Chapter 117: You're So Flirty! Sixty‑One Divine Powers!

This woman, when sparring with the ancient titan, is not a hair's breadth behind; truly she is number one on the Immortal Candidate List.

Chen Zheng hung behind the multitude of thieves who rushed wildly toward the entrance of Mystic Turtle Pavilion, raising his head to watch the battle between Wan Qing Shan and Fan Qingying in the sky.

Wan Qing Shan unleashed a torrenting river a hundred li wide and fifty thousand li long.

The river water was a deep blue; each drop could crush a small hill, being the legendary One-Unit Heavy Water, surging toward Fan Qingying.

Fan Qingying had a massive halo of azure light above his head, with millions of fist-sized thunder clusters swirling around his body, imperiously untouchable.

These thunder clusters were not natural sky lightning and differed greatly from Fang Qingxue's Purple Lightning Yin Thunder Blade.

Instead, they were a chaos‑infused thunder, each cluster emitting a crackling reverberation that seemed like the primordial thunder that sparked the birth of all things when heaven and earth first opened.

It was evidently a supreme divine skill called the Great Chaotic Thunder Technique, a branch of the Great Chaotic Art that ranks among the foremost of the Three Thousand Dao Paths.

The Great Chaotic Thunder Technique kept exploding; wherever it detonated, the One-Unit Heavy Water there burst into sparks.

Indeed, the thunder split the water into fire.

The sparks rained down like countless meteor firestorms, streaking through the sky in chaotic bursts, tearing the heavens—a sight terrifying to the extreme.

In Wan Gui Sea City, many unlucky souls were splashed by the sparks; before they could even scream, they turned into wisps of blue smoke.

It can't be helped; the immortal world is that cruel—human lives are cheaper than grass, and dying from the aftershocks of a strongman's clash is commonplace.

Moreover, Wan Qing Shan and Fan Qingying hadn't unleashed their full power; otherwise, who knows how many would have perished.

Fan Qingying possesses a superior Dao instrument, the Great Chaotic Thunder Sword.

Wan Qing Shan surely has his own Dao instrument as well.

But Chen Zheng has no time to watch the fight.

He has already entered Mystic Turtle Pavilion together with the band of thieves.

Inside the pavilion is a massive hall spanning a hundred thousand zhang; chaos reigns, with tens of thousands of customers panicking, swarming like ants on a hot pan.

Many were trying to flee the pavilion when they ran into the newly arrived thieves, who were casually slaughtered by the band.

Numerous customers were so terrified their guts seemed to split, scrambling toward the wide passages deep within the hall.

"Split up and act!"

The four Divine Kings and the three Golden Core‑level thieves exchanged glances, then each led four or five thieves along a preassigned team, charging down a chosen passage.

Deep within Mystic Turtle Pavilion lie three thousand Bronze Halls, each housing a great formation that pins the pavilion to the ground of Wan Gui Sea City like countless nails.

Only by affixing the triangular object forged by Mr. Hentian onto the Bronze Gate can the nails be severed, disconnecting the formation from Wan Gui Sea City.

Then the entire Mystic Turtle Pavilion can be shaken.

Swish!

Chen Zheng and four other thieves followed Mie Xingdao, rushing into one of the passages.

It is worth noting that he also saw a familiar face—none other than the Demon Marshal Ying Tianqing.

That person entered a neighboring passage together with many customers.

Ying Tianqing is the son of the Primordial Emperor, surely bearing many treasures; Chen Zheng would love to seize them.

But he has no time now; first, together with the thieves, he must cut the connection of the three thousand great formations inside the pavilion.

"So it's you thieves causing trouble!"

"Mie Xingdao, you brute, you hijacked one of my pavilion's merchant ships last time; now you dare to barge in. From today onward, your forty thieves shall no longer need exist in this world!"

Shortly after entering the passage, Chen Zheng and his group reached a crossroads and were met head‑on by eight people from Wan Gui Immortal Island.

The eight instantly recognized the thieves' identities, each bristling with uncontainable rage, eyes flashing murderous intent.

They are one of the Ten Celestial Dao sects—how lofty indeed!

And the forty thieves, how utterly lowly!

Simply put, they're the stinking rats of the gutter!

Now these despicable rats dare to barge in—utterly absurd!

At once, the elder leading the eight unleashed a divine power, charging forward with a fierce aura.

The elder, named Wan Yuhua, is one of the senior Elders dispatched from Wan Gui Immortal Island to manage business at Mystic Turtle Pavilion; his cultivation is comparable to Mie Xingdao's.

"I'll hold them back; you go find the Bronze Hall!" Mie Xingdao signaled to Chen Zheng and the thieves.

"Alright!"

Chen Zheng and the four other thieves nodded in unison and swiftly entered a side branching passage.

Boom—boom—boom!

Soon, explosions echoed from behind, clearly indicating Mie Xingdao had clashed with Wan Yuhua.

Meanwhile, Chen Zheng and his group had reached the depths of Mystic Turtle Pavilion.

Everywhere here are passages, each hundreds of zhang wide, branching in all directions like a maze.

Mystic Turtle Pavilion is a Dao instrument; its interior space is vast enough to house an entire nation without issue.

Chen Zheng's Heavenly Doom Divine Shark Boat, for example, has an even larger interior, capable of holding dozens to hundreds of celestial stars.

"This must be the hall where the great formation is set up."

"Deadly brother."

At the edge of the passage, Chen Zheng saw a bronze‑colored hall with its doors tightly shut; as he was about to affix the triangular object in his hand, a thief suddenly rushed up, as if to discuss something.

The man was burly, with a rugged face, clad in thick black armor, resembling a great general.

He truly had once been a great general of a secular dynasty; after his dynasty was overthrown by another, he fled and became a sea‑borne bandit.

Later, by chance he cultivated the Shen Tong Mi Jing, was subjugated by Fan Qingying, and became the sixth‑ranked "General Thief", his cultivation reaching the Sixth‑level Divine Power Return‑to‑One Realm.

Chen Zheng turned his head toward the General Thief, frowned, and asked, "What's the matter?"

The General Thief chuckled, "Brother, I'm only at the third level of divine power and can't wield much of the Five Prisons King Cauldron's might. Hand the cauldron to me; after I lead you to loot the pavilion, I'll return it to you. How does that sound?"

"Are you sure?" Chen Zheng narrowed his eyes, his tone laced with coldness.

"I'm certain."

Jiang Jun Dao seemed not to notice Chen Zheng's oddity, or perhaps he did notice but didn't care at all.

A sultry woman from behind chimed in: "Death Island Lord, the General is requisitioning the Five Prisons King Cauldron to save face for you; don't be ungrateful. Moreover, only a great man like the General is qualified to wield the cauldron and lead us to complete the mission."

The woman was the 37th-ranked Hu Mei Dao, specializing in luring male cultivators for covert assassinations.

She swayed her serpentine waist forward, pressing her pale, supple body tightly against Jiang Jun Dao.

"You're so lewd,"

Jiang Jun Dao grinned, extending his massive hand to rub and pinch Hu Mei Dao all over, causing her body to tremble wildly as she gasped heavily.

The two indulged in their amorous display as if no one were there, making the two other thieves behind them gulp and foam at the mouth.

They also seemed to disregard Chen Zheng, adopting an attitude as if they had already claimed victory over him.

Come to think of it, Chen Zheng's impersonation of the Death Island Lord only possessed three layers of divine power; even if he activated the Five Prisons King Cauldron, at most he could cross two realms to slay enemies, far from being a match for Jiang Jun Dao.

Chen Zheng let out a sigh: "I originally didn't intend to kill you, but now it seems I have no choice."

The Three Thousand Great Array within the Mysterious Turtle Hall remained unbroken, and it was a time to recruit manpower, so he couldn't yet strike the thieves down.

Yet there are always those who ignore death and try to seize the Five Prisons King Cauldron; he had no way to stop them.

"You'd kill us? Ha ha!" Jiang Jun Dao and Hu Mei Dao were startled by Chen Zheng's words, then couldn't help bursting into laughter, rolling with mirth.

The two thieves watching from behind also laughed, as if they'd heard the world's most ridiculous joke.

Pfft!

But as a sharp blade sliced flesh, the smiles on everyone's faces froze.

Because Chen Zheng's five fingers were nailed into Jiang Jun Dao's Heavenly Spirit Cover like spikes.

"Ah, you dare hurt me? Frenzied Divine Eye, die!"

Jiang Jun Dao winced in pain, eyes flaring, shooting two black beams toward Chen Zheng.

He truly lived up to being the sixth-ranked Great Thief, ferocious indeed, daring to resist at this moment.

"Can something like this even be called a Divine Eye?"

Chen Zheng sneered disdainfully, exhaled in one breath, and the two black beams vanished.

"How could that be? No..."

Watching one by one.

Jiang Jun Dao turned pale with horror, his whole body trembling, pleading for mercy.

Chen Zheng gave no chance; the hand gripping his Heavenly Spirit Cover shifted slightly, and he tore the man's head off, tossing it onto the ground like trash to roll.

"Ah, you killed Jiang Jun Dao? No, don't kill me! I'm useful, I can be your..."

Hu Mei Dao was splashed with fresh blood from Jiang Jun Dao's headless corpse, screaming in terror, only to be kicked by Chen Zheng, slammed against the wall, becoming a clump of rotting flesh stuck to the wall, dead beyond death.

"..."

The two thieves watching the spectacle behind almost froze in fright.

They never expected Chen Zheng would, in an instant, slay both Jiang Jun Dao and Hu Mei Dao.

What cultivation level does the Death Island Lord actually have?

How could an ant possibly bite an elephant to death?

Could it truly be as Fan Qingying said, that the Death Island Lord is an impostor?

Bang bang!

Just as the two formed those thoughts, their chests were struck by a massive force, their bodies shot out like cannonballs, crashing into the wall and becoming two clumps of bleeding flesh hanging on the wall.

Swish swish swish!

Chen Zheng waved his hand; the treasure items on the four dead bodies flew out, and together with the Five Prisons King Cauldron, he sucked them into a Chaotic Space.

The cauldron's mission was complete; there was no need to keep it on his person.

As for killing the four thieves, he wasn't worried whether it would affect the plan to isolate the Three Thousand Great Array.

Tu, Mie, Xuan, and Huang—the four divine clans should be able to handle everything.

Even if they can't, he could simply abandon the Mysterious Turtle Hall and loot all the treasures here before leaving.

"Death Island Lord, you truly are an impostor, how dare you..."

Just after Chen Zheng finished killing, an angry roar echoed from the passage he had come through.

It was Mie Xing Dao who sensed the commotion, discarding Wan Yuhua, and charged at Chen Zheng.

Boom boom boom!

The man moved at lightning speed, appearing in Chen Zheng's passage in an instant, spitting out dazzling starlight; within the light swirled Myriad Star Sand, each grain exploding like thunder, as if it could shatter heaven and earth.

This divine technique is called Star Sand Refining Thunder, which gathers starlight to forge fine grains of sand, each grain a divine thunder.

If countless star sands envelop a person and explode together, anyone would be reduced to dust.

"Get lost!"

Chen Zheng also opened his mouth, spewing boundless sky-cold thunder qi, turning into a hail of flying frost.

All along the way, the surging Myriad Star Sand was frozen solid, turning into void.

The flying frost continued unabated, instantly engulfing Mie Xing Dao, freezing him into an ice statue.

"How could this person be so strong?"

Mie Xing Dao was horrified, hurriedly circulating his internal mana, trying to break free from the frost covering his body, but his mana could not exit his body.

Even his prized treasures, the Falling Star Bow and Shooting Star Arrow, could not be summoned.

To forcefully break the frost's shackles, he would have to sacrifice his life-born Golden Core.

He would even have to detonate the Golden Core, perishing together with Chen Zheng.

He gritted his teeth, ready to sacrifice the Golden Core.

But at that moment, the flying frost on his body suddenly changed, turning into scalding lava; with just one burn, it melted more than half of his flesh and blood.

"I'll go all out against you!"

Mie Xingdao, filled with hatred and urgency, knew he was in a death‑bound situation; with a hardened heart, his destined Golden Core flew out from the top of his head, emanating a destructive aura, intending to self‑detonate.

But a spray of Huangquan Holy Water suddenly fell on the Golden Core, dousing the destructive aura it emitted.

"Ah…"

Mie Xingdao, unwilling, roared, his whole body melting away, leaving only his destined Golden Core floating in midair.

"Not good!"

Wan Yuhua chased after them and happened to witness the scene; though she couldn't understand why the Forty Great Thieves suddenly turned on each other, Chen Zheng's method of slashing Mie Xingdao shocked her to the core, and she fled back in panic.

A Golden Core‑realm strongman didn't even have time to self‑detonate before Chen Zheng cut him down; it was terrifying.

But just as he began to move, Chen Zheng's massive hand tore through the void, arrived in an instant, and pinched his neck.

"Warrior, we are friends, not foes, spare…"

Wan Yuhua pleaded loudly for mercy, but Chen Zheng's expression remained cold; blazing flames surged from his hand, enveloping the person entirely, and in an instant reduced him to ash.

He obtained another Golden Core.

However, Wan Yuhua's Golden Core contained only fifteen arts, a mere twenty‑something thousand horse‑power of magical force, not far off from the Lingxiao Flow.

Fortunately, this person possessed a priceless treasure called the Yuhua Sword, which was a decent haul.

Mie Xingdao, however, was slightly stronger than the former; his Golden Core harbored twenty arts, with magical force reaching over three hundred thousand horse‑power, and he also left Chen Zheng a set of priceless treasure bows and arrows.

"Not bad."

Chen Zheng nodded with satisfaction, casually affixed a triangular object to the nearby bronze great gate, and proceeded deeper into the passage.

At the same time, he stowed the newly acquired priceless treasure, and true fire surged from his hand, refining the two Golden Cores.

With his current cultivation, refining the two Golden Cores was a breeze; in a fleeting instant he melted them.

He also merged the Book of the Boundless Stars, the Northern Dipper Great Hand Seal, the Southern Dipper Longevity Qi… and other arts from the Golden Cores into his body, refining his magical force to one million three hundred thousand horse‑power.

The last time he refined Wan Luo's Golden Core, his internal arts reached twenty‑three types.

He further cultivated three more 'Ji' characters, bringing the count to twenty‑six.

Now, having obtained the Golden Cores of two Ancient Giants, his arts have risen to sixty‑one types.

However, aside from the seven Ji characters, the Panwu Great Strength Art, the Great Cutting Technique, and a few Supreme Arts, the rest are merely Great Arts of lower quality.

"There are fifteen Five‑Element arts, which can be devoured with the Great Five Elements Technique. The Book of the Boundless Stars is an important branch of the Great Celestial Technique, and it can also fuse numerous stellar arts for refinement,"

(End of Chapter)