Chapter 214 : Secret Art
Chapter 214: Secret Art
The doors and windows inside the room were tightly shut, the lighting dim, and before him stood a brocade bed draped with gauze curtains.
Within a radius of over ten meters, not a third person’s breath or heartbeat could be heard.
Yet Chen Ming’s palms were sweating. Suddenly, he let out a loud laugh.
“Madam, stop joking around. Call Brother Ruan out. Isn’t he hiding right behind the door?”
Kneeling on the ground, Zhou Yilan lowered her head. Although she could not see the expression on his face, she still sensed his extreme tension. She secretly admired him. At such a moment, he still refused to admit anything. It showed just how cautious he was.
She said, “Holy Son need not doubt this subordinate. If this subordinate truly wanted to harm the Holy Son, why put on such an act? All it would take is this—”
Before her words had even fallen, a flash of white light burst from her hand. She had actually activated the power of the “Phoenix Cry Sword.” A streak of purple radiance lit up, and the sinister demonic aura dropped the surrounding temperature to freezing.
That purple figure was nearly about to break free from the “Phoenix Cry Sword’s” suppression.
Chen Ming’s heart leapt to his throat. He shouted, “Enough!”
At once, the purple figure was sucked back into the “Phoenix Cry Sword,” and the room fell silent once more, as though nothing had happened.
He stretched out his hand and seized the “Phoenix Cry Sword,” his heart still pounding wildly.
Just now, he had nearly been scared to death. If the Immortal Demon Lord had escaped, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Not only could she perceive the suppressed Demon Lord within the “Phoenix Cry Sword,” she could even manipulate it. This was truly astonishing.
The “Phoenix Cry Sword” trembled slightly, conveying a faint sense of grievance, as if saying, “Master, I’ve been sullied.”
Zhou Yilan solemnly declared, “This subordinate harbors no intent to harm the Holy Son.”
Chen Ming stared at her. His thoughts turned swiftly as he weighed the pros and cons. Under the current circumstances, he could only feign acceptance.
Do not be fooled by Zhou Yilan’s delicate appearance—she was in fact a Second Grade expert.
This was something her husband, Ruan Caihong, had told him.
Chen Ming coughed lightly and said, “Enough, stand up. I believe you.”
Only then did Zhou Yilan rise, standing respectfully at his side.
He asked, “You could have simply killed me and taken the sword. Why didn’t you?”
“The Holy Son is Heaven’s chosen. How could this subordinate dare offend?”
“Hmph. The Holy Sect has always revered strength above all. Now that the sect is masterless, everyone competes for the supreme seat purely by ability. Where is this so-called Heaven’s mandate?”
Zhou Yilan replied, “The Holy Son is the legitimate heir of the Gu Family and has ties with the Six Doors Authority. If this subordinate were to kill you, it would certainly draw their pursuit. How could I dare act recklessly? Thus, you are Heaven’s chosen.”
Chen Ming knew she was not being truthful. “What you really want is to withdraw from the martial world, to live in seclusion with Brother Ruan, and never again meddle in the Holy Sect’s affairs. Am I right?”
At this, Zhou Yilan’s expression changed. She dropped to one knee again.
“Please, Holy Son, grant me this.”
Seeing her reaction, Chen Ming finally let out a sigh of relief. At last, he had seized back the initiative.
He said indifferently, “What use is my approval? You’ll need your fellow sect members to let you go.”
Her face instantly went pale. Trembling, she whispered, “The Holy Son’s foresight is truly divine…”
“Just simple reasoning,” Chen Ming chuckled. “If you weren’t under duress, why would you reveal your identity after discovering mine?
“So I figured, someone must be threatening you—using Brother Ruan against you. You don’t wish to comply, so you’re hoping to use me to eliminate them. Am I right?”
Zhou Yilan’s heart trembled in shock. She had not expected him to lay bare her secret with just a few words. A trace of fear rose within her.
Watching her, Chen Ming shook his head inwardly. With such a weak mindset, she dared to meddle in the demonic sect?
As expected, a woman entangled in love became fragile. That was fatal to ambition.
He said, “You need not fear. Brother Ruan treats me as kin, so you are like my sister-in-law. I will never harm you. If you don’t believe me, I can swear upon the name of the Demon Lord. Once your fellow sect members are removed, I’ll set you free, so you and Brother Ruan can grow old together.”
“Are you serious?”
Zhou Yilan lifted her head, her expression slightly stirred.
Right then, Chen Ming swore by the name of the Nine Nether Demon Lord.
“…If I break this oath, let me, Gu Xianyu, be devoured by the Sacred Sword and die a miserable death.”
Seeing him truly swear such a heavy vow, Zhou Yilan’s tense expression relaxed. “Thank you, Holy Son, for granting my wish.”
Chen Ming reminded her, “Sister-in-law, stop calling me Holy Son. If it becomes a habit, Brother Ruan will notice.”
“Alright.”
“Do you know the identities of your fellow sect members?”
Zhou Yilan nodded, then shook her head. “I know their real names, but not what identities they currently use.”
People of the demonic sect excelled at disguise. That was basic skill.
“Can you contact them?”
“I can only reach my First Senior Brother. But killing just him is useless. Once the others see things going wrong, they’ll flee Xiashou City at once. Catching them afterward will be difficult.”
From her tone, she clearly intended to eradicate them all.
Ruthless indeed.
Chen Ming asked, “How many know your identity?”
“At most three. They were once my fellow disciples, grew up with me since childhood. But who would have thought…”
She shook her head, letting out a sorrowful smile. “If they hadn’t threatened me so harshly, disregarding my husband’s life, I would never have turned against them…”
Chen Ming’s voice went cold. “If you still harbor sentiment for them, then forget this plan. I won’t risk you going soft at the crucial moment and ruining everything.”
“Rest assured. For my husband’s sake, I will not falter.”
“Good. Then we must plan carefully to catch them all in one net.”
“There’s a perfect opportunity—let them walk into the trap themselves.”
Clearly, Zhou Yilan already had an idea.
Chen Ming caught her implication. “You mean, borrow another’s blade to kill?”
“Exactly. My three senior brothers are all First Grade experts, far beyond our ability to handle. Unless you unleash the full might of the Sacred Sword. But that would draw both the Eight Holy Gates and the Six Doors Authority. The best way is to let the Six Doors handle them.”
“Excellent.”
And so, the two began to plot their plan.
In the end, after reaching an agreement, Chen Ming made another request.
“There’s still something missing.”
“What is it?”
“Something to convince the higher-ups of the Six Doors. Words alone won’t persuade Hong Yuze. There must be proof that the Nine Nether Sect has resurfaced. Do you have any tokens, Demonic Artifacts, or manuals of theirs?”
Zhou Yilan thought for a moment. “Stay a while longer before leaving. I’ll have someone deliver a basket to you. Take it with you.”
“Good.”
By the time Chen Ming left the Ruan Residence, dusk had fallen. Before his departure, Zhou Yilan had someone deliver a box of pastries. The fragrance of cakes filled the carriage.
Once certain of his safety, he finally relaxed.
Today’s ordeal had been truly bizarre. A single misstep could have cost him his life.
The martial world was still far too dangerous. Even places that seemed safe hid unforeseen threats.
Who could have imagined? Ruan Caihong’s wife was actually a disciple of the Nine Nether Sect.
Sighing, he opened the basket that carried the fragrance of pastries. Beneath the tray of cakes lay a piece of dark iron, like a common ingot, smooth and devoid of markings.
“This is the Nine Nether Sect’s token?”
Chen Ming picked it up. It was heavy in his hand.
He injected a strand of qi into it. At once, a strange intent burrowed into his mind. Damp and cold, it sickened him so badly he nearly threw it away.
“That intent… it seemed to convey some kind of message. Could it be a cultivation method?”
Taking a deep breath, he forced down his nausea and injected qi again.
The chilling intent poured into his mind once more, as if chanting a mantra.
He endured the discomfort, listening intently.
By nightfall, Chen Ming had finished absorbing all the content hidden within the iron piece. The technique was called the 《Nine Nether Grand Art》.
It was an extraordinary method, utterly bizarre.
Cultivating the 《Nine Nether Grand Art》 required choosing a “life-bound object,” relying on it to cultivate oneself. It was essentially dual cultivation with an artifact.
It immediately reminded him of the “sword cultivators” in immortal cultivation novels.
The 《Nine Nether Grand Art》 was similar. Its level of advancement depended entirely on the chosen life-bound object.
If it were an ordinary object, there would be almost no benefit.
If it were a divine weapon, progress would be several times faster.
If it were a peerless weapon, progress could be ten or even dozens of times faster.
If it were one of the Nine Nether Sect’s Demonic Artifacts, progress would be hundreds or even thousands of times faster—allowing one to reach realms others could never achieve in a lifetime within a short span.
The teachings of the Eternal Life Cult were indeed all about rapid advancement, each more sinister than the last.
Chen Ming doubted whether someone who cultivated with a Demonic Artifact would even remain the same person by the time they mastered it.
Still, the 《Nine Nether Grand Art》 contained many techniques for controlling divine weapons, worth learning. One such was the 《Nurturing Artifact Art》, which used qi to nourish the weapon, strengthening the bond and hastening unity between wielder and weapon.
Another was the 《Controlling Artifact Art》, which allowed full use of a peerless weapon’s power without backlash.
That afternoon, Zhou Yilan must have used this very secret art to control the “Phoenix Cry Sword.”
That night, Chen Ming did not sleep. He immersed himself in studying the 《Nurturing Artifact Art》 and 《Controlling Artifact Art》.
Unknowingly, dawn broke.
“Success!”
Chen Ming’s heart filled with joy as he opened his panel.
【Level: 70】
【Current Points: 949875】
【Cultivation Methods: 《Iron Horse Stance》 (Fifth Layer, Perfected), 《True Art of Five Elements (Incomplete)》 (Seventh Layer, 242456/10000000)】
【Combat Techniques: 《Three Talents Fist》 (Mastered), 《Eight Trigrams Saber Technique》 (Mastered), 《Zhuang’s Flying Knife》 (Mastered), 《Swallow Returns Sword Technique》 (Mastered), 《Vermilion Bird Sword Technique》 (Mastered), 《Phoenix Dances Through Nine Heavens》 (Fourth Layer, 3908/400000), 《Heaven and Earth’s Lone Swan》 (Second Layer, 35734/2000000)】
【Secret Arts: 《Disguise Art》 (Mastered), 《Nurturing Artifact Art》 (First Layer, 1/100000), 《Controlling Artifact Art》 (First Layer, 1/100000)】
The two secret arts now appeared on his panel, ready to be upgraded directly.
“Add points!”
Without hesitation, Chen Ming added them to the 《Controlling Artifact Art》. First to the second layer, then the third, and finally up to the fourth.
“So this is the Controlling Artifact Art!”
He grasped the “Phoenix Cry Sword,” feeling as if it were bonded to his very bloodline. Within it, he could distinctly sense three powers.
One was the sword’s own power, weakest but most agile.
Another was a blazing power like the sun.
The last was the soul of the Immortal Demon Lord. The first two powers worked together, suppressing the Demon Lord’s spirit.
Chen Ming could command any of the three at will—even the suppressed Demon Lord.
His heart surged with pride.
At this moment, he finally possessed the strength to face the current situation. Even against a First Grade expert, he now had the power to fight.
And should he meet one of the Divine Repository Realm, he could always release the Immortal Demon Lord and perish together. That was his ultimate trump card.