Chapter 453: Playing for Time
Seeing the grim weight on Jiang Chen’s face, Lu Yi realized they’d run into something they couldn’t possibly overcome. He didn’t argue. "Ah! Alright, alright, take it!" He shoved the Luminous Heavenly Fury Blade into Jiang Chen’s hands.
Jiang Chen gripped the weapon and leaned closer, speaking quickly. "This thing’s after Ying Luo and me. You should go. I’ll handle it."
He glanced at the raging skeleton ahead. "And don’t bother worrying about those old bastards from the Purple Crest Immortal Sect or the Compassionate Sword Immortal Palace. I’ll drag this thing their way."
"Go. Now."
"...Alright. Stay alive." Lu Yi shot him one last look, then streaked into the sky. He knew he’d be useless here—and worse, he might just get in Jiang Chen’s way.
As he sped off, a rush of complicated feelings swirled in his chest. For once, a spark of real gratitude toward Jiang Chen burned within him.
Faced with such a terrifying foe, Jiang Chen had wanted to give Lu Yi the chance to escape first. In the world of cultivators, that was no small kindness—most wouldn’t think twice about throwing someone else in harm’s way if it bought them a moment to run.
But Lu Yi didn’t know the truth. The skeletal monster’s appearance wasn’t random. It was pulled here by the threads of Heavenly Fate, its true purpose to break Jiang Chen’s grip on him.
Right now, though, Lu Yi was already fleeing at full speed.
The black skeleton didn’t spare him a glance. Its gaze was locked entirely on Jiang Chen and Ying Luo.
"Hahaha! With the blood of a True Dragon, I can reignite my soul core and merge the shattered fragments. My resurrection is at hand!"
"For nine million, three hundred seventy thousand years, I endured the Heavenly Soul Splitting Immortal Method... and now the opportunity has finally arrived!"
The vortices spinning in its hollow eyes burned with greed as it fixed on Jiang Chen and Ying Luo.
This was no ordinary monster. Once, it had been a giant of the Void Tribulation realm—Chao Xin.
Nearly ten million years ago, in a battle that shook the heavens, Chao Xin was pushed to the edge of death. To survive, he unleashed the Heavenly Soul Splitting Immortal Method, clinging to a single shred of existence. Since then, he had slumbered beneath the Prosperous Stone Immortal Star—until today.
That technique shattered his soul into countless fragments and left his soul core in complete stillness.
Now, through an ancient secret art, his awareness had gathered again. But such a chance came only once.
From his view, Jiang Chen was nothing more than a stepping stone. With his true dragon blood, Chao Xin could reignite his core and seize resurrection.
And he wasn’t planning to kill Jiang Chen or Ying Luo outright. He meant to keep them alive, bleeding them again and again. The more dragon blood he drained, the closer his rebirth would come.
Jiang Chen kept his eyes on Chao Xin while glancing at his attribute panel. He patted Ying Luo, coiled around his wrist. "Ying Luo, get inside."
"Big brother!" Fear flickered in her eyes, but she didn’t want to leave him to face such a monster alone. She wasn’t sure he could win against the black skeleton.
"Listen to me." Jiang Chen’s expression hardened, then softened into a smile. "I can handle him. Besides, this is a good chance for you to spend more time with your big sisters."
"...Alright. If you win, I’ll give you all my Space Essence Gold." Reluctance and worry clouded her gaze, but she still gave a firm nod before slipping into the Immortal Martial Mustard Seed World.
Once she vanished, Jiang Chen shifted his focus fully onto the attribute panel of the black skeleton.
[Name: Chao Xin
Status: Supporting Character
Fate Value
: 11,524Aptitude: Lower Grade (Peerless Grade)
Innate Talent: Obsidian Indestructible Body
Realm: Peak-stage Nirvana Cleansing / Early-stage Void Tribulation
True Combat Power: Peak-stage Nirvana Cleansing
Cultivation Methods: South Pole Void Prohibition Scripture (Void Tribulation, Core Technique), Heaven Defying Sky Breaking Forbidden Scripture (Void Tribulation, Great Accomplishment), Grand Underworld Cloud Mystery Chart (Void Tribulation, Great Accomplishment)...
Main Equipment: None
Trust Level: 0]
As expected, he was once a powerhouse of the Void Tribulation realm. Still, Jiang Chen noted one detail with relief—Chao Xin carried no equipment to boost his strength. His actual combat power remained at the Peak-stage Nirvana Cleansing realm.
The real concern was whether, if pushed hard enough, Chao Xin could force his way into half-step Void Tribulation realm. Jiang Chen’s divine sense stayed locked on the black skeleton, even as a strand of his mind reached into the Wordless Heavenly Jade, preparing to call up other cultivation methods at a moment’s notice.
Jiang Chen noticed that Chao Xin wasn’t rushing to strike. If he had meant to, he would’ve launched a sneak attack the moment he appeared.
That was a small blessing—it gave Jiang Chen the chance to steady himself.
Maybe my Black Heavenly Fate is working in my favor again, he thought as he quickly imprinted a space-based Nirvana Cleansing-level technique into his mind—Glazed Passage Space Travel Art, the one Nangong Wan and Shangguan Ning had urged him to learn.
At last, the black skeleton stirred. Its swirling eyes fixed on Jiang Chen, and a harsh rasp escaped its mouth. "Young one, I’ll grant you a thread of hope. Let’s see if you’re capable of grasping it."
"What exactly do you want me to do?" Jiang Chen asked, masking his calm with a show of nervousness.
At the same time, the Wordless Heavenly Jade was already at work. He sank into the Glazed Passage Space Travel Art, its secrets unfolding clearly in his mind.
A mysterious energy from the jade surged through his body and soul, and in an instant, he grasped the technique to perfection.
His Dao of Space blossomed on the spot. Spatial arts that once demanded effort now felt effortless, their power surging severalfold.
Chao Xin continued, his words slow and deliberate. "It’s simple. I need your blood—and the true dragon’s."
His gaze sharpened as he pressed on, a subtle pull hidden in his voice, the weight of his soul bearing down. "Swear loyalty to me. Call me master, serve me faithfully, and I’ll spare your life. You should know by now—I once stood at the Void Tribulation realm. I can give you opportunities you could never reach alone. Prove yourself, and I may even help you step into Void Tribulation realm one day."
He paused, as though offering a genuine choice. "Well? Have you thought it over?"
But none of his tricks could touch Jiang Chen. His soul was already unshakable, forged through mastery of the Soul Dao and shielded by the Heaven-Defying Fate Changer—the Void Tribulation Soulring. Within it lingered the fragments of two true great powerhouses of the Void Tribulation realm, Nangong Wan and Shangguan Ning.
Because Chao Xin had once used the Heavenly Soul Splitting Immortal Method, his soul core had long since fallen into dormancy, leaving his remnant soul dangerously unstable.
On top of that, Jiang Chen’s soul strength far outstripped his, and Shangguan Ning of the Azure Hollow Heavenly Fox Clan was with him—an expert at unraveling all kinds of persuasion and soul tricks. For Chao Xin to try such methods now was like a beginner showing off before a master.
His attempts fell flat, completely useless against Jiang Chen.
Even so, Jiang Chen put on a mask of eagerness. "Really? If I submit, you’ll let me live?"
In truth, he was using the moment to strengthen himself. He drew on the vast stores of pure cultivation he’d accumulated, while also pulling out piles of spiritual plants and swallowing them in quick succession with his spatial ability.
The surge of refined power rushed through him, bolstering his Immortal Origin reserves. It wasn’t enough to push him into Late-stage Nirvana Cleansing realm, but his foundation grew noticeably deeper.
"Of course! My word is law. Now, swear your allegiance to me," Chao Xin said, his rasp shifting into something that almost resembled the kindly tone of an old man.