Chapter 160: A New Attack Method

Chapter 160: A New Attack Method

The moment Chen Qiu stepped into the white vortex, he felt a blinding flash of white light, and then found himself in a vast grassland.

The surroundings were empty, with no one in sight.

Only he was there.

Hovering in the sky above the grassland was the spirit body of an elder, who was looking at him with a benevolent gaze. After three breaths, the elder finally spoke.

"The Su Clan's Heritage Realm has five levels."

"After passing all of them, you can take away my entire heritage."

"The first level is Heart Inquiry."

"In your heart, which is more important, longevity or combat power?"

". . ."

Chen Qiu's eyes narrowed slightly as he surveyed his surroundings. This was his first time entering a heritage realm set up by a predecessor. The realms he had entered before were either Heavenly Dao Mystic Realms or Serendipity Realms, all governed by the rules of the Heavenly Dao.

But in this heritage realm, the one who set the rules was the person who left behind this heritage.

After a moment of silence, he spoke softly.

"Combat power is the most important."

"Oh?" The spirit body of the elder in mid-air chuckled, "So, you don't seek longevity?"

"My obsession with longevity isn't that strong. Whether I have it or not is fine. I'm more concerned about whether my enemies can achieve longevity. With sufficient combat power, I can cut off their path to immortality, and that's something very important to me."

"Hehe."

The spirit body of the elder in mid-air laughed and then waved his hand, "Congratulations, you've passed the first level. Enter the next level."

Suddenly, two puppets of the same cultivation level appeared on the grassland.

Easily defeating them, Chen Qiu moved on to the third level.

In the third level, three more puppets of the same cultivation level appeared on the grassland, which he defeated effortlessly, advancing to the fourth level.

The fourth level featured five puppets of the same cultivation level.

The difficulty increased slightly, but it was manageable. After defeating them, he entered the fifth level, and at this point, there was only one puppet left in the room.

"Here it comes!"

Outside the realm, the Young Master of the Su Clan stared intently at the puppet in front of Chen Qiu on the screen, muttering, "The biggest test has arrived. I wonder how Chen Qiu will handle this."

The Su Clan's Heritage Realm was said to have five levels.

In reality, there was only this final level.

The first level, Heart Inquiry, required you to choose an answer, and as long as you were firm in your heart about the path you wanted to take, you could pass. As for the second, third, and fourth levels, defeating several puppets of the same cultivation level was a normal challenge. Since they were called Heaven's Pride, defeating four or five puppets of the same cultivation level to open the puppets should be relatively easy.

Under the same cultivation level, puppets were much weaker than cultivators.

But the last level, the fifth level, was the real test!

In this level, you needed to completely defeat the puppet to pass the test. However, no matter if it was sword or spell, any form of attack on the puppet would only heal its injuries and not cause any damage!

This was the most perplexing challenge! His spells not only failed to harm the puppet but also made it increasingly resilient. As the Young Master of the Su Clan, he had entered this heritage realm numerous times, but he had never passed the fifth level.

"Sigh."

The Clan Head of the Su Clan, with one hand behind his back, also sighed helplessly, "The Su Clan's ancestor wouldn't have left an impossible fifth level for us. There must be some trick to it, but we, the later generations, have been too dull to find this trick."

If they could find a way to pass the fifth level, they wouldn't have given up this heritage realm.

It was precisely because they lacked the ability that they reluctantly offered the heritage realm as a favor, even if these Heaven's Pride individuals didn't pass the realm; it would still be considered a favor owed to them.

But if someone were to pass, it would be a huge favor owed.

They had tried many methods.

Since their spells healed the puppet's injuries and made it more resilient, they wondered if doing the opposite, like healing the puppet, would cause damage.

However, it still didn't work.

It was useless, whether with bare hands or any other method. Once the puppet was harmed, it would become increasingly resilient, and they had no choice but to give up.

And at this moment—

Chen Qiu, standing in the vast grassland of the heritage realm, saw the puppet appear, and without hesitation, his spiritual energy surged out, dark clouds gathered in the sky above the grassland, and a typhoon storm roared in, with a thunderball shooting towards the puppet.

"Boom!!!"

Countless thunder dragons exploded on the grassland, accompanied by deafening thunder.

When the dust settled.

The puppet stood in its original position, unharmed, and even its surface turned slightly black, becoming even more resilient than before!

"Hmm?"

Chen Qiu's eyebrows furrowed slightly, puzzled. How could a puppet of Golden Core Perfection cultivation withstand his full-power attack without a scratch? His full-power attack could even withstand the early-stage Nascent Soul Elder of Yuanzong Sect.

But he didn't think much of it.

His body instantly teleported hundreds of breaths in the air, and after his spiritual energy was fully restored, he unleashed countless deafening thunderbolts, and hundreds of thousands of thunder dragons smashed towards the puppet!

"Boom!!!"

However.

The puppet remained unharmed. He could sense that the puppet endured his attacks, but it didn't suffer any injuries, and with the intensity of his spell attacks, the puppet became even more resilient.

"Hey!"

Chen Qiu was getting annoyed. He opened the Heavenly Clue Umbrella and rolled up his sleeves, preparing to go all out. He didn't believe it for a second!

After a hundred breaths, his Spirit Qi was fully restored, and he continued!

Still, there was no damage!

Once his Spirit Qi was fully restored, he continued!

"The 37th time, the 38th time..."

Outside the Serendipity Realm, the Clan Head of the Su Clan was shocked as he watched Chen Qiu in the projection. Indeed, he was a Heaven's Pride in Spellcasting, and the power of the sky-filling Thunder Dragons far exceeded the damage that a Golden Core Heaven's Pride could inflict.

It even surpassed the damage that a First Stage Nascent Soul cultivator could cause!

But that wasn't the most crucial part!

In Zhongzhou, there were also many Heaven's Pride who, upon reaching Golden Core Perfection, could inflict damage far beyond what a First Stage Nascent Soul cultivator was capable of. This wasn't considered a rare occurrence.

But the problem was...

Chen Qiu wasn't using his ultimate move, and he kept using it over and over!

Was he using his ultimate move as if it were a minor skill?

After a long while, the Clan Head of the Su Clan sighed and muttered, "My son, you were right. Chen Qiu's strength as demonstrated in the Heritage Realm is indeed the strongest Heaven's Pride in Quzhou, but his personality seems a bit stubborn."

"This fifth level is clearly not something that can be passed through brute force. It's a battle of wits, and one needs to grasp certain insights to pass through. The more Chen Qiu attacks, the sturdier the puppet body becomes."

"The 99th time, the 100th time..."

Chen Qiu silently kept count. He wanted to see how many of his attacks this puppet could withstand. Everything had its limits; for example, eating food can replenish one's strength, but eating too much can also cause one's own death.

This puppet was the same.

This puppet could absorb the Spirit Qi from his Thunder Dragons to make itself sturdier, but there must be a limit to this.

His plan was simple.

He wanted to exhaust the puppet. Anyway, there was no time limit, and he wanted to see who would fall first, him or the puppet.

Just then—

After the 101st time of unleashing the Lightning Summoning Technique with full force!

The world went silent.

The puppet could no longer withstand the attack and shattered into pieces, scattering on the ground.

In mid-air, the spirit body of the old man slowly reappeared, looking down at the shattered puppet in silence for a long while before turning his head towards Chen Qiu and saying expressionlessly, "Who taught you to pass this level like this? Can't you see that this level is a battle of wits?"

"Oh?"

Chen Qiu raised his eyebrows, initially thinking that the old man's spirit body had no self-awareness. Now it seemed that it did possess some self-awareness and could react differently based on various situations within the realm.

Perhaps it was a remnant consciousness of the Su Clan's ancestor from many years ago, responsible only for evaluating this realm.

"Never mind."

The old man's spirit body shook his head, a hint of sadness flashing in his eyes. "It seems that none of the later generations have any brains. Didn't you realize that the puppet in the fifth level was assembled from the fragments of the puppets you shattered in the second and third levels?"

"Theoretically, the fifth level is absolutely impossible to pass."

"You only need to refrain from destroying the puppets in the second and third levels. Just wait patiently for the countdown in the first three levels to end, and you can pass through smoothly. Then, when it's time for the fifth level, this puppet won't appear."

"And that's how you pass, right?"

"Is it really that difficult?"

The old man's spirit body waved his hand in frustration as he sent several items floating towards Chen Qiu, "Go, go."

At the same time, his body gradually dissipated, and the vast grassland echoed with a rumbling sound like a collapsing building. This was a sign that the realm was about to collapse, indicating that the heritage had been taken away.

Soon—

Countless Heaven's Pride were expelled from the white vortex.

As soon as Chen Qiu landed, he saw the Young Master of the Su Clan approaching to congratulate him on obtaining the heritage. Chen Qiu looked around and asked in confusion, "Where's your father?"

"Uh..."

The Young Master of the Su Clan's face turned awkward, not knowing how to respond for a moment. When he learned that the method to pass this realm was so simple—one could pass by just standing still—his father's Dao heart suffered a slight crack.

He couldn't accept his own ignorance.

He fled the scene in shame.

Chen Qiu didn't ask further. Instead, he took out a stone from his pocket and handed it to the Young Master of the Su Clan, "I took the Spirit Transformation Body, thank you to the Su Clan. It was indeed a great help to me. Consider it a favor I owe you."

"If you ever need help with sect annihilation in the future, feel free to find me."

"As for this stone, it's the spellcasting heritage your ancestor left for your clan. It's of no use to me, so I'm returning it to your clan."

"There's also a spellcasting heritage?"

A glimmer of light flashed in the Young Master of the Su Clan's eyes, and he quickly took the stone with a respectful expression, expressing his gratitude repeatedly.

With that, the matter was settled.

After obtaining the Spirit Transformation Body from the Su Clan's heritage realm, Chen Qiu didn't linger. He left several hundred li from Su City and chose a desolate and uninhabited land to enter the pocket world.

Within the pocket world, he was organizing his recent gains.

First, he was only missing one more Spirit Transformation Body to make a total of three. He obtained one during the "Long Night's Approach" incident and another in the Su Clan Heritage Realm. If he could find one more from the Spirit Artifacts after unlocking them, he would have enough.

As for the nine Second Level Nascent Soul Bodies, he was currently missing five.

The Heavenly Dao Divine Artifact he acquired in Dayuan City required ten Malevolent Woods to cleanse its grudge and a bracelet to be nurtured in the Dantian for ten days. With just a few more days, it would be as good as new.

There were also the Spirit Artifacts, which needed some time to fully unlock their sealed barriers.

He needed some time to process his recent gains.

For instance:

"Enchantment Scroll": Flying Sword Swift.

"Scroll Grade": Yellow.

"Scroll Effect": The faster your flying sword, the greater the damage it can inflict.

He had randomly obtained this scroll before, but it was of no use to him. However, it would be perfect for the Scholar. He had once regretted that he couldn't turn this scroll into a jade slip for the Scholar.

With the Scholar's flying sword speed and this scroll, it would be like adding wings to a tiger.

However, after flipping through the 14 enchantment scrolls he had brought from Yuanzong's treasure vault, the highest-grade scroll among them was yellow, and there was only one—precisely the "Flying Sword Swift"!

This scroll was the most suitable one for the Scholar, without a doubt.

"Brother Qiu, you called me."

The Scholar flew to a peak at the rear mountain of Mock Heaven Sect, standing behind Chen Qiu with a puzzled expression. "Is there something you need?"

Chen Qiu shook his head and handed over the "Flying Sword Swift" scroll. "Here's an enchantment scroll for you. Take it and go look at it elsewhere, don't stand here and read it."

"Okay."

Although the Scholar was a bit confused, he obediently put the scroll into his Spirit Artifact and flew towards the Mock Heaven Sect below the peak. After a few breaths, a shout of excitement from the Scholar echoed through the skies of Mock Heaven Sect.

". . ."

Chen Qiu shook his head and smiled without saying a word, continuing to browse through the other scrolls. The remaining scrolls were mostly useless, all of them ordinary. If there had been any good ones, the Yuanzong Sect Leader would have already crushed them and embedded them in his Golden Core.

They were of no use to him.

But he needed these useless scrolls.

There were thirteen more scrolls.

He crushed them all at once, and soon, all thirteen scrolls were embedded in his Golden Core. He had used up all the self-destruct scrolls during his last attack on Yuanzong, and now he had replenished his reserves.

He kept ten scrolls to use as materials for forming the Twelfth Stage Nascent Soul and left three as his trump cards.

Perfect.

"Also. . ."

Chen Qiu turned to the large pile of spell scrolls from the Heavenly Dao Mystic Realm and began to carefully select a few. He planned to learn a few more spells, although he felt that the Lightning Summoning Technique was sufficient for offensive purposes.

For body techniques, the "Body Technique Supremacy" scroll was enough.

He mainly looked for suitable auxiliary spells, like "Skyfall Snow," which could freeze an opponent's spirit qi despite its low attack power.

Soon, he selected the appropriate spells.

"Invisibility Spell" and "Golden Light Body Protection Spell."

The Invisibility Spell was perfect for stealth attacks. The Foundation Establishment Spell wasn't particularly advanced, but it could be used against opponents of similar cultivation levels. When he had attacked the Yuanzong Sect Leader, the difference in cultivation was too great, and even the most advanced invisibility spell could be detected by divine sense.

In such cases, it was a gamble.

A gamble that the opponent wouldn't use divine sense to detect him and would rely solely on their eyes.

The remaining "Golden Light Body Protection Spell" was a high-grade spell, a Golden Core pinnacle-grade technique suitable for law cultivators. Its defensive strength depended on the amount of spirit qi consumed. Currently, his primary defense methods were the Heavenly Clue Umbrella and his protective spirit qi.

He didn't have a single body protection spell.

This spell made up for a small flaw in his abilities.

Upon learning these two spells, he immediately reached the Great Perfection stage, as there were no Enlightenment Stones to help him ascend directly. The Yuanzong treasure vault had everything but Enlightenment Stones.

Aside from these, there were three special treasures.

Also found in the Yuanzong treasure vault.

The first was Yuanzong's heritage item.

A small spoon.

A special divine artifact that, upon touch, could enhance any Golden Core pinnacle-grade spell or lower to the Great Perfection stage, consuming the spoon's Heaven and Earth Spirit Qi with each use, it could be used up to 300 times.

This Heaven and Earth Spirit Qi couldn't be replenished by any means.

Once it was used up, it was gone.

After testing it, he quickly elevated the Golden Core pinnacle-grade "Golden Light Body Protection Spell" to the Great Perfection stage. With a bit of practice, he could unleash the full power of this spell.

He could leave it in the Mock Heaven Sect for the disciples to touch and enhance their overall strength.

This type of heritage item is basically possessed by every major power.

Some can enhance a specific spell's realm upon touch, while others provide a fixed enchantment entry. Regardless, they are all the foundation of a sect's heritage.

This means that as long as one joins this sect and becomes an official disciple, they will always have one more thing than a wandering cultivator.

This is also the biggest difference between sect disciples and wandering cultivators.

Wandering cultivators do not possess such items.

Unless you go and take it by force.

The second special Divine Artifact is...a stone.

"Hmm," Chen Qiu mused as he gazed at the panel before him, shrouded in clouds and mist, deep in thought.

-

"Treasure Name": Heavenly Illusion Stone.

"Acquisition Source": A heavenly spirit object, a gift from the heavens.

"Usage Effect":

1. Applicable only to Heavenly Dao Artifacts, allowing them to transform into a second form and randomly gain an additional effect corresponding to that form.

2. After ingestion, the user will randomly transform into a demon beast and remain in that state for a year.

-

Two simple effects.

The second effect can be ignored as it is basically useless.

The first effect allows your Heavenly Dao Artifact to have an additional form and gain an extra Divine Artifact effect.

After a moment of contemplation,

He turned his gaze to the Heavenly Clue Umbrella beside him.

Currently, his Heavenly Clue Umbrella has only three effects:

1. Enhances spell power and reduces spirit qi consumption.

2. Integrated offense and defense.

3. Wide-range automatic divine sense lock-on.

It is also his most frequently used weapon, and he has several entries that can interact with the Heavenly Clue Umbrella, such as "Umbrella Over the World." When he opens the umbrella, it becomes impossible for divine sense to lock onto him unless the opponent's cultivation is a whole realm higher.

After pondering for a moment, he placed the Heavenly Illusion Stone together with the Heavenly Clue Umbrella. With the surge of spirit qi, the stone slowly merged and penetrated into the umbrella.

After a hundred breaths—

The Heavenly Clue Umbrella before him showed no signs of change.

But as Chen Qiu's heart moved, the umbrella instantly transformed into a longbow-shaped Divine Artifact!

This was the second form of his Heavenly Clue Umbrella after using the Heavenly Illusion Stone!

A longbow!

The transformed longbow was deep blue, with purple-blue electric arcs flowing along its surface. It had no visible bowstring, or rather, the bowstring was invisible to the naked eye, but he could feel it when he held the bow.

This bowstring...was composed of the power of heaven and earth!

This was the newly added fourth effect.

-

4. The bowstring is made of the power of heaven and earth, and the arrows fired will shoot towards the enemy at an extremely fast speed. If the enemy is already locked on by divine sense, the speed will be even faster.

-

A straightforward effect.

However, Chen Qiu's expression became increasingly peculiar. As a spell cultivator, he had no arrows, and he wasn't an arrow cultivator. It's not that arrow cultivation doesn't exist; it's just an extremely niche path, even more so than divination cultivation.

But he had another good thing.

With a thought,

The Twelfth Stage Golden Core floated outside his body.

As he raised the bow with his left hand, a faint bowstring appeared. He pinched the Twelfth Stage Golden Core in his palm and placed it on the bowstring, aiming at the wasteland in the distance within his pocket world. With a slow and steady pull, he drew the bowstring back.

When he felt he had reached his limit,

He suddenly released his right hand.

A surge of heavenly power erupted from the longbow, and then he saw the Twelfth Stage Golden Core shoot towards the distance at a speed beyond his divine sense's capture!

An ear-piercing sonic boom reverberated throughout the skies above the Mock Heaven Sect.

Leaving behind a golden-yellow tail flame.

". . ."

Chen Qiu stared at the Twelfth Stage Golden Core, which had returned to his side, with a peculiar expression. It seemed like he had gained an additional attack method. With the strength of his Twelfth Stage Golden Core, it could be said to be invincible! Combined with the longbow powered by the force of heaven and earth,

It granted an acceleration that even his divine sense struggled to capture!

The single-target attack power was almost at its maximum.

Even a Nascent Soul Early Stage cultivator would likely be instantly defeated by his arrow! This single-target attack power far surpassed that of the Lightning Summoning Technique. In terms of spectacle, the Twelfth Stage Golden Core paled in comparison to the Lightning Summoning Technique, which, when fully activated, brought about a raging storm with dark clouds and thunder.

However, in terms of single-target attack strength, the Twelfth Stage Golden Core was currently his most powerful method.

Moreover,

It seemed that he could shoot not only Golden Cores.

As spirit qi surged, dark clouds quickly enveloped the skies above the Mock Heaven Sect. The raging storm brought with it a small thunderball containing hundreds of thousands of mini thunder dragons, which slowly appeared in Chen Qiu's palm.

And under Chen Qiu's mental command,

This small thunderball gradually transformed into a semi-transparent arrow shape.

Inside the arrow, hundreds of thousands of mini thunder dragons wandered, and the entire arrow was purple-blue, surrounded by purple-blue electric arcs. It appeared thinner and longer than ordinary arrows.

The transformed longbow-shaped Heavenly Clue Umbrella complemented it well.

Chen Qiu once again raised the bow with his left hand, taking a deep breath. He was eager to test its power; he placed this "Lightning Summoning Technique" arrow on the bowstring and aimed at the Mock Heaven Sect below the mountain peak.

With this single arrow,

The Mock Heaven Sect would likely be completely annihilated.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end