Back in the day, with only Martial Spring Realm cultivation, Chen Yan could use the Great Derivation Art to drive spiritual energy, penetrate He Furen's innate true energy barrier, and kill Ye Xiu.
Now, he had already reached the Spirit Connection Realm, and the vastness of his true qi was far greater than before. The spiritual energy derived from such immense true qi, in terms of lethality, could indeed go toe-to-toe with a Myriad Transformations Realm cultivator.
That was the premise if we were only talking about lethality.
And using spiritual energy to destroy a barrier constructed from true qi was even easier.
Because that was the inherent characteristic of spiritual energy.
Once the barrier was destroyed, the Kongshan Sect disciples responsible for sealing the Fallen Sword Mountain Range would definitely be alerted.
No, it might not just be those disciples tasked with sealing the mountain range.
A barrier constructed by a Myriad Transformations Realm cultivator being utterly destroyed in an instant signified that the mastermind behind it was definitely an Upper Three Realms cultivator.
Once this news reached Kongshan Sect, the sect would certainly respond immediately.
The moon was dark, the wind high.
Leaves from both sides continuously brushed against Chen Yan's daoist robes, making rustling sounds.
The wind howled past Chen Yan's ears.
With the strength of his divine sense as a current Spirit Connection Realm cultivator, he could, to a certain extent, detect changes in the concentration and flow of the world's spiritual energy within the mountain range. Through this method, he tried to confirm the approximate direction of the Great Demon's Egg.
If this place was the source of the apocalypse eight years later, then...
Suddenly, Chen Yan's divine sense felt an indescribable sense of crisis.
Then, a dazzling white light flashed across the night sky.
In an instant, the forest was illuminated as if it were daytime.
The true qi surging within Chen Yan's body even stagnated slightly for a moment.
True qi continuously welled up from his Martial Spring, filling Chen Yan's meridians to stabilize the current situation.
Then, a pale white Clear Energy shot from the sky towards Chen Yan's direction.
Sure enough, things wouldn't develop as smoothly as he had imagined.
Chen Yan stepped with the Xun Wind Step. His daoist robes, under the illumination of the dazzling white light in the night sky, transformed into a blurry afterimage. As the tip of his foot touched the ground, he swiftly activated the Hidden Immortal Art. At the instant true qi was about to burst from his body, he once again transformed it into spiritual energy using the Great Derivation Art.
This level of speed in switching techniques and the precision in true qi circulation were things Chen Yan, before stepping into the Spirit Connection Realm, could never have achieved.
The seemingly ethereal pale white Clear Energy swiftly sliced through the location where Chen Yan's afterimage had just stood.
Chen Yan watched with his own eyes as the afterimage of his figure was torn apart by that pale white Clear Energy.
It was spiritual energy.
The person who attacked him was an Upper Three Realms cultivator.
That pale white Clear Energy just now was completely just a test aimed at him.
Because if an Upper Three Realms cultivator truly wanted to kill him, Chen Yan had absolutely no ability to dodge.
Although Chen Yan could, to a certain extent, drive and use spiritual energy through the derivation of the Great Derivation Art.
In reality, he was still only at the early stage of the Spirit Connection Realm, having just stepped into it.
Chen Yan hadn't expected Kongshan Sect's reaction to be so swift.
From him shattering the barrier sealing the Fallen Sword Mountain Range to an Upper Three Realms cultivator from the sect arriving at the mountain range, a total of less than ten breaths had passed.
Immediately after, another pale white Clear Energy, identical to the previous one, descended from the sky.
This time, the speed of this pale white Clear Energy was faster and its edge sharper compared to the one that had attacked Chen Yan moments ago.
Chen Yan dared not harbor the slightest bit of negligence. He operated the Hidden Immortal Art at full power, and as vast true qi gathered at the tip of his foot once more, the Great Derivation Art immediately transformed the true qi into spiritual energy.
His aura, his heartbeat, the sound of the wind, and the rustling of leaves completely merged into one. The Xun Wind Step was currently being driven by Chen Yan to its absolute limit.
This was already Chen Yan's limit.
Yet, it still wasn't fast enough to outpace the pale white Clear Energy descending from the sky, coming straight for him.
This strand of spiritual energy was as sharp as a sword, effortlessly severing Chen Yan's left arm from a point two inches above the elbow.
He watched with his own eyes as his left arm spun through the air and flew away, blood spurting out.
Pain radiated from the wound on Chen Yan's left arm. He merely furrowed his brow slightly.
This level of pain meant nothing to Chen Yan, who had been tortured by Huo Mu countless times before.
However, the sudden loss of his left arm also caused Chen Yan, who was operating the Xun Wind Step at full power, to instantly lose his balance, tumbling towards the ground in the forest.
He quickly tried to flip himself up. Then, within the shadows cast by the towering ancient trees, he saw that point of pale white Clear Energy and the figure standing among the branches.
It was a handsome young man who appeared to be only in his twenties, wearing the pure white daoist robes of Kongshan Sect, with gilded cloud crane patterns embroidered on the sleeves.
The hem of the daoist robes fluttered gently in the wind. The young man was coldly staring in the direction of Chen Yan, who was lying on the ground, not moving a muscle.
Chen Yan's eyes narrowed.
It was an acquaintance.
The current Sect Leader of Kongshan Sect, the Master of Kongyuan Mountain, Yun Yichen.
Yun Yichen's current cultivation was already close to the peak of the Unity Realm, and the distance to the Divine Ability Realm was also becoming increasingly shorter.
Then, in the blink of an eye, Yun Yichen's figure vanished from the branch.
Relying on his only remaining right hand, Chen Yan pushed himself up from the ground. Then, the moment he lifted his head, he saw Yun Yichen's figure three zhang away in front of him.
"You are not of the Upper Three Realms."
Yun Yichen spoke coldly:
"Yet, you can destroy the barrier and use spiritual energy. Why?"
Chen Yan did not speak. Blood flowed from the severed cross-section of his left arm. He then began to circulate his true qi, gathering it at the severed section of his left arm to achieve a hemostatic effect.
Yun Yichen did not seem intent on killing Chen Yan immediately.
Moreover, compared to the secrets on this person before him, Yun Yichen wanted to know the reason for his intrusion into the Fallen Sword Mountain Range even more.
"That Great Demon's Egg will bring calamity to all living beings across the entire Chenping Continent."
Chen Yan said slowly.
"What did you say?"
Yun Yichen merely asked thus.
"Even if the five remaining Dao Union Realm great powers currently in Chenping Continent were to jointly activate the Abyssal Tower of the Mirage Palace, they would still be unable to do anything about that demon egg. Instead, it would trigger an even more severe backlash."
Ignoring Yun Yichen's question, Chen Yan continued like this.
"Kongshan Sect has been closely monitoring this demon egg. Once there is any sign of it getting out of control, we will immediately announce it to the world. But you, what are your intentions in trespassing into the Fallen Sword Mountain Range?"
Yun Yichen said.
"Pitiful and lamentable! Even Dao Union Realm cultivators find it difficult to resist the erosion of demonic energy, ultimately meeting the fate of turning into bleached bones!"
The one-armed Chen Yan raised his head and declared loudly.
"You are actually..."
Yun Yichen's brow furrowed slightly. However, before he could finish his words, he was immediately interrupted by Chen Yan's booming voice:
"All beneath Ascending to Immortality are but ants. At such a critical moment, Mr. You, why not show yourself for a discussion?"