Chapter 22: Chapter 21: Farewell
After fusing with the Blood Fiend Power from the Seven Kills Stele, Jiang Kaitai’s strength was terrifyingly immense.
Murong Qing was forced into a continuous retreat, a pathetic sight, completely unable to retaliate.
Seeing himself cornered by the frenzied Blood Fiend Saber Aura, Murong Qing grit his teeth. He formed a Seal Technique, and a golden light converged in his palm before he pressed it onto his Dantian.
In that instant, True Qi erupted from Murong Qing’s body, and his aura swelled several times in magnitude.
The Murong Family’s Secret Technique: Hidden Dragon Burning Gold Technique!
This Secret Technique could unlock the ultimate potential of the Dantian and Reincarnation Sea, allowing one to instantly unleash an immense torrent of Inner Strength True Qi.
The consequence, however, was that prolonged use would cause one’s meridians to be unable to withstand the impact of such immense power.
A light case would result in fractured meridians requiring a long period of recovery; a severe case could lead to the meridians shattering completely, turning the user into a cripple.
With the Hidden Dragon Burning Gold Technique empowering him, a brilliant, dazzling golden True Qi blazed from the Dragon Patterned Green Gold Treasure Sword in Murong Qing’s hand. He unleashed his Sword Momentum in a torrent of strikes, and in an instant, the entire underground space was enveloped in sword light.
The Murong Family’s secret art: Dragon City Swordsmanship!
This Swordsmanship was grand and majestic, truly possessing a certain imperial air.
The onslaught of Sword Momentum shredded much of the Blood Fiend aura surrounding Jiang Kaitai, and the clarity in his eyes returned.
Only then did Jiang Kaitai begin using the Celestial Wolf Saber Technique and Beichen Celestial Wolf Slash to counter. But with his Blood Fiend Power diminished, the strength he could muster was even less than before.
Chen Yuan held his breath, his eyes wide, carefully observing Murong Qing’s attacks from the edge of the cave entrance.
Before, his opponents had all been Martial Artists from minor gangs, like Zhu Zhiping and Duan Kun. It was considered impressive if they knew even one or two Martial Arts techniques.
It was Martial Artists like Murong Qing, hailing from a top-tier power, who truly possessed numerous trump cards and countless Secret Techniques.
’When fighting an opponent of this level, I have to be extremely careful. I can’t let my guard down for even a second.’
But after watching Murong Qing fight, Chen Yuan felt the man’s style was muddled; he lacked focus.
The Murong Family’s Martial Arts were quite diverse, encompassing Swordsmanship, Palm Techniques, Fist Techniques, and Finger Techniques—they had a bit of everything.
While none of their arts were considered the best in the Jianghu, none were weak, either.
So normally, a Martial Artist from the Murong Family should focus on one type of Martial Arts as their primary discipline, supplementing it with others.
But this Murong Qing seemed proficient in every style, yet master of none.
He was a classic case of having ambitions higher than the heavens, but a fate as fragile as paper.
He insisted on believing he was a prodigy who could learn anything. The result was that while he became proficient in many things, he never achieved true mastery in any single one.
Jiang Kaitai and Murong Qing fought fiercely for a full quarter-hour, and the strength of both men began to decline rapidly.
The clarity had returned to Jiang Kaitai’s eyes, but the Blood Fiend Power surrounding him was rapidly diminishing.
At the same time, he could feel the Killing Intent Origin within him growing restless, on the verge of a backlash. It swelled and churned, trying to return to the Seven Kills Stele.
The force was so intense it caused excruciating pain throughout his body, severely affecting his fighting ability.
Murong Qing, for his part, was not faring much better.
Although the Hidden Dragon Burning Gold Technique was powerful, it came at the cost of overtaxing the body.
He had never used the Hidden Dragon Burning Gold Technique for this long before. Faint cracks were already appearing in his meridians.
If this continued, his meridians could shatter completely, turning him into a cripple!
’The problem is, if I really become a cripple, can I still control the Divine Artifact?’
While suppressing the churning killing intent within him, Jiang Kaitai shot Murong Qing a cold sneer.
"Master Murong, are you really going to keep this up?
So what if you outlast me? I won’t get the Divine Artifact, but you’ll become a cripple!
"I know your Longcheng Murong Family quite well. Though your branch is of the Direct Lineage, it has never produced a single Patriarch. Your standing in Longcheng isn’t strong to begin with.
"If you become a cripple, what good is the credit for discovering a Divine Artifact? You’ll just be paving the way for someone else to reap the rewards.
"When that time comes, you, as a cripple, will watch the Murong Family wield two Divine Artifacts and successfully restore their former glory. As the great hero who made it all possible, won’t you feel so very honored? HAHAHA!"
Jiang Kaitai certainly knew how to taunt.
Those words struck Murong Qing right where it hurt, nearly shattering his composure.
He was not the selfless type who put his family above all else.
His family’s restoration at the cost of him becoming a cripple—that was an outcome he could never accept.
But a moment later, Murong Qing calmed down and sneered, "I almost fell for your trick, you old dog!
You want me to let you go? In your dreams!
Things have already gone this far. Even if I manage to escape unscathed, my family won’t let me off the hook.
"If I stall until the Murong Family gets word and sends reinforcements, they won’t treat me poorly even if I become a cripple.
"But you, you old dog, will be damned beyond redemption, and there won’t even be a complete corpse left of you!"
"Fine, then! Let’s see who can outlast the other!"
Jiang Kaitai grit his teeth and gathered the last wisp of his Blood Fiend Power, blasting it toward Murong Qing.
Murong Qing likewise condensed his Inner Strength True Qi to meet the attack, but his focus was on a piece of Ancient Jade nestled in his robes.
That was his Murong Family’s Divine Artifact Incarnation, Star Shifting. Every Direct Lineage Disciple of the Murong Family possessed one.
But the Divine Artifact Incarnation could only be used once. While its defensive capabilities were decent, its offensive power was rather weak. It was best used to save one’s life.
Murong Qing wouldn’t use it unless he was in a truly desperate situation.
The two had now completely entered a battle of attrition. There were no techniques to speak of anymore; it was simply a matter of who would be the first to collapse.
Murong Qing was waiting for the very instant Jiang Kaitai unleashed his final burst of power. He planned to use Star Shifting to redirect that Blood Fiend Power back at him. When that happened, Jiang Kaitai’s death would be certain!
Seeing this, Chen Yuan silently took out the Fire Dragon Pill he had acquired earlier and popped it into his mouth.
’It’s about time. Time to reap the rewards.’
The moment the Elixir entered his mouth, Chen Yuan felt as if he had swallowed a ball of raging fire.
An intense burning sensation spread instantly from his throat to his Dantian, then radiated out to every corner of his body.
Gripping his Yanling Saber, Chen Yuan strode out into the open.
The moment they saw Chen Yuan, both men’s eyes lit up.
Both men were on the verge of total exhaustion. Chen Yuan’s appearance was like the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Of course, each of them believed that straw was meant to crush the other.
"Kill him!"
The two men shouted in excitement.
With their nerves stretched taut, both men subconsciously overlooked a few things.
For instance, why Chen Yuan’s aura had suddenly jumped from the Body Tempering Realm to the Blood Movement Realm.
The saber sang as it left its sheath, a flash like a startled swan.
As the brilliant Saber Aura flashed through the underground space, Jiang Kaitai finally sensed that something was wrong.
’Such a fast slash!’
’When did he master such a fast saber technique?’
’The Saber Intent and Saber Momentum in that attack were even stronger than his own Beichen Celestial Wolf Slash!’
’And his strength... he... ’
The next moment, the Shocking Swan Slash broke through the thin layer of Blood Fiend around him, piercing him through the back and bursting out from his chest.
Jiang Kaitai had never imagined that Chen Yuan would attack him.
Even if he had, all of his strength was tied up dealing with Murong Qing. He was completely spent and had no way to defend himself.
Jiang Kaitai looked down at the Yanling Saber piercing his chest, then struggled to turn his head toward Chen Yuan, his eyes filled with disbelief.
’The third brother... always so obedient and docile... how could he betray me? How could he!?’
"Godfather, farewell."
Chen Yuan smiled, then violently wrenched the Yanling Saber free. With another slash, he beheaded Jiang Kaitai.
Jiang Kaitai had fused with a portion of the Killing Intent Origin from the Seven Kills Stele. Heaven only knew what strange transformations his body might undergo.
’So a single stab isn’t enough. It’s safer to just cut off his head.’
He chose to kill Jiang Kaitai first because there were too many uncertainties surrounding him.
In the original storyline, Jiang Kaitai had absorbed the Killing Intent Origin, fought Murong Li, an expert from the Sun-piercing Alliance, and Yuan Dongtian, the Gang Leader of the Black Water Gang, all by himself and still managed to escape. He was eventually killed by a group of players.
Although, thanks to his own deliberate manipulation, the amount of Qi Blood Jiang Kaitai had successfully sacrificed this time wasn’t even a third of what it was in the original story, making his combat power far weaker, Chen Yuan still feared some uncontrollable variable.
’So it’s safer to kill Jiang Kaitai first. As for Murong Qing’s trump cards, I’ve pretty much figured them all out.’
Just then, Murong Qing reined in his nearly depleted True Qi, about to praise Chen Yuan for a job well done.
The next moment, the saber hummed, and Chen Yuan’s impossibly fast Shocking Swan Slash came slashing down at Murong Qing!
"You’re courting death!"
Murong Qing’s face was a mask of furious disbelief.
He could have never imagined that Chen Yuan—the man who had proactively sided with him, who seemed so sensible and knew his place—would also dare to turn on him!
’Why is every single person from this Celestial Wolf Gang a born traitor?’
A faint golden True Qi pulsed from the Dragon Patterned Green Gold Treasure Sword. He unleashed the Dragon City Swordsmanship, its Sword Intent chilling. With a sharp CLANG, he parried Chen Yuan’s slash.
But in the next moment, Inner Strength surged through Chen Yuan, and he activated the Surging Waves and Flowing Clouds Technique to its absolute limit.
Waves of energy roiled off the Yanling Saber in his hand, like a surging turquoise sea, its power immense!
Autumn Water Shocking Swan: Wave-Treading Slash!
The immense power forced Murong Qing back step by step. He was already a spent force, barely able to muster his True Qi.
Meanwhile, Chen Yuan, empowered by the Fire Dragon Pill, felt his Inner Strength surging wildly. His Saber Momentum became a blur of afterimages, like falling leaves in an autumn wind, carrying with it an endless, savage killing intent!
Autumn Wind Slash!
Thanks to the Fire Dragon Pill, he was now able to use the second of the Autumn Water Shocking Saber’s three ultimate killing blows.
Murong Qing desperately forced out the last shred of True Qi in his body. He could even feel his meridians snapping apart inch by inch.
The Dragon City Swordsmanship surged forth, grand and majestic, instantly sweeping aside the flurry of the Autumn Wind Blade Technique.
With a sharp CRACK, Chen Yuan’s Yanling Saber shattered into several pieces from the force of Murong Qing’s strike.
Chen Yuan’s Yanling Saber was merely an ordinary weapon, forged by a blacksmith in Lianshan City.
Even though it was made of fine steel, it simply couldn’t compare to Murong Qing’s Dragon Patterned Green Gold Treasure Sword.
By now, the meridians throughout Murong Qing’s body had begun to shatter. He violently spat out a mouthful of blood, his face as pale as paper.
At the last moment, he summoned the last of his strength and thrust his sword at Chen Yuan.
Chen Yuan was now weaponless, but instead of retreating, he advanced, lunging straight into Murong Qing’s personal space.
The sword’s edge scraped precariously past Chen Yuan’s shoulder blade. The faint, sharp True Qi on it tore his clothes and drew a spray of blood from his shoulder.
As if he felt nothing, Chen Yuan’s hands coiled like vipers around Murong Qing’s sword hand. Silk Binding Shattered Jade—a fusion of hard and soft power!
Deflect, twist, shatter!
In an instant, Chen Yuan’s Silk Binding Jade Hand crushed Murong Qing’s right hand to pulp. The Dragon Patterned Green Gold Treasure Sword clattered to the ground.
Murong Qing let out a pained howl. He reached into his robes with his left hand, grabbing the Star Shifting Divine Artifact Incarnation, about to activate it.
But in the next instant, Chen Yuan reversed his grip. With another application of the Silk Binding Jade Hand, the bones in Murong Qing’s left hand were also crushed to powder.
Snatching the Star Shifting, Chen Yuan stomped down with both feet, shattering Murong Qing’s knees and turning him into a complete and utter cripple.
"Trying to use Star Shifting against me? What were you thinking?"
Chen Yuan looked at Murong Qing and shook his head gently. "Your Murong Family’s Star Shifting can redirect and reflect any kind of power. The problem is, I can’t even release my True Qi externally. What were you going to reflect? My fists? A treasure like this shouldn’t be wasted on something like that."
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