Chapter 183 - 181: Wen Cangyuan, Death Before Regret

Chapter 183: Chapter 181: Wen Cangyuan, Death Before Regret

In front of Xuan Ting Hall, no one had expected the battle to turn out like this.

The Thunder Shock Sect and its two allies had clearly held the advantage, yet now, the Sect Leaders of all three sects were dead.

All of the Yanxia Sect’s top experts at the Condensing Truth Realm had been slain, effectively crippling the sect.

With Nong Wentai’s death, the Mystic Light Sect was also completely crippled.

Meanwhile, Du Xiaochen’s junior brother, Yang Xian, was fighting with extreme ferocity.

He treated Du Guangnian like his own nephew, and now he attacked with a hateful vengeance, his power astonishing.

Moreover, the Flying Shadow Sword Pavilion had always focused on producing elite members, so its Martial Artists held an advantage in combat strength against others of the same realm.

As the tide of battle turned, he seized a moment when his opponent was distracted and cut down a Condensing Truth Realm Martial Artist from the Thunder Shock Sect.

Yu Yousong, still vigorous in his old age, also slew his opponent at this moment.

With that, nearly all the upper echelons of the three sects had lost their lives on the spot.

Once the leaders were dead, the other Martial Artists could no longer hold on.

Although the Thunder Shock Sect and its allies had greater numbers, the martial artists Liu Suifeng had secretly trained were all of exceptionally high quality, possessing astonishing combat strength for their realm.

At the beginning, they had been at a disadvantage but were still able to withstand the enemy’s assault.

But with the deaths of the three Sect Leaders and other high-ranking members, their disciples instantly crumbled, and the tide of battle reversed completely.

Chen Yuan took a moment to check on Liu Feiyan.

Although Liu Suifeng had sent Liu Feiyan to train under him, he couldn’t just ignore her completely.

To Chen Yuan’s surprise, the Liu Feiyan of today was a far cry from her former self.

The old Liu Feiyan had struggled to fight a group of bandits with a Foil.

But the current Liu Feiyan wielded a Heavy Sword taller than she was. She swung it with astonishing power, her Qi and Blood Power terrifyingly dense.

Any opponent who got too close was instantly smashed into minced meat by her sword.

Of course, if she smashed them into the ground, they became a puddle of gore.

Seeing that Liu Feiyan was fine, Chen Yuan felt relieved and turned his attention back to Du Xiaochen.

Chen Yuan had dealt with Fei Yuanhua and the others quickly, but Du Xiaochen was already on his last legs.

For most ordinary Condensing Truth Realm Martial Artists, the gap between the Condensing Truth and Primordial Pill Realms was an insurmountable chasm.

Only existences like Gu Lichuan, who could comprehend Sword Intent while in the Sea of Reincarnation Realm, or Huangfu Yi, who possessed the ’Divine Revelation’ Divine Mask, were qualified to challenge a Primordial Pill expert upon reaching the Condensing Truth Realm.

Du Xiaochen had neither Gu Lichuan’s talent nor Huangfu Yi’s legacy. It was already a feat for him to have lasted so many exchanges against Wen Cangyuan using his Sword Concealment Technique.

By now, Du Xiaochen was covered in dripping blood. His Sword Qi was depleted, and even the Mystic Soldier Longsword in his hand had been shattered by Wen Cangyuan’s powerful Thunder Technique.

Just as he was about to press on, Chen Yuan placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Sect Leader Du, that’s enough. Leave the rest to me."

Du Xiaochen swayed, took a deep breath, and said in a low voice, "That old bastard has already used up some of his True Qi and Qi Blood. But his Thunder Technique is ruthless. Be careful, Lord Chen."

After speaking, Du Xiaochen collapsed. Du Guangnian immediately caught his father and helped him retreat to the side.

Wen Cangyuan no longer had his former serene, immortal-like demeanor. He was now radiating a ferocious killing intent.

He glanced at the routed Mystic Light Sect and Yanxia Sect. Although the disciples of his own Thunder Shock Sect were still resisting stubbornly, they were clearly in decline.

"I never, ever imagined my final years would end up like this!"

Wen Cangyuan’s life had been one of dramatic ups and downs.

Born into a Minor Sect, he had roamed the Jianghu, faced countless dangers, and eventually seized an opportunity to break through his own limits, becoming the first Martial Arts Grandmaster of the Primordial Pill Realm in the history of the Thunder Shock Sect.

Afterward, he unified the Yangshan Four Sects, becoming their revered patriarch. In Yangshan Prefecture, his word was law. Even Feng Wushang, the Hall Master of the White Tiger Hall, had to show him respect.

In his life, he had reached the absolute peak for a Martial Artist from a Minor Sect.

If things had proceeded normally, no matter how the Yangshan Four Sects developed in the future, his name, Wen Cangyuan, would have had a permanent place in the Sect’s history.

But he never expected that in his twilight years, he would be unable to even protect his own Sect!

"Lord Chen, I have a question for you.

Back when you sent that notice, if I had obediently submitted, handed over all the taxes we’ve accumulated over the years, and pledged my allegiance to you, would you still have moved against my Thunder Shock Sect?"

Chen Yuan shook his head. "Of course not. I’m not some bloodthirsty killer. In fact, I consider myself a very reasonable person.

But the question is, would you have done it? Even if I gave you a hundred chances, you would never have made that choice.

Once you get used to being the patriarch, you’ll never bow your head so easily."

Wen Cangyuan fell silent.

Because Chen Yuan was right.

Even if given another hundred chances, he still wouldn’t have bowed his head.

After so many years as the patriarch, he had grown accustomed to looking down on others. He had long forgotten what it felt like to look up.

Wen Cangyuan snapped his head up, his eyes shot with crimson.

"So be it! I bowed my head more than enough when I was young. Why should I bow and admit fault in my old age?

I can be defeated, but I will not be wrong!

Lord Chen, your strength is astonishing and your methods are decisive and ruthless. You are destined to become a great figure, a peerless prodigy who will dominate the Jianghu.

To have a future great figure like you accompany this old man in death... my life will have been worth it!"

A ferocious killing intent filled Wen Cangyuan’s eyes. A powerful and intense lightning flared around him as he completely disregarded whether his aging body could withstand the power of his peak state.

The Thunder Shock Sect had fallen, the Yangshan Four Sects were gone, but he, Wen Cangyuan, had not yet been defeated!

A hint of admiration appeared in Chen Yuan’s eyes.

’The older you get in the Jianghu, the more timid you become. Some people lose the sharp edge of their youth as they age. Despite having little time left, they grow even more fearful of death, becoming utterly cowardly. If Wen Cangyuan had begged for mercy today, Chen Yuan would have looked down on him; a man like that would be no different from the likes of Nong Wentai. But now, he still had the courage to fight to the death and take his enemy down with him. He had not disgraced his status as the patriarch of the four sects.’

Lightning roared and thunder deafened the ears. At this moment, Wen Cangyuan’s aura and power had both reached a level nearing his absolute peak.

A blinding white light streaked across the sky, and in an instant, Wen Cangyuan appeared before Chen Yuan.

A palm struck down. The boundless lightning condensed into a silvery, tangible substance, erupting with utterly terrifying might.

The Thunder Shock Sect’s Cultivation Technique belonged to the Taoist School, a variation of the Thunder Technique from the Shenxiao Sect, one of the Four Daoist Courts.

Lacking the versatile attributes of the Shenxiao Sect’s Thunder Technique, their version focused solely on raw, ferocious power.

In his prime, Wen Cangyuan’s moniker was the Thunder Shock Hand. The number of opponents he had blasted to pieces with his Thunder Shock Hand was countless.

Chen Yuan’s eyes narrowed. The Blood Refining Divine Saber gathered Blood Fiend and fell, wreathed in a towering Demon Flame.

Chen Yuan had used this same slash to clash with Wen Cangyuan before, but now, in his desperate state, Wen Cangyuan’s aura had reached its peak, his power several times greater than before.

The almost tangible lightning in his hand surged. He changed his palm into a claw and actually caught Chen Yuan’s Celestial Blade in his grip.

Instantly, lightning entwined with the Blood Qi and Demon Flame, exploding outwards with a roar. A portion of the lightning even shot along the Celestial Blade toward Chen Yuan.

Chen Yuan suddenly exerted his strength, trying to pull the Celestial Blade free, but discovered a Giant Power pressing down on it. He couldn’t withdraw the blade.

Although Wen Cangyuan’s Qi Blood was in decay, the strength of his physical body was not weak.

The Thunder Shock Sect’s Thunder Technique also had the effect of tempering the physical body. So even though Wen Cangyuan had never specifically trained in a Body Refining Technique, his physical strength was greater than that of other Martial Artists in the same realm.

Buddha Light suffused Chen Yuan’s body as the sound of Buddhist Chanting suddenly descended.

As the Six Paths of Vajra Mantra of Master Padmasambhava emerged, it directly shattered all the incoming lightning.

Then, the immense Blood Qi around Chen Yuan’s body suddenly ignited, and the Power of the Heart-Burning Karmic Flame surged toward Wen Cangyuan.

A look of horror appeared in Wen Cangyuan’s eyes.

’I never fought against the prodigies on the Hidden Dragon Rankings while roaming the Jianghu back in the day, but I saw them in action. My peak was when I was in my fifties, a hundred years ago. The prodigies on the Hidden Dragon Rankings back then didn’t possess terrifying power like Chen Jiutian’s.

His cultivation spans the Daoist, Buddhist, and Demon paths, and his foundation of power is so profound he seems to have no weaknesses at all. If you placed the current Chen Jiutian a hundred years in the past, he’d even qualify for the top ten of the Hidden Dragon Rankings!’

The Power of the Heart-Burning Karmic Flame continuously burned away his Qi Blood and True Qi, but Wen Cangyuan seemed not to notice.

’This power is bizarre and demonic, but it can’t burn away all my Qi Blood and True Qi in an instant. In that case, I’ll just act as if it doesn’t exist. I’m fighting to the death anyway.’

Wen Cangyuan formed a seal with his left hand. A speck of purple lightning gathered in the center of the Seal Technique and smashed down toward Chen Yuan’s skull.

Purple Sky Thunder Shock Hand!

This speck of purple lightning was the power of Purple Sky Thunder, incomparably domineering and mighty.

The attack was astonishingly powerful, shattering the protective Demon Flame around Chen Yuan’s body in an instant.

Blood Fiend and Killing Tribulation Power gathered around Chen Yuan. He met the attack with an attack of his own. The Blood Killing Heaven-Seizing Hand crashed down, its Killing Tribulation Power annihilating all things. Even the Purple Sky Thunder could not withstand this power and was instantly extinguished!

Wen Cangyuan grunted, his body knocked back several steps. Chen Yuan retrieved the Celestial Blade.

But in the next moment, Wen Cangyuan formed another Seal Technique. His Thunder Shocking Primordial Pill spun rapidly inside him, and in an instant, a power resembling liquid mercury appeared in his hand.

But upon closer inspection, it was composed of countless bolts of lightning compressed to their absolute limit.

The moment this power appeared, Wen Cangyuan’s face became deathly pale.

The Power of the Primordial Pill was immense, but he was old and his body was failing, so he would not normally push the power of his Primordial Pill to its absolute limit.

But now, Chen Yuan had forced him into this corner. He had played one trump card after another, yet none of them could do anything to Chen Yuan. He had no choice but to use this kind of power. The consequence was that his Primordial Pill could easily shatter, but that was no longer a concern for Wen Cangyuan.

His right hand moved as if drawing a sword from its sheath. The compressed, liquid lightning was drawn from his palm, like a long sword shimmering with the power of Thunder Tribulation.

He thrust the sword out. In that instant, ten thousand bolts of lightning descended, and for a moment, the area within a hundred-zhang radius was dyed a silvery white.

Everyone present couldn’t even hear any other sound; there was only the echo of thunder.

Shenxiao Evil-slaying Sword!