Chapter 88: Bloodstained Sea Lizard Island

The night sea was volatile, with changing winds and clouds. The weather, as unfathomable as the ocean's depths, was unpredictable.

Around Sea Lizard Island, thunder rumbled in the sky, and flashes of lightning flickered into view.

A storm was about to break.

Illuminated by the intermittent flashes of lightning, a brutal slaughter was underway at the summit of Sea Lizard Island's highest peak.

Three lizard exuviae, imbued with divinity, were valuable enough to drive rogue cultivators to fight to the death.

As the roar of battle overlapped with the thunder, murderous intent brimmed in Xu Qing's eyes. He slammed into a Disciple of the Severed Path, the immense impact sending the opponent staggering backward.

Xu Qing ignored the Disciple's counterattack and the spells striking him. With the iron skewer in his hand, he stabbed the opponent's chest, right at the heart, six times in quick succession.

Each stab made the Disciple of the Severed Path tremble. Just as spells from all directions arrived the next moment, Xu Qing flickered and suddenly dodged. Amidst the roar, the deceased Disciple's body was torn to shreds by the spells.

Simultaneously, the moment Xu Qing retreated and evaded, four Sea Ghost aliens, relying on their formidable physical cultivation, charged fiercely, surrounding him and attacking relentlessly.

Furthermore, the hulking Sea Ghost with a monstrous face emerging from his chest formed a massive blood orb with a hand seal. It transformed into a blood-red bat, flying directly towards Xu Qing, its gaping mouth revealing sharp teeth. It seemed that a single bite would result in severe injury, if not death.

Seeing the danger, Xu Qing waved his hand, conjuring a protective charm. After enduring the blood-red bat and the attacks from the Sea Ghosts, he used the force to retreat straight towards the three Disciples of the Severed Path charging from behind him.

His target was clear: eliminate the Disciples of the Severed Path first!

He chose the Severed Path disciples because they posed the greatest threat to him.

The Severed Path's indifference to life was directed not only at outsiders but also at themselves, making their combat strength extremely formidable.

As Xu Qing retreated, he carried with him a sea of fire from the Drought Demon's shadow. However, the three Disciples of the Severed Path showed no change in expression, still charging forward. They clashed instantly, attempting to trade their lives for injuries.

Amidst the resounding crashes, one of the three Disciples of the Severed Path had his chest caved in, yet he clutched Xu Qing's waist tightly. Another had his forehead pierced by the iron skewer, but he held onto the skewer stubbornly, not allowing Xu Qing to pull it back.

The last one, for the first time, showed an emotional fluctuation in his eyes: fanaticism.

"Severed Path!" he roared, his body instantly bursting into flames, transforming into a blindingly bright light spear. It shot towards Xu Qing with astonishing speed.

It arrived in an instant, about to pierce him.

A cold glint flashed in Xu Qing's eyes. His spiritual sea, over ninety feet in length, erupted with a roar inside him, manifesting outside his body and sweeping in all directions.

The bodies of the two deceased Disciples of the Severed Path were instantly touched and immediately disintegrated. More cultivators rushing in from all sides were also unable to dodge and were struck head-on.

Seizing this opportunity, Xu Qing suddenly veered to the side. The approaching light spear, imbued with scorching heat and destructive intent, grazed past his chest.

Though not pierced, he was still grazed, his clothes shredded and flesh torn.

Xu Qing breathed heavily, retreating five more zhang before stopping. He hunched low, stomped his right foot firmly on the ground, and shot out again like an arrow released from a bow.

A faint afterimage lingered on the ground, but his true self had already appeared before another Disciple of the Severed Path. This Disciple's eyes also radiated fanaticism.

"Severed Path!" he growled, and at that very moment, his body actually chose to self-detonate.

At this point, three Disciples of the Severed Path remained.

Of these three, only the one in the middle remained still; the other two rapidly charged out, heading straight for Xu Qing.

Their eyes beneath their robes were equally fervent, and surprisingly, they too chose to self-detonate at this moment.

At the same time, the Sea Ghosts also turned red-eyed. The remaining eleven or twelve of them immediately launched their attacks. As their ultimate techniques were unleashed, three more talismans formed a killing intent, suppressing Xu Qing.

Not only that, the rogue cultivators who had been observing from the surroundings, and those who had rushed over from other peaks, all revealed fervent eyes. They approached rapidly, some already having made their move.

From a distance, Xu Qing at this moment seemed to be engulfed in extreme danger. The next moment, as the three Disciples of the Severed Path self-detonated, as the numerous Sea Ghost cultivators attacked, and as the talismans erupted, Xu Qing's location was instantly submerged in roars and dust.

However, before the rising dust could settle, Xu Qing's figure shot out like lightning from within the swirling dust.

A yellow light shield shimmered around his body; it was formed from the power of another talisman.

He also had a flight talisman on his leg.

All of this made Xu Qing's speed surpass anything he had displayed before. He darted directly into the crowd; his speed was so immense that in a blink, he was in front of a rogue cultivator holding a dagger and slammed into him.

Amidst a piercing shriek, the rogue cultivator's body disintegrated. Xu Qing didn't pause. He grabbed the dagger the opponent dropped and continued to charge through the surrounding crowd.

Blood still lingered at the corner of his mouth, and his Seven Blood Eyes daoist robe was torn in many places, but the coldness in his eyes hadn't thawed in the slightest.

Wherever he passed, piercing screams echoed, bodies crashed to the ground one after another, and blood flowed everywhere, causing the soil on the mountaintop to exude a strong, bloody stench.

During this time, as Xu Qing's figure flickered, several Sea Ghost cultivators had their heads severed.

This brutal slaughter continued until the last remaining Disciple of the Severed Path and the hulking Sea Ghost with the face on his chest jointly intervened to block him, temporarily halting Xu Qing's assault.

Xu Qing forcibly endured the bombardment of spells from both of them. He forcefully swung his right hand, stabbing into a rogue cultivator's chest and violently slashing, before rapidly retreating to land on a large rock. He crouched slightly, head raised, breathing faintly, and coldly eyed the remaining cultivators around him.

Of the Severed Path, one remained, their leader.

Of the Sea Ghost organization, four remained, including the hulking man.

As Xu Qing's gaze swept across them, blood dripped from the blade of his dagger, merging with the bloodstains on the ground.

With a flight talisman on him, Xu Qing could have tried to fly out of here. However, everyone present harbored murderous intent towards him.

Xu Qing's principles made him unwilling to leave. He wanted to eliminate all threats here, as much as possible.

There were over forty bodies scattered around, the scent of death incredibly thick. Especially the rogue cultivators, trembling and daring not to continue, retreated one after another.

Xu Qing's brows furrowed slightly.

He did not want to let anyone who had attacked him here leave; even if their cultivation was insufficient, Xu Qing considered them a potential hidden danger. Just as he was about to move,

the sole remaining leader of the Severed Path suddenly spoke.

"I only need one lizard exuviae. Give it to me, and after I report this matter, you can gain the friendship of my Severed Path!"

"I also only need one. Otherwise, given your current state, your life and death are uncertain." The face on the hulking Sea Ghost's chest emitted a sharp sound, and the red glow in his eyes intensified.

Xu Qing ignored them. He flickered, and his flight talisman flared again. He shot straight towards the rogue cultivators who had attacked him and were now attempting to flee into the distance. His speed was so rapid that he instantly closed the distance, and with a swing of his blade, heads flew.

Just as he was about to continue killing, the Severed Path leader and the hulking Sea Ghost behind him immediately chose to cooperate, charging together.

The Severed Path leader, his black robe unfurling to reveal a middle-aged face, had icy eyes and radiated an astonishing aura.

This aura surpassed the peak of Qi Condensation, seemingly not far from Foundation Establishment.

With a wave of his hand, thick black mist appeared behind him. The mist swirled, shockingly forming a colossal tombstone.

The tombstone was riddled with cracks, and countless departed souls struggled within these fissures. However, upon closer inspection, it remained vague and indistinct, clearly indicating that with his current power, he couldn't fully manifest it, only borrowing an illusion.

As he made his move, this misty tombstone shot directly towards Xu Qing.

As for the hulking Sea Ghost, he let out a sharp shriek, his body instantly shriveling. However, the face on his chest surged with blood-red color, the red glow in his eyes spread, his entire face turning crimson, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

As the blood emerged, it instantly transformed into a blood-red flying sword, stirring up a dense baleful aura, and rushed towards Xu Qing with murderous intent.

The remaining Sea Ghost cultivators also followed suit, unleashing their ultimate techniques.

At this critical moment, Xu Qing's eyes narrowed. He suddenly raised his right hand, pointing towards the sky. Instantly, a purple light flashed around his body, rapidly converging above his head to form a gigantic long blade.

This blade was ten zhang long and three zhang wide, shining with purple light all over, its edge radiating an oppressive coldness!

Like a celestial blade, it stood in mid-air, emitting an ineffable Dao charm. It seemed to contain the laws of heaven and earth, radiating an earth-shattering aura.

The moment this blade appeared, the hulking Sea Ghost's expression drastically changed, and he cried out in alarm.

"Qi Condensation sensing Dao Arts?! What the hell… Is this something Qi Condensation cultivators can comprehend?!" As he spoke, his body suddenly recoiled, attempting to flee.

The Severed Path squad leader also violently trembled, his face instantly turning pale.

The next moment, Xu Qing, expressionless, suddenly brought his palm down.

A world-shattering roar erupted. The purple blade in the sky suddenly cleaved down, directly striking the basin. Everything in its path was severed!

The blood-red flying sword was torn to shreds.

The black tombstone shattered and exploded.

The ground rumbled, leaving a massive blade scar, cleaving the basin in two. Also cleaved in two was the Severed Path squad leader.

He stared blankly at Xu Qing, then his body tore apart, blood gushing out.

The hulking Sea Ghost in the distance trembled violently, despair filling his eyes. He wanted to look down at his waist, but before his gaze could land, his body directly severed at the waist, splitting into two halves, and he died, the face on his chest becoming lifeless.

Along with him, several other Sea Ghost cultivators also had their bodies torn apart and were now fragmented.

The entire basin battlefield suddenly fell silent. Only the sky above still rumbled, and the rain… finally began to fall.

The rain poured down on the earth, but it would be difficult to quickly wash away the bloodstains here.

Xu Qing stood in the rain, panting. He had many injuries on his body; though most were recovering, some were still severe and couldn't heal immediately.

This battle had not been easy for him. His opponents were simply too numerous.

At this moment, he wanted to turn his head and look at the trembling straw-hatted cultivator and the elephant-nosed man not far away.

"We didn't attack!"

"We haven't made a single move from start to finish!!" These two trembled uncontrollably as Xu Qing's gaze swept over them.

Xu Qing said nothing. His gaze shifted away, looking at the figures of the rogue cultivators fleeing in the distance. They had once attacked Xu Qing, but seeing the situation turn unfavorable, they had scattered.

Xu Qing didn't pursue them. As he gazed coldly, those rogue cultivators and alien races, one after another, screamed in agony, their bodies turning black and blue, dying from poison before they even left the island.

This scene made the straw-hatted alien and the elephant-nosed man tremble even more.

Ignoring the two of them, Xu Qing turned and stretched out his right hand towards the distance. Instantly, the black iron skewer flew back, landing in his hand. He waved it again, and the black iron skewer moved with incredible agility, swiftly darting among the bodies around him.

To prevent anyone from faking death, Xu Qing was delivering finishing blows.

Meanwhile, the straw-hatted alien and the elephant-nosed man were now attempting to retreat. They kept backing away until they were far enough to realize Xu Qing was no longer paying attention to them, seemingly having let them go. Only then did a sense of relief wash over them, but they still exerted all their strength, fleeing madly for more distance, and only truly relaxed once they descended the mountain and entered the jungle.

However, the greed hidden deep within them remained. At this moment, they secretly took out their jade slips, intending to transmit a message to the great cultivator leader outside, fearing that if they were too late, the opponent would escape.

But before they could transmit their messages, two streaks of cold light whistled from behind them, approaching instantly with incredible speed. As the two men's expressions drastically changed, the streaks pierced through their necks.

They died instantly.

Xu Qing calmly withdrew his gaze. He knew that while there were no Foundation Establishment cultivators on Sea Lizard Island, that didn't mean there weren't any in the outer sea area. And those two who fled, trying to transmit a message at that moment, were highly suspicious. Nine times out of ten, they were sending a report.

A normal person would not be transmitting a message at such a time.

Xu Qing continued to deliver finishing blows while gathering the spoils of battle.

Soon after, he looked up at the bodies on the ground. Suddenly, the shadow beneath his feet rapidly spread, directly seizing the necks of three rogue cultivators who were faking death and lifting them up.

With a crunch, before the three could beg for mercy, their necks shattered, and they instantly mutated and died.

And at the same time Xu Qing made his move, the hulking Sea Ghost, now split in two, had the dead face on his chest suddenly open its eyes. It shot out instantly, transforming into a small blood-red figure.

Unsure what technique it had unleashed, it sacrificed itself to suddenly fly into the air. Its speed was so rapid that it left the island in an instant, already over the sea, fleeing desperately into the distance.

Xu Qing watched coldly, uttering the only words he spoke during this battle.

"Forbidden Sea Dragon Whale!"

The moment his words left his mouth, the sea next to Sea Lizard Island suddenly erupted. Amidst towering waves, a hundred-zhang-long plesiosaur burst directly from the sea and swallowed the blood-red figure in a single gulp!

Its figure blotted out the moonlight. Its massive body still carried the scent of the sea. After completely devouring the small red figure, its body slammed down onto the sea surface and sank.

The sea roared, and waves churned.

The rain intensified.