Death Sutra

Chapter 944: God of Valley

Translator: Henyee Translations  Editor: Henyee Translations

The troops of the Dragon Army had never had to kowtow before the Dragon King. Even when a soldier wanted to kneel to show his respect, he merely knelt on one knee. This was a rule that had been brought to the Dragon Army by the swordsmen of the Big Snow Mountain. In most cases, even these most loyal of soldiers merely nodded at the Dragon King to pay their respects when they saw him.

As a result, what the Dragon King was requesting the Central Plainsmen to do seemed unusual.

Most of the Central Plainsmen were unfamiliar with the Dragon King’s rules. They didn’t kneel and just stood there because they had no idea who their superior was. Though all of them were merely following the orders of the Imperial Court of the Central Plains, there was nobody suitable for representing the Central Plains both in and outside of Jade City.

With a big smile on his face, Old Man Mu said to Tu Pianpian, “Younger sister Pianpian, don’t the Central Plainsmen set great store by right titles and proper words? King An is now your king. He is kneeling but you’re standing, which seems a little… Heh-heh.”

Of course Tu Pianpian knew that the others would follow her lead, and that only after the Dragon King managed to subject these Central Plainsmen to his command would he be in a more favorable position to fight back against Luo Qikang and protect her younger brother. However, she was a proud woman, and it was too difficult for her to kowtow to a member of a savage nation in front of so many people. No matter how hard Fan Yongda tried to signal her, she still refused to bend her knees. Instead, she strode up to King An and dragged him to his feet.

King An was perplexed. Supported by the hand of the old woman, he was unable to kneel even if his body became as limp as dough.

“When a king is in trouble, his subjects should offer help. Both of you are kings of the Western Regions. Why should King An kneel in front of the Dragon King? He’s discontent-”

“I’m content, very content,” King An hurriedly interjected.

Tu Pianpian ignored him and continued to say, “Under these circumstance, we’re supposed to help him deal with the troubles. Dragon King, if you want us to yield to you alongside King An, then you’ll have to show your real strength to convince us first.”

Dog Butcher wanted to speak but Old Man Mu beat him to it. “What kind of real strength do you want to see? The Dragon King has hundreds of thousands of troops, large groups of kung fu experts, gold and silver as heavy as a mountain, precious horses-”

“We’re just a bunch of Jianghu kung fu practitioners. Naturally, we don’t care about those things. I know the Dragon King has always been proud of his kung fu. Just show us a couple of moves.”

Luo Qikang had always wanted to force the Dragon King to have a kung fu competition with him. But he had never expected that Tu Pianpian, who was diametrically opposed to him, would do this for him. And he hadn’t even spoke up yet; he stepped aside and watched on with a cold look in his eyes.

Old Man Mu burst into laughter. “You want to have a kung fu competition with the Dragon King? Fine. But you’ll have to go through me first. Who’s my first opponent?”

Tu Pianpian didn’t even look at Old Man Mu. She directly said to the Dragon King, “The Dragon King has fought many battles in various countries, from the Western Regions to the Norland, defeated hundreds of thousands of enemies on the battleground, and never encountered anyone whose kung fu is better than your own. As foreigners, we’ve heard of these deeds but never witnessed any of them with our own eyes. Are you willing to have a kung fu competition with us?”

Tu Pianpian was speaking on behalf of over a hundred Central Plainsmen, so she didn’t mention that she had once had a kung fu competition with the Dragon King. But her tone did become much more respectful.

Gu Shenwei also didn’t mention that the Kongtong Sect was one of his defeated enemies, uttering only one word. “Okay.”

Tu Pianpian’s eyes swept around. First, she handed the trembling King An to one of the disciples of her sect, and then loudly said, “If I may be so bold, I volunteer to fight the first round. Any objections?”

Tu Pianpian had a high status and had always been the leader of the camp, so naturally, nobody raised any objections. However, hardly anybody believed that she was a match for the Dragon King. So, someone who wanted to fawn on the Luo Village stepped forward and said, “The Kongtong Sect’s Aunt Master Tu fighting the first round is the best, but I think that one round won’t be enough. Thus, I recommend that ‘The Swordsman of Anticipation,’ Swordmaster Luo, be the second contestant.”

A lot of Central Plainsmen expressed their support towards this suggestion. Tu Pianpian also didn’t oppose it.

Old Man Mu snorted and asked that person, “Are you going to be the third one?”

That man drew back to his original position. “A third round will not necessary. Two rounds will be enough. Aunt Master Tu and Swordmaster Luo are the Central Plains’… are the best kung fu practitioners at King An’s command. If they lose, then we others will naturally be convinced and kneel down to pledge allegiance together with King An.”

Old Man Mu raised his head and looked at the Dragon King, not knowing what else to say. As far as he knew, the Dragon King was not ready to fight Luo Qikang yet; however, he would lose face if he refused to fight.

‘The Dragon King should have brought more men here,’ Old Man Mu thought. He and Dog Butcher might be able to handle Tu Pianpian, but they were no match for the “White Camel” even if they joined hands, not to mention this “Black Camel” in front of them.

Gu Shenwei dismounted from his horse, put his hands on the saber hilt, and said to Tu Pianpian, “Please.”

Dog Butcher was just about to remind her senior sister that she was by no means a match for the Dragon King when Tu Pianpian spoke up. She had seen the Dragon King’s sabersmanship and palm techniques back when they were in the grasslands. Why would she make the same mistake here? “Wait a moment. This time, we’re having a kung fu competition that doesn’t involve any sect reputation or hatred between countries. Thus, there’s no need for us to fight to the death. Do you agree, Dragon King?”

Old Man Mu secretly nodded, thinking that this old woman was not stupid after all, and that although she looked irascible and impulsive, she was actually rather devious. He felt that he had underestimated her.

“Sure.” Gu Shenwei also found Tu Pianpian fairly admirable. She was unwilling to yield to the Dragon King in front of so many Central Plainsmen, but she also didn’t want to offend him. Thus, she had volunteered to be the first one to fight but imposed many restrictions on this kung fu competition. Her last remark about “hatred between countries” was actually a restraint on Luo Qikang who was going to fight in the next round.

The Central Plainsmen present had no idea what this elder was thinking. They merely expressed their approval in unison. Supported by a disciple of the Kongtong Sect, King An did the same thing with the others, but his eyes darted back and forth. He was sizing up his “subordinates,” thinking that if only the An Kingdom had had a group of kung fu experts like these people at its command, and that these people were more powerful than an army. If that were the case, then he wouldn’t have to worry about his safety day and night.

Tu Pianpian’s crutch sank into the frozen ground. “Well then. Let’s put our weapons aside and compete in terms of internal energy. If any of us feel that the opponent is stronger, just say ‘I admit defeat’ or nod. The other side must withdraw their internal energy immediately.”

Old Man Mu and the Dragon King felt that Tu Pianpian had just made a gesture of goodwill when she proposed this method of competition. The Dragon King’s forte was sabersmanship, and his fist technique and footwork were just average. With regards to his internal energy, though he had both the Daoless Divine Power and the Sumeru Mustard Divine Power, he had only practiced them for a short time. Thus, his internal energy was definitely not as powerful as Tu Pianpian’s since she had been practicing for decades.

This time, even Luo Qikang felt that this old woman was admirable, so he naturally didn’t raise any objections.

Old Man Mu looked at the Dragon King again. As long as the Dragon King gave him a wink, he would immediately make up a bunch of excuses to help the Dragon King out of this unfavorable situation. However, what the Dragon King gave him was the Five Peaks Saber.

“Okay. We will compete only in terms of internal energy,” said Gu Shenwei.

Dog Butcher walked forward and was just about to remind the Dragon King when he saw that his Senior Sister was severely eyeing him, so he drew back.

Not all of the Central Plainsmen thought that it was a good idea to compete with the Dragon King on internal energy. A sabersman hurriedly walked up behind Tu Pianpian, bent over, and reminded her in a low voice, “Be careful, Aunt Master Tu. Don’t underestimate the Dragon King’s internal energy. Not only does he have an evil Qi that can damage people’s heart meridians, but he also has Ying and Yang Qi that can take turns to attack his opponent.”

Tu Pianpian gave a glance at him and recognized that person. He was a disciple of the Jade Pure Sect of the Central Plains. She recalled the rumors that said that the five elders of the Jade Pure Sect had suffered a lot during the fight with the Dragon King, so she nodded. “I know.”

Gu Shenwei didn’t know that person, but upon hearing his words, he realized that that man must be very close to the five elders of the Jade Pure Sect. That person didn’t know that currently, the Dragon King had only his Ying and Yang Qi, and that the frosty Qi had been expelled for good. The Dragon King had freed himself from the risk of Qi deviation but also lost a potent weapon.

Tu Pianpian took five steps forward and cupped her hands before her chest. Though she was a woman of high status, she didn’t capitalize on being advanced in age, which could be counted as a change in her attitude after several meetings with the Dragon King.

Gu Shenwei also cupped his hands before his chest as a gesture of politeness, and then opened his right arm, allowing his opponent to make the first move.

“The God of the Valley is immortal, who is the Creator of all. The way the Creator forms creation is the foundation of the sky and the earth. The Creator is an ethereal existence who has inexhaustible energy.” As an elder of a famous sect of the Central Plains, Tu Pianpian’s reputation was well-earned. Before the fight began, she recited a short passage of the Tao Te Ching, and then said in a normal tone, “Ready yourself for my Valley God Palm Technique, Dragon King.”

Old Man Mu was just about to sneer and remind her that this was an internal energy contest, not a palm technique contest when Tu Pianpian suddenly threw a palm strike. Her arm was positioned slightly above a horizontal position. Clearly, she wanted to compete with the opponent in terms of internal energy. Old Man Mu choked his words back.

Tu Pianpian was short, so her palm strike was aimed at the Dragon King’s lower abdomen. Gu Shenwei moved his left leg backwards and bent his right knee, lowering his body into a bow stance before stretching his right palm out to fight back.

Internal energy competitions were usually boring, since nobody was able to see the covert changes of Qi in people’s bodies, but this one between the Dragon King and Tu Pianpian was slightly different. Their palms didn’t stay still the entire time. Every four or five breaths, they would both withdraw their palms, draw back, make a few diagonal steps, and then throw the next palm strike. The Dragon King’s attacks were aggressive while Tu Pianpian’s moves were slow and gentle, as if she were afraid that she might hurt the opponent.

On the snowy ground at the entrance of the camp, over a hundred people were patiently waiting for the result. What Old Man Mu knew about the situation of this competition was no more than what King An knew, but he didn’t have much patience. Carrying the Dragon King’s Five Peaks Saber, he said to Dog Butcher who was beside him, “I think that the secret of this Valley God Palm Technique lies in the words ‘ethereal existence,’ right?”

Among all the spectators, Dog Butcher was the only one who was watching with a solemn look. Without blinking, he casually answered, “You’re right, but also not right.”

“Ha. Cut the sh*t. It’s from the Tao Te Ching. Who hasn’t read it? With regards to prowess in this aspect, the members of the Kongtong Sect are no match for the members of the Jade Pure Sect.”

There were several disciples of the Jade Pure Sect among those Central Plainsmen. Upon hearing this, they hurriedly shook their heads and waved their hands, indicating that the short, old man on the opposite side was by no means a member of their sect.

Dog Butcher perfunctorily gave an “Um” sound. After watching for a while, he said, “Valley means vacancy. This kung fu absorbs energy before using it. Therefore, this palm technique appears vulnerable as it uses defensive moves as offensive ones. No matter how powerful the opponent’s internal energy is, it will be dissolved like a rock falling into a deep valley. The more internal energy the opponent mobilizes, the quicker his strength will be depleted. ‘Ethereal existence’ means that the valley can hold a lot of internal energy, so sooner or later, the opponent will be exhausted. The Dragon King is using his aggressive internal energy to hit her soft Qi. I’m afraid that this is not the best solution.”

Dog Butcher’s explanation was more interesting than this kung fu competition. Those disciples of the Jade Pure Sect all secretly admired him, believing that the Kongtong Sect’s Valley God Palm Technique was an unbeatable rival to the Dragon King’s evil kung fu.

In total, Gu Shenwei and Tu Pianpian had now moved in seven circles and exchanged thirty-five palm strikes. His face was becoming paler and paler, and was now almost as white as the snow on the ground while Tu Pianpian’s face had remained unchanged. It was just that her palm strikes had become even slower than before.

Dog Butcher shook his head, thinking that it had been overconfident of the Dragon King to agree to compete with her in terms of internal energy. His Senior Sister had been practicing internal energy for decades without taking a single day off. On no condition could any young man obtain an internal energy as powerful as hers with merely a couple of miraculous encounters with advanced kung fu skills.

But Old Man Mu nodded, feeling that the Dragon King was amazingly audacious. He had actually dared to apply the Death Sutra, which focused on swordsmanship, to internal energy. With Wild Horse’s miserable failure still fresh in mind, this was absolutely a risky move.

He couldn’t help but think, ‘Has the Dragon King by any chance found a way to protect himself from the inevitable backlash?’

He had just begun to think about this when the competition ended. One person nodded to admit defeat, standing steadily and straight. The other person won but was slightly unsteady, as if they were too feeble to stand.