Chapter 122: Birdman Fang Qiancheng, Chen Changsheng’s Counterattack
Chapter 122 – Birdman Fang Qiancheng, Chen Changsheng’s Counterattack
Hearing the mysterious man’s arrogant declaration, a trace of displeasure flickered across the faces of the gathered sovereigns.
Seeing this, Nalan Jing spoke, her voice like cracking ice. “Although the forbidden lands possess profound might, they are not invincible beneath the heavens.”
“In past eras, when the Heaven’s Mandate Bearer descended, which of your forbidden lands did not cower and obediently seal their gates?”
“To flaunt such unbridled arrogance—are you not afraid that on the day the chosen one bears the Heaven’s Mandate, they might pay a visit to your Sacred Ruins?”
Unfazed by Nalan Jing’s razor-sharp threat, the mysterious man laughed. “I do not deny the absolute might of a Heaven’s Mandate Bearer. However, as of this moment, the mandate remains unclaimed.”
“I am the one chosen by the Dao. The rest of you are nothing more than stepping stones meant to pave my fated path.”
“Hmph!”
Disgusted by the mysterious man’s boundless arrogance, Nalan Jing released a cold snort and sealed her lips.
Since the true bearer of the Heaven’s Mandate had not yet manifested, it was unwise to needlessly provoke the monsters crawling out of the forbidden lands.
At that exact moment, Chen Changsheng, who was viciously sealing Gongsun Huaiyu’s bleeding meridians, asked without even raising his head, “Birdman, what is your name?”
The instant those words fell, a primordial fury ignited within the mysterious man.
But just as he gathered his spiritual essence to strike, Wan Yan Yue and two others smoothly stepped forward, sealing off his path of attack.
Noting this, Chen Changsheng cast a sideways glance at the mysterious man, his tone dead and utterly emotionless.
“Hold your glare. If you dare to unleash another breath of hostility right now, this young master will personally rip those wings from your spine and roast them over a spirit-fire.”
“Test me, if you lack the belief. No matter how high a bird ascends the heavens, it will ultimately be shot down by the hunter’s arrow.”
Struck by Chen Changsheng’s cold certainty, the mysterious man quickly suppressed his boiling rage.
“It is true that hunters hunt, but a foolish hunter fails to weigh the nature of his prey.”
“If the prey happens to be a sovereign eagle, the hunter will not only miss his mark, but will find his own throat torn out.”
“And I, Fang Qiancheng, am that exact eagle.”
Hearing the three syllables “Fang Qiancheng,” Fu Yao’s brow violently creased.
“Fang Qiancheng?”
“According to the ancient texts of my Yaoguang lineage, this realm once birthed countless primordial races, collectively revered as the Ancient Clans.”
“However, these sovereign bloodlines gradually withered into dust after the Heaven’s Mandate fractured. The final lineage to fade into obscurity was the Skywing Clan, born with ethereal wings upon their backs.”
“Five thousand years ago, a supreme prodigy was born to the Skywing Clan. He entered the world bearing the wings of wind and thunder, granting him a speed that touched the absolute limits of the Dao.”
“Thus, he was bestowed the name Fang Qiancheng, signifying that a thousand mortal cities could not match the worth of this single Qilin son.”
“Hahaha!”
Hearing the Yaoguang Holy Son perfectly recite his legendary origins, Fang Qiancheng threw his head back in raucous laughter.
“Five thousand years have turned to dust, yet there are still those who remember the sovereign glories of the past.”
“You are formidable enough. You hold the qualifications to be my opponent.”
“But before I harvest your life, I must first tear apart that wretch’s mouth, for his tongue is far too grating.”
Chen Changsheng possessed not a single shred of interest in humoring Fang Qiancheng’s empty threats.
Scooping up the battered form of Gongsun Huaiyu, he casually instructed Su Tian to carry Fu Yao’s younger brother.
Chen Changsheng turned his cold gaze toward Jiang Bufan. “Holy Master Jiang, what is the crucible for the second stage of the Heavenly Talent Assembly?”
“The second trial measures one’s profound methods. The Kunlun Holy Land has unearthed an unimaginably rich God Source vein, located a mere three thousand miles west of our holy grounds.”
“However, an aura of terrifying, unnatural horror has manifested within its depths.”
“Whoever can purge this stale rot and cleanse the anomaly shall be gifted the entire mineral vein.”
“Yet, considering the battered vitality of you young talents, I am delaying this trial by five days.”
“Simultaneously, to enforce absolute fairness, no Heavenly Talent is permitted to step beyond the borders of the Kunlun Holy Land during this respite.”
“Understood.”
Chen Changsheng tossed back a deadpan reply, immediately turning on his heel and leading his faction away.
Watching Chen Changsheng’s retreating back, a sinister, predatory smile curled at the edges of Jiang Bufan’s lips.
No matter how peerless your Dao heart, you cannot escape the cage of my palm.
Fang Qiancheng has ruthlessly crippled Gongsun Huaiyu, and I have decisively severed your avenues for early preparation.
I am eager to see if, in five days, you, Chen Changsheng, will finally bare your fangs and unleash your true, monstrous capabilities.
……
The Eastern Wasteland Courtyard.
Returning to their sanctuary, Chen Changsheng neither chastised Gongsun Huaiyu for her reckless excursion, nor did he spew boastful vows to butcher Fang Qiancheng.
After meticulously stabilizing the chaotic Qi within the two injured youths, he turned to Wan Yan Yue, Nalan Jing, and the rest.
“I am entering Secluded Cultivation for five days. During this period, I will see no one, and absolutely no soul is permitted to disturb my Dao.”
“The four of you will personally anchor the perimeter. Sever all spiritual sweeping and probing from the outside.”
Leaving those final orders, Chen Changsheng turned and vanished into his private chamber.
Nalan Jing, having only recently bound her fate to Chen Changsheng in alliance, was completely blind to his underlying scheme.
However, those who possessed an intimate understanding of Chen Changsheng’s predatory nature, like Zuo Xinghe, instantly grasped his intent.
Chen Changsheng was preparing to orchestrate someone’s absolute burial.
……
Within the chamber.
An exquisitely wrought bronze dais manifested in the center of the room.
This primordial artifact was painstakingly forged by Chen Changsheng, utilizing the shattered fragments of the ancient bronze palace extracted from the Hundred Thousand Mountains.
A Three-Color Teleportation Array could only ignite when fused with the esoteric properties of that ancient bronze.
Chen Changsheng had lusted after this specific Dao-array for centuries—an art capable of tearing across vast heavens while effortlessly piercing through any Formation barriers.
After centuries of ruthless deduction and study, he had finally manifested a miniature iteration of the Three-Color Teleportation Array.
Though this condensed array possessed a stifled range and an entirely unpredictable trajectory…
…it bestowed upon him the sovereign ability to melt away from the Kunlun Holy Land like a ghost, leaving no ripples in the void.
This very Formation was the foundation of his absolute confidence in bringing Gongsun Huaiyu into the viper’s nest of Kunlun.
Feeding his spiritual essence into the array, Chen Changsheng’s figure instantly dissolved from the chamber.
……
Outside the Kunlun Holy Land.
A solitary figure materialized amidst the desolate wilderness. The supreme guardian Formation shrouding the Kunlun Holy Land remained utterly blind, failing to emit even a whisper of warning.
Gazing back at the towering peaks of the holy land, a razor-thin sneer crept across Chen Changsheng’s face.
“Jiang Bufan, since you harbor such a desperate thirst for me to act as your blade and sever your obstacles, I shall thoroughly indulge your desires this once.”
“Furthermore, the spectacle of your Heavenly Talent Assembly is far too tame. Allow me to drown it in true devastation.”
With those chilling words, Chen Changsheng shrewdly weighed the celestial directions and blurred into a streak of light, tearing toward the designated “battleground” set for five days hence.
Fang Qiancheng’s sudden strike against Gongsun Huaiyu—even a fool could deduce that Jiang Bufan had secretly manipulated the threads of fate to orchestrate the clash.
If Gongsun Huaiyu were to perish, Chen Changsheng would absolutely scorch the earth in retaliation.
The moment he and Fang Qiancheng crossed blades in a death match, the remaining prodigies would inevitably be forced to align their banners.
Even those who sought to cultivate in detached neutrality would find Jiang Bufan shoving them into the meat grinder from the shadows.
As the ancient proverb dictated, when two tigers vie for the mountain, one is destined to bleed. Whether Chen Changsheng fell or Fang Qiancheng was slaughtered, Jiang Bufan would flawlessly eliminate a paramount threat.
Measured by mortal logic, Jiang Bufan’s grand scheme was already an absolute triumph, leaving virtually zero room for defiance.
Yet, for all his meticulous deductions of the Dao, Jiang Bufan had entirely failed to foresee that Chen Changsheng possessed an esoteric art to sever his sovereign surveillance.
Even less did he fathom that the prey he sought to herd was a supreme Master of Formations, clutching a Peerless slaughter-array within his palm.
A distance of three thousand miles was but a fleeting stroll to Chen Changsheng. Within moments, his spiritual sense locked onto the God Source vein Jiang Bufan had described.
Staring down at the mineral ridge, suffocated by the heavy guard of the Kunlun Holy Land, a cold, predatory mockery flashed in Chen Changsheng’s eyes.
With a flick of his wrist, he summoned an ancient compass, his divine intent plunging into the earth to deduce the primordial flow of the surrounding mountain ranges.