Chapter 149: My path (Part 1)
Xie Qing narrowed his eyes as he faced the young-looking enemy. The man had long black hair tied in a ponytail, wore a light white hanfu, and held an ordinary-looking sword. However, the gleam in his black eyes was menacing, especially in the darkness. Xie Qing swallowed hard.
"Who are you? You know you can't just barge onto a ship?! I'm a member of a trading organization..." the young man snarled.
"Shut up. I can smell your disgusting Qi from miles away, pig. Why bother resisting when the outcome will be death? Don't waste my time. Pick up your sword and try to entertain me a little. Maybe then I'll kill you quickly and painlessly."
Xie Qing's eyes flashed with anger. He never expected to encounter a devilish cultivator during his journey, and one who was also a member of a trading organization. The enemy was at the fifth stage of the Soul Nascent, and Xie Qing knew he had to be careful. But now, he was confident in his victory.
The devilish cultivator's face darkened, and he grew angrier and more embarrassed when Xie Qing insulted him.
"Fucking hypocrite! Just because you're a righteous cultivator, you think you're the pinnacle of power?! You're all just scumbags who pretend to be holy!" the cultivator shouted angrily and gripped the handle of his sword, pointing it at Xie Qing with an evil smile. "I'll kill you and use your skull as a wine cup! And I'll burn your soul in hellish flames for a hundred years!"
The devilish cultivator, whom we'll call Xia Gui, swung his sword. Xie Qing narrowed his eyes. The enemy's sword technique was unusual, and he could hear the cries of the dead.
"Ho-o... spiritual poison? That's something new!" Xie Qing smiled.
He didn't hold back against his enemy, releasing all his Qi. The ship shook, and the crew was forced to evacuate quickly. Xia Gui's cabin was already destroyed, its ceiling blown off by the shockwave when Xie Qing blocked the enemy's attack.
Now, with nothing to hold them back, the two men unleashed their full power. Bright flashes of Sword Aura filled the air.
"Ghostly Cross Strike!" Xia Gui shouted, then made two vertical strikes, sending a spiritual attack mixed with Sword Aura. The attack resembled the letter "X."
"Interesting..." Xie Qing had never seen such a combination of Sword Aura and spiritual attack, and he was impressed. He didn't dare to block the attack with his body or sword, so he dodged to the side. But...
"Hahaha! Useless to dodge! My attack will pursue you until it's destroyed or it destroys you!" Xia Gui laughed loudly, his face twisted with madness. "I'll kill you! Make you suffer! All righteous cultivators will suffer under the boots of devilish cultivators!"
"Pf! Go to hell!" Xie Qing didn't mincer words with his enemies. He smiled, swung his sword, and sent a dense stream of Sword Aura towards the attack.
Xia Gui smirked at first but then froze. His prized technique was torn to shreds in just two seconds.
"N-no way..."
"Possible," Xie Qing added with a smile and took a stance. "Love of the Moon Goddess - Crescent Strike!"
His blade glowed, and with a swing, he sent a crescent-shaped attack shining with silver light toward Xia Gui. The attack was powerful enough to cause significant trouble for the enemy, especially in the darkness with the moon shining brightly.
Dodging was impossible. In just a fraction of a second, the attack was already within arm's reach. Xia Gui gritted his teeth and prepared to block the attack with his sword.
The shining crescent easily touched Xia Gui's blade, causing a loud "zing" sound.
"Ugh..." Xia Gui's face contorted with the effort to block the attack. His muscles bulged, and his face turned red.
"What a terrible attack!" Xia Gui thought, and he finally managed to block and disperse the attack after a great struggle.
However, two cuts appeared on his cheek, and one on his brow. Blood began to flow slowly.
"Ugh... ah, you... ah, I'll KILL YOU!" Xia Gui was beside himself with anger. His face was a mask of pure rage, and his sword glowed brightly. Xie Qing narrowed his eyes to avoid being blinded by the bright silver glow.
When the glow faded, Xie Qing couldn't help but furrow his brow. Purple vines that looked like tentacles had grown on the enemy's blade, and sharp teeth appeared on both sides. A thick, dark green liquid flowed from the teeth, and the air was filled with a disgusting smell of decay.
"How disgusting. As expected from a devilish cultivator," Xie Qing commented with a frown. He looked at his enemy and smiled. "Although, I believe that any power has the right to exist. However, such a transformation of the sword is unlikely to be without consequences."
"Hahaha..." Xia Gui laughed loudly, his face twisted and evil. He spat, "Good guess, you're right. But I'll still manage to kill you before that!"
Whoosh! Xia Gui was suddenly in front of Xie Qing, who was already ready for the attack.
Zing! The swords clashed, and Xie Qing felt a tremor in his wrist, accompanied by pain. He couldn't help but frown.
"He's superior to me in physical strength. Presumably, this is because he sacrificed part of his life force for reinforcement," Xie Qing thought, gritting his teeth and tightly gripping the handle. "In that case... Rising Legend!"
Whoosh! Zing! "Agh!" A loud, painful cry was heard, but it wasn't from Xie Qing but from Xia Gui.
"T-you..." The man stumbled back, his sword-wielding hand bleeding and unnaturally bent. Although it healed after a minute, Xia Gui was still scared.
"What happened? He suddenly became stronger! His physical strength surpassed mine! Did he also burn his life force?" Xia Gui thought, frowning. "Damn! I hate righteous cultivators and their tricky methods!
I need to finish this quickly! I sense that two cultivators are approaching from afar!"
Xie Qing, on the other hand, looked at his body with annoyance. "This technique is good, but it consumes too much Qi! If I don't kill this bastard within twenty minutes, I'll be a fish on the chopping block!" he thought angrily.
[Rising Legend (2/4)] | [Rank: Elite?] | [Description: A technique that increases the body's conduction capacity, eliminating restrictions and allowing you to reach a new level of power. It adds to strength and Qi and also creates pressure for those who are below you in the cultivation stage. It seems that you still haven't died at the hands of your lovers, but who knows if that will change in the future... kakaka]
Xie Qing had acquired this technique a long time ago, but he had never had a situation where he needed to use it until now. The situation required him to eliminate the enemy as quickly as possible. Xie Qing's eyes gleamed.
Boom! Xia Gui dodged the sword strike that would have decapitated him, but a moment later, he received a powerful kick to the chest.
"AAGH!" The devilish cultivator flew backward, his clothes torn by the force of the kick, and a small depression appeared on his chest.
"Painful... damn it! This physical strength is not normal!" Xia Gui thought, gritting his teeth. If he weren't a cultivator, this one attack could have shaken his internal organs and killed him instantly.
"Well, well! You're a worthy opponent! Tell me your name!" Xia Gui shouted and dodged the next attack, which pierced the spot where he had been, creating a deep gash.
"No comment," Xie Qing replied coldly. Boom! "Ugh!" Xia Gui gritted his teeth and coughed up blood. The capillaries in his eyes burst, turning the whites of his eyes red.
Xie Qing looked coldly at his enemy, who retreated and barely dodged a huge sword that sliced off several tips of his hair.
"Devilish cultivators are something. If this were a cultivator of the same level, I could have easily killed him within half an hour of battle," Xie Qing thought, frowning. "But devilish cultivators have strong bodies, many secret techniques, and are well-trained in combat."
This was why devilish cultivators once ruled the world. They were aggressive, while most cultivators spent their days in pursuit of the Dao.
War was their element! But Xie Qing was no ordinary man either.
"Seal!" Xie Qing's voice was cold as ice, and his eyes constantly watched Xia Gui. Soon, the devilish cultivator was immobilized and could only angrily look at his enemy.
"Formation of Seals. It seems that your attacks were aimed at this! " Xia Gui said with shock and fear. "Underhanded!"
"Pf-f... hahaha... khm... funny to hear that from a devilish cultivator," Xie Qing replied with disdain and noted coldly, "Besides, you've tried to seal me with spiritual items several times. Right?"
"..." Xia Gui had no answer to that question. So, he could only helplessly watch as Xie Qing slowly raised his sword.
Then, even though Xie Qing was speaking quietly... his voice echoed for hundreds of miles.
"Lord of the Nine Realms and Heavens - Sword God Strike".
BOOM!