Chapter 68: Crossing the Red Line!

Killing an enemy chieftain can earn one eighty spirit stones, and it is safe to imagine that there must also be a considerable amount of merit involved.

If this enemy chieftain had not been encountered by Xu Qing, and he had not taken action against them, then so be it.

But he had already severely wounded the target and was on the verge of capturing them, yet the other party had forcibly attacked him to snatch the credit; this kind of matter caused murderous intent to fill Xu Qing’s eyes.

However, it was too late to chase after them now, and the blue giant hand transformed from the talisman treasure was also whistling toward him from behind.

Seeing that the merman youth was about to succeed, Xu Qing instantly formed seals, and immediately, a large number of water droplets appeared around the merman youth, forming a giant jellyfish that whistled away.

"A petty trick!"

The merman youth sneered, his figure not pausing in the slightest. A flash of light appeared outside his body, instantly manifesting a layer of protection. He let the jellyfish approach and strike; his protection was extremely strong, causing the incoming jellyfish to collapse on its own.

But he had clearly underestimated Xu Qing’s jellyfish.

Following the collapse, the countless water droplets that made up the jellyfish’s body did not dissipate, but instead rapidly converged, actually forming a large net that shrouded the merman youth, pinning him firmly in place.

This scene caused the merman youth to frown, and his speed inevitably slowed for a moment, causing him to miss the opportunity to grab the enemy chieftain, allowing the chieftain to escape more than three yards away.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Xu Qing lunged forward abruptly. As for the giant hand whistling toward him from behind, he did not dodge at all, letting the giant hand transformed by the talisman treasure strike his body.

With a loud boom.

Xu Qing coughed up blood, but with the impact of the giant hand, his body’s speed was boosted, and he surged out even faster in an instant. In the blink of an eye, he overtook the merman youth, turning into a blurred shadow as he dashed straight toward the enemy chieftain.

The moment he drew near, he quickly raised his right hand, the black iron skewer gleaming with a cold light.

But at this moment, the merman youth also slashed through the restraints. Cold light shone in his eyes, a sneer appeared at the corner of his mouth, and with a wave of his hand, the bladed flying wheel that had just flown toward Xu Qing whistled over from afar. The sound it stirred up was astonishing, and it whistled toward the enemy chieftain, snatching the lead before Xu Qing.

Seeing that it was about to reach...

At the critical moment, the black light transformed from the black iron skewer moved at an even faster speed, like a bolt of black lightning. Amidst a sharp, piercing whistle, it moved with irresistible force, beating the flying wheel to pierce into the back of the enemy chieftain’s head, penetrating through to reveal its tip at the center of the brow!

As a shrill scream rang out, the flying wheel whistled close, slicing open the enemy chieftain’s neck, causing the head to fly up, blood to erupt, and the target to die instantly!

Ignoring the flying wheel, Xu Qing did not slow down in the slightest. He leaped over and grabbed the enemy chieftain’s head, only then pausing to turn and look coldly at the merman youth behind him, whose expression was incredibly ugly.

"What kind of thing are you, daring to come and snatch my credit?" Before Xu Qing could speak, the merman youth spoke through gritted teeth.

The murderous intent in his eyes was incredibly intense. He raised his hand to catch the returning bladed flying wheel, his whole body filled with killing intent. A ferocious look appeared in his green eyes as he walked toward Xu Qing step by step.

Holding the enemy chieftain’s head, Xu Qing also had killing intent in his eyes. He did not speak, but his body was already prepared to strike, and he had secretly crushed a poison pill, letting it disperse with the wind.

At the same time, his shadow, which no one could see under his feet, also rapidly spread to the front of the other party. This merman youth only needed to take one more step forward to step on the shadow.

Once stepped upon, the shadow would immediately erupt, and Xu Qing would strike instantly.

He was confident that in this sudden outburst, he could kill the other party in a very short time.

But just as the merman youth lifted his right foot and was about to let it fall, at the moment Xu Qing’s murderous intent was about to erupt, a sneer came from within the mist.

"And what kind of thing are you, daring to come and snatch my Sixth Team’s credit?"

As the words echoed, the Captain of the Sixth Team, who was eating an apple, walked out from the mist. As he walked, he ate, and behind him were some members of the Sixth Team—four were missing, but each of the remaining ones held a head, looking aggressive.

Especially the Captain; the smell of blood on his body was extremely heavy, and the cold light in his eyes seemed to turn into substance, causing the surrounding air to freeze all at once.

The merman youth’s body paused. He did not let his foot fall, but instead returned it to its original position and turned to look at the Sixth Team members. After a few breaths of silence, the Third Team members also arrived one after another from within the mist.

Amidst the very tense atmosphere between the two sides, the merman youth sneered, turned his head, and looked coldly at Xu Qing, the murderous intent still present.

"You’ve saved your life for now, but I’ll remember this." Saying this, he flicked his sleeve and left with his people.

Xu Qing’s gaze was restrained; he stood there with a calm expression, not speaking.

"Well done." After the merman youth left, the Sixth Team Captain walked to Xu Qing’s side with a smile, circled around him, looked at the head in his hand, and spoke with a smile.

He then handed Xu Qing an apple.

"Here, treat yourself."

Xu Qing took it with his left hand and took a bite. The taste was still sweet, only with the added smell of blood in his mouth. Mixed together, after Xu Qing swallowed it, he looked up at the direction in which the merman youth had left.

At this moment, the surrounding Sixth Team members were all excited.

"The Captain killed an enemy chieftain, and Xu Qing killed one too. This time we’ve made a fortune!"

"Twenty spirit stones as a base, haha, this job was worth it!"

"Xu Qing, we’ve helped you collect the heads of those you killed. The Night Dove you killed are easy to identify; the ones with their necks cut are yours."

Watching the members who were usually indifferent to each other being so genuinely happy today, the feeling of being a team made the Captain very satisfied. Seeming to forget the few who had died, he waved his hand.

"Team, retreat!"

Amidst the rare laughter and conversation of the group, they left the manor with their spoils, walking toward the Criminal Investigation Department in the night. On the way, the looks the members gave Xu Qing all carried some respect.

Not just anyone could have the strength to kill an enemy chieftain like the Captain, nor did just anyone dare to compete for credit with another team’s captain.

Therefore, whose credit it was didn't matter; being able to get it in hand already proved Xu Qing’s formidable nature.

Xu Qing was used to being in the back, and the Captain also slowed his pace by a few steps. At Xu Qing’s side, he handed him a blue talisman treasure; it was the Ghost Hand Talisman that the deceased Night Dove chieftain had previously waved to manifest a giant hand to attack Xu Qing.

Following the chieftain’s death, this Ghost Hand Talisman became a trophy, but it was quite damaged and looked like it could only be used once or twice more.

"Take it, this is what you deserve."

Xu Qing was a bit surprised. He silently took it and looked at the Captain, whose expression now held deep meaning.

"Just now, did I arrive early?"

Xu Qing did not speak.

"There were too many people there—not people from the Criminal Investigation Department, but hidden foreign protectors. While it wouldn't have been impossible to kill them, they are allies after all. Although the Merman Race has a rebellious and fickle nature—I heard that many years ago they wanted to rebel but were discovered by the old guys on the mountain, so they used the Grand Competition to suppress them—they are still allies, so it’s not good to take action directly."

"That fish, I don't know what he's up to, but he occasionally likes to leave all his clan’s protectors behind and go out alone..." The Captain’s smile was very sunny.

Xu Qing was thoughtful. He put away the Ghost Hand Talisman, took two pears from his leather bag, handed one to the Captain, and took a bite of his own, then suddenly asked a question.

"Captain, is the body structure of the alien races very different from us humans?"

The Captain was a bit surprised that Xu Qing had actually given him fruit, so he took it, weighed it in his hand a few times, and smiled.

"There are some differences. For example, poison: many poisons that we humans cannot withstand have no effect on alien races. Conversely, some tonics for humans are enough to be fatal to them."

Xu Qing glanced at the Captain, and the Captain glanced back at him; neither spoke again.

As they walked, a coldness was brewing in Xu Qing’s calm eyes. There was a red line in his personality; once touched, he would have to find every possible way to nip the danger in the bud. Even if conditions and strength did not allow it, he would firmly remember it, like a fishbone in his throat, unable to rest until he killed.

This red line was his own personal safety.

It was so in the slums, so in the scavenger camp, and so in Seven Blood Eyes.

For Xu Qing, the difference was that here, he had to be more cautious in finding opportunities and more decisive in striking to kill.

That merman youth had seriously touched his red line—more seriously than the old man on Banquan Road, and already to the same degree as the ancestor of the Diamond Sect.

Therefore, he wanted to kill the other party as soon as possible.

Thus, in silence, after the Sixth Team completed their mission and dispersed at the Criminal Investigation Department, Xu Qing did not immediately return to his dharma boat, but hid near the department, waiting silently.

An hour later, he saw the figure of the merman youth.

But the other party was not alone. Under Xu Qing’s careful observation, he saw that there were faint traces of energy hidden in the surroundings. The largest trace gave Xu Qing the feeling of Foundation Establishment, which made him even more cautious.

At the same time, there were indeed no signs of poisoning on the merman youth.

Xu Qing was certain he had used poison, which meant the Captain’s words made sense. Coupled with the fact that the other party had strong protectors by his side, Xu Qing did not force a pursuit, but judged the general direction and turned to leave.

That night, the Seventh Peak’s operation to net the Night Dove was a complete success. All seventeen strongholds in the port area were wiped out in one go, and even other forces with ties to the Night Dove were uprooted that night by the disciples arranged by the Criminal Investigation Department.

Several Deputy Directors also took action personally, killing many Night Dove powerhouses, and the other districts were the same.

In this operation, nearly two thousand Night Dove members died, and the number of people from other forces with ties to them who were cleared out was even greater. All these heads were hung on the city walls the next day, the smell of blood filling the air, shocking all directions.

However, the casualties of the Criminal Investigation Department itself were not small, with over three hundred disciples dead, including the man and woman at the entrance Xu Qing had met when he first went to report to the Seventh Peak’s Criminal Investigation Department.

But overall, the battle record was brilliant. The various forces in the main city were also purged to some extent, so in the following days, most were in awe, and the plundering between disciples subsided quite a bit.

Furthermore, the rewards for this operation were issued quickly. Xu Qing received a full one hundred and thirty spirit stones, an unprecedented level of wealth. This made him even more vigilant against the greedy people around him, and the killing intent in his heart rose.

Whoever came to snatch, he would kill.

With such a large sum of spirit stones in hand, Xu Qing felt that the materials for refining boats he had been eyeing before were of slightly lower quality and not as good, so he pondered whether to buy better materials to reinforce his own boat.

At the same time, for these two days, Xu Qing had been extremely focused on that merman youth, following him secretly many times, but the protectors by the other party’s side were always present, and Xu Qing did not find an opportunity.

But he was not in a hurry; he had patience.

Three days passed. That afternoon, Xu Qing was off duty and cultivating on his dharma boat when someone sent an invitation to his sound-transmission jade slip.

The person who sent the invitation was Zhou Qingpeng, a wealthy young master who had entered the Seventh Peak in the same batch as him.

"Junior Brother Xu Qing, I finally got the Ghost Desire Horseshoe Crab, but there aren't many, only two. Besides, everyone has grown distant after entering the sect. Tonight, I’ve invited Li Zimei and Xu Xiaohui; how about we have a meal together? By the way, I’ll bring the Ghost Desire Horseshoe Crab for you."

The words were sincere.

Xu Qing pondered. After experiencing the incident where the merman youth was not poisoned, he indeed wanted the Ghost Desire Horseshoe Crab to try refining new poisons. So, he checked his duty schedule, agreed to the matter, and continued his cultivation.

Soon, dusk fell outside. Xu Qing opened his eyes from his cultivation, calculated the time, got up, left the dharma boat, and walked toward the restaurant Zhou Qingpeng had agreed upon.

The restaurant Zhou Qingpeng chose was not far from the port; it was a two-story building that looked very luxurious and was quite famous within the port.

Xu Qing had never been inside this place, but the Criminal Investigation Department had records of all the shops, and Xu Qing had paid attention to all of them. He recognized that the background of this restaurant was that it was opened by the Port Defense Department.

The Port Defense Department was different from the Criminal Investigation Department, but it was somewhat similar to the Patrol Department, except that the former mainly patrolled the sea, while the latter was on the shore and in the city.

Walking closer now, Xu Qing scanned it cautiously, looked around, and confirmed there was no issue before stepping into the restaurant.

As soon as he entered, the waiter inside noticed Xu Qing and came over enthusiastically to greet him. Upon learning which room Xu Qing was going to, the waiter became even more enthusiastic and led Xu Qing to the second floor.

The room Zhou Qingpeng had booked was at the end of the second floor, and the second floor of this restaurant was actually not open to commoners; only Seven Blood Eyes disciples were qualified.

As he approached the room, Xu Qing heard the laughter of Zhou Qingpeng and the others coming from the end room.

"Senior Brother Zhou, this is my first time here. I heard this restaurant is extremely hard to book and doesn't pay any attention to ordinary disciples at all. And there are three special dishes here that are said to be quite nourishing for one’s cultivation base."

"It’s nothing. This is an industry of my Port Defense Department. For disciples of our Port Defense Department, we can book it at will. Xiaohui, if you have any needs in the future, just tell me, and I’ll help you book it."

"Then I’ll thank you, Senior Brother Zhou. Senior Brother Zhou, I’ll toast you."

As the charming voice echoed, Xu Qing had already reached the door. As the waiter opened the door to the private room, what met Xu Qing’s eyes was a table full of dishes and the three people sitting there.

Two women and one man. The man was Zhou Qingpeng, who was currently full of smiles and holding a wine glass. Beside him, petite and charming, was Xu Xiaohui.

The last one was Li Zimei; she was still as she had been at the beginning, her expression very reserved, sitting there looking a bit nervous and at a loss.

Xu Qing’s appearance caused the two, other than Zhou Qingpeng, to be stunned for a moment, and they both looked toward him.

"This Senior Brother, who are you?" Xu Xiaohui’s eyes lit up as she looked at Xu Qing’s face; ripples appeared in her eyes, and she even sensed the astonishing spiritual energy fluctuations emanating from Xu Qing’s body.

Seeing Xu Qing arrive, Zhou Qingpeng stood up with a smile, but before he could speak, Li Zimei, who was to the side, looked toward Xu Qing and spoke softly with some hesitation.

"Is it Senior Brother Xu Qing?"

She had actually recognized him at a glance.

I was exhausted from writing late into the night yesterday, then I saw a really cool board-catching move while scrolling through videos, so I couldn't help but run out to play on my land surfboard for an hour; sweating crazily in the high heat felt great~~~