Chapter 356: Green Ox Duel

Xu Qing's speed was astonishing; each step covered several zhang, quickly leaving the seventh-ranked person behind.

The cultivator from the minor sect, now surpassed by Xu Qing, felt a wave of powerlessness coupled with his anxiety.

"The gap is too wide."

He knew Xu Qing was strong, being the first to reach a thousand zhang, and he also knew he couldn't compare. However, he never imagined Xu Qing was powerful to such an terrifying extent.

To be able to unleash such a terrifying burst of speed at this altitude seemed utterly inconceivable and unbelievable to him.

His own body and soul were trembling under the impact of the grievances from the Primordial Severing Pillar, and the terrifying malevolence emanating from his position caused a tearing sensation in his Sea of Consciousness.

Xu Qing's speed remained undiminished as he continued to climb. After refining his Ghost Emperor Mountain, it could absorb more, and at this altitude, vengeful spirits would form in his Sea of Consciousness roughly every dozen zhang.

These vengeful spirits took on various forms, but Xu Qing noticed a pattern: most were foreign races, with very few humans.

Normally, he would observe them closely, but time was limited. A cold glint flashed in Xu Qing's eyes. Suppress them all!

The Ghost Emperor Mountain within his Sea of Consciousness shone brightly, swaying as if transforming into a deity, suppressing all appearing vengeful spirits with overwhelming force, sweeping through everything.

Xu Qing's climbing altitude steadily increased, quickly reaching 1,400 zhang, then 1,500 zhang.

This was the altitude of the black-robed youth from the Li Tu Sect.

This black-robed youth was also giving his all, his eyes bloodshot, as he continuously pushed his way higher.

However, compared to Xu Qing, he was still too slow.

The next instant, Xu Qing's figure shot past him, directly overtaking him.

Almost the moment Xu Qing passed him, the black-robed youth abruptly turned his head to look at Xu Qing, a cold glint in his eyes. He let out a low growl and leaped several dozen zhang again, attempting to overtake Xu Qing once more.

But with this leap, his body trembled violently, his Sea of Consciousness reeled, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. Unable to continue, he could only cling tightly to the protruding totems, gazing up at Xu Qing's rapidly receding back, his heart filled with bitterness.

Before joining the Li Tu Sect, he had been considered the most prodigious talent in his hometown.

He had once suppressed many peers, even after joining his first sect. This led him to believe, for a time, that he was truly a favored son of heaven, possessing the potential of an ancient emperor.

It wasn't until he joined the Li Tu Sect for better prospects that he first learned there were always people more capable than oneself, and he encountered even more astonishing individuals.

This was a significant blow to him. He had initially intended to leverage his age advantage to soar in the Sword-Wielding Court this time, but within the larger Yinghuang State, which dwarfed the Li Tu Sect, there were even more prodigies.

He could only watch Xu Qing's back as he moved further and further away.

1,500 zhang, 1,550 zhang, 1,600 zhang!

Xu Qing paid no attention to those he surpassed. He sprinted from the sixth position until he spotted Sima Ru.

Sima Ru was breathing heavily, climbing zhang by zhang, her eyes showing determination and her expression resolute. She didn't even glance at Xu Qing as he approached.

Xu Qing likewise remained silent, leaping past her to claim the fifth position.

Behind him, Sima Ru's hand, gripping a totem on the pillar, trembled slightly, and she gritted her teeth, continuing her ascent.

Xu Qing's speed did not falter as he pressed on. After passing Sima Ru, he reached an altitude of 1,700 zhang, where the fourth-ranked cold female cultivator from the Grand Preceptor Immortal Sect was located.

She was biting her lips tightly, her hands covered in blood, and her eyes showed determination as she slowly climbed upward. However, no matter how hard she tried, her speed still slowed.

She was nearing her limit.

She saw Xu Qing, and Xu Qing saw her.

Compared to her disheveled state, Xu Qing's speed made the Grand Preceptor Immortal Sect woman gasp for breath, but she could only watch as Xu Qing leaped past her, reaching the higher altitude of 1,800 zhang.

Here, for the first time, Xu Qing felt the ferocity of the grievance impact. His Ghost Emperor Mountain also showed signs of saturation again. Normally, Xu Qing would have chosen to stop.

But now, he wanted to continue.

Ahead of him, there were still three individuals.

The youth with the nose ring, the pockmarked individual whose identity Xu Qing now knew, and the red-clad woman at the very front, who had already reached over 1,900 zhang and was almost at 2,000 zhang.

Almost the instant Xu Qing looked, the red-clad woman leaped, becoming the first cultivator to reach 2,000 zhang. Her breakthrough immediately caused an uproar below.

However, at this height, the sounds from below were muffled and indistinct. The strong winds also made one's body sway precariously and dispersed any sounds coming from below.

Most importantly, beyond this altitude, the shrill roars formed by grievances echoed within one's mind, completely filling it and preventing any other thoughts.

The pressure from Xu Qing also deeply affected the red-clad woman. Seeing Xu Qing only two hundred zhang behind her, she gritted her teeth. The fiend on her scythe emitted a red glow that enveloped her entire body.

As veins bulged on her forehead, her speed suddenly soared.

The pockmarked middle-aged man's speed also surged simultaneously.

A chilling aura emanated from his body, causing ice to appear on the Primordial Severing Pillar wherever he passed. His speed continuously increased, making him the second cultivator to step into 2,000 zhang.

As for the third, it wasn't the human youth with the nose ring, but Xu Qing.

Even though the Ghost Emperor Mountain was nearing saturation, Xu Qing's speed remained undiminished. Even without relying on the Ghost Emperor Mountain, his unwavering mind and robust soul could support his ascent.

After all, while he appeared to rely on the Ghost Emperor Mountain before, every cultivator capable of reaching this height possessed their own unique methods.

At this moment, Xu Qing leaped, directly surpassing the human youth with the nose ring. The youth's eyes showed unwillingness, and he gritted his teeth, forming a hand seal and pointing at Xu Qing.

With that point, as if transferring something, a large portion of the grievance impact on his body was transferred to Xu Qing.

A cold glint flashed in Xu Qing's eyes. This was the first person he had encountered who dared to attack him while climbing the Primordial Severing Pillar.

As the opponent's strange transfer took effect, the shrill sounds by Xu Qing's ears suddenly intensified immensely. The grievances within his Sea of Consciousness instantly surged to their peak, forming a colossal foreign creature with enormous wings and a massive body.

This foreign creature had an eagle's face, a human body, and was entirely black. Its entire being emanated terrifying fluctuations. The moment it formed, it let out a roar, about to unleash destruction upon Xu Qing's Sea of Consciousness.

The Ghost Emperor Mountain was now saturated and unable to emit light. Xu Qing's Sea of Consciousness visibly trembled violently, but the next moment, with a cold snort from Xu Qing, the Poison Pill within his third Heavenly Palace subtly vibrated.

The roaring of the vengeful spirit abruptly ceased. Its expression turned to horror, and it gasped in surprise.

"Divine Domain..."

The next moment, the vengeful spirit collapsed on its own, without waiting for Xu Qing to suppress it. It seemed to have chosen to flee, instantly burrowing out of Xu Qing's body and heading straight for the nose-ringed youth who had sent it.

In the blink of an eye, it burrowed into the youth's body. The youth's body trembled, his Sea of Consciousness clearly in chaos. Before Xu Qing could even act, he spat out blood, his eyes dimming, and his body was repelled by a powerful force, directly flung away from the Primordial Severing Pillar.

Although injured, he was not in danger of dying. However, he now realized that his previous action had jeopardized his own life, so his face turned pale, and he dared not look into Xu Qing's eyes as he rapidly retreated through the air.

Xu Qing coldly watched the youth's retreating figure, then turned his head and continued to climb.

Compared to the reward for being first, the matter with this youth could be dealt with later.

Xu Qing leaped, directly reaching 2,000 zhang. At this moment, the pockmarked middle-aged man was fifty zhang ahead of him, and the red-clad woman was a hundred zhang ahead.

Almost simultaneously with Xu Qing looking upward, the pockmarked middle-aged man suddenly turned his head, his eyes meeting Xu Qing's.

"Captain, I've been looking for you for a long time," Xu Qing said calmly.

For over a month, every time he saw a disciple from the Xuan You Sect, he would recall that letter, and recalling that letter made his teeth itch, wanting to give the Captain a good beating. Hearing this, the pockmarked middle-aged man coughed, chuckled, glanced at Xu Qing, and then spoke.

"Little A'Qing, shall we have another competition?"

"If you win, I'll let you beat me up. If you lose, give me back my money, and then behave as your senior brother should. I'll deal with Senior Immortal Zixuan; otherwise, I won't dare return to the sect or face the ancestor. Damn it, I can't go home, I'm suffering too."

A sharp glint appeared in Xu Qing's eyes. Seeing the Captain's seriousness, he also nodded earnestly.

Their first competition was years ago, in the Forbidden Sea.

The loser had to wear women's clothes and disguise themselves as a Sea Corpse Tribe princess. This was their second competition.

Just as they reached their agreement, the red-clad woman at the highest point heard the scythe fiend's urgent voice echoing in her mind.

"It's those two! Mad Dog and Ghost Hand! They're both behind you. I just heard them talking about competing to see who gets first place."

"This is outrageous! Absolutely disrespectful! They're completely disregarding you!"

"Can you tolerate this? Should we turn back now and take them down with us?!"

"You always yell about dying together! Shut up!"

The red-clad woman roared, a red glint appearing in her eyes. Red light also spread from her body, and her speed instantly surged, bringing her directly to 2,200 zhang.

But just then, the Captain moved.

A tremendous blue light burst from him, illuminating the sky as if dyeing the surrounding heavens. One could even faintly see veins surfacing all over his body.

If one could see through his flesh to his blood, they would surely find that his blood was no longer red, but blue.

Faces appeared within his pupils, and within the eyes of those faces were more faces, layers upon layers, transforming into an eerie and profound sight, which in turn granted him incredibly astonishing speed.

He leaped a hundred zhang, and after three leaps, he surpassed the red-clad woman, reaching 2,300 zhang!

At this moment, the Sword-Wielding Elders observing within the Sword-Wielding Court all reacted, turning their attention to the Captain.

"Nightmare Sealing Art, Spirit Sealing Dao!"

"A powerful being sealed an unknown entity within this boy. That powerful being's status is too high, and their Dao techniques obscure it, making it impossible to clearly discern what was sealed."