Chapter 1125: Venting
In an uninhabited stretch of water, the two men stood facing each other atop the surface of the sea.
Bai’s body was that of a refined corpse. His face was stiff and expressionless. As a refined corpse, he had already reached the peak of a flying yaksha, only a single step away from being a corpse king.
He looked at Qin Sang, his gaze gradually turning solemn. Then his shoulders rolled lightly and his arms trembled as if he had been warming up before battle. Corpse qi surged around him.
Whoosh! A gust of yin wind howled, and the water could no longer remain calm.
Although it was noon and the blazing sun hung high overhead, the moment Bai revealed the might of a flying yaksha, the temperature in the surrounding air dropped sharply. Waves of bone-chilling cold spread outward, as if even the sunlight had dimmed.
Whoosh! Suddenly, the corpse qi withdrew and sank back into Bai’s body.
Like other refined corpses, his frame was gaunt. His skin carried a bluish-black hue, faint strands of corpse qi flickering across its surface with a metallic sheen, incomparably hard.
Though his body appeared rigid and lifeless, his evasion technique was powerful and his movements astonishingly agile.
Ordinary immortal cultivators found flying yakshas extremely troublesome to deal with, not to mention that Bai was no ordinary flying yaksha.
Across from him, phoenix wings unfurled behind Qin Sang. His hands were empty, fists tightly clenched.
He had cultivated the Heavenly Demon Body Refinement to the peak of the third stage. His physical body was no weaker than that of a flying yaksha. Yet from the outside, his skin looked no different from that of an ordinary man, fair with a faint flush of vitality.
Within that seemingly ordinary body lay explosive power beyond imagination.
Swoosh! A sharp wind burst forth.
Qin Sang and Bai vanished at the same time.
Splash! A massive wave shot into the sky.
Their figures reappeared amid the spray, fists colliding head-on.
Both of them shuddered and were blasted several zhang backward. Before they could steady themselves, they twisted midair and lunged at each other again.
Rumble! It was almost inconceivable that pure hand-to-hand combat could stir the winds and clouds and create such terrifying momentum.
They were already entangled together. Their figures blurred beyond sight. Only the muffled thunder of fists colliding echoed again and again, each impact like a clap of thunder.
At their realm, they possessed far more than this single ability. Yet without prior discussion, both had chosen to fight purely with their bodies.
Water surged in every direction. The entire stretch of sea was thrown into chaos.
Corpse qi interwove with the azure radiance of phoenix wings. They fought without restraint, fully focused on one another.
At first, Qin Sang was at a slight disadvantage. He had rarely devoted himself to studying close-combat techniques and lacked experience. Even so, Bai had no hope of defeating him quickly.
As time passed, Bai deliberately guided Qin Sang, drawing out his true strength. Qin Sang gradually grew more composed.
His heavy fists and phoenix wings worked together flawlessly. He flashed like lightning, his fists crashed like thunder.
Gradually, offense and defense balanced evenly between them.
It was rare for Qin Sang to fight in such an unreserved manner, relying solely on his physical body. Facing an opponent evenly matched like Bai, he felt an exhilarating sense of release.
Boom! With a thunderous crash, they exchanged a savage blow and separated instantly.
Corpse qi trembled violently.
Bai plummeted downward and rebounded the instant he touched the water.
Qin Sang beat his phoenix wings fiercely and shot upward as a streak of azure light. After circling once, he descended from the sky, his chest rising and falling slightly.
"Not bad! That body refinement art of yours truly has depth," Bai said.
After the fierce battle, the crimson hue in Bai’s eyes had grown deeper.
Qin Sang, however, seemed not to hear him at all. His eyes locked onto Bai as if he were a mortal enemy who had to be eliminated. He charged again without hesitation.
The shadow of his fist rapidly enlarged in Bai’s vision.
Bai studied him silently for a moment. Something stirred in his heart. Without a word, he met the attack head-on.
Bang! Bai forced Qin Sang back. His figure flickered as he retreated several dozen zhang. Then he took out the Corpse Soul Orb and swallowed it whole. Corpse qi roiled violently around him. A beastlike growl tore from his throat.
In the next instant, his appearance changed in a bizarre manner. His flesh twisted. Shriveled muscle clung tightly to bone.
Corpse qi gathered in his hands. His clawed fingers lengthened abruptly, turning pitch black and carrying terrifying corpse poison. Bones cracked and popped as his body grew several cun taller in an instant.
Fangs protruded from his mouth. His visage became savage and grotesque.
At that moment, Bai looked almost as horrifying as that corpse king from the Immortal Tomb.
A trace of surprise flashed through Qin Sang’s eyes when he saw the transformation. Yet he showed no hesitation and no fear. He attacked again at full speed.
Swoosh! A streak of black light flashed.
Bai crossed his arms. Before Qin Sang could even see what he had done, countless ghost-claw shadows appeared in the space before him, leaving him nowhere to evade.
With a booming crash, the ghost-claw shadows engulfed Qin Sang. He was blasted backward. Though uninjured, he looked somewhat disheveled.
Bai pressed the attack relentlessly. Corpse qi surged as he closed the distance in an instant, moving even faster than Qin Sang. His ghost claws were incomparably sharp, as hard as an astra and laced with deadly poison, posing a tremendous threat.
Qin Sang had no doubt that if those claws pierced him, his defenses would be broken and he would be gravely wounded.
In the blink of an eye, ghost claws filled the sky.
Bai seized the upper hand. His momentum rose higher and higher. He showed no mercy.
By now, the battle’s outward spectacle had actually diminished. Qin Sang was forced entirely onto the defensive, surrounded by layers of corpse qi. His room to maneuver grew narrower by the moment. The situation turned dire.
A furious roar suddenly erupted from within the corpse qi! That roar seemed to have been suppressed for a long time. Along with it came the clear, resonant cry of a sword, its ringing note soaring skyward!
In the next instant, a brilliant sword light split the rolling corpse qi straight down the middle. The sword light was dazzling, containing endless sharpness.
Qin Sang stood tall within it, bathed in sword radiance like a divine sword itself!
The ebony sword hung inverted above him and did not even descend. Yet wherever its sword force reached, the countless ghost-claw shadows were instantly annihilated.
This was the might of sword force. Nothing could stand in the path of this strike. It cleansed heaven and earth and left the firmament clear and bright!
Bai stared in astonishment.
There was no need to continue sparring. He withdrew his corpse qi and returned to his original form. Offering a fist-and-palm salute, he said, "Daoist, congratulations on comprehending sword force!"
Qin Sang recalled his spiritual sword and slowly exhaled. "Thank you!"
To step onto the path of cultivation was ultimately a lonely journey. Friends and loved ones could not keep pace. Perhaps after a single secluded session, they would already have turned into bones.
Senior Sister Qingjun had dealt with this reality with remarkable detachment.
Aside from myself, all others are merely passerbys. Qin Sang had long understood this truth. He had experienced much already.
Yet the successive deaths of two seniors who had been both teachers and friends had inevitably stirred his heart.
Bai sensed it clearly. As a fellow seeker of the Great Dao, he knew Qin Sang did not need consolation. Suggesting a spar and giving him a chance to vent had been enough.
After that battle, the heaviness in Qin Sang’s heart had dissipated.
Even so, Bai had not expected that Qin Sang would seize this opportunity to comprehend sword force and take another step forward on the path of Sword Dao!
Qin Sang’s aura gradually calmed. He descended before Bai and asked curiously, "Have you comprehended the Corpse Soul Orb?"
Bai shook his head. "I can only borrow a trace of corpse king power from it. I am still far from truly comprehending it."
