The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, becoming a disciple of Yue Buqun

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Seventy-two?

Upon hearing this number, Tianmen Daoist was about to question it, and the others also felt that the Beggars' Clan was bullying them, but Linghu Chong became quiet after hearing the number.

Only seventy-two.

That's not a big problem.

Chapter 623: It's Not Just Your Fact

Seeing that things had turned out this way, Fang Zheng finally breathed a sigh of relief.

If Jie Feng had insisted on handing Jiang Ning over to them, thus causing a fight between the two sides, Fang Zheng would not have been able to help, nor would he have allowed it.

Those present now are basically all the forces of the righteous path. If a real fight breaks out, apart from the Kunlun Sect, Wudang Sect, and Shaolin Sect, all the other forces will be involved. Regardless of who wins or loses, the best outcome will be mutual destruction. At that time, the power of the righteous path will be greatly reduced, breaking the balance between good and evil, which Fang Zheng would not be able to accept.

There's no need for a major conflict between the two sides now, which aligns with Fang Zheng's plan.

Jie Feng had already sent elders down the mountain to arrange the selection of personnel, and the group began to head towards Jade Maiden Peak, with their goal being the summit of Jade Maiden Peak.

"I know what you're thinking."

On the way, Yue Buqun suddenly spoke to Jiang Ning.

Even though the Beggars' Sect was clearly in the wrong, they could have refused Xie Feng's request. Even if it led to war, they would have been on the moral high ground. But Jiang Ning still agreed.

Yue Buqun understood why Jiang Ning would agree to this condition.

"Mount Hua is a natural fortress that is easy to defend but difficult to attack. If we go to war with the Beggars' Sect this time, even if the Beggars' Sect suffers losses and retreats, the other four sects have already become enemies of the Beggars' Sect. At that time, the Beggars' Sect will turn around and attack the other four sects, and many disciples will suffer heavy casualties."

"You don't want these disciples to die because of this."

Yue Buqun looked at Jiang Ning and said, "But you must understand one thing: we are not just fighting against the Demonic Sect, but against evil. Evil does not distinguish between righteous and demonic positions. Even the righteous path has people and gangs who do all kinds of bad things. We are going to fight against them. In this process, someone will definitely be sacrificed. Maybe it's you, maybe it's me, maybe it's someone else."

“This incident is not because of you. It is not a problem. On the contrary, it is because of you that the children and women who were controlled by the Yanping branch were able to see the light of day.”

"More importantly, you need to understand that eliminating demons and protecting the righteous path is not just your responsibility. You don't have to bear it all alone. If something similar happens again after I pass away, are you going to abandon the Huashan Sect and fight it alone?"

“You are now an adult, and your martial arts skills have surpassed your master’s. There are some principles you should understand.”

Jiang Ning remained silent until Yue Buqun finished speaking before replying.

"Disciple understands, thank you for your teachings, Master."

Yue Buqun said nothing more.

The group continued their journey to Jade Maiden Peak, each with their own thoughts and feelings, except for one person whose gaze remained fixed on Jiang Ning.

Looking at Jiang Ning walking ahead, Du Lanyin watched from afar, her eyes filled with worry.

Qiaojun, who was standing to the side, spoke up.

"Junior Sister Du, don't worry too much. Junior Brother Jiang Ning is highly skilled in martial arts, he will definitely be fine."

"Besides, even if Junior Brother really couldn't get through this formation, Master would definitely take action."

Hearing Qiaojun's words, Du Lanyin nodded.

Before long, the group arrived at the summit of Jade Maiden Peak. The terrain here was open and flat, but the potholes on the ground and the sword marks on the stone walls caught everyone's attention.

"Could these sword marks have been left by the Huashan elders decades ago?"

A disciple of the Taishan Sect stepped forward, touched the sword mark, and couldn't help but gasp in astonishment.

The old Taoist priest from the Wudang Sect also stepped forward to observe carefully, and just then overheard what the Taishan Sect disciple said, and shook his head.

“Some are not, this way, this way and this way.”

The old Taoist priest pointed to several places in succession.

"These sword marks look very new; they must have been made recently."

Upon hearing this, disciples from various sects stepped forward to watch.

"Could it have been left behind by Sect Leader Yue?"

One of the disciples asked a question.

“No, it’s definitely not just Sect Leader Yue. Look at these sword marks, they’re all different depths. They were clearly left by more than one person. There must have been at least two people.”

"Has Yue Buqun recently fought with someone? Is he having a duel here?"

"Who is this person?"

While the disciples from various sects were discussing amongst themselves, Jiang Ning also stepped forward and looked at Xie Feng.

When will your people come up?

Seeing that Jiang Ning showed no fear whatsoever, as if he didn't take them seriously at all, the Beggar Clan elders all looked displeased.

Jie Feng did not respond, but sent someone to urge him.

After half an incense stick's time, more people came up from below the peak, and judging from their attire, they were all members of the Beggars' Sect.

"Gang leader!"

These people bowed to Xie Feng after they arrived at their posts.

And everyone was observing these people.

The disciples from the Emei and Hengshan sects counted and found that there were exactly seventy-two people. Each of them had bright and piercing eyes, was strong and powerful, and had a very stable stance. It was obvious that they all had a good foundation in martial arts. If it weren't for their tattered clothes, they wouldn't look like members of the Beggars' Sect. It was clear that these people had been carefully trained by the Beggars' Sect.

"Ah."

Jie Feng nodded and looked at Jiang Ning.

"My men have arrived. You may enter the battle now."

Without saying anything more, Jiang Ning stepped inside, but Linghu Chong suddenly called out again.

"Wait a minute."

Linghu Chong called out to Jiang Ning, then stepped forward to look at Xie Feng and the others.

"You want my junior brother to enter the formation. If he can't get through, he will be killed by them. If these people die by my junior brother's sword, what will you say then?"

Jie Feng remained expressionless and said, "Swords have no eyes; life and death are left to fate."

"it is good!"

Linghu Chong wanted to hear those words, so he turned to look at Jiang Ning and said.

"Junior brother, don't hold back, go all out and show them what you're capable of."

Jiang Ning smiled and nodded.

Linghu Chong stepped aside, and disciples from various sects also made way for each other to watch from the outside.

Jiang Ning glanced at the Beggars' Sect members opposite him and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.

At this moment, everyone was looking at Jiang Ning with solemn expressions.

When they were in command, they all knew that they were tasked with besieging Jiangning. They had all heard of Jiangning's reputation before, and they were all under a lot of pressure.

Zheng!

The sword is unsheathed.

"Master, look at the sword in his hand!"

In the crowd, a Taoist priest from the Wudang sect hurriedly called out to the old Taoist priest, his eyes fixed on the sword in Jiang Ning's hand.

Even without his apprentice's reminder, the old Taoist priest had already been watching intently.

It's the True Martial Sword!

The moment the old Taoist saw the sword, he had already made up his mind.

This is the Zhenwu Sword! This is the Zhenwu Sword of their Wudang Sect! So the rumors circulating in the martial arts world were true; the Zhenwu Sword has indeed come into Jiang Ning's hands!

Even though Jiang Ning was extremely far away from them, the old Taoist priest confirmed that this was indeed the Zhenwu Sword of their Wudang Sect.

The old Taoist priest's face remained unchanged, but his heart was already churning with emotions. If he hadn't restrained himself, he probably would have gone up immediately.

After confirming the information, the old Taoist priest's emotions were overshadowed by a complex mix of feelings.

There's no need to doubt whether Jiang Ning's Zhenwu Sword is real now, but Chongxu's head will probably be in even more pain after he returns this time.

As the old Taoist priest began his mental brainstorming, Jiang Ning vanished the instant he drew his sword. Everyone only saw a blur before Jiang Ning appeared in front of the Beggars' Clan members, his terrifying speed startling them.

Only the old Taoist priest felt a pang of anxiety, and he cried out in his heart.

Be gentle, don't break the Zhenwu Sword!

Chapter 624: Crushing Defeat

These people had been on high alert, but they were still stunned when they saw Jiang Ning's terrifying speed. Some of them who were already facing Jiang Ning head-on even instinctively raised their batons to fight back.

call out!

The Zhenwu Sword gleamed with a cold light as it drew an arc in mid-air. Then, with a few cracking sounds, the bamboo sticks of the men snapped, followed by the decapitations of the corpses.

The heads of these people fell to the ground all at once.

The fact that casualties occurred as soon as the two sides made contact was shocking to the onlookers.

The Beggars' Sect elders and Xie Feng's expressions darkened.

"It's alright. Elders Xu, Wang, Cheng, and Zhao are inside. With the four of them there, Jiang Ning shouldn't be able to win."

One elder comforted himself and the other elders.

Among these seventy-two people, four were older, elders of the Beggars' Sect, and all four were first-rate martial arts masters.

"Set up the formation!"

A voice emerged from the crowd of attackers; it belonged to one of the elders.

Sure enough, after Jiang Ning killed several people, the rest of the group quickly formed a formation and surrounded Jiang Ning at the elder's command, making the situation quite tense for a moment.

call out!call out!call out!

Several members of the Beggars' Sect behind him raised their clubs and slashed down, while others attacked from the left and right, targeting different parts of his body, clearly intending to keep Jiang Ning busy and flustered.

Jiang Ning glanced left and right, but instead of retaliating with his sword, he channeled his inner energy, his throat bobbing up and down.

next second.

A sharp whistle came from Jiang Ning's mouth, and the sound waves spread out in layers. The eardrums of the Beggar Clan disciples closest to Jiang Ning ruptured instantly, their ears began to spurt blood, and they fell to the ground howling in pain. The other Beggar Clan disciples were not much better off, and a large number of them fell to the ground in all directions.

"not good!"

"Cover your ears!"

Four of the seventy-odd elders' expressions changed, and they hurriedly used their internal energy to resist Jiang Ning's sonic attack.

puff!puff!puff!

At times, members of the Beggars' Sect would spit blood from their seven orifices, their faces contorted in rage, veins bulging on their foreheads, as if their heads were about to explode.

The Beggars' Sect disciples in the arena all felt dizzy and lightheaded, while the four elders could only desperately resist by channeling their internal energy. Their faces were flushed, and under Jiang Ning's sonic attacks, their bodies swayed constantly, as if they were about to collapse.

The masters from various factions, who were some distance away from the arena, also felt uncomfortable and frowned. As for the disciples from various factions with lower martial arts skills, they all covered their ears.

This scene horrified the onlookers.

"What kind of martial art is this?"

The methods Jiang Ning is currently employing are causing fear and trembling among the experts from all factions.

Normally, a master with strong internal energy can stun or injure someone with their voice, but that can only be done when the two are extremely close and the other is unprepared, or when the other's internal energy is far lower than the opponent's.

But what Jiang Ning is showing now is not only wide-ranging but also extremely damaging. Even those watching the battle feel uncomfortable. Those with weak internal energy have to cover their ears to resist. This is clearly a technique that uses sound to injure people.

Everyone was speculating about what kind of martial art this was.

"This looks a bit like my Shaolin Lion's Roar, but the Lion's Roar isn't as sharp or aggressive."

Fang Zheng was also taken aback, wondering what kind of martial art this was.

Could this be the martial art of the Huashan Sect?