Chapter 8 Divine Sea Realm, 3rd Level
Lin chuqing wore a moon-white long dress. Her waist, delicate and slender, was bound by a colored ribbon that made her graceful figure stand out even more.
Her features were exquisitely perfect, snow-white skin glowing with a mesmerizing sheen. Her long black hair fell to her hips, and her tall, elegant frame swayed with every step.
Lin chuqing walked with lotus-like steps, as if she were the center of heaven and earth, draining all color from her surroundings.
"How beautiful!" Lin Chen watched in awe, his eyes fixed only on Lin chuqing.
He had not seen her for more than half a year. Now that they met again, she seemed even more transcendent, every movement carrying the charm of a goddess of the Ninth Heavens, or the authority of a queen ruling mortal fates.
"Heavenly spirit Dao body, really a Heavenly spirit Dao body. Damn, why didn't I meet her earlier?" He Ni's voice trembled with excitement and regret.
If she had met Lin chuqing earlier, Lin Chen would not be an issue.
"Is it still possible to take disciples now? No, it's too late!" He Ni glanced at Lin chuqing's cultivation and felt immediate disappointment.
"Xiao Chen." Lin chuqing's voice carried a force that instantly sobered Lin Chen.
"Ah, sister." Lin Chen returned to himself, looking at her with joy. "When did you come out of seclusion?"
"Half an hour ago." Lin chuqing's clear eyes shimmered with divine air, seeming to see through hearts.
She handed Lin Chen a mid-grade spirit sword, her beautiful face softening into a smile. "Well done, your foundation is solid. Your future will be bright. This is a gift of congratulations from your sister."
"Thank you, sister." Lin Chen accepted it happily. Being praised by her pleased him more than gaining a divine skill. Lin chuqing was cold by nature, and this was her first praise for him.
She gave a faint hum and asked, "Why did you cripple the clan disciples?"
"Oh, them? A bunch of trash. If they're crippled, so be it." Lin Chen shrugged indifferently.
"They are clan members, bound by blood, raised under the same roof. How can you treat them so?" Lin chuqing's voice turned cold.
Lin Chen did not care, but she could not accept that even kin were treated this way. Cultivation was bitter and arduous, costing endless sweat and effort. Crippling them was worse than killing them, stripping away their future, power, and lifespan.
This was forcing others into a corner. They would never forgive Lin Chen. If mishandled, the Lin family could crumble from within. In fact, it was already beginning to divide, only one spark away from collapse.
"Sister, they provoked me first." Lin Chen sneered. "I always believe—if people do not offend me, I do not offend them. If they offend me, I repay a hundredfold."
Lin chuqing fell silent, her clear eyes staring straight into him as if exposing all secrets and filth within. Lin Chen grew uneasy under her gaze.
"I will have the elders restrain them. You must also stop provoking them. Do not go out these next few days."
She shook her head in disappointment and turned to leave. Lin Chen had crippled his clanmates without remorse, even boasting of vengeance. Whether right or wrong, he acted as if the family was not falling apart fast enough.
Fortunately, she returned in time. There was still hope to save the Lin family.
"Sister, where are you going?" Lin Chen felt a sudden panic as she left. He believed he had done no wrong—why would Lin chuqing not support him?
…
"Roar!"
In the Demonic Beast Mountain Range, a peak Rank 2 blue python let out an earth-shaking roar. Cold air surged, freezing the entire valley in an instant.
A sweep of its tail shattered a mountain ridge, its ferocity overwhelming.
Gu Qing dodged, appearing at its side, and swung his long halberd down like a crescent moon. He did not use his Heaven-and-Earth momentum, nor did he reveal his manifestation.
With his Divine Sea Realm, 3rd Level strength, he fought evenly against the python, using it as a whetstone.
"Human, get out of my sight." The blue python no longer wished to fight Gu Qing.
In its eyes, Gu Qing was a freak. His blood energy was like a vast ocean, completely different from other humans.
It had lived for over a thousand years and killed countless humans, even slaying those at Divine Sea Realm, 9th Level Peak. Its icy cold aura could suppress enemies absolutely, even freezing them directly.
Yet the cold aura it was most proud of had no effect on Gu Qing. Moreover, Gu Qing's divine strength was terrifying beyond compare—every strike of his halberd injured it.
If the fight continued, it feared being beaten to death.
"Fine, take one strike from me and I will leave immediately."
Gu Qing put away the Golden Tiger Halberd. As a low-grade spirit artifact, its power was too limited to unleash his full strength. Fortunately, the system had rewarded him with an ultimate-grade spirit artifact—the Tiger Soul Halberd.
The moment it appeared, a fierce and murderous aura shot skyward, and a winged tiger slowly took form.
Originally, the blue python had sighed in relief when it heard Gu Qing's words, thinking it could finally escape this fiend without being extorted for elixirs.
But at the sight of the Tiger Soul Halberd, its heart sank to the bottom.
It was doomed.
Its instincts told it that it could not withstand Gu Qing's full-strength strike. Even if it managed to block, it would suffer severe injuries.
And would Gu Qing spare it if it was gravely wounded?
"Roar!"
The winged tiger bellowed, unleashing a soundwave that pulverized the surrounding trees and rocks into dust. The murderous aura spread far and wide.
Like a starving beast pouncing, the winged tiger charged at the blue python, carrying irresistible momentum.
The blue python's mind went blank, stunned by the soundwave. It never even knew when its head was cut off.
"No wonder this is an ultimate-grade Earth-rank martial technique. The soundwave can attack the enemy's soul and shake their spirit."
Gu Qing was extremely satisfied with the Tiger Soul Halberd and its halberd technique.
The halberd possessed the spirit of a winged tiger, making it far stronger than ultimate-grade spirit artifacts without a spirit.
The Tiger Soul Halberd Technique itself was overwhelmingly fierce. It could attack the soul, carried an innate aura of slaughter, shattered the spirit of enemies, and cut through all resistance with unmatched sharpness.
Combined together, the power was multiplied.
The peak Rank 2 blue python had not even withstood the first move of the halberd technique. Its might was evident.
"Blue Ice Lotus!"
Gu Qing stepped to the edge of the cold pool, his heart burning with excitement.
In the center of the pool grew a massive blue lotus, radiating a faint glow. It was sacred and beautiful, dreamlike and ethereal.
As he inhaled the lotus fragrance that filled the air, Gu Qing felt his entire body refreshed, his mind calm and serene.
The Blue Ice Lotus was a rare elixir that could improve bone quality, strengthen the body, and assist in breaking through realms.
It was also a supreme healing medicine. As long as one's breath remained, it could restore the body, flesh and bone alike.
Of course, its effects were strongest for cultivators below the Profound Core Realm. Above that, its efficacy gradually diminished.
Even so, the Blue Ice Lotus was extremely precious. A single seed could sell for at least several hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones.
The lotus and its root could fetch over a million.
This lotus had nine seeds. The blue python had eaten three, leaving six.
Gu Qing dug up the entire Blue Ice Lotus, sealed it in a jade box with restrictions to preserve its potency.
After finishing this, he dived deeper into the cold pool, continuing to search for treasures.
The Blue Ice Lotus required special conditions to grow, usually only in frozen lands.
Yet this was not such a place.
If it could grow here, there must be another ice-attribute treasure within.
Sure enough, at the bottom of the cold pool Gu Qing found a human-head-sized ore. It radiated extreme cold, almost freezing him solid on the spot.
He hurriedly sealed it in a jade box and asked the system.
"Godmother, what is this ore? System?"
[Ten-thousand-year Cold Iron Core, can be refined into an Earth-rank artifact!]
"I've struck it rich!"
Gu Qing was overjoyed.
Ore for refining artifacts was worth at least several million low-grade spirit stones.
Ore for Earth-rank artifacts could sell for tens of millions of high-grade spirit stones.
Killing the blue python this time was an immense profit.
Perhaps this was the benefit of great fortune—treasures appeared wherever he went.
In the past month, Gu Qing had collected countless rare ores and premium elixirs, including three sacred elixirs.
The blue python was simply the most rewarding prey.
Gu Qing shot out of the cold pool just as the system's voice rang out.
[Congratulations to the host for slaying the blue python. Reward: 100,000 mid-grade spirit stones.]
"Excellent!"
"Double drop bonus really is delightful."
Gu Qing happily gathered the spirit stones and stored the python's corpse in the Golden Gourd.
He thought back—over the past month he had killed more than twenty Rank 2 beasts, hundreds of Rank 1 beasts, plus the system's rewards.
With all this energy, he should be able to break through to the late stage of the Divine Sea Realm.
[Ding. Detected strong malice from Lin Chen toward the host. Attempting to plunder host's fortune. Triggered Super Rebound. Lin Chen loses 1000 fortune.]
"What?"
He hadn't gone looking for trouble with Lin Chen, yet Lin Chen had targeted him first.
It seemed Lin Chen had made great progress in the past two months. As expected of a so-called protagonist, he must be planning to challenge across realms.
"Very well. It is time to return. The demonic beast liquid in the Golden Gourd is enough to last me a long time."
Gu Qing soared into the sky, leaving the Demonic Beast Mountain Range.