As the clash between the Western Holy Mother and the Venerable Wutian over Master Liaoyin stirred chaos across the martial world, the two fought fiercely while the heroes gathered around stood helplessly by. Just then, a thunderous voice suddenly rang out:
"Stop!"
The voice boomed like a great bell, shaking the entire arena. Upon hearing it, both the Western Holy Mother and Venerable Wutian immediately ceased fighting and turned toward the source of the sound.
In the next instant, an old man leapt into the center of the arena.
After landing, he glanced coldly at the two combatants. He appeared to be around seventy years old, with a lean but sturdy frame and the weathered face of a seasoned wanderer of the jianghu. His sharp eyes gleamed with piercing intensity as they swept over the pair. Raising his sword-like brows, he let out a cold sneer.
"You two truly have no shame. Do you even know whose ground this is? How dare you cause trouble here? Do you really think no one in this gathering can keep you in line?"
The old man's voice was powerful and resonant, his stature broad and imposing. The crowd was astonished. Though he looked like nothing more than a ragged old wanderer, his courage was extraordinary. With glaring eyes and fierce authority, he openly rebuked the two supreme experts before everyone.
The Western Holy Mother narrowed her eyes and said coldly, "Who are you? Since when are the affairs of the jianghu yours to meddle in?"
Venerable Wutian pressed his palms together and declared, "This poor monk bears the Dharma name Wutian. Today I act on behalf of Heaven itself, to rid the martial world of evil!"
The old man replied in a deep voice, "Let me speak plainly. This is no place for the two of you to linger. There are proper matters yet to be conducted at this assembly. You would do well to leave at once."
The old man had stepped forward boldly to stop them and publicly reprimanded both masters. His interference immediately ignited the Western Holy Mother's anger.
"My actions are none of your concern!" she snapped.
At that moment, all eyes in the arena were fixed upon them. Though Venerable Wutian sensed this old man was no ordinary figure, he could not allow himself to lose face before the crowd.
"For the sake of justice in the martial world, this poor monk acts today," he said coldly. "And what reason do you have? You meddle far too much."
The old man raised his brows and burst into loud laughter.
"Ha ha ha! With such petty tricks, you dare act so arrogantly before me? You disrupt this assembly and refuse my good advice. Truly outrageous! Since you are both so conceited and blind to your own insignificance, then I have no choice but to reveal a few skills myself. Come—both of you together!"
The heroes present were stunned. It was one thing that the Western Holy Mother and Venerable Wutian refused to heed the warning, but another entirely that they encountered someone even more arrogant than themselves. The old man actually demanded the two greatest experts fight him at once, utterly disregarding them.
Whispers spread rapidly through the crowd as everyone wondered what supreme master had arrived.
Hearing those words, even the Western Holy Mother felt a chill in her heart. Never in her life had she met such a strange figure—someone daring enough to challenge the two foremost masters of the age alone. Hesitating briefly, she glanced sideways at Venerable Wutian and mocked:
"Monk, your Buddhist power shakes the heavens. Why not display your supreme arts first against this old man?"
But Venerable Wutian was no fool. If this elder lacked true ability, how would he dare speak with such confidence? Immediately he sneered in return.
"Demoness, your peerless martial arts dominate the world. In my view, this old man should be left to you instead."
At the edge of the arena, Li Jian and Tan Wei exchanged amused smiles. Since the matter did not concern them, they merely watched the spectacle unfold. Li Jian secretly thought to himself:
"A moment ago, those two were acting so arrogantly before the old man. Yet now that he truly intends to fight them, they suddenly shrink back like cowards!"
The Western Holy Mother and Venerable Wutian, who moments earlier had been overbearing and haughty, now treated the old man with great caution. Faced with looming danger, the two unexpectedly began flattering one another, each urging the other to make the first move.
The sudden reversal left the assembled heroes dumbfounded, and only deepened their curiosity regarding the old man's true identity.
The elder suddenly shouted:
"I care not whether you are a demoness or an evil monk. Attack together! Otherwise, the two of you shall kneel before all these heroes and beg my forgiveness!"
The entire arena gasped in shock.
In the jianghu, reputation meant everything. As the saying goes: "Never strike a man's face, and never expose another's shame." Pride and honor could lead men to friendship—or to death. Thus, those who wandered the martial world usually spared others humiliation whenever possible.
Yet the Western Holy Mother and Venerable Wutian had insulted the old man first. Their reckless arrogance had offended him deeply. How could they now blame him for denying them face before the crowd?
To kneel publicly and apologize was utterly impossible for men of their stature.
Cornered with no retreat left, the two could only risk battle. Their immense pride forced them onto a desperate path—they hoped that with swift and overwhelming attacks, they might quickly subdue the old man.
The Western Holy Mother turned toward Venerable Wutian.
"At this point, we strike together!"
The monk nodded immediately. No further words were needed.
The old man's expression turned fierce as he growled:
"You dared act so arrogantly before me. Very well—show me your skills! Attack!"
No sooner had he spoken than the Western Holy Mother shot forward like an arrow released from a bowstring, rushing straight toward him with astonishing speed.
At the same moment, Venerable Wutian also moved. With a sudden blur, he lunged forward and unleashed the full force of his martial arts, both palms swirling like a violent storm as they struck toward the old man's chest.
Sun Tzu once said:
"In battle, engage with the orthodox and achieve victory through the unexpected. Thus those skilled in surprise attacks are as inexhaustible as Heaven and Earth, endless as the flow of rivers."
The two masters launched sudden and extraordinary attacks, yet the old man's reactions were unbelievably swift.
He pivoted backward and to the side, evading their assaults with uncanny agility. Facing the combined offensive of the two great experts, his movements resembled those of a ghost or phantom—fast as wind, swift as lightning.
In a flash, he redirected the Western Holy Mother's incoming palm strike with a slanting motion. His left hand hooked outward while his right palm shot forward.
Seeing the ferocity of the attack, the Western Holy Mother dared not meet it head-on. She twisted aside and narrowly evaded.
At that instant, Venerable Wutian seized the opportunity and struck at the old man from behind. The elder spun around with lightning speed and retaliated with a palm strike of his own, clearly intending to clash directly in internal force.
Knowing he could not withstand the blow, Venerable Wutian quickly retreated.
The two masters had launched a sudden assault, yet instead of overwhelming the old man, they only awakened his ferocious fighting spirit.
The elder raised his brows and burst into wild laughter.
"With such trifling skills, you still dare speak so arrogantly before me?!"