Chapter 437: Doing Big Things, We Are Serious

It was afternoon. In the cloudless sky, the winter sun released its most dazzling rays of the day, falling upon the Ink Wash Mountains, located some distance from the county capital.

They were called this because the geology here was predominantly black and white, with no vegetation. Only a species of snake, named Ink Wash Snake, dwelled here in groups. The two-toned rocks overlapped, making it appear from a distance as if an ink wash painting had been unfurled across the landscape.

At this moment, on a peak within this 'ink wash painting,' six individuals were seated. Their positions were clearly defined: one sat alone, one in the middle, and four behind.

The one seated alone was, naturally, the captain. He looked triumphant, sitting cross-legged at the highest point, his gaze sweeping over Xu Qing and down to the four behind him. The four behind were Kong Xianglong, Shan Hezi, Wang Chen, and Ye Ling. They ignored the captain, their gazes fixed on Xu Qing, who sat in the middle, each filled with intense curiosity.

This was the agreed-upon location for Xu Qing and Kong Xianglong. Kong Xianglong would later cooperate with Xu Qing to stage a performance.

“So, shall we begin?” the captain said calmly, amidst the anticipation of Kong Xianglong and the others.

Xu Qing nodded.

The captain lifted his chin, adopting a detached posture, and took out two pill bottles, tossing one to Xu Qing.

“Each bottle contains a Profound Sky Demonic Moon Pill,” the captain explained. “After consuming it, we can alter our physical structure, achieving true flesh and blood transformation. This way, when we transform into the Blacksky race, we can be indistinguishable from them.”

At the captain’s words, Kong Xianglong raised an eyebrow, surprised, while Shan Hezi beside him gasped, his expression moved.

“A Profound Sky Demonic Moon Pill?” Shan Hezi exclaimed. “This is a top-secret pill of the Yi Clan, incredibly valuable and rare. I heard that the ingredients for each pill are members of the very race it transforms one into!”

Wang Chen and Ye Ling were also surprised, looking at the captain.

The captain, as if it was nothing worth mentioning, spoke with nonchalance. “This pill is merely average. I originally had better options, but the Yi Clan owed me a favor. Upon learning of my need, they crossed several states to personally deliver it to the county capital, kneeling in supplication for seven days and seven nights. Alas, their sincerity was too great to refuse, so I could only accept.”

Xu Qing's expression was odd. Holding the pill bottle, he glanced at the captain, then at the frowning Kong Xianglong and others. Evidently, no one believed the captain's words.

The captain shook his head with a sigh, feigning reluctance to elaborate, and took out the pill from the bottle. The moment the pill appeared, a dazzling, blinding red glow erupted from it. A peculiar fragrance also emanated from within, and with just one sniff, Xu Qing felt his own flesh and blood seemingly wriggle on their own, indicating its extraordinary nature.

In front of everyone, the captain swallowed the pill in one gulp. Immediately, his body trembled, and visibly, an outer layer of clothing began to form around him. This clothing was entirely gray, steadily expanding to eventually envelop the captain's entire body. Then, it rapidly contracted. Under the effect of this transformation, the captain's body immediately changed: his limbs became slender, his physique slim, his head slightly larger, his eyelids vanished, and his eyes enlarged. His hair also transformed under the clothing's influence, forming sharp quills, like those of a hedgehog.

A member of the Blacksky race had thus appeared before everyone. This astonishing sight made Kong Xianglong and the others' eyes gleam with wonder. Although most of them had heard of the Yi Clan's miraculous pills, witnessing it firsthand today still felt incredible.

Seeing the captain's transformation complete, Xu Qing, without hesitation, took out his pill and swallowed it in one gulp. He felt his flesh and blood rapidly changing at that instant, as if a part of him was sent outside his body to form Blacksky-like clothing. The next moment, in the eyes of Kong Xianglong and the others, Xu Qing's appearance also changed, becoming that of a Blacksky. Gray skin, a slender body, a large head, and a full head of sharp quills. His attire also formed accordingly. This attire was not a daoist robe, but dark red armor, covering his entire body. It looked quite peculiar.

“The Blacksky race's blood is black,” Kong Xianglong reminded, watching Xu Qing and the captain and suppressing his urge to join in. “Also, while your auras are flawless, the Blacksky race's demeanor, actions, and spells are different from ours, the human race.”

“Naturally, this matter is also within my preparations,” the captain said with a proud smile, then tossed a black stone to Xu Qing. “This is a Blackblood Stone. After consuming it, your internal blood color will change for a short period.”

As he spoke, the captain swallowed it in one gulp. Then he bit himself, and black blood oozed from the broken flesh, which, combined with his aura, made him identical to a Blacksky.

“As for spells…” The captain, now a Blacksky, had a dark glint in his black eyes. Before him, space twisted into a void, and a blurry spear rapidly materialized. Then he raised his right hand and waved it outwards. Immediately, his body vibrated, and the next moment, countless Ink Wash Snakes from within the mountain swiftly emerged from all directions with rustling sounds, converging and raising their heads towards the captain, as if obeying his command.

This scene made Shan Hezi suddenly stand up. Wang Chen and Ye Ling also gasped, looking incredulous, while Kong Xianglong's eyes gleamed brightly. Truly… everything was identical to the Blacksky race they knew from their memories: enslaving myriad races, creating something from nothing. In fact, had they not personally witnessed the transformation process, they would now believe that the captain was a genuine Blacksky.

Xu Qing was also surprised.

Seeing everyone's reaction, the captain smiled inscrutably. With a wave of his hand, the snakes dispersed, and the spear vanished. Then he spoke with suggestive undertones. “Little Junior Brother, this time, your Senior Brother will definitely take you to pull off something big. In the future, don't just randomly go out on missions with others; those military merits are too meager. When it comes to taking missions, you have to see who's leading the team.”

Kong Xianglong snorted.

Xu Qing gave a wry smile. After swallowing the black stone in his hand and changing his blood, he was also curious how the captain managed to use Blacksky spells. However, considering the captain's mysterious nature, it seemed unsurprising.

“I should be able to as well.” Xu Qing mused, recalling the Blacksky's eye he had studied for three days.

“So, Little Junior Brother, the usual?” the captain asked, glancing at Kong Xianglong and the others, then looking at Xu Qing, licking his lips.

Xu Qing understood immediately. A flicker of hesitation appeared in his large black eyes, and he nodded.

Kong Xianglong and the others looked puzzled at this. They had no idea what the 'usual' meant for these two.

As they pondered, the captain suddenly stepped forward. As he raised his right hand, a frosty spear appeared. He thrust it into Xu Qing's chest; after piercing through, the ice spear exploded, transforming into countless sharp ice blades that erupted directly on Xu Qing's body. Instantly, Xu Qing's entire body was covered in black blood. But the captain didn't stop. He clenched his right fist and landed a punch on Xu Qing's right arm, breaking it with a crack. As Xu Qing gasped, the captain swiftly moved in, opening his mouth as if to bite.

Xu Qing's eyes widened, and he instantly retreated, speaking out. “My turn!”

“Haha, just a habit, just a habit, not on purpose. You go, you go,” the captain said, a little embarrassed.

Xu Qing, enduring the pain, with an unkind gaze, instantly closed in. With a flip of his right hand, a black dagger appeared and pierced through the captain's stomach. The captain let out a wail. Amidst the spurting blood, Xu Qing didn't stop. He slashed upwards with the dagger, then pulled it out, changed direction, and continued to stab. After seven or eight consecutive stabs, the captain was covered in wounds. Xu Qing instinctively looked up and then slashed across the captain's neck. After that slash, the captain's head almost fell off.

The captain's eyes widened, and he rapidly retreated to evade, speaking defiantly. “The Sword Holders have been chasing us for a long time, so there must be sword wounds!” he declared. As he spoke, he drew his command sword and stabbed Xu Qing seven or eight times.

Xu Qing endured the pain, more blood flowing, and spoke in a deep voice. “Since we've been chased for so long, we wouldn't have time to rest, and our wounds would fester.” As he spoke, he released poison, and the next moment, the captain shrieked as his wounds began to fester.

“We've been hiding and running; the spiritual energy here is insufficient, so we'd be very weak!” the captain retorted, continuing his assault.

“The Blacksky race dislikes sunlight; prolonged exposure would corrode their bodies!” Xu Qing took a breath and attacked again.

Thus, the two went back and forth, a scene that left Kong Xianglong and the other three utterly dumbfounded, standing frozen on the spot. After a long while, all four gasped, instinctively looking at each other.

“Are they that serious?”

“Xu Qing once said that he and his Senior Brother had experienced many life-or-death situations together…” Shan Hezi whispered.

The others readily agreed.

After a while, the captain weakly grabbed the dagger Xu Qing had thrust at him, and spoke feebly. “Little Ah Qing, are we… almost done? If we keep this up, we'll actually be finished.”

Xu Qing was panting, one hand pressed against the ice blade the captain had thrust at him. “That should be enough.”

Both stopped at the same time. As they were both weak, the captain glanced at the sky. It was now dusk, with crimson clouds filling the sky, tinged with a bloody hue. In the distant lands, dust clouds were rising, and tremors could be felt from the ground. Faint roars of fierce beasts were mixed within the sounds.

“The target convoy has arrived, Little Junior Brother. It’s our time to perform,” the captain declared. “Although we have a plan, we still need to improvise later!” As he spoke, he stood up, swayed forward while clutching his stomach, and swiftly fled.

Xu Qing's expression was solemn. He looked back at Kong Xianglong and the others, then clasped his hands in a salute before turning, and fled at full speed towards the sky.

Kong Xianglong and the other three felt a surge of energy. After witnessing Xu Qing and the captain's actions firsthand, they were deeply moved and filled with immense admiration. Especially the sight of them vigorously harming each other, left them profoundly shocked. They felt that Xu Qing and the captain were far too serious. Consequently, they also became serious. Each of their expressions turned fierce and ruthless, as they ascended into the sky, rapidly pursuing the captain and Xu Qing ahead.

“In our human territory, let’s see where you can run!”

“They are heavily injured and won't last much longer!”

“Everyone, pay attention. The Blacksky race excels at enslavement. There must be a reason they fled in this direction.”

As Kong Xianglong and the others shouted their pursuit, to make it more realistic, Ye Ling simply crushed a jade slip with a wave of his hand. Instantly, a beam of light shot skyward, exploding in the heavens to form a sword shape. That was the emblem of the Sword Holders.

At this moment, a hundred miles away from this location, a massive convoy was moving forward. There were no fewer than several hundred carriages within the convoy, each approximately a hundred zhang in size. They were covered with black canvas and being pulled by four-legged red-skinned gigantic beasts. On each four-legged giant beast sat a cultivator of the Saintlan race. None of them were Nascent Soul cultivators; most were Foundation Establishment, with about ten Golden Core cultivators. They were all at the second or third palace stage. Only three belonged to the fourth palace stage. The strongest was a young man, dressed in brocade robes with an extraordinary appearance. A distinct black line on his brow indicated a noble bloodline, granting him the combat power of the sixth palace stage.

They were a transport team from Zenith Nation, one of the thirty-six city-states surrounding the True Immortal Ten-Intestine Tree in the Eastern Barren County of the Saintlan Great Domain. They had come to Feng Hai County this time with a travel pass granted by the Yao family, to transport mica stones. These stones were special and could not be stored in storage bags, hence requiring a convoy. The Yao family's pass allowed them a certain degree of unimpeded travel within Feng Hai County. However, they were aware of the existing conflict with the human race, so sending people of excessively high strength would attract too much attention. It was better to appear ordinary to avoid seeming threatening. After all, they were here for transport, not slaughter. Having collected the mica stones, the convoy now sped directly towards the border without any stops.

Just as they were about to reach the Ink Wash Mountains, the sky rumbled, and the Sword Holders' signal appeared. The convoy instantly became agitated. Within the convoy, the young man of remarkable appearance and temperament suddenly looked up, his gaze cold as he stared at the sky.

“Sword Holders?”