Chapter 179 - 136: Now! Immediately! Kill Ye Guiyuan
Chapter 179: Chapter 136: Now! Immediately! Kill Ye Guiyuan
Mr. Zhuo hopped on the spot for a good while before the pain slowly faded. His face was pale. He looked down and saw that his clothes had a hole burned through them at the waist.
It hurt so damn much.
’What level is Chen Xuan’s Cultivation at?’
’Wouldn’t killing me be easier for him than killing a chicken?’
"Y-You... when did you get here? I was just about to go and get you."
Mr. Zhuo said hurriedly.
"Just arrived."
Chen Xuan’s tone was indifferent. "I’m here to collect the Heart Method for the True Essence Realm."
"A True Essence Realm Heart Method?"
Even though Mr. Zhuo had long expected this, he couldn’t help but be shaken.
At his side, Shen Qinghan’s eyes went wide, and she could hardly believe her ears.
"Could it be that you..."
Her heart trembled, and she barely dared to speak.
Mr. Zhuo smacked his lips and said, "Qinghan, you might not know this, but the Human List was just updated. Moments ago, Chen Xuan became number one."
He casually handed the newly arrived intel from the Alliance headquarters to Shen Qinghan.
"Number one on the Human List?"
Shen Qinghan’s face was a mask of shock. Her scalp tingled, and she nearly forgot to breathe. Still, she subconsciously took the Martial Alliance intelligence report and scanned it. Her mind buzzed as if a hundred thousand volts had just passed through it.
She felt as if her entire worldview had been turned upside down...
"By the way, Chen Xuan, the Alliance Leader will be here personally in a moment. He wants to meet you himself."
Mr. Zhuo said immediately.
"The Alliance Leader?"
"Yes. How about this? I’ll take you to pick out a True Essence Realm Heart Method. When the Alliance Leader arrives, we’ll let him have a proper chat with you."
Mr. Zhuo said.
"Sounds good."
Chen Xuan nodded.
"Elder Zhuo, I have arrived."
Suddenly, a gentle voice laced with a smile came from outside. A figure in dark cyan robes, a broad smile on his face, walked in.
He had arrived silently, almost ethereally, without anyone sensing his approach.
"Alliance Leader!"
Mr. Zhuo’s eyes lit up. He hurried forward to greet him and pay his respects.
Chen Xuan was also curious and quietly sized up the Martial Alliance Leader.
He saw an old man past his fifties, with a gaunt face and an unremarkable appearance. But strangely, the more one looked, the more one could feel an abyssal, bottomless aura emanating from him, like an ever-expanding, colossal mountain whose intangible presence assaulted the very soul.
This made his heart clench.
’So strong!’
’Spirit pressure!’
"Greetings, Alliance Leader!"
Chen Xuan also cupped his fists in salute.
Beside them, Shen Qinghan immediately bowed low.
The newcomer was slightly surprised and looked toward Chen Xuan.
’What a character, this Chen Xuan!’
’A true peerless prodigy!’
’Just now, when Chen Xuan had glanced at me, although I remained outwardly impassive, I had actually released a trace of intangible pressure to test his mind. Yet, he completely ignored it, recovering in an instant.’
"Rise, Chen Xuan."
The old man smiled faintly. "My name is Chu Shanhe. Since you’ve joined our Martial Alliance, you are one of us now. You needed a Heart Method for the True Essence Realm, correct? I can offer some advice. The Heart Methods you’ve cultivated before were all of the Fire Attribute, weren’t they?"
"Yes."
Chen Xuan nodded.
"Then as you enter the True Essence Realm, it would be best to continue choosing a Fire Attribute Heart Method."
The old man smiled. "The True Essence Realm is about absorbing and refining the elemental power of the world. However, this power is vast and chaotic; absorbing more is not always better. Cultivation in the Martial Dao values purity, just like in the True Qi Realm. Therefore, it is crucial to know how to extract the Elemental Power that is beneficial to you from this incredibly mixed energy. Generally, whatever Heart Method you cultivate in the early stages determines what kind of worldly elemental power you will absorb later."
"Understood. So it’s best for me to absorb Fire Elemental Power."
Chen Xuan replied.
"Correct."
The old man smiled. "And as for Fire Attribute Heart Methods, our Martial Alliance has quite a few. To be honest, I happened to bring one with me when I came."
He had come with the express purpose of winning Chen Xuan over as much as possible.
How could he not have prepared something in advance?
He took out an ancient-looking book from his sleeve and handed it to Chen Xuan.
Chen Xuan took it, a glint in his eyes.
"Nine Yang Red Fire Skill!"
’Nine Yang Divine Skill?’
’This one is badass!’
It was just what he wanted.
"Yes, the Nine Yang Red Fire Skill."
The old man smiled faintly. "This Cultivation Technique can take you straight to the Peak of the True Essence Realm. If you master it completely, even opening your Inner Realm won’t be a problem."
"Inner Realm? Is that the name of the next realm?"
"Yes. It is the supreme realm where a Martial Artist incorporates the outer world into themselves, opening up a ’Little Qiankun’ within their body. The mysteries within are profound and cannot be easily explained."
The old man explained with a smile, "The fundamental difference between True Essence and the Inner Realm is the transition from ’borrowing from the world’ to ’becoming the world.’ Every step of this process is exceptionally difficult. Even the most talented individuals must spend time slowly honing their abilities."
The True Essence Realm: borrowing from and absorbing the world.
The Inner Realm: becoming the world itself.
"Then what’s above the Inner Realm?"
Chen Xuan asked.
"It is called the Outer Saint."
The old man smiled.
"Outer Saint?"
"Yes. At this stage, the ’Little Qiankun’ opened within the body can be projected outward. One can use their own little world to influence the greater outer world. With a single thought, they can conjure wind, rain, thunder, and lightning, and even change the seasons. Thus, they are also called Terrestrial Immortals—the current experts on the Heaven List!"
Chu Shanhe said with a laugh.
"I see."
’So the experts on the Heaven List are all Outer Saints.’
Chen Xuan nodded. "Then are those in the Inner Realm on the Earth List?"
"To be precise, only the strongest among those in the Inner Realm have a chance to be ranked on the Earth List."
Chu Shanhe nodded with a smile.
Although the Inner Realm is difficult to reach, quite a few people can achieve it.
But the Earth List only has fifty-four names.
So one must be the strongest of the strong to be named on the Earth List.
Chen Xuan immediately began to ponder.
’At my current Cultivation level, I still have the entire True Essence Realm to cross before I can reach the Inner Realm...’
’Good. Then I’ll just fight my way up, step by step.’
’I was actually afraid this world would be too small.’
"Then, if I may ask the Alliance Leader, are you on the Earth List or the Heaven List?"
Chen Xuan asked tentatively.
"Chen Xuan, don’t be rude..."
Mr. Zhuo quickly interjected from the side.
"It’s fine. It’s nothing for a young man to be curious."
Chu Shanhe smiled. "Speaking of which, although you’ve become number one on the Human List, it’s not necessarily a good thing. The Celestial Secret Pavilion is trying to stir up trouble. You should stay in the Martial Alliance and focus on your cultivation for a while, to settle and consolidate your foundation. For now, don’t get involved in outside affairs. After some time, when your strength has stabilized, you can deal with the outside world."
"No, I can’t do that."
Chen Xuan refused outright.
’If I don’t get involved, how can I improve?’
’I have to meet them head-on!’
’Strike with a heavy fist!’
"By the way, what kind of trouble is the Celestial Secret Pavilion trying to stir up?"
Chen Xuan asked, confused.
"Take a look at this."
Chu Shanhe sighed softly, then took out an ancient jade tablet. He channeled his True Essence into it, and the jade immediately lit up, projecting a scene of light and shadow.
It was just like a modern projector. The figures within were remarkably lifelike, and even their voices could be heard clearly. Not only was there a large crowd of people discussing in the distance, but two figures appeared in the foreground.
These two figures had an extraordinary air about them, completely distinct from the rest of the crowd.
Like cranes among a flock of chickens, their uniqueness was obvious at a glance.
They were none other than Xie Xinghe and Ye Guiyuan.
One of them wanted to kill Chen Xuan.
The other wanted to crush Chen Xuan under his foot. It just so happened that Chu Shanhe was passing by and recorded the entire thing.
"Courting death!"
Chen Xuan’s eyes narrowed, a scorching aura spreading from his body. Staring at the two in the projection, he asked, "Who are they?"
Even Mr. Zhuo and Shen Qinghan at his side were shocked.
"The former number one on the Human List, Xie Xinghe, and the former number two, Ye Guiyuan!"
"That’s right."
Chu Shanhe sighed. "Speaking of which, those two are not simple characters. The Celestial Secret Pavilion definitely had ill intentions putting you at number one this time. They want the three of you to fight it out. That’s why I suggested you lay low at the Martial Alliance for a while."
"Lay low, my ass!"
Chen Xuan’s expression turned grim.
’People have openly threatened to kill me, and I’m supposed to lay low?’
’I’ll go kill them in a bit!’
’No, right now!’
’I’m heading out right now to kill that Xie Xinghe.’
’I can’t tolerate it for another second!’
’I don’t care if you act all high and mighty.’
’But you fucking dare to announce you’re going to kill me? And you’re spreading it all over the martial world?’
’If I don’t go out and respond, what does that make me?’
’How am I supposed to accumulate retribution points? Wouldn’t I just be a coward hiding in my shell?’
Without another word, Chen Xuan turned and walked away.
The others were all baffled and looked at Chen Xuan.
"Where are you going?"
Mr. Zhuo asked.
"I’m going to find Hu Delu and get a stylish haircut."
Chen Xuan replied.
"???"
The others all looked completely blank.
"Who’s Hu Delu?"
"To kill them."
Chen Xuan said without turning his head.
They were all startled, finally understanding.
Alliance Leader Chu Shanhe was especially shaken. He instantly moved to block Chen Xuan’s path. "You need to calm down. The strength of those two is definitely not inferior to yours. Although they don’t have a record of killing a Half-Step True Essence expert, they have both fought against genuine True Essence masters..."
’This kid...’
’Is he really that crazy?’
"So they’re genuine True Essence masters, then?"
Chen Xuan asked indifferently.
"Well, no..."
"As long as they’re not."
Chen Xuan started walking out again.
"Wait!"
Chu Shanhe’s expression grew more alarmed. He quickly blocked him once again. "Are you that confident you can defeat them? If you fail, they will show you absolutely no mercy. They wouldn’t even give much face to the Martial Alliance. You should consolidate your power for a while longer..."
"My mind is made up. Eight hundred li, I’ll be there today. Two thousand li, I’ll be there tomorrow. Just tell me, where are they?"
Chen Xuan said.
"You!"
Chu Shanhe’s eyelids twitched violently. He was stunned by Chen Xuan’s decisiveness.
’Are all young people these days so arrogant?’
’But for Chen Xuan to be so daring, he must have an ace up his sleeve, right?’
"Chen Xuan, they both come from mysterious ’Grotto Heavens’."
Mr. Zhuo from the side couldn’t help but add, "Actually, if you just endure it, this will blow over. It’s not the first time those two have run their mouths. Just pretend you didn’t see it. By the way, do you know what a ’Grotto Heaven’ is?"
"What the hell is a Grotto Heaven?"
Chen Xuan asked.
"..."
Mr. Zhuo’s face twitched. He patiently explained, "There are many factions in this world—first-rate, second-rate, top-tier—but broadly speaking, there are only two types: those ’with a Grotto Heaven’ and those ’without a Grotto Heaven.’ Having a Grotto Heaven is like possessing a mysterious blessed land, detached from the mortal world, high and above all..."
"So, does the Martial Alliance have one?"
Chen Xuan asked.
"Of course we do."
Mr. Zhuo replied.
"Then that’s settled. Stop blocking my way."
Chen Xuan’s voice was calm as he walked out.
Chu Shanhe let out a light breath, staring intently at Chen Xuan.
’What a kid!’
’So domineering?’
’I like it!’