Chapter 413: Chapter 189: Brutal
His eyes went wide as he stared fixedly at Chen Qing.
Fresh blood gushed from the spear’s edge.
With a flick of his wrist, Chen Qing withdrew the long spear.
Jiangchuan Bridge clutched his gushing throat, a gurgling sound escaping his lips. His body swayed, then slowly tipped backward, crashing heavily into the dust. He twitched twice, then fell silent.
"Hah!"
Chen Qing let out a soft breath, his breathing steady.
’With my current strength, how could Jiangchuan Bridge possibly be a match for me?’
Peng Zhen and Tan Yang arrived just in time to witness this. They exchanged another glance, marveling inwardly. ’This kid’s combat prowess is truly impressive! Even though that Jiangchuan Bridge used a trick from the Demon Sect to break through and had an unstable foundation, how long has it been since Chen Qing reached the Astral Force Realm? To think he could kill him so cleanly!’
Elsewhere, the survivors of the Xuanjia Sect, especially the younger generation like Fang Rui and Chang Xing, were already staring dumbfounded, their hearts pounding in shock.
’Chen Qing... he actually killed a Demon in the Astral Force Realm all by himself?’
’That was a great master on the same level as their Sect Leader and Elders! And he just fell here, like that?’
Chang Xing supported her faintly breathing master, Du Lingchuan, and cried out anxiously, "Master! Master, you have to hold on!"
Hearing her, Chen Qing, Peng Zhen, and Tan Yang immediately gathered around.
Peng Zhen’s expression changed drastically when he saw the pitch-black Palm Seal on Du Lingchuan’s chest and his faint breathing.
Without hesitation, he reached into his robes, took out a Jade Bottle, and tipped out a fragrant, emerald-green Elixir. Faint cloud-like patterns seemed to flow across its surface.
"Make way!"
Peng Zhen carefully placed the Elixir into Du Lingchuan’s mouth.
Chen Qing’s gaze swept over it, and he could sense the Elixir’s immense medicinal power and dense life force. It was no ordinary item. It was likely a Top-Grade Healing Elixir that Peng Zhen had treasured for saving his own life, worth a fortune.
The Elixir melted the moment it entered his mouth. A trace of color visibly returned to Du Lingchuan’s deathly pale face, and his breathing stabilized slightly. However, he remained unconscious and critically injured.
"What’s the situation now?"
Tan Yang took a deep breath and looked at a lightly injured Xuanjia Sect Steward nearby.
The Steward’s face was a mixture of grief and indignation as he choked out, "The Sect Leader was fighting Heart Devourer when that dog Jin Poyue launched a sneak attack on him! The Sect Leader was gravely wounded... As we fought desperately to break out and protect a few of our senior brothers and sisters, we faintly heard Sect Leader He Yuzhou’s voice arriving... We... we don’t know what happened after that..."
"Heart Devourer!?"
Chen Qing’s eyes narrowed, a cold glint flashing within them.
Peng Zhen’s and Tan Yang’s expressions also became incredibly grave in an instant.
Just then—
BOOM!!!
An earth-shattering explosion suddenly erupted from the direction of the Xuanjia Sect’s main gate!
A fluctuation of True Astral, far exceeding anything before, swept out like a tsunami. Even from such a great distance, they could feel its heart-stopping aura!
The battle at the Xuanjia Sect’s gate had clearly reached an unparalleled level of intensity!
’Sounds like Cold Ice True Gang? Have people from Cold Jade Valley arrived as well?’
Chen Qing felt his heart stir as he sensed the aura.
Seeing this, Tan Yang made a snap decision. "Chen Qing, you stay here. Take care of Elder Du and the Xuanjia Sect disciples. Also, clean up any remaining Demon Sect riff-raff in the area and receive the disciples who arrive later!"
He then turned to Peng Zhen, his tone urgent. "Brother Peng, the situation is critical! We must ascend the mountain at once and aid the Sect Leader!"
"Alright!" Peng Zhen nodded heavily without the slightest hesitation.
Both of them knew how terrifying the Heart-devouring Old Demon was. Facing both Heart Devourer and the traitor Jin Poyue, the Sect Leader was undoubtedly in extreme danger.
There was no time to lose!
Peng Zhen and Tan Yang immediately gathered their elite disciples. Their figures shot forward, transforming into two streaks of light as they rushed toward the Xuanjia Sect’s main gate at top speed.
....
Chaos!
The entire Xuanjia Sect had descended into utter chaos.
Soaring flames illuminated crumbling walls and fallen corpses.
The sounds of battle, agonized screams, and the clash of weapons intertwined. Although many Xuanjia Sect disciples remained, they were completely suppressed and steadily pushed back under the slaughter of the Demon Sect’s masters, able to mount only scattered resistance using their familiarity with the terrain.
At the center of the battlefield, Shi Kaishan leaned against a charred pillar, his breathing faint and his face ashen.
He stared fixedly at the advancing Jin Poyue, his voice laced with scorn:
"Cough, cough... It seems your breakthrough to the Late-stage Astral Force wasn’t due to your claims of relentless training and fortuitous encounters... You relied on this Demon Skill, didn’t you? By absorbing others’ True Qi and devouring their Essence Blood?"
Jin Poyue’s steps faltered for a moment, an extremely complex emotion flickering across his face.
He looked at his old friend of several decades and spoke slowly. "Brother Shi, we’ve known each other since we were nobodies. You of all people should know... how hard is it for a stray dog like me, with no roots or backing, to take another step on the path of Martial Arts? Without some heaven-defying fortune, forget the distant True Essence Realm—even reaching Late-stage Astral Force, or Perfection, is as difficult as ascending to the heavens!"
His tone was thick with resentment. "On what grounds? Why is it that the direct descendants of Noble Families and the True Inheritance disciples of the Upper Sects are born with mountains of resources and their pick of Cultivation Techniques? I won’t accept it! I truly won’t accept it! The chance to extend my life in the True Essence Realm, to glimpse the secrets of longevity, is right in front of me! Why can’t I fight for it? This... This is the only chance I have!"
"Brother Shi, stop resisting. Let me see you off on your final journey... Your life’s Cultivation might just help me touch the Realm of Perfection. If I, Jin, am truly fortunate enough to ascend to the True Essence Realm and have my life extended one day, I will be sure to burn extra paper offerings for you every year. I will not have failed our brotherhood!"
Having spoken these final words from his heart, the last trace of hesitation in Jin Poyue’s eyes vanished completely. His killing intent surged. With a flash of movement, his palms, wreathed in a bizarre Gang Qi, shot down viciously toward the top of Shi Kaishan’s skull!
