Ancient Strengthening Technique (Portraits of Beauty) Ancient Strengthening Technique Chapter 769-770

AST 769 – Ma.s.sacre In the Night, Qing Shui’s Sharp Senses

The prowess of the Combination Sword Technique was already the same as that of the Heavenly Talisman, and Qing Shui felt that the divine technique was like a bottomless hole. Of course, the prerequisite was that a certain number of sword techniques had to be combined.

The increase to a person’s physical strength would be 10% with two combined sword moves, 20% for three, and 40% for four. Qing Shui felt, that in the future, the prowess of the Combination Sword Technique would increases exponentially. However, it had already been very tough to practice the Combination Sword Technique for four combined moves, and it would only be tougher for five or six moves. Qing Shui was afraid that he wouldn’t be able to even practice it.

Another day pa.s.sed by in the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal. Throughout the day, Qing Shui had been practicing the Four Moves Combination Sword Technique almost non-stop, hoping to be able to use it more fluently. It might be because he had made progressive breakthroughs, but the rate at which he was improving was very fast. That feeling of being like a fish in the water made Qing Shui feel great and he couldn't bear to stop.

However, there was a flaw to the Combination Sword Technique. When there were 4 moves, Qing Shui felt that the many moves wasted some time. The impact wasn’t too bad for four moves, but in the future, it could add up for more combined moves. There was a kind of balance.

Suddenly, Qing Shui sensed that the Diamond Gigantic Elephant was giving out a warning. He quickly exited the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal and fortunately, it was also around the time he would've left anyways. Qing Shui had rested and changed his clothes. Therefore, he left the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal directly. Even if he were to wash up outside, it would only take a short moment.

It was still very quiet when he walked out. After a while, the Ye Clan’s old man came out as well, followed by Ye Guyan. When the Ten Thousand Poisonous Violet Sable saw Qing Shui, it immediately leapt onto his shoulder.

“To think that they’re really doing this. Since they’ve come, they can all stay behind.” Qing Shui looked to the distance. By this time, the Diamond Gigantic Elephant had also came up to him.

“Miss Ye, senior, the two of you can get on the Diamond Gigantic Elephant. Senior can take care of Miss Ye. I’ll let Miss Ye believe that I have the ability to win the Fight of the Ultimate Life and Death.” Qing Shui smiled and said.

It might be because he had to take care of Ye Guyan that Ye Clan’s old man didn’t object. After slightly hesitating, he went up on the Diamond Gigantic Elephant and instructed Qing Shui to be careful. Now, they could only place their trust in Qing Shui as they had no other way out.

Time pa.s.sed by and Qing Shui just sat there, unmoving. He activated his spiritual sense and everything in his surroundings down right to the smallest detail was noticed. Nothing could escape him, even if it were to hide behind some building. This was the prowess of his spiritual sense.

Qing Shui saw the people from the Eastern Palace Aristocrat Clan through his spiritual sense. There were seven of them and they didn’t seem to be trying to hide. On the other hand, they didn’t make too much noise, not even activating their flying rides.

When they appeared before Qing Shui and the others, they were stunned for a short moment before looking toward the Ye Clan’s old man and Ye Guyan, who were on the Diamond Gigantic Elephant. Then, they turned towards Qing Shui.

The one in the lead was Donggong Maisun. When the Ye Clan’s old man saw the other six elderly men that came along with Donggong Maisun, his face turned grim and he shouted out to Donggong Maisun, “You guys have really come. The Eastern Palace Aristocrat Clan’s reputation has been completely soiled.”

“Old Man Ye, there hasn’t been any grudges between our Eastern Palace Aristocrat Clan and your Ye Clan. I hope that you won’t be interfering today.” Donggong Maisun said in a low voice toward Old Man Ye.

Qing Shui sensed the level of the seven people and his heart skipped a beat. Two of them were five star experts while the others were around the four star level. Four star experts were much stronger than three star experts. Just with the strength of these people, the Eastern Palace Aristocrat Clan was much more powerful than the Zuos.h.i.+ Clan.

“There’s only me today. Donggong Maisun, it’s been a few decades, but you still haven’t shown any improvement. Just because of you, the Eastern Palace Aristocrat Clan will disappear. What do you think about this?” Qing Clan gradually circulated his powers. These people were very strong, so he had to go all out today. He needed use whatever methods he had to kill everyone.

“The demise of Eastern Palace Aristocrat Clan? By the likes of you?” Donggong Maisun said sarcastically with a smirk.

“You’ll soon see. A person like you brings disaster to the world just by being alive. Your grandson wasn’t any better either. If one commits too many sins, that person will die a terrible death full of regrets.” Qing Shui laughed and said.

“Stop with the c.r.a.p. Today, I’ll tear you apart alive.” Donggong Maisun did not care how loud his voice was.

“Senior, Miss Ye, don’t move, just watch. Stay there and watch as I take them all out.” Qing Shui instructed without even turning his head before he took out his Violet Gold Divine s.h.i.+eld and Thunder G.o.d.

Cloudmist Steps!

He threw out his Heavenly Talismans and followed up quickly with his Fiery Golden Eyes and Emperor’s Qi. While his opponents were in a daze from the astonishments, they had already been hit by all the Heavenly Talismans.

Without any hesitation, Qing Shui took out ten Coldsteel Needles that had previously been soaked in Five-Color poison and sent them flying out. Everything was completed in just an instant.

Three of members of the Eastern Palace Aristocrat Clan had been hit. It was a pity that Qing Shui didn't have more poisonous needles. Otherwise, if there had been enough, he might be able to kill another two. This result was within Qing Shui’s expectations. Hidden Weapons were meant to attack at the moment the opponents were caught unawares. Moreover, Qing Shui had weakened them earlier, causing them to be in a daze. The three weakest were hit and died very quickly.

It was only now that the remaining four old man looked at Qing Shui, horrified. Earlier, they had done everything they could to dodge the unknown objects. Thinking back, they had felt that death was so close that they had even forgotten about the fact that their abilities had been weakened.

The old men who originally had five stars of strength had lost almost 15,000 countries worth of strength. The old men who were previously at four stars were now not even at the three star level…

Grey colored primordial flames burst out from Qing Shui’s palms and were then condensed into two fireb.a.l.l.s, each the size of a child’s head. After he had attained a great breakthrough in his abilities, the prowess of his primordial flames had also risen by a lot.

Hidden Weapon Twin Dragon Explosion!

Qing Shui quickly closed in on his opponents and shot out the two Primordial Flame b.a.l.l.s in his hands. The earlier Coldsteel Needles had caused them to be extremely careful so they instinctively dodged the weird grey flames.
Break!

Those who came across Qing Shui’s Twin Dragon Explosion would tend to suffer, or even just die on the spot. After all, the primordial flames were just that powerful. This time around, the prowess of the Primordial Flame Ball, which had already been tremendous, had increased to even greater heights. The sparks that scattered out in all directions caused everyone to be greatly astonished.

Cloudmist Steps!

It was impossible for Qing Shui to let go of this chance and he closed in on his opponents at great speed. His target was a cultivator whose level had been weakened to below three stars and the Ten Thousand Poisonous Violet Sable on his shoulder also shot out abruptly.

The people from the Eastern Palace Aristocrat Clan were hit by a few remnant sparks as they were dodging the primordial flames, but thankfully, they were still considerably strong and weren't killed immediately. However, they were still scorched and large pieces of their flesh disappeared. Before they could relax, they sensed another tremendous threat coming at them.

s.h.i.+eld Attack!

The Ten Thousand Poisonous Violet Sable killed its target instantly. It was impossible to try to dodge the primordial flames and the terrifying speed of the Ten Thousand Poisonous Violet Sable at the same time. Someone who was just a bit slower and encountered the Ten Thousand Poisonous Violet Sable had no choice but to die. This was the reason why Qing Shui was so happy when he had first gotten his hands on the Ten Thousand Poisonous Violet Sable. Poison beasts were much stronger than demonic beasts of the same level. Similarly, there were too few people who could tame poison beasts because regular beast tamers knew nothing about poison.

Boom!

That old man was sent flying by Qing Shui’s Violet Gold Divine s.h.i.+eld. Qing Shui quickly gave chase with his Cloudmist Steps and swung his Thunder G.o.d out. A hint of purple light flashed, and the Thunder G.o.d smashed toward the old man with a horrifyingly thunderous sound.

Ten Thousand Great Thunderbolt!

The paralyzed old man was not even able to show any reaction before he was killed by Qing Shui. The battle had only just started and now, five out of seven people from the Eastern Palace Aristocrat Clan had died…

Qing Shui was more agitated than anyone else. These seven people were considered the main pillars of the Eastern Palace Aristocrat Clan and now, five of them were gone. Even for a clan with the reputation and power of the Eastern Palace Aristocrat Clan had, what had occurred today was the equivalent of losing an arm.

Donggong Maisun looked as if he had turned into stone. Before they had even started to attack, five out of their seven had already died. What level were the people he had brought along with him? They were top notch cultivators no matter where they went. To think that they were forced into such a bad spot by just Qing Shui, with more than half of them dying before they had even done a thing.

“He’s not human, he’s a devil…” This was the only thought that went through Donggong Maisun’s mind when he looked at Qing Shui. He recalled the scenes on the arena and the things that Qing Shui had said… only now did he knew that everything was true. His grandfather had laughed at Qing Shui's ignorance, and now, he had done the same too. He thought of how he must have looked like a clown earlier.

The Ye Clan’s old man and Ye Guyan were both similarly astonished. They had been feeling worried for Qing Shui all along, and Ye Guyan’s heart had been beating rapidly, especially when the battle had started. She had been afraid of how the battle might turn out, but had never expected the results to be like this. In this moment, she was overcome with surprise and joy.

Qing Shui looked at Donggong Maisun and the other remaining old man, a smirk on his face. The results today were within his expectation. Since his opponents did not care about attacking in groups, he wasn't too concerned over the fact that the use of poison and hidden weapons weren’t exactly aboveboard. After all, in such a battle, the one who remained standing in the end was the one who was the stronger one, regardless of methods.

“Now, do you believe that I can eradicate the Eastern Palace Aristocrat Clan?” Qing Shui gradually walked up to Donggong Maisun.

Now, Donggong Maisun was truly afraid. He had the feeling that this guy really would be able to eradicate the entire Eastern Palace Aristocrat Clan. However, when he thought of the few strong experts remaining in Eastern Palace Aristocrat Clan, he still felt that it was impossible for the Eastern Palace Aristocrat Clan to lose.

“Eastern Palace Aristocrat Clan will not lose. You’ll still die.” When Donggong Maisun said this, he didn’t seem very confident.

“Whether the Eastern Palace Aristocrat Clan will lose or not, you won’t be able to see it. I really don’t understand why you still came here even after I’d already issued the challenge for a Fight of the Ultimate Life and Death.” Qing Shui looked at Donggong Maisun. He really wanted to find out the answer.

“Because I couldn’t wait until tomorrow to see you dead. You’re unworthy of being in a Fight of the Ultimate Life and Death against our Eastern Palace Aristocrat Clan.” Donggong Maisun gritted his teeth and said.

“When you were young, you were ignorant and inhumane. After so many years have pa.s.sed, you still haven't learned a thing. Remember, the Eastern Palace Aristocrat Clan’s demise will be because of you, because of the sins you’ve committed in Greencloud Continent.” Qing Shui felt sorrowful when he thought of how the Old Ancestor had felt so helpless on his deathbed. As a top notch cultivator in the Greencloud Continent, who would be able to understand his pain?

Not many people would be able to withstand the agony and helplessness after being forced into such a misery. Death had been an escape for the Old Ancestor. Living had been his greatest agony, a torture beyond what most humans could endure.

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AST 770 – Ma.s.sacre, Preparation

Donggong Maisun was fl.u.s.tered and scared at the same time. This youth was too strange. Donggong Maisun's abilities could instantly eliminate even that old freak from the Ye Clan. But this youth had instead obliterated half of his people in a flash. Although he was aware that this youth was capable, this had far exceeded his expectation.

"If I let you all return now, will you leave?" Qing Shui smilingly looked at Donggong Maisun.

"Drop the act. You still have to die today," Donggong Maisun wasn't going to believe that Qing Shui would let them return so he'd rather choose to fight till the end.

"Since you choose to not believe it, then prepare for the battle!"

Qing Shui immediately dashed towards Donggong Maisun. His current strength was not in the least bit inferior to them. While he dashed, the Diamond Gigantic Elephant immediately performed the Vajra Subdues Demons.

This caused the strength of Donggong Maisun and the other remaining elderly man to drop by 10% but their strength was still impressive even after the 10% reduction of their level. With this, their strength was brought to the same level as Qing Shui. To Qing Shui, he wouldn't have many issues in taking care of cultivators of the same level as him.

He took out an Agility-Enhancing Fruit and consumed it. His speed then became a lot faster than his opponents. The reduction effect from earlier had also reduced their speed, so normally when the opponent's abilities were reduced to about Qing Shui's level, their speed would be a lot more inferior to Qing Shui's speed. The Cloudmist Steps was still a very powerful skill, especially along with the tremendous effects of the Nine Continent Boots.

s.h.i.+eld attack!

Art of Pursuing!

Now that Qing Shui was loosened up, he could fight like a fish back in water. If he could have an absolute advantage in speed, then his success was pretty much guaranteed. Of course, this was provided that the opponents had no trump cards up their sleeves. Qing Shui still seemed to be at ease even when he was fighting against two opponents, mainly because his Silver Needle could keep the other elderly man at bay.

On the other hand, Donggong Maisun became increasingly sullen and frustrated the longer the fight went on. He was worried because he could sense death creeping up closer to him yet he couldn't do anything about it. A clear noise rang out as Qing Shui's Thunder G.o.d collided against Donggong Maisun's shoulder, exposing a patch of dark green color beneath.

The Jade-Armored Immortal Garb!

After Donggong Taiqing pa.s.sed away, this Jade-Armored Immortal Garb was worn by Donggong Maisun. It seemed like it was for the purpose of ambus.h.i.+ng him tonight. It was already past one o'clock in the morning right now. The Jade-Armored Immortal Garb had naturally withstood a fatal injury for Donggong Maisun. During the same moment, Donggong Maisun flung his left arm towards Qing Shui. Something akin to a flash of faint green light shot out from it. Qing Shui was startled for a moment. He felt something like a needle p.r.i.c.k his wrist. d.a.m.n it!

"HAHAHA!" Donggong Maisun took a few steps back as he let out a loud laugh instead. Qing Shui then saw a green snake of about five feet long and as thick as his pinky on Donggong Maisun's arm. Realization struck him. His opponent had a Poison Beast too. Just how many people in the Eastern Palace Aristocrat Clan possessed a Poison Beast?

This green snake was a Four Colored Peak Poison Beast, Green Bamboo Snake. Qing Shui was extremely nervous as he quickly retrieved a Pure Jade Pellet and ingested it. He then activated Nature Energy to its peak before he sprinted towards Donggong Maisun. He must eliminate him in the shortest amount of time.

He took out a Frosted Iron Ball that had been dipped in poison and quickly launched a Meteor Smash at Donggong Maisun. The elderly man had his hands full dealing with the Ten Thousand Poisonous Violet Sable to one side. The cultivator with five stars strength was barely able to resist the Ten Thousand Poisonous Violet Sable and he didn't seem to be able to last much longer. This made Qing Shui extremely happy. The Ten Thousand Poisonous Violet Sable indeed still had a lot of room for improvement. At the same time, he felt extremely fortunate about the Flower of Life in the Realm of Violet Jade Immortal and for waiting around at the Zuos.h.i.+ Aristocrat Clan. He actually obtained one of the Five Colored Poison Beasts, the Ten Thousand Poisonous Violet Sable. As for Six Colored and Seven Colored Poison Beasts, they were all legendary beings. He was guessing that it was because no one was still alive after meeting any one of them.

The expression on the face of Donggong Maisun, who was familiar with poison, changed greatly when he saw that pitch black Frosted Iron Ball. He quickly evaded, but unfortunately the Meteor Smash had pinpointed its target's qi and would lock onto its target until its qi had vanished. Qing Shui took out another ordinary Frosted Iron Ball and launched it again. He forced Donggong Maisun to a corner and sealed off his only escape route.

Donggong Maisun, who was trapped with no room to advance or retreat, brandished the gigantic blade in his hand and slashed across the incoming Frosted Iron Ball. He knew very well that this thing could be fatal.

Crack!

The Frosted Iron Ball shattered. Donggong Maisun quickly backed off as soon as he saw the black specks!

Pu!

However, the other Frosted Iron Ball from behind pierced through his thigh. A pitch black shard from the Frosted Iron Ball got into his body when he was distracted by the immense pain. At the same time, Ten Thousand Poisonous Violet Sable's front claw clawed across the elderly man's throat.

Qing Shui knew the battle here was about to end soon. It wasn't even five minutes long and all seven Peak Martial Saint cultivators were killed. Seven. Not too many but not too little either, it was enough to cause a heartache to the Eastern Palace Aristocrat Clan. But to Qing Shui, this was only the beginning.

Qing Shui stashed away Donggong Maisun's Jade-Armored Immortal Garb and also the dead Green Bamboo Snake. It was killed by him later and now he was still wondering why he didn't have any reaction after being bitten by the Green Bamboo Snake

Although his Nature Energy had broken through to the fifth level, his Yin-Yang Image had also broken through to a stronger realm. Qing Shui had a suspicion why the Four Colored Poison Beast's poison was ineffective on him and this was connected to the Ten Thousand Poisonous Violet Sable. The first time he fed it the Flower of Life, he could feel a strange connection forming between him and the Ten Thousand Poisonous Violet Sable. Perhaps this connection could be have been the reason. Furthermore, Qing Shui actually had a very strong immunity to poison. Since it was a good thing, Qing Shui didn't bother to find out the exact reason.

He immediately set the dead bodies on fire. Ye Guyan had been staring at Qing Shui with disbelief in her eyes ever since the battle ended. Everything around her became unreal, and even Qing Shui seemed like a stranger.

She looked at the sky. A glimmer of white light could be seen at the horizon to the East. Day was breaking soon.

On the contrary, Ye Clan's Old Man had a very satisfied smile on his face. His mood was greatly lifted. Although the old man seemed to be at ease earlier, he was more anxious than anyone else. The fate of the entire Ye Clan was on Qing Shui's shoulders. It was impossible for him to not be worried.

"Senior, Miss Ye, you should all head back to rest. I can't sleep anymore so I'll just practise my fist techniques for awhile." Qing Shui told Ye Clan's old man and Ye Guyan with a smile.

"Alright, then this old man shall retire to bed." Ye Clan's old man let out a refres.h.i.+ng laugh before walking towards a house nearby, where his bedroom was. The fight just now didn't take place at the Ye Residence. Otherwise there wouldn't be any houses left standing.

Ye Guyan didn't leave though. She was still standing not far from Qing Shui while she stared at him blankly.

Qing Shui sensed her gaze so he turned around to look at this woman of unrivalled beauty on Earth. "Miss Ye!"

An unnatural smile broke across Ye Guyan's face as she averted her eyes from Qing Shui's gaze. She looked at the sky and excused herself before turning around to leave. This puzzled Qing Shui but he cast away all his distracting thoughts and adopted his Taichi stance, facing the East. The 'Minute Subtlety' had been gradually progressing. The progress was very slow but as time went on, its immense effect could be observed. This was a cultivation art that progressively grew stronger over a long period of time. There were little bits of improvement every day and although it was not very obvious, as time pa.s.sed, one would suddenly discover that they had gone very far.

This was exactly how Qing Shui felt right now. All of a sudden, he had discovered that the 'Minute Subtlety' was already at quite a decent realm. Just by seeing and sensing this made him feel proud and have a sense of accomplishment. Although it was time consuming, the realm was quite high once he got a firm grasp on it. That was because things that took time to build up were usually the most practical.

The Back Connecting Fist of Large Success Stage had once again reached its peak. Qing Shui no longer deliberately chased after breakthroughs because he understood that haste does not necessarily bring success and he believed that effort will undoubtedly lead to success. For now, he only focused on cultivating diligently. Perhaps accidental surprises were more likely to come just by keeping his mind in a relaxed state.

When the day turned slightly brighter, the Ye Clan's old man woke up and brought everyone else with him. Since it was already morning, the people from Eastern Palace Aristocrat Clan weren't going to come anymore. Besides, Qing Shui felt like those seven people including Donggong Maisun had came here in secret.

He had a hunch that the Eastern Palace Aristocrat Clan must have known about what happened by now. Although they would find it hard to believe, they'd definitely vent all their grudges during Fight of the Ultimate Life and Death.

During breakfast, Ye Guyan ate a lot more than usual. This was the most he had seen her eating since the past few days. The expression on her face seemed to be a lot more relaxed now and Ye Yan couldn't stop staring at her.

"Big Sister!"

"Yes, what is it, Yan'er?" Ye Guyan smiled at her younger sister who was sitting beside her.

"You seem to be very happy today?" Ye Yan asked curiously.

"Am I?" Ye Guyan laughed awkwardly.

"Yes!" Ye Yan pointed out firmly.

"That's enough. Finish your food quickly, little girl," Ye Guyan chuckled as she urged her.

Cang Wuya, Fei Wuji and the rest could feel something through Ye Guyan. They looked at Qing Shui. They felt like they had never seen Qing Shui in a panic before. He had never yielded no matter how difficult things got. He had never become dejected or complained either. He just silently shouldered everything alone and ended up doing incredible things that would surprise everyone again and again.

……….

The Martial G.o.d Street was crowded today. It was already packed with people early in the morning. The Fight of the Ultimate Life and Death was a rare event. It was even rare to see a clan like the Eastern Palace Aristocrat Clan partic.i.p.ating in it, so this place was basically packed with the cultivators who could make it here today.

The big clans already had a fixed spot here so it didn't matter if they came early or late, unlike ordinary people who wouldn't even have a place to stand if they were late. So some people came super early and some had stayed around since yesterday.

The people who knew that the Fight of the Ultimate Life and Death would take place here today were all here. There were people everywhere along the entire Martial G.o.d Street and even some flying beasts in the sky but most of them were over somewhere a little further.

It wasn't even late in the morning and yet many big clans had already arrived. The atmosphere today was livelier than yesterday. Conversations flowed freely where there were many people. It was quite chaotic. There were discussions and heated arguments everywhere around here.

"I bet that young man cannot even last for fifteen minutes."

"Get lost. I bet that young man can eliminate the Eastern Palace Aristocrat Clan."

"Idiot. You really think one young man can shake up a supreme aristocratic clan?"

"Didn't Yun Feiyang eliminate a supreme aristocratic clan all by himself a thousand years ago? And three thousand years ago, Yiye Wuxin eliminated a few supreme sects," someone retorted in an instant.

"Well….." the person stammered, unable to think of anything else to say.

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