Chapter 261: Chapter 260: Secret Treasure: Nether Celestial Pearl

In the sky, the smoke of battle dissipated, and a crimson glow stained half the heavens red.

"Good, it’s finally over."

Meng Tianxuan was panting heavily, his eyes webbed with blood. He waved away the lingering smoke and reappeared before everyone.

After four rounds of bombardment, he was in a wretched state. Half his face was a bloody pulp, his robes were shredded, and he even seemed to be losing his mind.

His head was ringing, and he was plagued by auditory hallucinations.

"I still survived in the end..."

Meng Tianxuan muttered, looking up at the sky. He suddenly noticed something dazzling in the firmament and, subconsciously mistaking it for an attack, violently threw up a hand to counter with Star Force.

"Still trying to ambush me?!"

In a daze, Meng Tianxuan manipulated his Star Force and struck out instinctively.

BOOM! BOOM!

The next moment, a beam of Star Force shot back into the sky, flying toward the boundless expanse above...

But soon, after striking, he realized...

...that it wasn’t one of the Heaven-Blasting Gang’s self-destruction techniques.

"Hahaha, it was just the sun... They’re dead... They’re all dead!"

Meng Tianxuan roared, the wind whipping his hair and beard about. Clutching his forehead, he began to lose his grip on sanity. The veins in his eyes bulged as he bellowed at the heavens and the earth.

"My Divine Techniques are boundless! What can you possibly do to me?! Even the Heaven-Blasting Gang’s self-destruction is useless!"

His thunderous voice rolled across the horizon, echoing through the skies of Jianghai City.

’Oh no, this old geezer’s actually lost his mind.’

Across from him, Qin Yang saw the display and couldn’t hold back a grin, finding it all quite amusing.

’He’s not broken already, is he?’

’And we’re just getting started.’

’There’s something much bigger on the way!’

’Meng Tianxuan is already falling apart, and this is just the beginning?’

’The system’s reward hasn’t even been triggered yet!’

The citizens of Jianghai City watching the battle felt an immense sense of satisfaction at this scene. They began to whisper amongst themselves, discussing the situation above.

"Has he been blasted out of his mind? Something’s seriously wrong with him!"

"So this is all the so-called Venerable Alliance Leader is capable of?"

"Awesome! He took four rounds of self-destruction from Earth Venerable Realm experts head-on. Even if he’s not dead, he must be half-crippled!"

"Serves him right! The Heaven-Blasting Gang didn’t do anything to him; he just had to pick a fight!"

The chatter was incessant. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

"The Alliance Leader’s condition is... rather pathetic."

On a flat-roofed building not far away, Liu Wushuang had recovered from her sorrow. Gazing up at Meng Tianxuan, she too felt a fierce sense of vindication.

In fact, this was the first time she had ever seen the Venerable Alliance Leader in such a pathetic state.

His dignified image of the past was shattered, replaced by hysterical madness.

’From this day forward, everyone will see you for who you truly are.’

Liu Wushuang stood at the edge of the rooftop, noticing citizens taking photos with their phones. Countless livestreams were broadcasting the footage of Meng Tianxuan’s humiliation. From this moment on, it wasn’t just her opinion of him that was changing.

The entire Star Martial Realm would be shaken!

Every Star Martial Artist who knew of the Venerable Alliance would now understand their ugly nature. For all the hustle and bustle, the so-called Human Guardian Alliance was nothing more than an organization driven by profit.

...

Meanwhile, in a dark alley on the city’s outskirts, far from the apartment complex, lay the bodies of several Star Police officers.

Their bodies were shriveled and wrinkled, completely drained of blood. The horrific expressions on their faces suggested they had suffered extreme torture before death.

They had not died in peace...

A black-robed figure stood beside the corpses, shrouded in a thick mist. Suddenly sensing something, they looked toward the apartment complex, a cold sneer on their lips.

"That was the third explosion."

The Nine Celestial Venerables’ expression was grim, showing no hint of emotion as he muttered to himself.

"The Heaven-Blasting Gang... Truly insane. No wonder they were able to take down two of my Beast God Sect’s top generals in a row."

He had used the commotion to sneak in and had been lying low for days.

He never expected to stumble upon such a spectacular show!

The Nine Celestial Venerables closed his eyes for a moment, releasing his Spiritual Power to sense the surrounding commotion. He soon picked up the voices of the citizens.

Without exception, every citizen in the vast Jianghai City was cursing the Venerable Alliance Leader, their insults mixed with cheers for his miserable plight.

The irony was palpable.

From this day on, his reputation would be utterly ruined.

"Excellent. Simply excellent!"

The smile on the Nine Celestial Venerables’ lips widened. He slowly left the alley, waving his hand with satisfaction.

The next moment, a dense black fog swept through the alley, dissolving flesh and blood. The corpses on the ground evaporated, vanishing from the world without a trace.

’Meng Tianxuan, I never thought you’d see a day like this.’

’After this, the Venerable Alliance’s prestige is sure to plummet. You deserve it, you reckless fool!’

...

High above, the smoke was slowly dissipating. After the self-destruction of Ye Wuque and the others, only three sect elders remained.

They were also Qin Yang’s last three "self-destruction cards."

With white hair but youthful faces, one holding a sword and another a staff, they were clearly older. Their indifferent gazes swept over Meng Tianxuan, betraying no emotion.

They seemed to have no reaction to the deaths of Lin Dong and the others.

Their tranquil demeanor once again drew gasps of admiration from the citizens, further improving their impression of the Heaven-Blasting Gang.

"Senior Uncles, shall we go all at once?"

Qin Yang cupped his hands in salute and said respectfully, "Senior Uncle Ye Fan and the others have already ascended. Now, only you elders remain..."

"Heh, from now on, the sect will have to rely on you," one of the sword-wielding Heaven-Blasting Gang members said with a smile. "With your talent, you will surely break through to the Celestial Venerable Realm one day. Even if we can’t kill him with our explosions today, you can still avenge us... The future... is in your hands, kid."

"This junior, Qin Yang, will follow the sect’s teachings to the letter."

Qin Yang cupped his hands again, playing his part to the very end. "I will not fail my mission!"

As soon as he spoke, Meng Tianxuan’s expression, listening from across the way, turned incredibly grim.

’Let Qin Yang avenge them?’

’These Heaven-Blasting Gang members are sacrificing everything just to protect this junior. It just goes to show how extraordinary his talent must be!’

’To reach the Venerable Realm at such a young age...’

’This boy must not be allowed to live!’

Meng Tianxuan’s face contorted, saliva dribbling from his lips as he glared viciously at Qin Yang. "After your elders are dead, I will annihilate this Heaven-Blasting Gang!

I’ll hunt down every last one of them and slaughter them all!"

With that, he crooked a finger at the three remaining Heaven-Blasting Gang members, taunting them.

"Just the three of you left. Hurry up and come here! I, the Alliance Leader, will put an end to this right now!"

"Fine, we’ll give you what you want!"

The three remaining Heaven-Blasting Gang members nodded at his words, activating their Artifact Refining Spirit Weapons—including a Profound Staff—and charged directly toward Meng Tianxuan.

In an instant, Star Force surged!

The three figures converged, attacking Meng Tianxuan’s vital points from different angles!

"Well come! A pack of ants!"

Meng Tianxuan laughed arrogantly, a sly, triumphant smirk on his face. With a flip of his hand, he produced a round Celestial Pearl covered in cryptic patterns.

"Just the three of you Venerables left! Perfect, I’ll take care of you all at once!"

The instant he produced the pearl, the Laws of the surrounding space trembled, immediately catching Qin Yang’s attention.

’This is...’

Watching from a distance, Qin Yang’s brow furrowed. He immediately sensed that something was wrong.

As Meng Tianxuan revealed the Nether Celestial Pearl, the surrounding space began to twist and warp terrifyingly. ’And all this is being caused by a single small pearl?’

’He still has another trump card?’

Qin Yang mused, carefully observing Meng Tianxuan’s actions.

’This isn’t simple.’

’I have to be careful.’

"This Nether Celestial Pearl is a Secret Treasure that I went to great trouble to obtain! It’s the perfect tool to use on you. Consider it an honor for your Heaven-Blasting Gang!"

Meng Tianxuan let out a vicious laugh and extended his index finger. The next moment, the Nether Celestial Pearl was circling his fingertip, slowly drifting toward the approaching Heaven-Blasting Gang members.

WHOOSH!

The Nether Celestial Pearl instantly shot from his grasp.

Halfway to its target, the patterns on the round pearl’s surface bloomed with a purple light, and then it simply dissolved into the air.

A thick fog began to spread.

It sealed the space, and a primordial aura radiated outwards, like ten thousand voices chanting scriptures, disturbing the mind.

"The Power of Laws?"

The three remaining Heaven-Blasting Gang members didn’t dare be careless and immediately tried to retreat from the Secret Treasure’s range.

But it was too late!

The Nether Celestial Pearl enveloped them in an instant. All they could see was the spreading fog, and Meng Tianxuan’s figure suddenly shot up by tens of thousands of meters, far surpassing his previous Celestial Venerable Dharma Body.

"Did he just get bigger?"

The three from the Heaven-Blasting Gang were stunned. Looking up at the towering Meng Tianxuan above them, they felt like insignificant ants.

Forget trying to move; they couldn’t even leap out of this space!

It was as if they had fallen right into the palm of Meng Tianxuan’s hand.

Meanwhile, from an outsider’s perspective, things looked very different. It wasn’t that Meng Tianxuan had grown larger, but that the three remaining members of the Heaven-Blasting Gang had shrunk. The moment they charged, they were sucked directly into the Nether Celestial Pearl!

"How do you like that, gentlemen?"

Meng Tianxuan chuckled coldly, pinching the Nether Celestial Pearl between his thumb and forefinger as he examined the three figures trapped inside.

"This Secret Treasure is connected to an Ancient Array. Inside is a miniature world, not something the likes of you can break out of."

"The one who knew Arrays, Mu Xuan, is already dead. You have no one left who can break this Secret Treasure... I, the Alliance Leader, was waiting for this very moment!

Surrender obediently! Don’t waste your energy!"

However, the moment his voice fell...

RUMBLE—

...a violent commotion erupted from within the Nether Celestial Pearl!

The three trapped members of the Heaven-Blasting Gang remained calm. They had not given up and were continuously trying to break free.

Flashes of sword light and shadows of the staff bombarded the inner walls of the Nether Celestial Pearl, creating thunderous impacts that, on the outside, sounded like nothing more than faint rustles.

It was all in vain.

’It’s no use... He even brought out a Secret Treasure like this?’

In the distance, Qin Yang frowned, looking at the Nether Celestial Pearl in Meng Tianxuan’s hand with some surprise.

Thanks to his *True Understanding of Refining*, he could naturally tell that this Secret Treasure was extraordinary.

He thought to himself quickly.

’A Secret Treasure capable of trapping a Venerable Realm expert would be incredibly precious anywhere. The Venerable Alliance Leader must have gone to great lengths to get his hands on it!’

’Luckily, the ones he trapped are just my Clones.’

’If my real body had been caught, the consequences would be unthinkable. I’d truly be at the Venerable Alliance Leader’s mercy!’

’I have to destroy it... What am I waiting for, Christmas?!’