Volume 4: Hidden Battles – Chapter 71: The Reappearance of the Soul

“What Shaolin disciple?” Ouyang Ziyi asked, still not catching up.
Chu Tianyu didn’t rush to explain. He simply said, “Let’s race the cars ahead first; I’ll explain to you later!” After saying that, he consciously checked his seatbelt to make sure it was fastened.
Ouyang Ziyi was amused by Chu Tianyu’s actions and said mockingly, “Oh, this is the first time Young Master Chu has sat in my car. He even dares to propose a race. Hehe, it seems like the sun is shining tonight!”
Despite the teasing, as Ouyang Ziyi stepped on the accelerator, the sports car shot forward like it had springs installed, “whooshing” ahead and quickly closing the gap between them in just a few seconds, leaving only the roar of the engine in its wake.
Ouyang Ziyi’s driving skills were top-notch. Soon, the taillights of the cars they had overtaken could be seen from afar.
Chu Tianyu took this opportunity to share what he had sensed earlier. Those figures who had moved swiftly along the roadside were actually using authentic Shaolin internal energy. Clearly, they were chasing the cars ahead. Chu Tianyu remembered his masters’ words, especially his eldest master’s instruction to take care of his fellow disciples whenever possible—words he still remembered vividly.
So, when Chu Tianyu finally saw his peers, how could he not be happy? Even Ouyang Ruolin’s master, who came from Wutai Mountain and also belonged to the Buddhist sect, made Chu Tianyu feel a sense of kinship.
Moreover, he sensed something suspicious about this chase, so he quickly decided to follow up to see what was going on. He definitely wouldn’t let any Shaolin disciple suffer harm.
Suddenly, the road ahead seemed to be blocked by something, causing all the vehicles to slow down. The speeding cars suddenly changed direction, turning onto a side road. The screeching sound of tires filled the air, forcing the cars behind to brake urgently. Some couldn’t stop in time and crashed into the cars ahead. Soon, the entire road was paralyzed, with vehicles blocking it in all directions.
Ouyang Ziyi’s sports car was also forced to stop. “Ziyi, stay here and wait for me. I’ll go check things out first. I’ll call you if there’s anything, okay?” Chu Tianyu said.

Ouyang Ziyi nodded but didn’t say anything about following him. The incident in Hong Kong last time had made her realize that such high-stakes situations were beyond her handling—her presence would only be a burden to Chu Tianyu. She casually gave a few more worried instructions.

Chu Tianyu nodded in agreement, opened the car door, and rushed to the roadside in a few steps, disappearing instantly into the darkness. Ouyang Ziyi took this opportunity to think about Chu Tianyu’s love problems—after all, that was what mattered most to her!

Chu Tianyu, who was chasing after them, paid no attention to any vehicle tracks, focusing instead on sensing the auras of the people moving quickly ahead. He slowly adjusted his distance and followed behind.

Suddenly, the people ahead stopped, as if they had reached their target. Chu Tianyu quickly concealed his own aura, relying solely on the power of his internal energy to fly past like a bird.

Ahead was a small grove. It was more accurate to describe it as a sparse cluster of crooked trees rather than a proper grove. There was an open area in the grove where three cars were parked. Seven or eight masked men got out of them and were confronting the Shaolin disciples Chu Tianyu was following.

Chu Tianyu chose a slightly farther spot to hide, holding his breath as he quietly observed the situation.

“Amitabha. I am Zhiyu, a monk of Shaolin. Gentlemen, ‘Chixuan’ is a sacred relic of Shaolin Buddhism. To steal it at such a time—do you really think Shaolin has no one?” At the end, Zhiyu used the Buddhist lion’s roar.

Sure enough, those on the other side, whose skills were weaker, began frowning and covering their ears.

“Hahaha! What a Buddhist lion’s roar! Does Master Zhiyu’s unannounced attack count as a sneak attack? Even if not, it surely goes against the humble and kind spirit of your Buddhist faith!” The leading masked man laughed, neutralizing the effects of Zhiyu’s roar.

Zhiyu was shocked inwardly but still sneered, “Do you lowly thieves who hide your faces and steal by cunning need to be humble and kind?”

Hearing Zhiyu’s words, Chu Tianyu was both amused and exasperated. He had just managed to pull out a handkerchief from his pocket to cover his face, only for Zhiyu’s words to apply to him as well.

“Old bald thief, this isn’t the era when your Shaolin could rule the world. Stop acting tough! It must have taken a lot of your vital energy to chase after us all the way, hasn’t it? Heh, so stubborn—no wonder Shaolin has declined. In this era, one must know how to use high technology…” Before the masked leader could finish speaking, a stern voice came from the woods: “Oh, is that so? You want high technology? Then let me show you!” As soon as the words were spoken, a red beam shot straight toward the leader. His figure instantly turned into a shadow as he dodged like a ghost, accompanied by two screams: “Ah… Ah…” It turned out the leader had avoided the beam, but those behind him had no time to react. Two of his men were struck by the beam and died on the spot. Now it was the leader’s turn to be shocked. He cried out, “Dragon Soul!” Then, in anger, he laughed and said, “Great! I wondered who had such great power to track us and set traps everywhere to lure us into your ambush! It’s none other than the famous ‘Dragon Soul’!” From the shadows stepped a man in his forties, tall and robust, with a square face, exuding authority without anger. “You know ‘Dragon Soul’? It seems you’re not an ordinary person. Can you take off your mask so I can see you…” As soon as he spoke, he turned into a shadow and rushed at the masked man like lightning. The masked man felt an intense pressure around him, his clothes fluttering in the wind, and as if countless shadowy hands were approaching him. Not daring to delay, he gathered all his strength and threw a powerful punch. With a dull thud, the collision created a gust of wind that swept through the dry branches, making them rustle. The masked man’s mask finally tore away in the wind, revealing a pale, gloomy face. “Nice try with your Shaolin Dragon Claw Fist. Take another punch!” Clearly angered, the man was at a disadvantage after his mask was shattered by the previous strike. Without further talk, both fought using their ultimate skills. Clearly, Dragon Soul had the upper hand, each of his moves carrying strong winds that put immense pressure on the leader. But fortunately, the leader was no ordinary person either—his boxing skills were exceptional, and his internal energy techniques were unique, allowing him to barely withstand Shaolin’s authentic martial arts.

But more worrying for the leader than being at a disadvantage in the physical fight was not knowing how many more members of Dragon Soul were around. Just this person in front of him was already tough enough, not to mention those few uninvolved monks of the Wisdom faction, who surely weren’t easy opponents either. Distraught by these thoughts, his attacks slowed, and his opponent seized the chance to break through his defenses instantly, striking him hard on the shoulder blade. With a crack of bone, he spat out blood and was flung backward. The members of Dragon Soul didn’t pursue further but looked down at their leader, who was helped up, looking exhausted, and spoke scornfully, “A petty clown, worthless! We’re giving you one last chance—hand over ‘Chixuan’! Otherwise, none of you will survive!” The leader’s arm hung limply; it seemed he’d be disabled for life. Wiping the blood from his mouth, he snapped, “Don’t Buddhists refrain from killing? It seems they’re all hypocrites! You bastard monk!” “Why are you scared? Buddhism forbids killing, but I’m a lay disciple—I can do whatever I want! One last time, where did you hide ‘Chixuan’?” threatened the Dragon Soul member. In truth, he was even more anxious than anyone else. He had privately led these lay disciples of Shaolin from Dragon Soul to surround them, and after several battles, all in vain. This was their last attempt—likely the item was with them. Since his department had other matters to attend to, he only brought two trusted disciples. The earlier ambush was a feint to confuse the enemy and prevent them from fleeing recklessly. That’s why he went all out right from the start—there was no room for mistakes. “Go ask your mother! Die!” The leader suddenly mustered strength, firing a barrage of hidden weapons. The remaining disciples, as if given some signal, suddenly tried to break through in all directions. With several muffled thuds, those men managed to exit and then return just as many. The monks of the Wisdom faction, who had been behind the Dragon Soul members, were now scattered in various positions, forcing the fugitives to retreat. “Don’t come closer! If you do, I’ll destroy what I have!” Seeing no hope of escape, the leader resorted to his last resort, gripping a small box wrapped in yellow silk. When Zhiyu and the Dragon Soul member saw it and rushed forward desperately, two screams suddenly came from outside. The Dragon Soul member’s expression changed, and he urged Zhiyu urgently, “Senior brother, a powerful enemy is attacking! We must act quickly!”

As they spoke, the two of them stood up at the same time and rushed at the leader. Before they could reach him, two dark figures rushed towards them with a foul wind, their force so intense that no one dared to challenge it. In shock, the two of them gathered their energy and shouted, using their hands to block the attack. The moment they made contact, they felt an enormous force—cold energy instantly penetrated their bodies, causing them to fall. Only by using all their strength to resist that energy could they barely stay on their feet. The man from Dragon Soul had even weaker skills and had to take several steps back before stopping his fall. The other disciples around them also quickly gathered around, looking wary. Zhi Yu was terrified—what kind of strength could produce such power? He glanced at the enemy group and saw an emaciated old man among them. His appearance suggested he was very old and frail, seemingly about to collapse with just a breath, but the cold aura emanating from him and his sharp, eagle-like gaze were terrifying. More figures gradually gathered around, clearly the enemy’s reinforcements had arrived. Zhi Yu and the man from Dragon Soul stepped forward slightly and dragged the bodies of the two Dragon Soul members back with their hands. “Tian Zhan, are these also our Shaolin disciples?” Zhi Yu asked sadly, looking at the two corpses. “Mm, since this situation is special and involves matters within Shaolin, I only brought our own disciples. These two were my favorite disciples…” Tian Zhan also spoke with a choked voice. “Gah, stop pretending to be compassionate! You hurt my men—don’t you think about how they feel?” the old man said in a harsh, unpleasant voice. “Whoever the hell you are, starting today, you’ll be hunted by our Dragon Soul Shaolin Martial Hall!” Tian Zhan said fiercely, his eyes red, emphasizing each word. “Amitabha! Good! Good! Since you refuse to distinguish right from wrong, our Shaolin disciples are not cowards either. Today, we’ll fight to the death! Zhi Xiao, Zhi Wu, Zhi Chan, go all out—no need for mercy!” Zhi Yu said, clasping his hands together. “Gah, wait until you can survive today first! Boys, go! Remember, no survivors!” the old man ordered, killing them all. At the same time, he flew into the air and attacked Zhi Yu and Tian Zhan.

Zhiyu and Tianzhan did not dare be careless. The two of them joined forces to confront the old man simultaneously, combining their strength to deliver a powerful strike at him. Tianzhan was instantly shaken, his energy disrupted, forcing him to retreat several steps. Zhiyu also struggled to withstand the shock, shouting loudly with a roar akin to that of a Buddhist lion, as his palms, carrying strong winds, attacked the old man who had just landed.

The old man raised his eyebrows slightly, quickly changed his hand gestures, and countered with a spinning move. The two forces collided, creating gusts of wind and flying sand, like thunder and lightning. The two fought back and forth, each displaying their skills. Tianzhan, forced out of the battle, could not intervene for the time being and had to use his energy to suppress his injuries.

“Gah, Shaolin martial arts are nothing special. You’ve truly disappointed me. I’m done playing with you—this is a waste of time!” With that, the old man lifted his left palm, using his true strength to block Zhiyu’s attack. At the same time, he turned to the left and struck Zhiyu’s left side with his right palm. This strike contained dark energy capable of shattering stones. Although Zhiyu protected himself with his vital energy, he couldn’t withstand it. He staggered back, stepping out of the combat area and collapsing to the ground, his face pale.

“Shaolin has no one left. Today, I’ll collect souls and get rid of this trash!” Without waiting for Zhiyu to catch his breath or for Tianzhan’s help, the old man once again sent gusts of wind at them.

Suddenly, a long cry like a crane’s call echoed through the sky, and the situation changed abruptly. A dark figure appeared in a flash, shouting, “Shaolin’s Great Strength Vajra Palm!”

The once arrogant old man was forced to retreat immediately under the impact, while Chutianyu fully absorbed all of his dark energy, which vanished instantly after being refined by his internal dragon energy.

“Who dares interfere with our ‘souls’?” the defeated old man shouted hoarsely.