Chapter 854: Killing Intent Soaring

Jamison was overwhelmed with extreme shock. He had never seen such a divine ability or experienced anything similar, yet he could clearly sense the immense expanse of water that now filled the heavens and earth. A life-or-death crisis, for the first time, emerged in his heart.

At the same time, he realized that in this instant, he had lost all ability to move. His body was completely still, his cultivation seemed frozen, and everything was brought to a halt.

Furthermore, suppressed by the purple moon and entangled by soul threads, he found it impossible to unleash his power, even though he possessed the ability to overturn mountains and seas.

Only his thoughts could still function. What rattled his mind even more was that all his secrets were laid bare. The water beneath his feet reflected everything, including all the cultivation he had acquired throughout his life.

All his secrets, everything he possessed, whether illusory techniques or real objects, appeared in the water.

He instantly deduced that any harm inflicted upon his reflection in the water would undoubtedly affect his true body. This premonition made him try to struggle.

Yet, at this moment, all his attempts were futile.

The feeling of life and death, reflected in the water, grew increasingly intense and unsettling.

Xu Qing, meanwhile, had a strange glint in his eyes. Through the "Fishing the Moon from the Well" divine ability, he made an unexpected discovery: Jamison's true power.

This was clearly the source of his strength as the second in the Flame Moon Profound Sky sequence.

Ninety-seven divine plaques, the gaze and presence of ninety-seven fallen gods' totems, made Xu Qing's heart constrict.

However, he knew clearly that this was not the time for speculation and analysis. After a quick glance, he didn't hesitate, raising his right hand and grabbing fiercely.

"This world, these heavens and earth, can become a well." Xu Qing's voice, as if echoing from across time or spreading underwater, reverberated throughout the space. Each word carried profound Dao intent, forming a mysterious and profound Daoist incantation when combined.

A water drop fell onto the surface, and ripples spread across the water, distorting Jamison's reflection and the ninety-seven strands of soul.

These ripples then formed a large hand, which fiercely reached out towards the ninety-seven souls!

Xu Qing wanted to extract them all!

Jamison's mind roared. A powerful tearing sensation erupted in his heart, and his ninety-seven soul strands in the water began to tremble.

As Xu Qing's pulling force intensified, they slowly rose from beneath the water in the distorted reflections, nearing the surface, about to be pulled out by Xu Qing.

But at that very moment, the divine plaques within the ninety-seven soul strands suddenly flashed with dazzling golden light. The totems depicted within them, representing various deities, seemed to come alive, opening their eyes in unison.

Golden pupils stared intently at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing's mind immediately wavered. Despite the water barrier, the gaze from the ninety-seven deities caused his body to instantly undergo a bizarre transformation.

Countless fleshy sprouts grew haphazardly, his soul felt like it was tearing apart, and his body was on the verge of collapse.

Simultaneously, within the water, the immense repulsive force emanating from the gaze of the ninety-seven deities also affected the Heaven-Earth Well, causing Xu Qing's attempt to pull them out to fail for the first time!

At this moment, Jamison's struggle intensified.

Xu Qing's expression was solemn. His divine source spread throughout his body as he fully suppressed his condition, his eyes narrowing. He had two theories regarding these ninety-seven divine plaques.

His first theory was that this was some kind of ritual. Since he couldn't extract all of them now, an all-out effort to extract even one strand would surely disrupt the ritual.

His second theory was that among these ninety-seven soul strands, there should be one that was Jamison's vital soul. If he could extract that soul, it would constitute a lethal attack.

However, the difficulty was too great, and time did not allow him to distinguish them one by one.

A cold glint flashed in Xu Qing's eyes. He quickly scanned the ninety-seven soul strands, and relying on intuition, he fixated on one. He raised his hand again, using the full power of "Fishing the Moon from the Well" to specifically scoop up that single divine soul.

A translucent large hand visibly appeared on the water's surface. No matter how the water rippled, it could not be stopped. It reached into the water, enveloped that single strand of divine soul, and forcefully lifted it upwards.

The sound of water echoed, accompanied by the roars of the other ninety-six divine souls. The hand, formed by Xu Qing's divine ability, began to collapse.

The struggles of the divine soul and the repulsion from the other divine souls meant that Xu Qing's large hand, though it had grasped the soul, could not pull it out of the water.

Seeing it about to completely dissipate, Xu Qing took a deep breath. He lifted his right foot and stomped hard on the water surface of the heavens and earth.

With a boom, the water surface of the heavens and earth immediately churned. All the black water currents surged towards Xu Qing's collapsing hand, rapidly merging with it and slowing its disintegration.

The entire Heaven-Earth Well, supplemented by this action, was also rapidly disappearing.

The large hand continued to collapse and continued to be replenished!

Finally, just before the hand in the well completely disintegrated, Jamison's ninety-seventh soul was, in the end, pulled out of the water by Xu Qing.

The moment he held it in his hand, Xu Qing felt a pang of regret. He could sense that this was not Jamison's vital soul.

But without any hesitation, he turned and ran.

A piercing shriek came from behind Xu Qing as he fled, accompanied by the sound of the water surface exploding.

"Fishing the Moon from the Well" vanished, and a terrifying aura erupted from Jamison. Amidst his mournful roar, he regained his ability to move, abruptly looking up, his eyes bloodshot, staring at Xu Qing in the distance.

A lingering fear rose in his heart. Xu Qing's judgment was correct; among those ninety-seven soul strands, there was indeed one that was his vital soul. If Xu Qing had managed to extract it, it would have been a matter of life and death for Jamison.

This was the first time he had experienced such a profound life-or-death crisis since achieving success in his cultivation. Furthermore, even though Xu Qing couldn't extract the vital soul precisely, the loss of one divine plaque still injured Jamison's soul, causing him excruciating tearing pain. His expression twisted as he desperately wanted to pursue and retrieve it to restore his complete form.

Therefore, as the waves of lingering fear surged, a powerful killing intent also erupted within him.

"Die!" Jamison roared, stepping forward, instantly traversing the void to appear before Xu Qing. He raised a hand and pressed down fiercely.

As the blow was about to land, a faint light flashed in Xu Qing's eyes. As he raised his left hand, he finally produced the Ancient Sun.

This was his trump card, but its power was immense. Once unleashed, the repercussions would be terrifying, and Xu Qing himself wasn't confident he could escape unscathed from its explosion.

Moreover, there was another concern, which was also why Xu Qing had used the Sun of Dawn as a deterrent after arriving at the Flame Moon Profound Sky Clan.

This concern, at the moment he brought out the Ancient Sun, was immediately identified by the pursuing Jamison!

"Sun of Dawn!"

"Xu Qing, if you dare to unleash the Sun of Dawn in my clan's territory and destroy my Mountain and Sea Domain, then it's tantamount to declaring war on the Flame Moon Profound Sky Clan."

"According to our clan's temperament, we will immediately send troops to the human race, because you are human, and because the Sun of Dawn is your human race's domain treasure."

"If you don't use the Sun of Dawn, only you will die. If you do use the Sun of Dawn, you will still die, and the human race will be buried with you!"

"Xu Qing, do you dare?!"

Jamison's expression was twisted. Though rage filled his heart, he still maintained a degree of calm, directly addressing Xu Qing's internal concerns. At the same time, he raised his hand and brought it down with a thunderous force, without any pause.

However, the appearance of the Sun of Dawn did, in the end, instill apprehension in his heart. Even as he struck, he reserved some cultivation power, ready for any sudden defense.

As the sound reverberated, Xu Qing spat out blood, his body thrown backward.

He did not detonate the Ancient Sun, not because of Jamison's words. In fact, Xu Qing's purpose in bringing out the Ancient Sun was not to detonate it, but to deter.

He was telling Jamison that he possessed a trump card capable of mutual destruction, intending to plant a seed of apprehension in his opponent's mind. This apprehension would determine the confidence of his pursuit.

Now, seeing that it was effective, Xu Qing remained expressionless. He hung the Ancient Sun on his person, and as he retreated, he fiercely squeezed the divine soul clutched in his right hand.

This divine soul, once pulled out by Xu Qing, had been held tightly in his hand and not immediately destroyed, as it was also a trump card.

At this moment, with a squeeze, Jamison's body trembled. Intense pain erupted, and his cultivation became chaotic.

In the next instant, Shadow and the Adamantine Sect Ancestor appeared simultaneously. As they returned, the purple moon struck Jamison.

Xu Qing's speed did not diminish; he continued to flee, pressing onward.

Jamison's heart was filled with vexation, and his killing intent grew stronger. With a wave of his hand, both Shadow and the Adamantine Sect Ancestor were sent recoiling.

With a flash, he evaded the approaching purple moon and continued his pursuit.

However, after pursuing for only a few dozen breaths, just as he was about to catch Xu Qing, Xu Qing squeezed the divine soul in his right hand again with force, causing it to show signs of fracturing.

Pain erupted in Jamison's soul.

Jamison's roar grew even more piercing. Just as he was about to strike, Xu Qing's eyes turned dark. He suddenly turned around, and a poisonous mist appeared out of thin air, spreading backward, engulfing Jamison and completely corroding him. Then, Xu Qing took out a token and sent out a divine thought: "Your Majesty, the food is here."

Having said that, Xu Qing tossed the token, activating it. But the next moment, the token flew back into Xu Qing's hand, accompanied by a ripple of energy: "Death God's remains, I don't eat those. I want to eat something alive!"

Xu Qing frowned and fled again.

A moment later, Jamison's figure chased him again. Just as he was about to strike, Xu Qing continued to exert pressure on the divine soul in his right hand, and at the same time, a low voice came from his mouth.

"This world, these heavens and earth, can become a well." Water ripples appeared in the void, and Jamison instinctively paused. But in the next instant, nothing happened, and the ripples dissipated.

Xu Qing could not unleash "Fishing the Moon from the Well" a second time in such a short period; he was merely bluffing.

Using Jamison's momentary pause, he flew even further at full speed, continuously squeezing the divine soul in his hand.

Jamison was on the verge of madness, his whole body erupting with bloody light. Just as he was about to resume his pursuit, in the next instant, cages appeared out of thin air around him—it was exactly Ding Yi San Er (Cage 132).

Xu Qing understood human nature. He knew that when a person is initially alert and then realizes something is false, it is often the moment they instinctively relax, especially when suffering continuous soul pain, which makes it easier for one to go mad and lose reason.

At such a moment, deploying another technique would have the maximum effect.

This was also why Xu Qing hadn't crushed the divine soul all at once earlier. A single burst of pain was naturally not as effective as continuous pain, though it couldn't be used repeatedly as it would lead to adaptation to the suffering.

So the best method was to maintain it continuously and then unleash a full burst at a crucial moment. Indeed, Ding Yi San Er descended with a roar, enveloping Jamison.

Simultaneously, Xu Qing, who was rapidly fleeing, did not look back. With a powerful squeeze of his right hand, the divine soul in his grasp exploded with a bang.

The divine soul shattered, and the damage erupted all at once.

The divine plaque within it fell into Xu Qing's hand. After being enveloped by his internal divine source, Xu Qing endured his injuries and proceeded at full speed towards the direction of the Nine Li Prohibitions.

A moment later, as Xu Qing's figure disappeared into the horizon, the wails of a prisoner came from within Ding Yi San Er. The prison collapsed and shattered, and Jamison's disheveled figure, dragging a gigantic finger, burst out from within, his expression twisted and filled with pain.

The damage from the shattered divine soul caused him unbearable agony, and that gigantic finger also trembled, a face manifesting on it, showing terror and pleading for mercy.

"Don't kill me, I was forced! I'll help you! I've wanted to kill that bane for a long time too! We're on the same side, our goals are aligned!"

"Shut up!" Jamison roared, his killing intent now even more intense. He abruptly resumed his pursuit towards where Xu Qing had fled.