Chapter 222: Saint, Is This Your Strength?
Not daring to openly defy the orders of Tian Xuan Saint and Yue Shan Daoist Academy, yet unwilling to completely offend Chen Shun’an.
He simply played both sides, stringing things along for as long as possible.
Who says someone from the Pounding House must kill each other with people from the Water Station?
That’s enough!
It was only Mao Shi, and the sky had not yet fully brightened.
A cold wind and thin snow froze pedestrians to death.
Chen Shun’an swept his intent over the area and immediately sensed that something was wrong with the atmosphere.
“So many people…”
Chen Shun’an raised an eyebrow.
Tian Xuan Saint sat high in the building, her plain robes whiter than snow, surrounded by a chilling pressure that seemed to freeze the very air.
Below, Water Carrier and Pounding House Gang Members were fighting fiercely, the sound of their blades cutting through the night wind ringing sharply.
In front of Tie Gong Ancestral Hall, Red Fifth Master stared intently towards the high building, his eyes wide and his aura as deep as an abyss;
Some instructors and teachers from the Liangjiang Military Academy, restraining their students, remained still, seemingly unwilling to get involved, merely observing from under the eaves.
Furthermore, from a small courtyard behind the Martial Arts Hall, a unique aura of Flying Immortal Strength ascended, mixed with a somewhat complex and obscure scent, like the herbal freshness of ginseng.
“Is it an Immortal from the Zhang Family? No, it’s similar but not quite, still a Martial Artist. Perhaps they borrowed some Immortal Fate?”
In an instant, the entire situation became as clear as daylight in Chen Shun’an’s mind.
Tian Xuan Saint, indeed a person of the Immortal Path, merely sitting there silently, caused so many people to be apprehensive and exert themselves to the fullest.
However, the various factions still seemed to be holding back, not yet having completely fallen out.
Especially Tian Xuan Saint and Red Fifth Master, both had staked out the other for months and knew each other’s strength well, understanding that a rash engagement would be fruitless.
They were all looking for an opportunity.
Chen Shun’an appeared at precisely the right moment, not too early or too late, just as things reached their most critical juncture.
He looked down at his palms, his internal Qi and Blood surging like a river, giving him an unprecedented sense of confidence.
“Why bother with such trouble?”
Chen Shun’an shook his head, his figure vanishing from his spot in an instant, filled with ambition and magnanimity, he moved rapidly towards the high building outside the Martial Arts Hall.
Then…
He immediately suppressed his entire aura, becoming shadowless and formless, and fully activated his Power of Intent, shielding his killing intent, as if erasing his presence from the world entirely.
He readied the Heart-Piercing Nail, channeled the Flying Immortal Strength, and connected with his Nascent Spirit in the Niwan Acupoint.
Caution and utmost effort, such excellent virtues, how could they be forgotten with even a small advancement in the Martial Path!
The moon was hidden by heavy clouds, and the long street was as dark as ink.
On the street in front of the tavern.
Dozens of dark figures tangled and clashed on the bluestone slabs, the sound of blades slicing through the night wind short and muffled.
Occasionally, weapons struck each other, sparks flying, only to be swallowed by the deeper darkness.
Some groaned and stumbled back into the shadows under the eaves; some fell and never rose again.
The Water Station and Pounding House were engaged in a fierce battle.
Yet, in the surrounding corners and alleyways, hidden figures with powerful auras lurked.
Bai Manlou, Xiao Qingchou, Money Grabber… almost all the members of the Guo Lu Society were present.
However, at this moment, neither side had fully committed to a fight to the death.
But everyone knew that as soon as the order came from above, it would be a fight to the death.
There was no right or wrong, not even a clear enemy.
Only a difference in affiliation.
“Old Bai, did they give you the settlement fee?”
“Of course, they did! Zhao Lu Lu Tou is righteous, he gave a full One Hundred Taels of Silver. I’ve never seen so much money in my life! Anyway, my illness is incurable, so it was worth it.”
“Me too, I gave all the money to my family. I told them to leave the city tonight, head south back to my hometown, and live as scholars, becoming a scholarly family… no more fighting.”
“Yes, with the accumulation from our generation, perhaps in a few more generations, our families might produce someone who achieves great success and becomes a marquis or prime minister?”
“Hahaha, you old scoundrel, you dream big! We agreed beforehand, when the order to charge comes, you’re not allowed to rush ahead! An Immortal, this first strike belongs to me!”
“You scoundrel, you only dream by day. That’s a legendary Immortal, capable of moving mountains and filling seas, living forever. You dare to strike them?”
“Haha, I don’t dare, really, but what can I do? I have to dare even if I don’t…”
Two masked Water Carriers, each carrying a saber and a sword, stood on the long street. Seeing that it wasn’t their turn to fight yet, they couldn’t help but joke in hushed tones.
Yet, they were completely unaware of a figure passing by them.
In this way, without anyone noticing, Chen Shun’an quietly left the Martial Arts Hall, then hesitated for a moment, estimating where Tian Xuan Saint would likely pass by.
Ascending the steps, he gradually entered the high building.
The staircase was dimly lit, with only a few wisps of dim yellow light cast by the corridor lamps.
He crouched silently at the turn of the stairs, in a dark corner where the light did not reach.
Although Tian Xuan Saint was an Immortal, she did not seem to possess the legendary cloud-riding or light-escaping techniques.
And with her pride and status, she certainly wouldn’t act like a common martial artist, plummeting from the sky or smashing through walls and floors to attack.
It wouldn’t be proper.
So Chen Shun’an decided to help her be proper.
After all, one’s greatest understanding often comes from one’s enemies.
On the high building.
Tian Xuan Saint returned to the Mist Gauze Heavenly Law, her expression serene, sensing the Martial Artists approaching from all directions, neither angry nor pleased.
Red Fifth Master also knew of the existence of the Mist Gauze Heavenly Law, and yet he had sent so many Martial Artists to their deaths.
The reason was simple: he wanted to use the resentment, grievances, blood Qi, and Yin Sha Qi left behind by the fallen Martial Artists to pollute the surroundings, forcing Tian Xuan Saint to feel even a fleeting moment of disgust or bewilderment.
In short, it was a matter of sacrificing lives.
Using the lives of Martial Artists to create an opportunity for a strike.
Red Fifth Master was waiting for that opportunity.
Of course, Red Fifth Master also vaguely knew that above the Immortal Path of Meridian Opening, there were High Cultivators called Qi Absorbers, who seemed to have a special fondness for the Qi pervading heaven and earth.
Resentment, grievances, blood Qi, and Yin Sha Qi were part of it, and they seemed to have a slight influence on them.
“It’s useless. My Magic Tool, Willow Treasure Ten Thousand Toad Tendons, has already undergone Sacrificial Refining. You Martial Artists simply don’t know the marvels of Magic Tools.”
Tian Xuan Saint, feeling her divine skill had reached Great Accomplishment, decided to take the initiative this time.
She moved, and to the bewildered gazes of Huang Xing and Guan Sheng, she went straight downstairs.
With a push of her delicate hand, a branch-like glow rose from the top of her head. The Willow Treasure Ten Thousand Toad Tendons seemed to awaken, and with a single shake in the air, it split into countless threads, imbued with a deep killing intent, surging towards the Martial Artists flooding in from below and all directions.
Then, she moved like a gentle breeze through the corridor, carelessly heading towards the stairs.
It was as if a figure that had been lying in wait suddenly attacked, flashing and appearing behind her.
Channeling the full force of Flying Immortal Strength, with a terrifyingly extreme and formidable power, yet lifting it as if it were nothing, it transformed into a light and airy palm strike that landed on the back of Tian Xuan Saint’s head.
Boom!
In a flash of lightning, Tian Xuan Saint felt a mountain-shattering, sea-roaring surge of True Qi erupt behind her head.
Her vision blurred, the world spun, and a strong wind buffeted her.
She crashed through layer after layer of floorboards, wood chips flying, snow blocks collapsing, her entire body embedding heavily into the first-floor ground like a broken sack, dust flying, her plain robes stained with mud, her hair dishevelled and covering her face.
It was only then that a warm hand remained on the back of her head, its five fingers as exquisite as jade, veins bulging, muscles coiled, revealing a figure with a broad back, narrow waist, and a powerfully built, aesthetically pleasing physique.
“Such a hard head.”
Sensing a special power from beneath his palm resisting and wearing down his Flying Immortal Strength, Chen Shun’an’s eyes burned.
Was this Magic Power?
Although extremely thin, in terms of quantity, before his Flying Immortal Strength, it was like a drop in the ocean, not worth a chuckle.
But it possessed a kind of high-status grace, like the vast light of heaven illuminating yin and evil energies. Let alone ordinary Martial Artists’ Strength, even Chen Shun’an’s Flying Immortal Strength rapidly dissipated before it, instantly decomposed by it.
But…
It was too little.
Chen Shun’an’s quantity was immense.
“Who are you?! How dare you ambush me?!”
Tian Xuan Saint’s peerless beauty showed a trace of ferocity, her figure vanishing instantly, the glow on her head pulsing, a faint spiritual light radiating from her skin.
With a wave of her hand, a streak of blue light, her whisk in hand, struck towards the mysterious person.
However, what made Tian Xuan Saint’s blood run cold was.
The hand pressing on the back of her head had not left, as if rooted, still firmly pressing on the back of her head.
The force gradually increased, and immense Strength was unleashed inch by inch…
It was actually overpowering her Magic Power!
Yet, within her perception, there was no one beside her.
In fact, she felt no danger warnings, her Niwan Acupoint remained dormant, and a voice in her heart kept tempting her—
It’s all an illusion.
It’s fine.
Nothing has been discovered.
Go kill those Martial Artists quickly.
Don’t delay any longer…
“Damn it! It’s a Martial Artist with True Intent Perfection, one who has slain the Six Thieves… but why are they so strong?”
Tian Xuan Saint had encountered a few Martial Artists with True Intent Perfection at Yue Shan Daoist Academy. They were strong, yes, but how could they be so bizarre?
They completely overpowered her innate spiritual mechanism, interfered with her six senses, and were attempting to forcibly alter and distort her will!
My head feels like it’s going to explode, and you tell me it’s fine?!
Tian Xuan Saint gritted her teeth, her thoughts shifting. The Willow Treasure Ten Thousand Toad Tendons faintly emitted a blurred toad croak, and then all the whisk-like strands turned, with a “puchi” sound, and pierced into Tian Xuan Saint’s arm.
They spread rapidly, accompanied by a rise in golden light, turning from faint to intense, heading towards the top of her head!
The Willow Treasure Ten Thousand Toad Tendons connected the meridians and enhanced the Spiritual Root. The two-inch glow suspended above Tian Xuan Saint’s head immediately blazed with light.
Her Magic Power surged dramatically!
Boom!
In an instant, the entire high building collapsed. Within a hundred paces, chaotic Qi flowed, sand and stones flew, and the sight was endless. The accumulated snow and cold currents were all swept away, turning into mist.
Countless Martial Artists were sent flying by the shockwave. Some crashed into walls, spitting blood; some convulsed on the snow. Everyone looked at the blurred figures appearing in the center of the mist with horror.
Thus, Tian Xuan Saint finally broke free from the hand at the back of her head.
She also saw the owner of the hand.
“Who are you?”
Tian Xuan Saint’s voice was filled with disbelief and anger.
Looking at the man with unfamiliar aura before her, Tian Xuan Saint searched her memory and found no such person among all the acquaintances she had ever met.
She didn’t recognize him at all!
Tian Xuan Saint’s expression turned grim, extremely displeased.
How could there be another unexpected event!
Saint, is this your strength?
Looking at the figure before him, Chen Shun’an narrowed his eyes, a mix of joy and regret.
So weak.
And in response to the Saint’s question, Chen Shun’an’s lips curved into a playful smile, he asked strangely,
“Weren’t you the one looking for me, constantly trying to force me out?”
“Now that I’ve come out, why are you unhappy?”
Looking for me?
Tian Xuan Saint’s pupils contracted sharply, her face instantly turned pale as if struck by lightning, and she suddenly realized.
“You are Chen Shun…”
