Eternal Life from the Golden Needle Technique

Chapter 231: Chapter 228: I’m Tired

A vast horde of black smoke skulls, ghosts, and demonic creatures swarmed down from the sky.

The Cultivators at the forefront couldn’t evade in time.

The black smoke skulls and demonic creatures passed right through their bodies.

Then,

amidst a series of agonizing screams,

every Cultivator penetrated by the black smoke skulls shriveled up at a speed visible to the naked eye.

It was as if an invisible force had drained every last drop of moisture and Vitality from their bodies.

They collapsed to the ground like desiccated corpses weathered for countless years, crumbling into pieces.

In contrast,

the black smoke skulls—or demonic creatures—that had passed through them

now bore a streak of vibrant red,

growing even more ferocious!

Such a horrifying scene

undoubtedly shattered the courage of the remaining survivors!

”AHHH!”

”Save me! I don’t want to die!”

”Where are the people from the Tian Nan Shen Clan? This must be targeting you Shen Family! Get the hell out here! Stop hiding!”

”Fuck it! We’re dead either way! Let’s take them on!”

Some fled.

Some screamed curses.

And some fought back.

Everyone reacted differently.

In the blink of an eye, the entirety of Dawan Village descended into utter chaos!

The glow of Magic erupted everywhere, and the sounds of colliding spells boomed incessantly!

”Changchuan, what do we do now?”

Amid the tremendous chaos,

Han Qinhu led the elite of the village guard, parting the frantic crowd to quickly reach the administration hall.

These guards were all Cultivators,

and what’s more, they were Cultivators originally from Dawan Village itself.

After Dawan Village began to prosper, Shen Changchuan had decided to use a small portion of its resources to cultivate some of his ’own people’.

This guard detail was the result of that decision.

Shen Changchuan had yet to answer.

However, Shen Shengliang, who was not far from the entrance, saw Han Qinhu and his men, and his eyes lit up.

”Shen Changchuan, quickly gather your men and have them form a defensive line in front of the administration hall! They are to hold their ground! No retreat! Those who disobey will be executed!”

Although the strength of these guards was only around the Early Stage of the Qi Introduction Realm,

they could at least slow down those bizarre things like the black smoke skulls.

After giving the order,

Shen Shengliang turned to the Shen Family members who had come with him.

”You all stick close to me. There are fewer people to the north, and it’s closest to the black fog wall. We have to get there as fast as possible!”

”But what about that black fog wall? Everyone who tried to charge through it earlier is dead...”

”Don’t worry. I have a Sky-Breaking Talisman. It will definitely be able to open a path! We don’t have much Time; just do as I command!”

Shen Shengliang quickly arranged their retreat route.

However,

when he turned back, he found Han Qinhu and his men standing motionless.

He couldn’t help but roar in fury.

”What are you all doing?!”

”Why haven’t you gotten your asses over there like I ordered?!”

Han Qinhu looked toward Shen Changchuan,

saying nothing.

Shen Shengliang’s gaze also fell upon Shen Changchuan.

His expression turned grim and uncertain. It was unclear what he was thinking, but being a decisive person, he quickly made up his mind.

He took a few steps forward, his voice somber and laced with the arrogance of someone bestowing charity:

”Time is short, so I won’t waste words.”

”I can take you with me when I escape, but the price is that you have your men buy us Time.”

”Sacrifice a few...”

BANG!

Before Shen Shengliang could even finish his sentence,

he was sent flying like a cannonball, his body crashing through two houses,

and ended up planted upside down like a leek,

embedded deep into a giant boulder not far away.

The huge commotion

drew the gazes of the Cultivators who had retreated to the administration hall.

”What’s going on? Is the Shen Family fighting amongst themselves?”

”I don’t know, but how did that special envoy from the Shen Family get sent flying like that? Isn’t his Cultivation at the Qi Introduction Ninth Layer Late Stage?”

”No idea...”

All eyes converged on the scene.

Meanwhile,

Shen Shengliang spat out a mouthful of blood and looked up, dazed.

’That little brat attacked me?’

’An ant at the mere Qi Introduction Fourth or Fifth Layer... how did he dare?!’

’No,’

’that’s not right!’

’He’s only at the Qi Introduction Fourth or Fifth Layer, so how could he possibly send me flying with a single blow?!’

At that moment, Shen Shengliang finally realized something was wrong.

Back in the hall,

Time itself seemed to freeze.

The Shen Family members who had come with Shen Shengliang stood stunned, staring at the spot where he had vanished and at Shen Changchuan, who remained in place, unsure of what had just happened.

Under the focus of so many gazes,

Han Qinhu, however, reacted quickly.

His brow furrowed, and he asked Shen Changchuan, who stood before him, with some confusion:

”In front of all these people... Changchuan, are you not going to hide anymore?”

As one of Shen Changchuan’s closest confidants, Han Qinhu was naturally aware of his approximate strength.

He also knew why Shen Changchuan chose to conceal his Cultivation Realm, only showing a Cultivation of around the Qi Introduction Fourth or Fifth Layer to the outside world.

Han Qinhu, who deeply understood Shen Changchuan’s situation, had been very supportive of this.

Laying low isn’t shameful.

Only by surviving is there a future.

But now,

under the watchful eyes of so many... wouldn’t this make all his efforts over these many days go up in smoke?!

”I... am tired.”

Shen Changchuan let out a long sigh.

He strode forward,

as if taking a leisurely stroll,

yet the space beneath his feet seemed to warp with Shrinking Inches. Under the gazes of the onlookers, he quickly arrived at the center of the spacious plaza.

He raised his head,

his profound gaze fixed on the dark figure high up in the sky.

”I once thought that if I was low-key enough, inconspicuous enough, then trouble would never find me... Later, I discovered that simply hiding and being low-key wasn’t enough. One must possess a certain amount of power to deter greedy eyes. And so, the name Zhang Qingyuan came into the world...”

”But in the end... I was wrong...”

Shen Changchuan spoke softly, as if mumbling to himself.

At this moment,

several black smoke skull-heads high above sensed Shen Changchuan’s aura and swooped down toward him.

But Shen Changchuan didn’t appear to make any move.

CLANG!

A brilliant sword light materialized from thin air. The Magical Power within it was intensely focused, its incredibly sharp will seeming to pierce directly into one’s Heart Spirit.

A flash of cyan-gold light vanished in midair.

SHHHHK! SHHHHK! SHHHHK!

Before anyone could see what happened,

the three skull-heads, each with an aura of at least the Qi Introduction Seventh Layer, dissipated in an instant after the sword light flashed past, like air leaking from a balloon!

HISS!

A collective gasp echoed from all around.

The pupils of many onlookers constricted to the size of pinpricks.

The difficulty of dealing with these black smoke skull-heads was in no way inferior to that of a Qi Introduction Late Stage Cultivator!

Anyone who wasn’t a fool,

upon seeing this scene,

how could they not know that this Dawan Village Guardian—who many Cultivators had assumed was just lucky and possessed the meager strength of the Qi Introduction Fourth or Fifth Layer—

was actually a master who had hidden his power extremely well?!