Chapter 493: Terror of the Heavenly Extermination Union
Shi Hailong’s expression sank but there was no sign of panic in his eyes. He smiled coldly and said, “It’s good that they came; we can uproot them completely.”
“Xiu! Xiu! Xiu!”
Three figures with surging auras appeared in the center of the plaza. Everyone immediately felt a strong pressure.
The person leading the three wore gorgeous blue robes and had a jade thumb ring on his right hand; he looked like a merchant.
This person seemed to have rushed over in a hurry; he had not even taken time to change his usual guise.
However, when this person saw Gong Haoyu planted into the ground and the very weak Xie Ziwen, he sighed—he was still too late.
“Chi!”
A suction force from the blue-robed cultivator pulled Gong Haoyu out of the ground. The blue-robed cultivator placed his finger on Gong Haoyu’s wrist to check Gong Haoyu’s pulse. To his relief, he was still alive.
After that, he casually tossed Gong Haoyu to someone at the side before glaring at Xiao Chen like he wanted to say something. However, he forbore from making a comment in the end.
The blue-robed cultivator instructed someone to pick up Xie Ziwen and prepared to take his leave. However, Shi Hailong laughed coldly without saying anything. He looked somewhat playfully at the three people.
“Bang!”
The three people who had risen into the air crashed into a barrier of Qi and rebounded strongly, falling to the ground in a somewhat miserable fashion.
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
The three tried again at a different location. Once more, they fell miserably.
Regardless of how much Essence the three used, their efforts were futile. Instead, the more Essence they used, the greater the injury they suffered.
The three’s expressions changed greatly as they looked around and failed to figure out who was responsible for their predicament; they could not even figure out where that person was.
“They truly overestimate their capabilities. It is one thing for one half-step Martial Monarch to come to the Heavenly Extermination Union and behave atrociously. Yet, now they sent three Martial Monarchs.”
“The Trial of the Ancient Desolate Tower is a huge matter. The five seniors of the Heavenly Extermination Union are definitely here. They just concealed themselves since it is inconvenient for them to show themselves here.”
“If they do not reveal some of their might, this group of people would really think that a few Martial Monarchs would be able to do as they please in the Heavenly Extermination Union.”
The many cultivators watching revealed expressions of enjoying a lively scene; they found this situation extremely interesting.
The blue-robed cultivator shouted to the sky, “Would Senior please be magnanimous and let us go? From today on, the Evil Moon Pavilion will never set foot in Desolate City ever again!”
A cold snort came from seven thousand meters in the sky. The crowd could vaguely make out five indistinct figures hidden in the boundless clouds.
The clouds churned behind them, creating a grand atmosphere.
“Scram! I will say this only once: Xiao Chen is under the protection of my Heavenly Extermination Union. We do not care about the conflicts between the younger generation. However, if you do not follow the rules and you send out someone of the older generation, the geniuses of the Evil Moon Pavilion can forget about stepping out of the Great Jin Nation.”
The voice was not loud but everyone could hear it clearly, as if spoken directly into their ears.
“Pu ci!”
However, it sounded like loud explosions in the ears of the Evil Moon Pavilion’s people, each word like a crack of thunder.
By the time these words were finished, the Evil Moon Pavilion’s people were bleeding from their ears, nose, and mouth. However, they did not show any dissatisfaction. They respectfully gave their thanks and quickly fled the scene.
“It is good for youths to reveal their sharpness, but remember to refrain from caprice and impatience. Now that you have become famous, do not let your reputation hinder you. Otherwise, not to mention becoming the second Thunder Emperor, you might not even be able to attain a higher level of cultivation. You should know what is good for yourself.”
That clear voice resounded in Xiao Chen’s mind, giving him some warnings before the connection between them ended.
The five figures vanished into the clouds and disappeared without a trace.
As Xiao Chen looked at the person who had spoken, he found him somewhat familiar, like he had seen him before.
“Elder Shi, who was the mysterious person who forced the Evil Moon Pavilion’s people to retreat with his words?” Xiao Chen asked Shi Hailong after he turned around.
Shi Hailong smiled gently and said, “He is the current Union Chief of our Heavenly Extermination Union. Lad, you are very fortunate. I have never seen the Union Chief openly protect someone like this before.”
Xiao Chen fell deep into thought; he was now about eighty percent sure of the identity of that person.
There was no such thing as a banquet without an end. All the outstanding talents of the four nations had gathered because of the Ancient Desolate Tower. Now that the trial was over, it was time for them to depart.
[TL note: There was no such thing as a banquet without an end: This is a Chinese version of all good things must come to an end.]
“Xiao Chen, there is still another one and a half years to the next Five Nation Youth Competition. We will meet again there and finish our fight.”
Zuo Mo came forward and said his goodbyes to Xiao Chen with cupped hands. Even though he had seen Xiao Chen’s strength, it did not dampen his fighting spirit. Instead, it provided him with a goal and motivated him even further.
Xiao Chen nodded and said, “Definitely, we will meet on the Great Jin Nation’s Wind Cloud Arena.”
The people who were on good terms with Xiao Chen all came to congratulate him. He did not put on airs or behave arrogantly. Instead, he treated them politely, reciprocating their respectful gestures.
However anyone treats me, I will treat them in the same manner many times more. This was how Xiao Chen behaved. He would not change it for any reason.
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More than a month had passed since the Trial of the Ancient Desolate Tower ended. The story of how Xiao Chen climbed to the eighth floor of the Ancient Desolate Tower and then defeated the second disciple of the Evil Moon Pavilion’s Pavilion Master and the Evil Moon Pavilion’s outer sect elder spread like the cold in Desolate City.
Desolate City had existed for ten thousand years and did not lack legends. However, it had been very quiet for the past few thousand years; something major like this had not happened for a long time. In this one month, Xiao Chen was the topic everyone discussed over their meals and tea.
The details and history of the nineteen-year-old bladesman from the Great Qin Nation who comprehended saber intent were dug out.
How the Great Qin Nation’s outstanding talents as well as people from the Holy Land suffered miserable defeat at Xiao Chen’s hands in the Heavenly Saber Pavilion.
How Xiao Chen had fooled a group of half-step Martial Monarchs and openly snatched away a peak high-ranked Demon Core from under their noses.
How Xiao Chen gained a hundred consecutive victories in the wrestling ring, reducing the powerful Gao Yangyu of the southern islands to bankruptcy.
Many such stories made everyone sigh. This person had created legends.
Now, many people anticipated how far he would go in the Wind Cloud Arena one and a half years later.
The Great Jin Nation had dominated the top ten positions for a long time already. Could Xiao Chen represent the four nations to break into the top ten and end this monopoly?
Many people also compared him to the geniuses of thousands of years ago, generating intense discussions.
As for the main character of these discussions, Xiao Chen had been bothered to the point of frustration in the past month.
Xiao Chen finally understood why Desolate City was known as one of the two centers of the continent.
In the past month, countless sects from the four nations extended an olive branch to him, inviting him to join their sects.
The benefits they offered grew increasingly larger; even Xiao Chen was dumbfounded at them.
They offered many thousand-year-old Spirit Herbs, unlimited Medial Grade Spirit Stones, and hundreds of Superior Grade Spirit Stones every month.
Xiao Chen remained calm, keeping in mind what he wanted. He rejected them all; he only wanted to be able to cultivate in peace.
However, even after changing his place of residence several times, Xiao Chen would be found soon after. Everyone approached him with smiling faces and polite gestures. So, he could not lose his temper and had to reject them nicely.
In the end, Xiao Chen had no other choice but to use the Shapeshifting Spell. He quietly found a serene courtyard under such conditions before he could settle down in peace.
Xiao Chen spent half a month this way. He used the day to comprehend Bai Shuihe’s attack and the saber intent, which he had suddenly formed.
Xiao Chen understood that it was hard to form saber intent. However, during the fight, the conditions had felt right. With a thought, his Qi had spewed out and formed a saber intent, an inextinguishable sharpness.
Then, Xiao Chen would use the night to stabilize his cultivation. After all, he had raised his cultivation vastly within one day.
Although there were no side effects to the mysterious light barrier of the Ancient Desolate Tower, his foundations were still unstable. He needed to strengthen them; otherwise, he would not be able to last in a fight.
On this particular night, the moon hung high in the sky like a bright silver dish. It shone its light onto the earth, illuminating the courtyard.
Xiao Chen sat cross-legged in the bedroom, holding two Medial Grade Spirit Stones in each of his hands as he circulated the Purple Thunder Divine Incantation’s sixth layer.
The Spiritual Energy of the four Medial Grade Spirit Stones poured endlessly into the Qi whirlpool before becoming drops of purple liquid.
After an hour, the glow of the Medial Grade Spirit Stones dimmed, leaving them as four useless rocks.
Xiao Chen calmly tossed away the four drained Medial Grade Spirit Stones. Then, with a flip of his hand, another four Medial Grade Spirit Stones appeared.
Four Medial Grade Spirit Stones in an hour meant eight for two hours. Night consisted of twelve hours; that meant forty-eight Medial Grade Spirit Stones.
[TL note: The above paragraph might seem weird in the sense that it bothered to calculate the amount needed for two hours. This is because the ancients counted time by two-hour intervals, and there are twelve two-hour periods in a day. The time periods mentioned in this paragraph are written as: Half-a-two-hour period, one two-hour period, and six two-hour periods.]
Such a great expenditure was hard for others to imagine, not too mention having the Spirit Stones to do this. Even if they did, they would not dare to use them like this. The capacity of their dantians was on a different level from Xiao Chen’s.
They would not be able to endure that amount of Spiritual Energy. This was the benefit of a Heaven-Ranked Cultivation Technique. This had created a love-hate relationship for Heaven-Ranked Cultivation Techniques.
“Si! Si!”
Suddenly, Xiao Chen felt some heat in the room. He was stunned for a while as he slowly came out of his cultivating state.
It is almost midnight, the coldest time of the night. Why would there be any heat?
Xiao Chen abruptly opened his eyes and extended his Spiritual Sense outside. He discovered that the buildings connected to the bedroom were all burning.
This was no ordinary fire. Xiao Chen quickly grasped the Lunar Shadow Saber and broke out through the roof, flying out immediately.
A person with a sword on his back sat on a wall of the courtyard. He looked at Xiao Chen with a relaxed expression.
“Xiu!”
Xiao Chen landed on one of the courtyard’s walls and looked suspiciously at the arsonist. “Chu Chaoyun, what do you mean by this?”
“Nothing, just calling you out.”
Xiao Chen was flabbergasted at this answer. “Is this how you call someone out? The moment you come over, you set fire to my house?”
A golden light flashed in Chu Chaoyun’s eyes, and the ferocious flames died immediately. They turned into spots of golden light and entered his eyes.
“It is convenient. I don’t even have to say anything. I just have to glare at it. Don’t you feel the same?”
A courtyard was not something worth any frustration for Xiao Chen. So there was no point in lingering on this topic. Xiao Chen directly asked, “Why are you looking for me?”
“Pa!”
Chu Chaoyun gently pushed off the courtyard wall with his hand. Then he flew off it and landed above the gates.
“Do you know that you are going to die soon?”
Xiao Chen smiled faintly and asked, “Do you think I will believe you?”
Chu Chaoyun said, “Not everybody is happy to see you rise. Those whom you have offended mildly might tolerate you, but not every power would care about the Heavenly Extermination Union.
“Remember what I said to you before? The title of genius is an illusion. The one with the last laugh is the final winner; the survivor is king!”