Eternal Life from the Golden Needle Technique

Chapter 391: Chapter 388: The 2nd Minghuan Gu Scripture Fragment

He was clearly an expert at the Soul Emergence Sixth Layer, yet he had disguised himself as being at the Fourth Layer!

As he spoke of this, a hint of lingering fear still showed on Wu Tianhao’s face.

When he had accepted the mission to investigate, it was because the outside world estimated the target’s Cultivation Realm to be merely at the Soul Emergence Fourth Layer—the same as his own.

Coupled with the protective measures his master, Master Wandering Dragon, had given him and his own trump cards, Wu Tianhao hadn’t been too worried, thinking that dealing with Shadow would be no problem.

But who would have thought he was dealing with a cunning old fox—a wolf in sheep’s clothing!

And an incredibly well-hidden one at that!

’Who could have guessed that bastard could hide so well?!’

Although Wu Tianhao had encountered members of the Spirit Race and fought a great battle during his trip to Golden Wind Valley, from beginning to end, he never found a single trace of Shadow!

Thinking back on what happened afterward, there was no doubt that Shadow had likely discovered him long ago and had simply been hiding in the shadows.

He had even followed him back to Barbaric City and secretly planted a Gu Insect on him!

Although he didn’t know what Shadow’s motive was, one thing was certain: the man wanted him dead!

Whether he, Wu Tianhao, had just been a convenient target of opportunity or Shadow’s primary objective for coming to Barbaric City, it didn’t matter. If Shen Changchuan hadn’t intervened, Wu Tianhao would have been a dead man for sure!

At this thought, Wu Tianhao couldn’t help but glance at Shen Changchuan again, his eyes filled with profound gratitude.

At the same time, a sense of immense fortune washed over Wu Tianhao.

Fortunately, back then he had recognized Shen Changchuan’s extraordinary character and was impressed that he had achieved such strength despite coming from such an impoverished land.

He had felt the young man had a promising future.

And so, he had taken the initiative to befriend and invest in him, thinking of it as supporting a junior. Once Shen Changchuan reached the Soul Emergence Realm, it would mean one more friend and one more ally in the world.

He’d had little choice. At that time, his master’s situation in the Yuqing Immortal Sect was already dire... As one of the Direct Disciples, he couldn’t help but feel a little pessimistic about the future.

He had to consider his own future, and that of the Wu Family.

’That ”small kindness” back then... I really made the right move!’

’I just never imagined that a casual gesture from ten years ago would end up saving my life today!’

Wu Tianhao’s heart swelled with countless emotions.

That small act of goodwill had been a drop in the bucket for him, someone who had already reached the Soul Emergence Realm. It had cost him nothing.

On the contrary, the benefits he had reaped since Shen Changchuan’s rise had already far surpassed that initial investment.

And now, it had directly saved his life!

Moreover, with his Junior Brother’s current momentum, it was certain that his future accomplishments would be even greater.

Thank goodness he hadn’t made an enemy of him back then. Instead, he had fostered a bond of goodwill.

It was undoubtedly one of the best decisions Wu Tianhao had ever made in his life.

...

「Two days later.」

The aftermath of the incident had little to do with Shen Changchuan. Besides, he had no patience for the endless banquet invitations and the social niceties that came with them.

Thus, Shen Changchuan returned to the temporary cave abode he was renting.

He went into seclusion, partly to organize his recent gains and partly as an excuse to avoid everyone’s overzealous attention.

First, he took stock of his current strength.

’My strength right now should be on par with an ordinary Soul Emergence Sixth Layer Cultivator!’

’In fact, in a head-on battle, I’m confident I could slay a Soul Emergence Sixth Layer Cultivator!’

’I might not be invincible within the Soul Emergence Middle Stage yet, but there aren’t many at this level who could defeat me!’

Recalling his battle with Shadow, Shen Changchuan now had a much clearer benchmark for his own power.

His opponent hadn’t even been able to withstand two of his moves before he was suppressed and captured.

Admittedly, Shadow’s true strength seemed to lie in his Gu Technique.

But he was a genuine Soul Emergence Sixth Layer expert—the real deal, with no embellishment.

Yet, in the end, it was over in just two moves.

This was proof enough of his own extraordinary power.

’By using the Qi Absorption and Essence Returning Technique to compress and purify my Magical Power, I easily broke through the bottleneck at the Third Layer Peak, completing the transformation from the Soul Emergence Early Stage to the Middle Stage.’

’But the effects of the Qi Absorption and Essence Returning Technique don’t stop there. Even after that breakthrough, my Magical Power remains far denser and more potent than that of others at the same layer, all thanks to the technique...’

’In terms of Magical Power density, I’d wager even a Soul Emergence Sixth Layer Cultivator is only about on this level!’

’That’s why my palm strike so easily crushed his counterattack the moment I discovered him.’

’With Magical Power as pure as a Soul Emergence Sixth Layer’s, combined with a Perfection Tier Two Skill, I doubt even an ordinary cultivator at the Soul Emergence Sixth Layer could withstand the combination!’

Having clarified his approximate level of strength, a smile spread across Shen Changchuan’s face.

An increase in strength was always a joyous occasion.

Furthermore, this was different from when he had killed Xiong Banqing, the Soul Emergence Sixth Layer cultivator who had stirred up trouble in the Tian Nan Domain. Back then, before his breakthrough, Shen Changchuan had to rely on a surprise attack to inflict heavy damage, then deploy Xiaojin, using nearly all his trump cards in the process.

But now, even without using his trump cards like Xiaojin or his Innate Divine Techniques, Shen Changchuan could face that same Xiong Banqing in a direct confrontation and slay him!

The gap in power was immense!

And this was only the beginning.

’I have this much power right after entering the Soul Emergence Fourth Layer. After this comes the Fifth Layer, the Sixth Layer...’

’There’s still so much room to grow. The future is full of possibilities!’

Of course, this wasn’t the most important thing.

So, Shen Changchuan reined in his thoughts, suppressing the feeling of joy.

’Gauging my power level is a minor detail.’

’The most important thing right now... is this!’

As he mulled this over, Shen Changchuan took out a square sheet of dark golden paper made from some unknown material.

It was a single page, seemingly torn from a book.

On it was recorded the Refining Technique for a type of Gu Insect—the Void Escape Gu!

By refining this Gu, a Cultivator could harness its power to traverse space!

Gazing at the mysterious page that detailed the Void Escape Gu, Shen Changchuan fell into deep thought.

This wasn’t the first time he had seen such a page fragment.

In fact, he had seen another fragment three years ago.

However, that one had been inside a Jade Slip. Someone had used the Jade Slip to make a perfect copy of another page fragment, imprinting both its appearance and its contents as information within, and it eventually came into Shen Changchuan’s possession.

The content of that fragment was the Refining Technique for a Gu Insect called the Golden Wind Jade Dew Gu!

Without a doubt, this page—which he’d found carefully stored in the Shadow Storage Bag and which detailed the Void Escape Gu—was the second Minghuan Gu Scripture Fragment that Shen Changchuan had encountered!