Chapter 553: Waging War on the Black-Robed Man
Mo Fan said sullenly, “I have investigated this Sacred Heavenly Church in detail. Their origin is very mysterious. I also have some guesses about it, but I’m not sure about them. I’ll just tell you what I’m sure about.
“There are six cities in Qizi County, each of which has a figurehead supported by the Sacred Heavenly Church. At some point, they had gained control over all the underground powers in the entire Qizi County.
“I spent some time visiting a few other counties. I discovered that the Sacred Heavenly Church has branches in those counties. Likewise, they used the same method to control the figureheads there.
“It seems like the entire Great Qin Nation has branches of the Sacred Heavenly Church. However, they are active only at a county level, so they do not attract much attention at the prefectural level.”
Xiao Chen thought about it, but he did not read too much into it. This Sacred Heavenly Church seemed to be just a small player. In the end, what a sect needed to do was display their own martial might in order to truly rule.
If such a small power actually angered a strong sect, the problem would be easily settled: the sect would just send a Martial Monarch.
Now that Xiao Chen had a rough idea, he said, “Tell me where the headquarters of the Sacred Heavenly Church is. I will make a trip there personally.”
It would be simple to destroy the Zhang Clan. However, the other party could easily raise another power like the Zhang Clan. So the one that needed to be dealt with was the Sacred Heavenly Church, not the Zhang Clan.
“Let’s not speak about this anymore. Let me pa.s.s you something.” After obtaining an answer, Xiao Chen changed the topic. He took out that thousand-year-old lightning-attributed Rank 9 Demonic Core and said, “Aside from the previous matter, I want to ask you for a favor.”
Mo Fan took the Demonic Core and examined it. His expression changed as he exclaimed, “This is the core of a Rank 9 Demonic Beast! Brat, where did you get it from? Exactly how strong are you now?”
Xiao Chen smiled faintly and pointed out, “A thousand-year-old Demonic Beast is already equivalent to a Martial Sage. That is something that I definitely cannot kill. This was given to me by a friend. I want you to help me infuse this Rank 9 lightning-attributed Demonic Core into the Lunar Shadow Saber. Can you do it?”
Grinning, Mo Fan said, “Leave it to me. Although I am still limping after using the Alchemic Recipe you gave me, the meridians there are healed. I did not stagnate over the past four years.”
Mo Fan agreed without hesitation. He took the Lunar Shadow Saber and the Demonic Core before going to his forge, refusing the help of Xiao Chen.
“Sacred Heavenly Church…I hope that would not be too much trouble,” Xiao Chen muttered to himself after Mo Fan left.
No matter what, the Xiao Clan was Xiao Chen’s roots in this world. It was impossible for him to stand by when he saw the Xiao Clan in trouble.
That way, Xiao Chen would not be at peace when he left. With so much worry, he would not be able to calm down.
Mo Fan would probably need some time to reforge the Lunar Shadow Saber. Xiao Chen did not wish to waste time. So, he took two Superior Grade Spirit Stones, then sat cross-legged in the courtyard and entered a state of cultivation.
Four hours later, Xiao Chen felt a strong aura. Someone was probing him with their perception.
He opened his eyes and immediately extended his Spiritual Sense. He saw a strange black-robed man standing on the roof of a house a kilometer away from the smithy. That person was looking with unfriendly eyes in Xiao Chen’s direction.
The black-robed man withdrew his perception and said in a low voice, “White robes, delicate facial features, no older than twenty-two years old. It should be this person. However, he does not seem to be easy to deal with.”
“You looking for me?”
A voice suddenly rang out behind the black-robed man. When he heard this, his expression changed, and he quickly looked back. At some point in time, Xiao Chen had appeared behind him, looking at him with an expressionless face.
“Acting all mysterious, die!”
The black-robed man’s reaction was very fast; the instant he turned around, he sent out a palm strike.
A fiery-red light appeared on the black-robed man’s palm. The image of a golden Heavenly Roc manifested behind him and the fiery-red light became more resplendent and dazzling.
“Berserk Dragon!”
Xiao Chen remained expressionless. He clenched his right fist and the Vital Qi in his body surged. An azure dragon head appeared and cried out, giving voice to a resonant dragon roar.
The Heavenly Roc spread its wings and its cry echoed everywhere. Winds blew and clouds churned. However, when the Berserk Dragon roared, its voice resonated throughout the world. The winds and clouds would break!
“Bang!”
When the azure dragon head clashed with the fiery-red light, the light shattered and vanished. The black-robed man vomited blood and the golden Heavenly Roc behind him broke.
The black-robed man fell down, cras.h.i.+ng through the roof and creating a big hole. After that came a loud explosion. A shock wave spread out and the house immediately collapsed, burying the black-robed man.
This was the result of a gap in power. The black-robed man was not even a Superior Grade Martial King. How could he be a match for Xiao Chen, a half-step Martial Monarch?
Xiao Chen remained high in the sky as he coldly watched the black-robed man. Murderous intent gleamed in his eyes.
A piercing bird cry came from the rubble below. Countless fragments shot out from the rubble, floating in the air.
The black-robed man soared up and the golden Heavenly Roc reformed, appearing stronger this time.
“Berserk Dragon Claw!”
Xiao Chen’s figure flickered. He was so fast that the black-robed man could not react. Then, he swung the dragon claw on his left hand.
Five b.l.o.o.d.y wounds appeared on the black-robed man. The golden roc behind him cried out miserably. Its feathers scattered and it turned into a golden light.
“You are an intolerable bully!”
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
The black-robed man roared ferociously. The golden roc reformed once again and rushed at Xiao Chen. The fiery-red light looked very solid, dazzling, and piercing.
“You are not strong enough. Berserk Dragon Break!”
Xiao Chen shook his head. With a thought, a dragon head appeared on his right hand and a dragon tail appeared on his left. The head and the tail connected to each other, forming a complete dragon.
The dragon gave a resonant roar as it soared into the sky. The realistic Azure Dragon bared fangs and claws as it roared.
The black-robed man’s clothes were tattered. He vomited mouthfuls of blood before falling to the ground, unable to climb back up.
“Xiu!”
Xiao Chen’s figure flickered and arrived before the black-robed man. He lifted up the black-robed man like an eagle grabbing a chick. Then, he said coldly, “Why are you coming after me?”
The black-robed man was very pale. He laughed strangely and spat blood at Xiao Chen.
“Bang!”
A purple flame spewed out from Xiao Chen’s right eye and immediately burned the blood into a mist. It was so hot that the black-robed man cried out in pain.
Xiao Chen remained calm as he said in a cold voice, “I will ask one more time…one last time. Who are you and why are you coming after me?”
The black-robed man smiled fearlessly. He said, “If you have the guts, then kill me. I am just a minor character in the Sacred Heavenly Church. It would be useless even if you killed me. You are Xiao Chen, right? Just wait for the Xiao Clan to be destroyed.”
In the black-robed man’s opinion, Xiao Chen had to worry about the Xiao Clan, so Xiao Chen would not dare to kill him.
“Boom!”
Xiao Chen lifted the black-robed man higher, and then he tossed him up. The black-robed man felt an irrepressible fear.
Just as the black-robed man was about to speak, he cried out in pain, then stopped breathing. Xiao Chen had shot out from his eye a purple flame arrow, which pierced through the black-robed man’s forehead.
In that instant, regret flashed in the black-robed man’s heart. However, there was no more chance for regrets anymore.
Xiao Chen looked at that black-robed man’s corpse as it landed on the ground. He said calmly, “It is just an insignificant Sacred Heavenly Church. I don’t really care about them. So, you can go and die.”
Xiao Chen picked up the black-robed man’s corpse and returned to the smithy before more people came.
Four hours later, Mo Fan emerged from his underground forge, looking very tired. He held a brand-new Lunar Shadow Saber snug in its scabbard as he came out.
When Mo Fan saw the black-robed man’s corpse on the ground, he was stunned. He said, “This is the Sacred Heavenly Church’s emissary to Mohe City. You killed him?”
Xiao Chen nodded and said, “Yes. He is just a minor character. There is no need to care about him. Let me see the saber.”
“Ka!”
When Xiao Chen held the saber’s hilt, he felt its surging energy. He drew the Lunar Shadow Saber slightly and the pitch-black saber immediately released a purple light.
The saber fired out arcs of dazzling electricity that leaped around nonstop in the backyard.
“Ka ca!”
Xiao Chen took one step forward and completely drew the saber from its scabbard. Instantly, a dazzling purple electricity lit up the entire backyard. He had not used his energy at all; it came purely from the Lunar Shadow Saber.
Mo Fan smiled and said, “Now, the Lunar Shadow Saber is truly a Superior Grade Heaven Ranked Spirit Weapon. It overflowed with light, giving off a bright radiance. It is now twenty percent mightier.”
Xiao Chen revealed an excited smile as he said, “I knew you could do it. Thank you.”
He sheathed the saber and took out a thousand-year-old Spirit Herb—the Black Profound Ginseng—which handed to Mo Fan without letting him refuse.
Smiling, Xiao Chen insisted, “Stop rejecting it. You have taken care of the Xiao Clan for so long. You also helped me by forging the Lunar Shadow Saber twice. As far as logic and emotions go, I owe you.”
A thousand-year-old Black Profound Ginseng could increase Mo Fan’s cultivation by twenty years. It was very tempting for him.
“Ha ha! I shall humbly accept, then. What do you plan to do next?” Mo Fan asked.
Xiao Chen grasped the Lunar Shadow Saber tightly with his right hand. Then, he said calmly, “Very simple. Solve the problem at its roots: kill them all.”
Since they are a threat, I shall just remove them all. Xiao Chen could not be bothered to consider other methods. There were only a few months to the Five Nation Youth Compet.i.tion.
All the genius cultivators were cultivating very hard, waiting for that moment. Xiao Chen did not have too much time to think.
Mo Fan asked, “Do you not have any intention of going to the Xiao Clan? You have done so much. If your father knew what you’ve done, he might reconsider.”
The suggestion stunned Xiao Chen slightly. Then, he revealed a bitter smile and shook his head. “There is no need. Since he chased me away, he probably has his own reasons. I’ll just take a look from afar.
“I’m leaving!”
Xiao Chen smiled faintly and waved his hand, taking his leave of Mo Fan.
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The Heavenly Jade Mountain was the largest mountain range in Qizi County. Even the Seven Horn Mountain outside Mohe City was not even half its size.
However, the Heavenly Jade Mountain was not even worth half of Seven Horn Mountain. This was because there was no Spirit Vein there, no Spirit Herbs, no Spirit Beasts. This was a desolate mountain.
However, on this desolate mountain of no interest to anyone, a vast castle had appeared on its summit at some point in time.
Although the castle was large, it was very low profile. It was hidden in the green forest. Unless one flew in the sky, it would not be discovered.
There were cultivators holding bows every few meters along the castle walls. They were alertly looking around everywhere. The castle seemed to have an impregnable defense.