CHAPTER 427: CHAPTER 427, THE SAINT’S CONSPIRACY

Returning to the courtyard, Chu Ming was pondering over the ruins mentioned by the Saint. He felt a slight unease, but couldn’t pinpoint the reason. He decided to put it out of his mind and began to focus on cultivating the third move of the Thunder Shock Fist, the Thunder Fist of Destruction.

Bolts of lightning crackled around Chu Ming’s fists, looking rather intimidating. Although the Thunder Fist of Destruction sounded exaggerated, if cultivated to the Transformation Realm, it could indeed level mountains and boil seas.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye. Chu Ming only managed to cultivate the Thunder Fist of Destruction to the Minor Success Realm. However, his spiritual cultivation did make some progress, reaching the middle stage of the Ninth Layer of the True Dao. The spiritual power in his dantian increased by about ten percent.

Today was the agreed meeting time with the Saint and the others, so Chu Ming had to stop his cultivation and head toward the Great Hall of the Holy Alliance.

"Chu, I’m surprised you arrived so quickly."

As soon as Chu Ming sat down on a chair in the hall, a hearty laugh echoed. Liu Xuan walked in from outside the hall, followed closely by the others.

"I just got here myself."

Chu Ming replied with a smile, glancing at the others. He noticed Qin Tian sitting on a chair with his eyes closed, a pair of black gloves hanging at his waist, shining with a profound luster.

"Those are Qin Tian’s prized Black Water Gloves, a pair of high-tier Earth Level weapons. That day, Qin Tian underestimated you and didn’t have the chance to use them. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been so easy for you to win."

Following Chu Ming’s gaze, Liu Xuan introduced them casually.

"So, each of you has some trump cards? If it’s inconvenient, you don’t need to tell me."

Chu Ming turned his head and asked Liu Xuan. This was originally a very private matter, and trump cards could save one’s life at critical moments.

"It’s no secret among us. I’ll tell you right now."

Liu Xuan smiled, not minding at all. He cleared his throat and continued.

"Qin Tian’s trump card is the high-tier Earth Level Black Water Gloves, which can increase his attack power by twenty percent. Black Nether’s trump card is a high-tier Earth Level Defense Armor, which allows him to withstand the attacks of top Guiyuan Realm Fifth Layer cultivators. Xu Juan’s trump card is a black pearl, which can instantly increase the gravity within ten meters by a hundredfold."

After Liu Xuan finished, he sighed a bit, then tugged at Chu Ming’s sleeve and whispered, "Heh heh, my trump card is this jade pendant, which can boost my speed by three to four times instantly."

Liu Xuan showed Chu Ming a palm-sized jade pendant hanging at his waist.

Chu Ming nodded, silently comparing in his mind. The four of them had served as Saint Envoys in the Saint Tribe for many years and naturally had various treasures, each with unique advantages. It was hard to say who had the strongest trump card.

"Do you know what the Saint’s trump card is?"

Chu Ming’s heart stirred, and he asked.

"I really don’t know. The Saint is extremely mysterious and rarely acts. Usually, the four of us manage the entire Holy Alliance."

Liu Xuan shook his head in response.

Chu Ming nodded. At this moment, the Saint walked out slowly from behind the hall. The discussions halted immediately.

"Now that everyone is here, let’s set off!"

The Saint glanced at everyone and spoke slowly.

...

The location of the ruins discovered by the Saint was three hundred miles east of the Saint Tribe. There stood a towering peak, shrouded in mist all year round. The entrance to the ruins was at the foot of this peak.

In just a few minutes, the group of six arrived at the base of the mountain. The Saint remained silent throughout the journey, making the atmosphere quite oppressive.

"We’ve arrived!"

The Saint stopped and said softly.

In front of Chu Ming and the others was a narrow tunnel, about three or four meters high and ten meters wide. Water accumulated from unknown sources dripped continuously from the top of the tunnel, striking the ground with a clear sound.

Outside the tunnel was a faint yellow protective barrier, emitting a hazy glow, blocking their path.

"To get in, we need to break this barrier."

The Saint turned to the group and said. For some reason, Chu Ming felt that the Saint gave him a particularly focused look.

"This is clearly the work of an outsider’s spiritual power."

Qin Tian gently touched the yellow barrier and said slowly.

"Judging by the strength of this barrier, it should only be at the Guiyuan Realm Sixth Layer level. Step back, and I’ll break it myself."

The Saint glanced at the group and instructed slowly.

"No problem."

Liu Xuan and the others nodded, retreating about thirty meters from the barrier.

"The spiritual power of this barrier and that of the so-called Saint come from the same source. Be wary of that Saint."

The remnant soul of the Ancient Sword Emperor in Chu Ming’s dantian reminded him.

Chu Ming narrowed his eyes, fully trusting the Ancient Sword Emperor’s words. According to him, the barrier outside the tunnel was arranged by the Saint himself. But why bring everyone here now? Was the target himself? Numerous thoughts surged through Chu Ming’s mind.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

While Chu Ming was deep in thought, the Saint began launching relentless attacks on the yellow barrier. Although the Saint was thin, the power within was formidable. Each punch caused the barrier to tremble and its glow to dim.

Crack!

After seven or eight punches, a tiny crack appeared on the barrier’s surface, and it continued to spread until it covered the entire barrier.

Boom!

Finally, with the tenth punch, the barrier began to shatter. The contained spiritual power dissipated into the void and disappeared.

"Let’s go inside!"

The Saint turned and said to the group of five before stepping into the tunnel first.

The five followed without hesitation. Though the tunnel was deep, some sunlight filtered in from somewhere, illuminating it faintly. The ground was strewn with broken rocks.

On Chu Ming’s left was Liu Xuan, and on his right, a solid stone wall marked with numerous sword and blade cuts.

In his mind, Chu Ming’s soul power spread out like a tide, probing everything around. Although the Saint was also a spiritual cultivator and possessed soul power, the gap between their soul powers was enormous.

Chu Ming could sense the Saint’s soul power fluctuations, but the Saint was completely unaware of this.