11: Sudden change, Ding Qing's demise

"You Wild Cultivator have quite a lot of Talismans; it seems you have a great Opportunity on you!"

A hint of greed flickered in Ding Qing's eyes.

To be able to refine so many Rank 1 Talismans, besides having profound Talisman-making skills, Materials were also very important.

It seemed the Huang Tian thief before him not only carried a Legacy but also had a way to obtain a large amount of cultivation resources; no wonder he had remained hidden for so many years without being discovered.

"Worry about yourself first!"

True Man Huang Tian snorted coldly and then fell silent.

He simply focused on controlling the golden armor giant in front of him, relentlessly throwing out Talismans.

"Once I capture you, I will have a way to make you talk!"

As time passed, Ding Qing's sword techniques became increasingly sharp and domineering, and his combination with Fire-controlling Arts was even more superb.

At times, his sword transformed into screeching fire crows; at others, the fire condensed into a volley of feathered arrows, bringing out the essence of the Prairie Fire Sword Art to its fullest.

Meanwhile, True Man Huang Tian's Talisman arts were also ever-changing and endless.

For defense, there were Golden Armor Strongmen, earth walls, and ice shields; for attack, there were sword blades, immense strength, divine speed, and more... "Boom—Boom—Boom—"

The two fought from the sky to the ground, and from the ground back into mid-air; no one dared to approach within a radius of one or two hundred zhang.

Wherever they went, whether it was the sturdy battlements of the city walls or civilian courtyards, everything was completely destroyed by the stray Sword Qi and the aftershocks of the Talismans!

The ground was plowed into deep trenches, with scorched earth and frost marks intertwining in a complete mess.

At the same time, True Man Huang Tian's nine Disciples and the five Cultivators from the State Preceptors Mansion also began a melee.

The explosions of Spells and Talismans rang out one after another, kicking up layers of airwaves; although not as earth-shattering as the fight on Ding Qing's side, the battle was still inextricably fierce.

Although the State Preceptors Mansion had fewer people, their cultivation was stronger by a margin.

Furthermore, they possessed orthodox cultivation Legacies and each held Magical Artifacts; they were not comparable to the ignorant Wild Cultivators of the Yellow Heaven Cult, and could be said to have the upper hand.

In the distance, on the galley, Yu Xuzi was holding his breath and concentrating. Ignoring the shouting and clamoring Mortals around him, he carefully channeled his magic power into his eyes.

"Lingtai Square Inch, illuminating the void and the true!"

"Clear sky and bright earth, let the Dharma Eye open wide!"

In an instant, a golden ring appeared in his pitch-black pupils.

What he cast was exactly the Rank 1 Spell [Spiritual Eye Technique] recorded in the incomplete "Huang Tian True Scripture," which was enough to see every detail of the life-and-death struggle nearly seven or eight li away.

This was the first time he had witnessed a battle between true Cultivators.

Whether it was Ding Qing's exquisite sword techniques and Fire-controlling Arts, or the endless stream of Talismans from the Yellow Heaven Cult, everything left him in awe, and he naturally wanted to observe closely.

"So this is a battle between Late Stage Qi Refining Cultivators... The Huang Tian Talismans actually have so many variations..."

Time trickled by.

The sunset vanished completely, and night had fallen.

But the battlefield was illuminated as bright as day by the various colors of Spell light.

Ding Qing and True Man Huang Tian's fierce battle had lasted for more than half an hour. Both were wounded, and their Aura was no longer as Peak as at the beginning, but the killing intent in their eyes had grown even more intense.

The land of the Yu Kingdom was the Foundation of the State Preceptors Mansion; the Yellow Heaven Cult wanted to dig up their roots, so there was naturally no room for compromise between the two.

On the other battlefield, the Yellow Heaven Cult was the first to suffer casualties.

Two Disciples with the lowest cultivation at the Early Stage of Qi Refining were struck by the Magical Artifacts of the State Preceptors Mansion's Cultivators due to a single careless move and were instantly killed on the spot!

However, just as the battle fell into a stalemate and the situation for the Yellow Heaven Cult was gradually turning sour—another sudden change occurred!

A streak of light, black as ink, shot out from the darkness in the west of the city without warning, its speed exceeding everyone's reaction time.

Its target was none other than Ding Qing, who was currently clashing head-on with True Man Huang Tian with his Flying Sword!

This black light was extremely eerie, capable of perfectly concealing its Aura. It wasn't until it was less than ten zhang behind Ding Qing that it suddenly erupted with the Aura of the Late Stage Qi Refining level!

A bone-chilling and highly corrosive burst of magic power, like a venomous Dragon emerging from its cave, pierced straight toward Ding Qing's back.

"Who's there?!"

Ding Qing was so terrified that his Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, and he jerked his head around to look.

He never imagined that besides the Yellow Heaven Cult, there would be a third party intervening, and with such a sinister sneak attack!

In the next instant.

"Puchi!"

The black light easily tore through his hastily condensed Protective Spirit Shield. It was a pitch-black short spike, heavily poisoned, which ruthlessly stabbed into Ding Qing's left chest.

His fragile heart, a vital point, was pierced through!

Immediately after, the cold and malicious magic power instantly invaded his Meridians and internal organs, severing all his life force.

"Argh!"

Ding Qing let out a shrill scream, and the blood he spat out carried a trace of black Qi.

He fell from the sky like a kite with a broken string, his Aura instantly withering away, and he perished on the spot in just a short moment.

The attacker, having succeeded, did not linger for a second. His figure seemed to turn into a wisp of black wind, merging into the night and vanishing.

From beginning to end, his face was never even shown,

leaving only the vague impression of a Black Clad Person.

"Senior Brother!!"

Seeing this, the remaining Cultivators of the State Preceptors Mansion were horrified and no longer had the heart to fight.

They all tried their best to break away from their opponents and rushed toward the falling Ding Qing.

But it was already too late.

The Cult Master of Huang Tian Cult seemed to have anticipated this; he showed no panic at all. Instead, he took this Opportunity to suppress his injuries and shouted sternly, "Ding Qing is dead! Disciples, hear my command: leave none of the rest alive!"

"Kill!!!"

Seeing this, the remaining members of the Yellow Heaven Cult were greatly emboldened and pounced forward fiercely.

The tide of the battle reversed in an instant!

In the cultivation world, Late Stage and Peak stage Cultivators of any cultivation Realm are usually also called "Great Cultivators."

This is because Late Stage Cultivators are much more powerful than those in the Early or Middle Stage; these individuals have achieved Major Achievement in their Realm and rarely meet their match, hence the respectful title.

For example, the title for the Mystic Fetus Realm is Immortal Master, while the Late Stage of the Mystic Fetus Realm is called a "Great Immortal Master."

The Late Stage of the Dharma Image Realm is honored as "Great True Monarch," and so on.

Although the Qi Refining Realm is only the first Realm of cultivation, the principle is the same.

Cultivators at the Late Stage Qi Refining are naturally incomparable to those at the Early Stage and Middle Stage.

With Ding Qing's sudden fall, True Man Huang Tian, a Late Stage Qi Refining Cultivator, was now free to act, naturally gaining every advantage against the remaining people from the State Preceptors Mansion.

"Oh no! Senior Brother is dead!"

"Huddle together! Don't run around—"

"Run for your lives!!!"

Sensing Ding Qing's lifeless corpse, the five from the State Preceptors Mansion were terrified, and in their anxiety, internal strife actually broke out.

Three of them, in their grief and indignation, seemed to want to band together for a counterattack, but unexpectedly, the other two turned and fled without hesitation, directly selling them out.

"Idiots!"

"Damn it—"

"Ungrateful bastards!"

Seeing this, the three of them cursed in unison before trying to escape, but it was already too late.

"All of you, stay right here!"

True Man Huang Tian laughed wildly as he threw out several Talismans; under the explosion of massive fireballs, he forced them to retreat repeatedly.

The remaining seven Yellow Heaven Cult Cultivators also closed in; it looked like a dead end.

"Boom—Boom—"

On the river.

Yu Xuzi looked in the direction where Ding Qing had fallen and then toward the night sky where the Black Clad Person had disappeared, his brow furrowing slightly.

"The State Preceptors Mansion has controlled the Yu Kingdom for hundreds of years, yet they are so pathetic? Or were they just careless?"

"And that person in the shadows, at the Late Stage Qi Refining... with such clever concealment methods, could they be a force from outside the Yu Kingdom?"

"Is there someone else behind the Yellow Heaven Cult?"

He was still waiting for the Yellow Heaven Cult to be wiped out so he could obtain the final reward.

He hadn't expected the State Preceptors Mansion to be the one in big trouble first.

It seemed that this cultivation world was not peaceful at all.

Whether it was the Yellow Heaven Cult or the State Preceptors Mansion,

no matter how they fought, Yu Xuzi had no intention of showing himself to contact or intervene.

Barring any accidents, he planned to stay alone in the Mortal world until his cultivation reached the Middle Stage or even Late Stage Qi Refining.