Chapter 70 - 68: Excitement

To be honest,

before the operation began, the one-eyed bald man had some reservations.

It wasn’t hard to see why.

A Magical Artifact as powerful as the Soul-Attracting Bell could be quite useful even in a battle between those at the Qi Introduction Late Stage Level.

And yet, the one holding it was just some brat at the mere Qi Introduction Third Layer.

Under such circumstances,

why didn’t those old codgers just take the treasure for themselves?

Why did they spread the news instead?

If you said there was nothing strange about it,

I doubt anyone would believe you!

So, even though he had caught up with Shen Changchuan’s party long ago,

he still made meticulous arrangements,

preparing for any unexpected events,

and delayed the attack until the middle of the night.

But what the one-eyed bald man never expected was that,

just as he made his move,

he was discovered by that brat named Shen Changchuan, causing the night raid to fail.

However,

the one-eyed bald man didn’t care in the slightest.

Instead, a moment later,

his heart was filled with immense excitement and joy!

Because,

in the very next moment,

the Cultivators on the other side all charged forward, only to be blasted back within a few breaths’ time!

The strength of those people,

was actually so pathetic!

There were no surprises; his side had crushed them like dry weeds!

They couldn’t put up any effective resistance.

This point,

was precisely the reason for the immense joy in the one-eyed bald man’s heart!

Because,

from the very beginning,

the one-eyed bald man’s greatest worry,

was that someone in that brat Shen Changchuan’s group was hiding their true strength, trying to bait a trap!

Those old codgers who got the news early might have already tried to make a move and suffered a huge loss,

which was why they spread the news.

Their goal was to incite mid-to-low-level Tribulation Cultivators like him to go and wear down the enemy’s hidden strength,

so they could swoop in and reap the rewards at the end.

Otherwise, there was no explaining why those selfish old Tribulation Cultivator codgers would be so "generous"!

Because of this,

right up until he made his move,

a hidden worry lingered in the one-eyed bald man’s mind, refusing to go away.

He was afraid that one careless mistake,

would lead him into a trap and get his entire group wiped out.

However,

once the fight truly began,

he had crushed and defeated the opposition in just a few moves.

His greatest worry vanished into thin air.

The gloom in his heart was completely swept away, naturally giving rise to immense joy!

But at the same time,

the one-eyed bald man couldn’t help but feel a sense of shame turning into anger!

He had actually been intimidated by these pathetic country bumpkins!

’Hmph! Those cowardly old codgers were most likely scared off by the Shen Family’s reputation!’

’Years ago, when a branch of the Shen Family was killed, a True Cultivator of Soul Emergence from the Shen Family came from the west with his sword and easily slaughtered an entire Immortal Cultivation Clan that was guarded by a Qi Introduction Late Stage expert. The incident struck fear and awe into the hearts of every Cultivator in a thousand-mile radius.’

’It must have been that incident that filled those old geezers with reverence, making them wary of the kid’s status as a Shen Clan Member and afraid to act rashly!’

’The only reason they spread the news was to use me as a blade! After I succeed, they plan to jump out from the shadows and reap the rewards!’

In that instant,

the one-eyed bald man had a moment of clarity, a sudden enlightenment.

He thought he understood everything.

’A bunch of old codgers afraid of death!’

’So what if he’s a Shen Clan Member? Out here in the wilderness, as long as I slaughter them all and leave no one alive, even if the Shen Clan wants to investigate, all traces will be gone. Where would they even start?!’

’And so what if they do find out? The world is vast, and it’s not like the Tian Nan Shen Clan is the only power. If I can’t make it in this region, I’ll just flee to another country!’

’A bunch of old fossils who have the guts to steal but not to act!’

In an instant,

countless thoughts flashed through the one-eyed bald man’s mind.

But he was also very clear

that against those outdated old fossils, he had little power to resist.

He could very well be manipulated by their schemes,

allowing those old codgers to have the last laugh.

Therefore,

he had to seize the Soul-Attracting Bell as quickly as possible,

to grasp a means to contend with those old codgers!

Every breath of delay,

could lead to a drastically different outcome!

For this reason,

the one-eyed bald man didn’t hesitate in the slightest.

He struck directly!

His figure flashed like lightning, appearing before Shen Changchuan in an instant.

His large, cattail-fan-like hand became a gray afterimage, striking down at Shen Changchuan’s head with immense power!

If this strike were to land,

Shen Changchuan’s entire head would likely explode like a watermelon!

The one-eyed bald man’s face was ferocious.

He wasn’t afraid of Shen Changchuan’s counterattack.

’Even if this brat in front of him has the Soul-Attracting Bell, and even if he can activate the Magical Artifact, as long as I can kill him with a single palm strike before he activates it, that’s all that matters.’

He didn’t believe a mere brat at the Qi Introduction Third and Fourth Layer could activate the Soul-Attracting Bell in time to counter his pride-and-joy speed.

The weak were not even worth mentioning.

What he was truly worried about,

was the possible existence of some old codgers hiding in the shadows, completely undetected by him!

He was in a race against time!

However,

just as that palm was about to descend,

Shen Changchuan, who was right in front of him, drifted backward like a falling leaf!

His ferocious palm strike,

slammed directly into empty air!

BOOM!!!

With a muffled bang, a crater was smashed into the ground,

which fractured like glass as dust and smoke scattered everywhere.

But unfortunately,

there was no one in front of him.

"What?!?"

The one-eyed bald man’s face was a mask of astonishment.

’What’s going on?’

’How did this brat manage to dodge my attack?’

He was stunned for a moment.

The one-eyed bald man’s thoughts,

were unknown to Shen Changchuan.

If he had known,

he probably would have just sneered.

He wasn’t an idiot. Why would he just stand there and take a beating without dodging?

In fact, the moment the man launched his attack, Shen Changchuan had already executed his Perfection Level Light Body Technique.

Naturally, he dodged the attack with ease.

Seeing his opponent’s attack miss,

Shen Changchuan certainly wasn’t going to let such a perfect opportunity slip by.

The Soul-Attracting Bell, which he had prepared long ago, appeared in his hand. He poured his Magical Power into it and shook it fiercely!

And seeing this, the pupil of the one-eyed bald man’s remaining eye shrank to a pinpoint.

’Not good!’

At that very moment,

he abruptly realized that Shen Changchuan’s aura had, at some unknown point, reached the Qi Introduction Sixth Layer!

He realized something.

He might have gotten everything wrong from the very beginning!

From start to finish,

the greatest danger was not someone else, but the fifteen- or sixteen-year-old brat from the Shen Clan right in front of him!

DONG!

As the clear sound of the Bell rang out,

almost instantaneously,

everyone present felt as if their heads had been smashed by a giant iron rod!

Their consciousnesses instantly fell into Chaos!