Chapter 351: A Show of Strength in One Battle

Xu Qing’s eyes gleamed with cold light. As he raised his right hand, he suddenly grabbed a figure by the neck, pulling them forcefully from behind.

The figure struggled in vain. The next moment, it became clear: it was Li Ziliang, his face rapidly turning black.

Xu Qing’s hand was poisonous.

The moment his hand touched Li Ziliang, the latter was already poisoned and decaying.

Meanwhile, the other Li Ziliang, who had been fleeing in the distance, blurred and dissipated. "How did you know I was here? This is impossible! And your mind shows no doubt at all! What... what past experiences have you had to make your will so firm?!" Li Ziliang, held by Xu Qing, cried out in horror and disbelief.

Indeed, if the scene just now had involved any of his previous opponents, most would have shown a change in expression and relentlessly pursued him to silence him, as everyone has secrets, and it was clear that his secret had been exposed.

At the same time, his cryptic words were designed to sow doubt, prompting others to instinctively become distracted and focus their attention on his fleeing figure, thus chasing him.

And that was precisely his goal!

Li Ziliang possessed no predictive power and no divination skills. However, the esoteric techniques of the Grand Preceptor Immortal Sect focused on 'intent'.

But he hadn't yet cultivated full 'intent', only reaching the stage of 'idea' or 'thought'.

This 'idea' was not its literal meaning; it was far more complex, encompassing a multitude of emotions.

More accurately, he cultivated the 'doubt-inducing thought'. Whenever an enemy harbored doubt during a confrontation, he could instantly sense this thought, transforming it into his ultimate weapon, capable of causing the enemy's soul to self-immolate.

He had used this technique to kill many in the past, always succeeding against everyone except Dao Child Zhang Siyun.

He had expected today to be no different. As long as Xu Qing harbored any distracting thoughts, he could unleash his killing move. If Xu Qing chased his clone, he could then secretly attack, combining it with his ultimate weapon for a fatal blow.

But today, he faced his second defeat.

The first time, he survived. This second time, he would not.

Xu Qing had no habit of explaining things to enemies. As Li Ziliang struggled and decayed, Xu Qing's right hand instantly turned transparent, reaching deep into the opponent's Heavenly Palace. With a single grab, he extracted four crystal-like Golden Cores.

A piercing scream echoed, and in the throes of a life-or-death crisis, Li Ziliang's eyes showed despair as he frantically blurted out, "Someone told me to test you; that's why I challenged you earlier! Xu Qing, don't kill me! Just let me go, and I'll tell you who it was..."

Xu Qing remained calm. His left hand transformed into the Seven-Headed Scythe, and with one strike, he slit Li Ziliang's throat.

Blood splattered and gushed forth, rising as wisps of white mist.

The blood stained his clothes and spilled onto the ground, starkly visible in crimson pools against the white snow.

Li Ziliang clutched his throat, staring blankly at Xu Qing, his eyes filled with disbelief. It seemed he couldn't comprehend why Xu Qing didn't stop despite his words.

After all, anyone else would have at least asked a question at this point.

Although he dared not reveal the true identity of the person, he could have bluffed, naming other individuals to deflect the danger, and he had even planned out who to name, such as Saint Yunzi's father or Xu Qing's fellow disciples.

If it succeeded, that would be best. If not, he could still use it to sow doubt in his opponent, thus completing the killing blow he hadn't yet unleashed.

But Xu Qing showed no inclination to listen, rendering all his calculations useless.

At this moment, a bitter resentment appeared in his eyes, yet it was baseless, and as his body fell, everything became a regret.

He was already filled with regret.

He regretted being greedy for the benefits offered by that person, agreeing to test Xu Qing for them, challenging him multiple times, and even detaining and forcing him to apologize, thus making the fight unavoidable.

He regretted his greed, believing he had victory assured in this battle.

He regretted even more caring about his reputation and accepting this death match.

Yet, none of these regrets compared to his bewilderment; he died without ever understanding why Xu Qing showed not the slightest hint of doubt from beginning to end.

Now, everything had turned into bitter resentment, becoming a thing of the past.

For him, the world turned completely dark, as if a curtain had been drawn.

Outside the city, silence reigned.

Only sporadic snowflakes, swept by the wind, drifted gently through the air, settling on the corpse and covering the blood.

Soon, the ground was free of visible blood, leaving only Li Ziliang's motionless corpse.

Xu Qing's expression remained calm. He had heard the dying man's words, but what people say in such moments can be both trustworthy and unreliable.

He believed there was indeed someone behind it, as this aligned with his previous judgment.

But he did not believe any name Li Ziliang might have offered.

Ultimately, Xu Qing trusted very few people, so most of the time, he only trusted himself. It was obvious that whoever arranged for Li Ziliang to test him must be someone Li Ziliang could not refuse. If Li Ziliang had revealed the true name, even if he survived Xu Qing, his future would still be miserable.

Therefore, any name he revealed would very likely be false.

Exchanging a false name for a life was not a good deal in Xu Qing's estimation.

This was his character and his habit: when sensing danger but unable to pinpoint the malicious target, he would break the opponent's extended claws with devastating ferocity, serving as a deterrent.

As for the answer that left Li Ziliang bewildered until his death, it was actually very simple.

Just as he didn't believe the opponent's pleas for life, he trusted himself, his own judgment, and even more so, his own memory. "Xu Qing, I've been looking for you for a long time. Do you still remember the enmity between us?" This was Li Ziliang's first statement, but he didn't know that Xu Qing's enemies were all etched onto bamboo slips, which he frequently consulted, never forgetting an enemy no matter what else he forgot. "I know why you don't recognize me. On your body... you were actually..." This second statement failed even more to stir any ripple in Xu Qing, as concealing his secrets had become a habit.

This had fostered a deep confidence in his own secrets; unless someone directly pointed them out, he would not be swayed in the slightest.

In essence, it wasn't that Li Ziliang's 'thought-sowing' technique was ineffective, but rather that he didn't understand Xu Qing and couldn't utter words that would genuinely disturb him.

"Flashy nonsense," Xu Qing said calmly, his only words since the start of the fight.

Meanwhile, after a brief silence, an uproar erupted within Primordial Ethereal City, accompanied by gasps of astonishment from the disciples of various sects who had flown into the air.

Dead? "That was too fast! Shattering the Heavenly Palace, slitting the throat with one blade—utterly decisive!"

"He actually dared to!"

"This Xu Qing should not be provoked. He's clearly ruthless, killing with every strike, and incredibly brutal... How savage! No wonder he's the only one in the Eight Sects Alliance with Dao Child status!"

Gasps continued to ripple through the crowd, and discussions flared, filling the entire city. Disciples from the various sects and rogue cultivators from all directions were all stunned.

They were astonished by Xu Qing's speed and his ruthlessness. Although they couldn't discern the 'Ghostly Dao-Snatching Art', they could see the withering of Li Ziliang's corpse and his agonizing cries before death.

This allowed them to imagine just how much pain Li Ziliang had suffered in that moment.

The chilling ferocity of that single, decisive blade strike instinctively sent shivers down their spines. In their eyes, Xu Qing, standing there, had become a malevolent deity.

All of this made everyone solemn, especially the Heavenly Palace Golden Core cultivators among them, who looked at Xu Qing with deep apprehension.

Even the leading experts of various sects took this matter seriously, many of them looking towards the Grand Preceptor Immortal Sect and the Eight Sects Alliance's strongholds.

The Grand Preceptor Immortal Sect remained silent.

The Eight Sects Alliance was also quiet.

They were all waiting. Even though the matter was clear and had precedents, here, they still had to wait for the Sword-Wielding Court of the Primordial Ethereal Pillar to render its judgment.

Not long after, a cold voice emanated from the Primordial Ethereal Pillar.

"What a bold, decisive, and ruthless young man! In times of peace, your personality would surely lead to an early demise, but now... my Sword-Wielding Court needs exactly such a wolf cub!"

"The Seven Blood Eyes have produced a good seedling."

"Young man, I look forward to your performance in the upcoming assessments!"

The voice echoed, spreading in all directions, followed by Blood Refiner's laughter from within the Eight Sects Alliance's area.

"Xu Qing, thank the Elder for his appreciation."

Hearing this, Xu Qing felt a slight hesitation regarding the "bold and reckless" assessment, a thought forming in his mind. He then bowed towards the sky.

"Thank you, Sir!"

With the Sword-Wielding Court's declaration, the matter was settled. Although killings outside the city hadn't occurred right before this trial, they had happened in the past.

While the Sword-Wielding Court didn't tacitly approve or advocate for such actions, committing them wasn't considered a violation of the rules.

Blood Refiner knew this, and so did the Grand Preceptor Immortal Sect.

The intentions of the major sects were not shallowly displayed, so soon, cultivators from the Grand Preceptor Immortal Sect arrived and took Li Ziliang's body away.

Xu Qing re-entered Primordial Ethereal City, but this time, his entry was different from before.

Previously, his every word and action hadn't been meticulously scrutinized; instead, there was much private discussion about him avoiding conflict. Now, wherever he went, he was met with reverence and deference.

No one now thought he avoided battles; instead, they understood why Xu Qing had refused earlier, as a hawk naturally wouldn't be interested in a sparrow's challenge.

At this moment, on the Primordial Ethereal Pillar, in front of the Sword-Wielding Court's palace, two Sword Wielders stood—an elder and a middle-aged man. They gazed down at the land below, their eyes fixed on Xu Qing.

If Xu Qing had been there, he would have recognized them.

The elder was one of the three who fought against the Nether Spirit Venerable, and the middle-aged man had also appeared on Mount Sanling Zhendao, a magnificent and powerful Void Return second-stage grand cultivator who fought against the Tai Guang Spirit Venerable.

"Is this the one?" The imposing middle-aged man, also dressed in official robes, glanced at Xu Qing on the ground and spoke calmly.