Sin Becomes a God

Chapter 20: Might Makes Right (Part 1)

Having eliminated Cheng Kun, the scenario of being trapped in the Ming Sect’s Sacred Tomb with no way out was naturally no longer an issue. However, knowing that the two masters, the Xuanming Elders, were waiting for him next, how could Lu Renjia possibly pass up the Ming Sect’s protective divine art, the *Qiankun Great Transference Heart Method*? After dispatching Cheng Kun, Lu Renjia walked over to Yang Dingian’s skeletal remains with a show of reverence and immediately knelt to kowtow. “Supreme Master Yang… Your juniors, Zhang Wuji and Xiao Zhao, did not mean to disturb your eternal rest; we humbly beg your forgiveness…Your humble disciple, Zhang Wuji, has already slain Cheng Kun with his own hands. May the spirit of Sect Leader Yang in heaven watch over us and grant this young disciple the strength to put an end to this great calamity in the martial arts world between the Ming Sect and the Six Great Sects…” Seeing Lu Renjia kneel, Xiao Zhao followed him over and knelt beside him. Just as she was about to kowtow as well, the quick-witted Xiao Zhao tugged at Lu Renjia’s sleeve. “Young Master… look, there are words written beneath this meditation cushion…” In truth, Lu Renjia had long since noticed the faint writing beneath the meditation cushion made from Yang Dingian’s skeletal remains. Now, feigning astonishment, he reached out and brushed away the thick layer of dust on the ground. “You ignorant upstart have trespassed into the forbidden grounds of the Ming Sect. You must perform three kneels and nine bows; otherwise, the vengeful spirits will haunt you…” Before Xiao Zhao could speak, Lu Renjia said directly, “Respect for the dead is paramount. My foster father, Xie Xun, was the Golden-Maned Lion King of the Ming Sect, and my maternal grandfather was the White-Eyebrowed Eagle King… Today, I, Zhang Wuji, have rashly intruded upon the Ming Sect’s forbidden grounds and disturbed the spirits of the sect’s past leaders… It was truly inappropriate…” “Thud, thud, thud…” After nine loud knocks on the ground, with Lu Renjia’s innate mastery of the five senses, he could faintly hear a series of faint, rustling sounds, as if gears were grinding against one another. “Boom… boom… boom…” Seven stone slabs dropped from the mechanism. Looking at the Persian script engraved on them, Xiao Zhao felt inexplicably excited. “Mother… I’ve finally found the *Qiankun Da Nuoyi* cultivation manual. Now you won’t have to suffer that burning torture anymore…” Xiao Zhao thought to herself. Lu Renjia feigned bewilderment and asked Xiao Zhao, who was beside him and bursting with excitement, “What kind of script is this? What does it say?” Suppressing her excitement, Xiao Zhao scanned the text at a glance, committing the *Qiankun Da Nuoyi Heart Method* on the stone slabs to memory. She smiled at Lu Renjia and said, “Congratulations, Young Master… I offer my heartfelt congratulations… This is the *Qiankun Da Nuoyi Heart Method*, the sacred martial art that protects our Ming Sect… a supreme martial art that only the Sect Leader is qualified to practice!” “Oh? The Ming Sect’s sacred martial art? Since it belongs to the Ming Sect, let’s not look at it. We’d better hurry to Bright Summit to expose Cheng Kun’s plot—otherwise, there’ll surely be a bloodbath between the Six Great Sects and the Ming Sect…” Lu Renjia said solemnly. “Young Master… Besides our Ming Sect’s *Qiankun Da Nuoyi Heart Method*, this scroll also contains the late Sect Leader Yang’s last will and testament…It states that whoever approaches this forbidden site and performs three kneels and nine bows before his remains shall be his successor across a generation. It also instructs your adoptive father, the Golden-Haired Lion King, to temporarily assume the position of Sect Leader and send someone to the Ming Sect in Persia to retrieve the Sacred Flame Token… You have already performed three kneels and nine bows before the late Sect Leader Yang, so you qualify as his successor…Besides, with countless martial arts masters from the Six Great Sects, having mastered one more peerless martial art can only serve as a safeguard…” Persuaded by Xiao Zhao, Lu Renjia feigned hesitation. “With the Six Great Sects currently besieging Bright Summit… wouldn’t cultivating the *Qiankun Great Transference Heart Method* be a waste of time?” “Not at all, Young Master… Master Yang’s last will states that the *Qiankun Great Transference Heart Method* primarily focuses on internal energy cultivation. For an innate master who has opened the Ren and Du meridians, it takes only two hours to master it completely…” “Those who qualify will obtain the E+ level martial art, the ‘Great Shift of Heaven and Earth’ technique…” Half an hour had passed, and Lu Renjia, sitting cross-legged, now had a blood-red flush on his face—a phenomenon caused by the surging of blood and the gathering of yang energy when practicing the *Great Heaven and Earth Transference Heart Method* reached the third level. As time ticked by, the blood-red flush on Lu Renjia’s face faded, replaced by a deep, clear hue. as the saying goes: “When yang reaches its peak, yin is born; when yin and yang are in harmony.” Lu Renjia sensed a subtle shift in the Nine Yang True Qi within his body. Previously, his ability to condense the violent Nine Yang True Qi into his fist and drive it into an enemy’s body—relying entirely on brute force to overpower his opponents— Now, however, he was fully capable of condensing the violent, searing Nine Yang True Qi into a point the size of a steel needle and striking it with pinpoint accuracy into his enemy’s acupoints. Do not underestimate this subtle change; in a contest between masters of equal skill, this technique would yield a decisive, unexpected victory. Gradually, the crimson flush on Lu Renjia’s face alternated with a deep, clear radiance as the energies of Yin and Yang surged and ebbed within his body. Lu Renjia had already reached the sixth level of the *Qiankun Da Nuoyi* meditation technique—a feat no previous leader of the Ming Sect had ever achieved. Knowing full well that the seventh level of the *Great Heaven and Earth Shift* was created entirely from the imagination of the Elder of Mount Huo, Lu Renjia skipped over the nineteen incoherent sentences of the precepts when cultivating the seventh level. “The eligible candidate has assumed the attributes of the host, Song Qingshu: Internal Energy (Mid-Innate-level martial artist), Reflexes 90 (90 times that of an ordinary person), Strength 110 (110 times that of an ordinary person), Speed 100 (100 times that of an ordinary person), Comprehension 2 (twice that of an ordinary person). Overall assessment: E-rank martial artist.” The cold voice of the “Evil God System” echoed in his mind once more. Lu Renjia was overjoyed—he hadn’t expected that after cultivating the *Qiankun Great Transference Manual*, which was also rated E+, his strength would advance even further, leaping from the early Innate stage to the mid-Innate stage. “Huh…” Exhaling a breath of stale air, Lu Renjia slowly opened his eyes, and the fleeting gleam of brilliance vanished. Lu Renjia, who had previously perfected the *Nine Yang Divine Art*, opened the Ren and Du meridians, and returned to a state of natural simplicity, now looked just like an ordinary person. At this moment, he could sense that his combat power had risen once more, reaching as high as 13,000. It seemed the gap between him and Zhang Sanfeng, that titan of the martial arts world, had narrowed considerably. “It truly lives up to its reputation as a divine art on par with the *Nine Yin Manual* and the *Nine Yang Divine Art*—it’s truly marvelous. But it’s true, just as Master Xuan Kui said: cultivating an E-rank martial art doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll possess E-rank strength. I’ve cultivated the E+-rank *Nine Yang Divine Art* and the *Great Transference of Heaven and Earth* in succession to finally attain E-rank strength. I suppose my current strength isn’t too far behind Zhang Sanfeng’s, is it?” Lu Renjia thought to himself. “Young Master… have you mastered it?” “Mm… Aside from the nineteen lines in the seventh level that I haven’t been able to fathom, I’ve mastered the rest…” Meanwhile, over a thousand fighters from the Six Great Sects had already stormed into the Ming Sect’s Summit of Enlightenment. Every so often, someone would let out a death cry and collapse in agony; before the killer could even gloat, a blade thrust from behind would pierce his chest. At that very moment, whether they were Ming Sect disciples sworn to defend their faith to the death or members of the Six Great Sects who prided themselves on being righteous and prestigious, all had been driven into a bloodthirsty frenzy. The entire Grand Hall of Bright Summit had become a bloody meat grinder. There were now hardly any third-rate martial artists left on either side—those who hadn’t even mastered the Twelve Canonical Arts—and those still standing were at least second-rate martial artists. Even first-rate martial artists like the White-Browed Eagle King, the Blue-Winged Bat King, and the Five Elements Banner Masters had all sustained injuries. After this bloody slaughter, the centuries-old heritage of the Shaolin Temple—unmatched among the Six Great Sects—finally came to the fore. Among the members of the Six Great Sects, the largest number of survivors were the Shaolin monks clad in saffron robes, followed by the Wudang Sect. After all, the Five Heroes of Wudang were all at the late-stage of the first-tier realm, and figures like Song Yuanqiao and Yu Lianzhou were particularly skilled in sword formations. Protected by these formations, many Wudang disciples managed to survive,Next came the Emei Sect; Abbess Mie Jue, relying on the sharpness of the Yitian Sword, protected many of her disciples. As for the Kunlun, Huashan, and Kongtong Sects, their situation was far more dire. Of the hundreds of elite disciples who had set out, fewer than a quarter remained—a severe blow to their strength. The White-Eyebrow Eagle King, one of the Four Great Dharma Kings of the Ming Sect, was now using his fierce and powerful Eagle Claw Technique—capable of shattering jade and severing gold—to fend off the attacks of the Five Heroes of Wudang, led by Song Yuanqiao. His five fingers, adorned with unusually white nails, actually glowed with a metallic sheen after he infused them with true qi. His wide, sweeping moves were nothing but relentless, fierce attacks. As he unleashed the power of his claws, they produced a series of whistling sounds as they cut through the air. Yet the Wudang sword techniques were passed down from Zhang Sanfeng, the patriarch of the martial arts world—and the *Wudang Soft-Finger Sword Technique*, in particular, excels at protracted, back-and-forth battles. When the five disciples—Song Yuanqiao and his fellow masters—united to wield the *Wudang Soft-Finger Sword Technique*, they managed to hold their own against the White-Eyebrow Eagle King, a top-tier martial artist with a combat rating of 8,000. “Clang, clang, clang, clang…” When the White-Eyebrow Eagle King’s metallic-sheened claws clashed with the sharp swords of Song Yuanqiao and his four companions, a series of metallic clangs erupted. “Forged a hundred times into steel, yet supple as a finger… Entangle!!!” Song Yuanqiao growled, channeling all his true qi into the sword in his hand. In an instant, he actually bent the hard, hundred-times-forged steel blade, and the sharp tip darted toward the White-Eyebrow Eagle King’s ribs like a venomous snake striking. “Splatter…” The sound of a blade piercing flesh echoed. The White-Browed Eagle King winced in pain, and his claws—capable of shattering jade and severing gold—instinctively slowed their attack. Yu Lianzhou, Yin Liting, and the others seized the moment, simultaneously unleashing the final killing move from the *Wudang Finger-Wrapping Soft Sword Technique*. The four curved sword tips pierced the White-Browed Eagle King’s thigh, lower abdomen, and arms like the horns of a gazelle. “Hahahahaha… The Wudang ‘Finger-Wrapping Soft Sword Technique’ truly lives up to its reputation… Circling with ease, wrapping around the fingers to transform into softness? Excellent skill… exquisite artistry… But do you think this will make this old man surrender? Break through… Eagle Strikes the Sky!!!!” The White-Browed Eagle King roared, unleashing all his true qi without reservation. In an instant, the muscles in his ribs, lower abdomen, thighs, and arms contracted under the surging qi, effectively locking the long swords of Song Yuanqiao and his four companions in place. Gangs of energy surged from his ten fingernails, each over a chi in length. Taking advantage of the fact that Song Yuanqiao and his four companions were unable to withdraw their swords, the White-Eyebrow Eagle King’s sharp talons transformed into a flurry of clawing shadows, lunging toward their vital points—their throats, eyes, and temples. In the blink of an eye, Song Yuanqiao and his four companions had no choice but to abandon their swords to evade the attack. Weapons are, so to speak, a martial artist’s second life. Seeing that the White-Eyebrow Eagle King, despite his severe injuries, could still force the five of them—fellow disciples—to abandon their swords and flee, Song Yuanqiao and his companions exchanged wry smiles. Song Yuanqiao bowed his hands in respect toward the White-Browed Eagle King, who still had five sharp swords stuck in his body. As Zhang Cuishan’s father-in-law, even now—with the Six Great Sects besieging Bright Summit—Song Yuanqiao, that humble gentleman, remained impeccably courteous. “Senior Yin, your martial arts are peerless; the five of us brothers-in-arms must admit we are no match for you… In this battle, we, the Five Heroes of Wudang, have lost…” Seeing Song Yuanqiao display such magnanimity, the White-Eyebrow Eagle King couldn’t help but admire Zhang Sanfeng for having such a fine disciple. However, when he saw the heavy losses suffered by the Ming Sect’s followers, a helpless, wry smile also appeared on his face. “If this were merely a contest of martial arts, I would naturally be delighted… but alas, victory or defeat at this moment cannot reverse the Ming Sect’s defeat…” “Amitabha… White-Browed Eagle King, considering you are a master of your generation—your self-created Eagle Claw Technique is on par with my Shaolin Dragon Claw Technique… take your own life…” the Shaolin Abbot chanted the Buddhist mantra. “You white-haired old ghost! Don’t listen to that bald donkey’s nonsense. At worst, we’ll die as martyrs for our faith… Suicide isn’t the way of a true hero… It’s already come to this—killing one more is breaking even, and killing two is a profit!!!” roared the Green-Winged Bat King. Now that Cheng Kun had been slain, the only remaining targets were the Two Elders of Xuanming and the unknown enemies that had appeared due to the increased difficulty caused by the altered world trajectory. With the plot point of Cheng Kun triggering the mechanism no longer present, Lu Renjia naturally didn’t have to go through the ordeal of being trapped in the Ming Sect’s Sacred Tomb alongside Xiao Zhao. Led by Xiao Zhao, they emerged from the Ming Sect’s Sacred Tomb through the winding, spiraling passageways, and the sounds of battle echoed ceaselessly from the Grand Hall on Bright Summit. In preparation for the War Chronicles team battle, Lu Renjia chose to serve as a frontline warrior for his team, just like the Doomsday Maniac and the Demon Dragon Fighter, and he also set his cultivation path to be “attaining the Dao through martial arts.” Lu Renjia has now acquired two peerless martial arts techniques from the world of *The Legend of the Condor Heroes: The Demon Cult Leader*—the *Nine Yang Divine Art* and the *Great Transference of Heaven and Earth*—but after experiencing the exhilarating slaughter earlier that day, where he held the power of life and death in his hands, a strange transformation had taken place in his state of mind. Watching the carnage unfolding before him—the result of Cheng Kun’s painstaking schemes over many years—Lu Renjia felt an inexplicable thrill welling up inside him. Amid the clamor reaching his ears were the faint sounds of blades piercing flesh and the subtle gurgling of blood spurting from arteries; combined with the agonized screams of those struck down, it all sounded to Lu Renjia like a magnificent symphony. Seeing that the battle between the two sides was gradually reaching a stalemate, Lu Renjia turned to Xiao Zhao at his side and whispered, “Stay right here. Don’t move…” Before Xiao Zhao could react, Lu Renjia, standing right in front of her, began to blur like a wisp of blue smoke. If Lu Renjia—who had perfected the *Nine Yang Divine Art*, opened the Ren and Du meridians, and ascended to the Innate Realm—had relied on his immense reserves of Nine Yang True Qi to drive the Wudang School’s *Tiyun Zong* lightness technique, then now, having cultivated the *Qiankun Great Transference Heart Method* to the seventh level, his ghostly speed was as natural as instinct. The Yin and Yang energies circulated seamlessly, allowing the Nine Yang True Qi within Lu Renjia’s body to flow in the most efficient manner, without wasting even the slightest bit. Lu Renjia, moving like a ghost, charged toward the crowd locked in fierce combat. Forming sword seals with both hands, he condensed the domineering and fierce Nine Yang True Qi into a beam; wherever it passed—whether members of the Six Great Sects or followers of the Ming Sect—they were all struck in their acupoints by Lu Renjia and rendered unable to move.