Chapter 115: All-Out Efforts, Pyrrhic Victory, The Burned Cloud Transformation

Chapter 115: All-Out Efforts, Pyrrhic Victory, The Burned Cloud Transformation

A sweet nectar formed in his mouth, smooth as spring water. His breath steadied, pure and impure energies separating. His lungs, now as solid as iron, glowed with clarity—his Vital Force surged without causing the slightest damage.

On his Progress Panel, Iron Shirt had advanced:

Martial Arts: ……Iron Shirt (Fifth Layer, 1%)

These signs all confirmed it: Su Chen had truly reached the Visceral Reformation Perfection stage of cultivation.

His lungs had undergone a complete transformation, achieving the legendary state of “organs like iron”—untouched by impurities, unshakable against Vital Force. His power had multiplied many times over. A sense of immense strength surged through him. With a mere wave of his hand, Vital Force surged onto his palm, spreading rapidly up his arm. Even when channeling it across his entire body, Su Chen felt effortless, no trace of fatigue.

He condensed most of his Vital Force into his arm. The limb hardened like tempered steel, its Vital Force fully materialized—truly impervious to blades and bullets, fire and ice, devastating in its might.

“The Visceral Reformation Perfection realm is even more powerful than I imagined!”

Refining one organ had drastically enhanced his entire body. Moreover, the Vital Force from Iron Shirt far surpassed that of ordinary martial arts—each unit equaled five times its normal strength. This advancement amplified every aspect of his power.

As Su Chen savored these changes, his mind raced. What would happen if I refined all five elements—Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, and Void—and perfected all five internal organs?

After this matter is resolved, I’ll need to accelerate my search for the other elemental techniques.

He pondered his next steps. Originally, he’d planned to impersonate Yang Guo and trade with Ge An, securing a Vital Energy Pill before fleeing. He knew Ge An had spies tailing him but remained unconcerned—it fit his expectations.

Even staying for seven days was part of his scheme. Leaving immediately after obtaining the pill would trigger Ge An’s wrath. Though he wasn’t afraid of retaliation, constant harassment would hinder him.

It was better to remain in Ge An’s estate, lingering under his nose until the transition period passed. After strengthening himself, he could depart safely. Staying put offered dual benefits: it shielded him from attacks and let him provoke Ge An one last time before escaping—a two-birds-with-one-stone move.

Yet now, with his power vastly increased, Su Chen reconsidered.

The key differences between the Bone Tempering and Visceral Reformation realms lie in Vital Force reserves and bone hardness.

Thanks to my multiple techniques, my Vital Force might not be inferior to Ge An’s.

He recalled Cai Liuliu, whose Bone Tempering cultivation had been near-perfect. During their earlier encounter, their Vital Forces had differed greatly. But now, his own had surged tenfold—closing the gap significantly.

Ge An stood at Bone Tempering Minor Mastery. Even if his Vital Force surpassed Su Chen’s, the difference wouldn’t be insurmountable. Combined with Su Chen’s array of techniques, a direct confrontation was viable.

As for bone hardness…

Memories surfaced of Bone Tempering cultivators whose bones, hardened like refined steel, could pierce skulls with a single finger strike even without activating Vital Force.

Still, Su Chen yearned to test this famed bone resilience.

Hiding won’t solve anything. If I’d been powerless, surrendering would’ve been wise. But now? I can hold my own against Ge An. Even if I lose, I can escape. Let’s settle this—once and for all.

He abandoned his escape plan.

The next day, Ge An summoned him.

As Su Chen entered the Grand Hall, Ge An rose abruptly. “Seven days have passed. Give me the killer’s location.”

“Agreed.” Su Chen nodded.

“Where?”

Ge An’s voice brimmed with pent-up fury, his eyes sharp, his tone edged with killing intent.

“I’ll lead you there.” Su Chen smiled.

Ge An hesitated but relented. After all, his original plan was to take Su Chen along—both to prevent escape and to strike him down, regardless of the lead’s validity.

Ge An departed swiftly, taking only a few guards. Bringing more would be pointless if he himself fell.

Their procession drew attention as they marched through the streets. Observers noted Ge An’s exit and turned away—no one dared follow him in the city.

Once outside the gates, they reached a desolate mountain footpath, barren and seldom visited.

Ge An had remained silent throughout, his gaze on Su Chen growing colder. When Su Chen halted, his rage erupted. “Where is he?”

“Down this path.” Su Chen pointed ahead.

Ge An barked, “You go first.”

“Fine.” Su Chen stepped forward—then spun, slashing at Ge An with lightning speed.

Ge An anticipated the strike. Sidestepping effortlessly, he evaded the blade. As the steel saber descended, Ge An’s palm flipped outward, unleashing a thunderous counterattack.

Su Chen dodged, springing upward like a coiled spring, barely avoiding the blow. Landing steadily, he eyed Ge An with newfound wariness.

“Protect the Master!”

The guards reacted belatedly, drawing blades to encircle Su Chen—only to collapse mid-motion, foaming at the mouth, trembling uncontrollably.

Ge An immediately blocked his breath, retreating from his fallen men. Glaring at Su Chen, he snarled, “Where’s the killer? Speak, and I might grant you a clean death. Refuse, and I’ll carve you into mincemeat!”

“Heh.” Su Chen scoffed, unflinching. No time for words—only action.

He lunged like a wild stallion. Around Ge An, the air erupted with overlapping sword hums. Countless blades surged from all directions, a tempest of killing intent.

Ge An’s expression remained calm, his eyes flickering with shadows. As Su Chen’s lightning-fast strikes rained down, he clenched both fists and met the assault head-on.

His hands blurred, speed matching Su Chen’s. Explosions of sound erupted like distant thunder. Shadows multiplied, indistinguishable as real or feint.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The saber was caught—clamped between Ge An’s iron grip. His lips curled into a sneer. With a sudden tremor, a surge of Vital Force erupted.

Crack!

The blade shuddered violently, its surface glowing crimson as if reforged in a furnace.

Ge An’s muscles swelled. Roaring, he channeled his strength—

Snap!

The saber shattered like a spiderweb fracturing in an instant.

Fragments scattered, the hilt searing hot. The heat licked Su Chen’s palm, fleeting but sharp, furrowing his brow.

“Burned Cloud Transformation!”

A guttural growl tore from Ge An’s throat. Rags of his sleeves shredded, revealing arms crimson and raw, steaming with heat. The air itself seemed to warp around them.

“Die!”

A tidal wave of killing intent surged. Ge An flashed forward like an arc of lightning, closing the distance in a breath.

Su Chen treaded cautiously, his movements as fluid and evasive as an eel slipping through reeds, dodging Ge An’s relentless assault. Even so, every step felt like wading through molasses.

Ge An’s strikes weren’t blindingly fast, nor his techniques particularly refined, but the searing mist spiraling from his arms turned the battlefield into a furnace. Even a glancing touch sent waves of scorching pain through Su Chen’s body, his skin reddening as if blistered. The air itself seemed to warp near Ge An’s limbs, their heat so intense that proximity alone frayed Su Chen’s clothes into wrinkled rags. Contact would have been like plunging into boiling water, leaving flesh raw and crimson.

Worse still was Ge An’s Vital Force—a raging inferno, a wildfire that threatened to reduce Su Chen to ash. Had he not cultivated the Xuan Yuan Qu, a technique that neutralized the searing heat, he’d have been forced to flee in disgrace.

Ge An noticed Su Chen’s hesitation, a smirk curling his lips. His Fire Cloud Art, a martial technique with five transformations, had advanced to the fourth stage—Burn Cloud—since reaching Bone Tempering. The mist swirling from his arms was its hallmark, each tendril a viper of scalding steam that slithered into an opponent’s body, tearing flesh from within. Within moments, Su Chen found himself overwhelmed, battered like a leaf in a storm.

“Boy, surrender now, and I’ll make it quick… hrgk…”

Ge An’s sneer froze mid-sentence. A belch, sudden and pungent with the aroma of a hearty meal, erupted from his throat. Then another. And another.

“What in the—?” Ge An’s brow furrowed. Why now, of all times?

Su Chen’s eyes narrowed. The Dreamweaver Powder’s working.

He lunged, his gaze sharp as a hawk’s, every motion honed to lethal precision. Ge An, though momentarily distracted, reacted instinctively, his arms churning like twin fire dragons, unleashing ripples of blistering air.

Hrgk!

The hiccup struck without warning, jarring Ge An’s rhythm. For a heartbeat, his guard faltered.

Su Chen seized the opening. His sleeve, fluttering like a torn banner, suddenly ballooned outward. A metallic shing split the air—the Crane Feather Saber erupted from its makeshift sheath. Blade and sunlight fused, cleaving through mist and fury in a flash of silver.

Ge An’s blood ran cold. Death’s shadow loomed.

Crack!

Bone met steel—and lost. A false arm sheath soared skyward, spraying crimson. Ge An’s scream tore through the chaos, his remaining hand clamping over the stump, eyes blazing with primal rage.

Hrgk!

Another hiccup.

“You’re dead meat!” Ge An snarled, his fury a living thing.

Su Chen’s blade had cost him an arm, but the Dreamweaver Powder’s effects were waning. Yet the toxin embedded in the saber’s edge was only beginning to seep in, its potency redoubled.

The duel reignited. Ge An, though hobbled, fought with berserker tenacity, his misty onslaught undimmed. Su Chen, cycling Xuan Yuan Qu to siphon the heat, matched him blow for blow. His Vital Force, a storm of raw power, surged without restraint, clashing against Ge An’s flames in a tempest of sparks.

Hrgk!

The hiccup struck again.

Damn it! Ge An cursed inwardly. Each spasm robbed him of precision, forcing him to parry narrowly, evade frantically. Desperation gnawed at him. He scanned for an escape.

Su Chen anticipated it. His assault sharpened, cutting off every retreat. Ge An’s wounds reopened, blood flowing freely, his vision blurring with every heartbeat.

Then, a shift.

Su Chen ceased direct clashes. He circled, harrying Ge An like a wolf toying with a wounded stag—never letting him breathe, never letting him flee.

Ge An’s roar of frustration was deafening. “I’ll end you!”

Hrgk!

Su Chen smirked. He dodged, sidestepped, and closed ranks.

Minutes stretched. Ge An’s strength ebbed. Finally, he collapsed, half-kneeling in a pool of his own blood, his glare at Su Chen burning with unquenchable hatred.

Su Chen stood back, silent. He knew this was the deadliest moment—cornered prey often lashed out with dying strength.

But Ge An never moved.

Instead, a stone whirred through the air, striking him squarely. Ge An’s vision dimmed, his lips curling in bitter mockery. To die like this—pathetic.

Darkness claimed him.

Su Chen stepped forward, delivering a final, merciful stroke.

“Hah…” He exhaled, his body sagging. Bone Tempering cultivators truly were beasts. Stripped of every trick—three doses of Dreamweaver Powder spent, two blades shattered, his Vital Force drained—he’d barely triumphed.

He staggered toward Ge An’s corpse. “Time to collect the spoils.”

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end