The Twin Conjoined Lotus was tied to Core Formation, so no one was willing to yield. A multitude of late Foundation Establishment cultivators clashed in a chaotic melee.
The Five Heroes of Eagle Mountain had self-awareness. They knew their meager skills were fine for surviving in the dense forest, but when it came to clashing head-on against others, they fell far short.
Moreover, having witnessed the combat power of Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, the Five Heroes of Eagle Mountain didn't believe anyone could outcompete the two of them.
Whenever so-and-so crossed a minor realm to defeat an opponent, they would boast about it far and wide for half a day, as if it were some earth-shattering feat.
In contrast, these two "monks" could fight across an entire major realm and win battle after battle. Such combat prowess had always existed only in legends; the Five Heroes of Eagle Mountain had never seen the likes of it before.
"Could the two of them be from the Hanging Temple?"
"Could the Hanging Temple even recruit two people at once?"
"Judging by the two young heroes' skills, it isn't impossible."
Meng Jingzhou had ranked second among his peers, which practically meant he was the second best among his generation across all Five Great Immortal Sects. Such heaven-defying combat power naturally drew a swarm of cultivators to besiege him. Even the Golden Core cultivators recognized Meng Jingzhou's formidable strength and joined forces to attack him.
"Lu Yang, you brat, stop standing there watching the show!" Meng Jingzhou bellowed as he executed the Arhat Fist, shouting for that bastard Lu Yang to come over and help.
"And here I thought you, Hero Meng, could take on a hundred men alone and duel the whole crowd single-handedly," Lu Yang teased as he shifted into combat mode.
Four late Foundation Establishment cultivators joined forces to attack Lu Yang. Without even looking, Lu Yang dodged sideways, effortlessly evading their strikes, and lightly tapped the backs of his hands against their abdomens. Their stomachs instantly churned with sour bile, and they doubled over, violently vomiting.
*Blergh—*
"Quick, stop him!" The crowd realized that Lu Yang was a cultivator not a bit inferior to Meng Jingzhou, a terrifying rival in this battle for the lotus.
"Mountain-Crushing Palm!" Another cultivator struck at Lu Yang. His palms were iron-blue, tempered through countless trials until his skin was as hard as iron, resilient enough that even tossing them into a smelting furnace would scarcely melt them.
"Drawing a Prison!" Lu Yang extended his index finger and lightly drew a circle on the ground. The cultivator's body abruptly vanished, sinking into the earth.
It was as though an invisible hand had forcibly dragged him down.
Such bizarre methods made everyone's hair stand on end, leaving them completely clueless about how to counter it.
"A successor of the Dao of Painting?!" someone gasped in awe. They recognized Lu Yang's technique—it looked strikingly similar to Confucian cultivators skilled in the Dao of Painting, who could overturn heaven and earth with a simple flick of a brush!
*Isn't this guy a Buddhist disciple? Why does he know Confucian methods?*
Lu Yang smiled faintly without explaining, continuing to draw circles. Facing the crowd's siege, he moved as if strolling leisurely through an empty garden.
Anyone who drew close to him was promptly sent down into the dungeon below.
"Take my slash: Heaven-Questioning!" Duan Hongchen struck from the shadows. The snow-white glare of the Heaven-Questioning Saber was so dazzling that no one could keep their eyes open.
"Arhat Fist!" Lu Yang dropped into a half-crouch on his right leg, tensed his left leg, and channeled his strength throughout his entire body before concentrating it in his left fist. Bending his elbow, he smashed forward, knocking aside the Heaven-Questioning slash and slamming square into Duan Hongchen's face.
Duan Hongchen felt as if a mountain were crashing into him head-on. The blow was so immensely heavy that it was impossible to block; any technique was utterly futile.
"The sea of bitterness is boundless, turn around to reach the shore!"
Lu Yang unleashed a continuous flurry of strikes upon Duan Hongchen. Duan Hongchen felt agonizing pain wracking his entire body, as if every single bone had been torn out of him.
Duan Hongchen was sent flying backward, his vision turning black.
*Huh? What is this?* The blackness before his eyes wasn't him falling unconscious, but rather some black object blocking his vision.
*Hair? Whose?* Duan Hongchen reflexively touched his head.
*So smooth... Whose head is this?*
"Where is my hair?!" Duan Hongchen finally realized the problem. Where had his meticulously groomed hair gone?
As an expert, what was the most important thing? It was projecting an air of profound solemnity, making oneself seem enigmatic and unfathomable.
And the indispensable element of that was a head of hair!
Now that his hair was gone, his aura of mystery was instantly cut in half.
"Watch out! His Arhat Fist makes people lose their hair!" Duan Hongchen yelled to warn the crowd.
An Ke, who had originally intended to launch a sneak attack from the shadows, turned deathly pale the moment she heard this.
Failing to snatch the Twin Conjoined Lotus was a minor matter—she could always find another way to achieve Core Formation—but losing her hair was a catastrophe!
Run!
Without a second thought, she spun around and bolted!
"Thinking of running?" Lu Yang obviously had no habit of letting his enemies off, and pursued her relentlessly.
"Stop chasing me! I don't want the conjoined lotus anymore!" An Ke cried out, broadcasting her goodwill.
"Trying to make me lower my guard, huh? I'm already sick of using that trick myself!" Putting himself in her shoes, Lu Yang was convinced that An Ke would play dirty just like him.
"Don't you dare harm Fairy An Ke!" Smitten by An Ke's beauty, someone stepped forward to block him, only to be sent flying by two punches from Lu Yang, leaving a pile of hair scattered across the ground.
"Scoundrel, stop!"
"Cease hurting people!"
One person after another tried to stop Lu Yang, only to be knocked flying by the Arhat Fist.
"Can you do a crew cut?" someone whispered to Lu Yang.
Lu Yang nodded. Having practiced the Arhat Fist in the martial arena for four days, he had gained a great deal and could customize hairstyles as he pleased.
"Give me one!"
Being the kind soul he was, Lu Yang obliged and punched the man flying.
The entire lake fell into utter chaos. An Ke ran along the lakeside, Lu Yang chased after her along the lakeside, and anyone who crossed Lu Yang's path took a pair of *thud thud* punches and was turned bald.
Fortunately, in the end, An Ke's Dao Protector appeared, grabbed An Ke, and fled, preventing Lu Yang from landing a hit.
"Next!" Having lost his target, Lu Yang quickly found a new one.
Lu Yang's Arhat Fist was comparable in power to the genuine article and came with a head-shaving effect. It looked thoroughly like a Buddhist fist technique—even an enlightened monk would praise it as "orthodox Buddhist heritage."
Willing or not, regardless of their cultivation level, everyone caught two punches from Lu Yang.
Lu Yang was like a lawnmower; wherever he passed, not a single strand of hair was left standing.
"Take care of this kid first!" the crowd roared in anger. Abandoning the fight for the Twin Conjoined Lotus, they shifted all their focus to Lu Yang. Nobody even bothered with Meng Jingzhou anymore.
Watching this scene from the lakeside, the Five Heroes of Eagle Mountain broke into cold sweats, doing everything they could to shrink their presence for fear that the mob's fury would spill over to the five of them.
Conscience be praised, they were merely guides and had no stake in whatever Lu Yang was doing!
"Excuse me, what happened here?" A gentle voice rang in the hook-nosed boss's ear, startling the Five Heroes of Eagle Mountain into thinking someone had come looking for trouble.
Turning back, they saw a young man and woman who had arrived at some point without anyone noticing.
The man had a burly build, looking like he was from the Barbarian clan, while the woman was slender with youthful, delicate features, clearly quite young.
It was none other than Man Gu and Tao Yaoye.
Not long ago, Eldest Senior Sister had sought out Man Gu and Tao Yaoye, saying that Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou's training in the dense forest had yielded great results and that the two of them should go learn from it.
Only then had they taken a flying boat and ridden a carriage, traveling through twists and turns until they finally arrived at Demon Quelling Pass.
Upon reaching Demon Quelling Pass, they heard that the Twin Conjoined Lotus was about to bloom, so they came to see what was going on and join in the excitement.
To their astonishment, when they arrived at the scene, a bunch of bald heads were standing in the mud pit fighting fiercely, looking just like a Buddhist gathering.
Only after asking around did they learn that Lu Yang had used demonic sorcery to shave everyone bald, incurring public outrage, and was currently being besieged by the crowd.
"So that's how it is! Eldest Senior Sister wanted us to learn Brother Lu's courage—braving hardships and fearlessly confronting a horde of enemies!" Man Gu had an epiphany.
Chapter 253