Chapter 33: Swift as a Horse, Hands that Fell the Elite
The golden mountain crushing Chen Shi’s head was not an actual mountain but a talisman’s creation. Anyone struck by it would endure a weight of over a thousand pounds. Most would be crushed to death, but Chen Shi not only withstood the Mountain Talisman’s immense pressure, he remained incredibly fast—so fast that he caught up to Fu Shanke, who had activated a Horse Charm Talisman, and killed him in a single strike.
Fu Shanke, an expert in talisman craftsmanship, was renowned alongside Iron Pen Scholar as one of the twin talisman masters of the Xuan Ying Estate. Yet he hadn’t even deployed a fraction of his skills before Chen Shi dispatched him.
Had Chen Shi faced Fu Shanke during his fight with Iron Pen Scholar, he would have stood no chance, unable even to break the Spirit Snake Talisman. However, after cultivating True Blood and strengthening his internal organs, Chen Shi easily shattered the Spirit Snake Talisman and caught Fu Shanke off guard.
As Chen Shi collided backward into his next foe, the Jin Yiwei officer standing under the tree activated his shrine. A Divine Embryo emerged, showcasing a speed of activation that Chen Shi had never witnessed before.
When Chen Shi rushed at him, the officer simultaneously retreated and summoned sword energy at an astonishing rate.
It was the Ziwu Evil-Slaying Sword, a technique of the Heavenly Heart Righteous Qi Method.
Before the sword energy could fully manifest, Chen Shi’s back slammed into the officer’s body.
The impact violently shook the officer’s organs, blood trickling from the corners of his mouth as he flew backward, crashing into the tree where the cicada-catcher had been. With a cry, he vomited blood, his face twisted with pain as he clenched his teeth and directed his Divine Embryo to complete the sword energy.
He knew the collision had shattered his internal organs and snuffed out his life force. However, as a seasoned warrior, he resolved to drag Chen Shi down with him, even in death.
Chen Shi charged forward but froze when he saw the Divine Embryo raise its hand to point at him. Instinct screamed danger. Without hesitation, he retreated at full speed, his steps cracking the earth beneath him despite the thousand-pound weight of the golden mountain. Yet the sensation of danger only intensified. Though Chen Shi couldn’t see the sword energy, the violently vibrating space ahead distorted his vision.
“Thud! Thud! Thud!”
Chen Shi took dozens of rapid steps back, covering over 20 meters, but the threat escalated to a life-threatening degree. He flung himself to the ground, narrowly dodging the invisible sword energy as it grazed the tip of his nose.
Heart pounding, Chen Shi glanced back and saw a massive tree—so thick it required two or three people to encircle it—slowly tilt and collapse. The officer’s Ziwu Evil-Slaying Sword hadn’t hit him but still managed to slice the tree clean through from over 10 meters away.
“The power…” Chen Shi was shaken. The sword energy hadn’t even reached its full potential, yet it was devastatingly lethal. Had it struck him, he would have been decapitated without a doubt.
“The Jin Yiwei sent by the Zhao family are far stronger than those from the Li family.”
Chen Shi pushed himself upright.
The cicada-catcher and the fisherman, who had been his remaining opponents, had already stepped into the road, their shrines and Divine Embryos fully activated.
They stomped their feet in unison, triggering the Horse Charm Talismans tied to their legs. Wind gusted beneath their steps as they charged at incredible speed. While running, their hands formed sword gestures, which their Divine Embryos mimicked to generate sword energy.
Seeing the air ripple and distort ahead of him, Chen Shi immediately veered into a riverbank ditch. With a leap, he crossed to the other side but sank into the soft mud.
As he pulled his legs free, two loud impacts struck behind him. The sword energy from his pursuers had missed, gouging deep grooves into the hardened road and flinging chunks of dirt skyward.
“Whoosh! Whoosh!”
More sword energy followed. Despite the Mountain Talisman’s crushing weight, Chen Shi bolted into a field of towering corn, unique to the Western Bull New Continent. The corn stood over two meters tall, forming a dense forest.
Chen Shi barreled through, trampling the stalks as he fled. Behind him, swathes of corn fell in waves under the relentless assault of sword energy.
The two Jin Yiwei crossed the river with ease, propelled by the wind summoned by their talismans. They pursued Chen Shi through the cornfield, sword gestures cutting swaths through the crops, their Divine Embryos sending sword energy flying in every direction.
These officers were elite fighters with unparalleled experience. Their relentless pursuit covered several kilometers, yet the cornfield stretched on without end.
Suddenly, the golden mountain on Chen Shi’s head dimmed and vanished—the Mountain Talisman’s power had expired after its time limit of 30 minutes.
Without its guidance, the officers lost sight of Chen Shi.
The sound of rapid footsteps in the cornfield circled them, and their backs pressed together as they readied for an ambush. Yet their sword energy only met empty air, slicing down more corn.
“Retreat from the field!” one officer shouted.
Before he could act, a small figure shot forward like lightning. It collided with one of the officers, sending him flying backward with blood spraying from his mouth. The other officer instinctively released sword energy but missed as the figure vaulted over the attack. The wounded officer, unable to evade, was bisected, his blood soaking the corn.
“Lin He!” The remaining officer’s cry was filled with anguish. He turned and fled, determined to escape the confining cornfield.
As he neared the river, leaping mid-air to cross it, Chen Shi burst from the water. In one swift motion, he clapped his hands over the officer’s ears with enough force to crush his skull.
The Jin Yiwei fell dead on the riverbank, and Chen Shi collapsed back into the water, gasping for air. His heart pounded so violently it rippled the surface of the river.
After regaining his composure, he scavenged the bodies of Fu Shanke and the officers, collecting talismans but leaving their silver behind—Grandfather had warned him against taking money from the dead.
“This destruction must be compensated,” Chen Shi resolved, planning to sell the talismans to repair the ruined crops.
As he returned to Huangyang Village, he steeled his resolve. “The mastermind behind all this—the Zhao family’s Third Young Master—must still be in the village. I failed to finish this before; now I’ll rectify that.”
Avoiding the village entrance, Chen Shi climbed over the southwestern wall. His expression was calm, his heart resolved: “This is my problem. I won’t drag Grandfather or the villagers into it.”