Chapter 160 - 159: Earth Escape

Chapter 160: Chapter 159: Earth Escape

"Nothing is impossible. It’s just as I misjudged you at the start."

As Chen Qingyang spoke, he used the Immortal Seedling to increase the progress of his Danxia Nourishing Truth Technique to 15,999. He was just a hair’s breadth away from a breakthrough.

Thus, as a fellow Essence Condensation Second Realm cultivator, he could overpower almost anyone.

Facing him, the Young Master seemed to be quite courteous. He bowed with his hands clasped. "May I ask your name, Your Excellency?"

Chen Qingyang did not answer.

He chuckled to himself and continued, "As for me, I am who I am. My full name is Zhang Jiu."

’Chen Qingyang didn’t believe for a second that this was how he introduced himself in the Demon Sect. A man like this would never willingly reveal his hand.’

He still said nothing.

"Heh heh!" The man opposite him, Zhang Jiu, seemed unsure of him and began to pace back and forth. He held up his moon-white long robe with one hand, revealing a pair of black short boots. As he walked, he truly had the air of a scholar.

"I can tell your method for concealing your aura is quite good. And your Cultivation must be comparable to mine, otherwise you would have attacked already. The reason you’re silent is that you’re observing me, or perhaps you’re worried I’ll see through you."

’This man is clever. He’s managed to guess some of my reasons even without me saying a word.’

Once again, Chen Qingyang remained impassive.

Faced with continued silence, Zhang Jiu gritted his teeth, his expression turning grim. "Hmph, you won’t say this, you won’t say that. Are you actually a mute? I tampered with the cave entrance. I know for a fact that you’re the only one who followed us in. Don’t tell me you think you can take on the three of us by yourself?"

This was what he couldn’t figure out. The man was clearly not a reckless person, yet he had rushed into the cave just like that. ’Was he really not worried about the three of us ganging up on him? Or could it be... that he already knew everything that had just happened before he even entered the cave?’

At this thought, Zhang Jiu grew a bit more cautious.

Chen Qingyang finally spoke. "No more questions. Let me kill you first, then we’ll talk!"

The Qianxue Sword shot from its sheath. Danxia Radiance bloomed from the blade, and its unending Sword Qi pressed down on his opponent.

It looked immensely powerful, but in reality, he only used seventy percent of his strength, reserving the other thirty percent for any unforeseen circumstances.

Zhang Jiu’s expression changed again at the sight. The dagger that had just killed the old man now transformed into a Flying Sword, shining brilliantly with the light of Profound Gold as it lunged at Chen Qingyang.

In the blink of an eye, the two had exchanged several moves.

This aura was extremely sinister and venomous. Once it touched something, it seemed capable of seeping through any opening, and it desperately tried to cling to Chen Qingyang.

The Danxia Radiance on the Qianxue Sword flared even brighter. With a CLANG, Zhang Jiu’s Flying Sword was instantly knocked away. He stumbled back several steps, clutching his chest, looking pained.

"So strong!"

He first exclaimed in admiration. Then, seeing Chen Qingyang just standing there holding his sword, he burst out laughing. "I suddenly feel that you and I are very much alike. We’re both extremely sinister at heart. The only difference is that I show it on my face, while you hide it in the depths of your heart!"

At this moment, he had truly felt Chen Qingyang’s hidden strength, and the fatal strike he was plotting, coiled like a venomous snake.

’Arguing is always pointless. The right path is to kill Zhang Jiu, take his Immortal Seedling, and witness his techniques along the way.’

He unleashed his Sword Formulas again and lunged forward.

This time, his Cultivation was stronger, his Qi Mechanism more potent. From the first move, Zhang Jiu was forced into a steady retreat, suffering miserably. At one point, Chen Qingyang’s sword tip nearly grazed his chest.

"Heh heh, this is getting more and more interesting!"

He let out a strange cry and used the same technique he had used to kill the old crone. He abandoned his physical body, and his Divine Soul transformed into a thick, viscous glob of black liquid that surged toward Chen Qingyang.

Having already witnessed this technique, Chen Qingyang was prepared. His Sword Momentum was like overlapping mountain peaks, his Sword Techniques as dense as falling rain. Zhang Jiu couldn’t find the slightest opening and was instead wounded by the Sword Qi.

"Infuriating! This is infuriating!"

He couldn’t stand it anymore and began to rage.

Chen Qingyang, however, was methodical and showed no sign of panic. As his Sword Qi pressed forward, his Conscious Fish triggered the power of the Separation Huo Dragon Pearl, which erupted in an instant.

This flame incinerated everything. The moment it touched Zhang Jiu’s Divine Soul, it ignited. He appeared to be in extreme pain as his black Divine Soul twisted into various shapes before finally retreating back into his physical body.

When he looked up, his face was so grim it was distorted, and a terrifying light shot from his eyes. "I’m always the one who schemes against others! No one schemes against me! Tell me your name! I’ll hunt you to the ends of the earth and kill you!"

What he meant by "scheming" was that no matter what move he used, his opponent could always anticipate it and act first. An enemy like that was the most terrifying of all.

Chen Qingyang was not intimidated by the threat, nor did he worry about the future. He simply focused on executing this move of the Danxia Nourishing Truth Sword Technique to its absolute limit.

After fighting for so long, he had roughly gauged his opponent’s limits. This sword strike sealed off all of Zhang Jiu’s escape routes, intending to cut him down.

But Zhang Jiu formed a hand seal with extreme speed and activated a yellow Talisman. Right before Chen Qingyang’s eyes, he sank into the ground like melting snow and vanished.

Earth Escape!

’Just as I thought. He’s not that easy to kill.’

Chen Qingyang’s sword strike didn’t slow. It plunged straight into the ground where Zhang Jiu had disappeared. The entire cave seemed to tremble. When he pulled the sword back, it was stained with a trace of blood.

Immediately, an image of Zhang Jiu’s face appeared in his mind, and he reaped 1,368 Immortal Seedling.

Based on his judgment, Zhang Jiu had avoided the brunt of the attack. It was impossible for him to be this heavily injured. To have obtained so much Immortal Seedling could only mean that his opponent had limitless potential in Immortal Cultivation.

Chen Qingyang didn’t know the Earth Escape Skill, so he gave up on tracking him with the Conscious Fish. He sheathed his sword and let out a long breath.

’The Cultivation Technique this man practices is sinister. As long as he seizes others’ Cultivation, his own strength can grow extremely fast. He’s also vicious and cunning. More importantly, he has a lot of tricks up his sleeve. He escaped the moment he decided to, without any hesitation.’

He had been so cautious just now mainly to sense if Zhang Jiu had any Magical Treasures on him. It now seemed he had nothing but that Flying Sword.

In other words, Zhang Jiu came from a humble background. He had relied on this Dharma Gate and his own schemes to climb his way up, step by step.

This trip to Nine True Mountain, even if he hadn’t obtained these Immortal Seedlings or any news about Li Qianxue, had still been quite fruitful!

Netherworld, the Ten Prisons, the Qiankun Mirror... and now today’s Nine Abyss Demon Devouring Skill. All of these had broadened his horizons. The Demonic Sect’s Techniques were completely different from those of the Daoist Sect.

The Daoist Sect cultivated Celestial Phenomena, the Sun and Moon, and the Yin Yang Five Elements, while the Demon Sect focused on things like the Netherworld, Hell, and Blood Refinement. They truly lived up to the name "Demon."

Lu Qingyu’s warning that day had been correct. If he were to truly encounter them, he would need to be extra vigilant. And after he returned, he would have to learn more techniques himself.

Zhang Jiu had escaped, but the bodies of the old couple were still here. Chen Qingyang took everything from them, be it Magical Treasures or Spirit Stones.

After leaving the Cave Mansion, he got his bearings and continued on his way. The senior brothers and sisters who had been meditating on the ground had long since vanished. His Conscious Fish returned to the temple, and sure enough, he saw Liu Tao waiting for him.

Seeing Chen Qingyang return in one piece, she began to complain, "Where did you go? Why didn’t you say anything to me?"

Chen Qingyang replied, "I went to see if any of our seniors had intercepted those two."

Liu Tao scoffed at this. "Are you that fond of watching the excitement? I don’t remember you being like this back at Four Golden Peaks."

Chen Qingyang could only give a sheepish laugh. "Senior Sister, guess what happened in the end?"

"Sigh!" Liu Tao sighed, not bothering to press the issue. She asked, "Well? What happened?"

"According to their original route, they should have been intercepted by our other seniors. Unfortunately, someone suddenly appeared and led the old man and woman elsewhere. I imagine they escaped. My Cultivation is too low to keep up, so I came back!"

Liu Tao said, "Senior Brother Wan said those two have extremely high Cultivation and their coordination is flawless. They must be practicing the Reversing Fate Technique. That Dharma Gate is very sinister. At the highest levels, it can even alter cause and effect and shift disasters onto others. You saw how formidable it was when they activated that Qiankun Realm..."

Liu Tao gave Chen Qingyang a lengthy description, ending with, "If you ever run into them in the future, you must stay far, far away."

Chen Qingyang readily agreed. "Okay, Senior Sister."

Since both sides had just fought, it was unlikely there would be any more trouble for the time being. Chen Qingyang followed Liu Tao to perform Sacrificial Refinement on the other two Arrays before returning to the Nine True Temple. The rest of the journey was uneventful.

「In the room.」

He had barely sat down when a Disciple from the Nine True Temple came to report.

"Senior Sister Liu, the Master is summoning the Mountain Patrol Disciples!"

’Today’s events must have reached the Master’s ears. He must have new instructions.’

After sending the disciple away, Liu Tao turned to Chen Qingyang. "You’re not going to get restless and disappear again in a little while, are you?"

Chen Qingyang nodded. "Senior Sister, you know how boring it is here at the Nine True Temple. I’ll probably go for a walk down the mountain."

Liu Tao asked, "Will I be able to find you at the teahouse, then?"

"If you wait for me there, Senior Sister, I will definitely come."

Finally, Liu Tao added one last instruction, "Don’t go into the mountains again so carelessly."

Chen Qingyang readily agreed to everything.

...

The red sun sank behind the mountains.

In the city, lanterns were gradually being lit.

At the entrance of the Nine True Temple, two old Daoists on a ladder had just lit the lanterns.

Chen Qingyang flew over Jiuzhen City, found a deserted hillside, and sat down beneath an old pine tree.

’My Cultivation is full, ready for the Essence Condensation Third Realm. It’s the perfect time to break through.’

He took some of his Immortal Seedling and used it. A Qi Mechanism rose from his Earth Root Acupoint and emerged from his Mingtang Acupoint. One was Yin, the other Fire; they collided in his Jiang Palace Acupoint.

Under Introspection, Chen Qingyang saw the two streams of Qi Mechanism swirling like two little fish, or like two ripples in water, forming a vortex that began to settle in his Jiang Palace Acupoint.

Opening this acupoint required a colossal amount of True Essence. He tightly gripped a Spirit Stone, converting it into pure Spiritual Qi that flowed into his body. A constant stream of fine powder trickled from his fingertips!

Chen Qingyang enjoyed this feeling immensely. His mind became incredibly clear, and he seemed to sense the birth of all things, the changes of heaven and earth, and the laws governing all of existence.

His body mobilized all its Meridians, acupoints, and his Dantian Spiritual Sea, emulating the transformations of all things to form a universe within himself.

...When it was all over, the abundance of True Qi in his body had risen to a new level. A pure white Qi Vortex had formed in his Jiang Palace Acupoint. From there, the Qi Mechanism flowed out to connect with his Three Souls and Seven Spirits, constantly nourishing his Divine Soul.

This was the Jiang Palace cultivating the Essence. The power of his Divine Soul grew in an instant, and even his Conscious Fish received a powerful boost.

It could now travel greater distances, become even harder to detect, and carry more of the Power of Li Yang Earth Fire...

[Danxia Nourishing Truth Sword Manual: (1/24000)]

’Just as I thought. Eight thousand for one acupoint, twenty-four thousand for all three.’

’If I were to rely on killing, I’d need to kill a dozen or so Essence Condensation First Realm cultivators. And for future levels, I’ll only need to kill more.’

[Great Soul Scripture: (15/10000)]

[Available Immortal Seedling: 6,839]

He spent all his remaining Immortal Seedling on the *Great Soul Scripture*. Now that his Cultivation had broken through, hiding it became especially important.