System Possession, One Sword Shocks the Gods

113: Hematite veins, eerie black mistAfter leaving Luoxia City, Ye Chen did not take the minor incident at the restaurant to heart. That Zhao Qian and his ilk were but insignificant dust on the path of cultivation; had the other party not taken the initiative to strike, he wouldn’t have even bothered to pay them any mind.

He continued toward Tianfeng City, consolidating his cultivation while familiarizing himself with the various uses of the Divine Ability, Chaos Genesis: Myriad Transformation. Over the past few days, his simulation of various basic Laws had become increasingly proficient. Although their power was not as great as that of a specialist, their unpredictability was enough to produce miraculous effects in battle.

On this day, as he was flying through the air, a series of violent energy fluctuations faintly emanated from a continuous mountain range below, accompanied by the clashing of metal and shouts, interspersed with a trace of a cold aura that caught his attention.

His Divine Sense swept across, finding the source of the fluctuations in a valley. At the entrance of the valley stood a boundary stone with the inscription ”Wang Family red iron ore vein.” Inside the valley, a fierce battle was breaking out. One side consisted of Cultivators wearing uniform guard attire, their Cultivation Techniques and patterns similar to those of the Wang Family guards in Luoxia City. The other side was a group of Bandit Cultivators in mismatched clothing, but their Moves were ruthless, and their bodies were shrouded in a faint black qi.

These Bandit Cultivators were numerous, including many experts of the Earth Fiend Realm, and were frantically attacking the defensive line formed by the Wang Family guards. Behind the defensive line was the entrance to a mine, where some people dressed as miners were retreating into the cave in a panic.

Although the Wang Family guards were well-trained, they were outnumbered, and the black qi seemed to have a certain corrosive effect on their Protective Aura, making their defense extremely difficult as people continued to fall wounded.

Ye Chen originally did not want to meddle in others’ business; the world of cultivation was one where the strong preyed on the weak, and such conflicts occurred countless times every day. However, as his Divine Sense carefully probed that cold black qi, his brow furrowed slightly.

This black qi... was not pure Devilish Qi. Instead, it carried a strange sense of dead silence and decay. It was different from the Dark Hall’s Devilish Qi he had encountered before, yet it also had a faint sense of being from the same source, only more mottled and sinister.

”Could it be related to the Dark Hall?” Ye Chen thought. He didn’t want to miss any clues that might be linked to the Dark Hall.

Moreover, he recognized the old man leading the guards as one of the two Earth Fiend Realm Fourth Level experts who had followed Wang Xueyao at the Drunken Immortal Residence that day. At this moment, the old man’s hair and beard were bristling. Holding a broadsword, his sword aura swept across as he single-handedly blocked the attacks of two Bandit Cultivators of the same level. However, he was already struggling to cope, with several wounds added to his body and his aura in disarray.

For the sake of Wang Xueyao’s pride in resisting that day and the possible Origin of this black qi, Ye Chen decided to take action.

His figure flickered, landing in the valley like a ghost. He did not join the fray directly but landed at the edge of the battle circle, his aura still restrained.

His sudden appearance caused both sides of the fierce battle to freeze for a moment.

The Wang Family elder recognized Ye Chen at a glance, and a light of pleasant surprise immediately erupted in his eyes: ”It’s... it’s Senior?!”

The scene of Ye Chen casually flicking Zhao Qian away at the Drunken Immortal Residence was still fresh in his mind; that unfathomable strength had left a deep impression on him.

The bandit leader, a burly man at the Earth Fiend Realm Fourth Level with a hideous scar on his face, shouted harshly upon seeing this, ”Where did this kid come from, daring to meddle in the business of our ’Black Fiend Gang’? If you don’t want to die, get lost!”

Ye Chen’s gaze swept over the scarred man and the eerie black qi surrounding him, and he spoke indifferently, ”Where did the black qi on you come from?”

The Scarface was stunned, then grinned hideously, ”None of your business! Since you’re looking for death, I’ll slaughter you along with them! Brothers, go! Chop this meddling kid first!”

Several Condensation Origin Realm Bandit Cultivators heard this and immediately brandished their weapons, channeling the black qi and howling as they lunged at Ye Chen.

Ye Chen’s eyes turned slightly cold. He pointed his fingers like a sword and tapped out casually.

Several fine strands of Chaos Sword Aura pierced through the air, arriving first despite being launched later, accurately entering the foreheads of those Bandit Cultivators.

Thud! Thud!

The charging figures of the Bandit Cultivators suddenly froze, the fierce light in their eyes instantly dimming as they fell straight down, their breath gone. The black qi around them was directly purified and annihilated by the supreme intent of Extinction and Returning to the Void the moment the Chaos Sword Aura entered their bodies!

An instant kill! Still so effortless!

Not only did the remaining Bandit Cultivators turn pale with horror, but even the scarred man’s pupils shrank, and a look of terror appeared on his face.

”You... who exactly are you?!” The scarred man’s voice trembled slightly. He could feel that the other party killing his subordinates was like crushing a few ants; his strength was definitely far beyond his own!

Ye Chen did not answer. He took a step forward, his figure appearing in front of the scarred man as if teleporting.

The scarred man was terrified and roared, pushing his Earth Fiend Realm Fourth Level cultivation to the limit. Black qi surged around him, condensing into a giant ghost claw that clawed at Ye Chen with a piercing screech! This was his trump card technique, ”Black Fiend Ghost Claw,” with which he had once heavily injured opponents of the same level!

However, facing this ferocious claw, Ye Chen only extended a single finger.

Upon his fingertip, Chaos Gang Qi flowed. There was no dazzling light, only a heavy and ancient intent that seemed capable of freezing everything. He did not use the Myriad Transformations Divine Ability, but only used the most primordial power of Chaos, combined with a trace of the intent of Returning to the Void.

”Break.”

His finger tapped out lightly, colliding with the giant ghost claw.

The expected energy explosion did not occur. The ghost claw, which condensed all of the scarred man’s Protective Aura and eerie black qi, melted and disintegrated rapidly from the point of contact like snow under a scorching sun the moment it touched Ye Chen’s fingertip! That black qi, which was enough to corrode Protective Aura, appeared vulnerable before the more fundamental power of Chaos and Returning to the Void!

”No!!” The scarred man let out a desperate roar, watching helplessly as his strongest attack was broken by the opponent’s finger. The terrifying power of Extinction spread along the ghost claw, instantly invading his body!

He wanted to resist, to break free, but that power was incomparably overbearing, directly disintegrating his Protective Aura and annihilating his vitality!

Pfft—

The scarred man’s body trembled violently, the light in his eyes quickly dimming. The black qi around him dissipated, and he fell straight backward, his breath cut off. Until his death, he did not understand why he had lost so completely and so easily!

With their leader killed instantly, the remaining Bandit Cultivators’ morale collapsed. With a shout, they scattered and fled.

The Wang Family guards’ morale soared. Led by the elder, they began to hunt down the fleeing Bandit Cultivators.

Ye Chen did not bother with those small fry. His gaze fell on the scarred man’s corpse, his brow furrowing slightly. At the moment of his death, the residual eerie black qi in his body seemed to want to condense into some kind of mark, but under the purification of the Chaos power, it eventually dissipated completely.

”This black qi... seems to have some kind of tracking or messaging backup?” Ye Chen speculated. This Black Fiend Gang was probably not that simple.

By this time, the Wang Family elder had already dealt with the nearby Bandit Cultivators. He walked quickly to Ye Chen, bowed deeply, his tone full of gratitude and awe: ”Thank you, Senior, for taking action to help again! If not for Senior, my Wang Family’s red iron ore vein would likely have changed hands today, and we would not have escaped a cruel fate!”

”It was nothing,” Ye Chen waved his hand and asked, ”What is the Origin of these Bandit Cultivators? Do you know the background of the black qi on them?”

The elder replied hurriedly, ”To answer Senior, this Black Fiend Gang is a bandit force that only became active around Luoxia City in the past six months. They act ruthlessly, specifically plundering the ore veins and merchant caravans of various families. The black qi on them is extremely eerie, capable of corroding Protective Aura and weapons, making it very difficult to deal with. Our Wang Family has also investigated, but we have never been able to find their roots, only knowing that their lair seems to be deep in the Black Wind Mountain Range to the west.”

He paused, a look of worry appearing on his face: ”Moreover, we suspect that the Zhao Family may be in collusion with them. Otherwise, how could they have known so accurately that our ore vein’s defenses were weak today and launched a large-scale attack?”

Ye Chen nodded; this matched his previous speculation. The Zhao Family and this Black Fiend Gang likely had some connection, and the source of that eerie black qi might be in the Black Wind Mountain Range.

”Senior, this is no place to talk. There is a temporary meeting hall inside the ore vein. Please, Senior, step inside so that my Wang Family can show some hospitality and report to Senior in detail.” The elder invited respectfully.

Ye Chen pondered for a moment. He had intended to continue his journey, but this Black Fiend Gang and that eerie black qi had piqued his interest; perhaps he could find some traces of the Dark Hall from them. Moreover, he also wanted to see if there was anything else strange deep within this ore vein.

”Lead the way,” he said indifferently.

The elder was overjoyed and hurriedly led the way, while also instructing his subordinates to clear the battlefield and strengthen security.

Ye Chen followed the elder into the deep mine. The mine was brightly lit, and the mining marks were very new, but as they went deeper, the faint cold and decaying aura in the air seemed to become more pronounced.

His chaos primordial fetus felt a slight sense of repulsion toward this.

Beneath this ore vein, something might really be hidden.