System Possession, One Sword Shocks the Gods

134: The traces of the star orchid, a deadly trap in the secluded valley.Bidding farewell to the Azure Wood Sect Disciples, Ye Chen followed the clues provided by Lin Waner and headed deep into the Meteorite Mountain Range, toward a perilous area known as ”Star Shattering Ravine.” It was rumored to be one of the core regions struck by an ancient meteorite, with unique geology where mineral veins were intertwined with chaotic astral power, making it the most likely place for starfall orchid to grow.

The deeper he went, the harsher the environment became. The violent Spiritual Qi in the air almost solidified, forming visible colorful vortices that would occasionally erupt with scorching fire Evil Qi or whip up freezing golden winds. The ground was covered in strange, sharp metal Ores that were as keen as blades; ordinary Cultivators would need to be extremely cautious just walking here, constantly maintaining their Protective Aura.

But for Ye Chen, this place was like a treasure trove for Cultivating ”Chaos Myriad Transformations.” He no longer deliberately restrained his aura, letting his chaos primordial fetus breathe on its own, absorbing the violent and impure Spiritual Qi into his body. After being transformed by the Chaos Origin, it turned into pure Chaos Gang Qi, nourishing his cultivation and Divine Ability. He even actively guided Spiritual Qi of different attributes to impact his body, using this to hone his control over the power of Myriad Transformations.

Along the way, he encountered several waves of Yao Beasts. These Yao Beasts had been influenced by the environment for years, resulting in mutations in both their forms and abilities. There was a group of ”Gold-Eating Rats” composed entirely of metal that moved like lightning; ”Star-Spotted Pythons” that could spray poisonous mist containing stardust; and even an ”Iron Meteorite Violent Bear” that had reached the Earthly Fiend Realm Fifth Level and could manipulate local magnetic fields.

Ye Chen did not avoid the battles; instead, he treated these Yao Beasts as the best whetstones for his sword. He used his guixu sword to fight, at times simulating Geng Metal sharpness with his Chaos Gang Qi to break through the Gold-Eating Rats’ defenses; at other times, converting it into the intensity of Li Fire to incinerate the Star-Spotted Python’s poisonous mist. Facing the gravitational suppression from the Iron Meteorite Violent Bear’s distorted magnetic field, he pushed ”Myriad Transformations” to the limit. His aura instantly became as heavy and dense as the earth, using the Law of Earth to counter the magnetic field, and ultimately piercing its core with a single guixu sword strike.

Combat is the best teacher. After a series of skirmishes, Ye Chen’s application of his Earth Fiend Realm Third Layer power became increasingly proficient, and ”Chaos Myriad Transformations” became more fluid, with the previous stagnation greatly reduced.

Three days later, he finally arrived at Star Shattering Ravine.

This was an immense canyon, as if it had been cleaved open by a giant sword from beyond the heavens. The cliffs on both sides were steep and sheer, presenting an eerie dark silver color, covered in honeycomb-like holes from which various Spiritual Qi constantly surged, forming colorful yet deadly energy storms within the canyon. The bottom of the valley was unfathomably deep, with only the wailing sounds of chaotic energy turbulence echoing up.

According to Lin Waner’s description, starfall orchid favored the shade and mostly grew in ”wind eyes” where energy storms were relatively calm, or at special mineral nodes that could converge astral power.

Ye Chen restrained his aura and slowly descended along the steep cliff. His Divine Sense acted like the most precise radar, carefully scanning every place that might hide a starfall orchid.

The energy storms in the canyon were extremely dangerous; even he dared not easily venture into the core areas. He carefully navigated through the gaps in the storms, searching for the legendary ”wind eye.”

Hard work pays off. After descending about a thousand feet and bypassing a raging crimson fire Evil Qi storm, Ye Chen’s view suddenly opened up, revealing a relatively calm, recessed platform. The platform was only a few zhang square, with a clear spring in the center. The spring water appeared as a strange star-blue, emitting a faint astral fluctuation. Beside the spring, several Spiritual Plants with deep blue bodies, leaves like star fragments, and flower stamens flickering with specks of starlight were growing quietly.

It was indeed the starfall orchid! And there was more than one; there were five of them!

Ye Chen felt a surge of joy and was about to step forward to pick them when his footsteps suddenly halted. His gaze sharpened like a blade, scanning the shadows on the other side of the platform.

”Friend, since you’ve come, why hide?”

His voice echoed in the silent, recessed platform.

The shadows twisted, and three figures slowly emerged. The leader was none other than the Dark Hall deacon he had startled away in the valley earlier! His face now carried a mixture of shock and malice as he stared fixedly at Ye Chen. Beside him were two additional Black-Robed Figures with even colder and deeper auras. One was gaunt with sunken eye sockets, playing with a pair of pitch-black bone beads, whose cultivation had clearly reached the Peak of the Earth Fiend Realm Fourth Layer! The other was burly, carrying a door-sized giant blade on his back, also possessing an aura at the Earth Fiend Realm Fourth Layer!

”It’s you?!” The deacon recognized Ye Chen’s face, shocked at first, then his face twisted into a ferocious expression. ”You really chose to enter Hell when there was a path to Heaven! I didn’t expect you to actually reach this Star Shattering Ravine! Perfect, let’s settle old and new scores together!”

He turned to the gaunt old man beside him and said respectfully, ”Elder Yin Gu, it is this person! He ruined our good work earlier and scared away the Three-Eyed Bone-Eroding Lizard! His strength is strange; he is suspected to be in the Middle Stage of the Earth Fiend Realm!”

The old man, addressed as Elder Yin Gu, had green ghost fire flickering in his sunken eye sockets. He sized Ye Chen up and down, croaking, ”Earth Fiend Realm Third Layer? Your aura is indeed a bit strange to have bypassed my perception. Kid, which Sect are you from? State your name, and perhaps I can leave your corpse intact.”

Ye Chen remained calm, his gaze sweeping over the three before landing on Elder Yin Gu. ”A remnant of the Dark Hall, lingering like a ghost. What, was the lesson at Tianfeng City not enough?”

Elder Yin Gu’s pupils constricted, and his expression turned abruptly gloomy. ”Tianfeng City?! You actually know about the incident at Tianfeng City?! It seems I cannot let you live!” Killing intent surged from him; clearly, the failure at Tianfeng City was a thorn in the Dark Hall’s side.

The burly man carrying the giant blade grunted, ”Elder, why waste words with him! Let me tear him apart!” He violently drew the giant blade from his back. The blade was pitch-black, its edge serrated, radiating intense bloodthirst and Evil Qi, clearly having drunk countless amounts of blood.

”Be careful, this brat is a bit eerie,” Elder Yin Gu cautioned, not striking immediately, seemingly wanting to let the burly man test him first.

The burly man sneered and stepped forward, causing the ground to tremble slightly. The giant blade carried a sound that tore through the eardrums, hacking down toward Ye Chen’s head like Mount Tai crushing down! Before the blade even arrived, the heavy pressure caused the loose rocks at the edge of the platform to tumble down!

This strike was powerful and heavy, enough to split mountains and cleave rocks!

Facing this ferocious strike, Ye Chen did not dodge or evade, nor did he even use his guixu sword. He clenched his right fist, and Chaos Gang Qi flowed, instantly coating his entire fist in a layer of dark metallic luster, as if it were no longer flesh and blood, but cast from refined steel!

”Chaos Myriad Transformations” — Simulation, Undying Geng Metal Body!

”Clang—!!!”

The fist and the giant blade collided violently, erupting with a deafening sound of metal clashing! A visible shockwave expanded rapidly from the two, blowing away all the dust on the platform!

The sneer on the burly man’s face froze instantly, replaced by immense shock! He felt an indescribable, massive force travel from the handle; his webbing between thumb and forefinger split, blood dripping. The serrated giant blade, which had tasted countless blood, was actually forced high into the air by the opponent’s bare fist, nearly flying out of his grasp! And the opponent had only taken half a step back before stabilizing his stance!

”How is this possible?! Your Physical Body...” the burly man exclaimed in disbelief.

”Your strength is far from enough,” Ye Chen said indifferently. The metallic luster on his fist faded, and his figure surged forward like a ghost. His left hand formed a sword finger, and a condensed strand of Chaos Sword Aura pierced directly at the opponent’s open chest!

The burly man was terrified and hurriedly swung his blade to parry.

”Swoosh!”

The sword qi struck the broad side of the giant blade with a soft sound. The burly man was about to rejoice at having blocked it, when he was horrified to find that the spot struck was decaying at a visible rate, as if it had suffered the erosion of ten thousand years! Guixu Sword Intent, annihilating all things!

”My Black Evil Blade!” the burly man screamed in distress, but Ye Chen’s right fist had already struck again. This time, his fist was wrapped in blazing thunder and fire!

”Bang!”

The burly man was hit squarely in the chest by the punch, the power of thunder and fire exploding instantly. He let out a miserable shriek, his sternum shattered, and his whole body flew backward like a broken sack, crashing into the distant cliff wall before sliding down limply, life or death unknown.

In the blink of an eye, a Body Cultivator expert at the Earth Fiend Realm Fourth Layer was defeated!

Elder Yin Gu and the deacon were dumbfounded, a chill rising from their hearts! This brat’s strength far exceeded their estimates!

”Attack together! Kill him!” Elder Yin Gu dared not be careless any longer and shouted sharply. He threw out the pair of bone beads in his hands, which transformed into two hideous skulls in mid-air. Their eyes burned with green fire, and they spat out two streams of ghastly green ghost fire, which was not only scorching but also contained a vicious poison that eroded the Divine Soul!

At the same time, a palm-sized black banner flew from his sleeve, growing to a zhang in size upon meeting the wind. Countless vengeful spirits struggled and roared on the banner’s surface, forming a powerful Divine Soul impact that enveloped Ye Chen!

The deacon also gritted his teeth and activated his Demonic Technique, black Qi surging around him, condensing into several black snakes that bit toward Ye Chen from tricky angles.

Facing the siege of two experts in the Middle to Late Stage of the Earth Fiend Realm, Ye Chen’s eyes narrowed slightly, and his guixu sword finally unsheathed!

With a flash of sword light, the Chaos Domain quietly expanded, shrouding the entire platform.

The battle escalated once again. And those starfall orchids in the center of the platform swayed gently in the aftermath of the energy storms, glittering with starlight.