I’m Definitely Taking This Power-Fantasy Protagonist Role! Chapter 83

The sudden war had entered its final stages. Some were responsible for cleaning up the battlefield, while others searched for any remaining loyalists. The east was bustling, while the west was quiet. Feng Chi Cheng and the other family heads found it strange; although they had defeated the invaders, it was far from a time to relax. They worried there might be a trick involved, hiding some kind of trap, so they decided to organize a search party to investigate personally.

First, they wanted to confirm whether any loyalists had fled to the west. The east had a blockade to prevent the defeated remnants from escaping, but the west did not. All the families involved in the battle were from the east.

Second, they needed to check the situation in the west for any abnormalities. As the head of the Feng family, Feng Chi Cheng had led the charge against the imperial cultivators, fighting the strongest among the enemy ranks. Now, suspecting there might be something unusual in the west, he naturally stepped forward to take charge.

After carefully arranging for the other members of the Feng family, they had previously been forced to act in haste, but now that they had won the war, it was time to let everyone catch their breath. The Feng family had suffered significant losses, and the victory felt more like a pyrrhic one. Winning didn’t mean it was over; there was still much to do in terms of cleanup.

Especially the families near Qiu Xian Ze had suffered greatly and needed proper arrangements. Seeing Feng Chi Cheng step up, the other family heads hesitated for a moment before joining him in action.

In truth, they were still somewhat dazed, unable to believe they had actually defeated the imperial cultivators. Since they had embarked on this path, there was no turning back; the Human Emperor was never one to be lenient.

With no clear idea of what lay ahead, they could only take it one step at a time. They couldn’t afford to offend the Feng family now, so they followed closely behind their leader.

As they moved further west, their vigilance increased. They discovered the bodies of imperial cultivators, some of whom had been swiftly killed by a single strike, indicating the work of a skilled swordsman.

Upon careful investigation, they indeed found a small number of remnants fleeing toward their direction. When they saw the sudden flash of a signal in the sky, everyone’s spirits lifted, and they rushed toward the target location. The remnants would surely try to escape, but with their position exposed, their options for fleeing were limited. As long as they surrounded the area, they would be able to catch them.

Moreover, their spiritual senses were not just for show.

“Pfft!” Feng Chi Cheng suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, his face quickly turning an unnatural shade of red.

“Father!” His eldest son, Feng Chong Jin, hurriedly supported him. “Are you alright?”

Feng Chi Cheng wiped the blood from his lips. “I’m fine.”

Feng Chong Jin asked, “What did you see?”

The other family heads perked up their ears, listening intently.

Feng Chi Cheng said gravely, “Someone is fighting.”

Feng Chong Jin was taken aback. “Could it be a formation?”

Feng Chi Cheng nodded. “Indeed. My spiritual sense suddenly detected a suspicious area. Checking for abnormalities in the west was our original goal. Unexpectedly, the formation didn’t directly block my spiritual sense. After passing through, I saw that there were experts engaged in battle.”

“I only caught a glimpse before I was thrown back by the aftermath.”

At this, everyone gasped in shock.

Zhao family head cautiously suggested, “Should we retreat early? If we get caught up in their battle, it would be a disaster.”

Zheng family head pondered, “We don’t know how large the formation’s range is. If it occupies a large area in the west, it would explain why it’s so quiet here.”

Feng Chi Cheng took a deep breath, calming his turbulent spiritual energy. “For now, let’s take a detour and search all the areas we can. We must not let a single remnant escape!”

“Feng family head is right. Since they specifically set up a formation to prevent the aftermath from leaking out, it’s clear they don’t want to disturb others.”

“We should observe the situation for now and not act rashly.”

…

With such an unstable factor at play, the search progressed unusually quickly, and they captured two more small groups of remnants, thoroughly scouring every possible hiding place.

They even negotiated with the families near the west, and surprisingly, it went smoothly. Not only had the eastern families been beaten, but the western ones had also suffered. However, without the disciples of Ziyang Zhenren showing up, the surviving families were doing well, gathering the refugees who had fled from the battlefield.

Even the disciples of Ziyang Zhenren had avoided the west, whether because they felt it unnecessary to round everyone up or simply didn’t have the time.

As everyone’s nerves began to relax, a terrifying and powerful force erupted like a volcano, exploding suddenly.

Feng Chi Cheng and the other family heads instinctively looked toward the center of the explosion, and sure enough, it was the location of the battle.

The aura that had been concealed by the formation was now exposed, creating a terrifying pressure that made even those far away tremble in fear.

There were two massive phantoms.

One had four arms, with graceful and elegant limbs, dressed in luxurious and dignified attire, radiating a shimmering light that was blinding. Yet, the abundant Zen-like aura felt like a mental pollution that drilled directly into one’s mind, both unapproachable and deeply imprinted.

Even if they couldn’t see clearly, they could sense the compassion and pity in the gaze that looked down upon the world.

The cultivators felt it; those with lower cultivation struggled, while those stronger resisted without hesitation. Ordinary civilians couldn’t fight back at all, their eyes glazed over as they knelt on the ground, submitting to the massive phantom with four arms, chanting prayers for salvation.

The other phantom was different; it didn’t have that unapproachable and sacred aura. Instead, it sparkled like a piece of the starry sky cut into human form.

A circle of flying swords floated behind it, also twinkling like stars—twelve in total.

The phantom formed hand seals, exuding an aura that was sacred and inviolable, commanding respect.

The two sides faced off, their energies intertwining like a clash of ice and fire.

The crowd oscillated between clarity and confusion, caught in a back-and-forth between awakening and sinking.

“Just a bunch of ants, daring to clumsily imitate this priest’s Dharma form! Truly unaware of their own mortality!” The High Priest had lost the calm demeanor he once had, now visibly agitated, his tone dark and filled with anger, clearly provoked and insulted.

Jiang Bai Yu floated in mid-air, behind him was the Dharma form he had condensed after deep comprehension, a first-time experiment that was still not perfect.

“Oh, getting anxious, are we?” He started off with a jab.

Jiang Bai Yu mocked, “A mere fragment of a soul daring to come knocking is commendable, but what gives you the illusion that you can retreat unscathed? You hold a high position, enjoying the world’s offerings, yet you turn a blind eye to the indiscriminate slaughter of innocents by the cultivators under the imperial banner. It’s clear you’re not a good person.”

“Your words are tough, but your body doesn’t seem as resilient.”

“Impudent!” The High Priest was furious, his aura surging violently, the overwhelming pressure causing trees to collapse under the strain, their trunks splintering, and the ground cracking open in layers.

The phantom’s brow glowed with a point of light, a dangerous aura filling the air, as if the atmosphere itself was tainted with a sense of foreboding.

The grand move was prepared in no time; in an instant, the point of light shot out from his brow, transforming into a sphere of light.

“Let this ant taste the flavor of despair! To die under its power is your honor!”

The sphere of light shot toward Jiang Bai Yu, distorting the surrounding air, light, and space. It seemed slow but was actually fast, and there was no way to evade it. An indescribable pressure surged toward him, growing stronger as it approached. By the time it reached Jiang Bai Yu, it had grown to the size of the phantom, unhesitatingly swallowing him and his phantom whole, exploding with blinding light, as the space around them tore apart, creating various shapes of cracks.

In the next moment, a massive flying sword pierced through the High Priest’s phantom.

One, two, three…

A total of twelve swords surged forward in rapid succession, striking toward the phantom.

As the explosive light faded, the starry sea behind it was revealed.

Jiang Bai Yu stood amidst it all, ignoring the terrifying attacks as space continued to tear apart around him, creating a world of his own.

“Just a trivial skill.”

Jiang Bai Yu soared into the sky, looking down from above along with the massive phantom behind him, as twelve flying swords returned to form a circle behind him.

“Heaven and earth as the plate, stars as the pieces. One piece set, two pieces die.”

“Your luck today is extremely bad.”

As he spoke, Jiang Bai Yu made a move in the void, dropping the first piece toward the High Priest’s phantom, while the massive phantom behind him mirrored the action, also dropping a piece in a chess-like manner.

In the depths of the void, a sound seemed to echo, slap—

An unprecedented sense of crisis surged in the High Priest’s heart, tightening around his neck and squeezing his heart. He sensed the scent of death.

His body was immobilized, sealed by the entire space, like a corpse frozen in ice.

He could only watch helplessly as the massive phantom above him casually dropped the second piece.

He could almost hear the sound of the piece falling, slap—

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!”

The pain of the fragment of his soul being extinguished returned to his main body, and the High Priest let out a heart-wrenching scream, his sharp voice nearly shattering the palace, alarming the entire imperial palace.

He painfully covered his eyes, his eyelids tightly shut, his cheeks drenched in blood, tears of blood streaming down.

The pain of having his eyes gouged out was excruciating, penetrating deep into his soul. The opponent had sent the attack through the connection with that fragment of his soul, striking directly at his consciousness. It felt as if a knife had stabbed into his brain, violently stirring his brain matter, tearing his spirit apart.

The appearance, voice, and figure of the culprit faded like dew in the sunlight, leaving him unable to recall anything, forgetting what had happened to the fragment of his soul, what he had seen, and what he had experienced.

He only remembered that the fragment of his soul had been killed, and a pair of starry eyes had gazed at him, so deep and mysterious, as if they could suck in his very soul, instilling fear and trembling.

Outside the hall, someone rushed over in a hurry.

“High Priest! High Priest!?”

“Quick! Go report to His Majesty the Human Emperor!”

As the High Priest sensed a familiar aura approaching, he trembled all over, his mind blank. “Chaos Star… it’s Chaos Star!”

He went into a frenzy, completely losing control. “Kill Chaos Star! While he’s still weak, kill Chaos Star!”