Chapter 974: Casting the Net

As the battle raged, Qing Yuan grew increasingly alarmed. She hadn't expected this human's defenses to be so formidable; even her Azure Phoenix Bloodline-enhanced fleshly body proved utterly ineffective against him.

How is this possible?!

After all, she was a heavenly prodigy of the Azure Phoenix Bloodline within her clan. With the power of her true blood, her physical strength alone surpassed that of most demons at her level, even without specialized training.

While she couldn't compare to true spirit younglings, no mere human should have been able to resist her!

Realizing Li Qing's extraordinary nature, Qing Yuan's killing intent burned even fiercer.

She knew this human was no ordinary foe—he could become a great enemy of the Flying Spirit Clan in the future.

He must not be allowed to live. She would eliminate this potential threat to her clan right here.

"Azure Phoenix True Form!"

With a soft murmur, Qing Yuan transformed directly from her human form into an Azure Phoenix. She fully unleashed her Azure Phoenix Bloodline, holding nothing back.

Seeing this, Li Qing's scalp tingled. He felt as if he were battling a true spirit.

Without hesitation, he stopped holding back and immediately activated the Golden Thread Treasure Robe to its full power.

Boom!

Golden battle armor enveloped Li Qing, and behind him, a cloak of golden light materialized. Simultaneously, he summoned the golden Immortal Slaughtering Sword. The entire underground space blazed with blinding radiance as he stood like a golden war immortal descended to the mortal realm.

Facing the Azure Phoenix's charging true form, Li Qing swung the Immortal Slaughtering Sword.

Clang!

Sparks flew from the blade, sending a chill down Li Qing's spine.

This was the first time the Immortal Slaughtering Sword had failed to cleave through an enemy's fleshly body. Since its refinement, the blade had been invincible, capable of severing nearly anything. Yet before this Azure Phoenix, it had met its first defeat!

"Relying solely on external tools will never make you a true powerhouse," the Azure Phoenix declared as it flapped its wings.

A dense azure glow coalesced at the tips of its wings, then erupted in an instant, nearly piercing through space itself.

With no time to dodge, the azure light struck Li Qing's body directly.

Yet, protected by the Golden Thread Treasure Robe, Li Qing somehow endured the blow.

"This sword was forged by my own hands. You call that relying on external power?"

"Then let me tell you this: 'The heavens move with vigor; the noble person strives ceaselessly!'"

With these words, Li Qing raised the killing sword high. The surrounding Primordial Energy of Heaven and Earth surged around him, and even the residual Overbearing Heavenly Light from the depths of the earth converged upon the blade of the Immortal Slaughtering Sword.

Hum!

At that moment, it seemed as if Li Qing held not a sword, but a blazing golden light in his hand.

"White Emperor Golden Sovereign Slash!"

As the words fell, sword qi erupted!

A terrifying blade of light pierced the subterranean space, streaking toward Qing Yuan at breakneck speed.

Wherever the light passed, the great earth split in two.

Qing Yuan, transformed into an Azure Phoenix, felt her pupils constrict. From Li Qing's sword strike, she sensed a profound threat—one that could absolutely endanger her life.

"Azure Phoenix Tribulation Transcending Art!"

She immediately unleashed the Azure Phoenix Treasure Art, a technique specifically designed to counter death tribulations and dispel impending doom.

Though she didn't possess the complete Azure Phoenix inheritance, fragments of this legacy remained within the Flying Spirit Clan, all of which she had diligently learned.

The sword light slashed through her Azure Phoenix True Form, but failed to truly kill her.

Before the eyes of all present in the underground space, the severed flesh and blood of the Azure Phoenix body rapidly rewove themselves, regenerating in an instant.

The sight left everyone in the underground space utterly stunned.

"By the Great Spirit God! Brother Li, are you truly human?" Gu Li muttered to himself, shaken by Li Qing's earlier display.

Though Qing Yuan appeared unharmed, without her timely use of a precious technique from the True Spirit Azure Phoenix Legacy, she would have surely met a fatal or crippling fate.

"No wonder the Divine Bull Lord values this human so highly. He truly has some skill. Even the Azure Phoenix of the Flying Spirit Clan couldn't defeat him."

"That sword gleam was terrifying. If I had been struck, I would have died instantly."

"With such power, I thought the humans were just here to make up the numbers in the secret realm. I never imagined they'd be so formidable. The Little Bull King might not even be able to secure a certain victory against him."

The bull-headed men of Wild Bull Ridge stared in stunned silence, utterly shaken by the astonishing power Li Qing had displayed.

Their tribe, which revered strength above all else, now looked at Li Qing with genuine awe, having completely discarded their earlier reservations.

"Azure Phoenix Saintess, are you alright?"

Having awakened the Azure Phoenix Bloodline, Qing Yuan had been elevated to the title of Saintess within the Flying Spirit Clan, while the Crimson Phoenix Bird naturally became the Holy Son.

These were prestigious titles within the Flying Spirit Clan, bestowed only upon those who awakened an Immortal Bird Bloodline. Such individuals rarely appeared in any given generation.

What surprised them most was that the Azure Phoenix Saintess had been locked in an even match with a human. This had far exceeded their expectations.

The Crimson Phoenix Bird flapped its wings in the underground space, its pupils narrowed with vigilance, terrified that Li Qing might unleash another such sword strike.

"I'm fine. Stay back to avoid being caught in the crossfire."

She reassessed the tall human before her, finally abandoning her contempt for Li Qing.

She had to admit that this human was indeed worthy of being her opponent—a formidable foe.

"Human, what is your name?" Qing Yuan asked seriously.

Li Qing answered calmly, "Li Qing."

The power unleashed by the White Emperor Golden Sovereign Slash had also exceeded his expectations.

He quickly realized that this must have been due to borrowing the residual Heavenly Light power from the underground space. Only by merging the local Heavenly Light could that sword have achieved such terrifying and unparalleled might.

"Li Qing, I'll remember you. From this day forward, you will be the Flying Spirit Clan's greatest enemy. We will stop at nothing to eliminate you, and we will never let you go."

Before Qing Yuan could finish speaking, the entire underground space suddenly began to tremble violently.

Boom!

Rocks and debris rained down as the earth shook as if in a massive earthquake.

Amidst the violent tremors, a deep, mechanical voice resonated through the space:

"Time to cast the net. A human prodigy, a Flying Spirit Clan saintess, the Giant Spirit Race, and the Barbarian Bull Clan—this haul is well worth the effort."

The ground split open, and the entire underground space collapsed inward.

In the next instant, everyone's pupils contracted sharply.

At the very bottom, a colossal man-eating flower opened its massive maw and began to devour the entire collapsing space.

The Tree Demon Clan had arrived!