Chapter 157: Xu Qing’s Profound Radiance State!
Upon hearing the words spoken by the profound radiance state Seazombie cultivator, the Seazombie scholar looked thoughtful. As for the Third Peak disciple, he backed away in shock.
Xu Qing frowned but didn’t say anything in response. Using the soul of the Seazombie he’d just killed, he started battering at his 29th dharma aperture. At the same time, he ignored the scholar and dashed toward the other Seazombie that had been injured by the iron skewer, and was now scrambling in the opposite direction. Along the way, he looked at the Third Peak disciple and spoke for the first time, saying, “If you don’t want to die, keep that black-robed one busy.”
Xu Qing knew that it would be a waste of time to either try to destroy the teleportation portal or deal with the Seazombie scholar. If he tried to destroy the portal, the other Seazombies would interfere. And killing the scholar would just take extra time. He was strong, and he was also very smart, and Xu Qing didn’t feel like dealing with such an opponent right now. Instead, he wanted to reach the profound radiance state and deal with him after.
Therefore, the optimal choice was to have the Third Peak disciple buy time with the scholar, while Xu Qing tried to kill the second of the weaker Seazombies. If he could devour his soul and use it to open his 30th dharma aperture, then he could form his life flame.
Xu Qing had plenty of experience fighting. From when he was small in the slums to right now, it was impossible to say how many fights he had been in, and how many people he had killed. But he had long since honed his senses and his judgment.
Thus, he bore down on his target at top speed. This particular Seazombie had been a nonhuman in life. He had a long nose like a trunk, similar to the cultivator Xu Qing had dealt with on Sealizard Island. [1]
Xu Qing closed in, not hesitating at all to attack. Rumbling booms echoed out everywhere.
Meanwhile, the Seazombie scholar was trying to decide what was going on. He couldn’t figure out what Xu Qing was planning, although he guessed that it had something to do with the profound radiance state. That would explain why, instead of fleeing, he tried to kill the other Seazombie on the battlefield.
Despite not knowing the details, he did know that if this person reached the profound radiance state, he still wouldn’t be a match for the person coming through the teleportation portal, the exalted Yun Chen.
After all, profound radiance states differed from each other based on the number of dharma apertures they drew on.
However, there wasn’t time to analyze the situation deeply. Whatever was happening, he had to stop the enemy from succeeding. Therefore, he prepared to charge toward Xu Qing. People who could cultivate their way to Foundation Establishment were generally not idiots. And this Seazombie scholar was no fool.
Neither was the Third Peak disciple. He had just been a bit slow to react earlier. He didn’t quite understand what Xu Qing was planning, but he did know that despite his own Third Peak advantages, he wasn’t quite strong enough to block the path of an opponent as strong as this Seazombie scholar. And if he couldn’t block him, then it made sense to flee.
But if a Seazombie capable of entering the profound radiance state entered through the teleportation portal, then even if he managed to get out of the area of interference and send a voice message asking for help, it wouldn’t do any good. He knew how terrifying the profound radiance state was. It didn’t matter where he fled to, he would almost certainly die. The best course of action seemed to be going all out in a different way.
As soon as he made this decision, his eyes shone with determination. If he wanted the best shot at staying alive, there was only one option.
Gritting his teeth, he went into a double-handed incantation gesture, then viciously hit his forehead to unleash a Third Peak secret magic.
When he did that, the figure on his forehead turned around to reveal the face of a woman. She had a pale face with blood oozing out of her eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. She was a grue, and she looked ghastly, almost like she was ready to climb out of his forehead. She grew larger and larger until, finally, she did separate from him, floating out into the open. Then, the spectral grue shot forward, not in the direction of the Seazombie scholar, but instead, toward the glittering teleportation portal!
That was the Third Peak disciple’s plan. If the portal was destroyed, it would resolve the crisis. And the only thing preventing him from destroying it was the Seazombie scholar. Therefore, doing this would also align with the request from the Seventh Peak cultivator.
It would ensure that, if the Seventh Peak disciple was plotting against him, it wouldn’t work. It would also ensure that the Seazombie scholar didn’t have time to attack him, since he would be defending the portal. And that meant the disciple would have a better chance of escaping this situation with his life.
If the portal opened, then the Seventh Peak disciple would be the initial target, giving further opportunities for escape.
I gotta risk it!
The Third Peak disciple gritted his teeth, and without looking back at all, ignited his dharma apertures and fled at top speed.
Situations could change in an instant on the battlefield, and when dealing with opponents at roughly the same cultivation level, victory was often decided by who could think most quickly. When the Seazombie scholar saw the Third Peak disciple send a grue toward the teleportation portal, then flee, he had a bad feeling about what was happening.
From his perspective, the most important thing was making sure the exalted Yun Chen arrived. Therefore, he couldn’t bother fighting Xu Qing, nor could he waste time chasing the Third Peak disciple. He headed straight toward the teleportation portal. As he neared, he went all out to prevent the grue from reaching it. Booms echoed out.
Xu Qing wasn’t surprised at all by the Third Peak cultivator’s decision.
Xu Qing was currently doing everything possible to kill his Seazombie opponent. The Seazombie struggled mightily, and used his summoned statue skillfully, but it did no good.
The black iron skewer whistled through the air, stabbing into the statue and absorbing it madly. With other people present, Patriarch Golden Vajra Warrior didn’t show himself. But he didn’t hesitate at all to absorb the statue. That said, he also knew he needed to show some restraint, as he didn’t want to harm the Fiendish Xu’s chances of making some spirit stones. Therefore, after absorbing seventy percent of the statue, he stifled his greed.
The shadow acted similarly. Taking advantage of the fact that no one could see him, the shadow lunged toward the Seazombie cultivator and wrapped around his leg.
The Seazombie screamed shrilly as his leg collapsed into ashes, and terror filled his eyes. He wanted to flee, but couldn’t. And then Xu Qing’s dagger plunged toward his throat. In that moment of deadly crisis, the Seazombie cultivator proved how vicious he was. A look of madness filled his eyes as he detonated half of the dharma apertures within him. Booms echoed out as the shocking power of half of his dharma apertures erupted, breaking him free from the grip of Xu Qing’s shadow. Dodging the iron skewer and avoiding Xu Qing’s dagger, he turned to flee.
The Third Peak disciple was nowhere to be seen. Furthermore, the grue he had left behind was starting to fade away thanks to the distance between them. And then, under the powerful attack of the Seazombie scholar, it vanished.
Having handled the grue, the Seazombie scholar turned to look at Xu Qing. However, just as he was about to charge forth, he saw that his fleeing companion suddenly shivered violently and coughed up a huge mouthful of black blood. Seazombie blood was blue. But he coughed up black blood. It wasn’t poison that Xu Qing had thrown out. Instead, Patriarch Golden Vajra Warrior had requested that Xu Qing coat the iron skewer with poison. And when he stabbed the Seazombie through the forehead, he released that poison.
It just took a bit of time to kick in. Therefore, when the Seazombie detonated half of his dharma apertures, he became so weak that the poison took effect. As the poison flared up, numerous daggers of black flames shot toward the Seazombie at high speed and stabbed into him. There were six in total. One hit his neck, one hit his heart, one hit his forehead, and the other three hit limbs. Cracking sounds rang out as the Seazombie was thrown to the ground from the impact. Then the iron skewer shot toward him. The skewer stabbed him numerous times, and then the shadow wrapped around his other leg.
Agonized shrieks rang out as black fire spread all over him. Meanwhile, Xu Qing ignored the incoming Seazombie scholar. Stepping toward the wounded Seazombie, he reached down and clamped his hand over the thing’s mouth. The screaming stopped. Meanwhile, balefire shot into the Seazombie. After taking its soul, Xu Qing turned it into kindling to batter his 30th dharma aperture.
A massive rumbling filled him!
He shook as his 30th dharma aperture opened. Then, all 30 of his dharma apertures linked together as one. Dharma force streamed out of them, turning into threads of fire that converged in his dantian region. Wrapping around themselves, they became a small ball of fire. It grew denser and brighter, and then a whooshing sound could be heard, which signified that this Foundation Establishment cultivator had formed his first life flame!
Shocking fluctuations rolled out in all directions as the life flame ignited. Bright flames shone on his thirty dharma apertures, making them almost transparent, and faintly illuminating his heavenly palaces.
At the same time, a mighty aura shot out from within him. As Xu Qing looked around, the world seemed different. Everything moved more slowly, even the water, the crumbling ruins around him, and the Seazombie scholar. The scholar was still charging forward, but seemed like he was moving in slow motion.
In fact, everything was moving so slowly it felt uncomfortable to Xu Qing at first. He even noticed individual dust particles within the water. And when he focused on the dust particles, he felt like he could zoom his view closer to them at will. As he noticed all of these things, the life flame inside him burned, and he felt a terrifying power within him.
His magical techniques were all improved now, and his fleshly body seemed on a higher level. It was as if his soul was now clad in armor. Everything seemed different from before. Xu Qing had known all along that having a life flame was completely different from not having one. But now that he was personally experiencing that difference, he realized that he had underestimated it. They were two completely different realms. Now, his 30 dharma apertures were like thirty ovens, all of them burning rapidly through their fuel. As they burned to create his life flame, brilliant light shone in all directions, making it seem like there was a huge furnace within him!
Within the iron skewer, Patriarch Golden Vajra Warrior trembled in envy and hope. The shadow also trembled, as though Xu Qing’s brilliance made it uncomfortable
But Xu Qing’s upgrade wasn’t over yet. As everything around him slowed, and as the teleportation portal in the distance became fully activated, Xu Qing moved his life flame to align with the wick of the black life lamp.
The surrounding seawater exploded wildly as a terrifying aura swept out. As the life lamp ignited, it released power vastly more terrifying than the life flame, sweeping through his meridians, flesh, and blood. Everywhere it passed, Xu Qing felt like his life force was advancing. He trembled as massive rumbling sounds echoed out within him.
Now, what was inside him wasn’t a furnace, it was an erupting volcano!! This was a power that could crush anything in its path!
As that power was raging through Xu Qing, the teleportation portal finished opening fully.
Within it appeared a Seazombie Foundation Establishment cultivator in the profound radiance state. He was not fully materialized, but by now, there was no way to stop the teleportation.
Grinning cruelly, he said, “You failed to stop me this time, human brat. Are you ready to die?”
1. The “trunked cultivator” was introduced in chapter 86 and killed in chapter 92. ☜