High Martial Arts: Invincible Starts from Basic Archery Chapter 775 - 608: Heaven and Earth Supreme Skill_2

A long silence stretched across the room before a trembling voice finally broke the stillness, asking, "Has he truly departed?"

As if snapping out of a collective trance, the crowd began to scan their surroundings with frantic eyes.

Only after confirming that Chen Fan was nowhere to be seen did the heavy atmosphere finally lift, replaced by a wave of collective relief.

Some clutched their chests, trying to steady their racing hearts that felt as though they might leap out.

Others, whose legs had given out, struggled clumsily to stand back up from the cold floor.

The most embarrassed among them quickly circulated their Inner Strength, using the heat to dry the damp patches on their trousers. The sheer weight of the pressure they had endured earlier was so overwhelming that they had lost control of their bladders.

Even the elder who had initially shown a facade of courage was now slumped in his seat. He looked as though he had been pulled from a river, his entire body soaked through with sweat.

The disparity in their power levels was simply astronomical.

The elder entertained no doubts; if Chen Fan wished for his death, he wouldn't even need to lift a finger—a single look would have been fatal.

"Unc... Uncle."

A man swallowed hard, his voice quivering as he spoke. "Are we really expected to relay his message to the Elder Council?"

The elder cast a glance toward him but offered no reply.

"I... I just mean, if the Elder Council hears this, won't we be the ones they punish?" the man asked nervously. Even a fool could see that the message was nothing short of a direct provocation.

"Punish us? You're overthinking it. Those words didn't originate from us. It would be completely irrational for the Elder Council to hold us responsible," another voice countered immediately.

"Precisely! Our Song Family has lost two ancestors, and the Elder Council is largely to blame for this mess. They are the ones who owe us an apology. Why should we still be trying to win their favor?"

"If the Elder Council had any sense of duty, they would have stepped up to seek vengeance for us without needing to be told!"

The more they argued, the more their confidence returned, and their voices grew increasingly bold.

"That’s enough."

The elder cut them off sharply.

Where was all this bravado when it actually mattered? Now they spoke with courage, but it was useless talk. He knew their nature; they were only brave in the safety of this room. Faced with the actual Elder Council, they would likely be too terrified to utter a single syllable.

He turned his sharp gaze toward Song Yong and his faction. "Weren't you all just shouting about carving up the family inheritance? Do you still have the nerve to try? Let me warn you—this time he stood before us openly. Next time, he might appear beside your bed while you sleep."

At those words, Song Yong and his companions instinctively pulled their heads back, their necks shrinking into their shoulders.

Their avarice had not completely blinded them to the danger.

"We're fortunate he only came to deliver a warning and didn't plunder anything," one man remarked.

The others nodded, feeling a sense of narrow escape.

"No!"

Upon hearing that, the elder's expression shifted into one of pure horror.

He bolted upright and sprinted toward the exit.

The remaining members looked at each other, completely baffled by his sudden panic.

What was wrong? Why was he so agitated all of a sudden?

After a moment of hesitation, the crowd rushed out to follow him.

When they realized the elder was charging toward the forbidden area, panic gripped them as well.

The forbidden area served as the residence and Cultivation grounds for the three family ancestors. It was rumored to be saturated with Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi. Even for those below the Celestial Realm, practicing there would significantly accelerate their Cultivation speed.

However, access was strictly reserved for the Patriarch. Anyone else caught trespassing would face a harsh reprimand at best, or permanent expulsion from the family at worst.

The reason for such secrecy was that the two Divine Demon-level Martial Arts were kept there.

With the three ancestors dead and the Patriarch slain, only a single guard remained to protect the site.

Could one guard possibly stop a monster like that?

The group burst into the forbidden area, only to find a body sprawled in the courtyard.

"Is that him?"

Many recognized the fallen man as the guard assigned to the grounds.

He was stone-cold dead.

The reality of the situation became painfully clear to everyone present.

"It’s all over."

The elder collapsed onto the ground, his spirit broken.

He had been too slow.

While the others were in the dark, he knew that the entrance to the family's Secret Realm was contained within a specific Compass. That Compass usually hovered in the air as a focal point.

Now, the guard was dead and the Compass was missing.

He realized then that Chen Fan hadn’t come merely to exchange words.

His true objective was the Secret Realm and the two Divine Demon-level Martial Arts hidden within—the most precious treasures the Song Family possessed!

With those stolen, the elder's leverage was gone. While the Song Family still held various manuals, pills, and weapons, the families of the five elders on the Council possessed similar or superior resources. The only things capable of bribing them were the Secret Realm and those Divine Demon-level techniques.

Without them, the Council might give lip service to helping, but they would likely do nothing and let the matter fade away.

Several younger members hurried over to help the elder up.

"Uncle, what is our next move?"

"Yes, Uncle, the Secret Realm and the Divine Demon-level Martial Arts are gone!"

"What else is there to do?"

The elder ground his teeth, his eyes burning with resentment. "That brat slaughtered our ancestors and cut off our legacy. I am going to the Elder Council immediately. Even if only for the sake of reclaiming those Divine Demon-level Martial Arts, the Council will never let him live!"

...

In truth, the Song Family’s assumptions were slightly off-target.

Chen Fan hadn't gone to the forbidden area to steal the Compass after his visit to the main hall.

He had actually arrived at the forbidden area first, secured the Compass, and then proceeded to the hall to deliver his ultimatum.

As for how he located the item, it was quite simple: Song Tian had confessed everything before his death.

In a desperate bid to ensure the Song Family’s bloodline wasn't completely wiped out, Song Tian had surrendered the location of the Secret Realm and its treasures.

Inside were two techniques. One was the Six Gods Technique, though it only consisted of the first two volumes.

The other was the legendary Heaven and Earth Supreme Skill.

The title alone suggested its immense power.

Mythology claimed this art was the work of the ancient deity Fu Xi, who had mastered the secrets of the cosmos, the balance of Yin and Yang, and the flow of the Five Elements. It was a Martial Art without peer.

Fu Xi had organized the skill into three distinct volumes: Heaven, Earth, and King.

The Heaven volume was designed to synchronize with the seasons, the elements, and the cycles of time. By aligning the human body’s internal organs, orifices, and joints with the rhythms of the universe, the practitioner could cultivate the Celestial Spirit Qi Technique.

Mastering this volume allowed a Martial Artist to merge their internal Qi with the external world, granting them thousands of years of life and immense strength.

The Earth volume focused on the interplay of firmness and flexibility, drawing essence from the ground to bolster one's power and even allow for the regeneration of lost limbs—this was the Earth Evil Qi Technique.

Reaching this stage meant becoming nearly immortal, fueled by the very essence of the world.

Had anyone mastered the final volume, the Supreme Skill, their body would become as indestructible as a Vajra, immune to all elemental harm. Their Primordial Spirit could traverse the heavens and the earth, reaching a realm far beyond any mortal king.

To this day, however, that crucial third volume remained lost to time.

The Song Family only held the first volume, the Celestial Spirit Qi Technique.

It was this very technique that allowed the Song Family's ancestors to fight far beyond their expected level, surprising even the Liu Family's ancestor.

Regrettably, the two ancestors had spent too much time on the Six Gods Technique and had never fully mastered the Celestial Spirit Qi Technique.

After putting some distance between himself and the Song Family, Chen Fan pulled out the Compass to inspect it.

To be certain of its contents, he stepped inside the Secret Realm to verify that Song Tian hadn't lied.

By chance, he encountered someone inside acting in a suspicious manner.

Upon seeing Chen Fan, the individual had the audacity to shout at him.

Chen Fan showed no mercy, killing the intruder instantly and discarding the body outside the realm.

The Divine Demon-level Martial Arts were indeed there.

Time was of the essence. Rather than lingering, he set his sights on the Bai Family, also located in Baijiang City, hoping to secure yet another Divine Demon-level Martial Art.

After that, the Liu Family was next on his list.

He intended to pay them a visit as well.

As for the rest of the clans...

The Five Great Families were already his sworn enemies; there was no need for further talk. The fate of the other families would depend entirely on how they chose to act.