Chapter 18

After the battle, the gunpowder smoke had not yet dissipated.

In the courtyard, the burnt smell and the bloody smell mixed together; the odor was pungent, making people want to vomit.

Misty Spirit Gathering Array, previously the Wang Family's last barrier, is now useless.

The light of the Array had all disappeared, like shattered glass.

Only a few array base nodes were still faintly flickering, as if saying how brutal the battle just was.

In the middle of the courtyard, there were two charred corpses, their forms twisted, very frightening.

They were experts sent by the Wan Family, Body Refining Eighth Layer, but now they had become inhuman remains.

Dark red blood was still flowing out, dyeing the ground's soil red, turning it muddy.

Wang Shan stood in this mess.

He had almost no good spot left; wounds were everywhere.

His clothes were soaked with blood, then dried by the cold wind, becoming stiff.

He supported himself with his hands on his knees, his chest heaving violently.

With each breath, his broken ribs hurt terribly, like being pricked by needles.

The sense of fatigue surged like a tide, threatening to drown him.

After a brief silence came the ecstasy of having survived the calamity.

"We won! Father won!"

"We survived!"

Wang Zheze's several brothers were the first to react.

They saw that although Father could not stand steadily, he was still standing.

Those two terrifying Heipao Ren were already dead.

The fear that the children had been holding in their hearts was instantly dispersed by immense joy.

The children burst into cheers, their voices loud, tinged with sobs, also with relief, excited beyond measure.

Wang Zheze ran forward, his steps unsteady, wanting to support Father but afraid to touch his wounds, so anxious that tears streamed down.

"Father! How are you?" he asked, choking up.

The other few sons also gathered around, not knowing what to do, wanting to help, their faces showing both worry and admiration.

They personally witnessed Father fighting like a war god, bloody slaughter, turning the impossible into possible. Their reverence for Father in their hearts was now different from before.

At this moment, Father was no longer merely the old farmer who faced the loess and backed to the sky.

He is the mainstay of the Wang Family! He is the hero who slays powerful foes and defends the homeland!

Having experienced this life-and-death trial, the hearts of the Wang Family members tightly coalesced.

The family's cohesion, in the baptism of blood and fire, quietly increased.

Wang Shan took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the bloody taste in his throat.

His voice was hoarse, yet carried an indisputable authority.

"Don't just stand there! Zheze, take your brothers and quickly clean up these two charred corpses! Move fast, leave no trace!"

He knew very well that now was not the time to relax.

The Wan Family people died here; the news will certainly not be kept secret.

But the corpses absolutely cannot be left behind, otherwise the Wan Family might use them to find more clues, and possibly even some secret method could obtain information from the corpses.

"Yes, Father!" Wang Zheze wiped his tears and immediately ordered his brothers to begin acting.

Although they still felt fear inside, Father's words were orders.

They fetched tools, enduring nausea and fear, began to handle the two corpses emitting a burnt stench and bloody smell.

Wang Shan dragged his injured body to the corner of the courtyard.

That was an important spot of the Misty Spirit Gathering Array.

Now the spirit stones on the array plate had completely dimmed, even cracked.

He reached out and gathered the useless spirit stones, feeling heartbroken.

To resist and counterattack, this time the consumption was too great.

Not only was the array severely damaged, the stored spirit stones were also exhausted.

We must quickly repair the array, replenish energy, otherwise when the Wan Family comes again for revenge, the Wang Family will have no way to resist.

He looked at the busy sons in the courtyard, then glanced at the corpses being processed, and his gaze suddenly became sharp.

Right, the spoils of war!

Those two Body Refining Eighth Layer individuals surely have good stuff on them!

Wang Shan forced himself to stay conscious and walked to beside the corpses.

He did not hesitate, directly rummaging through the burnt clothes of Heipao Jia and Heipao Yi.

Soon, he found two pouches of ancient style, cool to the touch.

Storage bags!

Indeed, there were!

Wang Shan's heart stirred; ignoring the severe pain in his body, he immediately mobilized the little spiritual power within him, trying to erase the faint spiritual imprint of the original owner on the storage bags.

These two Heipao Ren were already dead, their spiritual imprint having lost its source; although some remnants remained, under Wang Shan's current Body Refining Sixth Layer spiritual impact, they soon vanished.

A soft "hiss".

With two soft sounds, the Seal on the storage bags was undone.

Wang Shan eagerly extended a thread of spiritual sense into one of the storage bags.

In the next instant, his face, smeared with blood and dust, suddenly burst forth with an incredulous radiance!

Eyes widened greatly!

In the not-large storage space, many shiny things were placed.

Lower-grade spirit stones!

Densely packed; after a rough count, there might be about 150 or 160!

Wang Shan's heart started pounding.

Over a hundred lower-grade spirit stones! For the former Wang Family, this was an unimaginable fortune!

He suppressed his excitement and extended his spiritual sense into another storage bag.

This storage bag contained slightly fewer lower-grade spirit stones, but still around 120.

Together, they amounted to nearly 300 lower-grade spirit stones!

Three hundred!

Enough to repair the Misty Spirit Gathering Array and still raise his level several notches!

Enough for the children to cultivate for a long time!

Wang Shan felt his breathing become a bit hurried.

But this wasn't the end; there was an even bigger surprise.

He checked the second storage bag and made another discovery in the corner.

They were more than ten spirit stones.

These spirit stones emitted a purer, richer spiritual aura.

They were crystal clear throughout, with flowing light moving inside.

Held in hand, one could clearly feel the immense energy within.

Middle-grade spirit stones!

There were actually more than ten middle-grade spirit stones!

The spiritual energy of one middle-grade spirit stone equals at least a hundred lower-grade ones.

Moreover, they are of higher quality and absorb faster.

The value of these ten-plus middle-grade spirit stones far exceeds that of the nearly three hundred lower-grade ones!

Struck it rich!

This time I really made a huge fortune!

Wang Shan almost burst out laughing.

But years of endurance and his current situation forced him to suppress his excitement.

He knew deep down that this wealth was the Wang Family's capital for a comeback, but it could also invite greater disaster.

It must be handled carefully.

Besides this fortune of spirit stones, the two storage bags contained plenty of other things.

Several jade bottles, containing various medicinal pills.

Wang Shan carefully opened and smelled them.

Most were healing and cultivation-enhancing pills of decent quality.

But a few bottles of pills carried a faint yin chill.

Obviously they were meant to accompany the Wan Family's heretical cultivation method.

Wang Shan had no intention of touching them for now, planning to study how to deal with them later.

Perhaps the system could recycle them.

Besides the pills, there were also several old-looking booklets.

Wang Shan flipped through a few pages.

Most were fragments, recording some cultivation techniques and martial arts.

One tattered beast-skin scroll caught his attention.

The qi method and diagrams recorded on it exuded a savage, brutal aura.

This seemed somewhat related to the Wan Family's rumored core technique, the Ten Thousand Beasts Method.

"Ten Thousand Beasts Method Fragment?"

Wang Shan's heart stirred; he solemnly put away this beast-skin scroll.

Knowing the enemy ensures victory in a hundred battles.

Figuring out the Wan Family's technique will be important for future confrontations.

Besides that, the bags also held some scattered refining materials.

Their quality was ordinary, but still better than nothing.

Finally, Wang Shan found, in the corner of a storage bag, that black token which had been more than half destroyed by the Thunder Talisman.

The token's material was unknown; it felt ice-cold to the touch.

Even though damaged, it still emitted an ominous aura that made one's heart palpitate.

It seemed as if something evil was hidden inside.

"It's this thing that summoned the ghost claw…"

Wang Shan's gaze grew solemn; he also carefully put away this broken token.

This thing is heretical, but its power is not small.

Perhaps later we can study it to find some way to deal with it, or find a method to counter it.

He carefully sorted and stored all the spoils.

Important items were kept close to his person, while spirit stones and medicinal pills were stored separately.

After finishing these, Wang Shan finally let out a breath.

He looked around; his sons had already finished handling the corpses.

They were cleaning up the bloodstains and gravel in the courtyard.

He nodded.

He then found a relatively clean spot and sat down cross-legged.

He couldn't wait any longer.

He had to treat his injuries immediately!

He took out a high-quality healing pill from the spoils he had just obtained and swallowed it without hesitation.

The pill melted as soon as it entered his mouth.

It turned into a warm current that flowed through his limbs and bones, nourishing his injured meridians and organs.

Wang Shan immediately activated the Duant Body Art.

As the technique circulated, the medicinal power was quickly absorbed.

At the same time, the lingering spiritual energy of heaven and earth was drawn in, slowly repairing his internal and external injuries.

Although this battle was dangerous and he almost lost his life, the gains were also great.

Not only were the visible spoils.

More importantly, the life-and-death struggle deepened his understanding of the Duant Body Art.

His application of the Pishan Palm also gained new insights.

Especially during the final close-quarters melee with Heipao Yi, he pushed his body's potential to the limit.

After slaying the strong enemy, his state of mind also underwent a baptism and improvement.

His thoughts became clear, and his will grew firmer.

As the medicinal power dispersed and the technique circulated, Wang Shan felt his internal injuries healing rapidly.

Moreover,

A wonderful feeling welled up in his heart.

A bottleneck!

The bottleneck at the peak of the Body Refining Sixth Layer actually loosened again!

Moreover, this loosening was much greater than before!

Perhaps it was the pressure of battle, perhaps the pull of qi after slaying the strong enemy, perhaps the help of the healing pill...

All these factors combined, the opportunity for a breakthrough actually came again!

Wang Shan's heart jumped in surprise, then he was overjoyed!

Truly, the heavens helped him!

He hesitated not at all.

Such an opportunity is rare; he must not miss it!

He immediately took out a Middle-Grade Spirit Stone from his storage bag!

Rich, pure spiritual energy surged from the Middle-Grade Spirit Stone; a Lower-Grade Spirit Stone could not compare.

Wang Shan carefully guided this extremely pure spiritual energy.

Mixing it with the remaining medicinal power in his body and the qi-blood power generated by the Duant Body Art's circulation,

Together they launched an assault upon the sturdy barrier of the Body Refining Seventh Layer!

Boom!

It felt as if something inside his body had been blasted open!

A momentum more vast and powerful than when he broke through to the Body Refining Sixth Layer erupted from Wang Shan's body!

Wang Zheze and the others, who were busy in the courtyard, were instantly blown back by this wave of energy.

Their faces were filled with shock and ecstasy!

"Father... Father broke through again?!"

Wang Shan tightly closed his eyes, feeling the surging, roaring power within his body.

His meridians were widened and strengthened.

His bones became tougher.

The strength contained in his flesh and blood increased manifold!

The severe internal and external injuries originally caused by the fierce battle and the use of the Thunder Talisman, under the scouring of this newborn vast power, actually healed at a speed visible to the naked eye!

In just a few breaths, his injuries were seventy to eighty percent healed!

Body Refining Seventh Layer!

Achieved!

Wang Shan suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze shining brightly!

He felt his body brimming with power, so great that he felt he could shatter stone with a single punch!

Fatigue vanished, replaced by unprecedented confidence and might!

His appearance also changed; his formerly somewhat stooped body straightened, the wrinkles on his face faded, making him look a dozen years younger!

He was full of spirit, and his eyes became bright!

【Ding! Congratulations, host, for breaking through to Body Refining Seventh Layer; physical strength greatly increased, lifespan increased by twenty years!】 The system's voice sounded, and Wang Shan felt much more at ease.

Twenty years of lifespan! Added to what he already had, he now has at least forty years left to live!

For a farmer on the verge of dying of old age, this is nothing short of a rebirth's grace!

"Father!" Wang Zheze and the others gathered around, looking at him excitedly.

Wang Shan slowly rose to his feet, feeling the power in his body, and nodded.

"Come over here." he said.

After the sons and those who had rushed over upon hearing the news, along with the somewhat older grandsons who had cultivation talent, gathered, he took out some lower-grade spirit stones and some basic elixirs suitable for them from his storage bag.

"Divide these spirit stones and elixirs among yourselves." Wang Shan looked at his descendants before him, his eyes deep.

The Wan family's threat remains, and it will only grow stronger.

We must quickly increase our strength, or we won't survive!

He distributed the spirit stones and elixirs to them, simply taught them how to use these things for cultivation, and especially emphasized the importance of the Duant Body Art.

"Father, rest assured! We will definitely cultivate well and not disgrace you!" Wang Zhize took the lead, saying, his eyes full of determination.

The other sons and grandsons followed suit, gripping the spirit stones and elixirs in their hands, their eyes filled with longing for power.

Their father's growth gave them confidence, but also made them realize they were still not strong enough.

They needed to grow quickly, so they could help their father and together protect this home!

Seeing the children's appearance, Wang Shan nodded with relief.

After distributing these things, the Wang family's strength increased a bit more.

Wang Zhize was already at the peak of Body Refining Second Layer; with these, he could soon break through to Body Refining Third Layer.

Several other sons and talented grandsons could also use this opportunity to solidify their foundations and raise their cultivation.

The Wang family finally had some ability to protect itself.

But Wang Shan was very clear in his heart.

This strength, in the face of the Wan family's frenzied retaliation, was still far from enough.

Body Refining Seventh Layer sounded decent, but before a great clan, it might still be insufficient.

He raised his head to look toward Luo Bay County City, his gaze turning very solemn.

The Wan family's fury might soon blaze over.

Who would come next? Perhaps a Body Refining Ninth Layer cultivator? Or even... someone stronger?