Chapter 223
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Chapter 223: This Time, I Won’t Stand Down
A new hawk message arrived from the Grand Celestial Guardian’s residences in Qianjing.
As Fei Xinghe had previously mentioned, the chief guardian of Yunyang, Cao Chengping, had sent him a decree.
In this decree, Cao Chengping sternly rebuked Wang Chen for the reckless killing of the county magistrate, Ruan Zhaoming. He stripped Wang Chen of his position as a celestial guardian and ordered him to await the judgment of his successor in South Shao County.
No disobedience would be tolerated.
Otherwise, the sect rules would be strictly enforced without leniency!
Had Wang Chen not received Fei Xinghe’s letter, he might have been somewhat intimidated by Cao Chengping.
But now, he sneered at the decree.
A dignified Purple Palace master, siding with an old nemesis, actually had the audacity to posture as a Higher Steward and bark orders at him!
Did Cao Chengping truly believe that with a mere decree, Wang Chen would obediently submit and allow himself to be slaughtered like a lamb?
Wang Chen had originally planned to leave South Shao County the following day.
Whoever wanted the position of celestial guardian could have it; he was returning to the world of cultivation regardless.
However, Cao Chengping’s decree left Wang Chen feeling deeply aggrieved.
This was the second time he had been treated as a disposable pawn.
And all within the span of a few days!
A sense of stifling frustration began to fester in Wang Chen’s heart.
He could no longer suppress it!
He decided to stay for a while longer.
Though the title of celestial guardian meant little to him, Wang Chen refused to slink away from South Shao like a stray dog.
If the Guiyuan Sect wanted to take it from him, they would have to pay the price in Heavenly Merit!
This time, Wang Chen resolved not to back down!
Otherwise, his thoughts would remain unsettled, potentially hindering his progress in breaking through to open a house.
Once his decision was made, Wang Chen sprang into action.
First, he dismantled all the formations in the hidden chamber beneath the Star Observation Pavilion and retrieved every last spirit stone, leaving nothing behind for the Guiyuan Sect.
Next, he made some strategic arrangements within the Celestial Guardians’ residences.
The Guiyuan Sect’s arrival came sooner than Wang Chen had anticipated.
The next morning, while cultivating on the top floor of the Star Observation Pavilion, he suddenly sensed a disturbance.
Rising to his feet, he approached the window and saw five streaks of light speeding from the north, swiftly passing over South Shao County.
They came to a halt, hovering above the Celestial Guardians’ residences.
Four young cultivators and one middle-aged cultivator revealed themselves simultaneously.
Mounted on their flying artifacts, they gazed down imperiously at the Star Observation Pavilion. One of them barked sharply, "Where is Wang Chen? Come out at once and face your punishment!"
His voice resounded with immense power, instantly reverberating through the entire city.
Countless common people scurried into their homes, trembling with fear, terrified of becoming unintended victims.
This was a clash of immortals!
“You, the members of the Guiyuan Sect, dare to accuse me?”
Wang Chen leaped from the windowsill, his toes lightly brushing the ledge as he propelled himself onto the rooftop of the pavilion, his movements seamless and fluid.
With a derisive glint in his eyes, he dusted off his robe and barked, “Scram!”
The word “scram” caught everyone off guard.
The cultivators of the Guiyuan Sect were momentarily stunned, then erupted in rage: “You’re courting death!”
The hot-headed young cultivator wasted no time, summoning a flying sword and slashing downward from his elevated position toward Wang Chen.
His attack was swift, his Sword Control mastery evident. The strike was sudden, brimming with power, and the sword momentum was razor-sharp, descending upon Wang Chen’s head in an instant.
This Guiyuan Sect sword cultivator clearly had no intention of holding back; the blade sliced through the air, aiming to cleave Wang Chen in two.
Yet, all it struck was an afterimage of Wang Chen, who had already vanished from the spot!
“Watch out!”
The sole middle-aged cultivator in the group bellowed a warning.
But his alert came a fraction too late.
As Wang Chen employed Shortening the Earth to evade the flying sword’s strike, he abruptly swung his right arm upward.
The wide sleeve of his robe billowed like a sword piercing the heavens, surging with formidable magical energy.
A faint golden sword light shot forth from his sleeve, streaking like lightning toward the Guiyuan sword cultivator atop the Star Observation Pavilion!
An eye for an eye; having been struck by the opponent’s sword, Wang Chen naturally returned the favor.
This technique was known as “Sword from the Sleeve,” one of the three major hidden sword techniques, alongside “Sword from the Stomach” and the more common “Sword from the Back.”
The principle was straightforward: a storage bag was sewn into his robe to house sword artifacts, allowing him to retaliate with unparalleled speed in battle.
The art of the Sleeve Sword had been imparted to Wang Chen by Changchun long ago.
After relentless practice, this strike not only embodied the Sleeve Sword technique but was also infused with Perfected Level Metal Finger energy and ninety percent of his magical power.
As the sword momentum surged, the Guiyuan sword cultivator sensed imminent peril and bit his tongue, spitting out vital blood in a desperate attempt to evade the Fire Crow Sword’s lock through blood escape.
But Wang Chen’s flying sword exuded an aura of inescapable death!
In the blink of an eye, the Fire Crow Sword, charged with Metal Finger energy, pierced through the Guiyuan sword cultivator’s body and emerged from his back, leaving not a single drop of blood on its blade.
[Heavenly Merit +6]
Yet, this was merely the beginning. Wang Chen guided the Fire Crow Sword, its momentum unrelenting, as it traced a graceful arc through the air, its brilliance intensifying as it homed in on the middle-aged cultivator.
The middle-aged cultivator’s soul nearly fled his body in terror. He hastily raised a dark iron tortoise shell shield, hoping to block the incoming Fire Crow Sword.
But just as the sword tip was about to meet the shield, the sword light flickered and deftly maneuvered around the sturdy artifact, circling the middle-aged cultivator several times.
“Ah—!”
A blood-curdling scream tore through the air.
The middle-aged cultivator, a high-level Qi Training expert with extensive combat experience, was severed at the waist, his lower body falling apart in pieces.
Crimson blood gushed from the wound as his upper half plummeted from the sky.
In truth, the middle-aged cultivator had already fortified himself with the Spirit Light Shield, but under the Fire Crow Sword’s edge, it lasted only half a breath before shattering.
His flying artifact spiraled out of control, crashing sideways into a young cultivator and nearly knocking him from his perch.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Simultaneously, a barrage of scorching fireballs, intertwined with razor-sharp wind blades, surged toward Wang Chen, engulfing the sky.
Three more artifacts—a battle axe, a whip, and a seal—were unleashed, their combined might a fearsome sight!
Yet, Wang Chen effortlessly evaded every attack with two consecutive uses of Shortening the Earth.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
All the attacks, including the artifacts, were absorbed by the Star Plucking Pavilion.
The upper half of the already unprotected tall building exploded into fragments, flames roaring into the heavens!
Wang Chen landed gracefully on the ground, right in front of the bisected middle-aged cultivator.
The latter, still clinging to life, fumbled to retrieve an artifact from his storage bag.
Wang Chen immediately brought his palm down, reducing the man to a pulp!
[Heavenly Merit +8]
But this was far from over…
His gaze shifted back to the sky.
Three more adversaries awaited!
