CHAPTER 60: CHAPTER 60: SWORD QI THUNDER SOUND

"So much nonsense."

Zhang Changqing snorted coldly, extending his right index finger to forcefully cut across his left palm, creating a wound from which blood flowed profusely.

Then he swung his hand, and twelve drops of blood landed on the talismans.

Instantly, the twelve talismans erupted with a strong blood-red light.

After he completed this, Zhang Changqing’s face immediately turned pale.

Clearly, this wasn’t ordinary blood.

"Blood... Could it be?"

Observing the smoothly functioning talisman array with increased power, the black serpent’s calm gaze finally turned serious, eyes fixed intently on Zhang Changqing.

Recalling something, his face changed dramatically: "Blood Talisman Spirit Body!?"

Zhang Changqing’s gaze flickered, but he did not refute.

"Explode!"

He uttered softly.

Rumble—

The talismans connected, thunder roared, lightning and fire surged and completely engulfed the black serpent.

Seizing the opportunity, Xu Ping also made his move.

Battle wasn’t a fair 1v1 in the arena; it’s best to strike when the enemy is down.

He held his sword single-handedly, slashing out a strike accompanied by resounding thunder sounds, sending a torrent of Sword Qi towards the black serpent.

Although the full power of Sword Qi Thunder Sound wasn’t unleashed, its force was still significant.

Boom!

The Sword Qi erupted mightily, sending waves rippling in all directions, suppressing the rising lightning and flames.

"Sword... Sword Qi Thunder Sound!!"

Zhang Changqing’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

He had guessed that this fellow Daoist Bai must have some hidden cards, but who would have thought that a Qi Cultivator could wield Sword Qi Thunder Sound!!

Even for particularly gifted Sword Cultivators, mastering it requires at least the Foundation Establishment Realm!

Yet this fellow Daoist Bai had grasped it in the Qi Refining Realm, what is this!?

A peerless Sword Cultivator!!

Even the Longevity Sect, adding nearby dominant forces and Nascent Soul sects, hadn’t seen such a Sword Cultivator in centuries.

Compared to Zhang Changqing, others in the valley fared even worse.

Originally battling each other, Ye Qing and Gao Jun had stopped, staring dumbfoundedly at Xu Ping as if beholding a deity.

Ma Hui even forgot to manipulate the array flags.

Finally, a golden figure reformed in the void with a ’shush-shush-shush’, bringing everyone back to their senses from shock.

Ma Hui and Gao Jun’s faces altered dramatically, involuntarily exclaiming: "Patriarch!"

What they had witnessed was incredibly powerful, beyond even what a Foundation Establishment Cultivator might withstand; could the Patriarch be unharmed...?

In stark contrast to Ma Hui and Gao Jun’s panic, the members of the Demon Suppression Team were all beaming with delight.

They had already been hopeless; was this a reversal from the brink?

As the dust cleared, revealing the scene inside, the Demon Suppression Team went wild with joy.

The black serpent’s body was tattered, lifeless, dead beyond a shadow of a doubt.

"The Patriarch... is dead!" Ma Hui and Gao Jun’s voices were filled with endless panic and fear.

Exchanging glances, they saw the will to retreat in each other’s eyes.

If even the Patriarch was dead, they were in no way a match for the two.

As they got ready to make a run for it.

The supposedly lifeless black serpent suddenly moved.

With a ’crack’, the scales on the black serpent began to break, as if it were shedding its skin.

"Not dead?" Xu Ping’s expression darkened, ready to strike again.

Aware that some unknown transformation was occurring, he wasn’t so foolish as to stand idly by.

Zhang Changqing clearly had the same idea.

Both prepared to act once more.

"Humph!"

A cold snort rang out.

In an instant, Xu Ping and Zhang Changqing both felt a chill sweep through them.

Thud, thud, thud...

Several jade pendants on Zhang Changqing shattered instantly, turning to fragments slipping down his robes.

Boom!

Then Zhang Changqing felt as if a hammer was pounding heavily on his head, his vision went black, intense pain stabbed from his Sea of Consciousness, and nosebleeds trickled down slowly.

Compared to Zhang Changqing’s many defenses, Xu Ping had nothing and had to endure it directly.

Boom!

Xu Ping felt as if someone was jamming a sharp awl brutally into his head, then stirring his brain pulp violently.

A muffled sound came from his mouth as blood oozed slowly from his ears and nose.

Spiritual Sense Attack!

Through the pain, both realized they had been hit by a Spiritual Sense Attack.

This black serpent not only possessed Divine Sense but could also carry out Spiritual Sense Attacks?

A chilling shock ran deeper in their hearts.

What exactly was the origin of this black serpent!!

For Ma Hui and Gao Jun, whose spirits had hit rock bottom, this scene resulted in frantic elation: "The Patriarch’s alive!"

A Golden Core Demon Cultivator like the Patriarch wouldn’t be slain by two Qi Cultivators!

The Demon Suppression Team, on the other hand, plummeted from heaven to hell.

Huff!

At that moment, Xu Ping and Zhang Changqing were suddenly enveloped by a shadow, a foul wind hitting them.

"Bad!"

With difficulty regaining his bearings, Zhang Changqing’s expression changed, hastily slapping his storage bag, and an ancient bronze bell appeared, expanding rapidly to two meters, enveloping the two completely.

Crash!

The black serpent’s tail whipped heavily against the bronze bell.

The bell clearly couldn’t withstand such force and shattered with a ’crack’.

Both Xu Ping and Zhang Changqing hastily slapped numerous defensive talismans onto their bodies.

Multiple layers of Protective Spiritual Light surrounded them completely.

In the next moment.

Bang! Bang!

The two were instantly flung by the black serpent’s tail, smashed heavily into the wall.

Pfft!

A mouthful of blood was spat from both mouths.

The sight was disastrous, yet luckily, the blow had been weakened by the bronze bell, reducing its force and sparing them from fatal injuries.

Especially Xu Ping, with his formidable physique only suffering minor injuries.

Struggling from the wall, he felt the intense pain in his mind alleviated quite a bit.

Of course, this wasn’t relieved by the black serpent’s tail, but unexpectedly, ’Taihang Nourishing God Skill’ began operating autonomously.

With a chill permeating the Sea of Consciousness, the dizziness and starry vision faded away.

"Did not expect Taihang Nourishing God Skill could ease the damage from a Spiritual Sense Attack," Xu Ping marveled inwardly.

"One possesses Blood Talisman Spirit Body; the other astonishingly comprehends Sword Qi Thunder Sound at the Qi Refining Realm—against ordinary foes, they might have turned the tables."

"But alas, just a little short."

A phantom figure emerged from the black serpent’s back, eyes fixed on the two, "This ancestor doesn’t even want to refine you, offering you a chance to become disciples."

Xu Ping and Zhang Changqing remained unmoved after hearing this, their gazes meeting and seeing each other’s killing intent.

"Huff!"

"Fellow Daoist Bai, we must fight for our lives!" Zhang Changqing exhaled deeply, eyes bright.

"This time you’ve put me in quite a spot, a reward of an upper-grade magical artifact isn’t enough!" Xu Ping forced a smile.

"Hahaha, after annihilating the Demon Cultivator, I guarantee satisfaction," Zhang Changqing laughed heartily.

"It seems you’ve made the wrong choice, but don’t worry, I won’t refine you. Such excellent materials should not go to waste not being made into demon corpses." Having heard their conversation, the black serpent regretfully shook its head.