Eight Hundred Years of Cultivation, the Power of the Golden Bell

"You knew I was coming all along. So you're the demon colluding with Wei Qingyuan."

With things arranged like this, it was obvious Black Wind Stronghold had been laying this trap for him for more than a day or two.

Wei Fan was not surprised. He had never expected to kill the Crocodile Demon and leave without a sound.

"Colluding? We were merely using each other. You even killed that Old Bear, and you've cleaned out the city. How could we not take precautions?"

The Crocodile Demon revealed a vicious expression. "You killed my son. Today, even if you sprout wings, you won't escape."

Wei Fan remained expressionless. "Since you know I killed Old Bear, then you're no stronger than he was. Where do you get the confidence to kill me? Those bows and crossbows of yours?"

The Crocodile Demon grinned savagely. "Of course not. The ground beneath your feet has been packed with explosives and fire oil. One spark is all it takes to blow you into the sky."

Wei Fan nodded. "Explosives and fire oil? But if I die, few of your men will survive either. You really care so little for their lives?"

The Crocodile Demon's expression did not change, but Wei Fan saw fear appear on the faces of some of the archers and crossbowmen.

If the explosives and fire oil blew Wei Fan apart, plenty of those standing nearby would likely die as well. Few people were unafraid of death.

"Brother Wei, hold on!"

Suddenly, shouts of battle erupted outside. Having discovered Wei Fan had walked into an ambush, Ning Xuan and Su Xuerong charged in.

"He has reinforcements! Light it, now!"

The Crocodile Demon, the Stronghold Chief, shouted, but his men hesitated for an instant.

And in that instant, Wei Fan seized the opportunity. Blinding golden light burst from his body.

In the span of a breath, a massive golden bell inverted itself over his head. Tiger shadows and dragon forms adorned its surface, lifelike and vivid.

"What is that? The Golden Bell Shield?"

The Crocodile Demon stared blankly at the golden bell that had appeared around Wei Fan. How could a Golden Bell Shield be so enormous, so real? There was not even any sight of true qi weaving together—it was as though the golden bell had existed as a solid object from the start.

Clang...

The next moment, a deep and resonant bell chime rang out. The tiger shadows and dragon forms on the golden bell opened their mouths and roared wildly.

In an instant, the sounds of tiger roars and dragon cries echoed through the air. Terrifying soundwaves swept out like colossal waves, crashing in every direction.

Explosives, fire oil, and torches all burst apart with popping blasts beneath the dreadful soundwaves. Buildings in every direction collapsed on the spot as though explosives had been planted inside them.

"Run!"

Someone cried out in terror and fled desperately from the range of the soundwave attack, only for his body to be ripped apart while he was still in midair.

"How is this possible?!"

A chill ran down the Crocodile Demon's spine. Cracks split open across his body with wet pops as he fled frantically backward.

"Is that really the Golden Bell Shield?"

Not far away, Ning Xuan pointed with a trembling hand at the enormous golden bell standing beneath the night sky. His blood and qi churned violently, and he could not muster even a trace of true qi.

As for the Black Wind Stronghold lackeys who had been surrounding them, they had long since been knocked unconscious by the terrifying soundwaves, blood flowing from their noses and mouths.

One wave of sound had nearly wiped out Black Wind Stronghold.

For an instant, Ning Xuan felt a chill crawl down his spine. He was even more shaken than when he had first learned Wei Fan was an Innate Body Refinement master.

"The Golden Bell Shield is only a true qi martial art. How could it possibly have such power? What Wei Fan possesses may be a legendary divine weapon."

Su Xuerong's gaze flickered uncertainly. It was not as if she had never seen others use the Golden Bell Shield before, but whose Golden Bell Shield could wield such power?

"Look, your explosives and fire oil were useless. Do you have any other tricks?"

The ground around Wei Fan had been peeled up in layers. The gunpowder and everything else had vanished, swept completely clean.

He was extremely satisfied with the crowd-killing power of the Roaring Tiger Dragon's Cry Golden Bell Shield.

Nearly everyone surrounding him had been killed by the shockwave. Only the Crocodile Demon, who had been farther away, remained standing.

Even though he was still standing, his entire body was split open, blood pouring from his nose and mouth as he stared in horror at the nearly flattened Black Wind Stronghold.

"You're not human. What kind of demon are you?"

The Crocodile Demon stared at the inverted golden bell in terror. Wei Fan seemed even more like a demon than he did.

That power was terrifying beyond measure. Had he not been standing so far away, he too would have been torn apart instantly.

Crack, crack...

At last, his grievous injuries made it impossible for him to maintain human form. He transformed into a massive crocodile on the ground, blood still spurting from the cracks spread across its body.

"If you have no more tricks, I'll send you on your way!"

Wei Fan strode forward and slashed out a blade aura several meters long.

The Crocodile Demon could not spare any thought for healing his wounds. Its four limbs paddled wildly against the ground as it fled in madness.

Boom!

Yet it was still too slow. Wei Fan's blade severed half its tail, filling the air with the smell of scorched flesh as a cloud of blue smoke rose.

It let out a shriek of agony and continued fleeing.

After running only a short distance, it suddenly sensed something wrong and hurriedly looked up.

Wei Fan was falling from the sky like a meteor, driving a blade into the Crocodile Demon and pinning it to the ground.

After its enormous body twitched a few times, it gradually fell still.

Killed the Crocodile Demon, gained 160 years of cultivation

Current cultivation: 874 years

Seeing the number 874, Wei Fan revealed a delighted expression. After this bout of slaughter, he had gained more than five hundred years of cultivation.

"Brother Wei..."

Ning Xuan and Su Xuerong walked over. Looking at Wei Fan, they found their throats dry and hoarse. After calling him Brother Wei, they no longer knew what to say.

The shock had not faded from either of their faces, and their hearts were still churning like storm-tossed seas.

That enormous inverted golden bell seemed to remain before their eyes, while the tiger roars and dragon cries still echoed in their ears.

They simply stared blankly at Wei Fan.

Wei Fan gave a slight nod. "Go gather the remaining people."

His single bell chime had not killed everyone in Black Wind Stronghold. Most of those who had died were the men the Crocodile Demon had used to ambush him; those farther away had merely been injured by the shockwaves.

Survivors were beginning to crawl out from the ruins, staring in despair and terror at the Black Wind Stronghold that had become rubble.

Ning Xuan took a deep breath. In the end, he did not ask any of the countless questions in his heart. He nodded. "All right!"

"All three chiefs are dead!"

"The Stronghold Chief was actually a demon! He was the Crocodile Demon!"

"Damn it! We were forced by demons to go up the mountain and become bandits. Why did we end up becoming the demon's lackeys instead?"

"So those people who vanished before were secretly eaten by the Stronghold Chief!"

Clearly, even among Black Wind Stronghold's own people, few knew that their Stronghold Chief was a demon.

Looking at the enormous crocodile that was thoroughly dead, the surviving men wore expressions of fear and hatred.

Before long, all the survivors had gathered together. There were roughly a hundred of them left.

Wei Fan did not kill them all, because most were ordinary people. He only singled out and killed those who triggered a reaction from the panel.

That action made the remaining people's hearts pound in terror.

"I know most of you were forced to take to the mountain, so I won't pursue the matter. Now tell me where the Crocodile Demon's treasure vault is, and you may go down the mountain.

"Now that the demons above and below are gone, you can return home without worry. But once you return, remember not to do evil."

He had no intention of throwing these people into prison either. If the panel did not react, it proved they had not truly committed much evil. It was better to simply let them go.

They had all been driven to this by the times. There was no need to slaughter them without mercy.

Besides, Cloud City's prison was already packed to capacity. Even if he arrested these hundred-odd people, there would be nowhere to keep them.

"Thank you, Constable Wei, for sparing us!"

"Constable Wei, I know where that demon hid his treasure!"

"I'll take Constable Wei there!"

"I know too!"

Hearing that Wei Fan intended to spare them, the men rejoiced and eagerly claimed to know where the Crocodile Demon had hidden its treasure.

Wei Fan casually picked four or five strong men to remain and lead the way, then allowed the rest to leave on their own.