parentshiftbook Chapter 2057 Establishing the Order of Heaven and Earth
Chapter 2057 Establishing the Order of Heaven and Earth
As time went on, more and more powerful members of the Dan Chen Sect flew in from outside Kun Yuan.
At first, there were only a hundred or so Tai Cang Realm experts. Later, even a few terrifying figures appeared who could make people's souls tremble and their Yuan Power unstable just by slightly sensing them.
While methodically channeling his Yuan Power into the array node where he was located, Chen Fei quietly observed the continuously descending powerful figures and kept an eye on the direction deep within the Kun Abyss.
The appearance of so many powerful figures made Chen Fei's expression even more solemn.
He sensed that what was happening within Kunyuan was likely far more serious than he had anticipated. If it were merely a common uprising of demonic monsters or an attack by demonic cultivators in the Tai Cang Realm, it would never have drawn the attention of so many high-level forces.
"Senior Brother Nie has fallen!"
Suddenly, a scream filled with horror and disbelief came from the crowd.
Chen Fei was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, and subconsciously looked at the merit jade pendant on his waist.
On the jade tablet, the light screen representing the rankings of the Kunyuan Trial flickered slightly, and his ranking automatically changed from fifteenth to fourteenth.
Before him, the person who was originally ranked ninth has now completely disappeared from the leaderboard.
During the Kunyuan Trial, there is only one situation that will cause a person's name to disappear directly from the list: death and the shattering of their soul tablet.
If I remember correctly, this should be another famous prodigy of Xuelin Peak, whose strength is second only to Xie Geting, and whose ranking has always been in the top ten. Even such an elite among elites has fallen.
This news was like a bucket of ice water poured on the hearts of all the disciples present, instantly lowering the already tense and oppressive atmosphere to freezing point.
What exactly happened deep within the Kunlun Mountains?
Before the disciples around him could recover from the shock of Senior Brother Nie's death, Chen Fei noticed that the ranking light screen on the jade pendant at his waist flickered slightly again.
His ranking improved again, from fourteenth to thirteenth.
Before him, Beitang Ao, who was originally ranked seventh, had now completely disappeared from the list.
“Brother Bei…Brother Beitang…”
"Impossible! Senior Brother Beitang is the eighth-ranked true disciple!"
"Another true disciple. Adding to Senior Brother Xie Geting from before, two fifteenth-level true disciples have been lost in just one Kunyuan Trial?"
This discovery caused a huge stir among the surrounding disciples. This hadn't happened in many years in the history of the Kunyuan Trials.
The last time something like this happened was a rare abyssal demonic tide a thousand years ago. Back then, the Dan Chen Sect suffered heavy losses; not only disciples, but several elders at the Tai Cang Realm perished.
A heavy atmosphere spread among the gathered disciples. Many looked towards the dark passage deep within Kunyuan, a hint of fear in their eyes.
Time passed slowly, and more and more disciples gathered at the entrance to the first level of Kunyuan. Basically, all the fifteenth-level disciples who were able to return in time after receiving the retreat order had returned.
The rest... are probably in grave danger.
"Om..."
In this oppressive wait, a very faint tremor suddenly emanated from the ground beneath my feet and from the surrounding space. The initial frequency was extremely low, like a faint heartbeat from afar.
However, in just a short while, the amplitude of this tremor began to increase at an alarming rate.
"Rumble..."
The ground began to undulate and shake noticeably, as if countless giant beasts were turning over underground.
The already fragile black rock pillars and crystal clusters around them began to break and collapse, crashing to the ground with tremendous noise. The demonic energy in the air became even more violent, forming small vortexes of demonic energy.
Even the surrounding space itself began to ripple and wrinkle in visible circles. It was as if a boulder had been thrown into a calm water surface; the light was distorted in these spatial folds, and the scenery became blurred and doubled.
"Increase the input of Yuan energy and stabilize the formation!" The remaining elders of the Tai Cang Realm shouted in unison.
All the disciples desperately poured their own Yuan energy into the array nodes, and the huge defensive array shone brightly, forming a semi-transparent light shield that protected everyone inside.
"Roar!"
Just as the tremors of the first Kun Abyss reached a critical point, an indescribable sound, like a beast's roar or something even more ancient and sinister, filled with endless madness and resentment, suddenly pierced through countless spatial barriers and dense demonic energy from the unfathomable depths of the Kun Abyss, resounding throughout the first Kun Abyss.
The sound did not travel through the air, but rather acted directly on the depths of everyone's soul.
Chen Fei felt his vision suddenly go black, then become incredibly blurry, and all he could hear was the endless, destructive roar.
His soul trembled violently, like a small boat in a storm. His consciousness became chaotic, his control over his body plummeted, and the circulation of his internal energy became sluggish.
It took a full three breaths for this terrifying shock to gradually subside, and Chen Fei's vision and consciousness barely returned to normal.
Chen Fei's expression changed slightly, and his heart was filled with turmoil.
A single sound, traveling from countless miles away and piercing through numerous barriers, was enough to shake his very soul. In those three breaths, his combat strength plummeted to its absolute limit; if an enemy were to attack at that moment, he would likely be unable to even put up a fight. Even the array puppet beside him, primarily composed of formations and materials, was affected by the sound; the array's spiritual light flickered erratically, and its spiritual energy became exceptionally weak.
This shows that the power contained in that sound is not only directed at the soul, but can even interfere with all activity and order.
The weaker disciples around them fared even worse, many collapsing to the ground, blood gushing from their mouths and noses, clearly severely injured. Only the few elders of the Tai Cang Realm, though pale-faced, were still able to maintain the surrounding defensive array.
"Buzz!"
Just as the tremors of the first Kun Abyss reached their peak, and the spatial folds became so violent that it seemed as if the space was about to collapse completely, a beam of light, whose color was indescribable and which seemed to have gathered all the light in the world, suddenly shone in from the sky above the Kun Abyss.
The mirror light wasn't dazzling, yet it possessed a power that seemed capable of cleansing away all filth and chaos. Wherever the mirror light passed, the violently trembling Kunyuan land and space suddenly fell silent.
Everything seemed to freeze in time. The raging vortexes of demonic energy stopped, the collapsing rocks floated in mid-air, and the folds of space were forcibly smoothed out.
In the mirror's light, Chen Fei could vaguely see a figure.
The figure was not tall, and even somewhat blurry, but it carried a sense of transcendence over all things, as if it were the Dao itself.
The figure walked slowly, directly piercing through the layers of spatial barriers of the first Kun Abyss, overcoming all obstacles, and entering the deeper levels of the Kun Abyss.
"The Taiyan Mirror?" Chen Fei's heart stirred, recalling a few words he had seen in the sect's records.
The Taiyan Mirror is one of the sect's most treasured divine weapons, possessing the supreme power to deduce heavenly secrets, stabilize the universe, and dispel illusions.
Even such powerful figures and divine weapons have appeared!
Chen Fei's gaze flickered slightly. What earth-shattering event had occurred beneath the Kunlun Abyss?
Since the light of the Taiyan Mirror appeared, Kunyuan stopped trembling, and the suffocating, terrifying oppressive feeling dissipated. Everything returned to calm, like the sea after a storm, with only a few lingering ripples remaining.
Time continued to pass, but for the many disciples gathered at the first level of Kun Abyss, the wait was no longer so agonizing. The defensive array remained in place, but everyone could sense that the most dangerous moment seemed to have passed.
After an unknown amount of time, the merit jade tokens on everyone's waists vibrated simultaneously, and a brief message was transmitted: "The Kunyuan Trial has ended. All disciples, leave Kunyuan immediately and return to the designated celestial ship to assemble."
The trial is over!
There were no cheers, no celebrations, only a weariness and heaviness of surviving a catastrophe.
Under the command of several elders from the Tai Cang Realm, the disciples orderly removed the defensive array, then filed out and returned to the outside world through the entrance of Kunyuan.
Chen Fei transformed into a streak of light, flying out from the entrance of Kunyuan and landing steadily on the deck of the giant celestial ship docked outside. Many disciples who had returned earlier had already gathered on the celestial ship.
Many of Chen Fei's disciples had complex expressions in their eyes when they saw him.
This complexity includes surprise, envy, and even a hint of barely perceptible jealousy.
Chen Fei not only returned safely from the perilous and unpredictable Kunyuan Trial, but also achieved a remarkable thirteenth place ranking. This is an extremely high ranking, sufficient proof of his strength and what he gained from the trial.
On the contrary, Shi Zhoushuo, who had previously clashed with Chen Fei and was favored by many, died and disappeared.
Although there are rumors that Shi Zhou Shuo and his true disciple Xie Geting were killed by demonic cultivators from the Tai Cang Realm, the matter seems somewhat complicated because of Chen Fei, making people unable to help but speculate.
They hadn't paid attention to these dangers in Kunyuan earlier, but seeing Chen Fei safe and sound, and even ranked very high, these things suddenly came to mind.
What truly stirred complex emotions in the disciples present was that they had received definitive information.
As long as Chen Fei ranks among the top thirty in the Kunyuan Trial, he will be able to obtain that sixteenth-grade low-rank spiritual material.
Thirteenth place, far exceeding the threshold of the top thirty, this incomparably precious spiritual material, enough to make any fifteenth-level disciple envious, is about to fall into the hands of this person who has cultivated the Heavenly Origin Technique.
With a foundation forged by the Heavenly Origin Technique, breaking through to the Tai Cang Realm... This was something that had only been heard of in rumors before, but now it was about to happen within the Dan Chen Sect.
Some people felt that Chen Fei was wasting a treasure, some were curious about how far Chen Fei could go, and others were secretly plotting other things.
"Om..."
The giant celestial ship emitted a deep rumble and began its return journey, carrying the disciples and flying towards the Dan Chen Sect's mountain gate.
As the Sky Boat left the dangerous airspace where Kunyuan was located, the disciples on board gradually shifted their attention away from Chen Fei and began to discuss enthusiastically what had happened inside Kunyuan.
"It must be a major attack by the demonic cultivators, otherwise why would they have lost two true disciples?"
"Not necessarily. I think the problem might be with Kunyuan itself, such as the source of demonic energy erupting, which triggered a chain reaction."
"Is it possible that some incredibly powerful being was born from among the monsters?"
"Whatever it is, it must be a very important event. Didn't you see? So many powerful figures from the sects were mobilized, even the legendary Taiyan Mirror was deployed, and only then did the disturbances within Kunyuan subside."
Various speculations abound, but none offer concrete evidence. After all, the true core battlefield lies deep within the Kun Abyss, a place inaccessible to them. What exactly happened there is likely only known to the high-ranking experts who have ventured deep within.
The skyship quickly returned to the majestic mountain gate of the Danchen Sect.
The disciples on the boat discussed the unusual activity in Kunyuan, but they couldn't come to any conclusions, and the sect didn't release any further information for the time being.
Chen Fei glanced back in the direction of Kunyuan, his heart filled with turmoil.
"The Kunyuan Trial has ended. All participating disciples can go to the Hall of Merit to collect their corresponding rewards by presenting their Merit Jade Tokens."
As the celestial vessel came to a steady stop above the Danchen Sect's mountain gate, a grand and majestic voice, devoid of any emotion, resounded clearly from a floating mountain deep within the Danchen Sect, echoing in the ears of every disciple who had just undergone a life-or-death trial.
In an instant, a glint of light appeared in the eyes of many disciples. The trial was over; it was time to reap the rewards. Weren't all those life-or-death battles and dangers they had endured in Kunlun Abyss for this very moment?
"Boo! Hah! Hah!"
The next moment, countless streams of light of various colors shot into the sky from the celestial ship, all heading towards the floating giant peak where the Hall of Merit was located, creating a magnificent scene.
Chen Fei was among them, his figure transforming into an inconspicuous pale golden streak, blending into the crowd.
Ranking thirteenth in the trial naturally yields substantial rewards; otherwise, the Kunyuan Trial wouldn't attract so many level fifteen disciples to participate so fiercely, even at the risk of their lives.
The Hall of Merit is located atop a floating giant peak made entirely of bluish-gray boulders. The hall is magnificent, and the plaza in front of it is spacious and bustling with people.
As soon as Chen Fei landed, the jade pendant at his waist trembled slightly. The next moment, a middle-aged cultivator dressed in the robes of a steward disciple, with a capable-looking face, took the initiative to greet him.
"Senior Brother Chen, please come with me."
The disciple in charge was respectful and gestured for Chen Fei to enter, leading him around the noisy main entrance of the hall and into the hall through a quiet side corridor.
At the end of the corridor is an elegantly furnished quiet room.
The quiet room was small and simply furnished, with a jade table, a few chairs, and a landscape painting with a profound artistic conception hanging on the wall. The air was filled with a faint, calming sandalwood scent and a refreshing aroma of tea.
An older-looking deacon was already waiting in the quiet room. When Chen Fei entered, he nodded slightly and personally poured him a cup of tea.
The tea was emerald green, steaming hot, and full of vitality; it was clearly no ordinary tea.
"Junior Brother Chen's achievement of thirteenth place in this tumultuous Kunyuan Trial is truly admirable," the elder deacon said with a smile, his tone full of praise.
"You flatter me, senior brother. It was just a fluke." Chen Fei smiled modestly, took the teacup, and did not rush to drink it.
The elder deacon didn't say much. With a flick of his wrist, a dark blue storage bag that looked to be of extraordinary quality appeared in his hand.
He gently pushed the storage bag in front of Chen Fei and said slowly, "This is the reward that Junior Brother Chen received for ranking thirteenth in the Kunyuan Trial this time."
"This includes 1,000 sect merit points, a junior brother's jade token that has been recorded, and a piece of 16th-grade low-level spiritual material, Crimson Heavenly Flower Wood."
Chen Fei reached out and took the storage bag. With a slight probe of his divine sense, he sensed the items inside.
One thousand sect merit points—that's a huge sum of money.
In the Danchen Sect, merit points are the hard currency, and can be exchanged for almost everything needed for cultivation.
From rare and precious natural materials, elixirs and talismans, to the many profound cultivation techniques and secret arts collected by sects, and even seeking guidance from high-ranking elders or renting special cultivation caves, all can be exchanged with merit points.
A thousand points is enough to make an ordinary fifteenth-level disciple green with envy, and he won't have to worry about cultivation resources for a long time.
The Crimson Stone Heavenly Flower Wood is dark red throughout, like magma that has been deposited for thousands of years. The wood is warm and smooth like jade, and its surface has natural, fiery-like patterns, exuding a powerful and orderly aura that is both intense and restrained.
This is a low-grade spiritual material of the sixteenth rank, containing fragments of the rules of fire and life. It is an excellent main material for cultivating related techniques or forging one's natal Tai Cang divine weapon.
"Thank you, Senior Brother!" Chen Fei put away the storage bag, stood up, and cupped his hands in greeting to the elder deacon.
"I dare not, it is my duty."
The older deacon returned the greeting with a smile, "Junior brother has a bright future ahead of him. I hope you will make good use of what you have gained."
Chen Fei nodded, and after a moment, he turned and left the quiet room, walking out of the Hall of Merit.
On the way back to Cuiping Peak, Chen Fei silently calculated the total gains from this Kunyuan Trial.
He earned a total of 827 merit points from the demons and demonic cultivators he killed in Kunyuan.
The reward for ranking thirteenth in this trial alone was a thousand merit points, plus a precious sixteenth-grade low-level spiritual material.
This is the essence of the saying "the strong get stronger".
The sect's resources are always allocated to those disciples who perform well and have great potential.
The better you perform, the more rewards and resources you receive, the faster you cultivate, and the stronger you become, thus gaining a greater advantage in the next competition and acquiring more resources... forming a virtuous cycle.
Conversely, one will fall into a vicious cycle and gradually be left behind. This is the naked and cruel reality of the cultivation world.
Chen Fei went directly to the summit of Cuiping Peak. It was already dusk, and the afterglow of the setting sun painted Cuiping Peak with a golden-red halo. The sea of clouds churned at his feet, creating a magnificent scene.
At the summit, in front of the ancient and simple Danxin Hall, two figures stood quietly waiting.
It was Wei Zhongqian and Cao Feiyu.
Upon seeing Chen Fei's figure appear at the end of the mountain steps, both of them wore smiles of satisfaction and approval.
"Junior Brother Chen Fei greets Senior Brother Wei and Senior Sister Cao!" Chen Fei quickly stepped forward and bowed to the two of them. (End of Chapter)