Chapter 1319: Elder Qin"s Trump Card
The middle-aged man screamed in pain. He vomited large mouthfuls of blood as he went tumbling back.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Xiao Chen"s body moved about gently. The air was like water and he a fish, sticking closely to the other party. He made ten moves in rapid succession, forcing his opponent to retreat irresistibly.
"There is no need to care about me. Attack that old fool who is undergoing his tribulation with all force!" the middle-aged man roared. Xiao Chen"s true strength shocked him.
The Lunar Shadow Saber appeared in Xiao Chen"s right hand. He said indifferently, "Do you think you"ll have an opportunity to do so?!"
Slow!
Everything seemed to slow down in the Taiji force field. Xiao Chen fought alone against ten, using the slow aspect of the Taiji Dao. He did not even draw his saber, forcibly holding back his opponents and suppressing the ten.
After figuring out the strength of this group of Blood-Clad Soldiers, Xiao Chen felt confident. He did not even infuse his Saber Domain into the Taiji force field.
Using only the Taiji force field together with the Fish Dragon Art, he switched unpredictably between fast and slow, suppressing his opponents.
The world spun, and the scenes around flashed like fleeting shadows and drifting lights!
This stunned Lan Chaofeng, who was watching from a distance. He could not understand what was going on. "What is this Martial Technique? On the surface, it looks like it is just the state of fast and the state of slow. However, why does it give off such a harmonious feeling? His actions also appear very peaceful."
Initially, he had been preparing to go and help out. However, after he saw this, he dropped that thought.
"Burst!"
Just as Lan Chaofeng felt Xiao Chen"s actions to be very serene and peaceful, vaguely as though he were one with the world, Xiao Chen suddenly pulled back his saber, and his white hair flew all about. Then, the Taiji force field exploded.
A storm arose and dust filled the air. All the laws of the world appeared to get blasted away from that area.
Ten figures fell down amid the dust, all of them severely injured and weak, in sorry states. They were dispirited and listless, their eyes despondent. Only the scarlet clothes they wore remained bright, s.h.i.+ning with a scarlet light.
Xiao Chen moved one kilometer in one step, slowly walking out of the dust-filled air, wind, and rain. With his white hair and white robes, he looked as elegant as before, very peaceful and serene, unstained and uncontaminated.
Xiao Chen paid special attention to the middle-aged man, injuring him the most severely. The middle-aged man smiled and said, "No wonder Master told us not to get into any conflicts with you before sending us here. Azure Dragon King, you are indeed extraordinary."
"Speak! Who sent you here? How did you obtain this strange strength? Speak honestly, and I"ll spare your life!"
Xiao Chen spoke calmly as the Lunar Shadow Saber"s scabbard gently moved down and pressed on the middle-aged man"s forehead.
This group of people had mysterious origins. Their strength was very strange as well. If Xiao Chen did not comprehend the Taiji Dao, dealing with them would have been very problematic.
More importantly, Xiao Chen wanted to figure out why these people had the offensive capabilities of a Martial Emperor despite clearly not having cleared the Great Tribulation of wind and fire nor possessing the Heart of an Emperor and Primordial Energy.
The middle-aged man vomited a mouthful of blood before laughing maniacally, "Xiao Chen, what are you feeling so c.o.c.ky for? Do you think that you have won already? To think that you are using death to threaten me! Hahaha! This is the funniest joke I"ve ever heard.
"We are a group of dead men in the first place. Regardless of the results of today"s battle, you will always be at the losing end. No matter how strong you are, the old fool undergoing his tribulation will die!"
The bodies of the ten started swelling. The b.l.o.o.d.y light of their clothes slowly permeated into their bodies, the scarlet clothes dimming quickly.
Xiao Chen"s expression changed drastically. Without exception, all ten were deathsworn warriors. They were going to self-detonate!
As long as one person succeeded in self-detonation, they could destroy this island. The shock waves would make Elder Qin, who was on the Emperor"s Road, fail his tribulation.
In the distance, Lan Chaofeng was startled as well. Such a turn of events was completely unexpected. Even if he made a move now, he could not stop everyone from self-detonating. With just one mistake, everything would be gone!
Xiao Chen glanced at Elder Qin, who was on the Emperor"s Road, out of the corner of his eye.
Elder Qin was already more than two hundred steps up. The cold wind had tattered his clothes long ago. The strong wind was merciless. The armor he wore under his clothes was damaged as well, leaving his body covered in wounds—a cruel sight to behold.
The most eye-catching injuries were the two on his face, which looked like whip marks.
However, even so, Elder Qin still did not give up. He continued walking on with hope in his eyes.
Elder Qin, who was occupied with the Great Tribulation of wind and fire, did not have the mental capacity to spare for distractions. He did not notice the ten strange cultivators preparing to self-detonate.
Hope…
Xiao Chen felt a pang in his heart. Elder Qin had followed him on his path, coming to this vast Heavenly Starry Ocean. From the initial reestablishment of the Dragon"s Gate, Elder Qin had weathered many storms and persevered until the formal reestablishment of the Dragon"s Gate. Even until now, he had accrued great credit but never asked for anything.
Could it be that I cannot give Elder Qin even a trace of hope in his Great Tribulation of wind and fire?
"Major Magic Skill, Dharmic World!"
Once Xiao Chen executed this Dharmic Incarnation Magic Skill, he could trample this group of b.a.s.t.a.r.ds to death in an instant. However, based on his experience, he needed at least three seconds to prepare for it.
Yet, the current situation with ten madmen self-detonating did not give him even one second, much less three seconds.
No, absolutely not. No matter what, I, Xiao Chen, have to preserve this trace of hope for you!
Anger? Frenzy? In that case, I"ll give you strength. Strength to trample on the world and flatten everything!
The Dharmic Incarnation hidden in the depths of Xiao Chen"s sea of consciousness felt Xiao Chen"s anger and suddenly opened its eyes.
Instantly, Xiao Chen"s mind became incredibly clear. Nothing got in the way of the execution of Dharmic World, which proceeded extremely smoothly. His white hair fluttered about, and his expression turned exceptionally frightening.
Just as the ten Blood-Clad Soldiers" bodies swelled to their limits and were about to explode, Xiao Chen"s body suddenly enlarged, reaching three kilometers tall.
At the same time, Xiao Chen"s strong aura also intensified; now, it was like a huge, surging wave. It caught Lan Chaofeng, who was rus.h.i.+ng over, off guard, forcing him to take a step back.
When Xiao Chen expanded to three kilometers tall, he felt unprecedented strength. He looked down angrily at the group of madmen below and mercilessly stomped down.
This foot stomped down amid loud rumbling. Xiao Chen used absolute force and crushed the ten Blood-Clad Soldiers, smas.h.i.+ng them into a pool of blood.
"Hua!"
Three seconds later, Xiao Chen shrank back to his original size, pain racking his entire body. As he fell from the sky, copious amounts of blood seeped out from his skin.
The execution of any Major Magic Skill could not be rushed and completed in one step. This was especially so for a heaven-defying Major Magic Skill like Dharmic World. Not a single step could be omitted.
Xiao Chen forcefully compressed the three seconds of execution time to one second. The repercussions of doing so were unavoidable.
When it looked like Xiao Chen would crash into the ground, a gentle wind blew and supported him.
It was thanks to Lan Chaofeng, who had reacted very quickly. The moment Xiao Chen transformed back, the senior sent out a palm strike.
Xiao Chen landed stably on the ground. Then, without saying a word, he quickly swallowed a Sage Grade Medicinal Pill to suppress the injuries of his body.
"Little Fellow, are you alright? Don"t move. Let me take a look." Lan Chaofeng rushed over. Then, he scolded, "Why did you push yourself so hard, making it look like you"re the one undergoing the tribulation, instead? What can I say about this? What if you end up dying even before Old Qin?!"
Although Lan Chaofeng, a senior to Xiao Chen, scolded Xiao Chen severely, his attention was focused on Xiao Chen"s injuries, which had him frowning heavily. This evoked warmth in Xiao Chen"s heart, causing him to smile bitterly. This Senior Lan was always like this.
After a while, Lan Chaofeng heaved a sigh of relief. He said, "Brat, you are really fortunate. This is just the rebound of the Martial Technique. Fortunately, the rebound is not too powerful."
Actually, Xiao Chen already knew that the repercussions were rather severe but not fatal. However, upon seeing Lan Chaofeng"s anxious appearance, he could only submit to Lan Chaofeng"s examination so that the senior could relax.
"Thank you, Senior Lan."
Keeping a straight face, Lan Chaofeng snorted coldly. "Even if you are not in danger of dying, you should not push yourself this hard. If you display your aura too strongly, you might accidentally call down your Great Tribulation of wind and fire in advance. At that time, even G.o.ds cannot save you."
The Great Tribulation of wind and fire arriving early was something dreaded since one would be unprepared for it. Xiao Chen understood this principle and did not dare to rebut.
Glancing around, Xiao Chen pointed to the front and said, "Look, Elder Qin is about to undergo the last wind tribulation!"
Lan Chaofeng quickly turned his head and took a look. He saw three tornadoes surging over. The strong winds made Elder Qin wobble slightly, their strength startling.
Each tornado was one kilometer tall, rampaging over with a powerful aura. The three roiled the dark clouds in the sky. Lightning flashed and thunder roared, rumbling endlessly.
Elder Qin gritted his teeth and forcefully charged over. The three tornadoes instantly swallowed up his body.
Xiao Chen and Lan Chaofeng immediately felt their chests tighten as they stared at the tornadoes.
This was especially so for Lan Chaofeng. He had been through the Great Tribulation of wind and fire and knew how strong the last wind tribulation was. Many people died at this stage.
After one breath, Elder Qin did not appear. Two breaths…three breaths…four breaths…a total of five breaths pa.s.sed. Even so, he still did not reappear.
The two"s expressions turned somewhat unsightly. Even though Xiao Chen had not taken the Great Tribulation of wind and fire, he knew that the situation was not good.
Suddenly, there was a ferocious roar. Elder Qin"s figure pierced through the tornadoes, and he stumbled somewhat as he landed.
Fire!
Elder Qin just landed on the step when a surging flame arose, spreading onto his body.
Lan Chaofeng relaxed for now. He smiled and said, "At the very least, Old Qin has a sixty percent chance of clearing his Great Tribulation of wind and fire."
Xiao Chen asked, "How so?"
Lan Chaofeng replied, "Old Qin has two trump cards. Originally, I thought he would use one in the last wind tribulation. Who knew, he did not use it and endured it forcefully. Ultimately, this will benefit him."
A raging flame blazed endlessly. Every step had flames of various attributes spread all over it.
This was a road of blazing fire. There were no tricks that could be used to deal with it. The person undergoing the tribulation had to walk through the flames. If one succeeded, then one would be fine. However, if one could not, one would burn to death, dying without a corpse, and their soul would scatter.
Lan Chaofeng sighed and said, "The pain that comes from the fire tribulations are even more direct than the wind tribulation—tenfold more painful. This is more of a test of willpower. For many people, it was not that they could not clear the fire tribulation, but the pain weakened their will; hence, they fell on the Emperor"s Road."
This revelation startled Xiao Chen when he heard it. The Emperor"s Road was hard to walk on. Even though it was a tribulation to cultivators from heaven, it was also a chance for them. If one cleared this Emperor"s Road, one"s lifespan would extend to two thousand years. What gift could be better than that?
"However, Old Qin"s situation is still rather good. His flames are only Rank 3. My tribulation back then was truly terrifying. Not only were the flames Rank 7, but there were also Fire Spirits. With every step, I had to suffer from the attacks of Fire Spirits."