6: Chapter 6 The Shock of the Seven Heroes of Wudang

"Creeeak — —"

After seven days and seven nights of silence, the heavy bluestone gate finally slid open slowly.

The friction of the gate hinges turning exploded like a thunderclap in the quiet side hall of Zixiao Palace.

The Seven Heroes of Wudang, who had been guarding outside the gate, instantly tensed up and looked up in unison.

Song Yuanqiao gripped the jade pendant at his waist so tightly that his knuckles turned white;

Yu Lianzhou pressed his hand against the hilt of his sword, his back straight, his tiger-like eyes fixed intently on the gap in the stone gate;

Yin Liting and Mo Shenggu took a half-step forward, their eyes filled with both anticipation and trepidation;

Zhang Songxi frowned deeply, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing together;

Third Master Yu Daiyan, sitting in his wheelchair, gripped the armrests tightly, his withered face devoid of any luster.

For seven days and seven nights, they had guarded this place without moving an inch.

From the initial anxiety to the despair when the doctors declared there was nothing more to be done, and finally to the hope felt when the Dao Rhyme surged within the secret chamber.

Their hearts had been like things being fried repeatedly in a pan of oil, and they were on the verge of collapse.

Morning light poured in through the gap in the open stone gate, and within the golden rays, a figure stepped out slowly.

His moon-white Daoist robe was spotless, his posture as straight as a pine tree, showing none of the stoop of a centenarian.

His complexion was rosy and smooth, his wrinkles completely smoothed out, and only his eyes, deep as an ancient well, carried the indifference of one who has seen through the world, while also hiding the edge of one who looks down upon the world.

Where was there any sign of the dying man from seven days ago, who was exhausted and gasping for breath, and whom even the imperial physicians had declared beyond saving?

He seemed to have stepped back from his twilight years to the prime of his life at the Peak of martial arts, with the Pure Yang Dao Rhyme swirling around him, as vast as the ocean.

Even just standing there, he made the seven of them feel a pressure as heavy as Mount Tai, yet it was gentle and lingering, carrying the Daoist aura unique to the Wudang Sect.

Before the stone gate, there was a deathly silence.

The seven of them froze in place, eyes wide, staring at the person before them, their minds blank, as if they could not believe their own eyes.

Song Yuanqiao was the first to react; he trembled all over, his knees gave way, and with a "thud," he knelt on the ground, his forehead hitting the bluestone floor heavily.

His voice was trembling uncontrollably, filled with the ecstasy of surviving a disaster and choked with sobs: "Disciple Song Yuanqiao welcomes Master out of seclusion! May Master enjoy eternal blessings and may your martial path remain evergreen!"

"Disciple Yu Lianzhou welcomes Master out of seclusion!"

"Disciple Third Master Yu Daiyan welcomes Master out of seclusion!"

"Disciple Zhang Songxi welcomes Master out of seclusion!"

"Disciple Fifth Brother Zhang Cuishan... no, Disciple Yin Liting welcomes Master out of seclusion!"

Yin Liting was so excited that he misspoke. Once the words were out, tears fell, and he followed the others in kowtowing heavily.

The seven knelt in unison, foreheads pressed to the ground, their voices uniform as they echoed throughout the side hall. Even the Disciples guarding outside the hall knelt down one after another, loudly calling out to welcome the Ancestral Master out of seclusion.

Zhang Sanfeng looked at the Disciples kneeling on the ground, his heart moved slightly.

These were the Seven Heroes of Wudang, the Disciples Zhang Sanfeng was most proud of in his life, and also the seven brothers in the original work whose lives were full of regrets.

He quickly composed his mind and fully stepped into the role of the Wudang Sect Master.

He walked forward slowly, his voice calm and peaceful, yet carrying an unquestionable majesty, clearly reaching everyone's ears:

"Everyone, rise. It was merely a seclusion to break through the barrier of life and death, a minor improvement, there is no need for this."

As his words faded, he waved his hand casually.

A gentle yet irresistible Protective Aura of Pure Yang swept out instantly, softly supporting the bodies of the seven, and no matter how hard they tried, they could not kneel any lower.

The seven felt a warm, moist power surge into their limbs and bones, and the fatigue and anxiety of the past few days were swept away.

What shocked them even more was that they could not perceive the source or trajectory of this power at all; it was as if it were the power of heaven and earth, natural and flawless, leaving no traces.

Yu Lianzhou was deeply shocked.

He was the one with the highest martial arts talent among the seven brothers and the closest to Zhang Sanfeng, but at this moment, he felt an unprecedented unfathomability in his Master.

Let alone resisting, he even lost some of the courage to look up and meet those eyes directly.

"Master... your body?"

Song Yuanqiao steadied himself, looking at Zhang Sanfeng's rosy complexion, still unable to believe it, his voice filled with cautious probing.

Zhang Sanfeng walked slowly to the main seat and sat down, brushing the hem of his Daoist robe, his tone flat but every word clear:

"Seven days of seclusion allowed me to break through the shackles of life and death, not only extending my Lifespan but also advancing my martial arts cultivation. The previous exhaustion was merely the barrier before the Breakthrough."

With one sentence, he perfectly explained all the changes.

Upon hearing this, the seven were overjoyed, and the hearts that had been hanging in the air for seven days and seven nights finally settled back into their chests.

Not only was Master not dead, but he had broken through the shackles of martial arts. For the precarious Wudang Sect, this was like having a pillar that could hold up the sky when the sky was falling!

"Congratulations, Master! Congratulations, Master!" The seven bowed again, the awe and fanaticism in their eyes almost overflowing.

Zhang Sanfeng nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping slowly over the seven, finally landing on Third Master Yu Daiyan in the wheelchair.

Upon making contact with Master's gaze, Third Master Yu Daiyan subconsciously lowered his head, his hands gripping the wheelchair tightly, the loneliness and despair in his eyes impossible to hide.

Master had broken through, and Wudang Sect was saved, but he was still that cripple, paralyzed on the bed, unable to even take care of himself.

It had been ten years. He had gone from a high-spirited Third Hero of Wudang to his current state, unable to even stand up. What face did he have to face his Master who had been reborn?

Zhang Sanfeng took in his expression, understanding everything in his heart.

The tragedy of the Yitian World began with the paralysis of Third Master Yu Daiyan; the disintegration of the Seven Heroes of Wudang and the suicide of Fifth Brother Zhang Cuishan and his wife all stemmed from this.

And now, he had arrived.

This dead end should be broken.

Zhang Sanfeng looked at the seven and spoke slowly. His voice was not loud, but it exploded in Zixiao Palace like a thunderclap:

"You do not need to only focus on rejoicing. This time in seclusion, I not only broke through the martial arts barrier but also broke through a piece of Karma. Third Master Yu Daiyan's injury is not unsolvable."

"I have my own ways to make him stand up again."