Chapter 63: Chapter 63: Activate the Trump Card, Slaying Two Fiends!
Luo Yan and Qiu Changtian, equipped with their own strategies, passed through the challenges at an incredibly fast pace, significantly outpacing those behind them.
He had waited for quite a while, yet no second person managed to break through the six barriers and arrive at this Pavilion Main Hall’s square.
As he was starting to have some doubts, a figure suddenly appeared on the square.
Zhao Wencheng quickly scanned his surroundings to confirm that there were no others present.
Hmm, I borrowed Chief Disciple Song He’s magical treasure, and I’m also at the Great Perfection of the Refining Mansion Rank, so I should be the first to clear the stages, right?
Now, all I need to do is wait for Qiu Yuan to arrive, and then we can start setting the trap for Qiu Changtian.
In a hidden spot behind the Pavilion, Luo Yan saw that he wasn’t rushing into the Pavilion Main Hall and was just frantically looking around, so he guessed that the other party had ulterior motives.
“Ah Jing, is it him?”
“Yes, he is one of them.”
“Good.” Luo Yan immediately began reciting an incantation in his heart, “Cloudy and hazy, like a mirage out of steam.”
In a moment, the square in front of the Pavilion Main Hall was enveloped in dense fog.
Zhao Wencheng was shrouded in the thick fog, his Divine Sense limited in its outreach, and he quickly sensed something was wrong, swiftly activating the Divine Fire Mantle magical treasure on his body.
This was a replica of the Innate Spiritual Treasure, the Nine Dragons Divine Fire Mantle; it could not only protect oneself inside from external damage, but also trap the opponent inside and refine them with divine fire, making it a formidable magical treasure for both offense and defense.
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As the Divine Fire Mantle descended, glimmering with gold and red brilliance, as radiant as the sun at dawn, it kept the dense fog completely at bay. Zhao Wencheng quickly maneuvered his Flying Sword, sweeping across 360 degrees around him.
Should anyone have taken advantage of the rising fog to launch a close-quarters surprise attack, they would inevitably suffer injury.
However, his Flying Sword found nothing but empty air, and Zhao Wencheng realized his opponent was still watching him. Just as he was about to speak to stall for time, a blast suddenly sounded from behind the Divine Fire Mantle!
By the greenish-red glow, thunder bolted. His Divine Fire Mantle was hit directly by Jade Pivot Thunder, shaking violently, and its luster dimmed considerably.
But, after all, it was a Tenth Rank magical treasure specialized in defense, and it wasn’t breached by a single Divine Thunder strike.
Zhao Wencheng hurriedly infused more True Yuan to keep it operating, causing the brilliance of the Divine Fire Mantle to shine anew.
“That was Jade Pivot Thunder just now, wasn’t it?” He tentatively asked, “Could it be Junior Brother Qiu?”
Another Jade Pivot Thunder struck the Divine Fire Mantle, its brilliance dimming, and its defensive system nearly collapsed instantly.
Zhao Wencheng simply invested more True Yuan, and in the blink of an eye, he easily fixed it.
“Why is Junior Brother Qiu attacking me? Unprovoked aggression, plotting against a fellow sect member, this is a great sin within Kunlun!”
Zhao Wencheng’s voice held sternness, but Luo Yan remained silent in the mist, simply launching another Jade Pivot Thunder.
Perfect! Zhao Wencheng had discerned the direction from which the Thunder Method originated. He braced for the strike with the Divine Fire Mantle while shooting out the Flying Sword in stealth!
Sword Dao Techniques instantly activated, but only stirred up the dense fog, revealing no figure within it.
Something’s wrong, my Sword Dao Techniques should be more powerful than this!
This fog is eerily strange! Could it be not Daoist Magic… but a Forbidden Technique?
As this thought struck him, Zhao Wencheng instantly knew he couldn’t just sit and wait for demise.
If the opponent probes the limits of the Divine Fire Mantle and Qiu Yuan fails to arrive in time, the situation could take a dire turn!
Zhao Wencheng’s expression became fierce as he rapidly recited an incantation in his mind, activating the Third level derivation of the Nine Heavens Clear Entrance True Mantra.
Supreme Jasper Spiritual Talisman!
A giant talisman script, formed by True Yuan, shot out, with spiritual light stretching out like a line. Wherever it passed, the boundless fog dispersed entirely.
This Supreme Jasper Spiritual Talisman actually held the power to suppress Daoist Magic!
Zhao Wencheng let out a sigh of relief, only to see a small quadrate seal spinning and flying towards him from the clearing fog.
Before he could react, the Heaven-flipping Seal slammed directly onto the Divine Fire Mantle.
Crack!
A resounding thunderous noise shook the earth, and not only did the Divine Fire Mantle’s brilliance nearly extinguish, but it also displayed an alarming number of web-like deep cracks!
Scared out of his wits, Zhao Wencheng immediately poured all his effort into driving True Yuan, rapidly repairing the Divine Fire Mantle.
Fortunately, the Heaven-flipping Seal’s single hit wasn’t successful, and after spinning in the sky, it took some time before the second strike came down.
Seeing this, Zhao Wencheng finally breathed a sigh of relief.
After all, Qiu Changtian was only at the Marrow Cleansing Rank, and his True Qi was not as potent as True Yuan. Operating such a replica of an Innate Spiritual Treasure would also require considerable effort to sustain, making it impossible to smash down several strikes in a short time.
True Qi, compared to True Yuan, suffers from a decisive quality disadvantage. Seeing that the Heaven-flipping Seal cannot break through the Divine Fire Mantle, and its destruction speed is even slower than the repairing speed here, one could glimpse the difference.
Zhao Wencheng calmed down and was about to activate the Supreme Jasper Spiritual Talisman again to completely clean the dense fog surrounding him.
The next second, countless streams of Water System Sword Qi silently pierced through the Divine Fire Mantle from behind, instantly severing his head from his neck.
His head tumbled down, still wearing an expression of disbelief and terror.
Through the mist, Luo Yan observed coldly the headless corpse opposite him.
The previous Jade Pivot Thunder and Heaven-flipping Seal were only feints, aiming to catch him off guard in that moment when he saw that the attacks were failing, and then strike a fatal ambush!
He had already calculated everything clearly in advance, knowing that battles between Foundation Establishment Rank cultivators rely heavily on “Rank” and “Hidden Cards”.
“Rank” here refers to the rank of Flying Swords, Magical Treasures, Daoist Techniques, and of course, one’s own Cultivation Level.
Had it been an ordinary Marrow Cleansing Rank cultivator, they would have been easily blasted to pieces by this Refining Mansion Rank cultivator. Why was he able to counter-kill?
Because although his Cultivation Level wasn’t as high as his opponent’s, he possessed higher-Rank Green Duckweed Sword, Heaven-flipping Seal, and Jade Pivot Thunder, which enabled him to fight evenly across Ranks.
“Hidden Cards,” naturally refers to the secrecy of one’s combat methods.
Among the aforementioned sword, seal, and thunder, only Jade Pivot Thunder was commonly used by Qiu Changtian and known by the members of the Kunlun Sect.
The opponent had specifically brought the Divine Fire Mantle this time, which perfectly countered the attack of the Jade Pivot Thunder—this was the price of having one’s hidden cards exposed.
Had he not possessed the Green Duckweed Sword and Heaven-flipping Seal, the outcome would have been more likely grim than not.
Fortunately, being a “triple agent,” what he was best at was concealing himself, laying down an endless series of hidden cards…
With these thoughts in mind, he had a pretty clear idea of how to fight the next battle.
After waiting for a while, a figure suddenly emerged again in the dense fog.
Although the entry points for the Pavilion Secret Realm were not fixed, the endpoint was inevitably before the Pavilion Main Hall, so Qiu Yuan and Zhao Wencheng had previously agreed to leverage their Magical Treasure and intelligence advantage to swiftly clear the levels and then set up an ambush at the entrance of the Main Hall.
In truth, although Qiu Yuan arrived a little later, he was not more than a quarter-hour behind Zhao Wencheng; the plan itself was without issue.
If only they hadn’t overlooked the fact that Qiu Changtian could clear the level with a “speedrun.”
Just as he emerged into the fog, Qiu Yuan’s brows furrowed in confusion.
According to what that disciple from the Yuqing Sect said, after clearing six levels, he should be at the Pavilion Main Hall, right? Why does it seem like a new level?
No sooner had this thought arisen than he suddenly found his vision spinning.
It wasn’t because of spatial disorientation caused by the Restrictions teleporting him but because his head had already flown into the air.
Having successfully executed a double kill with “Misty Rain after the Empty Mountains,” Luo Yan also discovered the advantages of this Daoist Technique:
In the thick fog, not only could he launch it silently, but it also came with its own armor-piercing effect, making it a blatantly obvious stealth weapon.
Hmph, such a fine Green Duckweed Sword, truly worthy of being my Life-bound Sword Artifact designated by Ling Yunpo.
After carefully inspecting the two bodies, Luo Yan took out the two Flying Swords they carried, Zhao Wencheng’s Divine Fire Mantle Magical Treasure, and the Jade Emperor Bell Magical Treasure that Qiu Yuan had not used.
Both Flying Swords were of Ninth Rank, to be kept for the time being;
The two Magical Treasures were also Tenth Rank treasures imitations of Post-Heaven Spiritual Treasures.
The Divine Fire Mantle could be used both for defense and to trap others, refining them with True Fire;
The Jade Emperor Bell could also defend oneself and disrupt the enemy’s True Yuan circulation with sound waves.
Both Tenth Rank treasures could be used by Luo Yan.
If anyone asked where they came from, just say they were refined by the Third Senior Sister. Don’t believe it? Looking down on our Heavenly Craft Workshop, are you?
Finally, using a poison Dao Technique from the Peach Blossom Sword, he eradicated the bodies, making sure no clues were left behind, before Luo Yan waved his hand to dismiss the “Green Mist Veil Over the Mountains”.
He then turned and stepped up the stairs, pushing open the door of the Pavilion Main Hall, ready to teleport and flee.
Upon reaching the cushion, Luo Yan kneeled on it proficiently, bowing toward the scroll.
Then, the ethereal female voice rang out again:
“Clarify Cult branch, Penglai disciple, Luo Yan. Passed six trials, being the first to clear them this time, the score is…”
Suddenly, the voice stalled as if stuck, silent for a long moment.
Luo Yan: ?