Chapter 38: The Wrath of the Gray Hawk

Ye Ziyan ignored the jest, not taking it to heart.

Hou Junji, however, took it seriously. Using both hands and feet, he scrambled to the treetop. Though not skilled with bows and crossbows, he unleashed two cold glints from his hands—his signature hidden weapon, the Ghost-Head Nails.

"Clang."

A green shadow flickered, and a flash of a blade intercepted the nails. It was the Green Eagle, one of the Cold-Blooded Thirteen Eagles. "You dare touch my Green Falcon? Are you tired of living?"

Ling Xuan’s nostrils twitched, and his expression changed abruptly. "Rotten Poison Corpse Insects?"

"Since you know, then die!" the Green Eagle roared. "Come out and send them on their way!"

With a rustling sound, six or seven figures emerged, surrounding the three of them. Above, the Green Feather Yellow Pupil let out an eagle’s shriek as several dark shapes swooped down.

Ling Xuan immediately activated his Qi-Gazing Technique. The vertical pupils of his Spirit Snake Entwining the Moon technique instantly revealed several points of starlight. Utilizing his Breath-Sensing Technique, he clearly discerned the eagle cries amidst the whispers, realizing these were members of the Yuwen family.

On the road to Zhuo Commandery, Sun Tianxin had told him that most of the Yuwen clan members employed shikigami resembling eagles or hounds—not to mention he had just caught the scent of the Rotten Poison Corpse Insects.

Ye Ziyan drew her Purple Phoenix Twin Spirit Blades and stood before him. "Go."

"Go where?" The Green Eagle sneered. "You hurt my Green Falcon; pay with your lives!"

In an instant, the seven figures unleashed a flurry of blade lights, accompanied by floating green and black sparks.

"My lady, you handle the one at the Qi-Sea realm; leave the rest to us," Ling Xuan directed.

Among them, only the Green Eagle was at the Qi-Sea realm, matching Ye Ziyan's strength. The remaining seven consisted of three at the Great Heavenly Cycle and four at the Small Heavenly Cycle.

Hou Junji unleashed his Ape-Striking Technique, flicking his wrists to send Ghost-Head Nails flying toward the three Great Heavenly Cycle opponents.

Ling Xuan did not hesitate. He struck out with his Zixiao Divine Flute, unfolding his Serpent-Shadow Evasion to drift toward the four Small Heavenly Cycle opponents. "Remember, their blades are coated in deadly poison; don't get scratched."

This was his first battle since absorbing the power of the moon; Ling Xuan wanted to see how much he had progressed. Although his only martial art was the "Flame Infinite," which required the use of the Taiji Pearl, he knew the "Spirit Snake Entwining the Moon" was not something he needed to focus on learning through the little white snake. It had long since fused with his Taiji Infinite technique, and he only needed to find the Yellow Needle to master the second move.

On the way to the three thousand peaks of Changbai, he had frequently sought counsel from Ye Ziyan. Faced with his humble inquiries, she had been surprised but generous, imparting everything she knew. She had advised him to combine his own traits—especially those of his shikigami, the Spirit Snake—with his footwork.

Ye Ziyan could not use the Zixiao Divine Flute for fear of leaking the aura of her own shikigami, the Purple Phoenix, but Ling Xuan had no such concerns. With the flute in hand, he was far less constrained than he had been during the battle against the Black Water Serpent spirit at Luo River. Once the Serpent-Shadow Evasion was deployed, his movements became impossible to predict, and his bones, cleansed by lunar energy, felt entirely renewed.

The Zixiao Divine Flute appeared to be merely an instrument, but it concealed a purple blade, perfect for surprise attacks—ideal for Ling Xuan’s unorthodox style. The martial arts Ye Ziyan taught him came from the "Ten Great Hegemonic Arts," the legendary techniques of Chen Baxian, the founding emperor of the former Chen Dynasty. This was not a single martial art but a collection of ten weapon and unarmed styles that emphasized the fusion of power and technique.

Without unsheathing the flute, Ling Xuan used it as a short staff, executing the staff techniques of the Ten Great Hegemonic Arts. "Clang, clang, clatter"—he struck the wrists of the four Small Heavenly Cycle "Grey Harriers." His bones, tempered by lunar energy, had doubled his strength; a series of four sharp "cracks" echoed as their wrist bones shattered and their steel blades dropped.

The purple blade instantly unsheathed, executing a sword technique from the Ten Great Hegemonic Arts. A flash of purple light swept by, and the four Small Heavenly Cycle fighters collapsed, clutching their throats, their eyes still wide open. They had never imagined that Ling Xuan could be so fast, denying them the chance to see the next sunrise.

Almost simultaneously, Hou Junji recalled his nails. The three Great Heavenly Cycle Grey Harriers fell to the ground, a single dot of red blood blossoming between their brows.

"My lady, it’s just you left," Ling Xuan said, sheathing his flute. "Don't let this one run away."

"He can run?" Ye Ziyan chuckled. "Why would I believe that?"

With a light wave of her hand, the Green Eagle, already devoid of life, fell stiffly backward.

"That powerful?" Ling Xuan was stunned. When had Ye Ziyan become this strong?

"I see you’ve learned nothing these past few days," Ye Ziyan huffed coldly.

"What do you mean?" Ling Xuan was taken aback. Had he not performed smoothly and dispatched the four opponents with ease?

Ye Ziyan shook her head. "You are too focused on imitating the moves instead of integrating them with your own characteristics. It looks disjointed. Even Hou Junji is far better than you."

"Little White Ape, was I really that bad?" Ling Xuan grumbled.

"Young Master, don't you know that a man should never admit he is 'no good'?" Hou Junji smirked. "When you were using your needles, your movements were like flowing water, full of masterly poise. But just now, you looked like a child learning to walk."

A soft hiss came from the little white snake coiled on his shoulder, its triangular head bobbing in agreement.

"Even you agree?" Ling Xuan laughed, feeling somewhat abashed. "Was I really that poor?"

"Young Master, remember when we first met, I told you that your weapons didn't suit you?" Hou Junji began searching the bodies. "It’s because you worry too much about what you are holding. What if you treated them all as silver needles?"

"Treat them all as silver needles?"

His grandfather’s image surfaced in his mind. When teaching him the Taiji arrays, he had said that needles have life and must be felt with the heart. If one could achieve unity of heart and needle, the needles would move with the mind. Ling Xuan had practiced for over a decade and thought he had achieved this, but he had never applied the principle to other weapons.

Now, with Hou Junji’s words, he realized there was no such thing as an unsuitable weapon—it was merely a matter of habit. Ye Ziyan’s struggle with other weapons was because they couldn't channel her Purple Phoenix shikigami’s power. Hou Junji, too, lacked a weapon that could fully unlock his Little White Ape’s potential.

"Thank you for your guidance, my teachers," Ling Xuan said with a grin.

"Whoosh!" Hou Junji jumped back like a startled mouse. "Young Master, are you mocking me?"

"Don't misunderstand. 'The capable are our teachers,'" Ling Xuan laughed. "Anyone who helps me improve is my teacher. What do these fellows have on them?"

"Their belongings are stored in their identity badges. Once they die, the shikigami aura dissipates, and the badge space shatters, destroying everything inside," Hou Junji said bitterly. "We fought for nothing. A total loss."

"You can open the Heavenly Artisan Locks; think of a way to extract their goods before they die," Ling Xuan suggested. "Their badges could be useful. Remember, once you figure it out, teach me."

He turned and drew his silver needles, scraping the corpse poison from the steel blades into a small porcelain bottle, which he then tucked into his own badge space.

"He really has changed," Ye Ziyan thought, noticing the shift in Ling Xuan’s demeanor and methods since he began absorbing lunar energy. "What kind of mischief is he plotting?"

Ling Xuan, clutching his silver needles, replayed the fight in his mind. With the reminders from Ye Ziyan and Hou Junji, he realized his true strength lay in his needles. If he could integrate the Ten Great Hegemonic Arts into his needlework—just as he had fused his other techniques—that would be his true killing blow. More importantly, silver needles were discreet, more surprising than a sword hidden in a flute, and far easier to carry.

"My lady," he said, a corner of his mouth curling upward, "do you think I can master the 'Ten Great Hegemonic Needles'?"

The Ten Great Hegemonic Needles?

Ye Ziyan shuddered. Was this boy's brain damaged? Why was he becoming increasingly irrational? Could a tiny silver needle compare to legendary divine weapons?

Yet, looking at the Benevolent Heart Needle Case, she hesitated. *Could there be a secret hidden within the Nine Benevolent Needles after all?*

Meanwhile, at the Demon-Conquest Camp, as the Green Eagle died and his shikigami aura vanished, the Grey Eagle sensed it immediately. His face was a mask of disbelief. "How could the Green Eagle be dead?"

He pulled out his identity badge and, without even reporting to Yuwen Chengxiang, sent out a message: "Investigate! Find out exactly what happened! Whoever it was—kill them without mercy!"