873: Chapter 869: The Strength of the Gatekeeper!
873: Chapter 869: The Strength of the Gatekeeper!
Ye Tian was curious about the results of combining the Wind Flow Strength cultivation technique with the Xuan Yun Skill technique!
Of course, now wasn’t the time for Ye Tian to indulge in idle speculation.
Since the opponent before him had displayed power on par with his own, he naturally couldn’t underestimate him!
“So you’ve reached the Innate Realm…
Ye Tian, you’ve also reached the Innate Realm!
Yet when Sima Yun issued the Slaughter Order against you, he said you were merely a peak Martial Artist!”
Drunken Arhat muttered in bewilderment.
Because the cultivation techniques for Wind Flow Strength and Xuan Yun Skill were originally complementary, after both sides unleashed their strongest powers, Drunken Arhat could clearly discern the martial arts level Ye Tian had attained!
Drunken Arhat knew very well that Ye Tian had already reached the Innate Realm.
Any Martial Artist who attained this realm was not easy to contend with!
“Well, you’re not any different!”
Ye Tian naturally also understood Drunken Arhat’s prowess.
Like himself, he was also a master of the Innate Realm.
Although Heaven’s Gate had numerous members, there were only a handful of true masters who had reached the Innate Realm.
As Heaven’s Gate’s Gatekeeper, Drunken Arhat was naturally one of them!
Drunken Arhat sneered coldly, “Even though you’ve reached the Innate Realm, don’t think that this elevates you to being invincible!
Even among Martial Artists of the Innate Realm, the differences in power can be vast!
Boy, let me show you just how boundless the skies of martial arts truly are!”
As he spoke, Drunken Arhat’s body flickered slightly, and then vanished from Ye Tian’s sight!
“Such incredible speed!”
Ye Tian was startled.
Originally, with Ding Da’s warning, he had been extra cautious about the opponent’s speed, keeping his eyes fixed on Drunken Arhat without a moment’s negligence…
But even so, Drunken Arhat still disappeared from his view!
To lose sight of him while staring directly—was such lightning speed truly attainable by a human Martial Artist?
Ye Tian found it hard to fathom.
Yet, since Drunken Arhat was nowhere to be seen, he could only immediately begin searching.
At this moment, the eyes often proved unreliable; Martial Artists relied on their instincts to judge the enemy’s position!
A series of gusts of wind whirled around Ye Tian’s surroundings, undoubtedly stirred up by the rapidly moving Drunken Arhat.
“This—this guy is indeed stronger than when he played the role of Gatekeeper!
His speed, compared to when he fought us, is utterly unmatched!”
“I can’t see him at all, nor can I sense him; is this really human speed?”
“Good heavens!
Even Ye Tian can’t capture his movements!”
…
A group of outer sect disciples from Heaven’s Gate felt chills run down their spines.
Previously, when Drunken Arhat told Ye Tian he’d been using only fifty percent of his power, most doubted his words.
But now, seeing the incredible speed demonstrated by Luo Hao, none dared to doubt him!
Meanwhile, Ye Tian began focusing keenly on perceiving Drunken Arhat’s location.
He decided to shut his eyes and close off his other senses.
The gusts of wind faded, so too did the discussions of the spectators, leaving only a single fleeting image in Ye Tian’s mind: the continuously flickering silhouette of Drunken Arhat!
“Right there!”
Suddenly, Ye Tian shouted and launched an attack.
His punch landed precisely on the swiftly moving Drunken Arhat!
Their fists clashed, erupting in a thunderous sound!
In this strike, both men exerted eighty percent of their strength.
Given their similar realms, neither could overpower the other — each was forced back a step after their exchange of blows!
“Oh?”
Despite the lack of a decisive outcome, Ye Tian’s attack left Drunken Arhat somewhat surprised.
His Light Skill Steps were so fast that not even the Sect Leader Wu Wei could track his movements within Heaven’s Gate.
Yet Ye Tian was able to pinpoint his location and throw a punch…
Drunken Arhat couldn’t help but feel astonishment welling up inside.
While Drunken Arhat marveled at Ye Tian’s capabilities, Ye Tian equally wondered at Drunken Arhat’s strength!
“You—your skill is formidable.
That bestial abomination from earlier wouldn’t be your match!
But when the Purgatory Beast was rampaging and devouring fellow disciples, why didn’t you intervene?
Why did you allow it to indiscriminately slaughter Heaven’s Gate disciples?”
Ye Tian questioned, his tone puzzled.
Though they’d only clashed once, Ye Tian had already discerned that this man’s power was counted among the best in Heaven’s Gate.
Then why did he refrain from confronting the Purgatory Beast?
Faced with Ye Tian’s question, Drunken Arhat merely smirked and replied, “Why should I care about the lives of fellow disciples?
As long as that beast doesn’t eat me, isn’t that enough?
More importantly, that dragon-surnamed brat is difficult to deal with.
If I injured the Purgatory Beast, I’d have a bad end myself!
So, the fewer troubles, the better!
Even now, with the dragon-surnamed brat dead, should other divine beasts cause trouble at Heaven’s Gate, I still wouldn’t assist anyone!”
Drunken Arhat’s words sounded entirely justified, sending chills down Ye Tian’s spine…
Looking at the surrounding inner sect disciples of Heaven’s Gate, they seemed largely unperturbed by Drunken Arhat’s remarks.
It appeared this was the norm within Heaven’s Gate; the deeper one entered the inner sect, the colder the relationships became…
Unlike the warmth within other sects, Heaven’s Gate brimmed with jealousy, rivalry, and unfeeling indifference…
“A sect like this is indeed better off eradicated!”
Ye Tian let out a bitter laugh, his words were light but likely audible to Drunken Arhat.
Yet Drunken Arhat made no reaction upon hearing Ye Tian’s remarks.
Instead, he casually said, “To wipe out Heaven’s Gate, you’d need more than talk!
Ye Tian, even if you rally all these outer sect disciples together here, it’s still useless!
They’re as weak as ants before the inner sect disciples.
Ants are just ants; no matter how many there are, they can’t topple an elephant, can they?”
Drunken Arhat dismissed Ye Tian’s gathering of outer sect disciples.
To him, the disparity in strength between outer sect disciples who hadn’t fully cultivated Wind Flow Strength and inner sect disciples was glaringly evident.
This disparity couldn’t simply be bridged by numerical superiority!
“Are they ants?
Perhaps.
But isn’t it true that if ants crawl into an elephant’s ear, the elephant still dies?
Drunken Arhat, don’t underestimate these ants, for today, they are extraordinary ants!”
Ye Tian rebuked, seizing the momentum, just as he asserted.
The outer sect disciples, united with a shared purpose, showcased a fighting spirit and perseverance not easily dismissed.
They were formidable, and soon, in the impending clash with the inner sect disciples, the inner sect would find out!
“Crawl into an elephant’s ear?
What nonsense!”
Ye Tian’s remarks provoked Drunken Arhat’s sensitive nerves yet again!
“Today, I’ll see how you, Ye Tian, this supposed ant, manage to crawl into my elephant’s ear!”
With rage boiling over, Drunken Arhat unleashed his full strength in Ye Tian’s presence, his figure doubling, then quadrupling, then multiplying into countless images…
“Is this an afterimage?”
Observing the endlessly multiplying silhouettes of Drunken Arhat, Ye Tian exclaimed in astonishment.
Ye Tian himself, in wielding the power of life force, had once demonstrated a similar technique — the “Overspeed Blade,” which had shredded even powerhouses like the Rakshasa Queen into fragments.
The phantom-like blade shadows of the “Overspeed Blade” were a type of afterimage.
They were simultaneously false and true.
False, because none of the shadows had a tangible form to capture; true, because each shadow held the capacity to attack!
When Ye Tian employed the “Overspeed Blade,” all of his energy was concentrated into his arms.
Yet this single-armed infusion of energy still consumed immense effort.
To replicate a technique akin to “Overspeed Blade” in Light Skill Steps was extraordinarily taxing…
While Ye Tian temporarily lacked this capability, he hadn’t anticipated that Drunken Arhat’s Qinggong had advanced to such heights!
“Hehehehehe~~~~~ It’s the Gatekeeper’s ‘Mystical Trace Fist.’ How badly I suffered against it!
This time, the guy in front is going to be killed for sure!”
“Drunken Arhat only used five percent of the power of Mystical Trace Fist and was still invincible throughout Heaven’s Gate.
Now he’s using ten percent — the strength of the technique is beyond words!”
“This mastery of Qinggong and conjuring afterimages, I wouldn’t dare fight an opponent like this!”
…
The inner sect disciples of Heaven’s Gate, upon witnessing Drunken Arhat’s Mystical Trace Fist, all wore smug expressions.
In Heaven’s Gate, aside from the Sect Leader, no one could emerge unscathed from this formidable technique.
Although Ye Tian was strong, they were certain he wasn’t Drunken Arhat’s match!
“Boom!”
The situation played out just as the inner sect disciples predicted.
Despite Ye Tian exhausting every ounce of effort to pinpoint Drunken Arhat’s position, he still failed to locate his movements — let alone retaliate!
Seizing the opportunity, Drunken Arhat launched a fierce punch at Ye Tian’s back, sending him flying over ten meters, crashing into a tree.
“Crash!”
The tree fell to the ground upon impact, leaving Ye Tian looking somewhat disheveled as he slowly stood up…
“You’re still able to stand?”
Drunken Arhat stared at Ye Tian in astonishment.
After exerting full effort and pushing Mystical Trace Fist and his attack power to their peak, he couldn’t comprehend how Ye Tian hadn’t crumpled under his blow.
Was this man’s body forged from iron?