"Young Master Shen, save me, Young Master! Save me!"
Zhao Hanguo stumbled in from outside, drenched in sweat and looking completely disheveled.
The moment he saw Shen Changchuan, he cried out, his body nearly collapsing to its knees.
"Brother Zhao, get up, quickly! What's happened?"
Shen Changchuan quickly stood and helped him up.
"Young Master, a Demon Beast from outside has attacked the village! This humble one couldn't hold it back and came to you for help!"
"Please, Young Master, for the sake of my past respect and obedience, I beg you to save my family and my village!"
Zhao Hanguo pleaded, tears and snot streaming down his face.
From his stuttered explanation,
Shen Changchuan managed to piece together the gist of the situation.
Apparently, a Demon Beast had come down from the mountains last night and attacked Zhao Family Village.
Zhao Hanguo fought it but was no match. He had to leave his family to hold it off while he rushed to Dawan Village for reinforcements.
"Is that so? And how strong is this Demon Beast?"
After getting the details, Shen Changchuan mulled it over for a moment before asking.
After all, seventy percent of the harvest from two acres of Spirit Fields was at stake.
Shen Changchuan couldn't just stand by and do nothing.
But he was a cautious person.
He needed to understand the enemy's strength before making a decision, not rush off like some reckless hothead.
"Er, around the Qi Introduction Fourth Layer Peak, I'd say."
Zhao Hanguo paused at Shen Changchuan's question, hesitating for a fraction of a second before finally answering.
"Alright then. Brother Zhao, lead the way. We'll leave right now."
Upon learning that the attacking Demon Beast was only at the Qi Introduction Fourth Layer Peak,
Shen Changchuan's tense heart immediately relaxed.
He agreed to Zhao Hanguo's plea without hesitation.
About this,
he was completely confident.
He had slain the Crocodile Demon, a beast at the Qi Introduction Fifth Layer, a month ago.
Now that his strength had increased even further,
why would he fear a mere Qi Introduction Fourth Layer Demon?!
What a joke.
'I'm super strong now!'
Shen Changchuan confidently grabbed Zhao Hanguo's arm, ready to head out.
"Er, wait, Young Master Shen. Are we just leaving like this?"
"Yes. Is there something else we need to prepare?"
"An emergency is like a fire; it needs to be put out quickly. Let's hurry. If we delay, your village will suffer heavy casualties."
"No, I mean... Young Master Shen, are you going alone?"
Zhao Hanguo said hesitantly.
In his memory,
Shen Changchuan's strength was only at the Qi Introduction Third Layer Peak.
'For him to go alone... isn't that just serving himself up on a platter for the Demon Beast?'
"There's no need for anyone else. Don't worry, I have my ways."
'He recalled that the last time they met, he was indeed only at the Qi Introduction Third Layer Peak.'
'He's probably doubting my strength.'
But Shen Changchuan couldn't be bothered to explain and just urged him to get going.
After all, if the Demon Beast destroyed the Spirit Rice in the Spirit Fields, he would suffer a great loss as well.
"Then I'll be troubling you, Young Master!"
As Zhao Hanguo lowered his head, a flash of delight seemed to cross his eyes.
Shen Changchuan paid it no mind.
After informing Han Qinhu,
he left Dawan Village
and, under Zhao Hanguo's guidance, sped off toward Zhao Family Village.
Two figures,
one in front and one behind, darted swiftly through the mountain forest.
Towering trees and lush undergrowth receded rapidly behind them.
It seemed,
at this rate, they would reach their destination in less than an hour.
During this process,
Shen Changchuan had no intention of deliberately showing off,
for example, by using his Perfection-level Light Body Technique to display speed surpassing the Qi Introduction Fourth Layer Cultivation Realm, just to show off and earn a wave of shock from his companion.
Zhao Hanguo was a middle-aged man, not some beautiful maiden; Shen Changchuan had zero interest in showing off for him.
On the contrary,
he was on his way to fight a life-or-death battle with a Demon Beast.
When faced with a deadly fight,
Shen Changchuan was always extremely cautious.
So even though it was the two of them against a single Qi Introduction Fourth Layer Peak Demon Beast,
a two-on-one where the advantage was theirs,
Shen Changchuan still conserved as much of his Magical Power as possible.
He wanted to ensure he had enough Magical Power left when he arrived at Zhao Family Village.
So, Shen Changchuan simply followed behind Zhao Hanguo at a normal pace.
Along the way,
Shen Changchuan asked a few simple questions about the situation,
and Zhao Hanguo gave a few brief replies.
To maintain their breathing rhythm while running,
neither of them spoke much.
However,
for some reason,
as Shen Changchuan ran through the forest, he had a nagging feeling that something was wrong.
After they had traveled some thirty-four kilometers,
with about ten kilometers left to go before reaching Zhao Family Village,
Shen Changchuan noticed,
that the path seemed to be growing more and more remote.
It was as if they had entered the deep, untamed wilds of the mountains.
Towering, century-old trees grew wantonly, reaching for the heavens, their incredibly dense leaves blotting out the sky completely.
The light from above could barely penetrate.
The surroundings grew dim and dark.
Shen Changchuan's gaze fixed on Zhao Hanguo leading the way, a faint sense of unease stirring in his heart.
'Something's wrong!'
Ever since he went through the Refinement of the Cyan Essence Water Grass, his Divine Sense had improved significantly, to the point where he could perform Inner Vision—a feat normally only possible for Qi Introduction Late Stage Cultivators.
And while he still couldn't achieve Divine Sense Detachment,
his powerful spirit undoubtedly made him much more perceptive of his surroundings.
'No, that's not it.'
'It's quiet.'
'Too quiet!'
On their way here, there had always been the chirping of birds and the screeching of insects in the forest.
But after entering this dense part of the woods,
those sounds had vanished!
He didn't know why, but Shen Changchuan's heart began to pound.
He didn't make any rash moves.
He maintained his pace behind Zhao Hanguo,
but he silently activated his Spiritual Eye Technique, and a faint white light flickered in his eyes.
Shen Changchuan's gaze suddenly sharpened, and his heart felt as if it were being squeezed by an invisible hand.
Because at that very moment,
not far ahead,
a hidden Array was concealed underground. Several Array Flags were buried in the inconspicuous patches of grass around them, ready to be activated at any moment!
At the same time,
behind the massive tree trunks,
were three figures.
They were spread out,
perfectly concealed, not leaking the slightest trace of their aura.
The three figures and the hidden Array on the ground formed a great net, hanging silently in wait for its prey to walk in!
'This is an ambush? But why?!'
He looked at Zhao Hanguo, whose back was slightly hunched as he diligently led the way.
Shen Changchuan found it utterly unbelievable.
'Why would this guy, who acted so utterly subservient from the moment we first met, team up with others to ambush me?!'
'Doesn't he know who I am? Why would he still do this?!'
'Why?!'
Shen Changchuan simply couldn't figure it out.
His heart sank.
At this point,
Shen Changchuan was absolutely certain,
that Zhao Hanguo had to know about the hidden trap ahead and the people lying in ambush,
and was very likely one of them!
Because Shen Changchuan now remembered what had felt wrong from the very beginning.
He had never told Zhao Hanguo
about his recent breakthrough and advancement.
In Zhao Hanguo's mind, he, Shen Changchuan, was still only at the Qi Introduction Third Layer Peak.
'So then,'
'a Qi Introduction Fourth Layer Peak Demon Beast attacks his village,'
'he, a Qi Introduction Fourth Layer Cultivator, couldn't defeat it and ran to Dawan Village for help...'
'...so how could he possibly be confident asking a mere Qi Introduction Third Layer Peak Cultivator like me to back him up?!'
'When I was leaving,'
'he didn't try to stop me because of the gap in our strength at all.'
'Instead, after I agreed, that flash of delight crossed his eyes.'
'No matter how you look at it,'
'it's impossible that he's not involved!'
'It's very possible,'
'that he's one of the masterminds!'
'Maybe the only reason he knows I'm Shen Fuxing's son is because he's been targeting me all along?!'
In an instant,
a dozen thoughts flashed through Shen Changchuan's mind.
But they were fleeting,
and Shen Changchuan had no time to dwell on them.
The most important thing right now,
was to deal with the immediate crisis!
Shen Changchuan's mind raced, searching for a way to escape.
Turning and running was impossible.
According to the perception of his Spiritual Eye Technique,
the one in the middle, the furthest away, had a Cultivation Realm of around Qi Introduction Sixth Layer Peak.
The others were spread out to the left and right.
The one on the left was at Qi Introduction Fourth Layer, and the one on the right was at Qi Introduction Fifth Layer.
The distance...
was too close.
If he turned to run, he would just be exposing his back to the enemy!
Shen Changchuan wasn't confident that his Perfection-level Light Body Technique would allow him to escape from a Qi Introduction Sixth Layer Peak expert and two other enemies whose Cultivation was no weaker than his own.
He probably couldn't.
'So,'
'I have to fight for my life!'
A ruthless glint flashed in Shen Changchuan's eyes.
He had made his decision.
His pace slowed.
"Young Master Shen, what's wrong?"
Sensing Shen Changchuan slow down, Zhao Hanguo quickly stopped as well, looking back with feigned concern.
"HUFF... HUFF... All this running has left me a little low on Magical Power. Brother Zhao, let's rest here for a moment."
"After all, we'll have to fight that Demon Beast when we get to Zhao Family Village. It won't do if my Magical Power is drained."
They were still eight or nine zhang from stepping into the Array.
Shen Changchuan pretended to have used up more than half his Magical Power, stopping and speaking breathlessly.
A hint of anxiety flashed deep in Zhao Hanguo's pupils.
'He was just a few zhang away from the ambush Array! Why did he have to stop now?!'
'This awkward position,'
'has me feeling like an ant on a hot pan, just spinning in circles.'
Shen Changchuan seemed not to notice.
With a flip of his palm, he produced two Spirit Stones. He approached Zhao Hanguo with a familiar air and handed one to him.
"Here. Don't worry, Brother Zhao. We'll use these Spirit Stones to recover our energy. It'll only take about a quarter of an hour."
As he spoke, he stuffed a Spirit Stone into Zhao Hanguo's hands.
Zhao Hanguo instinctively reached out to take it.
However,
at that very instant,
BANG!
A fist wrapped in Magical Power slammed into Zhao Hanguo's Dantian at close range!
Completely unguarded, Zhao Hanguo took the full force of the blow. His eyes bulged as his Dantian was instantaneously shredded by the immense Magical Power!
"Watch out!"
At the same time,
the figure hidden deepest in the woods, the one at Qi Introduction Sixth Layer Peak, was the first to react, shouting a warning when he realized something was wrong.
But,
it was too late!
A flash of golden light streaked through the air like lightning, instantly piercing the trunk of a large tree on the right and burying itself in the head of the figure hiding behind it.
The figure at Qi Introduction Fifth Layer hidden there didn't even have time to scream before his Vitality was instantly extinguished.
"Second Brother!"
Just then,
the figure hidden behind a tree trunk on the left, who had just snapped to attention at the shout, turned in horror to see his Second Brother's head explode!
"Fourth Brother! Watch out!!!"
The roar from the Qi Introduction Sixth Layer figure echoed from the depths of the dim forest.
The ambusher on the left turned back around,
only to find to his horror,
that five terrifying Wind Blades were flying toward him in a chain, slicing through the air as they came right for his face!