Chapter 1557: Chapter 1557: Gathering of the Crowd
Shi An couldn’t understand until his death how Lin Chen, whose cultivation level was apparently lower than his, managed to deliver such a fatal sword light without Shi An even noticing. He didn’t even have time to react.
This was because Lin Chen not only launched a triple-layered attack to corner Shi An, but also silently employed the Soul Capture Technique to strike at Shi An’s divine soul when releasing that final sword light.
With his divine soul damaged, Shi An fell into a vacant and unresponsive state for a moment, and in a clash of experts, that moment was enough for Lin Chen to deliver a fatal blow to Shi An.
"If you need to blame someone, blame yourself for provoking me repeatedly. If you had stayed away, I had no intention of killing you." Lin Chen looked at Shi An’s corpse, waved his hand, and used his divine soul to probe Shi An’s body, seizing all his spatial and magical treasures.
Then, a flame fell upon Shi An’s body, completely eradicating it.
When Lin Chen checked Shi An’s spatial treasure, the divine soul brand on it naturally dissipated since Shi An was dead.
On Shi An’s body was a top Seventh Rank vestment robe, and the sword he wielded was a Seventh-Rank Lower Grade treasured sword.
Lin Chen didn’t lack treasured swords, but he only had one Fiery Fire Profound Armor vestment robe.
Seeing this vestment robe woven from Heavenly Silkworm Silk, Lin Chen understood why Shi An could disregard his attacks in their previous battles.
Indeed, it wasn’t because Shi An’s physique was overwhelmingly strong but because he was equipped with a powerful vestment robe.
This vestment robe was quite valuable, comparable to the Fiery Fire Profound Armor Lin Chen possessed.
Reflecting on the battle, Lin Chen felt fortunate for considering Shi An’s defense to be unusual and deploying various trump cards against him, as merely relying on the Sword Array likely wouldn’t have pierced Shi An’s defense.
Nonetheless, even without deploying the Mountain Splitter Seal, Lin Chen could still have subdued Shi An with just the Sword Array and Blue Lotus Divine Flame; it would just have taken more time.
Afterward, Lin Chen began inspecting Shi An’s spatial treasure, discovering nearly fifty million low-grade spirit crystals inside, which delighted him.
In addition, there were various magical treasures inside, but none could rival the vestment robe Shi An wore.
After destroying Shi An, Lin Chen scavenged all treasures and destroyed Shi An’s body, then found a secluded place to recuperate.
This battle had drained Lin Chen significantly; although he ultimately killed Shi An, using the Soul Capture Technique had also consumed much of his divine soul.
At this moment, if a powerful magical beast were to attack, Lin Chen would probably have to flee.
Activating the Abyssal Eye, Lin Chen realized he wasn’t in a canyon but a small valley.
Thankfully, it was just a small valley, so there were no powerful magical beasts present.
As Lin Chen’s divine soul continued to probe the surroundings, he found that his sight power couldn’t reach very far, suggesting the valley was vast, spanning over fifty thousand miles.
Meanwhile, far from Lin Chen’s valley to the west, Liu Yong, Yun Kaige, Wang Shuo, Qin Shuang, and others, transported to the ruins, quickly gathered.
"Didn’t Shi An agree that we should explore separately and regroup here regardless of the outcome? Yet he’s still not here." Yun Kaige said angrily, noting that everyone had gathered except Shi An, feeling Shi An dared to show off in front of him.
"I sense something is off; Brother Shi An always keeps his promises. Since he proposed to regroup here, he would have certainly returned. His absence suggests something’s happened." Wang Shuo said, frowning slightly.
Having had the most interaction with Shi An in the Heaven Hall, working under him, Wang Shuo knew his character well.
Shi An’s absence surely indicates something has occurred.
For those gathered here, all are pivotal young talents in the Cloud Dragon Kingdom, so Shi An would never dare be disrespectful before them, thus it’s certain he intended to come.
Despite being the Young Master of the Shi Family, Shi An’s status couldn’t compare with those here. Over the years, Shi An managed his role in the Outer Sect of the Heaven Hall because of his ability to read situations, speak tactfully, and handle matters adeptly. But today, why would he ignore everyone?
"Brother Shi An in trouble? Impossible. In terms of strength, only Prince Yun surpasses him among us, so how could anything happen to him?" Liu Yong said calmly.
After acquiring the Flowing Cloud Robe, Liu Yong had tested its strength, finding it remarkably resistant, able to withstand even Liu Yong’s full-force attack, meaning in this canyon, as long as Shi An didn’t provoke Ninth Prince or Bai Ze, he was safe.
Of course, they had discovered several extremely perilous locations in this canyon, and should Shi An rashly pursue fortunes there, danger was conceivable.
But with Shi An’s steady nature, he wouldn’t take such reckless actions since they had all tested those perilous areas and found them beyond reach.
Regarding Ninth Prince Yun Xinrui and Black Yan Hall’s their top person Bai Ze, Shi An, even if encountered, as long as he didn’t provoke them, could simply avoid trouble, thus keeping himself safe.
So, after some reflection, they believed Shi An’s demise unlikely, but his delay might signify encountering other troubles.
"Guys, should I go look for Brother Shi An?" Wang Shuo asked tentatively, glancing at everyone.
Having always worked for Shi An, Wang Shuo felt really uneasy with Shi An not showing up.
Currently, faced with these prodigies, Wang Shuo’s status was unlike Shi An’s, so he asked for their opinion before acting.
"Let’s go together; more people will find him quicker. I’ve already located the Water of Life, so we can go together." Yun Kaige said, looking at Wang Shuo.
Although Yun Kaige knew the location of the Water of Life, the cave seemed perilous, and he was unwilling to be the first to venture in and risk danger.
Therefore, he wanted everyone to accompany him. If not for this, he would’ve entered the cave to seize the Water of Life alone a long time ago.