Chapter 297 - 295: An Utter Rout, Imposing Momentum

Chapter 297: Chapter 295: An Utter Rout, Imposing Momentum

Silence fell over the branch sect’s Martial Arts Arena.

Everyone present stared at Chen Yuan in horror.

They naturally recognized the Shenxiao Sect’s Shenxiao Evil-slaying Sword, but no one had expected that a Shenxiao Sect Secret Technique could unleash such immense power in Chen Yuan’s hands. Even a Condensing Truth Realm Martial Artist from the Shenxiao Sect probably couldn’t compare to him.

In truth, it was only natural that they couldn’t compare.

After all, the Daoists of the Shenxiao Sect didn’t have the Valley Spirit Scripture as their foundation, providing power for the Shenxiao Evil-slaying Sword.

What horrified them even more was Wang Xiongdian’s outcome.

While Wang Xiongdian wasn’t considered a top expert among the Ming Sect’s younger generation, his strength was still considerable.

It was normal that he couldn’t defeat Chen Yuan, who was already ranked in the top fifteen of the Hidden Dragon Rankings. But it made no sense for him to be killed in one move, unable to even muster the slightest resistance. The loss was just too pathetic.

The faces of the Martial Artists on Yuan Longxi’s side turned green with sickness. This was an utter, humiliating disgrace.

’We’re all Martial Artists of the Ming Sect’s younger generation, yet you get taken out in a single move. You’re completely fragile!’

’Even if an heir of the Five Elements Hall is strong, he shouldn’t be *this* strong, right?’

’What happened to wearing down his strength? A defeat in one move—how much of his strength could that possibly have used?’

"Who’s next?"

Chen Yuan looked at Yin Chuanzhou and Duan Zhixuan and grinned.

To him, it didn’t matter who came first.

Yin Chuanzhou and Duan Zhixuan shared a look, then Yin Chuanzhou stepped onto the Martial Arts Arena.

Yin Chuanzhou’s features were handsome yet effeminate, giving him a somewhat androgynous look, and the aura around him was sinister and evil.

The moment he was on the stage, Yin Chuanzhou immediately formed a Seal Technique. Boundless Ghost Qi billowed around him, instantly creating countless ghostly souls and phantoms. Hiding himself among them, he attacked Chen Yuan from all directions.

In reality, these young Martial Artists of the Ming Sect weren’t weak; they just happened to run into Chen Yuan.

Wang Xiongdian had a powerful physical body and an unparalleled aura, but unfortunately for him, his power was completely suppressed by the Shenxiao Evil-slaying Sword.

It was the same now with Yin Chuanzhou. His Rakshasa phantom technique created countless duplicates; forget a Condensing Truth Realm Martial Artist, even a Primordial Pill Realm expert would be unable to tell which was his real body.

His physical body was so thoroughly saturated with Rakshasa Yin Ghost Power that not even the slightest trace of a living person’s Yang Qi could be detected. His concealment was, one might say, almost perfect.

Unfortunately for him, his opponent was Chen Yuan.

Chen Yuan had never relied solely on the Celestial Fire Secret Manual. He had plenty of methods from outside the Ming Sect.

The instant the countless ghostly souls and phantoms closed in, a sharp glint flared in Chen Yuan’s eyes. In that moment, his gaze became incredibly profound, as if heaven, earth, and the stars themselves were shining within them.

Under the power of the Emperor’s Qi Observation Skill, the hazy, indistinct ghostly souls around him were deconstructed into simple lines.

Yin Chuanzhou’s figure, hidden among them, was now glaringly obvious.

It only took Chen Yuan a single breath’s time to see through the disguise, and the amount of Spiritual Power consumed in such a short period was almost negligible to him.

The scorching Li Yan Blood Fiend emerged on his blade, Blood Sea Listening Tide. With a downward slash, a Red Lotus bloomed upon it, and Karmic Flame surged to the heavens!

Yin Chuanzhou never imagined Chen Yuan’s first slash would come straight for him. ’Did he lock onto me, or was it just a guess?’

But when the Red Lotus Karmic Fire bloomed before him, Yin Chuanzhou was certain: Chen Yuan had seen through his disguise!

With a sharp cry, Yin Chuanzhou formed a Seal Technique. The countless ghostly souls merged into one, forming a giant, ghastly face that tried to swallow Chen Yuan’s attack.

But as the fiery Blood Fiend erupted, the ghastly face exploded with a BOOM.

In the next moment, Chen Yuan formed a Seal Technique. Buddhist Chanting echoed in the void, and from within the boundless, brilliant Buddha Light, the phantom of a Three-Faced, Eight-Armed Bright King materialized.

Following the Bright King’s furious roar, its eight arms moved into a Seal Formation. The Brahma Sound instantly thundered through the void as the Buddha Light surged!

The Three Generations of Bright King’s Demon-Suppressing Spell!

Once this spell was cast, it suppressed demons and exterminated evil. Its power was immeasurable, enough to make the Three Realms submit.

The Cultivation Technique of Yin Chuanzhou’s Rakshasa Hall was of the Yin Ghosts and Evil Spirits lineage, making it extremely vulnerable to suppression by Buddhist Cultivation Techniques.

The moment the Three Generations of Bright King’s Demon-Suppressing Spell was unleashed, it sent Yin Chuanzhou flying backward, coughing up blood.

At this, the expressions of everyone from the Yaksha Hall and the Rakshasa Hall, and indeed all the many Martial Artists under Yuan Longxi, turned grim.

Yin Chuanzhou had performed much better than Wang Xiongdian, at least lasting two moves before his defeat.

But what was the difference between being defeated in one move versus two? Was it something to be proud of?

Some people also felt that there was something uncanny about this Chen Yuan.

Although he was a disciple of the Ming Sect, the Cultivation Techniques he used weren’t from the sect.

His Cultivation Techniques and Secret Arts were all extremely powerful, and their Attributes were varied.

Normally, Wang Xiongdian and Yin Chuanzhou shouldn’t have lost so miserably, but the outcome was precisely because Chen Yuan’s Cultivation Techniques and Secret Arts countered them so perfectly.

"Brother Chen, what fine skill! Only a man like you is qualified to inherit the legacy of our Five Elements Hall!"

Duan Zhixuan walked onto the Martial Arts Arena, cupped his fist in a salute, and exclaimed in admiration.

He was strikingly handsome, with sword-like brows and star-like eyes. He wore a gentle smile, but it seemed somewhat fake.

As fellow heirs of the Five Elements Hall, Chen Yuan’s performance had been dazzling. If he were to lose as miserably as Wang Xiongdian and Yin Chuanzhou, forget about participating in the Heaven-Reaching Tower trials—his entire future would be completely cut off!

Vice Sect Leader Yuan Longxi wanted to take a Closed-door Disciple, a position Duan Zhixuan coveted with all his heart.

Once he became the Vice Sect Leader’s disciple, not to mention the cultivation techniques and resources, he would also inherit the forces under the Vice Sect Leader’s command and could even become one of the Ming Sect’s Controllers in the future.

But if he performed too poorly today, he wouldn’t just lose the chance to become Yuan Longxi’s disciple; he wouldn’t even be able to show his face in the Profound Gold Hall.

Duan Zhixuan’s tone suddenly shifted. "Since we are both disciples of the Ming Sect and heirs of the Five Elements Hall, this is just a friendly spar. There’s no need to make things so ugly.

"How about this? We’ll each go all out for three moves. After three moves, we’ll determine the winner based on whose techniques are stronger. That way, we can decide a victor without hurting our friendly relations. What do you think, Brother Chen?"

Mr. Bei frowned slightly. ’This kid from the Profound Gold Hall is quite the schemer.’

Among the Five Elements Hall, the Profound Gold Hall’s cultivation techniques were the most ferocious and sharp, ranking first in offensive power. They had many Secret Techniques with extreme explosive force, so Duan Zhixuan would definitely have the advantage in a three-move agreement.

However, Mr. Bei didn’t warn Chen Yuan.

’He knew just how many powerful Secret Technique trump cards Chen Yuan held. For Duan Zhixuan to play such games with Chen Yuan was simply courting death.’

Sure enough, upon hearing Duan Zhixuan’s proposal, a strange smile tugged at the corner of Chen Yuan’s mouth. "Alright."

Duan Zhixuan laughed heartily and cupped his hands. "In that case, I will make my move. Please be careful, Brother Chen."

As his voice fell, the clangorous, explosive sound of Golden Iron interweaving suddenly rang out from behind Duan Zhixuan.

An ultimate sharpness abruptly materialized around Duan Zhixuan, taking the forms of long swords, long sabers, battle spears, great halberds, and more—hundreds, even thousands of them, packed densely together!

With a thunderous shout from Duan Zhixuan, his hands suddenly clasped together. The countless tangible, biting blades merged into one. As he thrust his palms forward, the thousand weapons became one, and a sky-blotting sharpness slashed down from above with immeasurable might!

The Profound Gold Hall’s Secret Technique, Thousand-Weapon Void-Breaking Slash!

Duan Zhixuan was a Half-Step Primordial Pill Realm Martial Artist who had also comprehended Intent. These weapons formed from sharpness were not illusory; they were imbued with Sword Intent and Saber Intent, making every single strike exceedingly powerful.

With this strike alone, Duan Zhixuan was qualified to rank in the top fifteen of the Hidden Dragon Rankings. At the very least, he was far stronger than a fraud like Xu Tianhong, who relied on external power.

Assuming, of course, that he was under the age of thirty.

Chen Yuan narrowed his eyes, sensing the immense sharpness of his opponent’s attack.

’The explosive power of the Profound Gold Hall’s cultivation techniques is truly astonishing. An attack like this would indeed require my full strength to block.’

’But the problem is, I have no intention of winning after a three-move exchange with Duan Zhixuan.’

’If I’m going to win, I need to win in a grand, overwhelming fashion, leaving everyone speechless.’

’I’m new to the Ming Sect and my seniority is severely lacking. The best way to make up for that is with absolute strength!’

The instant the thousand-weapon slash was about to strike him, stars began to revolve in Chen Yuan’s eyes. Emperor’s Gaze, peeking into heaven’s secrets!

Just now against Yin Chuanzhou, Chen Yuan had only used the Emperor’s Qi Observation Skill for a single breath’s time, so the Spiritual Power consumption hadn’t been too great.

This time, however, Chen Yuan truly pushed the power of the Emperor’s Qi Observation Skill to its absolute limit. In an instant, the fundamental nature of Duan Zhixuan’s thousand-weapon slash was laid bare before him.

In Chen Yuan’s sight, this strike, imbued with ultimate sharpness and the intent of a thousand weapons, was deconstructed into lines composed of three types of power.

The first was, naturally, the ultimate sharpness. The second was the power of the thousand-weapon intent, such as Sword Intent and Saber Intent. The third was the Gold Origin.

As the strongest of the Profound Gold Hall’s younger generation, it wasn’t the least bit surprising that Duan Zhixuan had comprehended the Gold Origin, regardless of whether he did it on his own or with the help of external objects.

Celestial Fire Power emerged around Chen Yuan. In an instant, sky-scorching flames surged violently. As Chen Yuan pointed a finger, to an outsider, it looked like a simple, gentle gesture followed by a surge of Celestial Fire Power.

But in reality, this single stream of Celestial Fire Power contained countless, infinitesimally fine threads of power that entered the Thousand-Weapon Void-Breaking Slash, destroying the ultimate sharpness within and stripping away its thousand-weapon intent.

The subsequent Gold Origin was a bit trickier, but Chen Yuan simply used his formidable Celestial Fire Power to collide with and shatter it. In an instant, sharpness and flames intertwined, erupting in a violent burst of golden firelight in front of them.

When it came to the degree of control over the Power of Origin, Chen Yuan still had the upper hand.

Under the might of the Emperor’s Qi Observation Skill, Duan Zhixuan’s attack was utterly annihilated in an instant. He even felt his own power slip from his control the moment it left his hands. The severing of his connection to the Power of Origin, in particular, made him spit out a mouthful of blood.

Before he could even react, the remaining Celestial Fire Power in Chen Yuan’s hand surged forward, blasting Duan Zhixuan away.

Even with the protection of his Profound Gold Power, the strike still blasted Duan Zhixuan’s upper body black, and he immediately spat out another mouthful of blood.

A single strike, and the entire arena was in an uproar.