From a martial artist's perspective, Alex now wielded the Dugu Nine Swords, a peerless combat skill. His weapon, the White Dragon sword from the Sun Moon Sect's treasure vault, was a rare and mighty blade in the martial world.
What he lacked most was agile Qinggong for swift movement and a top-tier inner strength method. Ren Woxing's Star Absorbing Skill naturally tempted Alex.
But only slightly.
Moments ago, Ren Woxing had burned to kill him, yet now he offered the Star Absorbing Skill to win him over. Ren Woxing's stubborn and suspicious nature made Alex wary of getting too close.
Who knew when Ren Woxing might turn on him, fearing his strength?
Besides, helping Ren Woxing against Leader Dongfang Bubai? That was the last thing Alex wanted.
So, after a brief flicker of temptation, Alex shook his head and said, "Your Star Absorbing Skill is tempting, but I'll never help you challenge Leader Dongfang Bubai."
"You ungrateful wretch! What spell has Leader Dongfang Bubai cast to make you loyal like a dog?" Ren Woxing spat, humiliated by Alex's rejection despite offering his prized Star Absorbing Skill.
"Oh, so rejection means ingratitude?You were betrayed by the Sun Moon Sect back then, so now you can't stand others staying loyal to Leader Dongfang Bubai?" Alex shot back, sneering at Ren Woxing's narrow-minded outburst.
Truth be told, Alex saw Leader Dongfang Bubai as a true ally. From their first meeting, Dongfang Bubai named him deputy head of Wind and Thunder Hall and gifted him a Small Huandan.
Later, after the Qu Yang incident boosted the Sun Moon Sect's fame, Dongfang Bubai promoted him to elder.
Even when Alex disrupted Yang Lianting's plans, enraging Dongfang Bubai, the leader only sparred with him for three moves, never intending to kill. Impressed by his skill, Dongfang Bubai made him deputy leader, entrusting him with the sect's affairs.
Now, to secure the Yi Jin Jing, Dongfang Bubai rallied the Sun Moon Sect to back Alex's plan.
Within the Sun Moon Sect, Dongfang Bubai never suspected Alex of plotting to seize power, and Alex never feared Dongfang Bubai turning on him. Though leader and deputy, they bonded more like friends.
Though unspoken, Alex and Dongfang Bubai shared a quiet understanding of friendship.
In three years of surviving the apocalypse, Alex had witnessed the darkest sides of human hearts. He never claimed to be a saint, but he refused to be an ungrateful villain.
So far, despite his own motives, Dongfang Bubai had shown Alex nothing but kindness. Betraying him would be a shameful act of disloyalty.
"Master Fang Zheng, I came to Shaolin Temple to save my daughter," Ren Woxing said, turning to the abbot. "Since you're willing to release her, I'm grateful and accept your kindness. But today, these Sun Moon Sect traitors have stormed Shaolin Temple in force. To repay your favor, I offer to help you slay them."
Ren Woxing's repeated humiliations at Alex's hands had pushed his rage to the breaking point.
"Leader! How can we join the righteous sects to attack our own Sun Moon Sect disciples?" Xiang Wentian cried out, shocked by Ren Woxing's words, urging him to reconsider.
No matter the Sun Moon Sect's internal struggles, they were still sect matters, weren't they? Aligning with the righteous factions, even to win back leadership, would taint Ren Woxing's name forever.
"Xiang Wentian, silence!" Ren Woxing growled, his voice heavy with authority, dismissing Xiang Wentian's plea.
To reclaim his leadership, Alex was the greatest obstacle. Eliminating him today trumped all else. No matter the cost, Ren Woxing would seize the throne first.
"Amitabha…"
Master Fang Zheng intoned a Buddhist chant, his voice calm yet firm. "Though we Buddhists hold compassion in our hearts, our faith also honors the wrathful Vajra. Today, Deputy Leader Alex has come with great force, coveting Shaolin's Yi Jin Jing. I have no choice but to act, subduing these demons as duty demands."
"Excellent! Today, we'll unite and crush these vile fiends!" Zuo Lengchan and Yue Buqun, standing nearby, seized on Master Fang Zheng's words, their voices ringing with resolve.
Master Fang Zheng had hesitated to strike, wary of facing Alex, Ren Woxing, Xiang Wentian, and a host of Sun Moon Sect elders alone.
But with Ren Woxing now on his side, the odds had shifted.
"Deputy Leader, the tide's against us—we must retreat," Tong Baixiong and the elders whispered urgently to Alex, stunned by Ren Woxing's mad alliance with the righteous sects.
Alex stayed silent, his sharp gaze sweeping the hall.
Master Fang Zheng, Zuo Lengchan, Taoist Chongxu of Wudang, Yue Buqun, and Ren Woxing—so many masters stood united. Even Leader Dongfang Bubai himself might fall here…
"Retreat? They won't let us slip away now. We must carve a path out!" Alex's face grew grim, his voice low but steady.
The battle erupted. As soon as blades clashed, Alex and his allies fought while edging toward escape…
Neither Alex nor Master Fang Zheng had foreseen Ren Woxing's shocking choice to join the righteous sects against the Sun Moon Sect. His decision stunned everyone.
Master Fang Zheng and his allies weren't fools—they knew Ren Woxing's move was driven by his hunger to reclaim leadership.
Yet, for Master Fang Zheng and the others, this alliance served their own ends.
"Good and evil can't coexist? The moment you spot a Sun Moon Sect member, you draw your sword to kill?" Linghu Chong, lurking in the shadows, scoffed at the irony as he watched Yue Buqun and the others align with Ren Woxing.
The Sun Moon Sect had brought half its strength this time. Though they lacked the top-tier masters of Master Fang Zheng's coalition, their numbers were greater. If they aimed only to break out and flee, how could Shaolin's disciples stop them?
"Strike together! Take down Alex first!" Ren Woxing's focus locked on Alex, ignoring the lesser disciples as he charged forward.
"Alex, today I'll avenge my brother Ding Mian!" Zuo Lengchan roared, drawing his sword and rushing in as Ren Woxing spoke.
Taoist Chongxu, Yue Buqun, and the others faced Tong Baixiong and the Sun Moon Sect elders, who met them head-on, locking them in fierce combat.
"Amitabha, though today's actions may bend martial world honor, I must act to quell this evil…"
Master Fang Zheng chanted softly. How could he stand idle in a battle on Shaolin's ground? Seeing Alex hold his own against Ren Woxing and Zuo Lengchan, he leaped into the fray, charging at Alex.
Alex gripped the White Dragon sword, its blade dancing with the exquisite Dugu Nine Swords. Though Zuo Lengchan was formidable, his sword faltered under Alex's strange ability, reduced to half its strength.
"Is this his sword-controlling qi? It's bizarre. If my skill weren't strong, my blade would've flown from my hand. No wonder others' swords leap from their scabbards to bite their masters," Zuo Lengchan thought, growing more alarmed with each clash. His intent to kill Alex sharpened—this youth, if spared, would outshine even Dongfang Bubai, a nightmare for all swordsmen.
Using his ability to disrupt Zuo Lengchan's sword and wielding Dugu Nine Swords against Ren Woxing, Alex faced both masters. Though at a slight disadvantage, he held his ground, far from defeat.
But then Master Fang Zheng joined, unleashing the Thousand Hands Tathagata Palm. Like Ren Woxing, he fought bare-handed, immune to Alex's sword-disrupting skill. The pressure on Alex surged.
After just seven or eight moves, Master Fang Zheng's palm struck Alex's back, sending him flying, blood spraying from his mouth.
"Die!" Ren Woxing's eyes gleamed as he saw Alex's weakness. His hand clawed toward Alex's throat, aiming to end him.
Swish!
But at that moment, a masked figure darted in front of Alex, a long sword striking like a venomous serpent, aimed straight at Ren Woxing's chest.
The blade moved wild and untraceable, piercing the flaw in Ren Woxing's stance.
"Linghu Chong!?" Alex, spotting the swordplay through the mask's narrow eye slits, recognized the style instantly, his voice thick with shock.
He never imagined Linghu Chong would step in—let alone defy his father-in-law to save him!