Liang Chen moved through the desert with quick and sure steps, even his casual stride already so rapid that weaker cultivators would lag behind even if they ran after him. Shen Fei had reached the Primordial Immortal realm in both Qi and soul cultivation, but even he was forced to increase his pace to a jog just to keep up with Liang Chen. And as he followed him and time continued to pass without any traces of the Stone-Soul King, he couldn't help but turn to Liang Chen.
"You're not just moving around at random, right?"
They had already been on the move for a little over two hours, the darkest hour of the night swiftly approaching. And with Liang Chen's speed, the distance they had covered wasn't negligible, yet there hadn't been a single trace of the Stone-Soul King or any Stone-Soul Scorpions.
Even with Liang Chen's show of casual confidence, Shen Fei was starting to wonder if he was really just walking around while hoping to spot the enemy. But Liang Chen was not the kind of person to just hope that his luck was good, he just wasn't planning on telling Shen Fei the finer details.
"Of course not. I'm following the tracks, it's just that you can't see them."
He had exchanged multiple moves with the Stone-Soul King, and those exchanges were more than enough to leave behind a bit of the law of the void on him. The amount was so small that it was negligible, it didn't even contain enough energy to launch even the weakest of attacks.
And as such, the Stone-Soul King wasn't able to sense it, he would have to give his own body a very thorough scan to do so. But while he might not be able to sense it, Liang Chen was a different story. As long as that strand of energy was on the Stone-Soul King, Liang Chen could use his connection with it to at least determine his general direction, getting more accurate as he got closer to it.
Shen Fei saw that Liang Chen had no intention of explaining himself, continuing his quiet observation of Liang Chen as they kept on moving. And before long, they reached a plot of land that was slightly familiar to Liang Chen, a 40-kilometre wide oasis that had been completely petrified. Even the water and the trees had turned a dull grey, the fruits still hanging from the branches like exquisitely carved statues.
The Stone-Soul King that had turned this landscape into solid stone was a Stone-Soul King at the very peak of the Primordial Immortal realm, a bit above the Stone-Soul King that Liang Chen was planning on facing. But even so, it was a good showing of how terrifying Divine Beasts could be, even the air in the area felt heavy as it entered Liang Chen's lungs.
There was no sign of the Stone-Soul King here, but Liang Chen still sat down on a branch that had fallen from one of the petrified trees. He brought out his spear and leaned it against his shoulder, his gaze remaining completely calm as he quietly peered to the west, away from the distant Moonset City.
Shen Fei found a seat for himself, curiously looking at the calmly waiting Liang Chen. He stood by his earlier statement that Liang Chen was too kindhearted for a true warrior, but the sheer calmness he showed right now was undoubtedly the mark of a warrior forged in blood. He was also a bit curious as to why they stopped here, but he could easily guess that it was because Liang Chen was confident that the Stone-Soul King would come here sooner or later.
And an hour and a half later, as the night entered its darkest hour, that guess was proven correct. The rumbling and trembling of the earth decreed the arrival of the Stone-soul King's herd before they even became visible. The sand was thrown into the air by the horde of beasts, a sandstorm shrouding the thousands of scorpions and beasts as they rushed forward without pause.
Liang Chen couldn't accurately determine their numbers, but a conservative guess put them at around 30 000. The Stone-Soul King had probably been gone for so long to gather up every last dredge of his forces, bringing along every single scorpion, and even some lizard and other bug-type beasts, he could find without caring what level their strength had reached. But he hadn't just brought along the 30 000 beasts, which were all basically cannon fodder, he had also brought along his right and left-hand men, leaving behind not a single soul of his herd.
This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.
They stood at the forefront of the horde with him, both taking the appearance of graceful yet somewhat short women. Their ashen grey hair was braided and hung down to their hips, the tip of the braid curving upwards and actually ending in a sharp stinger. They had reached the early stage of the Primordial Immortal realm, but they didn't give Liang Chen the same feeling as the Stone-Soul King so they seemed to be normal Stone-Soul Scorpions rather than the evolved version.
Since he could see them, then they too could, of course, see him, the Stone-Soul King's eyes flashing with a fierce glint. He raised his hand and gave a stern shout, the horde of beasts halting a little over a kilometre away from Liang Chen's group of three. Shen Fei's eyes glittered dangerously as he looked at the horde, especially the three human-form beasts leading the front. But Liang Chen still didn't reveal any emotion other than complete calm, his gaze landing on the Stone-Soul King.
"I'd ask if you can't be convinced to just leave and swear an oath that you won't attack Moonset City or its inhabitants, but I get the feeling you'd just reject."
Liang Chen had seen how the Stone-Soul King had looked at him, it had probably sensed the level of his bloodline. It was already a Divine Beast, yet it had discovered a bloodline that could cause even it to feel fear. In a situation like that, how could it not start feeling greed and desire? But the Stone-Soul King didn't seem to be willing to admit this, especially in front of all his subordinates, otherwise, they might try to fight him after his and Liang Chen's battle ended.
"Reject? Of course I'd reject! Let me tell you this, Junior. The sins of heaven can be forgiven, but the sins of oneself cannot. You and the people in that city murdered my kin, it is within my right to kill you."
The Stone-Soul King's expression flickered for a second as he spoke, the two women at his side understanding his intent and charging forward. The Stone-Soul King had exchanged blows with Liang Chen before and understood that he was far from as weak as he appeared. But the Liang Chen sitting in front of him gave him a completely different feeling that made him feel uneasy, so he wanted to wear him down a little before he himself stepped forward.
But Liang Chen's expression didn't even change as those two women charged at him, their arms turning into glinting pincers that carried a suffocating killing intent. A grin surfaced on Shen Fei's face as he drew his sword and stepped forward, but a wave of Liang Chen's hand stopped him. He raised an eyebrow to look at Liang Chen, but still stepped back. Since the main dish wanted to feast on the appetizers, then he could just sit back and watch his meal fatten itself up.
Liang Chen finally stood up from his seated position as the two women charged at him, flipping his spear so that the tip just barely touched the ground. And then, while still maintaining an expression so calm that it could only be considered dreadful, he took a step forward.
All his energy burst out at once as he took that one step, flooding out of his body like a tidal wave that washed over the surroundings. And as the energy swept over the two women, they halted mid-air, not even their eyelashes or hair moving as they hung there. The law of time had always been of great assistance to Liang Chen, both in and out of battle, and its assistance only grew greater as he grew stronger and brought out more of the glory of this exalted law.
And now, when he put together all of his energy and strength after his most recent breakthroughs, he had become able to even freeze the time of early-stage Primordial Immortals. The two women weren't even conscious as they hung there, their frozen minds not registering Liang Chen as he stepped between them and swept his spear out, beheading both of them with a single swift motion.
There was a big difference between someone at the Soaring Immortal realm and someone at the Primordial Immortal realm, the same was true for each separate cultivation realm. Every time you rose to a new cultivation realm, the increase in strength and energy was best described using a single sentence, everyone beneath you was no more than an ant. And now, for the first time since he actually increased his cultivation realm, both his body and his Qi, he unleashed that energy upon an enemy of a similar level.
A dull violet bolt of lightning split the sky as his spear swept out, lighting up the dark night to reveal that the sky was already covered in pitch-black clouds. More and more bolts of lightning split the sky, drops of rain starting to pour out from the clouds as the storm truly arrived, bringing with it such pressure and terror that the 30 000 beasts trembled in utter horror. And standing at the centre of the storm, Liang Chen raised his spear and pointed it at the grim-faced Stone-Soul King?
"The sins of heaven can be forgiven? What utter bullshit, it is their sins that are the least forgivable. I for one, have no intention of ever forgiving them, and in due time, my spear will grant them their deserved punishment."