Chapter 139: Killer Aura

Xu Qing had his own set of principles.

Earlier, he saw someone chasing a Foundation Establishment Megalodon passing in front of him. While he was tempted to act, he held back because he felt it wasn't his to take. It was similar to when Captain Lei gave him steamed buns; he was grateful, but he wouldn't have felt wronged if he hadn't received any. That's why he felt completely justified later when he invited Captain Lei to eat snake. His own things, he could eat freely.

The situation today was similar: this Foundation Establishment armored fish was lured by him, he had almost finished killing it, and was in the process of extracting its soul. However, the opponent aggressively tried to snatch the kill. This behavior crossed Xu Qing's red line for killing. The last person to do this was the Merman youth. If such a person were overwhelmingly powerful, Xu Qing might endure for a future opportunity to eliminate them, but it was clear the opponent wasn't that strong, so Xu Qing couldn't tolerate it.

At this moment, Xu Qing moved incredibly fast, his dagger emitting terrifying black flames. As he slashed towards the opponent's neck, a roar echoed. Though the First Peak youth's greatsword crumbled, he conjured a phantom sword with a flick of his hand. It formed in an instant, clashing with Xu Qing's dagger. As the sound dissipated, Xu Qing didn't hesitate. Behind him, Yueying roared, and he clenched his left fist, delivering a powerful blow. This punch unleashed the full power of his Sea Mountain Art combined with his Dharma Idol, creating a vortex in the void that seemed capable of tearing through anything, directed towards the First Peak youth.

The First Peak youth's expression changed, and he rapidly retreated, swiftly performing hand seals. But at that moment, Shadow approached silently, binding his hands directly and causing his hand seals to momentarily pause. The impact of this pause was immense. In a blink, Xu Qing's left fist neared, striking the phantom greatsword on the youth's chest. With a crash, the greatsword shattered, and Xu Qing's fist landed forcefully on the youth's chest. The First Peak youth's eyes constricted, and he spat out blood, his body flying backward like a kite with a broken string. Before he could dispel the terrifying tearing force within him, the sea below roared, and the Serpent-necked Dragon emerged, lunging to swallow him whole. Furthermore, a massive phantom Heavenly Blade materialized behind Xu Qing, descending with overwhelming power to strike the First Peak youth.

In this critical moment, the First Peak youth's eyes instantly turned crimson, and he let out a roar. At that instant, it was as if a furnace ignited and blazed within him, erupting like a Profound Radiance state. Brilliant light spread continuously, and the Serpent-necked Dragon below shattered, falling into the sea in countless pieces. Though it reformed, it was clearly heavily wounded. When the Heavenly Blade descended, it also produced a tremendous sound. While it struck completely, it didn't cleave the First Peak youth in half. Under the burst of the internal furnace, the First Peak youth only bled from the corner of his mouth, using the force to retreat a hundred zhang.

Xu Qing's eyes narrowed. He could tell that while the opponent's internal furnace was similar to a Profound Radiance state, it clearly wasn't the same. This was likely a secret technique that could manifest some of the Profound Radiance state's power. However, before the Life Flame formed, using such a secret technique couldn't be without consequence. And indeed it wasn't. As the First Peak youth retreated, he vomited a mouthful of blood. The sensation of the internal furnace instantly vanished, and his face turned pale. However, his gaze towards Xu Qing didn't flinch; instead, his fighting intent grew stronger. He didn't know Xu Qing, nor did he feel the need to. As the recently accepted personal disciple of the First Peak Master and the Ninth Highness of his peak, it had been a long time since a fellow sect member had made him cough up blood.

At this moment, with intense killing intent in his eyes, he coldly stared at Xu Qing. He regulated the surging qi and blood within him, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, then raised his right hand and violently shook it. Instantly, numerous bronze greatswords appeared behind him in quick succession. There were over thirty of them, arranging themselves into a diamond-shaped formation behind him, emitting sharp sword energy. As he pointed his right hand towards Xu Qing, these greatswords whistled directly towards Xu Qing. His body also lunged forward, as if he himself had transformed into a longsword, charging at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing remained calm, rushing forward without hesitation. With a wave of his hand, black flames surged from his eleven Dharma Apertures, erupting around his body and transforming him into a fiery figure. Daggers also materialized from the flames, their momentum soaring like a rainbow. In an instant, the two clashed in mid-air, a deafening roar echoing, shaking heaven and earth. All of Xu Qing's daggers shattered, and the flames on his body dimmed. Similarly, all of the First Peak youth's greatswords disintegrated, and he continuously spat out three mouthfuls of blood. Their collision was incredibly fierce.

Xu Qing didn't care about his injuries at all; his body refinement techniques combined with his Dharma Idol were astonishingly powerful. But the First Peak youth was also formidable. Sword shadows formed all around him, clashing back and forth with Xu Qing in mid-air, their battle plunging the surroundings into chaos. Wherever they passed, the sea roared and surged.

With a wave of his right hand, Xu Qing conjured a giant hand from the surging waves, grabbing towards the First Peak youth. The youth, however, performed a hand seal and pressed it to his brow, instantly manifesting a sun imprint. As it flashed towards the giant hand, the hand made of seawater immediately disintegrated.

Xu Qing frowned but continued his assault. When the two closed in again, he simply rammed his head into the youth. Amidst the roar, blood trickled from Xu Qing's lips, while the youth howled in pain, his forehead appearing on the verge of collapse as his body rapidly recoiled.

Just as Xu Qing was about to pursue, a sudden jolt made him swiftly retreat. The instant he moved back, shattered blade fragments from earlier suddenly surged from beneath the sea, forming a storm of sharp blades that swept through the spot where Xu Qing had just been. If he had truly pressed the attack, he would have been caught in it. The wailing youth now stopped his cries and retreated several zhang, watching Xu Qing with hurried breaths, his heart already filled with shock. He knew he was strong; his master had even said so, praising him as the strongest newly ascended Foundation Establishment cultivator in First Peak history before activating the Profound Radiance state. He himself believed this to be true.

But today, his belief wavered. Still, he was unconvinced, so he spoke darkly, "If one merely strolls through the heavens occasionally, how dare the sun and moon shine?" Xu Qing's Dharma Boat behind him responded with a second roar, unleashing a beam of divine light. This beam was imbued with sacred power; wherever it passed, the sea thundered, and the sky seemed to twist. The First Peak youth's expression changed dramatically again. He swiftly waved his hand, and a jade talisman appeared before him.

It instantly exploded, unleashing a flood of soul shadows. These soul shadows were from the beasts he had slain, sealed by a special method for use in his spells. Most were beasts from restricted jungle areas. As they erupted, they formed black beast heads, confronting the divine light. All directions trembled.

The First Peak youth's eyes blazed with intense killing intent. He bit his tongue, spitting out a mouthful of blood, then raised his right hand to grab, quickly pressing it to his brow. His body shook, and in an instant, his qi and blood surged. His skin turned completely red, and he seemed to transform into a blood-colored figure, emanating an even sharper aura. Faintly, a bloody greatsword formed around his body, enveloping him and merging with him. With a powerful lunge, he broke through the air towards Xu Qing.

A sense of crisis suddenly emerged in Xu Qing's heart. Without hesitation, he forcefully raised his hands and swept them outwards. Instantly, the five hundred zhang spiritual seas within each of his eleven Dharma Apertures simultaneously surged forth. Combined, this amounted to a formidable five thousand five hundred zhang, which erupted violently around him. This outburst directly mirrored the vast ocean, causing the surrounding five thousand five hundred zhang of forbidden sea to instantly churn, merging with his spiritual sea. The dense aura of the forbidden sea within seemed to transform into a suppressing force. The bloody sword formed by the First Peak youth collided directly with it the moment it approached.

A roar echoed. Xu Qing's five thousand five hundred zhang spiritual sea intensely fluctuated and was rapidly offset. Meanwhile, the bloody sword formed by the youth before him trembled violently, showing signs of shattering from its tip. This process didn't last long. Ten breaths later, the bloody sword the youth had transformed into suddenly collapsed, shattering into pieces as his body was sent flying backward. But the instant he was sent recoiling, Xu Qing's five thousand-plus zhang spiritual sea immediately writhed and transformed into a colossal fist, delivering a powerful blow towards the opponent.

The sea roared, and the First Peak youth gushed out mouthfuls of blood, his eyes wildly constricting. In this critical moment, he unhesitatingly pulled out a pearl and crushed it. Instantly, a mist enveloped him, blocking Xu Qing's terrifying blow while his body rapidly fled into the distance. His expression was grim; he no longer wanted to fight.

On one hand, he felt he couldn't defeat the opponent. On the other hand, he was somewhat intimidated by the Seventh Peak disciple's immense spiritual sea. He couldn't discern the opponent's cultivation level, but he felt it should be close to forming a Life Flame.

But the instant he fled, a black shadow, seemingly hidden for a long time beneath him in the sea, suddenly erupted, wrapping directly around the youth's legs. As the youth's expression drastically changed, a black iron spike, also hidden until now, swiftly approached, heading straight for the youth's neck. All of this happened too suddenly. The youth's mind almost lost balance, and with an overwhelming sense of life-or-death crisis, the black iron spike neared, landing on his neck with a crunch.

However, it didn't pierce him. And the Shadow's entanglement met its match for the first time; the youth's body seemed greased, and he quickly broke free. The cost of defusing this life-or-death situation was a jade pendant he wore close to his body, which shattered with a crack. This was a life-saving item given to him by his master, capable of acting as a substitute for death once. Now that it had shattered, the youth's eyes showed fear for the first time. His body instantly sped up, accelerating his escape. But behind him, Xu Qing waved his hand, and the flying boat, which had been in the harbor, instantly unfolded its wings and flew towards him. Xu Qing's body flickered, stepping onto it. With Shadow and the black iron spike returning, Xu Qing relentlessly pursued the fleeing youth without a moment's hesitation.

The opponent was very strong, arguably the strongest Foundation Establishment cultivator Xu Qing had encountered, apart from his captain in Profound Radiance state. Even the Patriarch of the Vajra Sect back then would likely have been killed by this person within three breaths. But in Xu Qing's mind, anyone who dared to snatch what was his would be added to his kill list. At this moment, his speed roared as he rapidly gave chase.