Jianghu Qimen Lu

Chapter 72 The Land is Like a Dream

Protected by Gao Chong, Yue Fei's foremost general, though a bronze statue, his ruthless killing style was no less than that of a real person. His gilded tiger-head spear moved with lightning speed, like a thunderbolt from a clear sky, leaving no room for evasion! Moreover, behind him were four other generals, Li Bao, Liang Xing, Li He, and Hao Zheng, each wielding their weapons to aid him! Even if Qinglong transformed into a real dragon, he could not fly. He unleashed his "Transplanting Flowers and Grafting Trees" sword technique, performing a spectacular sword flourish, aiming straight for Gao Chong's face. In the instant Gao Chong deflected the sword with his spear shaft, Qinglong suddenly changed direction, the sword tip sliding out diagonally, piercing Liang Xing's chest. A clang rang out, sparks flew, and Liang Xing was struck in the chest! But he remained unfazed, still bravely swinging his ghost-head saber at Qinglong! Hearing the whistling wind, Qinglong felt his soul fly away. He thought to himself, "These bronze men have bodies of bronze and iron, how can I possibly hurt them? Judging from the fierceness of this blade, they're not some kind of machine dummies, they're clearly martial arts masters! Alas, this battle is hopeless! I'll probably just exhaust myself to death!" He quickly slid back two steps, barely managing to dodge the blade!

To the west, Lu Wenlong, the second-best hero under Yue Fei, led his troops to intercept and kill the White Tiger. His men, Yao Zhen, Huang Zuo, Fu Xuan, and Kou Cheng, quickly surrounded the white-robed White Tiger, hacking and slashing with swords, axes, clubs, and shovels. The White Tiger felt dizzy and saw stars, his vision blurred. He quickly leaped into the air, his arms flashing, and five daggers pierced the heads of the four bronze figures with lightning speed! The other dagger was knocked away by Lu Wenlong's spear! The heads of the four bronze figures, including Yao Zhen, were cast in bronze, yet the White Tiger's internal energy penetrated them, causing the daggers to pierce them. This demonstrates the immense power of his internal energy and the depth of his martial arts. Although they were bronze figures, their central mechanisms were located in their heads. The four bronze figures collapsed to the ground, becoming piles of scrap metal! Seeing that the robot's "Achilles' heel" was its head, Qianlong shouted, "You four warriors of the First Rank Hall, listen to my command! Break their heads! This is the key to breaking the formation!" Baihu roared and pounced down, raising his hands and sending five daggers flying towards Lu Wenlong, the double-spear general!

Unexpectedly, the simultaneous dance of the two pistols created a halo above Lu Wenlong's head. A series of sparks flew as all five throwing knives were deflected and fell to the ground! Baihu somersaulted behind Lu Wenlong, aiming a slash at the back of his head! But Lu Wenlong dodged with lightning speed, leaping aside and using the opportunity to thrust his pistols forward! Baihu cursed, "This bronze statue is amazing! It's even sentient! It's infuriating!" He quickly somersaulted away.

To the south, Yue Fei's eldest son, Yue Yun, stood guard, wielding a pair of golden hammers. Together with his brother-in-law Zhang Xian, Wang Gui, Niu Gao, and Xu Qing, the heroes of their alliance instantly surrounded the fiery-red Zhuque, relentlessly pursuing and pressing him. This enraged the hot-tempered Zhuque, who channeled his inner energy into his palms, which were as large as broken palm fans. Instantly, his palms turned a blazing red, emitting a faint, foul odor—this was the long-lost Indian Flame Palm! It is said that to avoid burns, one must soak their hands in a special medicinal solution for the duration of an incense stick before practicing. Over time, one would develop the ability to feel no burning sensation in the raging flames and absorb the fire for one's own use. Once unleashed, the hands would emit an intensely hot heat, instantly causing the enemy to die from blood loss and exhaustion! Truly insidious and vicious.

Zhuque's palms moved like blades, whistling as she leaped lightly to Niu Gao's side, unleashing a flurry of palm strikes. Niu Gao hastily parried with his double-edged iron maces! Unexpectedly, Zhuque seized the maces, channeling his inner strength to instantly heat them until they glowed red-hot, as if forged in a blacksmith's furnace! Niu Gao tugged at them several times but failed to snatch them away! Instead, Zhuque seized the opportunity and slammed them into Niu Gao's face, instantly crushing his bronze skin. Niu Gao collapsed with a thud, incapacitated. Yue Yun was shocked and swung his double hammers, aiming a powerful blow at his head! Zhuque, even more valiant, thrust out his palms one in front of the other, employing a technique of deflecting force and receiving the ball, skillfully neutralizing the thunderous strike with minimal effort! Unable to stop his momentum, Yue Yun slammed his pair of golden hammers onto the bluestone ground, sending stone chips flying everywhere! Zhang Xian and Wang Gui rushed out from behind him, wielding an iron spear and a long-handled broadsword, and engaged Zhu Que in battle.

Standing on the northern border was a young, heroic general clad in crimson armor, his clothes stained as if with blood, carrying a ten-foot-long spear. He exuded an imposing and awe-inspiring presence! He was none other than Yang Zaixing, one of Yue Fei's Five Tiger Generals! Behind him stood four generals: Dong Xian, Wang Jun, Ji Qing, and Li Dao. Xuanwu, dressed entirely in black, silently approached Yang Zaixing, then suddenly slid forward, its claws flashing like lightning, twisting his wrists with a twist and a lock, instantly disarming him! But Yang Zaixing was not discouraged. He raised his two fists, as large as oil hammers, and struck with lightning speed! Xuanwu used the spear he had seized to brace himself against the ground, soaring into the air with a whoosh. With a series of consecutive kicks, it sent both Generals Dong Xian and Wang Jun sprawling to the ground, unable to rise again! Ji Qing and Li Dao quickly brandished their swords and clubs, charging forward to fight. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Yang Zaixing leaped to Xuanwu's side, feinted a punch, and in the instant Xuanwu dodged, snatched back the spear. He then twirled the spear with a grand flourish, unleashing the "Eight Directions Gathering Wealth" move, sealing off Xuanwu's upper body! This was none other than the Yang Family Spear, a unique spear technique from the Yang family generals of the Northern Song Dynasty. Xuanwu was secretly amazed, thinking, "This bronze figure actually knows the secret Yang Family Spear, a technique rarely passed down in the martial world. The owner of this place must be a remarkable and renowned figure in the martial world! I must not miss the opportunity to befriend him in the future!" He then secretly channeled his inner energy, gathering power in his palm, and suddenly leaped in front of Ji Qing. His left palm swept towards Ji Qing's face, and as Ji Qing dodged, his right palm pierced straight towards his eyes! Ji Qing hurriedly retreated, but it was too late. He collapsed to the ground with a thud, unable to get up. It turned out that the eyes were also the central nervous system of the bronze figure!

Iron Abacus surveyed the entire scene, his brow furrowing slightly. He strode to the brightest diffuser lamp on the left-hand stone wall, pulled on the lamp holder with his finger, and with a whoosh, a concave mirror suddenly appeared beneath each lamp! The surrounding walls, already brightly lit, were now illuminated by these concave mirrors, becoming as bright as day! Emperor Qianlong and his four bodyguards, standing at the focal point, were blinded by the light! This was similar to modern car xenon headlights, which also contain concave mirrors. When the high beams are turned on, pedestrians on the road, even from a distance, are blinded by the light! This is the effect of diffused light.

The situation within the formation changed drastically in an instant. The four top imperial guards were rendered blind, and were no match for the twenty exceptionally brave bronze men! The bronze men, mindless and unaffected by the glare, could fight to the death without ever tiring, provided their mechanisms were activated! This time, the four imperial guards were in trouble! Azure Dragon, White Tiger, and Black Tortoise all suffered varying degrees of serious and minor injuries. Even the most lethal warrior, Vermilion Bird, was struck in the thigh by Yue Yun's hammer, leaving him limping! It was incredibly frustrating and disheartening! Emperor Qianlong, in the center of the formation, was deeply worried. He knew that if things continued like this, he, the mighty Qing Emperor, might perish here before noon!

Just as he was in despair, he suddenly heard a familiar voice from outside the formation: "Throw your weapons at the cave entrance, quickly! Then put your hands on your heads, face the wall, and squat down! I'm talking to you, I'll chop you in half! What? You won't listen, huh? You really want me to chop you in half right here and now! Right? Thousand-Hand Guanyin, I hope you'll discipline your subordinates! Don't force me to do anything outrageous, otherwise it'll be bad for both of us!" It was Bai Shandian! It turned out that he had been hiding behind the cave entrance for a long time, and seeing the emperor in trouble, he risked his life to jump out. To capture the leader first, he quietly approached the third leader of the Mo Qing Society, and launched a surprise attack, firmly grasping Thousand-Hand Guanyin's pulse point! He then pressed three major acupoints on her body, rendering her unable to fight. Tie Suanpan and the other heroes were afraid to act rashly, and could only obediently accept their defeat!

"Iron Abacus! It's time to let your bronze statue rest for a while!" White Lightning stared intently at the pot-bellied fat man and coldly gave the order.