Chapter 302 - 161: All Mountains Resonate, Enlightening the Mountain God

Chapter 302: Chapter 161: All Mountains Resonate, Enlightening the Mountain God

He formed a seal with one hand. The longsword hovering at his side began to buzz, its tip pointed diagonally at Chu Bai. His eyes glinted with unconcealed greed and apprehension.

"Since we’re fellow candidates, why not bring it out for us all to have a look? If this fortune is too heavy, I’m afraid your little boat won’t be able to carry such a massive Tripod Cauldron."

This man’s name was Lin Yuanfei. He hailed from a Swordsmanship Family, and with his Geng Metal Fire Sword, he rarely found an equal among cultivators of the same stage.

Chu Bai looked at him and suddenly laughed, a hint of mockery in his smile. "Celestial and Earthly Treasures belong to the first to arrive. Have you forgotten the rules of the Great Zhou Celestial Examination, Young Master Lin? You want to see my treasure? Fine. But the price of admission is steep. I’ll require a few [Cyan Nether Pearls] from you as payment."

"Then let’s settle this with our swords."

Lin Yuanfei’s expression darkened. ’How dare he be so arrogant in my presence?’

"Go!"

The longsword instantly transformed into a thick stream of light. The rampaging Sword Qi tore through the air, carving a three-foot-deep trench in the ground.

This one strike contained thirty percent of Lin Yuanfei’s Spiritual Power and was imbued with the Sword Intent he had come to comprehend. It was powerful enough to instantly kill most Late-stage Qi Cultivation Cultivators.

And yet, Chu Bai didn’t even move.

He didn’t move until the sword’s light was three inches from the tip of his nose, only then did he abruptly raise his right hand.

A cold, dark-gold sheen appeared on Chu Bai’s palm. His fingers, like steel girders, clamped down with precision in the empty air.

A sharp clang rang out, like metal striking stone.

Chu Bai had actually caught the tip of Lin Yuanfei’s longsword—an Upper Grade Dharma Artifact of superb quality—with his bare hand!

The ferocious Sword Qi slammed against Chu Bai’s skin, only kicking up a shower of tiny sparks. It failed to leave so much as a white mark.

"This... How is this possible?!" The corner of Lin Yuanfei’s eye twitched violently, his mind reeling from the shock.

"Your sword... is too light."

Chu Bai snorted, and with a sudden twist of his five fingers, he wrenched the longsword aside, stopping its advance completely.

Then, Chu Bai stepped forward and threw a punch. The explosive burst from [Fire Step Ascension] made him faster than the naked eye could follow. His fist slammed into Lin Yuanfei’s chest like a heavy sledgehammer.

Lin Yuanfei didn’t even have time to activate his Defensive Magical Treasure. The punch shattered his Protective Spiritual Light, and he was sent flying as if struck by lightning. He flew back thirty zhang, only stopping when he crashed through a broken stone pillar. He coughed up mouthfuls of blood, his eyes filled with horror and despair.

Chu Bai walked over unhurriedly and yanked a heavy pouch from Lin Yuanfei’s waist. It contained about twenty [Cyan Nether Pearls].

"Thank you for the gift, Young Master Lin."

Just as Chu Bai put the pearls away, his Divine Thought detected four extremely powerful auras rapidly approaching.

The Cyan Netherworld mist was forcibly torn apart by four distinct Spiritual Pressures.

The four people who appeared at the entrance to the Underground Palace each possessed the peak Cultivation of Qi Cultivation Perfection. Spiritual Light pulsed around their bodies, marking them as formidable opponents.

They too had been drawn by the anomaly, but upon landing, they each took up a different position, maintaining a wary distance from one another.

Standing to the due east was a young man with a kind face and a scholarly air about him.

He held a dark green Jade Fan and spoke softly, "Everyone, I am Xia Xing of Sea Light Prefecture. This anomaly of the Earth Vein is so immense, it can only be explained by the emergence of an extraordinary treasure. Since this brother here can guard the entrance to the Underground Palace alone, his strength must be astonishing."

"How about this? We enter together to investigate. If there are any gains, we’ll divide them based on contribution. In this Secret Realm, it’s better to have one more friend than one more enemy. What does everyone say to that?"

"Split it fairly? Xia Xing, you’re as hypocritical as ever. This is the land of the Celestial Examination. What friends are there to be found here?"

A burly man in a black robe to the northwest sneered. His exposed arms were covered in dark red thunder-patterned tattoos, and a pearl radiating a cold Yin Thunder aura floated beside him.

This man was known as "Thunder Demon" Lei Zhen, a notoriously vicious Loose Cultivator from Qingzhou.

Lei Zhen’s murderous eyes swept over Chu Bai before turning to the faint cyan-gold light shimmering within the Underground Palace. "Celestial and Earthly Treasures belong to the strong. Since this unknown brat is blocking the entrance, he must have already acquired a great treasure."

"The way I see it, we should fight it out right here. The winner gets to enter!"

With that, his right hand slammed down.

BOOM!

A purplish-black Yin Thunder Technique shot without warning toward the one who looked the most "benevolent"—Xia Xing.

Xia Xing’s expression changed instantly. Despite his peaceful words, the Jade Fan in his hand reacted with incredible speed, snapping open to form an emerald-green shield before him.

"Lei Zhen! You brainless fool! If we exhaust ourselves fighting each other now, you’re just letting the others watch the tigers fight from the mountain!"

Xia Xing cursed in anger as his Spiritual Power surged, causing the runes on the fan’s surface to light up.

The other two remained silent.

One was a cold-faced Female Cultivator in gauzy robes, pinching several Poison Needles that glinted with an eerie blue light between her fingertips.

The other was a burly man built like an iron tower, a Giant Sword the size of a door panel strapped to his back. His somber gaze was fixed on Chu Bai, as if he were assessing the strength of his physical body.

The atmosphere instantly grew taut with tension. Although the exchange between Lei Zhen and Xia Xing was merely a probe, the resulting waves of Spiritual Power had already razed the surrounding ruins to the ground.

Just as a chaotic battle was about to erupt, Chu Bai, who had stood as still as a mountain, suddenly took a step forward.

THUD!

As his foot came down, the ground—which had been undulating from the tremors in the Earth Vein—was instantly pinned in place by an even heavier force.

Chu Bai stood in the center of their encirclement. Under the effect of [Golden Eye Shattering Illusion], his pupils took on a fearsome, metallic sheen.