Chapter 220: Breakthrough
The entire heaven and earth seemed to fall into dead silence.
At this moment, seeing Tian Xuan Saint’s gaze come over, Red Fifth Master revealed a ferocious smile, stretched out one hand, placed it horizontally across his own neck, making a throat-slitting gesture, and said lowly in his mouth,
“Must kill you.”
Utterly provocative, extremely arrogant!
“Seeking death.”
A trace of chill flashed in Tian Xuan Saint’s eyes, mysterious light burst forth greatly from her glabella, followed by a faintly visible beam of light flying out from the top of her skull, about two inches long, shaped like branching root systems.
Magic Power was born from it, and with just one sweep, she fully grasped all the martial artists and details around her.
She herself returned even more to the 【Mist Gauze Heavenly Law】, unknown even when facing mortals.
“Since Chen Shun’an is unwilling to show himself, then first collect some interest. Times are different now from before, Hong Lao Wu, your life is done for.”
……
“Uncle Wei, please help out, make a move once, okay?”
Martial Arts Hall, in a certain pavilion and tower, in a small courtyard with flourishing trees.
Zhang Xiangling coquettishly acted cute toward the old man in front of her, her pair of almond eyes watery, as if they could speak.
Zhang Wei was wearing a tattered cotton jacket, holding a dog-beating stick in his left hand, and a chipped porcelain bowl in his right hand, leaning against the courtyard wall with a face full of helplessness, saying,
“Tian Xuan Saint is a named disciple of High Cultivator Pan Hu from Yue Shan Daoist Academy, with two inches of Meridian Opening, harboring Magic Power, nurturing Magic Tool, while your Uncle Wei is just a mortal who has slain four thieves, what to use to fight?”
Zhang Xiangling’s eyeballs spun around, and she said,
“But that Tian Xuan Saint is blocking outside the Martial Arts Hall, perhaps coming straight for me, wanting to abduct me? Kill me? Abduct first then kill? Our Tongzhou Zhang Clan, how can we sit and wait for death, only acting after others come knocking? We must strike back hard!”
Zhang Wei said irritably: “Even if coming for you, even if that old toad… Immortal Pan Hu comes here, they wouldn’t dare lay hands on you. Wait, no…”
Zhang Wei suddenly noticed something, looking at Zhang Xiangling suspiciously, and said,
“Chen Shun’an hasn’t verified his identity or returned to the ancestral clan yet… Miss, you haven’t fallen for him, taken a liking to that old man, have you!”
Zhang Wei suddenly raised his voice sharply, sucking his teeth.
If this really turned into the drama of a pear blossom pressing a crabapple, fine white cabbage being arched by a pig, the Tongzhou Zhang Clan would truly be waving a flag with bare buttocks—losing face all the way to the ancestral grave!
“What are you saying?”
Zhang Xiangling gave Zhang Wei a white-eyed glare, snorted coldly: “This grandmother swore from childhood not to be tainted by romantic affairs, to devote herself to the Martial Path, and not to open meridians and enter the path unless becoming a Martial Dao Grandmaster.”
“It’s just…”
At this point, Zhang Xiangling blinked her eyes.
Actually, before today, Zhang Xiangling naturally wouldn’t plead for Chen Shun’an, whom she had only met once.
She wasn’t stupid.
Although Ao Shan Daoist Academy and Yue Shan Daoist Academy had longstanding tensions, without sufficient interest and reason, both sides restrained themselves, unwilling to truly clash with real blades and guns.
As the direct daughter of the Zhang Clan, Zhang Xiangling wouldn’t actively let others grasp her weakness, falling into the vortex.
But…
Recalling what Chen Shun’an said during the day, not taking initiative, not refusing, not agreeing, and other rebellious words that became more profound the more she pondered them.
Zhang Xiangling felt that Chen Shun’an was a very interesting person.
In the Sacred Dynasty, it seemed extremely hard to see such a character.
“I feel Chen Shun’an has affinity with our Zhang Family, he’s a talent, cannot be let go.” Zhang Xiangling said calmly, to herself.
“Is that so…”
Zhang Wei was somewhat skeptical, but seeing that Zhang Xiangling didn’t seem to be lying, he helplessly said,
“I’m just a minor Mist Gauze Child following Master Zhang, never thought I’d have to truly clash blades with these Immortals… Don’t worry, if necessary, I will make a move. However, you haven’t probed Chen Shun’an’s depths yet?”
Hearing this, Zhang Xiangling got angry, gnashing her teeth, even letting out a few “wah ya ya” strange cries.
“This old man is slippery as an eel, not giving me a chance to make a move! Truly detestable!”
Actually, both Zhang Xiangling and Zhang Wei were confident that if they forcibly made a move, feeling bones and checking pulses on Chen Shun’an, they could definitely discern his depths and judge whether he had comprehended the Six Sceneries Rotation True Cultivation Manual.
But, just in case.
What if it really is Chen Shun’an, wouldn’t that offend him?
Though not afraid, no need either.
Better to wait for Master Zhang to return, use penetrating vision to discern qi, and naturally know.
It’s just…
Both thought of this passage at the same time, couldn’t help but stare wide-eyed at each other, faces full of bewilderment.
Where is Master Zhang?
Why after several days, still no sign of him?
Could he have gotten lost again?
The two fell silent for a moment, quite tacitly not gossiping about the Immortal behind Master Zhang’s back.
And Zhang Wei then circulated his qi to focus his spirit, adjusting his state, communicating with that 【Qi Ginseng Seed】 embedded in his eye socket, appearing extremely solemn.
This Tian Xuan Saint is extremely strong, what follows is probably a blood battle of nine deaths and one life.
Zhang Wei didn’t dare to be the slightest bit careless.
……
In his mind, as the Nascent Spirit awakened.
Various illusions and desires came flooding in.
Chen Shun’an saw his five deceased concubine wives.
Though causes of death differed, appearances varied, all had blood tears streaming down their faces, silently choking as they stared at Chen Shun’an.
However, Chen Shun’an’s current state was extremely special.
He sat high on the throne of the Divine Palace, Divinity dominating his thoughts, the whole person fallen into absolute indifference and calm, his gaze seeming to pierce through illusion and reality, landing on his main body in the quiet room.
Letting various desires and stray thoughts roll in, yet like moon in mirror or flower in water, they swirled and vanished in an instant.
Thus, all the illusions transformed by this Mind Thief gradually dissipated.
For others, extremely dangerous, a nine-deaths-one-life Slay Mind Thief, for Chen Shun’an, was instead easier than slaying the previous five thieves.
Firstly, naturally because Chen Shun’an was innately gifted, able to borrow Water Origin Divinity to disregard all heart monkeys and mind horses.
In other words, Chen Shun’an was extremely hard to succumb to Calamity Qi Clouding the Heart, being manipulated by those with ulterior motives to stir karma, draw out karmic obstacles, and borrow them for remote killing.
As long as he sensed something wrong, he could even set a ‘timed task’ for himself, every few hours, have intent return to the Divine Palace throne, squat on the divine seat, scrutinize his true self’s intent, wipe the dust from the Spiritual Platform.
Truly when all methods fail to land, he could even rely on Water Origin Great Emperor’s status to give the opponent a harsh surprise.
Secondly, Chen Shun’an had opened the Mud Pill, his Divine Essence intensity far surpassing same-realm martial artists, allowing him to perceive his own minutiae, the rhythm between essence-qi-spirit rotations, even the wriggling of body organs, all as clear as his own fingers.
As long as there was the slightest wrongness, breakthrough posture deformed, he could adjust in time, preparing for what was to come.
Therefore, with sufficient external supplies and grain, Chen Shun’an broke through almost without hindrance, smoothly slaying the Mind Thief!
Gradually, as the Nascent Spirit awakened, a great clarity and great freedom arose in Chen Shun’an’s heart.
The Flying Immortal Strength in his body grew at an unimaginable speed, quenching residues, shedding the old for the new, like profound iron forged a thousand times, bursting forth with unimaginable brilliance.
Crushing, crushing Slay Five Thieves!
A gap of several times, ten times, over ten times!
“Hm?”
But good times didn’t last long, when Chen Shun’an was immersed in this great freedom and the pleasure of rapidly growing stronger.
Chen Shun’an’s body trembled on its own, actually becoming shriveled and dehydrated, like squeezed-dry sugarcane, all moisture and nutrition unexpectedly entirely transforming into Flying Immortal Strength, and providing soil for the Nascent Spirit’s awakening.
Fortunately, Chen Shun’an was prepared early.
With a sweep of intent, the pre-prepared Essence Rehmannia Pills, Purple River Cart Powder, Angelica Blood-Nourishing Ointment, and other precious Great Medicines all fell before his eyes.
He just opened his mouth and sucked, like a whale sucking a river, greedily swallowing these Great Medicines into his belly,
His stomach just squeezed, turning them into rolling essence qi, gradually building momentum in his body, stopping the trend of Chen Shun’an’s body turning into firewood.
But…
“Not enough, not enough!”
One could see that the rolling essence qi that had been building momentum only persisted for half a incense stick’s time before being devoured clean, completely exhausted.
At this moment, Chen Shun’an’s body was like a bottomless pit, accepting anything hot or cold, refusing none, even transmitting a soul-deep emptiness, as if wanting to fill it with this heaven and earth!
Chen Shun’an even wanted to eat dirt!
Chen Shun’an had still underestimated his own potential.
He hadn’t expected his Flying Immortal Strength and Nascent Spirit to be so voracious!
Moreover, if not for Golden Needle Li refining pills for General Huang, giving a bottle of Essence Rehmannia Pills, Chen Shun’an even worried these pre-prepared Great Medicines could only last a dozen breaths!
Those had cost Chen Shun’an nearly a thousand taels of silver!
When the moment came, in urgency.
Chen Shun’an suddenly had a flash of wit.
With a turn of his thoughts, a grinding disc-sized Red Scale flew out from the Divine Palace.
The Red Scale fell to the ground, making a dull sound, ancient and unadorned like raw stone, only some parts already rubbed smooth as a mirror still showed faint fire light flowing.
“Li Shi Huo Qi, the true yang fire cultivated postnatally, in some sense, isn’t that equivalent to the Immortals’ Magic Power, spiritual power… also provisions formed from heaven and earth’s creation, sun and moon essence!”
“Earth can be eaten, why can’t qi be eaten?!”
“Fire Qi is also provisions!”
Though saying so, Chen Shun’an was still extremely cautious, only drawing a strand of extremely thin Li Shi Huo Qi.
Immediately, with Li Shi Huo Qi manifesting, blazing like a fierce sun, the entire quiet room was like falling into a stove, a scorching torrent rolling and surging in the quiet room.
Wherever it passed, stone chips melted, cracks overflowed with flames, in an instant melting a massive deep pit in the ground.
Chen Shun’an hurriedly used intent to sweep it up, taking it into the air.
Even so, Chen Shun’an felt his intent melting like snow meeting blazing sun, rapidly consuming at a terrifying speed.
Even with his current Divine Essence intensity, surprisingly he couldn’t sustain it for long.
“What exactly is the origin of that Great Demon, not to mention this one scale, just a wisp of thin fire qi in the scale is so powerful? Lu Jing, Liu Qingyi and the others aren’t going to slay demons, they’re going to deliver vegetables!”
Chen Shun’an’s heart was somewhat horrified.
Truly, the ignorant are fearless; Chen Shun’an even admired how last time Lu Jing, bringing several True Intent Martial Artists, could forcefully break into Funiu Water Marsh and still pick up a life back—that was already impressive!
A bunch of ants, still wanting to shake an elephant’s leg?!
But this was a later story; Chen Shun’an thought no more, instead summoning Divine Aspect · Bipedal Ran Yi Fish.
The Ran Yi Fish swam out from the glabella, though ferocious all over, emanating a sense of wild primordial desolation.
