Chapter 864: Duel with the Same Moves
The golden saber Qi was not that easy to catch. After Teng Xiao captured it between his fingers, it pushed him back five kilometers before he stabilized his footing.
“I’ve been waiting for you for a long time. Why are you just hanging outside the Xiao Clan and not entering? What are you afraid of?”
Teng Xiao casually flung away the golden saber Qi, which had already been corroded by the dark Qi of his fingers. His gaze was like lightning, piercing through Xiao Chen.
“Waiting for me? Are you here to send yourself to me to die? However, Chu Chaoyun is right. The Sky Dome Realm’s Dark Church does seem to be connected to my Xiao Clan.
“Even if you don’t come and look for me, I would come and look for you.”
Xiao Chen flipped his right hand, and the Lunar Shadow Saber appeared in his palm. His figure flashed as he took the stance for the foundational moves of the Lightning Tribulation Saber Technique. Then he unleashed an attack without showing any mercy.
With ninety-percent-comprehended saber intent and forty-percent-comprehended immortal will of thunder, this simple stance exploded with boundless might.
As the electric light burst forth with brilliance, the slender saber pierced through the electric light, heading quickly for Teng Xiao.
Sparks of electricity slowly acc.u.mulated in the air behind Xiao Chen. They swam around, filling the place with scintillation.
Teng Xiao had not expected Xiao Chen to start a fight the moment they met. He smiled coldly, and a similar slender and long saber flickering with cold light appeared in his hand.
“Dang!”
Teng Xiao casually waved his saber and blocked Xiao Chen’s saber. Then he spun around in the air and dispelled the electricity, neutralizing the force in Xiao Chen’s saber.
Xiao Chen’s eyes lit up. This mysterious person who resembled the Azure Emperor was not very strong. However, his combat techniques were impressive.
After Xiao Chen sent out the attack, the momentum of the Lightning Tribulation Saber Technique built up. The sparks behind him formed lightning flood dragons dancing around him.
Teng Xiao did not reveal any weakness at all. His wrist shook, and black dragon images swam about behind him.
In this battle, Xiao Chen held the suppressive advantage of cultivation. However, Teng Xiao relied on his combat experience to avoid ending up at a disadvantage.
Not wanting to drag things out for too long, Xiao Chen decisively changed moves. He executed Return of the Azure Dragon and materialized a three-kilometer-long dragon-shaped saber Qi. Dense auspicious clouds surrounded the dragon-shaped saber Qi. It roared ferociously, resonating everywhere.
When Teng Xiao saw this move, his lips could not help but curl up. Smiling, he said, “Return of the Azure Dragon…you even dare to use this move before me.”
He pushed off the air and soared upwards. He stretched out his hand, wanting to catch the dragon’s head in a chokehold.
If this were before, he would have easily broken the Return of the Azure Dragon with that. However, Xiao Chen was aware of the weakness of this move. He had also patched the weakness already. How could his opponent get what he wished?
Xiao Chen swung his arm out, and the somewhat rigid dragon-shaped saber Qi seemed to come to life. It shook its head and waved its tail, baring claws and jaws.
This motion startled Teng Xiao. Clearly, he had not expected such a change. He would not be able to grasp the dragon’s movements quickly, so how could he grab the dragon’s neck?
Without waiting for Teng Xiao to retreat, Xiao Chen shouted, and the dragon-shaped saber Qi ruthlessly pressed over.
This attack struck Teng Xiao heavily, causing him to vomit a mouthful of blood and sending him flying back ten kilometers.
After standing firmly, Teng Xiao laughed loudly. Disregarding the injuries on his body, he shouted, “Good! Good! Good!”
Teng Xiao said “good” three times. Then he continued, “Return of the Azure Dragon…you really used this move very well. Indeed, you did not disappoint me. It would be rude of me not to return the move. In that case, accept this move from me! Return of the Azure Dragon!”
Teng Xiao waved his hand, and his saber appeared in his palm once again. Then a boundless red sea manifested behind him, filled with baleful auras and white bones.
This was a b.l.o.o.d.y sea of corpses. A limitless dark aura lingered above the scarlet sea. It looked eerie and sinister.
Teng Xiao roared, and a black dragon surged out from the scarlet sea. It had a pair of scarlet eyes and layers of black scales.
He soared into the air and hacked down with his saber. The black dragon gathered on the saber and formed a strange dragon-shaped saber Qi flying at Xiao Chen.
Xiao Chen revealed a shocked expression. This was not because of the might of this move but because this mysterious Dark Church cultivator actually knew the Dragon Subduing Slash.
He pushed off the air and took the form of Soaring Dragon. He turned into a True Dragon taking to the heavens.
Hidden Dragon in the Depths, Soaring Dragon. When the right moment comes, the dragon soars into the sky!
“Bang! Bang!” Explosions resounded as Xiao Chen’s Soaring Dragon forcefully chopped the sinister black dragon into three.
After Xiao Chen broke the move, he raised his head and looked around, only to discover that that person had already left. The mysterious phenomenon of the sea of blood and corpses had also vanished. The overwhelming dark aura slowly dissipated.
However, the three segments of the black dragon lingered in the sky for a long time without breaking up, as if it had already condensed into a material object.
Xiao Chen entered deep thought. If this person’s cultivation were not far below his, the mutated Return of the Azure Dragon would not be easy to handle.
That person earlier seems to be the Church Master of the Dark Church. Ten thousand years ago, he moved about unhindered. He also played a part in destroying the Tianwu Dynasty, Ao Jiao said slowly, her eyes full of doubts.
She continued, Rumor said that the Holy Masters of the Three Holy Lands worked together to kill him. Why did he come out here today?
Xiao Chen did not pursue this person, suspecting that this person was only a will clone.
Unexpectedly, there is still such an enemy of unknown origins and horrifying strength in the Sky Dome Realm. No wonder Father was so worried previously.
If I survive my tribulations, I have to uproot the Sky Dome Realm’s Dark Church.
The appearance of this mysterious person left a shadow in Xiao Chen’s heart. Not only did this person show up in such a strange manner, but his ident.i.ty was also very dubious.
Why did this person turn up near the Xiao Clan in Mohe City? His will clone was already this strong. In that case, how strong exactly was his actual body?
Chu Chaoyun said that the Dark Church was connected to the Xiao Clan. How did he know this?
Many doubts appeared in Xiao Chen’s mind. Then, he turned his head back to look at the bustling Xiao Clan. After seeing the lively faces, he got rid of these distracting thoughts and left this place with a resolute expression.
Half a day later, at a desolate island in the Boundless Sea, Xiao Chen descended from the sky. This island had no humans or beasts on it; it was completely deserted.
Similar islands dotted the vast Boundless Sea, as numerous as the stars. Such islands were very common, and he would not attract any attention when he underwent his tribulation there.
There was a small mountain on the island. Xiao Chen leaped onto it and sat cross-legged on the peak. Then he raised his head and looked at the sky; it was clear for several kilometers around, looking very blue.
He took a deep breath, and a cooling and refres.h.i.+ng sensation came from the Sea Monarch Headscarf on his forehead, calming his body thoroughly from the inside out.
Xiao Chen spat out a big mouthful of turbid air. Then he closed his eyes and started to circulate the Purple Thunder Divine Incantation.
The energy of the Heavenly Sage Laws quickly flowed in his meridians. Soon, thunderous sounds came from inside his body. Lightning flickered in the mysterious s.p.a.ce within his dantian. The Azure Dragon Martial Spirit swam around carefully, avoiding them.
Located between the belly b.u.t.ton and the sternum, the dantian was the most mysterious place in a cultivator’s body. Its exterior looked like a pearl. However, if one sliced open a cultivator’s abdomen, one would not be able to find this dantian.
This organ was not made of flesh. It existed between reality and illusion. It truly existed and formed a small world, containing a cultivator’s Essence, Quintessence, and Heavenly Sage Laws.
A cultivator’s capacity actually referred to the s.p.a.ce within this dantian. The size of the s.p.a.ce and its resilience determined how much Quintessence and Spiritual Energy it could contain.
The dantian was the foundation of this small world. If the dantian was destroyed, the small world would cease to exist, leaving the cultivator crippled.
According to stories, when one advanced to Martial Emperor and grasped Heavenly Laws, they would gain an understanding of nature and could change this small world, truly materializing a world with mountains and rivers.
At this moment, this s.p.a.ce was replete with lightning. The tiny Azure Dragon Martial Spirit moved in every direction but still found it hard to dodge. Occasionally, the lightning would strike it.
Xiao Chen felt every strike as well. His entire body, his internal organs, the flowing blood, the resilient bones, the skin on the surface…all the cells of his body underwent the baptism of lightning.
Even the depths of his soul trembled, enduring the great torture.
However, there were no visible changes to his exterior. He closed his eyes and sat cross-legged as he silently circulated the Purple Thunder Divine Incantation. Both his soul and body underwent twofold torture, experiencing boundless agony.
The electricity felt like thousands upon thousands of needles were p.r.i.c.kling Xiao Chen interminably. He gritted his teeth and endured. Since he tempered his physical body, this level of pain was still something he could bear.
However, the Azure Dragon Martial Spirit in Xiao Chen’s dantian got blasted until it became dispirited and listless. Its light dimmed as if it would scatter at any moment. However, his heart was as clear as a mirror.
The spirit of the Azure Dragon Martial Spirit grew stronger under the torture of this lightning. It filled with spirituality, and a true soul started to form.
The Lightning Tribulation of the Martial Spirit continued for half a day before it finally stopped. As Xiao Chen endured bitterly, plenty of black sticky impurities seeped out of his body.
His Heavenly Sage Laws emerged and swept his body clean, blowing the impurities away with wind.
The process of this tribulation had been extremely bitter. However, there were many benefits as well. With this opportunity, Xiao Chen’s peak Rank 2 Sage Body finally broke through to Rank 3 Sage Body.
Xiao Chen tested it. Now, when using his full power, he should be able to achieve one thousand five hundred tons of force. He had managed to surmount another hurdle.
The regenerative abilities and the defense of Xiao Chen’s body had improved further. Even without a special Cultivation Technique or Martial Technique for protecting his body, his defense was already at the standard of a grandmaster-level Martial Sage. After all, ordinary grandmaster-level Martial Sages would only barely manage to achieve a Rank 2 Sage Body.
Without focusing on cultivating Vital Qi, these grandmaster-level Martial Sages could not compare to Xiao Chen.
However, Xiao Chen did not know how his Martial Spirit was now. The Azure Dragon Martial Spirit in his dantian was little more than a small spot of light. It gave off an incomparable azure light, but he could not sense it.
A loud crack of thunder resounded in Xiao Chen’s ears. He opened his eyes and looked up at the sky.
Boundless thunderclouds overspread the sky for thousands of kilometers, thick, churning, and heavy. It was like the height of the sky dropped significantly; one could touch the clouds with just a gentle leap.
Bolts of lightning tore through the sky. The loud thunder reverberated without end. The sea surged and kicked up huge waves. The entire island shook like a leaf in the sea, bobbing up and down in the water.
Wind and clouds moved. The sky changed color. The rivers gushed and the seas roared. Thunderclouds covered the sky. All sorts of scenes appeared in the dome of heaven. It was like a G.o.d was glowering at Xiao Chen.