Chapter 224 - 221: News
That’s right!
The wealth Dawan Village could bring was certainly good.
But for him now,
even without this source of income, it wouldn’t have much of an impact on his breakthrough to the Soul Emergence Realm.
The existence of Dawan Village could indeed bring him a considerable income of Spirit Stones.
Having more Spirit Stones could provide more assistance,
but in reality,
many of the things related to advancing to the Soul Emergence Realm couldn’t be bought with Spirit Stones alone anymore.
And the threat the First Lady posed to him was based entirely within the framework of the Tian Nan Shen Clan.
As long as he dared to abandon everything and leave the shelter of the Shen Family’s great tree, she couldn’t pose much of a threat to him at all.
The worst-case scenario...
was only this.
’Besides, if I reveal my strength at the Ninth Layer Peak, perhaps the family’s upper echelon will look upon me more favorably and offer some protection?’
’Going from the Qi Introduction Third Layer Peak to the Ninth Layer Peak in just over a year is vastly better than my so-called brother, Shen Chong... Even with the internal power struggles and infighting, with other branches just watching the drama unfold in my cheap old dad’s household, they would still have to show some goodwill toward such a visibly bright future for the family, right?’
’What’s more, this turmoil involves power levels above the Soul Emergence Realm... I’m afraid even the Shen Family Ancestor will be alerted. If my achievements can catch the Shen Family Ancestor’s eye, then I’ll have even less reason to fear that First Lady.’
At this thought,
Shen Changchuan’s originally tense Heart Spirit relaxed considerably.
Of course,
Shen Changchuan was not the type to gamble his life and fortune on the whims of others.
He would definitely make preparations for the worst in secret.
Focusing his mind,
Shen Changchuan’s Divine Soul spread out, blanketing all of Dawan Village.
He was investigating the situation.
At this moment,
though the entire village had been thrown into chaos by the sudden catastrophe,
most of the mortals living there, even the children, were Martial Artists who knew Martial Arts. After all, only Martial Artists were strong enough to till the Spirit Fields, which were as hard as steel. Thus, the collapsing houses weren’t very deadly to them.
If that was the case for Martial Artists, it was even less of a concern for the Cultivators in the commercial district.
Aside from a few who didn’t react in time and were buried by suddenly collapsing buildings while resting in taverns or trading in shops—leaving them dusty and disheveled—hardly anyone was even injured.
And with the swift arrival of the village guard,
the initial panic quickly subsided.
He saw his maternal grandfather, Han Qinhu, quickly lead his men in to maintain order and organize disaster relief efforts.
Shen Changchuan thought for a moment and decided not to reveal himself.
After all, his public persona was merely that of a Shen Family disciple at around the Qi Introduction Fourth or Fifth Layer.
It was normal for someone like that to be scared and shaken by such a sudden, massive event.
There was nothing urgent for him to do anyway,
and this better matched the role he was feigning to the outside world.
’Until the situation completely falls apart, I can’t expose this identity. After all, no one knows what will happen next, or if I can continue to maintain this disguise and preside over things.’
’I can’t just casually abandon the financial resources of Dawan Village because of a potential, latent threat...’
The thoughts flashed through his mind.
After lingering for another moment to confirm everything was fine, Shen Changchuan’s figure silently vanished from his high vantage point.
Returning to the Half-Mountain Courtyard,
just as Shen Changchuan was contemplating his next move,
a figure suddenly transformed into a pink afterimage and lunged at him.
Before he could even react, it hugged him tightly around the waist.
Shen Changchuan immediately broke out in a cold sweat.
He subconsciously moved to counterattack,
but as a fragrant breeze washed over him, the expected attack never came.
Shen Changchuan looked down and saw it was Xiaoyu. He managed to suppress his counterattacking force just in time.
He also breathed a slight sigh of relief.
"Xiaoyu, you..."
Shen Changchuan, still breaking out in a cold sweat, was about to say something,
but he felt the little girl before him trembling all over, crying softly with tears in her eyes, revealing a palpable fear.
’This little one, she’s terrified...’
He immediately swallowed the harsh words that were on the tip of his tongue.
"It’s okay, it’s okay, Brother Changchuan is here. It was just an earth dragon turning over, nothing to be afraid of..."
Shen Changchuan gently stroked her head, comforting her in a soft voice.
This reassurance,
seemed to possess a kind of invisible magic,
causing her to calm down quickly.
After a good while,
Xiaoyu fell into a deep sleep while still hugging him.
Shen Changchuan’s own mood calmed along with her.
But just then,
he suddenly realized something.
’The speed that little girl just displayed...’
’I couldn’t even react to it?’
’That’s not right, is it?!’
’This Xiaoyu,’
’I’m afraid she’s hiding a huge secret!’
...
As for the secret Xiaoyu was hiding,
Shen Changchuan suppressed his curiosity, not planning to delve any deeper.
Judging from what Wu Tianhao had entrusted him with,
the little girl’s background and everything involved were clearly not simple.
All he had to do was his own part and repay the life-saving favor; that was enough.
There was no need to get himself tangled up in too much.
After getting things somewhat settled,
over the next few days, Shen Changchuan cultivated diligently while secretly keeping an eye on news from the outside world.
And so,
time flew by.
「In the blink of an eye, three days had passed.」
During these three days,
the terrifying aura from the direction of the Wu Family Collection still faintly shrouded the heavens and earth, showing no sign of dissipating.
No one knew what had happened there, or which great expert had made a move.
The outside Cultivators who had come from afar, intending to partake in this "feast"—whether they were Loose Cultivators or from a Sect and Family—all hesitated, not daring to venture deeper toward the Wu Family Collection.
Some were so intimidated by the terrifying pressure that they turned and left immediately, not daring to get caught in the current whirlpool.
After all, Shen Changchuan wasn’t the only intelligent person in the world.
Many people clearly understood that in a clash between Great Powers of that level, the mere aftershocks could crush them like ants.
Thus, the timid ones naturally turned and left without a second thought.
Of course,
many more who were greedy, or who simply wanted to watch the show, remained where they were, waiting.
And so, for a time,
countless gazes converged on the Border Desolate Forest.
What Shen Changchuan feared
was likely becoming a reality.
However, having already thought things through and made his plans, Shen Changchuan simply continued to quietly prepare his escape route, showing little reaction.
And after these three days had passed,
disheveled Cultivators finally retreated from the "front lines," bringing news about the Wu Family Collection.
Three bombshells of news arrived:
First, in the space beneath the original Wu Family Collection, there was indeed an ancient ruin, and it was an Ancient Cave Heaven Secret Realm, seemingly the location of an Ancient Major Sect’s Mountain Gate.
Second, a large number of Demon Cultivators from the Nanyue Kingdom had crossed the border, their goal apparently being to seize something within the Ancient Grotto Heaven. Then, three days ago, something unknown happened, and the Seven Extremes Old Demon, who had been hiding in the shadows, suddenly appeared and personally entered the fray.
Third, just as the Seven Extremes Old Demon made his move, Wu Tianhao’s master, Master Wandering Dragon—one of the Seven Immortal Sect Sons of the Yuqing Immortal Sect—suddenly appeared. He clashed with the demon in a single move, unleashing the terrifying shockwave from three days prior.
Now, the two of them were apparently locked in a struggle within the Alternate Space of the Ancient Grotto Heaven Ruins...