Chapter 98: Endless Ruin

Xu Qing remained silent in response to the Vajra Sect Patriarch's words. He had no habit of engaging in excessive conversation during battle. His eyes narrowed, and the moment the Vajra Sect Patriarch retreated, the flying talisman on his leg flared intensely. The next instant, his figure shot through the air like a rainbow, hurtling directly towards the Vajra Sect Patriarch. His speed was instantaneous, and as he closed in, the shadow of the Drought Demon suddenly materialized behind him.

Its ferocious appearance, with a cracked body seemingly filled with magma, instantly radiated intense heat in all directions. This caused the snow in the sky and on the ground to melt rapidly into rain, then transform into mist. His blood and qi were pushed to their limits, and the Sea Mountain Art circulated at full power, keeping his body refinement technique at its peak. In the blink of an eye, he was before the Vajra Sect Patriarch, delivering a fierce punch.

A murderous glint flashed in the Vajra Sect Patriarch's eyes. With a wave of his hand, the Vajra shadow beneath him roared to the sky and responded with a direct punch. A deafening roar erupted as the unrestrained clash between the two combatants tore through the surroundings. Amidst the tremendous noise, Xu Qing's body reeled backward, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. In terms of pure body refinement, he was still somewhat inferior to the Vajra Sect Patriarch's Foundation Establishment cultivation.

However, the Vajra Sect Patriarch was also not unscathed; his blood and qi surged within him, and he likewise recoiled. His expression was fierce, yet it also held a profound shock. He had fully recognized Xu Qing, and the more he did, the stronger his inner turmoil became. Although he had guessed the boy would grow stronger quickly, he had never imagined that in less than a year, the one he once pursued would now be assaulting his own sect. The change in strength between then and now was too immense.

"You..." The Vajra Sect Patriarch's breathing quickened; he wanted to say something, but what awaited him was the ferocious glint in Xu Qing's eyes as the latter abruptly charged forward. A roar exploded once more. Xu Qing's attacks were relentless, without any pause or hesitation. As he closed in, he unleashed punch after punch, and his legs were equally active, sweeping across at times. Even his forehead became a weapon, crashing into his opponent upon contact. The ferocity of the assault made the Vajra Sect Patriarch gasp repeatedly. Under this rapid barrage, he was suppressed by Xu Qing's momentum, constantly forced to retreat. This left him increasingly alarmed with each exchange, and the Vajra shadow beneath him began to show signs of collapse.

"You seek death!" Seeing this, the Vajra Sect Patriarch growled, his hands swiftly forming incantations. Immediately, his Dharma orifices activated, and his Foundation Establishment aura surged again, forming an oppressive force that bore down on Xu Qing. As he chanted, a dazzling golden light appeared behind him. This golden light manifested into a whip, lashing fiercely towards Xu Qing. Everywhere it passed, the void itself resonated with cracking sounds. The Drought Demon shadow behind Xu Qing roared, emitting vast amounts of heat. It clashed with the whip, and amidst the earth-shattering sound, though it didn't collapse and even grabbed the whip, the impact from the Foundation Establishment Dharma power still shook Xu Qing's entire body, causing him to spurt a mouthful of blood. His body was sent tumbling backward, falling towards the Vajra Sect mountain gate.

At the same time, the sect master and three elders within the Vajra Sect's mountain gate revealed murderous intent in their eyes. All the other disciples, their gazes filled with hatred, also rushed towards where Xu Qing was falling, swiftly launching their attacks. "Die!" The Vajra Sect Patriarch in mid-air, his eyes bloodshot, radiated overwhelming killing intent. His hands rapidly formed incantations. Another Foundation Establishment spell formed—a massive Dharma seal that materialized in the sky. Dozens of meters in size, the wind and snow around it swirled backward, and it descended with astonishing momentum towards the falling Xu Qing! The sheer force of it caused the Vajra Sect mountain gate to tremble. The surrounding snowflakes shattered into powder amidst the energy wave, scattering in all directions. Then, a cold glint flashed in the Vajra Sect Patriarch's eyes. He swept his hands outward from his incantation, and instantly, two illusory figures identical to the Vajra beneath him appeared around him, simultaneously throwing twin punches. Three Vajra shadows, six fists, roared towards Xu Qing from three directions.

Any other Qi Condensation cultivator, even one at Great Circle, would be unable to withstand this. Foundation Establishment spells inherently possessed immense power, and Dharma orifices had a deterrent capability. To some extent, this was equivalent to seven or eight talisman treasures being used simultaneously. Faced with this crisis, at that very instant—as Xu Qing's body was about to hit the Vajra Sect mountain gate, as the disciples below attacked, as the three Vajra shadow fists closed in, and as the great seal descended from above—a cold light flashed in Xu Qing's eyes.

He abruptly formed an incantation with both hands, and an astonishing surge of spiritual energy instantly erupted from his body. This energy expanded outwards, reaching nearly a hundred meters in the blink of an eye, transforming into a sea of spiritual energy! It violently burst outwards in one go, with astonishing momentum. As it exploded, it directly formed a terrifying force that swept roaring through the surroundings. The sect master, elders, and disciples of the Vajra Sect below, regardless of their cultivation, were all violently shaken and instantly collapsed as Xu Qing's spiritual energy erupted! Wherever it passed, the mountains roared, buildings shattered, and everyone... was utterly annihilated, body and soul! As for the spells unleashed by the Vajra Sect Patriarch, they too roared deafeningly under the eruption of this spiritual sea. The three Vajra shadows instantly blurred, like lingering afterimages dissolving in the wind, vanishing imperceptibly. The great seal in the sky did the same, as it descended, it seemed to encounter a strong wind and gradually disappeared. The Vajra Sect Patriarch's expression drastically changed. He retreated a considerable distance but was still affected; blood spilled from his mouth again, and his internal injuries worsened. Unbeknownst to him, his left arm was also covered by the shadow controlled by Xu Qing. Although he barely managed to evade it, his entire left arm turned black and blue, saturated with alien substance. Furthermore, a black iron spike whistled through the air, piercing directly through his right shoulder. Beyond this, what truly rattled him was the realization that his blood and qi were unstable, and signs of poisoning were emerging within him. This caused the Vajra Sect Patriarch's expression to become extremely grim. He quickly took out a pill and swallowed it, then immediately retreated to widen the distance. Yet, his gaze remained fixed on Xu Qing, who had landed amidst the now-shattered Vajra Sect, revealing intense killing intent.

"The Sea Transformation Scripture of Seven Blood Eyes' Seventh Peak, when its spiritual sea erupts all at once, can indeed shake Foundation Establishment cultivators. But you only have this one chance. Next, you're dead!"

Xu Qing's breathing was ragged, and a talisman treasure shimmered with protective light around his body, yet he still spat out a large mouthful of blood. However, there was no surprise in his expression; he had been well aware of the strength of Foundation Establishment cultivators when he arrived. But he felt that he could still kill him! Therefore, his very first move was his strongest killing blow. Whether it was the Heavenly Blade, the shadow, or the Drought Demon shadow, even the spiritual sea within him was not dispersed into multiple spells, but brutally unleashed all at once. Especially the poisons—he had used a total of seventy-three different kinds since the start of the battle! And everything he encountered at this moment aligned with his judgment. So, the instant the Vajra Sect Patriarch's expression turned cold, Xu Qing raised his right hand and, across the void, fiercely grabbed at the retreating Vajra Sect Patriarch in the sky.

With that grab, the Vajra Sect Patriarch's eyes violently constricted. All the countless snowflakes around him instantly changed their trajectory, turning into water droplets. Looking around, the area covered by these water droplets extended for a full hundred meters. "You! How do you still have spiritual energy?!" The moment the Vajra Sect Patriarch cried out in shock, the hundred-meter expanse of raindrops rapidly merged, instantly forming a massive hand that violently grasped at him. Amidst the roar, the Vajra Sect Patriarch spurted blood, his body abruptly retreating. As his heart churned, the hundred-meter hand made of icy rain changed form, astonishingly transforming once again into... a plesiosaur! This was precisely Xu Qing's Forbidden Sea Dragonwhale. As it roared to the sky, the Dragonwhale's aura became ferocious, savagely biting towards the Vajra Sect Patriarch!

The Vajra Sect Patriarch's expression drastically changed again, and he cried out in shock. "Forbidden Sea Dragonwhale!" He had some knowledge of the Seven Blood Eyes Sect and knew that after cultivating the Sea Transformation Scripture of the Seventh Peak to the eighth layer, some exceptional talents could form a Forbidden Sea Dragonwhale, which served as a second body for storing spiritual energy! However, such individuals were rare! He had seen Forbidden Sea Dragonwhales before, but what Xu Qing displayed now, though similar in aura, felt completely different to him in both appearance and the Forbidden Sea power it contained. With his expression greatly altered, the Vajra Sect Patriarch retreated again. He no longer wanted to fight. The alien substance within him was now potent, and the poison he had suffered seemed impossible to neutralize immediately, growing ever more intense. This caused a stinging pain in his internal organs, and the blood he spat out carried a black, foul odor, as if his organs were corroding and melting.

"If I could activate the Profound Radiance state..." The Vajra Sect Patriarch growled internally, filled with unwillingness and helplessness. The strange shadows lurking around him also made his heart pound; a slight lapse in attention, and contact would further increase the alien substance. Moreover, the Forbidden Sea Dragonwhale's formidable combat power, combined with Xu Qing's body refinement strength, filled the Vajra Sect Patriarch with an intense sense of life-or-death crisis.

"I am a devotee of the Litu Cult, I..." The Vajra Sect Patriarch roared, a blend of bravado and inner fear, as he retreated. But before he could finish his words, the flying talisman on Xu Qing's body shone. Xu Qing, who had risen from the ground, spoke calmly. "It's almost over." This was the first sentence he had uttered since the start of the battle. Before the Vajra Sect Patriarch could react to his words, Xu Qing, with a cold glint in his eyes, waved his hand, and immediately... his Dharma boat roared forth!

Its hull, dozens of meters long, had a ferocious appearance like a crocodile-turtle or Black Tortoise, and its wing-like sails made the Dharma boat, as it appeared in mid-air, exude an indescribable savagery and killing intent. Especially as golden light shimmered across its hull, swiftly concentrating on the sharp barb at its prow, a divine aura erupted from the Dharma boat, locking onto the Vajra Sect Patriarch. This divine presence, like that of a god, instantly caused the wind and snow in all directions to seemingly dissipate. An astonishing pressure descended with a rumble. Xu Qing, standing on the Dharma boat, appeared like a sovereign controlling a deity. He coldly watched the Vajra Sect Patriarch and raised his right hand. As he raised it, the divine power gathered even more intensely, clearly indicating that the moment he lowered his hand, a divine strike would erupt. The Divine Strike was the strongest move of his Dharma boat. Xu Qing had initially planned to use it immediately, but he was concerned that it might not be a guaranteed one-hit kill against a Foundation Establishment cultivator who was at full strength and unharmed. That was why he had personally engaged in combat, waiting until now, finally feeling that the moment was right to bring it out, all to ensure a single, decisive kill!

At this moment, the Vajra Sect Patriarch's face turned paler than ever before. His scalp felt as if it would explode, and his eyes revealed an extreme disbelief as he cried out in shock. "Divinity!!" In his horror, the bitterness in the Vajra Sect Patriarch's heart surged endlessly, transforming into terror. The life-or-death crisis at this moment had intensified to an infinite degree... Every piece of flesh and blood on his body seemed to tremble and shriek under this divine power, constantly reminding him of impending death. "There's no escape. If I were in my previous state, perhaps there would be a chance, but now..." The Vajra Sect Patriarch despaired. He looked at Xu Qing, who stood on the Dharma boat, and again recalled the ancient texts he had read, then quickly shouted. "Fellow Daoist, wait a moment, please listen to me! I am willing to be your slave, I will be your slave for life. From now on, you are my master, I..." Xu Qing's expression remained indifferent, ignoring him. He had no interest in acquiring slaves, his mind was made up, and he abruptly lowered his right hand!