Chapter 141: One Talisman, Two Lives

The First Peak youth's voice was likely due to extreme excitement, causing his spiritual power to rush into his throat, making his voice crack.

It was sharp, tragic, and echoed across the sky.

Dozens of cultivators from both sides, engaged in battle in the distance, heard the First Peak youth's desperate cry.

Xu Qing's expression also changed, and his body suddenly recoiled.

What made him retreat was not only the First Peak youth's inexplicable words, but also the dozens of gazes drawn by his outburst.

In Xu Qing's eyes, every single one of these cultivators in the distant sky was like a deity. The aura emanating from them, even from such a distance, had previously made his insides churn and caused him to cough up blood.

Now, they all looked in his direction.

Xu Qing didn't hesitate. All the defenses of his magic boat activated instantly. He also took out many protective talismans and even summoned his Plesiosaur with a wave of his hand to cover him.

The next moment, an unimaginable and indescribable terrifying pressure descended instantly. Xu Qing's mind roared, his Plesiosaur collapsed, and all his talismans shattered.

Fortunately, his magic boat was extraordinary and possessed divinity. So, although its defenses also crumbled at that moment, the hull remained intact.

Xu Qing's body trembled, and he spat out two mouthfuls of blood. However, as the magic boat's defenses regenerated and he rapidly retreated, he managed to neutralize the pressure from those gazes.

As for the First Peak Prodigy, he also spat out blood. Three life-saving protective items around him shattered consecutively. He coughed up seven or eight mouthfuls of blood, and even the blood-colored sword he had transformed into fell apart. He then took out a decent shield to resist, but it also broke.

Only with such resistance did he manage to avoid the pressure from the gazes in the sky.

Xu Qing, still shaken, retreated rapidly while looking up at the sky.

In the sky, as both sides engaged, the heavens and earth changed color, the eight directions rumbled, and a great storm brewed in the sea.

Among these figures, Xu Qing saw the Seventh Peak Master, and beside him, six other individuals whose clothing colors differed but whose auras were equally astonishing.

Xu Qing didn't need to guess their identities; he already knew the answer in his heart.

They were likely the Peak Masters of the Seven Blood Eyes' various peaks.

Those capable of fighting them without falling into a disadvantage were the Sea Corpse Race.

Xu Qing had seen the Sea Corpse Race on Mermaid Island. Now, as he gazed, his eyes stinging, he saw that these Sea Corpse cultivators were all humanoid, clad in black armor, with black flames in their eyes. Their bodies emanated a potent corpse poison, creating overwhelming pressure.

Besides them, there were other cultivators around both sides. Although relatively weaker in cultivation, these cultivators were still formidable. Among them, Xu Qing saw the Third Elder, and similar cultivators from the Sea Corpse Race.

This was the limit of what he could observe. Xu Qing's eyes stung, preventing him from staring further. He had to retract his gaze, knowing that if he continued, his eyes would surely collapse, and his body wouldn't be able to bear it. The difference between them was too vast.

At the same time, a low roar came from the sky. On the Seven Blood Eyes' side, an old man in a scarlet Daoist robe abruptly waved his hand, forming golden greatswords around him. After forcing back the Sea Corpse cultivator he was fighting, he suddenly flashed directly towards Xu Qing and the First Peak youth.

The old man's face was as red as his robe, and he seemed to contain a scorching sun-like fiery being within him. He looked terrifying, his aura like a rainbow, continuously releasing intense heat.

Seeing this, the First Peak youth's eyes showed excitement, and he roared loudly.

"The sea of myriad grains, a fresh new thread; the divine light of the setting sun, another day!!!"

"You rebellious disciple who speaks no sense, hurry up and get out! Staying here is asking for death!" The First Peak elder, rapidly approaching from the sky, let out a low shout. He then turned and swept his sword, engaging with the Sea Corpse cultivator who was blocking his retreat from the battlefield.

In a blink of an eye, both sides fought further and further away, about to leave the area.

Upon hearing this, Xu Qing's eyes narrowed. His magic boat accelerated even more, rapidly increasing the distance between them.

The First Peak youth, not far away, also grew anxious. He knew that the timing was crucial; if his master left, he would surely die. So, his face turned red, his eyes bloodshot, and he roared towards the sky.

"Master, save me! This kid from the Seventh Peak has been chasing me for ten days and ten nights! He won't stop until he kills me! Master, don't leave, save me!!"

Xu Qing didn't hesitate. His magic boat hummed, suddenly diving and speeding towards the deep sea.

The First Peak elder in the sky was startled, his face full of surprise. He knew very well that his closed-door disciple had become obsessed ever since he learned that the Xuan You Ancient Emperor liked to hide profound mysteries within poetry. He rarely spoke plainly, uttering only incomprehensible verses.

He remembered the last time he heard the disciple speak normally was three years ago.

So, his gaze, like lightning, instantly fell upon the direction Xu Qing was fleeing.

Although separated by the seawater, Xu Qing, who had submerged, still felt his mind roar under the elder's gaze. His body uncontrollably trembled, and at that moment, he felt as if he had lost all ability to move, as if his entire being was imprisoned, his life hanging by a thread.

The First Peak Master was about to speak.

"It's just children fighting." Just then, a faint voice came from the sky.

The speaker was the Seventh Peak Master, who was standing on a great wing, single-handedly fighting three Sea Corpse cultivators with ease.

The First Peak youth's expression changed.

But the First Peak Master's expression remained normal. The words he had not spoken earlier, their meaning perhaps altered, continued to emerge.

"You two are fooling around! At a time like this, you're still fighting each other!" With that, he waved his hand and threw out a golden talisman. This talisman appeared to be a mere charm, but its power felt over a hundred times greater. It shot directly towards the sea surface where Xu Qing had submerged.

Upon nearing, the talisman instantly split into two. One part immediately drilled underwater, catching up to Xu Qing, breaking through his magic boat's defenses, and directly adhering to his body. The other part, ignoring the First Peak youth's terror, slapped directly onto his face.

In an instant, the runes landed simultaneously. Both Xu Qing and the First Peak youth's bodies trembled. The next moment, the runes dissipated, forming golden patterns that branded onto their skin.

Upon closer inspection, the brands seemed to originate from the same source.

"This is a life-linking talisman. Injuries are fine, but if one dies, the other's soul will also scatter. If you wish to kill, then kill. If not, then get back to the sect immediately. Upon returning, the life-link will dissolve on its own!"

The First Peak elder let out a low roar, stirring up enormous waves that carried Xu Qing and the First Peak youth, pushing them rumblingly into the distance. Then, he flashed, charging into the Sea Corpse cultivators. His sword swept horizontally, directly severing half a leg of one Sea Corpse cultivator.

The Sea Corpse cultivator was still moving, but with the burst of sword energy, its lower half instantly disintegrated.

After doing this, he was intercepted by a Sea Corpse cultivator of the same realm. The group of combatants fought further and further away in the sky.

On the sea surface, as the waves undulated, Xu Qing resurfaced with a grim expression. He raised his hand and looked at the brand that had appeared on his arm.

This brand wasn't just on his arm; it was all over his body.

The First Peak youth nearby was also branded, but unlike Xu Qing, his expression wasn't grim; instead, he looked relieved. He even swayed his body, took out a half-shattered greatsword, sat on it, and actually moved next to Xu Qing's magic boat.

Xu Qing watched him coldly, then suddenly spoke.

"What's your name?"

"Living a drunken dream, freely passing by; with a mask to hide my face, I roam the ends of the earth," the First Peak youth replied, glancing indifferently at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing's murderous intent surged again. He raised his right hand and violently waved it, instantly conjuring a black fire dagger that shot towards the youth.

The youth's heart pounded, but he trusted his master. So, he forced himself not to dodge, letting the dagger reach his neck. It was about to cut him, but Xu Qing suddenly felt an intense life-or-death crisis.

This made Xu Qing silent, confirming that this life-linking talisman was indeed astonishing.

Under this life-linking talisman, he truly couldn't kill the other party. As for crippling him or torturing him by abolishing his cultivation, it was pointless.

Furthermore, if he went too far, given this person's ruthlessness, suicide wouldn't be impossible.

And this person's combat strength was not bad; continuing would require some trouble. After weighing this, Xu Qing temporarily suppressed his killing intent, gave the First Peak youth a cold look, retracted his dagger, and turned back to his magic boat.

As Xu Qing departed, the First Peak youth also recovered from his previous trembling. In that moment, he too had been extremely terrified, feeling an equally strong life-or-death crisis.

Meanwhile, the Vajra Sect Patriarch inside the black iron stick took a breath and looked at the Seven Blood Eyes Peak Master walking away in the distance, his heart filled with sighs.

"How did I not think of that?! This damn thing actually works!!!"

As for Xu Qing, after returning to his boat, he sat cross-legged, controlling his shadows to cover his body, making them emit a strange essence to try and corrode himself.

This was the method Xu Qing could think of to erase the life-linking talisman.

Soon, his eyes narrowed. Under the shadow's cover and corrosion, the life-linking talisman appeared somewhat faded, though the process was slow.

But it was at least effective.

So Xu Qing no longer paid attention to the First Peak youth. He slowly worked on himself while taking out a bamboo slip, grabbing the black iron stick, and starting to carve something on it.

As he carved, the Vajra Sect Patriarch's eyes widened.

He saw the names on the bamboo slip.

Especially the five characters "Vajra Sect Patriarch" at the top, which made his heart pound. He keenly felt Xu Qing's vengefulness.

What made him tremble the most was discovering that although his name was crossed out, unlike other names which were crossed out three times, his own only had one faint stroke.

"Does this mean he still intends to kill me?!" The Vajra Sect Patriarch was terrified. He felt he had to quickly try and become more useful, striving to earn another cross-out on his name.

At the same time, he also saw the new name Xu Qing was now writing.

"Fool."

The Vajra Sect Patriarch secretly glanced at the First Peak youth: and wholeheartedly agreed.

The First Peak youth, at that moment, let out a long sigh of relief in his heart, thinking that if he hadn't met his master, his life might truly have ended this time.

Moreover, he had just seen Seventh Master speak up for the other party, which led to some speculation in his mind. Then, noticing Xu Qing's actions, he developed intense curiosity.

However, he didn't know many poems and usually just made up a few lines. This time, he had many questions and didn't know how to phrase them.

After a long while, he finally managed to blurt out a line.

"Sleepless in night rain, listening to the carving sound; the immortal in the sky is your father."

Xu Qing ignored the mentally-challenged First Peak youth. After carving the two words "Fool," he put the bamboo slip into his pocket and activated his magic boat's defenses, instantly isolating the other person's figure outside.

Then, he looked up, about to form a hand seal and leave. But just then... from the distant horizon, a mournful cry echoed.

Xu Qing instantly looked up and saw, in the direction where the Seven Blood Eyes and Sea Corpse Race had departed, the corpse of a Sea Corpse Golden Core cultivator, with only half its body remaining, suddenly falling from the sky. It crashed onto the sea surface, causing the ocean to roar, and simultaneously, the corpse sank.

Xu Qing's eyes narrowed.