Chapter 132: "This is the Power of a Spell Cultivator!"

Chapter 132: "This is the Power of a Spell Cultivator!"

As the three Golden Core Sea Demons stepped onto the inland, one of them with a fierce expression raised its weapon and roared, signaling an even more ferocious assault from the sea demons.

The overwhelming demon qi almost suffocated everyone.

At that moment—

The number of sea demons emerging from the sea gradually decreased.

"It's about time."

Chen Qiu, holding the Celestial Omnipotent Umbrella, opened it above his head, gazing down at the dense crowd of sea demons below. Then, with a surge of spirit qi, the already cloudy sky darkened further with a thick layer of clouds.

This layer of clouds plunged the entire world into darkness.

The sea turned black, and visibility was nearly impossible, forcing everyone to use their spirit sense to perceive their surroundings.

The world became as dark as an endless icy plain.

At the same time, nearly thirty thousand lightning dragons with purple-blue electric arcs surged and roared in the dark clouds above, amidst the deafening thunder.

"Here it comes! Here it comes!!"

The bald Golden Core Spell Cultivator at the back pointed excitedly at the tens of thousands of lightning dragons in the clouds, his voice trembling with excitement, "The senior is using that move! This is it! This is how a Spell Cultivator should be!"

"This is the power of a Spell Cultivator!"

"Go."

Chen Qiu, standing proudly on the cliff overlooking the countless sea demons below, spoke softly. Then, a storm surged, and heavy rain poured down like a thousand-foot waterfall, crashing onto the sea demons below.

His spirit sense expanded without reservation, locking onto three thousand demon beasts.

Chen Qiu also tested the limits of his spirit sense, finding that at his Second Stage Golden Core cultivation, he could automatically lock onto three thousand targets simultaneously, which was the upper limit.

Of course, with further cultivation and the expansion of his sea of spirit sense, this number would continue to increase.

But he was just experimenting; at this moment, he didn't need to use spirit sense locks. The sea demons below were too densely packed; a blanket indiscriminate bombardment would suffice, making spirit sense locks redundant.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!!!"

Nearly thirty thousand lightning dragons surged from the dark clouds, slamming into the sea demons on the ground. Each dragon was several dozen zhang long and wide, resembling heavenly thunderbolts.

Thirty thousand thunderbolts struck the sea demons on the ground.

The onlookers witnessed the most awe-inspiring scene of their lives.

When the thirty thousand lightning dragons, carrying purple-blue electric arcs, slammed into the sea demons and exploded almost simultaneously, the deafening blasts rendered everyone momentarily deaf, unable to hear anything.

They could only see the blinding light piercing through the clouds above, once again enveloping the entire world.

Their eyes could only capture this one scene.

Countless sea demons' flesh and blood were blasted into the air, then fell like a bloody rain, splashing onto the ground and disappearing into the sea.

With just one strike.

Below, a vast crater had formed, with seawater pouring in, gradually creating a lake.

The three Golden Core Sea Demons didn't even have a chance to strike; they turned to ashes along with the Foundation Establishment and Qi Condensation Sea Demons below, unable to withstand such concentrated heavenly punishment.

Golden Core Sea Demons and Qi Condensation Sea Demons were no different.

They were all cannon fodder.

From a certain perspective, this could be considered equality for all.

The numerous cultivators who had retreated from the battlefield stood in shock, their eyes filled with disbelief. They had witnessed the might of Golden Core powerhouses before, but never had they experienced such terrifying pressure from one.

Even as mere spectators, their legs trembled. Was such a scene of heavenly thunderbolts even possible for a human to create?

Many had seen Chen Qiu's display in the Talent Realm through Shadow Stones, but that experience lacked the oppressiveness of this moment, and this time, they were witnessing it firsthand.

Not only could they witness this awe-inspiring scene, but they could also physically feel the immense pressure, accompanied by the stench of blood and the sea breeze carrying the pungent smell of blood, amidst the raging storm under the dark clouds.

It was incredibly realistic.

After the Talent Realm incident, many had thought the Seventh Prince was too timid, retreating from the realm without even unsheathing his sword. But now, having experienced this firsthand, they could somewhat understand the Seventh Prince's reaction upon seeing the Ten Thousand Lightning Dragons when he was about to make his move.

Any hesitation might have cost him his life in the realm, instead of allowing him to retreat.

Meanwhile—

Many cultivators with quick wits had already taken out their Shadow Stones to record this breathtaking scene. Perhaps even Chen Qiu didn't know that many in the Great Xia Country were profiting from his exploits.

If Chen Qiu were to meet an untimely end, countless people would be heartbroken.

Families specializing in Shadow Stone production were overwhelmed with orders.

Some cultivators were recording the scene to sell the footage to merchants for a high price, who would then mass-produce copies of the Shadow Stones for sale.

Storytellers would always have a full house when narrating Chen Qiu's tale, and everyone would listen with rapt attention.

The reason was that Chen Qiu's rise to power perfectly aligned with the fantasies of the masses.

An ordinary wandering cultivator suddenly rose to prominence, transforming from a woodcutter to the Great Xia's Peerless Spell Cultivator Heaven's Pride, within a mere few dozen days. He forged a Fifth Rank Celestial Ultimate Golden Core, received the title of Celestial Sage, and dominated the Heaven's Pride Ranking with an overwhelming and invincible posture.

His journey was filled with twists and turns, a perfect tale for storytelling.

The storytellers' dramatic narration, accompanied by the rhythmic tapping of their gavels, captivated the audience, and soon, almost every storyteller in the Great Xia was narrating Chen Qiu's story.

Apart from that, people from various industries were also profiting from Chen Qiu's fame. For instance, the rural gang leader from Fufeng City, who was once killed by Chen Qiu, had his body dug up by his fellow gang members. They displayed the corpse outside the city, claiming it to be the first person Chen Qiu killed on his path to prominence.

For a fee of ten taels of silver, they would chop off a piece of the corpse, believing that even a small part of the body could bring good fortune, especially if it was from the same person Chen Qiu had defeated during his rise.

These rural gang members were bold, unlike the Huang family from Fufeng City, who had a previous grudge with Chen Qiu. They had long since sold their property and fled in the night, hiding in an obscure location, fearing that Chen Qiu might remember them and seek revenge.

Nearly thirty thousand Lightning Dragons descended with precision, leaving no gap as they struck the densely packed Sea Demons below. After the seawater quickly filled the deep craters created by the dragons, not a single Sea Demon remained.

Only scattered flesh and blood, not yet washed away by the seawater, remained.

The air was thick with an intense bloody scent.

Chen Qiu, floating in the air, continuously teleported for over two hundred and thirty breaths, restoring his spirit qi to its maximum. This took longer than before, as his previous all-out attack had nearly wiped out all the Sea Demons below.

Hovering in the air, Chen Qiu looked down at the blood-red lake below and couldn't help but chuckle lightly.

That single attack had killed nearly four hundred thousand Sea Demons!

His dantian expanded directly to four hundred and sixty thousand li, an extremely exaggerated number, growing from its original size of twenty thousand li to four hundred and sixty thousand li after a single Sea Demon invasion!

The vast liquid spirit qi in his dantian was now as vast as an ocean, more than he could ever use.

To put it in perspective:

If he were to transform all this liquid spirit qi into Lightning Dragons and launch them simultaneously, he could unleash a strike of around two hundred and thirty thousand dragons. Each dragon would possess the power equivalent to the full force of an ordinary Golden Core Second Stage cultivator.

The Lightning Summoning Art had never been his most powerful skill; it was merely a standard attack. When facing opponents whose cultivation far surpassed his, the Lightning Summoning Art was often less effective than a self-detonating formula.

However, his ordinary attack had now gained a slight boost.

The number of Lightning Dragons had increased.

Additionally, due to the "Spirit Qi Pressure" formula, which made spirit qi capacity and spell power directly proportional, his Lightning Summoning Art had also strengthened, albeit slightly.

There was not much change overall.

Just then—

The sea surface began to churn violently again. Perhaps aware that sending more cannon fodder would only result in death, after a few breaths, a Golden Core First Stage Sea Demon emerged from the depths!

One, two, three... Nine!

Nine Golden Core Sea Demons stepped out from the sea, the tallest among them reaching the terrifying Golden Core Fourth Stage!

But it didn't end there.

These Golden Core Sea Demons, after emerging from the sea, didn't immediately attack. Instead, they glared at Chen Qiu, who stood high above them, their eyes filled with murderous intent. Then, a female Golden Core Sea Demon in human form, naked, emerged as the grand finale.

Astonishingly, this female Sea Demon possessed a cultivation base at the Golden Core Fifth Stage!

She raised her head, her eyes devoid of emotion, and let out a piercing roar. Instantly, countless pink mists enveloped Chen Qiu.

". . ."

Chen Qiu glanced at the pink mist beside him, and his divine sense detected that these mists had hallucinogenic effects, but they were useless against him due to the Celestial Sage's influence, rendering such illusions meaningless.

He then turned his gaze to the nine Golden Core Sea Demons rushing towards him and the female Golden Core Sea Demon standing behind them.

Holding the Celestial Omnipotent Umbrella, he laughed lightly as his robe flapped wildly in the storm.

He, too, was curious to see the spectacle of twenty-three thousand Lightning Dragons striking simultaneously.

His index finger trembled slightly.

The dark clouds above thickened, and the raging wind and rain intensified. Countless spirit qi slowly drifted out from Chen Qiu's body, merging into the air, causing subtle changes throughout the world as spirit qi fluctuations rippled through the heavens and earth.

"Senior, can you hold on?"

The bald Golden Core Spell Cultivator standing behind them flashed a hint of worry in his eyes and said anxiously, "There are nine Golden Core Sea Demons, including two at the Fourth Stage and three at the Third Stage."

"And that's not counting the strongest one standing behind them, a Fifth Stage Golden Core Sea Demon!"

"Senior, even if you can fight across cultivation levels, can you handle so many at once?"

"No!"

The bald Golden Core Spell Cultivator shook his head vigorously, gritting his teeth. His spirit qi leaked out uncontrollably, and he raised both hands above his head, roaring furiously. A massive thunderball, dozens of zhang in size and composed of countless arcs of lightning, slowly formed above his head.

Then, he transformed into a golden light and shot towards Chen Qiu, shouting, "Senior, I'll lend you a hand!"

However, the next moment!

The Spell Cultivator's face paled, and he hastily discarded the thunderball he had struggled to gather. He forcibly stopped his body in mid-air and transformed into a streak of light, fleeing in the direction he had come from at an even faster speed!

His face contorted in fear as he screamed in terror.

"Run!!!

"Run!"

But before he could finish, the two Spell Cultivators standing behind, along with a large group of Foundation Establishment Cultivators, had already turned pale with fear and were fleeing in the opposite direction without a backward glance!

Above them, in the dark clouds—

Countless Lightning Dragons, as dense as loaches in a muddy pond, churned in the clouds. The deafening thunder reverberated throughout the world, and the dragons filled an area of several dozen li.

Looking up, he saw hundreds of thousands of lightning dragons carrying an extremely terrifying aura, surging within the dark clouds!

This range even enveloped the Foundation Establishment Cultivators who were originally watching from a distance.

If they didn't escape now, there was no need to escape at all.

The senior didn't need his support; he only needed to flee fast enough to avoid being accidentally crushed to death along with the Golden Core Sea Demon.

However, it must be said that there will never be a shortage of fearless individuals in this world.

Even in such a critical situation, there were still Foundation Establishment Cultivators with faces full of terror, their bodies trembling as they stood at what they believed to be the safest distance, activating all their bodyguard talismans and artifacts, holding a Shadow Stone aimed at Chen Qiu, who was standing below the thundercloud holding the Celestial Omnipotent Umbrella.

Their bodies were already trembling uncontrollably, but they still clenched their teeth, not daring to move.

They were willing to risk severe injuries, near-death, or even possible death, just to record this scene. If they could record it, a large group of people would pay a high price to buy it from them.

This scene was absolutely shocking!

"Hmm."

Chen Qiu glanced at the nine Golden Core Cultivators who were about to reach him, then looked up at the lightning dragons filling the sky above him and smiled lightly. His divine sense suddenly spread out, automatically locking onto the thirteen Golden Core Sea Demons, including the female Golden Core Sea Demon at the back.

But just at that moment—

His divine sense automatically locked onto three more Golden Core Sea Demons.

Three Golden Core Sea Demons, who had never appeared within his line of sight, were now hidden behind him, ready to launch an attack. Feeling that they had been locked onto by his divine sense, they no longer remained hidden and roared as they stabbed towards his back!

In an instant!

The nine Golden Core Sea Demons in front of him charged towards him, while the three behind him stabbed at his back!

And below, the fifth-level Golden Core female Sea Demon stood, ready to strike at any moment.

If any second-level Golden Core Cultivator were here, it would be a deadly crisis. However, Chen Qiu merely raised his eyebrows slightly, standing high in the sky with the Celestial Apex Umbrella, his index finger trembling slightly as he revealed a gentle smile.

Then—

Hundreds of thousands of lightning dragons roared towards the thirteen Golden Core Sea Demons locked onto by his divine sense amidst the ear-splitting thunder!

The Lightning Summoning Art had only one advantage—instant activation.

In the blink of an eye, the deafening explosion sounded below, and Chen Qiu's black robe fluttered violently in the gust of wind. The originally dim and dark world instantly lit up like daylight! Countless seawater was blasted into the sky, reaching dozens of zhang high.

When the seawater that had been blasted into the sky slowly fell back to the ground, there was no sign of the Golden Core Sea Demons; only a huge crater remained, and the small fish city had disappeared, becoming a part of the crater.

Countless seawater poured into this enormous crater.

With just this one strike!

The thirteen Golden Core Sea Demons were almost all dead, except for the fifth-level female Sea Demon, who was now severely injured and unconscious in the seawater, not dead yet. The other Sea Demons were also nearly finished.

Chen Qiu waved his hand, and a vast amount of spirit qi enveloped the severely injured and unconscious female Golden Core Sea Demon, bringing her into the Little World to give to Fat Dragon. When he had locked onto this female Sea Demon with his divine sense earlier, he had intentionally held back; otherwise, this Sea Demon would have been like the others, not even leaving a piece of flesh behind.

Fat Dragon and the others had already been brought into the Little World by Chen Qiu.

The cliff where he had been standing had already collapsed, turning into powder and flowing into the sea.

It must be said that every time he acted, the environmental damage seemed quite significant.

He waited in the air for a long time, but not a single Sea Demon stepped onto the land. The seawater gradually receded and calmed down, and the continuous dark clouds soon dissipated. Then, accompanied by a voice, a sound rang out in everyone's ears, signaling the end of the Sea Tribe's invasion!

-

"Celestial Mandate Scroll": The Sea Tribe's invasion has ended, and the Great Xia has achieved a complete victory.

The Human Cultivator, the Mock Heaven Sect Leader, the Celestial Sage, and the Peerless Prodigy Chen Qiu, with his strength, single-handedly slaughtered hundreds of thousands of Sea Tribe members, protecting the lives of the people in Sea Province.

Such a magnanimous strength and benevolence earned the admiration of the people, who should take this as an example.

-

"It's over."

Chen Qiu glanced at the devastated area below as the seawater receded, and the huge crater directly formed an inland sea. The terrain had completely changed from when he had arrived.

After spending hundreds of breaths to replenish his spirit qi, he released the scholars and the others from the Little World, and they transformed into streams of light, shooting towards the nearest city.

He felt that the battle had been quite exhausting.

He was a bit hungry.

After eating something and finding a place to rest, he could also put the reconstruction of the Mock Heaven Sect on the agenda and find an engineering team to repair the collapsed buildings of the sect.

After Chen Qiu left, the Foundation Establishment Cultivators who had been watching the battle waited until all the dark clouds dissipated, and the world returned to its bright state. Only then did their pale faces gradually regain a hint of color, and they looked at each other.

Gathering their courage, they walked towards the inland sea where the seawater had receded.

From a distance, the inland sea didn't seem that big.

Only by standing at the edge of the inland sea could they realize the enormity of the crater Chen Qiu had created. The inland sea, washed by the seawater, no longer showed any traces of blood, and occasionally, one could see pieces of flesh that hadn't been washed away, floating on the surface.

The ground, soaked in seawater, was slightly soft.

Stepping on the ground, one could feel their bodies sinking slightly.

"Congratulations."

A Golden Core Cultivator, bare-chested and unarmed, stood at the edge of the inland sea, his face filled with a complex expression as he looked into the distance across the inland sea. Then, he turned his head to look at the bald Spell Cultivator beside him, bloodstains at the corners of his mouth.

"You've become the most severely injured person in this grand battle."

Before the Golden Core Sea Demon landed, a group of Foundation Establishment and Qi Condensation Sea Demons, under the watchful eyes of several Golden Core cultivators, naturally suffered almost no injuries, especially since they were constantly retreating and not engaging in close combat.

When the Golden Core Sea Demon landed, the seniors also arrived, and naturally, they no longer needed these cultivators.

But this bald Spell Cultivator!

Fearing that the seniors might not be able to defeat the demon, he held a huge ball of lightning and charged forward. Just as he reached the seniors' side, he noticed them unleashing their ultimate move. He immediately stopped in his tracks, forcefully blocking the surging Spirit Qi from his meridians and causing his body to freeze in midair. He then turned around and shot back in the direction he had come from.

Having suffered significant internal injuries, he was still bleeding from his mouth.

"Spell Cultivators are so fragile."

The bare-chested man couldn't help but sigh in amazement, "No one even touched you, yet you look like you're about to shatter yourself."

"Who are you talking about?"

The bald Spell Cultivator glared at the man, his face cold and unconvinced, "The senior is also a Spell Cultivator. Is he fragile?"

"The senior is a senior, and you are you."

This scene had already been recorded in its entirety by a brave person using a Shadow Stone, and indeed, this brave person's gamble paid off. With Chen Qiu's Spirit Sense Lock, the attack did not affect a large area, and all the lightning was directed towards the Sea Demon that he had locked onto.

The contents of the Shadow Stone were quickly replicated multiple times and then rapidly spread throughout the Great Xia Dynasty at a viral speed!

If there was one person in the Great Xia Dynasty right now who was the most famous and the subject of the hottest discussions, it could only be one person.

Chen Qiu.

A legend who rose from humble beginnings, climbing to the top as the strongest Spell Cultivator and Heaven's Pride of the Great Xia Dynasty in just a few dozen days!

"Huff!"

At this moment, within the Jingzhou Ten Thousand Mile Mountains, the Seventh Prince, who had been practicing the sword for a long time and was drenched in sweat, felt extremely fatigued, but his eyes were filled with excitement. He had found a way to defeat Chen Qiu!

After his defeat at Chen Qiu's hands, he had thought long and hard about how to counter that move.

He had experienced that move twice.

The first time, it had struck him, and the second time, just as it was about to hit him again, he had relied on his keen judgment to escape in time. During the first strike, when ten thousand lightning dragons had descended upon him, he realized that nearly half of them were illusions.

They had the appearance of lightning dragons but lacked any real power.

Moreover, he noticed that Chen Qiu's Spirit Sense had not locked onto him, and the lightning dragons had no specific target; they were simply striking in his direction!

In other words, Chen Qiu's Spirit Sense Lock was not his forte.

All he needed to do was find a Spiritual Treasure that could evade Spirit Sense Lock, ensure that Chen Qiu's Spirit Sense still couldn't lock onto him the next time, and instead of defending, charge forward to meet the lightning dragons head-on!

In theory, even if ten thousand lightning dragons struck him, he would only need to withstand at most a dozen or so real lightning dragons, half of which were illusions, and then rely on his Bodyguard Artifact to rush through and reach Chen Qiu!

The last time, he was only trapped in the arena and couldn't fight back, resulting in a one-sided beating.

The tens of thousands of lightning dragons could only cause a chain reaction of massive damage by striking the ground and creating a huge Spirit Qi fluctuation. But if he charged forward before the lightning dragons landed, he would only need to face a dozen or so real lightning dragons.

The rest of the lightning dragons would simply pass by him.

This was the strategy he had devised to counter Chen Qiu's Ten Thousand Thunder Strike!

"If there's another chance to fight..."

The Seventh Prince stood tall, holding his sword upright and pointing it at a withered tree beside him. A glint of battle intent flashed in his eyes as he muttered, "This time, I will defeat you!"

Just then—

"Your Highness, the Seventh Prince."

A maid by his side approached nervously, bowing her head as she spoke softly, "I know you're practicing the sword, Your Highness, but you said that if there was any news about Chen Qiu, I should come and report it to you immediately, no matter what you were doing."

"Hmm."

The Seventh Prince sheathed his sword, took a deep breath, and sat cross-legged on the ground with a solemn expression. He took the Shadow Stone from the maid and began watching. Chen Qiu, as his strongest peer opponent in this lifetime, required constant research into his latest news to ensure that he could face him without fear in their next encounter.

He wanted to see what new information there was about Chen Qiu.

Recently, there had only been an invasion by the Sea Tribe, and Chen Qiu had undoubtedly gone to deal with it. With Chen Qiu's Ten Thousand Thunder Strike, killing some cannon-fodder Sea Demons was indeed very effective.

The scene from the Shadow Stone was projected into the air.

In the image, the Sea Tribe had just finished assembling, and Chen Qiu, dressed in a black robe, stood proudly under the Celestial Omnipotent Umbrella, his Spirit Qi fluctuations indicating that he had already reached the second stage of the Golden Core.

"So fast?!"

The Seventh Prince's eyes widened in surprise. Just a few days ago, Chen Qiu had barely broken through the first stage of the Golden Core. Now, after just a few days of not seeing him, he had reached the second stage, the same cultivation level as the Seventh Prince himself.

How could he have advanced so quickly?

He had broken through to the Golden Core at the age of 17 and was now 19, still at the second stage. It was estimated that he would need at least another month to reach the third stage. His cultivation speed was already considered extremely fast.

Every day, he cultivated using a Spirit Gathering Formation made from Medium-grade Spirit Stones.

Additionally, he regularly consumed Golden Core Cultivation Pills refined by the Golden Core cultivators in the palace, and the capital itself was a place rich in Spirit Qi. All of this contributed to his rapid cultivation speed.

How could Chen Qiu be so much faster than him?

But soon—

The surprise in his eyes faded away, and his gaze became determined again, with a glint of battle intent resurfacing. Even if Chen Qiu was at the same cultivation level, so what? As a young Heaven's Pride, he had never encountered a Heaven's Pride worthy of being his opponent.

Chen Qiu was qualified!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end