Baidi was covered head to toe in scales, tough beyond measure. This innate god-demon bloodline was not to be underestimated. Xu Qi’an had no confidence in peeling off its scales, but he was very confident about stabbing it in the crotch.
First, its abdomen had no scales and was relatively vulnerable, and the genitals were the most fragile part of any living creature. Even a divine presumably could not avoid that.
Using the spell “Shifting stars and Swapping Constellations”, Xu Qi’an concealed his aura. Baidi was not of the martial artist system and had no danger sense. By the time Baidi realised Xu Qi’an was beneath its crotch, the Sovereign Sword had already burst out with a yellow gleam of sword light and, with irresistible force, stabbed towards Baidi’s genitals.
Baidi did not move an inch.
At that moment, Xu Qi’an, who had thrust out the Sovereign Sword, saw Baidi’s abdomen suddenly bulge, and its genitals suddenly swell.
A martial artist’s danger sense surged up. A scene appeared in Xu Qi’an’s mind, Baidi blasting a stream of urine straight through his skull.
As a descendant of gods and demons born with the power to command water and control lightning, Baidi could pee whenever and wherever it wanted.
Not worth it… After weighing up the result of carrying through with that stab, Xu Qi’an decisively gave it up, rolled sideways, and tumbled out from beneath Baidi’s crotch.
The next moment, a water jet as thick as a fist shot out from beneath Baidi’s crotch. It punched deep into the ground as if cutting through tofu, to an impossible depth.
One could well imagine that if that piss had hit his face, Xu Qi’an’s head would have exploded on the spot.
Baidi’s body suddenly stiffened. As a gust of wind blew past, the body dispersed inch by inch. It was only an afterimage.
Its true body had already attacked right in front of Xu Qi’an at an unbelievable speed. Its huge body reared upright, and both claws smashed down viciously.
So fast… Xu Qi’an had only just risen from his roll when the gale split against his face like blades. He held the sword across his chest, braced the blade with his left hand, and forcefully blocked.
Clang!
The sharp claws struck the blade. The toughness of the Great Feng’s number one divine sword withstood the power of Baidi’s fleshly body.
But Xu Qi’an could not hold his ground. His qi exploded with a bang, and he shot backwards like a train fitted with boosters.
The cowhide boots Xu Lingyue had sewn for him exploded on the spot.
As he slid backwards out of control, a scene rose in Xu Qi’an’s mind, Baidi appeared along the path of his retreat, opened its bloody maw, and bit off his head from behind.
Xu Qi’an did not panic. He released the Sovereign Sword, spread his arms and traced a great circle. The power of all living beings frantically gathered and blessed his body. At the same time, his body swelled into a twenty foot giant of corded muscle, bursting apart his azure robe.
The Stupa tower rose above his head. The power of suppression rippled out, suppressing all enemies around him.
Bang!
He spun and thrust both palms behind him, colliding head-on with the lunging, biting Baidi.
The clash between man and beast produced a terrifying force like a mountain collapsing. The ground within several thousand feet suddenly sank, and countless clouds of dust billowed up, only to be blown apart the next moment by the raging qi.
Xu Qi’an’s arms instantly exploded apart. He felt no pain, because they had long since gone numb.
He was like a tiny boat cast into a raging tidal wave, sent flying away. The power of Transforming Force could not shed this immense force at all. This kind of uncontrollable “blown away” state was fatal.
An opponent could completely seize this chance, close in, and unleash a full string of attacks to cripple him.
Of course Baidi would not let such an opportunity pass. The suppressing power of the Stupa tower only made it pause slightly. Truly suppressing it was impossible. Even if Dharmapara Bodhisattva had come in person, he could not have suppressed it.
It turned into a gust of wind and charged after the flying Xu Qi’an.
In this situation, if Xu Qi’an had been an ordinary second rank martial artist, he would have died horribly, with virtually no hope of turning things around.
Within systems of similar domains, first rank and second rank were an unbridgeable gulf.
But Xu Qi’an was not an ordinary second rank martial artist. He controlled another system—shaman techniques!
Xu Qi’an’s body rapidly “melted into shadow”, and he used shadow-jumping to evade Baidi’s pursuit.
Still maintaining the posture of being flung away, his figure appeared in cracks in the earth, in the shadow of huge rocks, in tree shadows, appearing in one shadow after another among the surrounding objects, then vanishing again.
He kept using shadow-jumping without pause, using it to interfere with and evade Baidi’s pursuit.
Twenty-seven lightning tribulations… Baidi glanced at Luo Yuheng, then withdrew its gaze. In its azure vertical pupils was reflected Xu Qi’an’s flickering figure. It understood well the strangeness of Gu techniques, and immediately gave up the chase rather than waste effort.
Crackle!
Arcs of electricity leapt from the horns atop Baidi’s head.
Crackle, crackle… More and more arcs danced through the void, filling the entire space and turning this patch of heaven and earth into a domain of lightning.
The heavenly tribulation had made the lightning energy here exceptionally abundant. For Baidi, this was like adding wings to a tiger.
Of course, the drawback was that Agaruka Bodhisattva no longer dared target Daoist Jinlian.
This old Daoist of the Earth Sect had accumulated immense power of merit over several hundred years. Killing such a man would invite heavenly punishment, and with tribulation clouds covering this place, that punishment would be even stronger.
Agaruka Bodhisattva had already suffered once because of it.
Zzzzt… Powerful electric currents spread through the entire space, forming a web of lightning that caused Xu Qi’an, in the middle of shadow-jumping, to grow sluggish and stiff.
Seizing the chance, Baidi spat out a jet of black water from its mouth, piercing Xu Qi’an’s chest.
Tap tap tap! It immediately broke into a wild run, seized Xu Qi’an by the neck in one bite, crunch, snapped his neck, and began to gnaw greedily. In the blink of an eye, it had chewed up and swallowed the young man’s upper body.
“Xu Qi’an!”
Beneath the lightning tribulation, Luo Yuheng suddenly let out a shrill scream.
Boom!
Immediately afterwards, a lightning pillar as thick as a water vat swallowed her whole, forcing her to resist it with all her strength.
Is it done?
In the distance, Agaruka Bodhisattva heard Luo Yuheng’s scream, eased his offensive slightly, and turned to look at Baidi.
At that glance, his pupils contracted and he shouted:
“Careful!”
Behind Baidi stood a completely unharmed Xu Qi’an. He gripped the Sovereign Sword, collapsed all qi fluctuations, reined in all emotion, and the power of all living beings clung to the brass sword.
He spoke in a deep voice:
“My second wish, may this sword smash through all resistance!”
At his dantian, a faint glimmer of gold emerged and gathered on the Sovereign Sword, adding another measure of power to Broken Jade.
The Worthy One Phala that al-Asura had stolen was on him, exchanged for the Taiping Sabre.
Before the battle began, the beyond-mortal fighters of the Great Feng had held a gathering and conducted a detailed analysis of both sides’ fighting strength, drawing up many sets of tactics.
It had been so detailed that they had gone over what magical treasure to use at what time, what spell to cast when, what sort of damage it would do to Agaruka and Baidi, and how they might defend against it… It had been a deduction exercise that could be called a true brainstorming session.
In this “defensive battle”, the most dangerous role belonged to Xu Qi’an. He had to face a first-rank powerhouse alone.
What he lacked was not methods of attack, but techniques to subdue an enemy (flashy and flowery things). So the Taiping Sabre went to al-Asura, and the Sharira went to Xu Qi’an.
The Xu Qi’an just now had been fake, a clone created by the Worthy One Phala, a clone realistic enough to pass for the real thing.
The Worthy One Phala could perfectly replicate an individual. Xu Qi’an only needed to silently say in his heart:
“First wish, I need a helper just like me.”
Apart from having real combat strength inferior to the original body, it was no different in any other respect.
Just now, during the shadow jump, Xu Qi’an had summoned this false body, then used the Heaven Gu’s shifting constellations method to conceal his own aura and, with the aid of shadow jumping, appeared behind Baidi.
As Baidi devoured the false body, Xu Qi’an had finished gathering strength.
Broken Jade!
A yellow-gold sword flash shot past in an instant.
In Baidi’s azure vertical pupils, that yellow-gold sword light was reflected. It had already learned the details of Xu Qi’an’s abilities from Agaruka and Xu Pingfeng.
It knew that his slash could not be dodged, nor blocked with a magical artefact. It could only withstand it head-on with its own power.
Water spirits and lightning began gathering around Baidi’s horns. The left horn was stained pitch-black, while the right turned blazing white.
Its forelegs bent slightly, its body lowering with them. After a brief charge of strength, it lunged forward like an antelope ramming with its horns.
Baidi turned into a streak of white light and charged at Xu Qi’an. It wanted to shatter his killing move and utterly destroy his confidence.
It wanted this human to know exactly what kind of gap existed between first rank and second rank.
Clang!
Between the two horns, dazzling sparks erupted, along with a burst of yellow-gold sword light.
The sword light did not vanish in a single cut. Instead, it slammed fiercely against the horns. Baidi’s azure eyes were stabbed by the light, spilling dark red blood. The scales along its spine opened and closed, its dragon head trembling slightly as it strained with all its might.
Crack!
The sword light sliced through the horns, and its own power was exhausted as well.
Baidi let out a pained roar, but at the same time it had already charged right up to Xu Qi’an. Its broken horn, sharpened by the fracture, drove viciously into Xu Qi’an’s chest.
Bang!
Xu Qi’an’s skull exploded, the damage of Broken Jade returned in kind.
At the same time, Baidi’s horn erupted with blinding lightning and swallowed him whole.
This mass of lightning was so brilliant, so vast, that it seemed intent on snuffing out the vitality of a second rank martial artist in one stroke.
Within the lightning, Xu Qi’an let out a shrill, agonised roar.
At that moment, as Baidi frenziedly poured out its power, the scales on its body suddenly burst open. Strands of lightning burst out from inside its body, scorching black marks across its snowy-white frame.
Broken Jade!
The returned damage interrupted Baidi’s assault, winning Xu Qi’an a sliver of breathing room. Seizing the chance, the suppressing force of the Stupa tower rippled out, following on from Broken Jade to maintain control.
And that was not all. Above the tower appeared a plump golden Dharma Aspect, with rounded cheeks and a kindly expression, while the radiant halo behind its head revolved in reverse.
Baidi’s intelligence was reduced at once, and it became muddled like an animal.
The process lasted less than a second, but together with Broken Jade and the suppression force, it successfully bought Xu Qi’an enough time to break free.
His body dissolved into shadow and reappeared in the distance.
At this point, over ninety per cent of Xu Qi’an’s body had already been carbonised. He was completely a charred black humanoid figure. Leaning on his sword, he gasped in huge breaths, each inhale and exhale sounding like an old worn bellows.
Fighting a first rank descendant of gods and demons, every move was a fatal wound, and every mistake meant teetering on the edge of life and death.
This was the most dangerous battle Xu Qi’an had ever fought in his life, with the least room for error.
The Sovereign Sword, the Stupa tower, the Sharira for worship, Gu techniques, the power of all living beings… even with his second rank cultivation as the foundation, and combined with meticulous control, he was still no match for Baidi.
Above the Stupa tower, the rounded Great Wisdom Dharma Aspect dispersed, and the Medicine Master Dharma Aspect emerged, scattering fine golden light to heal his injuries.
“Do you feel despair?”
Baidi’s abdomen rose and fell slightly, its aura somewhat disordered.
As it calmed the injuries brought by Broken Jade, it said:
“A mere second rank martial artist being able to wound me to this extent, you have every right to be proud.
“But so what? The Golden Core tribulation is only halfway through, and you are already wounded like this. Not to mention the Four Aspects tribulation that follows, a full thirteen days. No, there is no need to wait for the Four Aspects tribulation. I will not give you any chance to catch your breath.
“After the Golden Core tribulation, that little girl from the Human Sect will either force herself into the Four Aspects tribulation, or help you face the enemy. No matter which she chooses, she walks a dead end.”
After the Golden Core tribulation ended, the heavenly tribulation would temporarily disappear, giving the one crossing it ten days to consolidate their cultivation. Only then would the second stage, the Four Aspects tribulation, begin.
But how could they possibly give their enemy a chance to recover?
Luo Yuheng simply would not have ten days to consolidate her cultivation. She could only be forced into the battle. If she somehow survived ten days, then the Four Aspects tribulation would arrive as scheduled. By then, after exhausting her strength in battle, how would she cross the Four Aspects tribulation?
Of course, they could also choose to flee. But then, with no beyond-mortal expert to hold them back, Baidi, Agaruka, and Xu Pingfeng could seize the chance to flatten the capital and take the Central Plains.
Whoosh!
Baidi suddenly opened its mouth and spat out a pitch-black water sphere, blasting it towards Luo Yuheng.
This forced Xu Qi’an to stop healing and use his own body as a shield, standing in front of Luo Yuheng.
Bang… his chest was pierced through by the water sphere, splattering blood mixed with blackened flesh.
Baidi’s mouth became like a machine gun, continuously firing pitch-black water spheres, each accompanied by sharp tearing sounds through the air.
Xu Qi’an either hacked at them with the Sovereign Sword or used his own body as a shield. Under the fierce onslaught, he was gradually riddled with holes, little by little falling apart.
Whoosh!
A flying sword shot over Xu Qi’an’s head towards Baidi, but it was knocked aside with a forceful strike.
“Stupid woman, do you want to die?!”
Xu Qi’an roared, “Cross your tribulation properly. Whatever danger is up front, I’ll bear it for you.”
“Xu Qi’an!” Luo Yuheng said through gritted teeth.
Xu Qi’an slashed apart another incoming water sphere, swallowed the blood surging up his throat, and laughed:
“Didn’t you say you didn’t like me?
“Dual cultivation was only ever a transaction, a deal to advance to earthly immortal. You endured for twenty years and only just reached the point where success is within sight, so don’t act on impulse over a tool like me.
“Oh, right, how many bolts now?”
Luo Yuheng choked out:
“Fifty-six.”
At that moment, Baidi had soothed the injuries from Broken Jade, but its horns still had not regenerated, because the properties of the Sovereign Sword were still grinding away at the vitality in the wounds and preventing the broken horns from regrowing.
Baidi’s body suddenly grew sluggish, like a frozen painting.
At the same time, Xu Qi’an’s danger sense began to scream a warning. Every cell, every nerve in his body urged him to flee for his life.
Baidi’s body dissipated into the wind. Its true body broke through the sound barrier, so fast it was like teleportation, appearing directly before Xu Qi’an.
Its bloody maw bit down viciously.
In that instant, Agaruka, al-Asura, Zhao Shou, and Daoist Jinlian, all of whom had spared a portion of their attention to this side, stopped at the same time and looked over, each wearing a different expression.
It brought a flash of resolve to perish together in Luo Yuheng’s eyes.
Yet Xu Qi’an, on the brink of life and death, suddenly became calm. All the despair strangely settled, transforming into the power of rebirth.
Part of the Flower God’s spiritual essence sleeping within his body was awakened and surged like a spring tide through all four limbs and every bone.
Crack…
His carbonised skin split open, revealing tender red, newly reborn flesh.
The power of all living beings surged in and blessed his body. The Strength Gu went berserk. As his muscles swelled, his frame rapidly expanded, transforming him into a three-metre giant.
The ring of fire behind his head exploded, and the divine blood of the Vajra roared through his veins.
Then all of these powers fell utterly still and collapsed inward into his body.
Xu Qi’an leaned back, drew his right arm behind him, and after a brief gathering of strength, at the very moment Baidi bit down, he threw a savage punch.
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