Chapter 305: Bold Words Alone Cannot Break the Constraints of Heaven and Earth

Colorful towers rose high, reed-canopied pavilions and mat-halls stood in rows, while carriages and horses gathered like clouds.

Thousands of fleeing lights raced through the sky, like star-flow filling the firmament, dancing open layer upon layer of silver waves, brilliant and glittering, truly a splendid sight.

When Chen Heng arrived at Zhuoguang Lake, he found this place far livelier than during the previous Dharma Assembly, with no small number of spectators having come to watch the contest.

Everywhere rang out calls to summon friends and companions; lanterns dazzled the eyes, and flutes and drums clamored against the heavens.

Upon the surrounding high cliffs, many flying terraces and shell-palaces had already arisen, ranked tile by tile like fish scales; maids in long, elegant skirts moved among them, shadows bustling, faint laughter drifting out, soft as swallows' chirps and orioles' songs, their tones clear and crisp.

Chen Heng's divine sense was keen; as soon as he took his stand upon this lake, he dimly perceived several gazes cast toward him from the flying terraces and shell-palaces atop the surrounding cliffs.

Yet those gazes held no malice, only a hint of bashfulness or appraisal.

Glancing back, he saw that all those flying terraces and shell-palaces were shrouded by a thin mist, making it difficult to discern the scenes within; nothing could be seen clearly...

"Dragon maidens?"

After a brief consideration, Chen Heng thought no more of it; he simply seated himself casually upon a cloud and waited silently for the Dharma Assembly to begin.

Though he cared little for the matter of seeking the Dragon Maiden's hand in marriage and harbored no such desire,

for most cultivators present at this gathering,

forging a marital alliance with the Long Gong was undoubtedly a fortune of heavenly magnitude!

In past selections for a son-in-law, the top-ranked candidates and geniuses from the Eight Profound Sects, as well as some outstanding talents from the Modaoliu Sect, had, due to various concerns, failed to form any Jin Yu union with the Long Gong.

Thus, although their Daoist methods and skills fell far short of those aforementioned figures,

they might still have a chance to become the Long Gong's favored son-in-law!

For a moment,

the gazes of most cultivators in the arena fixed upon the high cliffs on all sides, burning intensely, concealing a fervent hope.

Had those flying terraces and shell-palaces not been protected by prohibitive formations and heavily guarded by armored soldiers,

someone would surely have already rushed forward to offer flattery and curry favor in every possible way.

Just then, Chen Heng suddenly sensed something and looked toward the distance, where a glimmer of light seemed to flash, heading in his direction.

Before long, a plume of yellow smoke flew straight toward him; as it neared his side, the yellow smoke slowly dissipated, revealing the figure of a cultivator within.

This man had a pale face and yellow whiskers, wore a robe of earth-yellow Daoist garb, wrapped his head in a Zhengyang Unity Scarf, bore a Dharma Seal at his waist, possessed a lean physique, and upon his body, mystic qi faintly coalesced into the form of a city gate.

"Chen Chen Shidi Qi."

Seeing the newcomer lift the hem of his sleeve, intending to bow and perform rites,

Chen Heng flicked his finger, releasing a stream of pure qi to halt the man's motion, then stepped forward to raise him up, saying,

"Why perform such a great ceremony?"

"Without Xiao Xiao Shixiong's aid, how could I possibly have reached this place?"

Qi Bin urged the true qi within his body, exerting effort several times, but finding he still could not complete the bow, he helplessly raised his hands, performed a Daoist salute in gratitude, and spoke earnestly.

Hearing these words, Chen Heng paid them no mind and said nothing further, merely helping Qi Bin gently to his feet.

Previously, he had gifted the "Chongzheng Golden Disk" from the aristocratic clan solely because, within the Small Realm, this was the only familiar face, and they both belonged to the Yu Yuchen lineage.

As for whether Qi Bin could preserve it and advance to the next stage of the Dharma Assembly, that depended entirely on his own abilities; Chen Heng could hardly interfere further.

The three sword intents upon the Golden Disk represented the utmost limit of what Chen Heng could do at that time.

However, judging by the current situation, Qi Bin had actually managed to safeguard that Golden Disk amidst the scrutiny of numerous cultivators, which slightly surprised Chen Heng.

After exchanging a few more words,

Qi Bin suddenly drew a jade talisman from his sleeve pouch and presented it respectfully, saying,

"In recent days, with the Dharma Assembly approaching, I feared Xiao Xiao Shixiong was in closed-door cultivation and dared not presume to disturb you; now that I am finally fortunate enough to meet you, this item is a small token of my gratitude; I hope Xiao Xiao Shixiong will not decline it."

Seeing Chen Heng accept it generously, Qi Bin felt a surge of joy in his heart and quickly added,

"This technique was obtained by my ancestor of Jingdu Temple while cultivating at the Yu Yuchen Sect; he chanced upon an extraordinary person, and through a twist of fate, that individual transmitted this art to him.

In these past few days, I have specifically sent a message to Jingdu Temple at Sheng Mi Tan; with my ancestor's approval, the Dharma prohibitions have been lifted, all in the hope that this technique might slightly repay Xiao Xiao Shixiong's kindness, and thus my regrets would be assuaged; this is also my ancestor's wish!"

As Chen Heng directed his mind into the jade talisman, a strange scripture instantly appeared in his brain.

With a slight examination, he recognized it as Qi Bin's earth-burrowing technique and could not help but smile.

Although this art allowed one to transform one's avatar into the Central Geng-Yellow Qi, granting the practitioner the ability to travel through earth and burrow underground,

if cultivated to the De Da Cheng Jing realm with sufficient magic power, one could move freely even within the yuan-magnetic earth core or across chasms ten thousand zhang deep!

Should one encounter an overwhelmingly powerful enemy, one need only leap and hide deep within the earth to escape peril; truly, it was a superior method for evading calamity and disaster, exceedingly profound and rare!

Yet this method

was not flawless, nor was it without any weakness to be found.

First, regarding cultivation: to begin practicing this Di Xing Fa, one first required an earth-attributed spiritual material as a guiding catalyst.

Moreover, the quality of this earth-attributed spiritual material determined the upper limit of this Di Xing Fa.

If the spiritual material's quality was too poor, crude and unbearable to behold, even if one cultivated the realm to perfection, one could penetrate no more than a hundred zhang into the earth before progressing no further, unable to advance even an inch.

Furthermore, even after successfully mastering the method, should one encounter grand techniques such as Turning Earth into Steel, Drawing Rivers upon Soil, or Summoning Thunder from Broken Ground via the Dipper Battle,

this earth-burrowing technique would be firmly suppressed, losing its original marvels.

Nevertheless, despite the difficulty of cultivation and its vulnerability to other grand techniques,

this Di Xing Fa remained an undisputedly marvelous Mi Fa, ranked among the superior arts!

Upon hearing that Qi Bin would offer this technique as a gift and had even specially requested the ancestor of Jingdu Temple to lift the Dharma prohibitions so it could be cultivated without worry,

Chen Heng was visibly moved; his expression grew slightly solemn, and he returned the salute, saying,

"I accept Chen Chen Shidi's kind intention; please also convey my thanks to your temple for this generosity; should I find leisure in the future, I shall certainly visit in person to express my gratitude."

"If Xiao Xiao Shixiong is willing to come to Sheng Mi Tan, everyone in our temple will be overjoyed; we shall surely sweep our mats to welcome you!"

Qi Bin's brows soared with delight; he hurriedly responded, his face radiant with joy.

The reason he had been able to protect that Chongzheng Golden Disk on that day...

Apart from the Di Xing Fa, it was Chen Heng's three sword qi strikes and Lu Shou Chen Yu's intervention.

As for those three sword qi strikes, there was no need to elaborate; without them, he would have struggled to drive back even a few powerful enemies.

As for why Lu Shou Chen Yu had abruptly intervened in this matter.

Qi Bin needed no deep thought to understand.

It was surely due to Chen Heng's influence...

Now that he had finally broken into the top eighty, fulfilling the bold proclamation he had made earlier, even if he gained nothing further from the Dharma Assembly and failed to seize a single talisman charter for himself.

Upon returning to Jingdu Temple, he would still receive the blessings bestowed by his Grandmaster, and the temple's resources would be open for him to select from with priority!

From this point onward.

He could be considered to have laid the foundation stone for attaining the Dao!

In this light, saying that Chen Heng had bestowed upon him a grace akin to rebirth would not be an exaggeration.

To be able to forge a connection with this person, Qi Bin was naturally overjoyed and more than willing!

Just as the two were conversing, suddenly a tiger's roar echoed, stirring winds across the sky.

At the end of the fierce winds, Yan Xi appeared once again riding a tiger; purple qi flourished in the air, reed organs blared loudly, and golden youths and mighty warriors held feathers and banners, creating a magnificent spectacle.

"It seems everyone has arrived."

Yan Xi swept his gaze downward, pausing imperceptibly on Chen Heng for a moment, then looked ahead and smiled:

"Everyone, shall I now post the rankings?"

"Since True Lord Yan is serving as the arbiter, all matters of this Dharma Assembly are yours to decide; act as you see fit, why consult us?"

Moments later, a booming laugh responded from the sky, its source unknown, speaking thus.

Hearing this, Yan Xi offered no further pleasantries; he simply recited the rules for this round of the great competition once, then produced a golden list and tossed it to his side.

The golden list expanded with the wind; in the blink of an eye, it transformed into a structure dozens of zhang tall, massive as overlapping mountain ranges.

On the list, seventy-two names shone brilliantly, radiant as golden ladles.

Then, a flash of splendid light vanished instantly, and all seventy-two people in the arena disappeared at once, transported into the Guangye Small Realm...

Raising his eyes to look.

It was still a view of green mountains and flowing blue waters.

Heaven and earth were filled with verdant green, brimming with vitality; the scenery was exceptionally picturesque, like a scroll of landscape painting.

As for those landforms that had been damaged earlier.

Now, upon another glance, they were not harmed in the slightest, clearly having been fully repaired.

Chen Heng looked up and suddenly felt several gazes falling upon him; seeing that Zhou Zhou Shiyuan and several disciples of the Xiantianmo Sect were looking at him with cold eyes, he sneered inwardly, paid it no mind, and merely exchanged a glance with Yin Quan, nodding slightly.

Neither spoke many words; both understood clearly in their hearts.

"Has this person joined forces with Yin Quan?"

Seeing this, Zhou Zhou Shiyuan's heart sank slightly, his eyes flickering.

In this Purple Mansion Dharma Assembly, although four individuals had entered the New Year's Evaluation.

Yet whether it was Chen Heng, Yin Quan, or Zhang Zhang Yuxuan, all were from the Xue Xuan Sect, naturally at odds with the Demon Sect and not of the same stance.

Before this Dharma Assembly, although Zhou Zhou Shiyuan had not held high hopes, he had still sent invitation letters to Yin Quan and Zhang Zhang Yuxuan.

Yin Quan closed his doors and refused to see anyone, offering not a single response.

Fortunately, Zhang Zhang Yuxuan's background was ultimately somewhat inferior; he dared not ignore the majesty of the Xiantianmo Sect, and during their conversation, subtly indicated an intention to help neither side.

Although this did not secure the person as an ally for himself, Zhou Zhou Shiyuan also knew that Chen Lü remained in Rouxuan Prefecture; achieving this much was already Zhang Zhang Yuxuan's limit.

Pushing too hard would only backfire, so he did not press further and departed satisfied.

Now, as Zhou Zhou Shiyuan was pondering.

A disciple of the Xiantianmo Sect beside him frowned slightly and said:

"Xiao Xiao Shixiong, it seems those two have joined forces; they may be difficult to deal with. What should we do?"

"What is there to worry about?"

Zhou Zhou Shiyuan came back to his senses, glanced at the speaker, and said calmly:

"The one I intend to deal with is only Chen Heng; as for Yin Quan, he is a smart man..."

The other person did not understand and could only bow to ask for instruction.

"In this Dharma Assembly, I may choose not to win or fight, but Chen Heng must not think of winning either!"

Zhou Zhou Shiyuan said lightly:

"If I have no intention of seeking a talisman charter and only wish to drag Chen Heng down and entangle with him, then the one who benefits would actually be Yin Quan!

If we swap positions...

If you were Yin Quan, what would you do?"

Upon hearing these words.

The several Xiantianmo Sect disciples surrounding him were all surprised.

Meanwhile, a girl in yellow robes frowned slightly, looking at Zhou Zhou Shiyuan as if wanting to speak but holding back, seemingly harboring concerns.

However, before she could open her mouth, a crack suddenly split open in the sky above.

An object wrapped in blazing golden flames fell from within, supported by clouds and mist, radiating great light, making the entire small realm seem to brighten briefly!

"Is this that Pixiu statue?"

Someone beside Zhou Zhou Shiyuan whispered.

The Pixiu statue in mid-air stood over a zhang tall, its back arched, two claws raised high in a pouncing posture, majestic and powerful, vivid and lifelike.

At this moment, a ball of dharma light was gradually condensing within the mouth of the Pixiu statue, about to reveal the form of a talisman charter.

However, before the various cultivators could act.

The vision before their eyes suddenly blurred.

Then a long whistle rang out, shaking the four wilds, agitating the mountain grass and trees until they rustled and trembled.

It made one's eardrums swell with pain again and again, as if they were about to be torn apart!

Hastily focusing their gaze, they saw only that Chen Heng had, at some unknown moment, already taken his stance within the cloudy sky.

Vast true Qi erupted from his crown with a boom, soaring into the heavens, condensing into a giant hand thirty zhang long, majestic and magnificent, terrifying the soul and startling the spirit!

Like surging waves, like galloping thunder, it possessed the heroic spirit and momentum to shake mountains and collapse peaks, to seize stars and overturn seas!

"Not good!"

Zhou Zhou Shiyuan's pupils contracted sharply; as if guessing something, without a second word, his shoulders shook, and dozens of clumps of gloomy green nether-fire instantly burst forth, sweeping across the long sky like a swarm of locusts or flowing arrows, striking toward Chen Heng!

At that same moment, several others reacted without delay.

After a brief instant of shock, they one and all mobilized their divine intent, sending out spells, artifacts, and various items together, attacking from all directions!

Only a loud explosion was heard; in an instant, strange winds rolled and layers of smoke thickened, but before any of these attacks could reach his body, the true Qi giant hand, as if grabbing a chick, had already seized the Pixiu statue between its five fingers.

With a fierce exertion of strength—

It actually yanked it free with great force!

This shocking movement was like fierce thunder chiseling the heavens, its sound resembling a mountain collapse!

It startled those within the small realm whose divine intent and kung fu were insufficient, making their feet subtly unsteady.

And as this overwhelming force spread outward, it also agitated the gale currents until they continuously collapsed and exploded, like a pot of boiling soup, easily swallowing the attacks of those few cultivators within it, none able to achieve merit.

After several breaths had passed.

The winds quieted and the fog dispersed, the clear sky swept clean.

In the sky, only a Daoist in purple robes stood suspended in emptiness, his clothes fluttering wildly, while the flowing wind beneath his feet rushed ceaselessly like a surging river, vast and boundless.

Behind him, that true Qi giant hand had firmly clamped onto the Pixiu statue, rising like a mountain pillar into the heavens.

Then it trembled lightly, and that colossal form of thirty zhang shrank into a chaotic qi mass of about one square zhang, wrapping the Pixiu statue tightly before falling back to circle around his body.

"This object truly carries no light weight..."

Chen Heng reached out to lightly stroke it, sensing the weight of the qi mass, and could not help but sigh.

Then his gaze fell, sweeping slightly across the faces of the various cultivators; he smiled faintly and said:

"Do you gentlemen also desire the talisman edict? This matter is simple; once this poor Daoist has extracted thirty-seven pieces, this statue shall naturally be returned with both hands presented. How about that?"

"Chen Heng! You are exceedingly arrogant! Do you think that with just you alone, you can withstand our combined effort?"

Beside Zhou Zhou Shiyuan, a disciple of the Xiantian Mo Zong raised his finger in great shock, pointing and angrily rebuking.

"In that case—"

Chen Heng shook his sleeve, brushing aside the layers of flowing wind, and stored away the qi mass.

Afterwards, holding his sword in hand, his eyes shooting forth beams of divine light, he laughed loudly and declared:

"Then let us see the truth beneath our hands!"

At almost the exact same moment.

Killing shouts from all four sides suddenly erupted, like war drums beating loudly.

Hundreds and thousands of dharma lights flashed brilliantly, shooting straight up into the firmament!

"If you can achieve merit today, you are destined to make your name known among the various sects and enjoy fame throughout the universe..."

Watching coldly as the various cultivators transformed into light and rushed toward the celestial dome.

Yin Quan stood in place, motionless, only wondering in his heart:

"But with your sword flight, can you truly avoid even a single strike without error, delaying until that time?"

Unity

(End of Chapter)