Chapter 282: Chu Chaoyun’s Legend
Xiao Chen raised his head to take a look at the sky. The sun was already setting and the sky already dyed red; it was already dusk. He got up and smiled bitterly, “I can’t continue to chat. It is time for me to go. When there is an opportunity in the future, let’s have a hearty drink together again.”
The horizon was now a blazing red. Perhaps it was because Yun Kexin had drunk too much, but there was a tinge of red on her delicate face. When contrasted with the setting sun, she was even more beautiful.
Yun Kexin got up and cupped her hands, “Take care on your journey, we will meet again!”
Xiao Chen nodded and then he turned around to leave the courtyard, heading to the gates of the Yun Residence. The scarlet light of the setting sun turned his back red and left a long shadow on the ground.
Yun Kexin"s eyes followed Xiao Chen as he left. Only when Xiao Chen’s back could no longer be seen did she withdraw her gaze.
Xiao Chen left the Yun Residence and immediately headed out of the city. He planned to arrive at the harbor of Black Dragon River before it became dark.
Along the way, Xiao Chen executed the Azure Dragon Cloud Soaring Art. His body became like a rus.h.i.+ng flood dragon on the road. He was much faster than the Dragon Blood Horse.
When the sun completely sank below the horizon, he finally arrived at the harbor. The lanterns enveloped the harbor in a bright light; there were many large merchant s.h.i.+ps that were waiting to start their journey.
Xiao Chen took a cursory glance and casually searched for a merchant s.h.i.+p. After he explained his purpose and paid up, he successfully boarded the s.h.i.+p.
The deck was filled with cultivators who were preparing to cross the river. Xiao Chen found an empty spot and sat down cross-legged. Soon, he entered into a state of cultivation and slowly circulated the Dragon and Tiger Body Sculpting Art.
The night was spent in silence. By the time it was morning on the next day, the merchant s.h.i.+p had already quietly started its journey, traveling along the vast and boundless Black Dragon River.
“Did you guys hear? The Xihe Twin Menace were killed. Their bodies were hacked into half; they died without a complete corpse.”
“That’s not possible. The Xihe Twin Menace are Inferior Grade Martial Kings. They have traveled around the Xihe Province for so many years and have been encircled by people countless times. Yet, they had always managed to escape safely. How could they be killed in such a manner?”
“I heard about this too. Someone had personally seen their corpses. They were left in the Devil Savanna and eaten by wolves. We just don’t know who did it.”
“Haha, I know who did it. I was there when it happened. These two people had met with an unexpected failure. They stopped the Misty Sword Sect’s Chu Chaoyun and wanted him to hand over the Superior Grade Spirit Stone he had obtained in the auction. In the end, they were killed by Chu Chaoyun alone. All their wealth was taken away by him after that.”
The deck in the morning slowly became very lively. All the cultivators were talking about the most recent news. When Xiao Chen heard Chu Chaoyun’s name, he could not help but listen closely.
“Isn’t Chu Chaoyun only a peak Superior Grade Martial Saint? How could he deal with two Inferior Grade Martial Kings simultaneously? Even if he won, it should have been very difficult for him.”
The earlier person scoffed, “Difficult? Don’t make me laugh. It was simply a one-sided ma.s.sacre. This was especially true after Chu Chaoyun took out a Holy Weapon. The Xihe Twin Menace did not even have the opportunity to flee. They were chopped into halves with one strike of the sword.”
“That is impossible!”
“I saw it for myself, it is definitely real. At that time, there was also a group of bandits at the Devil Savanna. They were the Xihe Twin Menace’s helpers. However, when they saw the situation, they fled in fear.”
The people on the deck all took a deep breath. They did not expect Chu Chaoyun to be so strong. Killing Inferior Grade Martial Kings was like slaughtering dogs to him.
The rising sun in the east came out of the horizon and illuminated the river surface a blazing red. As Xiao Chen watched the sunrise, he revealed a grave expression.
Xiao Chen muttered, “Chu Chaoyun is like this sunrise. The instant he reveals himself, he can immediately eliminate the darkness. He is incredibly strong. I was once defeated by him in one move. If I cannot defeat him in the future, it could leave an eternal shadow in my heart.”
Xiao Chen withdrew his gaze and recalled his fight with Chu Chaoyun. When he thought about it carefully, he realized that Chu Chaoyun had actually defeated him with half a move.
This was because Chu Chaoyun did not even completely draw out the Holy Weapon. That battle was the most miserable battle of Xiao Chen’s life. It could be said to have become a heart demon already.
If Xiao Chen did not get rid of this heart demon, it would become a major bottleneck for him. Hence, a fight with Chu Chaoyun was unavoidable.
The cultivators on the s.h.i.+p were still discussing Chu Chaoyun. Xiao Chen walked to a quiet area and watched the surface of the boundless Black Dragon River.
As Xiao Chen was looking into the distant, a person came over and greeted him, “Little Brother, are you a disciple of the Heavenly Saber Pavilion?”
Xiao Chen turned his head and discovered a middle-aged man about 40-years-old. He was an early Medial Grade Martial Saint dressed in long green robes and he carried a huge saber behind him.
Xiao Chen nodded, “En, I am a disciple from Qingyun Peak. Is something the matter?”
The middle-aged man smiled and said, “It’s nothing. My son is a Heavenly Saber Pavilion disciple as well. I am making this trip to go to the Heavenly Saber Pavilion. The journey is long, so I was seeking a companion to speak to.”
When Xiao Chen heard this, his expression relaxed. He smiled gently and said, “What is the name of your son? Maybe I might know him.”
The middle-aged man revealed a proud expression as he said, “My son’s name is Gao Xiang. He is a Gangyu Peak disciple. He pa.s.sed the exam last year and is already a core disciple. I believe that his cultivation has surpa.s.sed mine by now.”
Gangyu Peak’s Gao Xiang!
Xiao Chen was mildly stunned in his heart. However, there were no changes to his expression as he said, “I know Gao Xiang. His cultivation has reached Medial Grade Martial Saint long ago. Why is uncle looking for him?”
When the middle-aged man heard that Xiao Chen knew Gao Xiang, he immediately revealed a joyous smile. He said, “You are actually friends with my son? What is Little Brother’s name? It seems like that brat is more capable than me now. It was worth spending that big sum of Spirit Stones to send him to the Heavenly Saber Pavilion.”
“That’s right, what is my son doing now? He has not written back for a long time already. I am going to the Dongming Province and the Heavenly Saber Pavilion happens to be along the way, so I was planning on going to check on him.”
Xiao Chen felt a little anxious, he did not know how to answer this question. He had personally seen Gao Xiang die but when he saw the smile on the middle-aged man’s face, he could not bear to speak the truth.
Perhaps, it was like Yun Kexin had said, there were no more true bladesmen in the Heavenly Saber Pavilion. However, even if there were a thousand reasons, they should not have sent their own disciples in to die.
The pride of the upper echelons of the Heavenly Saber Pavilion was already all gone.
Xiao Chen hesitated for a while before saying, “I am Ye Chen. Uncle, you might be making a wasted trip. Gao Xiang had left two months ago for some experiential training. He probably won’t be back until the end of the year.”
A look of disappointment flashed in that middle-aged man’s eyes. He said, “Then never mind. It is not easy to enter the Heavenly Saber Pavilion anyway. Thank you, Little Brother.”
Xiao Chen squeezed out a smile with difficulty and did his best to maintain a natural look. He said, “It’s just a small matter. There is no need to stand on ceremony.”
“Quick! Look! What is that?!”
Suddenly, someone on the deck shouted out. Everyone stopped talking and looked forward. About one thousand meters in front, they saw a huge black figure approaching the merchant s.h.i.+p rapidly.
In the next instant, the river surface started to ripple intensely. A huge waterspout surged over.
“It’s a Black Tuna Whale, a peak Rank 6 Spirit Beast. It is equivalent to an Inferior Grade Martial King.”
“Why are we so unlucky. We have only traveled for a while and we ran into the Black Tuna Whale already. We are finished.”
The people on the deck panicked when they recognized the Black Tuna Whale.
Xiao Chen was initially stunned when he saw the Black Tuna Whale. Then he laughed, “Fate is tying us together. I get to meet you on both ways of my journey. Since you came this time, you are not going to get to flee again!”
“Little Brother, what are you doing?! Don’t be ras.h.!.+” Gao Xiang’s father shouted when he saw Xiao Chen rus.h.i.+ng toward the beast.
When the crowd saw Xiao Chen leap into the air, they all mocked him, “The youths today are really reckless, they even dare to go head on against the Black Tuna Whale.”
Xiao Chen maintained a calm expression and ignored the cold words of the people on the deck. He looked fearlessly at the two hundred meters tall waterspout. Its speed was increasing.
“Rumble…!”
Boundless clouds appeared and churned above; the clear sky immediately became dark. There were crackles of thunder coming from the clouds, Xiao Chen’s state of thunder was rising.
“Drawing the Saber!”
Xiao Chen’s aura reached its peak and he shouted. A flash of lightning tore through the sky, looking like a purple chain.
The Lunar Shadow Saber was drawn, appearing almost at the same time as the lightning. Xiao Chen hacked down with his saber, infusing a boundless aura and the limitless might of thunder.
A bright saber light appeared in the dark sky. The saber light flashed and the huge waterspout was hacked into half.
The horrifying waterspout dispersed and turned into rain, falling on the deck and soaking everyone.
When they saw Xiao Chen hacking apart the waterspout, the people below all became speechless. There was an unnatural expression on the faces of the people who had called Xiao Chen reckless.
“Small Perfection State of Thunder, I recall who he is. He is the Qingyun Peak disciple of Heavenly Saber Pavilion who fought Mu Chengxue to a draw.”
“So it is him. Since when has such a powerful disciple appeared in QIngyun Peak? I recall there was only a Murong Chong. However, he withdrew from Qingyun Peak long ago. What is his name?”
Someone on the deck finally recognized Xiao Chen and everyone was incredibly astonished. Gao Xiang’s father smiled and said, “This person is Ye Chen, he is a friend of my son.”
“Ye Chen…I have not heard this name before. He must be a newly emerged expert of the younger generation. Looks like there will be a second Murong Chong in the Xihe Province.”
Xiao Chen’s figure flashed in the sky and he landed firmly on the water surface.
Half a month ago, he was able to weaken the waterspout with purely his physical strength. Now that he had advanced to Medial Grade Martial Saint, it was not surprising for him to hack apart this waterspout when he drew his saber.
The Azure Dragon Cloud Soaring Art circulated and Xiao Chen stood on the water. A huge wave was created and rushed at the Black Tuna Whale in the distance.
From afar, Xiao Chen looked like a water dragon on the surface of the river.
“Hu chi!”
When the huge Black Tuna Whale saw Xiao Chen approaching rapidly, it roared angrily in the water. Countless swords made of water appeared on the water surface and flew at Xiao Chen.
A horrifying force was contained in the swords of water. They gave off ‘zi zi’ sounds as they grated against the air, its speed was extremely fast.
Xiao Chen grasped the Lunar Shadow Saber and pushed himself off the water, leaping around continuously. He sent out many purple saber Qi at the swords of water as he brandished his saber, protecting himself.