Chapter 1763 (Raw 1775):
Experts!
These were true assassination experts. This sort of group required at least ten years, possibly even several decades, to develop such rapport with each other.
Moreover, it required the investment of countless resources. Just simply based on these eighteen people, an unfathomably large faction lay behind them.
Nurturing eighteen people like this required even more resources—countless times more—than hiring a Star Venerate expert.
Resources had a price, but time was priceless.
Not everyone had the ability to spend more than ten-odd years to nurture such deathsworn warriors.
There had to be a huge faction behind these people, with specialized people and teams to carry out systematic training.
Light and shadow flickered, shifting between black and white.
Countless sword shadows charged at Xiao Chen, stabbing at him, chopping down at him, or swinging left and right.
Up, down, left, right, front, and back—there was no gap in coverage.
"Dang! Dang! Dang!"
Xiao Chen drew his saber, and his feet did not move at all. He remained calm as the saber in his hand moved nonstop.
The saber and swords clashed, raising a constant clangor that sounded very startling.
This was like an inescapable net. The net of attacks, which did not let anything through, ended in the blink of an eye.
However, another wave of attacks soon followed, not giving one a chance to catch their breath.
Light and shadow filled the world. This three-dimensional formation filled with layers of sword images.
From an onlooker's perspective, the sword images formed a huge ball.
After eighteen rounds, the images retracted with Xiao Chen entirely untouched.
After the half-year of experiential training, Xiao Chen's saber skills already reached a whole new level.
With a wave of Xiao Chen's hand, his saber light could easily encase a place. With one move, he could easily block multiple combined attacks.
However, the situation still did not look optimistic.
Xiao Chen felt that this complicated and profound formation was just the start. There were other more incredible means that had not been brought out yet.
This formation was sufficient to kill a middle-stage Star Venerate, possibly even a late-stage one.
Xiao Chen needed to kill one of these people.
Otherwise, with the other side continuously bringing out the might of the formation, Xiao Chen would definitely fall today.
"Change the formation!"
It was as Xiao Chen expected. The black-clad leader snorted coldly, and the eighteen figures quickly changed positions.
The lights on the ground and the connected sword images in the air constantly shifted.
Like a water ripple, all sorts of killing moves kept pressing over.
The entire formation was filled with danger. One wrong step would be like falling into a thirty-kilometer-deep abyss; one's body would get torn to pieces.
Xiao Chen had to do his best to find a chance of survival amid the changing positions.
There was no road that the heavens sealed off completely. Out of fifty possible paths, the great Dao occupied forty-nine. No matter how merciless the Heavenly Dao was, there would always be a chance to survive.
This was the same for any killing formation. They could not go against the heavenly will. No matter how many layers of danger there were, there would always be a chance to survive.
The difficult part was that reality was mixed with illusions.
How should one differentiate them and tell them apart?
Fortunately, Xiao Chen was skilled at geomancy and had a wealth of battle experience, so he was exceptionally sensitive to danger.
As Xiao Chen's figure flashed continuously in this killing formation, he dodged danger after danger, time after time.
Wait!
Killing intent gathered in Xiao Chen's eyes. He still had many trump cards on reserve, even though there were many layers of danger and he might die at any moment.
However, he held back these trump cards, not using a single one of them.
Either Xiao Chen would not use them, or when he did, it would draw blood and kill without mercy!
The eighteen assassins watched as Xiao Chen moved about without getting struck. All of them felt shocked in their hearts.
This formation was known as the Star Killing Formation.
This very incredible name meant it was for killing Star Venerates. Once it was executed, the odds of failure were very low.
However, today, Xiao Chen, a mere Major Primal Core Venerate, managed to last until now without even showing an opening.
Losing his patience, the leader shouted, "Take him by storm!" Immediately, nine figures soared into the air and thrust their swords at Xiao Chen.
Nine swords merged into one, and space trembled. If a tall mountain were here, this sword would definitely collapse it.
Even a middle-stage Star Venerate would have to dodge the combined attack of nine swords.
As long as one retreated, one would fall into the danger of the formation, unable to recover from it.
The nine assassins showed sharp, cold, and merciless eyes. There were no emotions, only strong Death Qi.
Xiao Chen stood upright with his hands behind his back. Then, he smiled coldly. "I was just waiting for you to try and take me down by storm."
Two lights appeared in his eyes—one golden and one white.
The Taiji Yinyang Flame Diagram suddenly formed. Yinyang, four divisions, the eight trigrams, and other scenes appeared around the Taiji Yinyang Flame Diagram.
"Dang!"
The nine swords struck the diagram but did not budge it at all, unable to break it.
"Separate for me!"
Xiao Chen thrust his hand forward, and the Taiji Yinyang Flame Diagram flared with a bright light and advanced ferociously. It swept forward; nothing could block it.
Before the nine black-clad assassins could retreat, the Taiji Yinyang Flame Diagram rammed them.
These nine immediately went flying back while vomiting large mouthfuls of blood.
The Star Killing Formation instantly broke!
The lights and shadows vanished. The feeling of restraint that surrounded Xiao Chen vanished.
Resolving the Mundane!
The seven emotions were cut off, and the six desires were severed. After resolving the mundane, one became eternal.
After being suppressed for so long, Xiao Chen's killing intent burst out like a mountain flood as he swung his saber.
Amid a bloody storm, he chopped the nine black-clad assassins in the air in half, spraying out an endless shower of blood.
"The mission failed. Retreat!"
The leader was horrified. In his fluster, he decisively retreated, no longer lingering.
After all, the remaining nine were not Star Venerates. Once the formation lost its effectiveness, they were left with only their original strengths.
"You think that you can flee?"
Xiao Chen snorted coldly, and his figure trembled. Then, he executed Dharmic World and turned into a three-kilometer-tall giant.
He stomped down and killed three fleeing black-clad assassins. Just as he was about to resume his true form, he swung his saber with all his might.
The saber light reached thirty kilometers long, looking like the rainbow in the sky as it descended and chopped down another four people.
Ice Blood Lightning Dragon!
The moment Xiao Chen recovered his true form, a tricolored berserk dragon flew out of his palm. As it braved the wind, it grew larger. Baring claws and fangs, it instantly swallowed a person up.
The situation reversed in an instant. Only the leader managed to get five kilometers away.
However, before that leader could celebrate and sigh, he felt an invisible will that drove the might of the world howling.
Everywhere that will passed, strong winds howled and the resilient grass bowed. It was like a sovereign arriving; all living things submitted.
"Boom!"
Feeling like a mountain was pressing down on him, the leader grunted and vomited a mouthful of blood as he fell to his knees.
Xiao Chen's will of soul suppressed him to the point of immobility.
The might of the world froze the space around.
The floating dust, the flying tree branches, the birds passing, all of them remained still. It was like time stopped.
Xiao Chen stretched out his hand and grabbed. Nothing moved but the body of that leader he pulled over.
When that body landed in his hand, his expression sank. Then, he tossed that body aside like trash.
This person was already dead. The moment the will of soul suppressed him, he killed himself.
The will of soul returned to Xiao Chen's body. "Rumble…!" The trees fell to the ground, the dust continued flying, and the birds flew off in a flurry.
The corpses on the ground were either crushed or chopped apart. The heavy stench of blood spread out in all directions.
Xiao Chen's expression turned somewhat scarily sullen. His hair, consisting of alternating stripes of black and white, fluttered about. He gave off a chilly feeling from his entire body as if his killing Qi was sealed in ice.
He looked into the distance.
Then, he muttered three words: "Cluster Lord's Residence!"
There was no grudge or hatred, but the other party made such a move. That was truly ruthless.
Xiao Chen's figure flashed as he vanished from his location, silently making his way through Soaring Dragon City.
His target in Soaring Dragon City was the Cluster Lord's Residence.
It was not too late for a gentleman to take revenge later.
—
At the same time, a group of unexpected guests arrived at the distant Dragon Flame City.
About seven or eight people congregated under the city gates. All of them gathered together had an extraordinary presence, their sharpness concealed.
Vaguely, their presence stirred up the winds and clouds.
Even though their sharpness was hidden, the invisible air they exuded kept others away, deterring others from standing next to them.
It was like how a beggar would not dare to sit next to a ruler.
The leader was a woman in a plain, red dress. She had an exquisite figure with a full head of fine black hair that fluttered in the wind. A unique, short, straight saber hung at this red-dressed woman's waist. She looked very charming, entrancing anyone who looked at her.
"Dragon Flame City," the red-dressed woman said softly as she looked at the city gates.
"This place is the conferred land of the Yanwu Dynasty's Soaring Dragon Marquis. He then conferred it in turn to his most beloved daughter, Cluster Lord Gou Yu."
"It has been quite some time, but this place actually still has the aura of my Dragon Race lingering here. Truly incredible."
As these people spoke to each other, their words scared those who overheard them, the eavesdroppers' eyes filling with shock.
"The Dragon Race…the people of the Dragon Race have come to Dragon Flame City!"
"Something major is going to happen. Quickly, leave! Quickly leave!"
No one at the city gates dared to eavesdrop on this group of people anymore; everyone scattered in a fluster.
Everyone felt their legs go somewhat soft.
A sharp and handsome youth in the group looked at the red-dressed woman and said politely, "Senior Sister Ruyue, this is the place where the news of an ancient Dragon Race totem came from."
