Martial Arts Overlord - Chapter 47

Chapter 47: Apocalypse Order

Begonia Manor.

Ning Qiancheng stared intently at Ning Xiaochuan, a look of admiration on his face as he said, “That’s not bad. Although you can’t cultivate Combat Qi, you aren’t bringing shame to Marquis Jiange’s Residence either. You somewhat resemble my younger brother all those years ago.”

Ning Xiaochuan instantly knew who this man before him was; it was the Second Uncle he had never seen before.

The legend of Marquis Jiange’s Residence.

Ning Xiaochuan tentatively asked, “Wasn’t Second Uncle leading an army on the outside, why have you suddenly returned?”

Ning Qiancheng replied, “It’s been ten years! I figured it was time for me to come back and take a look at things! This time, I’ve invited quite a strong Heart-nourishing Master from the Tianji Dynasty, he should be able to completely cure your inborn fetal disease.”

Ning Xiaochuan actually wanted to tell Ning Qiancheng that his fetal disease had already been completely cured but Ning Xiaochuan was also wary towards strangers. After all, this was his first time meeting Ning Qiancheng and he knew nothing about the man.

Revealing his secrets to a person he just met for the first time would be rather stupid of him.

Ning Xiaochuan continued hiding the Combat Qi within his body and said, “Where is this Heart-nourishing Master now?”

“He’s on the way here. Both of us will be returning to the Imperial City in two months” replied Ning Qiancheng.

“In…two months?” Ning Xiaochuan stared intently at the Ning Qiancheng before him.

“What you’re seeing now is merely my Astral Combat Body. The image will be maintained for three days before it disappears. I want to return to Marquis Jiange’s Residence for a bit, would you be willing to return there with me?” asked Ning Qiancheng.

Ning Xiaochuan shook his head and replied, “I can’t cultivate Combat Qi so why go back? Even if I do return there, I’ll probably do so after I’ve cured my fetal disease and have attained Greater Achievement with martial arts.”

“Haha! That’s some integrity.”

Ning Qiancheng did not say anything more before he disappeared from outside Begonia Manor as soon as his body moved. The next moment, he had entered the Imperial City and was standing on one of the bustling and lively streets.

He could only maintain his Astral Combat Body for three days and had spent two of those days on the road, so he did not have much time left.

Ning Qiancheng had projected his Astral Combat Image in a hurry to rush back as he wanted to discuss an important matter with the Old Marquis. He had merely intercepted the Cloud Marquis from breaking into Begonia Manor because he was passing by.

Ning Xiaochuan looked at the broken gate in front of him and breathed a long sigh. “How much will fixing this cost me? Hey, you. Yes, you, go to the barracks in the Southern Mountain Cluster and get that general of theirs to send me money to fix this gate. Otherwise, I’ll visit them for the money myself.”

Ning Xiaochuan crossed his arms and walked into Begonia Manor. Just as he entered Purple Cloud Yard, he saw Official Tian sitting by the pond. Official Tian sat at a table as he nursed some tea in a bronze cup.

He was dressed in black robes and was also wrapped up in wisps of black Qi that escaped from his body.

“You seem quite relaxed. Do you know that Begonia Manor was almost razed to the ground just now because of you?” asked Ning Xiaochuan.

Official Tian put one of his legs over the other and watched the fish in the pond. He held his cup of tea in his hand as he said, “Of course I do, even Yue Wuyang came over!”

Ning Xiaochuan said, “Since you know Yue Wuyang came over then you should also know he’ll return any time he wants. Now’s the best time for you to leave.”

Official Tian shook his head and replied, “I can’t leave because this place is the best place to seek refuge. Yue Wuyang has always been careful and cautious. He has definitely arranged for some powerhouses to monitor Begonia Manor. Once I take a step out of this place, I’ll be throwing myself right into his trap.”

Ning Xiaochuan had never seen such a thick-skinned person. He no longer paid him any attention and instead sat cross-legged below the Blood-toad Tree to start impacting his final Hidden Vessel.

After meeting Yue Wuyang and Ning Qiancheng, who both had super strong Cultivations, Ning Xiaochuan was deeply aware of just how lacking his own body was. He could not even begin to compare himself to Yue Wuyang since he was still leagues below Yue Wuyang’s disciple, Ji Hanxing.

Ning Xiaochuan only had his final Hidden Vessel left so once he opened it up, he would be entering the Divine Body Realm.

Once he entered the Divine Body Realm, things would be entirely different. Ning Xiaochuan’s body would transcend worldliness and the material world. Additionally, he would also gain divinity and nurture Divine Martial Art, thus gaining power beyond his wildest imagination.

Entering this realm meant he would no longer be pitting himself against other people using his fists and feet. It would become a battle of Divine Martial Arts instead.

This final Hidden Vessel looped from his Combat Atrium to his cerebral cortex, where it made one complete circulation around his brain before returning to his Combat Atrium.

Although this Hidden Vessel was the shortest, Ning Xiaochuan had never dared to carelessly open it up. The most vulnerable part of a person was their brain, which could not tolerate even the slightest damage. Once the brain was injured, it could lead to cerebral palsy or in the worst case, death.

‘Could the Qi be going directly to my brain to develop my intelligence? Or is it related to my soul?’

Ning Xiaochuan did not dwell on this matter for long. He began condensing his Combat Qi and started carefully impacting the final Hidden Vessel.

Official Tian stared intently at Ning Xiaochuan, who was sitting cross-legged below the Blood-toad Tree, from his seat a short distance away. His green eyes reflected with surprise. ‘He actually has a Hidden Vessel that passes through the brain. That’s such a rare thing and if he does successfully break through it, this fellow’s intelligence will rise to another level. How interesting.’

Each martial artist had different Hidden Vessels and these vessels usually only passed through a small part of their body. Some had their Hidden Vessels in the abdominal cavity, some had theirs in their arms but rarely anyone had a Hidden Vessel passing through their brain.

Usually, the longer the Hidden Vessels inside a martial artist’s body, the more potential they had.

In the same vein, the more profound the Hidden Vessels inside a martial artist’s body, the more profound their body as well.

If Official Tian were to find out that Ning Xiaochuan’s other two Hidden Vessels went into his four limbs as well as his five viscera and six bowels, his surprise would be amplified.

After all, these two Hidden Vessels completely covered almost his entire body. Any martial artist with Hidden Vessels like these would possess unlimited potential.

For three days in a row, Ning Xiaochuan had been trying to open up this final Hidden Vessel.

Although this Hidden Vessel was the shortest one, it was also the most complicated one and he needed to advance carefully.

After spending three entire days, Ning Xiaochuan had finally opened up this final Hidden Vessel of his to its final section.

He was merely one step away from completely opening this Hidden Vessel.

Wisps of Qi surrounded Ning Xiaochuan’s body, entirely enveloping him.

“Break!” He said out loud.

“Boom!”

The final Hidden Vessel was finally opened up and Combat Qi surged out of his Combat Atrium and into the Hidden Vessel, which went towards his cerebral cortex.

This Hidden Vessel would then morph into even tinier vessels, becoming like thousands of rivers that were rushing into the cerebral cortex. Ning Xiaochuan’s brain cells would then be activated and his thinking speed would run faster than usual.

The Qi would rush back to his Combat Atrium after that and the cycle would be complete.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!”

Ning Xiaochuan’s body was starting to change and the sound of explosions went off continuously. His blood vessels, bones, five viscera, and his spirit and marrow were all whistling thunderously as rays of light emitted from his body.

Light and electricity emitted from inside of his body to the outside.

Official Tian, who was still by the pond, was once again taken by surprise. He stared intently at Ning Xiaochuan. ‘Cultivating a Divine Body isn’t easy, yet his body is emitting thunder and lightning. Could this be the Astronomical Divine Body?’

Official Tian knew it was a crucial moment for Ning Xiaochuan’s breakthrough so he did not disturb Ning Xiaochuan.

The Qi within heaven and earth was rapidly flowing into Ning Xiaochuan’s body. The naked eye could clearly see wisps of Qi flow towards him before they disappeared into his pores because he had absorbed them.

The Devil Sword inside Ning Xiaochuan’s heart was frantically absorbing Qi and Blood Qi. The source of the Blood Qi was the Blood-toad Tree Ning Xiaochuan was currently sitting under.

The Blood Qi from the Blood-toad Tree was rapidly flowing into Ning Xiaochuan’s body and its bark was starting to wither.

The Devil Sword in his heart spun around in place and the blood vessels running along the body of the sword became clearer before it released a strong force of attraction.

Ning Xiaochuan felt the Devil Sword pulling at his soul so that it was as close as possible to his heart.

Ning Xiaochuan stood before the Devil Sword and felt that his body was extremely small, like a grain of sand. The Devil Sword, on the other hand, was vast and boundless, like a blood-red mountain with its peak in the clouds.

“Who are you? Why are you hiding in my heart?”

Ning Xiaochuan felt that the Devil Sword was not just a sword. It resembled a human, and a human with intelligence at that too.

Suddenly, the silhouette of a woman appeared on the body of the sword!

This woman carried a mysterious and unfathomable air. Her long hair flowed freely, her skin was like jade, and she was as beautiful as a goddess. She looked like she belonged in a painting and made people feel the desire to kneel before her in worship.

Ning Xiaochuan never expected for someone to appear and took two steps back before he said, “Who the hell are you? Why are you in the sword?”

The woman’s temperament did not resemble a goddess, but rather a sorceress with overflowing wickedness. She said, “The third successor of the Apocalypse Order, Sui Hanyu.”

“The Apocalypse Order!”

Once Ning Xiaochuan heard this name, he felt his heart shudder violently. Images of mountains of bodies, of seas of blood, and of stars falling appeared in his mind. “Why are you sealed away in the sword?”

Sui Hanyu did not answer Ning Xiaochuan’s question and instead said, “There’s a wisp of the Apocalypse Sword’s Sword Qi in your body. That means the Apocalypse Sword has chosen you as the fourth successor. The Apocalypse Sword brought you here but we can only communicate briefly. Once your Cultivation reaches a certain strength, the Apocalypse Sword’s Sword Qi will naturally bring you to me. When that happens, all the questions you have will be answered.”

“Bang!”

The scene before Ning Xiaochuan had completely shattered.

Ning Xiaochuan felt like he had something extra in his mind; there were some strange inscriptions that formed the word “sword1”.

‘So it turns out the Devil Sword in my heart is actually just the convergence of the Apocalypse Sword’s Sword Qi. If its Sword Qi was already so strong, how much more powerful would the actual Apocalypse Sword be?’

Ning Xiaochuan closed his eyes to study the “sword” when he suddenly opened his eyes again and exclaimed, “Sword!”

A blood-red greatsword that reeked with devilish energy and surged with Sword Qi flew out of his chest before it slashed at Official Tian.

The presence of the sword was suffocating and made people feel like it was completely deadly.

Logically speaking, Official Tian’s Cultivation was that of a martial artist that had just achieved Divine Body Realm, which meant the sword was no threat to him.

However, Official Tian was startled when the Sword Qi rushed towards him because it felt like an otherworldly being was about to slash him with a sword.