Chapter 228 - 225: Visitors from Qing City
「Half a day later,」
In the shadowy corner of a mountain forest, a dark figure emerged from the shade beneath a massive boulder.
The man’s face was pale, his aura in disarray, and his dark eyes stared toward the Wu Family Collection with lingering fear.
"Looks like I’m mostly safe... Hmph! Damn you, Shen Tingchu! If I don’t get revenge for this, I might as well not be human!"
The dark figure’s expression turned savage.
The venomous killing intent in his eyes surged forth, completely unconcealed.
But at that moment, he suddenly let out another muffled groan.
His agitated state caused him to lose control of his injuries. They flared violently, turning his face ashen as a trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.
He braced himself against the giant boulder, keeping his body from collapsing.
’These injuries are pretty bad...’
’Revenge will have to wait.’
’The most important thing now is to heal.’
’The Demon Technique I cultivate isn’t that strong offensively, but it’s exceptional for survival... I just need enough blood-food, and my injuries will naturally recover quickly...’
’I need to find a place with a lot of Cultivators, and they have to be weak. A place teeming with Qi Introduction Realm Cultivators would be the perfect feeding trough...’
At this thought, a glint flashed in the dark figure’s eyes as potential targets raced through his mind.
An answer quickly formed in his mind!
It was the temporary Workshop that had recently gained some renown, a gathering place for numerous Qi Introduction Realm Cultivators from all over—
Dawan Village!
’Dawan Village should have a good number of Cultivators by now...’
’And I heard the Defender of that village is from the Shen Family...’
"Hmph! In that case, I’ll start by collecting some interest!"
A cruel, savage smile flashed across the dark figure’s face.
He then transformed into a plume of black smoke and shot off toward Dawan Village.
...
Meanwhile, inside Dawan City,
Not long after Shen Changchuan finished the Refinement of the Bronze Bell,
he found a secluded spot to test its power.
He discovered that the might it unleashed was in no way inferior to an attack from a Soul Emergence Realm expert!
It was even stronger than his most powerful offensive Magic, the Cyan Wood Sword Light!
This brought Shen Changchuan great joy.
After practicing with it several times, he confirmed one thing:
only a Divine Sense capable of Soul Emergence could bring out its full potential!
And that was precisely why,
back then, although Shen Zeyu was able to defeat three Ninth Layer Peak Cultivators with a single strike,
when facing Shen Changchuan’s own Cyan Wood Sword Light, he had only held a slight advantage.
It wasn’t until the Bronze Bell fell into his own hands,
that he, in turn, could unleash a power on par with a full-strength blow from a Soul Emergence Realm expert!
Although Shen Zeyu had forcibly controlled and completed the Refinement of the Bronze Bell,
he lacked a Divine Sense capable of Soul Emergence and Body Separation like Shen Changchuan, and thus couldn’t activate its greatest power.
As a result, the Treasure Artifact was wasted in his hands, a pearl collecting dust, its power only half-utilized.
’If I compare it to the attacks of that Demon Cultivator from before, the power I can now unleash with the Bronze Bell is likely on par with his!’
He recalled how, when facing that powerful Demon Cultivator who had posed a fatal threat, he had only been able to barely block one of the man’s casual attacks.
But if his opponent were to appear before him now,
even if he attacked with his full strength,
Shen Changchuan was confident he could trade blows and not be defeated, at least until his Magical Power ran out!
This tangible increase in power,
filled Shen Changchuan’s heart with joy.
However, after a few more practice runs, his joy began to fade.
He discovered that the Bronze Bell’s consumption was immense!
Even for him, whose aptitude had undergone several transformations and whose reserves of Magical Power far exceeded those of other Cultivators at his Realm, he could only unleash the bell’s full power three to five times!
This was undoubtedly a major problem.
His ability to fight for a sustained period was limited.
So what if he could clash with the full-strength blow of a Soul Emergence Realm Cultivator?
His Magical Power would eventually run out.
After all, the Magical Power of a Qi Introduction Realm Cultivator was nowhere near that of a Soul Emergence Realm Cultivator.
This naturally gave Shen Changchuan some cause for concern.
’Forget it. Having a trump card that can counter a full-strength attack from a Soul Emergence Realm True Cultivator is enough. Did I really expect to rely on a single artifact to challenge and defeat a True Cultivator of the Soul Emergence Realm while I’m still in the Qi Introduction Realm?’
’One step at a time. As long as I have enough time, my strength will only continue to grow!’
Shen Changchuan consoled himself with these thoughts,
and managed to restore some of his confidence.
His mood brightened once more.
He had gained a powerful new tool, further enhancing his ability to protect himself.
Next, Shen Changchuan planned to focus his energy on raising his Cultivation.
However, reality didn’t give Shen Changchuan much of a chance to rest.
The good mood brought on by his newfound strength was short-lived.
The Shen Clan members stationed in Qing City had arrived!
Qing City, a Cultivation City within the territory controlled by the Tian Nan Shen Clan, was naturally under the Shen Family’s rule.
Within the city was the City Lord’s Mansion,
and the City Lord of Qing City was a Soul Emergence Realm True Cultivator dispatched from the Shen Family to serve as its Garrison.
The position was somewhat similar to Shen Changchuan’s, the Dawan Village Guardian.
But in essence, they were very different.
In Dawan Village, Shen Changchuan’s word was law; all the villagers had to serve him.
But Qing City was different. As a Cultivation City, it was home to a complex web of powers, including various major families and merchant guilds.
The City Lord’s main duties were to collect taxes and mediate disputes between the various factions.
Ostensibly, the relationship between these factions and the City Lord’s Mansion was that of subordinate and superior.
In practice, however, it was more of a cooperative partnership.
The people who had arrived this time were sent from the Qing City Lord’s Mansion.
’What’s coming will come, eventually!’
After receiving the advance warning from his maternal grandfather, Han Qinhu, who had gotten the news through his intelligence network,
Shen Changchuan let out a long sigh.
The weight that had been hanging over his heart finally dropped.
It felt as if the suspense was finally over,
and all hope had died with it!
This time, it wasn’t a group like Shen Zeyu’s, the one that had been hunting Shen Chong.
That group was essentially a band of shady figures doing the First Madam’s dirty work, operating in the shadows.
Their deaths wouldn’t have caused much of a stir, aside from upsetting the First Madam.
But this time was different!
The visitors from Qing City represented the Shen Clan officially!
This was a problem that couldn’t be solved the same way he’d handled the last one.
’I never thought the situation would keep changing... and end up like this.’
’So be it. I’ll deal with whatever comes my way. I’ve already prepared for the worst, so what is there to fear?’
’Time to go meet them.’
He gazed down at Dawan Village. Even after the recent, violent earthquake, it was still bustling with people.
He saw the prosperous scene of Cultivators from all walks of life gathering in a continuous stream, some even setting up stalls to trade in the open.
Shen Changchuan let out a soft sigh.
His figure flickered,
and he gracefully soared down the mountain...