Chapter 932: An Earth-Shattering Strike
Even though the Eternal Celestial Capital been itching for a fight before this, the series of unforeseen events that had just unfolded in the arena had made them incredibly nervous. At this very moment, Saint Holy King Mu, Saint Holy King Ke, and Holy King Bei were right outside the arena, having blended in with the crowd to observe the battle. They were trying to observe Pill King Zhen to see whether or not he was indeed Jiang Chen.
The current Pill King Zhen had displayed a completely different fighting style from what they’d heard about Jiang Chen in the rumors. Jiang Chen hadn’t revealed his trump cards often in the past. Every time he was forced to reveal them, he would eliminate the enemy without leaving behind any trace of evidence. The only thing everyone knew that he possessed was the Bewitching Lotus of Ice and Fire, because it was simply too heaven defying and unique. Many had seen it with their own eyes, which was why every major sect had deeply associated the Bewitching Lotus of Ice and Fire with Jiang Chen. Other than that, they were finding it incredibly difficult to associate Jiang Chen with any other unique ability.
“Brother Mu. It seems that Pill King Zhen is a lot harder to deal with than we’d originally thought. I’ve become a little unsure if he really is Jiang Chen,” Saint Holy King Ke had become slightly skeptical.
Saint Holy King Mu’s expression darkened, “This brat might’ve hid it well, but my instincts tell me that there’s definitely something more to him. We cannot use our common sense to make judgments when dealing with this kid. Even though this brat might have stronger battle techniques and martial methods than Jiang Chen, you must not forget that it has been almost two years since the destruction of Regal Pill Palace. Judging by how quickly that kid improves…”
Saint Holy King Ke didn’t say anything else. Saint Holy King Mu had made a good point.
However, Holy King Bei, who was staring at the large brute in the arena, suddenly frowned, “My two honorable saint holy kings, are neither of you somewhat suspicious of the large brute’s background?
“Suspicious? Why do you say so?”
“It’s obvious that the large brute’s martial methods and divine abilities are from a large sect. A disciple of his stature could never have come from a small clan or a small sect. Your subordinate is wondering if he might actually be a disciple from the Ninesuns Sky Sect?”
The two saint holy kings immediately scowled. The Ninesuns Sky Sect?
The presence of the Ninesuns Sky Sect was the last thing they wanted to hear. Even if one were to ignore the heated battles between the two that recently took place in the Myriad Domain, they’d already been at each other throats over Emperor Featherlight’s inheritance for a thousand years by now. If the Ninesuns Sky Sect’s disciple were to defeat Pill King Zhen today, they’d gain the upper hand. No matter how perfect or elaborate, the Eternal Celestial Capital’s plans would become completely meaningless, even if Pill King Zhen truly was Jiang Chen. The Ninesuns Sky Sect was also been looking for Jiang Chen. They were planning to use Jiang Chen to unlock the secrets of Emperor Featherlight’s inheritance.
“Ninesuns Sky Sect...” A cold glint appeared on Saint Holy King Mu’s face as he wrapped himself in his own thoughts.
Saint Holy King Ke however, forced out a laugh instead, “Don’t tell me we’re supposed to pray for Jiang Chen? Pray that he’ll win?”
They felt incredibly conflicted right now. On one hand, they were worried that the large brute was actually a genius from the Ninesuns Sky Sects, and that their age-old enemy would gain the upper hand after the battle. Yet somehow, they were also hoping that Pill King Zhen wouldn’t be too strong. After all, the Eternal Celestial Capital had also planted a few of their own members to battle him later on. If Pill King Zhen were to defeat the large brute, it would mean that the arrangements they’d made earlier might not actually be sufficient. This was because none of the three geniuses that they’d sent out were capable of defeating the large brute in terms of absolute strength! Thus, anxiety began to envelop the two saint holy kings.
Back in the arena, the battle had reached its climax.
One side held the might and power of a great emperor, while the other held the defense of a great emperor. The two opposing sides were equally matched. It was hard to tell who would end up the victor.
One could tell that Xiao Paohui currently possessed a sharp increase in attack power. His plan was simple. He planned on crushing his opponent by simply using the might of a great emperor. He was used to defeating his opponents in close quarters. An emperor’s might was incredibly frightening, even though it was actually strength that originated from a mere rune. Xiao Paohui was throwing out a flurry of attacks at a speed that had reached an entirely new level. Every single punch that he threw seemed to release a gust of wind that was as loud as the roar of a tiger. It was so mighty that the entire arena seemed to be shaking and so powerful that nobody could even approach beyond a few hundred meters from them.
“Pill King Zhen, I admit that you are worthy to be my opponent, but this will be as far as you go!” Xiao Paohui looked towards the skies and roared. Power continuously rushed around his body as his might soared. Behind him, faint ethereal silhouettes of gods began to form into being, making him look extremely celestial.
“This is the Judgement Fist of the Celestial Emperor! You should feel honored for making me take your life with this move!” Xiao Paohui spoke dominantly. In fact, he was exuding an aura of dominance from head to toe. It was as though he was a sovereign that had descended upon the world.
“Celestial Emperor? Judgement Fist?” Jiang Chen frowned as he spoke. All of a sudden, he began to laugh coldly, “The Celestial Emperor? Are you even worthy of using such a name?” He felt a strong sense of abhorrence and disgust when he heard those two words escape his opponent’s mouth. As the Celestial Emperor’s son, Jiang Chen had never once heard his father create a move called the Judgement Fist. This move was likely named by a pretentious and lowly cultivator from the lower regions. One could easily tell that this move would be grandiose only in name.
Xiao Paohui could never have guessed that the opponent standing in front of him was actually the reborn son of the celestial emperor! This was why he was able to act as though he was the personification of the celestial emperor himself, high and mighty as though he dictated all life. “Take this!” Xiao Paohui swung his arm to deliver a punch, tearing the void. The punch felt like one was being crushed by a mountain range from a distant, ancient era, or by a fallen star from the endless night sky. It seemed unstoppable. A giant fist, at least one hundred feet tall, struck down from the void towards Jiang Chen.
“Die!” Xiao Paohui kept swinging his arms, materializing countless numbers of fists that began to merge with the giant fist formation. It was as though thousands upon thousands of experts had fused their attacks together into one move.
Moments later, the void began to tremble, and the arena began to collapse into rubble. The four pillars that supported the arena had begun to collapse one by one. This arena had been originally designed for youths, which was why it couldn’t withstand the might of an emperor realm attack and was thus currently disintegrating.
It was evident that this was an attack at a level so destructive that it would destroy everything under the void. However, Jiang Chen, who was standing in the middle of the arena, didn’t seem to be overly concerned about the attack at all. It was as though the huge fist bearing down on him was not an attack worthy of any reaction. The Imperial Advent Defense Talisman was showing its full capability.
Even though his current battle capabilities wasn’t high enough to be able to retaliate, the protection he received from the Imperial Advent Defense Talisman wasn’t something the enemy could easily penetrate. After all, the enemy was only borrowing power from a rune to gain a temporary boost in might and attack. But he wasn’t up to the standards of an emperor realm expert in other aspects, such as the knowledge and understanding of martial dao. Thus, the powerful-looking fist formation was frightening to others, but only frivolous and weak to Jiang Chen.
Once the Imperial Advent Defense Talisman was fully activated, Jiang Chen was enveloped by an energy barrier that contained the defense power of an emperor realm expert. The giant fist formation was only able to bear down thirty feet above his head, unable to penetrate any further.
One side wielded a giant silver fist while the other side wielded a shiny golden energy barrier. The giant fist struck down violently, causing a huge dent in the golden energy barrier, but it couldn’t penetrate beyond the thirty-feet mark. Xiao Paohui was dumbstruck when he saw this. This is a great emperor attack! How can he possibly withstand it?
“A great emperor realm barrier?” Xiao Paohui immediately lost all composure. This was his most powerful trump card! He had no other trump cards to unleash after this strike!
“Impossible!” Xiao Paohui roared again and again. He began to unleash a flurry of fists at a faster rate. “Shatter! Shatter! Shatter!!”
His fists kept on materializing and merging with the ethereal giant fist formation. As expected, the fist began to sink a few more feet into the barrier after his incessant frenzy of punches. However, a frenzied attack like this was also going to consume a great deal of life energy. At the end of the day, Xiao Paohui was only a half-step emperor. The more he did this, the more of a toll it took on his body. If he maintained this rate of attack, he would fall into a cultivation deviation within an hour. There was even a possibility that he would suffer a backlash from the great emperor aura as well!
Jiang Chen felt immediate relief when he saw how his opponent was reacting. He knew that the opponent had lost his calm. This was a good opportunity to retaliate. The enemy might’ve gotten a temporary great emperor level boost to his attack and might, but his defense was definitely still the same. If he could launch a surprise attack on the enemy, dealing a fatal strike was definitely possible.
Jiang Chen’s mind was set once he arrived at such a conclusion. With the protection of the Imperial Advent Defense Talisman, there was no need for Jiang Chen to worry about defense. Right now, all he needed was to find an opportunity to deal a fatal strike to the enemy. Numerous finishing moves appeared in Jiang Chen’s mind in a split second.
In the end, he ultimately decided to use the Pentecolor Divine Swords given to him by Emperor Peafowl. These were divine swords that had been branded by the emperor himself. It was time to show the world the Pentecolor Divine Swords’ edge! Jiang Chen once again called upon the power in his bloodline. The golden brilliance exuding from his body suddenly became blurry and faint. He had formed the Golden Cicada Image. Cicada’s Disappearance!
His true self circled behind Xiao Paohui. The Pentecolor Divine Swords boasted of five techniques. The five techniques could turn into one, just as easily as one could turn into five. It could change between techniques freely. Jiang Chen slapped the sheath, causing five colored beams of light to break through the void. Encompassing the strength of the heavens and earth, he hewed the blade towards Xiao Paohui.
The strike overturned the wind and clouds, and moved the sky and earth. Five colored beams of light shone through the void, bringing along five iridescent clouds. Like trained horses, the five distinct lights flashed by, merging into one and converged upon their target.
Strike!