https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-83-The-Condensation-Core-Realm-and-Beyond/12940982/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-85-Specialized-in-Killing-Legless-Serpents/12940984/
Chapter 84: Good Food, No Money, and Wine
Chapter 84: Good Food, No Money, and Wine
"Heh! Heh!"
No one knew how far it had flown, but the massive body of the water serpent twisted and convulsed before crashing to the ground, kicking up clouds of dust.
It transformed back into a human form.
Its body, covered in black scales, was riddled with fine, dark red wounds.
The hideous serpentine head gasped for breath, its sharp claws reaching downward. It was covered in blood, its body severed at the waist by the halberd, leaving only half of its body intact.
Its eyes were filled with panic and lingering fear.
Leaning against a tree, it let out a howl from its huge mouth, its crimson tongue protruding. The rough claws, covered in scales, became scorching hot, sealing the wound with a hissing sound.
From this day forth, there would be no more Zhang Hengzhou of Qingfeng Mountain, only the Sixth Prince of Yangchun River, the Water Serpent Demon King.
The prerequisite for this was... to escape back to Yangchun River.
Intense resentment and grudges gathered in its sinister eyes.
It was a three-thousand-year-old Condensation Core Realm demon, yet it appeared so feeble when facing Chen Qiankun.
"Demon Suppression Bureau! Demon Suppression Bureau!"
The water serpent gradually regained its strength, its face filled with intense jealousy. The Condensation Core Realm was divided into three stages: condensing essence into a pill, nourishing the pill in the sea of qi, and shattering the pill to nurture the spirit.
The most crucial step was the second one.
The pill was like a placenta, and when it first condensed, it only contained pure heavenly and earthly qi, like an empty egg. After shattering the pill, what would be born depended on what was used to nurture it.
If it was nourished with sword intent, qi, and essence, it would achieve the realm of the Grand Master of the Chaotic Primordial, and with this level, a demon could claim the title of a regional demon king.
However, among the more than ten great generals of the Demon Suppression Bureau, including the Qingzhou Commander, all but one took the shortcut of incense and faith.
They nourished their inner pills with the incense and faith of the Qingzhou people, waiting for the pill to hatch and give birth to a Yin spirit.
At this stage, one was no longer bound by martial arts, completely different from the Chaotic Primordial Realm, as they belonged to two separate paths, known as Martial Immortals.
In close combat, Martial Immortals were far inferior to Chaotic Primordial Realm Grand Masters, but they had their own mysteries, such as the Yin spirit leaving the body, roaming the four seas, and listening to the eight directions.
This was originally the path to godhood for mountain spirits and wild creatures, who built temples, accumulated faith, and achieved the status of mountain gods or river mothers, or even local deities.
But the warriors had learned this path, relying on the backing of the court, and under these advantageous conditions, they wantonly plundered the incense and faith.
How old was Chen Qiankun? Only eight hundred years old.
He had accumulated such a profound foundation solely based on the reputation of being a great general of the Demon Suppression Bureau in Linjiang Prefecture.
Although he couldn't kill demons from a thousand miles away, he could briefly manifest his Yin spirit, wield a sharp blade, and slash, almost taking his own life.
This indicated that the Martial Immortal within his inner pill was already taking shape, needing only time and tempering, quietly awaiting the moment when the pill shattered and the spirit emerged.
"Qingfeng Mountain can't hold him back!"
Despair filled the water serpent's eyes, and that boundless sword intent could trap the physical body, but how could it trap the Yin spirit?
Even the ancient ancestor of the Zhang family within the Ancestral Sword, a lingering soul, had relied on the essence of generations of disciples to prolong his life, thinking that the warriors' methods couldn't harm him, and he was safe and sound, daring to appear before Chen Qiankun... At this moment, he was probably also being killed by the old general's summoned Yin spirit.
"Escape!"
The water serpent finally regained some strength and dragged its broken body along the ground with its palms.
As long as it returned to Yangchun River, the dragon would return to the water. Even if Chen Qiankun or the true Martial Immortal, the Qingzhou Commander of the Demon Suppression Bureau, came, they could only gaze at the river in lament.
After accumulating a bit of a heroic reputation, with the title of a Qingfeng Mountain disciple, he had condensed his pill in the Sword Pool, succeeded the grandmaster, and if he continued on this path, he would have the opportunity to compete for incense and faith.
Reluctant to give up the identity of Zhang Hengzhou, he had lost half of his body! Even in his plight, to conceal his tracks, he didn't dare reveal his true form as a water serpent, a truly humiliating disgrace!
The water serpent desperately concealed its aura, and as it crawled along, it wasn't much slower than flying through the clouds, mainly due to the safety it provided.
Suddenly, its entire body trembled, and it raised its head to look at the crimson aura filling the sky ahead.
The sound of light footsteps reached its ears.
"Chen Qiankun, you've gone too far!"
The water serpent was like a startled bird, turning around abruptly, and its terrified voice held a hint of despair.
But then, it saw a figure that filled it with resentment.
The handsome youth was breathing heavily, his disheveled hair damp with sweat, sticking to his fair cheeks. His black robe fluttered slightly, and he tightly gripped the hilt of his blade. Endless killing intent surged in his deep, dark eyes.
Then, he stopped at a safe distance.
"It's you."
The water serpent was stunned, suddenly finding the situation hilarious, yet his heart ached.
Did he look so pathetic that even a Jade Dew Realm youngster dared to chase after him?
Seeing the youth standing firmly, the water serpent was puzzled, "You're just a captain, earning two hundred taels of salary each month. Why did you come alone?"
Shen Yi wiped the sweat from his forehead. He swore that ever since he opened his eyes in the Liu family, he had never exerted himself like this.
Fortunately, an unknown Qi connection allowed him to slowly catch up, even with his exhausted legs, and not lose track of his target.
As he thought this, he pressed his palm down.
The Heavenly Gale Bloodscurge suddenly descended, smashing onto the half-corpse of the Water Serpent Demon!
It was only at this moment that Shen Yi gradually caught his breath, and he softly explained, "Because you looked at me three times."
The scales on the Water Serpent Demon's back were blasted off by the aura, revealing countless cracks that gradually widened, and demonic flames licked at its flesh.
On the serpent's head, its expression remained unchanged, "You want to kill me just because you looked at me?"
"It was three times."
Shen Yi pursed his lips and calmly corrected the Water Serpent Demon, "Not only do I want to kill you, but I also want to kill your entire family."
He spoke from the depths of his heart.
In the Water Serpent Demon's eyes, Shen Yi saw malice and hatred, but he couldn't see any hope for his own survival.
Therefore, even if the Water Serpent Demon had a slim chance of escape, Shen Yi was determined to extinguish it personally.
Otherwise, he might face the revenge of the entire Yangchun River Crocodile Dragon Clan.
"Heh! Ha—"
The Water Serpent Demon remained silent for a long time, as if it had seen through Shen Yi's thoughts, and suddenly burst into laughter. Its body trembled, and it laughed so hard it couldn't catch its breath. It slammed its claws forward and roared, "You finally show some sense!"
Zhang Hengzhou was highly regarded by the Sage Master Qingfeng, who treated him like his own son, and indeed, there was a commonality in their personalities.
They both shared a strong protective instinct!
Moreover, the Water Serpent Demon was not a half-demon; it was a child born to the mother serpent before it left the Yangchun River. It couldn't bear to leave its young offspring, fearing that it would be bullied by other members of its clan, so it brought the child out of the river.
That was its only... true... offspring!
At this moment, the dense and familiar Qi emanating from the youth drove it to madness.
Even though it knew that Chen Qiankun might be chasing after them, it could easily deal with a Jade Dew Realm warrior without much effort.
"So what are you waiting for? Come and kill me!"
The Water Serpent Demon let out a piercing shriek and crawled forward again. It saw Shen Yi silently retreating a few steps, and then he raised his hand to summon another wave of Heavenly Gale Bloodscurge.
As it advanced, he retreated.
He matched its movements step for step, not deviating by a hair.
Water Serpent Demon: "..."
"Don't come any closer, I'm a little scared."
Shen Yi stood with his hands hanging by his sides, his voice calm and serene as he spoke the truth. Then, he raised his hand and summoned the third wave of Bloodscurge.
The previous battle between Condensation Core Masters had completely exceeded his understanding.
Therefore, he truly lacked confidence.
The Bloodscurge, which had never failed him before, seemed to have no effect on the Water Serpent Demon.
But Shen Yi firmly believed that accumulating small efforts would eventually bear fruit. If not, then it simply wasn't enough yet.
In the blink of an eye, after nearly twenty palm strikes, his face turned deathly pale.
As the power of the Bloodscurge increased, so did the consumption, far beyond what he could compare to before.
Countless aura strikes, like a raging storm, rained down on the Water Serpent Demon, and even the sky seemed to take on a dark red hue.
Just as the Water Serpent Demon thought Shen Yi was exhausted, he slowly held his breath.
He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his pupils shone with golden light.
The palm that had just paused for a moment was raised once more!
"What kind of demonic technique is this?"
Facing this incomprehensible scene, the Water Serpent Demon's face changed slightly, and it felt a sense of unease.
It felt the tearing pain on its back, its eyes cold and indifferent. After a moment of hesitation, it slowly turned around and crawled away.
Something was wrong! It had to leave!
"..."
The sound of footsteps echoed again.
The Water Serpent Demon suddenly turned its head, glaring angrily, but it could only hatefully retract its gaze and climb with even more effort.
However, the footsteps behind it remained steady, neither hurried nor slow, only stopping when the Water Serpent Demon turned its head. Shen Yi was ready to retreat at any moment, not giving it a chance to counterattack.
Along with this, an endless torrent of aura rain followed.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Water Serpent Demon's sturdy back was left with surging flames, and its countless wounds completely opened up, dark red demonic blood staining the ground.
Finally, it stopped moving and stared at the ghost-like youth who never left its side. Its pupils turned bloodshot, and it opened its mouth, revealing sharp fangs and a crimson tongue. It roared, "You're afraid of your mother!"
"Get lost!"
The opponent's ruthless attacks showed no sign of fear.
What kind of person was this? Did they have any dignity as a warrior? Were they bullying a disabled Water Serpent Demon?
(End of Chapter)
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