118: Chapter 118 Battle with Shi Jian

After walking for more than half an hour, the summit of the towering, cloud-piercing ice mountain finally appeared ahead.

The peak was wrapped in thick clouds and mist, appearing and disappearing from view. At the very top stood an ancient, weathered palace. The glazed tiles on the roof were covered with a thin layer of ice. Under the reflection of the icy light, they emitted a cold, biting radiance. The entire palace exuded an indescribable solemnity, with a hint of mystery.

On the wide Ice Platform below the peak, it was already packed with people. Disciples of the Houtu Sect were clustered together below the palace. People from major Sects like the Golden Light Sect and the Blazing Flame Sect also occupied their own corners, and many bold Loose Cultivators were squeezed into the edges. Everyone craned their heads, staring fixedly at the ancient palace, their eyes filled with anticipation and nervousness. Everyone was waiting for the moment the palace opened, so they could rush in to snatch the treasures first.

Just then, Li Qing stepped onto the Ice Platform.

The Ice Platform, which had been somewhat noisy, instantly fell silent. Everyone's gaze fell directly on Li Qing, and even their breathing quieted down.

Those present had long heard of Li Qing's reputation: a lone Loose Cultivator at Qi Refining Perfection who had first killed seven elite Disciples of the Houtu Sect, then crossed realms to slay a second-order Ice Armor Beast. Anyone who dared to surround and kill him was killed in return; he was undoubtedly a ruthless man.

But they hadn't expected Li Qing to reach the core of the peak so quickly, and he was still carrying an unspent Killing Intent, looking like someone not to be trifled with.

In the crowd, the eyes of several Disciples from the Blood Corpse Valley changed instantly. They stared fixedly at the Iron Corpse behind Li Qing, whispering to each other in private, their faces full of confusion.

"Did you feel that? The aura of this Iron Corpse is exactly the same as the corpse puppets refined from our valley's "Blood Corpse Sutra"!"

"That's right, it's definitely the path of the Blood Corpse Sutra. But this kid looks like a lone Loose Cultivator; how could he know our Blood Corpse Valley's corpse-control techniques?"

"Quiet, watch first. This person has heavy Killing Intent and strong strength. Don't provoke him easily; let's see what happens."

As for the Houtu Sect Disciples, the moment they saw Li Qing, they were so scared that they took several steps back in unison, clutching their earth-type Magical Artifacts tightly, their palms covered in cold sweat.

Previously, they had sent wave after wave of people to hunt down Li Qing, only for them all to become ghosts under Li Qing's sword, without even one returning to report back. Now that they saw Li Qing in person, they were already scared out of their wits. They looked at each other, and not one dared to be the first to rush up.

Shi Jian, who was sitting in the center at the entrance of the palace, slowly opened his eyes.

He was the leader of the Houtu Sect in the Xuanbing Secret Realm, a true Qi Refining Perfection Cultivator, only one step away from Foundation Establishment. Among the Disciples of Ten Great Sects, he was also a figure of note.

His gaze fell on Li Qing, without the slightest surprise, only with thick coldness. The anger in his heart flared up.

He had long expected Li Qing to come. Being able to kill seven of his fellow Sect members in a row, trampling the face of the Houtu Sect underfoot, and still being able to run rampant in the Secret Realm meant he definitely wasn't the type of shrinking turtle who would hide. He would certainly come to the peak to snatch the Opportunity.

"Li Qing, you really have guts. You killed so many of my Houtu Sect Disciples, and you still dare to come to the peak yourself."

Shi Jian stood up, his heavy earth-type spiritual power spreading out. His voice was buzzing, carrying a sense of oppression that spread across the entire Ice Platform. The anger in his tone could not be hidden.

Li Qing glanced at him, a disdainful sneer curling the corner of his mouth. He walked slowly forward, without any fear:

"Senior Brother Shi, wasn't it your order to search the entire Secret Realm for me, saying that whoever killed me could receive a foundation establishment pill? Now that I've delivered myself to your doorstep, what's wrong? Are you afraid to make a move?"

These words directly poked at Shi Jian's sore spot. He was so angry that his face darkened. He snorted coldly and waved his hand violently.

The ten elite Disciples of the Houtu Sect who had been waiting in formation behind him instantly stood out in unison. Each of them circulated their spiritual power, and yellow earth-type spiritual light appeared around them. Their eyes were vigilant and fierce as they stared at Li Qing, ready to attack at any moment.

"Catch you? What I want today is your life. My Houtu Sect Disciples must not die in vain!"

Shi Jian said in a deep voice, sounding righteous, as if he were avenging his fellow Disciples.

But Li Qing's heart was as clear as a mirror; he saw through Shi Jian's petty thoughts at a glance.

Revenge was just an excuse. To put it bluntly, he was jealous of the spoils Li Qing had harvested along the way: the mysterious ice flower, the corpse of the second-order Ice Armor Beast, and the Spirit Stones and Magical Artifacts snatched from the Houtu Sect Disciples. Every single item was a good treasure. Shi Jian just wanted to use the pretext of revenge to snatch all these benefits.

Li Qing couldn't be bothered to argue with him. He just held the flowing cloud sword, watching him quietly, waiting for him to make the first move.

At this moment, the leader of the Golden Light Sect nearby, Jin Rui, immediately stood out to fan the flames, his tone full of mockery:

"Shi Jian, stop dithering. This Li Qing killed so many of your Houtu Sect people and slapped your faces in public. If you don't even dare to touch him, from now on, among Ten Great Sects, your Houtu Sect can only keep your heads down. Don't even think about looking up again!"

Disciples from other Sects also chimed in, each crossing their arms to watch the show, not afraid of the chaos.

They had long wanted to see just how strong this suddenly appearing lone Loose Cultivator was, and they also wanted to see if the Houtu Sect could regain their standing. The atmosphere of the entire scene was instantly pushed to the peak.

Provoked by Jin Rui, Shi Jian's face turned livid. With so many Sect Disciples watching, if he backed down, the Houtu Sect's reputation would truly be lost.

He stared fixedly at Li Qing, looked at the jeering Cultivators around, and made a harsh threat:

"Li Qing, there are two paths for you today. Either obediently hand over all the spoils and cripple your own cultivation, and I will leave you a whole corpse; or, don't blame me for being impolite and making you stay on this Ice Platform forever!"

Li Qing was amused to the point of laughter. He gripped the flowing cloud sword in his hand, his spiritual power instantly circulating, and his eyes became sharp:

"If you want my things, stop talking nonsense and come take them with your ability!"

The moment the words fell, Li Qing did not hesitate and launched the attack first!

The Flying Sword Flowing Cloud was like lightning released from a bowstring, instantly rushing towards Shi Jian, stabbing directly at Shi Jian's chest. The spiritual power fluctuation on the sword made the surrounding air tremble.

Shi Jian's eyes narrowed. He didn't expect Li Qing to attack as soon as he spoke, without any hesitation. He immediately raised the giant stone shield in his hand to block in front of him, while frantically circulating his earth-type spiritual power to reinforce the shield's defense.

"Clang!"

With a deafening boom, the Sword Qi slammed heavily onto the stone shield. A clear crack instantly appeared on the surface of the stone shield. Shi Jian only felt a great force coming from his arm, shaking him into retreating two steps in a row before he could stabilize his figure. He was secretly shocked in his heart:

This Li Qing is only at Qi Refining Perfection, how can his strength be so great!

"Attack together, kill him!"

At Shi Jian's order, the ten elite Disciples of the Houtu Sect behind him immediately swarmed up. One by one, they pinched incantations. Countless sharp earth spikes instantly emerged from the ground, along with heavy earth bullets and earth prisons that trapped the body. Various earth-type Cultivation Techniques covered the sky and earth, enveloping Li Qing. The yellow spiritual power instantly surrounded Li Qing.

Li Qing was not panicked at all. His eyes were steady, his fingertips quickly pinching incantations, and he let out a low shout:

"Earth Spirit Shield, rise!"

Instantly, a pale yellow earth-type spiritual shield appeared in front of him. Immediately after, he took out a High Grade defensive Talisman and crushed it directly. A thicker light shield protected him tightly.

The sky full of earth-type attacks slammed onto the light shield and the Earth Spirit Shield, making crackling sounds, but they never managed to break through the defense. They were all blocked by Li Qing.

"Iron Corpse, attack!"

Li Qing gave a low shout, and the Iron Corpse behind him moved instantly. Taking heavy steps, it rushed directly into the pile of Houtu Sect Disciples. Its iron claws danced with wind, and the strength was terrifying. One claw could slap away incoming Spells, and another claw grabbed out, directly cracking the spiritual shield of a Houtu Sect Disciple, beating the opponent into retreating again and again.

For a time, the area below the peak fell into chaos. The roaring sound of colliding Spells, the screams of Disciples, and the roars of the Iron Corpse were mixed together.