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Chapter 227: Fifth-Rank Life Soul, Parasitic Vine Armor, Old Liu Takes Action!
🕑 Added 2024-11-13 12:28:54 +0000 UTCFrom March 28th to April 5th, Zhao Xing fought in nine battles.
The largest of these involved six opponents attacking him.
From April 5th to April 15th, six more battles occurred over the span of ten days.
The largest battle during this time saw twelve enemies surrounding him.
From April 15th to May 1st, Zhao Xing only engaged in three battles.
The most intense involved thirty Sixth-Rank combatants!
However, for the next half-month, there were no more battles.
His reputation had already been established!
Even without considering his connection to Liu Tianning, Zhao Xing’s own strength was enough to make people wary.
Why continue fighting if they couldn't win? The other exploration teams weren’t foolish.
Thirty Sixth-Ranks, split among five teams, couldn’t do anything to Zhao Xing. Over half of them were killed by him. How could they continue to fight?
Thus, from May 1st to May 16th, Zhao Xing enjoyed half a month of peaceful days.
He focused solely on catching spiritual fish in the sea.
"According to my past life experience, for my life soul to break through to the Fifth Rank, I need to consume at least 1,500 Yin-Yang Fish."
"I’ve already eaten 1,043," Zhao Xing thought to himself.
"If my life soul breaks through to the Fifth Rank, all of my techniques will advance significantly."
"Over the past few days, I haven’t only been catching Yin-Yang Fish."
"I’ve also eaten plenty of other fish."
"I’ve already gathered fire fortune, water fortune, and metal fortune; only wood fortune and earth fortune remain."
"But, it’s not necessary to gather wood and earth fortune here in the Extreme Night Sea."
"If my life soul can break through to the Fifth Rank, the only thing of value left in the Extreme Night Sea would be the Dragon Whale. Everything else would be inconsequential."
Zhao Xing calculated for a moment, then used one of his clones on an airship to transport the excess spiritual fish back to Night Fortress.
Currently, he was acting separately from Xia Jing and the others, mainly because his level of enmity was too high. Staying together would have been inconvenient and would affect Xia Jing, Chen Shijie, and the others in gathering spiritual resources.
They were here for benefits, not battles.
Splitting up increased their efficiency!
After all, with the Water Immortal Lotus and Fish-Devouring Grass, their efficiency was much higher than ordinary teams.
...
At Night Fortress, aboard the Myriad Techniques Tower Ship.
Zhao Xing arrived on an airship and began unloading fish.
“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~~”
Several figures appeared on the deck immediately.
Aside from Ji Zixuan and Murong Xue, there were nine others.
They were all members of the Liu Tianning Exploration Team, mostly connections brought in with the agreement of either Liu Tianning or Zhao Xing.
"Senior Brother, so many again this time?" Ji Zixuan’s eyes sparkled, purely from the reflection of the sheer number of fish.
"Yeah," Zhao Xing nodded. "Pick whatever you want to eat."
"Thank you for the treat, Senior Brother~" Ji Zixuan gleefully walked to the fish pools, and with a casual wave, selected her share.
"Thank you, Lord Zhao." Murong Xue, now increasingly reserved, was second to choose, and no one dared object.
After Ji Zixuan and Murong Xue made their selections, three familiar faces approached.
Han Bing, Feng Qiu, and Cai Jin.
"Thank you, Brother Zhao," Feng Qiu and Cai Jin cupped their hands respectfully.
"All arranged by your teacher," Zhao Xing joked. "I’m just the transporter."
As for why Han Bing was also present, it was due to her own fortuitous encounters during these days.
Zhao Xing and Han Bing had once encountered a mysterious Ten Thousand Forms Earth Palace within the treasure ground of the Seventy-Two Earth Palaces of the Earth School.
Zhao Xing had comprehended the fusion of two techniques, resulting in his Divine Travel Guard.
Meanwhile, Han Bing had gained insights into the Extreme Cold Earth Palace.
The master of the Ten Thousand Forms Earth Palace was Marquis Gong Wu, whose original name was Gong Tiansi.
During a truce, Han Bing’s official rank had also reached Lower Sixth Rank.
With the cave-heaven elevated, and unable to leave Yang City, Han Bing had delved into the study of the Seventy-Two Earth Palaces, catching the attention of Marquis Gong Wu.
In early April, Marquis Gong Wu arranged for Han Bing to join Liu Tianning’s group, purely to gain some benefits.
"I’ve got some good news," Han Bing whispered while selecting fish. "Wang Ji has been promoted to Senior Exploration Officer after some excellent results at Scarlet Lake."
"Oh?" Zhao Xing responded. "Not bad. As he said, a skilled craftsman can always find work."
In truth, if Zhao Xing could form his own team, he would have recruited both Han Bing and Wang Ji. However, Liu Tianning had drawn a line—positions had to be filled by veteran Marquis or titled nobility.
So far, Zhao Xing had only filled eight of his allotted positions, with six still remaining, and he was being selective.
"Thanks." After picking her fish, Han Bing returned to her room.
"Thanks to you, brother," said Liu Cheng’an, a round-faced young man, bowing slightly. He was the youngest son of Lord Xin, Liu Yong.
"No need for such courtesy, Your Highness."
"Thank you, Lord Shennong," a middle-aged woman in colorful robes also came forward and bowed deeply. "Your generosity is as life-saving as teaching one to fish."
"Madam Ya, you overpraise me," Zhao Xing responded, looking at the noblewoman. "It’s my honor to assist you."
Madam Ya hailed from a family of weavers and had married into a prestigious household. However, her husband had recently passed away, leaving her a widow.
Without a son to inherit the title, she was left to manage the vast family estate on her own.
While Zhao Xing distributed the fish below, Princess You Ruo sat bored on a high platform, lazily sipping wine.
"Old Liu, your disciple is really considerate."
"After all these days, he hasn’t troubled you even once."
"Hmm, indeed, he’s quite good." Liu Tianning smiled faintly when Zhao Xing was mentioned.
Just from Zhao Xing’s battle record, it was clear how quickly he had progressed in recent days!
Especially in his mastery of the straw puppet technique, which had grown from eighteen to thirty-six puppets!
"He’s gained a lot of experience, maintained your reputation, and handled various relationships well."
"He’s much less worrisome than you were in your younger days."
"You used to drive Lord Luohou up the wall," Princess You Ruo laughed, covering her mouth.
"Why bring up old stories?"
"Alright, alright, I won’t mention it." Princess You Ruo draped one hand over Liu Tianning’s chest, raising a delicate jade wine cup to his lips. "Let’s drink."
"I don’t want to."
"Come on, just a sip~"
"…"
Liu Tianning finally took a symbolic sip.
A faint smile appeared on Princess You Ruo’s lips.
...
On the Dragon Scale Warship, Xing Ming, dressed in black-gold armor with a long sword at his waist, looked at the report with a frown. "This Zhao Xing is really making trouble."
"He’s constantly hovering near the borders of the area we’ve marked out!"
"In just over a month, he’s killed more than fifty of our members."
Xing Ming found the situation extremely frustrating.
He feared Liu Tianning’s intervention and had been holding back the allied members, forbidding them from provoking Zhao Xing.
But no matter what he did, people continued to challenge Zhao Xing.
As a result, more people died, and Zhao Xing’s reputation as an invincible Sixth-Rank combatant only grew.
"The subordinates won’t listen, what can I do?" a burly man with a square face, carrying a massive purple battle-axe on his back, chimed in. "Things have quieted down lately, though. They’ve finally realized he’s not someone to mess with."
"Make sure to restrain all Fifth-Rank members of our group," Xing Ming ordered. "Anyone caught provoking Zhao Xing will be immediately expelled!"
"If we provoke Liu Tianning, our entire Ten Sun Cave-Heaven expedition will be canceled."
"Understood," the burly man nodded. "I’m sure no one will be foolish enough to do that."
...
"Master, we’ve harvested 50,000 jin of spiritual fish today," a strategist reported to Pei Yuanchang aboard his ship. "Among them, there are 401 Yin-Yang Fish."
"Good, good, good." Pei Yuanchang was pleased. "Quickly deliver them to Liu Tianning’s Myriad Techniques Tower Ship as promised."
"Understood."
Pei Yuanchang looked over the harvest list with great satisfaction.
Since partnering with Liu Tianning, his production had skyrocketed!
At first, they could only catch a little over 1,000 jin of fish per day. But now, they were hauling in 50,000 jin daily!
And Yin-Yang Fish, which could enhance the life soul, were a miraculous discovery.
"How is Marquis Yuanrang?" Pei Yuanchang inquired. "Is he safe?"
"Master, the latest report from Marquis Yuanrang came half an hour ago. His current location is in the northwest area of the Darkstone Coral Reef," the subordinate pointed to a sea chart. "However, Marquis Yuanrang moves unpredictably, so he might not stay there for long."
Zhao Xing’s strength had greatly increased, and his clones now moved with even greater agility.
Strike once and move to a new place—he aimed to minimize risk.
"Shall we send someone to assist Marquis Yuanrang?"
"No need to act on your own," Pei Yuanchang instructed. "Don’t you see? This is a trial set by Liu Tianning."
"How could outsiders interfere?"
"If Liu Tianning really wanted to collect all the spiritual resources, he could easily sweep the entire Icefire Island."
"But he didn’t. That means he doesn’t want anyone else meddling in Zhao Xing’s affairs."
"We just need to fulfill our part of the cooperation and not overstep."
"Understood."
...
On the Black Dragon Tower Ship.
Nineteenth Prince Ji Ye’s face was ashen as he read the report. "That damned Liu Tianning, he’s completely humiliating me!"
"Does he really allow his disciple to run wild on my territory?!"
"I’ve already written to him, asking him to warn his disciple not to come east of the coral reef, but he’s completely ignored me!"
Ji Ye was furious. He believed he had given Liu Tianning enough respect.
Over the past month, his people had encountered Zhao Xing several times.
Each time, he had only driven Zhao Xing away.
The most severe incident resulted in three of Zhao Xing’s straw puppets being destroyed.
But Liu Tianning and his disciple had never responded, completely ignoring him and continuing with their business.
When had the dignified Prince Liang ever been treated this way?
"He’s blatantly disrespecting me! Qin Chongwu, Huangfu Song!"
"At your service," the two Fifth-Rank experts immediately stood up.
"The next time you encounter Zhao Xing, deploy the Fifth-Ranks and capture him at once!" Ji Ye commanded. "Make Liu Tianning come and beg for his disciple’s release!"
"Understood."
Zhao Xing, meanwhile, was entirely unaware of Ji Ye’s anger.
After all, Liu Tianning hadn’t even mentioned the matter to him.
And even if he had known, Zhao Xing probably wouldn’t have cared.
"Here it is."
Zhao Xing used his Heavenly Eye Technique to scan the seabed. "There’s a school of Yin-Yang Fish here. If I can catch fifty more, my life soul will break through."
He anchored his Bloodshadow Airship and scattered more Fish-Devouring Grass Seeds.
"Whoosh~"
The waves swallowed the grass seeds, spreading their scent far and wide as the Water Immortal Lotus blossomed in the sea.
Before long, several black-and-white fish cautiously emerged from the coral reef.
"They’re coming," Zhao Xing thought with anticipation. "Come closer, come closer."
He didn’t rush to act, patiently waiting.
After three quarters of an hour, nearly a hundred Yin-Yang Fish had gathered beneath Zhao Xing.
"Now’s the time! I can easily catch fifty!"
Zhao Xing wasted no time and immediately cast his spell.
"Ten Thousand Li of Ice!"
A faint blue light flickered at his fingertips.
As the light entered the water, the seawater began to freeze at an astonishing speed.
This was a high-level spell Zhao Xing had developed over the past month, following his breakthrough with the Great Cold Solar Term from the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Diagrams.
The Extreme Night Sea was the perfect place to comprehend the winter solar terms.
Zhao Xing’s affinity for the water element, particularly ice, was extremely high—his mastery of the Rain Droplet Technique was proof of this.
Now, his Ten Thousand Li of Ice had reached the fourth-turn level of high-grade spells.
"Freeze!"
As soon as the light entered the sea, the freezing effect spread rapidly.
Normally, Yin-Yang Fish had sharp senses, but lured by the Fish-Devouring Grass and Water Immortal Lotus, their reactions were delayed.
The ice spell froze most of them in place, with only a few managing to escape.
"Rise!"
With a wave of his hand, a large block of ice rose from the seabed, landing on the airship.
"Eighty-one fish!"
"That’s more than enough."
Zhao Xing quickly melted the ice and, with sunken cheeks, inhaled softly.
Eighty-one Yin-Yang Fish were swallowed in one go.
"Buzz~"
A wave of dizziness struck his mind.
Zhao Xing shook his head.
He felt as if the world had split into two, with Yin-Yang Fish swimming in the sky.
"My life soul has broken through to the Fifth Rank. The yin has grown too strong, and my body can hardly contain it," Zhao Xing mused.
The life soul resided within the body, much like a person living in a house.
Now, the house was too small, and the person inside had grown too large.
It created a feeling of tightness.
With his life soul reaching the Fifth Rank, Zhao Xing found it difficult to control himself, feeling increasingly uncomfortable.
"Split!"
Zhao Xing pointed his finger, sending a large portion of his life soul energy into twelve of his Myriad Myriad Straw Puppets.
As the puppets glowed brighter, Zhao Xing finally felt more at ease.
"Too many puppets place a burden on the life soul."
"But an overpowered life soul can use the puppets to share the load."
Zhao Xing let out a long breath.
It was akin to expanding a cramped house by adding a few extra rooms.
Normally, cultivating Self Straw Puppets wouldn’t lead to this situation.
Usually, the life soul was not strong enough, rather than the puppets being insufficient.
"My twelve puppets are enhanced versions. They’re far stronger than the other twenty-four. I estimate each puppet has the combat strength of an early Sixth Rank martial artist."
With his life soul strengthened, Zhao Xing’s control over the Myriad Myriad Straw Puppets had greatly improved, allowing them to hold more and higher-level spells.
At this point, the twelve enhanced puppets could cast high-level spells.
However, their power would be reduced—Ten Thousand Li of Ice, at the fourth-turn high-grade level, would drop to a first-turn high-grade level when cast by the puppets.
Additionally, there was a limit to the number of spells they could store. Even with enhancements, they could only hold two high-level spells at once.
The other twenty-four puppets were still limited to mid-level spells, though they could store a greater variety of them. Zhao Xing’s earlier mid-level spells could all be cast by the Myriad Myriad Straw Puppets.
"Fortunately, I’ve consumed a great deal of vitality-rich spiritual resources. My physical strength is on par with a Sixth Rank martial artist now. I’ve reached the point of golden bones and silver marrow, with blood as strong as a river."
Although his golden bones had just started to form, and he was not yet on par with talents like Xia Jing and Long Xiao, who had fully perfected their golden bones, Zhao Xing’s physical strength was still incredibly high.
"I can now be considered a ‘Martial Shennong.’ Even in hand-to-hand combat, I could probably take down several early-to-mid-stage Sixth Rank martial artists."
Sitting cross-legged on his airship, Zhao Xing continued to cultivate, adapting to the changes brought by the breakthrough and the enhancements to his Myriad Myriad Straw Puppets.
With his life soul having reached the Fifth Rank, his Heavenly Eye Technique and Sleep Bug had advanced to the ninth-turn high-grade level!
All his other high-level spells were now at least at the fourth-turn level, having reached the ‘small success’ stage.
As the life soul grew stronger, his understanding of the world deepened. Comprehending the Dao was primarily the work of the life soul, and for non-martial cultivators, physical strength had little to do with enlightenment.
For martial artists, comprehension of the Dao involved digging deep into their physical potential, making a significant difference.
As Zhao Xing continued to contemplate the Dao, two airships approached twenty nautical miles away.
By the time they were ten nautical miles away, Qin Chongwu and Huangfu Song both noticed the Bloodshadow Airship.
"Is that Zhao Xing?" Qin Chongwu asked.
"It should be," Huangfu Song replied. "That signature Bloodshadow Airship, and the straw puppets on board—it’s definitely him."
"Brother Huangfu, your swordsmanship is unrivaled, and with your Great Strength Vajra Body, no one is more suited to capture Zhao Xing than you," Qin Chongwu said.
Huangfu Song’s face turned green. "Brother Qin, we’re not trying to kill him. You’re much faster with your Pure Essence Lightning Body. Who else but you could handle this task?"
"…"
Qin Chongwu and Huangfu Song exchanged looks, neither wanting to take on the responsibility.
But they couldn’t ignore Zhao Xing’s presence—there were other people aboard their airships. Failing to carry out Prince Ji Ye’s orders would only lead to more trouble.
After a moment of hesitation, Qin Chongwu said, "Brother Huangfu, there’s no need for us to argue. We both serve the prince. There’s no avoiding this task, so let’s take him together."
"Agreed," Huangfu Song nodded. "We’re only capturing him—Liu Tianning might not even hold it against us."
"Let’s act quickly."
...
Huangfu Song and Qin Chongwu approached swiftly.
They suppressed their auras and soon closed the distance to within three kilometers of Zhao Xing.
"Hmm?!"
Zhao Xing’s life soul suddenly sounded the alarm, prompting him to scan the sky.
His Heavenly Eye Technique revealed two blurry figures—the result of their stealth garments.
Through the concealment of the garments, Zhao Xing sensed the pure energy of their physical bodies.
It was clear—two Fifth Ranks were targeting him.
"Two Fifth Ranks, and they’re coming after me?"
Zhao Xing immediately turned to flee.
"He noticed us! Don’t run!"
Qin Chongwu and Huangfu Song immediately accelerated.
For two Fifth Ranks to fail in capturing Zhao Xing would be disgraceful.
At the same time, Zhao Xing’s clone aboard the Myriad Techniques Tower Ship quickly reported to Liu Tianning: "Master, two Fifth Ranks are chasing me!"
"Whoosh~"
Liu Tianning disappeared from the ship.
In the next moment, he reappeared several kilometers away.
Golden light flickered around him as vines coiled around his body, forming a set of Vine Armor.
If Zhao Xing had seen this, he would have been astonished.
Liu Tianning’s Vine Armor was a rare Seventh-Rank parasitic plant life form—Floating Vine.
Floating through the heavens and earth, it could traverse ten thousand miles in an instant!
By burning its own life force, its speed could increase even more!
"Someone is going to regret this," Princess You Ruo commented, watching Liu Tianning’s departure with her jade wine cup in hand. "The Myriad Techniques Tower Ship is already so close to Icefire Island, yet there are still people who doubt he’ll take action?"
She took a long sip, her eyes becoming misty. "When will he burn his Floating Vine for me too..."
...
"Split!"
As Zhao Xing piloted the airship to escape, he sent out twenty-four of his Myriad Myriad Straw Puppet clones to confuse the pursuers.
He could take on one Fifth Rank, but two—especially with two battle ships full of dozens of fully trained Sixth-Ranks—would be a losing battle. If they formed a battle formation, staying would mean certain death!
There was no point in relying on Liu Tianning’s name at this point—running was the best option!
"Kid, your straw puppet technique isn’t advanced enough!" Qin Chongwu sneered, ignoring Zhao Xing’s decoys.
"Do you think we don’t have detection methods of our own?"
"Surrender quietly; we’re not here to kill you," Huangfu Song added. "If you keep running, we’ll be forced to attack!"
But Zhao Xing had no intention of letting them get close.
If these two martial artists reached him, his chances of survival would be slim.
"Teng Snake Transformation!"
"Devouring Cloud Domain!"
"Sleep Bugs!"
Zhao Xing commanded his clones to pilot the airship while he cast his spells.
The Teng Snake Transformation hit Huangfu Song, but the glow only flashed twice before disappearing.
Scales briefly appeared on Huangfu Song’s hands and chest, but they soon faded away.
The Devouring Cloud Domain expanded, slightly slowing the two pursuers, but it wasn’t enough—they still outpaced the airship.
Surprisingly, the Sleep Bugs had the most effect!
The bugs burrowed into the life souls of Qin Chongwu and Huangfu Song.
In an instant, overwhelming drowsiness hit them, as if they hadn’t slept in years.
The speed of Qin Chongwu’s Pure Essence Lightning Body decreased sharply.
He shook his head. "This kid has some skill! If we keep this up, he’ll escape."
"We can’t waste any more time. Release the Fighting Vajra Puppets!"
They immediately commanded the two airships to accelerate, catching up to Zhao Xing’s Bloodshadow Airship.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~"
Fifteen high-level mechanical puppets shot out, landing on the Bloodshadow Airship’s shield.
"Boom! Boom, boom, boom!"
The Fighting Vajra Puppets began pounding on the Bloodshadow barrier.
"Heavenly Fire!"
Flames erupted from the Bloodshadow barrier.
Zhao Xing kept calm, causing the airship to plummet in an attempt to shake off the puppets, but they clung to it stubbornly.
He maintained his composure, knowing that he had a chance to escape if he could get the airship underwater.
Once in the sea, he could use his escape techniques.
Fifth-Rank martial artists were much slower underwater.
As long as he reached the seabed, he could use his tunneling technique to disappear, leaving his pursuers helpless.
"Smart move!" Qin Chongwu raised an eyebrow. "No wonder Liu Tianning took him as a disciple."
"He’s got a fierce spirit! Lift it!"
Huangfu Song quickly dove beneath the Bloodshadow Airship. His body swelled as he grew larger, reaching a height of five meters.
A golden halo enveloped him, making him look like a golden giant.
"Haaah!" Huangfu Song stomped on the sea’s surface, pushing the Bloodshadow Airship back into the air.
"Boom!"
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~" Eight chains shot out, latching onto the Bloodshadow Airship and pulling it upwards.
Just as Zhao Xing was about to abandon the ship and escape, an overwhelming presence filled the sky.
He glanced upward to see a figure closing in at lightning speed, moving so fast that in just a blink, it had appeared within a kilometer of them.
"It’s Liu Tianning!" Qin Chongwu’s scalp tingled.
"He’s actually coming!" Huangfu Song shuddered, hastily calling out, "Inspector Liu, this is all a misunderstanding…"
"Misunderstanding?" Zhao Xing shouted. "Misunderstanding my ass! Teacher, they’re trying to kill me!"
"No, we weren’t trying to kill you…"
But before Huangfu Song could finish, he saw Liu Tianning begin to multiply in midair, his figure splitting into countless clones.
In the blink of an eye, the entire sky was filled with Liu Tianning!
They had two airships, two Fifth-Ranks, fifty Sixth-Ranks, and thirty high-level Fighting Vajra Puppets, yet they were completely surrounded by just one man.
Huangfu Song: "…"
Qin Chongwu: "…"
The two men stared in horror at the scene unfolding before them.
They had heard legends of Liu Tianning but had never witnessed him in action.
Now that they had, they were utterly terrified.
Over three thousand Liu Tiannings, each emanating the aura of a fully-realized Fifth Rank!
How could they fight this?
Liu Tianning glanced down at the two of them coldly. "When I arrived, I saw the Bloodshadow Airship ablaze, pierced by eight chains, with fifteen Fighting Vajra Puppets on board…"
"And you want to tell me this was a misunderstanding?"
Huangfu Song and Qin Chongwu couldn’t explain.
They had no way to justify their actions!
Even capturing Zhao Xing was forbidden!
"Whoosh~"
Liu Tianning’s figure flickered, instantly passing through the barrier. In the blink of an eye, the Floating Vine Armor extended tendrils, grabbing Zhao Xing and lifting him back into the sky.
"Step aside."
"Yes, Master," Zhao Xing obediently retreated behind Liu Tianning.
"Inspector Liu, we were only following orders to capture him. We had no intention of harming him," Huangfu Song pleaded desperately.
"Spare me your excuses," Liu Tianning replied coldly. "I made it clear to all seven exploration teams: no Fifth-Rank combatants are to target my disciple. Even if you were only capturing him, you broke my rules!"
Zhao Xing quietly observed from behind. This was Liu Tianning’s usual style—he would always tell you exactly why he was cutting you down.
"Liu…"
Huangfu Song tried to say something, but Qin Chongwu had already started running.
He immediately ordered all the Fighting Vajra Puppets on the airship to charge in one direction.
Qin Chongwu himself followed behind the puppets, forming a wedge to break through Liu Tianning’s encirclement.
"Zzzt~"
The Pure Essence Lightning Body sparked as Qin Chongwu launched his attack!
And then…
Qin Chongwu died.
The Liu Tianning clones in front of him merely pointed a finger, and a gray rift, like the trail of a shooting star, extended towards him.
The thirty Fighting Vajra Puppets instantly disintegrated into scattered components.
The gray rift didn’t stop, swallowing Qin Chongwu in an instant.
His body shattered in a split second.
"Such a powerful Hou Transformation Technique!" Zhao Xing raised an eyebrow.
The Hou Transformation Technique Liu Tianning used was far beyond the level of Zhao Xing’s Teng Snake Transformation.
Huangfu Song, witnessing this, felt his soul leave his body.
Qin Chongwu, a late-stage Pure Essence combatant, hadn’t even lasted a single round.
"Inspector Liu, Lord Liu!" Huangfu Song completely lost his will to fight. "Please spare me!"
Liu Tianning remained unmoved, continuing his incantation.
He followed rules strictly—if someone broke them, there was no room for leniency!
That had always been his way, and it wouldn’t change now.
"Great Strength Vajra Transformation!"
Huangfu Song desperately tried to stall for time. He knew that Ji Ye was on his way, and if he could just hold on a little longer, there might be a chance to survive!
But he had overestimated himself.
As soon as Liu Tianning acted, Huangfu Song’s Great Strength Vajra Body was instantly shattered.
He returned to his normal form, and then his body began to break apart piece by piece.
Just before his death, Huangfu Song caught sight of the shadow of a Black Dragon Warship, but it was too late—he didn’t survive to see Ji Ye’s arrival.
"Liu Tianning!!!"
Ji Ye arrived on his warship in a frenzy, but all he saw was the moment when Huangfu Song disintegrated.
"You others may leave," Liu Tianning said, with a wave of his hand sending the two airships and the dozens of Sixth-Ranks aboard flying a thousand meters away.
He killed, but he didn’t massacre indiscriminately.
Even though the Sixth-Ranks had attacked his disciple, they hadn’t broken his rules.
"Liu Tianning!" Ji Ye roared, his entire body trembling with rage. "How dare you bully me like this! What have I done to offend you for you to slaughter my men?!"
Ji Ye was livid—his two most trusted aides had just been reduced to ash.
All he had wanted was to teach Zhao Xing a lesson, yet Liu Tianning had killed his people without hesitation.
"Let’s go," Liu Tianning said, not even sparing Ji Ye a glance as he led Zhao Xing away.
He didn’t repeat his rules more than once.
Liu Tianning had no patience for fools who couldn’t remember his words.
"You, you! Fine, fine, fine! Liu Tianning, your arrogance knows no bounds!"
Ji Ye’s fists clenched and unclenched repeatedly, but in the end, he didn’t dare give the order to attack. Even though he himself was a Fifth-Rank at full power, and his warship carried hundreds of Fifth-Rank combatants and mechanical puppets, he could only watch as Liu Tianning left.
On May 17th, Liu Tianning personally arrived at the outskirts of Icefire Island, where he killed Qin Chongwu, Huangfu Song, and destroyed thirty high-level mechanical puppets.
The Prince of Liang, Ji Ye, was left impotent with rage, powerless to stop him.
The news spread like wildfire, quickly reaching all seven exploration teams and the entirety of the Ten Sun Cave-Heaven.
For the first time in decades, Liu Tianning had taken action, shaking the world once again.
Particularly within the Seventy-Two Dao Academies, where anyone with enough seniority or standing vividly remembered the terror of being crushed under Liu Tianning’s power all those years ago.
"Hurt the disciple, and the master follows. Ji Ye must have lost his mind to think he could cross swords with Liu Wanfa."
"Liu Tianning isn’t old at all—he’s only 127."
"Ji Ye must have really thought he could ignore Liu Tianning’s warning. He wasn’t even trying to compete for the resources of the Extreme Night Sea, only letting his disciple train. Did they really think they could mess with him without consequence?"
"Who knows what Ji Ye was thinking."
"Hahahahaha! Excellent, excellent! Oh, how I wish Old Thirteen had the guts to challenge Liu Tianning, hahahaha!" Ji Dan, aboard his tower ship, burst into laughter upon hearing the news. He was nearly jumping for joy.
Unfortunately, his good brother Ji Ye had restrained himself.
"My lord, it seems we need to reassess Zhao Xing’s importance to Liu Tianning," Liang Ruohai advised. "You must devote more effort to forging ties with this person."
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