Chapter 136: Crushing Xiahou Ba—Become My Follower

Chapter 136: Crushing Xiahou Ba—Become My Follower

"Devour!"

The opponent's Saint-Grade Divine Trait Power was once again absorbed by the Divine Talisman Of Creation, and Chen Feng also gained a portion of its benefits. His foundation and strength surged once more.

"Spiritual power has strengthened, the speed of Sword Energy Condensation into Aura has increased, and its power has risen accordingly..."

A single sword strike!

And the opponent was slain.

"Don’t worry, the remaining eight will catch up to you soon," Chen Feng said with a faint smile, gazing at the lifeless disciple of the Tianyuan Sacred Land whose eyes still held unwillingness.

Leaving this side hall, he continued forward.

Within the palaces of the Heavenly Emperor's Dao Field, opportunities were countless—spiritual weapons, pills, cultivation techniques, martial arts, and more. What one could obtain depended entirely on their fortune.

In another side hall, Chen Feng acquired another white gold-patterned pill. After consuming it directly, his spiritual power expanded further, now covering a radius of two meters around him. Everything seemed within his grasp.

As he stepped out of the side hall, a towering and imposing figure approached, hands clasped behind his back, strolling as if through a leisurely garden.

Yet, with each step, he traversed ten meters.

The massive frame exuded an overwhelming and scorching aura, as if a raging fire burned endlessly within him. His domineering presence demanded attention.

This was none other than Xiahou Ba, the Imperial Scion of the Xiahou Clan from the Central Land.

When Xiahou Ba spotted Chen Feng, his eyes lit up, and he was about to speak.

Originally, his idea of recruiting Chen Feng as a follower had been a whim. But upon learning that the Tianyuan Sacred Land had gone so far as to send ten Condensing Truth Realm prodigies who had Self-Severed Two Realms just to deal with him, Xiahou Ba’s interest in Chen Feng skyrocketed tenfold. His desire to subdue Chen Feng and make him a follower grew even stronger.

As for the Tianyuan Sacred Land’s hostility?

No matter.

Once Chen Feng became his follower, the Xiahou Clan’s prestige would deter the Tianyuan Sacred Land from further schemes.

"I’ll give you a chance," Chen Feng said with a faint smile, speaking before Xiahou Ba could. "Follow me, and together we’ll sweep through the Spirit Wasteland and conquer this era. When I ascend as the Heavenly Emperor, you shall wield my imperial might and oversee the world in my stead—second only to me, above all others. Such glory would be the greatest fortune of your nine lives and nine reincarnations."

Xiahou Ba froze mid-speech, his face darkening like the bottom of a pot.

Damn it, wasn’t this just a slightly reworded version of what he had said earlier?

"Thirty-three reincarnations" changed to "nine lives and nine reincarnations"?

That wasn’t even a proper edit!

Wait—why was he fixating on the difference between three lives and nine lives?

"Since that’s the case," Xiahou Ba growled, "I’ll show you the strength of Xiahou Ba—how I crush my peers!"

With those words, his cultivation erupted in full force.

Peak of the Qi Sea Realm!

His body trembled violently, and the surrounding air roared as an inferno-like aura surged around him. Crimson light swirled over his form, as if ready to pierce the heavens and incinerate the sky.

A 150-meter-wide crimson Qi Sea Phantom materialized, scorching everything in its vicinity.

The overwhelming heat assaulted Chen Feng, the air searing his nostrils and scorching his lungs with every breath.

It felt capable of melting steel!

Boom!

Xiahou Ba’s eyes blazed with crimson light as he threw a punch, as if gripping the True Sun itself.

The air shattered and burned into nothingness under his fist, distorting faintly in its wake.

Chen Feng immediately sensed the brilliance of that fist strike reaching its zenith, its scorching aura locking onto him from all directions, leaving no room to evade. His eyes narrowed slightly. Yet, Chen Feng had no intention of dodging.

Drawing his sword!

The Zhan Tianyuan Sacred Land Sword left its sheath, coalescing with an overwhelmingly powerful Silver Sword Aura, radiating a peerless sharpness as if it could sever the void itself—capable of cutting through anything, breaking everything.

The sword light shattered.

The crimson glow of that fist strike was also cleaved apart.

A terrifying, searing heat surged through the blade, as if attempting to melt it. But this sword was a Top-Grade Spirit Weapon, impossible to melt under Xiahou Ba’s strike. The astonishing heat rapidly spread through the blade toward Chen Feng, threatening to incinerate his arm into ashes.

The Eighth Layer Huntian Sword Body, formidable beyond measure, allowed Chen Feng to withstand the scorching assault.

Meanwhile, Xiahou Ba felt an unparalleled sharpness slicing into his fist. The terrifying edge cut through his flesh, reaching his knuckles, sending waves of piercing pain as if his bones were about to be severed.

Had it not been for his naturally robust physique and the body-refining techniques he cultivated, he would have been utterly unable to resist.

"To think you could block my fist—you are worthy of witnessing the divine trait of my Xiahou Clan," Xiahou Ba exclaimed, his eyes flashing with surprise but not a trace of fear. His confidence stemmed from his belief in his invincibility among his peers, a conviction born from his nascent Invincible Heart.

Divine trait unleashed!

His body trembled as if resonating with a Dao Chant, terrifying crimson Dao patterns erupting and shaking the surroundings.

The space within ten meters around Xiahou Ba seemed to distort, endless crimson radiance bursting forth, incinerating everything in all directions.

He appeared as if enveloped by a True Sun.

Everything seemed to burn to ashes, reduced to a vacuum.

Chen Feng was shocked, recalling his master’s words.

The Xiahou Clan of the Central Land was an Imperial Clan, possessing a unique Bloodline Divine Trait known as the True Sun Bloodline.

The True Sun Bloodline ranged from Spirit-Grade to Supreme-Grade.

However, Supreme-Grade Divine Traits were exceedingly rare, sometimes not appearing for generations.

Xiahou Ba’s True Sun Bloodline was God-Grade.

"Burning Sun Fist!"

With a low roar, Xiahou Ba unleashed his full cultivation and divine trait power, executing the Xiahou Clan’s Supreme-grade Martial Arts—a technique perfectly attuned to his True Sun Bloodline, far surpassing ordinary Supreme-grade Martial Arts in might.

His martial path, having reached the peak of the second realm, was fully unleashed.

This fist strike was not merely holding a True Sun—it was as if a compressed True Sun itself was crashing forward, the void seemingly on the verge of collapse.

To demonstrate his strength and suppress Chen Feng, Xiahou Ba held nothing back in this strike.

Chen Feng’s expression turned grave.

This level of power surpassed even many of the Huntian Sect’s elites on the Strongest Qi Sea Ranking, as well as the Tianyuan Sacred Land disciples who had Self-Severed Two Realms.

It might even rank within the top thirty—though only a true battle could determine its exact placement.

Chen Feng took a deep breath, the scorching air searing his lungs.

His eyes blazed with Divine Light.

The internal energy of the Major Completion Meridian Forging Realm erupted in full, starlight flickering as the power of the Eighth Layer Huntian Sword Body was unleashed without restraint. With a thought, sword aura condensed upon his blade.

His formidable spiritual power controlled every ounce of his strength.

The power concentrated on this sword was incomparably refined.

Slash!

A sword pierces the void, severing heaven and earth, destroying all things.

Absolute Sword... Eighth Form!

Having reached the fourth realm in the sword Dao, Chen Feng's comprehension of sword techniques had been greatly enhanced. The profound and boundless mysteries contained within the 'Sword' character made it easier for him to grasp the secrets of sword techniques and even the sword Dao itself. Coupled with the complementary 'Dao' character and the empowerment of the Divine Talisman Of Creation, it would be a waste if he didn’t make rapid progress in his swordplay.

Even the thirteen supreme forms of the Absolute Sword were incomparably profound.

The power of the Eighth Form was twice as strong as the Seventh Form.

A single, incredibly fine yet dazzling strand of sword light tore through the void, splitting heaven and earth as clearly as the horizon dividing sea and sky. It effortlessly sliced through the overwhelming, all-destroying Burning Sun Fist with unstoppable momentum, then trembled slightly before continuing its relentless slash toward Xiahou Ba.

Xiahou Ba’s expression changed drastically. A crimson glow erupted from his body, rapidly condensing and layering upon itself as if forming a suit of armor.

The sword light struck the Crimson Armor directly.

A deafening explosion rang out as the sword light shattered, and the Crimson Armor disintegrated in response. Xiahou Ba shuddered violently, forced back several meters. The crimson radiance around him collapsed, his qi and blood churning in reverse. He suppressed a grunt, holding back the surging blood, though a trickle still escaped the corner of his mouth.

Swiftly wiping away the blood and swallowing the reversed flow, Xiahou Ba stared at Chen Feng in shock.

Unbelievable!

Among his peers, his cultivation surpassed Chen Feng’s by an entire major realm, yet… he had been forced back and even injured.

For a moment, Xiahou Ba felt his Invincible Heart tremble—a crack appearing on its surface, as if slashed by a sword.

His face twisted in alarm.

"Chen Feng, the next time we meet, I will defeat you!"

With those words, Xiahou Ba swiftly retreated, pushing his Movement Technique to its limits as he transformed into a streak of crimson light, fleeing into the distance.

He needed to stabilize his Invincible Heart before it truly shattered.

"Tch..."

Chen Feng was speechless. Instead of submitting and becoming his follower after being defeated, the guy had just run away.

How lacking in martial virtue.

"Fine. Next time we meet, I’ll make it clear—lose, and you become my follower," Chen Feng muttered to himself.

Xiahou Ba, a monster possessing a God-Grade Divine Trait, was undoubtedly far stronger than the likes of Han Daoling. In Chen Feng’s estimation, one Xiahou Ba was worth at least three Han Daolings, if not more.

Only someone of that caliber was worthy of being his follower.

If Han Daoling ever found out he had become Chen Feng’s unit of measurement for comparing opponents and enemies, he’d probably be moved to tears.

Sheathing his sword, Chen Feng turned and swiftly dashed toward the next marked location.

Many had entered the palace dojo. If he didn’t act quickly, the opportunities meant for him might be snatched away by others.

Heaven-bestowed opportunities, if not seized, would bring misfortune.

Besides, coming here was like returning home—how could he let others casually take what belonged to him?

Rushing into a side hall, Chen Feng spotted another pill furnace.

But just as he arrived, someone lifted the lid while another swiftly retrieved a Pill from within.

The Pill was silver when taken out, but in an instant, it turned white, covered in golden patterns.

"Hmm?"

The person who retrieved the pill was none other than a disciple from the Tianyuan Sacred Land who had Self-Severed Two Realms, his face filled with shock and doubt.

"I’ve never heard of a pill changing color before. Or... did I just see wrong?"

Unbeknownst to him, Chen Feng had witnessed the scene, his heart surging like a raging tide.

"I definitely didn’t see wrong. The moment that pill was taken out, it changed..."

For a moment, countless speculations arose in Chen Feng’s mind, and the more he thought about it, the more unbelievable it seemed.

It felt as if he had been meticulously set up from the very beginning.

Before, he had only suspected but couldn’t be sure. But now...

The more he pondered, the more terrifying it became.

"Chen Feng!"

"It’s actually you!"

The two disciples from the Tianyuan Sacred Land who had Self-Severed Two Realms also noticed Chen Feng’s arrival. They exclaimed in surprise before immediately revealing expressions of excitement and joy. Their killing intent was unleashed without restraint, their overwhelmingly powerful internal energy surging like a storm, sweeping in all directions.

Without the slightest hesitation, they attacked.

One spear thrust forth like a giant serpent, crushing everything in its path.

One blade swung as if to sever rivers, cutting through all without resistance.