Chapter 176: Chapter 169: Reincarnation of a Great Power, Possession by a Powerful Expert?
Ah Qi, personally trained by his master, had been at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer for years. And yet, he fell to a single palm strike!
Rong Shisan’s heart clenched.
And most importantly, the aura from Chen Che’s palm strike just now was clearly only that of the Qi Refining Ninth Layer!
"He’s not at Foundation Establishment. How could he possibly have such strength?"
"Ah Qi!"
Seeing his Junior Brother die under that palm, Rong Ying’s face twisted with pain and fury.
"I’ll kill you!"
Rong Ying let out a roar, flipped his right hand, and threw out a blue-and-white porcelain bowl. In the blink of an eye, the bowl grew to be dozens of feet in size, like a small hill. Then, as he flipped his right hand, it came crashing down on Chen Che with a loud CLANG.
"Kill!"
Rong Ying’s face was set with determination. His long hair whipped around and his sleeves billowed, a clear sign he was pushing his True Essence to its absolute limit.
CRACKLE! POP!
Even while the great bowl was still in mid-air, a surging pressure slammed down. Amidst terrifying cracking sounds, all trees, grass, and stones within a radius of hundreds of feet were instantly turned to dust.
The very ground sank several inches.
But Chen Che, at the center of the pressure, seemed as unaffected as if a gentle breeze had brushed past him.
"How is that possible?"
Just as he watched in astonishment, as the great bowl descended, Chen Che casually raised a hand to strike it.
’A Cultivator, using his own body to fight a Magical Artifact?’
Rong Ying found it utterly absurd. Although the bowl was only a Tier One Middle Grade artifact, it wasn’t something a normal Cultivator’s body could withstand.
But the thought had barely formed when he saw Chen Che’s casual palm strike land on the porcelain bowl.
CRACK!
A crisp sound echoed.
The porcelain bowl trembled slightly before shattering with the sound, turning into a cloud of fine powder. However, the force of the palm strike was far from spent. The monstrous Strong Force, now mixed with the powdered ceramic, surged forward like a flash flood that had been building for three days and three nights.
With a tremendous BOOM, dozens of trees so thick it would take several people to encircle them were instantly blasted into splinters.
In an instant, this furious tide was right in front of him!
’Not good!’
At the last moment, Rong Ying slammed his palms together, gathering all his True Essence to block the blow. But in the end, he was like a dry twig in a torrent, instantly crushed to dust without a single trace left behind.
The Strong Force rolled past him and surged directly into the dense forest. A series of thunderous rumbles followed, carving a wide path through the woods.
The path was at least thirty to forty feet wide, stretching from Chen Che’s feet to over a thousand feet away.
THUD.
Watching the torrent of power that had passed just inches from his body, Rong Shisan’s knees gave out, and he collapsed to the ground.
Just now, if Chen Che’s palm had shifted by two inches, he would have been blasted to dust as well. The man clearly wasn’t a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, yet his strength was terrifying. His two senior brothers, both far stronger than him, couldn’t even withstand a single blow. What chance did he ever have?
"Where is your master?"
Chen Che slowly withdrew his right hand. His gaze shifted to Rong Shisan as he casually took out the Jade Token and toyed with it.
"Hasn’t he been using this Jade Token to track my location? Why hasn’t he shown up, even after I’ve killed two of you? Or did he just send the three of you here to die?"
Originally, Chen Che had planned to wait for the Fire Pattern Cultivator to appear before making a move. But when the man failed to show, he grew worried it was a trick and decided to strike first to gain the upper hand.
"Ah?"
Rong Shisan froze, then quickly cried out, "Tributor Chen, this is all a misunderstanding..."
"Speak. What’s going on?"
Chen Che’s eyes narrowed.
How could Rong Shisan dare to hide anything now? He stammered meekly, "Actually... Master told us to follow you..."
"He had the three of us surround you, a plan to force you into a desperate situation where you had no choice but to crush the Jade Token he gave you. Then, he would suddenly appear and save you. That way, you would be eternally grateful to him.
"After that, leveraging the life-saving favor, he would demand your allegiance. Then, he could logically and rightfully take control of Jinyun Valley!"
Of course, he slightly altered his words, omitting the part about how they were to kill Chen Che if he refused.
"Tsk, tsk... What a scheme."
Glancing at the Jade Token in his hand, the corner of Chen Che’s mouth twitched. ’This whole thing feels like some kind of hero-saves-the-damsel routine.’
Still, the method was indeed clever.
If he were truly in a moment of crisis and someone saved him, he would certainly repay the favor. But being deliberately manipulated like this was another matter entirely...
"So you’re saying, as long as I crush this Jade Token, he’ll come running, is that right?"
"Yes!"
Rong Shisan nodded slightly, but his heart was filled with a mix of complex emotions.
’Master, you gravely misjudged his strength!’
The man’s power was far beyond their imagination. Even if they could do it all over again, the three of them together would likely still be no match for him.
’Once I get through this, I’ll make sure Master tears you to pieces.’
Rong Shisan lowered his gaze to hide the hatred in his eyes. He was certain that after hearing this, Chen Che would be forced to hesitate. No Qi Refining Cultivator would be willing to openly fall out with a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
CRACK!
Just as the thought crossed his mind, he heard a crisp snap.
Rong Shisan looked up in astonishment to see that the Jade Token in Chen Che’s hand had already turned to dust. His eyes went wide, never having expected that the man would still dare to crush the token after learning the truth.
"Doesn’t he want my allegiance?"
Chen Che raised an eyebrow, glancing at the stunned Rong Shisan out of the corner of his eye. "Then let him come say it to my face. Besides, I don’t like being manipulated like this..."
’He wants to confront Master face-to-face?’
Seeing this abnormal behavior, it was the only thought that remained in Rong Shisan’s mind.
In the next moment, his astonishment turned to ridicule.
After all.
His master was a true Foundation Establishment Cultivator. As a mere Qi Refining Cultivator, no matter how powerful, how could he dare challenge him?
’As soon as Master arrives, you’re dead meat!’
...
The moment Chen Che crushed the Jade Token, the Fire Pattern Cultivator sensed it.
"It’s done?"
For the past few days, although he hadn’t left his residence, he had been waiting for news.
He couldn’t help it. Among the several Foundation Establishment Cultivators coveting Jinyun Valley, his own strength was not superior.
If he could win over Chen Che.
Not only could he get the disciples in the Valley to pledge their loyalty to him, allowing him to righteously take over Jinyun Valley, but he could even use those disciples to fend off the other Major Cultivators.
But day after day, Chen Che hadn’t stepped out of the Market, and he had grown extremely anxious.
"Haha, with today’s plan, half of Jinyun Valley is already in my grasp!"
The Fire Pattern Cultivator couldn’t contain his ecstasy. After darting out of the Market, he flew through the air, carrying the full presence of a Major Cultivator as he rushed toward the location where the Jade Token was crushed.
"I just hope Rong Ying and the others didn’t get too rough. Otherwise, I’ll have to spend my own resources to heal his injuries..."
However.
When he arrived at the location, he froze on the spot.
In the center of the dense forest, the scene was one of utter devastation, clearly the aftermath of a fierce battle. Only Rong Shisan was kneeling there; the other two disciples were nowhere to be seen. And Chen Che, who should have been gravely injured, was standing with his hands behind his back, looking at him with a mocking expression.
"Tributor Chen, what is..."
The Fire Pattern Cultivator was just about to ask when Rong Shisan, still kneeling on the ground, roared frantically:
"Senior Brother Rong Ying and Senior Brother Ah Qi were both killed by Chen Che! He’s the one who crushed the Jade Token to see you..."
As he shouted, he stared at Chen Che, his eyes gleaming with malicious glee, as if looking at a dead man.
His master had said it long ago.
If Chen Che could not be subjugated, he was to be killed without mercy. At the very least, it would prevent anyone else from recruiting him!
Seeing the situation now, he would surely not hesitate to deliver a killing blow.
Sure enough, upon hearing this, the Fire Pattern Cultivator’s expression changed drastically. He said coldly:
"In that case, I can’t let you live!"
Furious flames erupted around the Fire Pattern Cultivator, and a red whip appeared in his hand.
Tier Two Low Grade Magical Artifact:
Red Flood Dragon Whip!
This whip was refined from the spinal cord of a Fire Snake!
Then, with a wave of his hand, it struck out like a churning Fire Dragon, engulfing Chen Che.
In an instant, the surrounding sky was illuminated in crimson. This attack was many times more powerful than Ah Qi’s sword strike from before. Rong Shisan had once seen his master use this very attack to lash several Qi Refining Ninth Layer cultivators into pieces. Under such a blow, he feared Chen Che would be obliterated on the spot, with not even his bones remaining.
"He’s dead for sure!"
Rong Shisan’s eyes were filled with glee. ’You’ll now pay the price for how you killed my senior brothers.’
However.
Just as this thought arose, Chen Che suddenly took a step forward. With a wave of his hand, a chain shot out to meet the attack.
"Go!"
The chain was only a few inches long at first. Facing the Fire Dragon, it looked like an insignificant little snake, as if it would be torn apart in an instant. But it grew as it flew through the air, and by the time it reached the Fire Dragon, it had already expanded to a length of three hundred feet.
The moment the Fire Dragon touched the chain, it exploded. Countless flames reversed course like a tidal wave, rushing back toward the Fire Pattern Cultivator.
"How is this possible?"
The Fire Pattern Cultivator cried out in alarm. As nimble as a swallow, he retreated while slapping out several palm strikes to disperse the back-flowing flames.
But.
Before he could even breathe a sigh of relief, the chain, now like a black dragon, swept ferociously toward him.
WHOOSH!
Before Rong Shisan’s astonished eyes, his own master turned and fled without the slightest hesitation.
"Master... fled?"
Of course the Fire Pattern Cultivator had to flee.
From the moment he saw Chen Che attack, his heart had sunk into an abyss.
"Could it be... he’s the reincarnation of a Great Power?"
As a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, he naturally knew more secrets than his disciples.
Reincarnated Great Powers, powerful experts possessing bodies, invincible among those of the Same Tier.
The best among them could even kill opponents a whole Grand Realm above their own.
This wasn’t just baseless speculation; he had read about it in an ancient text. The opponent was only at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer, yet he had effortlessly killed two of his disciples. He could even fight against him, a Foundation Establishment Cultivator. If this wasn’t the reincarnation of a Great Power, what else could it be?
’And I actually dared to scheme against such an existence?’
Flee!
Worthy of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, he didn’t linger in a losing battle. Seeing things were bad, he turned and ran, not even sparing a glance for Rong Shisan, who was still kneeling on the ground. But no matter how fast he fled, he wasn’t faster than the descending chain.
The chain smashed squarely into the Fire Pattern Cultivator’s body.
With a loud BANG, his Protective True Essence shattered on impact. Accompanied by a blood-curdling scream, he was brutally swatted out of the air and slammed into the ground.
KABOOM!
He hit the ground like a falling boulder, even gouging out a large crater.
WHOOSH!
From within the dust cloud, sixteen figures made of flame shot out, immediately fleeing in all directions.
Chen Che laughed heartily. He brought two fingers together, and the Black Dragon Chain, without a moment’s hesitation, instantly shot after one of the figures. It wrapped around it, constricting in an instant like a Flood Dragon Snake, then slammed it to the ground with a loud THUMP.
The Fire Pattern Cultivator was about to struggle, but the Pure Jun Sword had already pierced through his body in a flash, nailing him to the ground.
Chen Che walked over slowly and grinned at him.
"Senior, why are you running?"
