Chapter 40: Arrival! Speculation on the Divine Manifestation
Chapter 40: Arrival! Speculation on the Divine Manifestation
“Ms. Qingzhi, the Divine Manifestation practiced by the Sword God you followed before—what exactly is it?”
Chen Zhixing pondered briefly before transmitting this thought via spiritual communication.
It wasn't long before a female voice resonated in Chen Zhixing’s mind.
“Third Young Master, the Divine Manifestation of that Sword God is a single sword strike.”
“A single sword strike?” Chen Zhixing raised an eyebrow.
“Yes, that’s correct. During a battle, the Sword God suddenly had a moment of insight and unleashed a sword strike far beyond her usual capabilities. This strike embodied the essence of her entire being—mind, energy, and spirit—an epiphany, a serendipitous moment of mastery.
“In terms of swordsmanship, that strike was the peak of the Sword God’s ability!
“Hence, when the Sword God was refining her Divine Manifestation, she transformed that singular strike into her own Divine Manifestation.
“From then on, whenever she engaged in combat, she only needed one sword strike.
“After that one strike, it was either the opponent who died or she herself perished.
“However, even after the Sword God reached the Immortal Realm, no one has ever withstood that strike.”
Hearing this, Chen Zhixing couldn’t help but fall into deep thought.
“Is it really just a simple sword strike?” A flash of insight vaguely passed through Chen Zhixing's mind.
From this, it seemed that refining the Divine Manifestation didn’t need to be overly elaborate.
After a moment.
“Forget it.”
Chen Zhixing shook his head. He would contemplate these matters in depth when he was truly ready to break through to the True Self Realm.
With that, Chen Zhixing stood up and gazed into the distance.
The flying ship had completely left the Chen family’s territory.
The journey from the Chen family's Ziwei domain to the Southern Border spanned thousands of miles.
Since the flying ship wasn’t traveling at full speed, it wasn’t until the next morning that they finally reached the boundary of the Hundred Thousand Mountains in the Southern Wilderness.
The Chen family disciples leaned over to look down and saw an emerald sea spreading out before their eyes.
Towering mountains stretched endlessly, layer upon layer, reaching to the horizon.
“Is this the Hundred Thousand Mountains?”
One by one, the Chen family disciples marveled at the sight, feeling a sense of vastness wash over them.
After arriving at the Hundred Thousand Mountains, the flying ship did not stop until it reached the middle section of the mountain range. It then slowly came to a halt, hovering in mid-air.
“Hmm?”
Chen Zhixing looked down and saw that not far from where the ship had stopped, there was a black forest.
“Not bad.” A smile spread across Chen Zhixing’s face.
This way, he would save a lot of time searching for the forest.
This increased his confidence in finding the tomb of Daoist Jiu Feng and obtaining the Nine Gods Technique.
At the front of the deck.
“Elder Zhaoguang, is everything arranged in this area?” Chen Tianchen asked.
A white-haired, white-bearded elder of the family stroked his beard and replied, “Rest assured, Fourth Master. The powerful demons in this area have all been cleared out, leaving only some demons at the Spirit Nourishment and Illusory Transformation levels, as well as a Luminescence Realm ape demon to serve as a trial.
“In addition, the entire area has been sealed with a Heaven-Sealing Formation, covering a five-hundred-mile radius. Such a vast area should be sufficient for the trial.”
Chen Tianchen nodded and said, “Good, in that case, let’s begin.”
“Yes, sir!”
Elder Zhaoguang withdrew.
He then gathered all the Chen family disciples together and announced the rules of the trial.
“The trial will last for seven days!
“In these seven days, your task is to survive and to seize the bracelets from each other!”
With a wave of Elder Zhaoguang’s hand, amber bracelets appeared in his hand.
Each bracelet was inscribed with intricate array patterns.
“Everyone will start with one bracelet. To obtain more bracelets, you must defeat others.
“Anyone who has their bracelet removed will be automatically eliminated and teleported out of this area.”
“Remember, this trial is meant to hone your skills, not to kill. Do not use lethal force.”
Elder Zhaoguang’s expression was stern as he barked, “Do you all understand?”
The Chen family disciples, feeling energized by his words, responded loudly, “Understood!”
Elder Zhaoguang’s expression softened as he instructed them to collect their bracelets.
After a short while.
Each Chen family disciple had a bracelet on their wrist.
Elder Zhaoguang then ordered the disciples to disembark one by one.
They left the ship at intervals, giving each disciple some breathing room to avoid an all-out brawl right at the start.
While waiting, Chen Zhixing gently fiddled with the bracelet on his wrist.
The design of this bracelet was quite ingenious, containing several arrays.
Not only could it track one’s location in real-time, but it could also activate a shield if someone was about to land a fatal blow.
This was to prevent anyone from losing control and going too far during the trial.
About two hours later, the only people left on the ship were Chen Zhaosheng, Chen Zhixing, and Lu Ying, the outsider.
“My dear brother, I hope this time you’ll show me your true skills.”
Chen Zhaosheng glanced meaningfully at Chen Zhixing.
Lu Ying, however, shook her head.
She had specifically requested to join the Chen family’s trial just so she could defeat Chen Zhixing in a fair fight.
She wanted to prove to her father that her choice in the Chen family’s great hall that day was the right one!
In the next moment.
The two of them simultaneously jumped off the flying ship.
Chen Zhixing remained calm and did not respond to them.
This time, his only target was the tomb of Daoist Jiu Feng.
The protagonist of the Meng family, Meng Hedong, had already started to rise again under the guidance of an ancient mighty soul within a ring, following the scandalous broken engagement.
Judging by the timeline, it wouldn’t be long before Meng Hedong reached the Spiritual Wandering Realm!
Though Chen Zhixing possessed extraordinary comprehension, each of the nine mainline protagonists had some form of powerful artifact at their disposal.
Even Ye Chen, the weakest of the protagonists, whom Chen Zhixing had already slain, had possessed High level sword talent and the Immortal sword Qingzhi.
But Ye Chen had been killed before he could fully develop.
Therefore.
Chen Zhixing had decided that he must enter the True Self Realm as soon as possible and eliminate Meng Hedong in advance!
Half a stick of incense later.
Chen Zhixing stepped off the flying ship.
At the same time.
In the Hundred Thousand Mountains.
Outside the Chen family’s trial grounds, on a hillside at a high point.
A towering tree stood, its crown like a parasol, obscuring what lay within.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
In an instant, five black shadows descended onto the branches of the tree.
These five figures were all clad in loose black robes, with the back of each robe embroidered in white thread with a spider web pattern resembling a Taiji diagram.
On their faces, they each wore a ferocious golden spider mask.
On the left forehead of each mask, different numbers were engraved.
Twenty-eight.
Twenty-seven.
Twenty-three.
Twenty-two.
Nineteen.
The next moment.
The five figures slowly raised their heads and looked towards the Chen family’s trial grounds. The eyes behind the masks gleamed with a deep, cold light.