In the wilderness.
Xu Qing's body was agile as he sped forward.
He had been running for two days now. Because of his recovery ability, the fatigue caused by non-stop travelling didn't appear in Xu Qing.
He even had a feeling that his body was completely active.
During this time, he had also noticed the Diamond Sect cultivators who were dressed similarly to the camp leader from afar. However, with his careful dodging and speed, he managed to dodge them all.
At that moment, he was only a day's journey away from his destination, Antler City. Hence, Xu Qing's path also reached a fork in the road.
On the left was the city he had lived in for six years. That place had now become a forbidden zone. From afar, it was pitch-black in the dusk.
The other direction was Antler City.
Standing there, Xu Qing turned his head and glanced in the direction of the forbidden zone. After a few breaths of silence, his body swayed and he was about to rush toward Antler City. However, at that moment, his expression changed. He instantly crouched down and hid in the bushes.
Xu Qing narrowed his eyes and lifted his head to look at the distant sky.
Over there, a golden rainbow was whistling past.
Because the distance was too far, Xu Qing could only see the piercing golden light and couldn't see the figure inside clearly. However, the other party's spirit energy fluctuations were the same as the camp leader's but even more intense. This caused his mind to tremble.
"This pressure surpasses that of the camp leader…"
Xu Qing only took a deep breath after the rainbow had left. A hint of hesitation appeared in his eyes.
In these two days, he encountered three waves of Diamond Sect cultivators but he carefully avoided them all. However, it was obvious that this time around, he felt the most danger.
"If I continue forward, I'll be able to reach Antler City in a day…" Xu Qing narrowed his eyes and fell into deep thought. He knew that his current advantage was that no one knew that he had the Seven Blood Eyes' token on him.
As such, it was very difficult to guess his destination.
However, he still had an advantage. He didn't mind the dense anomalous substances in the forbidden zone. If he was careful, he could stay there for a long time.
The other path's advantage was that if he acted quickly and caught the Diamond Sect off guard, there was a high chance that he could teleport away from Antler City.
However, there were also drawbacks. Once he was discovered on his way to Antler City, this advantage would immediately be destroyed. It would be very easy for others to guess his destination and at the same time, his safety would be threatened.
Going into the forbidden zone would allow him to stall for time.
He would drag it out until the Diamond Sect was exhausted and relaxed. It would be convenient for him to do this and head to Antler City safely. Also, if he encountered any danger during this period of time, he would have some leeway to deal with them in the forbidden zone.
"Two methods, two choices…" Xu Qing muttered.
While he was analyzing the pros and cons in his heart, the golden light that had flown far away earlier suddenly appeared again. This time, its speed was even faster.
This abnormal scene caused Xu Qing to frown immediately. He hid himself and didn't move as he observed carefully. This lasted until the golden light flew past from afar. Its speed had clearly slowed down by a lot.
This allowed Xu Qing to see the figure in the golden light clearly. It was a middle-aged cultivator.
There was a rune on this person's right leg and it emitted spirit energy fluctuations as though it was supporting his body to fly.
There was also a talisman in front of him and it was the source of the golden light.
At that moment, the talisman light kept flickering and there was a blurry figure inside. Upon closer inspection, that figure was none other than the guard from the camp's leader's residence whom Xu Qing had killed.
It was like a possessed body, sensing its surroundings like a hunting dog in the golden light.
The middle-aged cultivator's speed became slower and slower, as though he was observing his surroundings. After a while, he changed his direction and continued searching until he was further away.
This scene caused Xu Qing's heart to skip a beat.
"Treasure talisman!"
He recognized the two talismans. Although he didn't know the specifics, he could roughly guess their function.
"Using the person I killed to sense my existence? The range isn't very large and the sensing is also blurry…" Xu Qing drew in a deep breath as he deeply realized the magic and profundity of the spell. At this moment, the analysis of the pros and cons in his heart instantly had a tendency.
"I can't continue heading to Antler City. The probability of being discovered in an entire day is extremely high. Once I'm discovered, not only will I be in a dangerous place, but my destination will also be exposed." Xu Qing made a decision. While the other party was far away, he dashed in the direction of the forbidden zone.
He was prepared to hide there for a while before making a decision.
While Xu Qing was speeding, not long later, when he was only an incense stick's worth of time away from the forbidden zone, the golden light in the sky behind him appeared once again.
Xu Qing immediately hid. When he turned his head, his eyes suddenly narrowed.
At this moment, the golden light seemed to have locked onto him and its speed suddenly increased, heading straight for him. There was also a sword light that whistled over at an even faster speed.
This scene caused Xu Qing's expression to change slightly. He no longer dodged and his body suddenly swayed.
The instant he left, a boom rang out. The sword light abruptly landed at the place he had dodged earlier, causing the soil to splatter everywhere and creating a violent impact.
At the same time, the golden light in the sky instantly arrived, and a cold snort echoed out.
"Little brat, I've finally found you. So you wanted to come here!"
As the voice rang out, the golden light approached and the middle-aged man's figure was clearly revealed.
This person had a square face and wore a golden robe. His height was ordinary and his appearance was ordinary. Only his brows were extremely heavy, making him look very conspicuous.
At this moment, under his thick brows, his eyes were filled with coldness and killing intent as he looked in the direction of Xu Qing.
Almost at the instant he lowered his head to take a look, Xu Qing stomped the ground with his right foot and leaped up with a boom, charging toward the middle-aged man in the air.
The middle-aged cultivator sneered. The first time he passed by this place, there was an abnormality with the tracking talisman. Hence, he searched carefully and finally locked onto Xu Qing's location. When he saw Xu Qing approaching, his body instantly rose.
After reaching a height that Xu Qing couldn't reach, the moment Xu Qing's momentum dissipated and his body fell, the middle-aged cultivator lifted his right hand.
As a storm appeared in the surroundings, he suddenly pointed.
At that instant, the storm descended and directly drowned Xu Qing's figure.
Amidst the rumbling, Xu Qing landed on the ground in a very sorry state. His body then swayed as he headed straight for the forbidden zone.
The middle-aged cultivator wanted to give chase but at the next instant, a cold light flashed from Xu Qing, transforming into a dagger that flew toward the middle-aged cultivator at an astonishing speed.
The middle-aged cultivator narrowed his eyes and soared into the air to dodge.
"Petty tricks!"
On the ground, Xu Qing cast a deep glance at the middle-aged cultivator but didn't speak. He then unleashed his full speed and sped up.
He had already realized that he was no match for this person.
If the other party couldn't fly, he could still return the favor and drag the other party to death.
However, against an opponent who could fly, Xu Qing didn't have much of a choice.
One was in the sky while the other was on the ground. In such a fight, he didn't have any advantage.
At that moment, Xu Qing's speed erupted as he ran with all his might. Behind him, in the sky, the golden-robed middle-aged man sneered and directly took out a jade slip to transmit his voice to the ancestor. After that, he increased his speed and chased after Xu Qing. With a series of hand seals, rays of spell light blasted toward the ground.
As a Great Elder at the ninth level of Qi Condensation, his spirit energy was very abundant and he had mastered many spells.
From afar, one could see numerous wind blades and fireballs continuously bombarding him, causing Xu Qing, who was running on the ground, to be exhausted from dealing with them. Even if he dodged, he would still be affected by the shockwaves and blood slowly seeped out from the corner of his mouth.
"The old ancestor is too cautious. I don't need him to come. I can already kill you." The middle-aged cultivator in the air sneered.
Although he said this, he didn't land on the ground. Even though Xu Qing was in a sorry state many times, he still maintained a certain height. His hands formed a seal and a storm rose once again, blasting toward the ground.
Killing intent flashed in Xu Qing's eyes. Such a passive beating made the killing intent in his heart even stronger.
However, he was very clear that although the other party seemed to be alone, he definitely had a way to contact the sect. If he didn't end the battle quickly and enter the forbidden zone, his situation would become even more dangerous as time passed. This was especially so when the other party mentioned the old ancestor, causing Xu Qing's heart to tremble.
However, the other party didn't lower his altitude at all. This caused Xu Qing to be unable to retaliate. He had displayed weakness several times previously but he was still unable to lure the other party down.
"This person is too cautious. We can't wait any longer."
At the thought of this, purple light flashed in Xu Qing's eyes. The instant the other party's storm descended and drowned him, a purple saber shadow suddenly appeared in the storm.
In the storm, Xu Qing spat out fresh blood. He withstood the damage from the other party's spell and swung his right hand down.
At that instant, the heavenly saber appeared once again and slashed down.
An extremely intense life-and-death crisis directly erupted in the heart of the middle-aged cultivator in the air. His expression changed drastically as he rapidly retreated and used the flying talisman to fly into the air with all his might.
The moment he rose into the air, the void beneath him rumbled with astonishing might. When the saber shadow arrived, it was as though it could cut through everything. It whistled past under his body with extreme danger.
If he had been slightly slower in dodging, or if he had lowered his height earlier, he would probably have been slashed down by this saber with the momentum of thunder.
At that moment, although he had dodged death, his left foot was still touched. It directly collapsed and his flesh was badly mangled.
Enduring the intense pain, the middle-aged cultivator's breathing became hurried. The killing intent in his eyes was intense but the vigilance and lingering fear in his heart were even more intense. He was very clear that if he didn't have the flying talisman, he would definitely be heavily injured if he was slashed by that astonishing saber strike.
"The ancestor is right. This kid is strange!"
On the ground, Xu Qing wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and coldly glanced at the middle-aged cultivator whose left foot was badly mangled. He suppressed the regret in his heart and turned to continue speeding toward the forbidden zone.
At that moment, the middle-aged cultivator in the sky was in unbearable pain. After sealing his wound, he lowered his head and looked at Xu Qing. Although the killing intent in his heart was strong, he still hesitated for a moment and didn't dare to continue approaching. Instead, he increased his altitude and used a spell to interfere.
He wasn't prepared to act alone. Compared to completing the sect's mission, his life was more important. Hence, he planned to drag it out. Even if the other party wanted to enter the forbidden zone, he would still allow it to happen.
"When the ancestor comes, this kid will die!"
Hence, under the situation where he didn't dare to get close, although the spell also injured Xu Qing, Xu Qing's recovery speed was astonishing. Hence, the impact wasn't great and his speed became faster and faster.
This lasted until Xu Qing saw the edge of the forbidden zone. His body then swayed and he quickly stepped in.
Outside the forbidden zone, the middle-aged cultivator's figure paused in mid-air. Just as he was hesitating on whether he should chase after them, lightning suddenly appeared in the sky behind him. As it rumbled, two figures whistled over.
The former wore a red robe and his white hair fluttered in the wind. He exuded a dignified aura.
The shadow of Diamond on his back transformed into a storm that shook the surroundings. It was the Diamond Sect's ancestor.
The latter was another elder of the Sect. The two of them approached rapidly one after another.
-x-X-x-
When Xu Qing, who had stepped into the forbidden zone, saw this scene, his eyes narrowed. An intense life-and-death crisis erupted in his mind and all the flesh and blood in his body trembled uncontrollably at this instant.
All of this came from… the tall old man in red robes who was rapidly approaching from the distant horizon!
"Foundation Building!"
The name of this realm instantly appeared in Xu Qing's mind.
The might of this pressure was too great. Even though Xu Qing was still far away, the shock he felt was still astonishing.
The other party's identity was self-evident.
It was the Diamond Sect's ancestor.
This was especially so for the gigantic shadow behind the other party. That Diamond body that contained rage was like a heavenly soldier, causing Xu Qing's eyes to sting at this moment.
This made him feel the same as when he saw those Qi Condensation rogue cultivators from afar in the slums back then.
It was a similar feeling but the degree of it far exceeded it.
In fact, with just a glance, he felt as though he had been locked onto by the other party. Even if he closed his eyes, he couldn't help but imagine the tall figure of the other party.
This figure seemed to be burning, causing his head to ache faintly.
From a certain perspective, this could already be considered a psychological injury.
However, Xu Qing had controlled his shadow many times, so he wasn't unfamiliar with this feeling.
At the same time, he had made some progress in his first strike of the God Statue and his mental fortitude had grown. Hence, although he felt a dull pain in his head at this moment, it didn't affect his movements. He sped up even more.
As he ran into the forbidden zone, he lifted his right hand and took out a handful of black pills before tossing them behind him.
The black pill landed on the ground and directly exploded. After the seven-leaf medicinal herb juice on the surface dissipated, the spreading black medicinal pill dust rapidly spread in all directions, forming a vortex that caused the anomalous substances in the forbidden zone to surge over instantly.
From afar, it could be seen that Xu Qing had thrown out over ten black pills. All the anomalous substances that spread out were as dense as a tide, gushing over from all directions.
The middle-aged man with thick eyebrows who was about to enter the forbidden zone couldn't help but pause. His expression changed and he didn't dare to get too close for a moment.
This black pill was precisely the failed product of Xu Qing's white pill refinement. At that time, he felt that it was a pity to throw it away. After all, it wasn't completely useless. Hence, he kept it and used it at this moment. It was the perfect time.
As the anomalous substances gushed over from the surroundings, the density of anomalous substances in the large area behind Xu Qing instantly became incomparably shocking. His figure then continued to gather the anomalous substances as he sprinted at full speed.
Not long later, as the rumbling echoed out, outside the forbidden zone, the rainbow that was on the horizon earlier suddenly approached.
After reaching the edge of the forbidden zone, the eyes of the Diamond Sect's ancestor flashed with killing intent. He didn't stop at all and abruptly stepped in with a boom.
The two Diamond Sect elders behind him also gritted their teeth and followed.
Just like that, the three of them entered the dense anomalous substances. Although they rushed out very quickly, what awaited them was still the arrival of anomalous substances. There was even a large amount of poisonous fog contained within.
"Ancestor, this kid is very strange!" The middle-aged cultivator whose left foot was badly mangled hurriedly reminded the ancestor.
The Sect's ancestor let out a cold snort and fiercely blew a breath forward. A storm instantly formed and rumbled as it spread out in all directions, instantly blowing away all the fog in the surroundings.
His figure didn't stop at all. He grabbed the two elders beside him and suddenly rushed out, speeding up his pursuit in the direction Xu Qing had left in.
However, at this moment, the sky was already past dusk and the darkness was rapidly descending. Amidst the increasing chill in the surroundings, the anomalous substances that permeated this place were also denser.
If they continued to fly here, it would still be fine for the Sect's ancestor. However, that thick-browed elder was already injured and he would feel uncomfortable after some time.
Hence, the Sect's ancestor coldly spoke.
"The two of you, follow behind me. I'll go capture this kid first!" As he spoke, the Diamond Sect's ancestor circulated his cultivation. The Diamond behind him roared at the sky and his figure quickly expanded to a height of over 300 feet. He then strode forward like a giant and ran.
Every step he took covered an area of hundreds of feet that was the same as his height. As for the Sect's ancestor, he was standing on top of the Diamond Giant's head.
From afar, if one didn't have a certain amount of spirit energy, they wouldn't be able to see the shadow of Diamond. All they could see was the Sect's ancestor standing in the air as though he was floating, moving further and further away.
"Ancestor is mighty!"
The two elders at the back had excited expressions at this moment. They had already determined that if the ancestor personally acted, that kid would die.
"I believe the ancestor will return with that brat's corpse very soon."
The two of them were certain.
However, time slowly flowed by. Two hours later, the expressions of these two Vajra Sect elders changed. As they sped, they looked at each other and saw the bewilderment in each other's eyes.
At the end of their vision, they could no longer see the figure of the ancestor. Clearly, the ancestor had chased far away.
It was just that they couldn't understand how a body-refining Qi Condensation cultivator's speed and ability could make the ancestor unable to deal with it even now.
They were puzzled but the Sect's ancestor was even more puzzled.
At that moment, in a place far away from these two elders, the expression of the Sect's ancestor was extremely ugly. He looked at the figure of a youth in the distance who was currently running at an astonishing speed.
Although the other party's speed was still inferior to his, the difference wasn't that great.
Every time he punched out, the huge fist shadow formed by him would combine with the Diamond fist beneath him. After the fist passed through the air, Xu Qing's body in the distance would glow and transform into a defensive barrier.
Amidst the rumbling, although the protective barrier trembled and cracked, the youth inside borrowed the force to increase his speed.
At the same time, due to the descent of night, the anomalous substances here, which were already very dense, continued to gather on the way where the youth had left, causing the surroundings to feel even colder.
All of this caused even the Diamond Sect's ancestor to feel some fear. He wanted to make a detour from time to time. This inevitably caused his speed to be affected and it would take time for him to catch up.
"Damn it!" As the expression of the Sect's ancestor darkened, Xu Qing, who was in the distance, had a pale expression. A large number of blood vessels appeared in his eyes, and the veins on his forehead bulged as though they were about to explode.
His left hand was clenched tightly and the blood vessels on it bulged. It was a shocking sight.
There was a scorpion tail in his palm.
After the battle with Fire Crow back then, there were still remnants of his scorpion tail. However, at that moment, even though all of the scorpion tail had pierced into the flesh of his palm, the little amount of poison left in it was still unable to provide him with a continuous overdraft.
It could only boost his speed for a short period of time.
In his right hand was an incomparably blurry talisman.
It came from Captain Lei's enemy.
However, the talisman was about to dissipate and Xu Qing was very clear that the enhancement from the scorpion tail poison was rapidly weakening. It was about to lose its effect.
Fortunately, at such a speed, he could already see the familiar ruined city from afar.
Closer and closer.
Finally, at the instant the effects of the scorpion tail dissipated, Xu Qing's speed slowed down. However, he gritted his teeth and fiercely leaped into the air. On this dark night, under the demonic moonlight, his figure instantly landed on the city wall.
This place… was Xu Qing's target.
He couldn't fight against the Diamond Sect's ancestor and the two elders at the back. Hence, Xu Qing's plan needed the right timing and location!
His timing was the anomalous substances in the forbidden zone.
His geography was the familiar city.
Humans were the reason for the strangeness in the city and the mutated beasts in the city lord's residence.
With these, he felt that he had a chance of escaping.
At that moment, the instant he landed on the ground, due to his speed being slightly slower, an ear-piercing whistling sound instantly rang out from behind him. A gigantic fist shadow appeared out of thin air, directly traversing the distance and appearing behind him. The fist then punched out fiercely from afar.
Boom!
The talisman defense suddenly collapsed.
Xu Qing spat out a mouthful of blood as his internal organs trembled. Some of them even shattered and his injuries were extremely serious.
The intense pain caused Xu Qing's vision to blur. However, he still gritted his teeth and charged forward, landing in the city. He then proceeded madly on the familiar streets.
After a few ups and downs, his figure disappeared from the city.
Not long later, the whistling sound outside the city neared. The red-robed Diamond Sect's ancestor suddenly arrived.
His expression was cold as he rotated his right wrist.
That punch just now was the limit of the distance he could throw out. Although he had the talisman treasure to block it and it didn't completely crush the enemy, he was confident that as a Qi Condensation cultivator, he would be heavily injured even if he didn't die from the remaining force of his punch when the talisman treasure collapsed.
Hence, with a sway of his body, he stepped into the city. However, the instant the Diamond Sect's ancestor stepped into the ruined city, his expression suddenly changed as he heard someone crying.
A cold aura suddenly spread out from the street where Xu Qing had disappeared.
On this dark night, under the demonic moonlight and amidst the cold, a woman's figure slowly walked over from the distant street.
This figure looked very small from afar but as it moved forward, it grew larger and larger. It even exceeded the height of the surrounding houses but didn't slow down. In the end, it reached a height of over 100 feet.
She wore a long white dress and had extremely long black hair. However… she had no facial features.
There was nothing on her empty face.
Only the countless human faces on her long skirt were crying.
After these cries gathered together, they turned into mournful cries that spread in all directions. At the same time, the white-clothed, faceless woman slowly walked toward the Diamond Sect's ancestor.
As they arrived, the crying grew louder.
This scene caused the Diamond Sect's ancestor to gasp. Even someone as powerful as him felt his heart tremble. He knew what this was but the more he knew, the more reverence he felt.
Therefore, he didn't hesitate at all. He immediately changed directions and quickly dodged.
However, he hadn't given up on pursuing Xu Qing, so he didn't leave the city. Instead, he entered the city from another direction.
"That brat is only at the Qi Condensation Realm. The possibility of him surviving after encountering danger here is extremely small. However, I won't be at ease until I see him die." The Diamond Sect's ancestor's eyes revealed killing intent.
His experience told him that his previous judgment was correct. A person like the kid… Unless he resolved the conflict between them, if he couldn't kill him today and allowed the kid to live, then the future him would definitely be slapped to death by the kid one day.
Hence, after changing directions and entering the city, the Diamond Sect's ancestor immediately started searching carefully.
He wanted to see the person alive and the corpse dead!
At the same time, while the Diamond Sect's ancestor was searching, Xu Qing had already returned to the cave he had hidden in. He sat cross-legged and meditated, his chest heaving. Only when he spat out mouthfuls of blood did his pale face regain some color.
After wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, Xu Qing lifted his head and looked outside through the gap. His expression was gloomy. After a long while, he gritted his teeth and began to circulate the Mountains and Seas Art.
After Xu Qing recovered, his cultivation that was about to break through finally reached the critical point.
"I have to break through to the seventh level of the Mountains and Seas Art!" Xu Qing didn't hesitate and immediately attempted to break through.
At the sixth level of the Mountains and Seas Art, he already possessed the kui shadow of a fledgling. For example, he could kill someone at the eighth level of Qi Condensation like the camp leader with all his strength, but it was a little difficult for him to kill someone at the ninth level.
This made Xu Qing look forward to breaking through to the seventh level of the Mountains and Seas Art.
"For the Mountains and Seas Art to be so sharp with me, it should be related to the purple crystal. It's augmenting me!" Xu Qing had long realized this point.
At that moment, he took a deep breath and endured the pain in his chest as he closed his eyes to cultivate.
-x-X-x-
In the ruined city, in the cave Xu Qing was in, the ground was covered in bird feathers, mixed with an unpleasant-smelling turbid air.
The rocks and miscellaneous items that he had used to block the gap were now severely corroded by the anomalous substances.
There was also more dust in the surroundings than when he left.
Evidently, even if the forbidden zone was formed, there would still be scavengers coming to investigate. However, his shelter was too hidden, so no one came here after he left.
Hence, the smell of dust and decay mixed together entered Xu Qing's nose continuously but he didn't mind.
At that moment, Xu Qing was sitting cross-legged and meditating. The Mountains and Seas Art in his body was fully circulated. After accumulating strength, he was trying his best to break through to the seventh level.
In the outside world, the roars and strange mournful sounds were mixed with cries that caused one's hair to stand on end. This caused Xu Qing to be in a trance for a moment, creating an illusion.
It was as though he had returned to half a year ago.
At that time, when the gods opened their eyes and the blood rain descended, he was struggling to survive in this city filled with bones.
Xu Qing fell silent.
After a long time, the past no longer surfaced in his mind. His mind was completely immersed in his cultivation. As the cultivation in his body continued to circulate, the spirit energy in the surroundings slowly gathered and flowed rapidly into the pores on his body.
The thumping sounds gradually reverberated in his body. The sounds grew louder and louder and in the end, they turned into a rumbling sound that reverberated in his mind.
Accompanying the rumbling were the black-colored impurities secreted from the pores all over his body. These impurities were increasing in number and density.
As it was secreted, the body under Xu Qing's clothes also erupted with astonishing strength at that instant.
All of his blood vessels bulged and his flesh and blood were constantly being torn and compressed. His bones also emitted sounds.
Two hours later, as the thunderous sound in his mind exploded, Xu Qing's eyes abruptly opened. Purple light then erupted from his pupils.
At this moment, the kui shadow appeared behind him once again.
But this time… his shadow was completely different from before!
Its entire body was even darker and its body was even more muscular. There was no longer a single horn on its head but a pair of bull-like horns instead. Moreover, they were in the shape of a spiral and there was faint black lightning lingering at the tip.
Its face was even more sinister. When its bloody mouth opened, it looked as though it could devour evil ghosts alive.
This was especially so for its sharp claws. Coupled with its purple eyes, it exuded a soul-stirring viciousness.
Powerful fluctuations spread out from the shadow, as though they could penetrate the cave and shock the surroundings.
Kui Shadow, Grand Formation!
This was a transformation that could only occur when one had perfected the Mountains and Seas Art. If it was anyone else, they would have already reached the peak of the Qi Condensation Realm after cultivating to this level. They wouldn't be able to improve further. However, Xu Qing was only at the seventh level.
As for his body, it had also changed greatly at this moment. His body was longer and more refined. The purple light in his eyes also lasted longer than before.
Especially his face…
If it was said that he was incomparably handsome when he was at the sixth level of the Mountains and Seas Art, then at this moment, under the purple light in his eyes, even though his face was covered in dirt, he wasn't far from being demonic.
However, Xu Qing didn't care about these. What he cared about was the energy that was bursting forth from his body.
Hence, he quickly lowered his head and looked at the bulging veins on his clenched fist as well as the veins on his arm.
As the purple light in his eyes slowly dissipated, he could clearly sense his strength…
It was more than double the amount from before!
"Strength of one kui?" Xu Qing mumbled as he surveyed his surroundings.
It was pitch-black outside and there was no light in the cave either. Although Xu Qing could barely see everything, he couldn't see a shadow.
However, with his perception, he could sense the existence of the shadow. Hence, after pondering, he attempted to control it.
Five minutes later, Xu Qing's eyes revealed a hint of excitement and wonder.
His perception told him that his control over the shadow was much better than before. He could even control it slightly, allowing a portion of the anomalous substances contained in the shadow to return to his body.
Although it was useless to do so, it could indirectly prove that his control over the shadow was more flexible.
All of this made Xu Qing feel that with his current battle prowess if he were to encounter the camp leader again, he wouldn't even need the Divine Statue's Heavenly Saber. He only needed a single punch… to shatter the arm of the camp leader who was at the eighth level of Body Refinement.
"Unfortunately, the gap between me and the Diamond Sect's ancestor is still too great."
Xu Qing shook his head. Although he hadn't truly fought with the other party, his escape along the way and the fist shadows from the Sect's ancestor allowed him to clearly understand the gap between them.
Hence, even with the shadow catching him off guard, Xu Qing was very clear that it was impossible for the current him to have the strength to fight against Foundation Establishment cultivators.
"However, if I encounter those two at the ninth level of Qi Condensation, I can still kill them."
A cold glint flashed in Xu Qing's eyes as he looked outside through the gap in the cave.
The roars and strange sounds rang out one after another, sometimes near and sometimes far, forming a clear contrast with the silence in the cave.
This scene caused Xu Qing to once again feel as though he had returned to half a year ago. He instinctively took out the iron stick and slowly held it in his hand, musing in his heart about what he should do next.
If he left now, he felt that there was a high chance that he could successfully reach Antler City.
However… Xu Qing was a little unwilling. Killing intent flashed in his eyes.
"If I don't kill those people, this hidden danger will make me feel very uneasy." Xu Qing narrowed his eyes as the map of the entire city appeared in his mind.
He was very familiar with this city.
At that moment, as the streets appeared one after another, be it the location where the mutated beasts were sleeping or the bird's shelter, everything appeared clearly in his mind as he began his analysis.
"City lord's residence!" A long time later, Xu Qing mumbled as the coldness in his eyes intensified.
He planned to leave the city first. It would be fine if he didn't encounter anyone from the Diamond Sect on the way but if he did, he would counterattack according to the established method.
Sensing the roars from outside, Xu Qing's expression turned decisive. He moved the miscellaneous items blocking the entrance away and slowly crawled out.
The entrance to this spatial rift was narrow. Xu Qing's body had grown a little bigger now, so it was a little difficult for him to exit. However, his expression was as usual. After he squeezed his way out, even though his body was injured, his injuries would heal very quickly.
After coming out, Xu Qing was on his guard. He looked at the pitch-black surroundings and directly rushed out. He proceeded carefully into this ruined city.
This level of caution even exceeded that when he was in the depths of the jungle in the forbidden zone.
Compared to that place, there were more mutated beasts and bizarre existences in the city at night.
Fortunately, Xu Qing understood the structure of the city. Hence, although he encountered some dangers on the way, he mostly avoided them with his speed and familiarity.
If he really couldn't avoid it, he would swiftly neutralize it and leave once again.
Just like that, under the influence of the dense anomalous substances, Xu Qing carefully advanced through the city for over an hour. Just as he was about to reach the edge, he suddenly heard a rumbling sound in the distance.
This voice caused Xu Qing's eyes to narrow.
In the dark night, his gaze was like that of a lone wolf turned sharp as he moved closer to the source of the sound. After the time for an incense stick to burn, he saw two figures being chased by seven to eight mutated beasts.
These two people were the elders of the Diamond Sect.
They only arrived at the city after Xu Qing and the Old Ancestor entered the city for a period of time.
When they arrived, it was already late at night. Hence, after some hesitation and weighing the pros and cons, they didn't choose to enter the depths. Instead, they hid at the edge and waited.
It was just that there were too many mutated beasts and bizarre existences in the city and their hiding place wasn't a relatively safe shelter that they could find, so it was inevitable that they would encounter them.
Because they didn't want to cause too much commotion and attract even more mutated beasts, the two of them avoided as much as they could. They only attacked when they really couldn't avoid it.
Their cautious behavior, in addition to their extraordinary strength, made it so that even if they were attacked now, they would still be able to deal with it.
At that moment, just as they were about to shake off the mutated beasts behind them, a cold light instantly shot over from afar.
His speed was so fast that he was like an arrow released from a bow in the dark night. He whistled as he charged toward the Diamond Sect elder in front of him.
This person wasn't the one who had fought against Xu Qing earlier. He was a latecomer who had followed the Diamond Sect's ancestor.
His expression immediately changed and he performed a series of hand seals with both hands before pushing forward. Immediately, the surrounding ice rumbled and spread out. His body also had a protective barrier that solidified, blocking the incoming cold light.
However, the might of this cold light was astonishing. It instantly penetrated the ice and directly pierced through his defense.
As the spirit energy fluctuations trembled intensely, traces of cracks appeared on his protective barrier. However, he still managed to block it in the end. This also allowed him to clearly see that what attacked him was a black-colored iron stick!
This scene caused the eyes of this Diamond Sect elder to narrow. He abruptly turned his head to look at his companion behind him and was about to take action but it was still too late.
The instant he was attacked, a black shadow had already transformed into a bolt of black lightning from the alley beside him, instantly approaching the other elder behind this person.
This black shadow was Xu Qing.
The iron stick from before was a cover-up. The first target Xu Qing wanted to deal with was the middle-aged man whom he had fought against before and whose left leg was destroyed by him!
At that moment, Xu Qing's speed completely erupted. He was much faster than when he was at the sixth level of the Mountains and Seas Art. As he sped, he created a sharp wind sound and instantly arrived beside the injured middle-aged cultivator.
This middle-aged cultivator was injured and the anomalous substances in the forbidden zone were very dense. As such, he couldn't continue using the flight talisman to fly. As such, when he compared himself to his companions, his footsteps were a little unsteady.
At that moment, in the face of danger, his eyes widened and an intense sense of life-and-death crisis rose in his heart. His body abruptly retreated, wanting to dodge but how could Xu Qing give him a chance? The instant he got close, his body instantly leaped up and his right hand clenched into a fist as he punched out ruthlessly.
Regardless of speed or strength, Xu Qing used his full strength in this punch.
At that moment, when he struck out, a malevolent kui shadow appeared behind him. When it let out a soundless roar that shook the surroundings, it gathered in Xu Qing's fist.
At the instant the punch was thrown out, the air seemed as though it was about to explode. As waves of cracking sounds rang out, it seemed to contain a suppressive force as it landed on the middle-aged cultivator's chest amidst the ferocity of his shadow.
The protective barrier in front of the middle-aged cultivator instantly shattered. Xu Qing's fist then smashed into his chest like a hot knife through butter.
An earth-shattering boom suddenly reverberated through the silent city.
Accompanied by a blood-curdling screech, the middle-aged cultivator who had lost his left foot spurted out a mouthful of blood as his chest caved in deeply. His internal organs were about to collapse and shatter at this moment and his figure was like a kite with a broken string, tumbling uncontrollably.
However, he was still at the ninth level of Qi Condensation after all. At that moment, his expression was one of terror as he forcefully suppressed his injuries. The flight rune on his right leg suddenly flashed and the power of flight spread out, causing his falling body to twist as he tried to escape.
However, at the next instant, a cold light flashed again as a longsword whistled over. It instantly got close and sliced through his right leg.
Fresh blood spurted out as a mournful cry echoed in all directions. His right leg, which was stuck to the flying talisman, was instantly severed from his body.
However, before the person who lost his right leg landed, Xu Qing exerted strength in his thigh and charged out once again. The instant he charged out, the ground he was on earlier was penetrated by a large number of ice blades formed by another person's spell.
As they passed each other, Xu Qing didn't even glance behind him. He directly caught up to the falling middle-aged cultivator in the air. In his despair, his right hand punched out.
The Kui shadow roared and fused into his fist, pouncing ferociously toward the middle-aged cultivator.
It directly struck the person's forehead.
With a bang, the middle-aged cultivator's body trembled violently and his head exploded. Fresh blood splattered everywhere as he died!
When the corpse landed on the ground, the mutated beasts that were chasing pounced on it and tore it apart.
Xu Qing's body didn't stop at all. He tore off the flight talisman on his broken leg and turned to look at the pale-faced Diamond Sect elder not far away.
After licking his lips, a cold glint flashed in Xu Qing's wolf-like eyes as he quickly rushed toward the elder.
Kill!
-x-X-x-
As the tragic death of the middle-aged cultivator echoed in the air, the Diamond Sect's ancestor who was searching for Xu Qing in the city suddenly lifted his head.
As a Foundation Building cultivator, his five senses were extremely sharp. At that moment, when he heard the miserable cry in the distance, his expression instantly darkened. He leaped into the air and flew toward the source of the sound.
Although there were mutated beasts in the surroundings, he was a Foundation Establishment expert after all. As long as he didn't encounter strange existences or a large group of mutated beasts, he didn't care.
Even though the dense anomalous substances affected him, with his cultivation, as long as he didn't stay in the forbidden zone for more than a month, it wouldn't cause too much trouble.
Therefore, after confirming the direction, the Diamond Sect's ancestor roared and used the power of his cultivation to transmit his voice further.
"Hold that brat back and wait for me!"
As he spoke, his figure in the air erupted with speed. From afar, he looked like a shooting star whistling through the air.
At the same time, on the battlefield earlier, another Sect elder retreated without hesitation the instant Xu Qing got close.
He heard the ancestor's roar but he didn't want to die pointlessly here.
Even if he was punished by the Old Ancestor afterwards, he would still accept it. After all, Xu Qing's murderous aura was too strong. When he attacked ruthlessly, the killing intent in his eyes made him unwilling to take the risk.
Hence, his speed of retreat was extremely fast at that moment. He even used his flying talisman and instantly retreated several thousand feet.
Xu Qing narrowed his eyes. He also heard the low roar of the Sect's ancestor coming from a very far distance. However, he didn't stop and chased after him fiercely. On the way, he picked up his iron stick and was about to use the flying talisman as well. However, in the next instant, his expression suddenly changed. His breathing paused for a moment before he turned around without hesitation and sped in the opposite direction.
The instant Xu Qing turned around, the expression of the Sect's elder who was flying in the air instantly turned into one of horror. He felt a wave of coldness gushing toward him, and he also noticed a gigantic figure that had appeared beside him.
That figure had no facial features. One could only see a head of long hair fluttering in the wind. It seemed to be a woman and the figure beneath the face was incomparably huge. She wore a long white dress.
At that moment, a large number of faces appeared densely on the faceless woman's long dress. Waves of mournful cries instantly spread in all directions and endless strangeness pervaded the surroundings. Even the moon in the sky directly turned blood-colored.
From afar, the figure of the Sect's elder was like an ant in front of the giant. It was insignificant. Under the countless crying faces of the faceless woman in the white dress, the Sect's elder's body trembled violently. His expression changed and he started crying slowly.
However, amidst the crying, his eyes revealed extreme fear. It was as though his crying was uncontrollable.
This lasted until the crying sound merged with the countless crying faces on the body of the faceless woman in the white dress. After that, waves of white aura spread out from the seven orifices of the Sect's elder and rapidly entered the body of the faceless woman in the white dress. At the next moment…
The Diamond Sect's elder's body directly turned into a dried corpse and he lost all signs of life as he fell to the ground.
At the same time, another face appeared on the faceless woman in the white dress. It was none other than the Diamond Sect elder.
His face was expressionless as he floated above the white dress and let out a cry.
This scene was seen by Xu Qing and also by the Diamond Sect's ancestor who had rushed over at this moment. Both of their bodies trembled.
Xu Qing took a deep breath and suppressed the shock in his heart. He then increased his speed and sped into the city.
It was just that although Xu Qing could leave, the Sect's ancestor, who was rushing over from afar, felt his scalp go numb and didn't dare to move at all.
This was because the faceless woman in the white dress was walking toward him.
The Diamond Sect's ancestor was very clear that in the face of such an existence, he couldn't move rapidly. Otherwise, he would suffer the same fate as his own elder. Hence, amidst his terror and trepidation, the white-clothed faceless woman passed by him and gradually moved away.
Only now did the Sect's ancestor heave a sigh of relief. However, for some reason, a trace of doubt appeared in his heart.
"I encountered this bizarre existence twice already… Why do I have a feeling that it seems to be helping that brat…"
"Strange!" The Diamond Sect's ancestor gritted his teeth and looked in the direction Xu Qing had left in. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that he had to get rid of the other party. At that moment, he rushed out rapidly in pursuit.
In the dark night, all kinds of roars rose and fell, echoing in every corner of the city. The sounds of chewing, crying and cold laughter spread in all directions.
Under the moonlight, there were broken walls everywhere, as though they had turned into demons. This caused the strange feeling in the city to become increasingly intense.
Xu Qing, who was speeding inside, had long been familiar with the roars and strangeness of this place. However, his countenance was still pale. He felt as though he was being stared at by countless malicious gazes and those gazes turned icy cold, as though they were invading his body.
When his entire body felt increasingly cold, Xu Qing passed by the place where he had hunted the vultures that day. When his gaze swept over it, his eyes instantly narrowed…
Not far away, next to the abandoned carriage that had sunk into the mud, the blood-colored ragdoll that should have been hanging on the carriage's shaft had changed its position. It wasn't hanging there but was placed on the carriage with its back facing Xu Qing, so its front couldn't be seen.
Xu Qing's scalp tightened and he quickly left this place.
Not long later, the Sect's ancestor arrived at the place. When he swept his vigilant gaze across the surroundings, he saw the carriage and also the blood-colored puppet sitting on the carriage that was facing him.
The eyes of this puppet were dim and its entire body was wet and red. It looked at the Diamond Sect's ancestor sinisterly.
The pupils of the Diamond Sect's ancestor contracted slightly and goosebumps rose in his heart. His footsteps instantly slowed down as he cautiously left this area step by step. Only then did he heave a sigh of relief and speed up again.
However, he didn't pursue or get too close. He had already realized how strange this youth was. At the same time, he knew that the other party had a method to cause the anomalous substances to instantly thicken. Hence, he didn't plan to get too close and forcefully attack. Instead, he planned to rely on his cultivation base to keep an eye on the other party and wait for daybreak before attacking.
Although he was a Foundation Building cultivator and had to be so careful when dealing with a Qi Condensation cultivator, this matter would damage his reputation as a Foundation Building cultivator. However, under such circumstances, the Sect's ancestor still decided to prioritize safety first.
Hence, he slowed down and followed behind at a moderate pace.
Xu Qing, who was at the front, also noticed this. He had originally simulated a counterattack method in his heart and he had also completed the preliminary preparations for shadow control. He also held the black pill in his hand, waiting for the other party to get close.
He was confident that even though the other party wouldn't be killed by his methods, he would still be in a sorry state and wouldn't be able to escape for a short period of time. Also, although he would also be heavily injured by the other party, escaping after being heavily injured would be more realistic. It wouldn't be easy for him to arouse suspicion and make it easier for him to plan his next step of attraction.
However, this old ancestor of the Diamond Sect was still so cautious despite being in the Foundation Establishment Realm. This made Xu Qing even more vigilant.
However, although the other party didn't get close, Xu Qing felt that he still had to carry out his plan. Hence, he sped up and headed straight for the city lord's residence.
Closer and closer.
The location of the city lord's residence was at the center of the city. The anomalous substances here were denser than in other places but for some reason, the number of mutated beasts here was decreasing.
This change caused the expression of the Sect's ancestor, who was chasing after them, to change slightly. The sense of danger in his heart was very intense at this moment.
He lifted his head and looked at Xu Qing's back view before looking at the collapsed building at the side. His footsteps suddenly paused.
He didn't continue to chase but started to retreat.
This scene was something Xu Qing didn't expect. At this moment, he was still 1000 feet away from the city lord's residence but the Diamond Sect's ancestor, who was chasing after him, wanted to retreat.
"It's still a little too late to retreat now!" Xu Qing gritted his teeth fiercely. He suddenly lifted his right hand and waved it fiercely, causing a large number of black pills to scatter in all directions.
This time, to achieve his goal, Xu Qing directly used half of the black pills he had left. At this moment, they landed in the surroundings and exploded simultaneously!
In that instant, this place seemed to have transformed into a gigantic vortex, causing the anomalous substances in all directions to surge over, affecting the void and distorting the surroundings, causing everything in sight to turn blurry.
The density of anomalous substances had reached an astonishing level.
This scene caused the expression of the Diamond Sect's ancestor, who was currently retreating, to change. However, he was even more puzzled because Xu Qing's body was also within the dense anomalous substances.
If this continued, putting aside the problem of mutation, just the mutated beasts and bizarre creatures that were attracted by the anomalous substances would cause Xu Qing to die without a burial ground. This was equivalent to suicide.
Just as the Sect's ancestor was struggling, the city lord's residence, which was a thousand feet away, suddenly trembled intensely. A series of earth-shattering and terrifying roars spread in all directions, abruptly spreading in all directions.
The earth trembled and the blood moon in the sky turned blurry.
The expression of the Sect's ancestor changed and the feeling of a life-and-death crisis instantly intensified. His pupils constricted and his body retreated rapidly. His eyes stared fixedly ahead as numerous figures flew out from a building that looked like a city lord's residence!
These figures were all incomparably skinny but they had black flaming wings. The density of anomalous substances on their bodies was astonishing and wherever they passed, the void seemed to distort.
This scene caused the Sect's ancestor to be even more alarmed. What made his countenance turn even paler as he gasped was that as the explosion rang out, the city lord's residence collapsed, revealing a gigantic hole in the ground.
A withered figure that was a thousand feet tall crawled out of the cave with a roar that shook the sky!
From afar, this figure was slender like a withered tree. The exposed part was already a thousand feet long but at that moment, it was obvious that it hadn't completely crawled out. It seemed to only have the upper body.
Hence, it waved its arms and a large number of rotting vines instantly extended from its ten fingers, shooting out in all directions and piercing into the ground.
The furthest ones even pierced into the ground in front of the Diamond Sect's ancestor.
As though using this as a support, the gigantic withered tree-like figure sped up and climbed out.
"What the hell is this!!" The Diamond Sect's ancestor's heart trembled wildly as he cursed in horror. His expression changed drastically like never before as he erupted with all his speed and retreated frantically.
However, what made him even more frenzied was the sight of those winged figures who were attracted by the anomalous substances and rushed out. After they rushed out of the city lord's residence, their target was the area with the concentrated anomalous substances formed by the kid using unknown means.
However, for some reason, after these winged figures rushed into that area, they quickly crawled out and roared as they looked around. After that, they locked onto him and flew over.
"What's going on!! Where is the kid!!"
All of this caused the Sect's ancestor's eyes to widen. Even though his speed was astonishing, he was still caught up to very quickly. Amidst the rumbling sounds, the Diamond Sect's ancestor was forced to make a move and he had no choice but to erupt in full force.
Only then did those winged figures collapse. However, the strange thing was that they recovered in an instant and continued to pounce over. In the distance, in the huge cave where the city lord's residence was located, that terrifying existence was about to crawl out completely.
-x-X-x-
The life-and-death crisis caused the King Kong Sect's ancestor to feel even more frenzied. At that moment, while he was being entangled, at the edge of the region with dense anomalous substances, there was a crack on the ground next to a wall.
At that moment, Xu Qing was carefully hiding in the crack, warily looking at the outside world through the gap.
Back then, when he was in this ruined city, he followed the trail of the flying bird and discovered two safe shelters. One was his stone cave and the other... was this gap!
This gap was also the place where he had obtained the cultivation art from the city lord's residence. After his chest was heavily injured, he dodged the mutated beasts' pursuit.
However, this place was too close to the city lord's residence, so Xu Qing didn't choose this place as a temporary residence back then.
Under the calamity when the gods opened their eyes, it was difficult for all living beings to escape destruction. Only the birds... For some reason, most of them survived.
At the same time, they seemed to be able to find some locations instinctively. Although it wasn't absolutely safe, it was like a blind spot and it was easy for mutated beasts and bizarre creatures to overlook it.
Of course, this was only relative. If the King Kong Sect's ancestor wasn't here to attract his attention, then Xu Qing's actions earlier would be akin to courting death.
At that moment, when he saw the sorry state of the Sect's ancestor and noticed the gigantic figure struggling to climb out of the giant pit in the city lord's residence, Xu Qing also took a deep breath. However, he quickly gritted his teeth and rushed out with a sway of his body, throwing the black pill toward the Sect's ancestor who was being chased in the distance.
He threw out another ten-odd pills in one go.
The black pills landed on the ground and exploded one after another. The anomalous substances here were already astonishingly dense. At that moment, as the black pills exploded, they seemed to have broken through a certain critical point.
In the blink of an eye, all the malicious gazes that had gathered on Xu Qing after he left the spatial rift shifted away. All of them looked toward the area with denser anomalous substances. At the same time, at many locations in the city, regardless of whether it was mutated beasts or bizarre creatures, they all stopped and looked over in unison.
At the next moment, he sped off!
He let out an extremely furious roar. At the same time, Xu Qing didn't even turn his head as he crouched down and sprinted. He wanted to make use of the opportunity when the mutated beasts and bizarre creatures were attracted by the anomalous substances to flee at full speed.
The King Kong Sect's ancestor also wanted to flee but those winged figures were entangled with him. Even if he wanted to retreat, he would inevitably be slowed down. At that moment, anxiety filled his heart. The hatred in his heart for Xu Qing was incomparably intense.
At that moment, Xu Qing's speed was getting faster and faster on the streets in the distance. Just as he was about to head in the direction of the city wall after pulling away from the city lord's residence, a cold and sinister aura gushed over him.
In front of him, the sound of crying echoed. A faceless woman in a white dress walked over from afar.
At the first glance, the other party was still far away. However, at a second glance, this strange figure had already appeared in front of Xu Qing.
It was so fast that Xu Qing couldn't dodge at all. At that moment, his breathing was hurried and his pupils contracted. His body was instantly covered in ice and his mind instantly went blank as though it was frozen.
As for the faceless woman who was walking over, densely-packed faces rapidly appeared on her body. All of them were crying mournfully and their cries transmitted into Xu Qing's mind, transforming into fluctuations. This caused Xu Qing's expression to be affected and change uncontrollably. He was about to cry like those faces.
However, at that moment... a portion of the faceless men's faces suddenly stopped crying. They looked at Xu Qing listlessly and their expressions gradually changed. They slowly revealed a smile and opened their mouths as though they were saying something but no sound came out.
Very soon, more and more faces stopped crying. In the end, almost half of the faces of the faceless woman in the white dress stopped crying. They all looked at Xu Qing and revealed smiles, their expressions turning gentle.
Their lips moved slightly as though they were speaking softly, saying two words that no one else could hear.
As they smiled and mouthed the words, Xu Qing was completely stunned. He stared blankly at the many faces on the giant faceless woman.
Before he could see it clearly, the faceless woman in the white dress moved her body away and walked past him. After she was far away, the sound of crying echoed again...
Xu Qing's stiff body also recovered at this moment. His breathing hastened as he turned his head abruptly. He stared blankly at the faceless woman in the white dress who was walking further and further away. Her white figure was like a ball of burning fire in the dark night...
Earlier, those smiling faces... Xu Qing found them very familiar.
It was as though he knew them...
This was especially so for one of them. He recalled that it was the old man from the medicine shop whom he had carried and burned to allow him to rest in peace.
Xu Qing was silent. He looked at the departing figure and vaguely understood something. After a long time, he lowered his head and bowed deeply as he muttered softly.
"Thank you."
Those smiling faces from before also said the same word.
"Thank you."
-x-X-x-
The arrival of the god's fragmented face was like the awakening of cicadas, affecting the growth of all things and forcing them to change.
This change made the world cruel and cold.
The formation of the forbidden zone caused the coldness to reach an extreme. However, at that moment… Xu Qing stared at the white-clothed figure who had left. He suddenly thought of something Captain Lei had said back then.
"Do you know why I proposed to take you away twice from the ruins of the city?"
"I saw the silhouette of you cremating the corpses. At that time, the fire illuminated you while you were standing beside the blaze. You looked like you had fused with the fire. It made me feel as though I have seen… a trace of warmth in this cruel world."
Xu Qing fell silent.
At that moment, just like Captain Lei back then, he also felt a hint of warmth.
It came from the faceless woman in the white dress and the many faces who smiled and thanked him.
It came from… the humanity that even this cruel world couldn't take away.
After a long time, Xu Qing bowed deeply again.
After that, he turned and sped toward the distant city wall.
…
Perhaps it was because he had thrown too many black pills previously, the anomalous substances in the city lord's residence area became extremely dense and broke through the critical point. It was like flames in the night, attracting countless gazes and attention.
Or maybe it was his karma with this city.
Hence, Xu Qing, who was currently speeding away, didn't encounter much danger. He successfully arrived at the city wall.
Standing there, Xu Qing turned his head and glanced at the city in the dark. He then heard roars and mournful cries from afar. He silently stared at them for a long time.
"I wonder when the next time will be…" Xu Qing mumbled. He then cast his gaze toward the dark city before turning and leaping off the city wall, speeding into the distance.
To increase his speed, he took out the flying talisman he had obtained and pasted it on his leg. After the spirit energy surged into his body, his speed erupted explosively and he directly soared into the air.
He whistled through the air and left.
As the wind blew onto his face, Xu Qing felt a little uncomfortable. This sudden burst of speed and flight also took him a long time to get used to. This was especially so for flying. It was the first time in his life.
The feeling of flying in the sky, the feeling of lowering his head to look at the earth with the world under his feet made Xu Qing feel a little dazed.
He felt as though he had become the surviving birds spreading their wings in the sky after the god opened its eyes.
"So this is what it feels like for a bird to fly in the sky." Xu Qing mumbled, trying his best to control his body.
As for him who had reached the seventh level of the Mountains and Seas Art, he could already control his body perfectly. Hence, Xu Qing quickly got used to this state of soaring in the air.
Coupled with his speed and strength, he would step out fiercely from time to time after landing on the ground. He then punched backwards in the air, causing his speed to be even faster.
From afar, he looked like a long rainbow as he sped through the air above the forbidden zone.
If it was someone else, they would still have to worry about the influx of anomalous substances. However, to Xu Qing, he didn't have to worry about this. Hence, his speed could continue to increase.
Not long later, he saw the boundary of the forbidden zone from afar. With a dash, his entire person charged out of the forbidden zone.
The instant he arrived in the outside world, the warm wind blew on his body, dispelling the chill in the forbidden zone.
Standing in mid-air, Xu Qing was silent. He lifted his head and looked in the direction of Antler City before turning his head to scan another direction.
After living at the scavenger campsite for half a year, Xu Qing knew a lot of things. He also understood the area he lived in. This allowed him to know the names and locations of many nearby cities, including the King Kong Sect's mountain gate.
At that moment, although the sky was still dark, the ground wasn't completely pitch-black under the illumination of the moonlight. One could faintly see the undulating mountains in the distance.
Xu Qing, who was standing in the air, shifted his gaze several times between Antler City and the King Kong Sect.
"I can't accept this." Xu Qing mumbled.
He didn't know what would happen to the King Kong Sect's ancestor who had fallen into the ruined city.
However, Xu Qing felt that there was a high chance that the other party wouldn't die. Nevertheless, it was inevitable for him to be in a sorry state and suffer heavy injuries. Also, the possibility of him escaping in a short period of time wasn't high.
Right now, if he were to head to Antler City, everything should go smoothly. However, he felt very uncomfortable leaving just like that.
Hence, after a few breaths of silence, a cold glint appeared in the youth's eyes. With a sway of his body, he unleashed his full speed. Amidst the intense fluctuations emitted by the flight talisman, he headed straight for… the King Kong Sect.
Xu Qing didn't choose to head to Antler City immediately. He wanted to make a trip to the King Kong Sect.
He was prepared to take advantage of the fact that the King Kong Sect's ancestor was trapped and the two elders were dead. The entire Sect was in an unprecedented state of weakness, so he wanted to go there and take revenge on the other party's pursuit.
This was Xu Qing's personality.
If it was anyone else, their first choice would probably be to leave. However, Xu Qing's experiences since he was young made him understand that the hidden danger had to be erased.
Even if this hidden danger exceeded the scope of his solution and couldn't be erased in a short period of time, he still had to make the other party feel pain as much as possible.
This pain could only become a form of deterrence when it reached a certain level.
This was the law of survival in the slums and also the law of scavengers. As for whether it was the law of this chaotic world, Xu Qing didn't know but this was his law.
After killing the two elders, Xu Qing felt that the deterrence wasn't enough.
At that moment, Xu Qing was speeding toward the King Kong Sect. When the first rays of the sun rose into the sky and shone on the ground, Xu Qing saw his destination from afar.
The mountain gate of the King Kong Sect!
The Sect was built on top of a mountain peak, surrounded by numerous buildings. Under the sunlight, the main hall at the top of the mountain seemed to be emitting a glow. From afar, it looked extraordinarily imposing.
It was just that most of the cultivators in the sect had gone out to search and hadn't returned yet. Hence, there weren't many disciples guarding the mountain gate. In the early morning, he occasionally saw figures.
Their expressions were filled with arrogance, as though their presence here represented their supreme status. Among them, there were three to five disciples chatting and laughing beside the arched bridge at the mountain gate.
Their talk was mostly related to the fact that the ancestor had gone out to search for the child. What they expressed was that they felt that the ancestor was making a mountain out of a molehill.
Some were sitting cross-legged and cultivating in their respective residences.
As for the sect master, he was currently sitting in the main hall. He held a book in his hand that recorded the accounts of the offerings in the nearby cities and campsites. His expression was indifferent as he flipped through it.
Just like the disciples outside, he didn't think much of the ancestor's departure.
"He's just a scavenger. Even if he has some capabilities, the two elders are enough to suppress him. There's no need for the ancestor to personally take action. The sect is going to be empty now."
The Sect Master shook his head and thought to himself that there was nothing he could do about this. No one dared to disobey the words of the old ancestor.
Just when the entire sect was in a state of laziness, Xu Qing, who was high up in the sky and nobody noticed, lowered his head and cast a cold glance.
He first sensed the direction of the wind, then circled around to the area with the downwind to measure the wind speed and the distance it could travel.
In the end, he chose a location and didn't give the King Kong Sect cultivators any chance to react. He then took out a large amount of poison powder and expressionlessly scattered them one by one.
Xu Qing had a lot of poison powder on him. At that moment, he used 80% of it.
With so much poison powder mixed together, the toxicity was already extremely shocking. At that moment, the poison powder drifted toward the King Kong Sect in the wind.
Xu Qing didn't act immediately but waited.
Time flowed by bit by bit. Because there was too much poison powder, when it spread out in the wind, the sky slowly seemed to be dyed in color. At the moment when it vaguely turned into a black wind, a cold glint flashed in Xu Qing's eyes.
"It's about time."
The appearance of this black wind quickly attracted the attention of the King Kong Sect cultivators.
The first people who saw were the few chatting disciples at the mountain gate. They lifted their heads in surprise and were stunned when they saw the Black Wind.
"What's that?"
However, at the next instant, when a wisp of black wind blew past a tree in the distance, causing it to instantly wither, the expressions of these few disciples changed drastically.
"Poison!!"
As cries of surprise rang out, the disciples in the sect who discovered this scene were all shaken. One after another, figures rapidly walked out of the sect. All of their expressions changed and they were just about to cast a spell to disperse the poison wind.
However, at that moment, Xu Qing's figure suddenly rushed out from the sky. His speed was so fast that he transformed into a bolt of lightning that sprinted toward the Sect's mountain gate.
From afar, his figure was like a bolt of lightning that fell into the human world, directly charging into the Sect.
Amidst the shock and anger of those King Kong Sect cultivators as the alarm bell of the entire sect rang out, the rumbling sound spread in all directions and Xu Qing suddenly landed on the ground.
He was located halfway up the mountain of the King Kong Sect.
A loud bang rang out from the ground and numerous cracks spread out. Xu Qing, who was inside, abruptly lifted his head. His gaze was filled with intense killing intent as he directly charged toward the many King Kong Sect cultivators who had shocked expressions on their faces!
A loud bang erupted.
Xu Qing's attacks were swift and fierce and his speed was astonishing. Everywhere he passed by, miserable cries would ring out and corpses would scatter everywhere.
However, even though there weren't many disciples in the King Kong Sect, there were still some.
Hence, very soon, amidst waves of furious roars, numerous figures gathered from all directions and rushed toward Xu Qing.
"Enemy attack!"
"Damn it, someone actually dared to attack our King Kong Sect!"
Kill him!
At that moment, the Sect Master in the main hall also sensed it. He quickly walked out in shock and anger. He saw the chaos in the sect and the poisonous wind that spread out.
"All disciples, consume the poison-repelling pills immediately and dispel the poison wind!" His expression suddenly changed as he quickly ordered the sect.
At the same time, he locked onto the location of the explosion halfway up the mountain. His eyes were filled with coldness as he immediately rushed over.
However, Xu Qing's attack was incomparably fast. He didn't tangle with these King Kong Sect disciples but walked around and waved his hand, tossing out black pills one after another.
Some of these black pills landed on the ground and some were still in the air. However, they exploded at the same time, forming a vortex that attracted anomalous substances. This caused the anomalous substances that were everywhere in the world to seem to have come alive and were instantly attracted over.
"Anomalous substances!!" When the surrounding King Kong Sect disciples who wanted to rush over sensed this scene, their expressions changed and they instinctively retreated. However, there were still a few people who were at the center of the vortex. Under these dense anomalous substances, their bodies quickly turned greenish-black.
"How dare you!!" A furious roar rang out from the direction of the main hall on the mountain peak. The figure of the King Kong Sect's Sect Master suddenly arrived.
His cultivation fluctuations at the perfected Qi Condensation Realm surpassed the elder Xu Qing had killed. This was the second strongest expert in the King Kong Sect other than the old ancestor.
At this moment, his golden robe was bulging and his expression was gloomy. The killing intent in his eyes was intense. However, after seeing Xu Qing's scavenger attire and age, his entire body trembled.
"It's you!" He didn't need to guess as he already had an answer in his heart.
The moment this answer appeared, a huge wave rose in the heart of the King Kong Sect's Sect Master.