Chapter 8: Battle in the Stone Cave

Su Che slowly moved toward the cave entrance, closing the distance while trying to find the best angle to launch an attack. As he got closer, he determined that the man’s cultivation level was likely at the third layer of the Qi Cultivation stage, still in the early phase. (The four sub-stages of the Qi Cultivation stage: layers 1 to 3 are the early phase; layers 4 to 6 are the middle phase; layers 7 to 9 are the late phase; layer 10 is the peak of complete Qi Cultivation.)

It was because Su Che had officially entered the Qi Cultivation stage that he was able to assess his opponent’s cultivation level—something he couldn’t do when they met in the valley earlier.

Inside the cave, the man, though healing, remained highly vigilant. Even when Su Che approached silently to within ten zhang, he was detected in advance.

“Who’s there?”

The man’s voice was loud, but Su Che could tell it wasn’t his natural voice. It was a forced, strong voice meant to disguise his extreme weakness from severe injuries.

Su Che didn’t respond, standing outside the cave and staring at him.

“Is it you?” The man immediately recognized Su Che—it was the pitiful self-practicing disciple from the valley a few days ago…

No! He was already at the first layer of Qi Cultivation…

“You’ve already generated true qi?” The man was slightly surprised, and his trembling voice inadvertently revealed his poor condition.

“Yes.” Su Che remained calm and naturally changed the way he addressed him, “Senior, may I ask how I should address you?”

“Chen Shi.”

His name, like his appearance, was utterly ordinary.

“Senior Chen, why are you here alone? Where are Senior Bai Ji and Sister Yun Lan?” Su Che asked casually, trying to buy time to assess his injuries more accurately.

Chen Shi’s expression darkened. Knowing he couldn’t hide his serious injuries, he admitted, “We encountered a monster. Even together, the three of us couldn’t defeat it, so we had to flee separately… I was injured and planned to rest here for a day.”

“How serious are your injuries? Do you need my help…” Su Che showed a kind expression, ready to rush into the cave.

“No need!”

Chen Shi’s expression changed as he instinctively tried to stop him, but then he thought better of it and nodded, “Alright, then I’ll trouble you.”

Su Che already had an idea. He flicked a stone from his fingers and threw it using the technique of a martial artist deploying hidden weapons.

Though it was a mundane method, it still relied on the activation of true energy. A tiny stone could possess enough power to pierce through a tree that two people could hold together. This was the terrifying strength of true energy, even at just the first level of cultivation.

Undoubtedly, Chen Shi was also a man with deep scheming. In such a dangerous situation, he had long anticipated various perilous scenarios. In his left and right hands, he concealed two talismans—one for attack and the other for defense.

The moment Su Che threw the stone, he moved both hands simultaneously: the defensive “Vajra Talisman” was activated on his upper body, while the offensive “Ice Arrow Talisman” was shot forth.

Bang!

The stone dart seemed to hit Chen Shi’s chest, but it was stopped by a thin layer of golden light. The stone shattered into fine powder, causing no harm to Chen Shi at all. This was the protective effect of the Vajra Talisman.

At the same time, after throwing the stone, Su Che, out of caution, leaped to the left and hid behind a large rock.

Indeed, being cautious never hurt. Though he didn’t know Chen Shi’s tactics, he managed to avoid that shallow blue ice arrow, which was over three feet long.

Puff!

That ice arrow wasn’t just an ordinary arrow. Although it didn’t hit Su Che, it penetrated deep into the giant rock, nearly piercing it entirely, and its freezing effect spread inside the rock as well.

The terrifying low temperature caused the entire rock to be covered in frost instantly. Su Che, hiding behind it, shuddered violently, as if he had fallen into an ice cave and been soaked by bone-chilling ice water.

“This is really…”

Su Che widened his eyes, secretly relieved yet still filled with fear. “I still underestimated him. The tactics of these sect disciples are beyond what a half-baked cultivator like me can predict.”

Inside the cave, Chen Shi shouted, “Your name is Su Che, right? Don’t be foolish. Leave now, and I might still forgive you. Back at the sect, I could even promote you greatly.”

Hmph! Su Che sneered inwardly. He was already in a desperate situation. Even if he knew it was impossible, he had to go through with it! If he didn’t die, would he still have a future?

Promote me back at the sect? Hmph, execution would be more appropriate.

Without hesitation, Su Che bent down, picked up another stone, leaped out from behind the frost-covered rock, and fired the stone dart into the air.

Whoosh!

After all, he had once been a competent warrior, so his accuracy in throwing hidden weapons was still quite good. It hit Chen Shi’s chest again.

Bang!

A flash of golden light appeared, and the stone shattered, yet it still failed to harm him.

However, Su Che also knew that although the Vajra Talismans provided strong defense, their energy was limited. After repeated attacks, the spiritual energy would eventually run out. Even if he could produce more defensive talismans, if the force of the attacks was sufficient, he himself would still suffer some degree of shock. That’s right—exploiting the fact that he was severely injured, unable to dodge or move, and couldn’t withstand too much strain. Exhaust him to death! That was Su Che’s plan. In any case, he must not let him leave the Blood Curtain Mountains alive. “Younger brother Su, let’s talk it out. There’s no need to go this far. You can’t hurt me…” Chen Shi inside the cave, of course, guessed Su Che’s intentions. Filled with rage, he still tried to persuade him repeatedly. Su Che ignored him, flying back and forth outside the cave and continuously firing stones and darts at the inside, striking Chen Shi’s Vajra Talisman shield like a monk ringing a bell. Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap… Surprisingly, this tactic was effective. Though each strike wasn’t strong, it was like a small wooden hammer constantly hitting Chen Shi’s heart. It might not kill him, but it caused him immense discomfort. Chen Shi was already severely injured, and the poison in his body hadn’t fully dissipated. After just a dozen strikes, his Vajra defensive talismans still hadn’t dissipated, and he spat out a mouthful of black blood. It was unclear whether it was due to the shock or the anger from Su Che’s ruthless tactics that worsened his injuries… “Fine, fine! This is your fault!” His face twisted in fury as he trembled his right hand and pulled out a talisman with extremely strong spiritual energy fluctuations from his Qi Bag at his waist. Su Che, flying back and forth outside the cave, didn’t see the talisman he had just pulled out but heard his words filled with resentment. Just from those words, Su Che realized something and immediately decided to flee! Whoosh~~~~ A fire dragon emerged from the cave, emitting a strange howling sound, as if it were a real dragon roaring, shocking the heart. Boom! Unable to find a target to attack, the fire dragon exploded instantly, turning into a sea of fire that covered an area of over twenty feet. Su Che barely escaped the range of the fire sea. The terrifying heat in the air made him feel as if he were in a furnace, even burning a section of his hair at the back of his head. “Fortunately, I was cautious and dodged in time. Otherwise, just this one strike would have burned me… I wonder what level this fire dragon talisman is, given its terrifying power?” Without wasting time thinking, Su Che leaped several times in a row and returned to outside the cave where Chen Shi was hiding. But this time, he didn’t go to the entrance; instead, he went to the back of the cave. Swish! Swish! Swish…

Su Che adopted another method. He took out the short sword given to him by Taoist Yu Qing and used external sword energy to cut those giant rocks from a distance.
External sword energy was still a martial technique used by ordinary warriors, not a cultivation spell. There was no other choice—Su Che had just entered the Qi Cultivation stage and had no opportunity to learn authentic Taoist techniques.
He didn’t know a single move!
However, the sword energy generated by releasing his vital energy did possess some almost invincible power. Coupled with the fact that this short sword was not ordinary, those sharp beams of sword energy were highly effective at cutting through ordinary rocks.
This method should work. That cave was formed by several giant rocks stacked haphazardly. As long as their supporting structures were destroyed, Chen Shi could be buried alive inside.
Each rock weighed tens of thousands of pounds. It was uncertain whether they could kill him, but crushing him on the spot should be no problem.
That guy was severely injured, struggling to move, even wincing in pain at the slightest movement of his fingers. If he were crushed by the rocks, wouldn’t he be at the mercy of others?