Chapter 336 - Ancient Piranha

“How is it?”

Chen Fan stood straight and proud, his aura reaching the skies.

Qiu Beihai's expression soured visibly, his inner shock palpable.

How long has it been?

It had only been ten days or so, but Chen Fan’s strength nearly doubled.

Chen Fan had been strong during their battle at the bizarre mountain, fighting him to a draw. However, Qiu Beihai was confident about his eventual victory.

However, Chen Fan used a single spear strike to neutralize the attack he had unleashed using an earth tier martial skill. The sheer force behind it felt like a volcanic eruption, forcing Qiu Beihai to retreat.

Not only had he failed to gain an advantage, but he also found himself at a disadvantage.

“In your current state, you're no match for me unless you ignite your illusory core.” Chen Fan looked at Qiu Beihai indifferently and said, “But the question is, do you dare to? With the Nebulous Battle Palace opening soon, I prefer to avoid unnecessary conflicts. It would be wise for you to do the same. Otherwise, I’ll kill you even if I must forgo entering the Nebulous Battle Palace!”

His words echoed with icy clarity, stunning the onlookers.

Qiu Beihai was a famous genius of the Wuning Empire, ranked tenth on the leaderboard. Above all, he was an Illusory Core realm expert.

However, a mere eighth-level Yuanfu realm martial artist had openly threatened him. It was a mind-boggling and incredulous situation.

Not just the crowd but even Hong Qianjun, Jiu Wuxue, Jin Tao, Zi Ling, and others couldn't help but fix their gazes on Chen Fan, their eyes flickering with confusion.

Xin Wuming had also opened his eyes at some point, a sharp glint of surprise flashing in them. He wondered when a monster like Chen Fan appeared in the Wuning Empire.

He could sense the danger coming from Chen Fan, but he didn’t feel threatened. What truly intrigued him was Chen Fan's cultivation level. Despite being only at the eighth level, Chen Fan was much stronger.

Meanwhile, the crowd had erupted into fervent discussion, mouths agape in astonishment.

“There isn’t anyone like him in our Wuning Empire. He isn’t a native of the empire.” Xin Wuming almost immediately deduced that Chen Fan didn’t belong to the Wuning Empire.

“Heavens, did I see wrongly? Qiu Beihai was at a disadvantage and pushed back by a single spear strike.”

"It must be an illusion. I must be hallucinating! How could this be possible? One is at the eighth level, while the other is an Illusory Core realm expert. Logically, Qiu Beihai's saber should have cut him down.”

“An eighth-level Yuanfu realm martial artist with the combat strength of an Illusory Core realm expert?! No, wait. He is actually stronger than Qiu Beihai. What a monster.”

“A good show is coming up. I wonder if Qiu Beihai will ignite his illusory core for more power.”

“Are you stupid! He wouldn't dare do that. Why would he waste years of his cultivation?”

“......”

They looked at Chen Fan as if they were looking at a monster.

Chen Fan’s words have also caused Qiu Beihai’s complexion to turn green and white.

This was a blatant slap in the face in front of countless people. It burned and stung.

Since when did he, Qiu Beihai, ever suffer such humiliation?

Shame!

Incomparable shame!

Burning with fury, Qiu Beihai felt the urge to go all out. His illusory core spun rapidly as if he was ready to ignite it to fight Chen Fan to the death.

Suddenly, a change occurred with the rainbow pillar of light.

Shrinking rapidly, it condensed from several miles wide to merely a hundred meters, standing tall in the lake's center.

“The light of destruction has disappeared! Go, quickly enter!”

Some people had run out of patience long ago and immediately rushed forth at the sight. They leaped into the air and plunged into the lake like a rock with a splash.

Seeing as there wasn’t any danger this time, hot blood rushed up the brains of the others, so they followed suit, diving into the water with excitement.

In the midst of the commotion, a chilling command sliced through the air.

“Get lost!”

Xin Wuming waved his sword. A streak of sword light shot forward, immediately cutting down the crowd in front of him. Fresh blood sprayed everywhere on the lake. Then, he entered the lake.

Plop.

Qiu Beihai's expression shifted several times as he weighed his options. Should he ignite his power and face Chen Fan or plunge into the water to vie for opportunities?

A brief moment later, Qiu Beihai withdrew his killing intent. He shot a cold glance at Chen Fan and said, “Brat, I’ll let you live a little longer. But mark my words, you won't survive the Nebulous Mysterious Realm."

If he could advance into the Core Formation realm, he could do whatever he wanted to with Chen Fan later.

Though Chen Fan could hold his own against an expert of the Illusory Core realm, he was nothing before Core Formation realm experts.

Chen Fan smiled mockingly, not taking Qiu Beihai’s threats to heart. He quickly jumped into the lake with a plop, disappearing from sight.

......

As soon as he entered the water, Chen Fan immediately felt the intense pressure constricting his protective primeval force.

"This pressure is extraordinary. It's at least a hundred times greater than ordinary lakes.” The pressure was so much that his defenses groaned under the weight.

However, Chen Fan quickly noticed something else: the water wasn’t transparent; it had a hint of rainbow color. It was like a rainbow crystal fluid. Its density was far higher than water. It was no wonder that the pressure underwater was so enormous.

As Chen Fan dove deeper and deeper into the water, the pressure acting on him grew exponentially.

The enormous pressure came with an enormous opposing force. The deeper he went, the slower he progressed.

Suddenly, bloody water gushed out from beneath him, signaling the onset of violence.

𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

“Has the killing already begun below? We’ve yet to enter the Nebulous Battle Palace, and they’re already out of patience?”

Chen Fan moved aside, avoiding the rising bloody water. He furrowed his brow, sensing something was amiss.

“Ah!”

Suddenly, a miserable scream came from not far below. Then, he saw a silhouette struggling violently, followed by bright red blood bubbling up.

“That is...”

Chen Fan had channeled his primeval force to his eyes since long ago. Although he could only see about thirty to forty meters ahead, that person was within range.

He saw a strange fish biting through that person’s protective primeval force.

The strange fish was about ten feet long. Its mouth was bristled with saw-like teeth that gleamed with an icy sheen, striking fear into the hearts of those who saw them.

This strange fish devoured that seventh-level Yuanfu realm martial artist in the blink of an eye, leaving only its skeleton behind. Then, its blood-red eyes flickered, and it swam fiercely toward Chen Fan.

The strange fish was too fast, like a bolt of lightning. It instantly bit down on Chen Fan’s protective primeval force.

However, Chen Fan’s strength was much stronger than its last target.

This strange fish bit onto his protective layer of primeval force; the clash produced sparks with a banging noise. It was a testament to its formidable biting force.

It also explained how it could devour someone at the seventh level so quickly. Its teeth were simply harder than steel.

“Hmph!” Chen Fan snorted coldly. Channeling his cultivation, he punched the strange fish’s belly. He punched through the fish, killing it instantly.

Yet, the fish's head remained firmly locked onto Chen Fan's protective barrier, refusing to let go.

Chen Fan plucked the strange fish off of him and looked closer. His eyes flickered. “An ancient piranha. It has a ferocious temperament and isn’t afraid of death. Its teeth could bite through steel plates and reduce a hill-sized cow into bones in the blink of an eye.”