Chapter 721: Brutal
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Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Watching Tu Zaichuan collapse softly to the ground, Chen Fei activated the Slaughter Spirit Technique and guided the spiritual essence into the Qianyuan Sword.
The Qianyuan Sword emitted a sharp sound, then retracted into its sheath.
Tu Zaichuan’s body turned into powder, dispersing with the wind.
Chen Fei looked into the distance. Someone like Tu Zaichuan, with a heart set on destruction, would never submit even under the threat of death. It was almost inevitable that he would try to set traps and lead you into danger.
Chen Fei had never trusted Tu Zaichuan.
Even if Chen Fei wanted to know how to observe the stone stele, it was impossible to follow Tu Zaichuan’s rhythm step by step. That would be like handing over his life to Tu Zaichuan.
Even if you kept your eyes fixed, it wouldn’t have any effect.
Because sometimes, it was precisely because you felt you were watching closely and felt secure, that you were led step by step into a trap by using this mindset.
Chen Fei understood this, so during the more than a year Tu Zaichuan was imprisoned in the dungeon, he was actually preparing.
The Dream Entry Technique was not very effective for those above the mid- Combined Aperture Tempering realm, let alone targeting someone in the Mountain Sea Realm. Even for someone like Tu Zaichuan, who was severely injured in the Mountain Sea Realm, it was the same.
Unable to control the Mountain Sea Realm at will due to the incomplete Dream Entry Technique, Chen Fei decided to exchange time for the power of the technique.
Over the course of more than a year, Chen Fei directly integrated the Dream Entry Technique into the formation of the dungeon.
Relying on this long-term subtle influence, he could activate it when needed.
Although he didn’t obtain the complete Dream Entry Technique when he explored the Dream Shadow Cave, the trials there allowed him to incorporate many aspects of such techniques.
In essence, the incomplete Dream Entry Technique didn’t improve much, but it became much richer in terms of methods.
Chen Fei’s enhancement of the Dream Entry Technique through time exchange in the dungeon was a result of his gains from the Dream Shadow Cave.
Of course, if given the choice, learning the complete version of the Dream Entry Technique would be a one-time effort.
However, spending a year or more, injuring someone to the brink of death, and still only having limited control over dreams were too many restrictions.
When you truly needed it, there simply wasn’t enough time to set everything up.
The spirit of the Dream Shadow Stone had been thoroughly dispersed by Chen Fei before. As long as Chen Fei entered the realm of the mind, he could retrieve the Dream Shadow Stone and obtain the complete Dream Entry Technique.
With such a top-tier technique, Chen Fei naturally had no reason to give up.
However, as Chen Fei followed his intuition towards the hidden location of the Dream Shadow Stone in the realm of the mind, he stopped in his tracks from a distance, hesitating to proceed.
There were numerous late-stage fourth-tier Monsters, as well as a considerable number of mid-stage and early-stage fourth-tier Monsters.
It was practically a gathering place for Monster Kings. Whether there were peak fourth-tier monsters among them, Chen Fei couldn’t be certain from such a distance.
The Dream Shadow Master had been extremely straightforward and brutal in protecting the Dream Shadow Cave, simply placing the Dream Shadow Stone in the most dangerous place, straightforward and clear.
But this posed a great difficulty for Chen Fei.
Sneaking over might provide some opportunity to retrieve it.
After all, although there were many fourth-tier Monster Kings in that place, they were not all cl.u.s.tered together; there was still some distance between them.
However, once Chen Fei’s whereabouts were noticed, escaping the realm of the mind wouldn’t be as simple as it had been before.
As his martial realm advanced, his mind and soul strengthened, and entering and leaving the realm of the mind began to take time.
Perhaps due to the enhancement of his own quality, there was an instinctive tug from the realm of the mind on the consciousness and soul entering here.
During combat, this pulling sensation was even stronger.
Attempting to forcefully escape the realm of the mind would only result in prolonging the time exposed, as there was no resistance against it, leaving one vulnerable to being directly attacked by the fourth-tier Monster Kings.
After considering for a moment, Chen Fei decided not to take the risk.
To safely retrieve the Dream Shadow Stone, he would have to wait for his realm to continue advancing, or rely on talents he might acquire in the future to deal with such situations.
Chen Fei’s figure on the mountain peak faded, then disappeared altogether as he headed towards the direction of the Flowing City.
Although he had only superficially manipulated Tu Zaichuan’s dreams just now, Chen Fei still gained a lot of useful information through Tu Zaichuan’s self-a.s.sociation.
There indeed was a way to bypa.s.s the confinement of the Saint Yan Sect and observe the stone stele. On this matter, Tu Zaichuan hadn’t deceived Chen Fei.
Lies always consisted of nine truths and one falsehood to be most convincing.
And the hidden falsehood was there to achieve one’s own ends.
Tu Zaichuan’s goal was to stay alive and directly kill Chen Fei to end it all. However, Tu Zaichuan hadn’t antic.i.p.ated that his soul in the Mountain Sea Realm had fallen under an illusion and remained unaware.
In fact, while in the dream, Tu Zaichuan had already begun to sense something amiss. However, as the dream progressed and approached the point of escaping, Tu Zaichuan’s consciousness was forcibly pulled apart once again.
In less than a moment, Chen Fei landed outside the Flowing City.
Entering the city, walking through the alleys, he bought incense.
But it wasn’t the kind of Hidden Rice Incense; instead, it was another type of yellow incense called Soul-Attracting Incense.
Its usual function was to lure out the strange and eerie, odorless and tasteless, yet emitting a special wave.
Chen Fei stood in the alley, waiting. In just a moment, a figure appeared.
He also had a goatee, but he wasn’t the person from the dream. This man was named Guo Jiayu, a pure intermediary.
He could communicate with people from the Saint Yan Sect and then negotiate the opportunity to observe the stone stele.
Only disciples of the Saint Yan Sect would have the possibility of leading someone to the location of that stone stele.
“My friend, may I ask what brings you here?”
Guo Jiayu wore a smile on his face, stealing a few glances at Chen Fei. With his late-stage Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivation, in the Corpse Cliff Mountain and Flowing City, it was considered a decent realm.
“I want to buy something,” Chen Fei said.
“This place is crowded and noisy. Could my friend please follow me? Let’s find a place to talk in detail,” Guo Jiayu’s smile widened, gesturing with his right hand.
“Alright!”
Chen Fei nodded and followed behind Guo Jiayu.
The two wandered around the Flowing City for a moment before choosing a private room in an inn.
In a place like an inn, both parties would feel relatively relaxed, not worrying about any traps.
“I wonder what my friend would like to buy?” Guo Jiayu stood up and deliberately poured a cup of wine for Chen Fei.
“The stone stele!” Chen Fei raised his head, indicating his intention.
Guo Jiayu’s hand paused slightly, placing the wine pitcher on the table.
“That stone stele isn’t easy to see,” Guo Jiayu said softly.
This statement wasn’t meant to be evasive; it was simply the truth.
The stone stele deliberately restricted by the Saint Yan Sect wasn’t something you could just see whenever you wanted.
The scheme Tu Zaichuan used to trap Chen Fei existed in Flowing City; the Saint Yan Sect indeed had this arrangement there.
But anyone above the Mountain Sea Realm who intended to tamper with the Dragon Elephant Stone Stele would be targeted by the disciples of the Saint Yan Sect in Corpse Cliff Mountain. Reporting such individuals would earn great merit and substantial rewards.
Therefore, the area where the stone stele was restricted would never be open to those above the Mountain Sea Realm. Even if there were channels, it would be impossible to access them unless you were a disciple of a top-tier power, in which case the outcome would be different.
But if it wasn’t the Mountain Sea Realm, but rather below it, things were slightly different.
The reason was quite simple: because under the Mountain Sea Realm, seeing the stone stele didn’t reveal the true form of the Suppressing Dragon Elephant Technique.
The stone stele had been restricted by the Saint Yan Sect for so many years that outsiders had no way of knowing how the techniques on the stone stele were recorded.
For martial artists under the Mountain Sea Realm, seeing the stone stele didn’t mean they were seeing fake techniques.
It was also real, but the order of practice was incorrect, and even if practiced, the resulting effects were subpar, far from matching the true power of the Suppressing Dragon Elephant.
In the event where they showed you, what you saw would be a knockoff version. The effects of practicing it were barely different from some common techniques.
Even if it was slightly stronger, the improvement was extremely limited.
And you thought what you had seen was the original Suppressing Dragon Elephant technique.
The purpose of the Saint Yan Sect’s actions was straightforward: they opened up a seemingly insignificant loophole to silence some people’s mouths, pour out some of the resentment and dissatisfaction towards the Saint Yan Sect.
Over the years, few people had thought about looking at that stone stele anymore because the cost outweighed the benefits.
Moreover, because this was a clandestine transaction, once you displayed the Suppressing Dragon Elephant, even if it was a knockoff version, if the people from the Saint Yan Sect found out, they might send someone to hunt you down and reclaim the technique.
On one hand, they secretly erected a monument, but on the other hand, they also used heavy-handed tactics. All the initiative was in the hands of the Saint Yan Sect, and unfortunately, you couldn’t say much about it.
“As for the price, it’s negotiable,” Chen Fei said with a smile.
“I’ll be honest with you too. Over the years, fewer and fewer people have wanted to see the stone stele. It’s been years since anyone came. But as for the price, it hasn’t budged at all. In fact, it even goes up periodically.”
Guo Jiayu picked up his wine gla.s.s, gesturing to Chen Fei before taking a sip.
“What’s the price now?”
Chen Fei’s expression twitched slightly. A price increase every now and then meant they weren’t keen on having visitors.
Although the Saint Yan Sect hadn’t tightened their grip on the loophole, it was clear that the cost of entry was increasing.
The path was laid out for you; whether you wanted to walk it was your own decision. If you chose not to, it was your own business. You couldn’t say the Saint Yan Sect was being too domineering or bullying the weak.
“Twenty thousand medium-grade elemental stones!” Guo Jiayu held up two fingers.
Chen Fei didn’t respond immediately but instead lowered his head in thought.
It was expensive. At least for the Combined Aperture Tempering realm, this price was somewhat outrageous. The average Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivator didn’t have that much wealth.
But for Chen Fei now, it was nothing to fuss about.
“Can you make it cheaper?” Chen Fei asked, lifting his head.
“That’s the price, and you also need to give me a thousand medium-grade elemental stones as a service fee,” Guo Jiayu shookhis head.
“Alright, deal. Can it be done quickly?” Chen Fei gritted his teeth.
“That was easy,” Guo Jiayu said.
Guo Jiayu glanced at Chen Fei, surprised that he was willing to pay such a sum. It seemed he had been deceived by the reputation of the Suppressing Dragon Elephant.
With a radiant smile on his face, Guo Jiayu once again poured Chen Fei a gla.s.s of wine. If someone was willing to spend money, he naturally wouldn’t refuse to earn that income.