Chapter 525 - 525: Past Body, Future Body
Thinking of the attack of a pinnacle expert in the Combined Aperture Tempering realm, Chen Fei’s scalp felt a bit numb. Forget the pinnacle of the Combined Aperture Tempering realm, even in the late Combined Aperture Tempering realm, Chen Fei wouldn’t be able to withstand it.
To have any chance with this spiritual treasure, he needed to have the capability to seize it.
In front of everyone’s watchful eyes, where the spiritual treasure was, all eyes would be on it. Taking a step back, even if Chen Fei could obtain the spiritual treasure, the significant question remained – how could he safely leave afterward?
This matter wasn’t over just by obtaining the spiritual treasure.
If the spiritual treasure fell into the hands of another pinnacle expert in the Combined Aperture Tempering realm, and that expert could smoothly break through the encirclement, then this matter would essentially end here.
With the power of a pinnacle expert in the Combined Aperture Tempering realm, holding a refined spiritual treasure, even if it was damaged, it would undoubtedly amplify their strength.
In such a scenario, that pinnacle Combined Aperture Tempering realm expert had essentially distanced themselves from others in essence. Other forces’ Combined Aperture Tempering realm pinnacles, even if they felt reluctant, would ultimately have to accept it with clenched teeth.
However, if this spiritual treasure ended up in Chen Fei’s hands, being merely in the early Combined Aperture Tempering realm, the spiritual treasure’s amplification wouldn’t elevate him to the level of a pinnacle Combined Aperture Tempering realm expert.
Without a powerful force backing him up, if the spiritual treasure truly fell into Chen Fei’s hands, it would mark the beginning of a bloody slaughter.
Despite being a top-tier presence in the early Combined Aperture Tempering realm with his agility, in the eyes of pinnacle Combined Aperture Tempering realm experts, Chen Fei was somewhat lacking.
Whether Chen Fei could hold onto the spiritual treasure for even a few moments after directly taking it was a massive question.
Chen Fei’s gaze shifted as he surveyed the area within a ten-mile radius of the spiritual treasure.
There were no formations; these sects hadn’t set up any formations around the area. Instead, they relied on sheer numbers and a sufficient amount of Combined Aperture Tempering realm experts with formidable strength.
Faced with such power, forces from different levels had no room to intervene, and thus, there was no need for any formations.
“Let’s go.”
With a calm expression, Chen Fei took in the surroundings and then turned to fly toward the outskirts.
After a while, the three of them found a mountain peak to land on.
The process of extracting the spiritual treasure would take another month, and now they could only wait patiently. For practitioners at the Combined Aperture Tempering realm, a month wasn’t considered a long time, and a simple cultivation session would easily pass the time.
Qin Haishan and Tong Zhongqiu began studying the Three Lives Mysterious Flower technique.
Although it had many errors and omissions, there was still valuable information within it. If they could glean something from it, it would undoubtedly be of great assistance to their body techniques and concealment techniques.
Chen Fei sat cross-legged, flipping through the jade slip in his hand.
Normally, at this moment, Chen Fei would be immersed in practicing his techniques. However, the matter of the spiritual treasure had been constantly on his mind, and it was hard for him to focus.
There was no denying that the allure of the spiritual treasure was immense.
When he came here, Chen Fei had initially only wanted to gain some spiritual insights to clarify the path to advancing to the Mountain Sea Realm. As for the spiritual treasure, he genuinely had no desire for it.
After all, there were so many powerful individuals here, and Chen Fei’s strength was utterly insufficient.
If Chen Fei had already reached the pinnacle of the Combined Aperture Tempering realm, he would definitely participate in the competition. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the ability to do so now.
But, unexpectedly, the spiritual treasure resonated with him and even gave him a sense of ownership that no one else could possess.
This was quite frustrating. He couldn’t bring himself to give up, but he also felt like he lacked the capability to pursue it.
Various thoughts flashed through Chen Fei’s mind, but he ultimately dismissed them one by one. There were indeed several methods, but they all required the support of power.
If Chen Fei had the cultivation of the late Combined Aperture Tempering realm, the hope of obtaining the spiritual treasure would be very high.
However, in the early Combined Aperture Tempering realm, his cultivation was too low, and there was virtually no chance.
“What’s the connection between this spiritual treasure and the Suppressing Dragon Elephant? Did the former owner of the spiritual treasure also practice the Suppressing Dragon Elephant, or is it the creator of the Suppressing Dragon Elephant?”
This question remained unanswered for Chen Fei. The only way to possibly find out would be if he managed to obtain the spiritual treasure.
As night fell, stars sparkled in the sky. Chen Fei spent the entire night pondering but couldn’t come up with a good solution. In the end, he decided to stop thinking about it and started studying the Three Lives Mysterious Flower.
This technique, when originally demonstrated by Master Xilian, did indeed leave Chen Fei quite impressed. It was a fusion of various eye techniques, as without a combination of several, it would be impossible to trace Master Xilian’s footsteps.
Unfortunately, what Chen Fei eventually obtained from Master Xilian was only a fragmented version. Many critical aspects had been deliberately modified by Master Xilian.
At first glance, the technique appeared complete, but if followed step by step in cultivation, it would undoubtedly lead to significant problems.
“Sort! Integrate!”
“Discover the technique, Three Lives Slicing Shadow Sword!”
“Simplifying the Three Lives Slicing Shadow Sword… Simplification successful… Three Lives Slicing Shadow Sword Profound Light Slicing Shadow Sword!”
A few hours ago, the freshly obtained hundred pieces of high-grade elemental stones, which were still warm in his hands, disappeared as the cost for simplification, leaving Chen Fei feeling a bit pained.
That was a hundred pieces of high-grade elemental stones, and they were gone just like that. Lately, Chen Fei had been spending an exorbitant amount of elemental stones in his efforts to simplify various techniques.
Even the simplest technique in the Combined Aperture Tempering realm, like the Azure Sky Technique, had cost Chen Fei a considerable number of high-grade elemental stones. Although the Three Lives Mysterious Flower had many gaps, sorting and merging it didn’t come cheap either.
“My proficiency has dropped to halfway into the Perfect Realm, but it has raised the level of the technique a bit.”
Chen Fei remarked as he looked at the new Profound Light Slicing Shadow Sword.
Due to Master Xilian’s modifications, the reorganized Three Lives Mysterious Flower no longer possessed the mystical elements that could help achieve the Mountain Sea Realm without traversing three lifetimes.
However, it had enhanced Chen Fei’s body technique, particularly the most profound move that could separate into two illusions representing the past and the future, merging with the main body.
Reading the description, it seemed extremely impressive.
In reality, there were no past and future selves; such a mystical concept was actually just the creation of two illusions. It was similar to creating duplicates, yet different from shadow clones or substitutes.
However, in terms of enhancing body technique, it indeed had a unique and extraordinary effect. It allowed for instantaneous bursts of power in an extremely short amount of time. Moreover, it provided a significant boost to attacks.
However, all of these thoughts and techniques seemed to have no effect when it came to the competition for the spiritual treasure.
Chen Fei’s mind involuntarily returned to the topic of the spiritual treasure, which made him chuckle bitterly. The allure of the spiritual treasure had completely disrupted his mental state.
However, it would likely be difficult for anyone to remain calm in such a situation. Otherwise, those pinnacle Combined Aperture Tempering realm experts wouldn’t have eagerly rushed here and even divided the forbidden zone within a ten-mile radius among themselves.
Clearly, they were here to ensure that everything went as planned and to prevent any possible accidents. As for the spiritual insights, it wasn’t their top concern.
As days passed, the other Combined Aperture Tempering realm experts who had been wandering in other areas of this region gradually returned, quietly awaiting the moment when the spiritual treasure would emerge.
Chen Fei remained seated on the mountain peak, refraining from participating in any bustling markets or smaller trading events. Instead, he focused earnestly on cultivating his new techniques.
Qin Haishan and Tong Zhongqiu left a few times but quickly returned.
As the number of Combined Aperture Tempering realm experts in the vicinity increased, conflicts began to erupt more frequently.
This place was not like the Thousand Feathers Alliance, where many of the original rules had been weakened. Any preexisting enmity could easily escalate into physical confrontations.
This competition felt like a prelude to the emergence of the spiritual treasure, and the atmosphere was gradually becoming tense. As the time drew nearer, the tension in the air became more palpable.
All the Combined Aperture Tempering realm experts here were competitors when it came to the scattered spiritual insights. When someone took a share, it meant fewer opportunities for others.
Those who willingly came here, knowing the situation, were all individuals with aspirations for their own martial paths. People like Tong Zhongqiu, who were solely concerned with passing on their sect’s legacy, were a minority.
“We’ve found the person who ambushed Teng Daoxuan. A senior elder from the Tianya Sect, who’s in the late Combined Aperture Tempering realm, took care of him. That person is probably in dire straits,” Qin Haishan whispered by the campfire.
During his several outings to gather information about the recent developments in the vicinity, there hadn’t been any major incidents. It was mostly the same as before, with only some minor rumors circulating.
“They actually found him?” Chen Fei was somewhat surprised by Qin Haishan’s words.
The fact that the person who had ambushed Teng Daoxuan hadn’t left the area was audacious, to say the least. Either they were incredibly bold or had some hidden confidence that they wouldn’t be discovered. It turned out that their actions had drawn the attention of a senior elder from the Tianya Sect.
Although Teng Daoxuan had been seriously injured but not killed in the ambush, it was clear that the attacker’s cultivation was only in the early Combined Aperture Tempering realm. Escaping from a pursuit by a late Combined Aperture Tempering realm expert with such a low cultivation level would be highly unlikely.
Not everyone possessed techniques like the Three Lives Mysterious Flower, which was unique to Master Xilian.
“I heard there were some grudges from the past, but I don’t know the specifics,” Qin Haishan shook his head.
Chen Fei nodded in agreement. Such matters were often treated as gossip, and no one would delve too deeply into them. Currently, everyone’s attention was focused on the spiritual treasure.
“Two members of the Zhao family are also in the vicinity,” Tong Zhongqiu added.
The Zhao family was the former royal family. However, with the fall of Imperial City, the Zhao family had lost its last stronghold, and their chances of continuing to control the kingdom had diminished.
Although the Zhao family still had two Combined Aperture Tempering realm experts, one of them was already quite old, even older than Tong Zhongqiu.
In such a situation, they could at most establish their own power base.
No one in the vicinity seemed to be targeting the two members of the Zhao family. Ultimately, with only two early Combined Aperture Tempering realm experts, they were considered inconsequential in the eyes of factions like the Tianya Sect.
Chen Fei didn’t have much of an opinion about the Zhao family. At most, he was interested in the various techniques they had collected in Imperial City.
However, when Imperial City fell and the Zhao family fled with their people, everything inside the city was looted by others.
After a brief chat, the three of them entered their respective states of cultivation.
As time passed, in the blink of an eye, it was time for the Elemental Tide, which marked the moment when this damaged spiritual treasure would truly emerge.
Within the ten-mile radius around the spiritual treasure, individuals from various factions stood scattered, waiting for the spiritual treasure to appear and the spiritual insights to fall.
Beyond the ten-mile radius, a ring of other Combined Aperture Tempering realm experts had gathered, including those in the middle and even late Combined Aperture Tempering realm..