Chapter 515 Meeting The Earth Level Deity
While Chen Fan became the flashpoint of the world, outside of the valley, in the valley he had ventured far in with his sword in hand.
He couldn’t afford to let such a powerful foe get away. He might be saved from future retaliations, but the same can not be said about his family and friends. Therefore, Chen Fan was determined to seal the Dragon Lord’s fate before he could get out of the valley.
“Kaboom!”
As soon as Chen Fan stepped inside of the valley, the low hanging clouds started to blow about.
Then mist started to rise as if steam from hot water. They converged into the sky and transformed into countless Mist Dragons that swooped down on Chen Fan from all directions. The Mist Array was not only a defense array but also had powerful aggression capabilities.
These Mist Dragons were over a hundred meters in length and were made out of pure Malic Qi. Their long stringy bodies made them look like chains that tied the sky to the earth. The array was still filled with deadly traps that could instantly kill a grandmaster. However, the Dragon Lord seemed to know these traps well as he darted hither and thither gracefully without triggering any traps.
“He must have been in here many times, so by now he knew exactly what to avoid.”
Chen Fan thought to himself.
Chen Fan could have broken the array in no more than fifteen minutes, but if he did so, he would risk letting the Dragon Lord loose.
With that thought in mind, Chen Fan narrowed his eyes as a light came up in his eyes.
“Arise!”
“Boom!”
The Blare of Thunder and the Qi of My Blade!
With a crack of thunder, the Sword of Essense Restoring landed forward to meet the Mist Dragons.
The Valley of No Return was so deep that Chen Fan could not see the end of the path created by the Blade Qi. The thick mist made out of Yin Malic Qi smothered the valley like a thick blanket, blocking Chen Fan’s Divine Will. Chen Fan could project his Divine Will out for a hundred meters at the most.
“Break! Break!”
True Essence poured out from Chen Fan as he commanded the sword to hack at the mist.
He had refined the Sword of Essense Restoring for over a year and adding on his powerful True Essence, the blade was as powerful as a Spirit Artifact. Each and every blow came with a thunderous blare as it broke the Mist Dragons one after another, creating a path amidst the web of deadly mist.
“Shu!”
Chen Fan’s body flickered and was through the path and emerged on the other side of the Mist Array.
He was immediately stunned by the serene and peaceful scene presented before him. It was a peaceful valley filled with blooming flowers and curious critters. Many pairs of inquisitive eyes peered from behind thick lush bushes at Chen Fan.
Chen Fan looked back and noticed that the path had already disappeared. The entire valley was surrounded by a ring of mist.
“The Earth Level Deity had cast three arrays in total. I have gone through the first array, the second one is….”
Chen Fan looked up and examined the valley more carefully.
He saw a large tree that pierced into the sky to the east, blades lodged into the ground to the west, sizzling lava to the south and a deep pool of water to the north. At the dead center of the valley was a formidable mountain and looked over the four cardinals.
“This is … The Array of Five Elements?”
Chen Fan narrowed his eyes.
The force of Five Elements was the most abundant in the world and was widely used by cultivators all over the universe. Despite the crudeness of this particular array, it spoke loudly of the Earth Level Deity’s skills.
“Well, it makes things easier for me then. The Array of Five Elements is right up my alley.”
Chen Fan cracked a smile.
The Azure Thearch Longevity Body was one of the most powerful Arts of the Five Elements Immortal Sect, and the Five Elements Immortal Sect was the most powerful sect that excelled in the usage of the Five Elements. Chen Fan could easily break the array using his Azure Thearch Longevity Body.
With that thought in mind, he ambled into the Array of Five Elements.
“Huuuloommmmm!”
As soon as Chen Fan stepped into the array, the ground started to tremble and countless fireballs rained down onto Chen Fan.
These fireballs were made out of pure fire Essence Qi and could easily melt down metal much less human flesh.
However, Chen Fan was unfazed. He turned on a protective screen of True Essence to ward off the rain of fire as he kept moving deeper into the array.
“KOM!”
The valley let out an even louder boom as if it was angered by Chen Fan.
Five rays of lights beamed up from different directions as a tsunami of dark energy poured into the valley. The Dark Qi was a condensed form of the water element and each droplet weighed over a few hundred kilograms. The sheer weight of the deadly deluge made the earth groan.
“Bang!”
Wave after wave the dense aether of water smashed into the azure screen but couldn’t break it. Chen Fan kept ambling forward without changing his pace even a little. Then the array showered him with more deadly attacks in the forms of blades, spears, and fallen boulders.
“Donn Donn Donn”
Chen Fan’s protective shield had kept these attacks far from Chen Fan as he made his way deeper into the valley.
The further he went, the more powerful and vigorous the attacks became. These attacks were formed by the energy inside the Dharma Array and it was so deadly that it could undo any Immortal State Warrior with ease. Even Chen Fan’s azure shield started to shrink in size the closer he got to the heart of the array. When the shield was only half a meter away from Chen Fan, the array finally unleashed its killing blow in the form of countless Yi Wood Aether Qi.
“There you are!”
Chen Fan let out a burst of laughter and started an art.
“In the name of The Primordial Azure Thearch, and with his Yi Wood Talisman, I command you!”
Powerful Azure Thearch Longevity True Essence gushed out from Chen Fan’s hands and poured into the wood element attack. The Azure Thearch Longevity Body was the most powerful wood element art and could command all Wood Elements in the universe.
The Yi Wood Energy suddenly disappeared and the entire Wood Element Array quickly fell under Chen Fan’s control.
All five elements were interconnected in the Array of Five Elements and breaking one meant breaking the entire array.
“Break!”
Chen Fan stomped the ground and grunted.
“Kaboom!”
A tremor shot through the valley and banished the deadly array. Chen Fan found himself right in front of a cave. The Dragon Lord was standing by the entrance.
The Dragon Lord turned around and was startled by Chen Fan.
“You have already finished the Mist Dragon Array and the Array of Five Elements?”
The Dragon Lord asked with disbelief and shock written all over his face.
It had taken him and a few other Immortal State Warriors a few decades to find out a way to get past the first two arrays. Therefore, he was stunned and terrified by Chen Fan’s incredible efficiency.
“It might take you a couple of decades, but for me, it’s a child’s play.”
Chen Fan waved a hand and said lightly.
Chen Fan had trapped the Dragon Lord in the valley, so he was not in a hurry to kill the Dragon Lord right away, instead, he examined the cave carefully.
“So this is the third Dharma Array?”
There was a stone altar by the entrance, and on it were nine miniature swords. Each sword had a name engraved on its body.
“Pixiu, Rosemallow, Asura, and Red Skirt”
After identifying the names on the blade, Chen Fan had already guessed their owner.
Dragon Lord let out a wry smile and then explained.
“As far as we know, this Cave Abode was the residence of the last Earth Level Deity in China: ‘Sword Secret the Exalted Cultivator’. These swords were the famous Nine used by him. You need to pass this sword array in order to get into the cave.”
“These nine swords had helped the Exalted Cultivator dominate the entire China. I wager that it will take nine Immortal State Warriors to break this array. But where are we going to find nine Immortal State Warriors?”
Dragon Lord said as he shook his head.
“I see.”
Chen Fan nodded.
He could sense immense energy rippling out from these nine flying swords. Despite their ordinary appearance, each one of them was as deadly as Lin Langya’s Art of Blood Sword. However, the riddle could not deter Chen Fan.
Suddenly, Chen Fan felt a slight tug on his belt. The yellow gourd was somehow agitated.
“This Blade Strengthening Gourd also belonged to the Exalted Cultivator, could it be…”
Chen Fan’s mind raced as he unhitched the gourd from his belt and started the art that he used to summon his flying sword back into the gourd.
“Clank Clank”
Under the Dragon Lord’s disbelieving eyes, the nine blades started to hum and slowly elevated to the air and then flew into the yellow gourd.
After a while, the Dragon Lord exclaimed.
“Isn’t that the Blade Strengthening Gourd of the Exalted Cultivator? I thought it was missing.”
Once he had gained the nine flying swords, Chen Fan was in a good mood. So he replied readily without much thought: “Yea, I got it from Hong Kong.”
After he said that, Chen Fan waved a hand and walked into the cave.
“Follow me, and don’t even try to run away.”
The Dragon Lord’s face changed a few colors, but in the end, he heaved a sigh and followed Chen Fan disheartened.
He didn’t want to risk his life by trying to run away, and he was also very curious about the Earth Level Deity’s treasure.
The interior of the cave was nothing like the Dragon Lord had imagined. It was largely empty except for a couple of pain shelves with scrolls piled on top. Some of the scrolls were already turned to grey dust.
Right in the middle of the cave was a Cultivator sitting on the ground with his eyes closed. His face radiated life and energy.
“The Exalted Cultivator is still alive?”
The Dragon Lord exclaimed.
“Not even a Golden Core Cultivator could live over a thousand years.” Chen Fan snorted. “This is just his body. He had a Connate Body so his flesh would last thousands of years. However, his Divine Soul is long gone.”
Dragon Lord examined the cultivator more carefully and noticed that he couldn’t hear any heartbeat. It was just as Chen Fan had said, an empty husk.
“Uh?”
Chen Fan noticed that the cultivator was holding a scroll in his hand.
Chen Fan pried the scroll out of the dead cultivator’s clutch and unfurled it. He was shocked as soon as he read the first line.