Chapter 53: A Crushing Victory!
Chapter 53: A Crushing Victory!
“It’s time to end this!”
Chen Zhixing took a deep breath, and with a flick of his right hand, a long, flowing black robe appeared on his body. This robe resembled the web-patterned black robe but lacked the fiery patterns on the latter.
Chen Zhixing donned the white ten-faced mask, pulled the hood of the robe low to cover most of his face, and then, in the next instant—BOOM!—he stamped his right foot and transformed into a golden streak of light, shooting straight towards the battlefield where the flying boat hovered.
Meanwhile, in the sky above the Chen family's flying boat, all but the few unlucky Chen family members who died initially had been escorted safely to the ground. The sky had become a fierce and terrifying battleground!
A colossal, thousand-zhang Buddha sat in the clouds, and atop it, Chen Tianchen, his hair disheveled and his face twisted in fury, roared madly, “Die!”
In that instant, the gigantic Buddha raised its enormous hand, which blocked out the sun, and slammed it down toward the lead black-robed figure, whose mask bore the number '19'.
"The Chen family of Ziwei has always practiced the Five Elemental Qi Gathering Technique. It seems that Chen Tianchen has specialized in the wood path of this technique," murmured the black-robed figure numbered 19, showing little reaction. He then looked up at the mountain-crushing Buddha's hand descending towards him, quickly forming hand seals, and shouted:
“Dharma Appearance: Six-Armed Asura!”
BOOM! The void began to distort, and the spiritual energy surged wildly. Behind the black-robed figure, a bronze ancient gate etched with blood-red patterns suddenly appeared. The gate slowly opened inward, revealing a pair of ashen hands extending from within. These sharp, pitch-black hands gripped the gate and forcefully pushed it open, revealing a towering thousand-zhang Asura with six gigantic arms, a head full of white hair, and a ferocious, fanged face!
The Asura’s six arms shot upwards, clashing with the golden Buddha’s hand. In an instant, the six-armed Asura and the towering Buddha were locked in combat, each of their strikes capable of shattering mountains and splitting the earth. Their battle shook the central region of the vast mountains, almost as if the land itself might break apart.
Meanwhile, Chen Tianchen and the black-robed figure numbered 19, who were controlling their respective Dharma Appearance, exchanged a silent, grave glance. Their strengths were nearly equal, locked in a perfect stalemate.
“Now it’s up to Elder Zhaoguang and Elder Huixin. If they win, it could be the final straw that breaks the camel’s back!” Chen Tianchen took a deep breath and looked to the distance where Elder Zhaoguang and Elder Huixin, who were guarding this trial, were locked in battle with two other black-robed figures.
But after just a glance, Chen Tianchen’s heart sank. Elder Zhaoguang and Elder Huixin were at an extreme disadvantage, especially Elder Zhaoguang, whose face was pale, and whose white robe was stained with blossoming bloodstains. His opponent was a peak Spiritual Wandering cultivator, encased in cold, gleaming black armor, clearly one who had mastered the path of body cultivation, and was pummeling Elder Zhaoguang relentlessly.
Elder Zhaoguang was barely holding on and wouldn’t last more than half an incense stick’s time before being beaten to death by the black-robed figure. "This is bad," Chen Tianchen muttered, his face darkening. If Zhaoguang and Huixin were to die, the two remaining black-robed figures would immediately assist in the fight. Even a momentary distraction could lead to his death at the hands of the black-robed figure numbered 19. Despair filled Chen Tianchen's heart.
“It seems that you are going to die,” said the black-robed figure numbered 19 coldly. Killing Chen Tianchen was a mere convenience for him. At Chen Tianchen’s advanced age and still in the True Self Realm, he wasn’t worthy of being a seed. However, bringing back his body might still yield a True Self puppet.
Chen Tianchen clenched his teeth in silence, continuing to fight the black-robed figure. But then—BOOM!—a black-robed figure broke the sound barrier, crossing the sky in an instant and diving into the battlefield where Elder Zhaoguang fought.
"Another one?" Zhaoguang's face turned even paler. He was already unable to fend off one black-robed figure. If another joined the fray, it would be a certain death. “Is today the day I meet my end?” Zhaoguang sighed inwardly, his face ashen. “If so, then let it be! A cultivator's death in battle is a fitting end!” As he prepared for a final, desperate attack, he suddenly noticed that the black-robed figure with the white cross mask was attacking the other black-robed figure.
"Huh?" Elder Zhaoguang stared in shock, his face blank with confusion.
“Where did this little ant come from?” The black-robed figure numbered 23, who had been fighting Zhaoguang, frowned and reached out with a metallic, gleaming hand towards the masked intruder. BOOM! Chen Zhixing responded with a powerful punch, unleashing his full strength. The black-robed figure’s hand, upon contact with Chen Zhixing’s fist, instantly shattered as if it were mere dried wood.
Without hesitation, Chen Zhixing stepped forward, grabbed the black-robed figure's face, and slammed him forcefully into the ground—BOOM! The impact was like a comet crashing into the earth, accompanied by an earth-shattering explosion. Dust and debris billowed into the sky. Amid the swirling dust, Chen Zhixing relentlessly pounded the black-robed figure into the ground, blow after blow, with the earth trembling under the force of his assault.
In just ten breaths, the dust began to dissipate, revealing a giant crater a hundred meters across. Within the crater lay the remains of the black-robed figure, now reduced to a bloody pulp.
"So, this is what they call the path of body cultivation? Pathetic." Chen Zhixing let go of the mangled corpse and, without hesitation, turned his gaze towards the other black-robed figure. “The third one.”
BOOM! Chen Zhixing leaped into the sky with such speed that Elder Zhaoguang, barely able to react, felt a gust of wind nearly blow him off his feet. His mind reeled in shock as he sucked in a breath of cold air. The black-robed figure he had fought so hard against hadn’t even been able to defend himself and was crushed so effortlessly?
“Wait! Could this be some sort of infighting?” A wild thought crossed Zhaoguang’s mind.
Meanwhile, Chen Zhixing’s speed was so incredible that before the emaciated black-robed figure could even react, Chen Zhixing had already kicked him down from the sky. “I...I can’t win,” the black-robed figure instantly realized. In the face of this mysterious intruder, he was utterly outmatched. Seeing Chen Zhixing charge at him again, the black-robed figure took a deep breath, formed quick hand seals, and his face took on a serene expression.
“Praise the Immortal Heaven!” The black-robed figure’s body began to swell as if inflating. BOOM! The black-robed figure exploded, his body and soul turning into a shockwave aimed at Chen Zhixing.