AST 639 – The Fiery Golden Eyes
How should we fight?
Qing Shui felt really conflicted. Seeing Old Madam Mo being equally frustrated, he gritted his teeth, rode the Diamond Gigantic Elephant and dashed behind Di Xuan in an instant.
"Little brat, I am definitely going to shred you to pieces today and torture you till you rather die!" Old Demon Ba seethed it word by word to Qing Shui.
He could no longer tolerate this youth and now hated him to the core. Killing him directly would no longer resolve the hatred in his heart. He must let Qing Shui feel despair first, then torture him slowly until he was filled with hopelessness as he died…
"Little brat Di Xuan! Die!"
Old Demon Ba's abilities had increased significantly along with his speed. His imposing blade left a black trail as it slashed towards Di Xuan.
Di Xuan's face instantly turned pale.
With such a disparity in abilities, when that moment of death drew near, those who can talk about it with an unfazed face were lying about it, only those who truly experience it would know of the horror of that instant.
Qing Shui shot out his hands again in a strange manner!
Hidden Weapons —Twin Dragon Pearls!
Only this time, they were infused with his Primordial Flames!
To deal with the huge Red Jiao, Only by piercing through its flesh, could Qing Shui deal any significant damage to it. Furthermore, the Frosted Iron Balls contained cold poison and were slightly faster than his Primordial Flames. That’s why Qing Shui chose to use them without hesitation.
The enormous Red Jiao was still struggling within the bindings of the Blackjade Poisonous Spiderweb, its cries starting to weaken. Qing Shui knew that the truly fatal injuries were a result of the Frosted Iron Balls and the Blackjade Poisonous Spiderweb's poison entering its wounds, spreading through its body to the brain. With the additional damage caused by Old Madam Mo's Diamond Scepter, the Red Jiao was on its last breaths..
As for Old Demon Ba, Qing Shui was not expecting to be successful when attacking directly with Hidden Weapons. After all, there was a huge difference in strength. He only wanted to obstruct Old Demon Ba's attack on Di Xuan.
Qing Shui shot two balls of Primordial Flames at Old Demon Ba, with one aimed at his face while the other one aimed at his abdomen.
Just as Old Demon Ba was about to evade the fireballs and charge towards Di Xuan, Qing Shui shouted. "Burst!"
Hidden Weapon Technique — Twin Dragon Explosion!
The two separate Primordial Flames suddenly collided, immediately shooting out Primordial Flame Balls in all directions.
Despite his strength, Old Demon Ba did not dare come in contact with these fireballs. He could clearly sense the uniqueness of these firewalls, and did not dare to take the risk.
Old Demon Ba was repelled by Qing Shui to his original position.
Using two Hidden Weapon Killing Techniques in a row, Qing Shui felt a renewed sense of confidence. Three months ago, he noticed new killing techniques within the Hidden Weapon Technique, although he did not know when they had appeared. The familiarity in the two techniques he displayed was the result of his harsh training over the past three months.
Qing Shui was quite satisfied with its strength.
Three months in the outside world equated to four years in the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal. Having practised the two techniques for four years, it was expected that he would reach this degree of expertise.
At this moment, Old Madam Mo had also regrouped with them. However, even with their combined strength, they still had difficulty resisting Old Demon Ba. The only thing left that could threaten Old Demon Ba was Qing Shui's Primordial Flames.
Old Demon Ba could no longer contain his rage, the most insignificant person to him ended up being the one who obstructed him the most, restricting him repeatedly. And yet, he was helpless to do anything about it.
This little brat did not confront him face to face, yet was able to influence the entire battle. Without him, Old Demon Ba was confident in swiftly ending the fight within one breath of time.
"Little brat, I would love to see how long you can sustain your Xiantian Qi!"
Old Demon Ba charged towards him again!
Qing Shui naturally used the same method to repel Old Demon Ba!
The Hidden Weapon technique did consume a lot of his Qi of the Ancient Strengthening Technique. Very quickly, Qing Shui had already used one-third of his Qi of the Ancient Strengthening Technique. However, he had no choice but to continue using it.
Now, it was Qing Shui's turn to feel helpless. He had no choice but to find another solution!
When he had less than half of his Qi remaining, Qing Shui quickly took out a Vital Essence Pill and swallowed it. He immediately felt a surge in strength, with all his diminished Qi replenished.
Unfortunately, there was a restriction to the pill, he could only consume it once in 24 hours……
Kreeee!
At this moment, a loud crane cry rang in the distance.
Taking a look, Qing Shui was delighted to see that Lady Duanmu had arrived. Although he was unsure of the strength Lady Duanmu possessed, he hoped it would be of great assistance.
Yu Ruyan stopped the Ice Crane a distance away, approaching them on her own. Very soon, she had already arrived by their side.
"Lady Duanmu, why are you here?" Qing Shui asked, feeling pleasantly surprised.
"My daughter found out about your problems and insisted on coming." Lady Duanmu said with a grin.
Qing Shui was stunned. He glanced at the cold icy woman on the Ice Crane and unable to comprehend what Lady Duanmu meant. However, he felt that there was a hidden meaning within her words. Nevertheless, he still smiled and thanked her.
The rest just casually greeted each other. After all, they were in a critical moment. Lady Duanmu was a prominent person within Seven Stars City. Her arrival gave everyone a moment of ease. In spite of that, everyone was still aware of the difficulty in defeating Old Demon Ba.
"Oh, even the little brat from a long time ago has become a mother. Being a widow for so long, did you come here today after finally deciding to reunite with your husband?" When Old Demon Ba saw Yu Ruyan, he wasn’t too concerned as her strength most likely didn’t pose much of a threat to him.
Qing Shui quickly activated the Godly Force and Divine Shield Talismans on Lady Duanmu to boost her strength. Although the increase wasn't significant, it was still a boost.
Swish!
Lady Duanmu was actually holding a ribbon, the Flowing Cloud, in her hand. It shimmered in the sunlight, flickering like an illusion of the sky and the clouds. Qing Shui didn't know how the ribbon compared to Di Chen's Nine Heaven Immortal Silk.
Lady Duanmu stayed silent. Taking a step forward, she immediately swung the Flowing Cloud towards Old Demon Ba, planning to bind Old Demon Ba with the Flowing Cloud.
"Useless tricks! All your attacks are ineffective against me."
Old Demon Ba snorted. The blade in his hand rotated and tangled the Flowing Cloud. With a shout, the blade in his hand shone with a black light.
"Break!"
Lady Duanmu was thrown back three steps, her face paled. She never expected that a section of the Flowing Cloud would actually be cut off. When Qing Shui saw Old Demon Ba charging towards them, he helplessly let out another Twin Dragon Explosion.
Qing Shui, who was the weakest among the four, could instead barely block Old Demon Ba's attacks. However, this was only temporary. If Qing Shui made the slightest mistake, the consequences would be dire.
The problem was that Qing Shui didn't know what else he could do to kill Old Demon Ba. He had expended everything he had, including the crafty Hidden Weapon Technique.
Qing Shui didn’t know what else he could do.
Qing Shui stood still, brainstorming while executing his Hidden Weapon Technique to hinder Old Demon Ba.
Suddenly, a thought came to Qing Shui's mind. He thought of the supplementary technique that was his reward for breaking through to the Sixth Heavenly Layer.
Fiery Golden Eyes!
Qing Shui was roused. How could he have forgotten about it? Nevertheless, he still felt a bit uneasy. As he has never used it before, he was unclear about how strong the Fiery Golden Eyes were. He wasn't convinced by the effects of decreasing the opponent's current abilities by 10%.
However, at this point of time, he had to try no matter what. Even if it was only capable of reducing one hundred countries worth of strength from Old Demon Ba, it was still better than nothing. Qing Shui immediately focused the Qi of the Ancient Strengthening Technique on his eyes.
As he used another Twin Dragon Explosion, he also activated the Fiery Golden Eyes. The Fiery Golden Eyes were the same as Emperor's Qi, unavoidable within a certain range.
A faint light entered Old Demon Ba's body. In an instant, Old Demon Ba's expression changed drastically, filled with disbelief, hatred and despair.
A pleasant thought appeared in Qing Shui's mind. He had successfully reduced Old Demon Ba's strength by an additional thousand countries.
Following that, another thought appeared in his mind. At small success stage, the Fiery Golden Eyes was able to reduce the target's current abilities by 10%. It would reduce a minimum of a thousand countries, reducing more if 10% of the opponent's overall abilities exceeded a thousand countries. The condition for usage was that the opponent had to have at least five thousand countries worth of strength.
At the moment, Qing Shui really felt like laughing out loud. Old Demon Ba's strength was fortunately slightly above five thousand countries. If it had been four thousand and nine hundred countries, things would have ended badly today. However, even with his abilities reduced, Old Demon Ba still possessed four thousand four hundred countries worth of strength.
Under the effects of the Godly Force Talisman and the Divine Shield Talisman, both Lady Duanmu as well as Old Madam Mo possessed the strength of roughly four thousand and two hundred countries. Di Xuan on the other hand, had just shy of four thousand countries.
"Let's attack together! Be careful, his current strength should not exceed four thousand five hundred countries."Qing Shui mockingly said as he looked at Old Demon Ba.
Actually, the other three has also discovered the change in Old Freak Ba's expression and the aura which he was exuding from his body.
The three of them approached Old Demon Ba in a triangle formation while Qing Shui continued to contemplate. The Fiery Golden Eyes only affected the temporary strength, but was already insanely powerful. Especially to a warrior with the strength of five thousand countries, that would mean 20% of their overall strength being reduced, having the same effects as Emperor's Qi.
The Fiery Golden Eyes specifically weakened temporary strength. What surprised Qing Shui was that the effects were significantly damaging to warriors at or above Grade Ten Martial Saint.
The Fiery Golden Eyes had no effect on warriors with abilities of less than five thousand countries. For those with an overall ability above five thousand countries, they would be weakened by a minimum a thousand countries, regardless of their current abilities. However, at small success stage, even if the opponent had the strength of ten thousand countries, the Fiery Golden Eyes would still only decrease a thousand countries worth of strength.
The abilities of a Grade Ten Martial Saint was five thousand countries. When Qing Shui found out about it, he felt like shouting out loud. At present, he was about to murder a Grade Ten Martial Saint!
No wonder the Fiery Golden Eyes was the reward for achieving the Sixth Heavenly Layer. Only now did Qing Shui feel he received a huge fortune by obtaining this supplementary technique. It synchronised well with the Emperor's Qi. By adding on the Diamond Gigantic Elephant's Vajra Subdues Demons, Qing Shui felt that he would soon be able to directly confront Peak Martial Saint warriors.
Seeing the three gain the upper hand, a warm smiled appeared on Qing Shui's face. Grasping two Frosted Iron Balls in his hands, he continuously monitored Old Demon Ba.
Diamond Scepter Shadow Kill!
Suddenly, Old Madam Mo's Diamond Scepter became illusory, as if she was holding a shadow. She sliced towards Old Demon Ba with a force sufficient to split a mountain.
Qing Shui on the other hand threw out his Frosted Iron Balls towards the direction where Old Demon Ba would retreat, completely blocking off Old Demon Ba's escape route.
===
AST 640 – Old Demon Ba’s Retaliation Before Death
Qing Shui aimed a Frosted Iron Ball at one of Old Demon Ba’s calves, while another Frosted Iron Ball sealed off Old Demon Ba’s escape route. Moreover, Old Madam Mo was also closing in with her killing move, preventing Old Demon Ba from moving forward.
Lady Duanmu and Di Xuan were closing in for an assault from both sides, which completely sealed off all his potential escape routes. His back route was already blocked by Qing Shui’s Frosted Iron Ball and the other routes on the side and the front were blocked too. This way, Old Demon Ba would have no other choice but to get hit by one of Qing Shui’s Frosted Iron Ball. This Hidden Weapon Technique was unavoidable anyway because of its versatile nature.
Even if Old Demon Ba tried to find an opening through Lady Duanmu’s or Di Xuan’s weaknesses, he would still be assaulted. If he chose to exploit Lady Duanmu’s weakness, he would be rebuffed by Di Xuan’s parry. But if he chose to exploit Di Xuan’s weakness, he would be fully assaulted by Lady Duanmu, as well as by Old Madam Mo’s attack.
Old Demon Ba prepared himself as he clenched his teeth to face the attack from Old Madam Mo’s Diamond Scepter!
The fight seemed to have been going on for quite a while, but it actually all happened in a few moments!
Bang!
Old Madam Mo was forced backwards by the impact from Old Demon Ba. However, his shoulder was hit by Lady Duanmu’s ‘Flowing Cloud Attack’, which crippled his arm in the process. The Frosted Iron Ball also broke Old Demon Ba’s calf.
However, Di Xuan’s attack completely missed Old Demon Ba!
After that, everyone landed on the ground. Old Demon Ba was now stained in red. He knew that he had ended up like this because of that young man – he knew Qing Shui had intentionally cut off all his means of retreat. Qing Shui had orchestrated the Frosted Iron Balls to force him to the pits of death with no way out. Old Demon Ba had to pay the price for falling for Qing Shui’s plan.
The climax was over, Old Demon Ba’s death was already guaranteed. Qing Shui stood nearby in a cautious stance, he didn’t dare to put his guard down. The stronger the opponent was, the higher the chances of them retaliating during their final moments before death. He speculated that Old Demon Ba would return the ‘favor’ a few times stronger than all of them combined.
Qing Shui held his two Frosted Iron Balls tightly in his hands, while Old Madam Mo adjusted her stance as she gripped her Diamond Scepter firmly. She then rushed towards Old Demon Ba, intending to finish him off. Lady Duanmu and Di Xuan had also adjusted their stances and went straight for Old Demon Ba once again.
In this kind of situation, Old Demon Ba could only retreat backwards. Otherwise, he would be inflicted with a few more heavy wounds, which would seal the deal to his imminent death.
However, if he were to retreat backwards, the young man behind him would definitely shoot the haunting Frosted Iron Balls at him. With his wounded condition, it would be impossible to evade Qing Shui’s attack and the incoming assaults by the three people in front of him at the same time.
Old Demon Ba anticipated the assault with a flash of dejection in his eyes. However, there was something else within his expression – a loathsome hatred and a vicious intent. As the three of them were about to land their attacks on Old Demon Ba, his black broken blade suddenly struck towards the furthest attacker – Lady Duanmu, without any warning.
No one saw it coming.
The black broken blade burned with a thick black flame before it plunged itself against Lady Duanmu with the speed of light. They could only see a quick flash before it pierced Lady Duanmu, stabbing a hole in her body.
The broken blade was initially aimed at Lady Duanmu’s heart, but when it was less than half a meter from plunging into her heart, a faint white halo suddenly appeared on her chest. The blade was prevented from going through her heart.
However, it was too late. Although the halo had forcibly diverted the broken blade, the blade still inadvertently plunged straight down to her abdomen area, creating a gaping hole in her stomach. At the same time, Old Demon Ba had given up resisting the incoming assault and allowed Old Madam Mo and Di Xuan to finish him off, killing him on the spot.
Qing Shui’s Frosted Iron Balls fell to the ground!
“Mother!”
Duanmu Lingshuang cried out to Lady Duanmu who was on the verge of crashing to the ground. She quickly rushed towards the scene as fast as she could with her Ice Crane from afar.
Instantaneous Diamond Evasion!
Qing Shui swiftly jumped down from his Diamond Gigantic Elephant and rushed to Lady Duanmu’s side. He was just in time to catch her before she fell. Quickly, Qing Shui tapped onto countless meridian points on her chest area.
At that moment, Qing Shui had already lost count after tapping her chest area a number of times. Although Lady Duanmu was already covered in blood, Qing Shui refused to jump into blind conclusions because of that. He feared he would lose control if he was faced with the reality that she wouldn’t be able to live any longer.
“Mother…….”
Just then, Duanmu Lingshuang appeared on the opposite side of Qing Shui and gently held Lady Duanmu in her arms. Her eyes were gushing with tears, drenching the blue veil that covered her face. She kept on crying loudly in pain as she clenched her arms around her mother’s body.
Lady Duanmu looked at her daughter with a calm expression as she held Duanmu Lingshuang’s hands. Despite the serene look on her face, her complexion was as white as paper. Strangely, she looked mournfully beautiful with the contrast of her red-stained dress and her pale complexion.
There was a timeless beauty in her dignified manner. Her beauty wasn’t that of a bewitching woman. Instead, it was a graceful aura that could only be found in a mature woman such as herself.
“Qing Shui, please save my mother. Please help me in any way you can!” Duanmu Lingshuang hastily gripped onto Qing Shui with one hand as she pleaded in distress. She could only focus on saving her mother, she didn’t care if she was pulling onto Qing Shui’s hand or any other person’s hands.
“Lady Duanmu got hurt because of my affairs with Old Demon Ba. I will try my best to save her, so let’s not waste any time and mend her wounds now.” Qing Shui knew that time was of the essence because of the severity of Lady Duanmu’s wounds.
“Okay, I will go with you. I can assist you and take good care of her.” Duanmu Lingshuang looked at Qing Shui with worried eyes.
“Just trust me, please go back to the Di Residence with everyone first.”
Duanmu Lingshuang nodded her head in agreement.
Qing Shui then turned his head towards Old Madam Mo and Di Xuan, giving them a parting gesture. He picked up Lady Duanmu straightaway and hopped onto his Fire Bird, soaring to a faraway area with a fast speed. The place he intended to go was an area that could be considered as the land of the Bell Spirit in the mountain valley. He had discovered the place unexpectedly with Old Madam Mo on their journey to the Di Residence.
“Madam, how do you feel?” asked Qing Shui softly as he held onto Lady Duanmu. Her condition was becoming worse by the second.
Lady Duanmu opened her eyes halfway and looked at the young man holding her in his arms. It had been years since her husband had passed away and since then she never had any interactions with other men. Not only was she held by a man today, she even had her chest tapped countless times by his fingers…..
“I feel sleepy. My head feels heavy.” Lady Duanmu said in a calm tone.
Qing Shui took out a Golden Needle and disinfected it with the Primordial Flames. He then poked the needle at the Lumbar Yang Pass located on the midline of her lower back near the spinal area.
After a moment of pain around the acupuncture point, she could feel a slightly cooling air entering her body. She could also feel a chilling sensation on her entire spine and the sensation of pain was greatly reduced as well.
Qing Shui kept holding her in his arms while putting pressure on the area around the Lingtai Acupoint.
Doing so allowed his Ancient Strengthening Technique to seep into her body steadily.
“How do you feel now?” Qing Shui left the wound untouched for now. The wound had already stopped bleeding, albeit temporarily by sealing the severed blood vessels. However, it would be bad for the body if he kept her blood vessels sealed for a long period of time.
“I feel much better. But Qing Shui, tell me, will I die?” asked Lady Duanmu as she stared into Qing Shui’s eyes weakly.
“Do you want the truth or the lie?” Qing Shui didn’t want to hide the truth from this mature elegant lady.
“The truth!”
“You will not die. This wound can be healed.” Qing Shui gave her a smile.
“What’s the point of giving me the option? I don’t believe you. Normally, the truth would be the opposite.” Lady Duanmu laughed as she shook her head.
Qing Shui wanted desperately to let Lady Duanmu consume some of the Golden Buddha Aura Lotus from the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal, but if he could hold off from using the Golden Buddha Aura Lotus until the moment was right, he would do that for the time being. Otherwise, the growth rate of the Thunderous Beast would be greatly affected without the presence of the Golden Buddha Aura Lotus. However, if the situation required Lady Duanmu to eat it, he would have to do that.
“Qing Shui, can you promise me one thing?” Lady Duanmu looked at Qing Shui and asked softly.
Qing Shui could only force a smile at Lady Duanmu. He knew what she was going to ask him to do, but he still promised anyway: “Please say it, madam. I will promise you anything as long as I am capable of doing it.”
“Really?”
“Really!”
“No going back on your own words?”
“No going back on my own words!”
“If I die, can you take care of Lingshuang for me? Please take her with you.” Lady Duanmu placed both her hands on Qing Shui’s head as she pleaded.
Her delicate face was about three inches away from Qing Shui, so he could feel a light fragrant air softly touching his face. It was hard to describe, but it was a comfortable feeling.
Qing Shui knew exactly what she meant by ‘taking care’ of Lingshuang. Sadly, he had no interest in that cold icy woman whatsoever, so by making that promise to Lady Duanmu, he was essentially digging his own grave. No one knew how long it would take to melt that icy demeanor of her daughter and to be frank, he would rather not waste a lot of time to do that.
Shi Qingzhuang was another cold beauty, but she was a bit different to Duanmu Lingshuang. The reason he tried very hard to melt her icy demeanor and used the same way to propose to her was so that she could be by his side. This was because the two of them were always entangled with each other from the beginning. In addition to the development of their relationship through sex, Qing Shui was even more adamant that she should never find another man other than himself.
During that time, he only had her by his side, which was why he liked her very much. But it was different for Duanmu Lingshuang’s case. Now he already had quite a number of wives, so he didn’t even think of taking Duanmu Lingshuang as his additional wife. He also gave up on flirting with other women, even if that woman was a beauty from the Portraits of Beauty. Qing Shui would feel terrible for Canghai Mingyue and the other ladies if he tried to do so.
“Madam, you will not die. Please believe me.” Qing Shui smiled. He didn’t make a direct promise to her.
“So you don’t want to help me?”
Lady Duanmu had a desolate expression when she looked at Qing Shui. Their faces were a fist apart, which was why Qing Shui could clearly see her jade-like skin on her cheeks. He couldn’t tell how old she was by her youthful appearance, but looking at how delicate her skin was, he couldn’t help but feel more attracted to Lady Duanmu than her own daughter. Her beauty and graceful attitude were the accumulated products of her glorious years of charms. A young woman would never be able to compare to that.
“If you promise me one thing, I will make that promise to you.” Qing Shui retained his smiles while circulating the Ancient Strengthening Technique through the Lingtai Acupoint into her body.
“What is it? Tell me, and I will promise you as long as I am capable.” At this point, Yu Ruyan had nothing to lose, so she naturally agreed to Qing Shui’s condition.
“Do not give up on your treatment. No matter what happens, you must always try your hardest to live. Do not give up on life, and most importantly, do not try to take your own life. You must also cooperate with me during your treatment. So whatever happens, remember that you are doing it for your daughter’s sake. No one could love your daughter more than you do. If you live on, your daughter will be the happiest woman in the world.” said Qing Shui calmly.
Yu Ruyan was shocked by his words for a brief moment before she nodded her head and said: “I promise you! Thank you!”
Within a few moments, Qing Shui was able to find that natural stalactite cave from the back of his Fire Bird. As they were closing on to the cave, he could sense a wave of Spiritual Qi flowing from the inside. Qing Shui picked up Yu Ruyan and slowly descended to the ground.
This area was a naturally formed mountain valley, with densely packed plants. However, the trees growing in this area were considerably short. However, that did not affect the idyllic scenery formed from the fragrant flowers and freely flying birds.
He strongly felt like he had left the mortal world and descended onto an immortal plain. He looked at the woman in his arms and imagined that he would be living a happy life if she was the love of his life.
“Were you thinking of your wife?” Yu Ruyan smirked while looking at Qing Shui.
“No!”
“Your expression tell me otherwise you know.”
Qing Shui remained silent. He couldn’t prove that kind of thing to her, because it proving it was impossible from the beginning. Moreover, there was no meaning to it even if he could prove such things to Yu Ruyan.
AST 639 – The Fiery Golden Eyes
How should we fight?
Qing Shui felt really conflicted. Seeing Old Madam Mo being equally frustrated, he gritted his teeth, rode the Diamond Gigantic Elephant and dashed behind Di Xuan in an instant.
"Little brat, I am definitely going to shred you to pieces today and torture you till you rather die!" Old Demon Ba seethed it word by word to Qing Shui.
He could no longer tolerate this youth and now hated him to the core. Killing him directly would no longer resolve the hatred in his heart. He must let Qing Shui feel despair first, then torture him slowly until he was filled with hopelessness as he died…
"Little brat Di Xuan! Die!"
Old Demon Ba's abilities had increased significantly along with his speed. His imposing blade left a black trail as it slashed towards Di Xuan.
Di Xuan's face instantly turned pale.
With such a disparity in abilities, when that moment of death drew near, those who can talk about it with an unfazed face were lying about it, only those who truly experience it would know of the horror of that instant.
Qing Shui shot out his hands again in a strange manner!
Hidden Weapons —Twin Dragon Pearls!
Only this time, they were infused with his Primordial Flames!
To deal with the huge Red Jiao, Only by piercing through its flesh, could Qing Shui deal any significant damage to it. Furthermore, the Frosted Iron Balls contained cold poison and were slightly faster than his Primordial Flames. That’s why Qing Shui chose to use them without hesitation.
The enormous Red Jiao was still struggling within the bindings of the Blackjade Poisonous Spiderweb, its cries starting to weaken. Qing Shui knew that the truly fatal injuries were a result of the Frosted Iron Balls and the Blackjade Poisonous Spiderweb's poison entering its wounds, spreading through its body to the brain. With the additional damage caused by Old Madam Mo's Diamond Scepter, the Red Jiao was on its last breaths..
As for Old Demon Ba, Qing Shui was not expecting to be successful when attacking directly with Hidden Weapons. After all, there was a huge difference in strength. He only wanted to obstruct Old Demon Ba's attack on Di Xuan.
Qing Shui shot two balls of Primordial Flames at Old Demon Ba, with one aimed at his face while the other one aimed at his abdomen.
Just as Old Demon Ba was about to evade the fireballs and charge towards Di Xuan, Qing Shui shouted. "Burst!"
Hidden Weapon Technique — Twin Dragon Explosion!
The two separate Primordial Flames suddenly collided, immediately shooting out Primordial Flame Balls in all directions.
Despite his strength, Old Demon Ba did not dare come in contact with these fireballs. He could clearly sense the uniqueness of these firewalls, and did not dare to take the risk.
Old Demon Ba was repelled by Qing Shui to his original position.
Using two Hidden Weapon Killing Techniques in a row, Qing Shui felt a renewed sense of confidence. Three months ago, he noticed new killing techniques within the Hidden Weapon Technique, although he did not know when they had appeared. The familiarity in the two techniques he displayed was the result of his harsh training over the past three months.
Qing Shui was quite satisfied with its strength.
Three months in the outside world equated to four years in the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal. Having practised the two techniques for four years, it was expected that he would reach this degree of expertise.
At this moment, Old Madam Mo had also regrouped with them. However, even with their combined strength, they still had difficulty resisting Old Demon Ba. The only thing left that could threaten Old Demon Ba was Qing Shui's Primordial Flames.
Old Demon Ba could no longer contain his rage, the most insignificant person to him ended up being the one who obstructed him the most, restricting him repeatedly. And yet, he was helpless to do anything about it.
This little brat did not confront him face to face, yet was able to influence the entire battle. Without him, Old Demon Ba was confident in swiftly ending the fight within one breath of time.
"Little brat, I would love to see how long you can sustain your Xiantian Qi!"
Old Demon Ba charged towards him again!
Qing Shui naturally used the same method to repel Old Demon Ba!
The Hidden Weapon technique did consume a lot of his Qi of the Ancient Strengthening Technique. Very quickly, Qing Shui had already used one-third of his Qi of the Ancient Strengthening Technique. However, he had no choice but to continue using it.
Now, it was Qing Shui's turn to feel helpless. He had no choice but to find another solution!
When he had less than half of his Qi remaining, Qing Shui quickly took out a Vital Essence Pill and swallowed it. He immediately felt a surge in strength, with all his diminished Qi replenished.
Unfortunately, there was a restriction to the pill, he could only consume it once in 24 hours……
Kreeee!
At this moment, a loud crane cry rang in the distance.
Taking a look, Qing Shui was delighted to see that Lady Duanmu had arrived. Although he was unsure of the strength Lady Duanmu possessed, he hoped it would be of great assistance.
Yu Ruyan stopped the Ice Crane a distance away, approaching them on her own. Very soon, she had already arrived by their side.
"Lady Duanmu, why are you here?" Qing Shui asked, feeling pleasantly surprised.
"My daughter found out about your problems and insisted on coming." Lady Duanmu said with a grin.
Qing Shui was stunned. He glanced at the cold icy woman on the Ice Crane and unable to comprehend what Lady Duanmu meant. However, he felt that there was a hidden meaning within her words. Nevertheless, he still smiled and thanked her.
The rest just casually greeted each other. After all, they were in a critical moment. Lady Duanmu was a prominent person within Seven Stars City. Her arrival gave everyone a moment of ease. In spite of that, everyone was still aware of the difficulty in defeating Old Demon Ba.
"Oh, even the little brat from a long time ago has become a mother. Being a widow for so long, did you come here today after finally deciding to reunite with your husband?" When Old Demon Ba saw Yu Ruyan, he wasn’t too concerned as her strength most likely didn’t pose much of a threat to him.
Qing Shui quickly activated the Godly Force and Divine Shield Talismans on Lady Duanmu to boost her strength. Although the increase wasn't significant, it was still a boost.
Swish!
Lady Duanmu was actually holding a ribbon, the Flowing Cloud, in her hand. It shimmered in the sunlight, flickering like an illusion of the sky and the clouds. Qing Shui didn't know how the ribbon compared to Di Chen's Nine Heaven Immortal Silk.
Lady Duanmu stayed silent. Taking a step forward, she immediately swung the Flowing Cloud towards Old Demon Ba, planning to bind Old Demon Ba with the Flowing Cloud.
"Useless tricks! All your attacks are ineffective against me."
Old Demon Ba snorted. The blade in his hand rotated and tangled the Flowing Cloud. With a shout, the blade in his hand shone with a black light.
"Break!"
Lady Duanmu was thrown back three steps, her face paled. She never expected that a section of the Flowing Cloud would actually be cut off. When Qing Shui saw Old Demon Ba charging towards them, he helplessly let out another Twin Dragon Explosion.
Qing Shui, who was the weakest among the four, could instead barely block Old Demon Ba's attacks. However, this was only temporary. If Qing Shui made the slightest mistake, the consequences would be dire.
The problem was that Qing Shui didn't know what else he could do to kill Old Demon Ba. He had expended everything he had, including the crafty Hidden Weapon Technique.
Qing Shui didn’t know what else he could do.
Qing Shui stood still, brainstorming while executing his Hidden Weapon Technique to hinder Old Demon Ba.
Suddenly, a thought came to Qing Shui's mind. He thought of the supplementary technique that was his reward for breaking through to the Sixth Heavenly Layer.
Fiery Golden Eyes!
Qing Shui was roused. How could he have forgotten about it? Nevertheless, he still felt a bit uneasy. As he has never used it before, he was unclear about how strong the Fiery Golden Eyes were. He wasn't convinced by the effects of decreasing the opponent's current abilities by 10%.
However, at this point of time, he had to try no matter what. Even if it was only capable of reducing one hundred countries worth of strength from Old Demon Ba, it was still better than nothing. Qing Shui immediately focused the Qi of the Ancient Strengthening Technique on his eyes.
As he used another Twin Dragon Explosion, he also activated the Fiery Golden Eyes. The Fiery Golden Eyes were the same as Emperor's Qi, unavoidable within a certain range.
A faint light entered Old Demon Ba's body. In an instant, Old Demon Ba's expression changed drastically, filled with disbelief, hatred and despair.
A pleasant thought appeared in Qing Shui's mind. He had successfully reduced Old Demon Ba's strength by an additional thousand countries.
Following that, another thought appeared in his mind. At small success stage, the Fiery Golden Eyes was able to reduce the target's current abilities by 10%. It would reduce a minimum of a thousand countries, reducing more if 10% of the opponent's overall abilities exceeded a thousand countries. The condition for usage was that the opponent had to have at least five thousand countries worth of strength.
At the moment, Qing Shui really felt like laughing out loud. Old Demon Ba's strength was fortunately slightly above five thousand countries. If it had been four thousand and nine hundred countries, things would have ended badly today. However, even with his abilities reduced, Old Demon Ba still possessed four thousand four hundred countries worth of strength.
Under the effects of the Godly Force Talisman and the Divine Shield Talisman, both Lady Duanmu as well as Old Madam Mo possessed the strength of roughly four thousand and two hundred countries. Di Xuan on the other hand, had just shy of four thousand countries.
"Let's attack together! Be careful, his current strength should not exceed four thousand five hundred countries."Qing Shui mockingly said as he looked at Old Demon Ba.
Actually, the other three has also discovered the change in Old Freak Ba's expression and the aura which he was exuding from his body.
The three of them approached Old Demon Ba in a triangle formation while Qing Shui continued to contemplate. The Fiery Golden Eyes only affected the temporary strength, but was already insanely powerful. Especially to a warrior with the strength of five thousand countries, that would mean 20% of their overall strength being reduced, having the same effects as Emperor's Qi.
The Fiery Golden Eyes specifically weakened temporary strength. What surprised Qing Shui was that the effects were significantly damaging to warriors at or above Grade Ten Martial Saint.
The Fiery Golden Eyes had no effect on warriors with abilities of less than five thousand countries. For those with an overall ability above five thousand countries, they would be weakened by a minimum a thousand countries, regardless of their current abilities. However, at small success stage, even if the opponent had the strength of ten thousand countries, the Fiery Golden Eyes would still only decrease a thousand countries worth of strength.
The abilities of a Grade Ten Martial Saint was five thousand countries. When Qing Shui found out about it, he felt like shouting out loud. At present, he was about to murder a Grade Ten Martial Saint!
No wonder the Fiery Golden Eyes was the reward for achieving the Sixth Heavenly Layer. Only now did Qing Shui feel he received a huge fortune by obtaining this supplementary technique. It synchronised well with the Emperor's Qi. By adding on the Diamond Gigantic Elephant's Vajra Subdues Demons, Qing Shui felt that he would soon be able to directly confront Peak Martial Saint warriors.
Seeing the three gain the upper hand, a warm smiled appeared on Qing Shui's face. Grasping two Frosted Iron Balls in his hands, he continuously monitored Old Demon Ba.
Diamond Scepter Shadow Kill!
Suddenly, Old Madam Mo's Diamond Scepter became illusory, as if she was holding a shadow. She sliced towards Old Demon Ba with a force sufficient to split a mountain.
Qing Shui on the other hand threw out his Frosted Iron Balls towards the direction where Old Demon Ba would retreat, completely blocking off Old Demon Ba's escape route.
===
AST 640 – Old Demon Ba’s Retaliation Before Death
Qing Shui aimed a Frosted Iron Ball at one of Old Demon Ba’s calves, while another Frosted Iron Ball sealed off Old Demon Ba’s escape route. Moreover, Old Madam Mo was also closing in with her killing move, preventing Old Demon Ba from moving forward.
Lady Duanmu and Di Xuan were closing in for an assault from both sides, which completely sealed off all his potential escape routes. His back route was already blocked by Qing Shui’s Frosted Iron Ball and the other routes on the side and the front were blocked too. This way, Old Demon Ba would have no other choice but to get hit by one of Qing Shui’s Frosted Iron Ball. This Hidden Weapon Technique was unavoidable anyway because of its versatile nature.
Even if Old Demon Ba tried to find an opening through Lady Duanmu’s or Di Xuan’s weaknesses, he would still be assaulted. If he chose to exploit Lady Duanmu’s weakness, he would be rebuffed by Di Xuan’s parry. But if he chose to exploit Di Xuan’s weakness, he would be fully assaulted by Lady Duanmu, as well as by Old Madam Mo’s attack.
Old Demon Ba prepared himself as he clenched his teeth to face the attack from Old Madam Mo’s Diamond Scepter!
The fight seemed to have been going on for quite a while, but it actually all happened in a few moments!
Bang!
Old Madam Mo was forced backwards by the impact from Old Demon Ba. However, his shoulder was hit by Lady Duanmu’s ‘Flowing Cloud Attack’, which crippled his arm in the process. The Frosted Iron Ball also broke Old Demon Ba’s calf.
However, Di Xuan’s attack completely missed Old Demon Ba!
After that, everyone landed on the ground. Old Demon Ba was now stained in red. He knew that he had ended up like this because of that young man – he knew Qing Shui had intentionally cut off all his means of retreat. Qing Shui had orchestrated the Frosted Iron Balls to force him to the pits of death with no way out. Old Demon Ba had to pay the price for falling for Qing Shui’s plan.
The climax was over, Old Demon Ba’s death was already guaranteed. Qing Shui stood nearby in a cautious stance, he didn’t dare to put his guard down. The stronger the opponent was, the higher the chances of them retaliating during their final moments before death. He speculated that Old Demon Ba would return the ‘favor’ a few times stronger than all of them combined.
Qing Shui held his two Frosted Iron Balls tightly in his hands, while Old Madam Mo adjusted her stance as she gripped her Diamond Scepter firmly. She then rushed towards Old Demon Ba, intending to finish him off. Lady Duanmu and Di Xuan had also adjusted their stances and went straight for Old Demon Ba once again.
In this kind of situation, Old Demon Ba could only retreat backwards. Otherwise, he would be inflicted with a few more heavy wounds, which would seal the deal to his imminent death.
However, if he were to retreat backwards, the young man behind him would definitely shoot the haunting Frosted Iron Balls at him. With his wounded condition, it would be impossible to evade Qing Shui’s attack and the incoming assaults by the three people in front of him at the same time.
Old Demon Ba anticipated the assault with a flash of dejection in his eyes. However, there was something else within his expression – a loathsome hatred and a vicious intent. As the three of them were about to land their attacks on Old Demon Ba, his black broken blade suddenly struck towards the furthest attacker – Lady Duanmu, without any warning.
No one saw it coming.
The black broken blade burned with a thick black flame before it plunged itself against Lady Duanmu with the speed of light. They could only see a quick flash before it pierced Lady Duanmu, stabbing a hole in her body.
The broken blade was initially aimed at Lady Duanmu’s heart, but when it was less than half a meter from plunging into her heart, a faint white halo suddenly appeared on her chest. The blade was prevented from going through her heart.
However, it was too late. Although the halo had forcibly diverted the broken blade, the blade still inadvertently plunged straight down to her abdomen area, creating a gaping hole in her stomach. At the same time, Old Demon Ba had given up resisting the incoming assault and allowed Old Madam Mo and Di Xuan to finish him off, killing him on the spot.
Qing Shui’s Frosted Iron Balls fell to the ground!
“Mother!”
Duanmu Lingshuang cried out to Lady Duanmu who was on the verge of crashing to the ground. She quickly rushed towards the scene as fast as she could with her Ice Crane from afar.
Instantaneous Diamond Evasion!
Qing Shui swiftly jumped down from his Diamond Gigantic Elephant and rushed to Lady Duanmu’s side. He was just in time to catch her before she fell. Quickly, Qing Shui tapped onto countless meridian points on her chest area.
At that moment, Qing Shui had already lost count after tapping her chest area a number of times. Although Lady Duanmu was already covered in blood, Qing Shui refused to jump into blind conclusions because of that. He feared he would lose control if he was faced with the reality that she wouldn’t be able to live any longer.
“Mother…….”
Just then, Duanmu Lingshuang appeared on the opposite side of Qing Shui and gently held Lady Duanmu in her arms. Her eyes were gushing with tears, drenching the blue veil that covered her face. She kept on crying loudly in pain as she clenched her arms around her mother’s body.
Lady Duanmu looked at her daughter with a calm expression as she held Duanmu Lingshuang’s hands. Despite the serene look on her face, her complexion was as white as paper. Strangely, she looked mournfully beautiful with the contrast of her red-stained dress and her pale complexion.
There was a timeless beauty in her dignified manner. Her beauty wasn’t that of a bewitching woman. Instead, it was a graceful aura that could only be found in a mature woman such as herself.
“Qing Shui, please save my mother. Please help me in any way you can!” Duanmu Lingshuang hastily gripped onto Qing Shui with one hand as she pleaded in distress. She could only focus on saving her mother, she didn’t care if she was pulling onto Qing Shui’s hand or any other person’s hands.
“Lady Duanmu got hurt because of my affairs with Old Demon Ba. I will try my best to save her, so let’s not waste any time and mend her wounds now.” Qing Shui knew that time was of the essence because of the severity of Lady Duanmu’s wounds.
“Okay, I will go with you. I can assist you and take good care of her.” Duanmu Lingshuang looked at Qing Shui with worried eyes.
“Just trust me, please go back to the Di Residence with everyone first.”
Duanmu Lingshuang nodded her head in agreement.
Qing Shui then turned his head towards Old Madam Mo and Di Xuan, giving them a parting gesture. He picked up Lady Duanmu straightaway and hopped onto his Fire Bird, soaring to a faraway area with a fast speed. The place he intended to go was an area that could be considered as the land of the Bell Spirit in the mountain valley. He had discovered the place unexpectedly with Old Madam Mo on their journey to the Di Residence.
“Madam, how do you feel?” asked Qing Shui softly as he held onto Lady Duanmu. Her condition was becoming worse by the second.
Lady Duanmu opened her eyes halfway and looked at the young man holding her in his arms. It had been years since her husband had passed away and since then she never had any interactions with other men. Not only was she held by a man today, she even had her chest tapped countless times by his fingers…..
“I feel sleepy. My head feels heavy.” Lady Duanmu said in a calm tone.
Qing Shui took out a Golden Needle and disinfected it with the Primordial Flames. He then poked the needle at the Lumbar Yang Pass located on the midline of her lower back near the spinal area.
After a moment of pain around the acupuncture point, she could feel a slightly cooling air entering her body. She could also feel a chilling sensation on her entire spine and the sensation of pain was greatly reduced as well.
Qing Shui kept holding her in his arms while putting pressure on the area around the Lingtai Acupoint.
Doing so allowed his Ancient Strengthening Technique to seep into her body steadily.
“How do you feel now?” Qing Shui left the wound untouched for now. The wound had already stopped bleeding, albeit temporarily by sealing the severed blood vessels. However, it would be bad for the body if he kept her blood vessels sealed for a long period of time.
“I feel much better. But Qing Shui, tell me, will I die?” asked Lady Duanmu as she stared into Qing Shui’s eyes weakly.
“Do you want the truth or the lie?” Qing Shui didn’t want to hide the truth from this mature elegant lady.
“The truth!”
“You will not die. This wound can be healed.” Qing Shui gave her a smile.
“What’s the point of giving me the option? I don’t believe you. Normally, the truth would be the opposite.” Lady Duanmu laughed as she shook her head.
Qing Shui wanted desperately to let Lady Duanmu consume some of the Golden Buddha Aura Lotus from the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal, but if he could hold off from using the Golden Buddha Aura Lotus until the moment was right, he would do that for the time being. Otherwise, the growth rate of the Thunderous Beast would be greatly affected without the presence of the Golden Buddha Aura Lotus. However, if the situation required Lady Duanmu to eat it, he would have to do that.
“Qing Shui, can you promise me one thing?” Lady Duanmu looked at Qing Shui and asked softly.
Qing Shui could only force a smile at Lady Duanmu. He knew what she was going to ask him to do, but he still promised anyway: “Please say it, madam. I will promise you anything as long as I am capable of doing it.”
“Really?”
“Really!”
“No going back on your own words?”
“No going back on my own words!”
“If I die, can you take care of Lingshuang for me? Please take her with you.” Lady Duanmu placed both her hands on Qing Shui’s head as she pleaded.
Her delicate face was about three inches away from Qing Shui, so he could feel a light fragrant air softly touching his face. It was hard to describe, but it was a comfortable feeling.
Qing Shui knew exactly what she meant by ‘taking care’ of Lingshuang. Sadly, he had no interest in that cold icy woman whatsoever, so by making that promise to Lady Duanmu, he was essentially digging his own grave. No one knew how long it would take to melt that icy demeanor of her daughter and to be frank, he would rather not waste a lot of time to do that.
Shi Qingzhuang was another cold beauty, but she was a bit different to Duanmu Lingshuang. The reason he tried very hard to melt her icy demeanor and used the same way to propose to her was so that she could be by his side. This was because the two of them were always entangled with each other from the beginning. In addition to the development of their relationship through sex, Qing Shui was even more adamant that she should never find another man other than himself.
During that time, he only had her by his side, which was why he liked her very much. But it was different for Duanmu Lingshuang’s case. Now he already had quite a number of wives, so he didn’t even think of taking Duanmu Lingshuang as his additional wife. He also gave up on flirting with other women, even if that woman was a beauty from the Portraits of Beauty. Qing Shui would feel terrible for Canghai Mingyue and the other ladies if he tried to do so.
“Madam, you will not die. Please believe me.” Qing Shui smiled. He didn’t make a direct promise to her.
“So you don’t want to help me?”
Lady Duanmu had a desolate expression when she looked at Qing Shui. Their faces were a fist apart, which was why Qing Shui could clearly see her jade-like skin on her cheeks. He couldn’t tell how old she was by her youthful appearance, but looking at how delicate her skin was, he couldn’t help but feel more attracted to Lady Duanmu than her own daughter. Her beauty and graceful attitude were the accumulated products of her glorious years of charms. A young woman would never be able to compare to that.
“If you promise me one thing, I will make that promise to you.” Qing Shui retained his smiles while circulating the Ancient Strengthening Technique through the Lingtai Acupoint into her body.
“What is it? Tell me, and I will promise you as long as I am capable.” At this point, Yu Ruyan had nothing to lose, so she naturally agreed to Qing Shui’s condition.
“Do not give up on your treatment. No matter what happens, you must always try your hardest to live. Do not give up on life, and most importantly, do not try to take your own life. You must also cooperate with me during your treatment. So whatever happens, remember that you are doing it for your daughter’s sake. No one could love your daughter more than you do. If you live on, your daughter will be the happiest woman in the world.” said Qing Shui calmly.
Yu Ruyan was shocked by his words for a brief moment before she nodded her head and said: “I promise you! Thank you!”
Within a few moments, Qing Shui was able to find that natural stalactite cave from the back of his Fire Bird. As they were closing on to the cave, he could sense a wave of Spiritual Qi flowing from the inside. Qing Shui picked up Yu Ruyan and slowly descended to the ground.
This area was a naturally formed mountain valley, with densely packed plants. However, the trees growing in this area were considerably short. However, that did not affect the idyllic scenery formed from the fragrant flowers and freely flying birds.
He strongly felt like he had left the mortal world and descended onto an immortal plain. He looked at the woman in his arms and imagined that he would be living a happy life if she was the love of his life.
“Were you thinking of your wife?” Yu Ruyan smirked while looking at Qing Shui.
“No!”
“Your expression tell me otherwise you know.”
Qing Shui remained silent. He couldn’t prove that kind of thing to her, because it proving it was impossible from the beginning. Moreover, there was no meaning to it even if he could prove such things to Yu Ruyan.
