395: Chapter 389 Scheming Against Huang Wanfu, Chen Zhiwen's Cunning

He felt as though he were omnipotent; even if the sky were to collapse, he could punch a hole right through it.

Just then.

Huang Wanfu keenly sensed the violent fluctuations of Heaven and Earth Origin Qi coming from outside the city, as well as the sky-shaking cries of battle.

He turned his head, his gaze seemingly piercing through the obstacles of space to see the tragic battlefield outside Heavenly Sword City, as well as the Black Bone Ship radiating the terrifying pressure of the Nascent Soul Stage in the sky.

"Enemy attack? The Demonic Path?"

Not only did Huang Wanfu feel no fear, but his eyes erupted with an unprecedented fanatical light.

"Well come! You've come at the perfect time!"

"That greenhorn Chen Zhiwen is probably as anxious as an ant on a hot pan right now, isn't he? How could a fellow who just arrived in the Southern Wilderness not long ago possibly withstand a Demonic Path army of this scale?"

Huang Wanfu calculated frantically in his heart as an extremely bold and crazed plan took shape in his mind.

"This old man is already a Golden Core Stage powerhouse! If I don't strike now, then when?"

"I will display my, Huang Wanfu's, peerless elegance before everyone! I will repel these Demonic Path prodigies single-handedly! I'll let Chen Zhiwen see who the true savior of Heavenly Sword City is!"

"Once I've saved the lives of the millions in this city, what right will Chen Zhiwen have to treat the Huang Family as a mere vassal? He'll have to respectfully invite me to the seat of honor and present the second half of the Mystic Water True Scripture with both hands!"

At this thought, Huang Wanfu could no longer restrain his inner excitement.

He flicked his sleeve abruptly, and the deep blue true essence on his body erupted.

"Whoosh—!"

He transformed into a brilliant streak of blue light, cutting through the pitch-black night sky and heading straight for the outer city walls of Heavenly Sword City with an invincible and arrogant Aura.

...

Atop the outer walls of Heavenly Sword City.

Chen Zhiwen was still watching the impending clash of flesh and blood in the buffer zone below.

Suddenly, his brow twitched slightly as if he had sensed something.

He slowly turned his head and looked toward Crescent Moon Valley.

He saw a deep blue streak of light rising from the city in an extremely flamboyant manner, as if afraid others wouldn't notice, heading straight for the city wall.

Before the light arrived, Huang Wanfu's vigorous voice, laced with the pressure of the Golden Core Stage, came rolling in like thunder:

"Grand Elder, do not panic! I, Huang Wanfu, am here! How dare mere Demonic Path prodigies invade my Heavenly Sword City? Watch as I slay these demons today and manifest the Divine Might of the Righteous Path!"

The voice was incredibly loud; not only did the guards on the wall hear it clearly, but even the Loose Cultivators below who were waiting for death in despair looked up, a glimmer of hope flashing in their eyes.

"It's... it's a Golden Core powerhouse!"

"We're saved! We have a Golden Core powerhouse in the city too!"

A burst of excited cheering erupted from the crowd below.

Hearing these cheers, the smugness on Huang Wanfu's face in mid-air intensified to the extreme.

He paused showily in mid-air, striking a pose he deemed majestic, before slowly descending beside Chen Zhiwen.

He did not bow deeply to Chen Zhiwen as he had before; instead, he merely cupped his hands slightly, his chin tilted up, his eyes even carrying a hint of haughty equality.

"Grand Elder, I did not fail my mission. Having had a sudden realization, I fortunately broke through to the Golden Core Stage." Huang Wanfu deliberately emphasized the words "Golden Core Stage," as if reminding Chen Zhiwen of his current status.

"There is no need for the Grand Elder to personally deal with those rabble outside. Lest they dirty your hands. I shall go now and suppress them all!"

As Huang Wanfu spoke, he prepared to manifest his Magic Treasure and charge off the wall.

However, the expression of surprise or wariness he expected from Chen Zhiwen did not appear.

Chen Zhiwen just stood there quietly, as if watching a comical clown perform.

There was even a hint of an absurdly cold sneer curling at the corner of Chen Zhiwen's mouth.

"Golden Core?"

Chen Zhiwen's voice was soft, yet it seemed to possess a magic that could pierce the Soul.

He slowly turned around and looked at Huang Wanfu with a condescending gaze, as if looking at a dead man.

"Fellow Daoist Huang, why don't you look down first and see exactly what it is that has formed in your Dantian."

Hearing this, the smile on Huang Wanfu's face froze.

An extremely ominous premonition instantly shrouded his heart.

He subconsciously inspected his Dantian.

The next second.

"Pfft—!"

Huang Wanfu's originally ruddy face instantly turned a sickly green. He jerked his mouth open,

And a large mouthful of blood, mixed with countless shards of black ice, sprayed out!

"This... how is this possible... my Golden Core... what happened to my Golden Core?!"

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, this "Golden Core powerhouse" who had just been shouting about saving the world,

Suddenly collapsed to his knees in the rain like a puppet with its strings cut, letting out a wail more miserable and desperate than a vengeful ghost.

Chen Zhiwen stood with his hands behind his back, not even deigning to look at him again, as he turned his gaze back to the asura field below the city that was about to be stained red with blood.

"With only this much ability, you dare to come begging?" he murmured softly, as if evaluating a piece of insignificant trash.

Cold rainwater slid down Huang Wanfu's sickly green face, but the moment it touched his chin, it froze without warning into black icicles radiating a ghostly light.

"Drip-drop—"

The black icicles hit the hard bluestone floor, making a crisp sound that echoed with endless despair as they shattered.

"Pfft—!"

Huang Wanfu arched his back violently again, looking like a shrimp thrown into boiling water. A large mouthful of black ice shards mixed with shattered internal organs sprayed from deep within his throat, which rasped like a leaking bellows.

The black blood drew a tragic arc in mid-air, splashing straight toward the tips of Chen Zhiwen's flawless, moon-white robes.

However, just as the filth was about to touch the hem of Chen Zhiwen's clothes, an invisible and mirror-smooth true essence shield quietly emerged, deflecting all the dirty ice shards into the nearby mud.

"This... it's impossible... my Golden Core... how could my Golden Core be like this?!"

Huang Wanfu clutched his Dantian tightly with both hands, his ten withered fingers even tearing through his robes and sinking deep into his flesh.

But he couldn't feel the slightest bit of pain, because an extreme cold, a hundred times more agonizing than being sliced a thousand times, had completely stripped away his pain receptors.

He looked up in disbelief, his eyes that had just been bursting with blue light and filled with arrogance now covered in a dense, spider-web-like mesh of black blood vessels.

His pupils trembled violently as he stared fixedly at the cold and indifferent Chen Zhiwen, his voice as shrill as the cry of a night owl: "Chen Zhiwen! You... what exactly did you do to me!"

The gale and torrential rain raged wildly between the two. Chen Zhiwen quietly looked down at Huang Wanfu, who was kneeling on the ground with his life force rapidly fading. In those eyes, deep as a cold pool,

Not a single ripple appeared. There was only that high-and-mighty pity and mockery, as if looking at an ant.

"What did I do?" The corners of Chen Zhiwen's mouth curled up slightly, forming an arc colder than the wind and rain. "Fellow Daoist Huang, your question is a bit too naive.

What could I possibly do to you? You chose the Cultivation Technique yourself, you entered seclusion yourself, and even this act of drawing in Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi to force a Core Formation was your own decision. Why are you questioning me now that something has gone wrong?"

"You're lying! Stop being so hypocritical!" Huang Wanfu let out a hysterical roar, but the shout strained his Meridians, which were shattering inch by inch, causing him to cough violently again,

Large clouds of black cold air billowed from his mouth, instantly freezing the rainwater within a several-foot radius into ice sculptures,

"It's that half of the Mystic Water True Scripture! There must be something wrong with the technique you gave me! You despicable, shameless villain! You, the Grand Elder of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect, actually used such underhanded means to plot against me, a Foundation Establishment Cultivator!"

Chen Zhiwen did not get angry at Huang Wanfu's insults; he merely shook his head gently and extended a long, fair finger, tracing a circle in the air with great nonchalance.

"Huang Wanfu, oh Huang Wanfu, even now, do you still want to push the responsibility onto a Cultivation Technique?" Chen Zhiwen's voice was as calm as if he were recounting an insignificant trifle, but this calm tone fell upon Huang Wanfu's ears like thunder from the Nine Heavens,

"The Mystic Water True Scripture I gave you is indeed a Profound-grade technique from the Central Plains, without a single word altered.

Its circulation path and breathing methods are all perfect. The reason you were able to feel your Meridians expanding, your true essence surging, and even touch the threshold of Core Formation in just a few days is all thanks to this technique."

"Since there's nothing wrong with the technique, where did this damn cold air in my body come from! You monster! You must have poisoned the Jade Slip!"

Huang Wanfu struggled desperately to stand up, but his legs were completely covered in black ice and had lost all sensation. He could only writhe futilely in the puddles like a dying stray dog.

"Poison? I wouldn't deign to use such low-level methods." Chen Zhiwen leaned down slightly, his eyes like two sharp scalpels,

Ruthlessly dissecting Huang Wanfu's last bit of dignity. "The most fatal poison in this world has never been Crane's Red or Qianji Poison, but human greed."

Chen Zhiwen paused, looking at Huang Wanfu's already contorted face, and continued unhurriedly, "Though that Mystic Water True Scripture is exquisite, it is, after all, an extremely Yin and cold water-attribute technique.

In the Central Plains, any Disciple who practices this technique must simultaneously cultivate a secret art called the 'Sea Suppressing Formula',

Used to neutralize the Profane Dark Cold Qi that accumulates within the body. Without the suppression of the 'Sea Suppressing Formula', the more Spiritual Qi you absorb and the more robust your true essence becomes,

The stronger that cold qi hidden in the depths of your true essence will grow. On ordinary days, this cold qi remains dormant and even helps you stabilize your Meridians, giving you an illusion of rapid progress. But once you attempt to condense a Golden Core and compress all your true essence to the extreme..."