Chapter 1, Interdependence.

Powerful energy collided and rushed upwards, instantly blasting the roof tiles off and creating a large hole.

In an abandoned manor overgrown with weeds to the east of Yangzhou City, most of the buildings have long been dilapidated due to years of neglect. They have been weathered by wind and rain, eroded by ants and insects, and have collapsed and fallen into ruins. Only a small stone house remains, standing alone in a corner, with a patched roof covered by wooden boards, barely suitable for shelter.

The day before yesterday, just after the hottest days of summer, the weather was scorching hot. However, Yuwen Huaji made a move, and the air in the hall immediately became extremely cold. If it weren't for Shilong's pure internal strength, I'm afraid my teeth would be chattering.

Since the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, one of the characteristics is the development of powerful clans by generations of prominent families, known as "gaomen" or "menfa", which are distinct from the common people and their clans.

Jiao Xie spent most of his life in the martial world, with extremely experienced skills. He could tell from the opponent's sword-drawing posture alone if he had encountered the most terrifying swordsman he had ever met in his life. Without daring to be presumptuous, he would shout loudly, step back and draw his own sword, while at the same time giving orders for his subordinates to appear and surround the enemy.

Xu Ziling bitterly smiled and said, "He's just a big talker, but he can beat us to the point where we can't get up. How can he have the virtue, ability, and talent to be a great general?"

Yuwen Hua snorted coldly and muttered the name "Shilong" under his breath, causing the blood in his body to boil instantly.

Yuwen Huaji and Jiabuzhandi circled a small circle without touching the ground, then accelerated suddenly. They even chased and struck the back wall of Shilong like lightning, and took a virtual shot in mid-air.

The Yuwen family considers Yuwen Shang, the head of the family, to have the most renowned reputation. Below him are the four top experts, among whom Yuwen Hua, who became the commander of the Sui Yang Emperor's Imperial Guards, is particularly well-known among the martial arts community. It is said that he is the first person to successfully cultivate the family's secret technique, "Ice Profound Force," after Yuwen Shang. Surprisingly, he looks so young that he appears to be no more than thirty years old.

Kou Zhong sighed and said, "Actually, the amount of silver owed is not that important. What's most frustrating is that Peng Xiaocai is so useless that he was captured by the soldiers after just two or three moves."

Xu Ziling doubted, "Didn't you say before that the most powerful one was Peng Xiaocai, and then it was the turn of Yang Gongqing, who once raided the Yang Guang army? Why suddenly bring up Li Zitong? What about the others you mentioned, like Li Hongzhi, Hu Liu Miao, Wang Deren, and so on? What roles do they play?"

With a roar, Shilong spewed out a jet of blood, which shot towards the chest of Yuwen Huaji like an arrow. At the same time, he arched his back and took a hit from Yuwen Huaji's Ice Profound Force.

Yuwen Huaji is calm and composed, throwing himself to the ground, his ears pressed against the ground, the sound of the raging stone dragon in the underground passage immediately enters his ears without missing a single detail.

In the Sui Dynasty, Emperor Yang Jian unified the country, and the monopolistic situation of the aristocracy was slightly broken only with the use of the imperial examination system.

Air-powered collision, forming a vortex, stirring up everything around the stone dragon, nearby furniture tables and chairs, swept up like fallen leaves, tumbling in all directions, leaving only the stone dragon and a chair in the end, sitting alone in the center of the hall.

Yuwen Hua looked up and gazed at the large crossbeam in the middle of the hall. He sighed and said, "Brother Shi, not only are you ignorant and uncooperative, but you are also stubborn and unyielding. However, considering that you have gained fame not easily, I, Yuwen Hua, will allow you to gather your strength and make a full-force attack. Brother Shi, you will surely meet your demise."

The five masts are filled with stretched canvas sails, and the fleet speeds towards Jiangdu, downstream of the canal, as fast as galloping horses.

Xu Zilin frowned and said, "I am so badly injured now. Can we skip the early morning class taught by Mr. Bai, which is so boring that it makes people feel suffocated?"

Behind his back, Yuwen Huaji walked into the hall as if taking a stroll. He first glanced around before finally settling his gaze on the steadfast face of Shi Long. He sighed and said, "It's all because of Brother Shi's hard work. You have obtained the coveted Yan Sheng Scripture that every cultivator envies, yet you did not offer it to the emperor. This has made him unhappy. As someone who receives a salary from the government, all I can do is run errands and see if Brother Shi has become a knowledgeable and tactful person."

After staring blankly for a while, Jiaoxie finally came to his senses and was about to speak when a voice, even more beautiful than a fairy's, came out from the woman's cherry lips, saying, "You finally came."

Yuwen Hua's mouth curled up with a hint of profound and inscrutable smile, and he said lightly, "The Emperor's obsession with the Taoist alchemy of immortality is truly laughable. If such a miraculous technique truly existed, there would have long been immortal beings. Yet, when we look at the ancient sages of Taoism, who among them has not faced death? If it weren't for this book being woven with mysterious golden threads, impervious to water and fire, we could simply find someone to fake another book and easily deceive others."

When Jiao Xie regained consciousness, only four of his men were still struggling to support him, and he couldn't help but feel a surge of hot blood and rushed over.

At this moment, before dawn, under the illumination of the lights on five huge ships, the stars and moon in the sky pale in comparison, as if indicating the rise of the Yuwen clan, causing the southern aristocracy to lose its former glory.

But at this moment, there is no time to think too much. When experts compete, victory or defeat hangs by a thread. Although he is confident in defeating Shilong, if he loses the initiative, it will still be very difficult to turn the situation around, and there is even a risk of losing and dying.

The sword aura is flourishing, entangled with Jiaoxie's life-taking blade.

A sense of unparalleled absurdity surged in Shi Long's heart.

At the same time, the chair he was sitting on shattered into pieces and fell to the ground, indicating that during their confrontation just now, Shi Long had suffered a great loss and was unable to withstand Yu Wenhuaji's Ice Profound Force, which also affected the chair.

A swirling force swept around the body of the stone dragon, attacking his back with such precision that it left people in awe.

Shilong still sits on the chair, his clothes bulging all over.

At this time, Jiao Xie arrived at a dense forest in the northern outskirts of the city with his attendants, dismounted, displayed his body skills, passed through the woods, and climbed a small hill, just in time to overlook a dilapidated temple below.

While speaking, he simultaneously gathers all his body's internal energy. Instantly, his ears pick up every subtle sound within a radius of ten zhang, not even the sound of insects or ants can escape his notice.

Kou Zhong, who is older, is seventeen years old this year, while the younger one, named Xu Ziling, has just turned sixteen.

The last henchman fell to the ground.

When !

However, Jiaoxie's mind was tightly attached to the ancient jade with the words "Long live" engraved on it in his arms.

Shilong heard the threatening tone in his voice, knowing that what he said was not false, and finally his expression changed slightly.

The stone dragon's back hit the back wall, and a trapdoor immediately flipped him inside.

At that moment of slight distraction, Yuwen Huaji immediately made a move and punched across the air.

Regardless of where the injury is, the one struck by the sword will meet their demise. The sword's qi shatters the five viscera, leading to death.

Shilong is a well-known figure in the martial arts world. At this moment, he made up his mind and decided that he would rather die than let the treasure book fall into the hands of Yang Guang. Otherwise, with the talented individuals under Yang Guang, they might be able to decipher all the oracle bone inscriptions in the book, grasp the secret of immortality, and become an eternal tyrant. In that case, Shilong would be unforgivable even if he died a thousand deaths.

After Yuwen Huaji looked at Shilong for a while, he exclaimed, "If Brother Shi can destroy the precious book, then it must not be Guang Chengzi's 'The Art of Longevity'. Even if it is destroyed, it is not a big deal. However, Brother Shi's attitude is harmful to the students in this Taoist temple. It may even harm their parents and children. Both Taoism and Buddhism emphasize accumulating virtue and doing good deeds. Brother Shi seems to be violating this principle!"

Such a confrontation resulted in a major loss. Jiao Xie tasted it for the first time, revealing the dominance of the sword energy of the woman in white.

Shilong's old face brushed a hint of red glow, then quickly disappeared.

The powerful and influential Four Great Clans, known throughout the rivers and lakes, namely the Yuwen clan, the Li clan, the Dugu clan, and the Song clan, still retain their momentum and have not yet dissipated. They wield significant influence in politics, economy, and even the martial arts world.

The only difficult part to understand is, if the pawnbroker gains access to the treasure vault, they can pawn other items, so why is it specifically this piece of jade, which can easily reveal the secret of the treasure vault?

In the darkness of the room, a moan was heard, followed by the sound of the body turning and rubbing.

If we talk about scale and prestige, then the first recommendation is the Shilong Martial Arts Arena founded by Shilong, the top master of Yangzhou's "Tuishan Hand".

Zhang Shihe smiled and said, "Your Majesty has been investigating for more than ten years, only to find out that this book fell into the hands of the acclaimed 'Pushing Mountain Master' Shilong. It's ridiculous that Shilong hoped to get the book and didn't die, but ended up perishing because of it. It's truly ironic."

The clash of blades.

Amidst her charming laughter, the woman spun around and not only avoided the broken handle of the sword that had been shot at her, but also threw her long sword out of her hand.

Shilong suddenly flew up from his seat, gliding through a distance of several meters without touching the ground. In the blink of an eye, he arrived in front of Yuwen Huaji, pushing his palms forward with a burst of powerful energy that surged towards his opponent like a tidal wave.

Yuwen Huaji couldn't have expected that Shilong would have such a self-destructive trick. He quickly stopped his figure, leaned back, and narrowly avoided the blood arrow by a hair's breadth.