Section 65: Star Maiden
By: Gu Zhenren
June 18, 2014
Due to cultivation differences, the Immortal Pouch King’s spiritual pressure was undoubtedly more potent than Chu Yun’s, possessing an imposing aura that encompassed Heaven and Earth, and contained the universe within.
However, Chu Yun’s spiritual pressure displayed the elegance of the Human Dao. Though suppressed, his resilience was beyond imagination. The more he was tempered and beaten down, the more perfect and solid he became.
“Hm? This is strange!” A flicker of surprise flashed in the Immortal Pouch King’s eyes. He gazed deeply at Chu Yun, his mind filled with questions. “What kind of Dao does this brat cultivate? He can actually use my spiritual pressure to temper and grow himself!”
“Immortal Pouch King, surrender your life!” Chu Yun chuckled, clenching his fists in the air. Instantly, two rays of profound light shot out from his Immortal Pouch, transforming into a saber and a sword in his hands.
The Ice River Sword in his left hand, the Drunken Snow Saber in his right!
“You’re serious?” The Immortal Pouch King paled, instinctively taking another step back.
Chu Yun snorted, his eyes flashing with divine light. Having ascended to King level, his every move was infused with immense power. He had lacked opportunities to fully test his techniques in the past. Now, the Immortal Pouch King had come to him, presenting the perfect touchstone.
Moreover, only by fully displaying his strength could he make the Immortal Pouch King truly realize who the supreme powerhouse was between them!
“Fight me!” Chu Yun roared, striding forward.
His aura surged like a tiger descending a mountain or a dragon emerging from the sea.
The Immortal Pouch King retreated another step, caught off guard.
He had initially intended to merely discipline Chu Yun with his spiritual pressure, a common practice in King-level encounters.
Generally, Kings did not engage in life-or-death battles. Every action carried significant consequences, and fighting another King of the same level was the greatest drain on luck.
Such battles often resulted in no clear victor, with both parties suffering losses. In light of this, unless there was an irreconcilable enmity, Kings would avoid all-out combat.
Therefore, minor disputes like this one were typically settled through clashes of spiritual pressure. The victor would depart gracefully, the loser would retreat willingly, without anyone losing face.
“I understand now! This brat has only recently ascended to King level and is unfamiliar with these common courtesies among Kings. I’ve run into a reckless fool today!” Suddenly, the Immortal Pouch King realized with frustration.
However, he had misunderstood.
In reality, the Wine King had been recuperating in Huode City and had consciously imparted this knowledge to Chu Yun during their conversations.
Chu Yun was aware of these matters, but he had already intended to subdue the Immortal Pouch King, or at the very least, use him as a whetstone to test his own limits.
“Please, do not attack!”
Just as Chu Yun slowly raised his saber and sword, ready to strike, a blue light shot out from the Immortal Pouch King’s waist sash. It landed in the hall, transforming into a woman in palace attire.
The woman was incredibly beautiful.
Her meticulously styled black hair was fashioned into a small, elegant bun, slightly tilted to the right.
Her eyebrows were dark and slender, framing eyes with the densest lashes Chu Yun had ever seen on a woman, like a feathered fan, bestowing upon her an indefinable, mysterious radiance.
Her eyes were large, clear, and bright, as if sprinkled with starlight. Her nose and mouth were largely concealed by a deep blue veil, causing onlookers to sigh in regret and feel an irresistible urge to lift it and glimpse her true face.
The deep blue veil enhanced her skin, which was as fair and radiant as snow, so delicate and exquisite it tempted one to take a bite, like a freshly peeled lychee.
Her entire being exuded an elegant aura, like the gentle moonbeam over a Jiangnan water town, suddenly descending into the hall, diluting the intense aura of conflict and slaughter in the air.
“Who are you?” Chu Yun’s eyes narrowed, halting his aggressive stance.
The woman’s beauty rivaled that of the Blissful Immortal Consorts, but her demeanor was even more extraordinary. Facing her felt like facing the vast, mysterious expanse of the starry sky.
More importantly, her eyes shone with a wisdom that Chu Yun could not overlook. He had only seen such a light in the eyes of the Sleeping Old Man and King Jiumu.
Simultaneously,
Chu Yun’s mind echoed with the conversations of the Blissful Immortal Consorts.
“Strange, why does this woman feel familiar?”
“I have a sense of familiarity too. Could she be an Immortal Consort Demon Soldier?”
“No, when an Immortal Consort enters seclusion, the Blissful Joy Ship reacts, and we all feel it. But she didn’t.”
The Immortal Pouch King’s subsequent words revealed the woman’s identity: “She is my strategist, a Star Calculator renowned as one of the greatest in the current Abacus Master world, alongside the Sleeping Old Man, Oracle Immortal, and Drunkard Who Lives for the Moment. It is with her assistance that I learned the Blissful Joy Ship was in your possession, Chu Yun.”
“So that’s how it is…” Chu Yun’s gaze, deep and penetrating, fixed on Star Maiden. His intuition told him she was no ordinary person. He wondered about her cultivation level.
“My esteemed young lord of the Twin Emperors, please hold your hand. With the current era dominated by Twin Emperors, it is crucial for us to cooperate sincerely and form a King Alliance to survive in the shadows between them. We are allies, not enemies. This time, both I and the Immortal Pouch King come with our utmost sincerity to seek cooperation,” Star Maiden’s voice was ethereal, possessing an extraordinary charm.
Her words resonated with those of the Sleeping Old Man, demonstrating a meeting of minds.
However, Chu Yun did not sheath his saber and sword. He was determined to fight this battle!
“Cooperation? Heh heh, whether it’s genuine or not, I will first teach this Immortal Pouch King a lesson! Make your move!” He stamped his foot and lunged forward, while eight meteors shot out from the Immortal Pouch at his waist.
These were none other than the eight Tribulation Demons: the Riot Ape, Cloudwing Tiger, and others.
Under the astonished gazes of the Immortal Pouch King and Star Maiden, the surroundings shifted dramatically. In the next moment, they were no longer in the reception hall of Huode City but within the Eight Trigrams Battle Formation Space created by Chu Yun!
“Damn it!” The Immortal Pouch King retreated rapidly, simultaneously striking his Immortal Pouch, releasing Demon Creatures to form a battle formation.
“Chu Yun, you…” Star Maiden attempted to intervene, but Chu Yun’s overwhelming saber and sword energies surged towards her. Her face drained of color as she finally understood Chu Yun’s decisive and ruthless nature.
She sighed faintly, her body darting to the side like lightning. Behind her, the Immortal Pouch King was now fully armed, rushing to meet Chu Yun’s assault, shouting, “Chu Yun, do you truly believe this King fears you?!”
The Immortal Pouch King’s robes billowed, emitting patches of yellow light that layered and covered his entire body.
Around his waist, three large Tribulation Demon shields danced.
Glittering white-gold Talismans surrounded the shields.
Chu Yun swung his saber and sword in unison, their blades intertwining and striking the Immortal Pouch King. However, before they could even touch the Tribulation Demon shields, the white-gold Talismans nullified the attacks entirely.
Only a small portion of these white-gold Talismans vanished, less than a tenth of the total. The remaining Talismans immediately intertwined, generating new Talismans to fill any empty spaces.
“This turtle shell…” Chu Yun couldn’t help but frown.
The Immortal Pouch King laughed heartily, “Junior, you haven’t even breached my first layer of defense. Let me tell you, this is the “Endless Platinum Talisman.” Unless you can shatter all eighty-eight hundred and eighty-eight Talismans in a single strike, it will rapidly regenerate whenever it has the chance, making it an unparalleled defensive artifact.”
“In addition, I possess the “Samadhi Divine Shield,” a composite Demon Soldier. Each component has a cultivation of eight million years, and when combined, their defensive power rivals that of a ten-million-year Tribulation Demon Soldier. My Mysterious Yellow Breathing Earth Dao Robe is an innate Earth element Demon Weapon. As long as there is sufficient Demonic Energy, it can manifest infinite earth.”
“I am already in an unassailable position. Any attack you launch will be futile. Cease your efforts. I shall overlook your youthful ignorance and not hold it against you. We can sit down and discuss this properly.” The Immortal Pouch King, adopting the demeanor of a wise elder, looked down at Chu Yun with profound condescension.
“Hahahaha…” Chu Yun suddenly burst into laughter.
The Immortal Pouch King’s expression stiffened. “What are you laughing at?”
“Excellent. With that said, I can finally unleash my full power!” Chu Yun’s blood boiled, and his eyes blazed with an unquenchable fighting spirit.
“You!” The Immortal Pouch King had underestimated Chu Yun’s resolve. Sensing the look in Chu Yun’s eyes, his heart skipped a beat.
Chu Yun raised his saber and sword high—Heaven, Silence, Great, Sword, Cascade!
At that moment, time seemed to stand still, and Heaven and Earth fell into a profound silence.
BOOM!!!
An intensely blinding white light suddenly erupted from his sword and saber, illuminating the entire Eight Trigrams Battle Formation until it was white-hot.
A vast and mighty saber and sword energy, like an avalanche from an ice mountain or a celestial river pouring down, unleashed with an unparalleled, terrifying momentum.
“Immortal Pouch King, receive my strike!” Chu Yun, treading on the celestial river and clad in the Primordial Golden Body Armor, wielding the Ice River Sword and Drunken Snow Saber, charged towards the Immortal Pouch King.
The Immortal Pouch King retreated continuously, his face etched with shock. His heart was filled with astonishment: “This is the power of a ten-million-year Tribulation Demon! The Drunken Snow Saber has actually reached the ten-million-year level! And that sword is not far behind, possessing eight million years of cultivation. Fighting the Land Whale King has boosted Chu Yun’s combat power so significantly!”
Bashan Thousand Soldier Fan!
A flash of white light, and the Immortal Pouch King produced a palm-leaf fan in his left hand.
Bloodfire Crimson Flame Gourd!
A flash of red light, and a vibrant red gourd appeared in the Immortal Pouch King’s right hand.
With a fierce sweep of his left hand, a gale erupted, and countless golden spears, silver swords, bronze sabers, and iron pellets shot out in a dense, dark mass. Raising his right hand, the gourd spewed forth a torrent of crimson flames, instantly forming a sea of fire.
Chu Yun remained fearless, his fighting spirit ablaze. He stamped his foot, sending the celestial river of saber and sword whistling forth, creating surging waves that swept away and swallowed all the spears, swords, sabers, and pellets. With another stomp, the celestial river surged like a stampede of ten thousand beasts, extinguishing the roaring flames and crushing them.
The Immortal Pouch King was thrown into a state of panic and, unable to retreat in time, was engulfed by the celestial river of saber and sword.
(To be continued)
