Eternal Life from the Golden Needle Technique

High in the sky,

Countless afterimages crisscrossed and collided, while streaks of ghastly white lightning ripped across the firmament.

It was a terrifying sight, born from the clash of potent Magical Power, that seemed to tear the very sky asunder!

A colossal roar, like the crack of Thunder, echoed throughout the entire Secret Realm.

The mountains and the land,

At this moment, began to tremble violently!

The ground beneath the two combatants shattered from the terrifying impact, collapsing into one crater after another!

A violent storm of Magical Power swept across the land, carrying with it concussive energy that ripped even through the vacuum.

At the heart of this raging maelstrom, even a Cultivator at the Soul Emergence Seventh Layer would likely be severely injured if they were caught inside.

Outside the Array,

Wei Yuting stared intently at the two combatants in the center of the field.

She struggled to maintain the Array's operation,

Her face somewhat pale.

At this very moment,

The terrifying shockwaves from their frantic, storm-like exchange of blows made the entire Ninth Layer Mountain Array seem on the verge of collapse.

Wei Yuting's face grew even paler.

'I overestimated myself!'

She sighed inwardly.

Before this,

She had thought that if Shen Changchuan was in trouble,

She would have to risk her life, enter the fray, and rescue him.

But now,

The sheer speed they displayed within the Array had already surpassed the limits of what her eyes could track!

Without a doubt,

If she were to step in,

She'd be killed in an instant, unable to withstand even a single blow!

For a moment,

Her earlier resolve felt utterly ridiculous!

Realizing this,

A bitter feeling crept into her heart.

Her master's youngest disciple, her junior, was already about to surpass her in strength!

And she, who was considered a prodigy by many in the outside world.

Having walked the Path of Immortal Cultivation for sixty years, she had already reached the Soul Emergence Seventh Layer Realm, a height countless others might never attain in their entire lives. She even had hopes of reaching the Divine Travel Realm.

But all these achievements,

Meant nothing before Junior Shen.

Shen Changchuan was oblivious to the many thoughts running through Wei Yuting's mind.

At this moment,

The Golden Wind Jade Dew Gu's overloaded power burst forth, granting him the strength of the Soul Emergence Eighth Layer for a short time.

Initially, this immense power was so violent that he couldn't control it at all, only able to vent it through the simplest, most explosive means.

He used it to battle his enemy.

But as time passed,

With each clash against Qiu Kunsheng,

Shen Changchuan's understanding of the Soul Emergence Late Stage Realm was improving at a visibly rapid pace!

A life-or-death, face-to-face confrontation,

A head-on collision of raw power,

Was undoubtedly the fastest way to learn!

Relying on his Divine Sense, which was no weaker than that of someone at the Soul Emergence Eighth Layer, Shen Changchuan easily perceived the circulation and essence of Qiu Kunsheng's Soul Emergence Late Stage Magical Power amid the intense battle.

And so,

The fog that had previously shrouded the Soul Emergence Late Stage was scattering at a visible rate!

That level of the Realm was rapidly becoming clear to him!

'So that's how it is! I understand!'

Following another earth-shattering collision of fists, a vast, tsunami-like torrent of energy erupted. Amidst the deafening roar,

Shen Changchuan was knocked back, the skin on his arm splitting open as blood spattered.

But there was not a trace of fear on his face.

Instead, it held a look of dawning realization!

After countless clashes with Qiu Kunsheng, after facing the overwhelming, tide-like Magical Power of the Soul Emergence Eighth Layer Realm time and again,

Amid the fierce battle,

Shen Changchuan, fighting beyond his level, finally understood everything!

'It's time!'

After another extremely violent clash, Shen Changchuan quickly pulled back, creating distance.

Then,

HUMMM!

A streak of cyan light shot through the world.

A Bronze Bell flew from Shen Changchuan's hand, rapidly expanding. In the blink of an eye, the phantom of a small, mountain-sized Bronze Bell rose up, enveloping Shen Changchuan within it.

At the same time,

A white light shone forth.

The White Jade Heart-Protecting Mirror flared with brilliant light.

Layer upon layer of light curtains rose,

Coordinating with the Bronze Bell to form an unbreakable defense.

'What's going on?'

'Two Spiritual Artifacts?'

'What is that little brat trying to do?'

Seeing his opponent take up a completely defensive posture,

Qiu Kunsheng couldn't help but frown, his attacks slowing slightly.

Although Spiritual Artifacts were external items,

In actual combat, they weren't as useful as a Perfection Tier Two Skill.

But they had their advantages.

First, as the user's strength increased, the power a Spiritual Artifact could unleash would also increase to a certain extent.

Second, they were convenient. One only needed to pour Magical Power into them to activate them, unlike Magic, which required a certain amount of Heart Spirit to cast.

Of course, none of that was important.

The important thing was,

'What is this little brat trying to do by bringing out two Spiritual Artifacts and taking up a purely defensive stance?'

'Are these two items the trump cards his master prepared for him? One of his reliances?'

'But he hasn't been forced into a dead end in this fight yet!'

Watching Shen Changchuan's actions, countless thoughts flashed through Qiu Kunsheng's mind in an instant.

He didn't quite understand the purpose of Shen Changchuan's actions.

But vaguely,

He had a bad premonition.

It seemed,

'I made a mistake!'

'I should have used my strongest techniques from the very beginning to crush him effortlessly,'

'Instead of worrying about his trump cards and choosing to feign weakness to look for an opening!'

'That little brat,'

'It seems he's using me as a whetstone to achieve a breakthrough!'

That bad premonition grew stronger and stronger.

A ferocious look flashed across Qiu Kunsheng's face.

Kill!

In almost an instant,

Qiu Kunsheng had already made the right decision!

There was no time to regret his previous wrong choice.

Qiu Kunsheng dropped the facade of weakness and attacked with his full power, unleashing a world-destroying force that continuously bombarded the Defense Light Curtain created by the Bronze Bell and the White Jade Heart-Protecting Mirror!

How terrifying was this strike?

Huge swathes of the vacuum itself trembled.

The terrifying might of his power,

Was more than just a notch stronger than when he had been fighting Shen Changchuan before!

With just one strike,

The Defense Light Curtain from the two Spiritual Artifacts, the Bronze Bell and the White Jade Heart-Protecting Mirror, had already dimmed!

That was the sign of massive power consumption!

As a Demon Cultivator at the Soul Emergence Eighth Layer Late Stage,

Even after losing the great asset of his Lifebound Corpse Refinement, his might was still terrifyingly immense—not something Shen Changchuan could possibly withstand!

But unfortunately,

Qiu Kunsheng realized it too late.

"Qi Absorption and Essence Return, break for me!"

At that very moment,

Shen Changchuan, protected by the two Spiritual Artifacts, first deactivated the overloaded state of the Golden Wind Jade Dew Gu.

Then, using his profound new understanding of the Soul Emergence Late Stage as a foundation, he executed the Qi Absorption and Essence Returning Technique he had modified long ago.

In an instant,

BOOOOM!!!!

Shen Changchuan's aura, which he expected to plummet after deactivating the Golden Wind Jade Dew Gu,

Instantly skyrocketed!

The bottleneck of the Sixth Layer Peak,

Shattered with a deafening roar!