novelraw Chapter 204 : Two Fragments of the Xuanhuang Origin!
Chapter 204 : Two Fragments of the Xuanhuang Origin!
Chapter 204: Two Fragments of the Xuanhuang Origin!
Chu Huaixu had never expected that this trip to the Origin Spirit Realm would come with a buy-one-get-one-free deal.
"Senior Ye is truly too generous, actually bringing me another Fragment of the Xuanhuang Origin."
He watched as Ye Kongxuan took the item out of his storage pouch and placed it directly onto his forehead!
In the next moment, that mirror-like origin fragment merged into the four-colored mark at his brow.
Strangely, it only fused halfway.
It appeared embedded in his forehead, forcibly stuck within his flesh and blood.
Then, Ye Kongxuan's aura suddenly changed!
His presence surged violently, and the true energy within him began to spiral into chaotic turbulence!
Chu Huaixu understood in an instant.
"So that's what the Dao Ancestor's Maxim meant—this exact scenario!"
"Those from the Kunlun Grotto-Heaven, upon entering the Origin Spirit Realm, are suppressed by the power of origin, unable to use their full strength."
"The Maxim said that the suppression would be weakened this time."
"Turns out, it's because they brought a fragment of the origin with them, forcibly fused it into their body, and used it to counter the suppression!"
"Such a method!"
As for where that fragment came from—naturally, it had been previously snatched by Kunlun Grotto-Heaven!
According to Jiang Zhi, the cultivators from the Xuanhuang Realm who entered the Origin Spirit Realm used to win about eighty percent of the time.
That meant a considerable number of fragments had fallen into Kunlun’s hands.
No doubt, the so-called Heaven-and-Earth Calamity referred to the impending end of the law era, with Kunlun Grotto-Heaven attempting to open a passage to descend upon this realm!
And the Fragments of the Xuanhuang Origin were likely the key necessities.
"Ye Kongxuan brought one with him and came to seize another?"
"This is nothing short of a high-stakes gamble!"
"Clearly, things must be dire in Kunlun Grotto-Heaven. After all, they've planned for a millennium. They wouldn't take such a desperate step unless necessary," Chu Huaixu reasoned internally.
But since they'd made this move, it meant they were determined to obtain that fragment at any cost.
At that moment, the terrifying power emanating from Ye Kongxuan continued to expand.
It was the power of the 【Fragment of Xuanhuang Origin】!
Chu Huaixu quickly retreated several zhang, knowing he stood no chance in a direct clash.
This Kunlun cultivator’s face twisted with unbearable pain.
In a hoarse voice, he shouted at Chu Huaixu, "Xuanhuang brat, you've pushed me this far!"
"Do you realize, once my body is tainted by the aura of the Xuanhuang Origin, if I return to Kunlun Grotto-Heaven, the Heavenly Dao there will reject me! I will be suppressed by our own Dao!"
"That means my cultivation will never progress. I’ll be forced to abandon this body and search for a suitable vessel to possess!"
"This body is perfect—its talent and physique are extraordinary, and the spirit root is one of a kind!"
"So tell me, what should I do with you?" A ferocious grin appeared on his face.
Chu Huaixu calmly met his gaze, unshaken by fear.
He said flatly:
"Simple."
"I’ll kill you, and then you won’t have to crawl back to Kunlun and face that pitiful suppression."
"Boom—!"
A chaotic wave of oppressive force spread out, forcing Chu Huaixu back half a step.
Ye Kongxuan slowly rose, appearing vastly different from before!
Thankfully, he had only allowed a trace of the origin aura to contaminate himself, just enough to weaken the suppression.
He seemingly couldn't absorb too much power from the 【Fragment of Xuanhuang Origin】.
Otherwise—
"I'd be heartbroken!" Chu Huaixu thought.
Damn it, if that were the case, wouldn't the fragment become unsaturated?!
Now that the origin aura had stopped leaking, Chu Huaixu dared to fight him.
Earlier, that terrifying force had kept him on edge.
Ye Kongxuan looked at the youth opposite him. Despite having only one arm left, a proud expression still formed on his face.
"Xuanhuang brat, even now, you still dream of killing me?"
"You're truly an ignorant ant from the lower realm!"
Chu Huaixu deliberately played along with his words.
"Lower realm? That so-called upper realm of yours—isn’t it already entering the end of the law era, if not already there?" His tone was full of disdain.
Ye Kongxuan wasn’t angered—instead, he burst out laughing.
"That doesn’t matter! Do you know why we only call Kunlun Grotto-Heaven a 'grotto-heaven'?"
"When your Xuanhuang Realm falls into our hands, we’ll call it a grotto-heaven too!"
Chu Huaixu understood the implication.
So, Kunlun Grotto-Heaven had also been conquered long ago by this Kunlun Sect?
No wonder. No wonder!
They were habitual offenders!
Ye Kongxuan said no more. He raised his left hand and formed a seal, causing the remaining three flying swords to circle around him.
"Xuanhuang brat, I’m now stained by the lower realm’s origin aura. My time is limited."
"Prepare to die!"
Chu Huaixu met his gaze and said, "What a coincidence. My time’s limited too—so hurry up and die already."
They were both telling the truth.
Chu Huaixu’s Heart Sword, once separated from his body, could only remain so for a short time.
Under normal conditions, when using the Polite Sword-Borrowing Technique, he didn’t harm the sword spirit and could only borrow for three breaths—five at most!
Otherwise, the Heart Sword's rank alone would damage any host sword spirit.
That was true borrowing—with return in perfect condition.
But now, he wielded the Four Symbols White Tiger Sword—this wasn’t polite borrowing. This was—'I’m taking it, period!'
Once the Heart Sword entered the White Tiger, it tore it apart and took over.
Thus, it could remain outside the body much longer—but still had limits.
Earlier, when Ye Kongxuan forcibly stained himself with the origin aura, Chu Huaixu couldn’t approach, so he had recalled the Heart Sword to rest in the Sea of Consciousness.
The White Tiger sword spirit was already destroyed—its master couldn’t call it back.
Clearly, Chu Huaixu was a frugal planner. Now, he re-sent the Heart Sword into the White Tiger.
With his current strength, he could only perform this entry-exit maneuver three times a day.
And each use would last shorter than the last.
Hence, Chu Huaixu too aimed for a quick resolution.
Ye Kongxuan raised his remaining left arm and made a gesture.
This time, he didn’t wield the Azure Dragon Sword, but the Black Tortoise Sword instead.
Earlier, after losing the White Tiger Sword, he had fought with the Azure Dragon Sword, which was somehow damaged within a few exchanges.
So now, he switched to the Black Tortoise.
"How fitting," thought Chu Huaixu, wielding someone else’s White Tiger.
In an instant, both figures vanished, charging forward.
Ye Kongxuan shouted, "This self-harming sword of yours—how many strikes can you manage?"
"That depends on how many you can take!" Chu Huaixu answered loudly. "How many I swing doesn’t matter—but you only have one arm left!"
——【Six Formations of the Broken Array】!
His just-healed right arm once again echoed with bone-cracking sounds.
Even a bystander would flinch in pain at that noise.
The terrifying self-healing power of the 《Dao Canon》 had barely stopped the bleeding and begun the regeneration process.
But now, blood splattered again, the wounds worsening—each tear more gruesome than the last!
With the second use of 【Six Formations of the Broken Array】, Chu Huaixu felt his meridians on the verge of destruction.
Pain and internal damage spread to his right shoulder, cracking it too!
The entire right side of his body began to go numb, to ache, to swell!
His chest, abdomen, and lower back were wracked with tearing pain!
That icy-cold, bone-piercing chill spread throughout him.
Yet, the blood-colored lightning on his sword flared even more fiercely!
The two gaping wounds on his body had stopped bleeding—now they gushed anew.
Ye Kongxuan could only watch as his opponent ravaged his own flesh.
And yet, the youth's expression never changed.
If anything had changed—it was that his killing intent had intensified!
"Black Tortoise Sword Art!" The power gathering on his Four Symbols Black Tortoise Sword was immense.
He’d already fallen victim to that mad technique once.
The cost had been his entire right arm and half his shoulder!
Ye Kongxuan could not comprehend how the Xuanhuang Realm had produced such a monster!
Such a terrifying First Realm cultivator—had he not come personally, those weaklings at the Qi Refining Stage would've died one by one!
"If I hadn’t brought this origin fragment, even I would've perished here!" That thought truly rattled him.
Such a monstrous genius—left unchecked—would become a nightmare!
Their swords clashed again, sending both flying several zhang.
The other two flying swords seized the chance to strike at Chu Huaixu.
He activated his Heart Sword power and attacked their sword spirits.
Dark, ink-like energy shielded his body, barely fending them off.
Chu Huaixu spat blood; Ye Kongxuan's left arm was covered in wounds.
His left shoulder drooped, and even holding the sword sent sharp pain through him.
But Chu Huaixu?
His right arm was nearly ruined!
And yet, he still gripped his sword tightly!
Ye Kongxuan couldn’t fathom the sheer willpower it took to endure this!
The young man in black robes was soaked in blood.
Though he'd sustained new internal injuries, he pressed on without pause—giving no room to breathe.
Wounded so badly, he should’ve been weaker.
Yet he fought like he was unharmed!
"One more sword from this right hand, then it's done for!" Chu Huaixu thought.
"When that happens—I’ll switch to the left!"
Had he not trained in body cultivation, any other sword cultivator would’ve died after a single strike.
The two clashed again.
Thanks to the origin aura, Ye Kongxuan’s strength had increased significantly.
But even so, he felt his left arm was about to give out too.
They were both blown back again, smashing into trees which promptly collapsed.
Three breaths later, the trees were "repaired," returning to normal.
Ye Kongxuan panted, soaked in sweat from the endless pain.
He looked up—Chu Huaixu remained expressionless.
"You ask how many times I can use 【Six Formations of the Broken Array】?"
Chu Huaixu made one gesture—and it struck fear and despair into this Nascent Soul cultivator’s heart.
He slowly switched the sword from his right to his left hand.