Chapter 499: Nine Secret Techniques of Qingyun Peak
The three half-step Martial Monarchs were at the very front. As long as they persevered awhile longer, they would escape the range of the energy shells.
What Xiao Chen found even more flabbergasting was Bai Lixi. This fellow relied on his physical body’s powerful defense and the five or six Secret Treasures on him to totally ignore the energy shells. He endured a few attacks and was in front of everyone else.
Xiao Chen’s chest tightened. If these people got out of range, the cannons would focus on him and the other weaker cultivators, making their situation even more difficult.
I cannot drag this out. I have to use my trump cards. Otherwise, I will not even have the opportunity to use them.
After Xiao Chen made up his mind, he no longer hesitated. A silver warship came out of his right eye and he quickly boarded at lightning speed.
“Bang! Bang!”
A few beams of light immediately struck the silver warship, shaking it heavily. Xiao Chen stomped down, stabilized the ship, and quickly flew towards the west.
With the warship to take the attacks for him, Xiao Chen no longer had to worry. There was no need for him to dodge. So his speed increased.
However, the silver warship did not have any defensive formations. It would not last long. Soon, cracks appeared on it.
Xiao Chen did not care about the cracks on the ship. He simply pressed on, rushing away at full speed.
The formations on the Blood Flame Shoes started to glow; its secret technique was ready for activation.
“Bang!”
Finally, the silver warship could no longer endure. It shattered into countless spots of lights before returning to Xiao Chen’s right eye.
Xiao Chen did not panic at all. The instant the warship shattered, he activated the secret technique of the Blood Flame Shoes; his speed instantly rocketed to Mach 4.
Xiao Chen turned into a purple beam of light and moved far away in a flash, leaving the energy shells targeting him far behind.
In another five hundred meters, Xiao Chen would be out of range for the Ancient Demonic Energy Cannons. However, he had now attracted a lot of attention.
Furthermore, the half-step Martial Monarchs had already fled out of the range of the cannons. The next wave of attacks would be more ferocious than before.
It’s time to go for broke and risk everything!
Xiao Chen’s expression turned grave as he placed his right hand on the hilt of his saber. He closed his eyes and used his Spiritual Sense to locate all the beams of light targeting him.
Xiao Chen focused himself. His state of thunder and saber intent quietly brewed.
Suddenly, he opened his eyes and shouted, “Break!” The Lunar Shadow Saber turned into a bolt of lightning as it left its scabbard.
It was like Xiao Chen had grown eyes behind his head. He attacked twelve times, sending purple saber Qi infused with the boundless saber intent and state of thunder at the resplendent beams of light.
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
Intense explosions resounded in the air. Shock waves surged and space fluctuated.
Xiao Chen expended three quarters of his Essence on these twelve attacks. This was the strongest attack he could burst forth with in one breath.
After he finished the twelve attacks, he seemed drained. Sweat poured out of his forehead. However, the nine powerful beams of light heading for him were forcibly blocked.
Back on the deck of the Black Dragon Group’s flagship, Jian Chenan saw the white figure breaking the nine energy shells from the Ancient Demonic Energy Cannons. Astonishment filled his face.
This was the first time Jian Chenan saw such a young person explode out with such strength in such a short span of time.
Even the people from the older generations found this feat difficult to do. Even if they had dense Essence, if their explosive force was not strong enough, they might not be capable of it.
When Jian Chenan saw that Xiao Chen managed to escape the range of the cannons, he asked the cultivators from the Tianwu Continent, “Who is this person? Do you know him?”
“He seems to the the Great Qin Nation’s White Robed Bladesman. However, I am not sure if that is him. It is hard to be certain,” someone said softly.
The White Robed Bladesman… Jian Chenan frowned and shook his head. “I hope he is just an ordinary genius. Otherwise, it would be problematic if we happened to let such a genius escape.”
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Xiao Chen sat on the surface of the vast sea. All he saw was surging waves. As he sat there, he let the waves push him forward.
Xiao Chen held four Medial Grade Spirit Stones in his hands as he quickly restored his exhausted Essence. He had exhausted too much Essence earlier and had to replenish it as soon as possible.
The Boundless Sea might look very calm and void of danger, but he could end up in the belly of a ferocious sea monster at any moment.
After one hour, Xiao Chen completely drained the four Medial Grade Spirit Stones; he managed to barely replenish half his Essence. However, that was sufficient for self-protection.
Xiao Chen tossed away the drained Spirit Stones and looked down into the sea. The deep sea waters could not obstruct his vision.
Xiao Chen saw strange black fish at a depth of over a hundred meters. They were about the size of his palm and covered in sharp scales.
There were so many. Xiao Chen was flabbergasted. A rough count came to at least a thousand. No wonder Sun Guangquan specially reminded him not to enter the water.
While Xiao Chen could have avoided the cannon shots that way, he would probably have died even faster under the jaws of these strange fish.
Xiao Chen stood up and studied his surroundings. The earlier chaos had separated him from Bai Lixi and Sun Guangquan.
Xiao Chen withdrew his gaze and realized he faced a huge difficulty: on this vast sea, every direction looked the same.
No matter what direction he faced, he saw only boundless water.
The sky was currently dark, the sun hidden. There was nothing illuminating the sky, so he could not determine his direction.
Xiao Chen revealed a helpless smile. Even though he managed to survive a major attack, he was stumped by this small problem.
Since he could not tell direction, it was best for him to stay put, to avoid going in the wrong direction. He intended to wait until it was night to see the stars, so he could use them to orient himself.
All Xiao Chen had to do was wait for a few hours. There was no need to panic.
He could do nothing now, but there was no need to waste this time. So, he pulled out the Lunar Shadow Saber and quietly practiced the Four Season Saber Technique.
The Four Season Saber Technique had only five moves: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, and the Cycle of Seasons.
However, each move had a lot of variations; there was nothing fixed. The moves depended on each individual’s understanding. The various scenes of the four seasons would be infused into their Saber Techniques, creating their own unique mysterious phenomena.
For example, Bai Shuihe comprehended the concept of relative warmth from the waters of Spring. The corresponding state would be water.
However, Xiao Chen comprehended the thunder of Spring: First Clap of Spring Thunder, Ten Thousand Beasts Cry Out.
In Xiao Chen’s original world, people called the first clap of thunder in spring as spring thunder.
During the long winter, the beasts of the world entered hibernation. This spring thunder was the alarm clock that woke all the beasts up.
After a long and silent winter, when the spring thunder roared, all the beasts cried out to announce that spring had arrived.
This was the state Xiao Chen comprehended from this move, the state of spring thunder. Calling out to ten thousand beasts to cry out: Winter had ended and spring had arrived. The natural cycle cannot be stopped!
As for Summer, Autumn, and Winter, Xiao Chen was still thinking about them; he did not have any concepts about them yet.
Sun Guangquan had given him many suggestions, helping Xiao Chen broaden his mind and become more cautious.
Xiao Chen continuously tried to perfect this move on the calm sea. However, whenever he reached the point of bursting forth with power, he stopped.
Xiao Chen kept feeling that he was missing something. If he let the move burst forth that way, he would not achieve the effect that he intended.
So, Xiao Chen kept practicing tirelessly on the sea. Every time he performed the move, he would stop at the very, very last moment and start all over again.
This continued for an unknown number of cycles. Unawares, he sank deep into the comprehension of this move.
Xiao Chen forgot where he was or what his purpose here was. He even forgot who he was. All he remembered was the saber.
Without Xiao Chen noticing, a pretty black figure appeared a thousand meters behind him. This figure watched him with interest for quite a long time.
However, after the girl saw Xiao Chen’s exquisite Saber Technique stopping at the last moment and restarting again and again, she felt very depressed.
The exquisite Saber Technique attracted Shi Feng’s attention at first sight. She wanted to see how it would erupt out and shake heaven and earth.
However, the fellow before Shi Feng seemed to be brainless; he always stopped at the most exciting moment and started over again.
This happened several times before Shi Feng could no longer stand it. “I say, will you just let it burst forth? It feels very unsatisfying to see you stop at the most critical moment. Do you know how irritating it feels?”
The sudden voice roused Xiao Chen from his self-forgetfulness. He pulled back his saber and sheathed it. Then, he turned his head to take a look. Shi Feng had arrived before him some time ago.
Xiao Chen smiled bitterly. “I want to let it burst forth too, but I am still missing some inspiration. If I force it out, this move would be severely weakened.”
The Four Season Saber Technique was very different from ordinary Martial Techniques. It paid a lot of attention to the state; its form was only secondary.
If one made the move burst forth forcibly with an incomplete state, the might of the Saber Technique would be greatly diminished. And once it was set, it would be difficult to change.
Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter flowed in a cycle. If the previous season was not dealt with properly, it would greatly affect the next move.
Thus, Xiao Chen had to perfect this first move—First Clap of Spring Thunder, Ten Thousand Beasts Cry Out—before he could let it burst forth.
Shi Feng said, “In that case, you are extraordinarily silly. Since you know that you lack that inspiration, why are you still standing here like a fool? You might as well rush to gather with the Divine Dragon Palace’s people.”
Shrugging his shoulders, Xiao Chen explained, “I am lost; I do not know which way to go. I can only wait for night to fall. Since I am just waiting, I might as well practice.”
Shi Feng shook her head and said, “I really do not know what you are thinking. You did not even make any preparations when you came to the Boundless Sea. The waves will be very huge at night. Come with me. I have some navigation tools.”
Unexpectedly, Shi Feng was so approachable.
Xiao Chen thanked Shi Feng and followed behind her, moving to the west on the calm sea.
Along the way, Xiao Chen asked, “I have been very curious; who taught you the nine secret techniques of Qingyun Peak? Those are the secret techniques of the Heavenly Saber Pavilion’s Qingyun Peak that would not be passed on to outsiders.”
When Shi Feng heard that, she was slightly stunned. She said, “My adoptive father taught them to me. However, he did not say that they were Qingyun Peak’s nine secret techniques. This is my first time hearing that.”
Xiao Chen suddenly thought of something, remembering a possibility that he had considered in the past. He asked, “Is your adoptive father called Leng Tianhe?”
Shi Feng stopped completely and looked back. Her eyes filled with suspicion as she said, “How did you know?”
Indeed, Xiao Chen had guessed it. Aside from the Pavilion Master’s bloodline, no one else from the other Peaks would be able to learn Qingyun Peak’s nine secret techniques.