In the Tang Sect of Bashu, before Gui Jianchou.
"Tang San, you heartless beast! The Tang Sect took you in, and yet you sneak into the inner sect and steal the Tang Sect's ultimate skill, the Xuantian Baolu!"
Seventeen white figures glared at the young man standing at the edge of the cliff, their eyes filled with rage.
The look in their eyes could have devoured the young man alive.
The young man, as referred to by the elder, blinked his eyes, feeling very confused.
His name was Xiao Yan, not some Tang San or Zhang San—just an ordinary, mediocre person in the crowd, living an average life of 996 (a common work schedule in China, where people work from 9 AM to 9 PM, six days a week).
It was just that when he woke up this morning, everything seemed different.
A flood of information suddenly rushed into his mind, quickly merging with his memories.
"Tang San, an outer disciple of the Tang Sect, stole the Tang Sect's ultimate skill, the Xuantian Baolu, and attempted to flee from Gui Jianchou, but was surrounded by the Tang Sect elders…"
After rapidly merging with his new memories, Xiao Yan realized the situation he was in—he had transmigrated.
But the situation didn't seem to be going well, it was, in fact, very bad.
He had become a traitor to the sect, and was surrounded by elders, his life hanging by a thread.
Looking at the cliff a hundred zhang away, Xiao Yan lowered his head to glance at his slightly swollen chest and muttered to himself, "It's now or never!"
He had the Tang Sect's pinnacle hidden weapon in his possession—the Buddha's Wrath Tang Lotus.
If used correctly, a reversal of fortune was not impossible.
He was Xiao Yan, not that traitor Tang San.
There was no way to explain this to these old men; the only way to survive was to fight.
Moreover, these inner sect members of the Tang Sect were hardly any better.
The outer sect side branch members were treated almost like slaves to the inner sect, having to bow and kneel at the sight of inner sect members.
Even if it weren't him today, someday, someone would shout, "Inner sect disciples, do they have any dignity?!"
Xiao Yan turned to face the dozen or so elders and angrily shouted.
"Old dogs of the inner sect, stop flattering yourselves! The one who took me in was the outer sect elder, Tang Laotai, not the Tang Sect! And as for you talking about me stealing the Xuantian Baolu, it's even more laughable. If others don't know the origin of the Xuantian Baolu, don't you old dogs know?"
Xiao Yan's harsh words left the elders, who had lived pampered lives, completely dumbfounded.
It was as if Xiao Yan was not the one who had stolen the secret technique, but they, the elders, were the true culprits.
"Let me remind you all. The Tang Sect mainly practices hidden weapons. Hidden weapons are precisely weapons that are used secretly; surprise attacks are the essence of the Tang Sect. The methods in the Xuantian Baolu on using hidden weapons, the hundred solutions to hidden weapons, and the lightness skill may belong to the Tang Sect, but the internal cultivation technique, Xuantian Gong, the hand technique, Xuan Yu Hand, the eye technique, Purple Extreme Demon Eyes, and the grabbing technique, Control Crane and Seize Dragon, are absolutely not the Tang Sect's!"
Saying this, Xiao Yan sneered disdainfully. "Xuantian Gong is Taoist cultivation; when did the despicable Tang Sect turn into a top Daoist sect? After using Xuan Yu Hand, the arms become as cold as jade, and after using Purple Extreme Demon Eyes, the eyes glow purple. What kind of sneak attack technique would reveal itself so easily and risk exposing its user? As for the Control Crane and Seize Dragon technique, it's clear as day that a sneak attack is the Tang Sect's essence—who would use this for close combat? The true goal is to run if you can't win!"
After this thorough analysis, Xiao Yan concluded, "The so-called Xuantian Baolu was probably pieced together by the Tang Sect ancestor who stole the martial arts from several sects! The Tang Sect was never a good thing from the start, today is just history repeating itself!"
If this had been a normal time, Xiao Yan wouldn't have thought this clearly, but when facing a life-or-death crisis, the mind becomes especially clear. This clarity was why Xiao Yan could speak with such confidence.
The seventeen elders all looked awkward, because what this "Tang San" said was all too accurate.
The Tang Sect's ancestor, known as Tang Siwu, had an exquisite mastery of hidden weapons and lightness skill. However, feeling limited by these skills, he used his outstanding lightness skill and incredible memory to sneak into several major sects of that time, stealing their top martial arts.
But because of the rushed nature of the thefts, the martial arts were incomplete, and after cultivating them, they were awkward and incomplete.
By the time these sects realized their martial arts had been leaked, the Tang Sect had already developed, and with its mastery of hidden weapons, the fading sects were no match. Despite multiple sieges, they didn't wipe out the Tang Sect; instead, their forces gradually shrank until they were destroyed by the Tang Sect.
After time passed, no one in the martial world remembered this secret.
However, the inner sect's direct-line elders knew full well how their family-style sect had prospered.
"You stole the Xuantian Baolu and spout nonsense. I'll kill you, you traitor!" The second elder's foot slammed into the ground, and his figure shot out like a ghost.
Seeing the elder attack, Xiao Yan immediately activated his Purple Extreme Demon Eyes and Xuan Yu Hand, and his arms quickly turned cold as jade. He threw an object and laughed loudly, "Let me show you the most top-tier hidden weapon in the Xuantian Baolu, the Buddha's Wrath Tang Lotus!"
"What!"
Seeing Tang San use the Purple Extreme Demon Eyes and Xuan Yu Hand, the second elder, though somewhat skeptical that Tang San could make the top-tier weapon, the Buddha's Wrath Tang Lotus, didn't dare risk his life to test it.
He swiftly turned, using the Ghostly Shadow Step, and retreated to the elder group, shouting, "Run!"
The sect leader, Tang Dashi, sighed and stepped forward, grabbing the object Xiao Yan had thrown and shaking it. "Second Brother, that kid was just bluffing. He only threw a distraction."
The second elder took a closer look and realized he had been tricked. His anger surged, and he shouted, "Damn traitor! Brothers, let's take him down together!"
Seeing the elders group together, Xiao Yan sneered and raised his hand, pulling out the Buddha's Wrath Tang Lotus from his chest, using exquisite hidden weapon techniques to fire three Buddha's Wrath Tang Lotus at once. "I'll take care of you old dogs first! Buddha's Wrath Tang Lotus!"
"Another distraction!" The second elder scoffed, speeding up.
"No! Second Brother, this is really the Buddha's Wrath Tang Lotus!" Looking at the three red dots, Tang Dashi said with a trembling voice.
The second elder then recalled the description of the Buddha's Wrath Tang Lotus, which was golden with a red lotus-like gemstone in the center.
They had tried to kill Tang San as quickly as possible, but now, it was too late to escape.
The red light grew larger among the seventeen elders, and with a crisp 'ding' sound, the explosion of the Buddha's Wrath Tang Lotus echoed, sounding like the clash of gold and jade.
At the moment the light sound rang out, a golden-red vortex silently expanded, sweeping over the figures of the seventeen elders.
Pfft—
Seventeen red blood mist clouds spread across the mountaintop in an instant.
Standing close by, Xiao Yan wasn't doing well either—his clothes had been shredded by the violent wind, and his body was covered in blood.
However, fortunately, he was still alive.
Despite numerous wounds and bleeding continuously, Xiao Yan looked up at the sky and roared, "Damn it, you sent me here to be a traitor, damn it!"
He, a modern person, had never endured such pain, like going through the worst tortures. His anger was unbearable.
With a loud crash, the cliff suddenly collapsed, and Xiao Yan, his severely injured body, fell with the rocks toward Gui Jianchou below.
(End of Chapter)