Duan Yuyang and Yan Tianhen guarded the entrance with the two tiger cubs. Lin Xuanzhi sat down cross-legged in the cave, put the celestial-level pill in his mouth, and after a short moment of hesitation, closed his eyes and solemnly swallowed it.
In fact, with his current cultivation level, the correct method was to use his saliva to slowly dissolve the celestial-pill in his mouth. As each layer peeled off and became absorbed little by little, the pain he suffered when the medicinal pill entered his internal organs and Dantian Qi sea would be minimised.
However, he didn’t have that much time…one couldn’t wish for both the fish and a bear’s paw, he had to give up on one.
Repairing a Dantian Qi sea that had been destroyed completely was a very terrifying affair. To a cultivator, this sort of pain was definitely not inferior to having one’s soul crushed.
Lin Xuanzhi just felt like the place where his Dantian lies feel like it was exploding and ripping apart; his whole body was filled with an irrepressible pain.
However, he didn’t utter a single sound. Aside from the cold sweat drenching his back and clothes, as well as his colourless face, there was no way for someone to tell his current situation from his face.
Yan Tianhen would glance inside from time to time, afraid that something would happen to Lin Xuanzhi.
Although the cave could fit about two or three adults so he could see Lin Xuanzhi at a glance, he could not clearly see his state because of how dim it was.
Lin Xuanzhi didn’t utter a sound and silently endured. Yan Tianhen didn’t dare to approach and disturb him, thinking that Lin Xuanzhi’s condition should be okay right now so he felt relieved.
If one had to use a phrase to describe Lin Xuanzhi’s current state, then only the phrases “indescribable misery”, “living is worse than death” and so on could be used. This kind of pain was not temporary, and would only disappear once the Dantian Qi sea was completely repaired.
Lin Xuanzhi guided the medicinal force of the celestial-level pill to flow around his Dantian Qi sea while struggling with the pain and even diverted some attention to think, I wonder if those who had their Dantian Qi seas destroyed would give up halfway because they couldn’t bear the pain during the reparation.
Although Lin Xuanzhi didn’t know this, there were a lot of people who would choose to continue being a cripple because they couldn’t bear the unspeakable pain that the medicinal pill brought to them.
Three days passed quietly. On the fourth day, clamouring noises were suddenly heard in the distance. A group of twenty or so cultivators ascended thee mountains and walked over here. Yan Tianhen and Duan Yuyang couldn’t avoid them in time and ended up bumping right into them.
A pupil cried out, “I’ve found them! They’re here! Everyone, come quickly!”
The cultivators who were scattered during their search immediately rushed over to gather.
It was as if Yan Tianhen was facing a great enemy. He narrowed his eyes and stared at Shen Changgeng, who walked through the crowd to stand right in front, and summoned Ling Chigu, who had always been nearby, in his sea of consciousness.
Meanwhile, Ah Bai and Hu Po also got into offensive stances.
Duan Yuyang drew out a talisman quietly and hid it in his wide sleeve.
Shen Changgeng smiled, “Little friend Yan, we meet again.”
“Don’t try to casually claim that we’re familiar with each other, I don’t know you that well.”
Shen Changgeng was probably focused on getting what he desired, so he didn’t think much of it. “If we’re not familiar, then we’re not familiar ba. But I’ll still be kind enough to collect your corpse.”
Duan Yuyang scolded, “At the very least you’re still someone from an elite family, yet you’re bullying the weak with your strength and numbers so shamelessly. Since you couldn’t get it, you decided to snatch it away openly, what kind of trash are you?! You’re seriously disgusting!”
The smile on Shen Changgeng’s face froze. “It belonged to my Shen family in the first place, this is called returning something to its rightful owner.”
“Hehe.” Yan Tianhen sneered too. “I didn’t remember until you mentioned it. Shen Qinian, that sanctimonious hypocrite — what kind of shameful and immoral thing did he do?!”
“How dare you insult the ancestor of my Shen family?” Shen Changgeng instantly turned furious. He stared coldly at Yan Tianhen, “I had wanted to spare your life, but since you’re courting your own death, I won’t hold back either!”
Shen Changgeng made a gesture to signal the rest to attack, and all the pupils that he had brought along immediately surged toward Yan Tianhen and Duan Yuyang.
Others saw that Lin Xuanzhi was sitting in the cave in seclusion, so they shouted about going over to interrupt his cultivation.
How could Yan Tianhen let them succeed?
He performed his Yin Flame Palm attack with both hands; it had a baleful, threatening appearance, and the flames looked back to Yan Tianhen. But because he was equipped with a magic treasure that could deceive the heavens, his attack was an ordinary flame in the eyes of others. Only people who had that flame pass through their chests sensed the cold Yin Qi within.
However, they couldn’t talk about it anymore.
Yan Tianhen’s cultivation was already at the First Layer of his Foundation Stage, and that was higher than the level of ⅔ of the cultivators here. Coupled with how demonic cultivation methods themselves are easy at first and difficult later, Yan Tianhen actually shot with unfailing accuracy, and his flaming dragon pierced through the bodies of five cultivators!
“If you want to find my Dage, then you’ll have to pass through me first!” Yan Tianhen crushed someone’s neck, a cold and murderous glint that Lin Xuanzhi had never seen before flashing in his eyes.
Although Duan Yuyang’s cultivation level wasn’t up to par, he was extremely wealthy. He flung out offensive magic treasures, thunder bombs, talisman, etc. everywhere like they were free, making it such that no one even dared to approach him.
Ah Bai and Hu Po were already seven star infant stage beasts. They killed everyone on all sides with their impressive strength, throwing out their thunder magic one after another which scorched quite a lot of cultivators.
With one look, Shen Changgeng saw that these two people who looked very much like good-for-nothings were actually disguising themselves as pigs to prey on tigers, so he instantly didn’t dare to be complacent.
He drew out his sword and prepared an ultimate Shen family move, “Shen Wave Shattering Sand”, and sword Qi instantly filled the sky. Like grains of sand that contained a majestic momentum capable of forcing waves to sink back into the sea, and they started showering down on Yan Tianhen and Duan Yuyang.
Duan Yuyang quickly threw out a bowl-shaped defensive tool, yet Yan Tianhen didn’t retreat and advanced instead. His Yin flames spewed out like a spiritual snake that rushed straight at Shen Changgeng.
Shen Changgeng was already at the third layer of his Foundation stage, so it wasn’t difficult for him to avoid Yan Tianhen’s attack.
Just then, Ling Chigu quickly rushed into the sky that was swirling with sword Qi. He formed a magic seal with both hands and expressionlessly let the lightning stars scattered in the sky break up the sword Qi.
Shen Changgeng was bewildered. He glared at the tall man whose pale face didn’t conceal his superior Qi. “Who are you? Don’t tell me you want to be an enemy of the Shen family?”
Ling Chigu naturally wouldn’t answer.
Yet Shen Changgeng thought that the other party was looking down on him, so his gaze turned cold. He drew his sword and rushed forward, “You busybody, you’re seeking your own death!”
“Ah Gu, watch out!” Yan Tianhen was afraid that Ling Chigu would lose out because he has no weapon, so he cried out anxiously.
Within Ling Chigu’s veins, there didn’t seem to be the word ‘retreat’ since his birth.
So when he rushed straight at the sword-wielding Shen Changgeng empty handed without trying to avoid him at all, Yan Tianhen’s heart rose all the way to his throat.
Without noticing, someone smacked a palm on his chest and sent him flying backwards.
Ling Chigu suddenly went back and allowed the sword Qi to pierce through his palm, while his other hand smacked Shen Changge’s chest. This smack made Shen Changgeng spit out a mouthful of blood, so he had to draw his sword back and retreat.
Lin Xuanzhi was still in seclusion.
He had already entered a state of the anatta, and he was already accustomed to the pain. Everything happening outside was just affairs of another world to him.
Ling Chigu was ready to take advantage of his victory to give change, but a powerful, omnipresent pressure appeared, making everyone present feel a pain in their chest and have difficulty with their breathing. There were even some who spat out a mouthful of blood on the spot.
The visitor was no longer young; with grey hair and a long beard, and a gray robe adorned with a Shen family plaque hung at his waist.
It was actually an elder from the Shen family!
Duan Yuyang was stunned at once and blurted out, “The shamelessness of your Shen family is actually an inherited trait!”
An overseeing elder from the Shen family actually came!
Although his cultivation level had been suppressed to the Third Layer of his Foundation Stage, his original cultivation level was still of a Profound-level after all. Just its pressure could crush these brats who were still wet behind their ears until they spat out mouthfuls of blood. Even Ling Chigu’s legs bent, causing him to almost fell to his knees.
“What do we need you for? You good-for-nothing!” The Shen family berated Shen Changgeng rudely.
Shen Changgeng looked overjoyed as he quickly got up, “Second Elder, the Hepta-Brilliant Sacred Fire was swallowed by that kid!”
Second Elder Shen hovered in mid air as he stared at Yan Tianhen, like a venomous snake staring at its food. He waved his sleeves, and actually clutched Yan Tianhen’s throat through telekinesis and lifted him into the air!
“Those from the Shen family, obey my command. Go and kill the rest quickly, not one can be left alive!” Second Elder shouted coldly — he wanted Shen Changgeng to silence them by murdering them!
The pupils who had come with Shen Changgeng revealed dismayed expressions, but the Shen family pupils were already swinging their weapons at them. The people who were still in an alliance just a moment ago had fallen out and turned into enemies right now!
“Ugh–” Yan Tianhen struggled, pain evident on his face. Ling Chigu emitted “ ah ah ah” noises from his throat and jumped up. Just as he was about to unleash a fierce attack on the elder, he was ruthlessly smacked back to the ground by Second Elder Shen with one wave of his sleeve.
Second Elder Shen clenched his fist and Yan Tianhen felt like his soul was being torn apart. He couldn’t help but let out a heartrending “AH“.
Duan Yuyang threw out a talisman, but it was useless. Instead, like an ant being pinched, he was thrown straight at a rock.
Duan Yuyang’s head bled upon impact, golden stars appearing in front of his eyes. He could vaguely see the pale-faced Yan Tianhen through his blood, the youth’s eyes already rolled up while his body trembled — he was on the verge of dying.
The gap in their strength was too big, there was nothing else they could do.
Yan Tianhen’s heart was about to explode. A scorching sensation started spreading out from his Dantian Qi sea; he felt like something was bumping around everywhere violently in his body, as if there was a huge gate that would be opened if just a little bit more force was exerted.
However, right at that moment, a furry thing rushed out of the pocket at Yan Tianhen’s chest. It chirped with a “jiu” and flapped its wings, glaring with its pair of reddish gold eyes as it abruptly spat out a mouthful of flames at the person who had disturbed its sleep!
Bang—
Fine sparks somehow turned into a giant flame all of a sudden. It first caught up to Second Elder Shen with a whoosh and instantly burned him up until not even his ashes remained, then a flame shower started that set the entire mountain on fire!
As the fire spread, Shen Changgeng saw with his own eyes how the others turned into ashes within an instant. He was so frightened he let out a loud cry and quickly crushed the transportation ball in his hands in an attempt to escape.
However, it was too late. There was still a fine spark that had spattered onto his finger at the last minute.
After leaving the Pill Limit Mysterious Land, Shen Changgeng’s entire right arm was on fire. The people outside all cried out in alarm and retreated, and only the young master of Sky Peak Sect, Ren Fuyao, decisively used his finger to draw out an arc of sword Qi that cut off his right arm straight away.
“AH–” Shen Changgeng let out a wail of anguish before he fainted.
“What kind of fire is this? It’s extremely powerful!” Someone cried out. Only a grey snake-like trace could be seen of the arm that had been cut off. When the wind blew, even this last trace wasn’t left behind.
—
