noffsinger Chapter 2: Two Years in the Human World
Chapter 2: Two Years in the Human World
Xue Bufu is a time traveler.
More than twenty years ago, when he regained consciousness, he was already in this land beyond the Great Wall, having become the adopted son of Hua Hanyi, the old leader of the Demonic Cult beyond the Great Wall in the Little Li Flying Dagger series.
Although he is a transmigrator, he has no system, no divine artifact, only innate martial arts talent and the identity of the young master of the Demonic Sect.
For more than twenty years, he has mastered the Heaven-Shaking Earth-Shattering Great Evil-Repelling Skill and the Ruyi Heavenly Demon Continuous Eight Forms from the Demonic Sect's ultimate technique, the Heaven-Shattering Earth-Shattering Great Compassion Ode.
The Heaven-Shaking Earth-Shattering Great Evil-Repelling Skill is a superior internal skill. Once mastered, the internal energy is both gentle and powerful, continuous and inexhaustible, and can also drive external martial arts moves to become ghostly and incredibly fast in an instant.
The Ruyi Heavenly Demon Continuous Eight Forms is a set of sword techniques with complex and unpredictable variations and unparalleled killing intent.
There are eight styles in total, each style has thirty-six moves, and each move contains one hundred and eight variations, totaling a total of thirty-one thousand one hundred and four variations.
Therefore, very few people throughout history have mastered it.
Those who reach the pinnacle of skill are extremely rare in the world.
Yet, at the age of twenty-something, he had already pushed it to its pinnacle.
The blade flashed like a demon in a frenzy, each strike linked to the next, each move deadly.
In terms of swordsmanship, he is now undoubtedly the best in the region beyond the Great Wall, and even the old leader of the Demonic Sect is no match for him.
However, he knew in his heart that this sword technique was not yet perfect.
Although the swordsmanship outside the pass is already the best, and he is known as the invincible demon swordsman, there may still be an obstacle in the Central Plains inside the pass.
The invincible divine blade, Bai Tianyu!
Perhaps in the near future, the old sect leader will be defeated by Bai Tianyu's Bai Family Divine Blade.
The Bai Family Divine Blade, which strikes first despite being late and anticipates the enemy's moves, is also the key to transforming the Ruyi Heavenly Demon's Eight-Style Combo into a single, deadly, and invincible ultimate technique, the Divine Blade Slash.
What he lacks now is that second strike from the Bai family's divine blade, that first thought that arrives first.
So he didn't really care that Li Xunhuan wanted to leave.
Because of the Central Plains, he was destined to go there eventually.
Though the journey through life may be long, we will surely meet again someday.
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.
The Demonic Cult's headquarters is located within a vast cluster of stone fortresses surrounded by the boundless yellow sands of the Northwest.
The towering, menacing black stone walls rise and fall along the steep mountainside, resembling a sleeping dragon.
The fort's buildings are laid out in a strict manner, with roads crisscrossing like a chessboard.
When the believers walked among them and saw that figure in a fur robe, no matter what they were doing, they would immediately retreat to the side of the road, bow their heads and bend their bodies, not daring to raise their eyes even slightly. The silence was so profound that only the howling of the wind and snow sweeping over the walls could be heard.
Xue Bufeng ignored all the respect shown to him as he walked, heading straight for the deepest part of the stone fortress.
The enormous hall was paved with solid black stone, and its dome was high and wide. Dozens of huge tallow candles, as thick as a child's arm, burned inside, their flickering flames casting a dim, hazy yellow light that made the hall seem even more spacious and desolate.
At the end of the hall, atop nine stone steps, stood a massive throne.
A man sat on the throne.
His white hair was like silver, his white beard like a halberd, but his face was rosy and smooth, with hardly any wrinkles.
He wasn't particularly tall, but sitting there, he was like the foundation stone of this hall, steady and weighty, carrying an invisible sense of oppression.
Especially his eyes, which flashed with a sharp light when they opened and closed, so sharp that they seemed to pierce the most hidden corners of people's hearts. It was the murderous aura that came from being in a high position for a long time and holding the power of life and death, a kind of soul-seeing killing intent.
Hua Hanyi, the old leader of the Demonic Cult outside the Great Wall.
Xue Bufu stopped at the foot of the steps:
"Godfather".
Hua Hanyi's gaze fell on him, and she slowly spoke, her voice booming and echoing throughout the hall:
"Did you see Li Xunhuan again today?"
"I've met you."
"And he killed someone?"
Hua Hanyi spoke in a calm tone, as if she were talking about a trivial matter.
"Feng Zhenyue with his Broken Mountain Blade, Leng Qianshan with his Swift Snow Blade, and Lei Zhen with his Flying Fox Blade—these three are among the best in martial arts among the younger generation outside the Great Wall."
Xue Bufeng showed no surprise.
The area outside the pass is the territory of the Demonic Sect, and no matter what happens, it cannot escape the eyes of this old sect leader.
"Yes, they are indeed famous, but they have poor eyesight."
"Well done."
A cold smile appeared on Hua Hanyi's lips:
"Such ignorant people shouldn't even exist in the martial world. They can't even tell who they should mess with and who they shouldn't. Their existence is just a waste of food."
Xue Bufeng raised his eyes:
"My godfather summoned me back, not to comment on how I killed a few ignorant bastards, was he?"
Hua Hanyi laughed heartily, her laughter causing the candlelight to flicker.
"Of course not."
"I called you back because the waters of the martial world in the Central Plains are starting to turn muddy."
Xue Bufeng awaits the next installment.
"My long-cherished wish is to have the banners of my Holy Sect planted throughout the martial arts world of the Central Plains."
"What Shaolin and Wudang, what aristocratic families, they should all grovel before the might of my Holy Sect."
Hua Hanyi stopped laughing and said, word by word:
"However, the martial arts world in the Central Plains is deeply entrenched and has been struggling to find a good opportunity."
"But now... the opportunity has come."
"I have recently received two pieces of news. First, the Plum Blossom Thief, who has not appeared in the martial arts world for many years, has reappeared. Moreover, he is ruthless and has committed more than seventy or eighty major crimes in one go, including rape, murder, and robbery. He has caused panic in the martial arts world of the Central Plains, and those sects that claim to be righteous can no longer sit still."
Xue Bufeng continued to listen quietly.
"second."
Hua Hanyi continued:
"A new Money Gang has recently risen in the martial arts world. Its leader is named Shangguan Jin Hong. He is ruthless and ambitious, and his power is expanding at an unprecedented speed. What's even more interesting is that he seems to have some unclear connection with Chai Yuguan, the 'Happy King' who once stirred up a storm in the martial arts world. With him around, the waters of the Central Plains martial arts world will only become more turbulent."
He looked at Xue Bufeng, his gaze intense:
"I need you to enter the Central Plains, first to find out about the Plum Blossom Bandits, and then to uncover the secrets of the Money Gang. If we can manipulate things to make the fight between the righteous and the evil factions even fiercer, and make the martial arts world of the Central Plains even more chaotic... that will be the best time for my Holy Sect to enter the Guandong region!"
The old cult leader's idea was not bad.
The Plum Blossom Thief alone caused chaos in the martial arts world, and with the addition of the Money Gang, the martial arts world in the Central Plains did indeed decline for a time.
If the old leader hadn't been defeated by Bai Tianyu in a move or two and hadn't sworn never to invade the Central Plains again, the heroes of the martial world might have had a lot more to do.
At this point, Hua Hanyi suddenly snorted, her tone tinged with resentment:
"There's something else. Your junior sister, Bai Feng, somehow heard about my plans and, to prove she's no less capable than you, quietly went to the Central Plains on her own! What a scoundrel!"
He slammed his hand on the armrest, making a dull, loud thud.
"If you get news of her in the Central Plains, bring her back with you. Although she has received my true teachings, her skills are far inferior to yours. Besides, people's hearts are treacherous, and her little bit of cleverness is not enough to deal with them."
"Understood."
Xue Bufeng replied calmly, "I was going to the Central Plains anyway. As for these three things, they are just things I do incidentally."
Without saying another word, he turned around, his fur robe casting a solitary shadow in the candlelight.
He did not bow, but walked straight out of the hall.
Hua Hanyi watched his tall figure disappear into the darkness at the entrance of the hall. After a long while, an inscrutable expression slowly appeared on her face, which was filled with murderous intent.
Outside the palace, the wind and snow intensified.
Xue Bufeng's figure disappeared into the swirling snow.