You Call This the True Pulse Realm?

Golden Bell Shield.

What if I raised my defense to a level that would make the opponent despair?

First, establish an invincible position, then plan a counterattack.

This is the most secure way to fight.

"System, modify Golden Bell Shield cultivation time."

[Golden Bell Shield has met the breakthrough conditions, upgrading to the fifteenth level (Perfection). This requires 3000 Time Value. Do you wish to proceed?]

"Proceed."

[Time Value -3000]

[Remaining Time Value: 1500]

The instant the command was issued, a warm current surged from his dantian, washing through his limbs and bones.

The Horizontal Training True Qi within his body felt like gold thrown into a furnace, repeatedly tempered and imbued with a faint golden hue.

Hummm--

The faint golden bell shadow protecting his body was no longer illusory.

It solidified at a visible speed, transforming into a real, ancient bronze bell carved with intricate patterns.

Upon the bell's surface, a bas-relief of a fierce tiger descending the mountain was lifelike, coiled upon it and exuding the majesty of the king of beasts.

Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield!

[Cultivation technique metamorphosis successful, core ability unlocked: Attack Rebound.]

[Can reflect a proportion of the incoming attack force; the stronger the attack, the fiercer the rebound.]

It's done.

"Trying to trick me!"

Seeing Shen Che standing still, Yan Hong assumed he was using some life-burning secret technique to forcibly boost his power.

A cruel smile appeared on his face.

"Soul Severing Demonic Fist!"

He roared, and dark demonic energy converged wildly onto his right fist. The fist wind even carried a ghostly, wailing shriek.

With this punch, he used ten-tenths of his strength, determined to smash this troublesome human, along with his turtle shell, into pieces.

Shen Che still didn't move.

He just stood there, letting the fist imbued with the aura of death strike heavily against the golden bell in front of him.

"--CLANG!!!"

An unprecedented, grand bell chime that echoed throughout the entire underground space erupted.

Yan Hong felt as if his fist had smashed into a mountain forged from ten-thousand-year-old profound iron.

The scene he expected, of shattering stone and splitting rock, did not occur.

The fist energy, capable of destroying everything, was completely reflected back by an even more ferocious force the moment it contacted the bell's body.

"Pfft!"

Yan Hong's tall frame shuddered violently. He was uncontrollably forced back three to four steps, each one leaving a deep imprint on the hard ground.

He raised his right arm with disbelief.

His entire arm trembled violently, and a splitting pain emanated from his bones.

His own strength had injured him.

How could this be possible?

"I don't believe it!"

Yan Hong's confidence had been struck an unprecedented blow.

He could not accept this reality.

His demonic energy surged again. He clasped his fists together, like wielding an invisible siege hammer, and the surrounding air crackled under the pressure.

This time, he aimed for Shen Che's head!

"Die for me!"

He wanted to smash this human's head like a watermelon.

Facing this thunderous, full-body embrace of a punch, Shen Che didn't even bother to block.

He simply activated the Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield within his body.

"ROAR--!"

A tiger's roar, as if from the ancient primordial wilderness, emanated from the solidified golden bell.

The fierce tiger bas-relief coiled on the bell's body suddenly had its eyes light up with golden light, as if it had come alive.

Yan Hong's unstoppable iron hammer struck the Golden Bell Shield once more.

CLANG!!!

The recoil force was even more violent than the last time!

Yan Hong felt as if he had been slammed head-on by a rampaging primordial behemoth, the bones in his arms groaning under the unbearable strain.

A terrifying force, mixed with his own demonic energy, surged through his arms and into his internal organs.

His body shook violently, his vision went black, and the demonic energy within him was almost scattered.

He was sent flying back again, in a sorry state.

The harder he pushed, the more he was injured.

How the hell was he supposed to fight this?

He had completely fallen into a passive situation where he couldn't fight and couldn't not fight.

Just as Yan Hong's Blood Essence churned and his body went numb.

Shen Che moved.

After being on the defensive the entire time, he launched his first active attack.

He formed his fingers into a sword and pointed at Yan Hong, who was still staggering backward.

"Vajra Zen Fist, Zen Arrow."

The Horizontal Training True Qi, now tinged with gold, condensed into an invisible arrow that was even more refined and sharper than before.

Yan Hong's heart surged with a warning. He forcibly twisted his body, trying to dodge this fatal blow.

He narrowly avoided the vital point of his head, but his right ear was completely shattered by the qi arrow.

Blood and flesh flew.

"Ah!!"

Yan Hong let out a painful scream.

Shen Che's figure, however, had already moved like a phantom, closing in on him.

Strike while the iron is hot.

Shen Che clenched his five fingers and threw a punch.

"Vajra Zen Fist, Zen Thunder."

All his power was compressed to a single point at the tip of his fist, with no leakage whatsoever.

This punch landed squarely on Yan Hong's chest, which had become vulnerable due to the intense pain.

The moment the fist met flesh, there was no sound.

Yan Hong's scream abruptly stopped.

He looked down.

He saw his chest, where his fist had struck, completely unharmed.

He froze for a moment.

The next second.

A violent surge of power exploded within him, like a thunder pearl hidden in his body.

Yan Hong's chest exploded from the inside out, creating a bloody hole the size of a bowl.

Yan Hong's tall body crashed heavily to the ground.

[Killed a peak Primordial Qi Realm Demonic Beast, Time Value +3000]

[Time Value: 7500]

A series of prompts sounded in Shen Che's mind. He finally relaxed his tensed body.

He exhaled a breath of stale air.

The battle was over.

Just then, hurried and chaotic footsteps echoed from the entrance of the Earth Hall.

A squad of soldiers clad in silver armor and wielding long halberds entered in an orderly fashion.

The silver-armored commander at the front immediately swept his gaze across the gruesome scene in the hall.

Feng Changkong's headless corpse.

Wang Bing and Wang Yan's two massive demonic beast corpses.

And Yan Hong, who had just fallen, his chest ripped open by a large hole, his demonic energy not yet completely dissipated.

The silver-armored commander's pupils shrank to the size of needle tips.

He strode quickly before Shen Che, knelt on one knee, clasped his fists in salute, and said in a loud voice:

"Zhao Mang, Commander of the Qingfeng City Guard, pays his respects to the Lord of the Demon Suppression Division!"

"The Heavenly Profound Pavilion has colluded with Demonic Beasts and harbors treacherous intentions. Every single person within the pavilion, without exception, is to be apprehended."

Shen Che's voice was calm.

"All assets are to be seized. Any who dare resist will be killed without mercy."

"Yes, sir!"

Zhao Mang didn't hesitate for a moment. He immediately stood up and issued a series of orders to the soldiers behind him.

Shen Che no longer paid them any mind and turned towards the iron cage in the corner.

He raised his hand and punched the cage door, which was forged from fine iron.

The lock, along with the bolt, was completely deformed and sent flying outwards.

"Can you still walk?"

Liu Hua gripped the bars of the cage and shakily stood up.

"I won't die... Shen Che, what about them... what about those people?"

He pointed at the young people whose bodies had mutated and who had fallen unconscious.

"The Demon Transformation Pill was incomplete. They were merely forced to expel impurities within their bodies. Once the medicinal effects dissipate on their own, they will return to normal."

Shen Che explained.

He added, "The note you left was crucial. Without it, I wouldn't have been able to pinpoint the Heavenly Profound Pavilion so quickly."

Liu Hua was stunned.

An indescribable warmth surged from the bottom of his heart, dispelling the fear of having survived a disaster.

The clue he had risked his life to leave had been recognized.

If you find this book to your liking, remember to add it to your bookshelf so you don't lose it next time.