Chapter 539 - 230: True Essence (Part 2)
One of them was particularly massive, nearly a full size larger than the other Stone Lions. The single horn on its head already had a faint metallic luster, and its Rock Armor was thick and heavy.
It roared and lunged at Chen Qing, its Sharp Claws tearing through the air with a piercing shriek.
Chen Qing neither dodged nor evaded. With a low shout, the Star Essence True Gang around him erupted, and he met the attack head-on with a straight punch!
THUD!
A muffled bang echoed, like a massive hammer striking a great bell!
A wave of energy exploded from the point of impact between fist and claw, forcing the surrounding Evil Qi back several feet.
The massive Stone Lion let out a pained roar. Its Sharp Claws had been shattered by the punch, and its enormous body staggered backward.
Chen Qing shadowed it like a ghost, throwing another punch as fast as lightning that struck its throat with pinpoint accuracy!
The distinct CRACK of its throat bones shattering was clearly audible.
The massive Stone Lion struggled for a moment before collapsing to the ground with a crash, its life force gone.
In the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, all seven ferocious Stone Lions had been killed!
Zhu Yu stared, dumbfounded and horrified. ’Who is this person? His True Astral is so unbelievably domineering. He’s definitely not some nobody!’
Chen Qing moved quickly, skillfully slicing open the Stone Lions’ abdomens to retrieve their Meteorite Iron Cores.
Seven pieces of Meteorite Iron meant two thousand one hundred Contribution Points were in his pocket.
Zhu Yu took a deep breath, hurried forward a few steps, and cupped his fist in a salute. "I am Zhu Yu, a disciple of the Celestial Treasure Upper Sect Xu Wang Mountain. Thank you for saving me just now, Senior! Might I ask for your esteemed name? I, Zhu Yu, will be sure to repay you generously in the future!"
Chen Qing, having deliberately altered his voice, glanced at Zhu Yu and said flatly, "That won’t be necessary."
His tone was distant, clearly indicating he had no desire for further interaction.
Zhu Yu was no fool. He rubbed his nose, realizing this "expert" had likely saved him more for the Stone Lions than out of a pure sense of justice.
His mind raced. ’Luoxing Slope is fraught with danger right now. If I can travel with an expert like him, my safety would be much more secure.’
Zhu Yu quickly added, "Junior was being chased by these Stone Lions just now, and I vaguely sensed an extremely strong fluctuation of Star Power about a dozen li to the southwest. It seems to be the epicenter of the meteor crash, and it’s very likely nurturing a rare ’Mother of Destruction.’ If you are interested, Senior, this junior is willing to lead the way. We could look out for each other."
He threw out this bait, hoping to build a connection.
Chen Qing’s voice was devoid of emotion. "Thank you for the information."
After speaking, he paid Zhu Yu no further mind. With a flicker, his body transformed into a faint shadow and sped off to the southwest, quickly disappearing into the thick Evil Mist.
Zhu Yu watched the direction the black-robed man had vanished in and gave a bitter smile, but there was nothing he could do.
He quickly tended to his injuries, consumed an Elixir, and after briefly circulating his energy to recover, he cautiously chose a direction and departed, his heart filled with both curiosity and apprehension regarding the black-robed man’s identity and strength.
’Who in the world is he!?’
’He finished off seven Stone Lions in the blink of an eye. This man is definitely not some nobody. His True Astral is so domineering; it must be from a Superior Heart Method, no doubt. Could he be a True Successor Candidate from the Main Gate?’
Zhu Yu wondered to himself.
.....
After parting ways with Zhu Yu, Chen Qing performed a few leaps and bounds before completely concealing his tracks.
He wasn’t sprinting at full speed. Instead, he combined his Startled Swan Escape Shadow Technique and Gui Cang Concealment Technique to their utmost limits, silently sneaking toward the southwest.
The deeper he went, the thicker and hotter the Evil Qi in the air became.
From time to time, the explosive clash of weapons, the boom of colliding True Astral, and the agonized screams of the dying reached his ears.
Clearly, the strange phenomena caused by the Meteor’s fall had driven various factions and expert Loose Cultivators to fight to the death over the opportunities that had appeared.
Chen Qing fully extended his Spiritual Sense, deftly avoiding several areas where intense battles were raging.
He sensed more than one incredibly powerful aura. Their externalized True Astral was solid and condensed—they were all experts of the Outer Astral Realm. A few of them even made his heart palpitate with dread.
’It really has drawn out a lot of tough customers...’
A chill ran down Chen Qing’s spine, and he became even more cautious.
His goal was the Mother of Destruction, but his top priority was survival. If he sensed the situation was untenable, he would flee immediately without a second thought.
Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks. An unusually scorching wave of energy emanated from ahead, mixed with a trace of incomparably pure Star Power!
This was completely different from the Meteorite Iron Cores he had encountered before; it was far deeper and vaster.
’Could it really be the Mother of Destruction?’
Chen Qing’s heart skipped a beat, but he forcibly suppressed the urge to rush over immediately.
Using the jagged, strange rocks and the roiling Evil Qi for cover, he slowly approached the source of the fluctuations.
The closer he got, the more intense the scorching heat became. The ground was charred black and emitted a pungent smell.
Chen Qing’s gaze swept across his surroundings.
Just as he expected, he wasn’t the only one who had been drawn here.
Not far to his left, two elderly men in the attire of the Four Directions Sect stood side-by-side. Their expressions were grave, and True Astral pulsed around their bodies. They were clearly Elder Level figures from their sect, with Cultivation at least at the Late-stage Astral Force.
A bit farther to his right, a lone man stood holding a longbow of an ancient design. His aura was as heavy and steady as a mountain, and the True Astral around him circulated freely. His strength was clearly not to be underestimated.
Chen Qing felt an extreme sense of threat from this person.
Furthermore, hidden within the Evil Mist, the faint outlines of at least three or four other auras of varying strengths were lurking and watching. None of them were easy opponents.
Chen Qing’s heart sank. ’Snatching food from a tiger’s mouth... this is going to be difficult...’
Just then, the expert with the longbow seemed to lose his patience, or perhaps he wanted to test the waters.
He drew his bow and nocked an arrow, his movements as smooth as flowing water. With a vibration of the bowstring, an incredibly condensed, crimson arrow shot forth like a meteor, tearing through the thick Evil Qi and heading straight for the center of the energy fluctuations!
WHOOSH—BOOM!
The arrow hit its target, unleashing an astonishing wave of energy that formed a powerful shockwave, which actually managed to temporarily clear away the dense Evil Qi in a radius of several dozen zhang!