Chapter 39: Kuaiying's Great Achievement

In the ruined city, Xu Qing’s stone cave was covered in bird feathers and filled with a foul, murky odor.

The rocks and debris he had once used to block the cracks were now severely corroded by the alien substance. The dust around was also thicker than when he had left. Clearly, even after the forbidden zone formed and scavengers began to arrive, his shelter remained too well-hidden, so no one had found it since he left. Thus, the scent of dust mixed with decay constantly drifted into Xu Qing’s nostrils, but he paid it no mind.

At this moment, Xu Qing sat cross-legged, his Sea Mountain Art operating at full capacity. After accumulating power, he was now fully assaulting the seventh level. Outside, roars and bizarre, piercing cries, mixed with spine-chilling wails, continuously echoed. For a moment, this made Xu Qing's expression dazed, giving him a strange illusion.

It was as if he had returned to half a year ago, when, with the divine eye open and blood rain descending, he had struggled to survive alone in this city filled with skeletons.

Xu Qing fell silent. After a long while, old memories no longer surfaced in his mind. His focus completely immersed in his cultivation. As his internal energy continuously circulated, spiritual power slowly gathered around him, rapidly pouring into his body through every pore. Thumping sounds gradually resonated within him, growing louder and louder until they became a roaring thunder in his mind.

Along with the roar came black impurities secreting from every pore of his body, growing in quantity and concentration. As these impurities secreted, an astonishing power erupted within the flesh of Xu Qing’s body beneath his clothes. His veins all bulged, his flesh constantly tore and reformed, compressing, and his bones also emitted sounds.

An hour later, as a thunderous sound exploded in his mind, Xu Qing's eyes snapped open, and purple light erupted from his pupils. At that very moment, the Kui Shadow materialized behind him once more. But this time, his Kui Shadow was completely different from before!

Its entire body was even darker, its physique more robust, and instead of a single horn on its head, it now had two ox-like horns, spiraling, with faint black lightning coiling at their tips. Its face was even more ferocious, with its blood-red mouth open as if it could devour vengeful spirits whole. Especially its sharp claws, combined with its purple eyes, exuded a terrifying savagery. A powerful fluctuation spread from the Kui Shadow, seemingly capable of piercing the stone cave and shaking the surroundings.

The Kui Shadow, perfected!

This was a transformation that only appeared upon reaching the grand completion of the Sea Mountain Art. For others, cultivating to this extent would signify the great perfection of body refinement in the Qi Condensation realm, with no further improvement possible. Yet for Xu Qing, this was merely the seventh level.

As for his own body, it had also undergone significant changes. His physique was noticeably leaner and more refined, and the purple light in his eyes lasted longer than ever before. Especially his face… If he was already exceptionally handsome at the sixth level of the Sea Mountain Art, then now, with the purple glow in his eyes, even with a face covered in grime, Xu Qing seemed not far from an otherworldly, demonic charm.

But Xu Qing paid no attention to these changes; what he cared about was the power surging within him. So he quickly lowered his head, looking at the bulging veins on his slowly clenching fist and the prominent blue veins on his arm. As the purple light in his eyes slowly dissipated, he could distinctly feel his power—it was more than double what it had been before!

"The power of a Kui?" Xu Qing murmured, looking around. Outside, it was pitch black, and no light entered the stone cave. Although Xu Qing could vaguely see everything at the moment, he couldn't see his shadow. However, he could sense the presence of his shadow through his perception, so after pondering, he attempted to control it.

An incense stick's time later, a hint of excitement and strangeness appeared in Xu Qing's eyes. In his perception, his control over his shadow had greatly improved. He could even manipulate it subtly, allowing a portion of the alien substance within the shadow to return to his body. Although doing so served no practical purpose, it indirectly proved his more flexible control over the shadow.

All of this made Xu Qing feel that if he were to encounter the Camp Master again, he wouldn't need the Divine Statue Heavenly Blade; a single punch would be enough to shatter the arm of the eighth-level body-refining Camp Master. "But unfortunately, the gap is still too large when facing the Patriarch of the Vajra Sect." Xu Qing shook his head. Although he hadn't truly fought the Patriarch, his escape along the way and the fist shadows from the Vajra Sect Patriarch made the disparity very clear to him. Therefore, even with the element of surprise from his shadow, Xu Qing was still very clear that his current self could not possess the power to contend with a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

"However, if I encounter those two ninth-level Qi Condensation cultivators, I can kill them." A cold glint flashed in Xu Qing's eyes as he looked out through the narrow exit of the stone cave. The roars and eerie sounds in his ears intermittently came closer and faded away, forming a stark contrast with the silence inside the cave. This scene once again gave Xu Qing the feeling of being back half a year ago. Instinctively, he took out his iron spike and slowly gripped it, pondering silently about his next move.

If he left now, he felt he would most likely reach Deerhorn City safely. But… Xu Qing was a little unwilling, and a murderous intent flashed in his eyes. "If I don't kill those few people, this hidden danger will make me very uneasy," Xu Qing narrowed his eyes, and the map of the entire city appeared in his mind. He was very familiar with this city. As the streets appeared in his mind, the locations where strange beasts slumbered and the safe havens for birds were clearly revealed, and he began his analysis.

"The City Lord's Mansion!" After a while, Xu Qing muttered, a strong cold glint in his eyes. He decided to try leaving the city first. If he didn't encounter anyone from the Vajra Sect on the way, then so be it. But if he did, he would retaliate according to his predetermined plan.

Sensing the roars outside moving from near to far, Xu Qing's expression became resolute. He moved aside the debris blocking the entrance and slowly squeezed out. The crack's entrance was narrow, and Xu Qing's body had grown larger, making his exit a bit difficult. But his expression remained calm; after forcibly squeezing through, even if his body was scratched, such minor injuries would quickly heal.

After emerging, Xu Qing remained vigilant. He scanned the surrounding darkness, then swiftly darted forward, cautiously moving through the ruined city. This caution even surpassed the state he maintained deep within the forbidden zone's jungle. The truth was, compared to the jungle, the city at night contained far more strange beasts and eerie entities. Fortunately, Xu Qing understood the city's layout, so although he encountered dangers along the way, he mostly avoided them by relying on his speed and familiarity. If he absolutely couldn't avoid a threat, he would resolve it with lightning speed and then quickly move away again.

In this manner, under the dense alien substance, Xu Qing cautiously traversed the city for over an hour. As he neared the edge, he suddenly heard a roar in the distance. This sound made Xu Qing's eyes narrow. In the darkness, his lone-wolf gaze sharpened. He moved closer to the source of the sound, and an incense stick's time later, he saw two figures being pursued by seven or eight strange beasts.

These two were indeed elders of the Vajra Sect. They had arrived in the city some time after Xu Qing and the Patriarch had entered. It was late night when they arrived, so after some hesitation and consideration, they chose not to venture deeper, instead hiding and waiting near the city's edge. However, there were too many strange beasts and eerie entities in the city, and their hiding spot was not one of the relatively safe havens found by birds, so encounters were inevitable. Unwilling to cause too much commotion and attract more strange beasts, they avoided conflict whenever possible, only striking when there was no other choice. Their cautious approach, combined with their considerable strength, allowed them to cope even when attacked.

As they sped along, just as they were about to shake off the pursuing beasts, a cold gleam suddenly shot toward them from a distance. Its speed was astonishing, like an arrow released from a bowstring in the darkness, whistling directly towards the Vajra Sect elder in front. This person was not the one who had fought Xu Qing earlier, but the newcomer who had accompanied the Vajra Sect Patriarch.

His expression immediately changed. He quickly formed hand seals and pushed forward, and instantly, roaring ice spread around him, and a protective barrier solidified around his body, blocking the approaching cold gleam. But the cold gleam was astonishingly powerful, piercing through the ice instantly and striking his protective barrier directly. As the spiritual energy intensely vibrated, cracks appeared in his barrier, but it ultimately held, allowing him to clearly see that the attacker was a black iron spike!

This sight made the Vajra Sect elder's eyes constrict. He sharply turned his head to look at his companion behind him, about to make a move, but it was too late. The moment he was attacked, a black shadow, like a bolt of black lightning, shot out from a nearby alley, instantly nearing the other elder behind him. This black shadow was Xu Qing. The earlier iron spike was a diversion; Xu Qing's true first target was the middle-aged man who had once fought him and whose left foot he had shattered!

Xu Qing's speed erupted fully at this moment, far exceeding what it was at the sixth level of the Sea Mountain Art. As he raced forward, he created a sharp whistling sound, and in an instant, he was beside the injured middle-aged cultivator. This middle-aged cultivator was injured, and the alien substance within the forbidden zone was dense, preventing him from continuously ascending with flight talismans. Therefore, compared to his companion, his steps were slightly unsteady.

Facing danger now, his eyes widened, and a strong sense of life-or-death crisis surged within him. He abruptly recoiled to dodge, but how could Xu Qing give him a chance? The moment he approached, Xu Qing instantly leaped, clenching his right fist, and threw a fierce punch at him. Xu Qing put all his strength into this punch, both in speed and power. As he struck, a ferocious Kui Shadow materialized directly behind him, letting out a silent roar that intimidated all directions, converging into Xu Qing's fist. The moment the punch was thrown, the air seemed to explode. Amidst cracking sounds, it felt as though it contained a suppressive force, and with the Kui Shadow's ferocity, it landed on the middle-aged cultivator's chest.

The protective barrier in front of the middle-aged cultivator shattered instantly, and Xu Qing's fist, like a bamboo splitting, directly smashed into his chest. A deafening roar echoed suddenly through the silent city. Accompanied by a shrill scream, the middle-aged cultivator whose left foot had been shattered spurted blood. His chest caved in deeply, his internal organs threatened to collapse and shatter, and his figure reeled uncontrollably like a kite with a broken string.

But he was, after all, at the ninth level of Qi Condensation. With a terrified expression, he forcefully suppressed his injuries. The flight talisman on his right leg suddenly flared, and as the power of flight spread, his falling body twisted, about to ascend and escape. But the next instant, a cold glint reappeared. A long sword whistled through the air, instantly approaching and slicing directly through his right leg. Blood erupted, and as his shrill screams echoed in all directions, his right leg, with the flight talisman attached, instantly severed from his body.

Before the man, now missing his right leg, could fall, Xu Qing propelled himself forward with a surge of strength in his thighs. The very spot where he had just been standing was pierced by a large number of ice blades conjured by the other person. As they crisscrossed, Xu Qing didn't even glance behind him. He directly caught up with the falling middle-aged cultivator in mid-air, and amidst the man's despair, he unleashed a thunderous punch with his right hand. The Kui Shadow roared, merging into his fist, and ferociously lunged towards the middle-aged cultivator. It directly struck the man's forehead.

With a bang, the middle-aged cultivator's body trembled violently, his head suddenly exploded, blood splattering everywhere, and he perished. His corpse fell to the ground, where it was immediately pounced upon by the pursuing strange beasts, who tore it apart.

Xu Qing's body did not pause in the slightest. He ripped off the flight talisman from the severed leg on the ground, then turned to face the other Vajra Sect elder not far away, who now had a pale face and eyes filled with horror. After licking his lips, a cold glint flashed in Xu Qing's wolf-like eyes, and he swiftly charged towards the elder.

Kill!