Chapter 298: Destroying All
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Initially, Chang Shiwan was amused by Chen Fei’s words, but he quickly grew angry. A cultivator who had only broken through to the Aperture Tempering realm for two years dared to speak so arrogantly?
Chen Fei indeed possessed remarkable talent, far surpassing that of the average cultivator at his level. Everyone could see his potential. However, no matter how great one’s talent was, it still required time to be realized. Without time, talent remained just that, unrealized potential.
But as Chang Shiwan gazed upon the sixty sword pearls within the sword formation, his expression froze. Particularly when he sensed the aura emanating from each of the pearls, his eyes filled with disbelief.
The “Zhongyuan Sword Formation” was certainly known to Chang Shiwan. As a renowned legacy technique of the Primordial Sword Sect, various sects had researched it, including the Divine Flame Sect.
However, he couldn’t comprehend what these sixty sword pearls meant. Could an early Aperture Tempering realm cultivator truly unleash such a formation? What level of comprehension and expertise in their cultivation technique would allow them to manipulate this many sword pearls?
“Boom!”
One sword pearl struck Chang Shiwan’s blade, shattering upon impact. It seemed fragile, but Chang Shiwan’s expression wasn’t one of amusement; instead, it was one of astonishment.
The strike caused Chang Shiwan’s arm to tingle slightly. This was just one sword pearl, and there were still fifty-nine more around him. Even the shattered pearl had begun to reform.
Standing within the sword formation, Chang Shiwan looked towards Chen Fei outside. The abnormal number and power of these sword pearls puzzled him. How could Chen Fei, who had only broken through to the Aperture Tempering realm in two years, possibly elevate the Zhongyuan Sword to this level?
No, a normal Zhongyuan Sword wouldn’t possess such power. Could this still be the Primordial Sword Sect’s technique?
Chang Shiwan gripped his blade tightly as countless blade auras swirled around him. He needed to break free. Chang Shiwan knew that he was no match for Chen Fei in his current state. If he stayed here any longer, he might meet his end.
As if sensing Chang Shiwan’s thoughts, the Zhongyuan Sword Formation suddenly accelerated its operation. In the next moment, all sixty sword pearls unleashed various sword techniques, converging to assail Chang Shiwan from all directions.
It was as if there were sixty peerless swordsmen executing each move. While each sword technique appeared deceptively simple, the overwhelming force behind them turned these seemingly straightforward attacks into devastating strikes.
“Open!”
Chang Shiwan roared in anger, and his entire body erupted with blade energy, transforming into massive blade-like waves that cleaved in all directions. Exploiting the momentary delay caused by the sword pearls, Chang Shiwan, in his transformed blade form, charged toward the right-rear position.
The Prayer of the Blade!
One must plead guilty to the heavens while remaining sincere to the blade! In daily cultivation, all emotions, be it joy, anger, sorrow, or pain, any human emotional state, could be infused into the blade.
Over time, one’s thoughts would merge with the blade, and the blade would become an extension of one’s heart. When the heart moved, the blade moved. The Prayer of the Blade was unquestionably a profound blade technique. When mastered, the blade and the wielder’s thoughts became inseparable.
At this moment, Chang Shiwan’s fear merged into his blade, causing the blade’s intent to surge. The Zhongyuan force field was instantly sliced apart, and gravity could no longer weigh down Chang Shiwan.
Chang Shiwan’s speed increased rapidly, and in the blink of an eye, he arrived at the edge of the Zhongyuan Sword Formation. He was just one step away from stepping out of the Zhongyuan Sword Formation and leaving the cave.
However, this one step proved insurmountable because dozens of sword pearls were lying in wait. The blade energy he had unleashed earlier had already been shattered by the sword pearls, rendering it ineffective.
“Shatter!”
Chang Shiwan’s forehead veins bulged as a massive blade of light, like a monstrous serpent, crashed forward. It sliced through the air, producing eerie, mournful sounds that, at first listen, resembled ghostly howls, sending shivers down one’s spine.
“Boom!”
The entire cave trembled violently, and thick cracks appeared in various places as if, in the next moment, the cave would shatter.
Chang Shiwan was pushed backward several steps by the tremendous force, only managing to disperse the force after a while. Dozens of sword pearls in front of him shattered, as if life had returned to them. With a little more effort, they could break free.
But in the blink of an eye, the shattered sword pearls had returned to their original state. Chang Shiwan’s face turned pale, and his sleeves trembled continuously. Thin streaks of blood appeared on his arms at some point.
In this head-to-head clash, Chang Shiwan appeared not to be at a significant disadvantage, but he knew that he had lost. Despite giving his all in that move, he couldn’t break through, and his arms were injured.
For Chang Shiwan to reproduce a move like the one before was now highly unlikely.
Outside the Zhongyuan Sword Formation, Chen Fei stood with a calm expression. Behind him, the Strange Locust Tree, which had been relentlessly attacking him earlier, froze in its tracks after sensing the recent eruption of energy. It seemed to be momentarily stunned.
The Strange Locust Tree finally felt a mortal threat. The strength displayed by these two humans far exceeded its expectations.
Despite having just undergone a transformation and reaching its peak strength, it was now confronted by humans of such immense power. The massive tree body trembled, and its countless branches suddenly retracted. A pale gray light enveloped its entire body, making its aura even more eerie and chilling.
Chen Fei sensed the change in the Strange Locust Tree but paid it no mind. His focus was entirely on Chang Shiwan.
The fusion of the Zhongyuan Sword and the Giant Spirit Sword’s Zhongyuan Sword Scripture had indeed displayed tremendous power. Even someone like Chang Shiwan, an experienced Aperture Tempering realm cultivator, found it impossible to escape once trapped within it.
Had it not been for the fusion with the Giant Spirit Sword, Chang Shiwan’s desperate attack just now might have broken through the sword formation and allowed him to escape.
After all, the Zhongyuan Sword leaned more towards control and restraint, while the Giant Spirit Sword was better suited for decisive combat.
“Between the Divine Flame Sect and the Primordial Sword Sect, there is no enmity. Today’s events were my fault. I am willing to offer compensation,” Chang Shiwan said, taking a deep breath and turning to look at Chen Fei. There was no escaping now, and Chang Shiwan didn’t want to die. The life expectancy of those in the Aperture Tempering realm was two hundred years, and with great strength, one could enjoy a full lifetime.
“One who kills must face death. Just a word of compensation? You jest!” Chen Fei replied. He lightly tapped the ground with his Qianyuan Sword, causing all sixty sword pearls to soar into the air. An intense and oppressive aura filled every corner of the sword formation, as if it would completely overwhelm Chang Shiwan.
“Dare you kill me? The Divine Flame Sect will seek revenge, and the Primordial Sword Sect will perish because of you!” Chang Shiwan yelled in fear.
“The Divine Flame Sect is formidable, which is why I asked you earlier if there was no one else around!” Chen Fei shook his head slightly. The Qianyuan Sword emitted a dazzling light, and within the sword formation, black radiance surged. Chang Shiwan continued to scream and curse at Chen Fei, and his weapon even erupted with spirituality.
However, all these efforts were insufficient to withstand the combined might of two peak-level techniques fused into the sword formation. For an Aperture Tempering realm cultivator, falling into this formation meant certain death, and Chang Shiwan was no exception.
Boom!
The cave’s walls suddenly shattered, and a tremendous force swept across in all directions. Chen Fei remained in place, with his clothes and hair billowing in the raging wind.
The manic voice of Chang Shiwan had already ceased, disappearing without a trace. As the dust settled, there was no longer any sign of Chang Shiwan within the sword formation. Under the overwhelming power of the formation, Chang Shiwan had been obliterated.
Scattered on the ground were several elemental stones, elixirs, and a battered weapon. However, after Chang Shiwan’s explosive outburst, the weapon had already been reduced to a broken state, devoid of its former spiritual power. Chen Fei extended his right hand, and the items fell into his grasp.
Gazing at the weapon, Chen Fei contemplated for a moment. He activated the Sword Essence Technique, and the Qianyuan Sword made contact with the weapon. A trace of residual spiritual essence from the weapon began to flow into the Qianyuan Sword.
The weapon trembled continuously, emitting distorted sounds, and eventually shattered bit by bit. In contrast, the Qianyuan Sword, after absorbing these remnants of spiritual essence, became even more agile and natural in its movements.
In reality, a weapon like this could fetch a decent sum of elemental stones if sold. After all, it had a certain level of foundation. However, this weapon belonged to someone from the Divine Flame Sect, making it sensitive to take it out for sale.
Instead, Chen Fei chose the more direct approach of forcefully extracting the spiritual essence to nurture the Qianyuan Sword. This not only eliminated the risk but also allowed the Qianyuan Sword to grow stronger—a win-win situation.
With a soft snap, the weapon completely shattered, falling to the ground and producing a series of delicate sounds. These fragments were now not even worth being called scrap metal; a slight touch might turn them into powder.
The Qianyuan Sword lightly leaped, and Chen Fei turned his gaze towards the Strange Locust Tree. The Strange Locust Tree was the true objective of his journey; Chang Shiwan was merely an unexpected encounter.
At this moment, the Strange Locust Tree had completely retracted, with its countless branches covering its entire body. From a distance, the entire Strange Locust Tree seemed to have transformed into a wooden sphere.
Gray-white patterns continually flowed across the tree’s entire body, and the cold atmosphere in the cave had significantly diminished, all absorbed by the Strange Locust Tree.
Chen Fei glanced at the rocks beneath his feet, and with a slight movement of his right foot, the rocks instantly disappeared from their original position. With a terrifying force, they hurtled towards the Strange Locust Tree.
This seemingly casual strike possessed enough power to injure a peak-level first-tier beast and could potentially cause severe harm to one with a weaker physique.
However, when the rock approached within ten meters of the Strange Locust Tree, its speed suddenly plummeted. Finally, at a distance of less than five meters from the tree, it froze in mid-air.
Cracks echoed through the air as if an invisible hand had shattered the rock in mid-flight. The next moment, the rock disintegrated completely, turning into ice crystals that dissipated into the air.
Chen Fei’s expression shifted slightly. The Strange Locust Tree realized its slow mobility and had chosen to concentrate all its power, forming a defensive state similar to an absolute domain.
The closer one got to the Strange Locust Tree, the stronger the chilling force that seemed capable of freezing one’s soul became. Though the surroundings of the Strange Locust Tree appeared calm, it was already filled with this numbing coldness. Any approach meant confronting this formidable power.
The Strange Locust Tree, as a monstrous plant, had slow movement, slightly lower intelligence, and a somewhat limited range of attack methods. However, due to its massive body, it possessed an astonishing amount of energy within it.
Chen Fei had now opened twenty acupoints, providing him with enough support to unleash all of his techniques without worrying about running out of energy in the short term.
However, compared to the energy reserve of the Strange Locust Tree, Chen Fei’s elemental power reserves were somewhat like a drop in the ocean..