Chapter 289: Now Different from the Past

To onlookers, this was a battle between an innate three-fire cultivator and a five-fire grand completion cultivator. The former, with two life lights, exuded an astonishing aura, while the latter, a rare five-fire grand completion cultivator, commanded a mountain-shattering presence. Both also practiced emperor-level cultivation methods, making their combat power nearly equal.

The difference, however, was that Xu Qing's two life lights could amplify each other. This fact had been discovered by outsiders after his battle with Sima Ru, as the alliance comprised numerous astute cultivators who could analyze and deduce key details post-battle. Consequently, Xu Qing's combat prowess appeared superior for the time being. However, Sheng Yunzi's audacity in attacking Xu Qing clearly implied he possessed a hidden advantage, which greatly intrigued the surrounding spectators.

In the next instant, Xu Qing and Sheng Yunzi clashed on Daoxuan Mountain. A dragon's might and a tiger's roar instantly filled the air, enveloped by towering flames as both rapidly closed in, engaging in a swift exchange of blows. Propelled by their formidable combat prowess, their speeds reached an extreme, and the thunderous roars of their attacks echoed like clanging metal and shattering stone, piercing through the clouds.

In a flash, they exchanged blows hundreds of times, fists meeting fists without a single dodge from either side. Daoxuan Mountain quaked, thunder manifested, and streaks of lightning shot out from their combat zone in all directions. During this time, Xu Qing also employed the "Under Nine Springs" technique, but only used eight punches, holding back the ninth as he awaited an opportunity. Soon, Sheng Yunzi's body trembled; he was finally outmatched and retreated.

Xu Qing, suspended in mid-air with his long hair flowing, narrowed his eyes. He had concealed the power of one of his fires, as he understood that the true objective of this battle was not merely to kill Sheng Yunzi, but to ensure that any potential rescuers would be too late to intervene after Sheng Yunzi's defeat. At the very least, they must be too late to prevent him from devouring Sheng Yunzi's Miemeng. To achieve this, he needed to strike unexpectedly and catch them off guard.

Clearly, starting this way was not advisable, as it would likely result in Sheng Yunzi being rescued and Xu Qing failing to devour the Miemeng. Thus, Xu Qing observed Sheng Yunzi's trump cards while also keeping an eye on any potential rescuers in the vicinity. As for Sheng Yunzi's true trump card, Xu Qing wasn't entirely clear, but he vaguely sensed the aura of the Golden Crow emanating from him, which led him to repeatedly gaze at Sheng Yunzi's hollow, dark right eye.

Meanwhile, his shadow quietly spread out, as did his poisons. Xu Qing's earlier exchange also revealed a key difference in Sheng Yunzi compared to their previous encounter: his speed. It was significantly faster than before.

With no time for further thought, Sheng Yunzi, having retreated, stomped fiercely on the ground. His already astonishing speed erupted once more, tearing through the air and creating a sharp, piercing sound. Behind him, Miemeng materialized, revealing its green body and red tail. As it roared at Xu Qing, Sheng Yunzi's combat power simultaneously surged, and he appeared directly before Xu Qing.

Xu Qing's expression turned grim, and behind him, the Golden Crow also materialized. With a roar, they clashed again. Above Xu Qing's head, two canopies appeared, providing him with enhanced protection, causing Sheng Yunzi to endure astonishing recoil with every punch. For Sheng Yunzi, the pain wasn't from the physical recoil, but from the torment in his heart. This was a sensation he usually inflicted on others during combat. Now, seeing his own life lights above Xu Qing's head, used against him, Sheng Yunzi's eyes became bloodshot. With a low growl, he bit his tongue, spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood.

"Garment of the Masses, Seal Body and Soul, Transform into Heart Sword, Destroy the Universe," he chanted. As the blood emerged, it instantly transformed into a crimson robe. While similar to the technique he displayed in his previous battle with Xu Qing, it now had a new variation: instead of entangling Xu Qing, the crimson robe disintegrated into countless fragments. Each fragment became a blood-colored flying sword. Converging into an astonishingly dense swarm, they formed a bloody gale that surged directly towards Xu Qing.

As the former owner of the life lights, Sheng Yunzi was well aware of the weakness of his Seven-Colored Wind Chime Lamp. The weakness was that concentrated mass attacks could cause the life lights' defenses to twist and reveal vulnerabilities. He had never told anyone about this, nor had he ever imagined that one day he would use this knowledge against his own life lights.

Amidst the roar, most of these flying swords were blocked, but their sheer number meant some still seemed on the verge of breaking through Xu Qing's life light defenses. Xu Qing narrowed his eyes, swayed his body, and dodged. He then raised his right hand and punched towards Sheng Yunzi, a strong killing intent erupting. While subtly channeling "Under Nine Springs," he also diverted part of his attention to the surroundings.

In an instant, Xu Qing sensed fluctuations coming from outside Daoxuan Mountain. Without hesitation, he dispersed the power of "Under Nine Springs." Sheng Yunzi, with astonishing speed, dodged in a flash.

Simultaneously, outside Daoxuan Mountain, Blood煉zi's face appeared in the sky, and he let out a cold snort towards the other end of the sky. Where Blood煉zi looked, Old Ancestor Lingyun appeared with a grim expression. The two gazed at each other, both with ill intent. "Rules are rules," Blood煉zi stated slowly. "Those who break them will be punished." Old Ancestor Lingyun remained silent.

Xu Qing narrowed his eyes, observing everything from afar, and confirmed his earlier premonition. Meanwhile, the retreating Sheng Yunzi sneered, suddenly raising his right hand, and three beams of sword light simultaneously shot out. One ascended into the sky, transforming into the Profound Heaven Blood Fiend Sword, which then descended vertically, aiming to pierce Xu Qing's skull.

Xu Qing looked up, his eyes gleaming with a strange light. He had seen this move before, but unlike then, he now also possessed powerful techniques. He raised his right hand, formed a seal, and swept it out. Instantly, dense mist enveloped Xu Qing, making everything hazy as a vast blue ocean formed directly around him. Compared to this ocean, Daoxuan Mountain appeared like a colossal peak in the sea, and the two of them on their island seemed like tiny ants.

The immensity of this sea was evident, with blue and white waves surging to the sky. It was as if a tsunami had gathered into a colossal first wave, which surged directly towards the descending Profound Heaven Blood Fiend Sword! The waves engulfed the sky as the blood sword roared. Before it concluded, the second beam of sword light appeared. This sword swept horizontally, transforming into the Soul-Cleansing Demon-Suppressing Sword, and abruptly slashed towards Xu Qing like an autumn wind sweeping fallen leaves.

Xu Qing danced his hands, and beneath him, another surging wave rose from the ground, forming the second wave. It collided with the sweeping Soul-Cleansing Demon-Suppressing Sword, emitting a thunderous sound that echoed through the clouds and shook heaven and earth.

Soon, Sheng Yunzi's third sword appeared, transforming into eight sword-wielding ghost figures that materialized around Xu Qing. They all turned simultaneously, drew their swords, and struck. It was the Northern Ghost's Heaven-Asking Sword. Xu Qing moved his hands in sequence, his body swaying as if performing Tai Chi, his arms vibrating one after another. Instantly, the Howling Sea's third, fourth, fifth, and sixth waves erupted simultaneously around him. These four waves, each possessing terrifying power, roared outwards and collided with the eight sword-wielding ghosts.

Amidst the massive roar, the sword-wielding ghosts shattered. Xu Qing's expression remained calm as he coldly watched Sheng Yunzi, who was rapidly retreating with a grim face. Xu Qing's hands still appeared slow, yet moved with extreme speed as he waved them, his body stepping five paces forward during these motions. With each step, a towering wave surged upwards. After five steps, the five layers of sea waves around him became progressively more astonishing. They formed a heavy assault that whistled towards Sheng Yunzi. From a distance, it looked as if water had submerged Daoxuan Mountain, an endless, overwhelming force.

Sheng Yunzi's breathing became ragged. This battle felt completely different from before; Xu Qing's techniques, once a weakness, were now potent and impressive. Yet, he did not give up; his killing intent remained. Amidst the five crashing waves, Sheng Yunzi let out a low growl and pulled out an item from his person: a decaying finger. Its origin was unknown, emanating an eerie and sinister aura. Countless shifting runes were faintly visible on its surface, giving off an incredibly evil sensation. This was... a curse!

It was his younger brother's curse, which he had refined onto this finger bone using the power of the Golden Crow, during his torment under Xu Qing's potent poison, turning it into his own weapon. Upon taking it out, he threw it without hesitation. Instantly, the finger touched the seawater, shattering into a black liquid that rapidly contaminated the water, causing the entire sea to turn black in an instant. A foul, fishy stench continuously spread. The once blue ocean instantly transformed into a black, putrid water, from which countless arms and ghostly faces emerged. This caused the entire sea to show signs of collapse, with waves even rolling back as if to counter-attack.

However, it was clear that during Sheng Yunzi's previous battle with Xu Qing, he had only witnessed Xu Qing's shadow obscuring his vital points. Therefore, his focus this time was on preventing his vital points from being obscured and guarding against Xu Qing's strange poisons. His grandfather's enhancements for him were also within these defensive parameters. Thus, he was unaware of the true power of Xu Qing's shadow – a testament to the benefit of concealing one's abilities.

At this moment, the eerie entities born from the seawater were about to retaliate, but the next instant, as Xu Qing cast a cold glance, they trembled, emitted sharp cries, and scrambled to escape the sea, fleeing in all directions.

Almost as they scattered, Xu Qing let out a cold snort. He suddenly raised his right hand, and a Heavenly Blade materialized directly above his head. This blade was purple and seemed entirely real, but it wasn't just one; with his current cultivation power, Xu Qing had manifested seven at once. Xu Qing had only comprehended two imprints of the Grand Azure Blade technique, so its direct power had an upper limit. However, his abundant spiritual power allowed him to form multiple blades at once, stacking their power, as he had demonstrated in his battle with Sima Ru.

Now, with the Heavenly Blades manifested, Xu Qing waved his hand, and the seven blades roared towards Sheng Yunzi. Wherever they passed, the sky and clouds changed color, and streaks of malevolent energy swirled around, directly striking Sheng Yunzi. Sheng Yunzi was unable to dodge in time; his body roared and recoiled. Struck by the seven Heavenly Blades, massive, bone-deep wounds instantly appeared all over his body. The deepest wound was just a hair's breadth away from severing his waist. But the next instant, a bizarre scene unfolded.

A Golden Crow's shadow suddenly appeared within Sheng Yunzi's dark right eye. The shadow let out a shriek, and an astonishing surge of life force erupted. Upon integrating into Sheng Yunzi's body, all his injuries visibly healed in an instant, even the severe wound at his waist. This sight left the surrounding onlookers wide-eyed and deeply shaken. The attacks of these two were clearly not at the Foundation Establishment stage; they resembled those of Golden Core cultivators.

Sheng Yunzi's retreating figure halted; he was now completely unharmed, and he glared at Xu Qing with a sinister grin. "Xu Qing," he sneered, "I have you to thank for this immortal body. I will repay you handsomely."

Xu Qing narrowed his eyes and spoke calmly, uttering his first words of this battle. "You're still as noisy and full of nonsense as before," he said. Xu Qing wasn't overly surprised. Although this was unexpected, it was also within his expectations. At this moment, he understood: this was Sheng Yunzi's trump card. This "act rather than speak" demeanor made everyone keenly aware of the ruthlessness ingrained in Xu Qing.

On the peak of Xuanyou Sect, Immortal Zixuan watched the battle while sipping on her Hundred Flowers Morning Dew Lotus Seed Soup. Noticing Xu Qing's words, she chuckled softly. "Though his malevolent aura suggests there's no light within him, and he isn't the one I'm seeking, he is, fundamentally, an interesting young man. Mostly because he's good-looking, unlike Sheng Yunzi, who was a conjoined abomination consuming his other self as a child – utterly disgusting to behold."