Chapter 504 - 473: Slaughter

Chapter 504: Chapter 473: Slaughter

Barely the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea had passed since the battle on Ghost Mother Peak began.

For a Cultivator with a lifespan of centuries, this was but a flick of the finger, yet Meng Qianxun felt as if several years had passed.

The narrow passage of Ghost Mother Peak had become an Asura Field. In that brief span, nearly a hundred Foundation Establishment Cultivators and three Golden Core Cultivators had perished. One of Chen Xi’s Puppets had been blown to bits, and his Sword-Patterned Silver Flood Dragon was also grievously wounded...

Meng Changtu, Xiao Chan, and even Zhao Yunchen were all injured.

And all this was merely the price to trap True Master Xuehai and his cohort inside Ghost Mother Peak.

Not only did the enemy have a numerical advantage in Golden Core Cultivators, but their strength was also exceptionally tyrannical. True Master Xuehai alone had struck down two Golden Core Cultivators in a single exchange, and the more blood that was spilled, the stronger he became.

Meng Qianxun blew his Horn, summoning several Golden Core Realm Celestial Ghost Bats from the mountain, but they only held the enemy back for three breaths.

Were it not for Xiao Chan saving him on several occasions, he would have long since perished, his Dao extinguished.

"Hahaha, excellent..."

True Master Xuehai let out a wild laugh. He formed a hand seal for a Spell and simultaneously uttered a profound incantation.

"N’ba-chi-ma-nong..."

SPLASH!

The chant sounded like the whisper of a Fierce Beast, the Curse Technique of a vicious demon, and it was accompanied by the sound of churning ocean waves.

Before the horrified eyes of countless onlookers, the ankle-deep blood in the passage seemed to be pulled by an unseen force. It rapidly gathered into a single stream, swirled in mid-air, and was swallowed in a single gulp by True Master Xuehai.

It was a slurry containing countless bits of shredded flesh and pulped organs!

"Ahhh—"

As the blood entered his stomach, he let out a groan of pure pleasure that echoed through the cliffs.

At the same time, after swallowing that mouthful of blood, his aura began to climb as if it had no limit, surging toward the Golden Core Eighth Layer.

His followers, though unable to drink as extravagantly as True Master Xuehai, were also gulping down mouthfuls of blood, their Cultivation Realms increasing at a visible rate.

"...This."

Even the other Golden Core Cultivators felt their scalps tingle with horror at the sight.

The act of raising one’s Cultivation by devouring human blood was a trademark of the Ancient Fierce People. Of course, other Evil Cultivators were present, but none were as overtly terrifying as True Master Xuehai.

After a brief silence, an even more thunderous roar of battle erupted from within Ghost Mother Peak.

When the defending Cultivators saw their comrades and kin not only slain but their very blood consumed, they were overcome with a furious rage. With roars of fury, they counterattacked.

However, the enemy had the advantage in Golden Core numbers, and with a being like True Master Xuehai on their side, just holding them off was difficult enough. A counterattack was out of the question.

"Don’t be reckless!"

Meng Qianxun yelled, trying to stop them.

But it was too late.

True Master Xuehai merely raised a hand. A wave of blood, forged from True Essence, instantly surged forth, transforming into a world-engulfing sea of blood in the narrow mountain pass. The Cultivators who had charged forward were like lonely boats adrift on the water, instantly smashed to pieces.

With unstoppable momentum, it burst from the pass and lunged directly toward the Golden Core Cultivators outside the gorge.

"Stop it!"

Xiao Chan swung his Soaring Dragon Spear, unleashing a transcendent spear-point that blasted forward. At his side, Chen Xi reacted instantly. His Divine Statue materialized, and as its thousand hands fanned out, a shroud of black light enveloped the area.

Zhao Yunchen, Meng Changtu, and the other Golden Core Cultivators also attacked at once.

BOOM—

In an instant, their combined attacks were crushed.

The sea of blood, its momentum unbroken, surged over them once more.

Just then, the shadow of a blade and a Clay Vase appeared, shattering the sea of blood. Meng Qianxun glanced back to see that Yu Qian and Lu Yuntian had arrived.

"Reinforcements have arrived!"

Zhao Yunchen’s heart leaped with joy.

"Hooray—"

"Reinforcements from Celestial Ghost City are here!"

Seeing two more Golden Core Cultivators on their side, the Cultivators of Celestial Ghost City all cheered in unison. But Meng Qianxun had no time to thank the two for their timely rescue; True Master Xuehai’s followers were already swarming toward them like a tidal wave.

The enemy Golden Core Cultivators were at the forefront of the charge!

Meng Qianxun could only brace himself and charge forward once more.

Unlike the others’ joy, during that momentary lull, he had clearly heard a massive explosion from the direction of Celestial Ghost City. One of the powerful True Essence fluctuations belonged to Chen Che.

Moreover, two other, equally powerful auras both belonged to the Golden Core Eighth Layer.

’What’s happening in Celestial Ghost City?’

’Why is the battle there even more intense than here...’

Meng Qianxun knew Chen Che.

Celestial Ghost City wasn’t far from Ghost Mother Peak. If nothing had happened, he would have already come to help. The fact that he still hadn’t appeared could only mean that he had run into trouble of his own. The situation over there might even be more perilous, so Meng Qianxun didn’t dare to get his hopes up.

The others had the same thought.

"Haha!"

True Master Xuehai’s laughter continued unabated.

He wasn’t the least bit worried about what was happening in Celestial Ghost City. With Zuo Qinlong and Dou Shanhe working together, they could crush any opponent, so there was nothing to fear. His responsibility was Ghost Mother Peak, where he only needed to wantonly slaughter the Golden Core True Masters of the Primordial Sect...

And this was the perfect opportunity to turn the gorges of Ghost Mother Peak into an endless sea of blood for him to feast upon!

...

「Back in Celestial Ghost City.」

If Chen Che had said such a thing before the battle started, even if the Golden Core Cultivators outside the city hadn’t mocked him, Zhao Shifeng himself would have been unable to resist retorting: ’You should worry about yourself first! Between Dou Shanhe and Zuo Qinlong, two Golden Core Eighth Layer masters, which one do you think you can handle?’

But he had suppressed both of them single-handedly.

He had even found an opening to obliterate a Golden Core Cultivator who made a suspicious move with a flick of his finger. The man’s corpse, still hanging on the ridge, was a clear message to everyone.

However, with so many Foundation Establishment and Golden Core Cultivators present, they would lose all face if they were scared into retreating by a few words from Chen Che. Besides, he might be willing to risk his life, but did he think Dou Shanhe and Zuo Qinlong wouldn’t do the same?

Chen Che paid them no mind. The moment the words left his lips, he held nothing back, pushing his True Essence, Qi and Blood, and Divine Sense to their absolute limits.

BOOM—

As his vast aura surged, the entirety of Celestial Ghost City seemed to tremble. Within the Spiritual Light, a hundred-zhang-tall figure appeared to rise from the ground—a sensory illusion caused by the immense gap in power.

The very instant Chen Che unleashed his True Essence, Zuo Qinlong stepped forward and thrust his Black Dragon Spear:

CRACK!

The ground buckled and shattered with a series of sharp cracks.

A gash nearly a hundred zhang long appeared in the earth, tracing the path of the Black Dragon Spear’s thrust. This scar was seven or eight zhang wide and a full zhang deep, stretching from Zuo Qinlong’s feet all the way to Chen Che.

It looked as though a massive dragon had carved its way through the ground.

Zuo Qinlong was being deliberately provocative. He was a long-famous expert who prided himself on being at the pinnacle of his Realm. Yet this Chen Che had just declared he would kill both him and the equally powerful Dou Shanhe, another Golden Core Eighth Layer master, within the time it takes an incense stick to burn.

Therefore, he was now using the most direct and overpowering method possible, relying on his superior Cultivation Realm to simply crush Chen Che.

CLANG—

Chen Che parried with a backhand sweep of his Ruyi Wind and Thunder Sword.

The Strong Qi from their collision surged outwards, sweeping across the surroundings.

"He fell for it!"

Seeing this, Ding Haochuan and the others, who were busy fighting Little Chick and Zhao Shifeng, rejoiced inwardly.

Golden Core Cultivators were all shrewd veterans. After just a few exchanges, they could gauge an opponent’s depths.

Zuo Qinlong appeared to have been provoked by Chen Che’s words into a head-on clash, but this was actually a sign of his vast experience. The instant his spear met the sword, a vast tide of his True Essence surged forth.

RUMBLE—

The ground shattered as the Strong Qi roiled.

Zuo Qinlong was directly infusing Chen Che’s body with his own True Essence, forcing Chen Che to resist with his own. It was a blatant attempt to crush him with his higher Cultivation!

At that moment, Dou Shanhe attacked again. He brought his fingers together in a sign, and his Folding Fan shuddered, swelling to several times its original size. It crashed down toward Chen Che with the force of a Sea-Crossing Purple Gold Beam. Even before the fan struck, a terrifyingly immense pressure was released.

Within the affected area, countless buildings instantly crumbled, and nearby Qi Refining Cultivators were crushed into paste.

"This is bad!"

Zhao Shifeng’s expression changed drastically. He could see that the two of them were also putting their lives on the line.

Chen Che was pinned by Zuo Qinlong’s True Essence. His only options were to either desperately defend or retreat with heavy injuries.

But Dou Shanhe gave him no such opportunity, his descending Folding Fan timed to exploit this very moment. Chen Che was trapped, able to block one attack but not both. He was in mortal danger.

Zhao Shifeng could see this, and so could Ding Haochuan and the others.

The other enemy Golden Core Cultivators’ faces were filled with glee. If Chen Che could find an opening to attack, so could they. After repelling Little Chick and Zhao Shifeng, they almost all chose to launch a surprise attack at the same time.

"Now!"

Ding Haochuan shouted, and with a flick of his wrist, the same Bracelet that had shattered Zhao Shifeng’s Flying Sword shot out, spinning through the air.

As he spoke, the other Golden Core Cultivators also launched their attacks.

"SWOOSH!"

"SWOOSH!"

"SWOOSH!"

With no path of retreat and forced into a corner, as the Folding Fan descended, Chen Che showed no sign of fear. Instead, he recklessly erupted with all the True Essence in his body.

"Hah—"

With that explosive roar, the sleeves on Chen Che’s arms disintegrated, and even the Ruyi Wind and Thunder Sword in his hand was instantly riddled with cracks.

For an ordinary Cultivator, such an outburst would be useless. Your Realm is lower, so your True Essence reserves will inevitably be weaker than your opponent’s. But Chen Che was different. In both quality and quantity, his True Essence didn’t just surpass other Cultivators of the same tier; it dwarfed them.

Thus, when his True Essence suddenly erupted, he shattered Zuo Qinlong’s offensive posture.

But by then, the Folding Fan had already smashed down on Chen Che’s shoulder.

There was no way to dodge! Nor did Chen Che intend to!

Normally, it would be impossible to kill two Golden Core Eighth Layer experts in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. The only way was to trade injury for injury, life for life!

CRUNCH—

The ground beneath him was the first to give way, exploding violently.

His robes burst apart, the tatters fluttering away like butterflies, as a series of sickening pops, like shattering bone, echoed from his body. The terrifying force was too much even for his Flame Emperor Body Refining Technique to fully withstand.

PFFT!

A mouthful of blood welled up in his throat and sprayed out.

Then, the attacks from Ding Haochuan and his cohorts slammed into him one after another.

THUD! THUD! THUD!

Each blow sent a shudder through Chen Che’s body, and more blood gushed from his lips.

SWISH!

Chen Che’s gaze flickered, sweeping over their faces, searing their appearances into his memory.

And then...

With a wave of his hand.

The world before Dou Shanhe’s eyes suddenly warped. It was as if the entire Black Tortoise Calm Sea had been teleported here out of thin air. As the waves churned, several frenzied dragons erupted from the water and charged viciously toward him.

Celestial Derivation Five Elements Skill: Water!

The spinning ripples were like razor-sharp blades, blurring his vision as if tearing it to shreds.

"What kind of Magic is this?"

Dou Shanhe retreated in terror. He unleashed his Divine Sense, sending it crashing forward in an attempt to slow the attack and buy time for Zuo Qinlong.

Chen Che snapped his head up, a sharp glint in his eyes. A powerful Divine Sense of his own erupted, crushing his opponent’s with the ease of snapping a dry twig. PING! PING! PING! Sensing the hostile Divine Sense, the Divine Soul Defense Magical Artifacts on Dou Shanhe’s body activated automatically.

But how could these Divine Soul Magical Artifacts possibly withstand the power of Chen Che’s Divine Sense, which was already at the Golden Core Seventh Layer and further amplified by his Fierce Eyes?

In an instant, they were all crushed to dust.

Dou Shanhe’s head snapped back violently. He felt as if a great mountain had smashed into his Sea of Consciousness, kicking up a titanic storm.

Two of his five senses were instantly erased, and blood poured from his eyes, ears, nostrils, and mouth.

"You... your Divine Sense is at the Golden Core Great Perfection level..."

"THUD!"

Before he could finish, Chen Che waved his hand again.

The Thunder Jade Gourd descended from the sky and slammed down hard on Dou Shanhe’s head.

"CRACK!"

A shattering sound echoed.

Before he could even scream, all that remained on the ground was a spreading pool of blood.