Chapter 41: A Matter of Life and Death (Part 1)

Boom!

A purple figure was seen being ensnared by successive layers of large cyan nets.

Surging purple lightning energy erupted continuously.

Li Qing felt a sudden sense of crisis wash over him once again.

This was the first time he had fought a late-stage Qi Refinement cultivator who was fully prepared.

More importantly, his internal injuries had not yet recovered.

"Slash!"

Controlling the Cold Water Sword with his mind, Li Qing struck toward Jiao Yujian once more.

He knew very well that the Cold Water Sword's offensive could not deal fatal damage to the Vajra Protection Talisman.

He was doing this solely to deplete the spiritual power stored within the talisman.

After all, talismans were single-use consumables, and the power stored within them was limited.

Li Qing understood that his only chance to kill Jiao Yujian was to wait until the Vajra Protection Talisman lost its effectiveness.

The reason he had risked everything to close the distance with Jiao Yujian was to engage in close-quarters combat, utilizing his advantages as a body cultivator to find an opening.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Li Qing felt a large portion of his internal mana being drained once again.

The Cold Water Sword struck the Vajra Protection Talisman with sharp intensity once more.

Unfortunately, after the golden shield dented slightly, it immediately returned to its original state.

"Junior Brother Li, stop this futile resistance. If you surrender now, I might just spare your life," Jiao Yujian said with a mocking expression.

Of course, even if he showed mercy, the man was destined to die; someone had to be held responsible for the fall of the genius disciple, Jue Hen.

At that exact moment, amidst Jiao Yujian's astonished gaze, Li Qing summoned another defensive magic tool in the shape of a tortoise shell.

Seeing this, Jiao Yujian couldn't help but feel a hint of surprise.

Although this man's strength was considerable, the opponent was only at the fifth level of Qi Refinement; controlling two magic tools simultaneously was no simple feat.

Controlling two tools at once required not only extremely abundant mana but also placed rigorous demands on the strength of one's divine sense.

"I must kill him as quickly as possible," Jiao Yujian thought, his ferocity increasing.

Rustle! Rustle!

The trees formed by the Wood Spirit energy began to shake violently.

Swish! Swish!

Branches condensed from mana lashed out toward Li Qing.

Li Qing circulated his hand seals, and the Black Tortoise Shield actively rose to meet them.

Clang! Clang!

Under the entanglement and lashing of countless branches, the Black Tortoise Shield spun incessantly like a top.

Just then, as Jiao Yujian performed a hand seal, several illusory, thick cyan branches charged toward Li Qing like giant serpents.

Seeing this, Li Qing did not dodge; if he continued to evade now, he might find himself trapped within Jiao Yujian's spell.

"Disperse!"

His right hand transformed into a bolt of lightning, striking the incoming branches head-on.

Bang!

Under the eruption of purple lightning energy, the branches were blasted into a cloud of cyan mana.

At that moment, Li Qing's expression suddenly changed.

He hadn't expected the mana consumption required to control two magic tools simultaneously to exceed his imagination.

As the Black Tortoise Shield continued to be struck, his internal mana began to run dry.

To make matters worse, a sharp gust of wind approached from behind him.

It was the high-grade magic tool in Jiao Yujian's hand—the Black Wood Sword.

"Purple Thunder Palm!"

Li Qing spun around, striking the Black Wood Sword with a massive palm of lightning.

Boom!

Under the force of the Purple Thunder Palm, the Black Wood Sword was instantly repelled, leaving a scorched black mark on its surface.

Lightning energy inherently possessed a neutralizing property against the wood attribute.

Jiao Yujian's face suddenly contorted in pain.

He had not expected Li Qing to have such a hidden trump card.

The power of the Purple Thunder Palm was terrifying.

With the Black Wood Sword damaged, Jiao Yujian's divine sense was also affected, as waves of piercing pain surged through his mind.

Jiao Yujian tapped his storage bag, and a spiritual pill flew out.

Under the effect of the pill, the pain in his mind subsided significantly.

Seeing this, Li Qing began to grow anxious.

As an experienced late-stage Qi Refinement cultivator, Jiao Yujian certainly had many pills hidden in his storage bag, including those used to restore mana.

If he continued to be worn down like this, his life would be in grave danger.

A flash of madness crossed Li Qing's eyes.

He desperately poured all of his remaining mana into his two magic tools.

The Cold Water Sword erupted with brilliant light once more as it charged toward Jiao Yujian.

Seeing this, Jiao Yujian did not panic at all.

He had also noticed that Li Qing was beginning to show signs of weakness.

Looking at the Vajra Protection Talisman, which still possessed abundant spiritual energy, Jiao Yujian knew clearly that the scales of victory were tipping in his favor.

Just as a look of triumph appeared on Jiao Yujian's face, the Cold Water Sword rushed to the front of the Vajra Protection Talisman but did not launch an immediate attack.

"Explode!"

A ruthless glint flashed in Li Qing's eyes.

Bang!

With a massive explosion, the Cold Water Sword shattered on the spot.

The formations inscribed within it were instantly obliterated.

The Cold Water Sword transformed into a torrent of blue energy that slammed violently into the golden shield. Simultaneously, the Vajra Protection Talisman finally began to flicker and shake violently.

The self-detonation force of the Cold Water Sword was no less than a full-strength strike from a late-stage Qi Refinement cultivator.

Seeing this, shock surfaced on Jiao Yujian's face.

A cultivator's magic tool is controlled by their divine sense; once it explodes, it will cause damage to that divine sense.

In severe cases, it could cause massive damage to the soul.

The soul is the very foundation of a cultivator.

Injuries to the soul are not as simple to heal with pills as physical injuries.

Treasures capable of mending soul damage are exceptionally rare.

Pfft!

Li Qing spat out a mouthful of blood.

At this moment, his divine sense felt as if it had been snipped by scissors.

A massive sensation of tearing surged through his mind.

Li Qing's vision went dark, and his consciousness became blurred.

In this state, he relied on his powerful willpower to force himself back to clarity.

Li Qing continued to stare at Jiao Yujian with a ferocious expression.

At that moment, the defensive magic tool, the Black Tortoise Shield, also arrived in front of the barrier released by the Vajra Protection Talisman.

Looking at the approaching Black Tortoise Shield, panic rose in Jiao Yujian's heart.

He naturally knew what Li Qing intended to do next.

This was clearly a fight to the death.

Jiao Yujian immediately intended to retreat. Since the opponent was determined to seek death, he did not want to be dragged down with him.

But it was already too late.

"Explode!"

As the word left Li Qing's lips, the Black Tortoise Shield also exploded where it stood.

Boom!

Another torrent of energy erupted.

After a deafening roar, a deep crater appeared before Jiao Yujian.

The Vajra Protection Talisman in front of him vanished in a flash of golden light following this explosion.

The massive surge of spiritual energy sent Jiao Yujian flying backward.

Li Qing stood his ground, but another wave of excruciating pain from his soul struck him.

He could now barely control his own body.

Watching the chaotic surge of spiritual energy rushing toward him, he found himself completely unable to move.

The massive impact from the explosion sent his body flying several yards away.

Coincidentally, this recoil actually brought him closer to Jiao Yujian.

On the other side, Jiao Yujian struggled to stand up.

Seeing Li Qing lying motionless not far away, a look of great joy appeared in Jiao Yujian's eyes.

He had been thoroughly terrified by Li Qing's suicidal ferocity.

"I cannot give this man another chance!"

Jiao Yujian forced his chaotic mana to stabilize and once again summoned the Black Wood Sword.

Swish!

The Black Wood Sword turned into a residual shadow as it charged toward Li Qing.