Chapter 622: The Terrifying Sima Hong
Sima Lingxuan rolled continuously down the side of the Heaven Ascending Platform. The trees and rocks pierced his body in multiple locations, creating a cruel sight to behold.
Sima Lingxuan’s internal injuries were even worse than his external injuries. The Purple Thunder True Fire and Lunar True Flame burned all his internal organs. The Quintessence that came from the dantian could not protect the internal organs at all as the flames assaulted it as well.
When the various Heavenly Saber Pavilion disciples in the buildings of the Heaven Ascending Platform saw this scene, they could not even react.
These disciples had not expected the match to end so fast. What was more, they had not expected the final words that were said to turn into reality. Sima Lingxuan really ended up rolling down in a sorry state.
[TL note: The Chinese word for “scram” (滚) also means “to roll.” “Rolling” here is likely to be an intentional pun on the final words repeated by everyone, “Send him scramming.”]
“He won! Senior Brother Xiao Chen actually won!”
“With just one move, Senior Brother Xiao Chen managed to knock Sima Lingxuan away. How powerful! I couldn’t even imagine that before this.”
“Ha! Ha! Ha! It serves him right. This is great. Let’s see if they dare come to our Heavenly Saber Pavilion to flaunt their might again.”
Only after a long time did the crowd burst out in thunderous cheers. They cried out nonstop as their gazes towards Xiao Chen turned even more respectful, filled with reverence.
Such a proud son of heaven was a disciple of their Heavenly Saber Pavilion. This connection evoked a sense of pride in their hearts that was hard to eliminate.
In the future, all they would have to say was “Xiao Chen is my senior brother. I have even seen him fight in person before.” All the disciples of the other sects in the Great Qin Nation would probably turn green with envy.
“Xiao Chen, you really dared to make a move!”
The rage within Sima Hong’s heart was beyond description. He had not expected that Xiao Chen would dare to defeat Sima Lingxuan in front of him.
Furthermore, Xiao Chen had decisively defeated Sima Lingxuan in one move. Even though Sima Hong wanted to make a move to save the situation, it was already too late.
Sima Hong was a bona fide Martial Sage. In this Tianwu Continent, he was one of those who stood at the top. To him, Xiao Chen was like an ant; he could easily squash Xiao Chen to death.
However, Sima Hong got his face slapped by such an ant. Furthermore, this slap was hefty. He could not forget this; he could never forgive this. If he did not kill Xiao Chen, he would not be able to vent this anger.
A sword appeared in Sima Hong’s hand. It moved quickly in the air as if it teleported. Then, he sent out a Quintessence sword Qi containing the natural law at Xiao Chen.
“It’s over! Sima Hong unexpectedly does not care about his status and attacked a junior!”
The elders of the Heavenly Saber Pavilion paled. They panicked in their hearts. As someone much weaker, how could Xiao Chen even have a chance of survival before the attack of a Martial Sage filled with rage?
The sword Qi Sima Hong sent out looked ordinary, bereft of any fanciness. Even a Medial Grade Martial Monarch could send out a sword Qi that could tear space.
However, this sword Qi—a sword Qi sent out by a Martial Sage—did not tear space. It did not even create a small spatial crack. This sight gave rise to an unimaginable feeling.
The sword Qi was narrow and long, giving off a dazzling light. It looked like it glided along a special trajectory of the heaven and earth. As it neared Xiao Chen, the sword Qi’s light became more and more solid.
With the natural law’s support, the sword light looked perfect. The energy of the saber Qi increased significantly with every second.
Xiao Chen’s face sank. He did not dare to be slow. He quickly raised his left hand, and the Taiji Yinyang Flame Diagram flew up and shielded him.
Xiao Chen poured the vast and surging Mental Energy from his sea of consciousness into the Taiji Yinyang Flame Diagram. That perfect diagram immediately burst out with radiant, dazzling light.
Yinyang, four divisions, and the eight trigrams appeared around the Taiji Yinyang Flame Diagram. As Xiao Chen stood his ground, it felt like he had become one with the world.
“Bang!”
The sword Qi that Sima Hong sent out in rage crashed into the Taiji diagram. The Taiji Yinyang Flame Diagram instantly exploded, and a horrifying energy spread everywhere.
The vast drill ground immediately shattered, throwing countless pieces of rocks into the sky. Strong winds blew and kicked up clouds of dust.
Amidst the dust, the sword Qi flew at an even faster speed than before back at Sima Hong, who was rushing over.
“Dang!”
Sima Hong’s expression changed slightly. He held his sword in front of him and used dense Quintessence to protect him. Another sound, even more horrifying than the one before this, rang out.
Dust filled the place again. A bottomless hole could be seen expanding quickly. The buildings of the entire Heaven Ascending Platform started to topple.
Using the time this sword Qi bought him, Xiao Chen moved. He stood on the image of an Azure Dragon and soared into the sky. His complexion turned pale, and blood leaked out of his mouth.
Xiao Chen’s condition looked very bad. Only his eyes glowed with health and vigor, not showing any signs of collapse.
Earlier, right when the sword Qi containing the natural law shattered the Taiji Yinyang Flame Diagram, the remnant force struck Xiao Chen’s body, breaking through his Quintessence.
He could not block the sword Qi; it was much more powerful than Xiao Chen’s Quintessence. The shock wave severely injured all his internal organs.
If Xiao Chen did not have a tough body, his meridians and internal organs would have shattered after experiencing such an attack, killing him on the spot.
“He is not dead yet!”
When the Supreme Elders of the Heavenly Saber Pavilion saw Xiao Chen leap out of the dust, they revealed expressions of pleasant surprise.
A Martial Sage already comprehended the natural law, albeit not by much. However, if they could infuse just a trace of it into their Quintessence, it would magnify the might of their Quintessence severalfold.
Given Xiao Chen’s cultivation realm, it was unexpected that he could endure this attack. Furthermore, he looked like he could still fight and was not on the verge of death.
Shen Manjun’s face sank as she said, “Xiao Chen cannot fall here. The Heavenly Saber Pavilion’s Luck has already meshed with Xiao Chen’s. If he dies, so will the Heavenly Saber Pavilion.
“Jiang Chi, on my orders, immediately assemble the Divine Saber Camp. Activate the entire sect and fight against Sima Hong. We absolutely cannot let Xiao Chen die here.”
Jiang Chi did not hesitate to say “This disciple obeys.”
After Jiang Chi acknowledged Shen Manjun’s order, she soared into the air. Moving quickly, she landed in front of Xiao Chen with a sullen expression and defended him. All her Quintessence surged out wildly.
“Sima Hong, how old are you already? Do you not care about your status at all? To think you attacked someone from the younger generation,” Shen Manjun said expressionlessly.
Sima Hong roared, and a strong wind blew, clearing all the dust and revealing the dilapidated drill ground.
Staring at Shen Manjun, Sima Hong said coldly, “Scram. I hate people who disrespect me after I showed them some respect. I already said six days ago that as long as he loses to Lingxuan, everything would be fine. Today, this brat still does not know what is good for him. So don’t blame me for being ruthless and merciless.”
When the cultivators around the Heaven Ascending Platform from the various places heard what Sima Hong said, their expressions changed greatly.
Unexpectedly, Sima Hong did not care about his status. He tried to threaten Xiao Chen into pretending to lose. This behavior was simply too shameless.
Shen Manjun said, “Do you know the consequences of killing people in my Heavenly Saber Pavilion?”
Sima Hong laughed loudly, “What does the Heavenly Saber Pavilion amount to? You really think you are one of the ten great sects? I have never cared about you. Since you are not leaving, I will kill you first.”
“Hu chi! Hu chi!”
Sima Hong launched two sword Qi from his sword light. The sword Qi crisscrossed and formed a cross as they headed for Shen Manjun.
A slender saber appeared in Shen Manjun’s hand. She brought out the full extent of her three hundred years of cultivation at this moment. Her saber light shattered space as she sent out an attack.
The cross-shaped sword light carried the natural law as it surged over. It shattered the Saber Technique Shen Manjun executed, forcing her to take a hundred steps back.
Although Shen Manjun breathed somewhat heavily, she had managed to block the sword Qi of this Martial Sage in the end.
“Just a mantis trying to stop a chariot!”
[TL note: A mantis trying to stop a chariot: This means overrating oneself and attempting something impossible.]
Snorting coldly, Sima Hong immediately appeared before Shen Manjun, who had just blocked the attack. His sword moved and launched a chain of attacks at her.
“Dang! Dang! Dang!”
The sound of weapons clashing rang out in the air. Every time Sima Hong took a step forward, heaven and earth seemed to move with him.
The boundless power was not something Shen Manjun could block. No matter how strong she was, it was impossible. With every attack she received, she vomited a mouthful of blood. Her complexion paled immensely.
“Scram!”
After nine attacks, Sima Hong roared ferociously, and his sword exploded out in light. Its might increased, and the attack knocked Shen Manjun away.
Shen Manjun went flying like an arrow, unable to do anything. She crashed into a mountain, and it exploded, tossing rocks everywhere.
Xiao Chen looked at Shen Manjun, whose fate was unknown, and his eyes turned glacial. He rushed in front and attacked.
“Return of the Azure Dragon!”
A vast sea behind Xiao Chen shot out ninety-nine pillars of water into the sky as an Azure Dragon leaped out of the water. A bright light flashed on the saber as it tore through space and hacked down at Sima Hong’s head.
Sima Hong revealed a startled expression. He had not expected that not only did Xiao Chen not run, Xiao Chen even dared to attack him. However, that the saber light was above him; he had no choice but to send out a screen of swords to defend himself.
“Weng! Weng!”
The sword Qi hummed, and the natural law poured out and knitted together, forming a tough screen of light.
“Battle Sage Origins, Strength Character Formula, increase might by thirty-three folds!” Xiao Chen roared ferociously.
He was past caring about consequences. All his Quintessence drained at that moment, and the saber light’s might soared instantly—to a level where even Sima Hong found it frightening.
“Bang!”
Before this Return of the Azure Dragon fortified by the Strength Character Formula, the eternal sword screen containing the natural law shattered. The saber light instantly knocked back Sima Hong.
All of Sima Hong’s clothes tore, and injuries covered him from head to toe. At one glance, no part of him appeared intact; he was in a sorry state. He flew back in the air and vomited three mouthfuls of blood.
“Unexpectedly, he knocked back an Inferior Grade Martial Sage. Furthermore, the Martial Sage is severely injured,” the outsiders around the Heaven Ascending Platform said in shock. They had not dared imagine that such a thing was possible.
This was a Martial Sage, and the killing move of a Martial Monarch actually managed to knock him back like this.
“Xiu!”
Sima Hong only flew back a hundred meters before he stabilized himself. Then, his wounds healed at a visible pace.
A sinister look flashed in Sima Hong’s eyes. First, Xiao Chen had blocked his attack, causing him to lose face already. Now, Xiao Chen even injured him this heavily in front of everyone.
In fact, given Xiao Chen’s strength, even after using the Strength Character Formula, Return of the Azure Dragon should not have been able to truly injure Sima Hong.
However, Sima Hong had made an error in judgment, using only half his strength to defend against Return of the Azure Dragon. He had not expected Xiao Chen to have a way to increase the might of Return of the Azure Dragon by thirty-three times.
As a result, Sima Hong was caught off-guard and beaten up so miserably at the hands of Xiao Chen.