The Golden Core cultivators unleashed a myriad of attacks. Some powered nine, small banners that assembled into a formation, enveloping Si Qing from above. Some used techniques, conjuring huge boulders that smashed towards Si Qing. Some formed a steel awl with their soul sense, directly attacking Si Qing’s soul.
Flying swords turned into sharp streaks of light, criss-crossing through the air and sealing off Si Qing’s ability to maneuver about. Even without any practice, their cooperation was flawless. They were determined to teach Si Qing a lesson.
A dragon’s roar rang out endlessly, originating from the horizon.
Si Qing transformed into a black dragon around a hundred meters in length, complete with scales and claws. He burst through formations and the light, moving about freely above the city. With a sweep of his tail, he sent a Golden Core cultivator flying.
Gu Yanying said, “I never expected him to have reached such a level with the Black Emperor Dragon Classic. It’s no wonder he’s ranked eleventh.”
The imperial clan of Great Xia had many supreme cultivation methods, which were known as the Three Graves, Five Classics, Eight Chains and Nine Mounds. The Black Emperor Dragon Classic that Si Qing practised was one of the Five Classics. It was an extraordinary cultivation method. Not only could it be practised to the realm of kings, but it could also allow the cultivator to directly ascend from this world. It was extremely powerful.
To regular Golden Core cultivators, possessing a cultivation method that could be practised to Soul Nascence, taking them through the third heavenly tribulation, was already everything they could hope for. They were unable to imagine the power of the Black Emperor Dragon Classic.
Si Bao said sternly, “With this cultivation method alone, Si Qing is undefeatable. If he wishes to fight, then he can fight. If he wishes to leave, then he can leave. No one can stop him.”
The Golden Core cultivators refused to back down. They unleashed their ultimate techniques, hurling devastating attacks that could split mountains and sever rivers towards the black dragon.
The black dragon’s colossal body suddenly shrank to an extremely small size, only a few meters long, avoiding most of the attacks. The dragon could be prominent or obscure, large or small. It could be large enough to usher the clouds and small enough to be almost invisible.
It was rumored that when this cultivation method was practised to its limit, the cultivator could turn into the size of a mustard seed, allowing them to directly pass through all obstructions, whether it be fire, water, mountains, or rocks. Si Qing had yet to reach that level, so he could not avoid some of the attacks, but none of them were able to pierce his black scales.
After missing, some of the powerful attacks flew off into the distance, while others directly flew towards the estate below. The Golden Core cultivators had become carried away with the battle, so why would they still care about the lives of mortals? Guarding the land and leading the citizens was not their responsibility.
It was possible to imagine that once the battle ended, the prosperous city would be reduced to ruins apart from the marquis’ estate protected by formations. The population of millions would be decimated. Mortals were truly the ones to suffer in a battle among immortals.
Gu Yanying leaned against the raling and gazed composedly at the streaks of light that contained terrifying power, descending from the sky like meteors.
A black shadow suddenly swept over above. The Dragon Arena had suddenly risen up, swelling in the air and becoming something akin to a colossal island, hovering in the sky. It was also like a huge protective umbrella, absorbing all of the attacks.
“What a good plan!”
Gu Yanying smiled. The Dragon Arena had not only absorbed the attacks. It had also absorbed the blazing battle intent and raging killing intent from their battle.
As it turned out, Si Qing had intentionally aggravated them verbally so that he could fight them all alone. It was a part of his plan. And, if he worked together with E Dan and Jia Zhen, then dominating these Golden Core cultivators would be too easy, which was detrimental to the refinement of the Asura Field.
Gu Yanying turned around, and her sharp eyes passed through the various obstructions, spotting a heavy ball of darkness hiding within a dim alleyway, giving off an icy-cold and deathly aura.
If a rat had not unknowingly approached the ball of darkness and died on the spot, even she would have almost overlooked it.
He had come too!
……
The jungle consisting of twisted roots and a blanketing canopy erupted with flames, carving out a clearing that had been burnt black. The man in black had completely vanished.
The brilliant sunlight fell from above, and the scorching winds dispersed the moist air. Withered branches that were still burning fell down. In a battle among Qi Practitioners, a scarlet talisman was enough to determine victory.
“A good dog doesn’t block the way. Just because you’re the prince’s dog doesn’t mean I’m afraid to kill you! Huuu, I can’t stay here. I better leave quickly!”
Right when Hua Chengzan was about to continue on her way, she suddenly felt the ground under her feet shudder. Roots that were even denser and more packed than blood vessels in the human body burst out of the earth, squirming around like thousands of snakes and insects. They all reached over and tied her up firmly.
Within the burnt earth, the man in black leapt out, caked in rock and soil. Although he was a little dirty, making him seem rather dishevelled, he was clearly unharmed.
The moment Hua Chenglu unleashed the scarlet talisman, he had used an Earth Submerging talisman, burrowing deep underground and avoiding most of the damage. Although it was only a high grade yellow talisman and he had to find a way to burrow his way back out of the ground, it was exceptionally effective at certain times.
He was still badly shaken. He had never expected Hua Chenglu to be so vicious despite how young she was, directly using a scarlet talisman right off the bat. If his response had been a little slower earlier, he would have been blasted to fine bits. His face twisted viciously. If I let you die easily, I’d no longer be a man!
Hua Chenglu struggled hard, but how could she break free? The roots firmly tied up her hands, such that she could not even access her hundred treasures pouch. She was like a beautiful butterfly stuck in a spider’s web.
The man in black walked over before suddenly hearing a violent rumble in the air. It abruptly drew closer, making him raise his head in surprise.
……
Li Qingshan poured his soul sense deep within the Three Absolutes Calligraphy and saw a wondrous sight he had never seen before. The strokes hovered through the space like a sky full of stars. He had refined many arcane artifacts already, but this was the first time he had encountered something like this.
Sure enough, the Three Absolutes Calligraphy was not an ordinary arcane artifact. It was worth his bit of initiation!
On the snowy, windy mountain, the Three Absolutes Calligraphy shone with resplendent light as he channeled his spiritual qi into the arcane artifact. It started glowing brighter and brighter.
Beneath the snow mountain, the Qi Practitioners were currently confronting one another, clashing with their weapons and glued together in battle. Even if someone noticed the twinkling light at the top of the snow mountain, they would be in no position to pay any regard to it right now.
Battles like this unfolded throughout the entire Dragon Arena. While Si Qing’s words made them stir a little inside, they did not immediately throw their lives at one another like Si Qing had wanted. They all held back.
After determining the outcome of the battle, they would utter things like, “Admirable” and “You’ve gone easy on me.” No matter how furious or unhappy with the result they were, they all maintained the principles of the cultivation community on the surface.
As a matter of fact, there were even many Foundation Establishment cultivators who refused to fight Qi Practitioners of other schools and sects in consideration of their status. Even if they took action, they only took their medals. Never would they rob them or kill them. The standard behaviour left behind by several thousand years of peace could not be disrupted by a few words from a certain person.
Si Qing seemed to have made a miscalculation in this aspect. This was not the Dragon province after all. There was not an atmosphere for those bloody battles. Although the cultivators were not exactly righteous, they were not demonic cultivators.
Sure enough, they’re trash from top to bottom. They have no idea what guts and killing intent are. Even after coming so far, these old bastards refuse to kill me. Only that Li Qingshan has got some backbone. Looks like I have to use that move!
Si Qing who danced through the air as a black dragon split off a part of his focus as he clashed with the Golden Core cultivators.
In the Dragon Arena, there was a flash of blood-red light. Throughout the battlefields, the azure skies became coated in a layer of blood-red. The blood-red colour was so weak that even cultivators would struggle to notice anything different when they stared at it attentively.
Suddenly, Li Qingshan opened his eyes, raised his head, and looked at the sky. He only saw thick, frozen clouds and the howling wind and snow. In that moment earlier, the tiger demon suppressed by the spirit turtle and resting in his sea of consciousness let out a deep growl.
Boundless killing intent loomed over, but the killing intent was far too thin and chaotic. There was not a clear source, nor did it specifically target him.
What’s that kid Si Qing doing now?
Li Qingshan shut his eyes again as he thought of that, plunging his mind into the Three Absolutes Calligraphy. He had never stopped channelling spiritual qi into the arcane artifact during the process.
The Three Absolues Calligraphy was like a whale taking in water, greedily accepting his spiritual qi. Only when thirty percent of his sea of qi had emptied out did it stop. Its glow reached the limit.
Li Qingshan was mildly surprised. He was at peak Foundation Establishment, and his spiritual qi surpassed regular Foundation Establishment cultivators. The Three Absolutes Calligraphy was only a mid grade arcane artifact! Before he could think too much about it, he knew the storm was about to arrive from his experience with refining the Cursive Sword Calligraphy in the past.
Sure enough, all of the spiritual qi in the Three Absolutes Calligraphy was converted into sharp sword Qi in that moment, running up against the flow through his meridians and raging violently through his body.
At the same time, in the empty world filled with various brush strokes, the strokes suddenly swelled up and became full like they had been filled with air. They hurtled towards him together with extremely sharp sword intent.
Li Qingshan seemed to see the Five Absolutes Sword Immortal wielding his brush as a sword, waving it around madly after drinking. Although it was almost illusionary, he had absolutely no doubts that if these brush strokes struck him, his soul would definitely suffer severe damage.
Against a pincer attack like this from inside and outside, he would be heavily injured even if he managed to survive if he were a regular Foundation Establishment cultivator.
His body shuddered and his muscles rippled, becoming a hundred times tougher than rock. His shut eyes became scarlet red for a moment. The sword Qi rampaged through his body, but it was unable to burst through the body of the ox demon that was as heavy as a mountain. He forcefully guided them into his sea of qi.
However, they continued to stir up waves in his sea of qi like huge fish. Not only did the sword Qi fail to weaken, but they instead became sharper and swifter after absorbing even more spiritual qi.
If he were a regular Foundation Establishment cultivator, then all he could do was watch helplessly as his spiritual qi was siphoned away before being forcefully ripped apart by the sword Qi. And, before this, his consciousness would already be torn apart by the sword intent. Who would have thought refining a mid grade arcane artifact would hide such terrifying danger?
The Spirit Turtle Suppresses the Seas!
Li Qingshan bellowed inside, and the spirit turtle’s daemon core sank down into the sea of qi, suppressing all of the sword qi. The spirit turtle’s figure that had directly appeared in his sea of consciousness blocked all of the sword intent.
Originally, he thought he had succeeded already with this, but the Three Absolutes Calligraphy showed no signs of being refined. With a thought, the figure of the tiger demon leapt out, opening its gaping mouth and swallowing all the sword intent.
Success!
