Section 66: Night Emperor’s Sneak Attack!
By Gu Zhenren | June 18, 2014
Flames.
Vast and scorching flames, encompassing from all directions.
The sky became a sea of fire, a boundless expanse of red.
The flames roared, like devils dancing wildly, or like crimson lotuses blooming, carrying an aura of doomsday despair, all burning towards Chu Yun.
“Transform Fire!” Chu Yun activated the Dao Transformation technique originating from the Night Emperor. He cleaved a path, effortlessly carving a clear passage through the endless sea of fire.
His target was the sky, and he continued to ascend.
He broke through the sea of fire, only to encounter an ice mountain.
His Vital Energy churned like boiling water, and colossal blocks of profound ice, as large as mountains, hurtled towards Chu Yun.
The temperature plummeted, an icy sting seeping into his bones. Countless pieces of profound ice formed a meteor shower, pelting him relentlessly.
“Transform Ice!” Chu Yun narrowed his eyes, directing the Sky Fox beneath him to unleash streams of gray light.
Within the gray light, the profound ice dissolved. Chu Yun’s speed remained undiminished as he broke through this obstacle.
But it was one wave after another. After the profound ice came thunderbolts of immense power. After the thunderbolts, came raging tornadoes. These were the heavenly tribulations of Danzhou, unleashed by the danzhou Net of Law, designed to obstruct any ill-intentioned enemy seeking to approach it.
Chu Yun’s plan was sound, but approaching the Net of Law was no easy feat. The continuous heavenly tribulations drastically reduced his speed.
Fortunately, he possessed an incomplete Dao Transformation technique, allowing him to deflect immense force with minimal effort. Otherwise, breaking through by brute force would have been exhausting.
Even so, Chu Yun felt increasingly drained. The feeling of struggling with every step grew heavier.
The danzhou Net of Law seemed to detect his distress, and the subsequent heavenly tribulations became composites of various Cultivation Methods. To overcome such tribulations, Chu Yun had to simultaneously employ different forms of Dao Transformation.
This left him flustered. He was forced to release his other Innate Demonic Creatures to assist himself.
Even with their help, there were often times when he couldn’t neutralize the tribulations in time, and he had to endure them head-on to push through.
“If only I had mastered the perfect Dao Transformation technique, like the Night Emperor, capable of turning wind, water, fire, and everything else with a single ray of gray light. Breaking through these heavenly tribulations would be effortless,” Chu Yun thought to himself as he pressed forward, gritting his teeth.
However, this was merely a fleeting thought.
He now understood that while the perfect Dao Transformation technique possessed unparalleled power, it came with a significant drawback. Those who mastered it could only reach Emperor level and would never be able to ascend to the Emperor level.
This was because the Dao Transformation technique itself was a peculiar law. Once mastered, it would involuntarily dissolve other surrounding laws, a phenomenon even its master could not control.
Laws could not be altered, only utilized.
Therefore, even if the Night Emperor, who mastered the Dao Transformation technique, collected countless laws, they would be dissolved by the Grand Dao Transformation. His Net of Law would eternally be capped below the Emperor level.
Ultimate power was often awe-inspiring, creating unique existences like the Night Emperor who, even at the Emperor level, could threaten Emperor level beings. However, the immense drawbacks greatly limited his potential for advancement.
Only those directly experiencing it could truly comprehend the advantages and disadvantages.
This was why, even if Chu Yun had the opportunity to acquire the perfect Grand Dao Transformation, he would refuse it. It was precisely for this reason that the Underworld Emperor, who had always desired the Grand Dao Transformation, relented and voluntarily severed his alliance with the Night Emperor.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
Suddenly, a series of explosive roars echoed from ahead, and a familiar figure entered Chu Yun’s sight.
She was adorned in vibrant clothes patterned with a myriad of flowers, her eyes shimmering with a gentle gaze, her skin as fair as snow. It was the Incense Emperor, who had once tried to snatch the Second Spirit Light Mother Pill.
At present, she uttered constant cries of indignation, her jade fingers pointing, unleashing World Power that formed blooming flowers. The flowers detonated around her, repelling the terrifying heavenly tribulations.
Clearly, she had also cultivated a Battle Skill.
Although the Incense Emperor had attempted to seize the Second Spirit Light Pill, during their time in the Sea Eye Abyss, she had collaborated with the Dawn Emperor and others to explore numerous Inherited Secret Realms, making them acquaintances of sorts.
“To run into an acquaintance, and now that pushing forward is becoming even more difficult, I can cooperate with her. Strange…” Chu Yun exclaimed with initial joy, flying towards the Incense Emperor. However, he soon frowned.
Battle Skills were incredibly potent, and the Incense Emperor clearly had the power to break through the surrounding heavenly tribulations. Yet, she strangely held back, not unleashing her full strength. What was the reason for this?
Was she practicing using her Battle Skill?
Chu Yun immediately dismissed this unrealistic speculation.
The Incense Emperor’s Immortal Pouch had not yet fully digested the Chaos Demonic Crystals. Her World Power was scarce, not enough for her to squander on mere practice.
Even Chu Yun, with his substantial reserves of World Power, would not dare to be so extravagant as to expend it solely for practice by activating Battle Skills.
Chu Yun’s movement immediately drew the Incense Emperor’s attention.
Upon seeing him, her initial joy turned into a sharp cry, “Be careful, the Night Emperor is here!”
*BOOM!*
The Incense Emperor’s warning came a moment too late.
Almost as she spoke, a figure flashed out like a ghost, followed by a stream of gray light that shot towards Chu Yun like lightning, with incredible speed.
This gray light was none other than the renowned Grand Dao Transformation. It could dissolve the five elements, lightning, blood, flesh, bone, and anything in existence.
This was the Night Emperor’s full-power strike, meticulously planned!
Even an Emperor level expert would have a headache dealing with it, and an Emperor level being would need to dodge.
But the attack was sudden and unexpected. The Night Emperor, a master of stealth, launched a surprise assault, leaving Chu Yun no time to evade.
The Incense Emperor cried out in alarm. She clearly saw the Grand Dao Transformation aimed directly at Chu Yun’s head. This strike from the Night Emperor was extremely vicious; if it hit, it would dissolve the head of any Great Yan Imperial.
Without a head, death was inevitable, and one would perish instantly.
Every hair on Chu Yun’s body stood on end. An unprecedented sense of crisis tightened his heartstrings. He had not anticipated the Night Emperor’s sneak attack.
In a different environment, his Innate Body’s keen senses would have alerted him to such a life-threatening danger. He would have sensed the Night Emperor’s move before it happened.
But amidst the relentless heavenly tribulations, with their vast and terrifying power, and the immense danzhou Net of Law, managed by a Saint, the tribulations were even more formidable. Any slight misstep could prove fatal. Therefore, facing these tribulations, Chu Yun’s senses had been on high alert. The Night Emperor choosing this moment to strike demonstrated his cunning.
At the brink of life and death, time seemed to slow down.
Under immense pressure, Chu Yun unleashed the vast potential of his Innate Body!
His senses exploded, growing at an exponential rate. His eyes blazed with divine light like lightning, allowing him to see the Night Emperor and even discern the slightest scratch on his mask.
His ears could distinguish every sound. Whether it was the deafening roar of the heavenly tribulations or the Night Emperor’s sinister laughter, he registered it all.
The Spirit within him surged, reaching an unprecedented level of brilliance, like a blazing sun in the sky, far surpassing his previous limits!
In an instant, millions of thoughts flashed through his mind, calculating the optimal course of action.
As the deadly gray light shot towards him, a dark shadow rose like a curtain. It then condensed into a dense, fist-sized black orb, positioning itself in front of Chu Yun.
This was the Dark Shadow, a former demonic creature of the Night Emperor, now seized by Chu Yun and cultivated to an age of a billion years.
The gray light silently struck, shattering the black orb. The Dark Shadow let out a whimper, vanishing into thin air, instantly perishing!
The gray light remained, still potent. Now thin as a finger, it was only a fist’s distance from Chu Yun.
Chu Yun could only raise his arms, crossing them to block.
The gray light hit his arms, spreading rapidly. In the blink of an eye, both of Chu Yun’s arms were dissolved.
The Night Emperor let out a surprised hum. This was his full-power attack. Although the Dark Shadow had absorbed most of its force, the remaining gray light was enough to kill any Emperor level expert.
But to his astonishment, upon striking Chu Yun, it had only dissolved his arms and had not spread further to engulf his entire body.
“Your body possesses Emperor level strength. Hmph, even so, you will die!” The Night Emperor’s eyes blazed with ferocity, his killing intent like sharp blades enveloping Chu Yun.
The next moment, over a hundred streams of Dao Transformation light, like a torrential downpour, converged on Chu Yun from all sides.
Chu Yun’s pressure intensified. Though these Dao Transformation lights were as fine as hair and lacked the power of the initial strike, their sheer number was terrifying.
Worse still, he had lost his arms, severely limiting his combat effectiveness by a fifth. The surrounding environment was also highly unusual, requiring him to divert more than half of his strength to counter the heavenly tribulations.
Chu Yun retreated rapidly, shouting, “Incense Emperor, let’s join forces!”
“My apologies, Spirit Emperor. If you still had both your arms, we might have had a chance,” the Incense Emperor sighed, turning to leave. She abandoned Chu Yun, using a Battle Skill to carve a path, and fled in disarray.
“Heh heh heh, Chu Yun, your last shred of hope has vanished. You cannot escape your doom today!” the Night Emperor declared with a wild laugh, unleashing another hundred streams of Dao Transformation light, firmly surrounding Chu Yun.
Chu Yun blocked left and right, barely fending off the attacks for a moment. His body was riddled with bloody wounds. These wispy Dao Transformation lights could easily pierce through him.
His Innate Demonic Creatures suffered heavy losses. The Ice River Sword shattered, Lishan crumbled, the Drunken Snow Saber was broken, and the Sky Fox fell unconscious. The Ink Qilin perished, and the Spirit Snake was severed into three pieces by the gray light.
In terms of overall combat power, he was not far behind the Night Emperor, perhaps even slightly superior. However, this combat environment was overwhelmingly advantageous to the Night Emperor.
The Night Emperor’s body was protected by the Grand Dao Transformation, rendering him impervious to any heavenly tribulation.
Coupled with his successful sneak attack, he had established a significant advantage.
“Chu Yun, you never expected this, did you? Opposing me will lead to a tragic end.” The Night Emperor’s voice was chilling, his gaze under the mask filled with malice as he fixed on Chu Yun. Watching Chu Yun struggle desperately, he was filled with the pleasure of revenge.
He did not strike the killing blow immediately, instead toying with Chu Yun like a cat playing with a mouse.
Chu Yun, drenched in blood and dizzy, gritted his teeth to persevere. The more desperate the situation, the more his fighting spirit blazed like a bonfire. However, his attempts to break through were repeatedly seen through by the Night Emperor, failing to succeed.
“Argh! I’ll fight you to the death!” Chu Yun roared in despair, a fierce glint in his eyes, exuding a desperate aura. This time, he charged directly at the Night Emperor.
Ignoring the Dao Transformation lights piercing through him, creating numerous bloody holes, he pressed on regardless.
The Night Emperor watched Chu Yun charge, mistaking it for a suicidal act of defiance.
“A futile counter-attack.” The Night Emperor scoffed and extended his index finger, unleashing a concentrated stream of Dao Transformation light aimed directly at Chu Yun’s forehead.
Chu Yun did not evade, plowing forward.
“It ends now.” The Night Emperor murmured, confident of victory.
“It ends now!” Chu Yun also shouted, the fighting spirit in his eyes igniting with fervent heat. He had concealed his intentions for so long, feigning weakness at the risk of his life, finally closing the distance with the Night Emperor.
He was about to unleash his true killer move!
(To be continued)
