Chapter Forty-Six: The Divine Art of Jade Immortal

At that moment, several men hurried over and said, “Master, Master Jianneng just claimed that you ordered the Blazing Fire Array to burn those people alive. But we didn’t see your command token, so we dared not act. We’ve come to ask if it’s true.”

Chiyanzi of the Hainan Sect was shocked. “When did I ever say such a thing? This is bad! That rascal Jianneng is up to no good! Quickly, follow me!”

As he spoke, a thunderous explosion erupted atop Blackstone Mountain, and in an instant, flames roared skyward from the summit. The crowd panicked and rushed up the mountain, only to meet several men running towards them, shouting, “Master, Jianneng has knocked down several of our brothers and activated the Blazing Fire Array on his own!”

Chiyanzi shouted, “Quick, scatter the Snow-Pellet Pills! Jianneng doesn’t know the array’s secrets—luckily he hasn’t triggered the core yet, there’s still time!”

The Hainan Sect disciples brought large sacks and frantically tossed the white pills into the fire. As soon as they hit the flames, the pellets exploded in bursts of white, and the surrounding fire was instantly suppressed. After much effort, they finally extinguished the blaze. Jade Master, regardless of the heat of the rocks beneath his feet, dashed into the cave at the mountain’s peak. No sooner had he entered than a voice barked, “Who’s there?” followed immediately by the sound of a sword being drawn.

He called out, “Heroes of Tianshan Sect, please stay your hands! I have come to offer my apologies.”

Yang Wuji, holding his gold-backed saber, stood at the entrance and barked, “Spare us your hypocrisy! You fiends trapped us with these base tricks, then tried to burn us alive—now, seeing your plot foiled, you come to feign contrition!”

Jade Master smiled, “No, no, there was a villain sowing discord behind the scenes. Now that I am here, you have nothing to fear. Moreover, a young hero has come in person to greet his elders—when you see him, Hero Yang, you will know my sincerity.”

Li Chongyuan stepped forward and bowed. “Disciple Li Chongyuan pays respects to Uncle-Master Yang Wuji and greets his senior brothers.”

Voices within the cave, tinged with surprise and doubt, echoed, “Li Chongyuan? How could he be here?” “Wasn’t he confined at Ascension Peak?” Another voice, belonging to Ma Beifang, said, “Master, could this man have escaped from above and fallen in with these fiends to lure you out?”

Ma Beifang had beaten and humiliated him many times, but the passage of time had dulled the memory. Now, anger flared in Li Chongyuan’s heart as he shouted, “Uncle-Master Yang, I have with me a letter written in my Uncle Wuxin’s own hand—proof in writing. I would not dare deceive you.” As he spoke, he drew the letter from his robe and, using a concealed weapon technique, sent it flying.

Ma Beifang caught the letter on his sword, examined it closely, then handed it to Yang Wuji, who read it carefully. Realizing it was genuine, he breathed a long sigh of relief. “Let us go out. Clearly, there’s some misunderstanding here. We must talk things through in the open.” With that, he strode out boldly.

From afar, Li Chongyuan bowed in greeting. Though those present showed resentment on their faces, none made a move. The four had not been directly burned by the fire, but the heat had singed their beards, hair, and eyebrows until they curled and twisted. Lan Wutong covered her mouth to stifle a laugh.

The others greeted Li Chongyuan with delight, but Ma Beifang was mortified. Yang Wuji barked, “Now that we’re out, what do you intend?”

Jade Master bowed and said, “Hero Yang is as fiery as a blaze—perhaps even more so than the fire just now.”

Yang Wuji was infuriated. He swung his palm and broke a stone pillar beside him. “You Taoist! Was this all a ruse to humiliate me?”

Jade Master remained calm, smiling. “Not at all. I merely wish to invite Hero Yang to parley. For generations, the martial world has been plagued by strife over notions of good and evil—countless heroes have perished on the blade’s edge. I boldly ask Hero Yang to lend his heart for the peace of the world.”

Yang Wuji retorted, “Since our founder created our martial arts, there has been a distinction between good and evil. Do you think a few words can erase such a gulf? You speak far too lightly!”

Jade Master laughed, “If all martial arts came from the same ancestors, what difference is there between good and evil? Did the founder create orthodox arts and then also corrupt ones, just so we would kill each other?”

Yang Wuji bristled. “Right is right! Evil is evil! The two must never be confused. Not only must the martial arts remain untainted, even our thoughts must not stray, lest we fall to the demonic path!”

Jade Master sighed, “Hero Yang, that palm you used to break the pillar just now was the Wind and Thunder Palm—I presume that’s an orthodox technique?”

Yang Wuji snorted, “Of course it is! Do you think the Head of Thunder Hall would stoop to learning demonic arts?”

Jade Master casually sliced off another section of the stone pillar. “This is the Crescent Slash from Bright Moon Island in the Eastern Sea—one you call a demonic technique. How is it any different from your Wind and Thunder Palm?”

The crowd saw that the cut was incredibly smooth—if anything, even more so than the one Yang Wuji had made. “Now watch this,” Jade Master said, thrusting both hands into a boulder waist-high beside him, the fingers sinking in as if into soft tofu. With a crackling sound, he wrenched out two chunks of stone. “My left hand uses Shaolin’s Mighty Eagle Claw, my right, the Yin Demonic Ghost Claw of Xiliang—one orthodox, the other what you call demonic. See if you can tell the difference.” The breaks were as neat as if cut by axe or blade—there was no telling which was which.

Jade Master pressed his palm to the boulder, channeled his energy, and with a sound like a string of firecrackers, a fine web of cracks spread rapidly. Moments later, the rock shattered into egg-sized pieces. He took out a silk handkerchief and brushed the dust from his hands. “This is the Python Constriction of Southern Yunnan’s Dali. Compared to Shaolin’s Vajra Palm, how does it fare?”

Yang Wuji was stubborn. “How could such heretical tricks compare to Shaolin’s arts? You must have used some strange method on the stone beforehand, thinking to fool me!”

Jade Master sighed, “Even if there were tricks before, was there any trick just now?” With that, his figure blurred and he closed in on Yang Wuji, pointing at his eyes. Yang Wuji, startled, raised his saber to guard.

But Jade Master’s movements were uncanny—an instant later, his finger jabbed at Yang Wuji’s chest. Every move struck at a blind spot, where Yang Wuji could not defend. Li Chongyuan was amazed; the techniques looked strangely familiar, but Jade Master’s speed exceeded the eye’s capacity. All he could see was a swirl of shadow encircling Yang Wuji. In a flash, thirty-six vital points were attacked before Jade Master withdrew.

Yang Wuji was drenched in cold sweat, but Jade Master had stopped short of causing any harm. Yang Wuji cried out, “That was the Tenfold Bodhi Formless Palm!”

Jade Master smiled. “Indeed, the Tenfold Bodhi Formless Palm is a righteous art of Tianshan Sect—yet it also bears the name Soul-Crushing Hand of Jieli Mohe, a notorious demonic technique. So, Hero Yang, is it orthodox or heretical?”

Yang Wuji was speechless.

He himself had trained arduously in the Tenfold Bodhi Formless Palm, but was nowhere near able to unleash a thousand moves with a single thought.

Li Chongyuan exclaimed inwardly, “So Jade Master was using the Soul-Crushing Hand! No wonder it seemed so familiar. But how did he learn such a closely guarded secret? Could he have deep ties to Tianshan Sect? Is he perhaps Acheng, who escaped from Ascension Peak years ago?”

But then he thought, if the man were Acheng, he would certainly know Tianshan martial arts—but how did he master the Crescent Slash, Yin Demonic Ghost Claw, Python Constriction, and Mighty Eagle Claw as well?

Yang Wuji’s face was ashen—he could not utter a word. The depth and breadth of this man’s martial knowledge was beyond belief. The skills he had just demonstrated were the best of every sect, all hard to attain, harder still to master—yet this man had refined each to perfection, which was simply inconceivable.

After a while, Yang Wuji said, “You truly deserve to be called one of peerless skill. I have nothing more to say.”

Jade Master knew Yang Wuji to be stubborn and proud; to coax these words was no small feat. He smiled, “There’s no need for modesty, Hero Yang. I’ve merely lived a few more years and seen a bit more. I only hope you will lead me to Tianshan, so I may meet with Master Dunan and discuss our grievances, seeking to end the feuds of our world. I would be forever grateful.”

Yang Wuji replied, “With your martial prowess, storming Tianshan would be no challenge. Why do you need a guide?”

Jade Master laughed, “If I were truly so reckless, I would have become Tianshan’s enemy, and the martial world would be plunged into further bloodshed. Then my wish to turn swords into ploughshares would be for naught. That is why I ask you to accompany me up the mountain.”

Ma Beifang whispered, “Master, beware of trickery.” Yang Wuji shot back, “With skills like his, if he meant harm to Tianshan, what need of tricks? Who among us could stop him?” Turning, he said, “Your goodwill is appreciated, Master. I will convey your wish to the sect leader. Today I have learned much—thank you.”

After their conversation, all realized Jianneng had been sowing discord among them. Orders were given to apprehend Jianneng. Yang Wuji had never heard of Jade Master before, yet the man’s martial prowess and cunning were extraordinary—he was greatly astonished by his origins. Jade Master smiled, “We are all wanderers in this world—must we know one another to share a meeting?”

Chiyanzi came over and reported, “Jade Master, our men went to seize Jianneng, but the scoundrel escaped while we were fighting the fire.”