The shimmering yellow starlight collided with the sparkling silver waves. The center of the collision seemed to form a clear dividing line, separating the two sides into two worlds, yellow and silver. The entire plaza was ravaged by the shockwaves generated by the collision of the two energies, with rock walls cracking and debris flying everywhere.
Although it seemed like a stalemate, the crystalline starlight was subtly eroding the silver waves, gradually forcing them back.
Soul Changqing felt the pressure from the starlight and frowned slightly. He hadn't expected the Star Venerable's strength to be so formidable. This starlight was also incredibly strange, able to penetrate the waves formed by divine water and even force them back. Clearly, this Star Venerable could not be measured by ordinary five-star Dou Zun.
"Hmph!"
Hun Changqing snorted coldly, unleashing several more towering waves. He slammed his large hand down hard on Xingxiu Venerable's hand, and the waves, following Hun Changqing's movement, crashed down upon Xingxiu Venerable.
The waves churned and roared, their immense power causing the entire black hall to tremble violently, emitting loud creaking sounds, as if it were about to collapse and disintegrate.
Xingxiu Venerable was somewhat surprised by Hun Changqing's strength. For a mere one-star Dou Zun to achieve such a level was far beyond his imagination. Even he, at the same one-star level, would have to admit defeat. Thinking of this, a ruthless glint flashed in Xingxiu Venerable's eyes. Radiant starlight gathered in his hand, and then he gently swept it towards the sky.
With Xingxiu Venerable's movement, all the starlight shone brightly, emitting a dazzling light. Then, a giant hand formed from the starlight solidified in the air.
The moment the giant hand of starlight materialized, it slammed down fiercely towards Hun Changqing, completely ignoring the massive wave rushing towards Star Venerable!
"Thinking you can withstand my attack, so you directly assault me, intending to kill me in one fell swoop... How naive..."
Hun Changqing, seeing the giant hand of starlight pressing down on him, understood Star Venerable's intentions. However, a strange smile appeared on Hun Changqing's lips.
"Pfft!"
"Bang!"
The massive wave and the giant hand of starlight struck Star Venerable and Hun Changqing almost simultaneously, two sounds echoing from either side.
Star Venerable, impacted by the massive wave, instantly coughed up a large mouthful of blood. He was sent flying as if struck by a prehistoric beast, crashing into the black stone wall at the edge of the plaza, creating a huge crater.
Clearly, Hun Changqing's attack far exceeded Xingxiu Venerable's expectations, and was not as easily blocked as he had anticipated. After taking a direct hit from Hun Changqing's "Eternal Dream Wave," Xingxiu Venerable was severely injured. Hun
Changqing, struck by the giant palm, exploded, but instead of blood and flesh splattering, he burst into clumps of water.
These clumps scattered across the plaza, then, like jelly, they didn't melt but began to slowly wriggle, converging towards a certain point, gradually forming a human figure. The figure's surface then twisted and writhed, eventually reverting to Hun Changqing's likeness. At this moment,
Hun Changqing was completely unharmed, even his robes were intact. Clearly, Xingxiu Venerable's attack hadn't damaged him; this was a fighting technique he had honed from the three thousand Thunderclaps he had acquired at the Black Corner Region auction.
This fighting technique, combined with his Concealing Breath Technique, could condense a water phantom body, silently replacing Hun Changqing's previous position to shield him from impending attacks. Unless one's cultivation level was far beyond his, no one would detect anything amiss; it could be considered Hun Changqing's life-saving divine skill.
Hun Changqing coldly stared at the Star Venerable in the pit not far away, a sneer on his face. Daring to be so arrogant before knowing his opponent's trump cards was truly courting death.
Just as Hun Changqing raised his hand, intending to deliver the final blow to the Star Venerable and send him to his death, a terrifying aura suddenly rose from the pit. This aura far surpassed the Star Venerable's previous aura, and the surrounding space began to subtly distort due to this immense power.
Upon sensing this aura, Hun Changqing's eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief and shock.
Hun Changqing wasn't shocked by the sudden surge in Xingxiu Venerable's strength. He could accept Gu Xun'er's sudden increase in strength as easily as a joke, so the sudden increase in Xingxiu Venerable's strength would at most surprise him, but wouldn't cause him to lose his composure.
The main reason was the aura emanating from Xingxiu Venerable at this moment. Hun Changqing was not at all unfamiliar with it; in fact, he was very familiar with it. This was…
"The power of the Soul Clan bloodline?! A ninth-grade bloodline?!"
Hun Changqing couldn't help but blurt out. Even if this Xingxiu Venerable was a member of the Soul Clan and possessed bloodline power, Hun Changqing wouldn't be too shocked.
Although those clan prodigies with rich bloodline power mostly stayed within the clan and rarely stepped outside, there were precedents.
But a ninth-grade bloodline, such a high-level bloodline power, had never been seen running into the Soul Palace, let alone this remote branch palace in the Northwest Continent.
Moreover, it's important to know that in this generation of the Soul Clan, only Hun Yu and two other disciples possess the ninth-grade bloodline:Hun Feng and Hun Hao. These two's ninth-grade bloodlines were the work of the Void Devouring Flame.
Hun Changqing had fought all three of them before and was extremely familiar with the aura of the Taiyin True Qi emanating from Hun Changqing. The Star Venerable hadn't recognized him during their fight, clearly indicating he wasn't one of the three Hun Changqing knew.
So where did this ninth-grade bloodline of the Soul Clan come from? Could it be that someone from the clan had performed some great service in recent years, resulting in their bloodline being enhanced by the Void Devouring Flame?
However, when Hun Changqing came out, he clearly sensed that the atmosphere within the Soul Clan was somewhat unusual. The higher-ups were frequently entering and leaving the clan's main hall to discuss matters, indicating that they were about to begin their attack on the Ling and Yan Clans. At this critical juncture, it's highly unlikely that the Soul Emperor would allow the Void Devouring Flame to expend its power to enhance the bloodline strength of a disciple with an eighth-grade bloodline.
It's well known that the energy required to advance from eighth to ninth grade is immense; even someone of the Void Devouring Flame's strength struggles with it. Each advancement requires years of recuperation and countless soul replenishments. Otherwise, how could the Soul Clan only have three ninth-grade bloodlines in all these years?
Soul Changqing was utterly bewildered, his mind filled with various questions, his expression blank, clearly confused by this suddenly appearing ninth-grade bloodline.
At this moment, Venerable Star Constellation slowly rose from the pit, his venomous gaze shooting forth from beneath his black robe, fixed intently on Hun Changqing.
Hun Changqing, in turn, stared intently at the hood covering Venerable Star Constellation's face, his gaze burning as if trying to pierce through the hood to see the face hidden beneath.
"I didn't expect you to recognize the bloodline power of the Soul Clan. It seems your identity isn't simple either. Judging from the method you used to open that seal, you're also a member of the Soul Clan, aren't you? Hehehe... You... are doomed!"
Venerable Xingxiu clenched his fists, gritting his teeth as he spoke. A chilling aura emanated from between his grinding teeth. Clearly, due to the severe injury inflicted by Hun Changqing, Venerable Xingxiu's resentment towards Hun Changqing had reached unprecedented heights.
Hun Changqing's face was also extremely gloomy. He never expected that a small robbery of his own property would lead to encountering someone from his own clan, and not just any person, but a ninth-grade bloodline he didn't recognize, and that he would offend him so badly.
With Venerable Xingxiu's ninth-grade bloodline status, it would be incredibly easy for his clan to investigate his identity upon returning. If they came looking for him, his situation would be extremely dangerous.
Killing Venerable Xingxiu would be disastrous. Leaving aside how terrifying Venerable Xingxiu was now, empowered by the power of a ninth-grade bloodline, and whether Hun Changqing could defeat him, the Soul Clan would definitely launch a major offensive after Venerable Xingxiu's death. Although the Soul Clan's internal plans were currently prioritized and they wouldn't send many people,
the Soul Clan possessed the most advanced intelligence network on the entire continent—the Soul Palace, which spanned the entire Dou Qi Continent. The Soul Palace wasn't involved in the extermination plan, and if they were to launch an attack because of Venerable Xingxiu's death, Hun Changqing didn't think he could escape the Soul Palace's investigation.
"Who are you? What's your name? I didn't know when the clan gained a ninth-grade bloodline like you."
A hoarse voice came from beneath Hun Changqing's hood. He felt incredibly helpless and unusually at a loss. Now, he could only try to find out Venerable Xingxiu's identity and strike up a conversation to see if there was any room for negotiation.
However, Venerable Xingxiu clearly had no intention of wasting words with Hun Changqing. He flashed, transforming into a black afterimage, and approached Hun Changqing swiftly like a ghost. Reaching Hun Changqing, he thrust a claw-like hand towards his heart. Hun Changqing
felt a dense aura of death emanating from that claw and hastily retreated, shouting as he did so.
"My kinsman, I was unaware of your identity earlier and have offended you greatly. Please forgive me! This is just a misunderstanding. How about we stop here? We are both members of the Soul Clan; killing each other is against the natural order!"
Hearing Hun Changqing's words, Venerable Xingxiu laughed—a laugh born of anger. A fierce glint flashed in his eyes, and his speed increased once more as he pressed forward.
Starlight shimmered in Xingxiu's hand as he suddenly raised it, leaving afterimages in his wake. The starlight rippled like a dazzling galaxy. Then, Xing Su's palm slammed down, aiming heavily at Hun Changqing.
However, his palm easily passed through Hun Changqing's body without any contact; clearly, it was an afterimage. Having
dodged Xing Su's attack once again, Hun Changqing looked at the spot where Xing Su's palm had landed, where wisps of Xing Su's terrifying power still lingered in the crater. His face darkened considerably. While dodging Xing Su's next close attack, he spoke in a hoarse voice,
"A fellow clansman, is this truly the case? What just happened wasn't a big deal, but it wasn't insignificant either. We don't have any deep-seated hatred. Why not treat it as an accident and let it go?"
However, Xing Su ignored Hun Changqing's words. His eyes remained fierce, and a terrifying attack swept towards Hun Changqing once more.
Despite repeated attempts to dissuade him, Hun Changqing was now furious at Xingxiu's unwavering defiance. His eyes flashed with a cold, sharp light, and his Taiyin True Qi surged forth, sweeping towards Xingxiu.
Clearly, Hun Changqing was enraged and no longer intended to negotiate. Although Xingxiu's enhanced bloodline power exerted considerable pressure on Hun Changqing, the final outcome would only be known after the fight.
The Taiyin True Qi collided with the dazzling starlight. Both were now holding nothing back. A terrifying wave of energy swept outwards, completely destroying the already crumbling hall in the aftershocks of their battle, reducing it to dust without leaving a trace. Only a massive crater hundreds of feet deep remained where the once colossal hall had been.
The two stood suspended in mid-air above the giant crater, their Yin True Qi and starlight locked in a stalemate. While it appeared they were locked in a stalemate, the dazzling starlight subtly eroded the Yin True Qi. After all, Xingxiu, empowered by bloodline power, was now significantly weaker than Hun Changqing.
Hun Changqing felt immense pressure within the starlight; a thick layer of cold sweat covered his smooth forehead. Knowing he would only suffer if he clashed with Xingxiu in energy, he immediately severed the flow of Yin True Qi, then leaped backward, creating distance between himself and Xingxiu.
Black energy rapidly rose from Hun Changqing's body, his eyes swirling with dark mist. He stretched out his hand and pressed it down on Xingxiu in the distance. Instantly, a colossal wooden seal, composed of countless interwoven black strips, appeared in the sky, blotting out the sun. With Hun Changqing's downward strike, it slammed down upon Xingxiu.
Upon seeing the enormous hand, Xingxiu was startled. He sensed an overwhelming aura of death emanating from it, causing him to tremble with fear. No longer daring to be as arrogant as before, and unwilling to trade blows with Hun Changqing, he quickly raised his arms to protect his chest, forming a defensive stance. An energy barrier instantly rose, completely enveloping Xingxiu.