Chapter 270: Sinister |
Seeing Elder Deng's divine ability secret technique, Chen Qing's heart was deeply shaken. He hurriedly circulated his True Aura to protect himself, resisting the berserk shockwaves sweeping toward him.
Just as the smoke and dust had not yet fully settled, a sudden change occurred!
The central area where the Mountain River Grand Seal had struck did not completely calm down. Instead, it suddenly erupted with a blood light so dense it seemed impossible to dissolve!
This blood light shot toward the sky, carrying an extremely foul aura, as if it would pollute this entire stretch of heaven and earth.
Within the blood light, Mo He's broken figure could be faintly seen. His features were twisted, black blood seeping from all seven orifices, clearly at the end of his rope.
"Burn my demonic blood, Myriad Transformation Blood Escape!"
Mo He let out a shrill, resolute roar. Without any hesitation, he had burned away most of his essence blood and part of his soul origin!
This was an escape technique from the Demon Sect that came at an extremely heavy cost. Once used, severe damage to one's foundation and a drastic drop in cultivation was practically inevitable!
With his roar, the towering blood light suddenly contracted, transforming into a blood-colored arrow condensed to the extreme. The air fluctuations emanating from it made one's heart palpitate.
"Boom!"
The punch force was like a mountain, striking the blood evil. The airflow shook violently, and the condensed blood light trembled intensely, as if about to collapse.
At the blood light's core, Mo He once again sprayed out a black blood arrow mixed with fragments of internal organs. His entire aura deflated like a punctured balloon, instantly becoming extremely weak. The originally abundant True Origin fluctuations also became barely perceptible.
However, using the impact force from Deng Ziheng's punch, combined with the instantaneous burst gained from burning his essence blood and soul, the blood-colored arrow suddenly trembled and actually tore through the surrounding chaotic aura that had yet to settle, shooting away with a "swoosh"!
Its speed was far faster than before, leaving only a gradually dissipating blood-colored trail and a thick, lingering bloody evil qi in its wake.
Elder Deng Ziheng did not pursue further. He took a deep breath as the surging True Origin around his body slowly calmed.
Continuously activating the divine ability "Mountain River Grand Seal" and the subsequent fierce attacks had taken considerable toll on him as well.
Chen Qing hurried forward and asked with concern, "Elder Deng, are you alright?"
Deng Ziheng waved his hand to indicate he was fine. "No matter."
Chen Qing looked at Mo He's retreating figure and said, "That Mo He... escaped?"
Deng Ziheng sneered, "Mm, he escaped at great cost. After all, he is a True Origin realm expert who has completed three refinements, so he still has some life-saving trump cards. However, after taking a direct hit from my Mountain River Grand Seal and then forcibly using 'Myriad Transformation Blood Escape' to burn his essence blood, his qi sea has been shattered by my punch force, and his foundation is severely damaged!"
"Such injuries cannot be recovered without several years of bitter effort and heaven-defying fortune. Even if he returns to the Demon Sect, his position as Elder... heh, is probably at its end."
Chen Qing understood. Even a sect like Tianbao Upper Sect concealed fierce internal competition, and within the Demon Sect it was even more so, even more naked and brutal.
The law of the jungle was their iron rule.
With Mo He suffering such heavy injuries, his foundation damaged and strength greatly diminished, fellow disciples he had previously suppressed and rivals coveting his position would never let this opportunity pass.
His days after returning to the Demon Sect would probably be no better than being hunted outside.
"Elder Deng's strength is profound. This disciple is deeply impressed," Chen Qing said sincerely.
Witnessing True Origin realm experts deploying divine abilities in combat had moved him greatly.
Deng Ziheng glanced at Chen Qing, his tone softening somewhat as he offered guidance. "Both of us have completed three refinements at the True Origin realm, but Mo He cultivated the Demon Sect's quick-success methods, making his foundation unstable. Though our realms appear equal, he is actually strong on the outside but hollow within. The higher the realm, the more the competition involves not just the depth of cultivation, but the solidity of one's foundation, the quality of True Origin, the strength of spiritual sense, combat techniques, and even mastery of divine ability secret techniques."
He paused, looking at Chen Qing meaningfully. "Though you did not lay your foundation with any specific peerless heart method, the fusion of three True Auras gives you potential and depth no less than any peerless heart method. When you reach the True Origin realm, the life-bound True Origin you condense will certainly be extremely thick and pure, far surpassing your peers."
Chen Qing's heart stirred as he nodded solemnly.
His ability to defeat Lu Chenming despite the difference in their levels relied not just on cultivation realm, but also on his powerful body cultivation, perfected spear techniques, and various trump cards.
As one's realm rose, foundation became ever more important.
This was also the source of the gaps between experts.
Demon Sect cultivation mostly relied on plundering external forces, while ordinary martial artists emphasized personal bitter cultivation and solid foundations.
But Chen Qing was different. He relied on his fate pattern, Heaven Rewards Diligence.
His foundation was completely different from others!
Moreover, others only knew of his three True Auras, unaware that what he cultivated was the even more profound Mixed Origin Five Elements True Solution. When he stepped into the True Origin realm, that life-bound True Origin would certainly be extraordinary.
At this time, Luo Qianjue, He Shuang, and the other surviving disciples also gathered around. Many still wore complex expressions from surviving the ordeal.
Chen Qing asked, "How is the situation? What are our casualties?"
Luo Qianjue's expression was grave. He took a deep breath and replied, "Reporting to Senior Brother Chen, on our side... six people died. They were all those who couldn't avoid the first wave of attacks after being poisoned. The rest are all injured to varying degrees, but fortunately no one is critically wounded."
Chen Qing asked in a deep voice, "Which six junior brothers and sisters?"
Luo Qianjue's throat moved, his voice carrying a trace of hoarseness as he slowly reported six names.
With each name reported, someone in the crowd's expression darkened.
Most of these names were not unfamiliar to Chen Qing. They were faces he had often seen while cultivating at Xuwang Mountain. Though he had no deep connections with them, he recognized their faces.
One of them he even remembered clearly. When he had just become a candidate for True Disciple, this person had come with other disciples to visit and congratulate him, even presenting a gift.
Deng Ziheng nodded slightly, his face showing little emotion. As such a seasoned veteran who had experienced too many storms in his life, though he was not numb to life and death, he had long been able to face it calmly without dwelling excessively in sorrow.
Chen Qing took a deep breath and said, "The injured disciples should recover as quickly as possible. This place is not suitable to linger. No one knows if the Demon Sect has follow-up measures. We must leave quickly and head for East Pole City."
He Shuang, Luo Qianjue, and the others responded in unison, "Yes!"
Afterward, everyone began clearing the battlefield and calculating the gains from this battle.
Chen Qing carefully recalled the earlier combat and counted the Demon Sect members he had killed.
"By my count, I killed one late-stage True Aura expert, two mid-stage True Aura experts, and three perfected True Aura experts."
Chen Qing calculated in his mind, "Contribution points totaling... nine thousand one hundred points!"
The contribution points gained from this battle were nearly equivalent to half a year's monthly allowance.
No wonder the sect used this to incentivize disciples to fight the Demon Sect.
The other surviving disciples also began calculating their own kills. Though far less than Chen Qing's, the rewards for killing someone at the same level or even above were quite generous, enough to exchange for considerable cultivation resources.
This made many feel a spark of excitement amid their grief.
Risk and opportunity coexisted. Fighting the Demon Sect brought casualties, but the gains were indeed staggering.
Under Elder Deng Ziheng's urging, everyone briefly handled their companions' remains, took pills for a quick recovery, then set off again, racing toward East Pole City.
…
Mo He held on with his last breath, used Myriad Transformation Blood Escape, and fled who knows how many li before finally collapsing from exhaustion in a desolate mountain ravine.
He crashed through several dead branches and tumbled onto a rocky riverbed by a stream. Who knows how many bones in his body were broken, and the intense pain from his qi sea nearly made him pass out.
Trembling, he fished out a jade bottle from his robes and poured out a pill.
This pill was a secret medicine of the Demon Sect that could forcibly stimulate life potential in a short time to stabilize injuries.
"I never expected Tianbao Upper Sect to be so cunning, secretly sending that old scoundrel Deng Ziheng to guard them... A miscalculation! Hateful!"
Mo He took a deep breath. If he hadn't decisively burned his essence blood at the last moment, he would have died under that "Mountain River Grand Seal" long ago.
He didn't dare hesitate. He swallowed the pill in one gulp, and a scorching, domineering medicinal force instantly dissolved, forcibly suppressing the churning qi and blood and shattered meridians within his body, temporarily restoring a trace of mobility.
Just as he had caught his breath slightly and was preparing to immediately find a more hidden place to heal, his brow suddenly furrowed. Though his spiritual sense was already damaged, it still detected a trace of presence.
"Who's there? Come out!" Mo He forced up a breath and shouted harshly.
"Elder Mo need not be alarmed. It's me."
Accompanied by a calm voice, a figure in a wide black robe stepped out from behind a massive boulder like a specter.
The newcomer was entirely shrouded in the black robe, his face hidden in the deep shadow of the hood, his aura concealed extremely well.
"It's you!"
When Mo He recognized the newcomer, his heart not only didn't relax but instead tightened sharply, his wariness rising greatly.
Though this person was newly advanced to the True Origin realm, his mind was deep and calculating, and he was highly regarded by Grand Elder Sikong Hui. His sudden appearance here was definitely no coincidence.
"Shouldn't you be in Soul Breaking Gorge assisting the Grand Elder in ambushing Ji Yunliang? Why are you here?"
Mo He's voice was hoarse. Secretly, he circulated the remnant True Origin that the pill had barely suppressed, ready to strike at any moment.
The black-robed man slightly raised his head. "Reporting to Elder Mo, I came on the Grand Elder's orders to provide support for Elder Mo, just in case."
"The Grand Elder?"
Hearing that this was Sikong Hui's arrangement, the tension in Mo He's heart relaxed slightly. He nodded and said, "I see. The Grand Elder is thorough. That Deng Ziheng of Tianbao Upper Sect does indeed have some ability. I was careless for a moment and suffered a small setback, but he won't have it easy either!"
"Go back and report to the Grand Elder first. Tell him the target Chen Qing has True Origin realm experts secretly guarding him, the plan has been obstructed, and I need to find a place to heal. I will return afterward."
The black-robed man was silent for a moment before slowly saying, "In that case, Elder Mo take care. This subordinate will return to report."
With that, he bowed slightly to Mo He, then his figure leaped, transforming into a faint wisp of black smoke that swept toward the ravine's exit.
Watching the black figure disappear at the edge of his vision, Mo He finally let out a long breath of relief. The breath he had been forcibly holding instantly released, and he began coughing violently, black blood foam once again seeping from the corners of his mouth.
He didn't dare delay. He struggled to rise, needing to leave this place immediately and find an absolutely safe location.
However, at this very instant when his guard was most relaxed!
A sudden change occurred!
The black figure shot out from the bushes behind him at extreme speed!
Heading straight for Mo He's back!
That bone-chilling killing intent was colder than the stream water in this mountain ravine!
"You!"
Mo He's soul nearly fled his body. Severely wounded, his reactions were more than a beat too slow!
In his haste, he only managed to barely twist his body and gather all his remaining True Origin at his back.
"Squelch!"
A clawed hand covered in pitch-black demonic aura, like a red-hot branding iron piercing thin paper, easily tore through the True Origin defense he had hastily erected, and viciously struck his back!
Violent, sinister force instantly penetrated his body, madly destroying his meridians and internal organs that were already on the verge of collapse!
Mo He's body shook violently. He flew forward and crashed heavily to the ground, blood gushing like a spring from his mouth and nose.
He turned his head with difficulty, looking at the black-robed figure approaching again, his eyes filled with disbelieving shock and rage.
"...You... how dare you?!"
He roared hoarsely. With every word he spoke, fragments of internal organs mixed with fresh blood surged out.
The black-robed man slowly walked to stand before him, looking down at him from above. "Elder Mo appears to be injured far more seriously than you claimed."
"You... actually dare to harm a fellow disciple... the Grand Elder... will not let you off..."
Mo He's gaze scattered, his aura like a candle in the wind.
"Fellow disciple?"
The black-robed man seemed to chuckle softly. "In this Demon Sect, the weak are prey to the strong. Who isn't someone else's nourishment? Your cultivation has plummeted, and you're destined to lose your Elder position. Rather than let others benefit, or be tortured to death by old enemies, why not help me along? Your essence blood and True Origin are exactly what I need to stabilize my realm."
Before his words had finished, the black-robed man gave him no further opportunity. He crouched down, his right hand's five fingers hooked like claws, pressing directly onto the crown of Mo He's head!
A terrifying suction force suddenly erupted!
"Aaahhhh!"
Mo He let out an extremely shrill, inhuman scream, his entire body convulsing violently.
His already withered aura poured toward the black-robed man's palm like floodwaters through a broken dam.
His shriveled skin lost its last trace of luster at a visible speed, becoming like dried tree bark. His blood, flesh, and essence, along with the little remaining life-bound True Origin, were forcibly extracted and devoured.
In just a few breaths, Mo He's screams abruptly ceased.
All that remained was a skeleton wrapped in tattered robes, all blood, flesh, vital essence, and True Origin completely devoured. The manner of death was extremely miserable, making one's heart tremble.
The black-robed man slowly withdrew his palm, feeling the surging, tremendous True Origin within his body. His frame beneath the black robe swelled slightly, and his aura also fluctuated violently.
He skillfully gathered items that might reveal his identity, flicked out a strand of True Origin that shattered them, and let them scatter in the wind.
Then the black-robed man's figure flickered, transforming into a dark shadow that silently merged into the vast mountain forest, as if he had never appeared.
Comments 4