From Fanwu to Xinghai

Chapter 3 Blocking the Enemy at the Town Pass

Lin Chen rushed down the mountain like a gust of wind.

Thorns tore at his sleeves, and pebbles tripped him, but he paid no heed. The time mark between his brows flickered incessantly, and images flashed rapidly through his mind—he was calculating time, calculating distance, calculating every possible turning point.

too slow.

At his current speed, it would take him at least half an hour to get back to town. But the group of men in black would arrive in two hours at most.

We need to be faster!

Lin Chen gritted his teeth and forcibly channeled the pitiful amount of spiritual energy within his body into his legs.

This was a technique he unconsciously learned in the ruins—using the remaining temple energy in the mark between his eyebrows to temporarily enhance his physical functions.

The price was a sharp, intense pain between my eyebrows.

But he didn't stop.

Qingshi Town, town entrance.

The afternoon sun lazily shone on the bluestone road, and a few old people sat under the wall to bask in the sun, while occasionally a chicken or two pecked at insects by the roadside.

Everything looked so peaceful and serene.

No one knew that death was drawing ever closer.

As Lin Chen rushed into the town, he nearly bumped into a peddler carrying a load on a shoulder pole. Without even apologizing, he ran straight towards the town mayor's house.

"Mayor! Mayor!"

He ran and shouted, his voice echoing through the streets.

"Uncle Li! Something terrible has happened! A monster horde will attack our town tonight! Everyone must evacuate immediately!"

The elderly people sunbathing at the entrance of the town were startled by his words.

"Young Master Lin, what nonsense are you spouting?" An old man with white hair frowned. "A monster tide? Our Qing Shi Town hasn't had a monster outbreak in years. Are you possessed?"

"Exactly, exactly, stop talking nonsense." Another old man shook his head. "Who are you trying to scare?"

Lin Chen was sweating profusely with anxiety: "It's true! I saw it with my own eyes! Tonight at midnight, a huge horde of demonic beasts will surge in from the north and raze our town to the ground! There will also be a group of men in black, they will—"

That's enough.

A dignified voice interrupted Lin Chen.

Mayor Li Dehou walked out of the courtyard, followed by several town guards. He was a middle-aged man in his fifties with a goatee, and he looked quite dignified.

"Lin Chen," the town mayor said sternly, looking at him. "Your parents died early, and I watched you grow up. But what kind of behavior is this, acting so erratically?"

"Uncle Li, I'm really not lying!" Lin Chen said urgently, "Those men in black have already reached Black Wind Ridge, and they'll arrive in two hours at most—"

"Men in black?" The mayor's expression changed. "What men in black?"

Lin Chen was taken aback.

He suddenly realized that he had said too much.

Under the astonished gazes of the town mayor and the town guards, he realized how absurd his words had sounded—a young man at the third level of Body Tempering suddenly ran up and talked about a monster tide and men in black, demanding that the town be evacuated.

No one would believe that.

But he had to convince them.

Because it's true.

"Mayor, I can't explain too much." Lin Chen took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. "But please believe me, every word I say is true. Tonight at midnight, someone will take advantage of the chaos to attack our town. I don't know who they are, but I know that if we're not prepared, the whole town will be destroyed."

The mayor stared at him for a long time.

Just as the atmosphere was about to freeze, a clear voice came from behind the crowd.

"Brother Lin Chen!"

Lin Chen turned his head and saw Xiao Cui.

She wore a floral print dress, her hair in two black braids, and her round face was full of worry. As she ran over, her braids swayed back and forth like two cheerful little butterflies.

"What's wrong? What happened?" Xiao Cui ran up to him, looking at him with concern. "You look terrible, are you hurt?"

"Xiao Cui, I'm fine." Lin Chen looked at that familiar face, a warm feeling welling up inside him. "You have to believe me, tonight—"

"Okay, I believe you."

Xiao Cui's answer was surprisingly straightforward.

Lin Chen was stunned: "You...you believe me?"

"Of course I believe you," Xiao Cui said earnestly. "Brother Lin Chen never lies. If you say there will be danger, then there definitely will be danger."

She turned to the town mayor: "Uncle Li, why don't we make preparations first? Even if Brother Lin Chen is wrong, it's only a loss of time. But if what he said is true..."

The mayor remained silent.

Xiao Cui was a well-known clever girl in town, and her words made the town mayor have to take them seriously.

"Alright." The mayor finally nodded. "I'll have the town guards increase patrols tonight. You'll come along too. Report anything immediately. If you're lying..."

"Thank you, Uncle Li!" Lin Chen was so excited he almost jumped up. "I won't let you down!"

For the next few hours, Lin Chen barely stopped.

He instructed the town mayor to gather the able-bodied men in the town and set up makeshift sentry posts around the town.

He ordered Uncle Chen to lead men to reinforce the town's back gate—the weakest point in the entire defense.

He also instructed Xiao Cui to organize women and children to prepare for evacuation at any time.

No one asked him how he knew these things.

Because the people in the town are simple and kind, they choose to believe in this boy they have watched grow up.

At dusk.

Lin Chen stood at the entrance of the town, gazing at the northern horizon.

The sun is slowly setting, turning the horizon a blood red.

The time mark between his brows kept flashing as he replayed the premonitions in his mind over and over again.

The men in black will make their move after nightfall.

They would first use drugs like sedatives to knock out the town's guards, then release the tamed beast to create panic.

In the chaos, they would appear under the guise of "rescue" to gain the trust of the townspeople.

Then, when the townspeople are most relaxed, it bares its fangs.

That's a really vicious move.

But he won't let any of that happen.

child time.

The moon was obscured by dark clouds, plunging the entire town into darkness.

At the town's gate, two town guards were dozing off.

They were on their last shift of the day, having patrolled for six or seven hours straight, and were already exhausted.

Just then—

A wisp of smoke drifted silently from the darkness.

The two town guards smelled the smoke, their eyelids immediately became heavy, their bodies swayed a few times, and they collapsed to the ground.

A dark figure emerged from the shadows.

More than twenty men in black appeared at the town entrance like ghosts, the leader, a one-eyed giant, wearing a ferocious smile.

"Good, the intelligence is very accurate," he said in a low voice. "This town doesn't even have a decent guard; it's practically free prey."

"Boss, have you found the entrance to the ruins that kid mentioned?" a man in black asked.

The one-eyed giant shook his head: "We haven't had time to search yet. Let's take care of the important business first. Those villagers may be poor, but we can always squeeze some money out of them. We'll search them slowly after we kill them."

He waved.

A man in black led out a huge monster.

The monster was three zhang tall, entirely black, with blood-red eyes, and spewing a foul stench from its mouth. Its limbs were thick and powerful, and each step it took caused the ground to tremble slightly.

"Go on, my little darling." The one-eyed giant stroked the monster's neck. "I'll give you a good meal tonight."

The monster let out a low roar and turned to charge towards the town.

Just as the monster was about to rush into the town, a figure blocked its way.

It's Lin Chen.

He appeared at the town entrance at some unknown time, holding a worn-out longsword in his hand, the blade gleaming faintly in the moonlight.

The marks of time were flashing wildly between his brows.

Because he saw it.

Just a second before the monster charged toward the town entrance, he "saw" a scene—if he did not take any action, the monster would rush into the town, trample 37 people to death, bite 12 people to death, and destroy more than 40 houses.

So he has to stand here.

Even if they were facing a demon beast with the strength equivalent to the fifth level of Body Tempering.

Even if he was just a weakling at the third level of Body Tempering.

The monster clearly hadn't expected prey to come to it willingly. It stopped, its crimson eyes fixed on Lin Chen, a low growl emanating from its throat.

"Boy, who are you?" The one-eyed giant frowned. "A mere Body Tempering Level 3 nobody dares to block my way?"

Lin Chen did not answer.

His entire attention was focused on the monster in front of him.

The time imprint operates frantically, "seeing" every subtle movement of the monster in advance.

Its right claw will strike first.

Then comes the left paw.

Finally, there's its gaping maw.

There is a three-breath interval between each attack.

These three breaths are his chance.

The monster moved.

Just as Lin Chen had predicted, its first attack was a sweeping right claw.

The claw was bigger than a millstone, and it slammed towards Lin Chen's waist with a whistling sound.

An ordinary person would absolutely not be able to dodge this attack.

But Lin Chen is no ordinary person.

He "saw" the attack, so he leaped backward the instant before the monster swung its claw.

The beast's right claw swept past three inches in front of his nose, and the resulting shockwave made his hair fly wildly.

Before the monster could retract its right claw, Lin Chen had already closed in.

He wasn't fighting.

He was "dancing".

A dance that only he could see.

Because within the perspective of time imprints, the world slows down. He can see every move of the monsters in advance; he can accurately capture every flaw of the monsters.

He noticed a slightly lighter-colored patch on the scales below the monster's left rib—a weak point in its defense.

He saw the blind spot in the monster's eyes—attacking from the left would slow its reaction by half a beat.

He noticed that the monster's neck stiffened for a moment when it finished its attack—that was the perfect moment to strike.

The long sword drew an arc in the moonlight.

puff!

The blade tip precisely pierced the weak spot below the monster's left rib.

Although it only penetrated an inch deep, that inch was just enough to sever one of the monster's vital blood vessels.

The monster let out a painful roar.

Blood gushed from the wound, staining half of Lin Chen's body red.

But a monster is still a monster.

The intense pain ignited its ferocity; its body suddenly swelled up, and its eyes became even more bloodshot.

"Oh no! It's gone berserk!" The one-eyed man's expression changed drastically. "Retreat!"

The men in black quickly retreated.

The berserk beast had lost its mind; all it wanted now was to tear apart the human who had hurt it.

Cold sweat beaded on Lin Chen's forehead.

He felt the overwhelming aura of death approaching him.

The Time Imprint was still running wildly, but its power was ultimately limited. This overwhelming premonition was causing him a sharp, knife-like pain between his brows.

Unstoppable.

With his current strength, he simply cannot stop the berserk monster.

Just when he thought he was about to be torn to pieces—

boom!

A loud bang.

A figure descended from the sky and crashed heavily in front of the monster.

It was an old man, hunched over, yet exuding an astonishing aura. He held an iron hammer in his hand, which gleamed strangely in the moonlight.

It's Uncle Chen.

"Lin Chen, step back." Uncle Chen's voice was still hoarse, but it carried an unprecedented air of authority. "Leave this to me."

Lin Chen was stunned.

He saw Uncle Chen.

But what he saw was not the kind blacksmith.

Instead, it was a figure covered in blood, holding a blood-stained longsword, standing amidst the ruins. Behind him were countless admiring gazes.

That's not the past.

That is the future.

A future that will only emerge if Chen Bo gives it his all.

Uncle Chen moved.

His movements looked slow, as slow as flowing water, but every strike was incredibly precise.

The first hammer blow struck the monster's head, sending it staggering backward.

The second hammer blow struck the monster's forelimb, and the sound of bones breaking was clearly audible.

The third hammer blow—

boom!

The monster's enormous body was blasted away by a single blow, crashing into an earthen wall at the town's entrance and creating a deep crater.

It struggled a few times, trying to get up, but its limbs could no longer support its body.

The one-eyed man's expression changed completely.

"This...this is the strength of the peak of Body Tempering! No, he...he's hiding his cultivation! He's at least...at the Spiritual Cultivation Realm!"

The men in black were deathly pale.

The Spiritual Cultivation Realm!

That was a realm they could never reach!

In this era where martial arts reign supreme, a spiritual cultivator is powerful enough to establish their own sect and build a powerful force. How could such a person appear in a remote border town?

"Retreat! Retreat now!" the one-eyed giant roared.

The men in black turned and ran.

But they hadn't run more than a few steps when they were blocked by figures.

Throughout the town, groups of middle-aged men had appeared out of nowhere. They exuded a calm demeanor, sharp eyes, and a battle-hardened aura.

"People from the Dark Blade Pavilion?" The one-eyed giant's face turned ashen. "Chen Tieshan, you really are still alive."

Uncle Chen, no, Chen Tieshan, slowly turned around.

The moonlight shone on his aged face, making his cloudy eyes appear sharp as knives.

"How many times have I told you?" His voice was icy. "Anyone who dares to touch Qing Shi Town will die."

The one-eyed giant wanted to say something, but the shadow of an iron hammer had already loomed over his head.

boom!

The world is quiet.

The battle ended quickly.

More than twenty men in black were all killed; not one escaped.

The monster was finished off after Chen Bo delivered a final blow.

Lin Chen was standing at the entrance of the town, gazing at the land stained red with blood.

"Is this... the difference in strength?"

He murmured softly.

If it weren't for Uncle Chen, he would have died just now.

If Uncle Chen hadn't intervened in time, the entire town would have been slaughtered.

Although his precognitive abilities were powerful, they were still insignificant in the face of absolute power.

"You did a great job."

Uncle Chen's voice came from behind him.

Lin Chen turned around and saw that familiar figure.

But he knew that the person in front of him was no longer the old man who only knew how to forge iron.

"Who are you?" Lin Chen asked.

After a moment of silence, Uncle Chen slowly spoke: "A deserter. A deserter who has been on the run for twenty years."

"Why are you hiding here?"

"Because I'm waiting." Uncle Chen's gaze fell on the golden mark between Lin Chen's eyebrows, "waiting for someone who can lead civilization to new heights."

A slight smile played on his lips: "Now, I've waited for this moment."

That night, Qing Shi Town was not destroyed.

But from that night on, everything changed.

Lin Chen received formal guidance from Uncle Chen and embarked on the true path of cultivation.

Unbeknownst to him, in the distant capital, news of a "time river fluctuation appearing in a remote border town" was quietly spreading...