The giant god Yang Xiangong was enraged when he heard this. He sneered, "Born free? In life, you belong to the human emperors, and in death, you belong to the underworld. Where does this freedom come from? Such words are treasonous and deserving of death! I was going to leave your corpse intact, but now it seems there's no need!"
He strode forward, his enormous body astonishingly agile. The sharp sword condensed from Incense Qi in his hand was likewise nimble, carrying the bearing of a master swordsman as he slew his way toward Xu Ying!
Xu Ying roared and raised his right hand to meet the stabbing sword.
The Elephant-headed god behind him extended its palm at the same time. Dense Baleful Intent clashed with the incoming sword, producing a harsh hissing sound like metal scraping against sand and stone!
Flames flew in all directions between his right hand and the sword. The blade stabbed into the dense Baleful Intent and was blocked, unable to penetrate any farther. It left only a shallow wound in his palm, allowing Xu Ying to breathe a little easier.
The giant god's arm trembled several times from the force transmitted through the sword. He secretly praised him: This rebel has incredible strength!
However, though Xu Ying's palm could block the sword, the rest of his body could not.
The giant god brandished his sword. The long blade stabbed, lifted, swept, chopped, cleaved, pointed, shattered, hooked, flicked, and brushed aside, its myriad techniques unpredictable and unbelievably nimble. Xu Ying had no choice but to dodge again and again, evading the blade!
"Clang!"
Xu Ying seized an opening as the giant god withdrew his sword and slapped the back of the blade with his palm. Elephant Strength erupted, and the sword was smashed to pieces!
Xu Ying stepped forward and threw a punch. The Elephant God Fiend Body behind him let out a soaring roar and punched at the same time, its fist print overlapping with Xu Ying's fist!
As the punch shot out, a gale raged. A vacuum even formed behind the fist print, sucking up the surrounding grass, trees, sand, and stones, which rushed in to fill the void.
The scene looked as though the grass, trees, sand, and stones were following Xu Ying's punch and charging toward the giant god with him, adding several degrees of might!
The giant god split his mouth in a grin and actually swung his fist to meet it.
Blue energy coiled around his fist. In an instant, it transformed from flesh and blood into solid rock, colliding heavily with Xu Ying's fist!
"Boom!"
The air between their fists exploded with a deafening roar. A gale blasted toward the mountain forests on either side, and the trees swayed with a rustling clamor.
Xu Ying took a step back, his heart sinking.
The giant god likewise lost his footing and retreated three steps in succession before finally dispersing the force of Xu Ying's punch. He praised him, "The rebel has some skill!"
Xu Ying clenched his fist and thought, My greatest strength is power, but my strength doesn't have an overwhelming advantage. Besides strength, he has also refined Incense Qi into Magic Power and can cast spells. The situation is unfavorable for me!
More importantly, for some unknown reason, the blood and qi within Xu Ying's body kept inexplicably dwindling!
Although Xu Ying had received guidance from the "mysterious voice," cultivated spiritual sense, opened the Realm of Serenity, achieved Five Qi Towards Origin, and refined the five qi into origin qi, his blood and qi continued to drain away!
From Jian Mountain to this place, Xu Ying discovered that he had inexplicably lost roughly half his blood and qi!
Had he been at his peak, Xu Ying would still have been confident of defeating the giant god. But now, he truly had no confidence.
The giant god gave an admiring sigh and smiled. "Not bad. You truly possess the strength to fight Stone Mountain God, the warden. Your physical strength alone is already comparable to a god's. You're worth me using my full power against."
The Incense Qi around him suddenly condensed and formed another sword over ten feet long, which he gripped in his hand.
Then a second sword took shape. This one was shorter, only seven feet long, and he seized it with his other hand.
A third sword and a fourth followed. They were even shorter, only four feet long, and floated in the air, drifting slowly.
These two swords were the giant god's spell.
"It's the Flying Sword Technique!"
Though Yuan Qi had been pinned to the ground, he was still concerned about the battle. He called out, "My household's books say that gods can nurture and refine Incense Qi into flying swords, taking a person's head from dozens of miles away. They appear and disappear like ghosts, impossible to guard against!"
Xu Ying stared at the two swords as cold sweat trickled down his forehead. Though the swords were short, they posed an even greater threat to him!
Yuan Qi shouted, "Those two swords of his don't seem able to fly very far, but once swords fly through the air without a hand controlling them, the variations in their techniques increase dozens, even hundreds, of times! If you treat them as ordinary swordplay, you'll fall into his trap and die!"
The giant god flew into a rage and waved his hand again. Incense Qi transformed into three arrows that shot into Yuan Qi's body with three sharp thuds.
Yuan Qi coughed blood and called out, "I can still hold on! He hasn't refined a golden body yet. Kill him for me!"
Xu Ying's eyes flickered as he stared at the two flying swords. He silently thought, I have to fight him at close range, punch straight through his body and shatter it. I can't give him the chance to use his flying swords!
Suddenly, he stamped his foot. The ground abruptly sank, forming a huge pit!
The scattered stones around him were sent floating by the force of that stomp. More than a hundred pebbles and chunks of stone, large and small, rose into the air. The smallest were finger-sized, while the largest weighed over a hundred pounds, all shaken airborne by his berserk blood and qi!
At the same time as Xu Ying planted his foot, he threw a punch. The stones flew howling along with the gale produced by his fist, whistling as they smashed toward the giant god with the Fist Wind!
The third level of the Elephant Strength Bull Demon Fist sent force ten feet outward. Xu Ying had already cultivated it to the sixth level—how could the force of his blood and qi be limited to ten feet?
His punch carried the flying stones and formed a fist print four feet across. Its might was astonishing, reaching several yards away without losing power!
Xu Ying stepped forward. When his foot landed, the ground sank once more, and the scattered stones floated up again!
He threw another punch. Fist Wind carried the stones into a second fist print that blasted toward the giant god!
"Boom!"
His third step landed, and a third fist print shot out!
The giant god grinned and swung both swords, forcefully meeting the three fist prints. Stone after stone collided with the sword light and burst apart with loud cracks!
The two flying swords beside him danced through the air, shattering the scattered stones he failed to block in time. In the blink of an eye, they broke through all three fist prints and still had strength to spare.
The shattered stones turned to powder and filled the sky, blocking the giant god's vision. Beyond the swirling dust, Xu Ying charged forward and threw a fourth punch!
This punch was one he was determined to land!
Just as his fist broke through the dusty haze, he heard the sound of flying swords slicing through the air beside his ear.
Xu Ying roared and poured every ounce of strength into the punch. The two flying swords shot from the haze as well. One flew straight toward his face, while the other grazed past his side!
Xu Ying raised his left hand to shield his face. Behind him, the Elephant-headed god also lifted its hand, and the palm formed from dense Baleful Intent met the flying sword first!
With a hiss, the Elephant-headed god's palm was pierced. Then the blood and qi in Xu Ying's left palm was pierced, and his palm itself was immediately run through!
The tremendous force contained in the flying sword pressed against his palm and stabbed into his upper left chest. It entered through his chest, pierced his shoulder blade, and emerged from his back!
At the same time, Xu Ying swung his right fist into the giant god's body, and his blood and qi erupted into surging force!
"Boom!"
He and the giant god flew backward almost simultaneously!
The flying sword carried Xu Ying through the air and pinned him to a large tree six or seven yards from the village entrance. The sword dispersed into smoke, and Xu Ying slid down.
He tried to lift his left hand, but his left arm was limp and powerless, unable to muster any strength.
His shoulder blade had been pierced, his left hand was crippled, and his upper left chest had been punctured. He had little fighting power left.
It should be dead, right?
Xu Ying raised his head and looked into the distance. Dust and smoke filled the area ahead and had yet to disperse, leaving the giant god's fate unknown.
At that moment, a flying sword chimed softly as it slowly emerged from the dusty haze.
Xu Ying's pupils contracted. Within the dust, a tall shadow gradually revealed itself.
Most of the ribbons around the tall shadow's body had been severed, and one-third of the halo behind its head had shattered.
A fist-sized hole had been blasted through its ribs. Xu Ying's punch had struck directly through its body!
Yet it was still alive!
"If I had been made of flesh and blood, you probably would have beaten me to death."
The tall figure walked out of the dust and laughed. "But who told you I'm a god? Xu Ying, your martial arts are completely useless against me."
The tall figure raised its palm and swept it out with force. The dust was blown away with a whoosh, revealing its towering, majestic body!
Xu Ying stood beneath the tree, pressing down on the wound in his upper left chest, his heart sinking into utter despair.
There was little blood and qi left in his body. Even if he wanted to flee, he could not.
"I'll fight to the death!"
Xu Ying gritted his teeth, stirred his remaining blood and qi, and prepared for one final battle.
Just then, the familiar voice suddenly rang out in his mind: "Young man, do you know how to Shed Fiend Qi for Origin Qi?"
Xu Ying hurriedly asked, "Senior, what does Shedding Fiend Qi for Origin Qi mean?"
The giant god was walking toward him. Hearing this, he hurriedly stopped and cautiously observed his surroundings before sneering, "You have an accomplice?"
Snake Demon Yuan Qi was likewise stunned. He thought, Someone is speaking? Why can't I hear anything? Could that bell have damaged A Ying's brain?
In Xu Ying's mind, the voice explained, "You contain the five qi within you. With Five Qi Towards Origin, you transform the five qi into origin qi. Because you don't understand Shedding Fiend Qi for Origin Qi, this incompetent fool was able to bully you. Fiend Qi is the Baleful Intent within your body—the filthy blood and qi. When cultivating martial arts, you first refine a fiend body. You must Shed Fiend Qi for Origin Qi to advance further."
Xu Ying understood at once. He was both shocked and delighted, and he laughed. "So that's how it is! Thank you for your guidance, Senior!"
The giant god looked left and right but saw no one. He sneered, "Stop bluffing, boy. Do you think I can't tell that you have no accomplice?"
Xu Ying stirred the blood and qi in his body, endured the pain, and urged the Elephant Strength Bull Demon Fist again and again!
"Roar—"
An elephant's cry rang from his chest and shook the mountains and wilderness. Along with the cry, the blood and qi in his internal organs churned, while filthy blood and qi seeped from countless opened pores like waste gas, hissing as it was expelled!
His tattered clothes were soon stained crimson by the blood in the waste gas. Blood beads even dripped from the hem.
As Xu Ying circulated his blood and qi, the qi moving through his body grew purer and the miscellaneous blood and qi diminished.
Radiance shone around him. The Elephant God Fiend Body gradually lost its filthy, blood-fiend appearance, slowly refining away the Baleful Intent and shedding fiend qi for origin qi. It stood behind him like a true elephant god!
The final level of the Elephant Strength Bull Demon Fist—the Elephant God King Body—had been achieved!
His aura soared into the heavens, carrying an overbearing majesty so absolute that any great demon could only bow its head and submit before him!
He had cultivated the Elephant Strength Bull Demon Fist to a level only a demon king could achieve!
Snake Demon Yuan Qi stared in utter amazement and murmured, "Xu Ying broke through again. He really became a great demon king..."
He suddenly realized that even if Xu Ying was a demon, he had cultivated the Elephant Strength Bull Demon Fist for only two days. In those mere two days, Xu Ying had cultivated it to the demon king level.
Was such a cultivation speed really reasonable?
"But if he broke through, that means I can't be far from breaking through either," Yuan Qi thought.
After all, whatever a clever person cultivated, he would cultivate too. It couldn't be wrong.
Even if it was wrong, it was the clever person's fault.
Pinned to the ground, the great snake thought, Sometimes, just lying flat like this is pretty good.
In Xu Ying's mind, Great Bell secretly sighed in shame. I stole too much of his blood and qi, preventing him from displaying his full strength and nearly getting him killed. Fortunately, this boy is clever enough to comprehend Shedding Fiend Qi for Origin Qi in such a short time. If it had been someone a little more stupid—like that Snake Demon beside us—he would have been doomed.
When the giant god saw Xu Ying shed fiend qi for origin qi, he was startled as well. Without a care for anything else, he charged forward.
He possessed tremendous confidence.
I am the god of Yangzitang Town, and I have enjoyed incense offerings for two hundred and thirty-four years. My Magic Power is profound. How could I lose to a mere greenhorn? Even if you break through, so what!
His flying sword shot ahead of him and stabbed directly toward Xu Ying's face!
With his left arm crippled, Xu Ying could only use his right hand to block the attack!
In the blink of an eye, Xu Ying raised his right hand and punched toward the flying sword.
Behind him, the Elephant-headed god grew even taller and threw a punch along with him!
The giant god sneered. This sword would surely pierce Xu Ying's right arm and pin him to the tree behind him!
However, when Xu Ying's punch shot out, it formed an enormous vacuum behind him. Even the large tree at the village entrance was nearly uprooted by the pull. Its crown tilted forward, leaves rustling as they swept into the gale formed by the punch!
"Smack! Smack! Smack!"
The flying sword struck Xu Ying's fist and exploded on the spot, reverting to its original form as a mass of Incense Qi that scattered away!
Xu Ying's punch did not lose momentum. It met the two swords descending from the giant god, the Elephant God's fist overlapping with the young man's!
The instant sword and fist collided, a gale suddenly erupted. Countless leaves whirled and danced in the wind before scattering to either side!
Snake Demon Yuan Qi stared blankly at the scene, his heart in turmoil. "Who won? Who lost?"
The leaves drifted down in a flurry, revealing the figures of the giant god and Xu Ying.
The long and short swords gripped in the giant god's hands had both shattered. The protective Incense Qi coiling around his body had been blasted through, leaving a huge hole in his chest.
On either side of the hole, the shattered stones crackled and exploded bit by bit.
"Your strength is far purer than mine..."
The giant god's eyes finally revealed terror. Looking at the youth much shorter than himself, he said in a trembling voice, "You dare slay a god! You have violated the Heavenly Law. There will be no place for you beneath the heavens..."
Xu Ying looked up at him, slowly withdrew his fist, and pursed his lips. "The godly lord won't give a commoner like me a way to live. Why should I still respect you as a god?"
He walked around the giant god toward Snake Demon Yuan Qi. "After slaying a god for the first time, godly lords became no different from the straw dogs before an offering table in my eyes. The next time I slay a god, I'll be even more practiced."
"The Yin Court won't let you off..."
The giant god collapsed and fell dejectedly, shattering across the ground.
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