Chapter 872 - 604: Side Effects!

The years have rushed by, and it’s unknown how much time has passed.

On this day.

In the Eight Treasures Palace, clouds flowed like molten gold, with myriad laws automatically circling the hall.

Chen Sheng slowly opened his eyes.

His eyes were calm but seemed to contain an entire star river at the beginning of chaos, and as his gaze swept over, time and space slightly stagnated.

He gently pinched his fingers and, with some calculations, summoned his senior disciple.

Soon, a figure bowed into the hall, her clothes untouched by dust, precisely Qin Zhaoyu.

She walked to the steps and bowed respectfully, "Disciple, pays respect to Master."

Chen Sheng sat calmly on the cloud bed, his gaze falling on her:

"Your lifespan is still four Primordial Assemblies."

"You have already perfected the Fourth Step of Unity for some time now, and yet you’re not planning to break through?"

Qin Zhaoyu nodded slightly, her tone steady:

"Disciple wishes to refine for another three Primordial Assemblies, it’s good to increase the chance of breaking through."

Upon hearing this, Chen Sheng did not advise further, merely nodding lightly:

"As long as you are aware of yourself."

Changing the topic, he casually asked:

"Where is your junior brother? Has he gone to explore the Grand Thousand Worlds again?"

Qin Zhaoyu nodded again, with a hint of helplessness in her tone:

"Junior Brother aspires to decipher the bloodlines of the myriad races, inherently restless."

"By now, he should have entered the Wildsky Great World, seeking the remnant bloodline of the ancient Dream Serpent."

"If Master wishes to summon, Junior Brother has left an incarnation on guard at the Immortal Mountain, ready to arrive in an instant."

Chen Sheng chuckled lightly:

"No need to summon. He is indeed bold to travel in his true form and leave his incarnation on guard."

"I recall, he is about to perfect the Third Step of Unity?"

Qin Zhaoyu replied:

"He hasn’t truly broken through, but he’s at the doorstep, not far."

"Junior Brother’s talent and comprehension far surpass mine! Even compared to Master’s cultivation speed back in the day, he’s only a line behind."

"Across the myriad heavens and worlds, he is considered a peerless genius, with boundless prospects."

Chen Sheng merely smiled lightly, his tone calm but with an inherent truth of the Great Dao:

"The path of cultivation is not about speed; being able to maintain a stable mindset, steadily and surely, step by step, is also a clear path!"

"Alright, you may withdraw now."

"Yes!"

Qin Zhaoyu bowed and slowly retreated, her figure disappearing beyond the hall doors.

Chen Sheng nodded slightly, thinking slightly to himself.

Two disciples, the former has opportunities, the latter has talent, both have hopes of reaching the Tribulation Crossing Realm.

That is very good indeed!

He no longer thought much, slowly closed his eyes, and his aura once again returned to nothingness.

In the next instant, his consciousness delved into the Panwu World, continuing to deduce the changes in the Profound Yin Sequence system.

...

Panwu World.

Tianwu Continent, western border wasteland.

Yellow sand covered the sky, gang winds like knives, the world vast and desolate, filled with deathly silence.

Five figures raced through the air, their robes fluttered loudly in the wind.

The aura of Innate Realm burst forth, with waves rolling, pressing the yellow sand beneath them into deep depressions.

This world’s martial arts:

Twelve stages of Foundation Establishment in Postnatal, and then entering the three transformations of Innate—Void Pill, Solid Pill, Golden Core.

Reaching the Innate Golden Core can be called a Grandmaster, with the power to destroy mountains and fill seas.

"Old Demon Xu!"

A cold shout reverberated through the wasteland.

"You teach Demon Techniques, harm disciples, degrade the martial world! Today, I, Ling Canglan, shall uphold Heaven’s justice, take your damn life, and rectify the martial world’s vision!"

Ling Canglan’s face was resolute as if carved with an ax, his surrounding aura deep like an abyss.

An oppressive force of the Innate Golden Core Realm spread across the sky, far surpassing the other four Innate pursuers.

At his waist hung an ancient long knife, its sheath dark and mysterious, the blade hidden within, possessing an intimidating edge.

Xu Chen’s figure suddenly spun sideways, like a startled swan crossing the sky, narrowly avoiding a fierce Sword Gang from behind.

The Sword Gang grazed his Daoist Robe, sending broken stones flying dozens of feet, crashing against the rock wall, and sparking.

He steadied his staggering stance, his clothes wildly flapping, around him the Gang Qi of the Void Pill Realm slightly pulsating.

"Upholding Heaven’s justice?"

Xu Chen gritted his teeth, his voice hoarse and bloody,

"Ling Canglan, do you qualify! I only taught my disciples a couple of martial arts, yet you are all chasing me like I’m a rat, relentlessly!"

Regret surged in his heart, nearly crushing his teeth.

A few years ago, he was a mere mortal in modern society, suddenly transported to the Tianwu Continent, becoming an inconspicuous Daoist.

With no support, he almost starved on the streets.

Fortunately, upon crossing, he brought along a golden finger — [Martial Arts Furnace].

With this, he could expend fame to deduce martial arts, level up, and become exceedingly powerful, defying heaven itself.

With this golden finger, he swept across with invincible might.

In three years, he broke through the twelve-stage shackle of the Postnatal, stepping into the Innate Void Pill, flying through the air, traversing the western border unhindered.

To gain fame and deduce stronger Innate martial arts, he chose two paths:

First, opening doors and accepting disciples extensively;

Second, eradicating bandits and accumulating good reputation.

In eradicating bandits, he carefully selected those with low strength and no backgrounds.

He exploited the weak with overwhelming force, clean and decisive, earning fame while avoiding trouble, never encountering surprises.

The real root of trouble was in accepting disciples.

What he taught his disciples was deduced by [Martial Arts Furnace]: Flame Yang Internal Gang, Blinking Sword Technique.

Although not comparable to his own Innate Golden Core-level absolute arts "Heaven-Burning Divine Skill" and "Shadow Flash Sword Manual", they were top-tier within the Postnatal stage, enough for his disciples to dominate in the Postnatal Realm.

But, little did he expect, these two martial arts, ones he himself practiced with no issues, unexpectedly harbored strange side effects.

First, the Inner Strength of Blazing Sun.

After disciples cultivated, the Yang Qi within them increased daily, and their camaraderie deepened.

In the end, they all indulged in forbidden desires, becoming a laughingstock in the martial arts world, branded as "corrupting morals."

However, this psychological change was a hidden side effect and not necessarily a problem of martial arts, so he had an excuse to evade blame.

The greater disaster was the Blink Sword Technique.

The sword technique wins with speed, the strikes are invisible, the movements unpredictable, capable of delivering dozens of thrusts in an instant, fiercely unstoppable, capable of taking a life in the blink of an eye.

But after disciples cultivated, their eyes continuously depleted, their vision grew increasingly blurred, and in just one year, more than half of them went blind, becoming useless.

This sword technique was vilified in the martial arts world as — the Blind Sword Technique.

And he became the notorious Xu Laomo, a stepping stone for the righteous to increase their prestige.

"Cease your sophistry!"

Ling Canglan’s face darkened, his killing intent surged:

"You spread demon techniques to harm people, causing dozens of disciples to go blind, corrupting morals! If we don’t eliminate you today, the martial arts world’s rage will not be appeased!"

Before the words had fully echoed out.

Ling Canglan’s figure suddenly expanded by several feet, unleashing all his Gang Qi.

Transforming into a pitch-black torrent, carrying apocalyptic power, it crashed towards Xu Chen!

Where the Gang Qi passed, the yellow sand boiled.

The earth was plowed into a trench several feet deep, and within ten zhang, dirt and stones flew.

A mound of dirt several zhang high in the distance collapsed under the aftershock, dust billowing.

Xu Chen’s face changed dramatically.

Being only an Innate Void Pill, and two realms below an Innate Golden Core, he could not possibly take it directly.

His figure rapidly retreated, exerting Step on Wind to the extreme, his silhouette flickering like a ghost, yet still struggling to evade!

He gritted his teeth, Gang Qi of light red coalescing at his fingertips, unleashing fully, transforming into a crimson column clashing against the pitch-black torrent.

"Boom—!"

A deafening explosion echoed across the wasteland.

The air screeched and tore under the collision of forces, invisible shockwaves sweeping all around.

The shockwaves recoiled.

Xu Chen’s chest felt struck by a heavy hammer, Qi and blood roiled, a large mouthful of blood spattered from his lips, stumbling back several zhang.

The remaining four Innate Martial Artists immediately surrounded, sealing off all escape routes.

"Xu Laomo, surrender and spare yourself further pain!"

An Innate Solid Pill Martial Artist coldly shouted, Sword Gang directly targeting his face.

Xu Chen’s gaze sharpened, Gang Qi fully unleashed.

The longsword in his hand turned into a stream of light, weaving through the flashes of swords and blades, each strike precisely targeting openings, forcibly pushing back two Void Pill Martial Artists.

Ling Canglan snorted coldly, disdain flashing in his eyes, his large hand strike down through the air, Golden Core Gang Qi condensing into a Gang Qi Palm Seal finely honed to the extreme.

Mountain Suppressing Palm!

Upon the Palm Seal, faint mountain shadows emerged, immensely heavy, swift as lightning.

Xu Chen sensed the killing intent behind him skyrocketing, making avoidance impossible.

He could only forcibly twist his body, pooling all his Gang Qi onto his back to withstand the strike.

"Crack—!"

A crisp sound of bone breaking rang out, acute pain searing into his brain.

Xu Chen crashed into the yellow sand like a kite with a broken string, the sand beneath him quickly dyed red, his aura instantly withered!

"Xu Laomo, let’s see where you run now!"

Ling Canglan slowly descended, standing a few zhang in front of Xu Chen.

The Gang Qi in his palm intensified, faintly echoing with the rumble of mountains, clearly intending to finish him off.

Xu Chen lay sprawled in the yellow sand, drenched in blood, several ribs fractured, his breaths weak and thread-like, barely able to lift a finger.

Yet in his eyes, madness burned fiercely.

"Want to kill me?"

He gritted his teeth, speaking each word with blood.

"Ling Canglan, not so easy!"

From the tip of his tongue, he spat a mouthful of Essence Blood, stealthily invoking the self-preservation secret technique [Martial Furnace] deduced through countless fame points — Flaming Gang Escape.

At the cost of burning cultivation and Qi and blood, one can briefly explode with speed beyond their realm.

The cost is steep — cultivation decline, meridians severely damaged, even lifetime disablement with no further advance.

In the next moment.

Xu Chen’s entire body erupted in blinding crimson light.

The Innate Void Pill frenetically burned, Qi and blood surging like rivers flowing backward.

The agony of shattered bones nearly made him faint, his meridians tearing inch by inch under the rampant force.

Blood seeped from every pore, transforming him into a blood-soaked figure.

He abruptly got up, his figure turning into a crimson afterimage.

The speed was terrifyingly unmatched, far exceeding the Innate limit, breaking directly through the Sword Net encirclement of four Innate Martial Artists, wildly fleeing towards the depths of the wasteland!

"Not good! He has such a secret technique!"

Ling Canglan’s face changed drastically, full of shock.

He hadn’t expected Xu Chen to have such a life-saving method hidden.

Not daring to delay, his figure flickered, bursting fully, turning into a black shadow in pursuit.

But Xu Chen’s speed at this moment had temporarily surpassed a Grandmaster’s conventional limits.

His figure flashed in the vast yellow sand, disappearing into the depths of the wasteland within a few breaths.

...

Xu Chen ran wildly, not daring to stop.

The side effects of Flaming Gang Escape surged like the tide, growing more and more intense.

Qi and blood continuously drained, vision blurred, all his bones felt like they were falling apart.

Using the last of his strength, he dashed out of the wasteland, hiding in a concealed cave.

The moment he landed, he couldn’t support himself any longer, collapsing heavily.

"Damn it..."

Xu Chen gasped heavily, his voice hoarse, the viciousness in his eyes not diminishing in the slightest.

"The shame and wounds of today, I, Xu Chen, will remember!"

"Once I recover and deduce even stronger martial arts..."

"I will make them — pay blood for blood!"