The lips of the white figure curled up as he looked at the two people in the sky. “You have been chasing me for a few days. You are really persistent. Brother Ye Chen, how about we work together to kill these flies before fighting each other?”
Xiao Chen gently fanned himself with the folding fan in his right hand. His already significantly dimmed purple hair fluttered in the strong wind. Giving off a sinister atmosphere, he smiled faintly and said, “I am of the same thought!”
The two old men above were grandmaster-level Martial Sages on the same level as the Demonic Brilliant Two Elders. Given the strength of both the real and fake Xiao Chens, they would not be able to defeat these two old men single-handedly. However, in a one-on-one battle, victory might be possible.
A scarlet light shot into the sky. The white-clad man held his saber and charged with an overwhelming saber intent at the great grandmaster-level Martial Sage of the Frost Moon Palace.
Electric light shone everywhere, accompanied by loud rumbling. Xiao Chen stood on the electric light and moved rapidly, charging towards the Heavenly Music Sect’s great grandmaster-level Martial Sage.
A tremendous battle was about to begin—a battle at the level of great grandmaster-level Martial Sages. Without having to guess, it was clear how intense this battle would be.
Borne by the palace, Yun Tianhe and Gao Baiyu already moved to a side. This was not a level of battle they could partic.i.p.ate in.
Xing Qingyun and Lord Jiu stood far away, on a hill. They sneakily watched the fight, ready to flee at any moment.
“Speaking of which, Lord Jiu, aren’t you a grandmaster-level Martial Sage? Why aren’t you going forward to help?” Xing Qingyun asked in confusion as he glanced at the s.h.i.+fty-eyed old man.
Feeling very awkward, Lord Jiu smiled embarra.s.sedly. “The level of this Lord Jiu’s air of a grandmaster differs by too much. It is different from the air of a grandmaster comprehended by proper methods. My cultivation is a result of time. Furthermore, this Lord Jiu specializes in searching for treasure and burrowing in the ground, not fighting.”
When Lord Jiu saw Xing Qingyun smirk in sudden understanding, revealing an expression of despisal, he then smiled and added, “Of course, it is still very easy for this Lord Jiu to destroy a cowardly fellow like you with one finger.”
Xing Qingyun felt very upset. However, he would not be able to defeat the old man, so he could only endure. He felt very depressed. This won’t do. I can’t even beat an old rat. This is too sad.
The Heavenly Music Sect old man with deep resources whom Xiao Chen was fighting was called Xiao Jue. He wore azure embroidered robes and held a seven-stringed zither in his hands.
The old man’s skin was smooth, glossy, exquisite, and reddish—quite unlike the rough and wrinkled skin of a normal old man.
“Ding! Ding! Dong! Dong!”
Xiao Jue’s fingers rose and fell as he played a dissolute song. Compared to the Heavenly Music Sect disciple that Xiao Chen met before, this person was already on a whole new level.
As the music entered his ears, an illusion appeared before Xiao Chen. He was now in a heavenly city with spiritual fog spreading. In front, about a dozen veiled women with voluptuous figures danced in the spiritual fog.
Including all the edges and corners, the material of the clothes on their bodies was no more than the size of one palm. Their dancing seemed to have a demonic charm, looking extremely seductive, igniting a fire in one’s heart in an instant.
Xiao Jue looked at Xiao Chen, who was paused in midair, trapped in the illusion. He revealed a cold smile as his fingers moved even faster, and the sound of the zither rang out relentlessly.
When Yun Tianhe in the palace above saw this, joy bloomed on his face. Just as he was about to charge over and kill Xiao Chen, Gao Baiyu stopped him and said, “Brother Yun, wait up. Any external force will break the illusion.
“Just slowly enjoy the show. This demonic tune was something created when the elders of my sect captured Eros Demons of the Deep Abyss Demonic World and carefully researched them. The people trapped within it will have only one end: sucked dry with their energies sent to Elder Xiao.”
When Yun Tianhe heard this, he could not help but feel startled. This illusion crossed the boundary of reality and illusion. Unexpectedly, it could use Charm Techniques to suck out the life essence of the other party.
Inside the illusion, eight beautiful girls already arrived at Xiao Chen’s side, moving and twisting their bodies around, occasionally striking provocatively seductive poses.
One would only feel that this was heaven and would want to thoroughly enjoy oneself here.
After a quick look, Xiao Chen found this sight boring. The only Charm Technique that could cause him to immerse himself deeply into it would be the one executed by the Eros Demon Leng Yue.
With just this thought, Xiao Chen could not help but recall the time he spent with Leng Yue in the Deep Sea Battlefield of the Sky Dome Realm. Now, he did not know where this girl who was filled with secrets was.
When the Demonic Calamity arrived, would they be friends or enemies when they saw each other again?
“Young Master, this servant is not pretty enough!”
As Xiao Chen was thinking, a pretty girl removed her veil, revealing a pure and innocent face. He was somewhat stunned. This girl’s appearance was actually exactly the same as Leng Yue’s.
This girl smiled faintly and placed her arms around his neck. She took advantage of his distraction to bring her lips closer to his.
Just as those fiery-hot lips were only two centimeters away from Xiao Chen’s, a broken sword appeared in his hand, which pressed the cold blade against the girl’s lips.
With a casual push of his left hand, he thrust this beautiful girl far into the distance.
Xiao Chen looked at the broken sword in his hand. For a moment, he forgot where he was, lost in thought.
Just as he had been about to sink deeply into the illusion, the Thunder Emperor’s broken sword in the Universe Ring had suddenly trembled and shocked him awake.
Ao Jiao, I will return alive, right?
You have to. You keep wanting to die, but I will not let you die. You are not allowed to die, nor will you die.
The words of the past echoed in Xiao Chen’s mind. Suddenly, he felt disappointed and frustrated as he clutched the broken sword tightly. The sword blade cut into his palm, and blood flowed out.
This may just be a weak lingering thought, but you still remembered the promise we made back then, about not letting me die?
However, in the long river of fate, when can I bring you back?
This thought vanished, and Xiao Chen’s head of purple hair fluttered around everywhere.
The sinister air that Xiao Chen flaunted was gone. The Sea Monarch Headscarf that he had changed to red turned back into a pure sky-blue.
Over the past three days, Xiao Chen had already absorbed most of the Primal Essence Nature Pill’s Medicinal Energy. If not for maintaining the guise of the b.l.o.o.d.y Young Master Ye Chen, his purple hair would have turned black long ago.
When he thought about these old matters, his emotions fluctuated. He forgot to sustain his pretense, and the sinister air about him vanished. In its place, his usual calm and collected mien appeared.
“Boom!”
The folding fan in Xiao Chen’s left hand shattered, and the illusion vanished in an instant. The scene before his eyes changed. Blood spilled from a corner of Xiao Jue’s mouth as he stared at his broken seven-string zither, his face full of shock.
Xiao Chen pulled off the scarlet cape behind him with his left hand, revealing his white robes. His black hair fluttered in the wind. A delicate face appeared under the sky-blue Sea Monarch Headscarf.
His eyes looked like deep pools, unfathomable and calm.
“Impossible, not even my peers have managed to overcome my Demonic l.u.s.t Tune.”
Xiao Jue’s eyes brimmed with shock. A light flashed in his hand, and the seven-string zither repaired itself. His fingertips streaked across the strings, producing obscene music just like a woman moaning. The long, drawn-out sounds reverberated.
My body as my saber, my thoughts as my saber. I am my saber, and my saber is I.
Xiao Chen’s white robes fluttered in the cool breeze. He took a step forward, and the sound of a treasured saber sang everywhere. With every step he took, a saber hum rang out. His approach looked slow, but the saber intent buzzed endlessly. The crisp sound echoed continuously.
“Using music to push one into Berserking Qi Deviation, using something good to do such heaven-defying things, Elder Xiao, you should have ceased to exist long ago.”
The crisp saber hum shattered all the musical notes. As Xiao Chen stepped forward, his saber intent intensified, becoming even more ferocious and unrestrained.
In the end, all the sword hum gathered to form a divine sound, breaking through the barrier of the sky and rus.h.i.+ng upwards.
That divine sound nourished the soul. Xiao Jue’s seven-string zither shattered into wood splinters.
In Xiao Chen’s sea of consciousness, the vague form of his saber soul in the purple talisman lost its previous indistinction. The four strands of golden light became clear, displaying an unparalleled sharpness.
This transformation stunned Xiao Chen somewhat. The vague form of his saber soul unexpectedly made a breakthrough at this moment. His saber intent achieved one hundred percent comprehension and formed a true “soul.”
“Elder Xiao, the Demonic l.u.s.t Tune is just a trick in the end. You are someone who managed to become a great grandmaster-level Martial Sage. Let’s have a proper fight to see who is stronger.”
[TL note: This is not explained properly until a later chapter. In any case, great grandmaster-level Martial Sage is a sort of sub-realm of grandmaster-level Martial Sage, rather like how peak is added to describe some cultivation realms.]
Xiao Jue could not be bothered with this. A strange light flashed in his eyes as he turned around to leave. His Demonic l.u.s.t Tune was not just some small trick. He had easily played several grandmaster-level Martial Sages to death with it, absorbing all their life essence.
“So, it turns out that you are the true Xiao Chen. Don’t get too pleased. When I refine a new zither, I will suck your life essence dry.”
Xiao Chen shook his head slightly, a somewhat disappointed expression in his eyes.
At this moment, he had completely absorbed the remaining Medicinal Energy of the Primal Essence Nature Pill. His cultivation had already reached peak Medial Grade Martial Sage.
His saber soul had taken form, and he had grown significantly stronger. He wanted to fight to his heart’s content. Unexpectedly, this person before him was beguiled with the power of an external object. His cultivation existed only in name, just for show.
Since that is so, I shall grant you death!
Xiao Chen materialized the Flawless saber Dao, and a bright moon rose behind him. With a flip of his hand, night fell. Then, he blocked Xiao Jue’s path.
Turning day to night with a flip of the hand, Flawless Bright Moon.
Flawless night, flawless moon, flawless saber.
The bright moon turned into a resplendent saber light descending from the sky, preventing Xiao Jue from leaving.
The saber light with the gathered saber soul had a certain spirituality. It looked almost solid. A full moon rose within the saber light. There was a person and a palace in the moon as though there was a small world within it.
This was a “soul,” something that gave the Martial Technique a soul. It was not just on the surface or for appearances; the Martial Technique truly gained a soul, raising this Saber Technique to a whole new level.
Since Xiao Jue’s zither had already shattered, he could rely only on his body and cultivation to clash with this Flawless Bright Moon.
He moved both hands, and music resounded. Each of the notes was filled with energy, causing the sky to tremble and creating a pa.s.sionate tune.
“Dang!”
The shattering of the zither had injured Xiao Jue. Now that he clashed head-on with Xiao Chen’s move, he vomited a mouthful of blood and had to fall back.
Snow fell. Xiao Chen danced amid the snowfall in his white robes. As he charged over to Xiao Jue, every move he made carried a boundless saber intent.
The persistent attacks panicked the already frantic Xiao Jue.
Back in the palace, Yun Tianhe and Gao Baiyu exchanged glances. They had not thought Xiao Chen and the white-clad person would be this strong, far surpa.s.sing their expectations.
“Let’s go. We should not have any more thoughts about these two. Aside from our Senior Brothers and Di Wuque, most grandmaster-level Martial Sages cannot suppress them.”
“d.a.m.n it! If not for the main forces of our Heavenly Music Sect and Frost Moon Palace having already entered the Immortal sect Remnant, these two would not be able to be so arrogant!”