CHAPTER 168: CHAPTER 36: PYRRHIC VICTORY! [FIRST UPDATE]

Gu Qingqing was not feeling well at the moment either. She initially wanted the man to die directly, but faced resistance, so she changed it to having his arm disappear, which would halve his attack power!

Similarly, she also paid the price, with half of the remaining Spiritual Power in her body being drained!

If her cultivation hadn’t improved significantly, she would definitely faint like before. At this moment, she had to immediately take an elixir to quickly restore her Spiritual Power.

Upon realizing that Gu Qingqing was the biggest threat, the man swatted Rong Ye away with a palm, heading directly towards Gu Qingqing.

In her current state, if attacked by the man, Gu Qingqing would surely die!

She immediately retreated, avoiding the man, while throwing the talismans she had stored at him.

The talismans given by Rong Ye were top-grade, much more effective than those used by Rong Ye himself, but not very effective on the man.

Gu Qingqing’s face was calm, but her mind was racing frantically.

Now, Si Lin and the others were all injured, leaving only her and Rong Ye still able to fight. However, she had just used the Word Spirit Technique twice, and her Spiritual Power was insufficient to support a third use. Her cultivation was far inferior to the man’s; she was no match for him!

If they couldn’t defeat the man, everyone present today would be doomed. She had to quickly come up with a way to deal with him!

As Gu Qingqing was pondering, the man had already reached her, reaching out to grab her. Gu Qingqing tried to dodge but failed, being caught by the throat and lifted by him.

"I didn’t expect anyone here to know the Word Spirit Technique!" The man looked at Gu Qingqing, with a hint of surprise and regret in his dark eyes. "It’s a pity your cultivation is too low. If you were at the Peak of Ninth Rank, I might have really met my doom under your Word Spirit Technique today!"

The man spoke with a sinister grin, gradually exerting force on Gu Qingqing’s neck, enjoying the painful expression on her face.

Gu Qingqing felt intense pain in her neck, the air available for her breathing was decreasing, her chest was growing more and more suffocated, and her entire body felt extremely uncomfortable.

Just as her vision began to blur and breathing became progressively difficult, a sudden flash of inspiration struck her mind.

She suddenly remembered that when she became the Heavenly Dao of Xuantian Continent, she inherited all the memories of the previous Heavenly Dao. Among them, besides telling her she could leave the Xuantian Continent, it recorded the method to convert Heavenly Dao Power when facing danger.

A portion of the Heavenly Dao energy had been transferred to her avatar to help her manage Xuantian Continent, and another portion was sealed within her body because the power was too immense for her current body to wield, only to be sealed. But in times of danger, she could also borrow this portion of power, otherwise, if she died, Xuantian Continent would collapse!

Seeing hope, she suddenly opened her eyes and swiftly formed Seals with her hands. As numerous Dharma Seals formed, the power within her began to surge.

Under the man’s shocked gaze, a strong golden light suddenly erupted from her body, breaking free from his grip.

Suspended in mid-air, her long hair fluttered and her clothing billowed as her cultivation swiftly climbed from the eighth rank to the Peak of the Eighth Rank, then quickly broke through to the Ninth Rank, surpassed the Peak of the Ninth Rank, reaching the Half-step Immortal Realm alongside the man.

A golden vertical line appeared between her brows, giving her an extremely noble and sacred appearance, instilling a sense of wanting to submit at her feet.

When she opened her eyes, her gaze had transformed; if before, her eyes carried the naivety and innocence of a young girl, now they were like those of a deity gazing down on all living beings beneath her.

When you looked into her eyes, you would feel exceedingly small in front of her, inevitably feeling ashamed and inferior!

"How can this be?" The man was somewhat incredulous. "What did you do? How did your cultivation advance so quickly?"

He himself was at the Half-step Immortal Rank, suppressing his cultivation to avoid the pursuit of Xuantian Continent’s Heavenly Dao, so advancing was easy for him. But Gu Qingqing was different; her aura was just at the eighth rank, now reaching Half-step Immortal Rank, which he knew no Secret Technique could achieve!

His gaze towards Gu Qingqing changed once again, no longer filled with disdain and contempt, but with excitement and eagerness, even with a hint of greed.

Gu Qingqing’s transformation piqued his interest greatly. He had lingered at the Half-step Immortal Rank for a considerable time. This time, he ventured here at the risk of being hunted down by the Heavenly Dao of the Sub-immortal Realm, seeking the opportunity for ascension. Now, he felt he might have found it, the opportunity lay with the girl in front of him!

He wanted her!

Gu Qingqing had fully shifted into Heavenly Dao mode. Though she was still herself, her state of mind had changed. In the eyes of a Heavenly Dao, all beings were like ants, life and death all within a single thought, completely under her control.

Although she now suppressed her aura to avoid repulsion from the Sub-immortal Realm’s Heavenly Dao, not just anyone could provoke her; the greed in the man’s eyes was a provocation!

Her gaze turned cold as she stretched out her hand, launching a palm. A giant palm print flew towards the man, whose right arm had disappeared, leaving only the left arm to wield his Giant Axe clumsily to fend off Gu Qingqing’s attack.

Gu Qingqing’s cultivation merely appeared to be at Half-step Immortal Rank; her true strength far exceeded this. As a result, the man was sent flying back, spitting blood for the first time.

This wasn’t over yet. Gu Qingqing brought her index and middle fingers together, and a golden light cluster appeared at her fingertips. With a flick of her hand, the light cluster flew toward the man.

The man hurriedly dodged, and the light cluster hit the ground, blasting a large crater.

Gu Qingqing flashed in front of the man. In his slightly panicked gaze, she clenched her fist and punched him in the face!

The man’s face was struck aside, and a tooth was sent flying, his mouth full of blood.

He was just about to retaliate when Gu Qingqing’s fist hit his stomach again, making him feel like his internal organs had all shifted. His facial features contorted in pain as he instinctively clutched his stomach with his left hand.

Gu Qingqing lifted her leg and kicked the man’s chest, sending his body flying backward, vomiting blood repeatedly. Gu Qingqing followed closely, delivering another punch to the other side of his face, knocking out another tooth.

Immediately after, Gu Qingqing consecutively kicked him seven or eight times. The man’s tall body was like a sandbag, unable to fight back, completely numbed by the beating.

When Gu Qingqing finally stopped, he fell to the ground, creating a large pit upon impact.

His current appearance was utterly unrecognizable compared to just moments ago. His face swollen like a pig’s head, the armor on his body was tattered, and his wounds kept bleeding. Missing an arm made him look pitiable as he lay twitching on the ground.

His pitch-black eyes were full of terror. He couldn’t believe that Gu Qingqing, who was also at the Half-step Immortal Rank like him, was so much stronger. He wasn’t her match at all!

Gu Qingqing walked up to him, looking down at him from above. Her eyes were cold, devoid of any emotion. She raised her right hand, and a golden light cluster appeared in her palm, then she struck him with it as he gazed at her in despair.

"Boom!"

A loud explosion followed!

A golden halo spread out, causing the surrounding ground to tremble. Centered on the man, the ground cracked like a spider’s web.

As for the man at the center, he had turned to ash, which scattered with the wind!

Si Lin and the others nearby were wide-eyed at the scene, utterly shocked by the unexpected turn of events, not having anticipated Gu Qingqing’s newfound strength!

Just as they were about to speak, Gu Qingqing suddenly turned her head, looking in their direction. Si Lin and the others were frozen by her gaze.

Her eyes were extremely indifferent, as if nothing could enter them, high and aloof, making one’s heart tremble!

But it was just a moment. She suddenly closed her eyes, her body went limp, and she fell to the ground, only to be caught by Mu Chen’s quick reflexes.

"Geng Geng! Geng Geng!" Mu Chen shook Gu Qingqing’s body, finding her unresponsive. He quickly checked her breathing, and upon finding she was still breathing, he let out a sigh of relief.

"How’s Geng Geng?" Si Lin asked worriedly, using the Dragon Capturing Sword as a cane as he wobbled over to Mu Chen and Gu Qingqing.

Mu Chen didn’t respond at first. He reached out to examine Gu Qingqing’s pulse. When his Spiritual Power entered her body, he couldn’t help but take a sharp breath!

Gu Qingqing’s internal state was dire, her meridians severely damaged, almost completely destroyed. Her Spiritual Power had depleted, and even her Dantian was withering. With one wrong move, her foundation might be ruined!

Furrowing his brow, he let his Spiritual Power circulate through Gu Qingqing’s body, then released her hand. He first retrieved an elixir to nourish her meridians, feeding it to her, then gently picked her up.

"How is she? Is Geng Geng badly hurt?" Seeing Mu Chen’s tense expression, Si Lin asked anxiously.

"It’s very serious. Her meridians are nearly destroyed, only protected by a mysterious force. Her Dantian is also affected." Mu Chen’s voice trembled a bit as he spoke, gazing at Gu Qingqing with deep concern.

Hearing this, Si Lin looked at Gu Qingqing, biting his lip, eyes full of regret.

"Let’s take Geng Geng back to the inn first, dawn is breaking soon," Rong Ye suggested, appearing calm for once as he glanced at Gu Qingqing.

Mu Chen nodded, glanced at the others, and prepared to leave with Gu Qingqing in his arms.

Suddenly, a blue light emerged from Gu Qingqing’s bosom, causing Mu Chen and Rong Ye to halt simultaneously.

The light grew brighter, emerging from Gu Qingqing’s bosom and hovering in the air.

Rong Ye, Si Lin, and Mu Chen watched the light warily until it dissipated, and a figure appeared in midair!