Chapter 690: Chen Cheng Has Arrived

Ji Lingxiao clearly knew the power of the Array Hub’s array, yet she still swaggered over without a care in the world. It was a staggering display of dominance.

‘There’s no reason to be so polite!’

Besides, Ji Lingxiao hadn’t come here for simple pleasantries. She was definitely here to fight him.

They would probe each other’s strength, sizing up the depth of the other’s power.

Since a fight was inevitable, Chen Cheng couldn’t be bothered with pleasantries. He returned her courtesy plainly and said, “Ji Zhenchuan, there’s no need for such formalities.”

Seeing Chen Cheng’s posture, Ji Lingxiao’s heart skipped a beat. ‘He really is an esteemed master!’ she thought.

“May I be so bold as to ask your name, Senior? And which Sect or Noble Family do you hail from?”

“Xiu Chen. A Loose Cultivator,” Chen Cheng replied, his words sparse.

“Xiu Chen? A Loose Cultivator?” Ji Lingxiao clearly hadn’t expected such an answer, and her brow furrowed slightly.

‘This answer is too dismissive, not sincere in the least!’

After all, Ji Lingxiao had never heard of any figure named Xiu Chen.

Someone who had reached the Puncture Realm and achieved the Innate state at such a young age could never be a mere Loose Cultivator.

“Since you’re unwilling to tell me, Senior, I won’t press the matter. You entered this cave mansion for the Central Palace Array Hub, I presume. I have the same intention. You control the Kan Palace and Gen Palace Array Flag Jade Stones, while I control the Qian Palace, Kun Palace, and Zhen Palace Array Flag Jade Stones. How about we have a match? The winner gets the other’s Array Flag Jade Stones, and the loser withdraws from the competition for the Central Palace Array Hub. What do you say, Senior?”

Ji Lingxiao’s longsword lifted slightly, once again revealing her assertive nature.

“Fine,” Chen Cheng responded, simple and direct.

‘Since Ji Lingxiao didn’t specify a location, I’ll naturally assume it’s right here!’

‘With the might of the Gen Palace Array aiding me, no matter how formidable she is, she has no chance of victory!’

Ji Lingxiao clearly saw through Chen Cheng’s plan, but she paid it no mind.

“Senior, forgive my offense!”

The Lingxiao Sword in Ji Lingxiao’s hand swept gently, stirring up streams of tyrannical energy that condensed into layered, five-colored ribbons of light.

The energy from the five-colored ribbons easily tore through the heavy oppressive force of the Gen Palace Stone Forest. It continued to climb, magnificent and vast, as if to soar above the nine heavens themselves.

A Realm Power value of three thousand…

Five thousand…

Eight thousand…

Ten thousand…

Twelve thousand… a Realm Power value of fourteen thousand!!

This tyrannical energy seemed to have broken past the bounds of the Heaven and Earth Sword Intent, reaching the level of Sword Qi—a state that transcended Sword Intent itself!

Chen Cheng’s sharp Perception told him that the Lingxiao Sword only accounted for about nine thousand of that Realm Power value.

The remaining five thousand came from the synergy between her Heaven and Earth Realm and the True Intent of Heaven and Earth!

A total of fourteen thousand in Realm Power value was far beyond the maximum power he could currently muster.

‘She’s truly invincible!’

‘As expected of the Lingxiao Fairy, second on the Earth List. She really has the power to back up her arrogance!’

With that silent thought, Chen Cheng pushed his True Intent of Heaven and Earth to its absolute limit.

The Military Dao Combat Killing Hammer in his hand suddenly swelled in size, crackling with arcs of thunder!

VMM! VMM! VMM!

The very air seemed to shatter as thunder rolled!

The tyrannical pressure he unleashed surged past a Realm Power value of twelve thousand!

Ji Lingxiao’s expression suddenly turned grave.

The Lingxiao Sword let out a faint hum as it fiercely slashed out, sending several five-colored ribbons of light striking at Chen Cheng from multiple directions.

It left him no room to dodge and no way to evade.

But Chen Cheng was faster.

He instantly activated the Gen Palace Array Flag Jade Stone, materializing several ten-foot-long spears to meet the attack!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The long spears, with only nine thousand in Realm Power value, were easily shattered by the five-colored ribbons of light.

The Military Dao Combat Killing Hammer in Chen Cheng’s hand unleashed a violent sonic boom as it smashed down!

K-KRAACK…

The five-colored ribbons, their power already partially depleted by the spears, naturally couldn’t withstand a full-power strike from Chen Cheng’s Profound Evil Thunder Extreme Hammer Technique. They shattered completely.

Ji Lingxiao suddenly retracted her longsword. Her beautiful eyes fixed on Chen Cheng as she said calmly, “Within the Gen Palace Array Hub, I cannot defeat you, Senior. We shall fight again elsewhere!”

In truth, given her pride, she had originally intended to ignore the might of the Gen Palace Array Hub’s array and defeat Chen Cheng right there.

After all, she had the advantage of a Profound Tier Spiritual Artifact, the Lingxiao Sword, so she hadn’t cared if Chen Cheng relied on the might of the Gen Palace Array Hub’s array to fight.

Fighting near the Gen Palace Array Hub might have even seemed fairer.

But now that Chen Cheng had displayed such tyrannical strength, Ji Lingxiao had no choice but to be more cautious.

Chen Cheng, however, obviously had no intention of fighting her elsewhere.

Ji Lingxiao had casually unleashed a Realm Power value of fourteen thousand; if she went all out, she would be even stronger.

Without the Gen Palace Array, Chen Cheng would be at a clear disadvantage in terms of weapons. While he wouldn’t be killed, a sound thrashing would be unavoidable.

‘Unless we add another rule: no weapons allowed!’

But that was obviously unrealistic. In this cave mansion, might made right.

A supreme treasure like the Profound Tier Spiritual Artifact, the Lingxiao Sword, was naturally part of that might.

“I’m busy with my Cultivation. I don’t have time to go fight somewhere else,” Chen Cheng refused bluntly.

“Then I shall wait for you to finish your Cultivation, Senior.”

Ji Lingxiao said this leisurely, then turned to gaze into the distant sky. The Lingxiao Sword in her hand began drawing in the surrounding Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi, as if she had started her own Realm comprehension.

The Lingxiao Sword was absurdly domineering. It didn’t just pull in the surrounding Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi; it even faintly drew Qi away from the Gen Palace Array Hub itself.

Chen Cheng was speechless. ‘This is straight-up gangster behavior!’

He had a mind to just shout, ‘Get the hell out of here!’

But after a moment’s thought, he held his tongue.

‘An esteemed master must have the magnanimity befitting one, shouldn’t he?’

Of course, as an esteemed master, Chen Cheng had his own way of chasing her off.

Returning to the grotto at the Gen Palace Array Hub, Chen Cheng fully activated the Gen Palace Array Flag Jade Stone. He used the array to mobilize the stellar power around the Gen Palace, funneling it all into the grotto for his Cultivation of the Radiant Sun Realm.

The entire Gen Palace Stone Forest was instantly plunged into darkness.

This stellar power was converted from Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi by the array, so the Qi within the stone forest immediately grew thin.

Now it was Ji Lingxiao’s turn to be vexed.

She had been cultivating near the Gen Palace Array Hub precisely to freeload off its dense Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi.

Now that there was nothing to freeload, it would be better to cultivate somewhere else.

“The moment the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi in the Gen Palace is exhausted will be the time for our match! I suggest you prepare yourself, Senior!”

After this calm declaration, Ji Lingxiao transformed into a streak of five-colored light and shot toward the outskirts of the stone forest.

Noticing that she eventually stopped on a stone mountain at the edge of the forest, Chen Cheng just smiled faintly and paid her no further mind, immersing himself in his Cultivation once more.

「Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.」

The Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi at the Gen Palace Array Hub was finally on the verge of being completely depleted.

After finishing his Cultivation of the Primordial Pill Marrow Cleansing Method in the grotto, Chen Cheng summoned his status panel.

[Name: Chen Cheng

Realm: Marrow Cleansing (Great Success)

Skills: Iron Armor Demon Suppression Skill (Great Success 7,622/10,000)

Primordial Pill Marrow Cleansing Method (Great Success 8,963/10,000)

True Intent of Heaven and Earth (Small Success 7,530/50,000)

Flame Sun Sword Skill (Perfection) (Flame Sun Sword Stance) (First Layer of Radiant Sun Realm) (Second Layer of Radiant Sun Realm 192,000/500,000)

Seven-Star Sword Technique (Perfection) (Seven-Star Sword Stance) (First Layer Star Moon Realm) (Second Layer of Star Moon Realm currently being deduced, progress 1/1,000. Upon completion, further Cultivation of the Second Layer of Star Moon Realm will be possible.)

Cyan Heaven Dharma Aspect (First Layer Realm, Telekinesis Value 163,508)

After two months, his Cultivation Progress for the Iron Armor Demon Suppression Skill and Primordial Pill Marrow Cleansing Method had increased steadily.

It wouldn’t be long before he reached Marrow Cleansing Realm Perfection.

Deducing the Second Layer of Radiant Sun Realm, in addition to reaching perfection in the First Layer Star Moon Realm, had also improved his True Intent of Heaven and Earth, which had now reached 7,530 points.

At full power, using his Nine Heavens Thunder Shocking Hammer Technique, he should be able to unleash a Realm Power of over twelve thousand, which was already incredibly formidable.

The only downside was that in killing that Demon Cultivator, he had consumed a great deal of his Cyan Heaven Dharma Thought Power.

‘My current combat strength is still at a disadvantage against Ji Lingxiao. It’s no longer realistic to compete for the Central Palace Array Hub under the name Young Master Xiu Chen.

But that doesn’t mean I have no chance at all.

Xiu Chen is a lone wolf who makes enemies everywhere; he truly has no hope of contending for the Central Palace Array Hub.

But I’m not Xiu Chen, after all. I am Chen Cheng, a Quasi-True Disciple of the Great Dao Sect’s Four Symbols Peak, and I have at least a few allies.

With my own strength, plus the members of the Dali Alliance, I might have a chance to claim the Central Palace Array Hub.

Even acting as Xiu Chen, I protected Xiao Yingluo for a time and dealt with the insufferably arrogant Ning Hao. I’ve made my contributions to the Sect.

Now it’s time for the Sect and Xiao Yingluo to shoulder some of this burden for me.

Fog Concealment Cave Mansion, Chen Cheng is coming!’

After sensing Ji Lingxiao’s position one last time, Chen Cheng placed the Kan Palace Array Flag Jade Stone and the Gen Palace Array Flag Jade Stone on a stone platform. He then strode out of the grotto and disappeared deep into the stone forest.