Sin Becomes a God

Chapter 25: Increased Combat Power

The sky is vast for birds to fly, the sea is wide for fish to swim. Lu Renjia urged his horse on with a crack of his whip; the black thousand-li steed beneath him leaped forward on all four hooves. In the span of two days and nights, Lu Renjia had already reached the foot of Mount Shaoshi. Gazing at the ancient temple, now just a stone’s throw away, Lu Renjia’s face broke into a smug grin as he thought to himself, “For thousands of years, the Shaolin Temple’s seventy-two supreme techniques have been renowned throughout the world… I imagine they’re all at least E-rank martial arts, right? If I can master just seven or eight of them, I’ll be able to boost my combat power to 16,000! By then, even facing five Pre-Innate-level experts at once won’t be a problem!” With that thought, Lu Renjia drove his black thousand-li horse—which was so exhausted it was nearly foaming at the mouth—into a nearby grove. Clutching the Yitian Sword, Lu Renjia tapped his toe lightly, and his entire body turned into a blur. Moving with ghostly speed, even in broad daylight, second- and third-rate martial artists stood no chance of catching a glimpse of him. The once quiet and serene ancient Shaolin Temple was now filled with the thick stench of blood. Hundreds of Shaolin monks lay in pools of blood. In stark contrast, more than two hundred lamas dressed in red robes sat in small groups around bonfires, eating grilled meat and drinking strong liquor as if nothing had happened. A burly lama, over two meters tall, was sitting atop the plaque bearing the words “Shaolin Temple”—a plaque that had stood there for centuries. He held a massive wineskin in his hand and was guzzling from it. “Phew…” He exhaled a cloud of alcohol fumes. A young lama standing nearby hurriedly and eagerly handed him a freshly roasted chicken. “Senior Brother Gangxiang… I specially prepared this roasted chicken for you. Please try it while it’s still hot!” Gangxiang didn’t hesitate. He snatched the roast chicken from the iron hook and, without caring if it was scalding hot, took a big bite out of the golden-brown bird. “Senior Brother Gangxiang, leading us Tantric Buddhists to annihilate the Shaolin Temple is a truly great achievement… The Princess will surely reward you handsomely when the time comes… It’s a blessing I’ve earned over eight lifetimes to be able to follow you, Senior Brother…” Within the Esoteric Sect, strength has always been the ultimate measure of respect. Faced with the flattery of this junior brother—whose abilities fell short of his own—Gang Xiang accepted it gladly. A look of smug satisfaction spread across his face as he chewed on the chicken, which was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and laughed, “Rest assured, when the princess’s rewards arrive, as long as there’s a bite for me, Gang Xiang, there will certainly be plenty left for you all as well…” “Senior Brother, you are so magnanimous and righteous… I have nothing more to say. From now on, I’ll serve you faithfully, through fire and water, without fail!” The young lama exclaimed in a loud voice. Glancing at the corpses strewn across the floor, he said disdainfully, “These Shaolin monks go on all day about being the best in the Buddhist world? Hmph… yet they couldn’t even land a single blow! Thanks to Her Highness the Princess’s divine foresight, a few doses of ‘Ten-Fragrance Muscle-Relaxing Powder’ were enough to take them all down…” At the mere mention of the word “Princess,” a look of reverence flashed across Gang Xiang’s face as he ate his roast chicken. He glanced into the Great Hero Hall at the sixteen blood-red characters carved onto the Buddha statue: “First destroy Shaolin, then annihilate Wudang. Only our Ming Sect shall reign supreme over the martial arts world.” Gang Xiang chuckled, “This time, when the Six Great Sects besieged Bright Summit, the original plan was to wait until they and the Ming Sect had fought each other to a standstill, at which point the Yuan Dynasty’s great army would sweep in. By then, neither the ‘Number One Sect Under Heaven’ nor the ‘Six Great Sects of Central Plains’ would remain—they’d all be reduced to ashes…But I never expected Zhang Wuji to suddenly appear! Hmph, a mere Zhang Wuji can’t stir up much of a storm. Now that Shaolin has been destroyed, once we’ve eliminated Wudang… the Ming Sect will become the public enemy of the entire martial arts world… The Princess’s wisdom and strategy are truly beyond our reach!” At that moment, Lu Renjia, hiding in an ancient pine tree beyond the city wall, watched the scene clearly and heard every word of Gao Xiang’s flattery toward Zhao Min. His heart sank as he thought to himself, “Damn it… I was wondering why the course of events hadn’t changed this time. It seems that even without the herbs, the White-Eyebrow Eagle King and his men would still have fallen into Zhao Min’s trap…” Although he knew that even if the White-Eyebrow Eagle King and his party fell into Zhao Min’s hands, their lives would not be in danger—after all, Zhao Min, that shrewd and resourceful woman, would treat the captives from the Six Great Sects as valuable bargaining chips—Lu Renjia still couldn’t help but worry about Xiao Zhao. Rationally, he kept telling himself that in this small microcosm of *The Legend of the Condor Heroes: The Demon Cult Leader*, he was merely a passerby, and there could be no future with Xiao Zhao, that lovely young woman. Having been chosen as a suitable candidate by the Demon Envoy, his only path to survival was to keep growing stronger for the War Chronicles Guild’s battles. But on an emotional level, Lu Renjia—a homebody who had lived for over twenty years—couldn’t help but feel a faint, inexplicable affection for Xiao Zhao. “It looks like I’ll have to hurry to Wudang…” With that thought, Lu Renjia, clutching the Yitian Sword, leaped from the ancient pine tree over forty meters high. He descended slowly, as light as a feather. The lamas, who had been eating grilled meat and drinking strong liquor, were startled by Lu Renjia, this uninvited guest. Gang Xiang narrowed his eyes, casually tossed aside the half-eaten roast chicken, reached out to grab a Vajra staff weighing over a hundred jin from nearby, and pointed it at the man in black before him, bellowing, “Kid… you’ve come to the wrong place to burn incense and worship the Buddha…Since you’ve seen what you shouldn’t have, there’s no way we can let you live today… Tell us where you’re from and who your accomplices are, and the Buddha might grant you a quick and painless death!” No sooner had Gang Xiang finished speaking than the remaining two hundred or so lamas drew their weapons and surrounded Lu Renjia. In the eyes of Lu Renjia, a先天 martial artist, the strongest among these two hundred-plus lamas was none other than the one shouting at him—his combat power hovered around six thousand. By that measure, he was a first-rate martial artist who had not only opened all twelve main meridians but also two of the Eight Extraordinary Meridians; as for the rest, they were nothing more than third-rate martial artists. Lu Renjia smiled contemptuously. “Accomplices? I have none… As for my background, didn’t you just mention my name yourself?” Gang Xiang’s expression darkened. “Still talking back when death is upon you? Arrest him!” “Clang…” A crisp, dragon-like roar rang out as the Yitian Sword shot from its scabbard. An incredibly powerful surge of Nine Yang True Qi instantly coursed through the blade, causing a layer of brilliant, fiery-red sword energy to erupt from its sharp edge. Lu Renjia flipped his wrist, and the Yitian Sword, shrouded in red sword energy, swept out with the motion. The forty-meter-long red sword energy, like a deathly fermata, cleaved the hundred or so red-robed lamas charging at him in two. “Splatter… splatter… splatter…” The faint sounds produced by the blood gushing from severed carotid arteries, pooling on the ground, sounded like a symphony of death. This sight terrified Gang Xiang so much that he nearly lost his grip on the vajra staff. The young lama standing beside Gangxiang cried out in shock, “He… he… he’s Zhang Wuji… ah…” Before he could finish speaking, a crimson sword aura swept diagonally across the room, and the young lama, unable to dodge in time, was cut in half at the waist. Beheading was one of the ten most brutal tortures of ancient times. When the victim did not die immediately, they would slowly perish amid agonizing screams and terror as they lay mortally wounded. “Ahhh… Senior Brother… Senior Brother, save me…” The wailing young monk clung desperately to Gangxiang’s thigh, crying out in vain. Run! The thought surged with overwhelming intensity in Gangxiang’s mind. He cast a look of revulsion at his junior brother, now reduced to half a body, then swung the vajra staff in his hand, smashing it down toward the other’s forehead. “You can’t be saved… Senior Brother will send you on your way…” “Crack…” The sound of shattering bone echoed as his junior brother’s gleaming skull was smashed to pieces by Gangxiang’s staff. Flinging aside the half-corpse that still clung desperately to his thigh, Gangxiang channeled his lightness skills and prepared to make a run for it. “Whoosh…” A gentle breeze swept past. As Gangxiang leaped upward with all his might, he suddenly felt a lightness in his lower body. Looking down, he saw the upper half of a all-too-familiar torso hit the ground. “Aaaah…” A agonized wail rang out from Gangxiang as he plummeted through the air; with only his upper half remaining, he crashed heavily to the ground. Unlike others who had been beheaded, Gangxiang did not have the Vajra Staff in his hand to end his own life. By this time, the more than two hundred lamas had all perished under the terrifying sword energy of the Yitian Sword. Lu Renjia walked slowly over to the still-howling Gangxiang and said with a hint of amusement, “Now it’s my turn to ask you a question… If you confess honestly, this Sect Leader may show great mercy and let you die quickly and painlessly…” Facing his own beheading, Gangxiang knew full well that death was inevitable. Just as he was resolved to die rather than yield, he saw Lu Renjia extend his left palm, from which a bone-chilling cold energy coalesced. “Eight Hundred Solitary Cold!!” A fierce white blast of cold air transformed into a whirlwind, instantly freezing the bleeding wounds on Gang Xiang’s severed half-body. “I’ve stopped the bleeding for you. Do you want to suffer for days and nights on end before dying slowly, or do you want to answer my question?” “You… you… you demon! After you die, you’re bound to fall into the Eighteenth Layer of Hell!!!!” “Damn it! ‘Kill and burn, and you’ll wear a gold sash; build bridges and repair roads, and your body will vanish without a trace’… As the old beggar once said, only the most wicked and evil can live the high life surrounded by beautiful women…I sure don’t want to be a lonely single guy… Besides, I’ve already lived in a partitioned room on the second basement level—why would I care about the eighteenth level of hell?” As he spoke, Lu Renjia swung the Yitian Sword in his hand, and amid Jiang Xiang’s agonized screams, his left arm snapped clean off. “Aaaah… I’ll tell you… I’ll tell you everything. Please, just put me out of my misery…” “Pfft… Such a spineless show-off! After you wiped out the Shaolin Sect, did you take the martial arts manuals from the Scripture Hall?” “No… we didn’t take them… We didn’t have time—you showed up before we could…” Having gotten the answer he wanted, Lu Renjia swung the Yitian Sword in his hand, and Gangxiang’s other arm instantly fell to the ground. “I’ve changed my mind. To avoid being sent to the eighteenth level of hell, I’ve decided not to kill you… Heh, who knows—maybe by sparing one life, I’ll end up in the seventeenth level instead…” Ignoring Gang Xiang’s agonized wails, Lu Renjia walked toward the rear hall of the Shaolin Temple. Inside the three-story Treasure Hall, hundreds of simple, antique bookshelves stood in rows—these were the very foundation upon which the Shaolin Temple had stood for a century. The scriptures on the first floor were mostly Buddhist texts, while the seventy-two legendary martial arts techniques, renowned throughout the land, were housed on the third floor of the Treasure Hall. Originally, this place had been guarded by twelve monks possessing the martial prowess of top-tier warriors; now, however, those twelve Shaolin masters lay sprawled in pools of blood. Lu Renjia began searching along the ancient bookshelves. However, after a thorough search, Lu Renjia discovered that in this world of *The Legend of the Condor Heroes: The Demon Cult Leader*, although the Shaolin School was one of the Six Great Schools, due to the emergence of Zhang Sanfeng—the greatest martial artist of all time—and the vicissitudes of dynastic changes, only about thirty to forty of the Shaolin School’s most renowned Seventy-Two Supreme Techniques remained in the Scripture Hall at this time. Upon discovering this earth-shattering secret, Lu Renjia mused, “Time truly is a ruthless blade… A sect that has been passed down for a thousand years has gradually fallen into decline with the passage of time… No wonder the Shaolin Sect no longer dominates in subsequent worlds like *The Smiling, Proud Wanderer*…” Lu Renjia then selected eight manuals from among the thirty-odd volumes, choosing those that addressed the gaps in his own skills—including fist techniques, leg techniques, swordplay, broadsword techniques, staff techniques, and protective martial arts. “The qualified candidate has acquired the E-rank martial art *Dharma Sword Technique*.” “The qualified candidate has acquired the E-rank martial art *Shadow-Following Leg Techniques*.” “The qualified candidate has obtained the E-rank martial art *One Hundred and Eight Moves of the Mad Demon Staff Technique*” “The qualified candidate has obtained the E-rank martial art *Mighty Vajra Palm*” “Eligible players have acquired the E-rank martial art *Mighty Vajra Finger*” “The qualified candidate has acquired the E-rank martial art *Invincible Vajra Body*” “The qualified candidate has acquired the E-rank martial art *Compassionate Sword Technique*” In the span of a day and night, Lu Renjia mastered *Demon-Subduing Sword Technique*, *Mighty Vajra Fist*, *Shadow-Following Leg*, *108 Moves of the Mad Demon Staff Technique*, *Mighty Vajra Palm*,*Mighty Vajra Finger*, *Vajra Invincible Body Divine Art*, and *Compassionate Sword Technique*. Just as Master Xuan Kui had said, the path of martial cultivation requires the accumulation of a vast number of martial arts classics. Finally, his combat power of 13,500 rose once more, reaching the staggering figure of 16,000. Furthermore, in the “Evil God System’s” evaluation, he finally attained the E+ rank. It is believed that in the world of *The Legend of the Condor Heroes: The Leader of the Demon Cult*, aside from Zhang Sanfeng—the undisputed patriarch of the martial arts world—no one can hold a candle to Lu Renjia.