Chapter 460: The Smiling Asura, Heaven-Slaying Sword Qi
Although Zhou Li and the other five Nascent Soul cultivators were wary when they entered the Golden Core cultivators group, they did not take Su Jingzhen too seriously.
After all, most of the Nascent Soul cultivators in Qingzhou have a hint of pride in their hearts.
Being in the Nascent Soul stage in Qingzhou indeed placed them above others. Who among them wouldn’t be confident in their abilities?
But as Su Jingzhen closed in, the face of the Nascent Soul cultivator who was in the early stage of this realm suddenly changed.
He could clearly sense the terrifying power within the dragon-shaped attack that Su Jingzhen unleashed.
It was at this moment that he finally realized that Su Jingzhen was a genuine Flesh Body Nascent Embryo cultivator.
In this world, the dominant practice was Qi Refinement, and indeed, they had never taken Body Cultivation or Spiritual Cultivation seriously.
But that was mainly because these two cultivation paths were far too slow in progression.
However, once a cultivator reached such a level, all the power they should have would naturally be present.
Having not fought against a Body Cultivator in so long, they had forgotten the terror of letting one get close.
In this instant, this Nascent Soul early-stage cultivator from the Zhou family felt a brush with death.
However, this person was indeed worthy of being a Nascent Soul early-stage cultivator.
In the rush of the moment, he knew that trying to gather a defense to block Su Jingzhen’s attack was highly unlikely.
He gripped his sword with both hands and his Nascent Soul early-stage spiritual energy surging wildly within him.
Then, with a single slash, he aimed at Su Jingzhen’s dragon-shaped energy.
Offense is always the best defense.
The fierce sword qi immediately collided with Su Jingzhen’s dragon-shaped energy.
No explosion was heard in the void.
Yet, violent energy swept out in all directions.
The house they were standing in was instantly destroyed.
In the next moment, the Nascent Soul early-stage cultivator from the Zhou family breathed a slight sigh of relief.
He saw that his sword qi and Su Jingzhen’s dragon-shaped energy had both been annihilated in the void.
Taking advantage of the recoil from their clash, he retreated a few steps.
His gaze remained locked on Su Jingzhen’s figure, believing himself to be temporarily safe.
“How dare a mere body cultivator be so arrogant.
It’s really ridiculous!”
After thinking he had put himself at a safe distance, this early Nascent Soul did not forget to taunt him like this.
But in the next moment, the figure of Su Jingzhen before his eyes slowly dissipated.
It turned out that the Su Jingzhen he had been watching was merely an afterimage.
Suddenly, a voice filled with laughter echoed in his ear.
“Did you really think you were fast?”
The Nascent Soul early-stage cultivator looked to his left in the direction of the voice.
He saw a dark shadow rapidly enlarging in his field of vision.
In that instant, his heart was struck with intense shock.
Instinctively, he tried to reach for his storage ring to pull out a defensive talisman, but it was already too late.
“Boom!”
A sound like a watermelon bursting echoed within the barrier.
For a moment, it felt as if the world had gone silent.
Outside the barrier, everyone who had been watching the battle was frozen in place, their expressions solidified.
An overwhelming sense of dread gripped them, sending chills down their spines.
“Boom!”
Another loud thud resounded.
It was the sound of the headless body of the Nascent Soul early-stage cultivator from the Zhou family hitting the ground.
Everyone finally snapped out of their daze.
Their hearts were in turmoil, filled with unparalleled shock.
Was this the power of a Flesh Body Nascent Embryo’s Body Cultivator?
Once he got close, even a Nascent Soul early-stage Qi cultivator couldn’t withstand a single move.
“Did the Zhou family’s Nascent Soul cultivator just die like that?”
“When did Nascent Soul cultivators become like pigs, so easily slaughtered?”
“Did any of you notice that Su Jingzhen had a gentle smile on his face the entire time…”
As this discussion broke out, a cold shiver ran down everyone’s spines.
By now, Su Jingzhen was covered in blood and gore, even his face was splattered with it.
Combined with his gentle smile, the sight was nothing short of eerie.
At his feet lay a pile of headless corpses.
This was the true visage of a blood-soaked Asura!
“There’s no need to wait for him to grow stronger. Even now, he fully embodies the word ‘Asura!’”
“If Shen Yifeng is the Blood-Handed Asura, then perhaps his disciple Su Jingzhen should be called the Smiling Asura!”
As soon as this title was mentioned, everyone felt it was incredibly fitting.
Cang Yun and Zou Zeyu grew increasingly grim.
Indeed, everything the Zhou family had done was secretly orchestrated by Zou Zeyu and Tuoba Junlin.
But they had never expected things to escalate to this level.
It was hard to accept.
If the Zhou family were wiped out, it would only elevate Su Jingzhen’s fame.
In future contests between Linjiang City and Longyan City, Su Jingzhen’s name would undoubtedly become a significant advantage for the Linjiang Branch.
Zou Zeyu clenched his fists in secret.
Beside him, the Second Elder’s expression also turned sour.
But he still spoke, “Holy Son, don’t be too hasty.
This man’s strength is indeed strange, but I suspect it may only be a temporary surge of power.
If he’s using some sort of secret technique to achieve his current combat prowess, then he’s not truly a threat.
Holy Son, do not forget that the Third Elder holds the Bloodthirst Secret Technique. This technique is particularly well-suited against Body Cultivators.
However, that technique requires a great sacrifice and has a time limit.
Moreover, the reason the Zhou family’s Nascent Soul early-stage cultivator was killed was simply due to a moment of carelessness.
As long as the remaining people stay vigilant and keep their distance, he’s just a Body Cultivator. The Zhou family should still be able to handle him.”
The Second Elder’s words were meant to comfort, but in truth, this was what he genuinely believed.
In fact, most of the leaders of the top forces surrounding them were thinking the same.
“Scoundrel, die!”
Outside the barrier, the various powerful forces could afford to comment and speculate.
But within the barrier, the Zhou family members, after seeing their Nascent Soul early-stage cultivator reduced to a headless corpse, were engulfed in an overwhelming fury and killing intent.
Zhou Li’s eyes had already turned blood-red.
Even if they managed to kill Su Jingzhen today, the losses to the Zhou family would be immeasurable.
He was acutely aware that after today, the Zhou family’s prestige in the Qingzhou region would plummet to a freezing point.
In fact, if things went poorly, the Zhou family might even fall out of the ranks of top-tier powers.
At this moment, Zhou Li’s thoughts were still overly optimistic.
He hadn’t yet considered that the Zhou family might be completely wiped out today.
With his sword in hand, Zhou Li suddenly unleashed the full force of his Nascent Soul late-stage aura.
“All Zhou family members, fall back!”
Zhou Li roared this command to everyone within the Zhou family’s barrier.
Then, gripping his sword with both hands, he unleashed a massive sword light, expanding it to over a hundred feet in size.
He slashed directly at Su Jingzhen.
“Heaven-Slaying!”
This was Zhou Li’s full-power attack.
Its power was so immense that it even seemed to surpass that of a typical Nascent Soul late-stage cultivator.
Earlier, he had considered getting close to Su Jingzhen to kill him, to avoid harming the Zhou family’s other Golden Core cultivators.
But now, he couldn’t afford to worry about that anymore.
If Su Jingzhen were allowed to continue his rampage, the Zhou family’s other Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators would be completely wiped out.
The Heaven-Slaying Sword Qi was incredibly fierce, locking onto Su Jingzhen with deadly precision.
All the Zhou family’s Golden Core cultivators within a hundred-foot radius of Su Jingzhen were struck with terror. However, when they heard Zhou Li’s shout, most were already too late to dodge.
In an instant, four or five Golden Core cultivators were reduced to ashes under Zhou Li’s Heaven-Slaying Sword Qi.
“Truly, anyone who can become the head of a top-tier family must have a ruthless heart.”
“Earlier, Zhou Li simply hadn’t made up his mind. But now that Su Jingzhen has shown his potential, Zhou Li won’t hesitate any longer. To him, sacrificing a few Golden Core cultivators is worth it if it means taking down Su Jingzhen.”
“…”
Outside the barrier, the cultivators of various factions once again discussed this, each growing increasingly solemn.
The losses the Zhou family had already suffered were reaching a point that was becoming unbearable.
In that critical moment, as Zhou Li unleashed his Heaven-Slaying Sword, Su Jingzhen’s expression became exceedingly serious.
He hadn’t expected Zhou Li to be so decisive.
“Truly ruthless,” he thought to himself, but he wasn’t foolish enough to take Zhou Li’s furious strike head-on.
Though Su Jingzhen felt a certain eagerness, a sense that he might just withstand such a blow, he knew better than to take unnecessary risks.
Especially when the Zhou family still had four other Nascent Soul and over twenty Golden Core cultivators remaining. It wasn’t the time to gamble.
His feet surged with energy as he activated the Surging Spring acupoints, and the Netherworld Ghost Technique was set into motion.
Four afterimages appeared in his place once again.
Even so, Su Jingzhen still felt that this might not be enough.
He pushed the defensive power of his Heavenly Dragon Scales to its limit.
In the instant he stepped into the Nether Step, the four afterimages he created were all obliterated by Zhou Li’s Heaven-Slaying Sword Qi.
Zhou Li indeed deserved his reputation as the head of the Zhou family, and as a peak Nascent Soul late-stage cultivator. The power of his Heaven-Slaying Sword truly shocked Su Jingzhen.
The residual force of the sword qi still managed to graze Su Jingzhen.
A searing pain flared on Su Jingzhen’s back.
Though the Heavenly Dragon Scales on his back provided impressive defense, a few scales were ultimately sliced through, causing blood to soak his clothing.
Yet, instead of fear, an even stronger sense of exhilaration surged within his heart.
This battle was undoubtedly a test from Shen Yifeng, which was meant to challenge Su Jingzhen.
If he kept smashing heads with bricks as he did before, it would eventually grow dull for him.
Today he had made up his mind to fight an open battle, so naturally he wanted to have a good time.
“Not bad, you’ve got some skill. I’ll save you for last then,” Su Jingzhen remarked with a warm smile, his gaze lingering on Zhou Li.
He knew that Zhou Li had already reached the late Nascent Soul stage, so it would probably not be easy for him to launch an attack as powerful as he had done before.
Su Jingzhen intended to kill the other Zhou family cultivators first, forcing Zhou Li to become increasingly desperate.
He hoped Zhou Li would launch more Heaven-Slaying Sword Qi attacks.
The more Zhou Li exhausted himself, the closer he would come to his own demise.
Having chosen his next target, Su Jingzhen activated the Nether Step once more, increasing his speed to the maximum.
He moved swiftly across the rooftops within a thousand-foot radius, feeling at moments as though he could walk on air.
In an instant, he was close to another mid-Nascent Soul cultivator on Zhou Li’s left.
This mid-Nascent Soul cultivator had mistakenly believed that being close to Zhou Li would keep him from being targeted by Su Jingzhen. However, he was Su Jingzhen’s next choice.
Panic flashed across the mid-Nascent Soul cultivator’s face as Su Jingzhen closed the distance.
Within a mere ten feet, Su Jingzhen struck three times with his brick!
Three dragon-shaped waves of force roared toward the mid-Nascent Soul cultivator.
Su Jingzhen had anticipated that his chosen target would instantly activate defenses once selected, especially given the distance he had initially kept.
As expected, the moment Su Jingzhen launched his dragon-shaped attacks, four or five layers of glowing barriers appeared around the mid-Nascent Soul cultivator.
These were defensive talismans he had hurriedly activated.
“Courting death!”
Zhou Li roared as he realized what was happening.
His face twisted with rage, Zhou Li wasted no time.
He channeled his late-stage Nascent Soul power and unleashed another Heaven-Slaying Sword Qi toward Su Jingzhen.
This time, the sword qi swept horizontally like rippling water.
Zhou Li was confident that if it hit, Su Jingzhen would be sliced in two.
Moreover, he trusted that the mid-Nascent Soul cultivator would be able to hold off Su Jingzhen for at least a moment which prevented him from being immediately killed.
With this maneuver, if Su Jingzhen insisted on killing his target, he would inevitably face Zhou Li’s sword head-on. Zhou Li had absolute confidence in his Heaven-Slaying Sword Qi.
Seeing Zhou Li unleash another Heaven-Slaying Sword Qi, Su Jingzhen’s smile widened.
As he delivered the three brick strikes, his storage ring flashed, and a long sword appeared beneath his feet.
But instead of using it to fly, he used it as a leverage point and stomped down hard.
Activating the Nether Step, Su Jingzhen’s figure shot vertically into the sky.
At that moment, a thought crossed his mind: Wudang Sect’s Cloud-Stepping Technique!
His rapid ascent allowed him to narrowly avoid Zhou Li’s horizontally sweeping Heaven-Slaying Sword Qi.
Meanwhile, the three dragon-shaped forces he had unleashed shattered the defensive talismans of the mid-Nascent Soul cultivator from the Zhou family.
With his defenses completely broken, the mid-Nascent Soul cultivator was left vulnerable to the more powerful Heaven-Slaying Sword Qi. The momentary relief he felt was quickly replaced by despair.
“No!” he screamed, his voice filled with dread.
Zhou Li also realized what was happening. But once the Heaven-Slaying Sword Qi was unleashed, it was like water spilled—it couldn’t be recalled.
He could only watch helplessly as his full-powered strike severed his own subordinate in two.
The violent sword qi obliterated any remaining vitality, leaving the Zhou family’s mid-Nascent Soul cultivator dead, his body split in half.
His end was even more gruesome than those who had been decapitated.
Hovering in the sky on his sword, Su Jingzhen looked down at Zhou Li.
“Patriarch Zhou, I didn’t expect you to be so ruthless to your own people. I must say, I’m truly impressed!” he remarked, his tone dripping with sarcasm.