Chapter 1488 (Raw 1468): Confronting a Prime
"Whoosh!"
The instant the blood clouds tore open, a golden Buddhist light shone from the hole. It was very dazzling and resplendent, quite eye-catching in this dim space.
"What's that?!"
The cultivators in the graveyard, who were here to visit and tidy the graves, were confused when they saw the strange sight before them.
The instant after the Buddhist light appeared, it vanished. Clearly, the person who was refining the origin of the sins realized that he had been exposed. Noticing that something was wrong, he quickly stopped what he was doing and tried to flee.
However, it was not that easy to flee.
"Wait here for a moment," Xiao Chen said softly to Mo Chen. Then, he soared into the air like an arrow, tearing into the scarlet clouds.
Instantly, Xiao Chen's field of vision expanded to above the dense scarlet clouds.
A Buddhist figure sitting there was now slowly fading away. The origin of the sins was like the receding tide, slowly scattering in the figure's body.
"The Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva?"
Xiao Chen was shocked. The appearance of the Buddhist figure matched the Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva that he once saw.
Why did this fellow appear here? It is really hard to get rid of him.
Back then, in the satellite islands in Heavenly Star Island's sea region, Xiao Chen once destroyed the other party's base, leaving only the other party's head. Unexpectedly, the Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva appeared again, causing trouble once more.
This was probably not Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva in person. Otherwise, he would not run so fast at the first sign of trouble.
Xiao Chen raised his head and looked into the distance, where he caught sight of a black dot quickly fleeing at the ends of his vision.
After him!
Xiao Chen narrowed his eyes and executed the Fish Dragon Art. He moved like a dragon and shook his body, scattering all the sins plaguing him. Then, he quickly gave chase.
With Xiao Chen's current speed, as long as a Prime did not appear, no one would be able to flee from him.
However, this person before Xiao Chen seemed to be an exception. This person was strangely and incredibly swift. Buddhist light flickered under this person's feet as bodhi flowers bloomed and withered around him.
Amid the bodhi flowers filling the sky, this figure appeared like a fleeting shadow as he fled into the distance.
One hour later, Xiao Chen not only failed to close the gap but even found it widening.
"Interesting!"
A smile appeared on Xiao Chen's face as he became even more interested. Then, he waved his hand, and the Seven Deadly Sins flew out.
"Whoosh!"
With a flash of light, the seven Divine Weapons merged into one. Then, Xiao Chen stood on the Seven Deadly Sins as he executed the Flawless Saber Technique's first move, the Void Breaking Stance.
This was a Martial Technique used for killing the enemy. However, Xiao Chen now forcefully used it to increase his speed—a rather wasteful expenditure.
The amount of Primordial Energy exhausted was somewhat excessive.
However, Xiao Chen had no choice but to do this, using his body to control the saber, and the saber to control space, moving while breaking space.
With such "wasteful" usage, Xiao Chen's speed immediately increased explosively. Everywhere he passed, space cracked.
When the person in front turned around to look, he was startled. In his nervousness and panic, he ended up slowing down.
"Strange, I have never seen this person before. However, why does his aura feel so familiar?" The instant the other party turned his head, Xiao Chen saw his appearance, which gave rise to some doubts.
After chasing for a while more, Xiao Chen had a flash of inspiration, suddenly recalling why this aura felt so familiar.
He could not help shouting, "Zhuang Zhenghe, so, you are not dead yet!"
Upon hearing Xiao Chen's exclamation, the owner of that figure was clearly stunned, having received a significant shock.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Xiao Chen executed the Void Breaking Stance once again. However, this time, it was not to ride on his saber but to directly break space.
The saber that broke space eliminated all the light. Then, in a flash, it quickly appeared behind Zhuang Zhenghe.
"Dang!"
In the time it took for a spark to fly, Zhuang Zhenghe turned his head and formed hand seals with both hands. A swastika burst out from his palm and blocked Xiao Chen's saber.
[TL Note: The swastika (卍) is not only a Nazi symbol. It is also a Buddhist symbol that represents divinity, spirituality, and good fortune. This symbol also appears in many Indian religions with a similar meaning; its first appearance in the Indian subcontinent dates to around 3000 BCE. The Nazis merely adopted this symbol and did not create it.]
Xiao Chen flew forward and casually caught the Divine Weapon that bounced back. Then, he said indifferently, "Not bad, despite changing your husk, your strength improved significantly."
The Bloody Monk Zhuang Zhenghe wiped blood off his lips and said somewhat grudgingly, "How can I compare to you, the Azure Dragon King Xiao Chen? After being silent for five years with no news of you, you suddenly appeared again and shocked the entire Kunlun Realm in one go!"
Xiao Chen did not care about the sarcasm in Zhuang Zhenghe's tone. He merely demanded coldly, "Where is the Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva? What is he plotting? Speak honestly, and I'll let you die with a complete corpse."
"Hahaha! Xiao Chen, you little brat, you are really naive. Are you sure you have me cornered? You should look at where you chased me to. I'll count to three, and after that, it will be hard for you to leave even if you want to."
Zhuang Zhenghe was very confident, not showing any fear, his face full of mockery.
The Ghost Domain?
Xiao Chen looked around and realized that he pursued him all the way to the Ghost Domain from the Tianwu Domain.
This fellow is really confident. Just what trump card does he have?
"Hahaha! My count of three is over. Xiao Chen, you can die now!"
Just as Xiao Chen was thinking, Zhuang Zhenghe suddenly laughed maniacally, appearing incredibly savage.
Suddenly, a figure descended from the sky and threw a palm strike at Xiao Chen. The palm strike appeared soft and light, but its might was startlingly great. The instant the palm wind blew, it seemed to press the sky down with its arrival.
This formed a boundless pressure forcefully bearing down, the aura of a Prime!
"Dao!"
Xiao Chen was startled, but he did not get flustered at the impending danger. At the critical moment, he shouted, and Great Dao Energy filled his entire body. Then, he swung his hand and sent out a saber strike.
A light flickered on Xiao Chen's palm, and the shadowy figure of a saber appeared and spun around. Then, they merged into one.
"Bang!"
The saber light and palm wind clashed. The world turned dark and started cracking; the sky shattered.
When one looked up, one could see the boundless Starry Heavens with millions of stars flickering, looking like a complex chessboard. This created the illusion that one was in the universe.
A strong wind blew, and Xiao Chen moved back five kilometers. The Dao Might behind him spread out but did not scatter, allowing him to stop himself firmly.
The person who came moved back one kilometer and stopped in the air, appearing to be one with the sky.
"East Mountain Ghost Monarch!"
Xiao Chen narrowed his eyes as he looked at this person. This was one of the Deity Dao Union's three Primes, the East Mountain Ghost Monarch.
When Xiao Chen looked again, Zhuang Zhenghe had long since disappeared. Given his Movement Technique, it would already be too late to go after him.
Furthermore, there was still the East Mountain Ghost Monarch blocking Xiao Chen, preventing him from giving chase.
"Under Prime, you are the first who is strong enough to receive a palm strike at thirty-percent power from me," the East Mountain Ghost Monarch said indifferently. He tried to appear calm as he looked at Xiao Chen, but he was clearly hiding some shock.
This fellow has truly risen up already. Now, I'm no longer confident of keeping him here.
"Is that so? However, I have not drawn my saber yet. What is there to be so high and mighty about?" Xiao Chen countered coldly, not showing any expression.
Xiao Chen had not drawn the Lunar Shadow Saber. If he had, he would have been able to block that palm strike completely.
"Haha! How arrogant! You don't know what's good for yourself. Leave immediately, and I can pretend that I never saw you."
Since the East Mountain Ghost Monarch knew that he would not be able to keep Xiao Chen here, he was not willing to put in unnecessary effort by fighting him.
Zhuang Zhenghe was clearly in the Ghost Domain. How could Xiao Chen be satisfied with leaving now?
Xiao Chen shook his head and said, "That's impossible. If you hand over Zhuang Zhenghe, I'll leave immediately. Otherwise, you can forget about blocking me."
The Lunar Shadow Saber appeared, and Xiao Chen grasped its handle. He did not show any fear as he confronted a Prime.
"Humph! What Zhuang Zhenghe? I've never met him before nor even know him. Brat, since you are so boundlessly arrogant, I do not mind teaching you a lesson." The East Mountain Ghost Monarch smiled coldly, and an ominous wind blew. Then, malicious spirits flew out of his body.
Very soon, the malicious spirits and evil ghosts materialized a great scene of the Yellow Springs.
It looked like a huge battle was about to begin.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Just at this moment, a figure flew over from behind Xiao Chen. This figure looked like the great sun of the supreme sky shining its bright light everywhere.
A thought flashed in Xiao Chen's mind: Big Brother Ying is here.
That was right. The one who came was Ying Zongtian. He had felt an intense fluctuation from the Supreme Sky Sect and discovered that it was Xiao Chen, so he quickly gave chase all the way.
"Big Brother," Xiao Chen said as he turned around, joy written on his face.
Ying Zongtian nodded slightly. Then he softly, "Let's leave first. It is very disadvantageous to fight him in the Ghost Domain."
"However, I have a very important matter to do and need to enter the Ghost Domain…"
"Please listen to me."
Since Ying Zongtian asked, Xiao Chen had no choice but to give up, withdrawing the Great Dao Might.
"Ying Zongtian, you are rather wise."
The East Mountain Ghost Monarch laughed loudly, and the mysterious phenomenon of the Yellow Springs disappeared.