Chapter 76: Chapter 74: Defeating Yu Qiushi_1
Gu Chen slightly smiled, not the least bit annoyed. These devil sect warriors were all the same, refusing to shed tears until they saw the coffin. They needed to be beaten to death and reveal their identities with their dying breath before they felt satisfied.
"Qi Changyun, you may fool others, but you cannot fool Jing Tian Department. Your identity as a devil sect warrior has been exposed. There\'s no need for you to keep hiding," Gu Chen said indifferently.
His words were like a stone stirring up a thousand ripples. All who were present were shocked by Gu Chen\'s statement, including Qin Mu, who turned his attention away from Long Chen towards this scene.
After all, the matter concerned the Six Union God Sect from over three hundred years ago. No one could remain indifferent.
"What nonsense are you spouting!"
Before Qi Changyun could even speak, the disciples of Canghai Sect could no longer sit still. The devil sects were public enemies of the martial arts community, and no faction wanted to be suspected of harboring devil sect warriors. Suspicions would lead to exclusion and scrutiny from everyone, and in serious cases, could lead to the destruction of the entire Canghai Sect.
Moreover, Canghai Sect had been weakening over the years and their status in the martial arts community had been declining. They could not withstand much more turmoil. All they hoped for was Yu Qiushi to grow up quickly to take over the position of the sect leader.
Good news stays within the walls, while bad news spreads far and wide. In the martial arts community, such negative news spread particularly fast.
"It\'s true that Canghai Sect isn\'t as strong as before, but it isn\'t a place where devil sect warriors can easily infiltrate," Yu Qiushi\'s eyes also darkened.
Gu Chen spoke, "Qi Changyun, you are a disciple of the Evil Heart Sect, originally named Lu Ou. Qi Changyun is just an alias you used to infiltrate Canghai Sect. You were ordered to hide in Canghai Sect for twenty years. It must have been quite difficult for you."
Qi Changyun\'s heart was pounding, but he maintained his composure on the surface, putting on a confused look as he said, "My lord, I don\'t understand what you\'re saying. Could you have mistaken me for someone else?"
"Absurd!"
A Canghai Sect disciple scoffed, "It has been over three hundred years since the devil sects were annihilated. They have long since broken the lineage and vanished completely. You are uttering complete nonsense!"
"What do you say about Zheng Jinan?" Gu Chen said dispassionately.
The young disciple from Canghai Sect\'s face stiffened, and then he retorted, "How do you know that Zheng Jinan is not the last remnant of the devil sect?"
Upon hearing the words "last remnant of the devil sect," Qi Changyun, who had his head lowered, flashed a look of murderous intent in his eyes.
But no one noticed this momentary glance. Everyone\'s attention was focused on Gu Chen. Even Song Yu\'s defeat of Long Chen did not draw much consideration.
At this moment, the imposing and steady Yu Qiushi stepped forward and asked in a deep voice, "Do you have evidence?"
Gu Chen nodded and replied, "Young Master Yu, please wait a moment. I will show you the evidence."
Hearing that Gu Chen had evidence, the people from Canghai Sect were suddenly on edge, and Qi Changyun, in particular, was extremely anxious and fearful.
Song Yu exchanged a look of confusion with Wang Yan. When they had come, Chen Yu had not provided them with any evidence. What was Gu Chen planning to use as proof?
At that moment, Gu Chen\'s figure flashed past Yu Qiushi, moving directly towards the unsettled Qi Changyun, and slammed down a palm strike straight at his head.
Boom!
At this instant, Qi Changyun was tremendously shaken, both physically and mentally. The air above his head burst with a boom. He felt as though a mountain, not just a palm, was pressing down upon him. Before Gu Chen\'s attack could land, Qi Changyun felt like his entire body was about to explode.
"How dare you!"
Seeing that Gu Chen didn\'t bother with words and attacked directly, Yu Qiushi flew into a rage. He moved quickly, and with his afterimage still flickering, he arrived beside Qi Changyun at the last moment. Without time to draw his sword, he could only place the scabbard above his head to block Gu Chen\'s strike.
A loud thump resounded as Gu Chen\'s palm collided with the scabbard, stirring up a wave of energy. Yu Qiushi\'s face changed immediately; the force of Gu Chen\'s palm was immense. Having to counter it unexpectedly, he felt his entire skeleton trembling and a sweetness in his throat.
Yu Qiushi looked deeply at Gu Chen, not expecting him to have such strength.
"How audacious!"
The disciples of Canghai Sect were furious to see Gu Chen dare to act against Qi Changyun, quickly drawing their weapons and surrounding the trio.
No matter what, Qi Changyun was an elder and steward of Canghai Sect. Gu Chen\'s assault was a challenge to their entire sect.
"Is the imperial court so eager to make a move against our Canghai Sect?" a Canghai Sect disciple said sharply.
"If you wish to use our Canghai Sect to assert your authority, just say it outright. There\'s no need for all these twists and turns, smearing us with false accusations!" many disciples of Canghai Sect said in unison.
The rest of the martial artists present watched the scene unfold, standing aside to enjoy the spectacle.
They too were wondering if the court, having been quiet for so long with the Emperor in seclusion, feared chaos in the martial arts community and thus sought to make an example of the weakened Canghai Sect.
Although Canghai Sect\'s delegation to the martial arts tournament mainly consisted of younger disciples, including Qi Changyun, there were three elder stewards, all in the External Energy Realm. But in truth, even with their strengths combined, they still fell short of Yu Qiushi\'s, for talent was a clear advantage.
At most, Qi Changyun and the others had less than thirty meridians opened when they broke through to the External Energy Realm.
"Lackeys of the imperial court!" some of the younger Canghai Sect disciples cursed. Upon hearing this, Song Yu and Wang Yan\'s expressions darkened immediately.
"What now?" they asked in a low voice, feeling that since Gu Chen dared to make a move, he must be confident of his action.
"No need to bother with so much detail, just capture Qi Changyun," Gu Chen said, his tone calm and his demeanor composed as if capturing Qi Changyun was a simple task.
This attitude was seen by many disciples of Canghai Sect, who immediately felt that Gu Chen was belittling them, completely disregarding their sect, which stoked the flames of their anger even more.
Yu Qiushi was even more decisive, saying directly, "With me here, you can\'t take down Elder Qi!"
Upon hearing this, Qi Changyun immediately looked at Yu Qiushi with a face full of gratitude.
Gu Chen looked towards Yu Qiushi and said, "Young Master Yu, have you really never considered that Qi Changyun might indeed be the remnants of the Evil Sect?"
Upon hearing this, Yu Qiushi\'s expression remained unchanged. No matter what, he couldn\'t let Gu Chen take down Qi Changyun in public. He had already made up his mind that after returning, he would report the incident to the sect leader and let the leader deal with it. If Qi Changyun truly were the remnants of an evil sect, then the Canghai Sect would deal with him secretly.
If Gu Chen exposed Qi Changyun as the remnants of an evil sect in public, how would the world view the Canghai Sect?
The already faltering reputation of the Canghai Sect would likely plummet even further, plummeting to the bottom of the valley.
At the same time, the Canghai Sect would be viewed with suspicion by everyone, given that no one knew if there were any other remnants of the evil sect within the Canghai Sect or, to put it another way, why would the Canghai Sect harbor remnants of an evil sect?
This was not to blame the people of the world, mainly because, over three hundred years ago, the Six Union God Sect brought too much harm to the world. Even now, various schools and sects cannot forget and do not dare to give the Six Union God Sect any chance to rise again.
"Impossible!" Yu Qiushi said cut-and-dried, "Elder Qi has been with our Canghai Sect for twenty years. Over these years, Elder Qi has always worked hard for the good of our sect, a fact seen by all disciples. How could such a person possibly be the remnants of the Evil Heart Sect?"
The disciples of the Canghai Sect nodded in agreement, supporting Yu Qiushi.
Gu Chen, dressed in black, with a tall figure and dark, deep eyes, looked at Yu Qiushi and said, "Qi Changyun is just an alias; his real name is Lu Ou. In his youth, he committed evil deeds in the Zhouping region, engaging in murder, arson, and looting, engaging in all kinds of evil. If Young Master Yu doesn\'t believe me, the Canghai Sect can look into it."
Yu Qiushi\'s face darkened, saying, "Stop talking nonsense. Anyone wishing to join our Canghai Sect must first have their past and background thoroughly checked. We wouldn\'t accept anyone with an unclear or tainted history. Don\'t spout any more nonsense!"
A slight frown creased Gu Chen\'s brow as he could see that Yu Qiushi was determined to protect Qi Changyun. He sighed and nodded, saying, "If that\'s the case, then Young Master Yu, don\'t blame me for being ruthless in my actions."
With a stern face, Yu Qiushi responded, "Bring it on!"
He had been injured earlier because he had acted too hastily. Now, knowing that Gu Chen had formidable strength, Yu Qiushi naturally would not attack Gu Chen\'s strengths with his weaknesses. He prepared to use his solid cultivation to suppress Gu Chen.
His cultivation had broken through once again, opening up fifty-two energy channels; he didn\'t believe Gu Chen\'s cultivation could surpass his own.
But the next instant, at the very moment Gu Chen made his move, Yu Qiushi\'s face turned ashen.
Whoosh!
In that moment, Gu Chen seemed to turn into a blast of wind, moving too swiftly to trace. In just an instant, everyone only had a glimpse before all the disciples of the Canghai Sect were lying on the ground, screaming in agony.
Qi Changyun and the other two managing elders also changed their expressions, not expecting Gu Chen\'s strength to be this formidable. They were ready to assist Yu Qiushi, but Yu Qiushi stopped them.
"There\'s no need for you to take action; let me do it!"
With a determined look in his eyes, Yu Qiushi remembered feeling indignant when he learned that he had been bumped off the rankings by Gu Chen. As a result, he chose to break through in seclusion.
After emerging from seclusion, with greatly improved cultivation and martial skills, he no longer regarded Gu Chen as a concern. In his eyes, his goal was only the top three ranks in the Star Rankings.
But at this moment, Gu Chen had refreshed his understanding. In his view, Gu Chen was no weaker than Huo Zhi and Tang Ming.
"Slash!"
A cry erupted from Yu Qiushi and, with a flash of light, his long sword was unsheathed from his waist and slashed towards Gu Chen.
"Canghai Sword Skill!"
Some sharp-eyed people from the martial world recognized this move. It was the unique martial art of the Canghai Sect, the Canghai Sword Skill, an advanced martial art.
The Canghai Sword Skill had a vast and hefty sword force. Each slash was like an endless surge of sea waters rushing forth, unavoidable, forcing one to confront it head-on.
This was the second major gain from Yu Qiushi\'s recent retreat. He had comprehended the advanced martial art, Canghai Sword Skill, to the entry level. It could be said that Yu Qiushi had given it his all from the start, aiming to decide the outcome with Gu Chen in a few moves and establish his dominance with this fight.
Clang!
Gu Chen drew his crimson sword from his waist and parried with an extended hand, catching the sword.
Unfazed by this, Yu Qiushi struck down with another overhead slash. The Canghai Sword Skill was relentless, like the surging waves of the ocean, wave after wave stronger than the last, each slash more powerful than the preceding one, intensifying as the battle progressed.
Clang, clang, clang!
Gu Chen\'s expression remained calm as he parried three successive swords from Yu Qiushi without moving an inch from his position, clearly demonstrating that he was far from exerting his full strength.
Just as Yu Qiushi was about to execute the fifth sword strike, Gu Chen finally spoke up.
"Young Master Yu, try taking one of my sword strikes!"
The words had barely left his mouth before Yu Qiushi could reply, when suddenly, a sharp clanging sound of sword cry pierced the air, followed by a dazzling flash of sword light that zipped by, brilliant as a celestial aurora. The glaring sword light caused everyone unconsciously to shut their eyes.
A moment later, the crowd opened their eyes eagerly, only to be left agape at the scene before them.
There stood Gu Chen, with his sword in one hand, the tip just inches away from Yu Qiushi\'s throat. The natural sharpness emitting from the treasured blade had already nicked the skin at Yu Qiushi\'s neck, with tiny droplets of blood emerging.
With just a slight push, Gu Chen could end Yu Qiushi\'s life on the spot.