It is imperative to fight for victory.
The day after the burial of Taoist Master Jiuhe, the large incense burner had been removed from the square in front of the Zhenwu Temple, and thousands of logs were brought in by disciples from various sects to build a three-foot-high platform.
The disciples of Taigong Huangtou have always been good at observing people's feng shui, building houses, and coordinating the construction. They have a wedge-and-mold structure and a stable wooden platform. After the foundation is solid, a layer of wooden boards about an inch thick is laid on top of the logs to make the platform smooth. .
The wooden platform is square and about fifteen meters long on each side.
There are more than 300 warlocks from various dynasties gathered at the Zhenwu Temple, and there are sixty-seven sects. However, the small sects either stay out of the matter or have their own supporters. Only sixteen sects are actually participating in the fight.
After all, this is a battle of skills, not a big melee, so each family has one person, which is just the right number.
After the two-by-two duel, the eight winners will compete again, eight will advance to four, four will advance to two, and finally it will be a battle to decide the leader of the fifteen factions.
After the sixteen families drew lots and decided on their opponents for the first round, Qiu Shi stood up, swung the whisk, and said loudly: "Today's fight is just a competition between fellow practitioners. In order to select the new holder of the Yulu Master's Talisman Order, try your best to win." Until then."
"Although the spell is dangerous and some damage is inevitable, you must not kill them all, do not use underhanded tactics, and those who fall from the high platform will be defeated. All comrades will witness it together!"
These words spread far away, passing through hundreds of people around the arena, and reached the open forest.
These sorcerer sects are very famous in their various places, and the success or failure of their battles will have far-reaching consequences. If the news spreads, not to mention the wealthy businessmen who have good relations with them, even the government will take it very seriously.
When the time comes, I am afraid that people will gather like ants on the mountain and down the mountain, all coming to witness the grand spectacle of the fighting.
However, the Ghost Festival Dharma Ceremony is coming soon, and some time has to be set aside to prepare for the puja. This group of people has made the matter of fighting very urgent. They mentioned it yesterday and started fighting today. The news did not have time to spread. .
Only the prefect of Chengyin received the letter from the Zhenwu Temple and sent people to work hard all night to come over and bear witness. They all ordered that the leaders sent by the magistrate also stay.
The first battle was between Master Gaodian of Hung Wang Temple in Qinghua Prefecture and Master Tong Shui of Fushan Temple in Jiaozhou Prefecture.
It is recorded in Jiaozhi mythology that it is said that the third grandson of Shennong was Emperor Ming. When Emperor Ming visited the south, he met a Wu fairy in Wuling and gave birth to a son. He named her Luxu and was granted the title of King of Jingyang.
King Jingyang gave birth to a son, King Raccoon Dragon. Lord King Raccoon Dragon married a concubine and gave birth to a hundred boys. He was the ancestor of Baiyue. The eldest son of the hundred boys lived in the mountains with his concubine and became a male king.
Hung King Temple is a prosperous place. Master Gao Dian’s magic has a long history and is unique. He carries a wooden stick wrapped in linen and does not move on the stick after he takes the stage.
Master Tong Shui learned the method of transporting the five little ghosts, and he followed the upright path. After collecting the little ghosts, he washed away his grievances and fed the incense. Compared with those evil sects, there was no need to worry about backlash. Although it took longer, it was still Can be used during the day, without fear of sunlight.
He made a hand gesture with his left hand and recited a mantra, and grabbed Master Gaodian's feet from the air with his right hand.
This grasping force is generated from across the air, with a full force of two to three hundred kilograms. It can easily pick up and drop a large living person. And because it is not a solid body, no matter how hard it is to block and struggle, it cannot get rid of it.
The linen cloth on Master Gaodian's wooden staff was automatically thrown forward without any wind. The invisible force in the air suddenly swept from the hem of his trousers and chased the wooden staff away.
Master Tong Shui was horrified to feel the power of his five ghosts, accompanied by the wooden staff, rushing over and hitting him.
Bang bang bang bang bang!
When the wooden stick touched his chest, Master Tong Shui's clothes had several small palm-shaped dents, and he flew four or five steps backwards and fell down the stage.
The disciples of the Mountain Temple quickly went to help him up.
The wooden staff had already flown back to Master Gaodian's hand, and he waved it twice to drive away those little devils who still wanted to come over and entangle him.
Under the stage, among the seats of the Zhenwu Temple, Qiu Di looked unhappy and said to Guan Luoyang: "Both these two mages have been famous for a long time, and their magic power is probably not much different, but the staff held by Master Gaodian is , it should be a treasure that has accumulated hundreds of years of incense, and it has deep restraint on any magic power such as expelling ghosts and insects."
"This is to use one's background to pressure people. The incense of Hung King Temple is not comparable to that of Mountain Temple. But if you encounter the likes of the Yangsha Fire Talisman, his treasures will not have such an obvious restraining effect. "
As the saying goes, insiders look at the door, while outsiders look at the excitement.
But today's fight did not allow them to set up an altar to worship ghosts and gods, nor did they have the unlucky third person to serve as a medium for the two sides to compete for spells, so there was not much to be done.
A real confrontation between mana and Taoism would result in defeat within a split second. A layman would not even be able to watch the excitement.
After Master Gaodian and the others, they had four more fights, all of which were decided within one or two rounds.
Taoist priest Zhiyuan and Granny Yuan also appeared on stage.
Granny Yuan won, but Taoist Master Zhiyuan met Master Yanglian, who had nineteen kinds of incense sticks and pills on his body, and could use the incense method to command ghosts and gods. When he encountered Master Yanglian, he was hit with a flaming aura, and everyone was stunned. Being dispelled, you will feel inferior in one turn.
While listening to Qiu Di's explanation, Guan Luoyang used his eyesight and ears to estimate the level of damage these mages could cause.
In the sixth competition, Monk Xuluo, who plays the role of the Prefecture Pharmacy School, took the stage.
According to the result of the lot, his opponent was someone from Zhenwu Temple.
Everyone looked at Qiu Shi.
Behind Qiu Shi, Guan Luoyang stood up.
When Wei Dinggong saw him coming on stage, his eyes changed slightly and said, "Wait a minute, this man has short hair and is not wearing a Taoist robe. He doesn't seem to be from Zhenwu Temple, right?"
Faced with everyone's doubts, Qiu Shi said calmly: "This is my Junior Uncle Jiuhe's disciple, Junior Brother Qiu Hong. He is a righteous man by nature. He travels around Jiaozhi all year round to kill ghosts and eliminate monsters. He doesn't want to leave his name. So he doesn't do it often. Even though he wears Taoist robes, few people know his identity. Not long ago, when he killed the evil thief Miao Song, his long hair was cut off, so he looks like this now."
"Miao Song was killed by him?!"
"Did he kill Miao Song?"
As soon as these words came out, among the more than 300 people, many sects became a little restless.
Wei Dinggong refused to give up: "Then a few days ago, why didn't you see him wearing sackcloth and wearing mourning in front of the palace?"
"He was so heartbroken that he passed out in the backyard for several days."
Qiu Shi turned around and gave a few instructions, and a Taoist priest went to get a thick booklet, "Seniors, if you still have questions, you can read the list of disciples of my Zhenwu Temple."
On the stage, Guan Luoyang looked back with clear eyes.
………………
Last night, in the Zhenwu Temple.
Guan Luoyang took the initiative to find Qiu Shi and got straight to the point.
"I heard from Qiu Di that you asked people from the Zhenwu Temple not to participate in this fight?"
Qiu Shi was grinding the inkstone in the room and nodded slightly: "If you fight, you will lose, and there is no point in leaving. After all, they all feel that it is time to change the situation that has not changed for forty years. This is the general trend. , even if the master comes back now, they will definitely have to fight before they are willing to give in. The Zhenwu Temple is so weak now, and if it wants to go against the trend, it will inevitably harm its brothers and sisters. "
Guan Luoyang rubbed his canines against each other and gently said, "Then if I want to borrow the name of the Zhenwu Temple, will you be willing?"
Qiu Shi raised his head in surprise, his eyes were complicated, dark and turbulent for a moment, but he finally showed a trusting and peaceful look, and said: "Brother Guan has been kind to us to save our lives, but if you ask for something, it is not against morality, how dare you disobey! It's just that! , if Brother Guan wants to help us out of righteous indignation, I don’t want Brother Guan to wade into this muddy water."
"I don't just want to help you, I mean it literally. I want to use the name of your Zhenwu Temple to get into this situation."
Guan Luoyang said categorically, "I want Master Yulu Fu Ling to stay at Zhenwu Temple because I have my own ideas. If I can do it, it will be a win-win situation, but I need a name to intervene and let They shut up. Will you, or won't you?"
Since coming to this world, everything Guan Luoyang has experienced so far has been passive.
Although sometimes standing on the edge of things makes it less likely to be specifically targeted and makes it easier to see the situation clearly, this is not in line with Guan Luoyang's own temper and habits.
The friend I just made is dead, and things have come to a head. If I can't step into the center, then what's the point of my coming here?
Moreover, he still has those tasks on his back. Only by taking more initiative will it be more conducive for him to complete the tasks.
Qiushi was silent for a while, then raised the stone strip in his hand.
What is stuck to the end of the stone bar is not jet-black ink, but high-grade cinnabar ink, and the inside of the inkstone is as red as blood.
"Okay, if Brother Guan is willing, let's give it a try."
………………
Under the high platform, Qiu Shi took the list of disciples of the Zhenwu Temple, opened it to Qiu Zi generation, and showed it to the seniors.
The common name is Guan Luoyang, and the Taoist name is Qiu Hong.
It is a common practice for an upright sect from a well-known family to have an outsider lead an art master and find a dead elder in the family to be his nominal master, so as to take advantage of each other's influence.
At that time, General Yu Dayou of the Ming Dynasty heard that monks had joined the army to fight against the Japanese and had achieved remarkable results. On a whim, he went to Southern Shaolin to appreciate the essence of the martial arts of the Thirty-Six Rooms. As a result, a long stick was driven in, and the monks restrained their hands. No one could defeat him. His skills on the battlefield.
Later, the Zen master, the abbot of Southern Shaolin, came forward to practice Zen and discuss Taoism with him. Eight hundred warrior monks took the lead and selected 3,000 warriors from around Southern Shaolin to follow Yu Dayou to the coast to fight against the Japanese.
In name, Yu Dayou became the junior disciple of that Zen master, and he was in Southern Shaolin in name.
Having learned from previous sages, Qiu Shi was very calm in doing this kind of thing.
No one else could say anything else.
The ringing of the Sanqing bell heralds the start of the battle on the stage.
As soon as the bell rang, the entire surface of the wooden platform shook. Guan Luoyang suddenly appeared in front of Monk Xuluo and struck down with his palm.
With this palm, half of the monk's body was scattered.
This fat monk with a short beard still had a smile on half of his face, and then his whole body was scattered like flying insects.
In the depths of the Jiaozhi jungle, insects are more terrifying than beasts. During certain solar terms, mosquitoes can even eat people. In those towns, every household must smoke herbs to drive away these poisonous insects.
Master Xuluo of Yanzhoufu is famous precisely because of his excellent insect repellent skills.
The combination of the art of fighting insects and Buddhist illusions, even on the battlefield of the encirclement and suppression of water bandits, Monk Xuluo could stop a hundred with one blow and arouse the deepest fear of those desperate bandits.
The flying insects were like clouds and like a ball of black cotton, wrapping Guan Luoyang's whole body in it. Although these insects were not fatal, one bite would immediately cause a red dot to appear, and dozens of them would bite at the same time. During the attack, the limbs would be paralyzed on the spot, causing extreme pain and itching.
There is a great buzz of insects!
Then there was an explosion, overwhelming the sound of all the insects.
The wooden board on the stage shattered, and a figure closed its pores, shook its back, wrapped up its strength, and slammed out. The waving motion was like pulling out a big knife, and its hand was flying like a dragon-clawed python, hitting an empty place.
There was a muffled groan in the air, and Master Xuluo's figure was shot out. His monk's robes were bulging. He slid ten steps and retreated directly to the farthest corner of the entire ring.
The power of thousands of flying insects, supporting his robe and body, allowed him to jump and move much faster than ordinary people.
But as soon as he moved to the corner of the ring, his eyes saw a palm pressing on his chest at a faster speed.
despair!
Master Xuluo fell from the three-foot platform and staggered for two steps to regain his balance. When he looked up, the young man's shadow was covering him right here.
"What a fast movement!"
Master Xuluo was stunned for a moment and then sighed, "It was the poor monk who lost."
He opened the cuffs of his hands to collect the flying insects on the stage. His bulging robe collapsed, and he didn't know where the insects were hidden.
But if you look closely, you can see that there are actually many corpses of flying insects scattered on the stage.
The weak little insect flying in the air might not be able to be chopped to death with a swing of a knife, but a large number of it was actually killed by Guan Luoyang's blow just now.
"Hahahaha, what a water fire fairy. This Qiuhong Taoist priest looks like he is only in his early twenties, but he has already achieved one of the four major achievements in martial arts. He is really young and promising, and he is a genius."
Unexpectedly, the first one to smile and applaud was Wei Dinggong.
When the people next to him were about to praise him, Wei Dinggong suddenly changed the subject.
"However, our battle is to choose the host of the Ghost Festival Dharma Ceremony. No matter how high the boxer's skills are, it seems that he cannot be included in our competition for the talisman, right?"
Duda was the first to agree: "Yes, no matter how good you are in boxing and kicking, if you can't feel the magic ritual, how can you assume the position of host when the time comes?"
Someone else said in the crowd: "We all know that Wudang is about practicing both martial arts and martial arts, but you actually let the martial arts fool you in this matter. Isn't it a bit of a violation of the rules?"
"I don't think this game can be counted. Master Xuluo may not be defeated?"
The voices in the crowd rose and fell one after another.
Wei Dinggong smiled slightly and turned back to look at Qiu Shi.
"Who told you I don't have magic power?"
The quiet voice drowned out all the noise.
Guan Luoyang bent down and pulled down a piece of wood, pushed the sleeve of his right hand up to his elbow, and said, "If there is no magic power, what is this?"
Under the gaze of everyone, the brilliance of bronze condensed on the skin, and the complicated patterns spread from the elbow to the fingertips.
The surging heat gathered at Guan Luoyang's fingertips, and a few wisps of green smoke rose.
puff! ! ! !
Fire wrapped around the wooden block and burned between Guan Luoyang's fingers.
Wei Dinggong looked at this scene with a slightly stiff expression.
Most people can practice their first magic power only after seven or eight years of studying scriptures, and often need the help of some instruments and spells to achieve the exact effect.
Like Guan Luoyang, who cast spells with bare hands and ignited thick, moist wood without chanting incantations or weapons, it would have taken at least ten years of hard work.
You can never do this kind of thing with fists and kicks.
But how talented is this person? If he had been studying scriptures for more than ten years, where did he have the strength and strength to achieve such achievements in martial arts? !
Among the hundreds of people around the platform, there were many who had similar thoughts. But the fact is that at most they can only be a little jealous, envious, and sigh, it is worthy of Wudang's heritage, and there is such a great talent hiding in Jiaozhi.
"I have never made a name for myself among mages in the past, and I hastily participated in a martial arts fight. All my colleagues may not say anything with their mouths, but also have some complaints in their hearts, just like this Master Wei Dinggong."
Guan Luoyang grabbed the flame and looked around, staring at Wei Dinggong, and suddenly smiled.
"Then let's do it. I'll take a step back and change my rules."
"From now on, when I sit in the ring and compete for the Master Yulu's Talisman, there are five winners in front of me and four who are not on the stage behind me. They can all come up."
"I'm the only one here at Zhenwu Temple, fighting from the first to the last, how about that?"
The scorching sun was in the sky, and everyone was watching.
Guan Luoyang waved his hand, and the flames fell to the ground, sparks flying everywhere.
