Chapter 221: Slaying the Enemy with the Falling Dragon, Perfection in the Dao of the Spear!

Chapter 221: The Fallen Dragon Slays the Enemy, the Path of the Spear Reaches Perfection!

As a grandmaster of the medical arts, Chen Yi naturally knew the methods of stimulating the physical potential of the human body through acupoint piercing or medicinal catalysts.

Yet most of those were malevolent techniques that carried severe consequences, either leaving the meridians grievously damaged or striking at the very foundation of the physical body.

A burst of strength achieved in such a short span might well mean a lifetime without another inch of progress.

Even if a normal person knew the method, they would never dare to employ it.

Yet, right before his eyes stood a lunatic.

Yan Fusha, however, could no longer care about any of that; once the medicinal effects surged through him, nothing remained within his blood-red eyes save for Chen Yi alone.

"Die! I will kill you!"

Before his voice could even fade, he violently stamped his foot and surged forward, his entire being transforming into a streak of black light that charged straight ahead with murderous intent.

Without time for second thoughts, Chen Yi raised his spear to block before his chest.

Almost the exact instant he completed the motion, a colossal, crushing force reverberated from his front.

—The weight of a myriad bounds!

Chen Yi was sent flying backward, his eyes widening slightly as he stared at the hideous figure rushing toward him once more.

His true essence swirled and erupted, channeling strength through his entire body as he executed the Thousand-Pound Drop to anchor himself upon landing.

Immediately following this, his form shifted again, utilizing the Swimming Dragon and Playing Phoenix footwork to narrowly and perilously evade a claw swipe from Yan Fusha that was aimed directly at his face.

If that claw had found its mark, more than half of his face would likely have been torn away entirely.

Failing to hit with the single strike, Yan Fusha lowered his body into a sweeping kick, which tilted sharply upward midway through its arc, striking out to hit Chen Yi straight in the neck.

"Die!"

Chen Yi raised his spear to block once more.

Bang.

Another exceptionally heavy blow sent him flying sideways.

Yet, compared to being caught off guard previously, Chen Yi was prepared this time, keeping his lower body stable as he slid steadily across the ground.

His current cultivation, techniques, and physical strength were all at a disadvantage; he absolutely had to avoid being caught suspended in midair.

In such a state, he would merely become a target for Yan Fusha.

Bearing this firmly in mind, Chen Yi used his actions to dissolve Yan Fusha's fierce and lethal moves one by one.

In particular, he had to avoid the five-colored toxic baleful energy that erupted from Yan Fusha's palms.

In the span of a mere ten breaths, the two sides exchanged over a hundred moves.

So rapid was their speed that one could barely discern anything more than a green and a black figure tangling and parting.

This caused all the trees and mountain rocks within a hundred-fathom radius to shatter completely.

Especially Yan Fusha's five-colored toxic baleful energy; every time it struck out, it would corrode a patch of the surroundings.

Amidst a sizzling sound, tendrils of foul-smelling toxic smoke gradually diffused, blanketing the perimeter of this dense forest.

In the distance, aboard the pleasure boat, Pei Guanli witnessed this scene; no longer caring to shout curses at Yan Fusha, she paced back and forth on the deck in deep anxiety.

"Brother-in-law, nothing must happen to you."

"It is all my fault; if I hadn't fallen for the traps of those bastards, I wouldn't have caused my brother-in-law to come to this place."

Pei Guanli felt deeply worried and self-reproachful, yet she also knew that she could do nothing at this moment, able only to pray that Chen Yi could kill Yan Fusha, or that someone would come to their rescue.

However, she also knew.

Their current location was far removed from the Shuzhou Prefectural City, and being right by the Chishui River, even a larger commotion would find it difficult to reach the city.

Furthermore, tonight was the Mid-Autumn Festival; even if people were out, it was impossible for them to come to this barren wilderness.

Thinking of these things, Pei Guanli could not help but shout: "Brother-in-law, be absolutely careful!"

Chen Yi was currently stretched to his absolute limit; how could he pay heed to the movements around him?

In the brief quarter of an hour he spent fighting Yan Fusha, there were still times when he could not hold his ground despite exhausting all his strength.

His right arm, which had previously been corroded by the toxic baleful energy, was once more tainted by it and had already begun to swell with throbbing pain.

A layer of flesh had been clawed from his chest by Yan Fusha, and within the bloody tracks, the toxic baleful energy likewise invaded.

There were more than a dozen other wounds of varying sizes; black-red blood and pus seeped along his shredded brocade robes, staining his body.

It could not be described as anything less than wretched.

Yet, the one who was even more wretched was Yan Fusha.

Although his aura had not plummeted, and his true essence, fist intent, and toxic baleful energy remained at their peak, his body was far more hideous and terrifying than before.

Blood flowed from three of the five orifices on his head—his eyes, mouth, and nose—and black veins protruded across his body, faintly oozing blood.

That set of black night-traveler clothes had long since been dyed crimson with blood.

Yet Yan Fusha seemed utterly oblivious, relentlessly pursuing Chen Yi without pause.

Every palm strike and claw swipe, down to his joints and limbs, carried immense power.

His fist intent enveloped the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, shedding sheets of toxic baleful energy.

"Die, why won't you die yet?"

"A person of such peerless talent like you must never be allowed to grow, must never be allowed to grow!"

Chen Yi remained unmoved, his eyes never leaving Yan Fusha for a single instant.

Even though his current state was poor, he still had no intention of abandoning his plan to slay Yan Fusha.

He was merely waiting for an opportunity.

Fortunately, he possessed the medical arts to sustain him; in the intervals between evading and blocking, he could still pierce his own acupoints to treat his injuries, delaying the speed at which the toxic baleful energy invaded his meridians and internal organs.

Were it not for this, he likewise would not have been able to endure for so long.

Right at this moment, a flash of golden light crossed before Chen Yi's eyes—

[At the seventh quarter of the Hai hour, you witnessed the Mid-Autumn Poetry Gathering of Guiyun Academy. With "Water Melody Prelude: The Mid-Autumn Festival," you claimed the title of poetry champion. At the Quchi River, your calligraphy achievement manifested the immortal realm of magnificent towers and jade pavilions. Excellent performance.]

[Reward: "Mid-Autumn River Picture Scroll," Opportunity +66.]

Without waiting to look closely, Chen Yi hastily evaded a strike from Yan Fusha.

The sudden appearance of the large golden characters had nearly caused him to be struck in the face by Yan Fusha.

Yet, the more one feared something, the more surely it would arrive.

Before another half-quarter of an hour had passed, golden light surfaced once more—

[Daily Intelligence · Profound Tier Medium Grade: At the Zi hour, Yan Fusha and others of the Five Poisons Sect kidnap Chen Yi, the matrilocal son-in-law of the Dingyuan Marquis Estate, and Pei Guanli of the Mountain Tribe. A small amount of opportunity can be obtained.]

"..."

Chen Yi cursed inwardly, already driven to a point of rising anger by these large golden characters and the unrelenting Yan Fusha.

Looking at Yan Fusha, whose aura was finally beginning to decline before him, he twisted his body and executed the Swimming Dragon and Playing Phoenix footwork with all his might, darting over three fathoms away.

“Where to run?!”

Run?

Chen Yì coldly hissed a retort, planting his feet firmly, spiritual energy surging through his entire hundred-strong frame in an instant.

He didn’t glance at Yan Fushā’s position but spun on his heel, thrusting his spear in a single, deadly stroke.

It was the eighth form of the Falling Dragon Spear technique—Inverted Heaven and Earth!

When Fu Yi’s spear emerged, its light split into two, like twin golden dragons swooping down upon Yan Fushā.

Chen Yì himself stood between the two golden dragons, his figure and spear merging into one, also transforming into a dragon-shaped assault.

Yan Fushā’s eyes bulged, his face contorting into a grotesque grin.

“Perfect timing! Haha!”

As he spoke, his feet darted forward, meeting the three dragon-shaped spear lights with his claws turned over.

Five-colored poison demons coalesced into a single mass.

Then his claws descended—ten poison blades erupted in an instant.

In a heartbeat, the three dragon-shaped spear lights collided with the poison demons, unleashing a thunderous roar that shook the eardrums.

Boom, boom, boom…

Golden spear lights scattered, five-colored poison demons churned, obliterating everything within a ten-li radius—mountains, trees, all reduced to drifting motes of dust.

In the deadly clash, time seemed suspended.

Chen Yì clearly saw Yan Fushā’s twisted face, the spear lights piercing his protective spiritual barrier, leaving scars, and his own wounds being gnawed by the poison demons into festering boils.

In the next moment, Fu Ming’s heart sank.

Chen Yì gripped his spear, swinging it in two sweeping circles, golden spear light forming twin wheels of wind and fire.

Instantly, he swept away all the poison demons.

Then, without hesitation, he unleashed one of the four killing moves of the Falling Dragon Spear technique that had reached the ninth level.

Falling Dragon!

Chen Yì lifted his spear high, slashing downward—no flourish, no pretense.

The raised spear arced like a half-moon, golden and luminous.

Then the earth and sky stirred with a shaking force within a hundred li—

In the night sky, a dark cloud briefly formed within a hundred li, golden lightning striking down like a mighty golden dragon, roaring toward the unsuspecting Yan Fushā.

“Huuuuh!”

When the dragon shadow struck Yan Fushā, a clear, prolonged dragon cry echoed across the land.

A golden dragon shadow spiraled upward, vanishing into the clouds.

Chen Yì appeared behind Yan Fushā, stumbling.

Yan Fushā slowly turned his head, his spiritual barrier gone, the black, twisted features dissolving into nothing but a withered corpse.

He lifted his trembling hand, eyes wide with shock, pointing at Chen Yì: “Y-you… you… spear technique complete…”

Martial arts cultivation progresses from entry, minor achievement, major achievement, to completion—all through commanding the earth’s forces.

Different levels command different forces.

At entry, it’s the nascent martial arts form—sword qi, spear qi, enhancing technique’s power.

At minor achievement, the martial arts form matures.

One gains a portion of the earth’s forces and their unique application—Fist of Mountains, Gale.

At major achievement, technique’s power expands, fist intent grows heavier, sword edge sharper, reach wider.

These three stages are the limits known to ordinary folk—the peak of human capability.

But cultivating martial arts to completion is different.

The most obvious sign is the earth’s upheaval—lightning flashing, rivers reversing, and more.

As long as one’s cultivation and spiritual energy can sustain it, even moving mountains and filling seas is possible.

Thus, in Yan Fushā’s eyes, the move that stirred the earth’s chaos—Chen Yì’s Falling Dragon spear—had already reached the completion level of spear technique.

But the truth?

Chen Yì glanced at him, shook his head: “Not yet.”

When one’s final words are spoken, they are true. He could not have lied to Yan Fushā.

Yet Yan Fushā had just shown a faint smile, and as his body split in two, Chen Yì beheld dazzling golden characters:

[In the hour ofZi Shi, one moment, witnessing the Five Poison Sect’s Yan Fushā and others kidnapping Chen Yì, the groom of Deft Manor, and the ethnic group’s Pei Wen Li, and personally executing fourteen evil demons of the Five Poison Sect, including Yan Fushā, showed excellent performance.]

[Reward: *Thousand Poison Art*, opportunity +45.]

[Spear technique advancement: Falling Dragon, breakthrough to perfect level, glimpse of completion spear technique.]

[Spear technique: Major achievement, level +1000, reach completion level.]

Chen Yì glanced over, stunned, then realized vast amounts of spear technique secrets flooded his mind.

“Spear technique… truly complete?”

He checked twice, confirming he hadn’t misread, then looked at Yan Fushā’s corpse with a smile.

“Master Yan, forgive me—I didn’t intentionally hide it; it was just that the realization came too swiftly.”

Hehe, spear technique complete.

Now it was truly a blessing in disguise.

But before Chen Yì could savor the moment, he suddenly felt darkness, his body toppling backward.

He hit the ground with a thud.

His wounds, infected by the poison demons, swelled one after another.

Blood and pus streamed down steadily.

Pei Wen Li on the Red River saw this, his previously joyful face turning to worry. He rushed back to the boat, retrieved his bottles and jars, leaped off, and sped toward Chen Yì frantically.

Soon, Pei Wen Li reached Chen Yì’s side.

Before he could examine him properly, he withdrew poison-dissolving powder and had Chen Yì take it.

At that moment, his face bore streaks of tears: “Brother, don’t scare me.”

“You mustn’t die, otherwise, otherwise…”

Pei Wanlu swayed back and forth, tears streaming down her face, "Or else how could Sister Jinghong forgive me?"

"Brother-in-law wailed..."

At that moment, Chen Yi weakly spoke, "Stop crying, and stop swaying."

"If I keep swaying like this, I'll really die."

Pei Wanlu's sobs ceased, and with a tearful smile, embraced him, "Brother-in-law, you're okay, you're really okay..."

"Choke—"

Chen Yi struggled to pull her down, but she clung to him fiercely. After a couple of futile attempts, he let her hold him.

He gazed at the full moon peeking through the dense foliage of the forest, and in his heart, he silently mused:

This time, it was truly perilous.

The Five Poison Sect, the Liu family of Jingzhou, Liu Zhao Xue... The matter was far from over.

Unbeknownst to them, perched on a tree a hundred feet away, Chen Yunfan stared in utter bewilderment.

Precisely speaking, he was staring at Chen Yi lying on the ground, his face and eyes etched with incomprehension.

"Yi, younger brother?"

"Is that Yi, younger brother?"

"Yi, younger brother has completed the gun technique?!"

My God, this is impossible.

How could it be?

After all, he, Chen Yunfan, had been cultivating martial arts since childhood, now over a decade into his journey, his progress barely edging into the lower tier of fourth grade. His sword technique had only just reached the stage of great completion.

At this rate of cultivation, he had already been hailed by the ancient elders of the family as a "heavenly gem." They even declared him the most gifted martial artist in the Chen family's hundred-year history.

Yet he was a "century-long rarity." What about Chen Yi?

Younger in age, lower in cultivation, yet his gun technique far surpassed his.

"Father, Mother, Uncle, Grandfather, Great-Grandfather, Fifth-Grandfather, come see!"

"Yi, younger brother has achieved his destiny—his gun technique is complete!"

Incredible, how?

He had labored and suffered since childhood, all to make a name for himself. Yet before he could even make a mark in the civil service, before he could stride across the land, someone in the clan surpassed him.

"Yi, younger brother, your book and gun techniques are both complete... your talent makes me uneasy."

After a moment, Chen Yi noticed the poison's grip in his body had eased slightly. He could no longer hold back, speaking again, "Stop crying."

"Help me up, help me up."

Pei Wanlu finally regained her senses, quickly helping him sit up, "Brother-in-law, do you feel better?"

Of course not, she could see.

Chen Yi's body was riddled with swelling and festering wounds, save for his face which remained relatively intact.

It was a pitiful sight.

Yet after checking his internal condition with the art of spiritual perception, he sighed in relief, "It's alright. All the injuries are superficial, the organs and meridians are untouched by the poison. I reckon I'll be fine by tomorrow."

Pei Wanlu, who had been thinking of gently touching those wounds, paused at his words, "Tomorrow?"

Chen Yi nodded, pulling out a pendant and beginning to tend to his wounds.

While applying the technique of using qi to manipulate needles, he also reminded her, "After we leave, don't mention anything about tonight."

"Wen Er Nü is pure-hearted and too kind-hearted to tolerate such flies and maggots. Plus, her health isn't good, so it's better she doesn't know and worry."

"If she asks, we'll stick to the same story—say you encountered some folk from thejianghu and nearly got into a scuffle..."

Pei Wanlu nodded, absorbing his words, her eyes wide with curiosity as she watched his movements.

"Brother-in-law, is that the 'qi-needling technique'? I remember Ama said only the most supreme medical masters can wield it."

Chen Yi nodded, continuing, "Don't worry about that now. Just remember what I said, don't let your guard down like you did in front of Sister Jinghong."

"Brother-in-law, rest assured, I won't let on a thing."

"Speaking of which, what happened this time? You had so many bottles and jars, and those insects, how did the Five Poison Sect catch you?"

When he mentioned this, Pei Wanlu's face flushed with anger.

"They were so cruel! They tricked me using a child!"

"When I came out of the outhouse, a child ran up saying he couldn't find his mother. I thought I'd take him to look."

"Just then, I stepped onto a path and was knocked unconscious..."

Unconscious, good, really good.

Chen Yunfan would have given anything to be in that state.

That way, he could dismiss everything as a dream, not real.

"Yi, younger brother is still a medical master..."

"Martial arts complete, book arts complete, medical mastery..."

Chen Yunfan wiped his eyes, not from blurred vision, but from tears nearly spilling over.

After much thought, he couldn't fathom how Chen Yi had cultivated so swiftly.

Book arts were understandable.

Chen Yi had studied diligently from childhood, his writing never poor, even able to create art while confined in the granary. His achievements in literature were no surprise.

But martial and medical arts?

Chen Yi had never studied medical texts, at least not before arriving in Shu.

In just a few months, he'd reached the stage of small completion in medicine, mastering the qi-needling technique?

And Chen Yunfan couldn't even fathom when Chen Yi had begun cultivating martial arts.

After pondering, he could only think of one possibility.

Those years, Yi Di wasn’t imprisoned by his mother; instead, he’d been secretly cultivating the Way of War in the shadows.

Five years had passed, and he’d reached the pinnacle of the Gun Path, and now, facing life-and-death peril, it was not impossible to break through to the Complete Realm.

But was it arranged by his father for him to cultivate the Way?

Chen Yunfan suddenly understood, his mind made up to find a way to contact his father.

He needed to ask, to uncover the truth about Yi Di’s mastery of the Way of War, the Way of Letters, and the Way of Medicine.

He’s not human, he’s a monster!

Thinking this, Chen Yunfan inhaled deeply, took one last glance at Chen Yi, and turned toward the manor city.

Only halfway down the hundred feet had he gone before stopping, then turning back to stare at Chen Yi, his expression a blend of shock and dawning realization.

The Gun Path, gun techniques…

That night, when the young lord was knocked unconscious—was it Yi Di?

Then he knocked out the young lord and brought people to wake me?

From the Gun Path and medical arts Yi Di had displayed, Chen Yunfan suddenly saw everything, his face dark with resentment.

The West Market’s Baoacong Hall, Yi Di frequented there often.

And that night when Cui Qingwu was involved in an incident—Xiao family had been framed…

Damn it, damn it, damn it… Yi Di, you’ve hidden this from your brother so well!

You—you—you—you wait for your brother!

His earlier resolve to rescue Chen Yi had long since evaporated.

Rescue him?

Pfft, he’s not even here!

(End of chapter)