Only then did a trace of a cold smile appear at the corner of Lin Changqing's mouth. It vanished in an instant, and he returned to his stern, impartial expression.
Yet from each of the countless apertures throughout his body, a reddish-brown aura began to stream forth.
A full six hundred apertures released an overwhelmingly powerful force.
One had to know that almost every aperture concealed an existence at the late Mystic Immortal stage. Now the power of six hundred late-stage Mystic Immortals had gathered within Lin Changqing, breaking through its limits and rivaling a Golden Immortal!
Lin Changqing's presence had changed. Before, he had been like a beast whose eyes were the only thing exposed. Now he was like a beast king baring his fangs and claws!
Boundless killing intent mingled with the reddish-brown aura and surged straight toward the Sect of Elucidation immortals!
"Damn it! Lin Changqing, what kind of wicked technique is this?"
"Impossible! You're merely a Houtian Being. How could you possess such overwhelming power?"
"Impudent! We are immortals of the Sect of Elucidation. How dare you humiliate us like this?"
The Sect of Elucidation immortals shouted and cursed, but their voices could not hide their fear.
Lin Changqing only snorted. He had no intention of holding back.
Now you know what it's like to be humiliated?
The indignities the Sect of Elucidation immortals had inflicted on him and his sect in the past—and just now, on his fellow junior disciple—flashed before his eyes, one after another.
"Disciples of the Sect of Elucidation, you defy the Mystic Gate's laws and show no respect for your elders. Now you even dare to resist with force!"
"Stop at once, or I will show you no further mercy!"
Lin Changqing roared again, delivering what sounded like a final warning as he glared at the Sect of Elucidation immortals.
But they paid him no heed. They brought forth all manner of spiritual treasures and charged straight at him!
They refused to believe that a Houtian Being at the late Mystic Immortal stage could be stronger than they were!
"We'll attack together! Lin Changqing is only a Mystic Immortal too. How could he possibly stop us?"
"Hmph! What arrogance! He dares to punish us? Who does he think he is?"
"Kill him!"
Angry shouts rang out among the Sect of Elucidation immortals. Their words seemed to bolster one another's courage.
Several streaks of treasure-light tore through the sky and shot toward Lin Changqing.
Rainbow-colored beams intertwined as they rushed for his face from every direction.
Lin Changqing's expression turned colder still.
The Saints were watching. He had acted only because he had no choice!
Especially that one from the Sect of Elucidation. Now that he had made his move, let's see what you have to say!
"Impudent! You defy the laws and still dare to attack? I'll subdue you all!"
Reddish-brown light had already enveloped Lin Changqing. Countless streams of aura filled the space around him, and a savage power coursed through his flesh and blood.
As the treasure-light rushed toward him, Lin Changqing simply reached out, making no move to summon a treasure of his own.
"Hahahaha! Such arrogance! You're using your body to block a treasure? You're asking to die!"
"Your own foolishness will be your undoing. Don't blame us!"
Seeing Lin Changqing reach out to stop their treasures, the Sect of Elucidation immortals burst into laughter.
Their treasures might not be Innate Spiritual Treasures, but they were all Houtian Spiritual Treasures, and even the weakest were mid-grade.
A mere Mystic Immortal thought he could stop them with his bare hands?
He truly didn't know what he was doing!
The Sect of Elucidation immortals sneered at his reckless, suicidal act.
"Look out!"
"Senior Disciple Brother!"
The Interception Sect immortals cried out in alarm.
The eight personal disciples were especially frantic, almost unable to stop themselves from stepping in.
Bixiao was hot-tempered and feared nothing. She was about to charge forward, but Yunxiao stopped her at the last moment.
"Elder Sister! Why are you stopping me? Senior Disciple Brother's about to get hurt!"
"He gave you a Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir! How can you be so heartless?"
Bixiao cried out anxiously. The Tongtian Sword Talisman had even appeared in her hand, ready to save a life.
Yunxiao was just as worried, but she held back her urge to intervene and slowly shook her head.
"Senior Disciple Brother told us not to act. He must have a plan."
"If you step in now, you'll ruin what he's doing!"
Yunxiao shot Bixiao a glare.
"Besides, Master is here too. Senior Disciple Brother will be fine."
Yunxiao shook her head, her gaze drifting toward the Interception Sect Immortal Palace.
Inside the palace, Tongtian was frowning as well.
The changes in his eldest disciple had already surpassed his expectations.
What sort of cultivation art could raise one's strength so instantly?
That reddish-brown aura was clearly the same as what he had seen before.
Little Changqing, what kind of fortune have you come across?
But these questions crossed Tongtian's mind only briefly. He had no intention of investigating.
Who in the Primordial World didn't have some fortune of their own?
Rather, knowing that Lin Changqing had such trump cards made Tongtian feel slightly pleased. With them, his eldest disciple could travel the Primordial World without so much cause for concern.
Still, Changqing was trying to block spiritual treasures with his bare body. That made Tongtian's brow furrow.
On the other side, Yuanshi was also frowning as he watched Lin Changqing.
A wicked cultivation technique?
Hmph! Just what one would expect from Third Brother's disciple—one of those disreputable sorts, not fit to be seen.
Still, for a Mystic Immortal to wield the presence of a Golden Immortal was truly strange!
Yuanshi furrowed his brow, then slowly relaxed it.
He thought he could use his flesh to block spiritual treasures? Ridiculous!
He was practically asking to die!
Only Taishang, within the black-and-white Daoist palace, wore a gaze that had grown faintly more somber.
At that moment, almost everyone believed that Lin Changqing couldn't stop the treasure's attack with nothing but his hands.
But Lin Changqing remained unflinching. Reddish-brown light flickered once more in his hands.
A thin layer of reddish-brown film transformed into patches of blood-red scales, covering his palms.
In the blink of an eye, Lin Changqing caught the sword-shaped mid-grade Houtian Spiritual Treasure in one hand.
Everyone expected the next moment to bring a spray of blood and the sight of Lin Changqing injured.
But what followed was a ripping sound.
Riiip!
Metal scraped and tore. Treasure-light flashed, threads of radiance flickered—and Lin Changqing had caught the golden sword in one hand, clamping it firmly in his grip.
"What?!"
"How is that possible?!"
In midair, reddish-brown light shimmered around Lin Changqing.
Amid that boundless radiance, he seemed like an ancient demon god, his presence soaring into the heavens.
And in his hand was a golden sword!
A Houtian Spiritual Treasure had been caught barehanded by Lin Changqing, a mere Mystic Immortal!
That was a Houtian Spiritual Treasure! Even if it was being wielded by a Mystic Immortal, not even a Golden Immortal would dare block its power with bare hands!
The golden treasure in Lin Changqing's hand glimmered faintly. In the distance, the Sect of Elucidation immortal kept channeling his power into it, and its sharp Geng Metal Qi tore through everything.
The blood-red scales on Lin Changqing's palm were sliced apart and shattered, only for the reddish-brown aura to swiftly replenish them and restore them to their original state.
"Immortals of the Sect of Elucidation, you have defied the laws of the Three Sects and attacked me without cause!"
"Today, I, Lin Changqing, Senior Disciple Brother of the Three Sects, will punish you in the name of the Three Pure Saints!"
Lin Changqing suddenly roared. Countless streams of reddish-brown aura burst from the apertures throughout his body once more.
His power surged again. The phantoms of eighteen hundred gods and demons fused into one!
"Shatter!"
His roar resounded through the clouds. Blood-red light solidified around Lin Changqing's hand. In an instant, overwhelming force crushed the Sect of Elucidation Mystic Immortal's power, and the Houtian Spiritual Treasure dimmed.
Crack!
A sharp snap rang out. In an instant, Kunlun Mountain fell silent.
Two golden fragments dropped from the sky, their spiritual radiance extinguished.
"The Houtian Spiritual Treasure... shattered!"
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