"Good heavens, as expected of the Dugu Nine Swords, it gave me 1,500 points, three times that of the Evil-Slaying Sword Manual. Isn't this forcing me to steal their techniques?" Li Dao exclaimed happily. The system had already added the sword technique to its collection.

They then wandered around the ancient tomb, but did not find the Jade Maiden Sword Technique. Even the martial arts techniques that were once engraved on the wall had been deliberately erased, presumably by the last descendant of Yang Guo.

Li Daoyi returned to the two stone coffins once more.

"Yang Guo, I am grateful for your kindness this time. If I have the opportunity to go to the world of Condor Heroes in the future, I will repay you. Alright, if you don't say anything, I will take that as your consent." After saying that, he gently patted the stone coffin and walked out.

Upon arriving outside the ancient tomb, they once again used their magic to raise the Dragon-Slaying Stone.

“The earth moves.” Li Daoyi knelt on the ground, his hands plunging into the earth.

"Rumble..."

As the magic power was poured in, the surrounding ground began to ripple, and then the soil began to surge towards the ancient tomb. Soon, a mound several times larger than before appeared outside the ancient tomb.

Today, the ancient tomb shows no signs of human intervention whatsoever; it is simply a small mound.

"Now you two can rest in peace," Li Daoyi said softly, looking at the mound.

"Farewell, Yang Guo. Although we may meet again in the future, it will not be you."

After descending the mountain, Li Daoyi called Niu Er back and rode the blue ox towards Kunlun Mountain.

Meanwhile, Li Daoyi's name had spread throughout the martial arts world. The image of an unparalleled sword immortal had emerged in people's minds after the sword strike in Hengshan City that day, which was easily defeated by Dongfang Bubai. In addition, there was that unpredictable flying sword. Thousands of people witnessed it with their own eyes. Apart from a few people who still had doubts, the vast majority of people believed it.

The name of Li Daoyi as a banished immortal began to spread, and it is said that even the current emperor began to order people to find out Li Daoyi's whereabouts.

During this period, another major event also shocked the entire martial arts world.

Of the thirteen bodyguards of the Songshan Sect, Fei Bin and Lu Bai were killed, and more than thirty elite disciples also died. Only Ding Mian was crippled in martial arts. When the people of the Songshan Sect found him, Ding Mian was lying on his horse with only one breath left. After uttering the four words "Dongfang Bubai", he also died.

People were shocked. The Sun Moon Sect and the Five Mountains Sword Sect had not had any major conflicts for more than 20 years. Although the two sides had been fighting and killing each other all the time, to be honest, those who died were all insignificant characters. It was really too unbelievable that three first-class masters and more than 30 mid-level masters had been killed this time.

Therefore, people mistakenly believe that Dongfang Bubai vented her resentment on the Songshan Sect because she lost to Li Daoyi in a martial arts competition. It must be said that although this is far from the truth, it is hard to refute. Dongfang Bubai could not come out to clarify, because no matter what, she was the one who killed people.

Shaolin Temple, Mahavira Hall.

Before the Buddha statue, Fang Zheng, who was about sixty years old, sat cross-legged on a prayer mat with his hands clasped together, chanting Buddhist scriptures.

Behind him was a burly man in his forties dressed in a black robe, but unlike Fang Zheng's calm demeanor, this man's face was full of anger and murderous intent.

“Master Zuo, this is a forbidden Buddhist area. You should be more discreet!” Fang Zheng said with his eyes closed.

It turned out that this person was none other than Zuo Lengchan, the leader of the Songshan Sect.

Upon hearing this, Zuo Lengchan also looked up at the statue of Buddha, and then withdrew his killing intent.

"Abbot, Dongfang Bubai is going too far," Zuo Lengchan said in a deep voice, taking a deep breath.

"Dongfang Bubai is nothing to worry about, but what do you think of that immortal, Master Zuo?" Fang Zheng opened his eyes and turned around.

"A banished immortal?" Zuo Lengchan was taken aback for a moment, then frowned and said.

"Although there were many people present at the time, it's hard to guarantee that there weren't exaggerations. In any case, I don't believe in any immortals. As for the defeat of Dongfang Bubai, hmph, that woman is treacherous and cunning. It's possible that she and the other party put on a show together."

Upon hearing this, Fang Zheng nodded slightly, seemingly agreeing with Zuo Lengchan's analysis. Indeed, the idea of ​​a sword immortal was a bit too exaggerated. His Shaolin Temple had a long history, and even the Grandmasters and Great Grandmasters above the Innate Realm had been recorded, but he had never heard of any sword immortal appearing in the world. That was just something imagined by the Taoist lineage.

"Since you can't swallow this insult, what do you want to do?" Fang Zheng asked.

A cold glint flashed in Zuo Lengchan's eyes.

"I want to start a war, a war to the death with the Demonic Sect," Zuo Lengchan said through gritted teeth.

"Are you sure? You should know that Shaolin and Wudang will not intervene, and the Demonic Sect has the imperial court behind it," Fang Zheng reminded him.

“I know, but I hope the abbot can let some outer disciples join my Songshan sect. As for the imperial court…” Zuo Lengchan paused here.

"The Ming Dynasty has been established for over a hundred years. Their relationship with the Demonic Sect has long since faded away. I also know that the imperial court has been secretly suppressing the Demonic Sect all these years," Zuo Lengchan continued.

“Alright, I can give you a list of some outer disciples. As for whether they want to join your Songshan Sect, that’s their choice.” Fang Zheng nodded.

"Hahaha, I have my own way," Zuo Lengchan laughed. Although these outer disciples of Shaolin were not formal disciples of Shaolin, their martial arts skills were no weaker than those of the Shaolin people. However, these people had not completely seen through the vanities of the world, so they had not shaved their heads. As long as he provided money and beauty, they would naturally submit obediently.

Not long after, a message was sent from Mount Song and spread through the media: the Mount Song Sect officially declared war on the Demonic Sect and would hold a martial arts conference on the fifteenth of August.

This single stone stirred up a thousand waves. At this moment, Yue Buqun, who was still a guest in Luoyang, hurriedly led his disciples to bid farewell and quickly returned to Mount Hua. The martial arts world was about to descend into chaos.

Beijing, the capital of the Ming Dynasty.

At this moment, Emperor Zhu Houcong in the Forbidden City was summoning Lu Bing, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Inside the main hall, Emperor Zhu Houcong, who had just turned forty, sat cross-legged in front of the statues of the Three Pure Ones, dressed in a Taoist robe. Incense burners were placed around him, with wisps of smoke drifting around him, making him look exactly like a Taoist cultivator.

"Oh? Mount Song is going to war with the Sun Moon Cult?" the emperor asked.

"Yes, Your Majesty, the news has spread." Lu Bing, dressed in a brocade robe, with slightly graying temples and a resolute expression, raised his head slightly and said.

"Alright, sit down and talk. It's just the two of us now." The emperor couldn't help but laugh when he saw Lu Bing's serious expression.

“Your Majesty, propriety must not be disregarded.” Lu Bing quickly shook his head.

"This is my decree."

"Uh... thank you, Your Majesty." Lu Bing then sat down on a futon.

Looking at his younger brother, whose temples were already streaked with white, the emperor couldn't help but sigh. He was truly alone. Back when he hadn't yet ascended the throne, the two of them were incredibly close, practically inseparable. Now, more than twenty years had passed, and Lu Bing's hair had turned white, while he himself had passed forty.

"Let them make a fuss. Tell all the regions that as long as they don't harm the people, we'll turn a blind eye to everything else. I wish all these people were dead. The ancients were right: 'Knights use their martial arts to break the law.'" the emperor sighed.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Lu Bing replied hastily.

"I summoned you today not for this matter. Is there any news of that banished immortal?" the emperor asked.

Upon hearing this, Lu Bing sighed inwardly and showed a hint of helplessness on his face, but still answered honestly.

"Your Majesty, according to reliable information I have received, this person appeared in Xi'an Prefecture half a month ago and then went west."

"Oh? Is the news true?" Zhu Houcong immediately perked up.

“Your Majesty, the ox that man is riding is too conspicuous. It is said to be ten feet tall, even taller than the elephants presented as tribute by foreign countries. In addition, the descriptions of his appearance circulating in the martial arts world confirm that it must be him,” Lu Bing said hurriedly.

"Good, good, good." Zhu Houcong said repeatedly. Compared to the battles between martial arts sects, he cared more about this immortal being.

"Lu Bing, listen to my decree," Zhu Houcong suddenly said solemnly.

Lu Bing quickly got up and knelt down.

"Your subject is present."

"Three days later, you will accompany me out of the palace," Zhu Houcong said meaningfully.

"What?" Lu Bing looked up in surprise.

“Your Majesty, you…” Lu Bing seemed to have guessed something, looking at the emperor in disbelief. He knew this emperor, who had grown up with him since childhood, all too well.

"Hahaha, you guessed right. I'm going to travel incognito to find that banished immortal." Zhu Houcong was very satisfied with Lu Bing's expression, as if he had rediscovered the joy of childhood pranks.

"Your Majesty, no, no! Your Majesty is of noble birth, how can you leave the capital at will? I dare not accept the decree." Lu Bing hurriedly got up and knelt down, kowtowing heavily to the ground.

"Hmph, since I have decided to leave the palace, my safety will naturally be guaranteed. In addition to you, Eunuch Huang from the inner palace will also accompany me. With him there, are you still not at ease?" Zhu Houcong said with a cold snort.

“Huang Jin, Eunuch Huang? This…” Lu Bing was startled upon hearing this. He was naturally familiar with Huang Jin, the top expert in the palace. This guy, who never showed off his skills, had been by the emperor’s side since childhood. Lu Bing was now a first-class late-stage expert, but he couldn’t last more than three moves against him. He even suspected that the other party had returned to the innate level after being acquired, reaching the realm that all martial arts practitioners dream of.

"How is it?" Zhu Houcong asked.

Knowing the emperor's temperament well, Lu Bing sighed inwardly, realizing that further rebuttal at this point would be defying the imperial decree, and had no choice but to kowtow deeply.

"Your subject obeys the decree."

"Alright, alright, we're brothers, there's no need for us to kneel back and forth." Zhu Houcong helped Lu Bing up.

"This time when I leave the palace, I only intend to take you and Huang Jin with me," Zhu Houcong continued.

"Your Majesty, perhaps... we should bring some more people?" Lu Bing said, frowning. The emperor couldn't be left unattended on this journey; they couldn't possibly rely on just the two of them, could they?

"Hmph, do you think I'm really so weak and frail? Besides, how can I demonstrate my sincerity without going through hardships?"

Left with no other choice, Lu Bing had to accept the order.

Thus, in the twenty-fifth year of the Jiajing reign, Zhu Houcong, at the age of forty, began his first incognito journey outside the palace.