Free Web NovelChapter 347: Chapter 347: Opening the Stage
"The interesting thing is..."
Dugu Jiu turned to face Xu Yunfan directly. "According to ancient clues, a true chance at immortality can only be found where the Celestial Demons dwell. With the recent resurgence of Spiritual Qi, Bi Yuan and his people naturally assume the Celestial Demons are about to return. The current fluctuations in the Great Zhou Dragon Vein will surely hasten this. It’s even possible that the moment the Luotian Grand Sacrifice is complete, the Celestial Demons will descend."
He then abruptly changed the subject. "Do you know why the Taoist Sect would go to such lengths, using the Luotian Grand Sacrifice and even draining the Great Zhou Dragon Vein?"
Seeing Xu Yunfan lost in thought, Dugu Jiu continued, "They intend to use this Heaven-Reaching Path to create someone capable of fighting the Celestial Demons. And you..."
His gaze was sharp as a blade. "When you break through to the Ninth Realm using Ten Thousand Laws Return to the Stream, the anomaly of your Ten Extremes True Qi perfectly fusing might grant you the power to rival a Celestial Demon. After all, the Extreme Daoists of old who shattered the shackles of the Ninth Realm to reach the Land Immortal Realm were also able to slay them."
As the last sliver of the moon sank in the west, Dugu Jiu finally departed, his footsteps trailing through the dew.
In the four hours they had spoken, this peerless expert from three hundred years ago—a man at the Peak of the Ninth Realm who had dominated an entire era—showed only excitement and eagerness at the mention of the Celestial Demons, without the slightest hint of fear.
Xu Yunfan carefully extended his senses. Only after confirming that Dugu Jiu was truly gone did he lower his gaze, sit cross-legged, form the Linn Character Seal, and begin chanting the Supreme Kindness Heart Spell.
After an unknown amount of time, a message finally appeared in his vision.
’Through diligent practice, your spirit has grown more refined. Linn Character Technique Skill Level +1.’
His cultivation of the Linn Character Technique now progressed at a snail’s pace. Ever since he had reached Minor Achievement, the Skill Level required for Great Success seemed impossibly distant.
At dawn the next day, Xu Yunfan looked out from his pavilion window. In the morning light, the Black Tortoise Martial Arts Arena—which had been demolished by his Ten Extremes True Qi just the day before—had been restored to pristine condition.
The cracks riddling the Obsidian Platform Base had been filled with molten steel, and the shattered Coiling Dragon Pillars had been replaced with new ones, re-carved from solid blocks of Cyan Jade.
He had to admire the craftsmen of the Great Zhou Ministry of Industry in their ink-black official robes. Their skill was nearly on par with that of the disciples from the Celestial Craft Department in the Celestial Craft Cave.
The battlefield that had been ravaged by the Profound Daoist Sect’s Sword Qi and the Jiuyao Sect’s raging flames was now so perfectly restored that even the patterns on the floor tiles looked new. It was as if the Ninth Realm battle that had shaken Jade Capital had never occurred.
Were it not for the surrounding collapsed walls and buildings, there would be no sign that a fierce battle had taken place.
On the Black Tortoise Martial Arts Arena, still shrouded in the morning mist, the air held the faint, scorched scent of the previous night’s Sword Qi, even though the stage itself had been perfectly repaired.
As Xu Yunfan stepped onto the obsidian tiles, which gleamed with a faint cyan light, he felt a subtle fluctuation of Spiritual Power beneath his feet, causing his brow to twitch.
These Spiritual Power fluctuations formed some kind of array, interfering with his ability to absorb the surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.
Two thousand yards away.
"The Spirit Suppressing Jades have reached seventy percent resonance with the earth veins."
Inside the Ministry of Industry’s observation tower, a chief clerk turned a lever on the mechanism toward the Black Tortoise Arena. On the ritual apparatus, three Spirit Jades were trembling violently. Seeing this, he wiped the sweat from his brow.
"Xu Yunfan is still devouring Spiritual Qi... The Spirit Suppressing Jades the Ministry embedded won’t last until Noon."
The Vice Minister of the Ministry of Industry, identifiable by the peacock rank badge on his ink-black robes, sneered. "All three hundred and sixty Spirit Suppressing Jades were harvested from the Kunlun Ruins Cold Vein. They will hold."
He suddenly lowered his voice. "When the Taoist Sect used their Dragon Nailing Technique to forcibly drain the Dragon Vein, did they ever imagine we could use the very same Earth Vein Principle to counter them?"
The Households Commander of the Imperial City Department, standing in the corner, suddenly interjected, "But don’t forget, if Xu Yunfan really has mastered the Ten Extremes Martial Arts, created three hundred years ago by the Celestial Sword, Dugu Jiu..."
"Shut up!"
The Vice Minister of the Ministry of Industry cut him off sharply. "The Empress doesn’t want speculation! If you can’t suppress the backflow of Profound Yellow Qi by 1:45 PM, you can all start preparing to collect your families’ corpses!"
The Households Commander opened his mouth, his lips trembled, but in the end, he just let out a silent sigh.
’This was the kind of job that could get your whole family killed.’
’That Xu Yunfan was a monster, and the Taoist Sect had the Luotian Grand Sacrifice on their side. Even after the three monks from Mituo Temple—Ci Ku, Ci Nan, and Ci’e—came to investigate, they still hadn’t found a viable solution upon reaching Jade Capital City.’
’The Taoist Sect had been around far longer than the Great Zhou dynasty; heaven only knew what terrifying secrets it held.’
On the platform, Xu Yunfan gave a light stomp, raising an eyebrow.
’How interesting.’
His gaze swept over the collapsed compound walls nearby. Where the Han White Jade railings had been shattered by the aftershocks of his Ten Extremes True Qi, several figures now stood, their auras deep and heavy.
A purple-robed Elder from the Jiuyao Sect. The new Sect Leader of the Profound Daoist Sect.
Three Female Cultivators from the East Sea Penglai Pavilion, and beside them, a ten-foot-tall figure completely shrouded in a cloak...
’Everyone from the Five Great Sects was here, it seemed—everyone except the Taoist Sect.’
Xu Yunfan swept his gaze across them all, a hint of defiance in his eyes, which earned him a flurry of icy stares.
"Let him be arrogant for now. He’ll regret it soon enough," the Merak Sword Master from the Sword Pavilion sneered.
The green-robed Daoist from the Profound Daoist Sect remained silent, his expression frigid as he began channeling his Dragon and Tiger True Qi, infusing it into the Divine Weapon at his waist and gathering its power.
"Final round of the Techno-Martial Tournament, begin!"
As the Senior Steward’s hoarse voice rang out, Xu Yunfan stared at the three monks from Mituo Temple who had just appeared on the stage, momentarily taken aback.
He sneered, turning to face the high platform. "Senior Steward, since when did the rules of this arena allow for a three-on-one fight?"
The stooped old man tremblingly unfurled a bright yellow silk scroll. "The Mituo Temple’s *Vajra Subduing Demons Scripture* states that the three monks, Ci Ku, Ci Nan, and Ci’e, cultivate the ’Trinity’ Secret Technique. Their auras are linked, and their Divine Souls resonate as one..."
Facing Xu Yunfan’s intensely aggressive gaze, the old man swallowed hard before finishing. The end of the scroll bore the vermilion double seal of the Astronomical Bureau and the Imperial City Department. "According to Article Seven of the Great Zhou’s *Codex of Techno-Martial Laws*, they... they can be considered a single combatant..."
"What a ’Trinity’!"
Xu Yunfan burst out laughing, though he was inwardly speechless. ’So they’re just exercising their right to "final interpretation," are they?’
The Red Fire Dragon-Swallowing Mace erupted in his palm with incandescent white flames. "Then today, I’ll send you all..."
The draconic patterns on the mace lit up one by one, and it suddenly let out a dragon’s roar as the red crystal scales covering it flared up.
"...to your one and final destination!"
"Benefactor, you talk too much."
Ci Ku’s voice was the first to tear through the morning mist, accompanied by the flash of his saber. The blade moved so fast it left churning white ripples in the air.
This demonic weapon, a relic from the Daqian era, was specifically designed to disrupt the flow of True Qi. Yet Xu Yunfan charged straight toward the blade’s edge, his Ten Extremes True Qi forming a spiraling vortex within him—a variation of the Earth Dragon Flipping Over technique from the Eight Desolates Dragon Fall.
The instant Ci Ku’s Profound Yin Soul Slaying Saber sliced into the vortex, the mace exploded into a thousand red crystals, like a volcanic eruption. Each fragment was wreathed in Ten Extremes True Qi that had been condensed into an almost tangible, bursting flame.
Ci Ku’s Divine Armor Kasaya was no match for the blast and instantly vaporized. The old monk was shocked by the sheer ferocity of the exploding Ten Extremes True Qi.
"Suppress!"
Ci’e seized the opening, slamming the Dragon-Suppressing Seal onto the ground.
The earth veins, which the Ministry of Industry had secretly altered the night before, began to churn violently.
A Profound Yellow Chain, formed from the convergence of nine dragon veins, erupted from the ground beneath Xu Yunfan’s feet.
Seeing this, Ci Nan hastily scattered the Thousand Mechanisms Powder. Propelled by his True Qi, a toxic mist capable of stagnating an opponent’s True Qi instantly enveloped Xu Yunfan!
Xu Yunfan showed no hint of panic. In fact, his expression held a trace of mockery. ’My Ten Extremes True Qi can be divided into ten different types of Strength, allowing it to counter all techniques. How could it be so easily restricted? These people think they understand the Ten Extremes Martial Arts, but they’re being hopelessly naive.’
