20demayo Chapter 2132 Soul Searching and Spirit Refining
Chapter 2132 Soul Searching and Spirit Refining
Chapter 2132 Soul Searching and Spirit Refining
In such a perilous place, the value of a powerful illusion-breaking support is immeasurable. Whether out of camaraderie or for mutual benefit, we should do everything in our power to retain the partnership.
In Liu Yanqing's view, letting such a person leave was quite puzzling.
Shi Pojun remained calm and did not answer immediately, but instead cast a deep glance in the direction Chen Fei had left.
"Trying to keep us? Or acting together?"
Chang Guwu shook his head, his smile fading, and lowered his voice, saying, "Sister Yanqing, it's not that we don't want to keep him, but... Brother Shi wants to kill him, and right now, he's waiting for you to arrive."
Upon hearing this, Liu Yanqing was slightly taken aback.
"Kill him? Why?"
Liu Yanqing looked at Shi Pojun, her eyes filled with even deeper doubt. She knew Shi Pojun; although he was not a soft-hearted person, the consequences of someone who attacked a fellow disciple without cause would be extremely serious once discovered.
Chang Guwu glanced at Shi Pojun and briefly recounted the grudges between Shi Pojun and Chen Fei.
Liu Yanqing listened quietly, her expression gradually changing from initial surprise to solemnity, and finally settling into complete calm.
Liu Yanqing blinked her clear, autumn-water-like eyes and looked at Shi Pojun again. "Brother Shi, since you're determined to kill them, both of them were here just now. Chen Fei is only at the early stage of the Tai Cang Realm, and Cao Feiyu is already seriously injured. With your and Brother Chang's strength, you should be able to keep them here. Why wait for me to come and combine the strength of the three of us at the mid-stage of the Tai Cang Realm to surround and kill them?"
This was the same question that Liu Yanqing and Chang Guwu had. Two people in the mid-stage of the Tai Cang Realm, one of whom was even half-step late stage, could easily kill a seriously injured mid-stage and an early stage enemy. Why go through all that trouble and wait for her as a reinforcement?
This is unlike Shi Pojun's usual decisive and ruthless style.
Upon hearing this, Chang Guwu smiled and said, "I had the same question just now, but Brother Shi said that the kid is strange. To be on the safe side, we need to go all out and not give him any chance to turn the tables."
Upon hearing this, Liu Yanqing turned her gaze to Shi Pojun.
Shi Pojun finally spoke slowly, his voice low and decisive: "Even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit. Now that we've decided to take action, we must ensure that everything goes smoothly and that he has no chance to escape."
Although Cao Feiyu is injured, she is still a direct descendant of my Danchen Sect, and her means of survival are unknown. The safest approach is for the three of us to join forces, lay a trap, and kill her with lightning speed once and for all."
Liu Yanqing listened quietly, her gaze lingering on Shi Pojun's face for a moment, then glancing at Chang Guwu. Finally, she nodded slightly, a cool smile appearing on her exquisite face.
“I understand. Brother Shi's considerations are thorough and indeed correct. When dealing with an enemy who harbors secrets and may possess unknown methods, one can never be too careful, especially since…”
She changed the subject, her voice carrying a hint of sharpness and anticipation: "If we really kill this boy, perhaps... we might gain some unexpected benefits." She was referring to the secrets or trump cards that Shi Pojun might be hiding in Chen Fei.
Shi Pojun said in a deep voice, "That's right. This boy has many strange traits. Killing him will not only avenge us, but may also unravel some mysteries and even yield some gains."
Having reached a consensus and made up their minds to kill, the next step was to devise a specific action plan.
Hunting down two fellow cultivators of the same level who are determined to escape in this perilous ruin is no easy task; it requires careful planning, especially to prevent other unforeseen events from arising.
"How exactly should we proceed? Once we find them, should we surround and kill them?" Liu Yanqing asked, gently turning the luminous white flute in his hand, which was filled with purple mist, clearly indicating that he was ready.
A cold glint flashed in Shi Pojun's eyes, and he said in a cold voice, "I need to deal with Chen Fei myself. I will use a secret technique to extract his soul, search for and refine it, and see what exactly happened in the seventh level of the Kunyuan Secret Realm."
"so,"
Shi Pojun continued, his voice regaining its composure, and began assigning tasks, "Yan Qing, you are skilled in using formations and musical techniques to trap enemies. After finding them, I need you to use the Separation Technique immediately to separate Cao Feiyu and Chen Fei."
Liu Yanqing nodded slightly: "With the combination of the Dividing Boundary Technique and my Seven-String Absolute Sound Array, it's not difficult to trap a heavily injured mid-stage Tai Cang Realm cultivator. Even if she has some trump card to protect herself, I can buy her enough time."
"it is good."
Shi Pojun nodded and turned his gaze to Chang Guwu. "Brother Chang, after Yan Qing traps Cao Feiyu, you must go all out and cooperate with Yan Qing as quickly as possible to kill the seriously injured Cao Feiyu. Make sure it is a one-hit kill, and don't give her any chance to catch her breath or send a message."
A fierce glint flashed in Chang Guwu's eyes, and he said in a deep voice, "Brother Shi, rest assured, Cao Feiyu, who is seriously injured, has no chance of escaping."
"There is no time to lose."
Seeing that the plan was set, Shi Pojun did not delay any longer. He opened his right palm, and a faint blue aura, almost imperceptible, appeared in his palm.
The aura was elusive, as if it might dissipate at any moment, yet it was bound in the palm of an invisible force, faintly pointing in the direction where Cao Feiyu and Chen Fei had left.
“This is…” Liu Yanqing’s eyes flickered.
"A little trick."
Shi Pojun's lips curled into a cold smile. "The argument just now was to leave a shadow-following curse on Cao Feiyu using a secret technique. This curse is formless and intangible. As long as the distance is no more than ten million miles, I can roughly sense its location. They can't have escaped far."
It turns out that Shi Pojun's previous obstruction and argument were not only to humiliate and test, but also to create an opportunity for close contact and to silently plant a tracking mark.
"go!"
Shi Pojun said no more, let out a low shout, and his figure transformed into a streak of light, shooting swiftly towards the direction indicated by the aura in his palm. He was extremely fast, yet silent, as if he had merged into the veins of the earth.
Liu Yanqing and Chang Guwu exchanged a glance. Shi Pojun's attention to this matter and his preparations far exceeded their expectations.
The two did not slack off. Liu Yanqing transformed into a wisp of purple smoke, while Chang Guwu was like a dark green shadow, following closely behind Shi Pojun, silently disappearing into the corridor that seemed to devour everything.
Hundreds of thousands of miles away, in the relatively intact ruins of a side hall.
This place seems to have once been a place of meditation, but now it is in ruins. Half of the dome has collapsed, revealing the eternally dark sky outside. Unidentified dark moss grows among the broken walls and ruins, emitting a faint smell of decay.
The interior of the hall was dimly lit, with only a sliver of natural light filtering through the holes and the remaining, long-ineffective, faded runes on the walls providing limited illumination.
"Shh!"
Two streaks of light entered the hall one after the other. The light subsided, revealing the figures of Cao Feiyu and Chen Fei.
As soon as Cao Feiyu landed, she staggered, her face paled even more, and fine beads of cold sweat appeared on her forehead.
She forcefully suppressed the churning blood and the stinging pain in her internal organs, immediately turned around, and used her divine sense to carefully scan the path they had taken and every corner around the side hall.
Cao Feiyu's expression was solemn and vigilant. Her slender hand unconsciously tightened its grip on the ice glass longsword, which emitted a slight hum, as if sensing its owner's tension.
A moment later, her divine sense returned normal; there was no trace of the pursuer, nor any ambush. Cao Feiyu's tense nerves relaxed slightly, but the solemn expression on her face did not completely fade.
She exhaled a puff of cold white mist and whispered, "It seems they didn't chase after us immediately."
Even so, Cao Feiyu remained on edge.
Recalling Shi Pojun's seemingly gentle yet cold gaze, and the subtle yet powerful aura he exuded when he blocked her path...
At that moment, Cao Feiyu was genuinely worried that Shi Pojun would disregard everything and attack directly.
Given her current state of serious injury and lack of recovery, let alone facing Shi Pojun, a half-step late-stage powerhouse, and Chang Guwu, even facing any one of them alone would be extremely dangerous.
That's why Cao Feiyu acted so strongly just now, because sometimes the more you back down, the worse the result becomes.
Cao Feiyu turned to look at Chen Fei beside her. Seeing that he looked calm and seemed unaffected by the conflict, she felt a little relieved, but her worries only intensified.
The look in Shi Pojun's eyes when he looked at Chen Fei was not simply one of contempt or dissatisfaction.
"We must leave here as soon as possible and find a more secluded place, preferably one that can escape their detection range," Cao Feiyu said quickly, suppressing her unease.
"Senior Sister, your injuries can't be delayed any longer. This place is safe for now, why don't you rest for a while and stabilize your injuries before continuing your journey?" Chen Fei frowned slightly as he looked at Cao Feiyu's pale face and slightly trembling body.
He could naturally see that Cao Feiyu was putting on a brave face. She had already withstood the attack of a late-stage Tai Cang Realm demon cultivator, and then fought fiercely against the vengeful demon while injured. Her injuries were far more serious than they appeared on the surface.
Upon hearing this, Cao Feiyu felt a warmth in her heart, but then firmly shook her head.
Her face was filled with unprecedented solemnity and vigilance: "We can't stop here. That Shi Pojun... his attitude just now was very strange. I'm worried he won't let this go. We must get away from them as soon as possible, or even return directly to the sect!"
She wasn't being overly pessimistic. Shi Pojun may seem generous and straightforward, but he is actually deep-thinking and vindictive.
In the depths of these treacherous ruins, where rules and constraints are minimal, even the bonds of camaraderie can become meaningless.
As she spoke, Cao Feiyu's delicate eyebrows suddenly furrowed, and a hint of surprise flashed in her beautiful eyes.
"Chen Fei, you..."
She took a half step forward, getting closer to Chen Fei, and focused her senses, her tone filled with obvious worry and confusion, "Your aura... why does it feel so much weaker than before? Your life force seems to have declined considerably? You're also injured?"
Because of the tense standoff and the hasty departure, Cao Feiyu was too focused to notice anything else. Now that she had calmed down a little, she immediately noticed the unusual behavior of Chen Fei.
In Cao Feiyu's perception, Chen Fei's cultivation aura was still at the early stage of the Tai Cang Realm, stable and solid, without any decline.
However, that primal aura, the most fundamental essence of life, seemed much dimmer and weaker than before. Although it was still burning, it gave people a sense that it was running out of steam.
This is by no means a normal state. When cultivators are injured, it is mostly due to the depletion of their Yuan energy, damage to their meridians, and injury to their soul. However, the source of life is the foundation and is extremely difficult to shake, unless a secret technique of mutual destruction is used.
Once signs of decay appear in the very essence of life, it often signifies severe injury and impending death.
But Chen Fei was perfectly fine just now, and could even use such exquisite illusion-breaking techniques... How could his life essence suddenly decline?
When Cao Feiyu asked about the decay of the essence of life, Chen Fei showed a gentle smile.
"Senior sister, there's no need to worry too much. I'm fine. To explain this, it all started when we were being chased by that demonic cultivator and forced to separate."
Chen Fei paused for a moment, then slowly said, "The situation was critical at the time. I was teleported deep into a dilapidated ancient palace and triggered the remaining restrictions within the palace. Those restrictions were not killing formations, but rather contained a kind of power of time."
"The power of time?" Cao Feiyu was slightly taken aback upon hearing this.
"good."
Chen Fei nodded. "The flow of time inside that ancient palace is completely different from that outside, but the rules of heaven and earth that can be sensed there become extremely clear."
I practiced breathing exercises and deduction techniques within it, and it felt like an extremely long time had passed.
Chen Fei paused for a moment, then continued, "In that peculiar environment of time flow, I not only stabilized my previous injuries, but was also able to calmly comprehend the mysteries. Moreover, the special environment there helped me condense a sixteenth-grade mid-level spiritual material."
"Rank-level spiritual materials?" Cao Feiyu's eyes were full of surprise. Normally, to condense rank-16 spiritual materials, one would need a rank-17 divine weapon to succeed. Yet, this unknown ancient hall in the ruins actually possessed such power.
"Yes, a spiritual material."
Seeing Cao Feiyu's surprised expression, Chen Fei smiled slightly.
In the blink of an eye, a question popped into Cao Feiyu's mind. She suddenly raised her head, her clear, autumn-water-like eyes fixed intently on Chen Fei, as if trying to see through his eyes to understand the true state of his body.
"Junior brother, since you have cultivated for so long in that place of abnormal time and successfully condensed a sixteenth-grade mid-level spiritual material, has your cultivation level already reached...?"
She didn't finish her sentence, but the meaning couldn't be clearer.
After a long period of secluded cultivation, he can clearly perceive the rules of heaven and earth. Coupled with a mid-grade spiritual material of the sixteenth rank, the possibility of breaking through his realm is extremely high.
Moreover, Chen Fei cultivates the Heavenly Origin Technique, a method that allows one to break through realms even at the lowest level.
Chen Fei looked at Cao Feiyu, his smile widening slightly. He nodded and said, "Senior Sister has a discerning eye. Indeed, it was a lucky breakthrough."
With a slight thought, Chen Fei retrieved his cultivation power hidden within the spatial compartment.
In an instant, Chen Fei's breath began to rise.
Although this aura was not ostentatious or domineering, the Daoist fluctuations it contained had clearly entered the mid-stage of the Tai Cang Realm.
“Mid-stage Tai Cang Realm…you really broke through!” Cao Feiyu murmured. Although she had already guessed, witnessing and sensing the undeniable mid-stage Tai Cang Realm aura on Chen Fei still made her feel slightly dazed.
That's so fast, it's unbelievable!
How long has it been since Chen Fei joined the Dan Chen Sect?
Moreover, he had only just broken through to the early stage of the Tai Cang Realm, and now he has already stepped into the middle stage of the Tai Cang Realm... What a terrifying cultivation speed!
Even with the explanation of the anomalies in the ancient ruins and the pretext of serendipitous encounters, the speed of this leap still shocked and amazed Cao Feiyu.
After the initial shock, a feeling of genuine joy welled up inside me.
The stronger Chen Fei is, the greater her chances of surviving in this perilous ruin, and the more at ease she will feel.
Chen Fei took in the fleeting look of confusion, surprise, and joy on Cao Feiyu's face. His decision to reveal his true cultivation level at this moment was based on multiple considerations.
On one hand, the two will need to continue their journey through the ruins. Facing unknown dangers, Chen Fei cannot keep his strength hidden forever; he will need to reveal his power at crucial moments to deal with crises.
On the other hand, rather than being passively exposed at a critical moment, which would arouse Cao Feiyu's suspicion and confusion, it would be better to proactively and reasonably explain some of the details.
How to make his cultivation level advance by leaps and bounds in a way that seemed reasonable was a question that Chen Fei had been constantly thinking about and refining.
He knew that in the cultivation world, rapid progress often came with great risks, easily arousing suspicion, covetousness, or even persecution. This was why Chen Fei had previously chosen to cultivate the Heavenly Origin Technique.
Fortunately, they were currently in a fragment of the ancient Heavenly Court.
The ancient Heavenly Court was a legendary, glorious era of boundless supernatural powers, surpassing the imagination of the current cultivation world.
The fragments it left behind are themselves synonymous with miracles and the incredible. Here, anything that defies common sense seems possible.
All of this explanation, while still making people feel that Chen Fei had extraordinary opportunities and amazing luck, at least has a credible source, shifting the biggest irrationality to the mysterious ancient ruins themselves, rather than Chen Fei as a person.
This will minimize the chances of Cao Feiyu, and others who will find out about this in the future, investigating further.
"Even knowing that it is supported by the power of the ancient Heavenly Court ruins, such progress is still amazing."
Cao Feiyu finally sighed softly, a faint but sincere smile appearing on her face. "Congratulations, Junior Brother Chen. At the mid-stage of the Tai Cang Realm, you are already considered a pillar within Cui Ping Peak. This breakthrough alone during this trip to the ruins is an immense stroke of luck."
With a smile on her face, Chen Fei looked at Cao Feiyu's still pale face and said with concern, "Let's not talk about me. On the contrary, your injuries, Senior Sister, need to be treated as soon as possible."
When the injury was mentioned, a hint of worry flashed across Cao Feiyu's brow.
She knew her own situation well. The internal injuries she suffered from fighting a demonic cultivator at the late stage of the Tai Cang Realm, coupled with the losses from the subsequent forceful actions, had damaged her very foundation. If she did not receive timely treatment, not only would her strength be greatly diminished, but she might also suffer irreparable damage to her Dao, affecting her future path in the Dao.
But in this hasty situation, and in such a dangerous place, how could he possibly find the peace to heal his wounds?
"Senior Sister, let's heal here. I can also improve my array puppet!" Chen Fei seemed to see Cao Feiyu's dilemma and said in a deep voice.
As he spoke, Chen Fei waved his sleeve, and several jade boxes carved from warm jade appeared out of thin air, hovering in front of Cao Feiyu.
“These are the herbs I collected in that ancient hall where time was unusual. They are all of exceptional quality. I observed that a few of them have a mild and balanced medicinal effect, which is just right for Senior Sister’s current injuries. Senior Sister should take them as soon as possible to heal her wounds and restore her strength. This is the most important thing right now.”
As he spoke, Chen Fei's mind stirred, and the lids of the two jade boxes at the front automatically opened.
In an instant, two pure medicinal fragrances, imbued with a rich life force and profound Daoist charm, spread out, instantly dispelling some of the stagnant and oppressive atmosphere in the side hall.