Chapter 266: Zhang Chi Appears
"A pity. That third Top Grade Golden Core cultivator is nothing but a spineless coward, not even as brave as two young girls. He actually fled the Cangwu Sect early!" the Nascent Soul Demon Cultivator continued with some regret.
In truth, he had been in control of the entire situation from the start, so he had pinpointed the location of the Cangwu Twin Sisters right away.
But as for Zhang Chi, he hadn’t been able to find him from the very beginning.
The cultivators fell silent upon hearing this. The Cangwu Twin Sisters, however, frowned slightly, seemingly looking down on Zhang Chi for deserting in the face of battle.
"Zhang Chi isn’t hiding! He’s just biding his time so he can get revenge on you in the future," Qin Susu declared loudly, clenching her fists.
"That’s right! Exactly!"
"He’ll definitely avenge us and kill all of you vile demons!"
Chen Bufan and the others quickly chimed in.
"Exactly. My young disciple is just over a hundred years old and already a Golden Core Middle Stage powerhouse. He’s certain to reach the Nascent Soul Realm in the future."
"When that time comes, he will naturally seek you out. That will be a fair fight. Unlike a supposedly mighty Nascent Soul True Monarch like you, who only knows how to bully us Low Tier Cultivators. How dare you spout such nonsense? You’re utterly shameless!"
Jian Jinfeng sneered coldly, summoning her Golden Core.
"That’s right!"
"Exactly! You’re the real coward, only daring to launch a sneak attack while our Supreme Elder is away!"
The other cultivators immediately echoed her sentiment.
The many Golden Core cultivators followed Jian Jinfeng’s lead, summoning their Golden Cores together, preparing to fight to the death and take the enemy down with them.
"A bunch of ants. You know I am a mighty Nascent Soul True Monarch, yet you still dare to spout such nonsense to my face. In that case, you can all just die!"
The Nascent Soul Demon Cultivator flew into a rage. With a shudder, he instantly unleashed an incomparably tyrannical pressure.
PTHOO!
The cultivators on the scene spat out blood and collapsed one after another. They couldn’t even stand, let alone continue their war of words.
Jian Jinfeng and the other Golden Core cultivators were also slammed to the ground, feeling as if a great mountain had been dropped on them.
The light from their Golden Cores instantly dimmed and they fell to the ground. They had no chance to fight their opponent to the death.
Such was the power of a Nascent Soul True Monarch.
Without even lifting a finger, his pressure alone could suppress nearly every Golden Core cultivator.
SWOOSH!
The next moment, the Nascent Soul Demon Cultivator shot out a hand, which transformed into a massive black claw dozens of yards long, glinting with a cold light. It lunged toward the crowd of cultivators as fast as lightning.
’It’s over!’
In an instant, the massive claw blotted out the very light of the heavens. All the cultivators plunged into absolute despair.
’Huh?’
But the next moment, they were all surprised to find that the giant claw hadn’t struck them.
Just as the Nascent Soul Demon Cultivator’s claw had swung out, he suddenly shot backward, reappearing several hundred yards away. At the same time, his gaze, now incredibly grave, fixed upon the Sword Testing Valley behind them.
Confused, the cultivators also looked in that direction, but they saw nothing aside from the vast, swirling storm of Sword Intent.
Immediately after, however, the storm of Sword Intent paused for a split second, then receded like a tide.
At the same time, a loud, clear sword hum suddenly echoed from deep within the Sword Testing Valley. Following the sound, a tall, imposing cultivator emerged unhurriedly from the valley’s depths, carrying an ancient, unadorned Giant Sword.
The cultivator’s pace was unhurried, yet each step covered thousands of yards. In the blink of an eye, he stood before the crowd.
"Junior Martial Uncle Zhang?"
"Zhang Chi?"
’What’s he doing here?’
’What on earth happened? What’s wrong with the Sword Testing Valley? And that sword in his hand... could it be the Heaven-Reaching Spirit Sword left by the Founder?’
After a moment of silence, the cultivators couldn’t help but cry out in shock.
The newcomer, it turned out, was none other than Zhang Chi.
And although Zhang Chi kept a low profile, he had always been a famous figure within the Sect.
Thus, many people present recognized him.
Even those who didn’t recognize him immediately knew who he was from the others’ shocked cries.
Now, they finally understood why the Nascent Soul Demon Cultivator had abruptly retreated without even completing his attack.
And because the Nascent Soul Demon Cultivator had retreated so far away, the pressure bearing down on them lessened, allowing them to speak normally again.
’Isn’t Zhang Chi’s cultivation at the Golden Core Middle Stage? Can he really pose a threat to a Nascent Soul Demon Cultivator?’
’He’s not even a Sword Cultivator, is he? Why was he able to obtain the Spirit Sword left by the Founder?’
The cultivators’ minds were filled with questions.
At the same time, however, a sliver of hope sparked within them. It was just a sliver, but it meant they were no longer in complete despair.
"You called me a spineless coward just now? Very good. In that case, I’d like to see just how many of my sword strikes a so-called Nascent Soul True Monarch like yourself can withstand!"
Ignoring the other cultivators, Zhang Chi took a single step and instantly appeared high in the sky. He looked down upon the distant Nascent Soul Demon Cultivator and spoke coldly.
His voice wasn’t loud, but empowered by his formidable Divine Thought, it carried clearly throughout the entire Cangwu Sect, reaching the ears of every cultivator and Demon.
He had, in fact, already left. However, he realized Qin Susu wasn’t at the White Cloud Marketplace, and he also suddenly remembered there was a Spirit Sword he had not yet retrieved.
So, he came back.
After all, a Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasure was incredibly precious. He would certainly need it after leaving the Great Abyss, so he had to take it with him.
Furthermore, he had also planned to leave a few things for Qin Susu and the others.
He just never expected that while he was simply retrieving the Spirit Sword, he would hear someone outside cursing his name.
And worse, that this person was about to kill his woman, his master, and the others.
That was something he could not tolerate.
Of course, it was the Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasure Flying Sword that gave him the confidence to face a Nascent Soul Powerhouse head-on.
Although the sword’s Sword Spirit was gone, it was still a Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasure.
Every Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasure has its own unique Treasure Control Technique, and only by mastering it can one wield the treasure.
Zhang Chi had long ago finished absorbing the Sword Spirit’s Memory Fragments and had obtained the corresponding Treasure Control Technique to master this Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasure Flying Sword.
In fact, more than a decade ago, Zhang Chi had already mastered the Wind and Thunder Sword Intent from the Wind and Thunder Sword Control Skill.
Therefore, Zhang Chi already met the requirements and had become the new master of the Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasure Flying Sword.
When Zhang Chi had returned amidst the chaos to retrieve this Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasure, he had used the Treasure Control Technique and immediately succeeded in its initial Refinement.
Generally speaking, only a powerhouse at the legendary Divinity Transformation Realm could truly unleash the full Mighty Power of a Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasure.
Cultivators at the Nascent Soul Middle Stage and above could barely activate it and only unleash a portion of its Mighty Power.
However, Zhang Chi’s Divine Thought was powerful, comparable to that of a Nascent Soul Late Stage cultivator.
In addition, the Spirit Sword itself was damaged and its Sword Spirit was gone, causing its grade to fall.
Thus, even though Zhang Chi’s cultivation was insufficient, he could still activate the Spirit Treasure Flying Sword. However, he only had enough power for a single strike each time, and it would come at a certain price.
—
"You... you’re Zhang Chi? Impossible! Zhang Chi’s cultivation is only at the Golden Core Middle Stage. Even with a Top Grade Golden Core, he couldn’t possibly possess such tyrannical Divine Thought, nor a level of cultivation that even I can’t see through. It’s even more impossible for him to wield a Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasure Flying Sword!"
"Who in the world are you? Could you be the reincarnation of the Cangwu Sect’s Sword Cultivator Founder?"
"A misunderstanding, Senior! This is all a misunderstanding..."
The Nascent Soul Demon Cultivator was utterly horrified. He exclaimed and guessed wildly, growing more and more frightened as he spoke.
It turned out that when Zhang Chi had spoken, he had deliberately revealed his tyrannical Divine Thought. Although it hadn’t caused any physical harm to anyone, it had successfully intimidated his opponent.
Moreover, Zhang Chi had also used the Divine Concealment Technique, making it impossible for his opponent to discern his actual cultivation Realm.
Coupled with the fact that Zhang Chi could ignore his oppressive aura, he immediately suspected that Zhang Chi was also a Nascent Soul Powerhouse—and likely one whose cultivation was even higher than his own Nascent Soul Early Stage.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been frightened into retreating just now.
BOOM!
But before the words were even out of his mouth, Zhang Chi had already formed a Spirit Technique hand seal, sent the Spirit Sword in his hand flying, and slashed down through the air.