Chapter 656: Jiang Chen VS Wang Han
Jian Chen’s grievances with the Sacred Sword Palace had begun with the Mt. Rippling Mirage Pill Battles, and after so many encounters he was well and truly tired of Wang Han. Seeing that the Sacred Sword Palace was so dissatisfied with the current state of affairs, Jiang Chen thought that he might as well stand up and make an example out of Wang Han. He would destroy Wang Han and shut up the Sacred Sword Palace once and for all.
Having entered the Ancient Crimson Heavens Sect’s forbidden area, Jiang Chen’s understanding of the Divine Abyss Continent and his improvement in martial dao had exceeded beyond the paradigm of the Myriad Domain. He wasn’t much interested in the Myriad Grand Ceremony itself. He was actually more curious about the Paramount Realm that came after. Therefore, it didn’t matter who he faced in battle. They were all the same to him. In that case, he might as well settle all his grievances with the Sacred Sword Palace and utterly extinguish their annoying arrogance. This could also be considered as his repayment for Palace Head Dan Chi’s patronage.
As expected, Jiang Chen’s words caused Wang Han’s face to distort greatly. He knew that this fellow had a glib tongue, but he still couldn’t help the fury that erupted in his heart. “Boy, I’d like to see how much bite is behind that smelly bark of yours!”
An indifferent smile tugged on the corner of Jiang Chen’s lips as he said nothing in return.
It was obvious that Wang Han was truly furious this time. He yelled, “Boy, weapons are blind in the heat of battle. Do you dare agree to a life or death match?!”
“Oh?” Jiang Chen’s eyes twitched slightly, “How will that work?”
“We’ll bet on the battle and be responsible for our own lives. Dare you accept this?” Wang Han tried to goad Jiang Chen into accepting his proposal.
Jiang Chen smiled leisurely, “Isn’t that how it’s supposed to be in the first place?”
“Hmph, the only thing I’m afraid of is you sore losers crying to us after losing the fight.” Wang Han was secretly pleased to see that he’d been somewhat successfully in goading his opponent. After being ridiculed repeatedly by ‘Mu Gaoqi’, Wang Han’s hatred for this ‘Mu Gaoqi’ had surpassed his hatred for Jiang Chen. This arena was the his best opportunity to grind this annoying opponent to pieces and vent his anger. Wang Han naturally didn’t wish to let it slip by. He had brought up the idea of a life and death battle so that he could kill Mu Gaoqi with every justification. He wouldn’t give the Regal Pill Palace anything to complain about later.
Jiang Chen was unruffled by this poorly disguised scheme. He smiled and said, “Since you’re so fearless and in such a hurry to gift your life to me, what reason do I have to turn down such an opportunity?”
Those who were clueless might’ve been fooled by Jiang Chen’s calm attitude and cool words to think that he had already ascended to sage realm. The disciples of every sect started whispering amongst themselves beneath the ring.
“What on earth is wrong with this Mu Gaoqi? I don’t think he’d been this unbridled in the past, was he?”
“I know, right? I heard that he was as cowardly as a mouse in the past. Could it be that his confidence really has been boosted by his abilities?”
“Bolstered by his abilities? How high do you think his cultivation level is? Anyone can see that his cultivation is weaker than Wang Han’s. The Great Cathedral’s Xiang Qin might be the only younger generation cultivator in the entire Myriad Domain who is assuredly stronger than Wang Han. I doubt that anyone else can beat him.”
“You’re right. Just what is this Mu Gaoqi’s background? Why can’t I figure him out? This is a life and death battle. He can’t actually be a cat with nine lives, can he?”
“Eh, who knows? Let’s just watch the show. At the point, death might be the only thing that can settle the grievances between those two sects.”
While the audience was heatedly discussing things, Wang Han was staring at Regal Pill Palace’s side in an aggressive and imposing manner, “Palace Head Dan Chi, what does the Regal Pill Palace say about this duel?”
Dan Chi smiled faintly and responded, “I’m only afraid that the Sacred Sword Palace won’t take the loss gracefully.”
What? He’s afraid that Sacred Sword Palace might act like sore losers? The crowd couldn’t help but click their tongues. Palace Head Dan Chi sure knows how to catch people off guard. He can’t really be thinking that Mu Gaoqi would beat Wang Han, can he?
Does he really think that Sacred Sword Palace’s sword dao legacy is just for show?
Dan Chi didn’t care about the audience’s reaction. Instead, he cast an indifferent glance over at Wang Jianyu and said, “Wang Jianyu, if you think you can endure this loss, then do whatever you want.”
His casual words were met with a sneer from Wang Jianyu, “Dan Chi, do you actually think that your pathetic taunts can intimidate me? A life and death battle it shall be, as long as you can afford the loss!”
Dan Chi said indifferently, “Then we’re decided.”
Wang Jianyu’s heart couldn’t help but skip a beat when he saw how calm Dan Chi was. Could Regal Pill Palace really be as confident as they appeared?
The whole matter was too bizarre. Wang Jianyu couldn’t help but feel like he’d been played. However, it was impossible to turn back now that harsh words had already been traded. He wouldn’t just be making a fool out of himself, but would also humiliate the Sacred Sword Palace as well. Plus, he didn’t really think that Wang Han could lose to a cultivator who wasn’t famed for his martial dao. It was true that a high grade innate wood constitution was impressive, but that was only in terms of pill dao. Unless this talent was coupled with a unique wood based martial dao inheritance, it possessed no special advantages to speak of.
“Palace head, junior brother Mu…” Shen Qinghong looked like he wanted to say something.
Dan Chi smiled calmly, “Don’t worry, he knows his limits.”
Elder Lian Cheng hadn’t said anything for the longest time, but he was already sneering on the inside. He knows his limits? I wonder how amusing it’ll be when this show-off Mu Gaoqi is taken out by Wang Han with one strike. But of course, he kept those thoughts strictly in his mind, not revealing even a flicker on his face. Meanwhile, Jun Mobai stared at the arena and examined Jiang Chen from afar, a thoughtful look in his eyes.
Nie Chong himself was completely puzzled by this turn of events. He had no idea where Mu Gaoqi had found the courage to agree to a life and death battle. What was the difference between this and committing suicide? But no matter how much Nie Chong looked down on Mu Gaoqi usually, he couldn’t help but be impressed by him right now. An odd emotion suddenly filled his heart. Hope, hope that Mu Gaoqi would safely return from the ring.
Ling Bi’er was also staring at the arena with unblinking eyes. However, she was the only one amongst the younger generation who knew the truth. Since she knew of Jiang Chen’s true strength, there was naturally nothing for her to be worried about. In fact, she was somewhat looking forward to Jiang Chen stunning everyone in the martial arts competition in one go. Wang Han was without a doubt the best stepping stone to achieve that effect!
Since both sect masters had agreed to the duel, the bet to life and death was so decided.
“Senior brother Wang, do your best! I wager that you’ll take out this kid in three moves!”
“Three moves? Are you still dreaming? Crush him in one move, senior brother Wang!”
“Brat, if I were you I’d surrender right now and die a slightly better death. If you wait until senior brother Wang crushes you later, there won’t even be an intact corpse left!” The Sacred Sword Palace’s people hooted like a rowdy crowd, like they were about to eat someone alive.
Jiang Chen suddenly laughed loudly, “Wang Han, if you’re afraid you can just tell them to join you on the stage. Aren’t you embarrassed to have them cheer you on like that?”
What?
Join him on the stage? This taunt was like a pail of oil dumped into a large fire. It instantly ignited the anger of the Sacred Sword Palace disciples.
“Are you trying to die, brat?!”
“Arrogant bastard! Senior brother Wang, definitely torture this brat to death!”
“Is this crazy bastard complaining that he’s lived too long?”
“Destroy him, senior brother Wang!”
Wang Han sneered as he stared darkly at Jiang Chen, “Do you hear that, boy? Are you prepared to face the Sacred Sword Palace’s judgment?”
“This bullshit just doesn’t end, does it? Start the fight already. I’ll give you three moves.” Jiang Chen frowned and crossed his arms in front of his chest, throwing an indifferent glance at Wang Han.
This action instantly re-ignited Wang Han’s anger. “How dare you act so impudent even in death!” Killing intent burst out of him in waves. Since ascending into the sage realm, the frosty sword aura that Wang Han cultivated could now freeze and crack the very earth, becoming so potent as to shatter the mountains themselves. An overbearing and powerful sage aura erupted into existence, and transformed the entire arena into a vast world of snow and ice. This powerful and unfathomable coldness was not only chilling, but also seemed capable of freezing a human’s soul and consciousness.
A white mist of ice coiled around and enveloped the entire arena. No matter how powerful one’s vision was, it still couldn’t penetrate the delicate mist. The audience could only hear the howl and roar of the frigid wind as a bone chilling aura seeped into the surroundings. The weaker origin realm geniuses who happened to be close to the arena couldn’t help but back away. It was obvious that they couldn’t resist the chill that spilled over from the arena.
The frigid atmosphere was already quite shocking beyond the ring itself. No one there could help the sudden doubt that sprang up in their hearts. How could the seventh level origin realm Mu Gaoqi withstand this boundless chill?
Suddenly…
A beam of white light shot towards the sky. It seemed to connect with the nine heavens themselves, summoning the frost of the heavens. Snowflakes the size of goose feathers started to drift through the arena. Crystalline in shape and color, each snowflake was a work of art in and of itself, comparable to the most beautiful flower in the world. It was if they could wipe away all the dirt and filth in the world.
“Mu Gaoqi, make sure you get a good taste of how weak you truly are!” Wang Han’s proud laughter rang out from all corners of the ring. The domain of ice and snow suddenly blossomed, as if revealing the fangs that had been hidden in this wintry world. As the snowflakes fell, crisscrossing sword auras and countless icy sword qi lights arced madly through the air. The entire arena was filled with the flurry of snowflakes. Before long, every snowflake contained a sharp and cold sword light. The drifting snow started to whip through the air, as a true snowstorm descended upon the arena.
As the swords light continued to cut through the arena, they grew in number and speed under Wang Han’s control. Soon, they formed an enormous web of sword aura that shaved away at Jiang Chen’s space. Wang Han gestured, triggering a sword incantation. Upon activation, the web of sword auras contracted, sending out many silken sword threads towards Jiang Chen.
“Sword aura like silk thread that can cut through the soul and corrode bones!” This thread-like sword aura might have appeared thin, but it was in fact scarier than any thick or enormous sword aura. Not only could this sword aura cut through flesh and blood, it could also slice through a person’s soul. If Jiang Chen’s body was invaded by the threads, then his only future would be a pool of meat paste. His soul would be crushed into bits as well.
One had to say that a casual attack by a sage realm genius was far, far stronger than anything Wang Jing and Li Xin could bring to bear. However, the current Jiang Chen was not the Jiang Chen who had found the Sage Fledgling Grass back at Mt. Rippling Mirage. Back then, Jiang Chen had no choice but to escape into the ground when Wang Han had interfered. His fifth level origin realm abilities would not have let him win without harming the Sage Fledgling Grass.
But now? Even if Jiang Chen were to go up against Wang Jianyu himself, there was no reason for him to dodge out of the way, much less Wang Han. The instant the sword auras reached within ten meters of him, Jiang Chen abruptly exploded with golden light. The ten meters wide of golden light from the Transformation of Demons and Gods instantly burst forth from his body.
This golden light was a strong defensive wall, around fifteen meters wide at full range. Jiang Chen had only summoned 70 to 80% of its defensive power at the moment. But even then, the golden light had been combined with magnetic and metal power. Its defensive power was so strong that even Wang Jianyu himself might not be able to break through it.
Wham!
The countless streaks of sword aura that resembled like silver needles sank into the golden light.
Pfft pfft pfft pfft! Much like countless lit candles that had suddenly been hurled into water, the golden light was rife with ripples and shrill explosive noises. Yet, in the end, Jiang Chen’s golden light rippled, crushed and devoured all of the needle-like sword auras instantly.
