Chapter 864: A Grand Scheme

"Chen Yan?"

Chen Fazheng looked toward Xia Zhiyang, light flickering in his pupils:

"He didn't die?

Chen Cheng didn't kill him?"

Xia Zhiyang nodded quietly:

"It wasn't Chen Cheng, it was Chen Yuan."

Chen Fazheng's eyes were calm, his expression serene, yet he slowly shook his head:

"I know him, the greatest talent of all time, the Great Xia Divine General, the most dashing figure in the human world.

But I have been laying the groundwork for tens of thousands of years; how can I bear a variable that has only existed for these short two or three years?"

Xia Zhiyang seemed to have anticipated that Chen Fazheng would refuse, and spoke calmly:

"He was able to achieve a reversal in just a few short years; you could take out the Emperor Fruit as an investment."

"Investment?" Chen Fazheng looked at Xia Zhiyang with a solemn expression:

"The Master of Blood Qi had better return. Not to mention Xuan Yi, just look at the seven Dao Children under my command—which one of them isn't a peerless Eighth-Order expert I have painstakingly cultivated for tens of thousands of years?

You want me to invest in a Chen Yan who appeared out of nowhere; what are you trying to do?

Are you denying my forbearance, or mocking my plans?"

Chen Fazheng's voice grew colder and colder, his gaze clashing with Xia Zhiyang's:

"As you said, you are a Master of Martial Dao, and so am I.

If the Master of Blood Qi is dissatisfied, then this Chen would also like to ask the Venerable for some pointers."

In an instant.

The vast center of the lake was filled with a crimson sky; this radiance continuously overflowed, layer upon layer, manifesting as a blood-colored starry sky emerging from the bottom up.

Xia Zhiyang stood calmly, looking around; billions of array patterns flickered in the void, and a tremendous power of rules locked onto him.

A smile appeared at the corners of Xia Zhiyang's mouth; he raised his head, his golden dragon robe billowing from an invisible force.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A thunderous roar of blood Qi resounded from within Xia Zhiyang's body, as if the entire world were trembling.

At this moment, Xia Zhiyang's body was covered in divine light, and his eyes released a terrifying gaze that swept across the Sea of Malice.

Chen Fazheng's eyes were cold and sharp; with a wave of his hand, countless array patterns surged toward Xia Zhiyang.

With a boom.

The lakeshore, the distant mountains, and the firmament all vanished.

The world was torn apart as crudely as fabric, revealing an endless Sea of Malice.

The two Masters of Martial Dao stepped out from within the shattered spatial fault; where their toes lightly touched, the foundations of reality groaned under the unbearable burden.

The next moment.

They collided.

Within the Central Divine Land.

Countless living beings sensed the continuous, terrifying tremors and looked out toward the Sea of Malice beyond the Divine Soil.

There, the million-mile Sea of Malice was constantly shaking; gravity was abnormal, the world was spinning, and space was twisting and knotting.

Countless people watched in shock, not daring to speak.

Xuan Yi Dao Abode.

A tall, fat man dressed in white sensed the roaring of rules from the depths of the Sea of Malice, intense wariness appearing in his eyes.

"Still one last step away."

Xuan Yi whispered:

"Still one last step away, and I can be like that too."

The matter of the conflict with Chen Yan was merely an interlude for Xuan Yi.

In his tens of thousands of years of memory, the only thing he yearned for was the Ninth Order.

Immediately after.

"The Emperor Fruit—only the Emperor Fruit can make my tens of thousands of years of accumulation completely solid, and it will also make me a truly one-in-a-million Eighth-Order expert."

Thinking of something, Xuan Yi said calmly:

"Go tell Mu Yun Hai, if he dares to subdue Chen Yan, I, Xuan Yi, will disregard everything to strike at him first!

To use me, Xuan Yi, as a blade—he certainly has a lot of nerve!"

"Yes!"

A voice rang out, and immediately a stream of light flew out from the Xuan Yi Dao Abode, boarding a boat-leaf to head toward the Yun Hai Dao Abode.

…………

Qingwu Dao Abode.

A red-clad woman wearing a mask stepped out from the Immortal Terrace and looked toward a certain spot within the Sea of Malice.

"Who is Teacher dueling with?"

Ruan Qingwu whispered, her voice filled with intense shock.

She shook her head slightly, coldness flickering in the eyes beneath her mask; with a single finger, wisps of silver light transformed into an array disk that flew out.

"Send this array disk to the Yun Hai Dao Abode and deliver it into Chen Yan's hands."

"Yes!"

Amidst the clouds and mist, someone caught the array disk and asked:

"Does the Dao Child intend to become completely hostile toward that Chen Yan?"

Ruan Qingwu shook her head and said:

"This is already my most critical moment; why make an enemy, especially one whose depth I do not know?"

Amidst the clouds and mist, that person said in a low voice:

"But he killed Miss Qingyu."

Beneath her mask, Ruan Qingwu's gaze was cold and sharp:

"I know. My heart will not be at peace until this grudge is avenged, but now is not the time.

Qingyu was also considering me when she befriended Xuan Yi.

Regrettably, what Qingyu did not know was that even if she befriended Xuan Yi, Xuan Yi would still destroy me in the future."

Ruan Qingwu's voice grew increasingly cold.

The Seven Great Dao Children were inherently locked in a life-or-death struggle.

The reason Ruan Qingwu allowed Ruan Qingyu to take orders from Xuan Yi was also to make Xuan Yi delay taking action against her.

Yet Xuan Yi's heart was punishable; he made Ruan Qingyu completely antagonize Chen Yan, causing Chen Yan to strike and kill Ruan Qingyu.

Xuan Yi naturally did not fear Chen Yan.

But it caused Ruan Qingwu to inadvertently gain a formidable enemy.

Xuan Yi was eager for Chen Yan to kill Ruan Qingyu, so that Chen Yan would then come to cause trouble for her, Ruan Qingwu.

Now, what Ruan Qingwu needed to do was tell Chen Yan that Xuan Yi was the true enemy, not her, Ruan Qingwu.

"What is even more hateful is that Mu Yun Hai."

Ruan Qingwu let out a cold snort:

"Fang Rui is his man, and he was the first to know Chen Yan's location.

It was he who deliberately released news of Chen Yan to first befriend Chen Yan.

Then he sat back and watched Chen Yan be targeted by Xuan Yi; if Chen Yan died, then Chen Yan would not have the qualifications to be subdued by him, Mu Yun Hai.

If Chen Yan lived, Chen Yan would only be bound to him even more tightly."

Ruan Qingwu murmured, then frowned and said:

"But how did he know Chen Yan was being targeted by an Ancient God Beast?

Does he have a deep connection with the Law Enforcers, or..."

As Ruan Qingwu spoke, a smile appeared at the corners of her mouth:

"Mu Yun Hai, oh Mu Yun Hai, I didn't expect you to be the first person to reveal a flaw."

The next moment, Ruan Qingwu looked into the turbulent Sea of Malice.

There, space was at times expanding and at times collapsing.

There, the rules themselves were twisting.

When two heaven-shaking and earth-shattering forces collided, reality was torn open, creating gaps that spanned all dimensions.

Endless phenomena collided with one another, and the entire world was stirred by great ripples.

Gradually, the ripples dissipated, and the turbulence slowly vanished.

"Are they done fighting?" Ruan Qingwu whispered:

"Those who can fight the Teacher to this extent can only be those few.

If I obtain the Emperor Fruit, I will also have the qualifications to touch that level."

…………

Drip!

Central Shentu, above the lake.

The Master of Arrays was stained with blood, his physical body split by several deep marks.

Within the flesh wounds, there was no blood or flesh, but rather black energy of life and destruction killing wildly; at times the trajectories of stars appeared, at times the Dao patterns of destruction were revealed, yet they could not shake him in the slightest.

He hung his head, his white hair bathed in blood, his pair of eyes calm yet terrifying.

"The people of the Xia Clan are indeed overbearing in their actions..."

He spoke calmly, blood flowing from his mouth, staining the lake water red.

"Overbearing, you say?"

An aged voice suddenly rang out.

"I see your Chen Clan is not much different."

Chen Fazheng's pupils constricted as he looked forward.

There.

An old man in black stood above the lake, his dark robes hanging down like ink soaking into the surroundings, his silver beard distinct in every strand yet moving without wind.

His eyes were half-closed, yet imperial pressure still radiated from them; his knuckles were slightly curled as if they could crush mountains and rivers.

Chen Fazheng stood up and bowed in salute:

"Greetings, Lord Xia!"

At this moment, the one who had arrived was none other than the Master of Tempering.

Lord Xia glanced indifferently at Chen Fazheng, his hands behind his back:

"Back then, your five clan ancestors helped me conquer the world. I had mercy in my heart, so I only suppressed those old fellows and left a path of survival for their descendants."

Lord Xia walked slowly, arriving beside Chen Fazheng, his eyes filled with indifferent light:

"Do you say my decision back then was wrong or right?"

Chen Fazheng's eyes narrowed slightly, and he did not speak.

Lord Xia, however, smiled:

"In my view, that is normal.

After all, if you keep a dog for too long, once it becomes confident and well-fed, it will naturally bite its master.

If one dog is like this, five dogs banded together will naturally be even more confident."

Chen Fazheng kept his head bowed, maintaining his bowing posture, yet a cold glint flashed through his eyes.

The Xia Lord seemed to notice the cold glint in his eyes and revealed a smile:

"However, I do not care.

Because in my eyes, are those descendants of the Xia Clan not also just dogs that can only bark?"

Chen Fazheng spoke up:

"In the eyes of the Xia Lord, all living beings under heaven are naturally treated with equality."

The Xia Lord narrowed his eyes:

"Do I need you to remind me of that?"

A monstrous imperial might radiated from the Xia Lord's body, constantly intertwining, seeking to force Chen Fazheng to submit.

Chen Fazheng remained bowing, his expression calm.

"What a Chen Fazheng, what a Chen Yuan, what a Chen Yan.

If not for the Ancient Gods, your Chen Clan would truly be the number one clan under heaven."

The Xia Lord slowly turned his head:

"That Emperor Fruit..."

Chen Fazheng's pupils trembled; he slowly closed his eyes, feeling a hint of helplessness.

He had known the Xia Lord also came for the Emperor Fruit.

"I, Chen Fazheng, have never slacked in my life, guarding the Evil Realm for tens of thousands of years, even if..."

Chen Fazheng said in a low voice.

"I know the Emperor Fruit is one of your plans; I am not asking you to give the Emperor Fruit to Chen Yan." The Xia Lord interrupted Chen Fazheng.

Chen Fazheng paused and did not speak.

"Just give him a qualification; if he cannot compete for it, that is his own problem," the Xia Lord said calmly.

"Give him a qualification?" Chen Fazheng's brow relaxed:

"The Xia Lord trusts that Chen Yan so much?"

"It is not that I trust him," the Xia Lord slowly shook his head:

"It is that I know if I force it upon him, he will not want it."

Chen Fazheng was stunned.

That was the Emperor Fruit.

Who would not want it?

The Xia Lord looked at Chen Fazheng and laughed:

"Although you are in the Evil Realm, you can enter the outside world, so you have naturally heard of Chen Yan's deeds."

"I have heard of them," Chen Fazheng nodded:

"But what I care about more is the Master of Will behind him."

After speaking, Chen Fazheng raised his head and stared at the Xia Lord.

The meaning in those eyes was too clear.

Chen Fazheng guessed that the Master of Will was actually the Xia Lord.

As a Master of Martial Dao, Chen Fazheng knew well the difficulty of pioneering a martial path.

Especially a physical martial path.

And one that could devour and extinguish malice at that.

The level of difficulty was unimaginable.

Even he, Chen Fazheng, found it hard to fathom the process of creating the path of Will.

Whoever could create the path of Will must be someone who knew the three great physical martial paths and malice like the back of their hand.

Aside from the Xia Lord, he could not guess anyone else.

Chen Fazheng knew that the Xia Lord had always been researching malice.

The Xia Lord swept a cold glance at Chen Fazheng.

Chen Fazheng thought this, and the Ancient God Beasts thought so too.

"When Chen Yan was taking the college entrance exam, I personally went down to lecture him on the Dao, but I was rejected by him," the Xia Lord said calmly.

A trace of surprise appeared in Chen Fazheng's eyes, but he did not comment further.

Does the Xia Lord not have any self-awareness?

If you let someone be your teacher, the path of one's entire life is set in stone.

If he took the Xia Lord as his master, then Chen Yan would no longer be Chen Yan, but would become a puppet of the Xia Lord.

Chen Fazheng spoke up:

"What does the Xia Lord think of Xuan Yi?"

He changed the subject, not wanting to waste breath on the matter of Chen Yan.

The Xia Lord looked at Chen Fazheng: "I know you have put effort into him, and I know this person is indeed extraordinary, arguably the strongest at the eighth rank in the Evil Realm.

But compared to Lu Xunyang, he is still a bit lacking."

A smile appeared at the corner of Chen Fazheng's mouth:

"The Xia Lord has only seen the part he has chosen to display."

The Xia Lord frowned slightly:

"What do you mean?"

Chen Fazheng said quietly:

"Giving Chen Yan a chance is certainly possible, but Chen Yan is absolutely no match for Xuan Yi.

Because what Xuan Yi possesses is not just the strength of this lifetime.

He himself is a master of all six paths, having reached the pinnacle in every single martial path, but this pinnacle is only that of this lifetime."

The Xia Lord was unimpressed:

"Even if he has other lifetimes, it is not as good as reaching the absolute peak in one lifetime, nor is it as good as entering the realm of no one else in a single martial path."

Chen Fazheng said calmly:

"Why must the Xia Lord assert that Xuan Yi cannot reach the end of a single martial path?"

Chen Fazheng's voice fell.

The Xia Lord's eyes suddenly narrowed.

The entire lake became quiet to an eerie degree.

The Xia Lord turned his head to gaze at Chen Fazheng and said in a deep voice:

"I think I understand your plan now."

The Xia Lord narrowed his eyes:

"I was wondering why the strongest of the five ancient divine beasts, the Turbid Core Wumeng, would have appeared within the universe back then to ambush the Master of True Intent.

To scheme against a Master of Martial Dao, you truly are bold!"