Chapter 430 - 215: Tribulation
Above the vast ocean, a mysterious man holds a small black altar, flying through the air.
His entire body is enveloped in a hazy Chaotic Qi, with various Qimen Dunjia symbols faintly floating and flickering within.
Moreover, as the chaotic energy spreads, eight positions around him faintly reveal eight portals, each embodying a profound character: Rest, Life, Wound, Obstruction, Scenery, Death, Fright, Open.
If Chu Xuan were to see this man, he would undoubtedly be shocked, for the cultivation technique he practices seems identical to Gu Haitang’s "Primordial Eight Sceneries Scripture."
This technique is a rather ancient chaos-related cultivation art, completed, it harnesses eight gates and eight scenes, with grand power when used offensively; when used as a mystery, it connects with Qimen Dunjia, holding the abilities of divination, concealment of heavenly secrets.
This man is clad in black, looking middle-aged, with an unremarkable appearance, except for the dark light hidden in his eyes.
The altar he holds is only palm-sized, neither gold nor stone nor jade, carved all over with various sorcerous symbols, and incised with Three-legged Golden Crow soaring amidst the sky, devoured by Celestial Dog, symbolizing the eclipse’s fall.
This altar stands nine layers high, following the numbers of one-nine, three-nine, six-nine, with three blood-colored small swords on each side, totaling twelve swords spinning around the altar.
At the top of the altar, there is also a painting and a dagger offered.
The scroll depicts a spirited young man, dressed in a white robe, standing among a plum blossom forest, tall and handsome with a clear, ethereal aura.
But the heart area of the man in the painting is now smeared with a layer of crimson blood, making it appear dark and ominous.
A pitch-black, deep dagger, suspended above the ancient scroll, parallel, its blood-stained tip deliberately not pointing at the person in the painting to avoid unexpected stirring of the target.
Though the person is far from reaching the seventh realm, theoretically won’t experience "stirring of the heart"; although the surrounding chaotic energy seals the heavenly secrets within, this man remains extremely cautious.
This dagger has no patterns on its body, not even a hilt, just a segment of sharp blade, the rear end showing signs of breakage, resembling the tip of a once-long sword.
It’s called "Heart-devouring God-seizing Dagger," a secret treasure the family ancestor refined for many years, originally a fragment of an Immortal Sword, with a high rank, refined into a one-time treasure, no return once deployed, hence extremely lethal, said to be "deadly upon touch."
The only problem lies in how to "touch"; if missed, either dodged or blocked by the target, this secret treasure won’t have a second piece.
The ancestor had instructed long ago, "Use this painting as a medium to connect with the heavenly evil, ensuring one guaranteed hit."
However, after Shangguan Cheng’en’s covert investigation, they developed small doubts about whether the painting could indeed connect with the heavenly evil.
The only certainty is, there’s undoubtedly a mystic connection between both, merely not strong enough.
Therefore, earlier Shangguan He suggested Chu Xuan provide a drop of blood for verification, aiming to strengthen the connection and ensure the "Heart-devouring God-seizing Dagger" hits successfully.
If one plan fails, Shangguan family members chase after Chu Xuan with reckless desperation, hoping to take something from him, even a single hair or a piece of clothing.
Unfortunately, Chu Xuan’s counterattack was astonishingly fierce, leaving Shangguan household empty-handed.
Thankfully, Blood Robe Old Monster from Mo Luo Palace covets Chu Xuan greatly, eventually transforming into a sea of blood surrounding him, any soul caught in this sea will have its blood essence seized, becoming his nourishment.
Though Chu Xuan couldn’t resist this blood sea for long, holding on briefly wasn’t a problem, hence taking the risky move of slaying with blade intent.
Although the blood essence absorbed by Blood Robe Old Monster was insignificant, perhaps less than a drop, it was sufficient for the Shangguan family.
Not to mention, Blood Robe Old Monster died at Chu Xuan’s hands, forming a cause and effect between them, using the lingering resentment from his corpse to cast spells, achieving better results.
Finally, the plan was executed; actually, this time, the number of Shangguan family cultivators wasn’t thirty-six, but thirty-seven.
Despite their affiliation with the Profound Celestial Sect, even after three grand battles between good and evil causing talent depletion, after six hundred years of recuperation, it was naturally impossible to have only two third realm cultivators; the main family side even had powerful figures stationed, not coming out in full force.
Besides having three teams set traps for Chu Xuan, another seventh realm cultivator stayed far away, several hundred miles outside the Grotto Heaven, holding the "Heart-devouring God-seizing Dagger," waiting patiently, never revealing himself easily.
Previously, Shangguan He sending away the scroll in Chu Xuan’s presence was intended to deceive him into believing it was temporarily useless.
Later, Shangguan He collected Blood Robe Old Monster’s corpse and blood, secretly delivering it to this black-clad man, while he led the crowd loudly searching for Chu Xuan’s whereabouts, also aiming to deceive him.
After two days of searching, the Shangguan family headed back, having no contact with the man, exercising extreme caution, even prepared for someone secretly tailing them.
This black-clad man has always been a hidden blade of the Shangguan family, with excellent cultivation and temperament, most importantly, exceptionally patient; he once lurked for over a decade to kill a target.