Infernal Artist

The wind was howling and the rain was pouring.

Lightning flashed through the night, illuminating the muddy and slippery path on the mountain trail.

A group of people were riding horses, galloping through the storm,

suddenly.

Someone shouted: "Master, there is a temple in front of you!"

"Go and take shelter from the rain."

"yes!"

The team sped up and marched to the temple in one go.

An elder smiled and said: "I remember that here, there is only this temple within a radius of 500 miles. If we go further, we will climb over two mountains and cross the Siqing River, and we will be close to the capital."

"Let's take a rest here tonight." The leader said.

Everyone was overjoyed.

After trekking hard all day, we encountered a heavy rain. I wanted to find a dry and comfortable place to eat and sleep immediately.

The horses were tied up and everyone entered the temple with torches.

I saw that although the temple was slightly deserted and covered with a thick layer of dust, it was isolated from the wind and rain and had a peaceful atmosphere.

All the utensils in the temple have long been broken, but only the statue of the god enshrined in the center of the hall is still intact.

It was a statue of a crimson god with its eyes closed, holding a wooden staff in both hands, and the wooden staff was surrounded by firelight.

Liu Ping glanced at the image and asked with a smile: "Master, what kind of god is this?"

"Vulcan Zhurong." The leader replied casually.

"Oh, the way the statues are made is so lifelike." Liu Ping admired.

In front of his eyes, two lines of burning small characters appeared quickly:

"Evil things: silent gnawers."

"The strength of a real evil creature is by no means comparable to that of a parasite. It can mimic any object and disguise itself for hunting at any time. It is extremely difficult to detect."

Liu Ping fell into thinking.

——You have to think of a way to make this monster show its flaws.

But you can't reveal that you saw through it yourself.

"What you see and hear" is so useful. If the monsters find out about it and avoid you in the future, how can you complete the mission of destroying fire?

To put it another way.

If everyone around him knows that he can identify monsters, then his only fate is——

Be a tool man.

Liu Ping thought about it silently.

After entering the temple, all the disciples were busy packing their luggage and lighting fires to cook food.

The two guardian elders took several people with them and walked around the temple to check the surrounding situation.

——No one noticed that something was wrong with the statue.

Liu Ping was a little anxious.

If a monster suddenly breaks out and attacks us, we don't know how many people will die.

At this moment, I saw the master walking to the temple gate alone, looking at the wind and rain outside, and suddenly called: "Liu Ping."

"The disciple is here." Liu Ping came back to his senses and stepped forward.

"You are my direct disciple - you are here in the capital. Whether you are willing or not, you represent the face of our sect. I have a worry as my master, and I must tell you in advance." The leader said.

"Master, tell me," Liu Ping said.

"We martial arts practitioners must learn from each other when we meet. This is something that all sects agree on. Do you know this?"

"Know."

The leader looked at him and said: "After arriving in the capital, outstanding disciples from other sects will definitely compete with you in martial arts. I hope you will not be discouraged."

Liu Pingqi said: "Master, we haven't even met each other yet, how do you know that I can't beat others?"

The leader said: "You have only been here for a short time and lack experience in fighting with others."

Liu Ping was stunned.

The leader sighed: "Most of the cultists who besieged the city last time were ignorant villagers and refugees. They didn't know skills and strength in the first place. They only killed civilians because they obtained the power of monsters. It's not surprising that you can defeat them, but - —”

"As long as the disciples from various sects can be sent to the capital, they are all the best in a hundred and have rich combat experience. However, you have only been introduced for a short period of time, less than half a month."

"Your various fighting skills have not been honed over time... If you really can't win, forget it."

Liu Ping cupped his fists and said, "Yes, I will follow Master's teachings."

At this time, there was another sound of horse hooves outside the temple gate.

An elder had already led people to greet him and shouted: "Who is coming!"

A voice floated from the wind and rain:

"Moshan Sect, Zhao Zixiao is here!"

The leader's expression changed and he spoke loudly: "It turns out to be Sect Leader Zhao of the Demon Mountain Sect. Please come in and take shelter from the rain."

Soon.

Another group of people entered Zhurong Temple.

At the head, a skinny old man came over with a big smile, clasped his fists and said, "Headmaster Li of Bailingguan, we haven't seen each other for a long time."

The leader cupped his fists and said, "Since Chengzhou was massacred by the cult and the roads were cut off, we haven't seen each other for a long time."

Sect Leader Zhao pulled a young man from behind and said, "You haven't seen the leader of Bailingguan yet?"

The young man cupped his fists and said, "Chief Disciple of the Magic Mountain Sect, Zhang Pinghe has met Master Li."

The leader glanced at Liu Ping.

Liu Ping also came forward to see Li and reported his name.

Sect Master Zhao looked at him and said with a smile: "The Spirit Summoning Sword technique is as difficult as the sea. It has been difficult for anyone to master even one move for decades. Have you finally found a successor this time?"

Difficult to practice?

Liu Ping looked at the leader in confusion, and saw his face twitching, and he said calmly: "I have been too lazy to accept disciples, and only recently did I have the idea - no more gossip, we haven't seen each other for decades, I don't know how good your skills are. If we haven’t made any progress, have we tried our best?”

"Hahaha, okay!" Sect Leader Zhao happily agreed.

"slow!"

I saw several elders from both factions speaking out at the same time.

An elder of the Magic Mountain Sect cupped his hands and said: "The wind is blowing hard and the rain is heavy. If the two masters fight here, the temple will be demolished and everyone will have no place to take shelter from the rain."

An elder of Bailingguan clasped his fists and said, "It's located in a remote place and there's a risk of being surrounded by evil spirits. If the two of you want to fight, why don't you wait until we get to the capital?"

The two heads looked at each other, feeling helpless.

This is the truth.

"How about you and my direct disciples compete first?" Sect Master Zhao suggested.

The leader glanced at Liu Ping with some worry in his eyes.

Liu Ping cupped his fists and said, "Master, I have just learned swordsmanship not long ago, and I still have trouble controlling some moves -"

The leader nodded and was about to refuse on his behalf, but heard him continue: "It's just a good opportunity to hone your skills."

Zhang Pinghe, the great disciple of the Demon Mountain Sect opposite, smiled and said, "Why not? I am seven or eight years older than you, so I will let you make the first move."

"Thank you for taking care of me!" Liu Ping said, cupping his fists.

An open space quickly opened up in the center of the hall.

All the elders and disciples put down what they were doing and gathered around to watch.

This kind of discussion is just like the discussion among scholars, it is a practice that confirms martial arts.

Fighting can promote people's growth and progress, and it can also promote the prestige of the sect and establish a name for oneself. It has always been the usual way of communication among various sects.

Liu Ping was the first to leave, cupping his fists and saying, "Senior Brother Zhang, please."

Zhang Pinghe said: "Please."

The place was completely quiet for a moment.

Liu Ping stepped forward and punched directly towards Zhang Pinghe's door.

Zhang Pinghe's figure flashed and he was behind Liu Ping, grabbing his back like claws and hooks with his hands.

Liu Ping didn't look back, and struck out with a flaming slash, colliding with Zhang Pinghe's claws.

Fire exploded.

The two of them each took a step back, then each stepped forward, and exchanged thirty moves in a row.

Liu Ping would sometimes throw punches, and sometimes switch to using his sword, attacking directly like a storm, leaving almost no room.

"Snapped!"

A crisp sound.

Liu Ping was beaten out by Zhang Pinghe.

"Junior brother Liu is good at boxing, but he really can't hold back his hands between moves." Zhang Pinghe stood on the spot and commented.

Sect Leader Zhao frowned and asked, "Master Li, why do you, your disciple, insist on attacking with force?"

"It takes fifteen days to get started." Head Li said calmly.

Sect Leader Zhao said "Oh" and relaxed his brows.

——It turns out that I have only just started, so I can’t hold back in combat, which is reasonable.

"It seems that this competition has helped your disciple improve." Sect Master Zhao said.

"I hope so." Head Li was noncommittal.

These words were naturally heard clearly by everyone around him.

For a moment, the disciples of the Magic Mountain Sect lost interest, feeling that this observation was about to turn into one-sided instruction.

In the field.

Liu Ping took a step back, took out his sword from his waist, and said with a smile: "Senior Brother Zhang, I want to use the sword."

Zhang Pinghe saw that he was careful in what he said, so he asked: "Is it the spirit-summoning sword technique?"

"Yes." Liu Ping said.

Zhang Pinghe became serious, took out a long sword and said, "Come on."

"Okay." Liu Ping said.

The next moment——

An astonishing killing intent came out of Liu Ping, so much so that Zhang Pinghe, who was standing opposite him, trembled in his heart.

The knife moved.

The knife moves with everyone.

Liu Ping's speed was several times faster than before, and he somehow got close enough to slash Zhang Pinghe head-on.

This knife was ordinary, but it seemed to seal off all possibilities.

There is only this knife in the world.

Why could such a sword technique be cut in the hands of a boy of fifteen or sixteen years old!

I saw boundless flames appearing from the void, surging and clinging to the long sword, condensing into a unicorn beast that soared into the sky.

Zhang Pinghe's mind went blank.

——Can’t escape.

He was going to die, he was going to die under this knife.

A loud shout sounded:

"retreat!"

I saw Sect Leader Zhao grabbing Zhang Pinghe from the air and immediately snatching him out from under the blade.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

The strike of this sword was really terrifying, and it was almost impossible to dodge.

What's even more frightening is that the fire element seems to be going crazy, using all its strength to form the several-meter-high unicorn, as if it wants to kill everyone present.

"Liu Ping put away his sword!" Leader Li shouted.

Liu Ping's face was covered with beads of sweat, and he shouted desperately: "Master, I can't help it-"

Cut it out with one knife.

Soul-summoning sword technique, Qilin Slash!

This sword gathered Liu Ping's full strength and the full strength of the "initial ignition" of the Law of Fire.

But he saw the flaming Kirin flying out from the knife and rushing straight towards the statue in the center of the temple.

The statue suddenly moved.