Chapter 83: The Condensation Core Realm and Beyond
Chapter 83: The Condensation Core Realm and Beyond
"Huh?"
Hong Lei was taken aback, noticing that the group on the mountain showed no signs of surprise.
After these days of surrounding the mountain, had the demon hunters already uncovered the Sword Sage's secrets? Even Zhang Hengzhou had admitted to being a demon.
Then... why haven't they made their move? This time, not only Shen Yi, but even he himself felt a bit lost, and could only look at the old general in the front with confusion.
Chen Qiankun's eyebrows didn't even twitch, calmly facing Zhang Hengzhou's resentment, and said in a gentle voice, "I, too, had my doubts. Could there truly be demons sincerely integrating into the mortal world? But then I thought, in these hundred-plus years, you've had at least three hundred women, if not five hundred."
"They came to me willingly, drawn by my heroic reputation." Zhang Hengzhou panted heavily, his injuries showing signs of reopening.
"That's not what I meant."
Chen Qiankun waved his hand and sighed, "I just suddenly remembered, every time they conceived your child, demons would abduct them, and nine out of ten times, they'd disappear without a trace. The few who were rescued, contributed to your heroic reputation, but even they died quietly a few years later. As mortals, giving birth to a water serpent demon, when they saw the thing they birthed, wouldn't they feel a bit desolate?"
"Every time a child was to be born, demons would come to abduct them, and whenever hunger struck, demons would attack the villagers, always so punctual, covering hundreds and thousands of miles."
"What sins have the demons of Qingzhou committed to encounter your heroic family?"
"The people of Linjiang Prefecture have to give birth to several children a year just to support your heroic reputation."
Amidst the slightly cold voice, the figure in dark, shimmering armor slowly stood up.
The old man gripped the wrought iron halberd, looking at him indifferently, "I, Chen Qiankun, am but a sinful warrior. What virtue or ability do I have to give you a chance?"
Under that icy gaze,
Zhang Hengzhou's face tightened, and he took a few heavy steps back.
Until a pair of slightly weathered hands rested on his shoulders.
He turned around, his breath heavy, "Master."
The grandmaster, in his flowing blue robe and disheveled hair, seemed to have gone a long time without sleep, his face weathered but gentle as he patted his shoulder, "I know you feel wronged, but if he won't give you a chance, I will."
With these words,
The sword cultivators kneeling on both sides of the platform showed a glimmer of despair amidst their desolate expressions.
Anger flashed in the eyes of the Demon Suppressing Bureau captains, and a hot-tempered deputy commander stepped forward, his voice sharp, "You've been given so much time, and you're still so confused. He's a demon, what chance do you want to give him?!"
The Sage Master Qingfeng paid him no heed, stepping in front of his disciple, then looking at Chen Qiankun.
"Brother Chen."
He suddenly smiled, his expression nostalgic, with a hint of pleading, and gestured, "When I first found him, he was this small."
Another deputy commander scoffed, "When he grew to that size, he was older than your grandfather!"
The Sage Master Qingfeng acted as if he hadn't heard, continuing to stare at Chen Qiankun, his mouth muttering, "Brother Chen, you know I was born with a disability. The Qingfeng Sect is the lineage of the Zhang family, and it can't end with me... When I rescued him from the river, I named him Hengzhou, taught him the sword, urged him to eat, and secretly protected him as he killed demons..."
He seemed to have much more to say.
"But he's a water serpent demon." Chen Qiankun said calmly.
"But I've raised him to this point! I even prepared the Sword Pool for his cultivation! I prepared the position of grandmaster for him!"
"It was that cheap woman who ran off to give birth that turned him into a water serpent demon!"
The Sage Master Qingfeng's weathered face contorted, his voice hoarse! Seeing Chen Qiankun's unmoved expression, he suddenly turned around, his disheveled hair making him look less like a grandmaster and more like a raging madman.
"Qingfeng disciples, form the array! Form the array!!"
On the platform, whether elders, administrators, or disciples, all averted their gazes.
"..."
Seeing this, the Sage Master Qingfeng seemed to have expected it, laughing maniacally. He took out a sword orb the size of a baby's fist from his embrace.
He withdrew his hand.
The sword orb emitted a faint glow, floating in midair.
"I said, this is the lineage of the Zhang family."
His blood dripped into the Sword Pool, pledging allegiance not to the Qingfeng Sect, but to the Zhang lineage!
Under everyone's gaze, he abruptly knelt, then slammed his head against the ground, shattering the white stone brick—
The orb, known as the Ancestral Sword, instantly buzzed.
As the tremors continued, each disciple's sword at their waist began to shake, and a strange blush spread across their cheeks, accompanied by the transformation of their swords.
The Grandmaster prostrated himself again.
Suddenly, someone spat out a mouthful of blood.
"..."
Shen Yi stood at a distance, witnessing a scene that was somewhat beyond his comprehension.
"Hold them down!"
Hong Lei's booming voice echoed as the group of disciples, who had been docile as lambs during their escort, now reached for the sword handles at their waists under some mysterious torment.
The captains rushed forward and restrained them before they could act.
On the large altar, countless unsheathing sounds reverberated endlessly. Only by gripping the sword handles could they slightly alleviate the punishment of the "Ancestor."
Sharp longswords slowly aimed at the members of the Demon Suppression Bureau.
At the front of the grand hall, the group of elders sitting cross-legged closed their eyes in resignation, and their powerful auras converged towards the front.
"Damn, even if we're worried about demons slipping away, we shouldn't have brought them up the mountain. What is Chen Laoshi thinking?"
Even Hong Lei couldn't help but voice his doubts at this moment.
The Qingfeng Grandmaster had such means, and the other party couldn't possibly be unaware of it.
With the auras of thousands of disciples converging, they formed the Ten Thousand Swords Demon Annihilation Formation, which included the Qingfeng Grandmaster and two other Condensation Core Realm elders.
Invisible sword intents swiftly enveloped Chen Qiankun, emitting a dangerous cold light.
"With this array, leaving Brother Chen for half a month shouldn't be considered excessive."
The Qingfeng Grandmaster, who had been prostrating on the ground, no longer raged. He slowly turned his head and spoke with desolation, "You should have a place to hide. Go."
Zhang Hengzhou's face lit up with joy, and he glanced at the youth with a black saber hanging at his waist in the distance before decisively flipping and soaring into the sky!
"..."
Shen Yi clenched the hand of a young disciple, whose face was filled with despair. Uncontrollably, he drew his sword and lunged at Shen Yi. They were more aware than anyone of the consequences of attacking the captains of the Demon Suppression Bureau.
However, Shen Yi's attention was not on him.
He raised his eyes and stared at the distant figure fleeing in the sky, his heart sinking to the bottom of a valley in an instant.
His guess was correct; the Water Serpent Demon could indeed sense his presence.
And now, the other party was about to escape.
At this moment, Chen Qiankun, who was enveloped by the myriad sword lights, slowly closed his eyes.
Under the astonished gaze of the Grandmaster.
The wrought iron halberd in his hand seemed to be taken by an invisible figure.
The person remained in place, but the weapon suddenly surged forward.
With boundless might, the halberd in the invisible palm seemed to have the power to split the heavens and the earth, viciously slicing towards Zhang Hengzhou's retreating figure!
"Roar!"
Amidst the sharp dragon's roar, the entire altar turned dark as ink. On the Qingfeng Mountain's grand hall, a nearly hundred-zhang-long evil water serpent dragon soared, its dark, round body struggling. The sharp horn on its forehead outshone any divine weapon in sharpness.
But it was only for a fleeting moment.
The halberd slashed down, and demon blood splattered everywhere. Half of the serpent's body plummeted from the sky.
The hideous water serpent dragon was left with only half its body, its blood and entrails raining down like a shower. It fled in panic and fear, disappearing from sight in the blink of an eye.
As the halberd returned to Chen Qiankun's hand, he reopened his eyes, maintaining his calm demeanor, and indifferently looked at the Grandmaster on the ground, "Half a month is too long. I'll give you an incense stick's worth of time to pass on your final words."
"You... you've broken through?"
"Halfway there."
Chen Qiankun quietly gazed at the sword orb in the air, "Senior, you've made this general wait for too long."
After such a long time, his bones were truly aching from sitting.
"No!"
Seeing that he was about to close his eyes again, the Qingfeng Grandmaster let out a cry and reached for the sword orb, but the Ancestral Sword trembled and buzzed, leaping into his embrace before him.
In an instant, the longswords held by the thousands of Qingfeng disciples returned to normal, and the myriad sword lights dissipated in the blink of an eye.
"I told you all not to panic. Do you think General Chen would harm you?"
Hong Lei released the disciple in his grasp and irritably pushed him away.
"Hmph! Guarding the mountain was to prevent demons from escaping, trapping the water serpent dragon was to force out the Ancestral Sword, and the old master had guessed that the Qingfeng Grandmaster would seek revenge. Rather than waiting for him to secretly cause trouble, it's better to cut him off once and for all, and the water serpent dragon won't be able to escape either..."
Hong Lei excitedly turned around, wanting to boast to Shen Yi about his past service under the old master.
Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly froze.
Where was the person?
This chapter focuses on describing the upcoming specific branches of cultivation realms and does not involve the protagonist.
(End of Chapter)
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