parentshiftbook Chapter 2045: Turning against guests
Chapter 2045: Turning against guests
Chapter 2045: Turning against guests
The air seemed to freeze at that moment. All the contradictions and pressures converged here, awaiting Chen Fei's response.
The silence contained an extremely complex meaning.
The source of Shi Zhou Shuo's confidence in making such a public challenge is self-evident: it comes from Shi Po Jun, who stands outside the hall with his hands behind his back!
With this person as his backer, Shi Zhou Shuo indeed possessed a level of confidence and escape route that other peak fifteenth-level disciples lacked. At best, he could simply leave Cuiping Peak and join the mountain where Shi Pojun was located.
With his talent, where couldn't he go?
To let Shi Zhou Shuo just watch helplessly as the sixteenth-grade low-level spiritual material he had painstakingly planned for was easily snatched away by some unknown lower-realm native who appeared out of nowhere...
Shi Zhou Shuo couldn't swallow this insult!
He wanted to see if this kid named Chen Fei dared to accept his challenge!
If Chen Fei dares to accept the challenge, that would be exactly what he wants!
He, Shi Zhou Shuo, would crush him under his feet in the most direct way, right before everyone's eyes! He would let everyone in the hall, including Wei Zhongqian and Cao Feiyu, clearly see what qualifications or face someone who couldn't even beat him had to take that precious sixteenth-grade low-rank spiritual material.
If Chen Fei doesn't dare to accept the challenge... hehe, that would be even better!
A coward who doesn't even dare to accept a public duel, an incompetent person who is afraid before the battle even begins, will only be looked down upon even more by the disciples and elders around him who were already dissatisfied with him.
At that time, he still wants to obtain a high-ranking spiritual material? What a pipe dream! Even establishing a foothold on Cuiping Peak will become extremely difficult.
dilemma!
In Shi Zhoushuo's view, no matter what Chen Fei chooses, he will inevitably fall into an extremely passive situation! The initiative is firmly in Shi Zhoushuo's hands!
The atmosphere in the hall was tense. Wei Zhongqian and Cao Feiyu frowned almost simultaneously the moment Shi Zhoushuo finished speaking.
Wei Zhongqian's expression was solemn, clearly showing his extreme dissatisfaction with Shi Zhoushuo's aggressive and almost coercive behavior.
"Ha ha……"
Outside the hall, Shi Pojun's unhurried laughter rang out first, perfectly interrupting Wei Zhongqian's words.
"Zhou Shuo is a bit impatient and speaks too bluntly."
Shi Pojun's gaze swept across the hall, finally settling on Wei Zhongqian and Cao Feiyu, and he spoke slowly and deliberately:
"But I think his intentions are good. After all, the Kunyuan Trial is fraught with danger, and if one is not strong enough, entering rashly could indeed be life-threatening."
Shi Pojun paused, then continued meaningfully, "Let Junior Brother Chen spar with Zhou Shuo first to verify his true combat strength. This is also for Junior Brother Chen's safety. If he can't even pass Zhou Shuo's test, and he's a new disciple, then he really needs to think twice before entering the Kunyuan Trial."
Shi Pojun's words sounded very righteous. He was the one who said he wanted to go through the Kunyuan Trial earlier, and now he was also doing it for Chen Fei's own good.
Before arriving, Shi Pojun had sent people to conduct a rough investigation into Chen Fei's background. He knew that this person came from the Tianhai City military camp, was skilled in formations, and had once shone brightly in a great battle against demonic cultivators using formations.
However, the investigation also revealed that the battle took place in a unique environment where the power of all cultivators and demonic cultivators was suppressed, which allowed the power of the formation to be displayed to the greatest extent.
In a normal combat environment, there are no such special suppressive conditions.
More importantly, the investigation confirmed that Chen Fei had only been in the Primordial Continent for a very short time, making it impossible for him to have mastered the profound techniques of the Primordial Continent and achieved anything in such a short period of time.
His knowledge and foundational knowledge are most likely still at the level of the plane he was born into.
A cultivator from the lower realm is facing off against Shi Zhou Shuo, whom he has carefully nurtured and who has already taken a half-step into the Heavenly Origin Dao Foundation.
The outcome is a foregone conclusion!
Shi Pojun's words at this moment were merely adding fuel to the fire, solidifying the sparring match and completely blocking Wei Zhongqian and Cao Feiyu's excuses for defending him.
Shi Pojun's words made Wei Zhongqian and Cao Feiyu's expressions even more unpleasant. Cao Feiyu gritted her teeth, her beautiful eyes filled with murderous intent, and was about to disregard everything and vehemently refute Shi Pojun's hypocritical remarks, forcibly suppressing this confrontation.
"Senior Brother Shi's suggestion sounds quite good."
A calm, even somewhat indifferent voice rang out even before Cao Feiyu's.
Everyone looked over and saw that the one speaking was Chen Fei, who had been the focus of the debate but had remained silent.
He stood there, the faint smile on his face unchanged.
Chen Fei calmly looked at the aggressive Shi Zhou Shuo in front of him, "I just don't know, is the duel that Senior Brother Shi proposed a life-or-death battle?"
Throughout the Danxin Hall, many people's pupils trembled slightly at this moment.
No one expected that Chen Fei would not only accept the challenge, but also start with such a rhetorical question!
A life-or-death struggle?
Fellow disciples are forbidden from fighting to the death; this is an ironclad rule of the Dan Chen Sect. How dare Chen Fei ask such a question?
"you!"
Shi Zhou Shuo's originally confident face froze the moment he heard the words "life or death duel," and then his slightly narrowed eyes suddenly opened.
"You want to fight me to the death?" Shi Zhou Shuo practically spat out these words through gritted teeth. His previously suppressed aura could no longer be contained and erupted with a roar.
An overwhelming spiritual pressure pressed down on Chen Fei like a landslide or a tsunami, causing the robes of some nearby disciples to flutter wildly.
To Shi Zhoushuo, Chen Fei's words sounded arrogant, showing that he was completely disregarding him.
"Junior Brother Chen, watch your words!"
A disciple from the Tai Cang Realm who had previously spoken up for Chen Fei spoke up, his tone carrying a reminder: "The sect's ironclad rule is that fellow disciples must not fight to the death."
Despite Shi Zhou Shuo's gaze and the words of that senior brother from the Tai Cang Realm, Chen Fei's smile remained unchanged.
“Junior brother has been fighting demonic cultivators in Tianhai City and is used to the life-or-death fighting style. He has not yet fully adapted to the atmosphere of sparring among fellow disciples in the sect, so he spoke without thinking. I hope you will forgive him.”
Was it a genuine slip of the tongue?
Before anyone could process what was happening, Chen Fei's gaze returned to Shi Zhou Shuo, his smile widening as he announced loudly:
"Since it's not a life-or-death duel, there's no better time than today. Since Senior Brother Shi is in such high spirits, let's set the duel for today. What do you say?"
Shi Zhou Shuo stared intently at Chen Fei, an indescribable surge of anger mixed with the stifling feeling of being the one in control rising to his head.
He felt that his long-awaited outburst not only failed to overwhelm the other party, but was also completely disrupted by the other party's few light words.
The initiative should have been firmly in his hands. He should have been the one pressing forward relentlessly, and Chen Fei should have been the one in a sorry state, unable to advance or retreat.
But in reality, Chen Fei stole all the attention and momentum, and in the end, he casually set the time for the duel for now.
"Good! Good! Good!"
Every word Shi Zhou Shuo uttered seemed to be spat out from between his teeth, "Since you're so eager to die, then I'll grant your wish!"
He was too lazy to waste any more words. He stomped his foot on the ground and his figure transformed into a sharp streak of light, heading straight towards the martial arts arena on Cuiping Peak, which was used by disciples for sparring and fighting.
Chen Fei watched Shi Zhou Shuo's angry departure, his smile unchanged. He first bowed slightly to Wei Zhongqian and Cao Feiyu at the head of the table before calmly taking a step forward.
His figure rose like a gentle breeze, steadily following closely behind Shi Zhou Shuo, also heading towards the martial arts arena.
Inside the Danxin Hall, a group of cultivators with varying expressions remained. After a brief silence, a burst of discussion erupted.
"Go and have a look."
"This Chen Fei actually dares to accept the challenge? And so calmly at that?"
"Senior Brother Shi is truly enraged; this is going to be quite a show."
One after another, streaks of light eagerly lit up, rushing out of Danxin Hall and converging towards the Cuiping Peak martial arts arena.
The Cuiping Peak Martial Arts Arena contains a vast universe within its boundaries, spanning thousands of miles.
The ground was paved with azure stone, harder than refined gold, and inscribed with intricate reinforcing array patterns. Even a full-force attack from an ordinary fifteenth-level cultivator would hardly cause it any damage.
Shi Zhou Shuo was the first to transform into a stream of light and land in the center of the arena. He stood still, his robes fluttering without wind, and a heavy, mountain-like aura naturally spread out, causing the blue stone beneath his feet to faintly hum.
His gaze was cold as he stared directly at Chen Fei, who was following closely behind and gracefully landing in front of him.
"Buzz!"
With a slight tremor, a figure covered in countless mysterious runes silently appeared beside Chen Fei; it was the Array Puppet.
The appearance of the puppet immediately attracted the attention of all the onlookers and sparked a discussion.
"A formation puppet! As expected, the rumors were true; this boy is indeed skilled in formations."
"Judging from the spiritual fluctuations and the complexity of the runes on this puppet, its grade is probably not low."
The Danchen Sect is renowned throughout the vast Yanyang Immortal Dynasty for its alchemy skills, but this does not mean that the Danchen Sect only possesses the unique art of alchemy.
As one of the seventy-two powerful sects, Danchen Sect has a comprehensive and long-standing heritage. Other types of heritage are equally powerful, including the profound art of formations.
Within the Danchen Sect, one can see many disciples carrying and controlling array puppets to assist in battle. In particular, the Tianzhen Peak, which specializes in array formations, possesses the strongest and most complete array system within the Danchen Sect. Almost every disciple on the peak has a powerful array puppet with different functions.
Therefore, when Chen Fei revealed his array puppet, although everyone was curious, they were not too surprised. They were more interested in seeing what kind of skill this cultivator from the lower realm had in array formations, that he dared to use it to deal with a prodigy like Shi Zhou Shuo.
Shi Zhou Shuo's cold gaze swept over the silent, standing puppet, a disdainful sneer curling at the corner of his mouth.
Shi Zhou Shuo's seemingly reckless challenge today was actually well-thought-out. He was not a mindless and impulsive person; otherwise, he would not have been able to cultivate the Jingzhe Technique to such a level, only one step away from the Heavenly Origin Dao Foundation.
His greatest reliance, besides his own profound cultivation and top-notch inherited techniques, lies in the strongest characteristic nurtured by his Earthly Dao Foundation: the ability to see through illusions.
This characteristic is extremely mysterious, allowing him to perceive the weaknesses and key points in the flow of energy and the operation of rules.
The art of formations, no matter how exquisite and complex, is based on the condensation and connection of countless runes and energy nodes according to specific rules.
With his ability to see through things, given enough time to observe, he can detect the flaws and weaknesses in the formation's operation.
At that time, if these nodes are attacked, even if the formation cannot be completely destroyed instantly, it will be enough to greatly reduce the formation's power and make its operation sluggish, thus laying the foundation for victory.
His deliberate provocation was precisely because he had calculated that Chen Fei was likely to rely on the formation.
What he wanted was to crush Chen Fei and his formation completely in front of everyone, in the most direct way.
"This duel is merely for sparring and to test what we have learned. Let's stop when we've made our point and avoid taking lives. Let's begin!"
An elder from the inner sect of Taicang flew over the martial arts arena and solemnly announced the rules. Then, with a wave of his sleeve, a transparent light screen enveloped the entire arena, preventing the aftershocks from harming the onlookers and signifying the official start of the duel.
Almost at the same instant the elder finished speaking.
Without probing any further, Shi Zhoushuo launched a fierce attack.
He rapidly formed a hand seal with one hand, his fingers creating afterimages, before finally pressing the seal to his lips.
"Wow!"
A sharp cry, as if from an ancient fire phoenix, burst forth from his mouth. The next moment, an overwhelming crimson flame, like a dammed river of lava, carrying a terrifyingly high temperature that could burn the entire world, surged out from in front of him and swept towards Chen Fei.
This flame was no ordinary fire; it was the Wildfire Phoenix Fire recorded in the Awakening of Insects Manual. Wherever the flame passed, the vital energy was scorched, twisted, and exploded, and even the Qinggang Stone ground began to turn red.
At the same time, the void above Shi Zhou Shuo's head rippled, and a treasure gourd with a bright red body and natural flame cloud patterns on its surface appeared out of thin air. It was his natal divine weapon, the Crimson Flame Spirit Gourd.
The magic gourd spun around, its mouth pointing towards the sea of fire ahead, and a clear, misty light shone down, enveloping the raging flames.
With the blessing of spiritual light, the already violent phoenix fire surged once more, its color changing from crimson to dark gold, its temperature increasing several times over, and its flames expanding as if to ignite the entire sky. In an instant, it covered half of the training ground, attempting to devour Chen Fei along with the space behind him.
Faced with this devastating torrent of flames, the puppet beside Chen Fei suddenly shone with a blinding light in its eyes, took a step forward, and crossed its arms in front of its chest.
"Buzz!"
A solid and thick light shield, filled with countless intricate runes, instantly unfolded in front of the puppet, steadily blocking the impact of the blazing flames.
The flames crashed into the light shield with a deafening roar, sparks flying everywhere, yet they could not cross the line.
Immediately afterwards, the puppet's crossed arms swung forward sharply.
"Qiang Qiang Qiang!"
Countless jet-black sword beams, radiating an aura of destruction, materialized out of thin air between the puppet's arms, tearing through the sea of fire like a storm and shooting toward Shi Zhou Shuo.
In an instant, the battle reached a fever pitch.
Shi Zhou Shuo changed his hand seals again, and the azure light spewed out by the Crimson Flame Spirit Gourd transformed into countless fiery shields in the air, accurately intercepting the incoming Destruction Sword Qi.
The sword energy and the fire shield collided and exploded continuously, producing a continuous roar. Energy ripples spread outwards like a tide, hitting the protective light screen of the training ground and stirring up violent waves.
Shi Zhou Shuo himself swayed, unleashing a giant, almost tangible, fiery palm amidst the sea of fire, attacking Chen Fei's main body from all angles.
Chen Fei remained behind the puppet formation, his hands behind his back. The puppet formation acted as the most loyal guardian, its arms waving like wheels, sometimes forming thick earthen walls to defend, sometimes condensing ice crystal storms to counterattack, and sometimes laying down golden light nets to trap the enemy...
He effortlessly employed various formations, neutralizing Shi Zhou Shuo's relentless and fierce attacks one by one.
The two sides exchanged blows with lightning speed, employing a variety of exquisite techniques, powerful supernatural abilities, and profound formations. For a time, they reached a stalemate where both sides were evenly matched.
The surrounding audience was dazzled, and gasps of amazement rose and fell. No one expected that this newcomer, Chen Fei, could actually withstand Shi Zhou Shuo's fierce offensive for so long without showing any signs of defeat.
The intense exchange of breaths passed in the blink of an eye.
Shi Zhou Shuo suddenly floated backward, looking at Chen Fei, who remained calm and composed in the distance, and the array puppet with flowing runes and as steady as a rock.
"Is this the source of your audacity to boast about fighting me to the death? Relying on this iron body, you're hiding behind like a coward?"
Chen Fei looked at Shi Zhou Shuo calmly, his expression unchanged, as if he hadn't heard him at all.
Upon seeing this, Shi Zhou Shuo's eyes flashed even colder.
"Buzz!"
A mysterious and profound wave spread out from Shi Zhou Shuo's body, and the void behind him suddenly became blurred. Then, a cold and indifferent illusory pupil slowly condensed and appeared.
The pupils were pale gold, with countless fine runes appearing and disappearing deep within them, radiating an aura that could pierce through illusions and explore the origins of things. This was the Dongxuan Heavenly Eye, manifested by breaking through the characteristics of the Earthly Dao Foundation and exerting them to the extreme.
As soon as the Heavenly Eye appeared, it focused on the array puppet in front of it and the layers of arrays it had set up.
In Shi Zhou Shuo's perception, the originally tight and smooth formation in front of him had now turned into a crisscrossing net of light.
At the many nodes of this light network, bright or dim spots of light began to appear. These were the subtle flaws and weak points in the formation's operation caused by energy conversion and rune connections.
"The Heavenly Eye of Profound Mystery, Senior Brother Shi is using his full power."
"When fighting against Senior Brother Shi, the worst thing is to drag it out, because his ability to see through things is too strong."
"It seems that Senior Brother Shi has found the flaw in the formation. Chen Fei is in danger now."
The disciples watching from the surrounding area, especially those fifteenth-level disciples who knew Shi Zhou Shuo's background well, all felt a chill when they saw the huge illusory image of the Heavenly Eye.
They knew all too well how terrifying Shi Zhou Shuo's fundamental nature was. Once he figured out his methods, his subsequent attacks would be like dismembering someone, precisely striking their weaknesses, leaving them defenseless and completely passive.
"break!"
Shi Zhou Shuo's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he pointed his fingers like a sword at the Crimson Flame Spirit Gourd above his head.
The gourd trembled violently, and the azure spiritual light that had been spewing from its mouth suddenly receded. In its place, a dark blue ray of light, exuding an extreme chill that seemed to freeze the very soul, shot out silently.
The cold light moved at its maximum speed, drawing an unpredictable arc in the air, and pierced straight towards the flaw in the energy flow node located to the side and rear that Shi Zhou Shuo saw.
"Puff puff!"
The layers of array light screens and rune barriers that had previously been able to steadily withstand Shi Zhou Shuo's violent flame attacks suddenly became as fragile as paper in the face of this dark blue cold light.
Wherever the cold light passed, the array's light barrier silently melted and pierced through.
Almost without any effective obstruction, that deadly cold light pierced through all the defenses set up by the array puppet and appeared in front of Chen Fei's brow, who had been standing behind the array puppet, as if by teleportation.
"clang!"
A loud bang, like the clanging of metal or the resounding of an ancient bell, suddenly exploded where Chen Fei was standing.
The puppet that had been guarding the front used its right arm to block the cold, blue light.
Happy New Year!
(End of this chapter)