Chapter 168 - 166: Slaying a Grandmaster
Shangguan Jue had first been shaken by the news of Shangguan Yun’s death, then enraged by Chen Yuan and lured to this place.
The sudden collapse of the Array was something he had never expected.
Caught off guard, Shangguan Jue pushed the Beichen Ice Soul True Skill to its absolute limit. A cold light condensed around him as his immense True Essence circulated, transforming directly into a series of ice walls that shielded his body.
But this was an Array left behind by the ancient Palace of Myriad Phenomena. The extreme impact force generated by its collapse was incomparably powerful.
The immense, layered force bombarded the ice walls, frantically draining Shangguan Jue’s power.
The Celestial Blade materialized in Chen Yuan’s hand, while the Black Flame Sword was simultaneously gripped in his left.
An incredibly potent Qi Blood coiled around both the saber and the sword. He slashed out with both weapons at once, unleashing a boundless Celestial Fire and a vast, crimson river of blood!
As he unleashed the Blood Refining Divine Sword and Blood Refining Divine Saber simultaneously, Chen Yuan displayed the might of the Blood Spirit Scripture to its fullest extent.
The most precious aspect of the Myriad Phenomena Ninefold Tower was not just the treasures one could obtain after passing its nine trials, but the nine trials themselves.
If Chen Yuan hadn’t gained such masterful control over his power during the trials on the Middle Three Floors, he wouldn’t have been able to wield the Blood Refining Divine Saber and Blood Refining Divine Sword at the same time.
The saber and sword rang in unison. The ultimate sharpness and domineering Blood Qi struck Shangguan Jue, compounding his misery by directly shattering all the ice walls before him.
"Damn it!"
Shangguan Jue roared, taking a step forward. Countless strands of Cold Ice Sword Qi condensed around him, finally merging into a massive Giant Cold Ice Sword several dozen feet long that he brought crashing down on Chen Yuan.
Beichen Evil-slaying Sword!
Specks of Starfire Sword Qi condensed around Chen Yuan. In an instant, the starfire transformed into a dense swarm of Heaven-Burning Sword Qi.
As Chen Yuan made a Sword Pointing gesture, the Heaven-Burning Destruction Sword Qi surged forward, a vast and mighty tide, relentlessly bombarding the Beichen Evil-slaying Sword.
The power of Ice and Fire collided, instantly erupting in a terrifyingly violent shockwave.
In the end, the Beichen Evil-slaying Sword was completely annihilated by the Heaven-Burning Sword Qi. The remaining portion of the attack slammed into Shangguan Jue, instantly weakening his Protective True Qi by a large measure.
Shangguan Jue was a Primordial Pill Realm Grandmaster, so his reserves of power were naturally astonishing.
Normally, he would not be weaker than Chen Yuan in a direct confrontation of power.
The problem was that he now had to divert a large portion of his strength to deal with the impact from the collapsing Array. As a result, in this clash of power, he was actually somewhat weaker than Chen Yuan.
And that wasn’t all. Blood Qi condensed around Chen Yuan, and as he brought a palm down, the Blood Killing Heaven-Seizing Hand descended abruptly.
This powerful Killing Tribulation Power was unreasonably forceful, directly shattering the icy barrier around Shangguan Jue. This allowed the explosive Array Power to strike him, causing him to spit out a mouthful of blood.
In this moment of crisis, Shangguan Jue formed a Seal Technique with his hands, and a profound power suddenly erupted from within his body.
Waves of a deep blue power radiated outward, freezing all the surrounding forces.
Even the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi, and even the force from the exploding Array, were instantly frozen solid.
The Primordial Pill that Shangguan Jue had condensed was called the Ice Soul Primordial Pill. Generally speaking, most Martial Artists of the Shangguan Family who cultivated the Beichen Ice Soul True Skill to its peak would condense this type of Primordial Pill.
While its Attribute couldn’t be described as extremely domineering, its might was still quite astonishing, capable of freezing the power of most other Attributes.
Catching his breath, Shangguan Jue looked at Chen Yuan. Though his eyes blazed with fury, they also held a trace of doubt.
"Who exactly are you!? Some of the Cultivation Techniques you’re using are definitely not from the Great Brightness Sect!"
He had read the Hidden Dragon Rankings. This Chen Yuan was a disciple of the Great Brightness Sect’s Celestial Fire Hall. His inherited technique was the Celestial Fire Secret Manual, and his weapon of choice was a sword.
But now, this person was also using a saber and had mastered an extremely powerful Blood Qi-type Cultivation Technique. This didn’t quite match the description on the Hidden Dragon Rankings.
Most importantly, why did these techniques he was using seem vaguely familiar, even though he was certain he’d never seen them before?
"The one who will take your life!"
Chen Yuan formed a Seal Technique, and in an instant, his immense Qi Blood was ignited. A blackish-red Karmic Flame erupted toward Shangguan Jue.
Under the Celestial-Burning Karmic Flame, Shangguan Jue immediately felt a strange power eroding his physical body and Qi Blood.
Under normal circumstances, he could have unleashed his full power to expel it.
But right now, he was already using the Power of the Primordial Pill to forcefully resist the surrounding Array. If he spent more power to expel the Heart-Burning Karmic Flame, he feared he would lose control and be obliterated by the shattering force of the Array.
Shangguan Jue now had only two paths before him.
Retreat back to the Central Hall. But he had already ventured too deep, and he wasn’t sure if his power was sufficient to sustain an escape.
The other option was to advance.
In the entire palace, only the central area where Chen Yuan stood was unaffected by the force of the shattering Array.
That was also the core hub of the entire Array.
But Chen Yuan was already attacking relentlessly even without him advancing; moving forward meant facing an even more ferocious, storm-like assault.
’If I delay for too long, I’ll definitely be worn down and killed here.’
At this moment, as Shangguan Jue was trying to expel the power of the Heart-Burning Karmic Flame, he suddenly thought of something.
Previously, when Shangguan Yun had called on him to help ambush Chen Jiutian, he had described Chen Jiutian’s style of Cultivation Techniques.
That Chen Jiutian had a bizarre Demon Flame technique; once touched by it, it would corrode one’s Qi Blood and True Qi like a cancer clinging to the bone.
This power was extremely similar to the Heart-Burning Karmic Flame Chen Yuan was using now. The only difference was that Shangguan Yun had called it Demon Flame, whereas Chen Yuan was using Celestial Fire.
Also, Chen Jiutian used a saber, which was said to be the Celestial Blade from the Fourteen Soldiers of Guanzheng Changge.
Shangguan Jue had never seen the Celestial Blade, but he felt it was remarkably similar to the saber Chen Yuan was currently wielding.
Then he considered how his opponent had first killed Shangguan Yun and then lured him into this Array trap. It seemed the primary target was the Shangguan Family all along.
Shangguan Jue suddenly understood and roared, "You are Chen Jiutian! Chen Yuan is Chen Jiutian, and Chen Jiutian is Chen Yuan!
What audacity! You have some serious nerve!"
Chen Yuan sneered. "No need to shout so loudly. This place is completely enveloped by the turbulent Array. Even if you shout yourself hoarse, no one outside will hear you."
"Weren’t you and Shangguan Yun planning to ambush and kill me? Well, now I’ve come to you!"
A chill suddenly rose in Shangguan Jue’s heart.
He finally understood. This was all a setup!
Chen Jiutian knew Shangguan Yun was going to ambush him at the Qingning Border. He hadn’t chosen to fight his way out of the encirclement, nor had he chosen to take a detour and flee. Instead, he had proactively set a trap to lure them here.
It was clear now that the Myriad Phenomena Ninefold Tower was just bait. No wonder he was so familiar with it, even knowing with perfect clarity when the Array would malfunction.
Shangguan Jue took a deep breath. A savage killing intent appeared in his eyes, along with a hint of excitement.
He would certainly be punished for Shangguan Yun’s death. But if he could kill this Chen Jiutian and bring news of his identity as a member of the Great Brightness Sect back with him, he could atone for his failure with a great merit—it might even be a monumental achievement!
The Shangguan Family had been plotting to control Ning Province for a very long time, even longer than Zhenwu Hall had existed.
The Shangguan Family had a hand in stirring up the chaos in Ning Province back then, secretly supporting several local factions.
Who would have thought that Zhenwu Hall would suddenly rise up and devour all the factions the Shangguan Family had supported, leading to the complete failure of their machinations.
But the Shangguan Family had never given up on Ning Province.
With Zhenwu Hall gradually declining, the Shangguan Family was waiting for an opportunity to carve up Ning Province after Zhenwu Hall finally collapsed!
If he could get this news out, the Shangguan Family could accuse Zhenwu Hall of colluding with the Great Brightness Sect, or even frame Zhenwu Hall as a branch of the Great Brightness Sect itself!
The Great Brightness Sect operated in the shadows; neither the Court nor the Daoist, Buddhist, and Demon Three Veins would waste effort trying to find them.
But Zhenwu Hall was out in the open. Once this news broke, Zhenwu Hall would surely become a public enemy, targeted by the Court and the major powers of the Jianghu.
And in doing so, his Shangguan Family would have a chance to seize Ning Province!
Forming a Seal Technique, Shangguan Jue’s Qi Blood began to burn wildly. Even the Ice Soul Primordial Pill in his body spun frantically as a streak of deep, blackish cold light condensed at his fingertips.
The cold light grew more and more substantial until it finally transformed into a beam of incomparably deep, deathly light.
As Shangguan Jue pointed his finger, everywhere the deathly light passed, all forms of power—be it Chen Yuan’s Celestial Fire Power or the wildly exploding Array—were frozen and then turned to dust!
Nine Nether Ice Soul Divine Finger!
This was the ultimate killing move, a secret technique passed down through the Shangguan Family’s Direct Lineage. By rights, Shangguan Jue was not qualified to practice it.
After he broke through to the Primordial Pill Realm, Shangguan Yun’s father had specially requested a reward from the Shangguan Family Patriarch to grant him permission to cultivate it.
The moment the Nine Nether Ice Soul Power was unleashed, it brought with it an extremely dense Death Qi that froze everything and dissolved all forms of Vitality.
The Shangguan Family’s prohibition on the Side Branch practicing such an incredibly powerful Secret Technique wasn’t just due to the distinction between the Direct Lineage and the side branches; it was also for safety reasons.
For a technique like the Nine Nether Ice Soul Divine Finger, a Primordial Pill Realm Grandmaster from the Shangguan Family’s Direct Lineage could use it with almost no issue.
But Shangguan Jue, hailing from a Side Branch with a less robust foundation, had to burn his Qi Blood and even push his Power of the Primordial Pill to its limit just to use it.
The might of this single move was astonishing; even Xu Wenzhou, another Primordial Pill Realm Grandmaster, might not be able to withstand it. He refused to believe that Chen Jiutian, a mere Martial Artist who had just entered the Condensing Truth Realm, could possibly endure it!
Seeing the Nine Nether Ice Soul Divine Finger about to strike him, Chen Yuan suddenly pointed to the center of his own forehead.
In that instant, boundless Qi Blood gathered, and a tremendous, sky-piercing Blood Fiend Power converged on his Forehead Ancestral Acupoint.
A winding, red sigil emerged on Chen Yuan’s forehead, resembling a vertical pupil.
The next moment, the vertical pupil snapped open, and from within it bloomed an endless crimson light that seemed capable of destroying the heavens and extinguishing the earth!
Celestial Blood Eye!
The last time Chen Yuan had used the Celestial Blood Eye was against Wu Youqing.
From the Sea of Reincarnation Realm all the way to the Condensing Truth Realm, Chen Yuan had been accumulating a massive amount of Qi and Blood Power within the Celestial Blood Eye, but he had never once used it.
Now that the Blood Eye was unleashed, its might was world-shattering, and it directly swallowed the deathly light of the Nine Nether Ice Soul Divine Finger completely!
The next instant, the crimson glow pierced through Shangguan Jue’s chest, leaving a bloody hole.
But before Shangguan Jue could even react, the violent Array Power of the surroundings completely engulfed him, and his body was instantly torn to shreds!