Free Web NovelChapter 264: Chapter 237: What Did You Say? I Didn’t Hear You Clearly
"Not long. Less than a month," Chen Che said calmly.
Zhou Jing’s eyes narrowed slightly. He had expected Chen Che to erupt in anger, to try and negotiate, to yield, or even to offer a bribe. The one thing he hadn’t anticipated was this air of complete indifference.
In that case, there was only one possibility.
’He must have something to back him up, something that makes him fearless.’
However, he refused to believe that a mere Foundation Establishment Fifth Layer cultivator could possibly defy them all.
"Perhaps in a little while, you won’t be around to be seen at all."
Zhou Jing’s eyes were filled with scorn. "If I were you, I’d be running as far and as fast as I could..."
"Valley Master Chen, we’ve known each other since Ye Jingzhou’s time. If this were any other matter, I would surely speak up to help you," Cao Xiong said, standing with his hands clasped behind his back, his tone laced with a hint of what sounded like regret.
"Unfortunately, you’re in too deep this time. Even I can’t save you! Surrender peacefully and come with me to see the True Master. You might be able to keep your life... and perform Alchemy for him..."
Of course, he conveniently left out the *conditions* under which Chen Che would be performing Alchemy.
The other Foundation Establishment Cultivators also stared coldly, their hands resting on their weapons, forming spell seals, or holding Talismans. At the same time, their muscles tensed and their True Essence surged to its absolute peak, making them look like a pack of hunting Mountain Monarchs.
It was as if the slightest wrong move would be met with a devastating, lightning-fast strike.
"You’re this confident you can take me down?"
Glancing out of the corner of his eye at the black-robed Major Cultivator with the crushed skull, Chen Che turned back to face the men before him.
He had long anticipated a day like this.
He knew that because of the incident with the Divine Statue, if anyone decided to make an issue of it, he’d be implicated. It could even be used as leverage against him.
’And sure enough, I was right.’
He’d originally thought it would be Sun Hao, since Sun Hao had always coveted his Little Chick. He never imagined it would be Zhou Jing and Cao Xiong. He had even watched with his own eyes as they seized this opportunity to lay a trap, dead set on killing him.
"Whether we can take you or not... we’re about to find out."
Zhou Jing sneered, his gaze turning frigid.
"Die!"
He attacked without warning before the word had even left his lips.
This was the kind of man who, while willing to bow his head when he couldn’t kill Chen Che, would not hesitate for a second when given the chance to strike.
ROAR!
As he raised his hands, the Gilded Coiled Dragon Spear he held suddenly let out a dragon’s roar. With a light thrust, the spear’s shaft blurred into a flurry of afterimages, crossing a hundred feet in an instant to appear right before Chen Che.
The spear’s phantom image seemed to pierce the very air, and a ring of pale white vapor erupted from its tip, expanding outward like a vast celestial cloud.
In that split second, the sound of the strike boomed like a clap of thunder.
Tier Two Middle Grade Martial Technique:
Thunder Shocking Spear!
A spear like a raging wind!
Like thunder! Like light! Like lightning!
RUMBLE!
Even the swampy ground beneath them caved in, as if crushed by an invisible dragon. A massive trench stretched from Zhou Jing’s feet all the way to Chen Che.
Almost simultaneously, Chen Che unleashed his own sword.
The Pure Jun Sword in his hand struck out, appearing deceptively slow but moving with incredible speed, meeting the tip of Zhou Jing’s spear head-on.
KRRSSSH!
The white ring of vapor was instantly torn to shreds.
’Such powerful True Essence!’
As sword met spear, the cold glint in Zhou Jing’s eyes turned to sheer horror.
He felt an immense surge of True Essence, like a vast tidal wave, pour into him, flooding his entire body in an instant.
CRASH!
Before everyone’s horrified eyes, Zhou Jing coughed up a mouthful of blood and was sent flying backward. He soared for seventy or eighty feet, snapping four or five massive red trees—each requiring several people to encircle—in half before crashing violently into the muddy swamp!
"Die!"
Chen Che raised a hand, and the Black Dragon Lock Chain shot toward the swamp like a striking Flood Dragon.
’Finish him while he’s down!’
"Commander Zhou!"
Cao Xiong had the highest Cultivation, having reached the Foundation Establishment Eighth Layer.
Seeing Zhou Jing repelled in a single blow and the Black Dragon Lock Chain striking out, he reacted instantly. He slapped his waist, and an exquisite Gilded Jade Gourd shot out, enveloped in Spiritual Light.
"Absorb!"
As he formed a Seal Technique, the Gilded Jade Gourd floated into the air and expanded rapidly, growing to seventy or eighty feet in the blink of an eye. A powerful suction force erupted from its mouth, enveloping the Black Dragon Lock Chain as if to swallow it whole.
Tier Two High Grade Spatial Magical Artifact:
Profound Jade Gourd!
In that instant, Chen Che felt a power surge from the Gilded Jade Gourd, wrestling with him for control of the Black Dragon Lock Chain.
Almost simultaneously, the other Major Cultivators attacked. Magic, Talismans, Flying Needles, and chains all flew toward Chen Che.
These Major Cultivators were all members of the Mixed Element City Guard.
They were elites handpicked by Zhou Jing, each at the Fourth or Fifth Layer of their Cultivation.
Although Chen Che had caught them off guard and killed four of them with a single sword strike...
But now, attacking head-on in unison, their combined might was earth-shattering. Like a cannon barrage, their attacks instantly covered a radius of a hundred feet around Chen Che. An assault of this magnitude could tear even a Late Stage Major Cultivator to shreds in a moment.
"A Gourd? I have one too. Watch this..."
Facing the overwhelming barrage, Chen Che chuckled. With a flick of his Divine Sense, the Yellow Gourd flew out from his sea of consciousness. Instantly, a powerful suction erupted from the Gourd’s mouth. The sky-blotting attacks, like fledgling swallows returning to their nest, were drawn into the Gourd one after another.
"This is bad!"
Cao Xiong’s face fell. He felt an unprecedentedly massive force pull at his Profound Jade Gourd. It was as if a tether had snapped; the Gourd he controlled with his True Essence was instantly ripped from his command, lost control, and was swallowed by his opponent’s Gourd.
"How is that possible?"
Cao Xiong’s eyes widened in disbelief.
He knew his Profound Jade Gourd was an exceptionally rare Spatial Magical Artifact, crafted by a Tier Three Artifact Refiner. It had only ended up as a Tier Two High Grade item because of a mishap during the final step of its creation.
Even so, it was far superior to other Magical Artifacts of the same Tier.
To obtain it, he had even risked punishment from the Sect by murdering its owner and stealing it right within Primordial City. He considered the Profound Jade Gourd his life-saving trump card. It was this very artifact that had allowed him to turn the tide during the Battle of Black Tortoise Calm Sea.
"What kind of Magical Artifact is that?"
"Attack together!"
The Mixed Element City Guards exchanged a look and immediately decided to engage Chen Che in close combat, denying him the chance to use his Magical Artifact.
Activating the tier-less Yellow Gourd wasn’t difficult; its effectiveness depended mainly on the opponent’s strength. The more powerful the target, the harder it was to absorb and the more True Essence it consumed.
Absorbing a Tier Two High Grade Gourd and the attacks of eight Foundation Establishment Cultivators at once had taken a significant toll, even for Chen Che.
A sweep of his Divine Sense revealed the attacks swirling inside the Gourd Space. They were contained, yet roiled in a chaotic state, requiring a massive amount of his True Essence to either suppress or refine them for the Gourd to absorb.
Seeing the men charge him, he formed a Seal Technique.
"Have it back!"
BOOM!
A fierce wind erupted as the absorbed Talismans and Magic spells were spewed back out without warning.
"AHH!"
The first three Major Cultivators in the line of fire screamed in agony as they were struck by their own attacks and instantly annihilated, leaving not even bones behind.
SKREEE!
The Little Chick suddenly struck as well. With a flap of its wings, it took flight, whipping up a hurricane as it moved.
Having reached the Foundation Establishment Fifth Layer, the Xuan Peng’s wingspan was nearly forty feet when fully extended. As it swooped down, it was like a vast, dark cloud blotting out the sky. Two of the retreating Major Cultivators were snatched by its massive talons before they could even react.
CRUNCH!
As Demon Essence poured into them, the two men felt their own True Essence seize up as if it were completely sealed.
At the same time, the immense force of the talons crushed down. The sound of their bones and sinews crackling and popping filled the air as even their internal organs were about to be pulverized.
’This treasure and I are destined for each other. It’s mine...’
But after the initial shock wore off, a flicker of greed appeared in Cao Xiong’s eyes.
BOOM!
Almost simultaneously, he unleashed his Divine Sense, sending it sweeping aggressively toward Chen Che. ’The guy sent Zhou Jing flying in one hit, so his strength is clearly extraordinary. He also has that Treasure Gourd and a Foundation Establishment Beast Pet. Anyone else would have panicked by now.’
But as the Chief Tutor of the Primordial Sect, he knew something others didn’t.
’The Sect has plenty of disciples with superior Spiritual Roots who advance in their Cultivation at incredible speeds. But because they lack a solid foundation, their Divine Sense is often weak despite their high Realm. Besides, once you incapacitate the master, the Beast Pet is no longer a threat.’
’Plus, I’ve used my Divine Sense for Attacking God and Inquiring Heart on Chen Che back when he was in the Qi Refining Realm. I’m certain my Divine Sense is far stronger than his.’
’Divine Sense, you say?’
He flicked a Pill into his mouth. The Gourd’s single act of absorbing and releasing the attacks had looked effortless, but it had already consumed forty percent of his True Essence. Sensing Cao Xiong’s subtle move, Chen Che sneered and retaliated without the slightest hesitation.
BOOM!
Two immense torrents of Divine Sense clashed in mid-air.
"Impossible... Your Divine Sense..."
The smug look in Cao Xiong’s eyes instantly turned to horror. He felt his opponent’s Divine Sense crash into his own like a world-engulfing tsunami. In a single moment, his own Divine Sense was annihilated, and the enemy’s slammed violently into his sea of consciousness.
Cao Xiong felt his sea of consciousness about to shatter. He hastily raised a hand, brandishing a small Jade Bell to block the remainder of the vast Divine Sense assault.
SPURT!
Even with his swift reaction, he still coughed up a mouthful of blood. Blood poured from his eyes, ears, mouth, and nose as his five senses were instantly obliterated.
’You thought you could take me on with *that* pathetic Divine Sense?’
Chen Che’s eyes were filled with cold mockery.
"This is bad..."
"Run!"
The three remaining Mixed Element City Guards looked on in terror. They had never imagined that Chen Che, while surrounded, could unleash such divine might and cut down so many of them. With a CLANG, one Major Cultivator dropped his Weapon and transformed into an Escape Light to flee.
The other two immediately followed suit, streaking out of the red-tree forest.
"Trying to run?"
Chen Che’s eyes turned cold. A flash of sword light, like a bolt of cold lightning, shot through the forest. The three Major Cultivators had just taken flight when they were suddenly sliced in two at the waist. Their upper torsos flew for another dozen feet before they seemed to register what had happened, plummeting into the trees below. Guts and blood rained down, splattering across the loamy soil.
"CHEN CHE! I’LL KILL YOU!"
A piercing shriek erupted from the swamp. The roar swept through the woods in an instant, shaking the countless trees until they trembled.
WHOOSH!
As a massive wave of mud exploded from the swamp, a figure leaped into the air. It was Zhou Jing. His face was ashen, his eyes filled with murderous intent. He had never suffered such a humiliation. At that moment, consumed by rage, only a single thought remained: kill Chen Che and wash away this shame in blood!
In the forest.
Chen Che stood ramrod straight, his long robes billowing and his hair whipping in the wind.
Finding the shouting a bit tiresome, he raised an eyebrow. His gaze swept over their surroundings, a silent gesture for Zhou Jing to take a good look. "What was that? I’m sorry, I didn’t quite catch it..."
...
Seeing the dismembered corpses scattered all around, and seeing Cao Xiong bleeding from all seven orifices with a look of agony on his face, Zhou Jing’s mouth fell open, utterly speechless.
