Nine Astra Skies

"What kind of organization is the Tribunal Council?" Ye Chen silently looked at Lin Qiu. Up till now, he still was not sure what sort of organization the Tribunal Council was.

Lin Qiu looked at Ye Chen with strange eyes. Ye Chen did not know about the Tribunal Council? He lowered his head and pondered for a moment. Even though the Tribunal Council was respected and feared, what the council had revealed about itself in the human realm was barely the tip of an iceberg. Many outsiders still knew very little about it. Ye Chen may be aware of the existence of the Tribunal Council but he just did not know of its true strength and authority.

Lin Qiu saw an opportunity. He observed Ye Chen's expression and said, "The Tribunal Council was an organization formed together by mankind and Celestial Beasts. There are six sub-councils in the Great Eastern Continent. The tribunal leaders of these sub-councils were either Godly Venerable Rank or Daemon King supreme fighters. As for the head council, no one knows of its location. I only know that there are three tribunal leaders and seven grand supreme elders situated there. Their cultivation base has reached such a level that mere humans aren't even able to comprehend their existence."

Lin Qiu tried to use these words to astound Ye Chen. When he noticed that there were no visible changes on Ye Chen's face, he felt slightly defeated.

Ye Chen was mildly awed. To think that the Tribunal Council was such a powerful entity, it was not surprising that they were able to control the Great Eastern Continent, and that they dared to engage in dangerous rituals like feeding dark spirits.

Ye Chen was not sure if Lin Qiu's words were true or if he had exaggerated certain parts. To think that even Celestial Beast participated in the Tribunal Council, just how was the organization formed?

Ye Chen closed his palms. 'No matter how strong you are, if something were to happen to Little Tanuki, I'll slaughter my way to your den!' If nothing happened to Little Tanuki, then the matter could be settled easier. As for what had happened in the Exclusion Zone, there had to be some sort of explanation. Just what kind of people were feeding the dark spirits and what were they planning?

"You've said what you need to say. Only one person can leave this island today!" Ye Chen's gaze locked onto Lin Qiu. For Ye Chen's current strength as a Heavenly Venerable Rank, he was no match for Lin Qiu so he was going to have to use his Astral Body. To let Lin Qiu return where he came from would be like returning a tiger to its den!

Ye Chen had originally thought that the sea monsters would be able to take care of Qi Nan and Lin Qiu. He had not expected that they would be so fortunate to have survived and escaped from it.

Ye Chen did not know what the results of his long cultivation were as his eyes grew with excitement for battle.

Lin Qiu was growing nervous as he still could not determine Ye Chen's strength. He knew that Ye Chen was not going to let him get away. If Ye Chen let him go then Ye Chen would have incurred the wrath of the Tribunal Council and face their endless pursuit.

The Tribunal Council had been operating this way for tens of thousands of years. They held their prestigious position highly. Those that submit to them may prosper and those that defy them shall perish. To attack the Tribunal Council's battleship was a great offense! They would not rest until he was dead!

"Chirp chirp!" the Golden Sun Condor sensed Ye Chen's battle hunger. It chirped several times before taking to the skies.

Lin Qiu did not wait for Ye Chen to make the first move. He retrieved the longbow from the Heaven-Earth Pouch with extreme speed. He promptly drew several arrows. Bow and arrow in hand, he shot three arrows toward Ye Chen. "Swoosh swoosh swoosh!" The arrows screamed like lightning as they pierced through the air.

"Run!" Lin Qiu decided that he was not going to fight Ye Chen. In a dire situation, the best strategy was to run away. After firing the arrows, he did not even bother looking at the outcome. He immediately rushed toward the other end of the island.

The three arrows darted toward him like bolts of lightning. Ye Chen frowned. The three arrows contained the Celestial Chi of a mid-Mystique Venerable Rank fighter and he could not compete against it. However, the arrows were too quick and his way out was sealed.

Ye Chen grunted. His Astral Body came out of his body and materialized into the gold-armored soldier. "Boom boom boom!" With a swing of its sword, the three arrows blew apart against the gold-armored soldier's longsword. The shockwave of the Celestial Chi explosion sent the gold-armored soldier back some distance. Ye Chen was also blasted several steps backward by the impact of the blows.

"Humph!" the gold-armored soldier roared angrily. Longsword in hand, it went after Lin Qiu.

When Lin Qiu turned back to steal a glance, he was so terrified that he thought his soul was going to exit his body. This was Astral Externalization! Could this guy be a Daemon King fighter? If he was a Daemon King, what was he even supposed to do? The Daemon King was the equivalent of a human's Godly Venerable Rank. Even though Lin Qiu's Mystique Venerable Rank was just a rank below Godly Venerable Rank and the Daemon King, the gap in strength between the two ranks was more than significant. The Daemon King only had to invoke a thought to track him for up to thousands of kilometers. Where was he supposed to escape to?

"No, that's not right, he's not a Daemon King!" Lin Qiu suddenly realized. The gold-armored soldier was blasted back by the three arrows he had shot earlier. If it was a real Astral Externalization of a Daemon King, how would it not be able to handle his attack?

A gust of strong wind whirled around Lin Qiu. The gold-armored soldier was right behind him.

Fiery Slash – Fire Dragon Sun Salutation!

With a maddening roar, the gold-armored soldier's longsword was set ablaze with purple flames. When the sword swung down, the purple flames came down on Lin Qiu like a cloud of flame.

Even if the gold-armored soldier was not a Daemon King, Lin Qiu still felt threatened by the imposing aura. He did not dare to have his back facing the gold-armored soldier. Lin Qiu turned around immediately. The longbow in his hands instantly flashed with a bright light as he lifted it to parry the attack.

A loud "bang" followed.

Lin Qiu took several steps back. His hair fell and a large chunk was burnt into crisp. He was in a sorry state. The gold-armored soldier also trembled under the effect of the shockwave.

"Beginner Mystique Adept Rank. Just a beginner Mystique Adept Rank!" Lin Qiu was finally able to confirm the true strength of the gold-armored soldier. Although he was forced into such a corner, his heart burned with a strong will to leave. His face turned hideous as he bellowed, "A mere beginner Mystique Adept Rank is trying to kill me!"

Lin Qiu just had to kill Ye Chen so that he could live!

An overwhelming energy exploded from Lin Qiu's body. Layers of Celestial Chi gathered around his body to form a thin layer of Chi Construct. It was as if he had donned a golden suit of armor.

Day Piercing Rainbow!

Lin Qiu swiftly drew several arrows. "Swoosh swoosh swoosh", the arrows went flying.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The gold-armored soldier waved its longsword, crushing the arrows that came its way.

"Die!" Lin Qiu's eyes flashed with ruthless anger. While the gold-armored soldier was occupied with slicing the arrows, with a "swoosh", an arrow darted toward where Ye Chen stood.

Lin Qiu was aware that a Celestial Beast's weakness was its main body. Under regular circumstances, whenever Celestial Beasts engaged in battle, they had one to two mystical beasts of the same level guarding them. The stronger the mystical beasts guarding them, the safer the Celestial Beast was. There were no mystical beasts that stood guard near Ye Chen!

Just as Ye Chen was about to have the gold-armored soldier turn around to defend himself, the Golden Sun Condor up above suddenly cried out as it swooped down. It charged toward the arrow and with a "thump", the Celestial Chi within the arrow burst on the Golden Sun Condor's body. The Golden Sun Condor was blasted away and went crashing down near fifteen meters away as it cried out in pain.

The arrow had pierced through the Golden Sun Condor's body. Deep red blood gushed out of its body, staining the ground around it.

The Golden Sun Condor possessed slightly lower intelligence. It was not able to form complex thoughts and understand complicated concepts. In its heart, it only knew one thing and that was to protect its owner!

Ye Chen did not have a close bond with the Golden Sun Condor originally. After witnessing the Golden Sun Condor's self-sacrificial act of blocking an arrow with its body, Ye Chen was truly touched. He knew that it was merely a natural reflex of the Golden Sun Condor, still, he was deeply touched by it.

Sometimes, men were not as trustworthy as these mystical beasts.

When Ye Chen saw what that had become of the Golden Sun Condor, his heart was once again ignited with rage. The Celestial Chi in his body erupted and waves of Astral Energy soared into the sky, and fused themselves with the gold-armored soldier. The gold-armored soldier gradually grew larger.

"Fire Dragon Sun Salutation!" the gold-armored soldier bellowed. It looked like Asura from the underworld. When it swung down its longsword, the flames that enveloped the longsword seemed to take on the shape of a dragon around it.

When Lin Qiu saw the gold-armored soldier once again swinging down its sword toward him, he was shocked. The Thunder-styled cultivation system started to channel within him. He roared angrily as he soared into the sky, the longbow in his hand trembled with bolts of thunder.

Supreme Rupturing Thunder!

Lin Qiu used the limbs of the longbow as a rod and swung it forward.

The purple flames and the Thunder-type Celestial Chi collided and an ear-shattering "tss tss" followed.

The purple flame and the Thunder-type Celestial Chi battled intensely, sending sparks flying everywhere as bursts of thunder echoed in the skies above. An abrupt explosion blasted them apart. The longbow Lin Qiu held in his hands snapped in half with a loud crack as he was blasted back close to a hundred meters. The longsword in the gold-armored soldier's hands was also shattered by the clash of their energy.

"My Silver Thunder Bow!" Lin Qiu looked at the longbow in his arms that was broken in half as his heart ached with pain. Although the Astral Body which materialized into the gold-armored soldier that stood before him was only around beginner Mystique Venerable Rank, its destructive power cannot be underestimated.

When Lin Qiu saw the gold-armored soldier had been blasted backward, he glanced at Ye Chen who stood far away. 'This guy had a strange air around him. I better not keep fighting him. Run!'

Lin Qiu was about to run away.

"Trying to escape?" Ye Chen exclaimed coldly. The Golden Sun Condor had been wounded not once but twice and this debt had to be settled properly!

Palm Shattering the Milky Way!

The gold-armored soldier thrust its palm forward from far away. The attack contained a profound Absolute Martial Truth. With a thrust of its palm, countless purple flames wrapped around Lin Qiu like rays of starlight.

Lin Qiu immediately felt the chi flow around him freezing up. An invisible energy had bound him in place. When he lifted his head and looked up, he saw the palm thrust of the gold-armored soldier coming down on him like rays of starlight. He was so shocked that his face turned pale. What sort of martial art technique was this?

This martial art technique looked simple and yet it was incredibly profound. Facing it was like standing under a million dazzling stars.

Even though there were about five to six meters between them, Lin Qiu felt like the thrust of the gold-armored soldier stood like a mountain pressing over him. He could not even manage to open his eyes.

Thunder-type Chi Construct!

Lin Qiu broke out into a cold sweat. With a low grunt, a wave of Celestial Chi seeped out of his body, forming a layer of Chi Construct that enveloped the surface of his body. He thought that he could block the attack using Chi Construct to protect his body. Then, Lin Qiu noticed that the purple flame had broken through his Chi Construct.

"No good, the defensive Chi Construct didn't do anything!" Lin Qiu was startled. He wanted to dodge but it was too late.

The gold-armored soldier's palm landed squarely on Lin Qiu's body. The purple flames instantly burst apart.

Heaven Projection Channel, Heaven's Pivot Channel, Heart Channel, Death Gate, and Life Gate. All these acupuncture points on Lin Qiu's body were ruptured. He spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. All the meridians in his body were severely damaged.

This mysterious attack had completely crushed Lin Qiu's spirit. Even the defensive Chi Construct was so effortlessly destroyed. It was truly a strong technique. To think that with a mere beginner Mystique Venerable Rank base, he was able to cast a Daemon King materialization and use such a mysterious attack.

Lin Qiu could not recklessly confront him as he would only come out on the losing side!

Lin Qiu quickly retrieved a medicinal pill from his Heaven-Earth Pouch and promptly swallowed it. The Celestial Chi in his body suddenly rose sharply. He turned around and flew away.

"Where do you think you're going?" The gold-armored soldier's right arm turned into a claw as it clawed at Lin Qiu.