Unfettered Retribution: Slaughtering My Way through the World

Chapter 162: Chapter 128: 6th on the Human List! The Martial World is Shaken Again

A short while later.

Wang Qinglian stood up again and spat out the jade vial. Her face was full of shock as she looked at the vial in her hand and said, "This is pollen from the Ancient Tree of Life?"

She had, of course, long heard of such worldly treasures.

But with the Wang Clan’s power, they were in no position to meddle with such things.

Yet now, Chen Xuan had actually brought some out?

And he’d given it all to her without a moment’s hesitation?

’That guy!’

’Doesn’t he know how absurdly expensive this is?’

"Yes. How are you? Are your injuries any better?"

Chen Xuan chuckled.

Although he had collected very little pollen, it was better than nothing.

"Much better. Not only have my internal injuries completely healed, but it even feels like my realm is about to break through again."

Wang Qinglian suppressed her shock and replied.

She had a feeling that after she returned, she would definitely break through within two days at most!

She would reach the True Qi Eighth Layer!

’Such a treasure... It’s truly unimaginable!’

It had saved her half a year of bitter cultivation in an instant!

If they had possessed such a treasure sooner, how could her thousand-year-old Wang Clan have been pushed into such a corner by the Celestial Sword Sect and the Mixed Element Sect?

But in the next moment, Wang Qinglian seemed to think of something. Her pretty face flushed red, and she shot a fierce glare at Chen Xuan.

’That guy must have done it on purpose!’

’I’m his elder!’

’He actually stuffed something unknown into my mouth!’

’I thought it was... *that* kind of thing!’

’Pah!’

She spat fiercely in her mind.

"As long as you’re all right, that’s what matters."

Chen Xuan’s tone was calm as he crossed his arms. "So, are you still so proud now?"

He wore a playful smile, his chin held high, mimicking the exact posture Wang Qinglian had when they first met.

Countless complex emotions instantly flooded Wang Qinglian’s heart.

’This guy...’

’His growth rate is too terrifying.’

’He’s already at the True Qi Eighth Layer!’

’It’s simply...’

’It defies all logic!’

"I admit you are indeed formidable, a bit stronger than I am."

Wang Qinglian forced herself to remain calm and said in a clear voice.

"A bit stronger?"

Chen Xuan raised an eyebrow.

’Just a bit?’

’This lady sure is proud!’

But whatever. He couldn’t be bothered to argue. If that’s what she wanted to believe, he would let her.

"By the way, did you come all this way specifically to guide my cultivation?"

Chen Xuan asked curiously.

"...Something like that."

Wang Qinglian reverted to her cold demeanor and offered the jade vial back to Chen Xuan, but he refused it outright. "It’s a gift. Consider it repayment for before."

"..."

Wang Qinglian pressed her lips together, her emotions churning. In the end, she accepted it.

"Right, what’s the situation with the Celestial Sword Sect and the Mixed Element Sect? Are they still trying to cause trouble for me?"

Chen Xuan’s expression darkened as he immediately asked.

This was one of the reasons he had been so eager to return.

Even if they weren’t looking for trouble with him, there was nothing stopping him from paying them a visit.

"They are."

Wang Qinglian nodded immediately and said coolly, "Right after you defeated the Little Sword Immortal, both sects came to the Wang Clan again, trying to force us to cut ties with you. They wanted to send out their elders to hunt you down, but I stopped them. Later, they secretly sent people to the Twelve Grand Alliances, but you were already gone by then."

"Is that so?"

Chen Xuan’s eyes were cold, and a powerful aura emanated from him. "Very well. I was just about to go settle this score."

"You’re going to make a move against the Celestial Sword Sect and the Mixed Element Sect?"

Wang Qinglian immediately looked up at Chen Xuan.

"What else?"

Chen Xuan’s tone was nonchalant. "I don’t have many faults, but I do believe in settling grievances swiftly. If someone comes after me, I will definitely repay the favor. Those two sects have pressured me more than once. Now that I’ve finally reached the True Qi Eighth Layer, it’s only natural that I go and settle all accounts."

"You must be careful. Ling Wanjian, the Sect Master of the Celestial Sword Sect, and Zhou Tianxing, the Sect Master of the Mixed Element Sect, are both at the True Qi Ninth Layer, and have even reached the Half-Step True Essence Realm."

Wang Qinglian said quickly.

"Half-Step True Essence?"

Chen Xuan frowned. "True Essence is True Essence. What the hell is ’Half-Step’?"

’Why are there so many damn sub-divisions?’

"The True Essence Realm has two meanings. The first is one’s own life essence. You extract and infinitely condense your life essence to obtain immense power.

"The second is the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi of the outside world. You use your own True Essence to absorb the external Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi, thereby erupting with multiplied strength. This is the True Essence Realm.

"The first step is relatively easy. Most at the True Qi Ninth Layer should be able to do it. The difficult part is the second step: how to draw the external Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi into your body. That’s the trickiest part.

"Because the slightest mistake can cause your body to explode, you must have the guidance of a profound technique and slowly figure it out for yourself.

"They have been at the True Qi Ninth Layer for many years, so they should have already accomplished the first step, but they haven’t mastered the second. That’s why I call them Half-Step True Essence Realm cultivators."

"Are you sure they haven’t reached the second step?"

Chen Xuan asked.

"I’m sure."

Wang Qinglian nodded at once and said coolly, "If they had truly reached the second step, they would have made a move against my thousand-year-old Wang Clan long ago. They wouldn’t have waited until now. The difference in a person’s strength with or without the empowerment of Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi is immense. A true True Essence Realm master can alter the atmosphere of heaven and earth with a single move."

"Understood."

Chen Xuan said calmly, "Then I’ll go wipe them out right now."

With his current True Qi Eighth Layer.

Plus his many innate talents.

Forget about dealing with Half-Step True Essence, he might even be able to take on a true True Essence master.

If he didn’t even have that much confidence, what was the point of even trying?

"Right now?"

Wang Qinglian was startled.

"Oh, my mistake. I’ll sleep for a night and set out tomorrow. It’s getting late anyway."

Chen Xuan nodded.

"’Sleep for a night...’"

Wang Qinglian’s thoughts were in turmoil, her heart pounding like a startled fawn.

’That bastard must be making me stay the night on purpose.’

"I’ll sleep outside, you sleep inside. We’ll make do for one night."

Chen Xuan’s tone was nonchalant as he turned, walked outside, and closed the door behind him.

"..."

Wang Qinglian stood alone in the room, staring at the closed door. She was stunned for a moment, and the tense string in her heart inexplicably loosened. But that feeling was quickly replaced by an indescribable sense of loss...

...

...

「A night passed.」

The morning sun rose.

The news of Chen Xuan’s awe-inspiring display of power in the secret realm could not be contained, and it spread throughout the world with incredible speed.

Especially to the Celestial Secret Pavilion.

When they learned that Chen Xuan was already at the True Qi Fifth Layer, had single-handedly defeated the Zhao family siblings, and had swept away several other allied True Qi Fifth Layer experts, they were all greatly shocked.

"What? We misjudged Chen Xuan’s strength again?"

"How could this happen?"

"Dammit, we already moved him up to twentieth on the Human List, and it was still wrong! He injured Zhao Qingchen, who’s seventeenth on the list, in a single move. Then he took out Zhang Yunhe and Hui Ming with one punch each. With that kind of strength, he should be at least tenth, or even ninth on the Human List..."

The elders of the Celestial Secret Pavilion looked at the various reports coming in from all over the world, their faces filled with shock and disbelief.

In its thousands of years of history, the Celestial Secret Pavilion had never made a single mistake.

Forget about ranking the Human List.

Even with the Earth and Heaven Lists, they had rarely ever erred.

But now, they were repeatedly making mistakes when it came to Chen Xuan.

And each time, the error was more outrageous than the last.

This was getting a little frightening.

It went without saying that the Celestial Secret Pavilion’s credibility was destined to take a massive hit.

"You fools! How much more strength is this Chen Xuan hiding? Why didn’t any of you notice before?"

The door was pushed open, and an elder in a black robe with gold trim walked in, his face contorted with rage.

This was a colossal failure!

If they couldn’t accurately determine Chen Xuan’s strength soon...

...then the Human List compiled by their Celestial Secret Pavilion would become a complete joke.

"First Seat, you’ve arrived..."

"Greetings, First Seat..."

"Reporting to the First Seat, we had already overestimated Chen Xuan as much as we could, but we never expected it to be this outrageous..."

The elders’ faces turned pale as they hurriedly explained.

How many days had it been since they last corrected the Human List?

Not even ten days in total.

And now, Chen Xuan’s strength had changed again.

This time, the change was even more exaggerated.

"First Seat, Chen Xuan has now undergone the baptism of the Ancient Tree of Life. He must be even stronger. He might have even reached the Sixth or Seventh Layer. In your opinion, where should we rank him?"

one of the elders asked nervously.

He had already found it utterly unbelievable when he learned Chen Xuan was at the True Qi Fifth Layer.

And on top of that, Chen Xuan had also been through the baptism of that worldly treasure.

He was bound to have advanced again...

Now, he no longer dared to rank him himself.

"He most likely has reached the Seventh Layer. Rank him at the highest estimate. Put him at sixth on the Human List!"

the black-robed elder said in a low voice.

If not for the Celestial Secret Pavilion’s long-standing rule against interfering in the affairs of the martial world, he would have personally sought out Chen Xuan long ago to test his true strength.

Ranking him sixth now...

That was exaggerated enough, right?

Jumping from twentieth place to sixth...

It was something that had never happened in several thousand years.

It was destined to cause a sensation throughout the entire martial world!

"Sixth?"

All the elders’ expressions changed.

’Isn’t that too much of an exaggeration?’

’Every single one of the top ten on the Human List is a monster among monsters.’

’Even someone with Wang Qinglian’s formidable combat power was only ranked Seventh...’

’And now Chen Xuan is just parachuting into sixth place?’

"It’s feasible. After the baptism of the Ancient Tree of Life, he should have the strength of someone ranked sixth!"

"Even if he doesn’t, it’s fine. Ranking him too high is better than ranking him too low!"

"Yes, let the people of the world challenge him!"

"If he’s defeated then, no one can blame our Celestial Secret Pavilion for being inaccurate. After all, every generation produces new talents. The top of the Human List is meant to be challenged."

"Indeed!"

The group of elders laughed and clapped in approval.

Soon, Spirit Doves carrying written messages flew out from the Celestial Secret Pavilion at extreme speed, streaking off in all directions.

As expected, the martial world was in an uproar.

Everyone was in an uproar.

"The Human List has been updated again!"

"Holy shit, look! The top ten on the Human List has changed!"

"The Iron-faced Yama, Chen Xuan, is sixth on the Human List... Sixth?"

"Chen Xuan parachuted to sixth on the Human List? What kind of joke is this?"

Countless busybodies in the martial world were utterly astonished.