NABC Chapter 2127 Meeting the Enemy
Chapter 2127 Meeting the Enemy
Chapter 2127 Meeting the Enemy
Under Shi Junqing's desperate gaze, Chen Fei slowly withdrew his fist from the bronze hammer and took a step back.
Shi Junqing did not pursue, not because he did not want to, but because he could not.
He stood frozen in place, his hands still in the downward hammer-wielding stance. The power of the late-stage Tai Cang Realm that had been forcibly amplified within him, having lost its last trace of external restraint and been detonated and stirred up by Chen Fei's power, had completely spiraled out of control.
“I…can’t accept it…” His lips moved, uttering the last barely perceptible whisper of his soul.
"Oh!"
The next moment, a not particularly loud, yet muffled and chilling explosion emanated from Shi Junqing's body. His soul, burning with dim black flames, suddenly contracted inward like a balloon inflated to its limit, and then burst open with a bang.
There was no flying blood and flesh, only a thick, impenetrable black mist of blood, like a blooming flower of death, suddenly bursting forth and spreading in the center of the hall.
The bronze magic hammer, which was connected to his mind, also let out a mournful cry the moment its master fell. It lost all its spiritual light and fell to the ground with a clatter, turning into ordinary iron.
The black blood mist slowly dissipated, merging into the dust and deathly silence that filled the hall.
Shi Junqing, a mid-stage Tai Cang Realm vengeful demon, died and his soul was scattered.
Inside the main hall, silence returned, broken only by the occasional sound of falling pebbles from the dome and the lingering, faint smell of burnt energy dissipation.
Chen Fei remained calm. With a flick of his left hand, the scattered points of pure, ethereal light in the air seemed to be drawn together by an invisible hand, eventually coalescing into a deep, inky-black source above his palm.
"Having broken through to the mid-stage of the Tai Cang Realm, my Dao Domain, Divine Soul, and Physical Body are all incomparable to what they used to be. I no longer need to rely on my senior sister's power to deal with such a vengeful demon."
Chen Fei looked at the vengeful demon's essence floating in his palm. The improvement in his strength brought not only a surge in power, but also all-round control.
Previously, facing this vengeful demon skilled in illusionary attacks and fearless in the face of death, even if one could win, it would require considerable effort, and might even require Cao Feiyu's support from the sidelines. But now, having discerned the truth, one can break through with sheer force, swiftly and decisively.
As for those who forcibly advance to the late stage of the Tai Cang Realm, although they appear powerful, their foundation is riddled with holes and their operations are sluggish in many ways.
Dealing with such an opponent is even easier than dealing with their steady, mid-stage Tai Cang Realm state; it's easier to find an opening to strike. Of course, whether the opponent unleashes their power or not, the outcome is the same in the face of an absolute difference in strength.
With a slight thought, Chen Fei flipped his left hand and put the wisp of demonic essence into his sleeve, sealing it away temporarily. Then, he turned his gaze to the outside of the main hall, to the illusionary barrier that had been torn apart by Shi Junqing and was now slowly healing itself.
Chen Fei flashed to the broken palace gate, his fingers forming a sword as he gently traced the torn edge of the illusion barrier. Wherever his Yuan Power passed, the invisible barrier healed at a much faster pace, the broken runes were reconnected and illuminated, and the distorted spatial structure was smoothed and restored.
In the blink of an eye, the violently torn rift disappeared, the illusion barrier was restored to its original state, and it blended perfectly back into the surrounding environment. Chen Fei's precise control over power and his understanding of space and illusion came in handy at this moment.
After doing all this, Chen Fei turned around and re-examined the great hall that had survived fierce battles yet still stood tall.
“The aftershocks of the battle just now were enough to destroy mountains and shatter peaks, but this main hall…” A hint of surprise flashed in Chen Fei’s eyes, then he understood.
The ancient restrictions on this hall are far more powerful and resilient than they appear on the surface. Perhaps its offensive and magical abilities have been largely worn away by time, but its defensive and stabilizing abilities have retained a considerable portion.
Without further delay, Chen Fei strode towards the mural deep within the main hall, which depicted a ferocious beast carrying a stele.
Standing before the mural, Chen Fei focused his mind, and the key diagram he had obtained from the main hall clearly appeared in his mind. The patterns on the diagram were complex and profound, echoing the designs on the stone tablet before him.
Chen Fei extended his right index finger, the tip of which emitted flickering Yuan energy, like a painter's brush. Following the guidance of the Sea of Consciousness Diagram, he gently touched the stone tablet mural with his fingertip and began to use Yuan energy as ink and the stone tablet as paper to trace the specific patterns on the diagram.
As strands of pure Yuan energy flowed from his fingertips into the stone tablet, ripples of pale gold spread across its cold, hard surface, like waves on water.
The ripples spread slowly outwards from the point where Chen Fei's fingertips landed, and wherever they passed, the ancient patterns on the stone tablet were quietly activated, emitting a faint light.
"If we use this method to open the portal, will we return directly to the previous hall and confront that demonic cultivator in the late stage of the Tai Cang Realm? Or will we head to another hall?" The unknown road ahead is always accompanied by risks.
That demonic cultivator possessed a cultivation level as high as the peak of the late stage of the Tai Cang Realm, and his methods were unpredictable, making him a formidable enemy.
Fortunately, Chen Fei has now reached the peak of the mid-stage of the Tai Cang Realm. With the comprehensive enhancement of his Dao Domain, Divine Soul, and Physical Body, even if he is no match for that demonic cultivator, he can still escape unscathed with the help of the Devouring Heaven Divine Body.
With this thought, Chen Fei became more composed. As strands of Yuan energy were poured into the stone tablet, the ripples on the tablet became more pronounced, and the entire mural seemed to come alive. A faint spatial fluctuation began to emanate from the depths of the stone tablet.
Just as Chen Fei was fully focused on drawing more than half of the pattern in the illustration, suddenly, a thought struck him, and his drawing motions involuntarily paused slightly.
Because, at this very moment, he clearly sensed that from one of the sections marked with pale golden ripples on the stone tablet mural that was being activated in front of him, a very familiar aura was faintly emanating from one of the sections.
The aura was faint and ethereal, as if it came from across endless distances of time and space, but it carried the unique cold and sharp essence of Cao Feiyu's cultivation technique, as well as a trace of her personal soul imprint.
"It's Senior Sister!"
Chen Fei's eyes flashed with a sharp light, his spirits lifted, and his anxiety about finding his companions eased slightly. But then his mind raced: "The area from which this aura is emanating doesn't seem to completely align with the patterns I'm trying to activate on the entire mural. Could it be that different areas on this mural correspond to different teleportation points?"
A bold idea rose in Chen Fei's mind. He locked his gaze on the area of the mural that faintly exuded Cao Feiyu's aura, and then looked at the patterns in his unfinished illustration.
“If we complete all the patterns step by step, we don’t know where the opened portal will lead, and we might not be able to find Senior Sister directly. But now that we can sense her approximate location…” Chen Fei, who was always decisive, made a decision immediately.
He stopped drawing the complete pattern of the illustration and instead moved his fingertips away from the mysterious pattern, gently touching the center of the mural area that exuded Cao Feiyu's aura.
"Try concentrating your energy and activating this specific area to see if you can open a portal to the other side on your own."
With a firm resolve, Chen Fei no longer hesitated. He channeled his inner energy, steadily and continuously injecting pure energy into the specific area his fingertips touched, attempting to forcefully knock on that door in this way.
As Chen Fei changed his strategy, the reaction on the stone tablet mural immediately changed drastically.
When the complete illustration was drawn, the ripples on the mural, though weak, were even and stable as the Yuan energy flowed through it, like a spring breeze blowing across a lake, carrying a harmonious rhythm. The entire mural was gradually illuminated, and the spatial fluctuations became more stable and stronger.
But at this moment, when a large amount of elemental energy was concentrated and poured into that specific small area, the entire stone tablet mural, as if thrown into a deep pool of boulders, suddenly began to boil.
The originally evenly rippling pale golden waves instantly became chaotic and violent. Centered on the area infused with Chen Fei's Yuan Power, rings of violently undulating spatial ripples spread wildly, impacting the other parts of the mural.
The light on the entire mural flickered erratically, the illuminated patterns shimmering and jumping like faulty LED strips. The stone tablet itself even emitted a deep rumble, and the surrounding air began to tremble in response.
A spatial fluctuation, several times stronger than before but also extremely unstable, emanated from the depths of the mural.
"So it really won't work..."
Chen Fei paused slightly as he channeled his Yuan energy, his brows furrowing slightly.
The current situation clearly shows that his attempt to take a shortcut and activate a certain area in isolation does not conform to the pre-set opening method of this ancient restriction, and may even cause unpredictable risks, such as portal collapse, teleportation errors, or triggering more stringent defense mechanisms.
"Forcibly injecting it is probably not a good idea; we must know the correct way to activate it."
Chen Fei's mind raced, and he decisively stopped injecting more Yuan energy. The violently undulating ripples and unstable spatial fluctuations began to gradually weaken as he stopped inputting Yuan energy, but the light on the mural still flickered, indicating the disorder of internal energy.
Chen Fei closed his eyes, sank his mind into the depths of his consciousness, and began to recall every detail of opening the teleportation portal in the previous hall.
Chen Fei recalled the path of the Yuan Power flowing from his fingertips, the order and intensity of the light as the mural patterns were illuminated one by one, the specific frequency and direction of the spatial ripples, and the unique sense of spatial stability when the portal was finally formed...
Every detail was repeatedly examined and scrutinized, and compared with the condition of the murals before our eyes.
He needs to learn from past successes to find the true key and method to the restrictions in these murals, rather than blindly trying to break them with brute force. In these ancient ruins, understanding the rules is often far more important than possessing power.
A few breaths passed quietly as Chen Fei focused intently on retracing and deducing. He suddenly opened his tightly closed eyes, a glint of understanding flashing deep within them.
"I see……"
Chen Fei suddenly understood. Comparing the chaos caused by his previous attempt to forcibly activate a specific area with his experience of successfully teleporting to this place, he quickly grasped the key.
Ultimately, the core function of this stone tablet and mural is nothing more than a teleportation array with a unique structure that combines the patterns of the mural with spatial restrictions.
The most difficult part is actually deciphering the meaning of the text and patterns on these ancient relics, and then obtaining the complete illustrations.
Chen Fei's gaze swept over the ancient and mysterious patterns and parts that looked like ancient characters on the mural. He had already skipped this step, and what remained was the simplest part.
With his mind made up, Chen Fei no longer hesitated. He raised his right index finger again, the tip of his fingertip emitting a glow of Yuan energy. But this time, he did not blindly pour it in. Instead, he was like the most skilled musician, preparing to play a complex ancient piece.
His gaze wandered over the murals on the stone tablet, corresponding one by one with the illusory images in his sea of consciousness.
First, Chen Fei gently touched an inconspicuous spot on the edge of the mural with his fingertip, and a wisp of pure and gentle Yuan energy was slowly injected at a specific frequency.
"Om..."
The stone tablet mural trembled slightly, and a circle of delicate and peaceful pale golden ripples spread out from the point where the fingertip landed. The rate at which these ripples spread and decayed was seven or eight parts similar to a ripple from the last time Chen Fei successfully activated it, but there were still subtle differences.
Chen Fei was clear-headed and made quick adjustments in his mind based on the results of this first test.
His fingertips moved swiftly like the wind and lightly like a feather, tapping on different patterns and lines on the mural. Each tap was infused with slightly different amounts of energy and duration, while he focused intently on perceiving every ripple and change in light emanating from the mural.
"Here, one must remain still for a single breath... Here, one must touch lightly and release immediately, drawing out without releasing... Here, the patterns intersect, requiring the simultaneous infusion of two streams of elemental energy for harmonization..."
Chen Fei was conducting a meticulous experiment, constantly probing, adjusting, and comparing. He maximized the subtle perception brought by his powerful divine soul, quickly comparing and correcting each reaction of the mural before him with the ripple pattern from the last successful activation in his memory.
A dozen or so breaths passed quickly as Chen Fei efficiently and attentively experimented and adjusted. When his fingertips, following the newly summarized pattern, touched the final key point and gently traced it with a peculiar spiral trajectory...
"Buzz!"
The entire stone tablet mural suddenly emitted a bright and stable pale golden light.
All the ancient patterns on the mural seemed to be instantly activated and connected, flowing and surging along mysterious paths. The surface of the mural was no longer just rippling, but transformed into a real, gently rippling golden water surface.
Immediately afterwards, the golden water surface began to swirl and concave inward, forming a pale golden vortex. The vortex continued to expand, the light at its center distorted, and finally, an oval-shaped, stable portal with soft golden light flowing around its edges appeared before the mural.
Around the portal, faint, fragmented spatial runes flickered, emanating a stable and powerful spatial force.
Just as the portal was completely stabilized and formed, a familiar aura, several times clearer than before, passed through the portal without hindrance from the other end and was sensed by Chen Fei.
Chen Fei's spirits lifted; this time, the teleportation portal had been opened correctly.
Although the door was open and the aura on the other side could be sensed, Chen Fei did not rush over immediately.
This ruin is fraught with danger at every turn; no one knows whether the gate leads to a safe hall or something else lurking in the shadows.
Chen Fei reached out and grabbed at the air, a gentle surge of Yuan energy lifting a bronze puppet and gently sending it toward the pale gold portal.
The bronze puppet transformed into a streak of light and disappeared into the portal.
Through the puppet's eyes, Chen Fei saw that opposite the portal was an ancient hall with a layout extremely similar to the one he was currently in. It was equally empty, dilapidated, and covered in dust, with an almost identical overall structure, except for slight differences in the details of the decorations and the degree of damage.
The main hall was empty, but the loud explosions came directly from outside.
"boom!"
"Clang!"
Intense and chaotic energy fluctuations, mixed with the sharp sounds of clashing weapons, bursts of elemental energy, and a kind of venomous roar, came from outside the hall like a tide.
The aftershocks of the battle even caused the floor of the main hall to tremble slightly, and the light outside the door flickered erratically due to the energy fluctuations.
Amidst the chaotic energy fluctuations, Chen Fei clearly distinguished two familiar auras.
A cold, sharp aura, like a chilling spring under the moon, filled the air with menacing sword energy; it was none other than Cao Feiyu.
Another aura, carrying a fierce and bloodthirsty air of someone who had been through many battles, was immediately recognized by Chen Fei after a brief recollection as Shi Pojun.
Besides these two, there was another relatively unfamiliar Yuan Power fluctuation, which also reached the mid-stage of the Tai Cang Realm, as well as two resentful demon auras filled with venom and deathly stillness. They were clearly two resentful demons at the mid-stage of the Tai Cang Realm.
The puppet's simple perception was insufficient to discern the complex battle situation, but it was enough to determine that Cao Feiyu, Shi Pojun, and another mid-stage Tai Cang Realm cultivator were engaged in a fierce battle with two mid-stage Tai Cang Realm vengeful demons outside the main hall.
Upon receiving feedback from the puppet, Chen Fei activated the Devouring Heaven Divine Forging technique within his body, and the originally condensed and powerful aura of the peak of the mid-stage of the Tai Cang Realm rapidly receded like a receding tide.
He concealed his cultivation level within a spatial compartment using a secret method, leaving only the early stage of the Tai Cang Realm visible outside.
Having disguised himself, Chen Fei took a step forward, his figure disappearing into the teleportation portal. A slight sensation of spatial traversal washed over him, and the scenery before him rippled and shifted like waves. The next moment, Chen Fei stood steadily inside the new hall.
The scene inside the main hall was exactly the same as what the puppet had explored. Chen Fei waved his hand to recall the puppet, and his figure moved like lightning, instantly arriving in front of the main hall's entrance.
Outside the hall was a plaza even wider than the previous corridor. The huge stones paving the ground were already broken, and there were traces of bombardment by various weapons and spells. Further away, it connected to other ruined palaces and corridors.
At this moment, the energy in the square surged and the light flashed.
Chen Fei's gaze swept across the area, quickly locking onto the core of the battlefield.
Cao Feiyu, wielding a long sword, moved with the agility of an immortal, her sword light as white as snow, her movements carrying a chilling coldness and sharp sword energy, fiercely battling a ghostly demon with an elusive and deathly aura.
Her swordsmanship was exquisite, and she could always penetrate the gaps in the vengeful demon's attacks. However, the vengeful demon's movements were strange. Sometimes it would turn into black smoke and disappear, and sometimes it would solidify and attack. It would also frequently use illusions to bewitch people's minds, making it impossible for Cao Feiyu to exert her full strength.
On the other side, Shi Pojun wielded a massive, door-wide blade, his moves wide and powerful, each strike carrying the force to shatter stars. He clashed head-on with another demon wielding a heavy bone hammer, producing a deafening roar.
The third cultivator, a mid-stage Tai Cang Realm expert, was a tall, thin man dressed in a dark green robe. He moved along the edge of Cao Feiyu and Shi Pojun's battle group, sometimes providing support, sometimes shielding his companions from attacks by vengeful demons, playing a valuable supporting and assisting role.
However, it is clear that his resistance to the illusions of the vengeful demon is also average, and he needs to be distracted to resist mental intrusion, so he cannot fully exert his abilities.