Eternal Life from the Golden Needle Technique

Chapter 220: Chapter 217: The Gift

The battle came to a halt.

The crisis was suddenly resolved.

Everyone present looked up, stunned. A moment later, their faces lit up with the joy of having survived the ordeal.

At the same time, however,

Shen Changchuan’s train of thought had moved on.

’So, does this mean my so-called brother, Shen Chong, won?’

A glint flashed in his eyes as another thought came to mind.

’Originally, I didn’t plan to get involved in this whole mess. I was just going to kill Shen Zeyu and his men, then leave... But now, it looks like I might have a chance to investigate...’

’If I can obtain the subsequent techniques for the Xiangshan Qi Cultivation Technique now, that would be ideal. It would save me the trouble of searching for other techniques, and the need to switch my cultivation path, after I break through to the Soul Emergence Realm...’

Within a few breaths,

Shen Changchuan quickly made up his mind.

As he pondered,

Shen Changchuan looked at Nangong City, his gaze signaling it was time to leave.

Nangong City was slightly taken aback, but he still nodded and followed Shen Changchuan, leaving the area.

Meanwhile,

the leaders of the three major forces who remained looked at each other, their expressions flickering with uncertainty.

They naturally wanted to go to the Qi Family’s Treasury to fight for the Soul Emergence inheritance,

but the technique Shen Changchuan had just revealed—one exclusive to the Soul Emergence Realm—had thoroughly cowed them.

’Compete with someone who’s likely at the Soul Emergence Realm?’

’That would be seriously overestimating our own abilities.’

For a moment,

the three of them were stuck, unsure whether to advance or retreat.

”Sigh... all that work for nothing.”

”Forget it. Let them go. We’ll go take a look after they’ve left. Surely an expert at the Soul Emergence Realm won’t be interested in *everything*... Let’s just hope they leave some scraps behind.”

”I wonder who those two are...”

”What, are you planning to get revenge later?”

”Hmph! If I can one day break through to the Soul Emergence Realm, I will be back to settle today’s score!”

Shen Changchuan, of course, had no idea what the men behind him were thinking.

He and Nangong City cautiously picked their way toward the Qi Family’s Treasury.

Although Shen Changchuan guessed the battle was completely over and there shouldn’t be any danger left,

it was always better to be careful.

After all, you only get one life.

But along the way,

they were horrified to discover that the area was littered with mummified corpses. There wasn’t a single living person in sight!

”High Tier Immortal Cultivators are truly terrifying! To think that black mist from before could drain Life Force... If the battle hadn’t stopped, even if we hadn’t been killed by the aftershocks, we would have been slowly drained by that mist and ended up just like these mummified corpses...”

Following behind, Nangong City looked at the ruins all around and the desiccated, mummy-like corpses lying on the ground, his expression especially grim.

Along the way,

they didn’t encounter a single living person—only a ground covered in desiccated corpses.

The scene was, without a doubt, utterly horrifying.

After all, countless Loose Cultivators had rushed into Qi Family Town to scavenge for loot after it was breached,

and within the Qi Family Mansion itself, hundreds of Cultivators had been fighting to the death.

And the number of mortals was simply uncountable!

But now,

the surroundings were dead silent.

Not a single living creature remained.

Even the surrounding grass and trees had withered, without a hint of Vitality.

Without a doubt,

all of them, from the Cultivators who had been locked in combat to the ordinary mortals, had perished in that terrifying black mist!

”The closer we get to the center, the more powerful the oppressive aura becomes... I can’t imagine how many people were instantly crushed to death when that aura erupted!”

He recalled how they had reached the very edge of the dark canopy, and the oppressive aura alone had been almost too much for him to even stand.

A lingering fear rose in Nangong City’s heart.

This was the terror of a High Tier Immortal Cultivator!

Just by releasing their aura, they could suppress a huge area.

Numbers were almost meaningless before them!

Combined with the dark mist that had swept through the area, everyone in Qi Family Town had been completely wiped out in a mere quarter of an hour!

”Most likely... But I’m starting to have my doubts. The former Xiangshan Sect wasn’t a Demonic Sect, was it...?”

”But these methods are undeniably characteristic of the Demon Sects... Could those three have been lying? Perhaps the opportunity the Qi Family found back then wasn’t from a Disciple of the Xiangshan Sect, but the legacy of some Demon Dao practitioner?”

Shen Changchuan also frowned deeply.

He couldn’t help but stop in his tracks.

If it was the inheritance of some Demon Dao practitioner, then it held far less appeal for him.

It wouldn’t be worth such a risk.

Just as he was hesitating,

a somewhat familiar voice suddenly rang out.

”They weren’t lying. That person was indeed a Disciple of the Xiangshan Sect who fortunately escaped three hundred years ago. He simply fell to the Demon Dao in order to survive...”

Shen Changchuan looked up.

Not far away, he saw Shen Chong, dressed in black, standing atop the ruins of a house. He had no idea when he had appeared.

He was holding a Storage Bag, which he tossed toward Shen Changchuan.

Shen Changchuan caught it instinctively.

”This is...”

”Just some useless junk I happened to find. I have no use for it, so you can deal with it.”

Shen Chong’s face was expressionless, his voice flat as he spoke.

”This... I...”

Shen Changchuan opened his mouth, but for a moment, he didn’t know what to say.

’Even though we’re brothers by blood, we hardly know each other, right?’

’We’ve barely even spoken a few words to each other.’

Shen Changchuan felt awkward accepting a gift from him and was just about to look for a reason to refuse.

But he saw Shen Chong wave his hand dismissively.

”You don’t have to refuse. The things inside should be the Qi Family’s treasures, but I have no interest in them. If you don’t want it, just throw it away.”

After speaking,

without waiting for Shen Changchuan to react,

Shen Chong turned and disappeared.

”Hey, wait!”

”Thank you!”

Seeing his figure disappear into the distance, Shen Changchuan knew he couldn’t catch up. He could only grip the Storage Bag, cup his fists in a salute towards the direction Shen Chong had left, and call out his thanks loudly.

”This place is not safe. Leave quickly!”

From far away,

Shen Changchuan heard a voice transmission from him.

He didn’t know if it was his imagination,

but Shen Changchuan thought he saw the hint of a faint smile on his face as his figure vanished over the horizon...

Watching him leave, Shen Changchuan stood stunned for a long moment, clutching the Storage Bag, a heavy feeling in his heart.

’The blood brother of this body...’

’Sigh...’

”Brother Nangong, what are your plans now?”

After composing himself,

Shen Changchuan turned to look at Nangong City beside him.

”Since that person said this place isn’t safe, I think we should take his advice...”

”For some reason, I have a vague sense of unease. We should leave as soon as possible.”

”Me too. In that case, let’s go.”

The two of them then quickly left Qi Family Town.