Chapter 106: The Fall of the Golden Gate

At the summit of Pingkang Mountain, the rocks trembled.

A slender figure suddenly burst forth, shooting into the air.

Over thirty Golden Eagle Captains, who had been guarding for hours, were caught off guard—but under the command of two deputy generals, their movements never slowed a fraction.

“Lock him down!”

Cold iron chains snaked out like living serpents, instantly binding the man in midair with perfect tightness.

Dozens of Demon-Subduing Chains stretched taut; the two deputy generals focused their spirits, feet planted on the array’s core, channeling the collective qi of all present into the chains.

They immediately pulled out specially crafted silver hooks meant to pierce the clavicles, ready to leap upward—when their expressions suddenly changed.

The iron chains grew even tighter; these chains could bind Golden Core demons, so they certainly wouldn’t break—the problem lay with the dozens of Demon-Subduing Captains below.

Their faces twisted, veins bulging on their foreheads as they strained to grip the chains with all their strength.

Their boots sank into the earth, knees cracking under the strain.

Even so, the figure in the air still trembled faintly.

“…”

On the tip of a towering ancient cypress, Jiang Chengyun stood with his hands behind his back.

Observing the distant scene, he felt a flicker of surprise: “Such a brutal body refinement technique.”

Only those who had truly reached the Golden Core realm could understand the terrifying chasm separating it from the Jade Fluid realm—and the abbot’s current power had nearly crossed half that gap… perhaps even more.

The Golden Gate abbot stared blankly downward, then at the chains binding his body, before suddenly grabbing them with his free hand.

His consciousness seemed to sharpen slightly.

The strange smile vanished, replaced by boundless coldness.

“Below Golden Core, I am invincible.”

As he spoke, he yanked casually—and dozens of captains staggered backward.

“Above Golden Core…”

The abbot calmly peeled off the chains, exuding effortless composure: “Still worth a fight.”

“Hmph.”

Jiang Chengyun shook his head, not bothering to refute the man’s claim in his mind.

He extended his palm, swiftly gathering a thread of black-and-white qi. With this abbot’s ability, he already had the means to escape—even if Jiang himself intervened, he couldn’t afford to be careless.

Just as he prepared to leap from the branch, his movement paused.

From the temple entrance, a figure in dark robes stepped out without hesitation, instantly soaring into the air.

A clean, sharp whip kick slammed hard into the abbot’s shoulder!

CRASH!!

The old abbot, still calmly pulling at his chains, was suddenly smashed downward—unprepared.

BOOM—

Radiating from him, multiple fissures rapidly spread across the ground.

The Golden Gate abbot lay in the deep crater, staring upward in utter confusion. He saw Shen Yi tug at his collar, casually shrugging off the menacing wolf fur cloak, then charging forward again!

He opened with the Vein-Cutting Dragon Grasp.

His fists rained down like a storm!

The abbot rolled to his feet and countered with fists and palms—neither dodged, neither wasted a single flourish; their movements were brutal, direct, and clean.

Trees thick as several men could embrace crumbled at contact; ancient stones, worn by centuries, shattered on touch.

Those watching nearby were stunned—none of this was the power of a Jade Fluid cultivator.

“…”

Jiang Chengyun watched silently from afar.

In a clash between body-refined martial artists, even he couldn’t clearly tell who would win.

He merely reassessed Shen Yi’s strength.

No wonder he dared be so arrogant—beyond his youthful mastery of Jade Fluid peak, he possessed an astonishingly hardened body.

Even if I hadn’t come today, he wouldn’t have captured the Golden Gate abbot—but at least he could’ve protected himself easily.

Good! Good!

Arrogance without power is conceit—but when matched with power worthy of such arrogance, that’s true talent!

Qingzhou needs this kind of fresh blood—and only those with such ability will ever have the right to stand behind Jiang Qiulan.

Jiang Chengyun refused to raise children for Chen Qiankun, and disliked his grandmother’s inexplicable mercy.

But now, he slowly stepped forward on the branch, content to tidy up the unfinished business of this young, still-growing colleague.

At that moment—

Shen Yi, locked in combat with the abbot, calmly glanced toward the distance.

Under that sudden gaze, Jiang Chengyun frowned slightly: “...”

He’d only leaked a trace of his aura—and yet, mid-battle, this man still had the spare awareness to observe his surroundings?

And what was that look meant to warn him about?

Jiang Chengyun’s expression shifted—he truly hadn’t intended to steal credit; this boy was adapting to the Silver Bell Demon-Hunter identity faster than anyone had imagined.

“You thief of stolen arts!”

The Golden Gate abbot suddenly roared, enraged to his limit—his arms blazed with black-and-white qi, the power within now stronger by a third than before.

Clearly, he had recognized the origin of Shen Yi’s hardened body.

His fury was laced with envy!

The Bodhi Tree had withered from excessive, unenlightened harvesting by martial artists—so where had this man found a similar spiritual plant? If we had access to it, why bother with this futile attempt to revive the Golden Gate through other martial arts?

Moreover, the youth’s strength already surpassed the upper limit of the Bodhi Golden Body, and even outmatched his half-scroll of Golden Core body refinement technique by a slight margin.

Had I not finally perfected it today, I might have fallen to him.

“...”

Shen Yi adjusted his breath, delivering a final thrusting punch to seal the monk’s right arm.

Even with the power of the Jiao Demon, the Hundred-Forged Crocodile Body, and the superior Jade Fluid body refinement technique, he still felt strain.

The Vein-Cutting Dragon Grasp was blocked by the black-and-white qi, its effect weak—only slightly slowing the abbot’s movements, but enough to prevent escape.

In an instant, the straight ceremonial blade drew from its sheath.

He unleashed all his power into Greedy Wolf’s Demon-Slaying—the blade turned pitch black, driving straight into the abbot’s chest, sinking an inch into flesh.

The old monk clasped his palms together, trapping the blade.

The muscle around the wound surged violently, black-and-white light flickering as it slowly pushed the blade outward.

“I said—below Golden Core, I am invincible!”

The abbot’s face twisted in a cold, vicious grin as he steadily increased pressure, aiming to snap the straight blade in two.

Shen Yi’s expression didn’t change—only his pupils ignited with a drop of crimson.

The molten sun furnace, woven from countless dark red veins, roared to life for a single instant—the external elixir suspended in his dantian stirred awake, and streams of demonic sha surged forth.

Unlike before, when he’d lost all control, this time—with experience—he guided them through his palms into the ceremonial blade.

The pitch-black blade shimmered with a sinister aura!

SPLASH!

The old monk stared down in shock, watching the blade pierce through him—his lifeblood uncontrollably sucked into the blade’s edge.

His powerful body withered rapidly; his smooth skin visibly shriveled before their eyes.

He reacted instantly, trying to shove Shen Yi away—but crimson light suddenly flared on the blade, violently ravaging his body, shredding his organs into sludge and devouring them whole.

“...” The captains and deputy generals had thought the two were evenly matched—until Shen my lord seemed bored, drew his sword, and slew the old monk with a single cut.

“...” Compared to others, Jiang Chengyun saw more clearly—but his emotions were much the same.

First, he used the Regional Commander’s ultimate technique, Vein-Cutting Dragon Grasp, to slightly seal the abbot’s meridians—fearing escape, proving Shen Yi lacked confidence in his own mobility.

That final strike, though seemingly ordinary, was a perilous, high-cost killing technique.

Even I, a Golden Core martial artist, would need to exert considerable effort to withstand it.

These Jade Fluid cultivators now... each one is more incomprehensible than the last.

“Huh.”

Shen Yi withdrew the blade and casually returned it to its sheath.

He adjusted his collar, glancing at the abbot reduced to nothing but a husk, and raised an eyebrow.

You said you were invincible below Golden Core.

Then what am I?

(End of Chapter)