Sin Becomes a God

Chapter 24: The Shaolin Strategy

In the entire world of *The Legend of the Condor Heroes: The Demon Cult Leader*, the biggest “glitch”—in Lu Renjia’s view—was the *Nine Yang Divine Art*. Ever since he had mastered this martial art—which even the “Evil God System” had rated as E+—and ascended to the realm of an Innate-level master, his Ren and Du meridians had become completely unblocked, and the true qi within his body flowed endlessly. With his Innate cultivation, it took him only a few hours to master the abstruse and difficult E+ level *Qiankun Great Transference Heart Method*. Now, the *Eagle Claw Hand* and *Icy Cotton Palm*—both rated E by the “Evil God System”—were incredibly simple for Lu Renjia. In less than an hour, Lu Renjia had fully mastered both the *Eagle Claw Fist* and the *Icy Soft Palm*—two martial arts that embodied the lifetime of dedication of the White-Eyebrow Eagle King Yin Tianzheng and the Blue-Winged Bat King Wei Yixiao. Inside the stone chamber, the shadows of his claws danced wildly. The *Eagle Claw Technique*, propelled by the inner energy of an Innate-level martial artist, would have left even the White-Browed Eagle King Yin Tianzheng in awe. In an instant, the fierce claw force and gale-like winds carved deep gorges into the walls of the stone chamber. If the Thirty-Six Forms of the Dragon Claw Style were entirely about fierce, fearless power—confronting enemies with the domineering might of the Azure Dragon—then the “Eagle Claw Style,” created by the White-Browed Eagle King Yin Tianzheng, embodied the cold arrogance and ruthless cunning of the golden eagle. Eagles, those aloof creatures, are not only ruthless toward themselves but also strike their prey with a single, fatal blow. Unlike the Thirty-Six Forms of Shaolin Dragon Claw Fist, Yin Tianzheng’s self-created “Eagle Claw Fist” consists of only nine forms, yet each form contains nine variations. The Nine Forms of Eagle Claw Fist are not only incredibly elusive but also exceptionally ruthless. “A young eagle spreads its wings…” “The eagle seizes the sparrow…” “The Eagle Transforms into a Dove…” “Eagle’s Claw, Vulture’s Heart…” “The Eagle Soars, the Tiger Stares…” “A hungry eagle and a starving tiger…” “An eagle’s gaze and a wolf’s glance…” “An eagle soars, a fish leaps…” “Eagle Soaring Through the Skies…” As the Nine Forms of the Eagle Claw Fist unfolded, Lu Renjia seemed to transform into a mighty eagle, his claw strikes and gale-like winds whistling like a bellows in motion. The nine variations of the Nine Forms of the Eagle Claw Fist combined to embody the principle of “nine returning to one,” a technique both ruthless and uncanny. The ninth form, “Eagle Soaring Through the Skies,” was precisely the move with which the White-Eyebrowed Eagle King, Yin Tianzheng, had forced Song Yuanqiao, Yu Lianzhou, Yin Liting, Zhang Songxi, and Mo Shenggu—five men in total—to retreat. It could also be said that the ninth form, “Eagle Soaring Through the Skies,” encapsulated the essence of the previous eight forms. It has transcended the realm of ruthlessness and strangeness to reach a ghostly, otherworldly level. Had Song Yuanqiao not been so quick-witted that day, it is likely that all five of them would have met their end. If this move, “Eagle Strikes the Sky,” in the hands of the White-Eyebrowed Eagle King Yin Tianzheng, could simultaneously unleash five fierce and fearless claw-force gales toward the enemy, then Lu Renjia—who possessed the *Nine Yang Divine Art* and the *Great Transference of Heaven and Earth*—could unleash thirteen such fierce and fearless claw-force gales at once. Looking at the gouges on the stone walls of the chamber, Lu Renjia nodded in satisfaction. As he unleashed the unique internal cultivation method of the *Eagle Claw Technique*, not only did the ten fingernails on both his hands grow by one cun, but those fair, jade-like nails also began to radiate a metallic luster. It looked somewhat unconventional for a grown man to have such long fingernails. Having reached the seventh level of the *Qiankun Great Transference Heart Method*, Lu Renjia’s yin and yang energies circulated freely within his body. With a single thought, the transformation of his fingernails—brought about by the unique internal cultivation technique of the *Eagle Claw Fist*—vanished, and his ten fingernails returned to their original state. “The Nine-Form Eagle Claw Technique truly lives up to its reputation as a claw technique on par with the Thirty-Six-Form Dragon Claw Technique… I wonder what effect the ‘Frosty Cotton Palm’ will have when unleashed?” With that thought, Lu Renjia’s palms, fluttering like butterflies, shot out in all directions. In an instant, the temperature throughout the stone chamber began to plummet as the icy, frigid palm energy roared forth from Lu Renjia’s hands. Had he not cultivated the *Qiankun Great Transference Heart Method* to the seventh level—reaching the realm where the Yin and Yang energies transform imperceptibly, allowing the extreme of Yang to give rise to Yin—Lu Renjia’s scorching and domineering *Nine Yang Divine Art* would have been utterly incapable of unleashing the *Frosty Cotton Palm*. Unlike the “Bone-Melting Soft Palm,” which consists of a single move, the “Icy Soft Palm” features an unending sequence of techniques; its eight moves actually encompass eight hundred variations. “Lin Hanjian Su…” “Mountains are cold, waters are icy…” “Chills run down the spine…” “Chilling to the Bone, Freezing the Heart…” “One day of warmth, ten days of cold…” “The autumn moon over the chilly river…” “The cold of Chu and Wu…” “Eight hundred in abject poverty…” As the icy palm wind swept by, the deep grooves carved into the stone wall by the Eagle Claw Technique were actually coated with a layer of frost. After fully mastering the “Eagle Claw Hand” and “Icy Cotton Palm”—two martial arts rated E-class by the “Evil God System”—Lu Renjia opened the “Evil God System” in his mind to check the attributes of the body his soul had possessed. He discovered that he was still within the realm of an E+-class martial artist. Although he was still at the mid-Xiantian stage, Lu Renjia could sense that his combat power of 13,000 had increased by over 500 points, reaching 13,500. However, this increase of 500 combat power points still left Lu Renjia unsatisfied. He sighed, “Second-rate martial artists have at most 3,700 or 3,800; after advancing to first-rate martial artist, combat power can double…Yet the combat power of veteran first-tier martial artists like Cheng Kun, Song Yuanqiao, and Abbess Extinction is actually around 7,000 to 8,000… Once a先天 martial artist’s combat power breaks the 10,000 mark, achieving significant further improvement requires martial arts of at least the same tier… Sigh, I never expected the gap between E-tier and E+-tier martial arts to be so vast…It seems that even if one masters an E-level martial art to its peak, one can at most open the six meridians of the Eight Extraordinary Meridians—excluding the Ren and Du meridians. Only E+-level martial arts can open the Ren and Du meridians and advance one to the Innate Realm… If I want to surpass Zhang Sanfeng, E-level martial arts are no longer enough for me…” “With my current combat power of 13,500 points, dealing with the Xuanming Elders shouldn’t be a problem… but there are still three unknown enemies to contend with… It seems I’ll need to find more E-level martial arts manuals to boost my combat power to over 16,000 to be on the safe side… As for Tai Chi… it’s probably an E+ level martial art as well, but trying to learn it at the last minute… isn’t exactly a safe bet…” Just as Lu Renjia was pondering how to find more E-level martial arts manuals, he heard Xiao Zhao’s urgent voice. “Young Master… Young Master… Something terrible has happened…” Xiao Zhao, who had rushed into the stone chamber in a panic, exclaimed urgently, “Young Master… While a disciple of the Flood Banner was out on a reconnaissance mission, he spotted Yin Liuxia of Wudang ten li away. Someone had shattered every bone in Yin Liuxia’s body with the ‘Mighty Vajra Finger’ technique… He’s gravely injured!” Hearing this news, Lu Renjia felt an immense sense of satisfaction deep inside. “It’s truly like falling asleep and hitting the pillow in a dream… I never expected that even with the world’s trajectory altered by thirty percent, Yin Liting still couldn’t escape the fate of being injured… Hmph! It seems there shouldn’t be any problem raising my combat power to over 16,000 before the great battle at Wudang…” Putting on an air of utter shock, Lu Renjia hurriedly ordered Xiao Zhao, “Xiao Zhao, prepare some secret healing potions first. I’ll go check on Sixth Uncle…” When he saw Yin Liting, his face deathly pale, Lu Renjia feigned grief and indignation, asking anxiously, “Sixth Senior Uncle… Who exactly injured you? Who did this to you? Where are Grand Senior Uncle and the others? Tell your nephew—I’ll definitely avenge you and settle this score…” Exhausted and weak, Yin Liting struggled to open his eyes. When he saw the face of “Zhang Wuji,” a bitter smile tugged at his parched lips. “That day… after we left Bright Summit, we encountered a group of men in black. Little did we know they’d use the ‘Ten-Scented Muscle-Relaxing Powder’ to knock us out…Fortunately, I held my breath just in time and narrowly escaped. I had intended to rush back to Wudang to report what had happened, but on the way, I encountered two Shaolin monks… Just like Third Senior Brother, every joint in my body was crushed by the Shaolin School’s ‘Mighty Vajra Finger’…” “Hmph! Those hypocritical bald donkeys! To be so vicious… Master, just give the word, and this Old Bat will plunge into the depths of hell or walk through a sea of fire without batting an eye!” said Wei Yixiao, the Blue-Winged Bat King, with bitter resentment. The White-Eyebrow Eagle King nodded. “Such underhanded and vicious tactics, yet they’re always chanting ‘Amitabha Buddha’! Hmph… This time, we’ll settle both old and new scores at once!” “Then why waste any more words on them? At your command, Sect Leader, every member of the Ming Sect will storm the Shaolin Temple and rescue the heroes of Wudang…” the Bannermaster of the Blazing Fire Banner shouted. “Right! Those despicable, shameless bald-headed thieves—I’ve had it with them for a long time. Give the order, Cult Leader!” the Banner Master of the Green Wood Banner shouted in agreement. The Ming Sect members’ fervent, battle-ready spirit played right into Lu Renjia’s hands. Just then, Zhu Yuanzhang stepped forward again to make his presence known. “Sect Leader, please think this through…” But no sooner had Zhu Yuanzhang opened his mouth than he was met with a loud rebuke from the leader of the Flood Banner: “Zhu Yuanzhang… who do you think you are? This isn’t your place to speak… Those bald donkeys from Shaolin have bullied our Ming Sect and slaughtered our followers; even our former Sect Leader was killed by Cheng Kun… Now that the Six Heroes of Yin and the heroes of Wudang are suffering…how can we possibly stand idly by?” Zhu Yuanzhang put on an air of risking his life to offer counsel and declared with righteous fervor, “May I humbly report, Leader… Since Leader Yang’s disappearance all these years, our Ming Sect has been in disarray. We’ve finally gained a Leader like you—one of both virtue and talent, with unparalleled martial arts skills—and this marks the very beginning of our Ming Sect’s great resurgence… If this were the Ming Sect’s heyday, we could certainly storm the Shaolin Temple…But now we are in the midst of a catastrophe, with the Six Great Sects slaughtering our Ming Sect… Our brothers have suffered heavy casualties. I implore you, Leader, to think this over carefully.” “Furthermore, since those two monks were powerful enough to shatter every bone in Yin Liuxia’s body, why didn’t they simply take his life? This clearly shows that the Shaolin Sect, under Cheng Kun’s manipulation, has already defected to the Prince of Ruyang’s banner. After wounding Yin Liuxia, they deliberately abandoned him not far from our Bright Summit—was this not precisely to lure our Ming Sect to Shaolin? …For the sake of the tens of thousands of followers of the Ming Sect, I earnestly implore the Sect Leader to reconsider…” This well-reasoned analysis, coupled with some well-timed flattery, elevated Lu Renjia, the leader of the Ming Sect, to the status of a savior. Zhu Yuanzhang’s words left the Five Elements Banner Leaders, the White-Eyebrowed Eagle King Yin Tianzheng, and the Blue-Winged Bat King Wei Yixiao speechless. If those two Shaolin monks were capable of shattering every joint in Yin Liting’s body, why didn’t they simply take his life? When this question was analyzed further, if it were truly as Zhu Yuanzhang had said—that the Shaolin Sect, under the guidance of the mole Cheng Kun, had defected to the Prince of Ruyang—then this journey to Shaolin would undoubtedly be extremely perilous. Perhaps what awaited the Ming Sect’s followers would be a vast Yuan Dynasty army. Lu Renjia glanced at Zhu Yuanzhang’s expression, which radiated loyalty and righteousness, and sighed inwardly: “Such scheming, such a thick skin… No wonder you’ll one day ascend to the throne…” Just then, Xiao Zhao brought out a secret elixir that the Ming Sect had treasured for many years, and Lu Renjia helped apply it to Yin Liting, who lay on his sickbed. Yin Liting gave a bitter smile. “Wuji… You are now the leader of the Ming Sect, and tens of thousands of followers look to you… Sixth Uncle doesn’t want you to risk your life at Shaolin for my sake; he only hopes you’ll take me back to Wudang. I intend to personally report the Shaolin Sect’s actions to our venerable Master!” “Sixth Senior Uncle, how can you say that? Wudang has shown me boundless kindness… If I stood idly by at a time like this, would I even be human? Rest assured… I will certainly seek justice for Wudang…” As he spoke, Lu Renjia pressed the palm of his hand against Yin Liting’s chest, and a surge of the Nine Yang True Qi slowly flowed into him. Although the joints shattered by the Great Strength Vajra Finger could not be healed, the Nine Yang True Qi could unblock Yin Liting’s obstructed acupoints, allowing him at least to channel his own energy to heal his wounds. Standing up, Lu Renjia surveyed the crowd and declared in a loud voice, “Although Cheng Kun died by my hand, the Prince of Ruyang’s determination to destroy our Ming Sect remains undiminished. This journey to Shaolin—whether for the sake of Wudang’s safety, as Zhang, or for the sake of our Ming Sect… is absolutely imperative! There’s no need for you to try to dissuade me… This time, I intend to go alone! Your primary task will be to escort my Sixth Uncle to Wudang…” Just as the White-Eyebrowed Eagle King Yin Tianzheng and the Blue-Winged Bat King were about to speak, Lu Renjia waved his hand to silence them. “Grandfather, Bat King…With my martial arts skills and the Yitian Sword in hand, I can come and go as I please, even if Shaolin Temple has an army of ten thousand lying in ambush… Since the Shaolin Sect has a master capable of severely wounding my Sixth Uncle, how can I rest easy if the two of you do not accompany me? Rest assured, I will not act recklessly on this trip to Shaolin. In ten days, I will head to Wudang to rejoin you…” After saying this, Lu Renjia turned to Xiao Zhao and instructed, “Xiao Zhao… Sixth Uncle is one of the few family members I have left in this world. Please take good care of him along the way…” The White-Browed Eagle King, the Blue-Winged Bat King, and the others wanted to try to dissuade him, but when they recalled the thousand corpses of the “Three Clans and Five Sects” members, they all fell silent. Even a third-rate martial artist in the martial arts world could easily handle seven or eight Yuan Dynasty soldiers; if “Zhang Wuji” could slaughter a thousand martial artists single-handedly with just a sword, it stood to reason that even ten thousand Yuan soldiers standing in full battle formation would be unable to stop him. As the scene of the ten-li send-off unfolded, Lu Renjia addressed the White-Eyebrow Eagle King and the Blue-Winged Bat King, saying, “Grandfather, Bat King… With Wuji gone, I entrust the entire Ming Sect to your care. Be vigilant along the way; head straight to Wudang and do not complicate matters… I ask that you look after my Sixth Master and Xiao Zhao…” Hearing Lu Renjia deliberately mention her name, Xiao Zhao’s eyes reddened slightly and her heart warmed; she couldn’t help but sob. Little did she know that Lu Renjia’s actions were meant to put an end to this fruitless romantic tension and to prevent her from joining him on his dangerous journey once the world’s trajectory had shifted by thirty percent. “Wuji, rest assured. The Old Bat and I have both fully recovered from our injuries… As for you, remember not to act rashly on your journey to Shaolin… If the Shaolin Sect truly sides with the Yuan Dynasty, we’ll simply wait for the Ming Sect to regain its strength—then we’ll naturally be able to avenge ourselves!” advised Yin Tianzheng, the White-Eyebrowed Eagle King. Amid the reluctant gazes of the crowd, Lu Renjia spurred his horse and galloped off toward the location of the Shaolin Temple.