Chapter 147: Three Battles Decide the Winner

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“Old Yue, Old Zuo, settle your grievances and repay your debts.” Yang Xin glanced at Yue Buqun, Zuo Lengchan, and the others.

Only then did Zuo Lengchan and his companions recover from their shock. Hearing that Yang Xin intended to determine Shaolin’s fate through a best-of-three contest, they hurriedly clasped their hands and said, “Please rest assured, Martial Uncle. Your disciples will give it everything they have.”

Best of three!

Fangzheng knew they would have to fight for their lives. Looking around, he saw that only he, Master Chongxu, and Ren Woxing were capable of taking the field. The remaining disciples had long since been terrified senseless by everything unfolding before them. Forget how much of their strength they could bring to bear—they likely no longer even possessed the courage to strike.

“When the lips are gone, the teeth grow cold! The Immortal Peak Sect has never abandoned its desire to destroy us. The crisis facing Shaolin now is a warning for all of you! Sect Leader Ren and Master Chongxu, you must fight with everything you have. If you do not act now, you may never have the chance again!” Fangzheng said through clenched teeth.

Fearing that Ren Woxing and Master Chongxu might refuse to fight, Fangzheng spoke for them directly. Turning hurriedly to Yang Xin, he said, “The three fighters on our side will be myself, Master Chongxu, and Sect Leader Ren. May I ask, True Person, whether you will cease interfering in the affairs of Shaolin and Wudang if we win, and likewise refrain from meddling in the internal affairs of the Sun Moon Divine Sect?”

Yang Xin nodded.

Master Chongxu and Ren Woxing both let out a long breath of relief, their thoughts beginning to stir. The two had originally intended to surrender outright, but after seeing Fangzheng use his words to corner Yang Xin, their extinguished ambitions flared anew. After all, anyone with real ability was unwilling to be held beneath someone weaker than himself.

Since Yang Xin had agreed not to interfere in the disputes of the martial world, Master Chongxu and Ren Woxing now had the resolve to fight.

The Immortal Peak Sect’s representatives were Yue Buqun, Zuo Lengchan, and… Dongfang Bubai.

As Dongfang Bubai put it, she had joined the Immortal Peak Sect without having rendered the sect any service and had no face to meet its disciples. Moreover, Ren Woxing had already decided to fight. As the leader of the Sun Moon Divine Sect, she had no reason to stand by and watch him swagger in triumph.

Now that Dongfang Bubai had been confirmed as Ren Woxing’s opponent, the remaining two matches should have been Yue Buqun against Fangzheng and Zuo Lengchan against Master Chongxu. After all, Fangzheng led the opposing side, while Yue Buqun led the Immortal Peak Sect.

But Yue Buqun said to Zuo Lengchan, “Junior Brother Zuo, I wish to fight Master Chongxu.”

Zuo Lengchan instantly understood his meaning. Yue Buqun was neither setting him up nor yielding the position of sect leader. Rather, he wanted to see whether he could break through to the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms. After all, the Hyuga family’s Gentle Fist had certain connections with Wudang’s philosophy of Taiji.

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The fighters had been decided. The first to enter the arena was Zuo Lengchan, whose opponent was Shaolin’s Fangzheng. The two walked toward the arena Yang Xin had constructed with Earth Release.

“Fangzheng, please!” Zuo Lengchan could not even be bothered to call him “Master.” He gave a perfunctory salute, treating it as a final farewell.

“Leader Zuo, why not use the Iron Sword of Mount Song?” Fangzheng deliberately addressed him as “Leader,” hoping to stir Zuo Lengchan’s unwillingness to accept his situation.

“Fangzheng, do not bring out such a clumsy attempt to sow discord and disgrace yourself.” A cold glint flashed through Zuo Lengchan’s eyes. He closed them, then opened them again. Three crimson tomoe revolved within his Sharingan as he fixed his gaze upon Fangzheng.

Zuo Lengchan had indeed intended to fight Fangzheng properly using only martial arts. But Fangzheng had resorted to divisive provocation at the very first opportunity, so Zuo Lengchan simply activated his Sharingan and prepared to use his full strength to end the battle swiftly.

Fangzheng was not angered. This was a transformation unlike any Shaolin had witnessed in three thousand years. At this critical moment, with life and death hanging in the balance, neither side could afford to hold anything back.

“Leader Zuo, please!”

Fangzheng continued provoking him.

Zuo Lengchan sneered. “You do not know when to give up.”

“Leader Zuo, watch my palm!” Fangzheng floated forward and struck lightly with one palm. The technique appeared ordinary, but midway through, his hand suddenly wavered. One palm became two, two became four, and four became eight.

Zuo Lengchan gave a contemptuous snort and pointed toward his own eyes. “The Thousand-Hand Buddha Palm? Nothing special. Before these eyes, no technique can remain concealed.”

In the past, Zuo Lengchan would certainly have attacked first to disrupt Fangzheng’s rhythm. But now, confident in his superior skill, he merely watched as though waiting for Fangzheng to finish his performance, allowing him to do as he pleased.

Fangzheng’s technique expanded from eight palms to sixteen, then transformed into thirty-two. His palms shifted unpredictably, each strike changing direction several times before reaching its midpoint. Such fantastical movement proved that Fangzheng had already committed his full strength.

In Fangzheng’s vision, he and Zuo Lengchan battled fiercely for more than three hundred exchanges. At last, relying on his profound internal energy and extensive combat experience, he struck Zuo Lengchan so hard that blood burst from his mouth, winning the match.

But in the eyes of the onlookers, Fangzheng had not attacked the place where Zuo Lengchan stood at all. From the very first move, he had struck to Zuo Lengchan’s right, as though someone were fighting him there.

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Only Yang Xin knew that when Fangzheng provoked Zuo Lengchan and addressed him as “Leader Zuo” for the second time, Zuo Lengchan’s Sharingan had begun to spin rapidly, casting a genjutsu. Given Fangzheng’s temperament, he should not have fallen for it so easily. But he was desperate to win, and that desire had become overwhelming. A single glance from Zuo Lengchan caught him off guard, allowing the illusion to seize him without resistance.

Master Chongxu and Ren Woxing exchanged a glance. They guessed that Fangzheng had fallen victim to some technique akin to the Soul-Transferring Art. They were just about to call out a warning when they saw Yang Xin’s faintly amused gaze. They immediately swallowed the words rising to their lips and sighed inwardly.

Fangzheng had lost.

Although they did not know how Fangzheng had been ensnared, if this continued, he would inevitably exhaust his internal energy. Once that happened, Zuo Lengchan would need only a casual strike to defeat him.

That was precisely what Zuo Lengchan intended. When a look of wild delight appeared on Fangzheng’s face, Zuo Lengchan rapidly formed hand seals.

“Chidori!”

The crisp cry of birds rang out. Fangzheng, trapped in the genjutsu and deep within the illusion, instinctively sensed danger closing in from every direction. But he wanted victory too badly and refused to break free of the illusion, forfeiting his chance to evade.

With a Body Flicker Technique, Zuo Lengchan appeared behind Fangzheng and lunged. Chidori pierced Fangzheng’s back and tore through his chest.

Fangzheng suddenly wrenched himself free of the genjutsu. Before he could regain his senses, Zuo Lengchan used the Body Flicker Technique again, appearing a dozen yards in front of him. He formed another set of hand seals.

“Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique.”

A fireball more than thirty feet across erupted from Zuo Lengchan’s mouth. Everyone present understood that this was no martial-world trick, but a lethal killing technique. Fangzheng tried to dodge, but his heart had been pierced, his entire body was powerless, and Chidori had left him numb. He could do nothing but watch as the enormous fireball rushed toward him.

It struck him squarely, reducing him to ash.

At last, the Great Fireball Technique had broken free from its fate of never killing anyone.

In the first match of the best-of-three contest, Zuo Lengchan was victorious. With arrogant confidence, he clasped his hands, then used the Body Flicker Technique to return beneath the arena.

The second match would be Yue Buqun against Wudang’s Master Chongxu.

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