Chapter 212 - 209: Encounter at Last
"We’re almost there!"
’Looks like the battle isn’t over yet? I hope there are no more complications...’
Nangong City followed Shen Changchuan,
advancing as if no one was there,
and soon they reached the core of the Qi Family’s Treasury.
He met no further resistance on the way,
and all the Arrays along the path seemed to have been destroyed, which let him breathe a small sigh of relief.
Perhaps,
’the situation isn’t as bad as I imagined...’
"Get out of my way! All of you, get the hell out of my way!"
Just then,
a furious roar echoed out.
A figure hurtled out from the treasury, charging recklessly in their direction.
The figure was so fast,
it was like a cannonball shot across the sky, piercing the air, leaving a long wake behind it and unleashing a deafening boom!
In its path,
whether walls, houses, or the Cultivators standing in the way, everything was instantly pierced and pulverized!
"What?!"
The newcomer was so fast, he moved almost beyond Nangong City’s ability to react.
He seemed to be propelled by a Bronze Bell that radiated a terrifying aura,
causing Nangong City to be unable to muster the slightest thought of resistance; his mind went completely blank!
’That Magical Artifact seems to contain power beyond the Qi Introduction Realm!’
"What is that thing?!"
This sudden development,
had, of course, been noticed sooner by Shen Changchuan, who was further ahead.
But unlike Nangong City, who was utterly powerless to resist,
Shen Changchuan, though he also felt the sudden, immense pressure,
was still able to move thanks to his Soul Emergence Level Divine Sense.
Sensing the danger,
he instantly unleashed the most powerful Magic he had mastered!
Cyan Wood Sword Light!
His Perfection Level Cyan Wood Sword Light had been further enhanced after his Divine Soul strengthened significantly, allowing him to reach the Instantaneous Realm!
In an instant,
the light of the world dimmed.
A streak of cyan sword light shot across the sky like a laser beam, its brilliant glow illuminating everything as a vast, divine might swept out in all directions!
BOOM!!!
The cyan sword light struck the Bronze Bell that was hurtling toward them like a cannonball,
creating an earth-shattering collision.
In that moment,
dazzling white lightning erupted at the center of their impact, followed by a milky-white shockwave that swept out in all directions. The ground trembled violently, splitting into fissures. Nearby walls shattered, their fragments swept into the air by the gale and instantly pulverized...
Shen Changchuan was thrown back dozens of feet by the powerful impact.
At the same time,
the fleeing Bronze Bell, which had been shooting forth like a cannonball, was brought to a dead stop!
"Damn it! What bastard dares to stop me?!"
Shen Zeyu grunted, a trickle of blood escaping the corner of his mouth from the terrifying backlash.
The Bronze Bell, which had been large enough to envelop his entire body, had its flow of Magical Power disrupted by the terrifying impact. It rapidly shrank to the size of his palm and fell into his hand.
His face was filled with rage at having his escape cut short,
and his heart was gripped with anxiety.
’That damn little bastard is right on my heels,’ he thought. Even though he had abandoned his companions to flee, which should have bought him some time,
every breath he wasted increased the chance of being caught!
"Damn you! I’ll spare your life today!"
On any other day,
he would have used the Bronze Bell to shatter the man’s skull.
But now,
saving his own skin was the priority!
Not daring to delay in the slightest,
Shen Zeyu poured his Magical Power into the Bronze Bell, preparing to ride it and flee once more!
And just then,
not far away,
Shen Changchuan, who had steadied himself, got a clear look at the man’s face, and a flicker of surprise appeared in his eyes.
’Looks like my luck isn’t so bad after all...’
Shen Changchuan naturally recognized Shen Zeyu’s face.
He was one of the Shen Family members who had been hunting Shen Chong!
’Finally, I’ve found one of them!’
Shen Changchuan couldn’t help but breathe an inner sigh of relief.
However,
he didn’t underestimate his opponent in the slightest.
The man had withstood a blow from his Cyan Wood Sword Light,
and the faint aura emanating from the Bronze Bell seemed to surpass even the Soul Emergence Realm.
All of this was a clear declaration of his opponent’s formidable power!
’But... it seems his power comes entirely from that strange Bronze Bell. Perhaps there’s a shortcut to dealing with him...’
While remaining vigilant,
thoughts raced through Shen Changchuan’s mind,
and from their brief exchange, he quickly discerned his opponent’s weakness.
Perhaps it wouldn’t be considered a weakness to another Cultivator at the Qi Introduction Ninth Layer Realm,
but for Shen Changchuan, who was now in a class of his own, it was a massive flaw!
’I’ll give it a try!’
Without a moment’s hesitation,
with a flip of his palm,
the Soul-Attracting Bell appeared in his hand.
As a low-grade Magical Artifact, its power, while considerable, was only truly effective against those below the Late Stage of the Qi Introduction Realm.
The higher the Cultivation Realm of the combatants, the less effective it became,
as a Cultivator’s Divine Soul strengthens with their Cultivation Realm.
The Divine Sense attack from the Soul-Attracting Bell would find it increasingly difficult to affect a Cultivator’s Divine Soul.
After the Ninth Layer Realm,
its effect was practically negligible!
But now that Shen Changchuan’s Divine Sense was capable of Soul Emergence and Body Separation, things were different...
DANG!
Before Shen Zeyu could ride the Bronze Bell to escape again,
at this very moment,
a perfectly clear bell chime rang out, seeming to pierce through space itself and echo in every corner!
Shen Changchuan used the Soul-Attracting Bell as a medium, infusing the sound of the bell with his own Divine Sense—one capable of Soul Emergence—and turning it into an invisible, intangible attack!
Shen Zeyu was instantly enveloped by the sound.
And so,
unsurprisingly,
the assault on his Divine Soul made his entire body freeze. It felt as if a sledgehammer had smashed into the back of his head, turning his brain to mush. He couldn’t even think!
The Magical Power around his body suddenly dispersed!
And at the same time,
a streak of sword light shot like lightning across dozens of feet, plunging straight into his undefended abdomen.
PSSHT!
Shen Zeyu hadn’t even recovered from the Soul-Attracting Bell’s attack when the sword light pierced his abdomen. In that instant, his Dantian Meridians were torn apart by the berserk Magical Power that had been unleashed!
His Magical Power, now unrestrained, erupted outwards, kicking up a fierce gale!
Only then,
did the intense pain from within his body finally jolt Shen Zeyu back to his senses.
But with not a single trace of controllable Magical Power left in his body, he began to fall helplessly from the sky.
Simultaneously,
Shen Changchuan’s figure flashed,
appearing before him.
With a wave of his hand,
he snatched the now-uncontrolled Bronze Bell from Shen Zeyu’s grasp,
and brought the man himself completely under his control.
The battle,
was over in the span of a breath!