Chapter 186: Chapter 161: Tier Two Array, A Deathbed Realization

"Is that all you’ve got?"

Lin Changheng’s deep voice suddenly echoed in the quiet room, laced with a hint of playful coldness.

He then clapped his hands, slowly turned around, and fixed his gaze on the figure in the bronze mask hiding outside.

Moonlight slanted in through the window, illuminating one side of his smiling profile and his bottomless, pitch-black eyes.

Outside, the Male Cultivator in the Bronze Mask clearly froze.

The eerie patterns carved into the mask gleamed faintly under the moon, but they couldn’t hide the pupils that had suddenly constricted behind it.

"What’s the matter?" Lin Changheng strode forward, the soles of his boots making soft crunching sounds on the ground. He spoke slowly, "I heard you were going to make a move on me. Is this skulking in the shadows the best you can do?"

A cold, fierce glint flashed in the Bronze Masked Male Cultivator’s eyes. He suddenly raised a hand, and a crimson ray shot out from his sleeve.

"CHIII!"

It was a crimson, cone-shaped Magical Artifact of the Middle Grade Masterpiece level. It shot out without warning at an incredible speed that an ordinary person could never react to, streaking through the air like a red line before it was already upon Lin Changheng.

But Lin Changheng didn’t move an inch, as if he hadn’t seen it.

"CLANG!"

The crimson, cone-shaped Magical Artifact struck him directly in the chest.

’Did it hit?’

The Bronze Masked Male Cultivator was delighted. ’Such a slow reaction. He really is old, weak, and all bark and no bite. Just a bluff.’

But what followed was not the scene of a Magical Artifact piercing flesh and sending blood flying. There was only a crisp sound as the crimson, cone-shaped Magical Artifact seemed to strike a wall of steel, unable to advance any further before being repelled.

"A Body Refining Cultivator? You were a Body Refining Cultivator in disguise!"

The Bronze Masked Male Cultivator froze, then realization dawned.

"No wonder Shui’Er’s sneak attack failed and she was taken down so easily. She got too close to a Body Refining Cultivator. That explains it!"

His heart settled instantly. ’Even though this Alchemist Lin can block a Middle Grade Masterpiece magic tool with his body, he’s probably just a Late Stage Tier One Body Cultivator. He’ll be difficult to deal with, but at least he’s not a complete unknown!’

’Besides, the Gu poison should be taking effect by now, right?’

’Don’t be fooled by his smile. He must be putting on a brave front, unable to use his Magical Power!’

’Now’s the time!’

"WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!"

The Bronze Masked Cultivator attacked decisively once more. Five slender, finger-length purple Flying Blades shot out from behind him simultaneously. Carrying a startlingly cold glint, they crossed the five-zhang distance in an instant like five bolts of purple lightning, coming to kill.

Five Upper Grade Spiritual Artifacts!

One aimed straight for his chest.

One slashed toward his neck.

One went for his lower body.

The other two shot toward his eyes.

Utterly vicious and utterly decisive!

"Hm?"

Lin Changheng couldn’t help but let out a soft sound of surprise.

From the moment they were launched, the five purple Flying Blades were within the range of his Divine Sense. Though they flew with great speed, in Lin Changheng’s perception, they moved extremely slowly and with incredible clarity—so clear that their shape, trajectory, and targets were all perfectly understood.

More importantly, ’This person can actually control five Upper Grade Spiritual Artifacts at the same time?’

"Interesting."

The feedback from his Divine Sense told him this person was strong—a top expert at the Peak of Ninth Layer Qi Cultivation—but definitely not strong enough to control five Upper Grade Spiritual Artifacts simultaneously. Even he, a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, wasn’t capable of that!

’So the issue lies with the Magical Artifacts, not the person!’

"Nice things. They’re mine now."

The thought flashed through his mind in an instant. Lin Changheng had made his judgment and was somewhat tempted.

Having often seen the "villain dies for talking too much" trope play out in his previous life, he had no intention of dragging this on. Just as the five Flying Blades were about to strike, a yellow light flashed at his feet, and his entire person vanished.

"WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!"

The five slender purple Flying Blades, which had been moments from hitting their mark, all missed, carving arcs through the air before embedding themselves in the wall, leaving five holes.

"Where did he go?"

His killing blow had missed again, and in such a silent, magical vanishing act. The Bronze Masked Cultivator was not angry but startled, and a strange fear even began to well up from the bottom of his heart.

Humans always fear the unknown, and Cultivators are no exception.

’Not good.’

Suddenly, the pupils beneath the Bronze Mask constricted. A sense of crisis, more intense than any he had ever felt, shot up his spine like a venomous snake.

The Magical Power in his body surged, and his figure instantly blurred into a black shadow as he cast a Skill to escape.

However—

"SHING!"

With a soft sound, it was as if space itself had frozen. He discovered in horror that he was trapped as if in a mire, unable to move an inch.

At that moment, a large, well-defined hand had already clamped around his neck like an iron pincer, choking his terror back down his throat. The hand seemed to grip casually, yet it contained a terrifying force capable of shattering mountains and breaking peaks.

"Urgh... No... I was wrong, please..."

A broken groan escaped from under the Bronze Mask. The eyes beneath bulged, bloodshot and struggling for air. He struggled desperately, gathering all his Magical Power into his hands to strike at the other’s chest, only to see the corner of Lin Changheng’s mouth curl into a cold sneer.

"CRACK!"

With a dull thud, all struggles ceased. The Bronze Masked Male Cultivator’s hands fell limply, his neck twisted at a grotesque angle.

Lin Changheng released his grip. The body slumped to the ground like a ragdoll, and the Bronze Mask rolled away with a CLATTER, revealing a pale face twisted in terror.

It had been a somewhat handsome face, but now it was just a corpse.

Under the moonlight, Lin Changheng leisurely wiped his hands, withdrew the Divine Sense he had used for the Soul Search, and glanced at the body on the ground. He said softly, "Why is it that people only realize they were wrong when they’re about to die?"

When you cut the weeds, you must pull out the roots.

Before long, two sparks of dark golden flame shot out, and two pyres instantly roared to life in the courtyard.

There was no black smoke, no sound, no ash.

Just like that, they vanished without a trace, as if they had evaporated from the face of the earth.

Lin Changheng briefly dealt with the traces of the battle.

In truth, there weren’t many traces of a fight. Besides the small holes poked by the five slender purple Flying Blades, there was just some wine, water, and Spiritual Food, all of which were also put to the torch.

Then, he put away the Flowing Clouds Covering Moon Formation. A Tier Two Array like this was indeed something Lin Changheng could use.

The reason he had made his move at this particular time was to use the death trap they had laid for him to bury them instead, saving himself the trouble of setting one up.

A short while later, a figure drifted out and silently entered the small courtyard next door.

Everything that happened tonight went unnoticed.

...

「Inside the Qingyuan Small Building.」

The lamps were dim. On the table lay two Storage Bags—the spoils from the recent battle.

Thinking back, he had effortlessly crushed two scheming, malicious little bugs. The fight had been a complete stomp.

An adventurer might have found it boring.

But for Lin Changheng, having absolute control of the situation was the greatest source of peace of mind.

It was also an affirmation of his cautious methods!

Otherwise, what would be the point of working so hard to be cautious and lay low?

Lin Changheng would never have personally involved himself if there had been even the slightest hint of risk.

...

Through the Soul Search, Lin Changheng had also learned some interesting information.

The man had been a Tribulation Cultivator named Gu Qiusheng. He had numerous identities and, as it turned out, a tangled history with Lin Changheng, having crossed paths with him several times through a series of coincidences.

Learning this, Lin Changheng couldn’t help but click his tongue in amazement.

The first time was outside the Floating Immortal City, when Lin Changheng had first arrived and inadvertently stumbled into an ambush Array.

Those three Tribulation Cultivators had been part of Gu Qiusheng’s crew.

They had accepted a mission from a certain family to ambush and kill a junior from a rival Influence—a Foundation Establishment Seed.

After gathering information from multiple sources and conducting reconnaissance, they had determined the target’s route and set up an Array halfway. As it happened, Lin Changheng blundered into it and killed the three of them instead.

But Gu Qiusheng himself had been in the Immortal City, tracking down information on a Foundation Establishment Main Medicine from the Wilderness—the Celestial Crystal Spirit Lotus. He was half a day late, and by then, the disaster had already struck.

Realizing there was no longer a chance to complete the mission, Gu Qiusheng decisively gave up. He had no intention of seeking revenge and simply went straight into the Wilderness to search for the spiritual medicine.

...

The second time was at the Immortal City’s Auction.

The masked cultivator from the Earth Pavilion who had bid against him for the Tier Two Alchemy Inheritance was also this man.

Gu Qiusheng had originally intended to win the Tier Two Alchemy Dao and present it to a Tier Two Alchemist he had met before, in order to ask him to refine a Foundation Establishment Pill.

Having multiple Tier Two Alchemy Inheritances on hand would allow for cross-referencing and comparative study, which could lead to new insights.

In the end, he lost the bidding war and had no choice but to give up, putting all his effort into winning a Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object instead.

...

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