"Heh, a mere divine soul realm middle stage cultivator. Do you intend to make an enemy of the Chu Gang?"
The handsome youth sneered at Su Qing.
"Your gang leader is about to be eliminated by my little brother. You're nothing but beaten dogs. Why should I fear you?"
Su Qing mocked him.
The restless youth beside the handsome boy glanced toward Chu Lin. Judging by his aura, he probably would not hold out much longer.
Gritting his teeth, he shouted impatiently, "Fang Zhong, why are you afraid of him? He's only at the divine soul realm middle stage! I'll hold him off. Go save Chu Lin!"
With that, he produced a long black-iron staff and charged at Su Qing.
"Be careful!"
Fang Zhong and the others wasted no time. Leaving that warning behind, they ran straight toward Chu Lin.
Yet before they had taken more than a few steps, the restless youth who had just charged forward came crashing back, drenched in blood, his black-iron staff broken in two.
Behind him, Su Qing followed close on his heels, a cold gleam in his hand.
With his sword behind his back, Su Qing once again blocked their path, forcing them to stop. By now, Fang Zhong was growing furious.
He glared at Su Qing and, just like the restless youth moments earlier, spoke through gritted teeth.
"Must you tear apart all pretense of civility with our Chu Gang and leave us no way out?"
"No, no, no."
Su Qing smiled. "I'm killing the chicken to warn the monkeys."
"All of you put together amount to no more than a single chicken. Why use an ox-cleaving blade to kill a chicken?"
"Tear apart all pretense of civility? Are you even worthy?"
Su Qing paid no heed to Fang Zhong's threat. Mu Chen has had his fill of fighting, but I haven't vented my anger yet!
Among this group, aside from Fang Zhong, who was at the divine soul realm middle stage, fewer than five students had reached the divine soul realm early stage.
It made little difference. It was merely a matter of one blow per person or two.
After a moment's thought, Su Qing put away the Kunwu Sword and stripped off his upper garments, revealing a well-defined, jade-hued physique. As he stretched, a series of metallic chimes rang out, like gold striking jade.
You ask why I'm not using a sword?
Because they're too weak! One swing and they're finished. There's no satisfaction in cutting them down!
As though freed from his restraints, Su Qing laughed and hurled himself at the Chu Gang members like a savage beast let out of its cage.
Fang Zhong, standing at the front, had yet to react when a flash of golden light appeared before him. A figure brimming with murderous menace burst out of it and brought a raised hand smashing toward his face.
Thirty-Six Heavenly Dipper Arts: Earth-Traversing Golden Light!
By then, Fang Zhong had no time to unleash any spiritual art. He could only raise his right arm and barely shield his face.
To Fang Zhong's surprise, Su Qing suddenly opened his clenched fist, locked his fingers around Fang Zhong's right arm, then lifted his leg and kicked him beneath the ribs.
Then he tore that arm clean off.
Fang Zhong staggered several steps backward, his face deathly pale. He let out an agonized scream and stared at Su Qing with eyes nearly splitting from rage, blood seeping through his tightly clenched teeth.
Su Qing did not leave it at that. Swinging his arm, he hurled Fang Zhong's severed right arm straight at his forehead.
If it struck, it would shatter his mark.
Unfortunately, someone beside him intercepted it, leaving Su Qing slightly disappointed.
An instant later, Su Qing once again streaked forward as a ray of golden light. The Chu Gang members were powerless to stop him and could only watch as he shattered Fang Zhong's mark with a palm strike, eliminating him.
Then, when Su Qing turned to look at the remaining Chu Gang members, they all felt a chill rise up their backs and spread through their bodies.
With a savage laugh, Su Qing erupted in golden light once more and lunged at them.
Elsewhere, Chu Lin's repeated struggles had also infuriated Mu Chen. Since you don't want me to shatter your mark and eliminate you, I'll just beat you to the brink of death.
Once you're near death, that mark will shatter anyway and take you away, eliminating you.
Where Mu Chen had previously aimed only for the mark, he now harbored killing intent.
You think I'm unworthy? You think Ji Xuan and I amount to nothing much? Then I'll let you see exactly what we were like on the Spirit Road!
Mu Chen no longer held back. His attacks grew vicious, every strike aimed at a vital point.
Before long, Mu Chen seized a fleeting opening in Chu Lin's exhausted defense and drove a finger into his chest. Chu Lin turned into a streak of light and was eliminated.
Afterward, Mu Chen walked over to Ye Qingling and the others, who were enjoying the spectacle, and joined them in watching Su Qing thrash the weaklings.
Su Qing did not drag things out either. In short order, he disposed of the Chu Gang members, leaving only one still standing.
"Don't kill me! I have information about a high-tier Spirit Beast! Let me trade it for my life!"
The sole remaining student shouted, his legs trembling.
Su Qing had little interest in that, but just as he was about to continue, a voice drifted from the qi sea in his dantian and stopped him.
"Spare him for now. It won't be too late to kill him after getting the information about that high-tier Spirit Beast."
Nine Nether spoke lazily, sprawled atop Su Qing's spirit wheel.
Hearing her, Su Qing asked with some surprise.
"You're awake?"
Some time ago, Nine Nether had swallowed all the hundreds of portions of spirit beast essence Su Qing had plundered from other students in one go.
After swallowing them, she had fallen into a long sleep. She had been asleep for nearly a week now, and judging by her drowsy appearance, she had probably only just woken.
"I'm awake. Mmm."
Nine Nether flapped her wings and yawned.
"Refining those essences helped me recover quite a bit."
"You want the essence of that high-tier Spirit Beast?"
Su Qing asked.
"Yes! Yes! Yes!"
Nine Nether nodded several times in succession, her eyes shining as she spoke.
"There shouldn't be any Spirit Beasts ranked in the top fifty of the Myriad Beasts Record Earth Ranking inside the Northern Cang Realm. At most, it should only be at the fusion realm."
"When the time comes, we'll attack together and finish it quickly!"
Su Qing considered it, then agreed.
Returning his attention to the trembling student before him, he said.
"Then we'll have to see whether your information is worth enough."
Inside the Ye Gang's camp, Su Qing and the others sat in a circle in the main tent. At their center was the Chu Gang student who had just surrendered.
"Speak."
Facing the student, Su Qing spoke indifferently.
The student took a deep breath, calmed himself, and began his account.
"A week ago, we discovered an unusual area. Its climate was different from elsewhere. Wind and frost raged there, and water froze the instant it dripped."
"So we called it Ice Valley. Inside Ice Valley, we found quite a few rare heavenly materials and earthly treasures, but we didn't find any Spirit Beasts."
"At that point, our gang leader and the others felt something was wrong. After discussing it, we sent some people to investigate."
"Without knowing the exact situation, they didn't dare venture deep into Ice Valley and could only investigate its outskirts. They searched like that for some time without finding anything."
"But when they were about to gather some heavenly materials and earthly treasures before leaving, a tremendous howl rang out from deep within Ice Valley, making the wind and snow swirling across the sky tremble."
"Then, through the wind and snow, they glimpsed an enormous figure and felt its terrifying spiritual pressure. That definitely wasn't something a High-Rank Spirit Beast could possess."
"After that, they didn't dare stay to keep gathering and fled immediately. While escaping, someone used an image-recording stone to capture that figure."
"According to our gang leader and the others' analysis, that Spirit Beast should be an Ice Profound Spirit Flood Dragon."