Chapter 345 - 343: Han Chang, Courting Death

By the Cold Pool, Long Yao yawned and glanced at Chen Yuan, who was still in secluded cultivation. She then took out the incredibly fast yet fluffy and cute Poisonous Insect from before and began to play with it.

She had nearly finished communicating with the three top-tier Poisonous Insects and could now exercise rudimentary control over them. For the moment, she had nothing to do.

Just then, a sinister laugh suddenly echoed.

"Cultivating with a beauty by your side… Chen Jiutian, you sure know how to live."

Han Chang's figure appeared at the edge of the Cold Pool. A cold, sinister smile played on his lips as he looked at Chen Yuan.

He hadn't been teleported to the Ten Thousand Gu Hall initially, but to another palace entirely.

However, the Array in that palace had some issues. Its internal space was fractured, and much of what was inside had been shredded by spatial turbulence. Often, he would be walking along only to find the path ahead cut off by shattered space, turning it into a dead end.

As a result, Han Chang spent nearly a day wandering through a maze before finally finding a spatial passage a short while ago, which led him here to the Ten Thousand Gu Hall.

The Original Demon Palace didn't practice Gu Techniques, but Han Chang still planned to capture some rare Poisonous Insects so the trip wouldn't be a complete waste.

And as it turned out, the trip was far from a waste. He had actually run into Chen Jiutian again in this central region. What's more, the man appeared to be deep in secluded cultivation. 'This is the perfect opportunity to strike!'

Long Yao's expression changed in an instant. With a wave of her hand, a fiery light flared, and a ladybug-like Poisonous Insect that resembled a Fire Crystal Jade appeared before her.

This was her Lifebound Gu, the Red Flame Celestial Crystal Gu.

Han Chang looked at Long Yao, a flash of stunned admiration in his eyes.

He had seen his fair share of beauties and had been intimate with many, but he had never encountered someone like Long Yao, whose skin was so fair it seemed to glow, as flawless and natural as the finest white jade.

Furthermore, her features were exquisite, and she possessed the unique, exotic allure of a Miaojiang woman, which delighted Han Chang even more.

"Judging by your appearance, you must be a Miaojiang Gu Master, miss?

What good can he possibly offer you for teaming up with Chen Jiutian? I am Han Chang, son of the Palace Master of the Original Demon Palace.

Come with me, and I can protect you within the Endless Immortal Palace. Once we leave, my protection will follow you!

And for a young lady like yourself to be able to enter the Heaven-Reaching Tower, you must be a disciple from the Gu God Sect, right?

What a coincidence. I happen to be good friends with Ma Yougui, the number one expert of your Gu God Sect's younger generation. He's a descendant of your Sect Leader, Ma Jiuxian, if I recall correctly.

If you come with me, a single word from me would be enough to have him look out for you in the Gu God Sect."

In truth, Han Chang was mostly talking nonsense.

He recognized Ma Yougui, but they were by no means friends.

Han Chang had only seen the man once during the birthday celebration of a renowned Demon Dao figure in the Miaojiang region, and they hadn't even shared a single drink.

But that guy couldn't even make it onto the Hidden Dragon Rankings; he was just a piece of trash practicing low-class Gu Techniques. In Han Chang's eyes, asking him to help one of his women in the Gu God Sect was already giving him too much credit.

"Oh? You're friends with Ma Yougui?"

Long Yao's eyes narrowed, a dangerous glint appearing within them.

"Then you can go and die with him!"

The moment she spoke, Long Yao formed a Seal Technique. The Red Flame Celestial Crystal Gu instantly erupted with scorching flames, which swept toward Han Chang like a fiery tornado!

The attack was incredibly powerful, and it caught Han Chang completely off guard.

He had never imagined that such a beautiful woman would turn on him in an instant, and with a killing blow at that.

Demonic Qi surged before him as Han Chang formed a Seal Technique and retreated in haste.

As the seal completed, immense Demonic Qi billowed out, filled with roaring demonic phantoms that let out a series of deafening booms.

Original Celestial Demon Seal!

This Secret Technique from the Original Demon Palace was extraordinarily powerful, but because Han Chang had acted in haste, he hadn't gathered enough Demonic Qi. He only managed to block most of the Poisonous Insect's power and was still burned by some of the flames.

Even his Protective True Qi was seared through, and a large hole was burned into his robes, leaving him in a rather sorry state.

"You ungrateful bitch! Once I'm done with that bastard Chen Jiutian, I'll come back and take care of you properly!"

Han Chang's expression was grim.

First, he'd been made a fool of by that woman, Mei Niang, in the Beast Taming Hall, and now this lowly, third-rate Gu Master dared to attack him.

'Have I been too soft on women? Is that why they all think I'm an easy target?'

A Demon Sword materialized in Han Chang's hand. As Demonic Qi danced wildly, streams of demonic phantoms shot toward Chen Yuan in the Cold Pool!

Long Yao's expression changed, and she hastily released a swarm of defensive Poisonous Insects to block the phantoms.

These defensive Poisonous Insects looked like flying stones. They emitted a hazy gray mist as they intercepted the demonic phantoms.

However, despite Han Chang's despicable character and unscrupulous methods, his strength and cultivation were fully worthy of his rank on the Hidden Dragon Rankings. The foundation of his power was incredibly profound.

In the blink of an eye, the defensive Poisonous Insects were torn to shreds by the demonic phantoms from his sword.

Long Yao's face paled. Spiritual Qi flared around her as she hurriedly retreated, but she was still struck by a demonic phantom, causing her to spit out a mouthful of blood.

Miaojiang Gu Masters were not Martial Artists. They didn't cultivate Internal Strength, but Spiritual Qi.

Gu Masters just starting on the path of the Gu Dao first had to perceive the existence of Spiritual Qi before they could even qualify to refine Poisonous Insects.

Poisonous Insects themselves are an essence of heaven and earth, so refining them naturally enhances one's own Spiritual Qi.

However, the defensive capability of this Spiritual Qi was clearly not as versatile as the True Essence Internal Power of a Martial Artist. Long Yao couldn't even withstand a single one of Han Chang's demonic phantoms.

Her Red Flame Celestial Crystal Gu once again spewed a torrent of flames, but Han Chang just sneered. He formed a Seal Technique, and the immense Demonic Qi behind him morphed into a colossal, hundred-foot-tall demonic face. Opening its great mouth, it directly devoured the flames, completely overwhelming Long Yao with the absolute depth of his power.

Seeing that she couldn't withstand Han Chang's assault even after deploying her Lifebound Gu, Long Yao gritted her teeth and brought out the three top-tier Poisonous Insects she had subdued earlier.

These three top-tier Poisonous Insects had not yet been properly refined, so their power was limited; they could only attack their opponent using their raw instincts.

But for Long Yao right now, this was her last resort.

Although Han Chang knew nothing of the Gu Dao, the moment these three top-tier Poisonous Insects appeared, even a blind man could see that they were anything but ordinary.

"Hahaha! Did you bring these just for me, little beauty? Excellent! In that case, I'll graciously accept them!"

Laughing, Han Chang struck out and proceeded to injure all three Poisonous Insects.

Of course, the process was somewhat slow, taking a full quarter of an hour, but Han Chang was deliberately taking his time.

'These are top-tier Poisonous Insects, after all, a rare sight in the outside world. I must naturally be careful with them.'

Watching Han Chang walk toward her with his Demon Sword, a ruthless glint appeared in Long Yao's eyes.

'He's not just after Master Chen,' she realized. 'Judging by his expression, he won't let me go even after he kills him. Fleeing is pointless.'

'In that case, I might as well shatter my Lifebound Gu and take this bastard down with me!'

Just then, an explosive CRACK came from the Cold Pool behind her.

Long Yao turned to see that, at some point, the water in the Cold Pool had completely dried up. The stone slab Chen Yuan had been sitting on was now shattered.

Chen Yuan stood up. With a flicker of movement, he became like a streak of light, appearing in front of Long Yao in an instant.

For some reason, Long Yao felt that Chen Yuan's aura seemed to have changed.

If the Chen Yuan from before was a sharp, unsheathed blade, now it was as if he had gained a scabbard that concealed his edge.

But hidden beneath that scabbard was not just a sharp edge, but something far more terrifying and powerful.

"Han Chang, Han Chang. You really are a piece of work. Aside from your insidious schemes, all you know how to do is bully women.

For trash like you to rank among the top ten of the Hidden Dragon Rankings… It is a disgrace for the fine men of our generation to share a spot on the Rankings with scum like you!"

Han Chang's face darkened. "Chen Jiutian! Don't bother with your empty boasting!

In the Jianghu, the winner is always king and the loser is the villain. It doesn't matter what methods you use; only the one who survives to the end is qualified to stand at the pinnacle of the Jianghu!

You come from a washed-up faction like Zhenwu Hall, yet you don't know enough to hide your strength. You're unbearably arrogant. Do you think you're the Heir of the Divine King, Jiang Mu? Or the Saint Heir, Si Bai?

Outside, the Daoist long-noses of the Shenxiao Sect and the bald donkeys of the Vajra Prajna Temple couldn't do anything to you, but today, I will make sure you're buried in this Ten Thousand Gu Hall to feed the Poisonous Insects!"

The moment he finished speaking, Han Chang gave Chen Yuan no chance to reply. He struck directly, thrusting his sword forward and instantly filling the air with demonic phantoms!

Although Han Chang usually preferred to resort to trickery, that didn't mean he was inept in a direct confrontation.

When it came to strength, aside from the monsters in the top five and the inscrutable Qingchen, he feared no one!

As the sky full of demonic phantoms descended, Chen Yuan formed a Seal Technique. Buddha Light flared around him as he unleashed the Six Paths of Vajra Mantra of Master Padmasambhava. A deep Brahma Sound reverberated as golden ripples pulsed outward, instantly shredding the demonic phantoms.

Immediately after, Chen Yuan executed another Seal Formation, blasting out the Three Generations of Bright King's Demon-Suppressing Spell. A Bright King descended upon the world to suppress evil and vanquish demons!

"More of those bald donkeys' tricks!"

Han Chang frowned at the sight.

In his view, the most troublesome thing about Chen Jiutian was that he cultivated Daoist, Buddhist, and Demon techniques. His arsenal was so alarmingly diverse that he could always find a way to counter his opponents.

However, Han Chang's own methods were not so limited. Who says that as the demon rises one foot, the Buddha rises ten?

Today, his Demon Flames would blot out the sky and utterly destroy these monks' techniques!

Han Chang formed a Seal Technique and tapped the center of his brow.

A black Demon Seal instantly surfaced on his brow. At the same moment, a monstrous Demon Flame surged up behind him. That blazing, turbulent power shot toward the heavens, transforming into a colossal, hundred-foot-tall, four-armed demonic phantom. Wreathed in the raging Demon Flame, it met Chen Yuan's Three Generations of Bright King's Demon-Suppressing Spell head-on!

The secret art of the Original Demon Palace: Celestial Demon Nine Transformations, First Transformation—Crimson Flame Celestial Demon!

The demonic and Buddhist powers instantly collided. The massive fluctuation of power erupted into a tempest of energy that spread outward. Long Yao's expression changed. She quickly stretched out a hand to recall the three injured Poisonous Insects into her pouch and scrambled away from the epicenter of the clash.