Ancient Strengthening Technique (Portraits of Beauty) Ancient Strengthening Technique Chapter 1118-1119

AST 1118 – Mutual Destruction, Marrow Nibbling Golden Silkworm, Close Call Between Life and Death

Unknowingly, about half of the 15 minutes had already pa.s.sed. However, Qing Shui felt as if a very long time had already gone by. He didn’t dare to let this Golden Ni Lion get close to him and thus he had brought out all of his best battle techniques without any hesitation to entertain it.

Four Phases Formation!

Qing Shui went into the Four Phases Formation with his three demonic beasts. Qing Shui stood at the Vermilion Bird's position which would allow his spirit energy attacks to increase a little in prowess.

The Nine Continents Mountain continued to smash down on the Golden Ni Lion from above but the effect wasn’t great. However, Qing Shui's aim was to create disturbances and to infuriate the Golden Ni Lion, causing it to have the thoughts of destroying the Nine Continents Mountain. This would allow him to buy some time.

Roar!

The Golden Ni Lion let out a deafening roar, exuding a golden light that almost seemed material. Even the Nine Continents Mountain was pushed away and some unfortunate people who came into contact with the light disappeared completely. This caused many more people to attempt to run for their lives. However, this time around, the Golden Ni Lion didn’t give chase but merely opened its mouth to spew out a sphere of light that was as brilliant as the sun and the moon towards Qing Shui.

A surge of formless power came towards Qing Shui, giving him the feeling of being entangled by spider webs. Qing Shui’s heart clenched. In the spur of the moment, he wanted to try if the Sacred Jade Divine Stone Ring could help him escape from the restrictive power.

300 meters!

Thankfully, Qing Shui happy could still get out from the confinement of the surge of power. This made him happy. It should be that the Sacred Jade Divine Stone Ring could be used under a free state. If one was bound or trapped by some unique items, they wouldn’t be able to use it. For example, when bound by the Demon Binding Ropes or pressed down by a demonic beast… Another prerequisite was that one’s consciousness must not be controlled and the person must be alive.

Primordial Flame Whip, Primordial Flame Dragon Drill!

Although these attacks could buy him some time as well, it seemed that they couldn’t deal much damage to the Golden Ni Lion. It didn’t have much time left, but Qing Shui couldn’t afford to be careless. There were the ladies behind him and Qing Shui had already told them that they must constantly be ready to use the Sacred Jade Divine Stone Ring.

Just as Qing Shui let his guard down a little, the Golden Ni Lion once again spewed out a fine golden light toward him, striking Qing Shui’s in a flash.

No reaction at all!

Suddenly, Qing Shui felt that his reactions were much slower. This was a constraining power, and it seemed to only target one’s Sacred Jade Divine Stone. Qing Shui was about to use the Sacred Jade Divine Stone Ring and although he could use it with just a thought, it still required some time. For example, it depended on whether one was thinking about reaching exactly at 200 meters away or further off.

However, Qing Shui couldn’t afford this amount of time before the huge golden figure pounced toward him, quick as lightning.

Marrow Nibbling Golden Silkworm!

A hint of a golden light spot flickered on Qing Shui’s chest and it shot out towards the Golden Ni Lion’s head. It was so fast that no one had seen it. If it wasn't for his connection with the Marrow Nibbling Golden Silkworm, he probably wouldn’t be able to detect it either.

Although the Marrow Nibbling Golden Silkworm was powerful, the Golden Ni Lion was much too big. It would take some time for this Marrow Nibbling Golden Silkworm to kill it based on its size alone. Moreover, there was also the question of whether it would be able to kill it.

It’s huge claw slapped down and Qing Shui instinctively crossed his hands. A faint layer of golden light appeared.

Roar!

Boom!

Qing Shui was sent flying away. It felt as if his body had fallen apart as he spewed out fresh blood. However, he noticed that the Golden Ni Lion seemed to appear a little despondent as it stayed where it was and trembled. It looked completely different from what it had looked like earlier and was roaring out in agony, slapping its two huge paws on its head.

“Something’s not right!”

Qing Shui was puzzled. Even if the Marrow Nibbling Golden Silkworm had an effect, the attack from the Golden Ni Lion shouldn’t be like this. Qing Shui should have been instantly killed…

Lightning Recovery!

Qing Shui looked at the Thunderous Beast that was also in a similarly despondent state and was using its Lightning Recovery. Its injuries immediately recovered by a lot.

In the most crucial moment, the Thunderous Beast had saved Qing Shui by using the battle technique, Mutual Destruction.

Mutual Destruction: Using 80% of its injuries in exchange for 80% of the target’s injuries. It attacks the opponent with a terrifying power and both parties would suffer damage. Mutual Destruction cannot instantly take the opponent’s life.

It could only be used once a month!

In a situation where the difference in strength was tremendous, the success rate was very low!

However, this time around, it was a success. One reason for the success was the Marrow Nibbling Golden Silkworm. That short instant of immense pain created a great gap in the Golden Ni Lion’s mental state, allowing the Thunderous Beast’s Mutual Destruction to succeed.

Qing Shui was really very lucky and it was as if he was destined to not die here. The heavy injury dealt in that moment caused the Golden Ni Lion’s attacks to decrease in prowess and Qing Shui managed to survive the ordeal.

80% injuries could be considered quite serious and it would be hard to save it. Moreover, this Golden Ni Lion was seriously injured to begin with and Beitang Yiyao had said that it had only 15 minutes left to live.

To think that Qing Shui still suffered such a serious injury despite his Nine Yang Golden Body being at the small success stage. It was at this moment that Qing Shui discovered the advantage of the Nine Yang Golden Body. It allowed his bones to be terrifying strong and gave him a great resistance against attacks. And right now, a mysterious power was coming out from his bones, fixing up his physical injuries.

Furthermore, his Yin-Yang Image and Qi of the Ancient Strengthening Technique were also aiding his self-recuperative process. Qing Shui’s self-recovery abilities were very terrifying. Of course, it was still not a match for the Thunderous Beast.

The surroundings fell silent. Many people didn’t manage to catch what had happened. They had all thought that Qing Shui was doomed. Although it was very normal for Qing Shui to be seriously injured, what they were astonished about was why did the Golden Ni Lion suddenly appear as if it was on its deathbed?

Seeing the state of the Golden Ni Lion, everyone’s mood turned better and some of the remaining people from Beitang Clan were immediately jointly killed by Yin Clan, Yinyue Clan, as well as Violet Dragon Mountain.

The few ladies had come out a long time ago and were looking at Qing Shui. They were worried, trying to see if his injuries were serious. In that moment earlier, they had dashed out, their hearts aching. Yiye Jiange was even acting as if she had gone crazy as she caught Qing Shui who was sent flying.

Seeing that Qing Shui was still alive, Yiye Jiange heaved a sigh of relief. Even she couldn’t understand why she was in tears.

“You can’t have anything happen to you, Qing Shui. We haven’t gotten married yet.” Yiye Jiange hugged Qing Shui and called out to him, seeing that his breath was very weak.

“I won’t die as long as you promise me one thing.” Qing Shui’s body continued to recover but blood was still trickling from the corner of his mouth. Yiye Jiange had wiped it off with her hand, but it still continued to drip out.

“I promise you, I’ll promise you anything. Even if it’s one, ten, or tens of millions of conditions. I’ll promise you, as long as you stay alive.” Yiye Jiange didn’t care about anything else anymore.

…

Qing Shui struggled to stand in the air. Although he was seriously injured, his self-recovery abilities were monstrous. The people from Violet Dragon Mountain were now standing a short distance from them and the remaining members of Beitang Clan had also completely disappeared.

Qing Shui stood there, seeming very weak. He didn’t take a look at Yin Clan and Yinyue Clan but looked at the Golden Ni Lion which seemed to be breathing its final few breaths. To think that such a powerful demonic beast was going to die. It had lost its vitality. He let Luan Luan use the Demonic Beast Token to seal it up again. Qing Shui didn’t have the confidence that he’ll be able to heal it nor would he dare to save it.

Just then, Du Yannian and the others also appeared. Qing Shui was supported by the few ladies and was covered in blood. Everyone could tell that he was now very weak.

“Stop right there! No one is allowed to get close to Mister Qing now!” Even Zilong s.h.i.+ didn’t get close to Qing Shui. He only stopped Du Yannian and the others from getting close.

“Mister, how are you feeling? Are you alright?” Du Yannian asked with concern. There were two old men next to him—Hao Tong and Yang Chong.

“I’m fine!” Qing Shui waved his hand and the moment he said this, he spewed out another mouthful of blood.

“Qing Shui, don’t scare us.” The ladies supported Qing Shui, their faces covered with tears.

The atmosphere was now very strange. There were still many people from Yin Clan and Yinyue clan. Although their clan head had died, there were still people to take charge. Moreover, which clan wouldn’t have someone l.u.s.ting after the position of clan head?

Unknowingly, many people gathered over. Although Zilong s.h.i.+ did his best to control them, they lost in numbers and were forced back by a formless pressure.

“Du Yannian, why are you standing there? Come over here.”

At this moment, an old man from Yin Clan shouted out. The old man looked a little like Yin Lan, just slightly older. Right now, he couldn’t hide how pleased he was.

Qing Shui closed his eyes, not looking at anyone and only focused on recuperating. He had really suffered from heavy injuries. It could be said that if another person of his level were to receive the same injury, that person would have died.

Du Yannian had 300 people with him, and just the direct descendants of Yin Clan and Yinyue Clan were over 2,000 in number. Right now, there were also many people wearing clothes from Lion King’s Ridge standing behind the two clans.

Du Yannian looked at them, then at Qing Shui, and then to the 300 people behind him. Back then, Qing Shui hadn’t killed them and even wanted them to push for one of their people to inherit Lion King’s Ridge with absolutely no conditions attached.

Back then, the three of them had even told him some of the addresses to their residences. Back then, they trusted that he would be able to move against Beitang Clan. And right now, although he had succeeded, he was in a horrible plight.

“Du Yannian, you must think carefully. If you continue to stand there, I won’t be able to guarantee your safety.” Yin Shang looked at Du Yannian and said unhappily.

“Beitang Clan has already been wiped out and they are already in this state. Why don’t we stop here.” Du Yannian looked at Yin Shang and said.

“Hahaha, I’ll ask you one more time. Are you going to return to Lion King’s Ridge or rebel?” Yin Shang’s tone was very cold.

Du Yannian looked at Qing Shui and the ladies next to him and then shook his head, “We were meant to have died previously. Today, we’ll return our lives to you. Later on, we’ll protect you while you leave this place.”

Du Yannian looked at Qing Shui and said softly.

Qing Shui didn’t open his eyes but just revealed a faint smile. However, he didn’t say anything.

“Zilong s.h.i.+, if you guys were to retreat now, we can still be as before. Lion King’s Ridge and Violet Dragon Mountain won’t interfere with each other’s matters.” Yin Shang knew how terrifying Violet Dragon Mountain was and if they were to get into a fight, both parties would suffer great casualties.

“I don’t care about Violet Dragon Mountain. My life was saved by Mister Qing. I won’t let anyone hurt him unless I die. This is what I owe him.” Zilong s.h.i.+ shook his head and said calmly.

The several tens of people behind Zilong s.h.i.+ also stood quietly behind him. Zilong s.h.i.+ was someone of high status in Violet Dragon Mountain and his cultivation was quite high too. Most importantly, it would be very troublesome to kill him.

Right now, Yin Shang was faced with a tough decision, he then looked at the people from Yin Clan and then at the weak young man. He waved his hand and said, “Kill! For our own sake, kill! Don’t leave a single one of them behind! After killing them all, everyone can get a bottle of Spirit Concentrating Pills and b.l.o.o.d.y Lotus Pills!”

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AST 1119 Old Debts Canceled Out, The Dispute Ends, Yiye Clan’s Cemetery

After Yin Shang gave his order, quite a number of people from Lion King’s Ridge dashed toward Qing Shui. The people from Violet Dragon Mountain, Du Yannian and the others surrounded Qing Shui to protect them. “Mister Qing, leave quickly. Come again when you’ve recovered from your wounds. It’ll be easy for you to kill these people then!”

Du Yannian and Zilong s.h.i.+ shouted out towards Qing Shui and the others.

“Kill them! Definitely kill Qing Shui first! Otherwise, we’ll all die. The person who kills Qing Shui will be rewarded with a bottle of low grade Sacred Beast Pills and will get to pick any woman for himself.” Yin Shang shouted out loudly.

Qing Shui’s eyes which had been closed all this while suddenly popped open like a sharp blade. Although his injuries were very serious, it didn’t mean that he couldn’t fight. The reason he hadn’t been moving was because he wanted to a.s.sess if Du Yannian and the others were worthy of taking over Lion King’s Ridge.

Moreover, he wanted to eliminate the restless influences in the Lion King’s Ridge to ensure his family’s safety. This would also allow him to feel more at ease when he headed for the other Four Continents.

And right now, both sides were already engaged. Qing Shui said to Yiye Jiange who was next to him, “Prepare to let the Seven-Headed Crystal Beast attack. Just attack the person who spoke.”

Yiye Jiange nodded and immediately let the Seven-Headed Crystal Beast dash towards her. Before it arrived, Qing Shui let the Thunderous Beast strike him with a Thunderbolt first and then a Violet Lightning Strike.

The Seven-Headed Crystal Beast’s huge ice flames incinerated Yin Shang’s head. The Seven-Headed Crystal Beast was considered a terrifying creature in the Five Continents and when it teamed up with the Thunderous Beast killing its enemies instantly was easy.

“People from Lion King’s Ridge listen up. Yin Clan and Yinyue Clan won’t be able to get themselves anywhere. If you guys stop now, we won’t pursue this.” At this moment, Du Yannian let out a loud bellow.

“Kill them!” Yinyue Tong shouted, killing the people on his side who stopped moving. He was making an example out of them to warn the others.

However, not only did his action lack any effect, the situation exploded. The person he killed was the only son of a capable subordinate in Yinyue Clan. Earlier, he had only wanted to make an example out of someone and didn’t check to see who it was.

“Ah! Yinyue old man! Our Shen Clan has been serving your Yinyue Clan for three generations but to think that you would kill my only son! Brothers! A clan like this isn’t worth us joining! Who knows? One day we might just get killed without knowing it!”

This voice was like a fuse to firecrackers, causing a huge uprise. The Yinyue Clan and Yin Clan were soon left in ruins.

Qing Shui closed his eyes and leaned against Yiye Jiange, enjoying the warmth from this special moment. His injuries were recovering gradually and it would be easy for him and the ladies to escape. However, there was no need for him to do so now. Although these influences were powerful in the Five Continents, he really didn’t care about them.

The scene quietened down. To think that the commotion created by Yin Clan and Yinyue Clan would be for naught so quickly. It was to the extent that it seemed like a joke. The two clans had only thought of gaining control over Lion King’s Ridge when they saw that Qing Shui was seriously injured.

The best way to gain control over Lion King’s Ridge was to destroy this young man. However, they had ignored this young man’s abilities. Even if he didn’t do anything, he could still wipe them out and they became a group of people who had lost their pillar of support.

Although they had enjoyed great glory in Lion King’s Ridge, they weren’t the people who really supported Lion King’s Ridge. It was those people who had been killed earlier, especially those ten or so old men who had come back from the other Four Continents, as well as the powerful Beitang Yiyao.

Without these people, even if they controlled Lion King’s Ridge, their statuses would also plunge greatly. Despite still being a great influence, they were like a tiger whose teeth had been plucked out. While the tiger might still have its impressive aura, it might not necessarily be able to kill a wolf.

Du Yannian was also a member of the Supreme Elder a.s.sociation with quite a high status. Back then, the reason Qing Shui had given him a choice like that was because he seemed to be an upright person who wouldn’t bend easily. Moreover, his level of cultivation was quite high too.

“Sir, Lion King’s Ridge shall be left to you. You must be insistent on clearing out the people who shouldn’t be kept alive and replacing them with your own people. Du Clan has both the capability and the connections.” Qing Shui smiled and said.

Du Yannian let out a sigh and said, “Mister, I know what to do. Don’t worry, if you encounter any problems in the future, you can take my life whenever you like.”

“The reason we came earlier was to wipe out Beitang Clan. I’ll leave the things regarding Lion King’s Ridge for your development but I’ll need some stuff from Beitang Clan.” Qing Shui smiled and said.

Lion King’s Ridge was actually not as rich as Beitang Clan. Humans were selfish creatures and over all these years, Beitang Clan had often kept things from Lion King’s Ridge for themselves. Moreover, Qing Clan wouldn’t move the entire residence with him. He only wanted to gather some things which would be useful for him.

“Old Du, when you’re free, you can go around more with Old Zi. If the two of you were to join forces, there will only be advantages. Since there’s no more Beitang Clan, then just forget about the past!” said Qing Shui as he looked at Du Yannian and Zilong s.h.i.+.

…

Qing Shui and the others headed for Lion King’s Ridge, planning to stay for a few days in the Beitang Residence. This place was just a huge but empty manor now.

Beitang Clan’s manor faced the south and it took up an area of over 1,000 Mu. The two huge lions at the entrance were carved from 'yellow stone' and were several tens of meters tall. They exuded a strong and majestic aura, displaying the great dignity of the manor.

All the pavilions and the buildings in the manor were built exquisitely. Even though the weather was chilly in winter, there was still a hot spring. The buildings were all in dark brown color and were not very tall. However, they looked very st.u.r.dy.

The few ladies helped Qing Shui to one of the rooms. He didn’t ask what happened to the family members of Beitang Clan. He didn’t wish to know and wasn’t willing to know either.

This was the cruelty of this world. Those who weren’t able to become accustomed to the environment would be eliminated. In this world where it was the survival of the fittest, people competed to see who the stronger one was. If Qing Shui didn’t have some abilities, he would have died many times over.

After taking a bath and changing into a fresh set of clothes, Qing Shui wore a thin garment and went into the hot spring. It felt very good to soak in a hot spring in winter. There was a faint layer of warm currents around the hot spring and one would feel especially warm upon entering this area.

Right now, Qing Shui was together with Yiye Jiange and they were both wearing clothes even while in the hot spring. The water in the hot spring wasn’t stationary and the others were also going around the place and might just pop in. Therefore, even Qing Shui was wearing his clothes, let alone Yiye Jiange.

Yiye Jiange hadn’t wanted to enter the hot spring at first but Qing Shui’s words left her with no choice.

Yiye Jiange had promised that as long as he stayed alive, she would promise him anything…

Thinking of this now, she pinched Qing Shui angrily while he took the opportunity to hug her. Their thin clothes were wet and Yiye Jiange’s beautiful lines were revealed. He could smell her faint fragrance but he didn’t go overboard with his actions. However, she could already feel his body’s reaction.

Now that the matter with Lion King’s Ridge was over, Yiye Jiange had completely let go of her emotional burdens. However, thinking of the members of Yiye Clan who had died, Yiye Jiange’s mood took a dive.

Since Qing Shui was hugging her, he could naturally sense her emotions. “What’s wrong? Why are you feeling so down?”

“I want to go and take a look at Yiye Clan.” Yiye Jiange said softly.

“What’s so hard about that. Come, we’ll go immediately.” Qing Shui smiled and carried her out from the hot spring.

“Your wounds…”

“They aren’t of any concern a long time ago.” With that, he circulated Qi to dry both of their clothes.

“Shall we call your elder brother and that la.s.s along?” Qing Shui smiled and asked.

“They should already have headed there.” Yiye Jiange smiled and called out her Seven-Headed Crystal Beast, and then reached out with her hand towards Qing Shui.

Qing Shui smiled and took her hand. He then brought her up the Seven-Headed Crystal Beast before they flew toward Yiye Clan.

Yiye Clan was located in the Northern Sacred Country which wasn’t that far away. Since they had nothing else to do, it was good for them to enjoy the flight too. Yiye Jiange was very calm and wore a faint, blissful smile.

“Qing Shui, you said that I promised you one condition and I have already fulfilled your condition earlier.” Yiye Jiange sat in front of Qing Shui, leaning against him as she smiled and said.

“You were the one who said that you’ll promise me anything.” Qing Shui smiled and said.

Embracing this beauty in his arms, Qing Shui seemed to have put down a heavy load in his heart as well. Twenty years, it took about twenty years of time. The goal that he had set for himself back then had now finally been achieved. This lady had held a heavy, heavy weight in his heart.

“I’m a woman. Can’t you give in to me?” Yiye Jiange squinted and said softly.

This was the first time that Qing Shui had seen this great beauty say something so meek, causing him to be stunned. However, he smiled and said, “You’re not a woman yet. Are you thinking of becoming one already?”

“You’re a rascal. I don’t care, you’re a guy. You must make good on your words.” Yiye Jiange sat up and said, her face blus.h.i.+ng.

“Alright, alright, I’ll promise you. I don’t believe that you’ll be able to hold it in.”

“You’re still saying it…”

…

When Qing Shui and Yiye Jiange arrived at the place where Yiye Clan had stayed in before, the others had already arrived. It wasn’t that the Seven-Headed Crystal Beast wasn’t fast enough but more that they hadn’t let it travel too fast.

What astonished the rest of them was that the place was just like how it used to be. The area was almost deserted and the door that was tightly shut. It seemed as if it hadn’t been opened for many years. Many of the constructions seemed to have been burned into a black color.

The signboard on the entrance was long gone and even the entrance was rusty. The place before the door was like a garbage collection area. Yiye Tian slowly pushed opened the door.

The sound was horrible. Dust and rust fell down.

Upon opening the door, they could see that the interior was filled with weeds and there were even many trees growing. However, there were also many graves in this area. Back then, Beitang Clan had to maintain their appearances and this was also the reason why the Yiye Residence could be kept as it was.

Back then, Beitang Clan had, in the name of the Yiye Clan’s in-laws, buried these people who they had killed themselves.

Looking at this scene, Yiye Tian, Yiye Jiange, and Luan Luan cried. They then started to look around these graves.

Yiye Tian and Yiye Jiange found the graves of their parents. They came across many familiar names as they went through the graves. They thought of the scene when they had escaped back then. This manor that was in ruins was all that was left from the fire back then.

Yiye Jiange and Yiye Tian cried as they dropped down on their knees and hands before the grave that was covered in dust. Buckets of tears flowed down their cheeks.

“Father, mother, rest in peace. Our enemies have already been killed…”

…

Du Yannian sent someone to clean up the place and reconstruct it into the Yiye Clan’s graveyard. They would send people to regularly clean up the area and offer incenses.

For the next few days, Yiye Jiange and the others would come and offer incense daily. They would talk to the deceased, burn some offerings and perform similar rituals.

This was a custom. After all, it didn’t take very long for Qing Shui to send them to and fro with the Nine Continents Steps.

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