Chapter 525 - 494: You Seem to Have Forgotten Me

Chapter 525: Chapter 494: You Seem to Have Forgotten Me

The waves surged, cresting one after another.

Ye Shaoqiu and his men had just won a bitter battle, eliminating the ambushers who had attacked their Spiritual Boat. But before they could clean up the battlefield and set off again, they saw two more Golden Core Cultivators approaching.

Their approach was aggressive, their intentions clearly hostile.

They were about to demand the newcomers state their names when, to their astonishment, one of them also claimed to be Xiao Chan. Even for these Golden Core Cultivators from the Primordial Sect—veterans who had roamed the world for a lifetime and weathered countless storms—this was enough to leave them dumbfounded.

"Where are all these Xiao Chans coming from?"

Of course, they had no idea that this was the genuine article.

However, since the pair had emerged from the Jinghai Island Reef, they must have witnessed the entire previous battle.

To show themselves now meant one of two things: either they had something backing them up and were confident in their strength...

...or they were blinded by greed, hoping to risk it all for a big score.

Of course, the cultivators on the Jinghai Island Reef were thinking the same thing. Most, however, were just there for the show. Battles between Golden Core Cultivators were already a rarity, and a situation like today’s was practically unheard of.

A buzz of discussion erupted among them:

"Here come two more who aren’t afraid to die."

"Are they trying to scavenge the spoils?"

"Heh, they’re asking for death. Do they think the Primordial Sect’s scraps are that easy to take?"

Amid the clamoring crowd, Zhao Changping stood on a rooftop. Beside him, Tang Linli had his arms crossed, and the throng of cultivators gathered behind them immediately highlighted their prominent status.

Tang Linli, who had thought the battle was over, heard the rolling thunder from the sea and couldn’t help but click his tongue.

"You see strange things every year, but this takes the cake. So many people impersonating Xiao Chan. We just killed one, and another one pops up. They really have a death wish!"

"Y-Yes, indeed!"

Zhao Changping’s reply was noncommittal, his smile somewhat forced.

He didn’t know who the first group of ambushers were, but he immediately guessed the identities of these two newcomers. ’It must be my Valley Master and the real Xiao Chan.’ While the two of them had been observing the battle earlier, he had subtly inquired about the strength of the Primordial Sect’s Golden Core Cultivators.

He could set the others aside for now, but the three powerhouses—Great Protector Ye Shaoqiu, Third Protector Tu Zhenxi, and Vice Chief of the Sacrificial Hall He Gaohang—hadn’t even come close to using their full strength.

’If both sides had truly torn each other apart, it wouldn’t have been impossible for us to play the fisherman and reap the rewards.’

’But this situation now...’

...

He Gaohang, who had stepped forward to challenge them, was taken aback by the reply. A moment later, he burst out laughing.

"Good! I don’t care if you’re the real one or not. Since you’re here, you’re not leaving!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he let out a sudden, explosive shout.

HRAA—

His shout was like a crack of thunder, instantly echoing between the sea and sky. With that same shout, he stomped down.

All anyone saw was the sea around the Spiritual Boat Cargo Ship suddenly cave inward, as if pressed down by an invisible bowl hundreds of yards wide, creating a massive depression in the water.

It was a perfect, ferocious display of a Body Cultivator’s power.

He Gaohang harnessed that force, shooting forward like a bolt of lightning. In a flash, he transformed into an Escape Light hundreds of yards long, stretching from the Spiritual Boat Cargo Ship all the way to Xiao Chan.

"Such a tyrannical Body Cultivator!"

"Is this his true power?"

The Island Reef Cultivators were all aghast.

Zhao Changping in particular was overcome with worry. The Vice Chief of the Sacrificial Hall hadn’t displayed this level of power before!

"Bring it on!"

Seeing this, Xiao Chan showed no trace of fear. Instead, he let out a great shout, his True Essence erupting as he charged forward to meet the attack head-on.

He harbored a deep-seated hatred for the Primordial Sect. Now, with his enemies before him, he naturally wouldn’t hold anything back.

"Rise!"

As he charged, Xiao Chan reached back and unfurled the Soul-Calling Banner. The banner immediately swelled in the wind, expanding to hundreds of yards in an instant. Its fabric blotted out the sky as countless vicious souls streamed forth.

Its sheer presence was many times more terrifying than that of the impostor’s.

He Gaohang slammed into the mass of souls, but it felt like hitting a wad of cotton; his attack found no purchase.

"Huh?!"

He Gaohang grunted in surprise, instantly recognizing the difference. The previous man’s Soul-Calling Banner possessed none of this power. With a raised brow and a surge of Qi and Blood, he reached out, trying to snatch the Soul-Calling Banner right out of the air.

Xiao Chan rolled the banner’s body tight, transforming it into a great spear, and brought it down in a crushing blow. At the same time, innumerable Divine Souls poured out.

He Gaohang immediately switched from a claw to a fist, striking at the pole of the banner.

BOOM—

As the two collided, a deafening clang of metal rang out, accompanied by the wailing and roaring of countless Ghost Gods.

Amid the massive explosion, the two fighters were instantly thrown apart.

"Huh, this kid really is Xiao Chan! He’s cultivating the authentic Primordial Technique!"

As He Gaohang retreated and landed back on the Spiritual Boat Cargo Ship, Ye Shaoqiu spoke in a grave voice before he could even steady himself. In that brief exchange, Ye Shaoqiu had recognized some of the countless Divine Souls within the banner—not only Ye Yuanji, but also figures like Yu Zhen and Fan Sulan.

"For real?"

He Gaohang, who had been blasted back, was taken aback. ’So this is the real one?’

He knew the Sacrificial Hall had also been ordered to hunt Xiao Chan in secret. But the fiend was too cunning and rarely revealed his whereabouts. Every attempt to catch him had either come up empty or ended with his escape. And now, he had actually shown himself.

He Gaohang let out a wild laugh, his eyes glinting. "You’ve slipped away so many times. Let’s see you try to escape today!"

A series of CRACKS echoed from his body as his short, stout frame swelled like a balloon. He transformed into a nine-foot-tall giant, his gnarled muscles like twisted steel cables. His body shone with a metallic luster, as if he had been forged from molten bronze and iron.

Of course, it wasn’t just his size that grew, but his speed and strength as well.

If his previous charge was like a crack of lightning...

...then this time, it was like the unstoppable, cataclysmic collapse of Tai Mountain itself.

With a single leap, he crossed the void, pouncing toward Xiao Chan with even greater speed than before. The force of his charge was so immense it parted the sea, leaving a long-lasting scar in the water as if a furious dragon had torn through.

The ferocity of his attack was swift and sharp. The terrifying explosive power of a Body Cultivator made many of the Foundation Establishment cultivators look at Body Refining Cultivators in a new light.

But Chen Che was with Xiao Chan. And while Xiao Chan had been knocked back earlier, Chen Che had not moved an inch.

Now, as He Gaohang charged again, Chen Che was directly in his path. But the Vice Chief had no eyes for this ’nameless nobody.’ He only saw an obstacle standing between him and his target, an utter eyesore.

"Get out of the way!"

He flicked his right hand, intending to swat this ant aside.

Though the gesture was casual, a strike from a Body Cultivator would be enough to make even a cultivator of the Same Tier cough up blood.

Chen Che stood his ground, not moving an inch as his opponent charged. He simply curled his fingers into a fist. The turbulent seawater surged skyward, coalescing into a longsword in his palm.

VMMM!

A low hum resonated, and in the next instant, a sword’s cry echoed across the Black Tortoise Calm Sea.

RUMBLE—

Chen Che raised his right hand and swung down casually, as if he were a child sweeping a twig through the air, with no form or technique to speak of. Yet when the sword fell, the world seemed to shake.

SHIIIIING—

No one could have possibly imagined the power contained in that single strike.

The moment Chen Che’s right hand descended, the very air was sliced open, revealing a rift of chaotic, swirling energy like static.

Miles away, the vast sea parted on its own accord.

The blade tore through the air, unleashing a crescent-shaped Sword Aura that landed perfectly before He Gaohang.

A chill ran down He Gaohang’s spine, and his pupils contracted. It was too late to dodge. Without hesitation, he pulled back his punch to block, erupting with Qi and Blood. In that split second, his body swelled by another thirty percent, becoming a veritable mountain of bronze.

PFFT!

With a tearing sound, a shockwave of air stained crimson with blood instantly burst forth, resembling a furious, blood-red dragon.

He Gaohang’s blocking arms were severed in an instant.

SHLICK—

A cold light flashed, and the Water Sword fell upon his body.

BAM!

His body, like Steel Bones and Iron Flesh, was like paper mache before this sword. His entire frame was shredded by the Sword Qi, dissolving into a bloody mist that was carried by the attack and blasted deep into the waters of the Jinghai.

WHOOSH—

As the blade’s path ended, all sound and motion ceased.

The entire Black Tortoise Calm Sea fell deathly silent. The scene was so unbelievable that Tang Linli’s eyes looked ready to pop out of his head, filled with utter disbelief.

Chen Che calmly retracted the Water Sword. He looked up at the equally stunned Ye Shaoqiu, his chin tilted up slightly.

"It seems you’ve forgotten about me."

SPLASH...

The parted sea began to rush back in, creating a tremendous roar, yet it could not drown out his voice.