Divine Ability and Decisive Blows

“Meng Yutang, die!”

A flash of starlight erupted beneath Su Hanxing’s feet, instantly transporting him before Meng Yutang. With a thunderous roar, he thrust his great spear forward, aiming directly for Meng Yutang’s chest.

Meng Yutang was already in a state of panic, but Su Hanxing’s powerful shout sent his soul scattering. Frantically, he raised his war spear to parry, yet it felt as futile as an ant attempting to shake a mighty tree, unable to budge Su Hanxing’s great spear even an inch.

“Do not harm my young master!”

The white-haired elder, employing a swift movement technique, had closely followed Su Hanxing. Seeing that Meng Yutang could no longer withstand Su Hanxing’s onslaught, he grew incredibly anxious. He channeled his true qi, forming the shape of a ferocious beast, and launched an attack from behind Su Hanxing, intending to break his relentless assault.

“Hmph!”

Su Hanxing scoffed, utterly dismissing the white-haired elder’s attack. He completely ignored the elder, instead bringing his great spear down with immense force, shattering Meng Yutang’s war spear into pieces.

“Uncle Bai, save me!”

With his war spear shattered, Meng Yutang’s heart filled with profound horror. He had always known Su Hanxing possessed incredibly potent long-range attacks, but he had never imagined his close-quarters combat would be so overwhelmingly tyrannical.

Although both were at the same cultivation realm, Meng Yutang realized he was no match for Su Hanxing in a direct confrontation, unable to withstand even a single exchange. This stark disparity plunged him into utter despair.

Su Hanxing absorbed the white-haired elder’s attack head-on. Though the impact caused him to stumble slightly, his body remained completely unharmed. This was the tyrannical power of the divine ability, “Intertwined Gold.” Previously, Chi Qiu had relied on this technique to challenge enemies beyond her realm. Now, Su Hanxing used it to effortlessly deflect a hasty strike from a white-haired elder of the same realm, feeling no pressure whatsoever.

Witnessing this scene, Meng Yutang’s despair deepened even further. Fortunately, while Uncle Bai’s attack failed to harm Su Hanxing, it successfully disrupted his charging momentum. This momentary delay allowed the remaining two Meng family God Concealing stage cultivators to finally arrive.

“Swish!”

Before Meng Yutang could even rejoice at the arrival of the two additional Meng family God Concealing stage cultivators, a slicing sound echoed from afar. He turned his head to see a magnificent sword qi, a hundred zhang in length, hurtling through the air at incredible speed, cleaving trees and massive boulders alike in its path.

“It’s the sword qi that severed the Green Tower! Defend yourselves quickly!” The white-haired elder cried out, his voice laced with urgency as he saw the sword qi approaching. He had witnessed its terrifying power firsthand before.

The sword qi, a hundred zhang long, enveloped Su Hanxing along with all four Meng family God Concealing stage cultivators. They had no choice but to cease their attacks simultaneously and focus on their defenses.

“Hahahaha… What magnificent sword qi!”

The sword qi swept past, stirring up a cloud of dust that lingered stubbornly. After a long moment, only Su Hanxing’s clear, resonant laughter emerged from the haze, causing the white-haired elder’s heart to sink instantly.

After a considerable time, the dust finally dissipated. Su Hanxing, his great spear resting on his shoulder, strode purposefully towards the Meng family cultivators. The tip of his spear pierced through one cultivator’s body, impaling them upon its shaft. The cultivator’s body hung limply, swaying with the spear, clearly lifeless.

Su Hanxing flicked his great spear, flinging the corpse to the ground where it kicked up a cloud of dust. Several Meng family cultivators stared intently, recognizing it as Meng Yutang. His eyes were wide with terror, his face contorted in fear, suggesting he had endured a terrible end.

Not far away, a slender black figure, clad in a silken gown and wielding a long sword, drifted gracefully into view. She landed beside Su Hanxing, glanced at the corpse on the ground, and softly inquired, “Is this Meng Yutang?”

The newcomer was Chi Qiu. She had used the Seven Stars Step to hasten her journey and unleashed the Flying Haze Sword Qi while on the move. Her efforts had taken a considerable toll, and fine beads of sweat now glistened on her forehead.

“Yes. Thanks to your sword qi, I was able to ambush and kill him amidst the chaos.” Su Hanxing smiled, seeing Chi Qiu’s arrival.

The Meng family cultivators knew of Su Hanxing’s prowess; he was too formidable for any one person to resist, so they could only surround and contain him. However, Chi Qiu’s sword qi had inadvertently split the battlefield, creating an ideal environment for Su Hanxing to confront Meng Yutang in a one-on-one duel. Su Hanxing naturally seized the opportunity, swiftly piercing Meng Yutang to death within a few exchanges. Afterward, he hoisted the body onto the tip of his spear, displaying it to the remaining Meng family cultivators.

“Who are you? Why meddle in our affairs with this man? I advise you to leave at once, and our Meng family will let bygones be bygones.” A God Concealing stage cultivator, clad in a green robe, saw Chi Qiu and Su Hanxing whispering and issued a threat.

“You are Chi Qiu? Aren’t you and Su Hanxing supposed to be sworn enemies? Why have you come to aid him instead?” After a moment of observation, the white-haired elder unexpectedly recognized Chi Qiu.

“I will aid whomever I choose; what business is it of yours?” Chi Qiu narrowed her eyes at the white-haired elder, her Azure Frost Sword already poised in the starting stance for unleashing Flying Haze.

“Fellow Daoist Chi, why not abandon the darkness and embrace the light, joining my Meng family? Our Meng family would gladly bestow upon you the position of guest elder.” The white-haired elder’s tone suddenly shifted, inexplicably attempting to persuade Chi Qiu to join them.

Chi Qiu, of course, wouldn’t believe the white-haired elder’s deceptive words. She had just indirectly caused the death of a promising young master from the Meng family. Even if the white-haired elder chose to overlook it, the Meng family would certainly not let the matter rest.

“Little Chi, don’t waste words on him. He’s trying to buy time. The Meng family cultivators guarding the sub-formation are already on their way. We must finish this quickly.” Su Hanxing turned to Chi Qiu, his voice betraying a sense of urgency.

Chi Qiu nodded, then immediately unleashed a sword strike, sending a Flying Haze Sword Qi directly towards the white-haired elder.

“You refuse the toast only to drink the forfeit! Once my Meng family’s reinforcements arrive, we will surely capture you and bring you back to the clan.” The white-haired elder’s expression darkened, and then his true qi erupted, blocking the Flying Haze Sword Qi. Without the advantage of distance, the power of the Flying Haze Sword Qi diminished significantly. The white-haired elder shattered the sword qi with little effort.

Su Hanxing lunged forward, his great spear arcing in a swift strike that repelled the white-haired elder. This startled the other green-robed man, who hastily rushed forward to provide support.

“You few, capture Chi Qiu, but do not harm her life.” The last remaining God Concealing stage cultivator commanded the surviving Heart Scripture Realm cultivators. Immediately, five or six Heart Scripture Realm cultivators stepped forward, surrounding Chi Qiu.

Seeing herself surrounded, Chi Qiu dared not hold back. She drew her sword, slashing her wrist open, and crimson blood slowly trickled from her fingertips. The blood condensed and twisted in the air, finally blooming into a mesmerizing blood lotus the size of a washbasin. The bloody, sharp edges covering its surface sent a chill down anyone’s spine with a single glance.

Wielding her Azure Frost Sword, Chi Qiu executed the Seven Stars Step, the blood lotus swirling around her as she charged directly towards a black-clad Heart Scripture Realm cultivator. When facing multiple opponents, the first priority is to create one-on-one scenarios whenever possible, aiming to quickly reduce their numbers. Once one or two opponents are successfully eliminated, the remaining foes will typically crumble psychologically.

At this moment, Chi Qiu unleashed her two formidable killing moves simultaneously, completely disregarding the attacks from the other cultivators, her sole focus on slaying the black-clad cultivator. The Flying Haze Sword Qi forced the black-clad cultivator to retreat step by step, while the blood lotus silently spun, tearing apart their true qi defenses.

Then, Chi Qiu’s expression turned cold. She activated the blood lotus, causing it to erupt with astonishing suction force, drawing the black-clad cultivator entirely into its depths. The black-clad cultivator didn’t even have time to scream before being shredded into a mist of blood, leaving no trace of their remains.

The remaining cultivators all froze in shock at such a gory sight. A petite female cultivator of striking appearance had, in the blink of an eye, used such terrifying methods to slay a fellow cultivator of the same realm. This delivered an immense psychological blow to them.

Chi Qiu turned, her gaze sweeping indifferently over the cultivators. Every one of them caught by her eyes felt their legs tremble and their hearts fill with dread. Having continuously unleashed Flying Haze Sword Qi, performed the Seven Stars Step, and now summoned the blood lotus to confront her foes, Chi Qiu’s true qi consumption was naturally immense. With the cultivators now intimidated, she seized this opportune moment to recover her true qi.

“Thunderclap!”

In the God Concealing stage battlefield not far away, Su Hanxing raised his great spear high. Around him, the winds shifted and clouds churned, sand and stones flew, and silver-purple lightning crackled around his great spear. With a mighty roar, Su Hanxing surged forward, raising his spear to strike directly at the white-haired elder. Lightning swirled around his body, shattering several incoming true qi attacks.

Su Hanxing thrust his spear, pinning the white-haired elder to the ground. Then, the lightning erupted, blasting him into a charred corpse.

“Retreat! Retreat now!” The remaining Meng family God Concealing stage cultivators screamed, their voices hoarse with terror.

From a four-on-one confrontation, two had been slain. This genuine one-on-three instance, where he had killed the strongest among them, the white-haired elder, instantly shattered their will to resist. The God Concealing stage cultivators fled with astonishing speed. Chi Qiu felt as though the two had transformed into wisps of wind, vanishing in a flash.

“And they think they can escape just like that?”

Su Hanxing put away his great spear and drew a short bow, a weapon of lower grade than the large bow he had previously broken. He drew the short bow, using true qi as an arrow, preparing to unleash once more the divine ability that had previously pierced through grand formations.

Meanwhile, on Chi Qiu’s side, she had eliminated another cultivator using similar methods. The remaining cultivators were now consumed by self-preservation, each fearing they would be the next to fall. Just then, the terrified shouts of the God Concealing stage cultivators echoed from afar. These cultivators had long wished to flee, and upon hearing the signal to retreat, they scattered in disarray, each desperately seeking an escape.

Chi Qiu’s true qi was nearing exhaustion. She took out a spirit pill and placed it in her mouth, then forcibly circulated her true qi to unleash a Flying Haze Sword Qi, chasing after the fleeing cultivators. With her true qi depleted, she leaned against a large tree and sat down. Moments later, she witnessed a long rainbow of starlight instantly pierce through the sky.

Chi Qiu knew this was Su Hanxing’s divine ability. Since Su Hanxing had unleashed it now, the battle must surely be decided. Indeed, a few breaths later, Su Hanxing appeared before her. Chewing on a spirit pill, he spoke with a rather self-satisfied air, “None of those four God Concealing stage cultivators escaped. The last two who tried to flee were killed by a single arrow from me, hitting two birds with one stone.”

Chi Qiu nodded. “I never imagined your progress would be so swift. Previously, at the martial arts tournament, you and I could still contend. Now, I doubt I could last three exchanges against you.”

Chi Qiu never stinted on praise for powerful cultivators. And for Su Hanxing, whose strength now far surpassed hers, she felt no jealousy. As a rogue cultivator, she had witnessed such things far too often.

“I will certainly never attack you again, Little Chi. You are my savior. Though we were enemies during the martial arts tournament, and I had no choice but to resort to such measures, now that we are allies, I will surely compensate you well.” Su Hanxing sat down beside Chi Qiu, a gentle smile on his face.

“Compensate? I don’t need your compensation.” Chi Qiu shook her head, then leaned back against the tree, closing her eyes with a hint of contentment.