Chapter 185 - 183: Shenxiao Evil-slaying Sword

Yu Yousong's attitude was perfectly deferential.

Having witnessed Chen Yuan's might, things like age and experience were a complete joke to him!

Speaking of age, Wen Cangyuan had lived for over a hundred years and still couldn't defeat Chen Yuan. Hadn't he wasted his entire life?

There was no shame in following such a prodigious talent.

"I've only just arrived, and the affairs of Yangshan Prefecture are many. I am in great need of Elder Yu's assistance.

Since you are willing to remain in Yangshan Prefecture, Elder Yu, all future matters here will pass through you for review before being brought to me.

Master Feng may not have let you keep your post as Inspector, but here in Yangshan Prefecture, Elder Yu, you will still be performing the duties of an Inspector."

Yu Yousong was deeply moved.

He had never expected Chen Yuan to delegate so much authority, showing not the slightest bit of suspicion or wariness toward him.

"Rest assured, Lord Chen. This old man will certainly not betray your trust!"

Yu Yousong cupped his fists in a salute, his expression solemn and sincere.

In truth, Chen Yuan didn't much care for the power and authority of the Zhenwu Hall in Yangshan Prefecture.

He was more than happy to have someone else manage the trivial, messy affairs; otherwise, they would only hinder his own cultivation progress.

After settling things with Yu Yousong, Chen Yuan began to take stock of the spoils from the three Yangshan sects.

Strictly speaking, the Mystic Light Sect and the Yanxia Sect couldn't even be considered Middle-level Sects.

A Sect could only be considered a Middle-level Sect if it had produced a Primordial Pill Realm Martial Arts Grandmaster.

Otherwise, whether your Sect was at the Condensing Truth Realm Level or the Sea of Reincarnation Realm Level, you were considered a minor power in the Jianghu—a local tyrant at best.

The Thunder Shock Sect barely qualified as a Middle-level Sect. Although it had produced a Martial Arts Grandmaster in Wen Cangyuan, his case was not replicable.

Thus, the Thunder Shock Sect could only be considered among the weakest of the Middle-level Sects, its wealth only slightly greater than the other two.

Sects and Families of this level didn't actually have many good things, just some common Elixirs and Spiritual Medicines.

Chen Yuan kept a portion for himself. Though he didn't need them now, he could use them in the future after he finished the Elixirs he currently had.

Chen Yuan had no interest in the remaining items. The only thing that caught his eye was the Shenxiao Evil-slaying Sword that Wen Cangyuan had used before his death.

This Secret Technique was incomparably powerful, no less so than the Red Lotus Sin-Slaying Saber. It was a top-tier Secret Technique from the Shenxiao Sect, one of the Four Daoist Courts.

The Shenxiao Sect also had another Secret Technique from the same source, called the Purple Sky Demon Slaying Sword.

When the Shenxiao Evil-slaying Sword and the Purple Sky Demon Slaying Sword were combined, they formed the Supreme Technique of the Shenxiao Sect: the Shenxiao Purple Extreme Celestial Punishment Tribulation Thunder.

However, both techniques were extremely domineering Thunder Techniques. Throughout the history of the Shenxiao Sect, those who could combine these two supremely domineering Thunder Techniques were as rare as a phoenix feather or a qilin's horn.

But Chen Yuan searched the entire Treasure Vault of the Thunder Shock Sect and did not find the Cultivation Technique.

He searched Wen Cangyuan's body again, but still found nothing.

After a moment of contemplation, Chen Yuan guessed there was likely a problem with how Wen Cangyuan had obtained this Secret Technique.

That was why he had never used it before, dared not place it in the Treasure Vault, and certainly dared not let his disciples practice it.

Today, Wen Cangyuan knew the Thunder Shock Sect was doomed, so he had revealed this Secret Technique in a desperate, last-ditch effort.

Therefore, Wen Cangyuan must have hidden it in an extremely concealed location.

Or perhaps he had destroyed the Cultivation Technique, even the Spiritual Jade, and only kept it in his mind.

If it was the latter, that would be troublesome.

Chen Yuan could only try his luck, tearing apart Wen Cangyuan's study and residence in his search.

Finally, Chen Yuan found a hidden compartment beneath the floor of Wen Cangyuan's study, and inside it, the Spiritual Jade.

After reading its contents, he confirmed that it was indeed the Shenxiao Evil-slaying Sword.

However, after he finished reading the entire content of the Secret Technique, Chen Yuan frowned slightly.

To use the Shenxiao Evil-slaying Sword, it was best to drive it with the pure power of a Daoist Thunder Technique.

The Thunder Shock Sect's Thunder Technique was not that pure, so Wen Cangyuan could only barely use it, and he had to endure a backlash afterward.

If one lacked a Daoist Thunder Technique, other neutral and balanced Daoist Profound Skills without any specific attribute could also be used to activate it.

The problem was, Chen Yuan had neither.

Although the Inner Vision God Observation Method was a supreme Daoist Secret Technique, it did not provide a direct True Qi Attribute; it was a Secret Technique, not a Cultivation Technique.

And if he were to practice the Thunder Shock Sect's Cultivation Technique? It was merely Earth Level Lower Grade, which Chen Yuan looked down on, and it wouldn't allow him to fully unleash the power of the Shenxiao Evil-slaying Sword anyway.

He did have one decent Daoist Cultivation Technique on him: the *Profound Celestial Dao Scripture* he had obtained after annihilating the Qingyang Palace when he first came to the White Tiger Hall.

That damaged version of the *Profound Celestial Dao Scripture* was rated as Earth Level Upper Grade. While not overly powerful, it did meet the requirements.

However, it was incomplete, meaning he could only practice some of its fragments. It felt like a rather useless acquisition.

That was why Chen Yuan hadn't chosen to practice it back then.

It was uncertain whether forcing himself to practice the incomplete *Profound Celestial Dao Scripture* now would even cultivate a sufficiently pure Daoist Inner Power, and it seemed like too much of a waste of time.

So, after a moment's thought, Chen Yuan set the matter aside for the time being. He decided to reconsider practicing the Shenxiao Evil-slaying Sword after he obtained a sufficiently powerful Daoist Cultivation Technique.

With that, Chen Yuan descended the mountain, leaving the cleanup to Yu Yousong and Du Xiaochen.

The insights he had gained from his battle with Wen Cangyuan were actually greater than those from his fight with Shangguan Jue, and he needed to enter seclusion to digest them.

In his battle against Shangguan Jue, due to the interference of the turbulent Array, Chen Yuan had mainly focused on dragging Shangguan Jue into the chaos and letting the Array wear him down to death.

But this time, in his fight with Wen Cangyuan, Chen Yuan had truly clashed head-on with a Primordial Pill Realm Martial Arts Grandmaster.

Of course, even though he had won this battle, he didn't delude himself into thinking he now had the power to casually slay Primordial Pill Realm Martial Arts Grandmasters.

Wen Cangyuan was old, after all, his Qi and Blood in decline. He could muster the power of his peak in a single burst, but it wouldn't last long.

As long as Chen Yuan could withstand Wen Cangyuan's first few bursts of power, Wen Cangyuan's defeat was certain.

But if he had faced Wen Cangyuan in his prime, the Grandmaster would still have strength left after those initial bursts, and even plenty of Qi and Blood to burn for a desperate struggle.

In that situation, Chen Yuan would have been forced to use his trump cards.

Therefore, Chen Yuan didn't get arrogant. Instead, he became even more vigilant. From now on, he had to be extremely careful when facing any Primordial Pill Realm Grandmaster.

At the Primordial Pill Realm level, even a Loose Cultivator could not be underestimated. Who knew what kind of trump cards or Secret Techniques they might pull out?

...

「A few days earlier.」

Just as Chen Yuan arrived in Yangshan Prefecture, Xu Feizhou also reached Kaiping Prefecture.

Feng Wushang was stingy and tight-fisted, but he was actually quite generous to this newly adopted son of his.

Xu Feizhou did not arrive to take up his post alone; he brought twenty elite White Tiger Guards, who had served by Feng Wushang's side, as his trusted confidants.

Gazing at the city gates of Kaiping Prefecture, Xu Feizhou was filled with lofty ambitions.

He was from the Xu Family of Taining Prefecture, and he was the eldest son of the Xu Family Patriarch.

Unfortunately, his mother was of low birth, merely a concubine, so he had known since childhood that the position of Patriarch belonged to his younger brother and had nothing to do with him.

Because of this, he had learned to be observant and curry favor with his father and the elders from a young age, living cautiously and feeling utterly suffocated.

But even so, he was viewed with suspicion by his younger brother and the primary wife, and was kicked out of the Xu Family early on to take a post in the Zhenwu Hall.

Due to his childhood experiences, he toadied up to his seniors in the Zhenwu Hall and finally managed to make a name for himself in the Celestial Martial Guard, eventually rising to the rank of Inspector in the White Tiger Hall.

However, he had long known about the situation in Yangshan Prefecture. That place was a pit of fire.

'I want to take charge of a territory, so how could I possibly jump into that pit of fire?'

So, he had cast aside his dignity and used every trick in the book to curry favor with Feng Wushang and have him adopt him as his son. At last, he had found his opportunity and snatched Kaiping Prefecture from that Chen Jiutian.

So what if that Chen Jiutian was a peerless genius on the Hidden Dragon Rankings? He was young and hot-blooded, and didn't know when to hold back.

'If I were him, I definitely wouldn't have accepted Chao Hongtu's Token, which would have saved me from arousing Feng Wushang's suspicion.'

But it was thanks to Chen Jiutian's youthful arrogance that this opportunity had even fallen into his lap.

Now that he could finally take charge of a Prefecture City and command a territory, now that he no longer had to read anyone's expressions or suck up to anyone, Xu Feizhou couldn't resist the urge to let out a long cry and vent the frustration in his heart.

Letting out a long breath, Xu Feizhou looked at the White Tiger Guards beside him and said with a smile, "Gentlemen, you've followed me to Kaiping Prefecture, and I will not let you be wronged.

Rest assured, as long as I, Xu Feizhou, have meat to eat, I will absolutely not let my brothers go hungry!"

Everyone present looked at Xu Feizhou in surprise.

This man had not been like this when he was at Feng Wushang's side.

In the White Tiger Hall, Xu Feizhou had used his status as Feng Wushang's adopted son to berate and curse them, the White Tiger Guards, at every turn. His attitude had been arrogant and overbearing, as if he were half a master himself.

But toward Feng Wushang, he had been utterly fawning and obsequious. His sycophantic, boot-licking appearance was so pathetic that even they found it contemptible—a textbook example of someone who bullies their subordinates and fawns over their superiors.

Now that he was in Kaiping Prefecture, how could this Xu Feizhou seem like a completely different person?

Although they couldn't understand it, upon hearing Xu Feizhou's promise, they all felt a stir of excitement and quickly said, "Thank you, Lord Xu!"

Feng Wushang was tight-fisted and miserly. Even though they were White Tiger Guards directly under the White Tiger Hall, the perks of following Feng Wushang were not that great.

Now that they could finally be posted out to another Prefecture City, this was a good thing for them as well.

Xu Feizhou nodded with a smile, and with a wave of his hand, led his men into Kaiping Prefecture.

How could someone who had endured such a difficult childhood be a brainless, arrogant fool?

His arrogance and overbearing attitude in front of Feng Wushang had all been an act, put on to offend more people and thus put Feng Wushang at ease.

Only by offending everyone around him could he become a true "isolated official," letting Feng Wushang know that his only backer was his adopted father.

'That Chen Jiutian was young and arrogant, not knowing when to pull back. How long did it take before Feng Wushang grew wary and pushed him aside? Far too young and naive.'

Now that he was in Kaiping Prefecture, he would definitely need to cultivate his own team. Naturally, there was no longer any need to pretend; instead, he had to win these people over properly.

'This Kaiping Prefecture will be the place where I, Xu Feizhou, soar to the heavens and truly show what I'm made of!'