Chapter 177

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Chapter 177: The Origin of the Martial Saint Spiritual Technique

The setting sun was as red as blood, and the clouds beneath it looked like they were stained with blood. Half of the sky turned red.

Underneath the low, earthen hill, the soil cracked and the pale yellow weeds sparsely covered the ground. An old man with wrinkles on his face walked alone, carrying a large bag that was half his height. The hot wind blew, and the sand rolled in.

"Years after the Inhuman War, both the imperial court and the people ventured deep into the desert in search of the ruins of Anxi City, but they found nothing. And so, the legend of that sand city being completely wiped away by immortals emerged."

"According to Dao Zhen’s words, the city wasn’t erased by powerful cultivators, but rather concealed by a grand illusion formation that ordinary people couldn’t see through…"

Qiao Mu took out a map from the package and quickly scanned it.

This map, along with the dry rations and other items in his bag, were gifts from the female general of Anxi Pass.

Over the years, although the Great Yan Imperial Court didn’t find any survivors in this desert, they did leave behind a map.

Except for the part of the desert that was covered by the illusion formation, the rest of the area had already been explored by the Great Yan Imperial Court.

"The Immortal Gate大阵, covers the core area of this Hundred-mile Desert…"

"As long as we find that formation, and use the Boundary Breaking Symbol left by Dao Zhen, we should be able to escape the illusionary effects of the Immortal Gate大阵, and find the city located within this Hundred-mile Desert."

Qiao Mu thought about this, but suddenly felt something in his heart and looked ahead.

On top of the mound ahead, he saw white figures passing by, as if a group of soldiers holding spears and wearing armor.

"They found the remnants of the army so quickly?"

Qiao Mu’s thoughts moved, he hastened his steps and quickly climbed up the mound to get a better view.

But upon this gaze, his heart sank.

These figures in armor indeed appeared to be soldiers, with a total of about a few hundred.

It’s not possible for such a sizable army to move through the desert without making any noise, according to common sense.

But this army was very quiet, no one chatted, they just marched silently, even their footsteps were very soft.

Qiao Mu’s pupils shrank, and when he looked closely, he saw that these soldiers wearing armor had pale faces like paper, with no expression.

If it wasn’t the time of sunset, it would look more like a night of ghosts.

Qiao Mu furrowed his brows, feeling curious.

He was also a fearless person, so he quietly followed along.

He practiced a light skill called Shadow Step, which was good at sneaking and hiding. Although this desert had few shelters, his light skill was already perfect, leaving no trace when he stepped on the snow.

Every time he leapt and floated, like a great eagle soaring through the desert, only leaving shallow footprints that were almost invisible if you didn’t look closely.

Just as Qiao Mu thought he could follow this silent army, a sudden change occurred.

This army with pale faces, starting from the soldiers at the front of the line, gradually disappeared into the air, bit by bit, from front to back.

A group of hundreds of soldiers disappeared in front of Qiao Mu.

Qiao Mu stopped in his tracks and looked down at the ground, immediately furrowing his brow.

His light footwork was flawless, reaching a level where he left almost no footprints.

However, it was peculiar that this group of hundreds of soldiers ahead left no footprints at all.

It couldn’t be possible for these few hundred people to have the same level of light footwork as Qiao Mu, right?

"I have trained my light footwork diligently for decades, working so hard to reach a perfected level. How could I suddenly be caught up by a few hundred soldiers?" Qiao Mu immediately felt a sense of injustice.

"So they must not be human. Are they the mythical Shadow Warriors mentioned in rumors?"

Qiao Mu thought of this and suddenly burst into laughter.

Although he wasn’t clear on what exactly the so-called Shadow Warriors were, their disappearance reminded him of the Illusion Formation of the Immortal Gate that Dao Zhen had mentioned.

"It seems like it’s time to try that so-called Boundary Breaking Symbol," Qiao Mu thought to himself.

Talismans are tools used by cultivators, and the Boundary Breaking Symbol given to Qiao Mu by Dao Zhen seemed to be specially made. It didn’t require the cultivation power of a cultivator, but could be activated just by the blood of an ordinary martial artist.

Qiao Mu bit his tongue and sprayed a mouthful of blood onto the talisman paper. Suddenly, a faint golden light emitted from the paper and it slowly ignited.

At the same time, Qiao Mu’s vision seemed to slightly distort. About a hundred meters away, the army of Yin soldiers appeared again within his sight.

However, Qiao Mu didn’t immediately chase after them.

Instead, he slightly bent down, picked up a handful of yellow sand, and activated his surging internal strength. Then, in a flash, he turned around and cast the sand towards a specific direction behind him.

Each grain of sand contained a powerful force, like bullets shooting through the air.

But he heard a cry of pain from a man walking out behind a mound in the distance. He had a bitter smile on his face and pleaded with Qiao Mu:

"Please spare me, sir!"

This middle-aged man looks unusual. His eyes are big and bright. What’s most special is that there is even a horizontal line at the center of his eyebrows, and a horizontally positioned eye is growing there.

At the moment when Qiao Mu took out the Boundary Breaking Symbol from his pocket, he sensed a slight disturbance in the dark behind him, realizing that there was a follower hidden behind him.

However, although this person is skilled in stealth, his strength doesn’t seem astonishing. Qiao Mu forced him to reveal himself with just a handful of yellow sand.

"Who are you? Did the old general at Anxi Pass send you to follow me? Or is it Mr. Hai from before?" Qiao Mu’s eyes were sharp, and he kicked the three-eyed middle-aged man to the ground.

The more he looked at this person, the more he felt that he looked familiar. Upon careful thought, it seemed that he had seen this person sitting at the same table with Mr. Hai at the inn outside Anxi Pass before.

"Please speak but also be mindful of the Boundary Breaking Symbol in your hand," the three-eyed middle-aged man said with a bitter smile.

"This Boundary Breaking Symbol should be from the Nine Immortal Gates, right?"

"Once this object burns out and we haven’t found the lone city in the vast desert, I’m afraid there will be no more opportunity."

"If you have any questions, I will answer them to the best of my abilities."

"But before that, please don’t waste any more time on the Boundary Breaking Symbol."

The middle-aged person looked longingly at the Boundary Breaking Symbol, as if it hurt deeply.

"Let’s talk as we walk," said Qiao Mu, grabbing the middle-aged person with one hand and holding up the slowly burning Boundary Breaking Symbol with the other, following behind the army of shadow soldiers.

"First, tell me, who are you? Why have you come? And what’s with the eye on your forehead?" Qiao Mu asked.

"Please, don’t worry, let me explain," the middle-aged person said slowly.

"Have you ever heard of the Tide Listening Building, where Clairvoyance and Clairaudience reside? They are the talented leaders among storytellers."

"This so-called ‘Clairvoyance’ is extraordinary, it comes from the third eye of a mystical three-eyed monkey…"

"When this third eye matures, it is said to have the power to see thousands of miles, revealing truth amidst illusions…"

"And that’s me, the ‘Clairvoyance’ of the Tide Listening Building."

After capturing the middle-aged man, Qiao Mu remained calm and immediately explained the background of his Tide Listening Building and the origin of his special forehead eye.

These words are actually a self-description, stating their own value to avoid being killed.

And these words indeed had an effect, causing Qiao Mu to loosen his grip on the man’s hand slightly.

The Tide Listening Building is famous, known for its extensive network and widespread intelligence. Being a living storyteller naturally holds much more value than being dead.

"And I entered this Hundred-mile Desert with the same goal as the old man, which is to search for the ruins of Anxi City."

As the middle-aged man spoke, a look of sadness appeared in all three of his eyes, almost shedding tears.

"Actually, I also had relatives who died in this desert–"

"Stop, I don’t have time to listen to your empty words." Qiao Mu impatiently waved his hand, pondered for a moment, and then understood:

"Do you want to follow me and find that city?"

"Yes…" The middle-aged man nodded vigorously, as if pounding garlic.

He initially just wanted to secretly follow Qiao Mu, but unexpectedly saw him take out the Boundary Breaking Symbol, which startled him and made Qiao Mu sense his presence.

Qiao Mu glanced at the Boundary Breaking Symbol in his hand and nodded slightly.

"If you want to follow, it’s not impossible. But since you’re hitching a ride, you should show some appreciation, right?"

Clairvoyance showed a subtle understanding and immediately smiled.

He wasn’t afraid of Qiao Mu asking for favors from him, but he feared that Qiao Mu might be ungrateful.

"How about the ‘Bloodthirsty Skill’?" Clairvoyance smiled and asked.

"Mr. Qiao has also witnessed Mr. Hai using the Bloodthirsty Skill, right? It’s a self-damaging forbidden martial technique that temporarily enhances visual acuity and reaction speed…"

"And it can also be used in combination with the Qiao family’s Heavenly Demon Disintegration Method."

Qiao Mu blinked his eyes.

As the storyteller of Tide Listening Building, it’s not surprising for him to have heard of the reputation of Qiao’s family.

But what does Qiao family’s Heavenly Demon Disintegration Method mean… Has Heavenly Demon Disintegration Method truly become Qiao family’s signature martial art?

But for this kind of self-damaging martial arts secret, Qiao Mu found it beneficial.

Nowadays, apart from Heavenly Demon Disintegration Method, he also had a Red Moon Burning Blood Technique that he comprehended from a painting.

When he comprehended the Blood Moon Chart, he had also imagined.

If he could use Heavenly Demon Disintegration Method as the foundation, learn from various explosive self-damaging forbidden techniques, then perhaps one day in the future, he could achieve the literal meaning of the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Method.

Which means he could disintegrate his physical body directly after using it, skipping the need to destroy the corpse.

"Good, but not good enough." After listening to Clairvoyance’s description of the secret manual, Qiao Mu still felt unsatisfied.

More, the more the better!

Anyway, he’s not afraid of having too much and not being able to handle it. The more the better.

Clairvoyance just gave a slight bitter smile.

He didn’t carry the martial arts manual with him, like the short ones like "Bloodthirsty Skill," he could still recite it. Now that Qiao Mu’s greed has come up, how can he satisfy him?

"I really can’t recite other martial arts manuals…" Clairvoyance said bitterly.

"Mr. Qiao, how about I exchange it with a big secret?"

He glanced at the Boundary Breaking Symbol in Qiao Mu’s hand and figured that by the time he finished speaking the secret, the Boundary Breaking Symbol would soon be burned out.

By then, whether he could find the ruins of that solitary city or not, Qiao Mu probably won’t bother to pressure him anymore.

"This secret is extraordinary, it is related to the Martial Saint from forty years ago and Madame Bai who guards Anxi Pass." Clairvoyance acted mysteriously.

"What? They were a couple 40 years ago? If you’re talking about secrets of love and romance, I’m not interested," Qiao Mu said casually.

Clairvoyance paused, looking very odd, before finally speaking:

"Mr. Qiao, you’re thinking too little. The secret I’m about to reveal is anything but trivial."

He said solemnly:

"In today’s world, everyone knows that the Martial Saint was revered as the strongest warrior before his death."

"And the foundation of his martial strength was actually the so-called ‘Martial Saint Spiritual Technique’!"

"Since the Martial Saint revealed his identity in Nan Province, the world has known that he devoured the top ten martial artists using the incredible power of the Martial Saint Spiritual Technique."

"But people only know part of the story. The ‘Martial Saint Spiritual Technique’ was created by the Martial Saint, but it evolved from another extraordinary technique…"

"It’s called the ‘Spiritual Technique’ and it’s the practice Madame Bai, who guards Anxi Pass, follows."

Qiao Mu was slightly startled.

If that’s the case, it does make sense.

Madame Bai is also within Qiao Mu’s intuition, but she is different from other practitioners of the Martial Saint Spiritual Technique.

But in that case, when he caught Madame Bai before and asked her if she practiced the Martial Saint Spiritual Technique, wasn’t it like a father asking his son?

"So, this Spiritual Technique, is it a secret technique from a famous sect?" Qiao Mu asked.

Based on the Martial Saint’s past actions, he speculated that this Spiritual Technique might have been stolen.

"The person who created the Spiritual Technique is Li Changge, a former deputy under the Martial Saint," Clairvoyance explained:

"General Li Changge is also a 1st ranked martial artist, actually older than the Martial Saint, but with slightly less strength and fame. Although not as dazzling as the Martial Saint, he is still a rising star in the Great Yan Imperial Court’s martial world."

"And this Spiritual Technique is said to have been created by General Li when he was young."

"About forty to fifty years ago, even though Immortal Gate didn’t actively involve in politics, Jiu Province was not very peaceful. There were often monsters causing troubles in various parts of Jiu Province, and sometimes even launching beast waves that flooded the towns…"

"When Li Changge was young, he joined the military and frequently led troops to suppress monsters. As a result, the couple often lived apart, with little time together."

"At that time, Madame Bai was just a low-ranked martial artist, and her martial arts abilities were far inferior to General Li’s."

"And this ‘Spiritual Technique’ was specially created by General Li. It means ‘the body without colorful phoenix, but the heart has a telepathic connection.’ It allows the couple to feel connected even when they are separated, providing companionship."

"Although this ‘Spiritual Technique’ at that time was mysterious and could be practiced by low-ranked martial artists through spiritual refining, it was actually quite different from the later ‘Martial Saint Spiritual Technique,’ which only General Li Changge and his wife practiced."

"Even though the story of the couple’s achievements became a good tale, this secret technique of ‘Spiritual Technique’ didn’t spread to the world, so its impact was limited."

"It was not until after the Inhuman War, when the entire elite army of one hundred thousand soldiers from Great Yan was wiped out. It is said that when the Martial Saint left the desert, he had mastered that ‘Spiritual Technique.’"

"After many more years, Zhong Province gained a daughter who was a Spirit Refining martial artist. She willingly stationed herself at Anxi Pass and has been there for twenty years…"

Although the Martial Saint was strong, his martial arts skills were built upon the foundations of his predecessors.

Just a long time ago, the "Spiritual Technique" was known as a harmonious story among a couple, but later transformed into the "Martial Saint Spiritual Technique" that martial artists who refine spirits would practice. Perhaps even the General Li who created it would never have expected this.

"The ‘Spiritual Technique’ sounds like a secret technique belonging to the couple Li Changge. Why did it end up in the hands of the Martial Saint?" Qiao Mu wondered.

In the couple’s private phone calls, a third person’s number appeared, which seemed quite strange.

Especially, the disciples who practiced the later "Martial Saint Spiritual Technique" were scattered across Jiu Province and became the means for the Wuji Association to select talents.

"We can’t know for sure," Clairvoyance said slowly.

"Although the Tide Listening Building has many eyes and ears, this story from forty years ago has long faded away into this vast desert."

"Since the hundred thousand soldiers have already perished, only the Martial Saint knows the truth."

"Unfortunately, even when the Martial Saint was alive, they kept quiet about this very event during the Inhuman War, and our Tide Listening Building couldn’t uncover it either."

"Now that even the Martial Saint has passed away, the only ones who might understand this story are the Great Yan army resting in the underworld, right?"

Clairvoyance shook his head and smiled bitterly.

But halfway through his smile, his smile gradually froze.

With the help of the Boundary Breaking Symbol’s effect, he also crossed the illusion array of the Immortal Gate like Qiao Mu, and saw the true face of the desert.

The setting sun was blood-red, and crows flew in flocks.

In the depths of the desert within sight, a broken old city stood alone.

The city walls of this old city were already in ruins, uneven in height, with many gaps. The plaque on the city gate was blurred, and only faintly discernible as the word "安" ("peace").

The shadow army regiment that Qiao Mu was tracking continued to move forward, and their target was obviously the towering isolated city ahead.

"It is the remains of Anxi City… Although this city is in ruins, it is still relatively intact. Could there still be people in the city? Could it be the travelers who disappeared in the desert in the past?"

Clairvoyance had never considered the possibility that the 100,000 elite troops from back then still had surviving soldiers fighting today, he was just astonished.

But Qiao Mu’s heart sank.

Is what Dao Zhen said true?

Are there really soldiers who have defended a solitary city for forty years in this world?

Thinking of this, he instinctively lowered his head and glanced at the Boundary Breaking Symbol in his hand.

By the time he saw this solitary city, the talisman in his hand had already burned to ashes, carried away by the wind.

Dao Zhen’s Boundary Breaking Symbol only brought him to this solitary city in the desert, but it didn’t show him the way out.

The wind blew, and the army of shadow soldiers seemed to be weightless, floating with the wind, as if they were going to charge up the city walls.

"Indeed, not an ordinary army…" Qiao Mu was about to step forward when he suddenly heard a mournful horn sound.

In the twilight, the mournful hon trumpet sounded from the city walls, low and loud, spreading far and wide.

Next, he saw the old city gate burst open, and soldiers rushed out from it, heading straight towards the dark army.

For some reason, the defending army didn’t hold onto the advantage of the city walls, but instead chose to fight the dark army outside the city.