Chapter 834: Chapter 5: Hou Chen Battles Jiang Li [2]
This realm of heaven and earth was boiling.
More and more cultivators were arriving here to witness the awe-inspiring might of the new generation of the Emperor Qi Sword Body, to ponder over the supreme secret technique of the Emperor Qi Dragon Transformation’s three avatars.
Just because the Emperor Qi Sword Body once again displayed its invincible grace, the arriving cultivators far exceeded imagination.
The heavens and earth were in an uproar, with a dense crowd of cultivators like clouds, as dense as locusts in a plague, covering a part of the sky.
Such a commotion was undeniably enormous.
The aura like a vast sea, the mixed grandeur, various anomalies of qi and blood, and that inherent awe filled this space, making the Ancient Tomb Mountain unprecedentedly lively.
Lively like a festive celebration.
Yet Zhou Yan’s heart was as cold as ancient glaciers.
Nothing could describe the unspoken anger and grief in his heart.
He had always hoped that Hou Chen’s growth could be happy and smooth, but now seeing Hou Chen’s situation, he couldn’t describe what he felt.
But this feeling was certainly not pleasant.
In the Earth Ancestral Land, Zhou Yan had thought of doing everything in his power to become strong, but nothing compared to the stimulation of witnessing with his own eyes the plight of the disciple he cherished most.
This stimulation was like a stab through his soul, causing his heart to bleed once again, just like seeing Yanyan overwhelmed by various disasters and powerless.
That pale and powerless feeling once again overwhelmed Zhou Yan’s heart, hitting him hard, making him extremely uncomfortable.
Like a father watching his son suffer in pain, striving to maintain the dignity of a father, yet powerless.
This impact was truly immense.
A wild urge to become stronger arose in Zhou Yan’s heart, a notion that grew like a poisonous weed--
"If I were strong enough, who would dare to bully my disciple?!"
"If I were strong enough, who would dare to chase down my daughter?!"
"What do these people ultimately want? To hunt the Immortal Soul? To create an immortal civilization with the Mechanical Clan?"
"But no matter what you intend to do, treating me like this, I will in no way let you live well in this lifetime! I must become stronger, by any means necessary!"
"If becoming a complete demon is just to guard against all disasters and let the people around me not be toyed with by fate anymore, then no matter the cost, is it not worth it? Surely it’s better than now, being so humble, watching my disciple take action, powerless!"
"Just like a warrior severing his wrist, scraping the bone to heal the poison. If I don’t push hard, perhaps everyone will eventually escape this fate. But if I use any means, perhaps I still can’t escape it, but at least they will have some hope of being preserved."
Deep within his heart, Zhou Yan couldn’t help but think this way.
Zhou Yan thought of his brother Lee Ran’s words within the Shennong Cauldron, suddenly feeling a genuine connection deep within his soul.
Those words, at this moment, completely resonated with Zhou Yan’s mind and body, letting him know that perhaps his brother had experienced countless similar scenes, which is why he spoke such heartfelt words.
"Master, do you think, who among them has a chance of winning?"
Zhao Xiaoxiao, with a sensitive mind, noticed that Zhou Yan’s mood seemed off--due to the Shennong Cauldron connecting her somewhat with Zhou Yan, through the relation of the Cauldron and the Xuanyuan Sword, she could vaguely sense Zhou Yan’s emotional fluctuations, courtesy of her powerful Fu Xi inheritance.
Although Zhao Xiaoxiao knew Zhou Yan was the renowned invincible Emperor Qi Sword Body of myth, the legendary Lei Yan King, and knew Zhou Yan was extremely strong.
Yet in such a place, Zhao Xiaoxiao did not dare allow Zhou Yan to continue in such a state of emotion, or else something could go wrong.
It was precisely so, that she softly spoke to interrupt Zhou Yan’s thoughts.
Understanding Zhao Xiaoxiao’s actions, Zhou Yan was clear in his heart, but these thoughts were deep-seated deliberations, not mere musings, and he was not worried about them being known by others.
Moreover, due to the changes of the Xingyi Twelve Forms, it was very normal for Zhou Yan to multitask. So, he was very gratified by Zhao Xiaoxiao’s good intentions.
This disciple was indeed very understanding, and very gentle and considerate, a rarity of thoughtfulness.
Zhou Yan nodded slightly, signaling Zhao Xiaoxiao not to worry, then turned his gaze to the two fighting in the void, saying, "If Jiang Li merely possesses such skills, he naturally stands no chance. But Jiang Li is decisive, ruthless, with an exceptionally firm will, a remarkable person, not inferior to Wu Ji’s temperament from before. Such a person, to fail, is hard."
Zhou Yan’s words directly affirmed Jiang Li’s might.
With Zhou Yan’s current perspective, these words seemed to enhance others’ morale while diminishing his own authority, yet it was also the truth.
However, he omitted some things because those words, he could not speak them.
He saw greater problems stemming from Hou Chen’s situation now, but he truly could not speak, nor could he reveal any insight into this problem.
Hua Qiudao frowned, then sighed and said, "This competition is almost over, let’s go."
"Hmm? Elder Hua, what do you mean by this?"
Liu Haoxin said discontentedly.
He thought Hua Qiudao’s words were too direct, after all, coming to this world, Liu Haoxin was seeing someone so agreeable for the first time, and that person was actually his senior brother--although Zhou Yan’s words were even more direct.
"Old Liu, judging by the Bloodline Power of our Blood Witch Clan, it seems there is no suspense. Hou Chen crushing Jiang Li should not be difficult. However, if Hou Chen was really that strong, he wouldn’t be participating only now."
"There’s a great cause and effect involved in this!"
Elder Hua Qiudao sighed.
His words were always cryptic, not only did Liu Haoxin widen his eyes in confusion, but Zhao Xiaoxiao also felt lost.
Zhou Yan, however, said at this moment, "We need not leave, it’s fine to just watch here. This Emperor Qi Sword Body Hou Chen is similar to our bloodline, it’s possible we won’t become the next him."
Zhou Yan calmly said.
His strong Soul Embryo had already sensed the relevant airflow moving here, his heart stirred, and he said indifferently.
Elder Hua Qiudao, without showing any emotion, smartly smiled and said, "Sect Master need not worry, such matters have long been watched by our Blood Witch Clan’s Great Emperor. If they don’t act, it’s fine, but if they do, they’ll know what tastes like the ’Six Paths of Reincarnation’."
Zhou Yan let out a slight sigh of relief and said, "It’s a pity there hasn’t been news from the Great Emperor for a long time. The moment this plane appeared, such grand rules descended, in the future, this plane might dominate other planes."
"The Great Emperor has long given instructions, Sect Master need not worry. As for what they are, the Heavenly Mechanism is secret; please forgive this elder for not reporting truthfully to the Sect Master."
Elder Hua Qiudao spoke in an old-fashioned manner.
He was not that stubborn, although he disliked deception, he was aware of maneuverability.
At the moment, his Merit Power sensed a strong being vaguely deducing and focusing on this place, and he immediately cooperated with Zhou Yan, using a very discreet way to transmit sound to Zhou Yan.
This sound transmission method is a technique most cultivators are skilled at, but in the eyes of truly top-tier experts and those with powerful souls, it is actually full of loopholes that can capture information.
But ordinary cultivators are unaware of this.
The reason Elder Hua Qiudao knew it was because Zhou Yan had mentioned it before in the Earth Ancestral Land, Hua Qiudao therefore kept it in mind, and naturally used this method at the moment.
During the sound transmission between the two, the sensing power disappeared, and Zhou Yan and Hua Qiudao did not stop but continued to communicate with similar questions for a moment before focusing on the battle.
At this moment, the fierce battle between Hou Chen and Jiang Li was at its peak.
...
"Sizzle--"
The Emperor Qi Dragon Transformation Supreme Dao met with the Jiang family’s extremely cold Ice Cultivation Technique, and in the sky, an illusion of an Ancient Ice Glacier appeared, rapidly shattered, and regenerated quickly.
Four Hou Chen surrounded Jiang Li, launching a fierce assault.
Jiang Li struggled to defend, yet he remained steady without defeat. Amidst Hou Chen’s frenzied attacks, he maintained order in his advance and retreat, showing no signs of being completely suppressed.
This situation was worrisome.
The two fiercely battled, causing the mountains to crumble, and the sun and moon to lose their light.
Jiang Li’s hands derived a Star River pattern, manifesting a massive and bizarre pattern that appeared very peculiar to all cultivators, like a huge pyramid.
But this pattern was very familiar to Zhou Yan and the others.
But because it was familiar, Zhou Yan and his group did not show any unusual expressions, instead, like ordinary cultivators, they all exhibited expressions of disbelief and astonishment.
This point, even Liu Haoxin, this seemingly somewhat reckless black-faced little chubby, understood very well.
Clearly, certain major powers knew that there was a similar totem in such an Ancestral Land, and the battle between Jiang Li and Hou Chen seemed more like fishing, fishing for big fish.
If Zhou Yan and others displayed emotions or suddenly spoke out the name of the totem—phrases like a pyramid with Tai Chu Runes, the outcomes would be easily imaginable.
Zhou Yan could even deduce that if such a situation occurred, the heavens and earth would suddenly darken, followed by the sudden descent of truly peerless great powers, who would capture the four of them in one fell swoop, leaving them with no way to resist.
This crisis from all directions intertwined in this Ancient Tomb Mountain that had long been controlled.
It seemed Zhou Yan and his team were in a very passive position.
But Zhou Yan was absolutely not someone to bow to fate or cooperate to fall into a passive state.
His eyes flickered slightly, and soon, he had decided on another plan.
...
"Emperor Qi Dragon Transformation, Swallowing Heaven Divine Skill!"
The four figures of Hou Chen suddenly merged into one, simultaneously activating the Emperor Qi Dragon Transformation, completely devouring all of Jiang Li’s attacks, and then, against the norm, swiftly closing in on Jiang Li’s body.
At this moment, Jiang Li’s eyes suddenly emitted a brilliant light, and all his power almost suddenly converged to a point, creating a terrifying black hole that struck fear into the heart. The black hole, akin to the mouth of a terrifying Barbaric Fierce Beast, instantly attempted to swallow Hou Chen.
This technique, with power that shook the world and astonishing aura, left countless cultivators stunned.
Hou Chen’s Emperor Qi Dragon Swallowing Sky Divine Skill suddenly shattered at this instant, as if space had fragmented, forcibly destroyed!!