Volume 2 - The Appearance of the Nine Provinces Map and Entering the Lingxu Sect Chapter 149: The Arrival of Cui Ke

A sealed mystic realm? Five years?

Chen Yu was somewhat dazed upon hearing this; it was his first time ever encountering such a thing. Yet, this could not dampen his excitement, for he understood very well that this was likewise a grand opportunity.

From the discussions among the gathered cultivators, Chen Yu came to understand what a sealed mystic realm truly was.

Legend had it that during the primordial era, the Nine Provinces were not merely this small; a vast expanse of territory had been sealed away by supreme divine power. However, with the erosion of time, that sealing force had weakened, causing mystic realms to occasionally manifest.

Yet, there was another prevailing theory: that mystic realms were domains forged by supreme mighty figures using their own divine power, within which supreme inheritances were concealed.

Regardless of which case it was, a mystic realm represented a supreme opportunity capable of rewriting a cultivator's future.

He must participate in the mystic realm five years from now. At the same time, he understood that the Lingxu Sect would definitely get involved. He thought to himself: It seems I must make thorough preparations. Five years? Below the Four Elephants Realm? I cannot afford to slacken in my cultivation.

Unwilling to wait any longer, Chen Yu decided to return to the Lingxu Sect first to see if the sect had any plans in place.

What Chen Yu did not know, however, was that shortly after he departed Sanyang City, three figures also quietly slipped away, pursuing the direction in which he had gone.

Chen Yu rode his horse at a gallop, traveling for a full day before stopping in the wilderness to rest. As he sat with his eyes closed to calm his mind, Chen Yu suddenly sensed something amiss. The chirping of insects had ceased, and the dim twilight felt even more deathly still. Such a condition indicated either the presence of fierce beasts or the stealthy approach of formidable practitioners.

Feigning ignorance, Chen Yu kept his eyes half-closed and waited quietly.

Right at that moment, a pitch-black blade beam descended, slashing straight toward the crown of Chen Yu’s head. The blade light was exceptionally swift; had Chen Yu not anticipated it beforehand, he surely would have failed to evade it.

With a sudden backward leap, Chen Yu tumbled several times, dodging the strike.

Yet the blade light was ferocious, and even though Chen Yu had dodged, it did not stop, lunging straight toward him again.

Chen Yu’s gaze hardened as he instantly thrust his sword horizontally, shattering the incoming blade light. In that very instant, from both his left and right, two more blade qi slashes cut through the air, sealing off all avenues of retreat.

A cold snort escaped Chen Yu’s lips as he immediately executed the "Blooming in an Instant" technique, transforming his dharma power into a golden flower that shielded his body. Those two streams of blade qi could no longer advance an inch.

Taking advantage of the enemy’s astonishment and momentary daze, Chen Yu spun his sword to strike, his sword qi transforming into a tempest of wind and rain that poured down in all directions, forcing the three figures lurking in the dark to retreat in disarray.

Raising an eyebrow, Chen Yu had already recognized who they were.

"Come out, Cui Ke."

"What a capable Lingxu disciple. I never expected you to actually have a few tricks up your sleeve," Cui Ke and the other two stepped out from the shadows, speaking with icy tones.

"What is the meaning of this?" Chen Yu asked calmly, his expression detached.

"No particular meaning. I simply find you grating to the eyes," Cui Ke replied coldly.

"Just like that? Or are you actually after the treasures carried by the Third Tiger of Shajiang?" Chen Yu saw through their true motive with a single glance.

"Hmph, are the possessions of the Cui clan something you can just take at will?" With his intentions laid bare, Cui Ke saw no further need for concealment. "Kill him... make it quick and decisive."

Without further ado, the three of them attacked Chen Yu once more. Instead of fleeing, Chen Yu looked coldly at the trio and said, "Very well, I shall see just what kind of ability the younger generation of the Cui clan truly possesses."

Taking a single step forward, his body transformed into a golden light as he charged toward the Cui clan disciple on the far left, for within Chen Yu’s perception, this person’s cultivation was the weakest, lower than his own by an entire realm.

Chen Yu’s sudden speed startled the three of them immensely.

"Golden Light Spanning the Earth?" Cui Ke said coldly. "I know that too."

"Oh, somewhat interesting." Chen Yu glanced briefly, yet his attack did not hesitate in the slightest; a heavy sword strike directly blasted the Cui disciple flying.

Puff... The Cui clan disciple was utterly shocked, feeling a massive shockwave reverberate through his blade, and could not suppress a mouthful of blood.

By this time, Cui Ke and Cui Feng had already closed in, leaving Chen Yu no choice but to abandon the injured disciple and meet the two of them in battle.

"Myriad Illusions Blade Technique." The three of them simultaneously delivered a slash, each blade stroke multiplying into dozens of phantom blade images.

This was a unique martial art of the Cui clan; though inferior to the Chaotic Demonic Arts, its power was by no means negligible.

Chen Yu’s eyes lit up as he called out, "Fine blade technique! But it won't be enough to deal with me."

"Taizhu Sword Scripture: Wind, Rain, and Golden Light."

Amidst the fierce clash between both sides, the phantom blade images and sword lights shattered simultaneously.

"What? That's the Lingxu Sect's Taizhu Sword Scripture?" Cui Ke and Cui Feng cried out in shock. Yet, at that exact moment, Chen Yu struck again.

"Shaking the Mountains and Rending the Earth, Wind, Rain, and Golden Light."

The sword qi transformed into golden light, resembling both wind and rain, while the air seemed to distort and surge forward like layers of giant waves. Before Cui Ke and Cui Feng could react, they were sent heavily flying backward, their heads tilting back as they coughed up mouthfuls of fresh blood.

"You... damn it..." The expressions of the three finally shifted dramatically. They had not anticipated that Chen Yu’s strength would truly be so formidable, completely exceeding their imaginations.

Being extremely resolute, the three of them decided to cut their losses and fled the moment they realized they were outmatched.

"Hmph, you come as you please and leave as you please? Is there really such a fine thing in this world?" Chen Yu said coldly, transforming into a golden light as he gave chase.

"Don't..."

With a single sweep of Chen Yu’s sword, he ended the life of the Cui disciple who had already lost his will to fight.

"Chen Yu, you actually dare to kill a member of the Cui clan? Are you trying to instigate a conflict between the Cui clan and your Lingxu Sect?" Cui Ke shouted furiously.

"Once I kill you both, who else will know I did it?" Chen Yu said with disdain, pursuing the remaining two without a moment's hesitation.

Realizing Chen Yu was closing in, Cui Ke shouted loudly, "Cui Feng, let's scatter and run in opposite directions! I refuse to believe he can hunt down both of us."

"Agreed!" Cui Feng understood that Cui Ke was attempting to pressure the pursuer. Thus, he agreed without the slightest hesitation.

At this, however, Chen Yu merely sneered, immediately casting the "Transforming Beans into Soldiers" technique to conjure two figures that pursued Cui Feng, while his true body chased directly after Cui Ke.

Seeing this, panic instantly seized the two of them.

"Chen Yu, are you truly determined to fight us to the death?" Cui Zhong called out in anger. Although he also mastered the Golden Light Spanning the Earth technique, his speed was clearly inferior to Chen Yu's. At that moment, he could not help but plead for mercy: "Spare me, and we can pretend this matter never happened. It's beneficial for both of us."

"Is that so?" Chen Yu sneered. "Unfortunately, I only trust dead people."

"You..." Filled with deep resentment and realizing escape was impossible, Cui Ke turned to launch a desperate counterattack, slashing fiercely toward Chen Yu. "Myriad Illusions Blade Technique!"

Chen Yu thrust out his sword: "Shaking the Mountains and Rending the Earth, Wind, Rain, and Golden Light."

Puff... Chen Yu not only shattered Cui Ke’s blade images but drove his sword straight into Cui Ke's heart.

"You... you really dared to kill me..." Cui Ke cried out in bitter reluctance.

"Did you think only you were allowed to kill me?" Chen Yu said dismissively. He swiftly harvested the treasures on Cui Ke's body, then used a Flame-Spitting Talisman to incinerate the corpse into ashes.

Immediately afterward, he sped away in the direction of Cui Feng.