Chapter 702

Chapter 702: A Big Fight

As Hu Jiao opened the cap of the purple wine gourd, Wang Chen caught the rich aroma of wine.

It was clear that the demon had brought out something extraordinary—not your average spiritual wine.

Since she had offered it, Wang Chen didn’t stand on ceremony and accepted the purple wine gourd.

Rather than drinking directly from it, he retrieved two goblets from his Xumi Ring, filled them, and handed the gourd back to Hu Jiao.

Her cheeks flushed slightly once more.

Wang Chen pretended not to notice, raised his goblet, and downed the wine in one swift motion.

His eyes lit up immediately: “This is exceptional wine!”

The wine had a deep amber hue, its texture almost gelatinous. The moment it touched his tongue, it transformed into a fiery streak that surged straight to his stomach, leaving him enveloped in a warm, soothing sensation.

The spiritual energy within it left Wang Chen feeling pleasantly intoxicated!

This was truly remarkable wine!

“This is called Spiritual Monkey Thousand-Year Drunk,” Hu Jiao explained. “It’s brewed from a hundred fruits gathered by the Intermediate Spirits monkeys in the mountains. A single cup would leave an ordinary person drunk for a thousand years.”

Of course, the claim of a thousand-year drunkenness was an exaggeration, but it underscored the wine’s extraordinary nature.

Wang Chen nodded and was about to speak when suddenly, the sound of loud voices and hurried footsteps echoed from outside.

He and Hu Jiao exchanged a glance, their expressions growing more serious.

Moments later, a group of cultivators barged into the dilapidated house.

Upon seeing Wang Chen and Hu Jiao, they paused briefly. The leader of the group scrutinized them with a sharp gaze, then smirked and said, “We plan to rest here for the night. You two fellow travelers don’t mind, do you?”

Though phrased as a question, his tone left no room for refusal.

Hu Jiao lowered her head, ignoring them, while Wang Chen replied lightly, “This place has no owner; feel free to do as you please.”

The group consisted of seven individuals, all Purple Palace cultivators, ranging from beginner to higher level. Judging by their attire, they included battle cultivators, magical cultivators, pill cultivators, and talisman cultivators, with likely tool cultivation and healer cultivators among them as well.

It was a standard adventure team.

Moreover, Wang Chen could sense that each of these cultivators was surrounded by an aura of bloodshed, some faint, others more pronounced.

This was going to be troublesome.

Wang Chen had no desire to provoke conflict and no intention of clashing with them, so he gave Hu Jiao a subtle signal.

Hu Jiao understood immediately—they would relocate.

The desolate village was large enough, with plenty of dilapidated stone houses available for shelter. There was no need to mingle with a group of unknown cultivators.

Moving elsewhere would make things more comfortable for everyone.

However, just as Wang Chen and Hu Jiao were about to leave, one of the cultivators in the group noticed the cup of Spiritual Monkey Thousand-Year Drunk.

This cup of spiritual wine had been poured for Hu Jiao, who had yet to take a sip.

“What kind of wine smells so divine?”

The man licked his lips and, without a second thought, reached out to grab it, boldly declaring, “Let me have a taste!”

He ended up grabbing nothing.

Hu Jiao, quick as a flash, instantly stashed the cup of spiritual wine into her storage bag.

The cultivator, feeling deeply humiliated, scowled and barked at Hu Jiao, “What’s the big deal about drinking a cup of your wine? Don’t push your luck!”

These cultivators lived lives on the edge, constantly risking their necks as they ventured deep into the mountains. Their temperaments were often fiery and greedy.

What’s more, they were a team of seven, while Wang Chen and Hu Jiao were just two, and they had crossed paths in the remote mountain area. The most ruthless and cunning sides of their personalities immediately surfaced.

To make matters worse, Wang Chen and Hu Jiao looked like two naive little fat sheep!

“Fifth!”

The cultivator who had been negotiating with Wang Chen earlier stepped in, then tilted his chin toward Wang Chen and said, “You two, hand over your storage bags for inspection. I suspect you’re wanted criminals!”

Wang Chen chuckled.

This attempt to frame them was laughably clumsy, especially given how seriously the other party was taking it.

It was downright ridiculous!

Whoosh!

As soon as the cultivator finished speaking, Hu Jiao spun around, her robe flaring as a burst of dazzling spiritual light erupted around her.

Hundreds of silver needles, fine as cow hairs, shot toward the group in an instant.

The seven cultivators were completely engulfed in the attack!

Hu Jiao’s strike was lightning-fast, with no warning, and the close proximity left the seven cultivators no chance to dodge.

However, each of them was equipped with defensive spirit tools and spiritual symbols, which activated automatically the moment the silver needles struck, saving them from disaster.

“Bold move!”

The cultivators, now furious, roared, “You’re asking for death!”

They were used to being the ones who initiated confrontations, so being attacked first left them both embarrassed and enraged.

The seven cultivators moved with perfect coordination, splitting to either side, some forming spells with their hands, others drawing spirit tools and symbols.

In the blink of an eye, they formed a battle array!

The more people in the array, the stronger it became; with their combined power, they could even hold their own against a Golden Core true master for a few moves.

But Wang Chen wasn’t about to give them that chance.

Though these cultivators were human, their intentions were clear—they were looking for trouble, even willing to kill for profit. Wang Chen had no qualms about teaming up with a demon to fight back.

His figure blurred as he executed Shortening the Earth, closing the distance to the nearest cultivator in an instant.

He thrust his palm toward the cultivator’s chest.

The cultivator had just summoned a defensive spirit tool and smirked mockingly when he saw Wang Chen resorting to hand-to-hand combat.

Could Wang Chen’s palm really be stronger than the profound gold spirit shield he held?

Boom!

Wang Chen’s palm struck the center of the shield with a resounding impact.

The cultivator felt an overwhelming force surge through him, and even the spirit shield couldn’t withstand it. He was sent flying backward, completely out of control.

Though the spirit tool protected him from serious injury, he was forcefully ejected from the battle array.

A gaping hole now marred their freshly formed formation!

Wang Chen didn’t pause; in a flash, he darted to the side of another cultivator, clenched his fist, and delivered a powerful blow.

The cultivator reacted swiftly, thrusting a gleaming dagger toward Wang Chen’s fist.

As a seasoned battle cultivator, he thought Wang Chen had chosen the wrong target to break through.

But Wang Chen’s strength far exceeded his expectations!

Before the dagger could connect, Wang Chen exhaled a sharp sword light from his mouth.

The distance was too close, and the attack too sudden; the Sword Pellet transformed into sword energy and pierced the cultivator’s face in an instant.

It tore through his protective armor!

“Ah!”

The cultivator let out a blood-curdling scream, staggering back in disarray.

Blood gushed from his left eye, wounded by the Sword Pellet!

Wang Chen pursued relentlessly, his palm striking the cultivator’s chest with devastating force.

Boom!

A surge of violent magic power erupted, shattering the cultivator’s protective armor in a single blow.

The spot where he struck caved inward!