Li Qingshan grinned. That move of mine works every time. If you throw yourself at me, aren’t you just asking to die?
With a moo, he threw a punch. In the state of the Ox Demon Transformation, he did not have to unleash it himself. His fists automatically possessed the power of tremors. In the past, even Ao Xuan had almost been punched to death by him.
However, his punch actually missed, and the left side of his neck ached.
When the fist rushed over, a ruthless and crafty light shone through Si Long’s eyes. His colossal figure suddenly shrank to a fraction of its original size, like a thin, colourful ribbon, weaving around Li Qingshan’s arm and biting down viciously on his neck.
He was no longer the same Si Long as before who still cared about his image as a monarch. He had completely become a venomous dragon a long time ago. The strongest part of him was not his techniques that could make the clouds surge but the venom in his teeth. Even Demon Sovereigns would be heavily injured by a bite from him.
“You sure have become much more underhanded.” Li Qingshan pressed down on his neck and furrowed his brows. He experienced the familiar pain of hell.
Si Long roared, “Do you still remember how you screwed me over underhandedly back then!?”
Not only could his venom reach deep within the bones and destroy the body, but it also possessed an aura of resentment, able to corrode away souls.
As a result, not only did he not charge forwards after winning this clash, he instead pulled far away, waiting for the venom to kick in. He wanted to hear Li Qingshan’s painful howls.
From the corner of his eye, Xiao An had vanished at a certain time from the top of the mountain. He failed to grasp her aura either.
Li Qingshan smiled simply. “Fortunately, I just broke through, or you really would’ve gotten me.”
The colourful toxins rapidly spread from his neck, but under the Ox Demon Transformation, all of the ox demon’s innate abilities were active even without any effort, including the Ox Demon Forges it Hide. Si Long’s teeth were sharp, but they failed to penetrate the thick and sturdy hide.
However, it was still an issue that could worsen, so with a casual grab, he ripped off the entire piece of corrupted hide. His wound closed up at a visible rate.
He maintained the same, simple smile as he gazed at Si Long peacefully with his round ox eyes. “Again.”
Si Long let out a cry and sprayed out seven-coloured miasma, turning into clouds of poison that filled the entire place. It immediately swallowed Li Qingshan’s colossal figure. He threw himself into the poisonous cloud, hiding away his aura.
Dragons were capable of rising and hiding. When large, they could create clouds, and when small, they could hide within a mustard seed.
This was something he had always been capable of. Even without Qian Rongzhi’s cooperation, he could use it with ease.
“Back then in the nine provinces, I was stuck in shallow waters, which was why I lost to you. I’ll make you…”
An invisible force abruptly expanded, dispersing the miasma and exposing Si Long. His movements became sluggish as well.
“Heh, an opening!”
A large hand loomed down from above, swatting towards him like he was brushing aside a fly. With a moo, he smashed into the mountain.
Li Qingshan’s surroundings were clear. There was not even a grain of dust. This was one of the ox demon’s innate abilities, the Force Field of the Earth.
He felt a slight sense of pity. With the Force Field of the Earth at full strength, that palm strike did not possess any power of tremors, so it was nowhere near enough to heavily injure Si Long. He had only gotten him back for the bite before.
Speed was not the ox demon’s forte. He did not chase after him either, standing between the mountains under the starry sky.
He clearly did not possess any advantage, yet he possessed a composure as if everything was within his grasp, like an old man looking at a young man messing around. He asked with a smile, “Again?”
Boom!
The mountain cracked, and rocks shot off in all directions. A furious dragon rose up into the air, overlooking Li Qingshan, but his aura was only evenly matched with Li Qingshan’s.
He felt a deep sense of fear. Just how long had it been since the battle in the nine provinces? He had already grown to such a level. If he could not kill him in this battle, then he probably would not have any more opportunities in the future.
“Since you’re powerless against me, why don’t you piss off back to the Demon domain? Out of the two captains of Black Cloud city, Li Liehuo is my brother, while Chao Tianjiao is my woman. If you really have the courage to face death, I’ll have them activate the Formation of Black Clouds and Roaring Thunder immediately and reduce you to ashes!”
Li Qingshan’s voice was deep and honest, spouting lies without even batting an eye.
“Li Liehuo! Chao Tianjiao! You sure know how to talk nonsense!”
The two of them were already some of the best of the best among the direct disciples when Si Long joined the Myriad sect. He did not believe Li Qingshan’s words, but it did give him some doubt. “Doubt” was a basic quality that was vital in the Demon domain.
Li Qingshan used this opportunity to fish out an item. It was an extremely ordinary clump of earth. It did not possess any spiritual qi at all, only the size of a fist. It was like a grain of sand in his colossal hand.
If he just left it on the ground, probably no cultivator would notice it, much less pick it up. However, this was a piece of Swelling Earth of the Nine Heavens that a large world had condensed.
Regardless of which world it ended up in, it would be absorbed very quickly. It would only reappear when the world was destroyed. If anyone wanted a piece, they would have to cross through outer space and personally destroy a large world before sifting through billions of tonnes of earth while fending off countless space-devouring beasts. Even True Immortals and Demon Gods were not capable of something like that.
To Li Qingshan, it was more powerful than any arcane treasure, but it was still a foreign object at the end of the day.
“It’s time!”
He opened his great mouth, revealing two neat rows of blocky teeth. He swallowed it without any hesitation.
The Swelling Earth of the Nine Heavens slid down his throat, but it did not end up in his stomach. Instead, it entered the small world, sinking deeply into the earth.
At that instant, the earth rocked violently and expanded further.
Li Qingshan’s sixth layer of the ox demon began to strengthen once again despite having just broken through. Endless power surged forth from the small world. His body swelled, and his muscles bulged. His horns grew longer, and his hide grew tougher.
Clenching his fists and spreading his arms, he mooed at the sky. The earth beneath his feet shook to dust. A few mountains around him collapsed.
In Black Cloud city, Li Liehuo suddenly opened his eyes. He felt a slight tremor from the ground and murmured, “An earthquake?”
Si Long was frightened, which made his aura weaken yet again. His determination to kill Li Qingshan here and now had already begun to sway. Subconsciously, he flew a little higher, so he could be further away from the ground.
Ever since he became a venomous dragon, his best method of attack was sneaking over silently and biting the enemy’s vital point viciously, injecting them with venom. However, this had failed right from the beginning because of Qian Rongzhi. Then he wanted to crush him in an open confrontation, but he discovered that Li Qingshan was far stronger than before.
For a moment, he hesitated over whether to continue fighting, venture to Black Cloud city, or downright return to the Demon domain.
“Delicious!”
Li Qingshan licked his lips. From here on out, the Swelling Earth of the Nine Heavens would no longer be a foreign object, but a part of his strength of the ox demon. With that, the seventh layer of the ox demon was near. It was a pity that he did not have enough Swelling Earth of the Nine Heavens. Otherwise, with a single gulp, even reaching the ninth layer of the ox demon was possible.
By then, let alone a measly Si Long, even Li Liehuo would not be able to withstand a gentle punch from him.
The tremors settled, and there was not a single mountain standing within a hundred kilometres. The mountains had been reduced to a desert.
Li Qingshan stood within the sand and gazed at the venomous dragon in the air, extending his hand over.
“Get down here!”
An invisible force gripped Si Long, dragging him out of the air and towards the ground.
