Chapter 351 - The Final Gift (1/2)

A wave of tremendous Immortal energy swept the public square, suppressing the Devil Qi inside it. Some disciples, tainted by Xiao Chen’s Devil Qi, also began to recover. Many in the crowd started yelling, “First Elder Chanyu! First Elder Chanyu is here!”

With a flick of his sleeves, Chanyu Zheng stared at Xiao Chen with the intensity of a bolt of lightning. “So, you’re Xiao Chen?”

Xiao Chen’s expression didn’t change, remaining as cold and fearless as before. “Precisely.”

Yu Yifeng’s heart sank and turned even paler in the face. Xiao Chen could have left earlier, but not anymore now that he was facing Chanyu Zheng, an Apotheosis Realm cultivator. He understood Xiao Chen very well. Even if his Junior Brother fell to the dark side today, he would never harm the living in the future. Yet, everyone still wanted his life…

On the other end, Xiaoyue had her hand clasped over her horsetail whisk as her cyan robe fluttered in the wind. Not even the dreadful scene before her could change her expression. It was as if none of this concerned her. No one knew what she was thinking.

Perfected Immortal Fengxi looked downcast. He had half of the ancient scroll with him, but couldn’t find the other half. Xiao Chen was perhaps the only one capable of deciphering the secret inside it. Must this child indeed die here today…? He turned to Perfected Immortal Tai Yi and whispered, “Tai Yi.”

Perfected Immortal Tai Yi’s expression turned grim. He shook his head, indicating Fengxi not to take any hasty action.

In the public square, Chanyu Zheng’s gaze turned cold. “Xiao Chen, you have committed a heinous crime in the city today. Do you know your crime?” Toward the tail of his words, a loud burst of True Energy erupted from him. The energy shocked even the souls of many Orthodox disciples standing in the distance, striking fear in their minds. Someone in the Nirvana Realm was indeed no match for someone in the Apotheosis Realm.

Mellow, abundant Immortal energy began diffusing, filling the air around them. Xiao Chen remained cold. “I don’t!” he yelled, summoning a double crescent halberd. The atmosphere immediately took a turn. The dissipated Devil Qi gradually gathered, producing even a hint of demonic wailing in the background.

The halberd had a pure-black, foot-long body, with layers of black Qi entwining it. There was a terrifying human skeleton sitting at the end of the weapon. It was the Spirit-annihilation Halberd that Xiao Chen snatched out of Zuoqiu Yang’s hands back then.

The crowd turned pale. Rumor had it that the Spirit-annihilation Halberd was the top demonic weapon in ancient times, forged out of the souls of three thousand Rogue Immortals and three hundred True Immortals. It was also the top spirit-annihilating weapon in the world!

Demonic wailing continued to ring in everyone’s ears. Gusts of cold wind began picking up. Chanyu Zheng’s expression changed. He said sternly, “Devil’s Practice follower, how dare you use such an evil object! This world must not tolerate your existence!” He cast a spell, producing ten golden Sword Qi in the air. The Sword Qi began attacking Xiao Chen.

The power of an Apotheosis Realm cultivator was, no doubt, extraordinary. It was so strong that it seemed capable of tearing space apart. Nearby, cultivators in the mid-stage of Nascent Soul Realm and below felt a burst of dizziness and difficulty of breathing. Xiao Chen swung his halberd, instantly evoking changes in the weather. The demonic wailing stretched on as streams of black fog engulfed the golden Sword Qi.

Stunned, Chanyu Zheng swiftly retreated. He never expected a demonic weapon would produce such great restraint on cultivators of immortality. He couldn’t even imagine what would happen if such a halberd fell in the hands of the Devil’s sects.

The halberd, forged out of the souls of three thousand Rogue Immortals and three hundred True Immortals, was naturally mighty in restraining cultivators of immortality. However, it had been dormant for so long that Xiao Chen could only display one-hundredth of its real power.

Xiao Chen sneered. “Nefarious object? In Zuoqiu family’s hands, it’s a Legendary Weapon capable of suppressing the Demon Race. In my hands, it’s a nefarious object! Why don’t you go to hell?” he yelled, thrusting his halberd. The black fog intensified, this time aiming for Chanyu Zheng’s vital soul.

Not daring to oppose the halberd’s spear head-on, Chanyu Zheng shifted his weight backward and produced three seals bathed in a golden glow. The world shook, and the fog of Devil Qi dissipated in an instant.

“Listen to my command! Kill the Devil’s Practice follower!”

Chanyu Zheng once again produced another seal as he spoke. He hadn’t wanted help, but he didn’t expect Xiao Chen to possess a demonic weapon. He had no choice but to put aside his ego for the bigger picture.

The presence of an Apotheosis Realm cultivator had lifted the others’ spirits and dispelled their fears. Cries for blood shattered the air as countless cultivators controlled their flying swords to attack Xiao Chen.

Xiao Chen twirled his halberd, and the flying swords that filled the sky snapped into pieces, making a symphony of clanging sounds as they fell. Chanyu Zheng’s eyes narrowed. He thrust his palms, producing an overwhelming force. Detecting the murderous attack, Xiao Chen abruptly hoisted the halberd. What followed was a rumbling sound of a collision. The aftershock sent him flying more than twenty feet away and left a long mark of the halberd on the ground.

Seeing that his attack worked, Chanyu Zheng leaped into action and unleashed the art of ground shrinkage. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Xiao Chen. Startled, Xiao Chen thrust his saber but found his target gone. By the time he recovered his senses, a gust of astral wind swept his ear and he knew an attack had come. With a loud bang, Chanyu Zheng sent him flying with his palm.

After crashing to the ground, Xiao Chen could feel his ears buzzing and his vision spinning from the impact. He knew he wouldn’t last much longer after using the Devil’s Three Turns. Suddenly, he saw Chanyu Zheng turned into three doppelgangers of himself. The crowd cried out in surprise. That was the Taoist supernatural ability that was characteristic of the Apotheosis Realm, the Embodiment Duplication Skill.

With one main body and two duplicates, Chanyu Zheng had Xiao Chen besieged and cut off all his escape routes. Xiao Chen laughed humorlessly and then yelled, “Three Thousand Illusive Demons!”