Volume 4: Hidden Battles – Chapter 199: Melodic Immortality Sounds

In fact, when that dark shadow shouted its attack, it was still some distance away. The man from the Hanchan Sect reacted prematurely, forced by the shadow’s imposing aura. Yet the suddenly appearing shadow didn’t let his preemptive move fail—its speed was extreme, and as its body shot forward like lightning, it created a fierce gust of wind that forced several men in black to retreat continuously. The timing was perfect.
In such a head-on attack, it came down to the strength of both sides!
Both men used all their strength—one by unleashing all his internal vital energy, while the other relied solely on the power of his physical strength. Yet when these two forces collided—internal and external—there was no sense of balance at all.
After the violent collision, the man from the Hanchan Sect was instantly shattered by an explosive force that severed all his meridians and destroyed his vital energy. Like a kite with its string cut, he flew backward, tracing an irregular path in the air. With a “thud,” he crashed to the ground, spewing blood and dying on the spot.
However, the shadow’s attack showed no sign of stopping due to the resistance from the Hanchan Sect man. As everyone, including the disciples of the Tianmo Sect surrounded in the center, stared in shock, the shadow continued along its punching trajectory without pulling back immediately. It took a few more steps forward, releasing an invisible combat aura that, in the blink of an eye, targeted a thin man among the men in black.
Faced with this sudden, lightning-fast ambush, the thin man, who was actually the mastermind hiding among the crowd, had no time to react. He merely raised his arms symbolically to block it slightly. Before he could fully utilize his vital energy, it came into contact with the shadow’s combat aura. This time, instead of a muffled sound, there was a loud “boom!”
With the same immense force, he was sent flying backward, knocking over several of his subordinates as well, just like the man from the Hanchan Sect. They all landed far away on the ground, though their fates remained unknown due to the distance.
The shadow’s attacks included both direct confrontations and sudden ambushes. But the outcome was the same—truly, neither direct attacks nor hidden threats could be avoided!

As the movements ceased, everyone in the area finally saw the true appearance of the shadowy figure. The men in black who had been attacking the Tianmo Sect merely saw a cold-looking, muscular young man radiating a wild and bloody aura standing there. As for Wei Yanqing of the Tianmo Sect, he frowned at the young man, looking at him with a sense of familiarity mixed with deep thought.

“You can all leave!” The young man glanced around at the men in black, his eyes flashing with coldness as he spoke.

His words sent ripples through the group, waking the men in black from their daze. Realizing what was happening, they roared in anger and launched an attack on the entire Tianmo Sect, targeting the young man as their main objective.

However, this was clearly a spontaneous attack, with their formation disorganized. This was because the young man had already killed their two leaders—one openly and one secretly—leaving the group leaderless. They continued to act based on their original orders.

The young man simply smiled lightly. Without making any visible move, he created a gust of wind and darted into the ranks of the men in black. He moved swiftly, throwing punches everywhere, with muffled thuds echoing in the air. In no time, more than a dozen bodies lay scattered on the ground.

His skill was truly terrifying! Every joint and muscle in his body seemed capable of killing, making the men in black finally understand just how wonderful and pleasing those words of his—“You can all leave!”—had sounded.

Especially those who were close to the young man witnessed this firsthand. Now, they didn’t even think about continuing the attack; they only wished they hadn’t been born with extra legs…

As the saying goes, defeat leads to chaos. The men in black, realizing the situation had turned against them, abandoned their earlier plan to overwhelm the enemy and take advantage of the situation. They quickly fled, scattering like birds and beasts.

“Chu Tianyu! Ah, it’s our young master Chu! No wonder he seemed so familiar!” As the men in black escaped, Wei Yanqing finally slapped his thigh, remembering who this young man was.

Chu Tianyu smiled at Wei Yanqing as well and bowed, saying, “Greetings, Sect Master Wei!”

“Nonsense! Young Master Chu saw it too. If not for your timely rescue, our Tianmo Sect would have been in grave danger! Come, Young Master Chu, this isn’t the place to talk. Let’s go inside and discuss this…” With that, Wei Yanqing eagerly pulled Chu Tianyu toward his villa. Su’s expression had long lost its previous despair and weariness; even the wounds on his body seemed less painful. He knew that as long as this person was around, no matter how big the trouble, there would be no problem.

Chu Tianyu didn’t hesitate either and simply said, “Headmaster Wei, please arrange for a few people to bring in that man in black as well!”

“Man in black? Which man in black?” As soon as Wei Yanqing asked, his sharp mind immediately figured it out. He realized Chu Tianyu was referring to the man in black who had attacked him the second time. Clearly, he hadn’t killed that man then but only knocked him out—so he must have left him alive.

Wei Yanqing didn’t dare delay and quickly ordered a few subordinates to do as Chu Tianyu asked. At that moment, Chu Tianyu let out a clear whistle into the darkness, and several figures rushed over in an instant. One of them, in particular, moved as if floating, with such grace and elegance. Wei Yanqing recognized the others—the one leading them was Razor from the Outer Second Hall.

“Headmaster Wei, let me introduce him to you. This is my senior brother…” Once his senior brother arrived, Chu Tianyu began explaining the situation as they walked together with Wei Yanqing.

After entering the house and taking their seats, Wei Yanqing roughly understood why Chu Tianyu had appeared here so coincidentally. It seemed fate was kind to him—amidst crisis, it had sent him such a lucky star. He wondered what good deeds he must have done in his past life.

Meanwhile, the thin man in black who had been knocked out by Chu Tianyu’s combat energy from the start was dragged up by two strong men like a dead dog…

“Young Master Chu, that guy who was so arrogant in the middle of the scene just now is the one you killed with your fist first. Actually, maybe keeping him alive would have been a good idea as well…” Wei Yanqing whispered as a reminder.

Chu Tianyu didn’t respond but simply said, “I’ve seen that man before. He’s from the Hanchan Sect. I dealt with him secretly once before, but the circumstances were special back then, so I let him go. I didn’t expect to run into him again today. Haha, it’s strange—he’s recovering quite fast!”

As Chu Tianyu said, the leader he killed was the middle-aged man who had challenged Xue Feifei on the Ancient Tea-Horse Road and was later secretly attacked by Chu Tianyu, causing him to be injured. It was also because Chu Tianyu casually shouted, “The Heaven Demon Sect is here; the Heaven Sound Sect is under their protection,” that the real Heaven Demon Sect suffered undeserved misfortune. Clearly, Wei Yanqing of the Demon War could not possibly know about this; if he had learned the truth, his reaction could probably be summed up in four words—helpless laughter! So when he saw people from the Cold Cicada Sect appear, led by that unlucky middle-aged man, Chu Tianyu was puzzled—how could the Cold Cicada Sect, with its limited strength, dare to trouble the Heaven Demon Sect? It wasn’t until he secretly observed the middle-aged man from the Cold Cicada Sect hesitating in his actions and speech, as if he wasn’t in control, especially when he turned back as if seeking instructions, that Chu Tianyu immediately made the connection to the member of the Fake Soul Organization he had killed at the razor place. With this, the explanation became logical. The Cold Cicada Sect must have received support from the Fake Soul Organization to have the confidence to seek revenge on the Heaven Demon Sect. Moreover, this operation was surely not just about revenge; there must be deeper implications behind it. This also led Chu Tianyu to secretly resolve that once he returned from his cultivation journey, he would personally urge Qianfeng and Wutang to thoroughly investigate the Fake Soul Organization. He also came to the profound realization that “it seems wherever there is chaos or profit, there are traces of this mysterious organization. The only place where they weren’t seen was Motuo, but after analysis, it wasn’t that they weren’t there—it was that those evil experts who had been in the temple from the start might very well be members of the Fake Soul Organization!” The members of the Fake Soul Organization were all top experts, most of them in their seventies or older, with rich life experiences and not easily deployable. Yet this organization managed to control them effectively, as evidenced by the several battles Chu Tianyu had with them—each time, new experts appeared endlessly, and they hardly ever revealed any weaknesses or clues. … After a while, with the efforts of several professionals from the Heaven Demon Sect, the thin man in black finally woke up amidst cries of pain.

But soon he regained his composure, his vicious little eyes staring intently at Chu Tianyu as if he wanted to tear him apart alive. Chu Tianyu showed no reaction, merely meeting his gaze with keen interest, as if trying to read his thoughts. Meanwhile, Wei Yanqing of the Demon War Faction could no longer stand by. Without waiting for Chu Tianyu to respond, he stepped forward and slapped him, shouting viciously, “Damn you! You’re just a prisoner, yet you act like some big shot. Fuck!” With two “pfft” sounds, the man spat out two front teeth under Wei Yanqing’s assault. Chu Tianyu hadn’t expected the head of the Heavenly Demon Sect to personally resort to such brutal torture. It seemed the Demon Sect had its own ways of handling things.

In fact, Wei Yanqing himself was also filled with rage. With the strength of their Heavenly Demon Sect, when had they ever suffered such a great loss, allowing others to invade and nearly destroy their entire sect? How could he not be angry? Yet clearly, this man was a real tough guy—he kept his lips tightly closed and, facing Wei Yanqing’s tactics, simply closed his eyes, as if to say, “Go ahead if you’ve got the guts! I’m ready to take it!”

Seeing this, Wei Yanqing became even angrier. Before he could act again, his subordinates also lost control and started shouting angrily, their fists raining down on the man in an instant. This situation was within Chu Tianyu’s expectations. From several encounters, he knew well the tactics of this fake divine soul organization—those who came out of it were all die-hard fighters willing to sacrifice their lives; it was almost impossible to get anything out of them. The reason he left one alive was just to try his luck. So he didn’t stop the Heavenly Demon Sect’s violence.

“Stop for now!” Liu Xiangshi, who could no longer bear to watch, suddenly spoke up. Wei Yanqing quickly ordered his subordinates to stop. He held Liu Xiangshi in high regard—not only because he was the eldest disciple of his benefactor, Master Xianyun, but also because of Liu’s ethereal and untainted aura, which made Wei Yanqing feel a natural sense of closeness and obedience.

Neither Wei Yanqing nor Chu Tianyu expected Liu Xiangshi to intervene simply because he couldn’t stand such violence. What they didn’t expect was the actions and words that followed, which shocked them greatly.

Liu Xiangshi stepped forward a few paces, raised his hand, and with a single motion, knocked the man unconscious. This move left Mo Zhan Wei Yanqing in awe—he could do the same, but it would be difficult to achieve it with such grace and subtlety as Liu Xiangshi had done.

Although Liu Xiangshi favored mysticism and various arts, his cultivation still stemmed from the Yunmen sect, as he was the founding disciple of Xianyun, which spoke to his wisdom and talent. And though he had seemed weak and constantly being hunted recently, that depended on his opponents. Those mere monsters in the wilderness, even with their limited skills, would barely be an improvement over his own master. So how could they compare to him? It was already remarkable that he had managed to escape unharmed.

After knocking the man out, Liu Xiangshi slowly turned around and, as if giving a lecture, said to Chu Tianyu and Wei Yanqing, “Sigh, sometimes violence doesn’t solve problems, and it’s not the only way…” Before Chu Tianyu and Wei Yanqing could react, he casually snapped the man’s chin off, then took out a small burlap bag from his pocket, extracted a finely crafted porcelain bottle, and dropped a bit of white powder into it. He poured it into the man’s mouth and, once everything was done, reattached the chin.

“This medicine is quite good—it dissolves instantly, no need to force water down. Once its effects take hold, you can ask whatever you want. It will take about ten minutes…” As he spoke, Liu Xiangshi calmly put away the burlap bag and returned to his original position, as if nothing had happened.

Chu Tianyu and Wei Yanqing were utterly stunned by Liu Xiangshi’s actions. Chu Tianyu hadn’t expected his senior brother, who seemed so upright and proper, to have such a casual and unpretentious style—acting decisively when necessary, truly embodying the teachings of his second master, Xianyun: act naturally…

Wei Yanqing was even more surprised that Liu Xiangshi, who appeared kind and gentle, would use such methods. His seemingly casual techniques—acupressure, snapping chins, administering medicine—were not much different from the violence he claimed to oppose! Impressive. Truly, those of high skill act with greatness.

Ten minutes passed in no time. Wei Yanqing glanced at Liu Xiangshi with a questioning look. Seeing that he didn’t show any further reaction, she stepped forward and untied the man’s pressure points. In just a short while, the man regained consciousness, but his expression had changed—his eyes were lifeless, and his face showed confusion…

After a long while, when Chu Tianyu and the others stepped out of the house again, Chu Tianyu no longer had his earlier carefree attitude; instead, his face was filled with anxiety.

It turned out that under Liu Xiangshi’s mysterious techniques, the man was forced to reveal everything he knew, answering any question asked and disclosing their entire plan.

Even Chu Tianyu was shocked by what he heard. It seemed that during recent encounters, the fake spirit had been suppressed by him and forced to retreat temporarily. But this had instead led them to shift their focus, aiming to expand their influence among ancient sects in the mountains or bustling markets.

The Hanchan Sect was one such example. This time, they planned to eliminate the Tianmo Sect, with revenge being just an excuse. Their real goal was to seize the hidden strength of the Tianmo Sect and establish a solid base for their expansion.

It was precisely because they had temporarily changed their strategy and focused on hermit sects in the martial arts world that Chu Tianyu’s Qianfeng failed to uncover any clues. After returning from Shaolin, Chu Tianyu didn’t expect the fake spirit organization to simply give up or retreat to live a reclusive life at home. So he had always assigned disciples from his martial arts school to investigate various aspects of the matter, but to no avail.

He never expected them to change their tactics. Fortunately, they stumbled upon this by chance, and with the help of his senior brother Liu Xiangshi, he learned such astonishing secrets. What made Chu Tianyu even more anxious was hearing news about the Tianyin Sect from that man.

They were carrying out this major operation in two phases. He led a group to deal with the Tianmo Sect, while the main force went to the Tianyin Sect, including the sect leader of the Hanchan Sect. It was said that every member of the Tianyin Sect possessed the “Veins of Heaven and Earth,” making them excellent vessels. Moreover, it was rumored that one of them even had a “Body of Heaven and Earth,” a true treasure. Therefore, even though the Tianyin Sect was far weaker than the Tianmo Sect, their main target this time was still the Tianyin Sect.

They also said the most important thing was to seize that “Body of Heaven and Earth” and present it to their superiors!

When asked about the entire situation of their fake spirits, that person couldn’t explain much, only saying that they all communicated in one-way fashion and never met each other. For the subordinates needed for each operation, someone else would be assigned. They usually scattered in different places, each with another identity, only reverting to their roles within the organization when necessary.
Liu Xiangshi then added that they were all well-known figures, some even arrogant and unyielding—how could they willingly risk their lives for others and give up their freedom?
When asked this, the person whose mind had been confused didn’t answer immediately. After a pause, he said, “Everyone has their own pursuits and reasons for acting. The organization can fulfill all your desires. Those who want martial arts skills can learn them; those stuck at a bottleneck can break through to a new level. As for those who want women…”
“What’s your desire?” Liu Xiangshi interrupted.
“To cure my chronic illness and live another sixty years!” the man replied bluntly.
…
The words that followed were unimportant, and Chu Tianyu wasn’t focused on them either. He only managed to learn the general direction of Tianyin Gate from him. He couldn’t provide specifics, just as he had said before—communication was one-way. He knew little about other operations. Even this approximate location was something he heard from people of Hanchan Gate, as they were from the same sect. Though they operated separately, they still kept in touch.
“Brother Wei, things are urgent. My senior and I will take our leave first!” After the interrogation, Chu Tianyu said as he walked out of the room.
“Okay, Brother Chu. Go ahead. I’ll tidy up and follow soon. Although our Tianmo Gate might not be able to help much, this is still our territory in Sichuan. No matter where, we still have some influence here that can help you out!” Wei Yanqing said sincerely.
“Then we’ll head ahead first!” Chu Tianyu said finally.
…
More than 200 kilometers west of the Three Gorges lay a beautiful mountainous area with gentle slopes. The mountains were covered in lush cypress trees, shrouded in mist. On a platform halfway up the mountain, shaded by greenery, wildflowers dotted the landscape.
It should have been a peaceful place filled with birdsong, floral fragrance, and quiet solitude. But now, there was loud chatter, along with melodies that sounded pleasant at first but were actually deadly in nature.

The two groups facing off clearly were not on the same level in terms of strength. It was only because one side was holding back and not willing to fight to the death that the other side could barely survive. Yet even so, several graceful figures lay on the ground, trembling slightly, as if injured in some way.

“Old woman Qiao, what’s the point of holding on at this point? This isn’t the headquarters of your Tianyin Sect with its numerous traps. Seriously, why didn’t you just stay at home with your disciple instead of going off to show off by retreating in seclusion? Stop talking nonsense and hand over the person. Maybe, if we’re in a good mood, we’ll even spare you, old woman!” said the other party, a man in his fifties, mocking her in a sarcastic tone.