Chapter 282: Backstab
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
“Yu Cunzheng, how dare the Long Rainbow Sect betray us!” Tang Zhishi brandished his spiritual sword, blocking the attacks from all around. His expression was dark and, especially when he looked at someone specific, his gaze turned icy.
In this mountain hollow, there were seven cultivators from the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect who had gathered here for a mission, only to be ambushed and surrounded by members of the Divine Flame Sect.
All seven of these cultivators were core members of the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect, not the independent cultivators who had joined recently. This meant that if these seven cultivators were to die here, it would be a severe blow to the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect.
Particularly, Tang Zhishi was at the late Aperture Tempering realm cultivation stage and had hopes of attempting to break through to the Combined Aperture Tempering realm in the coming years. His death would be a significant setback for the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect.
Yu Cunzheng from the Long Rainbow Sect remained silent, continuously attacking the members of the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect. Present on the scene, there were over ten Aperture Tempering realm cultivators from the Divine Flame Sect, and even with Tang Zhishi, the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect members were facing a time-bound defeat.
The encirclement was growing tighter, and the Divine Flame Sect was slowly wearing down the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect members. Regardless of how one looked at it, there was no chance of survival for the seven Immortal Cloud Sword Sect members.
Lu Zhenyuan of the Divine Flame Sect had a sinister smile on his face. This collaboration with the Long Rainbow Sect had yielded far better results than expected. As for the Long Rainbow Sect’s inability to remain hidden within the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect afterward, it didn’t matter to him.
The Immortal Cloud Sword Sect had never had a strong level of trust with other sects, and they rarely consulted with other sects when making major decisions.
But that was understandable because those outside of their sect were seen as having different interests.
The radiance of the spiritual sword in Tang Zhishi’s hand continued to intensify as the situation reached its most critical point. However, Tang Zhishi’s expression gradually became calm, and the anger he had shown earlier seemed to have disappeared completely.
Lu Zhenyuan’s eyebrows slightly furrowed, and his core soul energy trembled slightly as he sensed something unusual. Just as he was about to give the order to fully attack Tang Zhishi and his companions, a sudden surge of energy appeared several hundred meters away.
Lu Zhenyuan’s expression changed abruptly. He turned to look and discovered that more than twenty cultivators in the Aperture Tempering realm were rushing towards them from all directions, converging on their location.
For cultivators in the Aperture Tempering realm, several hundred meters was hardly a distance at all. Before Lu Zhenyuan could react, these individuals had already encircled the members of the Divine Flame Sect.
The faces of the Divine Flame Sect disciples turned pale, and Yu Cunzheng, in particular, looked incredulous. How could there be so many Immortal Cloud Sword Sect members here?
Lu Zhenyuan immediately turned to Yu Cunzheng, thinking that the Long Rainbow Sect might have played a double game. However, from Yu Cunzheng’s expression, it was clear that he was just as clueless about this as anyone else.
“At a time like this, we can have a proper discussion!” Tang Zhishi’s expression turned cold. In the next moment, a giant sword spanned dozens of meters and slashed towards Lu Zhenyuan. With a deafening roar, the entire mountain hollow vanished from sight, and the counter-ambush had officially begun.
Dozens of miles away, within the Moyang Manor, Chen Fei was wholeheartedly cultivating. Suddenly, he received a notification that he could leave.
Chen Fei’s heart stirred slightly, understanding that the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect must have taken action, and there was no need for him to continue disguising himself here.
Without further ado, Chen Fei’s figure flickered, and he headed towards the mountain gate of the Primordial Sword Sect.
Having achieved a breakthrough to the Combined Aperture Tempering realm in his skill, Chen Fei’s speed had increased even further. In the Aperture Tempering realm, not a single person from the surrounding sects could match his speed unless they possessed a spirit tool that enhanced their speed.
Only cultivators at the middle stage of the Aperture Tempering realm posed a threat to Chen Fei now.
Chen Fei had opened up thirty- Aperture Tempering realm six acupoints. After breaking through to the middle stage of the Aperture Tempering realm, these thirty-six acupoints would become completely interconnected, forming a unified whole. Consequently, the power that could be accessed was much stronger than in the early stages of the Aperture Tempering realm.
This was the difference between scattered soldiers and a unified army. It was also why the combat power of those in the middle stage of the Aperture Tempering realm was stronger than those in the early stage.
Chen Fei had not yet reached the point of invincibility in the early stages of the Aperture Tempering realm, as there were still many techniques within that realm. However, with his complete mastery of the Soaring Heaven Technique, Chen Fei could now come and go as he pleased.
If Chen Fei had possessed this level of skill in the Soaring Heaven Technique a few days ago, then the group led by Fang Zhehua would not have been able to block his path at all because the difference in their mobility techniques was too great.
Returning to the sect at lightning speed, Chen Fei immediately sought an audience with the sect leader, Qu Qingsheng. To his surprise, he found all the elders gathered in the main hall of the sect.
When Qu Qingsheng saw Chen Fei, he nodded slightly, and the other elders also gave subtle acknowledgments.
Chen Fei stood beside Feng Xiupu and sought guidance from his master with a glance.
“Long Rainbow Sect has betrayed us and joined the Divine Flame Sect. Originally, they intended to ambush and kill the seven Immortal Cloud Sword Sect members in the middle stages of the Aperture Tempering realm. However, the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect turned the tables and is now besieging more than a dozen middle-stage cultivators from the Divine Flame Sect,” Feng Xiupu communicated through mental transmission.
Chen Fei’s expression trembled slightly. What a bold move. Previously, the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect had suffered losses when their middle-stage cultivators were ambushed and killed. Their morale had been low, but now they had seized an opportunity and were turning the situation around.
Of course, the value of more than a dozen middle-stage cultivators couldn’t compare to that of a single Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivator. Whichever way you looked at it, the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect was still at a disadvantage.
However, the loss of more than a dozen middle-stage cultivators was a heavy blow to the Divine Flame Sect. Most of the Divine Flame Sect’s middle-stage cultivators were originally solo cultivators who had joined the sect.
Now, losing more than a dozen of them in one fell swoop would severely tip the balance of power between the Divine Flame Sect and the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect.
Apart from their top-tier combat power, the two sects remained relatively evenly matched, while in other aspects, one sect had significantly outstripped the other.
Not to mention, most of the surrounding sects are leaning towards the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect. It can be said that after this battle, the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect’s situation has suddenly improved significantly.
“Except for the few mentioned earlier who will stay behind, the rest of you follow me to the Long Rainbow Sect!” As soon as Qu Qingsheng’s words fell, he was the first to leave the main hall, followed by the other elders.
“Long Rainbow Sect is blocked by the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect at the mountain gate, Tong Zhongqiu has stopped Jian Jinsheng, and the cultivators from the Divine Flame Sect are currently no match for the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect. They can’t break through,” whispered Feng Xiupu.
“So, the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect wants us, several sects, to annihilate the Long Rainbow Sect?” Chen Fei raised an eyebrow slightly.
The Immortal Cloud Sword Sect’s strategy was clear: they would intercept the Divine Flame Sect while letting other sects deal with the Long Rainbow Sect. These sects would be less resistant to the Long Rainbow Sect compared to directly confronting the Divine Flame Sect.
“Right, to annihilate the Long Rainbow Sect. We get fifty percent of what we obtain, and the rest goes to the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect,” Feng Xiupu nodded.
“Should 1 stay behind at the sect or go with them?” Chen Fei asked in a low voice.
“You go with them,” Feng Xiupu replied.
Upon hearing this question, Feng Xiupu looked at Chen Fei somewhat strangely. It was only today that Feng Xiupu learned that Chen Fei had single-handedly killed three cultivators at the same stage in the initial Aperture Tempering Realm. The names of these three were well-known in the Immortal Cloud City, and they were all outstanding cultivators who had broken through to the Aperture Tempering Realm in the past ten years.
The names of Fang Zhehua, Yu Xiaolin, and Sha Yingsi were widely recognized, and they were considered the cream of the crop among cultivators who had broken through to the Aperture Tempering Realm in the past decade.
These three individuals had tried to surround and kill Chen Fei, but in the end, not a single one of them had escaped. When Feng Xiupu heard this news from the Sect Master Qu Qingsheng, he was completely stunned.
Those who knew remembered that Chen Fei had only broken through to the Aperture Tempering realm a little over a year ago. For those who didn’t know, hearing this news suddenly might make them think Chen Fei was a mid-stage Aperture Tempering realm powerhouse.
The last time Chen Fei had escaped from the three Aperture Tempering realm cultivators of the Divine Flame Sect, Feng Xiupu had been relieved, thankful that Chen Fei’s speed had reached a certain level. If it hadn’t been for his speed, Chen Fei might have been in danger at that time.
And now, just a few months later, Chen Fei had gone from escaping to killing three sect Aperture Tempering realm cultivators without sparing a single one. This level of difference was simply outrageous.
Even as Chen Fei’s master, Feng Xiupu found it hard to digest this news.
Currently, only Sect Master Qu Qingsheng and Feng Xiupu were aware of this information, and it hadn’t been shared with the other elders. This was done to better protect Chen Fei.
When Qu Qingsheng arranged for Chen Fei to go to the Long Rainbow Sect today, it had surprised the others. However, Qu Qingsheng had given the reason that facing life and death was necessary for growth.
This kind of inter-sect war would undoubtedly be extremely brutal, but the brutality was mostly directed at the Long Rainbow Sect. The Primordial Sword Sect, Sunken Water Pavilion, and Big Dipper Tower had mobilized over eighty percent of their Aperture Tempering realm cultivators.
With this number of Aperture Tempering realm cultivators, they far outnumbered the Long Rainbow Sect. Even if the Long Rainbow Sect had some defensive formations, they wouldn’t withstand such a sea of people in battle.
Therefore, although Chen Fei’s cultivation level wasn’t high, his safety was not a concern.
“How far have you progressed in your Zhongyuan Sword technique?” Feng Xiupu transmitted his voice.
Last time, Feng Xiupu only knew about Chen Fei’s progress in the Soaring Heaven Technique and hadn’t asked about the Zhongyuan Sword technique.
In Feng Xiupu’s estimation, after Chen Fei broke through to the Aperture Tempering realm, he probably focused on the Soaring Heaven Technique as his main cultivation method, following the same strategy he had used in the Body Refining Realm: running away when he couldn’t win.
But now, killing three Aperture Tempering realm cultivators single-handedly was entirely impossible with just the Soaring Heaven technique. It would require the Zhongyuan Sword technique to reach an extremely high level.
“I have forty sword beads, and I’ve made some improvements to them,” Chen Fei said, extending his right hand. Between his thumb and forefinger, a black sword thread ran across.
Feng Xiupu’s expression tightened. Although the sword thread flashed by briefly, he could clearly sense the sharpness within it.
With forty sword beads and the transformation into a sword thread, Feng Xiupu realized that if he were to face Chen Fei head-on, he would likely meet a fatal end.
As for the level of understanding of the Zhongyuan Sword technique with forty sword beads, within the Primordial Sword Sect, aside from Chen Fei, no one in the early Aperture Tempering realm had achieved it. Even among those in the mid-stage of Aperture Tempering realm, only one elder had completed it.
In just a little over a year, Chen Fei had already comprehended the Zhongyuan Sword technique to this degree. It was no wonder the three members of the Long Rainbow Sect couldn’t escape.
Feng Xiupu felt both gratified and somewhat melancholic. He was gratified that he hadn’t misjudged Chen Fei. Chen Fei’s exceptional insight was truly unique, and the Aperture Tempering realm marked the beginning of his ascent.
However, he felt melancholic about his own cultivation path, uncertain about how far he could progress..