Chapter 278: Chapter 251: A Pride of Lions Hunting Sheep
CRACK!
Lightning split the night sky, and thunder rolled like a tidal wave.
"Here."
The Profound Cyan Sparrow landed on a large tree.
At the same time, Chen Che stopped in his tracks. With a wave of his hand, everyone halted.
They looked ahead and saw a magnificent, luxurious grand hall appearing and disappearing within the churning miasma. Through the roiling toxic fog, they could faintly make out runes fluttering up and down like butterflies.
"A Guard Array, and a Defensive Array."
Chen Che made a hand gesture.
Behind him, Meng Changtu, Lu Qinglian, and the others grew vigilant.
WHOOSH~
Amidst the light breeze, Chen Che cautiously activated his Divine Sense and extended it forward.
Although there was a large Guard Array in place, his Divine Sense Level had already surpassed its detection capabilities. In an instant, every movement within the grand hall appeared in his sea of consciousness.
"A total of six Major Cultivators, and Sun Hao is here!"
Confirming Sun Hao was inside, he immediately made another hand gesture.
Lu Qinglian nodded. With a wave of her hand, twelve Triangular Array Banners silently fell into place around the palace. Although the cultivators of this world lacked a systematic cultivation path, their skills were varied. Among the group, only Lu Qinglian knew a little about Array Formation, but only simple containment arrays.
The purpose of setting up the array was, naturally, to prevent their target from escaping.
WHOOSH~
As his Divine Sense spread, he also overheard the conversation of the people inside the hall:
"Thank you for the reward, Master Ze..."
The first voice he heard was filled with excitement and ecstasy.
’Master Ze... Sun Hao?’
Chen Che’s eyes narrowed. As his Divine Sense covered the area, a skinny Major Cultivator responded with a smile:
"Master Ze is a Tributor to Thousand Eyes True Master and has the potential to reach Core Formation in the future. Following Master Ze is a massive opportunity for you. Perhaps you too will have a chance at Core Formation one day."
The other Major Cultivators were also talking, half celebrating the newcomer and half flattering their leader.
"That’s right. Master Ze is the inheritor of True Master Chilong’s legacy. His strength is far beyond what you can imagine."
"Ah? True Master Chilong..."
Chen Che saw everything clearly.
Clearly, Sun Hao had revealed some of his cards to recruit these people. But this just confirmed Chen Che’s earlier suspicions. ’He admitted it himself. It seems that remnant soul really does belong to True Master Chilong.’
To be able to wipe them all out in one go would make all his long preparations worthwhile.
Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly heard his own name.
"I see! Master Ze is truly no ordinary man! Among today’s cultivators, who doesn’t know of the three great geniuses outside the Primordial Sect? The first is the Evil Cultivator Xiao Chan, who single-handedly struck such fear into the Primordial Sect that they scatter at the mere mention of his name. The second is Chen Che, whose Alchemy Skill is unparalleled and who is also the master of Jinyun Valley.
The third is you, hailed as the most powerful Beast Master of the younger generation..."
The Major Cultivator named Shen Xian spoke with admiration mixed into his flattery.
Without a doubt, these three were the most prominent Foundation Establishment Cultivators of the last decade.
Following such a Major Cultivator was certainly worth it.
"Xiao Chan? A scurrying rat who hides his face and doesn’t dare show himself? What right does he have to be compared to me? As for Chen Che..."
Hearing this, Sun Hao showed no signs of pleasure. Instead, he sneered contemptuously, "He’s just an idiot who knows how to perform Alchemy. Once my cultivation is complete, the first thing I’ll do is raze Jinyun Valley and capture him alive."
"Huh?"
Shen Xian’s voice held a note of surprise.
After all, both of them were under Thousand Eyes True Master. But the most important trait for a Tribulation Cultivator was a quick reaction. He immediately nodded and chimed in, "Master Ze is right. That little whelp Chen Che is nothing special..."
"When the day comes to attack Jinyun Valley, I will be the vanguard general."
"Haha!"
Sun Hao was delighted to hear this and couldn’t help but laugh smugly. He nodded and added, "That time will come very soon..."
"Hahaha!"
For a moment, the grand hall was filled with laughter.
Chen Che looked up slightly. A flash of lightning streaked across the sky above the Marsh Forest, followed by a cacophony of thunder. He raised his hand, and Lu Qinglian, Meng Changtu, and the others attacked almost simultaneously. In an instant, an overwhelming barrage of attacks blasted toward the palace.
"Who’s there?!"
The people in the grand hall cried out in horror, feeling as if they were being hit by a torrential storm as sharp Wind and Sword Qi swept over them.
Ten Major Cultivators attacking at once—the sheer force was terrifying. In a single moment, they shattered the Guard and Defensive Arrays outside the grand hall.
Immediately after, the volley of attacks swept in, tearing the entire palace apart in an instant. Three Major Cultivators didn’t even have time to react and were killed on the spot. The remaining two were sent flying; one collapsed to the ground, while the other knelt, vomiting mouthfuls of blood mixed with his internal organs.
Only Sun Hao managed to dodge. He stomped on the Wind-roaring Python, and as the giant serpent rose, it let out a great breath, blowing away the cloud of dust.
Shen Xian struggled to lift his head and saw a young man in green robes with a sword on his back standing just outside the Marsh Forest, his eyes as deep as a starry sky. Besides him, nine other Major Cultivators surrounded the remains of the hall like gods and demons.
’Who is he?’
As Shen Xian stared in shock, his heart sank at the sight of this formation. But then, anger flared within him:
"How dare you!"
"You dare to attack Master Ze? Do you have any idea who he is? He’s a genius Beast Master, a Tributor to Thousand Eyes True Master..."
’It was the right call to strike first. If I had let him be for a while longer, I might have been caught completely off guard...’
Through the swirling dust, Chen Che strode forward. He glanced at the outwardly fierce but inwardly terrified Shen Xian and grinned.
"Didn’t you just say you were going to storm Jinyun Valley and capture me alive? Why don’t you recognize me now?"
"Ah!?"
Shen Xian’s pupils contracted, and his face changed drastically.
’The man himself is here?’
He never expected it. One moment they were discussing their attack on Jinyun Valley, and the next, their target was at their doorstep.
"Valley Master Chen, I didn’t realize it was you... What I said just now was unintentional. Please, be the bigger person and don’t take offense."
"It’s alright. Just be more careful in your next life."
Chen Che smiled faintly. Just as Shen Xian breathed a sigh of relief, Chen Che flicked a finger. With a PFFT, a stream of Sword Qi shot into his forehead and through to the ground below.
Shen Xian’s body went limp, and he collapsed to the ground.
At this moment, Meng Changtu also struck, cutting down the other remaining Major Cultivator. In an instant, only Sun Hao was left in the entire palace.
"Tributor Sun, it’s been a while."
Chen Che stood with his hands behind his back, glancing at Sun Hao before speaking slowly.
"Chen Che, you... You’re despicable, launching a sneak attack! And this was a matter between us, yet you actually allied with the Meng Family..."
Sun Hao glanced at the surrounding corpses, his eyes bloodshot. He had spent a great deal of effort recruiting these Major Cultivators, only for months of hard work to be wiped out in moments. Seeing the formation arrayed against him today, he knew he could not escape this calamity.
The only thought in his mind was to kill Chen Che.
"I’m going to kill you..."
"Wind-roaring Python, go!"
With a furious roar, the giant serpent beneath him shot out from the ruins, lunging directly at Chen Che.
As its Demon Qi billowed, the Wind-roaring Python suddenly swelled to seventy or eighty feet long. Its body resembled jade, and with a sharp whistling sound, it rode the wind, appearing like a ferocious Ancient Fierce Beast. As it writhed, countless Wind Blades swept forward.
Atop the python’s head, Sun Hao’s hair flew wildly, his killing intent surging.
Chen Che stood with his hands behind his back, neither dodging nor evading, allowing his immense Protective True Essence to withstand the storm of Wind Blades.
"Attack!"
At that moment, Meng Changtu brandished his Black Blade, unleashing a flash of lightning.
At the same time, Lu Qinglian and Rong Zhongxuan both formed Seal Techniques.
Several layers of True Essence fluctuations appeared, followed by a sky full of attacks sweeping toward the Wind-roaring Python.
"WHOOSH!"
The Wind-roaring Python was truly worthy of being a Demon Beast with the bloodline of an ancient Great Demon. Its body suddenly contorted, rising like a giant wave, and it actually managed to evade the barrage of attacks. But by then, the Little Chick had already descended swiftly, its claws slashing down as it lunged for Sun Hao.
The latter dodged, but the Wind-roaring Python beneath his feet could not. The massive claws hooked in, piercing through its scales.
As the Wind-roaring Python shrieked, the Little Chick spread its great wings, forcibly lifting the serpent into the air. It flew hundreds of yards before violently smashing the python down onto the ruins.
BOOM!
A tremendous crash resounded, kicking up a wave of mud.
Having evaded the attack, Sun Hao leaped into the air. With a wave of his hand, a cyan, wheel-like shadow shot out from his grasp.
The wheel was cyan, a hurricane swirling within it, and it was ringed by three blades on its outer edge. As it spun, it created a turbulent gale that sliced through the air. As he formed a Seal Technique, it instantly multiplied from one to ten, a hundred to a thousand, and thousands to tens of thousands, descending like a torrential storm.
"A Tier Two High Grade Magical Artifact?"
Chen Che chuckled softly. With a flick of his wrist, the Red Dragon Lock Chain shot from his hand. It grew in the wind, expanding to dozens of yards in size in the blink of an eye. As he clenched his fist, crimson flames erupted from the chain, transforming it into a Fire Dragon that stretched between heaven and earth, its power terrifying to the extreme.
"Perish!"
With a wave of his hand, the Red Dragon Lock Chain swept across the world. The tens of thousands of giant, cyan wheels were struck as if by lightning, turning to dust in an instant.
Finally, with a CLANG, it struck the original cyan wheel.
"RUMBLE!"
The two Magical Artifacts collided in mid-air. Strong Qi billowed out ceaselessly and swept about madly, the shockwave spreading like a tsunami.
In less than the blink of an eye, the cyan wheel exploded with a BANG. The flames of the Red Dragon Lock Chain merely dimmed slightly, but its momentum was unbroken as it slammed violently into Sun Hao.
"BANG!"
An explosion erupted. Sun Hao felt a crushing force of ten thousand tons descend upon him, as if his organs were being pulverized. His outer robes disintegrated, revealing an Inner Armor Magical Artifact that was wreathed in flames and half-melted.
"WAH!"
Coughing up a mouthful of blood, the backward-flying Sun Hao’s eyes were red, his face a mask of shock and fury.
He was shocked that his opponent, who was clearly in the same Realm as him, could be so powerful!
What infuriated him was that someone as strong as Chen Che had still gathered several Major Cultivators to besiege him.
"SCREEE!"
A sharp, piercing sound cut through the air, like the cry of a Red Dragon.
Chen Che’s expression was impassive. With a lift of his hand, the Red Dragon Lock Chain smashed down again.
"Not good!"
Before Sun Hao could finish the thought, his chest was struck again.
"Ahhh..."
With just that one blow, he felt as if all his organs had been utterly shattered. A glance to the side showed his Wind-roaring Python pinned in the mud of the marsh. Yu Sihai, Rong Shisan, and Liang Yuan, cultivators who had only recently entered Foundation Establishment, were surrounding it, leaving it no chance to escape.
Sun Hao’s eyes were nearly splitting with rage. Seeing Lu Qinglian and Meng Changtu attacking him from the left and right, he gritted his teeth and shot into the air.
Flee!
As long as he could escape, there was still hope.
’I carry the remnant soul of True Master Chilong! I have the potential for Core Formation, and maybe even a chance to reach Nascent Soul in the future! How can I die here?’
BANG!
However, as he soared into the air, he suddenly slammed into a transparent wall.
Looking up, he saw that a barrier had been placed over the area, spanning several miles around.
’An array?’
’They set up a Grand Array in advance?’
The third lash fell.
Then, Lu Qinglian and Meng Changtu arrived from the left and right, descending from the sky...
PFFT!
The sound of tearing flesh rang out as blade and Sword Qi blasted through his body in an instant.
"WHOOSH!"
Chen Che clenched his fist, recalling the Red Dragon Lock Chain.
Before him, Sun Hao, who had tried to flee, stood silently in place, blood gushing madly from his wounds.
His eyes were filled with shock, fury, and unwillingness, but in the end, it all dissipated.
He fell to the ground, utterly silent.
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