Chapter 109: The Hand That Stopped the Thunder
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The object Sun Wenpeng had thrown was a treasure of sorts, but beneath the thunder, it shattered instantly. The lightning still retained enough force to strike the ground and blast out a deep crater.
“You…”
Sun Wenpeng was shaken to the core. “Who exactly are you?”
The unaffiliated cultivator Sun Wenpeng had defeated was even more astonished.
An unaffiliated cultivator of the Third Heaven should not possess such ability. Sun Wenpeng was already the most outstanding member of the current generation of the Sun family, and for that reason he held his head high, proud and arrogant, looking down on ordinary practitioners. Aside from those Third Heaven figures of extraordinary birth, only Adepts above the Third Heaven could inspire awe in him.
Yet this man had overwhelmed Sun Wenpeng with ease, without exerting the slightest effort.
Even though Sun Wenpeng came from a clan of cultivators, he was still exceptionally gifted among the younger members of his family. By that measure, then, this person before them…
The unaffiliated cultivator’s thoughts raced. He suddenly felt that escape might be possible, and wild joy surged through him.
“The Sun family is so arrogant that it looks down on everyone. Why should I care who you are?” Qingyuan raised his foot and slowly walked forward. “Is this all your Sun family is capable of?”
Qingyuan had suffered quite a setback at Lu Yushuang’s hands. Though his state of mind was generally calm, he could not help feeling somewhat stifled. Now that he had encountered this arrogant prodigy of the Sun family, it was the perfect opportunity to vent some of his frustration.
Sun Wenpeng flew into a rage. “You’re courting death!”
With a flick of his hand, more than a dozen Iron Divine Galls came surging forth like a storm sweeping across the sky.
“You may have used a Dao art to damage one of my treasures, but can you unleash more than a dozen Dao arts in an instant?”
By now, Sun Wenpeng had abandoned all thought of capturing Qingyuan alive. His only intention was to kill him.
“Earth…”
Seeing the Iron Divine Galls hurtling toward him, Qingyuan was already prepared. The seal formed by his left hand was in place. He swiftly recited an incantation, released the seal, and sent his true qi surging outward.
Within the Method-Condensation Tower, the Five Elements revolved. The “Qingyuan” within was already seated cross-legged upon the central position of Xu Earth.
“Rise!”
A deep rumble rolled through the air.
The ground before Qingyuan rose and twisted, transforming into a sheet of earth as broad and long as a bolt of silk several dozen feet across. It swept up all the Iron Divine Galls within it.
A cacophony of sounds erupted. Countless iron spikes burst from the Iron Divine Galls, piercing the layer of earth until it was riddled with holes.
Qingyuan drew his hand back, and the slab of earth fell once more.
The dozen-odd Iron Divine Galls, their spikes bristling menacingly, landed before him. Qingyuan had already reached the Third Heaven. With a simple wave of his hand, he sent true qi outward. As it brushed against the Iron Divine Galls, all those spikes immediately retracted, and the iron spheres dropped to the ground.
The corner of Qingyuan’s mouth lifted. He casually gathered them up.
Sun Wenpeng stood stunned, his mind briefly going blank. The unaffiliated cultivator was even more dumbfounded.
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Fire-based Dao arts could be unleashed in an instant. This man must have been skilled in the fire element. But how could he be so formidable in earth arts as well?
Practitioners were not necessarily bound by the particular principles they had condensed, but this young man seemed to be…
An expert in both?
“The Iron Divine Gall… This is how it should actually be used.”
Qingyuan picked one up and casually tossed it over.
Sun Wenpeng turned slightly aside and dodged, shifting seven or eight feet to the side as the Iron Divine Gall swept past him.
At that moment, a trace of amusement appeared in Qingyuan’s eyes.
For some reason, Sun Wenpeng’s heart sank. He saw the iron sphere that had passed beside him suddenly burst open, releasing countless iron spikes.
The spikes were more than ten feet long, while Sun Wenpeng was no more than seven or eight feet away. A chill rose in his heart. He immediately activated a Dao art, but one of the spikes still pierced his waist and abdomen, leaving him drenched in blood.
“How is this possible?”
Sun Wenpeng clutched his wounded abdomen. His life was not in danger, but he knew full well that he was no match for Qingyuan. Looking at him, he could not conceal the terror in his eyes. “How can you use the Iron Divine Gall to such a degree?”
The method of using the Sun family’s Iron Divine Galls was a secret inheritance. Aside from an Adept who could see through it at a glance, ordinary practitioners could not operate them even if they obtained one.
Yet this man before him could not only use the Sun family’s Iron Divine Galls—his technique was even superior to Sun Wenpeng’s.
The Iron Divine Galls he used had to come into contact with an object before their spikes would burst forth. This young man, however, seemed able to control them at will.
Qingyuan did not answer. He merely asked, “How much more are you capable of? Use everything you have…”
Sun Wenpeng naturally possessed many abilities. The Dao arts collected and inherited by the Sun family were numerous, and he had mastered quite a few of them. Yet the most powerful technique in his arsenal was the Azure Dragon Transmutation Art.
Even that most formidable Dao art had been dispelled by Qingyuan with effortless ease, and the Iron Divine Galls had likewise been taken from him just as casually. Sun Wenpeng might possess considerable skill, but how could he possibly defeat this man?
“You’re not an unaffiliated cultivator.” Sun Wenpeng drew a deep breath. “Which clan or sect do you belong to? From your clothing, I can tell that you wear a Daoist robe, but the way you wear it and the arrangement of your hair are different. The Orthodox Dao Sect places great importance on propriety. Its disciples would never dress in such an improper manner, so you cannot be one of them.
“The Flower-Washing Pavilion consists mostly of women, so you cannot be one of its disciples either. As for the other sects, such as the Seven Spirits Gate, I know all their disciples. And among those of the Third Heaven, there is no one who could be my match.
“How did you get in here? The True Immortal Way? The Pre-Qin Mountains and Seas Realm? Are you the disciple of some eminent master? Or perhaps a member of a clan such as the Bai clan of Lindong?”
“You saw at a glance that I wasn’t a disciple of the Orthodox Dao Sect simply because I wear a Daoist robe, and so you felt you had nothing to fear?” Qingyuan raised his brows. “Your eyesight is rather keen, unfortunately you use it only to exploit the weak and bully those weaker than yourself…”
Sun Wenpeng exhaled slowly. “I admit that I misjudged you. Had I known you possessed such ability, I would never have attacked you.”
Qingyuan replied calmly, “Is that all?”
Sun Wenpeng stared at him. “I admit defeat this time. What more do you want?”
Qingyuan said nothing further. He merely raised the iron staff.
“You want to kill me?”
Sun Wenpeng’s expression changed drastically. He was quick-witted enough; the instant the iron staff rose, he swiftly dodged aside.
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Crimson lightning sprang into existence in an instant and struck the earth, throwing up a crater.
Sun Wenpeng glanced at it, his heart tightening with alarm. “Do not forget that my Sun family is the foremost clan in Luoyue Commandery!”
“It is precisely because your Sun family is so powerful that I can only kill you and silence you.” Qingyuan stamped his foot and leapt forward, bringing the iron staff crashing down. “If we were outside, I might pity you for how hard you worked to cultivate. But here… die!”
The staff descended amid the sound of thunder.
Sun Wenpeng produced a wooden stake and raised it before him.
The stake was covered in rune inscriptions. A flash of radiance passed over it, but before it could reveal any of its mysteries, the staff smashed it cleanly in two.
Sun Wenpeng’s arm went numb around the stake. Struck by the immense force, he was hurled backward and landed beside the unaffiliated cultivator.
His eyes shifted. Suddenly, he reached out and pressed a hand against the cultivator he had subdued. His true qi circulated, releasing the restraints sealing the man’s cultivation.
Before the unaffiliated cultivator could act, Sun Wenpeng quickly said, “He fears my Sun family and intends to kill me to silence me. Since he wants to silence me, do you think you’ll be allowed to live?”
The unaffiliated cultivator froze.
Sun Wenpeng shouted, “Join forces and kill him!”
The cultivator’s expression became uncertain.
But at that very moment, Sun Wenpeng retreated and fled at full speed.
Qingyuan was left nearly speechless. Sun Wenpeng’s trickery was rather reminiscent of that crafty old man surnamed Guo. Still, Sun Wenpeng was devious, and Qingyuan was no slower to act. He pointed the iron staff, and crimson lightning shot forth.
The distance of thirty or forty yards was nothing beneath the lightning. It crossed the space in an instant.
A deafening explosion rang out.
Red radiance and lightning flickered, then gradually faded as the dust settled.
Sun Wenpeng was not yet dead, because a palm had blocked the lightning from behind him.
The palm was withered like tree bark. It slowly withdrew, and a voice filled with admiration sounded from behind it.
“What an extraordinary young man.”
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