EFB Chapter 2019 Houtu's True Form, Bearing All Things Without Boundaries!
Chapter 2019 Houtu's True Form, Bearing All Things Without Boundaries!
Chapter 2019 Houtu's True Form, Bearing All Things Without Boundaries!
However, times have changed.
Lian Guanlin had just experienced a fierce battle with Fu Yinglan, and had even been forced to burn part of his own essence. Although his power still seemed terrifying, how could someone of Wu Fanyu's level have such keen spiritual senses?
He could clearly sense that beneath the opponent's boundless demonic flames lay a subtle, almost imperceptible fragility and disorder—a sign of damage to the source and a shaken foundation.
Burning one's essence is like burning a zither or boiling a crane—it's mortgaging future potential and current foundation in exchange for a short-lived burst of power. Even if it's only partially burned, it will inevitably affect combat strength, especially in terms of endurance and fine-tuning, which will be greatly reduced.
"Perhaps I can't beat you..."
Wu Fanyu's mind was as clear as a mirror. "But if we only seek to delay and maneuver, and hold out for a while, it may not be impossible."
What he needed to do was not to defeat Lian Guanlin, which was almost impossible, even though Lian Guanlin had already burned off a portion of his original essence.
What he needed to do was to exhaust Lian Guanlin's already diminished vigor and patience due to burning his own essence, in order to buy more and more precious time for Chen Fei, who was frantically eradicating demonic cultivators from the outside world.
Every breath could mean the fall of yet another late-stage fifteenth-level demonic cultivator.
With one side gaining and the other losing, the overall situation can be stabilized.
"court death!"
Seeing that Wu Fanyu actually dared to go on stage and adopt a defensive and delaying stance, Lian Guanlin could no longer suppress his pent-up anger and anxiety, and it erupted.
"Get out of my sight!"
Lian Guanlin let out a roar that shook the heavens, and without further ado, he thrust his halberd, wreathed in the shadow of a ferocious demonic dragon, forward with a fierce thrust. There were no fancy techniques, only the purest and most violent outburst of power.
"Boom!"
Where the halberd tip pointed, the void was easily torn apart as if by fragile cloth, and a dark red torrent formed entirely of pure destructive demonic energy surged forth.
This torrent was initially only as thick as an arm, but the moment it left the tip of the halberd, it expanded wildly, transforming into a terrifying energy pillar that stretched from the sky to the earth.
Amidst the torrent, countless ferocious demonic phantoms rose and fell, roaring and emitting a terrifying Daoist aura that devoured all things and destroyed everything. Wherever they passed, even the space of the martial arts arena rumbled, madly crushing towards Wu Fanyu.
Although Lian Guanlin's attack was not as refined and perfect as it was at its peak due to damage to his source, its immense power and pure killing intent made it even more insane.
Lian Guanlin wanted to crush this eyesore of an ant with absolute power and end this frustrating battle as soon as possible.
Faced with this devastating attack, Wu Fanyu's expression became extremely solemn. He dared not be negligent in the slightest, his hands rapidly forming hand seals in front of his chest, and his body radiated a burst of earth-yellow light.
The true form of Houtu (the Earth Goddess) is boundless in its capacity to sustain all things!
"Buzz!"
A deep, resonant Daoist voice rang out, and Wu Fanyu's figure seemed to instantly connect with the earth's veins. A massive, earthen-yellow shield phantom, incomparably thick and engraved with countless illusory images of mountains, rivers, and the universe, materialized and took shape in front of him.
The shield was not stationary, but slowly rotating. With each rotation, it seemed to bear the weight of an entire earth, radiating a majestic and timeless Daoist aura that was impervious to all laws.
This is the ultimate manifestation of his Earthly Dao Foundation's power of "Earth Bearing All Things," making him unparalleled in defense and adept at both guarding and sustaining.
"boom!!"
The torrent of dark red demonic energy crashed solidly into the giant shield of Houtu, creating an indescribable explosion that violently shook the entire Sky Arena and caused ripples to spread across the barrier of rules.
The terrifying shockwave spread wildly in a ring in all directions, causing even space itself to ripple violently wherever it passed.
Wu Fanyu trembled violently, his face turned pale instantly, and he felt a sweet taste in his throat, but he forcibly suppressed it.
His feet seemed rooted to the spot, firmly planted, not retreating an inch. The phantom of the giant earth shield shone wildly under the impact of the torrent, its surface cracking with countless fine fissures, as if it were about to shatter at any moment, but it stubbornly withstood the attack.
Countless illusory demonic figures crashed into the shield, emitting mournful howls before dissipating into wisps of black smoke.
"blocked!"
Another cultivator watching from the sidelines felt a pang of anxiety, then breathed a slight sigh of relief.
"Hmph, let's see how long you can hold out!"
Lian Guanlin's eyes flashed with a fierce light, and he brandished his demonic halberd, unleashing an even more ferocious barrage of attacks like a torrential downpour. Crimson spear shadows, destructive ripples, soul-devouring demonic flames... a continuous barrage of terrifying divine abilities completely engulfed Wu Fanyu.
Wu Fanyu brought the Tao of Houtu to its extreme, his figure darting and maneuvering within a limited range. He used the giant Houtu shield to withstand most of the attacks, and when he couldn't avoid them, he used his exquisite movement techniques combined with defensive divine abilities to deflect and neutralize them.
He didn't engage in a direct confrontation with Lian Guanlin at all, adopting a completely defensive stance, like a resilient reef in a stormy sea, remaining steadfast despite the wind and waves.
In an instant, demonic flames raged in the training ground, while the yellow light remained steadfast, and deafening roars echoed continuously.
Although Wu Fanyu was completely suppressed, faced danger at every turn, and blood began to spill from the corner of his mouth, his aura weakening at a visible rate, he actually managed to hold on stubbornly thanks to his superb defense and resilience.
One breath, two breaths, three breaths, four breaths...
Lian Guanlin grew angrier and more agitated the more he hit him.
He could sense that the seemingly rigid cultivator in front of him had a defense far stronger than he had expected, almost like an unbreakable tortoise shell.
What worried him even more was that his opponent was clearly deliberately stalling for time. Every attack was skillfully neutralized or parried, and although he had the upper hand, he was unable to achieve a decisive victory in a short period of time.
"Get out! Get out! Get out! Die!" Lian Guanlin roared repeatedly, his attacks becoming increasingly ferocious, constantly intensifying his offensive, trying to defeat his opponent in one fell swoop.
The fifth breath!
Wu Fanyu's Houtu Giant Shield finally reached its limit under the relentless onslaught, and shattered with a crisp crack.
He was struck as if by a heavy blow, spitting out a mouthful of blood. He staggered backward, his breath extremely weak, and he was about to give up and be forced to admit defeat.
"Wow!"
Above the heavens, another strange event occurs.
At the highest point of that vast and boundless sky, the ripples of the ethereal light that had subsided for only a dozen breaths suddenly expanded once more. Moreover, this time, the ripples covered a wider area, shone brighter, and the Daoist sounds were even more magnificent and awe-inspiring.
Seventy kills!
Chen Fei's kill count has reached an astonishing seventy kills. This surpasses Lian Guanlin's previous record of fifty kills by a full twenty kills.
"Seventy kills!"
"How long has it been? From sixty kills to seventy kills, this...this speed of killing..."
"The demonic cultivators are finished, hahaha!"
"Well done, well done!"
Throughout the Demon Lotus Realm, whether they were cultivators fighting against demonic cultivators or those who were hiding to heal or watching the battle with trepidation, they were all stunned when they heard the resounding Daoist voice that shook the heavens and the earth. Then, their emotions erupted.
Each time Hao Ran appeared in the sky, it represented the fall of ten fifteenth-level demonic cultivators. Chen Fei's terrifying efficiency in eliminating them was like cutting melons and vegetables.
How could this not get people excited and boost their confidence?
Many quick-witted cultivators immediately recalled Chen Fei's action of voluntarily admitting defeat and jumping out of the arena when facing a demonic cultivator.
"At the time, it wasn't out of fear, but because we discovered a more efficient method."
"That must be it!"
"In this battle, our cultivators will surely win!"
In contrast, the morale of the demonic cultivators plummeted. Panic began to spread unconsciously among the various demonic cultivator teams.
They didn't know how Chen Fei did it; all they knew was that fifteenth-tier demon cultivators were being massacred.
The canyon, a killing arena.
The air was thick with the scent of blood, the rules were strict, and the stench of blood was so thick it was almost unbearable. The ground still bore traces of turbulent energy and tiny spatial cracks, bearing witness to the one-sided massacres that had just taken place.
Chen Feijing remained calm and composed, her expression as still as a deep well.
He had just finished collecting the spoils left behind by the previous nine demonic cultivators. The dark gold killing mark on the back of his hand had become scorching hot, and the patterns on it seemed to come alive, radiating an increasingly hungry and majestic aura.
After the number of demonic cultivators forcibly summoned reached nine, that number hit a bottleneck and stopped increasing. But Chen Fei didn't care; nine at a time was enough.
No need to search, no need to pursue, and nowhere to escape within the training grounds, coupled with his overwhelming chain formation that crushes his peers, his killing efficiency has indeed reached an unbelievable level.
He raised his left hand, calmly focusing his gaze on the mark on the back of his hand, and with a slight thought, he channeled his Yuan energy into it.
"Buzz!"
The mark flashed with blood-red light, and nine spatial ripples exploded simultaneously in the void ahead.
Amidst the distorted light and shadow, nine figures, radiating boundless demonic energy and carrying a mix of emotions including fear, confusion, rage, and despair, were forcibly dragged out by the power of the rules and appeared in the martial arts arena.
The moment the nine demons appeared, before they could even get a clear look at their surroundings, the thick stench of blood and the lingering terrifying energy fluctuations caused them all to change color.
As they recalled the vast, clear sky that kept flashing across the heavens, a conjecture began to form in their minds.
But when their gazes focused on the only figure in the green robe in the arena...
"It's...it's him!"
"Form up, quickly form a formation!"
A cacophony of shrill, terrified, and desperate screams erupted instantly. The few demonic cultivators who reacted the fastest, almost the instant they recognized Chen Fei, roared as they moved toward their companions, their demonic energy surging out wildly as they tried to form a battle formation in the shortest possible time.
They knew full well the consequences of fighting this person alone; only by joining forces could they perhaps have a slim chance of survival.
"Boom, boom, boom!"
Chen Fei looked ahead, his figure flashed, and he appeared not far from the nine demonic cultivators. The interconnected array that had been prepared was instantly enveloped under Chen Fei's thought.
The Yin-Yang Collapse Force Field spread out first, and the invisible force field pressed down. The Nine Demons immediately felt a weight around them, as if they were carrying stars, and their movements and the circulation of demonic energy became sluggish.
The divine light of the Five Elements Extinction transformed into a five-colored net that intertwined, covered, and annihilated all things.
Countless sword beams of immortal slaying energy rained down like a torrential downpour, accompanied by ear-piercing shrieks as they hurtled towards us.
Above the sky, several long-condensed Immortal-Slaying Stars, trailing blazing tails of flame, crashed down with a deafening roar.
Furthermore, countless Soul-Devouring Insect Puppets emitted excited hissing, transforming into a green swarm of insects that rushed towards the newly lit, hastily formed magical array lights, frantically devouring their energy structure.
This was no longer a battle, but a meticulously planned massacre.
The nine demonic cultivators, from their appearance to their formation to resist, and then to the breaking of the formation, the tearing apart of their protective demonic light, and the annihilation of their physical bodies and souls... the entire process, although the resistance was slightly stronger due to the appearance of the formation, still ended completely within twenty breaths.
Screams, roars, explosions, and the sounds of energy annihilation intertwined to form a symphony of death, ultimately fading into silence.
Nine clusters of pure demonic energy and sixty-three primordial lotus seeds appeared and flew into Chen Fei's sleeve.
Chen Fei remained expressionless, not even glancing at the dissipating demonic energy, before raising his left hand again.
On the back of his hand, the mark of slaughter flickered slightly, seemingly becoming even more profound due to the excessive life force and essence it had absorbed in a short period of time.
Just as Chen Fei was about to reactivate the mark and summon the next batch of demonic cultivators, a peaceful, gentle, yet supremely majestic voice suddenly rang in his ears:
"Chen Fei!"
The voice wasn't loud, yet it resonated like a great bell, causing Chen Fei's heart to tremble and his movements to pause slightly. That voice… Chen Fei recognized it; it was General Kuang Yezhou.
"Are you willing to engage in a life-or-death duel with Lian Guanlin of the Tianyuan Dao Foundation?"
Kuang Yezhou's voice continued, his tone calm, but the content was earth-shattering.
"If you can win..."
Kuang Yezhou paused, seemingly giving Chen Fei time to process the information, before continuing slowly, "I can grant you half a portion of Azure Spirit Bamboo and exempt you from the merit required to borrow a seventeenth-tier divine weapon from the city and condense a sixteenth-tier spiritual material."
Upon hearing this, Chen Fei's gaze flickered slightly.
It wasn't because of a life-or-death duel with Lian Guanlin, but because of Cang Lingzhu and the promise to waive the borrowing of the seventeenth-tier divine weapon merit.
Several thoughts flashed through Chen Fei's mind in an instant. The waist token he had been given earlier contained some secrets about higher levels of cultivation.
It is no easy task to condense a fifteenth-tier fragment into a sixteenth-tier spiritual material.
The fragments of the rank were extracted from the essence of demonic cultivation. Influenced by the demonic cultivation techniques, they have different attributes and conflicting Daoist principles. If it's just for synthesizing fifteenth-rank spiritual materials, it's not a big deal.
However, even with the assistance of a supreme divine weapon of the seventeenth rank or above, it would be impossible to forcibly fuse sixteenth-rank spiritual materials.
Using the Dao rules inherent in the divine weapon as a furnace to forcibly suppress, sort, and refine those fragments of rank, the success rate is not high, and there is still a great chance of failure.
Moreover, how precious is a seventeenth-tier divine weapon?
Those that can be borrowed are all unclaimed, and even in a behemoth like Tianhai City, their numbers are limited.
Borrowing it once requires a huge amount of merit points, and each time a seventeenth-tier divine weapon is used to condense a fragment of its rank, regardless of success or failure, the divine weapon's Daoist essence may be damaged.
Many cultivators at the fifteenth level of the limit, even after a lifetime, cannot gather enough merit points and a large number of position fragments, or they fail at the last minute during the synthesis, and their path to cultivation is cut off.
However, if there is Azure Bamboo, the situation will be different.
This object is a rare treasure of heaven and earth, born in the primordial chaos, containing a trace of innate creative energy that stabilizes the universe and unifies all things.
When synthesizing spiritual materials, the effect of Azure Bamboo is amazing.
First and foremost, success is guaranteed.
Even if the attributes of the rank fragments are completely incompatible, the synthesis will not fail under the harmonization of the Azure Spirit Bamboo, which eliminates the biggest uncertainty risk on the road to advancement.
Secondly, reduce demand.
The Creation Qi of the Azure Bamboo can greatly compensate for the lack of quantity or quality of Rank Fragments. This means that Chen Fei may not need to accumulate the theoretically perfect number of Rank Fragments before he can start trying to synthesize them, greatly saving time and resources.
Finally, protect the divine weapon.
The Azure Bamboo can neutralize the violent energy conflicts during synthesis, effectively protecting the seventeenth-tier divine weapon that serves as the furnace and preventing damage to its spirituality.
Whether or not one possesses the Azure Spirit Bamboo, the merit points required to borrow a seventeenth-tier divine weapon are not a single number.
This is one of the reasons why Kuang Yezhou was willing to use this item as payment and exempt himself from merit. It not only gave Chen Fei a huge benefit, but also indirectly protected the important artifact of Tianhai City.
As for Chen Fei's own spatial storage, that's something that can't be discussed, and being in Tianhai City, it's something that absolutely cannot be revealed.
The combination of the Azure Spirit Bamboo and a seventeenth-tier divine weapon undoubtedly gave Chen Fei a perfect "excuse" to the outside world.
As for half a portion of Azure Bamboo, although the effect is far less than that of a whole portion, it can still guarantee success, but the required number of rank fragments cannot be reduced by much.
"it is good!"
A glint flashed in Chen Fei's eyes. Without hesitation, he addressed the void in a deep voice.
With such a generous reward, it's worth the effort.
This chain formation, having already slain so many demonic cultivators and gained a large number of kills, greatly reducing the suppression of the soul by the rules of this realm, can now be further strengthened.
The moment Chen Fei agreed to Kuang Yezhou's request, he completely ignored the nine demonic cultivators in the void ahead who were about to fully materialize, and instead focused his mind on the natal linked array beneath his feet.
In previous battles, the chain formation relied more on its complete system and continuous life force, along with external forces such as the Soul-Devouring Insects and Chaos Stone Golems, to achieve overwhelming dominance.
But against an opponent of Lian Guanlin's caliber, simply piling up "quantity" might not be enough to secure victory. What he needs is a qualitative leap, a decisive move that can tear apart the Heavenly Origin Dao Foundation's defenses.
At this moment, Chen Fei could see the spiritual energy flowing in each array pattern and hear the deep pulse coming from the depths of the earth's veins.
Chen Fei's gaze was deep, and he slowly raised his hands, his ten fingers moving in a mysterious and profound manner, as if playing the strings of a zither. It was not a hand seal attack, but rather the creation of new array patterns in the void, exuding a profound and ancient aura.
First, there is a transformation of the foundation.
The earth's veins are its root, the nine netherworlds its source. Fiends devour the heavens, corrupting spirits and defiling the path!
The original earth vein array suddenly operated to its maximum, with countless earth-yellow array patterns drilling into the depths of the earth!
They are no longer content with connecting to the shallow earth veins, but are boldly advancing towards the Nine Netherworld, where all things return to nothingness and evil energy gathers.
"Boom!"
The Nine Netherworld Demonic Qi far surpasses ordinary earth vein energy, and also contains a trace of the innate Daoist charm of returning to nothingness, annihilation, and polluting all things!
The moment they surged into the great formation, the formation's energy system, which was originally based on the power of the five elements, yin and yang, stars, and earth, seemed to be injected with the most potent poison and tonic, and began to undergo a violent and fundamental transformation!
A brand new, destructive array phantom slowly condensed and took shape at the core of the original Earth Vein Rooting Array: the Nine Nether Demon Devouring Heaven Array!
Once this formation was completed, the energy source of the entire linked formation underwent a qualitative change.
It directly connects to the source of the raging and endless Nine Netherworld Demonic Qi. When the formation is in operation, all attacks, whether they are the Five Elements Extinction Divine Light, the Immortal Slaughtering Sword Qi, the Earth Vein God Slaughtering Spear, or the Yin Yang Collapse Heaven Force Field, will automatically be imbued with a layer of characteristics that erode spirits, defile treasures, and damage the foundation of one's Dao.
(End of this chapter)