52: Chapter 52: The Green Snake receives an epic power-up, but is still getting beaten up.
Demonic Fire erupted.
Demonic Power continuously surged toward its mouth, transforming into Demonic Fire.
"Hmph."
"Mere Demonic Fire."
The Black Robed Golden Core cultivator held a saber in one hand and formed an incantation gesture with the other.
Majestic Dharmic Power billowed his robes, making them snap loudly.
"Demon Slaying."
"Third Style."
The dark green flames were scattered in an instant by the blast of Dharmic Power.
Endless Saber Qi swirled and circled in the air, transforming into a river of Saber Qi.
The river of Saber Qi spiraled a few times before converging back into the great saber.
The materialized Saber Qi wrapped the great saber in a layer of black light, condensing into a massive saber phantom.
"green flood dragon ring, go!"
Xu Qing hurriedly retracted the Demonic Fire.
The dark green scales on his tail glowed as he flung the green flood dragon ring forward.
The massive green flood dragon ring erupted with brilliant green light, spinning rapidly as it transformed into a giant green ring to block his front.
The black saber light and the green light collided violently, the ear-piercing sound of clashing metal echoing through the heavens.
Xu Qing retreated hastily as the wood armor on his body writhed, condensing sharp claws resembling human hands in front of him.
The claws were covered in wood grain that looked like scales.
Xu Qing's left claw caught the rebounding green flood dragon ring, while his right claw snatched at the Void Realm.
A great sword was now held firmly in his claw.
"A mere snake demon, mimicking humans by wielding a sword. Laughable, truly laughable."
The Black Robed Golden Core cultivator mocked him before his figure flickered, leaving only a dark afterimage behind.
Xu Qing's pupils narrowed into slits. With a flap of the wooden wings behind his neck, he left behind an afterimage that was instantly shredded by black Saber Qi.
"Such speed."
Holding the sword horizontally and swinging it as he retreated, he blocked the incoming Saber Qi.
Xu Qing had once researched that fighting higher-ranked beings allowed for faster accumulation of proficiency.
He could feel his sword-related skills rapidly gaining proficiency.
With the ring in his left claw and the sword in his right, Xu Qing barely managed to defend himself, but his wood armor was being constantly damaged.
The two fruits acting as energy cores on the snake's belly saw their spiritual energy drain rapidly as they continuously repaired the wounds on the wood armor.
[Ding, proficiency requirements met]
[Skill learned: Swordsmanship LV1]
[Ding, proficiency requirements met]
[Sword Dao LV1 upgraded to Sword Dao LV2]
"The skill came just in time!"
Xu Qing was overjoyed. Flapping his wings, he drew a dark green line through the air.
With a swing of his right claw, Sword Qi erupted from the longsword.
"Ten Thousand Swords Return to Ancestor!"
A few lonely swords of Sword Qi condensed and shot toward the pursuing Black Robed Golden Core cultivator.
Xu Qing's face flushed with heat.
Damn it, I can't mock Xu Linger anymore.
His internal embarrassment flashed by as he swung his sword to deflect several strands of Saber Qi while forming incantations with both claws.
Incantation gestures could assist in activating Magic Treasures and Spells. The "White Flood Dragon Heart Art" contained numerous White Flood Dragon hand seals; Xu Qing simply hadn't had hands to perform them before.
The green flood dragon ring spun, blocking his front, its center aligned with the countless incoming strands of Saber Qi.
The Saber Qi entered the ring, causing slight ripples within it before vanishing.
"Evil snake, do you think you still have a chance to escape?"
The Black Robed Golden Core cultivator seemed to think Xu Qing was trying to flee. He swiped the opening of his Storage Pouch, retrieved a grey compass-like item, and chanted an incantation.
"Demon Trapping Plate, go!"
He tossed the compass forward.
The compass shot straight to the air above Xu Qing's head, casting beams of grey light downward.
"Did you have a grudge against demons in your past life? Why are all your skills targeted at demons!"
Xu Qing didn't dare let even a speck of that grey light touch him. He frantically flapped his wings, constantly dodging and weaving.
However, those grey lights were like countless sentient small snakes, swimming through the air and accumulating in number as they swarmed toward Xu Qing.
Simultaneously, endless Saber Qi continued to shave away his wood armor.
"Congeal!"
The Black Robed Golden Core cultivator pinched his right ring finger and thumb together.
The grey Demon Trapping Plate above emitted a chime. The speed of the countless grey swimming snakes suddenly increased, swarming toward Xu Qing from all directions.
With nowhere to hide, Xu Qing was instantly wrapped into a grey sphere of light, unable to move.
"Demon Slaying, Fourth Style!"
Seeing that the slippery Xu Qing was finally immobilized, the Black Robed Golden Core cultivator swiftly raised his saber, gathered endless Saber Qi, and slashed down.
Black clouds blotted out the sky, and the wind pressure was so intense it nearly flattened the entire forest.
Xu Qing struggled desperately.
He stared straight at the descending massive saber light.
He placed the green flood dragon ring in front of him, and layers of Space Barriers unfolded as if they cost no Dharmic Power at all.
The claws formed by his wood armor crossed before his head, writhing and growing into a thick wooden shield shimmering with green light.
Adhering to the principle of using whatever was available, Xu Qing also brought out the black flood dragon horn to block his front.
The pitch-black saber light fell.
Space Barrier LV3 was like paper, shattering layer by layer.
The pitch-black saber light's momentum remained undiminished as it slammed into the green flood dragon ring.
The green flood dragon ring trembled violently under the saber light, its green glow growing faint bit by bit.
Finally, its light dimmed and it was sent flying, though it remained completely undamaged.
The wooden shield held for a breath before being sliced cleanly in two.
The saber light struck the black flood dragon horn and Xu Qing directly.
Xu Qing was sliced in half from the middle. His upper body, still tightly clutching the black flood dragon horn, was sent flying backward.
Countless trees were crushed. He felt as if his entire body was about to shatter.
The intense pain, coupled with the phantom pain from his previous Revival, nearly made him pass away on the spot.
"My butt hurts so much!"
"No, my butt doesn't hurt. My butt is over there on a tree."
Xu Qing gritted his teeth, stored the black flood dragon horn into his Spatial Pupil, and flew up once more.
Compared to the never-ending agony of death, this was just an itch.
"Snakes really are disgusting, still alive even after being cut in half."
"Does it hurt? Good, it should."
"The bodies of the Yao Race are only fit to be materials for us humans."
The Black Robed Golden Core cultivator made a grasping motion, seizing Xu Qing's severed lower half and putting it into his Storage Pouch.
This action made Xu Qing tremble with rage.
His animalistic instincts surged.
"Hiss, hiss, hiss!"
"Give me back my tail!"
He opened his mouth to reveal rows of fangs, emitting an ear-piercing hiss.
His two healing skills, Self-Healing and Resurrection, operated at full power, constantly mending his wounds.
The damaged armor grew rapidly, once again covering his entire body.
"Earth Escape!"
Xu Qing endured the pain, forced himself to calm down, and dove into the earth.
This was a skill granted to him by the heaven and earth spiritual root.
"Hmph, your tail's been cut off and you're still thinking of escaping? As expected, a beast is just a beast."
The black-robed man thrust his saber into the ground and formed an incantation, causing the hilt to vibrate.
Countless strands of Saber Qi sank into the ground, sweeping toward Xu Qing as he used Earth Escape.
[Ding, Hard Scales LV1 upgraded to Hard Scales LV2]
After taking countless hits, the Hard Scales skill finally leveled up.
The defensive talent of the Resurrection Green Snake was simply too poor.
Xu Qing once again used his wood armor to condense two claws resembling human fingers beneath him and performed another incantation.
The wood armor shone with brilliant green light, and countless roots underground writhed and surged toward Xu Qing.
This was the effect of the skills granted by the heaven and earth spiritual root: King of Plants LV4 and Plant Control LV5.
"Congeal!"
Wrapped in tree roots, Xu Qing charged toward the surface.
Bursting from the ground, Xu Qing quickly unfurled the wings tucked behind his neck and skimmed at low altitude toward the depths of the forest, continuously using Demonic Power to establish connections with the low-hanging trees.
The Black Robed Golden Core cultivator, meanwhile, continuously swung his long saber, firing beam after beam of saber light at the skillfully maneuvering Xu Qing.