Beaten to Tears

Zhang Yuan held the [Myriad Forms Creation Divine Light] in his hand!

Chu Xiwen's pupils widened as she stared at the scene before her, utterly incredulous.

Her divine light wore away all things. How could anyone grasp it barehanded and remain completely unharmed?

Ignoring the waves of excruciating pain coming from her palm, Chu Xiwen stared fixedly at Zhang Yuan's hand and finally discerned a few clues.

No, he wasn't unharmed. He was using a divine ability to counteract the [Myriad Forms Creation Divine Light].

Unseen, the vitality of heaven and earth suffusing Zhang Yuan's surroundings streamed endlessly into his palm, restoring the flesh the divine light wore away.

So ruthless.

Having discovered the truth, Chu Xiwen could not help marveling inwardly.

His flesh was being worn away and regenerated. Pain like that was far more than a little sting. An ordinary person would probably have fainted long ago, or even died outright from the agony.

Just how strong was this man's will?

Who exactly was he? Was he truly someone from the Outer Heavens?

Zhang Yuan's gaze remained calm. Tightening his grip slightly, he forcibly extinguished the [Myriad Forms Creation Divine Light] with the vitality of heaven and earth he had stolen through [Stolen-Life Baleful Intent].

It still hurt, of course, but this little pain meant nothing to him.

Could it hurt more than having his spiritual root torn from his body? More than his physical body cracking like shattered porcelain?

"Still won't concede?" Zhang Yuan asked evenly.

Chu Xiwen knelt on one knee and looked up at him, unwilling to accept defeat.

She had underestimated her opponent. She still had seventy percent of her strength left and many methods she had yet to employ. Losing like this was truly hard to swallow.

But she had lost all the same. Had this been a battle to the death, she would probably already be dead...

Dead.

Chu Xiwen's mind shuddered, as though she had jolted awake from a dream. Excruciating pain surged from her palm, no different from what Zhang Yuan had endured.

Tears instantly welled in Chu Xiwen's proud eyes. "I concede," she said in terror.

She was wrong. Even if she used every method and brought all her strength to bear, she probably still wouldn't be a match for the man before her!

Having received a satisfactory answer, Zhang Yuan immediately grinned. He stopped looking at Chu Xiwen, who was on the verge of tears, and turned to bow to True Lord Xuanqing Tianhua.

"As you have witnessed, True Lord, this lower cultivator has won," Zhang Yuan said with a smile.

A little trick had been enough to win the fight. Beating Qi Refinement cultivators from aristocratic clans was fairly easy.

True Lord Xuanqing Tianhua nodded slightly. "Since I gave my word, I certainly won't go back on it. However, the [Linked-Chain Baleful Force] in the residence has already been used by a junior of the lineage..."

Zhang Yuan and Xiao Yuanjun immediately grew anxious.

The [Linked-Chain Baleful Force] was gone?

Then what the hell had he agreed for?

"I haven't finished speaking. What are you getting so anxious for?" True Lord Xuanqing Tianhua said, seemingly having seen through their thoughts.

"The residence's [Linked-Chain Baleful Force] is gone, so I'll simply catch another for you."

With that, True Lord Xuanqing Tianhua reached out and grasped the air. As though his hand held something tangible, a unique imago of heaven and earth gradually gathered.

This was precisely the imago possessed by [Linked-Chain Baleful Force]!

Holding the imago of [Linked-Chain Baleful Force] between two fingers, True Lord Xuanqing Tianhua pointed at a small pebble by Zhang Yuan's feet.

The next instant, that utterly ordinary pebble became its vessel, despite its shape being incompatible with the imago of [Linked-Chain Baleful Force].

He had drawn an imago out of heaven and earth from thin air and condensed it into [Linked-Chain Baleful Force].

The mighty power of a True Lord was laid bare in that moment.

Zhang Yuan picked up the pebble from the ground. A brief examination confirmed that it was [Linked-Chain Baleful Force], and he was inwardly startled.

The heavenly dipper and earthly baleful forces so precious to a Qi Refinement Perfected could be plucked from thin air with a mere reach of a Golden Core True Lord's hand. With a Golden Core True Lord as his backer, wouldn't his path to Foundation Establishment be smooth sailing all the way?

"Thank you, True Lord," Zhang Yuan said, cupping his hands in gratitude.

True Lord Xuanqing Tianhua nodded.

After a moment's thought, Zhang Yuan asked quietly, "Do you have any further instructions, True Lord?"

Naturally, he was referring to the arrangements for tomorrow's grand wedding.

True Lord Xuanqing Tianhua narrowed his eyes slightly.

His original plan to bring down the Demon Empress had not involved Zhang Yuan at all. He was a variable the Demon Empress had drawn into play.

But this variable had changed a little beyond the Demon Empress's control. He had even come running to True Lord Xuanqing Tianhua.

Under the principle of never letting something useful go to waste, he would naturally have placed a piece on the board when a variable came to his door. Now, however, too many people were watching this variable. Better not to make any rash moves.

Without betraying his thoughts, True Lord Xuanqing Tianhua glanced at Li Huixi, who had remained silent all this time, and said evenly, "I have my own arrangements. Simply cooperate with Dongfang Caibai. There is no need to act rashly."

Dongfang Caibai really did have ties to the Western Bian Chu. She would certainly turn against the Bian Empress tomorrow.

With that thought, Zhang Yuan nodded his assent.

With [Linked-Chain Baleful Force] in hand and their objective achieved, Zhang Yuan and Xiao Yuanjun left the Chu Residence.

Unable to wait, he refined the [Linked-Chain Baleful Force] and successfully entered fifth-turn qi refinement. He was now just one heavenly dipper or earthly baleful force away from condensing his second life-bound divine ability!

Inside the golden carriage, Zhang Yuan exhaled a breath of stale air, his spirits soaring.

Fifth-turn qi refinement.

He had a feeling that once he broke through to six-turn qi refinement, he would undergo a true qualitative transformation!

"Don't celebrate too soon. You're advancing too quickly. As your master, I'll use a divine ability to conceal it a little." Xiao Yuanjun pointed lightly at Zhang Yuan, masking his fifth-turn qi refinement aura.

All five of Zhang Yuan's heavenly dipper and earthly baleful forces had traceable origins that could withstand scrutiny, but he refined them far too quickly—much faster than ordinary people. Once he obtained one, he could refine it in next to no time.

An ordinary Qi Refinement Perfected needed anywhere from ten days or half a month to several months to refine a single heavenly dipper or earthly baleful force.

Although the "Congenital True Law of Self-Transcendence" deserved some of the credit, Zhang Yuan's own talent in the Gang Sha Path was also astonishing.

To be safe, concealing it a little was still the best choice.

Zhang Yuan had no objections. He wholeheartedly agreed.

It was only because he lacked a divine ability like [Severing Past and Present, Leaving No Trace], which could obscure the workings of heaven, that he had not concealed his cultivation long ago.

A cultivator ought to hide his cultivation, then ruthlessly cross cultivation tiers downward to fight!

At the Chu Residence, in a garden pavilion.

Having lost to Zhang Yuan, Chu Xiwen had not left. Instead, she fought back her tears and raised her trembling hands to salute True Lord Xuanqing Tianhua.

"I have disgraced you, Ancestor," Chu Xiwen said, her head lowered.

"No matter. Your defeat in this battle was not your fault," True Lord Xuanqing Tianhua said, his eyes full of amusement.

Zhang Yuan's understanding of his four earthly baleful forces was exceptionally deep, and his use of divine abilities already ranked among the best of the Qi Refinement Perfected. That alone would have been one thing, but crucially, he was also ruthless enough toward himself.

He had grasped the [Myriad Forms Creation Divine Light] barehanded without even blinking.

Those two factors together were the main reason for Chu Xiwen's defeat.

In truth, her ability to endure the pain without bursting into tears had already exceeded his expectations.

With such a tenacious disposition, even if her aptitude were a little lacking, there would be no issue with the lineage favoring her with resources.

"Miaoyou, fetch two suitable earthly baleful forces as her reward for fighting on behalf of the lineage."