Chapter 717: Gentle Breeze and a Melody Bring Springtime Feelings

Though uttered among the many words of the Sword Holders, these mere six words – Xu Qing’s name – carried extraordinary significance.

For Feng Hai County, and particularly for the Sword Holders, Xu Qing’s name held immense meaning. He was their comrade-in-arms, a brother who had shared life and death with them through the brutal baptism of war.

He was also Feng Hai County’s former hero and future County Governor. Even the common people could not forget his name.

In an instant, all the Sword Holders, filled with grief and indignation and ready to fight their way out, were deeply stirred. Their minds trembled, and a great surge of emotion swept through them all.

They knew that person had emerged from seclusion. Excitement flickered across their faces as they looked in all directions, eager to find the figure ingrained in their memories.

It wasn't only the Sword Holders; other palace cultivators were similarly affected. Most of the elite cultivators from the various sects in Feng Hai County also felt a ripple in their hearts.

Even those who had never met Xu Qing understood the profound significance of his name in Feng Hai County.

In the sky, the three Palace Masters, Marquis Yao, and others all showed varied expressions.

Just as this name appeared, stirring the hearts of countless people in Feng Hai County, an even more colossal vortex materialized in the twilight sky. This immense maelstrom covered more than half the heavens!

As it rumbled and spun, it drew forth explosive thunder from all directions, causing the heavens and earth to change color. Great winds swept up from the horizon, connecting to the sky and circling in the distance, forming an astonishing storm.

In an instant, an incredibly vast colossal boat leaped forth from within this celestial vortex.

The boat was entirely black, exuding a terrifying pressure. Countless tendrils of black mist spread out around it, making it look, from a distance, like a pair of wings of the night.

The bow extended forward, featuring a carved dragon head that was both ferocious and dominant, with six extended claws exuding majesty. It was a sight that struck awe and shook the very soul.

On the high-flying sail, two large characters were emblazoned.

“Jicang”

Outsiders did not understand the meaning of these two characters, only perceiving their might and dominance. In reality, this was the sail of the boat gifted to Xu Qing by the Prince, personally inscribed with the Prince's own name.

The moment it appeared, heaven and earth ruptured, and thunder raged!

The Seventh Prince's soldiers in mid-air all blanched. The middle-aged man on the white elephant immediately put down the ancient scroll in his hand, his expression filled with shock and doubt.

Patriarch Lingyun, at the very front, was also inwardly astonished. Before he could react, this colossal boat, which had emerged from the vortex, violently crashed towards him from the sky with earth-shattering momentum!

It was impossible to dodge, impossible to resist!

The boat's status, after being crafted by the Prince, was astonishing, and its speed was beyond imagination. Its sudden appearance meant everything happened in a flash!

In the blink of an eye, this colossal boat, with an overwhelming aura as if capable of devouring heaven and destroying earth, rushed directly towards Patriarch Lingyun from the horizon, like a true flying dragon filled with rage and malevolence!

Wherever it passed, the void collapsed, and a furious pressure raged. One moment it was at the edge of the sky, the next it was directly before Patriarch Lingyun, delivering a devastating impact!

Even Patriarch Lingyun, with his Void Returning Realm cultivation, felt his mind profoundly shaken at this moment. A strong sense of life-and-death crisis surged within him. He let out a low roar, displaying his cultivation with all his might, causing meteors in the air to descend and transform into thousands of energy traces to resist the colossal boat!

But in the blink of an eye, the energy traces around Patriarch Lingyun shattered with a roar, collapsing one after another. The void around him also extensively collapsed.

The turncoats from Feng Hai County behind him, whose cultivation was inferior, had no power to resist. One by one, they were utterly annihilated in the collapsing void, not even having time to let out a scream.

An even stronger deterrent also arrived with the colossal boat, engulfing the white elephant and the surrounding army.

As for Patriarch Lingyun himself, his face instantly turned pale, then his crimson forehead pulsed with veins before he spewed out a mouthful of blood, letting out a mournful cry as his body was violently sent tumbling backward from the impact!

As he tumbled backward, his body shattered, his chest caved in, and blood continuously gushed out. His cultivation directly dispersed with this impact, unable to re-coalesce!

His body was mysteriously drawn by the colossal boat's power, making it difficult to dissipate the force even while retreating, and his speed was severely affected. And this was not the end. The moment Patriarch Lingyun was severely injured by the impact, a figure swiftly rushed out from the colossal boat. This person's entire body glowed with dazzling blue light, illuminating the heavens and earth like a blue meteor, heading straight for Patriarch Lingyun. A voice full of arrogance boomed from his mouth!

"Sword Holder Chen Erniu... present!" As these words were uttered, the blue meteor, the Captain, caught up to Patriarch Lingyun. Two faces appeared in the Captain's eyes, which showed multiple overlays, and tiny blue tentacles emerged all over his body, gathering on his right hand for a powerful strike!

Amidst the roar, Patriarch Lingyun's blood spurted out again. He tried to struggle, he tried to counterattack.

But in the blink of an eye, a second figure flew out from the colossal boat. This figure was initially the size of a normal person, but the next moment, flesh and blood tore apart, transforming into a vast giant!

It was Xu Qing’s first Divine Spirit state. His body was immensely imposing, crowned with an imperial diadem, and dignified as an emperor!

Dazzling golden light radiated from this body, manifesting as a seven-colored aura around him!

The Heavenly Dao Furnace in his heart continuously pulsed. Each pulse was like heavenly thunder, bursting forth with raging flames that engulfed his entire body, making this form erupt with fire!

A black long spear blazed, and countless lightning flashes appeared around Xu Qing. He grasped it, striding forward with overwhelming momentum, and hurled the spear towards Patriarch Lingyun!

With a hum, this black long spear traversed the void, crushing and destroying all things, obliterating everything with a destructive momentum. It appeared before Patriarch Lingyun and pierced through his chest!

An even more agonizing scream erupted from Patriarch Lingyun's mouth. A huge hole appeared in his chest, and Daoist traces scattered, one by one burning away.

Indescribable pain spread throughout his body. His eyes were bloodshot, and the sense of life-and-death crisis intensified. His mind went blank, leaving only a desperate will to fight. He desperately tried to re-coalesce his scattered cultivation, but how could the Captain give him such a chance?

Almost simultaneously with the spear's penetration, the Captain's figure approached again. The Heavenly Dog materialized, and blue light shone brightly as it fiercely swallowed. Patriarch Lingyun's body violently trembled and rapidly turned into an ice sculpture. A vast amount of his vitality was uncontrollably drawn out and absorbed by the Captain. All of this drove Patriarch Lingyun mad!

But it was useless. Xu Qing’s figure had already approached, landing a full-force punch on the ice sculpture!

With a boom, blood sprayed from the ice sculpture of Patriarch Lingyun. He instantly became disheveled, in an unprecedented state of disarray and weakness!

The Captain proudly charged again, cooperating perfectly with Xu Qing. The two exchanged blows, launching an overwhelming barrage of attacks towards Patriarch Lingyun in this short time!

The Commander and his surrounding army were about to assist, but Seventh Master and others also erupted with their respective auras. Immediately after, Patriarch Lingyun let out a deafening roar. His aura surged as if experiencing a final burst of energy. But instead of attacking, he retreated. His choice was to temporarily avoid their sharp edge!

From this, it was clear that Xu Qing and the Captain's actions had astonished even Patriarch Lingyun!

But he had no chance. The Captain's entire body trembled, and blue light, like a sea, shone in all directions, transforming into countless blue worms coiling around a sea of light, forming a massive blue hand that squeezed towards Patriarch Lingyun.

On Xu Qing's side, his body instantly erupted, forming black armor around him. Eerie flames burned in his eyes, and his aura astonishingly surged at this moment!

This was not his full second Divine Spirit state, only a partial manifestation!

Killing Patriarch Lingyun with the Captain's help was not yet worth expending the Scarlet Mother's flesh and blood for Xu Qing's full second Divine Spirit state. This was currently his strongest performance without consuming the Scarlet Mother's flesh and blood!

In the blink of an eye, the two attacked simultaneously with such an eruption. Amidst the heaven-shaking thunderous roars and exploding void, Xu Qing's figure approached Patriarch Lingyun. He raised his right hand, and black qi erupted, surrounding the long spear to form a blade-like shadow, transforming into a Heavenly Blade!

This blade swept out, slicing across Patriarch Lingyun's neck. It rapidly spread and affected Lingyun's body, causing it to rapidly decay!

Lingyun wailed. Even his Daoist traces showed signs of corruption!

At the same time, the massive blue hand manifested by the Captain seized the headless body of Patriarch Lingyun and fiercely squeezed it. Amidst the roar, Lingyun's physical body turned into a bloody pulp.

The Captain's manifested face was about to swallow!

The next moment, he sensed the poison within and quickly changed his action from swallowing to collecting! The blue light dissipated, revealing the Captain's true form, and he gave Xu Qing a resentful glance!

Xu Qing's body rapidly transformed, returning from the second Divine Spirit state to the first. Standing there, he looked towards the army, and a murderous aura rose from him, causing the heavens and earth to darken!

The surroundings immediately fell silent. Countless gazes converged on Xu Qing and the Captain, and gasps of awe could be heard successively.

All of this happened too quickly and fiercely, leaving everyone present deeply shaken!

A Spirit Core cultivator slaying a Void Returning expert!

This was almost impossible, yet today, tens of thousands of cultivators on the Commander's side witnessed it firsthand, each of them with strong fluctuations in their aura. The middle-aged man on the white elephant now had a solemn expression, with a killing intent in his eyes.

As for Feng Hai County, Seventh Master smiled, his eyes holding satisfaction. He glanced thoughtfully towards the Moon Sacrifice Great Domain while his gaze swept across the sky, saying nothing.

Blood Refiner stroked his beard, his expression arrogant and smug, looking somewhat similar to the Captain's usual demeanor!

A strange look appeared on Marquis Yao's face; his focus was on the two characters on the sail. As for everyone else, their expressions varied!

The three Palace Masters, the Deacons, and the strong cultivators from various sects were all focused. On the ground, ripples appeared in Yao Yunhui's heart.

Lately, she couldn't help but think of Xu Qing, and this thought had slowly taken root and solidified within her, leaving her somewhat dazed at this moment!

And in the sky, the graceful and charming Zi Xuan's beautiful eyes saw neither the colossal boat nor anything else; only the figure standing in the distance became the sole presence in her world, as she murmured softly,

"It's good that he's back!"

On her exquisitely beautiful face, sorrow gradually dissipated, revealing a radiant glow that made her even more beautiful!

Indeed:Smiling eyes ask the flowers, and the flowers speak their secrets;A gentle breeze sings a tune, and the spirit of spring arrives in the mountains!