Chapter 973: Li Qing vs. the Flying Spirit Clan

The sudden appearance of a large number of Earth Spirit Grass Fruits instantly drew the attention of everyone present, quickly dispelling the previously tense atmosphere.

The pit blasted into the great earth by the Heavenly Light was vast, resembling an underground world. Round, plump Earth Spirit Grass Fruits grew between the rock walls.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Figures surged downward in a frenzy. Each fruit was precious, and for these Divine Transformation cultivators, they were crucial for accelerating their progress in this realm.

Even the Azure Phoenix of the Flying Spirit Clan descended into the depths, temporarily setting aside the earlier conflict.

Li Qing was naturally swift. Channeling Kunpeng divine power and employing the Ground Shrinking Technique, he darted into the pit, even outstripping several members of the Flying Spirit Clan.

Gu Li followed closely behind. Despite his massive size, he managed to fit into the pit opened by the Heavenly Light.

Bang!

As Gu Li landed, a violent tremor shook the cavern, nearly causing the underground space to collapse.

The underground space was vast, filled with towering stone pillars, creating a truly unique grotto-heaven.

After descending into the earth, Li Qing's primary goal was naturally to seize the Earth Spirit Grass Fruits.

However, the fruits in the outer zone had already been claimed by others; someone had clearly moved faster than him.

Li Qing immediately rushed toward the depths of the underground space, where a considerable number of Earth Spirit Grass Fruits still remained. He wanted to gather as many as possible while others were still behind him.

He noticed on the rock wall above and to his left, several vines were intertwined. Two plump, perfectly round Earth Spirit Grass Fruits had ripened, emitting a rich, refreshing fragrance.

Li Qing's hands moved swiftly as he reached out to grab them.

But the next instant, a sharp pain shot through his palm, as if he had been pricked by a thorn.

"Huh?" Li Qing snatched his hand back as if shocked by an electric shock, his eyes filled with confusion.

"Hahaha! Brother Li, the Earth Spirit Grass Fruits are born from the nurturing of Heavenly Light. Trying to pluck them with bare hands not only fails but also triggers a counterattack from the residual Heavenly Light within the fruit!"

"You need to simulate the aura of the Heavenly Light with your true essence and cover your hands before picking it," Gu Li advised.

Li Qing's eyes lit up with understanding. He quickly recalled the pillar of Heavenly Light that had erupted from the great earth earlier.

That aura was extremely sharp and domineering, capable of harming anyone who approached it.

For Li Qing, this was not a difficult task. With a slight twist of his palm, he drew a strand of qi mechanism from the Immortal Slaughtering Sword and spread it across his palm.

An extremely sharp aura emanated from his palm. This time, he encountered no resistance as he plucked the fruit, easily securing two Earth Spirit Grass Fruits.

As the Earth Spirit Grass Fruits settled into his palm, Li Qing clearly sensed a dense energy brewing within them.

If he consumed and refined them completely, he could save himself nearly a century of arduous cultivation!

In just a short while, half of the Earth Spirit Grass Fruits in the underground space had been harvested.

However, not everyone could easily simulate the sharp and domineering qi mechanism like Li Qing. Therefore, they resorted to brute force and robbery.

"You lowly human brat, hand over the two Earth Spirit Grass Fruits, and I'll let you die a quick death."

Before the words had even faded, a sharp burst of energy struck from behind Li Qing. A five-colored peacock, its wings fully spread, swooped down to attack him—the same Flying Spirit Clan member who had been provoking trouble on the ground earlier.

"Just you?" Li Qing's voice was icy as he turned and unleashed a palm strike.

Boom!

A terrifying fusion of four-colored spirit flames erupted, coalescing into a fire dragon that surged toward the Peacock Clan expert behind him.

As the flames swept through the area, vines ignited all around, and even the rock walls began to melt.

Sensing the fire dragon's terrifying heat, the Peacock Clan expert's face paled. Too late to turn around, he could only activate his defensive measures.

Five-Colored Divine Light surged from his body, and the scorching flames crashed against it, pouring around him without causing any substantial harm.

But it wasn't over. Li Qing had already vanished from his original position.

"Where did he go?" the Peacock Clan expert cried out in alarm.

In the next instant, Li Qing appeared behind him, a golden killing sword materialized in his hand.

The Immortal Slaughtering Sword was drawn!

The blade's razor-sharp sword qi struck the Peacock Clan member before the blade itself. By the time the blade sliced through his head, even the demon spirit within his sea of consciousness couldn't escape, being instantly scattered by a surge of baleful qi.

A treasure sword born for slaughter—this was almost Li Qing's most devastating offensive technique.

A single sword strike severed his head!

The five-colored peacock that had attempted to sneak attack Li Qing died instantly, its demon spirit unable to escape.

This brutal scene burned itself into the minds of all who witnessed it.

A late divine transformation realm Flying Spirit Clan member... slain so easily by a human!

The metallic tang of blood filled the air. The other clans present shuddered inwardly, their eyes firmly fixing on the tall figure wielding the golden killing sword.

Yet, as shocking as this scene was, it was unlikely to end well.

Publicly killing a Flying Spirit Clan member was no trivial matter.

Li Qing swiftly extracted the essence blood from the Peacock Clan expert, storing it in his storage bag.

Immediately, a powerful qi mechanism pressure descended.

Qing Yuan's delicate face was covered in icy killing intent, and the azure qi flowing through her body signaled the complete awakening of her Azure Phoenix Bloodline.

At that moment, she resembled a young true spirit descending upon the world.

Without uttering a single word, she demonstrated her stance through action.

Boom!

The terrifying qi mechanism raged, and Li Qing's expression turned serious. He knew this opponent would be far from easy to handle.

He immediately activated his Golden Thread Treasure Robe, a golden aura enveloping him.

The next moment, Qing Yuan surged forward, striking at him with a palm strike.

Li Qing didn't evade, instead meeting her attack head-on.

Protected by the Golden Thread Treasure Robe, he suffered no injuries, though his palm tingled slightly.

What a terrifying fleshly body. She looks so delicate, yet her physical strength is monstrous.

"Is this the benefit of her true spirit bloodline? Truly a gift from heaven."

Li Qing marveled inwardly, but before he could ponder further, Qing Yuan attacked again.

She made no attempt at probing, her strikes aimed with deadly intent, each one targeting Li Qing's vital points.

Yet Li Qing, protected by the Golden Thread Treasure Robe, effortlessly deflected and nullified her ferocious assaults.