EFB Chapter 2170 Defeat
Chapter 2170 Defeat
The name "Dao Xu Gui Zhen Ti" is so well-known within the Dan Chen Sect's Taicang territory, especially among the body cultivation lineage, that it is practically a thunderbolt in everyone's ears.
This is the most recognized sixteenth-level body-refining technique in the Dan Chen Sect's Scripture Pavilion.
Although its grade is the sixteenth-level top-grade, its cultivation difficulty, resource consumption, and requirements on the cultivator's mentality and willpower exceed those of many other cultivation techniques of the same grade.
This technique uses the body as a void, fusing all paths. When cultivated to its fullest potential, the physical body becomes the strongest divine weapon, with every move possessing the power to shatter the void. Furthermore, it can generate Dao Void Domains, making it impervious to all laws.
It is precisely because of its power and difficulty that those who can master it are extremely rare.
Within the Danchen Sect today, the one who has cultivated the Dao Xu Gui Zhen Body to its highest level and firmly holds the top position among the true disciples is none other than Feng Butong, who is hailed as a prodigy in body refining.
His existence has practically become a living advertisement for the Dao Xu Gui Zhen Ti (Returning to Truth from the Void) cultivation technique.
And now, right here in this grand competition, Chen Fei, who has been a disciple for less than a year, has actually displayed the Dao Ruins True Body. How could this not shock everyone?
This means that everyone seriously underestimated Chen Fei's true combat strength.
Even the usually calm and collected elder in charge of the proceedings showed a clear ripple in his eyes. He stroked his long beard and said, "It is indeed the Dao Ruins Returning to Truth Physique!"
All eyes were now focused on Chen Fei.
The previous doubts and disdain about the superficiality and instability of the empowerment appear pale and laughable in the face of the aura of this Dao Ruins True Body.
"The Dao Void Returning to Truth Body... Eighth Level?"
For the first time, Wu Nianjiao's usually cold voice carried a hint of undisguised shock and disbelief. As a top disciple of the inner sect, she understood the terrifying nature of this technique better than ordinary disciples, and she also understood what it meant to cultivate this technique to the eighth level or above.
Although her Seven Emotions Heavenly Sound Technique is good at using music to disturb the enemy and attack invisibly, its advantage will be greatly weakened against body cultivators who have cultivated their physical bodies to the extreme and whose souls are also extremely resilient.
In a flash, Wu Nianjiao abandoned all thoughts of testing and underestimating her opponent, elevating Chen Fei to a level where she had to give it her all.
Her clear, watery eyes instantly turned sharp as knives, and the faint sorrow that had lingered between her brows was replaced by a focused fighting spirit.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
The guzheng vibrated violently, no longer producing a single mournful sound, but countless notes with completely different timbres, frequencies, and moods intertwining and colliding wildly.
On the stands, many disciples with slightly weaker cultivation levels felt dizzy and disoriented, even though the array isolated most of the power.
With this torrent of violent music, complex array patterns formed from pure sound waves and the primordial energy of heaven and earth appeared out of thin air, quickly combining to form arrays that layered upon each other, enveloping Chen Fei.
There is a Fire and Sound Array, in which fire and sound waves intertwine, the scorching heat distorts space, and emits crackling and popping sounds.
There was a Xuanbing Condensing Sound Array, its icy sound waves spreading outwards, freezing frost wherever they passed, and causing the temperature to plummet...
In the blink of an eye, seven complementary sonic arrays completely sealed off and covered all the space around Chen Fei. The power of the arrays was intertwined, multiplying their strength to form a massive sonic killing array.
That wasn't all. Wu Nianjiao opened her mouth slightly and uttered a clear, short syllable.
With this sound, a portion of the raging torrent of music separated and quickly transformed into armored musical puppets.
These puppets, about seven feet tall, moved in perfect unison, roaring silently, forming a disciplined wedge formation. Like an army, they launched a fearless charge towards Chen Fei, who was enveloped by the formation.
Music transforms into arrays, music transforms into puppets!
The power of the formation complements the puppet's charge, combining various methods such as blocking, weakening, attacking, and confusing, fully demonstrating the unpredictable and ever-changing nature of the Seven Emotions Heavenly Sound Technique.
This kind of offensive has already exceeded the limits that ordinary late-stage Tai Cang Realm cultivators can handle. Even those well-known experts of the same level would probably be caught off guard and exhausted in dealing with it.
Wu Nianjiao stood behind the guzheng, her eyes sharp as an eagle's, fixed on the area submerged by the array and the sea of puppets. She couldn't believe that her opponent could remain as relaxed and at ease as before under such an onslaught.
Enveloped by layers upon layers of sonic arrays, sharp and confusing sound waves penetrated everywhere, attempting to disturb the soul.
But Chen Fei, who was at the center of the storm, had a smile on his face.
This smile caught the eye of Wu Nianjiao, who had been staring intently at him, and made her heart skip a beat.
The next instant, Chen Fei raised his right hand, spread his five fingers, and gently pointed at a spot in the void where there was nothing.
This finger strike was simple and unadorned, without any earth-shattering fluctuations of Yuan energy or dazzling brilliance.
But the moment Chen Fei pointed his finger, the complex array of musical notes surrounding him suddenly trembled slightly without warning, and then its light dimmed by a third.
"Buzz!"
The crimson light of the Blazing Fire Sound Array suddenly became chaotic, the array patterns twisted violently, and the surging fire elemental power and violent sound waves within it lost control, instantly causing a small-scale conflict and explosion.
The explosion wasn't particularly powerful, but it precisely struck the energy nodes of the nearby Xuanbing Condensing Sound Array and the Chaotic God Bewildering Sound Array.
"Crack..."
Cracks appeared in the array patterns of the Xuanbing Ningyin Array, and the power of ice and cold leaked out uncontrollably.
"Shoot..."
The distorted sonic patterns of the Chaotic Sound Array became disordered, greatly reducing the illusion's effectiveness.
A tiny disruption in one formation can be rapidly transmitted and amplified to other formations through the intricate energy links between them.
All of this happened in the blink of an eye.
To outsiders, it appeared as if Chen Fei had casually pointed at the space, and the originally smoothly functioning complex musical array instantly became chaotic and disorderly, even starting to interfere with and consume each other.
Even more deadly were those musical puppets that had originally formed a well-organized battle formation and charged forward.
Their actions largely depend on the energy support and unified command provided by the formation. Now that the formation is in disarray and the energy supply is unstable, the puppets' movements have suddenly become sluggish and their formation is in chaos.
Wu Nianjiao's eyes widened slightly, and her fingertips froze for a moment as she plucked the zither strings, causing a jarring noise to appear in the beautiful music.
She couldn't understand why the Thousand Sounds Array was one of the core killing moves of the eighth level of her Seven Emotions Heavenly Sound Technique. It combined the essence of various array formations, with each element linked to the next. Even the array masters of Heavenly Array Peak would need to spend a lot of time calculating the array's core to break it.
How could anyone do what Chen Fei did, casually pointing at the very most crucial spot on the entire formation?
"The Seven Emotions Heavenly Sound Technique seems all-encompassing, but if one does not cultivate it well enough, one will be a jack of all trades and master of none." Chen Fei's voice was not loud, but it was like a heavy hammer, striking Wu Nianjiao's heart hard.
How arrogant those words are!
They actually belittled Wu Nianjiao's Seven Emotions Heavenly Sound Technique in such a despicable way.
But considering Chen Fei's miraculous finger strike that broke the formation just now, this arrogance seems to have gained some basis.
At least in Chen Fei's eyes, Wu Nianjiao's earth-shattering offensive was indeed commonplace and full of flaws.
The words of commentary were still ringing in his ears when Chen Fei made his move.
A terrifying force, seemingly capable of crushing the void, emanated from Chen Fei's fist.
The space around the fist, unable to withstand this pure and extreme physical power, emitted a mournful sound like cloth being torn apart, and faintly showed distorted ripples.
Then, he threw a punch.
The space in front of the fist emitted a burst of unbearable pressure. A vacuum channel with clear edges and pitch-black interior suddenly formed as the fist advanced and extended forward at an astonishing speed.
Wherever the fist passed, the musical array, whose power had been greatly reduced due to the disorder of the formation, collapsed and vanished without even making a sound.
Those musical puppets that had formed battle formations didn't even have a chance to react before they silently disintegrated and collapsed, turning back into chaotic energy flow.
On the stands, many disciples who witnessed this scene couldn't help but widen their eyes slightly.
Is this the power of the Dao Xu True Body?
Inside the training ground, Chen Fei took a step forward, and a circle of pale golden ripples spread out from his feet. His figure blurred, and the next moment, he appeared less than a foot in front of Wu Nianjiao.
Chen Fei raised his right fist high and slammed it down on Wu Nianjiao's stunning face.
Before the fist even arrived, the extremely concentrated fist intent had already caused Wu Nianjiao's protective Yuan Power to groan under the strain, almost shattering on the spot.
In a flash, Wu Nianjiao's decisiveness and ruthlessness as a top disciple erupted instantly. A fierce glint flashed in her eyes, and her beautiful face was devoid of any trace of weakness or sorrow, leaving only the coldness and decisiveness of a cultivator.
With a short, sharp shout, Wu Nianjiao advanced instead of retreating. With a twist of her slender waist, her right hand, with its five fingers like hooks, no longer plucked the strings, but suddenly grabbed the tail of the zither in front of her.
"Buzz!"
Wu Nianjiao swung the guzheng, producing a deep, resonant tremor. The strings vibrated violently, emitting chaotic and piercing sound waves.
On the zither, the silver runes that were originally flowing slowly suddenly shone brightly, frantically drawing away the almost boiling Yuan energy in Wu Nianjiao's body, causing the entire zither to be instantly covered with a dark purple luster like cast metal.
She actually used the guzheng as a close-combat weapon, meeting Chen Fei's fist head-on with a fierce sweep. Wherever the guzheng passed, space was ruthlessly pushed apart, producing a dull thud.
A barely perceptible look of surprise flashed in Chen Fei's eyes, as if he was slightly taken aback by Wu Nianjiao's decisive and ruthless counterattack, but his punching force did not diminish in the slightest.
"boom!"
It was as if two massive iron mountains were colliding, and the circular shockwave spread out in a circle from the point of impact.
The light was blinding, and the vital energy was in chaos.
Under everyone's gaze, the Seven Emotions Guzheng, which Wu Nianjiao had infused with all her Yuan Power, shattered inch by inch the moment it came into contact with Chen Fei's pale golden fist. The solid dark purple light on the zither shattered like fragile glass.
Next is the guzheng itself.
"Crack!"
The ear-piercing sound, like metal twisting and turning, mingled with the roar of an explosion and clearly reached everyone's ears.
The guzheng, of exceptional quality, developed thick cracks that spread like a spider web from the point where the fist made contact with it, instantly covering most of the instrument.
The thirteen zither strings, each a different color, emitted a mournful cry and snapped all at once.
"puff!"
With her divine weapon damaged and her mind affected, Wu Nianjiao was struck as if by a heavy blow. Her face turned ashen, and a mouthful of blood gushed out from her throat, turning into a pale, bloody mist.
Her right hand, which was tightly gripping the kite's tail, was split open and bleeding profusely.
Chen Fei's fist, after being blocked by the guzheng, only paused slightly, but its momentum remained unstoppable as it continued to smash fiercely towards Wu Nianjiao.
In the face of death, Wu Nianjiao only had time to barely raise her left arm to protect her chest, while desperately pouring the remaining Yuan energy in her body into her left arm.
"boom!"
Another extremely dull thud followed as Chen Fei's fist slammed solidly into Wu Nianjiao's left arm, which was blocking the attack.
"Crack!"
The clear sound of bones cracking stood out starkly against the dull thud.
"puff!"
Wu Nianjiao's body trembled violently, as if she had been hit head-on by an ancient divine mountain. Without any doubt, she was lifted off the ground and flew backward at high speed.
"Wow!"
While still in mid-air, another mouthful of blood gushed from Wu Nianjiao's mouth, turning into a miserable cloud of blood mist.
Her once exquisitely beautiful face now held none of its former aloofness and composure.
She lost.
The defeat was so decisive and so complete.
From Chen Fei breaking the formation to getting close, and then smashing her natal zither with a single punch, severely injuring her and sending her flying, the whole process was so fast it was dazzling.
Her proud Seven Emotions Heavenly Sound Technique, her years of painstaking cultivation of the Way of Music, and her meticulously arranged killing formation were all as fragile as a joke in the face of that absolute power.
A piercing pain shot through Wu Nianjiao's left arm, making her realize that her arm bones were probably shattered into several pieces, and her internal organs had also suffered considerable damage from the shock of the punch.
Even more serious is the damage to her natal divine weapon, the Seven Emotions Guzheng, which has caused a backlash that directly harmed her soul and foundation of cultivation. Without long-term nurturing, it will be difficult for her to recover her former state.
But these physical and weapon injuries seemed insignificant compared to the overwhelming shock and frustration she felt.
She looked up at Chen Fei in the distance, who was still standing there, slowly retracting his fist.
Dao Ruins Returning to Truth Body, Eighth Level?
No, it's probably more than just the eighth level. This kind of physical strength, this kind of control over power, this kind of precise insight into the weaknesses of formations... this is far beyond what the eighth level of the Dao Ruins Return to Truth Body can compare to. After all, Wu Nianjiao herself has also cultivated the Seven Emotions Heavenly Sound Technique to the eighth level.
Even if the Seven Emotions Heavenly Sound Technique is no match for the Dao Ruins Returning to Truth Body, the gap between the two shouldn't be this large.
"Oh!"
Wu Nianjiao's back slammed heavily against the edge of the training ground, producing a dull thud.
The array of light rippled up and down, dissipating the force of her fall.
Wu Nianjiao slid down the wall to the ground, kneeling on one knee. Her right hand clutched her aching chest, while her left hand hung limply at her side. Blood dripped from her fingertips, blooming into pitiful blood flowers on the ground.
Having landed a successful blow, Chen Fei did not press his advantage, nor did he show the slightest hint of smugness or arrogance after his victory.
He stood calmly in place, the raging aura around him completely subsided, and he returned to his previous calm and composed demeanor.
Although Wu Nianjiao appeared to be in a miserable state, her injuries were not as serious as they seemed.
A broken left arm, internal injuries, a destroyed magic weapon, and a backlash to the mind—these would be serious injuries for an ordinary cultivator, but for Wu Nianjiao, who had cultivated the Seven Emotions Heavenly Sound Technique to the eighth level and combined Yuan Power with physical strength, these were only minor injuries.
Her internal energy was still circulating, and although her breath was weak, it was not completely cut off. If she fought to the death, she might be able to unleash one or two deadly moves that would result in mutual destruction.
But Chen Fei knew even better that it was no longer necessary.
He had held back his strength in that punch. Otherwise, Wu Nianjiao's left arm, which she tried to block, would have suffered more than just a broken bone; it would likely have been blasted into a bloody mess along with half of her shoulder, and might even have been seriously injured.
This is, after all, just a sect competition, not a life-or-death battle. The other party has no grudge against Chen Fei, so it's best to stop when the fight is over.
Wu Nianjiao should naturally understand this point as well.
Standing up straight, Wu Nianjiao didn't look at the Seven Emotions Guzheng on the ground. She simply raised her head and looked at Chen Fei, her eyes filled with complex emotions. There was shock, frustration, resentment, pain, and also a hint of... barely perceptible shame and annoyance.
Before the competition began, his own cool and confident words echoed uncontrollably in his mind.
Recalling her own words and comparing them to her current disheveled state, a sense of shame instantly welled up in Wu Nianjiao's heart.
"you……"
Wu Nianjiao opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but when the words reached her lips, she didn't know what to say.
In the end, Wu Nianjiao merely glared at Chen Fei, then abruptly turned and flew out of the martial arts arena at top speed. Her retreating figure appeared somewhat flustered, completely devoid of the delicate, ethereal beauty she possessed upon her initial entrance. (End of Chapter)