Chapter 712
Having witnessed Yang Qi’s Combat Power, Shi Heilong let out a sigh of relief.
He’s not as strong as I imagined. Although not bad, he’s still far inferior to me. Yang Qi is just a Third Rank Overlord, and it seems he’s merely a novice at that. I, on the other hand, am a Fifth Rank Overlord, albeit also a novice. However, I have already mastered the technique of leveraging Killing Aura, which makes my actual Combat Power somewhat stronger.
"Kid, you’re quite good. It’s just a pity you’re still weaker than me," Shi Heilong roared. "If you had cultivated for a few more years, perhaps I truly wouldn’t be your match. You’re too impatient. Impatience leads to death!"
He surged forward once more, his terrifying black saber unleashing a blood-red Saber Radiance that seemed poised to shatter everything in its path. In his eyes, Yang Qi was nothing but a lamb waiting to be slaughtered. Even if the lamb struggled a bit, it was ultimately destined to be killed.
"I, Shi Heilong, started practicing Martial Arts at the age of six. I am now forty-six, having cultivated for a full forty years. Who are you to dare contend with me? Today, I will show you the meaning of ignorance! Your ignorance has cost you your talent! Young people are just too arrogant!"
Just as the black saber was about to strike Yang Qi, he suddenly smiled. "So what if you can leverage momentum? You’ve only grasped a rudimentary form, which is utterly boring. It was my mistake for giving you some face and letting you develop a false impression. Now, go to hell."
The golden longsword in his hand danced once again.
"Let me give you a taste of the swordsmanship I’ve just recently mastered. Five Elements Sword Art—White Tiger!"
This was a set of swordsmanship that Yang Qi had recently comprehended, one that originated from the foundation of Five Elements Magic. The White Tiger, representing metal, could unleash thunderbolts! This was far more powerful than the Golden Thunder Slash.
With a single thrust of his sword, it was as if a white tiger was roaring. Within the Sword Qi, the faint image of a White Tiger emerged. Though very dim, its impact on his enemy was terrifying.
Shi Heilong’s black Saber Radiance instantly collapsed.
Then, the White Tiger pounced.
Thunderbolts flashed!
Shi Heilong was blasted hundreds of meters away, smashing through the cabin wall before landing on the desert outside.
SPURT!
A large mouthful of blood sprayed from his lips, and fear filled his eyes.
What kind of swordsmanship is this? How can it be so terrifying? It doesn’t feel like any worldly swordsmanship at all.
Of course, his senses were entirely accurate. This sword technique was performed with Spiritual Power and combined with Divine Thought to manifest the White Tiger’s might. How could its power be ordinary? After all, this was a move even stronger than the Golden Thunder Slash. It was also the sharpest and most powerful strike in the Five Elements Sword Art!
"You! Who exactly are you!" Shi Heilong lay there, his eyes filled with terror.
He’s too strong! Yang Qi is simply too powerful! That one strike had completely shattered all his confidence.
Yang Qi sheathed his sword and walked slowly toward Shi Heilong, speaking indifferently. "Who am I? You’re not worthy of knowing. I gave you a chance. On the way here, I told you it would be best to let us go, but you didn’t. Shi Heilong, you have committed countless evils. If heaven won’t claim you, then I will! You have no one to blame but yourself for provoking me."
"Spare me! Great Warrior, spare my life! I am willing to do anything for you!" Shi Heilong suddenly scrambled to his feet and knelt. With his severe injuries, he couldn’t withstand even a casual strike from Yang Qi, let alone the devastating attack from before. The power had been simply too terrifying, far beyond anything someone like him could withstand.
I don’t want to die! I possess immense wealth! I wield overwhelming power! My Martial Arts are renowned in the Western Territory! My future should have been bright. If I die now, wouldn’t all of it be for nothing? I can’t accept it. I truly can’t accept it.
Apart from begging for mercy, he had no other choice. In the face of this terrifyingly powerful youth, he could only relinquish all his dignity.
It’s better to live a wretched life than to die a good death! He was a firm believer in this philosophy.
"Great Warrior, I can be of use to you! I know many influential people in the Jianghu. Whatever you want to do in the future, I can assist you! For example, I can help you annihilate that ignorant Wu Family, make them tremble, make them live in fear!" Shi Heilong cried out in terror, desperate to prove his value. To him, a person without value deserved only death.
BOOM!
A fist shot out, and Shi Heilong’s screams came to an abrupt halt. His True Qi began to be devoured by the Immortal Gourd and condensed into Spiritual Liquid. He died completely in that desolate wilderness.
How could I possibly spare someone like that? Even if I needed subordinates, I wouldn’t be so desperate. A man so steeped in evil had to die!
After killing Shi Heilong, Yang Qi flew up to the overturned ship. Glancing at the lone survivor, he spoke coldly, "Where is your treasure hidden? Tell me, and I might spare your life."
"I’ll tell you! I’ll tell you!" the man nodded repeatedly, guiding Yang Qi on the sailing ship to an extremely concealed location. It could be said that without a guide, the place would be nearly impossible to find. Moreover, it was protected by powerful guards. However, before Yang Qi, they were utterly defenseless. After swiftly dealing with the guards, Yang Qi saw the treasure of the Black Evil Sect.
Not to mention the gold and jewels, which were worth at least over a hundred billion, there were also various rare treasures of unknown origin. Among them were some medicinal herbs over a hundred years old.
"Fantastic! Now I can improve my Realm again!" Yang Qi smiled and dripped the Spiritual Liquid from the Immortal Gourd onto those hundred-year-old medicinal herbs. The herbs instantly transformed, now possessing over two hundred years of Spiritual properties. It was truly miraculous.
Afterward, Yang Qi spent a day in Cultivation. He finally advanced his Realm from the entry-level of the Third Layer of the Body Tempering Stage to the Perfection Realm. This meant that after a period of consolidation, he would be ready to advance to the Fourth Layer. The Fourth Layer of the Body Tempering Stage marked the beginning of its middle phase; the first three layers were considered the early phase. Moving from the early to the middle phase was not an easy step and required a fortunate opportunity.
Having stored all the gold, jewels, and other treasures inside the Mountain and River Map, Yang Qi left the desolate place.
「The day he returned to Thunder City」
A piece of news quietly climbed the trending topics list.
"Mysterious owner of Star Shining Society ventures alone into the Western Territory, eradicates Black Evil Sect, slays Shi Heilong, and rids the people of a scourge."
Though the message was short, the event it described was massive. By this time, the young men and women of the Wu Family had also returned, arriving a day later than Yang Qi. Having been thoroughly brainwashed by him, they secretly gathered upon their return and began their campaign to reform the Wu Family, which they now saw as too corrupt and degenerate. However, they knew their current power was insufficient for an immediate change and that they had to proceed slowly. They were not in a hurry. With a terrifyingly powerful figure like Yang Qi backing them, they truly had nothing to fear.
Then, on that very day, the Wu Family sent someone over.