Two Realms: I Will Become the Immortal Emperor

Chapter 357: Chapter 328: Dan Xuanzi

The snowy day was still, the desolate forest silent.

Dan Xuanzi, along with two other experts, was preparing to ambush and kill Valley Master Chen. But before they could make a move, they heard his leisurely voice drift over.

”Are we just going to...”

’This is bad,’ Dan Xuanzi thought. The other man’s tone suggested he had known they were following him all along; he might even have been luring them into a trap. Before Dan Xuanzi could even give a signal, Feng Qianghao and Gu Ruan had already withdrawn the Divine Sense they were using to scan the area, their gazes meeting his.

”There’s no one else!”

”It’s just him...”

Dan Xuanzi could hardly believe his ears.

From the way he spoke, you would think he had an army hidden in the woods.

And yet, there was only him.

Anyone capable of Core Formation couldn’t possibly be some reckless greenhorn new to the Cultivation Realm.

Still, no matter how cautious he was by nature, he couldn’t believe that a True Master who had only achieved Core Formation a few months ago would dare to be so overconfident.

That left only one possibility.

He had an ace up his sleeve and was therefore unafraid.

”Be extra careful. This could be a trick. Watch for my signal!”

Muttering this, Dan Xuanzi stepped out, revealing himself. He raised a hand slightly.

”I am Ye Huiying. We were just passing by and meant no offense. I’m not sure what you meant by your earlier words, my friend? If we have disturbed you, please accept our apologies. The three of us will be on our way immediately.”

With that, the three of them even took a few steps back, making a show of leaving. It seemed that if Chen Che just nodded, they would turn and leave without another word. His words were so polite that an ordinary person might have actually believed him.

But they had tailed him all this way. How could Chen Che possibly fall for such nonsense?

”Are you really leaving?”

A half-smile played on Chen Che’s lips as he shook his head. ”You waited outside my Jinyun Valley for two months, then you tailed me all the way here. I’ve met every Golden Core cultivator in the Sixteen States, but I’ve never seen you three before.”

”So, tell me, who sent you?”

At his words, the three men frowned in unison, knowing their cover was blown.

Dan Xuanzi’s eyes darted about. While signaling his companions to keep scanning the surroundings, he looked up at the sky and said unhurriedly:

”You’re quite perceptive, Valley Master Chen. I thought the three of us had been flawless, but it seems we were exposed long ago. If you have others hiding here, tell them to come out. Let’s have a proper fight...”

He spoke these words infused with True Essence.

The force of his voice shook the snow from the trees, sending countless wild animals scattering in terror. Of course, he refused to believe that Chen Che, knowing of their existence, would dare to lure them out all by himself.

Anyone else in this situation would have already called their allies to launch a surprise attack and gang up on them.

”No need to shout. It’s just me...”

The corner of Chen Che’s mouth twitched as he waved a dismissive hand.

’These guys are more cautious than the last, and they still came to kill me.’

However, the three obviously didn’t believe him. After exchanging a glance, Dan Xuanzi prepared to step forward, but Feng Qianghao stopped him, whispering:

”I refuse to believe he’s alone. There have to be others hidden nearby. I’m stronger than him; killing him will be a piece of cake. If anyone else shows up, you two run interference for me. I’ll take him out in one fell swoop.”

As he spoke, his hands were already on the twin sabers at his waist.

Chen Che was also about to step forward, but the Little Chick flapped its wings.

”I’ll deal with him.”

Chen Che frowned. Seeing the wary looks on Dan Xuanzi and the others, he pondered for a moment before giving a slight nod.

”Don’t force a direct confrontation.”

WHOOSH—

The Little Chick flapped its wings and flew out of the desolate forest. It raised its head high, staring at Feng Qianghao.

Seeing that Chen Che wasn’t moving and had instead sent out his mount, Feng Qianghao almost laughed in fury. He was a Golden Core True Master who had been at this Realm for decades, yet he was being so thoroughly looked down upon. The killing intent in his eyes intensified.

”You have some nerve looking down on me, Valley Master Chen. Today, I’d like to see just what makes your Spirit Pet so special that it dares to challenge a Golden Core cultivator alone.”

As he spoke, his twin sabers slid from their sheaths with a sharp CLANG.

With a wave of his hand, two sharp glints of saber light flashed past.

SLICE!

Everywhere the saber light passed, countless ancient trees were sliced in half, instantly leveling a wide swath of the forest as if it were now a plain. The snow from the severed treetops still hung suspended in the air.

It was as if nothing was beyond its edge, as if it could cleave through anything!

But the Little Chick had already given a great flap of its wings, swiftly circling around the attack. Carried on a gust of wind, it appeared above Feng Qianghao’s head in an instant.

”I see!”

Seeing this, Dan Xuanzi was stunned. He hadn’t expected that Chen Che’s Spirit Pet had also reached the Core Formation Realm.

Still, they weren’t worried.

Feng Qianghao was by no means weak. He had started out as a Tribulation Cultivator and earned the moniker ’Double-Bladed Ghost King.’ The twin sabers at his waist had slain countless Major Cultivators of the Same Tier.

Unfortunately, his past ferocity in battle had damaged his foundations. Despite possessing an Upper Spirit Root, he had barely managed to achieve Core Formation. After more than thirty years, he had only struggled to reach the Golden Core Second Layer. Otherwise, he might have already reached the Fifth Layer, or even the Sixth.

Therefore,

with Feng Qianghao’s strength, they didn’t believe there would be a problem, even with a Golden Core Demon Beast thrown into the mix.

Facing the Little Chick descending from the sky, Feng Qianghao brandished his twin sabers, spinning them into an impenetrable black wheel of blades.

”Hah!”

At the same time, he let out a furious roar and brandished his twin sabers.

SHING SHING SHING—

The blades erupted with power, whipping up a gale.

As snowflakes drifted down, the very space between them seemed to be sliced apart. Countless saber shadows intertwined, forming a massive net that closed in on the Little Chick.

Such a Saber Technique was uncommonly ferocious; it had to be at least a Tier Three technique.

But in Magical Combat, ferocity wasn’t everything.

The Little Chick, which had been descending fiercely, didn’t attack immediately. Instead, with a light flap of its wings, it hovered in mid-air, perfectly evading his explosive assault. Then, with another swift flap, it shot straight up into the air.

No matter how the massive net of blades tried to envelop it, it always seemed to fall just short.

”This damn beast...”

The Little Chick’s reaction made Dan Xuanzi and Gu Ruan’s gazes sharpen.

But before they could even register their surprise, the next scene sent a jolt of pure shock through them.

Feng Qianghao’s spinning sabers borrowed from the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, and just like a tide, his assault had its ebbs and flows.

Just as the momentum of his attack crested and began to ebb, before he could build it up again, the Little Chick flapped its great wings. It shot forward faster than it had retreated, thrusting its claws downward.

BOOM!

The sound was like a clap of thunder.

In the next instant, the ground collapsed and a blast of Strong Qi erupted outwards.

Before Dan Xuanzi’s disbelieving eyes, the pair of giant claws seemed to emerge from the very clouds, tearing right through the wheel of blades. They slammed down hard on Feng Qianghao, crushing him into the ground.

The snow on the ground was blasted into the air, shooting hundreds of feet high.

The Strong Force rippled outward, enveloping the surrounding woods, and countless ancient trees instantly exploded into dust.

Feng Qianghao’s blood ran cold. He felt the blow had rattled his very organs. But he had survived countless life-or-death battles; despite the searing pain, he still unleashed his True Essence, instantly clearing a space of several hundred feet around him in an attempt to halt the Little Chick’s assault.

With a mere thought, he unleashed several Talismans, trying to force his opponent away.

But all his actions were nothing more than a futile struggle.

BOOM!

With a dull thud, the Little Chick pecked down. Feng Qianghao’s True Essence Shield was shattered in an instant.

CRACK—

In a flash of cold light, its beak struck the crown of his head.

BANG!

Before the fierce determination in Feng Qianghao’s eyes could even turn to terror, his head exploded. Gore splattered across the ground, staining the white snow with gruesome color!

”What is that thing?”

”That damn beast...”

It wasn’t that they had never seen a Demon Beast before, but they had never seen one so utterly savage.

In an instant, Dan Xuanzi realized the truth: the information their client had provided was almost entirely false. But the arrow was already nocked; there was no turning back now. In the split second after Feng Qianghao’s death, he made his move.

His target, however, was not the Little Chick, but Chen Che.

’Kill him first, take Jinyun Valley, and then go settle the score with our client.’ With a wave of his fingers, the Sword Box on his back sprang open with a CLANG.

SHOOOOOM—

The light from within the Sword Box was as brilliant as the sun. Countless Flying Swords shot out, tearing through the air and hurtling directly toward Chen Che.

The attacks of a Sword Cultivator are often overwhelming, their killing power second to none. A Magical Artifact like a Sword Box exemplifies this trait perfectly. The moment you’re forced onto the defensive, you’ve already lost the upper hand.

But Chen Che had no intention of blocking or dodging. He simply clenched his fist around his sword and slashed.

KRAKOW—

Starfire Technique!

The opening move alone was like stars falling to the mortal realm.

As the Ruyi Wind and Thunder Sword descended, any Flying Swords that came within ten feet of him were shattered into dust by his ferocious Sword Momentum. His momentum unabated, he pressed forward. The overwhelming tide of Flying Swords crashed against him like waves on a reef, splitting in two before him.

However, this was merely a feint. The true killing blow was yet to come.

The other Golden Core cultivator, Gu Ruan, also made his move. He had been hiding behind Dan Xuanzi, a lesser-known figure. But now, he drew his bow as if pulling back the moon. A ghastly white Bone Arrow was silently nocked and aimed straight for the center of Chen Che’s brow.

The two coordinated with the fluidity of flowing water. They had ambushed and killed cultivators countless times and were prepared for any situation. They had faced perils many times greater than this. And though they had misjudged the strength of their opponent’s Demon Beast, they now unleashed what should have been a guaranteed killing blow.

That Bone Arrow was no ordinary object. It was shaped like a spinal column and had likely been forged from the remains of a Golden Core cultivator. It was, at the very least, a Tier Three Middle Grade Magical Artifact. Even if Chen Che managed to block the arrow, Dan Xuanzi would immediately follow up to finish the job.

Working together, they were confident they could kill even an expert a full Layer above them.

The sight made the Little Chick cry out in alarm, but even with its incredible speed, it couldn’t possibly reach him in time to help.

At the same time, expressions of triumph began to spread across the faces of Dan Xuanzi and Gu Ruan, but their smiles froze before they could fully form.

As his sword descended, leaving him seemingly unable to defend, Chen Che showed not a hint of panic as the Bone Arrow bore down on him. Instead, the spot between his eyebrows flashed with light, and a torrent of countless Flying Swords poured out like a river, surrounding his body in the blink of an eye.

From that point of light between his eyebrows, a metallic flower slowly bloomed, its petals spinning gently.

Dan Xuanzi recognized it with a single glance.

”A Sword Pill!”