Chapter Sixty-Two: The Power of the Qi Condensation Realm

“It’s a pity your master, Ling Feng, didn’t come in person and merely sent you here. You can only blame your own short lives for becoming Ling Feng’s scapegoats. Still, by killing you all today, I will greatly weaken the might of the Giant Spirit Sect. There will be plenty more chances to deal with Ling Feng himself in the future.” Xing Lie let out a cold laugh as he spoke.

“By the way, Sect Master Xing, you haven’t mentioned your relationship with Chief Xu Wang. The two of you don’t seem to be working together, do you?” Yang Xiao asked.

“That’s right. Although Xu Wang and I both come from the Barbarian Clan, we’ve never been on good terms. When we were young, we competed for the clan chief’s position, and he used some underhanded tricks to defeat me and become the chief. But so what? Even now, he’s still stuck at the Spiritual Awareness Realm, unable to break through. I, on the other hand, reached the Qi Condensation Realm years ago, and I’ve become the master of the Black Tortoise Sect. Now, I control a third of the Myriad Fathoms Mountains. What right does Xu Wang have to compare with me? I’ve let him be out of consideration for our shared bloodline. A while ago, I went to him, intending to join forces to wipe out the Giant Spirit Sect and the Hundred Scroll Sect, but he flatly refused. Still, did he think his refusal would stop me? Didn’t I lure you here anyway? I believe that, given some time, Ling Feng will come looking for you when you don’t return. When that happens, I’ll take care of him once and for all,” Xing Lie said.

“So that’s how it is. But even though Chief Xu Wang refused to join you, he still misled us into coming here. That amounts to helping you indirectly,” Yang Xiao remarked.

“True, it seems Xu Wang hasn’t entirely forgotten his roots. At least he still has some conscience left,” Xing Lie nodded.

“Brother Yang, stop wasting words with this old man. Let’s fight him together—maybe we have a chance.” Hao Gang could no longer restrain himself. With a sudden movement, he charged straight at Xing Lie, hoping to catch him off guard.

But Hao Gang had underestimated the might of a Qi Condensation Realm cultivator. Xing Lie, seeing Hao Gang rush at him, snorted coldly. With a flick of his palm, a surge of flame formed in his hand. He thrust the fire forward, colliding head-on with Hao Gang.

With a scream of agony, Hao Gang was sent flying and crashed to the ground, dead before he could even react—his body immediately charred to a crisp.

“This is the innate fire of a Qi Condensation cultivator—its power is boundless. Ordinary Spiritual Awareness cultivators can’t withstand it at all.” Yang Xiao sighed. He had hoped to stop Hao Gang’s rashness, but it was too late. In the blink of an eye, Hao Gang had lost his life.

“This is bad. A Qi Condensation cultivator is just too strong. We’re no match for him. We’d better retreat while we still can!” Qing Yuhe, seeing Hao Gang’s miserable end, was terrified. He turned and fled, running for his life.

Ling Yunmei also panicked and tried to turn and escape, but Yang Xiao grabbed her arm, saying, “It’s nearly impossible to escape in this situation. We might as well fight with all we have. Sister Ling, stay by my side. I can guarantee your safety, but if there are too many people, I can’t protect everyone.”

Xing Lie watched Qing Yuhe try to escape and sneered. “Did you really think I’d come here openly without being fully prepared? There’s no way you’ll escape. This place will be your grave.” As he spoke, Xing Lie took a crystal orb from his robe and struck two incantations onto it. The orb flashed twice, and suddenly, several formations were triggered along Qing Yuhe’s escape route. Arrows of fire shot out in an instant. Qing Yuhe was startled and tried to defend himself with his sword, but there were too many arrows—far more than his realm could withstand. In the end, he was struck by one and fell dead on the spot.

In the span of a few moments, both Hao Gang and Qing Yuhe had perished, leaving Yang Xiao and Ling Yunmei deeply shaken. Yet Yang Xiao did not flee, knowing that escape was all but impossible. Moreover, he was preparing a powerful secret technique—a killing move he had comprehended after the Giant Spirit Sect tournament, before entering the Desert Sea. However, to unleash it at his current level, he needed enough time.

“You two are clever, realizing that running is useless. Sooner or later, you’ll die here. I’ll give you a chance for a whole corpse—end your own lives and save me the trouble.” Xing Lie spoke as if the outcome was already decided.

“Sect Master Xing, I know that there is a vast gap between the Spiritual Awareness and Qi Condensation Realms, but I still wish to learn from you and see if I can withstand your might,” Yang Xiao replied, unhurried.

“Very well, since you insist, I’ll oblige you.” Xing Lie swept his sleeve, sending forth tongues of flame from within it. The flames merged into a sea of fire, surging toward Yang Xiao with overwhelming force—only the true qi flames of a Qi Condensation cultivator could create such power, far beyond the fireballs conjured by those of lower realms.

Yang Xiao acted with utmost caution. He took out a defensive shield from his storage pouch and raised it before him. Then, in an instant, he activated both the Ninefold Golden Body and the power of Thunder.

Could Yang Xiao withstand Xing Lie’s assault?

With a thunderous boom, the sea of fire struck Yang Xiao’s shield. A tremendous wave erupted; the shield withstood the flames for only a moment before cracks appeared, and then it split in two—it was clear that such a low-grade spiritual artifact was no match for Xing Lie’s power.

Fortunately, Yang Xiao was prepared. The Ninefold Golden Body and Thunder power met the onrushing fire. Yet the strength of a Qi Condensation cultivator was truly extraordinary. Even with all his skills, Yang Xiao could barely hold on, forced back several steps by the force of the flames.

“The difference of a single major realm is indeed not so easily overcome,” Yang Xiao sighed. It was only to be expected—after all, Hao Gang and Qing Yuhe had also been outstanding disciples of the Spiritual Awareness Realm, yet they had been annihilated in an instant by Xing Lie. By holding out against even one of Xing Lie’s attacks, Yang Xiao was already a rare talent, the likes of which were almost unheard of in the world of cultivators.