Chapter 176 Supreme Grandmaster of the Physical Body

After a few breaths, Yan Chu opened his eyes.

A flash of divine light flickered in his eyes, then immediately vanished as the brilliance became restrained.

[Cultivation: Ninth Realm Mountain Shaking Realm Late Stage]

[Cultivation Technique: Three Points Returning to Origin Qi (Ninth Layer 565366/1000000), Indestructible Vajra Divine Art (Eighth Layer 401631/450000)]

After his cultivation reached the Late Stage of the Ninth Realm, the Indestructible Vajra Divine Art also increased slightly, but the improvement was not significant.

Now that this tempering divine art had reached the Eighth Layer, the growth brought by the improvement in cultivation was no longer as effective as it was in the beginning.

Perhaps only by breaking through the Mountain Shaking Realm and advancing from a Supreme Grandmaster to the Heavenly Human Realm could it be pushed to the Ninth Layer in one go, right?

However, Yan Chu certainly did not intend to wait that long.

Not to mention that a great battle with Sima Tao was imminent, so he needed to increase his means of dealing with the enemy.

Relying solely on the Three Points Returning to Origin Qi was not enough to ascend from Mortal to Heaven.

The highest level of this technique was the Ninth Layer, and it could only be cultivated to the Mountain Shaking Realm.

If he wanted to open the Divine Treasury and break through from the Ninth Realm to the Heavenly Human Realm, he would have to look for other methods.

Heavenly Human, that was the truly top-tier existence in this world.

They could suppress a country alone and sweep across nineteen prefectures.

Those ten top experts on the Heaven Ranking were all Celestial Being Experts who had opened their Divine Treasuries; they were elusive, and not to mention ordinary Jianghu people, even Supreme Grandmasters found it hard to see them even once.

Yan Chu had learned from Zhu Qingluan that behind the Great Jin Dynasty, there were at least four Heavenly Humans standing.

In other places, such as Southern Wei, Northern Mang, and the Western Regions, there were also varying numbers of Heavenly Humans stationed.

A Supreme Grandmaster could run rampant in one prefecture.

But in the context of the whole world, they were at best just the backbone force; they were invincible among Mortals, but in front of Celestial Being Experts who could be called land immortals, they were no different from other ordinary Martial Artists.

Like that "Heavenly King Xue" who rebelled in Liangzhou, Yan Chu did not believe that he could stir up boundless turmoil with just his Mountain Shaking Realm cultivation without a Heavenly Human as his backer.

Otherwise, the Great Jin Imperial Court could just send a Celestial Being Expert, and the rebellion would be quelled in an instant.

Shaking his head, Yan Chu dispelled the distracting thoughts.

Celestial Being Experts were elusive and were all the foundation of the world's top powers, rarely walking in the Jianghu.

His current strength could not even reach the Earth Ranking, so thinking about those things was too far off.

"Add the remaining 110,000 experience points all to the Indestructible Vajra Divine Art!"

Even if he added all this experience to the Three Points Returning to Origin Qi, it would not be enough to break through to the Peak of the Mountain Shaking Realm.

It was better to add it all to the Indestructible Vajra Divine Art and break through to the Physical Body Supreme Grandmaster Realm.

In this way, his defense would greatly increase, and he might even be able to exchange a few moves with Sima Tao with his Physical Body alone.

Of course, relying on the Indestructible Vajra Divine Art that had just broken through to the Ninth Layer, he would certainly not be a match for Sima Tao; the best result would probably be like the battle between Cheng Shifei and the Divine Marquis, where he could cause injuries to the opponent but would ultimately be defeated himself.

However, he was not only a Physical Body Supreme Grandmaster but also had the cultivation of the Late Stage of the Mountain Shaking Realm. With the addition of both, taking down Sima Tao would not be a problem!

Whoosh!

As soon as Yan Chu finished speaking, all the experience points were added to the Indestructible Vajra Divine Art.

The strength of his Qi and blood, muscles, and bones began to surge crazily.

His entire flesh and bones began to emit golden light, as if turning into tiny golden particles, casting him into a little golden man.

As he circulated his Cultivation Technique, golden light burst from his whole body, and every strand of hair flowed with golden light, revealing an indestructible essence.

It was so conspicuous in the dark night!

At the same time, Yan Chu's control over his own flesh and blood became even more subtle.

He could clearly feel that his vitality had become more vigorous and flourishing, and his Lifespan had probably increased as well.

Clang!

He waved his hand and brushed his chest lightly, and the crisp sound of metal clashing spread far away, as if it were truly two pieces of steel rubbing against each other, not a flesh-and-blood body.

Physical Body Supreme Grandmaster, achieved!

...

Soaring Province was located in the north of the Great Jin Dynasty, connected to the Region.

Ever since Heavenly King Xue's army broke through the Region, the current Soaring Province was in a state of extreme tension, with every tree and bush looking like an enemy soldier.

A large number of Jianghu people had already fled Soaring Province, carrying their families and leaving for other prefectures of the Great Jin Dynasty.

For a time, there was no sign of human habitation for hundreds of miles in Soaring Province.

In this martial arts province that used to be bustling and lively, only some ordinary people remained in their homes.

More people were conscripted by the government and deployed to the front lines of Soaring Province.

Nowadays, on every major official road in Soaring Province, imperial government troops had set up checkpoints for interrogation; without a travel permit, not even a bird could easily enter or leave.

As one of the four great gangs in the world, the headquarters of the Changle Gang was located in Soaring Province.

Now, because the rebel army was eyeing them covetously, the Changle Gang was conscripted by the government and ordered to guard Soaring Province together with the official army. All the powerful figures in the gang could not leave and had to coordinate with the imperial army for defense.

At this moment, at the Changle Gang headquarters.

Although it was already night, there were guards every five steps and sentries every ten steps, and torches were bright, illuminating the entire Changle Gang.

As one of the four great gangs in the world, the Changle Gang was wealthy and powerful.

The Hexian City where it was located was built because of the Changle Gang.

Seventy percent of the population of the entire city were members of the Changle Gang and their relatives, and there were also branch offices of the Changle Gang in neighboring prefectures.

The previous Region had a Changle Gang branch office.

However, after the rebel army occupied the Region, the branch office in the Region suffered heavy losses, and only a few people like the branch leader Li Guodong escaped back.

In the main hall of the Changle Gang leader.

Mao Yi sat upright on a large and thick grand master chair, his thick-jointed right hand stroking the armrest of the chair, his eyes deep, wondering what he was thinking about.

"Has there been no news from Protector Meng yet?"

"Replying to the Leader, not yet!"

A voice suddenly sounded from somewhere in the main hall.

Mao Yi closed his eyes slightly and nodded silently.

Cangzhou Prefecture was ten thousand miles away from Soaring Province, spanning almost half of the Great Jin Dynasty from east to west.

To send a message, even with the fastest eagle messenger, it would take three or four days.

He was not too anxious.

The death of his son, Dongchen, was almost certain.

The most important thing now was to find the murderer.

Daring to kill his only son, even if the other party was a Heavenly King, he would tear them into pieces!

"Report!!"

At this moment, news came from outside suddenly.

Mao Yi immediately stood up and said:

"Is it news from Cangzhou Prefecture?"

"Reporting to the Leader!"

The messenger knelt outside the hall and reported:

"General Leng sent an urgent order, saying that they monitored the rebel army gathering in the Tianma Ridge area in the west, and requested the Leader to go to the main camp to discuss matters!"

The urgency on Mao Yi's face slowly faded, he sat down slowly, and waved his hand:

"I know, you may go!"

"Yes!"

Mao Yi sat in the main hall for a while longer, then got up and said:

"I will go to Chaoyang City now. You keep an eye on the news, and notify me whenever there is a situation!"

"Yes!"

The voice sounded in the main hall again, and as Mao Yi left, the echo gradually disappeared in the main hall.

Just after Mao Yi left, a black-feathered goshawk fell from the sky and landed in the Changle Gang.

A piece of news was quickly presented to the main hall and then passed into the hands of the Leader's wife.

"Chen'er..."

A heart-wrenching cry rang out in the dark night, causing all the Changle Gang Disciples to turn their heads and look towards where the Leader's wife was.

...

Time moves forward one day.

A team of people left the Imperial Palace, arrived in Cangzhou Prefecture, dusty and tired, and entered the World Society.

The leader was Eunuch Sun, whom Yan Chu had met last time.

"Iron Brush Scholar" Tong Zhiyuan accompanied him.

Still in the main hall from last time, Yan Chu received Eunuch Sun and his party.

Only this time, Eunuch Sun's attitude was extremely good, and he was respectful to Yan Chu.

After all, the current Yan Chu was different from the past.

He was a genuine Supreme Grandmaster.

Even with his own strength, he defeated three people of the same level in a row; his strength was so strong that even the palace had to pay attention to him.

Thinking about how he was at odds with the other party not long ago.

He even thought that his challenge to Sima Tao was overestimating his capabilities and that he would definitely die at Sima Tao's hands; how ridiculous was that thought?

In the upcoming battle, it was really hard to say who would win and who would lose.

Thinking about it now, what he considered Yan Chu's arrogance at that time was more of a kind of self-confidence.

"This servant has seen Great Hero Yan!"

"Congratulations to Great Hero Yan for defeating four Supreme Grandmasters, famous throughout the world; even the Empress Dowager praises Great Hero Yan endlessly."

Yan Chu sat in the main seat and waved his hand:

"Eunuch Sun is overpraising!"

His gaze crossed Sun Yun and fell on Tong Zhiyuan behind him, who was holding a long, narrow wooden box in his hands.

Seeing Yan Chu's gaze, Sun Yun smiled and said:

"Governor Tong, open the wooden box and let Great Hero Yan see it!"

"Yes!"

Tong Zhiyuan nodded solemnly, walked to the center of the main hall, and cautiously opened the wooden box slowly.

Inside the wooden box lay a saber.

The scabbard was wrapped in deep-sea shark silk, inlaid with colorful glazed beads strung into cloud patterns, and gilded Kui Dragon patterns meandered on it, shining with colorful light.

The hilt was slightly curved, and the texture looked like flowing clouds.

Tong Zhiyuan explained with a somewhat solemn tone:

"This is the frost Ming saber, a genuine divine weapon, forged from cold iron collected from the depths of the ocean, supplemented with Eastern Pole silver sand, and refined over eighty-one days."

"On the day the saber was completed, frost condensed on the blade, and it rang out in all directions."

"It was originally the personal saber of the Prince of the East Sea in the past. After his rebellion failed and he was executed, this saber was stored in the Imperial Palace treasury and has been gathering dust until now."

Eunuch Sun, not far away, smiled and said:

"The Empress Dowager learned that Great Hero Yan is about to fight Sima Tao soon, so she specially ordered us to take this saber from the treasury and bestow it upon Great Hero Yan to help Great Hero Yan!"

"Governor Tong, it is better for Great Hero Yan to open the frost Ming saber himself!"

"Okay!"

Tong Zhiyuan carefully handed the frost Ming saber to Yan Chu and reminded him:

"This saber has been sealed for over a hundred years, its sharpness is unfathomable, and the spirit within the saber is probably not easy to subdue; you must be careful."

"Is that so?"

Yan Chu took the precious saber and chuckled:

"People choose sabers, and sabers also choose people. I shouldn't be disliked by this saber, right?"

"Young Master is an unparalleled Prodigy with invincible divine arts. This precious saber is too happy to be held in Young Master's hands; how could it have the qualifications to dislike you?"

Wang Ping in the main hall flattered.

"That's right, it is a blessing for a mere divine weapon to be held by Young Master!"

"Young Master's might shakes the Jianghu, and your immortal blessings will last forever! Your longevity is equal to the heavens!"

"Vice Leader..."

With Wang Ping leading, many people in the hall began to flatter wildly.

This scene made Tong Zhiyuan and his party look sideways.

Eunuch Sun was thoughtful; it seems that Yan Chu likes to be flattered and is the type who eats soft but not hard...

Song Xingwu stood at the very front, his eyes twitching.

It would be fine if there were no outsiders, but now the people from the Imperial Palace were still here...

"Alright!"

Yan Chu raised his hand to press down, and everyone's voices stopped immediately.

Everyone's eyes fell on the precious saber in his hand, not blinking.

They were also seeing a divine weapon for the first time.

It is rumored that divine weapons have spirits; without sufficient strength, one cannot be recognized by the divine weapon, and one does not even have the qualifications to hold it.

The soul-reaping rope that Yan Chu obtained before was later returned to Qiao Zhique.

She cultivated the Yin Ming Cult's Nether Prison Divine Art, which happened to fit the soul-reaping rope, and the spirit of the divine weapon of the soul-reaping rope had been temporarily sealed by Yan Chu, so there was no problem using it.

Yan Chu grasped the hilt and applied force gently.

Clang! Whoosh!

As soon as the saber was drawn a little, a cold wind suddenly rose in the hall, the temperature in the hall began to drop sharply, and frost condensed on the ground.

At the same time, a terrifying Saber Qi began to rage, leaving traces of saber marks on the floor of the main hall.

The terrifying power carried within it made everyone change their expressions and hurriedly retreat.

The frost Ming saber seemed to have been unsealed, shaking constantly, wanting to break free from Yan Chu's hand and rush into the sky.

This force was something that even an ordinary Great Grandmaster might not be able to resist.

"Hmph!"

Yan Chu snorted coldly, and a massive amount of True Essence fell on the saber, washing over it. One could clearly hear the frost Ming saber emitting a faint whimper, no longer struggling.

Yan Chu pulled out the frost Ming saber completely.

The blade was long and narrow, like an isolated Peak hanging upside down, the cold light was chilling and captivating, and touching it lightly with his fingertips, he felt a chill running straight through his skin; its sharpness could easily cut through the air.

Swish, swish!

Yan Chu slashed a few times, and could clearly see the air being cut like fabric, leaving cracks that could not close for a long time.

Yan Chu nodded with satisfaction and said:

"Not bad!"

"This saber has power!"

Eunuch Sun was slightly surprised to see Yan Chu easily subdue a divine saber, looking effortless.

He smiled and complimented:

"Since ancient times, precious sabers match heroes!"

"Such a precious saber should be used by a hero like Great Hero Yan."

"Hehe!"

"Eunuch Sun is overpraising! After you go back, please thank the Empress Dowager for the reward on my behalf. I will repay the Empress Dowager well in the future!"

Eunuch Sun's smile became more intense. This was the sentence he was waiting for from Yan Chu, so he could go back and complete his mission.

"In addition to this divine saber, the Empress Dowager also has rewards!"

As he spoke, he waved his hand, and the attendants behind him took out another brocade box. After opening it, inside was a golden soft armor.

"This is the Black Silkworm Golden Thread Soft Armor, which can withstand three full-power strikes from the Peak of the Ninth Realm without breaking. It will definitely help Great Hero Yan gain a greater advantage!"

"Oh?"

Yan Chu took the soft armor, which felt soft to the touch, but there was a mysterious power flowing on the surface that could neutralize impact.

"This golden armor is woven from the golden silk spun by the hundred-year-old black silkworms of Wuzhou in the Southern Frontier. It is worth ten thousand gold, which shows the Empress Dowager's deep affection for Great Hero Yan."

Yan Chu accepted the precious armor, knowing that this was because he had demonstrated his value, which was why the palace would spend a lot of money to win him over.

If he were still just a Great Grandmaster, he would not be worth the imperial court bestowing so many treasures.

That Empress Dowager was indeed willing to spend capital; he would have to find an opportunity to repay her well in the future...

Next, Yan Chu arranged for his subordinates to entertain Eunuch Sun and his party well.

The other party sent treasures, so he naturally welcomed them with a smile.

Although he had full confidence in himself, having a precious saber and precious armor to help him was a good thing that added flowers to the brocade.