Atlas of Heaven and Man.

Chapter 1451 Breaking the Shadow and Guarding the Heart

The effect of the spell used by Pi Lingzi this time is that if the enemy uses two or more methods to target him within a certain period of time, only one method will be effective against him.

Therefore, he continued to fight against the two major styles, so no matter how Chen Chuan attacked afterward, it would have no effect on him.

However, this secret technique is not easy to use. The prerequisite is that the "Divine Follower Technique" must have been successfully performed once, and there must be a ritual with guardians set up in the perimeter beforehand to ensure that it can only be used against one enemy. Otherwise, it is very easy to be interfered with.

It can be said that it can only be used under specific conditions and circumstances.

However, all the secret techniques of his Duanchen Sect are like this; they require thorough preparation beforehand to unleash their various miraculous effects. Sometimes, one technique leads to another, with the previous one often serving as the basis for the next.

Furthermore, he believed that the timing of releasing this technique was also appropriate. The duration of the simulated body was definitely limited, and generally, once the attack began, it would not stop. However, Chen Chuan stopped, and not only that, he also withdrew both of the major techniques.

This move effectively broke his secret technique. Now that the avatar was attacking him alone, he could no longer ignore it as he had before.

Chen Chuan's attack paused for a moment, giving him a slight respite. Although it was just a simulated body, its speed was too fast. If it weren't for the divine thought that could be activated instantly, his reaction would not have been able to keep up with the opponent's attack rhythm at all.

At that moment, a bright light appeared behind him, and on it was a figure that looked exactly like him. The avatar punched out, but the figure behind him shattered, while he himself was completely unharmed.

Upon seeing this, Chen Chuan's eyes flickered. Was this An Shijun's "Mirror Moon Over the Sky" technique?

However, he immediately noticed something different. This technique was similar in form but not in spirit; at most, it was just an imitation. Moreover, when An Shijun activated it, there were countless mirror images, unlike what he saw before him, which could only withstand a few punches at most.

His judgment was correct. An Shijun's secret technique required the presence of his aura to be used. Bi Lingzi's "Mirror Image" technique was at most an imitation, and it required a special object to be prepared in advance to be used. Each attack would consume a portion of it, and once it was exhausted, the technique could no longer be used.

The emulated body punched several times, and the image in the mirror appeared repeatedly, only to be shattered again and again, soon on the verge of disappearing.

Chen Chuan focused intently on the battle ahead. Pi Lingzi mostly maintained a defensive posture, his attacks posing almost no threat. The opponent should understand that he couldn't win with just this, and even a single mistake could lead to defeat.

Tactically speaking, this is very unwise, unless there is some way to turn the tide, is it a ritual? Or some other means?
He couldn't figure it out yet, but it was very likely related to the ritual. However, no matter what it did, as long as he defeated it in the shortest time and with the fewest means, then everything would be fine.

After the previous attacks and probing, he had a pretty good understanding of the situation here.

In particular, the two major expansions outwards did not cause any special targeting of the ritual space, even when they reached the limits of the airspace. Therefore, the restrictions on both sides were the same as those seen earlier. As long as these were not touched, there would be no hindrance.

The opponent's secret techniques mostly involved using ritual space and some artifacts, which seemed extremely strange and extraordinary. It seemed that they could not be broken through by brute force alone. However, in his opinion, it was just that his strength was not great enough.

His gaze was fixed on the distance ahead. With a thought, wisps of purple energy began to surge rapidly within his body, and an invisible aura emanated from him, causing the surrounding atmosphere to tremble slightly.

Pi Lingzi was silently calculating. He had prepared nine countermeasures for this battle, and had already used six of them. If he could withstand the remaining three, the Nine Stabbing Technique would be activated, and he would have won this gamble.
At this moment, the wondrous object was exhausted, and the Mirror Image Technique finally couldn't hold on any longer and disappeared.

He was in high spirits and ready to receive the next attack. At this moment, he made a hand seal and turned his body to the left. In the process of turning, another figure appeared under his feet, but turned to the right.

This is called "True Form Mirror," which reflects a wisp of divine energy into the ritual, while the external body is like a reflection in a lake. No matter how the enemy attacks, as long as the true form in the ritual does not dissipate, the image will remain intact.

Although this technique can only last for a breath at most, he estimated that Chen Chuan's emulation, which embodies such strong power, must not last long. It should be about time by then. As long as he can survive this attack and endure the remaining two, he can get through this ordeal.

Chen Chuan stood motionless on the rock, watching the avatar throw another punch at Pi Lingzi.

At that very moment, a huge phantom of the spirit appeared behind him, bursting outward with a strong and dazzling light. At the same time, the spiritual impact and powerful force field combined to expand outward in a spherical shape.

The light instantly filled the area defined by the white smoke, and the entire airspace trembled the moment it struck the edge of the field.

Upon sensing this, Pi Lingzi's expression suddenly changed. Although Chen Chuan's attack could not break the secret ritual, it had caused great turbulence to the ritual.

His secret arts require relative stability when they are connected with the ritual, and this interference immediately made it difficult to maintain, which was exactly what hit him where it hurt.

Just then, the avatar attack came.

He immediately realized that things were not going well. For the Nine-Stab Technique to be successfully executed, the enemy had to make a move, and he had to respond with a move. Now that the technique was difficult to use, if he were to make another move, there would be no chance of successfully using it.

The key point is that at this moment, even if he wanted to change his move, it would be too late. Chen Chuan's attack looked like he was just exerting force, but it was still based on strategy. If he had shown the power to shake the ritual from the start, he would have been on guard and there would have been no way to avoid it. But now... As his thoughts turned to this, everything suddenly went black before his eyes. With a bang, his entire body exploded under the impact of the simulated body and was instantly annihilated by the spiritual fire that followed.

But the next moment, his previously dissipated divine energy seemed to be born from nothingness, and his figure quickly gathered again.

This is the "Resurrection Technique," a self-preservation secret technique of the Duanchen Sect. If one is killed by an enemy, the Wujie Spirit Body will activate it on its own after sensing that there are no other opportunities.

This technique requires a very rare and precious material. Even a sect like Dongxuan Temple only possesses one such material. In other words, this is his only chance.

This was a technique he had planned to save for later, but it was forced out prematurely by the attack of the simulated body. At this point, the Nine-Stab Technique had actually been broken.

Not only that, but the condensed figure had barely appeared and hadn't even had a chance to do anything when it was shattered once again. The remaining energy that filled the sky vanished in the bright light of the Great Bright Radiance.

Most of his divine form was completely shattered. The only wisp of divine energy he had preserved using the "Transfer of Concealment Technique" was inevitably revealed at this moment. Before it could be reconstituted and restored, it was illuminated by the omnipresent and vast light, and it vanished along with the last stone it was clinging to.

Three breaths passed, and the time limit for the power of the simulacrum had expired. Its power quickly dissipated and then dissipated into a wisp of smoke.

The dazzling light surrounding Chen Chuan still filled the entire airspace, while the area in front of him was already empty.

After waiting for a while, he looked ahead and saw Pi Lingzi appear on the opposite cliff. Pi Lingzi bowed to him and sighed, "Chen Xuanji, I admit defeat."

He accepted his defeat wholeheartedly.

In fact, he had already obtained a lot of information about Chen Chuan from Ji Shaoyou. This battle was not a spur-of-the-moment decision, but rather something he had planned in advance.

That's why he knew that Chen Chuan actually had some tricks up his sleeve, but he didn't use them. He only relied on his simulated clones to attack, yet he still won.

The key point is that Chen Chuan won against him within the rules he himself set, leaving him speechless.

Yet, he couldn't help but feel regret. In truth, ever since the fall of the Ding Dynasty, he knew that the secret treasure here couldn't be protected, and the Great Shun Dynasty would certainly not let it go. He had only wanted to try to salvage the situation for the sake of his own cultivation. Since he was no match for the forces of fate, he could only end it here.

He said to Chen Chuancheng sincerely, "Chen Xuanji, I will keep my promise and leave now. From this moment on, these secret treasures will be under your control."

Chen Chuan then said, "Master Biling, please wait a moment."

Pi Lingzi smiled and said, "Is there anything else, Xuanji? Perhaps I offended you earlier and you wish to reprimand me?"

Chen Chuan said, "Master Gao is joking. You and I were just sparring, not mortal enemies. In this battle, Master Gao used many amazing techniques, which benefited me a lot."

I am not an unreasonable person. These secret treasures have been guarded by your esteemed sect for three hundred years, and I admire your commitment to keeping your promises. Therefore, I would be grateful if you would wait a moment, sir, and perhaps I can find a descendant of the Cao family.”

"Oh?"

Pi Lingzi's eyes lit up, both surprised and delighted. He hadn't expected things to take such a turn for the better.

He looked at Chen Chuan and bowed to him solemnly: "Whether or not we can find the descendants of the previous dynasty's emperor, I will accept Xuanji's kindness."

If Chen Chuan had come up and been willing to reason with him, bringing in the descendants of the previous dynasty's imperial lineage, he might not have been moved. But Chen Chuan defeated him and was still willing to reason with him, which made him feel that Chen Chuan had great vision and magnanimity, and he sincerely admired him.

Chen Chuan wasn't exactly a good person; after all, he was a fighter from the Dongxuan Temple and a member of the Xuanjiao sect.

The Xuan Sect has been fighting against extraterrestrial demons for a long time. Just by looking at the items this person uses, you can tell that the Duan Chen Sect has killed quite a few gods and ghosts in the past.

With the major collision looming, he hoped there would be as many people like this as possible, and he was willing to do them a favor if conditions allowed.

……

……

(End of this chapter)