Eternal Life from the Golden Needle Technique

Chapter 235: Chapter 232: Witnessing History

It may have looked easy. From the moment the Black Shadow Demon Cultivator attacked Shen Changchuan, to Shen Changchuan resisting with the Cyan Wood Sword Light, and finally to him gravely wounding the Demon Cultivator by activating the Treasure Bronze Bell twice—all of it happened in just a few short moves.

On the surface, it seemed completely effortless.

But the danger involved...

...was so intense that it was as if Shen Changchuan had just walked the line between life and death!

The power of a Treasure Artifact was beyond doubt.

But relying on a single Treasure Artifact to challenge a higher realm—for someone in the Qi Introduction Realm to fight, let alone defeat, an expert in the Soul Emergence Realm...

...was pure fantasy!

A Treasure Artifact was undeniably powerful.

It was even capable of threatening a Soul Emergence Realm Cultivator.

But the problem was that Soul Emergence Realm experts weren’t motionless targets.

They were alive. They could dodge.

Furthermore, while a Treasure Artifact was incredibly powerful,

the amount of Magical Power required to unleash it was also enormous!

Even a Cultivator at the Qi Introduction Ninth Layer Peak could only use it three or four times at most.

Once the Treasure Artifact’s attacks were dodged a few times,

the user, drained of Magical Power, would become nothing more than meat on the chopping block.

And that was the most likely outcome.

This meant,

that a Treasure Artifact could never be used as a conventional method of combat. It could only serve as a trump card, a final, decisive move to determine the outcome of a battle.

The logic behind this...

...was similar to why two Cultivators of roughly equal strength would battle for hundreds, even thousands, of moves. They would fight until the prolonged struggle had greatly drained their opponent’s Magical Power and stamina, only then using a finishing move to end the fight.

After all, if one exhausted a large amount of Magical Power on a powerful move at the very start, and the enemy, still at their peak, dodged or blocked it...

...then the one who used their ultimate move prematurely would have undoubtedly just handed victory to their opponent.

”During our first clash, I already felt something was wrong.”

”Even though I’ve improved a lot over the past month, it’s not to the point where an attack that once took three uses of the Cyan Wood Sword Light to barely block can now be countered in a single move...”

”Those black smoke skeleton monsters you split off must have drained a significant amount of your power, right? Add to that the injuries you were already carrying... So, I took a gamble.”

”Fortunately, my gamble paid off!”

Shen Changchuan said in a low voice, stepping slowly toward the grievously wounded Black Shadow Demon Cultivator.

It was precisely because he had detected his opponent’s weakness at that crucial moment...

...that Shen Changchuan had unhesitatingly unleashed his most powerful new weapon, the Treasure Bronze Bell!

Even though his Magical Power was only enough to use the Bronze Bell three times at most, with each use leaving him in a worse state due to the massive energy drain!

Even though he knew that using his ultimate move at the very beginning of a fight was a complete gamble.

He still took the risk!

One of the lessons Shen Zeyu and his group had taught him was the need to be decisive!

Not much time had passed since that incident, and he had already etched the lesson deep into his mind.

As Shen Changchuan walked toward the Black Shadow Demon Cultivator,

the Middle Grade Spirit Stone in his hand rapidly dimmed.

As a large amount of Spiritual Qi flowed into his body, some of his Magical Power was quickly restored, and the deathly pallor of his face subsided considerably.

Although the man before him had taken two direct hits from a Treasure Artifact and his aura was weak,

Shen Changchuan still remained cautious.

He had no intention of giving his opponent any chance to turn the tables.

”You did indeed gamble correctly!”

”Heh heh...”

”To think that I, Xu Ziming, rose from nothing, roamed the Immortal Cultivation Realm for years, and defeated countless opponents... only to make one careless mistake today and plunge into the abyss. To die at the hands of a mere Qi Introduction Realm ant and become a laughingstock...”

”I underestimated you...”

With his heavy injuries, the shadows on Xu Ziming’s face dissipated, revealing a deathly pale complexion, his mouth stained with blood.

One careless move. Two direct blasts from the Treasure Artifact had completely crippled him, leaving him unable to resist.

At this moment,

gazing at the incredibly young figure approaching him,

he suddenly felt a sense of恍惚.

He seemed to see a scene from many years ago: the moment he took advantage of his master’s carelessness—the very master who had led him into the world of Immortal Cultivation—and successfully killed him.

He never regretted it. That so-called master had only taken them in to refine them into Human Pills to increase his own Cultivation.

It was just that back then,

after he, with his Qi Introduction Third Layer Cultivation, had successfully assassinated his Seventh Layer master,

he had secretly warned himself never to be careless with anyone.

Otherwise, his master’s fate that day would become his own cautionary tale.

That was the first major event he experienced upon entering the Immortal Cultivation Realm, and it influenced the next several decades of his life.

It was precisely this caution that had allowed him to escape death many times and make it to where he was today.

But...

’When did that change?’

’I suppose it was after I advanced to the Soul Emergence Realm?’

’Ever since reaching Soul Emergence, aside from the few times I had to face truly powerful figures, everyone I met was a sycophantic ”good person.”’

’A Cultivator at the Ninth Layer Peak Realm whom I once fought to a standstill would now turn and flee at the very sight of me. And I only needed to stand my ground and strike from afar to slap to death a great rival who was once my equal.’

’No Qi Introduction Realm Cultivator dared to defy my will anymore.’

’Anyone not in the Soul Emergence Realm, no matter how many there were, was nothing more than a gnat I could swat with a couple of slaps.’

’It seems that from that time on,’

’I gradually grew complacent.’

’Though I remained cautious when facing other Soul Emergence Realm experts,’

’when it came to Qi Introduction Realm Cultivators, I had started to scornfully dismiss them as ants.’

”I was too arrogant!”

”If it were the old me, I would never have split off my power to use the Blood Demon Bat Suction Skill while already carrying significant injuries, further weakening myself...”

”If I hadn’t looked down on Qi Introduction Realm Cultivators, if I hadn’t been so careless, I could have survived that first hit from the Treasure Artifact with my life-saving techniques... The final outcome, who lived and who died, would still have been uncertain...”

Xu Ziming’s heart was filled with bitter regret.

If only he hadn’t been so careless.

Even with his opponent wielding a Treasure Artifact, the outcome would never have been this!

But unfortunately,

there were no ’what ifs’ in this world.

Watching Shen Changchuan’s ever-approaching figure,

Xu Ziming could already imagine it.

After today, he would become nothing more than a stepping stone for his opponent’s fame....

...

At that moment,

with Xu Ziming grievously wounded and powerless to resist,

the dark clouds shrouding the sky began to fade. Daylight shone down once more, gradually dispelling the darkness.

The dense walls of fog that had risen around Dawan Village also began to dissipate.

The blockade was broken. The Cultivators present could leave at any time.

However,

not a single person present made a move.

Everyone stood rooted to the spot, their gazes fixed on the center of the field, not even daring to breathe too loudly or make the slightest sound.

They knew one thing for certain.

At this moment,

they were witnessing history.