Chapter 110: Force Concealment, Strange Force Is Also Force
The gaunt old man outwardly proposed to take disciples, but it was only to lull Hong Yuan, while he had already secretly accumulated his force, stirring it in his chest and abdomen, transforming it into a world-shattering roar.
The roar was like thunder breaking apart, and in an instant, the air in front of the gaunt old man seemed to blur, twisting into a huge wave of qi that rolled out and engulfed everything.
The glazed tiles on the main hall’s roof vibrated, dust fell from the beams and pillars inside the hall, and small gravel on the ground was lifted by this wave of qi.
The gaunt old man’s voice was sharp and piercing, unlike a human’s, as if it could penetrate directly into the mind, and it carried a strange power that shook the spirit and made one’s soul scatter.
The two masters from the Zhongyu Sect, one black and one red, who were still screaming, were shaken by this great roar and immediately rolled their eyes and fainted.
Moreover, more than a dozen disciples, mustering their courage, drew their swords and prepared to charge into the main hall to fight the demon who was destroying their sect. At this moment, they were also clutching their heads in pain, swaying and tumbling down the long steps.
Hong Yuan stood in place, his brow furrowed.
“Boy, you don’t like the taste of my ‘Soul Chime Skill’, do you!”
Before the roar had even ended, the gaunt old man’s joints ‘crackled’ loudly, as dense as popping beans – the sound of force exploding.
His thin body swelled as if filled with blood, his limbs and torso becoming increasingly muscular. In a flash, he transformed into a robust man.
His streaked white hair exploded outwards, not showing any sign of old age, but instead exuding a fierce aura, like an enraged lion.
He stomped his foot forward, and without any apparent movement, his figure flashed and he was already beside Hong Yuan.
“Heh! You can take a move from this half-crippled man too.”
The gaunt old man’s eyes were deeply cold, and as he flipped his palm, a strange force surged.
He was the highest-ranking person in the Zhongyu Sect.
In his youth, he had experienced the most glorious period of the Zhongyu Sect, and in his prime, he witnessed its decline. He was already over eighty years old.
At such an advanced age, let alone an ordinary martial artist, even a Microscopic Level Grandmaster would be unable to move him.
The reason this gaunt old man could still unleash peak combat power was that he cultivated a True Skill.
Even so, after this burst of power, his half-crippled body would likely have one foot in the grave.
The gaunt old man had seen many ascents and declines, but he felt he hadn’t lived enough, so how could he not be resentful?
His palm strike was as powerful as thunder and as swift as lightning. His two palms were like two flood dragons soaring up, striking Hong Yuan’s chest with a roar.
A cruel expression crossed the gaunt old man’s face, as if he already saw the scene of the opponent being dismembered.
In this world, the Great Yin Dynasty’s central government was in disarray, and the local prefectures belonged to noble clans and major sects. With no legal constraints and power concentrated in the hands of the strong, there were naturally many who acted as they pleased.
In his youth, this gaunt old man had also roamed the Jianghu, acting recklessly and killing indiscriminately.
However, just as his strength was at its peak and he was about to strike true, the airflow in front of him suddenly collapsed inwards, and the strange force contained in his palms was forcibly pulled and dragged by an invisible force, flowing towards Hong Yuan like a hundred rivers converging.
“What?”
The gaunt old man was startled.
The Zhongyu Sect indeed had a foundation; he had cultivated two True Skills over decades: one was ‘Soul Chime Skill’, and the second was the ‘Seed Jade Skill’ he was now using.
However, it was precisely because of his insufficient talent and his greed for advancement, forcefully integrating two True Skills, that he damaged his foundation and could only hide within the sect to eke out an existence.
Even his existence was only known to Wei Qingfeng and the four elders within the sect.
Since the gaunt old man had achieved True Skill and Strange Force, he had never encountered such a bizarre event; his own Strange Force was being absorbed and consumed by the opponent.
Although it was less than one percent in this instant, it was enough to shock him.
As his brow twitched violently, a palm descended like lightning, blocking the path of his palms.
“So noisy!”
Immediately, Hong Yuan’s other hand moved, a palm piercing through the air.
The gaunt old man only saw a blur before his eyes, and a palm print silently pressed onto his chest. There was no violent burst of force, only a soft yet irresistible penetrating power, like mercury flowing on the ground, like a cold wind piercing bone, instantly invading his entire body.
The old man let out a shrill scream, feeling his qi and blood being churned and surging rapidly towards his limbs and extremities.
His swollen body deflated like a leaky balloon, and he felt as if all his bones had been removed. Then, Hong Yuan transformed the Penetration Force into Hard Force, and with a ‘bang’ of impact, the gaunt old man was sent flying backward like a broken kite, crashing into the back wall before slumping to the ground.
“I thought it was a ‘sweeping monk’, but it turns out to be just a ‘Star Constellation Old Monster’…”
After defeating the gaunt old man with one palm, Hong Yuan didn’t press his attack and didn’t bother to care if the opponent lived or died. He sank his mind, carefully savoring the strange force he had absorbed into his body!
‘Strange Force?’
‘Is this the Strange Force achieved by True Skill? It’s truly marvelous!’
Lei Meng of the Grain Transport Gang wasn’t even half-skilled; his Tidal Wave Skill only produced a trace of Strange Force.
Strictly speaking, this was Hong Yuan’s first encounter with Strange Force.
Strange Force is formed when force penetrates the human organs and is refined into a more condensed and pure power, its nature already superior to force.
Therefore, Strange Force naturally suppresses force.
Even a Microscopic Level Grandmaster would experience restless qi and blood when facing Strange Force, making it much more difficult to condense force than usual.
However, Hong Yuan had reached the unprecedented Fourth Layer of Force Transformation, and his ‘Six Void Force’ was sufficient to counteract the effects of Strange Force.
Moreover, even without ‘Six Void Force’, the thickness of his qi and blood had reached an incredible level, allowing him to resist ‘quality’ with ‘quantity’.
The portion of Strange Force absorbed by Hong Yuan, once it entered his body, began to furiously draw on his qi and blood, splashing out like sparks.
But Hong Yuan’s ‘Six Void Force’ converted it even faster. Within a few breaths, this Strange Force was quickly digested and became a part of ‘Six Void Force’.
Hong Yuan vaguely felt a subtle change in his Six Void Force.
He temporarily suppressed his thoughts and slowly walked to the gaunt old man’s side, looking down at him: “Old sir, you wouldn’t want the hundred-year foundation of the Zhongyu Sect to be destroyed, would you?”
Half a day later.
Hong Yuan stepped into the Library of the Zhongyu Sect, holding several manuscripts, leisurely flipping through them.
The gaunt old man’s name was Qi Changkong, and he was a grand-uncle of the Sect Master Wei Qingfeng. Although he was very old, he probably felt that eighty was the age to strive, so he readily handed over his treasures and various secret techniques and codes.
Hong Yuan skimmed through the Force Methods, but focused on two True Skills.
《Soul Chime Skill》 and 《Seed Jade Skill》!
Even Hong Yuan didn’t expect that his sudden impulse to ‘raid the enemy’ would yield such great rewards. He had originally intended to obtain the True Skill Foundation from Wei Qingfeng.
In fact, Wei Qingfeng, as the Sect Master, only possessed one True Skill, which was the secret transmission of 《Seed Jade Skill》.
This 《Soul Chime Skill》 was actually obtained by Qi Changkong through fortunate circumstances.
As Hong Yuan flipped through 《Soul Chime Skill》, he learned it was a sonic wave technique that, when activated, could shake the enemy’s mind. A moment’s distraction could decide life and death.
A very practical cultivation method.
The reason it was ineffective against Hong Yuan was purely due to his exceptionally high Comprehension, which translated to an incredibly resilient spirit.
“Microscopic Level is merely a change in the form and momentum of force, focusing only on the changes in the form of force! Whereas True Skill involves a change in nature…”
Hong Yuan focused intently, carefully studying the 《Soul Chime Skill》 cultivation method, gradually understanding it.
“No wonder the change in nature is called Supernatural Power and Immortal Arts. The cultivation methods of True Skill, regardless of how much combat power they increase, have a cultivation philosophy that far surpasses the level of Force Transformation.”
This 《Soul Chime Skill》 used a unique method to refine one’s force into the ‘throat’ and ‘heart’!
When force was re-nurtured from these two organs, it gained the attributes of ‘sound waves’ and ‘malevolent aura’.
It manifested the malevolent aura and evil thoughts in people’s hearts into a roar, to shock enemies, make them lose their composure, and leave them to be slaughtered.
As for 《Seed Jade Skill》, it involved incorporating force into the ‘liver’ and ‘blood’. From the ‘liver’, it nurtured the attribute of wood, and from the ‘blood’, it gained the property of devouring.
Once this 《Seed Jade Skill》 was mastered, when fighting an enemy, one could use their Strange Force as seeds, cast them into the enemy’s body to take root and sprout, and devour their qi and blood.
“The 《Tidal Wave Skill》 obtained from the Grain Transport Gang was not even a rudimentary form, and could only cultivate one organ, the ‘kidney’, whereas both 《Seed Jade Skill》 and 《Soul Chime Skill》 cultivate two organs, achieving two qualitative changes…”
“This can be considered a big haul!”
Hong Yuan exclaimed, then proceeded to cross-reference these two True Skills with the 《Heavenly One True Water Skill》 in his mind.
Although 《Heavenly One True Water Skill》 was only a fragment, after Hong Yuan’s cross-referencing, he discovered that the profundity of this cultivation method might even surpass the two True Skills of the Zhongyu Sect.
Hong Yuan only gave it a slight thought, but he had no intention of completing it. Rather than wasting time, he preferred to collect more True Skills.
Although other major sects might not be as sensible as the Zhongyu Sect, his ‘Six Void Force’ was not to be trifled with.
His previous encounter with Qi Changkong proved that ‘Six Void Force’ was also effective against Strange Force, capable of breaking force, and thus could also analyze Strange Force, albeit with more trouble.
But that was only temporary.
Hong Yuan had an idea: when he had collected enough True Skills, he would upgrade ‘Six Void Force’ to ‘Six Void Skill’.
In the application of ten thousand forces, True Skills were no exception.
As his mind raced, his gaze fell upon 《Seed Jade Skill》.
“Let’s try to get started with it!”
Hong Yuan acted on his thoughts, leaping out of the Library and heading deep into Yuyang Mountain.
Although the Zhongyu Sect had been subdued by him, and Qi Changkong was heavily injured, and among the four elders, only Qingyu and Baiyu were in better condition, Hong Yuan was cultivating a True Skill for the first time, and was unsure what unexpected events might occur, so he had to be cautious.
Whoosh!
Hong Yuan shuttled through the forest, as swift as a mountain ghost, rapidly moving away from the Zhongyu Sect. After a while, he reached a secluded spot, sensed his surroundings with his spiritual sense for a moment, and then began to cultivate according to the secret technique.
Wisps of force dispersed, wandering through his limbs and torso, and under his control, they rapidly surged into his liver, merging with his blood.
Time passed.
Hong Yuan’s brow relaxed, and he suddenly opened his eyes. It wasn’t due to any discomfort or backlash, but rather because refining force into the body’s organs was much easier than he had imagined.
The manuscript recorded that force was explosive, while internal organs were fragile, and any slight mistake could lead to the destruction of one’s cultivation and death.
But it wasn’t strange to think about it; Hong Yuan had strong root bones and resilient internal organs, capable of withstanding the impact of force. Moreover, he had cultivated ‘Six Void Force’, and his mastery of force was such that perhaps no one in the world could match it.
If even he found it difficult to enter True Skill, how could others practice True Skill.
A moment later, Hong Yuan closed his eyes again, silently observing his own force.
Thump, thump, thump!
On the official road, dozens of riders galloped by, kicking up a lot of dust.
The group all wore the colors of the Zhongyu Sect, their disciples’ expressions solemn.
The one leading was a handsome, refined man in his thirties, dressed in a green robe, with a composed face and sword-like eyebrows. At this moment, his eyes held a hint of icy coldness.
This person was none other than the Sect Master of Zhongyu Sect, Wei Qingfeng!
Upon receiving news at the front line, Wei Qingfeng had quickly returned to the prefecture city, wanting to find out who dared to provoke his Zhongyu Sect, let alone abduct two elders.
Who would have thought that before he could even have a sip of hot tea, another urgent message arrived from the sect via flying eagle. After reading the letter, even the steady Wei Qingfeng’s vision went black.
He didn’t even bother to consider if it was a trap, and immediately led his men back to the sect at full speed.
If he didn’t go back soon, let alone revitalize the sect, it was uncertain whether their base could even remain.
The coldness in Wei Qingfeng’s eyes was almost tangible.
The sound of hooves thundered, and finally, Yuyang Mountain came into view. Wei Qingfeng could no longer wait, pressed his hand on the horse’s back, and leaped up.
Just as he was about to ascend the mountain, he saw a black-robed youth slowly descending the mountain path, like a tourist returning after enjoying himself.
However, Wei Qingfeng’s body suddenly froze, his sharp, sword-like gaze piercing towards him.
Yuyang Mountain was the location of the Zhongyu Sect’s stronghold; what tourists would be there? Moreover, the other party gave him an unusual feeling, like encountering a natural predator.
“Greetings, Sect Master Wei!” The black-robed youth also smiled at him and waved.
Wei Qingfeng took a deep breath, his expression becoming solemn: “Who exactly are you? It seems my Zhongyu Sect has no enmity with you.”
Hong Yuan chuckled: “Sect Master Wei is also a sect leader, why speak such childish words? Are all the people Sect Master Wei has killed your enemies?”
“Sect Master Wei, can you grant me one request?”
Wei Qingfeng’s eyes flickered: “What request?”
“Please stay honestly within the mountain gate for one or two months and do not go out,” Hong Yuan said with a smile.
Wei Qingfeng asked: “Your Excellency is joking?”
Hong Yuan sighed and shook his head: “As expected, words are always powerless. Since that is the case, Sect Master Wei, then I must offend you!”
As soon as the words fell, Hong Yuan walked towards Wei Qingfeng at an unhurried pace. Wei Qingfeng’s sleeves billowed, and he prepared to attack. When they were about ten feet apart, Wei Qingfeng let out a sudden roar, and his body shot forward like lightning, palm wind emanating from within his sleeves.
In the next moment, a slender, fair hand, striking from behind, suddenly tore through his robe sleeves. As shredded cloth fluttered like butterflies, a finger pointed at his chest.
Puff!
Wei Qingfeng let out a muffled groan, his face full of horror, as if he had seen a ghost.
“Seed Jade Skill?”
The black-robed figure slowly walked past him. Wei Qingfeng’s qi and blood revolted, blood vessels under his skin cracked, blood splattered, and he fell straight down.
