There was no way anyone could describe the strike with words. It was peculiar, because nobody could understand it. How did Pill King Zhen break free from his opponentâs attacks and strike Xiao Paohui from behind?
Such dominance! There was so much profoundness in the sword dao of this single strike that it dumbfounded many of the famous sword dao experts that were present. This was the âDivine Five Thunderclap Sword Techniqueâ that Jiang Chen had trained to use with the Pentecolor Divine Swords. This particular sword art had a very extraordinary background. The expert that had practiced this sword art back then had been even more powerful than his father, the Celestial Emperor!
Years ago, the Vastsky Divine Emperor ascended from a secular world to become a divine celestial emperor. The Divine Five Thunderclap Sword Technique was one of this legendary beingâs ultimate techniques. Jiang Chen had idolized the Vastsky Divine Emperor ever since he was a boy. His father had often mentioned that within the vastness of the cosmos, there lived the legendary divine celestial emperors of the heavenly plains.
Jiang Chen had been very intrigued by the traces left behind by the Vastsky Divine Emperor. Because this was a man that had ascended from a secular world and had cultivated both pill and martial dao. He was also immensely talented in pill dao, having skyrocketed in strength in his later years. Eventually, he would becoming a divine celestial emperor that would shock the entire cosmos.
Jiang Chen had just displayed the Divine Five Thunderclap Sword Technique in the Divine Abyss Continent. It was not a sword technique from this plane. The sharpness of the sword edge and his talent had been displayed in just one strike. It was at this moment that things were destined to come to a close, and Xiao Paohui destined to die.
The invincible sword light struck Xiao Paohuiâs enormous body. His body suddenly turned stiff, as though struck by a paralyzing glyph. His eyes were filled with disbelief. He wanted to turn around to see who had dealt him the fatal strike. As strong as he was, he unfortunately couldnât even muster up the strength to turn around.
Moments later, the sword light pierced straight through his body. Five beams of light equated to five holes in his body.
Bam! Xiao Paohui fell to his knees before his huge body slumped onto the floor. His body was so enormous that it kicked up the dust around him. Resentment remained in his eyes even in death. His eyes were wide open like a bell.
The arena was so quiet that it almost seemed like the air had solidified. It remained like this for a few breaths before the sound of applause exploded from all sides. The praise swept through the area and came in like a tide from both near and far. Jiang Chen sheathed his sword. âWhoâs next?â He asked, seemingly unfazed.
After such a battle, Jiang Chen had gained a battle aura. This was an aura that was vastly different from his aura from previous battles. In the past, he had been able to defeat the strong by relying on his equipment. Even though he had used the Imperial Advent Defense Talisman in the battle, his techniques were noticeably more sophisticated than beforeâimages, sword techniques, the Golden Body of Demons and Gods, and more.
Every candidate in the first arena was silent due to fear. It was evident that all cultivators in the first arena had given up any intentions of fighting Jiang Chen after such a battle. However, the rules stated that it was mandatory for every single one of them to challenge Pill King Zhen. This was a hard rule that was set so that every single candidate would have to fight one another. But against a person of Pill King Zhenâs stature, these cultivators simply couldnât find the courage to challenge him.
âThatâs insane! Is this Pill King Zhenâs true capabilities in martial dao?â
âUnbelievable! Iâve always thought that Pill King Zhen was just a genius in pill dao. Never in my life would I have imagined that Pill King Zhen was just as capable in martial dao!â
âNo wonder he could become the arena lord of the first arena. Someone even mentioned that heâd cheated during the formation selection stage. That person must be hitting himself right now!â
âForget it. Iâve decided to forfeit against Pill King Zhen.â
âI will forfeit and admit my loss too.â
âWhich idiot wouldnât forfeit against him? Iâm not about to let him torture me!â One by one, the cultivators in the first arena sighed in relief. They could finally put down the baggage in their hearts. If they were going to lose irrespectively, they might as well admit defeat. Admitting defeat against someone as powerful as Pill King Zhen wasnât shameful in the least.
At a corner far away from the arena, the two high-ranked members of the Ninesuns Sky Sect were petrified as well. Theyâd risked danger, disguised themselves as wandering cultivators, and blended in with the crowd, all so they could watch Xiao Paohui crush Jiang Chen in the arena. They had all but confirmed that Pill King Zhen was truly Jiang Chen. Moreover, they were extremely confident this time. Xiao Paohui was a top-notch genius, ranked seventh among the ten great disciples. Amongst the youths in the Ninesuns Sky Sect, those who could defeat him in battle could be counted on one hand.
Jiang Chen might be heaven defying, but he was too young. And with the passage of only a few short years, how heaven defying could an origin realm speck like him possibly be?
And yet...
The result from the battle had overturned their beliefs. The two looked at each other and saw the bitterness and resentment in each otherâs eyes. It was evident that they both couldnât accept the result. Xiao Paohui was dead! It wouldnât have been an issue if it were some common disciple. There were an infinite number of geniuses in the Ninesuns Sky Sect. Losing one or two wouldnât make much of a difference, but the ten great disciples werenât just any common disciples! These disciples were supposed to be the future pillars of the sect!
Cao Jinâs death had already caused a great deal of unrest in the sect. Adding Xiao Paohuiâs death to the list was truly one disaster on top of another. Their deaths werenât debilitating for the sect, but they were still a huge blow. Worse, they couldnât even collect the body under such circumstances!
Even though nobody knew where Xiao Paohui was from, the one thing people knew for sure was that heâd come for Pill King Zhen. Collecting his body right now would expose their true identities. This was Veluriyam Capital after all. They calmed themselves down after the heartbreaking result, but they still didnât dare to collect the body. They had a feeling that Emperor Peafowl had already set his sights on them. If they were to collect the body from the arena now, somebody else might have to come collect their bodies with it too.
âLetâs return to the sect.â The two figure heads of the Ninesuns Sky Sect looked at each other. They made this choice begrudgingly because they knew that their plans had failed yet again. However, this failure only made them even more confused. They were no longer positive that Pill King Zhen was the same person as Jiang Chen.
Jiang Chen was a genius, but he was only a young brat that had just broken through to origin realm at Precious Tree Sect those few years ago. How many years had it been? It wasnât possible for a person to improve so quickly that he could defeat a half-step emperor within such a short period of time! Not a single person in the entire history of the Divine Abyss Continent could achieve such a feat.
Were we truly mistaken? The two figure heads of the Ninesuns Sky Sect were feeling extremely conflicted. If they were mistaken, it would be like smashing their own feet with a stone theyâd picked up themselves. Moreover, there was no way for them to seek revenge on a person from Veluriyam Capital. If they were to do so, all of Veluriyam Capital might retaliate. After all, this was Veluriyam Capitalâs home turf and also their tournament. Sending a great disciple to deal with a genius from Veluriyam Capital was already a huge violation of the rules. The two Ninesuns Sky Sect figures quickly took their leave.
âThat was astounding!â Over at the Coiling Dragon Clan, Ji San had been clenching his fists nervously. When he saw Jiang Chenâs heroic and mighty display, he was overrun by excitement.
The clan lord was staring at Jiang Chenâs back with an astonished look. âGenius... Genius! Veluriyam Capital has not seen a genius of such a level for the past three thousand years! It seems like His Majesty was truly farsighted!â The clanlord muttered to himself.
The three youths from the clan were surprised when they heard the words, âHis Majestyâ.
The clan lord laughed. He knew that heâd spilled the beans. All this while, rumors had been circulating that Emperor Peafowl was going make Pill King Zhen the heir of Sacred Peafowl Mountain. This was a rumor that seemed to have some truth behind it, but there hadnât been an official announcement yet.
Even though the disciples of the great clans were often spreading the rumor around, nobody could say for sure that it would happen. Since the clan lord was Emperor Peafowlâs trusted subordinate, it was only natural that heâd know a thing or two about it. However, he didnât dare to wag his tongue before the emperorâs official announcement. Liuxiang couldnât resist asking, âClan Lord, is the emperor really going to make Pill King Zhen his heir? Isnât this decision a little too rash?â
The clan lord broke into an odd cackle, âHow can you believe such baseless rumors?â
âMany are saying that itâll happen, but they all feel that itâs unfair. After young master Fanâs death, many disciples of the major clans in Emperor Peafowlâs faction were planning to make themselves stand out during the Martial Pagoda battles, so that His Majesty would notice us,â Liuxiang replied.
âItâs not a bad thing for youths to set a goal for themselves,â the clan lord responded with a chuckle.
âLiuxiang, donât tell me that you intend to compete for the position as heir of Sacred Peafowl Mountain too?â Ji San asked mockingly.
âThereâs no harm done in participating. If one were to have no dreams, they would be no different than a mere salted fish,â Liuxiang replied with a quiet snort.
âFine. I admit that you have very bold dreams. But donât tell me you still plan on realizing that dream?â Ji San asked with a supercilious smile.
âDonât tell me that you believe Pill King Zhen can scare everyone off with just that performance?â Young master Liuxiang responded with a cold laugh. âI admit that he is strong, but nobody on the Genius and Young Lord Rankings are to be scoffed at.â
Liuxiang had his own pride. It was evident that he didnât believe that he was inferior to Pill King Zhen.
âWhy are you quarrelling over such matters? The stage has already been set up for you in the Martial Pagoda battles. Find out whoâs stronger in the arena,â the clan lord said conclusively. Ji San laughed yet again, but didnât say anything else. Liuxiang, however, was caught up in his thoughts. Nobody could tell what he was thinking about.
Jiang Chen didnât know whether to laugh or to cry when he saw what was happening. Every single candidate in arena one was now forfeiting their matches against him. His consecutive victories shot up within a short amount of time. He hadnât expected this to happen. He never thought that this difficult matchup would bring him so much fortune in the end!