Chapter 158: Mount Tai Crushing an Egg
“Uhhh....” The Foundation Establishment Seazombie on the teleportation portal suddenly stopped talking.
In life, he had been a species that looked mostly human except for having six eyes. In addition to the eyes where humans normally had them, he also had an eye on each cheek, one on his forehead, and one on the back of his head. He was now about half-materialized on the teleportation portal, and the materialized parts included his head and eyes. His breath was already coming in ragged pants, and all of his five visible eyes that Xu Qing could see were filled with shock and disbelief. It was simply impossible for him to hide the heaven-shaking, earth-toppling incredulity he felt in his heart.
“Y-you... you have a life flame? And not just one!! Th-this... this....”
The Foundation Establishment Seazombie was so shocked he was physically shaking. The intense sensation of deadly crisis was so strong that even his soul was trembling. In fact, now he wanted the teleportation portal to be destroyed. Given how far along the teleportation was, there was no way for him to back out of it now.
Looking at the black-robed Seazombie scholar, he shouted, “Destroy the portal. Now!”
Of course, the incoming Seazombie wasn't the only one to be shocked. The Seazombie scholar who had just now been closing in on Xu Qing was also being ravaged by waves of astonishment. The fire within Xu Qing was just absolutely terrifying! There was an explosive, volcanic level of strength in him that caused the Seazombie scholar’s eyes to sting so badly he felt the urge to look away. And his heart was so rocked by shock that he thought he might pass out.
Given the circumstances, the Seazombie scholar didn’t dare to get any closer. The sensation of deadly crisis within him was telling him that he had only one option. And that was to ignore his instinctual drive to follow the orders of his superior, and take advantage of the distraction that superior was providing to make an escape.
He made the decision in the blink of an eye. Turning, he fled.
Meanwhile, Xu Qing slowly looked up.
The volcanic power within him caused burning fire to circle around him, boiling the surrounding seawater. And his eyes also seemed to contain piercing fire that made him look like the child of a god. His gaze seemed capable of piercing through all barriers and obstacles. Not even the fluctuations of the teleportation portal could influence it. And thus, Xu Qing looked directly at the six-eyed Seazombie cultivator.
From Xu Qing’s perspective everything was still moving very slowly. The Seazombie scholar was running away in slow motion, and the dust in the area seemed frozen in place. Everything looked like a painting.
The teleportation portal’s fluctuations were like ink slowly spreading out in the water. Only the six-eyed Seazombie cultivator seemed to be moving slightly faster than everything else. But he was still slow!
When Xu Qing looked at him, the six-eyed cultivator’s mind reeled, and his facial expression flickered dramatically. Inwardly, he howled in anguish. Two life flames. He has two! This is a Seven Blood Eyes Seventh Peak disciple with two life flames!! But why did he prevent me from teleporting in before?
Taking advantage of the part of him that had already materialized, he began attacking the teleportation portal, hoping to destroy it. However, that method wasn’t fast enough.
Xu Qing raised his right hand in the direction of the portal, then exerted a slight pressure.
Rumbling sounds echoed out as black balefire erupted from within him with volcanic might. Sweeping forth, it became a huge black hand that descended toward the Seazombie. The heat being released by his hand could devastate anything and everything. Cracks and crevices spread out on the ground, until it seemed like it might crumble into nothing.
The seagrass in the area crumbled into ash, and the water in the area boiled away, leaving an empty space that revealed the teleportation portal all by itself. The six-eyed cultivator on the portal was shrieking hysterically. As the sensation of deadly crisis grew more intense, he held nothing back in his efforts to fight back. Four additional arms sprouted out from his torso.
Clenching all six hands into fists, he activated his profound radiance state, going so far as to destroy some of his own dharma apertures to release all of his latent power. Instantly, he transformed into a mass of fire as he braced himself against Xu Qing’s hand of black flame. At the same time, he produced three magical devices and also spat out a blue piece of jade. His expression was one of madness and despair.
Sadly for him, none of that was enough! Someone with a single life flame simply couldn’t compare to a cultivator with a life lamp.
As the hand of black flame descended, everything was reduced to ashes. The six-eyed Seazombie’s first magical device collapsed. His second broke into pieces. And his third didn’t even last for half a breath of time before exploding.
Then the blue piece of jade shattered. As the cracking sounds echoed out, the Seazombie’s fleshly body failed to stand up to the force, and began to rip apart. Three of his six arms exploded into clouds of blood. Then his legs couldn’t take it, and they also exploded. His remaining three arms bent under the force, then also exploded into a haze of blue blood.
Xu Qing’s hand of black flame crushed through everything with ease, landing on the surface of the ground, and continuing onward! The teleportation portal was smashed into bits of ash.
A huge handprint appeared embedded in the ground. The six-eyed Seazombie had already been crushed out of existence, leaving behind nothing other than a dim ball of green fire that shot off in flight.
It moved so fast that someone without a life flame wouldn’t be able to track it. But to Xu Qing, it looked slow. He took one step forward.
As he did, the water in the area exploded, turning into rivulets that spun away in every direction. Xu Qing moved with such speed that, in the blink of an eye, he appeared right in front of the fleeing six-eyed Seazombie’s soul. Ignoring the heat of the cultivator's life flame, he reached inside and grabbed the soul like he was grabbing a baby chicken.
The Seazombie cultivator screamed in agony as black flames enveloped him. Xu Qing was directly refining his soul! The dead Seazombie had no way of understanding how this Seven Blood Eyes disciple could be so strong, yet earlier had prevented him from teleporting in. All in all, he had never encountered someone with a single life flame who was this strong. To him, Xu Qing didn’t seem like someone who had just created their life flame.
Three breaths of time passed, and then Xu Qing relaxed his hand. The Seazombie’s soul had been fully refined, and was now kindling within him.
Having accomplished these things, Xu Qing turned and looked at the Seazombie scholar who was still slowly fleeing. All of a sudden, Xu Qing was struck by the difference between someone with a life flame and someone without it.
The difference is beyond astounding.
Sighing, he took a step toward the fleeing Seazombie scholar.
Because Xu Qing was in the profound radiance state, the fleeing Seazombie couldn’t even track his movement. Then, the water around him boiled away explosively, and Xu Qing was standing in front of him.
As a look of terror spread across his face, Xu Qing reached out, summoned a dagger of black flame, and slashed it through the scholar's throat. His head flew off his torso, though the two remained linked by black fire. But as the fire burned them, the two parts separated. And then they both collapsed into ash. Xu Qing turned to look in the direction of the fleeing Third Peak disciple.
Because of how far away he was, there was no way he had any idea what had happened. After thinking about it for a moment, Xu Qing decided not to chase him.
The disciple could still unleash grues. And though his actions had been mostly out of self-preservation, he had still helped Xu Qing to a degree.
Xu Qing collected his battle trophies from the area, looked around to make sure there were no clues left behind as to what had played out, then vanished.
As Xu Qing sped through the underwater world while in the profound radiance state, he felt a sensation that was difficult to describe. It was a feeling of all-encompassing safety that stemmed from his immense strength. He moved with such speed that ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators wouldn’t be able to see him. The resistance of the water did slow him down, but only by a bit. When he looked inward, the volcanic explosiveness within him was shocking to say the least.
I wonder how I would compare to the Captain. Within him, he could sense the life flame burning in his life lamp, and the power of the profound radiance state. All strength is the result of transformation!
As he sped along, he waved his hand, sending out a sea of black flame that descended onto a Seazombie teleportation portal and wiped it out of existence. Then he clenched his hand into a fist and punched, hewing out a massive crater.
Next he performed an incantation gesture. Seawater roiled around him, changing into a tornado-like vortex that smashed into the crater with deadly force. Any ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator who faced that attack would be destroyed in body and soul.
My magical techniques and fleshly body have all improved!
Finally, he came to a stop in a remote part of the underwater world. As the seawater boiled around him, he looked down at his shadow, and also waved his hand to summon the black iron skewer.
His shadow trembled, and Patriarch Golden Vajra Warrior in the skewer was also shaking. After Xu Qing entered his profound radiance state, both of them had remained silent. Even they were terrified by Xu Qing in that state, and how easily he could destroy anything.
“Assessment time is coming,” Xu Qing said calmly.