Chapter 165 - 163: He’s Sick, Take His Life
Inside the Trial Hall, two other Shangguan Family martial artists at the Late Stage of the Condensing Truth Realm remained.
Seeing Chen Yuan behead Shangguan Yun with a single strike, a look of utter despair filled the eyes of these two side branch martial artists.
A direct lineage member of the Shangguan Family had been killed right before their eyes. And Shangguan Yun wasn’t just any direct lineage member; he was a brilliant talent who had been on the Hidden Dragon Rankings.
With his status and position, he was destined to become a pillar of the Shangguan Family, yet they had failed to protect him.
They could already imagine the reception that awaited them back in Unrivaled City.
’Shangguan Yun is dead, so why didn’t you die with him? How dare you show your faces back here?’
The two side branch members of the Shangguan Family exchanged a look. In their despair, they simultaneously began to burn their Qi Blood.
A massive crimson glow fused with the extreme frosty light, transforming into a dense swarm of Cold Ice Blood Swords that surged madly toward Chen Yuan.
Even if they killed Chen Yuan now, they still wouldn’t escape death upon returning to Unrivaled City.
But at the very least, they could atone for their failure somewhat, preventing their wives and children from being implicated.
Celestial Fire blazed around Chen Yuan. Countless fierce, sharp, and chilling streams of Sword Qi condensed around him.
The next moment, as Chen Yuan performed a Sword Pointing gesture, countless streams of Celestial Fire Sword Qi swept out like a fire dragon, instantly whistling toward the two Condensing Truth Realm martial artists from the Shangguan Family!
The ear-piercing shriek of swords instantly echoed throughout the hall. The Cold Ice Blood Swords condensed by the two Shangguan Family martial artists were immediately overwhelmed by the dense Celestial Fire Sword Qi, annihilated in a mere instant!
The two men’s expressions changed. They retreated frantically, condensing an icy soul-frost light before them in an attempt to block the Celestial Fire Sword Qi.
But the sheer number of Celestial Fire Sword Qi streams was overwhelming.
Each stream carried an ultimate Killing Sword Intent and the utterly violent Celestial Fire Power.
Under the bombardment of the countless streams of Sword Qi, the icy light was instantly extinguished. The two men were engulfed and completely torn to shreds!
With a wave of his hand, Chen Yuan dispersed the Sword Qi and extinguished the Celestial Fire.
Letting out a long breath, Chen Yuan took out an elixir to restore his True Qi and tossed it into his mouth.
This Heaven-Burning Destruction Sword Qi was a Secret Technique that only those in the Primordial Pill Realm were qualified to practice. While its power was astonishing when used by Chen Yuan ahead of time, the consumption was also immense.
The Celestial Fire Secret Manual itself was incredibly taxing. Once the Starfire was ignited and the prairie-fire momentum was established, his Inner Strength True Qi burned away like a rushing river.
Condensing it outside his body into Celestial Fire Sword Qi was even more limitless. One could say that the amount of Celestial Fire Sword Qi he could create was directly proportional to his True Qi, limited only by how much he could control.
Once this technique reached Great Success, a mere wave of his hand could unleash a sky-full of sweeping Celestial Fire Sword Qi. That would be a truly terrifying sight.
After recovering some of his strength, Chen Yuan picked up Shangguan Yun’s head.
’This will be useful later when dealing with Shangguan Jue.’
Then, Chen Yuan searched Shangguan Yun’s body and found his Qiankun Bag.
The other side branch martial artists from the Shangguan Family had been blasted to smithereens. Even if they hadn’t been, they wouldn’t have had much on them.
The status gap between the side and direct lineages of the Shangguan Family was enormous. To put it bluntly, though they all shared the Shangguan name, the difference in their standing was greater than that between a human and a dog.
Only a Martial Arts Grandmaster like Shangguan Jue, who had stepped into the Primordial Pill Realm, held a higher position.
After all, a Primordial Pill Realm expert was a pillar of strength in any faction.
Shangguan Yun’s Qiankun Bag was filled with good things, as expected of a direct lineage member with transcendent status.
Not to mention the various gold, silver, and jade, his reserves of elixirs and Spiritual Medicines were substantial—enough for a Condensing Truth Realm martial artist to train in seclusion for three straight months.
In addition, there was also a Jade Box inside, likely the reward for passing through the Trial Hall.
Chen Yuan opened it and found a square block of iron inside. One of its faces had a single red dot, but he had no idea what it was for.
It was extremely heavy, however. Though only the size of a palm, it weighed over a hundred pounds.
Not knowing what it was for the time being, Chen Yuan put it away. He would have to ask Liu Suifeng after he got back.
Carrying Shangguan Yun’s head, Chen Yuan walked out of the Trial Hall, looking for something to put it in.
He really didn’t want to put a severed head in his Qiankun Bag; it was too unlucky.
Just then, the people from the other trial halls also emerged.
Huangfu Yi and Shen Wugui had both chosen Condensing Truth Realm Level halls. For Hidden Dragon Rankings prodigies of their caliber, tackling a Condensing Truth Realm Level trial at the Sea of Reincarnation Realm wasn’t much of a challenge.
Jie Yushan, on the other hand, looked a little worse for wear.
He had nearly exhausted all his means to barely pass the Grandmaster Level trial of the Primordial Pill Realm.
When they saw Chen Yuan carrying Shangguan Yun’s head, the expressions of everyone present changed.
This was especially true for Shen Wugui and Jie Yushan.
In their eyes, there hadn’t been any major conflict between Shangguan Yun and Chen Yuan.
In fact, on the upper three floors, there had been no clash between them at all. Jie Yushan was the one who had made a move.
Yet now, Chen Yuan had killed Shangguan Yun. The only logical explanation was that this Chen Yuan of the Great Brightness Sect was ruthless and decisive. He intended to eliminate everyone in advance so he could go to the lower three floors and contend with the two Primordial Pill Realm Grandmasters!
"Chen Yuan! You have some nerve!"
Jie Yushan’s expression turned cold. "We hadn’t even joined forces to deal with you, yet you struck first.
"Acting so ruthlessly... no wonder your Great Brightness Sect was besieged by the entire Jianghu back then!"
Chen Yuan knew immediately that Jie Yushan had misunderstood.
’But this is perfect. Otherwise, how could I explain why this ’Chen Yuan’ identity is so bent on exterminating the Shangguan Family?’
"You say that as if your Forgotten Heaven Pavilion isn’t ruthless. Since you’ve come out, don’t even think about leaving!"
As his voice fell, the Starfire within Chen Yuan’s Reincarnation Sea suddenly erupted. Liaoyuan Celestial Fire surged forth, roaring toward Jie Yushan.
’The Shangguan Family must be destroyed. Since the Forgotten Heaven Pavilion has decided to interfere, I’ll just kill them too.’
Besides, Jie Yushan had just passed through the three trials. His aura was weak, and he wasn’t in good shape—the perfect time to strike.
’Strike while he’s down and finish him off!’
Jie Yushan snorted coldly. "Arrogant! Your Great Brightness Sect has only just re-emerged in the Jianghu, and you’re already making enemies everywhere. Don’t forget, there’s still a bounty from the Court for your sect’s annihilation!
"Fine. I’ll kill you today and trade your head to the Court for the reward money!"
As his voice fell, a Profound Mysterious Power emanated from Jie Yushan’s body.
Yin Yang and the Five Elements revolved around him. His palms, one above the other, fell simultaneously, unleashing an utterly domineering aura.
Heaven-Forgotten Mixed Element Seal!
A single move that condensed the Yin Yang Five Elements, its Mixed Element Power encompassing heaven and earth. It was the ultimate killing move from the Forgotten Love Celestial Book.
Jie Yushan attacked with his full power, his killing intent flaring.
Previously, without an absolute conflict of interest, it wasn’t in his nature to fight Chen Yuan to the death.
But now, with Shangguan Yun dead, they were the only two at the Condensing Truth Realm present.
Regardless of whether Chen Yuan truly intended to kill him as well, he had to seize the initiative and eliminate Chen Yuan first.
’It just so happens that the Shangguan Family members are all dead. Later, if I help my martial uncle deal with Shangguan Jue, my Forgotten Heaven Pavilion can claim the Myriad Phenomena Ninefold Tower all for ourselves!’
Martial artists from the Forgotten Heaven Pavilion always maintained an extremely calm state of mind, allowing them to deduce the most advantageous course of action with incredible speed.
As for whether the Shangguan Family or the Great Brightness Church would retaliate afterward, Jie Yushan wasn’t worried in the slightest.
The Shangguan Family and the Forgotten Heaven Pavilion were both in Qing Province. Friction and conflict between the two were nothing new.
As for the Great Brightness Sect, the Forgotten Heaven Pavilion hadn’t been the only one to kick them while they were down.
If the Great Brightness Sect wanted revenge, they probably would have taken it long ago instead of waiting until today.
As the Liaoyuan Celestial Fire bore down on him, Jie Yushan felt a majestic, scorching aura wash over him.
The Mixed Element Heaven-Forgotten Seal suddenly exploded. Although the Power of Yin Yang and Five Elements within it fractured, the power itself condensed instead of dissipating, transforming into a massive net woven entirely of True Qi that enveloped Chen Yuan.
Jie Yushan formed a Seal Technique with his hands. The True Qi net, capable of suppressing Inner Strength True Qi, abruptly shrank, closing in on Chen Yuan.
The Black Flame Sword appeared in Chen Yuan’s hand. Pure Blood Qi condensed from the Blood Spirit Scripture coated the long sword. As Chen Yuan thrust forward, the Burning Earth Sword Technique combined with the Blood Refining Divine Sword, and an incomparably sharp Sword Intent slashed down, instantly tearing the net apart.
The next moment, the Blood Qi around Chen Yuan began to boil, and a great torrent of black-and-red flames surged toward Jie Yushan.
Heart-Burning Karmic Flame!
Jie Yushan flicked his sleeve, and a vast river of True Qi erupted forth.
His cultivation at the Late Stage of the Condensing Truth Realm was incredibly solid. The depth of his power reserves made him arguably the strongest Condensing Truth Realm martial artist Chen Yuan had ever encountered.
But no matter how dense his True Qi was, the moment it was touched by the Power of the Heart-Burning Karmic Flame, it was completely devoured.
The strange Karmic Flame even traveled along his True Qi and into his body, continuously eroding his Qi Blood and True Qi.
"What the hell is this stuff!"
Jie Yushan’s brow furrowed, and he hastily retreated.
At the same time, the pure Inner Strength he had cultivated with the Forgotten Love Celestial Book—a power extremely close to the Power of Heaven and Earth—surged forth, relentlessly assailing the Power of the Heart-Burning Karmic Flame.
Seeing Shen Wugui and Huangfu Yi still standing there watching the show, Jie Yushan roared, "What are you two waiting for? If Chen Yuan kills me, you’ll be next!"
Shen Wugui and Huangfu Yi were only at the Sea of Reincarnation Realm, but they were from the Hidden Dragon Rankings. They could break through to the Condensing Truth Realm at any moment.
Their true combat strength was greater than most at the Condensing Truth Realm.
Shen Wugui pondered for a moment. A pitch-black Demon Sword appeared in his hand, and he moved to stand right behind Jie Yushan.
He had allied with Jie Yushan and Shangguan Yun before, so it was only natural for him to do so again.
Of course, the main reason was that he could never side with Chen Yuan.
When the Great Brightness Sect had fallen apart, most of the factions in the Jianghu had kicked them while they were down, and his Nine Nether Sect was among them.
Huangfu Yi, however, had a conflicted expression.
Just then, Chen Yuan’s voice suddenly sounded in his ear.
"In the lower three floors of the Myriad Phenomena Ninefold Tower, there’s a cultivation technique called the ’Innate Qi Dao Body’ that can enhance one’s Qi Blood. I know your Huangfu Family needs this kind of technique the most.
"Help me deal with Shen Wugui, and after we seize the treasures in the Ninefold Tower, that cultivation technique is yours!"
Huangfu Yi hesitated for a moment, then put on his Divine Mask and moved to stand behind Chen Yuan.