“It's your turn.”
“Gulp...”
Zhao Zhiqian's Adam's apple bobbed up and down. A drop of cold sweat slid down his temple, and his dread of Shen Xiuhan soared to unprecedented heights!
He had also heard of these Nether Yellow Springs Four Demons.
They belonged to Chou Zun, the head of the four foster sons of Qiu Hen from the Yinsha Sect!
Each of the four demons was at the Great Perfection of the Anjin Rank, and they also practiced a combined array technique called the Heavenly Fiend True Qi-Eroding Array. It was designed specifically to counter a martial artist's True Qi, making it incredibly insidious!
Zhao Zhiqian was confident he could easily hold the upper hand against any single one of them. Even if it were one against two, he would still have room to maneuver.
But if all four joined forces to form their array, his only option would be to run for his life!
Yet!
In just a brief moment, the youth before him had cleanly and decisively slaughtered all of the Nether Yellow Springs Four Demons!
No, it wasn't just a slaughter...
It was absolute butchery!
The Spring Demon had his heart ripped out, the Yellow Demon had his brain pierced by a flying needle, the Nether Demon had his throat run through by a sword, and the Underworld Demon couldn't even escape, chased down and his head twisted off...
Before this Shen Xiuhan, the four demons were like mere clay chickens and pottery dogs, utterly defenseless!
We have the same cultivation level, yet he is like a fierce beast in sheep's clothing. He remains still until he strikes, and when he does, it is a bloody harvest of lives!
The sheer abundance of this man's qi and the raw ferocity of his strikes are simply terrifying! This is far beyond what any normal Great Perfection of the Anjin Rank should possess!
Therefore...
I cannot fight him head-on!
With his thoughts racing, Zhao Zhiqian came to a decision!
He absolutely could not clash with Shen Xiuhan head-on!
If he wanted to escape unscathed...
He had to first pacify this man with words, then find an opportunity to slip away!
At this thought, Zhao Zhiqian took a deep breath, forcing a smile onto his square, resolute face.
“Core Disciple Shen!”
“I have long heard of the name of the Moonlight Sword. Seeing you in person today, I now realize that your unmatched talent far exceeds the rumors!”
Shen Xiuhan raised an eyebrow slightly at his words, a faint, barely discernible curve touching the corners of his lips.
“...Oh?”
Beside them, Feng Zhilan and Kong You were both startled before a peculiar expression crept onto their faces.
Was he... trying to beg for mercy?
Meeting their bizarre, mocking gazes, Zhao Zhiqian's smile grew even wider, and his tone became increasingly warm and enthusiastic. He called out:
“Core Disciple, there is something you might not know!”
“My father is Zhao Zheng, the Colonel of the Longxiang Army's Zhenyue Camp!”
“Back then, the Longxiang Martial Feast in Changyun County was hosted by my father himself, and he even personally sent you into the Dragon Blood Essence-Infusing Pool to cultivate for three days!”
“Speaking of which, my father could be considered to have given you a helping hand!”
Shen Xiuhan recalled the memory briefly, and a look of sudden realization dawned on him.
“So you are Colonel Zhao's son?”
“Yes, yes, exactly!”
Seeing that he remembered, Zhao Zhiqian was overjoyed. He hurriedly struck while the iron was hot, saying:
“In that case, you and I are practically family! It was my presumption this time that accidentally harmed my own brother. I hope you can overlook this for the sake of our past ties, Xiuhan, and give this elder brother some face...”
Unbelievable!
In just a few short sentences, he had managed to climb three or four layers of connection.
Shen Xiuhan couldn't help but chuckle. He nodded, his tone as warm and gentle as a spring breeze as he smiled:
“Sure.”
“For Colonel Zhao's sake, I'll leave you with an intact corpse.”
“Great bro—huh?!”
Zhao Zhiqian's joy instantly turned into a look of sheer disbelief, his face draining of color. He asked:
“What do you mean by that, brother? Are you making fun of me?”
“Who the hell is your brother?”
Beside them, Kong You couldn't take it anymore. He sneered, his voice dripping with sarcasm:
“Why don't you take a good look in the mirror? Are you even worthy?”
“...”
Zhao Zhiqian fell silent.
The veins on his temples throbbed, and his fists clenched so hard they popped. Rage burned like a wildfire in his eyes.
Yet, wary of Shen Xiuhan's presence, he had no choice but to swallow his resentment. Gritting his teeth, he cupped his hands toward Shen Xiuhan again.
“Core Disciple Shen...”
“If I offer you a treasure, could you spare my life?”
Shen Xiuhan didn't reply, simply watching his performance in silence.
Unable to get a response, Zhao Zhiqian maintained his forced smile while his hand quietly drifted toward the storage bag at his waist.
“Core Disciple, I have a treasure that originated from the Thunderbolt Sect of Liangzhou. It is called—”
“The Heart-Striking Thunderbolt!”
In that split second, Zhao Zhiqian suddenly whipped his head up, his eyes bursting with raw killing intent as he let out a sharp roar!
An object flew from his hand!
The object was entirely black and red, with a long handle resembling a hammer. Runes swirled across its surface, carrying a heart-stopping aura of destruction as it transformed into a streak of dark light, hurtling straight toward the faces of Shen Xiuhan's group!
Seeing the object, Feng Zhilan's face paled instantly, her voice rising to a sharp shriek:
“Senior Brother, watch out! That thing is dangerous!”
Shen Xiuhan had long been on his guard against Zhao Zhiqian.
The moment the man's hand had reached for his storage bag, alarm bells had already rung in his mind.
Now, seeing the black-and-red object flying toward him, he remained perfectly calm and simply willed his defense to activate!
Boom!
A world-shaking explosion erupted!
Dirt, shattered rocks, and shredded grass were blasted dozens of feet into the air by the terrifying power of the Heart-Striking Thunderbolt.
Dust swirled through the air, instantly transforming into a black cloud that blotted out the sky!
The shockwave swept out in all directions like a raging torrent, causing the trees to rustle violently and leaves to scatter everywhere.
At the same time, Zhao Zhiqian had already used the momentum of his throw to shoot backward like an arrow released from a bowstring.
His eyes were locked onto the roiling black cloud, a brilliant light flashing within them.
This Heart-Striking Thunderbolt was my trump card for this Blessed Land expedition! I specifically had someone travel to the prefecture capital and spent a full thousand taels of silver to purchase it!
Even an ordinary mid-stage Huajin Rank expert, even with protective True Qi guarding them, would be left on the brink of death after taking a direct hit from this!
No matter how strong you are, Shen Xiuhan, you are still not in the Huajin Rank. With a mere mortal body, how could you possibly block this?
At this thought, Zhao Zhiqian felt both smug and a deep pang of regret.
What a waste...
Using up my trump card so early means I'll likely have my hands tied for the rest of this Blessed Land trip.
Especially when facing those Huajin experts—I'll have to take the long way around if I see them from now on.
I just hope the loot on these three is enough to make up for my Heart-Striking Thunderbolt.
Once I get out of this Blessed Land, I'll go buy one of those legendary Thunderbolt Fiend-Slaying Lightnings. I hear those things are the real—huh?
Before Zhao Zhiqian could even finish his calculations, his face suddenly froze, his pupils shrinking to the size of pinpricks.
Not far away, the smoke gradually dispersed, and the swirling dust began to settle.
At the center of the explosion, a massive crater nearly fifty feet wide had appeared. Its edges were charred black with wisps of dark smoke rising from them, and the surrounding ground had been scorched into a shocking expanse of burnt earth.
Yet!
Far more terrifying than the massive crater was the giant, silver-white beast phantom standing over thirty feet tall inside the pit!
It silently roared toward the heavens, its aura incomparably fierce. Its back was as broad as a mountain range, and its entire body was covered in a flowing, silver-scaled light!
It was a peak Tier Four Precious Beast—the Tuo!
The silver light on its body formed the shape of an inverted bowl, firmly protecting Shen Xiuhan, Feng Zhilan, and Kong You beneath its belly.
Runes drifted and swirled across the light barrier, exuding an indestructible, heavy aura.
Even with the power of the Heart-Striking Thunderbolt, it had failed to leave even a single crack upon it.
“Th-this is...”
Zhao Zhiqian's face was filled with horror. His lips trembled as he squeezed out a few words through his teeth:
“Spiritual embryo armor?!”
A spiritual embryo was worth a fortune, and protective armor was many times more valuable than weapons like sabers or swords!
Furthermore, the pressure and grandeur exuded by this giant beast phantom clearly marked it as a top-tier treasure even among spiritual embryos!
For great and noble families, they wouldn't even blink at spending thousands or even tens of thousands of taels of silver on such a life-saving item.
But such a treasure... how could it possibly be in his possession?
Whoosh!
With a thought from Shen Xiuhan, the thirty-foot-tall beast phantom and the brilliant silver light were entirely sucked back into the precious armor beneath his robes, like a whale swallowing water.
As the spiritual light faded and his robes settled, he stood upon the scorched earth completely unscathed.
The defensive power of this Frost-Cold Silver Spirit Armor, gifted by the Prefectural Governor's Mansion, far exceeded Shen Xiuhan's expectations.
He was highly satisfied.
And so, taking a step forward, he prepared to reward Zhao Zhiqian.
Rate on N.U.
