Chapter 259: The Third Sword!
Upon seeing Great Demon Luo’s movement, Li Qingqiu immediately made his move. The Soul-Seizing Flying Sword above his head shot out violently, killing its way to Great Demon Luo in an instant.
Boom—
Great Demon Luo erupted with terrifying ghostly energy and forcibly blocked Li Qingqiu’s Soul-Seizing Flying Sword.
He bit down on the infant’s arm in his hand, his gaze fixed on Li Qingqiu, his eyes filled with greed and madness.
“Li Qingqiu, to force this seat to such a step, even in the Azure Dragon Domain, you would surely be a world-renowned peerless genius. Unfortunately, since you refuse to leave this seat a way out, then you cannot blame this seat!”
Great Demon Luo’s voice rang out. He did not loosen his bite, merely staring at Li Qingqiu.
Li Qingqiu could clearly sense Great Demon Luo’s aura rising rapidly.
His brows furrowed. He immediately poured in more Vital Energy. Heavenly Thunder burst forth from the Soul-Seizing Flying Sword, bombarding the entire Daoist temple.
Under the night sky, the lightning on this barren mountain was dazzling beyond compare.
No matter how the Heavenly Thunder struck, Great Demon Luo did not budge. His flesh was scorched by the thunder, melting away to reveal white bones, yet he still clenched the infant tightly in his jaws, refusing to let go.
Li Qingqiu noticed that his ghostly energy was gradually turning blood-red, surging ever higher.
Boom—
A terrifying force suddenly erupted from the Vertical Eye on Great Demon Luo’s forehead. Blood-red ghostly energy burst forth like a river breaking its dam, unstoppable, directly blasting Li Qingqiu away.
Rolling blood-red ghostly energy erupted from the barren mountain, stretching for miles in a magnificent spectacle.
Li Qingqiu landed upon the wasteland, his feet carving through the snow, raising two trails of snow mist. He steadied himself and shook the Tianhong Sword in his hand, dispersing the blood-red ghostly energy clinging to its blade.
“Master, this fellow is far too powerful. I fear he won’t be easy to deal with!”
Chu Jing manifested upon the Tianhong Sword, speaking with a grave expression.
Tonight, he had enjoyed Li Qingqiu’s Vital Energy. That sense of strength had intoxicated him. Yet even such a powerful Li Qingqiu still could not slay Great Demon Luo. The latter’s strength exceeded his expectations.
“So many evil ghosts have died. He is clearly driven to desperation as well. If we let him go, he will surely lie low for years—perhaps even over a decade.” Chu Jing suggested.
Seeing Li Qingqiu forced back, he feared that Li Qingqiu might fall here tonight.
Li Qingqiu naturally knew what he was thinking. Looking toward the barren mountain, he said, “It is no longer a matter of whether I let him go—it is he who refuses to let me go.”
As his words fell, a fierce wind descended from above. Startled, Chu Jing looked up, only to see Great Demon Luo appear out of thin air upwind, slashing down with his claws.
Chu Jing had no time to react. His eyes widened instinctively.
Just as Great Demon Luo’s claws were about to touch Li Qingqiu, a scorching white vapor erupted from Li Qingqiu’s body, directly blasting him backward.
Great Demon Luo landed upon the ridge. His entire body was now covered in blood-colored fur. His face was demonic and sinister, and the Vertical Eye on his forehead had grown even larger, as though it might burst through the skin at any moment.
He raised his right hand. His blade-like fingers had been scorched black, wisps of smoke rising from them.
He looked again at Li Qingqiu in the distance, astonished. He had not expected Li Qingqiu to possess such a method.
Chu Jing was equally surprised.
That white vapor just now…
He recalled the sight of Hu Yan cultivating. His expression turned strange.
Could it be that Hu Yan had received Li Qingqiu’s true transmission?
Thinking carefully, he realized he did not know Li Qingqiu that well. Especially after he became Lord Jing, during their time in the Clear Sky Sect, he had not spent much time by Li Qingqiu’s side.
Hope rekindled in his heart.
Could it be that Master still had another trump card?
Li Qingqiu turned to look at Great Demon Luo standing upon the distant ridge, feeling deeply moved.
This Great Demon Luo was truly no simple opponent, to have forced him to such a degree.
He had cultivated the Supreme Purity Primordial Unity Scripture and the Heavenly Gang Golden Body Art. In addition, he bore Fate Traits such as Innate Sword Maniac, Heavenly Thunder Spiritual Root, Hundred-Refinement Demonic Body, Human Ghost-God, Tempered Through a Thousand Trials, and Righteous Qi of Vast Integrity—yet he still could not easily slay Great Demon Luo.
Perhaps Great Demon Luo had also been a peerless genius in life.
Li Qingqiu raised the Tianhong Sword again, holding the blade horizontally beside his cheek. The blade reflected his icy eyes.
A terrifying sword momentum erupted from his body, shaking the earth. Dazzling sword light burst forth from beneath his feet, rising upward and illuminating him completely.
Great Demon Luo stood a hundred zhang away. Sensing Li Qingqiu’s overwhelming sword momentum, he likewise raised his right hand, condensing a Ghost Sword with its tip pointing downward. Ghostly energy spread outward as one ghost after another emerged from the ground, scrambling to climb onto the Ghost Sword and fuse into it.
At the same time—
Within Cloud Emperor City, Jiang Zhaoxia, who was battling the Serpent-Bodied Woman, seemed to sense something and abruptly turned to look outside the city.
“That is…”
Jiang Zhaoxia was stunned. He had not expected Li Qingqiu to have already mastered the third sword of the Immortal Severing Three Swords. Even Shen Yue and Xu Ning had yet to master it. As for himself, his comprehension had relied on fortuitous opportunity rather than diligent effort.
Moreover, the third sword Li Qingqiu unleashed was far stronger than his own.
After the shock came worry. Just what kind of terrifying existence was this Great Demon Luo, to force Senior Brother to this extent?
“Where are you looking?”
The Serpent-Bodied Woman’s cold voice rang out. Jiang Zhaoxia twisted his body, evading her strike.
He transformed into a streak of sword light and landed upon a distant rooftop. Raising his sword horizontally beside his face, a sharp sword momentum erupted from his body, violently shaking the building beneath his feet as tiles soared into the air.
The Serpent-Bodied Woman raised her arms. Ghostly energy expanded, covering the entire street district. Ghost serpents emerged one after another from the ghostly energy, charging toward Jiang Zhaoxia in unison.
Jiang Zhaoxia’s gaze sharpened as he swung his sword.
Immortal Severing Three Swords, Third Sword!
The moment he swung, dazzling light burst forth at the horizon, illuminating the night sky.
That was Li Qingqiu unleashing the third sword of the Immortal Severing Three Swords.
Unlike Jiang Zhaoxia, Li Qingqiu’s Vital Energy contained the power of Heavenly Thunder, making the display even more magnificent.
With one sword strike, night turned to day!
Li Qingqiu unleashed an unprecedented sword.
Facing this strike, Great Demon Luo immediately sensed danger. He instinctively tried to evade, only to discover in horror that the surrounding space seemed frozen, preventing him from casting techniques or shifting positions. He had no choice but to raise his sword and slash, unleashing his strongest sword since transforming into a ghost.
Black sword energy swept across the mountain wilderness like a vast stroke of ink splashed upon a canvas beneath daylight.
One white, one black—the two sword energies collided!
Heavenly Thunder intertwined, evil ghosts struggled!
The white sword energy halted only briefly before forcefully crushing the black sword energy, collapsing the ridge and engulfing Great Demon Luo’s figure.
Sword energy ran rampant, crushing slope after slope, unstoppable.
Blinding white light filled Chu Jing’s vision, preventing him from seeing what lay ahead. Yet the sword technique Li Qingqiu had displayed left him utterly shaken.
What kind of sword art was this? It was far too terrifying!
He felt that no one in this world could withstand that sword—unless their cultivation realm far surpassed Li Qingqiu’s.
Daylight lingered between heaven and earth for nearly ten breaths before darkness suddenly returned.
Li Qingqiu’s right arm slowly lowered. His legs felt weak, nearly buckling, but he endured.
Planting the Tianhong Sword before him, he barely steadied himself.
“Go see him.”
Li Qingqiu ordered. Upon hearing this, Chu Jing immediately flew over.
That sword had consumed more than half of Li Qingqiu’s Vital Energy in a single stroke, nearly exhausting him. Never before had he expended such immense Vital Energy at once. It placed tremendous strain upon his physical body. Fortunately, he had long cultivated the Heavenly Gang Golden Body Art.
The third sword of the Immortal Severing Three Swords was known as the unavoidable sword. Such was the wonder of Divine Arts—it was not merely a simple sword energy attack.
Because Great Demon Luo could not evade it, Li Qingqiu had dared to expend his Vital Energy so lavishly.
His Spiritual Sense could no longer detect Great Demon Luo’s aura.
What a pity. Li Qingqiu had originally intended to probe Great Demon Luo’s memories, but the latter had been too powerful.
Previously, he had attempted to subdue Ghost Hyena using the Soul Refining Banner, yet Great Demon Luo had rescued Ghost Hyena beneath the banner, making him unwilling to risk using it again, lest he complicate matters further.
Soon, Chu Jing returned, excitedly reporting, “He has been reduced to nothing—body destroyed and soul scattered!”
He had sensed Great Demon Luo’s remnant soul dissipating in the air. Only after those remnants had completely vanished did he return to report.
“Go check the Daoist temple from before.”
Li Qingqiu continued to instruct. Chu Jing immediately obeyed and flew off.
Li Qingqiu then sat cross-legged. He raised his hand and inserted needles into his own body, using the Ghostly Immortal Needle of Rejuvenation to stabilize his meridians.
Heaven and earth’s Spiritual Energy surged toward him. Nangong E and Lin Chuan emerged from underground, guarding at his sides.
“What a terrifying sword…”
Nangong E muttered, her face filled with shock as she gazed ahead.
Following her line of sight, a massive fissure stretched across the barren land before them. Slopes along its path had been crushed, its length unknown—like a stroke drawn across the desolate earth by an immortal or god.
Lin Chuan also stared blankly at the devastation.
After a while—
Chu Jing returned, carrying an infant in his arms. Coming to Li Qingqiu’s side, he said in a low voice, “The ground beneath that Daoist temple was filled with corpses. There were no living people.”
Li Qingqiu opened his eyes and glanced at the infant—it was the ghost infant bitten once by Great Demon Luo.
There was not a trace of Blood Essence within it. The bitten arm had already recovered. It lay curled up, its tiny fists clenched.
Li Qingqiu could sense that it was merely a shell without a soul, and not even a fleshly body—it was a Ghost Body.
Just as he hesitated over how to handle the ghost infant, he noticed Nangong E and Lin Chuan staring at it intently.
“You want it?” Li Qingqiu asked.
Lin Chuan and Nangong E snapped back to their senses and hurriedly nodded.
Nangong E then said, “I’ll pass. This is a male infant Ghost Body.”
Li Qingqiu pondered briefly before saying, “Then give it to Lin Chuan.”
At once, Lin Chuan pounced forward and entered the ghost infant’s body.
Chu Jing crouched down and placed the ghost infant upon the ground.
Li Qingqiu instructed them to keep watch while he continued circulating his cultivation.
After some time, Li Qingqiu rose to his feet. Turning to look at the ghost infant on the ground, he could sense that Lin Chuan had already taken possession, though the fusion with the ghostly energy would require time.
He had Chu Jing carry the ghost infant, then headed toward Cloud Emperor City.
Meanwhile—
The battle situation within Cloud Emperor City had drastically changed. With Great Demon Luo dead, all the Corpse Ghosts collapsed to the ground, turning into pools of rotten flesh, while the disciples of the Clear Sky Sect began besieging the remaining evil ghosts and ghostly creatures.