Chapter 318 - Qi Yun, Meng Chong

Having grasped the key point of the martial arts technique, Chen Fan laughed and clapped, beaming with joy.

Earth tier martial skills stood as the pinnacle within the Great Chu Empire; they were ten times as powerful as profound tier martial skills.

Their power was unmatched, requiring not just rigorous training but also the infusion of unique conceptual powers. Mastery of these skills demanded the embodiment of such concepts to unleash their full might.

For instance, Duan Jingtian's Heavenly Cold Winter God Force embodied an overwhelmingly chilling intent. This kind of chilling intent could cover the world in snow, freezing the surrounding area.

Chen Fan hadn’t encountered an earth tier martial skill yet. So, he initially approached his practice of the Northern Star Reaper Hand with methods suited for martial arts of lower tiers, which yielded no success.

Although the Heaven Piercing Spear was also at least earth tier, being part of the Heaven Seizing Art, it didn't rely on conceptual powers. Instead, it grew stronger with Chen Fan's cultivation level.

Aware of the key point now, Chen Fan's demeanor shifted to seriousness as he focused on manifesting the intent of reaping lives—leaving no survivors with each strike.

“Northern Star Reaper Hand!”

Chen Fan kept practicing as he mulled over the intent of reaping lives in his heart.

Although his conceptualization wasn’t considered very strong, upon infusing it into his palm strike, the power of his Northern Star Reaper Hand immediately became more devastating.

“I knew it!” Chen Fan’s eyes lit up, confirming he was on the right track.

Chen Fan took a moment to collect himself, reminiscing about his journey on the path of martial arts over the past year and the lessons he had learned.

Understanding conceptualization wasn't a simple feat; it often required immense effort, energy, or even luck.

Memories of his experiences from the past year flooded Chen Fan's mind, especially events that involved killing. He could use them to comprehend the intent of reaping lives.

Immersed in this contemplation, he became oblivious to everything else.

......

Outside the palace, several figures lurked in the shadows.

These figures were the two groups from the Extreme Profundity Sect and the Cloud Heaven Palace from before.

Two days ago, they fought each other for the treasures inside; unexpectedly, they had to join hands to fend off an intruder. The intruder, Chen Fan, was so powerful that he repelled them both with a single spear strike.

However, the two groups felt indignant about handing their opportunities to someone else.

Thus, after exiting the palace, they did not leave. They hid nearby to monitor the palace and contacted their sects for reinforcements.

At this time, the unibrow youth walked over, following a strong-looking youth.

“What’s the current situation like?”

The disciples of the Extreme Profundity Sect immediately greeted the strong-looking youth respectfully. “Greetings, Senior Brother Qi Yun.”

Qi Yun was one of the top fifty candidates on the leaderboard, being a mighty expert at the ninth level.

Qi Yun glanced at the two disciples from the Cloud Heaven Palace at the side and said coldly, “You two can get lost now.”

The expressions of the Cloud Heaven Palace disciples sank.

Yesterday, He Changzai and the unibrow youth discussed for a bit and decided to do two things: send some to seek out experts from their clan and leave some to monitor the palace.

An expert from the Extreme Profundity Sect has arrived, but no one from the Cloud Heaven Palace had come yet. Using this as an opportunity, Qi Yun had ordered them to get lost, his voice cold and unusually domineering.

Suddenly, an indifferent voice rang out. He Changzai and a towering figure, standing at an imposing height of two meters, approached from a short distance away.

“Hoho, who do you think you are, Qi Yun? How dare you tell our Cloud Heaven Palace’s disciples to leave!”

The burly newcomer strode confidently, exuding immense power with each step. His presence seemed to shake the very foundation of the ancient city.

“It’s Senior Brother Meng Chong!”

The two Cloud Heaven Palace disciples’ faces lit up with relief as they rushed to join him.

Qi Yun, on the other hand, frowned when he saw Meng Chong.

Thump!

Meng Chong walked over and stood three meters away from Qi Yun. A fierce wind blew at them, making Qi Yun and his fellow disciples’ clothing flutter loudly.

The unibrow youth and his fellow disciples’ complexion darkened slightly under the mountain-like pressure Meng Chong was emitting.

“Qi Yun, how dare you tell our Cloud Heaven Palace’s disciples to get lost. Did you take our Cloud Heaven Palace as pushovers?”

A fierce light shone in Meng Chong’s big eyes. Immediately, the air in the surrounding area became heavy. It seemed like a fight was about to break out.

Qi Yun didn’t show any signs of weakness, either. His aura flowed, resisting the pressure from Meng Chong. He said coldly, “So what if I am? You want to trade blows with me?”

"I'm more than willing to oblige. Let's see what you're made of." Meng Chong grinned, his expression savage.

He Changzai and the unibrow youth stood up against the two’s pressure and urged, “Senior Brothers, please calm down. The most important thing right now is to bring down that little bastard!”

They wanted their respective senior brothers to fight Chen Fan. Yet, they were about to fight each other instead, that too before they had gotten their hands on the treasure. It would benefit Chen Fan if that happened.

Qi Yun’s eyes flickered, and he withdrew his aura, taking the way out the juniors had prepared for him.

“Whatever. Meng Chong, I’m sure you’re already aware of this, but someone snatched the food from our mouths. That’s clearly showing disregard to our two great sects. Since you’re here, what do you think we should do?”

It was indeed not the time to clash with Meng Chong.

Meng Chong also withdrew his aura and said, “What else can we do? Bring down that little bastard first.”

“Alright, since you had also agreed to it, we’ll join forces temporarily and kill that little bastard first. As for who gets the treasure, we'll settle it between ourselves when the time comes. Are we in agreement?"

“Alright, we’ll do as you say.” Meng Chong nodded.

Qi Yun said, “Alright, then. We’ll go in and take down that brat. Based on my judgment, that person should also be at the ninth level. He has to be at least that strong to fight off the combined attacks from our two groups.”

Thus, the two groups made their way toward the palace.

When the two groups entered the palace, they immediately spotted Chen Fan sitting in the middle. Qi Yun laughed coldly and said, “Hoho, brat, it seems you’ve really obtained some treasures. You even dare to practice it out in the open?”

“Well, since Meng Chong and I are here, your life will end today. You'll pay dearly for daring to steal from us.” His voice resonated with primeval force, shaking the palace and stirring up dust.

Qi Yun also held ill intentions. He was thinking of using this petty trick to interrupt Chen Fan’s cultivation and make him suffer from qi backlash or even fatal qi deviation, sparing them the need for confrontation.

However, Qi Yun’s plans failed.

𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

While the two groups had been arguing outside the palace, Chen Fan woke up from his meditative state.

He slowly opened his eyes. His indifferent gaze fell onto the two groups and icily said, “I had left you a way out, but not only do you not cherish it, but you even brought others here to find trouble with me. Whatever, since you’re here, forget about making it out alive.”