Chapter 150: 87: Wind and Thunder God Arrow! Long Whale Inhales Water!_1
Seven or eight years ago, when he still held the position of Hall Master of Wind Whale Hall, Qi Chenghong had broken through the limits of the Qi-Blood Veil, completing four blood refinements and stepping into the realm of Qi-Blood Wolf Smoke!
There’s a gap between the first and second transformations of Qi and Blood, but it’s not so vast as to be crushing. However, the disparity between the third and fourth transformations is immense, one still within the Qi-Blood Veil, while the other is in the realm of Qi-Blood Wolf Smoke!
“Ghost Bat Claw!”
Qi Chenghong burst forth with all his Qi and Blood, his face turning a crimson red as his right claw, shimmering with blood light, turned a dark red, emitting a ghastly aura, and he ferociously slammed it toward the blade of the sword.
“Boom!”
The sound of thunder so loud it seemed capable of tearing people’s eardrums burst forth, like two thunderbolts colliding, the combination of sky thunder and earth fire.
“Crack, crack, crack!”
With Su Changkong and Qi Chenghong at the center, the ground was torn apart as if by a rampaging Earth Dragon, splitting the bricks and stones from the ground and hurling them in all directions, some crashing against the doors and windows of nearby houses, instantly creating cracks!
The might of such a spectacle caused all the residents who witnessed this scene to have their eyes bulge and their hearts nearly stop, unable to believe that such power could be unleashed by mere flesh and blood!
“The Qi-Blood Realm! It’s warriors from the Qi-Blood Realm fighting!”
Among the bystanders, there were also knowledgeable martial artists who were utterly shocked, realizing that both combatants were warriors from the Qi-Blood Realm.
Reaching the Qi-Blood Realm, even when looking at the entire Ink Forest Prefecture City, is considered among the ranks of experts, capable of taking on a hundred foes. Two such powerful warriors fighting in the streets indicated deep hatred and enmity!
“Hiss!”
Qi Chenghong, overflowing with Qi and Blood, fiercely contested Su Changkong’s Iron-Cutting Sword, which he had been nurturing for nearly a year. With the support of Qi-blood at the Qi-Blood Wolf Smoke level, Qi Chenghong’s claws were comparable to a divine weapon, strong enough to rend metal asunder, yet he still felt a pain in his palm as a tear appeared on the surface of his claw!
“What kind of blade technique is this lad using to injure me?” Qi Chenghong was shocked. With his fourth transformation in the Martial Arts Realm, he should have been able to completely suppress Su Changkong, yet Su Changkong’s astounding sword strike had pierced through his ghostly claw.
“I’ve injured him!”
While Su Changkong was amazed that Qi Chenghong could withstand his astonishing sword strike with his bare claw, he also felt a surge of joy, for his Iron-Cutting Sword was smeared with Boiling Blood Scatter poison, which had already entered Qi Chenghong’s system upon being wounded.
But the effects of Boiling Blood Scatter poison needed time to take hold.
“Roar!”
Qi Chenghong roared, blocking Su Changkong’s Iron-Cutting Sword with his claw. His roar was thick with Qi and Blood, which surged up like a boiling wolf smoke, causing bystanders a dozen paces away to feel their eardrums would split and their vision turn dark.
Even for Su Changkong, who bore the brunt of the attack, his Qi and Blood felt unsteady within, a testament to the suppression of the Refining Blood Realm!
In the roar, the dark red mist at Qi Chenghong’s claw tips almost congealed into liquid. His five slender fingers, like the claws of a wild beast, ferociously reached for Su Changkong.
Horizontal Chop!
Su Changkong pushed his Turtle Breathing True Qi to the limit and unleashed his second chop. The Blade Qi nurtured by his Blade Nurturing Art would swell on the first strike, wane on the second, and be exhausted by the third. The power of his second stroke, although not as fierce as the first, was like a sword river waterfall, confronting Qi Chenghong’s ghostly claw.
“Clang!”
When the sword collided with the claw, Su Changkong’s first strike had been enough to battle Qi Chenghong, at the level of Qi-Blood Wolf Smoke, to a standstill, even gaining a slight upper hand. However, in their second clash, he found himself overpowered, as the force transmitted from Qi Chenghong’s ghostly claw was like a mountainous wave, forcing Su Changkong to take a step back, causing the ground where he stood to cave in, and leaving his arm, which held the sword, numb!
The disparity between the fourth transformation of Qi and Blood and the first is immense, even in terms of physique alone!
Qi Chenghong’s eyes were tinged with threads of blood. Not giving Su Changkong any chance to catch his breath, his left hand reached out, his arm bones ‘cracking’ as his entire arm elongated by more than half a foot in a vicious strike!
“Hiss!”
Those sharp fingernails, as if they were blade edges, tore through Su Changkong’s chest clothing, including his golden-threaded chainmail, leaving five deep gashes visible to the bone on Su Changkong’s chest. Had it not been for the protective chainmail, Su Changkong could well have been disemboweled.
Clearly, Qi Chenghong had also not expected Su Changkong to wear metal inner armor. He paused for a moment. But more than that, a burning, painful sensation seeped through his body—the poison of Boiling Blood Scatter. His palm had been cut open by the Iron-Cutting Sword, contaminated with the poison, and as he furiously pumped his Qi and Blood, the poison had begun to take effect.
“Damn it!”
Qi Chenghong’s eyes turned a blood red as he realized Su Changkong’s sword was poisoned. This lad was devious, using hidden weapons and sleeve crossbows, wearing golden-threaded chainmail, and even poisoning his sword!
“Die!”
Qi Chenghong became somewhat crazed, ignoring the damage Boiling Blood Scatter was inflicting on his body. His veins bulging as if they were about to explode, his right claw reached for Su Changkong’s throat, the five fingers tearing through the air, carrying with them the sound of a piercing howl.
In this moment, Su Changkong also went completely mad. If he were to falter, he would be the one to die. Ignoring the bone-deep wounds on his chest, and the tingling sensations that washed over him, he gripped his sword with both hands and executed his third and final chop aimed at Qi Chenghong’s head.
Though their clash was brief, both had exhausted all their means, leaving no room for retreat. Their eyes reddened in fury, they forgot about life and death, locked in a do-or-die struggle!