Chapter 223 - 222: Unrivaled Viciousness

Chapter 223: Chapter 222: Unrivaled Viciousness

Several hours later, it was finally discovered that the Third Prince, Xia Wuchen, had suffered a Qigong Deviation and been rendered a cripple.

Imperial Physicians rushed to Wude Palace one after another. After examining him, they all shook their heads, and their diagnosis made everyone gasp.

The diagnosis was that the Third Prince Xia Wuchen’s meridians were completely destroyed and his Cultivation was gone. Furthermore, he had already been turned into a eunuch. He would be bedridden for the rest of his life, with no possibility of ever cultivating again.

When Consort Xian received the news, she rushed over at once. Upon seeing her son’s tragic state, she fainted on the spot.

She never would have thought that after defending her son during the day, he would end up in this state by nightfall.

Once the news spread, the Courtiers who had been on the fence completely gave up on him. Not only had he become a eunuch, but he was also a cripple, completely devoid of any remaining value.

In the span of a single day, the Third Prince, Xia Wuchen, had fallen from the heavens into the abyss. He had once been one of the Princes with the best chance of securing the Crown Prince’s position, but in the blink of an eye, he had become a cripple with no hope left.

Meanwhile, the mastermind behind it all, after a good night of cultivation, left his Practice Room once again. He embraced the Qiuci Dancers, twirling them around before dancing them right into bed.

In Lizheng Hall, Yun Liyue did not yet know that a crisis had been so quietly resolved by Xia Wuyang.

With the Third Prince, Xia Wuchen, crippled, the factions under his command began to disintegrate at a visible rate. The other Princes and Princesses all made their moves, scrambling to absorb his abandoned forces.

It was just like what had happened to Xia Wuyang years ago. Once he was crippled and it was confirmed his condition was irreparable, his forces were similarly carved up and divided.

Although he still had many loyal followers, they couldn’t fend off the other rapacious Princes and Princesses.

The Third Prince, Xia Wuchen, was a far cry from the Xia Wuyang of the past, and the loyalty of his subordinates was nowhere near the same level. As a result, his power base collapsed much more quickly.

In just a few short days, more than half of Xia Wuchen’s power had crumbled. His followers had either pledged allegiance to other Princes and Princesses or deserted him entirely. The speed of it was astonishing.

It had taken several months for Xia Wuyang’s Crown Prince’s Mansion to collapse to such a degree back then. Yet, for the Third Prince, Xia Wuchen, it took only a few days.

However, considering the Third Prince, Xia Wuchen’s, typical behavior, such an outcome was only natural.

While the Third Prince, Xia Wuchen’s, power base collapsed at an astonishing rate, Xia Wuyang’s Spiritual Power quietly reached 350.

Although he had yet to awaken a new Companion Talent, an epiphany was inevitable.

In the Practice Room of Wenhua Hall, a candle flame flickered, casting the shadow of the seated Xia Wuyang across the floor.

The 350 points of Spiritual Power in his Sea of Consciousness swirled like a Star River, and the epiphany arrived right on schedule.

The focus of this epiphany was on the Nether Acupuncture Needle and the Enchanting Heart Needle.

After days of contemplation, he had discovered many similarities between the two techniques. He had now comprehended and refined both of these Combat Techniques and Secret Techniques to their absolute peak. It was time for a metamorphosis.

Insights washed over him like a tide, one after another.

The sinister principles of the Nether Acupuncture Needle... The illusory essence of the Enchanting Heart Needle... The point where the two Needle Techniques could merge...

The Nether Acupuncture Needle specialized in attacking the nodes of the meridians. A victim struck by it would feel their meridians gradually wither, as if they had been plunged into the Netherworld. Its Concealment effect was also superb, and after Xia Wuyang’s refinements, its efficacy and Power had soared even higher.

The Enchanting Heart Needle could pierce the Soul directly, causing the victim’s Heart Spirit to crumble and leaving them completely at the mercy of the user.

Insidious and secretive, overwhelmingly powerful and terrifying—such were these two Needle Techniques.

Then, in a flash of inspiration brought on by the epiphany, an idea struck Xia Wuyang.

’The Nether Acupuncture Needle harms the body, and the Enchanting Heart Needle harms the Spirit... If I combine them, won’t the result be able to destroy both body and Spirit at once!’

Xia Wuyang held out two fingers like a sword and tapped gently in the empty air.

Where his fingertips passed, seven Qi and Blood Needles condensed into existence simultaneously.

Three were black as ink, radiating a cold, deathly aura; four were transparent and formless, yet they pulsed with illusory ripples.

’Fuse!’

With a mere thought, the seven Qi and Blood Needles began to fuse.

Black and transparent intertwined as the deathly aura and illusory power blended, finally transforming into seven bizarre, half-black, half-transparent Qi and Blood Needles.

The needles were as fine as ox-hair, nearly invisible in the candlelight. Only a faint, dark light shimmered at their tips—a light that could both seize one’s Soul and chill one to the bone.

’The Nether Enchanting Heart Needle... I’ve done it!’

Xia Wuyang opened his eyes, a look of satisfaction flashing within them.

With a slight nudge of his will, a Qi Needle shot out silently. It pierced through the three-inch-thick solid wood desk, leaving a nearly invisible hole on its surface.

But upon closer inspection, one would discover that the wood grain around the hole was twisted and warped—a sign that the enchanting power was eroding physical matter.

He continued to test the power of his new Needle Technique. The second Qi Needle shot toward a potted orchid in the corner.

The moment the needle’s tip touched a petal, the entire orchid withered and decayed at a rate visible to the naked eye. Strangely, however, the stem didn’t break. It had simply lost all vitality, as if it had experienced a century of aging in a single instant.

’What potent Netherworld Power,’ Xia Wuyang thought, nodding in satisfaction. He was quite pleased with its might.

He shot the third Qi Needle at himself. Of course, it dissipated the moment it touched his skin—he wasn’t actually trying to hit himself.

Yet, he clearly felt his Soul tremble for a moment, as if countless Illusions were flashing through his mind.

If he used its full power, it would be enough to make an ordinary True Monarch lose their senses for three full breaths.

In a duel between masters, three breaths was enough time to die ten times over.

What surprised Xia Wuyang the most was that the Spiritual Power consumption for this new Needle Technique was extremely low—far lower than he had imagined.

With his current Extraordinary Spiritual Power, he could control a hundred Nether Enchanting Heart Needles simultaneously. The seventy-two Spirit-Breaking Needles he had previously obtained were no longer sufficient.

If used in a large-scale battle, unleashing a hundred needles at once would give him the power to contend with an entire army.

He stood up and began practicing within the Practice Room.

The seven Qi and Blood Needles circled him like darting fish, one moment forming the Big Dipper formation, the next shifting into a Heaven- and Earth-Spreading Net.

Each needle contained two distinct powers, a blend of the tangible and intangible that made them impossible to guard against.

’If I combine this with the Sword Control Skill, its power would likely skyrocket!’

At Xia Wuyang’s command, the seven Qi and Blood Needles transformed into seven streaks of light. They traced profound trajectories through the air, mimicking the maneuvers of the Sword Control Skill.

It wasn’t sword control, but it was superior to it. After all, needles were far more subtle and difficult to guard against than swords.

He practiced throughout the night. By the time the first light of dawn broke, Xia Wuyang had already gained a preliminary mastery of this new High Level Spiritual Technique.

He moved silently into a nearby, unused courtyard. A morning breeze rustled through, causing the century-old pine tree in the center to sway gently.

Xia Wuyang pointed his two fingers, and a Nether Enchanting Heart Needle shot out without a sound, disappearing into the tree trunk.

Three breaths later, the pine needles began to yellow and fall.

Even more bizarre, twisted patterns began to appear on the bark, resembling countless human faces wailing in agony.

This was the result of the enchanting power corrupting the tree’s life force. Although it couldn’t grant the tree true consciousness, it could simulate the appearance of a soul suffering damage.

Insidious, deceptive, stealthy, and with a long incubation period... This was the High Level Spiritual Technique: the Nether Enchanting Heart Needle!