Chapter One Hundred Eleven: The Casual Slaying of a Spirit Manifestation

The spiritual power within Shen Qingyun surged like a boiling tide, leaving everyone present shaken. Could someone in the Foundation Establishment Realm truly possess such strength?

“Hmph. All bluff and bluster!”

Hei Kui gave a cold snort. The five elders swept their black robes in unison, and five torrents of spiritual power surged forth, hurtling toward Shen Qingyun.

Radiance rose from Shen Qingyun’s body, golden light making him resemble a god of war. Spiritual power took shape beside him, and the Heaven-Piercing Halberd turned golden as well, surrounded by flickering arcs of lightning.

Beside him, Feng Chuxun watched with curiosity. The transformation after Foundation Establishment was actually so immense—even the aura of his spiritual power now felt domineering.

Sizzle—

Electric arcs danced along the halberd’s blade. Shen Qingyun pointed forward, and the phantom of the halberd surged ahead with ferocious force. It collided with the five torrents of spiritual power, instantly giving rise to several fierce storms. Within them, the phantom and the spiritual power struggled against each other.

This was the most primitive kind of collision. Neither side had altered its spiritual power in any way. It was simply a direct clash of raw strength.

The five elders were secretly alarmed. They were, after all, experts of the Spirit Aspect Realm, yet a mere youth who had only just entered Foundation Establishment was resisting them so effortlessly. If word of this spread, where would that leave their dignity?

Two of the elders immediately stepped forward almost simultaneously, their spiritual power surging around them.

Could someone who had only just reached Foundation Establishment truly be strong enough to contend with all five of them at once?

They did not believe it.

“Hum.”

A thread of violet light flashed through Shen Qingyun’s eyes. It was as though he could see through the storm and perceive what lay beyond it.

Then he moved as well.

His arm trembled, and the Heaven-Piercing Halberd transformed into a streak of light, shooting directly into the storm.

The halberd tore into it with a sharp ripping sound, and a hole appeared in the storm.

Bang!

A dull impact rang out. Through the other side of the storm, Shen Qingyun saw a blurred figure struck in the chest by the halberd. Yet something protecting that figure manifested at the moment of impact and blocked the blow.

That was the source of the muffled sound.

“How close.”

Of the two elders who had stepped forward, one lowered his head and clutched his chest. He had clearly seen the halberd strike his own torso. Had he not possessed a fifth-tier defensive spiritual artifact, he might truly have died.

That single blow had actually destroyed a fifth-tier defensive spiritual artifact outright!

“Are you all right?”

The other elder of the Fiend Puppet Sect looked at him with concern.

The five presiding elders of the Fiend Puppet Sect were bound together as one. If even one of them fell, the other four would no longer remain elders. The same was true of the five great sects.

The peak, valley, or hall governed by a presiding elder was always a place where countless disciples gathered. To ensure that the disciples of the sect remained united, the presiding elders who managed them all assumed office in the same generation and stepped down together.

In short, aside from blood ties, the presiding elders shared the closest bond imaginable.

“I’m fine.”

The elder shook his head lightly, staring solemnly toward the place from which the halberd had been fired.

“We cannot underestimate someone who has only just established his foundation. He cannot be judged by ordinary standards. He may even be a re-cultivator.”

The other elder clearly understood what that meant. His expression immediately grew grave, and he nodded.

“Not bad.”

Shen Qingyun spoke lightly, offering a word of praise. Yet if one looked closely into his eyes, one could see a trace of excitement and satisfaction hidden in their depths. He concealed those emotions so perfectly that they were impossible to detect without careful scrutiny.

That previous strike had destroyed a fifth-tier spiritual artifact, and he had not even used his full strength. It had merely appeared to be an effortless sweep of his halberd.

“With the Heaven-Suppressing Halberd, I could do even better,” Shen Qingyun thought.

With his current strength, he could unleash far more of the halberd’s power. He might even be able to kill an expert of the Spirit Aspect Realm directly without relying on the treasured manual.

Two powerful auras rose, instantly annihilating the storm. Shen Qingyun and the elders of the Fiend Puppet Sect faced one another once more, completely exposed.

“Who exactly are you?”

The five elders stood in a line, their contempt for Shen Qingyun gone. Every one of them wore a solemn expression. After all, the man before them might very well be a re-cultivator.

A re-cultivator was not frightening in itself. What was frightening was the methods he might possess.

“An abandoned disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect.”

Shen Qingyun spoke softly. Another Heaven-Piercing Halberd condensed beside him.

“Looks like you have no intention of telling us.”

One of the elders spoke. An aura powerful enough to suffocate anyone in Foundation Establishment enveloped the area, yet Shen Qingyun remained unaffected.

Five Spirit Aspects condensed behind the elders, brimming with murderous intent as they hovered above them.

This time, they had no intention of holding back. They would unleash their full strength from the start.

Murderous intent roared through the air, sharp and piercing. With all five Spirit Aspects attacking at once, could Shen Qingyun possibly survive?

Swish!

A crisp sword ring sounded. Feng Chuxun drew Crimson Snow and stepped forward, standing beside Shen Qingyun. A phantom also condensed behind her—a greatsword.

However, in terms of aura alone, any one of the five elders of the Fiend Puppet Sect was far more powerful than Feng Chuxun’s Spirit Aspect.

That was the difference in cultivation.

But Feng Chuxun was not afraid.

“What are you doing?” Shen Qingyun asked in a low voice.

“Helping you,” Feng Chuxun replied.

The meaning was obvious: she intended to help him resist the five elders together.

“Do you think I need it?” Shen Qingyun asked, glancing sideways at her.

Feng Chuxun glanced back. The two exchanged looks. After a moment, Feng Chuxun silently sheathed Crimson Snow, and the greatsword behind her slowly faded away.

She was a little annoyed. Was it wrong to want a fight?

“Go!”

The five elders had no interest in such matters. With a united shout, their five Spirit Aspects charged toward Shen Qingyun. With every step closer, the might radiating from them grew stronger.

The Spirit Aspects moved, but the elders themselves remained where they were. Shen Qingyun had made them sufficiently wary. Though they wished to capture him, they could not afford to lower their guard.

Battle intent erupted from Shen Qingyun. That will was nearly tangible, standing shoulder to shoulder with his aura.

He took one step forward. His aura and battle intent simultaneously rose to their peak as spiritual power surged forth and poured into the Heaven-Piercing Halberd.

The halberd pointed ahead. Toward the Spirit Aspects, toward the void, he thrust once.

The long halberd was like a dragon, advancing without hesitation!

Boom!

The collision reverberated through the void. The thrust struck with such force that the ground beneath Shen Qingyun suddenly collapsed, while the flowers and grass around his feet were crushed into dust.

The void trembled. The Heaven-Piercing Halberd trembled as well, as though it might shatter at any moment.

The five Spirit Aspects shook violently, fine cracks appearing across their bodies.

The five elders could not help but grunt. Their faces turned several shades paler. Damage to their Spirit Aspects had caused them to suffer the backlash as well, though the effects were not severe.

“Break apart with the next strike.”

Shen Qingyun released his grip on the Heaven-Piercing Halberd and raised his right hand, holding it out as though grasping empty air.

A dark-red beam of light shot down from the heavens and landed firmly in his hand.

The expressions of the five elders of the Fiend Puppet Sect changed. They hurriedly issued commands with their minds, and the five Spirit Aspects immediately obeyed, retreating at once.

Shen Qingyun watched them calmly. He pointed the Heaven-Suppressing Halberd forward.

In the next instant, Shen Qingyun vanished from where he stood.

“Not good!”

The five elders’ vision blurred. An ominous premonition rose in their hearts, but it was already too late.

Golden light flashed, and Shen Qingyun seemed to cross the void in an instant, appearing before them.

The Heaven-Suppressing Halberd was pointed directly at one elder’s brow.

In the next moment, Shen Qingyun withdrew the halberd.

Blood seeped from the elder’s brow and flowed down his face, making him appear savage and terrifying.

“How could this… be…”

That final thought arose in the elder’s heart before his consciousness shattered. His Spirit Aspect exploded with a thunderous crash, and his body fell rigidly backward.

“Old Pang!”

The remaining four elders saw him collapse, his life already gone. Their eyes widened in fury before they turned toward Shen Qingyun, their eyes bloodshot.

“You deserve to die! You must pay with your life!”

Shen Qingyun was highly satisfied with having slain a Spirit Aspect expert with a single strike.

“Would you like to be next?”

He raised the Heaven-Suppressing Halberd and looked at them with disdain.

“Attack! Kill him!”

The four elders were consumed by rage and could no longer hear reason. Their fury had burned away every trace of rationality.

Seeing this, Shen Qingyun remained calm. His figure vanished, and when he appeared again, the Heaven-Suppressing Halberd was already pointed at another elder’s brow.

In the briefest instant, Shen Qingyun had finished everything and returned to Feng Chuxun’s side.

One man, one halberd, one strike—and death.

Shen Qingyun then acted as though nothing had happened. He slung the Heaven-Suppressing Halberd over his back, turned to Feng Chuxun, and said, “Let’s go.”

With that, he turned again and walked toward Qin Taiqing and Hei Kui.

Feng Chuxun raised a hand as though she wanted to say something. Her lips parted, but in the end, no words came out. She sighed and hurried after him.

Qin Taiqing was completely dumbfounded.

Was this really a human being? To slay Spirit Aspect experts so effortlessly—he himself could do the same, but only because his cultivation far surpassed that realm!

Hei Kui was even more shocked. He watched as Shen Qingyun walked toward him as though he did not exist, and anger mingled with an indescribable emotion rose within his heart.

It was precisely because of that strange feeling that he had not attacked Shen Qingyun at once.

Shen Qingyun seemed genuinely not to have noticed Hei Kui. He approached Qin Taiqing and said, “Foundation Establishment is over. I am leaving this place. Please open the great formation.”

“You can simply go out,” Qin Taiqing replied.

“Very well.”

Shen Qingyun nodded.

He then walked straight past Hei Kui, with Feng Chuxun following behind him.

“Stop!”

After a moment, Hei Kui suddenly shouted. He turned and stared darkly at Shen Qingyun’s back.

“You killed the elders of my Fiend Puppet Sect, and you think you can just leave so easily?”

“If not, then what?” Shen Qingyun turned to look at him. “What do you intend to do?”

“If you want to leave, you may—but leave your life behind!” Hei Kui said heavily. “Not only have you killed the son of the Demon King, you have also slain five elders of my Fiend Puppet Sect! The five great sects stand together as one. If you do not wish to spend the rest of your life fleeing, then obediently let me capture you!”

Shen Qingyun looked at him as though he were a fool.

“My life will not remain here of its own accord. But if you want it, you may come and take it yourself.”

With that, Shen Qingyun turned and continued walking. His voice drifted lightly into the ears of both Hei Kui and Qin Taiqing.

“If you are capable of doing so.”

Hei Kui’s teeth ground together with a sharp clatter.

Beside him, Qin Taiqing watched gleefully and said mockingly, “What is this? Has the Black Demon King, Hei Kui—the man who once drew blood whenever anyone disagreed with him—now been frightened by a junior?”

“Hmph!”

Hei Kui glared furiously at Qin Taiqing. After a moment, he waved his sleeve in humiliation and anger, sweeping up Wu Shi, who lay nearby, before descending the mountain as well.

He did not spare a single glance for the corpses of the five elders.

Qin Taiqing looked at the five bodies on the ground and let out a long sigh. Cleaning up this mess would take quite some time.

These people were truly something else…

Whenever he thought of Shen Qingyun, Qin Taiqing could not help shaking his head.

Still, sending someone to notify King Qin had clearly been the right decision.