Chapter 421: Spear Suppression |
Fu Ting's expression changed slightly. He clearly hadn't expected that after Chen Qing forcefully clashed with Meng Xingdu's Ruins-Returning Giant Seal, he would still have such ferocious counterattack strength.
His left hand gripped the blade hilt at his waist!
"Clang!"
The blade light was like snow, slashing out like a bolt of silk!
Seven Killings Army-Breaking Blade!
Seven blade intents also erupted simultaneously!
The blade intent was cold and severe, directly opposing the spear intent in a head-on clash!
"Boom!"
Spear tip met blade edge!
Amidst the ear-piercing metallic clang, True Origin rippled outward like mad, plowing the ground below several feet deeper, with earth and stone rolling back like waves!
Chen Qing's arms bulged with dragon-like muscles as he pushed the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Vajra Body to its limit.
A fierce glint flashed in his eyes as his left palm silently lifted, with True Origin frantically converging in his palm.
A divine technique secret art of the True Martial lineage! Mountain River Grand Seal!
This was no mere phantom, but an actual ancient, simple mountain seal manifesting in his palm!
The seal bore mountain and river patterns as if they were real. Though only palm-sized, it was as heavy as a mountain, emanating a crushing aura that suppressed the eight directions!
"Suppress!"
Chen Qing roared, his left palm pressing down. The Mountain River Grand Seal broke free and flew out, growing in the wind to over a zhang in size as it descended to suppress Fu Ting!
Before the seal even arrived, that heaven-sealing, earth-locking heavy pressure already made Fu Ting's bones creak throughout his body, and the ground beneath his feet sank inch by inch!
Fu Ting took a deep breath and had no choice but to grit his teeth and respond to this strike.
His right hand’s blade momentum coiled back, the blade humming and trembling as True Origin around his entire body erupted skyward like a volcanic explosion.
A secret divine technique of Taiyi Upper Sect! Falling Star Heavenly Descent Blade!
With one blade strike, the blade light didn't slash straight down but shot skyward instead. At a high altitude, it suddenly condensed, transforming into a giant blade several feet in diameter that dragged a long tail flame behind it, descending with the force of ten thousand thunderbolts to collide brazenly with the descending Mountain River Grand Seal!
Blade intent transformed into a falling star! Burning the heavens and falling upon the world!
"BOOM!"
The falling star and mountain seal collided brazenly in midair!
It was as if the firmament itself shattered. Blinding white light and heavy yellow radiance erupted simultaneously, interweaving into an ocean of destructive light!
Terrifying shockwaves exploded outward in a sphere, with violent winds like blades shaving everything protruding within several dozen zhang completely flat!
Chen Qing and Fu Ting both retreated simultaneously.
However, in this split second!
Chen Qing's flying figure twisted strangely in midair. Activating the Nine Shadow Void Evasion Art, a residual shadow as faint as blue smoke swept through the explosion's center. His True Origin coiled around and wrapped up that cluster of ten spirit liquid droplets' golden radiance!
"Stop!"
Fu Ting forcefully suppressed his churning blood and qi, slashing his blade through the air toward that residual shadow, with blade qi extending over ten zhang!
Meng Xingdu also recovered his breath. Seeing the spirit liquid seized again, he struck out with both palms in succession, sending several condensed palm prints to seal off all of Chen Qing's escape routes!
These two nine-refinement experts joined forces in anger, their combined might terrifying!
Blade qi and palm prints wove into a net, killing intent bone-chilling, completely locking down all space around Chen Qing!
In the distance, countless gazes were drawn to this earth-shaking clash.
"Chen Qing can actually fight one against two, contending with Taiyi Sect's two nine-refinement elders?!" someone cried out in shock.
"That spear intent... that mountain seal... and that body-splitting technique! This person's methods emerge endlessly, simply inconceivable!" A Zhu Family expert's expression was grave.
Luo Ping was currently locked in confrontation with Cui Lin of Cloudwater Upper Sect, competing for another small cluster of spirit liquid.
Cui Lin glanced toward the distant battle situation and sneered, "Elder Luo, it seems Chen Qing won't be able to hold on much longer. Aren't you going to save him?"
Luo Ping's sword light fluctuated in his palm, his aura locking onto Cui Lin as he said flatly, "I'll deal with you first."
On another side, Nan Zhuoran and Jiang Tuo faced each other from afar, separated by only ten zhang.
Unlike the chaotic clamor of other battle zones, between these two, the air seemed frozen into amber.
There was no explosive roar of True Origin collision, no whooshing of technique exchanges, only the terrifying auras continuously rising from both men, pressing against each other.
The milky-white Spirit Ruins light seemed to distort around them.
Jiang Tuo wore moon-white robes, spotless and pristine.
He stood with hands clasped behind his back, his gaze calm as an ancient well's deep pool, yet his entire body was surrounded by an obscure aura capable of devouring heaven and earth.
This was a sign that Taiyi Upper Sect's sect-suppressing cultivation method, the Taiyi Return Origin Dao, when cultivated to extremely profound depths, had initially touched upon the realm of "Origin Absorbing All Existence."
Nan Zhuoran's green robes stirred slightly, his hair moving without wind. His entire body bore no brilliant radiance, only thread-like purple lightning flowing beneath the surface.
The two men's gazes met in the air.
No sparks, no killing intent, yet more heart-palpitating than any clash of blades and swords.
Those experts who had originally wanted to approach and compete for nearby spirit liquid had long since retreated dozens of zhang away, looking over here with shock on their faces, not even daring to breathe heavily.
At this moment, Chen Qing's fierce battle with Taiyi Upper Sect's two nine-refinement elders had also reached its most critical juncture.
Facing the desperate situation of Meng Xingdu and Fu Ting's combined sealing attack, Chen Qing's gaze was ice-cold, showing no trace of panic.
He shouted lowly, "Formation, rise!"
"Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!"
Eighteen streams of profound black light suddenly manifested from the void behind him, shooting out violently!
No longer arranged in the previous orderly formation pattern, but the instant they appeared, they shuttled madly according to some profoundly mysterious trajectory!
Each long spear was condensed from True Origin mixed with seven spear intents, their shafts trembling, emitting excited hums eager to drink blood.
"Hum!"
With Chen Qing at the center, within a twenty-zhang radius, a massive formation diagram phantom outlined by countless dark gold spear intent threads suddenly manifested on the ground and in the void!
The instant the formation diagram appeared, space seemed to freeze.
The palm prints Meng Xingdu had struck out and the blade qi Fu Ting had slashed, when they touched the formation diagram's edge, seemed to crash into an invisible copper wall. Their speed suddenly decreased, and their surface radiance rapidly dimmed!
"True Martial Demon-Quelling Spear Formation!"
Meng Xingdu cried out in shock.
Though he knew Chen Qing was proficient in this formation, he had never imagined that during fierce combat, his opponent could deploy the complete spear formation so swiftly and perfectly in an instant!
What shocked him even more was that the aura emanating from this spear formation was far more terrifying and condensed than when Chen Qing had previously fought Tang Qinghe!
Fu Ting's hand gripping his blade tightened slightly, his expression ugly.
He sensed that each of the eighteen shuttling spears contained spear intent that was more refined and heavier, and the connections between them were more intricate and mysterious, as if forming a naturally unified whole.
Chen Qing stood at the formation's eye, the Jingzhe Spear pointing diagonally at the ground, his robes fluttering.
His complexion was slightly pale. Simultaneously controlling eighteen True Origin spears while maintaining a formation fusing seven spear intents consumed divine sense and True Origin at a terrifying rate.
But the effect was equally astonishing.
"Go!"
With one word.
"Swoosh swoosh swoosh!"
The eighteen profound black spears suddenly stopped shuttling, all turning their spear tips in unison, locking onto Meng Xingdu and Fu Ting within the formation!
The next moment, spears shot forth like dragons!
No longer scattered attacks, nine of the spears transformed into a spiraling forward dark gold torrent, carrying domineering spear intent that crushed everything, charging straight at Meng Xingdu!
The other nine suddenly dispersed, transforming into nine crafty and vicious black lightning bolts, assaulting Fu Ting's vital points from different angles!
Each spear's attack trajectory was profoundly mysterious, mutually coordinating, sealing off all evasion space for the two!
Meng Xingdu roared wildly, no longer able to hold back any reserves.
His hands rapidly formed seals, True Origin around his entire body erupting like a mountain flood, condensing above his head into a Ruins-Returning Giant Seal even more solid than before!
The seal's surface bore mountain and river phantoms lifelike in detail, even faintly showing scenes of birds and beasts galloping and rivers flowing, emanating heaven-and-earth-suppressing heavy pressure!
He poured his lifetime's cultivation into it, smashing it fiercely toward the incoming spear formation torrent!
"Break for me!"
Fu Ting also saw blade light surge violently, pushing Seven Killings Army-Breaking Blade intent to its extreme. Seven blood-colored stellar phantoms appeared on the blade body, connecting with each other to form a blood-colored blade curtain protecting his entire body!
"Clang clang clang clang clang!"
The spear formation torrent and Ruins-Returning Giant Seal collided brazenly!
The collision sounds merged into one long, massive roar!
Blinding golden-green radiance exploded madly, with air waves sweeping outward like a tsunami!
Meng Xingdu's face instantly flushed red, then turned deathly pale.
He felt that the spear formation torrent contained not only the power of seven spear intents, but also a terrifying tremendous force as heavy as mountains and domineering as dragon-elephants!
"Crack... crack crack..."
On the Ruins-Returning Giant Seal's surface, fissures spread at a speed visible to the naked eye!
Meng Xingdu's eyes split with rage as he frantically squeezed out every fraction of True Origin from his dantian, trying to maintain the seal from collapsing.
However, "BOOM!"
The seal ultimately couldn't hold and exploded with a thunderous crash!
The remaining spear formation torrent, though dimmed by more than half, still carried bone-chilling killing intent, slamming hard into the protective True Origin Meng Xingdu had hastily deployed!
"Pfft!"
Meng Xingdu was struck as if by a heavy hammer, his protective True Origin shattering instantly, his chest caving in. His entire person flew backward like a torn sack, crashing heavily into a cliff face a hundred zhang away, embedding several feet deep, his life or death unknown!
On the other side, Fu Ting's situation was slightly better, but still fraught with danger.
The nine spears were like nine sentient venomous dragons, launching continuous assassination attempts from different angles.
His blade light formed a curtain, defending his entire body impenetrably, with sparks from blade-spear collisions bursting continuously like fireworks.
But with each spear he blocked, his blade-wielding arm grew more numb, his blood and qi shocked once more.
"Pfft!"
One spear finally broke through the blade curtain, grazing past his left shoulder and drawing a spray of blood.
Fu Ting grunted, his figure staggering.
Immediately after, the second and third spears found openings, adding two more wounds to his right leg and ribs!
Though not fatal, they threw his aura into chaos, and an unavoidable flaw appeared in his blade curtain.
Chen Qing's eyes flashed with cold light as the Jingzhe Spear, which had remained still all along, suddenly thrust out!
This spear was not controlled by the formation!
The spear thrust silently.
Fu Ting's pupils contracted sharply, his soul leaving his body in terror!
He sensed the aura of death!
At this critical moment, he roared fiercely and no longer defended his body, pouring all his True Origin into his long blade, slashing out with full force to meet that incoming point of cold gleam!
Seven Killings Army-Breaking Blade! Army-Breaking!
Attack meeting attack, mutual destruction!
"Ding!"
An extremely crisp collision sound rang out.
The blade tip and spear tip collided with perfect precision.
Time seemed to freeze for an instant.
The next moment,
"Crack!"
Fu Ting's thousand-times-tempered treasured blade actually began to shatter inch by inch from the blade tip!
Before the fragments could even scatter, they were ground into powder by the terrifying force that followed!
The spear power had almost no obstruction, driving straight in!
Fu Ting only managed to desperately twist his head aside.
"Splurt!"
The Jingzhe Spear pierced through his right shoulder, emerging from his back with a trail of blood!
Vast force exploded within his body!
"Wah!"
Fu Ting screamed miserably, flying backward like a kite with its string cut, crashing dozens of zhang away. He struggled a few times but ultimately couldn't get up.
Chen Qing withdrew his spear and stood, breathing slightly heavily.
His complexion was a few shades paler than before, and his right hand holding the spear trembled slightly.
With a seven True Origin refinement cultivation, he had frontally defeated two nine-refinement elders of Taiyi Upper Sect, one gravely wounded, one lightly wounded and stripped of combat ability!
This scene completely shocked the entire field.
"Hiss!"
Countless gasps of cold air sounded.
Whether those still competing for spirit liquid or those who had already stopped to absorb it, all now cast shocked gazes toward that green-robed figure standing with spear in hand.
"This!?" Zhou Xiang's mouth opened slightly, nearly forgetting to breathe.
Luo Ping's eyes flashed with brilliant light, his heart shaken beyond measure, "That spear formation... compared to when he fought Tang Qinghe, it's strengthened by far more than just one level!"
Quite a few people who witnessed this battle situation felt considerable shock in their hearts.
These two Taiyi Upper Sect elders, though not existence like Cui Lin or Luo Ping who were at the peak of nine refinements, half-step Grandmaster level, were absolutely no weaklings.
The two joining forces were actually frontally defeated by Chen Qing alone!
Such combat power had already faintly touched the threshold of Jiang Tuo and Nan Zhuoran's level!
However, Chen Qing didn't spare them another glance.
Time was precious.
His figure flashed, already beside that cluster of ten spirit liquid droplets' golden radiance. Without hesitation, he opened his mouth and inhaled.
The golden radiance transformed into a warm current entering his mouth, instantly becoming a vast and pure yuan qi flood, surging into his four limbs and hundred bones!
The Taiyi Pure Yang True Scripture and Dragon-Elephant Prajna Vajra Body simultaneously operated madly, greedily devouring and refining this power.
Blood and qi roared like dragons, rushing through his meridians. His physical body emitted fine "crack crack" sounds, its strength visibly increasing.
Within his dantian, the dark gold True Origin lake stirred up towering waves, with the central vortex spinning faster and faster.
[Dragon-Elephant Prajna Vajra Body: Seventh Layer (47987/80000)]
[Supreme Void True Scripture: Seventh Layer (46852/70000)]
His cultivation was advancing rapidly!
Though the spirit liquid erupting from the storm's center was abundant, with many competitors, consumption was also extremely fast.
In just the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the densest spirit liquid flows had been divided up completely, with only scattered droplets still shooting about in all directions. Competition gradually eased, becoming more small-scale pursuit and occasional collisions.
"Time is running short."
Lin Haiqing's brows furrowed slightly. He abandoned pursuit of a distant drifting spirit liquid droplet, floating down to land on a massive rock and sitting cross-legged.
He closed his eyes and began refining.
Cloud qi swirled around his entire body, his aura fluctuating unstably, clearly indicating substantial gains.
Seeing this, Jia Haiyue also stopped competing for the few remaining spirit liquid droplets, finding a relatively safe stone depression nearby to sit cross-legged.
Her harvest was slightly less, about three or four droplets of spirit liquid. She now seized the last moments to absorb them.
Cui Lin stood guard not far from the two, vigilantly scanning the surroundings, several Cloudwater Shuttles clasped in his hand.
On another side, Wang Jing gathered with Li He and Zhao Lieyang.
Rough panting came from beneath Wang Jing's mask. He had been most ferocious in the earlier scramble, relying on the formidable Eight Directions Universe Body to forcibly seize nearly fifteen droplets of spirit liquid from several people's hands.
Now he sat directly cross-legged on the ground, swallowing the spirit liquid. Crimson red blood and qi rose around his entire body like flames, with dragon and tiger phantoms faintly floating and sinking in the blood and qi, his aura climbing steadily higher.
Li He and Zhao Lieyang each gained five or six droplets and also seized the time to refine them.
The burn on Zhao Lieyang's right arm was rapidly healing under the spirit liquid's nourishment.
On Taiyi Upper Sect's side, the confrontation between Jiang Tuo and Nan Zhuoran was temporarily shelved as the spirit liquid competition neared its end.
Both withdrew simultaneously, each retreating.
Though the brief earlier exchange seemed evenly matched, in reality both had probed the other's unfathomable depths, knowing that victory or defeat couldn't be determined in a short time.
Continuing to tangle held no meaning.
"Senior Brother Jiang, Elder Meng is gravely injured, and Elder Fu also..." A Taiyi Upper Sect true disciple darted to Jiang Tuo's side, speaking in a low voice with anxiety and resentment in his tone.
Jiang Tuo's gaze swept over the distant Meng Xingdu embedded in the cliff face with unknown life or death, and Fu Ting collapsed on the ground. His expression didn't change.
"Help him treat his injuries." He calmly gave the order, then looked toward Chen Qing who was absorbing spirit liquid in the distance, a trace of coldness passing through the depths of his eyes.
"Yes!" That true disciple hastily responded, calling two other sect brothers to go treat Meng and Fu.
Jiang Tuo withdrew his gaze, no longer paying attention.
For him, though Meng Xingdu and Fu Ting were sect elders, they weren't irreplaceable.
Their defeat at Chen Qing's hands was due to insufficient strength, and also unfortunate timing.
As for that Chen Qing...
"Just now while dealing with Nan Zhuoran, I let this little mouse pick up some scraps."
Jiang Tuo thought indifferently, "But it doesn't matter, as long as he didn't obtain the purple spirit liquid."
The Purple Marrow Spirit Liquid was the top priority.
Ordinary pale gold spirit liquid, it was fine to let some be distributed.
Jiang Tuo thought coldly in his heart, "As for ordinary spirit liquid... let him absorb some, so what?"
He thought no more of it, also taking out his own harvest.
A jade gourd, inside which were surprisingly over twenty droplets of pale gold spirit liquid!
In this competition, as the host with strength surpassing everyone present and having prepared early, his gains were terrifyingly abundant.
Jiang Tuo sat cross-legged, suspending the jade gourd before him, beginning to methodically absorb and refine.
On another side, Chen Qing's refinement had reached its most critical moment.
The vast auras of over ten droplets of spirit liquid, plus some remaining portions from before, crashed madly within his body.
The True Origin lake continuously expanded, with the central vortex spinning at an unprecedented peak speed, emitting low howls.
Finally, the vast yuan qi transformed from over ten droplets of spirit liquid was completely refined by Chen Qing. The surging aura around his entire body gradually restrained itself, returning to calm.
[Heaven Rewards Diligence, Success Guaranteed]
[Supreme Void True Scripture: Seventh Layer (68693/70000)]
He slowly opened his eyes.
Sensing the True Origin lake within his body, Chen Qing's heart was calm and waveless.
Just a little bit more remained before he could naturally advance into the eight-refinement realm.
His current state, having just broken through from initial sixth refinement to seventh, though also considered outstanding talent, still fell within the acceptable range for top true disciples of the Six Great Upper Sects.
As for the real prize, those five droplets of Purple Marrow Spirit Liquid, they had long been stored deep in his consciousness sea for nurturing.
"When I return to Tianbao Upper Sect and enter seclusion for a period, I'll borrow the Purple Marrow Spirit Liquid's power to advance into eight refinements in one go... At that time, my foundation will be even more solid, and outsiders will only think I accumulated deep reserves after returning to the sect."
"Hum..."
Just as Chen Qing was silently contemplating, the entire Taiyi Spirit Ruins suddenly transmitted a low tremor.
The slowly flowing spirit mist now seemed stirred by invisible hands, beginning to accelerate its rotation and dissipation.
That rich, almost undilutable pure yuan qi between heaven and earth was thinning at a speed discernible to the naked eye.
"Time's up."
Not far away, Luo Ping rose to his full height, transmitting his voice, "The Spirit Ruins exit will soon open at the arrival position. The duration won't be long, quickly gather!"
His voice clearly transmitted into Chen Qing's ears, and was simultaneously received by Nan Zhuoran, Zhou Xiang, and others present.
Hearing this, Chen Qing stopped lingering, his figure drifting down from the low slope.
Along the way, the many figures originally scattered about seizing the last moments to refine spirit liquid now also stopped their movements one after another.
Seven days had passed, and the Taiyi Spirit Ruins was about to close!