Chapter 275 - 274: I Am Invincible in This Era

Forging the Yangshui Jade Sinews using his Dragon Race bloodline as a medium was no easy task. After all, two types of Jade Sinews already existed within his body; adding a third would make it incredibly difficult to achieve a balance.

Even if he succeeded by some fluke, errors would arise later when he fought or used his Spirit Charm, creating instability.

But if he didn’t forge the Yangshui Jade Sinews, the Talents of his Dragon Race bloodline could not be fully developed. For example, the [Rain Tribulation] was an inherent Talent of the Dragon Race, but Jiang Qiu was unable to control it.

The so-called [Rain Tribulation] used a massive downpour to cordon off a vast area, forming a shielding layer akin to the suppression of a Realm and cutting off all communication between the inside and the outside.

Within this [Rain Tribulation], the Dragon Race’s Vast Water Spirit Charm would be greatly enhanced. Even subordinates and companions acknowledged by the Dragon Race could receive a blessing-like power boost.

Take Grandmaster Han, for example. The Water Tornado that erupted upon his death nearly covered the entire central district of Gao Yuan City, and it was still difficult to contain. It was only because Jiang Qiu proactively absorbed the Vast Water Spirit Charm to forge his Jade Sinews, pulling those Water Tornadoes toward himself, that a disaster of unimaginable proportions was averted.

But while his Dragon Form could avoid some of the rain’s seepage and damage, it couldn’t completely evade the Water Tornado’s corrosive power. In the eye of the storm, his Dragon Scales hummed, threatening to be torn off one by one. From time to time, bolts of Thunder struck his body, drawing the eyes of the world.

But that wasn’t the greatest threat.

RUMBLE—

An enraged roar of Thunder boomed overhead. Lightning instantly leaped dozens of miles, illuminating the entire sky above Gao Yuan City. An unprecedented pressure erupted from the Thunderstorm. Jiang Qiu’s heart trembled. He gritted his teeth and looked up, his pupils contracting sharply.

At some unknown point, a vortex had formed in the once-overcast sky, reminiscent of the scene he had witnessed in the Northern Boundary. The pitch-black heavens opened a swirling white eye, with roiling Thunder forming its pupil. From within this vortex, the Human-shaped Dragon Body of [Chen] slowly emerged, his presence weighing down on everyone like Taishan Mountain.

"He appeared out of nowhere?!"

"How did [Chen] teleport directly here?!"

"Could it be another Secret Technique from ancient times?"

The crowd of Martial Artists broke out in a cold sweat, their soaked clothes clinging to their muscles. They craned their necks, resembling foolish peasants trying to catch a glimpse of a god.

When had they ever witnessed such a scene? The Emperor of the Kunlun Demon Clan, [Chen], had descended without warning into Gao Yuan City’s Inner City, a place guarded on all sides by Grandmasters. It was as if he were sneering at the Martial Artists of the Human Race. ’Your defenses are a joke.’

An inexplicable aura of despair descended. The light in most people’s eyes dimmed. On the faces of the city’s millions of residents, tears mingled with the rain, and their mournful expressions were lost amid heart-wrenching wails.

"Jiang Qiu, it’s time to return what you owe me."

A vast draconic might issued from [Chen]’s lips. He opened his five-clawed hand and made a grasping motion through the air toward Jiang Qiu, still trapped within the Water Tornado. His pair of glittering, golden Dragon Eyes reflected only cold indifference.

Under his control, the Water Tornado that no one had been able to affect began to collapse. Its central radius of over a hundred meters rapidly shrank to fifty meters, then thirty, then ten!

And it was still shrinking!

SCRAPE, SCRAPE, SCRAPE—

It sounded like a blade scraping fish scales. Blood began to seep from Jiang Qiu’s body. His face twisted into a savage mask, and his eyes blazed with unyielding will.

After all, his Dragon Form was forged from a True Dragon Skeleton; it wouldn’t collapse so easily. Furthermore, with his [Ice Armor] Talent, his physical body repeatedly alternated between sustaining damage and icing over, allowing him to resist stubbornly.

However, the Water Tornado was equivalent to a full-powered strike from a Dao Entry Realm Grandmaster, one unleashed with the amplification of the [Rain Tribulation]. Now, it was being personally compressed by [Chen], and the tearing sensation instantly intensified a hundredfold!

’It’s incredibly difficult to resist, but my absorption of Dao Intent is even faster!’

[Peeping Dao Realm -- Initial Tier]

[Dao Intent: 8/10]

’If I can just hold on a little longer, I might be able to advance my Realm!’

WHOOSH—

In that brief moment, Grandmaster Qian seized the opportunity and struck, slashing his sword toward the back of [Chen]’s neck. His tyrannical Sword Intent transformed into a bolt of Thunder that tore open the sky. The blade sliced through the dark clouds as if they were paper, parting them to reveal a sliver of clear sky above.

His eyes were bloodshot. He had pushed his Vast Thunder Spirit Charm to its absolute peak, pouring his entire understanding of the Sword Dao into this one strike, determined to take [Chen]’s head!

He held nothing back. The sword’s might was amplified by his Realm, which drew upon the boundless Thunder in the sky. Within the vast dark clouds, countless bolts converged like silver rivers, following the blade’s edge as it descended upon [Chen]’s back. The killing intent was world-shaking!

In that brilliant, fleeting instant, everyone’s heart seemed to stop. They stared with wide eyes, watching the old man charge forward with his sword through the suddenly still curtain of rain.

Even Jiang Qiu’s very Soul trembled.

’If I were the one facing a full-powered strike from such a Grandmaster,’ he thought, ’my body would probably disintegrate in an instant. After all, this is an all-out slash from a Soldier Cultivator, a path focused on ultimate destructive power!’

BOOM—

The sword light flashed past. Roiling Thunder formed a cage around [Chen]. The brilliant radiance nearly blinded ordinary people, and the vast draconic might was instantly overwhelmed.

Even Jiang Qiu felt the compression of the Water Tornado instantly halt. But his status panel couldn’t lie; the [Great Dao Imperfection] state was still active. [Chen] wasn’t dead!

"Watch out—"

The warning had barely left his lips when a claw tore through Grandmaster Qian’s abdomen with a sickening rip, pulling out a handful of his organs. His life force, already plummeting, went straight to zero. His vision went black, his head drooped, and his chin slammed against his chest.

SCHLICK...

[Chen] withdrew his claw. He seemed to have stripped some kind of wondrous energy from the Grandmaster’s body, slowly absorbing it through his Dragon Scales. His own aura grew faintly stronger.

THUD!

Grandmaster Qian’s body plummeted through the rain and was caught by another Grandmaster. Many Martial Artists rushed over, but he never rose again. As for his Lifebound Sword, which had channeled the Thunder, it had fallen to some unknown location.

"In this era, I am invincible."

[Chen] stated it as a fact. Serpents of electricity still danced across his body, and small, worm-like tendrils of lightning wriggled through the area around him. His draconic might once again bore down on the crowd.

His Realm was not yet perfected, but to the rest of the world, it was virtually unassailable.

What did it matter if it was an ultimate sword strike driven by the Vast Thunder Spirit Charm?

Under this [Rain Tribulation], he was highly immune to attacks created by the three Spirit Charms of Yang Water, Vast Thunder, and Gale. The damage from the Sword Intent carried by a weapon was also no longer enough to pierce his Dragon Form!

’Today, I will slay Jiang Qiu.’

With this thought, [Chen] re-established his connection to the Vast Water Spirit Charm. He made a grasping motion toward Jiang Qiu through the void, about to compress the Water Tornado.

VMMMM—

A flash of blade light shot toward him. Its aura was far inferior to that of the late Grandmaster Qian; it likely couldn’t even kill one of his Demon Generals. But it slashed over without any warning, interrupting his control.

CLANG!

Sparks erupted in the palm of [Chen]’s left claw. He stared coldly at the Blade Grandmaster before him, whose entire body was trembling and arm muscles were spasming. "Looking to die?"

"I’d rather it was you who died!"

The Blade Grandmaster roared, only to be crushed and deformed by the Gale, exploding into a mist of blood with a loud POP.