Chapter 256 - Precious Items Within Chen Xia

Silence enveloped the area.　　Chen Xia exhaled a breath of turbid air. He wasn't in the best shape either, having exhausted much effort in the battle with Qin Jia. He had used nearly every means at his disposal except for the Past Future Law. The Blood Ignition technique had also drained him, leaving him with weakened vitality and insufficient spiritual energy.　　In short, he was feeling quite depleted.　　Qin Jia lay half-dead beside him, clearly in worse condition than Chen Xia. He was barely breathing, his aged face etched with bewilderment, likely reflecting on how he had never endured such humiliation in his ten-thousand-year cultivation journey.　　He had anticipated defeat or even death but never imagined it would come at the hands of someone at the Ocean Reversing realm.　　If there were a list for cultivators defeated by lower realms, he would probably top it.　　Chen Xia waved his hand, reversing the flying sword to rescue Zhen Hu from where he hung, placing him gently down. After another exhale, he flashed to Qin Jia's side and asked,　　"Why did Kai Xuan Mountain specifically lure me out? Surely not just to beat you up?"　　Qin Jia opened his mouth, trying to speak but only spat out two mouthfuls of pure blood before shaking his head, indicating he didn't know.　　Chen Xia tore off a piece of his tattered sleeve and looked at Qin Jia, saying,　　"If you die, remember to be more careful next life. If you live, remember to avoid me."　　Qin Jia couldn't respond, blood continuously flowing from the corner of his mouth, uncertain if he would survive.　　Chen Xia expelled a mouthful of congealed blood; he wasn't in great shape either. Fortunately, he was well-versed in fighting beyond his realm, having done so many times during the Heavenly Sword Sea era, giving him considerable experience.　　He circulated his internal spiritual energy to soothe his injuries, then took out a high-grade healing pill from his storage treasure, restoring his strength.　　The surroundings were quiet, with no sound of words. Cultivators watched him in fear, their eyes filled with both terror and reverence—a sign of respect for the powerful.　　Bai Jie hurriedly ran to Zhen Hu's side, worriedly calling out, "Patriarch, can you still speak? Are you alright?"　　Zhen Hu's eyes fluttered open, his consciousness blurred. Seeing Bai Jie, he mumbled in confusion,　　"Weren't you running away? How did you die before me?"　　"I'm not dead, not dead, Patriarch! Mr. Chen came to save us!" Bai Jie quickly replied.　　"Good, good. Ask Mr. Chen to burn more paper money for us," Zhen Hu nodded vaguely, seemingly not fully understanding.　　Before they could sort things out, Chen Xia suddenly turned his gaze toward the distant horizon, where a faint but terrifying aura emerged.　　He frowned, thinking that if this turned into a series of battles, he'd need reinforcements.　　Far away, Qin Ji hid his hands within his sleeves, one of which contained a wriggling piece of flesh. He softly asked,　　"Lord, what do you think of this person?"　　The flesh twisted wildly, excitedly responding,　　"The most top-tier body in the world. With this body, the position of Lord of the Forbidden Zone will be within reach!"　　Qin Ji nodded, "As long as you're satisfied. But this person has an unknown Quasi-Emperor backing him..."　　"So what if it's a Quasi-Emperor? With this body, I might even have a chance to become an Emperor. Why should I fear a Quasi-Emperor?" the flesh voice said disdainfully, filled with greed.　　"What are you going to do?" Qin Ji asked again.　　"Release your small universe for just a moment," the flesh voice greedily instructed.　　"Alright." Qin Ji raised his hand, instantly causing dense trees to grow between him and Chen Xia, spanning the heavens like a vast forest.　　A narrow river flowed through it, with a small boat passing by.　　This was Qin Ji's small universe.　　The stronger the Heaven Mending realm cultivator, the more detailed their small universe. A true powerhouse could create a mini-universe complete with objects, people, and events, making them akin to gods within.　　Chen Xia's expression remained unchanged as he extended his palm and began to chant.　　"Past Future…"　　Suddenly, his eyes flashed with a blood-red hue, filled with intense greed.　　Simultaneously, in the secret chamber of Kai Xuan Mountain, the fleshy statue started trembling violently, its face breaking into uncontrollable laughter. Ever since hearing about this talented cultivator from Qin Ji, it had been eager to possess him. Now, after testing, it was even more satisfied, finding this body to be the most terrifyingly talented it had seen across several eras.　　Successful possession would not only secure the title of Lord of the Forbidden Zone but even offer hope for the path to Emperor!　　Using great power, it peered into Chen Xia's mind, intending to enter his sea of consciousness, cloud his thoughts, and gradually convert this top-tier body.　　The fleshy statue rushed into Chen Xia's consciousness, eager to reach the sea of consciousness.　　Passing through organs and meridians, it finally arrived, filled with wild joy—only to freeze abruptly.　　Instead of a cultivator's sea of consciousness, it faced a vast sea of swords!　　What…is this?　　The fleshy statue was baffled, having never encountered such a scene despite living through several eras.　　Buzz!　　A sword hum echoed.　　Its eyes darted to see half a sword tip, causing its breathing to quicken and panic to set in.　　An Immortal Sword!　　This person actually possesses an Immortal Sword!　　Daring not advance further, it planned to retreat, reconsidering its strategy. But before it could back away, a terrifying pressure emerged.　　Pure white eyes gazed down at it, radiating supreme authority.　　A Cosmic Heavenly Dragon?!　　No…How…Possible…What the…?!　　The fleshy statue struggled to comprehend, finding this harder to accept than Chen Xia defeating a fifth-level Heaven Mending realm cultivator.　　Indeed, this was a top-tier body, but now it seemed too top-tier.　　Too top-tier for the fleshy statue to even consider possessing.　　First the sea of swords, then the Immortal Sword, and now the Cosmic Heavenly Dragon.　　Great heavens, was this some kind of cultivation competition?　　Moreover, the Cosmic Heavenly Dragon, known for devouring all, hadn't clashed with the Immortal Sword, proving Chen Xia's perfect control over both.　　The fleshy statue dared not think further, only wanting to escape quickly, unwilling to enter Chen Xia's body again.　　But could it leave so easily?　　The Cosmic Heavenly Dragon's eyes shone, its mouth opening wide like a cosmic black hole, swallowing the fleshy statue.　　Desperately fleeing, it found movement difficult. Biting its teeth, it severed half its divine soul, leaving the other half to escape.　　It burst out of the meridians, through the bones, thinking it was free, only to encounter Chen Xia's crimson-eyed gaze within the darkened consciousness.　　This Chen Xia exuded intense killing intent, grinning playfully as he looked at the fleshy statue, laughing,　　"Fool, you really dared to come in?"　　With a wave of his hand, half an Immortal Sword appeared, held casually, swinging effortlessly.　　All the fleshy statue saw was boundless sword light!　　Chen Xia suddenly opened his eyes, as if waking from a brief dream, somewhat dazed.　　Deep within Kai Xuan Mountain, the fleshy statue let out a painful cry, its body trembling uncontrollably.　　As a former Lord of the Forbidden Zone, it had witnessed true terror!