Chapter 136 - 134: Settling the Grudge
Shangguan Yun was ranked forty-seventh on the Hidden Dragon Rankings. Though also at the late stage of the Sea of Reincarnation Realm, his strength was a whole level above Duan Mingzhen’s.
As he formed a Seal Technique, boundless cold air swirled around Shangguan Yun. He struck out with his palm, and wherever its force passed, even the surrounding True Qi froze solid.
When his attack collided with the Demon Flame surrounding Chen Yuan, a violent cloud of white steam erupted.
The Shangguan Family of Unrivaled City had a legacy stretching back over a thousand years. Their ancestral Cultivation Technique, the *Beichen Ice Soul True Skill*, was much like the *Celestial Fire Secret Manual*—a powerful art that, when mastered, allowed one to comprehend a Power of Origin.
Seeing Shangguan Yun arrive as reinforcement, Yao Tiancheng and the others behind him felt their spirits lift. They immediately launched their full-power attacks at Chen Yuan.
The pressure on Chen Yuan instantly skyrocketed. But instead of retreating, he advanced, drawing the Killing Intent Origin directly into his body. In that moment, a torrential wave of Blood Fiend Power surged into his boundless Demon Flame.
Chen Yuan slashed down with his saber. The Demon Flame and boundless Blood Fiend coalesced, and empowered by the *Celestial Fire Secret Manual*, this Blood Demon Devouring the Sun strike was several times stronger than before.
As the saber fell, the fusion of Demon Flame and Blood Fiend was like the enraged roar of a Divine Demon. An extreme tearing force surged toward Yao Tiancheng and the others, shredding their Sword Momentum and shattering their True Qi.
At the same time, Chen Yuan struck down with his left palm, and a boundless Killing Tribulation descended.
The Blood Fiend Heaven-Seizing Hand smashed down toward Shangguan Yun, its seemingly invincible and majestic power causing his expression to change instantly.
The pressure he faced alone was even greater than what Yao Tiancheng’s group of four endured. ’I have no idea why Chen Yuan is targeting me so specifically.’
With a furious roar, Shangguan Yun frantically burned his Qi, blood, and True Qi, transforming it all into a bone-chilling ice flame that condensed in his hands.
Forming a Seal Technique, he caused the ice flame to spread out instantly, condensing before him into a massive Cold Ice Hand Seal that was dozens of feet wide.
Cold Ice Hand Seal!
The two seal techniques collided, and the Power of the Killing Tribulation instantly crushed Shangguan Yun’s Cold Ice Hand Seal.
As the potent, bloody power of the Killing Tribulation surged toward him, Shangguan Yun’s expression changed. He snatched Zuo Feiyu and retreated with extreme speed.
As he fell back, Shangguan Yun continuously formed Seal Techniques. The frigid air around him churned, condensing into one True Qi-forged ice long sword after another, which he sent slashing toward the Blood Killing Heaven-Seizing Hand.
He retreated more than a dozen steps, frantically expending his True Qi, before he finally managed to neutralize the power of Chen Yuan’s Blood Killing Heaven-Seizing Hand.
Shangguan Yun let out a long breath, a grave expression appearing in his eyes.
’This man may be arrogant and conceited, but he really has the strength to back it up.’
’With this level of power, he’s qualified to challenge even someone in the top thirty of the Hidden Dragon Rankings!’
However, Chen Yuan didn’t press his attack to kill Zuo Feiyu.
’Zuo Feiyu’s fortune is unusually strong. First, he had a trump card to save his life, and now Shangguan Yun has intervened. It seems killing him today will be impossible.’
’Shangguan Yun’s strength isn’t weak, but it’s not enough to make me truly wary. What I’m really cautious of is the Divine Artifact Incarnation he carries.’
Because he himself possessed the Divine Artifact Incarnation from the Corpse Tower Forest, Chen Yuan was quite sensitive to this type of power.
He could clearly sense that Shangguan Yun carried the Shangguan Family’s Divine Artifact Incarnation.
’Yao Tiancheng and the others from the Blazing Sect might be talented, but they don’t have Divine Artifact Incarnations. Clearly, their status in the sect is only decent; they aren’t true core figures.’
’The power of my Corpse Tower Forest Incarnation far surpasses that of the Shangguan Family’s. Even if we clashed with our Divine Artifact Incarnations, I’m confident I could kill him.’
’But a Divine Artifact Incarnation isn’t something to be wasted in a place like this.’
Chen Yuan’s figure flashed. Wreathed in monstrous Demon Flame and a blinding golden Buddha Light, he turned and charged toward Zhu Chengzong!
’Since I can’t kill Zuo Feiyu, I might as well take care of Zhu Chengzong first.’
Chen Yuan’s sudden switch in targets caught them completely off guard.
’Just a moment ago, Chen Yuan was focused on Zuo Feiyu. How did he switch to Zhu Chengzong in an instant?’
Monstrous Blood Fiend and Demon Flame coalesced on the Blood Refining Divine Saber. This supremely powerful slash shot straight toward Yao Tiancheng.
Sensing that supremely powerful and tyrannical force, Yao Tiancheng’s curved saber erupted in a brilliant golden light. He frantically burned his True Qi, unleashing a Blade Aura dozens of feet long in a horizontal slash.
Blazing Extremity Army-Breaking Slash!
When the two blades collided, Yao Tiancheng felt a colossal force slam into him. The immense power shattered his True Qi and instantly tore open the web of his hand. Chen Yuan’s single strike sent him flying!
He was in the Condensing Truth Realm and a prodigy from the previous generation’s Hidden Dragon Rankings, yet his performance against Chen Yuan was even worse than that of Shangguan Yun, who was only in the Sea of Reincarnation Realm.
Just then, Duan Mingzhen of Lifting Heaven Sword Pavilion attacked from behind with his sword. Chen Yuan simply turned and jabbed a finger. The Power of Nine Heavens descended instantly, and the immense Finger Strength forced Duan Mingzhen back.
With both Demon Flame and Buddha Light radiating from his body, Chen Yuan fought six opponents at once, yet he repeatedly forced them back. His ferocious might was simply overwhelming.
With a piercing whistle, Chen Yuan’s figure flickered, and he was already standing before Zhu Chengzong.
The nearby Qiao Huan proved his loyalty, striking with a backhanded Blazing Great Hand Seal.
But with the power of both the Blood Fiend and Celestial Fire coursing through him, Chen Yuan’s strength was far beyond what Qiao Huan could possibly resist.
A casual slash of his saber shattered Qiao Huan’s Blazing Great Hand Seal and sent the man flying.
The next moment, Chen Yuan’s overwhelming tide of Blood Fiend and Demon Flame bore down on Zhu Chengzong. There was no fear in his eyes, only bottomless hatred.
His surging Qi and Blood burned with a wild frenzy, nearly rupturing his own meridians.
Sword Intent rose from Zhu Chengzong’s weapon, unleashing a golden radiance laced with a boundless bloody hue that shot forward.
But before Chen Yuan’s absolute power, it was all annihilated.
The light of the Shocking Saber streaked through the air. In that instant, no one could come to his rescue. A trace of unwillingness flashed in Zhu Chengzong’s eyes as his head rolled onto the ground.
He came from a small city with great ambitions. He had cultivated diligently in the Blazing Sect, always striving to move forward.
Even after learning that his family had been massacred, he had remained calm, prioritizing the greater good. He then threw himself into his cultivation with even more desperation, all for the hope of one day avenging his clan.
But not everyone is the protagonist. Not everyone is blessed with the kind of fortune that Zuo Feiyu possessed.
No matter how many hopes Zhu Chengzong held, they were all shattered by a single strike from Chen Yuan’s saber.
At the sight of this, the onlooking Martial Artists all stared with wide eyes.
This was a six-on-one fight, and none of his opponents were nobodies.
There was Yao Tiancheng, a prodigy from the previous generation’s Hidden Dragon Rankings, now a master in the Condensing Truth Realm.
There was Shangguan Yun, the direct heir of the Shangguan Family, currently ranked forty-seventh on the Hidden Dragon Rankings.
There were young prodigies from the Blazing Sect and a young expert from Lifting Heaven Sword Pavilion. Ironically, the least famous among them was Zuo Feiyu.
Yet even with such a lineup, they were being completely suppressed by Chen Yuan alone, who had even managed to calmly behead Zhu Chengzong amidst the chaos.
The sheer scale of Chen Yuan’s ferocious might was horrifying.
"Chen Jiutian! You’re courting death!"
Yao Tiancheng stared at Zhu Chengzong’s corpse on the ground, his face a mask of shock and fury.
’This time, a Blazing Sect Elder sent me to bring two junior disciples to the Furnace Opening Assembly. One of them died before he even set foot in the arena. How am I supposed to explain this to the Sect when I get back?’
’Especially to Dan Tiancheng, Zhu Chengzong’s master, the ’Celestial Imperial Sword’.’
’Am I supposed to go up to Dan Tiancheng and say, "I have good news and bad news. The good news is, Elder Dan, you get to save a Top-Grade Spiritual Medicine. The bad news is, your disciple is dead"?’
A chill ran down Yao Tiancheng’s spine at the thought.
’"My disciple is dead, so why aren’t you? Is this how you protect the disciples of our sect?"’
"Courting death? I’d like to see who’s next to die!"
Just then, a figure suddenly descended from the sky and landed in their midst, shouting, "All of you, stop!"
The man appeared to be in his forties, with a simple face and dressed in a dusty, coarse blue-gray tunic. He was even carrying a pitch-black hoe, looking for all the world like an ordinary farmer.
But the aura emanating from him was a wave of immense power—the unmistakable fluctuation of a Martial Arts Grandmaster at the Primordial Pill Realm!
A majestic pressure of True Qi descended, and neither side dared to make another move.
Chen Yuan gauged his power. The man’s strength was even greater than Gongyang Li’s had been during their life-and-death struggle.
"I am Chen Guinong of Medicine King Valley," he said. "You are all young prodigies from major sects. Any grudges you have can be settled in the arena during the Furnace Opening Assembly. Fighting to the death is forbidden within Kaiping Prefecture."
Chen Guinong looked at both sides and said in a heavy tone, "The Furnace Opening Assembly is a grand event for the Jianghu, and Danyang Prefecture is no place for deathmatches.
"Consider this a warning. If it happens again, Medicine King Valley will have no choice but to rescind your invitations and disqualify you from the Furnace Opening Assembly!"
Seeing Chen Guinong’s arrival, everyone present knew the fight was over.
Chen Guinong was the personal disciple of Zong Siyuan, the Valley Master of Medicine King Valley and the world’s foremost Alchemy Grandmaster known as the ’Three Cauldron Medicine King’. His words absolutely represented the will of Medicine King Valley.
Yao Tiancheng shot Chen Yuan a hateful glare, then took Zhu Chengzong’s corpse and helped Qiao Huan away as he turned to leave.
Zuo Feiyu let out a long sigh of relief and quickly left with Duan Mingzhen and Shangguan Yun.
With killing forbidden in Danyang Prefecture, Chen Yuan couldn’t make a move to eliminate Zuo Feiyu, even if he wanted to.
’I don’t want to be banned from the Furnace Opening Assembly. I’m very interested in the Divine Pill that will be refined in the Shennong Cauldron.’
So, Chen Yuan sheathed his weapon and turned to enter the Celestial Fragrance Building.
He had come for a meal, but ended up in a massive fight before he’d even eaten. His Inner Strength and Qi and Blood were now seriously depleted.
Chen Guinong watched them finally disperse, rubbing his temples. This was giving him a headache.
’It’s like this every Furnace Opening Assembly. The young prodigies from the major powers all think they’re better than everyone else.’
’Rival groups always end up fighting a fierce battle before the assembly even starts. It’s not uncommon for people to die.’
’Whether it’s to avoid these powers causing trouble later or for the sake of the assembly itself, we at Medicine King Valley have to prohibit these kinds of deathmatches.’
’Unfortunately, it’s difficult to suppress these incidents. This new generation... every single one of them is arrogant and fears nothing.’
’Now the Blazing Sect has lost a disciple. Who knows how that’s going to be resolved.’
With a sigh, Chen Guinong waved his hand to dismiss the crowd of onlooking Jianghu People, then took his leave as well.