Chapter 234 - 230: Soaring to the 8th Realm of the Martial Dao
Chapter 234: Chapter 230: Soaring to the 8th Realm of the Martial Dao
This Qiankun Bag was filled with treasures from various treasure rooms. Ye Xing, of course, had discovered all of them, only for Liu Lihong to collect the spoils into his own Qiankun Bag.
It was laughable how Liu Lihong had frantically hoarded everything, thinking all the treasure was his. Little did he know, Ye Xing was merely letting him hold onto it for a while.
"Mine... That’s mine!"
Liu Family Grand Elder Liu Lihong’s eyes bulged with unresigned indignation. He could only watch as Ye Xing plucked the Qiankun Bag away. Overcome with rage, his head lolled to one side and he collapsed to the ground. The light in his eyes rapidly faded to a deathly gray, and he was completely lifeless.
Ye Xing had just put away the Qiankun Bag when his ears twitched. He heard the sound of hurried footsteps from the passage outside.
The sounds of rapid footsteps drew nearer, accompanied by excited panting.
"Haha, a treasure room! I’ve finally found one!"
A figure shot inside.
"Haha, it’s a library! Excellent. With so many Secret Manuals, I could grab just a few and make a fortune."
The figure was ecstatic, immediately stuffing the Martial Arts Manuals into his Qiankun Bag one after another.
"Well, if it isn’t Elder Cao Weifang of the Cao Family?"
Suddenly, a young man’s voice echoed in the stone chamber. From around the corner of a nearby bookshelf, a young man emerged, watching him with a smile.
"Brat, what are you doing here!" Cao Weifang was taken aback, not expecting someone to have gotten here first. A murderous glint instantly flickered in his eyes as he stared at Ye Xing. He clearly intended to kill him.
"Me? I came with the Liu Family’s Grand Elder, Liu Lhiong," Ye Xing said with a relaxed smile, looking perfectly calm and composed.
"Liu Lihong is here too?" Cao Weifang frowned slightly. "Just the two of you? Where is he?"
"Yes. Elder Liu discovered a Celestial Tier Internal Cultivation Method here in the library. He had a sudden epiphany and broke through to the Martial Arts Ninth Layer. He’s over there cultivating right now." Ye Xing pointed toward a corner of the stone chamber.
"A Celestial Tier Internal Cultivation Method? There’s actually a Celestial Tier Internal Cultivation Method here?" Elder Cao Weifang of the Cao Family looked ecstatic, but then his expression shifted slightly. "You’re saying he cultivated a Celestial Tier Internal Cultivation Method and broke through to the Martial Arts Ninth Layer?"
The Liu Family’s Grand Elder, Liu Lihong, had been at the Peak of the Martial Arts Eighth Layer for many years. With a Celestial Tier Internal Cultivation Method, it wouldn’t be difficult for him to break through to the Ninth Realm.
With a grave expression, Cao Weifang followed the direction Ye Xing indicated and walked toward the corner of the stone chamber.
Rounding a bookshelf that blocked his view, he finally saw the Liu Family’s Grand Elder, Liu Lihong, sitting cross-legged in the corner.
Liu Lihong remained in a cross-legged position, his back to Cao Weifang, completely motionless.
"Brother Liu, I hear you’ve also broken through to the Martial Arts Ninth Layer. Congratulations are in order. I’m itching for a bout, so how about we have a friendly spar?" A cold glint flashed in Cao Weifang’s eyes as he slowly closed in on the cross-legged Liu Lihong.
Even if Liu Lihong had broken through, he would only be in the Early Stage of the Martial Arts Ninth Layer. Cao Weifang, on the other hand, had reached the Martial Arts Ninth Layer much earlier. Thus, while he was cautious, he didn’t fear Liu Lihong. In fact, he wanted to seize this opportunity to kill him in a single blow.
Watching Elder Cao Weifang from the Cao Family approach the ’secludedly cultivating’ Grand Elder Liu Lihong, a cold smirk appeared on Ye Xing’s lips. He clutched a remote detonator in his hand and slipped quietly out of the stone chamber.
Meanwhile, killing intent billowed from Cao Weifang as he closed in on Liu Lihong, step by step. Yet, the cross-legged Liu Lihong seemed lost in his cultivation, showing no reaction whatsoever to the intense murderous aura. He remained completely still.
’What’s going on? Did he suffer a cultivation deviation?’ Cao Weifang was deeply puzzled. His killing intent was so blatant; logically, Liu Lihong should have reacted. But he hadn’t moved at all. To remain with his back turned, so overconfident... it was highly unusual.
"Hmph, just putting on an act!" Cao Weifang snorted. Channeling his Palm Force, he struck Liu Lihong’s head.
A whistling wind accompanied the palm, which was infused with immense True Qi as it landed on Liu Lihong’s head.
The next moment—
SPLAT!
Liu Lihong’s head exploded like a watermelon struck by a sledgehammer. Red and white matter sprayed everywhere—an incredibly gory scene. His headless corpse then toppled to the ground.
’This? What’s going on?’
Cao Weifang was completely stunned. He never imagined he would kill Liu Lihong with a single palm strike. He had assumed Liu Lihong’s overconfidence, keeping his back turned, meant he had some ace up his sleeve. For that reason, he had only used half his True Qi, holding the rest in reserve. And yet, that half-powered Palm Force had killed Liu Lihong with ease.
’Huh? What’s that?’
Cao Weifang’s gaze shifted. He noticed Liu Lihong’s headless corpse was clutching a strange, box-shaped object. Instantly filled with curiosity and suspicion, he picked up the strange object to examine it. A red light was blinking on the novel, blocky device.
Just as Cao Weifang was studying it, suddenly—
The strange, box-like object suddenly exploded.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion rocked the area. Flames churned within the stone chamber as shrapnel flew everywhere. A terrifying shockwave of shattered rock and black smoke billowed out, filling even the outside passage with the thick stench of explosives.
The sound was deafening, the scorching blast wave churning endlessly.
A long time passed before things gradually quieted down.
Stepping over the rubble-strewn floor, Ye Xing re-entered the stone chamber. The room was in ruins. The surrounding walls were pockmarked and covered in cracks, and pieces of the wooden bookshelves were scattered across the floor, some still smoldering. Fortunately, most of the Secret Manuals in the chamber had already been put away; only a small number of Profound-tier Manuals had been destroyed in the blast.
Ye Xing’s gaze shifted to the corner, where Elder Cao Weifang lay, blown into a bloody, mangled heap by the bomb.
The bomb’s power was immense; a mortal body simply couldn’t withstand it. The only exception would be an Innate Realm Martial Artist. They can release their True Essence to form a layer of Protective Gang Qi around their bodies. At most, the bomb’s blast could only injure an Innate Realm Martial Artist; it would be very difficult to kill one.
Innate Realm Martial Artists are difficult to kill. However, for a Postnatal Realm Martial Artist—even one at the Postnatal Ninth Layer—a bomb could inflict massive damage, if not kill them outright.
Cao Weifang’s legs were now a bloody mess, with bone showing through. Since he had been holding the bomb, both of his arms had been blown clean off. His clothes were charred and ragged, revealing the Silver Threaded Armor underneath. Clearly, the armor had absorbed the brunt of the explosion, preserving a sliver of his life.
"Hello there, Elder Cao!" Ye Xing said with a slight smile as he approached. "Tsk, tsk. As expected of a Ninth Realm Martial Artist. Your Life Force is quite tenacious!"
"You... It was you? You’re the one who set me up?" Cao Weifang’s voice was raspy, his dry, blackened lips trembling.
"That’s right," Ye Xing nodded. "You’re a dying man. Feel free to ask any last questions you might have."
"Was that a Heaven-shattering Thunder? Are you a disciple of the Tang Sect from the Central Plains Martial Arts world?" Cao Weifang asked, his voice trembling.
Ye Xing shook his head. "That was a bomb, not some Heaven-shattering Thunder. And I’m no disciple of the Tang Sect!"
"Something was strange about Liu Lihong... COUGH... COUGH..."
As he spoke, his internal injuries flared up and he coughed up two mouthfuls of blood. He asked in confusion, "What was going on with Liu Lihong? How could I have killed him with a single palm strike? Wasn’t he at the Martial Arts Ninth Layer... He..."
"Because he was already dead," Ye Xing said coolly. "Alright, Elder Cao. It’s time for you to be on your way."
The moment the words left his mouth, a vicious glint flashed in Ye Xing’s eyes. He activated the Daluo Evil Skill. A black, sinister mist swirled like a vortex between his fingers as he clamped his hand onto the top of Cao Weifang’s skull and began to frantically devour.
In an instant, a torrent of True Qi surged from his palm, flowing up his arm and into his body like a great river emptying into the sea. Ye Xing’s cultivation began to skyrocket—
Peak of the Martial Arts Seventh Realm... Early Stage of the Martial Arts Eighth Layer... Mid-stage of the Martial Arts Eighth Layer... Late Stage of the Martial Arts Eighth Layer...