AGM 342 - Heartbreak Echo
Zhan Chen’s golden eyes were fixated on Yun Mengyi and the black-robed figure, he knew that it was impossible for him to kill Qin Wentian today. The combat prowess of his two opponents were all extraordinary, especially the black-robed figure who cultivated the Chaotic Art of the Heavenly Devil, Zhan Chen even felt fear when exchanging blows with him.
As the one and only Devil Arts in the nine ultimate arts of Grand Xia, Zhan Chen had long heard about the infamy of the Chaotic Art of the Heavenly Devil. This art was exceedingly difficult to cultivate in, and nine out of ten people would end up counter-devoured by the devil energy instead. However, if one could cultivate this forbidden art to the stage of large success, that person would transform into a true devil king.
Who would have thought that he, Zhan Chen, would personally witness such a person today.
“I, Zhan Chen, will remember your actions. When the time comes for the ranking battle at the end of the year, Zhan Chen shall personally seek the two of you out for guidance.” As the sound of his voice faded, Zhan Chen stepped upon his sword and soared away.
The black-robed figure and Yun Mengyi didn’t pursue him. Zhan Chen’s combat prowess was extremely remarkable as well, not losing out in the slightest to them. And even if they could defeat him, it didn’t mean that they would be able to kill him as well. Defeating and killing someone were two totally different concepts.
Unless one’s strength far surpassed that of his opponent, to the extent he could completely suppress them, their opponents merely needed to focus on defense and retreat as it wouldn’t be so easy to kill them.
After the battle ended, Yun Mengyi’s gaze shifted onto the black-robed figure as she icily asked, “Who are you? How did you learn the Chaotic Art of the Heavenly Devil?”
The countenance of the black-robed figure flickered as he coldly replied in a hoarse voice, “None of your business.”
As the sound his voice faded, he turned and attempted to walk away, only to see Yun Mengyi stepping out with a speed as fast as lightning, as an ice cold intent gushed out of her causing snow and frost to cover the area.
The black-robed figure turned and stabbed out tyrannically with his devil spear, the devil-might infused in his attack vibrating the void, shattering the ice and snow.
Yun Mengyu’s palm wavered as the keening of sword howls rang out like a musical composition. Boundless sword-might gathered and in an instant Yun Mengyi stretched her hands, invoking beams of sword light to shoot downwards from the Heavens.
“Bzzz…”
A sword descended, startling even the Heavens and Earth, exploding forth with a brilliance so blinding that the world lost its luster.
The current Qin Wentian had already seen many extraordinary swordplay techniques before, but in spite of this, he was still badly shocked when Yun Mengyi unleashed her swordplay.
Her swordplay was simply breathtaking.
The black-robed figure didn’t hesitate and stabbed out once again with his devil spear, aiming for Yun Mengyi’s heart. The eyes of this black-robed figure were still as cold and detached as before, like the eyes of a corpse, blankly staring on without emotion, disregarding her sword attack.
“You…”
Yun Mengyi’s countenance drastically changed, who would have thought that the black-robed figure would be this ruthless? If she continued on with her attack, there was no doubt that the both of them would definitely have died.
Soaring in the air, Yun Mengyi shifted her position and unleashed yet another attack, slashing downwards from the Heavens.
“This, Heavenly Swordplay…” Ouyang Kuangsheng’s heart pounded. As a chosen of the Ouyang Clan, his talent and perspective were unquestionable.
Zhan Chen’s strength was within his expectations, after all he was ranked #11 on the Heavenly Fate Ranking, and this was long before he obtained the inheritance of the Gold-Element Ascendant.
And now, a mysterious black-robed figure that cultivated the Chaotic Art of the Heavenly Devil appeared.
And after that, Yun Mengyi had also showed up and the swordplay she had executed was none other than the Heavenly Swordplay!
Her swordplay technique also happened to be one of the nine ultimate arts of Grand Xia. And just like the Chaotic Art of the Devil, both arts had been lost to history. Who would have thought that they would be executed in front of his eyes today, one after another.
Even if he was the Ouyang Kuangsheng, he still felt a strong sense of worry regarding the ranking battle at the end of the year. He expected the ranking to bring with it countless confrontations, many unforeseen and unprecedented.
“Enough.”
Qin Wentian involuntarily berated when he saw them both continue to act so crazily. Abruptly, the black-robed figure retreated as Yun Mengyi also retracted her sword.
Such a scenario almost caused Ouyang Kuangsheng’s heart to stop, as he speechlessly stared at Qin Wentian.
This pair in front of his eyes, one was a practitioner of the Chaotic Art of the Heavenly Devil, while the other cultivated the Heavenly Swordplay. Yet with a single command from Qin Wentian, both of them actually halted?
Such an occurrence was unquestionably weird.
Even Qin Wentian was somewhat startled himself. A sharp glint of light flickered in his eyes, Yun Mengyi’s identity was still unclear, and as for that black-robed figure that suddenly appeared to block Zhan Chen. Was it because he wanted to help him?
“Do you know me?” Qin Wentian asked the black-robed figure.
The eyes of the black-robed figure swept towards Qin Wentian, lingering for an instant before he abruptly turned and departed, leaving without a word.
Yun Mengyi wanted to chase after him, only to hear Qin Wentian say, “Stop right there.”
Yun Mengyi halted her steps and glanced at Qin Wentian, who continued, “Who exactly are you, why are you following me?”
Her ice-like gaze glared at Qin Wentian as Yun Mengyi also left in silence. Her actions causing Qin Wentian to stand there awkwardly as he shrugged helplessly at Ouyang Kuangsheng.
He couldn’t see through their intentions at all.
“Let us return first,” Ouyang Kuangsheng suggested. The two of them left together and swiftly after, news of their earlier battle was circulated about. However, this time around, Qin Wentian was pushed to the back of everyone’s mind. With the appearance of the Chaotic Art of the Heavenly Devil, who would bother talking about Qin Wentian?
It was also remarked that a maiden clad in white was also seen executing the Heavenly Swordplay.
After Qin Wentian’s return, the topic of Chu naturally came up when he was chatting with Luo Huan.
But regretfully, Luo Huan’s knowledge regarding their home country was limited as well. She only knew that Chu Wuwei was doing his best to create an age of prosperity for Chu’s citizens.
After a short while of chatting, Qin Wentian returned to his own courtyard.
The night was as black as ink, Qin Wentian sat cross-legged in his courtyard as he meditated in silence. The matter today had brought a rush of tumultuous emotions through his heart.
Mo Qingcheng was safe and sound, this naturally made him heave a sigh of relief. Seeing that she was doing well, Qin Wentian could also put his heart at ease.
But, seeing how powerful Zhan Chen was today made him feel the hint of a threat. Even more so when he realized that during their earlier battle, Zhan Chen hadn’t completely unleashed his trump cards.
In addition, Yun Mengyi and the black-robed figure were on the same tier of power as Zhan Chen.
And one must also consider Yang Fan of the Star-Seizing Manor and Hua Feng from the Hua Clan; both of them would definitely be several times more powerful compared to the past. Their objectives were the same as Qin Wentian’s, obtaining one of the top three positions in the Heavenly Fate Rankings.
Currently, Qin Wentian clutched several Yuan Meteor stones in his hands. He was prepared to use them for his cultivation.
Although Qin Wentian could fight evenly against an opponent two levels higher than him, when facing against a genius who was every bit as talented as he was and could utilize powerful innate techniques or unique skills, Qin Wentian didn’t have absolute confidence on his chances for victory.
Hence, there was a need for him to cultivate even more powerful attacking techniques.
In terms of attack power, the Heaven Breaking Finger technique that the Gold-Element Ascendent left behind was one of the strongest that Qin Wentian had ever seen, however its consumption rate of Yuan Meteor Stones was too terrifying, it wasn’t suitable to be used frequently. And so far, other than the 81 stances of the demonic arts he learned in the Unmatched Realm, he still needed more powerful innate techniques as his trump cards.
And right now in his memory, there was one innate technique that was exceptionally powerful.
The Astral-Being was something left behind for him by that damn old fogey, and was also Qin Wentian’s greatest secret. For the past two years, he had expended an astronomical amount of Yuan Meteor Stones to activate the memory fragments of the tiny Astral-Being. Other than gaining insights into the memories of his dad, he had also obtained the cultivation method of an exceptionally powerful innate technique.
The innate technique was named ‘Heartbreak Echo’
Heartbreak, a technique equating to the heart getting pulverized, exterminated.
This technique required bell-type Divine Energy as well as a linkage with third-level Ancient Bell Divine Inscriptions before it could be executed.
Qin Wentian had actually started cultivating this particular technique since a long time ago. As of now, he had finally cleared the first difficult step which was to instantly inscribe a peak-tier, third-ranked Inscription of an Ancient Bell, to guarantee that this attack could be unleashed anytime as one heart’s desired.
This was merely the first difficulty. The second difficulty was that one had to use the rhythm of their hearts to activate the attack. This technique, was unfathomably marvellous.
And currently, the candle flame blazed silently in Qin Wentian’s heart, its rhythm synchronizing with the Divine Yuan energy within his body. This step was of immense difficulty, and it wasn’t until late in the night before he finally accomplished this.
Rustling sounds could be heard coming from the courtyard, causing Qin Wentian to frown. Even in the midst of cultivation, his perception was still active. He snorted coldly, blasting out with his palms. An instant later, an illusory form of an Ancient Bell manifested in mid-air.
Yun Mengyi, who was leisurely strolling inside, suddenly felt a sense of terror clasping her heart. Her gaze froze when she saw the abrupt manifestation of that Ancient Bell, as she reacted instantly, sending out her palm to grab it.
“BOOM!”
The sound of a bell’s echo reverberated through the air. Yun Mengyi groaned as her heart pounded madly, it felt as though someone had just tried to pulverize her heart. Snapping her eyes wide-open, her countenance trembled as she stared at Qin Wentian in shock.
What innate technique was that? She didn’t understand how she’d been attacked.
“What are you here for?” Qin Wentian opened his eyes as he glanced at Yun Mengyi.
Yun Mengyi’s countenance turned icy as she returned his gaze, “What was that innate technique?”
“Heartbreak Echo.” Qin Wentian calmly replied.
“Heartbreak? It’s truly powerful” Yun Mengyi commented, “If your cultivation base was at the eighth level of Yuanfu, then even with my defensive technique, I wouldn’t be able to last long against the unrelentless echoing of the bells.”
Qin Wentian didn’t say anything more, he only stared at Yun Mengyi. It was already so late in the night, why had Yun Mengyi come over to his residence?
“Although my beauty isn’t unrivalled, I’m still considered a ravishing woman. Why are you so against me?” Yun Mengyi unhappily asked, she couldn’t help herself when she saw Qin Wentian’s emotionless countenance.
Qin Wentian started, he didn’t think that the ice-cold Yun Mengyi would be capable of uttering such words.
“Your character seems to have changed. Unlike the Yun Mengyi whom I once knew.” Qin Wentian’s voice remained unperturbed.
“I was only feigning indifference. If you really are in love with me, then I don’t mind giving myself to you.” A warm smile suffused Yun Mengyi’s face, as she languidly approached Qin Wentian. With slow deliberation, she gently pushed the outer layer of clothing off her shoulders, allowing it to slide down her back. Her beautiful alabaster shoulders were displayed before his eyes, revealing an alluring collarbone. It was hard to imagine a more beautiful sight to see.Qin Wentian frowned, what in the world was going on? Why was Yun Mengyi behaving like a crazed woman?
“What do you really want?” Qin Wentian coldly interjected.
At his words, Yun Mengyi loosened her hold on her outer clothing, allowing it to fall and pool around her feet. She sauntered over to Qin Wentian, gracefully lowering her exquisite figure as she sat down beside him. She leaned closer, pressing her soft body against his as she whispered, “Is your heart still unmoved? Do you not feel anything towards me?”
Qin Wentian turned to face her, placing both his hands on Yun Mengyi’s soft shoulders. He could clearly feel the coldness on her skin, his gaze trailing over her tempting collarbone before shifting up to meet her eyes. Yun Mengyi couldn’t help but smile at what she saw.
“No.” Qin Wentian’s hand moved as Yun Mengyi’s white-colored outer clothing flew over. With an impressive flourish, he placed the clothing back over Yun Mengyi’s shoulders as he stated, just as emotionless as before, “If there’s nothing else, please refrain from disturbing my cultivation.”
Yun Mengyi blushed, feeling her cheeks turning warm with embarrassment. She immediately stood up, flicked her sleeves and left without another word. It wasn’t clear what she was blaming him for; his stupidity or his insensitivity!