Outside Purple Bamboo Mountain, all eyes were watching. A crowd of Loose Cultivators, including those from Qingzhou Province and the Martial Continent, had gathered, each with their own agenda.
Under the watchful gaze of the crowd, a slender figure slowly strolled out from Purple Bamboo Mountain, treading on air. Wherever he stepped, the Purple Bamboo swayed gently and bent, as if in worship.
The figure was dressed in a white and cyan robe, his posture as straight and sharp as a sword. He had piercing eyes and chiseled, incomparably handsome features. His long hair was bound in a gilded, jade-inlaid purple dragon crown, and a cyan sash was tied loosely at his waist. At a light gesture from his fingers, a Spirit Sword shimmering with a violet, jade-like light trembled. It bobbed in the air, unleashing an endless torrent of Sword Qi. His very appearance commanded the attention of everyone present.
A series of sharp gasps rippled through the crowd. The reason was simple: Yu Changsheng was not alone. To be precise... in his left hand, he held two freshly severed, bloody heads!
The expressions on the two heads were frozen in terror, their eyes filled with utter disbelief and horror. Mouths agape, they were held casually by Yu Changsheng. With every step he took, they bumped together, dripping blood that still gave off a faint steam. They had clearly been severed only moments ago.
"Who is he?! I’ve never seen this guy before! He looks so young. Are those... the two Golden Core Peak cultivators who went in earlier?!"
"And the Purple Bamboo... I get the feeling they’re... welcoming him? How is that possible!"
"Could it be? Did he get the treasure from inside Purple Bamboo Mountain?"
Countless gazes of shock and suspicion fell upon Yu Changsheng. Gasps continued to echo through the crowd, but no one dared to make a move.
"Well, isn’t this a lively gathering. Are you all waiting for me?"
Yu Changsheng’s expression was indifferent as he glanced at the crowd outside Purple Bamboo Mountain. He spoke calmly, his voice not loud, yet it was heard clearly by everyone.
"Yu Changsheng! That bastard, I knew he wasn’t dead!"
In the crowd, the pupils of Chen Feng and his two companions constricted. Their eyes, fixed on Yu Changsheng, held both disbelief and a trace of terror.
This terror was magnified infinitely when they saw the two heads in Yu Changsheng’s hand.
’How is this possible? Lord Wang Cheng and Lord Tang Han were at the Golden Core Peak, yet Yu Changsheng just...’
Cheng Tao secretly swallowed, took two small steps back, and drew a deep breath. A chill ran down his spine.
’That guy... he broke through to the Golden Core realm?’
Chen Feng frowned, shockwaves of alarm crashing through him. Wu Huan also clenched his fists, his body trembling slightly as he subconsciously tried to move deeper into the crowd.
While the three of them were reeling in shock and uncertainty, Yu Changsheng suddenly swept his gaze across the area. His eyes finally landed precisely on them, turning cold as a faint smile touched his lips.
"Well, well, the old dogs. To think you’d chase me all the way here. Why are you still hiding? What, are you surprised to see me?"
As Yu Changsheng finished speaking, he swung his arm, flinging the heads of Wang Cheng and Tang Han toward Chen Feng. He then stomped hard on the air and shot toward the trio in a dive.
The heads carved a perfect arc through the air, sailing over the crowd toward Chen Feng. Wherever they passed, the Loose Cultivators’ faces changed as they scrambled to get out of the way, their gazes on Yu Changsheng filled with extreme wariness.
Yu Changsheng chose to ignore these appraising looks. Few of these Loose Cultivators were even at the Mid or Late Stage of the Golden Core realm; most were only at Foundation Establishment. His targets were only Chen Feng and his two companions.
"You hunted me like a beaten dog back then. Now that I’ve come to you, I wonder if you still have the guts to fight?"
Yu Changsheng sneered. His Purple Spirit Emperor Sword unleashed endless Sword Qi, glinting with a cold light. The Zi Ling Emperor lay sprawled on the blade, curiously sizing up Chen Feng and his men.
Chen Feng’s expression changed. Sensing the power radiating from Yu Changsheng, he gritted his teeth and took a deep breath. The three exchanged a look, nodded, and then surrounded Yu Changsheng in a triangular formation.
"So what if you’ve broken through to the Golden Core realm? I don’t know how you got lucky and killed the two lords, but since you’ve delivered yourself to our doorstep, you won’t be leaving."
Chen Feng spoke with a sinister tone. The three stood firm in the void. The next moment, bloody tendrils began to emanate from their bodies, weaving together and rapidly forming a hundred-zhang-tall Thousand-Handed Asura. It was blood-red all over and radiated an ominous, bizarre aura.
An astonishing aura erupted from it. The surrounding Loose Cultivators who were watching all paled and hastily retreated, their gazes fixed on the scene in shock and uncertainty.
"They’re Golden Core Peak cultivators too, and they were so low-key. It looks like this young man has some kind of feud with them."
"Is this kid being too arrogant? Regardless of whether he found some great opportunity, to face three Golden Core Peak cultivators alone—who even have a combined attack technique—isn’t he afraid of getting himself killed?"
The people in the surroundings broke into discussion, but they all instinctively moved further away. Some watched with pity, while others sneered, happy to see him meet his doom.
Even more people, however, fixed their gazes on the Purple Spirit Emperor Sword in Yu Changsheng’s hand. They swallowed secretly, the greed in their eyes perfectly obvious.
’The sword he’s holding actually gave birth to a Sword Spirit... I get the feeling it must be a Top Grade Spirit Treasure... Could such a treasure be what he obtained inside Purple Bamboo Mountain?’
’Let’s watch for now. If there’s an opportunity...’