Chapter 479
by fanqienovelChapter 479: Sand Guard (Part 2)
In the sky above, Wang Chen soared swiftly on his sword.
He traversed several miles in an instant!
At such a distance, under normal circumstances, his divine sense would struggle to detect anything clearly. However, with the aid of formations and the activation of new functions, hidden enemies were instantly exposed.
From his high vantage point, Wang Chen scanned the area below, yet saw no trace of any living beings.
It had to be admitted, the opponents’ camouflage was exceptionally cunning; it was impossible to discern with the naked eye alone.
But unique abilities defy all logic!
In the next moment, Wang Chen abruptly plunged downward.
Simultaneously, he thrust out his right palm.
A colossal palm, forged from condensed magical energy, materialized out of thin air and slammed down with immense force toward the Gobi’s surface.
Heavenly Dragon Vajra Palm!
The targeted area was nothing more than a few sparse shrubs and scattered, weathered stones.
Such scenery was commonplace across the vast expanse of the Gobi, utterly unremarkable.
Yet, before Wang Chen’s Vajra Palm could land, a flash of dark light erupted from the ground, and five figures suddenly emerged!
The assailants were clad in black tunics, their heads and faces shrouded in black cloth, revealing only a pair of gleaming eyes.
One of them raised a hand and hurled a dark golden ring.
The ring instantly expanded to several times its original size, radiating a blinding light that perfectly intercepted the massive palm descending from above.
Boom!
With a resounding crash, the metal ring was hurled back ten yards, its light flickering and trembling.
However, Wang Chen’s Vajra Palm also shattered into fragments, its force dissipating into nothingness.
The assailant swiftly grabbed the golden ring, his eyes brimming with anguish and fury.
This spirit tool was of the highest grade, his most treasured possession. To see it damaged was a blow to his very soul.
The assailant glared fiercely at Wang Chen hovering above, his gaze filled with murderous intent.
Having missed his mark, Wang Chen immediately formed a spell with his hands: “Command!”
Crack!
A bolt of lightning, as thick as a water bucket, suddenly materialized and streaked toward the assailant clutching the golden ring.
Outnumbered and facing an enemy leader at the fifth layer of the Purple Palace cultivation level, Wang Chen knew he had to act swiftly, leaving no room for the enemy to retaliate.
According to prior intelligence, the Sand Tribe’s Hunter Cultivators typically infiltrated the Sand Guard in small teams of three, five, or seven.
The leader was undoubtedly a master at the Purple Palace level.
What Wang Chen had stumbled upon was unmistakably a classic Hunter Cultivator team!
Thus, he unleashed his full power without hesitation.
“Protect!”
The moment Wang Chen unleashed the Sky Thunder, the leader of the Hunter Cultivators immediately sensed the danger and bellowed in fury.
Given his cultivation level, evading Wang Chen’s strike would have been no challenge.
But had he dodged, his four subordinates would have been obliterated by the thunder, leaving no chance of survival.
In these critical moments, this Purple Palace cultivator demonstrated the true responsibility of a leader!
He gripped the golden ring tightly, raising it high, and instantly conjured a nearly transparent barrier of spiritual light.
He stood firm against the divine thunder crashing down upon him, shielding his four subordinates within the protective aura of the spirit tool.
Puff!
The collision between the Sky Thunder and the golden ring’s spiritual light did not produce an earth-shattering roar.
Yet, the feet of the Purple Palace cultivator sank deep into the sand in an instant.
He held the golden ring with all his might, the black cloth masking his face tearing apart to reveal a face etched with bulging veins.
Wang Chen’s strike was overwhelmingly powerful.
So powerful that even with the aid of a top-grade spirit tool, the Purple Palace cultivator could not fully withstand it. His body felt as though crushed beneath a mountain, every joint crackling under the strain, and the flow of magical power within him grew sluggish.
Moreover, fine cracks began to spider across the surface of the golden ring.
In that moment, the Purple Palace cultivator was filled with regret!
He had never imagined Wang Chen would be so formidable, leading him to make a fatal misjudgment.
Now, he found himself in a completely passive position.
Fortunately, the other four Hunter Cultivators reacted swiftly, snapping out of their daze almost immediately. Without hesitation, they each drew a bronze-colored cylinder and aimed it at Wang Chen in the air.
All four pulled the triggers simultaneously!
Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff!
Four streaks of blood-red light shot forth, engulfing Wang Chen’s figure in the blink of an eye.
Blood Fiend Needles!
This was a top-grade magical artifact, a secret formula of the Sand Tribe Sorcerers. Each cylinder contained one hundred and eight blood fiend needles, capable of piercing heavy armor and magical shields. The poison within the needles would seal the throat upon contact, and even if the victim managed to neutralize the poison, the needles would continue to roam within the body, piercing the five organs.
Caught off guard, a single cylinder of Blood Fiend Needles could kill a high-level Qi Training cultivator.
With four cylinders unleashed, even a Purple Palace cultivator could be annihilated!
The Hunter Cultivators of the Sand Tribe had used such ruthless tools to assassinate countless battle cultivators of Daying.
Though this was Wang Chen’s first encounter with Hunter Cultivators, he was well aware of such concealed weapons. As the swarm of flying needles surged toward him, he immediately activated the protective Yaoguang flying sword, darting more than ten yards away in an instant.
All the Blood Fiend Needles missed their mark.
However, the Purple Palace cultivator seized the opportunity to escape his dire situation. He swiftly stowed the heavily damaged golden ring and retrieved a black banner from his storage bag.
"Retreat!"
The Purple Palace cultivator shook the black banner violently, releasing a billowing cloud of black smoke that enveloped him and his four subordinates.
Simultaneously, dozens of skulls flew out from the black banner, hurtling toward Wang Chen with a piercing howl.
The Purple Palace cultivator did not expect this maneuver to harm Wang Chen; he merely hoped to buy a moment of time for their escape.
Though filled with resentment, the Sand Tribe Sorcerer knew that prolonging the battle would only worsen their predicament.
After all, the Sand Guard was only a few miles away, and Wang Chen’s reinforcements could arrive at any moment.
The mission had already failed, and stubbornness would be the height of folly!
But whether they could escape depended entirely on Wang Chen’s will.
Wang Chen raised his hand, summoning a Fire Crow wreathed in blazing flames to intercept the oncoming skulls.
These skulls were formed from dark energy and malevolent aura, and the Fire Crow Technique was the perfect counter to such demonic spells.
With a sweep of its blazing wings, the skulls disintegrated into ash!
Wang Chen darted another ten yards, and the Chini Sword hanging at his back unsheathed with a sharp ring.
Clang!
The sword energy flashed like lightning as this near-treasure-level spirit sword plunged into the swirling black mist below.
"Ah!"
A piercing scream erupted.
【Heavenly Merit +8】
Wang Chen paid no heed to the notification that appeared in his vision, focusing entirely on controlling the Chini Sword as it darted through the black mist, claiming the lives of one Hunter Cultivator after another.
【Heavenly Merit +7】【Heavenly Merit +8】…
Wang Chen calmly harvested Heavenly Merit, while the Purple Palace cultivator on the ground paled with terror.
The Purple Palace cultivator’s black mist escape technique was a Purple Palace level spell, capable of concealing the divine sense of cultivators below the Golden Core realm. Activated by the black banner spirit tool, it could cover an area of several miles.
It was truly a lifesaving treasure!
Yet, even his most reliable escape technique had failed him at this critical moment.