Chapter 367: Holding Hostage

The shockwave passed through the chest of Zanpu Dunzhu, and the violent energy destroyed all of his internal organs.

Chen Che also reached his limit at this moment; the shockwave dissipated, and he quickly formed seals. The Heavenly Book Characters attached to Zanpu Dunzhu's body flew back to his own, the cracks on his skin gradually healed, and that brilliant, dazzling light dissipated along with them.

On the plaza, everyone who saw this scene was stunned.

"Won... won?"

A Disciple said cautiously.

Yuan Ming and the other Disciples all looked toward the four Elders. The Great Elder Lv Hong's solemn expression relaxed, and he turned to face the Disciples, laughing heartily: "We won!"

"Oh yeah!!!"

The Disciples immediately let out shrill cheers.

"Won! Won! The Sect Master won!"

"Sect Master is mighty! That was amazing!"

"Long live the Taiyi Sect, long live the Sect Master!"

The Disciples cheered and jumped for joy, all of them shedding tears of excitement.

Lv Hong and the other three Elders looked at each other, all of them letting out a sigh of relief and revealing smiles.

Yang Simin loosened her tightly clenched hem and raised a smiling face.

Xie Wanning pursed her lips and smiled, saying in a low voice: "Master, this disciple of yours is truly promising; once again, he has turned the tide."

Compared to the excitement of the Taiyi Sect members, Chen Che's mood was not so good.

Bearing the pressure for the final strike, although he released the violent power within his body in time, the side effects still left him dizzy. After a mortal body breaks through its limits, what follows is pain that goes deep into the marrow.

"Hoo—"

Chen Che exhaled, his vision went black, and he fell forward, but he did not hit the cold ground; instead, he crashed into a warm embrace.

Xie Wanning arrived in time, held Chen Che, and helped him up, asking worriedly: "How are you?"

Chen Che's face was buried in her full breasts, the fragrance hitting his nose. He shook his head, reluctantly lifted his head, and said muffledly: "I'm fine..."

Xie Wanning's eyes were filled with smiles as she gently stroked Chen Che's head. She was not annoyed by his rubbing movements, but instead held him even tighter.

The Taiyi Sect members also quickly gathered around. The Second Elder and Third Elder were the first to step forward to check on Zanpu Dunzhu's condition, wanting to know if he was truly dead.

"He still has one breath left, but his entire cultivation is ruined, and his internal organs are completely destroyed. In a few minutes at most, he will die completely."

The Second Elder let out a sigh of relief, looked at everyone, and said.

Hearing this, the hanging hearts of everyone present finally settled, and they all gathered around Chen Che one after another.

"That's enough, there are still so many people here."

Yang Simin's voice, full of jealousy, reached his ears, and only then did Chen Che reluctantly lift his head.

The people of the Taiyi Sect had all gathered around, looking at Chen Che with joy. At this moment, Chen Che's position in their hearts was irreplaceable!

"Sect Master, let us help you heal your wounds."

The Great Elder Lv Hong noticed Chen Che's pale complexion and offered.

Chen Che shook his head, inserted several Ghost Gate Needles into his own chest, and said: "It is no matter, it is just a side effect of using the Heavenly Book Power; I will be fine after resting for a while."

"What exactly is going on? Didn't you break through to the Heavenly Master Great Perfection? How could you still be backlashed?"

Xie Wanning asked.

Chen Che said: "It is true that I broke through to the Heavenly Master Great Perfection, but relying solely on the power of the Heavenly Master Great Perfection could not have defeated Zanpu Dunzhu.

So I used the Heavenly Book Power; it can be considered the power I comprehended after reading the Heavenly Book."

"Brother, now that you have read all of the Heavenly Book, have you already comprehended the mysteries of this world?!"

Yang Simin looked Chen Che over carefully, "Have you become a god now?"

Brother?

This familiar yet strange form of address made Chen Che's heart tremble, and he looked at Yang Simin with deep meaning.

Yang Simin realized she had lost her composure in her excitement. Chen Che had not heard those passionate words earlier because he was unconscious, so it was no wonder he was surprised now.

But with Chen Che wearing this expression, Yang Simin instead became uncomfortable herself.

"Has the Sect Master become a god?! So powerful!"

Yuan Ming exclaimed, interrupting the subtle atmosphere between the two, "If the Sect Master has become a god, does that mean he is going to the Heavenly Kingdom?"

For a moment, everyone looked at Chen Che with anticipation.

Chen Che smiled and shook his head: "I do indeed know the mysteries of this world, but I have not become a god yet. The human body is a natural shackle; to truly become a god, one must be reborn, but this is not something that can be achieved overnight or simply through Martial Dao cultivation."

"Then how can one be reborn?" Xie Wanning asked.

Chen Che looked at his own palms and thought for a moment: "At the very least, one must collect all of the Heavenly Book."

Xie Wanning smiled: "That is simple; once we return to Xia, we can do it."

Chen Che stretched his limbs; his body was still very painful: "Let's talk about that later; right now, I just want to have a good sleep..."

"Pfft!"

A sudden change occurred!

In an instant, everyone present widened their eyes, their faces full of astonishment.

Yang Simin slowly lowered her head; a Black Rod had pierced through her chest, and bright red blood slowly dripped down the sharp tip of the Black Rod.

Everyone's gaze shifted to behind Yang Simin, where Adili's crazed and ferocious face was exposed to everyone's eyes.

"Adili!"

The Second Elder Shi Ning roared and rushed over quickly.

However, at this moment, Adili clamped one hand around Yang Simin's fair neck and gripped the Black Rod with the other, making a move to twist it.

Now that the Black Rod had pierced Yang Simin's heart, once it was twisted, the heart would shatter, and Yang Simin would be beyond saving.

"Adili, stop!"

Second Elder Shi Ning, fearing for the hostage, halted his movements and roared with a sorrowful expression.

At this moment, Adili let out a sinister laugh: "Your obedient disciple is not here; now, I am... Zanpu Dunzhu."

Everyone's heart jolted; they looked at the dying Zanpu Dunzhu in disbelief, then turned back to look at Adili.

Chen Che suddenly realized the truth, staring fixedly at Zanpu Dunzhu, who was possessing Adili, and gritted his teeth: "So this is what is called... the power of faith."

"That's right, those death servants were indeed controlled by me because they believed, but the power of faith refers to the spirit."

Chen Che, you understand now too; the human body is unreliable. It is precisely because of this point that I grasped the essence, which is the spirit.

My consciousness can detach from the body and transfer to a person of my choosing. Although this process is very cumbersome, Leiji has been by my side for many years, and his consciousness, or rather his spirit, has long since ceased to belong to himself.

I kept him on one hand to find the Heavenly Book, and on the other hand, to use him at a time like this."

Zanpu Dunzhu smiled triumphantly, "It's just a pity that you realized it too late."

Chen Che sneered: "Even if you transferred your consciousness, so what? Adili is only at the Grandmaster Realm; do you think you can live any longer?"

"This body is indeed not satisfying to me, and my own body still needs a little time, but it doesn't matter."

Zanpu Dunzhu let out a few more mocking laughs, "Now, you must let me leave, otherwise, I will kill the Saintess."

The Black Rod trembled; Yang Simin's body shook, she spat out a mouthful of blood, and gazed at Chen Che with tear-filled eyes.

Chen Che's brows twitched, his eyes filled with volcanic rage and anxiety. He clenched his fists and said in a deep voice: "I can let you leave, but if the Saintess dies, no matter where you flee, I will definitely find you and make you vanish into ashes!"

"Hehehe..."

Zanpu Dunzhu laughed triumphantly.

Chen Che waved his hand: "Everyone, move aside!"

The members of the Taiyi Sect who had formed a circle cleared a path, and Zanpu Dunzhu slowly walked out of the crowd while holding Yang Simin hostage.

Chen Che and Yang Simin kept locking eyes; Yang Simin's eyes were full of tears, and her gaze held a touch of expectation and a touch of earnestness.

Chen Che's fists clenched until they creaked; his face was ashen, and his eyes were filled with helplessness and self-reproach.

Zanpu Dunzhu finally exited the crowd. Facing the relentless approach of Chen Che and the others, he appeared extremely indifferent and twisted his hand holding the Black Rod once more.

The piercing pain caused Yang Simin's expression to change, draining all color from her face.

Chen Che immediately spread his arms, stopped his steps, and blocked everyone from moving forward.

"It seems the Sect Master cares very much about the Saintess. My choice of hostage is truly excellent, and the Saintess has such delicate skin and tender flesh that I can't bear to make her suffer like this anymore."

Zanpu Dunzhu raised his eyebrows provocatively and laughed: "Meetings are always brief; this time, you can consider it your win. But it won't be like that next time."

"I will take the Saintess with me for now; as long as you do not pursue, the Saintess will be fine."

Zanpu Dunzhu chuckled deviously: "So, everyone, see you next time..."

Suddenly, Zanpu Dunzhu's words came to an abrupt halt; everyone present changed color, their faces turning pale with shock.

………