nashuaworldcup Chapter 424
Chapter 424
Taoist Master Baimei nodded slightly. He knew that this matter was related to the mystery of Ren Xiaoyao's life experience and was also the key to unlocking the seal in his body, so he replied: "Young Master Ren, don't worry, I will do my best to help you." He paused and continued, "But before that, we need to find out the identity of the man in black robe and his relationship with your mother. Perhaps we can find a breakthrough from it."
Therefore, Ren Haoyu and Taoist Master Baimei decided to act separately. Ren Haoyu followed Taoist Master Baimei's advice and went to various places in the martial arts world to look for clues about the man in black robes, while exploring the clues of his mother's disappearance; while Taoist Master Baimei practiced in seclusion, trying to use his profound cultivation and understanding of Taoism to deeply analyze the strange phenomena in Ren Xiaoyao's sea of consciousness, hoping to find a way to solve it.
A few months later, after going through untold hardships, Ren Haoyu finally found a secret cave in a remote valley. Ancient runes were engraved on the stone wall at the entrance of the cave, emitting a faint evil aura, which was obviously not an ordinary place. He took a deep breath and walked into the cave carefully.
Deep in the cave, on an altar, a man in a black robe was casting a spell. A vague figure was floating in the center of the altar. It was Ren Xiaoyao's mother. Ren Haoyu's heart tightened, and anger burned in his eyes, but he resisted the urge and lurked aside to observe.
The black-robed man's low voice echoed in the empty cave: "The time has come. I only need one more thing to completely awaken the dormant power. Then, the entire martial arts world will crawl at my feet." In his hand, he held a token that was glowing with a strange light. On the token was engraved a lifelike nine-tailed fox, which matched the tattoo on Ren Xiaoyao's body.
Ren Haoyu was secretly shocked. It turned out that the man in black robe was the one who coveted the sealed power in his body, and the token in his hand was probably the key to unlocking the seal. At this moment, he understood the meaning of "finding a breakthrough" by Taoist Baimei - only by taking back the token could he stop the conspiracy of the man in black robe and rescue his mother.
At the same time, Taoist Master Baimei also gained some insights during his meditation. He used Taoist secret techniques to communicate with Ren Xiaoyao's sea of consciousness with his mind, trying to talk to the man in black. After several days of attempts, he finally established a weak connection with the man in black in the depths of his sea of consciousness. The man in black noticed the presence of Taoist Master Baimei, and although he was surprised at his cultivation, he did not show any fear. Instead, he sneered and said, "Baimei, you actually have such ability, which makes me look up to you. However, Ren Xiaoyao's sea of consciousness is under my control, what can you do to me?"
Taoist Master Baimei looked calm and responded, "Although you control the sea of consciousness, you cannot touch the seal in his body. Now, Young Master Ren has found your hiding place. As long as he takes back the token, your plan will fail. I advise you to stop as soon as possible, otherwise you will bear the consequences."
Upon hearing this, the man in black robe smiled grimly and said, "Then let him try. If he really has the ability, I would be happy to see it." After that, he cut off the connection with Taoist Master Baimei.
Ren Haoyu witnessed the mysterious communication between the black-robed man and the outside world in the cave, and he became more certain about his action plan. He quietly retreated to the cave entrance, wrote down the runes at the cave entrance one by one, and then left quickly, ready to contact Taoist Master Baimei to discuss countermeasures.
At this time, Ren Haoyu and Taoist Master Baimei have each grasped the key clues. They are about to join hands to fight against the black-robed man and start a fierce battle that concerns Ren Xiaoyao's fate, the safety of his mother and concubine, and the survival of the martial arts world. And the mysterious token will become a crucial factor in this contest.
Taoist Master Baimei's emotions were surging. Although he was in Ren Xiaoyao's sea of consciousness, he felt like he was trapped in a prison, unable to move at all. He knew very well that the black-robed man in front of him was not an ordinary person. The unfathomable internal force fluctuations and invisible mental oppression made even an old Taoist like him who had practiced for decades feel a chill on his back. He suppressed the fear in his heart, tried to keep his tone steady, and replied: "Young Master Ren, I really don't know who the girl is referring to, but if she has any entanglement with the Ren family, I will do my best to find out the truth and give you justice."
The black-robed man's eyes were like torches, piercing through Taoist Baimei's disguise and looking straight into his soul. He said coldly, "Baimei, you are a cultivator, and you value cause and effect the most. Don't think you can easily deceive me. You secretly colluded with Ren Haoyu and tried to seize Ren Xiaoyao's Nine Yang Manual. This is an indisputable fact. Now it involves the safety of a woman. If you continue to quibble, don't blame me for not considering the feelings of fellow disciples."
Taoist Master Baimei's face changed slightly when he heard this. He knew that the man in black robe was sharp-tongued and saw through everything, so he had no choice but to be honest: "Young Master Ren, I was indeed entrusted by Ren Haoyu to explore the Nine Yang Manual, but my original intention was only to resolve the feud between the two families to prevent another bloody storm in the martial arts world. As for that girl, I really don't know her identity, and I have not participated in any actions against her."
Ren Xiaoyao narrowed his eyes slightly, and a hint of frost appeared in his tone: "Uncle Baimei, I believe that you did not directly harm my mother, but you are to blame for what Ren Haoyu did. I will give you one chance to help me save my mother and wash away the sins of you and Ren Haoyu. Otherwise, I can only use the Ren family's method to clean up the mess."
After hearing this, Taoist Master Baimei knew that there was no way out at this moment, and the only way to survive was to cooperate with him fully. He bowed deeply and said in a deep voice: "Young Master Ren, rest assured, I am willing to guarantee with my life that I will do my best to help you find your mother and expose Ren Haoyu's conspiracy. Please tell me the details, and I will start investigating immediately."
The black-robed man nodded slightly, waved his hand, and the Taoist priest withdrew from Ren Xiaoyao's sea of consciousness and reappeared in the real world. He paused and his face turned pale, obviously the experience just now had taken a lot of toll on him. He calmed down and looked at Ren Xiaoyao. The determination and resoluteness in the latter's eyes made him understand that the young man at this moment was no longer the child he used to be, but the young master of the Ren family who shouldered the heavy responsibility of the family and had the vicissitudes of life in his heart.
Ren Xiaoyao spoke slowly, telling the clues and speculations about his mother's imprisonment and Ren Haoyu's possible hiding place. Taoist Master Baimei listened attentively, nodded from time to time, and secretly planned a rescue plan in his mind. After Ren Xiaoyao finished speaking, Taoist Master Baimei sighed and said in a deep voice: "This matter is extremely complicated, involving major forces in the martial arts world, and Ren Haoyu has a fragment of the Nine Yin Manual in his hand, and his strength should not be underestimated. The two of us need to act cautiously, both to rescue your mother and to prevent Ren Haoyu from jumping off the wall and causing greater chaos."
Ren Xiaoyao frowned, knowing that this journey was extremely dangerous, but for his mother, he had to go through it, even if it meant going through mountains of swords and seas of fire. With a firm look in his eyes, he said to Taoist Baimei: "Uncle Master, I have made up my mind. No matter what difficulties and dangers lie ahead, I will come back to rescue my mother. I hope that Uncle Master can lend me a helping hand and face this disaster together."
Taoist Master Baimei looked at Ren Xiaoyao's eyes that sparkled like stars, secretly praising his filial piety and courage, and nodded, saying, "Young Master Ren, since you are so determined, how can I stand aside? Tomorrow morning, I will contact a few trustworthy friends in the martial arts world and go to investigate together. Before that, you must concentrate on practicing and improve your own cultivation to prepare for any unexpected events."
Ren Xiaoyao nodded in agreement, turned around and walked into the secret room to practice in seclusion. Taoist Master Baimei began to secretly contact allies in the martial arts world to make full preparations for the upcoming war. As night fell, the moonlight was like a silver thread, illuminating the quiet and tense atmosphere of Renjiazhuang. A storm concerning family affection, enmity and the structure of the martial arts world was quietly brewing...
As the night deepened, the lights in Renjiazhuang were dim, and only a figure in the secret room sat quietly like a sculpture. It was Ren Xiaoyao who was concentrating on practicing the Nine Yang Manual. He knew that this journey required not only courage and determination, but also the strength to compete with Ren Haoyu. He abandoned all distracting thoughts, and the true energy in his body flowed like a river, flowing according to the secret method of the Nine Yang Manual. Every meridian and every acupoint became more and more tenacious under the nourishment of the true energy.
At the same time, Taoist Master Baimei sat alone in his study, with a yellowed map spread out in front of him, on which were marked the key locations mentioned by Ren Xiaoyao. His fingertips gently slid over the familiar place names, and a tortuous and secret rescue route had already been outlined in his mind. He took out an exquisite bamboo tube and pulled out three dark red letter arrows, engraved with the words "Swift Wind", "Fiery Fire" and "Blue Cloud", representing his three best friends in the martial arts world.
Taoist Master Baimei lit the three arrows one by one and shot them into the night sky. The arrows dragged long flames across the sky and disappeared into the distance like meteors. He knew that these three arrows would reach their destination at the fastest speed, summoning his friends to come and join him in the great cause.
The next morning, before the mist had dispersed, three people were already waiting at the gate of Renjiazhuang. The first was Shi Potian, the "Iron-hearted King Kong" wearing iron armor and holding a mace. He was mighty and fierce, and was a brave general who charged into battle; the second was Liu Piaoxu, the "Green Feather Fairy" with a graceful figure and holding a jade flute. She had outstanding light skills and was good at sonic attacks and tracking and hiding; the third was Chu Yunfei, the "Lone Shadow Swordsman" with a stern face and a long sword hanging from his waist. He had superb swordsmanship and was especially good at breaking various mechanical formations. They were all close friends of Taoist Baimei for many years, and they came to help without hesitation after receiving the letter arrow.
The four of them gathered together, and Taoist Master Baimei briefly described the imprisonment of Ren Xiaoyao's mother and Ren Haoyu's conspiracy. After hearing this, everyone was indignant and expressed their willingness to protect the mother and son of the Ren family with their lives. Taoist Master Baimei nodded gratefully and assigned tasks: "Brother Shi Potian, you and I will go straight to Huanglong and break into Ren Haoyu's hiding place; Sister Liu Piaoxu, you will be responsible for laying tracking marks on the periphery, so that you can quickly locate and rescue us if we encounter an accident; Brother Chu Yunfei, you are proficient in formations, come in with us, and break the traps that Ren Haoyu may set at the critical moment."
Everyone took the order and prepared themselves. Ren Xiaoyao sensed the movement outside the secret room, knowing that help had arrived, and practiced more and more focused, striving to reach the peak state when he came out.
At noon, the sun was blazing, and a group of four people rode their horses and set off on a rescue journey. They galloped along the rugged mountain road. The mountains and rivers along the way were magnificent, but no one was interested in appreciating them. The sound of horse hooves was like the beating of war drums, foreshadowing the upcoming fierce battle.
A few days later, they arrived at a remote valley, which was exactly where Ren Xiaoyao speculated that Ren Haoyu was hiding. At the entrance of the valley, a huge stone tablet stood, with three big characters "Soul-Broken Valley" written on it. The writing was vigorous and revealed a murderous intent. The four exchanged glances, and saw the determination in each other's eyes. They all urged their horses to step into the Soul-Broken Valley to meet the unknown challenge.
The valley was filled with fog, blurring the vision, and the surroundings were eerie and silent. Suddenly, a melodious flute sound came from the fog. Liu Piaoxu's face changed slightly, and he whispered, "This is 'Requiem', be careful!" Before he finished speaking, countless black shadows emerged from the surrounding fog, holding weapons and rushing towards them with murderous intent.
Taoist Master Baimei, Shi Potian, and Chu Yunfei immediately drew their swords. Ren Xiaoyao also broke through the barrier at this time, wearing silver armor and holding a long sword, looking heroic. The four of them stood back to back, forming a battle formation, facing the swarming enemies without fear. A battle about life and death, family affection, and grudges in the rivers and lakes began in the Valley of Broken Souls... In the Valley of Broken Souls, the strange melody of the Requiem was like a thread, entangled in everyone's hearts, trying to disintegrate their will. However, Taoist Master Baimei and others were all heroes who had been on the battlefield for a long time. They suppressed their minds and looked determined, isolating themselves from external interference. Shi Potian wielded his mace with such force that the ground trembled, and a dark shadow fell with every strike; Chu Yunfei's long sword was like a swimming dragon, and the sword light flashed, and the energy of the formation intertwined, cleverly resolving the enemy's offensive, while accurately destroying the mechanisms and traps hidden in the mist; Liu Piaoxu played the jade flute horizontally, and the sound waves surged towards the enemy like a tide, slowing down the movements of those dark shadows and creating opportunities for teammates to counterattack.
Ren Xiaoyao's silver armor gleamed, and the long sword in his hand radiated the fiery light of the Nine Yang Qi. He met the enemy with the moves learned from the Nine Yang Manual. Every thrust of his sword seemed to carry the heat and light of the sun, forcing back the surrounding shadows. He was agile, and his swordsmanship was both hard and soft, with both the force of thunder and the delicate changes of flowing water, making it difficult for the enemy to predict.
The battle continued fiercely. Although the four were surrounded, they cooperated well and attacked fiercely, gradually forcing the enemy to retreat. Liu Piaoxu played another tune at the right time. The sound waves penetrated the fog like sharp arrows, guiding his companions to avoid the cold arrows and hidden weapons that attacked from the dark. Taoist Baimei and Shi Potian took the opportunity to launch a fierce attack. For a while, the swords and shadows intertwined, tearing a hole in the enemy formation. Chu Yunfei followed closely behind, wielding his long sword, and the power of the formation turned into an invisible barrier to resist the rolling stones and poisonous arrows pouring down from the mountain walls on both sides.