Chapter 110: Darling, Your Illness Has Been Cured

The martial arts world was in chaos.

Utter, absolute, and complete chaos.

Following a single command from Yang Xin, the band of underworld experts recruited by Zuo Lengchan broke loose like wild dogs off their leashes, turning the entire martial arts community upside down. Across different locations and at different times, the same scene played out repeatedly.

"Hey, brother—let’s call you brother for now. You’ve practiced the Evil-Ward Sword Manual, haven't you? You had the heart to take that knife to your little brother, didn’t you? Can’t taste the pleasures of a woman anymore, can you... hehe..."

"Hey, hey, brother, don’t draw your weapon! I’m here to save you. I’ve practiced it too. Holy crap! You really are attacking!"

Then, the two would start brawling in a flurry of movement. Why wouldn’t they? When someone touches a sore spot, combined with the inherently erratic and volatile temperament caused by practicing the Evil-Ward Sword Manual, it was more than just a fight—it was a life-or-death struggle where every strike aimed for blood.

"Brother, your cultivation isn't up to par. You haven't mastered the manual as deeply as I have," the victor would gloat, looking smug. "Though I won, my temper is still flared up. Fine, off to the Lichun Brothel to find a girl and blow off some steam..."

"If you can actually find a girl to blow off steam with, I’ll call you my ancestor!" the defeated party spat out with venomous, malicious intent.

"Wait, you don't know?" the victor asked, feigning surprise.

"Know what?" the defeated man asked instinctively.

"The Xianyue Sect—the one formed by the merger of the Songshan, Hengshan, and Huashan sects—has already solved the drawbacks of the Evil-Ward Sword Manual. I have already regained my manhood!" The victor acted cautious, yet his voice was booming.

"Impossible!"

"How is it impossible? To earn that 'ancestor' title from you, I’ll let you see my big treasure." The victor smugly sipped his hot tea, then dropped his trousers.

"Holy crap! How did you do it?"

"The Xianyue Sect. On the peak of Mount Hua, there is a clear spring called the Female-Drowning Spring. After drinking its water, if you drink hot water, you become a man; drink cold water, and you become a woman."

"The Xianyue Sect? Is this for real?"

"Why would your ancestor lie to you? You saw how I fought just now; you know whether or not I’ve practiced the Evil-Ward Sword Manual!"

"Ancestor, you are my true ancestor! I’m heading to Mount Hua right now!"

"Why are you going to Mount Hua? To throw your life away? Haven't you heard about the forty-meter-long blade aura that appeared when Liu Zhengfeng washed his hands in the golden basin..."

"I heard! But for my sexual happiness, I’ll risk it!"

"Risk it? Instead of tangling with the Xianyue Sect, you’d be better off tangling with Shaolin. The Xianyue Sect announced that anyone who brings them the Shaolin Yi Jin Jing, the Marrow Cleansing Classic, or any one of the seventy-two supreme skills can trade it for the water of the Female-Drowning Spring."

"But Shaolin... they have held the mantle of the martial arts world for decades..." the defeated man hesitated.

"They might have held it for decades, but they are still just a sect. The Xianyue Sect, however—legend says the first sect leader Yue Buqun’s martial uncle is an immortal who can ride a sword and take heads from a thousand miles away. The Xianyue Sect has an immortal guarding it; dare you rob them? No matter how famous Shaolin is, they are still mere mortals. Your ancestor here just robbed Shaolin of the Daluo Finger to trade for the spring water at Mount Hua..."

"Let me think..."

"What’s left to think about? If it weren't for us hitting it off, I wouldn't have told you! If you don't go now, it’ll be too late. Shaolin’s seventy-two supreme skills—no, now it's seventy-one—plus the Yi Jin Jing and the Marrow Cleansing Classic makes seventy-three manuals total. That means there are only seventy-three spots, but there are countless people practicing the Evil-Ward Sword Manual..."

"Your great kindness is beyond words. I’m going to Shaolin!"

"Don't be in such a rush. Even though your martial arts are exceptional, one tiger cannot defeat a pack of wolves. Call a few like-minded friends and go together; your odds will be better."

"Right! Thank you for clearing my path, brother."

"What did you call me?"

"Ancestor!"

"Are you feeling excited right now?"

"Excited!"

"What is the one thing you want to say most?"

"My condition is curable!"

The entire martial arts world was playing out the same drama. The underworld experts recruited by Zuo Lengchan were already high-level fighters who had begun their training early, which was why they hadn't been defeated yet. As they moved, the legend of the Female-Drowning Spring spread like wildfire, and the newly formed Xianyue Sect rose to fame.

"The Female-Drowning Spring: the gospel for practitioners of the Evil-Ward Sword Manual!"

"We must save those fallen men!"

"The Female-Drowning Spring: you deserve it!"

"Rob Shaolin first, then Wudang! For the sake of future happiness, rob! Rob! Rob!"

The martial arts world was in total disarray. Everyone stared at Wudang and Shaolin with bloodshot eyes like hungry wolves. Even the Sun Moon Holy Sect was gripped by unprecedented tension.

It wasn't that no one had considered targeting the Xianyue Sect, but after seeing others beaten into mincemeat by their vast number of experts and endless stream of divine skills—not to mention the forty-meter blade auras and flashing sword energy—everyone calmed down.

"Blade aura spanning thirty thousand miles, a single sword’s chill freezing nineteen provinces!" Who wouldn't be afraid of that? Furthermore, rumors persisted that the Xianyue Sect had an immortal in residence, and the long-vanished Sword Saint Feng Qingyang had emerged to protect the sect. Targeting them was a lost cause.

Unable to do anything against the Xianyue Sect, the martial artists turned their gaze back to Shaolin and Wudang. The once high-and-mighty masters of these sects now appeared as lambs awaiting slaughter in the eyes of those who had practiced the Evil-Ward Sword Manual.

The manual was too sinister. With the resolve to take that one cut and half a year of secluded training, one’s combat power could rival that of ordinary experts from Shaolin and Wudang.

It was only the long-standing prestige of Shaolin, Wudang, and the Sun Moon Holy Sect that held them back. Once the martial artists confirmed the authenticity of the Female-Drowning Spring, they began testing the waters. After being repelled by the powerful counterattacks of Shaolin and Wudang, the practitioners of the Evil-Ward Sword Manual settled down to cultivate in secret, preparing for a single, decisive strike.

"Alas, Shaolin is in danger!" Within the Shaolin Temple on Mount Shaoshi, Abbot Fangzheng and Taoist Priest Chongxu sighed repeatedly.

There was no help for it. Since the legend of the Female-Drowning Spring spread, Shaolin and Wudang had suffered immense pressure. Open attacks were easy to dodge, but hidden arrows were hard to guard against. After paying a heavy price to repel the covetous, they had no choice but to gather and discuss a solution.

"Who exactly is Yang Xin of the Xianyue Sect?" Priest Chongxu asked.

"It is said that this man appeared out of thin air, first seen outside Fuzhou City," Fangzheng replied.

"How is his martial arts?!" Chongxu asked again.

"No one has seen him strike, so we do not know the extent of his power. But it is said that the *Frost Fist*, *Wind God's Kick*, *Cloud-Piercing Palm*, *Art of the Cold*, and *Three-Fold Origin Qi* practiced by Yue Buqun and the others were all taught by him. Even the combined techniques used by Lin Pingzhi and Yue Lingshan were his instruction," Fangzheng stated.

"Not only that, his medical skills are said to be divine, capable of bringing the dead back to life," Fang Sheng added. "According to Chi Baicheng of the Mount Tai Sect, as long as the head is still attached, he can save the dead within a quarter of an hour at the cost of another person’s life."

"Is that true?" Chongxu frowned.

"It is. Taoist Tian Song of the Mount Tai Sect witnessed Chi Baicheng being hacked to death by Tian Boguang," Fang Sheng confirmed.

"Combined techniques... these are Buddhist terms. Is this man a practitioner of the Buddha or the Tao?" Chongxu wondered.

"If he were of our Buddhist faith, that would be for the best, but I suspect he is a Taoist. Cause and effect are relentless. Over a decade ago, one *Evil-Ward Sword Manual* left the once-flourishing Huashan Sect in ruins, and now, Shaolin and Wudang face the same fate. Alas, Amitabha."

"Does the Abbot have a way to break this deadlock?"

"We have no choice but to take a trip to Mount Hua!"

Yang Xin, presiding over Mount Hua, did not wait for Fangzheng or Priest Chongxu. Instead, he was greeted by someone completely unexpected...