Chapter 44: The Unexplained Combo
Across the air from him.
“You actually have a high-grade magical weapon!”
Chen Zi’ang instantly recognized the extraordinary quality of the Blackwind Blade in Qin Ming’s hand.
He was both shocked and furious. “I never would have guessed! You’ve been hiding your true strength—and so deeply, too!”
“I’ve underestimated you!”
With those words, a golden, high-grade giant sword appeared in his grasp.
Chen Zi’ang formed a seal with his fingers and pointed; the golden sword above him abruptly expanded to ten times its original size!
Golden light blazed, an unstoppable force!
“Strike!”
A colossal golden sword of light, several stories tall, slashed down at Qin Ming with overwhelming momentum!
Trees nearby were instantly reduced to ash beneath the sword’s aura.
Chen Zi’ang dared not hold back, unleashing his most formidable move.
Qin Ming narrowed his eyes slightly as the massive sword technique hurtled toward him. Yet he showed not a hint of fear.
Instead, a battle fervor unlike any before ignited in his gaze.
Boom!
Qin Ming’s blood and vitality surged to their peak, forming a translucent, protective robe of energy about him.
He tapped his toe to the ground and leaped high once more!
He shot forth like a cannonball!
Clang!
The perfected form of “Burning Blood Blade Technique” erupted once more!
Qin Ming executed the seventh form directly.
Whoosh! Wailing wind!
The Blackwind Blade hummed mournfully, radiating a chilling aura!
It was a simple swing, unadorned—yet the full force of Qin’s blood and energy was poured into it!
A sea of blazing blade-light swept forth, weaving into an infernal ocean of flames.
The temperature in the air soared abruptly.
The two cultivators beside Chen Zi’ang watched in terror, their scalps tingling! Without hesitation, each pulled out a high-grade talisman and hurled it at Qin Ming.
In an instant—
Three devastating spells converged in a triangular formation, assailing Qin Ming from three directions!
Even so, Chen Zi’ang kept his eyes locked on Qin Ming, not daring to relax for a moment.
Thunder rolled!
The earth trembled.
Powerful spells collided fiercely, and a pillar of fire erupted between them, sending a dark cloud billowing skyward.
Clang! Wailing winds!
From within the dense smoke, several black spiritual seeds suddenly shot out, using the cover of the smoke to instantly reach the feet of the three men.
Thornbind Technique!
After unleashing their mighty spells, the trio peered into the smoke to assess the result.
Relying on his powerful late-stage Qi Refining spiritual sense, Chen Zi’ang sensed something amiss and shouted, “Retreat, now!”
Without hesitation, he slapped a blue talisman onto himself, vanishing instantly and reappearing ten yards away.
But the two cultivators at the sixth and seventh levels of Qi Refining weren’t so lucky.
Beneath their feet, clusters of black vines erupted, tightly binding them both.
The two were seized with panic and hurriedly tried to conjure magical shields to protect themselves.
Yet in just a few heartbeats, sinister black barbs pierced their defenses and sunk into their bodies.
Chen Zi’ang grew frantic, casting a fire spell at the black vines, but it was as futile as throwing mud into the ocean.
“Why doesn’t fire magic work?!”
The moment the withered blood poison thorns pierced them, the two cultivators felt a searing pain in their minds!
Their internal circulation of magic abruptly stalled, their spellcasting cut off.
Their eyes grew vacant, abandoning all resistance, as if their souls were being drawn away by some force.
Motionless, they were soon engulfed by the writhing black vines.
In the space of a few breaths—
Just moments ago, the two had been full of life; now, they were drained to two dried husks, utterly powerless to resist.
Soon after, the black vines withered and vanished, leaving behind two drops of blood on the ground.
Chen Zi’ang stared at the scene before him, expression blank, mind racing!
At that moment—
From the epicenter of the magical explosion, a solitary figure emerged.
Chen Zi’ang snapped back to himself, eyes fixed on the figure, pupils contracting in dread.
The smoke cleared.
Qin Ming stepped forth, unscathed.
“How is this possible? You’re completely unharmed?!” Chen Zi’ang was stunned.
He knew full well the might of the giant sword technique he’d just unleashed.
Yet the other's physical cultivation was beyond anything he could comprehend!
“There’s definitely something off about you!”
“How can a fourth-level spirit farmer be this strong?”
He even began to suspect that Qin Ming might have been possessed by some ancient monster.
Chen Zi’ang’s eyes darted nervously, fear rising within him.
Qin Ming said nothing, his gaze icy and merciless, as if looking at a dead man.
“Er… Q-Qin—Fellow Daoist Qin… you see, this is all a misunderstanding…” Chen Zi’ang stammered, face pale, retreating as he spoke.
A chill flashed through Qin Ming’s eyes!
He drew his blade, leaping into the air, and waves of fiery blade-light surged forth!
Slash!
The blade’s radiance vanished in a blink, instantly arriving before Chen Zi’ang.
The force of the strike nearly scared Chen Zi’ang out of his wits.
He dared not take it head-on, hastily slapping a golden talisman onto himself.
A golden bell-shaped barrier materialized around him.
“This is a high-grade golden shield talisman—surely it can hold…?”
Chen Zi’ang’s heart pounded with anxiety and regret.
He never should have taken this job from Jiang Kun; he hadn’t expected to run into such a formidable foe.
He truly was about to suffer a disastrous defeat.
Bang!
The Blackwind Blade struck the golden bell, causing it to tremble violently, but failing to break through.
Relieved, Chen Zi’ang had just begun to relax when—
A fiercer blade-light followed!
Bang!
Crack!
A splitting sound reached Chen Zi’ang’s ears. He looked up to see the bell’s top riddled with cracks, barely holding together.
What monstrous strength was this?
Even a high-grade defensive talisman couldn’t withstand it?
“Listen to me, Fellow Daoist Qin! Please! This was all Jiang Kun’s doing!”
“I was just working for him.”
“As the saying goes, every debt has its source…”
Chen Zi’ang’s voice trembled, nearly dropping to his knees in supplication.
Seeing that Qin Ming remained unmoved, he turned to flee.
A mocking smile curled Qin Ming’s lips.
Could someone this slow hope to escape him?
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
With a few ghostlike steps, Qin Ming appeared before Chen Zi’ang.
The Blackwind Blade slashed down viciously!
Sensing disaster, Chen Zi’ang raised his golden sword to block!
Clang!
He was sent crashing into the earth, sword and all, one arm shattered by the terrifying force.
He spewed a mouthful of blood.
Without a word, Qin Ming produced another black spiritual seed and flicked it down.
“No… no… no…”
Chen Zi’ang, barely clinging to life, tried to beg for mercy, but in the blink of an eye, was engulfed by black vines.
Three breaths.
The illustrious inner disciple of the Spiritfeather Sect, an eighth-level Qi Refining cultivator, was reduced to a dried husk.
The black vines faded away, leaving a single drop of blood.
Qin Ming beckoned, collecting the blood pearl, the golden sword, and Chen Zi’ang’s storage pouch.
He then retrieved the blood pearls and storage pouches from the other cultivators as well.
Having finished, he used fireball magic to erase all traces.
With such commotion, it was certain that Spiritfeather Sect members would soon arrive.
After ensuring nothing had been overlooked, Qin Ming swiftly departed.
…
Half a stick of incense later.
A massive Spiritfeather Sect flying vessel hovered over the scene.
Onboard, Steward Gu scanned below with his spiritual sense. Suddenly, an unprecedented gravity darkened his stern features.
“Who could be so bold as to commit murder near the spiritual fields?!”
“Wait!”
“Why is there still the lingering presence of our sect’s disciples?!”