Chapter 160 - 158: Short-sighted Fools
The arrivals from the Forgotten Heaven Pavilion were a handsome, middle-aged man in ornate cyan robes with a frigid expression, and an equally cold-faced young man in his thirties.
Shangguan Yun frowned slightly upon seeing the young man. He recognized him.
He was Jie Yushan, a Direct Disciple of the Forgotten Heaven Pavilion and seventeenth on the previous Hidden Dragon Rankings. He had once vied with the Shangguan Family’s own genius, Shangguan Moyuan.
However, he was later defeated by Shangguan Moyuan and never managed to surpass him before aging out of the rankings at thirty.
’But he reached the Condensing Truth Realm years ago,’ Shangguan Yun thought. ’Now he’s in the Condensing Truth Realm Late Stage. He’s definitely much stronger than I am.’
Seeing Shangguan Jue arrive, the middle-aged man from the Forgotten Heaven Pavilion said coolly, "I never thought you’d actually step into the Primordial Pill Realm, Shangguan Jue. I was sure that with your level of talent, you had no hope of forming a Primordial Pill in this lifetime."
"And you’re so much better? I’m from a Side Branch. Is it really so slow to reach the Primordial Pill Realm at my age with the resources I had?
"You, Xu Wenzhou, are a Direct Disciple of the Forgotten Heaven Pavilion. Have you forgotten how you were beaten like a dog by a young disciple from Sword God Mountain? Your state of mind almost shattered, didn’t it?
"The *Forgotten Love Celestial Book* requires Forgetting Emotions and Severing Nature, to draw infinitely close to the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth.
"You’re petty and weak-willed. I’m afraid the Primordial Pill Realm is your limit in this lifetime. You’ll never be able to cultivate the *Forgotten Love Celestial Book* to its peak."
Evil Qi flashed in Xu Wenzhou’s eyes. "Shangguan Jue, you’re courting death!"
Behind Shangguan Jue, five Condensing Truth Realm Martial Artists from the Shangguan Family closed in.
Shangguan Yun had gone to great lengths to kill Chen Yuan, gathering many experts from his own branch of the family.
Together, these five Condensing Truth Realm Martial Artists represented a considerable force.
Meanwhile, the Forgotten Heaven Pavilion only had Xu Wenzhou and Jie Yushan. They must have been in the area on other business and rushed over after hearing the news by chance.
Shangguan Jue sneered. "Xu Wenzhou, we haven’t even entered the Myriad Phenomena Ninefold Tower. Do you really want to fight me now?
"Look around you. If we seriously injure each other, plenty of people will be waiting to reap the rewards."
At the center of Dragon Ridge Mountain, near the Myriad Phenomena Ninefold Tower, only the Shangguan Family and Xu Wenzhou’s group from the Forgotten Heaven Pavilion were present.
On the periphery, however, were over a hundred Martial Artists, including more than twenty in the Condensing Truth Realm, all experts who had rushed here upon hearing the news.
Surprisingly, there were also two young prodigies from the Hidden Dragon Rankings among them.
One, dressed in black with androgynous features, was Shen Wugui of the Nine Nether Sect.
The other, with a delicate and handsome face, seemed somewhat timid. This was none other than Huangfu Yi of the Huangfu Family from Ming God City.
The two hadn’t left immediately after the Furnace Opening Assembly, instead choosing to tour Ping Province.
As soon as they heard that the Myriad Phenomena Ninefold Tower had appeared, they rushed over.
The Furnace Opening Assembly had been cut short, so the appearance of the Myriad Phenomena Ninefold Tower meant their trip wasn’t a complete waste.
Xu Wenzhou swept his gaze over the crowd and snorted.
He hadn’t even seen the treasure yet. He had no desire to fight Shangguan Jue and let someone else take advantage.
Seeing that almost everyone had arrived, Chen Yuan donned his Nether King Mask and walked up from the base of Dragon Ridge Mountain.
When the crowd saw Chen Yuan wearing the Nether King Mask, their expressions changed.
Such a distinctive appearance... wasn’t that the successor of the Great Brightness Sect’s Celestial Fire Hall?
His appearance on the Hidden Dragon Rankings symbolized the Great Brightness Sect’s return to the Jianghu, and he had been a hot topic of discussion lately.
The expressions in Xu Wenzhou’s and Shangguan Jue’s eyes shifted as well, and they both glanced behind Chen Yuan.
Seeing that no one else from the Great Brightness Sect was with him, they both sighed in relief.
Both of their families knew how terrifying the Great Brightness Sect had been at its peak.
Not only was their overall strength formidable, but their Martial Artists also possessed extraordinary combat prowess compared to others at the same level.
At the Furnace Opening Assembly, the Hall Master of the Cyan Wood Hall had single-handedly, and without using his full strength, severely wounded both Zhao Wuji and Ming Gongqiao.
If a Primordial Pill Realm Grandmaster from the Great Brightness Sect had shown up today, they would have been forced to team up, no matter how deep their grudges ran.
Xu Wenzhou squinted at Shangguan Jue. "Your Shangguan Family also kicked the Great Brightness Sect while they were down back in the day. Aren’t you going to deal with him?"
"Your Forgotten Heaven Pavilion is just as guilty. Why don’t you go?"
Both men sneered and fell silent.
A disciple of the Great Brightness Sect had reappeared in the Jianghu. The two of them certainly had the power to kill him.
But the question was, who would do it?
Although the Great Brightness Sect had been hiding in the shadows, an old power like them dies hard. Their remaining strength was surely terrifying.
They had finally put forward a young prodigy onto the Hidden Dragon Rankings, revealing him to the Jianghu.
If one of them, a senior, were to kill him, it would be a blatant case of the strong bullying the weak. That would be like grinding the Great Brightness Sect’s face into the dirt and stomping on it. It would be a miracle if they didn’t retaliate.
Neither the Shangguan Family nor the Forgotten Heaven Pavilion wanted to provoke that band of powerful madmen from the Great Brightness Sect right now.
Of course, if the Daoist, Buddhist, and Demon Three Veins took the lead, they wouldn’t mind joining in to kick them while they were down.
But without a direct conflict of interest, neither of them was willing to be the one to stick their neck out.
Looking at Chen Yuan, Shangguan Yun felt a strange sense of unease.
He’d heard about the Furnace Opening Assembly and knew someone from the Great Brightness Sect had made it onto the Hidden Dragon Rankings, which had pushed his own rank down to fifty-first.
This fellow before him shared the surname Chen with that other guy, Chen Jiutian. Perhaps that was why he felt a natural aversion to him.
But Shangguan Yun wasn’t stupid enough to provoke him. He just shot him a glance and said nothing.
Shangguan Jue scanned the crowd and noticed more and more people were arriving.
For now, it was only some Condensing Truth Realm Martial Artists. No Primordial Pill Realm Grandmasters had arrived yet.
If a few more Primordial Pill Realm Grandmasters showed up, the fight for the Secret Treasures inside the Myriad Phenomena Ninefold Tower would become much more unpredictable.
Even if they were Grandmasters from small factions or Independent Martial Artists, they wouldn’t care if you were from the Shangguan Family or the Forgotten Heaven Pavilion when treasure was on the line. They would still fight for it.
"Xu Wenzhou, enough with the trash talk. Let’s work together to break into the tower. After that, what we get will depend on our own skills."
"If we waste any more time, none of us will get anything good."
Xu Wenzhou’s expression remained cold, but he nodded in agreement.
The two men approached the first floor of the Myriad Phenomena Ninefold Tower. The Bronze Gate was shut tight, and powerful fluctuations from an Array radiated from it.
There were marks from attacks on the ground around it. Clearly, some of the earlier arrivals had tried to enter the tower but failed, lacking the Cultivation of the Primordial Pill Realm.
Shangguan Jue struck out with his palm. An intensely powerful wave of cold energy burst forth as his Cold Ice True Qi formed a massive Palm Seal that slammed into the gate.
The Forgotten Heaven Pavilion’s *Forgotten Love Celestial Book* was a Miracle Technique. Its core was the principle of Supreme Forgetting Emotions. To truly achieve the Unity of Heaven and Man, a Cultivator needed to practice Forgetting Emotions and Severing Nature, aligning their mental state with the heavens and earth to even begin mastering it.
Once initiated, however, they could freely switch the Attribute of their Inner Strength, controlling all aspects of Yin Yang Five Elements.
In truth, the Martial Artists of the Forgotten Heaven Pavilion only became truly dominant in the Divine Platform Realm. Once they cultivated a Primordial Spirit and could borrow the Power of Heaven and Earth, their state of Unity of Heaven and Man allowed them to draw upon far more power than others of the same rank.
Although Xu Wenzhou wasn’t at the Divine Platform Realm, his attack was no less impressive.
The Five Elements Power cycled in his hands. Each punch he threw carried a different elemental transformation, and the combined might that erupted was even stronger than Shangguan Jue’s attack.
As the two of them shattered the gate, Xu Wenzhou immediately leaped inside with Jie Yushan.
Shangguan Jue gave a shout and led Shangguan Yun and the other Martial Artists from the Shangguan Family inside in an orderly line.
The other onlookers watched like hungry tigers, preparing to follow them inside.
After all, the sooner they entered, the sooner they could gain an advantage.
The Condensing Truth Realm Martial Artists swarmed forward, blocking the entrance. The air was thick with tension, as if a battle was about to erupt right there at the gate.
Chen Yuan frowned. ’A bunch of short-sighted fools.’
’If you’re going to fight, do it inside. What’s the point of posturing out here?’
’They’re just wasting time by blocking the gate. I can’t let the Shangguan Family get too far ahead.’
"Get out of the way!"
Chen Yuan strode forward and snorted.
Both Huangfu Yi and Shen Wugui had attended the Furnace Opening Assembly and had heard Chen Yuan’s voice before.
Now, however, Chen Yuan’s voice was disguised by True Qi vibrations.
The expressions of the Condensing Truth Realm Martial Artists gathered at the front immediately turned ugly.
With his Nether King Mask, his identity was obvious. Of course they knew who he was.
The problem was, none of them were from top-tier Major Sects. Although they’d heard the recent rumors about the Great Brightness Sect, they couldn’t truly comprehend how powerful the sect had been at its zenith.
As the saying goes, the ignorant are fearless.
The Shangguan Family and Xu Wenzhou were extremely wary of the Great Brightness Sect, but these Independent Martial Artists and those from smaller factions felt no such fear.
How could they not be furious at being berated by a junior?
An elderly Martial Artist in his sixties, dressed in vermilion brocade robes, stepped forward and snorted. "Arrogant whelp! All of your seniors here are still waiting. Even if you’re in a hurry, you can wait your turn!"
"You’re from the Li Cang Sect?"
Chen Yuan sized up the Condensing Truth Realm Martial Artist. The aura he exuded was very similar to that of Huang Zhen and his men from that rainy night.
"I am indeed Qiu Guanyun, the Sect Leader of the Li Cang Sect!"
The moment the words left his mouth, the Starfire within Chen Yuan’s Dantian and Reincarnation Sea began to boil.
A vast, scorching power erupted. In an instant, the Celestial Fire spread like a wildfire, a torrent of blazing flames!
Chen Yuan brought his palm down. In that instant, it was as if the very air for several yards around him had ignited. A boundless cloud of fire condensed, forming a massive hand seal dozens of feet wide that crashed down upon Qiu Guanyun!
Heaven-Burning Hand Seal!
After stepping into the Condensing Truth Realm, Chen Yuan’s foundational power and explosive strength had increased immensely.
He could now master several more of the Martial Arts Secret Techniques from the *Celestial Fire Secret Manual*, and the Heaven-Burning Hand Seal was one of them.
Its might was ferocious and domineering, its presence overwhelming.
As the Palm Seal descended, the area it covered truly seemed capable of incinerating the heavens and annihilating the earth.
"The Condensing Truth Realm!?"
Qiu Guanyun cried out in alarm, his eyes filled with horror.
’Didn’t the Hidden Dragon Rankings say this Chen Yuan from the Celestial Fire Hall was in the Sea of Reincarnation Realm? When did he reach the Condensing Truth Realm?’
’A Condensing Truth Realm expert who can make it onto the Hidden Dragon Rankings is in a completely different league from an ordinary one!’
Qiu Guanyun roared as the True Qi and Qi Blood in his body surged wildly, enveloping him in a dazzling golden light.
He threw punch after punch, each one exploding with golden light mixed with the turbulent power of his Qi and Blood Power.
But beneath Chen Yuan’s Heaven-Burning Hand Seal, all of his counterattacks were as substantial as floating clouds.
With a deafening BOOM, Qiu Guanyun’s body was sent flying like a rag doll. He was charred black from head to toe, his Qi Blood incinerated in an instant. He had been killed with a single palm strike!