178: Chapter 178 Overwhelming Battle Spirit

This was not Spiritual Qi perception, nor was it Divine Sense detection, but rather a Divine Soul warning born from his half-year of bitter cultivation, with a Divine Soul far surpassing that of Cultivators at the same Realm!

Having spent years in seclusion refining his Lifebound Flying Sword and honing the Five Elements Sword Art, Li Qing's Divine Soul had long since been tempered to be incomparably condensed and powerful, far exceeding that of an ordinary Foundation Establishment Early Stage Cultivator by several times over.

In the instant the life-and-death crisis descended, his powerful Divine Soul instinctively triggered a warning, and an extreme sense of fatal danger instantly enveloped Li Qing's entire body!

Danger! Extreme danger!

There was supreme killing intent behind him!

In this split second, there was simply no time to think or look back; he relied entirely on his body's instincts and the alertness of his Divine Soul!

Li Qing's mind stirred, and the thick Five Elements Spiritual Qi within his Dantian instantly gushed out. The five Spiritual Qi of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth merged and gathered, instantly weaving together to form a shape on the surface of his body!

Hum!

A layer of colorful Five Elements Spiritual Light shield instantly enveloped his entire body!

The Spiritual Light flowed and intertwined, layer upon layer, incredibly sturdy; it was precisely the Five Elements Secret Technique—Five Elements Shield!

Just as the Five Elements Shield took shape!

Boom!!

The Spiritual Qi claw shadow, carrying the full power of Second Elder Du Jiang's Late Foundation Establishment Stage, slammed violently into the Five Elements Shield!

A violent collision sound exploded in the center of the clearing, and a berserk Spiritual Qi shockwave instantly blasted out in all directions. The surrounding weeds were blown flat, dust flew into the air, and gravel scattered everywhere!

The colorful Five Elements Shield trembled violently, its surface Spiritual Light flickering frantically. Pressed inward by the immense force, it stubbornly withstood this fatal blow!

The stalemate lasted only an instant before the violent Earth-attribute claw force was stripped away and neutralized layer by layer by the balanced defensive power of the Five Elements!

Bang!

The Earth-attribute claw shadow collapsed with a bang, and the Spiritual Qi filling the sky shattered and dissipated!

A full-force sneak attack had been forcibly blocked!

The strike had missed!

Second Elder Du Jiang froze in place, his pupils suddenly contracting, his face filled with unbelievable shock!

As a dignified Late Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator, how could his full-force sneak attack, prepared for half a year, actually be blocked head-on by a mere Foundation Establishment Early Stage junior?!

How was this possible!

At this moment, Li Qing had already fully regained his composure.

His figure instantly turned and steadied itself. His eyes were as sharp as swords as he stared fixedly at the old man in black not far ahead. His muscles were tense, his Spiritual Qi circulated throughout his body once more, and his defensive stance was fully engaged.

Just at the moment he turned to face him, an overwhelming and majestic sense of oppression slammed fiercely onto him!

This pressure was incomparably heavy and dense, like a thousand-pound boulder pressing down on his head, making it hard for one to even breathe.

It was more than a level stronger than the Deputy Hall Master Du Qian he had fought before!

Although Deputy Hall Master Du Qian was also at the Late Foundation Establishment Stage, it was clear he had only just achieved his Breakthrough and his Realm had not yet fully stabilized, making his Spiritual Qi appear shallow and his foundation insufficient.

But the old man before him had an aura as deep as the sea, and the Spiritual Qi around him was condensed and pure. Even though his strike had just missed, his presence remained as steady as Mount Tai, and every inch of his aura exuded the domineering and formidable nature of a veteran Late Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator!

This was definitely a top expert of the Du Family!

Li Qing's heartstrings tightened instantly, and his expression became extremely grave, but there was not a shred of fear in his eyes, only intense coldness and vigilance.

He stared fixedly at the gloomy-faced Second Elder Du Jiang opposite him, speaking slowly in a cold and steady voice:

"Hiding your head and showing your tail, launching sneak attacks and plotting against others, who are you?"

Having his lethal sneak attack blocked head-on by a junior, Second Elder Du Jiang's face turned completely cold. The previous wild joy faded away entirely, replaced by bone-chilling coldness and intense killing intent.

He sized up Li Qing, looking at the stable Spiritual Qi and condensed Divine Soul aura around the other party, his eyes full of shock and suspicion.

Half a year later, this Loose Cultivator kid, who was originally chased by the Du Family until he fled in panic and could only hide to survive, had actually grown to this extent?

However, the more this was the case, the more intense the greed in his heart became.

To be able to block a Late Foundation Establishment Stage sneak attack while being at a lower Realm, to possess a Heaven-Defying spatial Magic Treasure, and to have such top-tier Cultivation Technique and secret techniques!

The immortal opportunities on this kid were simply terrifyingly rich!

Today, no matter what, he must kill him and seize all the immortal opportunities!

Second Elder Du Jiang slowly straightened his body. The remaining Spiritual Qi around him flowed slowly, his aura completely unfurled. He stared down at Li Qing, his voice hoarse and cold, carrying bone-deep hatred:

"This old man is Second Elder Du Jiang, the father of Du Hu!"

In just eight words, the atmosphere on the scene instantly dropped to freezing point!

Second Elder Du Jiang!

A cold light suddenly erupted in Li Qing's eyes!

So it was the father of that trash Du Hu!

No wonder his strength was so formidable, no wonder he had been lurking here waiting for him; it turned out it was to avenge his son!

In an instant, the cause and effect became completely clear.

He hadn't expected that while the Du Family had sent out all their experts to hunt him down and everyone else had withdrawn, only this father of Du Hu had remained here, guarding for half a year, just to wait for him to appear!

Having figured everything out, the last shred of hesitation in Li Qing's heart completely dissipated.

Since he was from the Du Family, there was nothing left to say!

The grudge had long since become a death feud, deep as the sea; there was absolutely no room for reconciliation!

Previously, he had spent half a year in seclusion, day and night refining his Five Elements Lifebound Flying Sword and honing the Five Elements Sword Art, polishing his strength to the Peak of the Foundation Establishment Early Stage, but he had never had the opportunity to test his moves in actual combat.

The Second Elder Du Jiang before him, at the Late Foundation Establishment Stage with formidable strength, was the perfect opponent to test his blade!

It was the perfect chance to test just how powerful his Lifebound Treasure and Five Elements Sword Art, which he had bitterly cultivated for half a year, truly were!

Even if the opponent was at the Late Foundation Establishment Stage, so what?

After half a year of seclusion, he was no longer the same as before!

His Divine Sense spread out, but he did not detect the aura of a second Cultivator. It seemed Second Elder Du Jiang was very confident in his own strength.

He had guarded here for half a year, discovered him, and instead of calling for reinforcements immediately, he had come to launch a sneak attack.

This meant that this person named Second Elder Du Jiang did not want others to know that Li Qing was here.

One person—that made things easy!

A cold arc curled onto the corners of Li Qing's mouth. The Five Elements Spiritual Qi around his body began to surge and flow frantically. The five Spiritual Lights of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth flickered alternately, and his aura climbed steadily.

His originally slightly steady aura instantly became sharp and exposed, fierce and soaring!

Opposite him, Second Elder Du Jiang saw that Li Qing not only showed no fear but instead had soaring Battle Intent. He immediately laughed out of extreme rage, and the killing intent in his eyes became even more ferocious:

"What a junior who doesn't know the immensity of heaven and earth! You barely managed to block one of my strikes by luck, and you dare to be this arrogant?"

"Half a year ago, you killed my Du Family clansmen, making my Du Family lose all face!"

"I have guarded here for half a year, waiting day and night, just to wait for you to come out!"

"Today, not only will I take your life and seize the supreme treasures on you! I will also extract your Divine Soul, shatter your cultivation, and make you taste all the suffering in this world to pay tribute to the pain my son endured!"

As Second Elder Du Jiang's voice fell, the Earth-attribute Spiritual Qi around him became completely berserk!

The earth trembled slightly, and the surrounding gravel rose into the air, gathering around his body. A Late Foundation Establishment Stage might that crushed everything completely enveloped the entire mountain forest!

Violent winds howled, leaves danced wildly, and the killing intent in the mountain forest was biting. Sword Qi and Earth-attribute Spiritual power were faintly pitted against each other!

Li Qing's gaze was cold, locking onto Second Elder Du Jiang, and his heart was filled with soaring Battle Intent!