Chapter 503 - 472: I’ll Give You a Cup of Tea’s Time to Escape

Chapter 503: Chapter 472: I’ll Give You a Cup of Tea’s Time to Escape

WHOOSH—

The wind howled with increasing fury, yet the atmosphere within Celestial Ghost City abruptly froze.

No one could have predicted that while Zuo Qinlong and Dou Shanhe were attacking him together, Chen Che would be the one to steadily gain the upper hand.

Who was Zuo Qinlong?

He was the City Lord who had fought his way up from being one of the Star-Picking Sect’s many sleeper agents to suppress Celestial Ghost Ridge for two hundred years. His Black Dragon Spear rendered him invincible. With his profound True Essence and powerful Physique, even Cultivators of the Same Tier were not necessarily his match.

And that wasn’t to mention the Great Protector, Dou Shanhe, who had been a renowned senior for centuries.

And yet.

They couldn’t suppress Chen Che?

"We..."

Ding Haochuan and the other Golden Core Cultivators stood outside the city walls.

He had just been thinking of sneaking past Celestial Ghost City while the three were fighting, but the scene before him had frightened him to a halt. He’d assumed all the Golden Core Cultivators had been lured to Ghost Mother Peak, leaving the main city’s defenses empty.

He never imagined such a monster was hidden here.

Zhao Shifeng was so shocked his eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his head.

’The man had only achieved Core Formation a few years ago. How could he possess such tyrannical strength?’

Returning to the present, Chen Che had used his Gourd and Sword Pill to block the counterattack from Zuo Qinlong and Dou Shanhe, not only shocking everyone in the city but also forcing the two attackers to re-evaluate the Valley Master’s strength.

"Valley Master Chen, you truly hide your strength well."

Dou Shanhe’s eyes darted around as his mind raced. In that brief moment, a great many thoughts had occurred to him. "In the battle at Faqian City, Yu Zhen and the others all died by your hand, didn’t they? Duobao plotted against you so fiercely, yet you’re still helping him defend the city."

"You’re wrong."

Seeing the other man’s astonishment, Chen Che shook his head slightly. "I’m not helping Duobao, nor am I helping the Primordial Sect. I am defending my own principles."

Zuo Qinlong’s eyes narrowed as he sneered, "Valley Master, having principles that are too lofty isn’t a good thing. It can get you killed."

"For someone like you, who has already sold out his companions, there are naturally no principles left to speak of."

Chen Che couldn’t be bothered to waste any more words. He exhaled a breath so dense it was almost tangible, his aura continuing to climb. He shot a quick glance at the two of them. "If you’re scared, then come at me together. At least you won’t die such a pathetic death!"

"Fine!"

Dou Shanhe laughed in fury. With a point of his hand and a wave of his Mountain and River Fan, a gale swept up houses and earth. The rolling yellow sand formed into a giant beast that charged toward Chen Che once more.

Zuo Qinlong, now aware of Chen Che’s true power, no longer dared to underestimate him and immediately thrust his Long Spear forward.

With a thought, Chen Che sent his Gourd flying upward.

SWOOSH—

Amidst a burst of Spiritual Light, the Gourd’s suction power surged again, enveloping the giant sand beast. Seeing this, Dou Shanhe grinned ferociously. He fanned his Mountain and River Fan with even greater speed. The ground was stripped away inch by inch and swept into the yellow sand, and in the blink of an eye, the beast had grown to over a thousand zhang in size.

This wasn’t a foolish move; on the contrary, it was a display of his vast experience.

Generally speaking, collection-type Magical Artifacts like this one always have a spatial limit. ’It’s impressive that you can absorb things,’ he thought, ’but what will you do when I fill your space in an instant?’

But he never could have imagined that the space inside the Gourd was astonishingly, unimaginably vast. Even after the sand Demon Beast swelled to several times its size, the Gourd still swallowed it in one gulp, and in an instant, it vanished without a trace.

At the same time, Chen Che drew the Ruyi Wind and Thunder Sword from his back with a reverse grip and pointed it forward.

CLANG!

Zuo Qinlong was once again forced back, Long Spear in hand. The webbing between his thumbs and forefingers had split open, dripping with blood.

He had repelled them both again.

However, Zuo Qinlong and Dou Shanhe both knew that, in the face of Chen Che, they no longer had time for shock and awe.

Because Chen Che had already begun his counterattack.

"Go!"

Zuo Qinlong heard the shout, then saw Chen Che point his sword. Guided by the gesture, ten thousand Flying Swords shot toward him like a torrential downpour.

"Haste!"

Not daring to be slow, Zuo Qinlong immediately formed a Seal Technique. The Wujin Ring in front of him began to spin with a high-pitched WHINE.

This ring was no ordinary object; it was the Tier Three High Grade Titanium Gold Ring.

It could be used for both offense and defense.

After becoming City Lord, Zuo Qinlong had spent over fifty years and gathered several Casting Masters—including even Yu Qian—to forge it together, aiming for it to be a Tier Four Magical Artifact. But in the end, due to limitations in Materials and craftsmanship, it only reached this level.

However, it was still slightly inferior to the Sword Pill. With a series of CLING-CLANG sounds, countless Flying Swords shattered against it.

But the light of the Titanium Gold Ring dimmed, and Zuo Qinlong was forced to retreat again and again.

’If he dies, he dies. As long as we can kill Chen Che today, it’ll be worth it.’

At that moment, Dou Shanhe also made his move. He didn’t try to rescue Zuo Qinlong. Instead, he clenched his large hand, and his Mountain and River Fan swiftly folded into a Steel Ruler. He then brought it smashing down without any hesitation.

While in mid-air, the Folding Fan was its normal size, but as it descended, it swelled a hundredfold, stretching nearly across the entire Celestial Ghost City.

To the Star-Picking Sect, Zuo Qinlong was just a sleeper agent. Now that his cover was blown, his usefulness was greatly diminished; he was merely one more Golden Core combatant. But the power Chen Che had displayed posed the greatest threat.

BANG!

With a shattering sound, the Titanium Gold Ring, which was ultimately not a Tier Four Magical Artifact, could not withstand the Sword Pill’s assault and instantly broke apart.

PFFT—

The Sword Momentum did not diminish. Several Flying Swords tore through his True Essence Shield and pierced Zuo Qinlong’s body.

And at that moment, the Steel Ruler was already above Chen Che’s head!

With a thought, Chen Che sent the Thunder Jade Gourd flying up to collide with it. But this was merely a feint from Dou Shanhe. As the Great Protector of the Star-Picking Sect, how could he only have such limited tricks? He flipped his right hand, and his True Essence surged violently.

A giant claw of True Essence formed rapidly and slammed down onto Chen Che’s shoulder.

BANG!

In an instant, the True Essence Shield around Chen Che exploded into a cloud of dispersing energy, and the claw struck his shoulder.

CRACK!

With a loud noise, the ground beneath his feet shattered.

But at the same time, Chen Che returned the favor with a palm strike of his own.

BOOM!

As the palm struck, Dou Shanhe’s True Essence Shield also shattered, revealing a suit of black leather armor underneath. But on the armor was a faint yet distinct Hand Seal. Immediately, he let out a muffled grunt and retreated again and again.

He didn’t stop until he was seven or eight zhang away, where he finally steadied himself and looked up at Chen Che.

"Your True Essence, your Qi and Blood... you also practice Body Refining?"

Dou Shanhe’s eyes were filled with shock and suspicion. "Did you receive True Master Chixia’s complete inheritance?"

His palm strike, though sudden, was delivered with full force—a genuine strike from a Golden Core Eighth Layer expert. Had it been any of the other Golden Core Cultivators watching, they would have been spitting blood, if not dead.

But Chen Che had blocked it head-on.

He had even returned a palm strike that was no weaker than his own. Chen Che’s True Essence and Qi and Blood were far beyond what he had imagined. He couldn’t wrap his head around it, no matter how hard he thought. The only plausible explanation was the inheritance left behind by True Master Chixia.

Chen Che glanced at his shoulder.

’Looks like consuming Celestial and Earthly Treasures and Pills year-round while also practicing the Flame Emperor Body Forging Technique was the right choice,’ he thought. ’Otherwise, that one palm strike would have definitely crippled my shoulder.’

"Take a guess?"

His Qi and Blood circulated, and his slightly limp shoulder quickly recovered.

’These two are also extraordinarily powerful,’ he thought. ’Working together, I won’t be able to finish them off in a short time.’

In the distance, the battle at Ghost Mother Peak grew even more intense. The powerful Strong Qi even spread to Celestial Ghost City. Along with earthquake-like tremors, waves of energy rolled across the ground, kicking up dust that billowed everywhere.

Even without looking, one could tell the battle had reached a fever pitch.

But at this moment, the battle in Celestial Ghost City was also raging. From the moment Chen Che had started fighting Zuo Qinlong and Dou Shanhe, the Little Chick on his shoulder had flown out and pounced toward Ding Haochuan and the others. With Zhao Shifeng also lending a hand, they managed to intercept the Star-Picking Sect Cultivators outside.

Although they didn’t know why Zuo Qinlong had switched sides, based on the principle that "the enemy of my enemy is my friend," their thoughts were still focused more on Chen Che. After all, the Star-Picking Sect was letting them do as they pleased with their looting...

"It looks like Zuo Qinlong and Dou Shanhe can’t take down Chen Che... and we’re pinned down by this Demon Beast. Should we retreat?"

"Retreat? What’s there to retreat from? Why don’t we wait for the three of them to be engaged and launch an attack all at once!"

"Good!"

The Divine Sense messages flew back and forth. The six Golden Core Cultivators quickly formed a united front, and their gazes locked onto Chen Che at the same time.

One of the Golden Core Cultivators even shifted his stance, pointing his toes toward Chen Che.

But at that very moment, Chen Che simply flicked a finger.

WHOOSH!

A tearing sound filled the air. The onlookers saw only a blur as a streak of sword light shot out with incredible speed. With a soft *PFFT*, the blade effortlessly pierced the man’s Protective True Essence and went through his throat.

Then, without losing any momentum, it nailed him to a mountain ridge several li away with a resounding CLANG, the hilt of the sword still trembling slightly.

In an instant, Ding Haochuan and the others froze in place, stiff as wooden puppets.

"I’ll give you the time it takes for an incense stick to burn to escape!"

Under the astonished gazes of the crowd, Chen Che slowly raised his head, his voice like a decree from the heavens:

"In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, I will slaughter Zuo Qinlong and Dou Shanhe. I don’t have much time to spare for you. After that time is up, whoever is still in my sight will die!"