Chapter 181: Incisive
On the lead warship, Third Princess’ wide eyes stung with pain. However, despite the tears that welled up in them, she refused to look away from what was happening. She seemed stunned, as if she were looking at the most beautiful thing in the entire world.
Next to her, the white-robed Seazombie was staring at Xu Qing, a feeling of deep foreboding welling up within him. Dangit... the brat’s even stronger! The golden crow...? Don’t tell me he got that freaking imperial-class technique that’s been floating around the Forbidden Sea?
With such thoughts on his mind, he edged over to Third Princess, lowered his voice, and said, “Princess, this fellow cultivates a very nefarious technique. I read about it in an ancient record I read once. It’s called the Yin-Naming Life-Maiming Incantation. It’s very, very formidable. Once he finds out the name of his enemy, he can use that technique to take their life in an instant. Therefore, you absolutely, positively must not say my name. Just call me Big Bro, okay?”
Meanwhile, screams rang out from the ship Xu Qing was on. As the golden crow circled around him, it swished its tail, and the black sea of flames rumbled out, becoming chains of fire that whipped toward the surrounding Seazombie cultivators like fiery snakes. Wrapping around them, the fire lifted them into the air.
Given the cultivation base disparity at play, the Seazombie cultivators were powerless to fight back. From a distance, it looked almost like the golden crow was fanning its tail!
Meanwhile, the Seazombies let loose bloodcurdling screams, and withered rapidly as their energy and blood was sucked out of their eyes, ears, noses, and mouths.
Xu Qing’s expression remained the same as ever as he took a single step forward, sending terrifying fleshly body power along with the might of his life lamp into the warship. Instantly, the ship exploded.
Xu Qing remained hovering in the air, his violet daoist robe rippling in the wind and his long black hair whipping around him, the golden crow circling behind him amidst black flames. The desiccated corpses attached to the fiery chains on its tail made the image even more ghastly. Given Xu Qing’s bewitching facial features, anyone who looked at him in that moment would think they were looking at a demon or devil.
Third Princess’ eyes shone even more brightly than before; she had never seen anyone like this before.
Of course, Xu Qing wasn’t paying any attention at all to Third Princess considering she was only in the great circle of Qi Condensation. Instead, his eyes were locked on the white-robed Seazombie standing next to her.
The white-robed Seazombie was currently contending with the bluegreen dragon, while simultaneously keeping his eyes on Xu Qing.
Xu Qing looked at him silently.
He looked back at Xu Qing, seemingly a bit sheepish.
During that awkward moment, cackling laughter suddenly echoed out, breaking the tension. All eyes turned in the direction of that laughter.
It came from the second warship, and as Xu Qing looked over, he saw lightning shoot out from the ship and into the air. It was the black iron skewer. It was covered with crackling electricity, which would occasionally stab out into the surrounding air in shocking fashion. The lightning symbols on the skewer glittered, each of them thrumming with a dao resonance that made the skewer seem incomparably beautiful, like a precious treasure! In fact, anyone who looked at it would think it was the kind of object you would never want to part with once you laid your hands on it.
There was a bell attached to the iron skewer, which had obviously been blessed by the lightning. A host of souls were attached to that bell, all of them from Seazombies, and they howled in anguish and pain as they struggled in vain to free themselves.
Patriarch Golden Vajra Warrior was obviously being very considerate. Knowing that Xu Qing needed souls, he had taken advantage of his lightning spirit body to slaughter as many enemies as possible, take their souls with the Living Spirit Bell, and then seal them with lightning. His consideration was on full display, as was the majestic power he was capable of unleashing.
As for that cackling laughter, it was obviously not from the patriarch. Instead, it came from a figure who walked out of the ship’s cabin right after the patriarch flew out into the open. It was a Seazombie with a burning life flame. He looked like a middle-aged human cultivator, very thin, with prominent necrotic patches on him. He wore a tattered daoist robe, and he had a very arrogant expression on his face as he walked out cackling.
Anyone who looked at him would feel like they were actually looking at a grue. That was because he took his steps in a very odd way, as if he had only just learned to walk. It was somewhere between a stagger and a stumble. What was even more unusual was that despite his arrogant expression, his eyes were filled with absolute terror. All of these things combined into a very odd image.
Lurching out onto the deck, he suddenly stood straight. Glancing contemptuously at the white-robed Seazombie and Third Princess, as well as the other Seazombies on the lead ship, he then turned to Xu Qing. Looking very somber, he dropped down to one knee and offered a formal salute.
Then he reached up with both of his hands and viciously broke his own neck with a loud pop.
The other Seazombies all stared at him in absolute astonishment.
And yet, things weren’t over yet. With vicious strength, the Seazombie ripped his own head off his shoulders and tossed it to the deck, still cackling with laughter. Then he plunged his hand into his own abdomen toward his life flame... which he extinguished! More popping sounds rang out as he then detonated all of his dharma apertures, causing the rest of his body to collapse and fall to the deck. It was a very gruesome spectacle that caused the other Seazombies to gasp with horror.
Meanwhile, Xu Qing frowned slightly. He could tell that his shadow had consumed the shadow of the Seazombie cultivator, and then possessed the body. However, doing that ended up wasting a perfectly good soul. Xu Qing didn’t say anything about that though. Instead, he turned and headed toward the first warship. As he neared, the Seazombies trembled, and eventually started jumping overboard.
However, the golden crow behind Xu Qing sent out flaming chains that wrapped around them. Screams rang out into the night.
Xu Qing ignored them as he stepped onto the deck of the warship. The first thing he did was lift his right hand and point at the young Seazombie woman, who despite the pain that caused her eyes to well with tears, was looking at him with morbid admiration.
Instantly, lightning crackled as the black iron skewer shot with incredible speed toward the young woman. Just when it was about to pierce through her forehead, the white-robed Seazombie sighed, reached out, and flicked the skewer. A thrumming sound could be heard as the iron skewer was sent spinning off to the side. A moment later, it returned, unharmed, but its baleful aura thrumming and more electricity crackling around it.
The white-robed Seazombie looked closely at the iron skewer, then at Xu Qing’s feet, and at the golden crow. He felt a big headache coming on.
Finally he looked at Xu Qing and sighed again. “Hello, Fellow Daoist. This young woman is very important to me....”
Xu Qing looked at the white-robed Seazombie. At first glance he had come to the conclusion that the Captain was using this obviously important young Seazombie woman in one of his crazy plans. Attacking her had been little more than a test, and as expected, the Captain interfered.
Therefore, Xu Qing wasn’t surprised at all by his words. Furthermore, the fact that he addressed Xu Qing as ‘Fellow Daoist’ seemed to reinforce the fact that he didn’t want his true identity revealed. Everything confirmed Xu Qing’s theory, and therefore he didn’t hesitate to name his price.
“100,000 spirit stones!”
The Captain’s eyes went wide in a glare, and he was about to say something when Third Princess suddenly started laughing.
“Big Bro, this sweet little thing is very cute. I think I want him to be my dao protector too!”
As the words left her mouth, she lifted her right hand, upon which was a bracelet. The bracelet shimmered, then cracking sounds emanated from it as it broke up into numerous sections that flew out, then wriggled back together to take the shape of a desiccated corpse. It was wrapped in red bandages, and emanated a powerful baleful aura. When it opened its eyes, they glowed red, and it took a step toward Xu Qing.
The moment its foot landed, rumbling sounds echoed out as two life flames flickered to life within it. Then red flames spread out to cover its entire body as it rushed toward Xu Qing. Before it could get close, the iron skewer’s lightning symbols flashed brightly, and it shot with shocking speed toward the desiccated corpse.
Xu Qing’s shadow also spread out surreptitiously, reaching the corpse’s feet, where all of its eyes opened. As the more than hundred eyes locked onto the desiccated corpse, it froze in place. Suddenly, spots of decay appeared all over the corpse, while at the same time, massive amounts of mutagen flowed out of it. At the same time, the iron skewer stabbed through its throat, then circled around and stabbed it through the back.
Meanwhile, Xu Qing strode forward with incredible speed, his fleshly body power surging as he slapped his palm on the corpse’s forehead. Winds screamed around his palm, making it seem unstoppable.
The corpse howled, its body flashing red light as it fought back against Xu Qing’s attack. But Xu Qing didn’t pause for a moment to bend his arm and smash his elbow into the corpse’s jaw. A loud crack rang out. The desiccated corpse was able to take the first attack, but not the second. Its head exploded, revealing that though it had flesh and blood, it had no spirit power in it. It was just a puppet!
In fact, the shattered head also revealed countless slimy strings that twitched and wriggled as if to begin the process of repairing the puppet.
Eyes narrowing, Xu Qing lunged forward and smashed his knee into the corpse, sending it staggering backward, its abdomen crushed. And yet, it was still repairing itself.
Snorting coldly, Xu Qing tapped into Golden Crow Assimilates Myriad Spirits. Behind him, the golden crow let loose a cry as it swept toward the puppet. As black flames swept about everywhere, the puppet was enveloped. Even as it repaired itself, the golden crow absorbed it.
Then the crow reached out with its three claws, grabbed the devastated corpse puppet, and ripped it to pieces. As the crow stood upon the ravaged corpse, a glob of blue blood so dark it was almost black flew up and into the crow’s mouth. The corpse puppet had been absorbed, and now crumbled into ash.
The crow then flew back to Xu Qing, trailing a cloak of flames that flapped in the wind. It stopped at Xu Qing’s right side, where it stared back at the young woman and the white-robed Seazombie with cold eyes.
It was an absolutely stunning and beautiful scene.
“Awesome!” Third Princess exclaimed excitedly. “Thanks, sweetie, for helping me get rid of the bracelet my damned father gave me. I’ve tried so many ways, even provoking all sorts of enemies, but none of them could kill that thing.
“Big Bro Xu Qing, I knew all along you aren’t really a Seazombie. You don’t really want to become my dao protector, do you? You bad boy! And you even said that you, Xu Qing, would be struck by five bolts of heavenly lightning if you went back on your promise to be my dao protector.... You were also lying when you said that you, Xu Qing, would be my consort, weren’t you?
“But that’s fine. You’re actually from Seven Blood Eyes, aren’t you Big Bro Xu Qing? I guess that means you and this little sweetie here already know each other. And you probably want me to sneak you into Seazombie territory. Are you after precious treasures? Or do you want to destroy some top-secret area? I don’t care what it is, I can help you. I know a lot of things. But there’s only one requirement. You have to take me with you!”
Third Princess still looked very excited, but then she noticed the strange expression on the face of the white-robed zombie. “What’s wrong, Big Bro Xu Qing?”
Meanwhile, Xu Qing looked at the Captain, his face expressionless, and his life lamp burning hotter and hotter.