Chapter 921: The Start of the Martial Pagoda Battles
It was easy for one to say that one should not discriminate
against the poor, but in the world of martial dao, the rich will always triumph
against the poor, regardless of the latter’s talent. The reasoning behind this
was because the poor did not have the privilege of being born with a silver
spoon in their mouths nor did they have any access to formidable cultivation
techniques, potent medicinal pills, pointers from formidable elders, and other
additional resources. The poor simply lacked far too many things.
The starting line for the poor was already all the way in
the back, and there was no way for them to catch up. The odds were extremely
stacked against them if they wanted to shorten the distance. The world of
martial dao had always been this ruthless. The reality of such truths would
manifest itself in the three ranking battles in the Veluriyam Pagoda. The
hierarchy and divide between the two would be obvious.
The geniuses under the great emperors need only take part in
the Ranking of Young Lords. There was no need for them to take part in the
lesser ranking battles, nor would they care to take part. As for the normal
geniuses from great families and clans, they need only participate in the
Genius Rankings. There was no need for them to fight for a place in the New
Star Rankings. There was, in every sense of the word, a clear divide between
those from differing levels of social status.
Emperor Peafowl flashed a meaningful smile when he noticed
Jiang Chen’s silence towards the matter. “Why? Are you surprised? Or do you
feel that it’s unfair?”
Jiang Chen did truly feel that it was unfair, but there was
no way he’d voice such an opinion. It might seem unfair at first glance, but
one should always be farsighted during their journey in martial dao, as the
heavens were always fair. He was not the type to fret over such matters.
“Your Majesty, there is no such thing as absolute fairness
in this world. If one strives for fairness, then one should fight for it with
their own hands. This junior is not so foolish as to hope that the heavens
would bestow fairness upon this world.”
Emperor Peafowl broke into a laugh. “I can definitely tell
that you are quite sensible! You’re not fretting over this at all!”
“There is no need for me to fret over such matters. Climbing
to the top, one step at a time, will be a good experience. Those geniuses that
you speak of have already gotten used to being at the top. They would never be
able to experience such a thing.” Jiang Chen spoke from the bottom of his
heart. Because he hadn’t been able to cultivate in his previous life, he had no
way to experience the pleasure of competing with the geniuses of his previous
world. Since he was given the opportunity to do so in his second life, he would
cherish this moment incomparably. As the Celestial Emperor’s son, he had
already experienced what it was like to be above everyone else. However, he was
never given the chance to experience anything else other than that. All he had
felt was incomparable loneliness. Why would he complain after being given a
chance at a new life? Even if Emperor Peafowl had given him some special
privileges, Jiang Chen might not have accepted them.
“Good!” Emperor Peafowl praised. “If this is truly what you
believe, then you will surely surpass all those geniuses in the future!
However, I must remind you to mentally prepare yourself. Compared to the lower
geniuses, geniuses under the great emperors are at a completely different
level.”
There was no need for Emperor Peafowl to issue this
reminder. Due to the presence of countless young geniuses in Veluriyam Capital,
those who stood at the top were undoubtedly the cream of the crop. Jiang Chen
would never belittle his enemies. Of course, he would never improperly belittle
himself either. They had their advantages, and he had his own. “This junior
will bear Your Majesty’s advice in mind. The Martial Pagoda battles are about
to begin. Since there are only a few days left, this junior will now return
home to prepare.”
Emperor Peafowl nodded. “Go. I look forward to seeing you
soar through the heavens in half a year’s time.”
The look of admiration in Emperor Peafowl’s eyes still
hadn’t diminished one bit after Jiang Chen was gone from sight. He gently
sighed and muttered to himself, “This child is destined to achieve great
things. He is so remarkable even though he started out in such a tiny and
mundane place like the Eastern Kingdom. I truly cannot imagine the height of
his achievements if he had started out in Veluriyam Capital instead.” Emperor
Peafowl wasn’t concealing his admiration towards Jiang Chen in the slightest.
…...
Wei Jie was coincidentally just about to exit the building
when Jiang Chen returned to Taiyuan Tower. When he saw Jiang Chen, he
immediately approached the latter and greeted him in an excited manner. But
inevitably, Wei Jie had become a little more reserved in terms of his attitude
and familiarity. Jiang Chen was slightly unaccustomed to this.
“Wei Jie, you’re being distant!” Jiang Chen said while
smiling.
Wei Jie scratched his head. “You’re now the number one pill
dao expert in Veluriyam Capital. My father warned me to not be too casual in
front of you. I…”
“Don’t listen to him! We are brothers that have been through
thick and thin together. Once a brother, always a brother! By the way, what are
your thoughts on the upcoming Martial Pagoda battles?”
Wei Jie sighed. “I’m not required to enter the New Star
Rankings battles as I’ve already qualified for the Genius Rankings battles. But
reaching the top two hundred on this list is a daunting task. I’m not putting
much hope into achieving that.”
“It’s that difficult?” Jiang Chen was slightly surprised.
“It’s impossibly difficult.” Wei Jie forced a smile. “I’ve
estimated that I might be able to climb to the top three hundred if I’m lucky.
To be within the top two hundred, I’ll probably need the luck of a lifetime.”
“Surely that can’t be true. Are there really so many
geniuses?” Jiang Chen was slightly skeptical.
“I’m not exaggerating at all! First of all, there are
already thirty-six geniuses under the emperors. That means that there are only
164 places left in the Genius Rankings. There are also twenty-eight clans with
multiple outstanding geniuses from each clan. Cultivators from the aristocratic
houses can never dream of defeating them. They will take up around a hundred
places or so. The remaining places will then be taken up by some of the
cultivators from the surrounding lands and additional cultivators from other
aristocratic families. There will occasionally be a few geniuses amongst the
wandering cultivators… After my estimations, I really don’t have much confidence
that I will be able to climb to the top two hundred.” Wei Jie was not being
humble. Such was the reality of things.
In House Wei, Wei Jie was the most outstanding person
amongst the younger generation, but Veluriyam Capital was simply too gargantuan.
There were too many outstanding geniuses here. Most importantly, the Veluriyam
Pagoda gathering was open to not just Veluriyam Capital citizens. The geniuses
from surrounding regions were also allowed to attend. House Wei wasn’t just
competing with the elites of Veluriyam Capital.
“What does House Wei expect from you?” Jiang Chen asked
curiously.
“They expect me to be in the top two hundred of course. If I
manage to enter the Genius Rankings, my place as the heir of House Wei will be
solidified.” Judging from Wei Jie’s expressions, it was obvious that he wasn’t
too confident that he could achieve such a feat. He had only been at seventh
level sage realm when Jiang Chen had first met him. He had since broken through
and was now at eighth level sage realm. Unfortunately, he was still one step
away from peak ninth level sage realm. To compete for a spot within the top two
hundred was quite an enormous task. After all, for a stage of this level, sage
realm geniuses were probably not a rare sight.
That especially held true at the peak of the Genius
Rankings. Those who could manage to enter the Genius Rankings were likely not
beneath ninth level sage realm, unless they were ridiculously strong like Jiang
Chen. In fact, some of them were only half a step away from emperor realm.
There were even a few that had already taken half a step into emperor realm,
and were as powerful as emperor realm cultivators. Jiang Chen didn’t inquire as
to who they were, nor was he planning to do so in the short term.
Noticing Wei Jie’s predicament, Jiang Chen suddenly
remembered that he still had one Sage Smile Pill left, a pill which would help
a sage realm cultivator break through to the next level without any side
effects. He’d received two in the past and had already consumed one pill.
“Young master Wei, I still have one Sage Smile Pill with me.
This will help you break through to ninth level sage realm. That’s all I can do
to help you.” Jiang Chen wasn’t a stingy man. Moreover, the Sage Smile Pill was
already useless to him. It would bring him no benefit if he used it, so he
might as well give it to Wei Jie. He wouldn’t feel a sense of loss if it would
help Wei Jie in his time of need.
Wei Jie was so taken aback that he stood there with his face
aghast. He didn’t dare to reach his hands out to take the pill. Jiang Chen
reached for his hands and handed it to him directly. “Just take it. Since you
don’t have to enter the battle for the New Star Rankings, you should have
enough time to cultivate and break through to ninth level sage realm. Remember,
you must enter the Genius Rankings. Don’t waste the Sage Smile Pill that I just
gave you.”
Wei Jie felt his nose sting with gratitude.
“Brother Zhen. I…” Wei Jie wanted to say something in a
refined manner, but the words were stuck in his throat.
“You deserve this.” Jiang Chen patted Wei Jie on the
shoulder. “If it weren’t for you, I would never have been able to enter
Veluriyam Capital, nor would I have had the pleasure of being your friend
today.”
Wei Jie nodded. “I will forever remember Brother Zhen’s
magnanimity. I won’t be able to part the seas, but if you ever need me or my
family’s help, just say the word and I will come to your aid without even the
slightest frown, even if I have to cross a mountain of daggers and an ocean of
flames. Otherwise, may the heavens and earth shall condemn me to death.”
Wei Jie wasn’t the kind of person who would abandon his
previous allies after achieving his goal. He was an honest and loyal person. If
it weren’t for that fact, Jiang Chen would never have created a partnership
with him in the first place. Even though they’d been partners for a long time,
Wei Jie remained incredibly honest. Moreover, he was also a very tight-lipped
person. He hadn’t told a single soul about Jiang Chen’s position at Regal Pill
Palace or Taiyuan Tower, nor did he ever inquire about anything else. Jiang
Chen was quite fond of people like him. Thus, he didn’t feel even the slightest
regret when he gave the Sage Smile Pill to Wei Jie.
“Time is of the essence. Go. Break through to the ninth
level and enter the Genius Rankings. Let the entire House Wei know that you are
the most outstanding heir. Nobody can ever stand to replace you.”
Wei Jie was also incredibly excited. He would never have
imagined that he would be able to get his hands on such a miraculous pill like
the Sage Smile Pill. Not even in his dreams. But today, he’d gotten his hands
on one at an incredibly crucial timing! This Sage Smile Pill meant the world to
him. Other than simply raising his cultivation by one level, it gave him the
opportunity to fight his way into the Genius Rankings so that he could solidify
his position as heir to House Wei and silence those who opposed him. This was
the greatest significance of the Sage Smile Pill.
Seeing Wei Jie leave in high spirits made Jiang Chen very
happy too. He had no intention of wasting the few final days he had left to
prepare. He consolidated his own cultivation realm,practiced various martial
methods, and prepared his various equipments, being as thorough as possible.
The Martial Pagoda battles officially began five days later.
On that day, all employees from Taiyuan Tower were allowed a
day off so that they could go cheer Jiang Chen on. The famous Pill King Zhen
was going to participate in the Martial Pagoda battles. News of this spread
like wildfire, and it didn’t take long before all of Veluriyam Capital had
heard of it. In the beginning, everyone thought that Pill King Zhen would be
given special privileges in the Martial Pagoda battles.
But news soon spread that Pill King Zhen hadn’t been given
any special privileges at all! Like other wandering cultivators, he would have
to start from the very bottom and fight for a spot out of the ten thousand
available in the New Star Rankings. Even the cultivators from surrounding lands
were taken by surprise, not to mention the normal cultivators from Veluriyam
Capital. With Pill King Zhen’s fame, nobody would ever deny him any special
privileges if he’d asked for it. However, he didn’t want any special treatment
and was willing to fight his way up from the very bottom!
Chapter 922: First Round of Selections
Veluriyam Capital exerted every resource at its disposal for
this gathering's sake. Most surprisingly, the assembly wasn’t disorderly
despite the number of entrants. Even Jiang Chen was impressed by this kind of
administrative ability. Of course, the sheer volume of millions still put
considerable stress on the organizers’ shoulders. Standing in the crowd, Jiang
Chen breathed in and scoped his surroundings. People were everywhere around the
Veluriyam Pagoda, mountains and oceans of teeming activity.
“I don’t know what to say, brother. What are you doing
signing up for the New Star Rankings? If you ask me, you should’ve just asked
the Coiling Dragon Clan to get you a slot. There’s no need for even His Majesty
to intercede. You could have gotten yourself into the Genius Rankings
straightaway.” Ji San was standing beside Jiang Chen. Though it wasn’t
necessary for him to compete in the New Star Rankings, he was Jiang Chen’s
sworn brother. He had to attend an event like this, if only for support alone.
Smiling faintly, Jiang Chen refrained from giving a proper
explanation. Instead, he gazed intensely at everything around them. “Wouldn’t I
then miss this million-strong competition? I couldn’t just leave the
festivities alone.”
Ji San laughed, baffled. “These are just the qualifiers.
Honestly, a lot of these people are simply here to have fun. That’s why we need
to filter them out. There’ll only be a hundred thousand once that’s done.
Afterwards, we’ll have to choose a tenth of those guys. Only then will they
have a place in the New Star Rankings.”
Jiang Chen knew the rules for the Martial Pagoda battles
now. The registered million had to go through an initial round. The people that
passed this round were actual contestants. After this first layer of
filtration, one million would shrink into a hundred thousand.
“Have the Martial Pagoda battles in previous years also
hosted this many people?” He asked, curious.
“Yes, it’s always been this many. According to the clan
lord, more than one and a half million people have participated in some of the
previous Pagoda gatherings. But this year is the most popular in the most
recent millennium.”
Jiang Chen laughed. His heart was moved by the eager faces
all around him. In the world of martial dao, it was difficult to make a name
for oneself and climb up the social ladder. Chances to do so were exceedingly
rare. Everyone wanted to grasp such opportunities and become famous overnight.
The wandering cultivators with grassroot origins especially desired to do so,
so that they could change their own destinies.
It was a pity that these opportunities, when all was said
and done, were still stages reserved for geniuses. Most who came with beautiful
dreams in their hearts were doomed to return with spirits laced with
disappointment. Those especially unlucky would even lose their lives here.
Nevertheless, their passions could not be quenched. The world of martial dao was
cruel. Risking life and limb in the course of adventure was a common
occurrence. How could one hope to succeed without such a mindset?
The first round’s process was very simple. A formation would
be activated around the base of the Veluriyam Pagoda. The million entrants
would be split into twenty waves of fifty thousand each. The five thousand and
fewer that lasted the longest within the formation’s aura were eligible to move
on to the next round. Thus, the purpose of this round was to eliminate ninety
percent of the entrants. The tenth that remained would then compete for the New
Star Rankings’ ten thousand spots. Jiang Chen was assigned to wave eighteen,
out of twenty. He wasn’t going to enter for a while. That was good in its own
respects, though. He could use the extra time to gauge the overall quality of
the entrants.
Rays of colorful light flooded down from the peak of the
Veluriyam Pagoda’s main pagoda. Seven-colored auspicious radiance hurtled
towards the ground, giving off a feeling of sacred regality.
“The formation has been activated, and the first wave is
inside. Please pay careful attention, contestants. if you cannot hold on, crush
the jade slips in your hands immediately and you will be automatically ejected.
Remember, the formation will not respond to your emotions, and you are
responsible for your own life and actions. Don’t struggle in vain. However,
staying as long as your strength permits is naturally better as well. Your
present performance will determine the arrangements for future selections.” An
intimidating voice echoed around the Veluriyam Pagoda. It was both a reminder
to the immediate first wave and an admonition to all the entrants in the
ensuing waves.
Jiang Chen watched the main Veluriyam Pagoda become
enveloped in powerful streams of rainbow-colored air. From the outside, the
main pagoda was like an isolated space. The sheer sense of dissociation gave
off a feeling of dimensional independence.
Ji San yawned from the side, “Brother, this kind of
selection isn’t that interesting. With your level of strength, there’s no need
to worry at all.”
As if on cue, it wasn’t even fifteen minutes before masses
of cultivators began to continuously stream out, unable to bear the pressure of
the formation any longer. The final results of the first wave were decided
after about an hour.
“The first wave’s number of eliminated entrants is now
sufficient. Congratulations to the five thousand who remain. You’ve passed the
first round. Now, it’s up to you to decide how much longer you’d like to stay.”
“Does the amount of time you stay in the formation matter
for subsequent rounds?” Jiang Chen asked, curious.
Ji San nodded, “I’ve heard the clan lord discuss the
specifics of this rule. Apparently, the longer you stay, the better it is for
you later on.”
However, there wasn’t likely to be a significant gap between
the entrants at this level of competition, and evidence supported this. Two
hours hadn’t even passed before the entire first wave emerged. The exact
ranking of the wave was immediately tallied up, another testament to the
efficiency of the organizing party.
Ji San shook his head thoughtfully, “There was no one
remarkable in that wave.”
“Why do you say that?” Jiang Chen didn’t quite understand.
“According to the clan lord, this is actually the first
chance to observe all of the contestants. This formation is a kind of
touchstone. Many geniuses that rose from the bottom in previous years had
amazing performances in this formation.”
“Oh? How amazing?” Jiang Chen’s interest was piqued.
“The year that the clan lord participated in had a lot of
geniuses. There was a guy that stayed inside for an entire six hours. He was a
wandering cultivator, too!”
Anything that the Coiling Dragon Clan lord participated in
was definitely considered ancient history. Jiang Chen recalled the lord’s age.
The man was almost at the end of his natural life, so it must have been at
least a few thousand years ago. “Is six hours the record?”
Ji San moved his head from side to side, “Definitely not.
Genius abounded in ancient times. Those that could stay inside for six hours
were fairly common. But in the recent few millennia, especially the past one
thousand years, there has been a clear decline in the number of wandering
cultivator geniuses.”
Jiang Chen didn’t find that surprising at all. The
increasingly tight control of the largest sects and factions over the Divine
Abyss Continent’s territories was proof enough that wandering cultivators had
less and less room to thrive. It was harder to make up the difference between
those hailing from sects and the sect-less. With the increasing monopolization
of various large sects over all kinds of resources, not much remained for the
wandering cultivators. Understandably, fewer of them could even think of rising
up as a result. That was plain enough to see. There was something Jiang Chen
wanted to know even more, however—how long could Veluriyam’s own noble scions
last in this formation?
“Brother Ji, do noble youths enter the formation to be
tested as well?”
The young master smiled. “Some people are bored enough to
give up their special treatment and take part, yes. Their performance has
always been pretty good overall as well. However, I’ve not heard of any true
top-ranked genius do something like this. Six hours should be likely enough for
the young lords and such, at least by my estimate.”
The disparity was clearly illustrated. There were none in
the first wave that could last even two hours, but young lords and their peers
were able to stay for six. Jiang Chen was silent, having come up with a rough
plan. By now, the second wave had entered the formation as well. Just like the
first wave, the second wave was unimpressive. No suspension of disbelief was
necessary. Nothing was surprising at all. It continued on like this for another
two waves.
There was a little jolt during the fifth, though. There were
three geniuses in that wave that stayed past the two hour barrier. The most
adept among them lasted an entire three. It gave people watching the first
round a hint of excitement, a little bit of conversation-eliciting material.
The three geniuses instantly became the talk of the crowd. As the top three of
fifty thousand entrants, getting into the New Star Rankings was no problem for
them.
Quite a few, in fact, felt like they had the ability to
reach the two hundred strong Genius Rankings. After all, there were only twenty
waves. If there were three as strong as these fellows in every wave, that still
meant only sixty total. Even if noble youths commandeered the vast majority of
spots, there was still hope for a small group about that size to contest the
rest.
Perhaps it was due to the fifth wave’s stimulation, but
three-hour-plus geniuses kept popping up in the few waves that followed. There
was even one person in the eighth wave that almost reached four hours, though
he fell short of that line in the end. Ji San felt a little regretful on his
behalf. “I feel for him. Anyone that stays past the four hour mark is clearly
on another level. It’d be a definite confirmation that they are capable of
challenging the Genius Rankings as well.”
Though they had broad horizons, noble youths like young
master Ji San found that kind of ability respectable nevertheless. Each
subsequent wave carried a few marvels of their own, but no one could break the
four-hour line. It wasn’t until the thirteenth wave that this statement no
longer held true. A genius in that wave managed to remain inside for four hours
and fifteen minutes. It was the best record yet for this first round. As a
result, the person’s name was easily committed to memory.
“Chu Jianhuan?” Ji San quietly muttered the name over and
over. “This guy… it’s definitely possible for him to go for the Genius
Rankings. Not every genius has to come from a highborn background, huh.”
For Ji San to find him so valuable… this Chu Jianhuan’s
excellence was undeniable. Jiang Chen gave the cultivator two glances. From a
cursory inspection, the man was at least at ninth level sage realm. A hint of
sternness flashed across his visage. Jiang Chen filed the man into memory. Chu
Jianhuan’s results were positively intriguing. There were two geniuses after
him that almost broke the four-hour mark, but they didn’t quite manage to reach
it.
Four days passed by very quickly. When the seventeenth wave
had entered the formation, Jiang Chen finally felt a sliver of anticipation in
his heart. It was almost time for him to engage.
“Brother, your time is almost here. Be bold, be dazzling,
show them that our very own Pill King Zhen is a genius of many talents! A
master of both martial dao and pill dao!” Ji San encouraged Jiang Chen.
Chapter 923: The Much Acclaimed Pill King Zhen
Even as Jiang Chen flexed his muscles in preparation for
battle, an irregularity arose in the seventh wave. A genius named Sunyu
Xiaosheng stayed a full five hours inside the formation. It broke Chu
Jianhuan’s previous record in one fell swoop! The result sent ripples of shock
all through the Pagoda’s surroundings.
Sunyu Xiaosheng replaced Chu Jianhuan as the hottest piece
of news. He’d stayed in the formation for three more quarter-hours than Chu
Jianhuan had. Anyone who’d been in a formation before knew that it was
increasingly more difficult to resist the longer one stayed. These three
quarter-hours showed a clear edge in both strength and formation-resisting
ability.
Ji San sighed softly, “Where did this guy come from now,
huh? Could he be a genius from a nearby faction? I don’t think even I could
stay for twenty quarter-hours if I were to go in.”
It was rare for Ji San to praise a stranger so. His words
oozed respect for this Sunyu Xiaosheng. However, he remembered in the next
moment that his own brother was about to experience the same trial. Praising
Sunyu Xiaosheng like that seemed like an unnecessary knock on Jiang Chen’s
confidence. Smiling wryly, he moved to console his friend, “No pressure,
brother. Just do the best you can. With the mental fortitude that you’ve shown
in your pill-related pursuits, surely you won’t be affected by outside factors
like this?”
Jiang Chen smiled faintly, refraining from giving a concrete
response. He clearly understood that compared to his pill talent, extolled as
the best in Veluriyam, his martial talent wasn’t known by nearly as many in the
city. A fair few knew that he’d received a reward from Emperor Peafowl back at
Sacred Peafowl Mountain. But since that time, nobody had actually seen his
performance with their own eyes. Many suspected that the emperor had
intentionally given Jiang Chen a treat and that it hadn’t been entirely
meritorious.
Though Ji San didn’t particularly believe these rumors, he
nevertheless didn’t have nearly as much faith in Jiang Chen’s martial ability
as he did his brother’s pill ability. After all, the level of martial expertise
that Jiang Chen had showed was still a ways off from geniuses who were nearer
to the pinnacle. Yes, Jiang Chen had broken through to seventh level sky sage realm,
but Ji San had been at ninth level sage realm for a long time already. There
wasn’t any top-ranked genius in the great clans at a lower cultivation level
than that. The top geniuses of the great clans were all at ninth level sage
realm. As for the young lords closest to the emperors, many were already
halfway to emperor realm; some had even reached it already. In the martial
world, such differences were marked. Ji San’s words to his brother, therefore,
meant absolutely no ridicule.
In separate secret rooms within the Veluriyam Pagoda, all
seven great emperors and their retinues were attentively focused on the
selection process. It was simple on the surface, but every emperor assigned
significant importance to this round in particular. No matter what level of
genius one was at, it would be reflected accurately in this process. For
example, the Chu Jianhuan from before was held in high esteem by several
emperors.
When Sunyu Xiaosheng appeared, no emperor apart from Peafowl
could keep their calm. Even Emperor Shura was greatly astonished, instructing
his Moon Monarch to keep close tabs on this particular genius. If the kid could
make it into the two-hundred-strong Genius Rankings, then he absolutely had a
place under Emperor Shura’s banner. Emperor Shura’s faction had collected many
geniuses over the years. Not every genius could achieve individual prominence
in maturity, but that was no obstacle to the practice. More geniuses meant more
that would be able to last to maturity.
Moon Monarch nodded, “I will definitely do so. I’m just
worried that he’ll be as unappreciative as that Lin Yanyu from the previous
Pill Pagoda battles.”
Lin Yanyu’s first place result amongst the Pill Pagoda
battles’ wandering cultivators made him a primary target for Emperor Shura’s
recruitment. Unfortunately, it only resulted in double the disappointment. Not
only had their efforts in recruiting Lin Yanyu proven ineffective, but they’d
lost their very own Pill King Bu in the process as well. The most upsetting
thing about it was that Pill King Zhen had been the person to win both of them
over. He was virtually best buds with Sacred Peafowl Mountain.
According to rumors, Emperor Peafowl had plans to make heavy
use of Pill King Zhen. There were other rumors that if the pill king showed an
excellent performance at the Martial Pagoda battles, Emperor Peafowl would
possibly make him Sacred Peafowl Mountain’s next young lord. The news hadn’t
spread externally, but it had certainly made the rounds internally amongst the
seven emperors. Though everything was still yet unknown, the other titled
emperors’ keen instincts told them that the well-timed comments were far from
baseless.
A sliver of coldness flickered across Emperor Shura’s eyes.
Evidently, he found the previous events quite unpleasant, even shameful to an
extent. “Which wave is that Pill King Zhen in? Has he not passed the first
round yet?” He didn’t know why, but the emperor had become a bit wary towards
this Pill King Zhen.
“I’ve looked into it already,” Moon Monarch replied
hurriedly. “His name is in the eighteenth wave, coming up next. Looks like the
kid didn’t want any special treatment. He’s starting from the bottom. What’s he
got up his sleeve?”
Emperor Shura found it somewhat baffling as well. “Perhaps
Emperor Peafowl intended for this to happen?” He murmured to himself. “He
doesn’t want others to have any room for criticism?”
“Does Emperor Peafowl really want to make this kid Sacred
Peafowl Mountain’s young lord? That… that seems positively ridiculous. How long
has it been since he first arrived here—not even three years?”
Emperor Shura was quite serious. “A number of signs point
towards this being a distinct possibility. But, how good is this Pill King
Zhen’s martial talent really?”
“We’ll see shortly,” Moon Monarch harrumphed.
“Still, what is Emperor Peafowl really playing at?” Despite
his years of experience interacting with his fellow emperor, Emperor Shura
still couldn’t see the intentions behind the gesture. Was it a smokescreen, or
was it to test him?
“Your Majesty,” Moon Monarch interrupted, “no matter what
Emperor Peafowl is planning, control of the city will fall to you come his
retirement for sure. Nobody else is adequate.”
Yes, that was true in theory, but Emperor Shura wasn’t
convinced. He had always tightly controlled himself in front of Emperor
Peafowl, lest the latter build up a dislike for him. Only then would it be
possible for him to justifiably inherit Veluriyam Capital and thereby become
its actual leader. However, Emperor Peafowl had never clearly expressed any
inclination towards such a plan.
It was soul-crushing for Emperor Shura. In recent years,
these negative emotions had become sharp edges, perpetually showing themselves
and cutting against Sacred Peafowl Mountain. Still, he knew as well as anyone
that as long as Emperor Peafowl remained, all of his machinations had to remain
as ambition alone and could not be carried out concretely. The past several
thousand years had been Emperor Peafowl’s era. As long as the emperor still
remained, the years accounted to his period would stretch on and on.
“Your Majesty, that kid has entered the formation. I see him
now,” Moon Monarch advised.
Emperor Shura’s eyes moved towards the center of the
formation. He was able to find the pill king very quickly. He was the young man
who had stirred up so many storms in the city lately. That young man was like
an unsolved riddle. The emperor had guessed endlessly at Pill King Zhen’s
identity during his idle hours. He’d crafted many hypotheses, but none of their
accompanying conclusions satisfied him. He had even suspected the pill king to
be Emperor Peafowl’s illegitimate child… for a time. But there was no tangible
proof for such an absurd conjecture. Moreover, the kid’s pill talent wasn’t
something that Emperor Peafowl could instill.
Emperor Shura didn’t put much stock in calling this Pill
King Zhen merely Emperor Peafowl’s game piece. This was because the pill king’s
strength was greater than the other emperor could possibly cultivate.
Two hours passed very quickly. Moon Monarch firmly furrowed
his brow, muttering, “How unexpected. That kid is pretty strong. He made it
past two hours. Eh? There’s four others that did as well?”
This was a little excessive. There hadn’t been a single
two-hour survivor in the first three waves. Were geniuses better and more
numerous in the later waves? Of course, one couldn’t rule out the possibility
that the first few waves’ entrants were keeping their strength in reserve or
hiding it outright, really. In fact, the possibility was quite high.
Nobody had known the finer details of the round at first.
Passing, and thereby guaranteeing moving onto the next round, had been enough.
This wasn’t the case for the later waves. With more and more geniuses
displaying their radiance, the conflict beneath the table grew white-hot. It
was normal for better and better results to continually surface.
“There’s three left still after three hours. Tch, will there
be a heaven-defying genius appearing in this eighteenth wave?” Moon Monarch’s
eyes were half-shut, his tone perplexed. Most importantly, Pill King Zhen—who
was the object of their scrutiny—had still not departed. To add insult to
injury, there was no sign from the pill king’s expression that he was
struggling at all.
“This Pill King Zhen’s martial talent is not to be
underestimated, Your Majesty… even if it may not be as remarkable as his pill
talent.”
Emperor Shura smiled faintly, “Three hours isn’t much. If he
doesn’t pass the four-hour line, even the Genius Rankings might be too good for
him.”
“I suppose you’re right,” Moon Monarch nodded. “The longer
it goes on, the more difficult it becomes. He’s worthy of our scrutiny only
after he crosses that line. If he can’t, then he’d better be content with
simply staying as just a pill genius.”
It wasn’t just Emperor Shura who was captivated by Jiang
Chen—he was the talk of the town with the other emperors as well. Because of
his status as the foremost in pill dao, it was difficult for Pill King Zhen to
stay under the radar. The seven emperors, the other contestants, and even the
various factions... all had only one question on their minds—how long could
Pill King Zhen stay in the formation?
Chapter 924: To Go Against the Heavens
At this moment, Jiang Chen’s heart was as tranquil as still
water. The formation had indeed impacted him after he’d entered it. However,
the heavy pressure that it exerted was clearly intended not to kill, but to
test him. It not only put the defensive ability of cultivators to the test, but
also examined their willpower and the strength of their consciousness. This
formation was not filled with killing intent, nor was it intended to cause
despair. As Jiang Chen sat within the formation, his mind was clear and calm.
He experienced the immense pressure the formation exerted and slowly adapted to
its rhythm.
Not bad, it doesn’t feel like much even after three hours.
It seems that using the Nine Transformations of Demons and Gods to refine my
body was quite effective. My physical strength should be more or less on par
with those so-called half-step emperor realm cultivators. As for my willpower,
I’ve seen so many heavyweights from various realms when I accompanied my father
in my previous life. Naturally, I will not quake before the pressure of this
formation. And with my Boulder’s Heart, coupled with the remarkable power of
Psychic’s Head, my consciousness has far surpassed that of an ordinary
cultivator. This means that this formation was completely made for me.
If Jiang Chen had only possessed these advantages, he might
be able to stay in the formation for a good while, but he could still not
surpass those top geniuses from ancient times. However, he was coincidentally
incredibly talented at formations. After inheriting the Ancient Crimson Heavens
Sect’s prowess at formations, he could adapt to the rhythm of this formation
very quickly.
There was still a considerable difference between a genius
who understood the art of formations and a genius who did not. Certainly, the
Veluriyam Capital carried on the will of the ancient era. Their powerful
formations were not ones that Jiang Chen could shatter. However, he could still
find ways to counter them. These details could allow him to endure for longer
than the others. He actually came to like the feeling of the formation
battering against him. The pulses of frightening pressure that this formation
exerted on him might be called a test, but in reality, it was also a form of
training. Particularly, the longer he stood in it, the harder the formation hammered
at him.
“A tidal wave against sand. The formidable pressure of this
formation batters not just a cultivator’s corporeal body but also their will
and consciousness. It’s like forging steel. The formation is the forge, and I
am a sheet of quality steel. I’ll allow this formation to hammer me into
shape,” Jiang Chen repeated this silently to himself.
As time passed, the strength of this formation continued to
rise. The pressure on Jiang Chen also continuously increased. But his internal
mantra allowed him to persevere within the formation.
…...
At this moment, the outside world had fallen into an uproar.
The other geniuses of the eighteenth batch had already been expelled from the
formation. The only one left within it was Jiang Chen. He was like a small
sailboat circling the vast open seas, but was never engulfed by the waves.
“Pill King Zhen still hasn’t emerged. Is he really an
omnipotent genius?”
“It’s been four hours. Who’d have thought that Pill King
Zhen’s martial talent would be so strong! Since he’s surpassed the four hour
cutoff, he would at least be able to break into the ranks of the top two
hundred geniuses, right?”
“Extreme respect! I won’t ask for the entirety of Pill King
Zhen’s talent but if I had even a third of his skill, I’d be bringing honor to
my clan!”
“What wishful thinking. Pill King Zhen is the best in pill
dao in our Veluriyam Capital. If you had even a third of his skill, at the very
least you’d be comparable to a ninth rank pill king.”
“Haha, I guess you’re right.”
“Let’s guess how long this Pill King Zhen can stay within
the formation! Do you guys think he can break the previous record?”
“As long as Pill King Zhen is the one doing it, anything is
possible.”
“Right? Pill King Zhen seems to leave a trail of miracles
everywhere he goes.” Loud praise erupted from the area surrounding the
Veluriyam Pagoda. Some had even abandoned the envy in their hearts, leaving
behind only endless admiration and respect. This was because everyone was aware
that Pill King Zhen was on a completely different level. Being jealous of him
was completely pointless.
Ji San stood within the crowd, surrounded by sounds of
various discussions. At this moment, he felt as though the synapses in his
brain were failing to connect to each other. Indeed, the shock he was
experiencing was comparable to everyone else present at the scene. Everyone
knew that Pill King Zhen was a genius in pill dao, the absolute number one. But
his martial talent had never been revealed and not much was known regarding it.
Even Ji San had been bamboozled. At this point, he could only force out a
rueful smile. He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Dear brother, I worried
needlessly for you. I didn’t think you’d be able to keep your composure. It’s
funny. I even tried to comfort you earlier…”
He was naturally aware of what staying for more than four
hours inside the formation meant. One had to know that from the first time this
formation had been used to sift for talent until now, just how many people had
managed to persist for more than four hours? Of course, some people might be
deliberately concealing their talent, but it was obvious that anyone who
surpassed the four-hour mark was a top-tier genius. What was more, Jiang Chen
was still in the formation. There was still the possibility that he could break
the previous record.
“This brat, could he be thinking of breaking the record that
Sunyu Xiaosheng had just set?” The idea of this piqued Ji San’s interest. If Jiang
Chen put up such an outstanding show even with regards to his martial talent,
then the happiest one here would definitely be Ji San. He wasn’t a jealous
person. He knew how to be happy for the people around him. If his brother
possessed extraordinary martial skill, he would definitely be even more
grateful to know that he had a good eye for people.
“You can do it!” Ji San clenched his fingers into a fist and
pumped it into the air in support of Jiang Chen.
On the side of Emperor Shura, Moon Monarch’s brows had
furrowed into deep ridges.
“Your Majesty, as expected, this brat possesses some crafty
technique. He’s actually already surpassed Chu Jianhuan’s record. It seems that
he’s targeting Sunyu Xiaosheng’s record of twenty quarter-hours.”
Emperor Shura’s remained impassive as he replied without
inflection, “If the person chosen by Emperor Peafowl couldn’t even endure for
four hours, that would be the biggest joke of all. You saw during his
confrontation with Pill King Ji Lang that this child wasn’t ruffled at all. At
the very least, that proves the degree of his mental fortitude. This kind of
person with such a strong resolve would definitely not be lacking in martial
willpower. As long as his innate skill isn’t too bad, his martial skill will be
fairly successful. What’s more, he can still fall back on that skill in pill
dao he was blessed with.”
For an ordinary martial genius, even if he had some innate
skill in pill dao, there was still a limit to how much he could use pill dao to
complement his martial talent. But this Pill King Zhen was different. The
extent to which his heaven-defying level of pill dao complemented his martial
dao was alarming. Historically, there was no lack of powerful pill dao masters
who used their unnatural talent in pill dao to artificially expand their
ordinary martial skill, hence becoming top-ranked martial dao masters.
The frown on Moon Monarch’s face had not dropped. It was
obvious that he was more and more unwilling to accept Jiang Chen’s unnatural
performance. His enmity with Jiang Chen had been unconcealed all this time.
From his point of view, the culprit behind the destruction of the Majestic Clan
was this Pill King Zhen. Some parties rejoiced while others fretted. As for
Emperor Peafowl, he remained completely calm, as though Jiang Chen’s
development was within the sphere of his predictions.
Conversely, it was Cloudsoar Monarch who exclaimed upon
seeing Jiang Chen’s performance, “Your Majesty, your subordinate has once again
been subdued by your eye for talent! Who would have thought that this Pill King
Zhen’s martial talent would be this extraordinary?!”
When he recalled the time when he’d questioned Emperor
Peafowl’s judgment of Jiang Chen, he couldn’t help but flush with shame. He
suddenly understood why Emperor Peafowl was so adamant in instating Pill King
Zhen as the young lord of Sacred Peafowl Mountain. It seemed that it was still
the emperor who possessed the most foresight.
“Cloudsoar, how long do you think Pill King Zhen will be
able to endure the formation?” Emperor Peafowl suddenly broke into a small
smile.
Cloudsoar Monarch contemplated briefly before he spoke up,
“Perhaps, he’s hoping to break the record Sunyu Xiaosheng set just now? Twenty
quarter-hours?”
“Haha, it’s not just pure hope that he can break twenty
quarter-hours but rather, it’s a fact that he will.” Emperor Peafowl smiled
blithely. “What this emperor is curious about now is, will he able to surpass
six hours?”
“Six hours?” Cloudsoar Monarch was at a loss for words.
“Your Majesty, the last time this record appeared was two or three thousand
years ago, wasn’t it?”
“Is it not precisely because it’s been so long since we last
saw it that we should eagerly anticipate it?” Emperor Peafowl said with
deliberation.
Cloudsoar Monarch seemed to have come to a realization as he
stared at Jiang Chen with thoughtful eyes. There was both amazement and
admiration in their depths. If this young man could really set a record unseen
in the past three thousand years, then he would truly be qualified to reach the
same level as that of the geniuses from the ancient era. For this kind of
genius, there was no need to even mention entering the top two hundred
rankings. There was even the possibility that he could contest the ultimate
ranking of the top thirty-six. Once Pill King Zhen entered that ranking of the
thirty-six young lords, Emperor Peafowl could then legitimately establish him
as the young lord of Sacred Peafowl Mountain.
Cloudsoar Monarch finally understood why Emperor Peafowl had
insisted that Pill King Zhen claw his way up from the bottom instead of
granting him any special privileges. As it turned out, His Majesty was hoping
that through a series of events, Pill King Zhen would publicly display his
martial talent to others so that the entirety of Veluriyam Capital would
recognize his skill. This had all been done in preparation for the next step.
“Your subordinate bows before Your Majesty’s foresight.”
Unexpectedly, Cloudsoar Monarch was not jealous of this youth. He had served
Emperor Peafowl since the beginning and as a long-time follower of the emperor,
he had never once hoped to become his heir.
After all, the four monarchs had also grown old. They
couldn’t be considered viable long-term choices. He had worried about the
matter of Sacred Peafowl Mountain’s heir for a long time. He didn’t want Sacred
Peafowl to become marginalized in the future and to be roughly jostled out of
power by Emperor Shura. And now, he gazed upon the new person chosen by Emperor
Peafowl, a person with raw talent comparable to young lord Fan. This caused
Cloudsoar Monarch to feel at ease.
“Twenty quarter-hours… As expected, he surpassed twenty
quarter-hours. Your Majesty, Zhen’s talent in both pill and martial dao are
absolute. He’s a genius descended from the heavens!” Cloudsoar Monarch stared
at the time and could not help but exclaim in wonder. This was a heaven-defying
development of events.
Chapter 925: The First Victory
Absolute in both pill and martial dao. These words were
continuously surfacing in the minds of everyone present. The person who had set
the record earlier, Sunyu Xiaosheng, also fixed his narrow eyes on the
formation below Veluriyam Pagoda. The apathetic expression on his face had
shifted to one of bewilderment. The record he had just set had been broken as
simply as that. Obviously, he was curious about the person who had surpassed
him.
“Sigh, if I’d known, I would have persevered a little more.”
He felt a little regretful. He still had a bit of energy remaining when he’d
left the formation. He hadn’t wanted to push himself too much, afraid that he
would affect his performance in the remaining competition, so he hadn’t tried
his best. He felt that he definitely could have persisted for a longer time if
he hadn’t held back. Since his record was broken, the on-site discussion only
grew more intense.
Now, the only question was, could Pill King Zhen break the
record that no one had surpassed for a few thousand years? Could he persist
within the formation for six hours? As Jiang Chen sat within the formation, it
never occurred to him that he had become a topic of heated debate in the
outside world.
Unknowingly, the sixth hour approached.
“Hm? It seems that I’ve come close to six hours. I heard
from Brother Ji that for these past few thousand years, six hours has been the
highest record. I still have some remaining strength so I might have a chance
to surpass seven hours, or perhaps even eight hours. But this is only the
preliminary selection. I should quit while I’m still ahead. There’s no need to
show off quite so much…” Jiang Chen monitored the time as he decided that he
would leave the formation the moment it reached six hours.
When the hourglass indicated six hours had passed, a tidal
wave of cheering swept over the outside world. It was clear that in this era, a
record of six hours was truly an enormous inspiration. It didn’t matter that he
was their competitor. At this moment, everyone was cheering for Jiang Chen.
Jiang Chen also did not dally within the formation. He
crushed his jade token and was instantly teleported back to the outside world.
In order to avoid showing off, he deliberately stifled his facial expression to
a deathly pale shade, as though he had been greatly weakened. Nonetheless, no
one really paid attention to those details. Everyone was only concerned about
the record of six hours.
“Long live Pill King Zhen!”
“As expected of Veluriyam Capital’s idol! Absolute in both
martial and pill dao!” Within Veluriyam Capital, Pill King Zhen was originally
someone worthy of idol worship. As of today, his enchanting performance that
had broken a millennia-old record naturally won him plenty of support.
Ji San also walked up to him and pounded his shoulder with a
fist. “You little brat, you really concealed your power from everyone!”
When Jiang Chen glanced at the joy laced across Ji San’s face,
he knew that the latter was delighted for him. He immediately smiled and
replied, “It’s not that I was concealing my strength. I just happened to know a
little bit about formations. It was a struggle to be honest.”
Ji San laughed uproariously, “Reasons don’t matter. What
matters is that you’ve persisted until the six hour mark. I believe that after
this selection, the fame of your martial dao will spread to every corner of
Veluriyam City, just like that of your pill dao. It’ll even spread to the entirety
of the Upper Eight Regions!”
Conversely, Jiang Chen was not overly prideful of his
accomplishments. The rankings for the eighteenth batch of cultivators was
quickly tallied. Amongst the cultivators here, Jiang Chen was at the top of the
list. There was no question about that. The remaining two batches had possibly
been spurred on by Jiang Chen. Multiple extraordinary candidates popped up, one
even surpassing the six hour mark as well. This grand occasion instantly shook
the entire Veluriyam Capital to its core. Who would have thought that even the
preliminary round of selections would erupt in such a fiery battlefield of
hot-blooded cultivators? After this selection, ninety percent of the one
million competitors was instantly eliminated. The hundred thousand people left
would officially begin the fight for the ten thousand spots on the New Star
Rankings.
“Congratulations to the qualifying competitors. Next, the
hundred thousand of you will be divided into a thousand groups, a hundred
people to a group. Every group will have ten designated spots on the New Star
Rankings. Hence, ultimately a group of ten thousand people will be accepted
onto the list.”
“The top one thousand competitors from the preliminary arena
just now will not meet each other in battle. They will be split evenly across
the thousand groups.”
Jiang Chen had stayed within the formation for six hours and
was tied with another person for first. He was the most popular candidate for
entry into the New Star Rankings. Moreover, the one thousand competitors who
had topped the preliminary competition would be split into a thousand different
groups. This way, the top-ranked one hundred geniuses would not run into each
other beforehand. This would also ensure that the top-ranked geniuses would not
be preliminarily eliminated as a result of a precursory fight.
Jiang Chen’s exemplary performance within the formation
placed him into the first group as the arena lord. Naturally, as the lord of
this group, he had certain privileges. According to the rules, the arena lord
only needed to defeat ten people in a row to advance. The rankings on the New
Star Rankings would be decided by the number of victories one held. In the end,
the one with the highest number of victories across all the competitors in
every arena would be ranked at the top of the list. Every spot on the New Star
Rankings would be decided entirely based on the number of victories one held.
If there was a tie, the person who performed better on the previous formation
challenge would be granted priority in placement.
In the first group, Jiang Chen’s performance in the
formation challenge was the best. Hence, if he could secure the greatest number
of victories here, he would be ranked first even if there was someone who tied
with him here. Of course, apart from the arena lords, the other participants
had a fixed number of entries every day. In the end, every competitor needed to
guarantee that he had participated in ninety-nine fights. In other words, he
needed to ensure that he had fought every other person in his group at least
once.
As the lord, Jiang Chen’s greatest advantage was that as
long as he achieved ten victories in a row, he could advance forward. As for
the others, their chances of advancement were solely dependent on their final
number of victories. However, if the lord could not achieve a record of ten
straight victories, then he would be judged just like the rest, based on total
victories. Ultimately, this rule was still advantageous towards the arena
lords.
As the arena lord, Jiang Chen was naturally part of the
first battle. He stood on the elevated arena granted to the lord and swept his
eyes across the ninety-nine opponents beneath him. Some of their gazes were
veiled, making it difficult to tell what they were truly thinking about.
Others’ gazes were filled with heated passion, as though they were about to
jump onto the arena and challenge him straightaway.
Everyone here hoped to use this as an opportunity to gain
renown. However, not everyone would have the chance to challenge the lord.
Within a day, the lord would generally only have to accept three challenges. Of
course, if the lord himself was willing, continuing to battle was completely
fine.
“Let me take on the illustrious Pill King Zhen of Veluriyam
Capital!” Suddenly, a short and fat fellow yelled out from beneath the arena.
The fat covering his body made him look like a meatball. He bounced directly
onto the arena. Jiang Chen glanced at the fellow.
This newcomer’s cultivation was not low. He had already
reached fifth level sage realm. However, as he watched Jiang Chen’s reserved
behavior, he could not see through the latter’s level of power. Hence, a seed
of wishful thinking sprouted within him, that he might actually make his name
known through this single match. The moment Jiang Chen spotted the sneaky smile
that had snaked across this guy’s face, he knew that the latter was an
opportunistic fellow.
“Hehe, Pill King Zhen, everyone knows that you are number
one in pill dao within Veluriyam Capital. As everyone’s idol, don’t be too harsh
on me!” The fellow might act jovial and agreeable, but his eyes carried hints
of craftiness in their depths.
With just a glance, Jiang Chen could tell that this person
was someone who would distract him with honeyed words while slipping a sword
into his back. He immediately schooled his face. “After you.”
The short fatty suddenly grinned nastily before Jiang Chen
finished speaking. With a flick of his sleeves, two concealed weapons arched
through the air in inky streaks as they hurtled directly towards Jiang Chen.
The appearance of these concealed weapons was too sudden and their technique
was extremely clever. Clearly, this short fatty had used this trick to plot
against countless people in order to have trained to this level of proficiency.
Immediately, a series of hisses and boos emanated from
beneath the arena. This short fatty’s tricks had obviously not been
well-received by the spectators. There were no rules that prohibited concealed
weapons on this battlefield arena. Nonetheless, everyone was aware that even if
one wished to use concealed weapons, one should at least wait until the match
had officially started.
Jiang Chen had only just agreed to the match before this
fellow had unleashed such a sudden attack. This was definitely not morally
upright. Nonetheless, this short fatty didn’t seem to mind at all. With a
chuckle, he curled his hands around the shaft of a deadly-looking scimitar.
Waves of intense and savage blade aura broiled in the air. This sinister aura
immediately stirred up pulses of miserable cries, like the howls of ghosts and
wolves, engulfing everything around it.
Jiang Chen’s heart grew cold. As expected, his judgment had
been correct. This short fatty might appear genial, but behind that facade, he
was incredibly crafty. However, it was too naive for a mere fifth level sage
realm to even think about ambushing him.
Jiang Chen lightly flourished his sleeves, silently
activating his Featherflight Mirror. With a light brush, the two concealed
weapons slowed down greatly as though they had met with some invisible
resistance in the air. He chuckled coldly before he flicking a finger.
Pop pop! With two consecutive popping noises, the two
concealed weapons made a complete turn around before they crashed back towards
that short fatty.
The short fatty had trained his attack to perfection. His
concealed weapons had never once failed him. As he suddenly saw the two weapons
make a sharp turn and shoot back towards him, he was completely dumbfounded.
His scimitar glinted in the light as it raised a mighty tidal wave to stop
these concealed weapons. However, unexpectedly, he felt a titanic weight press
against his palms. The next moment, the power flowing through his scimitar had
only built halfway before its effect completely dispersed. It was as though
some unseen force was suppressing his hands.
“Not good!” The short fatty’s face instantly turned green.
Everything happened in a single second. In an instant, the two concealed
weapons plunged into his own chest.
Bam bam! The two concealed weapons instantly detonated,
blowing up the short fatty’s chest in a shower of flesh and blood. Fortunately,
this short fatty was incredibly scared of death and had equipped himself with a
set of rather overpowered defensive armor. But even so, the explosive power
behind these weapons was akin to an all-out assault from a sky sage realm
practitioner. As the short fatty’s blood spurted into the air, he instantly
lost the strength to keep fighting. He collapsed soullessly to the ground, his
face ashen in defeat. A venomous glare flashed across his eyes. He was
obviously uncomfortable with the way he had disgraced himself before spectating
eyes.
“Haha, he got what he asked for, didn’t he?”
“I’ll accept his use of concealed weapons but he actually
attacked while his opponent was still speaking. Despicable! We should all be
mindful of this fatty.”
“Get off the arena, you disgrace!!” Waves of condemning
voices rose and fell from the cultivators beneath the arena. It was clear that
everyone was against the use of such ambushing tactics.
“The winner of the first match is Pill King Zhen!”
Chapter 926: Nine Consecutive Victories
There would always be opportunistic people and those who
wished to become famous overnight amongst cultivators. As the arena lord of the
first arena, Jiang Chen was of course the best shortcut for these people to
become instantly famous. Therefore, he didn’t lack challengers after the short
fatty was forcefully swept off the arena. However, everyone quickly realized
that their opportunistic thoughts were a massive joke. Two challengers in a row
had gone up to the arena after the fatty, but none of them managed to hold out
for more than ten bouts.
This truth finally wiped the challengers’ eyes clean—Pill
King Zhen didn’t just possess outstanding pill dao. His martial dao was just as
monstrous. He hadn’t held out for six hours inside the formation because
Emperor Peafowl was helping him cheat. He truly was that capable.
After accepting three challenges in a row, Jiang Chen didn’t
grow impatient and try to rush things. Instead, he chose to rest for a moment.
According to the rules, it was completely within his power to accept more
challenges and even finish ten consecutive victories in a row, allowing him to
ascend to the next round. But considering that the Martial Pagoda battles had
just begun and that this was just a stage in the New Star Rankings, he found no
reason to fight that hard at all. Therefore, he decided to follow his own pace.
Jiang Chen’s steadiness won Emperor Peafowl’s praise.
“He has the strength, but he doesn’t try to rush things due
to impatience or arrogance. I am growing more and more optimistic about this
boy,” Emperor Peafowl smiled leisurely.
Cloudsoar Monarch very much agreed with Emperor Peafowl’s
opinion. “There is absolutely no problem for this boy to enter the Genius
Rankings. Perhaps he may even qualify to fight for the final Ranking of Young
Lords. Unfortunately, his realm is ultimately a fatal flaw. If he encounters a
genuine first-rate opponent later, with just the power of seventh level sage
realm I fear that…” Right now, this was Cloudsoar Monarch’s only worry.
Emperor Peafowl smiled, “He is the kind of genius who
becomes stronger if his opponent is strong. You don’t need to worry about this,
Cloudsoar. All we need to do for a genius that appears only once in a
millennium like him is to relax and enjoy the show.”
The next day, Jiang Chen continued to accept more
challenges. Since he was the arena lord, he was the target of all cultivators.
Everyone in the world of martial dao wanted to fight against the strongest
opponent. So even though Jiang Chen was very strong, it didn’t stop his
opponent from challenging him. Still, his performance on the second day was as
steady as ever.
In fact, one might even say that his performance was so
boring that one could fall asleep during the battle. It wasn’t that he wasn’t
weak, but because he was so steady, it seemed like he would never put on a
brilliant, gorgeous display. His performance disappointed all onlookers who
were hoping for a fantastic show. They all knew that Pill King Zhen was
extraordinarily talented in pill dao, but they also wanted to see him perform
brilliantly in martial dao. However, the pill king was always able to take out
his opponent without having to execute any unbelievable techniques. A lot of
people couldn’t even tell how his opponents lost.
“Simple, practical, and completely unobtrusive movements.
This Pill King Zhen is such a difficult man to see through.”
“This is just a stage in the New Star Rankings, so of course
Pill King Zhen hasn’t employed his full strength. If he displays his trump
cards now, won’t that mean that he’ll be fully exposed?”
“That’s true. A fight at this level is probably just a
warm-up to him.”
“Hehe, he’s already accumulated six consecutive wins. There
should be no problems for Pill King Zhen to take ten consecutive victories and
move on to the next round, right?” No one particularly begrudged Pill King Zhen
for moving on to the next round because he possessed true strength. This
contest would be a joke if someone with genuine strength like him couldn’t
ascend to the next round.
Back at the Coiling Dragon Clan, Ji San had returned to an
audience with the clan lord. Three young men were currently standing before the
clan lord. Ji San aside, Jiang Chen had seen the other two men before. They
were Liuxiang and Ji Zhongtang. These two young men and Ji San were said to be
the most hopeful young geniuses to succeed the Coiling Dragon clan lord.
“Ole Third, your friend Pill King Zhen is truly an
eye-opener. His pill dao talent is already unparalleled, but is his martial dao
talent so monstrous too?” The clan lord had obviously been drawn to Jiang
Chen’s performance.
Ji San answered smilingly, “He has hidden his strength well
and even I was fooled by this fellow, Clan Lord. If I’m not mistaken, he seems
to have set his sights pretty high this time around.”
The Coiling Dragon clan lord let out a soft sigh, “What an
enviable genius he is.”
He wasn’t trying to be courteous. Right now the clan lord
couldn’t even begin to describe how impressed he was at Jiang Chen’s astounding
talents. He was one of those who knew about Jiang Chen’s true identity, and the
fact that Jiang Chen had been born in a tiny place like the Myriad Domain only
served to impress him even further.
However, Liuxiang was frowning slightly, “Clan Lord, this
Pill King Zhen is a little too extraordinary, don’t you think? Maybe I’m
overthinking this, but I can’t help but think that he’s a spy planted in our
midst by an enemy power.”
Ji San was unhappy with this comment, “Don’t tell me you’re
getting jealous, Liuxiang?”
Liuxiang said calmly, “You are overthinking this.”
“You’re the one who’s overthinking this. Or do you think
that your insight is better than Emperor Peafowl’s?” Ji San snorted coldly. Jiang
Chen was his brother, and he knew of Jiang Chen’s background. Naturally, he
wouldn’t allow anyone to slander his brother. Not even another one of his
fellow clansmen.
Liuxiang smiled calmly and turned the question to Ji
Zhongtang, “What do you think, Brother Zhongtang?”
Ji Zhongtang’s voice was indifferent, “We cannot determine a
definite answer for this, nor do we need to. Our emperor will be the one to
decide if this Pill King Zhen is genuine or not.”
Ji San praised him, “You are truly open-minded, Zhongtang.”
The clan lord smiled leisurely, “There is no need for
argument. As Zhongtang said, our emperor must have his own plans in mind, not
to mention that we are talking about his martial dao talent and not his
background. What do you guys think about his performance? You first,
Zhongtang.”
Ji Zhongtang pondered for a moment before replying, “Pill
King Zhen’s martial dao talent is beyond first rate. In my opinion, he has the
qualifications to compete for the Ranking of Young Lords. However, he hasn’t
showed any unusual performance in terms of martial dao foundation yet, so there
is still much to be seen.”
The clan lord smiled and looked at Liuxiang. Liuxiang was
holding a bit of a grudge right now, and he didn’t particularly like Pill King
Zhen either. It was because he knew that Pill King Zhen was Ji San’s brother.
If Pill King Zhen’s status were to grow higher in the future, then Ji San’s
status would subsequently rise as well. Therefore, this outcome was extremely
disadvantageous to him. However, right now the clan lord had asked him a
question personally. Naturally, Liuxiang didn’t dare shoot off a careless
comment. Even if his opinion was biased, he couldn’t let it show too much.
“Liuxiang believes that Pill King Zhen’s foundation is one
of the more solid ones amongst the geniuses of Veluriyam Capital. However, his
realm is obviously his weakness. Right now it hasn’t posed a problem, but it’s
hard to tell if he can win the difficult battles that are to come later. As for
the Ranking of Young Lords, I don’t think that a seventh level sage realm
cultivator has the right to challenge those young lords. Maybe he’ll be
qualified several decades later, but now? Now is too soon.” Liuxiang thought
that his commentary was already quite fair.
The clan lord chuckled and looked at Ji San. Naturally,
there was a reason behind his decision to ask Ji San the question last.
“Clan Lord, Pill King Zhen is my brother, so it’s only
natural that I support him unconditionally. Right now, he hasn’t displayed too
many essences of martial dao because his opponents are too weak. Also,
preparing for future battles might be a problem if he were to display too much
of his real skills, so I think that his choice of tactics is correct. Most
importantly, since when has this guy done something that he isn’t confident of
success in? He has always been the type of guy who brings many pleasant
surprises against all odds and expectations. So this time around, I think he’ll
give Veluriyam Capital a pleasant surprise too.” Surprisingly, Ji San didn’t
hide his favoritism at all. One did not avoid appointing the wise just because
they are related, much less in a mere commentary.
The Coiling Dragon clan lord chuckled and nodded, “You all
have your own opinions, and you all have good reasons to think that way. We
will know if this Pill King Zhen is a dragon or a snake after this Veluriyam
Pagoda gathering.”
As a trusted aide of Emperor Peafowl, naturally the Coiling
Dragon clan lord knew of some of Emperor Peafowl’s intentions. He knew that
Emperor Peafowl had the intentions of appointing Jiang Chen as the young lord
of Sacred Peafowl Mountain. If he were to be honest with himself, the Coiling
Dragon clan lord was greatly looking forward to that day.
Competition was exceedingly fierce over the course of two
days of battles. Arena lords aside, the rest of the candidates were also
battling each other. After all, every candidate was required to fight a total
of ninety-nine battles. There were still no surprises during the third day.
Almost all the challengers who had challenged Jiang Chen
were defeated in the same way. This outcome made the challengers feel very
depressed. Forget defeating the arena lord, it would appear that they couldn’t
even force something new from him. Up until this point, none of the nine
defeated cultivators managed to hold out for more than ten bouts. No one
managed to force out a real trump card from him either. The candidates of this
arena quickly realized, to their dismay, that Pill King Zhen was absolutely
unbeatable.
“Sigh, forget beating our arena lord, we can’t even force
out a new move from him!”
“A genius is a genius. A genius like him should have moved
on with special privileges instead of participating in the New Star Rankings,
don’t you think?”
One must admit that Jiang Chen had won the general
acknowledgement of this arena zone with his strength after a mere three days
worth of consecutive battles. He had fought nine battles in three days and won
all of them. Almost everyone thought that Pill King Zhen would move on to the
next round with ten consecutive wins.
However, at a certain corner of the first arena zone, there
was an inconspicuous cultivator observing Jiang Chen in the arena with remote
eyes. It had been three days already. The only thing this cultivator did other
than fighting his own battles was to observe Jiang Chen.
“Paohui, remember, this is your one and only shot.” A voice
cut across the darkness like a blade to a cultivator.
Harsh killing intent fleeted across this cultivator’s eyes.
“Pill King Zhen… you better be him, or else I, Yan Hu,i will
be adding another wronged soul to my score.” The cultivator shot an indifferent
stare at Jiang Chen.
Chapter 927: Three Images
As Jiang Chen stood on the arena after his ninth consecutive
victory, he suddenly felt a piercing gaze shoot right through him. However, the
person had already retracted his gaze before he could even react to it. He
wanted to find the culprit, but there wasn’t any leads. It seems like I’ve
summoned the true geniuses into motion after my ninth consecutive victory.
Maybe this will make my following battles slightly more interesting?
Achieving nine consecutive victories in three days hadn’t
been much of a challenge for Jiang Chen. After all, the top one thousand geniuses
had all been separately placed in different arenas. Thus, it only made sense
that he would meet slightly less capable geniuses as opponents. Even the
strongest genius that he’d previously fought was only at sixth level sage
realm.
Sixth level sage realm cultivators were already no match for
Jiang Chen when he had been at initial sage realm. What hope could they have of
defeating him now that he was at seventh level sage realm? There wasn’t even a
need for him to use powerful martial methods when he was matched with lower
level opponents. He could squash them on a whim.
…...
At a dark corner of Veluriyam Capital, inside the Eternal
Celestial Capital’s other secret base. Three holy kings—Holy King Bei, Saint
Holy King Ke, and Saint Holy King Mu were gathered here.
“Holy King Bei, is everything prepared?” Saint Holy King Mu
asked.
Holy King Bei had a somber expression. “The preparations are
done, but none of our people were placed in the first arena.”
“Hmph! Doesn’t matter unless that brat fails to enter the
top two hundred Genius Rankings,” Saint Holy King Mu snorted.
Saint Holy King Ke nodded in agreement, “Yes. As long as he
manages to enter the Genius Rankings, there will be a great possibility that he
has to face our geniuses.”
However, Holy King Bei was filled with worry. “Noble holy
kings, your subordinate has suffered greatly after the punishment from last
time. I truly can’t predict whether your arrangements will eventually end in
happiness or doom.”
By last time, he naturally meant that time when Emperor
Peafowl had blocked their way while they were chasing Pill King Zhen and sealed
off every single escape route. At that time, Emperor Peafowl had chosen not to
kill them after he’d considered his own position. Holy King Bei genuinely felt
that messing with Jiang Chen again was like playing with fire. He’d always been
against such plans. Unfortunately, Saint Holy King Mu was determined to get his
hands on Jiang Chen. He strongly suspected that Pill King Zhen was Jiang Chen,
and was willing to pay any price to check if that was the case.
“Holy King Bei, stop entertaining groundless fears. We’ve
done nothing nothing wrong this time. There’s no rule to prevent foreign sects
from joining the Veluriyam Pagoda gathering.”
Generally, great sects didn’t send people to attend
something like the Veluriyam Pagoda gathering. This was because geniuses were
too precious to these sects. It would be a great loss if anything were to
happen to those talents. However, these geniuses would occasionally attend
these meetings of their own volition.
But this time, the Eternal Celestial Capital had dispatched
three very extraordinary geniuses to attend the meeting. One of them was even
ranked fifth amongst all youths in the Eternal Celestial Capital! As for the
other two, while they weren’t amongst the top ten, they were definitely well-situated
within the top twenty. With such a lineup, the organization was confident that
they would succeed in assassinating Pill King Zhen.
“We didn’t make any contact with them this time around. No
matter how powerful he is, there’s no way Emperor Peafowl will be able to
connect them to us.” Saint Holy King Ke asserted.
The Eternal Celestial Capital had learnt their lesson. This
time, they’d chosen to relay a message back to the Eternal Celestial Capital
and ordered the sect to deploy three geniuses. They were to disguise themselves
as wandering cultivators and join the Martial Pagoda battles. These three were
also intelligent enough as to not reveal their true talent too early. In the
first screening selection, they performed very mediocrely, only revealing
enough capability to qualify.
This was just the New Star Rankings battles. With their
abilities, they could definitely move to the next level with ease if they’d
gone all out. Instead, they chose to suppress their abilities. Their one and
only target was Jiang Chen. They couldn’t reveal their true identities before they
met him in battle. They hadn’t met any of the holy kings ever since they’d left
the Eternal Celestial Capital. Thus, it was imperative for them to keep a low
profile.
This was also why Saint Holy King Mu and Saint Holy King Ke
were so confident. They simply didn’t believe that Emperor Peafowl would be
able to identify them. However, Holy King Bei had been stationed in Veluriyam
Capital for a long time, so it was only natural for him fear the emperor. His
intuition told him that Emperor Peafowl simply had a way of knowing things,
despite everything they’d done to conceal themselves. However, this was the
final decision made by the two saint holy kings. Holy King Bei had a lower rank
than them, so he had no choice but to follow the orders from above.
“Brother Mu, you’ve been observing Pill King Zhen for a
while now. How sure are you that the pill king and Jiang Chen are possibly the
same person?” Saint Holy King Ke asked.
“In regards to my own intuition, I’m at least ninety percent
certain. However, if you want an educated guess based off of our various leads,
I’m only forty to fifty percent certain,” Saint Holy King Mu responded lowly.
“It doesn’t matter if they are the same person or not. This
brat must be killed,” Saint Holy King Ke said coldly. “Life and death are hard
to predict in the arena.” This was what they hoped would happen.
Killing Pill King Zhen in any other situation would carry a
risk of them being discovered, regardless of how secretive they were. But in
the arena, they could kill the pill king in front of everyone and not care
about any repercussions. Life and death in the arena was up to fate.
Saint Holy King Mu displayed an ominous expression for a
fraction of a second. “The plan might be perfect, but we should not
underestimate the enemy. Pill King Zhen has already achieved nine consecutive
victories, yet he hasn’t even shown any of his trump cards. In fact, nobody can
even tell what the origins of his martial arts are. Young geniuses like him are
very unnerving.”
“Hehe. His talent in pill dao might be because of a
fortuitous encounter. But for martial dao, he won’t be able to soar through the
heavens with just one bound even if he managed to have another fortuitous
encounter! It’s only been three years since the shattering of the Myriad
Domain. Even if his cultivation were to improve quickly, what can he achieve
within three years?” Saint Holy King Ke asserted.
“Mm. Based on his abilities alone, any of the three that
we’ve sent should be enough to squash him like a bug. However, this brat has
encountered many fortuitous events. He will surely have a hidden trump card. We
must keep testing the waters with actual combat. Since we have three people, it
doesn’t matter if two of them are to fail. As long as we manage to get to the
bottom of his abilities, we can subdue him!”
“Mm! Two will test the waters, while the other will finish
him!”
However, Holy King Bei suddenly interrupted, “Now that we’ve
set a base here, Ninesuns Sky Sect will surely follow suit. Maybe we should
also consider how they might influence our plans?”
“Ninesuns Sky Sect?” Saint Holy King Mu was slightly taken
aback. “Have they also guessed that Pill King Zhen and Jiang Chen are somehow
connected?”
“Better safe than sorry.”
There’s nothing we can do to prevent Ninesuns Sky Sect’s
influence now. We need only proceed according to our plans,” Saint Holy King Mu
waved his hands. “
…...
Even though the Martial Pagoda battles had only just begun,
Jiang Chen had no idea that numerous powers had already set their targets on
him. Even though he’d won nine consecutive victories, he didn’t let success get
to him. The New Star Rankings were only a warm-up. The true battle would begin
at the Genius Rankings. However, the fight he was looking forward to the most
was the Ranking of the Young Lords. He was looking forward to sparring with the
strongest geniuses in Veluriyam Capital. One who knows oneself and their
enemies best shall never fall in battle.
At this very moment, Jiang Chen was cultivating the Nine
Transformations of Demons and Gods. He’d already mastered the initial five
transformations. The golden body of demons and gods had made his defenses
impregnable. However, he was dissatisfied with the protection offered by this
golden body at present.
The final four realms of the were the true essence of Nine
Transformations of Demons and Gods, the formation of the images of demons and
gods. There were a total of four levels comprising the formation of the image
of demons and gods—the Preliminary, Intermediary, Advanced, and Heavenly
Images. Of course, to form the image of demons and gods, one needed to reach
sky sage realm. Only at sky sage realm could one practice the various divine
arts.
Jiang Chen was now capable of forming three preliminary
images. The first was the Redscaled Firelizard Image, which could also be
simplified as the Giant Lizard Image. He had already assimilated the Redscaled
Firelizard bloodline in the past. Now that he was at sky sage realm, the
Redscaled Firelizard Image that he’d formed naturally surpassed the strength of
the spirit creature he’d met all those years ago.
Other than the Redscaled Firelizard, Jiang Chen could also
form the Golden Cicada Image. The Golden Cicada Image had no offensive power,
but it had a remarkable ability known as Cicada’s Disappearance, which could
confuse the enemy. Moreover, the Golden Cicada Image conferred immunity from
any lightning and poison attacks.
Aside from the Giant Lizard and Golden Cicada Image, there
was also the True Dragon Image, which was the most powerful image of all three
and in turn, also the most difficult to form. Jiang Chen had assimilated the
true dragon bloodline, which meant that he also possessed the dragon clan’s
bloodline. Because of this, the difficulty involved in forming the image was
also greatly reduced. But even so, he still had to expend a great deal of
energy. The True Dragon Image required excessive energy and was difficult to
conjure,ut in exchange, it was incredibly powerful. Conjuring the True Dragon
Image was almost like summoning a true dragon. Its aura was capable of making
all beasts bow in its wake.
“It’s a pity that the Golden Body of Demons and Gods can
only form images from bloodlines. This art is restricted by its bloodline
requirement. It would be almost impossible to form a image without the
possession of a bloodline.” Of course, Jiang Chen was already quite formidable
for possessing three different images. In the world of martial dao, some
wouldn’t even cross paths with a single bloodline in their lifetime. Yet within
a short time, he’d managed to acquire three bloodlines. His luck was truly
heaven-defying.
“It’s unfortunate that I can only form preliminary images
since I am only at sky sage realm. When I enter emperor realm, I will be able
to form an intermediate image. I will then be able to flatten all enemies at
the same level without breaking a sweat.”
A divine art like the Hundred Transformation of Demons and
Gods was truly one of a kind. One was able to gain invincibility, yet also
possess many variations of attacks. It was considered an incredible ability
even in the heavenly planes. Jiang Chen consolidated the three images and
entered a state of oblivion.
With the passing of the night came the fourth day of battle.
According to the rules, with just one more win, he would have achieved ten
consecutive victories and would thereafter be promoted to the New Star
Rankings. He was going to be directly promoted regardless of his score from
then onwards. Naturally, Jiang Chen wouldn’t be satisfied with just ten
consecutive victories. Ten consecutive victories might guarantee him a
promotion, but it would do nothing to help his placement in the New Star
Rankings. He didn’t want to have a miserly rank.
“The arena lord is now seeking challengers! Who wishes to be
the first to challenge the arena lord today?” The host’s soulful voice
reverberated through all corners of the arena. After witnessing his battles for
three consecutive days, everybody now understood just how powerful the arena
lord was. Thus, it was only natural that they were no longer as enthusiastic as
they had been three days ago.
“Let me!” A loud voice suddenly thundered through the crowd.
The voice reverberated throughout the arena like thunder and
immediately captured everyone’s attention.
Chapter 928: A Miraculously Powerful Opponent
The challenger was an enormous brute, as buff as a ferocious
lion. His golden mane gave off an aura of power and glory. He had popped out of
nowhere, overwhelming the people around him.
“Just where did this brute come from?”
“He’s laid low all this time. Why does he suddenly want to
flaunt himself?” The candidates of the first group began to heatedly discuss
the situation when they saw the newcomer leap onto the arena. Clearly, everyone
could tell from the imposing manner of this challenger that he was not the
typical contender. Even Jiang Chen was caught slightly off guard when the brute
hurtled into the arena from below. His incredible intuition as a cultivator
prickled as a hidden wave of menace swept over him.
Ever since Jiang Chen had embarked on his martial journey,
his instincts had always been very powerful. This brute might look impulsive,
but if he could cause Jiang Chen to feel threatened, he was definitely going to
be an extraordinary opponent.
“Who’d have thought that there were indeed people who’d
concealed their true power?” Jiang Chen swept his gaze over the challenger’s
figure. He was very sure of the fact that the new challenger must have hidden
his potential during the formation challenge. With his power and potential,
there was no way he wouldn’t be in the top thousand. Jiang Chen even had a
feeling that he could possibly be in the top three.
At that moment, a shiver ran down Jiang Chen’s spine. His
expression remained impassive, but he silently put up his guard. This brute had
not hesitated to hide his potential and had chosen to issue his challenge at
this time. This was definitely not a series of coincidences.
“Pill King Zhen, let me challenge you!” There was an august
manner with which the brute spoke. His voice was as deep as the chimes of a
grand bell.
Jiang Chen kept his gaze indifferent, “And who might you be,
sir?”
The man laughed disparagingly, “There’s no need for
questions. I only wish for a battle. A battle disregarding life and death,
where we fight to our hearts’ desire.”
Disregarding life and death? Generally, this selection’s
arena might occasionally result in fatalities, but everyone usually restrained
themselves and took care to avoid deaths whenever it was possible. Although
there were no rules that prohibited killing, no one would deliberately aim to
murder another candidate.
“What, you too scared to accept the challenge?” The brute
bellowed in laughter. As he stepped closer, power suddenly flared from his
body. A wave of imposing pressure surged outwards, like a male lion who was
about to break his iron tether and subsequently proceed to ferociously devour
the people around him. Every movement that this person took along with his head
of wild hair completely complemented his aura, exuding an omnidirectional
intimidating feeling.
This flare of power instantly shot towards Jiang Chen like
an earth-shattering force. Every spectator watching from below the arena
immediately sucked in a breath of cold air. Where had this perverse power come
from? This person’s potential obviously far surpassed that of the previous nine
challengers. In fact, the combined power of those nine people might not even
reach half of this brute’s.
In that moment, the arena was so silent that you could hear
a pin drop. It was as though everyone had been suffocated into silence by the
brute’s aura. Jiang Chen abruptly laughed, “Are you hoping to suppress me with
your aura and win without having to fight?”
That brute replied arrogantly, “So what if I am? I don’t
care if you’re the arena lord. Only if you can survive this next strike will
you be qualified to accept my challenge!”
His tone was extremely violent, to the extent that he
appeared like a tyrant. An unruffled smile appeared on Jiang Chen’s lips. “What
a clumsy mental attack. You probably think your power is quite intimidating.
But to me, you’re just a wimpy little brat throwing a loud tantrum.”
Wimpy little brat? When the challenger heard this, he merely
laughed and nodded instead of growing angry. “Such clever eloquence. Then taste
my attack now… ooooow…. ooooow….”
That brute’s voice suddenly exploded like a crack of
thunder. He had unexpectedly dragged out the last word he’d uttered, “now”,
shaking the air like the howl of a tiger or the wail of a legendary beast. In
that instant, his voice formed a massive soundwave that crashed violently
towards Jiang Chen like a tsunami.
The sky immediately turned dark as the light from the sun
and moon was completely obscured. Even the spectators below paled drastically
while activating their defensive abilities and covering their ears, not to
mention the one in the arena. However, this soundwave was clearly not an
ordinary strike. It attacked not only one’s hearing, but also one’s
consciousness. This kind of sensation felt as if numerous wild beasts were
pouncing on one’s consciousness in a flurry of teeth and claws, ready to
destroy one’s mind at any time. The cultivators watching below weakened
successively as they retreated one after another. At the same time, they sealed
their consciousness to defend against the soundwave’s assault. Luckily, this
sound wave was not directed towards them; the brunt of it was aimed at Pill
King Zhen.
But even so, the soundwave still battered against them
violently. If this was the case, wasn’t Pill King Zhen facing an imminent
crisis akin to a small sailboat attempting to stay afloat amidst powerful ocean
waves? Jiang Chen’s brows twitched as a look of astonishment entered his eyes.
Obviously, no ordinary cultivator could refine the soundwaves of their voice to
this extent. He thought furiously and finally decided that this person was
definitely specifically targeting him.
Whose lackey is this? Some other disciple of Veluriyam
Capital’s emperors? Or maybe even someone from the Ninesuns Sky Sect or the
Eternal Celestial Capital? Various possibilities flashed across Jiang Chen’s
mind. He twisted his body and activated his Golden Body of Demons and Gods,
immediately shrouding himself in ten rays of golden light. At the same time, he
swirled his sleeves around himself. His Featherflight Mirror swayed in the air,
turning the space around him into a protective barrier. The soundwaves pressed
down upon him like a tidal wave that was being continuously dissipated under
the brilliant rays reflected from the Featherflight Mirror.
The strength of the sound waves lay in their focus. It lay
in their sharpness, in the ferocity of their combined power. Once they were
split apart, this kind of soundwave would be no different from an ordinary
aerial attack. Jiang Chen suddenly burst into loud laughter. Instead of
retreating, he stepped forward boldly, “Your insignificant attack stirred up quite
an enjoyable breeze, didn’t it?”
What? Upon seeing this, the challenger widened his eyes.
Disbelief shone from their depths.
The spectators below the arena were all dazed with shock.
They could sense how fierce the attack was even as pure bystanders. Yet Pill
King Zhen, who had stood in the eye of the storm, had withstood it without
getting so much as a scratch on him? Moreover, he had stepped forward instead
of retreating?
“You… you actually deflected my soundwave attack, Thunderous
Lion Roar?” The brute also seemed to be slightly shocked. However, he
immediately calmed himself and smiled, “I knew it. You possess a treasure that
can greatly reduce the speed of any attack. It seems that compared to you, I
have no advantage in terms of speed.”
Jiang Chen’s thoughts chilled. He had concealed the use of
his Featherflight Mirror very ingeniously. From the perspective of outsiders,
they would not have seen it at all. They would only have thought that he had
used some particular method or special ability. But this brute had actually
seen through him with just a glance? Nonetheless, Jiang Chen didn’t fall for
his tricks. Who knew if the brute could be deliberately trying to bait him?
Naturally, he would not admit to possessing the Featherflight Mirror so easily.
He immediately sneered, “Stop making excuses for your incompetence.”
That brute’s smile disappeared, “Incompetence. Brat, that
was just the appetizer. Don’t be so full of yourself this early on. Even if you
have some kind of speed-reducing treasure, do you think that I can only rely on
my speed to defeat you??” As the brute spoke, he flexed his palms. His hands
abruptly transformed into a pair of sharp claws, similar to that of a male
lion. “Brat, my strength lies in close combat!”
He sprinted towards Jiang Chen the moment he said that.
There was not a trace of deception in his movements as he dashed straight at
Jiang Chen. From his pose, he was obviously planning to engage in a
head-to-head fight. This brute’s power was indeed terrifying. With every pump
of his legs, it seemed as though an enormous mountain was crashing forward.
Moreover, that pair of brightly glinting, keen claws was filled with a strong
thirst for blood. Clearly, this fellow was definitely a bloodthirsty berserker.
Nonetheless, Jiang Chen was truly not afraid of anyone in close combat.
Especially after he had perfected the Golden Body of Demons and Gods, he had
never doubted his own close combat ability.
Back at the Myriad Grand Ceremony, when he had fought tooth
and nail with Xiang Qin of the Sacred Elephant Clan, he had given Xiang Sheng
such a beatdown that the latter had no choice but to capitulate. This
terrifying opponent today was obviously more powerful than Xiang Sheng, and not
just by a little bit. But the Jiang Chen of today was a also different person
compared to the Jiang Chen of the past. Back then, he had been a mere mortal
sage realm cultivator, whereas presently, he had already advanced to sky sage
realm.
Golden light poured forth as Jiang Chen brandished his
fists. His movements were as plain as day as he collided directly with those
showy, sharp claws.
Bam! In that moment, the air seemed to have stopped flowing.
The brute’s movements slowed. The deep crevices beneath his feet clearly
indicated how powerful his earlier attack had been. However, at this moment, he
actually stopped. Indeed, it wasn’t just him. Jiang Chen had also stopped.
Time seemed to have frozen. In the next heated instant, the
two’s bodies shot away from each other. The brute stumbled ten steps back.
Jiang Chen also did the same before he steadied himself. Hot blood frothed
within their bodies. Only after breathing heavily could they suppress the rush
of blood in their veins.
Just now, that straightforward collision had almost caused
Jiang Chen to spit out blood. However, it seemed that his opponent had not
gotten off lightly either. His face alternated between shades of white and red
before it finally stabilized.
The brute sighed lightly. A look of astonishment made its
way onto his face as he scrutinized Jiang Chen briefly. Evidently, he had never
thought that someone would dare to fight him head-on. What’s more was that they
had fought to a standstill! He also knew that if he had continued his assault
just now, he would definitely have completely overwhelmed his opponent.
However, his inner energy and blood had surged within him to the extent that he
had no way to focus on a follow-up attack. By the time his inner energy had
calmed down, so had his opponent’s.
They were still even at this point.
Jiang Chen was equally appalled. He knew better than anyone
just how powerful his Golden Body of Demons and Gods was. Who would have
thought that a direct hit had given him no advantage at all? On top of that,
the terrifying strength of his opponent was absolutely on par with a genius
disciple from any of the first-rate sects. He might even surpass that Cao Jin
in terms of raw power. Back when he had killed Cao Jin, Jiang Chen had made use
of the terrain and all kinds of lucky coincidences. Moreover, he had called on
Long Xiaoxuan for help. But today in this arena, he obviously stood on equal
ground with his opponent. Alarm bells clanged loudly in Jiang Chen’s mind.
Chapter 929: An Eye for an Eye
Jiang Chen’s battle with this mysterious brute had attracted
a lot of attention. The intensity of their fight had exceeded everyone’s
expectations. Originally, they’d thought that Pill King Zhen would easily
achieve a streak of ten victories. There could be no doubt about it. Who would
have thought that such a mysterious brute would pop up out of nowhere? This
brute’s imposing manner and his cultivation skills had all appeared out of the
blue. As the saying went, “While the connoisseur recognizes the artistry of the
fight, the layman simply enjoys the show.”
From the moment he’d appeared, this challenger’s aura had
been completely different from that of other candidates. As of now, his combat
ability had also caused the people around him to suck in a breath of cold air.
As Cloudsoar Monarch watched this bitter fight, he was immediately at a loss
for words. “Your Majesty, just where did this prodigious cultivator come from?”
Emperor Peafowl was watching the fight with a meaningful
gaze. He also appeared to be deep in thought. “Every movement of this
cultivator has the bearing of a disciple from a large sect. Although he had
been concealing his strength all along and although he simply appears to be
displaying boorish violence, there is actually a rhyme and reason to his every
action. Everything he has done so far has been meticulously calculated. I
believe he was sent here to directly target Pill King Zhen.”
“Oh?” Cloudsoar Monarch was a little shocked. “Directly
target Pill King Zhen? You don’t mean…”
Emperor Peafowl’s tone was grave, “Pill King Zhen has been
too carefree up until now. This will be a good test for him. If he can clear
this stage, there will be hope for him to make it onto the Ranking of Young
Lords.”
“This stage is that difficult?”
“Extremely so. His opponent presents a thornier problem than
what you might expect,” Emperor Peafowl sighed lightly.
Cloudsoar Monarch could also see that this opponent was not
an easy one to handle, but he had not thought that it would be as bad as his
liege had described. He couldn’t help but inspect the challenger a little more
closely.
On the stage.
The brute howled at the sky. His voice crescendoed like a
tidal wave, as though it was heralding the onset of an imminent thunderstorm.
In that moment, the entire stage was enveloped by a heavy pressure. Numerous
dark clouds weighed down upon the arena. One by one the strands of the
challenger’s wild mane stood up like copper needles.
“Brat, again!” With a ferocious roar, his powerful legs
pushed forwards as he hurtled towards Jiang Chen with heavy footsteps. He
twisted his body like a high-speed spinning top. His immense arms swung in a
circle and swept towards Jiang Chen.
“Fine by me!” Jiang Chen licked his lips, a cruel smile
appearing on his face. It had been a long time since he had been able to let
loose so carefreely against an opponent. While his Golden Body of Demons and
Gods took effect, his fists pounded again and again on his opponent like an
unrelenting downpour.
Their shadows collided rapidly, growing even faster and
wilder as the fight dragged on. In the end, their figures blended together into
two streaks of lightning-fast movement. It was impossible to tell which one was
Pill King Zhen and which one was the challenger.
Bambambam! The sounds of battle raged around them, burning
the space surrounding them with pulses of ear-splitting whistles. This was how
intense their battle was.
“Who’d have thought that the elegant and scholarly Pill King
Zhen would be this strong at hand-to-hand combat. He’s actually going
toe-to-toe with a genius who obviously trained specifically in martial arts.
Amazing!”
“Hehe, aren’t you too naive? Previously when Pill King Zhen
was the judge for the Pill Pagoda battles, he taught everyone how to refine a
type of strengthening pill. Do you know what this means?”
“What?”
“You still don’t get it? It means that Pill King Zhen is
also an expert in physical arts. Otherwise, why would he be so interested in
body-strengthening pills?”
Jiang Chen had previously provided the recipe for the
Hundredfold Marrow-Cleanse Pill for free. This had created quite a stir.
Thereafter, everyone had begun guessing at his background. Currently, every
candidate within thirty meters of the stage had already retreated out of the
fight’s range. The intensity of the battle raging on stage had spread in all
directions, causing the weaker cultivators to feel a little uncomfortable.
“Pill King Zhen, I never imagined that you’d be this
talented at close combat. This is unexpected. I admit that you’re an
interesting opponent. But if this is the limit of your abilities, then prepare
to perish before what’s coming next!” The brute brandished his steel-lined
hands to the extreme. He emanated a dominating aura, sometimes resembling the
might of ten thousand stampeding horses, other times embodying the destructive
capability of a catastrophic landslide as he roared his intent at Jiang Chen.
If Jiang Chen’s consciousness had not been resolute or if
his willpower had not been sufficient, he would have quailed and his spirit
would have been shattered under the sheer pressure exerted by his opponent.
Under the overwhelming force of his lion’s roar, a normal cultivator would’ve
been done for if they’d showed even the slightest crack in their resolve.
However, he wasn’t even slightly moved by this display. It wasn’t as though
he’d never been in a more ferocious, more bloodthirsty situation than this.
Naturally, he would not be scared of his opponent’s mere aura. Jiang Chen
sneered thinly, “If the winner of this competition was determined by how big
you can talk, you’d be the uncontested number one.”
How would he be unaware of his opponent’s psychological
tricks?
“Hah, little brat, why don’t you eat three more punches?”
The brute viciously clawed at the air. As his fingers sliced through the air,
arcs of electricity gathered at their tips and then shot directly at Jiang Chen
like crackling lightning,
“Lightning attribute?” When Jiang Chen saw the brute’s
lightning-coated fists, he knew that the incoming punch would be no ordinary
attack. He silently cursed at the the challenger’s craftiness. His opponent’s
attacks may look straightforward, but in reality, the rhythm of the battle had
already shifted. Aside from raw power, the punch was also suffused with thunder
and lightning. This attribute may not look too conspicuous on its own, but once
it entered his body, it would immediately paralyze him from head to toe.
Although he might only be briefly immobilized, on a
battlefield even a second of carelessness would mean the difference between
life and death. Jiang Chen smirked, completely unfazed. Not only did he refuse
to activate any techniques, he charged straight at his opponent, leaping
fearlessly towards that fully-charged fist.
A second away from impact, he suddenly twisted his body to
the side. The brute’s enhanced punch slammed heavily into his shoulder. At the
same time, Jiang Chen brutally rammed his own fist into his opponent’s chest!
Bam bam! Both of them had taken each other’s punch. The
challenger’s body curled backwards. An almost imperceptible smile appeared on
the corner of his lips. The next moment, his stomach contorted before he
vomited out a spurt of fresh blood.
Jiang Chen’s punch had not been inferior to the power of an
emperor realm cultivator either. Even with the brute’s martial training and his
set of high-grade protective armor, he had still been pummeled to the point of
coughing up blood. However, silent glee bubbled up within the brute’s heart.
Evidently, he had anticipated this punch. His goal had been to exchange blows
with his opponent. His body suddenly stopped as the brute screeched to a halt.
His gaze was deadly as he glared at Jiang Chen and bared his teeth into a
smile, “Brat, you’re courting death.”
Jiang Chen stood his ground as though he had been completely
frozen. He didn’t move a muscle. A look of astonishment was plastered on his
face, as if he had been shocked to a standstill. The brute roared with
laughter, aware that his opponent had been momentarily immobilized by his
lightning-covered punch. Since he knew this, the brute would naturally take
advantage of the moment. With a curl of his fingers, an enormous spear appeared
in his hands. The tip of the spear shot towards Jiang Chen’s jugular, akin to a
venomous cobra striking from the darkness of its lair.
A fatal strike! The spear shot forth like a pouncing dragon,
reaching Jiang Chen in the blink of an eye. Jiang Chen remained motionless. The
brute’s lips curled into a triumphant grin. He knew that if this spear
collided, even if his opponent was an emperor realm cultivator, his death would
still be unavoidable.
“Ah!”
“How did this happen?”
“In the end, it was Pill King Zhen who underestimated his
enemy.”
However, in the second that followed, the brute’s line of
vision suddenly became unfocused. He abruptly felt as though his spear was
coming to a stop. His opponent, whose death he’d thought was certain, blurred
into motion again.
This is bad! A hint of alarm entered the depths of the
brute’s eyes.
“Lightning attribute? Too bad, that’s not enough,” a cold
voice whispered into the brute’s ear. The next instant, another powerful punch
smashed into his stomach.
Bam! This punch was even more powerful than the previous
one. It battered against his stomach without the slightest warning. Previously,
he had deliberately eaten Jiang Chen’s punch and had been mentally prepared to
activate his defenses. Moreover, the impact of his own punch had canceled out
his opponent’s power to a certain extent. Therefore, although that punch had
hurt him to the extent that he spat out blood, he had not suffered any severe
injuries. But with this punch, another heavy impact crashed into the area where
he’d been injured. The formidable true origin energy coating his opponent’s
fist coursed past his defenses, directly striking his most vital organ, his
heart. The brute was scared witless as he instinctively put up his defenses to
guard against this unforeseen punch.
Wah! The brute coughed up several mouthfuls of blood. His
complexion had instantly paled to a sickly white. But even so, he didn’t dare
let down his guard. His hands were still curled tightly around his spear. He
affixed his gaze at Jiang Chen, ignoring the wounds that covered his body.
Obviously, he was more afraid of his opponent’s follow-up attacks than his
current injuries.
When Jiang Chen saw his opponent maintain his battle stance
in spite of his condition, he knew that any subsequent attacks would be unable
to bypass the latter’s defenses. He immediately restrained his steps and gazed
meaningfully at the brute, “How did that taste?”
The brute spat viciously on the ground. “Brat, you damn
cheat!”
Jiang Chen replied indifferently, “And you think your punch
was so noble? You call me a cheat but I’m just following your rhythm and using
a few tricks of my own, that’s all.”
Previously, Jiang Chen had seen his opponent suffuse his
fist with electricity and instantly predicted the latter’s actions. He had only
seized the opportunity to trick his opponent into thinking that he had been
momentarily immobilized by the lightning attribute so that the latter would let
down his guard and launch an impulsive attack. It was because of this that he
had the chance to land a heavy blow when his opponent was least expecting it.
After Jiang Chen had refined the Golden Cicada Bloodline, not even a hundred
poisons could invade his system nor could a thousand weapons injure him. He
would remain unfazed even in the face of a torrential thunderstorm.
That brute’s stomach twinged with pain. He knew that that he
had been too careless this time. Not only had he failed to take down his
opponent, he had suffered quite a heavy injury. However, this only served to
send another rush of hot blood through his veins. He bared his teeth into a
grin. His gaze turned frigid as he said, “Brat, you’ve successfully roused my
ire. Your cultivation efforts have not been a total waste. Next, I’ll use all
of my power to send you on a trip to the underworld!”
Every bone on the brute’s body crackled and popped like hot
oil in a pan. It was as if every bone and tendon in his body were
simultaneously resonating with one another.
Chapter 930: Image Versus Image
Jiang Chen wasn’t sure what his opponent was thinking, but
he was sure that the other was going to use a trump card, considering that he
had just suffered a couple of losses in a row. This brute must have beef with
me considering how hostile he is. But no matter what background he has or what
power he hails from, he is my opponent and enemy as long as he is standing in
this arena. If he wants me dead, then I won’t let him live either!
The brute waved his arms and instantly ripped through the
clothes on his upper body. The muscles on his torso looked incredibly powerful and
impactful, almost as if they had been smelt by copper and forged by iron.
Jiang Chen snorted derisively at the display. This was a
fight between experts and not a brawl in a tavern. Taking off one’s clothes and
showing off one’s muscles in a battle like this was pointless. However, he
didn’t dare let down his guard. He was sure that his opponent hadn’t made such
a bizarre action just to flex his muscles flauntingly.
As expected, the brute made multiple hand seals and conjured
many strange runes from his palm. He then slapped them into his muscles
repeatedly. When he was done, strange runes slowly surfaced on every part of
his body. They looked like numerous tadpoles swimming across his body. When
these runes reached their rightful places, they abruptly united to form an
entire entity. A fierce lion suddenly appeared from the brute’s upper torso.
The lion sat with its head held high and peered disdainfully at everything
before it. It looked incredibly formidable.
Jiang Chen paid attention to the brute’s every move. For
some reason, the scene before him felt very familiar.
“Totem! This is the power of totems,” Jiang Chen immediately
recalled the time he had fought against Xiang Tai at the Myriad Grand Ceremony.
One could say that his current opponent’s technique was so similar to Xiang
Tai’s that almost no difference could be spotted. His opponent was just an
enhanced version of Xiang Tai. Back when Jiang Chen had fought against Xiang
Tai, the physical brawl had only lasted for a brief moment before they had
switched to another way of competing. They hadn’t fought each other to the
bitter end. His current opponent, on the other hand, obviously had a different
idea in mind.
Jiang Chen knew a little about the power of totems. It was a
truly astounding power that boosted a cultivator’s combat strength massively
once obtained and summoned. Even scarier was a totem’s ability to create images
of greater power. There weren’t many factions that wielded the power of totems
on the Divine Abyss Continent, but those who did were normally stronger than
their peers. Jiang Chen stood alert, ready, and full of anticipation. He too
wanted to know just how mighty this so-called power of totems was.
Emperor Peafowl also frowned when he saw this, “The power of
totems? This young man can actually summon the power of totems! He can’t
possibly be a wandering cultivator.”
“Your Majesty, just what is his background?”
“The legacy of totems has always been quite secretive, and a
lot of great sects possess hidden totem inheritances. Therefore, it is very
difficult to distinguish a cultivator’s background from their display of totems
alone. However, I am sure that this young man is a youth of a great sect or a
great power. Moreover, Pill King Zhen is definitely his target.”
Cloudsoar Monarch frowned, “Should we expose him then?”
“Expose him? How will you expose him without actual
evidence? Plus, this fight is a rare opportunity for Pill King Zhen. If he misses
this opportunity to temper his strength, he is certain to hold a grudge against
you and me,” Emperor Peafowl said leisurely.
Cloudsoar Monarch looked surprised, “But Your Majesty, this
brute should be at least a peak sage realm cultivator. With the power of totems
on his side, he is absolutely capable of holding his own against normal emperor
realm experts.”
“Just watch. Pill King Zhen has always been good at creating
miracles. Perhaps this will be the battle where he becomes famous for his
martial dao?” Emperor Peafowl’s smile was as calm as ever.
The rest of the spectators weren’t as collected as Emperor
Peafowl, however. On the Coiling Dragon Clan side, the clan lord said
worriedly, “Pill King Zhen may be in trouble this time.”
After a moment’s thought, young master Ji San finally
recalled what the brute’s strange actions meant and blurted out, “Is that the
power of totems?”
The clan lord nodded, “The power of totems… just who is this
brute? Is he someone from Pillfire City? Are they trying to kill Pill King Zhen
because they hate him to the bone for his victory over the Longevity Pill?”
Ji San muttered angrily, “Dammit, fame truly has its price!”
…...
As the brute continued to call upon the power of totems, his
aura swiftly grew stronger and stronger. Jiang Chen was also fixated on the
brute and gathered his own strength in secret.
“Kid, you can die now that you’ve forced me to use my
power!” The brute let out a sinister laugh before he flexed his towering body.
The man actually grew bigger and taller again. In the next moment, the brute
grabbed his spear with both hands, stepped forwards, and stabbed it at Jiang
Chen’s chest with the might of an ancient demon god.
The benefits of the power of totems were obvious once
executed. It literally doubled the brute’s aura and granted him immense power.
The air gathered at the tip of his spear and transformed into the pale shadow
of a male lion in an instant. It pounced towards Jiang Chen with brandished
claws and teeth, appearing as formidable as an ancient god or demon. It could
likely tear a defenseless mountain to pieces instantly.
Jiang Chen didn’t hesitate. Instead of using weapons, he
deployed the Golden Light of Demons and Gods to its utmost and used the power
of his blood at the same time, swiftly creating his own image. He punched out
with both fists, and the image of a giant lizard howled and slammed into the
male lion without any fear or show of weakness.
“What?!” The scene stunned every onlooker present. The
brute’s strength had at minimum doubled after he’d activated the power of
totems and created an image. Everyone thought that Pill King Zhen was down on
his last legs. But contrary to expectations, Pill King Zhen had actually
created an image of his own! Although his image didn’t contain any power of
totems, it was powered by Pill King Zhen’s bloodline. Not all images were totem
images. The Golden Light of Demons and Gods that Jiang Chen cultivated could
conjure images as well.
The surprising clash of images made the battle incredibly
entertaining. There was no doubt that a melee battle was completely
incomparable to a battle of images. Although the former was fairly entertaining
in its own right, it wasn’t nearly as pretty as a battle of images. A battle
where both parties were blasting each other with ostentatious attacks made the
fight incredibly exciting.
Rumble! Although the giant lizard was bigger than the male
lion, it was still ultimately torn apart. Even so, the giant lizard’s ramming
had managed to stun the male lion a little and cause it to grow fainter and
more blurry. Jiang Chen didn’t have time to care about the clash of images at
the moment, however. The enemy’s deadly spear had come within three meters of
him as the images clashed. He grabbed at the air and summoned a large cauldron
right in front of him.
The big man felt like he was stabbing a mountain when he hit
the big cauldron. An astounding burst of light and a horrific sound of clashing
metals rippled out from the point of contact.
“Mm?” The brute obviously didn’t expect Jiang Chen to take a
defensive stance instead of fighting him head on.
Furthermore, the cauldron looked a little familiar for some
reason. Suddenly, the brute recalled something and asked agitatedly, “Where did
you get this cauldron from?”
Jiang Chen smiled coldly, “Are you always this chatty in
arena battles?”
He had gotten this cauldron from Lu Shinan, and Lu Shinan
was a cultivator who deserved worse than death for submitting to the demon
race. Jiang Chen felt no remorse about robbing his possession. Before this, he
already thought that this cauldron’s defensive power was quite impressive. It
didn’t disappoint him after he used it to block the spear strike.
The brute abruptly turned angry. “You show off your
ill-gotten goods before me? I’ll destroy you with the power of my totem!”
He was in an obvious rage as he created another three images
even at the cost of expending his energy. The formidable-looking images
attacked Jiang Chen from the top, middle, and bottom. It was as if the power of
an apocalypse was rushing towards Jiang Chen.
“Remember not to be so arrogant the next time you
reincarnate, kid!” The brute said bitterly. It was obvious that he hated Jiang
Chen to the bone.
Jiang Chen realized that the three male lion images were
incredibly dangerous, and they had almost cut off all of his escape routes. If
he chose to avoid the attack or defend passively, he would absolutely be torn
to shreds and die a horrible death.
Jiang Chen knew that he had no other choice during that
split second of thought. This male lion image was not just any image. It was an
image that was fused with the willpower of a totem, and it possessed the
instinctive warlike behavior and bloodthirst of a real male lion.
“Come.” Suddenly, Jiang Chen urged his bloodline into
resurgence once more with a solemn look on his face. He awakened all of the
energy in his body and made a series of hand seals with incredible speed,
preparing himself for the ultimate gamble.
“With demons and gods as the foundation and inner energy as
the guide, I summon my image to shatter a myriad laws!” Jiang Chen burnt his
inner energy to the max as he chanted. The power in his blood detected the true
essence of martial dao in that fleeting second. It was completed in the moment
that followed. Hanging above Jiang Chen’s head was an image created from his
bloodline and inner energy. It rose into the air behind Jiang Chen.
“What… what is that?”
“It’s a dragon!”
“It really is a dragon! Oh heavens, what am I seeing?”
“This Pill King Zhen can create an image of a true dragon.
This is too scary. Does Pill King Zhen have the power of totems too? A dragon’s
totem no less?”
“Impossible, Pill King Zhen doesn’t have the aura of totems
on him. His image probably comes from some other powerful ability, one that can
create a true dragon image no less.”
“Amazing, this is too amazing! Pill King Zhen is literally
as omnipotent as people say.”
For a time, every spectator was speechless with shock. A
true dragon was an existence that lived in legends. Most importantly, Pill King
Zhen’s true dragon image was incredibly realistic. They could sense a powerful
aura and the accompanying willpower of a true dragon from it.
The moment the true dragon image appeared, the three male
lion images immediately let out plaintive whines, like a commoner seeing a
king. Their wills were completely shattered by its appearance. Forget the
spectators beneath the arena, even the great emperors inside the Veluriyam
Pagoda were stunned to the core. It was obvious that the true dragon image had
caused the battle to become unpredictable even to them!
