Cultivation: Start From Simplifying Martial Arts Techniques

“Boom!”

As if a fragile sound from within its soul, the sword intent clashed with Chen pel’s seemingly impenetrable consciousness, shattering the sword intent in an instant. Chen Xiangyu’s figure involuntarily stiffened.

The ghastly puppets didn’t care much about their host’s mental damage because they were the ones in control. While a host’s mental injury had some impact on them, it wasn’t significant.

However, the clean and swift shattering of the sword intent caused a backlash that made Chen Xiangyu’s body involuntarily stiffen, affecting the ghastly puppet attached to him as well.

Chen Fei’s pointed finger thrust directly into Chen Xiangyu’s forehead. The Godslayer Sword moved like it was cutting through bamboo, effortlessly slicing through the location where the ghastly puppet was attached.

“Hum!”

Behind Chen Xiangyu, a dark mass burst out. It was the ghastly puppet that Chen Fei had expelled. Just as it was about to roar, the Godslayer Sword flashed, cutting it in half, and it dissipated into black smoke. Keeping such ghastly puppets alive was only a source of trouble; it was better to kill them outright.

Chen Xiangyu’s body lost strength, and she slumped to the ground, her face pale. She had been possessed by the ghastly puppet for too long, and it had already harmed her core.

Chen Fei glanced at Chen Xiangyu briefly, then turned his gaze forward to where the Sect Master of the Sunken Water Pavilion, Ji Ruiqing, was standing on a pool of water. Inside the cave, the pervasive cold air emanated from this pool.

While the mountain spring at the Bitter Water Peak was bitter and the surrounding spiritual energy was sluggish, inside the cave, the spiritual energy was pure and abundant.

Chen Fei gazed at Ji Ruiqing, and he sensed the ghastly puppet’s aura emanating from Ji Ruiqing. Evidently, Ji Ruiqing had let her guard down and had fallen under the ghastly puppet’s influence.

Regardless of whether compared to Qu Yuexiu or Chen Xiangyu, the madness and malice radiating from Ji Ruiqing right now were several times more intense. Just looking at her back, one could feel a chilling sensation enveloping their heart.

“Without permission, you’ve trespassed into my Sunken Water Pavilion.”

Ji Ruiqing slowly turned around, looking at Chen Fei. Her eyes widened, and she sternly exclaimed, “You, you have quite the audacity!”

“Whoosh!”

An astonishing aura burst forth from Ji Ruiqing, pressing directly onto Chen Fei. Inside the cave, a sudden gust of wind blew, causing Chen Fei’s hair to flutter backward.

This kind of aura might instill panic in the hearts of those in the early or middle stages of the Aperture tempering realm, and if someone had a weaker disposition, they might even flee in terror.

After all, this was the genuine power of the late stage Aperture tempering realm, and without reaching a similar level, it was akin to a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

However, Chen Fei didn’t flee. Instead, he kept his eyes locked onto Ji Ruiqing, using his Star Gazing Art to the fullest to observe every subtle change in Ji Ruiqing’s aura.

The aura of the aperture tempering realm alone was not enough to intimidate Chen Fei, because Chen Fei himself was also at the late-stage aperture tempering realm. Just his aura alone couldn’t pose any threat to Chen Fei.

Behind Chen Fei, the members of the Sunken Water Pavilion followed the marks he had left behind and entered the cave.

Seeing the hidden paradise inside the cave, everyone was somewhat surprised. They didn’t understand the situation here, but now, it didn’t matter. They all noticed something unusual about Ji Ruiqing.

“Master…” Chu Yushuang looked at Ji Ruiqing and couldn’t help but mutter softly.

“Allowing outsiders to enter our mountain gate without resistance? And now you let them in! Kill him!” Ji Ruiqing looked at the Sunken Water Pavilion members, sternly rebuking them while pointing at Chen Fei.

Ji Ruiqing’s imposing aura overwhelmed the other members of the Sunken Water Pavilion, making it difficult for them to breathe. Faced with the aura of a late-stage Aperture tempering realm cultivator, not everyone could disregard it like Chen Fei.

Even though the members of the Sunken Water Pavilion were determined in their hearts, under the pressure of this aura, they could only perform at around seventy percent of their strength, which was already considered good.

Hearing Ji Ruiqing’s words, the members of the Sunken Water Pavilion exchanged glances, unsure of what to do. In the past, they would have unquestioningly followed Ji Ruiqing’s orders, but now it was evident that Ji Ruiqing was being controlled.

However, they had no idea how to free Ji Ruiqing from this control. Rushing forward and trying to subdue Ji Ruiqing? Putting aside whether they could defeat a late-stage Aperture tempering realm cultivator, even the idea of challenging their leader went against their ingrained beliefs, making them hesitate.

“What are you waiting for? Do you want to betray the Sunken Water Pavilion?” Ji Ruiqing shouted angrily, and the water pool beneath him trembled slightly. The already intense aura grew even stronger, as if Ji Ruiqing was about to make a thunderous move at any moment.

“Now, you can’t move, can you?” Chen Fei calmly looked at Ji Ruiqing and said. Ji Ruiqing turned to look at Chen Fei, and a hint of a sinister smile suddenly appeared on her face. In terms of age, Ji Ruiqing was from the same generation as Qu Qingsheng and was already over a hundred years old now.

However, cultivators in the Aperture tempering realm would not show signs of aging in their appearance until they were approaching the end of their natural lifespan. Moreover, the Sunken Water Pavilion’s cultivation techniques had a remarkable effect on preserving youthfulness.

In addition to the effects of some longevity pills, Ji Ruiqing’s appearance not only did not show any signs of aging, but she also appeared to be in her early thirties at most.

The enigmatic smile she wore at this moment had a unique charm to it.

Inside Chen Fei’s sea of consciousness, the Suppressing Dragon Elephant remained calm, and there was no change in Chen Fei’s expression.

Failing to achieve the desired effect, Ji Ruiqing’s brows furrowed slightly The overwhelming aura that had filled the entire cave was now entirely focused on Chen Fei, but Chen Fei remained calm.

“Controlling a cultivator’s mind in the late Aperture tempering realm must be challenging, right?” Chen Fei began to slowly approach Ji Ruiqing, a slight smile on his face. He continued, “I believe Master Ji is still trying to break free right now, so are you just stalling for time?”

The smile vanished from Ji Ruiqing’s face as she watched Chen Fei approach step by step. She slowly raised her right hand, gathering a vast amount of elemental energy in her palm.

The expressions of everyone present changed drastically. If Ji Ruiqing were to truly unleash the power of the late Aperture tempering realm, it would be difficult for anyone in the vicinity, including those at the same cultivation level, to contend with her.

Particularly if the ghastly puppets were to disregard everything and even burst their cultivation bases to gain strength, everyone would likely be wiped out.

This was the power of the late Aperture tempering realm, and it was the kind of strength that sects like the Sunken Water Pavilion relied on to suppress their rivals. A sect without a late Aperture tempering realm cultivator would see its sphere of influence greatly diminished.

Much like the Black City District, if the District Master of the Black City District did not possess a late Aperture tempering realm cultivation, it would be impossible to control and maintain such a gray area, and it would have long been divided up by other cultivators.

The fluctuations in Ji Ruiqing’s elemental energy became increasingly intense, akin to the moments before a mountain collapse or a tsunami. A palpable sense of unease arose in everyone’s hearts, but Chen Fei continued to advance slowly towards Ji Ruiqing.

Ji Ruiqing’s eyes displayed a hint of sternness as she was about to unleash a sword technique with her right hand. Suddenly, her expression changed, and the right arm she had raised slowly struggled to lower itself.

Chen Fei’s eyes brightened, and his figure flickered. In an instant, he appeared in front of Ji Ruiqing, pointing a finger at Ji Ruiqing’s forehead.

Through his earlier observations with Star Gazing Art, Chen Fei had noticed that Ji Ruiqing’s aura had been subtly fluctuating, and her mental state had been in constant turmoil. It was evident that, although the ghastly puppet had controlled Ji Ruiqing, Ji Ruiqing had never given up resisting. This was reflected in the unusual fluctuations in her mental state.

While late Aperture tempering realm cultivators’ mental states were not supposed to be controlled so easily, the ghastly puppets under Master Xi Lian’s command were apparently an exception, possibly due to the influence of that high-quality magical treasure.

However, despite Ji Ruiqing’s momentary lapse in control, it was clear that she had not given up resisting. Chen Fei’s provocations and Ji Ruiqing’s recent actions only confirmed Chen Fei’s speculation.

As long as Chen Fei’s fingertip touched Ji Ruiqing, he was confident he could establish a mental connection with Ji Ruiqing’s true self and expel the ghastly puppet from Ji Ruiqing’s sea of consciousness.

Losing Ji Ruiqing as the host, a single ghastly puppet was no cause for concern.

“How dare you!” Ji Ruiqing raised her head to look at Chen Fei and a burst of sword energy exploded from within her. Although Chen Fei’s fingertip was just an inch away from Ji Ruiqing’s forehead, that one inch seemed insurmountable.

“Boom!”

Chen Fei’s body was involuntarily sent flying, and his right hand was shattered by the close-range impact of Ji Ruiqing’s sword energy. Not only his right hand, but the sword energy also swept across Chen Fei’s body, leaving him riddled with injuries.

This was undeniably the sword energy unleashed by a late Aperture tempering realm cultivator, and even mid Aperture tempering realm cultivators would be severely wounded or killed with a single touch. Chen Fei’s clone was unable to withstand it, and his fate seemed grim.

“Chen Fei!”

Chu Yushuang watched Chen Fei’s fragmented and battered body in mid-air, feeling his weakening aura, and couldn’t help but shout loudly. The others were equally horrified.

“Everyone, attack together and save the Sect Leader!”

Everything happened too quickly, and the members of the Sunken Water

Pavilion couldn’t react in time. Chen Fei was on the brink of death, and it seemed likely that he would die soon.

However, at this moment, they couldn’t afford to think too much. They rushed towards Ji Ruiqing, hoping to expel the ghastly puppet while Ji Ruiqing was not completely under its control.

“Rebellion from within, a grave offense that merits execution!”

In Ji Ruiqing’s sea of consciousness, a manic aura radiated outwards, sweeping the surroundings. Everyone’s hearts were thrown into chaos, causing the force behind their attacks to unconsciously weaken.

At the same time, Chen Fei’s aura completely vanished from their senses, a

result that cast a shadow over everyone’s hearts.

Ji Ruiqing’s eyes turned black, and with a sweeping sword strike, several mid Aperture tempering realm elders who were at the forefront were instantly sent flying, their blood staining the sky.

However, compared to the sword energy that had killed Chen Fei just now, this time, the force was significantly weaker. It was evident that Ji Ruiqing’s own consciousness had been struggling to break free all along.

“Kill, kill, kill!”

Ji Ruiqing’s pupils vanished, replaced by a sky-high killing intent. Chu

Yushuang had just rushed to Ji Ruiqing’s side when she met her gaze, and she was suddenly immobilized, unable to move.

Ji Ruiqing’s longsword in her hand twirled and slashed toward Chu Yushuang’s neck. Not only Chu Yushuang, but also the few Aperture tempering realm initiates who had rushed forward slightly faster, were all rendered motionless at this moment.

They could only watch helplessly as the sword edge approached their own necks. Despair pervaded the hearts of each and every one of them; they were about to die!

Once this sword struck, there would be no doubt about their deaths!

“Boom!”

Suddenly, a figure appeared behind Ji Ruiqing without a sound and pointed a finger at the back of her head.

Everyone’s eyes widened as they watched the figure behind Ji Ruiqing.

Chen Fei?

Didn’t his aura dissipate just now? Wasn’t he dead?

Before everyone could react, ripples spread out from Ji Ruiqing’s body, and a dark figure was expelled from her..