Chapter 7427
The Second Soul Tablet is Activated
Li Daguo first felt a tingling, numb, and throbbing pain spread throughout his body, and couldn't help but gasp.
But the next second, a warm current seeped into Xiao Chen's flesh and bones through his fingertips, and the burning pain miraculously subsided. His previously stiff and powerless legs gradually regained sensation, and even the heavy swelling was greatly reduced.
In less than a minute, Xiao Chen let go:
"Uncle Li, try moving it a bit. The bones are fine, it's mainly a severe muscle contusion and blood stasis. I've cleared it up for you. After that, apply some blood-activating medicine, and you'll be mostly recovered in three days. You won't have to suffer anymore."
"This...this is it?" Li Daguo asked in disbelief, and tried to lift his left leg slightly.
Although he was still a little sore, the excruciating pain had disappeared, and he could even bend his arm slightly! His face instantly lit up with surprise and excitement, and his eyes even reddened. He grabbed Xiao Chen's arm and thanked him repeatedly.
“Mr. Xiao… I… I really don’t know how to thank you! You not only saved me, but also healed my leg!” Li Daguo’s voice trembled with excitement, and he subconsciously bent down to bow.
Xiao Chen reached out and steadily supported him, his strength gentle yet unyielding: "Uncle Li, just call me Xiao Chen. We're old acquaintances, no need for all this formality."
He paused, glanced at the street corner, and vaguely heard the sound of police sirens approaching. He then gave instructions to Ah Cheng.
"Acheng, give your contact information to Uncle Li. If he gets into any trouble in this area in the future, please take good care of him and make sure he's not bullied again."
“Yes, Mr. Xiao.” Acheng immediately took out a plain white business card from his inner pocket and handed it to Li Daguo with both hands.
The business card only has the two simple characters "Hancheng" and a mobile phone number, but the back is embossed with a hidden emblem of the garrison, which is not publicly disclosed. It is low-key but exudes a powerful presence, and those in the know can tell its significance at a glance.
Xiao Chen patted Li Daguo on the shoulder: "Uncle Li, I have something urgent to attend to, so I'll leave first. Someone will take care of things here, so don't worry, no one will dare to bother you again. I'll treat you and your wife to dinner another day when you're free."
After saying that, he nodded slightly to Ah Cheng, and the two quickly walked towards the black sedan parked by the roadside. The engine roared, and the car instantly drove away from the noisy neighborhood and disappeared into the traffic.
Li Daguo held the business card, which felt light yet incredibly heavy, at the edge of the gradually gathering crowd of onlookers. He gazed in the direction the car had gone, his heart churning with emotion, unable to calm down for a long time.
He then realized that the unremarkable young man from back then was no longer someone he could have imagined.
……
In the provincial capital, in Xiao Chen's villa study.
Xiao Chen pushed open the door and locked it behind him, cutting off all outside noise. His aura instantly subsided.
He sat cross-legged on the carpet behind his desk, his eyes slightly closed, concentrating and calming himself. In an instant, his consciousness seemed to be drawn into an invisible vortex, the surrounding scenery rippling and reorganizing like water, instantly switching to a strange space.
There are no sun, moon, or stars here, only the unchanging gray sky. Underfoot are rough, hard black rocks, and the air is filled with an ancient and desolate atmosphere, as if it has traversed countless ages.
Being there, the noise of the outside world is completely shut out, and even the flow of time seems to slow down.
Xiao Chen's gaze suddenly focused on the center of the space... There stood dozens of soul tablets of varying heights and shapes, their bodies gleaming with a dark hue, covered with indistinct ancient patterns, exuding an ancient and deathly stillness.
But at this moment, these soul tablets, which had been silent for countless years, all began to tremble slightly!
Wood chips fell softly, and cracks quietly spread and widened on the surface of the plaque, with a faint golden light seeping out from the cracks.
Accompanied by faint yet powerful fluctuations of divine soul, it seemed as if a powerful ancient divine soul was awakening and struggling within, yearning to break through the thousand-year seal and reappear in the world!
"what happened?"
Xiao Chen was filled with surprise and doubt, and subconsciously took a step forward. Suddenly, a scorching current of energy surged between his chest and abdomen... It was his condensed divine essence, which broke free from his control and transformed into a pale golden phantom that left his body, swirling and wrapping around the second soul tablet at the bottom of the front row.
This soul tablet was positioned low among the stone tablets, but its patterns were deeper than the others, and it faintly revealed a dark red luster.
The next second, a fierce and domineering battle intent, as if the clash of swords and the trampling of mountains and rivers, surged out from the soul tablet!
The pale golden divine essence phantom was stimulated by this, and its light suddenly solidified a bit. The scorching aura spread out, both resisting and subtly resonating with the dark red patterns on the soul tablet, causing subtle ripples to appear in the space.
"Could the person in this soul tablet have a special background?" Xiao Chen frowned, his mind wary yet unable to hide his curiosity.
An invisible force emanated from the soul tablet, drawing him involuntarily closer until he stood still in front of the stone tablet.
"Crack!"
A crisp cracking sound shattered the deathly silence as a crack ran straight down from the top of the soul tablet. The dark red patterns swirled wildly like living things, quickly dimmed, and finally disappeared completely.
Immediately afterwards, an ancient aura so thick it seemed to emanate from the crack, carrying with it the blood and vicissitudes of countless battles, making Xiao Chen's breath catch in his throat.
He suddenly woke up and instinctively wanted to back away... The immortal mansion within his body was his greatest secret, and the Soul Tower was an even more mysterious existence that appeared out of nowhere. Each soul tablet seemed to seal the incomplete marks and inheritances of ancient gods.
He originally planned to save the new Soul Card as a trump card when he was in a life-or-death situation. Now that there are no powerful enemies around, why did he suddenly make a move?
But it was too late. The terrifying aura rapidly gathered and condensed in the air, transforming into a tall, phantom figure clad in tattered dark red armor.
Although the figure was blurry, it held a spear that seemed both real and unreal. Its mere stance exuded a tragic aura of someone who would die on the battlefield, sending chills down one's spine.
The armored phantom slowly raised its head. Although it had no clear face, Xiao Chen could clearly feel two cold and murderous gazes locking onto him, as if he were being stared at by a prehistoric beast.
"Successor... I've finally waited for you." The voice was hoarse and dry, like rusty iron rubbing against bluestone, carrying a weariness and majesty that spanned millennia.
Xiao Chen steadied himself and went straight to the core: "Senior, how long can you maintain this form?" When he activated the soul tablet earlier, the phantoms inside disappeared in an instant, at most supporting one battle, obviously limited by energy.
The armored phantom's answer surprised him: "It depends on your endurance. Three to five days, or more than ten days. If your will is strong, it may last longer."
"It can last this long?" Xiao Chen was moved.
"Technique is ultimately secondary."
The illusory voice had a metallic quality to it, “Although the divine essence within you is thin, it contains the power of the Broken Army. You are brave but lack refinement, and you also lack the determination to fight to the death. What I want to teach you is not techniques, but ‘momentum’.”
"'Momentum'?"
"The momentum to break through the formation, the momentum to break into the formation, the momentum of advancing without retreating, the momentum of dying without living."
The phantom's spear trembled slightly, its tip gleaming with a cold light as it pointed at Xiao Chen. "Your past battles were nothing more than the squabbles of commoners in the marketplace. Today, I will show you what true battlefield combat is all about!" (End of Chapter)