Chapter 313: Decisive Battle (Part 3)

The Array was still continuing; as True Qi and life force entered, Gu Yuanzong's body became young and strong once again.

A power that did not belong to him surged toward him; Gu Yuanzong sensed Chen Che's change and narrowed his eyes to look over.

"Your Secret Technique is of no use to me now, and you are no longer a threat to me..."

Before he could finish speaking, Gu Yuanzong suddenly frowned and scrutinized Chen Che.

With True Qi filling his pupils, Gu Yuanzong saw through the changes in Chen Che's body.

The Ghost Gate Needle acted upon the heart, perfectly suppressing the erosion of the Great Red Sun Poison, and the True Qi hidden deep within the body surged out continuously.

"This is not a Secret Technique!"

Gu Yuanzong exclaimed, "This is your original True Qi, but this is impossible!"

"You are only in your twenties; how could you possibly have such abundant True Qi, and how could you be at the Heavenly Master realm?!"

Gu Yuanzong could not accept it; he had spent thirty years reaching the Heavenly Master realm by relying on the Secret Technique of the Stone Stele and the support of those people, which was already considered a legendary feat.

Yet Chen Che was only twenty-five; even if he had started cultivating from his mother's womb, it would be impossible for him to reach the Heavenly Master realm!

The Stone Stele...

It must be the Heavenly Book Stele!

Chen Che had seen the Heavenly Book Stele; he must have comprehended some method to rapidly increase his strength—it must be so!

Chen Che completed the combination of the Array and the Ghost Gate Needle, perfectly suppressing the Great Red Sun Poison; he exhaled a breath and looked up calmly at Gu Yuanzong.

The Blood Moon Array also stopped operating at this moment, the Ritual concluded smoothly, and the True Qi and life force of everyone within the Barrier, along with the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi on the Blood Moon, all entered Gu Yuanzong's body.

Gu Yuanzong transformed from an old man at the sunset of his life into a youth like Chen Che, his body filled with boundless, infinite power.

"So you comprehended it from the Heavenly Book Stele, but it is useless! The Ritual is complete, and I am now a god in this world; my strength is far beyond what the Heavenly Master realm can compare to!"

Gu Yuanzong hovered in the air, his entire body radiating dazzling light.

Chen Che narrowed his eyes; he keenly observed that the radiance emanating from Gu Yuanzong's body was actually leaking out from beneath his cracking skin.

He had indeed absorbed infinite power, but he had not become a god; a mortal body simply could not withstand such infinite power at this moment.

Having figured this out, Chen Che revealed a mocking sneer:

"You think that by taking the True Qi of others as your own you can become a god, but the records on the Heavenly Book Stele and the Mural never once said that this was the path to becoming a god, and you will not be the one who becomes a god!"

Chen Che clenched his right hand into a fist and raised it above his head, "I am going to let you know now that the strength you spent years plotting to achieve godhood with is nothing in front of me!"

Chen Che swung his fist toward the ground.

"Boom!"

The earth cracked, spreading layer by layer in all directions, and the True Qi carried by his fist also violently wiped away the Array Diagram on the ground.

Having lost the effect of the Array Diagram, the Barrier shrouding the entire mountain also showed a trace of slackening.

Gu Yuanzong's expression sank, and he scoffed, "You think that becoming a Heavenly Master makes you my opponent? Since you are so arrogant, then today I will show you what the posture of a god is! And what the attitude of a weakling should be!"

Gu Yuanzong's body shook, and flowing light splashed from him; he dove from the air toward Chen Che like a hunting falcon, swift and fierce.

Chen Che kicked off the ground, his whole body shrouded in True Qi, and shot out to meet Gu Yuanzong.

Both of their speeds were as fast as lightning; every move and style was extremely ruthless, leaving no room for error. Every time they made contact, they sought to kill the other, and every time they separated, they engaged again with even fiercer moves.

The sky seemed to be torn apart; dark clouds gathered and thunder rolled, as if a heavenly god were beating drums in the clouds to cheer for this battle.

Amidst the flashes of lightning and rolls of thunder, two figures crossed above the clouds; their power shook the heavens and the earth, causing the surrounding air to tremble.

The battle intensified, and the elements between heaven and earth seemed to be attracted by this fight; winds rose and clouds surged, and a storm formed around them, spreading the aftermath of the battle to even further places.

Trees were uprooted, dust flew, and the entire battlefield was shrouded in an apocalyptic atmosphere.

Just then, a dazzling light cut through the sky; a silvery-white thunderbolt tore through the night curtain and struck down overhead.

Gu Yuanzong waved his long arm, and thousands of flowing lights condensed into a shield, catching the attack of the thunderbolt and pushing it upward without a moment's pause.

The dark clouds in the sky grew denser, and electric snakes wove through the cloud layers; every thunderclap was accompanied by a release of power, yet the thunderbolt ultimately failed to break the flowing light shield, and the cloud mass containing the thunderous force was shattered by the shield and vanished into nothingness.

Chen Che swept out from the cloud mass, turned in the air, and released all the True Qi within his body; guided by the incantation, the True Qi transformed.

The dark clouds re-condensed, spreading across the sky like splashed ink, so thick they almost crushed the entire mountain range.

A suffocating tension permeated the air, as if even breathing had become difficult.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning cut through the sky like a heavenly god's sword, tearing the dark sky into two halves.

That moment of brightness was brief yet intense, illuminating the entire night sky and also illuminating Gu Yuanzong's astonished face.

Immediately following, thunder roared like a thousand armies galloping past, deafening to the ears.

The sound echoed between the cloud layers, as if it would shake the entire universe.

Every thunderclap was accompanied by another tearing of the sky; lightning danced like wild silver snakes, weaving wantonly through the clouds, and every flicker of theirs signaled the infinite power of nature.

Chen Che hovered beneath the dark clouds, and thousands of lightning bolts struck him, as if a great master undergoing a tribulation were summoning heaven and earth.

"This is not right! How could a Heavenly Master have the ability to harness the power of nature?! This is impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

Gu Yuanzong looked at Chen Che, who was in the center of the roaring lightning, and shrieked hysterically.

Because compared to himself, Chen Che looked more like a god descended to earth.

Moreover, he had stayed at the Heavenly Master realm for years, and he knew exactly how much strength this realm possessed.

Even if Chen Che had comprehended the Heavenly Book Stele to break through to the Heavenly Master realm, it was impossible for him to be this strong!

"I have said it before, you were never a god, and furthermore... you never understood what a Martial Artist is!"

Chen Che stretched his body and pointed toward the sky; within the rolling thunderclouds, it seemed as if a giant beast were tossing and turning.

"Boom!!!"

The sound of thunder resonated through heaven and earth, and the ground trembled because of this roar.

The cloud curtain tore open, and a majestic Thunder Dragon poked out its head.

………

Beijing.

Atop the towering high walls stood a red-wood pavilion with a hip-and-gable roof.

Wu Qingkui stood inside the pavilion, gazing toward the south; the thick clouds and the emerging Thunder Giant Dragon were still dazzling in the night sky, even from over a thousand miles away.

"Mistress, if you are worried, you can contact Luo Lin now."

Xie Wanning appeared behind Wu Qingkui and spoke.

Wu Qingkui shook her head: "If Luo Lin had completely controlled the situation, such a scene would not have appeared."

"The second one is also in Jinling; with her strength, she can save Chen Che's life no matter what, so you can rest assured."

Xie Wanning spoke words of comfort, yet she herself gazed at the silvery white on the horizon, her face showing worry.

………

"How is it? Is there any news from Jinling?"

The Zhou Family Patriarch rushed into the Han Family in a great hurry, his face full of anxiety as he asked Han Bailing.

Han Bailing puffed on his pipe, glanced up at the Zhou Family Patriarch, and shook his head.

The Zhou Family Patriarch became anxious instantly: "When you asked me to intercept and kill the person coming from Jinling, you didn't say that person was Cheng Kexin, who is now famous in both the Inspection Bureau and the True Qi research circle!

If Gu Yuanzong cannot handle the matter cleanly in Jinling now, the next ones to suffer will be us!"

Han Bailing watched the Zhou Family Patriarch silently, looking calm and composed, but the way he kept sucking on the pipe mouthpiece exposed his inner panic.

"Our two families both had a part in the events of that year; I have already done the intercepting and killing, so you should also put in some effort."

"What about the Li Family? Why don't you go find them?!"

"I will also go find the Li Family, but it is not the time yet; the Li Family has a special relationship with that woman, so if we are to use them, it must be at a critical moment."

Han Bailing put down his pipe and said slowly.

"I don't care about that, just tell me what to do now? Jinling, your cousin, Gu Yuanzong—do you really not intend to manage it?"

The Zhou Family Patriarch sat down in front of Han Bailing and questioned him.

"In the current situation, even if I wanted to manage it, I couldn't, and we are not the only ones who are anxious."

Han Bailing lit his pipe again, took a puff, and then slowly exhaled.

"Even if Gu Yuanzong fails, nothing will happen to us. If Chen Che wants to take revenge on us, he will definitely use that woman's power. And Chen Che is also the reason for that woman to take action against us."

"So what?"

"So regardless of the situation in Jinling, I will not let Chen Che live to give that woman this reason."

"Things like remnants are always a scourge; the sooner they die, the better."

………