Translator: AnubisTL
This was no exaggeration. Li Qing's body had swelled to the size of a small giant, his muscles bulging grotesquely, and veins writhing across his skin like savage dragons.
If not for the radiant, silver-moon gilded battle armor he wore, anyone would have mistaken him for a demon beast that had transformed into human form!
Ignoring Chu Lingyi, Li Qing's bloodshot eyes swept the battlefield, searching for his next opponent.
Waves of vital energy surged through his body, pounding against his consciousness and threatening to overwhelm his reason.
Fortunately, his powerful divine soul allowed him to maintain a semblance of calm, preventing the surging vital energy from completely clouding his mind.
"Kill!"
Li Qing roared, charging toward a Lingyun Sect elder who was being overwhelmed by his enemies.
The ground trembled beneath his thunderous advance, the force of his momentum shaking the very earth!
In moments, Li Qing drew a Five Elements Spirit Rope, hurling it at the two ancient demons who were closing in on the elder.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The Five Elements Spirit Binding Rope sliced through the air, radiating a shimmering, five-colored spiritual light. It moved with incredible speed and agility, weaving through the air with uncanny precision.
In the blink of an eye, the two Chi Demons were tightly bound. The power of the rope's Five Elements spirit patterns completely immobilized them.
Li Qing charged forward and unleashed another thunderous punch!
Bang! Bang!
Two consecutive explosions rang out as the heads of the Chi Demons shattered like watermelons.
"Junior Brother Li, thank you for your assistance! We're fortunate to have you here!" The Lingyun Sect elder, now rescued, expressed his gratitude with shining eyes.
Li Qing smiled dismissively. "Senior Brother, you're too kind. We're all members of the Lingyun Sect; it's only natural we support each other."
As his words faded, Li Qing suddenly felt a bone-chilling sensation.
He jerked his head upward to see a winged Chi Demon with a single horn on its forehead glaring down at him with icy contempt.
"A human with such a powerful physique is a rare sight indeed. I'll test your mettle!" The Unicorn Ancient Demon sneered and swooped down from the sky, aiming directly for Li Qing.
Sensing the overwhelming aura radiating from the demon, Li Qing's scalp prickled with alarm. This creature was undoubtedly at the late foundation establishment realm, possibly even comparable to a pseudo core formation stage cultivator!
Just moments ago, Li Qing had single-handedly slain four Chi Demons, briefly dominating the battlefield. But this display had also drawn the attention of the demonic race's most formidable warriors far too soon.
With a powerful flap of its wings, the Unicorn Ancient Demon surged forward, cloaked in dense demonic qi.
"Junior Brother Li, let us face this enemy together!" the elder who had just been rescued said solemnly.
Li Qing nodded in agreement. Against such a formidable foe, arrogance would be fatal.
The ancient demon flying through the air abruptly shifted direction several times before splitting into two identical copies of itself!
"I've always preferred a fair fight!" The two identical ancient demons grinned savagely in unison before charging toward Li Qing and the elder.
Li Qing's expression darkened. It even knows how to create clones!
No, this isn't a secret technique like an incarnation. It's true division.
After splitting, their strength has diminished slightly, barely qualifying them as late foundation establishment realm cultivators.
Despite these observations, Li Qing still felt immense pressure. Even weakened, ancient demons at the late foundation establishment realm were formidable opponents.
With no time for further deliberation, Li Qing tapped his storage pouch and immediately summoned the Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain Spear.
"Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain—combine!"
The four bone spears spun in the air before merging into a single weapon, finally unleashing the true power of the combined magic artifact!
This was the first time Li Qing had combined the Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain Spear since refining it.
The four Spirit Spears were already of high quality, ranking among the finest high-grade magical artifacts.
When combined, they unleashed power comparable to a top-grade magical artifact!
The four spears merged into one, piercing the air with unstoppable force, and shot toward the Unicorn Chi Demon Tribe member in the sky.
Clang!
A crisp, resonant clang echoed through the air as the Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain Spear was blocked by the demon's single horn, remaining unmoved.
So strong!
Li Qing's expression grew increasingly grave. Even the combined might of the four Spirit Spears couldn't harm the demon, whose power seemed almost excessive.
"Weak human, let's see what other tricks you have!" the Unicorn Demon sneered, swatting aside the Spirit Spear.
In the next instant, the demon's claws extended, each as long as a chopstick.
"Void-Severing Claws!"
Several black claw marks flashed through the air, tearing through the very fabric of space.
Clang!
A dull, resounding clang reverberated as Li Qing, below, braced the Black Furnace against his chest, forcefully blocking the attack.
Though he appeared composed, Li Qing was far from unscathed. The immense force had sent him staggering back five or six steps!
Even after activating the Brahma King True Body, a powerful body refinement secret technique, Li Qing still felt a numbing sensation in his palm.
Unbelievable! His body arts cultivation had reached such a level, yet he hadn't felt this pain in his Tiger's Mouth for ages.
"Humans who rely solely on external tools, show me what else you've got! Otherwise, you won't get another chance!"
As the words echoed, another Incarnation charged forward.
Li Qing's pupils constricted.
How is this possible?!
In the blink of an eye, the senior brother he had just rescued was dead?
"Senior Brother..."
Thud!
The elder Li Qing had saved earlier collapsed lifelessly into a pool of blood, unable to respond to his words.
If even the split Incarnations were this powerful, how much stronger would the Unicorn Demon become when they merged?
A wave of suffocation washed over Li Qing.
Escape! I can't face him head-on. If he merges, I'll be dead for sure! Li Qing made a swift, rational decision and began to retreat rapidly.
The two Unicorn Demons pursued relentlessly, their grins savage, giving him no room to breathe.
"Where do you think you're going? Just accept your death!"
Retreating, Li Qing's brow furrowed.
"How dare they act so arrogantly before merging? Are they planning to block my escape routes with their Incarnations?"
"If that's the case, I might actually have a chance to sever one of their Incarnations. But I can't hold back any longer!"
Li Qing's thoughts raced, a resolute glint appearing in his eyes.
He stopped retreating, allowing one of the enemy's Incarnations to block his path. Instead, he charged forward to confront the Unicorn Demon pursuing him from the front.
"Heh, realizing you can't escape? Cornered, are you?" the Unicorn Demon sneered.
Li Qing remained silent, silently reaching into his robes.
He withdrew a Talisman Paper imprinted with a golden longsword.
Golden Blade Talisman Treasure! Activate!
A brilliant golden light erupted in the air, and a golden longsword materialized, slashing horizontally toward the Unicorn Demon Incarnation that had mocked Li Qing moments before.
"No!"
The Unicorn Demon's face finally twisted in terror as the golden blade hurtled toward him.
He tried to dodge sideways, but the blade was too swift, and his forward momentum made evasion impossible.
Whoosh!
Viscous purple demonic blood splattered as the Unicorn Demon's demonic body was cleaved in half, leaving a gruesome wound.
Li Qing's face paled slightly. Activating the talisman treasure had drained much of his mental power, nearly equivalent to activating four or five second-tier talismans in one breath!
But there was no time to rest. The Unicorn Demon's Incarnation behind him was already lunging forward with murderous intent.
He had to finish off this critically wounded Incarnation quickly! He couldn't let it recover!
Boom!
In the next instant, the pitch-black pupils of Li Qing's eyes were replaced by searing white flames, twin fireballs igniting within his irises.
Netherworld Cold Fire!
Vast torrents of searing white flames erupted, Li Qing unleashing the full power of his source fire seed. His palms transformed into living flamethrowers.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The intense yet chilling Netherworld Cold Fire engulfed the critically wounded ancient demon Incarnation, its aura rapidly weakening.
"Damn you, human! How dare you destroy my Incarnation! Die!"
Whoosh!
The ancient demon, its eyes bloodshot with fury, slashed a vicious demonic claw at Li Qing's back!
The claw tore through the air, cleaving through the gilded battle armor covering Li Qing's back as if it were paper. Three horrifying crimson gashes were left on his flesh.
"Hiss!"
Li Qing gasped, feeling the searing pain erupt from his back. He was forced to retreat, using the momentum to pull away.
"Aaaah!" The Unicorn Demon frantically tried to extinguish the Netherworld Cold Fire engulfing its Incarnation, but this was no ordinary flame. It was genuine heavenly spirit fire, and once ignited, it could not be easily extinguished.
Of course, Li Qing fared no better. The wounds on his back refused to stop bleeding, crimson blood gushing relentlessly.
"This demonic claw is unnatural. Once injured by it, the wounds become incredibly difficult to heal."
His fleshly body was exceptionally robust, his blood qi overflowing with vitality. Even severe injuries would normally heal rapidly thanks to his body's potent regenerative abilities.
Yet now, no matter how he tried, the wounds on his back refused to close. It was utterly inconceivable!
Li Qing immediately used his divine sense to examine the wounds on his back. Each claw mark was suffused with malevolent demonic qi, relentlessly devouring his life force.
"So that's it. It's this demonic qi causing the trouble."
Without hesitation, Li Qing summoned another wisp of Netherworld Cold Fire and enveloped the wounds on his back.
He was essentially cauterizing his own flesh with spirit fire!
Fortunately, Li Qing had endured such agony before and could barely withstand it.
As the Netherworld Cold Fire continued to burn, the demonic qi within the wounds rapidly evaporated. Once completely purged, the wounds slowly began to heal.
Before long, beads of sweat covered Li Qing's forehead.
Meanwhile, the Unicorn Demon, having barely salvaged a fragment of its body, glared at Li Qing with murderous intent.
The destruction of its Incarnation had dealt a severe blow, causing its aura to plummet from the pseudo core formation stage to the late foundation establishment realm.
"Damn you, human! I'll devour you alive!"
Faced with the Unicorn Demon's threat, Li Qing's expression remained unchanged as he silently gripped the golden blade talisman treasure in his hand.
The talisman treasure could be used more than once. If the demon dared to charge recklessly again, Li Qing wouldn't hesitate to activate it once more.
Having merged with his Incarnation's memories, the Unicorn Demon's expression turned utterly grim, though a hint of wariness flickered in his eyes.
His Incarnation had already experienced the full power of that golden blade talisman treasure firsthand. Charging recklessly again might cost even his true form.
Thus, the human and demon stood locked in a standoff, their cold gazes fixed on each other. Neither dared to make the first move, and the situation remained deadlocked.
Meanwhile, the battle in the skies had reached a fever pitch.
Despite the brutal fighting on the ground, the true fate of the war still rested on the outcome of the clash between the ancestors in the heavens.
(End of the Chapter)
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