Cao Jin had an ugly expression on his face when he saw the veritable flood of Goldbiter Rats carpet the ground. They were so numerous that every square inch within ten meters was completely covered. He knew that he was in great trouble now. As strong as the six wolverines were, his first thought when confronted by so many Goldbiter Rats was that they were done for.
âYou have a lot of trump cards, donât you, Jiang Chen?â Cao Jinâs face was dark as he lifted his gaze to stare at Jiang Chen. It wasnât until right then that Cao Jin realized heâd still underestimated Jiang Chen. Jiang Chen seemed to have no end to the cards he could pull out, and worse, they were completely unpredictable! The six wolverines had been one of two major trump cards that he had held to use against Jiang Chen. He had hardened his heart to take Jiang Chen down, and had immediately slapped it down as soon as they faced off. But who wouldâve known that his first trump card would be of no help at all, but rather end up being wasted instead! Cao Jin was rocked by astonishment as well as a growing anger.
âAs one of the ten great disciples of the Sky Sect, Cao, you too have quite a few trump cards at your disposal, hmm? What else do you have? Iâll give you a chance to use them all.â Jiang Chen smiled faintly. He wasnât the slightest bit afraid even though he was facing off against Cao Jin. Instead, the will to battle burned ever more brightly. Cao Jin did have another trump card left, but he didnât want to use it lightly now. The loss of his first trump card still more or less affected him.
He sneered and burst upwards like lightning, giving a long whistle. âWhy do I need to use a trump card against a mere petty thief like you? My usual techniques are enough to kill you!â
He pointed down at Jiang Chen as he spoke, and the heavens shone with a radiant splendor as they violently surged towards Jiang Chen. This was one of the trademark techniques of the Sky Sect, the âMilky Way Pointâ! It was as stunning as the celestial heavens, and the point as if a shooting star.
Jiang Chen was a bit surprised by this technique, but a somewhat strange smile crossed his face in the next instant. Of all things, he hadnât expected such a coincidence! The âMilky Way Pointâ was actually identical to the âSupernova Pointâ he practiced, but the mysteries and changes encompassed within Cao Jinâs strike was noticeably less complex than the âSupernova Pointâ. This also meant to say that it was very likely that Cao Jinâs method was the novice version of the âSupernova Pointâ.
Jiang Chen sidestepped, easily evading the attack. Since he was familiar with the technique, he knew exactly what the enemyâs next move was. Cao Jinâs âMilky Way Pointâ was indeed bedazzling and very domineering, but much to his chagrin, his most vaunted technique seemed to be completely useless! He didnât even hit a hint of Jiang Chenâs shadow, let alone striking down his enemy!
How... how was this possible?
Even the supremely confident Cao Jin felt that things had gone all too awry. Everything had taken a queer turn since meeting Jiang Chen. His best technique, one of the ultimate arts of the Sky Sect, was something that Cao Jin had always relied on to kill enemies, and it had never failed him before. In fact, heâd sent many of the Regal Pill Palace elders flying with a single point when he had shown up at the sect. But now it seemed ineffective against a minor disciple from the same sect!
What the hell is this?!
It almost seemed as though Jiang Chen had practiced his technique before since he seemed to be able to anticipate every one of Cao Jinâs moves. No matter how Cao Jin tried to switch up his rhythm to execute his âMilky Way Pointâ to its utmost power, it was all for naught. Jiang Chen was always able to anticipate his next step. How was this a fight to the death? This was more like a martial spar between peers!
âTsk tsk, Cao, the Ninesuns Sky Sect is a first ranked sect at the end of the day, no? These little unorthodox tricks are all youâve learned? Itâs not enough to even scratch an itch!â Jiang Chen could see that Cao Jinâs dao heart had been slightly affected. After all, it was just one bizarre occurrence after anothe. As resolute as Cao Jinâs mentality was, it was impossible for him to be completely unaffected by this point.
Cao Jin grew incensed as he grabbed at the air, and an ancient sword with an exceedingly keen edge appeared in his hand. âJiang Chen, your death is a worthy one as youâve forced me to bring out my weapon!â
Cao Jin was thoroughly enraged now. His sword moved through the air like water, leaving scars in the air like a whip of stars as they layered and intersected with each to form a net that roiled towards Jiang Chen.
What seemed like a simple stroke was actually one thatâd condensed many complex notions and embodied an exceedingly strong intent. âJiang Chen, do you think youâre on the same level as me just by using a few tricks as a first level sage realm? Iâll use the truth to let you know just how ludicrous your thoughts are!â
Cao Jinâs sword technique wasnât flashy at all, but every seemingly careless stroke had great meaning behind it. Every single move and strike came together to form a marvelous sword formation.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
The air around them was quickly filling with Cao Jinâs furious sword intent. This prickly intent wasnât just the demonstration of the dao of swords anymore, but encompassed even the very meaning of this profound technique within them. The space was fully enclosed by Cao Jinâs cutting sword intent before long.
Rumble.
The technique contracted violently, eviscerating at least a million Goldbiter Rats, leaving behind nothing but ground flesh and bloodied gore across the ground. Cao Jin laughed coldly as he sheathed his longsword. It was obvious that he felt that it was impossible for Jiang Chen to survive his âSword Ocean Coverâ, even if the latter had bones and tendons made of iron. However, he didnât know which bloody pile was Jiang Chen out of the numerous ones in this area. After a careful look around, he started rummaging through the mess in search of Jiang Chenâs storage ring.
However, he didnât find it no matter where he looked!
âHow is that possible?â Cao Jin was baffled. âBlood and flesh are reduced to nothing under the cover of the âSword Ocean Coverâ, so there should be a storage ring somewhere here.â
His ears twitched at this moment as he suddenly swept his arm backwards, snatching a few arrows out of the air. âMm? Not dead yet?â
Cao Jin was flabbergasted. Heâd seen with his own eyes just now how the raging âSword Ocean coverâ had enclosed Jiang Chen! Heâs not dead? Howâs that possible?
âCao, youâre much better than that Ding Tong.â Jiang Chenâs voice sounded from the void.
Cao Jin regarded his surroundings as he fully opened up his consciousness, but still couldnât locate Jiang Chenâs precise location. This made him feel vaguely uncomfortable. His consciousness was at the peak of the sage realm, with a corresponding level of power. How could he not sense where Jiang Chen was? How strong was Jiang Chenâs consciousness? He was still hesitating when a golden mountain came crushing down on him. When Cao Jin noticed it, he immediately remembered when Jiang Chen had used it to preoccupy him and taken advantage of the distraction to kill Fatty Wu.
âRepeating the same trick! Get the hell away!â Cao Jin viciously flung a punch out to send the magnetic golden mountain flying away. However, since Jiang Chen was manipulating the mountain, it only skidded back a few meters before it came hurtling back towards Cao Jin again. At the same time, twelve beads rolled towards him and transformed into twelve balls of golden light, shifting into twelve golden-armored warriors who charged towards Cao Jin.
The battle had already developed to the point where both of them were holding nothing back. There wasnât a need to hide anything anymore. Of the twelve golden-armored warriors, three were of the sky sage realm, three earth sage, and six mortal sage realm. Their combat ability was certainly nothing to scoff at. However, Cao Jinâs potential was also very stunning given his ability to cultivate to the level of the ten great disciples. He was wholly unafraid of this kind of attack and met them head on with his fists and kicks.
He slowly defeated the twelve golden-armored warriors. If it wasnât for the fact that they were puppets, those warriors with the lower cultivation level mightâve been reduced to bloody messes already. Jiang Chen sighed with admiration from his vantage point in the shadows. He had to admit that Cao Jin was the strongest and most difficult to handle opponent that heâd met so far in his life. Heâd deployed almost all of his trump cards and had made use of countless schemes, but still had yet to take this person down. He hadnât even caused any tangible injury to Cao Jin!
âCao is a source of trouble alright. If I donât kill him, Iâll be constantly plagued with trouble when I leave this area.â Jiang Chen knew that he had become the Ninesuns Sky Sectâs hated enemy. If he didnât kill Cao Jin today, he would be visited by endless harassment in the future. It was a good thing that his plan had yet to come to an end.
Just as the magnetic golden mountain was slamming itself against Cao Jin without pause, countless lotuses had arranged themselves in a radius of thirty some meters around him. Although Cao Jin was being attacked by the magnetic golden mountain and the twelve golden-armored warriors, he still had enough attention to spare for his surroundings. He knew that Jiang Chen would certainly have kept a few tricks up his sleeve.
Indeed, there was suddenly a violent trembling beneath his feet as numerous ice lotus vines erupted from the ground, shooting furiously towards Cao Jin like innumerable tentacles.
âWhat the hell?!â Cao Jin was almost numb to Jiang Chenâs ever-changing techniques. It was a good thing that his own strength possessed an overwhelming advantage, so no matter what tricks Jiang Chen brought out, Cao Jin felt that he could solidly stand his ground in the face of it all. Heâd be able to handle it all in the end!
Therefore, when he saw these countless vines snarling towards him, Cao Jin swept his sword in an arc and severed them. But in that moment, the magnetic golden mountain once again came hurtling down on his head. Resigned, he could only raise his fist and slam it into the magnetic golden mountain again. But at that exact moment, the twelve golden-armored warriors furiously pounced on him, and the vines beneath his feet split the earth like spring bamboo after a rain shower.
Even an expert like Cao Jin couldnât maintain a perfect defense in the face of a simultaneous attack from the sky, the ground, and below the ground. âJiang Chen!!â Cao Jin threw his head back and howled to the skies, thoroughly enraged by his opponentâs shameless methods. However, there was nothing he could do about it. Jiang Chen did indeed have more tricks up his sleeve than Cao Jin.
Bam!
As quick-witted and responsive as Cao Jin was, the furious stream of attacks was enough to tie up his defenses. A sky sage warrior managed to deal him a vicious blow in the back. Even though this blow wasnât fatal, it still caused the blood in his chest to froth to the point where he almost spat it out in a bloody mouthful. This solid blow hadnât been an easy one to withstand. Cao Jin had never once been forced to such a disgraceful state since heâd made his debut in the world. Even when heâd been defeated by that mysterious expert that day in the Regal Pill Palace, he hadnât ended up like this either. That had also been at the hands of an emperor realm cultivator, so he hadnât felt it to be an embarrassing matter.
But now, his opponent today was a mere ant of the first level sage realm! This really frustrated Cao Jin to the point where he wanted to spit blood!