Comprehending Myriad Techniques as Woodcutter

Chapter 182: Chapter 155: Death of a Grandmaster

"Sweeping Away a Thousand Foes!"

Xie Yuan snapped back to reality. With a single thought, the axe technique appeared in his mind, already integrated into his very instincts as if it had been forged through countless trials.

[Chopping Wood: (1/100,000)]

[Celestial Concealment Skill - Minor Success: (1/5,000)]

[Moon-Cutting Axe - Minor Success: (1/3,000)]

[Black Celestial Book: (1/200)]

Not only that, but his proficiency in the axe technique also caused his axe-related Cultivation Technique to rise with the tide.

The Moon-Cutting Axe technique, which he had only just broken through, leaped another level, advancing directly from Mastery to Minor Success!

The Moon-Cutting Axe didn’t reach perfection like the Rushing Wolf Saber Skill. First, the difference in grade was too great. Second, Xie Yuan was holding a logging axe this time, so all his improvements were related to Chopping Wood. He had comprehended a new axe skill and basic axe methods, so the advancement of the Moon-Cutting Axe was purely a side effect. Making such great progress was a pleasant surprise.

Xie Yuan closed his eyes slightly, recalling the image in his memory of that single axe strike—Sweeping Away a Thousand Foes. It was invincible, unstoppable.

No matter who the enemy was, or how many there were, they could all be annihilated by that one strike. It carried the spirit of "though I face ten million, I will go forward."

’I may not be at the same realm as the general from that memory, but the power of this single strike is greater than the sum of my three signature moves, yet it’s all condensed into one. Even at my current level, I can definitely harm someone in the Qi and Blood Metamorphosis Realm...’

Killing an enemy a minor realm above one’s own was occasionally heard of, but killing someone a major realm higher was as rare as a phoenix feather or a qilin’s horn.

The word "metamorphosis" wasn’t just for show. The gap between major realms was a massive chasm.

However, Xie Yuan now possessed a method to directly threaten someone in the Qi and Blood Metamorphosis Realm. His gaze passed over the large rock and fell upon the two people locked in a fierce clash within the dense fog.

Mu Chaoyun had once told him that the Qi Blood Third Transformation was the limit of the human body. The Grandmaster Realm focused more on connecting the internal and external and comprehending the heavens and earth; the physical enhancement wasn’t as pronounced as in the first two major realms.

In other words, in terms of physical constitution alone, a Grandmaster wasn’t that much stronger than someone in the Qi and Blood Metamorphosis Realm.

’Sweeping Away a Thousand Foes... the next line should be "and making Grandmasters flee." If this axe lands on Deng Wan, even a Grandmaster like him should have his defenses broken.’

A glint in his eye, Xie Yuan stared at the battle, his figure flashing as he suddenly melted into the fog, vanishing from sight.

His Celestial Concealment Skill was at Minor Success, a Secret Technique one stage higher than Mu Chaoyun’s.

The Celestial Concealment Skill could obscure the secrets of heaven and seize the fortune of others. Mu Chaoyun’s Mastery-level skill already showed initial signs of this power. Not only was it difficult for a Grandmaster to track her, but when she had impersonated Lin Zhen, she had borrowed her aura so perfectly that even Landlord Lin couldn’t tell his own daughter was an imposter.

Xie Yuan’s Celestial Concealment Skill, however, had leaped three stages to reach Minor Success. When activated, he became completely one with his surroundings. Even with the huge gap in their realms, a Grandmaster would look right through him, seeing nothing. Within this Mountain and River Concealment Array, it was even more impossible to detect him by aura alone.

Watching the golden light flickering in the fog, Xie Yuan drew the axe from his waist, transformed into a gentle breeze, and crept toward Deng Wan’s back.

In the heart of the battle, Mu Chaoyun’s palms moved like the poles of yin and yang. Flashing black and white light, they held an unpredictable power as they separated and merged, making Deng Wan wary of facing them head-on.

However, Deng Wan wielded a golden horsewhip that seemed to be wreathed in golden lightning. Its brilliant flashes also kept Mu Chaoyun from taking a direct hit. She could only rely on her superior Body Technique and the advantage of the Array, moving like the wind around him to pin him in place and prevent him from running wild.

Since Xie Yuan needed time, Mu Chaoyun gave Deng Wan no opportunity to interfere.

She wanted to use the Array to wear him down, but she was injured and relying on a random concoction of pills to recover. She herself didn’t know how much longer she could last.

’If it comes to it, I’ll just take him down with me.’

Mu Chaoyun silently assessed her condition, thinking to herself.

At least if she dealt with Deng Wan, they wouldn’t all have to die here.

Her gaze subconsciously darted toward the large rock, but she suddenly froze. Her hands slowed for an instant, and Deng Wan’s venomous eyes spotted the opportunity. His horsewhip lashed out.

As if weightless, Mu Chaoyun floated back, dodging the whip before melting into the fog once more.

"Pah!"

Deng Wan spat viciously. He looked at the white, featureless world around him, his expression a mixture of pure frustration and a hint of unease.

After taking a one-sided beating for so long, he had thought Mu Chaoyun would have given out long ago. How was she still holding on?

This Profound Weapon was incredibly powerful, but its consumption was also significant. He had taken several palm strikes at the beginning and suffered internal injuries; his condition was now far from its peak.

Seeing Mu Chaoyun continue to entangle him impassively, his resolve, no longer as firm and ruthless as it was beyond the pass, began to waver. ’Don’t tell me I’m going to lose a battle of attrition to her and fall here today?’ he thought, his heart pounding.

’And Lu the Third is still out there. Although I’ve put some distance between us, if this drags on, there’s no telling when he might catch up...’

Deng Wan’s brow furrowed, and he cursed aloud,

"You little bitch, get your ass out here! Stop running circles around your grandpa! Dammit..."

Mu Chaoyun stood in the fog, not far from Deng Wan. She glanced at her flustered enemy before looking back toward the large rock, her brow furrowed slightly.

’He... already left?’

Mu Chaoyun wasn’t sure what she was feeling. It seemed to be a mix of relief and... something else, something that didn’t sit right.

She pressed her lips together. Her gaze refocused on Deng Wan, and as she raised her palm, she suddenly felt an urge to strike a heavy blow.

Suddenly, her expression shifted. Her eyes, usually as calm as a lake, widened slightly as she stared at the space behind Deng Wan.

Through her control of the Array, she sensed a slight disturbance. Focusing her gaze, she saw Xie Yuan’s figure faintly shimmering there!

’So he didn’t leave... No, wait! How did he hide from my perception?’

’If I weren’t inside my own Array, I probably would have looked right past him without noticing anything.’

Xie Yuan saw Mu Chaoyun staring with her beautiful eyes, her red lips slightly parted. The look of surprise on her usually calm face was a rare sight, and for some reason, he found it rather cute.

He nodded, raised his axe, and gave a slight gesture forward.

When Mu Chaoyun saw his signal, she snapped back to her senses, her expression changing in an instant.

’Celestial Concealment Skill... His Celestial Concealment Skill broke through to this level in an instant?!’

’It’s the Black Celestial Book!’

’He wasn’t bluffing. Did he really comprehend the Black Celestial Book?’

’But... is comprehending something like the Black Celestial Book something you can just guarantee?’

Mu Chaoyun’s thoughts were in a momentary jumble, but she quickly composed herself.

’Even if his Celestial Concealment Skill had a huge breakthrough, he’s just an External Training cultivator. Against a Grandmaster, he could stand there and let him chop for half a day and still not kill him.’

She glanced at Xie Yuan’s composed expression and the axe in his hand. Although she knew he had a few strange axe techniques up his sleeve, they couldn’t possibly be effective against a Grandmaster.

’Unless... he had another epiphany.’

’To comprehend two different skills from viewing the Black Celestial Book just once?’

If it were anyone else, Mu Chaoyun would never believe it. But Xie Yuan had a record of this sort of thing. Besides, seeing his eager expression, it seemed he really wanted to test his axe on Deng Wan.

Mu Chaoyun took a shallow breath and nodded in response.

’Fine. If it’s him, I’ll trust him one more time.’

After exchanging a look, Mu Chaoyun made the first move, her palms enveloping Deng Wan.

This time, her palm technique had changed. It was no longer unpredictable, but slow and heavy, forcing Deng Wan to focus all his attention directly in front of him, daring not to be distracted.

Seeing his chance, Xie Yuan slowly approached, axe in hand. He moved right up to the three-foot-wide halo of light surrounding Deng Wan’s body. One more step and he would be out of the thick fog, yet Deng Wan remained completely oblivious.

Just then, Mu Chaoyun’s palms crossed. The black and white light merged into one, forming a blade of light that she thrust violently toward Deng Wan.

Deng Wan’s eyes flew wide open. He brandished his horsewhip, using every trick he had to desperately block the blade of light.

’Now!’

Xie Yuan’s eyes narrowed. He gripped the axe with both hands, half-spun his body, and swung the axe in a wide arc, unleashing a vicious horizontal slash.

Sweeping Away a Thousand Foes!

A torrent of ferocious energy and a brilliant axe gleam erupted, which Xie Yuan focused with all his might onto the axe’s edge.

For a moment, the axe blade was blindingly bright, its light even piercing through the dense fog of the Mountain and River Concealment Array.

Deng Wan suddenly sensed something wrong behind him, and his back went tight.

But it was too late to turn. He could only circulate his energy for protection and focus all his effort on dealing with Mu Chaoyun’s explosive attack.

’It’s that brat... At his level, he can’t possibly... AHH!’

The thought hadn’t even finished forming in Deng Wan’s mind when a sharp pain shot through his lower back, and he let out a bloodcurdling scream.

Xie Yuan’s full-powered strike felt like it had hit a tough air cushion. After laboriously tearing it open, the axe bit into the fat of Deng Wan’s lower back, only to meet layer after layer of resistance, as if striking overlapping plates of iron armor.

’Such a tough defense...’

He gritted his teeth and pulled the axe free, bringing with it a great spray of fresh blood.

The wound was neither deep nor shallow, revealing pink, twitching muscle within, still far from his internal organs. For a Grandmaster, it was nowhere near a serious injury.

But before Xie Yuan, the Grandmaster was now wounded and bleeding.

The corner of his mouth curled into a grin. He took a breath and raised his axe once more.

Alarm bells suddenly screamed in Deng Wan’s mind. His instincts told him this was now a life-or-death crisis.

He let out a furious roar as energy erupted from his body. Blood spurted from the wound on his waist as he tried to whip the horsewhip around toward Xie Yuan.

However, a dark light flickered in Mu Chaoyun’s eyes. Light exploded from her palms, firmly seizing the horsewhip.

The golden light writhed in her grasp like an electric serpent, flickering continuously as it crawled up her arms and made her tremble slightly. Yet her expression remained serene, her delicate palms like iron clamps, holding Deng Wan so tightly he couldn’t move.

"Hah!"

Xie Yuan exhaled sharply, swinging his second axe as if he were Chopping Wood.

This strike once again broke through the protective energy and plunged into the previous wound with perfect accuracy. It tore through the fat and muscle of Deng Wan’s waist until it struck his spine with a dull thud, as if hitting metal, and stopped short.

"ARGH!!!"

Deng Wan convulsed violently, his vision turning crimson. A burst of energy sent Xie Yuan flying and caused Mu Chaoyun to stagger.

With a flick of his wrist, he abandoned the horsewhip. Limping badly and gushing blood from his waist, he immediately started to flee.

Mu Chaoyun tossed the whip to the ground. Her eyes narrowed, and she melted directly into the fog.

Her figure flickered several times, then abruptly appeared at Deng Wan’s side, her slender palm drifting out lightly.

Deng Wan struggled to raise his hand to block, but he met only empty air.

It was a feint. Mu Chaoyun had already drifted behind him. Light erupted between her palms as she struck at the wound on his waist.

Deng Wan was far too slow. Unable to block in time, he took the full force of the palm strike. His eyes bulged, and he violently spat out a mouthful of blood before collapsing to the ground.

His back was broken and his organs were mangled. Despite this fatal injury, he continued to twist and crawl laboriously on the ground.

Mu Chaoyun simply watched from behind, not approaching. After Deng Wan had dragged himself several yards, leaving a long trail of blood, he saw she still wasn’t coming closer. He glanced back with a venomous look and said, spitting bloody foam,

"Damn you... all!"

With that, Deng Wan’s head lolled to the side, and he breathed his last.

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