The End

It's over!

Gazing at the Crocodile Demon, sprawled lifeless on the ground not far ahead, Shen Changchuan let out a long sigh of relief.

The tension that had been gripping his mind finally loosened.

Don't let Shen Changchuan's performance in the fight fool you; he seemed to be toying with the Crocodile Demon, making it impossible for it to even touch him.

But in reality, He hadn't been relaxed at all during the battle.

Because while the Crocodile Demon's attacks were harmless if missed, A single hit would inflict grievous injury!

Shen Changchuan possessed no defensive spells or magic items.

Furthermore, the Crocodile Demon's cultivation realm surpassed his own by a level, and its innate spell's power was immense.

One slip-up, And he could have died on the spot!

Under such circumstances, his mind had to remain constantly taut, without the slightest lapse in concentration.

The mental toll this took was unimaginable!

"My techniques are ultimately too few."

"Although I managed to slay this Crocodile Demon by combining my perfected Spirit Eye Technique and Light Body Technique,"

"Enemies I might face in the future won't necessarily be like today's opponent, whose speed I could suppress."

"If I encounter an enemy faster than me, or one who masters a technique that restricts agility, I'll be in serious trouble!"

Shen Changchuan didn't become complacent after killing the Crocodile Demon at a higher cultivation level.

Instead, he carefully reviewed the battle process, Reflecting on the problems he encountered.

"I need to learn more spells and master more techniques! Especially defensive spells or defensive magic items, which are undoubtedly my biggest weakness."

"If I can shore up this weakness, I'll have a greater margin for error when fighting enemies, possessing more options."

"After all, I have the progress bar panel, which allows me to cultivate to 100% perfection by referencing the progress bar. And once a spell is perfected, it will also grant me attribute enhancements. This is my advantage!"

"Leveraging strengths and avoiding weaknesses, maximizing advantages – that's the right path."

Shen Changchuan gazed at the massive Crocodile Demon's body before him, his thoughts drifting.

He had a general idea in mind of how to improve his strength in the future.

However, Shen Changchuan soon realized something, That the area around Great Bay Village was extremely remote.

The cultivation forces here were very weak!

There wasn't even a regular market town here, It seemed unlikely he could acquire new spells or techniques nearby!

"Sigh."

"The power struggles in the backyard of the Shen Family Manor, though dangerous, would have provided me with cultivation methods, spells, and the like if I had shown any aptitude for cultivation."

"And while Great Bay Village is safer than the Shen Family Manor, acquiring spells and techniques here is incredibly difficult."

"Truly, fortune accompanies misfortune, and misfortune hides fortune!"

"I hope that when the Wu Family Market opens in two months, I can find some suitable methods to strengthen myself."

Thinking of this cold reality, Shen Changchuan couldn't help but sigh again.

Never mind, I can't rush improving my techniques.

I'll focus on raising my cultivation realm first.

Since both are forms of strength improvement, It's all the same.

"But speaking of which, ordinary low-to-mid-level Yao Beasts usually only have one innate spell, right? What's the deal with this Crocodile Demon?"

The mention of spells made Shen Changchuan recall something.

He looked at the Crocodile Demon's massive body before him, A look of confusion appearing in his eyes.

A defensive spell that could petrify the body, A water arrow technique that shot out water arrows as thick as buckets, And before escaping, a feint with dense arrows like a sky full of hidden weapons.

These abilities, were all used by the Crocodile Demon during the fight.

This Yao Beast had learned too many spells, It seemed somewhat unnatural.

"Moreover, this guy seems a bit too intelligent!"

Shen Changchuan recalled the recent battle, How the opponent had acted as if it would fight him to the death, only to feint and run away.

If not for his perfected Light Body Technique granting him significant improvements in speed and agility, he might not have been able to stop it from escaping back into the river.

This level of intelligence, was not something an ordinary Yao Beast could possess!

"Could this guy have a powerful bloodline inheritance, or perhaps some rare treasure that could enlighten its wisdom?"

Shen Changchuan had such a thought.

He looked towards the distance, at the river that had become turbid and was rushing with water due to the rainy season, now flowing quietly.

Shen Changchuan pondered.

Perhaps I can go and investigate, maybe there will be other gains.

Shen Changchuan thought to himself.

However, he was cautious.

After a fierce battle, more than half of his Magical Power was depleted, and his condition was not optimal, making it the worst time to enter the river for an investigation.

After all, if there was one Crocodile Demon in the river, who could be sure there wasn't a second, or a third?

Shen Changchuan was steady and wouldn't take such risks easily.

At least, he had to wait a few days, until his condition recovered and he could confirm there were no other Yao Beasts in the river.

As Shen Changchuan was lost in thought, not far behind him, Han Qinhu, along with members of the village patrol team, cautiously approached.

"Changchuan, how is it? Did you finish it?"

Han Qinhu asked, his gaze fixed on the massive body of the Crocodile Demon, now entangled by numerous vines.

Even though the Crocodile Demon lay motionless, Han Qinhu's eyes still held a trace of fear.

Clearly, the previous battle and the terror of the Crocodile Demon had left a deep impression on him.

"It's fine, at least we dealt with it before it entered the river. Otherwise, we would have had trouble in the future."

Given the intelligence the Crocodile Demon displayed when it tried to escape at the end, Shen Changchuan could foresee that if it had escaped, it would have been a major problem for Great Bay Village in the future.

"Grandpa, are you and Uncle okay?"

Seeing a trace of blood on Han Qinhu's lips, Shen Changchuan asked with concern.

"Don't worry, it's nothing serious. Most of the force was blocked by the iron shield. Da Yong and I shared the remaining small portion, so we only suffered some internal injuries. We'll be fine after some rest."

Han Qinhu waved his hand dismissively.

But then, a series of coughs erupted, and Han Qinhu's face flushed.

"Grandpa, you shouldn't push yourself. Hurry up and rest. Leave the rest to them to handle."

"When the village chief from Zhao Family Village visited last time, he gave us a spirit ginseng. I used the main root portion while cultivating, but there are still plenty of root strands left. Take them later to make tea; it should help you and your uncle recover quickly."

Shen Changchuan quickly supported Han Qinhu, Gently patting his back.

It wasn't that Shen Changchuan was stingy, But if mortals were to absorb spiritual energy carelessly, they might be unable to withstand its violent power, leading to the severance of their dantian and meridians.

Although it was also possible to successfully gather Qi in one go and cross the boundary between mortals and immortals to become a cultivator.

The probability of the former was significantly higher.

To awaken the spirit and gather Qi, embarking on the path of cultivation, the proper method was to consume a Qi Gathering Pill, or use spiritual foods like spirit rice porridge to gather Qi and temper the body until it could withstand the refinement of spiritual energy.

Although the root strands of the spirit ginseng were a part of the spirit ginseng and contained traces of spiritual energy, Due to the main body being consumed, the trace spiritual energy contained within had already dissipated and wouldn't pose much of a threat.

On the contrary, because it had been nourished by spiritual energy, its medicinal efficacy had greatly increased, Making it an excellent tonic for mortals and martial artists like Han Qinhu.

"Cough, cough, this, thank you very much, Changchuan!"

Han Qinhu coughed a few times, Recovered his breath, and said gratefully.

"Grandpa, what are you saying? You are one of the most important people to me. If it weren't for your help, managing Great Bay Village alone would be a mess for me."

"If only the spirit grain hadn't been harvested yet, I would have had you awaken your spirit and gather Qi to become a cultivator."

Shen Changchuan spoke gently as he conversed with him.

Hearing this, Han Qinhu's heart warmed, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion.

In his life, The most correct decision he had made was probably to go through the proper channels with that Shen Family steward and get his daughter into the Shen Family?

Although it might not have been a good decision for his daughter to fall into the Shen Family's vortex.

But in this world, things don't always go as planned, and where are there perfect outcomes?

As long as the final result was good, That was enough.

Han Qinhu glanced at the massive body of the Crocodile Demon not far away.

He couldn't help but feel a bit emotional.

His grandson's strength seemed to have improved again.

Thinking back to how he had worried earlier, He couldn't help but blush a little.

His grandson was a rare genius, with the potential to become an immortal, how could he not even deal with a Yao Beast?

From now on, He would just follow his grandson's decisions.

With the efforts of the mortal martial artists in the village, the Crocodile Demon's corpse was quickly carried to the courtyard on the mountainside.

At the same time, Those who had died in battle were attended to.

The houses that had collapsed due to the collateral damage during the battle were also repaired.

All the aftermath was resolved.

Great Bay Village gradually calmed down.

Time quietly slipped by during this process, And five days had passed in the blink of an eye.

During these five days, Shen Changchuan had already recovered to his peak state.

And during the life-and-death struggle with the Crocodile Demon, he had also gained some insights, his cultivation had subtly improved, and he was already close to the peak of the early Qi Gathering Fourth Level.

However, he wasn't in a hurry to break through.

Instead, he went to the riverbank every day, Using the Spirit Eye Technique to observe the river, which had swollen and was rushing turbulently in the rainy season.

After five consecutive days, the faint demonic energy that had permeated the river had completely dissipated.

Not a trace of demonic energy remained.

"That trace of demonic energy that had risen has completely dispersed. It seems the only Yao Beast in the river was the Crocodile Demon!"

"It's time to go take a look. I hope my guess is correct."

Confirming there was no longer any danger, Shen Changchuan didn't hesitate. He leaped directly into the river and dove deep toward the riverbed.

In the dim, surging river water, his vision was severely limited, making it difficult to see his surroundings.

However, at this moment, the light of the Spirit Eye Technique shone within Shen Changchuan's pupils.

Relying on the Spirit Eye Technique's perception and enhanced vision, Shen Changchuan easily saw things eight to nine meters away through the murky river water.

Thus, he began to search within the murky, dim river.