RUMBLE!!!
A violent aura surged as the scar-faced, burly man erupted with his full power, charging recklessly forward.
Trees and rocks in his path were shattered one after another.
The very ground began to tremble at that moment!
Shen Changchuan, facing the charge head-on, felt a suffocating pressure!
Qi Introduction Sixth Layer Peak!
A full two major Realms higher than him!
The disparity in their Magical Power Realms created an oppressive force that, for a fleeting moment, seemed to paralyze Shen Changchuan's limbs!
Fortunately, however,
Shen Changchuan quickly broke free from this feeling.
Ever since consuming and undergoing the Refinement of the Cyan Essence Water Grass, Shen Changchuan's Divine Sense had improved significantly, to the point where he had even unlocked Inner Vision—a feat typically only achievable by Qi Introduction Late Stage Cultivators.
With a powerful Divine Soul,
he naturally had a higher resistance to the pressure exerted by higher-Realm Cultivators.
However,
this didn't mean,
Shen Changchuan could relax.
On the contrary,
at this very moment,
this was arguably the most dangerous moment of his life!
Zhao Hanguo was severely injured, and the enemies lying in ambush on either side had all been slain by him.
In the process,
Shen Changchuan's series of explosive moves had left him in the awkward state of his old strength being spent before new strength could be generated!
And yet,
the scar-faced man's heavy, powerful charge, like a freight train, had arrived!
At this critical moment,
Shen Changchuan forcibly squeezed out the last of his Magical Power, instantly activating his Light Body Technique. His figure moved like a phantom, successfully evading the burly man's terrifying charge by a hair's breadth.
BANG! BANG! BANG!!!
The burly, scar-faced man couldn't stop in time,
and he crashed right past where Shen Changchuan had been standing.
Trees exploded one after another,
and splinters of rock and wood flew everywhere!
The ferocious charge had hit nothing but air.
But now,
Shen Changchuan's face showed no hint of joy from successfully tricking his opponent; instead, it was deathly pale.
His body staggered, and he nearly fell to one knee!
He was suffering from a backlash!
Consuming a large amount of Magical Power in a short time, then forcibly squeezing out what little remained to cast a Magic technique—the damage to his Dantian Meridians was simply too great!
'It's a good thing the Cyan Essence Water Grass widened and strengthened my meridians. Otherwise, after straining them like this, some of my meridians would have surely twisted and snapped!'
This thought flashed through Shen Changchuan's mind as he felt the intense pain radiating from his Dantian Meridians.
It was only because his tempered meridians had become more resilient;
otherwise, this time,
he would have been in serious trouble!
But even as these thoughts raced,
Shen Changchuan didn't stand frozen in place.
He gripped a Spirit Stone in his hand,
and began to violently draw out the Spiritual Qi within it, performing Refinement to convert it into his own Magical Power.
At the same time,
he leaped back several times,
landing further away to increase the distance between them.
Meanwhile,
the Xiangshan Qi Absorption Technique inside him circulated rapidly, not only performing Refinement on the absorbed Spiritual Qi but also quickly regulating his breath to restore the flow of his Magical Power.
"Damn you, brat!"
Within a few breaths,
the burly, scar-faced man had returned, his face dark.
He was covered in dust, wood chips, and fallen leaves, looking somewhat disheveled.
But even so,
the man still exuded an extremely powerful pressure on Shen Changchuan!
He was, after all, a Qi Introduction Sixth Layer Peak existence.
Shen Changchuan had to be cautious.
Fortunately, however,
after those few breaths of respite, Shen Changchuan had recovered.
He had about seventy percent of his Magical Power left.
'It's not too bad,
all things considered.'
"Perfection Wind Blade Technique, Perfection Light Body Technique, Perfection Golden Needle Technique, and even a Perfection Reconnaissance Eye Technique... I can only say, as expected of a descendant from a prestigious family?!"
"No wonder you have the guts to go out alone without a Guardian!"
The burly, scar-faced man stared coldly at Shen Changchuan, his expression incredibly grim.
He was certainly not some country bumpkin of a Spirit Plant Cultivator who had never seen the world.
In a sense, having traveled far and wide, his experience far surpassed that of many Cultivators of the same Realm.
To have survived this long,
he naturally possessed a keen eye.
From their brief exchange, he had already seen through Shen Changchuan's methods.
Because of this,
he couldn't help but suck in a cold breath,
his gaze toward Shen Changchuan filled with apprehension.
Perfection in Magic,
is already an incredibly rare achievement for an ordinary person to master even one technique.
Among dozens of Cultivators, there might not be a single one who has mastered a Perfection Level technique!
And yet this kid before him, no older than fifteen or sixteen,
at his age,
had actually mastered four of them?!!
'Since when,'
'did Perfection Techniques become a dime a dozen?!'
'How is that even possible?!'
"They're merely trivial skills, not worth mentioning. My Shen Family is a great and noble house; it's only natural that we have some secret arts."
"But I wonder, who might you be, sir? Why set up an ambush here and make things difficult for me?"
Shen Changchuan's eyes flashed,
as he spoke.
He took the opportunity to raise the banner of the Shen Family, hoping to get some information out of the man.
To be honest,
he was still completely bewildered by this ambush.
'Why did Zhao Hanguo betray me?'
'What power do these people belong to?'
'Was it someone from the Shen Family Mansion, caught up in a power struggle, who sent them to kill me? Or are they simply Tribulation Cultivators looking to make a quick score?'
'Who exactly is targeting me?'
Shen Changchuan knew nothing about any of these questions.
"Hmph! A dead man has no need to know so much!"
The burly, scar-faced man sneered, his gaze on Shen Changchuan like he was looking at a corpse.
He had no intention of wasting any more words with Shen Changchuan.
He took a longsword from his Storage Bag. Its blade radiated a bone-chilling cold, glinting with a frigid, terrifying light.
He gripped the longsword and pointed it at Shen Changchuan.
"Die for me!"
The scar-faced man bellowed, leaping into the air and transforming into a gray afterimage as he thrust toward Shen Changchuan!
The strike was swift and vicious, as fast as lightning.
The shimmer of Magical Power on its edge added to its terrifying might!
If this strike landed,
Shen Changchuan would undoubtedly be sliced in two!
Fortunately,
after catching his breath, Shen Changchuan had stabilized the Magical Power within him.
His Perfection Light Body Skill activated almost instantly.
Shen Changchuan's body immediately became incredibly nimble.
With a single step,
his figure shifted several dozen feet sideways like a phantom,
and he dodged the scar-faced man's Thunderous Sword Strike!
However,
this time the scar-faced man didn't overshoot his target as before. He had a firm grasp of the power he wielded.
As his sword strike missed,
he twisted the blade in mid-motion,
and immediately pressed his attack on Shen Changchuan!
The way he redirected his power had a touch of effortless mastery!
Facing the sharp edge of the sword, shimmering with condensed Magical Power, Shen Changchuan didn't dare to block it head-on and retreated again.
The scar-faced man pursued relentlessly!
For a moment,
the forest flickered with countless Sword Shadows, like flashes of lightning. Guided by the blade, tyrannical Magical Power transformed into a sky full of Sword Qi that swept across the area.
Nearby trees and boulders were all cut down and toppled!
And yet,
even though the interwoven sword light formed an impenetrable net in the woods,
it still hadn't touched a single hair on Shen Changchuan's head!
But not only was the scar-faced man's expression not angry or frustrated,
a flicker of success actually crossed his face.
He knew very well
that when facing a Cultivator who had mastered Perfection Techniques, unless you also possessed Perfection Level techniques,
engaging in a Magical Battle using Magic was simply suicidal!
Only by relying on his higher Realm and strength to close the distance and engage in close combat could he leverage his greatest advantage!
And that's exactly what the scar-faced man was doing!
And the effect,
was just as he had expected!
Shen Changchuan was forced to retreat step by step,
his attempts to cast Magic instantly interrupted!
He could only dodge left and right under the assault of Sword Qi, completely unable to counter-attack!
After several dozen exchanges,
the prolonged evasion seemed to make Shen Changchuan's footwork falter for a moment.
'It seems this brat can no longer maintain his energy and acuity amidst such high-intensity dodging!'
'An opportunity!'
The scar-faced man's eyes lit up.
Instantly,
another flash of the sword struck out like lightning. The Sword Qi swept forth like a venomous dragon, cutting through a large swath of trees.
Shen Changchuan's figure was forced back once more!
"It's over!"
The scar-faced man flipped his palm, revealing a fist-sized bell.
The bell was jet-black, looking like a temple bell that had been shrunk down a hundred times.
A faint black mist seemed to rise from its surface, emitting a sinister aura.
'What is that thing?!'
Shen Changchuan's Heart Spirit tensed instantly.
However,
CLANG!
At almost the same instant,
the scar-faced man infused Magical Power into the bell and struck it forcefully!
In an instant,
a sharp, ringing sound—a piercing, high-frequency roar—swept out in all directions, instantly blanketing an area of several hundred feet!
Shen Changchuan, who bore the brunt of the bell's soundwave,
instantly felt as if his head had been struck by a club, and his ears rang violently!
His body seemed to freeze, no longer under his control, rooted to the spot.
"Heh heh, my Soul-Attracting Bell is a rare treasure."
"Unless your Divine Sense is as strong as a Qi Introduction Late Stage Cultivator who has unlocked Inner Vision, anyone weaker than me will be frozen in place for a short while!"
"Now be a good boy and die!"
The outcome was decided!
The scar-faced man put away his Soul-Attracting Bell,
and with a cold smile, he gripped his longsword
and walked toward Shen Changchuan, who stood frozen under the bell's control.
However,
just as he was a few dozen feet away from Shen Changchuan,
suddenly,
RUSTLE RUSTLE...
Vines suddenly sprouted from the ground. They shot up like long snakes and, within a breath, had wrapped around the burly man's feet.
Several other vines snaked up from behind, coiling around his hands and arms!
"What?!"
The scar-faced man suddenly sensed that something was wrong,
but before he had time to think,
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!!!
Five crimson Fireballs radiating scorching heat smashed down toward his head!
"Not good!"
In this moment of crisis, the scar-faced man also raised the defense of the Golden Bell Technique.
However, compared to the Golden Bell Technique of that Qi Introduction Fourth Layer fellow from before,
both its thickness and the brightness of its golden light far surpassed the latter's!
But it was of little use.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!!!
When the Fireballs slammed into the scar-faced man, they exploded directly.
A storm of scorching flames swept over him,
and the powerful energy shattered his Golden Bell Technique layer by layer!
Finally, the last two Fireballs exploded directly on the scar-faced man's body, and the erupting flames engulfed him completely!
In that instant, the scar-faced man was almost turned into a piece of charcoal!
Fifth Layer Perfection Fireball Technique.
It had almost instantly dealt him a devastating blow!
The scar-faced man was completely stunned by Shen Changchuan's sudden, explosive barrage, his mind thrown into Chaos by the blasts.
And in that same instant,
the last Golden Needle in Shen Changchuan's palm shot out like a bolt of lightning,
and instantly pierced through his head!