Chapter 348: Chapter 140: Do not make any more noise (seeking monthly pass)
It might have been two hours, or it might have been a day.
When Shen Changqing had completely assimilated the memories in his mind, he finally smiled as he looked at the panel again.
Great Sun Golden Body (Level 30, upgradeable, meldable)
Heavenly Thunder Divine Qi (not yet started, upgradeable, meldable)
The so-called Heavenly Thunder Divine Qi was the martial art created by the fusion of the Five Thunder Body Casting Technique and Gang Essence Divine Fiend. Now that both martial arts were marked as "meldable," it indirectly proved Shen Changqing’s initial conjecture. This meant that the Great Sun Golden Body was not the panel’s fusion limit. The lack of a fusion trigger before was purely due to the Great Sun Golden Body’s excessively high rank.
He then shifted his attention back to the Great Sun Scripture. After a long while, Shen Changqing abandoned the idea of attempting to meld the Great Sun Scripture. It was meaningless. If the Great Sun Scripture’s rank was too high, then considering the Pure Yang Technique and Heavenly Martial Gang Qi, their ranks were comparable from the start. However, neither had shown a meld option, proving that Inner Strength arts could not be fused.
His mind refocused on the Great Sun Golden Body and the Heavenly Thunder Divine Qi. Shen Changqing checked the Slaughter Value and found it had decreased by fifty points from before, clearly the cost of fusing the two Outer Techniques. With a mental command, the Great Sun Golden Body and Heavenly Thunder Divine Qi officially merged.
BUZZ—
His Sea of Consciousness resonated! He felt a vast memory surge from the depths of his mind, far more extensive than any previous martial art fusion. Moreover, his flesh vibrated intensely, and his blood surged uncontrollably. It felt like a transformation, a reconstruction!
A terrifying aura emanated from Shen Changqing’s body, then filled the fourth level of the Scripture Pavilion. The bookshelves trembled as if enduring some dreadful pressure.
The martial artist stationed at the entrance to the fourth level of the Scripture Pavilion immediately opened his eyes, his gaze shooting inwards with a shocked expression.
"There’s a terrifying aura!"
Anyone capable of guarding the entrance to the fourth level of the Scripture Pavilion was naturally a Grandmaster Level martial artist. Yet, even so, faced with that aura, the Grandmaster experienced an absurd illusion. It was as if violent thunder had suddenly erupted in the firmament, and he was merely a blade of wild grass trembling in the storm, liable to be obliterated into dust by that terrifying power at any moment.
Has Elder Shen made another breakthrough, or is he comprehending some formidable martial art inside? Amidst his shock, great puzzlement filled him regarding what could have caused such a commotion. If it was a breakthrough, a normal person wouldn’t possibly cultivate inside the Scripture Pavilion. But if it was comprehending some formidable martial art... To be honest, as the Defender of the Scripture Pavilion, he had reviewed almost all the Grandmaster Martial Arts within. While some martial arts were indeed powerful, none were *this* potent. Now, merely a leak of Qi was causing such a massive commotion. This Grandmaster found it hard to imagine what kind of earth-shattering, heaven-moving spectacle would occur if someone truly made a move.
While the fourth level was ravaged by the aura, everyone on the lower three levels, though not directly affected, felt an oppressive sensation in their minds, as if something bad was about to happen. This suppression made it impossible for them to calm their minds.
"What’s happening?"
"I don’t know, it feels like some inexplicable oppression."
"This is strange—"
The usually quiet Scripture Pavilion suddenly became noisy. Everyone’s face bore a look of bewilderment and uncertainty.
At this moment, an elderly Grandmaster appeared and sternly shouted, "The Scripture Pavilion forbids loud noises! From now on, everyone is to temporarily leave the Scripture Pavilion. The reopening time will be announced later!"
Upon hearing this, those present instinctively sensed something was amiss. Yet, meeting the Grandmaster’s gaze, they dared not say more and hurriedly left the Scripture Pavilion.
In less than fifteen minutes, not a single unauthorized person remained inside the Scripture Pavilion. The only ones remaining were the Grandmasters originally stationed in the Scripture Pavilion. The several Grandmasters present exchanged glances, their eyes filled with deep apprehension as they looked towards the fourth level.
"What should we do now?"
"Don’t even think about it. The commotion is definitely caused by Elder Shen. Since he hasn’t come out from the fourth level, we can’t just barge in. Disturbing Elder Shen could lead to serious trouble."
A more senior Grandmaster shook his head slightly; there was no longer any doubt as to who had caused the current commotion in the Scripture Pavilion. He then added, "From now on, ensure no one enters the Scripture Pavilion. Also, send someone to inform the Lord Defender. We need not concern ourselves with the rest."
"Alright!"
Then, a Grandmaster was seen leaving the Scripture Pavilion, after which its great doors slammed shut.
With the doors closed, the remaining Grandmasters did not depart but stayed on the first level. They dared not disturb Shen Changqing, nor did they dare to leave, fearing that others might disrupt him.
"What martial art do you think Elder Shen is comprehending to cause such a commotion?"
"I don’t know, but it may not necessarily be about comprehending a martial art. A breakthrough is also possible," a Grandmaster spoke with a grave voice.
Upon hearing this, another shook his head. "Elder Shen is said to have already reached the Grandmaster Ultimate Summit. If he truly broke through, wouldn’t that make him a Great Grandmaster? But that realm isn’t so easily achieved. In the hundreds of years of the Demon-Subduing Division, not a single Great Grandmaster has emerged. Elder Shen is highly talented, but to claim he could break through so quickly... that seems improbable!"
The existence of Great Grandmasters was no longer a secret. Everyone knew that above the Grandmaster realm was the Great Grandmaster realm. However, knowing about Great Grandmasters was one thing; breaking through to become one was entirely another. In the current world, only one person had truly broken through to become a Great Grandmaster: Shimohe of the Myriad Buddhas Sect, from eight hundred years ago, its current Sect Master. Besides him, no second person had ever broken through to the Great Grandmaster realm.
Hearing this, the others remained silent, but they agreed internally. Shen Changqing was too young. Truly breaking through to the Great Grandmaster realm was no easy feat. If he were given another eight or ten years to consolidate his cultivation, perhaps a breakthrough would indeed be possible.
While everyone else was mired in doubt and uncertainty.
「Inside the fourth floor.」
Shen Changqing had gone from standing to sitting cross-legged on the spot. The martial art fusion was complete, but the process of transforming his Outer Techniques was still ongoing. Additionally, memories of the new martial art surged forth, not yet fully integrated.
Time passed. Shen Changqing sat cross-legged and motionless. Occasionally, golden light flashed from his body, followed by crackling lightning. Patterns resembling the trails of dragons and snakes emerged on his flesh. The emergent lightning coursed along these patterns.
RUMBLE!!
Dark clouds had unknowingly begun to gather above the Demon-Subduing Division.
「Inside Mountain-Breaking City.」
Upon the appearance of the dark clouds, everyone instinctively raised their heads towards the dark clouds’ location, feeling an indescribable sense of oppression. Ordinary citizens had no idea what was happening. Even the Jianghu martial artists were baffled.
「Within the Demon-Subduing Division.」
All the Demon Hunters had looks of shock, watching as the dark clouds above the Scripture Pavilion spread, covering the entire Demon-Subduing Division within moments.
"What’s happening!"
Defender Xun, who had been handling affairs, walked directly out from the great hall. When he saw the sky-obscuring clouds and the lightning flickering within, his expression finally changed. He didn’t believe this was a normal meteorological phenomenon; the current scene surely had an underlying cause.
Just then, the Grandmaster responsible for guarding the Scripture Pavilion finally arrived.
"Defender Xun!"
"Speak," Xun Qu glanced at him. He recognized the man as the one guarding the Scripture Pavilion, who wouldn’t leave his post lightly without a special reason. Considering his sudden arrival, combined with the current bizarre circumstances, Xun Qu instinctively connected the two events.
The Grandmaster said, "Earlier, after Elder Shen entered the fourth floor of the Scripture Pavilion, a powerful aura leaked out, prompting us to evacuate everyone from the Pavilion. Soon after, dark clouds began to form above the Scripture Pavilion, and now they’ve spread to cover the entire Demon-Subduing Division. I suspect that these events are likely related to Elder Shen!"
Upon hearing this, Xun Qu’s expression changed.
Related to Shen Changqing? He had never considered this possibility.
Xun Qu then looked up at the vast dark clouds overhead, which seemed poised to descend at any moment. Even with his strength, he felt immense pressure from them. It was hard to imagine what kind of event could trigger such a phenomenon. Suddenly, he saw the flickering lightning and, as if realizing something, his expression changed drastically.
"Notify everyone at once! Remove all books and scrolls from the Scripture Pavilion immediately! No mistakes!"
As his words fell, the Grandmaster looked puzzled for a moment, then, as if understanding something, hurriedly replied, "Yes!" He then rushed off in haste.
Please don’t let this cause an even bigger commotion! Xun Qu watched the dark clouds, silently praying. A huge commotion was not a good thing. If it actually affected the entire Demon-Subduing Division, the consequences would be dire. However, for now, he could only pray silently; there was nothing else he could do.
「Elsewhere.」
Upon receiving the command, the Grandmaster immediately returned to organize people to move all the books and scrolls from the first three floors of the Scripture Pavilion outside, to prevent any potential damage to them from the commotion. If that were to happen, the loss would be tremendous. Compared to some martial arts techniques, many ancient documents were far more important.