Chapter 243 - 224: Taking Action
"In that case, you must die too!"
Ruan Caixiong’s eyes were filled with undisguised killing intent.
Chen Ming felt that this man had been suppressed for too long, a bit abnormal, and nothing he said would work, "Since that’s the case, why don’t you make your move?"
"No rush."
Ruan Caixiong smiled slightly, "Let’s take care of the others first."
As he spoke, he raised his hand, and a stream of light blue Gang Yuan transformed into a giant palm, striking toward Fang Yong, several feet away.
Originally unconscious, Fang Yong had already leapt up and was escaping quickly.
It turned out he had been pretending to be unconscious all along.
However, in Ruan Caixiong’s eyes, the two First Grade disciples of Nine Nether Sect were the most threatening, so naturally, he had to deal with them first to feel at ease.
Rumble.
Fang Yong barely escaped ten feet before being caught by that giant hand. It slammed down on his head, making him vomit a mouthful of blood, worsening his injuries, and leaving him lying on the ground as if run over by a cart. Not a single bone was intact.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Ruan Caixiong flicked his hand, and several silver-white needles flew out, precisely piercing several crucial points on Fang Yong’s body, inch by inch.
Dragon Sealing Needle!
This was a strengthened version of the Dragon Sealing Needle, specifically designed to temporarily seal the cultivation of a First Grade expert.
"Ah—"
Fang Yong let out a heartrending scream.
As the Dragon Sealing Needle pierced deeper, his forehead began to bulge, as if something was going to pop out.
When several needles were fully embedded in him, a black turtle shell finally squeezed out from his forehead.
Ruan Caixiong raised his hand and drew the turtle shell to him, saying, "Disciples of the Nine Nether Sect all possess a Lifebound Object, making them extremely difficult to handle. This time, without Elder Luo of the Celestial Dao Alliance, I wouldn’t be their match alone. Elder Luo, thank you."
Not far away, Luo Zhouwu was sitting cross-legged on the ground, healing his injuries. He had been struck by the Demon Sword, and the sword’s Demonic Qi invasion was the most troublesome part.
At this moment, he was sitting with his eyes closed, no reaction, unclear if he had heard Ruan Caixiong’s words.
Ruan Caixiong played with the turtle shell in his hand, admiring it, "So his Lifebound Object was this wonder. It’s rumored that the Heavenly Master Mansion had a turtle shell that could divine fortune and misfortune, passed down from ancient times. Later, it was lost with a generation of Heavenly Master. It seems it was lost by the Heavenly Master who died in the Longevity Sect."
"This turtle shell, after being refined by the Nine Nether Great Technique, is even more miraculous than before. Brother Gu, do you know why the Nine Nether Sect is the strongest among the six sects of the Longevity Sect, having three Demon Venerables?"
Chen Ming said, "Please enlighten me, Brother Ruan."
He had always been interested in such secrets.
Ruan Caixiong said, "The Nine Nether Great Technique is actually the top Artifact Refining Technique in the world. You may not know, but among the existing Unparalleled Divine Weapons, more than half originate from the Nine Nether Sect."
"Is that so?"
Chen Ming had a vague suspicion.
Ruan Caixiong continued, "Back then, many sects coveted the benefits of the Nine Nether Great Technique, which could be used to refine Divine Weapons. So they allowed it to spread among the people, even having their disciples practice it. Once these people’s Demon Skills were perfected, and their Lifebound Objects reached the level of Unparalleled Divine Weapons, they would strike to kill them and seize their Lifebound Objects.
"This continued for decades until the Nine Nether Sect grew powerful and uncontrollable, producing three Demon Venerables in succession, prompting the major powers to band together and slaughter all who practiced the Nine Nether Great Technique, suppressing the Demon Artifacts of the three Demon Venerables separately."
After Ruan Caixiong finished speaking, he put the turtle shell he held into his arms, "So, when I discovered that my wife was a descendant of the Nine Nether Sect, I was overjoyed, but unfortunately, she was too soft-hearted..."
"Pah—"
Suddenly, Fang Yong, lying on the ground, sealed by the Dragon Sealing Needle, spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, cursing, "You scoundrel..."
Ruan Caixiong ignored him and looked at Chen Ming, "Brother Gu, although we’ve only known each other a short time, I feel strangely kindred to you. I always feel you and I are the same kind of people. What a pity—"
Who is the same kind of person as you?
Chen Ming thought, then looked at the Demon Sword beside him, "Why don’t you use this sword against them?"
Ruan Caixiong’s face twisted into a peculiar smile, "You must know the origin of the six sects of the Longevity Sect. Each sect has a Longevity Technique derived from the Emperor of Eternal Life. Have you ever wondered what the Longevity Technique of the Nine Nether Sect is?"
Chen Ming was taken aback. He hadn’t really thought about it before, although he had obtained the Nine Nether Great Technique, his understanding only reached the First Grade level.
Suddenly realizing something, he looked at the Demon Sword and inhaled sharply, "Could it be—"
Ruan Caixiong laughed loudly, "Yes, it’s exactly as you think. This Demon Sword is the Demon Venerable’s true form! The so-called Longevity Technique is merely transforming oneself into the Artifact Spirit of a weapon. Isn’t that hilarious? Hahahaha..."
"..."
Chen Ming looked at the Demon Sword, suddenly grateful for his caution in not practicing the Nine Nether Great Technique. This flawed technique was actually a way to forge one’s body into an Unparalleled Divine Weapon, and when one’s lifespan ended, the physical body decayed, and the Unparalleled Divine Weapon became the new body.
This technique is really absurd!
No wonder Luo Zhouwu, after picking up the Demon Sword, abandoned it once it became a liability.
When Qian Jiu obtained the Demon Sword, his personality changed drastically, undoubtedly influenced by the sword.
In truth, whoever possessed this Demon Sword might appear to be its master but in reality, became the sword’s slave.
He had previously thought that compared to the Blood Demon Sect, which consumed people, and the Undying Demon Sect, which turned people into puppets, the Nine Nether Sect seemed relatively normal within the Longevity Sect.
Now it seemed just as inexplicable and strange.
No wonder the Emperor of Eternal Life sealed away these Longevity Techniques, choosing not to use them.
At this moment, Ruan Caixiong finished laughing and said, "Brother Gu, I’ve told you everything you need to know. You won’t die clueless. Now, it’s time to send you on your way."
Chen Ming said, "Please wait a moment."
Then, he opened the panel.
[Level: 70]
[Current Points: 7,179,875]
[Cultivation Technique: "Iron Horse Stance" (Fifth Level Perfection), "Five Elements True Skill (Missing)" (Seventh Level 242,456/10,000,000)]
[Martial Skill: "Three Talents Fist" (Mastery), Eight Trigrams Saber Technique (Mastery), Zhuang’s Flying Knife (Mastery), Swallow Returning Sword Technique (Mastery), "Vermilion Bird Swordsmanship" (Mastery), "Phoenix Dance of Nine Heavens" (Fourth Level 3908/400,000), "Lone Goose Under Heaven" (Second Level 35,734/2,000,000)]
[Secret Technique: "Disguise Technique" (Mastery), "Artifact Nurturing Technique" (First Level 1/100,000), "Artifact Control Technique" (Fourth Level 1/400,000)]
"Add points!"
He silently muttered to himself, initially enhancing "Phoenix Dance of Nine Heavens" to Ninth Layer Perfection.
Spent a total of 3,900,000 points in one go.
Then, he also advanced "Artifact Control Technique" to the Ninth Layer, spending another 3,000,000 experience points.
Facing a First Grade opponent, even if all points were added to cultivation techniques, it wouldn’t be of much use. "Phoenix Dance of Nine Heavens" is for survival.
And "Artifact Control Technique" is to unleash the full power of the Mingfeng Sword, which is his only hope for victory.
[Level: 70]
[Current Points: 283,783]
[Cultivation Technique: "Iron Horse Stance" (Fifth Level Perfection), "Five Elements True Skill (Missing)" (Seventh Level 242,456/10,000,000)]
[Martial Skills: "Three Talents Fist" (Mastery), Eight Trigrams Saber Technique (Mastery), Zhuang’s Flying Knife (Mastery), Swallow Returning Sword Technique (Mastery), "Vermilion Bird Swordsmanship" (Mastery), "Phoenix Dance of Nine Heavens" (Ninth Layer Perfection), "Lone Goose Under Heaven" (Second Level 35,734/2,000,000)]
[Secret Technique: "Disguise Technique" (Mastery), "Artifact Nurturing Technique" (First Level 1/100,000), "Artifact Control Technique" (Ninth Layer 1/900,000)]
At this point, he only has about 200,000 points left, like going back to square one overnight.
Chen Ming felt as if his heart were bleeding.
Meanwhile, intense changes were happening within his body.
...
"Hmm?"
Ruan Caixiong saw Gu Xianyu close his eyes, and a strange change seemed to occur on his body. For some reason, an ominous premonition arose in his heart.
Logically, this youngster is merely at Third Grade cultivation level, even possessing an Unparalleled Divine Weapon shouldn’t pose any threat to him...
No way!
Ruan Caixiong decided to trust his intuition, stopped hesitating, and raised his hand to unleash a Sword Gang.
Whoosh!
At the moment of the strike, he suddenly lost his sense of Gu Xianyu. The opponent vanished into thin air, and the Sword Gang missed its target.
"How is that possible?"
A First Grade expert with a mighty Primordial Spirit and Gang Yuan infused with spirituality, once unleashed, should make it impossible for someone below First Grade to dodge.
How could this kid escape his Divine Sense lock?
Ruan Caixiong’s heart trembled slightly, sensing something peculiar about this kid.
He turned his head slightly, locked onto Gu Xianyu several feet away in a different position, and pointed again.
Whoosh!
The opponent vanished again, and Ruan Caixiong once again lost his sense, the Sword Gang missed its target once more.
Curiosity overwhelmed Ruan Caixiong, and he couldn’t help but ask, "How did you do it?"
At this moment, Chen Ming opened his eyes and smiled faintly, "You guess."
He thought to himself that it was dangerous; if not for upgrading "Phoenix Dance of Nine Heavens" to perfection, he wouldn’t have been able to dodge those two Sword Gangs and would have had to fight head-on.
If that happened, even if he could use the power of the Mingfeng Sword to block, it would be passive defense. Now, things are different; the initiative is in his hands.
"Hmph!"
Ruan Caixiong’s expression turned cold, "Do you really think I can’t deal with you? I’m only trying to avoid putting in more effort. Now, watch the sword!"
The Divine Weapon embedded in Zhou You flew up on its own, transforming into a rainbow sword and slashed towards Chen Ming.
"I have one too!"
This time, Chen Ming did not dodge but drew the Mingfeng Sword. A golden flame rose from the sword, seemingly about to burn through this space; the terrifying heat spread outward.
He extracted the Golden Flame from the sword, revealing the true power of this Golden Flame!
"What?"
Ruan Caixiong only felt the Gang Yuan attached to the Divine Weapon ignite; a sharp pain surged through his Primordial Spirit, severing his connection with the weapon.
Such a shock was truly extraordinary!