Ch. 2416..2420: The Secretly Rich Man Chapter 2416-2420
Chapter 2416
Looking back at the three curious men, Saint Darkwind then scoffed, “It’s a unique formation from the Darkwind Sect known as the bone eroding formation! No matter how high his cultivation is, he’ll be pulverized upon entering the formation! In fact, even his soul won’t remain!”
“W-we’re pleased to be able to help, Senior…!” declared all three elders, prompting Saint Darkwind to begin laying out his detailed plan.
It was sometime later atop the magnificent Mountain Top that pierced through the clouds and was one of Mayberry City’s main attractions when experts and all the Morningstars could be seen gathered at the peak.
Even the three elders who went by Zealand, Jordan, and Hundson Weir were sitting cross-legged there, looking incredibly powerful.
After a while, Grand Elder was prompted to say, “Remember, brothers. When Gerald arrives, our focus isn’t to beat him. After we strike him with our strongest attack, we immediately run toward Senior Darkwind’s formation! Keep in mind that Senior Darkwind told us to get out of the formation as soon as possible too, since the bone eroding formation’s power isn’t something our bodies can handle!”
“Understood, Elder Brother!” declared the other two elders. Following that, the trio closed their eyes and began regulating their breathing through meditation as they awaited the great battle.
Jaxen and the six elders, on the other hand, could be seen waiting at the foot of the mountain. Since today was the day for the two parties to make a clean break, Jaxen couldn’t just escape, even if he wanted to.
While waiting, Third elder couldn’t help but ask, “Is Gerald really going to come, Eldest Brother…? Whatever the case is, I just hope that the three elders and Saint Darkwind will be able to end him for good… Otherwise, our family will never be at peace!”
As the other restless elders nodded in agreement, Jaxen suddenly shouted, “He’s here!”
True enough, Gerald who had his hands in his pockets was slowly making his way toward the seven Morningstars. Despite looking so casual, the boy had a powerful aura surrounding him. It was so pressuring that the seven men could hardly breathe in his presence..!
Regardless, once Gerald got close enough, the seven men immediately declared in respectful tones, “Mr. Crawford!”
“Have those from the Thunder Sword Sect arrived?” asked Gerald in a cheery tone.
Gulping in response, Jaxen quickly replied, “They have! They’re waiting for you at the peak!”
“Good. Come along, then!” said the smiling boy as he waved his hand, prompting a dazzling light to suddenly flash and when the seven men could finally open their eyes again, they were shocked to realize that they were now on the summit…!
“W-what…?!” whimpered the terrified men. This was their first time witnessing Gerald’s true power up close, and they were now more certain than ever that the boy truly had entered the Domiensch realm, a realm beyond their understanding…!
Even the three elders who had just sensed Gerald’s sudden presence found themselves widening their eyes. This boy really was no ordinary person..!
After a brief pause, Gerald placed his hands against his back before saying, “You know, I’m not really used to looking up to others… With that said, why don’t you come down already?”
Before the elders could even reply, Gerald let out a deafening harrumph that was so strong that it immediately formed a shockwave that flew toward the trio!
“Dodge!” yelled Zealand as he quickly snapped out of his shock and leaped to the side! Though Jordan managed to avoid the attack as well, Hudson wasn’t so lucky.
When the shockwave collided against his body, it immediately caused a massive explosion…! White smoke could be seen all over the place as Hudson collapsed and began vomiting blood…!
Chapter 2417
“W-what…?! ” exclaimed the horrified brothers who had managed to avoid the attack. Thank god Saint Darkwind was on their side! Otherwise, Gerald would’ve easily slaughtered all three of them today…! They weren’t his match at all…!”
Quickly snapping out of it, Zealand who now had veins bulging on his forehead-was prompted to yell, “Are you alright, Third Brother?! If you are, we need to activate the formation now!”
“I… I’m fine!” replied Hudson as he fumbled back to his feet. Shortly after, all three of them stood in a triangular formation, and essential qi immediately began flowing out of their bodies and merging together.
Once enough essential qi had been gathered, the trio roared in unison, “Thunder Strike…!” Following that, an aurablade appeared and it quickly began flying toward Gerald…!
“Oh my… What a powerful attack!” said the smirking Gerald in a mocking tone as he leaped toward the aurablade! With a single strike of his palm, Gerald easily shattered the trio’s sword formation!
The second that happened, all three of them began Spurting blood out of their mouths! With nearly all their bones broken, the trio were forced to lie on the ground…! The Thunder Stroke was the strongest sword technique passed down by their ancestors, and they had only managed to master it after decades of cultivating!
Despite that being the case, to think that they were taken out so easily by that boy! While it was distressing to admit, they now knew just how weak they were compared to him…! The battle couldn’t go on!
“Ryder is your great-grandfather, correct? If that’s the case, then I should be your senior! With that in mind, as your senior, allow me to say that that sword technique doesn’t suit you. Just stop practicing it already!” said Gerald as he shook his head, a weary smile on his face.
Pissed to hear that, Zealand then spat out a mouthful of blood before retorting, “Talk is cheap! If you have the guts, try catching up to us for round two!”
Following that, all three of them bolted away, prompting Gerald to say, “Oh…? What tricks do you have up your sleeve…?”
With that said, Gerald turned into a beam of light that then chased after the trio and shortly after, he arrived at a graveyard in Mayberry. Upon entering, Gerald instantly sensed a bone chilling aura in the vicinity.
Smiling faintly, Gerald then muttered, “A formation! How interesting…”
The second Gerald’s sentence ended, the trio bolted off again. However, before Gerald could chase after them, evil laughter could be heard, followed by someone declaring, “Let’s see how you’ll escape my bone eroding formation, Gerald!”
Almost immediately after, a murderous black gale began blowing within the formation, and a dark hemisphere quickly formed over the area as well! If a commoner were caught within the formation, they’d surely feel like they were being stabbed by thousands of knives!
‘What a menacing formation…’ Gerald thought to himself as he shook his head.
It wasn’t long after before a swirl of dust began gathering in front of him and eventually, it turned into a giant face! Laughing in a mocking tone, the face soon said, “Amazing! You aren’t hurt from my bone eroding formation at all! No wonder you could defeat Ryder!”
“Hmm? Your cultivation is far higher than those three In fact, it’s probably on par with Ryder’s cultivation! Who exactly are you? For all I know, nobody else should be this strong in Ryder’s family!” replied Gerald.
“I go by Saint Darkwind, though I have a feeling you haven’t heard of me before. Regardless, I know all about you, courtesy of Ryder! That old man told me that you had mastered the supreme heavenly techniques in Fyre Cave, so just to be safe, I made sure to make this formation the location of our first meeting!” explained Saint Darkwind with a sneer.
Following that, the huge face returned to dust. However, dust quickly began swirling in front of Gerald again and soon enough, Saint Darkwind was standing before the boy!
After staring at the man for a bit, Gerald placed his hands against his back before cheerily saying, “So, Ryder’s told you about that… However, I have a feeling he didn’t tell you everything!”
“Oh? What hasn’t he said?” scoffed Saint Darkwind with a sneer.
Chapter 2418
“Though he’s told you that I acquired the secret techniques in Fyre Cave, I’m sure he didn’t tell you which ones! Since we’re already here, I may as well elaborate! You see, among the secret techniques, one of them specifically dealt with formations!” replied Gerald who was still smiling.
“Oh? Do you mean to say that you can break free from my formation? Now that I’d like to witness! I’ve refined my bone eroding formation for centuries, you know? Can you really break free from it? If you manage to do it, I don’t mind letting you in on a secret!” scoffed the unconvinced man.
“Deal! Well, here it goes! ” replied Gerald as he drew his blade before yelling, “Skysplit!”
Following that, Gerald utilized the Cosmo-Amorphous Sword Technique to strike toward Saint Darkwind!
Naturally, this startled the man, though he quickly chanted a spell to form a massive shield made of air before him! To Saint Darkwind’s dismay, the second the blade collided against his shield, it immediately shattered into a million pieces…!
His eyes now widened in disbelief, Saint Darkwind quickly raised his arms in hopes of dampening the impact… However, the aurablade simply sliced him clean in half! Before his corpse could hit the ground, however, it quickly turned to dust which rapidly remerged into a smug looking Saint Darkwind who looked good as new!
Laughing out loud, Saint Darkwind then proudly declared, “You’re the real deal, that’s for sure! Fortunately, instead of fighting you head-on like Ryder, I’m smart enough to rely on this formation! Still, had we fought outside the formation, your attack just now would’ve surely ended me!”
Before Gerald could reply, Saint Darkwind was already chanting and within seconds, the dust and gravel picked up by the swirling wind had taken the shape of a huge dragon and ferocious looking tiger…!
As the two beasts charged toward the boy, black chains that were summoned from thin air began bolting toward Gerald as well! In no time at all, Gerald was completely bound by the chains! Once the beasts were inches away from him, they stopped in their tracks before releasing ear piercing roars! With how mighty the roars were, they seemed almost capable of piercing through the heavens.
“And here I thought you’d be smart since you’re talented enough to be one of the strongest people in the cultivation realm… As it turned out, you’re pretty stupid to fall right into my formation and die here! Know that the second my dragon and tiger touch you, you’ll be nothing but dust! With that said, why don’t we make a deal?” asked Saint Darkwind once he was sure that Gerald was firmly tied up as he outstretched his hand to ensure that the tiger and dragon would strike the second he ordered them to.
Looking as cool as a cucumber, Gerald simply replied, “Oh? What do you have in mind?”
“You have two choices. The first is that you teach the supreme techniques to me. Following that, I’ll scrape your cultivation off though I’ll let you live. While I’m not a particularly kind man, I’m not as cunning as Ryder! Besides, I have my reasons for enhancing my cultivation. So, what do you think?” asked Saint Darkwind with a smirk.
“Depends on what the second choice is.”
“The second involves you surrendering and working for me! While I won’t scrape your cultivation off, you’ll have to swallow my bone eroding pill so I can prevent you from betraying me! ” explained Saint Darkwind with a smile.
“Sounds good. However, truth be told, I should be the one offering options to you,” scoffed Gerald with a sneer…
Chapter 2419
“Are you not aware that you’re completely in my control? All I have to do is utter a mantra and you’ll
immediately be reduced to dust!” declared Saint Darkwind.
“Feel free to continue thinking so. Regardless, you should know that I’m the actual one in control. If I wanted to, I could penetrate your soul with just a flick of a finger!” replied Gerald as he did just that and seconds later, a golden light flashed and the chains binding the boy were quickly vaporized!
“What?! How could this be possible?!” exclaimed the dumbfounded Saint Darkwind as he gestured for his dragon and tiger to attack.
Upon receiving their order, the dragon leaped and attacked from above whereas the tiger charged straight on…! Gerald himself simply held his breath and focused his mind… When the beasts were seconds away from attacking, the boy raised his arm and after murmuring something, a golden light enveloped his entire body! With that in mind, the second the dragon and tiger came into contact with Gerald, they immediately vanished, leaving Gerald completely unharmed!
Realizing how bad things were looking, Saint Darkwind quickly turned around, hoping to turn into a twister and escape! However, it was also at that moment when he realized that something had gone terribly wrong with his formation.
As he wondered where he had messed up, he heard Gerald sneer before scoffing, “Are you still planning on turning into a twister?”
Following that, Saint Darkwind stared wide eyed as Gerald turned into a twister that quickly enveloped him! Now stuck within the huge vortex, Saint Darkwind was prompted to yell, “This… This is
impossible…! How could you know this technique as well…?!”
It was too late to realize, but Saint Darkwind finally understood that Gerald had earlier sealed his powers! As if that wasn’t already bad enough, the flags holding his formation together were already starting to crumble!
“You’re something else, Gerald…!” wailed the horrified Saint Darkwind as a massive rumbling sound could be heard. The formation was about to shatter….!
Within seconds, Saint Darkwind found himself completely engulfed within his own twister and when he finally opened his eyes again, the man realized that his body had been completely bound by a golden dragon! As for his formation, it had long shattered, leaving only a few destroyed flags behind that fluttered weakly in the wind.
“Like I earlier said, I’m well versed in the art of formations. With that in mind, aren’t you more foolish than Ryder for continuing to attack me even after I told that to you? Regardless, your life is in my hands now. Even the slightest force from me will kill you!” said Gerald in a monotonous tone.
“P-please don’t kill me, Gerald…! I still have important things to achieve…!” begged the terrified Saint Darkwind.
“Elaborate. I can feel that you’re not just here for my supreme heavenly techniques,” replied Gerald as he withdrew his power, causing Saint Darkwind to spurt blood out as he flopped to the ground.
Now looking extremely pale, Saint Darkwind began to explain, “It’s true that I’m not only here for the techniques… Truth be told, I had initially come over to persuade you to join forces with me, however…”
Chapter 2420
“However, when you realized that the Weirs had challenged me to a duel, you changed your plans. Since there was a chance that I wouldn’t agree to join forces with you, you made a formation and had those three draw me over so that you could subdue me. Following that, you were planning to learn the secret techniques from me, correct?” interrupted Gerald.
Nodding in response, Saint Darkwind then sighed before replying, “Truly a sharp one… That’s exactly how l imagined things to be! I thought that my plan was perfect, too. After all, though your cultivation and martial arts were exceptional, there should’ve been no way for you to use your powers within my formation! Never did I imagine that you’d be able to destroy my formation that easily! You truly are a master of formations!”
“Your formation is good, I’ll give you that much. Had it not been for my knowledge of formations and the fact that I had mastered the Velement Method’s Great Transportation, I would’ve surely died to your formation earlier!” said Gerald.
“Alas, it was my mistake for not considering that! Now that everything’s gone wrong, all I can do is die regretfully!” wailed Saint Darkwind.
“Well, I wouldn’t say everything’s gone wrong. For one, you were simply planning to scrape my cultivation off instead of killing me earlier. It’s because of that that you’re still alive, you know? Had you actually attempted to kill me, I’d have let you die in your formation, never to be reborn! That aside, why exactly did you want me to join forces with you?” replied Gerald as he sharpened his gaze, causing Saint Darkwind to momentarily shudder.
After a brief pause, Saint Darkwind replied, “It’s a long story, though I have two main reasons. The first is well, to get stronger, of course. As for the second… You may not believe me, but it’s for the sake of the cultivation realm… I’m sure you already know that after becoming a Domiensch Master, one has to leave a lineage in the secular world. It’s only natural. That aside, when I returned to the secular world a few decades ago, I realized that all my descendants had disappeared. After some digging around, I found that they had all been murdered! Even worse was the fact that they had died from having their bloodline spiritual essence removed!”
‘Bloodline spiritual essence…’
Gerald had read about that from one of the books that Walter had given him. Essentially, bloodline spiritual essence was a special spiritual essence formed when a cultivator acquired a holy body. It could be regarded as Triton qi, or also as the natural ability of descendants upon birth.
A good example of this was the Moldells and the Gunters. Unlike commoners, these cryptic families could cultivate since their descendants were strong cultivators like Ryder, Saint Darkwind, and Lyndon who had all acquired holy bodies. Due to that, they were able to inherit bloodline spiritual essence upon birth. While such descendants could use their bloodline spiritual essence as the foundation for their cultivation, it was still quite rare for such individuals to be able to acquire holy bodies and enter the cultivation realm.
The high elders in Yanam fell under this category. While they had managed to enter the cultivation realm, they weren’t true cultivators since they could only use their essential qi and hadn’t acquired holy bodies. Another example would be the Weir brothers. Though they could use their essential qi and even combine their power to use techniques such as the Thunder Sword, they still weren’t true cultivators.
Whatever the case was, Gerald was then prompted to say, “All of them got wiped out?”
“Indeed… After digging a bit deeper, however, their deaths only became more peculiar! You see, they apparently all died during the pledge of the holy water! Not only that, but their bloodline spiritual essence was apparently snatched by someone!” explained Saint Darkwind.
Upon hearing about the pledge of the holy water, Gerald was immediately reminded of Daryl. Come to think of it, Christopher Moldell who was the descendant of Lyndon Moldell died during the pledge as well, though he was most probably killed by Daryl.
To this very day, Gerald hadn’t really figured out what had truly happened there. After all, any clues seemed to have vanished into thin air, just like Daryl. Feeling slightly bummed, Gerald then shook his head as he muttered, “Really though… What the hell is going on with the pledge of the holy water and the Sun League…”
When he heard that, Saint Darkwind’s eyes widened as he asked in surprise, “You… You know about the Sun League…?”