Instant Kill (Please Recommend)

"Not good... they're direct-line cultivators of the Zhong Family!"

Zeng Shu sent out a page-shaped artifact to guard himself. Feeling the Late Qi Refinement spiritual pressure emanating from those white-robed figures, his face turned pale as paper. "Why are we so unlucky?"

His expression hardened. "Junior brothers, form up and hold the line! This place is close to the sect gates—the Foundation Establishment Great Cultivators will arrive shortly!"

With Zeng Shu taking the lead, the Azure Sea Sect cultivators brought out their formation flags one after another. This was something they had rehearsed beforehand, specifically to deal with surprise attacks from cultivators.

Buzzz!

A layer of azure-green radiance rose, completely disregarding the fishponds outside as it sealed off the cultivators' cave dwellings without a single gap.

"A First-Order High Grade—Azure Wave Formation!"

After examining it, Fang Qing nodded to himself. The cultivators are joining forces to defend themselves while giving up the fish farm, letting these cultivators loot and destroy it as they please... If the enemy were even slightly weaker, they could make a haul and complete their mission before leaving.

Unfortunately, the Zhong Family cultivators across from them didn't merely want to destroy the fishery and make a fortune.

The white-robed figures parted on both sides, revealing a white-haired—no, a delicate-faced youth who looked almost like a girl, with a head full of white hair.

His cultivation had astonishingly reached Qi Refining Great Perfection. He carried a heart-palpitating spiritual pressure, and an icy chill that seemed to freeze one's very heart permeated his surroundings.

"Zhong Family... Zhong Lingxiu?!"

Fang Qing's eyelid twitched. Without the slightest hesitation, he turned and ran.

Back then, seeking peace and quiet, he had deliberately chosen the most remote cave dwelling. Now, that decision had proven remarkably farsighted.

Zhong Lingxiu formed hand seals with both hands. Layers of Ice-Soul Cold Radiance emerged, transforming into an ice-crystal phoenix. Spreading its wings and carrying a storm with it, it let out a clear cry toward the heavens.

The ice phoenix then flapped its wings and flew toward the Azure Wave Formation.

Crash!

A great deal of hail and azure-green water ripples canceled each other out. The Azure Wave Formation froze instantly, exploding open with a massive breach.

Zeng Shu, Li Yusu, and the other cultivators maintaining the formation all changed expression at once and spat out mouthfuls of blood.

"Kill them all. Leave no one alive."

Zhong Lingxiu spoke coldly, then glanced toward the direction Fang Qing had fled. "Wufu, he's yours."

"By your command, Young Master!"

A Zhong Family cultivator immediately stepped forward, controlling a pair of Profound Ice Wheels as he pursued Fang Qing.

"Zhong Lingxiu?!"

The moment Zeng Shu saw Zhong Lingxiu, a trace of despair appeared on his face...

"Sure enough... the thing I should've replaced first was this Green Leaf Boat."

Fang Qing rode the Green Leaf Boat. Having just fled Red-Scale Lake, he saw a Zhong Family cultivator chasing after him on a pair of ice wheels, and couldn't help cursing inwardly.

This flying artifact was standard sect issue, only First-Order Low Grade. Since he had previously had no need to fight or flee for his life, he hadn't bothered to trade for a better one.

But now it seemed that only the living could keep producing. He really should've prepared life-saving artifacts sooner.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Before he could finish thinking, two ice spikes condensed in midair and shot toward him in an instant!

Crack!

Fang Qing twisted his body, bending his neck and waist to nearly ninety-degree angles. In an unbelievable yoga pose, he evaded the ice spikes' ambush.

Though he felt that even if the two ice spikes struck him, they would at most scrape his skin, he still needed to keep his trump cards hidden.

"Hm? A Qi Refinement Seventh Layer cultivator... ice-element spells... That pair of ice wheels under his feet looks pretty good. They should be high grade?"

With Spiritual Sense assisting them, cultivators in battle were practically fighting with their heavenly eyes open, occupying an enormous advantage.

Fang Qing took out the Sea-Transforming Pearl and formed a hand seal with one hand.

The Sea-Transforming Pearl immediately turned into a streak of blue light. Like a shooting star, it flashed forward with lightning speed and appeared before the Zhong Family cultivator.

"Hm?"

Seeing a "Sixth Layer of Qi Refinement" cultivator suddenly erupt with power and skillfully control a high-grade artifact, the Zhong Family cultivator was startled.

He hurriedly sent a White-Scale Shield flying out from his storage pouch, placing it before himself.

Bang!

The Sea-Transforming Pearl struck it, only making the White-Scale Shield tremble slightly. It achieved nothing else.

Seeing this, the Zhong Family cultivator couldn't help feeling smug.

The Profound Ice Wheels beneath his feet and this White-Scale Shield were both high-grade artifacts. He had poured more than half his fortune into them.

A mere Sixth Layer of Qi Refinement cultivator—even with one high-grade artifact—could never break his defense... Wait, what was this?

Before the Zhong Family cultivator could react, it was as though a small lake had appeared above his head. One hundred thousand catties of seawater crashed down.

Several Water Arrow Techniques were mixed into the seawater as well.

"Mere seawater."

He was startled and instinctively wanted to cast an ice-element spell. Yet his battle experience was extensive; he immediately suppressed the thought and formed a Water-Repelling Formula.

"Trying to make me freeze myself? Heh... do you think I'm that stupid?"

"If it were those rookies in the family who'd never seen blood, they might've been thrown into a panic. But I've killed plenty of cultivators."

Pfft! Pfft!

The water arrows struck the White-Scale Shield, likewise unable to break through its defense.

Just as the Zhong Family cultivator was preparing to counterattack, a black shadow suddenly appeared before him. It was Fang Qing!

His main purpose in releasing the seawater had been to conceal himself and approach in secret.

Better finish this quickly. If Zhong Lingxiu catches up, things will still be troublesome.

At a thought, the illusory Demon-Subduing Vajra Pestle shot from Fang Qing's Consciousness Sea and slammed into the Zhong Family cultivator's brow, as though he had been struck by a heavy hammer. He didn't even have time to activate the talisman in his hand.

Fang Qing's blood and qi surged wildly. A Body Refinement spiritual radiance covered his body as his five fingers suddenly clenched into a fist.

Within his Consciousness Sea, the Seed Syllable representing Great Vajra Divine Strength suddenly blazed with brilliant light!

Bang!

The Zhong Family cultivator felt as if he had been struck head-on by a mammoth elephant. A massive dent appeared in the White-Scale Shield as he was blasted far away, while his protective spiritual radiance shattered in an instant.

Pfft!

He spat blood, his face full of disbelief. "A Second-Order... body refiner?"

Crack!

Fang Xing lunged forward, spread his fingers, seized the man's head, and pressed it into his chest.

"I'm not Second-Order. After all, I only have the strength for one strike... This Great Vajra Divine Strength is truly useful."

He let out a long breath, swiftly cleaned up the traces, and looted the spoils.

He secretly checked again and discovered that the Dao-Born Pearl could also erase the Seed Syllable in his Consciousness Sea. He couldn't help letting out a long breath of relief.

"Red-Scale Fishery has suffered a great calamity. This is just the right time for me to be stranded outside for a while... I'll make plans after the outcome of this battle is decided."

Fang Qing rode the Green Leaf Boat away, deciding to go to Ancient Shu and lie low for a while.

The ground was silent.

A moment later, a streak of white light flashed as Zhong Lingxiu caught up.

"Young Master, Zhong Wufu is dead..."

The two Zhong Family cultivators exchanged glances, inwardly terrified.

Their strength was evenly matched with Zhong Wufu's. If either of them had been the one pursuing that man, wouldn't they have died as well?

"Useless trash! He couldn't even hold him off for this short while!"

Zhong Lingxiu frowned. "But even useless trash from my Zhong Family cannot be killed by outsiders without them paying with their lives!"

He formed hand seals with both hands, and specks of white light suddenly appeared in midair.

The other two cultivators recognized it at once. It was a tracking spell.

With the Young Master's escape speed, so long as the other party hadn't gone too far, he should be able to catch up before the man returned to the sect gates—then torture him viciously before killing him.

"Hm?"

Suddenly, Zhong Lingxiu stopped his spell and watched the spiritual light extinguish. "It failed? Did that man get too far away? Or did a Foundation Establishment cultivator use Spiritual Sense to erase the mark on Zhong Wufu?"

Land of Ancient Shu.

"How insidious..."

Fang Qing took out Zhong Wufu's storage pouch and poured out a pile of spirit stones.

When he picked up one of them, his own Spiritual Sense detected a tiny Spiritual Sense imprint on it.

If one weren't a cultivator who had likewise cultivated Spiritual Sense, one simply wouldn't be able to see it.

"As expected of a Zhong Family genius—he actually cultivated Spiritual Sense while still in the Qi Refinement stage..."

Fang Qing waved his hand and destroyed the mark on the spirit stone. He could vaguely sense its aura, and it was identical to Zhong Lingxiu's from before!

"But you want to track me? Unless you can travel through worlds too!"

He sighed, then began inspecting the other spoils.

"A First-Order High Grade flight artifact—Profound Ice Wheels? Mm, and this First-Order High Grade White-Scale Shield. It's somewhat damaged, but it can still be used after repairs... With this, my flight, defense, and offense all have high-grade artifacts. That makes me a wealthy man among the sect's Late Qi Refinement cultivators."

Though the Profound Ice Wheels were best used by cultivators practicing ice-element cultivation techniques, it was like the five-element spells: anyone could learn them, with only differences in how well they could be used.

Fang Qing then looked through the remaining miscellaneous items and found that aside from spirit stones, there were several bottles of pills, a stack of talismans, and a few booklets.

"Hm? The Ice Chill Formula? It seems to be an advanced cultivation technique of the White Water Formula?"

Thinking of the White Water Formula, Fang Qing couldn't help recalling Zeng Shu and Li Yusu, whom he had invested in.

Judging by the situation, those two were more likely dead than alive.

However, investment carried risks. He had already prepared himself for losing everything, so he didn't feel particularly heartbroken.

He looked through the other booklets and found some miscellaneous books and account ledgers.

"Hm?"

Fang Qing pulled out a page tucked within one of the booklets and looked at the mnemonic written upon it. "This is... a formula for condensing Ice-Soul Spirit Water?"

His spirits lifted. He hurriedly studied it and discovered that it was indeed true.

This Ice-Soul Spirit Water was an extremely famous spirit water, its water nature frigid to the extreme. It could be used in many Water-Method Alchemy processes.

Moreover, its main use was for cultivating spells.

For instance... the Zhong Family's renowned Ice-Soul Cold Radiance!

"This should have been prepared for Zhong Lingxiu? His subordinates gathered materials and refined Ice-Soul Spirit Water for him to improve his cultivation?"

"This Ice-Soul Cold Radiance is an extremely famous spell even in the hands of the Zhong Family's Foundation Establishment cultivators, slaughtering countless foes... I've even heard that the Zhong Family ancestor at the Core Formation stage has already cultivated the Ice Soul Mystic Light divine ability. Even though our sect ancestor's realm is higher, he can do little against him..."

This page of mnemonic was clearly nothing more than a page torn from some cultivation manual.

With the mnemonic, one could only condense spirit water; one couldn't cultivate the Ice-Soul Cold Radiance spell at all, much less advance it further.

"It's clearly a measure to prevent leaks... But that doesn't matter. I only need Ice-Soul Frostwater or spirit water. Ordinarily, I can use it for alchemy, while at critical moments, I can use it against enemies. It's quite effective."

Thinking of how he had asked Li Yusu to collect some for him, only for the man to find him a common Hundred-Poison Water pill formula, Fang Qing felt that he had made quite a profit this time.

For cultivators, murder and arson really did fasten a golden belt around one's waist.