Chapter 149 - Courting Death (Part II) (Patreon)

"Die."

After saying that, Lucian shot across the ground, ignoring the three men near him and going straight for the woman. Dealing with attacks of large destruction was the most troublesome for him, and in his view, she had to die first. Those talismans could be very dangerous.

"Use the divine blood!" Zha Nu said through the communication artifact. However, she soon deactivated it. She noticed it was demanding her concentration, and she had to focus on the upcoming battle. "Forget the artifacts! And use your full strength!"

Whether casting techniques or using artifacts, both required Qi and mental strength. Cultivators couldn’t misuse either amidst battle, as any mistake could cause Qi deviation, or worse. Lucian could only easily activate Qi Condensation artifacts, making a sword appear and dissipate in half a second, because his soul was too strong.

Usually, the others would fight and use artifacts without difficulty. However, the Domain of Pride forced them to circulate Qi to keep their blood contained. Adding to the pressure of being inside the yellow dust, they had to choose each action carefully.

Also recognizing all of that and hearing Zha Nu's command, the Shuang brothers each smashed their chests, causing the sound of glass breaking and piercing flesh to echo through the area.

Next, their bodies lit up, the image of a winged lion flashing behind them. Their veins were filled with yellow and black liquid, and their eyes behind the masks took on feline shapes.

Zha Nu and Tie Qiu followed suit, both scowling at how dangerous the situation had become.

Tie Qiu bit down on one of his teeth, swallowing a hot blue liquid. An aura similar to the surrounding mist enveloped him, while bluish energy flowed into his hands as the phantom image of a crab appeared behind him.

Opening his mouth, he screamed as blue pincers resembling crab claws grew from his throat.

Lastly, the ugly doll on Tie Qiu's shoulder floated toward Zha Nu, shredding itself apart and entering the woman's mouth. Then, Zha Nu's skin took on a jade-like appearance after she devoured the doll, and pearl-like growths emerged beneath her palms and feet.

The time it took them to activate these techniques was enough for Lucian to reach Zha Nu.

Inside this crimson domain, he wasn't stronger, but his enemies were much slower under the pressure they had to resist.

This yellow fog is very interesting, he thought, throwing a punch at Zha Nu. I wonder if they expected such an effect.

His quick jab struck Zha Nu in the chest, sending her flying sideways.

With a frown, Lucian looked at his aching hand and kicked off the ground to continue pursuing her. He didn't know what technique she had used, but her skin was harder than any other cultivator he had punched.

Zha Nu, in turn, coughed up blood, looking in horror as her chest caved inward.

Waving her hands in haste, white pearls scattered across the ground. The round pearls shook before exploding in front of Lucian, who dodged them all.

Unexpectedly, the explosions produced no shockwave. Instead, they created giant white coral formations that blocked Lucian's path and prevented him from easily reaching Zha Nu.

While all this happened, the other three finally adapted to the pressure on their blood and moved to intercept him.

The Shuang brothers roared, accelerating and reaching Lucian's side in two steps. Tears opened along their legs, backs, shoulders, and arms, their muscles straining under the force, while their blood slowly drifted toward the crimson drop high above.

Still, their sacrifice made them reach Lucian very quickly, allowing them to land two consecutive punches on him before the backlash could fully affect them.

Lucian ignored them at first, focusing on Zha Nu. He let their punches hit.

The crimson film protecting him exploded, absorbing most of the impact while he raised his forearms to mitigate the remaining damage. Then, leading with his shoulder, Lucian crashed into the white coral.

As if it were rotten wood, the coral shattered under his charge.

The Shuang brothers paused for a moment to stabilize their Qi flow and prevent their blood from escaping as they endured the painful backlash.

And as the one being chased, Zha Nu chose not to run anymore. Instead, she scattered more pearls and controlled talismans hidden throughout the area to activate a formation. She had to focus on all of that while maintaining her Qi flow, so running would only make her an easier target.

Meanwhile, Tie Qiu had picked up his iron ball and was holding it with both hands, his eyes closed. Earth Qi was being infused into it, and nearby fragments were floating to it. The Earth Wind Meridian Dust surrounding them was also being infused into the iron ball, though at a much slower rate, as Tie Qiu's control over the dust was poor.

After two seconds, Lucian broke through most of the white coral and saw Zha Nu. He was ready to strike when hundreds of talismans lit up, and Zha Nu clasped her hands together.

"Sea Burial Formation," she shouted. "White Grave!"

While she was focused on activating the formation, Lucian smiled and empowered himself with Qi. This was Qi from his inverted cultivation, which was stronger than a common cultivator should possess.

In an instant, he passed through the formation, four chakra points sending refined Qi into his muscles.

Yes, four, and not three. Amidst the battle, Lucian had a breakthrough!

He didn't know exactly what had happened, but when the bat with Qi deviation entered the yellow mist, he had briefly lost control over his cultivation. The yellow dust had accelerated the inverted flow of Qi deviation dozens of times over, easing the opening of the Heart Chakra!

By now, these effects had weakened, its acceleration no longer matching his own Qi flow.

Nonetheless, it was a huge help. With four chakras opened, he underwent a qualitative change. The Root Chakra enhanced his endurance and made his body more resilient, allowing him to run faster and resist more attacks.

Additionally, the Sacral Chakra enhanced regeneration and stamina, allowing more Qi to flow through his muscles, organs, and veins while repairing any small ruptures. And the Solar Plexus Chakra enhanced his Qi in ways he still couldn't fully understand, but he noticed his Qi perception expanded.

More importantly, the newly opened Heart Chakra enhanced his inner Qi, granting him greater control over Qi within his body. This level of control allowed him to send Qi into his arms and legs, enhancing his speed just enough to escape the explosions of the Sea Burial Formation. Of course, Blood Essence did most of the job here, but his Qi helped!

Before Zha Nu could understand what had happened, and how Lucian had become a blur under her vision, Lucian infused Qi into his fist and punched her in the mouth, almost breaking the mask in the process.

The strike shook Zha Nu's brain and forced her to instinctively focus on defense. She strengthened her body, being experienced enough to avoid suffering Qi Deviation by keeping only a single technique active.

Next, Lucian grabbed her hair.

Zha Nu thought he was about to bite her and prepared to counterattack, trusting in the durability of her jade-like skin. She knew it was almost impossible for someone below the Foundation Establishment realm to pierce her skin.

But Lucian was too experienced to repeat the same mistake of attacking someone's strongest defense.

With a strong pull, he took out Zha Nu's mask. Before she could recover, Lucian shoved his hand into her mouth. Then, holding her in place, he broke her jaw with one hand and followed with an upward punch, shattering the roof of her mouth and destroying her brain in a single hit.

Her skin was stronger than before, but her bones and organs were not.

Shuang Tai and Shuang Bao, having just recovered from their technique's activation, felt their blood freeze while their eyes shook.

Tie Qiu merely clicked his tongue and infused more Qi into his iron ball. He took haste, however, as fear embraced his heart.

Then, Lucian threw Zha Nu's corpse onto the ground as her blood floated toward the crimson drop above. With an apathetic gaze, he turned to the others and said, "Converge."