Chapter 160: Resentment Must Be Avenge

Xu Qing paused, scanning the fruits on the ground. He particularly looked at the apples, noticing several large ones, and wondered how the other party managed to store so many items in their robe.

The white-robed Sea Corpse Race member, who had been rapidly retreating, also paused. Their hood came undone, not revealing their face, but their hair fell down a bit. Their gaze also landed on the fruits on the ground.

Then, both looked up simultaneously, their eyes meeting in mid-air. Xu Qing remained silent. The white-robed Sea Corpse Race member also remained silent.

At that moment, the ground suddenly shook, and the sea outside the island churned violently. From afar, an earth-shattering roar echoed in all directions like a roaring deity, as if the entire world was being tossed about. Furthermore, a purple light, like a sea of light, instantly spread from a distance. Looking closely, one could see that the source of this light and the booming sound was the Mermaid Race's island. This was the tidal force of the Seven Blood Eyes' formation, as described in Xu Qing's mission.

Under the cover of this sea of light, the Sea Corpse Race's teleportation restrictions within the Pearl Island group were immediately suppressed, allowing the teleportation arrays on the islands to activate to some extent. The next moment, as the sky was covered in purple, the teleportation array in the valley behind Xu Qing, adjusted by the Five Peaks disciples, gleamed. The first batch of disciples standing within it vanished, having been teleported away. Simultaneously, similar teleportations occurred on multiple islands within the Pearl Island group.

Xu Qing witnessed this scene but paid it no mind. He also sensed that the second batch of teleportations in the valley behind him was preparing and seemed imminent. However, at this moment, Xu Qing was more interested in the white-robed Sea Corpse Race member before him.

So, the moment his gaze met the white-robed Sea Corpse Race member, Xu Qing suddenly lunged forward. In his Profound Radiance state, his speed was incredibly astonishing, especially with the power radiating from his Life Lantern, which amplified his momentum. In the blink of an eye, he was close to the white-robed Sea Corpse Race member. This time, instead of the neck, he reached out to grab the opponent's hair. It seemed he was now more interested in the Sea Corpse Race member's hair. The white-robed Sea Corpse Race member took a breath, and the life flame within them instantly erupted again, forming a terrifying wave of qi that spread outwards. They twisted their body, evading Xu Qing's grasp, and engaged him in battle once more.

A thunderous roar echoed sky-high. Xu Qing's speed was so extreme that the cultivators in the valley couldn't see him clearly. Even the young woman from the Second Peak who hadn't teleported away, now in a nervous Profound Radiance state, still couldn't make out his form, only barely catching glimpses of afterimages. The ground trembled, and the terrifying impact sounds that occasionally erupted around them sufficiently conveyed the danger of this battle. The white-robed Sea Corpse Race member also attacked sharply, fighting Xu Qing to the extreme outside the valley, all while protecting their hair. They were indeed extraordinary; the Old Ancestor of the Vajra Sect couldn't even move, keep up, or see them during their attacks. Even the shadow was too slow compared to the white-robed Sea Corpse Race member.

Only Xu Qing attacked viciously, repeatedly trying to get at the opponent's hair. At this moment, raising his right hand, his magical power swelled, and he delivered a direct punch. After swiftly dodging sideways to avoid the white-robed Sea Corpse Race member's elbow, he raised his knee and thrust it forcefully, aiming directly at the opponent's lower body. The white-robed Sea Corpse Race member's expression changed.

But he was clearly a ruthless individual. With a forceful press of one hand, he slapped Xu Qing's knee while opening his mouth wide and spitting a dense cloud of corpse poison at Xu Qing. As soon as the poison emerged, Xu Qing's entire body seemed on the verge of corrosion, but his expression remained calm. After his knee was blocked, he twisted his body, and his left leg swept towards the white-robed Sea Corpse Race member like a whip, aiming for the head connected to the hair.

With a crash, they crossed paths. The instant they evaded each other, Xu Qing formed a hand seal and waved his hand, and black flames immediately spread from his entire body. They formed into fiery palms, one after another, heading straight for the white-robed Sea Corpse Race member.

The white-robed Sea Corpse Race member was breathing rapidly; clearly, fighting to this point was extremely exhausting for them. So, with a low growl, they raised one hand, formed a hand seal in front of them, and suddenly pressed it towards Xu Qing. With this press, the void in front of them instantly collapsed, rapidly spreading towards Xu Qing. Xu Qing's expression changed, and he dodged instantly.

But just as he evaded, the white-robed Foundation Establishment expert's speed suddenly increased, and they appeared directly in front of him, pressing down hard.

Blood seeped from the corner of Xu Qing's mouth. After retreating a hundred zhang, he also accelerated, closing the distance again. Ten Heavenly Sabers materialized directly, falling in unison and striking fiercely. The white-robed Sea Corpse Race member's eyes narrowed. Unable to dodge in time, their body was also cleaved back hundreds of zhang amidst a roar. While spitting out a mouthful of blood, they charged out again. Xu Qing did the same. The moment their figures were about to collide in mid-air, Xu Qing bent his knee, thrusting it forcefully towards the opponent's lower body again. It seemed that in his perception, the opponent's lower body was their weak point. The white-robed Sea Corpse Race member cursed, but their voice was drowned out by the roar.

A hint of madness appeared in their eyes. This time, instead of blocking, they also bent their knee and collided fiercely with Xu Qing in mid-air. At the same time, Xu Qing's hand finally grabbed the opponent's hair and savagely pulled off a handful. Then, a muffled groan and a miserable cry emerged from their mouths.

Xu Qing was the one who groaned, while the white-robed Sea Corpse Race member cried out in agony. Although their sounds were different, their retreats were identical: both their knees bent unnaturally. However, compared to Xu Qing, the white-robed Sea Corpse Race member's knee not only bent but also caved in, clearly indicating a more severe injury, and sweat beaded on their forehead from the greater pain.

As Xu Qing retreated, a glint flashed in his eyes. In front of the white-robed Sea Corpse Race member, he raised the hair in his right hand, gave it a slight shake, and the hair turned into ash, dissipating away. This scene was identical to a past event, except then it was a single strand, and now it was a handful. With the hair dissipated, Xu Qing was eager to charge forward again, but an anxious voice came from behind him. "Senior Brother, the tidal force is ending! This is the last teleportation about to begin!"

Hearing this, Xu Qing narrowed his eyes. Just then, a mass of black flames surged into the sky in the distance, seemingly covering a good portion of it. Within these flames was a figure of a Sea Corpse Race member, who from afar appeared to be a dwarf, walking with their hands behind their back towards the Pearl Island group. Wherever they passed, the seawater automatically parted, forming vast, canyon-like fissures that rapidly spread as they approached. The entire Pearl Archipelago trembled, and a terrifying pressure caused the sky and earth to change color, and winds and clouds to reverse their flow.

Xu Qing's eyes narrowed. Without any hesitation, he rapidly retreated, instantly falling back into the valley. At this moment, the second batch of teleportations had already ended, and the third batch was beginning. The Seven Blood Eyes disciples within the teleportation array had originally been closely watching Xu Qing's battle, anxiously awaiting the array's activation and Xu Qing's return. Now, with Xu Qing's instantaneous appearance, the Five Peaks disciples inside immediately activated the array. Utilizing the tidal force in the sky, the array instantly shone brightly.

The white-robed Sea Corpse Race member outside the valley did not pursue him at this moment. They stared at Xu Qing, who stood there. Their gazes met across the formation, and both saw a hint of strangeness in each other's eyes. The next moment, their gazes were obstructed by the formation's light. The teleportation began, and everyone inside the array, including Xu Qing, vanished instantly.

Not until Xu Qing and the others were gone did the white-robed Sea Corpse Race member turn to look at the sky. Upon realizing that the Golden Core Sea Corpse cultivator had gone to other islands, they couldn't help but grimace in pain, hissing through their teeth, vigorously rubbing their knee with their left hand, and then touching their head where a handful of hair was missing. They cursed inwardly. "What's going on? How long has it been since we last met? How did this kid become so strong? It hurts so much! Especially since this kid must have recognized me, he deliberately targeted my lower body and even held such a grudge, plucking my hair! How despicable! No respect for a superior! Didn't I just take one strand of his hair last time? Is this easy for me? That grand plan requires a high-grade corpse heart from the Sea Corpse Race, and that can only be exchanged with contributions from the Sea Corpse Race. Damn it, I paid a huge price to perfectly disguise myself as a Sea Corpse Race member. I originally planned to come here to scare them a bit, grab some alchemy cauldrons for contributions. When I encountered this kid, I merely wanted to beat him up secretly while keeping my identity hidden, perhaps take a souvenir photo, and get revenge for him poisoning me in the Mermaid Island passage back then. It hurts so much!" The white-robed Sea Corpse Race member waved their right arm, which had collapsed by more than half. With a low growl, employing some unknown method, their arm actually regenerated. Then, breathing heavily, they recovered after a moment. Still cursing, they limped to where the fruits were scattered.

Most of the fruits had been crushed during the previous fight between the two, with only half an apple remaining. They picked it up with a pained expression, looked around, and took a bite. But the next instant, their eyes widened, and they quickly spat it out. "The apple is poisoned!"

The white-robed Sea Corpse Race member cursed again, thinking that this wouldn't do. As a leader, they couldn't lose face. In the future, they would find an opportunity to unlock another seal and teach that kid a lesson, always maintaining their authority. Although unlocking another seal was currently beyond their endurance, for the sake of dignity, they felt they had to regain their prestige. With this thought, they swiftly departed.

Meanwhile, on the Mermaid Race's Mier Island, as a teleportation array shimmered, Xu Qing and the others emerged from within. The moment he stepped out, Xu Qing felt the tense atmosphere of this frontline command post, with figures constantly soaring across the sky. The roar of distant battles was intense, and everyone was busier than before. The moment they teleported out, more than half of them clasped their fists towards Xu Qing and then departed. The young woman from the Second Peak, who wielded a life flame, did the same. After exchanging communication jade slip records with Xu Qing, she hurried away. Gu Muqing also did the same, bidding farewell to Xu Qing before leaving. Xu Qing returned the jade slip that controlled the forbidden pill to her; he had activated the forbidden pill before departing earlier.

"Senior Brother Xu, my fellow disciples and I haven't completed our mission yet. Next, we need to go to another location to activate a forbidden pill. I heard from my master that our Seven Blood Eyes has been preparing for this war for years, and victory is certain. There will be some bigger moves coming, so please be careful, Senior Brother." Gu Muqing spoke softly, her expression slightly hesitant. She suddenly moved closer to Xu Qing and whispered, "I'm a core disciple, so I often have to complete certain missions. But Senior Brother, you don't necessarily have to. Especially regarding the missions for the Sea Corpse Race's seven guard islands, Senior Brother, you absolutely must not accept them." After speaking, Gu Muqing bowed to Xu Qing and quickly departed.

Xu Qing looked thoughtful. He took out his mission token and checked it; his rescue mission was now marked as complete, and more tasks were constantly refreshing. Xu Qing's gaze swept over the token, but his mind was replaying the white-robed Sea Corpse Race member he had just fought. Although the opponent looked like a Sea Corpse Race member in every way, and their corpse poison matched the characteristics of the Sea Corpse Race, Xu Qing felt a strange sense of familiarity after just a few exchanges. He was familiar with the opponent's eyes, and some of their moves also seemed familiar, especially the scattered apples on the ground. "How did the Captain become a Sea Corpse Race member? Did he covet something from them, and somehow disguised himself as one? Of course, it's also possible he had bad luck, was killed by the Sea Corpse Race, and then transformed into one." If it were anyone else, Xu Qing would consider the second possibility more likely. But if it was the Captain, he felt the first possibility better fit the Captain's eccentric personality. "However, knowing the Captain's petty nature, he definitely won't be satisfied with this. His cultivation is unfathomable, so he might find an opportunity to come back and challenge me later. I need to open my Dharma Apertures faster!" Xu Qing's expression became serious.