Chapter 138: Killing Intent Surges

**Chapter 142: Killing Intent Surges**

Time flowed like water, and days passed. Carcasses piled up like fallen leaves. In the blink of an eye, more than twenty days had passed.

Xu Qing was no longer in his former harbor; he had moved to five deserted islands. He was now on his sixth deserted island, sitting in a simple bay he had created himself.

During these twenty-odd days, besides changing locations, he had been fully immersed in developing his magical orifices, finally managing to open the tenth one.

Inside the black iron stick, the Vajra Sect Ancestor had been repeatedly startled over the past half month, eventually feeling somewhat dazed. He felt as if he had entered the world of ancient texts. It was widely known that opening magical orifices, especially later ones, required significantly more soul power and became increasingly difficult. He himself had taken eight years to open his tenth. Yet, Xu Qing had accomplished it in just over twenty days.

This speed utterly shocked the Vajra Sect Ancestor. He knew that Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Seven Blood Eyes usually took around two years to open ten magical orifices.

Such a rapid pace was only achievable through large-scale battles where one could continuously fight and survive.

However, the Seven Blood Eyes had not engaged in large-scale wars for many years, typically only experiencing minor skirmishes with controlled scales. As for sea beasts, while the Forbidden Sea was vast and the creatures had low intelligence, it was still difficult to hunt them in massive numbers.

Only specific methods, such as poison, formations, or other unique techniques, could allow for such rapid advancement as Xu Qing's.

However, such individuals were rare.

This not only demanded external assistance but also significant personal strength, along with constant vigilance against irresistible sea beasts, imposing numerous limitations.

Xu Qing himself understood that he could not maintain this pace indefinitely.

For one, the Ghostly Desire Horseshoe Crabs were rare; he had already refined two of them, and his remaining blood was now scarce. His supply of ammonites was also dwindling.

Furthermore, Xu Qing had recently developed a sense of unease. The substantial number of beast carcasses in each bay meant that even with frequent changes of location, he was bound to attract the attention of terrifying entities in the sea.

Thus, Xu Qing had decided to leave. After extracting the soul of the incoming plesiosaur, he began to use it to impact his eleventh magical orifice while standing up, preparing for departure.

However, just as more cracks appeared in his eleventh magical orifice but it still hadn't fully opened, Xu Qing's eyes suddenly narrowed. He gazed out at the distant sea, a sharp glint slowly appearing in his gaze. "This aura..."

As he watched, the sea suddenly erupted. A monstrous sea beast, roughly a hundred feet long, encased in metallic armor, with a terrifying maw, burst from the water. Its massive body paused in mid-air, gazing at Xu Qing in the bay. "A Foundation Establishment Armored Fish!" Xu Qing's eyes narrowed. This wasn't the first Foundation Establishment sea beast he had encountered in the past twenty days; seven days earlier, he had faced a Whirltooth Horseshoe Crab.

Its horrifying appearance, astonishing aura, and the sensation of an internal furnace told Xu Qing that the creature was in its Profound Radiance state. He didn't dare to hesitate, immediately going ashore, his vigilance at its highest, and his Dharma Boat's divine powers fully activated.

That previous creature, however, seemed to have little interest in him; it merely glanced at him before departing.

But Xu Qing's caution had intensified. He now stared at the Armored Fish before him, rapidly assessing its strength and weaknesses. The Armored Fish clearly possessed intelligence; it didn't approach but instead observed from a distance, then dropped back into the sea and swiftly circled, seemingly evaluating him in return.

The armor on its body continuously vibrated, emitting a distinctive clanging sound unique to the Armored Fish. After circling for the duration of an incense stick, its speed suddenly surged, and it charged violently towards Xu Qing's bay.

As it charged, its body leaped once more, emitting a roar at Xu Qing. This roar generated a sound wave, churning the sea below into immense, surging waves that thundered towards Xu Qing.

A cold glint flashed in Xu Qing's eyes. His Dharma Boat beneath him hummed, and as divine energy converged, Xu Qing raised his right hand and gripped the air. Instantly, his spectral plesiosaur materialized in mid-air, hurtling towards the Armored Fish.

A thunderous roar echoed. The Armored Fish recoiled, apparently sensing that Xu Qing was not to be trifled with. It decisively abandoned its assault, dropped back into the sea, and prepared to flee.

"No Profound Radiance state!" Xu Qing's eyes lit up. He desperately wanted to encounter a Foundation Establishment sea beast that lacked the Profound Radiance state. Now that he had one, he couldn't possibly let it escape.

He burst forward, his speed turning him into a streaking rainbow. With a wave of his hand, the Sky Blade above his head gleamed as he brought it down fiercely upon the sea.

The sea rumbled, splitting open a hundred-foot rift that revealed the Armored Fish below. However, its armor was incredibly tough; it remained completely unharmed after clashing with the Sky Blade. Instead, it radiated ferocity, turning its head and charging towards Xu Qing.

Just then, the black iron stick arrived swiftly. Along with its cold gleam, a blue light emanated from it—poison.

The Vajra Sect Ancestor had actively urged Xu Qing to apply this. It now rapidly approached the Armored Fish, seemingly aiming for its armor. Yet, at the last moment, its trajectory twisted eerily, cunningly plunging straight into the Armored Fish's eye.

The Armored Fish roared, its body trembling slightly. Instantly, countless illusory scales materialized around it, each imbued with Foundation Establishment magical power. For a Qi Condensation cultivator, even a single scale could be fatal.

Hundreds of these scales now surged outwards in all directions, but Xu Qing was already closing in. Black flames dispersed within him, and as fire billowed from his body, his right hand gathered the flames, directly forming a dagger.

This was a spell known as the Blighted Blade, unlocked after opening ten magical orifices with the Blighted Flame Devouring Soul Scripture. It could change form according to the cultivator's needs. Xu Qing now unleashed it; it whistled as it directly pierced the Armored Fish's body, shattering its armor, and then transformed into flames that rapidly spread across its entire form.

That wasn't all. The shadow beneath Xu Qing's feet, unwilling to be outdone, swiftly approached and enveloped the creature, causing fear to register in the Armored Fish's eyes. Its body swayed, and its external armor instantly disintegrated with a roar. As the burning flames on its body dissipated, the armor transformed into a metallic storm, surging directly towards Xu Qing.

Having done this, it flicked its tail, instantly raising a wall of water from the sea to block Xu Qing. Simultaneously, the Armored Fish turned, stared intently at Xu Qing, and then abruptly opened its mouth to expel a black orb over ten feet in diameter.

The orb was permeated with rotting corpses—both human and beast—each of which abruptly opened its eyes, emitting piercing wails as if trying to crawl out. Limbs protruded from the orb's surface, making it appear covered in soft thorns, and it roared as it surged towards Xu Qing.

A cold gleam appeared in Xu Qing's eyes. At that moment, the flames on his body surged even higher, and the Transcendent Shadow behind him materialized, roaring forward. Additionally, his Forbidden Sea plesiosaur burst from the seabed and swallowed the black orb whole.

Amidst the earth-shattering echoes, the orb was swallowed by the plesiosaur. It seemed on the verge of exploding inside the creature, but the plesiosaur suppressed it firmly. However, being a magical construct, it appeared it wouldn't last much longer.

At that very moment, Xu Qing also burst through the Armored Fish's metallic storm. With his full body protection active, he approached the Armored Fish that had fallen into the sea. A new dagger of flame materialized in his hand, and he fiercely plunged it into the creature's eye.

The Armored Fish roared, its body struggling to retreat into the deep sea. But Xu Qing's shadow now split into two: one connected to the island in the bay, the other wrapped around the Armored Fish's body. This restrained the creature as if it were bound. As it struggled, Xu Qing's right hand gripped the dagger embedded in its eye, while his left hand rose. Flames erupted from his ten magical orifices, converged in his left hand, and he pressed it directly onto the Armored Fish's body, spreading completely and beginning to incinerate it.

As the flames devoured the creature, a wisp of soul power swiftly integrated into Xu Qing's body. But at that very moment, a powerful sense of danger erupted in Xu Qing's mind.

He abruptly looked up and immediately saw dozens of bronze greatswords descending from the sky, hurtling towards the Armored Fish with astonishing lethal power.

Their expansive range completely disregarded Xu Qing's presence. As they neared, whirlpools erupted in the surrounding seawater, forcing Xu Qing to release his grip and perform a hand seal. Black fire from within him manifested as a shield above him, fully blocking the incoming assault.

Amidst a deafening roar, the dozens of bronze greatswords descended, piercing through the heavily wounded Armored Fish, tearing its now unarmored body to shreds. Xu Qing was also forced to retreat by the impact. He only stopped when he was outside the bronze greatswords' range, his expression grim as he glanced at the fish's corpse floating on the sea. Then, he looked up at the young man now arriving from the sky, standing atop a bronze greatsword.

The opponent's crimson Daoist robe made him highly conspicuous in mid-air. "It wasn't in vain to stay up until dawn, casually bringing forth new treasures," he declared.

The young man from the First Peak stood on the greatsword with his hands clasped behind his back. Wisps of vital energy rose from the Armored Fish's corpse on the sea, which he absorbed. Then, he cast a cold glance at Xu Qing, uttered that inexplicable remark, and turned to leave.

Xu Qing said nothing, instead glancing at his Forbidden Sea plesiosaur. The orb inside it, no longer struggling after the Armored Fish's death, was now suppressed and being refined by his natal plesiosaur. As for the soul power within him, though he hadn't managed to extract all of it from the Armored Fish, he had still drawn out forty percent, and it was now impacting his eleventh magical orifice.

The next instant, his eleventh magical orifice suddenly opened.

Xu Qing's magical power surged. He looked up at the departing young man from the First Peak, noticing that he too had not yet formed a Life Flame. Murderous intent suddenly flared in Xu Qing's eyes. With a wave of his hand, the Dharma Boat docked in the bay shimmered with golden light, and terrifying divine fluctuations erupted. A golden beam, imbued with immense sacred power, surged forth, directly blasting towards the First Peak young man who was retreating in the distance.

The First Peak young man's expression changed for the first time. He rapidly formed hand seals in mid-air, and the bronze greatsword beneath him abruptly rose to block. The next instant, upon impact with the divine strike, the greatsword shattered, breaking into pieces, and the First Peak young man behind it also bled from the corner of his mouth.

His body was propelled back a hundred zhang. His eyes filled with intense killing intent, he suddenly looked down at Xu Qing. "Young men easily throw away their lives; residual life at the tower's peak is sown at the fifth watch!" he declared.

Xu Qing didn't understand the words, but his killing intent was already ignited. His speed exploded as he charged directly towards his opponent. In an instant, a dagger appeared in his right hand, and he fiercely slashed at the young man's neck.