Chapter 70 - 69: The Righteous Liu Feiyan
Uncle Zhong had already fought Sikong Tu and the other Poison Wolf Thieves, and his strength was now spent.
He wasted no time, taking out an Elixir. He used the span of a few breaths to rapidly refine a portion of its medicinal power, then grabbed his Long Spear to go support Chen Yuan.
But just as Uncle Zhong looked up, he saw the young man’s palm fall. Dense, tyrannical Blood Fiend Qi coalesced into a giant hand. A boundless killing intent descended, brutally tearing through the True Qi around Sikong Tu’s body and blasting him away, coughing up blood!
This wasn’t the first time Chen Yuan had crossed blades with a Martial Artist of the Sea of Reincarnation Realm; he had even killed two of them.
He was more experienced than anyone in how to deal with existences at the Sea of Reincarnation Realm.
As long as one acted in a single, decisive burst, using overwhelming explosive power to completely crush the opponent, the Sea of Reincarnation Realm Martial Artist’s advantage of rapid Inner Strength recovery would be utterly negated.
Of course, that was easier said than done.
Not every Qi Casting Realm Martial Artist possessed a Divine Artifact Fragment, nor did every Martial Artist have Earth Level, let alone Celestial Level, Cultivation Techniques to rely on.
’This young man’s foundation is incredibly deep!’
Uncle Zhong stared at Chen Yuan, his face a mask of astonishment.
’Sikong Tu couldn’t withstand that palm strike. Even at my peak, I wouldn’t have been able to take it either.’
Just then, Li Fan, having finished off the remaining Poison Wolf Thieves, came limping over.
"Master, can you tell what this Young Hero’s background is?"
Uncle Zhong shook his head. "I can’t tell. The Cultivation Techniques he uses are a mix of many things. There are elements from the Demon Sect and the Buddhist Sect, as well as other schools of thought. But every single one is incredibly powerful.
"Still, it’s a good thing this Young Hero was passing by, and that the Poison Wolf Thieves are so vicious and ruthless. Because they were, we were able to escape with our lives. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable."
Uncle Zhong was still reeling with lingering fear.
Not everyone is willing to meddle in other people’s business.
’If the Poison Wolf Thieves hadn’t been so ruthless, trying to kill us just for being spotted, he might not have intervened.’
Little did Uncle Zhong know, he was overthinking things.
Even if the Poison Wolf Thieves hadn’t tried to silence them, Chen Yuan would have immediately switched identities. "Young Hero Chen" would have come online to punish the wicked, aid the weak, and save them.
However, since the Poison Wolf Thieves made the first move, it saved Chen Yuan some trouble. At least he didn’t have to put on an act.
At that moment, Sikong Tu was spitting up blood, staring at Chen Yuan in absolute horror.
’Is he really a Martial Artist of the Qi Casting Realm? What kind of Qi Casting Realm Martial Artist could possess this kind of power?’
While he was still reeling in shock, an overwhelming tide of Blood Fiend Qi had already erupted from Chen Yuan’s body, surging with Demonic Qi as he slashed toward him!
Having drawn the Killing Intent Origin into his body, Chen Yuan had no time to waste.
Black qi swirled around the curved hooks in Sikong Tu’s hands, which danced like two venomous snakes. Each strike came at Chen Yuan from an incredibly devious angle.
His twin hooks were not suited for direct assaults, favoring a more sinister and treacherous style of combat.
The black True Qi was also highly corrosive, capable of eating away at most other types of True Qi.
But against Chen Yuan’s Blood Fiend Qi, this corrosive property was a complete joke, utterly suppressed.
Seeing this, the black True Qi around Sikong Tu’s body began to burn intensely. Two black fire serpents suddenly shot out, lunging straight for Chen Yuan!
The Autumn Wind Slash, wreathed in overwhelming Blood Fiend, came down. A sky full of Blood Fiend Saber Aura rained down, instantly shattering the two black fire serpents.
But strangely, a portion of the shattered serpents instantly broke away and shot straight toward Chen Yuan.
The only differences between the Sea of Reincarnation Realm and the Qi Casting Realm were stronger True Qi Recovery Power and greater explosive force. There were no other distinctions.
Once True Qi left the body, it could no longer be controlled. It would even weaken over distance.
For the black fire serpents that Sikong Tu had manifested from his True Qi to be able to attack again after being shattered was truly bizarre.
Chen Yuan sneered. He formed a Seal Technique, and a brilliant Buddha Light instantly erupted from his body.
Pure Glaze, Vajra Indestructible!
Buddhist Cultivation Techniques had solid foundations, and this Power of Buddha Light was the perfect counter to such sinister Secret Techniques.
The black fire serpents exploded and dissipated the moment they struck the Buddha Light, unable to get anywhere near him.
Only then did Chen Yuan see it clearly. The black fire serpents were actually formed around incredibly fine black threads.
Sikong Tu was using these black threads to remotely control the True Qi serpents, allowing him to continue channeling power into them even after they had left his body.
Seeing his surprise attack fail, Sikong Tu hurriedly tried to retract the black threads.
But with a single slash from Chen Yuan’s saber, under the supreme sharpness of the Cyan Dragon Blood Drink, the threads were all severed.
Sikong Tu suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood. His Meridians had been instantly and severely damaged!
Those black threads were directly connected to his Meridians!
Sikong Tu saw that he was utterly powerless against Chen Yuan. His entire repertoire of Cultivation Techniques was completely suppressed.
Without a moment’s hesitation, he turned and fled.
Behind him, Uncle Zhong had recovered some of his strength. He immediately moved to block Sikong Tu’s path, his Long Spear dancing like a soaring dragon, majestic and powerful.
"Old man! Get out of my way!"
Sikong Tu roared in fury, but for the moment, he was unable to break past Uncle Zhong.
Uncle Zhong was old but resilient. Even when the Poison Wolf Thieves had the upper hand, they hadn’t been able to finish him off quickly, let alone now.
At that exact moment, Chen Yuan caught up from behind.
With a single slash, Blood Fiend and Demonic Qi intertwined, forming what looked like a black and red abyss that crashed down upon Sikong Tu with overwhelming force!
Blood Demon Devouring the Sun!
Sikong Tu let out a long howl as black qi erupted from his hands and his Qi Blood began to burn violently.
But it was too late.
Under the power of Blood Demon Devouring the Sun, the twisting vortex of Blood Fiend and Demonic Qi directly tore Sikong Tu’s entire body in two!
In an instant, a rain of blood fell upon the battlefield as his entrails spilled onto the ground. The scene was utterly gruesome.
Uncle Zhong was spattered with blood and bits of flesh, and his eyelid couldn’t help but twitch.
’What a savage technique!’
He was a veteran of the Zhenwu Hall, a seasoned old soldier who had fought in a hundred bloody battles against the Court under the ’Breaking Army Divine General’ Xie Wenyan.
But even for him, the scene before his eyes was a considerable shock.
Just then, Liu Feiyan walked over, completely unfazed by the gory scene. She cheered loudly, "Tearing him in two was letting that bastard off easy! If you ask me, he should have been drawn and quartered, or given death by a thousand cuts!"
With that said, Liu Feiyan walked over, bowed respectfully to Chen Yuan, and said solemnly, "I am Liu Feiyan of the Zhenwu Hall. Thank you, Young Hero, for saving our lives."
Chen Yuan looked at Liu Feiyan and found her somewhat peculiar.
Liu Feiyan was strikingly beautiful, but her beauty was not flirtatious. It was a kind of heroic, spirited beauty.
Dressed in men’s clothing and offering a cupped-fist salute, her appearance and bearing had an androgynous quality.
Chen Yuan was familiar with the plot, so he knew exactly what kind of person Liu Feiyan was.
To put it simply, she was a person who deeply valued loyalty and honor.
It was indeed strange to use words like "honor" and "brotherly loyalty" to describe a woman, but that was precisely her personality.
In the original plot, Zuo Feiyu had indeed saved her. What she didn’t know, however, was that Zuo Feiyu had originally intended to recruit the Poison Wolf Thieves.
The Nine Swords Alliance was just starting out and was not picky in the slightest. They would try to recruit any powerful Jianghu People, regardless of their reputation.
It was only when Zuo Feiyu discovered they were from the Zhenwu Hall that he decided to kill the Poison Wolf Thieves and rescue Liu Feiyan instead.
And because he had saved her life, Liu Feiyan ended up helping Zuo Feiyu a great deal.
One could say that in the original plot, the smooth early development of the Nine Swords Alliance was inseparable from Liu Feiyan’s assistance.
Unfortunately, by the time Liu Feiyan finally saw Zuo Feiyu’s true colors, the Nine Swords Alliance had already risen to power, completely replacing the Zhenwu Hall’s position in Ning Province.
"There’s no need for thanks. And to be honest, I didn’t intend to get involved at first. It’s just that this group was too outrageous. I was just passing by and glanced at them, and for that, they wanted to kill me to silence me."
Chen Yuan glanced at Sikong Tu’s bisected corpse and sneered. "Since that’s what they wanted, I was happy to oblige."
"In the Jianghu, one’s actions are judged, not their intentions. The fact is that you saved us, Young Hero, and for that, we are eternally grateful. If you have the time, you are welcome to return with us to the Zhenwu Hall. We will be sure to reward you handsomely!"
Hearing Chen Yuan speak so candidly, Liu Feiyan’s impression of him improved even more.
This kind of honesty was far better than the words of some sanctimonious hypocrite.
Uncle Zhong and Li Fan also cupped their fists in thanks, breathing a simultaneous sigh of relief.
They had been afraid that this man before them had approached them with ulterior motives.
It wasn’t that they were paranoid; Liu Feiyan’s status was special, and they had to be cautious.
But now, hearing Chen Yuan’s explanation, it seemed he had simply been an innocent bystander dragged into the conflict. This put their minds at ease.
"I’ve heard of the Ning Province Zhenwu Hall, of course, but I’ll have to decline. I’m preparing to go to Desolate Heaven Ridge."
Chen Yuan pointed toward the depths of Tiger Bone Forest. "And please, stop calling me Young Hero. It feels a bit awkward. My name is Chen Tian. You can just call me that."
Chen Yuan was eighty percent certain that he was the mysterious Martial Arts Alliance Hierarch from the original plot, but there was still a twenty percent margin of doubt.
Therefore, he wouldn’t be using the name Chen Jiutian for the time being, sticking with the alias Chen Tian.
Uncle Zhong asked curiously, "Little Brother Chen, what business do you have in Desolate Heaven Ridge?"
"I’ve heard that Desolate Heaven Ridge is filled with countless ruins, Secret Treasures, and all sorts of Heavenly and Earthly Treasures. I’m just heading there to try and make a living."
Chen Yuan sighed. "I was originally a Loose Cultivator from You Province, but I offended an important figure there. I had no choice but to leave my home and travel all the way to Ning Province."
"If I can find some Secret Treasures in Desolate Heaven Ridge, I won’t just be able to make a living; I might even be able to advance my cultivation."
Uncle Zhong shook his head and advised, "Little Brother Chen, I urge you to give up on that idea."
"I’m a native of Ning Province myself. When I was young, I also spent time adventuring in Desolate Heaven Ridge, fantasizing that I’d find some great Heavenly and Earthly Treasures and my cultivation would soar to the heavens."
"But in reality, it was just a waste of time. I almost didn’t make it back alive."
"For thousands of years, the outer regions of Desolate Heaven Ridge have been explored time and again. Any treasures that could be found have already been taken. There’s nothing good left there anymore."
"As for the inner regions, they’re fraught with peril. Of ten who go in, nine never return."
"It’s true that some people find Heavenly and Earthly Treasures, but far more never return at all."
Just then, Liu Feiyan’s eyes lit up, and she suddenly said, "Brother Chen, with strength like yours, why risk your life in Desolate Heaven Ridge?"
"My Zhenwu Hall dominates Ning Province, and we are desperate for talented individuals. Brother Chen, if you join our Zhenwu Hall, you won’t have to worry about cultivation resources in the slightest."
"Just come back to the Zhenwu Hall with me, and I’ll ask my father to personally arrange a good position for you. It’s a far better option than risking your life in Desolate Heaven Ridge."
At her side, Uncle Zhong’s expression changed. He wanted to stop her, but it was already too late.