Chapter 65 - 64: Who is the Hunter?
Elder Qi’s Dao gripped his black Dao Sword, his face a mask of horror. A tempestuous storm raged in his heart!
’How could Chen Tian possibly be here?’
’After killing Wei Guangming, shouldn’t he have fled into the heart of Ning Province?’
’How dare he turn back and ambush me?’
Both Zuo Feiyu and Elder Qi’s Dao had subconsciously assumed that after killing Wei Guangming, Chen Yuan would flee into the heart of Ning Province.
When prey tears a corner of the net, it’s supposed to escape. How could it possibly turn back and charge right into the trap?
Little did they know, they had been wrong about one thing from the very beginning.
Chen Yuan had never considered himself the prey. He was the hunter!
"Cat got your tongue? Don’t you want to honor the brotherly bond of your Yin Mountain Five Ghosts? Your brothers would be very sad in the afterlife if they knew."
As Chen Yuan’s mocking voice drifted through the air, the ring of a blade suddenly cut through the night.
At the same time, a head flew into the air from amidst the crowd, and blood gushed like a fountain.
The Independent Martial Artists present were scared witless.
’They had only just heard the blade’s ring, and its edge was already upon them. Just how fast was that slash?’
"Chen Tian! If you have any guts, come out and fight me face-to-face! What kind of skill is it to hide and play tricks?"
Elder Qi’s Dao roared, trying to locate Chen Yuan’s position, but he couldn’t find him at all.
The night was dark, and they were deep in a dense forest, surrounded by too many other Martial Artists.
With so many auras intertwined, even a Martial Artist with the keenest senses would find it difficult to pinpoint Chen Yuan’s location.
Not to mention, Elder Qi’s Dao himself didn’t know any perception-based Secret Techniques.
Furthermore, most of the Martial Artists Elder Qi’s Dao had recruited were around the Meridian Passage and Blood Movement Realm; only two or three were at the Qi Casting Realm.
Against Martial Artists of this level, Chen Yuan’s swift blade was an almost instantaneous kill.
No matter how they defended themselves or how vigilant they were, they were no match for the speed of Chen Yuan’s Shocking Swan Slash.
In just a moment, several more people were cut down by Chen Yuan.
At this, the group of Jianghu People completely broke down and scattered in all directions.
The feeling of being lambs waiting for slaughter was too suffocating.
No one knew on whose head Chen Yuan’s next strike would fall.
The moment the blade’s ring sounded, a head would hit the ground. It was precise and utterly ruthless.
Faced with the profound terror between life and death, who cared about the Nine Swords Alliance or Zuo Feiyu?
The prospects were tempting, but saving their own lives was more important now.
Elder Qi’s Dao tried to stop them, but no one listened. In an instant, they had all fled.
In the darkness, Chen Yuan slowly walked out from the dense forest.
Clad in black, he seemed to melt into the night, with only the gleaming edge of the Cyan Dragon Blood Drink in his hand. A faint bloody light shimmered upon it.
"Elder Qi’s Dao, I’ve come to send you on your way!"
"Arrogant!"
Elder Qi’s Dao roared. The black Dao Sword in his hand pulsed with sword light, and in an instant, Yin Sha Sword Qi filled the air as he thrust toward Chen Yuan with fierce and ruthless Sword Momentum!
Seven Swords of Yin Extinction!
Even knowing Chen Yuan had killed Wei Guangming, Elder Qi’s Dao wasn’t about to be afraid of him.
The Nine Realms of Martial Dao have always been divided into the Lower Three Realms, the Middle Three Realms, and the Upper Three Realms.
Body Tempering, Blood Movement, and Meridian Passage make up the Lower Three Realms. This kind of tempering, which focuses on one’s own physical body, is the simplest.
For some Martial Artists from top Sects and Families, these three Realms are merely the starting point of Foundation Establishment.
They only need to follow a structured routine to cultivate their Inner Power and consume and refine some Elixirs to easily reach Lower Three Realms Perfection.
Only when one reaches the Middle Three Realms of Qi Casting, Reincarnation Sea, and Condensing Truth does the difficulty ramp up.
Advancing from Blood Movement to Qi Casting requires accumulation, epiphany, and an impact of extreme force.
And advancing from Qi Casting to opening the Reincarnation Sea requires one to undergo a life-or-death trial.
If one fails to open the Reincarnation Sea, a light consequence would be severe damage to their Dantian and shattered Meridians, leaving them a cripple for the rest of their life.
A severe consequence could even be direct death.
Therefore, any Martial Artist who has successfully opened their Reincarnation Sea is worthy of being called an expert, no matter where they go.
He, Elder Qi’s Dao, was a Martial Artist who had survived the life-or-death trial of the Reincarnation Sea. How could he truly be afraid of a junior like Chen Yuan?
Elder Qi’s Dao’s Seven Swords of Yin Extinction were incomparably vicious. The Yin Sha Sword Qi could eat away at True Qi, making it treacherous and fierce.
This time, however, Chen Yuan did not summon the Blood Fiend. He simply channeled the Other-Transformed Self-Free Celestial Demon Secret Manual with all his might, and surging Demonic Qi coiled around his blade.
With a single slash, the tyrannical Demonic Qi erupted, instantly devouring the Yin Sha Sword Qi.
Demon Blade Slash!
Blade and sword clashed, and a deafening CLANG echoed through the surrounding forest.
In this exchange, the two seemed to be evenly matched.
Elder Qi’s Dao had yet to recover from his serious injuries, while Chen Yuan, having cultivated the Sutra of the Pure Glazed Vajra, possessed astonishing physical strength and explosive power.
So even though Elder Qi’s Dao had opened his Reincarnation Sea, Chen Yuan was not afraid of him in terms of raw power.
The Yin Sha Sword Qi might be effective against ordinary Martial Artists, but how could it possibly affect the pure Demonic Qi cultivated from the Secret Manual of the Celestial Demon of Transformation and Freedom?
After they exchanged more than ten blows, Elder Qi’s Dao grew increasingly anxious, seeing he couldn’t take down Chen Yuan.
Back in the Sealed Demon Valley, Wei Guangming had relied entirely on his physical body to withstand the attacks.
Elder Qi’s Dao, on the other hand, had survived only by using a Secret Technique to sacrifice his essence blood, which had damaged his Reincarnation Sea.
Therefore, while a normal Martial Artist in the Sea of Reincarnation Realm could wear down an opponent with the immense Inner Strength from their Reincarnation Sea, if Elder Qi’s Dao fought for too long and his old injury flared up, his Cultivation could be completely destroyed!
With a low shout, the Yin Evil Sword Qi on Elder Qi’s Dao’s Dao Sword suddenly erupted. At the same time, he formed his fingers into a sword, sending several sinister streams of Finger Strength striking at the major acupoints on Chen Yuan’s body!
Yin Sha Finger!
Chen Yuan shattered the Sword Qi with a Wave-Treading Slash. Simultaneously, his left hand formed a seal, and a golden Buddha Light erupted from his body.
Pure Glaze, Vajra Indestructible!
The venomous Finger Force of the Yin Sha Finger slammed into the glazed Buddha Light, only to be instantly dissolved.
"A Buddhist Golden Body!?"
Elder Qi’s Dao’s expression changed instantly.
A cold smile touched the corners of Chen Yuan’s lips. "Elder Qi’s Dao, it seems your injuries from the Sealed Demon Valley were indeed severe. Much more so than Wei Guangming’s."
"We’ve only just started fighting, yet you’re so desperate to take me down. Your Reincarnation Sea must be damaged, so you don’t want a prolonged battle, do you?"
"I advise you to just surrender. Even Wei Guangming died at my hands. What makes you think you can escape?"
A chill instantly rose in Elder Qi’s Dao’s heart.
’How old is this Chen Tian? He looks to be in his early twenties at most. How can his combat experience be so profound?’
’And his composure in battle is utterly chilling. He thinks three steps ahead for every one he takes, holds back two moves for every one he makes, and can even deduce your current condition based on your reactions.’
’It’s not that Elder Qi’s Dao had never seen such Martial Artists, but they were all ferocious veterans who had survived countless battles in the Jianghu.’
’Could it be that this Chen Tian is a living weapon, secretly trained by some assassin organization? Only by being raised in bloody combat from childhood could he have achieved such an absurd level of skill.’
Having probed Elder Qi’s Dao’s weaknesses, Chen Yuan was now in no hurry to attack.
’Against Wei Guangming, I had to be fast. But against this Elder Qi’s Dao, I need to be steady.’
Elder Qi’s Dao snorted coldly, his figure suddenly retreating as he pulled a Bone Flute from his robes.
He injected Yin Sha True Qi into it and began to play. In an instant, an exceptionally sinister sound, like a demonic melody piercing his ears, resounded next to Chen Yuan.
In that moment, Chen Yuan grunted. His vision suddenly blurred, and his five senses were instantly sealed.
Thousand Illusionary Yin Demon Melody!
Among the Yin Mountain Five Ghosts, Elder Qi’s Dao was not actually known for his prowess in the Martial Dao.
He was proficient in all sorts of strange and sinister methods, which could truly catch an opponent off guard when used suddenly in battle.
Lowering the Bone Flute, Elder Qi’s Dao let out a long breath and fiercely plunged a Silver Needle into the Baihui acupoint on the crown of his head.
This Thousand Illusionary Yin Demon Melody was a fragment of a Cultivation Technique from a major Demon Dao sect that existed thousands of years ago, which he had snatched from some ruins.
Although he could barely use it, even he would be affected by the melody, so he had to use a special method to maintain his own clarity of mind.
Yin Sha Qi swirled around his Dao Sword. With a piercing whistle, he thrust it toward Chen Yuan, who was still lost in the melody, his five senses sealed!
But the very instant Elder Qi’s Dao made his move, an astonishingly powerful Blood Fiend Qi erupted from Chen Yuan’s body.
Killing Intent descended, Blood Fiend Entering the Body!
The Killing Intent Origin of the Seven Kills Stele descended, instantly dispersing the power of the Thousand Illusionary Yin Demon Melody.
Chen Yuan brought a palm down. Boundless Blood Fiend Power coalesced before him, and a killing calamity descended abruptly!
Elder Qi’s Dao had never expected Chen Yuan to be able to break free from the effects of the Thousand Illusionary Yin Demon Melody.
Beneath the Blood Killing Heaven-Seizing Hand, the Yin Sha was extinguished and the Dao Sword shattered. In his haste, Elder Qi’s Dao unleashed all his power to resist but was still sent flying by the palm strike, instantly coughing up blood.
Chen Yuan pressed his advantage. A Shocking Swan Slash fell, and in a flash, the blade’s edge, imbued with Blood Fiend Power, appeared before Elder Qi’s Dao’s eyes!
Elder Qi’s Dao let out a furious roar. His Qi Blood boiled and burned, and a black power flowed into his hands.
That black power was extremely resilient, and it actually managed to block Chen Yuan’s slash.
However, the True Qi and Sword Aura on the blade’s edge still tore Elder Qi’s Dao’s hand to bloody shreds.
The next moment, a boundless suction force emanated from the black power, like a black hole, and actually began to absorb Chen Yuan’s Inner Strength True Qi.
Chen Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly. He didn’t resist. Instead, he let it happen, channeling a massive amount of Blood Fiend Power into it.
The next moment, a look of utter terror appeared in Elder Qi’s Dao’s eyes.
He wanted to cut off the flow of Blood Fiend Power, but it was too late. The tyrannical Blood Fiend Power directly overloaded and ruptured Elder Qi’s Dao’s Dantian, blasting his body in two!
Almost none of the hodgepodge of Cultivation Techniques Elder Qi’s Dao possessed were complete.
The ability he had just used, something similar to an Absorption Technique, should have included three parts in its complete form: absorption, transformation, and assimilation for his own use.
As it was, he had only mastered the absorption part, not the Transformation Skill, and could only temporarily store the energy in his Dantian and Reincarnation Sea.
Against an ordinary Qi Casting Realm Martial Artist, this would naturally be a trump card, perhaps even capable of draining their Inner Strength in an instant.
But against Chen Yuan, who was empowered by the Blood Fiend Power of the Seven Kills, this method was pure suicide.