Chapter 460: Stress
Xu Qing reacted the moment he heard the cultivator in the straw hat speaking. Moving so fluidly it seemed like he had already planned to do so, he crushed the entropic teleportation talisman he had been holding in his hand for the past six days.
No teleportation fluctuations rolled out. Apparently, all of the surrounding heaven and earth was sealed, making teleportations impossible!
Xu Qing didn’t buy cheap entropic teleportation talismans. Normally speaking, they would be able to break through any sealing magics. Unfortunately... this cultivator in the straw hat had spared no expense purchasing intelligence reports with the specific purpose of negating even the best entropic teleportation talismans.
Xu Qing didn’t get flustered because the teleportation failed. Without a moment of hesitation, he fell back.
At the same time, all eight of his heavenly palaces flared to life. Three umbrellas appeared overhead. A seven-colored chanting wind surrounded him, protecting his fleshly body. A pitch-black canopy protected his soul. And a blood-red wing from hell boosted his speed.
Because of all that, he rocketed backward at incredible speed. At the same time, a violet moon appeared in his pupils, taboo poison spread out around him, and the Ghost Emperor mountain appeared, pulsing with incredible might. His heavenly dao bluegreen dragon appeared in the dome of heaven, swirling in flight as it howled. That howl caused the power of a heavenly dao to spread out and combat the sealing effect in the area.
Xu Qing reacted very quickly. From the moment he detected an enemy until now, only enough time had passed for a spark to fly off a piece of flint. He was moving quickly backward and up, hoping to take advantage of the bluegreen dragon’s help to get free of the sealed area.
The cultivator in the straw hat snorted coldly, then shot up into the sky and performed an incantation gesture with his right hand.
When he shoved his hand down, countless symbols streamed down, locking down the dome of heaven and making it impossible for Xu Qing to flee.
Xu Qing’s expression turned grim as he switched directions, hoping to be able to force a teleportation through the lockdown.
The cultivator in the straw hat threw out a handful of sand, which strengthened the sealing effect and blocked the teleportation.
However, things weren’t over yet. The cultivator in the straw hat had been preparing a long time for this moment. Killing intent rising, he took further steps to make sure nothing unexpected happened. Biting the tip of his tongue, he spat out a drop of golden blood. The blood rose into the air and turned into a shimmering barrier that spread out through the sky. Rumbling sounds filled the dome of heaven, and any loosening effect on the sealing done by the bluegreen dragon was reversed.
Having done that, the cultivator turned to face Xu Qing.
“Long time no see, Xu Qing,” he said in a raspy voice. “As of now, you can’t get away. And for the time being, no one is going to bother us.”
He removed his straw hat, revealing the weathered face of a middle-aged man. His most noteworthy feature was his eyes, which were a faint golden color, including pupil, iris, and sclera. Those two golden eyes made him seem somehow holy. What was more, he actually pulsed with fluctuations of godliness!
He was none other than Master Shengyun’s father, Chu Tianqun!
And he was using the final experimental god body that the Crown Prince of Violet and Cyan had left behind in Emperor-Receiving Prefecture! [1]
Back when Xu Qing left the Eight Sect Coalition, Chu Tianqun had stood at his beloved son’s cenotaph and sworn to offer Xu Qing as a sacrifice there. [2]
However, because Xu Qing had mostly stayed in the county capital, Chu Tianqun had never had a chance to make a move against him. The Swordsage Palace posed too much of a risk.
As a result, he had waited outside of the borders of the county capital. On the occasion when Xu Qing and Kong Xianglong left, he had planned to make his move. However, for some unknown reason he ended up running into the terrifying bird Qingqin, an encounter that left him seriously injured. [3]
Though he escaped that situation with his life, he still hadn’t fully recovered. That setback didn’t reduce his resolve. He had spared no expense to keep track of Xu Qing’s whereabouts. Recently, upon coming to realize that Xu Qing had left the county capital again, he had tapped into all of his godliness, as well as his god magics, coupled with Xu Qing’s name, plus some of his blood and hair, to divine Xu Qing’s position. Unless Xu Qing permanently used a method to conceal his aura, those divination methods would eventually reveal his location.
Chu Tianqun stared at Xu Qing with deep malice and loathing. His killing intent couldn’t be matched. Although Chu Tianqun partly blamed himself for Master Shengyun’s miserable fate, the biggest other factor was Xu Qing. And of even greater significance was the fact that Xu Qing had been the one to kill his son. The desire for revenge burned in his heart day and night, and thus, as he looked at Xu Qing, he laughed maliciously.
The idea of avenging his son’s death, and of brutally slaughtering the damnable Xu Qing, made him very pleased.
Xu Qing’s expression flickered as he looked at Chu Tianqun. He obviously recognized him, and what was more, noticed the golden light and the aura of godliness that surrounded him.
Xu Qing had not forgotten Master Shengyun’s experimental god body, and the immense power it had. Therefore, he didn’t hesitate to continue to fall back, all the while performing a double-handed incantation gesture and tapping into all of his heavenly palaces.
When Chu Tianqun saw Xu Qing fleeing, he laughed. “You’re a measly Gold Core cultivator! You think you can flee my godly sealing?”
As the words left his mouth, Chu Tianqun thrust his hands out and tapped into his cultivation base. Instantly, early Nascent Soul stage fluctuations rolled out in all directions. Rumbling sounds echoed out, causing the sandy ground to vibrate. Then he shot toward Xu Qing like an eagle, moving at incredible speed.
Xu Qing grimaced. That said, when he sensed Chu Tianqun’s cultivation, especially as it compared to the Unit C jailers, he was surprised.
Early Nascent Soul?
It seemed suspicious, causing his guard to go up further. It seemed to him that it must be some sort of trick. There was no way Chu Tianqun was only in the early Nascent Soul stage.
Master Shengyun’s experimental god body had only been partially complete, yet had unleashed astonishing power. Chu Tianqun was Master Shengyun’s father, so logically speaking, he should be a lot stronger. From what Xu Qing remembered, he had been at the peak of Nascent Soul.
A crazy look appeared in Xu Qing’s eyes.
My heavenly dao bluegreen dragon can break the sealing eventually, it just needs time. I might not be a match for him... but I can go for broke!
At this point, he knew he had no other chance than to put everything on the line. He needed to buy time. Therefore, as Chu Tianqun closed in, Xu Qing’s energy and blood surged. His eight heavenly palaces erupted, and with his golden crow, he was able to unleash nine-palace battle prowess. In fact, it was very close to the ten-palace level.
Chu Tianqun arrived, and the two of them slammed into each other. A huge boom echoed out, shaking the surroundings. Xu Qing staggered backward several paces, but so did Chu Tianqun, who looked completely incredulous.
He’s still faking it! Feeling more vigilant than ever, Xu Qing unveiled one of his trump cards. The poison from his third heavenly palace swept forth, filling the area and even causing the dome of heaven to ripple and distort. In addition to the taboo poison power, the area also surged with Xu Qing’s personal mutagen, which created an even more deadly effect.
Chu Tianqun met the attack head on, and instantly started rotting thanks to the poison and mutagen. His expression flickered, and he quickly performed a double-handed incantation gesture. His eyes glittered with golden light, and godly fluctuations rolled out of him to fight back.
Even now, he’s still faking it! Xu Qing was convinced that Chu Tianqun must have some astonishing techniques, and was probably just toying with him. Eyes glittering coldly, he gritted his teeth and continued unleashing trump cards. The wave of his hand caused the golden crow to appear, dozens of tails fanning out to send fire sweeping everywhere. The golden crow attacked with abandon, letting loose a sharp cry as it rushed madly toward Chu Tianqun.
That wasn’t it. The black iron skewer flew out, controlled by Patriarch Golden Vajra Warrior, whose eyes glittered with devotion. He could sense the madness within Xu Qing, and was determined to put everything on the line. Unleashing all of the red tribulation lightning he could, he shot toward Chu Tianqun.
The shadow was also going all out. It stretched out from Xu Qing’s feet, filling a 1,500-meter area, merging with the poison to create a huge shadowy domain. Countless eyes opened up within the darkness, and they glowed red as they stared at Chu Tianqun.
“Die! Die! Die!!”
Innumerable voices howled the same thing from within the shadowy domain, becoming like a curse that enveloped Chu Tianqun.
All of these things were like a wild tempest that swept over Chu Tianqun.
Chu Tianqun’s face fell and he quickly performed an incantation gesture to unleash some divine abilities to defend himself. However, the poison was too strong, and Xu Qing just had too many other assets. Chu Tianqun was backing up!
There’s no way. He’s so strong, yet he’s falling back? Maybe he’s about to unleash some trump card!
Staying completely on guard, Xu Qing gritted his teeth and lifted his hand, putting it over his shoulder and behind his back. It was as if he were reaching back to grab the hilt of an invisible sword. Then he chopped that invisible sword down right toward the bedraggled Chu Tianqun.
That slashing movement caused bright light to fill the sky. A dazzling beam of sword light erupted from Xu Qing’s hand, heading right toward Chu Tianqun with the power to destroy anything in its path.
From a distance, that sword light looked like a spectacular sword that emanated an imperial energy. It was domineering and tyrannical, like an emperor descended from above to slaughter all evil things in heaven and earth.
It was The Emperor’s Sword!
Things weren’t over yet. Before The Emperor’s Sword could even fall, Xu Qing’s violet moon heavenly palace trembled, causing violet moons to appear in his pupils. They became a beam of violet light that locked onto the fleeing Chu Tianqun’s face. It created the image of a moon!
Xu Qing was ready for his opponent to unleash a trump card, and thus blue veins bulged out on his forehead. His hands both pointed out, and as the violet moon power reached Chu Tianqun’s face, The Emperor’s Sword unleashed its power.
Chu Tianqun shrieked as his body started to collapse.
Xu Qing’s pupils constricted as he fused with his shadow to tap into peak fleshly body power.
With a terrifying fleshly body equivalent to ten palaces, he became like a lightning bolt that shot toward Chu Tianqun. A dagger appeared in his hand. All while waiting for a trump card to be released, he blurred past Chu Tianqun.
Along the way, his dagger slashed through Chu Tianqun’s throat and came out the back of his neck. Chu Tianqun’s head flew into the air, and his body, which couldn’t sustain the force of everything else, exploded.
Gasping for breath, Xu Qing spun in place and looked back. His jaw nearly dropped.
“He’s dead?”
1. There were originally four experimental god bodies. We found out in chapter 327 that there was a fifth test subject. ☜
2. The scene with Chu Tianqun at Master Shengyun’s cenotaph was in chapter 387. ☜
3. Qingqin was introduced in chapter 391. ☜