The middle-aged cultivator, who had originally intended to watch the show, saw Ming Qi's overwhelming advantage after performing the Blood Shadow Step. He cornered Duan Feng in the blink of an eye, and couldn't help but admire his calm demeanor and exceptional ruthlessness.
Duan Feng was one of the most gifted disciples in the Wandering Soul Valley, and following him this time, he couldn't afford to make any mistakes.
The hook the middle-aged cultivator summoned was none other than his spiritual-level magical weapon, the Melting Gold Yin Snake Hook. It was a strange weapon crafted from refined underground iron, infused with sharp Yin-Gold energy, and forged with countless snake souls. Though seemingly ordinary in appearance, its inherent ingenuity was unparalleled.
As he summoned the Melting Gold Yin Snake Hook, the middle-aged cultivator injected a stream of Yuan Qi into it, causing it to suddenly grow in size. Circles of golden light emanated from the hook, which instantly coalesced into a Yin Snake.
The Yin Snake looked vivid, yet it exuded an endless, sinister aura that was incredibly creepy.
As the Yin Snake emerged, it rushed towards Ming Qi with lightning speed, but chose not to attack him directly. Instead, it pounced on the Star God phantom he had conjured.
The White Tiger phantom, formed from seven wisps of sword energy, instantly faded under the Yin Snake's impact.
Seeing this, Ming Qi, without a second thought, immediately leaped away with the Blood Shadow Step.
This was the first time he had witnessed a congenitally powerful cultivator in action. Shocked by their power, Ming Qi rapidly pondered how to respond to the current situation.
From Ming Qi's Blood Shadow Step, forcing Duan Feng into a desperate situation, to the middle-aged cultivator's use of the Molten Gold Yin Snake Hook to dislodge the Yin Snake, all took only a few breaths, a remarkably brief moment. Fortunately, Zi Yuan, despite struggling, would not be instantly defeated.
Ming Qi thought rapidly. The most important enemy right now wasn't Duan Feng or Zi Yue, but this innate master who wielded a spiritual weapon!
Although Ming Qi knew the longsword in his hand was at least spiritual weapon-level, he possessed only acquired strength and couldn't fully unleash its power. Otherwise, how could Duan Feng still be alive?
He could only think, but Ming Qi set aside unrealistic considerations.
At this moment, the middle-aged cultivator attacked. The Yin Snake, fueled by its innate energy, completely devoured Ming Qi's sword energy in less than a breath. Then, the Yin Snake twisted mid-air and flew directly towards Ming Qi.
"Thank you, Protector Mo, for saving my life."
As the Yin Snake devoured the sword energy, Duan Feng had seized the opportunity to hide behind the middle-aged cultivator, Protector Mo. Even now, Ming Qi, shrouded in a brilliant red glow, still felt a lingering fear.
"It's a shame I haven't reached the innate realm. Otherwise, how could I be so frustrated!"
Duan Feng's heart was filled with resentment, and his eyes were filled with hatred as he looked at Ming Qi.
"But what a pity! Protector Mo will surely make your life worse than death."
Duan Feng retreated and stood quietly. His previous forced absorption of the ghost spirit had severely strained his mental strength, and his gloomy face had now turned a pale shade. He had no intention of going up to help Zi Yue subdue Zi Yuan. He believed that even without his involvement, Zi Yuan would ultimately be unable to escape. For now, he was quite happy to watch the fate of the man who had once so embarrass him.
The Yin Snake turned, and Ming Qi didn't hesitate. He raised his sword and swung it with all his might. Streams of blood-red sword energy surged out, instantly filling the space before him.
Powered by his blood energy, Ming Qi's sword energy experienced a qualitative leap. As his long hair flew, he could see the blood-red sword energy actually resist the swirling Yin Snake, the two colliding with a sizzling sound.
Ming Qi's acquired foundation was incredibly solid, and his ability to currently fight with his unparalleled blood control technique and innate energy was entirely due to this.
The innate regards the acquired as a giant regards an ant. This has become almost a rule among cultivators, but at this moment, Ming Qi actually managed to block the attack of a powerful innate cultivator on his own.
This was something beyond the norm, and even Protector Mo was surprised.
"Since one Yin Snake isn't enough, then capture several!"
Protector Mo was only slightly surprised to see his Yin Snake blocked. With a flick of his finger, several more strands of innate energy merged into the Molten Gold Yin Snake Hook.
Six strands of Yin-Gold Qi immediately erupted from the Molten Gold Yin Snake Hook, condensing into snakes.
With one Yin Snake, Ming Qi could have managed to resist, but with six more, he had no confidence to resist.
Unable to resist, Ming Qi immediately chose to dodge.
However, his avoidance wasn't an unconscious evasion; it was a deliberate move in the direction of Zi Yuan's siege.
In a battle between the acquired and the innate realms, endurance is tested, the limits of the physical body are tested. Above the innate realm, energy is measured.
He believed that as long as he could hold out long enough, once the opponent's energy was exhausted, even a formidable innate cultivator would be doomed.
Continuing to march with the unpredictable Blood Shadow Step, Ming Qi completely ignored the seven Yin Snakes that swooped down from the sky. His body instantly flashed outside Zi Yuan's battle group, the longsword in his hand transforming continuously, sending several blasts of sword energy flying, striking the three female cultivators in the encirclement.
After mastering the blood control technique, Ming Qi's sword energy had clearly reached a higher level. Against a cultivator of the sixth or seventh level of the acquired realm, such sword energy could be described as crushing.
Puff!
Two sounds of flesh tearing echoed as two female cultivators were struck by the sword energy almost simultaneously, while the third one narrowly avoided Ming Qi's attack.
With two screams, the female cultivator struck by Ming Qi's sword energy instantly lost control of her body and flew backward.
Having instantly wounded two people, Zi Yuan's pressure was relieved considerably.
"You, you're courting death!"
Seeing the two followers crippled, Zi Yue's face was icy with rage. He waved his dual blades, ignoring Zi Yuan and lunging directly at Ming Qi.
Ming Qi remained silent, swinging his sword, wielding streams of sword energy from various angles.
At the same time, Protector Mo's seven Yin Snakes surged forward.
"Transform blood into Qi!"
Ming Qi's eyes gleamed coldly, and with a flick of his sword, the two female cultivators, who had been knocked to the ground, were horrified to discover, before they could even struggle to their feet, that their blood was uncontrollably gushing out of their bodies.
"Ah!"
An even more shrill scream rose to the sky.
They watched with eyes filled with disbelief and despair as their blood flew out, transforming into a bloody mist in the air before merging completely into Ming Qi's sword!
Transforming blood into qi is precisely the technique used in the Blood Control Technique to absorb the power of blood and qi.
The power contained in the fresh blood of a cultivator is naturally pure and powerful.
The infusion of fresh energy imbued Ming Qi's longsword with an even more bloody glow, even imbued with a strange, eerie hue.
Crimson, brutality, murder!
A myriad of auras permeated the air, causing even Ming Qi's own qi and energy to surge.
This wasn't an aversion to blood and qi, but rather a pure affinity for it that had reached its peak. Ming Qi knew this was a terrifying truth: if he lost control of this blood and qi, his entire body would be drained of its blood and qi, the same result as if he had been drained of blood by someone using the Blood Control Technique.
Swish!
Ming Qi raised his longsword high, and a vast, brilliant sword energy soared into the air, sweeping towards the Yin Snake. Hiss!
The Yin Snake, formed from the condensed Yin-Gold Qi, instantly let out a piercing scream. Then, a Yin Snake, completely struck by the sword energy, instantly faded and vanished!
He had actually shattered a Yin Snake!
Ming Qi knew that it was precisely because he had trained his body to the utmost that it was able to withstand the blood and energy that threatened to burst his body, and thus shatter Protector Mo's Yin Snake.
Under the control of a powerful Innate cultivator, the Yin Snakes spawned from the Molten Gold Yin Snake Hook imbued themselves with powerful Innate Yuan Energy, a Normally Acquired Cultivator would be completely unable to contend with them. Ming Qi had shattered a Yin Snake with a single sword strike, and it could be said that his combat power was now on par with that of an Innate cultivator.
An Acquired versus an Innate—an impossible feat, to begin with—was originally a myth, yet Ming Qi had achieved it.
However, this wasn't the end. The blood and energy within Ming Qi continued to surge, like a ferocious beast in a rage, unable to calm down until he unleashed the raging power within him.
Buzz!
The Nifeng Sword emitted a crisp humming sound, sending out blood-red ripples as Ming Qi's even more powerful sword energy began to brew.
But even after witnessing a Yin Snake being shattered, Protector Mo remained remarkably calm.
"The show has only just begun," he said, jokingly glancing at Ming Qi, whose entire body exuded an eerie blood-red hue. Then, he saw the Molten Gold Yin Snake Hook before him suddenly tremble, its two barbed hooks suddenly opening.
"Yin Snake Dance!"
After witnessing Ming Qi's unexpected combat prowess, Protector Mo finally got serious and unleashed his first magical power.
Any magical power is based on Yuanli. The infusion of Yuanli, and the amount of Yuanli injected, directly affects the power of the power. Another distinct characteristic of magical powers is the implicit implication of their attributes. Protector Mo's Yin Snake Dance, inspired by the spiritual weapon Molten Gold Yin Snake Hook, naturally imbued with the attributes of Yin Metal. Yin Metal Qi was chilling yet sharp, its ferocity tinged with a subtle feminine quality. While it lacked the sharpness of pure Yang Metal Qi, or true Metal Qi, its added feminine quality made it a formidable opponent, like a leech on the heel.
Protector Mo urged this massive amount of Yuan Energy to merge, and the Molten Gold Yin Snake Hook quivered in mid-air, its barbs unfurling. Then, enveloped by the rich innate Yuan Energy, it suddenly came to life, the entire spiritual weapon transforming into a massive python with a majestic head and fangs laced with poison.
The enormous Yin Snake roared repeatedly, its sharp fangs flashing with a cold light, even stirring a gust of fishy wind.
The moment this enormous Yin Snake appeared, Ming Qi felt an inexplicable pressure, a pressure entirely from the Yin Snake soaring through the air. As for the smaller Yin Snakes from earlier, they now seemed insignificant.
Without hesitation, Ming Qi activated his Blood Shadow Step to its fullest potential, weaving through the chaotic swarm of Yin Snakes.