Chapter 212
Chapter 212
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 212
Chapter Title: Phoenix Pavilion, Hard Battle!
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When did Divine Hand Du die?
Chen Shi had already left the Pleasure Grove and was rushing straight to Phoenix Pavilion, but Situ Wen was still pondering this question.
He hadn't seen Chen Shi make a move, nor had he sensed Chen Shi cast any spells. He had controlled his puppet artisan to hide in Chen Shi's ear canal. He only knew that Chen Shi had quickly spun around once, then walked out of the gambling house and the Pleasure Grove.
Killing a Nascent Soul Realm expert definitely wouldn't be silent and traceless—especially when this Nascent Soul Realm expert had eight other Nascent Soul Realm experts by his side!
Divine Hand Du hadn't even unleashed his Solitary Illumination Divine Transformation Art, hadn't summoned his Nascent Soul or had time to use his Golden Thread Robe, and the Eight Great Vajras hadn't made a move either. How could he just die like that?
Situ Wen even suspected for a moment that Chen Shi was bragging.
"
How exactly did Divine Hand Du die?"
He couldn't help but ask.
"
His Golden Thread Robe didn't protect his head.
Chen Shi called over Blackie Pot and explained, "The Golden Thread Robe functions like armor. Who wears armor without a helmet? Wearing a Golden Thread Robe but leaving your head exposed is no better than not wearing it at all.
I just punched the back of his head.
Situ Wen waited for him to continue, but after a moment, Chen Shi still didn't speak.
"A punch, and then what?" He pressed.
Chen Shi said: "
Then he died.
Situ Wen nearly lost his mind and stammered, "How did he just die like that? What about his Nascent Soul? What about his Solitary Illumination Divine Transformation Art? And the Eight Great Vajras? The Eight Great Vajras even have a combined strike technique they hadn't unleashed yet—how did he just die?"
Chen Shi was somewhat puzzled and said, "I'm there to kill people. Killing should be as simple as possible—
Just beat him to death.
I'm not deliberately making it harder. Why would I bother witnessing the Solitary Illumination Divine Transformation Art or the Eight Great Vajras' combined strike? Striking to kill before they can act isn't more effective?
Situ Wen fell silent for a moment, then said, "His Golden Thread Robe—
"
He didn't wear a helmet.
Chen Shi said.
Situ Wen was so angry he stammered, "Who wears a helmet into a gambling house?
Especially when this gambling house is his own territory.
Entering his own property, surrounded by his own guards everywhere, with eight top experts protecting him—does he really need to wear a helmet?"
Chen Shi asked in confusion: "
If he wasn't wearing a helmet, why bother wearing the Golden Thread Robe at all? Isn't that pointless?"
Situ Wen fell silent for a long time before saying, "If you were killing me, how many moves would it take?
Chen Shi thought for a moment and said, "Two moves.
Situ Wen still couldn't hold back his curiosity and asked, "Could you tell me what those two moves would be?
Chen Shi said, "If I were killing you, I'd first turn silver needles into grasshoppers, attach them to your puppet artisan, and follow you to Guanshan Market.
Then those little grasshoppers would crawl onto the mechanisms and reach the pavilion's position.
Once you're standing in the pavilion, I'd appear on the street opposite Guanshan Market to draw your attention.
Situ Wen drew in a sharp breath and murmured, "My gaze gets drawn to you, all my power focused on activating the mechanisms. At that moment, the grasshoppers turn back into silver needles and pierce me through in an instant.
Right?
"That's how it would be.
Chen Shi said.
Situ Wen shuddered and said after a moment, "That's one move.
Chen Shi explained: "
Me personally appearing to draw your attention—that's one move. Killing you with a flying sword is the other.
Two moves.
Situ Wen fell silent again.
"
So why didn't you use that method to kill me?"
He couldn't help but ask.
Chen Shi laughed, "I thought your puppet artisan was interesting.
If the puppet is interesting, then the person must be interesting too.
My grandpa taught me to be kind to others, not always fight and kill, and to make more interesting friends.
So I decided to go to Guanshan Market and see if you're an interesting person.
He was a very obedient child when it came to his grandpa.
Situ Wen fell silent for a long time before saying, "Thank your grandpa for me.
If not for those words from the old man, his corpse would probably be ice-cold by now.
"No need to be polite.
Chen Shi said.
The two arrived at Phoenix Pavilion. Phoenix Pavilion was an opera house, mainly for performing plays.
Yudu had more than a dozen large and small opera troupes, and Manager Qiu was the head of all of them.
Manager Qiu lived in the Peony Tower of Phoenix Pavilion. It was now the latter half of the night, the sky not yet bright, with clean moonlight shining.
Chen Shi brought Blackie Pot over the wall and entered Phoenix Pavilion.
Some rooms in Phoenix Pavilion already had lights on. An old male lead had gotten up early and was practicing his laugh in his room.
"
Wah-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya—
Chen Shi followed the corridor toward the Peony Tower. In the courtyard, a woman was waving water sleeves, dancing in the misty fog—likely an early-rising dan role practicing her dance, her figure graceful and enchanting.
Chen Shi passed through the mist and heard another old male lead clearing his throat in the distance.
"White Horse Slope, Yanjin Ford!
"Slayed Yan Liang, executed Wen Chou!
"
Once beheaded Old Cai Yang in the ancient city!
"
His third brother Yide has a temperament, wields an eight-zhang serpent spear that always aims for the throat...
Chen Shi passed a small lake in a garden and arrived at the Peony Tower on the opposite shore. The Peony Tower was a stage, and in his ear came Situ Wen's voice: "I've met Manager Qiu a few times. Sometimes he's a man, sometimes a woman; sometimes a lean old man, stern and unsmiling; sometimes a young girl. He rarely shows his true face, and speaks little.
I don't know much about him. I heard he used to be an actor himself, then made his fortune and became the troupe head.
Later he received patronage from a noble—rumored to be the Young Master—who taught him the Thunder Body Art, and Manager Qiu's strength has grown ever higher.
Chen Shi heard that aged voice from the opposite shore: "
...Drank and severed the bridge, waters flowing backward! His fourth disciple Dragon Changshan Jiang, unparalleled hero crowning the nine provinces! Long坂 Slope, saved Little Ah Dou, struck fear into every Cao soldier!
Chen Shi's palm shook lightly, snapping the door bolt of the Peony Tower. He stepped inside and closed the door behind him.
Snoring came from upstairs.
Situ Wen whispered: "
I've never seen Manager Qiu's strength, but it should be about the same as everyone's.
But I hear his Thunder Body Art is an extremely fierce and domineering technique.
...You kill Liu Bei, no problem—but how can his brothers let that slide?
Chen Shi looked around and was slightly startled.
He saw the Peony Tower filled with opera painted-face masks hanging everywhere—on all four walls, old male leads, young male leads, martial male leads, flower dan, young dan, child roles, knife-horse dan, painted faces, martial painted faces, and more. All kinds of vivid faces.
Chen Shi quickly scanned them, found the stairs, and silently went up.
I twist back to pay respects to the Empress Dowager~
Chen Shi heard the singing getting closer and was startled. When the song reached "twist back," it was already in the Peony Tower!
The singing came from downstairs!
And it seemed to come from the walls!
Downstairs was empty, only the painted-face masks on the walls!
Could it be the painted-face masks singing opera right now?
Chen Shi's heart jolted. He rushed upstairs at top speed. The second floor of the Peony Tower had a bedroom with layer upon layer of white gauze curtains, dozens of them hanging. Chen Shi burst through the gauze curtains to the room's center and looked around. The bed was empty, the bedding thrown open.
He touched it—the covers were still warm.
Manager Qiu had just gotten out of bed!
Chen Shi looked around. The bedroom was unusually large. The outside wind blew in, lifting the gauze curtains and revealing the enormous ghost and god faces painted on the surrounding walls.
Each of the four walls had a ghost-god face: one with green face and fangs, one with three eyes and red hair, one with three heads, and the last with human heads hanging from its neck like a bloody necklace.
These four ghost-god faces on the walls were done in meticulous brushwork, painted with utmost seriousness, depicting the gods' features so vividly it felt like the ghosts and gods were hiding in the walls, watching you with mocking, savage eyes!
Watching you from all four directions!
The four ghost-god faces were enormous, covering entire walls.
"Turn the scheme around!
The singing echoed downstairs. When it reached "turn the scheme around," the four enormous ghost-god faces on the second floor's walls suddenly opened their mouths. A loud voice boomed out, thick with opera cadence.
"
Knot~Luan~Couple~
Chen Shi knew it was bad. He decisively activated the Eight Extremes Golden Threshold Divine Chapter. The eight gates established, golden light like spheres in the gates. Surging divine power rushed toward the center of his Golden Core force field—Chen Shi's Nine Revolutions Golden Core in his dantian!
At the same time, the ghost-god faces on the four walls struggled outward, bulging, shifting from flat to three-dimensional amid sizzling electric light, actually growing out from the walls!
From all around Chen Shi, the four ghost-god faces lunged at him. Terrifying pressure assaulted from every side!
Chen Shi's Eight Extremes Golden Threshold was instantly crushed, shrinking rapidly. His body creaked under the squeeze.
In a short moment, the four ghost-god faces materialized into flesh and blood, opening bloody maws to bite down from all sides!
Chen Shi stomped his foot. With a boom, he collapsed the second floor's floorboards, his figure plummeting downward.
As soon as he landed, the ceiling collapsed. The four ghost-god faces had become four ghost-god heads, nostrils spewing smoke, eyes blazing fire, flipping the roof away!
Chen Shi surged his vital blood. The surrounding walls' painted-face masks—about forty or fifty—flew up, swirling around him in a circle.
"You're Chen Shi?
A voice rang out. Chen Shi then noticed a figure in white robes with its back to him, reaching for a floating old male lead mask in the air.
The white-robed figure's shoulders didn't move—its neck twisted first. It whipped its head around and sneered: "
You've come to kill me?
It was a face without features,
a blank face,
no eyes, mouth, nose, or ears.
He placed the old male lead mask on his face. Suddenly, the face came alive, vivid beyond compare, like an old male lead on stage.
"
You've come to kill me! Wah-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya!
His figure moved. Lightning flashed underfoot, speed ghostly swift. In the next instant, he cut into Chen Shi's Golden Core force field, circling behind him!
Chen Shi sensed danger and without thinking activated Thunder Body Art. Snowy light exploded underfoot as he dodged the strike coming from behind.
"Crack!
Bolts of lightning rampaged and danced toward him. Chen Shi's hair stood on end. He trod lightning and retreated rapidly. With a boom, he smashed through the Peony Tower wall, flipped in midair, and leaped away, evading the strike. Thunderclap grazed past him, booming into the small lake before the Peony Tower.
The lake surface exploded, electric light and shockwaves scattering everywhere!
Chen Shi was in midair when the four great ghost-god heads howled toward him. The green-faced fanged one opened its maw and spewed yin wind. The wind blew over, and Chen Shi felt piercing chill, his whole body shuddering, blood as if freezing solid.
He barely landed, his muscles twitching in pain. Another three-eyed red-haired ghost-god head opened its three eyes, shooting three divine lights.
Chen Shi endured the agony, rolling and flipping to dodge the three-eyed attack.
The three-headed ghost-god head tumbled in midair, its three heads cackling eerily, each spewing true fire to form Three Flavors True Fire, burning toward Chen Shi!
"
Situ Wen!
Chen Shi trod the Big Dipper's seven stars, stepping the gang in midair. Electric light flashed underfoot—it was the Thunder Body Art activated, dodging the onslaughts. He raged, "Didn't you say you and Manager Qiu were about equal?"
Situ Wen was also startled by Manager Qiu's attacks and stammered, "I only knew his cultivation level. I didn't expect him to be this formidable.
Besides the Thunder Body Art, he has another incredibly powerful technique... Watch out!
Chen Shi dodged the human-head-necklace ghost-god head's bite, but took a strike to the back from Manager Qiu. His back clothes exploded. He rolled into the small lake.
Situ Wen jumped in fright: "True King died before achieving victory!
He knew well the terror of the Thunder Body Art.
This technique commanded thunder. Cultivators' Golden Cores, Nascent Souls, and Nascent Spirits weren't afraid of spells or weapons, but all contained yin qi not fully refined, easily drawing thunder.
The Thunder Body Art infused thunder power in every gesture. Golden Cores shattered on contact, Nascent Souls ignited to ash—even Nascent Spirits suffered heavy damage!
Especially thunder struck into the body—the soul would burn to nothing, no chance even for reincarnation in the underworld!
Chen Shi had taken a palm to the back from Manager Qiu. With only Nine Revolutions Golden Core cultivation, his core must have shattered, soul scattered—deader than dead!
But Chen Shi didn't die.
The instant he hit the water, he surged vital blood, impacting his limbs and hundreds of bones, refining away the invading yin wind!
In the underworld lotus fields, he had consumed countless soul-restoring lotuses, tempering his soul to immense strength.
Even Manager Qiu's thunder-infused strike couldn't scatter his soul to smoke.
He flipped up, stomped the lake surface—boom, it exploded.
Chen Shi roared. His body swelled, instantly becoming a sixteen-foot giant: three heads, six arms, green face and fangs. He wielded halberd, cord, battle-axe, bow and arrow, Demon-Slaying Sword, Emperor Bell. Red hair crowned his heads, thunder light accompanying as he soared skyward!
"I demand wind and thunder!
Chen Shi's surging vital blood formed massive talismans, shooting into the sky. Instantly, thunder roared, torrential rain poured.
He charged the Peony Tower. Bow and arrow pierced the green-faced fanged ghost-god head. The yard-long Demon-Slaying Sword cleaved down, splitting the head in two. Divine Cord lashed out, wrapping the three-eyed red-haired head and yanking it close. Another arm thrust the short halberd, piercing all three eyes!
Chen Shi spun, swinging the battle-axe to vertically cleave the three-headed ghost-god head. Demon-Slaying Sword horizontally slashed it apart!
The human-head-necklace ghost-god head panicked and tried to flee, but Chen Shi stomped down, pinning it to the ground, then stomped again, crushing it through!
His six weapons danced, drawing heavenly thunder. Lightning arced between the six weapons as he charged Manager Qiu!
Thunder Body Art versus Tianpeng Demon-Subduing Great Law! Thunder Body Art versus unknown spell!
Manager Qiu took the strike head-on. His body nearly burst, blood mist roiling. The old male lead mask on his face cracked and shattered to pieces!
Painted-face masks swirled around him. Another martial male lead mask flew over. The instant it landed on his face, Manager Qiu's featureless face grew eyes, ears, mouth, and nose, becoming a great painted face with four banners stuck in his back.
"
No matter what spell you use!
Chen Shi swung the Emperor Sword, drawing heavenly thunderbolts, slashing down with rolling thunderous roar.
"
Before the North Emperor, all are illusions!
Emperor Sword fell, banners rose to meet it. Sword cleaved banners, banners snapped, mask cracked.
A bloodline appeared on Manager Qiu's brow.
Another knife-horse dan mask flew over. Just as it landed and his body turned female, Chen Shi's short halberd had already pierced her body through!
"
Ya-ya-ya-ya-ya—
Chen Shi's sixteen-foot form dashed madly. Vital blood exploded, thunder roiling overhead. He hurled the short halberd with Manager Qiu impaled on it.
The short halberd carried Manager Qiu's body flying a li, embedding in Yudu's city tower.
In Yudu City, the Young Master's forces—one gate, one alley, one society, one grove, one phoenix pavilion—were utterly eradicated!
Chen Shi turned, dispersing the decaying vital blood from his body. His form returned to normal as he walked into the vast thunderstorm.
Outside the city, the sky was turning white—