Misty Rain of the Old Times

Chapter 746 Seeking Death

The two grandmasters clashed head-on, unleashing their most powerful martial arts techniques. The violent aftershocks spread wildly, sending shockwaves through the air and shattering the palace buildings with overwhelming force.

During the battle between Song Yuzhi and the man in black robes, the almost enclosed space of the underground palace under the dome was turned into a pot of paste. The entire underground palace was ravaged by this terrifying aftershock, with almost no safe area. The only difference was the extent of the impact.

Bricks and stones shattered, palaces collapsed, and even metal was shaken into twisted fragments. If an ordinary person were in such an environment, they would be shaken into a bloody mist in the blink of an eye.

Fortunately, most of the people here practiced martial arts, and there were many innate masters. They managed to escape the center of the battle and were not directly affected by the aftershocks. By working together and using their internal energy to resist the attack, they were able to barely survive.

The black-robed men were secondary; none of them were good people and their deaths were not a pity. However, besides them, there were more than a hundred women who had been captured. Most of them were ordinary, weak women who were useless here except for their looks, figures, and talents. They could not withstand the aftershocks of the battle between two Grandmaster-level experts. They would definitely be injured or killed if they were touched. Fortunately, they were protected by a group of Innate Realm experts, which allowed them to temporarily escape disaster.

However, it was clear that Song Yuzhi and the man in black robes could not distinguish the superiority of each other in a short time. Those innate masters could not last long. They were already struggling to take care of themselves, and they also had to protect the weak woman as much as possible. Once their true energy was exhausted, their fate was predictable.

It must be said that there may not be only good people in the martial arts world, but many righteous people are truly admirable. For example, in the current situation, they have not given up protecting the weak unless absolutely necessary.

However, the difference in levels is too great. In the battle of a grandmaster, they can hardly participate, let alone protect themselves. Moreover, although the underground palace space under the dome is not small, where can they hide?

Hiding in the surrounding passages might be a good idea, since there are many burial chambers inside, which won't easily collapse under the protection of the Myriad Star Array mentioned by the black-robed man. However, the passages are filled with a mixture of colorful poisonous mists, which even innate masters can't stay in for long. In addition, there are countless poisonous insects in the dark, so hiding inside would just mean certain death!

The toxic fog had already poured out from each passage and was spreading towards the center, as if the poison circle was shrinking, and the situation was extremely dangerous.

Ideally, the weaker ones should leave directly through the passage they came from, but the men in black robes had already declared that they would leave everyone behind. Before dealing with them, how easy would it be to leave?

Chen Xuan remained standing atop the palace gate. The aftershocks of Song Yuzhi's battle with the man in black robes couldn't even get within five zhang of him, as if an invisible wall of energy blocked them. The aftershocks disappeared into the sea as soon as they approached this area. Not even a single strand of his hair was disheveled, and Guo Qingxue, who was beside him, was also safe and sound.

The group of martial arts practitioners, including Liu Yuehong, were not stupid. In this situation, they could not worry about anything else. They tried their best to protect the weak women and hide them behind Chen Xuan. As a result, the pressure was greatly reduced. They did not dare to abandon the weak women, because it would be a loss if they displeased Chen Xuan.

The black-robed man's subordinates did not suffer many casualties. They had long since hidden far away and banded together to resist the aftershocks. It is estimated that Qin Ruyu did not want to lose a lot of manpower, so he stepped in to protect them from the aftershocks of the battle.

Compared to Chen Xuan's ability to silently dissipate the aftershocks, Qin Ruyu was somewhat less skilled. However, she didn't seem to be struggling. With a wave of her hand, strands of spider silk shot out, weaving into a net. Layer upon layer of the spider web blocked the aftershocks. The spider web was not enough to withstand the aftershocks of the battle.

It is worth mentioning that, according to Chen Xuan's observation, Qin Ruyu, who had "come back to life," did not seem to have any cultivation. At least, Chen Xuan did not feel any internal energy or true essence fluctuations from her, just like an ordinary weak woman.

Yet, she remained unmoved amidst the aftershocks of the battle between two grandmasters, letting the aftershocks rage and her clothes flutter without harming her in the slightest. Even her snow-white dress remained completely undamaged, considering that the aftershocks could shatter metal!

After a little thought, Chen Xuan was certain that Qin Ruyu did not possess any cultivation. At least, she did not have the internal energy, true qi, or true essence of a martial artist. He was confident of this and was not wrong in his judgment.

Yet she remained unharmed in such an environment, so even though she had no cultivation, it didn't mean she was truly a weak woman.

Chen Xuan had a rough idea of ​​why this was the case. She did not have any cultivation, but her physique was extraordinary. She was definitely at the level of a grandmaster, and her physique was even comparable to some grandmasters who were known for their physical strength. Otherwise, she would have been pulverized by the aftershocks of the battle between the two powerful figures.

She may appear delicate, but that doesn't mean she's actually weak. Don't let her current petite appearance fool you; with her tiny fists, she could probably take down any innate master with a single punch. In terms of physical strength alone, there are few below the Grandmaster level who could threaten her!

So where did her terrifying physique come from? It goes without saying that it was definitely from that giant spider. Under the miraculous effect of the Heart-Binding Gu, the two merged into one, making her physique far surpass that of ordinary grandmasters. The Soul-Devouring Spider King was originally a strange beast, and as everyone knows, the physique of beasts is inherently superior to that of humans. The fusion of the two into one makes it perfectly reasonable that her physique is so powerful.

This also explains why her seemingly fragile dress could withstand the aftershocks; it was woven from the silk of the Soul-Devouring Spider Queen, making it comparable to divine weapons and armor.

In truth, she was quite fragile, relying solely on the Soul-Devouring Spider Queen. Without the giant spider, she was nothing. Yet, through the Soul-Devouring Spider Queen and the effect of the Heart-Connecting Gu, she reached the Grandmaster realm.

Chen Xuan never underestimated anyone. In fact, in his perception, Qin Ruyu was even more dangerous than the black-robed man who fought Song Yuzhi. How could someone who could kill someone at such a height as a 'weak woman' be underestimated?

Furthermore, although Qin Ruyu has no cultivation, her reliance is definitely not limited to the Soul-Devouring Spider King. Chen Xuan has not forgotten that she mentioned that she cultivated a technique called the Butterfly Transformation Heart Sutra, which can devour the mental memories of so many people without causing her own thoughts to become chaotic. One can imagine how strong her mental will is. She is probably outstanding even among grandmasters. It is not surprising that she can use mental techniques with this.

Compared to the destructive power directly demonstrated by cultivation, mental techniques are far more dangerous, silent and impossible to defend against. Chen Xuan has a lot to say on this point, because he himself has cultivated mental techniques.

Secondly, logically speaking, Qin Ruyu should not be without any cultivation, but she is exactly like that now. Even her Grandmaster-level physique was brought to her by the Soul-Devouring Spider King, which is somewhat unreasonable.

Considering that she had always presented herself as a weak woman, and had been seriously ill and frail for many years, Chen Xuan had already made some guesses.

Her weakness stemmed from cultivating the Butterfly Transformation Heart Sutra, which primarily focused on enhancing her mental will, leaving little time for physical cultivation. After all, everyone's energy is finite; a strong mental will, conversely, weakens the body—like hardware failing to power software. However, this couldn't continue indefinitely. When her mental will reached a certain level of strength, if she remained weak and lacked cultivation, it would inevitably lead to collapse…

With a flash of thoughts, Chen Xuan's mind was filled with many ideas. He glanced at Song Yuzhi, who was fighting fiercely with the man in black robes, and he roughly understood.

There is a 90% chance that this is the day Qin Ruyu has been waiting for. She has never improved her cultivation level, but has focused on cultivating her spirit and will. Once the Soul-Devouring Spider King devours Song Yuzhi, it will be equivalent to her directly possessing Song Yuzhi's cultivation level. Why would she need to improve it little by little herself?

This is by no means impossible. It is hard to imagine what heights Qin Ruyu could reach after absorbing Song Yuzhi's spiritual will and combining it with Song Yuzhi's cultivation!

All things considered, Qin Ruyu is only in her early twenties. Just imagine how dazzling she would be if she succeeded and became an outstanding Grandmaster.

No wonder she said that before Chen Xuan, no man was worthy of her attention. She truly looked down on him. He was an outstanding master in his twenties, and all the men in the world would pale in comparison.

Even so, no matter how proud Qin Ruyu was, even if she succeeded, she would still be no match for Chen Xuan, since it was common knowledge that Chen Xuan had reached the Grandmaster realm at the age of eighteen.

In fact, Chen Xuan reached the Grandmaster realm at the age of sixteen, and he was a Grandmaster who had walked his own path. This was a year earlier than Gao Jingyu, who reached the Innate realm at the age of seventeen. If Qin Ruyu knew this, I wonder what she would think. She would probably do anything to get Chen Xuan, and she wouldn't even be willing to destroy him if she couldn't have him.

Having roughly guessed Qin Ruyu's thoughts, Chen Xuan was 90% certain. He thought to himself, "As expected, evil cultivators are just so unreasonable. Others work hard to cultivate for decades, but she only needs to devour once to reach a level that countless gifted people cannot achieve even after years of hard work."

"What's the difference between this and cheating? I've been practicing martial arts since I was eight, and I haven't dared to slack off for ten years to achieve what I have today... well... it's just so-so."

With a thought to himself, Chen Xuan suddenly realized that evil and heretical sects were truly not respectable and could not be compared with him, who had gradually improved himself.

In that short time, Song Yuzhi and the man in black robes were still locked in a fierce and evenly matched battle. One was domineering and fierce, while the other was elegant and composed. Neither of them gained an advantage and the other clearly had the upper hand. Chen Xuan suspected that if this continued, they could really fight for three days and three nights.

He could watch the show, but he didn't have time to linger here waiting for them to decide the winner.

In fact, Chen Xuan was certain of one thing: if he hadn't been there, Qin Ruyu would probably have already joined forces with the man in black robes to capture Song Yuzhi. It was only because he was there that Qin Ruyu didn't dare to act rashly. Although Qin Ruyu had no cultivation, his Grandmaster-level combat strength was genuine. In a two-on-one fight, Song Yuzhi wouldn't even have a chance to escape.

Guo Qingxue stayed obediently by Chen Xuan's side without causing any trouble, feeling a great sense of security, just like many years ago in the desert when many people in the martial arts world faced Liu Zhenwei's threat and were in a near-desperate situation, but he stepped forward and solved the problem easily.

Although Chen Xuan was disguised as Yang Guo at the time, Xiao Guo's heart was occupied by that figure after that incident. She was still young then and didn't understand anything, but she kept searching for that figure, which became an obsession. Gradually, the simple idea of ​​searching began to change, and her confusion turned into longing. She wanted to see him again. The girl's infatuation turned into love without her knowing when. After the last time, the changes in her feelings over the past few months made her fully understand her heart. After seeing him again, there was no room for anything else.

At this moment, the little girl looked at Chen Xuan with a dreamy gaze, regretting in her heart and wishing she could slap herself. Why did she run away last time? She should have just let Brother Chen do whatever he wanted. Otherwise, she could have spent her days and nights with him, just like Sister Dujuan and the others.

Unfortunately, there's no going back.

However, the young girl was from a prestigious sect and did not let her emotions cloud her judgment. Under the premise of safety, she observed her surroundings and noticed that her martial uncles were struggling and in danger behind her. No matter how worried she was, she did not ask Chen Xuan for help. She knew her place. What right did she have to ask Brother Chen for help? It was already a kindness of Brother Chen that they stayed behind to reduce the pressure.

However, when she noticed the situation in the distance behind her and glanced at Chen Xuan, who was completely focused on the battlefield, she hesitated for a moment, then gently tugged at Chen Xuan's sleeve and reminded him, "Brother Chen, the poisonous fog is spreading over, less than a hundred feet away from us. We can vaguely see countless poisonous insects inside. Be careful."

Chen Xuan was aware of the poisonous fog emanating from the various passages. Upon hearing this, he nodded calmly and said, "Thank you for the reminder, Miss Guo. Don't worry, everything will be fine."

Guo Qingxue felt a pang of sadness and regretted it even more. Why did she run away that time? Brother Chen was clearly just trying to scare her. She was actually willing, but she just instinctively panicked and wanted to run away. If she had given herself to Brother Chen openly that time, she could be rightfully snuggling up to him now. Why was she being so distant? But she missed the chance last time, and who knew when the next opportunity would come? She couldn't just crawl into Brother Chen's bed, could she? Hmm? It wasn't impossible. Hesitation would only lead to defeat, while decisiveness would allow her to give herself away for free.

The little girl seemed to be thinking of something; her eyes flickered and her cheeks flushed slightly.

Chen Xuan, oblivious to the little girl's subtle change, flipped his hand and produced a porcelain bottle. From within, countless pure white pills floated out and flew towards the rear. His voice reached everyone behind him as he said, "These are the Hundred Spirits Antidote Pills, capable of curing all poisons. Each person should take one. This should be enough to deal with the poisonous fog, but not necessarily. Don't rely on them blindly; be careful."

Chen Xuan didn't consider himself an expert in alchemy, but he did have some skill. During those years in Mo City, he would tinker with alchemy whenever he had free time while accompanying Xiao Gao to study. As a result, he spent almost all the money he and his wife made from writing novels on alchemy. Over the years, he had accumulated a considerable stock of various elixirs, which he always carried with him when he went out. Now, they came in handy.

To reiterate, Chen Xuan isn't anyone's father and won't take full responsibility for anyone's safety. However, he won't hesitate to help others if he can, since there's no harm in doing so, and the pills are just sitting there anyway.

Guo Qingxue also had one, and she swallowed it without hesitation. She looked like she would eat poison as candy if Chen Xuan gave her one.

The other martial arts practitioners who followed had some means of detoxification and protection, but they did not hesitate to take the pills given by Chen Xuan. It was essential to express their gratitude, since Chen Xuan would need to use drugs if he wanted to harm them.

Chen Xuan paid no attention to this. The poisonous fog was getting closer and closer. Considering that if the poisonous fog completely covered the underground palace, although he was not afraid, it would still affect his vision to some extent. Furthermore, if the kidnapped women were in the range of the poisonous fog, even if they took the antidote pills he had given them, they probably wouldn't live for long. So he decided to take action to stop the poisonous fog from spreading further.

Her eyes flashed with sharp, intelligent light. Just as Chen Xuan was about to make his move, a gentle, reproachful voice called out in his ear, "Husband, what time is it? Still playing? Come home for dinner! I've personally cooked a few dishes; come and taste them!"

Upon hearing these words, Chen Xuan's eyes, which had been sparkling with crystalline snowflakes, were once again clouded with a purple hue, and he thought to himself, "I'm courting death!"

...(End of this chapter)