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Chapter 92: Chapter 92: Intercepting the Flying Sword (10 More Completed)
"Shi Chen!?"
"The Shi Chen from the Elder Council!?"
"A Divinity Transformation Cultivator of the Purgatory Sect!?"
The title the girl announced made everyone’s heart tremble simultaneously at the scene.
Shi Chen.
Known as "Thousand Mountains Bird Flying Extinct."
When he ascended to Divinity Transformation to cultivate his sword control technique, he once raised thousands of birds in a mountain forest.
He stood atop a mountain peak for a month, alone with his sword, and not a single bird managed to escape the forest.
Thus, he earned the title "Thousand Mountains Bird Flying Extinct."
Gu Chifeng and the others were from the Gu family of Red Wind City in Red State, which was under the jurisdiction of the Purgatory Sect.
Therefore, they knew the sect’s renowned figures as if they were the back of their hand.
At present, such a potent figure who only existed in stories and rumors...
was unexpectedly standing right in front of them, potentially as an adversary...
"Patriarch, what should we do..."
Gu Chifeng’s gaze immediately turned to Gu Jinlai.
"It looks like the Elder has come for me," Gu Jinlai said.
"Correct."
The girl responded indifferently, "Gu Jinlai, you have killed an elder of our sect, committing the taboo of killing one’s own sect members. If you surrender yourself now and sincerely repent, going to my master to kowtow and beg for mercy might still leave you with a sliver of hope. Otherwise... the day the flying sword falls will be the day your life ends."
"Quite the grand gesture," Gu Jinlai said, a bit surprised.
Fourteen Layers of Karma didn’t represent invincibility after all.
One would still encounter a Divinity Transformation Cultivator when it was time.
As for a Divinity Transformation Cultivator from the Purgatory Sect being sent to kill him, he found it only natural.
What’s the most important aspect of cleaning house? Deterrence.
To make clear to others in the Purgatory Sect who harbor dual loyalties the consequences of betraying the sect.
In this situation, dispatching a Divinity Transformation Cultivator to execute one of the Golden Robed Elders like him would serve as a warning to others.
"Patriarch, let’s go! We need to hide, the farther the better!"
Gu Chifeng immediately stepped in front of Gu Jinlai, urging him with a frantic voice.
"Hide?"
Gu Jinlai estimated the distance between himself and Yuanhua City.
Six miles.
Well within the range of a Divinity Transformation Cultivator’s flying sword.
If he retreated...
The flying sword would likely come bearing down on them immediately.
Moreover...
There’s a saying, "A thief can’t be vigilant for a thousand days."
So, they had no choice but to fight?
"Remember, you only have the time of one incense stick," the girl said coldly before turning to leave.
"Patriarch..."
Before Gu Chifeng could say more, Gu Jinlai interrupted him with a gesture of his hand: "Let’s go meet this Elder Shi Chen."
He took a step forward.
Gu Chifeng, Gu Luochen, Gu Qingmei, and the others exchanged looks, each seeing determination in the other’s eyes.
"A Divinity Transformation Cultivator."
"Flying swords..."
"Even in death, we shall die before our patriarch."
The three, along with seven other Gu family disciples holding "Thunder" Gatling guns, quickly followed Gu Jinlai towards Yuanhua City.
The remaining people, pushing carts filled with supplies and bullets, followed closely behind.
Soon, the walls of Yuanhua City were in sight.
However, three miles from Yuanhua City on a high ground, Gu Jinlai stopped.
"This is it," he said, turning around, approaching one of the carts and opening it.
Then he hoisted a Short Range Defense Cannon nearly as tall as a man and placed it in front of him.
"Whether it works or not, we’ll see this time."
As Gu Jinlai spoke, his spirit surged and converged within him.
Just like in the Qiushan Cave before.
With his previous experience, it didn’t take long for him to condense his True Spirit and skillfully merge it into the Short Range Defense Cannon.
"Just as myriad steams form droplets, the essence of Yin God is an amalgamation of Divine Thoughts at a high density. If you capture the Divine Thoughts, you can capture the Yin God," Gu Jinlai thought clearly.
But he couldn’t deny that this was a realm he had never dabbled in before.
Previously, whether it was Co-spirit Gunpowder, Co-spirit High Carbon Steel, or Co-spirit ’Thunder’ Gatling Gun, there were physical objects to use as reference.
This time, however, he was trying to extrapolate a function to capture Divine Thought from the Short Range Defense Cannon entirely from imagination, much like a true Heavenly Master creating something from nothing.
"Let’s see the limits of the Heavenly Master Path."
"Hummm!"
All of his True Spirit flowed into the Short Range Defense Cannon, and in a moment, the cannon seemed to transform from an inanimate object into a living entity once more.
...
Within the city.
Shi Chen waited quietly.
He had already received a report that Gu Jinlai was heading in this direction.
From this, he judged that the man was sensible.
The reason he was willing to give Gu Jinlai a chance was similar to Lin Xiao’s speculation.
Gunpowder.
This Strange Object was not lacking in power.
While it might not be lethal to a Refining God Elder, or even a Hugging Pill protector with a bit of care, on a battlefield where armies clashed, a large quantity of gunpowder could have an extraordinary effect.
So, he intended to see just how far this Strange Object could go in terms of production limits.
If the output was reasonable...
In the future, let Gu Jinlai become an Artifact Slave for the Purgatory Sect.
Although he would spend the second half of his life making artifacts until his demise, at least he would be alive, right?
"With age, this old man grows increasingly compassionate," Shi Chen said with a slight smile.
At that moment, Fang Ling appeared outside the courtyard: "Master, Gu Jinlai... has stopped three miles from the city walls."
At her words, the smile on Shi Chen’s face froze.
His eyes gradually turned cold.
"How audacious."
He lightly uttered those two words.
Yet those unremarkable two words seemed to Fang Ling to carry the sensation of a bloody and violent storm.
"Has an incense stick of time passed yet..."
Elder Shi Chen said softly, but then seemed too impatient to wait any longer, "Good words can’t persuade a dead man; why should I waste my time on him?"
As for gunpowder?
For a hundred years, countless Heavenly Masters have sought a way forward, but what are the results?
Pitifully few.
Gu Jinlai, who has recently converted to the path of the Heavenly Master, has not been doing so for more than two years. The gunpowder he developed might be divine, but how divine can it really be?
Mere exotic tricks.
Those are things sought by mortals.
I, Shi Chen, shall shatter them with a single sword.
"Buzz buzz!"
Vaguely, Fang Ling outside the courtyard seemed to see a shadowy figure emerge from Shi Chen and enter the Cold Feather Sword.
The next moment, the Cold Feather Sword, which had been lying calmly in his embrace, trembled slightly, as if it had life, and levitated into the void.
"Go."
As Elder Shi Chen spat out a single word.
The Spiritual Flying Sword, suspended in the void, suddenly accelerated, turning into a streak of light, vanishing from Fang Ling’s view.
Immediately thereafter, a white airwave blasted from the direction of the disappearing sword, accompanied by deafening peals of thunder.
"Master has unsheathed his sword!"
A fanatic glint flashed in Fang Ling’s eyes.
"This is..."
Outside the courtyard, Lin Xiao, who was about to report to Shi Chen, suddenly turned towards the exploding white waves in the void, "It’s the Cold Feather Sword!"
The Cold Feather Flying Sword of Elder Shi Chen!
He had unsheathed his sword!
Gu Jinlai had stopped three miles outside the city, refusing to advance, a behavior that had exhausted the Elder’s patience. He did not wait for the incense stick’s time limit; he unsheathed his sword directly!
With the Cold Feather Sword unleashed...
"Gu Jinlai is undoubtedly doomed!"
Lin Xiao stated with conviction.
Although the death of Gu Jinlai might prevent him from obtaining the Jade Scroll, he believed that as long as he patiently investigated, he would definitely reap rewards.
Besides...
The Elder’s flying sword had been deployed, and everything had become a foregone conclusion.
...
"Swoosh!"
The flying sword broke through the sky.
Cruising at supersonic speeds, it shot towards the direction where Gu Jinlai and the others were.
The clouds in the void split apart, leaving a visible white trail to the naked eye.
"Beep beep beep beep!"
Gu Jinlai, who had attached his True Spirit to the Short Range Defense Cannon, suddenly felt a strong sense of crisis.
The instruments belonging to the Short Range Defense Cannon emitted a piercing sound.
Lights flickered.
"Flying sword incoming!"
Gu Jinlai’s eyes widened suddenly.
Spiritual energy surged.
True Spirit intensified.
The radar of the Short Range Defense Cannon rapidly searched, and waves of invisible fluctuations spread at the speed of light in all directions.
In an instant...
These "lights" seemed to have illuminated something, quickly reacting.
Such a reflective object... 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓅𝓊𝓫.𝒸ℴ𝓶
"Flying sword!"
Meanwhile, a red dot suddenly appeared on the operation screen of the Short Range Defense Cannon, shooting towards them at a speed of six hundred meters per second.
A few seconds...
The glow of the sword had already appeared in Gu Jinlai’s field of vision.
With such speed, he couldn’t dodge it even with the special trait of his Crossing the World movement technique.
But...
Dodging wasn’t necessary.
The radar of the Short Range Defense Cannon locked onto the sword light imbued with Divine Thought, and the fire control system operated at full speed.
The gun barrel twisted, quickly adjusting its angle.
The next moment...
"Sizzle sizzle sizzle!"
Flames erupted.
The 1130 Short Range Defense Cannon directly spewed out a dazzling flame, a barrage like a laser beam, racing to intercept the flying sword rushing towards it.
Countless metal casings fell like a cascading waterfall beside them, scattering on the ground.
Facing this torrent of metal, the supersonic flying sword shifted its trajectory slightly.
But as its location changed, the angle of the gun barrel under the fire control system autonomously adjusted.
"Block it! Block it! Must block it!"
Gu Chifeng, Gu Luochen, and Gu Qingmei seemed to guess something, each of them unable to help but widen their eyes.
Gu Jinlai’s spirit too was stirred to its peak, capturing the position of the flying sword with all his might, providing data support to the aiming system.
One second, two seconds, three seconds, four seconds...
Two thousand four hundred meters, one thousand eight hundred meters, one thousand two hundred meters, six hundred meters...
Closer! Closer! Even closer!
Suddenly!
Sparks exploded.
"Bang bang bang!"
The flying sword, which had broken through to within five hundred meters of the Short Range Defense Cannon at supersonic speed, suddenly was hit by the barrage and burst out with visible flames, accompanied by the scattering of Divine Thought fluctuations.
It was blocked!
Gu Jinlai’s spirits soared.
"Sizzle sizzle sizzle!"
The sound of metal grinding on metal resonated through the void.
More bullets poured forth in the moment the flying sword was hit and stalled.
Every flying sword was forged from precious metals, but most of their spiritualization was focused on sharpness, lightness, and peculiar traits, not on resilience.
Under the relentless shooting of this metallic tempest, the flying sword could no longer hold itself together, having approached within three hundred meters in front of Gu Jinlai.
"Ah!"
Vaguely, a wretched scream of pain emanated from the flying sword.
Accompanied by the spectacle of Flying Fire Meteor, it was directly torn to shreds by the storm of bullets, scattering iron filings and, following inertia, were ejected in a fan shape.
The roaring of the Short Range Defense Cannon came to an abrupt halt.
