Chapter 145: Feigned Defeat

Lu Chen responded, "The God of Slaughter? You mean the Imperial Lord of Ritual? I think I've heard Bai Ze mention him before. You all seem terrified of him. Every time his name comes up, your expressions are filled with dread."

At the same time, he continued to draw out the last remnants of spirit qi from the Green Sovereign Divine Tree.

"Terrified? Of course. You're only facing tens of thousands of disciples."

Wind Dragon led Jun Laoye and the others slowly toward the Green Sovereign Divine Tree. "He faced a million alone and slaughtered them without mercy. Even without moving, his mere presence carried the crushing weight of mountains of corpses and seas of blood. How could we not fear him?"

Lu Chen let out a hearty laugh. "

Hahaha

, this is the first time I've heard you admit you're afraid, Wind Dragon."

He then focused on linking with the shattered Serene Void Spear. "Alright, time to bring this farce to an end. Since they've already laid out a stage for my supposed defeat, I'll just play along."

"Wind Dragon, when I fall later, act as though you're the guardian beast we brought back from the secret realm. Save me at the right moment and create the illusion that my cultivation is weak. Make it seem like I only managed to unleash strength at the Qi Condensation Realm thanks to you."

As he slowly drew the spear fragments together, Lu Chen added, "Don't worry about not having enough spirit qi. I'll open the gate to my small world and pour all my spirit qi into supporting your act."

"

Mm

! Got it. Acting is my specialty." Wind Dragon replied seriously, already building up his spirit qi within. "I'm ready! Let's start."

Lu Chen hurled the Hunyuan Greatsword into the air, letting it land squarely atop Wind Dragon's head. Spirit qi from his Heavenly Pool surged violently, making it appear as if his blood essence were flowing backward through his body.

"

Pff...

" Lu Chen pretended to spit blood, wiping his face with trembling hands before roaring in grief and fury. "How dare you vile invaders breach the Serene Void Academy! My cultivation is lacking! To think I've actually let you wretches storm our gates!

"Guardian beast, why haven't you shown up yet? The Academy is on the brink of destruction!" He covered his face with his right hand, feigning despair, while secretly gathering spirit qi with his left. At the same time, he whispered to Wind Dragon, "Be ready. I'm about to fall."

With that, Lu Chen hurled the spirit qi he had gathered straight at the giant of light and shadow. The fragments of the broken spear followed closely behind, streaking toward the enemy.

"How does Lu Chen still have any strength left?" Wen Ziming, startled by the counterattack, mistook it for genuine power. He hurriedly commanded the giant to raise the spear's broken shaft in defense.

A thunderous boom echoed. The dark-blue shaft shattered completely, but the unstoppable spirit qi blast barreled on, the shattered spear fragments entwined within it, forming a spirit qi bomb that hurtled toward the giant. Spirit qi drained steadily from the Green Sovereign Divine Tree, fueling the attack.

Zhou Fan's expression darkened as the blazing orb approached. "We've miscalculated. Lu Chen really has more strength to spare. But the amount of Second Elder's power we have left is only enough for us to block one last strike."

As he spoke, the spirit qi bomb was already less than a meter from the giant. Wen Ziming acted quickly, commanding the giant to raise its hands in a cross to block the strike.

Another deafening blast shook the air, and the giant staggered back a step.

"

Hmm?

Something's off..." Wen Ziming muttered as he felt the impact weaken. "Its power is fading too fast. It's nowhere near as strong as before."

The giant dissipated, and the fused chief disciple identity tokens separated. Zhou Fan and Wen Ziming reappeared in the sky.

Zhou Fan caught his token and turned toward the Green Sovereign Divine Tree. "You felt it too? That tree's spirit qi is draining fast. That last attack must have exhausted Serene Void's spirit qi reserves."

Lu Chen staggered, falling from midair as the phantom of the Green Sovereign Divine Tree began to fracture, breaking apart inch by inch.

"No... I just need a little longer... Hold on!"

***

Outside the academy gates, Yun Ping shot to his feet, eyes fixed on the falling Lu Chen. "They ran out of spirit qi so quickly? Disciples of the Jade Flame Academy, gather! Charge!"

Zhou Fan and Wen Ziming's faces lit with delight as they watched Lu Chen plummet and the Green Sovereign Divine Tree shatter. Their joy was unhidden, even as their fellow disciples lay gravely injured. "It seems the Serene Void Formation really is drained dry. What a relief."

Shan Long chuckled softly as he watched the phantom vanish. "This boy is cunning indeed. One hint from you, and he immediately understood what he needed to do. With your spirit qi acting as his disguise, no one below the Earth Core Realm could see through it."[1]

A dragon's roar suddenly thundered beneath the fading tree. Wind Dragon revealed his six true bodies, coiling around the Green Sovereign Divine Tree. With his head, he caught Lu Chen, letting him land safely atop it.

Yun Ping, about to lead his men through the gates, froze at the sight. "What's that? Serene Void's guardian beast? Hold on! Don't move just yet."

Lu Chen lay atop Wind Dragon's head, life force fading, voice weak and mournful. "Guardian... beast... you've finally come. I couldn't hold on any longer. Save us... those villains are too cruel."

Zhou Fan and Wen Ziming looked at Lu Chen's state and grew even more certain that Serene Void Academy's spirit qi had been completely depleted. Even if the guardian beast appeared now, they no longer cared.

According to the written rules of the Heavenly Mandate Hall, in conflicts between fellow sect members, as long as the victor did not take the opponent's life, the guardian beast could only prevent the seizure of the disciples' personal resources. The academy's warehouse, however, was not protected.

"You're Serene Void's guardian beast?" Wen Ziming sneered at Wind Dragon. Backed by the sect's laws, he paid the creature no mind. "We've defeated Serene Void's disciples. By sect rules, you have no right to stop us."

Wind Dragon ignored him. "

Roar!

"

Drawing spirit qi from the small world, his power steadily rose. "Mortal, you've crossed the line. The Serene Void's chief disciple has been gravely injured. To harm a fellow disciple is a grave offense."

Seeing Lu Chen on the brink of death, Zhou Fan's face lit with delight. He shouted at Wind Dragon, "This is combat! Injuries and casualties are part of battle!"

"

Roar...

For the sake of being from the same sect, I'll let you off this once. Now leave. Until Lu Chen recovers, no one is permitted to set foot in Serene Void Academy."

Wind Dragon grew in size, his roar reverberating across the plaza. His cultivation surged to the peak of the Qi Condensation Realm, showing signs of breaking through to the next realm. His massive body spread across the entire Serene Void Plaza. "Howling Tempest!"

From his mouth, Wind Dragon unleashed a tornado hundreds of zhang high, wind and lightning sweeping across the ground. The disciples of Wind Lightning and White Cloud Academies were sent tumbling like leaves in a storm.

Feeling the crushing power, Wen Ziming shouted, "Peak Qi Condensation Realm! We... We're leaving at once! White Cloud's disciples, withdraw from Serene Void Academy immediately!"

He bowed hastily, then channeled his spirit qi and fled through the gates. Disciples from both White Cloud and Wind Lightning Academies who could still move scattered in panic, chased out by the roaring gale like beaten dogs.

"

Roar!

Guardian beasts cannot meddle in sect disputes, but until Lu Chen recovers, I will remain here. Should anyone dare step through Serene Void's gates, it will be a violation of the rules, and I will act."

Wind Dragon lifted his massive head and exhaled into the sky. The academy's barrier instantly reformed, stronger than before, now laced with retaliatory wind blades.

Shan Long stared at Wind Dragon, puzzled. "Old Jun, if I recall correctly, Serene Void's guardian beast reached the end of its lifespan decades ago. How is it that another has appeared now? It speaks with a human voice and can release advanced techniques. To me, it looks more like an Earth Core Realm demonic beast that has transcended to immortality. What exactly happened? Did you truly gain something from that secret realm?"

"The greatest fortune I gained was Little Lu. As for that so-called guardian beast, it's merely his weapon spirit. Even I do not know its cultivation or origins," Jun Wudi replied.

He glanced at Wind Dragon, now shrunk and coiled around the academy's stone stele. "But think about it. If two cups of wine could heal my wounds, then granting a descendant an enchanted artifact at the Earth Core Realm is hardly surprising."

***

Outside Serene Void's gate.

Wen Ziming released his spirit qi to probe the barrier. At once, a wind blade at the level of Qi Condensation Realm lashed out. He was hurled back, his arm slashed open to the bone.

"A barrier that launches counterattacks with Qi Condensation Realm-level power? It seems Serene Void Academy has truly obtained something remarkable."

Yun Ping placed his hand lightly on the barrier without triggering it. "But the fiercer that beast reacts, the more it shows how dire Lu Chen's condition is. It only proves Serene Void is running on empty."

Wen Ziming clutched his bleeding arm, glaring from behind Yun Ping."Did you already know about the guardian beast? Otherwise why didn't you come with us? Tens of thousands of men, defeated just like that."

Yun Ping sneered, "

Heh

. Does it matter whether I knew or not?"

He leaned back in his chair. "Would you have shared the spoils with the Jade Flame Academy if you had seized them? In the end, you were too greedy and treated the disciples' lives like nothing."

In his mind, he was certain. Even if Lu Chen had hidden his cultivation, he would only be at the Qi Condensation Realm at most. Now that Lu Chen was gravely injured, he could not possibly continue exerting that much strength.

All he needed was to wait. Once Lu Chen either died or barely recovered, even with the guardian beast present, Yun Ping would have reason to storm in and seize the academy's resources.

"Yun Ping, if you had told us about the beast sooner, we would have gone easier. That dragon would have had no reason to intervene, and we could have claimed all of Serene Void's resources!"

Wen Ziming clenched his bloodied arm and slammed it against a tree. "Damn it... I can't accept this. I truly can't accept it!"

The wound tore open, and fresh blood spattered across the trunk.

1. Refer to C144, when Jun Wudi quietly sent a wave of spirit qi towards the giant. ☜