Chapter 231 - 132: One Breath Splits into a River of Light, the Yuan-Pin Treasure Pearl Incites Conflict

Chapter 231: Chapter 132: One Breath Splits into a River of Light, the Yuan-Pin Treasure Pearl Incites Conflict

Daoist arts, Magical Artifacts, protective talismans, body doubles—He Haojun employed every trick and transformation he knew. Yet, all that met him was an endless onslaught of flying swords. After a desperate struggle, he managed to flee for ten miles. But then, a single sword flew past, tracing a thin line of blood that had appeared on his neck. His head soared high into the air, his face frozen in an expression of absolute unwillingness.

The thoughts of a Nascent Soul Cultivator move with incredible speed, as do their Divine Techniques. From Xuzhuang’s sudden offensive to his counters against He Haojun’s many transformations, it seemed as if they had clashed for dozens of rounds. In truth, it all happened in an instant. The crowd had yet to react before He Haojun’s head was already in the air!

In fact, many in the crowd were still expecting He Haojun to perform another transformation and reattach his head. But Xuzhuang had already gestured with his finger. The Taiyi Rainbow Sword sliced through the void, carving a bizarre arc as it slashed down upon He Haojun’s body.

POOF! Like shattering glass, sparks of light and Magical Power filled the sky. He Haojun hadn’t even had time for his Nascent Soul to escape before his body dissolved into a mass of Chaos Primordial Qi.

It was only then that someone, in a daze, asked, "Zhong Shenxiu won?"

"He won?" The battle had not been particularly long, nor had it been short, but it had made everyone from the Dragon Image Sect unbearably anxious. They had all held their breath, not daring to look away for even a second.

And yet, that was the crux of the confusion. In the eyes of the entire audience, one moment He Haojun was unleashing the Celestial Permanence Sect’s legacy magical treasure, seemingly suppressing Xuzhuang until he could barely breathe. The next, He Haojun had used a body-double technique twice in the span of a few breaths and still couldn’t escape. How could Xuzhuang suddenly manifest two hundred and fifty-six swords from his qi and achieve such a complete reversal?

A white-haired Nascent Soul Elder, a trace of disbelief still in his voice, turned to the person beside him and asked, "He really won?"

"He won! He won! Two consecutive victories! The heavens bless the orthodox line of our Dragon Image Sect..."

"It seems the positions of the Five Domains Great Sects remain unshakable. Even with the Dragon Image Sect at its weakest, the Divine Flow Sect—bolstered by the power of two Nascent Soul Third-Level Cultivators—still couldn’t challenge their status..."

"Who in the world is this Zhong Shenxiu? Could the rumors about reclusive sects in the Distant Prefectures and Counties actually be true?"

"In this day and age... a cultivator at the Nascent Soul Second Layer slaying two Third-Level Cultivators in a row. And back in the Golden Core Realm, he overpowered a Nascent Soul Venerable. I wonder who’s stronger, Zhong Shenxiu or Dao Miao?"

The fall of He Haojun represented more than just the death of a Nascent Soul Great Successor Cultivator. It also signified the defeat of the Divine Flow Sect—the first sect in the tens of thousands of years of the Celestial Waterfall Dharma Assembly to challenge one of the Five Domains Great Sects.

To the High Cultivators who knew the inside story, this seemed to represent the outcome of some internal turmoil within the Five Domains Great Sects. A storm of discussion erupted instantly. Countless gazes shifted furtively between the Dragon Image Sect, the Celestial Permanence Sect, and the other three major sects. Even Xuzhuang himself drew a fair amount of attention.

Needless to say, the members of the Dragon Image Sect were jubilant. Even Yang Bijie, who forced himself to remain composed, could not conceal the joy in his eyes.

The mood at the Celestial Permanence Sect’s platform, however, was another scene entirely.

Aside from Jiang Chengzi, the Celestial Permanence Sect’s delegation included two cultivators at the Nascent Soul Second Layer and three at the Nascent Soul First Layer. All were high-ranking elders within the sect. Though they had only a vague understanding of Jiang Chengzi and He Haojun’s scheme, that hadn’t stopped them from holding high expectations. They never imagined they would be met with He Haojun’s utter defeat, and the mood instantly grew somber.

The one exception was Jiang Chengzi, seated at the head of the group. He maintained his look of indifference, his lips barely moving as a single, almost inaudible word escaped: "Worthless." Only then did he raise his hand and form a Spell.

In mid-air, Xuzhuang was just dispelling his Light Splitting and Reuniting Technique, releasing the immense strain on his Magical Power. Just then, a streak of black light suddenly shot out from He Haojun’s scattered Chaos Primordial Qi, tearing through the sky and fleeing toward the Celestial Permanence Sect’s Jade Platform.

Xuzhuang frowned. He discreetly activated his dharma-gaze and instantly saw what it was: a lustrous, pitch-black sphere. What else could it be but He Haojun’s Primordial Yin Cave Eternal Pearl?

’At my current cultivation, ordinary Magical Artifacts are of little use to me, but a true magical treasure is another matter entirely. Even if it doesn’t align with my own techniques, I can’t just let something that’s fallen into my hands slip through my fingers.’

Xuzhuang glanced toward the Celestial Permanence Jade Platform. Sure enough, Jiang Chengzi was expressionless, forming a hand seal and chanting under his breath. After a moment of rapid thought, a cold smirk touched Xuzhuang’s lips. Suddenly, the Taiyi Flying Rainbow Sword flew from its sheath once more, unleashing streams of Sword Qi that rained down upon the Primordial Yin Cave Eternal Pearl!

From the moment the Divine Flow Sect challenged the Dragon Image Sect to the moment Xuzhuang slew He Haojun, Jiang Chengzi had remained seated on the Jade Platform, his indifferent expression unchanging. Now, however, his face twisted in fury. He shot to his feet and roared, "Stop!"

Xuzhuang paid him no heed. Over a hundred streams of Sword Qi descended like a torrential storm, hacking down at the Primordial Yin Cave Eternal Pearl. The Treasure Pearl’s flight was instantly halted. It let out a barely audible whine and wobbled as if to take flight again, but Xuzhuang consolidated his sword light into a single, magnificent beam of Sword Qi and slashed down at it once more!

Jiang Chengzi’s face contorted with rage. Without any visible motion, an invisible force field lifted his body and shot him into the sky. "I ordered you to stop!" he thundered. "Are you deaf?!"

As he shouted, the space above him rumbled violently. A black star shot forth, swelling as it flew through the air. A massive, pitch-black hand, identical to the one He Haojun had used, struck out, blotting out the sun as it descended upon Xuzhuang!

The audience at the Dharma Assembly had yet to recover from the shock of Xuzhuang’s instantaneous execution of He Haojun. Now, seeing Jiang Chengzi brazenly make a move himself, the entire venue erupted in an uproar.

It was only the first day of this Celestial Waterfall Dharma Assembly, and it was already so eventful! The Divine Flow Sect challenging the Dragon Image Sect; a Nascent Soul Second Layer cultivator’s desperate, self-sacrificial attack; a mysterious Sword Cultivator slaying two Nascent Soul Third-Level Cultivators in a row... and now, the Sect Master of the Celestial Permanence Sect was attacking without restraint. It was one shocking development after another.

But Jiang Chengzi’s actions struck a nerve with everyone present. Regardless of his reasons, this was a flagrant violation of the rules of the Dharma Assembly.

Perhaps the Five Domains Great Sects—or more accurately, a Sect Master like Jiang Chengzi, a man destined to reach the Grotto Heaven realm—truly did possess the strength to place himself above the rules. But by doing so, was he not destroying the credibility of the Celestial Permanence Sect, and by extension, the Five Domains Great Sects and even the Celestial Waterfall Dharma Assembly itself?

If this wasn’t handled properly, it could undoubtedly become a crisis capable of toppling the entire Celestial Waterfall Dharma Assembly. Everyone present was keenly aware of this. In an instant, all eyes were fixed on Jiang Chengzi’s actions and, more importantly, on how the five great sects would respond.

On the Westyi Sect’s Jade Platform, Venerable Youming’s expression shifted repeatedly. Logically, Jiang Chengzi had committed a grievous taboo. As one of the maintainers of the Celestial Waterfall Dharma Assembly, she could not possibly condone his actions.

’But Jiang Chengzi isn’t just the current leader of the Celestial Permanence Sect and a Great Cultivator at the Nascent Soul Third Layer,’ she thought. ’He’s a future Zhenren, destined for the Grotto Heaven realm. His status is already half a step above mine. If I intervene rashly, will it damage the relationship between our sects? And what would our own sect’s Zhenren’s opinion be?’

Evidently, Venerable Youming was not the only one thinking this way. For a moment, the other three sects remained motionless, still hesitating. But then, several beams of light shot up from the Dragon Image Sect’s Jade Platform. Yang Bijie took the lead, channeling the small portion of Magical Power he had just recovered. He summoned his Panlong Halberd and swung it toward the sky. With a flash of its blade, the halberd utterly destroyed Jiang Chengzi’s Divine Technique!

Yang Bijie flew to block Jiang Chengzi’s path. Despite his pale complexion, he roared, "Jiang Chengzi, what do you think you’re doing?! Are you casting aside the ten-thousand-year-old rules of the Celestial Waterfall Dharma Assembly?!"

Jiang Chengzi’s expression darkened. He stared past Yang Bijie, his gaze locking onto Xuzhuang. "Yang Bijie, I have no time to bicker with you," he said grimly. "Tell your man to hand over my sect’s magical treasure."

By this point, Xuzhuang had already calmly used a talisman to suppress the Primordial Yin Cave Eternal Pearl. Hearing Jiang Chengzi’s demand, he feigned surprise. "Oh? This Treasure Pearl is my spoils of war from the fight with the Divine Flow Sect. Since when did it become the Celestial Permanence Sect’s magical treasure?... Or could it be that your esteemed sect was pulling the strings behind the Divine Flow Sect all along?"

This matter was hardly a secret among the more well-informed attendees of the Celestial Waterfall Dharma Assembly. But for Xuzhuang to expose it so brazenly still caused an uproar. Seeing the situation escalate, the other three great sects could no longer remain silent and spoke in unison: "Sect Master Jiang, do not defy the rules of the Dharma Assembly."

A muscle in Jiang Chengzi’s jaw twitched, and a frigid killing intent radiated from his eyes. Ignoring them completely, he snarled at Xuzhuang, enunciating each word. "Hand. Over. The Primordial Yin Cave Eternal Pearl. Or you will not like the consequences."