Upon seeing that somewhat dimmed divine chain of order, Chongmingâs gaze instantly turned cold. âA bunch of idiots seeking death on their own! Simply and unbelievably foolish!â
The bronze arm struggled even more violently, red light coiling around it as endless blood-red divine power rained down. It transformed into a thick, red radiance that seeped into the dying giant.
The giant roared in pain, pounding the ground with all four thick arms. Even the incomparably hard blood crystals were shattered into countless cracks.
Soon, the giant swelled up once again. One hundred, two hundred, before stopping at three hundred zhang. The five-colored divine flame was also worn away by the endless divine power.
Gu Han could barely speak, resisting the red mist with all his might. Still, he was worried. The giant was stronger than ever!
This is bad! Can Master Rooster handle it?
As it slowly rose back to its knees, the giant stared coldly at Chongming. âBy the order of our god, we bestow death upon you!â
Chongming turned around, its tone icy. âYouâre just a divine servant! It seems like Iâve given you too much face!â
In the next moment, the giant knelt down once more. âDivine retribution!â
Its vertical eye opened once more, releasing a deep red beam more overbearing than ever.
With a cold snort, Chongming charged straight at the beam. It was so fast that its multicolored divine light trailed into a long, colorful ribbon of light.
Gu Hanâs eyes widened. The ribbon of light had taken the shape of a sword!
At that very moment, Chongmingâs voice came over once more. âGreat Might Divine Sword!â
The colorful sword light cleaved straight through the beam and pierced the giantâs vertical eye.
The giant managed only one word before the light in its eyes rapidly faded. âIââ
Then, it collapsed heavily to the ground. Gu Han was completely dumbfounded. Chongming had just used an immensely powerful sword dao divine technique. While his heart was stirred with longing, he was also greatly puzzled.
How does a chicken have such profound sword dao attainment?!
Before he could ask, a wave of furious emotion suddenly filled the area. As if sensing the situation below, the bronze arm thrashed with unprecedented intensity. At the same time, the slightly dull chain of order dimmed further, as if it could be torn apart at any moment. The red mist instantly ran amok.
In just a few breaths, Gu Hanâs protective spirit light was suppressed to just three cun in front of him. His heart sank. Even if the arm couldnât escape completely, a snapped divine chain would unleash catastrophic repercussions. The first to suffer would definitely be him.
This is terrible! Master Rooster, itâs up to you!
Struggling, he looked up at Chongming, bathed in swirling five-colored divine light. It looked majestic and overbearing.
Chongming shouted through gritted teeth, âIf I let you break free, what face would I have left?!â
Divine light blazed brilliantly as it took a step forward, instantly arriving before that dimmed chain of order. Its double pupils swirled with unceasing five-colored radiance, transforming into two dazzling streams of light that shot straight at the divine chain.
âGreat Might God-Slayer!â
In an instant, an additional layer of splendor stabilized the chain. The bronze arm struggled less and less, until it gave up entirely. The countless runes in the sky trembled faintly. Soon, the chains and arm vanished into the void, disappearing without a trace. Having lost its support, the red mist also settled down, solidifying into bright red blood crystals again.
Gu Han exhaled deeply in relief.
That was close... That will almost invaded my body again.
Weariness flickered in Chongmingâs eyes. The ordeal seemed to have taken a great toll on it.
Chongming glanced casually at Gu Han, only to be captivated by the sword in his hand. â
Hmm?
Your sword...â
Gu Han was startled. âMy sword? What about it?â
Chongming didnât answer, confusion flickering in its eyes. The double pupils reverted back to normal. Finally, it shot back. âItâs so ugly! Iâve never seen such an ugly sword in all my life!â
The corner of Gu Hanâs mouth twitched. He instantly concluded that the old Master Rooster was back.
Chongming took another look. â...Still, as ugly as it is, itâs still a good sword. Also, that sword technique you used earlier, it was guided by killing intent, wasnât it? Fueled by cultivation, it pursued nothing but pure killing power, with no flair. Although it looks unremarkable, it is the ultimate method leading to the supreme sword dao!
Tsk,
thatâs quite impressive!â
Gu Hanâs heart skipped a beat. What Chongming said was almost word-for-word identical to the records in the Great Evolution Sword Scripture.
It only took Master Rooster a glance to grasp the mystery of the Kill Sword?
Recalling the divine ability Chongming had displayed earlier, an idea stirred in his heart. âMaster Rooster, you seem to know a lot about the sword?â
Chongming was unusually modest. âHey! Just a
tiny
bit.â
Gu Han was dumbfounded.
A little bit? Or a billion bits?
Chongming sighed. âCompared to Little Yun, my meager sword dao cultivation isnât even fit to carry his shoes! What exactly was heââ
âHe?â
A touch of melancholy entered Chongmingâs tone. âThis so-called âgodâ was something he chopped off when he was severely wounded and near death. This God-Slaying Formation is also something he came up with. Iâm just picking up crumbs from his table!â
Slaying a god? Near death? God-Slaying Formation?
Gu Hanâs mind was shaken to the core.
âThereâs a rumor that a thousand years ago, a great battle outside the heavens happened. That was Little Yun.â
Gu Han fell silent. He finally understood why Chongming was so familiar with the God-Slaying Formation. The chicken knew the one who made it!
Recalling the past, Chongming sighed wistfully. âI watched him grow up. In less than five years after he started cultivating, he had reached the Transcendent realm. In ten years, he entered the Saint realm, leaving all his peers so far behind they couldnât even see his shadow.
âHe was also the most stunning sword dao prodigy I have ever seen. In less than a hundred years, he forged his own unique path in sword dao. Wherever he was, no one dared call themselves a prodigy! It was just too humiliating!â
Gu Han smiled bitterly.
Transcendent in five years? Saint in ten years? The word âmonstrousâ canât even describe this cultivation speed!
As for forging oneâs own unique path in sword dao, he couldnât quite grasp that concept yet.
Chongming rarely offered comfort but it did. âDonât lose heart. Youâre actually quite good too. Itâs just compared to him, youâre still a billion bits short.â
âA little bit short?â
â
Mhm,
a billion bits[1].â
Gu Han was confused, but he wisely decided not to clarify. After some thought, he asked again, âMaster Rooster, were the seniorâs severe injuries related to Chu Kuang?â
Chongming was puzzled. âChu Kuang? Whoâs that?â
âThat unlucky fella from before.â
Chongmingâs tone was full of disdain. â
Ah.
A few hundred years ago, that guy accidentally discovered where we lived and got some crooked ideas. That was how he had his dao foundation severed by Little Yun.â
Gu Han suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for Chu Kuang.
Even when severely wounded, that senior could still slay a god! To actually provoke someone like him is truly unlucky!
Chongming glanced upward and suddenly cursed, âDamn it! If it werenât for these damn things, how could Little Yun haveâI swear, I wonât let them off!â
Gu Hanâs heart stirred.
Could it be that the seniorâs severe injuries were related to this so-called god?
Nevertheless, Chongming seemed unwilling to say more, so he didnât press further. Seeing Chongming seemingly immersed in hatred, Gu Han secretly used his sword to poke at the layer of blood crystals on the ground.
It was too hard to poke through. A look of regret appeared on his face.
If only these things could be taken out...
Looking up, he just happened to find Chongming tilting its head, looking at him. âKid, what are you doing?â
Gu Han felt a bit awkward. âNothing!
Ahem
... just feeling a bit regretful. With the secret realm gone, we probably wonât have another chance to get that divine essence.â
Chongming flared up in anger. âIf it werenât for those people messing around blindly, would this secret realm be gone?!â
Gu Han nodded repeatedly. âExactly! My first time in, and I nearly died multiple times, yet I didnât get a single drop of that divine essence. What a huge loss!â
Chongming didnât speak, seeming somewhat hesitant. Suddenly, it shook its head. âForget it, forget it! Iâm already so old, I wonât fight a kid like you for opportunities. If Little Yun found out, heâd laugh himself to death!â
Saying so, it opened its mouth and spat out a white jade bottle. âTake it. Itâs just right for someone with your cultivation level!â
Gu Han felt somewhat hesitant. âWhat...?â
Chongming flew into a rage. âWhat?! Are you looking down on me?â
He immediately clutched the bottle tightly in his hand. âOf course not!
Huh,
Isnât this divine essence? Master Rooster, where did you get this?â
The jade bottle held a moderate amount of divine essence, just right. In fact, it was exactly the amount that remained in that small pool. He strongly suspected that Chongming was the one who picked the ripe fruit.
Having let the demoness slip from its grasp, Chongming felt deeply embarrassed and wouldnât elaborate. âDonât ask useless questions! Letâs go out first and handle the main issue!â
Gu Han was taken aback. âMain issue? Isnât it all over?â
Chongming sneered coldly. âThe formation is fine, but we havenât found the culprit yet! I absolutely wonât let him off by making me work this hard!â
Gu Han thought for a moment. âMaster Rooster, that culprit is already dead.â
He was quite certain that the anomaly in the formation was definitely caused by Jiang Xuan.
âDead?â
Gu Han thought for a moment and explained the situation, âThatâs right.â
Of course, he glossed over the matter of possession with an excuse.
Chongmingâs anger was hard to dispel. âHe just died like that? He got off far too easily!â
As if thinking of something, Gu Hanâs eyes lit up. âMaster Rooster, I think he had accomplices!â
âWho?!â
âThe Yang family!â
âLetâs go and findâ
hmm?
â Chongmingâs fury was reignited. Suddenly, it caught on and squinted at Gu Han. âKid, are you cooking up some bad ideas again, trying to use me?â
Gu Han said with absolute certainty. âNot at all! Itâs definitely them!â
Who cares if it is or isnât!
He had ample confidence.
Even a blind man could tell the Yang familyâs secret realm had problems. That dirty blame didnât even need to be forced onto them. The Yang family had put it on themselves, and so firmly that no one else could take it away even if they wanted to!
1. A pun where âa little bitâ and âa billion bitsâ sound almost the same in Chinese â