218: Chapter 218 Hard Battle
"What a nuisance..."
Su Qingqian's delicate brows furrowed tightly, a hint of annoyance flashing in her eyes.
She had originally intended to take the opportunity to recruit Xu Qing, but the current situation had already spiraled out of control.
If Zhao Ming were truly crippled or killed by that bull, her schemes would completely come to naught.
A god-sent opportunity like the Great Gan Prince entering the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains alone would not appear a second time.
Therefore... Zhao Ming must live!
"Since you refuse to do things the easy way, then I'll beat you into submission first before discussing anything else!"
A trace of ruthlessness flashed in Su Qingqian's eyes.
Her interest in Xu Qing was genuine, but in the face of the White Lotus Sect's grand plan, everything had to give way.
"White Lotus Rebirth, All Dharmas are Void!"
Her hands formed the Lotus Seal, and an anomaly immediately occurred.
On the ground, the bodies of the deceased and even some living White Lotus Sect members suddenly shuddered.
Immediately following that.
Streams of Vital Blood surged from their seven orifices, converging into a bloody light that rushed toward the towering Dharma Idol in the sky.
Su Qingqian's methods were eerie; the Vital Blood was not blocked by the Formation and was entirely funneled into the Dharma Idol.
Buzz... Buzz... Amidst the strange humming, the shattered Magical Artifact in the Dharma Idol's hands condensed into form once again.
An eerie blood light enveloped the hundred-zhang-tall body.
The three faces of the Dharma Idol simultaneously shed tears of blood, and a strange, cold, yet grand sound of chanting echoed.
The scriptures sounded like a demonic curse, rolling toward Xu Qing's Sea of Consciousness.
In an instant.
Su Qingqian and the other two reached a silent understanding and began to attack Xu Qing together.
A halberd split the heavens, Sword Qi tore through the void, and demonic sounds pierced the ears.
Any one of these methods was extremely perilous.
Their combined efforts could already easily obliterate a Fourth Grade expert.
Not to mention a Cultivator who had only recently stepped into the Fourth Grade.
However.
At the center of the storm, Xu Qing showed no sign of panic on his face.
On the contrary.
Within his golden vertical pupils, a hint of excitement actually began to emerge.
It was the playfulness of a hunter seeing his prey fight back, and even more so, the fanaticism of a powerhouse longing to verify his own strength.
"Bring it on!" Xu Qing laughed heartily.
Since his Breakthrough to the Fourth Grade, his baptism in the Bloodline River, and the refining of countless Incense Offerings.
He still didn't know the exact extent of his combat power.
These three opponents before him weren't bad; they were the perfect touchstone!
Xu Qing let out a long cry as the demon core within his body vibrated, and surges of extremely pure dharmic power gushed out.
"Break!"
Xu Qing clenched his fist. Without using a weapon, he directly used the power of his Physical Body to punch the massive halberd cleaving toward him.
Seventy-Two Earthly Fiend Arts — Great Strength!
This punch held no technique, only pure, ultimate power and a demon body tempered a thousand times over, comparable to divine iron.
Boom!!!
Fist and halberd collided.
The sound produced was no longer the clashing of metal, but a dull explosion so heavy it made one want to vomit blood.
The halberd, carrying the power to split mountains, instantly came to a halt under Xu Qing's unadorned punch, unable to advance even a fraction.
Chai Jun felt as if he had struck a piece of immortal gold, and a massive counter-shock force surged back.
His body shook violently, the webbing of his thumb and forefinger split open, and wisps of golden blood flowed out.
"How is this possible! How can his Physical Body be so strong!"
Chai Jun was horrified. It was true that a demon cultivator's Physical Body was powerful, but this was simply beyond reason.
Moreover, he had burned his godhead, causing his strength to skyrocket several times over, yet he couldn't even budge the opponent in a direct confrontation?
It was truly a bit exaggerated.
Xu Qing checked the halberd with one punch, while simultaneously turning slightly, his golden eyes instantly locking onto Song Qingwu, who had transformed into a white line.
"Sword Cultivator..."
He reached out with his other hand, and a green longsword suddenly appeared in his palm.
green frost sword.
Xu Qing had never studied sword techniques, but that didn't mean he didn't know how to use a sword.
One of the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiend Arts, the Sword Mastery Divine Ability, was enough to make him a master of the Way of the Sword.
With a three-foot sword in hand, all sword techniques are naturally understood.
The longsword hummed, and the temperature between heaven and earth plummeted as if the dead of winter had arrived.
A sharp Sword Intent suddenly appeared in Xu Qing's eyes as he thrust the sword out.
A white line similar to Song Qingwu's appeared.
Clang!
Sword Qi entangled, producing a crisp ringing sound.
"How is this possible!" Song Qingwu's face filled with horror, his expression changing drastically.
The sword technique used by the demon cultivator before him was actually sixty to seventy percent similar to his own.
The sword moves were so similar that no winner could be determined as the sword lights crossed.
Xu Qing said nothing, holding off Chai Jun's halberd with one hand while clashing with Song Qingwu with the other.
As for the demonic curse and Sanskrit sounds emitted by the White Lotus Dharma Idol.
Had it been before, it might have caused some trouble.
But now Xu Qing possessed the Supreme Origin Stream Elixir Scripture, which contained many wondrous methods for guarding the stability of the Primordial Spirit.
A wisp of heart fire lit up deep within his spiritual sea. The flames burned fiercely, carrying the sounds of the prayers of all living beings, instantly dissolving the demonic sound without affecting Xu Qing in the slightest.
"Hmm?"
A hint of surprise appeared in Su Qingqian's eyes, as she saw no reaction from Xu Qing.
"It's useless? Does he have some treasure protecting his Divine Soul?"
She murmured to herself, and then the hundred-zhang Dharma Idol swung its arms. Treasure Artifacts roared, and lights of various colors blasted toward Xu Qing.
Amidst the deafening roars, a fierce battle erupted.
Even with the Formation isolating the aftershocks, the sound waves from the intense battle still kicked up gales in the Taihang Mountains, causing the mountains and forests to sway and stones to fly. A visible sandstorm swept outwards in all directions.
Chai Jun's roars, the humming of the longsword, and the booming of the Dharma Idol's Treasure Artifacts intertwined.
The blinding lights of various colors merged, making it seem as if another sun had appeared above the Taihang Mountains.
"This Prodigy... why is the sword technique he uses so similar to the secret legacy of my Mountain Sect?"
As the sword lights crossed, the confusion in Song Qingwu's heart grew deeper.
There were several branches within the Lishan Sword Sect, each practicing different ways of the sword.
The sword manual he practiced was an undisclosed secret left behind by a Sword Immortal ancestor of the Lishan Sword Sect, consisting of Thirteen Styles.
Legend had it that upon reaching the pinnacle of cultivation, one could slay immortals and gods with a single strike.
This was a sword technique with an extremely high threshold, placing great demands on the cultivator's talent.
Song Qingwu had cultivated bitterly for many years and had only mastered seven of the styles. He had only grasped the true intent of six; although he could use the seventh sword, he could not yet fully control it, and the Sword Intent within it would damage him.
But now... as they competed in sword techniques, the swordplay used by the demon cultivator before him actually had a few hints of the Lishan Sword Manual's Concept.
What on earth was going on?
It was one thing for a demon cultivator from the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains to be able to exchange blows with him in sword techniques.
The key point was, why did his sword moves have the flavor of the Lishan Sword Sect?
Song Qingwu couldn't find an answer, but he knew he couldn't let this drag on any longer.
The situation in the mountain forest below was perilous. The old man protecting Zhao Ming was already dying and certainly wouldn't be able to hold out much longer against those two demon cultivators.
Various thoughts surfaced in Song Qingwu's mind as he suppressed his shock and doubt.
"To defeat him, I must pay a price."
"General Chai, we cannot delay any longer."