Chapter 462 - 431: Avoiding Disaster

Chapter 462: Chapter 431: Avoiding Disaster

The mountain range was gone, replaced by a vast canyon and basin.

Lake water poured in, transforming into a Silver Dragon that roared as it descended.

Yu Zhen watched the approaching Chen Che, his eyes filled with terror. Of the eleven Golden Cores, Xiao Chan—the one they had considered their greatest enemy—had only killed three. But this Valley Master had annihilated a full seven. Never in his life had he encountered such a scene.

But as long as there was a sliver of hope, he was unwilling to give up. In his panic, his gaze swept over Xiao Chan below:

"You are indeed formidable, but I can still put up a fight. Even if you win now, you’ll be severely weakened. He is a Rebel Disciple of the Primordial Sect, extremely ruthless. If you and I continue to fight, he’ll be the one to reap the rewards. Why don’t we stop now?"

As he spoke, Yu Zhen’s duster swayed slightly.

Though he looked wretched, his aura hadn’t diminished in the slightest; in fact, it was soaring. However, this state came at the cost of his lifespan. Every second he maintained it consumed half a year of his life. After the recent battle, he now had less than one hundred and fifty years remaining.

Upon hearing this, Chen Che raised an eyebrow, a look of astonishment on his face.

He clearly hadn’t expected the man to say such a thing. But then, he broke into a grin:

"And what if I don’t agree?"

"How about I team up with you, and we deal with Valley Master Chen first?"

Yu Zhen turned his head directly to Xiao Chan and laid out his terms. Inwardly, he was secretly fanning the flames, wishing for nothing more than for the two of them to start fighting:

"You’ve seen Valley Master Chen’s power, Fellow Daoist Xiao Chan. For you to have cultivated to this level all on your own, you must possess an extraordinary legacy. If I die and he turns on you, what chance do you think you have of stopping him?"

"If we join forces and kill him, all of Chen Che’s treasures will be yours. I won’t take a single thing. Don’t you want to obtain Valley Master Chen’s legacy?"

At these words, Xiao Chan also shot Chen Che a playful look.

Seeing the two exchange glances,

Yu Zhen was secretly overjoyed. ’If I can provoke these two into fighting, perhaps I can even turn this disaster into a blessing!’

"A fine idea!"

"I have to admit, you’re a clever one. Trying to sow discord even at a time like this." Xiao Chan rolled up his Soul-Calling Banner, slung it casually over his shoulder, and looked at Chen Che with a grin. "If it were anyone else here, you might have actually succeeded! Brother Chen, wouldn’t you agree?"

"Why expose him so soon? I wanted to see what other tricks he had up his sleeve. You should have pretended to join forces with him, then stabbed him in the back."

Chen Che shook his head slightly. While swallowing a pill, he flicked his finger, sending a Fierce Beast Pill flying out. Xiao Chan caught it and, without a second glance, tossed it into his mouth. His weak aura immediately began to surge.

"Fine, Chen Che... to think you’d collude with a rebel from the Primordial Sect!"

Seeing this, Yu Zhen’s heart instantly sank into an abyss.

No matter how foolish he was, he finally understood what was going on.

If it had been a three-way standoff, he might have had a chance to profit from the chaos. But who would have thought these two had been in league all along? Chen Che alone was enough to be his doom, to say nothing of Xiao Chan.

"I’ll fight you to the death!"

Yu Zhen roared, shouting that he would fight the two of them to the bitter end.

But with a flick of his robes, he transformed into a streak of Escape Light and fled at top speed toward Faqian City.

"Stay where you are!"

Xiao Chan was prepared. With a sweep of his Soul-Calling Banner, countless Ghost Gods roared out, transforming into chains that entangled Yu Zhen’s feet and dragged him back into the battle.

WHOOSH—

The Little Chick swooped down from the sky, its talons sinking directly into his shoulders, and slammed him hard into the ground.

THUD—

It was like a meteorite striking the earth.

Yu Zhen’s entire body was smashed into the ground, causing the earth itself to collapse.

His arms bore the brunt of the immense force. With a series of CRACKS, both were instantly shattered. Before he could even spit out a mouthful of blood, Xiao Chan had already slammed the Soul-Calling Banner heavily onto his forehead.

In an instant, his entire body was charred black. As the Soul-Calling Banner was withdrawn, his Divine Soul was torn right out.

And with that,

of the eleven Golden Cores who had besieged them, not a single one remained.

Chen Che glanced at Xiao Chan and began to collect the spoils of war scattered about. The latter, with a tacit understanding, used his Soul-Calling Banner to absorb the Qi and Blood and Divine Souls of the Golden Cores. Their division of labor was crystal clear. A moment later, all the Spirit Treasures from the fallen cultivators were in his possession.

"Brother Chen, if it weren’t for you this time, I would have been in grave danger."

Xiao Chan let out a long sigh of relief.

Eleven Golden Cores. If Chen Che hadn’t helped him hold off Fan Sulan and Yu Zhen, and they had managed to force him out of Faqian City, death would have been certain.

"No need to say that. Helping you was helping myself."

Chen Che suppressed the dizziness in his sea of consciousness and also breathed a sigh of relief. With some lingering fear, he said, "Actually, it’s because Duobao was too greedy, wanting to wipe us both out in one go. If he had reined it in just a little, we would have been the ones to die for sure today."

After all, when power reaches a certain threshold, all schemes and plots become nothing more than fleeting illusions.

And in fact, this was precisely what Yu Zhen had originally intended.

Unfortunately for them, they hadn’t anticipated the relationship between Chen Che and Xiao Chan.

"People are coming. We need to leave, and we can’t go back to the city. We can’t let others reap the rewards of our fight."

Recalling the Little Chick, Chen Che looked to Xiao Chan.

After this battle, both of them were running on empty, with not even a tenth of their combat power remaining.

Even a Cultivator who had just achieved Core Formation could pose a threat to them. A battle involving thirteen Golden Cores was a heaven-shaking event, and word had already spread throughout Faqian City.

There would undoubtedly be people hoping to fish in troubled waters and ambush them for their spoils.

"Agreed. Faqian City is a sanctuary, but you have to be alive to make it back. Let’s go!"

Xiao Chan nodded and suggested:

"Let’s find a place to recover our Cultivation and then decide."

"Alright!"

Chen Che agreed immediately.

...

The night was dark, the wind howled, and the rain fell in torrents.

Less than the time it takes an incense stick to burn after the pair left, several Golden Cores arrived at the battlefield. Moments later, hundreds of Foundation Establishment Cultivators also reached the scene, all of them struck dumb by the sight. The landscape had been completely reshaped. A massive waterfall, roaring like a Silver Dragon, could be heard clearly from dozens of miles away.

RUMBLE...

"Th-this is the battlefield they created?"

"Yu Zhen, Fan Sulan, Guang Hui... all three of them have fallen? This is Fei Tongyu’s Demon Beast, but where is he? Don’t tell me he’s dead too?"

"There are no bodies for Chen Che or Xiao Chan. Are they dead, or did they escape?"

The Cultivators who had rushed to the scene wanted to discover the outcome of the battle.

Others were already forming Seal Techniques, searching for the auras of the living. ’This battle was so brutal, there must be some heavily injured Golden Cores around. Now that we know, we absolutely cannot miss this golden opportunity.’

Even many of the Foundation Establishment Cultivators were tempted.

In their eyes, the survivors of this battle were no longer high-and-mighty Golden Core True Masters. They were walking treasure troves, and a fortuitous opportunity to reach the Golden Core realm themselves.

Instantly, the numerous Cultivators scattered in all directions, like stars across the night sky.

...

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