Chapter 460 - 235: Slaying a Late-Stage Profound Mastery Expert

Chapter 460: Chapter 235: Slaying a Late-Stage Profound Mastery Expert

The flame was so ferocious it didn’t distinguish between friend and foe, and he had no desire to get caught up in it.

After a moment of thought, Chu Kuangfeng turned, his piercing aura instantly locking onto another battle—the one where Monk Kongjian was being besieged by three men and was in mortal danger.

"Hmph!"

Chu Kuangfeng snorted coldly, his body transforming into a streak of blade light as he shot away.

At this moment, Monk Kongjian’s situation was perilous and dire.

Although he was a master whose Cultivation had reached the late-stage Profound Mastery realm, facing the combined assault of Lu Qingsong, Sect Leader of the Iron Sword Sect; Li Qianzhou, a commander of the Military Preparation Army; and Wangqingshan, Patriarch of the Wang Family—three genuine peak mid-stage Profound Mastery experts—he was already on the ropes, his monk robes stained with blood and his aura in disarray.

Chu Kuangfeng’s arrival was the final straw that broke the camel’s back.

Surrounded by four men, a flicker of despair finally crossed Monk Kongjian’s eyes. He knew his death was imminent.

But as he looked down at the struggling monks of Golden Spring Temple, he let out a furious roar. A brilliant Golden Light erupted from his body as he recklessly charged forward in a desperate, life-or-death counterattack.

He showed no signs of retreat.

...

Elsewhere, Wu Chengfeng, an elder of Qingfeng Temple, and Liang Jingxing were also locked in a bitter struggle.

The two had been intercepted by an elder from the Iron Sword Sect and one of the Wang Clan Elders, respectively. Not only could they not support each other, but they were also trapped in a stalemate.

After determining she couldn’t intervene in Chen Sheng’s battle, Bai Qing had also turned to join the fray here.

With three Profound Mastery experts joining forces, their attacks were like a relentless tide. Wu Chengfeng and Liang Jingxing were suddenly in constant peril, the signs of their impending defeat already showing.

In the chaotic battle of Profound Mastery experts, the only one with a slight advantage was the Qingfeng Temple Master, Daoist Qingxu, who was fighting the Jingwu Bureau’s Governor, Nie Xuanfeng.

However, even though his Daoist Skills were exquisite, forcing Nie Xuanfeng to defend more than attack, he felt no joy in his heart, only growing anxiety and unease.

Qingfeng Temple and Golden Spring Temple were allies; they would prosper together and fall together.

But he could see the current situation clearly. Unless powerful reinforcements arrived from the heavens, Golden Spring Temple was doomed to fall today.

And once Golden Spring Temple was destroyed, the Government Office’s blade would undoubtedly turn toward Qingfeng Temple next.

At this point, a hint of regret had already begun to sprout in his heart.

"Fellow Daoist Nie..."

Sweeping aside Nie Xuanfeng’s spear light with his duster, Daoist Qingxu spoke with an urgent tone:

"If I lead my people to retreat right now, can the Government Office guarantee that it won’t move against Qingfeng Temple in the future?"

"Trying to leave now? Too late!"

Nie Xuanfeng dodged a streak of green light and retorted with a sneer.

If Qingfeng Temple had chosen to stand by and do nothing when Luoyun Manor was annihilated, there might have been room for negotiation.

But now, with the battle having reached this stage and countless casualties on both sides, how could a simple offer of retreat resolve everything?

Not only would he refuse, but the resolute Chen Sheng would be even less likely to agree.

Daoist Qingxu’s expression was as dark as still water.

"If the Government Office is willing to stop now, Qingfeng Temple is prepared to pay a price. Furthermore, we are willing to assist the Government Office with all our strength in exterminating the evil remnants of the Blood River Sect. Fellow Daoist Nie, must you be so merciless?"

"You should save those words and say them to Inspector Chen yourself, Fellow Daoist Qingxu."

Nie Xuanfeng laughed heartily, a sense of glee rising in his chest.

"The military and political affairs of Ning’an Prefecture are not something I can decide on my own anymore!"

"Hmph!"

Daoist Qingxu snorted heavily, his heart sinking. His gaze involuntarily turned toward the churning sea of crimson fire, but he couldn’t see anything clearly. The ominous feeling grew ever stronger.

...

In the center of the sea of fire.

The battle between Chen Sheng and Monk Kongxu was also nearing its end.

Monk Kongxu’s Cultivation was profound, his strength truly extraordinary.

But Chen Sheng was no ordinary man either.

His Cultivation had reached mid-stage Profound Mastery, and he wielded a Divine Technique like the Nine Nether Yin Fire. His Martial Arts Realm had also evolved to the Second Realm, and his true combat prowess had long since surpassed his peers.

He could even hold his own against a late-stage Profound Mastery expert.

In fact, he might even have the upper hand.

If Monk Kongxu had fought cautiously and steadily, it would have been no easy task for Chen Sheng to win.

More likely, they would have been evenly matched.

Unfortunately, with the Mountain Protection Array broken and the temple’s monks suffering heavy casualties, Monk Kongxu’s mind was in chaos, and he was desperate for a quick victory by capturing the enemy leader.

He had gone all out from the very beginning, not even hesitating to use a Buddhist Forbidden Technique that would damage his own foundation.

This impatience, in turn, allowed Chen Sheng to exploit an opening and drag him into the Nine Nether Yin Fire’s home turf.

Here, Chen Sheng was like a fish in water; every wisp of flame was an extension of his senses and a weapon in his hand.

Monk Kongxu, however, had to divert his attention to defend against the pervasive corrosion of the Yin Fire, allowing him to use only sixty or seventy percent of his full strength.

Amid the fierce battle, Monk Kongxu’s aura weakened at a visible rate. His solemn Six-armed Vajra Dharma Aspect was also being constantly burned away and consumed by the Yin Fire.

Finally, it let out a sorrowful cry and completely disintegrated into a shower of light motes.

BOOM!

Chen Sheng threw another punch. The Fist Gang, wreathed in condensed Yin Fire, smashed heavily into the Buddha Light Shield that Monk Kongxu had hastily conjured.

The shield shattered and the man was sent flying. Monk Kongxu staggered backward violently, spewing a mouthful of blood, his face as pale as golden paper.

"Demon...!"

Kongxu’s eyes were blood-red as he stared death at Chen Sheng. His trembling hands still tried to form a Sealing Technique, and the residual Golden Light around him fluctuated violently. It seemed he was about to detonate his remaining True Essence in a final, suicidal attack.

Chen Sheng’s gaze was indifferent, utterly unmoved.

The next moment.

He slammed his hands together. The Circulation Red Flame responded, transforming into a dozen arm-thick chains of fire. Like poisonous pythons striking from a cave, they instantly pierced through Monk Kongxu’s remaining Protective Buddha Light, tightly binding and penetrating his limbs and torso.

Already a spent force, Monk Kongxu was powerless to resist the corrosion and imprisonment of the Yin Fire.

Chen Sheng stood upon the void. The endless sea of fire around him churned and converged, forming a lifelike, hundred-zhang-long fire dragon that coiled around his body. Its head was held high, radiating a terrifying pressure that threatened to incinerate everything.

Then.

The fire dragon tilted its head to the sky and let out a silent roar, then dove down and completely engulfed Monk Kongxu.

When the crimson sea of fire slowly dissipated, Monk Kongxu’s figure reappeared, a horrifying sight to behold.

His robes and kasaya had long turned to ash. His skin was charred black and cracked, his eyebrows and beard gone. Only the faint rise and fall of his chest proved he still had a breath left in him, but his life force was as weak as a candle flickering in the wind.

Chen Sheng raised his hand and made a grasping motion. An invisible force pulled Monk Kongxu’s charred body before him, and he clasped his neck.

His gaze was calm and serene. Ignoring the lingering shock, anger, and fear in the other man’s eyes, he slowly turned to look at the battlefield below—a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood—and his indifferent voice rang out:

"Look closely. This... is the fate of those who make an enemy of me."

His five fingers tightened slightly, forcing Monk Kongxu’s fading gaze down toward the mountain.

There, the last formation of Golden Spring Temple’s Martial Monks was collapsing, the monk soldiers falling in swathes like harvested wheat.

"Demon... fiend..."

Monk Kongxu’s throat bobbed, and he squeezed out two words, his voice as hoarse as a broken bellows.

"Demon fiend?"

A faint curve touched the corner of Chen Sheng’s mouth.

"The winner is king, the loser is the bandit. From this day forward, Golden Spring Temple is the biggest den of demons in Ning’an Prefecture!"

"Abbot!"

"Fellow Daoist Kongxu!"

"Abbot!"

At that moment, friend and foe alike—all the Profound Mastery experts battling in the sky—couldn’t help but turn their attention to the charred, broken body in Chen Sheng’s grasp.

Shock, disbelief, despair, ecstasy... all kinds of emotions flashed through the eyes of the crowd.

Daoist Qingxu was shaken to his core, barely able to believe his eyes.

’Kongxu, a peak late-stage Profound Mastery expert, was actually defeated by this young man?’

The most shocked of all was Monk Kongjian. Witnessing the Abbot’s capture, the last spark of light in his eyes died, and his heart filled with ashes of despair.

’Even the Abbot has been defeated... Golden Spring Temple is finished.’

Under the focus of countless gazes, Chen Sheng’s expression remained indifferent. He gave a slight shake of the right arm that held Monk Kongxu’s neck.

THUD!

A muffled sound, not loud, but it clearly reached everyone’s ears.

With that single shake, Monk Kongxu’s charred body, like wind-dried mud and sand, suddenly disintegrated into a bloody mist that filled the air.

Total Annihilation, leaving not a trace behind.

The Abbot of Golden Spring Temple, Monk Kongxu, was dead, his Dao extinguished!

Between heaven and earth, only the mountain wind howled, carrying the thick stench of blood and burning flesh.

Chen Sheng stood alone in the void, the crimson flames around him slowly receding. His robes fluttered in the turbulent astral winds, making him look like a Demon God returned from purgatory, gazing down upon the war-torn battlefield he had personally set ablaze.

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