Villains: Starting with the Landlady

Page 119

Ling Yun didn't mind, pulled her into his arms and kissed her, then sat down together on the chair next to them.

"My beauty, are you angry?"

"How could I dare to be angry with His Majesty? I'd be spat on to death by all those sisters!" Li Mochou rolled her eyes coquettishly, making Ling Yun extremely envious...

After finishing, Li Mochou took the challenge letter, unfolded it, and placed it in front of him.

"The signature here includes the names of four people," Li Mochou said, adjusting her clothes and raising her eyebrows slightly. "Bodhidharma, Dugu Qiubai, Huang Shang, and Zhang Sanfeng."

After reading the challenge letter, Ling Yun remained silent for a long time. Li Mochou suddenly laughed: "Isn't it terrifying? The four most legendary figures in the martial arts world today have actually joined forces to send you this challenge letter, asking you to fight to the death on the summit of Mount Hua. This is truly unprecedented and will never be repeated."

Ling Yun closed the challenge letter, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the table: "I never expected this day would actually come. I've restored my country, controlled Kangxi, and prevented the Manchus from targeting the Han people. I've united with Turpan, Liao, and Dali, allowing everyone to recuperate and avoid further conflict... So why do these old geezers still want to kill me?"

“Perhaps in their eyes, if the world doesn’t revolve around them, it’s the world’s fault,” Li Mochou said sarcastically, propping her head up with her hand.

"What, you're so happy that I might never come back?"

"You are the Prince of Yan, how many men do you have under your command?" Li Mochou tapped his head with her finger. "You still want to fight one-on-one with these old geezers? If I hadn't been waiting for you to come back, I would have already replied and agreed, and then sent tens of thousands of soldiers armed with newly made poisoned crossbows to shoot these worthless experts into a sieve!"

As expected of the Crimson Serpent Fairy, her ruthless methods and personality haven't changed at all.

Ling Yun had not forgotten that Li Mochou had the blood of many innocent people who had died unjustly. If she treated ordinary people this way, how much more so would she treat her mortal enemies!

"No need, they're just a few old codgers, I can handle them all by myself!"

"Don't be foolish!" Li Mochou tensed up upon hearing this, grabbing his arms with both hands. "Putting aside the fact that these people are still older than you even if you subtract a hundred years from their age, they are all true legends in the martial arts world! If it were just one of them, I would have some confidence in you, but four of them together... in this world, there is absolutely no one who can withstand them!"

"It's nothing, don't panic."

Ling Yun still wore that confident smile. Although Li Mochou was influenced by him, the slight fear in her eyes betrayed her true feelings.

"No, I have to tell all the sisters that we absolutely cannot let you go to Mount Hua to die like this!"

"Don't worry, three days." Ling Yun held up three fingers and smiled confidently. "Three days, from departure to return, no delays whatsoever!"

"If you die, I won't remain a widow for you. I'll leave the palace and wander the world right now!" Li Mochou's eyes were moist. When Ling Yun saw this, he wiped away her glistening tears with his fingers. He didn't say anything to embarrass her, such as "You're crying," but simply comforted her silently with his warm embrace.

On the night Ling Yun replied, the women all expressed their dissatisfaction when they heard that he wanted to accept the challenge, and tried every means to stop him.

"Yun'er, even if not for me, for the sake of the child in our wombs, you must think this through carefully!" Ning Zhongze, supported by the women, walked up to Ling Yun.

"No, you really don't believe I can take on four people at once?"

The women all shook their heads, refusing to believe it no matter what they said.

"I'll demonstrate to you now, and see if I can really take on multiple opponents at once!"

Ling Yun drew his sword and began sparring with the women in the palace...

Two weeks later, on this morning, Ling Yun didn't wake any of the women. He found Feidian, who was frolicking in the palace, and secretly rode it out of the palace.

As he stepped out of the palace gates, he saw three women.

Wu Yazi, Tong Piaoyun, Li Qiushui.

These three women are all top-tier in the martial arts world. If they were in their prime, they might actually be able to hold off any old man. But now, only Li Qiushui is capable; the other two would be sent to their deaths.

“Lingyun, perhaps the three of us sisters can help you.” Wuyazi stopped Feidian with a determined look in his eyes.

"You three, be good and keep an eye on the house for me." Ling Yun reined in the reins, stopping Fei Dian in its tracks. "Those four know a bit about the rules of the martial world; they only challenged each other to a duel. But those scoundrels in the martial world are a different story. I'm still a little worried about them while I'm not in the palace. Your staying here is the greatest help you can give me."

"Ling Yun, you're already the ruler of a country, why do you still care about this little bit of chivalrous integrity?!" Tong Piaoyun was furious, and even wanted to smash his head with his fist to see what was inside him.

"Grandma Tong, you're the only one left of the three sisters. Be a good girl and wait for me to come back."

Ling Yun revealed a mischievous smile, which made Tong Piaoyun's face turn red with anger. She couldn't understand how Ling Yun could make such a joke at a time like this.

"I'm not doing this for chivalrous principles, but for myself... You might not understand now, but you will in the future. This true dragon will soon take flight and show you the outside world. Enough said, I'll be back in three days! Flying Lightning, yay!"

Ling Yun pulled on the reins, and Fei Dian raised its front legs. The three women instinctively stepped aside and watched Ling Yun ride away.

Ling Yun was confident because his sword, finger, palm, internal energy, and movement techniques had all reached the level of returning to simplicity. His saber technique was already perfect. In addition, with the max-level Dou Zhuan Xing Yi for defense and counterattack and Mo Bai's special-grade Midas Touch, if he still couldn't beat this group of old men, he might as well kill himself.

More importantly, he felt that his "All-Encompassing Ocean" technique could no longer be strengthened through breathing, or rather, he could no longer elevate it to the final level through regular breathing exercises.

A bloody battle is needed!

If you can't even get past this hurdle, how can you expect to defeat the last half-bottle of divine vinegar and achieve absolute perfection in the trial?

He didn't stop along the way and rushed to Mount Hua at full speed. After being received by Yue Buqun, he had a hearty meal and arrived at the summit of Mount Hua at sunrise the next day.

The sun slowly rose, illuminating the earth, and Ling Yun emerged from the shadows, looking at the four peerless masters under the rising sun.

"Murong Fu of Gusu, come and accept the challenge!"

Chapter 290 The Peak Battle

The four people under the rising sun gazed in the direction of Lingyun.

"Murong Fu, you are the culprit who has wreaked havoc on the martial world. Do you know you're here to die?" an old man with long, disheveled hair and a full beard, holding a wooden sword, sneered.

“Benefactor Murong, I never expected that you would accomplish such a tremendous feat in just half a year… If I had met you sooner, perhaps I could have converted you and prevented you from making the same mistakes again.” The burly monk in his kasaya clasped his hands together and sighed softly.

"Young friend Murong, we do not necessarily intend to take your life today, but only hope that you can repent." Ling Yun recognized the speaker as Zhang Sanfeng, the Wudang master.

Finally, it was Huang Shang's turn, but he didn't speak. He just scanned Ling Yun up and down with his eyes, as if trying to see through his true feelings.

Ling Yun remained composed and held Mo Bai in his hand, flicking his fingers to enchant it.

"Fight is fine, but I have only one question." He held his long sword, blade pointing downwards, "What crime have I committed that would warrant the combined efforts of four reclusive masters to besiege me?"

"Hmph, the martial world was not like this before. You are the biggest variable!" Dugu Qiubai revealed a sharp edge. "And your turmoil over the past six months has changed the entire landscape of the world. By forcibly restoring the kingdom, who knows how many sons and daughters will be displaced and how many people will starve to death in the future!"

"Then let me ask you, Sword Demon, isn't China peaceful enough right now?"

The four remained silent for a moment, because what Ling Yun said was indeed true. Although he had established a kingdom in the heart of the Manchu territory, the large-scale war he had expected did not occur. The Liao and Manchu kingdoms only engaged in minor skirmishes, the Western Xia did not take advantage of the chaos, and Turpan and Dali only sent troops to contain them, resulting in small-scale skirmishes in certain areas.

"The four of you have simply discovered that the world is not what you imagined, and you know nothing about a truly peaceful future. You are just afraid of me, this unstable factor. Why bother with this pretense!"

Ling Yun laughed heartily, lifting Mo Bai up and pointing it at them: "Further words are useless. Today, only one of us will be able to leave the mountain alive!"

Bodhidharma lowered his clasped hands. His fingers were thick and calloused, clearly indicating that he possessed extremely profound unarmed martial arts skills.

The Sword Demon Dugu Qiubai, wielding a wooden sword, did not consider Ling Yun his true opponent.

Zhang Sanfeng gripped his Tai Chi sword, stroked his white beard, and prepared for battle.

As for Huang Shang at the end, he formed his hands into claws, clearly preparing to use the skills from the "Nine Yin Manual" he had written.

Ling Yun's gaze was fixed on Dugu Qiubai, because the sword technique he practiced was from Dugu Qiubai's hand. He was eager to see what the unadorned Dugu Nine Swords looked like.

A gentle breeze blew by, and Ling Yun's figure instantly transformed into a phantom, lunging towards Dugu Qiubai.

Sword Demon thought to himself, "Wonderful!" His wooden sword struck first, hitting Ling Yun's longsword precisely.

But to his surprise, the wooden sword that had always been invincible suddenly became ineffective, and the "sword-only theory" that he had scorned taught him a harsh lesson.

The wooden sword snapped in two, while Ling Yun's longsword had already slashed a bloody gash across his chest.

"That's it?"

Ling Yun looked surprised, and then, just as the other three attacked, he struck Dugu Qiubai in the chest with a palm, letting the three attacks hit him.

Time flies!

This divine skill, boasting a 90% rebound rate, finally didn't fail to work like it did back in the Quanzhen Sect; instead, it forcefully deflected the attacks of the three.

The Sword Demon grunted and staggered back several meters, but he still didn't spit out any blood, demonstrating the depth of his inner strength.

"Don't say I'm bullying you."

Ling Yun took out a fine steel longsword from his spatial storage and threw it to him. Although the Sword Demon's expression was not good, he still caught it.

"Scatter!" Dugu Qiubai roared, no longer underestimating Ling Yun, and took the initiative to attack him.

Ling Yun used a knife instead of a sword and unleashed the Dugu Nine Swords with Mo Bai.

There is a difference between a knife and a sword, because a sword has two edges, while a knife has only one edge, making it easier to slash.

However, once you reach Lingyun's level, even a blunt weapon can cut you open, and the smile on his face grew wider and wider.

When Dugu Qiubai was shocked to discover that Ling Yun's swordsmanship was actually his own, his vigilance towards him grew stronger.

"Take their own methods against them?"

After both sides took a step back, the Sword Demon couldn't help but speak.

"Sword Demon, if you don't show your best skills soon, you might be in for a rude awakening today."

Upon hearing this, Dugu Qiubai held his breath and focused his mind, his gaze filled with unprecedented solemnity, and the longsword in his hand began to hum.

The two clashed again. The three people beside them initially refrained from joining the battle out of consideration for the Sword Demon's reputation. However, seeing that most of his moves were deflected, and Ling Yun taking the opportunity to launch an attack, they finally joined the battle.

Ling Yun had just deflected Dugu Qiubai's sword technique, exchanged a palm strike with Bodhidharma, then kicked Huang Shang, before finally turning his blade to slash at Zhang Sanfeng.

The five of them were locked in a fierce battle. Although Ling Yun was initially overwhelmed, as the battle progressed, his almost inexhaustible internal energy gained the upper hand. Coupled with the constantly rebounding Star Shift technique, the other four were exhausted by him and ended up at a disadvantage.

"drink!"

Dugu Qiubai unleashed his strongest sword strike of all time. Ling Yun saw that the sunlight behind him seemed to be concentrated by this sword strike. As the dazzling light fell, Ling Yun's [Danger Warning] began to frantically alert him.

Is this the return to simplicity of the Dugu Nine Swords?

In that instant, as if entering bullet time, Ling Yun closed his eyes, and a string in his mind finally snapped.

As he opened his eyes, the same light condensed on Mo Bai, heading towards Dugu Qiubai.

A powerful explosion erupted in the center of the battlefield, and the other three retreated. Dugu Qiubai, who was in the middle, was torn apart by Ling Yun's sword, and his clothes turned into a flurry of dust.

[Congratulations, Master, your "Nine Swords of Dugu" has reached the realm of returning to simplicity and has gained the ability of "Sword Intent"!]

[Because of the simultaneous resonance of swords and sabers, the "sword intent" and "saber intent" merge into one, forming the "ultimate principles of swords and sabers," greatly enhancing the power of swords and sabers, and doubling the speed of sword and saber training!]

Ling Yun looked at Dugu Qiubai, who had turned to ashes, without any expression on his face. He turned to the three people beside him and said, "Come at me all at once. I'm in a hurry."

"Brother Dugu!" Huang Shang cried out in grief, but his old friend could no longer hear him.

Although all four possessed S-rank strength, Ling Yun had a host of additional abilities, a treasured sword, and, moreover, his all-encompassing inner strength far surpassed that of the other four.

Bodhidharma put his hands together in prayer, uttered "Amitabha," and a golden light seemed to appear behind his head, making him appear as if the Buddha himself had come to life.

Zhang Sanfeng's expression was calm and composed. He had refined the Pure Yang Wuji Gong to its peak, and his whole body was shimmering with a red light.

Huang Shang, empowered by a strange white aura, roared and charged towards Ling Yun.

The young man made no unnecessary movements; he simply raised his knife and brought it down...

Stars vanish!

The people of Mount Hua below heard a violent explosion coming from the mountaintop, and countless rocks tumbled down. Even Yue Buqun's expression changed drastically, and he quickly found a place to hide.

A few breaths later, the smoke dissipated, and a handsome young man dressed in white emerged from it.

The temperature was low, but he calmly fanned himself with his folding fan, as if the battle he had just fought was merely a warm-up and nothing to worry about.

Because after killing the four people, he gained the title of "Number One in the World," which not only replenished his depleted internal energy but also elevated his "All-Encompassing" skill to a state of returning to simplicity.

It's a bit of a pity that his strength is stuck at S+, and it seems that he can't go any further.

Chapter 291 Sweeping Monk

Time flies, and several months have passed in a flash. Winter has passed and spring has arrived.

Today marks Lingyun's 10th month in this world.

Not only has Ning Zhongze's belly gotten bigger, but Ling Yun hasn't done anything else for the past few months except keep working.

Hard work pays off; most of the beauties in the harem, and even some of the maids, became pregnant.

The State of Yan was thriving, and the Qing Dynasty officially recognized its status. Diplomatic relations were established between the two countries, and the relationship became more open, allowing free movement between them.

Ling Yun also spent several days traveling to Dali, Turpan and other countries, and completely turned those places into his own domain. Now the entire China is under the Ling family name.

With two months remaining, Lingyun rode his flying electric horse to Shaolin Temple on this day.

He came here for the Yi Jin Jing (Muscle/Tendon Changing Classic), wanting to see if this legendary skill could help him advance further, or if the upper limit of strength in this world was S+.

When he arrived at Shaolin Temple, he did not inform anyone. Instead, he swaggered in and forced many high monks to retreat.

"Prince Yan, where exactly has our Shaolin Temple offended you that you would treat us monks so cruelly!"

Xuan Ci clutched his chest. Even as one of Shaolin Temple's top fighters, he couldn't withstand more than a few moves from Ling Yun before coughing up blood.

"I'm just here to find the Yi Jin Jing."