Achieving physical sainthood starting from Hunyuan Gong

Chapter 72 Black Armor Army

Caofu's mine is located in the southeastern corner of Xinyu.

At the foot of the mine, there is a large town called Mining Town.

The nineteenth day of September.

Two horses galloped into the mining town at the foot of the mine.

The town was unusually desolate.

At noon, two horses stopped outside a tavern at the town's entrance. The wine banner fluttered in the wind, and a man and a woman stepped into the tavern amidst the desolation.

The men are heroic and handsome, the women are dignified like proud plum blossoms.

Upon entering, Song Shen sat down with a thud and said calmly, "The mine is now under the complete control of Jiushan Fu, and there are many skilled fighters there. The valley at the main entrance is very difficult to break through."

Cao Yu pondered for a moment: "Are we here to seize the mine?"

Song Shen thought for a moment: "Seriously speaking, we're here to kill people."

"Indeed." Cao Yu nodded slightly. "As long as we kill everyone on the periphery, what can the people in the mine do? Those scoundrels from the Huang family still want to occupy my mine? I'll make sure they can never do business here again!"

Song Shen nodded.

He vaguely felt that he had done enough for the Cao family, saving them from peril and fighting hard to help them reclaim their assets. He felt he had lived up to the Cao family's kindness to the original owner and himself.

Cao Yu, unaware of Song Shen's thoughts, said to himself, "We'll go up the back mountain later; this journey is definitely not going to be easy."

Song Shen listened silently as she continued.

"In the past, the Pegasus Society, which ran rampant near the mine, repeatedly harassed the mine, robbed the people of the mining town, and demanded protection money from my Cao family. At that time, our patriarch was still alive. He used his superb swordsmanship to kill the leader of the Pegasus Society and established a great order. The society then left the area around the mine. Now that my Cao family is in trouble, the Pegasus Society has made a comeback. It is clear that they are colluding with the Huang family. If you and I go up the mountain, we will inevitably have a head-on confrontation."

"We should have thought of this when we decided to use two swords to fight."

The terrain of the mine is extremely complex. There are experts from the Huang family roaming in the surrounding mountains. The Cao family has suffered many calamities and is already lacking in skilled fighters. After discussing it, Song Shen and Cao Yu decided to travel light and come to investigate and kill the enemy.

Fortunately, both of them possessed superb agility, allowing them to move freely even if they couldn't enter the mine.

The two of them spoke little throughout their journey, except for necessary discussions.

But then, Cao Yu said in a low voice, "Thank you..."

Song Shen asked in surprise, "What?"

I said, "Thank you."

"What are you thanking me for?"

Cao Yu composed himself and said, "It's nothing, let's continue on our way."

Song Shen had no suspicions and got up to follow Cao Yu outside the shop.

The streets were deserted; not a single person could be seen for half a day. A man and a woman rode away together on horseback.

-----------------

"Anyone who didn't know better would think they were a pair of star-crossed lovers from the martial arts world."

In another teahouse in the mining town, Xiao Pingzhe smiled faintly with a hint of mockery.

Li Chan watched as his two disciples, a man and a woman, embarked on the path up the mountain, a look of bewilderment on his face.

So much has happened in the year we haven't seen each other.

A year ago, he was also painstakingly pursuing revenge, and the Cao family patriarch was also painstakingly trying to break through to the innate realm he had always dreamed of. Today, a year later, the refinement shown by his two disciples and their strange expressions made him feel as if he had been in another world.

Recently, he and Xiao Pingzhe had already inquired about Song Shen and Cao Yu's affairs in the city. Although they were shocked to understand the changes in the situation, they couldn't help but feel sorry for their two disciples when they saw their brave and resolute demeanor.

Especially Song Shen,

Just how far has this disciple come?

For some reason, I have a feeling that it is unfathomable.

I still remember when I took him in as a disciple, Li Chan's idea was that after he completed his revenge and Cao Yu went to the sect, this disciple with an exceptionally solid foundation and humble origins would stay to take care of him in his old age and see him off in his final days.

Who knew that a year would pass and everything would change so drastically.

Xiao Pingzhe suddenly asked out of the blue, "Why don't you join my Demon Suppression Division, Elder Li? I think you're quite skilled at dealing with demons."

A strange look suddenly appeared on Li Chan's face. "Don't you know? The Demon Suppression Division doesn't accept new members over the age of thirty-five. An old guy like me, who's practically half-buried, can't even get through the door."

"?"

Xiao Pingzhe's expression froze for a moment.

"Um... I really didn't know the Demon Suppression Division had this rule..."

Li Chan smiled bitterly and said, "The fighting in the martial world is exhausting enough. I'm old and can no longer adapt."

Xiao Pingzhe gazed at the deserted streets, his eyes slowly moving towards the distant mountains.

"Mr. Li, I have a feeling that today and tomorrow will not be peaceful."

Li Chan's eyes were also filled with gloom.

"indeed."

Xiao Pingzhe left money for the tea.

"Killing intent... It seems there's a formidable killing intent lurking in these mountains... Should I lend a hand later to prevent Elder Li's two disciples from perishing?"

Li Chan said calmly, "Why would my disciple need anyone else to save him?"

Xiao Pingzhe chuckled and said nothing more.

-----------------

dusk.

The campfire in the wild crackled and popped.

Song Shen sat alone by the campfire, silently practicing his profound skills without ceasing.

The third young lady, Cao Yu, had only said that she had to leave for a while, and Song Shen didn't ask any further questions.

In the middle of nowhere, a young woman has to relieve herself. No matter how slow-witted he is, he shouldn't be so oblivious as to not even notice this.

Recently, for some reason, she seems to have become unusually sentimental, often displaying a demeanor that Song Shen finds hard to understand or asking irrelevant questions, which Song Shen finds very strange.

Song Shen simply assumed it was her period and didn't think much of it. However, being able to fight alongside her senior sister for so long had given Song Shen a unique experience.

True martial arts training is not just about working in isolation; it also involves mutual observation and reflection. A genius like Cao Yu is someone Song Shen observes and reflects upon.

As I thought this, a murderous intent that sent chills down my spine suddenly appeared!

Without a second thought, Song Shen had already brought the long sword to his hand.

A chilling glint flashed in the air as Song Shen's longsword struck the incoming blade with perfect precision.

Suddenly a whistling sound arose, its high-pitched sound like the angry roar of sand, its shape like thousands of meteorites shooting out.

Song Shen grunted, and his sword transformed into thousands of powerful rays of light, instantly converging into countless points of light in the air.

The wispy arcs slashed rapidly, their momentum growing increasingly fierce, finally ending in a hurricane-like whirlwind.

Song Shen sheathed his sword and stood there.

"Is Senior Sister testing my swordsmanship?"

Cao Yu was dressed in spotless white, his face showing neither joy nor sorrow.

"Heavenly Blade Eagle, is that you?"

Song Shen opened his mouth, but ultimately did not utter any words of deception.

"Besides you, I can't think of anyone else who can save my Cao family."

A rare self-deprecating smile appeared on Cao Yu's lips. "Actually, I thought of it a long time ago, but... I just couldn't believe it."

Song Shen said softly, "Can't I be an unsung hero?"

"No!" Cao Yu said firmly. "Cause is cause, and effect is effect. We can't be so confused about it."

Song Shen sighed, "Alright, now you're the only one in the city who knows this secret."

Cao Yu smiled gently, "This kindness will remain in my heart."

Neither of them said anything more.

The next day,

The sun rose in the east, and the two men rode their horses swiftly through the mountains, entering a wilderness.

Song Shenwei let out a barely perceptible "Eh."

Cao Yu quickly asked, "What's wrong?"

"If the forces gathered by the Huang family are powerful, they should intercept us in this area."

Cao Yu also had a stern look on his face. If, as the rumors said, the Huang family had subdued all the major bandits in the area, then this wilderness would be one of the best killing grounds.

Just then, dark clouds slowly spread in from afar.

"If the enemy has five hundred men, armed with heavy weapons, what are our chances of winning?"

Cao Yu asked.

Song Shen pondered for a moment and said, "Even if we can't kill them all, with our agility, we can move around in the mountains until we kill the last one."

Cao Yu felt a chill run down his spine, thinking to himself that Song Shen's self-confidence was so strong. He was always as calm as a mountain whenever something happened, and even he himself had developed a sense of dependence on him.

Originally, one person only needed to live this life.

But now, this girlish demeanor comes like the tide, making her feel that her once grand ambitions are showing signs of crumbling.

Just then, the sound of horses' hooves came from afar.

Dark clouds were rapidly spreading in from afar, and a torrential downpour was imminent.

Cao Yu's slender hand touched the hilt of her sword, and she said quietly, "After this rain, there will surely be a stunning rainbow. If we part ways, let us fight our own battles until we meet again at Leaf Tail Lake at the foot of Spirit Mine Mountain, and witness the rainbow together. How about that?"

Song Shen chuckled softly, "Alright, see you there."

"See you there!"

Cao Yu's response was equally forceful.

A horde of strong horses galloped across the plains.

The enemy approached at an astonishing speed. Song Shen glanced over and saw that there were indeed nearly five hundred of them, all carrying heavy spears. Judging from their clothing, they were indeed bandits from the Pegasus Society.

The two exchanged a glance, spurred their steeds, and the powerful beasts beneath them leaped forward.

The enemy was ten zhang away when arrows rained down.

Enraged, Song Shen charged into the bandits, his steel blade transforming into a rainbow as he ignored the arrows raining down upon him and plunged directly into the ranks of the bandits.

As soon as the blade struck, someone immediately fell from their horse. Song Shen, like an eagle swooping down on a sheep, slashed through the air, soaring like a petrel through a forest of spears.

On the other side, in the direction Cao Yu rushed, men and horses also fell over, and in an instant, the ground was covered with corpses.

This group included experts from the Huang family and seasoned bandits, making them an exceptionally diverse bunch. Although they were a motley crew, they were extremely fierce.

The rain poured down, and the world seemed shrouded in sorrow.

Song Shen killed dozens of people, seized a fine horse, and galloped wildly towards the valley on the right.

Seeing this, Cao Yu also let out a long whistle and spurred his horse toward the mountains on the left.

The wasteland was littered with countless corpses. The remaining two hundred or so skilled fighters paused for a moment, then one of them asked, "Seventh Master Huang, who are we going to chase?"

The man in the bamboo hat, known as Master Huang the Seventh, coldly said, "Go after that woman. As for Song Shen, someone will take care of him!"

"good!"

"This woman is really beautiful, and really fierce."

"If we could capture him..."

Amidst their sinister laughter, the bandits pursued Cao Yu's direction.

Song Shen rode his horse alone into the valley. He couldn't see clearly in the heavy rain, but with his powerful senses, he knew that no one was chasing him.

Thinking of this, Song Shen felt an urge to go back and kill, but considering the Third Miss's terrifying swordsmanship, he didn't believe that these thugs could do anything to her.

So they continued riding their horses into the valley.

Song Shen wasn't in a hurry; he only needed to cross this valley and follow this road past a few mountains to reach Yewei Lake at the foot of the spirit mine.

The valley, covered in vines, was a grayish-white color in the rain.

Song Shen rode swiftly along, his senses spreading out like a vast net.

Something that could be called a sense of energy told him that a terrible calamity was about to occur.

Thinking of this, Song Shen slowed down his horse's movements.

In the gray rain, a dark shadow slowly appeared. From a distance, it looked like a rock, but upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a fully armed and well-equipped elite cavalry!

This group of knights numbered around seventy or eighty. All the knights were muscular warriors, their entire bodies encased in black armor, and the leader in particular exuded a powerful aura.

The killing intent, almost tangible, lingered in the air.

"Black Armor Army! I never imagined the Huang family would use this elite force, the ones who protect our country, against me."

Song Shen's face showed a stern expression.

The three black-armored military captains, their cold gazes hidden behind their armor, were devoid of any emotion.

"Set up the formation!!!!"

-----------------

far away,

Li Chan and Xiao Pingzhe, who followed closely behind, were also stunned.

Military formation?

The elite of Xinyu City's garrison, the guardians used to suppress all invading armies, were actually used to intercept and kill them.

Xiao Pingzhe whispered, "No wonder, I felt a tidal wave of killing intent filling this valley just now, it was like a lake overflowing the mountain."

Li Chan's face was ashen. "My female disciple is still fighting alone. I must deal with these scum who are working for the aristocratic families before I can help my disciple!"

"slow!"

Xiao Pingzhe said in a deep voice, "Look at your disciple, what is he doing? Has he gone mad? This is an elite cavalry formation!"

Li Chan froze, staring in astonishment at the man and the knife in the valley.

In view of,

Before the imposing ranks of the Black-Armored Army, a lone, fearless blade charged forward with unwavering might!