393: Chapter 393 Transformation

"Then I shall not stand on ceremony."

Pavilion Master Shen's expression darkened, and his Divine Sense suddenly moved. The Star-Patterned Purple-Gold Eagle immediately let out a sharp metallic cry. With a shake of its wings, its body dove down like an arrow leaving a bow. Spiritual Qi gathered frantically around it, condensing into a massive spiritual claw in front of its talons that blotted out the sun. Carrying a momentum that seemed to tear the heavens asunder, it pressed down toward Chen Xuan's head.

Chen Xuan stood in place without moving an inch, letting the wild winds whip his robes. Only when the massive spiritual claw was about to reach him did he slowly raise his right hand. A layer of faint green light swirled in his palm; it appeared soft, yet it was indeed a God-Tier Divine Ability.

"Boom!"

Violent energy exploded with a bang, as layers of Spiritual Qi ripples surged and spread in all directions. A powerful gale howled past, causing the sleeves of everyone on the distant clouds to flap wildly.

Gu Yunshen did not feel surprised that Chen Xuan could take this move. If he didn't even have this much skill, there would be no need for an alliance between the Dao Seeking Sect and Tiangong Pavilion.

Pavilion Master Shen was likewise not surprised, merely letting out a cold snort with a hint of impatience in his tone:

"You have some tricks. Take another move from me!"

His hands quickly formed seals as he silently chanted obscure incantations. The star patterns across the Star-Patterned Purple-Gold Eagle's body suddenly lit up, and its brilliant purple-gold light almost pierced through the clouds. As the giant eagle beat its wings forcefully, purple-gold sharp arrows condensed from pure Spiritual Qi appeared out of thin air. The arrowheads glinted with a cold, frigid light, densely packed in mid-air.

The next moment!

With a sudden flap of the giant eagle's wings, the sky full of purple-gold arrows shrouded Chen Xuan like a torrential downpour, sealing off all paths of evasion, determined to force him into a desperate situation.

"Rumble—!"

A sudden thunderclap exploded in the sky, which had become covered in dark clouds at some unknown point. Beneath the dark canopy, a thick bolt of purple lightning crashed down, intercepting the path between Chen Xuan and the purple-gold arrows with unerring precision. The power of thunder erupted instantly, and the arrows vanished within the lightning like moths to a flame.

Gu Yunshen, standing to the side, caught his breath slightly, a flash of surprise in his eyes: the grade of this lightning Divine Ability was clearly not low.

It seemed this person's skill should not be inferior to his own.

Chen Xuan nodded slightly and looked toward Pavilion Master Shen, saying loudly, "Pavilion Master Shen, there is no need to hold back. Since this is a sparring match, just use your true skills, lest people look down on your Sect's foundation."

Pavilion Master Shen did not speak. Having his attacks neutralized twice in a casual manner had already ignited a nameless fire in his heart, and his face grew increasingly grim.

The next moment!

The Star-Patterned Purple-Gold Eagle suddenly erupted with dazzling purple-gold light. Under the infusion of Spiritual Qi, its size ballooned to over fifty feet. Its beak opened wide, and a purple light sphere, condensed to the extreme, quickly gathered before its beak. The surrounding sea of clouds boiled and churned, and even space itself rippled under the pressure of this terrifying energy. Its power was daunting.

"A God-Tier Divine Ability... Pavilion Master Shen is truly being pushed to his limit."

Dongfang Li's beautiful brows knitted tightly together. She subconsciously took half a step forward, wanting to speak out to stop them, but then hesitated slightly.

The two were still in the middle of a spar, after all, and she was truly curious in her heart as to how this deep-hiding Peak Master Chen would respond to this move.

Chen Xuan looked up at the purple light sphere that contained the power to tear through space. His expression remained calm as he slowly raised his hands with palms facing each other. As a wisp of ink-colored radiance flowed, an ink-colored longsword quietly emerged in mid-air.

At that moment, the Star-Patterned Purple-Gold Eagle let out a cry that shook the clouds. The purple light sphere, condensed to its peak, suddenly shot forth, hurtling toward Chen Xuan with unstoppable momentum.

"Boom—!"

After an ear-splitting explosion, the purple light sphere burst apart, turning into a sky full of violent energy ripples that scattered and swept in all directions.

However, a highly condensed ink-colored Sword Qi soared into the sky with irresistible force, appearing as if it would cleave a crack directly through the dark heavens.

Before Pavilion Master Shen could react to what had happened, an invisible barrier quietly rose amidst flowing rosy light, completely isolating him from the outside world.

"Bang—!"

The Tiangong Pavilion Master was suddenly startled, only to discover in horror that he could no longer sense any trace of the Star-Patterned Purple-Gold Eagle's presence. His Divine Sense was completely empty, as if he had lost all connection with the Mechanical Beast he had nurtured day and night. He felt as if he had been entirely stripped away from this world, isolated and without help.

Warning bells rang in his heart, and he dared not be negligent in the slightest. Golden Spiritual Qi suddenly erupted from his body, all of it poured into his palm as he struck out fiercely at the invisible barrier in front of him.

"Crack!"

With a crisp sound, a tiny crack suddenly appeared on the invisible barrier. Immediately following that, spiderweb-like fractures spread rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye. That seemingly solid spatial barrier showed signs of imminent collapse.

A bone-chilling cold instantly shot from Pavilion Master Shen's feet to the crown of his head. This South Pavilion Master of the Tiangong Pavilion, famous throughout the Nine Provinces Continent, actually felt an intuition of life and death, his hair standing on end.

Seeing this from the outside, Dongfang Li's expression changed drastically, and she suddenly cried out, "Peak Master Chen, please stop!"

Gu Yunshen, beside her, also had his brows locked in a tight frown, his face full of confusion and gravity. He could no longer sense Pavilion Master Shen's presence at all. What exactly was going on?

Could it be the Man in White Robes's doing?

Just as this thought flashed through Gu Yunshen's mind, the next moment!

The space shrouded by that eerie power suddenly shattered. As the rosy light dissipated, Pavilion Master Shen's figure reappeared in their sight, unharmed. However, at this moment, his previous arrogance was long gone. Fine beads of cold sweat covered his forehead, and his expression carried the lingering fear of someone who had just survived a catastrophe.

He raised his hand to quickly wipe the sweat from his brow and bowed respectfully to Chen Xuan with cupped hands, his tone incredibly sincere: "Thank you, Peak Master Chen, for showing mercy. I, Shen Cang, will never forget your guidance."

Chen Xuan chuckled. "Pavilion Master Shen, you flatter me. My Dao Seeking Sect is but an ordinary Sect in the cultivation world. How could we deserve such solemn treatment from a Pavilion Master of the Tiangong Pavilion?"

To translate it simply: I still preferred your arrogant and unyielding attitude from before; could you please bring it back?

Shen Cang hurriedly bowed again, lowering his posture even further, his face full of embarrassment. "Peak Master Chen, please do not make fun of me."

He was absolutely certain just now that if this Peak Master Chen hadn't stayed his hand, he would have been at least heavily injured and on the verge of death, if not dead.

Thinking about it now, the skill of this Man in White Robes was far more than just a little bit above his own. That previous comment about 'the two of you attacking together' wasn't some arrogant boast; it was clearly backed by absolute strength!

Chen Xuan withdrew his gaze and turned to look at Gu Yunshen, who had a complicated expression. "Pavilion Master Gu, since Pavilion Master Shen has already sparred, why don't you come up and give me some guidance as well?"

"This..."

Gu Yunshen's face immediately turned awkward, the muscles at the corner of his mouth twitching slightly. His cultivation base was roughly on par with Shen Cang's, making them about equal. Now that Shen Cang had ended up in such a pathetic state, how much better could he fare if he went up? It would just be asking for trouble.

Seeing this, Dongfang Li quickly smoothed things over with a soft voice: "Peak Master Chen, please stop joking. This spar has already taken up quite a bit of time. With the Secret Realm about to open, it is better for us to head to the Heavenly Tribulation Continent's waters as soon as possible, lest we miss the hour."

At this point, she paused, her eyes slowly sweeping over Shen Cang and Gu Yunshen. "Do you two have anything else to say now?"