Chapter 472:1 Don’t Believe This

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

Breaking through from the Aperture Tempering realm to the Combined Aperture Tempering realm, he wondered if it had triggered the profound mysteries of heaven and earth. The exceptionally pure elemental energy continuously surged into the body, even more so than usual.

Within the Combined Aperture Tempering realm, the elemental power refined itself at an astonishing speed. The increase in physical strength seemed unimpeded, advancing rapidly as if breaking through bamboo.

In just a short moment, it far surpassed the expected physical strength of the initial Combined Aperture Tempering realm, reaching a level that Chen Fei could hardly estimate.

Chen Fei had witnessed several initial Combined Aperture Tempering realm breakthroughs before, but he had no knowledge of what kind of physical strength lay beyond that stage.

However, at that moment, Chen Fei could sense that the power of his physique had indeed reached a new height. During the breakthrough to the Combined Aperture Tempering realm, the refinement of the world’s elemental energy and the perfection of the Spirit Suppression of the Suppressing Dragon Elephant technique had stirred up this vital energy.

As the elemental energy from all directions gradually calmed, the abundant elemental energy of the Boundless Sea, especially during the breakthrough, was like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami roaring.

Compared to the territory in Immortal Cloud City, the time required to solidify the breakthrough to the Combined Aperture Tempering realm was much shorter.

Chen Fei lowered his head and looked at his palm, slowly clenching it, a powerful sensation pervading his heart.

The newly formed Harmonious Qi and the Dragon-Sealing Elephant Point inside Chen Fei’s body were like the Yin and Yang fish, radiating light as they interacted with each other.

The Dragon-Sealing Elephant Point had not disappeared, which was somewhat unexpected for Chen Fei. He had assumed that after aiding the fusion of the acupoints, the Dragon-Sealing Elephant Point would directly merge into the Harmonious Qi, becoming a part of it.

However, after breaking through to the Combined Aperture Tempering realm, the Dragon-Sealing Elephant Point still existed, and it even provided an opportunity for the physique to grow wildly once again.

At this moment, Chen Fei’s combat power had improved dramatically compared to his previous peak in the Aperture Tempering realm. Even though he didn’t have an advantage in cultivation realm compared to other Harmonious Qi cultivators, the boost to his physique was immense.

Chen Fei now better understood why the Dragon-Sealing Immortal had been so obsessed with the Dragon-Sealing Elephant technique throughout his life.

A technique that could provide such a significant boost in the Combined Aperture Tempering realm was not something one could easily forget, especially in a place with thin elemental energy like this.

Chen Fei floated above the sea surface, looking ahead.

Back when he was in the Aperture Tempering realm, Chen Fei could technically achieve levitation for a very brief period, but it was inconvenient and short-lived.

Now, with his Harmonious Qi continuously interacting with the world’s elemental energy, the entire sky felt as accommodating to Chen Fei as the sea was to a fish.

The constraints had already vanished, and the desire to freely roam the skies had become an instinctual state. Of course, the speed at which one could fly depended on their respective techniques.

During the Aperture Tempering realm, the Heavenly Escape Technique was considered relatively ordinary. Now, in the Combined Aperture Tempering realm, the Heavenly Escape Technique no longer held any advantages for Chen Fei.

However, the Heavenly Escape Technique was part of the Celestial Sword Scripture, and abilities like the Great Thunder Sword and the Blade-Slaying Sword could be infused into it. Therefore, Chen Fei’s overall speed was still decent, but it was just that – decent.

In his sea of consciousness, his mind was as firm as a rock, yet it also had a soft and resilient quality to it.

His mind had completely transformed into a Combined Aperture Tempering realm-level state after breaking through, and only this state of mind could control the power of the Combined Aperture Tempering realm.

The strength of one’s mind had always been an indispensable part of martial cultivation. In fact, many martial arts schools focused on refining the mind as a means to achieve faster breakthroughs in cultivation.

At this moment, Chen Fei’s mental strength was only at the ordinary initial Combined Aperture Tempering realm level. However, in terms of defense, thanks to the Dragon-Sealing Elephant technique and the Thousand Threads Secret, he was much stronger than a typical initial Harmonious Qi cultivator.

All the details of his power flowed through Chen Fei’s mind. In the next moment, the Star-Gazing Technique activated, a faint glimmer appearing in Chen Fei’s eyes as he saw the figure of Guan Hongxuan beneath the sea surface.

For ordinary Aperture Tempering realm cultivators, encountering a relentless pursuit from a Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivator left them with very few options. They couldn’t escape far before facing certain death.

The gap in power between the Aperture Tempering realm and the Combined Aperture Tempering realm was immense. Just like in the territory of Immortal Cloud City, where the Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivators were considered overlords, it was clear what kind of status each side held.

Even though Chen Fei had been nearly invincible in the Aperture Tempering realm before, it was difficult to predict what would happen when facing a Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivator.

Perhaps he could escape with severe injuries, but as for counterattacking, the fact that Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivators could fly made it nearly impossible!

The reflection of Guan Hongxuan’s figure played in Chen Fei’s eyes. A hunt?

A slight smile curled at the corner of Chen Fei’s mouth, and his figure moved slightly. In a magnetic burst of sound, Chen Fei disappeared from his original position, causing a strong wind to whip up across the entire sea surface.

Over twenty miles away, Guan Hongxuan’s figure suddenly paused, and he looked ahead with a hint of seriousness in his expression.

Just now, Guan Hongxuan had faintly sensed a disturbance in the distant elemental energy of the world. Due to the distance, the sensation wasn’t very clear, but he was certain that it was not the kind of movement an Aperture Tempering realm cultivator could cause.

“Has another Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivator passed through this area, or is something else happening?”

A trace of unease flickered in Guan Hongxuan’s heart. If it was another Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivator who had arrived here, could they be related to the person he was pursuing?

If the other party truly had a Combined Aperture Tempering realm background, why would they let the Haiyue Cave randomly teleport them out? Wouldn’t that be asking for trouble?

Guan Hongxuan furrowed his brow, watching the faint virtual image representing the person in his field of vision. According to the feedback from his Backtrack Vision, the distance between the two was getting closer.

In a little more time, Guan Hongxuan would be able to intercept the person.

He had deliberately used secret techniques, and it would take more than a month to recover afterward. Would he just give up the pursuit like this?

Hunting an Aperture Tempering realm cultivator with the power of the Combined Aperture Tempering realm was generally a surefire endeavor. That’s why there was always a Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivator guarding the vicinity of the Haiyue Cave.

As for cases where the pursuit was unsuccessful, and the person who broke through later came to reclaim their dignity, it did happen, but it was rare.

Every action carried risks, but hunting Aperture Tempering realm cultivators and intercepting the treasures of the Haiyue Cave were among the lowest-risk activities.

As for whether Master Haiyue would intervene in this matter, the trials of the Haiyue Cave were public trials, and after their completion, participants did not become disciples of Master Haiyue.

Teleporting someone hundreds of miles away was already going above and beyond. Could it be that just because you participated in a single trial of the Haiyue Cave, the Haiyue Cave had to protect you indefinitely?

There’s no such reasoning.

Over the years, Guan Hongxuan had never seen a Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivator being suppressed by Master Haiyue due to such matters. The trial participants and Master Haiyue had absolutely no connection.

As Guan Hongxuan hesitated, he suddenly looked up at the sea’s surface. An aura was rapidly approaching this location, and in the blink of an eye, he could see a figure in the distance.

“Who is it?”

Guan Hongxuan sensed the newcomer’s aura, and it was at the initial Combined Aperture Tempering realm level, no different from his own cultivation. Upon closer examination, the newcomer might even be slightly weaker. It was evident that they hadn’t broken into the Combined Aperture Tempering realm for too long.

After some consideration, Guan Hongxuan turned and left. Something had evidently changed with the person pursuing him; otherwise, a Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivator wouldn’t be coming after him like this.

Before the two sides met and confirmed each other’s true identities, he decided to leave directly.

Guan Hongxuan’s figure flashed as he emerged from the sea and flew toward the distance.

However, in just a short while, Guan Hongxuan’s eyes narrowed slightly. The person behind him continued to pursue relentlessly, and as time passed, the distance between them was steadily decreasing.

The cooked duck had flown away. Guan Hongxuan had been holding back his frustration all along, especially since he had used a secret technique and exhausted his mental strength. On the other hand, the Aperture Tempering realm cultivator behind him had suffered no losses and still dared to chase so closely.

Both were in the initial Combined Aperture Tempering realm, and Guan Hongxuan wasn’t about to be pushed around!

“Who are you, and why have you been chasing me?” Guan Hongxuan directly stopped in mid-air, turned around, and looked at the newcomer. He spoke with a deep voice.

In a flash, Chen Fei’s figure became visible. Guan Hongxuan noticed the Qianyuan Sword in Chen Fei’s hand, and a hint of interest flashed in his eyes. It was a top-grade spiritual weapon, not even fully refined into a true magic treasure yet.

Initially tense because of being relentlessly pursued by Chen Fei, Guan Hongxuan gradually relaxed.

Without a magic treasure, it could mean that either Chen Fei had recently broken through to the Combined Aperture Tempering realm or his resources were limited, and he couldn’t afford the spiritual materials needed to refine a magic treasure, so he had to rely on a top-grade spiritual weapon for the time being.

For Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivators, top-grade spiritual weapons didn’t provide much assistance, and they could even be damaged in clashes with magic treasures.

However, Guan Hongxuan didn’t have a magic treasure himself at the moment, only a magic treasure embryo. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have considered intercepting the participants of the Haiyue Cave trials to obtain something from them.

“Wasn’t it you who had been tracking me all along? Now that I’ve come to you willingly, shouldn’t you be happy?” Chen Fei gazed at Guan Hongxuan calmly.

“I’ve been tracking you all along?”

Hearing Chen Fei’s words, Guan Hongxuan was slightly surprised, and then he considered a possibility, causing his eyes to widen slightly.

A breakthrough right on the spot, forcibly breaking through from the Aperture Tempering realm peak to the Combined Aperture Tempering realm? In the past, Guan Hongxuan had heard of some desperate Aperture Tempering realm cultivators trying to break into the Combined Aperture Tempering realm.

However, without exception, almost all of them had failed, and it was rare to hear of any successful attempts.

After all, choosing to break through in such dire circumstances, especially to the Combined Aperture Tempering realm, was an incredibly daunting task. Even the top ten on the Hidden Dragon and Young Phoenix Ranking wouldn’t dare attempt it under such conditions.

Guan Hongxuan hadn’t expected to encounter someone like this today. The elemental energy disturbance he sensed earlier and the relentless pursuit from Chen Fei now made sense.

“Sir, I’m afraid there’s a misunderstanding. I chose that path earlier due to certain circumstances, not to track you.” Guan Hongxuan forced a smile on his face, giving Chen Fei an out.

With the freshly achieved Combined Aperture Tempering realm, Guan Hongxuan had no fear in his heart. If he had been confident, he could have even gone for a direct confrontation with Chen Fei.

As for whether Chen Fei would seek revenge in the future after advancing in cultivation, Guan Hongxuan was just a wandering cultivator with no sect or disciples to worry about. The Boundless Sea was vast, and he could go wherever he pleased.

“I don’t believe that!”

Chen Fei shook his head slightly, and his Qianyuan Sword was pointed diagonally at the sea, its momentum fully locked onto Guan Hongxuan..