Chapter 176: Zombie Kung Fu

The terrain in Mobei was incredibly rugged, with countless winding ravines. It was the kind of land where one could see the mountains but die from exhaustion trying to reach them. Travel between villages and settlements was extremely difficult, leaving them feeling isolated, and even the government struggled to maintain clear oversight.

Dawangzhuang was a typical isolated settlement, home to about ten families nestled in a mountain hollow. Surrounded on all sides by towering loess mountains and crumbling earthen cliffs, it was incredibly difficult to access from the outside world.

Despite being only forty li from Hanyadu Town, the difficult terrain meant Gu Mo and his group spent a full two hours on horseback just to reach Dawangzhuang.

As they entered the hollow, they spotted the small settlement in the distance. Sounds of fierce fighting drifted from within, accompanied by billowing smoke, and several houses were ablaze.

A Six-Doors constable, who had been on watch there, quickly rushed over when he saw Gu Mo's large group approaching.

Chen Xiuyuan immediately asked, "What's going on? Why is there fighting inside?"

The constable quickly replied, "It's the Broadsword Gate members. They also received intelligence about the Dragon-Tiger Duo being here. Hanyadu is the Broadsword Gate's territory, so they definitely wouldn't allow the Dragon-Tiger Duo to cause trouble on their turf."

"Who's leading the team?" Chen Xiuyuan inquired.

The constable said, "It's Yu Chifeng, the Broadsword Gate Master, with over twenty of his disciples."

Chen Xiuyuan quickly ordered, "Let's go, help them."

Immediately, everyone spurred their horses towards Dawangzhuang.

As they rode, Chen Xiuyuan explained to Gu Mo, "The Broadsword Gate is one of the Eight Major Sects of Mobei, a first-rate sect similar to the Tongshan Sect. Its master, Yu Chifeng, is also a seasoned first-rate expert. The Broadsword Gate is quite formidable, with over three hundred disciples, and seven or eight towns and dozens of settlements around Hanyadu are considered their territory."

Gu Chudong asked, "Can he defeat the Dragon-Tiger Duo?"

Chen Xiuyuan replied, "I'm not sure. Yu Chifeng is a veteran first-rate expert, but the Dragon-Tiger Duo are also evil masters who have rapidly risen to prominence in the last two years. It's hard to say who's stronger."

Yu Shijiu suddenly remarked, "It depends on who Yu Chifeng brought. If he brought his twelve personal disciples, they should be able to win. But if it's just a dozen ordinary disciples, he'll surely lose."

Gu Chudong asked, "Shijiu, how do you know?"

Yu Shijiu explained, "I fought the Dragon-Tiger Duo a year ago. Those two brothers are incredibly strong and also possess a combined martial art technique. I met Yu Chifeng a few months ago and had a brief sparring match with him. His fighting style is similar to the Dragon-Tiger Duo's – very open and sweeping. Yu Chifeng could defeat either of them in a one-on-one fight, but taking on both would be difficult. However, with his twelve personal disciples, it shouldn't be a problem."

The constable on watch quickly added, "Yes, all twelve second-generation disciples of the Broadsword Gate are here, and the other dozen are also outstanding among the third-generation disciples."

Yu Shijiu said, "Then there shouldn't be any issues."

The rhythmic thudding of hooves stirred up clouds of dust.

Soon, Gu Mo and his group of over twenty people reached Dawangzhuang.

However,

As they entered Dawangzhuang, they witnessed an unexpected scene.

According to Yu Shijiu's analysis, the Broadsword Gate should have secured an easy victory. Instead, corpses littered the open area, five or six bodies sprawled haphazardly, a gruesome sight. Severed limbs were scattered, and heads lay detached, their eyes wide open, seemingly still reflecting the terror and defiance of their last moments. Not a single body was intact, and tattered clothes fluttered in the wind like the wails of wronged spirits.

The remaining nearly ten people were all heavily wounded and disheveled, struggling in combat with two burly men.

The two men, who looked similar, were indeed the Dragon-Tiger Duo, brothers Tuoba Long and Tuoba Hu. Both were exceptionally large and muscular, broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, with muscles bulging like iron. They seemed truly impervious to blades and axes, which merely produced a series of metallic clangs when striking them.

Each of the brothers wielded a short, thick club, roughly the size of a bowl. They swung them, generating whistling winds and a flurry of blurs, overwhelming the Broadsword Gate members, who were suffering greatly and barely clinging to life.

When the Broadsword Gate members saw Gu Mo's group rush in, they were overjoyed. A white-haired elder immediately shouted, "Yu Shijiu, quickly, help us!"

The elder was Yu Chifeng, the Broadsword Gate Master. He knew Yu Shijiu and had even sparred with him, recognizing him as a master. Normally, Yu Chifeng would have considered his reputation; it would have been truly shameful for a renowned martial arts figure and sect master to ask a fourteen or fifteen-year-old boy for help.

However, at that moment, survival was paramount, so he cast aside his pride. After his initial shout, he went all out, yelling, "Six-Doors officers, these are the Dragon-Tiger Duo!"

Yu Shijiu drew his sword. His hand rested lightly on his horse's neck, seemingly casual, yet imbued with an elusive rhythm.

Suddenly, he exerted slight pressure with his fingers, gently tapping the horse's head. This tap, though gentle, was like a flash of lightning across a dark sky, instantly shattering the surrounding silence.

In that instant, Yu Shijiu seemed to merge with the wind and launched himself forward. His speed was so astonishingly fast that it was impossible to blink, as if time itself had paused.

As he soared forward, the iron sword in his hand became a cold glint, stabbing into the air. In that moment, everyone saw a flash of cold light; the sword had already struck, as if it had always been there, unmoving, yet at the most unexpected instant, it pierced Tuoba Hu's chest.

However,

A clang of metal rang out in the air as sparks flew from Tuoba Hu's body where the sword struck, yet the blade left no mark.

Yu Shijiu was slightly startled, and his brow furrowed.

"Yu Shijiu, these two are impervious to weapons! Don't clash directly, find their weaknesses!" Yu Chifeng, who was grappling with Tuoba Long, shouted.

"Roar..."

Tuoba Hu's roar stirred up thick yellow dust, its rolling sound waves making the surrounding air vibrate. He brought down his two iron clubs, shrouded in dark wind, making even withered trees tremble.

Yu Shijiu moved; he was always the first to act.

When the iron clubs were still three inches from his clothes, he had already glided away like a shadow, following the wind of the clubs. With a deafening crash, the ground seemed unable to bear the force, instantly cracking and spreading in spiderweb-like fissures, shaking violently as if a small earthquake had struck.

Before the shattered stones had even fallen back to the ground, Yu Shijiu's sword had already thrust out the thirteenth cold star.

The last cold star struck Tuoba Hu's throat.

"Clang!"

The sword tip, pressed against his throat, sparked. Tuoba Hu's skin took on a bronze luster, and his bloodshot eyes widened with madness and fury. He actually used his throat to firmly resist the iron sword, continuing to surge forward, pressing against the blade and bending the iron sword into a terrifying arc.

Yu Shijiu's iron sword could not withstand the pressure; its blade bent more and more until it reached its limit, then snapped in half with a sharp "snap."

The instant the sword broke, Yu Shijiu's boot sole imprinted on Tuoba Hu's chest. Tuoba Hu staggered back a couple of steps, while Yu Shijiu himself recoiled and flew back three or four steps. As he landed, he gripped the broken sword, preparing to strike again.

At that moment, the Six-Doors constables drew their chains, which clanked loudly. Chen Xiuyuan's pupils constricted, and he gripped his saber hilt, ready to act.

Gu Mo, however, slightly raised a hand, signaling Chen Xiuyuan to stop, then quietly said, "Chudong, go try out your blade."

"Alright, Brother!"

Gu Chudong, who had been eager to try her hand, was delighted to receive Gu Mo's permission. With a flick of her wrist, she opened the blade case in her satchel and drew out the Gouchen Demon Blade.

In an instant, she moved like a green crane soaring through the sky. The demonic blade glowed with dark red patterns, and as its edge vibrated, it erupted with three feet of blazing flames, fiercely burning and casting a crimson glow around Gu Chudong. Simultaneously, the demonic blade hummed with a crisp, exhilarating sound, like a seasoned general finally roaring with joy at the moment of battle.

Tuoba Hu, about to pursue Yu Shijiu, suddenly saw a frail young girl attacking with a burning, strange blade. Startled and enraged, he roared, "Get lost, you brat!" His voice was like a booming bell, making the surrounding air vibrate.

In his fury, he swung his short club, which whistled through the air, fiercely striking towards Gu Chudong. The club weighed over a hundred jin; an ordinary person would not only fail to block it but would be ripped open just by the wind it generated.

Gu Chudong neither dodged nor retreated. She sharply swung the Gouchen Demon Blade, and a scarlet blaze streaked across the air. A thunderous "clang" echoed like a great bell, making everyone's eardrums ache. The cold iron club had been severed in two, its cut remarkably smooth and clean, as if carved by a precision steel blade.

Seeing this, Tuoba Hu's eyes widened, filled with disbelief.

However, Gu Chudong's assault continued relentlessly. Her figure moved like lightning, enveloped in fierce flames, descending upon him like a meteor streaking across the night sky. Tuoba Hu had no time to think, frantically swinging his remaining iron club to try and block the fierce blow.

But the fiery blade, like a rainbow piercing the sun, struck in a blink. The instant the iron club touched the demon blade, it was effortlessly sliced through as if it were paper.

Moreover, the blade's momentum was unspent, striking heavily upon Tuoba Hu's chest. Another metallic clang resonated, and his clothes ripped, revealing a deep wound with flesh turned outward.

Strangely, not a single drop of blood emerged from the wound. The exposed flesh was the color of black ice, emanating a chilling cold.

Tuoba Hu let out an earth-shattering roar, looking insane. His fists, like pestles, swung wildly with whistling wind, pounding towards Gu Chudong.

Gu Chudong flicked her wrist, and the Gouchen Demon Blade swept horizontally.

Tuoba Hu, having witnessed the demon blade's sharpness, dared not meet it head-on. In a rush, he changed his fists to palms, quickly clapping them together to clamp the Gouchen Demon Blade.

Gu Chudong pulled with force, but it was like a dragonfly trying to move a stone pillar; the blade did not budge.

Seeing this, Tuoba Hu's mouth twisted into a savage grin. Taking advantage of Gu Chudong's spent momentum and before her new strength could gather, he unleashed a fierce kick towards her.

At this critical moment, streaks of blood-red True Qi suddenly appeared on Gu Chudong's delicate hands, swirling like agile crimson snakes in her palms. With a slight flick of her wrist, the Gouchen Demon Blade astonishingly fragmented into countless tiny blade pieces, scattering like a swarm of locusts.

"Roar!"

Tuoba Hu let out a furious roar. His hands were instantly riddled with countless holes by the blade fragments. In an instant, both his palms were shredded, bone fragments scattering, yet not a single drop of blood. As if feeling no pain, he swung his palm-less arms towards Gu Chudong.

Gu Chudong gripped the hilt and, with a gentle swing, the fragmented blade pieces flew back, instantly reassembling into a complete blade. With a single strike, she instantly severed one of Tuoba Hu's arms.

Gu Chudong spun her body and, with a backhand, slashed horizontally, like flowing wind and returning snow. This strike, seemingly ordinary, held a hidden undertow of power, subtly containing endless variations. Tuoba Hu was startled, instinctively trying to dodge sideways, only to find that the trajectory of this seemingly normal strike was eerily unpredictable.

This was precisely the final stance of Gu Mo's refined Xuanyu Blade Technique—"As Illusion, As Reality."

This move, masterfully refined by Gu Mo, integrated his unique understanding of martial arts, making its angles incredibly elusive. The blade flashed like a meteor across the night sky, striking Tuoba Hu's chest before he could even react.

With a "shhhk" sound, a long gash appeared on Tuoba Hu's chest, flesh rolling back and scattering.

However, Gu Chudong gasped in shock when she looked closely.

Inside Tuoba Hu's chest, his internal organs were entirely black, and wisps of cold air emanated from them, yet still, not a single drop of blood appeared.

Severely wounded, Tuoba Hu groaned and flew backward like a broken kite, crashing heavily against an earthen wall. With a resounding "boom," the wall could not withstand the impact and collapsed, raising a cloud of dust.

Meanwhile, Tuoba Long, who was fiercely fighting the Broadsword Gate members, caught a glimpse of his brother in peril from the corner of his eye. His eyes immediately turned bloodshot, and he let out an earth-shattering roar.

"Xiaohu!"

Tuoba Long unleashed his power, swinging both palms in a torrent, sending several Broadsword Gate disciples who were surrounding him flying. The Broadsword Gate members, who had limited combat strength and were merely holding him back, were instantly thrown into disarray by this impact.

Taking advantage of the Broadsword Gate's disarray, Tuoba Long quickly pulled several smoke bombs from his pocket and forcefully smashed them onto the ground.

In an instant, thick smoke billowed up, spreading like a surging tide and enveloping the entire battlefield. Everyone's vision became blurry, obscured, and they all paused their movements, unwilling to attack randomly for fear of injuring their own.

Tuoba Long seized the opportunity to use his movement technique, ghosting through the smoke to quickly reach Tuoba Hu, pick him up, and sprint out of the settlement.

In the blink of an eye, Tuoba Long had run out of the settlement and arrived at a cliff face.

Only then did everyone realize that this bear-like man possessed such extraordinary lightness skill. His movements were agile, and his speed was astonishing as he ran.

"Broadsword Gate, Six-Doors, just you wait! When we return, all of you will die!"

Tuoba Long stood at the edge of the cliff, glared back furiously, and let out a roar filled with venom. With that, he pushed off with his legs, still carrying Tuoba Hu, ready to leap off the cliff.

Seeing this, everyone's expressions changed drastically; they wanted to stop him but it was too late.

However, the moment Tuoba Long leaped off the cliff, something strange happened. Both he and Tuoba Hu's figures froze in mid-air, as if held by an invisible giant hand.

Everyone was stunned, but then they saw Gu Mo, who had appeared outside the settlement at some unknown point.

He stood with his hands behind his back, his expression calm, as if taking a leisurely stroll. He slowly extended a hand and gently pulled it back. In an instant, a dragon's roar echoed through the sky.

Tuoba Long and Tuoba Hu were uncontrollably yanked back, crashing heavily onto the ground and raising a cloud of dust.

"Who are you?"

Tuoba Long was terrified, his voice trembling slightly.

Gu Mo, however, ignored him. Instead, he walked with interest to Tuoba Hu's side. At this point, Tuoba Hu's chest was cut open and his internal organs displaced, yet he was still alive. Gu Mo placed a hand on Tuoba Hu, filled with doubt, and murmured to himself, "He's not dead from this, no blood... wait, there is..."

Tuoba Long suddenly exploded into an attack.

His thick arms swung with fierce power, and his cauldron-sized fists, enveloped in whistling wind, smashed towards Gu Mo with the force of a thunderclap. The speed of his punches was like lightning, their power as heavy as Mount Tai, and the air seemed to tear apart in their wake, producing a sharp howl.

Witnessing this, everyone's hearts leaped to their throats, and they couldn't help but worry for Gu Mo.

But Gu Mo remained calm. He unhurriedly raised his hand, and in an instant, powerful internal energy gathered in his palm. As a deafening dragon's roar erupted, a lifelike dragon-shaped energy blast surged forth, radiating dazzling light and charging towards Tuoba Long with an unstoppable momentum. In the blink of an eye, it struck Tuoba Long's head.

"Bang!" With a huge sound, Tuoba Long's head exploded like a watermelon, scattering shattered flesh and bone fragments.

His massive body lost its support, and like a kite with a broken string, he plummeted to the ground, raising a cloud of dust, utterly lifeless.

"Brother... I'll fight you to the death!"

Witnessing his brother's tragic death, Tuoba Hu was overcome with grief, letting out a heart-wrenching roar.

The roar was filled with despair and rage, like that of a wounded beast.

Despite his severe injuries, he struggled to his feet. His face rapidly withered before their eyes, his skin gradually turning bronze, hard and cold. Two long fangs protruded from the corners of his mouth, gleaming with a chilling light in the sunlight, and his entire being exuded an eerie and sinister aura.

In a frenzy, he dropped to all fours and charged at Gu Mo, snarling and clawing, as if intending to devour him alive.

"A zombie?"

Gu Mo's expression tightened slightly, a hint of doubt in his mind. He adopted the starting stance of the Dragon Subduing Eighteen Palms, his True Qi surging within him like a rushing tide. Then, with a loud shout, he unleashed a palm strike, "Seeing the Dragon in the Field!" This palm contained immense power, and the air itself seemed to ripple with a majestic aura.

"Boom!"

A thunderous crash shook the ground, as if the sky were falling and the earth rending. This incredibly powerful palm strike directly hit Tuoba Hu's head. Tuoba Hu had no time to defend himself; his head instantly shattered into four pieces, scattering limbs and fragments of flesh everywhere. His already deformed body then collapsed heavily, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Simultaneously,

A system notification sounded in Gu Mo's mind:

Eliminated three-star wanted criminals (2/2)Received three-star reward – Max-level Extinction Cross Blade Technique

Claim reward?

In an instant, a massive torrent of information surged into Gu Mo's mind like a rushing tide. He felt as if he was immersed in a world of blades and swords, with countless exquisite blade techniques flashing before his eyes. Each move, each stance, contained unique skill and power, secretly harboring unparalleled profound mysteries.

In that instant,

The Extinction Cross Blade Technique was fully mastered.

Gu Mo slowly knelt, extended a hand to Tuoba Hu's body, and channeled a stream of True Qi to examine him.

Although the two men's strength posed no threat to him, their invulnerability to weapons was distinctly different from ordinary horizontal training martial arts. Especially the transformation Tuoba Hu displayed at the last moment, which made Gu Mo sense a terrifying Yin energy and resentment, much like the legendary zombies.

After his True Qi circulated through Tuoba Hu's body, Gu Mo gained a general understanding.

It was an extremely sinister and cold martial art. It didn't follow the orthodox eight extraordinary meridians but directly discarded them, cultivating the physical body. Both Tuoba Hu and Tuoba Long no longer possessed the eight extraordinary meridians; their entire bodies, including their internal organs, had become cold and hardened like ice.

This was why the two were impervious to weapons and felt no pain.

They were like ice sculptures, completely devoid of sensation.

At this moment,

Gu Chudong, Yu Shijiu, and others hurried over.

"Brother," Gu Chudong quickly asked, "What's going on with these two?"

Gu Chudong had fought the Dragon-Tiger Duo herself, so she naturally noticed their abnormality.

"It's an extremely sinister and cold martial art..."

Gu Mo slowly rose and recounted what he had discovered.

After listening, Gu Chudong was full of surprise. "What kind of martial art is this, so strange? Techniques that don't use the eight extraordinary meridians are uncommon but not unheard of, but how can someone even make them disappear?"

Chen Xiuyuan, standing nearby, shook his head slightly. "I've never heard of it either."

Just then,

Yu Chifeng, the Broadsword Gate Master, was helped over and stated solemnly, "I do know of one technique that can make the eight extraordinary meridians disappear, but logically, this technique shouldn't still exist in the world."

Everyone looked towards Yu Chifeng.

Yu Chifeng walked over and cupped his hands towards Gu Mo, asking, "May I ask if you are the Great Hero of Yunzhou, Gu Mo, the Great Hero Gu?"

Gu Mo returned the salute, saying, "I am indeed Gu Mo."

Yu Chifeng quickly said, "It is indeed Great Hero Gu! Your reputation precedes you; it is a great honor to meet you today." With that, Yu Chifeng pointed at the bodies of Tuoba Long and Tuoba Hu and said, "Given the state of these two and the rapid advancement of their martial arts, I fear they were cultivating the very martial art I know of."

"What martial art?" Chen Xiuyuan asked.

"The Ice Soul Golden Body," Yu Chifeng replied. "Commonly known as the Zombie Art, it originated thirty years ago from the Flower Sect, the foremost sect in Mobei. The Flower Sect's original inherited martial art was called the Ice Soul Art, an orthodox Daoist ice cultivation technique, passed down in the Flower Sect for over a century.

"Fifty years ago, the Flower Sect produced a prodigiously talented sect master named He Changqing, who became the only person in the sect's century-long history to master the Ice Soul Art. He was also the only Grandmaster from Mobei in the last century to have been listed on the Heaven's Ranking.

"After that, he dedicated himself to figuring out how to improve the Ice Soul Art. Through his diligent research, he truly forged an unprecedented path. He modified the Ice Soul Art, abandoning the eight extraordinary meridians, and instead used the physical body as a vessel to cultivate True Qi, spreading it to every inch of his skin. This idea was audacious and imaginative, yet he actually succeeded, naming this martial art the Ice Soul Golden Body. Upon its mastery, it granted invulnerability to weapons, and rendered one immune to pain and death."

Chen Xiuyuan asked, "But why haven't I heard of it? If it was so successful, why was the Flower Sect destroyed?"

Yu Chifeng sighed. "The Ice Soul Golden Body is very powerful, but it has a flaw: it's excessively Yin and cold. As the saying goes, 'solitary Yin does not generate, solitary Yang does not grow.' When the Yin cold reaches its extreme, it eventually becomes unbearable and requires balance. What can balance the Ice Soul Golden Body is blood—it must be the blood of living people.

"Back then, countless people were drained of their blood by the Flower Sect master. That's why the Ice Soul Golden Body was also known as the Zombie Art!"