Chapter 310: Nine-Can Law Body

“Daoyuan!”

Chen Mobai severed the head of the Foundation Establishment cultivator from Mount Hanshan with a single sword stroke, then heard a mournful cry from nearby. He looked up to see a short but powerfully built, bearded Foundation Establishment cultivator in a yellow robe, his face filled with disbelief. Their eyes met for a moment, and Chen Mobai clearly saw endless rage and a hint of regret in the man's eyes.

“Could it be his son that I killed?” Chen Mobai wondered. This thought flashed through his mind as he raised his hand, using his flying sword to retrieve the storage pouch from the waist of the headless corpse opposite him.

At the same time, the bearded cultivator swung both palms, unleashing a wave of force that surged through the air like crashing ocean waves, one after another. While suppressing Lian Chenghai and other Foundation Establishment cultivators from the four great families he was fighting, he also sent a palm strike toward Chen Mobai.

After securing the storage pouch, Chen Mobai raised his right hand. Azure light points flew from his armguard, forming a shimmering, fish-scale defense in front of him. However, something unexpected happened. Though the palm strike appeared to be a single layer, it actually contained seven layers of spiritual energy. The moment it connected, it shattered Chen Mobai's fish-scale defense.

Fortunately, Chen Mobai's divine sense was powerful, and he had a backup plan. With a thought, three defensive spirit talismans flew out, holding the attack back for only three breaths. This brief delay, however, allowed him to unleash the full power of his Azure Scale Armguard. The remaining 320 scales flew out and, under the control of his divine sense, formed five more layers of protection.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Three consecutive fish-scale defenses burst open under the surging palm strike. Many scales shattered and could not be reused even if retrieved. But at least his opponent's attack had been blocked.

It turned out he was a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. Through this exchange, Chen Mobai had learned the bearded man's cultivation realm. He frowned as he looked at his armguard, which was missing a small piece of azure scale from its edge. He thought, "This thing should be repairable, right?" He was quite fond of this defensive magic artifact.

Chen Mobai then glanced at the situation on the other side. Lian Chenghai and the other four Foundation Establishment cultivators from Thunder Nation had actually set up a small formation, pooling their strength to block the bearded cultivator from Mount Hanshan. If Yue Zutao hadn't also been in a life-or-death situation, Chen Mobai would have definitely drawn his sword and joined Lian Chenghai and the others to first eliminate this bearded cultivator, who clearly harbored intense hatred for him.

"Never mind, I'll let you live a bit longer," Chen Mobai thought to himself. Lost in thought, Chen Mobai didn't have time to dwell on the damage to his Azure Scale Armguard. He then directed another Divine Wood Sword toward Gong Wanshan, who was intently activating a third-tier talisman, aiming to "besiege Wei to rescue Zhao."

However, cultivators from the Heavenly River Realm were exceptionally experienced in combat. Facing his attack, Gong Wanshan flicked a shimmering silver gauze from his sleeve. In an instant, a silver light flared up like a waterfall, blocking the Divine Wood Sword. However, Chen Mobai's Divine Wood Sword had always been a feint. From his storage pouch, he drew out the Golden Jade Axe. With spiritual energy surging through his body, this top-tier second-tier magic artifact gleamed with sharp edges as he brought it down on Zheng Wulv, who was focused on wielding his flying sword.

When Foundation Establishment cultivators fought, their divine sense extended around their entire bodies. Zheng Wulv detected the Golden Jade Axe as it descended behind him. Zheng Wulv could only pull out a black shield from his storage pouch. But this distraction gave Yue Zutao, who had previously had no breathing room, an opportunity.

In addition to the third-tier Spirit Leaf Talisman, he also waved the blue flag, condensing water currents into a turtle to block in front of him. Then, the Azure Sun Spirit Tree glowed brightly, and emerald green leaves flew down, activating the Spirit Leaf technique once more. No sooner had the triple defense been completed than Gong Wanshan's Profound Nether Soul-Shattering Talisman activated! A deep, dark light, like a poisonous dragon, burst forth from the talisman in his palm. In an instant, it collided with the outermost Spirit Leaf Talisman, creating an earth-shattering commotion.

Several Qi Refining cultivators who couldn't dodge in time were caught in the blast. Their faces immediately turned ashen, and they silently collapsed to the ground, as if their souls had been annihilated. Yue Zutao's expression subtly changed as he witnessed this. His greatest fear had just materialized. The Spirit Leaf Talisman was actually unable to withstand the dark, poisonous-dragon-like light. The verdant leaf phantoms began to slowly dim, eventually dissipating. Gong Wanshan's talisman seemed to be a bit unusual.

At this point, however, Yue Zutao could only wave his Profound Turtle Banner, unleashing the full power of this mid-tier second-tier defensive magic artifact to meet the dark, ominous light that was now almost upon him. Simultaneously, branches broke off from the Azure Sun Spirit Tree. Under Yue Zutao's divine sense control, they transformed into wooden arrows, imbued with sharp Heavenly Wood spiritual light, and shot towards Gong Wanshan like a volley of ten thousand arrows.

With a surging roar, the flowing turtle phantom formed by the Profound Turtle Banner also couldn't hold. It disintegrated into a sky full of water droplets, and a crack appeared in the middle of the banner itself. Fortunately, after successively breaking through the third-tier Spirit Leaf Talisman and the Profound Turtle Banner, the dark, ominous light had less than one or two tenths of its power left. Yue Zutao didn't spare his Azure Sun Spirit Tree either. He transformed almost all the leaves formed by this spirit seed into Spirit Leaf techniques, finally depleting the full power of Gong Wanshan's talisman when only a dozen or so leaves remained. Meanwhile, the volley of wooden arrows he shot posed no threat to Gong Wanshan, who easily fended them off with his Silver Glow Gauze.

Their eyes met. As they began circulating their spiritual energy again, ready to resume their fight, a shrill cry rang out.

Chen Mobai, slightly surprised, retrieved his Flying Sparrow Hairpin. Across from him, Zheng Wulv had only had an arm severed, his head still intact. Just moments ago, he had used the Golden Jade Axe to cleave open his opponent's black shield and launched another sword light attack. His original intention was to catch Zheng Wulv off guard, so he hadn't used the Azure Sun Fire Seed. He hadn't expected his opponent to possess a life-saving magic artifact that suddenly flew out on its own, deflecting his sword light and allowing him to escape.

"That brat from the Divine Wood Sect has mastered sword light. I'm no match for him," Zheng Wulv said, his face filled with fear, as he dragged his severed arm and flew to Gong Wanshan's side. He too was a sword cultivator. If not for his recent brush with death, he would never have believed that this Divine Wood Sect cultivator, who was only at the early Foundation Establishment stage, had actually achieved the "Sword Rainbow Dispersion" realm—a feat even late-stage Foundation Establishment sword cultivators might not accomplish!

"That's impossible!" Gong Wanshan instinctively disbelieved upon hearing this, but then he saw the Mount Hanshan cultivator whose head Chen Mobai had just severed with a single sword stroke nearby. If he wasn't mistaken, this deceased Foundation Establishment cultivator was Ji Daoyuan. He was Mount Hanshan's youngest Foundation Establishment cultivator, hailed as the Ji family's greatest genius in three hundred years, second only to Ji Zhenshi. During his Qi Refining stage, he had already mastered the "Nine-Ren Dharma Body," possessing immense vital energy and a powerful physique, with skin and bones as tough as top-tier first-tier defensive magic artifacts.

Ji Daoyuan had once dueled with the Nine Great True Disciples of Golden Light Cliff. He had naturally lost the sword art battle, yet the flying swords of Golden Light Cliff's nine true disciples had become chipped without inflicting even a scratch on him. This battle had brought Ji Daoyuan great fame. After reaching Foundation Establishment, relying on sect and family resources, he had even achieved the second layer of the "Nine-Ren Dharma Body," his physical strength now comparable to a second-tier defensive magic artifact.

During this great war between the two sects, Ji Daoyuan had just emerged from secluded cultivation. Thinking it was his time to make a name for himself, he immediately rushed over upon hearing the sect's summons. Ji Dingjin, aware of his junior's cultivation, believed that even if Ji Daoyuan encountered a late-stage Divine Wood Sect Foundation Establishment cultivator, his second-layer "Nine-Ren Dharma Body" would be more than enough to ensure his survival. After all, the Evergreen Scripture specialized in defense and attrition. For body cultivators of Mount Hanshan, the worst they could suffer was a beating. Ji Dingjin believed that as long as he countered Chu Zuoshu, Ji Daoyuan would not be in mortal danger on the battlefield of Rolling Thunder Mountain.

Ji Daoyuan himself thought the same. When he stepped onto Rolling Thunder Mountain, he had even exercised caution. After all, it was his first battle since reaching Foundation Establishment, so he had chosen a Divine Wood Sect cultivator who appeared to have only recently achieved Foundation Establishment. Who knew, he had hit the jackpot. He had stumbled upon an unparalleled sword dao genius, who, despite being only at the early Foundation Establishment stage, had already mastered the "Sword Rainbow Dispersion" realm. Ji Daoyuan's proud, powerful physique, though as tough as rawhide under the sword light, was still severed by Chen Mobai's single strike.

Gong Wanshan's face, which had been disbelieving, fell silent after seeing Ji Daoyuan's headless corpse. Then, a mix of wild joy and fear surged in his heart. The joy was because with Ji Daoyuan's death, there would certainly be no reconciliation between the Divine Wood Sect and Mount Hanshan in the short term. The fear was that as the catalyst for the war between the two sects, he might incur the wrath of Mount Hanshan's upper echelons. However, at this moment, it was useless to think of anything else. Because Chen Mobai, opposite him, had already wielded his flying sword and unleashed a strike at Gong Wanshan in mid-air!

This sword strike was the Purple Fire Sword Qi! Gong Wanshan immediately threw out a defensive talisman. However, just as the talisman transformed into a silver light barrier to meet the sword light, it shattered like ceramics hitting the ground. What terrifying sword light! After witnessing such terrifying destructive power firsthand, Gong Wanshan's face drastically changed. No wonder Ji Daoyuan's Nine-Ren Dharma Body couldn't block it. He immediately activated his defensive magic artifact, the Silver Glow Gauze. A waterfall of silver light descended, blocking the path of the Purple Fire Sword Light. At the same time, Gong Wanshan affixed two talismans to himself and Zheng Wulv, and the two split up and fled.

"Ji Daoyuan has been killed by someone from the Divine Wood Sect!" Gong Wanshan shouted loudly as he ran, instantly drawing everyone's attention.

"That old fox has a wicked mind," Yue Zutao couldn't help but curse, spitting as he glared at Gong Wanshan's retreating back.

"Who is Ji Daoyuan?" Chen Mobai asked, flicking his finger to send out the Flying Sparrow Hairpin. As he spoke, he flicked his finger, launching the Flying Sparrow Hairpin. It streaked forth like a burst of light, or a silver river piercing the dark void, dazzling and magnificent. Not far in front of him, Zheng Wulv, who had just run a few steps, looked down at his pierced chest. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but then purple-blue flames ignited on his body, and in an instant, he was reduced to ashes by the Azure Sun Fire Seed. Of course, Zheng Wulv's storage pouch was carried to Chen Mobai's hand by his flying sword before it burned away. Collecting spoils of war was a tradition in the Heavenly River Realm. It was precisely for this reason that cultivators here were very enthusiastic about combat.

"He was the previous generation's chief true disciple of Mount Hanshan, renowned as the second Ji Zhenshi, with an incredibly powerful physique," Yue Zutao explained. He looked at the severed head nearby that Chen Mobai had produced. He had seen Ji Daoyuan's portrait, and it was indeed very similar. But after truly confirming it, his voice still trembled slightly.

"No wonder my Azure Sun Fire Seed couldn't reduce his body to ash after I severed his head. So he was a body cultivator," Chen Mobai said, his expression one of sudden understanding after hearing Ji Daoyuan's title. He clearly knew that battles among cultivators in the Heavenly River Realm were matters of instant life and death, so he hadn't held back. When faced with Ji Daoyuan, who had actively attacked him, he immediately combined the Flying Sparrow Hairpin with the Azure Sun Fire, elevating the Purple Fire Sword Light to its peak power in his regular state almost instantly. Ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators, like Zheng Wulv, who was also a sword cultivator, had already been reduced to ashes by Chen Mobai's sword light with a single strike. However, Ji Daoyuan, despite being decapitated, had retained his body's integrity. Originally, Chen Mobai had wondered if he had overestimated his own strength, but now, after hearing Yue Zutao's words and seeing Zheng Wulv's scattered ashes, he finally felt reassured. He was indeed formidable; it was just that his first opponent was quite unique, his physical strength precisely able to withstand the temperature of the Azure Sun Fire Seed.

"Junior Brother Chen, this Ji Daoyuan was as renowned as Junior Brother Honghe. Along with Huangfu Gan of Mount Liujia, Bai Si of Blowing Snow Palace, and Ban Zhaodan of Golden Light Cliff, he was hailed as one of the 'Five-Colored Immortal Seeds' of the Eastern Wilderness's next generation," Yue Zutao said, using a vivid comparison to emphasize Ji Daoyuan's significance, sensing that Chen Mobai hadn't fully grasped it.

"Five-Colored Immortal Seeds?" Chen Mobai had truly never heard that term before, but he understood Yue Zutao's meaning. In other words, the person he had just decapitated was equivalent to Senior Brother Honghe of the Divine Wood Sect. If Honghe were to be killed by someone from Mount Hanshan, the Divine Wood Sect would definitely not let it rest. In short, the person he killed held great status, and his storage pouch was surely filled with good things. Yue Zutao saw Chen Mobai's continued calm expression and couldn't help but admire his junior brother's self-composure, unaware that the latter was already thinking about opening the storage pouch after the battle concluded.

Just then, an incredibly powerful spiritual pressure surged toward the two of them. Chen Mobai's eyes immediately sharpened. He looked up at the bearded cultivator in mid-air not far away, stepping forward one stride at a time, his palms stained with blood.

"Oh no, it's Mu Hanxiong! He's one of Mount Hanshan's Nine Peak Lords, a late-stage Foundation Establishment body cultivator. We're no match for him," Yue Zutao said, his face drastically changing upon recognizing the newcomer. The path of body cultivation was arduous and consumed enormous spiritual stone resources. However, once successful, such cultivators became a headache for all other cultivators. Only high-level sword cultivators who had mastered "Sword Rainbow Dispersion" could break through their defenses...

Huh, sword light! At this thought, Yue Zutao suddenly remembered what Gong Wanshan had shouted earlier. He had just escaped a life-or-death situation and hadn't fully processed it yet. But now, he came to his senses! He sharply turned his head to look at Chen Mobai beside him, who remained calm and was enveloped by two flying swords.

"Senior Brother Yue, I must focus completely when fighting this person. I might not be able to look out for you," Chen Mobai said. As he spoke, the Scarlet Cloud Smoke Silk on Chen Mobai's wrist unfurled, transforming into a misty cloud that lifted his body upwards.

Hearing this, Yue Zutao swallowed hard. He had just been thinking about how to escape. This Junior Brother Chen was simply too courageous. Perhaps it was precisely this unyielding mindset that allowed him to master "Sword Rainbow Dispersion" at such a cultivation stage.