Chapter 167: Suppression Suppression Suppression

The black tree formed by the shadow was incredibly strange. The over one hundred eyes growing on it now emitted astonishing red light, illuminating the mine pit like a blood-red realm. The malevolence it exuded was unmistakable, and within this malevolence, there was also intense ferocity.

It seemed the shadow had been suppressing itself for a long time, and finally, with its breakthrough, all the negative emotions within it could no longer be contained and began to erupt. However, what was strange was that the shadow's ferocity and malevolence weren't entirely directed at Xu Qing; half of it enveloped the Adamantine Sect Ancestor instead.

Considering Xu Qing's long-standing suppression of it, all its murderous intent should have originally been directed at Xu Qing. However, it was clear that some of the Adamantine Sect Ancestor's actions were remarkably effective at attracting hatred.

The Adamantine Sect Ancestor's expression was solemn, lightning crackling around his body. He stared intently at the shadow, but inwardly, he was overjoyed, thinking, "Little Cai, Little Cai, well done! This is exactly how you should clearly show your rebellious nature. The more rebellious you are, the more stable my position becomes."

With this thought, the Adamantine Sect Ancestor roared, "Li Cai, are you trying to betray your master?!" As he spoke, he instantly moved between Xu Qing and the shadow, appearing to loyally protect his master. As he locked onto the shadow, the lightning runes on his iron skewer also began to glow, emitting a terrifying aura.

A cold glint appeared in Xu Qing's eyes. He didn't pay attention to the shadow's current malevolence but instead rapidly pondered the source of the familiar sound it had emitted. The next instant, Xu Qing's expression suddenly changed. He remembered the origin of that sound: "The Dragon Chariot Giant!"

Xu Qing's heart jolted, and just then, he suddenly heard a dull roar from outside. The sound was deep, like a heavy object hitting the ground, creating intense vibrations that made the sea churn and caused the island he was on to tremble. Simultaneously, beneath the island, Xu Qing's Prohibited Sea Excavator swiftly materialized and abruptly looked into the distance.

The moment it looked, its body churned with violent turbulence. In the distant sea, a thick mist was spreading, and as the sound of a heavy object landing grew deeper, the clanking of chains followed. From afar, an earth-shattering giant could be seen beneath the sea, slowly approaching, step by step.

Its body was colossal, covered in tentacles like hair. With each step, it disturbed the seabed, stirring up violent currents and a thick, dust-laden mist. As it advanced, horrifying black chains were clearly visible wrapped around its body.

These chains bound its body, and as it moved forward, a bronze dragon chariot suddenly appeared at the end of the chains. The chariot bore the marks of time's passage; many parts were rusted and looked somewhat dilapidated. It was tilted as it was being pulled, carving a long trench in the seabed. Both the giant and the chariot were immense; Xu Qing was insignificant in comparison to either of them. In his eyes, each was like a sky-reaching mountain.

Especially on the tall body of the dragon chariot, there were exquisite yet grand and imposing carvings, radiating the sense of an imperial artifact. It was as if only an incomparably noble spirit could use such a dragon chariot as its own conveyance! As the giant approached and the chariot became clearly visible, the sea roared. On the surface, colossal waves surged, turning into a tsunami.

A terrifying aura, surpassing Juying by an immeasurable degree, as vast as the difference between a blazing inferno and a mere torch, emanated from this giant. In an instant, Xu Qing's Prohibited Sea Excavator disintegrated amidst intense turbulence. Xu Qing's eyes instantly stung, and as blood flowed, the walls of the mine pit he was in could no longer withstand the pressure. Cracks rapidly formed, and the walls collapsed with a thunderous roar, causing seawater to surge in. This also allowed Xu Qing, at that moment, to see the distant giant with his own eyes, rather than through the eyes of his plesiosaur. The giant's aura made his mind thunder.

Xu Qing didn't hesitate. His Life Fire ignited, and his Profound Radiance State activated. It felt as if a volcano erupted within him. While resisting with all his might, the close proximity also allowed him to clearly make out the murals and totems carved on the outer layer of the dragon chariot. Clearly carved on this totem mural was a handsome young man wearing luxurious robes and an imperial crown. He sat on the chariot, supporting one side of his head with one hand, holding a bamboo scroll and reviewing it. The entire mural was exquisitely beautiful, the carving incredibly lifelike.

Even the young man's expression and eyebrows were perfectly clear. He seemed to have found some interesting records, as the corner of his mouth slightly lifted, carrying a hint of a smile. The dragon chariot he was on was pulled by a giant whose body was entwined with five golden dragons, running towards the sky. This giant was exceptionally mighty; though only carved in the mural, it still made anyone who saw it feel its formidable aura. At the same time, the giant in the mural seemed about to turn its head to look at the young man behind it as it ascended into the sky.

Its expression conveyed loyalty, and its eyes held a hint of fanaticism, as if, to it, the young man behind him was its destiny, and pulling the imperial chariot for him was the glory of its entire life. The mural didn't end there; in the subsequent frames, Xu Qing saw the young man with the imperial crown descend from the dragon chariot after it had traversed the clouds to the highest heavens. He then transformed into the sun, hanging high in the sky, its radiance illuminating the earth!

The final carving depicted twilight, when the sun once again transformed into the young man, returning to the imperial chariot and sitting down, pulled by the giant straight towards the sea. This series of murals caused Xu Qing's mind to churn with intense fluctuations. At the same time, a clicking sound now emanated from the mouth of the Dragon Chariot Giant. The eerie sounds echoed, as if responding to the shadow!

Though Xu Qing's shadow was now in the seawater and unseen by others, in Xu Qing's perception, it still retained the form of the strange tree. Amidst malevolence and madness, it again emitted a low, guttural sound. The giant's body trembled, and it began to stride towards Xu Qing's location. The closer it came, the more a sense of dread rose in Xu Qing's heart.

Xu Qing cast a deep glance at the distant giant on the seabed, then chose to retreat. Simultaneously, the purple crystal within him erupted, directly suppressing the shadow. He also retrieved his magic boat, stepped onto it, and leaped out of the water.

It was now early morning outside, and the sun was bright. As the sunlight fell on Xu Qing, it clearly cast his shadow onto the deck. The shadow was twisting, seemingly resisting Xu Qing's suppression with all its might. Amidst this twisting, its form changed completely. Tentacles spread out from its tree-like shape, gradually becoming similar to the Dragon Chariot Giant on the seabed.

Xu Qing's eyes gleamed with murderous intent. His forty-four magic apertures suddenly activated, surging towards the purple crystal in his chest. Amidst a roar, the purple crystal was impacted and vibrated, and a blurry purple light emanated from Xu Qing's chest, falling upon the twisting shadow. Not just once, Xu Qing decisively suppressed it more than fifty times in a row!

The shadow trembled violently but continued to growl. All its eyes glowed intensely red, and its open mouth seemed about to emit sound. But Xu Qing snorted coldly and, without hesitation, infused the power of his Life Fire into the purple crystal. Simultaneously, he raised his right hand and waved it, and instantly, the shadow of a colossal black umbrella appeared.

The moment the black umbrella appeared, the world's colors changed, and wind and clouds swirled. Xu Qing covered the shadow with it, blocking the sunlight and severing its connection to the outside world. The shadow beneath the umbrella was invisible to outsiders. However, Xu Qing could clearly sense the shadow's panic and violent struggles after its connection to the outside world was severed.

Xu Qing spoke slowly. Three times, seven times, sixteen times... This kind of suppression, under the Life Fire state, far surpassed its previous power. The shadow trembled all over, gradually unable to struggle under this suppression, unable to emit any sound from its mouth, and finally, it began to shiver.

Meanwhile, under Xu Qing's close observation, as the black umbrella enveloped the shadow and his powerful suppression continued, finally... the footsteps of the Dragon Chariot Giant beneath the sea stopped. As if it had lost its connection, the giant slowly turned around, pulling the chariot back towards the deep sea, returning to where it came from.

Only after confirming the giant had departed and the sense of dread dissipated did Xu Qing turn his head to coldly observe the increasingly trembling shadow, which realized something was terribly wrong.

"Your calculations have failed," Xu Qing said calmly.

The shadow shivered, its form changing from its previous appearance; the tentacles vanished, and it reverted to its tree-like shadow form. All the eyes on it still glowed red, but they no longer showed malevolence, instead displaying a fawning emotion. At this moment, the rising sun climbed into the sky. A sunrise over the sea was more spectacular than one on land, as if the sun had flown out of the sea's sleeping chambers directly towards the firmament, its fiery red light illuminating all directions, like crimson flames threatening to incinerate heaven and earth.

Even the black Prohibited Sea couldn't contend at this moment; it was as if at this time every day, the sun was the sole protagonist. However, Xu Qing had no mind to pay attention to it. He waved his right hand, and the black umbrella dissipated, revealing the shadow once more. As the sunlight intensified, the shadow cast on the deck became clearly visible to the naked eye. Compared to before, after being suppressed multiple times, its color was no longer as dark as when it had just broken through. Now, under Xu Qing's indifferent gaze, it trembled even more violently.

“Forgive me...”

The moment its emotional fluctuation spread, the suppression force from the purple crystal within Xu Qing violently descended. Ten times, thirty times, seventy times, one hundred twenty times...

Xu Qing simply sat cross-legged to the side, gazing at the distant sky, with no intention of stopping. The Adamantine Sect Ancestor, who had initially been very excited, couldn't help but pause as he watched. He looked at the shadow, which was continuously cracking, becoming dim and dilapidated under the suppression, its form struggling to remain whole, its aura weakening as if on the verge of death. Then he looked at the expressionless Xu Qing and couldn't help but whisper, "Master, it... it's going to die." Xu Qing looked at the Adamantine Sect Ancestor.

"You pity it?"

"Absolutely not!" The Adamantine Sect Ancestor's heart bristled under Xu Qing's gaze. He quickly slapped his chest hard, so hard that some lightning crackled out, circulating around his waist with popping sounds as he loudly declared, "Master, let's work together to kill this traitorous shadow!" As he spoke, his body crackled with lightning, and he rushed towards the shadow, assisting with all his might, afraid of being too slow.