Chapter 141 - 139: Life and Death, Success and Failure
The Martial Artist responsible for luring Chen Yuan, despite only being in the Blood Movement Realm, was a truly excellent actor.
His tone and expression showed no signs of nervousness; he was incredibly natural.
He even seemed to believe his own act, showing concern for his supposed colleagues. He didn’t dare rush Chen Yuan, fearing that if Chen Yuan became displeased, he would refuse to help.
Chen Yuan was happy to play along. He was curious to see just how many surprises Zuo Feiyu and his group had in store for him.
Leaving Danyang Prefecture, the Martial Artist led Chen Yuan straight toward Cuimei Lake.
Half of Cuimei Lake rested within a valley, while the other half lay outside. Its clear and vibrant waters supported quite a few medicinal fields along its shores.
The Martial Artist, however, did not lead Chen Yuan to any of the nearby medicinal fields. Instead, he took him directly to the lake’s source in Cuiwei Valley.
Upon reaching the entrance, the Martial Artist pointed into Cuiwei Valley. "Sir, our Zhenwu Hall men are being held captive in there. Please, act quickly! I’m afraid any delay will only cause more trouble."
Chen Yuan gave the man a smirk. "You’re really into your role, aren’t you?"
The Martial Artist froze. "Sir, what do you mea—"
Before he could finish his sentence, Chen Yuan thrust a finger forward. A powerful burst of Finger Strength erupted, and the Martial Artist’s head instantly exploded like a watermelon.
Even as he died, he couldn’t understand. His performance had been flawless, so why had Chen Yuan suspected him?
"Come on out. What’s the point of hiding?"
As Chen Yuan’s voice fell, more than twenty people emerged from Cuiwei Valley.
Zuo Feiyu frowned slightly, feeling that something was off about Chen Yuan’s state.
The valley was indeed filled with various hidden weapon traps, but they were also prepared for the possibility of being discovered. It didn’t matter if Chen Yuan refused to enter the valley, as long as he had left Danyang Prefecture.
But Chen Yuan’s current state was very strange. His face showed not the slightest hint of surprise or shock, as if he had known all along this would happen.
Shangguan Yun, however, didn’t overthink things like Zuo Feiyu.
His face was cold. "You managed to fight six-on-one in front of the Celestial Fragrance Building, but with so many experts here now, even if you had three heads and six arms, how many could you possibly take on?"
As he finished speaking, three Condensing Truth Realm Martial Artists stepped forward, glaring at Chen Yuan with predatory eyes.
One of them, ’Celestial Eagle Hand’ Tong Yuantai, was in his fifties. He had a sinister appearance and abnormally large hands, with knuckles so dark and glossy they looked as if they were forged from steel.
’Vertical Earth Golden Light’ Liao Cheng, the Pavilion Master of Golden Radiance Pavilion, was also in his fifties. He was thin, wore a golden brocade robe, and held a pair of golden daggers that flickered in and out of sight.
’Celestial Wind Sword’ Tian Hengbin was the youngest, just over forty. The Long Sword in his hand gleamed with a dazzling edge, but his strength was slightly weaker—only the Condensing Truth Realm Early Stage.
Chen Yuan raised an eyebrow. ’They certainly think highly of me.’
Among the three, Tong Yuantai and Liao Cheng were both great masters at the Condensing Truth Realm Late Stage. Their auras were incredibly solid, almost on par with Hong Yuanqing, if only slightly inferior.
And while Tian Hengbin was only at the Condensing Truth Realm Early Stage, he was a genuine master of the realm nonetheless. Moreover, he was in his prime, with abundant Qi Blood.
In addition, there were ten Sea of Reincarnation Realm Martial Artists, likely all from the Golden Radiance Pavilion, as the aura of their Cultivation Techniques was similar to Liao Cheng’s.
Finally, adding Shangguan Yun and the two other young prodigies, such a lineup was nearly enough to take on a weaker Primordial Pill Realm Grandmaster.
"Shangguan Yun, you are a Direct Disciple of the Shangguan Family. To think you’d resort to such unscrupulous methods... It’s truly despicable."
Chen Yuan shook his head slowly. "Unable to beat me in a fair fight, you resort to these underhanded schemes. I have to wonder, is that how you got your spot on the Hidden Dragon Rankings?
"And we have no personal quarrel. Yet you go to such lengths for Zuo Feiyu. People who know might think you’re close friends. People who don’t might think you’re his godfather."
Zuo Feiyu’s expression darkened, and Shangguan Yun sneered, "Such a sharp tongue!
"Fair and square? Underhanded plots? So what?
"My Shangguan Family has existed for millennia. We’ve long since seen through the nature of this Jianghu, of this world!
"The affairs of this world are nothing more than three words: Might makes right!
"Today, you die here. In less than a month, your name will be gone from the Hidden Dragon Rankings, and you will eventually be forgotten by the Jianghu.
"Besides, Zhenwu Hall’s days are numbered. You can’t expect them to avenge you.
"Zhenwu Hall was lucky to produce one ’Breaking Army Divine General’ in Xie Wenyan. Without her, your Zhenwu Hall can’t even fight its way out of Ning Province!"
Chen Yuan was slightly surprised.
He had initially thought Zuo Feiyu was the one in charge, but now it seemed Shangguan Yun was the true mastermind.
’This guy is evil, but at least he’s transparent about it, not like those hypocrites who need to find a good excuse before they kill you.’
And now, Chen Yuan thought he understood why he was being targeted.
’He’s afraid I’ll become another Xie Wenyan.’
The Shangguan Family’s ambition to control Zhenwu Hall and Ning Province was nothing new.
For many years, Zhenwu Hall had been in a state of decline; for more than a decade, not a single member had managed to enter the Hidden Dragon Rankings.
’But now I’ve appeared,’ Chen Yuan mused. ’Of course the Shangguan Family wants to nip this problem in the bud to save themselves future trouble.’
Zuo Feiyu said in a low voice, "Brother Shangguan, no more wasting words. Let’s make our move. Further delays might bring complications."
Duan Mingzhen, standing to the side, had actually wanted to berate Chen Yuan for wiping out the Zhu Family and killing Zhu Chengzong, to rail against his merciless methods and declare that he was now getting what he deserved.
But after hearing Zuo Feiyu’s words, he had no choice but to swallow his self-righteous tirade.
With a wave from Shangguan Yun, Tong Yuantai and his two companions immediately charged toward Chen Yuan.
Although Chen Yuan was a member of Zhenwu Hall, the hall had been stuck defending Ning Province for years and had limited influence outside of it.
The ones commanding them, however, were the Shangguan Family and the Lifting Heaven Sword Pavilion.
Not to mention, they were all bound to Zuo Feiyu and the others by various favors and connections, so the three attacked without a moment’s hesitation.
Tong Yuantai specialized in Grappling Techniques. However, these techniques were just one small discipline within the broader scope of physical combat.
Most Martial Artists trained in them during their early stages but didn’t cultivate them as their primary Martial Technique.
Take Chen Yuan’s Silk Binding Jade Hand, for instance. It had been quite useful before he reached the Sea of Reincarnation Realm, but after entering that realm, his True Qi and Inner Strength had become so vast that there were fewer and fewer opportunities to use such grappling skills.
Tong Yuantai, however, had cultivated an extremely niche technique to a profound level of mastery, even earning the nickname ’Celestial Eagle Hand,’ which was a testament to his deep skill.
At that moment, Tong Yuantai descended from the sky, his massive hands curled like eagle talons. Five streams of solid, pitch-black True Qi extended from them, grasping for Chen Yuan.
’Vertical Earth Golden Light’ Liao Cheng excelled at Lightweight Skills. With a flicker of his body and a flash of golden light, he instantly appeared behind Chen Yuan, thrusting his two golden daggers—one at Chen Yuan’s heart and the other at his Dantian.
Although the Cultivation Technique practiced by ’Celestial Wind Sword’ Tian Hengbin had no outstanding features, his foundation was solid, so he launched a direct frontal assault.
With a flip of his Long Sword, wind blades erupted and instantly coalesced into a fierce storm of Sword Qi that swept forward, its power just as formidable.
Tong Yuantai and Liao Cheng were both long-established masters. The fact that they, plus Tian Hengbin, were all targeting a single Sea of Reincarnation Realm Martial Artist at the same time was something of a joke.
In their minds, having to use a second move would be an insult to the reputations they had spent years building in the Jianghu.
’Shangguan Yun and Zuo Feiyu were being far too cautious, making the three of them gang up on a single Sea of Reincarnation Realm Martial Artist. What were they thinking?’
Just as the three believed Chen Yuan would surely die from their attack, a dazzling and ferocious blast of Sword Qi, radiating extreme, scorching heat, abruptly struck from behind Liao Cheng.
Swift as the wind, all-consuming as fire.
This searing Sword Qi seemed capable of devouring everything. It was incredibly fierce and appeared behind Liao Cheng in an instant.
As his body transformed into a golden flash, Liao Cheng spun around, crossing his two golden daggers and frantically slashing behind him, unleashing streaks of golden Sword Aura.
Gu Lichuan had appeared out of nowhere. The scorching Sword Qi emanating from the fiery red Long Sword in his hand was so intense it burned ripples into the very air.
Nanming Fire Sword!
The might of this one sword strike instantly destroyed Liao Cheng’s assault. The scorching Sword Qi slammed into his golden daggers, even leaving faint nicks on the blades, which were high-grade Profound Soldiers.
At the same time, the searing power traveled up the daggers into his hands, scorching his palms until white smoke began to rise from them.
What tyrannical Li Fire Sword Qi!
Liao Cheng let out a strange cry, tossed aside his daggers, and retreated abruptly in a flash of golden light.
At the same time, Gu Lichuan thrusted a sword with his left hand toward Tong Yuantai, Sword Intent piling up on the Long Sword layer by layer.
For a fraction of a second, the air itself seemed to freeze. Then, a violent Sword Intent erupted as a sky full of Sword Qi danced and formed a veritable Sword Qi River before Gu Lichuan!
Mountain and Sea Sword Scripture!
Tong Yuantai’s Celestial Eagle Hand was intercepted by the Sword Qi, which was like overlapping mountain ranges and a boundless river. His technique was completely halted, unable to descend even a fraction of an inch.
Chen Yuan stared at Gu Lichuan in astonishment.
Gu Lichuan had told him before that he had a stroke of good fortune and his strength had increased significantly.
But this wasn’t just an increase; it was an explosive surge in power!
’If Gu Lichuan’s strength grows this terrifyingly with every new sword he obtains,’ Chen Yuan wondered, ’heavens know how powerful he’ll be when he finally has all Twelve Swords and becomes the Sword Venerable.’
Chen Yuan, however, had no time for astonishment.
Gu Lichuan was using his full strength to block two of the opponents, which left Tian Hengbin, the one launching the frontal assault, at a loss.
He didn’t know whether he should continue his attack on Chen Yuan or temporarily retreat.
But before he could react, Chen Yuan made his move.
The Killing Intent Origin activated, and a torrent of Blood Fiend instantly surged into Chen Yuan’s body.
At the same time, Chen Yuan activated the Celestial Fire Secret Manual. Within his Dantian and Reincarnation Sea, Starfire flared up, causing his True Qi to burn with a wild intensity and transforming into a towering Demon Flame that instantly enveloped him.
Blood Qi condensed on the Celestial Blade, and the Blood Fiend fused with it.
With a single slash, a Blood River unfurled and a monstrous Demon Flame billowed. At that moment, Chen Yuan was like a Divine Demon incarnate. The area for dozens of feet around him was plunged into a world of black and red!
Tian Hengbin stared at Chen Yuan in horror.
’Is this the Sea of Reincarnation Realm? How can this possibly be the Sea of Reincarnation Realm!’
’What kind of Sea of Reincarnation Realm cultivator can unleash this level of power? Are you kidding me?!’
Chen Yuan was now wreathed in Blood Fiend, ignited by Starfire, and amplified by the power of the Blood Refining Divine Saber. The explosive combination of this Triple Power burst forth.
The sheer force of that power made Chen Yuan’s Meridians throb wildly, bulging like great, bluish-black pythons slithering just beneath his skin.
It was only because Chen Yuan cultivated the Blood Spirit Scripture, making his Qi Blood dense and formidable, and also possessed the Sutra of the Pure Glazed Vajra to stabilize his physical body. Anyone else would have long since exploded and died.
Seeing this terrifying scene, Tian Hengbin wanted to burn his True Qi, but it was too late.
The blade fell with ultimate power. The Sword Qi was torn apart, the Long Sword was pulverized, and even though Tian Hengbin resisted with all his might, he was still turned to dust by that single strike!