Heart Shattered

The quasi-low-grade magical artifact that Shen Changchuan had been clutching in his hand all this time became, at this very moment, the final blow that decided life and death!

This golden needle was, naturally, one of the two golden needles in Shen Changchuan's possession.

The golden needle, when combined with the Gold Thorn Technique, was Shen Changchuan's most powerful trump card.

Prior to this, whenever Shen Changchuan faced an enemy, he had basically used both of his quasi-magical golden needles together, pairing them with the Gold Thorn Technique to engage his foes.

But in truth, this was not strictly necessary.

Using both needles together was merely because the enemies Shen Changchuan had faced previously were a giant wild boar and a Crocodile Demon.

Those two enemies were both demonic beasts with massive bodies and tenacious vitality.

Against such beasts with robust life forces, a single needle might not have been enough to guarantee a kill, so in his previous battles, he had used both simultaneously to ensure he could slay those hulking, resilient creatures in one strike.

But this time was different; he was facing a cultivator, a human.

When dealing with a human, the difference between using one needle or two was negligible.

Because as long as a vital point was struck, death was certain.

Therefore, when he first launched his ambush against the second brother, who was at the fifth level of Qi Refinement, he had used only one golden needle.

The remaining one, serving as his most lethal weapon, had been kept tightly gripped in his hand the entire time.

Until this very moment, when he finally unleashed his long-held restraint, successfully counter-killing a formidable enemy at the peak of the sixth level of Qi Refinement in one fell swoop!

"Haa!"

Watching the scarred man not far away—his body charred black, a gaping hole blown through his head—lose all signs of life and collapse backward, Shen Changchuan let out a long, heavy breath.

Yet, there was no look of joy or triumph on his face; on the contrary, his complexion was as pale as paper, and he looked as though he had been completely drained of strength, his back soaked through with cold sweat.

Until the moment his opponent fell, Shen Changchuan's frame swayed slightly, his footing unsteady, and he nearly collapsed to the ground.

There was no helping it; the toll of this battle had been too great!

It might have looked as though he had easily wiped out and slaughtered his enemies one by one, but in reality, from the moment he shattered Zhao Hangao's dantian with a single punch and launched his assault, he had been walking a tightrope.

The slightest misstep would have sent him plummeting into an abyss, meeting his end on the spot!

In this short quarter-hour, Shen Changchuan had not only pushed his focus to the absolute limit, but he had also pushed the circulation of his mana to its breaking point!

Several times, when he couldn't recover his mana in time, he had been forced to disregard the consequences, ruthlessly squeezing the very last ounce of strength from his meridians to fend off his enemies!

After a few breaths, Shen Changchuan, having finally caught his breath, managed to steady himself, but by now, less than one-tenth of the mana remained in his body, and his meridians throbbed with pain from being pushed to the limit time and time again.

Having caught his breath, he finally regained the ability to fight once more.

Although his remaining combat strength was less than fifty percent of his peak, and the duration of his remaining mana was extremely short, it was enough.

"You, you, how is this possible?!!"

Not far away, staring at Shen Changchuan's figure, the heavily wounded Zhao Hangao widened his eyes and pointed a finger at him, his voice trembling with horror as if he had seen something inconceivable.

Because Zhao Hangao was, after all, a practitioner at the fourth level of Qi Refining, Shen Changchuan had struck with heavy force, crippling him instantly.

Although Zhao Hangao was not dead, his severe injuries left him lying on the ground, unable to even stand.

Just moments ago, having been crippled by a sneak attack, he was still cursing Shen Changchuan's shamelessness in his heart, filled with extreme resentment and swearing that once the three men from He Mountain captured him, he would surely torture him thoroughly to vent the hatred in his heart!

That feeling of anger and resentment had persisted until this very moment.

It lasted until the leader of the three, the scar-faced man at the peak of the sixth level of Qi Refining, also lay on the ground, devoid of any signs of life.

At this moment, Zhao Hangao looked at the three miserable corpses scattered around him, and when he looked at Shen Changchuan again, his eyes were filled with terror, as if he were looking at a demon wearing human skin.

In his panic, he couldn't help but use his hands to push his body backward, even though he couldn't stand.

"How is this possible?! Impossible! How could you have such strength?"

Zhao Hangao's face was full of fear, and he struggled to retreat in terror, seemingly wanting to distance himself from the terrifying demon before him, leaving a clear drag mark on the ground.

He couldn't help but be afraid. Three of the renowned Four Evils of He Mountain had gathered here, led by the leader at the peak of the sixth level of Qi Refining, with one at the fifth level and one at the fourth level setting an ambush, yet in the blink of an eye, they had been utterly decimated by the person before him?!

Judging by the aura displayed during the battle, he was only at the fourth level of Qi Refining!

Even the weakest of the Four Evils of He Mountain was at the fourth level of Qi Refining!

How could it be like this! How could the result be this?!

Zhao Hangao simply could not understand, nor could he accept it!

However, Shen Changchuan naturally would not explain it to him.

He walked to his side in a few strides and delivered a hand chop to knock him unconscious.

This person was still useful.

For instance, the identities of those who wanted to kill him, and the reasons why they had targeted him.

If he couldn't figure these things out, they would remain like a thorn deeply embedded in his heart.

At the very least, he needed to know where this crisis originated so he could prepare in advance.

Although this matter was urgent, this was clearly not the place for an interrogation, so Shen Changchuan decided to take him back to Dawan Village to deal with him properly.

Thus, he simply knocked him out first to avoid any accidents along the way.

After Zhao Hangao was completely unconscious, Shen Changchuan began to collect the spoils of war from the surroundings.

To avoid any unforeseen incidents, He started by searching the fourth man, the weakest of the group at the fourth level of Qi Refining.

Shen Changchuan had assumed that since this man possessed a piece of leather armor, his wealth must be substantial.

That was his initial belief.

But he was quickly disappointed.

Because after searching the man's entire body, he found nothing of value other than the leather armor he was wearing.

Even that leather armor had been rendered completely worthless, its spiritual essence shattered after Shen Changchuan struck it with two consecutive Wind Blade Technique attacks during the battle.

Well, it wasn't entirely without value.

If it were in the mortal world, one could stitch the tears back together and it would still count as a treasure capable of repelling blades and arrows, enough to be traded for some gold and silver.

But clearly, these things were of no use to Shen Changchuan.

A thought suddenly flashed through Shen Changchuan's mind:

Could it be that this man's wealth was being kept by their eldest brother?

Earlier, when he saw him flip his palm to produce the Soul-Absorbing Bell, it seemed he possessed a storage bag.

With this thought in mind, Shen Changchuan did not go directly to search the body of the eldest brother.

Instead, he walked toward the other side, heading to search the first cultivator he had ambushed and killed, who had been at the fifth level of Qi Refining.

Soon, Shen Changchuan found a dagger clutched in the man's hand.

The sharp edge of the dagger reflected a faint, eerie blue light.

It appeared to be a low-grade magical tool, and a poisoned one at that.

But aside from this dagger, just like the previous man, there was nothing else, a total waste of effort.

Shen Changchuan's gaze

then shifted toward the corpse of the eldest brother, who had been at the peak of the sixth level of Qi Refining.