shenjian Jing to Fang Han.

For one, if Fang Han truly followed his words and burned the manual, it would accord with his own heart’s wish—ending Jiumozhi’s designs at the root.

For another, even if Fang Han chose not to burn it, it would not matter.

With the manual in his hands, if Jiumozhi still wished to seize it, he would have to face Fang Han in combat.

And with inner power so terrifying that Ku Rong himself could barely comprehend it, surely even the Great Wheel Ming King would struggle to triumph.

As for whether Fang Han would seize this chance to learn from the manual or even take it for himself, Ku Rong was clear-eyed.

If Fang Han harbored such ambition, whether Ku Rong gave him the manual or not, Fang Han would still covet it and eventually find a way to obtain it.

Better to give it willingly. If he truly wished to learn it, then that would simply settle the debt of gratitude owed to him.

For Fang Han’s saving of Duan Yu’s life carried far more weight than he himself realized. Even Ku Rong felt deep gratitude for that act.

The monks of Tianlong Temple were, in fact, all of Duan clan descent. Even though they had entered the Buddhist order, they still hoped for the stability of the Dali kingdom.

What’s more, just a decade or two ago, Dali had endured turmoil, and only after years of governance was it beginning to recover its vitality.

Had Duan Yu, the designated heir, died back then, the nation would undoubtedly have been thrown into chaos—perhaps even civil strife within the Duan clan itself.

The kingdom could not have borne such disorder.

And so, when Fang Han had saved him, it was no trivial matter. His name had already been honored within Tianlong Temple.

Not to mention, this time it was the Duan clan itself that had asked for his aid.

With all that considered, Ku Rong decided to let Fang Han handle the Liumai Shenjian Jing.

Fang Han looked down at the scrolls of the Six Meridians Sword Manual before him, his heart filled with a strange sense of bewilderment.

Of course he deeply desired to learn the Liumai Shenjian.

He had even devised numerous plans for it beforehand. His entire journey to Dali had been with this very purpose in mind.

He had expected to carry out those schemes step by step, slowly working toward seizing the manual.

And yet, before he had even begun his moves, the other party had directly placed the manual into his hands.

Well, “entrusted him to burn it,” to be precise—but if he couldn’t hear the hidden meaning behind those words, then something was truly wrong.

Fang Han gave Master Ku Rong a subtle glance.

Should I say… Master truly lives up to the name?

Your path… is broad indeed!

🍃🍃🍃