Chapter 232 - 214: Secret Technique
The doors and windows of the room were tightly shut, and the light was dim. In front of him was a bed draped in silk.
Within a dozen meters around, no sound of a third person’s breathing or heartbeat could be heard.
Chen Ming’s palms were sweaty, but he suddenly burst into laughter, "Sister-in-law, please stop joking. Call Brother Ruan out, will you? Is he hiding behind the door?"
Kneeling on the ground, Zhou Yilan kept her head down. Although she couldn’t see his expression, she also sensed his extreme tension, feeling a bit of admiration. Even at this point, he refused to admit anything, evidencing his caution.
She said, "Saint Heir, there’s no need to suspect your subordinate. If the subordinate intended to harm you, why go through such an act? I only need to do this—"
As soon as she finished speaking, a flash of white light appeared in her hand. She unexpectedly activated the power of the "Mingfeng Sword," and a purple light shone, the sinister demonic qi dropping the surrounding temperature to freezing.
The purple silhouette nearly broke free from the suppression of the "Mingfeng Sword."
Chen Ming’s heart was in his throat, and he shouted, "Enough!"
Instantly, the purple silhouette was sucked back into the "Mingfeng Sword," and the room returned to its calm state, as if nothing had happened.
He reached out, snatching the "Mingfeng Sword," his heart still pounding.
He was almost scared to death just now; if the Immortal Demon Venerable broke free, the consequences would be unimaginable.
She not only discovered the Demon Venerable suppressed within the "Mingfeng Sword," but could even control the "Mingfeng Sword," something truly astonishing.
The "Mingfeng Sword" trembled slightly, sending a faint grievance, as if saying, "Master, I’m tainted now."
Zhou Yilan solemnly said, "The subordinate has no intention of harming the Saint Heir."
Chen Ming looked at her, thoughts racing through his mind. Quickly weighing the pros and cons, in this situation, there was no choice but to engage in subterfuge.
Don’t be deceived by Zhou Yilan’s dainty appearance, in reality, she is a second-grade expert.
This information was given to her by her husband, Ruan Caixiong.
Chen Ming cleared his throat and said, "Alright, stand up. I believe you now."
Only then did Zhou Yilan rise, standing respectfully at the side.
He asked a question, "You clearly could kill me and take the sword. Why haven’t you done so?"
"The Saint Heir is one destined by fate; how dare the subordinate offend?"
"In the Holy Sect, strength is revered. Now the Holy Sect has no master, and all disciples vie for the supreme position solely with their capability. What destined by fate?"
Zhou Yilan said, "The Saint Heir is the legitimate heir of the Gu Family, hidden within the Six Gates. If I were to kill you, it would surely attract the investigation of the Six Gates. How dare I take action? Therefore, you are one destined by fate."
Chen Ming knew she wasn’t telling the truth, "You wish to retire from the martial world, live with Brother Ruan, and no longer involve yourself in the affairs of the Holy Sect, am I right?"
At these words, Zhou Yilan’s expression subtly changed, kneeling on one knee again, "I ask the Saint Heir’s consent."
Seeing her reaction, Chen Ming finally breathed a sigh of relief, having regained the upper hand.
He spoke indifferently, "What use is my consent? You need your fellow disciples to consent."
Zhou Yilan’s face turned ashen, trembling as she said, "Saint... Heir’s foresight is remarkable..."
"It’s simple deduction," Chen Ming laughed, "If you weren’t being coerced, why would you reveal your identity upon discovering mine?
"So I thought, someone must be forcing you, threatening Brother Ruan, and you are unwilling. Thus you want to use me to get rid of them, am I right?"
Shocked to her core, Zhou Yilan couldn’t believe he had discerned her inner thoughts with just a few words. She couldn’t help but feel afraid.
Seeing her reaction, Chen Ming silently shook his head. With such a temperament, she ventured into the demonic cult.
Indeed, women in love become vulnerable. It’s a great hindrance to career advancement.
He said, "You need not fear. Brother Ruan treats me like family, and you are like a sister-in-law to me. I would never harm you two. If you don’t believe me, I can swear by the name of the Demon Venerable, once the other disciples are dealt with, I’ll set you free to live an eternal life with Brother Ruan."
"Is that true?"
Zhou Yilan raised her head, looking somewhat emotional.
Immediately, Chen Ming swore a solemn oath in the name of the Nine Nether Demon Venerable, "... If I break this vow, let me, Gu Xianyu, be backlashed by the Holy Sword and die a miserable death."
Seeing him swear a serious oath in the Demon Venerable’s name, Zhou Yilan’s expression relaxed as she said, "Thank you, Saint Heir, for your benevolence."
Chen Ming advised, "Sister-in-law, stop calling me Saint Heir. If you get used to it, Brother Ruan might catch on to something."
"Understood."
"Do you know the identities of your fellow disciples?"
Zhou Yilan first nodded, then shook her head, "I know their real names, but I don’t know what identities they are using now."
People of the Demon Sect are skilled in disguise; it’s basic operations for them.
"Do you have a way to contact them?"
"I can only contact the eldest disciple brother, but eliminating just him is useless. The others will surely flee Xiazhou City once they know something is amiss. Capturing them afterward will be challenging."
From her words, it’s clear she wants to eliminate every last one.
Indeed, she’s ruthless enough.
Chen Ming asked, "How many people know your identity?"
"At most three. They were all my fellow disciples from childhood. But I never thought..."
She shook her head, a sorrowful smile on her face, "If they hadn’t pushed too hard, disregarding my husband’s life, I wouldn’t fall out with them this way..."
Chen Ming said coldly, "If you still have lingering affections for them, then this matter is off. I don’t want you softhearted at a crucial moment, ruining everything."
"Rest assured, for the sake of my husband, I will not be soft."
"Good. Then we need to plan how to capture them all."
"There is an excellent opportunity for them to enter the net themselves."
Clearly, Zhou Yilan already had a plan in mind.
Chen Ming, understanding her intention, said, "You plan to use others to carry out the task?"
"That’s right. My three elder disciples have all achieved first grade; they aren’t something you or I can match. Unless you activate the full power of the Holy Sword. But that would draw the Eight Holy Sects and the Six Gates. The best method is to use the Six Gates to get rid of them."
"Just as I wished."
At the moment, the two began to discuss this plan.
...
Finally, Chen Ming and Zhou Yilan reached a consensus, and he brought up another request, "Now there’s still one thing missing."
"What is it?"
"Something that can earn the trust of the high levels of the Six Gates. Mere words, how could they convince Hong Yuze? There must be something that can prove that the Nine Nether Sect has truly reemerged. Do you have any tokens, demon artifacts, or cultivation techniques from the Nine Nether Sect on you?"
Zhou Yilan pondered briefly and said, "Wait a moment before you leave. At that time, I will have someone bring a basket to you. You take it with you."
"Alright."
...
When Chen Ming left the Ruan Mansion, it was already dusk. Before he left, Zhou Yilan had someone bring over a box of pastries, and the entire carriage was filled with the aroma of pastries.
Having confirmed his safety, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Today’s experiences were truly extraordinary. One misstep could have led to fatal consequences.
This martial world was still too dangerous—a place he thought was safe was also harboring unforeseen dangers.
Who could have imagined that Ruan Caixiong’s wife was actually a disciple of the Nine Nether Sect?
Feeling a sense of irony, he opened the basket filled with the aroma of pastries. After taking out the plate of pastries, there was a dark iron piece below, appearing like an ordinary iron billet, smooth on the surface without a single mark.
"Is this the token of the Nine Nether Sect?"
Chen Ming took out the iron piece and held it in his hand; it was heavy.
He tried to inject a strand of Gang Yuan, and instantly, a strange thought drilled into his mind, indescribably cold and slippery, making him feel nauseous and nearly drop the iron piece.
"Was that thought just now conveying some information, was it a cultivation technique?"
Chen Ming took a deep breath, forced himself to endure the nausea, and injected Gang Yuan once more.
Instantly, the cold thought drilled into his mind again, as if it was reciting some sort of mantra.
He forced himself to endure the discomfort, focusing intently on listening to the mantra.
...
Until nightfall, Chen Ming finally listened to all the contents within the iron piece. This cultivation technique was called the "Nine Nether Great Technique."
This cultivation technique was extremely peculiar, even a mystical and unique art.
When cultivating the "Nine Nether Great Technique," one needs to choose a Lifebound Object, using this object for self-cultivation, essentially a dual cultivation of artifact and self.
Immediately, he thought of some "sword cultivation" in Xianxia novels.
This "Nine Nether Great Technique" is somewhat similar; the extent of achievement depends on the chosen Lifebound Object.
If it’s just an ordinary object, it provides almost no enhancement.
If it’s a Divine Weapon, the speed of cultivation is several times faster than normal.
If it’s an Unparalleled Divine Weapon, the speed of cultivation is dozens of times faster than normal.
If it’s one of those demon artifacts from the Nine Nether Sect, the speed is hundreds to thousands of times faster, reaching realms in a short time that others can’t achieve in a lifetime.
The cultivation techniques of the Longevity Sect are indeed fast to learn, each more eccentric than the last.
Chen Ming doubted that if one relied on demon artifacts to cultivate, by the day of the great achievement of the Demon Skill, would they still be the same person?
However, within this "Nine Nether Great Technique," there were many methods to manipulate Divine Weapons, which were worth referencing. For instance, a technique called the "Artifact Nurturing Technique," which uses Gang Yuan to nurture Divine Weapons, strengthening the bond with them and quickly achieving a state of Man and Sword as One.
Another technique, "Artifact Control Technique," allows one to manipulate an Unparalleled Divine Weapon, unleashing its full power without being harmed.
In the afternoon, Zhou Yilan likely used this secret technique to control the "Mingfeng Sword."
That night, Chen Ming stayed up all night, pondering over the "Artifact Nurturing Technique" and "Artifact Control Technique" from the "Nine Nether Great Technique."
Unbeknownst to him, dawn arrived.
"I did it!"
Chen Ming was overjoyed and opened the panel.
[Level: 70]
[Current Points: 949,875]
[Cultivation Techniques: "Iron Horse Stance" (Fifth Level Perfection), "Five Elements True Skill (Missing)" (Seventh Level 242456/10000000)]
[Martial Skills: "Three Talents Fist" (Advanced), Eight Trigrams Saber Technique (Advanced), Zhuang’s Flying Knife (Advanced), Swallow Returning Sword Technique (Advanced), "Vermilion Bird Swordsmanship" (Advanced), "Phoenix Dance of Nine Heavens" (Fourth Level 3908/400000), "Lonely Wild Goose" (Second Level 35734/2000000)]
[Secret Techniques: "Disguise Technique" (Advanced), "Artifact Nurturing Technique" (First Level 1/100000), "Artifact Control Technique" (First Level 1/100000)]
Those two secret techniques appeared on the panel, allowing direct allocation of points.
"Allocate points!"
Without hesitation, Chen Ming allocated points to the "Artifact Control Technique," advancing it to the second layer, then to the third layer, all in one go up to the fourth layer.
"So that’s Artifact Control Technique!"
He picked up the "Mingfeng Sword," feeling as if this Unparalleled Divine Weapon was connected to his very bloodline, allowing him to clearly sense three forces within the sword.
One was the inherent strength of the "Mingfeng Sword," the weakest yet most agile.
The other was a blazing force akin to the sun, and the last was the Primordial Spirit of the Immortal Demon Venerable. The first two forces had joined together, firmly suppressing the Demon Venerable’s spirit.
Chen Ming could freely utilize any of the forces within the sword, including the suppressed spirit of the Immortal Demon Venerable.
A sense of boldness arose spontaneously in his heart.
At this moment, he finally had the power to deal with the current situation, and even if he encountered a First Grade master, he had the strength to fight them.
Even if he encountered a Divine Treasure Realm, at worst, he’d release the Immortal Demon Venerable, and it would be mutual destruction. It was his final trump card.
PS: About to reach six hundred thousand words, seeking monthly votes as assurance.