Chapter 143 - 141: Better to Advance Than to Stop
Zuo Feiyu and Shangguan Yun had originally intended to ambush Chen Yuan.
But then Gu Lichuan appeared out of nowhere, making their task significantly more difficult.
Now, with Cui Xuanye and his two companions joining the fray, the tables had turned. It was no longer them ambushing Chen Yuan; it was more like Chen Yuan had been lying in wait for the three of them!
"Cui Xuanye! You’re courting death!"
Shangguan Yun’s expression was grim. "Do you really want to fight me to the death?"
Cui Xuanye had a refined, scholarly air, like a version of Liu Suifeng born into a Noble Family.
At this moment, however, his face was twisted with ferocity, a hint of killing intent in his eyes.
"To the death? When you severely wounded my friend and forced my hand, did you ever stop to think that I might want a fight to the death with you?
Shangguan Yun, you’ve taken things too far! Your Shangguan Family is too damned arrogant!"
Cui Xuanye snorted coldly, done wasting words with Shangguan Yun. He tapped the Compass in his hand, and his True Qi surged into it.
The next moment, the Compass spun and True Qi radiated outwards. The very feng shui of the area, for a radius of over a hundred feet, began to shift, forming a cage that pressed down on Shangguan Yun and his two cohorts.
Qin Suguang wielded a long saber while Lu Chuanshan unleashed his formidable Fist Technique. The two of them charged forward, clashing directly with Shangguan Yun’s group.
Cui Xuanye was skilled in Qimen Dunjia and Feng Shui Secret Techniques, but he needed time to set up his formations to unleash their full power.
But with Qin Suguang and Lu Chuanshan on the offensive, the trio coordinated perfectly, suppressing Shangguan Yun’s group in an instant.
Meanwhile, Chen Yuan, now free from any other concerns, unleashed an even more ferocious assault on Tong Yuantai.
By now, Tong Yuantai was filled with regret. In fact, his will to fight had long since vanished.
He had only joined this fight to repay a favor to Zuo Tianyuan, and he’d thought he would only be dealing with a mere Sea of Reincarnation Realm Martial Artist.
Even if his target was on the Hidden Dragon Rankings, the Sea of Reincarnation Realm was still just the Sea of Reincarnation Realm—and that was before considering that three Condensing Truth Realm masters were attacking together.
Who could have imagined the battle would turn out like this? These two weren’t Sea of Reincarnation Realm cultivators; they were a pair of absolute freaks!
Tian Hengbin had been obliterated in a single exchange, and now Cui Xuanye’s group had interfered as well.
Taking a closer look, he realized everyone present had an impressive background.
Zhenwu Hall, the Shangguan Family of Unrivaled City, the Cui Family of Celestial Official City, the Jianghai Alliance, Lifting Heaven Sword Pavilion... and to top it off, someone from the Court had even shown up.
The young paragons of several major powers were fighting to the death, and he had been dragged right into the middle of it. Even if they managed to kill Chen Yuan, his own future would be bleak.
Having lost his will to fight, his mind was now set on retreat. Facing the overwhelmingly powerful Chen Yuan, he could only fall back again and again.
Tong Yuantai gritted his teeth. ’I can’t keep this up!’
With a furious roar, the True Qi around him erupted. He lashed out with his Celestial Eagle Divine Claw, tearing outwards and ripping Chen Yuan’s Sword Aura and Demonic Qi to shreds.
After that one strike, Tong Yuantai retreated rapidly, trying to disengage from the fight, but Chen Yuan wasn’t about to give him the chance.
Seizing the instant Tong Yuantai flinched, Chen Yuan brought a palm down. Blood Fiend coalesced in midair, and a killing tribulation descended abruptly.
Blood Killing Heaven-Seizing Hand!
Tong Yuantai never expected Chen Yuan to have another killing move like this up his sleeve.
Caught off guard with nowhere to run and no way to dodge, he could only roar, hastily gathering his power and shaping his hands into claws to meet the Blood Killing Heaven-Seizing Hand.
But in the next instant, the claws formed of condensed True Qi were annihilated by the Killing Tribulation Power. Blood Fiend flooded his arms, and they disintegrated completely!
Tong Yuantai let out a blood-curdling scream, but it was cut short in the very next moment.
A Shocking Swan Slash descended, and Tong Yuantai’s head hit the ground.
It was a truly pathetic death for a great Condensing Truth Realm master renowned for his Grappling Techniques.
In terms of raw power, he was slightly weaker than a military expert like Hong Yuanqing. However, if he got in close, his eagle claws were powerful enough to tear through metal and shatter weapons.
But who could have predicted he would run into a monster like Chen Yuan? His arsenal of cultivation techniques was astonishingly powerful; the weakest he’d used was Earth Level, giving Tong Yuantai no chance to get close.
Furthermore, his mental fortitude was also inferior to Hong Yuanqing’s.
When Hong Yuanqing realized there was no turning back, he was still able to put up a desperate fight, his spirit and will at their absolute peak.
Tong Yuantai, on the other hand, was indecisive and fearful. His ultimate desire to retreat completely shattered his fighting spirit. He was lucky if he could even muster seventy percent of his power, which was why Chen Yuan had been able to kill him so easily.
In a life-or-death battle of the Martial Dao, it is better to think of advancing than to think of pausing.
In the end, it all comes down to victory or defeat, life or death. There are no other options.
Chen Yuan made a mental note to himself. ’Even if I’m in a desperate situation, I must never hesitate like Tong Yuantai. Otherwise, I’ll die an even more miserable death.’
Meanwhile, the battle between Gu Lichuan and Liao Cheng was also reaching its conclusion.
Liao Cheng wasn’t skilled in direct assaults to begin with, and having been forced to burn his Qi Blood by Chen Yuan’s Heart-Burning Karmic Flame, his combat strength had plummeted.
Now, not only could he not defeat Gu Lichuan, he was being forced into a flustered defense.
Seeing Tong Yuantai’s death, Liao Cheng was shaken to his core, giving Gu Lichuan the opening to run him through with his sword.
However, he seemed to possess some kind of Secret Technique. Despite being run clean through, he didn’t die. Instead, he exploded with incredible speed, transforming into a golden streak as he fled.
Gu Lichuan was not proficient in Lightweight Skills. The Sword Qi he hastily unleashed only managed to carve a gash across Liao Cheng’s back, but it failed to stop him.
"My apologies, Brother Chen. I let that scoundrel escape."
Gu Lichuan was both annoyed and embarrassed.
Chen Yuan had already killed Tong Yuantai, yet he had let his own opponent get away. He felt like he was holding them back.
"It’s fine. His Lightweight Skill is astounding. Even I wouldn’t have been able to catch him."
Chen Yuan wasn’t just saying that to comfort Gu Lichuan.
He had been able to kill Tong Yuantai because the man’s Lightweight Skill was average, leaving him no way to escape. His desire to retreat had been a self-destructive path.
Liao Cheng’s Lightweight Skill, however, was in a league of its own. Not even the Blood Killing Heaven-Seizing Hand would have been enough to stop him completely.
His Fish Dragon Transformation was effective against ordinary Lightweight Skills, but it couldn’t compare to one on Liao Cheng’s level.
"But it doesn’t matter. His chances of survival are slim even if he did get back.
In this battle, the Golden Radiance Pavilion’s Sea of Reincarnation Realm Martial Artists were almost completely wiped out, and he himself is gravely injured.
I refuse to believe the Golden Radiance Pavilion doesn’t have rivals and enemies in its territory. The moment someone discovers his condition, he’ll have a horde of people hunting him down."
Chen Yuan turned his gaze to Zuo Feiyu. He was his real target.
Today, even if Zuo Feiyu’s luck reached the heavens, he would die without a doubt!
Sensing Chen Yuan’s gaze, a chill ran down Zuo Feiyu’s spine. He roared, "Flee!"
"Flee where? That bastard Cui Xuanye has already sealed the area with his Feng Shui Secret Technique! Just try and escape!"
Shangguan Yun’s face was now a mask of shock and fury.
In the blink of an eye, he had gone from hunter to hunted.
Zuo Feiyu glanced at Shangguan Yun and frowned slightly.
’Shangguan Yun is scared.’
’Disciples from these great families are all the same. Everything’s fine when things are going their way, but they have too much to lose and lack the guts for a desperate struggle.’
Zuo Feiyu retreated, suddenly pulling out an Elixir Pill and smashing it on the ground behind him.
The moment the Elixir Pill hit the ground, it erupted into a raging inferno, instantly burning a hole through Cui Xuanye’s feng shui formation.
This was a Fire Poison Pill, a rare byproduct that only has a small chance of forming when a furnace explodes during Alchemy.
It contained an extreme, scorching power that couldn’t be refined, but it could be used as a Hidden Weapon.
The item was exceedingly rare. Zuo Feiyu had stumbled upon it and bought it for a pittance while wandering the streets after arriving in Danyang Prefecture.
The next moment, completely ignoring Shangguan Yun, Zuo Feiyu burst forward at top speed, escaping through the gap torn open by the Fire Poison Pill.
But just then, a flash of Shocking Swan Knife Light descended. Zuo Feiyu burned his Qi and Blood and thrust out his sword, but the Long Sword in his hand shattered instantly.
"Escape? You’re not getting away!"
Chen Yuan’s voice, bone-chillingly cold, rang out from behind Zuo Feiyu.
Today, even with his heaven-defying luck, Zuo Feiyu was doomed to die!
The force of Chen Yuan’s strike had torn Zuo Feiyu’s right arm to shreds. He reached into his robes with his left hand and flung out a metal sphere.
In a flash, a brilliant light erupted from it, and countless poisoned needles exploded outwards, surging toward Chen Yuan.
The Divine Strategy Pavilion’s Hidden Weapon, the Celestial Meteor Falling Needle!
Chen Yuan knew Zuo Feiyu had many tricks up his sleeve, and he was already on guard.
Before the needles could reach him, Chen Yuan had already formed a Seal Technique. A dazzling golden Buddha Light bloomed, making the very air tremble.
As he deployed the Six Paths of Vajra Mantra of Master Padmasambhava, a thunderous sound vibrated through the air, blasting the dense cloud of needles into nothingness.
Chen Yuan then slashed down, the attack like an upturned Blood River. The moment the Sword Aura was upon him, Zuo Feiyu finally felt fear, but even stronger was his indignation.
His ambitions were loftier than the heavens. He had never believed himself to be inferior to the famed prodigies from the top factions.
Even when he was flattering Shangguan Yun, he always believed that one day, he would surpass him!
’I’ve only just stepped out of Ning Province into the Jianghu! I haven’t even made a name for myself yet! How can I die? I’m not supposed to die!’
’My path isn’t supposed to end like this! I, Zuo Feiyu, am meant to shake the Jianghu and stand above all the other young prodigies!’
The True Qi and Qi Blood around Zuo Feiyu’s body burned with reckless abandon, causing his physical form to break down.
But this time, there was no more luck to save him. Under the blade of Chen Yuan’s Blood Refining Divine Saber, Zuo Feiyu was sliced in two.
Because he had burned his Qi Blood so intensely without releasing the built-up power, his severed body suddenly exploded, leaving not even a complete corpse behind.
Sheathing his saber, Chen Yuan let out a long breath.
’He’s been blasted to bits. Not even someone from the Corpse-Driving Sect could put that body back together.’
’Still, I have to admit, that bastard was tough to kill. He just kept pulling out one treasure after another.’
’Both the Fire Poison Pill and the Divine Strategy Pavilion’s Celestial Meteor Falling Needle must have been things he acquired after leaving Ning Province.’
Chen Yuan only managed to acquire so many top-tier Cultivation Techniques and treasures by robbing and plundering, all because he knew the plot.
Zuo Feiyu, on the other hand, just had to leave Ning Province for a trip to the Central Plains Martial Arts world, and all these treasures practically lined up to be handed to him.
Chen Yuan hadn’t believed in luck before, but on Zuo Feiyu, it seemed to be a tangible, visible force.
But no amount of luck, however strong, could overcome absolute power.