Chapter 152: Chapter 145: Slaying a Foundation Establishment with a Sword

Golden Dragon Carp were harder to catch than ordinary Spirit Fish.

Furthermore, it was a Ninth Layer Demon Beast. The moment it sensed danger, it would flee into the river and vanish without a trace. Not even a Foundation Establishment Major Cultivator could do anything about the vast, eighty-li-wide Black Water River.

Chen Che was also puzzled as to how his companion planned to catch it.

...

’This is indeed an excellent spot for a capture, but how do we lure it here?’

But upon arrival, Chen Che immediately understood.

This was a tributary of the Black Water River, flowing past a mountain path through a deserted area. The channel was neither wide nor deep, and the current was gentle.

Once the Golden Dragon Carp entered, all they had to do was block the river, and it would have no way to escape.

In fact.

He could even capture it all by himself.

"This bait is made from earthwyrms, decayed water, and other things. Fish Dragons love to eat these earthwyrms, and I’ve used medicinal herbs to enhance the fragrance. The carp has a keen sense of smell; once it catches the scent, it will rush over even from a hundred li away."

Xiao Chan casually tossed the ball of bait into the water and glanced at Chen Che from the corner of his eye.

"Tributor Chen, you’ve been gathering materials for the past few days. Could it be you plan to use the Golden Dragon Carp for Alchemy?"

"That’s right!"

Chen Che gave a slight nod.

Seeing his frank reply, Xiao Chan grew even more surprised. ’Could it be a Pill related to Foundation Establishment?’

But seeing that Chen Che was unwilling to say more, he could only suppress his curiosity.

The two stood on opposite banks, silently watching the river’s surface without a hint of impatience. About the time it takes an incense stick to burn later, Chen Che’s eyes suddenly lit up, and he spoke in a low voice,

"It’s here!"

Xiao Chan hurriedly looked over, but the river surface was still calm.

But in the distance, the water churned violently as a massive shadow approached at high speed. The water seemed to boil wherever it passed, and countless fish scattered in a frenzy, as if they had encountered some unspeakable terror.

Under his Divine Sense, he could see that the shadow was none other than the Golden Dragon Carp.

"You take the front, I’ll take the back! Cut off the river!"

Even before Xiao Chan could speak, Chen Che had already made his move.

CRACK!

He raised his hand and pointed. A stretch of water dozens of meters long instantly froze solid, flash-freezing countless fleeing fish and shrimp in place.

Almost simultaneously, an earthen wall rose up in front of the Golden Dragon Carp, instantly cutting off the river.

SPLASH!

With its path blocked from both front and back, the Golden Dragon Carp reacted instantly, whipping its massive tail.

A torrent of Demon Essence poured out, and the small tributary was instantly churned into a tempest. The full-power strike of a Qi Refining Ninth Layer Demon Beast was terrifyingly potent. The ice, spanning dozens of meters, was instantly fractured by countless cracks. The largest of them stretched from the carp’s tail all the way to the riverbank.

As for the earthen wall Xiao Chan had raised, it crumbled on the spot, losing half its height.

If this had been the main river, that single strike would have been enough for it to escape easily.

"Trying to escape?"

Chen Che laughed heartily and raised his hand in a grasping motion.

RUMBLE!

The river water, stirred by a vast power, instantly condensed into a giant hand that seized the Golden Dragon Carp and plucked it from the water.

The Golden Dragon Carp was horrified to find itself out of the water.

Just as it began to struggle with all its might, a soft command rang out. "Freeze!"

CRACK! CRACK!

The giant hand of water froze solid at a terrifying speed, encasing the carp in mid-air like a lifelike ice sculpture.

"We got it!"

The moment he saw the Golden Dragon Carp trapped in the ice, Xiao Chan couldn’t tear his eyes away.

’This is my chance for Foundation Establishment!’

Once he achieved Foundation Establishment, even if he couldn’t escape the Primordial Sect’s pursuit, he would no longer be like a stray dog, hounded and homeless.

"As we agreed, you get seventy percent, I get thirty!"

"Right."

Chen Che nodded. This had been the rule from the very beginning, so there was no need to argue.

’With the Golden Dragon Carp in hand, my Foundation Establishment will be a sure thing.’

Chen Che suppressed his joy and walked step by step toward the riverbank.

Even frozen, the Golden Dragon Carp looked exceptionally majestic.

Its scales, covered in cloud-like patterns, seemed to be forged from fine iron. A huge, horn-like fleshy growth protruded from its forehead. If it one day became a Foundation Establishment Demon Beast, this growth would break open and transform into a Flood Dragon Horn.

As he was examining it, his gaze suddenly froze, and his expression changed dramatically.

"Something’s wrong... There’s something wrong with this fish..."

Almost at the same instant, a clear hawk’s cry echoed from the sky.

Both of their expressions changed. Before they could react, an immense aura descended upon them like a mountain.

Then, before their shocked eyes,

the source of this aura, moving so fast it seemed to step directly out of the night sky, appeared standing silently over the river. He wore robes embroidered with the cloud pattern of the Primordial Sect, which whipped and snapped in the night wind like a Battle Banner.

"What a pleasant surprise!"

The old man’s long hair billowed in the night wind, his eyes fixed on the two men standing on opposite banks. "I’ve had this bait out for a full half-month. I was about to give up, but I never expected to get a bite tonight!"

"Zhou Changping!"

Xiao Chan gritted his teeth.

The Foundation Establishment Major Cultivator of the Primordial Sect, Zhou Changping!

The moment the man appeared, Xiao Chan understood everything without needing to ask.

"I never imagined that a single dragon fish would end up catching two big ones!"

Zhou Changping first glanced at the ashen-faced Xiao Chan, then turned a slightly puzzled gaze toward Chen Che.

"Tributor Chen?"

"A mere Qi Refining Cultivator who managed to evade Senior Brother Cao Xiong’s Attacking God and Inquiring Heart... that is rather unexpected. It seems that aside from your Alchemy Skill, you have quite a few secrets! And now the Primordial Sect is about to gain another Pill Master."

Xiao Chan was as good as dead.

But Chen Che was a different story.

It would be a pity to kill such a talented Pill Master. Better to take him back to the Sect, torture all his secrets out of him, then chop off his legs and chain him to a Pill Furnace to make Pills for the rest of his life. This was how the Primordial Sect had always dealt with uncooperative Pill Masters.

"Outmaneuvered by a single step. This was my mistake."

Xiao Chan sighed, knowing this battle was unavoidable. He took the bundle from his back, and with a sweep of his hand, removed the black cloth bound with golden thread. The Soul-Calling Banner, wrapped tightly around its staff, looked like a black Long Spear.

"Tributor Chen, I’ve dragged you into this... You go first, I’ll hold him off!"

"What are your odds of winning?"

Chen Che looked at Xiao Chan. Seeing that a second or even third Foundation Establishment Cultivator hadn’t arrived, he let out a sigh of relief.

"Only about twenty percent..."

Xiao Chan answered truthfully.

Zhou Changping wasn’t exceptionally talented; he had only managed to reach Foundation Establishment with the support of his family, and to this day, he was still only at the First Layer. But he was, after all, a Foundation Establishment Major Cultivator, and a Tutor for the Primordial Sect responsible for teaching disciples Martial Techniques and Cultivation Techniques.

And that twenty percent chance was only if he fought with his life on the line.

Unexpectedly, after hearing this, Chen Che not only didn’t flee but took a step forward.

"With me, our odds should be about seventy percent!"

’Run? Where could I possibly run?’

’Not unless I was willing to abandon this world.’

’Otherwise, I’d end up just like Xiao Chan—hunted by the Primordial Sect, living like a stray dog, even hiding in Jinyun Valley under a false name, too afraid to show my face. How pathetic would that be? But if the two of us joined forces and killed Zhou Changping here and now...’

’...we might just be able to turn this around.’ 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

With that step forward, the two men stood on the left and right, on opposite banks of the river, forming a pincer.

"A toad yawning—all hot air. Are you saying that without Xiao Chan, you alone have a fifty percent chance of killing me?"

Zhou Changping’s eyes were filled with mockery. Although he didn’t believe it, he locked his Qi Mechanism firmly onto Chen Che.

After all, for this boy to have evaded Cao Xiong’s Attacking God and Inquiring Heart, he must have something to rely on.

"Kill!"

Before the word even faded, Xiao Chan unfurled his Soul-Calling Banner. The tip of the banner lanced out like a striking viper, instantly creating an overwhelming storm of spear shadows that crazily lunged toward Zhou Changping.

"Hmph!"

Zhou Changping hovered in mid-air, not even bothering to look at Xiao Chan.

With a mere thought, the Flying Sword on his back unsheathed itself. A flash of sword light, like a cascade of mercury, erupted and easily blocked Xiao Chan’s attack. Not a single one of the overwhelming spear shadows could get within ten feet of him before being intercepted.

"You haven’t reached Foundation Establishment. You have no idea how terrifying it is!"

He paid Xiao Chan no mind, even having the leisure to speak to Chen Che. "I’ve killed countless arrogant brats like you. Even that Rebel Disciple only managed to kill a Foundation Establishment Major Cultivator by using poison in secret!"

At this, Zhou Changping chuckled lightly. "So what do you have?"

Seeing that his opponent utterly disregarded him, Xiao Chan was enraged.

"Die!"

With a roar, he swept his Soul-Calling Banner, then thrust it upwards. In an instant, the sky full of spear shadows condensed into a single beam.

Tier One High Grade Spear Technique:

Black Dragon Shocking Kill!

A torrent of True Essence surged forth, wrapping and twisting around the advancing Soul-Calling Banner. In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a ferocious black dragon with bared claws and fangs. This dragon was seventy to eighty feet long, nearly spanning the entire sky.

The moment it formed, the black dragon lunged forward to devour Zhou Changping!

"Using the Cultivation Technique I taught to fight me?"

Zhou Changping chuckled, simply forming a sword finger with his right hand and gently pushing his Flying Sword forward.

CLANG!

The sword and dragon collided with the force of a thunderclap.

For a moment, time and space themselves seemed to freeze.

FWOOSH!

Then, a terrifying wave of Strong Qi spread outwards in all directions like a ring of clouds.

The earth cracked. Amidst a deafening, destructive roar, the frozen river surface shattered, and the water below began to churn once more. Countless fish were pulverized by the Strong Force. Even the Golden Dragon Carp was killed by the shockwave, its body now floating on the surface.

"Urgh!"

Xiao Chan spat out a mouthful of blood.

His body shuddered under the force, and his feet plowed two deep furrows in the ground as he was violently thrown back a thousand feet before stopping. The Soul-Calling Banner in his hand buzzed, and he could barely hold onto it.

The skin between his thumbs and forefingers tore, and fresh blood streamed down his hands.

"Now do you understand the power of Foundation Establishment, and your own insignificance?"

The mockery on Zhou Changping’s face deepened.

"Xiao Chan has an Evil Artifact, which is why he has a twenty percent chance of winning. What do you have...?"

WHOOSH!

As he spoke, he raised his hand and waved.

The hovering Flying Sword streaked through the air, hurtling directly toward Xiao Chan. It seemed like a casual wave, but the beam of sword light was two hundred feet long, as brilliant and agile as a soaring dragon.

Clearly, this was a killing blow.

The mention of the Soul-Calling Banner seemed to jolt Xiao Chan back to his senses. He gritted his teeth, and with a great sweep of his arm, he brandished the Soul-Calling Banner. An endless black mist billowed from the dark flag, instantly coalescing into a giant skull.

In that instant, it seemed as if the very heavens and earth were blotted out.

DING!

The skull appeared, opened its massive maw, and with a shower of sparks, bit down on the Flying Sword as if it were chewing on iron and gold.

"Hm?"

Zhou Changping was momentarily stunned, and the Qi Mechanism he had locked onto Chen Che loosened for an instant.

In that exact same instant, Chen Che struck.

ZWING!

A sword flash appeared. In the next moment, Chen Che had become one with his blade, a streak of light that arrived before Zhou Changping in a flash. Although Chen Che’s speed was already incredible, it was still a bit slow for a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

"You think you can..."

He chuckled softly, raising his right hand in a sealing, closing motion. True Essence gathered as he prepared to block the sword strike.

PFFT!

Before he could finish his sentence, there was a sound like tearing silk. The sword’s edge pierced through his right hand and, with its momentum unchecked, continued straight for his throat.