Nine Astra Skies 179 The Flying Dagger Appears Again!

The Xiwu Empire had four local Heavenly Venerable Rank fighters in total, three of whom were here.

Great Emperor Mingwu was caught in a fierce battle with Xiang Xiong and Yan Fengcheng. The experts from the major sects - the Taiyi Sword Sect and the Stalwarts of the Heavenly Stars Sect - had swarmed the island, racing toward Xuan Pavilion. The seven Earthly Venerable Rank fighters under Master Apothecary Xuanyi rushed out. Seven figures shot out and joined the chaos.

Bang bang bang!

The fight exploded. A battle between Earthly Venerable Rank fighters was astonishing, causing some of the wooden rooms in Xuan Pavilion to collapse due to the impact of the frantic Celestial Chi. 

Upon arriving, those from the Stalwarts of the Heavenly Stars Sect had realized something was wrong. Xi Yang, who was supposed to be hiding on the island to wait for a chance to strike, had vanished inexplicably. They immediately realized that Xi Yang was likely to have been killed and they cried out in fury.

The remaining eight Earthly Venerable Rank elders of the Stalwarts of the Heavenly Stars Sect and the nine Earthly Venerable Rank fighters of the Taiyi Sword Sect stepped across the ruins and raced toward Xuan Pavilion.

The seven Earthly Venerable Rank fighters under Master Apothecary Xuanyi and the twelve Earthly Venerable Rank fighters on Great Emperor Mingwu's side all worked to intercept the enemy. The scene was in extreme chaos.

Ye Chen stood up from the cattail hassock and walked toward the door of the alchemy room.

"Ye Chen, those outside are all Earthly Venerable Rank fighters. You can't join in a battle like this at all. You can't go out." Li Xu was panicking by one side. The difference between the Tenth Level and the Earthly Venerable Rank was more than just a smidgen. Any Earthly Venerable Rank expert could kill Ye Chen in a blow. 

Ye Chen had outstanding talent in alchemy. Every Apothecary was extremely valuable and they would not join in the battle themselves.

Master Apothecary Xuanyi was one example. Although he had a cultivation base at the top Earthly Venerable Rank, he had not joined a battle for over a century.

Ye Chen asked himself, was he going to be like Master Apothecary Xuanyi, forever avoiding the battle? No, definitely not! His cultivation base would only improve through fighting experience. If he was like Master Apothecary Xuanyi who had constantly avoided fights, he was very likely to forever stay within this Attainment Level, unable to advance upward!

Li Xu, for instance, had exceptional talent and large amounts of physics to consume. He should have broken through to the Tenth Level long ago but why was he still in the mid-Ninth Level even up until now? This was because he did not join the battles. He was unable to grasp the Attainment Level of the Martial Truth! No matter how many physics he had, he was still unable to break through.

Ye Chen did not wish to be just an Apothecary. He wanted to be a supreme powerhouse!

Ye Chen looked at Ye Chen and smiled confidently. "Don't worry, Senior Brother Li, I won't take unnecessary risks. Recently, I just had a breakthrough and am a beginner Earthly Venerable One at the moment."

Li Xu was stumped for words as he stared at Ye Chen with amazement and incredulity. A beginner Earthly Venerable One? Ye Chen was only seventeen and he was at the beginner Earthly Venerable Rank already? How was this possible?

Even Master Apothecary Xuanyi who was listening at a distance was flabbergasted. A seventeen-year-old beginner Earthly Venerable fighter? Even in the distant Central Empire, a nation with generations of talent, a genius like this was rare!

"Ye Chen, go ahead. Just be careful." Master Apothecary Xuanyi waved his hand. He noticed the determined glint in Ye Chen's eyes. He could somewhat understand that burning desire for battle. Ye Chen would not be satisfied with being an Apothecary forever!

"Mmm-hmm." Ye Chen circulated his Celestial Chi. Pure Yang Construct coursed through his entire body and he flew out.

As Li Xu stared at Ye Chen's departing figure, he turned around and looked at Master Apothecary Xuanyi. With disbelief in his voice, he asked, "Master, how can Ye Chen's cultivation base improve at such a rate?"

"A genius who has grasped the Absolute Martial Truth is different from ordinary people. They have their standards of conduct. To them, that's their Martial Truth. That kid is meant for great things. One day, his accomplishments will dazzle the world." Master Apothecary Xuanyi's heart, which was usually as calm as water, was pounding slightly. He wondered if he would ever see that day in his lifetime. For an aged person like him, being able to witness the growth of a supreme powerhouse was a fortunate thing.

"Absolute Martial Truth?" Li Xu mumbled to himself. Everyone who had grasped their own Absolute Martial Truth had become a supreme powerhouse. Just like Great Emperor Mingwu, who was able to battle two Heavenly Venerable Rank fighters by himself! What heights would Ye Chen reach in his lifetime? Mystique Venerable Rank? Godly Venerable Rank? Perhaps even a peak Peerless Power?

Ye Chen flew out from the alchemy room.

Currently, Xi Li from the Stalwarts of the Heavenly Stars Sect was in battle along with a group of Earthly Venerable Rank fighters. They were speeding toward the alchemy room. Several of the Earthly Venerable fighters under Master Apothecary Xuanyi were yelling angrily, trying to block Xi Li. However, they were occupied with the Earthly Venerable fighters from the Stalwarts of the Heavenly Stars Sect and could not leave the battle.

"Young fellow, scram!" Xi Li saw a youth - seventeen or eighteen years old - rushing to meet him. Instantly, he waved his sleeve, trying to blow Ye Chen away.

Wind Construct crashed into Ye Chen, who smirked coldly. He swiftly circulated the Celestial Chi in his body and yelled furiously, "Heavenly King Rupturing the Sun!"

After his cultivation base had reached the Earthly Venerable Rank, Ye Chen's might of Heavenly King Rupturing the Sun had grown a few times stronger. Furthermore, he could unleash it consecutively without worrying about his Celestial Chi running out.

Ye Chen was like the scorching sun with heat waves pouring off from each side. With a strike from his palm, the blaze surged forward.

Xi Li felt an incomparably overbearing gust of Celestial Chi rushing toward him and turned pale with fear. He was about to leap backward but it was too late. He cried out in a low voice, "Heavenly Stalwart Defense!"

Starlight gleamed across Xi Li's body and the Celestial Chi within his body had condensed over his body as a layer of thick Chi Construct.

Boom!

Under the blow from Ye Chen's Heavenly King Rupturing the Sun, Xi Li's Pure Yang Construct crumbled completely.

Xi Li flew backward by five or six meters, then staggered back further on his feet. His five vital organs had shifted and his throat clenched as he nearly spat out blood. The clothes he wore were scorched black and in shapeless tatters. Any part of the skin that was revealed was also charred black.

Xi Li was not prepared for the ambush, thus he was in such a sorry state. 

The Chi Construct Barrier of an Earthly Venerable Rank fighter was much sturdier than Dark Xuan-iron. If an ordinary top Tenth Level fighter had made an attack, not only would the Earthly Venerable fighter be unharmed but also the attacker might be hurt from the recoil.

The surrounding Earthly Venerable fighters were stunned. A strike could reduce Xi Li to such a pitiful state. Was this seventeen-year-old boy an Earthly Venerable Rank fighter? This was too unimaginable! Which of the present Earthly Venerable Rank fighters were not an old geezer over fifty years old?

"You're dead meat!" Xi Li looked sinister. He sent a Heavenly Stalwart Crush toward Ye Chen. If he had not been caught unprepared earlier, he did not believe that a boy like Ye Chen could hurt him!

Ye Chen was not afraid at all. The Celestial Chi within his body revolved swiftly and rushed up to meet Xi Li.

Crimson Clouds Searing Skies!

Boom boom boom!

Flames erupted and danced. Ye Chen and Xi Li wrestled at close range, their fists pounding each other's bodies.

Although Ye Chen was just a beginner Earthly Venerable One, his cultivation base was not too inferior to a mid-Earthly Venerable fighter. However, it just happened that Xi Li had been in the mid-Earthly Venerable Rank for nearly a decade. In terms of using his body's Celestial Chi, he was more proficient than Ye Chen. Moreover, he had more fighting experience than Ye Chen had!

After a short while of fury, Xi Li had calmed down. The more he fought, the more surprised he was. This seventeen or eighteen-year-old youth before him had a cultivation base that was not inferior to his own at all. This was too inconceivable!

Xi Li felt that Ye Chen seemed rather familiar and suddenly recalled that in the Sunken Jade Tower, he had seen Ye Chen's face from the side. His alarm and anger grew. "It's you!" Ye Chen was not human but a shapeshifted Celestial Beast. It was not surprising that he had such fearsome power!

Ye Chen snorted twice. Had Xi Li only just realized this? The techniques he had used increased in speed and power. Ye Chen suddenly leaped up and delivered a blow of Kunlun Sundering the Mountains!

When Xi Li sensed the harsh, crushing wind approaching, he quickly blocked it with both hands.

Rumble!

The ground quaked for a moment. After Xi Li had received the impact from Ye Chen's Kunlun Sundering the Mountains, the limestone below his feet shattered and his legs sank into the ground, up until the knees.

Xi Li who was a mid-Earthly Venerable One was losing ground. When the Earthly Venerable fighters in the surrounding chaos looked over here, they felt incredulous.

"You can forget about killing me!" Xi Li exploded with a cry. His left hand gripped Ye Chen's right leg and he had circulated all of his Celestial Chi. His right fist channeled the terrifying Wind Construct and he swung it at Ye Chen's lower stomach.

This was Xi Li's full-power attack, exploding with his full potential. His might was stronger than usual by a few degrees.

Ye Chen's right leg kicked furiously but his calf was still restrained and he could not retreat. The fist was about to crash into him and he was in a desperate position. The Nine Astra within his body spun violently, turning it all into Celestial Ice Chi that shielded his stomach.

With a boom, Xi Li's fist punched Ye Chen's lower abdomen, causing Ye Chen to fly backward.

"Die, you fool. I, Xi Li, have gone around for ten years killing countless people. Someone like you wants to kill me? Aren't you a bit too young?" Xi Li laughed savagely. With the impact of his attack, even a top Earthly Venerable Rank fighter, who was hit in a critical spot like the lower abdomen, would undoubtedly die. 

Xi Li was still laughing when, with a "whoosh", a cold light shot out and cut him short.

This cold beam of light was swift to the extreme. Xi Li did not even have time to consider what it was before there was a "spluttering" sound and fresh blood spurted from his throat, leaving behind a ghastly, gaping, bloody hole. Xi Li opened his mouth but could not make a sound. After a while, his eyes lost their light and his body crumbled.

Ye Chen flew forward by a dozen meters or so and fell to the ground. He struggled to sit up, sensing the confused Celestial Chi in his body. Although his dantian had received some impact, there was no significant obstruction. It seemed like he had underestimated these Earthly Venerable fighters. Ye Chen had thought he could defeat Xi Li based on his cultivation base, but unexpectedly, he had to rely on the Flying Dagger in the end.

When the surrounding Earthly Venerable fighters who were furiously fighting saw this sight, their hearts trembled with fright. Xi Li had died? What did Ye Chen use in the end to kill Xi Li? What was that streak of icy light? A secret weapon? However, why was there nothing left on the ground behind Xi Li?

A mid-Earthly Venerable fighter who had gone around for ten years had died at the hands of a seventeen or eighteen-year-old youth. If they had not seen it with their own eyes, they would not believe this!

The crowd of Earthly Venerable fighters from the Stalwarts of the Heavenly Stars Sect became angrier and fearful. They had lost two Earthly Venerable experts in a row!

"Xi Li is dead. Fang Bai, kill that young tyke!" a top Earthly Venerable fighter from the Stalwarts of the Heavenly Stars Sect yelled in rage and blocked off two Earthly Venerable fighters under Master Apothecary Xuanyi's command. A beginner Earthly Venerable fighter from the Stalwarts of the Heavenly Stars Sect dashed toward Ye Chen with a vicious snarl. 

Chapter end