Chapter 438: Killing

Beneath the massive shadow of a peach tree.

Thick fog hung dense, radiating a power that scrambled spiritual perception.

Fang Xing flapped his wings, stirring up violent winds.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The fog churned, occasionally revealing emerald mountains and azure lakes.

At that moment, the white ape Wu Qi twitched his nose and instantly shot forward as a white blur.

The fog parted, revealing a crimson Pantao floating in midair, wreathed in rich heavenly and earthly spiritual energy, even forming a crimson halo that kept it suspended.

"Crimson Pantao?"

Fang Xing's eyes gleamed; he couldn't help but silently marvel at Wu Qi's skill.

At least this scent technique must have taken immense effort to master.

At that moment, the fog surged like a tide, and two wolf shadows emerged opposite them.

They charged like the wind, even faster than Wu Qi.

One giant wolf extended its claw, seized the crimson Pantao, and the fruit vanished.

"Hmm? The Azure Emperor's Palace, Tianlang Division's Wu Xie brothers?"

Wu Qi frowned, staring at the two giant wolves.

The giant wolves, seeing Fang Xing and the white ape, sneered coldly and transformed into two strange men clad in wolf pelts, their eyes emerald green: "You're demons from Wujie Mountain… Hmph. As a demon race, you disown the Azure Emperor and instead ally with neutral factions—you deserve to die!"

"Wu Xie brothers, don't push too far."

The white ape's face flushed crimson, baring sharp fangs as he raised a pitch-black club: "Hand over the crimson Pantao, and today I'll spare you. Otherwise, I'll beat you to death with this club!"

"Arrogant!"

The two Yaozu in wolf pelts with green eyes exchanged glances, then suddenly split apart.

One leapt lightly, transforming into a demonic wolf, every hair standing erect like daggers.

Blinding light flickered across its fur, and lines of cosmic rules emerged, weaving into a suit of armor.

In an instant, the giant wolf was clad in a "Rule Armor"!

This was applying the comprehension of a Rule Body to close combat.

Whoosh!

The giant wolf's claws, as if sheathed in claw-gauntlets, slammed down.

The void shattered outright, and a blue wolf claw appeared before Wu Qi.

"Heaven-Shaking Staff!"

Wu Qi's pitch-black staff pierced forward, as if freezing earth, fire, wind, and water, splitting the chaotic void currents apart.

Then the black staff met the wolf's claw-gauntlets; terrifying traces of cosmic rules instantly spread over dozens of miles, causing countless mists to boil violently.

"Hmm?"

Fang Xing's brow twitched—he saw another giant wolf leap from the shadows, its fangs razor-sharp, lunging to bite.

That bite carried something like a black hole, capable of swallowing and shattering all things.

"Absorption Rule?"

He nodded inwardly as the giant wolf bit down on his hind leg.

Crack! Crack!

Flames flared across countless dragon scales, and a terrifying aura surged skyward—merely through his flesh, he caused the surrounding void to ripple uncontrollably.

The black threads of absorption from the wolf's jaws struck the black-red scales—and instantly shattered.

Not only that—the giant wolf let out a mournful howl, stumbling backward several steps, several bloodied teeth falling out.

"So hard…"

"No good—run!"

The wolf whose teeth were shattered howled in anguish, shouting to his brother still fighting Wu Qi.

They were both princes of the Tianlang Division—they knew Fang Xing's terrifying power.

Merely through his flesh, he could rival cultivators of Nascent Soul seventh or eighth layer!

"Such a body—even imperial blood couldn't grant it… Could it be… Imperial Blood?! No… Even Imperial Blood wouldn't yield such a physique."

The giant wolf merged into the wind, its form about to vanish.

"Now you want to run? Is it too late?"

Fang Xing's body shimmered with a phantom gray current—he activated the Time Rule to augment himself.

In an instant, his speed multiplied several times as he closed the distance and extended his dragon claw before the wolf.

His claw carried not only his own acceleration but also a faint effect that slowed the opponent's time.

This was the Time Spear Art from the "Cun Guangyin"!

Aowu!

The giant wolf emitted a mournful howl as countless Spirit-Grade flying needles materialized, striking Fang Xing's black dragon body with the sound of rain on banana leaves.

Crack! Crack!

Each needle shattered instantly upon contact with the dragon scales, snapping in two.

Puff!

The dragon claw, infused with spear intent, descended in an instant—faster than conceivable.

The giant wolf shrieked, its head exploding outright.

Boom!

Its massive corpse collapsed, crimson blood pooling across the ground.

"Hmm? As a demon prince, you don't even have a survival trump card?"

Fang Xing was surprised—he didn't realize the talisman given to him by his Qinghua Master was exceedingly rare even among Tianyao cultivators.

Not every prince of the Azure Emperor's Palace possessed one.

"What? My brother?"

Seeing his brother slain, the elder Wu Xie went berserk.

He let out a wail, his fur instantly turning blood-red, with threads of crimson lightning flickering and dancing across it.

Strange rule energy converged into a single blood-red thunderbolt.

"No good!"

Seeing this, Wu Qi swung his black staff in a continuous barrage, his rule energy converging too—within it, faintly, a pitch-black pearl appeared, sealing a single hair inside.

A flash of light!

A white ape identical to Wu Qi materialized—struck by the blood thunder, it instantly turned to ash…

"Die!" Wu Qi's countless staff shadows converged; his black staff became like a pillar holding up heaven, crashing down onto the giant wolf's waist.

Crack!

The giant wolf rolled over, even grievously wounded, still moving swiftly as it retreated backward.

But it was already too late.

Above, a dark shadow flashed.

Then the dragon claw descended, pressing down upon the wolf's skull.

Puff!

The dragon claw pierced bone and brain, countless void lines slicing—within moments, the Tianlang prince was torn apart into countless pieces…

"So weak."

Fang Xing flicked his dragon claw, letting a few drops of blood splatter.

"Black Dragon… your physique?"

Wu Qi stared in awe.

The Wu Xie brothers were princes of the Azure Emperor's Palace—equal in status and cultivation to their own core members.

And yet, two of them died in one go within the Peach Valley Secret Realm!

If the Tianlang Division found out, some Tianyao would surely go mad.

Fang Xing didn't care—he joined Wujie Mountain solely to gain a background, to avoid being crushed like an insect by powerful cultivators.

Top members of great factions who dared to venture out must be prepared to perish.

He casually picked up the two space items; with his current mastery over the Void, he could easily break their seals.

Then… a crimson Pantao was retrieved.

"Wu Brother, how about we split the spoils from these two demons?"

Fang Xing spoke, looking at Wu Qi.

Wu Qi waved his hands frantically: "This victory—no, this killing of the Wu Xie brothers—was entirely due to Black Dragon's might. Even ten percent is too much for me…"

He knew he could handle one prince, but only after a hundred moves—and killing one was unthinkable.

If both Wu Xie brothers attacked together, he'd be defeated without a chance.

He never imagined the Black Dragon he'd brought along as backup was far more than just the 77th-ranked core member!

"During the core member assessment, Black Dragon was definitely holding back."

Wu Qi thought inwardly, his respect for Fang Xing deepening.

Among demon races, unlike human clans, there's no pretense—only practicality. If Black Dragon is strong, he deserves respect!

"Wu Brother… let's leave this place first."

Fang Xing stared at the red Pantao in his hand and felt his body's craving.

It was a natural attraction—he knew that swallowing it would bring him great benefit.

"After refining the Blood of Zhu Long, I will be of Imperial Blood; my Black Water Qi will likewise become top-grade Qi… perfectly suited to my Black Dragon body."

"Now, with this Diejia, my Qi is merely one step away from Immortal-grade—perhaps a single red Pantao will elevate my Qi to 'Immortal-grade'!"

A thought surfaced in Fang Xing's mind.

If it's possible, then let my Qi improve first.

As for the issue of Qi dropping after breaking into the Nascent Soul realm—that's a problem for later.

Besides… perhaps within this time, he will have fully perfected Immortal-grade Qi and won't need to swallow large quantities of red Pantao afterward to purify his Qi.

Wu Qi naturally agreed to his proposal without hesitation.

The two immediately left the area around the central peach tree and headed toward the entrance of Peach Source Fortress.

As long as they exited the core zone, Fang Xing could teleport at any time—safety would greatly increase, allowing him to refine the red Pantao 's power without worry.

After the two demons departed, within the core zone, atop the massive peach tree…

The wooden-carved face seemed to shift slightly; its two eyes gazed toward the direction Fang Xing had left, lost in thought…

…

A peach grove with clear mountains and pure waters.

Petals danced through the air; a white ape lay upon a green rock, a pile of white peaches arranged before him.

He casually bit into one and looked at Fang Xing: "Brother Black Dragon… you haven't exchanged for a red Pantao yet to upgrade your Qi quality? All core members… have exchange quotas."

"Improving Qi quality is naturally good, but I was thinking of cultivating on my own…"

Fang Xing lay on the ground and swallowed the red Pantao in one gulp.

Unlike the green Pantao, the red Pantao had an exquisite flavor; once swallowed, it transformed into a series of warm currents flooding his limbs and organs.

Fang Xing involuntarily activated his Black Water Qi; within his body, it felt as if a great river—vast and mighty—flowed unseen.

And in the next instant…

That great river seemed to merge into an 'ocean'!

No matter how turbulent the great river, how could it compare to the profound, boundless ocean?

"Is this… Immortal-grade Qi?"

Fang Xing raised a dragon claw: "Immortal-grade Qi—ten times stronger than top-grade Qi… I feel I could take on several of my former selves…"

It wasn't ten or a hundred because his current combat power lies primarily in his physical body.

A tenfold increase in Qi doesn't drastically alter his overall strength.

"I feel I'm nearing the limit of the Mortal Realm…"

Fang Xing stood up, feeling his Qi overflowing, his physique astonishing… his essence, energy, and spirit had reached a certain peak.

He only needed to attain the third stage of the Dao of Time to immediately break into the Nascent Soul realm!

"The Nine Sources Star-Forge Body Secret Art is only a body cultivation technique… but my physique is too strong—it demands corresponding spiritual and Qi foundations. After upgrading the hardware, the software must follow."

Fang Xing suspected that his earlier failure to break through to Neutron-Star-level combat physique might have been because he hadn't yet entered the Nascent Soul realm!

Second chapter update later

(End of chapter)