Chapter 198 - 146: The Celestial Secret Pavilion is in an Uproar Again
Chapter 198: Chapter 146: The Celestial Secret Pavilion is in an Uproar Again
’What if I’m not strong enough?’
’What if I fight those Evil Cult elders to a mutual, devastating standstill?’
’Would this crowd give me a break then?’
"You wanted a good show? You wanted to fish in troubled waters? Well, there’s a price to pay for that."
Chen Xuan continued, "How about this? I won’t make things difficult for you. Kneel, kowtow loudly, and shout, ’I was wrong! I’ll never fish in troubled waters again!’ Do that, and I’ll spare you."
The crowd exchanged uncertain glances.
’Is this...?’
’What kind of twisted fetish is this?’
They quickly recalled the various rumors about Chen Xuan...
Rumor had it he was wild and domineering, and his favorite pastime was stripping his challengers naked... either that or making them kneel, or hanging them from the city walls...
No matter their age, anyone he dealt with suffered a mental breakdown and was too ashamed to show their face in public again...
’Is this guy pulling the same old tricks again?’
For a moment, everyone’s lips trembled, their faces deathly pale.
"Young Hero Chen, you see... I am a sixty-nine-year-old senior..."
Xu Er of the True Martial Sect, his face ashen, couldn’t help but beg for mercy. "Could you please spare me some..."
PFFT!
With a casual wave of his hand.
A wave of golden True Qi swept past, slicing off Xu Er’s topknot and hair crown at the root.
It exposed his bare scalp underneath.
He shivered violently, the rest of his words dying in his throat. A chilling sensation spread across his scalp.
"Either kneel and apologize, or end up like those others just now."
Chen Xuan’s voice was clear. "The choice is yours."
"..."
The crowd’s faces were filled with sorrowful pity as a silence fell over them.
"I’ll count to three."
Chen Xuan continued.
"Anyone who hasn’t made a choice by the time I’m done counting will be dealt with as a disciple of the Evil Cult."
"One!"
...
"I’ll kneel!"
"I’m kneeling..."
The crowd cried out in a hurry.
THUD. Xu Er, the sixty-nine-year-old senior, was the first to drop to his knees. "I was wrong! I’ll never fish in troubled waters again! I beg Young Hero Chen to be merciful..."
"Good. Now scram!"
Chen Xuan said.
As if granted a great amnesty, Xu Er scrambled to his feet, covered his face, and fled, disappearing in an instant.
He knew he was finished.
’Once word of today’s events gets out, I’ll become the laughingstock of the entire martial world... A lifetime of fame, ruined in a single day...’
’What?’
’Everyone present today will keep quiet and not spread the story?’
’Impossible!’
’Some of the Gang Energy juniors will definitely brag about it everywhere.’
’"I knelt before Young Hero Chen with old senior Xu Er today! Young Hero Chen is actually a pretty nice guy..."’
’Things like that, endlessly.’
’In short, I’m finished.’
[Detected a True Martial Sect elder’s second mental breakdown. Retribution Points +10,000!]
Another line of text appeared.
A smile on his face, Chen Xuan turned his gaze to the others.
Everyone else quickly followed suit and knelt, no one daring to hesitate any longer...
THUD, THUD. A dark mass of people dropped to their knees.
The three from the Qingyun Sect were no exception.
For a moment, only Chu Qingyin, Xu Long, and Cao Hai remained standing, staring blankly at the scene with bewildered expressions.
Xu Long shuddered and, on instinct, knelt down with the others.
When Chu Qingyin and Cao Hai saw Xu Long kneel, they were startled and hastily knelt as well.
"..."
Chen Xuan frowned slightly, looked at them, and said, "You don’t have to kneel. Why would my own people kneel?"
"Huh?"
The three looked dumbfounded, then embarrassed. They scrambled back to their feet, feeling rather awkward.
But soon Chen Xuan knit his brows and looked at his panel.
’It seems not everyone considers kneeling to me a deeply shameful act.’
’How come so many of them didn’t give me retribution points?’
’Does this mean they didn’t have a mental breakdown?’
But he couldn’t be bothered with that right now. He was incredibly excited.
Because he realized he could level up again.
Retribution Points: 294,800!
’Hmm, if I use some heavenly materials and earthly treasures, I might be able to level up twice in a row.’
’But without them, I can only go up one level.’
’Forget it. No point overthinking it. One level is one level. I’ll deal with the rest later,’ Chen Xuan thought to himself.
He ignored the kneeling crowd and immediately focused inward.
’Retribution points, deduce the Nine Yang Red Fire Skill!’
[Ding! You have consumed 80,000 Retribution Points to upgrade the Nine Yang Red Fire Skill. You have successfully obtained an 800x Cultivation Speed. The powerful True Essence in your body, already like molten magma, once again begins to frantically absorb the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi. Dense Fire Attribute Primordial Qi boils within you. You feel a scorching furnace appear in your Dantian, devouring the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi...]
[Without hesitation, you went all-in again with 100,000 Retribution Points. The furnace, as if injected with the most violent fuel, increased its efficiency dozens of times over. The liquid True Essence in your body begins to rapidly evolve into a more profound and domineering form. At the same time, the external Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi surges into your body.]
[At this moment, you have become a human volcano where all rivers flow into the sea!]
[Congratulations, Host! You have reached the Fourth Layer of True Essence!]
BOOM!
Bursts of powerful energy erupted from Chen Xuan’s every pore. The searing magma within his body surged faster, growing denser.
Amidst the crimson magma, bolts of lightning crackled and surged.
This was his "Lord of Thunder" talent at work.
A stronger, more profound aura began to emanate from his body.
The people who had already kowtowed and were hastily fleeing suddenly felt a jolt of alarm. They turned back to look in Chen Xuan’s direction.
At that moment, most of the True Qi Realm masters felt an invisible and terrifying pressure.
"That monster... did he break through again?"
"What is this aura?"
"Damn it, that thing’s not human!"
Horrified, they quickened their pace to escape.
They were terrified that Chen Xuan would suddenly go back on his word.
’When we get back, we have to spread the word about Chen Xuan’s deeds like crazy.’
’If we can avoid being his enemy, we absolutely must not be his enemy...’
"Whew!"
Chen Xuan let out a light breath, quickly retracting the scorching, roiling aura within him. He looked at his panel again.
Name: Chen Xuan
Heart Method: Nine Yang Red Fire Skill (Fourth Layer), Molten Fire Gold Forging Skill (Perfection · Lava Armor), Mixed Element Qi Skill (Perfection)
Martial Arts: Thunder Fire Vajra Skill [(Perfection) Three Thousand Thunder Claps, Blazing Sun Contained, Mountain-Splitting Earth-Shaker, Soul-Severing Palm], Iron Wall Dragon-Elephant Skill (Perfection), Heavy Mountain Palm (Perfection), Shattering Star Finger (Seventh Layer), Flame Heaven-Burning Palm (Seventh Layer)
Cultivation: True Essence Realm, Fourth Layer
Talents: Innate Divine Strength, Bronze Skin Iron Bones, Indestructible Fist Intent (Level 1), Dharma King of Lightning and Thunder (Level 1), Innate Tyrant Body, Indestructible Fist Intent (Level 2) (Unlock a talent for each increase in fame level. Current Fame: Renowned Throughout the Four Seas)
Retribution Points: 114,800 (Can be used to deduce Martial Arts)
...
"Let’s go. What are you all standing around stunned for? We’re heading back to the Martial Alliance!"
Chen Xuan glanced at the dazed trio of Chu Qingyin and the others, then turned and said.
"Ah!"
The three snapped out of it and hurried to follow.
But each of them was still reeling from the shock.
’That aura just now...’
They couldn’t help but exchange glances.
...
As expected, they encountered no further obstacles.
It was impossible to fish for any more trouble, no matter how much he might have wanted to.
Such a ploy was destined to work only once.
If he didn’t leave now, he might run into an Inner Realm expert...
So, quitting while he was ahead was the best course of action.
With the speed of Chen Xuan and his group, they quickly left Nanlin Prefecture and headed straight for the Martial Alliance’s stronghold.
At the same time, the various factions that had fled Nanlin Prefecture immediately began reporting the details of Chen Xuan’s strength to their respective organizations without a moment’s hesitation.
The martial world was in an uproar.
The various factions were flabbergasted.
Chen Xuan...
Third Layer of True Essence?
And he has a Secret Technique that can temporarily boost his strength?
He single-handedly slaughtered six True Essence Realm masters from the Evil Cult?
And he shattered a Void Beast Hide with his bare hands?
One piece of news after another, like claps of thunder, exploded in the ears of every major faction before rapidly spreading down to the small and medium-sized ones.
Without a doubt, the martial world was in an uproar!
Even the Martial Alliance Leader’s expression changed in shock. As he read the just-delivered report, his hand couldn’t help but tremble.
"This guy..."
’Before he went to Nanlin Prefecture, wasn’t he only at the True Essence First Layer...’
’And now he’s suddenly at the Third Layer?’
’Has it even been three days?’
’What kind of joke is this?’
Chu Shanhe had to admit, he was baffled once again. He felt a sense of existential dread, as if he were questioning life itself...
But if anyone was having a worse existential crisis, it was undoubtedly the Celestial Secret Pavilion.
Swarms of Spirit Doves were flying in from all directions, blanketing the sky as they descended upon the pavilion, sending messy feathers flying everywhere.
Every Spirit Dove carried the same message...
Chen Xuan, True Essence Third Layer!
Killed six veteran elders of the Evil Cult!
Shattered a Void Beast Hide...
This left the elders of the Celestial Secret Pavilion, who had only just managed to relax, completely bewildered once more. They stood like statues amidst the chaos of bird droppings and feathers.
They had just released the news saying Chen Xuan was a True Essence First Layer master...
How did he suddenly become Third Layer now?
Can’t things make a little sense?
Are you even going to let us earn a living...
"I fucking can’t take it anymore! I’m going out! I’m going to go strangle Chen Xuan with my own hands!"
An elder said with a miserable smile, looking at the latest news.
No matter how good his self-restraint usually was, at this moment, he couldn’t help but curse.
"Fuck your mother!"
It’s not that they never considered the existence of geniuses in the world.
"But this is just too damn ridiculous!"
"The information on the Human List has been changed again and again! The posters we sent out yesterday haven’t even all been put up yet!"
"And now you’re giving me another update?"
"Are you fucking playing us for monkeys?"
"You bastards, what are you doing?"
A furious roar was heard as the Head of the Celestial Secret Pavilion, clad in a purple robe, rushed in from outside. He didn’t hesitate, roaring and cursing the moment he saw them.
The elders all shuddered and quickly tried to explain.
"Head, we’re innocent..."
"That Chen Xuan is a fucking monster..."
"Yes, he’s a monster..."
...
「Evil Cult Stronghold.」
In a spacious courtyard.
The veteran Evil Cult elder, who had been lying on a rattan chair, constantly coughing and drinking a medicinal liquid, suddenly shot his eyes wide open. He stared at the middle-aged man who had rushed over, knelt, and was reporting the news. His coughing intensified, and he started spitting up blood, nearly coughing himself to death.
"What did you say? Six True Essence Realm elders are all dead? The Fire Python Inner Core was taken by Chen Xuan?"
"Yes, Elder Feng..."
The middle-aged man prostrated on the ground, trembling in terror. "Furthermore, the Saintess is also dead... both her Yin Body and Yang Spirit were wiped out. Chen Xuan is at the True Essence Third Layer..."
"Bastard!"
Elder Feng roared, but it triggered his condition, and he began coughing violently again. Blood poured from his nose and mouth, his body trembled, and his vision went dark. He was on the verge of collapse.
’True Essence Third Layer?’
’A young man in his early twenties?’
"My Fire Python Inner Core... My Fire Python Inner Core..."
Elder Feng’s face was filled with resentment. He gnashed his teeth and spat out another mouthful of blood.
’Without the Fire Python Inner Core?’
’What else can cure me?’
’Can I hold on for a few more years and wait for the next fire python to mature?’