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Pre-Chapter translator note: Hope you enjoy.
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Chapter 65, Conspiracy and Breakthrough
Zi Chen felt his stomach nearing its limits. Just as he thought it would explode, his heart suddenly lurched. A ferocious attraction force suddenly appeared, as his heart forcefully sucked in all the energy within Zi Chen’s stomach like a dark, bottomless pit. Within a few breaths, Zi Chen’s bloated stomach began to slowly deflate.
A crisis that had almost gotten Zi Chen exploded. Under the throbbing of his heart, the crisis was lightly dispelled.
Outside, the serpent which was feebly struggling had stilled. The waves surged. The droplets of water drizzling down made it sound like it was raining.
The python’s energy fountainhead had been consumed by Zi Chen bit by bit. With a final swallow, where the serpent’s gall bladder should have been was now completely bereft. Not a thread of energy remained.
At the same time, the previously lively serpent drew its last breath with the disappearance of its energy fountainhead. It floated morbidly on the surface of the lake.
”It’s stopped moving again!”
“What the hell’s going on, the python’s stopped again.”
Ling Xue and Su Mengyao stared fixedly at the python. Noting that it was still, their faces changed greatly. Despite their desire for the python to move in their hearts, the python did not move an inch.
“Charge, charge!”1
At this moment, the fight within the valley was nearing its end. An untold number of humans had perished along with the ferocious beasts. The thick, grisly tang of blood was suffocating. A group of cultivators had killed their way out of the valley, dashing towards the outside of it.
“Follow them and charge.”
Several eyes lit up. Letting out loud cries, they fell alongside with them. The cultivators poured out like a waterfall. Several cultivators perished under the sharp claws of the remaining ferocious beasts, but even more cultivators managed to escape.
“Puff!” “Puff!”
This was a path carved out through blood. Between the interior of the valley to the mouth of the valley, there only lay a trifling several hundreds of meters. But within this several hundreds of meters, too many corpses – an untold number – littered the landscape.
Outside the valley, Ling Chen led his fellow disciples. They had waited for this for a long time. An intangible but very perceivable harsh aura radiated from them. Outside the valley, every single Zhan Wu disciple stood ready for combat, their eyes colder than glaciers of ice, locking the valley’s mouth with a rigid stare.
When the first man appeared, the killing aura that surrounded the Zhan Wu disciples fully burst out, a savage cruelty that emanated from each of their bodies.
“Kill!”
Ling Chen impassively roared. Numerous waves of Zhan Wu disciples swept towards the disciples of the three sects that had just fluked a fight and escaped with their lives.2
“Disciples from Zhan Wu sect? What do you guys think you’re doing?”
“It’s you, Ling Chen! What are you planning?”
“We three sects are allies! Don’t tell me you plan to kill us all?”
Waves of Zhan Wu disciples streamed forward, the edges of their blades gleaming cruelly in the sunlight. Killing aura pervaded the air, and limbs began to fly. Horribly familiar bloodcurdling screams began to pierce the air once more.
The exhausted cultivators faced against Ling Chen’s men were like sheep waiting to be butchered. Lacking even energy to properly resist, Ling Chen’s men swarmed into them like wolves entering a flock of sheep, wantonly slaughtering.
A few Zhan Wu disciples which had just exited the valley with the other two sects were still laughing. Seeing their fellow disciples appear before them, they realised they were horribly mistaken when their fellow disciples brandished their blades at them.
“Puff!”
Hands gripping the blades were brought down, hot blood splattered. These disciples died with incredulous expressions on their face.
“Ling Chen, are you mad? You’re killing us — fellow disciples of the same sect!” The expressions on the faces of the Zhan Wu disciples changed immediately. The only reply they received in turn was the flash of swordlight.3
Nobody replied. There was only killing.
Killing all people that left the valley. Who cared if they were from the same sect? Even then, they could not be let off.
In a single charge, the amount of dead from the cultivators that had left the valley was disastrous. They turned back once more towards the valley.
“Ling Chen brought people to kill us!”
“Ling Chen’s bonkers! He wants to kill all of us!”
“This was a scheme, a scheme by Ling Chen!”
Havoc began to fill the valley again. Now everyone knew what was going on. Zi Chen’s previous suspicion had been proved correct.
Ling Chen wanted to kill everyone within the valley. At the moment, he had already secured the mouth of the valley. All the disciples that had managed to leave the valley were cut down one by one. Faced with no choice, the cultivators turned back once more and began to heavily battle with the remaining ferocious beasts once more. More gazes turned towards Mu Yi and his group.
With the previous fierce fighting, the exhaustion of everyone’s energy had been large. In contrast, Mu Yi and his company had actually recovered much of their energy during the battle.4 All gazes were fixed on Mu Yi’s company because their fighting strength was the greatest.
“Senior Brother Mu Yi, please think of an idea, save us!”
“Senior Brother Zhang Haotian, remember us from the same sect? Please save us!”
“Senior Sister Mengyao, please save us, Ling Chen wants to kill all of us!”
The cultivators pleaded. Zhang Haotian didn’t even spare them a glance. Mu Yi was also unwilling to respond to the people. Su Mengyao still had her eyes trained on the unmoving python, ignoring everyone else.
~
Within the belly of the python, Zi Chen had finally begun to transform after swallowing a Xiantian python’s energy fountainhead.
His heart throbbed madly, sending pure and dense silver energy out. Like a mild tide, it surged, but it was nothing dangerous. Spreading towards the four limbs of his body and into his bones, it rushed into his Dantian blood. Under the silver energy, the structure of his body underwent an earthshaking change.
Blood, bone, flesh, everything was changing. Like essence washing in
Zi Chen’s previous constitution was only the equivalent of a rank nine ferocious beast. However, under this unending stream of energy, his rank nine ferocious beast constitution was striding forward towards a rank ten ferocious beast’s constitution.5
In an instant, this threshold was smashed right through by the immense energy. Zi Chen’s constitution transformed once again, this time equivalent to a rank ten ferocious beast’s. It was also only a step away from the Xiantian realm.6
At the same time, within his Dantian, Zi Chen’s cultivation which was at the middle stage of the eighth layer, shot to the peak of the eighth layer before bursting through to the ninth layer of Zhen Qi.
A powerful aura emerged from Zi Chen’s body. Silver light flickering off him, Zi Chen was like a war god clad in a silver armour in the python’s belly.
This was the energy of a Xiantian realm serpent.
Pangpai was strong, as deep as a sea, mysterious and profound.7 The endless impurities in his heart was cleansed, turning into an adulterated silver energy which was as vast as an ocean.
Zi Chen’s physique had made a breakthrough like his strength, which was not strange at all. If he had been swapped with a normal person, said normal person would have been able to break to the peak of the tenth layer of Zhen Qi.
The python was motionless. Zi Chen retrieved the black sword. He was still shivering. Stumbling forward, Zi Chen made his way out of the python.
With its energy fountainhead gone, Zi Chen was sure that even if the python was not dead, it would only be a strong, fierce animal, unable to be compared with a ferocious beast. It would not be able to keep up with an old tiger with no teeth, unable to even threaten it.8
Zi Chen slowly made his way out of the python, walking to the mouth of the python.
“I know you’re able to hear me. I don’t have any intentions to kill you. Do you want to open your mouth or for me to open it for you?” Zi Chen watched the rows of sharp teeth. Except that this time, he did not feel afraid.
With his powerful strength came enormous confidence.
The python shuddered, slowly opening its mouth. As a Xiantian demon beast, it possessed extremely high intelligence.
Zi Chen propelled himself forward with a light push. Spinning in the air, he landed on the python’s back.
His body was drenched in fresh blood, and an indescribable liquid and fishy stink. He cut a sorry figure.
Without a better option, Zi Chen plunged into the lake waters, taking a simple bath.
After a short moment, Zi Chen burst from the waters, jumping back onto the python’s back. The screams and sounds of battle, along with the roars of the ferocious beast were all taken in by him.
The distance from the valley was over a kilometre. Zi Chen surveyed the numerous ferocious beasts attacking the cultivators from the three sects.
“It still hasn’t ended, I have no idea if Lin Xue and the others are still safe.” He had initially wanted to pick the spirit medicine, but his friends’ safety took priority at the moment. He had to give up taking the spirit medicine first.
“Bring me to the water’s edge.” Zi Chen commanded in a low voice.
The Xiantian serpent had lost its energy fountainhead, but was still alive. It was merely very weak, but swimming in the water was not a problem for it.
The python turned around in the water, ferrying Zi Chen towards the valley.
“You’ve lost your strength. Don’t go near to the water’s edge to avoid people killing you. Wait for me here.” Zi Chen calmly stated. Lightly pushing himself forawrd, he soared in the air, flying towards the valley.
The python expressionlessly sank back into the depths of the lake.
Lin Xue and Su Mengyao had been observing the changes within the lake. When they saw that the python had moved again, the duo felt their hearts jump to their throats. Then they saw a lone figure standing on the head of the python.
“Zi Chen, it’s Zi Chen, he’s still alive.” Lin Xue murmured, her voice full of emotions.
“It’s him, he actually survived.” Su Mengyao’s eyes brimmed with tears of joy.
“What?”9
The surrounding cultivators froze as they raised their heads one by one. The figure of Zi Chen speeding through the air left incredulous expressions on their face.
“What…what situation is this?” Zhang Haotian and the others gawked, but ecstasy immediately claimed their surprise.
“Zi Chen, you really haven’t died?” The cultivators choked with emotions. Mu Yi, Lu Peng and the others were even more amazed. They faced Zi Chen like they were trying to see through him.
Xu Yan had perished within the python’s mouth, but Zi Chen had managed to survive. This was inconceivable.
Lin Xue had already thrown herself into Zi Chen’s arms, hugging him tightly as she wept in a low voice. Su Mengyao also came forward, resting on Zi Chen’s shoulder. Zi Chen had risked his life to save her before, and great waves had rose in the goddess’s heart.10
With beautiful women worrying for him, Zi Chen felt very lucky. However, this lucky moment was short-lived. A roar sounded out as a rank eight ferocious beast tore towards them.
The air whistled. The ferocious beast had already opened its mouth, revealing its sharp teeth. A savage aura rolled off it.
Zi Chen laughed. With a hint of disdain, he pointed at the ferocious beast.
Thunderbolt finger!
Glorious silver light flickered from his finger. In the next moment, the clapping sound of thunder boomed, tearing forward like an angry dragon.
“Bang!”
Thunder and lightning exploded. The earth shook, and the entire valley began to quake. Sparks whirled and lightning flashed. The rank eight ferocious beast’s speed was fast. Sinister and terrifying, it was aggressive and powerful. Without any time to retreat, it died immediately.
Thunder boomed, attracting attention from everyone in the valley. Everyone turned and stared at Zi Chen, expressions of disbelief on their faces.
“That’s Zi Chen, he’s still alive?”
“The Xiantian serpent didn’t kill him? Don’t tell me he killed the serpent?”
“How can it be possible? Fuck, even Xu Yan who was at the Xiantian realm died, but Zi Chen’s still alive?”
The multitude of people felt like their throats were somewhat dry. They tore their gazes from Zi Chen. The lake was still, and there was zero sign of any Xiantian python having existed at all.
“Roar!”
The powerful attack had intimidated everyone present, but the ferocious beasts thought otherwise. Roaring, they madly surged towards Zi Chen.
Chapter 64, END
If you see this, YOU ARE READING ON AN AGGREGATOR SITE. Please read this series on isohungrytls.com and support our translators. Releases are a day faster on ISO, so instead of using an aggregator site for convenience, use novelupdates.com
Post-Chapter translator note: Fun fact, this is like the only novel I have had to add exclamation marks in dialogue because there were zero exclamation marks. Just commas.
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The ! key on the author’s keyboard was spoilt and he didn’t get round to replace it when he was writing the novel.