Chapter 167 - 165: So Brave?
The Divine Masks of the Huangfu Family all appeared to be the same, but in reality, the masks varied in strength.
Every Martial Artist of the Huangfu Family would don a Divine Artifact Level Divine Mask, sacrifice their Qi Blood, and draw out the mask’s power to form a painted design on an ordinary mask. This completed the creation of a Divine Artifact Incarnation.
However, the power that this level of Divine Mask could channel was limited. A small number of Huangfu Family Martial Artists were exceptionally compatible with the Power of God and Demon within the Divine Masks. The masks they created could even invoke the descent of the very source of that power.
This level of Divine Mask was known within the Huangfu Family as a ’Divine Revelation,’ possessing an unimaginably formidable might.
The Divine Descent Technique, on the other hand, was a Spiritual Power Secret Technique. Regardless of the distance, it could invoke the power of the true Divine Mask in Ming God City, unleashing an even greater, supreme might.
However, these were not things an ordinary Huangfu Family Martial Artist could master. In particular, no more than ten people in each generation of the Huangfu Family could possess a Divine Revelation Level Divine Mask.
Huangfu Yi had a timid and hesitant personality. Logically, someone with his disposition should not be out adventuring in the Jianghu.
Yet, the Huangfu Family still regarded him as the most outstanding disciple of their younger generation, even letting him travel the Jianghu without a single guard.
Clearly, the Huangfu Family had absolute confidence in his strength and had no worries about him encountering any danger.
From this point alone, Chen Yuan could deduce that Huangfu Yi definitely possessed a ’Divine Revelation’ Divine Mask and had also cultivated the Divine Descent Technique.
With both combined, Huangfu Yi, despite his Sea of Reincarnation Realm Cultivation, could definitely hold his own against a Primordial Pill expert for a short time, though the cost would be immense.
After a moment of silence, Huangfu Yi hesitated before speaking, "I do have a ’Divine Revelation’ Divine Mask, but he is a Primordial Pill Realm Grandmaster, after all. Even if I use Divine Revelation and activate the Divine Descent Technique, I can’t hold him off for too long. Fifteen minutes is too extreme; it will damage my life force."
"Don’t worry. The moment the cost exceeds what you can bear, you can immediately withdraw and escape.
You’re from the Huangfu Family. Xu Wenzhou is from the Forgotten Heaven Pavilion; he never acts on impulse but rather calculates all parties’ interests to the extreme.
The Huangfu Family of Ming God City has been developing quietly in recent years, staying out of Jianghu disputes. Xu Wenzhou definitely won’t go for a killing blow right away, lest he completely offend the Huangfu Family.
So, at the beginning, you don’t have to play all your trump cards at once. The time you can stall for will definitely exceed fifteen minutes."
"Alright!"
After a long hesitation, Huangfu Yi spat out a single word.
Because of their Divine Masks, the Huangfu Family was in desperate need of a Cultivation Technique that could enhance Qi Blood and Life Force.
The Innate Qi Dao Body was a Body Refining Secret Technique from a Daoist Sect. Its attribute was balanced and orthodox—the purest of its kind, and exactly what the Huangfu Family needed most.
Obtaining this Cultivation Technique would not only benefit his own cultivation but also elevate the strength of the entire Huangfu Family. It was worth risking his life for.
Chen Yuan led Huangfu Yi straight to the bottommost level.
The bottom three levels were actually a single floor, all within one space, containing a Triple Heart Refining Array.
Only by passing through the Triple Heart Refining Array could one be considered to have truly completed the trial of the Myriad Phenomena Ninefold Tower.
However, ten thousand years had passed. Although most of the arrays in the Myriad Phenomena Ninefold Tower were intact, the array at the bottom had begun to decay, its foundation unstable.
This Triple Heart Refining Array at the very bottom was, in fact, already damaged. The first two stages of the Triple Heart Refinement could proceed normally, but the final stage would fail upon entry, making a complete trial impossible.
In the original storyline, more people had entered the Myriad Phenomena Ninefold Tower. The chaotic battles caused the array to collapse prematurely, and in the end, the treasures within were not obtained by passing the trial but were snatched up by everyone fighting inside the tower.
Now, Chen Yuan had opened the Myriad Phenomena Ninefold Tower ahead of schedule. Fewer people had entered than in the original story, and Shangguan Jue and Xu Wenzhou had not engaged in a fierce battle below, so they hadn’t noticed that the tower’s array was faulty.
Upon stepping into the bottommost area, they found a vast space composed of four palace halls.
The four halls were situated in the four cardinal directions, each containing the arrays and power cores that formed the foundation of the Myriad Phenomena Ninefold Tower.
And in the center of the four halls was the Triple Heart Refinement Grand Array, serving as the final trial for Martial Artists.
At this moment, Xu Wenzhou and Shangguan Jue were sitting cross-legged within the array, undergoing the trial, but both wore deep frowns.
They had already passed the first two stages of the Heart Refinement trial, but for some reason, they could not enter the final one.
Even now, it hadn’t occurred to them that the array was the problem; instead, they thought they must have overlooked something.
When they saw Chen Yuan and Huangfu Yi walking down, both of them froze.
’Jie Yushan has a Condensing Truth Realm Cultivation, and Shangguan Yun has five Condensing Truth Realm experts from the Shangguan Family’s side branches with him.’
’Even if someone were to come down, it should have been Jie Yushan and Shangguan Yun first. How could it be Chen Yuan and Huangfu Yi?’
Shangguan Jue, however, was staring intently at the head Chen Yuan was carrying.
’Why does that head look so familiar?’
Chen Yuan smiled and casually swung Shangguan Yun’s head in his hand.
"You want it?"
As soon as he got a clear look at the head’s face, Shangguan Jue exploded with rage.
Even though he was a Primordial Pill Realm Martial Arts Grandmaster, he was still from a side branch, and Shangguan Yun’s father had once shown him great kindness by promoting him.
Yet, under his watch, Shangguan Yun had been decapitated. How was he supposed to explain this to the direct lineage back home? How could he face Shangguan Yun’s father?
It wasn’t that Shangguan Yun couldn’t die—he just absolutely could not die right in front of him!
At that moment, Xu Wenzhou’s heart sank as well.
’Shangguan Yun is dead, so what about Jie Yushan?’
Although Jie Yushan wasn’t the most outstanding disciple of Forgotten Heaven Pavilion’s younger generation, he was still an exceptional young talent.
Barring any accidents, he was certain to become a pillar and core figure of the Forgotten Heaven Pavilion in the future.
Moreover, Jie Yushan’s master was a Divine Platform Realm Elder in the Forgotten Heaven Pavilion. If anything happened to him, Xu Wenzhou would be unable to escape blame.
"What about Jie Yushan? Where is he!?"
Xu Wenzhou roared at Chen Yuan.
Chen Yuan looked at Xu Wenzhou and smiled. "Dead, of course!"
A flash of Evil Qi appeared in Xu Wenzhou’s eyes. He was even more decisive than Shangguan Jue, striking out to kill Chen Yuan immediately.
’Since Jie Yushan is dead, the only way I can answer to the Forgotten Heaven Pavilion is by bringing back Chen Yuan’s head!’
Shangguan Jue’s eyes were now bloodshot. A dense, bone-chilling cold erupted from his body as he let out a furious roar and charged at Chen Yuan.
"Chen Yuan! You’re courting death!"
Seeing this, Chen Yuan immediately fled toward the northernmost palace hall, still carrying Shangguan Yun’s head.
’In the original storyline, the array in this hall was the most severely damaged one.’
Meanwhile, Huangfu Yi took out a special Divine Mask.
The Divine Masks he had used before were all wooden masks with faces painted on with oil-based colors.
But this Divine Mask was completely covered in paint, its pattern twisted and profound, emanating a mysterious aura.
Putting on the ’Divine Revelation’ Divine Mask, Huangfu Yi formed a Seal Technique with his hands. In an instant, the Power of Heaven and Earth churned in mid-air, transforming into an extremely powerful and profound aura that poured into Huangfu Yi’s body.
After activating the Divine Descent Technique, Huangfu Yi’s body rapidly expanded, suddenly growing much taller.
Although his aura still couldn’t compare to a Primordial Pill Realm Martial Artist’s, that supremely profound power allowed him to contend directly with a Primordial Pill Realm Grandmaster.
With a single movement, a wave of golden energy erupted around Huangfu Yi. Accompanied by a loud BANG, his figure instantly appeared before Xu Wenzhou.
Just as Chen Yuan had predicted, when Xu Wenzhou saw that it was Huangfu Yi blocking him, he did not attack immediately.
"Junior of the Huangfu Family, have you lost your mind? Teaming up with that demon from the Great Brightness Sect?"
Xu Wenzhou said coldly, "Do you think you can look down on all the heroes in the world just because you made it onto the Hidden Dragon Rankings? A mere Sea of Reincarnation Realm practitioner daring to obstruct a Primordial Pill Realm Martial Arts Grandmaster... I see you truly don’t know the meaning of life and death!
Back off now, or don’t blame me for not giving face to the Huangfu Family of Ming God City!"
Huangfu Yi’s voice was arrogant and wild. "What’s there to be proud of, reaching the Primordial Pill Realm at your age? You’re just an old piece of trash!
My Huangfu Family needs you to give us face? Are you even worthy of giving the Huangfu Family face?
If you want to fight, then fight! Stop wasting my time with your nonsense!"
As his voice fell, an extremely powerful and violent aura erupted from Huangfu Yi’s body as he charged straight at Xu Wenzhou.
Xu Wenzhou was a Primordial Pill Realm Martial Arts Grandmaster, after all. When had he ever suffered such humiliation?
Even a clay figure has a bit of temper. Even if he had truly achieved Forgetting Emotions and Severing Nature, he probably couldn’t endure such insults.
With a cold snort, Xu Wenzhou also attacked with his full power, holding nothing back.
Chen Yuan hadn’t even led Shangguan Jue to the array yet when he heard the sounds of battle behind him.
He glanced back and saw that Huangfu Yi was already locked in a fierce fight with Xu Wenzhou.
’So bold?’
Chen Yuan was stunned for a moment. This was an outcome he hadn’t expected.
His previous calculations hadn’t been wrong. Given Xu Wenzhou’s way of doing things, he would definitely hesitate to go for the kill at first out of consideration for the Huangfu Family.
But what he hadn’t anticipated was that while using an ordinary Divine Mask only made Huangfu Yi sharp and decisive, putting on this ’Divine Revelation’ Divine Mask made him seem like a completely different person.
With just a few words, he had provoked Xu Wenzhou into attacking, and he himself had become incredibly hot-tempered and vicious.
But right now, Chen Yuan couldn’t worry about Huangfu Yi. He could only hope the young man could fend for himself.
After entering the northernmost hall at top speed, Chen Yuan made a beeline for the very center of the array.
Behind him, Shangguan Jue pursued relentlessly, his face a mask of killing intent.
Just then, Chen Yuan abruptly stopped. He swung Shangguan Yun’s head in his hand and looked at Shangguan Jue with a half-smile. "You want this?"
Before Shangguan Jue could react, Chen Yuan fiercely threw the head at him.
Shangguan Jue subconsciously moved to catch Shangguan Yun’s head. At that exact moment, Chen Yuan abruptly gathered all the power in his body.
In an instant, Blood Fiend Entering the Body took hold, Starfire swept like a prairie fire, and the Celestial Fire, wrapped in boundless Blood Fiend, erupted with a thunderous roar as he stomped on the center of the array in the hall.
The ground shook violently in an instant, as if setting off a chain reaction. Except for the very center of the array where Chen Yuan stood, the entire array within the hall began to crack and collapse!