Chapter 140: Unparalleled Atrocities

Chapter 144: Atrocious Beyond Belief

The First Peak youth was fast, but he was at sea. No matter how quick he was, he had to rely on himself, especially since Xu Qing had destroyed his bronze greatsword.

Xu Qing, however, relied on his magic boat. Not only did he not expend energy, but he could even recover during the pursuit. Therefore, the outcome of their chase was predictable. This was, in fact, the formidable advantage of a Seventh Peak Boat Cultivator.

As a Boat Cultivator, once he reached Foundation Building, he was not only powerful on land but also capable of extreme endurance at sea. Thus, within an hour, as anxiety gnawed at the First Peak youth, Xu Qing's magic boat caught up. Xu Qing did not hesitate to use the boat's divine power for a kill. The moment he closed in, a divine strike erupted. The First Peak youth screamed, quickly forming hand seals and deploying numerous talismans to block. He spat out blood, barely dodging a fatal blow, and continued to flee without looking back. Xu Qing snorted coldly and pressed on. Soon, night fell.

As the sun set, seemingly painting the sea and sky in a single hue, Xu Qing's magic boat once again caught up. This time, he didn't use divine power. Instead, the moment he drew level, he leaped up.

With a wave of his hand, the sea roared, and the serpent-necked dragon burst out, blocking the First Peak youth, while Xu Qing strode directly towards him. He also threw out the black iron stick, which transformed into a rainbow, rapidly circling around, seeking an opening. Inside the iron stick, the Adamant Sect Ancestor's excitement had reached its peak. "Master, master, you must take this guy down!"

"Based on my years of experience reading ancient texts, this kid is clearly no ordinary person. His attire indicates he's from your Seven Blood Eyes' First Peak, and he's already so strong in Foundation Building without even igniting his Life Flame. Such individuals are usually protagonists in stories, and his identity must be significant, perhaps even a prince."

"And Master, have you noticed how he never speaks properly? That's such a unique characteristic, making him very difficult to kill in stories!"

"However, compared to you, Master, he's just a fake dragon; you are the true dragon. Though individuals like him, as I've seen in ancient texts, possess great luck, if you eliminate him, Master will gain that luck. You absolutely cannot let him go!"

"Besides, this person is too pretentious, and his words are nonsensical. It would be incredibly satisfying to beat him until he speaks like a normal person!"

As the Adamant Sect Ancestor spoke excitedly, he controlled the black iron stick, sending it rapidly closer, while cheering inwardly. "You're dead! I'm the only one who has survived the pursuit of this Devil Xu; there will never be a second!" The black iron stick, controlled by the Adamant Sect Ancestor, moved with lightning speed. The moment it closed in, Xu Qing also arrived, raising his right hand and pressing down hard. Instantly, the Heavenly Blade materialized and descended fiercely.

The First Peak youth wailed inwardly. He immediately pulled out over a dozen talismans and threw them all at once, letting them self-detonate at any cost. The resulting roar resisted the serpent-necked dragon below and the Heavenly Blade above, allowing him to evade.

Yet, the Adamant Sect Ancestor found an opening, instantly approaching and piercing through his arm. The First Peak youth's breathing hitched, his eyes showing a fierce glint, and he growled, "Burn!"

The moment he spoke, the blood on the black iron stick ignited.

The Adamant Sect Ancestor cried out in alarm, quickly suppressing it. Then, feeling he had lost face, he let out a low roar and instantly conjured a large seal outside, hurling it at his opponent.

Just as the First Peak youth was about to retaliate, Xu Qing arrived. As he closed in, black flames erupted from his body, enveloping the youth, seemingly intending to extract his soul.

This ruthless and brutal move completely stunned the First Peak youth. Anxiously, he spoke rapidly, wanting to tell the other party that they were from the same sect and there was no need for such aggression. "My home is in the Southern Immortal Kingdom; we're from the same land, mountains and seas!" Xu Qing didn't understand. His ears automatically filtered out the other party's words as the black flames fully enveloped and pulled. In this critical moment, the First Peak youth roared and directly took out a black human-shaped statue from his person. After he threw it, it immediately shone brightly and materialized.

It was a middle-aged cultivator in a black Daoist robe, who impassively waved his sleeve towards Xu Qing. Instantly, a powerful gust of wind appeared, sweeping in all directions, blocking Xu Qing's black flames.

The black flames roared and recoiled. Xu Qing's body also shook, blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, and he quickly retreated a great distance. When he looked up, the First Peak youth had already seized the opportunity to accelerate his escape.

"Master, this kid has too many tricks! Let's use poison!" The black iron stick swiftly returned, and from within came the voice of the Adamant Sect Ancestor, filled with a strong sense of shared enmity. "I already did," Xu Qing said coldly, looking at the distant First Peak youth.

At that moment, the First Peak youth, while fleeing, suddenly spat out a large mouthful of black blood. His expression showed even greater panic. He realized his vital energy and blood were unstable, and his internal organs were throbbing as if being corroded.

Signs of poisoning prompted him to quickly take an antidote pill, but it was useless; in fact, the effects intensified. This was a poison Xu Qing had specially refined to counteract antidote pills consumed by others. His poisons were very difficult to neutralize with standard antidotes.

This horrified the First Peak youth, forcing him to use a secret technique to forcefully suppress the poison. His inner wailing intensified.

The First Peak youth wailed inwardly, "Is he a Foundation Building sea beast? Why such a life-and-death pursuit?" He then cried out, "The world is in chaos now, bullying others is too much, who am I?!" Xu Qing ignored him, controlling his magic boat to ram into him fiercely.

Amidst the roar, the First Peak youth let out a mournful cry. He felt that this Seventh Peak kid was impossible to communicate with. He had already introduced himself and revealed his identity, yet the other party still insisted on attacking.

If this continued, he feared he would truly perish here. In his anxiety, he bit his tongue again, spitting out blood, and transformed into a blood sword to widen the distance. And so, time passed.

Xu Qing's ferocity and persistence were fully displayed in this pursuit. He chased the First Peak youth for two days and three nights straight! During this time, they clashed multiple times, with Xu Qing attacking with full force, creating continuous roars. Each time, the poison in the youth's body deepened. However, the youth was also capable, somehow using a blood-letting technique to neutralize part of the poison's power.

Concurrently, he repeatedly employed his secret technique, transforming into a blood sword to escape each time. This meant Xu Qing's numerous attacks could only injure him continuously, making a single fatal blow difficult.

But Xu Qing was very patient and continued the chase. Meanwhile, the Adamant Sect Ancestor gasped inwardly, looking at the youth ahead and thinking of himself.

"Kid, even if you're a protagonist in a story, you still can't compare to Devil Xu. Unless you learn from an old ancestor like me, but space is limited, only the magic boat is left for you," the Adamant Sect Ancestor said, drawing a breath, unable to hide his pride.

At this moment, the First Peak youth was disheveled, his robes torn all over, and he was extremely weak. His face, in particular, was deathly pale from excessive blood loss.

He had bitten his tongue so many times he had lost count, fearing that if he continued, his tongue would be gone. As he wailed inwardly, his usual sternness had long vanished.

He had truly never encountered such a relentless person. Xu Qing had pursued him for two days and three nights without rest, with an aura that seemed to declare he wouldn't give up until the youth was dead. "Autumn goes, winter comes, my heart is numb; leaves fall, blood drifts, where is home?!"

The youth cried out mournfully, raising his right hand and suddenly throwing it behind him. Instantly, a jade slip flew out, which burst open, revealing a large number of souls.

These souls showed no aggressive posture at all, as if he were offering them to Xu Qing.

He had collected these souls for two purposes: partly for his own cultivation and partly to sell to Foundation Builders of the Seventh Peak upon returning to the sect. He knew these souls weren't as effective as those freshly extracted, but they were sufficient. "Near water, one can touch the moon; who doesn't know you, Xuanyuan?" To survive, he uttered this resigned phrase, then bit his tongue again and transformed into a blood sword to escape. Although Xu Qing didn't understand his nonsensical words, upon seeing the souls, his internal black flames surged and instantly absorbed them.

The souls, without any resistance, were instantly absorbed into Xu Qing's body, burning like fuel. They impacted his twelfth cultivation aperture, blasting it open partially. Xu Qing's eyes narrowed, and he pursued even faster.

This scene intensified the First Peak youth's indignation. He felt the other party was too unreasonable. He had already begged for mercy, offered compensation, claimed they were family, and even flattered Xu Qing. Why such brutality?! He thought, "It's just a beast; it's not worth this!" So he quickly spoke, "Sun, moon, and stars are seen daily; old friends are immortal!"

Xu Qing said nothing, continuing his relentless pursuit. The roars were constant. Another day and night passed, and the First Peak youth's accumulated souls were all gone.

During this day, Xu Qing also opened two more cultivation apertures, reaching a total of thirteen.

Yet, he continued the pursuit without giving up. He repeatedly lunged forward, trying to deliver a fatal blow, but his opponent always escaped. The First Peak youth's robes were now tattered beyond recognition, and his eyes were completely dark, making his face appear even paler.

He even felt as though he saw stars multiple times. The dizziness, exhaustion, physical weakness, and the poison's corrosion drove him to utter despair.

He was also grateful for his extensive preparations before setting out to sea, which allowed him to maintain some fighting strength. The Seventh Peak pursuer had attempted to kill him forcefully several times, but he had managed to evade each one.

However, he had ventured too far out to sea, and after all these days, he still hadn't returned to the sect. At this point, he calculated there were at least five more days of travel.

Thinking of this, the First Peak youth felt even more despair. He had also tried to send out a voice transmission, but the sea was too vast, and his message couldn't reach that far.

Just as the First Peak youth saw the kid behind him accelerating for another powerful strike, his heart filled with a mournful cry, when suddenly, a roar erupted in the sky ahead.

Dozens of figures whistled past in the distant sky. Thunder rolled, and the sea churned into whirlpools, as if a storm were brewing.

There were dozens of figures in total, locked in battle, clearly two factions. Their cultivation levels were indescribable. The mere aftermath of their passing caused the sea to feel suppressed, and fierce winds continuously swept in all directions. The sky itself dimmed at that moment.

Despite the great distance, the aura they exuded still shocked the First Peak youth to his core, causing him to spit blood. Xu Qing, who was behind, also witnessed this scene, his mind similarly roaring, and blood spurting from his mouth.

As he watched, every figure streaking across the sky seemed like a deity, surpassing even the Third Elder.

A mere glance at them made Xu Qing feel as though his body would collapse, halting his breath. One particular figure, with a massive pair of wings beneath their feet, allowed Xu Qing to recognize their identity.

At the same time, the First Peak youth's eyes suddenly lit up. He saw that one of those figures was unmistakably his own master, and so he frantically cried out, "The divine light of the setting sun marks another day; a new dawn breaks over the vast sea!"