Chapter 618 - 297: Taotie Technique

Chapter 618: Chapter 297: Taotie Technique

"Lord Chen is in." Meng Qin, realizing her lapse in composure, bowed respectfully to the visitor. Noticing Chen Cheng’s questioning look, she then made the introduction.

"Lord Chen, this is Senior Brother Ke Dali, a True Disciple of the Great Dao Sect’s Four Symbols Peak."

Ke Dali lived up to his name. He was stout and powerfully built, with broad shoulders, a thick waist, and a prominent potbelly. He looked like a strongman at a single glance.

Equally conspicuous was the massive round shield on his back—or, to be more precise, a massive turtle shell.

The turtle shell faintly radiated the tyrannical aura of a Demon and a hint of the Military Dao, and it even seemed to possess the unique Spirituality of a Spiritual Artifact.

As the owner of two Pseudo-Spiritual Artifacts, Chen Cheng was extremely familiar with this kind of Spirituality. He surmised the turtle shell was, at the very least, a Pseudo-Spiritual Artifact.

Ke Dali appeared to be in his thirties. He had a large, round, chubby face, small, beady eyes, and a perpetually cheerful grin that gave him a somewhat simple and honest look.

But the reports on Ke Dali painted a picture that had nothing to do with simplicity or honesty.

The man was thirty-five years old, a Perfect Martial Artist of the Organ Refining Realm ranked fifteenth on the Earth List. He cultivated the inherited Cultivation Techniques of the Four Symbols Peak’s Xuanwu Lineage.

His rank of fifteenth on the Earth List was backed by an astonishing combat record, including the slaying of many a Perfect Martial Artist of the Organ Refining Realm.

His most brilliant feat was during a contest for entry into a cultivator’s grotto; he single-handedly took on three Blood Moon Sect Stewards, killing one and severely wounding the other two.

An absolutely ferocious and domineering display.

"So it’s Senior Brother Ke. Please, come in." Chen Cheng stood to welcome him, his eyes briefly sweeping over the black Short Sword hanging from Ke Dali’s waist.

The Short Sword was less than three feet long, its curved form resembling a small snake. It was called the Spirit Snake Heart-Eroding Blade. Paired with the Mountain-Suppressing Xuanwu Armor on his back, it was one of the signature Weapons of the Four Symbols Peak’s Xuanwu Lineage inheritance.

Xuanwu is a Divine Beast, a hybrid of a turtle and a snake. The Cultivation Techniques of the Xuanwu Lineage follow the path of "the turtle defends, the snake attacks," a principle of Yin Yang Unite.

The unpredictable deadliness of the Spirit Snake Heart-Eroding Blade and the indestructible, all-encompassing defense of the Mountain-Suppressing Xuanwu Armor had both earned a formidable reputation.

Currently, within the Four Symbols Peak, only the Xuanwu Lineage’s inheritance remains mostly complete, and it boasts the most Cultivators.

The inheritances of the other three branches suffered from significant Incompleteness.

Take, for example, the Dragon Roar Realm and Rising Dragon Realm that Chen Cheng cultivated, as well as the Dragon Soaring Realm his master, Mr. Zheng, had achieved.

Strictly speaking, these were all incomplete Cultivation Techniques from the Cyan Dragon Divine Beast lineage. Because they were adapted to better suit the Cultivation of Human Race Martial Artists, they were often referred to as the True Dragon Lineage inheritance.

As for the other two branches, all that remained of the Vermilion Bird Inheritance was the Celestial Phoenix Lineage, while the White Tiger Inheritance was nearly lost, with almost no one left who cultivated it.

’I had considered joining the Four Symbols Peak before, so I did some research.’

"My pleasure, my pleasure." Ke Dali clasped his hands in a fist-and-palm salute and strode into the Government Office.

His hulking, mountain-of-flesh physique must have weighed at least three or four hundred pounds. The sense of pressure he exuded was immense!

As he walked in, the spacious and stately Government Office suddenly seemed a little cramped.

"Senior Brother Ke, please have a seat." Chen Cheng gestured toward a wide, sturdy chair crafted from redwood.

"My pleasure, my pleasure," Ke Dali chuckled again, plopping himself down into the chair.

His massive frame immediately filled the wide seat to capacity.

Seeing this, Meng Qin couldn’t help but swallow, apparently worried that Ke Dali would shatter the chair with his weight.

However, Ke Dali sat down securely, and no such incident occurred.

Chen Cheng’s eyes flickered. ’The moment Ke Dali sat, ripples of energy pulsed from his body, neutralizing his own weight.’

It was unmistakably the aura of the Great Power Realm.

Chen Cheng then returned to the host’s seat. Clad in his Floating Light and Shadow Armor, he habitually circulated the aura of the Great Power Realm as well, offsetting its weight.

Ke Dali clearly noticed this. His small, round eyes narrowed slightly as he smiled.

"Pardon my presumptuous visit, Junior Brother Chen. I hope you don’t mind!"

"Senior Brother Ke, you’re being too polite. Had I known you were in Linji City, I would have come to pay my respects."

After this polite exchange, Chen Cheng gestured for Meng Qin, who was still standing aside in a daze, to pour the tea.

Meng Qin snapped out of it and quickly poured the tea.

"I only just arrived yesterday. I’ve been staying in the rear courtyard of the Demon Suppression Department."

As he spoke, Ke Dali picked up his teacup and drained it in a single gulp. Apparently unsatisfied, he had Meng Qin refill it twice more, downing each cup just as quickly.

Only then did he wave a large hand near his cheek as if to fan himself. "Good tea! Truly quenches one’s thirst!"

This behavior made Chen Cheng pause. ’Could it be that Martial Artists who cultivate the Xuanwu Lineage get thirsty more easily?’ he wondered.

Ke Dali saw Chen Cheng’s confusion and grinned, beginning to complain. "Junior Brother Chen, you have no idea. That rear courtyard at the Demon Suppression Department is no place to live. It’s just too damn hot!

Especially anywhere near Steward Xia’s courtyard. That area’s completely unlivable."

"Why is that?" Chen Cheng asked, not immediately making the connection.

Ke Dali said, "Of all the courtyards in the back of the Demon Suppression Department, Steward Xia’s is the quietest and most secluded.

So when I arrived yesterday, I specifically chose to stay in a courtyard not far from his.

But I’d forgotten that the old fellow cultivates the Li Fire Realm from the Five Elements Peak inheritance. As soon as he starts his Cultivation, the entire area around him becomes hot as a furnace.

I don’t know what’s gotten into that old coot. He was cultivating until the middle of the night, and then he was up causing a ruckus again before dawn!

I couldn’t stand the heat anymore, so I just moved to one of the outer courtyards."

"Ah..." Chen Cheng understood now. He found the situation secretly amusing.

’It’s a bit like back in the Linji City Inner City. The Shen Family Ancestor loves to act up in the winter, and the snowfall around the Shen Family residence is always much heavier than anywhere else.’