Chapter 230: Crushing Sima Ling
The House of Grue Hunters was one of the lead organizations in the Seven Sect Coalition. Given that Sima Ling had been selected by his sect to represent them here, it was obvious he wasn’t someone to be taken lightly. After all, he was responsible for maintaining face for the House of Grue Hunters. To a great sect, face was an extremely important thing, as it directly related to both their current ranking and their prospects for future growth. The weak generally didn’t qualify to survive in a brutal world.
Thus, it made sense that the House of Grue Hunters’ number one chosen in Foundation Establishment, Sima Ling, was outstanding in battle prowess, cultivation base, and fighting experience. With the help of the sect, he was abundantly prepared in all respects.
His voice was icy cold, and his words were still echoing out as his fingers neared Xu Qing’s face to pluck his eyes out. However, what was waiting for him was Xu Qing’s cold gaze, as well as a fire raging from inside.
Xu Qing’s battle prowess, cultivation base, and fighting experience all came from his experience as a venomous bug in a jar. He had risen through slaughter. That was a stark contrast to Sima Ling. If Sima Ling lost a fight in the coalition, he wouldn’t die. But every single fight Xu Qing had experienced had been a life-or-death struggle. Had he failed a single time, he would be dead.
Therefore, his experience was carved in his bones and engraved in his heart!
In the blink of an eye, Xu Qing entered the profound radiance state. All of his 82 dharma apertures lit up at once, like eighty-two massive furnaces. As the intense heat spread out, the golden crow materialized behind him, its heat also filling him, pushing his battle prowess to the level of four life flames. With his imperial-class technique bolstering his fleshly body, his battle prowess reached a barbaric level. Compared to the last time he fought someone in the four-flame level, the Seazombie dao child Vastworld, he now had nearly 20 additional dharma apertures. His dharma force was even more robust, and his life flames more astonishing. Clenching his right hand into a fist, he unleashed a devastating blow.
His fist landed directly on Sima Ling’s right hand. A massive boom rang out, causing the water in the harbor to seethe, and crushing the soil on the shore. A massive wave rolled out as Sima Ling’s face fell, and he staggered backward with disbelief in his eyes.
He hadn’t even considered the possibility that Xu Qing would be able to power up so quickly. This was a level of strength that, as far as he was concerned, wasn’t common at all. Yet he wasn’t able to pick up on any clues about how it was possible. All he could sense was Xu Qing’s life flames. Everything else... was a blur.
“You—”
Before Sima Ling could say anything else, Xu Qing stepped toward him, eyes flashing coldly. Within his right hand appeared a dagger of balefire which he slashed viciously toward Sima Ling’s throat.
Sima Ling’s eyes glittered with killing intent as he performed a double-handed incantation gesture and pushed down on his chest. As Xu Qing’s dagger neared, Sima Ling opened his mouth and let loose a roar.
The roar contained a gruish power that caused a projected image to appear around Sima Ling. It was a partially decomposed grue wearing a tattered black robe, pulsing with a frigid aura as it lunged toward Xu Qing.
In almost exactly the same instant, the shadow beneath Xu Qing’s feet twitched. Transforming into the shape of a tree that no one else could see, it opened its mouth and inhaled sharply. The grue projection instantly collapsed! Then, a black lightning bolt shot toward Sima Ling from off to the side.
Frowning, Sima Ling flew backward and simultaneously threw a blue scale out toward the skewer to block its path. When the two items clashed, the scale erupted with countless gray threads that wrapped around the skewer. However, it couldn’t stop the skewer from exploding with numerous lightning bolts that continued onward to Sima Ling.
Sima Ling was about to dodge out of the way when Xu Qing closed in, his right fist viciously rocketing forward surrounded by an intense sea of flames. A boom rang out as Sima Ling was once again shoved backward. Eyes gleaming viciously, he was about to launch a counter attack when the image of a golden crow looked at him and inhaled deeply.
“This technique...” blurted Sima Ling, his eyes widening with shock. He performed another incantation gesture, causing a host of long hairs to erupt from his chest, which rapidly surrounded him like a defensive shield. In the blink of an eye, intense rumbling sounds filled the air as Sima Ling, surrounded by the shield of hairs, was slammed by Xu Qing down onto the ground.
With the initiative in his hands, Xu Qing didn’t hesitate to unleash another blow.
However, before his fist could land, the hair surrounding Sima Ling snapped out into the shape of countless arrows that shot toward Xu Qing. Thumping sounds could be heard as the arrows pierced Xu Qing. However, he didn’t so much as frown. His expression was the same as ever as he reached up, grabbed the hairs, and yanked them violently.
Sima Ling’s face filled with shock as he realized he couldn’t fall back. Instead, he was dragged toward Xu Qing. Expression turning vicious, he howled as the image of a green-skinned, long-fanged grue emerged from within him and lunged toward Xu Qing.
Ignoring the grue, Xu Qing tilted his head back slightly, then, without uttering a single word, head-butted Sima Ling in the face. This was how Xu Qing fought. His style was to lead with ruthlessness, and it was something that even the crazy Captain was apprehensive of.
A boom rang out as blood splashed all over Sima Ling’s face. Meanwhile, the green-skinned, long-fanged grue was shoved back inside of him, and the countless hairs collapsed. Sima Ling staggered backward. Inside, he was surprised, but outside, all he revealed was killing intent and a vicious smile.
“I underestimated you. Good thing I was just warming up.”
Sima Ling shoved his hand to his forehead, causing rumbling sounds to fill him as all of the grues in the hells in his eyes vanished. Then, his entire body structure changed as the face of grue after grue appeared on his skin. The huge number of grues sealed inside of him were now bulging out of his skin, and as their auras spread out, it made it seem like he was an entire world engulfed in flames. The air around him rippled and distorted from the heat, and the nearby seawater evaporated.
Cracks and crevices spread out on the ground. The sheer might created a tempest that swept everywhere, causing both Night Dove operatives and Violent Crimes Division constables to cough up blood as they staggered away in astonishment.
Before, Sima Ling had taken a step forward and released some intimidating pressure. But this time he wasn’t holding back, and as such, those who were hit by the pressure felt their souls burning. They were grievously injured! Everyone was flabbergasted!
As for the directors from the First and Third Peaks, they were two-flame cultivators, and they knew exactly what was happening. In fact, they could sense that their life flames were teetering on the verge of being extinguished. Although both knew all along that they weren’t on the same level as Sima Ling, they were still very surprised.
Only Xu Qing’s facial expression was the same as ever as he looked coldly at the explosive Sima Ling.
“I hate those eyes of yours!” Sima Ling shrieked like an evil ghost.
Then, just as he was about to charge forward in attack, his expression flickered, and a tremor passed through him. All of a sudden, his skin was turning black, and intense pain swept through him. It was being caused by the black beetles! Innumerable black beetles had been released by Xu Qing during his attacks, and they had just been waiting for the right opportunity to burrow into Sima Ling. They had found that chance when Xu Qing unleashed his barrage moments ago. As soon as they were inside, they started voraciously devouring Sima Ling’s organs, while at the same time releasing massive amounts of mutagen and highly toxic poison.
This poison had caused the Seastar chieftain to react with surprise, and Sima Ling wasn’t even close to that level. As he reacted with shock, so did the faces of the grues. They screamed sharply, and almost seemed on the verge of being born again as they tried to break free from his fleshly body.
Sima Ling was nearly driven mad by that. He knew exactly what was happening. The massive amounts of mutagen suddenly introduced into his body were weakening the seals on the grues, and causing him to lose control. Furthermore, the poison being released caused his vision to swim, and was rapidly weakening him. Shrieking, he coughed up a mouthful of blood. And at long last, terror appeared in his eyes as he backed away and prepared to flee.
Xu Qing didn’t hesitate to take a step forward and raise his right hand. His energy erupted, and a sea of flames spread out from behind him, rushing toward Sima Ling with crushing might.
“Help!!” shrieked Sima Ling in terror.
Meanwhile, the surrounding Night Dove operatives and Violent Crimes constables were all staring at Xu Qing in abject astonishment. They all knew that Xu Qing was strong, and had guessed that he had a reason for confidence in issuing an order for Sima Ling to be arrested. But none of them could have guessed that he would be able to crush a four-flame chosen with such apparent ease. After all, in recent days, many chosen from the Seven Sect Coalition had challenged the highnesses from various mountain peaks. And the result was that the Seven Blood Eyes disciples felt like they couldn’t hold their heads up high. They had to admit that the Seven Sect Coalition disciples were outright terrifying.
But today... things were changing.
Just as Sima Ling cried for help, and right as Xu Qing was making his next move, a cold harrumph echoed out from nearby, accompanied by waves of mighty pressure.
“What outrageous gall you have!” It was Sima Ling’s dao protector, who had been waiting on a nearby rooftop this entire time. Glaring coldly at Xu Qing, he took a step forward. “You good-for-nothing idiot. Be suppressed!”
Xu Qing turned to look at him. He had sensed this man earlier, and had assumed he would step in. Lifting his hand and pointing to the sky, he spoke for the first time during the entire encounter.
“The Violent Crimes Division, operating under orders from Master Sixth to arrest all Night Dove operatives in the city, has caught the culprit red-handed. According to Section 9 of Seven Blood Eyes law, and Section 3 of Violent Crimes Division regulations, any person who interferes with an officer of the law or assists a criminal shall be crushed. I hereby request the sect’s spell formation to uphold the law and crush this interloper!”
The visitors from the Seven Sect Coalition qualified to supersede the spell formation. However... they didn’t qualify to violate the laws of Seven Blood Eyes! When they simply passed through the spell formation upon arriving, that was the spell formation acknowledging them as friends and allies. But not even friends and allies could interfere with the carrying out of justice. In Seven Blood Eyes, sect law was the foundation of everything!
This dao protector was different from a chosen disciple. He had a higher cultivation base, but his status was actually lower. He was not in any echelon, and didn’t have a lot of authority. Using the Seven Blood Eyes Formation to deal with chosen might not work, but Xu Qing was confident it could handle a dao protector.
What was more, the Violent Crimes Division’s actions against Night Dove were approved by Master Sixth, and there was no way this dao protector’s authority could surpass a peaklord.
And thus... an emotionless voice rang out through the night.
“The judgment shall be executed!”