In the time it took for a spark to fly, Chu Chaoyun’s sword strike pierced through the eye in the aquamarine on the top of Old Eccentric Qiao’s scepter.
“Crack! Crack!”
In that instant, the surroundings shattered like a mirror again, turning into countless shards.
Then, the scene in front of them turned illusory again. Xiao Chen’s group returned to the underground boat. However, the boat was not sinking this time, and all the passengers were there.
It was like time reversed before their eyes, returning to when Xiao Chen went to question that Rakshasa cultivator.
That Rakshasa cultivator even still had his back to Xiao Chen. However, this time, there was no strange vertical eye on the back of his head.
Of course, the stranger thing was an old man suddenly appearing in front of Xiao Chen and holding the God Shadow Bow. Horror appeared in this old man’s eyes.
If this Yaksha old man was not Old Eccentric Qiao, who else could it be?
“Whoosh!”
Old Eccentric Qiao’s previous arrogance and confidence vanished. However, the horror in his eyes passed in a flash.
The moment Xiao Chen looked at the old man, the old man let go and quickly went far away.
“Boom!”
However, Xiao Chen had already planned for this situation. How could he let the old man leave so easily? Before Old Eccentric Qiao let go, a golden light flashed in Xiao Chen’s eyes as he instantly activated the Great Desolate Divine Eyes and the Azure Dragon bloodline.
Who is supreme? In the entire world, Only I Am Supreme!
Xiao Chen instantly executed the Supreme Dragon Fist’s strongest move. Ten thousand dragons gathered above his Divine Energy Sea, and a vast and boundless Ten Thousand Dragons Picture manifested behind him. A Great Desolate Eon’s Dragon Might appeared. This punch showed the dominance of a sovereign who declared that only he reigned supreme.
Old Eccentric Qiao could not dodge in time. The strongest move of Xiao Chen’s Supreme Dragon Fist struck him.
“Bang!”
This punch directly blew a huge bloody hole in Old Eccentric Qiao’s chest. The punch’s horrifying strength sent him barreling into many other people, then crashing through the underworld boat and falling into the Underworld River with a splash.
“What’s going on?”
“Damn it! Who hit me? It hurts!”
“Why does it feel like I was dreaming? What a strong Dragon Might! How could there be such horrifying Dragon Might in the Abyssal Underworld? Could I still be dreaming?”
As Old Eccentric Qiao fell into the Underworld River, the cultivators on the underworld boat seemed to awaken from a dream. All of them felt somewhat confused. Those that Old Eccentric Qiao crashed into moaned in pain as they rolled on the deck in agony.
Xiao Chen’s Dragon Might had not scattered yet. The remnant might of the Supreme Dragon Fist spread out on the boat.
The horrifying might and pressure deterred the Abyssal Underworld cultivators from approaching. It shocked them and drove them out of the hold.
“This…what is going on?”
Lin Feng, who was at the side, startled awake, feeling stupefied. Wasn’t everyone caught by the Underworld River’s ghostly hands just now, trapped in a fatal situation? How did things turn out this way?
Chu Chaoyun revealed an expression of understanding. So, that was the case. He looked at Xiao Chen and asked, “How did you think of it?”
Xiao Chen scattered his Dragon Might. However, he did not dismiss his Great Desolate Eon bloodline. He replied sullenly, “I had long suspected that the first layer of illusions was Old Eccentric Qiao’s trap. However, I could not figure out when we fell for his illusion, so I did not dare to be sure.
“When he approached me, I became certain that we were still in an illusion. Otherwise, that old fellow would not risk getting close, daring to come for my Soul Tool.”
Old Eccentric Qiao’s illusion appeared very realistic, very hard to differentiate from reality. At that time, Xiao Chen did not dare to be certain that he was still in an illusion.
However, once a person showed greed, he would definitely show an opening. While Old Eccentric Qiao was very smart, he did not know that Xiao Chen already saw through his ploy. Xiao Chen only lacked a final confirmation.
Lin Feng asked in confusion, “But…why did he still walk over to take the God Shadow Bow?”
Xiao Chen explained calmly, “It is because of greed and confidence. The Medial Grade Soul Tool caused him to be blinded by greed. Furthermore, he felt confident in his illusions, believing that I did not know that I was still in an illusion. However, the most crucial thing was still Brother Chu shattering his illusion. Even if I attacked back then, I would still be in his illusion and could not hurt his true body. Hence, I was also betting that Brother Chu could break his illusion. Otherwise, there would still be only a path to death.”
Lin Feng was shocked to hear that. This Xiao Chen was very bold. He gambled on not only fooling Old Eccentric Qiao but also Chu Chaoyun’s noticing the flaw.
However, what was truly admirable was that Xiao Chen and Chu Chaoyun could cooperate so perfectly without communicating, showing tacit understanding.
If Xiao Chen and Chu Chaoyun had sent voice projections in the illusion, Old Eccentric Qiao would know.
Lin Feng asked, “Xiao Chen, why did your God Shadow Bow appear in reality when you took it out in the illusion?”
Xiao Chen replied softly, “I do not know much about illusions. However, I know that expert illusionists can make illusions real. As long as Old Eccentric Qiao wanted, he could manifest any actions we took in his illusion. It would be as good as manipulating us. Some people might even never know that illusions controlled them. Even the observers might not notice anything strange.”
Chu Chaoyun asked, “When did we fall for the illusion?”
Xiao Chen replied sullenly, “If I guess right, we had already fallen for it when the vertical eyes appeared on the back of those people’s heads. That was why we felt it was strange after we boarded the boat. It probably was Old Eccentric Qiao probing for flaws in our minds.”
Lin Feng’s face sank slightly. Then, he said with some lingering fear, “What terrifying illusion skills! So tough to defend against! What should we do now?”
A vicious expression flashed in Xiao Chen’s eyes. He said coldly, “Wait for that old thing to come back up. If I guess right, he will appear the instant I dismiss my Great Desolate Eon bloodline.”
Chu Chaoyun and Lin Feng felt slightly startled but reacted quickly.
Even if Old Eccentric Qiao was only skilled with illusions, he was still a bona fide 4-Vein Sovereign Emperor. Xiao Chen’s earlier strike might be horrifying, but it would be hard to truly injure Old Eccentric Qiao at a core level.
Even without using illusions, Old Eccentric Qiao could use his 4-Vein Sovereign Emperor cultivation to suppress them.
The danger was not over yet. However, the three now held more initiative when facing the physically injured Old Eccentric Qiao than when they were in an illusion.
“Whoosh!”
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Despite saying that he would wait to attack after Old Eccentric Qiao came back up, Xiao Chen immediately pulled back his bowstring after speaking and opened his Heavenly Eye.
He immediately peered through the river water and saw Old Eccentric Qiao charging back up.
A divine figure appeared in the sky above the Underworld River as the slender bowstring quivered. The sky and ground shook while a divine sound spread out. When Xiao Chen released the arrow, it silently entered the Underworld River.
“Bang!”
In the next moment, the Underworld River exploded, and a scarlet wave shot into the sky. A figure stood on top of the wave, shrieking miserably. This cry sounded sharp and terrifying as it echoed over the fiercely gushing Underworld River.
“Xiao Chen, you brat, this old man will make sure you die without a corpse!”
It turned out that, although Old Eccentric Qiao had fallen into the Underworld River, he still knew everything that was happening on the underworld boat. He had heard everything that Xiao Chen said.
At that time, Old Eccentric Qiao smiled coldly, thinking of adapting to the situation and making a surprise appearance to capture Xiao Chen in one go.
However, who knew, Xiao Chen only said that as a ruse. He could see into the Underworld River at any time with his Heavenly Eye.
Xiao Chen was in his peak state before his Great Desolate Eon bloodline faded, so he pulled on his God Shadow Bow and shot an arrow at Old Eccentric Qiao.
This arrow could instantly kill a 1-Vein Sovereign Emperor and severely injure Old Eccentric Qiao’s physical body. Even more horrifyingly, this inflicted further injuries on top of his already severe injuries. Had Xiao Chen been stronger, Xiao Chen could have killed him.
“Rumble!”
The shock waves from the God Shadow Bow split the Underworld River and rocked the underworld boat, threatening to capsize it.
This scared the cultivators on the underworld boat, inspiring restlessness.
“That is Old Eccentric Qiao, an Underworld God Protector!”
“To think that it is Xiao Chen! Could they be the Righteous Dao cultivators that the Underworld God Hall put out wanted notices for?”
“However, why is Old Eccentric Qiao in such a miserable state? He is a 4-Vein Sovereign Emperor!”
“What is the point of caring about that now? If these people fight, the boat will sink. At that time, we will all die.”
Xiao Chen and his companions could feel the surging Demonic Might from Old Eccentric Qiao’s words. Their bodies shook slightly, somewhat unable to stand stably.
The three immediately showed somewhat unsightly expressions. Unexpectedly, Old Eccentric Qiao still could show such might after being struck by the God Shadow Bow’s arrow.
Through clenched teeth, Xiao Chen said, “What a troublesome old man! I have to shoot him again. Otherwise, it will be hard for us to survive.”
The disparity was too great. The other party only had to shout furiously, and the three could no longer stand stably.
Furthermore, this was when Old Eccentric Qiao was severely injured. The results would be unimaginable if he were in his peak state.
Fortunately, Old Eccentric Qiao lusted after Xiao Chen’s Medial Grade Soul Tools and was overconfident in his illusions.
Had Old Eccentric Qiao openly faced them from the start, the three would not have stood a chance.
The three did not know that if they survived this battle above the Underworld River, they would definitely become famous.
In the Divine Vein Realm, every Divine Vein opened meant advancing one cultivation grade. Furthermore, this Old Eccentric Qiao was a 4-Vein Sovereign Emperor, someone who surpassed 3-Vein Sovereign Emperor.
This was a person of a completely different level of strength.
Any other person would be scared to death, unable to muster the courage to fight.
“I’ll go.”
Chu Chaoyun and Lin Feng spoke at the same time. As they exchanged glances, determination flashed in their eyes.
The two did not hesitate to soar into the air, rushing out of the underworld boat and taking the initiative to charge at Old Eccentric Qiao.
When one was trapped in a difficult situation, one either waited for death or rescued oneself.
How could one rescue oneself? Only by being brave.
“You are seeking death!”
On top of the wave, Old Eccentric Qiao showed a sinister expression. This made his face look uglier, like a malicious spirit of hell.
Seeing Chu Chaoyun and Lin Feng charge over, Old Eccentric Qiao snorted coldly. Then, he pushed his injured body to launch a palm strike.
“Boom!”
This palm strike was very horrifying. An overwhelming Demonic Might spread out in the sky in four layers. They looked endless, like a bottomless abyss.
Before Chu Chaoyun and Lin Feng got close, this Demonic Might suppressed them to the point where their Qi and blood surged unbearably.
“Scram!”
When that palm strike landed, Chu Chaoyun and Lin Feng vomited a mouthful of blood. As their bodies wobbled, they felt the suction from the Underworld River, an extremely dangerous situation.
“Great Desolate Eon’s rage, charge out for me! Charge! Charge!”
Lin Feng seemed to go crazy. Black lines appeared on his face as he took out the Qiongqi Beast Ghost Pennant. He gritted his teeth and charged up.
On the other side, a flash of sword light burst out of Chu Chaoyun’s body. It felt as old as the stars, as if it had existed as long as the rivers, sun, and moon.
Chu Chaoyun broke out of the Underworld River’s suction and charged up with pride.
Lin Feng and Chu Chaoyun risked their lives to delay Old Eccentric Qiao.
Xiao Chen felt immense, invisible pressure as he stood on the boat. He only had one chance; could he hit his target?