Free Web NovelChapter 86: Chapter 59: To Strike with Thunderous Might
Xuzhuang’s gaze sharpened. "Jiri Lie!"
The figure was none other than Jiri Lie, who had clashed with Xuzhuang once before. The vast white Qi was Jiri Lie’s Divine Technique specifically designed to restrain Flying Swords: the Celestial River Qi of Form Capture.
Jiri Lie stood in the wind, facing Xuzhuang. A smile touched his lips as he said loudly, "I was wondering who had chased this treasure into such a desperate corner. So it was Fellow Daoist Xu."
As he spoke, the Celestial River Qi of Form Capture had already gathered, revealing the flying rainbow to them both. It had almost no physical form, just a shifting rainbow light that pulsed with an unstable sword gleam, yet it was tightly bound layer by layer, unable to break free.
"A mere rainbow light, refined into a Flying Sword... a truly stunning masterpiece." Jiri Lie admired the rainbow light, praising it. "It seems destined to be mine, Fellow Daoist Xu. Wouldn’t you agree?"
He shifted his gaze back to Xuzhuang, only to see a faint, cold smile on his face. Jiri Lie’s heart skipped a beat.
In the next instant, the wind and clouds stirred. An astonishing white Qi shot out from above Xuzhuang’s head, instantly expanding to ten yards, then a hundred, then a thousand as it rolled toward Jiri Lie. A closer look revealed it wasn’t white Qi at all, but a massive five-fingered hand, with every line on its palm and fingers perfectly distinct!
The great hand reached for Jiri Lie, its five fingers closing. The gaps between them seemed to vanish as all the wind, clouds, and Spiritual Qi between heaven and earth were gathered within its grasp. It compressed everything inward. The various streams of air ground violently against each other, exploding ceaselessly and creating sparks of lightning and fire. A rumbling sound filled the air, but none of it could make the great hand budge in the slightest.
Still, it commanded the pivot of yin and yang; in motion, it held the might of thunder. The moment Xuzhuang attacked, he unleashed a true killing move!
Innate Tai Su Qi Grand Capture! As a Divine Technique derived from the *Tai Su Qi Scripture*, its power naturally grew along with the cultivator’s cultivation level. In the past hundred years of his cultivation, the increase in this Divine Technique’s power was as different from the progress of any of his other Spells as heaven is from earth!
The confidence in Jiri Lie’s eyes vanished, replaced by sheer horror. He immediately tried to use Sword Escape to flee, hastily forming a Magic Formula. His Magical Power surged, and boundless Sword Qi tried to erupt from his body, but it was useless!
The immense force of the Innate Tai Su Qi Grand Capture was like the pressure of the deep sea, squeezing in from all directions and binding Jiri Lie completely. Before he could struggle free, the five fingers had closed completely and then gently squeezed.
All the wind, clouds, and thunder returned to nothingness. Only Xuzhuang, standing in the void, and the great hand, now closed into a fist, remained.
A hint of surprise appeared on Xuzhuang’s face. ’Could this be a Substitute Death Technique?’ he thought.
He had clearly sensed Jiri Lie being crushed into primordial chaos within his palm, more dead than dead. But an instant later, he had turned into nothing, vanishing from within the Great Capture.
Xuzhuang swept his Spiritual Sense through the air but couldn’t detect Jiri Lie’s hiding place. A thought flashed through his mind, and with a great wave of his sleeve, he threw out four formation flags. They planted themselves in the four cardinal directions, and a faint spiritual light immediately rose from them.
These four formation flags were just ordinary, low-grade Magical Artifacts. They had no hope of stopping an expert like Jiri Lie from escaping. However, if Jiri Lie did break through, he would not be able to evade Xuzhuang’s perception.
VMMMM! A golden light leaped out from the void. Jiri Lie’s Flying Sword appeared out of thin air and shot straight toward Xuzhuang. Xuzhuang didn’t move. A brilliant purple haze rose from his body. Although it was only a thin layer of light, Jiri Lie’s sudden strike didn’t even cause a ripple before his sword was sent flying backward.
"Just as I thought. Still here." Xuzhuang smiled faintly and calmly summoned his Thousand-year-old Thunderstruck Wood Magical Sword. He brought two fingers together and swiped gently. The Magical Sword instantly transformed into a beam of sword light as thick as an infant’s arm and shot forward. It then split into two in mid-air, then two into four... quickly becoming sixteen beams of sword light that fanned out in pursuit.
The golden Flying Sword moved, splitting into eight beams of sword light. Jiri Lie had also mastered the Sword Light Division Technique. However, the eight beams of light suddenly flickered and shrank to just four before they met the attack.
Xuzhuang only needed a single glance for understanding to flash in his eyes. Jiri Lie’s Substitute Death Technique had clearly taken a massive toll.
Now, Jiri Lie was clearly struggling just to use the Sword Light Division Technique. Moreover, his sword’s speed and killing power were far inferior to their last encounter. In just a few breaths, Xuzhuang’s sixteen beams of sword light had battered the golden Flying Sword into a sorry state.
Xuzhuang was in no hurry to defeat Jiri Lie. He clasped his hands behind his back and called out with a laugh, "Fellow Daoist Jin, are you not going to show yourself?"
Sure enough, as Xuzhuang spoke, Jiri Lie’s figure materialized in the air. His face was as white as a sheet. He stood with his hands at his sides, seemingly struggling to maintain his composure, but remained silent.
"It seems the price of your Substitute Death Technique is not an easy one to bear," Xuzhuang said coolly.
In the sunlight, Jiri Lie’s expression seemed a bit dazed. He let out a soft sigh. "I never, ever imagined that your Spells would be a hundred, a thousand times more terrifying than your Swordsmanship."
"Xuzhuang, a person like you..."
Xuzhuang asked with a smile, "What about me?"
Jiri Lie sighed. "You’re too perfect."
Xuzhuang’s eyelid twitched, and a look of doubt appeared in his eyes. "What?"
Jiri Lie’s mouth split into a grin. For some reason, a horrifying desire showed in his eyes as he cried out, "You are too perfect! Xuzhuang! Your Magical Power, your pill energy, your Spells, your Swordsmanship... How can you be so perfect?"
Xuzhuang frowned and said in a low voice, "Jiri Lie, are these your last words?"
"AHAHAHAHAHA!" Jiri Lie laughed maniacally. "Last words? No! This is far from over! Xuzhuang, I’ll remember you! I..."
"You’re courting death!" Xuzhuang formed a sword-finger sign, and the Thousand-year-old Thunderstruck Wood Magical Sword instantly shot forward. It wrapped around Jiri Lie’s neck, separating his head from his body.
Jiri Lie’s manic laughter stopped abruptly. Before his corpse could fall, as his life’s Qi dissipated, the Rainbow Light Flying Sword was about to fly out from within. A sudden thought occurred to Xuzhuang. He took out the Vermilion Gourd and activated it slightly.
A gentle breeze stirred. The Rainbow Light Flying Sword seemed to circle twice with great reluctance before finally following the breeze into the mouth of the gourd.
"Just as I thought." Xuzhuang smiled, weighed the gourd in his hand, and then casually hung it from his waist. He then cast a spell to pull Jiri Lie’s corpse over to him for a detailed inspection.
’This man... what was that all about?’ After confirming again and again that the man was well and truly dead, his soul completely dispersed, Xuzhuang was certain he wouldn’t make such a basic mistake. He could only attribute Jiri Lie’s words to the ramblings of a dying man.
Xuzhuang didn’t dwell on it. With a casual wave, he collected the items from the body. Then, with a flick of his fingertip, he sent a spark of flame down, which incinerated the corpse in moments.
After retracting his Spell, Xuzhuang swept the area with his Spiritual Sense one more time to ensure nothing was missed. Only then did he get his bearings, summon an escape light, and in a few moments, returned to the mountain range where he had found the Spirit Vein.
He saw a hundred-yard-wide chasm had split the mountain open. Boulders had shattered and tumbled down. Sunlight poured into the mountain’s belly, striking several Spirit Veins and causing them to glitter with multicolored light. Billowing Spiritual Qi overflowed, and he could feel the vibrant spiritual energy in the surroundings even from a distance.
’The spiritual energy is indeed starting to dissipate. I need to collect it as soon as possible.’ Xuzhuang frowned and flew back down into the belly of the mountain. Without even taking the time to sort through his gains, he took out the Glazed Truth Condensing Pot and resumed collecting the Spirit Veins.
