Chapter 290: Light

Upon hearing Xu Qing's words and seeing his calm expression, Sheng Yunzi's face instantly darkened, and his murderous intent intensified.

He intensely disliked Xu Qing.

What he detested was that someone like Xu Qing, who had committed countless murders just like himself, and even resorted to despicable methods such as poison and the wicked technique that sealed his own Dharma Apertures, paradoxically emitted light when the Mysterious Spirit Eternal Will Gate opened.

This was a tremendous blow to Sheng Yunzi, shattering his perception. He had always believed he represented light, which was the origin of his name "Sheng Yun" (Holy Radiance).

However, the outcome was bitterly ironic: when he opened the Mysterious Spirit Eternal Will Gate, what emerged was a repulsive tongue, reeking of putrid stench and covered in viscous slime.

From the moment he saw the light that day, he found it absurd and unacceptable, while simultaneously feeling a deep loathing for Xu Qing.

Now, upon hearing Xu Qing's words, his aversion grew even stronger. Murderous intent flared in his eyes, five clusters of Life Fire surged within him, and the silhouette of Mie Meng roared behind him.

As his six-fire combat power soared, the Golden Crow in his right eye blazed, providing him with endless vitality.

All these factors brought his combat power infinitely close to the seven-fire level, which was why Sheng Yunzi was confident he could suppress and kill Xu Qing.

Moreover, a brand left by his grandfather sealed all his Dharma Apertures, making him immune to external interference, and the Golden Crow's vitality allowed him to disregard the potent poisons he had encountered before.

In Sheng Yunzi's perception, nothing in his preparations could go wrong. Although he had lost his Life Lamp, his current combat power was even greater and stronger than before.

At this moment, he let out a cold snort, suddenly raised his right hand, and pressed it towards the sky, letting out a low growl.

“Five Flames Radiating Divine Brilliance!”

Almost the instant Sheng Yunzi's words echoed, five streaks of crimson sword energy shot up from his body. Each streak was sharper than the last, and each radiated ten thousand feet of bloody light.

Upon closer inspection, it was clear that these five streaks of sword energy were none other than Sheng Yunzi's five clusters of Life Fire, soaring directly towards the heavens.

Wherever they passed, the sky rumbled, dyed crimson by the sword energy, and clouds churned and dispersed over a range of about a thousand zhang. Finally, these five streaks of sword energy transformed into five massive fingers, rumbling down from within the crimson clouds.

First the fingertips, then the pads, followed by the knuckles, and finally, all five fingers fully emerged, abruptly descending towards the ground, towards Daoxuan Mountain, and towards Xu Qing!

Outside Daoxuan Mountain, disciples who witnessed this scene were all horrified, their expressions changing in unison. They felt the terrifying power emanating from the clouds and the five fingers.

It was the power of suppression over Foundation Establishment cultivators, the essence of sublimation after Five-Fire Perfection, and it also contained intense emotional fluctuations, transforming into murderous intent that locked onto Xu Qing.

Xu Qing's expression changed for the first time, not due to Sheng Yunzi's combat power, but because he sensed a different aura within the sky's clouds and on those five fingers.

This aura seemed unrelated to cultivation; it was indescribable, difficult to articulate, and felt more like a certain will.

As Xu Qing reacted, the elder powerhouses from various sects observing the battle all showed surprise in their expressions. Especially the Old Ancestor of Lingyun Sword Sect, whose eyes gleamed with delight as he burst into laughter.

“Indeed, he is my grandson, possessing the aptitude of an ancient emperor! He has actually comprehended a trace of Killing Intent within Five-Fire Perfection. Even if it's just a trace, and only contains intent, far from a complete artistic conception, it is still enough to shake the eight directions. Excellent, excellent, excellent!”

On the peak of Xuanyou Sect, Immortal Zixuan took a sip of his Hundred Flowers Morning Dew Lotus Seed Paste, and a strange light flashed in his eyes.

“His talent is indeed extraordinary. No wonder old Lingyun would go to such lengths to obtain a wisp of Golden Crow avatar for him. And no wonder my senior brother, who never acts without profit, agreed to this matter.”

As the four directions trembled, the five sword-energy fingers formed by Life Fire, imbued with Sheng Yunzi's will and astonishing murderous intent, approached Daoxuan Mountain.

Xu Qing looked up and acknowledged in his heart that Sheng Yunzi was indeed a formidable opponent, both in the past and now. This person's talent was truly terrifying.

Most importantly, after his Life Lamp was seized, Sheng Yunzi not only didn't become dispirited but grew even more formidable. This was not something an ordinary person could achieve.

Xu Qing remained silent. The moment the five fingers descended from the sky, he raised his right hand and swiftly waved it. Instantly, black mist appeared beneath his feet.

The mist immediately churned and enveloped Daoxuan Mountain, spreading outwards in all directions, turning the area around Xu Qing into a sea of fog.

Its range was also a thousand zhang!

Above, a thousand zhang of crimson cloud.

Below, a thousand zhang of black misty sea.

Xu Qing formed a hand seal with his right hand and pointed towards the sky. Streaks of lightning suddenly erupted within the surrounding black misty sea, darting in all directions. Simultaneously, a withered finger shot up from the misty sea beneath Xu Qing's feet in the blink of an eye!

A thunderous roar echoed through the sky.

This was Xu Qing's uncanny technique, the Mysterious Nether Finger.

Within this finger lay a trace of the insight Xu Qing had gained while comprehending the Sky Nail previously. Although he hadn't fully succeeded, even this minute inclusion made the Mysterious Nether Finger slightly sharper than before.

Though this sharpness was very faint and hard for ordinary cultivators to detect, those at the Old Ancestor level could discern it. Thus, in the next instant, Old Ancestor Lingyun's face darkened, while Blood炼zi burst into laughter.

“Quite interesting,” Immortal Zixuan remarked, taking a sip of his lotus seed paste and smiling faintly.

In an instant, as a deafening roar reverberated everywhere, Xu Qing's Mysterious Nether Finger directly collided with Sheng Yunzi's Five Flames Radiating Divine Brilliance.

From afar, the scene was breathtaking: above, the five fingers of crimson mist descended from a thousand zhang; below, a single beam of black mist rose a thousand zhang.

The roar echoed, the winds and clouds shifted, Sheng Yunzi's body shook, and his Five Flames Radiating Divine Brilliance shattered in the sky. The thousand zhang of crimson mist rolled back, and he spat out blood.

Xu Qing's breathing also quickened slightly. His Mysterious Nether Finger likewise collapsed at that moment, and as the black misty sea dispersed, he narrowed his eyes, a hint of coldness hidden within. Biting his tongue, he spat out blood and rapidly retreated.

Sheng Yunzi took a deep breath. The Golden Crow's light blazed in his right eye, instantly healing all his injuries. His body swayed as he abruptly gave chase, and raising his right hand, he pressed it against his chest. With a pull, he actually drew out a crimson longsword from within his body.

The sword was dark crimson, and upon its appearance, it exuded overwhelming vital energy, a strong metallic stench, and a pervasive aura of poison.

Xu Qing was no stranger to this poison; it was precisely the aura of his poison pill.

This was a flesh-and-blood sword that Sheng Yunzi had painstakingly refined with the aid of his ancestor, using his constantly decaying flesh during the period he was agonizingly tormented by the poison pill's aura. When forging this sword, a vision had already appeared in his mind: the scene of him suppressing and killing Xu Qing with it.

Now, drawing the blood-red sword, Sheng Yunzi's face was ferocious. Mie Meng manifested behind him, the Golden Crow blazed in his right eye, and his speed was suddenly much faster than before. In an instant, he closed in on Xu Qing, raised the blood-red sword in his hand, and thrust it fiercely.

The tip of the sword was about to pierce Xu Qing's chest.

Xu Qing feigned a grim expression, rapidly retreated to the edge of Daoxuan Mountain, and took to the air, as if trying to create distance.

But Sheng Yunzi was relentless, his speed even more rapid.

Xu Qing quickly weighed his options internally, analyzing that it wasn't the right time. Revealing his strength now to devour Mie Meng had little chance of success, let alone killing it. He was waiting for an opportunity.

So, he formed hand seals. Instantly, the Fiendfire within him erupted, and all one hundred and nineteen Dharma Apertures simultaneously formed Spirit Seas. A terrifying power surged around him, creating a formidable barrier while his Life Lamp also emitted protection, offering full resistance.

A heaven-shattering roar ensued. Xu Qing's protective layers crumbled one after another, and his body retreated again. Sheng Yunzi was also not unscathed; under Xu Qing's counter-shock, he couldn't maintain his overwhelming momentum and had to retreat to disperse the force from Xu Qing.

The instant Sheng Yunzi retreated, a cold light flashed in Xu Qing's eyes. He raised his right hand and waved it, dispersing the last type of poison powder!

Before this, he had already spread hundreds of poison powders in the area. This final one was the trigger. As it ignited the poisons present, Sheng Yunzi, despite his terrifying vitality, was still affected by his toxins.

Even if not fatal, the simultaneous onset of all negative effects caused Sheng Yunzi's expression to change. As he spat blood, his entire body showed greenish-black changes, and his heteromorphism also clearly increased.

Xu Qing then swayed, preparing to pursue, but Sheng Yunzi, while rapidly retreating, also guarded against Xu Qing. He directly flung out the blood-red sword in his hand, and with a hand seal and a point, the sword instantly self-detonated, transforming into a sea of blood that surged towards Xu Qing.

With this delay, Sheng Yunzi successfully retreated. After realizing that some of his negative conditions couldn't be immediately dispelled even with his vitality, his face became grim. He abruptly waved his hand, and countless dense mists instantly formed around him, blocking external sight. Then, he quickly pulled out a piece of black wood.

It was precisely a fragment of the Mysterious Spirit Eternal Will Gate that he had retrieved in South Phoenix Continent that day, though it seemed a bit larger now. With a tap, the wood vibrated, and the familiar black wooden door instantly manifested upon it.

As this eerie black wooden door appeared, an ominous aura erupted. However, most outsiders couldn't see the specifics; this was Sheng Yunzi's arrangement for his dignity, as he instinctively didn't want outsiders to see the tongue within the door.

At this moment, the wooden door creaked open a crack, and an incredibly foul-smelling tongue, covered in copious amounts of slime, directly extended from within, enveloping Sheng Yunzi.

With a pull, Sheng Yunzi's body violently trembled, and all the negative poisons transformed into a mouthful of fresh blood that he spat out.

Seeing this, Xu Qing suddenly surged forward, his speed immense, directly charging towards Sheng Yunzi. As he raised his right hand, his cultivation spread, and layers of ocean waves materialized around him, approaching rapidly with terrifying power.

With a swing, nine waves overlapped and violently crashed towards Sheng Yunzi.

Sheng Yunzi narrowed his eyes. In an instant, all the grim expressions on his face were replaced by a hint of coldness. He gazed at Xu Qing and spoke softly.

“Xu Qing, you've finally fallen into my trap.”

“My focus during this period wasn't on those previous methods, but rather on fully dedicating myself to refining the Mysterious Spirit Eternal Will Gate, finally enabling it to manifest its second ability.”

“Seal!” Sheng Yunzi's eyes gleamed with greed. Laughing loudly, he suddenly waved his hand. Instantly, the black wooden door before him spun, facing Xu Qing, and slowly began to open!

A beam of light instantly emanated from within the door!

The next instant, on Xuanyou Sect's peak, a bowl of Hundred Flowers Morning Dew Lotus Seed Paste slipped from a beautiful hand, as white as jade and smooth as congealed fat, falling onto the white jade ground.