Star Gate

Chapter 608: Killing Xu Qing (III)

They’d snapped their supernatural locks as soon as they saw him, unlike the duke. He had to hem and haw and determine if there was enough Water of Life to repair the damage. These people weren’t similarly restricted. Although Xu Qing was stronger than Light Sword and possibly even Earthturner Sword, he couldn’t behave as freely as they did.

However cocky he’d been seconds ago was how thoroughly routed he was now. He took to the air to escape, but a bird cry rang through the vicinity. Yuan Shuo shot upward and immediately caught up to him. “There will be no place for Silver Moon’s martial world if you do not die!”

It wasn’t as if Silver Moon martial masters hadn’t died before or fallen to outsiders. But to kill one of the thirty-six through ambush and seize his secret art... All of Silver Moon’s martial world would empty out to hunt down the offender! No one would pay attention to the code of etiquette in punishing the offender.

“Out of my way!” The void trembled when Xu Qing kicked out. Yuan Shuo ignored the move and stabbed with his sword. A piercing screech rang out, as if metal grinding on each other. Fiery sparks appeared beneath the duke’s foot and Li Hao took advantage of the opening to slash with his blade!

Boom!

Master and disciple fell from the sky, but two bloody marks had been inflicted on their target’s foot. Although wracked with pain, Xu Qing couldn’t stop to pay attention to his wounds. He was just about to break free of his pursuers when another sword landed!

BAM!

His avenue of retreat was cut off. Light Sword bore down on him; Xu Qing shouted and scattered her light with a punch. His hand returned with blood flowing down it.

The two sword wielders convened in the blink of an eye. Four people on three different sides surrounded Xu Qing in their middle. The duke regarded them unpleasantly. Battle had been so heated earlier that he hadn’t had time to check his transmission pendant. If he had, he would’ve known that the two were close. Master and disciple had kept him here for too long.

“Kill!”

“Kill!”

“Kill!” Four voices shouted in unison and struck at the same time. Three swords and one blade cut down on Xu Qing!

The man gritted his teeth, madness dancing in his eyes. Bunch of assholes! So you guys can kill Silver Moon martial masters and other people, but you go crazy when I kill Deficient Leg?

He knew he could no longer hesitate. A surge of presence erupted from his body and light from the five elements sparkled over him. All of the locks of his organs partially snapped; a livid Xu Qing blazed with blood qi.

“You... bastards!” he shouted as he kicked!

Bam!!

Sword auras burst apart. Yuan Shuo and Li Hao were the first to be sent flying. Xu Qing had completely unsealed himself! Yuan Shuo didn’t know how many bones were broken as he plummeted from the sky, vomiting blood and pieces of his organs. He was rather resigned when he looked at his half-dead disciple.

I’m so damned strong, so how am I only a little better off than Li Hao in the blink of an eye? Unsealed battle strength is disgusting!

He sighed again when he looked at the twin swords. Forget it, I won’t quibble with you unsealed guys. Keep unsealing yourselves. You can have fun together, you shameless brats!

The twin swords were not afraid of Xu Qing. The duke was quite domineering in his unsealed state, but so were they quite strong. Two swords crisscrossed heaven and earth; a large foot sailed through the air, chased by rays of sword light. Radiance sparkled through the area!

Xu Qing considered the situation gravely—both sides didn’t dare delay after unsealing themselves! He had no other options in mind, but so would Hong Yitang and Light Sword be stuck if they couldn’t defeat him. They wouldn’t have enough time for Li Hao to reseal them. The three were in equally perilous states.

Hong Yitang snorted coldly, a violent light dancing in his eye. The sound of a heart thumping echoed in the void, followed by a sudden snap of something breaking. His presence increased exponentially amid Xu Qing’s astonished and shocked eyes. It reached Xu Qing’s level before Hong Yitang rushed out with his sword!

BOOM!

Xu Qing’s foot was sliced to the bone; blood flowed freely from it.

“Hong Yitang!” Xu Qing denounced. “You’re very strong, but none of us will be able to maintain our condition if this continues! One of our locks will break completely, is this what you want?!”

He wouldn’t be willing to accept that outcome, and he trusted that neither would the two in front of him be willing to. Who would, with cultivation at their heights? Even now, none of the three were bringing their full strength to bear because their supernatural locks hadn’t fully broken. They retained one last wisp of hope. As long as the slightest tendril remained of a lock, it could be repaired. If it fully snapped all the way through, then all hope was lost.

“It would be one thing if you just wanted to kill Li Hao and Yuan Shuo... It would also be one thing if you killed Deficient Leg in direct combat! You assassinated him, didn’t you?!” Hong Yitang bit off. “Silver Moon martial masters can accept defeat! You would be someone notable if you killed him face-to-face. How dare you slink from the shadows!!”

Xu Qing cursed hotly to himself! What was the difference?! Deficient Leg may not have been able to overcome him in frontal assault. He’d struck from behind just to save some time and avoid some trouble. All of these people blew his actions out of proportion like they weren’t engaged in the business of killing others themselves.

Bam!

Sword qi raced through the void as the three became embroiled in battle. The fully unsealed Xu Qing was formidable, but he was still suppressed by the other two. His armor clung to his body in broken pieces. It was so damaged that its weapon soul emerged. Unseen to this point, it looked like an earth dragon.

Li Hao brightened and abruptly yanked Stellaris out of his teacher’s grasp. The stroke of severing the self flashed through his eyes as he stabbed upward!

“Break!”

The weapon soul hadn’t been willing to reveal itself earlier due to fear of Stellaris. But as its outer shell was almost completely broken, it had to appear. It thought that those below the combatants couldn’t fight anymore; who would’ve thought that Li Hao would throw himself forward like a madman??

Xu Qing ballooned with rage and stomped down with a foot. The kid courted death!

Li Hao was willing to take the risk because of trust—or perhaps it could be more accurately said, a gamble! He was gambling that the twin swords could protect him. As expected, Hong Yitang swept his sword through the void and overturned sky and earth. The big foot stomped toward the sky, but Light Sword was waiting to stab with her sword!

Xu Qing howled with indignity and wanted to break the auras facing him. Li Hao ignored all that—there was only one goal in his mind, the weapon soul!

BOOM!

A stroke of five auras! To sever the self with no return!

BAM!

Explosions rang through the air as the earth dragon skittered with fear. Stellaris seemed to see a dessert—this might be the strongest weapon soul it’d eaten thus yet. It seemed to turn into a black hole when it stabbed into the weapon soul, erupting with incredible suction force.

The weapon soul wailed with impending doom. “The Eternal Sword...”

Pop!

The weapon soul exploded!

Hong Yitang struck at the same time. The previously durable armor had suffered damage only from the stone blade and Stellaris. The twin blades had barely managed to chip it. But this time, Hong Yitang cut through it like tofu. It clattered to the ground, ruined!

This sky level armor had been the greatest reason why Xu Qing had barely suffered any damage in the battle. It broke the second the weapon soul was forced into materialization. Rage bloomed in the duke’s eyes, as well as defiance.

Pfft!

Hong Yitang struck again, as did Light Sword. Xu Qing was caught off guard in his concern over his origin weapon; the twin blades left bloody marks on their target and even sliced off some flesh. The duke had been able to resist before, but he was clearly outclassed now!

A cold hint glinted in his eyes. “Do you guys... insist on dying with me?”

BOOM!

A supernatural lock fully broke in this moment and a blaze of flames appeared to immolate him. Flames covered Xu Qing as he’d chosen to completely snap one of his locks. There was no return from this! He was a fire supernatural after the lock of his heart had broken; his heart was burning as well.

This domineering duke completely cast aside his unrealistic hopes and left no leeway for himself. He jeered after breaking one of his locks, “Since you’re forcing me to die, then come with me!”

Hong Yitang and Light Sword had unsealed themselves, but did they dare fully break their locks? Their hope would be gone too!

Yuan Shuo couldn’t stop rolling his eyes. These kinds of enemies were annoying. They erupted with renewed strength again and again through first snapping a bit of their locks, then half of it, then all of it... Damn it, you’re all martial masters. What kind of cultivation levels have you reached??

“Four supernatural locks...” Hong Yitang looked at Xu Qing. “No, you’ve saturated eight locks, haven’t you? It’s not for no reason that you rule over the east!”

“It’s not much!” Xu Qing was a foreboding giant of fire. “You seem quite confident in yourself to be so calm. I’d like to see on what basis you are so confident. You forced me to do this, Earthturner Sword, so none of you will be getting away today!”

“It’s just one lock,” Hong Yitang sniffed. “Break a second and see if your organs can take it! If not, you can just sit tight and wait for death!”

“Death?” Xu Qing snorted and filled the sky with flames when he stomped his foot. We’ll see who’s going to do the dying! I won’t let you off easily even if I die. What right do you have to say all this! We’ll just all go down together if it comes down to it!

Hong Yitang seemed ready to erupt with an ultimate move. Li Hao watched nervously from the ground and cast a tense glance at his master. So many people fighting together couldn’t kill Xu Qing... so he’d been able to run so far only because Xu Qing was afraid of death and didn’t dare unseal himself!