Chapter: 951 (1/2)
AST 951 – A Quick And Decisive Battle, Marionette Mark, End Of Killings
Qing Shui quickly cocked his head to the source of the voice!
It was the Grand Elder of the Marionette Sect! He was still holding the Dragon-Headed Cane that he had back at the Octagon Inn long ago. Qing Shui was the one who ran away from his grasp last time, yet the Grand Elder was able to track him down with a profound confidence and relentlessness at the outskirts of Sky City.
Qing Shui didn’t plan to run away from this confrontation either. He looked at the other old men surrounding the Grand Elder, but the woman named Huang Wu was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps she wasn’t strong enough to join their mission this time.
Back then, Qing Shui had only one option – and that was to run away. He had to use the Nine Continents Steps to do so, otherwise he would be caught by the Grand Elder and forced to become a marionette. He also didn’t have a Sky Penetrating Grass last time and he hadn’t broken through to the Martial Emperor level yet.
A lot had changed within one year, albeit nothing too dramatic. Facing the Grand Elder had implicitly reminded Qing Shui of his desperate escape. But with his upgraded power, he felt great facing his opponents once more. This was a change and an improvement to his situation.
With his powers strengthened, Qing Shui was able to sense the Grand Elder’s power clearly. The old man had the strength of 200 stars, so it was understandable that Qing Shui couldn’t escape without depending on his Nine Continents Steps.
The Marionette Sect was incomparable to the Qin Clan with such prowess displayed by their Grand Elder. However, the weakest cultivator in the Marionette Sect was an early stage Martial Emperor. Even if they could not best the Qin Clan, they could still be considered one of the top clans among the others in Sky City.
No matter where they were, the weakest Martial Emperor was also considered a super strong cultivator. Qing Shui was able to reach a higher realm of cultivation recently and because of that, he might be truly deemed as a person of Nine Yang Golden Body based on his current power, which could potentially become the Nine Yang Marionette King if he was caught by the Marionette Sect.
And because of his ability, he was able to enter the Sky Penetrating Mountain by befriending Dong Yan, Sun Yan, Mu Qing and the others. It was a godsend opportunity that was given only to those who were prepared with power from strenuous cultivation. If they were not prepared, the opportunity would be wasted and ultimately become nothing more than a misfortune. If they did not have the right power, they would never be able to grasp the chance to stand on top of the martial world.
The circle of martial cultivators was a peculiar existence itself. Only those who have the appropriate power would be able to enter normally. If these old men in front of Qing Shui were to be put inside the circle, they would be the focus of attention immediately. Unfortunately, Qing Shui thought otherwise, now they were nothing more than tiny ants in his eyes.
“Didn’t the Marionette Sect lose a few men recently?” Qing Shui curled a smile, as he faced the Grand Elder in front of him.
This particular group, who traveled with the Grand Elder, must be the strongest one among the Marionette Sect. Of course, not all who were present here were considered the strongest in the sect, but they must not be underestimated. After all, the Grand Elder was among them.
Most importantly, Qing Shui was the person he had been looking for during the past 300 years, the one who could be turned into a Nine Yang Marionette King. If he could successfully turn him into one, the Marionette Sect would definitely gain a surge in power. No one would look down on them ever again, not even the clans from Sky City and Demon Gate.
The Grand Elder shot a gleam of rage from his eyes, as he looked at Qing Shui with deep hatred and said, “You were the one who killed them!”
Those five men were the top five cultivators from the next generation in the Marionette Sect. They were sent to the wilderness located between the Central Continent and the Eastern Victory Divine Continent to gain experience through various tests, but unfortunately fell into the hands of a cold-blooded murderer. Their corpses and bones were nowhere to be seen, but the members of the Marionette Sect already knew that those men could not have survived.
“Alright, I’m on a tight schedule. Let’s settle our score, shall we? I didn’t even ruffle your feathers when you first came to turn me into a marionette. An old man as unreasonable as you deserve to die, don’t you think?” Qing Shui wasn’t pressuring his opponents, yet the words that came out from his mouth were fanning the flames of hatred inside the Grand Elder’s heart.
“You ran away last time and managed to hide somewhere secluded. Well, it’s fine. Now you have come out of hiding, it would be a shame if we didn’t turn you into a Nine Yang Marionette King. Your return is God’s will descending upon us.” The Grand Elder looked at Qing Shui with a mix of expressions, ranging from rage to excitement.
Qing Shui shook his head. Sure, he fled in desperation for his life last time, but that was a year ago. In a span of a year, he didn’t expect that he would gain such a surge in power. His opponents would think the same, they didn’t factor in that Qing Shui had become stronger from the moment they laid their eyes on him again.
Qing Shui decided to stop all nonsense and called back his Fire Bird. Since his opponents had stated their intention to start a fight, then he would annihilate them as soon as possible. The faster the fight was settled, the quicker he could continue his journey. In an instant, he faced the old man and unleashed a Mighty Elephant Stomp in his direction.
Bang!
A wave of brazing gas akin to a cloud of black ash swirled across the Grand Elder in a loud roar. Qing Shui’s opponent was alarmed, but he didn’t pursue the old man. Instead, he turned towards one of the Eagle Jiao Beast and struck an attack.
State of Immovable as Mountains!
Qing Shui circulated the Qi from the State of Immovable as Mountains to the maximum and struck it against the Eagle Jiao Beast. Then he extended his right hand and stuck another attack!
Ripping Tiger Claw!
A Foot long ghastly tiger claw appeared on Qing Shui’s palms, gleaming with an intimidating glow as he struck the Eagle Jiao Beast’s head in a swift motion.
Roar!
A shrilling cry rang out in the air. Even a gigantic Eagle Jiao Beast would not be able to endure the deadly force of the Ripping Tiger Claw, as it fell from the sky towards the ground within a few moments. Two old men who were standing behind the fallen beast earlier immediately flew up into the air and summoned five large men with finesse akin to an iron tower with a flick of their hands.
These men had heavy armor fixed to their bodies. With a height of three meters, all of them were wielding giant battle sabres in one hand. Their eyes seemed lifeless without a shred of emotion, as they remained still while floating in the air.
They were the strongest of the lower leveled marionettes from the sect, with the strength of a Martial Saint of low level. Their muscles and bones had been tempered with potions to become as solid as steel, forcing the marionettes to become the very definition of brute force without any vulnerability. The marionettes would risk everything when they began fighting – not even cultivators of the same rank could defeat them.
Qing Shui immediately called out the Five-Headed Demonic Spider!
This time, he didn’t plan on letting his pursuers go without a fight. On top of that, the battle must be swift as well. As soon as the Five-Headed Demonic Spider appeared, Qing Shui turned towards the Grand Elder to take him out by himself.
The Five-Headed Demonic Spider, on the other hand, unleashed the Corrosive Poison Web at the marionettes, entangling them in the process before rushing towards the two old men who were caught in the spreading web.
Bang!