At the very instant the Gale Falcon staggered and fell,
Golden Thorn Technique!
Shen Changchuan forcibly endured the pain in his head and drew upon the mana within his dantian. Two Golden Needles shot forth one after the other, unleashed through the Golden Thorn Technique.
The Golden Needles surged like thunderbolts, moving at the utmost speed. The others only saw a flash of golden light vanish before their eyes.
In the blink of an eye, the Golden Needles had reached the Gale Falcon. Carrying immense force, they pierced through the air with such terrifying momentum that even a wall forged of steel would have been penetrated!
However,
At that critical moment,
The Gale Falcon, keenly sensing the threat, instinctively slashed out with its wings. An incomparably sharp wind blade shot forth, spinning at high speed and slicing through the air as it struck fiercely against the Golden Needles.
Clang!
A crisp ring of metal striking metal sounded out.
Powerful force swelled outward, sending the surrounding air currents rippling in every direction.
The Golden Needle, wrapped in tremendous force, was sent flying away by that single slash.
But in that instant,
The terrifying force within the Golden Needle also erupted. The Gale Falcon's blade-sharp wing was knocked aside, and its body staggered backward uncontrollably, leaving its defenses wide open.
And at that moment,
The second Golden Needle, close behind, slipped in through the opening.
It struck the Gale Falcon squarely in the leg.
Pfft!
Blood exploded, and steel-like feathers scattered in all directions.
The Gale Falcon let out a piercing shriek.
It seemed to sense an enormous danger.
Enduring the pain in its leg, it instinctively beat its wings and soared upward like an arrow, vanishing beyond the heavens in the blink of an eye.
On the ground,
Only an empty, devastated patch of earth remained, strewn with feathers and blood.
It sounded like a long sequence of events,
But in truth, from the moment the Gale Falcon rapidly dove from the skies to when Shen Changchuan ambushed it and it finally fled with injuries, only a dozen or so breaths had passed.
Not far away,
The pallor on Shen Changchuan's face faded somewhat, and he finally caught his breath.
"Did it escape?"
Shen Changchuan gazed toward the horizon in the direction where the Gale Falcon had vanished. There was not the slightest joy on his face; instead, a trace of worry flickered through his eyes.
In this battle,
He could be said to have exhausted nearly all his methods.
And that was with an ambush giving him the initiative.
Yet in the end,
He had merely injured the Gale Falcon!
Fast!
That Gale Falcon was simply too fast!
Whether in flight speed or the speed of its attacks, it far surpassed ordinary Qi Gathering Mid-stage cultivators.
Even Qi Gathering Late-stage cultivators fell short of it!
If Shen Changchuan had not mastered so many spells to perfection, allowing him to act as swiftly as thought and unleash them almost instantly,
He likely would not even have had the qualification to stand before that Gale Falcon!
No wonder it was an existence that even Qi Gathering Late-stage cultivators found difficult to deal with.
As he pondered,
Shen Changchuan glanced at the Soul-Snatching Bell in his hand.
A trace of helplessness flashed through his heart.
This Dharma Artifact was indeed formidable.
But while attacking an enemy, it also inflicted a certain impact upon its user's Spiritual Sense.
Although that impact was only around one-tenth or two-tenths of what the enemy suffered.
It still existed.
During battle, it would have no small effect on him.
Shen Changchuan did not understand the principle behind it.
He could only attribute it to the fact that this was a special Dharma Artifact that attacked the soul.
It naturally had its own peculiarities.
Come to think of it,
If such a powerful Dharma Artifact had no drawbacks, this type of Dharma Artifact would probably be everywhere.
"What a pity."
A faint look of regret flashed through Shen Changchuan's eyes.
The backlash from fully activating the Soul-Snatching Bell truly did not feel good.
During the earlier battle, after Shen Changchuan had fully activated it against the Gale Falcon, he had also been left stalled for several breaths, allowing the other party to seize the opening and counterattack.
Otherwise, the instant the Gale Falcon was controlled, seven or eight Fireball Techniques in succession would have been enough to blast it half to death, if not outright kill it!
And resolve the enemy completely.
But unfortunately, there were no ifs in this world.
Still,
If he cultivated some method that could strengthen Spiritual Sense, or consumed Heavenly Treasures that enhanced the soul and strengthened his spirit and Spiritual Sense, could he suppress the backlash of the Soul-Snatching Bell?
Shen Changchuan's heart stirred.
A few more ideas arose in his mind.
With the Progress Bar Panel,
He could pay more attention to such matters in the future.
"Changchuan, we won! This is wonderful!"
"Now that beast has been driven back, all the remaining Spirit Grain can be saved!"
Just as Shen Changchuan was quietly reflecting on the battle,
Not far away,
Han Qinhu picked up the Golden Needle that the Gale Falcon had knocked away and handed it back to Shen Changchuan, unable to hide the excitement on his face.
He could hardly help being happy.
The terror of the Gale Falcon's first diving attack was still vivid in his mind.
That seemingly invincible speed, so fast that even its shadow could not be caught—if it had attacked them, it could have taken their lives within a breath. It would have been a slaughter without the slightest suspense.
How could they even speak of fighting it?
Han Qinhu had already prepared himself for the other party's rampage, for the Twelve Mu Spirit Field to suffer grievous losses.
Yet he had never expected his grandson to suddenly pull out some unknown Dharma Artifact and bring that beast down in an instant.
The following exchanges had been dangerous,
But in the end,
It still concluded with the other party wounded and fleeing in a sorry state!
Han Qinhu had originally worried about what they would do regarding the thousand jin of Spirit Grain they had to hand over to the Shen Family after the Gale Falcon ravaged the fields.
But now,
Apart from the nearly ten jin of Spirit Grain swallowed by the Gale Falcon at the start, the rest had been preserved almost completely intact!
Even at nearly sixty years old,
He felt as though he had ridden a roller coaster through dizzying highs and lows!
"We can only say this matter has temporarily come to an end. We can't say we've won yet."
Shen Changchuan remained very calm.
He shook his head slightly.
He accepted the Golden Needle Han Qinhu handed over.
The finger-thick Golden Needle had bent at a visible angle in the middle, and its entire body had grown dim.
It was clearly completely ruined.
Shen Changchuan sighed inwardly.
The two Golden Needles
Had once been the strongest hidden trump cards in his arsenal, possessing the greatest killing power.
They had rendered great service.
But now, one had been ruined,
While the other remained lodged in the Gale Falcon's body, carried away with it.
This battle
Had truly been far from satisfying.
"We failed to keep that thing here. We've only forced it back for now."
"If its injuries heal and it returns for revenge, things will be even more troublesome then."
Demon Beasts
Were generally more intelligent than ordinary wild beasts.
And they were very vengeful as well.
Just like the Crocodile Demon he had slain in the river back then.
If the Gale Falcon recovered from its injuries and returned for revenge while he still had no way to deal with it,
That would definitely be a huge problem.
After all,
That beast was simply too fast, and it flew in the skies, commanding the air.
It could come whenever it wished and leave whenever it wished.
Moreover,
After this ambush,
The Gale Falcon would most likely be wary of the Soul-Snatching Bell.
The next time he used the Soul-Snatching Bell, its effect would likely not be as good as it had been the first time.
"Alright, maternal grandfather, have them harvest this Spirit Grain first."
Seeing Han Qinhu's expression change as worry surfaced on his face,
Shen Changchuan waved a hand, signaling for him to deal with the immediate matter first.
There was no need to worry too much, actually.
The strike from the Golden Thorn Technique combined with the Golden Needle was not so easy to endure.
Its injuries
Would take at least one or two months to recover from.
Even if it came for revenge,
That would only happen one or two months from now.
During that time,
Taking advantage of the gathering of merchant caravans at Wu Family Market, he could look for Dharma Artifacts or spells that could counter it.
Though it was somewhat troublesome,
Shen Changchuan was not panicked.
At the very least, this clash
Had allowed him to understand the Gale Falcon's methods. He would have more detailed intelligence when dealing with it in the future, would he not?
Face difficulties one step at a time,
There would always be a way.
Before you continue