Chapter 629: Forcefully Breaking Through
Chapter 629: Forcefully Breaking Through
Feng Tianming came over to Xiao Chen and informed him of the plan. After seeing Xiao Chen’s strength, he now could no longer ignore him. So he came over to seek his opinion.
Xiao Chen knew a little about the Black Smoke Mountain Range. Rank 7 Spirit Beasts, Black Smoke Condors, inhabited the highest peaks of the mountain range.
Although a Black Smoke Condor’s rank was not high, it traveled in flocks of several thousands.
Most merchants would go around the Black Smoke Mountain Range, taking a longer route. Although doing so wasted some time, it was safer.
“There are three places where we can force a breakthrough. We feel that the Black Smoke Mountain Range is the easiest. The other two places pose more problems.”
Then, Feng Tianming explained the situation of the other two places to Xiao Chen in detail. Xiao Chen felt there was nothing wrong, so he agreed with making the breakthrough at Black Smoke Mountain Range.
Feng Tianming’s gaze fell onto the wooden box wrapped in black cloth. Although he was curious, he refrained from asking about it.
After one hour, the vast golden Imperial Dragon Legion flagship flew over. No one bothered with saying anything; they immediately boarded and departed.
When the Imperial Dragon moved at full speed, it could fly at Mach 7, significantly faster than a regular Martial Monarch. Furthermore, it did not need to stop and rest. It was the ideal vessel for rushing on a long journey.
A faint protective barrier formed around the warship, blocking the blowing wind. Feng Tianming stood on the bow, looking very sullen. The Wan Clan had a Martial Sage. If they were not willing to hand Feng Feixue over, he did not know what to do.
Feng Feixue definitely did not go willingly. Without the aid of Feng Tianhua and the others, Wan Feng could not possibly have taken her away.
Had Feng Tianming steeled himself to kill Feng Tianhua earlier, things would not have become as complicated as they were now. Feng Tianming felt very responsible for the current situation.
“Xiao Chen, what is your combat prowess like now?”
Given that things had already come this far, there was no point brooding about it. Feng Tianming collected himself and started to chat with Xiao Chen.
Xiao Chen was only an Inferior Grade Martial Monarch, but he was able to fight the Medial Grade Martial Monarch Feng Tianhua until Feng Tianhua could not retaliate. Feng Tianming was sincerely interested in knowing what Xiao Chen’s true strength was.
“If we are going by the standards of the Sky Dome Realm, a regular Superior Grade Martial Monarch would not be a match for me. However, it is hard to say for a Martial Monarch of the Kunlun Realm.” Xiao Chen did not hide anything, answering with the truth directly.
Feng Tianming felt astonished. This was a fearsome combat prowess, but Xiao Chen could speak about it so casually.
However, Xiao Chen no longer measured himself by the Sky Dome Realm’s standards. Such an attitude was easy to understand.
Spiritual Energy was dense in the Kunlun Realm, several times denser than in the lower realms. The same Inferior Grade Martial Monarch in the Kunlun Realm might have much more Essence accumulated.
Rumor said that the bottlenecks of cultivators in the Kunlun Realm were much harder to break. However, once they succeeded in breaking through, the benefits they gained could not be compared to those received in the lower realms.
There were also many more high-ranked Cultivation Techniques in the Kunlun Realm than the Sky Dome Realm. The quality of their Martial Monarchs was much better than that of the lower realms.
Along the way, the group did not run into any trouble. Soon, the Black Smoke Mountain Range appeared before them. A pitch-black cloud hovered around the summits of the various peaks.
When the Imperial Dragon appeared, the dark clouds started moving quickly.
As the warship proceeded into the mountain range, the group discovered that the so-called dark clouds were actually huge flocks of Black Smoke Condors. The vast numbers of them blanketed the sky. Just such a sight woke fear in the heart.
Feng Tianming said somewhat nervously, “The protective barrier will not be able to block all the Black Smoke Condors. The beaks of these Black Smoke Condors are extremely sharp; they can pierce through any metal.
“We need to kill the Black Smoke Condors that get past the barrier in the shortest time possible. Otherwise, if they pierce the warship with their beaks, we will have to land.”
The situation was dire. Xiao Chen understood that Feng Tianming was not exaggerating. He placed his right hand on his saber’s hilt and waited quietly for the Black Smoke Condors to attack.
There was no one from the Royal Court on the Imperial Dragon. Feng Tianming’s five guards operated the warship. They could only rely on Xiao Chen and Feng Tianming for defense.
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
The black shadow that covered the sky now approached. At a closer look, it consisted of many Black Smoke Condors that had tough bodies and gave off dense black auras.
The Black Smoke Condors’ beaks were like metal hooks, and their claws were more resilient than Frost Iron. They struck the defensive barrier of the Imperial Dragon relentlessly. At this moment, the large warship seemed as tiny as an ant. It shook left and right, rocking continuously.
Xiao Chen stood on the deck with his eyes closed. However, he spread out his Spiritual Sense to every corner of the warship, not missing even a single spot.
Feng Tianming clearly had a gloomy look. If it were not for the fact that he needed the two days gained from this route, he would have never taken this risk.
“Ka!”
With a ‘crunch,’ a tiny crack appeared in the protective barrier. Soon, a hole opened, and a Black Smoke Condor clawed its way in.
“Xiu!”
Before the Black Smoke Condor could move, it saw a flash of saber light. The huge Black Smoke Condor immediately split into two.
Seeing Xiao Chen kill a Black Smoke Condor at lightning speed with one move, Feng Tianming relaxed, his expression softening. He flew over to the hole and placed his hands on the barrier.
Quintessence surged out of Feng Tianming’s hands, quickly mending the hole.
A defensive formation on the warship was responsible for maintaining the barrier. As long as the formation did not break, he could fix the barrier in an instant. This was the reason why Feng Tianming chose this place to make the breakthrough.
“Ka! Ka! Ka! Ka!”
Several holes opened in succession. Ten Black Smoke Condors came in from all directions, and a ferocious aura spread out. These Black Smoke Condors were very crafty; they did not clash head-on with Xiao Chen. Instead, they flew towards the deck and sides of the warship, thinking of wrecking it.
“Thunder Shadow Chop!”
Xiao Chen soared into the air, and the Azure Dragon image moved up and down below him. He took seven steps in midair, slaying a Black Smoke Condor with each attack.
Then, the seven afterimages merged, and Xiao Chen sent out a strong attack that instantly killed the remaining three Black Smoke Condors. He did not leave them any chance of survival.
“Xiao Chen, do you need any help?” Feng Tianming asked as he fixed the holes.
Xiao Chen replied, “There’s no need. Just focus on fixing the holes.”
The two divided the work: Xiao Chen killed the Black Smoke Condors that entered, and Feng Tianming focused on fixing the holes. As the warship advanced, it shook intensely.
The most dangerous moment was when over a hundred holes opened simultaneously. Xiao Chen used the Thunder Shadow Chop five times in succession but still failed to get rid of all the Black Smoke Condors in time.
One Black Smoke Condor managed to land on the deck and peck it. A deep crack immediately appeared on the tough deck.
At this crucial moment, Xiao Chen used the Purple Thunder Arrow to destroy the Black Smoke Condor, narrowly avoiding disaster.
After flying like this for four hours, the Imperial Dragon left the Black Smoke Mountain Range several hundred kilometers later, and the relentless Black Smoke Condors slowly turned around and left.
When the dark cloud disappeared and the sun reappeared, the two of them heaved a sigh of relief at the same time.
Feng Tianming said in a somewhat celebratory manner, “Fortunately, we managed to survive. The Spirit Stones on the warship are almost exhausted. They would not have lasted another fifteen minutes.”
The protective barrier around the warship looked distinctly dimmer. Its defensive capabilities were at least ten times weaker. Feng Tianming had spoken the truth.
Just at this moment, Xiao Chen suddenly frowned. He said hastily, “There is danger! Raise your Quintessence shield!”
Feng Tianming’s face sank. Although he felt shocked, he still did as Xiao Chen said. Quintessence spread out from his entire body, forming a near-solid membrane of light.
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
Ten dazzling beams of light shot over from several kilometers away, striking the incredibly dim defensive barrier. All this happened in an instant, not even giving the Imperial Dragon time to turn around.
“Bang!”
An intense explosion resounded, and the Imperial Dragon blew up in midair. The warship turned into a ball of light, and countless fragments flew everywhere. Xiao Chen and the others fell rapidly towards the ground.
In the skies far away, ten warships flew side by side. When a person standing on the bow of the lead warship saw the Imperial Dragon turn into a ball of light, he smiled faintly and said, “Not even worth one strike. Let’s go.”
Ten shots of an Ancient Demonic Energy Cannon used up ten thousand Superior Grade Spirit Stones. Even if the Imperial Dragon’s defensive barrier were perfectly fine, it would still shatter—all the more so now.
Xiao Chen and Feng Tianming put up Quintessence shields in advance. As the warship had taken the brunt of the Ancient Demonic Energy Cannons’ attack, they did not receive any severe injuries.
Although the five guards did not manage to receive the warning in time, they had been inside the warship, which buffered the blow they suffered, and their injuries were light.
However, with the warship now destroyed, rushing over before Feng Feixue’s wedding would be impossible.
When the few of them landed, Feng Tianming said furiously, “The Wan Clan’s people are too extreme. They actually set up an ambush for us here in advance.”
With the warship lost, they would not be able to rush over in time. When the wedding was over and everything was done, the rice would be cooked. No one would be able to salvage the situation then.
[TL Note: The rice would be cooked: In Chinese culture, the virginity of a woman was extremely important. This idiom refers to the fact that once virginity is taken, the loss cannot be reversed, just like how rice cannot be uncooked.]
Xiao Chen remained silent. Then, he looked over Feng Tianming’s guards before pulling off the strip of blue cloth on his forehead. He said, “Let’s ride on my throne. It is slower than the Imperial Dragon, but it is faster than flying as cultivators.”
The explosive speed of a cultivator was faster than a regular warship. However, cultivators had to replenish their Quintessence. Traveling that way was not as effective as using a Secret Treasure.
A scarlet light flashed, and a mysterious scarlet throne floated quietly on a clump of scarlet clouds.
Xiao Chen moved first and landed on the throne. Then he said calmly, “Come up quickly. I will fly at full speed. We should still be able to make it in time.”
Feng Tianming and his guards stood on the clouds with astonished expressions, clearly marveling at this Secret Treasure.
“Xiu!”
A scarlet light flashed when Xiao Chen launched the scarlet throne, turning into a beam of scarlet light in the sky as they quickly headed for the Great Jin Nation.
Feng Tianming smiled joyfully. “Xiao Chen, fortunately, you still have this move. Otherwise, our efforts would all be for naught.”
Xiao Chen smiled faintly and did not deny it. He kept his Spiritual Sense out, monitoring the expressions of Feng Tianming’s guards.
After a while, Xiao Chen withdrew his Spiritual Sense. Soon, he managed to figure something out.
The headquarters of the Wanlong Merchant Association was an independent city in the Great Jin Nation. It was called Wan Clan City. This city was several times larger than Mohe City.
Three days later, the group arrived outside Wan Clan City. Red lanterns festooned the city walls. Decorations also garnished the city gate, giving it a festive appearance. Many people entered the city.
“Ha ha! The wedding of the Wan Clan’s Young Master is really grand. I hear that the Ten Great Sects and eight Noble Clans will be coming to offer their blessings.”