Two Realms: I Will Become the Immortal Emperor

Chapter 160: Chapter 153: One Sword, One Palm

The burly man with the great saber on his back and fierce expression—wasn’t that Han Tong, the one who had once fought Lu Yi?

”I am Han Tong. Greetings, Tributor Chen!”

Han Tong laughed heartily and cupped his hands in a salute:

”Alchemist Chen, you’re truly a man of great skill. All by yourself, you’ve disrupted months of my Han Family’s planning and turned the tide for Jinyun Valley. I never would have had the pleasure of meeting you otherwise. And now that I have, I can see you are every bit the brilliant young prodigy they say you are!”

”As they say, a wise bird chooses its tree. I would like to invite you, Alchemist Chen, to become a Guest Minister for the Han Family!”

CLICK!

As he spoke, a series of clicks echoed out—the sound of crossbow triggers being set.

Several Han Family disciples now held Crossbows. These were no ordinary weapons. The bodies were crafted from hundred-year-old Phoenix Tree Wood, and the strings were woven from Demon Beast Sinew and Hide. Even a common Arrow fired from one could pierce a steel plate.

The arrowheads gleamed coldly, tinged with a black sheen. They were clearly coated with a fast-acting, lethal poison.

”This is how you invite me?”

Chen Che sneered, ”And if I refuse, I suppose I won’t be leaving this place alive?”

”Correct!”

Han Tong made no attempt to hide it.

Ever since the arrow-struck Hu Yao reappeared, and from his clan members’ reports, he had already guessed that Chen Che had come to the mines.

At first, he hadn’t paid it much mind and even tried using various other Poison Arrows, but who would have thought they would all be neutralized? Left with no choice, he had to activate his hidden pawn among the miners, contacting Zhao Ping and making him an offer he couldn’t refuse. That was how he had lured the two of them here.

”Zhao Ping, you traitorous dog! Aren’t you afraid of Jinyun Valley’s punishment?”

At this, Meng Qingxuan also came to her senses. She shouted coldly, ”Han Tong, let us go! If anything happens to me in these mines, the Meng Family will never forgive you...”

”Haha!”

The crowd burst into uproarious laughter. Han Tong just chuckled and shook his head.

”Miss Meng, you needn’t worry about what will happen to me.”

Zhao Ping, the one holding the lamp, was completely unconcerned. He cupped a hand to his ear with a smirk. ”You should worry about your own situation first. Besides, listen closely. Do you hear anything around us?”

Meng Qingxuan frowned slightly. With all the noise, she couldn’t hear anything out of the ordinary.

But Chen Che’s eyebrows shot up.

With his Divine Sense, he heard countless ’SKITTER SKITTER’ sounds. It was the sound of Demon Spiders crawling—a massive number of them, as if they were just on the other side of a wall.

”It seems Tributor Chen has already figured it out.”

Han Tong grinned, revealing his teeth:

”As it happens, there’s a Demon Spider nest right here. Once we stage a scene where you’ve been devoured by them, who would ever suspect the Han Family was involved? The Meng Family might even blame Jinyun Valley for failing to protect you and attack them for it!”

Hearing this, Meng Qingxuan’s face instantly turned pale.

Her greatest support was her family. Now that her opponents were showing complete disregard for it, she felt as if she were standing in a pack of wolves.

”Alright.”

Han Tong raised his head and looked straight at Chen Che. ”It’s time for Alchemist Chen to make a decision!”

”First: submit to our Han Family.”

”Second: be buried here!”

Of course.

He naturally wouldn’t mention what they would *really* do with Chen Che once he was back at the Han Family’s estate.

CLICK-CLACK!

As his voice fell, countless Fury Arrows were raised slightly, aimed directly at the vital points on Chen Che’s body.

”...Well.”

On one side was death, on the other, betrayal.

Seeing this, Meng Qingxuan’s pupils constricted. She looked at Chen Che and gave a bitter laugh.

”Alchemist Chen, no matter what you choose, I will support you...”

Han Tong was delighted to hear this.

In his eyes, the man had no real choice.

But whether he died or surrendered, it was all gain and no loss for the Han Family. At that point, Jinyun Valley would lose its antidote. Forget seventy percent—they might even be able to seize the entire mine.

It wasn’t just him; everyone else present thought the same.

Suddenly, Chen Che let out a sigh.

”What are you sighing for?” Han Tong asked with a grin.

”This is all you brought to ambush me?”

Chen Che slowly shook his head:

”If your Han Family’s two Foundation Establishment Cultivators were here, I might have considered it. But you... you’re not enough.”

”What do you mean?”

Zhao Ping was stunned.

”It seems Alchemist Chen intends to live and die with Jinyun Valley. In that case, I’ll grant you your wish!”

Han Tong, however, understood perfectly. The man was saying he wasn’t worthy. He snorted coldly and waved his sleeve.

”Fire!”

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Instantly, dozens of Crossbow Arrows whistled through the air. Their shadows let out sharp shrieks, as if piercing through the very air itself.

Tier One Middle Grade Magical Artifact:

Dog-toothed Moon Hook Arrow!

These were single-use arrows Forged from the bones of Demon Beasts and Cultivators. Not only could they pierce a Cultivator’s Protective True Qi, but they were also enchanted with effects like weakness, slowness, and dizziness. Not to mention, they were coated with a poison that killed on contact.

Even a Qi Refining Ninth Layer expert would have to avoid them.

They had originally prepared these to deal with Lu Yi, but now they were being used on Chen Che.

”Hmph!”

A silver radiance shot from Meng Qingxuan’s sleeve, instantly exploding outward to form a lightning-fast shield around the two of them.

Within the glow, one could faintly make out a Silver Ruler.

Tier One High Grade Magical Artifact:

Silver Mist Ruler.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Wherever the Silver Mist Ruler passed, countless Dog-toothed Moon Hook Arrows that came into contact with it instantly shattered into dust. However, her Cultivation was only at the Seventh Layer. Most of the arrows still broke through her defense and rushed straight for the pair.

’If I can die with him, I’d be willing, even if it means being pierced by a thousand arrows...’

Looking at the young man before her, who remained as calm and composed as ever, Meng Qingxuan suddenly felt a sense of peace.

However, the thought had barely formed when Chen Che moved.

WHOOSH!

Chen Che waved his hand, and a large umbrella flew out, hovering in mid-air. The surface of the umbrella spun, and with a series of THUMP THUMP THUMP sounds, countless Bone Arrows struck its surface and scattered like raindrops.

Not a single Arrow could penetrate the umbrella’s canopy.

”A Tier Two Magical Artifact?”

Han Tong’s pupils contracted.

But in the next instant, his gaze turned cold. ”Let’s see how long you can hold out!”

”Attack!”

At that moment, the Han Family Cultivators let out a collective roar and charged. They didn’t use Magic, opting instead for close-quarters combat. They swarmed him from all sides and angles, determined not to give Chen Che any chance to escape.

Meng Qingxuan was stunned. She hadn’t expected Chen Che to possess a Tier Two Magical Artifact.

But then a sliver of hope rose in her heart:

”Don’t fight them head-on! Let’s break out together!”

The main tunnel wasn’t far from here.

If they could just hold off the siege, perhaps they could last long enough for reinforcements to arrive.

”Stay close to me!”

Chen Che glanced back at her, but instead of retreating, he took a step forward and drew the Pure Jun Sword from his back with a reverse grip.

SHING!

A flash of Sword Aura cut through the air, clean and swift as a blade parting water.

SSSLICH!

A terrifying sword mark, nearly eighty feet long, instantly appeared on the cavern wall. The gash was as fine as a hair yet several fingers deep, stretching out from right in front of Chen Che.

The seven or eight charging Han Family Cultivators were suddenly sliced in two at the waist while still mid-stride. Their bisected torsos flew another ten feet before thudding to the ground, spilling blood and guts all over the floor.

”How is that possible?”

Han Tong couldn’t believe it. These were elites the family had spent decades training, each one a capable expert in their own right. Yet together, they couldn’t even withstand a single sword strike?

After unleashing that strike, Chen Che had already taken another step forward.

”Not good!”

The few remaining Han Family disciples nearby turned pale with terror and scrambled to retreat.

But before they could get away,

their bodies abruptly froze in place, then split in two.

”He’s too strong!”

Zhao Ping’s face went white as a sheet as he watched.

In his mind, even if Chen Che was a strong Pill Master, there should have been a limit to his power. The combined force of the Han Family’s elite should have been enough to kill him several times over. Who could have imagined that once Chen Che made his move, it would be like slaughtering chickens and dogs?

’But it’s okay, there’s still Han Tong...’

Zhao Ping’s gaze shifted to Han Tong.

At that same moment, Han Tong’s eyes turned icy.

”Die!”

These Cultivators weren’t like those from Jinyun Valley, who were recruited from outside. Every single one of them was of Han Family blood. Each death was an irreplaceable loss.

And now Chen Che was cutting them down so easily. How could he not be furious?

BOOM!

With a furious roar, he lunged forward. The ferocity of his charge was several times stronger than when he faced Lu Yi. Like a stampeding mammoth, he crossed the distance to Chen Che in an instant. Then, in a flash, his explosive movement came to a dead stop.

At the same time, he gripped his saber with both hands—a massive blade over seven feet long—and brought it down in a diagonal slash.

”ROAR!”

As his True Essence surged, the phantom of a tiger-like Fierce Beast with upturned eyes and a white forehead materialized on the blade. It was as if it had been abruptly awakened from a deep slumber, pouncing on the one who dared to disturb it.

Tier One High Grade Saber Technique:

Tiger Roar Saber!

”What a ferocious slash!”

Zhao Ping sucked in a cold breath.

Even Lu Yi would likely have to retreat before a strike like this.

”Look out!”

Meng Qingxuan froze for a second, then hurriedly tried to Activate her Silver Mist Ruler.

But the slash was too fast; it was already beyond her ability to react.

A vicious smile spread across Han Tong’s face, as if he could already see this ignorant fool being sliced in two from waist to shoulder.

The remaining members of the Han Family looked on with wild joy.

And yet, that smile had just appeared when it froze solid on his face. Chen Che took another step forward and brought his sword down. The strike seemed casual, almost childlike, a light and airy motion with no force behind it. But as it fell, it descended with the cataclysmic force of a landslide.

CLANG!

The sword and saber clashed with the deafening sound of a great temple bell.

CRACK!

A crisp crack rang out.

Both of Han Tong’s hands, which were gripping the saber, snapped on impact. With another CRACK, the ground beneath his feet suddenly caved in, leaving two footprints over three feet deep. A dense web of cracks spread out from his feet!

”ARGH!”

From that single blow, Han Tong felt as if his internal organs were about to be pulverized.

’This seemingly casual strike... even with my Qi Refining Ninth Layer Realm, I couldn’t block it?’

’Retreat!’

Blood filling his throat, his eyes wide with fury and panic, Han Tong shot backward, moving even faster than he had when he charged.

’Just get back, get behind the others...’

But the thought had barely formed when he saw Chen Che raise a hand and gently pat him on the chest.

Before everyone’s disbelieving eyes, Han Tong was sent flying as if struck by a Fierce Beast. He shot backward like an arrow for seventy or eighty feet, crashed into a stone pillar in the mine, and rolled several times after landing, becoming completely still.

One sword strike, one palm strike.

Han Tong.

Dead!