Fierce Domain First Success

## Chapter Twenty-Three

The moment Chen Qing crashed into the Northern Mang army formation, time seemed to freeze for an instant.

An invisible nascent "Fierce Tiger Domain" quietly spread around him. Though it could only cover a few feet around his body, the sudden increase in fierce energy concentration felt like a tangible swamp, causing the charging Northern Mang cavalrymen to falter involuntarily. Their warhorses, terrified, reared up on their hind legs, neighing uneasily.

This was the opening!

His ring-pommel saber, carrying a sharp, black-red blade aura, descended like the Grim Reaper's scythe, cutting straight forward!

There were no complex maneuvers, only the ultimate speed and power, infused with the sharpness of Meridian Condensing Realm's fierce energy, and the overwhelming dominance of Black Tiger True Intent that suppressed all!

Swish--!

A crescent-shaped black-red saber energy shot out from the blade! It wasn't as brilliant as internal energy projected outwards, but rather possessed a darkness that seemed to swallow light. It instantly sliced through several cavalrymen in front of him!

Man and horse alike were shattered!

Severed limbs, broken spears, and shattered armor, mixed with splashed blood, formed a brutally tragic scene! The black-red saber energy, its momentum undiminished, carved a deep gorge into the ground, bisecting several infantrymen behind them!

[Killed Northern Mang Cavalryman... Fierce Tiger Iron Body Proficiency +30!]

[Fierce Energy Condensed, Saber Energy Takes Form...]

The might of one saber strike, terrifying indeed!

Chen Qing's footsteps didn't stop as he weaved through the crowd like a phantom. He no longer needed to brute-force all attacks. His Meridian Condensing Realm footwork, combined with the slight interference of the Fierce Tiger Domain, always allowed him to evade fatal blows at the last possible moment. And with every swing of his saber, he invariably brought forth a rain of blood, reaping several lives.

He specifically targeted the officers with strong auras and small, cohesive squads. Saber energy crisscrossed, fist energy exploded, and wherever he passed, men and horses fell, formations collapsing into chaos!

The Northern Mang soldiers discovered in terror that this Great Yan officer, wreathed in black-red fierce energy, was simply an unstoppable killing machine! Their swords and sabers, when striking him, often left only shallow white marks, and instead, their arms would go numb from the corrosive fierce energy radiating back. His attacks, however, meant instant death upon contact!

"Stop him! Form ranks! Use heavy weapons!" a Northern Barbarian Commander roared, his eyes splitting open. He organized a unit of heavily armored infantrymen wielding great axes and iron hammers, advancing towards Chen Qing like mobile fortresses.

Chen Qing's eyes turned cold. Instead of retreating, he charged forward, straight into the dense forest of great axes and iron hammers!

Just as the weapons were about to strike, his body twisted unnaturally, as if boneless, slipping through the gap between two great axes. With his left hand forming a claw, dark red fierce energy condensed on his fingertips, like a red-hot brand, and he fiercely grabbed the chest armor of a heavily armored infantryman!

Sizzle!

The chest armor, forged from fine iron, was torn through by his five fingers! His fingertips penetrated, crushing the soldier's heart!

Simultaneously, his right hand's ring-pommel saber executed a strange spin, the blade grazing the neck of another heavily armored soldier, taking with it a helmeted head!

He danced on the edge of blades, stirring up a bloody storm within the ranks of the heavily armored infantry! Every move was precise, ruthless, and efficient!

[Killed Northern Mang Heavy Infantryman... Proficiency +40]

[Gained insight during battle, Fierce Tiger Domain range slightly expanded...]

Exhilarating! This was the power of the Meridian Condensing Realm! This was the might of the Saber Meridian!

Chen Qing could feel that as the slaughter continued, the invisible Fierce Tiger Domain around him seemed to be slowly absorbing the fierce energy and death qi on the battlefield. Although its range expanded slowly, the sense of control over the domain grew clearer. Within the domain, he felt his strength and recovery speed gain a slight boost, while his suppression of enemies became even more pronounced.

He was like a block of ice thrown into water. Wherever he went, the Northern Mang's tight charging formation was forcefully torn open, and this rip continued to widen and spread!

"Follow the Squad Leader! Charge!" Old Niu, covered in blood and looking like a mad tiger, led his soldiers, biting down hard on the opening Chen Qing had created, further expanding the chaos.

Sun Quezi, like a viper in the shadows, led another group, specifically targeting Northern Barbarian officers who tried to reorganize their formations.

The entire Vanguard Camp, ignited by Chen Qing's fearless and terrifyingly powerful charge, erupted with astonishing combat power. They actually managed to withstand the fiercest first wave of the Northern Mang vanguard's charge, and were even pushing back!

In the distance, a Northern Barbarian Commander in the Meridian Condensing Realm, who was directing the battle, watched Chen Qing move through his army as if no one were there, his face turning ashen. He recognized this person – it was the brat who had taken a punch from him a few days ago and survived! In just a few days? Not only had his injuries completely healed, but he had also broken through to the Meridian Condensing Realm? And this combat power... it was simply demonic!

"Hey, Southern barbarian! Stop your rampant rampage!"

The Commander roared, no longer able to restrain himself. He leaped into the air, like a falcon, soaring over the chaotic battlefield and heading straight for Chen Qing! Before he even arrived, condensed crimson fist energy was already blasting down from a distance! This time, he held nothing back, unleashing his full power!

Sensing that familiar, yet even more terrifying, pressure, Chen Qing looked up sharply, his eyes burning with battle intent!

Just in time!

He needed a whetstone to hone this nascent Saber Meridian and domain!

He didn't choose to meet the attack head-on. His footwork flowed, his figure flickering like a phantom through the crowd, narrowly dodging the fist energy that could split mountains and shatter rocks.

Boom!

The fist energy missed, creating a deep pit about ten feet wide on the ground. The surrounding Northern Mang soldiers were sent flying backward, spitting blood.

Chen Qing, however, used the cover of the crowd to silently circle around to the Commander's rear. His ring-pommel saber, carrying extremely condensed black-red fierce energy, silently stabbed towards the Commander's back!

A sneak attack? On the battlefield, there was only life and death, no rules!

The Commander, seasoned in battle, felt a premonition. Without thinking, he threw a backfist strike!

Clang!

Fist and saber met, emitting a deafening metallic clang!

Chen Qing felt a massive force transmit through him, his arm going numb. He used the momentum to retreat. The Commander, too, staggered, his fist once again covered by a thin layer of black ice. The stinging pain of the fierce energy's erosion made him frown tightly.

"What bizarre fierce energy!" the Commander marveled inwardly. This fierce energy was not only bone-chillingly cold but also seemed to erode his blood and internal energy circulation.

The two instantly engaged in battle.

The Commander had deep cultivation, fierce fist energy, and seasoned experience. Chen Qing was newly entered into the Meridian Condensing Realm, with sharp fierce energy, uncanny footwork, and the slight enhancement of his nascent Fierce Tiger Domain.

For a time, fist energy and saber energy crisscrossed, clearing a vacuum zone around them, where no one dared to approach. Every collision erupted with astonishing shockwaves, sending sand and stones flying.

Chen Qing was wielding the power of the Meridian Condensing Realm with increasing mastery. The integration of his Black Tiger Fist and Saber True Intent with his killing intent had become even more exquisite. He no longer adhered to fixed stances, but moved freely, striking at will. Each blow directly targeted his opponent's weaknesses, delivered with ruthless precision.

The Commander fought with growing alarm. He realized he was being subtly suppressed! The opponent's killing intent was incredibly tenacious, and his recovery was too strong. Occasionally, he'd trade blows, and while the Commander would suffer for half a day from the killing intent invading his body after taking a saber cut, the opponent seemed completely unfazed!

If this brat isn't eliminated, he'll become a major threat!

A ruthless glint flashed in the Commander's eyes. He deliberately took a saber cut from Chen Qing, a chunk of flesh sliced from his left shoulder, blood gushing out. However, he managed to exploit a subtle opening from Chen Qing. He gathered all his power into his right fist, a crimson fist aura like a burning meteor, and launched it directly at Chen Qing's face!

This punch contained his lifelong cultivation, determined to kill Chen Qing with it!

As the fist aura neared his body, a cold light of a successful plan flashed in Chen Qing's eyes.

Instead of dodging, he took a deep breath. The nascent Fierce Tiger Domain around him contracted with unprecedented intensity, then suddenly expanded!

Buzz!

An invisible wave spread out from him! The Commander felt his mind ripple, his blood circulation momentarily stagnating. The punch he'd thrown also slightly deviated!

It was this minuscule difference!

Chen Qing's head snapped back, the fist aura grazing his nose, the wind it generated stinging his cheek. Simultaneously, his left hand shot out like lightning, his five fingers burning with dark red killing fire, precisely grabbing the Commander's outstretched wrist!

"Got you."

His voice was cold, like the whisper of death.

The Commander's face contorted in shock. He tried to break free, but felt the opponent's grip like iron clamps. The chilling killing intent, like a venomous snake, instantly began to erode his arm along his meridians!

Chen Qing's right hand, holding his saber, unhesitatingly thrust forward!

Squelch!

The blade pierced through the Commander's chest and emerged from his back!

The Commander's body stiffened, his eyes frozen in horror. He opened his mouth to speak, but only blood foam emerged.

Chen Qing twisted his wrist, shredding the Commander's heart meridian, then kicked him flying.

[Killed a Northern Barbarian Meridian Condensing Realm Commander, gained a large amount of Qi and Blood and pure killing intent, Fierce Tiger Iron Body proficiency +500! Fierce Tiger Domain has been strengthened!]

[Black Tiger Fist proficiency has reached 5000/5000, realm advancement: Mastered (0/!)!]

[Black Tiger Saber Technique proficiency has reached 5000/5000, realm advancement: Mastered (0/!)!]

A surge of power flowed into him. The Fierce Tiger Domain instantly expanded to a radius of ten feet around him! His control over the domain became even more adept! Both Black Tiger Fist and Saber Technique broke through, reaching the Mastered realm, further elevating his use of True Intent!

Chen Qing stood with his saber, the black and red killing intent flowing around him like a living thing within a ten-foot radius, making him appear like a descending demon god.

He looked at the surrounding Northern Barbarian soldiers, who had completely lost their will to fight after their Commander's death and were retreating in terror. He slowly raised his blood-dripping saber.

"Kill!"

His icy voice was like a command.

Behind him, the soldiers of the Vanguard Camp, their morale soaring, surged forward like a breached dam!

The Northern Barbarian vanguard completely collapsed!