Chapter 456: Dead, But Not Completely

Chapter 456: Chapter 451: Dead, But Not Completely

Master Changfu had to die.

If he didn’t, how else was Du Youqian going to loot his corpse to make up for the loss of fifty years of his own lifespan?

‘Fifty years of my life… that should fetch at least two or three million Spiritual Jade, at a minimum.’

As for Master Changfu’s vicious Sword Intent, its quality was also quite high.

Not only was it incredibly powerful, but it was also extremely stealthy, only becoming perceptible to Du Youqian when it was just three feet away.

It even attacked in two waves. ‘How insidious,’ Du Youqian thought, his eyes gleaming with greed.

The Spring and Autumn Brush had already recorded it. As long as he spent a few decades comprehending it, it would soon be his!

Since Du Youqian ascended to the Nascent Soul Realm, the Spring and Autumn Brush could now record up to three Divine Abilities or Sword Intents simultaneously.

Of these, he had yet to comprehend the large-scale plague-spreading Divine Ability belonging to Master Nine, which he recorded in Momenan during his previous life. However, he had nearly finished comprehending the life-draining Divine Ability from Lu Yang Master, recorded in Starry Valley, which had freed up a slot.

So, after recording Master Changfu’s Sword Intent, he still had one empty slot left.

Master Changfu truly lived up to Nanfeng Master’s personal praise of being “skilled in Magical Combat.” His strength was far greater than that of Wen Wuxin, the Nascent Soul Late Stage Cultivator Du Youqian had killed in his previous life.

Du Youqian was very much looking forward to seeing what other spoils he could squeeze out of him.

He extended his hand, and Jinhuan returned to his grasp.

“Look at you, you little thief Changfu. Not only are you going to die here today, but you’ve dragged Master Huaisu down with you. That single Sword of mine cost her half her life. She needs to meditate and recuperate immediately, but do you think I’ll give her that chance? After I kill you, I’ll hunt her down and finish her off. You should know, her death will be entirely your fault! It’s not that I don’t know how to show tenderness to a fair lady; you have only yourself to blame for provoking me!”

Of course, Du Youqian had no intention of killing Master Huaisu. He was only saying this to infuriate Master Changfu.

Master Changfu’s Magical Combat abilities were genuinely strong, but his temper was genuinely foul—he had a very short fuse.

Du Youqian wanted to make him lose his reason and wear him down slowly. He didn’t want to lose any more of his lifespan because of a moment of carelessness.

As expected, Master Changfu was filled with uncontrollable rage. “Sui Xiao, you brat! You’re still running your mouth when you’re about to die! I’ll flay you, rip out your tendons, and grind your bones to dust!”

As he spoke, his Giant Dharma Aspect moved again. This time, instead of exhaling, it inhaled!

With that single breath, the giant’s stomach visibly swelled, turning the Wilderness Giant into a sphere.

What was most terrifying was that Du Youqian could clearly feel the air around him thinning. At this rate, it would soon become a vacuum.

It wasn’t very scientific, but it was very much Immortal Cultivating.

Naturally, Du Youqian wouldn’t just sit and wait for death. The Jinhuan Sword flew out, but Master Changfu’s Flying Sword immediately met it, and the two blades clashed repeatedly.

Both combatants used unpredictable moves. Du Youqian had a slight advantage, but for the moment, he found it difficult to break through the defense Master Changfu had established with his Flying Sword.

This man’s Swordsmanship was truly extraordinary!

At this point, the giant finished inhaling, and the area around Du Youqian had become a complete vacuum.

Breathing wasn’t an issue, but the immense pressure came crashing down like a mountain collapsing or a sea overturning.

Even light itself seemed to be distorted by the immense pressure!

Du Youqian hastily released a seemingly hand-woven Conical Hat—the very same Tier Four Defensive Treasure that Master He Gui had given him as compensation.

Compared to the Small Seal he had refined himself, which served both offense and defense, this Conical Hat looked rather flimsy. After all, how sturdy could bamboo strips be?

But in truth, its defense was undoubtedly far superior to that of the Small Seal.

Its defense had its limits; its hard defense wasn’t top-tier, but its resilience was extremely high.

After being thrown by Du Youqian, it grew with the wind, rapidly expanding to the size of a small residential building and covering him, resisting the powerful external pressure.

A “SHHHHH” sound filled the air as the huge Conical Hat was severely deformed by the pressure. It looked as if it would disintegrate at any second, but it never collapsed, continuing to shelter Du Youqian beneath it.

Du Youqian’s vision was blocked by the Conical Hat, but he could still use his Divine Sense to observe the situation and control the Jinhuan Flying Sword to suppress Master Changfu.

Master Changfu clearly hadn’t expected that the Divine Ability he cast using his Dharma Aspect would be blocked by a single Treasure from Du Youqian. He was momentarily at a loss and could only focus on Sword Fighting with Du Youqian.

Both of their Swordsmanship skills were top-tier even among Nascent Soul Masters. Their attacks were as untraceable as a Celestial Horse galloping across the sky or an antelope hanging by its horns. If an ordinary Nascent Soul Cultivator faced such Swordsmanship, they wouldn’t last ten rounds before being forced to flee for their lives, or else wait for a sharp blade to meet their body.

But Master Changfu was extremely resilient, much like Du Youqian’s Defensive Treasure. He seemed to be teetering on the brink of collapse, but he never fell.

Master Changfu appeared to be in grave danger, but in reality, he was weathering the storm without true harm.

“You little thief Changfu, is this all you’ve got? You really are just a buffoon.” Du Youqian continued to provoke his opponent with trash talk.

‘What can I say? It’s just too effective. This guy has a short fuse and flies into a rage at the slightest provocation.’

If he were engaged in Magical Combat with someone else, Du Youqian wouldn’t waste his breath.

After all, once someone had cultivated to the Nascent Soul Realm, how could they not control their Emotions?

If they didn’t even have that much control over their own heart, how could they even dream of ascending to the Nascent Soul Realm?

But Master Changfu’s Dharma Aspect made Du Youqian understand that this man really was that irritable and short-tempered.

For Mortals, one’s face reflects one’s heart; for Cultivators, their Dharma Aspect reflects their path of Cultivation.

Master Changfu’s Dharma Aspect revealed that his path of Cultivation was an emotional one.

In a fit of rage, he could likely gain a boost in power!

But there are two sides to every coin.

Take the Berserkers among the Vikings, for example. When they went mad with rage, they became incredibly strong and felt no pain.

However, their focus narrowed, they lost their reason, and they sometimes couldn’t even distinguish friend from foe.

Du Youqian knew that Master Changfu’s power would likely increase when he was angry, but along with that increase in power, a flaw was sure to appear!

Sure enough, Master Changfu flew into a thunderous rage.

His Dharma Aspect, the giant exuding a wilderness aura, also furiously pounded the ground with its fists. Then, it shockingly ripped off its own massive earrings to use as weapons and charged at Du Youqian, swinging the bloody ornaments.

He actually intended for his Dharma Aspect to engage in close combat!

Du Youqian laughed heartily. “Bring it on!”

He possessed both the Copper Skin Iron Bone Divine Abilities and the Inch and Mile Divine Abilities.

‘Close combat with me?’

‘He must be out of his mind.’

As the giant closed in, the surrounding pressure vanished. Du Youqian placed the shrunken Conical Hat on his head.

His human-headed, snake-bodied Dharma Aspect slowly exhaled, and the surrounding temperature rose rapidly. The puddles left by the earlier rain quickly turned to steam.

The Wilderness Barbarian was now upon him, gripping a massive earring in each hand and smashing them down toward Du Youqian.

At that moment, Du Youqian’s human-headed, snake-bodied Dharma Aspect exhaled forcefully.

An intense cold descended in an instant. The steam in the air immediately turned to ice crystals. The Wilderness Barbarian’s movements faltered for a moment as its skin was quickly covered in a thick layer of solid ice.

Then, the Wilderness Barbarian resolutely continued its downward smash. The two earrings struck Du Youqian, sending a shower of sparks flying, and hammered him straight into the ground.

Du Youqian quickly leaped out of the ground and spat out a mouthful of stagnant blood.

Taking that hit head-on had caused him some minor internal injuries from the shock.

But his opponent was in even worse shape.

The Wilderness Barbarian stared blankly at its own hands, and then cracks appeared on them.

The cracks rapidly expanded, and pieces began to fall off like peeling cement, creating a series of melodic “CLANGS” as they hit the ground.

Soon, its two arms had crumbled into two piles of shattered ice.

The Wilderness Barbarian threw its head back and let out a silent roar. A huge opening appeared in the defense of the Flying Sword controlled by Master Changfu.

Du Youqian didn’t hesitate for a second. Jinhuan broke through his defense, and the Broken Water Sword Intent slashed down without mercy.

Master Changfu only had time to throw out a Defensive Treasure, but it was as fragile as thin paper before Jinhuan.

Master Changfu stood motionless, his furiously red eyes locked on Du Youqian. Only when a line of blood appeared on his neck did the light in his eyes finally dim.

The Wilderness Giant Dharma Aspect dissipated on the spot. Du Youqian flew over, and with a dazzling flurry of hundreds of slashes, the Jinhuan Sword minced Master Changfu’s physical body into a pile of meat paste, skillfully avoiding the Treasure and Storage Treasure Pouch in his Dantian.

Meanwhile, Du Youqian’s human-headed, snake-bodied Dharma Aspect flicked its tail, catching Master Changfu’s Nascent Soul just as it tried to escape and pulling it back.

Du Youqian grabbed Master Changfu’s Nascent Soul, sealed it in a Jade Box, then quickly collected his Treasure, Flying Sword, and Storage Treasure Pouch before flying toward Dali City.

He needed to find Master Huaisu at once to extor—…to make Master Huaisu pay the price for her defeat.

How could someone casually provoke a powerful enemy and expect to walk away unscathed?

Take Master Changfu, for example.

Du Youqian was a man of his word. He said Master Changfu would die, and so Master Changfu died.

However, while Master Changfu was dead, he wasn’t completely dead.

If someone—Master Huaisu, for instance—was willing to pay a sufficient price for him, Du Youqian wasn’t opposed to letting his Nascent Soul go.

As for worrying about Master Changfu’s revenge?

What a joke.

By the time Master Changfu recovered his Cultivation and re-equipped himself, Du Youqian might very well have already reached Divinity Transformation.

There were Immortal City Guards on the walls of Dali City, but they had no room to intervene in the earlier Nascent Soul battle.

Now, no one was foolish enough to attack Du Youqian. As he passed, Core Formation Cultivators bowed respectfully, and Foundation Establishment Cultivators even dropped to their knees in a grand salute.

Du Youqian’s Divine Sense had already swept across the entire city and locked onto Master Huaisu’s location. He flew straight there and, a moment later, broke down the door to her secluded healing chamber, the Jinhuan Sword hovering before her eyes.

The sharp Sword Intent made Master Huaisu turn her head and close her eyes.

“Sui Xiao, are you trying to wipe us all out?”

Though she said this, her face showed no fear.

Du Youqian smiled. “Master Huaisu, you may have started this fight… but I’m the one who decides when it ends. You can’t just run wild in my territory, kill my people, and then attack me, only to expect me to be magnanimous and laugh it off. I’m sorry, but I’m not that magnanimous.”

Master Huaisu said coolly, “Sui Xiao, there’s no need for pointless talk. What are your terms for letting us go?”