Cultivation: Start From Simplifying Martial Arts Techniques

Looking Down on Those of the Same Level

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

“This aura, are they under the command of the Black Divine?” someone questioned.

“No, but they are similar to the Black Divine’s subordinates,” replied another.

Luan Qinghui furrowed his brows slightly and said in a deep voice, “Some things from the past are beginning to emerge one after another!”

Chen Fei stood on the rooftop of the inn, a faint light flickering at his brow, allowing him to see the appearance of those monsters dozens of miles away.

Subconsciously, Chen Fei also thought these were subordinates of the Black Divine, because these monsters were vastly different from other monsters on the Middle Continent.

They were more chaotic and frenzied, somewhat resembling those in the Strange Heart Realm if one had to make a comparison.

However, Chen Fei soon noticed the differences between these monsters and the Black Divine’s subordinates. Although both were chaotic and frenzied, these monsters exhibited a hint of radiant characteristics in their spiritual qualities.

With fish bodies, snake heads, and six limbs, the sharp teeth in their mouths could be sensed even from such a distance, dripping with saliva at this moment. It seemed inconceivable to associate them with radiant characteristics.

Yet, in this contradiction, frenzy and order were directly fused together in these monsters.

“What on earth are these things?” Chen Fei narrowed his eyes slightly.

At this moment, other cultivators within Feihuang City also gradually discerned the appearance of those monsters outside the city.

Feihuang City was one of the largest cities within tens of thousands of miles, regularly attracting numerous practitioners at the Mountain Sea Realms, not to mention the considerable number at the Combined Aperture Tempering realm.

Though the distance of dozens of miles was considerable, with careful observation, one could still discern some things.

Outside Feihuang City,

“Bringing these monsters here without authorization was the only option we had. We hope for forgiveness,” Qiu Zesheng and Xu Jinglun flew to the front of the Feihuang Sect and others, bowing their heads and apologizing.

Stirring up trouble like this, at any time, would warrant direct execution without question.

However, if Qiu Zesheng and Xu Jinglun hadn’t acted this way, they probably wouldn’t survive today. Hence, despite knowing it would incur the enmity of others, the two eventually fled to Feihuang City for their lives.

Because within thousands of miles around, only Feihuang City had the capability to rescue them.

After this matter is settled, we will naturally hold you accountable for your actions,” Luan Qinghui glanced at Qiu Zesheng and Xu Jinglun, his tone stern.

If it weren’t for the fact that the two were at the late stage of the Combined Aperture Tempering realm, Luan Qinghui would probably have executed them with a single sword strike long ago.

For now, they had to deal with the monsters in front of them first, and settle scores afterward. If Qiu Zesheng and Xu Jinglun failed to provide satisfactory answers later, it would be difficult for them to leave Feihuang City, even if the Saint Yan Sect were to intervene.

From afar, those monsters, upon seeing the formidable formation of the Feihuang Sect, showed no signs of retreat. They continued to charge forward, their sharp killing intent enveloping the area for miles around.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

When the monsters were still several miles away from Feihuang City, suddenly a series of dense metallic clangs rang out. All the monsters froze in mid-air, and hundreds of brown tree roots pierced through their bodies.

The Tree King of Feihuang City had directly taken action.

With a canopy spanning dozens of miles, the range of these tree roots beneath Feihuang City far exceeded this area.

Be careful, this won’t kill these monsters!” Qiu Zesheng hurriedly warned.

The strength of these dozens of monsters was probably at the early stage of the Mountain Sea Realm. Although their numbers were sufficient, Qiu Zesheng and Xu Jinglun’s strength shouldn’t have been pushed to this extent.

As soon as Qiu Zesheng finished speaking, dozens of motionless monsters suddenly struggled violently, then burst apart.

However, the monsters that burst apart didn’t disappear. Instead, they completely adhered to the tree roots. These roots, which even spiritual treasures found challenging to cut through, were corroded instantly, changing from brown to black.

Moreover, this black layer spread astonishingly fast toward the roots’ base. In the blink of an eye, it had spread beneath the soil layer.

Sensing the anomaly, the Tree King directly severed hundreds of its roots. The corrupted roots then transformed into black mist, completely absorbed into the bodies of dozens of monsters.

Not only did the monsters’ shattered bodies return to their original state, but their strength also seemed to have increased slightly.

Seeing this scene before them, the people in mid-air couldn’t help but feel a jolt in their hearts.

If any one of them had sustained such injuries, they would not only have faced immediate death, but severe injuries would have been unavoidable.

Yet, these monsters not only emerged unscathed but also seemingly gained strength.

Luan Qinghui furrowed his brows, and the long sword in his hand suddenly leaped up. A sword shadow pierced through the sky, and in the blink of an eye, it traversed the bodies of several monsters.

With Luan Qinghui’s peakMountain Sea Realm cultivation, killing monsters at the early stage of the Fourth-Tier might not have been effortless, but these monsters would find it challenging to evade his attacks.

If conventional methods couldn’t kill these monsters, then they would directly obliterate their souls.

In realms above the Fourth-Tier, many techniques struggled to inflict harm because they only targeted the surface level, leaving the deeper soul largely unharmed.

Luan Qinghui’s strike was aimed at both the soul and the body.

As the sword shadows dissipated, most of the monsters wounded by them vanished into the wind. However, before the people of Feihuang City could rejoice, dozens of monsters emitted a black light, directly enveloping an area of about a mile.

As the black light dissipated, those few monsters that had just been heavily injured had already returned to normal.

The only difference was that their strength had slightly regressed.

Luan Qinghui’s approach wasn’t wrong, and it indeed had some effect, but its effectiveness wasn’t as potent as everyone had imagined.

“These monsters are united in purpose. We either cut them open one by one or annihilate them with overwhelming force!” Luan Qinghui’s expression regained its calmness.

As long as they could kill them, the problem wouldn’t be significant. At most, it would shift from annihilation to attrition.

If they were in any other place in the wilderness, they probably wouldn’t be able to withstand the monsters’ onslaught. Even if they managed to endure, the losses would be devastating.

But now, they were in Feihuang City, where they held the advantage.

“Form ranks!”

With a low shout, Luan Qinghui, leading by example, charged toward the monsters, accompanied by another peakMountain Sea Realm cultivator.

The other practitioners of Feihuang City closely followed suit. Below, the Tree King extended thousands of roots, covering the sky and earth, absorbing all the spiritual energy within dozens of miles around the monsters.

Qiu Zesheng and Xu Jinglun followed closely behind, joining in the slaughter of these monsters.

Inside Feihuang City, everyone watched the scene before them with undivided attention, not daring to blink.

On the inn’s eaves, Chen Fei returned to the room and continued to meditate in a cross-legged position.

These monsters were extremely troublesome, but the strongest among them only reached the early stage of the Fourth-Tier. No matter how long the battle lasted, they couldn’t outlast the numerous Mountain Sea Realm practitioners of Feihuang Sect, let alone the overwhelmingly powerful Tree King beneath their feet.

When Chen Fei came to Feihuang City, he merely sensed the Tree King’s strength, but he hadn’t expected it to be this formidable.

Feihuang Sect boasted two peak Mountain Sea Realm cultivators, but the most formidable force was this Tree King. Even if both peak Mountain Sea Realm cultivators of Feihuang Sect attacked together, they probably wouldn’ t be able to overcome the Tree King.

The only flaw of this Tree King was probably its mobility. Unless the Tree King was willing to forsake its thick roots, but if it did so, its strength would decrease significantly, making it no different from an ordinary Fourth-Tier peak monster.

Each had its own strengths and weaknesses.

At least within the territory of Feihuang City, there were few below the Fourth- Tier who could match the Tree King.

Chen Fei could rest assured and retreat to his room, but being as composed as Chen Fei was, was indeed rare.

At this moment, most people inside Feihuang City were nervously watching the situation outside.

After all, it had been many years since Feihuang Sect mobilized all its Mountain Sea Realm practitioners, and even required the direct intervention of the Tree King. Thus, it was inevitable for them to feel tense at this moment.

They feared the genuine possibility of Feihuang City being breached, which would truly be a disaster.

In the courtyard where Heavenly Illusion Valley’s group resided, they also observed that Feihuang City was safe and returned to their rooms one after another.

“These monsters are truly formidable. I wonder how much research our sect has conducted on them,” Zeng Huaizheng whispered.

Almost all the top forces on the Middle Continent were offering rewards for subordinates of the Black Divine.

While doing so might serve to stabilize the Middle Continent to some extent, the main motivation was likely to study the Black Divine’s subordinates and, by extension, the Black Divine itself.

“It’s not that easy. Even those sacred places haven’t made any significant progress, right?” Cheng Haixiong shook his head.

“The monsters outside the city just now probably don’t belong to the Black Divine. Could there be other entities similar to the Black Divine?” Saint Xizhou furrowed his brow.

Zeng Huaizheng harbored the same doubts and turned to look at Chi Shengsheng.

Among them, Chi Shengsheng was undoubtedly the one who knew the most secrets within the sect.

Although all were at the Mountain Sea Realm, there were still many differences among practitioners at this level.

Chi Shengsheng, who condensed three Divine Palaces, was particularly notable. What’s more crucial was that Chi Shengsheng now possessed two talents.

To condense three Divine Palaces and possess two talents—this was something only the geniuses of sacred places could achieve, and Chi Shengsheng had accomplished it.

Just based on this, Chi Shengsheng stood out prominently within Heavenly Illusion Valley.

However, compared to true geniuses of sacred places, Chi Shengsheng was still somewhat lacking. This was because their second talent didn’t ultimately meet their satisfaction.

At that time, time was pressing, and Chi Shengsheng couldn’t afford to be picky. So, compared to the first talent, Chi Shengsheng’s second talent was relatively ordinary.

But even if it was ordinary, it was still a talent, capable of exerting a significant influence on one’s combat prowess.

Moreover, with two talents, when condensing the fifth Divine Palace, Chi Shengsheng also gained the qualification to continue venturing into the void and selecting new talents.

One step ahead, step by step, Chi Shengsheng had already far surpassed the vast majority of practitioners at the Mountain Sea Realm.

“As for monsters like the Black Divine, on the Middle Continent, there is more than one such existence. What do you think caused the disappearance of those top forces, even the sacred places, thousands of years ago?” Chi Shengsheng shook their head.

Chi Shengsheng recalled some of the records within the sect, their gaze flickering. If those records were true, it was simply a calamity for the Middle Continent thousands of years ago.

In the past, after thousands of years had passed, these monsters reemerged.

But the top sects on the Middle Continent were already cautious and vigilant about them. Unlike in the past, they were not ignorant of these monsters and had taken precautions against them.