Chapter 181 - 179: A Sword Concealed in Flesh and Blood, a Blade Condensed Within

Chapter 181: Chapter 179: A Sword Concealed in Flesh and Blood, a Blade Condensed Within

Though Wen Cangyuan was old, he was still hale and hearty.

His pampered lifestyle over the years had kept his Qi and Blood from waning and his physical body from withering, proving to be quite effective.

The might of his palm strike, in both power and presence, was at its absolute peak—fierce and peerless.

His saber strike—combining the Triple Power of the Blood Fiend Power, the Blood Refining Divine Saber, and the Celestial Fire Secret Manual—slashed down and collided with the Thunder Shocking Tribulation Hand, instantly unleashing a terrifying shockwave.

The dozens of feet between them were instantly swallowed by countless crimson glows of True Qi, flashes of lightning, and gouts of Demon Flame.

Strictly speaking, Wen Cangyuan was the first Primordial Pill Realm Grandmaster Chen Yuan had ever faced in a direct, head-on clash.

When he fought Shangguan Jue, Chen Yuan had first shattered the Array, leaving Shangguan Jue to be battered by its turbulent energies, which was what allowed him to land the killing blow.

But now, with no such distractions surrounding Wen Cangyuan, Chen Yuan was relying purely on his own strength to meet him head-on.

Just as the two clashed and the onlookers were reeling in shock at Chen Yuan’s strength, a pillar of Sword Qi suddenly erupted from the direction of the Thunder Shock Sect members.

Sword Qi surged to the heavens around Du Xiaochen. His body blurred into an afterimage, the sharp Sword Qi whistling through the air at such an incredible speed that it produced a piercing sonic boom.

Hearing the cry of the sword, Nong Wentai and Fei Yuanhua paused, momentarily stunned.

’What’s gotten into Du Xiaochen today?’ they wondered. ’Sucking up to the old ancestor to this extent? He’s so eager he couldn’t even hold back from being the first to attack.’

But in the next moment, they realized something was wrong.

Du Xiaochen’s sword wasn’t aimed at Chen Yuan—it was headed straight for Wen Chong!

Wen Chong had never even considered that Du Xiaochen would suddenly attack him.

Caught off guard, he could only hastily muster his Protective True Qi for defense while trying to turn and counterattack.

But the Flying Shadow Sword Pavilion specialized in the Fast Sword style, and Du Xiaochen had chosen the perfect moment to strike while everyone was distracted by Chen Yuan. Wen Chong had no chance to counterattack.

With a piercing cry, the sword instantly tore through Wen Chong’s Protective True Qi.

The lightning shattered. True Qi erupted wildly from Wen Chong’s body as he jerked backward.

But the ferocious Sword Qi sliced open his torso in the same instant, piercing straight through his Dantian!

The force of the blow sent Wen Chong flying, his intestines spilling from the wound.

The blade hadn’t reached his heart, so he wasn’t killed instantly.

Spitting out a mouthful of blood, Wen Chong stared at Du Xiaochen in disbelief.

"Du Xiaochen! You dare betray the Yang Mountain Four Sects! You deserve to die! You truly deserve to die!

I should have had the old ancestor kill you and annihilate your Flying Shadow Sword Pavilion back then!"

Wen Chong cursed as he tried to control his True Qi to stop the bleeding.

But with his Dantian destroyed, his True Qi couldn’t circulate. He could only watch helplessly as blood gushed from the wound.

The blood was tinged with a dark green hue. The next moment, he coughed up a mouthful of black blood, his face turning deathly pale.

"Poison! You... you actually used poison!?"

Wen Chong stared at Du Xiaochen, his eyes wide with disbelief.

Du Xiaochen had always been the archetypal Swordsman who lived and breathed for his craft. He fought only with his sword, disdaining even external aids like Hidden Weapons.

But today, he had laced his blade with poison, stooping to such a vile act.

Du Xiaochen’s expression was savage, almost twisted.

"So what if I used poison? I did it on purpose!

My son has suffered for so many years. Today, you’ll get a taste of how that feels!"

In that moment, Du Xiaochen was no Swordsman; he was simply a father seeking revenge for his son.

As he landed the blow, Du Xiaochen felt an incredible sense of satisfaction and relief, as if he had finally vented all the frustration he had suppressed for years.

"Du Xiaochen! Have you gone mad!?"

Fei Yuanhua gaped at Du Xiaochen, unable to believe he had just turned traitor mid-battle.

Nong Wentai, however, said nothing, a flicker in his eyes.

Of course, he knew why Du Xiaochen had defected.

Liang Yunhao, the one who had hired the Southern Sea Martial Artists to do the deed, was his own personal disciple. He had punished Liang Yunhao severely after finding out.

It was normal for Liang Yunhao to want to curry favor with the Wen Family.

Hadn’t they all fawned over Wen Chong in their youth?

But currying favor was one thing; to use such methods to get on Wen Chengze’s good side was another. Hadn’t he just dragged himself into a pit of his own making?

’The Flying Shadow Sword Pavilion might not dare to fight the Thunder Shock Sect to the death, but would they hesitate to come after the Mystic Light Sect?’

Fortunately, Du Xiaochen had let the matter drop. Nong Wentai never knew if he was genuinely ignorant or just pretending to be.

So many years had passed that Nong Wentai had almost forgotten the incident. He never expected Du Xiaochen would ultimately rebel!

With his Dantian destroyed, his body disemboweled, and a deadly poison coursing through him, Wen Chong could no longer even muster the strength to curse. His body collapsed to the ground. It was clear he wouldn’t survive.

Wen Cangyuan didn’t spare a glance for his dying descendant. His eyes remained locked on Chen Yuan.

"Such brilliant methods, Lord Chen! Such a brilliant scheme!

I’ve kept an eye on Du Xiaochen for so long, yet I never realized when you managed to turn him against us.

You kill my descendant, you threaten my Sect with extinction... fine, fine, fine! Today, this battle is to the death. Before my time is up, if I can take a prodigy from the Hidden Dragon Rankings down with me, it’ll be worth it!"

Wen Cangyuan bellowed, turning his gaze to Nong Wentai and Fei Yuanhua.

"After the Flying Shadow Sword Pavilion is annihilated, the Thunder Shock Sect won’t take a single coin of its territory or legacy. It will all be split evenly between your two sects!

From this day forward, there will be no hierarchy on Yangshan! Our three sects will stand as one, advancing and retreating together to face this mighty enemy!"

Wen Cangyuan was nothing if not decisive.

Before the fighting began, there had still been room for negotiation.

But now that Chen Yuan had made it clear he would see this through to the bitter end, even colluding with Du Xiaochen to kill his descendant and successor, this had become a blood feud that could only end in death!

The division of spoils on Yangshan was no longer important to Wen Cangyuan. All that mattered now was killing Chen Yuan!

Hearing this, both Nong Wentai’s and Fei Yuanhua’s eyes reddened with avarice.

If they could be on equal footing with the Thunder Shock Sect, they certainly had no desire to remain subordinate.

By dividing the Flying Shadow Sword Pavilion’s assets, their combined territory on Yangshan would be even larger than the Thunder Shock Sect’s, allowing them to recruit more disciples and grow stronger in the future.

Without a moment’s hesitation, the two men led their own Condensing Truth Realm experts in a charge toward Chen Yuan.

Just as Wen Cangyuan was about to move, he saw Du Xiaochen step in front of him.

"Xiaodu, you want to stop me? Do you know the consequences of this?"

Wen Cangyuan used Du Xiaochen’s old nickname, but his gaze was cold, brimming with chilling killing intent.

"Of course I do. It’s death, nothing more. But death is better than living as a coward!

Wen Cangyuan, I’ve waited five years for this moment. Do you have any idea what I’ve been through these past five years?

If I don’t kill Wen Chengze, if I don’t kill you, if I don’t destroy your Thunder Shock Sect, how could I ever justify the five years I’ve endured?"

Before taking action, Chen Yuan had already sent a message to Du Xiaochen.

He had offered two choices. The first was for Chen Yuan to face Wen Cangyuan directly, while Du Xiaochen and the men from Zhenwu Hall would together face the other three sects.

The second choice was for Du Xiaochen to hold off Wen Cangyuan for a time, allowing Chen Yuan to eliminate the other obstacles before returning to finish off the old grandmaster.

For Du Xiaochen, the first option was the safer one.

He was at the Peak of the Condensing Truth Realm and had already begun preparations to form his Primordial Pill; it would be no exaggeration to call him a Half-Step Primordial Pill Realm expert.

The Condensing Truth Realm Martial Artists from the other three sects were no match for him. He was confident he could handle them all at once.

But as a Condensing Truth expert facing a Primordial Pill Grandmaster, he wasn’t sure how many attacks he could withstand.

Nevertheless, Du Xiaochen made his choice.

A Swordsman would rather break than bend, rather die than submit.

He had endured for so many years for the sake of his son’s life and the preservation of the Flying Shadow Sword Pavilion.

Now that he finally had his chance, he had to take it. Even if he wasn’t sure how long he could last, he would fight to vent the suffocating anger in his heart!

Wen Cangyuan sighed and gently shook his head. "I’ve grown soft in my old age.

I should have just killed you back then and destroyed the Flying Shadow Sword Pavilion.

If I had divided its assets between the Mystic Light Sect and the Yanxia Sect, they wouldn’t have dared call me ruthless."

As his voice faded, lightning crackled around Wen Cangyuan. He moved like a thunderbolt, appearing above Du Xiaochen in an instant and slamming a palm down toward his Skull!

A blood-red Sword Intent surged from Du Xiaochen. He slashed upward, and an aura of ultimate, piercing sharpness erupted, tearing through the lightning in Wen Cangyuan’s palm strike.

With a deafening crack, Wen Cangyuan was thrown backward, a bloody gash appearing on his palm.

Du Xiaochen, however, was deathly pale. The Meridians and flesh all over his body bulged, as if Boundless Sword Qi were ravaging him from within.

Occasionally, a strand of Sword Qi would burst from his body, tearing his flesh and enveloping him in a mist of sharp, blood-colored Sword Qi.

"Concealing the sword in flesh, forging the edge within the body!

Du Xiaochen, your powers of endurance are truly astonishing!"

Wen Cangyuan sighed, his eyes filled with intense killing intent and regret.

’He really should have killed Du Xiaochen back then!’

Du Xiaochen was using the Sword Concealment Technique, a Secret Technique from an Ancient Sword Dao Sect that involved compressing Sword Qi to its absolute limit and hiding it within one’s own flesh and Meridians.

Every day, the user would hide another strand of Sword Qi inside their body, continuing until they reached their physical limit.

When it was time to strike, this Sword Qi—nurtured within one’s own flesh and blood—would erupt with unimaginable power.

However, very few people still practiced this Secret Technique, as most Sword Dao Sects considered it an Evil Technique.

This was because once the sword was concealed within the body, the user would be constantly torn apart by the sharpness of the internal Sword Qi, forced to endure the agony of a thousand cuts every moment of every day.

If their mental state faltered and they could no longer bear the pain, the Sword Qi hidden inside would spiral out of control, tearing the Swordsman to shreds.

Du Xiaochen had concealed his sword for five years, yet neither the people around him nor the shrewd and cunning Wen Cangyuan had noticed anything amiss. One could only imagine the depths of his fortitude.

If Wen Cangyuan had known of his incredible endurance, he would have surely seen him as a major threat. Why would he have ever let him live this long?

Du Xiaochen roared, and the dense, blood-red aura of sharpness around him erupted, pushing his control to its absolute limit.

His Long Sword thrust out, and in an instant, countless blood-red glints of light burst forth, forming a dragon of Sword Qi that surged toward Wen Cangyuan.

After five years of concealing the sword, the power of this attack was entirely comparable to that of a Primordial Pill Realm master.

A grave expression appeared in Wen Cangyuan’s eyes. Disregarding the decay of his own Qi and Blood, he unleashed his full power to counter the attack.