Chapter 99: Absolute Survival in Desperate Situations

Xu Qing had no habit of listening to last words, nor did he entertain the idea of taking slaves. Human hearts were unpredictable; rather than constantly worrying about betrayal, it was simpler and more decisive to eliminate them directly.

His philosophy regarding enemies had always been singular: a dead enemy was the safest.

The faster they were killed, the safer he would be.

This was especially true now that he was in the unfamiliar Red Plain. Although he had been observing meticulously for a month, he knew the area was so barren and the environment so harsh that even the Litu Sect itself only occasionally sent emissaries to develop followers.

The nearest scavenger camp was also a hundred miles away, ensuring that his battle with the Vajra Sect Grand Ancestor was largely obscured by the snowstorm, making it highly unlikely anyone would witness it.

Furthermore, Xu Qing had maintained an illusory appearance created by a talisman treasure throughout the encounter. His Dharma Boat had remained camouflaged within the sect's territory, meaning only Zhang San had seen its true form.

While these measures were the most Xu Qing could achieve in a short time, and not entirely perfect, he understood that the success of his mission stemmed from the Vajra Sect Grand Ancestor's misjudgment of his arrival time.

The Grand Ancestor had also underestimated Xu Qing's rapid growth.

Crucially, his opponent could never have conceived that Xu Qing possessed a divine strike capable of severely threatening a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

After all, divine creatures were inherently rare and astonishingly valuable. To construct this Dharma Boat, Xu Qing had not only used shed divine lizard skin but also spent tens of thousands of spirit stones.

With such thorough preparations, how could he not prevail?

At that moment, the snowstorm howled, and the biting cold swept across the land.

The Dharma Boat's divine power converged to its zenith in that instant. As Xu Qing lowered his right hand, the sharp spike at the vessel's front immediately blazed with a blinding, golden radiance.

From the ground looking up, one could see goose-feather snowflakes descending like a celestial curtain, yet they could not conceal the sacredness emanating from within the golden light.

That sacred aura seemed capable of suppressing souls and all living beings, causing the Vajra Sect Grand Ancestor's heart to thunder. The fear in his eyes materialized, merging into his mind as a pervasive gloom that enveloped his entire being, body and soul.

Witnessing the impending divine strike, realizing he was about to be utterly annihilated and perish from this world, and seeing that Xu Qing offered him no chance to speak, the Vajra Sect Grand Ancestor’s eyes flashed with resolve. He let out a fierce roar and did something Xu Qing had never in his wildest dreams anticipated.

He actually… attacked himself *before* Xu Qing’s divine strike could even erupt!

The very next instant, the Vajra Sect Grand Ancestor swiftly raised his right hand and, directly before Xu Qing, struck himself on the forehead with his palm.

With a resounding boom, as his Foundation Establishment cultivation burst forth, and seemingly fearing that a single palm strike wouldn’t be enough to kill himself, he simultaneously drew a knife with his left hand and plunged it violently into his chest, directly into his heart.

He exerted his full strength, causing the blade lodged in his heart to shatter and collapse.

Countless sharp fragments, infused with his Foundation Establishment spiritual power, exploded violently within his body.

At the same time, his forehead shattered and completely collapsed, leaving nothing above his neck.

All of this happened in a flash. The next instant, the headless, half-destroyed corpse of the Vajra Sect Grand Ancestor plummeted directly from the sky.

Xu Qing's eyes widened, and he froze for a moment in stunned surprise.

"An alien? Feigning death?"

He gazed at the fallen corpse, sensing the complete absence of any aura and noting its shattered state, clearly devoid of life.

Xu Qing had never encountered a situation where a human, headless and half-destroyed, could still feign death.

Moreover, his perception of the opponent indicated they were not an alien species.

This made Xu Qing hesitate for the first time while killing. He wondered whether he should waste his limited and precious divine power by continuing to bombard the corpse.

Although he had committed numerous killings since childhood, this was an entirely new experience for him. So much so that the divine strike from his Dharma Boat trembled slightly, and he had to actively restrain it.

Despite his hesitation, he still waved his hand, conjuring raindrops that immediately sped towards the Vajra Sect Grand Ancestor's remains, relentlessly crushing them further.

Amidst the resounding impact, the Vajra Sect Grand Ancestor's remains shattered even further, scattering across the ground.

Just then, an illusory soul shadow abruptly emerged from the fallen corpse. This indistinct shadow shivered in the snowstorm, appearing as though it could dissipate at any moment.

Upon closer inspection, despite its blurriness, it faintly resembled the Vajra Sect Grand Ancestor. However, this soul shadow carried none of the typical characteristics of a departed spirit; instead, it possessed a distinct liveliness.

This was contradictory: though indistinct, it felt remarkably agile to Xu Qing’s senses.

Xu Qing's eyes narrowed, and the moment killing intent resurfaced within them, the Vajra Sect Grand Ancestor's soul shadow flickered violently. Moving with extreme speed, it shot directly towards… the black iron skewer lying on the ground nearby.

In an instant, he seemed to traverse thin air, appearing directly beside the skewer. His expression was anxious, as if in a race against death, fearing Xu Qing would kill him before he could reach it, he plunged headlong into it.

In the blink of an eye, his soul shadow completely merged into the skewer. At that very moment, the black iron skewer vibrated intensely, its dark aura deepening, and a chill far more potent than before emanated from it.

Faintly, streams of light began to radiate from it, as if an ordinary object was being transformed into a treasure!

This was the second time Xu Qing had been stunned during this battle.

After joining the Seven Blood Eyes Sect, he was no longer as ignorant about cultivation as he once was. Staring at his black iron skewer now, his breath hitched slightly; he instantly recognized the transformation that had occurred.

"It has gained an artifact spirit?"

In this world, there were many distinctions between ordinary treasures and magical artifacts. One key difference was that ordinary treasures lacked a spirit, whereas magical artifacts possessed one.

Of course, an ordinary treasure gaining a spirit didn't automatically make it a magical artifact, but possessing an artifact spirit opened up the possibility of it becoming one!

Xu Qing fell silent. He suddenly reached out with his right hand, and the black iron skewer whistled through the air, landing in his grasp. He stared at it coldly for a long time, alternately clenching and loosening his grip several times before falling into deeper silence.

He could feel it: his black iron skewer genuinely had an artifact spirit, and that spirit was none other than the Vajra Sect Grand Ancestor.

The Grand Ancestor had somehow employed an unknown technique to actively kill himself, then intentionally transformed his soul into an artifact spirit, and finally, deliberately chose to merge into the iron skewer.

"Get out!" Xu Qing snarled, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

The skewer immediately trembled, and the illusory shadow of the Vajra Sect Grand Ancestor emerged from it. Seeing Xu Qing's expression, he shivered and quickly offered an ingratiating smile.

"What does master require of this humble one?"

His words were exceptionally smooth, his expression fawning, devoid of any awkwardness—as if he had practiced for a very long time. And indeed, this was true. The Vajra Sect Grand Ancestor had lived a life of caution, acting prudently and enjoying ancient texts. To others, his usual thoughts often seemed eccentric.

Yet, he didn't see himself that way. He was acutely aware that in this chaotic era, his modest cultivation, unable to even activate the Profound Radiance state, was insignificant. His sect was also too small, making it highly susceptible to becoming the first "whetstone" for those individuals of "great destiny" described in ancient texts.

In the countless ancient texts the Vajra Sect Grand Ancestor had perused, such "whetstones" invariably met gruesome ends; not a single one survived. Thus, besides his horror, he also harbored deep anxieties about his own future.

However, he couldn't bring himself to abandon everything and retreat into seclusion.

Therefore, many years ago, despite believing he wouldn't be so unlucky, he nevertheless prepared for any contingency. He secretly cultivated a fragmented technique he had acquired from ancient ruins in his youth.

A normal person would never cultivate this incomplete technique.

Its sole purpose was to sacrifice oneself to become an artifact spirit.

Furthermore, the failure rate was extremely high; a single failure would result in the soul's complete annihilation.

Nevertheless, the Vajra Sect Grand Ancestor highly valued this incomplete technique, believing it to be his second life.

Consequently, he never ceased his cultivation of it, and it seemed he possessed some talent in this particular area.

He believed that if he were ever truly to be killed, his verbal promises of loyalty or spiritual oaths would likely fail to convince others.

Even having life-and-death talismans planted on him wouldn't be secure; he could easily be used as cannon fodder and discarded afterwards.

The most secure path, he concluded, was to become the artifact spirit of his opponent's weapon.

This idea grew increasingly firm as he continued to read ancient texts.

Until today, his lifelong cultivation of the artifact spirit technique finally found its purpose, granting him a sliver of hope and a chance at survival from an otherwise impossible situation.

Amidst the Grand Ancestor's fawning, Xu Qing's irritation grew. This was the first time he had encountered such a situation, and he hesitated whether to kill him. Yet, an artifact spirit was simply too valuable.

"How did you become an artifact spirit?" Xu Qing asked coldly.

The Vajra Sect Grand Ancestor quickly put on a fawning expression and spoke loudly.

"This humble one had a dream many years ago. In that dream, I saw my future self encountering a fated master, one who would bring a gentle baptism to this desolate and cruel world. I was deeply moved then and swore to follow him. So, I spent my resources to acquire a fragmented technique and began cultivating the path of becoming an artifact spirit."

"For this, I have always been prepared!"

"Speak plainly." Xu Qing's gaze turned cold, and killing intent flared in his eyes. The Vajra Sect Grand Ancestor shivered upon seeing this, secretly thinking, *It's a good thing I was smart and decisive enough to quickly kill myself before this vengeful brat could act.*

Then, seizing the opportunity while Xu Qing was stunned, he proactively transformed into an artifact spirit. Only by doing so had he managed to snatch a chance at survival from utter desperation.

He truly had no other option. This "little wolf cub" in front of him held no desire to take slaves; he was genuinely determined to annihilate him. Had he hesitated even for a moment earlier, he would undoubtedly be completely dead by now.

To have found a path to survival from such utter despair, the Vajra Sect Grand Ancestor felt a deep weariness, convinced he had endured an extraordinary ordeal.

With this thought, he quickly responded in a low voice, truthfully recounting everything. After speaking, he cast a spell to release a wisp of his primordial spirit, sending it to Xu Qing as a symbol of his submission.

Upon hearing this, Xu Qing glanced at the Vajra Sect Grand Ancestor's primordial spirit, then back at the black iron skewer. Killing intent flickered in his eyes, sometimes rising, sometimes subsiding. The Grand Ancestor watched with a pounding heart, quickly reaffirming his loyalty.

"Master," the Grand Ancestor quickly declared, "my life is worthless. Now that I am an artifact spirit, I can make your magical artifact sharper and capable of infinite growth. As a Foundation Establishment artifact spirit, I can make any ordinary treasure rare and formidable under my enhancement. I have many, many, many more uses in the future, but you can destroy me at any moment with just a word."

"Master, there's no hurry to destroy me. On my corpse, there's a nearly complete elixir; it's quite a valuable item. If you consume it, your cultivation will significantly improve."

"Also, Master, there's a treasure vault beneath my sect. Inside, there's an array crossbow specifically designed for the Dharma Boats of Seven Blood Eyes' Seventh Peak. I don't possess a Dharma Boat, so I couldn't use it. I had originally planned to offer it as a gift..."

"And Master, we must leave quickly. A fellow Daoist I invited a few days ago is expected to arrive tomorrow, and emissaries from the Litu Sect will also be arriving in the coming days."

The Vajra Sect Grand Ancestor knew very well that having chosen to kneel, he must do so utterly and completely. Only then could he hope to survive.

Xu Qing remained expressionless. He waved his hand, collecting the Grand Ancestor's primordial spirit. Then, he reached out and retrieved the storage bag from the Vajra Sect Grand Ancestor's corpse. Just as he was about to destroy the remains, the Grand Ancestor quickly intervened.

"Master, master," the Grand Ancestor stammered, "that... this storage bag is merely a decoy, not the real one. I have another on me, concealed by a talisman treasure."

Xu Qing gave the Vajra Sect Grand Ancestor a profound look.