Chapter Twenty-Six: A Battle of Life and Death
Liang Yan frowned and pushed open the door to look outside. He saw five people standing just beyond the courtyard. Three of them were the same trio from the Dan Meridian, with whom he’d previously crossed paths in the woods on Mystery Peak.
Among them was a man in gray, short and robust, with a vicious scar running from the base of his ear across his face and down to his neck, lending him a fiercely menacing look. Despite his intimidating visage, his stature and manner suggested nothing special—he resembled a common butcher or dog seller from the mortal world. Yet the three from the Dan Meridian clustered around him, subtly holding him as their leader.
At that moment, one of the Dan Meridian disciples called out loudly, “Strange, Brother Li, when we came here last time, there were only two turtles at the Array Meridian’s miscellaneous servants’ quarters. How is it there’s an extra one today?”
Another chimed in, “How should I know? You’ll have to ask the turtles. But turtles don’t speak our tongue—you’ll need to learn theirs first.”
The first laughed and cursed, “How can anyone learn turtle-speak? Impossible, absolutely impossible!”
Liang Yan realized they were here purely to provoke. The law pavilion’s rules were strict; disciples were forbidden from fighting within the sect. These men wanted to anger him—if he struck first, they’d have grounds to retaliate.
With this in mind, Liang Yan’s eyes flickered as he feigned exaggerated surprise. “Oh? How did you all know I kept two turtles before?”
Without waiting for their response, he donned a look of sudden realization. “Of course—my two turtles, the elder called Yuan Da, the second Yuan Er. So today, there’s indeed a third, Yuan Shan! I hear you’re all skilled in turtle-speak; why not help me ask why this third turtle has come?”
Yuan Shan’s face turned crimson with rage, reaching for his storage pouch at his waist. The short, sturdy man grabbed his arm, glared at him, and Yuan Shan immediately shrank back, forcing a sheepish smile. “This brat is too much!”
“Idiot. If you can’t endure a little, you’ll ruin the larger plan. He’s trying to provoke you into striking first. Do you expect me to fish you out from the law pavilion afterwards?”
Yuan Shan dared not speak. Liang Yan, seeing this, stretched lazily and muttered, “I don’t understand turtle-speak. Best I return to sleep.” With that, he turned back into his room and slammed the door, leaving the intruders shut out.
The short, fierce man narrowed his eyes and suddenly pulled forward a woman in green. She was fair-browed and delicate, with some charm, but her eyes were red, her face haggard, and her demeanor timid and fearful.
He slapped her on the backside, kneading her without restraint. The woman gasped in shock, casting a desperate gaze toward the house, but the man laughed boisterously. “Li Dagou, your old flame is with me now. She’s been serving me nicely these nights!”
“This wretch may lack talent, but she’s at least at Qi-Refining Level One. When I break through my next bottleneck, I’ll use her as a furnace and enjoy her. Ha! She’ll serve as my bridal robe, aiding my breakthrough, and her cultivation won’t have been wasted!”
The man laughed wildly, and the three from the Dan Meridian joined in their wanton laughter. The woman in green grew pale, her eyes misty, nearly in tears.
From within the courtyard came a furious roar, followed by a slammed door and Li Dali’s shout: “Yuan Ba! You dog-born bastard, come at me, leave Yang Wei alone!”
A frantic rush of footsteps was followed by a cry of pain, and a woman’s plaintive call, “Brother Li!”
Liang Yan, sitting in his room, sighed to himself before opening the door.
He saw Li Dali lying on the ground, blood covering his face. Yang Wei gazed at him in a daze, worry etched on her features, but her hands were tightly gripped by the short man, unable to check on Li Dali’s wounds.
Liang Yan took one glance and saw the man was at Qi-Refining Level Six, his physique strong and his body brimming with vitality—a body cultivator, unmistakably.
“So the Yuan family is a lineage of body cultivators,” he mused, but he felt no fear. He addressed the four men, “The sect forbids private fights. You’ve beaten him like this—aren’t you afraid of the law pavilion’s enforcers?”
Yuan Shan grinned darkly, feigning fear as he patted his chest theatrically. “Oh, I’m so scared! Just now, Li Dali charged at me—I was terrified! Luckily, the sect doesn’t forbid counterattacks. Otherwise, I’d be the one lying on the ground!”
He spoke mockingly, his small eyes full of scorn, lips curled in a smug grin.
Liang Yan fell silent for a moment, then turned to the short man, “You must be his cousin, Yuan Ba?”
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The short man snorted, folding his arms behind his back as if disdainful of conversation. Yuan Shan shouted, “That’s right! This is my cousin Yuan Ba! An elite disciple of the outer sect! You trash aren’t worthy to carry his shoes!”
“Let them go. Tomorrow at noon, we meet at Martial Peak,” Liang Yan suddenly said.
His words startled even Yuan Ba, who then burst out laughing. “You’ve got guts! Since you say so, I’ll spare these two dogs today. Tomorrow at noon, I’ll await you at Martial Peak. Don’t back out or run!”
“Heh. I’m not what you’d call a gentleman, but my word carries weight. We’ll settle matters tomorrow at Martial Peak,” Liang Yan answered calmly.
“Good!” Yuan Ba glanced at him, shoved Yang Wei to the ground, and left with Yuan Shan and the others, laughing.
At that moment, the rear door opened and Sun Qianli came out, addressing Liang Yan, “Brother Liang, that was rash. Martial Peak is a lawless place—victory and death are decided there.”
Li Dali, supported by Yang Wei, struggled to his feet. Wiping the blood from his face, he said hoarsely, “It’s my fault—I dragged Brother Liang into this. Let me fight tomorrow; Brother Liang, don’t risk yourself for me.”
“Brother Li!” Yang Wei cried, pale as paper, clutching Li Dali’s sleeve so tightly her fingertips turned white.
Liang Yan glanced at her, seeing no falsehood in her expression. He nodded inwardly. “This woman has seen the darkness of the human heart—adversity reveals true feelings. She must see Li Dali as her sole refuge now.”
“No need to worry. I’m not eager to die, and I have my own plans for the duel. Don’t trouble yourselves,” Liang Yan smiled.
Sun Qianli knew well that this young man was not to be judged by ordinary standards. Hearing his words, he said no more. Li Dali still worried, but unable to sway Liang Yan, and with Yang Wei trembling beside him, he finally relented.
Still, he resolved secretly to attend the duel tomorrow—if Liang Yan was in danger, he’d take the blow for him, even at the cost of his life. Once dead, the sect could not pursue responsibility.
The three each harbored their own thoughts, and conversation faded as they returned to their rooms. Liang Yan felt no concern; after a good meal and drink, he lay on his bed and slept soundly.
The next day at noon, Liang Yan arrived punctually atop Martial Peak. At the summit’s center was a deep pit, dozens of yards square, floored with a dull material clearly made for resilience.
Yuan Ba and his group waited at a platform outside the pit. Seeing Liang Yan approach, Yuan Ba wore a sinister grin and boasted, “Good, you’re punctual—even Hell requires a timely report. Arrive early, die early, maybe you’ll catch a lucky hour for rebirth!”
Liang Yan smiled, “I’d like to go, but I fear the King of Hell won’t accept me!”
“Hmph! Keep talking. Come with me to find a witness to sign the death duel agreement.”
They spoke no more, and before a man in gray, signed the contract for a fight to the death, then each leaped into the pit.
Duels at Martial Peak were nearly without rules—once in the pit, the fight began. Whether by trick or ambush, victory came only by defeating the opponent. Only one rule: no outside interference; two men, one fair fight.
Yuan Ba, landing in the pit, reached for his storage pouch and summoned a jet-black club, carved with nine golden dragons, spiritual energy swirling, their forms vivid, faintly emitting dragon roars.
A cheer rose from the crowd. Yuan Shan called loudly from outside, “Looks like cousin doesn’t want this brat to die too comfortably!”
Though Yuan Ba appeared rough, his mind was keen. He knew well that a lion hunts rabbit with full force. In every fight, he attacked with all his strength, lest he stumble—especially on a life-and-death stage.
Yuan Ba roared and charged at Liang Yan, swinging the club at his head.
The strike boomed like thunder, the air crackling. Yet Liang Yan stood calm, unmoved, waiting until the club nearly reached him before sidestepping leisurely to the left.
With a resounding crash, Yuan Ba’s club smashed the ground. Though the floor did not break, the dull impact nearly ruptured the eardrums of lower-ranked Qi-Refining disciples watching.
Seeing his attack missed, Yuan Ba snorted, flipped the club upward with even greater speed. Liang Yan tapped his toe, drifting back, barely brushing past the club’s fierce winds, utterly unruffled.
Yuan Ba’s heart tightened, and he dared not hold back any longer. He pressed forward, club whirling at blinding speed, unleashing relentless killing moves, determined to give Liang Yan no respite.
Club shadows filled the air, sealing all escape. Liang Yan’s figure among them was like a lone leaf boat in a storm, tossed by the vast ocean’s waves.
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Yet strangely, the leaf boat did not capsize—instead, it rode the storm with surprising resilience, as if not battling the sea, but drifting among flowers, relaxed and at ease.
Yuan Shan, lacking both strength and vision, cheered from the platform, “Cousin is completely suppressing him! Liang Yan only knows some tricks to hide his cultivation—real weapons can’t compare to my cousin. He’ll be taken down in a few breaths!”
The Dan Meridian disciples echoed his praise, while Li Dali and Yang Wei watched with anxious faces. Only the gray-clad witness secretly shook his head.
Yuan Ba, meanwhile, was bitterly aware: he was pouring all his strength into the Nine-Dragon Club, fighting up close—normally, even Qi-Refining Level Seven disciples couldn’t withstand it. Yet this opponent, seemingly only at Qi-Refining Level One, remained untouchable.
Even stranger, with the clan’s treasured Nine-Dragon Club and his “Mountain-Shaking Club Technique,” the murderous momentum should have overwhelmed his foe. But as Liang Yan dodged and weaved, all that force dissipated.
He didn’t know that Liang Yan practiced the “Unfixed Mind Method,” which included a secret skill called “Five Ways of Movement.” The method prized freedom, unconstrained by convention. The Five Ways embodied this principle: Circular Shift, Oblivion, Dispersal, Spirit Gathering, and Energy Gazing.
Earlier, Liang Yan had used the “Dispersal Method,” one of the five. The club shadows still filled the air, but their fierce edge had been quietly dissolved, leaving only empty gestures.
Yuan Ba grew increasingly alarmed—the longer his attack persisted, the closer he was to defeat once his assault faltered. He switched the club to his left hand, continuing his relentless offensive, while his right hand, hidden behind his back, formed a strange spell.
Yuan Ba was indeed a rare talent, from a body cultivator family but gifted in spellcraft as well—he practiced both arts.
Liang Yan sidestepped another swing, still absorbing the feeling of using the Dispersal Method for the first time in combat. Suddenly, the ground behind him erupted, and five green vines shot out, wrapping him tightly.
Yuan Ba, thrilled at trapping his foe with the Wood Vine Spell, raised the Nine-Dragon Club and charged, swinging down with ferocious force.
Liang Yan, bound by the vines and facing Yuan Ba’s powerful attack, showed a peculiar expression.
Suddenly, he spun in place like a top, dragging the vines with him into a rapid circle, forming a verdant whirlwind.
Yuan Ba, airborne, saw this bizarre scene—too late to withdraw his club. Both he and the vines were swept up, spinning rapidly around Liang Yan.
This was the Circular Shift Method, one of the Five Ways, channeling surrounding spiritual energy for one’s own use, redirecting force. Though the vines were unusual, they were spiritual in nature, and the Circular Shift turned them to Liang Yan’s advantage.
Yuan Ba, helpless, spun around Liang Yan like a fallen leaf, buffeted by the whirlwind, unable to speak or see, utterly miserable.
After a moment, Liang Yan suddenly stopped. Yuan Ba was flung out, landing on the ground, still spinning uncontrollably.
A flash of killing intent appeared in Liang Yan’s eyes, and his aura surged, vast and profound. The spectators of lower cultivation felt their hearts race and their breathing grow difficult.
His aura quickly reached its peak. He stepped forward and pointed, sending a blue stream of light straight toward Yuan Ba.
Yuan Ba, just steadying himself, saw the light coming. Terrified, he tried to dodge, only to find his body unresponsive, legs trembling, his consciousness flickering.
The blue light pierced Yuan Ba’s dantian. A wretched scream echoed, and Yuan Ba collapsed, unable to rise.
Liang Yan, satisfied with the result, nodded. He had just used the Spirit Gathering Method, one of the Five Ways.
Spirit Gathering draws five energies—spirit is its leader, heart its refuge, body its vessel, nurturing the spirit, returning to the Way. Spirit refers to human essence, five energies to heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys. Spirit Gathering borrows the five elements to strengthen essence and spirit, raising one’s aura to an overwhelming level, suppressing the enemy for a decisive kill.
Strictly speaking, the Spirit Gathering Method comes from the Daoist “Seven Techniques of the Yin Symbol,” not a Confucian secret. Rotten Wood Sage innovated by stripping out the five elements and supplementing with Confucian righteousness, integrating it into the Unfixed Mind Method.
With one blow, Liang Yan destroyed Yuan Ba’s dantian, ending his path to immortality. He picked up the Nine-Dragon Club, examined it with satisfaction, and stowed it in his pouch.
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