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Chapter 299 The 8th Blood Exchange_1
Chapter 299 The 8th Blood Exchange_1
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At the foot of Mirror Lake Mountain, Xu Qing, the legitimate son of the Arsenal's master, stood waiting for the news he longed for.
Behind Xu Qing, a host of subordinates from the Arsenal followed in attendance.
Soon, as time continually slipped by, the Arsenal's innate had yet to return, and Xu Qing's brows involuntarily furrowed, feeling an unexpected twinge of anxiety.
Although the Arsenal was not listed among the top powers by Diancang Pavilion, its strength was also quite extraordinary. The master of the Arsenal, even though not a warrior of the god-tier in martial arts, had reached the Great Perfection realm of the innate stage and was not much weaker than one of the Jing Tian Department's defending envoys.
Moreover, due to the Arsenal's wealth and the number of divine weapons it had, it had attracted many grandmasters of martial arts in the innate realm to join.
In the path of martial arts, the further one goes, the more difficult cultivation becomes, thus requiring more opportunities and resources for support.
Clearly, the Arsenal had the resources to attract many grandmasters in the innate realm to join.
The innate who had just attacked Gu Chen was a guest elder from within the Arsenal and was personally assigned by the Arsenal's master, Xu Qing's father, to protect Xu Qing closely.
"Send someone to check, why Uncle Gong has not returned yet," Xu Qing ordered with a frown to his subordinate.
He felt that deploying an innate to deal with Gu Chen was truly using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, but there was no choice— in order to quickly settle Gu Chen without future troubles, Xu Qing had commanded Uncle Gong to make his move from the moment he came down from Mirror Lake Mountain.
Unexpectedly, half an hour had passed, and Uncle Gong had still not returned.
"Could Elder Gong have encountered some accident?" At this time, Yuan Zixun from the Mysterious Pill Workshop, who stood beside Xu Qing, spoke up.
Yuan Zixun had a status within the Mysterious Pill Workshop just as extraordinary as Xu Qing's, being the next workshop master.
Similarly, because both had the backing of the six major holy lands, the two had formed an inseparable bond.
Only Diancang Pavilion had little contact with them, as it had always been independent and was also the strongest among the three, and relatively speaking, it was given more attention by the six major holy lands.
"Impossible!"
Xu Qing declared solemnly, "Uncle Gong is a grandmaster of martial arts in the innate realm. Although he's only at the early stage of the innate realm, dealing with a Transcendent Stage Gu Chen should be effortless for him."
In Xu Qing's emphatic statement, it seemed just as everyone would expect it to be.
Another half hour passed, and the warriors sent by Xu Qing had hurried back, shaking their heads at him.
Seeing this, Xu Qing's face instantly darkened, as the loss of a grandmaster in the innate realm was vital for any power, equivalent to cutting a large chunk of flesh from the Arsenal.
"Could something unexpected have happened?" Yuan Zixun also frowned.
Xu Qing gritted his teeth—if his father, the Arsenal's master, were to find out that a grandmaster in the innate realm had vanished, he would surely punish Xu Qing severely.
"Search, even if you have to dig three feet into the ground nearby, find Uncle Gong's whereabouts!" Xu Qing nearly roared.
Yuan Zixun said, "Right, there's also Gu Chen. Check his whereabouts as well."
"Yes."
Meanwhile, on the other side, after the meeting on Mirror Lake Mountain ended in disharmony, for some reason, the news of Gu Chen's conflict with the scions of the holy lands at the mountain summit, and his suppression of Chen Luo from Vault of Sky Sword Sect, somehow also spread out.
With the involvement of the six major holy lands, countless martial artists from East Province looked forward to the meeting at Mirror Lake Mountain with anticipation, and with countless eyes watching the place, the moment the news broke out, the entire East Province was suddenly abuzz with shock.
That very day, countless warriors were discussing the matter, as nobody had expected the scions of the six major holy lands to be defeated.
"Hey, have you heard? Gu Chen, Marquis Wu'an of Da Xia, has come to our East Province."
"I heard about it long ago. You are lagging behind; I knew it on the first day he arrived. The young emperor who recently ascended the throne has enfeoffed the land of Yan to Gu Chen."
"That's nothing. I've heard that on Mirror Lake Mountain, Gu Chen stepped on the scions of the six major holy lands without courtesy."
"What?! Is this true? Gu Chen really deserves to be called the number one martial prodigy of the Nine Provinces in hundreds of years; even the scions from the six major holy lands are not his match."
"What's there to be surprised about? The six roamers of the great worldly holy lands are truly monstrous talents, and besides, Gu Chen dared to step on the scions of the holy lands, in my opinion, he's done for. Neither Da Xia nor Jing Tian Department will be able to protect him."
"I've heard that Vault of Sky Sword Sect is particularly protective, and now that this matter has somehow spread, it must be the work of someone with an agenda. If Vault of Sky Sword Sect finds out, they will certainly not let Gu Chen off. In my opinion, Gu Chen is as good as dead!"
"Exactly, Gu Chen is really too arrogant and presumptuous, just as the rumors describe. To dare to meddle with the scions of the six major holy lands...if the roaming swordsman of Vault of Sky Sword Sect is alarmed, a mere wave of his hand would reduce Gu Chen to ashes."
"Like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, utterly ignorant of his own capabilities. Does he think Da Xia is still the Da Xia of old? If Vault of Sky Sword Sect makes a move against Gu Chen, no one in the Nine Provinces will be able to save him."
"To me, he deserves it!"
"Hmph, I think that a martial artist should be like Gu Chen. He is truly worthy of being Marquis Wu'an of Da Xia, and he has not failed to live up to the name of the Butcher of Yan State given to him by the martial artists."
"I agree too. This time, I stand with Gu Chen."
Because of the affair between Gu Chen and the six major holy lands, an uproar ensued throughout the Nine Provinces, with some firmly supporting Gu Chen and others deeming him arrogantly overconfident.
But most people believed that having offended Vault of Sky Sword Sect, Gu Chen's life was not long for this world.
After all, the reputation of the six major holy lands had been well-established throughout the world for tens of thousands of years and was deeply rooted while the whereabouts of the Emperor of Da Xia were unknown, and the one who had recently ascended the throne was clearly unable to deter the six major holy lands.
At the same time, Xu Qing's continuous inability to find Uncle Gong's whereabouts also left him frantic and troubled.
All this, Gu Chen was unaware of because, after eliminating all his enemies and receiving the points, Gu Chen didn't waste any time and found an uninhabited mountain range to begin a retreat for cultivation.
Name: Gu Chen
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Martial Arts: Pure Yang Vajra Body (Initial Insight), Eight Desolate Azure Dragon Strength (Complete), True Yang Sword Finger (Complete), Controlling Wind Step Shadows (Minor Achievement), Star Tapping Sword Jue (Beginner), Great Void Transforming Dragon Chapter, Refining Spirit Secret, Mountain and Sea Fist Classic
Inner Strength: Great Sun Divine Illumination True Classic
Cultivation Age: 830 years
Realm: Middle stage of the Mortal Transcendence Stage
Merit Point Value: 311
Looking at the merit point value that had filled up again on the panel, Gu Chen nodded in satisfaction.
"I really hope more demonic cultivators will come. That way, my merit point value can continue to flow ceaselessly."
A smile appeared on Gu Chen's handsome face. He had already regarded the demonic cultivators as leeks, harvesting them batch by batch; this way, he could become continuously stronger.
"I hope you guys are smart enough not to let me down," Gu Chen thought, deliberating whether he should set up a trap, using himself as bait to lure the demonic cultivators in.
He had also noticed that the demonic cultivators paid great attention to him. After all, with his talent, if he continued to grow, it wouldn't take long for him to become a major threat to the Six Union God Sect, and the sect itself was acutely aware of this.
Moreover, the existence of an ancient secret realm had been confirmed, and the heirs from the six major holy lands had all appeared; the situation in East Province had become tumultuous, with countless people accumulating strength. Once the ancient secret realm emerged, there would be a fierce struggle akin to dragons and tigers clashing.
With Gu Chen's current strength, facing the wanderers from the six major holy lands, as well as Lu Xing from the Beidou Sect and Bu Nantian from Qinglong Valley, he clearly couldn't take advantage and was in no position to be their opponent.
Having decided to enter the secret realm, Gu Chen naturally refused to be just a side character or part of the scenery for others.
Furthermore, it had been confirmed that Lin Bai was the young master of the Six Union God Sect, but the opponent had already reached the Great Perfection of the Hundred Orifices Stage. Gu Chen's current cultivation was still far from his.
"Strength, in the end, it's all about strength."
Gu Chen sighed; even though his progress had been fast, he still felt it was not enough. After all, the world's situation was in constant turmoil, and the Mortal Transcendence Stage seemed somewhat inadequate.
Since the disappearance of the Human Emperor, the situation in the nine provinces had become increasingly uncontrollable. Now, even the six major holy lands had personally entered the fray.
Moreover, the words of the three previously encountered demonic cultivators had greatly preoccupied Gu Chen.
"The leaders of the Six Union God Sect, the two great Holy Envoys, the four Guardian Law Kings, and the eight Law Enforcement Elders— the strength of the demonic sects is truly unfathomable."
Gu Chen's eyebrows knit tightly. If all the high-ranking members of the Six Union God Sect were to emerge, the entire nine provinces, apart from the six major holy lands, even Da Xia as it stands, would not be able to stop them.
But what puzzled everyone was, where did the high-rankings of the Six Union God Sect get such formidable strength from?
This remained a mystery, and the reason why these people had not appeared in the world now must be due to some unknown factor restraining them.
Otherwise, if the high-rankings of the Six Union God Sect were to emerge in full force, they would have swept through the nine provinces as unbeatable adversaries long ago.
"Of course, it's also possible that the Six Union God Sect is wary of the six major holy lands," Gu Chen pondered.
However, Gu Chen had never been one to pin his hopes on others. Compared to other people, Gu Chen always believed that he himself was his greatest support.
Relying too much on external help, once the mindset changes, the path of martial arts will surely come to a standstill.
"Let's see how far I can grow in this limited time."
Gu Chen felt a sense of urgency and glanced at his left palm. If the segment of the gauntlet was willing to cooperate, Gu Chen wouldn't mind using himself as bait to fish for demonic cultivators.
At this point, Gu Chen had already figured out how to borrow power from it. He needed to offer the gauntlet something "sweet," or rather, a tribute first. The gauntlet that lurked in the depths of his flesh, with its mysterious origin, would be willing to help him.
"Essence blood, soul, divine weapons, you really are sinister."
Gu Chen murmured, feeling as if the gauntlet was like a wicked god waiting for his offerings. As long as there were enough tributes, it seemed it could fulfill all of Gu Chen's desires.
Although he was aware of this, he still had to rely on it for now.
However, with the help of the panel, Gu Chen was confident that it wouldn't take long for him to take control.
Immediately after, Gu Chen cast aside his distracting thoughts and didn't ponder anything else. Instead, he focused his mind and upgraded the Pure Yang Vajra Body, an Earth-grade body-refining martial skill, to the beginner level.
Boom!
At this moment, every part of Gu Chen's body, including the deepest flesh and blood, every part of his body, down to the tiniest of tissues, began radiating bursts of golden light. Moreover, from his pores, flares of light also burst forth. Discover exclusive tales on My Virtual Library Empire
At the same time, as Pure Yang Vajra Body reached the beginner level, Gu Chen's physical body also began to evolve, or rather, transform once again.
The eighth blood exchange had officially begun!
"An Earthly Martial Skill that has only reached the beginner level actually requires as much as ninety-one merit points to be consumed?!" Seeing the remaining merit point value on the panel, Gu Chen was immediately shocked. This kind of consumption was somewhat terrifying.
Spurt!
Suddenly, Gu Chen's shoulder exploded, and blood spattered. But he was already accustomed to such a violent method of blood exchange. He remained unfazed, silently enduring it.
Although the method was much more violent compared to other martial artists during blood exchange, the enhancement of Gu Chen's flesh was also significantly greater than others.
Soon, as time flowed by, the old blood within Gu Chen's body was nearly depleted. Deep within his body, his bone marrow glowed, new blood slowly generated, nurturing his body.
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