Chapter 119: Sword Pointing to Zhongyue

When the applause from the monks subsided, Huo Yuanzhen lightly cleared his throat.

"First, as the abbot, I would like to express my acknowledgment on behalf of all the monks of Shaolin. The current state of Shaolin is the result of our collective efforts. Your hard work has not gone unnoticed!"

The applause erupted once again. The clichéd words that would later become tiresome in the ears of future generations were, at this moment, truly inspiring and motivating.

Seeing the passionate and simple monks, Huo Yuanzhen felt a surge of emotion and continued, "Now, with the world in chaos and war looming between the court and the martial arts world, I hope that the monks of Shaolin will continue to uphold the spirit of hard work, to cultivate both martial arts and Buddhist teachings, and to spread our doctrine. Let the spirit of Shaolin spread far and wide, and let the songs of our temple be heard throughout the land!"

Once again, the monks erupted into enthusiastic applause. The abbot's speech was powerful. While the Buddhist teachings emphasized renunciation of desires and the void of all things, the majority of the monks found it difficult to live up to such ideals. After all, Shaolin was a powerful sect in the martial world—those who found themselves in such a position would hardly wish to be a small, inconsequential sect.

"Alright, that concludes today's meeting. Those of the Hui generation, please stay. The rest of you may leave."

The monks bowed in unison and left, the process orderly and swift.

Huo Yuanzhen nodded in satisfaction. Although he wasn't fond of this style of meeting, it was undeniably effective in uniting people.

For a meeting like this, the content had to be directly relevant to the monks. The speech needed to be brief and to the point to avoid the meeting turning into a never-ending monologue. While he had spoken a little too much today, everything else was satisfactory.

Once the ordinary monks had left, the four from the Yi generation and the five from the Hui generation sat down together.

"I have called you here to inform you that two martial artists from the outside have arrived. They are led by the once exiled nun, Absolute Extinction, and have arrived at Greenwild Town," Huo Yuanzhen announced.

This news caused surprise among everyone present. Except for the Yi generation, no one had heard of this.

Yi Chen, Yi Jing, Hui Wu, Hui Jian, and Hui Niu all clenched their fists. This old nun was still relentless and had returned to stir trouble at Shaolin. This time, they couldn't let her off.

"Abbot, I request to face that old nun in battle. We are both innate experts, and I am confident I will defeat her."

It was Yi Chen who spoke. Many believed that Yi Chen was the second strongest in Shaolin, with the first being the abbot.

However, they didn't know that the true strongest was Nameless, though calling Yi Chen second was not inaccurate. The abbot's internal power was still limited to the post-heaven perfect realm.

Huo Yuanzhen waved his hand dismissively, "No need to rush. I have received news that their primary target is the Zhongyue Sect. They intend to control Zhongyue first, and then come for Shaolin. They are following a strategy of attacking the easier target first, and eventually unifying Mount Shaoshi."

The others weren't sure where the abbot had gotten this information, but since he said it, they knew it had to be true. If they were planning to attack Zhongyue, they wouldn't be attacking anywhere else first.

Yi Chen spoke again, "I've heard that the master of Zhongyue, Aomiao Zhenren, broke through recently and connected his Ren and Du channels, officially becoming an innate expert. Those outsiders may find it difficult to succeed."

Yi Chen was especially concerned about Aomiao Zhenren's breakthrough, as if Aomiao hadn't broken through, the only innate expert in Shaoshi Mountain besides the mysterious abbot would have been himself. Now with Aomiao's breakthrough, he naturally viewed Aomiao as a potential rival.

As for the abbot, in Yi Chen's mind, even if Aomiao had broken through, he was no match for the abbot.

Huo Yuanzhen had no knowledge of Aomiao's breakthrough because when the martial arts conference had taken place, Aomiao Zhenren was still at the post-heaven perfect level. At that time, Hua Wuji and other innate experts were battling Zhou Qin, while Aomiao had only been cheering them on. Unexpectedly, in the month Huo Yuanzhen had been trapped in the valley, Aomiao had broken through.

This development made Huo Yuanzhen reconsider the situation: "Even if Aomiao Zhenren has broken through to the innate realm, he won't be able to withstand those three people. Absolute Extinction has been an innate expert for a long time, and the other two, though they are in the early innate stages, are stronger than Absolute Extinction. One of them, an elderly man, is likely at the peak of early innate."

Yi Chen said, "If three innate experts attack Zhongyue, even with all their forces, they won't be able to resist. Zhongyue will either be destroyed or become their pawn. The Heavenly Dao Alliance no longer has the strength to save them."

At this moment, Hui Jian, who had been silent, suddenly spoke: "If that is the case, I believe it's more likely that Aomiao Zhenren will end up siding with these outsiders. In that case, we might as well step in and take over Zhongyue ourselves."

Hui Wu disagreed, "That might not be the best idea. If we take over Zhongyue, we would have to use force, and if a battle breaks out between our two sects, the ones to benefit would be those outsiders."

Hui Jian responded, "Of course, we can't simply seize it."

"So, how do you suggest we take control?" Huo Yuanzhen asked.

Hui Jian smiled, "I don't have a concrete plan, but I feel that there is an opportunity here. However, how exactly we proceed depends on the abbot's judgment."

Huo Yuanzhen laughed heartily, "You two are just being modest. This is simple. We let them fight it out first, then we intervene once Zhongyue's strength has been weakened. We rescue them from their dire situation. Of course, we must ensure they suffer substantial losses first, otherwise, they won't be willing to submit. The key lies in how to control this process."

"And what do you think, Abbot, about Zhongyue's resistance against three innate experts?"

"It won't last long. One of the three is an elderly man skilled in the Toad Fist, a unique martial art. His internal strength is profound, and even someone like Hua Wuji, in the mid-innate stage, would struggle to defeat him. Zhongyue only has Aomiao Zhenren as an innate expert, and they won't be able to withstand them."

Looking at everyone, Huo Yuanzhen said, "So, we need to move quickly and head to Zhongyue. We'll strike once their forces are sufficiently worn down."

Yi Kong spoke again, "Abbot, do you intend to take over Zhongyue's wealth, or their disciples?"

Huo Yuanzhen glanced at Yi Kong with an inquisitive look. If Yi Kong brought it up, there was likely more to the matter.

Yi Kong responded, "If it's just the wealth, that's fine. But if it's the disciples, I think it's unwise. Zhongyue's people are Taoists, and we Buddhists and Taoists are of different schools. Besides, Zhongyue has always been at odds with us. We wouldn't want to take them in so hastily. That might lead to conflict."

The others nodded in agreement. To them, taking over Zhongyue's wealth was fine, but their disciples? There were plenty of people who wished to join Shaolin, and they didn't need Zhongyue's few followers.

Huo Yuanzhen considered this, and he agreed that taking in Zhongyue's disciples was impractical. However, he had other ideas that he wasn't ready to share yet. He merely stated he would consider it carefully.

At the same time, Sima Lang, Zheng Jiugong, and Absolute Extinction, the trio of innate experts, had already left Greenwild Town and were heading toward Zhongyue Sect.

Being innate experts, their speed was extraordinary. They covered the distance of dozens of miles in just half an hour.

It was now dusk, and Zhongyue's Taoist temple appeared before them.

As the largest sect on Mount Shaoshi, Zhongyue's temple was quite impressive.

Upon entering the temple gates, they passed the Jiangkou Erlang Shen Hall, where the famous Erlang Shen was worshiped in Taoism. Further inside, there were other Taoist halls, with the Three Clear Hall in the center, dedicated to the Taoist Three Pure Ones.

Beyond the Three Clear Hall lay Zhongyue's inner sanctum, where Aomiao Zhenren's main hall stood.

At the temple entrance, large red lanterns hung, and two sword-wielding Taoist disciples stood guard, vigilantly scanning their surroundings.

Today was different. With the Heavenly Dao Alliance in decline, Zhongyue was no longer as influential. Many smaller sects that had previously been friendly were gradually distancing themselves.

Aomiao Zhenren, sensing the imminent crisis, had strengthened the temple's surveillance to prevent any unexpected situations.

As for dealing with Shaolin, Aomiao had temporarily put that aside. He had no time for the bald monks; his priority was survival.

Meanwhile, the trio of innate experts—Sima Lang, Zheng Jiugong, and Absolute Extinction—had arrived at Zhongyue's temple gates, where they lay in wait. The temple guards were completely unaware of their presence.