Chapter 35: Instant Kill
“Not good… they are direct-line cultivators of the Zhong Family!”
Zeng Shu released a page-shaped artifact to protect himself, feeling the late-stage Qi Refining pressure radiating from those white-robed figures.
His face turned pale as paper.
“Why are we so unlucky?”
His expression hardened.
“Junior brothers, form the array and hold the line to the death. This place is very close to the sect—Foundation Establishment great cultivators will arrive shortly!”
With Zeng Shu taking the lead, the Azure Sea Sect cultivators all took out array flags.
This was something they had already drilled beforehand, specifically to deal with sudden cultivator attacks.
Buzz—buzz!
A layer of turquoise-green radiance lit up, completely ignoring the fish ponds outside and sealing the cultivator cave dwelling within so tightly that not even water could seep through. “Low-Grade First Tier—Azure Wave Array!”
Fang Qing identified it and nodded secretly.
“Cultivators band together for defense, give up the fish-breeding grounds, and let the attackers loot and destroy at will… If the opposing side were slightly weaker, they could grab a haul and complete their mission before leaving.”
Unfortunately, the Zhong Family cultivators opposite were not merely aiming to wreck the fishing grounds and make a quick fortune.
The white-robed figures parted to both sides, revealing a youth in the center with white hair—no, not white hair, but a boy with delicate, almost feminine features and a full head of snow-white hair.
His cultivation had clearly reached peak Qi Refining, carrying a heart-palpitating pressure.
An icy chill that seemed to freeze the soul spread faintly around him.
“Zhong Family, Zhong Lingxiu?!”
The corner of Fang Qing’s eye twitched.
Without the slightest hesitation, he turned and fled.
Back then, he had deliberately chosen the most remote cave dwelling for the sake of peace and quiet.
At this moment, that decision proved farsighted.
Zhong Lingxiu formed seals with both hands.
Layers of icy soul-cold light emerged, transforming into an ice-crystal phoenix.
Its wings spread wide, carrying a raging storm, as it raised its head and let out a clear cry to the heavens.
Immediately after, the ice phoenix flapped its wings and flew toward the Azure Wave Array.
Crash—!
Massive hailstones collided with turquoise water ripples, offsetting each other.
The Azure Wave Array froze instantly, then exploded open with a huge breach.
Zeng Shu, Li Yusu, and the other array-forming cultivators all changed expressions at once and spat out mouthfuls of essence blood.
“Kill them all. Leave not a single one.”
Zhong Lingxiu spoke coldly, then glanced in the direction Fang Qing had fled.
“Wufu, that one is yours.”
“Yes, Young Master!”
A Zhong Family cultivator immediately stepped forward, controlling a pair of Profound Ice Wheels as he chased after Fang Qing.
“Zhong Lingxiu?!”
Upon seeing him, despair instantly appeared on Zeng Shu’s face…
……
“As expected… the thing that most needs replacing is still this Green-Leaf Flying Vessel.”
Fang Qing piloted the Green-Leaf Flying Vessel.
He had just escaped the Red-Scaled Fishing Grounds when he saw a Zhong Family cultivator chasing after him on a pair of cold ice wheels, causing him to curse inwardly.
This flying artifact was a sect-standard item, low-grade first tier.
He had previously had no need for combat or escape and thus had not bothered to upgrade it.
But now it seemed that only the living could produce output—life-saving artifacts were something he truly needed to prepare.
Whoosh—whoosh!
Before he could finish thinking, two Ice Spike Techniques condensed in midair and struck in an instant!
Crack!
Fang Qing twisted his body, bending his neck and waist to nearly ninety degrees, evading the ice spike ambush with an inconceivable yoga-like posture.
Although he felt that even taking two ice spikes head-on would at most scratch his skin, trump cards were still meant to be hidden.
“Hmm? A Qi Refining Seventh Layer cultivator… ice-element techniques… and those ice wheels under his feet look quite good—likely high-grade?”
With divine sense assistance, cultivators in battle were almost equivalent to having a “Heavenly Eye,” granting an enormous advantage.
Fang Qing took out the Sea-Transforming Pearl and formed a seal with one hand.
The Sea-Transforming Pearl immediately turned into a streak of blue light.
Like a shooting star, it flashed with lightning speed and arrived before the Zhong Family cultivator.
“Hmm?”
Seeing a “Qi Refining Sixth Layer” cultivator suddenly erupt with power and skillfully control a high-grade artifact, the Zhong Family cultivator was startled.
He hurriedly flew out a white-scaled shield from his storage pouch, blocking it in front of himself.
Bang!
The Sea-Transforming Pearl slammed into it, only making the white-scaled shield wobble slightly, achieving nothing else.
Seeing this, the Zhong Family cultivator felt pleased inwardly.
The Profound Ice Wheels beneath his feet and this White-Scaled Shield were both high-grade artifacts, obtained at the cost of most of his wealth.
A mere Qi Refining Sixth Layer cultivator—even with a high-grade artifact—could forget about breaking his defenses… wait, what was this?
Before he could react, it was as if a small lake appeared above his head.
A hundred thousand catties of seawater crashed down violently.
Mixed within the seawater were several Water Arrow Techniques.
“Just seawater.”
He was startled and subconsciously wanted to cast an ice-element technique, but his rich combat experience made him suppress the impulse at once, instead forming a Water-Avoidance Art seal.
‘Trying to make me freeze myself? Heh… do I look that stupid?’
‘If it were those family rookies who’ve never seen blood, they might panic. But I’ve killed plenty of cultivators.’
Puff—puff!
The water arrows struck the White-Scaled Shield, likewise failing to break through.
Just as the Zhong Family cultivator was about to counterattack, a dark shadow suddenly appeared before his eyes—it was Fang Qing!
Releasing the seawater was primarily to conceal his own form and allow him to approach in secret.
‘Better to end this quickly. If Zhong Lingxiu catches up, it’ll be troublesome.’
With a single thought, the illusory “Demon-Subduing Vajra Pestle” burst forth from Fang Qing’s sea of consciousness, slamming into the Zhong Family cultivator’s brow.
He felt as if struck by a heavy hammer, not even having time to activate the talismans in his hand.
Fang Qing’s qi and blood surged violently.
A layer of body-refining radiance enveloped him as his five fingers suddenly clenched, forming a fist.
Within his sea of consciousness, the Seed Syllable representing Great Vajra Divine Strength suddenly blazed with brilliant light!
Boom!
The Zhong Family cultivator felt as if a mammoth beast had slammed into him head-on.
A huge dent appeared in the White-Scaled Shield as it was sent flying far away, and his protective spiritual light shattered instantly.
Puff!
He spat blood, his face full of disbelief.
“Second tier… a body-refining cultivator?”
Crack!
Fang Qing lunged forward.
His five fingers spread, grabbing the man’s head and slamming it into his chest.
“I’m not second tier—after all, I only have the strength for one strike… This Great Vajra Divine Strength is truly easy to use.”
He let out a long breath, quickly erased traces, and looted the spoils.
He then secretly sensed that even the Seed Syllable in his sea of consciousness could likewise be dissolved by the Dao-Birth Pearl, and he finally let out a long sigh of relief.
“The Red-Scaled Fishing Grounds have met with disaster. I might as well drift outside for a while… I’ll decide what to do after the battle’s outcome is clear.”
Fang Qing piloted the Green-Leaf Flying Vessel away, deciding to go to the Land of Ancient Shu to lie low.
……
The ground was utterly silent.
After a moment, a streak of white light flashed as Zhong Lingxiu arrived.
“Young Master, Zhong Wufu is dead…”
The two Zhong Family cultivators exchanged glances, fear lingering in their hearts.
Their strength was comparable to Zhong Wufu’s.
If they had been the ones in pursuit, would they not also have died?
“Useless trash! Couldn’t even hold him for such a short time!”
Zhong Lingxiu frowned.
“But trash or not, he was still of the Zhong Family. Since an outsider dared to kill him, they will pay with their life!”
He formed seals with both hands.
In midair, specks of white light suddenly appeared.
The other two cultivators recognized it at once—this was a tracking technique.
With the young master’s escape speed, as long as the target hadn’t fled too far, he should be caught before reaching the sect, tortured brutally, then slaughtered.
“Hm?”
Suddenly, Zhong Lingxiu halted the spell, staring as the lights extinguished.
“It failed? Was that person too far away? Or was there a Foundation Establishment cultivator who used divine sense to erase the mark on Zhong Wufu?”
……
Land of Ancient Shu.
“So insidious…”
Fang Qing took out Zhong Wufu’s storage pouch and poured out a pile of spirit stones.
He picked up one, and his divine sense detected a tiny divine sense imprint on it.
If not for also having cultivated divine sense, he would never have noticed it.
“As expected of a Zhong Family genius—he already cultivated divine sense at the Qi Refining stage…”
Fang Qing waved his hand and destroyed the mark on the spirit stone.
He could vaguely sense its aura, identical to Zhong Lingxiu’s from before.
“But you want to track me? Unless you can also traverse worlds!”
He sighed, then began examining the other spoils.
“A high-grade first-tier flying artifact—Profound Ice Wheels? And this high-grade first-tier White-Scaled Shield. Though damaged, it can still be repaired… In that case, my flight, defense, and attack are all high-grade artifacts.
I can be considered wealthy even among late-stage Qi Refining sect cultivators.”
Although the Profound Ice Wheels were best used by cultivators practicing ice-aspected techniques, just like the Five Elements techniques, anyone could cultivate them—the difference lay only in proficiency.
Fang Qing then looked at the remaining miscellaneous items.
Aside from spirit stones, there were a few bottles of pills, a stack of talismans, and several booklets.
“Hm? Ice-Chilling Art? Seems like an advanced method of the White Water Art?”
Thinking of the White Water Art, Fang Qing could not help recalling Zeng Shu and Li Yusu, whom he had invested in.
Judging by the situation, those two were likely doomed.
However, investment always carried risks.
He had long prepared himself for a total loss, so he did not feel much heartache.
He then turned to the other booklets, finding them to be miscellaneous texts and account records.
“Eh?”
From among the books, Fang Qing took out a page tucked inside, staring at the mnemonic upon it.
“This is… a formula for condensing ‘Ice-Soul Spirit Water’?”
His spirits lifted, and he quickly studied it, confirming that this was indeed the case.
Ice-Soul Spirit Water was a famously renowned spiritual water.
Its nature was extremely cold, usable in many Water-Method Pill Refinement processes.
Moreover, its primary use was in cultivating techniques.
For example… the Zhong Family’s famous Ice-Soul Cold Light!
“This must have been prepared for Zhong Lingxiu? His subordinates collected and refined Ice-Soul Spirit Water to enhance his cultivation?”
“This Ice-Soul Cold Light is a renowned technique even among Zhong Family Foundation Establishment cultivators, with incalculable lethality… I’ve even heard that the Zhong Family Core Formation Ancestor has already cultivated the divine ability ‘Ice-Soul Profound Light.’ Even though our sect’s Founding Ancestor is at a higher realm, dealing with him would still be difficult…”
This page of mnemonics was clearly torn from a larger cultivation manual.
With only the mnemonic, one could condense the spiritual water, but could not cultivate the Ice-Soul Cold Light technique itself, let alone any subsequent advancements.
“Obviously a measure to prevent leakage… but that’s fine. I only need Ice-Soul Spirit Water. Spiritual water is enough—ordinarily useful for pill refinement, and at critical moments it can also be used against enemies. Its effectiveness is quite good.”
Thinking of how he had once sent Li Yusu to collect materials, only for him to bring back a commonplace Hundred Poisons Water pill formula, Fang Qing felt that this time he had made quite a profit.
For cultivators, killing and arson truly did pave the road to riches.