"This world really is a mess."
Daniel Davis reflected on the contents of Wind and Cloud in his mind. From Xiongba to Wind and Cloud, Nameless, Duanlang, and Empyrean Deva, he couldn't help but sigh softly. Those characters alone were already troublesome, not to mention the constant emergence of hidden masterminds later in the story.
By the end, even someone as powerful as Empyrean Deva seemed to have been relegated to a minor role. You never knew when an even stronger antagonist might appear out of nowhere.
These villains and masterminds all met tragic ends, of course. But unfortunately, even the two protagonists, Wind and Cloud, suffered greatly. By the later stages, their wives and children had also met miserable fates.
Nameless, as strong as he was, couldn't even protect his wife.
"Full health while playing the erhu, half-health wandering around recklessly."
"This is a truly brutal martial arts world." While Daniel Davis wasn't fully familiar with the later developments in Wind and Cloud, he knew enough. In this world, the law of the jungle reigned supreme. Even with Wind and Cloud around, the best they could do was prevent it from descending into complete chaos.
What defines a brutal martial arts world? It's one where the strong rarely meet good ends, and the weak rarely live fulfilling lives.
"Fortunately, the big hidden masterminds aren't active during this time period. Otherwise, I might have no choice but to flee."
The depths of Wind and Cloud were immense. Even with Daniel Davis's current strength, he had to tread carefully in this world. He wasn't particularly afraid of Empyrean Deva or Xiao Sanxiao, but the truly terrifying ones were those hidden even further in the shadows. This was a world where Nuwa was said to exist.
Although Nuwa never made an appearance, her presence was real. She had left behind four divine stones, from which the Xueyin Mad Blade and the Peerless Sword were forged.
"Speaking of which, the martial arts in this world are indeed impressive."
Daniel quickly brushed aside his earlier musings and shifted his attention to the martial arts of Wind and Cloud. The techniques in this world were the most advanced he had encountered so far, already bordering on the supernatural. Even if the Sage of Six Paths from Naruto were to come here, there would still be plenty of people stronger than him.
"If I get the chance, I'll help out the Wind and Cloud brothers and acquire some martial arts manuals before leaving."
In The Legend of Qin, Daniel could stand beside Ying Zheng and support his quest to unify the empire. But in Wind and Cloud, unifying the world was an almost impossible task. The so-called "supreme martial artist" was not a title worth pursuing. As for Wind and Cloud, their ambitions did not lie there, either.
After some consideration, Daniel decided on a plan and began heading toward the city lord's mansion in Wushuang City. The city was in complete disarray, and he wanted to see if he could obtain some of the martial arts manuals from Wushuang City.
"This place is truly chaotic."
Using his "Merge With the Dust" technique to conceal himself, Daniel infiltrated the city lord's mansion. By this point, the mansion was completely deserted. In the earlier battles, anything of value had been looted. What remained were either items too large to carry or things deemed worthless.
Treasures and various decorations were almost entirely gone. Even the library was a mess, indicating that many had come with the same idea as Daniel: to find martial arts manuals. After all, no one here was a fool.
"Looks like I overestimated my chances. I thought I might be able to find the Dragon-Subduing Leg and the Peerless Sword Technique."
The Dragon-Subduing Leg, a martial art passed down through generations in the Dugu family, was a decent technique. While it had lost to Nie Feng's Wind God Leg and wasn't as famous, its loss was due to Nie Feng, not the technique itself.
"Forget it. I should find someone to clarify the current state of the martial arts world."
Unable to find what he was looking for, Daniel left the city lord's mansion. He then tracked down the leader of a moderately powerful faction in Wushuang City and used his Dual Palm Technique to extract the latest information about the martial arts world from the man's mind.
"Duanlang, the adopted son of Wushuang City's city lord Dugu Yifang, is still alive. He left the city vowing revenge."
The information Daniel obtained was unsatisfactory. While the man knew a lot about the events in Wushuang City, his knowledge of the wider martial arts world—such as the activities of Tian Xia Hui—was outdated. This wasn't surprising, given that the world lacked telephones or internet. Information had to be transmitted by word of mouth, leading to significant delays.
Even major powers like Tian Xia Hui relied on carrier pigeons or messenger hawks for urgent news. Otherwise, their information lagged behind by three days to a week.
Despite Duanlang's parting words, the city lord's mansion was ultimately looted by opportunists. There are always those who take advantage of chaos. Once they've obtained what they want, they simply leave Wushuang City. With the world being so vast, there's always somewhere else to go. A martial arts manual obtained from the city lord's mansion could allow someone to hide away for years and re-emerge as a skilled martial artist. Why would anyone care about Duanlang's threats?
Fame and fortune were what martial artists valued most. Brothers would betray one another, spouses would turn against each other, and fathers and sons would become enemies—all for the sake of fame and fortune. Duanlang's ultimate downfall was rooted in his desire for glory and power, to be worshiped and revered by all.
"It's a shame Mingyue died. If I had arrived earlier, I might have been able to save her." Mingyue was Nie Feng's first love.
Wind and Cloud both had complicated romantic lives, filled with fleeting love and tragedy. Nie Feng fared slightly better, as Second Dream herself was a top-tier martial artist. She and Nie Feng shared a long period of happiness together.
Bu Jingyun, however, was not so fortunate. As some in his previous life joked, Bu Jingyun seemed cursed to bring misfortune to his wives. The women he loved always met tragic ends. But strictly speaking, it wasn't because of any curse. The problem was that the women he loved were not martial artists. In a world of constant conflict, lacking martial skills made it nearly impossible to survive.
Those who targeted Bu Jingyun often resorted to kidnapping his wife, while this tactic was rarely used against Nie Feng. Second Dream's martial skills were far superior to Nie Feng's in the early stages of the story. She saved him multiple times.
If Bu Jingyun's wife had possessed martial skills comparable to Second Dream, things might have turned out much better.
"Enough about Xiongba and Wind and Cloud. Their issues are none of my concern. I should head to Lingyun Cave."
The first "dungeon" in Wind and Cloud was undoubtedly Lingyun Cave in the Leshan Giant Buddha. It housed numerous treasures, including the Ten Supreme Martial Arts and the Ao Han Six Techniques. Legendary weapons like the Xueyin Mad Blade and the Fire Kirin Sword could also be found there, though the latter had already fallen into Duanlang's hands.
But the most valuable treasure in Lingyun Cave was the Blood Bodhi. It could heal injuries and enhance inner strength. Martial arts techniques and divine weapons paled in comparison to the power of increased inner strength.
All martial arts require inner strength to be effective. Without sufficient inner strength, forcing the use of advanced techniques would only harm both oneself and others.
Having made up his mind, Daniel began asking for directions to the Leshan Giant Buddha. Although some time had passed since Nie Feng killed Dugu Yifang, Daniel was confident that Nie Feng had not yet acquired the Xueyin Mad Blade.
Daniel was indeed interested in the Xueyin Mad Blade, but he didn't intend to keep it. Instead, he planned to retrieve it and hand it over to Nie Feng ahead of time. The same went for the Blood Bodhi. Much of the suffering in Wind and Cloud's story stemmed from their lack of martial prowess. If they were strong enough, they could simply eliminate their enemies as they appeared.
After learning the location of the Leshan Giant Buddha, Daniel set off. Instead of using flight, he traveled on foot. Lingyun Cave wasn't going anywhere, and there was no need to rush. His priority now was to maintain spatial awareness.
"Xiongba's first disciple's wedding celebration turned into a disaster when Bu Jingyun crashed the ceremony and eloped with the bride."
Along the way, Daniel overheard stories from fellow martial artists about recent events. Qin Shuang's wedding, which should have been a grand celebration, had turned into a funeral thanks to Bu Jingyun. Tian Xia Hui had suffered a significant loss of face among the martial arts community.
Although many refrained from openly criticizing Tian Xia Hui due to fear of Xiongba, the travelers Daniel encountered clearly relished the organization's misfortune. They eagerly anticipated more setbacks for Tian Xia Hui.
As Daniel drew closer to the Leshan Giant Buddha, he heard even more exciting news: the Sword Saint of Wushuang City had emerged from seclusion and issued a challenge to Xiongba. Many in the martial arts world eagerly awaited this epic showdown, and numerous martial artists were heading to Tian Xia Hui to witness the duel.
"So the Sword Saint has appeared. That means Sword Morning should have shown up as well. This guy was peak talent right out of the
gate."
Thinking of Sword Morning, Daniel chuckled to himself. As the Sword Saint's disciple and the heir to the Hero Sword, Sword Morning had an incredible starting point. Yet despite this, he consistently lost every battle after his debut. His story was one of repeated failures.
Sword Morning's background was unmatched, and his talent was on par with Wind and Cloud. After all, the Sword Saint wouldn't have taken him as a disciple if he weren't exceptionally gifted. Unfortunately, his weak will doomed him to a life of mediocrity.
"So this is the Leshan Giant Buddha. 'The flood submerges the Buddha's knees, and the fire burns Lingyun Cave.'"
Lingyun Cave wasn't exactly a secret in Wind and Cloud. Many knew about it, including Xiongba. However, the presence of the Fire Kirin and the lack of knowledge about the cave's secrets deterred most people. Only a few treasure-hunters willing to risk their lives for the Xueyin Mad Blade or the Fire Kirin Sword dared to venture inside.
Although Xiongba coveted the Xueyin Mad Blade, he wasn't a swordsman. Even if he obtained it, he would likely keep it as a decorative piece. Xiongba was not the type to risk his life for mere treasures.
"A golden carp is no ordinary fish; it becomes a dragon when it meets Wind and Cloud. The dragon's roar shakes the heavens, and Wind and Cloud rise together. Xiongba, that fool, could have easily kept Wind and Cloud under his command. Instead, his schemes dug his own grave."
As he gazed at the Leshan Giant Buddha, Daniel couldn't help but recall the prophecy about Xiongba. If only Xiongba had married Kong Ci to Bu Jingyun and You Ruo to Nie Feng, there would have been no "dragon's roar shaking the heavens" or "Wind and Cloud rising together."
With this thought, Daniel entered Lingyun Cave.
"This place really is huge."
Once inside, Daniel activated his Observation Haki, scanning the cave's interior. He soon realized that the rumors were true—Lingyun Cave was a vast labyrinth of interconnected passages. Even without the Fire Kirin, anyone who got lost in these tunnels would likely never make it out.
Humans need food, after all. Even someone as powerful as Nameless could only hold out for a few extra days. And this world had no spatial storage items to help with survival.
"Come to think of it, if Zoro from One Piece were to enter here, he might never find his way out. Multiple Shadow Clone Technique."
This amusing thought crossed Daniel's mind as he summoned ten shadow clones to explore Lingyun Cave in search of the treasures he wanted.
The cave was simply too vast for one person to explore efficiently.
"Many people have died here." As his shadow clones vanished into the depths, Daniel began walking further into the cave. Along the way, he encountered scattered bones and broken weapons. Judging by the condition of the remains and the weapons, it was clear that these people had fallen victim to the Fire Kirin.
"The Fire Kirin's blood can drive people mad, and its scales seem to possess an evil power. I wonder if creating an artificial Zoan-type Devil Fruit based on the Fire Kirin would also drive people mad."
Given the Fire Kirin's capabilities, a Devil Fruit modeled after it would likely be classified as a Mythical Zoan.
"If Nie Feng, with his berserk bloodline, were to consume a Devil Fruit based on the Fire Kirin, I wonder what would happen." The Wind and Cloud world had four sacred beasts, each essentially a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit in its own right.
Among the four, the Dragon was the most valuable. Just look at how many experts were created by consuming its dragon essence. The Phoenix's blood only created one Empyrean Deva, and the Black Tortoise's blood only produced one Xiao Sanxiao. The Fire Kirin's blood, while it didn't grant immortality, had an unparalleled ability to drive people mad.
A deafening roar interrupted Daniel's thoughts. The Fire Kirin must have sensed an intruder and let out a furious bellow. The roar was so loud that even those outside Lingyun Cave could hear it, prompting many to flee in fear.
The roar was accompanied by scorching flames, illuminating the dark cave with a fiery glow.
"Over there?" Locking onto the source of the roar, Daniel hurried in its direction. Soon, he encountered the Fire Kirin, its fiery form charging toward him.
As soon as it spotted Daniel, the Fire Kirin unleashed a torrent of blazing fire, instantly filling the tunnel with flames. In such a confined space, fighting a creature like the Fire Kirin put humans at a significant disadvantage.
"Wood Shield." Facing the fiery onslaught, a two-meter-tall wooden shield materialized in front of Daniel, splitting the flames and diverting them around his body.
"Wood Dragon." As the Fire Kirin prepared to charge, Daniel launched his counterattack. A wooden dragon shot out from his left hand, growing rapidly to over twenty meters in length. The dragon coiled tightly around the Fire Kirin, especially around its head, preventing it from spewing more fire.
The Fire Kirin, now tightly restrained, exuded an even more intense heat. The flames were so hot that they could have melted ordinary steel. Yet the wooden dragon, reinforced by Daniel's power, showed no signs of burning despite the extreme temperatures.
"Don't worry, I won't kill you. Just behave for now."
The Fire Kirin was the guardian of the Dragon Veins. Daniel had no intention of killing it. More importantly, the Fire Kirin was the source of the Blood Bodhi. Killing it would mean the end of the Blood Bodhi's production, which would be a terrible waste.
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