Everyone believed that the battle between Chen Shi and the Young Master would be a thrilling clash between well-matched opponents. But almost no one knew that while the fight would indeed be thrilling, it would be anything but a contest between equals.
If Chen Shi had encountered the Young Master during the martial arts competition of the tropolitan examination a month ago, it would have been an absolutely spectacular duel.
In a contest of spells and close combat, the Young Master's imnse physical advantage brought by the Jade Emperor's Embryonic Breathing Scripture would be displayed to its fullest. The Eight Gates Reverse Life-and-Death Art, establishing eight gates to determine life and death, would unleash the full potential of this cultivation thod said to be passed down from the Yellow Emperor!
Chen Shi would also elevate the Xiao Lang Imperial Chapter Technique to the Ninth Heaven, then fuse it with the Eight Extres Golden Palace Divine Chapter. He would use his unstoppable sword energy to clash against the Young Master's overwhelmingly powerful physique, and rely on his near-assassin-like instincts to counter immortal-level spells!
He would pit his Dao Body against the Jade Emperor's Body, fully exploit his speed advantage with the Wind-Thunder Variation, attack the Young Master's physical body and Primordial Spirit with the Water-Fire Variation, and create geographical advantages with the Mountain-Marsh Variation!
The two might even create distance within the Immortal Bridge Blessed Land, separated by a hundred li, and duel using the Ten Thousand Mile Flying Sword Technique. They would transform their spells and sword energy into flying birds, hiding them among mountains and rivers, concealed within dense forests, waiting for the chance to eliminate their opponent.
In fact, during their decisive battle, countless provincial graduates would likely perish under the might of their spells and divine powers.
At the critical mont of the fight, Chen Shi would unleash the Thunderous Jade Pivot Great thod, enhancing all his functions. Using the supre thunder power granted by transforming into the Thunder Ancestor, he would attempt to blast the Young Master to death by sheer force!
It would have been an incredibly arduous battle. If he could kill the Young Master with his peerlessly domineering attacks, then victory would be his.
But if the Young Master could withstand the assault of the transford Thunder Ancestor, then defeat would inevitably be Chen Shi's.
Because the Thunder Ancestor form consud too much. Once Chen Shi dispersed it, he would be left with depleted vitality and blood, with no strength left to continue fighting.
That battle would have been dazzlingly brilliant, filled with suspense.
But, that was not the case!
When Chen Shi took this step forward, his palm pressing the Young Master's head against the wall of Zhengyi Hall, he felt the sensation transmitted back from the impact of this skull against an immortal artifact. He felt the crisp vibration of bones cracking beneath his palm.
He simultaneously sensed the Wind-Thunder Variation stirring wind and thunder within the Young Master's body. The sinister Xun Wind swept through the Young Master's internal organs, while thunder severely wounded his Primordial Spirit.
The Young Master's Jade Emperor's Body slightly hindered the usually unstoppable Wind-Thunder Variation.
However, while the Young Master's Jade Emperor's Body was indeed formidable, it had not yet been refined to a pure yang physique, and thus could not resist a Ghost and God Domain.
As long as there was yin energy within the body, it would fear thunder. As long as the physical body had flaws, the Xun Wind could infiltrate every pore. The wind blowing inside would dissolve flesh and bone; it was only a matter of speed!
At the sa ti, Chen Shi's Water-Fire Variation also activated within the Young Master's body. Gui Water scoured his insides; even a Diamond Indestructible Body would be riddled with holes by its scouring!
True Fire burned; even a Diamond Indestructible Body would be reduced to ashes!
And the Mountain-Marsh Variation made the Young Master feel as if he were carrying a mountain on his back. The qi and blood in his legs ceased to flow, becoming unbearably heavy. His body felt filthy and muddy. His physical form was heavy, his Primordial Spirit was chaotic, and movent beca difficult.
These Three Ghost and God Variations, though not as powerful as Creation Little Five's Three Ghost and God Surprises, were still capable of unleashing three different Ghost and God Domains at the Spirit Transformation realm, enough to shock the world.
A month ago, Chen Shi would have needed a bloody battle to kill the Young Master. But today, a month later, tis had changed. The battle between the two, with Chen Shi's breakthrough to the Spirit Transformation realm, was now devoid of suspense.
Within a month, Chen Shi was bound to break through to the Spirit Transformation realm. This was Chen Tang's judgnt, and the reason Chen Tang said that a month later in a duel, the Young Master would undoubtedly be defeated.
The reason Chen Tang believed this was because Creation Little Five had gifted Chen Shi a Fox Grape Mirror for cultivation. The mirror contained a minor heaven within, allowing Chen Shi to cultivate to the Spirit Transformation realm within a month.
However, what Chen Tang had not anticipated was the incident involving the white-clothed female immortal during the martial arts competition of the tropolitan examination, which caused Chen Shi and a group of provincial graduates to fall into the underworld.
It was common knowledge that cultivators could not cultivate in the underworld. Their cultivation would be eroded by yin energy, regressing instead of advancing.
Yet, defying all expectations, Chen Shi could cultivate in the underworld. Not only that, he even found an unconscious "female provincial graduate." Placing this female provincial graduate on his miniature shrine actually yielded better results than Stone Ji Your Ladyship.
Far from delaying his cultivation progress in the underworld, his vitality essence beca even more refined than before!
Before stepping back into the yang world, he had already cultivated to the Body-Equal stage of the Nascent Soul realm, smoothly achieving Soul rging and cultivating his Primordial Spirit.
The Spirit Transformation realm was divided into four stages: first, Soul rging; second, Body-Equal; third, Out-of-Body; and fourth, Towering Stature.
Chen Shi successfully achieved Soul rging. His Nascent Soul was already the sa size as his physical body. After Soul rging, his Primordial Spirit was Body-Equal. As for the Primordial Spirit leaving the body, that was even more commonplace for him; he could achieve it naturally and logically.
He and the Young Master were both in the Spirit Transformation realm. He was at the Out-of-Body stage, while the Young Master was at the Towering Stature stage. Their cultivation levels were already extrely close.
The Young Master's mind was in a daze, a thought surfacing: "He wants to kill ?!"
His Jade Emperor's Body was too powerful. The Eight Gates Reverse Life-and-Death Art also lived up to its reputation as an immortal technique, saving his life and preventing Chen Shi's overwhelmingly domineering strike from taking him out directly.
The foundation laid by his birth mother was too solid. The Jade Emperor's Embryonic Breathing Scripture gave him exceptionally abundant innate qi; his Jade Emperor's Body far surpassed other Dao Bodies and Diamond Indestructible Bodies!
At the sa ti, Chen Shi's Water-Fire Variation also activated within the Young Master's body. Gui Water scoured his insides; even a Diamond Indestructible Body would be riddled with holes by its erosion!
He wanted to activate the Eight Gates Reverse Life-and-Death Art, but his body was filled with three ghost and god-like forces, interwoven and tangled, making it difficult for his cultivation technique to operate, preventing him from resisting Chen Shi.
Only then did he feel a twinge of regret.
Regret for not following Shui Xuanzhi's arrangents.
If he had listened to Shui Xuanzhi's plan, he wouldn't have needed to duel Chen Shi at all, and thus wouldn't have encountered this god of slaughter, Chen Shi!
"Stop!" Voices rang out almost simultaneously.
Hope rekindled in the Young Master's heart.
The civil and military officials of the Western Capital could not afford not to save the Young Master, because he was the best candidate for True King they had selected from the Zhu family's bloodline!
They had selected others before, but they were either arrogant and unruly, refusing to listen to the Thirteen Great Clans and acting on their own, or overly ambitious and difficult to control. Or, like Xiao Wangsun, they had no ambition for the True King's throne and no desire to be manipulated by the Thirteen Great Clans.
Therefore, the Thirteen Great Clans absolutely could not abandon the Young Master. They absolutely could not allow Chen Shi to kill him!
The Thirteen Great Clans harbored the ambition to free themselves from the control of the True Gods. They had the impulse to use the anomaly of the Celestial True God to achieve great things. This opportunity was rare; they absolutely could not permit failure!
As these voices sounded, Chen Shi paid them no heed. Two hundred and fifty-five talismans materialized around his body, and a surge of overwhelming killing intent erupted instantly.
The Ten Extremities Array Banner Talismans!
He was setting up the formation alone, intending to use the Ten Extremities Array to annihilate the Young Master's Jade Emperor's Body!
He no longer paid attention to anything in the outside world; his eyes saw only the Young Master.
He wanted the Young Master dead!
For no other reason than for the peers trafficked and harvested by the Tianmu Society, for the boys and girls of the Taiping Sect on Phoenix Ridge who were sent into the underworld to pick Soul-Returning Lotuses, for the girls in Rouge Lane who solicited custors!
He didn't care about political sches or grand strategies. He didn't want to consider how many good deeds or evil deeds the Young Master had done, the judgnt of good and evil. He didn't want to consider the Young Master's background, his bloodline, how hard he had worked, or how grand his ideals were. Nor did he want to know whose descendant the Young Master was, or that killing him would cause rivers of blood to flow.
This matter had nothing to do with political maneuvering, nothing to do with morality.
It was solely for the sake of the justice in his heart!
He ignored all external forces, entrusting his back to his father, Chen Tang.
In this world, if there was any great power, it must be the power of a father protecting his child!
His goal was singular: in this palace examination, in this competition for the top scholar, to openly and blatantly beat the Young Master to death!
At the sa mont, Chen Tang's hand had already opened the wooden box.
Just as the two elders of the Li Family, the Li Family's Founding Ancestor Ma Jun, and the forr Fei Family Sect Leader Fei Buyi made their move, preparing to suppress and stop Chen Shi, majestic and vigorous figures rose from the wooden box one after another!
They were eight-ard divine demons, with majestic bodies and handso features, like heavenly gods.
With a stomp of their feet, their respective Ghost and God Domains spread out, spanning dozens of li, then contracted, each domain shrinking to a size of a hundred zhang!
"Talisman God Tianji!" Li Qianfeng's face changed drastically, and he cried out in shock.
He had heard of this terrifying man-made talisman god.
Southern School talisman masters regarded Five Lakes Wanderer as their patriarch, studying the Precious Mirror of Talisman Creation. They were a group with mysterious whereabouts and evil deeds. The talismans they created often turned into evil spirits, wreaking havoc in regions.
Among them, the strongest talisman recorded in the Creation Treasure Guide was the Talisman God Tianji.
However, although the circulated versions of the Precious Mirror of Talisman Creation contained records of the Talisman God Tianji, no one had been able to master it. First, the materials were insufficient; second, the attainnt required was insufficient.
If no one could refine the Talisman God Tianji, this talisman would only be considered a fignt of imagination. But the Talisman God Tianji had appeared several tis!
Every ti it appeared, it was accompanied by earth-shattering battles!
As a great clan's ancestor, he had naturally researched the peculiar creation that was the Talisman God Tianji. Li Qianfeng had even visited a battlefield left behind by a Talisman God Tianji, carefully examining the traces of combat. He discovered that this talisman god was born for battle, with strength rivaling that of a Return to Emptiness realm existence!
More crucially, the Talisman God Tianji was a creation; it could be manufactured.
Moreover, these talisman gods were identical. One Talisman God Tianji wasn't particularly terrifying, but when two were together, their strength didn't just double.
Their auras rged, their mana connected, and their Ghost and God Domains could also fuse!
They were almost like a single body split into two parts!
In other words, the greater the number of Talisman God Tianjis, the more terrifyingly their combat power increased!
Of course, maintaining a Ghost and God Domain consud imnse mana. Typically, these Tianjis' Ghost and God Domains only covered about a hundred zhang.
Thirty-seven Talisman God Tianjis stood in the sky, their bodies several zhang tall, surrounding Chen Tang.
Great Ancestor Lord Li Yiran of the Li Family raised his hand, just beginning to mobilize his mana to unleash a divine ability, when the palm force of one of the Tianjis arrived. The mont the two collided, Li Yiran's nearly Tribulation Crossing realm mana was shattered, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
What shattered him wasn't the mana of that single Tianji, but rather the fact that at that mont, all the Tianjis expanded their Ghost and God Domains, overlapping with the domain of the Tianji that had attacked. That Tianji borrowed the mana of the other Tianjis to injure him!
Li Yiran was both shocked and furious, only to see three Tianjis join forces and charge at him. Each had eight arms. Though the arms were nurous, their techniques were orderly and precise, not the slightest bit chaotic.
The domains beneath their feet overlapped. Every hand seal, every Sword Seal, every gesture for drawing talismans, every divine chant recited by their mouths was executed without the slightest error. Even the best Master could not perform them as flawlessly as these Tianjis!
Talisman God Tianjis possessed limited intelligence, but they could execute the most standard spells, the most perfect talismans, the most precise sword techniques!
They were like versions of Chen Yindu in a perfect state, yet with limited intelligence.
Great Ancestor Lord Li Yiran's old injuries had not yet healed, and now he suffered new ones. Attempting to use slowness to counter speed, his rhythm was disrupted by these three Tianjis in just a few moves. With a crack, his left arm was broken.
From the corner of his eye, he saw that the Li Family's Great Ancestor Li Qianfeng was currently spitting blood, his body spinning as he flew into the distance. The forr Fei Family Sect Leader Fei Buyi had fused the Realm of Emptiness with his physical body, but was beaten by another three Tianjis until his Primordial Spirit scattered, flying out of his body.
The right leg of the Ma Family's Founding Ancestor Ma Jun was continuously kicked and chopped by three Tianjis, forcibly broken.
The civil and military officials of the Western Capital numbered far more than a hundred.
The Cabinet, the Six Ministries, the Three Dukes, the Three Solitaries, the Three Preceptors, the Three Junior Preceptors, the Household Administration of the Heir Apparent, the Censorate, the Hanlin Academy, the Court of Judicial Review, the Court of Imperial Sacrifices...
Too many experts!
In the first mont, everyone realized the Young Master was no match for Chen Shi. Imdiately, so activated the Nine Halls, attempting to suppress Chen Shi. Others directly released their mana, surging towards Chen Shi and the Young Master, trying to stop Chen Shi from killing the Young Master.
At the very sa mont they made their moves, the twelve major mbers of the Cabinet were besieged by six Tianjis. The six Ministers of the Six Ministries and their eleven Vice Ministers were attacked by six Talisman Gods, forcing them to defend themselves.
The Three Dukes, Three Solitaries, Three Preceptors, and Three Junior Preceptors—twelve experts—also encountered attacks from six Talisman Gods. The mont they clashed, they imdiately felt imnse pressure.
The Five Armies Commanders Xia Fanghe and Xia Shouying soared into the air, heading straight for Chen Shi and the Young Master between the Nine Halls. Two Talisman God Tianjis rushed out diagonally to intercept them. Their speed was so fast that the two commanders almost collided with the two Tianjis.
The two commanders were twins, sharing a ntal connection. Just as they were about to unleash the Xia Family's combined attack technique from the Southern Palace Collection, they saw the two Tianjis' Ghost and God Domains overlap, executing the combined attack technique before they could!
Both commanders were struck, vomiting blood as they were sent flying backwards!
anwhile, the Director of the Eastern Depot Yan Shuangtian and the Seal-Holding Eunuch Bai Sihai rushed forward, also encountering interception by two Tianjis. The two sides clashed several tis above the Nine Halls, and the two great eunuchs were jointly struck down by the two Tianjis.
The civil and military officials of the Western Capital court were caught completely off guard. In the midst of their shock and horror, they heard Chen Tang's voice ring out: "Eunuch Feng, why aren't you making your move?"
Eunuch Feng watched this scene in horror. Hearing this, he was so startled he nearly jumped up from his wheelchair. Pointing at his own nose, he exclaid in disbelief, "?"
Amidst the chaos, Zhongji Hall suddenly emanated a surge of overwhelming power that shook the entire scene. Zhang Fuzheng's calm and indifferent voice reached everyone's ears: "Everyone, stop."
Seeing the treasure hall left by the True King to suppress the fortune of the Western Ox New Continent unleash its power, Chen Tang knew he couldn't withstand it. He imdiately recalled the thirty-seven Tianjis.
The civil and military officials, along with ancestors like Li Yiran, also stopped, filled with shock and fury.
Zhang Fuzheng looked around, about to speak, when suddenly an overwhelming killing intent shot straight into the clouds. The civil and military officials hurriedly looked over, only to see Chen Shi activating the Ten Extremities Array. A beam of light that annihilated everything shot from his finger, piercing through the Young Master's brow and penetrating his Primordial Spirit!
The light in the Young Master's eyes dissipated. His knees went weak, and he thudded to the ground, kneeling.
"In the Taiping Sect, I said I rembered your voice."
Chen Shi stood before the Young Master, his expressionless face speaking softly, "I told you I would find you and send you to reunite with the Taiping Sect Leader. I have not broken my promise."
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