Yang Guo forced a smile and shook his head. He then rounded up several hundred Taoist priests. Ma Guangzuo said: âOh, there are still these many stinky priests to be taken care of. Iâll help you.â Yang Guo thought: âIf fighting one on one, not even one of these priests is my rival. But if they together close in on me, circumstances will be terribly dangerous. Itâs not worthwhile to let him die in vain with me.â So he said loudly: âYouâd better be off quickly. I alone can handle this.â Ma Guangzuo now understood, applauding: âRight, thatâs right! With all those big priests, not one could defeat you. Whatâs with all these stinky little priests? Xiao Xiong Di [Little Apprentice Brother], the bride, Iâm leaving!â Dragging his copper rod and laughing merrily, he turned and left, only the sound of his copper rod bumping stones could be heard on his way down the mountain. And the sound gradually quieted.
Yang Guo propped his heavy sword on the ground. His fight with Fawang had used up a lot of his internal energy. He pondered: âJinlun Fawang, Xiaoxiang Zi and others all worried about one another so they fought with me one on one in the hope to get rid of each other and leaving only himself at the end. I was benefiting as a third party in a dispute. Had those six people together attacked me, it would have been very difficult to withstand. Let alone the fact that I competed with internal energy with Jinlun Fawang. I was certainly going to lose but fortunately Gu Gu [Xiao LongnĂŒ] pulled out a golden needle so I could win by luck. These Quanzhen priestsâ minds and bodies fight as one, all obeying their five mastersâ commands. Although the Taoist groupâs martial skills canât match those of Fawang and others, numerous wills build a city. Their combined power really was much stronger than Fawang and the gang. Anyway, Gu Gu and I are already together here. We fight until we have no strength left, then we two will die together.â
Qiu Chuji said in a clear voice: âYang Guo, so your martial skills have reached this stage; our generation is much, much inferior. But our sect has several hundred people; do you think you can break through our blockade by yourself?â
Yang Guo looked out into the distance, seeing four swords glinting. Every seven priests formed a row, tightly encircling himself and Xiao LongnĂŒ. The priests using this âSeven Man Circleâ martial skill all united their swords and formed a first-class defense. This time the force around him was an equivalent of having tens of sword masters surrounding them from all sides.
Yang Guo had earlier disregarded life and death so he snorted and moved forward one step. Seven priests were holding their swords out to block him. Yang Guo thrust his sword out and seven swords simultaneously dashed out to counterstrike. A âqiangâ sound was heard as the seven swords were all broken and the seven priests holding the rest of their broken swords were quickly leaping aside.
The power Yang Guo sent out from his sword was this incredible. Although Qiu Chuji and others had for a long time fought powerful enemies, they had never seen anything like this. Wang Chuyi called out: âXuan Ji âJade Pearlâ formation followed by Yao Guang âMoving Light Strike!â Yang Guo thought that he would pay no attention to the Quanzhen masterâs big and small orders and rely on the power of sword thrusts to rush outside. He was carrying Xiao LongnĂŒ and moving two steps forward, and then he saw another seven priests circling and blocking his way so he immediately wielded his sword. This seven- priests formation did not seek to counterstrike but the priests appeared like a curtain, crisscrossing and changing their positions. He swept past them; two of them cried out â one had an injured waist, the other a broken leg â they collapsed on the ground.
But this time fourteen long swords were pointed at Yang Guo and Xiao LongnĂŒâs backs, seven for Yang Guo and seven for Xiao LongnĂŒ. If Yang Guo turned back to strike, he would be able to knock down the fourteen swords but Xiao LongnĂŒ would also be injured. At his slight hesitation, another seven swords pointed at Xiao LongnĂŒâs right side. At this point, he couldnât even sacrifice himself and also didnât have a way to rescue Xiao LongnĂŒ.
Qiu Chuji lifted his hand and shouted: âHold!â The lights emitting from the twenty-one long swords glittered. Every sword pointed a few inches away from the couple, then stayed very still. Qiu Chuji said: âLong Guniang [Miss Long], Yang Guo, our respective honored founders shared a long, long history. We, the Quanzhen sect, have today won by numbers, which was not a glorious thing, and Long Guniang [Miss Long] had already been severely wounded. Wrongs should be righted by untying the problem, not by making it more complicated. You two please go. No matter who did or didnât do something, let us wipe the slate clean today.â
Yang Guo and Quanzhen sectâs feud was already huge. In the early years, Sun Po Po [Grandma Sun] was killed by Hao Datong, who was remorseful and willing to give up his life to make it right. This matter was also unresolved. Yang Guo came to Mount Zhongnan to search for Xiao LongnĂŒ and really didnât mean to battle with the Quanzhen sect. As he heard Qiu Chujiâs speech, he was thinking: âSaving Gu Guâs life is important. If I fight with these little priests, regardless of victory or defeat, honor or disgrace, what good could come of it?â He was just about to say that he agreed, Xiao LongnĂŒâs eyes slowly scanning from left to right. In a low voice she asked: âWhereâs Zhen Zhibing?â
Zhen Zhibingâs back was struck by a wheel and his chest was pierced by his sword. These were two fatal wounds, but he hadnât died yet. He was rescued by his apprentice brothers and taken to one side. His breathing was already heavy and his eyes were blurry. Then he heard a gentle voice asking: âWhereâs Zhen Zhibing?â These four words were actually said lightly but to his ears they were like a thunder strike. Not knowing where he got the extra strength but he got up from the ground, waded through all the swords, and called out: âLong Guniang [Miss Long], Iâm here!â
Xiao LongnĂŒ stared at him for a moment. Seeing his Taoist robe drenched with blood and his face ghostly pale, she couldnât help but feel her heart sinking. Her voice trembled: âGuoâer, this person has defiled me. Even if he recovers from his injuries, he still couldnât fight you. But he⊠but he gave up his life to save me⊠so you must not give him any more trouble. Such is my brutal fate.â She decided that she had to say this. Even though it was in front of several hundred people, she spoke honestly out her grief.
Zhen Zhibing heard her saying: âBut he gave up his life to save me, you must not give him any more trouble. Such is my brutal fate.â As these words went through his ears, he couldnât help feeling like his heart was being cut out. Out of his own dark desire, he had made a grave mistake. He revered her as if she was a goddess, yet he caused her a lifetime of sadness. To die a hundred times over would still not be enough to redeem him. He cried out loudly: âMaster, Four Martial Elders, this discipleâs sin is atrocious. You and the others cannot bother Long Guniang [Miss Long] and Yang Guo.â Having said that, he jumped up and plunged into the eight or nine long swords that the priests were holding in front of him. Many swords pierced through his body, killing him instantly.
This was an unforeseen incident. Many people had not anticipated it so they couldnât help crying out in alarm. The priests heard Xiao LongnĂŒâs words. Then they saw Zhen Zhibing acknowledged the crime and committing suicide. It looked like he didnât adhere to the rule and despicably disgraced Xiao LongnĂŒ. The Quanzhen Five Masters were priests who strictly adhered to the Taoist rules. Thinking about the wrongs that were done, they all felt greatly ashamed. But when it came to an apology, they found it difficult to express.