Chapter 171: Chapter 168: A Worry in the Heart
"Uh, Brother Shen, where might Brother Zhang Qingyuan be?"
"Do we need to wait for him?"
When Shen Changchuan arrived at the meeting point,
Nangong City stared for a moment at the solitary figure of Shen Changchuan before asking his questions.
"Brother Nangong, it will just be me on this trip. My friend, Zhang Qingyuan, has urgent matters to attend to and cannot make it for the time being."
Shen Changchuan recited the excuse he had prepared in advance. After speaking, he even clasped his hands in a fist-and-palm salute toward Nangong City, a gesture of apology on behalf of the absent Zhang Qingyuan.
In his message, Nangong City had asked Shen Changchuan to spend whatever was necessary to hire the recently famous Zhang Qingyuan to come with them.
However, Zhang Qingyuan was just his alias.
Shen Changchuan didn’t know the Clone Technique, so he couldn’t play two roles at once.
After some consideration,
he simply decided to come as his original identity, Shen Changchuan.
After all, the man had said
that this opportunity was a reward for killing the Blood Slaughter Three Demons and eliminating the hidden threat of the Blood Evil Gourd.
So, Shen Changchuan could only come in his true form.
"But... this journey is fraught with danger. Although no one has discovered that place yet, we might encounter formidable Demon Beasts along the way... and we could be discovered by others..."
Nangong City was clearly conflicted.
The location of that underground cavern was already in a relatively deep region.
It wasn’t uncommon to see Demon Beasts at the Qi Introduction Ninth Layer there.
In such a perilous environment,
if he was alone,
he might not be able to guarantee Shen Changchuan’s safety.
He had originally asked Shen Changchuan to bring the recently famous Zhang Qingyuan along precisely for safety reasons.
But now...
"Brother Nangong, you needn’t worry. Although my strength is lacking and I can’t handle overly powerful enemies, I have no problem escaping when danger arises... You also know that I am from the Tian Nan Shen Clan... I have a few life-saving tricks up my sleeve..."
Shen Changchuan continued to spin his tale.
The opportunity Nangong City spoke of would be of great use to him as well.
He certainly wasn’t going to let this trip fall through.
’Worst comes to worst, I’ll just have to reveal my true strength.’
’Besides, I understand Nangong City’s character; there won’t be too many downsides.’
"Brother Nangong, please rest assured. I am not reckless... Since I dare to venture deep into the Demon Beast Forest with you, I naturally have some ultimate life-saving skills... If a fight breaks out, you don’t need to mind me..."
"If that’s the case, then alright."
"But Brother Shen, you must be extremely careful. That place is treacherous, and even I wouldn’t dare say I can guarantee our safety..."
"I understand well that opportunity and danger go hand in hand. If there were no risks, such a great opportunity wouldn’t fall to the likes of us... Rest assured, Brother, I understand..."
At Shen Changchuan’s insistence,
Nangong City could only reluctantly agree to take Shen Changchuan alone.
But he couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
Evidently,
faced with the dangers ahead,
he had no confidence he could bring Shen Changchuan back in one piece.
After all,
the aura Shen Changchuan currently exuded was merely that of the Qi Introduction Fourth Layer Peak.
With such strength,
if they encountered a powerful Demon Beast, or an enemy,
the mere shockwaves from a battle between Ninth Layer Realm experts would be enough to kill him if he got too close!
’Fine. If it comes to it, I’ll just give up on that opportunity. The priority is to protect Brother Shen, who saved my life, and bring him back safely...’
...
「Ten-some days later.」
In a dense forest.
BOOM!!!
A giant python, over a hundred feet long and with a girth like three barrels, thrashed about furiously in the woods. Its massive body shattered the surrounding trees as if they were tofu,
while its immense tail became a series of afterimages, lashing out like an iron whip with a thunderous crack. The very ground shook violently and split apart under its terrifying power!
At that moment,
Nangong City’s figure blurred into a yellow afterimage. With a few flickers,
he weaved through the gaps in the giant python’s attacks like a phantom.
Light as a feather and completely untouched, he stuck close to the python’s colossal body, dodging and weaving, never once being struck by its frenzied, twisting attacks!
He even found moments between his evasions to alternately cast various types of Magic: Earth Spike Technique, Stone Fall Technique, Earthquake Technique, Earth Dragon Technique, and more.
They shattered the python’s steel-like scales, leaving behind a trail of bloody wounds!
As time passed,
the python saw its wounds multiplying,
while the detestable two-legged beast was as slippery as an eel, completely untouchable.
The python was enraged!
Its massive, terrifying body, which had been wildly flailing and clearing out all trees and boulders within a hundred-zhang radius, suddenly stopped.
Nangong City faltered. His rich combat experience screamed danger.
He immediately began to retreat rapidly.
At that same moment,
the giant python coiled itself up like a small mountain, casting a huge shadow.
Its jaws gaped wide, revealing fearsome, sharp fangs.
HISS!
A jet of deep green poison smoke suddenly shot out, spreading rapidly through the air and covering a hundred-zhang radius in the blink of an eye.
At the same time,
Nangong City’s figure, seemingly unable to dodge in time, was also swallowed by the toxic smoke.
Meanwhile,
Shen Changchuan, who was watching the battle from behind a large tree several hundred zhang away, saw Nangong City get engulfed by the poison smoke.
He didn’t show the slightest hint of nervousness on his face,
nor did he make any move to rescue him.
Instead, he watched the fight with great interest,
recalling the details of Nangong City’s fighting from the moment they had unexpectedly encountered the python.
’Nangong City’s strength is clearly more than just a notch higher than it was a few months ago. And it feels like he’s not only recovered from the damage caused by the residual power of the Blood Evil Gourd, but he’s also reached a new level... Is this the effect of that opportunity...?’
Shen Changchuan mused inwardly.
At the same time,
his desire for the thing Nangong City had mentioned grew even more urgent.
As expected, the subsequent turn of events didn’t surprise Shen Changchuan.
After the poison mist had lingered for several breaths,
an earthy yellow light shone from the depths of the mist. Accompanied by a vast ripple of power, a square Seal, carved with mountains on all sides, suddenly rose into the air.
It rapidly expanded in mid-air, transforming into a small mountain that covered a radius of several hundred zhang before crashing down!
RUMBLE!!!
Along with the violent roar, the earth shook, and spiderweb cracks spread across the ground.
Shen Changchuan could also clearly feel the ferocious aura of the giant python weaken in an instant.
A gentle breeze swept through, scattering the surrounding poison mist.
The python’s massive body lay in the center of a hundred-zhang-wide crater, breathing its last...
