Chapter 323: Trash and a Defeated Foe

Before the mountain gates of Militan Temple, the two sides instantly clashed. The battle was incredibly fierce.

Gu Lichuan had previously been trapped in an Array, and Fang Zhibai had been whittling away at his strength with Sword Qi from a distance, intending to grind him down and kill him. Because of this, the two had never truly crossed blows in a meaningful sense.

But now, as soon as their fight truly began, Fang Zhibai’s expression changed abruptly.

Gu Lichuan unleashed all Five Swords at once. The five Celestial Soldier Longswords, combined with five supremely powerful Sword Dao Dharma Gates, instantly suppressed Fang Zhibai.

Before this, Fang Zhibai had only considered Chen Yuan to be a thorny opponent. Outside the Heaven-Reaching Tower, Chen Yuan had fought one against five, and not even the many prodigies in the top ten of the Hidden Dragon Rankings could suppress him, a clear testament to his formidable combat strength.

But who would have thought that this Loose Cultivator, Gu Lichuan, would be so formidable? His strength didn’t just lie in the Celestial Soldiers and Cultivation Techniques he possessed, but also in his personal understanding and application of the Sword Dao.

Fang Zhibai was the number one talent of Lifting Heaven Sword Pavilion’s younger generation. Setting aside his character, his attainments in the Sword Dao were naturally not weak.

But it was precisely because he wasn’t weak that he was all the more horrified.

Because this masterless Loose Cultivator, Gu Lichuan, had attainments in the Sword Dao that were a whole level above his own—a disciple from the prestigious Lifting Heaven Sword Pavilion. He was even stronger than some of the Primordial Pill Realm Elders of his sect!

Meanwhile, Yue Ling’Er was fighting one against many, yet she wasn’t at a disadvantage either.

She was, after all, the sole disciple of Song Yanluo of Mist Rain Pavilion. Her foundational strength was not weak; she merely lacked some practical combat experience.

She had been suppressed by Lu Jingyuan earlier, but that was only because Lu Jingyuan was a prodigy from the previous generation’s Hidden Dragon Rankings. He had more than ten years of cultivation over her and also came from the Lu Family of Celestial Water City, so he had his own deep foundations.

Although he was still trash in Chen Yuan’s eyes, his strength was a notch above Yue Ling’Er’s.

But these current opponents—Martial Artists from loose cultivation backgrounds and minor factions—their foundational strength was far from comparable to Yue Ling’Er’s.

As for Chen Yuan, his attacks were even more ruthless.

Above the Blood Sea Listening Tide, Nether Blood Fiend condensed. A blackish-red Blood Fiend Saber Aura descended as a murderous Killing Saber Intent swept across the sky, letting out a sharp cry like the wail of a vengeful ghost.

The might of this single slash sent a wave of horror through the hearts of Shen Wugui and his two companions.

‘How is Chen Jiutian’s power even greater than it was outside the Heaven-Reaching Tower?’

The trio had no time to overthink it. A Demon Sword appeared in Shen Wugui’s hand. As he attacked, a demonic howl echoed, and a sinister Sword Qi shot out to meet Chen Yuan’s slash.

Feng Tiande of the Divine Feather Sect didn’t use a Weapon, but his foundational strength was exceptionally profound, giving him the air of a late bloomer.

He abruptly retreated, his speed extremely fast. As his hands formed a Seal Technique, his vigorous True Qi transformed into a torrent of golden feathers that surged toward Chen Yuan like a sky-blotting flood.

The Divine Feather Sect’s *Divine Feather Celestial Flight Scripture* was light and agile, giving him a considerable advantage in speed. He had immediately found a safe position for himself.

The last one, Ying Yuanzhen, hailed from the Heaven-Encompassing Daoist Sect and was the strongest of the three.

He formed a Seal Technique with his hands, and the two Dao Swords on his back shot into the air. One yin, one yang, they formed a Tai Chi Yin Yang Sword Array that slashed toward Chen Yuan.

Heaven-Encompassing Swordsmanship!

Among the group of Martial Artists who had entered the Heaven-Reaching Tower, the strength of these three was certainly not top-tier, but they could be considered mid-tier.

But in Chen Yuan’s eyes at this moment, it still wasn’t enough!

The Nether Blood Fiend erupted with a BOOM. The Saber Intent surged fiercely, and in mid-air, the piercing sharpness of the Blood Fiend scattered, causing all three of their expressions to change simultaneously.

But in the next instant, Chen Yuan had already drawn his bow. He fired three Mulan Continuous Jail-Piercing Arrows at once, completely sealing off all of Feng Tiande’s escape routes.

Accompanied by the whistling shriek of the arrows, an incredibly fierce power—strong enough to pierce the Ninefold Hell—had already appeared before Feng Tiande!

“Save me!”

Feng Tiande’s expression changed, and he hurriedly roared.

He never would have imagined that Chen Yuan’s first target would be him, the one with the most agile Body Technique.

Shen Wugui and Ying Yuanzhen naturally couldn’t stand by and watch Feng Tiande be taken out first. They both redirected their attacks to intercept the Mulan Continuous Jail-Piercing Arrows.

Following a series of piercing True Qi explosions, Chen Yuan’s volley of three arrows was finally blocked.

But the next moment, a piercing sonic boom rang out. Chen Yuan’s figure had already appeared before the strongest of the trio, Ying Yuanzhen. The Red Lotus Sin-Slaying Saber came crashing down, and Netherworld Death Qi erupted!

Ying Yuanzhen’s two Dao Swords were already busy intercepting the Mulan Continuous Jail-Piercing Arrows. With Chen Yuan’s sudden attack, he was left weaponless. ℓ.

But Ying Yuanzhen didn’t panic. In that instant, his Qi Blood suddenly began to boil, and Dao Essence permeated his entire body. Boundless Dao Essence converged within him, raising his power to a terrifying peak in a single moment.

He thrust a finger forward. The boundless Dao Essence unified, and the majestic Finger Strength vibrated through the void, directly meeting Chen Yuan’s blossoming scarlet Karma Fire Red Lotus.

Heaven-Encompassing Life-Birth Finger!

A powerful ripple of energy instantly spread through the air. Ying Yuanzhen’s expression changed abruptly as an immense force sent him flying backward. At the same time, the Nether Blood Fiend Power invaded his body, causing his face to pale dramatically.

The right hand he had just used to execute the Heaven-Encompassing Life-Birth Finger was now dripping with blood. Even worse, the domineering Nether Blood Fiend Power was still destroying his True Qi and eroding his foundation.

From behind, Shen Wugui formed a Seal Technique. Immense Demonic Qi gathered, and with a downward slam of the seal, a demon shadow wrapped in monstrous Demonic Qi surged toward Chen Yuan.

Nine Nether Celestial Demon Seal!

Chen Yuan sneered and countered with a backhanded Gouli Blood Flame Divine Seal. A Divine Shadow split the sky, and the immense power exploded, striking Shen Wugui so hard his Inner Viscera trembled and his face turned pale.

After only a few exchanges, the three were so thoroughly beaten by Chen Yuan they couldn’t even lift their heads. Their lives were in danger at any moment!

Seeing that the situation was dire, Feng Tiande of the Divine Feather Sect erupted with a golden glow. He rapidly retreated, trying to escape like a streak of golden light.

Their initial plan had been to kill Gu Lichuan, divide his Celestial Soldier Longswords among themselves, and then enter Militan Temple.

But with Chen Yuan’s intervention, killing Gu Lichuan was now out of the question. They couldn’t even explore the ruins of Militan Temple anymore. If this fight continued, people were going to die!

Just as Fang Zhibai had predicted earlier, this group of people each had their own agenda. They could team up when things were going their way, but as soon as they faced a headwind, someone was bound to be the first to retreat.

Chen Yuan sneered. Power gathered around him, and the Mulan Continuous Jail-Piercing Arrows shot out once more. This time it was Three Arrows Linked Together, and the immense force they carried formed a straight line in mid-air.

Feng Tiande sensed the powerful force approaching from behind. He quickly formed a Seal Technique, and a golden divine radiance erupted from his body, transforming into streams of Divine Feathers that shot toward the Mulan Continuous Jail-Piercing Arrows. However, he was forced back step by step by the power of the Three Arrows Linked Together. In the end, his divine radiance was shattered, and he violently spewed a mouthful of blood.

“Idiot!”

Shen Wugui and Ying Yuanzhen cursed inwardly at the same time.

They hadn’t tried to rescue him because Feng Tiande had fled too far, and they couldn’t reach him in time.

In their current state, if the three of them advanced and retreated together, they might still have a chance. But Feng Tiande had tried to be clever and flee first, leaving the two of them to hold Chen Yuan back. This would undoubtedly lead to an even more disastrous defeat.

“Use your Divine Artifact Incarnations! If we don’t, we’re all going to die!”

Shen Wugui roared, pulling out a pitch-black Jade Sword that radiated dense Demonic Qi. This was the Demon Soldier of the Nine Nether Sect, the Nine Nether Demon Sword.

Feng Tiande was terrified. Hearing the command, he immediately took out the Divine Feather Sect’s Divine Artifact Incarnation, the Celestial Feather Treasure Fan.

The Heaven-Encompassing Daoist Sect’s Divine Artifact Incarnation was the most peculiar—it was a Small Bronze Bell named the Heaven-Encompassing Mixed Element Bell.

When the three Divine Artifact Incarnations appeared, Chen Yuan frowned slightly.

Divine Artifact Incarnations also required one’s own power to activate. These three weren’t exceptionally strong, so their activation of the artifacts would certainly not be as powerful as Shangguan Moyuan’s or Su Changhe’s.

But even if they were weaker, three Divine Artifact Incarnations activated simultaneously would be quite troublesome.

Just then, the commotion from their battle was so great that it attracted several other Martial Artists. The one in the lead was none other than Zhang Xuanzhong of the Shenxiao Sect.

Seeing the scene before him, Zhang Xuanzhong was stunned for a moment before bursting into laughter. “Chen Jiutian, you really know how to stir up trouble. You fought us outside, and now inside the Heaven-Reaching Tower, you’ve even forced this many people to use their Divine Artifact Incarnations. What, are you finally scared now that you’re facing so many?”

Chen Yuan said flatly, “A bunch of weaklings who can only use Divine Artifact Incarnations to save their own skins. What’s there to be afraid of? Even adding a defeated foe like you to the mix won’t change anything!”

Zhang Xuanzhong’s sword-like brows shot up, and a cold glint appeared in his eyes. “You scoundrel, you stole a Secret Technique from my Shenxiao Sect! You only barely defeated my Purple Sky Demon Slaying Sword with the Shenxiao Evil-slaying Sword. Both are Cultivation Techniques from my Shenxiao Sect, so what’s there to be proud of?

Today, I’ll let you witness the true power of the Shenxiao Sect!

“Someone protected you outside, but here in the Heaven-Reaching Tower, is there anyone left who can save you?”

Zhang Xuanzhong then turned to Ying Yuanzhen and the others, a smirk playing on his lips. “You’re all giving him far too much credit. Does this Chen Jiutian really deserve the three of you using your Divine Artifact Incarnations at the same time?”

Ying Yuanzhen’s expression turned awkward.

He was also from a Daoist Sect. To be unable to defeat Chen Jiutian and then need Zhang Xuanzhong to step in was naturally humiliating for him.

However, he had to admit that among the four great Daoist Sects, three had members in the top ten of the Hidden Dragon Rankings. He, ranked nineteenth, was indeed a bit of a letdown.

Shen Wugui and Feng Tiande, however, breathed a sigh of relief and immediately put away their Divine Artifact Incarnations.

If they could avoid using their Divine Artifact Incarnations, they certainly would have. They had only chosen to do so because Chen Yuan had pushed them to the brink.

Now, with Zhang Xuanzhong taking the lead in a four-on-one fight, they refused to believe they still couldn’t handle this Chen Jiutian!

Lightning flashed around Zhang Xuanzhong. The purple electricity coalesced in his hand, forming a thunderous Long Sword that emitted a deafening series of rumbles.

A serious look also appeared in Chen Yuan’s eyes.

‘Ying Yuanzhen and the others are no cause for concern. Without their Divine Artifact Incarnations, killing them would be easy for me.’

‘However, although Zhang Xuanzhong’s foundational strength is weaker than mine, he still has some skill. With him leading the charge, things will indeed be a bit more troublesome.’

But just at that moment, the great doors of Militan Temple suddenly split open. The inside was pitch-black, like a black hole. Then, an overwhelming suction force erupted from within, pulling everyone inside.