Chapter 329: A Thousand-Foot Plunge
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Chen Fei’s eyes widened involuntarily. How could there be a Combined Aperture Tempering realm expert here?
In the next moment, Chen Fei remembered encountering Yu Zhongxin in the Despair City, a late-stage Aperture Tempering realm cultivator he had never seen or heard of before. The presence of the Combined Aperture Tempering realm expert in the sky was likely related to this.
Chen Fei didn’t linger on the thought and turned back to continue running downhill. Such a powerful expert was beyond his capabilities. What mattered most now was to quickly leave this place.
“Buzz!”
The aura of the Combined Aperture Tempering Realm swept through the entire mystic realm, causing it to tremble. Disciples in the mystic realm who were still there halted their activities and looked towards the sky.
The monsters within the mystic realm, as if sensing something, all retreated into their caves, curling up in corners and trembling. This was an instinctual reaction to danger, and sometimes, monsters could be more sensitive than human cultivators.
“The Combined Aperture Tempering Realm? How can there be a Combined Aperture Tempering Realm here?”
Stepping out of a cave, Feng Xiupu looked towards the direction of Half-Bottle Mountain, his eyes filled with disbelief. This was only a newly formed second-tier mystic realm, and even middle-stage Aperture Tempering realm cultivators found it difficult to enter.
Yet a Combined Aperture Tempering Realm expert had appeared in the sky above the mystic realm. What was even more perplexing was that the aura of this Combined Aperture Tempering Realm expert felt entirely unfamiliar.
“They won’t run into trouble, will they?” Wei Yantao stood nearby, expressing his concern.
Feng Xiupu furrowed his brow, unsure of how to answer that question. There had undoubtedly been an unexpected development on Half-Bottle Mountain, but their current capabilities were insufficient to address such a situation.
“Buzz!”
The trembling of the mystic realm intensified. The power of the Combined Aperture Tempering Realm had already exceeded the capacity of this newly formed mystic realm. Trying to expel the Combined Aperture Tempering Realm from the mystic realm was proving impossible because the mystic realm lacked such capabilities.
It was akin to a stomach stuffed with too much food. Either it had to digest it or regurgitate it. If it couldn’t do either, there was a high likelihood that the stomach would burst.
That was the current situation of the mystic realm. Unable to drive out the Combined Aperture Tempering Realm, the most likely outcome was its tearing apart.
“Whoosh!”
A sound broke the silence as Feng Xiupu and Wei Yantao instantly went on guard, each gripping their spirit swords. However, when they saw the newcomer clearly, Feng Xiupu’s face lit up with joy, and Wei Yantao shared the same sentiment.
“Master, Elder Wei!”
Chen Fei placed Ren Zhongyang and Chi Shuqing down and greeted Feng Xiupu and Wei Yantao with a bow.
“What happened on Half-Bottle Mountain?” Wei Yantao looked at the two individuals on the ground, his expression filled with astonishment. The condition of Ren Zhongyang and Chi Shuqing was extremely critical, and they were on the brink of death.
Fortunately, after escaping from the Despair City, they had not been exposed to new frigid forces, and the city’s suppression no longer existed. The vitality in Ren Zhongyang and Chi Shuqing’s bodies began to recover slightly, barely resisting the spread of the chilling forces.
“Half-Bottle Mountain has a Despair City on it. All of us were drawn into it, and this city seems to connect to other places. The Combined Aperture Tempering Realm expert likely came from one of those directions!” Chen Fei said with a solemn tone.
“A Despair City? Connecting to other places?” Wei Yantao’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Let’s leave this place first; we can discuss everything else later.”
Chen Fei stuffed some pills into the mouths of Chi Shuqing and Ren Zhongyang, then picked them up again and ran toward the exit of the mystic realm.
Feng Xiupu and Wei Yantao didn’t press for more information.
The mystic realm couldn’t withstand the power of the Combined Aperture Tempering Realm, and the worst-case scenario could result in the mystic realm shattering. In that case, everyone inside the mystic realm would be in great danger.
Even if the mystic realm didn’t ultimately face any major issues, they didn’t know the temperament of this newly arrived Combined Aperture Tempering Realm expert.
If it happened to be someone from the ruthless and life-disregarding demonic factions, then everyone inside the mystic realm at this moment might be doomed. Therefore, leaving the mystic realm first was the best choice, no matter what.
With great speed, Chen Fei and his group arrived at the mystic realm’s exit. Not only them, but the disciples in the Body Refining Realm had also sensed the changes in the mystic realm and were rushing toward this location.
“The time hasn’t come yet; the mystic realm’s exit can’t be opened.” Wei Yantao frowned.
“It’s getting close!” Chen Fei turned to look in the direction of Half-Bottle Mountain. The aura of the Combined Aperture Tempering Realm expert was as prominent as the midday sun, but compared to before, this aura was now retracting.
However, even with the retraction, all the forces within the mystic realm were instinctively rejecting this Combined Aperture Tempering Realm expert. The clash of these forces caused the trembling of the mystic realm to intensify.
“Crack, crack, crack!”
A strange sound echoed within the mystic realm, its origin unknown, yet it resonated in the ears of everyone present. It was the sound of the mystic realm’s rules breaking down; the mystic realm was starting to crumble.
“Back away!” Chen Fei sent Chi Shuqing and Ren Zhongyang several meters backward, then turned to face the mystic realm’s exit. The barrier here was fluctuating continuously, and perhaps in a few moments, it would rupture.
However, Chen Fei didn’t want to wait those few moments. He intended to forcefully open this exit. Once he created a crack, external forces would naturally guide the opening of this exit.
Hearing Chen Fei’s words, Feng Xiupu and Wei Yantao quickly retreated. They were well aware of Chen Fei’s power.
“Swish!
n
On the Qianyuan Sword, a black radiance burst forth, followed by countless sword threads winding around, and the majestic power of blood and qi surged within Chen Fei’s body.
With the enhancement of the Slaughter Spirit Technique, the black light on the Qianyuan Sword quivered slightly but was immediately firmly fixed in place by Chen Fei’s powerful spiritual force.
In the next moment, Chen Fei raised the Qianyuan Sword high and slashed forward.
A black streak shot into the sky, like a deer’s antlers, skillfully striking the continuously undulating patterns of the mystic realm’s barrier.
“Boom!”
The mystic realm barrier hesitated for a moment, and then a violent explosion resounded. Fierce winds swirled, and sand and stones flew as a black crack was forcibly cleaved open by Chen Fei.
Wei Yantao stood in the distance, watching the power of this sword, and couldn’t help but swallow hard. Wei Yantao noticed that compared to when Chen Fei killed Dong Xiuzhi from the Divine Flame Sect, Chen Fei had actually grown stronger.
How much time had passed? He had just been to Half-Bottle Mountain, and Chen Fei’s strength had improved so much? Wasn’t it said that a strange city appeared on Half-Bottle Mountain, and that there had been an incident? Chen Fei’s current displayed strength was enough to kill someone like Dong Xiuzhi, who was in the early stage of the Aperture Tempering Realm, with a single sword. Was this the strength someone in the early stage of the Aperture Tempering Realm could possess?
Feng Xiupu blinked his eyes, trying to keep his expression calm, although he was already incredibly astonished inside. Feng Xiupu found that no matter how much he overestimated his disciple’s strength, every time they met, Chen Fei would give him a shock.
Chen Fei sheathed his sword and stepped back, looking at the gradually expanding crack in front of him. Evidently, people outside the mystic realm had sensed the changes and were starting to make efforts to open the exit.
As time passed, the crack on the barrier grew larger and the ripples it produced became more and more concentrated. Finally, a portal appeared on the barrier.
“It’s open!” Wei Yantao exclaimed with joy.
At this moment, as the confrontation between the mystic realm and the late-stage Aperture Tempering Realm had dragged on, the entire mystic realm felt like the end of the world. Every moment spent here was filled with a sense of fear, and everyone wanted to escape from this mystic realm immediately.
“Pfft!”
Chen Fei stood to the side, suddenly spitting out a mouthful of blood, which shocked Feng Xiupu and Wei Yantao, who had previously been wearing smiles.
“What’s wrong with you?” Feng Xiupu rushed to Chen Fei’s side, his eyes filled with worry as he asked.
“Too many people have died on Half-Bottle Mountain, Master!”
Chen Fei smiled at Feng Xiupu, but his face, which had been flushed just now, gradually turned pale. His aura had plummeted as if he was on the brink of death.
Feng Xiupu was momentarily stunned but quickly understood Chen Fei’s intention.
So many people had been killed in the Despair City on Half-Bottle Mountain. If Chen Fei emerged unscathed, how would others think, and what would other sects think?
Even if it wasn’t Chen Fei’s fault, there was no reason for him to bear the blame. In that case, he might as well make himself look more miserable, which would reduce the attention on him.
However, Chen Fei’s pretense of being injured seemed too convincing. With Feng Xiupu’s eyes, there was no hint of a flaw. Wei Yantao was the same, and they were both left speechless by Chen Fei’s act.
“Please take care of it, Master, and Senior Wei,” Chen Fei said before collapsing to the ground.
With the control over his physical body pushed to the limit through his training in the Suppressing Dragon Elephant technique, Chen Fei had essentially put his own body through significant trauma. His internal organs, muscles, and bones were all damaged, and though his injuries were lighter than those of Ren Zhongqing and Chi Ruiqing, they were still substantial.
The key difference was that Chen Fei could recover in a very short amount of time, while Ren Zhongqing and Chi Ruiqing would face much greater challenges and might even deplete their life force to heal.
“Let’s go!”
Feng Xiupu supported Chen Fei’s body and rushed toward the exit of the mystic realm. Wei Yantao reacted quickly, picking up Ren Zhongyang and Chi Ruiqing, and followed behind Feng Xiupu.
At this moment, some of the Body Refining realm disciples who were closer to the exit had already appeared. When they saw the mystic realm’s exit open, joy lit up their faces, and they hurriedly rushed in this direction.
Outside the mystic realm, as soon as Feng Xiupu and Chen Fei emerged, they felt dozens of gazes focused on them, with one of those gazes weighing as heavily as a mountain.
Feng Xiupu’s heart trembled slightly as he looked up and saw Tong Zhongqiu, the Combined Aperture Tempering realm powerhouse who had protected the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect with his entire life.
Clearly, the aura of the Combined Aperture Tempering realm transmitted from the mystic realm had alarmed this pillar of the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect. But it wasn’t just Tong Zhongqiu; Feng Xiupu also sensed another formidable presence, several miles away.
Divine Flame Sect’s Jian Jinsheng had also arrived!
With an unfamiliar Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivator appearing near Immortal Cloud City, no one dared to underestimate the situation..