Chapter 82: Don't Mess With Me

Xu Qing sat cross-legged on the treetop, casting a distant glance towards the old man from the Banquan Road Inn. His heart was filled with extreme wariness. Simultaneously, a murderous intent flickered within him; this was someone on his list of targets. However, Xu Qing had never felt confident enough to confront him, which was why he had never visited Banquan Road until now. Upon this unexpected encounter, Xu Qing's eyes narrowed.

Considering his primary goal for this trip was to acquire resources, and knowing the old man wouldn't be easy to kill, he suppressed his killing intent and surveyed his surroundings.

Everyone present here was formidable. Several lone cultivators, in particular, made Xu Qing feel a subtle sense of danger. This was precisely why he had immediately killed the provocative pirate.

Having grown up in the slums, he deeply understood that concealing one's abilities had both advantages and disadvantages. Often, excessive concealment could lead to unnecessary trouble.

Therefore, his immediate thought upon arrival, and a tactic he had employed during his struggles in the slums, was to act decisively with overwhelming force and deter others with a bloodthirsty aura.

At the appropriate moment, he had to bare his fangs and warn everyone: "Don't provoke me!"

As for beheading, it served two purposes: deterrence, and the fact that their heads were valuable.

Xu Qing retracted his gaze. With a light flick of his right hand, a cloud of poisonous powder scattered around him. After this, he closed his eyes and meditated silently, awaiting the arrival of the sea lizards.

Xu Qing's earlier action had indeed achieved its intended effect. Everyone present now held him in extreme awe and accepted his right to be there, while also remaining individually cautious. This brought the area back to a state of equilibrium.

And so, in this delicate balance, time slowly passed. After a night, as the first rays of dawn touched the land, Xu Qing suddenly opened his eyes and looked down the mountain.

Almost simultaneously, seven or eight other gazes also turned in the same direction. Where their eyes landed, a rumbling sound emanated from below the mountain, as if some colossal creature was struggling to advance. This noise drew the attention of even more cultivators, and a chilling aura of anticipation rapidly spread.

Soon, in Xu Qing's sight, a lizard measuring seven to eight zhang long emerged from the mountain forest.

The lizard was entirely black, its hide resembling ancient tree bark, showing traces of age. It reflected a dark sheen under the sunlight. Its skin appeared to have a gap with its body, as if it was slowly being shed.

Its four claws looked sharp. It was currently climbing, panting, as if every step brought it pain, yet it did not pause for a moment.

Although its aura was weak, the energy fluctuation, comparable to a cultivator at the eighth level of Qi Condensation, made everyone hold their breath slightly. The sea lizard clearly must have detected the presence of people, but it showed no concern whatsoever.

As it painstakingly climbed towards the mountain peak, the rumbling behind it did not cease. Trees could be seen toppling as a second, a third, a fourth... a total of six sea lizards appeared in succession.

"Six pieces of Qi Condensation eighth-level sea lizard skin!" Xu Qing's breathing quickened slightly. He knew very well that such hides sold for as much as five to six hundred spirit stones at the Seven Blood Eyes Port.

At this moment, he looked at these lizards, his eyes shining with keenness, as if he saw not exotic beasts, but spirit stones.

But no one else moved rashly, and Xu Qing also waited silently.

The rumbling grew closer until, gradually, the six sea lizards arduously ascended to the mountaintop. Upon reaching the basin where the cultivators were gathered, they ignored all the surrounding cultivators and, under numerous watchful gazes, entered the basin.

After entering the basin, the six sea lizards immediately let out roars, their bodies trembling violently, as if expending all their strength to shed their skin. Their roars echoed in all directions, unsettling the minds of all watching cultivators.

The light in Xu Qing's eyes grew sharper. He saw that as the sea lizards struggled, their skin, which already had varying degrees of gaps with their bodies, was rapidly separating.

The entire process lasted for half an hour. The first sea lizard successfully shed its skin, its aura recovered, and it walked away, never once looking at the surrounding cultivators.

The shed skin left in the basin was no longer black, but exuded a bluish glow. Its patterns were clearly visible, even appearing somewhat translucent, shimmering as if radiating precious light. It looked exactly like a sea lizard of the same size.

Yet, still no one made a move. Xu Qing narrowed his eyes, also remaining still. They waited a bit longer until the second, third, and fourth sea lizards had successively completed their shedding and departed. The moment the last sea lizard's skin fell, someone finally moved.

The one who moved was none other than the old man from Banquan Road. His speed was astonishing; he shot towards the basin like an arrow released from a bowstring.

Following him, other cultivators in the vicinity also surged forward instantly. Their killing intent erupted in that very moment.

Xu Qing's body also blurred, leaving an afterimage on the treetop. His speed was astounding, generating a whistling sound as he rushed into the basin.

In an instant, over thirty cultivators entered the basin. Their target was the six sets of shed skin, and they immediately began a ruthless struggle and slaughter among themselves.

Rumbles echoed deafeningly. Xu Qing was like a sword unsheathed, its sharpness fully revealed. Upon approaching, he directly lunged for one of the shed skins. Beside it, an alien cultivator in a straw cape erupted with cold light in his eyes and moved to block him.

"Get lost!" the alien exclaimed, waving his hand. Immediately, a surge of Qi Condensation ninth-level spiritual energy emanated from him, forming a suppressive force that bore down on Xu Qing.

Xu Qing remained expressionless, not even glancing at him. He raised his left hand, clenched it into a fist, and directly threw a punch at the alien in the straw cape.

The moment the punch was thrown, his vital energy exploded, and a terrifying phantom figure manifested behind him. A ferocious aura spread in all directions, accompanied by a silent roar that, along with Xu Qing's punch, struck the opponent.

The alien in the straw cape's expression drastically changed. He had previously judged this Seven Blood Eyes disciple to be strong, but upon seeing the phantom figure the moment Xu Qing attacked, his heart sank.

"Vital energy manifesting as a phantom—you've reached the Great Circle of Body Refinement!" he exclaimed, violently recoiling. But it was too late. As Xu Qing's fist landed and a sudden rumble erupted, the alien in the straw cape trembled violently, spitting blood.

However, he was also formidable. He somehow employed an unknown technique, his body blurring, and in the next instant, he appeared in the distance. He spat blood again, his straw cape largely destroyed, revealing his blue skin beneath. When he looked up at Xu Qing, his eyes showed unprecedented apprehension.

Xu Qing had no time to pay attention to the opponent. He immediately grabbed the shed skin in front of him. After storing it, he moved swiftly, preparing to snatch a second set. But just as he was about to act again, a low growl came from afar.

"Are you trying to kill us all?!" Xu Qing sharply turned his head, seeing a rogue cultivator in the distance who, apparently unable to join the scramble for the shed skins, had set his sights on the last sea lizard about to depart.

However, he was angrily stopped by a large alien man with a long, elephant-like nose. "You damned fool, do you have any idea that if even one lizard dies here, we all die?"

The big man was seething with rage, striking the rogue cultivator and sending him flying. Everyone else around also turned their gaze to the rogue cultivator, their eyes burning with intense killing intent.

The rogue cultivator's expression changed. As he retreated, he quickly spoke, "It's just one sea lizard. How could that lead to our deaths?!"

"Are you new here? Do you know why there are no Foundation Establishment cultivators here? Why no Foundation Establishment cultivators dare to pass through these nearby waters? Do you really think this is just an island beneath our feet? I'll tell you, this island is merely a small protrusion on the back of a colossal lizard!" The elephant-nosed alien's eyes were filled with intense killing intent.

"The reason there are so many sea lizards here is because they are all the offspring of this giant lizard. To protect its young, it doesn't allow outsiders above the Qi Condensation stage to appear around here, nor does it allow cultivators to attack the sea lizards. You're on its body right now, trying to kill its offspring—are you tired of living?! If it gets angry, we'll all die!!"

"And the only reason we Qi Condensation cultivators can even be here is because a being of that level simply doesn't care about our presence!"

As he spoke, the elephant-nosed alien had already attacked. Other rogue cultivators who hadn't managed to snatch a shed skin also joined in, their eyes filled with greed. In an instant, screams rang out. The rogue cultivator was besieged and died tragically, all his possessions immediately divided among his attackers.

After hearing their words, Xu Qing also took a breath, finally understanding why he hadn't seen any Foundation Establishment cultivators along the way. He looked down at the ground beneath his feet, then silently surged forward, heading straight for the group of cultivators still fighting over the shed skins.

A cold glint flashed as he drew his dagger. Wherever he passed, anyone who tried to block him was instantly cut down. A chilling wind blew, ruffling Xu Qing's hair and revealing the sharp intensity in his eyes.

Ultimately, he seized a second shed skin from three cultivators. By this point, the other four skins also had owners, each acquisition being incredibly bloody, established through slaughter, and serving to deter others.

The old man from Banquan Road was the only one who, like Xu Qing, acquired two skins. As for the remaining two, one was taken by a lone alien cultivator, and the other was claimed by a group of four or five people.

Killing intent permeated among all parties, but they restrained themselves from further action at that moment.

Xu Qing's gaze swept over the surroundings. He exchanged glances with the old man from Banquan Road, noticing the large snake behind him. At this moment, upon seeing Xu Qing's gaze, the large snake hastily nodded at him.

Xu Qing ignored it, his gaze momentarily touching before dispersing. He gave up on attacking, suddenly retreated, and returned to the treetop, sitting down cross-legged.

The other three parties visibly relaxed and also retreated to their respective positions. The area around the basin gradually returned to calm. However, faint, ill-intentioned glances swept over Xu Qing and the others from the eyes of those cultivators who had failed to obtain a shed skin.

At the old man's location, he sat there, took a puff from his pipe, looking content. But soon, as if remembering something, he quickly rummaged through his pocket, pulled out an antidote pill, and swallowed it.

He paid no attention to the gurgling sounds beside him. It wasn't until the large snake nudged his body that the old man impatiently spoke in a low voice.

"Remind him? What for? He's a wolf who devours people whole and kills without batting an eye. Does he need my reminder? Do you think he doesn't know people will make a move tonight?"

"I swear, you ungrateful snake, why are you so concerned about him? I've been so good to you, raised you, yet you don't care about my old bones. I think I might have just been poisoned."

While the old man grumbled discontentedly, Xu Qing, on the distant treetop, slowly narrowed his eyes. A cold glint flickered within them as he also observed the ill-intentioned individuals, focusing especially on their pockets.

Then, he licked his lips and released even more poisonous powder around him.

A day slowly passed. Night descended. Pale moonlight bathed the land. The desolate thickets, illuminated by the moon, cast countless eerie shadows that swayed with the wind, looking like ghosts and monsters dancing under the spectral moonlight.

The chilling night slowly failed to conceal the pervasive killing intent. The dim moonlight gradually couldn't contain the greed of all beings. And so, the desolate sea breeze, at that moment, prematurely played a dirge.

***

A third update is coming soon! No more going out to play, just writing, writing!!