The Heavens: Man Covers the Heavens, Refines Treasures to Become an Emperor

"impossible!"

Huang Jianxiong steadied his breathing, his face filled with shame, indignation, and disbelief, and he roared.

"Die to me!"

He used both hands simultaneously, making a series of grasping motions in the air. Instantly, a series of condensed cyan claw marks covered Jiang Xuan like a blanket, the claw wind howling, sealing off all of Jiang Xuan's escape routes!

"Fancy."

Jiang Xuan snorted coldly. Faced with the barrage of claw shadows, he not only did not dodge, but instead launched another attack!
He moved like lightning, charging directly into the dense claw shadows! His fists were like two heavy hammers, striking left and right, each punch precisely hitting the weakest point of a claw mark!

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

A series of explosions resounded throughout the hall. The sharp blue claw marks were shattered and obliterated as easily as paper under Jiang Xuan's fist, which contained terrifying power!
Almost in the blink of an eye, Jiang Xuan broke through all the claw shadows with overwhelming force, and his figure appeared in front of Huang Jianxiong like a ghost!
Huang Jianxiong's pupils shrank sharply, and a look of horror finally appeared on his face. He wanted to change his move to defend, but it was too late!
Jiang Xuan's fist, without any fancy moves, carried an indomitable and domineering aura, and slammed into his chest!

"Boom!"

A muffled thud, like the beating of a drum!
Huang Jianxiong was like a kite with a broken string, spitting out a mouthful of blood as he flew backward and crashed heavily into the hard wall of the hall!

"Click..."

A clear cracking sound rang out.

Huang Jianxiong slid to the ground, spitting out another mouthful of blood. His face turned ashen, and the intense pain in his chest almost made him faint. He felt as if all the bones in his body were about to fall apart.

silence!

Deathly silence!

Everyone seemed to have their throats choked, unable to utter a sound.

The astonishment on the faces of the aristocratic scions of the Forbidden City had turned into shock and an indescribable sense of horror! While Huang Jianxiong's strength wasn't top-tier among them, it was certainly not weak! How could... how could he have been so cleanly and decisively defeated by this young man named Jiang Xuan?!
Wen Mingxiu, Qi Yunxiao, and the others were deeply moved. Although they were wary of Jiang Xuan, witnessing him so forcefully defeat a member of a powerful clan filled them with an indescribable sense of awe.

"Ah—! I want you dead! I absolutely must kill you!"

The intense pain and extreme humiliation drove Huang Jianxiong to madness. He struggled to get up, staring at Jiang Xuan with venomous eyes.

He knew that if he failed to kill Jiang Xuan today, he would become a laughing stock in the entire Forbidden City circle!

Just as he was struggling, seemingly about to use some forbidden method or magic weapon, his hand suddenly reached for a leather pouch at his waist.

Jiang Xuan's eyes turned cold, and he was about to step forward to completely resolve this trouble.

Suddenly, Huang Jianxiong pulled something out of the animal skin bag!
It was a crossbow shaped like an eagle's beak, its entire body a strange, blood-red color! The crossbow was covered with dense, chilling dark red patterns, and a cold, vicious aura, specifically targeting the soul, instantly spread out!
"The God-Piercing Blood Crossbow?!"

A discerning scion of a powerful family gasped in surprise, his face changing drastically!
"It's that cursed artifact from the Huang family! How did he bring it out?!"

"It is said that the 'divine needles' fired by this crossbow are specifically designed to damage the soul, making them impossible to defend against!"

"It's over! That kid's dead meat!"

Although Wen Mingxiu, Qi Yunxiao, and the others did not recognize the object, they felt its chilling aura that made their souls tremble, and their faces turned pale, with a strong sense of unease rising in their hearts.

Huang Jianxiong's face revealed a ferocious and crazed smile. He endured the excruciating pain, aimed the blood crossbow at Jiang Xuan who was so close at hand, and hissed.

"You bastard! To die under the God-Slaying Blood Crossbow is your good fortune! May your soul be scattered to the winds!"

He pulled the trigger!

"Om-!"

A slight tremor sounded.

In the next instant, thousands upon thousands of "divine needles" as thin as cow hair and gleaming with an eerie blood-red light burst forth like a rain of pear blossoms, or like living creatures, forming a dense net of blood-red light that completely enveloped Jiang Xuan within a radius of several feet!
The speed was unbelievable! There was absolutely no way to dodge it!
Those blood-red needles were not physical objects, but rather pure soul attacks condensed together. Ignoring physical defenses, they pierced directly through the flesh and rushed towards the cultivator's consciousness and soul! Once invaded, the soul would be pierced, torn apart, and dissolved by thousands of needles at the same time, ultimately resulting in the soul's complete annihilation. It was extremely vicious!

The moment Jiang Xuan drew the Blood-Piercing Crossbow, he sensed a deadly crisis! Especially when those thousands of blood needles shot towards him, the hairs on his body stood on end, and a strong warning came from the depths of his soul!
Can't escape!

He had no choice but to tough it out!
"Puff-puff-!"

Countless blood needles instantly pierced his body, but without causing any physical damage. Instead, they transformed into streams of cold and vicious soul power, like thousands of venomous snakes, rushing madly towards his sea of ​​consciousness!
Severe pain!

An indescribable, excruciating pain erupted from the depths of his soul! It felt as if countless red-hot iron needles were frantically piercing and churning his soul! The pain far exceeded the limits of what his body could endure, almost causing him to collapse instantly!

Within the sea of ​​consciousness, the twenty-one soul stars that were originally rotating peacefully began to vibrate violently under the impact of this foreign evil soul power, and their light became flickering.

At this critical moment, Jiang Xuan endured the excruciating pain in his soul that was enough to drive anyone mad and frantically activated the "Star Circulation" technique from the "Minor Underworld Divine Art"!
"Om-!"

In the center of his consciousness, the twenty-one soul stars seemed to have been summoned and suddenly shone brightly! The dazzling silver light was like twenty-one miniature suns, radiating boundless brilliance!
The silver light swept across the entire sea of ​​consciousness like a tide, showering down countless pure, vast silver raindrops that carried the meaning of purification and protection!
Those blood-red needles that rushed into the sea of ​​consciousness, baring their fangs and claws, upon encountering this silver radiance, were like ice and snow meeting the blazing sun, emitting eerie "sizzling" sounds. The blood-red light on their surfaces quickly dimmed and melted, enveloped and entwined by the silver radiance, ultimately transforming into strands of pure soul essence power, which were then slowly absorbed by the twenty-one soul stars...

Meanwhile, in the inner courtyard of Cuimingxuan, in a quiet room with an elegant decor.

Granny Feng and Xie Yutang sat facing each other. In front of them floated a smooth water mirror, which clearly reflected everything happening in the hall.

When she saw Jiang Xuan swiftly and powerfully injure Huang Jianxiong with just two punches, even Granny Feng's usually calm face showed a hint of surprise.

She turned to look at Xie Yutang and asked.

"Young Master Yutang, when you saved this boy, was there anything special about him?"

Xie Yutang's gaze remained fixed on the water mirror. Upon hearing this, he replied calmly.

"More than a year ago, the Observatory made a prediction that there might be traces of an unparalleled treasure deep in the Three Thousand Mountains. Out of curiosity, I went to investigate alone. On the way, I happened to encounter him and a little girl being chased by several shaman warriors."

At that time, he was only at the second level of the True Martial Realm, covered in blood, fighting and fleeing while protecting the little girl, his situation precarious. Seeing the barbarian shaman rampaging, I casually slashed my sword to scare them away, paying little attention. This boy at that time… was utterly unremarkable.”

"Second level of True Martial Realm..."

A glint of light flashed in Granny Feng's cloudy eyes.

"In just over a year, he has advanced from the second level of True Martial Realm to the current Human Gang Realm. Moreover, judging from the refinement of his spiritual energy and the solidity of his foundation, he is far beyond the reach of ordinary Human Gang Realm cultivators."

This cultivation speed... is somewhat unbelievable.

Xie Yutang nodded slightly. "It is indeed unusual."

Even among the core members of my Chi family, with ample resources, such progress is rare.

He paused and added.

"Unless, he had been hiding his strength before, or... he had other opportunities."

Granny Feng remained silent for a moment, then turned her gaze back to Jiang Xuan's figure in the water mirror, as if recalling something, and whispered.

"For some reason, I feel that there is a vague familiarity between this young man's features, as if he were an old friend..."

But she immediately shook her head.

"Perhaps I'm overthinking it."

The scene continues in the water mirror. Huang Jianxiong, unable to bear the humiliation, verbally provokes Jiang Xuan, whose unexpectedly strong reaction is met with a vulgar retort, infuriating Huang Jianxiong to slam his fist on the table. Granny Feng and Xie Yutang both raise their eyebrows slightly, clearly not expecting Jiang Xuan to be so unyielding even when facing a scion of a powerful family from the Forbidden City.

Subsequently, the golden-robed youth forced the people of Yanxia City to take action. Wen Mingxiu, Qi Yunxiao, and others even admitted in public that they were no match for Jiang Xuan, which surprised Granny Feng and Xie Yutang.

They then realized that this seemingly ordinary young man held such weight in the hearts of these wealthy young men in Yanxia City, and was far more than just a "successor of a master".

When Jiang Xuan blasted away and severely injured the formidable Huang Jianxiong with two punches, the two people in the quiet room showed serious expressions.

"Such refined spiritual energy, such domineering fist power!"

Grandma Wind commented.

"It seems simple and straightforward, without any fancy moves, but it is a killing technique that has been honed through countless trials. The fist technique already contains a trace of his own 'momentum'. This boy's fighting talent is extraordinary."

Xie Yutang, with sharp eyes, replied.

"His fighting style is ruthless, decisive, and efficient. He uses every bit of his strength where it matters most, and he carries a strong military aura... It's somewhat like the style of the 'Blood Killing Camp'."

"The Bloodthirsty Camp?"

The surprise in Granny Feng's eyes deepened.

"Young Master Yutang actually knows about that place?"

Xie Yutang said calmly.

"I've heard a little about it. It's where the Empire trains killing machines."

Just then, the scene in the water mirror suddenly changed, and Huang Jianxiong actually took out the God-Piercing Blood Crossbow that was emitting an ominous bloody light!
"Be bold!"

Granny Feng's face darkened, and a hint of anger flashed in her eyes.

"How dare they use such a vicious weapon in Miss's quarters! The Huang family brat is becoming increasingly reckless!"

……

The atmosphere in the hall was deathly silent.

Huang Jianxiong slumped against the wall, his chest aching and his breath weak, but when he saw Jiang Xuan enveloped by the countless blood-red needles, a ferocious and gleeful smile appeared on his face.

He could almost see Jiang Xuan's soul being pierced by thousands of blood needles, howling and annihilating in endless pain.

The God-Piercing Blood Crossbow! This is one of the most powerful weapons developed by the Imperial Divine Crafts Institute, specifically designed to target the souls of cultivators! It is priceless and extremely difficult to obtain. Huang Jianxiong was only given one for self-defense because of his family's favor.

Once activated, this thing becomes an invisible and intangible needle that specifically targets the soul. Unless one possesses a special soul defense treasure or has cultivated an extremely high-level soul defense technique, cultivators of the same level will almost certainly die!
The scions of powerful families present, though mostly from prominent clans, all paled slightly upon seeing Huang Jianxiong use the God-Piercing Blood Crossbow, gaining a new understanding of his ruthlessness. To use such a vicious weapon to deal with a mere youth from a small border town seemed excessive.

Wen Mingxiu, Qi Yunxiao, and other young men from Yanxia City had mixed feelings.

Although they were happy to see Jiang Xuan suffer a setback, or even perish, they dared not show any joy when they thought of the mysterious Obsidian Scroll and the family's stern warning. Instead, they were filled with unease, fearing that if Jiang Xuan died here, it would provoke the wrath of the forces behind him.

"Hehe... Hahaha..."

Huang Jianxiong looked at Jiang Xuan, who was standing there with his eyes closed, seemingly enduring endless pain, and couldn't help but let out a low, hoarse, and triumphant laugh.

He struggled, using his uninjured left hand to support himself on the ground, trying to stand up and properly "appreciate" Jiang Xuan's tragic state before his death.

He staggered to Jiang Xuan's side, and looking at the other's calm face, a twisted sense of pleasure welled up inside him.

He reached out his finger, wanting to slap Jiang Xuan's cheek as a final act of humiliation.

"You lowly brat, this is what happens when you offend this young master..."

His words stopped abruptly.

Just as his fingertips were about to touch Jiang Xuan's cheek, Jiang Xuan's tightly closed eyes suddenly opened!
What kind of eyes were those? Pitch black, deep, and cold, without a trace of pain or confusion, only a kind of ruthlessness and killing intent that seemed to come from the depths of the underworld!
The sinister smile on Huang Jianxiong's face froze instantly, turning into utter horror!

"Crack!"

A sickeningly crisp sound!

Jiang Xuan's right hand, like an iron clamp, struck first and then quickly and ruthlessly grabbed Huang Jianxiong's outstretched wrist, twisting it violently! Huang Jianxiong's wrist twisted at an eerie angle, and the bones instantly broke!
"what--!"

The piercing scream was cut short as soon as it was uttered.

Jiang Xuan didn't give the other party any chance to react. He grabbed the severed hand and slammed it downwards!
"boom!!"

Huang Jianxiong was slammed hard onto the floor! The enormous impact felt like his internal organs had shifted, blood gushed from his mouth and nose, several more bones in his body broke, and he fainted instantly.

All this happened in a flash!

From the moment Jiang Xuan opened his eyes to the moment he snapped his wrist and then slammed Huang Jianxiong to the ground, the whole process was so fast it was dazzling!
The hall fell into a deathly silence once again; you could hear a pin drop!

Everyone seemed to be frozen in place, their minds blank.

He...he's not dead?!
Not only did he not die, but... he crippled Huang Jianxiong instantly?!
That was the God-Piercing Blood Crossbow! A vicious weapon specifically designed to attack the soul! How could he be completely unharmed?! And even so full of energy, retaliating so ruthlessly?! (End of Chapter)