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

A long silence stretched across the room until someone finally whispered, "Has he truly departed?"

Only then did the crowd seem to wake from a daze, their eyes darting around the hall in a frantic search.

A collective sigh of relief swept through the room once they were certain Chen Fan had indeed left.

Some began clutching their chests, trying to soothe their racing hearts.

Others struggled to their feet, crawling clumsily from the floor.

The more humiliated individuals quickly circulated their Inner Strength to dry the damp patches on their trousers; the sheer weight of the pressure earlier had caused them to lose control of their bladders.

Even the elder who had appeared courageous moments ago was now slumped in a chair, looking as though he had been pulled from a river, his robes completely saturated with sweat.

The disparity in their power levels was simply insurmountable.

He was certain that if Chen Fan intended to kill him, no physical strike would be necessary—a single look would have been fatal.

“Unc... Uncle.”

Breaking the silence, one man swallowed hard and asked with a trembling voice, “Must we really report his message to the Elder Council?”

The elder shot him a glance but offered no reply.

“I... I’m just worried that if the Elder Council hears this, they’ll take their anger out on us,” the man added. It was obvious to everyone that the message was a direct provocation.

“Blame us? You’re overthinking it. Those weren't our words. It would be completely illogical 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 should be the ones apologizing to us. Why should we still try to stay in their good graces?”

“If they had any sense of duty, they’d step up and seek revenge for us without being prompted!”

The group grew more animated as they spoke, their voices rising in false bravado.

“That is enough.”

The elder cut them off sharply.

Where was this courage when the intruder was standing right in front of them? Now they acted tough, but it was meaningless.

He knew their nature well; they were only bold in 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 inheritance? Well? Do you still want it? Let me warn you: this time he showed himself openly. Next time, he might just appear silently beside your bed.”

This warning caused Song Yong and the others to instinctively pull their heads back, their necks shrinking in fear.

Greedy as they were, they weren't entirely stupid.

“We’re fortunate he only came to talk and didn't plunder our treasury,” one man remarked.

The others nodded, feeling a sense of narrow escape.

“No!”

Hearing those words, the elder’s expression shifted violently.

He bolted upright and raced toward the exit.

The rest of the group looked at each other, completely baffled.

What was wrong? Why the sudden panic?

After a moment of hesitation, they scrambled to follow him.

When they realized the elder was sprinting toward the forbidden area, fear gripped them as well.

The forbidden area was the sanctuary where the three family ancestors lived and practiced their Cultivation. It was rumored to be saturated with Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi. Even those who hadn't reached the Celestial Realm would find their progress greatly accelerated there.

Normally, only the Patriarch was permitted entry. Anyone else attempting to approach would be severely reprimanded or even banished from the family.

This was because the two Divine Demon-level Martial Arts were kept there.

But now, the three ancestors were dead, the Patriarch had been slain, and only a single sentry remained.

Could one guard possibly hold back a man like that?

The crowd burst into the forbidden area.

A lifeless body was sprawled in the courtyard.

“Is that him?”

Many recognized the fallen man as the guard assigned to protect the sanctum.

He was dead.

The reality of the situation became painfully clear.

“It’s all over.”

The elder collapsed onto the ground, his spirit broken.

He had arrived too late.

While the others were ignorant, he knew the family's Secret Realm was contained within a special Compass.

That Compass usually hovered in the air within the inner chamber.

Now, the guard was a corpse and the Compass was missing.

He realized then that Chen Fan hadn't just come to deliver a warning.

His true objective had been the Secret Realm and the two Divine Demon-level Martial Arts it housed—the most priceless treasures of the Song Family!

With those items stolen, the elder's backup plan was ruined. Although the Song Family possessed various techniques, pills, and weapons, so did the families of the five elders on the Council. Theirs were likely superior. The only leverage the Song Family had to gain their support was the Divine Demon-level Martial Arts and the Secret Realm.

Without them, the Council might offer empty promises, but they would ultimately do nothing to help.

Several younger members hurried forward to help the elder up.

“Uncle, what do we do now?”

“Yes, the Secret Realm and the Divine Demon-level Martial Arts are gone!”

“What choice do we have left?”

The elder gnashed his teeth, his eyes full of spite. “That brat slaughtered our ancestors and crippled our legacy. I am going to the Elder Council immediately. Even if it's just to reclaim those Divine Demon-level Martial Arts, the Council will never let him live!”

...

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

Chen Fan hadn't gone to the forbidden area after speaking in the main hall.

He had actually infiltrated the forbidden area first, secured the Compass, and then proceeded to the hall.

Finding the Compass had been easy; Song Tian had surrendered the information before his death.

In a desperate attempt to ensure the survival of at least some of the Song bloodline, the Patriarch had revealed the location of the Secret Realm and its two Divine Demon-level Martial Arts.

The first was the Six Gods Technique, though only the initial two volumes remained.

The second was the Heaven and Earth Supreme Skill.

The name alone hinted at its terrifying power.

Mythology claimed it was the creation of the ancient god Fu Xi, who had observed the laws of the universe, Yin and Yang, and the Five Elements to craft this ultimate Martial Art.

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

The Heaven volume was designed to sync with the seasons, elements, and cycles of the world. By aligning the human body’s internal organs and meridians with the 360 days of the year and the balance of Yin and Yang, one could master the Celestial Spirit Qi Technique.

Mastery of this volume allowed a practitioner to harmonize their inner self with the world, extending their life by thousands of years and granting immense strength.

The Earth volume focused on the balance of hardness and flexibility, drawing essence from the land to empower the user and grant the ability to regrow lost limbs—the Earth Evil Qi Technique.

Those who reached this stage could absorb the world's energy, becoming nearly immortal.

If the third volume, the Supreme Skill, were mastered, the user's body would become as indestructible as Vajra. Their Primordial Spirit could roam the heavens and the earth, reaching a realm far beyond any mortal king.

However, that crucial third volume had been lost to time.

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

Even with just this, the Song ancestors had possessed combat power that far exceeded the Liu Family's expectations.

Unfortunately, the two ancestors hadn't fully mastered the Celestial Spirit Qi Technique, having spent too much time focusing on the Six Gods Technique instead.

After leaving the Song estate, Chen Fan pulled out the Compass to inspect it.

To be certain, he entered the space to verify that Song Tian hadn't lied to him.

As it happened, someone had been hiding inside, acting suspiciously.

The moment they saw him, they began shouting threats.

Chen Fan showed no mercy; he ended them instantly and threw the body out of the realm.

The two Divine Demon-level Martial Arts were indeed there.

Time was of the essence. Without wasting another moment, he set off for the Bai Family, also located in Baijiang City, to see if he could acquire yet another Divine Demon-level Martial Art.

And then, there was the Liu Family.

He would have to pay them a visit as well.

As for the others...

The Five Great Families were already his sworn enemies; there was no need for further talk.

The fate of the remaining families would depend entirely on how they chose to act.