Regenerative Mutation

Condensing qi into a claw, he snatched, and the Xuantian Eight Trigrams Mirror fell into Zhou Qing's hand. "Mm, a fine treasure. The materials are far superior to those of my Heavenly Seal." He casually tucked it into his robes, then watched the five Flying Swords darting back and forth through the air as they fought with fierce delight.

Two were ultimately no match for three. Though Liao Xiaojin's Flying Sword was powerful, the three men's swords were no ordinary artifacts either. With their firm foundations and long, deep qi channels, they gradually gained the upper hand. Liao Xiaojin and Zhou Chen could only turn offense into defense. Standing together, they wielded their two Flying Swords so tightly that not even water could seep through, protecting the vital points around their bodies to the death. For the moment, the three men could do nothing about them.

One of the men had no time to look around and could not help shouting, "Junior Sister! Why hasn't the Mystic Eight Trigrams Formation been set up yet?" "No need to call her. Your junior sister has gone to see King Yama!" A voice rang beside his ear. Zhou Qing had run out of patience and decided to act personally. His body flashed. Relying on the shell of his Primordial Spirit Golden Silkworm, as hard as Prime Gold of Taiyi, he forced his way into the sword formation. A mass of transparent flame burst from his hand. He seized all three Flying Swords, and with a single burn of true fire, they drooped limply like strips of taffy.

How fierce was Samadhi True Fire? Had Zhou Qing not carefully controlled the heat, unwilling to waste the materials of these Flying Swords, the three blades would have long since melted into iron liquid. In an instant, their Flying Swords were destroyed. Before the three men could recover their senses, Liao Xiaojin's sword-light cleaved toward them. Seeing a bargain, how could Liao Xiaojin possibly let it slip? Purple-gold sword-light twisted back and forth in a circle. Before the three men could bring out their protective treasures, they were ground into minced flesh amid repeated screams.

Liao Xiaojin was even more vicious. Who knew what sword art he invoked? Before the scattered chunks of flesh could hit the ground, a fountain of blood shot into the air. Using a Vampire Clan secret art, Liao Xiaojin had drawn out all their blood. He opened his mouth, revealing two three-inch fangs. Under the stunned gaze of Zhou Chen and Little Fox, whose eyes nearly popped out, the blood fountain flowed into Liao Xiaojin's mouth. Dense spiritual energy emanated from the heavy stench of blood, and an indescribably thick, primal comfort spread through his entire body. Liao Xiaojin was so delighted he nearly cried out.

With a sweep of his hand, Zhou Qing grabbed three strange bracelets—purple, green, and red. "So they were made from the heartwood of the Langgan Tree! No wonder even Sword Qi could not cleave through their protective treasure-light." Zhou Qing secretly marveled at how deep the foundations of these famous righteous sects were. Even their disciples had been bestowed such treasures.

The Langgan Tree bore dragonlike blossoms as fruit, and langgan resembled pearls. Kunlun Mountain had Langgan Trees. Legend said that in ancient times, saliva spat by the Azure Dragon had accidentally fallen upon a great tree. Catalyzed by the Azure Dragon's spiritual energy, the tree mutated into an unusual species—the Langgan Tree. Langgan Trees were incomparably tough and rich in Yi Wood Spiritual Energy, making them excellent materials for refining protective treasures. Yet Zhou Qing had no leisure to study the objects in his hands. Both hands moved in swift succession, Samadhi True Fire spraying forth. The chunks of flesh on the ground, large and small, were burned until not even dregs remained. Zhou Qing erased every trace of the battle as well.

Looking at this master and disciple, one destroyed the corpses while the other erased the traces. They worked together with seamless perfection. Even highway bandits who had robbed travelers for years could not have been as clean and efficient as they were. Zhou Chen looked as though she were seeing Zhou Qing and Liao Xiaojin for the first time. Even Little Fox seemed frightened stiff, her mouth hanging wide open in an adorable expression.

After drinking his fill of blood, Liao Xiaojin happily ran over to Zhou Qing. "Master! I haven't felt this good in ages. Why doesn't the blood over in foreign countries have this flavor? I feel like I'm about to evolve again. Why are these three people's blood so nourishing?" Zhou Qing replied irritably, "What did you expect? The three of them had cultivated for more than a decade. It looks like they'd even taken some spiritual pills and elixirs. The essence, qi, and spirit in their blood were richer than those of a hundred ordinary people. Of course it's a tremendous tonic!"

Seeing the astonished expressions of Zhou Chen and her sister, Zhou Qing smiled. "You didn't know, did you? He counts as a monster too—just a foreign monster. Have you heard of vampires?"

"Master! How can you call us noble Vampire Clan members vampires?" Liao Xiaojin was quite displeased. "Oh! So you're a bloodsucking zombie? Eek! That kind of monster is so filthy, how can you..." Little Fox glanced at Liao Xiaojin, looking a little frightened, and did not dare continue.

"The Vampire Clan is the Vampire Clan, and bloodsucking zombies are bloodsucking zombies. But this isn't the time to talk. I'll explain after we get back." Zhou Qing could not be bothered to say more. Liao Xiaojin noticed the unconscious girl lying nearby. "Master, there's still one here. Why didn't you finish her off? This isn't the time to pity a flower and cherish jade. Don't tell me you've taken a fancy to her?" Liao Xiaojin had never been softhearted toward enemies.

"What nonsense are you talking about? I naturally have my reasons for doing this!" Zhou Qing said to Liao Xiaojin. Turning around, Zhou Qing looked at Little Fox and asked, "Can Can, do you think this woman is hateful?" Little Fox nodded vigorously. "She's absolutely hateful! I only said one sentence, and she wanted to kill me!" Little Fox huffed indignantly. "Then go kill her," Zhou Qing said flatly, but his tone allowed no question. An icy aura spread out, making even Liao Xiaojin shudder.

"No, Master! Can Can has never killed anyone before. I'll do it!" Zhou Chen hurried forward. "Precisely because she has never killed anyone, I want her to kill. We've now slaughtered members of the Dragon Group. It can be said that we've offended the entire Daoist Sect and the state. Trouble will come one after another, and there will be many more people to kill. Being softhearted won't do. Aren't you seeking revenge? If you don't even have the courage to kill one person, how will you kill that Tianxuan Blood Demon?" Zhou Qing still explained calmly.

"Who says I don't have the courage? If monsters don't kill people, can they still be called monsters?" Little Fox puffed up her cheeks, as if someone had looked down on her. "I hate this stinking woman to death. If I don't kill her, I really won't be able to vent my anger." Zhou Chen thought about it and felt there was nothing wrong with that. She stepped back and let Little Fox act. Little Fox hesitated, then looked toward Zhou Qing. Seeing him nod without room for doubt, Little Fox gave a delicate shout, her childish voice clear within it. The Heavenly Seal clutched tightly in her hand smashed down with all her strength.

Watching the Heavenly Seal expand to a square two meters across, Zhou Qing praised Zhou Chen, "Can Can truly has made rapid progress. Your Enchanting Fox Clan is naturally gifted, and your methods of cultivating as demons have their own unique strengths. When we return, I'll refine a Flying Sword for Can Can and let her learn the Soaring Sword Qi Art." Zhou Chen was overjoyed and hurriedly thanked him. Since Little Fox had not yet been accepted into Zhou Qing's sect, Zhou Chen did not dare teach her the way of sword cultivation. This was a rule shared by every sect. Though the Heavenly Dao Sect was tiny, with only two or three big cats and little kittens, Zhou Chen still did not dare act recklessly and break the rules.

"Halt! You vicious, heretical fiends! You dare harm people in broad daylight!" The thunderous voice deafened all four of them. Zhou Chen and Little Fox fared even worse, their faces turning deathly pale. Had Zhou Qing not promptly used talisman arts to protect them, that enormous roar alone might have severely damaged their vital energy and forced them to reveal their fox forms.

"What powerful Demon-Subduing Daoist Sound!" Feeling the pure, orthodox Daoist True Essence contained within that great shout, Zhou Qing's expression turned ugly. He knew their earlier battle had drawn a formidable opponent. This matter would likely be very difficult to clean up.