Chapter 46:
Between Life and Death
THE GAP BETWEEN their martial abilities was stark. Especially after Shen Qiao discovered the demonic core implanted in him—his emotions rampaged, his foundations were on the verge of collapse. The advantage he’d gained from striking first vanished completely. His sword glare was quashed, its overwhelming brilliance faded into a dim glow, just like the near-extinguished flame of Shen Qiao’s own life, flickering in the wind.
Sang Jingxing had been astonished by how much he’d underestimated Shen Qiao at first, but his surprise didn’t last long. When he saw Shen Qiao unable to continue, he even laughed. “The rumors said you lost most of your martial arts, and it seems they were right. Strange, why didn’t Yan Wushi drain your martial power dry? Instead, he left you to me.”
The power of his attacks was undiminished by his pause to speak. Where his Carving Dragon Palms landed, his true qi transformed into the vague shape of a dragon. But this wasn’t the usual merciful, benevolent dragon—it was full of savagery, and it roared toward Shen Qiao, its bloody maw gaping wide!
Sang Jingxing didn’t want to kill Shen Qiao just yet, so he only struck with most of his strength, not all—even if he thoroughly shattered Shen Qiao’s meridians and crippled all his limbs, he could still play with him for a while.
The crazed dragon engulfed the sky, blotting out even the moon. The leaves vanished as the sky plunged into darkness, and the scene turned harsh and forlorn.
And yet, the roaring dragon ground to a halt in midair.
Because a sudden, enormous burst of qi erupted from Shen Qiao. In the pitch-black night, a mass of light exploded out, impossibly dazzling, impossibly blinding.
The “light” swelled with tremendous speed, growing larger and larger. It swallowed the bloodthirsty, murderous dragon in an instant, pulverizing it until nothing was left.
Sang Jingxing didn’t even have time to express his surprise—his face paled and he pushed off the air itself, sharply reversing direction to retreat.
But it was already too late. Shen Qiao shot off the ground, and, from his hand, Shanhe Tongbei pierced toward Sang Jingxing with the momentum of raging thunder.
It wasn’t a flashy move, nor profound—it was only a straightforward thrust. As Shen Qiao moved, his body seemed as light as a feather, yet stalwart as a mountain. With almost impossible speed, he flashed in front of Sang Jingxing in an instant.
Sang Jingxing felt a chill flutter down his back, as if a basin of ice water had been poured over his heart.
However, he wasn’t his disciple Huo Xijing, so Huo Xijing’s death wouldn’t play out a second time.
He sent a palm strike at Shen Qiao while his other hand grabbed at the wrist of Shen Qiao’s sword hand.
But it was to no avail. Sang Jingxing felt an agony beyond compare, like his hand being minced. The true qi protecting his body was completely ineffectual in that moment—he could even feel the flesh of his palm being shredded off, slice by slice.
His face twisted, finally revealing a hint of terror and disbelief. He stared at Shen Qiao with the expression of one looking at a madman.
“You destroyed your own foundations?!”
Nothing was more important to a martial artist than their foundations.
They were cultivated bit by bit, year by year, from childhood to adulthood. There were no shortcuts to the process.
Shen Qiao’s foundation was his Daoist core. Destroying his Daoist core now said that he meant to die with Sang Jingxing.
Sang Jingxing was stronger, but if they kept going, there was no way he could win unless he wanted to stake his all on the fight and pay the same price—to destroy the entirety of his martial arts.
Of course, Sang Jingxing was not willing to do that, so he chose to turn and withdraw.
But the true qi erupting from Shen Qiao had already scoured away both of his palms—in just a moment, they’d become a mess of mangled, bloody flesh. The agony was utterly unbearable.
He really was a madman!
An utterly hopeless madman!
He gritted his teeth but wavered. His movements slowed just a whit, and in that moment of hesitation the massive shock wave from Shen Qiao’s self-detonation smashed straight through his true qi. The sword glare gouged deep into his chest, leaving behind a gash that cut him to the bone.
“Ahhh!” Sang Jingxing screamed involuntarily. No longer hesitating, he turned and fled immediately.
However, the fierce and brilliant sword intent was already descending behind him, fully formed as it engulfed both heaven and earth.