Chapter 111: Shame
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
"Spiritual spells?"
Elder Han opened his eyes, but his surroundings were pitch black. He tried to recall what happened, and subconsciously mumbled to himself.
The suspicious fog and its similarity to spiritual techniques made him think of a spiritual knight.
"Very good! You've gained consciousness quicker, which means that you are stronger than Bian Xie!"
Fang Yuan stood at a side, satisfied.
"Why did I not guess..."
Elder Han laughed. "After knowing you for so long, I still had no idea that you know spiritual techniques..."
"It's only normal that you are unaware of it!"
The path of a dream master was inclined towards illusions, and therefore one was hard to detect.
Of course, Fang Yuan only used his elemental force for detection, or to make mental suggestions. Only when he had fully become a dream master and could harness dream elemental force did he learn a few spiritual techniques from Master Wenxin's inheritance.
Take for instance, the Bewildering Fog was one of the spiritual techniques which he had learnt.
Since it was summoned using dream elemental force, even martial artists in the 4 Heavenly Gates would succumb to it.
"You showed me such a big secret of yours... It seems that you have no intention of letting me go alive..."
Elder Han understood and accepted death, as he looked at his surroundings.
The place seemed like a cave. A torch burnt brilliantly which filled the cave with the smell of rosin. In the middle of the cave were three stone platforms. Other than himself and Bian Xie, there was another person!
Furthermore, this person was a familiar one.
"Elder Yan... Lady Yan!!!"
Elder Han's eyeball almost popped out. "You were the one that ambushed our sect!?"
Thinking about how his person destroyed his sect, and yet he foolishly sent himself to him, Elder Han began to break into cold sweat.
"That's me!"
Fang Yuan smiled. "Why is it fair for the Sect to plot against me, but unfair for me to strike first?"
"Evil thief!!!"
Elder Han's heart sank. He still felt for the Sect, and therefore was raging. However, he could not move a single bit.
The inner force which was initially strong was now sealed in the Dantian like a ferocious tiger in a locked cage, helpless.
"Stop struggling. I have studied you and Lady Yan the longest, and if I still don't know how to seal your martial arts, then I should just give up as a doctor!"
Fang Yuan calmly stated, and at the same time examined Bian Xie's joints.
As compared to Elder Yan and Elder Han, this [Martial Artist (11th Gate)] felt rather unfamiliar. He had to understand him a little more before taking any action.
In fact, no one was more suitable than Elder Yan and Elder Han in being test subjects.
After all, both of them were under Fang Yuan's control previously. Their circulatory system and martial arts were both deeply studied by Fang Yuan. As for Bian Xie, Fang Yuan still had to perform a few tests.
"What exactly do you want?"
Fang Yuan appeared too mysterious, and the only conscious Elder Han could not hold back any longer and asked.
"Don't worry, it's a good thing! I want to help you break through to Wu Zong!"
Fang Yuan answered honestly.
"What?"
At that moment, Elder Han thought that he had heard the biggest joke of his life, but slowly fear grew in him, and with anticipation, he asked. "What joke is this?"
"The 12 Gates of Martial Arts, in reality, is a method of self-training. It continuously developed one's potential, much like the process ancient spiritual knights used to go through... Once a person's magical energy is sufficient, with external stimulation, it is not hard to obtain hints of elemental force. This is especially true to Earth Gate martial artists like you, who have already sowed the seeds of elemental force..."
However, Fang Yuan deliberately missed out a point.
This forceful way of breaking through gates would take up too much essence from the body. Notwithstanding the shortening of one's lifespan, one's body might not be able to take it, as the increasing magical energy could not reconcile with the elemental force. Once the external stimulation is removed, the body would die immediately!
After all, martial arts was all about foundation, and such a hasty achievement would mean nothing.
But to Fang Yuan, this was all he needed.
With the experience to break through Wu Zong under immense pressure, he could reaffirm his predictions and use his dream elemental force to break through his own Wu Zong!
"You don't seem to believe me?"
Fang Yuan looked at Elder Han and grew a sinister smile on his face. "Doesn't matter, I will aid you in breaking through the Heaven Gate, and allow you to reach your peak first!"
"What?"
Elder Han was shocked, as he saw Fang Yuan pointing his finger towards his forehead.
"Chila!"
Suddenly, a large concentrated force the strength of an ocean broke through Elder Han's Mind Palace. It broke through the Heaven Gate with brute force, which left him in a state of shock, as he continued screaming.
The Heaven Gate needed a martial artist to break through it by himself willingly. With Fang Yuan's limited experience with using dream elemental force, his brute force approach would lead to dire consequences for Elder Han.
However, the effect was immediate.
After the commotion, Elder Han's eyeballs were bloodshot. He had an excruciating headache, as though someone took an axe and ploughed it through his head.
The restrictive Gate finally broke, and large amounts of magical energy rushed into his conscious mind, making him feel dizzy.
"Not... right..."
In his dizziness, a thought went through. "This force... elemental force!!! You are a spiritual knight!!!"
Elder Han could feel the astonishing force within him, and it might even be stronger than what Shi Yutong harnessed.
There was only one explanation for this, no matter how impossible it might be. This young man was not even a spiritual disciple, but a spiritual knight with full control of elemental force!
Thinking about how the Spirit Returning Sect was plotting against a spiritual knight, Elder Han felt disheartened, and his conscious became blurred.
"Ahh….. Breaking through the Heaven Gate with brute force would have side effects, and a shortened lifespan right?"
Fang Yuan shrugged his shoulders. "Rather than dying normally, why not do something crazy before dying, something like breaking through Wu Zong!"
This way of forcefully breaking through gates was possible to almost all Wu Zong spiritual knights, but the consequences would be terrible.
Fang Yuan had already practised it for 10 years in his dream, and in theory, it was perfect. He had ultimate control over his dream elemental force, but after doing it, his test subject would not have long to live.
However, he was satisfied with just having this test subject to confirm his prediction.
"Elder Han, hold on tight. Even if you will die, you should die as a Wu Zong and die glamorously!"
He became as serious as he ever would and struck a palm on Elder Han's dantian.
At the same time, he stuffed large quantities of spiritual medicine and the likes of the bamboo fruit into his mouth.
The continuous stream of dream elemental force slowly seeped into Elder Han's dantian, and towards his miniature elemental force, as it slowly initiated the process of breaking through Wu Zong!
"The proper way to attain Wu Zong is to do it without haste, step by step. However, it would still be possible if someone used their elemental force to stimulate and break it through brute force... For others, they would explode while doing it, but for me, having harnessed dream elemental energy, I can still control it even by using brute force!"
Fang Yuan's eyes glittered.
In front of him, Elder Han's appearance became increasingly scary.
He looked ferocious, and veins were popping up everywhere. Blood flowed all around like earthworms digging through the ground, and his entire body seemed inflated like a balloon.
"Con...tract!"
Fang Yuan did not care and commanded the miniature elemental force to continuously compress itself, in an attempt to transform it into elemental force.
"Ping!"
After a long while, a soft sound travelled from the cave, followed by Fang Yuan's sigh. "I've failed... It seems that the first prediction is impossible, but that's ok, let's continue..."
...
The disappearance of two Elders in the prefecture led the entire Qingye City into chaos.
The new Qingye City Master became anxious, but could only comfort himself that the two Elders were martial artists of the 4 Heavenly Gates, and if they join forces within the prefecture, they would still be able to guard against Wu Zongs, and therefore were likely to be on a secret mission that no one else knew about.
However, five days had passed, and once Shi Yutong returned, he knew that all hope was lost.
"Elder Han and Elder Bian are missing?"
Shi Yutong wore a scarf over her face and appeared wealthy. By her side was Lin Leiyue, who was staring at the new City Master.
"I am useless and deserve to die!"
Even though this City Master was a Spirit Returning Sect disciple, he was still a lowly subject in front of Shi Yutong.
"This enemy is powerful to be able to abduct two Elders without a sound. Even if you have prepared for him, it would still be futile! Return!"
Shi Yutong calmly said a few words, which made Qingye City Master sigh and dismissed him.
"Master..."
When the others had left, Lin Leiyue appeared confused. "There is suddenly an appearance of a highly skilled person in Qingye City, so what should we do now?"
"It is not likely that even a Wu Zong could take down both of them... It might be a spiritual knight!"
Shi Yutong appeared serious. "I will personally take charge of this area and deliver a letter to the alliance leader for him to send help!"
A spiritual disciple would be comparable to a Wu Zong, but still highly depended on the nature of his spiritual technique. However, they would still lose to a Wu Zong based on their actual strength and skill.
Recalling the previous fight for the treasure map, both the spiritual disciples were just assisting the Wu Zongs in the combat.
If a spiritual disciple go one on one with a Wu Zong, with an incomplete elemental force, how would they match Wu Zong?
However, comparing a spiritual knight and a Wu Zong in the same realm, Wu Zong would lose.
By predicting the enemy's ability, Shi Yutong thought about the possibility of the mysterious spiritual knight and became on guard.
"How's it going on in the secluded valley?"
Lin Leiyue finally revealed her own intentions. "The deadline is over, but he has not given me a reply..."
"Secluded valley..."
Shi Yutong looked beautiful, but now had a cold look in her eyes. "Could it be that the disappearance of the two Elders is related to the secluded valley? Otherwise, why would they only disappear now?"
"Furthermore... I am also suspecting that the previous ambush on our sect is also related to the secluded valley! Even though we have no proof, but there is just too much coincidence, and hard for anyone not to suspect!"
"What?"
Lin Leiyue took a few steps back and tried to imagine Fang Yuan.
Realising that she might be lied to all this while and being manipulated by Fang Yuan, she became frustrated.