Chapter 519 Defensive Divine Power
Ever since Chen Fan had reached the Divine Sea Level, he had gained very little improvements in his cultivation.
The amount of Spirit Qi required to make any advance after the Divine Sea Level was enormous. Worse, the Azure Thearch Longevity from the Five Elements Immortal Sect was practically a black hole for Spirit Qi. On the flip side, Chen Fan’s combat ability was a few times stronger than most other cultivators.
Without those deadly arts, he would not be able to defeat three Immortal State Warriors while at the early-stage of the Divine Sea Level.
Ancestral Patriarch of Hong Sect and Xie Yan, in particular, had reached mid-stage of the Immortal State, so the combined force of theirs was even more potent.
“The amount of Spirit Qi in the Spirit Source should be enough to carry me to the mid-stage of Divine Sea level. I think it’s time to think about improving my defense arts.”
Chen Fan thought to himself while sitting with his legs folded.
Lin Langya’s blow had not only injured him but also served as a wake-up call.
Although he had achieved initial success in the Azure Thearch Longevity Body cultivation, he could still get injured. The power in Lin Langya’s strike had reached the peak level of the Immortal State, so Chen Fan wagered that Lin Shuming and Ye Qincang must be around that level of attainment as well. The strike had only left a small dent on his shoulder which was healed in an instant, the injury still didn’t sit well with him.
“If a Peak Immortal State could hurt me, then what about Earth Level Deity? If I ever have to stand face to face with an Exalted Cultivator, do I have to run away? What about those weapons of mass destruction?”
Chen Fan’s eyes dimmed a little.
Although he had gained the Connate Body, he lacked the Connate level divine powers and spells.
Before he upgraded True Essence to as powerful as that of a real Connate Cultivator, he wouldn’t be able to survive a nuclear explosion. At his current state, even Armor Penetrating Shells could have wounded him.
Chen Fan still has a diplomatic relationship with the superpowers of the world and most of the extremely deadly experimental weapons were still locked behind the gates of research labs. However, sooner or later, they would throw the gloves off, and Chen Fan needed to be ready.
“It’s a miracle that I have found the Sword of Essense Restoring on this accursed planet. I don’t think I will be that lucky all the time.”
Chen Fan heaved a sigh.
In order to completely ward off the attacks of Immortal State Warriors, Chen Fan needed a spirit artifact at the very least. However, he doubted that he could be so lucky to stumble upon another Spirit Artifact.
“It’s nearly impossible to improve the Azure Thearch Longevity Body, and without a dharma artifact, I think my best bet is in gaining some Divine powers.”
A light glinted in Chen Fan’s eyes, as he looked at the nine Red Flame Spirit Pills inside the gourd.
Of the three-stage of the Qi Refinement level, the Ethereal Enlightenment and the Divine Sea levels were combined and called the Immortal Enlightenment phase. Once the cultivator had completed both levels, he or she could summon even more arcane power to unleash powerful spells. They could call upon the natural elements and turn dirt into golems who would fight to the death. In the eyes of an ordinary human, these cultivators were no different than a god, although they were technically not gods yet.
By now, Chen Fan had gained access to three arts: Li Fire Golden Eyes, Yi Wood Spirit Qi, and Passage Of Time. Of the three arts, the Li Fire Golden Eyes was an attack spell, the Yi Wood Spirit Qi was a buff spell and the Passage Of Time was an ultimate spell that should be saved for the last moment.
Chen Fan reckoned that it was the right time to gain another spell that he could use to protect himself.
“The nine Red Flame Spirit Pills should help me to gain any protection divine powers, but which one should I choose?”
Chen Fan rubbed his chin and started to reflect on the spells he used in his past.
“The Protection of the Chi Emperor? No… this spell required the divine blood of the Chi Emperor.”
“Black Gold Dharma Robe? No, it wouldn’t work either. I will need the aether and blood of three-legged Black Gold Beast. Plus, even if I got the material, I will need to cultivate inside the son for thirty years. At my current level, I will be reduced to ashes before I can even get close to the son.”
“Bulwark of the Fire God? It’s still too difficult, I am afraid. I need the spirit of the Fire God anyways.”
Chen Fan went through one after another Divine power, winnowing out the ones that were impossible to pull off right now.
In the end, Chen Fan had settled on one.
“Armor of Red Flame. Inferior-grade protection divine power. It can form a fiery armor around the user. It is one of the least powerful divine powers in all of the fire element spells.”
“Fuck me..”
Chen Fan let out a wry smile.
The Defensive Divine Power was much more difficult to pull off compared to ordinary powers due to their extraordinary power. The Protection of the Chi Emperor, for example, could help a Void Returning level cultivator easily escape the wrath of a much more powerful cultivator.
The nine Red Flame Spirit Pills could help Chen Fan to forge the Armor of Red Flame at the most.
In fact, most cultivators wouldn’t worry about the Defensive Divine Power until they had reached the Connate Spirit level. Most cultivators below the Connate Spirit Level only resorted to Spirit Artifacts as their means of protection.
“Fine, fine… it’s better than nothing. Luckily, these divine powers are not only upgradable, but it could also be transformed into The Protection of the Chi Emperor.”
Chen Fan shook his head and gave in.
Despite the inferior rating of the Armor of the Red Flame, it should make Chen Fan nearly invincible. His only threats would come from nuclear weapons and Earth Level Deities.
“Let’s start now!”
Chen Fan fished out a Red Flame Spirit Pills from his gourd.
The Red Flame Spirit Pills were pea-sized translucent pellets. It was suffused with an iridescent light and within it was a small dancing flame. If an ordinary human consumed it, he would be burned alive from inside.
However, the pill had a very different effect on Chen Fan.
As soon as Chen Fan swallowed the pill, he felt a fire start in his belly, working its way up to his throat and came out from his nose, ears, and mouth, turning Chen Fan into a fire breathing monster.
“Refine!”
Chen Fan held back the pain and started the art.
Slowly, an inscription formed in Chen Fan’s Dantian. Each and every stroke of the inscription was forged by Arcane Fire to form the archaic lexicon created by the Primordial Emperor of Chi.
“KOM!”
The inscription quickly tamed the fire sprouting out from Chen Fan and transformed them into an illusionary armor. The scally armor was smoldering red, making Chen Fan look like a general from the Heavenly Court.
“Hew, that was a rough start. Now I need to slowly refine it with the help of the elixirs and complete the art.”
Chen Fan heaved a sigh of relief and swallowed a second Red Flame Spirit Pill.
For the days that followed, Chen Fan consumed the pills at a steady rate of one per three days. He didn’t complete the art until he had used the sixth pill.
Chen Fan had finally bent the will of the fire that surrounded him and turned it into a suit of armor. The armor had red scales and was an outlandish style that didn’t seem to belong to Earth. Chen Fan indeed had fashioned the armor based on the True Martial Divine Armor that he used to wear.
“Boom!”
As the fire solidified into armor, the inscription in Chen Fan’s Dantian also crumpled into a ball, granting Chen Fan even more control over the suit of armor over his body.
“Finally, after fifteen days of hard work, the Armor of the Red Flame is complete!”
Chen Fan nodded.
Suddenly, two balls of golden fire shot out from Chen Fan’s eyes and they circled about Chen Fan, licking the red armor with their golden tongues, painting the armor gold. Once the scales on the armor were painted gold, they started to glow with energy.
Even the golden inscriptions increased in size as more energy was channeled into it.
“Err…”
Chen Fan was taken aback at first, but then he quickly realized that the Li Fire Golden Eyes had taken control over the Armor of Red Flame and increased the power of the Armor of Red Flame by a fold. Chen Fan finally realized that he forgot the fact that the Li Fire Golden Eyes, as a mid-grade fire spell would naturally overpower its inferior-grade counterpart.
“So… it’s no longer the Armor of Red Flame, it’s the Armor of Golden Flame?”
Chen Fan was pleasantly surprised and felt doubly secure now with the Defensive Divine Power at his disposal.
By now, Chen Fan had spent a hundred days on elixir brewing and crafting a Defensive Divine Power, it’s finally the time to start cultivation.
“I hope I can at least pass the mid-stage of Immortal State.”
Chen Fan put away the remaining spirit pills and started to focus on his breathing.
“Huu! Huu!”
His breath drew a large amount of Spirit Qi from the Spirit Source into his body. Slowly, Chen Fan’s body started to let out an azure glow that illuminated the entire cave.
Xie Yan bowed slightly and then retreated to the corner of the cave in silence.
Three months, five, seven…
As time flew by, fewer and fewer people came to the valley in an attempt to find Chen Fan and Xie Yan. However, after a year passed, the two were still missing.
Many people claimed that Chen Beixuan was killed in the Dharma Array.
However, Chen Fan’s enemies learned their lesson from last time and none of them dared to make a move without the confirmation of Chen Fan’s death. The immeasurable power of the North Qiong Sect was deterrent enough for most people.
There had been a couple of Immortal State Warriors who dared to cross the line.
They avoided the Green Dragon Grand Array and tried to pick on the less defended Chen Family’s residence. However, the Immortal State Warrior was defeated by an unknown Overlord.
They said Immortal State Warriors claimed that it was a three-meter tall iron-skin giant that had driven him away. The Immortal State Warrior swore that the giant’s Physique Refinement attainment was on par with that of Galdan, the Snowwolf King.
The revelation had shaken the world.
No one had expected to see yet another Immortal State Warrior in the Chen Family. Worse, this one seemed to have reached Immortal State Level by taking the Physique Refinement route. It meant that the giant was much more powerful than most other Immortal State Warriors
Ever since then, no one dared to even get near the Chen Family’s residence.
Meanwhile, Chen Fan had also arrived at a critical moment in his cultivation.