Chapter 1238: Qingtian Emperor Cried

Even a single Qingtian Emperor was difficult to defeat. When he split into two, overcoming them seemed almost impossible. So, Zhang Xuan proceeded with extreme caution. He first concealed his clone in a storage ring and placed it in a specific location. Then, he continuously retreated, feigning weakness, to lure his opponents to a pre-calculated position.

Finally, he faked self-detonation to distract both of them, which allowed his clone to launch a sneak attack, succeeding in one fell swoop.

It sounded simple, but it involved many intricate details: what moves to use, how far to escape, where to stop, and from what angle the clone should attack to remain undetected.

Meticulous calculations, coupled with the fact that the clone, having cultivated during this period, was purely stronger than the main body, enabled him to achieve instant success with this well-planned strategy against unsuspecting foes.

Otherwise, it would have been utterly impossible to defeat them with just himself and the Golden Origin Cauldron.

Their heads exploded, and two corpses fell from the sky. Zhang Xuan immediately heard an angry roar as two spirit souls soared out from the respective bodies.

It was the Qingtian Emperor's primordial spirit!

This guy's physical body split, and surprisingly, his primordial spirit also split into two.

Boom!

The moment his primordial spirits appeared, the surrounding space solidified even further, as if caught in a strong, adverse current. Advancing was impossible; merely staying in place was incredibly difficult.

Freed from the shackles of the physical body, the primordial spirits became even more potent, seemingly capable of unleashing greater combat strength.

Drawn by an unseen force, the two primordial spirits slowly merged in mid-air, reconstituting into a single entity.

It seemed that while his secret splitting technique could create two bodies, once the physical forms were destroyed, his primordial spirit struggled to maintain its divided state.

"I will make you die..."

Recovering and now devoid of his previous advantage, the Qingtian Emperor, face ashen, roared and lunged at Zhang Xuan once more.

A dignified Emperor of the Spirit Tribe, he had employed a secret technique that transformed him into something neither human nor ghost. Yet, he not only failed to slay his opponent but also lost his physical bodies. The intense frustration made him feel like he was about to explode.

Before, he had merely sought to kill his opponent to save face after his plan was ruined and his subordinates died. Now, however, it was a blood feud.

"You just said you wanted me dead... and I'm still perfectly alive. Stop shouting; catch me first, then talk."

Facing the threat, Zhang Xuan smiled faintly. Instead of dodging, he charged directly towards the emperor's palm.

Sizzle! Sizzle!

The Qingtian Emperor's massive primordial spirit palm, upon touching Zhang Xuan's body, instantly reacted like iron encountering sulfuric acid, emitting a sizzling sound of corrosion. In the blink of an eye, a large hole appeared in his palm.

"Ah..."

With a cry of agony, the Qingtian Emperor hastily withdrew his hand. He stared at Zhang Xuan as if he had seen a ghost, his expression full of disbelief: "You... you..."

Just moments ago, with his physical body, he had tormented his opponent, forcing him to flee. Now that only his primordial spirit remained, under normal circumstances, his opponent should have been even more terrified. How... how had it come to this, that his own primordial spirit was being corroded instead?

"I can't contend with other Leaving Aperture Realm experts," Zhang Xuan said, "but for you, I have many ways..."

Ignoring the emperor's shock, Zhang Xuan smiled faintly. His body flickered, and the Zhenqi within him immediately surged forth, filling the entire hall.

Against other Leaving Aperture Realm cultivators, with his current strength, he could only passively endure attacks. However, his opponent was a Spirit Enchanter, whose primordial spirit was formed through spirit enchanting abilities—and the Heaven's Path Zhenqi was precisely its bane!

As long as he released the Heaven's Path Zhenqi, even if the opponent was powerful, they would be unable to resist!

It was like using a hammer to smash sulfuric acid; even if the hammer had great destructive power, if it kept getting a little acid on it, eventually nothing would be left due to corrosion.

The Qingtian Emperor trembled with rage.

At this moment, he finally understood. Under his opponent's step-by-step calculations, he, who originally held a great advantage, had fallen into a passive position.

His face went deathly pale as he gazed at the Zhenqi permeating the surroundings.

As a late-stage Leaving Aperture Realm expert, he clearly perceived that the surrounding Zhenqi was precisely his nemesis. If he truly charged in, he would inevitably be worn down, growing weaker and weaker.

"If I must die, I'll drag you down with me first..."

Gritting his teeth, he roared. The Qingtian Emperor's palm clawed through the air, lunging towards him.

The opponent's Zhenqi was so strange, capable of corroding primordial spirits. Thus, he decided to risk having his primordial spirit completely corroded, just to bring the opponent down first!

At worst, they would die together!

Boom!

Exerting his full strength, the Qingtian Emperor's might was no weaker than when he had his physical body. In the blink of an eye, Zhang Xuan felt as if he had sunk into a quagmire once again.

"A centipede does not stiffen even after death... As expected of the Qingtian Emperor, he was truly formidable!"

Zhang Xuan shook his head, his acupoints across his body opening, and Zhenqi surged wildly within him. The restrained space tore open once more. Without even resorting to a martial art, he struck out with a palm.

Regardless, his opponent was a late-stage Leaving Aperture Realm expert who had endured three lightning tribulations; indeed, he wasn't someone of Zhang Xuan's current strength who could be easily killed.

Crack! Crack!

Zhenqi surged out, forming a palm print in the air. Upon contact with the opponent's primordial spirit, it immediately produced a sizzling sound, like pouring boiling oil on raw flesh.

"Ah..."

With a cry of agony, the Qingtian Emperor's primordial spirit immediately shrank in size.

Gritting his teeth, the Qingtian Emperor roared again. Knowing it was impossible to kill his opponent by manipulating space, his body flickered, retreating dozens of meters, and then he pointed a finger, striking out.

His primordial spirit had strong control; even if the opponent's Zhenqi wanted to attack him, it would be ineffective from a distance.

The concentrated finger force came directly at him, moving with lightning speed.

Indeed, this time, Zhang Xuan failed to block it and was sent flying backward after being hit in the chest.

Using the same tactic, he also sent the clone flying.

Without the Heaven's Path Zhenqi, the opponent, being a late-stage Leaving Aperture Realm expert, was not someone who could be simply crushed at will.

"As expected of an old monster who has lived for an unknown number of years... His combat experience is truly rich; he saw through my weakness at a glance!"

Seeing that this guy quickly perceived his problem and found a solution, Zhang Xuan's eyes grew solemn as he circulated Zhenqi to recover from his injuries.

He had thought that with the Heaven's Path Zhenqi as a "cheat," he could easily kill his opponent, but now it seemed it wouldn't be that easy.

Heaven's Path Zhenqi was the bane of spirit souls, but if the opponent pulled away, without martial techniques to support it, the Zhenqi's cohesion would weaken over a long distance. Even if he could defeat him, the consumption would be enormous, and he might even deplete all his Zhenqi.

To deplete all his Zhenqi before even encountering the 'ruthless man' would be a loss greater than the gain.

"What now?"

Zhang Xuan was somewhat worried. However, there wasn't time for him to ponder; the Qingtian Emperor roared again and struck out with another finger.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Immense power tore through the air, seemingly intending to pierce him.

His body flickered, dodging the attack, and he was about to counter. Suddenly, an idea flashed through his mind; Zhang Xuan smiled faintly and flipped his wrist.

An altar landed on the ground.

He gently stroked its surface with his palm.

Whoosh!

The array patterns on it were immediately activated, and a powerful suction force began to draw the Qingtian Emperor from the air.

"Huh? This is the altar I set up in Qingyuan City..."

Drawn by the force, the Qingtian Emperor's primordial spirit swayed in the air. He glanced at it and immediately recognized it.

It was none other than the altar his clone had set up in Qingyuan City, used to kill master teachers and capture their souls. He never expected it to be carried by his opponent and activated against him!

This object required the killing aura of the Spirit Tribe to activate, and its array formation was extremely complex. Even for him, activating it once demanded a great price and consumed immense energy. How on earth did this guy manage to do it?

"He's using his own Zhenqi..."

He quickly looked closer, and his eyebrows twitched.

His opponent was actually using his own Zhenqi to supply the altar. How profound must one's Zhenqi be to afford such extravagance?

Just as he thought the opponent wouldn't last long, he felt the suction force growing stronger, and his primordial spirit swayed. Unable to control his body any longer, he was immediately drawn above the altar.

The altar, related to the 'ruthless man's' secret technique, possessed an extremely strong suction force for souls. If he still had his physical body, he might have been able to resist, but at this moment, with only his primordial spirit remaining, he could no longer contend.

As soon as he was sucked up and was contemplating a way to break free, he saw two Zhang Xuans charging at him simultaneously, unleashing a flurry of blows.

Palms, fists, feet... every possible move landed on him in the blink of an eye.

Screaming in fury, the Qingtian Emperor roared. His entire strength erupted, and it took an enormous toll for him to break free from the altar's pull, after which he lunged violently at his opponent.

Before his attack could reach them, the two Zhang Xuans darted away simultaneously, hiding over a hundred meters away.

He lowered his head, intending to destroy the altar, but found that it had already been put into a storage ring by his opponent.

His face was ashen; he wanted to rush over and kill his opponent, but then he saw the altar reappear in the distance, generating a powerful suction force.

Whoosh!

He was sucked over again, remaining motionless. The two Zhang Xuans rushed over again, delivering another round of merciless blows.

After several consecutive times, the Qingtian Emperor's primordial spirit grew smaller and weaker.

"This is utterly shameless..."

Feeling that he was on the verge of collapse at any moment, the Qingtian Emperor was on the verge of tears.

He had met formidable master teachers and powerful master teachers... but never one so utterly shameless...