Chapter 138 - 136: Must Kill Chen Jiutian
Zhao Wuji’s sudden recruitment offer was indeed somewhat unexpected for Chen Yuan.
This White-clothed Marquis was a deep schemer. His presence at the upcoming elixir forging conference was likely for more than just spectating.
Chen Yuan didn’t want to get involved with him, but from the looks of it, he had already been marked by the man.
Still, it didn’t really matter. The Marquis’s current public persona was that of a "timely rain" in the Jianghu—a man known for his generosity and magnanimity.
If he were to bear a grudge and make things difficult for Chen Yuan simply because his recruitment failed, he wouldn’t be able to maintain that persona.
Therefore, Chen Yuan wasn’t worried about Zhao Wuji causing trouble for him right now.
After leaving the Celestial Fragrance Building, Chen Yuan found an inn and entered secluded cultivation to prepare for the upcoming elixir forging conference.
Meanwhile, in another inn in Danyang Prefecture, Zuo Feiyu, Shangguan Yun, and Duan Mingzhen were gathered together.
As for Yao Tiancheng and Qiao Huan, they were taking Zhu Chengzong’s body back to the Blazing Sect, not even planning to attend the elixir forging conference anymore.
The conference hadn’t even begun, yet one of their own disciples was already dead. What was the point of participating?
Besides, the only one left who could participate was Qiao Huan. Although he wasn’t Chen Yuan’s main target, he had been caught in the shockwave of Chen Yuan’s powerful force, injuring his Qi Blood. He could no longer maintain his peak condition.
With so many young geniuses attending this elixir forging conference, Qiao Huan knew he was no match for them. So, he decided not to waste any Spiritual Medicine and simply returned to the Blazing Sect with Yao Tiancheng to report Zhu Chengzong’s death.
After Shangguan Yun heard Zuo Feiyu’s account of his history with Chen Yuan, he frowned. "That fiend is so vicious. He destroys entire families at the drop of a hat. He wiped out the entire Zhu Family; no wonder Zhu Chengzong of the Blazing Sect was desperate to fight him to the death."
"Brother Zuo, you should have done whatever it took back then and had the Nine Swords Alliance eliminate him completely. Now he’s become a force to be reckoned with, and joining the Zhenwu Hall has made him even harder to kill."
In Zuo Feiyu’s telling, he had lost his duel with Chen Yuan. When Wu Youqing came to his rescue, he had voluntarily told Wu Youqing to stand down.
He claimed that since he lost one-on-one, it would be dishonorable to have Wu Youqing use his superior strength to bully a junior.
He completely omitted the fact that Wu Youqing had been forced to retreat by the aura of Chen Yuan’s Divine Artifact Incarnation.
Zuo Feiyu gave a bitter smile. "I never thought that a moment of soft-heartedness would allow this great enemy to grow so powerful."
Duan Mingzhen’s face was as dark as the bottom of a pot. "And we’ve been utterly disgraced! When the Hidden Dragon Rankings are updated next month, you and I will both just be another achievement on Chen Jiutian’s record!"
The Hidden Dragon Rankings were updated monthly. Since they had fought openly on the streets of Danyang Prefecture, the incident would surely have been recorded by the informants of the Celestial Wind Listening Rain Tower.
When that time came, Chen Yuan would definitely jump several places on the Hidden Dragon Rankings, adding the glorious feat of fighting one against six to his name. And they would be the stepping stones for his achievement!
Duan Mingzhen was only a few months away from turning thirty. Although he had never been on the Hidden Dragon Rankings, he was still a Core Disciple of the Lifting Heaven Sword Pavilion and had never been so humiliated.
To think he would now become a stepping stone for someone else’s glory—it made him sick to his stomach.
But if he felt sick, Shangguan Yun felt even more aggrieved.
He was also a prodigy on the Hidden Dragon Rankings, and what’s more, he was ranked just ahead of Chen Yuan.
This meant that no matter how many spots Chen Yuan climbed, he would certainly surpass him.
Taking a deep breath, Shangguan Yun suddenly said, "We must kill this Chen Jiutian!"
Zuo Feiyu looked at Shangguan Yun, somewhat surprised.
He had just been pondering how to stir up more hatred for Chen Yuan, hoping to get Shangguan Yun to use the Shangguan Family’s power against him. He hadn’t expected Shangguan Yun to take the initiative himself.
’This guy is quite petty, isn’t he? Defeated on the spot by Chen Yuan and reduced to a mere stepping stone, and he already hates him this much?’
In truth, that was indeed a reason, but not the main one.
The main reason was Chen Yuan’s affiliation with the Zhenwu Hall!
As a member of the Shangguan Family’s Direct Lineage, Shangguan Yun was naturally aware of his family’s ambitions for Ning Province.
Among the Four Martial Halls of Zhenwu, the Cyan Dragon Hall Master, Cui Wenzhong, was one of their own. The Shangguan Family’s schemes concerning the Zhenwu Hall and all of Ning Province had been in motion for a long time.
Originally, the power of the Zhenwu Hall had been declining year by year. But who would have thought that an outstanding young prodigy like Chen Yuan would emerge now?
Although he didn’t know how far Chen Yuan would go in the future, one man’s hero is another man’s enemy. Shangguan Yun would absolutely not allow such a brilliant prodigy to emerge from the Zhenwu Hall.
For the sake of the Shangguan Family’s interests, he had to crush Chen Yuan completely!
Duan Mingzhen smiled bitterly. "The six of us couldn’t even beat him alone. How are we supposed to kill him? Brother Shangguan, you have the Shangguan Family’s Divine Artifact Incarnation, but are you willing to use it?"
"Besides, even if you were willing, we were already warned by Chen Guinong during the day. If we make a move, being banned from the elixir forging conference is a small matter. The real disaster would be if it affected our Elixir trade with Medicine King Valley!"
Although Medicine King Valley possessed a Divine Soldier, their actual strength wasn’t considered top-tier.
The Medicine King Valley Master, Zong Siyuan, was only at the Martial Dao Eighth Realm Divine Platform, and he had reached that level by piling up Elixirs.
There were two other Elders at the Divine Platform Realm, but they were old and frail, relying entirely on Elixirs to prolong their lives.
It was only because of the elixir forging conference that they were still alive. Otherwise, Elders like them would have had to sacrifice their lives to fuel the Shennong Cauldron in the past.
However, nearly half of the Upper Grade Elixirs in the Jianghu were produced by Medicine King Valley. They also accounted for sixty percent of Top Grade Elixirs and a staggering seventy percent of Ultimate Divine Pills!
There weren’t many factions in the entire Jianghu capable of refining Ultimate Divine Pills. If Medicine King Valley got angry and cut off their trade, the loss would far outweigh any gain.
Zuo Feiyu narrowed his eyes. "If we’re really going to make a move, we can’t do it inside Danyang Prefecture. We have to lure him outside the city."
"And it’s clear that we alone are not enough. That Chen Jiutian definitely has powerful trump cards. If we’re going to kill him, it must be a single, decisive blow!"
"Don’t see him as someone at the Sea of Reincarnation Realm, and don’t treat him as an ordinary Condensing Truth Realm Martial Artist."
"You must have felt his formidable strength during our fight today. His true combat power is far greater than what he’s shown!"
"The Little Prince Bo Gudun who died at his hands had the Golden Tent Secret Technique. Once unleashed, his strength was comparable to the Condensing Truth Realm Late Stage."
"It’s no exaggeration that Chen Jiutian climbed the Hidden Dragon Rankings with such achievements. In fact, that bunch from the Celestial Wind Listening Rain Tower might have even underestimated him!"
Both Wu Youqing and Bo Gudun had died at Chen Yuan’s hands, one after another. And after today’s clash, he had witnessed Chen Yuan’s terrifying nature for himself.
So, if they were truly going to kill Chen Yuan, they either shouldn’t act at all, or they must ensure a one-hit kill. They couldn’t afford to just hand him another victory.
He, Zuo Feiyu, could make the same mistake once, or even twice, but he could not make it a third time!
Shangguan Yun and Duan Mingzhen both looked at Zuo Feiyu in surprise, not expecting him to have such a high opinion of Chen Yuan.
Not seeing Chen Yuan as someone at the Condensing Truth Realm? Then what should they see him as? A Martial Arts Grandmaster? That was a bit of an exaggeration.
Just then, Shangguan Yun suddenly said, "I actually have a way to lure him out of Danyang Prefecture."
As he spoke, Shangguan Yun actually took out a Zhenwu Hall Token.
"This is a Token from the Zhenwu Hall Main Hall. We can use it to pose as people from the Zhenwu Hall and get him to leave Danyang Prefecture and walk right into our ambush."
Zuo Feiyu’s heart skipped a beat when he saw the Token.
’The Shangguan Family’s infiltration of the Zhenwu Hall runs incredibly deep.’
This wasn’t a Token from one of the Four Martial Halls of Zhenwu; it was a Token exclusive to the Main Hall, representing the Grand Commandant Chao Hongtu. To think the Shangguan Family could get their hands on something like this.
"With the Token, things will be much easier."
Zuo Feiyu said in a low voice, "The Loose Cultivator expert from Ping Province, Tong Yuantai, the ’Celestial Eagle Hand’ who is at the Condensing Truth Realm Late Stage, owes my father his life. If I ask, he will surely come."
Shangguan Yun also chimed in, "My Shangguan Family doesn’t have much power in Ping Province, but the Golden Radiance Pavilion in Yongchuan Prefecture of Ping Province has trade relations with us."
"The Golden Radiance Pavilion Master, Liao Cheng, the ’Vertical Earth Golden Light,’ is also at the Condensing Truth Realm Late Stage. His Lightweight Skill is astounding."
"The man is greedy by nature. As long as I promise him a larger share of the trade, not only will he make a move, but a portion of the Golden Radiance Pavilion’s elite will as well."
Seeing that Zuo Feiyu and Shangguan Yun were both preparing to call for backup, Duan Mingzhen also spoke up. "My Lifting Heaven Sword Pavilion doesn’t have much power in Ping Province either. But in the nearby Mo City, there’s a Condensing Truth Realm Loose Cultivator, Tian Hengbin, the ’Celestial Wind Sword.’ Though his Cultivation is only at the Condensing Truth Realm Early Stage, he’s a Condensing Truth Realm cultivator nonetheless."
"When my master was taking me on a tour of the Jianghu, he once gave him some pointers. As long as the man still cares about his reputation and doesn’t want to offend my Lifting Heaven Sword Pavilion, I think he’ll agree to help."
The three calculated. Between them, they could call upon two renowned experts at the Condensing Truth Realm Late Stage, and one Martial Artist at the Condensing Truth Realm Early Stage.
The Golden Radiance Pavilion could also provide about ten ordinary Sea of Reincarnation Realm Martial Artists, plus the three of them.
With a lineup like this, they could probably go head-to-head with a Grandmaster at the Primordial Pill Realm Early Stage. They refused to believe that such a force couldn’t eliminate Chen Jiutian!
Having finalized their plan, the three immediately went their separate ways to find their reinforcements.
Chen Yuan, of course, had no idea that his identity as a member of the Zhenwu Hall had made Shangguan Yun want to kill him.
For the past few days, Chen Yuan had been cultivating in his inn room, focusing mainly on the Celestial Fire Secret Manual.
After using the Celestial Fire Secret Manual last time, Chen Yuan’s understanding of it had deepened considerably.
Cultivation Techniques and Secret Arts were always best progressed through intense battle.
Moreover, Chen Yuan had also mastered a Secret Technique from the Celestial Fire Secret Manual called the Heart-Burning Karmic Flame.
This Secret Technique was exceedingly bizarre and leaned more towards the Demon Dao. Chen Yuan could also use the power of the Other-Transformed Self-Free Celestial Demon Secret Manual to conceal it, which was why he chose to prioritize its cultivation.
This Heart-Burning Karmic Flame needed to be ignited with exceptionally powerful Qi Blood. Once it attached to a Martial Artist, it would continuously burn their True Qi and Qi Blood.
For a Martial Artist, all their bad karma stemmed from their own power. The stronger their Qi Blood and the more abundant their True Qi, the more they had killed.
The Heart-Burning Karmic Flame used the Power of Karmic Fire to incinerate all this bad karma, only stopping when it had completely burned away all of the victim’s Qi Blood and True Qi. It was incredibly ruthless and strange.
There were only two ways to break it. One was to directly sever the part of the body tainted by the Karmic Flame. The other was a simple and brutal method: using overwhelming power to tear the Karmic Flame apart completely. Otherwise, one could only watch as their Qi Blood was burned away to nothing, leading to their death.