Chapter 427: Chapter 4: Victory and Defeat, an Unexpected Outcome

"Gold-devouring Insect!"

Lin Chen’s pupils shook, and he thought of a powerful insect clan.

The Gold-devouring Insect, as the name implies, feeds on metal.

It is the nemesis of all metal treasures under heaven...

Even spiritual artifacts made from top-grade ore are no exception.

Because the more metal it consumes, the stronger the Gold-devouring Insect becomes.

When Lin Chen summoned thirty-six flying swords to stab at the Insect Gu Elder, the swarm of Gold-devouring Insects charged out simultaneously.

At a glance, there were at least hundreds of them.

In almost a single breath, twelve flying swords were broken and devoured completely.

Lin Chen frowned slightly and hurriedly recalled his flying swords.

Then he pushed his True Essence to the extreme.

The True Essence, close to the late period of Nascent Soul, suddenly burst forth, attaching to the flying swords.

With True Essence attached, the Gold-devouring Insects could not continue eating the flying swords.

Lin Chen breathed a slight sigh of relief and then summoned the flying swords to stab at the Insect Gu Elder again.

"Heh, I would like to see... how much skill does your Gu insect have?"

Lin Chen controlled twenty-four flying swords and slashed towards the Insect Gu Elder again.

The Insect Gu Elder lifted his eyes, and his figure vanished like a ghost.

But soon, another swarm of silver insects surged towards the flying swords.

Lin Chen frowned slightly; the flying swords were unharmed.

But he quickly frowned again, and his expression changed slightly.

He felt his control over the flying swords rapidly diminishing.

The True Essence attached to his flying swords was also quickly dissipating.

"Is this... Elemental Devouring Insect?"

Lin Chen’s brows knit tightly.

The Elemental Devouring Insect is an even more terrifying Gu insect than the Gold-devouring Insect.

As the name implies, it feeds on True Essence.

An Elemental Devouring Insect combined with a Gold-devouring Insect is simply the nemesis of all sword and blade cultivators under heaven!

It’s not about having no sword in your heart but having no sword in your hand...

For a sword cultivator, having a sword in hand undoubtedly makes one stronger.

But without a sword, the strength of a cultivator is significantly weakened.

Outside the arena, the crowd of onlooking cultivators exclaimed in astonishment.

"As expected of the Insect Gu Elder!"

"These two types of Gu insects were carefully raised for at least a hundred years! Otherwise, how could they have such power?"

"So strong! With such strength, the position of the Zongzheng Island Master is assured!"

"Look, the Nascent Soul Cultivator invited by the Fufeng Clan is being suppressed..."

Lin Chen did not care about the distant noise.

In his eyes, there was only the Insect Gu Elder before him.

Indeed, this Insect Gu Elder’s power somewhat restrained him...

"But, relying on this alone isn’t enough..."

"Since the flying swords are useless, then a close combat it is..."

Lin Chen called out thirty-six flying swords, but only a dozen were still usable, the rest had been damaged.

Then, Lin Chen drew a long blade, gripping it in his hand.

This was not the Demon-slaying Blade, but a common lower-grade spiritual artifact.

If the Demon-slaying Blade were damaged in battle, it would be a huge loss.

Lin Chen’s True Essence attached itself to this long blade, and then his figure flashed as he charged at the Insect Gu Elder.

His terrifying speed turned Lin Chen into a fleeting shadow.

The Insect Gu Elder’s pupils contracted instantly, such speed—he barely saw it!

The next second, countless insects behind the Insect Gu Elder surged towards Lin Chen, as if to swallow him whole.

Hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands...

The dense swarm of Gu insects almost formed a huge black sphere in the air.

Lin Chen was then engulfed within this black sphere.

In the position of the Xiahou Clan, Xiahou Ting’s heart skipped a beat upon seeing this insect black sphere.

"Elemental Devouring Insects, Poison Heart Insects, Feathered Fire Insects..."

"At least dozens of high-tier Gu insects! Can someone in the late period of Nascent Soul survive this move?"

Xiahou Ting felt a sense of relief, thankful that the Insect Gu Elder had not chosen him.

Otherwise, this swarm of Gu insects could probably defeat him...

"Clan Leader, after this battle, we should extend a friendly gesture to the Zongzheng Race..." Xiahou Ting whispered.

The Xiahou Clan Leader nodded upon hearing this, silently consenting to the matter.

Outside the arena, tens of thousands of cultivators watched this scene with wide eyes—a duel between Nascent Soul Cultivators is not an opportunity they encounter every day.

They were all curious if Lin Chen had really been torn to shreds by these Gu insects.

Only the Insect Gu Elder furrowed his brows.

He was famous for his control over Gu insects, understanding them intimately.

But right now, within the swarm, he could not sense Lin Chen’s presence.

"Where did he go?" The Insect Gu Elder knitted his brows tightly.

But in the next second, a sudden fear struck his heart, and he quickly retreated a hundred zhang.

"So close..." The Insect Gu Elder let out a sigh of relief, thankful his life-bound Gu insect had warned him—otherwise he would have lost...

Defeated!

At this moment, a flying sword hovered at the Insect Gu Elder’s throat.

Lin Chen slowly opened his mouth, emphasizing each word:

"Taoist Friend, I have won!"

The Insect Gu Elder was stunned for a moment; he had no doubt that if he didn’t admit defeat, Lin Chen would thrust his blade through his throat.

"I... I lost..."

The Insect Gu Elder lowered his head, his expression somewhat bitter.

Lin Chen put away his long blade and turned to jump off the arena.

Behind, came the voice of the Insect Gu Elder.

"Taoist... Friend, how did you manage that just now?"

Lin Chen shook his head without explanation.

He only returned to True Man Fufeng and took a few pills and nutritional fluids.

"Impressive effort, Taoist Friend Lin." True Man Fufeng showed his surprise.

It seemed he expected Lin Chen might win, but not so decisively, so swiftly!

Lin Chen didn’t speak, just closed his eyes to rest.

That moment just now seemed effortless, but it cost him greatly!

After the Insect Gu Elder unleashed the Gu Insect army, Lin Chen immediately released Gathering Qi and Dispersing Form, disappearing from where he stood.

After using Gathering Qi and Dispersing Form, Lin Chen appeared beside the Insect Gu Elder, ready to strike with a blade.

Unexpectedly, the Insect Gu Elder seemed to foresee the danger and dodged away.

Seeing this, Lin Chen guessed that the Insect Gu Elder had a Gu Insect that could predict danger.

Moreover, the Insect Gu Elder’s mysterious methods forced Lin Chen to opt for a swift battle resolution.

So, Time Freeze reappeared!

A year had passed, and Lin Chen was clearly no longer as embarrassed as before when using it.

Although half of his stamina was drained in an instant, Lin Chen retained his combat strength and defeated the Insect Gu Elder.

In the distance, the leader of the Situ Clan frowned slightly and asked in a low voice:

"Brother, did you see it clearly?"

Situ Wuji shook his head, his gaze heavy.

In that moment just now, he didn’t even know what had happened; he only sensed the fluctuation of two techniques.

All the cultivators present, including the spectators, were bewildered.

They originally thought it would be a battle that would shake the heavens and the earth, even believing for a moment that Lin Chen would lose.

But they didn’t expect the outcome to reverse in an instant, nor did they expect the entire battle to last less than a quarter-hour.

Soon, Patriarch Situ stood up and announced:

"In this battle, the Fufeng Clan wins!"

Upon hearing this, the disciples of the Fufeng Clan behind Lin Chen were all elated.

Winning this battle meant securing the foundation and prosperity for the next fifty years!

Lin Chen also smiled slightly upon hearing this.

"Insect Gu Elder, would you like to forfeit the arena match?"

At this point, Patriarch Situ asked.

According to the rules, the Insect Gu Elder could still challenge the Situ Clan or the Xiahou Family.

Winning against any of the three would suffice.

The Insect Gu Elder shook his head and said, "I will continue, and challenge the representative of the Xiahou Clan..."

Although he lost to Lin Chen earlier, Lin Chen had held back, not injuring the Insect Gu Elder.

Moreover, the fight lasted less than a quarter-hour, and the Insect Gu Elder was still in good condition.

Therefore, after a brief one two-hour rest.

The second arena battle began.

In this battle, naturally, it was the Insect Gu Elder versus Xiahou Ting.

The two engaged in over a thousand rounds of techniques, battling for a full two hours.

Before a victor was finally decided.

The winner was the Insect Gu Elder!

Lin Chen was not surprised by this outcome.

Xiahou Ting’s strength lay in the True Essence of the Nascent Soul Late Period, coupled with the powerful techniques brought by the Thunder Spirit Root.

Thunder Spirit Root, more potent in attack than Fire Spirit Root, is, strictly speaking, a type of Anomalous Spirit Root.

But unfortunately, he encountered the Insect Gu Elder’s Elemental Devouring Insect.

In the end, hundreds of Elemental Devouring Insects were exhausted, and the Insect Gu Elder fought hard to defeat Xiahou Ting with a slight advantage.

This means that the Zongzheng Clan will take control of Xiahou Island.

In the next fifty years, Xiahou Island will be renamed Zongzheng Island.

The entire landscape of the Meteor Islands underwent a significant change.

No one saw this ending coming.

The Fufeng Clan retained the position of Island Master, and the Zongzheng Clan also successfully rose.

Originally ranked second, the Xiahou Clan, who sat securely at the fishing platform, was pulled down from their position.

Of course, their hope of reclaiming the title of Island Master lies only in defeating Situ Wuji.

But that is obviously impossible.

Situ Wuji, at Nascent Soul Perfection.

He is the foremost cultivator in the Meteor Islands, ranking within the top ten among the strong in the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.

The Xiahou Clan lacked the courage to challenge.

...

After the arena, a banquet was held for the Four Great Clans.

Led by the Situ Clan, the handover ceremony of Xiahou Island’s management rights was completed.

At the same time, other forces from the entire Meteor Islands, and even the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, sent people to celebrate the new Island Master.

Lin Chen had no interest in the banquet, but as a representative of the Fufeng Clan, he naturally had to attend.

At the banquet, Lin Chen sat beside True Man Fufeng, drinking alone.

A figure stopped in front of Lin Chen.

Lin Chen looked up and saw Situ Wuji.

Situ Wuji approached and raised his wine cup:

"Taoist Friend, you are strong, I hope there will be an opportunity to spar and exchange in the future..."

Lin Chen smiled upon hearing this; he had heard that Situ Wuji was a cultivator fond of dueling techniques. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

But he was a very polite person, not someone reckless, only seeking the Great Path.

So, Lin Chen nodded and said:

"Sure, there will be opportunities in the future..."

Lin Chen also clinked his cup from afar and drank the wine in one gulp.

After the banquet, the disciples of the Fufeng Clan returned to Fufeng Island triumphantly.

Some days later, True Man Fufeng personally visited Grey Stone Island.

True Man Fufeng smiled and asked:

"Taoist Friend Lin, what are your plans for the future?"

Lin Chen shook his head and said, "I should practice in the Meteor Islands for a while longer."

Hearing this, True Man Fufeng’s eyes lit up, and he said:

"Would you be willing to become a Guest Minister of Fufeng Island? You can continue to practice on Grey Stone Island, with nothing else required..."

"Every year, I will give Taoist Friend a salary of one million Spirit Stones!"

Hearing this, Lin Chen was quite moved.

The Spiritual Energy on Grey Stone Island is abundant and tranquil, just suitable for his cultivation.

The annual price of one million Spirit Stones was indeed quite high, equivalent to being offered for free.

Thinking of this, Lin Chen nodded with a smile and said:

"Then, I will rely on Taoist Friend Fufeng’s care from now on..."